Stone Circle needless to say, I keep her in check

Sorry about the long absence! @Valette could I be added to the ranks again?

Alya had been drifting, lately. Her heat had come and gone, but she'd avoided her packmates and her mate. It hadn't seemed right to start a new family so soon after leaving her own, but now that it was over, Alya worried that she'd made the wrong decision — not just about missing her chance to have pups, but about leaving Moonspear altogether.

But she was feeling more chipper and less like a disaster, today. It seemed like all those strange hormones were finally leaving her system altogether, and she was becoming herself once more. She prowled the edges of Easthollow with a cheerful air, enjoying the last vestiges of springtime while she could.

Nikai had found it hard not to be around Alya as much, especially as she was in her heat. He had often played with asking Valette if they could have permission to have pups, but then each time he decided against it. It felt like Alya wasn't ready for it, and he wasn't too sure he was. Nikai didn't want to rob either of them from their freedom. Still, the thought of having a family of his own somehow had stuck in his head and he found it hard to let go of it. He'd have to talk to Alya about it at some point... But for now, Nikai decided to simply forget about it and enjoy the time spent with Valette's pups instead.

He had shown Alya all the good places -- mostly, he'd made sure she knew where his sister Keoni's body lay and she knew he went there to talk to his sister ocassionally -- and he hoped that Alya was settling in well in Easthollow.

When Nikai approached the borders he saw Alya there. She looked happier than he'd seen her in a while, and with a wave of his tail Nikai closed the distance between them. Wait up! he woofed when he was almost there and quickened his pace to catch up.

At the sound of Nikai's voice, Alya spun around to grin at him. And then, just to be contrary (as she was feeling a bit mischievous), she turned and bounded a few more paces away from him. She was not quite running, but clearly daring him to give chase.

"Come and catch me," she called over her shoulder.

It had been a while since she'd felt free enough to be playful, but it hit her full force, now. She was glad that it was finally springtime. The winter had always been her season on the high peaks with their snowy caps, but she was finding a liking for the wildflowers and the sweeping meadow as well. Even the forest seemed new and beautiful, and so different from the desolate boughs she'd sheltered under with Morningside.

She stopped and spun around to face him, which caused Nikai's tail to wave cheerfully. Then she turned round again and suddenly ran away, inviting him to catch her. Nikai knew that he was at Alya's mercy when it came to actually catching her -- his three legs were a big impediment and he hadn't been as good a sprinter since -- but he still welcomed the play.

Nikai didn't waste time and quickly raced after Alya on his three legs, while he threatened jokingly: Better be careful, I'm going to snuggle you to bits when I catch you! He was glad to see Alya cheerful and all. With a wave of his tail Nikai set in the chase, going as fast as his three legs would carry him.

Alya just liked to run. She was no fool, and could tell that the flat planes had softened her features somewhat in the months since they'd come here. There was less to do, and getting around didn't take nearly as much effort. But Alya didn't care that she'd put on a few pounds; her fur was still sleek and soft, and her teeth as sharp as ever, and her jaws able to rend flesh from bone.

She just wondered, sometimes, if she was losing her way. She longed to return to the mountains not because they were all she'd ever known, but because the high peaks and jagged crags held her heart. Still, Nikai had laid claim to a rather large piece of it as well, and she was content, for the moment, to dwell with his family in the land of his birth. He would do the same for her, she knew, and things were just easier this way.

Soon enough, she allowed herself to be caught, flopping down on her side and slaying her forepaws wide to invite him into the toothy bear trap of her embrace.

Nikai enjoyed the run. It made it easier to forget for a moment that he had only three legs, that he'd never be as fast as the others, when he ran like this. Just for play. He knew he was at Alya's mercy and that was fine for him; it didn't keep him from trying. With a way of his tail he followed until she flopped down into the soft grass. Things were good here, and he enjoyed it here, even though he missed a chunk of adventure in his life. Still, he was sure they'd find adventure in other places, and maybe next year they could start a family...

As she flopped down he pounced down on her chest and nipped with his teeth at her paws and face, tail still happily wagging.

One of the things Alya loved about Nikai was how willingly he fell into her traps. He crashed into her embrace, and she wasted no time in locking her forepaws around his neck and attacking his face with forceful kisses and happy gnawing, a grizzly growl punctuating their play all the while. She was feeling less and less like she needed to rip things apart, and was happy enough now to play without drawing blood. Things had been dicey there for a bit, though.

With a clearer head and Nikai close to her heart, she felt comfortable saying, "I think I want to go back home." Which had sounded better in her head. "To Moonspear, I think. With you. At least for a little while. My sisters' seasons must also have passed - and I have a feeling Hydra will have something to tell us."

Nikai's teeth nipped for paws and teeth. Even as she captured his face and assaulted him with gnaws to his face his mouth was wide open, a surely goofy look from afar, even though he didn't find purchase on any part of Alya.

