Wolf RPG

Raissa had been accepted and although FitzDutiful's writer was terrible confused about the timeline, things had been decided and everything was back on track! After Finley left, FitzDutiful lead Raissa into their home and began to steer them in the direction of his den. A good quarter of the pack lands lay between them and their destination, though the Caldera's namesake would have to wait for another day.

"I hope you like it here," Fitz mused softly, as he walked closer to Raissa. He was very very aware of his broken ankle and wanted to get a healer to see Raissa as soon as possible. It was due to this that he was taking her on the shortest route to his den. "There's so much to see that we couldn't possibly cover it all in one day, but we'll probably see a quarter of it on the way to our den."

FitzDutiful didn't use the word "us" deliberately. It really was just how he felt and it was rather natural for him to use it. He hopes she felt the same way, but if the events on the border were much to go by - she did. He wondered briefly if they were moving too fast. They had met only for the second time in the November and it had definitely fit in the category of whirlwind romance. That wasn't really anything to be concerned about though. He wanted to officially call her his mate, but a talk with Peregrine was going to take place before he ever broached that subject with Raissa.

Happy and content with their current situation, they walked with Fitz pointing out various nondescript landmarks along the way.

The whole experience was odd for Raissa. Not in a bad way, of course, but still odd. She had never done the whole puppy love, boyfriend girlfriend thing, but it felt good to be doing it with Fitz. She hobbled awkwardly next to him, her ankle held to her chest and her cheeks hot with embarrassment that she couldn't be normal. She was so embarrassed that she almost missed him saying 'our' den. Her embarrassment faded slightly and she smiled as he continued on as if it was no big deal.

But it was a bid deal. It made her feel like she had a place she belonged, and that feeling filled her as she walked awkwardly next to Fitz, pretending to listen to what he was saying. But really, she was studying him, the way his eyes sparkled in excitement and his words were filled with happiness. She was also imagining their future. If he really wanted her to live with him, then hopefully he had the same intention of hers. To be mates, officially.

"Wow, its so nice here!" she exclaimed, her tail wagging. It was much better then Blackfeather. "How could I not love it here? Especially since you're here." she finished, her voice lowering and her eyes sparkling.

"I'm glad," Fitz responded in kind, thoroughly happy that she was as excited to be living here as he was. It was a strange life they'd led so far but he was looking forward to the normal mate aspects of a relationship. The living together, the seeing each other regularly and the commitment to one another. FitzDutiful wondered if everything would be better now, be pleasant, if their trials and tribulations were over.

They were almost half way to his den when they came across a clearing. "Would you like to rest here for a bit?" The grass was currently covered in snow thanks to the midnight scattering the night before, but it looked pleasant enough to rest in. Fitz was very conscious of Raissa's paw and didn't want her to be putting too much weight on it for too long.

The clearing did look very soft and fluffy thanks to the fresh powering of snow, and her legs were aching from caring the weight of her injured paw. But she didn't want to slow them down. It was already bad enough that she wouldn't be able to hunt for a while, but now she had to make Fitz stop on the way to his den? No way, that was not happening.

With the tiniest glimpse of longing in her fiery eyes, she quickly reassured him that she would be fine. "I'm fine, trust me. Besides, I don't want to interrupt the sightseeing with a boring nap." she protested, her eyes carrying that joking sparkle that seemed to be ever present. Except now the sparkle was happy instead of devious.

She was refusing to budge. Fitz could tell how much her paw was hurting her, but she was refusing to stop. He didn't know how to encourage her to and so he just nodded and carried on past the clearing. Never let it be said that FitzDutiful caused another to do something they never wanted to do.

"Fair enough," were the only he said right there and then. A few moments later they came across a fork in the path they were on. "Your choice from here. If we go left, then the den is about five minutes but it is a scramble of roots and bushes. If we go right it's another twenty to thirty minutes but the path is super duper clear if not very straight." He looked at her, allowing her time to choose how to proceed.

He didn't seem to chat much. His simple words made Raissa wonder if she had made a mistake, rushing into this too fast. She suppressed a shiver at the thought, not wanting that to be true. She pushed the dark thoughts to the very edge of her mind and instead considered the choices that had been laid out for her. The impatient part of her screamed to go the shorter way and get to the den as fast as possible, but she also figured it would be fun to see more of the territory.

So she nodded her head to the right and smiled up at Fitz. "I think it would be fun to see more of the territory."

Fitz nodded. He was still in a haze at actually have Raissa with him. If he had known how self conscious she was feeling, that he didn't want her here, then he would have been doing all he could to reassure her. As it was, he didn't have a clue. He walked close by her, trying to keep physical contact as much as he could without hindering her ability to walk. Silence seemed to grow, then all of a sudden the comfortable companionship that he had felt vanished and he felt compelled to say more.

"I'm so sorry, I'm quiet. It feels completely surreal that you're actually here, and I'm quite worried that you're not telling me how bad that ankle is and we might be doing more harm than good." He looked over at her, eyes filled with the tenderness that his heart was expressing.

Suddenly, it clicked.

He stopped, waited for her to do so too, before crossing the gap (if there was any) and licking her all over. "It's suddenly hit me... you're here. For good. You're staying! You're not going anywhere!" The joy overwhelmed him, filling his eyes with unshed tears that caused the golden colour to shimmer. "I love you, Raissa." he said, not fully grasping the potential significance of what he was saying.

She was stunned. But it was the happy kind and all her insecurities vanished, quickly being replaced by secureness and joy. As soon as her paws had stopped next to his, he had started kissing her all over telling her just how excited he was that he was here. And he even said that he loved her. That was the part that stunned her the most, but she soon realized that she might love him back. She had left her home to come live here with him and she would do anything for him. That had to be love, she hadn't felt anything like it before.

Since she was never one to really hold back her emotions, she returned it. She kissed him back and she smiled and wagged her tail faster than she had ever done before. Her face held a huge grin as she told him just how she felt.

"And I love you back" she spoke happily. He was perfect for her, they fit together like puzzle pieces. He was so sweet and caring, now that she had met him, she couldn't imagine her life without him in it. Heck, he even had tears in his eyes. "And I never will leave, because I want to be here with you." she left out the forever part because even though she hoped it to be true, she didn't know how far she was willing to put herself out there. Before she knew it, her own fiery eyes were sparkling with tears of happiness.

"And as for my ankle, I think it will be fine until we can get to the den." she assured, not wanting him to worry at all.

Raissa confirmed her feelings for him and everything in the world just seemed right. It was as if FitzDutiful were in a movie - at least that is what he would think if he had ever seen any films. It was the kind of scenario where music was playing in the background (more specifically, in his head). Everything was right.

He was almost beginning to feel a bit lost, how did you top what they had committed to each other, when Raissa turned the subject back to her ankle. "I'm glad." he responded. "It's not too much further now. We'll just take it nice and steady until we get home." Once again he failed to realise that he had called it their home. It was what he meant, that only felt natural. For any one else, any other situation, it might seem like a bit "relationship" step but for FitzDutiful this whirlwind romance was moving at a natural pace.

Raissa grinned as everything fell into place. In that one moment, she was happier than she ever had been before. She wagged her tail happily as she continued along the path next to the one and only she had ever admitted to loving. It felt perfect, surreal even.

"Okay." was her simple reply. She was afraid that if she tried to say anything else, it would just come out in an embarrassing squeak do to her happy excitement. So she just stayed in a comfortable silence as they padded towards their new home.