Sanguine Cove jack frost nipping at your nose

For @Nash set on 12/9 <3 Christmas RE: The snow is falling in thick, fluffy flakes! It carpets the area around you, making the world feel quiet and cozy. On a day like today it might be nice to curl up with someone special...

But I put it out of my mind Long enough to call it courage To live without a lifeline

Shivering. She was absolutely freezing. While she was used to winter, she was not used to a cold so harsh and biting. She was not used to being at such a high altitude during the peak of the cold either, which meant she was shivering, soft shudders running through her body as she tried to stay busy enough to avoid any kind of illness that might come from being out too long. She tried to stay warm by getting the blood pumping through her body which seemed easy enough to do in theory, but was proving more difficult in practice.

She had truly done enough that day, restocking and checking in on patients, on the pack to make sure they were all staying healthy and fighting off any kind of lung disease that might strike during the winter months. She herself was just recovering from the cold and she was continuously checking in on Moonshadow to see how the woman was recovering. She would give nothing more than to be tucked away in a den right now away from the cold, but she felt like she would feel far too guilty in doing so. She needed to be productive; she never wanted the pack to feel like she was a burden and she had the consistent nagging thought that if she paused for even a second, they would start to see her that way. She needed to be non-stop for her own sanity and there were very few wolves who could convince her otherwise and peel her away from her work.

It had been getting progressively colder for a while, but this week winter had finally struck with a vengeance. The temperatures had plummeted, the lake had consequently frozen, and snow had started falling. Nash himself had been struck with a cold that was keeping him down more than he liked - especially with the cougar sneaking around. He was getting better of course; how could he not with a healer of Aquene's skill looking after him?

Tomorrow, Nash would join Flair and Chan in a journey up the mountain to look one last place for the cat's den. Tonight, Nash was cold and tired and wanted to curl up somewhere warm. More specifically, someone warm. He had a certain healer who never took a break unless someone made her in mind.

The snow muffled the typical sounds of the forest, bringing an eerie calm. It didn't take him long to find Aquene in that gentle quiet. She seemed to be the only other thing moving in the frozen world; her dark snow-dappled shape was easy to pick out.

"Still working away?" he called as he approached, a small smile on his face.

But I put it out of my mind Long enough to call it courage To live without a lifeline

The colder it got, the harder it was to keep up with illnesses, she knew that. The winter and when the weather started to warm were easily the two worst times for a healer, the winter because of the lack of resources and the thawing because of the plague the sudden weather shifts tended to bring. She’d be treating sore throats and runny noses for days, particularly in the little ones, she just had a feeling. She tried to stay in the herbal den as much as possible, if only because it was sheltered from the wind and at least a little warmer.

She just wished she could hide away there all day. Instead, she was out in the forest, paws crunching lightly against the layer of snow that had settled on the mountainside, a familiar face drawing her attention as she offered him her usual kind smile. “You know me, always running around.” She offered as she paused to greet him with a light bump to the shoulder. “You know, I saw your brother earlier today… he wanted me to inform you that we’re switching roles. I’ll be the guardian and you be the healer.” She teased, the humor reaching all the way up to her eyes, pausing for a second to get his full reaction. “Jokes aside, I officially claimed a role in the pack: Shaman. It’s what my ma and pa used to call healers.” She was excited to share the news with him, not that she thought anyone would be surprised to hear it. “What about you? What have you been up to?”

Nash was always happy to see Aquene, and so when she smiled at him his own widened. His ears pricked at the mention of his brother, and then his eyes grew wide. He was hit with a flash of panic - he didn't know anything about healing! He could pick a few herbs, but-

She was kidding. Of course she was kidding. Nash, a healer? Rediculous. He laughed with her, grinning at her announcement.  "Congratulations! It's about time. The Shaman Aquene," he bumped her with his shoulder. "It has a great ring to it."

He looked around them at the thick flakes of snow falling around them. It was only getting heavier. "Why don't we head back somewhere cosy and curl up for the rest of the storm? You've don't plenty of running around for the day."

But I put it out of my mind Long enough to call it courage To live without a lifeline

Aquene saw the panic on his face and she felt bad for only a moment, guilty to have panicked him, but then he was laughing with her and it made her feel better. “Sorry to spook you, Chan insisted I had to tease you about it and tell you. I went and originally joked with him that I wanted to be a guardian and he suggested the role switch prank.” She explained fully, her nose wrinkling as he bumped her shoulder back. “Thank you. It’s about time, really, I’ve been doing the role long enough.” There had been a number of reasons she hadn’t gone for it sooner, but it didn’t really matter now.

He suggested getting into some shelter and she smiled. She liked the sound of that. She let out a soft chuckle and nodded. “I suppose I have… I like the idea of getting out of this snow though.” She agreed with him as she nudged him again, turning them around so they could head to someplace sheltered from the wind.

Nash shook his head in exasperation. Of course those two would scheme behind his back. He huffed. "Sounds like Chan," he said with an exaggerated eye roll. "Really though, I'd be a terrible healer. I'll stick to helping you collect herbs, if it's all the same to you." but he was still smiling.

He allowed Aquene to lead the way to whatever nook she felt like tucking away into. "I've spent my whole life on and around this mountain, and I'm always surprised by how heavy it snows." he sighed. "I'm just glad I was able to convince Chan to stay for the winter. I'd worry about him out there on his own too much with the cold. And now with this cougar..." he shook his head, thoughts turning back to the next day's plan. He thought also to the spring, and if he'd leave with his brother. He was starting to feel he had too much here to give up.

