Dead Empress Backwater Sometimes we do get our happy endings

This takes place a couple of days into Sharlee's heat. Her scent would be strong on the outskirts of the territory. Special mention to @Reade

It was a difficult time in the backwater after the death of her niece. Sharlee was trying to be as supportive as she could to Vi but he was taking it very hard. She didn't know what to do for him to help him through besides to make sure he knew she was there if ge needed anything.

It didn't matter that they'd lost a family member. Mother nature still made herself known in Sharlee's life. The time of the year that she'd always dreaded in the past. She was torn this year. She hadn't dreaded it all year but then they'd lost Seph and she had to wonder if this year woukd ve the best year.

When the familiar feelings started up Sharlee thought it best to keep her distance from the main areas of the territory. She didn't think that Vi needed to deal with her when she was in the throws of her heat. She was more than aware of how her emotions could be.

She hated leaving her cousin without her support but she felt that this was the best way to help him. The tawny woman made her way through the trees of her home. Instinct taking over as she brushed against a tree here and there leaving her scent behind.

Reade remembered her well from their meeting before he'd joined the pack. He couldn't ignore the interest that prickled at him as he came across her scent near the borders, unmistakable this time of year. Charcoal nose tipped to the snows as he went, the Quinlan man following at a cautious distance.

He'd thought she was striking before, she'd run across his mind of course, but now there was a burning image of her front and center, one he could not erase. Those eyes of hers living behind his lids even when he closed them, like points of flame. Perhaps it was just the perfume turning his mind to its own devices, but he was not one to question the fates. Could this be why he was here? Possibilities teased his mind. There was no way to know, unless he would seek out the answer.

She hadn't gone far. Reade let out a gentle huff as he saw her, stepping closer through the trees, stopping at a respectful distance, his own gaze warm and questioning. "Am I intruding?" he asked. His tail waved behind him, pleased to see her but also apprehensive of how Sharlee might react, and walking his own tightrope in an attempt at keeping some clear-headedness.

Sharlee felt strangely calm despite the heat the burned inside her. It qas a far cry from how she felt the previous year. She was sure it was the knowledge that she could bring a litter of her own into the world if she were so lucky. She only had one slight problem. The past few months hadn't afforded her tike to make any real meaningful relationships with anyone who could help her realize her dream.

The tawny woman sat quietly next to a tree taking in the sounds and scents of the forest. She was deep in thought about what she needed to do. Then a potential answer to her big question came in the form of the backwaters newest member.

"No, not at all," she said raising to her full height. "Actually I would enjoy your company." She'd liked him since she'd met him before he'd come to the Backwater but she hadn't had the chance to get to know him better. Maybe now they could. "I see you decided to make the backwater your home."

As he watched her rise and take on a proud posture, Reade shifted his weight from one foot the the other, rolling his shoulders. His desire to show respect to the woman vied with his own instinctive pride as the hope of proving himself to her eye rested insistently in his mind. Is this a foolish thing to seek, in a pack he has just joined? But the fates have never steered him wrong before. He couldn't help but admire her, and broke his gaze away to dip his head in greeting, letting his tail sway at a proud but neutral angle.

"Then I'm very fortunate," he remarked with a smile, stepping closer. Pleased that she would welcome his company, for if not he'd have gone. But how quickly his gaze sought her out again. Her scent was stronger still now, easily enough to intoxicate if he breathed too deeply.

"Yes, I'm thankful for the welcome," though he had yet to feel as if he'd really got to know anyone well yet. "Your pack reminds me of my family in some ways. I wonder if that's why the fates pulled me in this direction." Though the mountains the nomads roamed were a far different place, they too had been a small group bound by family and other forged ties, a collection trying to make it together though they'd come far from their old home.  But, he would be a liar if he said meeting her had not been a part of his decision. He'd like to get to know her better, he's certain.

After she turned to face him Sharlee took a few steps toward him. This really was all new to her so she wasn't really sure how she should act. She knew that she liked Reade the first time she'd met him. She'd hoped that he might end up in the backwater. She'd also understood that there wasn't any guarantee that he would come to join her pack. Now that he was there she felt like maybe this was her chance and she didn't want to mess it up.

"As am I," she agreed because whether or not he realized it she felt as though she had the chance at all the things she hoped for. Since coming to the lore her priorities had changed, even in the past year they had and she wanted her chance.

She looked at her paws for a moment, "I'm glad that you do feel welcome. Things haven't been as easy as they usually are." With Sephrina's death everyone wasn't themselves. She hoped that in time they could heal. "That must help you to feel a little more at home. Perhaps it is, perhaps it was fate I ran into tpu that day in the forest." Who really knew how the fates worked but something besides the scent of a deer had to have lead her in that direction.

