The Winter Den

"Oh, now look what you did"

"You deserved it." Altair teased with a retort. He quirked an eyebrow. "What was the drawing?"

He waited for her answer but was quickly sat on by another. Elysia's scent was easy to pick up as the fae panted. Her tongue was lolling out of her mouth and her eyes were bright.

"You dont quite look dead yet."

"Not yet." He grunted. Normally, he would have stood up to dislodge the weight on him but he didn't want to hurt the fae. "Where's Roo? She went looking for you."

Mahina looked towards Altair. "Um... nothing, it was nothing." She was afraid to say what she had drawn, or what she had seen her drawing as. The female chuckled when Elysia made Altair her chair.

"Um... nothing, it was nothing."

Now both eyebrows were quirked. "Really? It's not like I'd tell anyone. Well, I'm not really in the position to. You can even whisper it if you want to!" He chuckled.

Mahina let her ears drop. "Two wolves nuzzling each other." She shrugged. "It was really nothing, just my imagination having a mind of it's own." She smiled slightly. "Ely, is he now your chair? Cause I still need him for ear nomming purposes" She laughed, tail thumping against the ground.

Elysia perked her ears, looking in between Altair and Mahina. She grinned, leaning down to join their conversation from where she was perched on top of Altair. "If you whisper, I'll still hear it." She chuckled good naturedly, shifting to make herself comfortable pointedly on Altair. She knew her weight wouldnt bother him. She was tiny, easy to move. Her ears perked at mention of Taru. She looked around, catching faint scents of her friend. Her attention was distracted momentarily from Altair. She stood, hopping off of Altair and looking back to him, grinning once more.

"Dont you dare commence to dying, you hear me? It was too much work having to worry all the time." She winked at him, looking to Mahina. A look flashed in Elysia's eyes, but she quickly looked away. Without another word, she took off running into the woods in the direction of Taru's scent. She pushed Altair and Mahina from her mind, concentrating instead on finding Taru. Rune's words about being a matchmaker resurfaced in her mind. Elysia suddenly wasnt so sure she wanted to be Altair's matchmaker, especially if Mahina was first choice.

She pushed the thought away again, eventually coming upon Taru who was curled under a tree in the snow. She slowed her pace, creeping up on Taru. Her tail swished against the ground as she moved with careful paws. She came alongside Taru, carefully positioning herself beside her friend. Altair had been a good chair, but now Elysia wanted a mattress. She tensed her muscles, positioning herself carefully. When everything was perfect, she laid herself out on top of Taru - her back agianst Taru's back as she stretched her legs and batted her paws happily in the air.

Kira lay her head on her paws with a sigh. She tucked her tail neatly at her side as she began to warm up, and her gaze focused on the storm outside as white flecks whizzed by the den's entrance. Before long her eyes began to close slightly as sleep threatened to overcome her, the cold outside had drained her energy.

((lame but I don't want Kirly just sitting there staring XD At least she is falling asleep now ))

Akera opened her eyes to watch the wolves prod at each other playfully. The russet female's tail wagged a bit when Elysia trotted into the den and hopped on top of the male whose name seemed to be Altair. All the pack members seemed to be so close. Akera longed to someday be a part of that. 'I wonder if I'll ever be like them, joking around in the middle of a storm, enjoying each others company...'

It made her heart hurt to look at the scene. She shut her eyes tight again, lying in her corner of the den, trying to still her quivering. But even with her eyes shut, she saw memories of her brother. The homesickness hit her again, this time in waves. She was in a reverie, one she couldn't break out of, no matter how much she wanted to. She wanted to forget, but couldn't. So the female just watched herself and her brother behind her eyelids, reliving the moments in her past.

"Two wolves nuzzling each other." She shrugged. "It was really nothing, just my imagination having a mind of it's own."

"You draw that a lot," Altair said softly. His pale eyes looked to where the original drawing had been. With all the time he spent in the den, he had looked at it. Stared at it. Memorized it.

"Ely, is he now your chair? Cause I still need him for ear nomming purposes"

"If that's the case, stay forever." He chuckled. "I like my ears free of Mahina's slober."

"If you whisper, I'll still hear it."

"Dont you dare commence to dying, you hear me? It was too much work having to worry all the time."

Altair had been about to reply to Elysia's words but the fae ran off. He guessed that she was going to look for her Rabbit Buddy but he had seen the look in her eyes. That troubled him deeply. Shrugging the thought away, he stretched out and his back rubbed against Kira's side. The pretty Betaess' breathing was slowing and that told him she was going to fall asleep.

"Sorry." He said to her nervously but he did not move. He was very comfortable.

Elysia raised her head indignantly. Her lips pulled down into an annoyed frown, though she was only teasing. She spoke loudly, almost shouting for anyone to hear. "Lard?! Lard! You're the bucket of lard!" She rolled off of Taru, still protesting under her breath. "I'm no bucket of lard..." She settled into the snow beside Taru. She rested her chin on her paws. She glanced over at Taru's paws. For some reason, Taru's paws suddenly looked far more comfortable than her own. Elysia shifted in the snow.

