Duskfire Glacier Can it all be too real?

AW but please let @Imaq post first! If you want any assumptions changed pm me!

Rye arose from his spot in the den, careful not to wake any that slumbered beside him before parting from the home. It was early morning, a little after the suns initial rise over the horizon, the light illuminated the ground with a gentle golden hue. It was perfect for spotting the fine imprints of rodents in the snow. The father set on his way, crossing into the forest in search of a hare, possibly a raccoon. Ideally, he wanted two of each but those odds were likely not in his favor but nevertheless he would try.

His body groaned with each lope, the mans body developed cabin fever before his mind did. Staying crunched up in the den with his family had taken over the majority of his days, aside from hunting for them, Rye stayed with his family, wherever they went, he went. Hotahs soot nose dipped to the forest floor to soak in the information of the early morning rush, all the martens, opossums, hare, and other small mammals that scurried across the snow.

It wasn't long before the father was returning with pair of martens in his maw, blood dripping from his chin, he trotted back to the den with a satisfied skip. As he neared the den, Rye reserved himself, his footfalls became silent, and purposeful to avoid crunchy leaves. Setting the martens down, Rye called. "Wife? Son?" He said softly, sticking his head inside the home to check if they were awake.  

Imaq's ears fluttered, hackles prickling as her head jerked up. Tensing, the she-dog whipped her head towards the entrance of the den -- half pulling herself up into a defensive crouch. Blinking in surprise, the woman felt the sudden terror of her husband's silent approach trickle away, leaving only abashed embarrassment in its place. Licking her chops, as if to smooth away the snarl that had been forming, Imaq straightened and cast a glance towards their son. 

"Siku sleeps," the mother whispered needlessly, gesturing with her speckled muzzle that they should slip from the den and sit outside. 

The cur settled awkwardly on her haunches after joining Rye within the main passage of the Caverns -- still not quite used to moving without her leg. "Imaq is sorry. Imaq not.." the shepherd trailed off, frowning in frustration. 

The Qeya-Black could not quite figure how to put into words that she slept more lightly these days, that she had only been startled when he appeared so suddenly and the fear didn't have anything to do with Rye himself. 

Resorting to touch, she sidled closer and dipped her head beneath the woodlander's -- nuzzling into the junction of his shoulder reassuringly. 

As the man dipped his head in, his eyes caught sight of his wife crouching defensively, her lips only just beginning to curl. The hotah drew his ears back, brows lifting and pinching to let the concern glimmer in his pupils. He pulled away at Imaqs behest, leaving considerable distance between him and the den to reduce the amount of sound breaching the home. Rye rested on his haunches beside his wife, staring curiously, pondering what she might say. She apologized, losing her words quickly after. The man understood, more than she might've thought. He knew spending weeks alone would leave any wolf defensive, let alone a mother. As his wife nestled into his shoulder, Rye wrapped a leg around her and then draped his head over hers.

"Imaq," He cooed. "It's okay, there is nothing you need to apologize for." He tried to reassure her with a light squeeze but his gut told him she would likely still carry guilt. "How are you feeling my wife?" Rye pulled back to hopefully catch his favorite pair of eyes. He wanted to know everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

"Imaq is..." Confused. Lost. Uncertain. Ashamed. The she-dog did not know these words. With a sigh that expressed more than she could say, she let the one word she did know speak for itself, "...tired."

"Not speak right." She grunted in frustration, dipping her head to scrub her face against her foreleg wearily. "Imaq want learn. Want talk to Rye." Her ageless frustration with communication shone through as she straightened, feeling as though her bones creaked, and her teary gaze met the cinnamon he-wolf's sunlit optics. 

"Imaq want tell Rye. Tell Rye many things." It was but an exhausted breath as it left her lips, slumping into his embrace in a rare display of vulnerability. They were so close and yet still sometimes felt like strangers, all because she couldn't communicate properly. Worse yet, her son was lacking in the common tongue as he grew -- all because Imaq couldn't teach him. 

just a quick cameo to keep him from falling inactive. :)

 

Siku flinched, amber eyes cracking open -- only to fly open in alarm when he realized he was alone in the den. Heart stammering so hard it hurt, the navy merle began to haul himself onto his feet only for his ears to swivel and capture the soft murmurs of his parents' voices. 

