It was past time they lay a few ground rules. For this, it would require a dialogue and a number of other painful things he'd have to pull out of her. They needed a den. They needed some sort of loose plan if she wished to continue prancing around their borders. He cared little if she was the badass of all badasses. Even badasses could take a few steps back from their badassery if they intended to bring a new generation of Tartok into the world.
He paced the edges of the lake. It was cooler there. More central. It gave them room to travel if they so desired to take their...
words elsewhere.
A sigh escaped him as he stood within the shallows of the water. He dropped himself beneath the surface, holding his breath there for as long as it took for his lungs to scream and demand air once more. He resurfaced, letting the lake water roll across his fiery fur. He was better now. Calmer.
He tipped his head back, calling for her as he walked back out upon the soft rocky sands of the shore.
Tonravik rest half-in, half-out of the shade. The sun had shifted as it would throughout the day, and her shadowy haven fell subject to the light. But she slept, and the warmth on her thickly-furred belly was not so uncomfortable now. And she dreamed of a colder place, where the chill was so cold it reached her in this land. But she slept lightly, and the howl for her caused her to lurch upward. A painful sensation coursed through the whole of her abdomen, and the woman thought to howl to him to come meet her so she could lay a little while longer. The pains coming to her were strange and relatively new, coming in waves. Nearing five weeks, they grew stronger.
Hoisting herself up, the leader then shared a series of howls with her mate to find his precise location before coming before him. He was soaked, but she did not keep a distance from her partner, who she moved beside and moved to nip roughly, an express sign of her affection toward him. The alpha did not move out of reach, receptive to retaliation.
He shook himself, freeing his pelt of the water within his fur, but the hair still stood. It clumped together, standing like spikes about his form as he moved from the shore to the shade. He lingered beneath a tree as he passed brief howls back and forth with his mate. She'd find him soon enough.
In true fashion she approached him and nipped him with her teeth. He returned the gesture, nipping at her flank before tucking his nose beneath her underbelly and lingering there for a moment. Swollen. A warm grumble escaped him. Pleased with the progress of their young. He'd worried that with all her activity, her pregnancy would not fully take, but it seemed she'd passed those first fragile weeks and those within her had a greater chance to survive.
He turned, running his tongue across her nose affectionately before he nudged her and tipped his head to indicate she follow. He led them then, lingering in the shade of the trees as they circled the great lake towards where it met with the base of their mountain. Here, Salamander had discovered an entrance to a cave. He'd left her to share her discovery with Tonravik and took no claim to its finding, but he'd explored it all the same and knew what lingered inside.
Iqniq nudged her shoulder with his nose, suggesting that she take a look for herself.
The woman of Tartok were hardier than most, but were not immune to what stupidity could do. The stupid did not survive; neither did their cubs. Tonravik had only now felt that pull to move into the depths of the territory, to seek and to find the perfect, protected haven to bring to this pack their next generation. As her mate lowered his head to her slightly larger, definitively swollen abdomen, the woman's erect lobes pinned forward. It was the instinctual desire to herd him away from the vulnerable spot that answered more questions than the swelling itself did. He did not linger too long, and so she did not need to snap; he seemed pleased, and so was she.
In her, after all, would be great sons of theirs.
He pointed in some direction, and the leader turned to look. There had been a dark area which she had not thoroughly explored... but as he nudged her, she felt a prickling need to. And so she lumbered in that direction, a place where she would keep for the coming months unbeknownst to her, quite interested in the cooling temperatures she felt as she drew herself into its darker depths.
She moved to step within the mouth of the cavern. It was a large chamber. Spacious. Roomy. They could house the entire pack in here and then some if they so desired, but for now, the cool interior would do well to fight off the summer heat and give her an opportunity to properly nest should she deem this place suitable for what was to come.
He let her explore, lingering some distance behind until he desired to show her more of this place. He huffed, catching her attention before flicking his tail in this half-darkness and moving deeper into this vast space. Further along, hidden betwixt the stalagmites and stalactites was a large pool of water. He'd not yet tested its depth, but it contributed to the coolness of this place. That, and it was fresh enough to drink from if needed, no doubt fed by some natural spring connected to their lake.
She was hard to see within this darkness, but it suited her. Still, he was thankful for the bioluminescent moss that covered these walls and cast the area in a soft glow. Not enough to cast shadow, but enough to let ones eyes see further than in the pitch black of lost light. He glanced to her, curious of her thoughts, but knew she was not a wolf of words. Instead he looked to her posture and her expression.
