Wapun Meadow Courtship and Pronghorns

@Erika

Majesty arrived at Wapun Meadow before Erika did. He did not mind the wait. It gave him time to think about what he would do for her when she arrived. He went to a nearby spring and bathed himself in the cool water. It was around sunset, but it was still fairly warm. Unfortunately, it had rained earlier that day, and the it was still mostly overcast, so it would not be a very beautiful sunset. Still, every once in a while, the red-gold sun would peek through the clouds and cast its light on the multitude of flowers and hills of the meadow. He got out of the spring once he was thoroughly soaked, even dipping his head into the water, and found a nice grassy hill to lie in to let himself dry off.

In a little while, he was dry, though still slightly damp, and he went and rolled around a patch of wildflowers to get their scent on his fur - a kind of natural cologne. Then he lay in the Meadow and looked around. It was then that he noticed, a little farther on into the meadow, a group of pronghorns standing around, eating grass and taking no notice of him. Perfect, he thought. Dinner. With a smile, he rolled onto his back, front paws tucked against his chest, and smiled. This was a date. With Erika. His Erika. Ma Belle, he thought, and smiled again.

Erika was careful to follow streams and lakes as she travelled north to Rising Sun Valley. Though many of her pack mates exited the territory to explore or hunt, it worried her to think that someone would notice how often she left. There were some wolves she knew that frequented the border like Kaname and Ira. If they smelled her scent constantly, would they question her? What if she accidentally carried Majesty's scent with her one day? She worried about this as she walked briskly towards the valley. Sometimes she even got paranoid enough to turn back and look around. Such was her anxiety.

But, that all faded away when she saw the Meadow before her. The flowers created a portrait in the earth, one of many hues and patterns. Majesty had picked out a lovely place for their first....date? Yes, that's what he called it. A date.... It was not long after she waded into the meadow that she saw her beloved laying in a patch of wildflowers. She smiled and barked a greeting, her tail wagging. "Ma Majesté..."

Majesty had accidentally dozed off at some point, lying on his back with his paws splayed out. He snored lightly and smiled in his dreamless sleep. Something stirred him awake, though. At first, in his groggy, half-asleep state, he wasn't sure what it was, and rolled over onto his belly to see the world right-side up. And then he spotted Erika standing there and watching him, and smiling. "Ma Majesté," she said.

He grinned and stood up, shaking grass from his fur. "Erika, Ma Belle," he replied, coming towards her. "I hope you did not find trouble on your way here, and that all is well with the Mountain pack. I may not like Jinx or her way of thinking, but I wish no ill will on any member. I was a member once, after all."

He leaned down and gently, teasingly, nibbled at her ear, and something compelled him to whisper into it, "I missed you," in a painfully seductive voice that he did not recognize as his own. And then immediately afterwards he mentally scolded himself. Stop it, hormones. This is our first date. I'll have absolutely none of that.

He cleared his throat, gave her a lick on the nose, and smiled. "Are you hungry, Ma Belle? Does wild pronghorn sound good to you? I will catch one if you like."

Erika muzzled Majesty as he came over to greet her, enjoying the smell that the wildflowers left on his pelt. "Almost everyone is well....except for Kaname. He recently got in a fight with a Blacktail Deer wolf and got the worst of it. But besides that everyone is fine." she said, pressing her head into his shoulder. She giggled a bit when he leaned down to nibble on her ear, but blushed when he whispered seductively I missed you... "I missed you too...." she whispered back, though not as sultry as Majesty had said it.

They pulled away then, and Majesty gave her a lick on the nose. Are you hungry? he said. Before she could answer, Erika's stomach growled in response. "Oui." she chuckled. She looked towards the herd of pronghorns grazing nearby. "If you zink you can, go ahead. I'll stay 'ere." she sat down in the springy grass, knowing that this was Majesty's way of courting her.

-.- I was in the middle of typing a response when I accidentally clicked on a Bookmark link on my laptop and when I hit the back button the entire reply was gone. God f*cking damn it.

Majesty smiled at Erika's responses to his touch, happy that he could do those things to her. He was happy she didn't pull away. He was happy in general. When her stomach growled, he grinned in amusement. "I guess I have to catch one now," he said, "lest someone becomes grumpy with me."

He turned to face the pronghorn, who had become skittish once Erika had entered the Meadow. That would make it harder to hunt them, but he didn't mind the challenge. He decided to go after a female, whose horns were small and less deadly than the males', and scouted one out. The one he decided on was on the outer edge of the group, and seemed somewhat oblivious to him, which was good. Though he knew she would run the moment she noticed him, so he would have to be careful.

