Poison Path a villain is quite capable of love

RE: A late season snow storm takes Relic Lore by surprise, take cover!

March 25th; Afternoon; Light Snow; 31.6 ° F, -0.22 ° C.

When a storm had whipped up the mountain range, Adelard had already scaled the peaks of Serpent's Pass. What could have taken three days, took five days for the middle-aged wolf. Snow had begun to drift down upon the Lore. It gathered along his nape and stuck to his brow and whiskers. If anything else, Adelard meandered along driven by instinct and the need to see his mate. The coupling season was coming to a close and there was a jealous part of him that had to ensure Woya's fidelity.

The spring thaw had exposed bits of nightshade poked through the fresh blanket of snow. Some bright green buds that had grown early now wilted in the sudden bite of frost.

Adelard let out a sigh as he eyed the old den that had once belonged to the Poison Path wolves. There were some traces left of their occupancy but not very many. A few claw marks, a place or two where caches had been dug up, pack highways where the nightshade had been cleared...

Much like he had back at Fools Gold Chasm, he took a deep stretch and began to settle down for the evening. Tomorrow, he would continue his journey and, hopefully, the snow would let up by then.

According to her own approximations, there was less of a week of this hell left. Then she could finally descend this awful mountain and follow after Adelard and the boys. In the meantime, she was spending as much time away from the pack as possible. The stench of other women and intimacy was nauseatingly strong and only served to constantly remind her how much she missed the presence of her husband, of how close she'd come to having a whole home only to see it all crumble...

This was how she came to be so far from the Cove, snows driving her even further until she found the shelter of thickly-clustered evergreens and the withered brambles that tangled between them. Once out of the driving wind, Woya shook the snow and ice from her pale pelt and heaved out a sigh. The next inhale brought something unbelievable into her lungs.

Her sandy eyes snapped open wide, and her head and ears both began to twist and turn, searching for additional evidence that could confirm what her nose was telling her.

"Lard?!"

Adelard had only just turned to face the old wolf den when he heard his name. At least, he thought it was his name. Nickname.

"Lard?!"

His right ear turned to the side as he stood up straight, heat prickling up his neck and down his spine. Then, without even a second's more thought, her name rose from his breath, "Woya?" He spun about, both ears trained forward as he faced the direction where he thought he had heard her voice.

He tried again, eyes straining to peer through the slow-falling snow, "Woya?!" A whine pierced the air and it sounded almost desperate. He sniffed; all thoughts of settling were now gone and forgotten. His limbs itched as he strode through the wrist-deep frost. He needed to see her.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

For a moment there was nothing but the sound of her own breath and searching strides, then her ears served her with more proof. Before she'd even seen him a grin stretched wide across her muzzle, heart practically singing. Always there whenever Woya needed him the most.

Her lithe frame flew over snow and brush, dodging trees and low branches to follow Adelard's voice. His mask was glimpsed behind pines, but she didn't slow. The only thing able to stop her was she she finally was up against his chest again, tail wagging fiercely and kisses nipping all up and down the other wolf's jaw. Woya was certain she had never missed another so.

"Thank the stars."

That small part of her that feared she would never see him again happily died away.

It wasn't long until he heard the steps of someone - or something - coming in hot. A light but fast pitter-patter and the soft crunch of snow underfoot. Adelard's nostrils flared and his eyes teared from his unblinking stare. In the spaces between the underbrush, he finally saw her. Woya Macieo, the little fiery sprite in all her glory. She hadn't changed.

As the two collided, Adelard barely had a chance to brace himself. Had he been on ice, he might have skid backward as she came up to him, her head to his chest, her teeth combing through his fur. Long-missed kisses found his face and he finally felt a wave of relief wash over him. A low rumble in his throat replied to her utterance about being grateful to celestial beings. A simple sound that told her of his reacquired sense of security and possessiveness.

The tail at his back had risen at first in vigilance but eventually lowered in a lilting wag. He craned his head down and buried his nose between her shoulder blades, eyes closed as his ears folded back. Not knowing where to start, he nuzzled her side, a soft whimper sounding from him, "I hoped I'd find you here."