As she walked deeper into the place, Tonravik felt the niggling die into nothingness as she knew that this quiet place, somewhere within its confines, would be where she settled. Tonravik sniffed at the air and the earth both to seek any wanderers within here, prey or otherwise. Rodents certainly did, she could smell, but nothing that caused her real concern yet. Tonravik probed at the walls, nosing for any hidden areas.
His sound distracted her, and her moist, inky nose turned toward him as he became her focus. Her claws clicked against the ground as she heavily padded toward him, noting a water source she had scented before him. The coolness of this place and what it offered combined made it the ideal place for her to settle... and as she turned to investigate the place more, it was clear that in this place she looked to do just that.
Here would be the place he and the pack would bring her food, and where she would bring their children in.
She took to this place warmly. She explored, sniffing and searching around nooks and crannies as she familiarized herself with this space. It was vast and held many offerings. It was well protected by their spiny mountain. It offered both privacy and easy access for the rest of the pack should they wish to support his mate with food when her movement was further restricted. Plus? It was cool. He knew the heat wore heavily on her and while their home did not offer much in the way of snow, perhaps cold stones would suffice.
He moved towards her, nudging her affectionately before he whispered lightly. "Here to start... Then somewhere more central as they grow older and the fall settles in." Here she could escape the end of summer heat where the storms grew bold and the air humid. But later? When it was time to introduce them to the world? The would cool and they could all escape these bounds to experience the sanctuary they'd created within their home.
Tonravik turned to her mate as he approached, accepting his nudge and nosing him back roughly in her own rougher show of affection. Her tail waved behind her, slowing as he spoke; she had a feeling, as always, that she would know where to go when that time, that future came. The alpha thoroughly enjoyed his conviction in their future; it was undeniable.
"Our sons will grow strong," wherever they raised their young ursine cubs, there was no doubting that. They would be well protected by land and pack alike. The woman turned and sniffed intentionally down a narrow corridor of the place, and then entered it. It was dark, darker than the rest of this place, but her eyes adjusted in time. It began narrow but soon offered a larger space... and in the corner, a small, shallow pool of water came from the drooling lip of the roof of this place, slight and small. Tonravik pressed into the corner here, circling and pawing at the hard, cool stone lightly before laying in the total darkness, content with this location. None could escape her here, and the echoes of the cave would betray any that thought they could enter.
The spot felt safe and well-hidden. She blended perfectly in this pitch darkness, and her eyes sought the bright furs of her mate.
"And daughters," he added, should they have any. He wished for at least one, but he had a feeling genetics might be against him. He was one of four males from his own litter and that sort of thing tended to be a family curse, or a blessing. Either way, they would not know until the day came what sort of bundles of joy they would bring into this world. Or rather. Balls of teeth and fur. Thankfully, the teeth came later.
She stepped away and ventured further, he followed behind as she explored, content to drift wherever she decided to go. He'd been here before. He'd explored these crannies. For her? It was all new and she'd pick a spot she liked the best.
She did. Then she disappeared.
If his eyes had not followed her into her nook, he might have not known where to look for her. Still, he found her by scent and her slight offering of heat. He settled on the ground before her, mindful of the tightness of the space she'd chosen, but it would serve her and a dozen little ones well enough. He could threaten her with his visits later.
For now, he watched her for a moment before reaching out to lick and nip at her nose only to settle like a sphinx upon the ground. "I don't wish to stifle you, but if you choose to venture outside, I would ask that you take Echelon, Nanuk, or myself with you." Those fully Tartok. Those he trusted. He knew her instincts were strong and she would soon do what she felt she needed, but he would not crush her spirit to lead and hunt as she felt fit so long as she offered him this kindness and eased his peace of mind.
Tonravik looked to him as he mentioned daughters, and shrugged. Whatever the gender, it was unimportant. They would be warriors regardless. The leader herself held a preference for men, but was indifferent toward the sex of a wolf. While it was true that many women she had met were emotional beings, the woman was reared by the strongest the world would know. And beneath her was another strong woman, Nanuk. Tonravik had met men ruled by emotion, too. Stupid men.
It did not matter what came from her, only that they would grow to be strong and become warriors themselves, to assist in their cause of expansion.
Now laying on the cool floor, enjoying its rough exterior, Tonravik flipped onto her back to rub into it, possessively. When she stopped, her mate was there, and her eyes were unmoving as he moved to lick and nip. She snorted so she would not sneeze, and when he spoke, she listened. The leader remained quiet for a minute after, before grunting in acceptance.