He dropped into a crouch and got as close to the group as he could. When they all lifted their heads at once, he quickly rose and sprinted after the female, who turned and darted away with the rest of her group. He charged after her, hoping that his stamina would win against her speed. He could run quickly, of course, but most prey animals could outrun their hunters - it was built into them to be sprinters.

It took a while, but eventually, the group tired and began to slow. It was then that Majesty lunged forward and sunk his claws into the female pronghorn and dragged it down. The rest of them scattered to the wind, and he dragged the now dead female over to Erika. He paused before offering her the first pick of what to eat from the creature. He always said a small prayer of thanks, and if Erika gave him a funny look or questioned him about it, he wasn't sure what he would do. He needed her to accept this silly habit.

After a moment, he bowed his head and said, "Gods and Goddesses of the Earth, I give thanks to you for this sacrifice so that Erika and I may nourish our bodies, minds, and spirits. May this creature find peace in her soul and wander the Summerlands undisturbed for eternity. So mote it be."

After the prayer, he looked nervously up at Erika, wondering what she would say in response to it...

Oh my gosh, that happens to me all the time. DX< But instead, I have bad connection, so it says I'm not connected and when I reload, its gone.

The black wolf laid on her side to make herself less noticable so Majesty would find it easier to hunt. She watched as Majesty crouched and got as close as he could to the herd. He scouted the herd, unseen by the pronghorns, until he chose one in particular. Finally targeting his prey, Majesty charged, scattering the herd. It was not hard to see which of the grazers her chose: a female towards the back of the group. The rest of the pronghorn's friends had scattered, leaving her alone with Majesty.

Soon enough the pronghorn tired, giving Majesty the opportunity to pounce and drag her down. He dragged the carcass over to Erika, who rose and closed the distance between them, to make it easier for the chocolate-brown wolf. She licked his bloodstained muzzle in thanks and looked over the kill, choosing the best place to tear it open, when Majesty began murmuring something. A prayer. When he was finished, he looked up at her nervously, but she only smiled at him. "Amen."

Majesty sighed in relief and drooped his shoulders a bit. He had never been particular to one religion or another, and even though he prayed before every meal, that was less of a religious thing and more of just a way of thanking the animal he had just killed. He had seen their suffering and knew that they felt pain just like he did, which is why he never hesitated to kill his meals swiftly and as painlessly as possible. His mother had instilled in him a great respect for nature and all creatures of the Earth, and this respect had never left him.

This he told Erika. He spoke about his mother, and how she had been a Naturalist and a Healer, and how he had learned to regard all animals with respect no matter what kind of animal they were. "Thank you," he said. "For not judging me. Not that I thought you would. You are... better than that. Which is one of the reasons I love you." He smiled gently at her and bumped his forehead against his hers affectionately. "Now. Let's eat. Ladies first, Mademoiselle." With a wink, he sat back and waited.

It didn't surprise her to know that Majesty was raised with the belief of respecting all creatures. He already had such great respect for wolves and herself, why wouldn't that extend to all life? Nor did it surprise her when he said his mother, who taught him to be respectful to all life, was a Naturalist and Healer. Her father was a Healer and her mother a Naturalist, and she herself was aspiring to be a Naturalist. While they did teach her to be courteous to all life, they mainly emphasized respect towards wolves.

"Zere is no reason for me to judge you. I can only admire you, Majesty." she pressed her forehead back against his. She looked down at the meal Majesty had presented her, wondering where to start. She lowered her head down and tore at its abdomen, where the best parts where. The pronghorns here looked very well fed, which would mean its organs were clean and rich with nutrients for them to feast on.

Majesty waited until Erika had taken what she wanted for the moment, and then bent his head down to begin feasting. As they dined, he watched her, while trying to make it look as if he wasn't watching her. She truly was gorgeous. Her black fur was silky and shone brightly in the fading light of the sunset. He tried to think of what to say, but could not come up with anything. In the end, he simply said, "Thank you. Thank you for giving this a try - being with me, I mean."

He smiled at her then. "Every day I wake up and am excited for the next time I will see you. I feel like a pup again." He chuckled, and then a serious question flashed through his mind. He had no idea how to bring it up, though. This was only their first official date, although in normal wolf society, that wouldn't matter in the slightest. Wolves became mates and... well - mated - as soon as they were able to. It was instinct, so he wasn't sure what was holding him back now.

