Arrow Lake Sorry if it's hard to catch my vibe

@Mahler
I went ahead and started one for them <3
Other tags for reference

Leaving @Stigmata on pup duty, Taki made her way towards the lake at the center of the territory. It was her most frequented place now that the weather was warmer. She stopped at the water's edge, lowering her head to drink before finding a shady spot to perch and maybe nap for a bit while she had no children to chase around.

She stopped in the shade of a tree next to the water, making a few circles in place before settled down. She watched the water ripple and listened to the birds chirp in the branches above her. Eventually, her eyes drifted closed, but her ears remained on alert, twitching occasionally in the direction of some distant sound. She might swim eventually, but for now, she was content where she was.

setting this after he visits ketzia. thank you for starting <3

it remained empty without the motherdove and her brood, but mahler found ways to adjust. his wanderlust had been sparked — he oft found himself outside the territory for long swathes of time, returning every handful of days to see how the other diasporans fared.
but now ketzia had borne another litter, one sired by his kill-brother, and mahler found himself dedicated once more to the little ones that had been birthed into their claim. he returned now from the whelping place — tired jaws parted to lap the water, and when he lifted up his broad scarred muzzle, he lay his eyes upon takiyok, lying some small distance away.
brightening, mahler joined the centurion, laying alongside her in the flickering shadow of the tree. there was once more no need for words; the gargoyle offered her a brief smile and closed his eyes for a long moment.

His scent filled her nose before she heard his quiet steps, causing her heart to speed up and her eyes to flick open. She was used the reaction by now and beyond grateful that he wasn't privy (or so it seemed) to her body's traitorous reaction to his presence. She dipped her head slightly at his silent greeting, glad that words were never really a requirement with Mahler. 

For a while, she remained silent, eyes drifting shut once more as her mind wandered. Taki knew he was probably tired from tending to the newest diasporans, and so she was happy to let him rest. She was still angry with Stigmata and still planned on ignoring Ketzia's existence, but she hardly blamed the pups; she certainly held no grudge towards any packmate that helped support them. She had noticed the Kapitän's absences from the territory, and it made her long for the days when she could come and go as freely. She had no regrets about motherhood, but that didn't mean she hadn't started to get a little cabin fever. She didn't feel comfortable leaving just yet, though, so she would have to find other ways to alleviate her restlessness. 

After some time, the sun began to invade their shade and warm her fur to an uncomfortable temperature. She yawned and stretched beside him, glancing over at him with a rare playful glint in her gaze. Boldly, she nipped playfully at his shoulder and then bolted away, splashing into the water; she stopped when the water reached her elbows and turned around to lie down in the cool lake, eyes searching for her companion to see how he recieved her invitation to play.

it occurred belatedly to mahler that he might ask takiyok her thoughts upon ketzia. while he did not believe she would hate the new little ones for their existence, the shadowpriest found it unlikely that she would see them as half-siblings to her own brood. he himself would talk with the sylph, instruct her to keep her pups from takiyok's way until the tension between the winterwhite and stigmata was subdued.
but it was not to be, for in the next moment she was upon her feet, her powerful frame holding his complete attention as she turned the laziness of the warm afternoon into an opportunity. amused, he pursued her into the shallows, welcoming the splash of the cool liquid along his legs and flanks.
lowering himself, mahler regarded takiyok with faux solemnity before he lunged through the lake at her, hoping to bowl her deeper while avoiding any trick beneath the water she might employ.

She grew excited at his willingness to join her in the lake, gaze tracking his movements as he lowered himself in the water. She jumped up as he moved forward, but instead of running away, she jumped forward to meet him, a wave of water flowing from where she landed to splash up at him. Taking advantage of what she hoped would be a distraction, she jumped forward again, this time getting close enough to nip at whatever part of the kapitän she reached first before propelling herself to the side. She hoped to take off down the stretch of shallow water and would do so if she managed to get up and pick up speed before he tried to stop her or herd her to the deeper water where it would be much more difficult to run.

her watery rush forward provoked a spate of laughter from mahler; his teeth flashed in a wide rare grin and he followed the arc of her powerful body with a nip of his own, rearing on hindlegs to strike playfully at takiyok.
lavender eyes drank in her nimble movements; he was persuaded to give chase in the shallower water as the winterwhite broke into a run, teeth reaching again to nuzzle her hip with the promise of a gentle bite, should she not escape.

She grinned as well, glad to have elicited laughter from the usually serious Kapitän. He jumped up to to meet her advance, getting in a playful nip before she turned and took off through the water.

As she pushed her legs to move faster, she felt a gentle graze of teeth on her hip, and it caused a familiar tightening in her stomach. It distracted her enough to slow her pace a fraction, but she recovered quickly. Taki whirled around and lunged towards him. This time her intention was to playfully tackle him into the water and hold him there to offer frisky bites in response to any he offered her in retaliation.

mahler was an observant beast in all matters save for the emotional. what was presented was what he beheld; he had no suspicions that takiyok had drawn him out into the water for anything other than a parade between close friends.
it would be a lie, however, if the gargoyle were to say he did not enjoy their interlude for other reasons, nameless and intimate.
a snap of his heavy jaws toward her as she rolled him down into the water and his laughter came again between the splashing of their limbs and the light dancing in her gaze.

It had not been her intention, at least not consciously, to invite him into the water to play for any reason other than she was in a rare playful mood. But, their closeness, and his laughter, and the meeting of their gazes had her feeling uncomfortably vulnerable all of the sudden. As she lied atop his muscular form, she suddenly became hyperaware of every place their bodies touched. This was too much, and all she could think now was that she wanted out of the water and away from Mahler. Her smile fell some, but she otherwise tried to keep all the confusing emotions from leaking into her expression, unsure if she had been successful. Without any warning, she stood and took a few steps back. I'm sorry, I— She paused, swallowed, and looked away. I have to go. she turned and sprinted for the shore, picking up speed once on dry land. Without stopping even to shake out her coat, she ran back to her children, brushing off any questions about her appearance or sour mood if Stigmata had even noticed before taking his leave.

:o

fading here so they can have an updated one

mahler was peturbed by the response of his masculine self to the warm pressure of takiyok’s body atop his own, but found control in his own mind. however, perhaps he had given something away in his gaze, for the winterwhite was soon up and up, stuttering out an apology in a manner quite unlike herself, and whisking away before he could do so much as rise.
the gargoyle stood awkwardly in the water, watching the woman retreat; he too took himself off in the opposite direction, chagrined, and sequestered himself in his den the remainder of the day as he attempted to sort what had occurred.