As she stepped toward him, his tail picked up speed, brushing the snow behind him. In a way he felt almost nervous, like it was his first time speaking to a crush. But neither of them were quite as young and carefree as that, and the flutter of feelings did not cloud his head beyond the words they exchanged. In fact, Sharlee's words brought him to earth with sudden and forceful gravity.

Reade gave a solemn nod, simply listening for a moment. it was a time of deep sorrow for the pack, most of them family, and he knew that. Though he did not share their personal, fresh grief, he'd lost friends and family before and could understand what they were going through now.

Her speaking of the Fates brought his gaze back up, a flicker of a smile to his jaws. Reade wondered if she spoke of them in the abstract way that many did, or if she sought the Fates as his clan had. It was not always easy, though, and life was never easy or simple. He'd come to believe that the randomness of death was a reflection of the unexpected joys found in life.

"Sometimes we have no say in what the fates hold for us, but I'm glad we met that day," his smile warmed as he looked to her. "I'm glad I chose to come here, for whatever its worth."

Just like the first time she'd met him Sharlee was drawn to the man's eyes. She didn't hold back this time allowing herself to take the steps that would close the distance between them. Her tail was subconsciously raised over her back as she came closer. She wanted to get to know more about this handsome man but she wasn't going to stop whatever might transpire between them.

Sharlee spoke of the loss the Backwater had suffered. Reade seemed understanding and empathetic which only struck Sharlee as something important to know about the man. Still though Sepherina's death was tragic she also knew that life went on. The Valle woman felt that these were her first steps. Learning more about Reade.

Until he talked about the fates bringing him to the backwater Sharlee hadn't considered it. She'd thought it was just a chance meeting but now she thought otherwise. The way things had played out between them for them to end up in this place together at this moment. She thought it had to be the fates that had brought them together.

"No we don't," she agreed, "But I'm glad they did too and I'm glad you chose to come here." She was much closer to him now. His scent was stronger further drawing her into him. "Reade, what are you looking for?" She asked looking into her eyes.

There was a magnetism between them, and it grew stronger as they grew closer. His heart suddenly felt too confined within his ribs. The man held back only to allow her to be the one to close any final distance.

Warmth bloomed in his chest as she spoke, and he gave a quiet nod as she spoke on. Her affirmation only made Reade more grateful he'd chosen to follow this path so far.

Sharlee shot straight for the heart of things with her question. Meeting her gaze he inhaled, taken a bit off guard. He shouldn't, wouldn't let distraction or hesitation cloud his way.

To be honest, the reasons he and his sibling had set out had been nebulous at best. The stories of those who'd come in the past spoke of a place where the Spirits still stirred often in the land, filling it with life. But they'd also wanted to set out because it was simply the right time for them to do so, to seek out what the world might have to offer by setting out for new lands. They'd grown up hearing that here wolves could thrive, build something greater than just roving the harsh mountains from season to season. Here you could build a life with all its joys, if you tried. He'd thought joining a pack would be a good place to start, but now he knew there might be something more he wanted.

"Whatever might come next... I want to see, see it with you if you'd have me. What do you want?" Nothing was ever for certain. But he was certainly willing to try.

Sharlee didn't completely understand what was going on between her and Reade. She could feel that there was something between them and she knew that it was just her current condition. She had felt like this the first time she'd met the man in front of her. It wasn't the first time she'd been drawn to a man but it hadn't been like this. She could feel the difference.

As the space between them grew smaller Sharlee could feel herself becoming more nervous. This was all new to her causing her to feel like a pup taking its first steps again. Despite her nervousness she tried to appear confident.

The question slipped from her mouth easily. She needed to know did he want the same things as she did? Mostly she wanted to know if he might be feeling the same things as she was. She waited for his reasonspe hoping that he might answer all the questions running through her mind. When he finally spoke she almost couldn't believe her ears but the words reverberated in her head in his voice. When he returned the question to her Sharlee didn't have to think about it. She'd been thinking about it for a long time now.

"I want to see too and I want it to be with you," she said reaching out to brush his cheek with her muzzle. "I want to experience life with you in it."

Reade had hoped to find opportunity and purpose in his new home, now it seemed he'd found someone to seek out those things alongside. This gift might be for them both if they wanted to accept it. He had thought, perhaps, one day - but to meet her and decide this together so suddenly was as disorienting as it was wonderful. Whatever fate had in store for them, doubt was not his way. When the season passed he knew their heads would clear, but he had no worry that he'd enjoy getting to know this woman, nurturing a growing love if they were so lucky.

Her answer brought the exhalation of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding on to. Slowly he leaned forward and returned her embrace, brushing his nose in the fur of her ruff, breathing in and holding the growing happiness until it bubbled up out of his chest as a series of playful nips to her fur. "Alright then. Let's find out together," He breathed to her ear, his nerves mingling with desire and elation. "Show me where to go and I'll follow you, Sharlee Valle."