"Speaking of pups..." he began tentatively. "Have you ever thought of... having a family of your own? I'm not suggesting anything. Not really. I'm just curious as to whether you've given any thought to your future. You... don't have to answer." To be completely honest, he was quite shy about the subject. He was a virgin, and just because his natural instincts made mating easy to understand and easy to do, it didn't make it any less nerve-wracking thinking about it.

Erika occupied herself with the liver of the grazer, all the while trying to ignore the not-too-subtle glances that Majesty was giving her. She chuckled silently at them, chewing on the rich organ as she did. It made her happy to know that someone could not just ignore but look past her disfigurement and see her real beauty. She finished the liver and laid on her side letting Majesty eat the rest.

When he finished he thanked her for giving him the chance to be with her. He smiled, confessing that their time together made him act like a puppy again. She laughed. "I find it 'ard to imagine you as a pup, Majesty."

Speaking of pups... he said, which made Erika look at him in shock. Was he thinking of that already? Sure for wolves mating came as soon as possible, but she wanted to wait before that at least. "When my aunt 'ad 'er first litter. When I saw 'ow 'appy she and 'er mate were, I knew I wanted zat to 'appen with me one day. But..." she sighed sadly. "When I saw my face after my imprisonment, zose dreams disappeared."

"But... When I saw my face after my imprisonment, zose dreams disappeared."

Majesty lifted a single eyebrow in Erika's direction. He knew exactly how he wanted to respond to that statement. Exactly. And yet, the gentleman in him made him pause. He cleared his throat awkwardly. And then he said, his voice and octave lower than normal, "Again, Erika, Ma Belle... I am not necessarily suggesting anything at all with this response, but... What on Earth makes you think that those dreams have disappeared?"

He stared at her, though he tried in vain to keep his stare from revealing what sensual thoughts flashed through his mind. "Please trust me when I tell you that all wolves who see your face and flee in fear or shun you are not worthy of your time."

His ear flicked - the one that had gotten half-bitten off by the bear attack a few weeks earlier. It had now scabbed over, but it was still an obvious wound. "Do you see my ear?" he asked her. "I do not let this wound - this disfigurement dash all hopes of me being with y-- with someone in the future. So why should your disfigurement stop you from dreaming of one day having pups?"

He had been about to say "you" just then. "I do not let this wound - this disfigurement dash all hopes of me being with you in the future." But he had stopped himself. He hoped she had not caught his slip-up. He knew he might be pushing a little too hard, and he blamed that on his instincts to produce offspring. But he truly did love her. She had forgiven him for leaving the Mountain when no one else had. She had agreed to still be his friend. She had willingly accepted his love for her, and returned it in full. He knew - even now - that she was the one. There was something about her he could not let go of. He wanted so badly to say these things to her, but he was so afraid of scaring her away. So he said no more.

And simply waited.

She was going to reply sullenly, like a child. But your "disfigurement isn't all that bad. People do not flee in fear of a half-bitten ear. But she knew better that. She understood what he meant by it as well. Just because her face was hideous to some, it doesn't mean that everyone thought it that way. And one of those few was Majesty. She sighed and curled up her legs near her stomach. "You are right Majesty. I should not zink so pessimistically." she said solemnly.

But the conversation made her realize something: Majesty wanted a family with her. Why else would he bring up the topic of pups? Why would he convince her that she could have children too. It wasn't like the acid thrown on her face made her barren and celibate, now that she thought about it. Mais nous sommes de différentes meutes! Cela ne fonctionnera pas...Il faudrait que je laisser Silvertip alors...

Majesty smiled for a moment at her response, hoping he had made her feel better, but then realized a moment later that he had lost her. She was deep inside her thoughts all of a sudden, out of reach. And she looked... bothered. "Erika?" he pried gently. "What is wrong, Dear One? I have lost you to your thoughts. What are you thinking?"

Now he truly was afraid he might have pushed too far. Had she put it together and realized that he had been talking about them having pups? What have I done? he asked himself. I am going to lose her now. Before I even got a chance... He sighed, waiting for the inevitable, the words, "We cannot be together." He waited with his eyes closed, feeling his throat constrict with emotion. He was going to lose her.

She looked up at the sound of concern in his voice. His eyes were filled with worry, for her and for their relationship. Il est inquiet que je vais lui rejeter... she thought with sadness.

