Moonspear see how good this is going so far.

Liffey was exhausted that day as she returned home for the evening. She was glad that tonight was not her night to bring home dinner as she didn't think she would have had the energy to even pop by a cache to grab something quick. She'd been exploring South of the territory in the cliffs of Nocturne Summit. It had been a gruelling trek, but a worthwhile one. She found a few nice vantage points in her wandering that could come in handy one day. Plus the fact that she'd discovered a few different herds of mountain goats that made the cliffs their home. It was always good to know where the local prey was stashed.

She yawned wide as she came upon her and @Rannoch's shared den. He hadn't arrived yet, so she flopped down onto the cold ground outside, wriggling to dig herself into the freshly fallen snow for warmth. She yawned again the moment she got settled and shut her eyes for a quick cat nap.

It was Rannoch's night to bring home dinner, and he had no idea what to bring Liffey. After four nights in a row of having rabbit for dinner, Rannoch was in the mood to break from the routine that they had settled into. With this motivation in mind, Rannoch shifted through the cache nearest to their den with his eyes peeled for the options that the food store provided. 

In time, Rannoch found a suitable substitute for dinner; a deer flank lingered while the rest of the body had been stripped of its meat. Once he had removed the meat, Rannoch had dragged the skeleton out of the cache to make room for the next batch of meat that the hunters of Moonspear would replenish thew stock it with. 

Once a decision had been made, Rannoch scurried back to the den that he cohabitated with Liffey. Upon his arrival, Rannoch realized that Liffey was asleep; he didn't want to startle her, so he proceeded with caution as he moved to clear the remaining distance that separated them. When he was close enough to reach forward and touch her, Rannoch carefully placed the meat at his paws.

"Hey, Liff," he greeted softly as he reached forward to kiss her cheek, "Wake up, it's dinner time!" 

Liffey had no idea how long she'd slept by the time she was being gently roused by her mate. Her eyes fluttered open slowly at his prodding, landing on his handsome face which was so wonderfully near her own. A sleepy smile drifted across her lips as she raised her head to smush her nose into his cheek, which she missed, and instead prodded his eyes. The gesture made her giggle, and with that she was entirely awake once again.

"Hello dearest," she said as she rolled onto her paws and stretched. She pushed herself off the ground about an inch before plopping back down on her belly, deciding that it was okay to continue being lazy for the moment. She peered around his legs, searching for this dinner he had mentioned, "What'd you bring me?"

Unexpectedly, Rannoch was greeted with a jab to his eyes. Despite the discomfort the gesture provided, Rannoch couldn't help but join in as Liffey laughed. He pulled back then and gave her some room to stand if she wished. 

"Hello, dearest," he returned with a wave of his tail as his wife stirred, "That was quite an interesting way to say hello. Is that how we're going to greet each other from now on?" For the sake of his eyes, Rannoch hoped that this was the only time that it would happen. 

When asked about dinner, Rannoch turned to the meat and nudged it closer. "Deer," he replied with a smile, "It's been a while since we've had it, hasn't it?" With the taste of the flank lingering on his lips, Rannoch licked his chops as he looked from their meal to Liffey. 

"You go first," Rannoch insisted as he sat; he almost always prompted her to eat first, and tonight was no exception.

I accidently had caps lock on when I typed the last word and it makes me laugh so I'm leaving it

Liffey grinned at her mate as he commented on her greeting. "It's how I greet you from now on," she answered promptly, "You can continue to kiss my cheek. The eye jab is my thing."

That matter settled (in her opinion), she turned her attention to the meat that was offered. She nodded in agreement with his comment as she scooted nearer and leaned in to take her first bite. It had been a while. Their dinners had lately consisted of only small game in the past couple of weeks. "How did you manage to grab this?" she asked after she'd swallowed the mouthful she'd stripped from the FLANK.

Rannoch smirked, unable to hide his amusement towards Liffey's decision. "Well, if you want a blind mate, you'll have that wish granted in no time," he rejoined with a wag of his tail. 

He watched as Liffey began to eat, and once she had gotten her first bite, he reached forward and tore off a piece for himself. "I got lucky," Rannoch replied after a few chews, his mouth still full. "Hopefully we'll be as lucky tomorrow," he added, once he had swallowed.

Liffey smiled at his comment, thinking to herself that he wasn't the only lucky one. Unlike her mate, she didn't voice all of her gooey, lovey comments. She didn't know if his heart could take them all. She contented herself to admire him as he leaned forward to join in the meal, nodding in acceptance of the story before she too took another mouthful.

After a few minutes, she laid back with her belly full and contentment seeping through her. She licked her lips to clear off the remnants of her meal and found her jaws gaping in a wide yawn that rattled all the way down her spine. Liffey was quiet as her mate finished eating, but was quick to break the silence once his mouth wasn't full of venison. "How was your day?" she asked.

Tags for reference! PM me if this isn't okay!