"I will not be leaving the Spine," she informed him then, and although she did not want him to give to wanderlust in these coming times, she did not ask it of him. Her mate was a smart man; she trusted him to know when to stay close to home... and also felt some investigating might be necessary. If the Plains wolves were to come, it would be good to know of it.
He turned his head as she snorted, avoiding the warm puff of breath before looking towards her once more. He'd asked something of her and she regarded his words for a moment before reassuring him that she would not be leaving the Spine for the foreseeable future. He lowered his head to his paws, content with her decision and respectful of it. The wolves of the Spine were strong. They would not crumble without her on the front lines. He would tend to that himself and see that she was properly taken care of for as long as she needed.
Speaking of. She'd spent some time away as of recent and had come back with a creature of her own. Kerosene grinned within the darkness as he looked towards her. She had a habit of collecting strays, didn't she? After all, he too had been brought into this way of life without once approaching the Spine's borders and so directly seeking it.
"Where did you find this new curiosity of yours?" he asked, curious himself. The wolf was creating ripples for himself, both good and bad. It was an interesting thing to watch and see if only because Iqniq saw something of Kerosene within the new dark wolf. "Kapvik," he reiterated, realizing his words had not been so clear. All the same, he wanted to know what she saw in him so he too might look and watch when she would eventually be tucked away.
If he was not contented by her response, he did not show it. Tonravik was learning to read him, his nuances, and understand him. His quietness as he rested his head upon broad paws told her that her words were things he accepted... although, there was no reason not to. She had agreed with him. Her dark eyes remained upon him, and while some might become uncomfortable before her steady stare Tonravik believed that by now, her mate was used to her occasional scrutiny. She crawled toward him in the dark, not seeing anything of note to give her worry.
He spoke again, and she listened, holding her silence for a long moment. Given she took things literally, she believed him to mean where as in location. "Outside," she responded. "Not too far away. He took down a mule deer alone. It was weak," she remarked with a shrug, "But then, so was he." He had shown himself to be stronger even despite his obviously-leaner-than-typical build. Not only that, but he had held his own as well as he could have against her. And in the end of it all—the very end, when she had found ripped him from the river—he had yielded to her.
The man, she believed, would fit in well here. He was finding his place, as Tonravik herself would have done, testing to see where he could rise, and where he could not. It was natural. And she herself did not worry; she knew of her mates strength, and had seen it. If Iqniq truly felt threatened, Tonravik would not disallow him from running the man off; but her mate did not seem the sort to be shaken easily. The alpha female nosed him, as though to cause him to spill his curiosity from his lips. But the woman was not curious herself; she was glad for the interest, and his acceptance.
She crawled towards him. Iqniq lifted, shuffling forward in the dark to meet her halfway. He pressed his nose against her own for a moment before stealing it away. His eyes were adjusting in this darkness, but Tonravik was a creature of the night. Lost to shadows, he could make out the outlines of her form, but her gaze was lost to him. He felt it. Felt her stare. Felt the heat of her form. Felt her contemplate his words and try to make sense of them in her own, instinctual way.
Her voice cut through the darkness. Outside, she'd found him. As she explained how she'd come across him, he began to understand. Kapvik was a fighter. For survival. For life. Even in his malnourished state as a lone wolf, he understood instinct well enough to fight for his own well being. If the wolf could translate that primal desire into something that could unify and benefit more than himself? He held the potential to be worthy of the Spine.
His mate nosed him then. Iqniq shifted, lifting to his paws so he might settle beside her in this darkness. Not fully certain as to where she lay, he ended up somewhat atop her side and quickly shifted to lay beside her. Settled, he nosed her back and found a tangle in her fur. He shook his head, amused, in this darkness. "I would like to know of all new wolves you or Nanuk welcome when I'm not there." He licked the snarl in her fur before continuing. "Or I might mistake them for a trespasser and kill them before they can explain."
He drew his teeth into the tangle and pulled at it, grooming at her pelt. Taking care of it was not often at the forefront of her mind. No doubt, if she tried she would pull so many tuffs from her coat she'd be nearly bald. Her idea of grooming was no so gentle, but perhaps in his efforts he could offer her his own version of patience and show her another, softer way. Or not. Either way, since he still held her attention? "Teach me more of Tartok," he spoke before returning to his preening of her fur. Perhaps thinking on the subject would distract her from his endeavors long enough for him to learn and tame the tangles of his swamp monster.
They spoke of things here and there and filled the rest of their evening.
-fade thread-