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

Her haunches dropped into the snow and she sank into him effortlessly, basking in all that his presence brought her. When he squeezed her close, Woya couldn't help a soft, girlish giggle while her tiny pale paws tip-tapped happily against the ground, pushing her considerably smaller frame further up against Adelard's broad, sheltering chest. This was the reward for those many long days away, coming together again without an ounce of love lost between them. All the trust she'd placed in him validated as she breathed him in, her Adelard, just the same as he'd always been.

"You almost missed us," she teased, "I wanted to leave to go after you as soon as this awful season ended."

Though it wasn't tortuous when he was right here with her. If anything, it made her all the more happy to have him back.

"You almost missed us," Woya joshed. Adelard exhaled to take her in again, filling his lungs with her scent. He had missed her, of course, but only now did he realize how much he needed to be with her. "I wanted to leave to go after you as soon as this awful season ended."

"I waited," he nestled the side of his face into her before pulling away just enough to see her face. "I waited as long as I could. I-" The walls he had built up around his heart felt as though they were crumbling. All the rubble was piling in a terrible weight against his stomach. The cold air stung his nose, "I needed you; I had to come back." It was only then that he could pick out the scent of others in her coat. Like little top notes of perfume mingling with the undertones of her signature scent. The relatives from Sanguine Cove.

"Is everything alright?" he had not forgotten his manners. "Is there anything I can do? And, the cubs?" Unspoken updates on his end hung on his tongue, but he wanted to hear from her first.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

She felt him shift and lifted her own pale eyes to meet his gilded irises. The words he spoke filled her completely with the deep warmth of being loved. Woya kissed his cheek softly, wished to show him how cherished he was in return, but of course some things could not be forgotten. She had certainly noticed the absence of their sons who'd gone with him, but such had not promptly worried her. With this too she trusted Adelard.

"Eh," she rolled her thin shoulders in a shrug, gaze drifting briefly along with her thoughts, "about as well as you'd expect living downwind of Mount Dire."

Still she didn't understand what about this place had drawn in so many of her relatives and their chosen families. It seemed that time and again it was proven this place was not hospitable, and it had stolen @Adora's sunshine. Woya remained eager to move on from the Cove, and her sandy sights found Lard's features once more as she continued.

"We can talk about that later, though. Ours are safe and healthy. You? The boys?"

"Hm," he hummed, checking her over once more. At least no harm had come to her, as far as he could tell. His head tilted in brief curiosity but concern won out. His knitted brow only stayed for so long though as he gave his own shoulders a small shake. What snowflakes managed to cling to him fell to the ground.

"The boys are fine," he revealed, his tail growing still at his hind limbs. "My sister Aubine has them. They're not far from the Lore; the band she joined is large enough to handle them." His nose wrinkled, not wanting to divulge that Anatole was still one hell of a biter and force to reckon with. He forced himself to take a breath, the dying season's grip still clasped around him. He had to clear his throat to compose himself again. Adelard was a practical man and knew, well beyond reason, that it was unwise to act upon primal instincts.

He smiled down at her and, this time, it touched his eyes, "So, what now, love?" His eyes glimpsed upward at the sky, to the snowfall that had doubled in the few moments since their reunion. He tipped an ear towards the old den, "Shall we get out of the storm or...?"

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

Woya's eyes alit at that name, familiar for the importance she knew it held to her husband. She knew as well as anyone could what it must mean to have crossed paths with his twin once more. That also meant her children were not just in good care, but with family, which was the best place they could be. Her tail continued to knock against the snow and Adelard's legs alike as it wagged.

Her eyes followed his subtle cue as he spoke of reprieve, unaware of the den's presence until then. She hadn't much been noticing the weather anyways, not with Lard here to shelter her. It was the thought of virtually-guaranteed privacy with the wolf she had missed so dearly that conjured a devilish little smirk upon her pale maw, and Woya would attempt to duck as swiftly as a blink under a long limb and bound a few strides ahead into the downpour of soft snow.

A little more reckless, a bit more willing to take a risk when it meant being with him. After all, just one time could be a shot in the dark anyways, right? She turned to face him, then lowered onto her front elbows and gave a playful growl. Already the heavy precipitation hid the creams within her fur, coating her with an efficiency that would be deadly were cover not available.

"Show me how much you missed me?"