With a pleased smile, she settled her chin on Taru's paws instead. She liked her friend's soft thick fur. She rolled her eyes upwards, looking to Taru. She was glad to see Taru again. For some reason, it felt like an eternity since they had spent time together. Her tail thumped the ground. Despite her best efforts, her mind wandered. Where exactly her thoughts wandered too, she didnt want to clarify. She cleard her throat slightly, she had had so much she wanted to talk to Taru about - but now nothing would come to her.

"It's snowing." Of all the things to say. Elysia looked at the sky. She particularily disliked snow and storms due to her small size. She shivered as if on cue, pressing against Taru for warmth. She wondered if Altair would be alright, considering he was still recovering from his illness. Mahina surfaced in her mind and Elysia pushed all thoughts of the pair from her mind. Taru was here, being Rabbit-y and Buddy-y. That was enough for Elysia.

Mahina walked over to Altair. Being careful not to disturb a sleeping Kira, she placed her paw on the ginger male's muzzle, her tail wagging slightly. "I hereby declare you the one who's ears taste yummy."

"I hereby declare you the one who's ears taste yummy."

"Thank you. This is such an honour," Altair whispered, his eyes showing his amusement. "I've always wanted this."

He reached up and his paw touched hers and he brushed her away. Pale amber eyes were on the fae as he let his tail thump on the ground once.

"Sorry." He said to her nervously but he did not move

"It's ok" she said, lifting her head slightly before laying it back down, only to lift it again as she heard Mahina speaking. A yawn escaped her muzzle before she blinked wearily. Her ears remained flat as a smile played along her features, if she was already up why try to sleep again?

(lame because I am rushing and tired XD)

Mahina placed her paw on the ground, letting it brush across the dirt. "It is an honor! You should be proud of yourself!" She smiled, her tail wagging slightly. She had just about done everything she could to the male except tackle him to the ground.

"It's ok"

Altair was relieved that Kira didn't mind. He stretched out his legs and let out a breath of relief.

"It is an honor! You should be proud of yourself!"

"I'm sure." He chuckled in reply. "And how many others recieved this honour?"

"So far only you." She tilted her head slightly. Mahina debated on whether or not she should tackle Altair or sit on him. She took the liberty to wait on Altair to either lay down or stay standing up to determine just what she would do.

"So far only you."

"Lucky me," Altair replied.

He noticed that Mahina was watching him. Waiting for him to do something? Something tugged at his mind and therefore his eyes looked out of the den. It was calling to him. No, rather his heart was. Slowly, he pried himself from Kira's warmth and stood up.

"Excuse me."

The brute left the den the second those words were out. Snow battered at him from both sides and he felt the winter bite into his skin. All the weight loss that happened to him left him feeble but his will drove him onwards. Even with all the snow, he could pick up the scent of Elysia and followed it. She would lead him to Taru.

Taru's image burned in Altair's mind as he raced through the snow. He had to know if she was okay. The promise he made to himself while resting in the den was fresh in his mind as he continued to run. The scent ended and he spotted both of the faes laying near each other. Sharing one another's warmth.

Smart, unlike you. You're shivering like a leaf. Altair padded down near the two but stopped short. Seeing Taru again caused his heart to lurch painfully in his chest. He wasn't sure if he could talk to her because he was nervous to the point of his heart picking a fast, heavy beat.

"Hey Roo." Her name drifted in the snow. Since he had spoken quietly, he wasn't sure if she heard him.

"Hey Latir," the female replied with a whispy breath, trying not to disturb Elysia's sleeping.

Altair smiled at Taru's nickname for him. Never had he heard another address him with it so it seemed like a secret that only they shared. Her tail flicked, motioning for him to join her and Elysia but he felt slightly hesitant. He cleared his thoughts by shaking his head and walked slowly into the dip before laying alongside Taru. His ginger pelt was pressed against her but when he remembered that his ribs still stuck out of his body, he moved so there was a slight distance between them. Not much but there was a gap.

"Why did you really leave?" He asked as he thought of her leaving the den. "I saw a flicker of something in your eyes. You really scared me. I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again."

"It was simply too crowded in the den. I guess I'm just not used to that sort of thing," she replied, looking towards the brute.

Altair nodded when she said her explanation. It was reasonable and he understood it completely. From what he had seen so far of her personality showed that she was a wolf who was fine in the company of a few but if there were too many around her, she would need to escape. He himself however, enjoyed to have many around him. It made him feel safe.

"You can't get rid of me that easy, Alt. I'm not going anywhere for a long time," she answered with a swift laugh before thinking of Elysia sleeping beneath her.

"You better not. I'd be lost without you." He said honestly. A laugh bubbled in his throat but he held it back as he remembered that Elysia was sleeping just under Taru.

"I guess that makes two of us who were scared. When you got sick, I thought...." Taru trailed off, wondering what she had thought, struggling with her words. "I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again,"

"We'll have to do something about that." A moment passed before he spoke. "How about a pact?"