"Majesty...I am not saying no but...If...if we do zis...zen I will 'ave to leave Silvertip and join yours...Jinx will call us both traitors along with our children..." Erika said sadly. She would love to have a family, especially with Majesty. But the dangers that lay with creating one was too scary to think of. What if she did get pregnant and Jinx noticed while she was still at Silvertip? What if she tried to kill the pups while they were still young?

Majesty sighed, half with relief and half with sorrow. So she was not rejecting him. But she was afraid for their future. "I can understand your worry," he said quietly. "I have the same worries every day. I worry our relationship will be found out, and I worry about your... health if it was found out. I am putting us both in danger. Are you sure you really want to be with me? What kind a relationship would we really even be in if you stayed at the Mountain and I at the Isle? That is not a relationship."

His words were a bit harsh, though he didn't mean them to be. He merely spoke the truth. He had to say what was on his mind, or he would explode with the emotions he was holding back. He took a breath. "I know we just started seeing each other. I know sometimes you may feel as though I am coming on too quickly. I don't mean to. It is just..." He looked up at her, into her eyes. "You are precious to me. I would die if something happened to you. What you decide is up to you, but regardless, I will always love you. And if anything ever happens to you, I will go against every belief of non-violence I have and slay every member of the Mountain Pack if it means saving you."

He was serious. Dead serious. And he needed her to know that. He did not look away. He needed her to know... everything.

"You're right....zis isn't a relationship...We shouldn't be apart like zis, especially in packs zat are so tense with one another." She snuggled into his chest fur gently. It was really a mistake to stay in Silvertip. The dangers involved with it were to great to ignore. She really loved Majesty, truly. When she looked up into his eyes and heard him say that he would die to see her hurt, that he would kill all of Silvertip to save her, she knew that he loved her fiercely.

"Majesty...." was all she could say back, flattered by his words.

I think we should start wrapping up this thread soon so we can start the next one. As I asked before, when do you wanna do it? Where? And what about? As it seems like Erika is going to leave Silvertip soon... You can PM me and we'll talk about it or whatever.

Majesty felt hopeful at her words. "Does this mean you'll come live with me?" he asked. And then he immediately said, "It's... it's all right if you still need time. But I miss you, on the Isle, when I wake up in the morning and you're not there." He shook his head, feeling foolish for saying such a thing. "Sorry. I know I probably sound like an idiot..."

He decided right then to just stop talking. She would respond however she would respond and there was nothing he could do about it. Either way he would be with her. Though the hope in his chest tightened into a knot in his stomach at the thought of her saying she wouldn't come back with him to the Isle. He needed to get this sorted - just for his own peace of mind. This situation - having to travel so far just to see her for a few short hours - was driving him crazy. And it wasn't safe, especially for her. If Jinx or any of her wolves found out... No. He would not think of that now. He brought himself back to the present, ready to receive her answer.

Majesty's feelings for her perfectly mirrored how she felt on the Mountain. She had some friends there, but not many. With so many new arrivals and so many of her friends gone she felt really lonely and shunned. Her tryst with Majesty made the void in her feel even bigger. And yet she felt like she had to stay on the Mountain for honor's sake. "I still need time, I am sorry," she felt like she was making it worst for not only herself, but for Majesty. His eyes were filled with such longing for her that she sometimes wanted to avert her gaze. She really, truly, dearly wanted to be with him, but it just was so complicated now.

Last post from me! This was a good one. Full of DRAMA. Lol.

Majesty was saddened by her words - of course he would be - but he understood. And he loved her enough to wait. He told her this quietly. He told her that he would wait as long as it took for her to be alright with leaving - even if she was never okay with leaving. He told her that she was worth it.

He nuzzled her softly along the furless, scarred half of her face, and then pressed his entire head against it and held it there so that, from afar, it would have looked as though their bodies had meshed. "I love you, Erika," he whispered. "Ma Belle. I will be with you always, no matter what happens."

He wanted - needed - her to believe him. Sometimes she was the only thing keeping him from completely doubting himself and his skills as a leader. She kept him steady. He needed her with him. He needed her in order to know that he was whole. And he would do whatever it took to keep her.

Last post. I'll archive it. :)

Erika pressed her head against his, enjoying the feel of his fur against her. "I love you too, Majesté. Ma beau." She had upset him, but the chocolate brown wolf forgave her nonetheless. For now they would be apart, but soon they would be together. She promised that to herself as they held each other, surrounded by flowers glowing as the sun set. She would be with him, no matter how long it took and no matter the risks.