But I put it out of my mind Long enough to call it courage To live without a lifeline

It did sound like Chan, though she herself had made the decision to actually go through on the prank. “And I would be a terribly Guardian.” She was anything but a fighter, really. First, do no harm, was always her go-to rule so she didn’t know if she had what it took to protect the borders, especially from things like coyotes or foxes… things that were her size were much harder for her to deal with than docile rabbits or other forms of prey. “I think we’re perfect for the roles we currently have, thank you.” She smiled in his direction.

She found her way to a small den that she slept in when she worked late. It was strange to think about how often he had spent time on this mountain. “My father spent some time on this mountain… not too far from here, actually. I hadn’t realized at first, not until I met Aleister and he put a name to a location.” She admitted as she guided him to the little nook, settling in and leaving room for him next to her. “I worry about everyone… I worry about him, about you…” She always worried about those she cared about most. “You all have become my family, so of course I worry.” As if it weren’t obvious, yeah right. “I hope he stays longer… he truly does a good job leading.”

Nash silently agreed that they were better suited for their roles and tucked himself in next to her. There wasn't a lot of space, but he wasn't complaining. It gave him an excuse to cuddle up closer to her. That was definitely the reason he felt so warm. For sure. Hundred percent.

He eyed her as she spoke. "I didn't know your dad lived in the area. When? Maybe we knew him." If he lived on the mountain, he might have been part of the original Cove pack. Chan and Aleister would be more likely to remember him if that were the case, but it didn't hurt to ask.

Nash sighed. "I wish he'd stay too, but I don't think he will, come spring. It was hard to convince him to stay this long. Besides, he's a wandering soul at heart. Keeping him trapped here... I don't want him to resent us." he shrugged. "I know he can take care of himself, and he'll come visit. We...

Nash paused. Should he tell her? The longer he waited to decide, the less sure he was that he wanted to leave. He loved the Cove, loved his pack. He couldn't abandon them. "I could go with him," he said softly. "I've been thinking about it... I thought I wanted to. I spent two years wandering on my own but I never went anywhere. I always came back here to look. Two years wasted. But I'm not so sure anymore. There are things here... wolves here that I don't want to leave."

But I put it out of my mind Long enough to call it courage To live without a lifeline

Aquene enjoyed the warmth he generated as she nestled up against him. It was so contrasted from the biting cold that it was hard not to savor every second of it, not that she wouldn’t savor it any other way… you know, for healing purposes. Hypothermia and all of that… totally only for that reason.

The question came and she hummed softly. “It was when he was a pup… when he was older he moved away from the mountains with my uncle Lachesis. He taught me what I know about healing along with my mom… he moved out and met my mom around the time that you would have been born so chances are you didn’t know him. I know Aleister knew my uncle, so it’s possible he’d met my dad is passing but I think it’s unlikely. He had been the alpha of a pack called Driftwood Surge with my aunt Lilya.” She rambled a bit about her history. She had never expected to end up in this place, truly… but she was glad that she had.

Aquene frowned when Nash mentioned how Chan might be looking to move on come spring. “I wish he would stay longer… but I know staying in one place for too long isn’t for him.” She liked to think that she had come to know the Eastfall siblings quite well, and Chan’s place in the world was as a wanderer, not an alpha like he was now. She froze, if only for a second at the mention of ‘we’ before trailing off. Sadness lingered in her eyes when he admitted he could go with him, and she had to bite back a whine from escaping.

She didn’t want him to go. Was that selfish of her? The more he explained his reasons, the more guilty she felt for having these feelings of sadness and dread at the idea of him leaving the Cove. She had come to make a home here and he had been such a huge part of that. Why was there an aching in her chest at the thought of not seeing his face every day? The last time she had felt that was when she realized she’d never see her mother again, and it consumed her for a moment as the silence fell heavy and thick over the air.

She needed to say something… but could she selfishly request he stay? Would it make him miserable? Resentful? She didn’t want either of those things for anyone, least of all him.

“I… I don’t want you to leave.” She admitted softly after her pause, her eyes avoiding contact with him to avoid seeing whatever emotions fell across his features. “You’re my family, Nash… all of you, especially you.” She admitted again softly, the words thick in her throat. “I… I don’t know what I would do without you.” She finally admitted softly, dancing around the feelings that had slowly crept in and appeared all at once.

Nash listened as Aquene explained her father's history, and he shrugged. "I don't remember much of the original Cove pack anyway," he said. "I was so young when everyone abandoned m- the lake." he coughed awkwardly and moved on, agreeing that he wished Chan would stay longer. And then... and then she was upset.

No no no no no! I'm doing this all wrong! Nash cursed himself and his clumsy words. This was all out of order. He hadn't had a plan, per se, but he had thoughts and it wasn't... wasn't this! His eyes widened as Aquene continued, his heart thumping in his chest. He was so focused on his own panic he almost missed what she was saying. Almost.

He swallowed.

"No no no, Aquene, I don't... I thought about it, for a bit, when Chan and I first talked about it, but... I don't really want to go. I don't-" he huffed. "This is all wrong." his eyes turned skyward, though they couldn't actually see the sky at the moment. What was it his father had told him as a pup? "My dad took Mom to the hot springs," he mumbled. "Shoulda done that."

He finally looked back at his friend and took a deep breath. Time to be better. Not awkward. He could do this. If she didn't want him, 'especially him', to go, then that meant maybe he wasn't crazy. "I don't want to go, b-because... well, I- I like you. A lot. And I... I really don't want to leave, if- if you're going to be here."

There, it was out, and with barely any fumbling.