Rannoch felt himself sink closer to the ground with each mouthful that he consumed. Once his meal was complete, Rannoch laid comfortably on the floor with a look of content on his face; it had been some time since his hunger had been as satiated as it was at that moment. 

"It was okay," he replied, after licking his chops clean. It hadn't been an eventful day, but Rannoch couldn't recall anything negative that had happened. "Pretty typical, actually. Spent most of my morning with @Terance patrolling and then I went to see how @Vela was doing." Although their conversation had been brief, Rannoch felt relieved to know that she was doing well; she was one less individual that he had to worry about. "She's doing better than I expected," he admitted with a soft smile. 

"What about you?" he asked, "Who was lucky enough to keep your company today?" As he spoke, Rannoch's tail brushed against the snow-covered ground, and he looked at Liffey with nothing but love in his eyes.

Liffey was happy to hear Rannoch's answer. She appreciated how easily he had made friends here at Moonspear, even if it wasn't surprising. It was adorable to her how much time he spent with Terance and the other boys his age. She was sorry that she couldn't say the same for herself and the other girls, but she wasn't about to go asking Alya or Lyra or even Hydra to go get cosmos together. She still hadn't figured out which one was which. Korei had been her closest thing to a girlfriend in the pack, and now she was gone. The thought was an awful lonely one.

"No one," Liffey answered, a tinge of melancholy in her voice even though she smiled, "I went South today to have a look around the Summit. I stopped in to see Gannet on the way back but he was sleeping, so not an eventful day for me, really."

Although his wife smiled, her dispirited undertone did not go unnoticed. Acting on a sudden urge, Rannoch ungracefully hoisted himself onto his paws and padded 'round the cleaned bones that separated them. Assuming the position of the "big spoon," Rannoch curled himself around Liffey and nosed her cheeked once he was settled.

"Find anything cool?" Rannoch asked as he detached him snout from their brief embrace.

He sensed her melancholy and, in typical Rannoch fashion, promptly moved to comfort her. She smiled as he wrapped himself around her and she sank contentedly into his cuddles, resting her head against his shoulder with a sigh. He was so warm and comfy - a most perfect and handsome pillow.

"Some goats," she told him, suppressing a yawn, "I only saw two separate groups of them, but judging by the scents, there are plenty more. Might be worth taking a hunting party over to see what you can grab." She considered the latter suggestion for a moment before shrugging it off and letting Rannoch think of it what he would. In any event, she would keep an eye on their movements as she made hers.

Rannoch perked at the news of the herds; it had been long since he had seen a goat. "I'll bring it up to Hydra and Dirge," he decided. "But, don't worry, I won't steal the credit— I'll make sure that they know you discovered the herds." Rannoch was aware of his wife's insecurities about her contributions to the pack, and he felt that this was an opportune time to showcase Liffey's talents. 

With his meal settling heavily in his gut, Rannoch's fatigue from the day's activities was beginning to catch up with him. "Do you want to go and look at the stars?" He and Liffey had only just reassembled, and he wanted to spend more time with her before they retired for the night. "It looks like it's going to be the perfect night for it," he added, his gaze sweeping sky-ward as he spoke.

Liffey smirked at her mate as he promised not to steal her credit. It didn't actually matter to her - she wanted just as much for the pack to appreciate her mate as she wanted them to like her. At this point, it felt like his odds were far better. The thought made her spirits fall another notch. She was certainly in a dour mood this evening, wasn't she?

Her ears perked at Rannoch's suggestion. She was intrigued, but only momentarily. The thought of travelling was rather unappealing at that moment. "Nah, that's alright," she said, trying to keep her tone light so that he wouldn't worry, as futile as it was, "I might just call it an early night."

Rannoch frowned, and felt troubled towards her response. But despite his unpleasant feelings, he nodded shortly after in acceptance of what she offered. 

Although he didn't want to come out and express his concern, Rannoch felt the need to figure out if Liffey was alright. "Long day?" he inquired lightly, matching the tone in which she had spoken with in her reply.

Rannoch didn't pry, and Liffey wasn't sure if she was grateful or disappointed. After a moment, she decided she was grateful. She didn't want to burden her mate with her self-doubts and whining about not fitting in with the cools kids. She needed to just get over it. Somehow.

She snuggled into Rannoch's side and nodded in answer to his question. She shut her eyes and breathed deeply in his scent, gleaning comfort from it. She may be a misfit with everyone else in this place, but she could always feel at home by his side, if no where else.

UR MY 1,000th POST!

 

Liffey did not elaborate on her day, and although this disappointed Rannoch, he respected her decision. As she adjusted herself, Rannoch accommodated his posture to support Liffey's weight. 

The two newlyweds remained as they were for quite some time. Occasionally, in their comfortable silence, Rannoch reached forward and idly groomed at her nape. The preening, coupled with Liffey's fatigue from the day, eventually got the better of her; it took Rannoch some time to realize that she had fallen asleep. 

Rannoch woke his wife only to relocate her, and when she was somewhat conscious, he guided her into their den. Once she settled, Rannoch wrapped himself around her spine and eventually dozed off.