Realizing they conversed outside and he wasn't truly alone, the youth slumped back down with a sigh. Forgetting about the startling nightmare that had woken him in the first place, he quickly succumbed to the blissful black abyss of sleep once more. 

The husband watched his wife closely, watching her lips move as she stumbled over her words, watching as her expressions changed, he nearly studied her like ancient carvings in a cave. He soaked up every detail she offered, knowingly or otherwise. Rye molded to her body as she sought out his comforts once again, peppering feather like kisses where he could. The issue of communication had been present from day one, although it didn't deter Rye from loving his wife, it certainly made it arduous to convey his love for her. Now their son was on a similar boat but learning was easier as a kid, so Rye worried less for the boy. The epsilon had been meaning to learn his wife's language for many fortnights but had lazily gone about asking her, another regret he harbored close to chest.  

"It will be okay, I promise you," He started, gifting another kiss. "I understand your frustration but in time we can both better learn the others language." Rye pulled back to gaze at his wife, a smile present. "Seasons have passed and I failed to let you know my intentions, that I am going to learn to speak your mother tongue. I'm sorry for not being a better husband, my wife." He said sincerely. The man sunk into himself, brows furrowing. Language was not the only thing he wished to learn more about, Rye wanted to know about her beliefs, in depth. For some unknown reason, he was drawn to her rituals, he enjoyed watching her and participating when he could but that was a conversation for another time. "For now, try your best, it's okay if it takes a few tries to get across what you want to say but we can use those moments as learning opportunities." As ever, Rye offered the bright side of the situation.

Sorry about the wait! Been a busy bee

 

In spite of the heavy weight that sunk deeply into her chest, the isabella merle couldn't help the tender smile that blossomed upon her splotched lips as Rye rained kisses upon her face. She turned her face up to his, as if catching raindrops, rasping her tongue against his ivory chin lovingly. 

Her cracked gaze of sapphire widened -- both in surprise and joy that her mate wished to learn the northern tongue that she had taught Sikuliak to communicate in. A happy whine escaped her, hushed for she thought she had heard a muffled noise from within the den, and her haunches wiggled in place of the tail she'd been born without. With a shake of her head and her floppy ears, it was her turn to gift the medicine man with a kiss. "Rye is good man. Best husband," she protested gently. 

"Imaq teach," Selkie promised, grinning brightly in excitement. "Rye is angutik. Husband. Imaq is annak. Wife. Siku is innik. Son." The she-dog offered him some simple words to start with before a thought sprang to her mind. 

"Ânalligik ipvit," she whispered, though this time her gaze met his own steadily. They were the same words she'd murmured when their son was born, after Rye had agreed to take her as his wife. She wondered if he remembered, as Imaq had never told him what it meant. 

"Imaq love Rye."

I will go ahead and wrap this up since its a very old thread! You're welcome to archive! No further reply needed if you dont want one 

The wife took to the mans offer exceptionally well, he grinned ear to ear as she made her promise, It seemed the first lesson was to begin right away as Imaq said "Angutik". Rye mouthed the sounds as he heard them, going down the same list as she did. He was solely focused on her, as if the world had dissipated around them and left only a small island for them to remain. Rye saw the passion in her eyes and it spread to his, the mans tail thudded against the ground subconsciously. That was, until his wife got quietly serious. She said another set of words in her language and with bated breath Rye waited to hear what they meant. "Imaq love Rye.", she translated and he smiled. "An-Alli-gik," The man stuttered, testing the waters before committing to the dive. "ip-vit." He awkwardly chuckled, quickly realizing it was going to be a longer road ahead of him than expected. "I love you too." Rye said more confidently, closing in for a kiss. He held himself there for a moment before sliding in close to embrace his wife. "Thank you," he murmured after pulling back to meet her eyes. "Now, lets go back to the den and check on our innik." He would lead the way if his wife said nothing more, snuggling down into the den with their child.