After playing subsided Alya was quite abrupt to speak her mind. Nikai looked at his mate, both surprised and not that surprised -- after all, she had always kept Moonspear close to her heart. It wasn't for nothing that Nikai had been practising hiking more lately, for he often feared this day would come. Nikai frowned, for he loved Easthollow dearly and it felt a shame he would not be able to see his baby siblings grow up if they left now.

It feels as if we've only just returned home, he said. Then again, home was wherever Alya was, too. Maybe we can visit them for a while? Over summer, then return here to see how things are, and decide where we're most needed? It was odd perhaps for Nikai to choose 'where they were most needed', but he knew Valette hadn't always had it easy while to Nikai it seemed that Alya's family had things together pretty well. He felt guilty leaving Valette each time he did, even if he needed the freedom, too.

"To your home," Alya gently reminded him, leaning her head forward to lick his nose. "We'll come back. I just want to see everyone and catch up with my sisters -- and for you to get to know my family a little. Daddy probably thinks you've stolen me away and hidden me in a cave somewhere."

Her dark eyes sparkled with humor and hope. It had been hard for her to adjust to this new place. Not as hard as adjusting to Morningside, but difficult enough. She felt deeply that she was needed at home, and while a quick visit would have to do, she wanted to do it now.

"I think it will be easier coming back," she added. "We got here and my season came and everything was insane, and even now that it's over, I can't seem to get back into the swing of things. If I could see the mountain again, it'll help me reset, and then I'll be all fresh and ready to be an Easthollowian."

She reminded him gently that it was only his home they were at now. Some day Nikai hoped they would have a home that would truly feel theirs, together, and not flitting between his home and hers. He smiled lightly when Alya joked about her worried father. Couldn't they have visited Easthollow? Nikai wasn't entirely convinced, but he also understood why she needed to see her family again.

Alya continued to argue that she would be able to freshly start as Easthollow member if she got a whiff of home. Though Nikai was unsure if that was how it worked, he nodded in agreement. Alright, alright. We'll visit over summer, and then we'll return here. He almost said 'home' but corrected himself in time. He hoped this could be her home in time, but it seemed now was not yet that time.

It was easy to see that this decision was weighing heavily on her mate. She wanted to be happy in Easthollow, or to at least swallow her own reservations and just be content in the knowledge that he was happy... but they'd spent several months here and the melancholy was still hanging on. She was certain that seeing home would help her get over the last of her sorrows and help her get past the homesickness.

"We'll come back," she agreed with a wag of her tail. "I know you've spent a lot of time away from your family. I'm sorry that I'm asking you to do this. If you want, I can go by myself. I understand that you need to be with your family, but I need some time with mine, too. There's nothing wrong with that," she said as matter of factly as she could. "And it doesn't make us any less... family," How strange it was to call him that! But it felt right, and she went on, "but I'll admit I would be much happier having you with me. Or if you really think we need to stay here right now, I won't go."

It was a difficult promise to make, but Alya assumed that her sisters would be by before too much longer, if she didn't show up at home soon.

Alya promised that they would come back, and Nikai smiled at her. He just wanted Alya to be happy, but he also wanted to be happy. It was a precarious balance that he felt they were both struggling with right now. Alya offered to go by herself, clearly also understanding the precariousness of this balance, but Nikai quickly shook his head. Let's go together, he decided pretty much right away. It seemed silly to split up now, after they'd been split up before and it ended so poorly. It was a small miracle they'd even found each other again and Nikai wasn't quite ready to give that up again now.

When Alya called him family, Nikai canted his head in mild surprise. But it seemed fitting enough. He just wished that she had spent some more time with his family before they'd gone, so they could truly feel like they were all family -- his and hers, they together. It seemed there was no time now though, and he was soon to be shipped off to Moonspear to meet all of hers up more closely. A daunting prospect, to say the least. No, we should go. Together. I don't want to risk anything happening and losing one another. Too much had happened -- Keoni's sudden death, the hunting accident, the loss of his limb that he only scarcely remembered -- for Nikai to take such risks now. He wasn't going to let Alya go alone.

Relieved, Alya tucked her face into Nikai's neck and let out a slow breath. "Me neither," she said softly, thinking that she'd already spent enough of her life without him. It was strange how quickly things could change; she still wasn't completely at ease in Easthollow, but she was completely at ease calling Nikai her mate, and claiming him as family. When she was with him, it was like something just clicked into place. It was as though they had always belonged together, and no matter when they met or how long they spent apart, there was something real and soild tying them together.

"I love you," she told him, pulling back to give his cheek a firm lick. "We'll come back as soon as we see that everything's alright. Just give me a week or two to catch up with my sisters, and for you to get to know everyone a little better."

Alas, it was not to be.