Lux found that settling into Blacktail Deer Plateau and accordingly into a regular routine had not been as hard as she had initially thought. Neither was a bad thing for it ha allowed her to start proving her usefulness to the pack quicker than she had allotted for herself. Socialization with fellow pack mates might have been a better choice than jumping I to a routine of patrols, getting to know the wolves she shared a home with was important, granted, but was never in her list of top priorities. She felt the pressures of earning her place more than she did of making friends; though if Lux was being honest she was hesitant in terms of meeting the other wives of Blacktail Deer Plateau. It was a starkly different place from Thantos Valley and the Spartan -- despite that she planned to keep her sexuality a coveted thing for the sake of not wanting to make anyone uncomfortable -- found that she was contended with doing her own thing, for now.
Patrolling the borders was an easy thing. Second nature. Effortless for her. It was like breathing, it required no cognitive thought. It kept the borders safe, and kept her muscles in the shape the rigorous routines of the Spartans required her to be. So far, there did not seem to be any loners lurking in the shadows of the plateau. The borders a were a quiet affair -- which wasn't always a bad thing, she allowed. Peaceful days were useful for training and were, occasionally, rather nice.
The Alphess studied the male and the way he carried himself; she was a master at reading others and the slightest shifts in demeanor since her eyesight was so great. Maybe it had been another gift from Sos. Eyes widening slightly, Hawkeye remembered the day with Lecter and that she had only been to the shrine a couple of times since then. She wondered silently whether or not Sos would be angry with her; Hawkeye had proof that he existed right in front of her, so it wasn't like she could just stop believing in Him. She had been so busy with Peregrine and the idea of pups of her mind that she had almost forgotten to praise the dark bear god.
Rain had taken to falling, the cool droplets pelting Lux as she walked, saturating the silken strands of her fur. It was cold the rain but it was nothing that Lux had not endured before. As it was, the Spartan had endured worse. Far worse. The scent of damp earth wafted up to tickle at her nostrils as she stepped, crushing snow and bracken beneath her weight, pausing only when a cheery, familiar voice called out to her, causing Lux to give pause. Honey gold eyes peered over her shoulder, though she had already concluded that the cheery voice belonged to none other than Hawkeye. Body lowered automatically into a submissive posture as the Spartan bowed to her Queen. Besides the Spartan's vow to protect and serve, Lux felt that she owed Hawkeye. For the alpha's acceptance of her and her odd ways.
"My queen," The androgynous creature murmured softly, respectfully. Slowly, Lux rose from her submissive pose, her eyes drawn automatically to the bulge of Hawkeye's stomach - evident of her pregnancy. Feeling that she was being rude, however, Lux diverted her eyes. It was a beautiful thing, admittedly, yet her eyes wandered to the ground and the dirty snow beneath their paws. "How are you?" Lux inquired, genuinely hoping that Hawkeye was well.
"Aaaand how are you?" Hawkeye drew out the words with an uppity tone. "What are you up to today?" They were close to the borders, so Hawkeye figured it was Lux patrolling, but it couldn't hurt to ask; she did not want to assume what was going on. Maybe the male was just getting a lay of the land.
Lux was thankful that Hawkeye had not seemed to have taken the glimpse that Lux had taken at her swollen belly to any sort of offence. It hadn’t been meant in such, more so it was instinctually the first thing her eyes had been drawn too. At Hawkeye’s downplay of her pregnancy - going so far as to jokingly call herself fat - Lux was unable to help the smile that cracked her emotionless demeanor and tugged at the edges of her lips in a slightly coy manner. “You know you’re only carrying two?” Lux inquired, relatively impressed. Most mothers did not know how many they were carrying until their birth - not that Lux knew personally. She had seen a couple females give birth in Thantos Valley, having stood guard outside the birthing den. It sounded painful as fuck to her, and she was glad that she was, despite how her body lied - male. She had been in heat once - an awkward thing to be honest - and she had threatened to tear out the spine of any idiot who dared to come near her. As it was, she had not been forced to tear out anyone’s spine because they had taken her threat to heart - because she would have done it, too. Even in the unlikely event she ever found a mate she would assume the male role - it was what was most natural to Lux. “But for the record, my queen, I don’t think you look fat,” Lux spoke further, pausing for a moment. “You carry pregnancy beautifully.” It was a demure compliment but spoken truthfully, nevertheless.
“Wet,” The Spartan responded to Hawkeye’s question and let out a barking laugh, and shook out her coat brutishly, letting the droplets fly. “but good, thanks for asking.” Lux finished giving a soft shiver as a chill settled over her damp coat before she stretched to keep her muscles warm - though her fur did a well enough job. “Trolling …I mean patrolling the borders,” Lux sneered at her own joke - even if it was lame. It probably was lame, soldiers were not particularly trained in comedy arts. It was easy to loosen up and be herself under the tough exterior around Hawkeye - though that was probably because the Queen of the Plateau did not seem to hold any judgments in regards to Lux.
She made a "tch" sound at the comment about how she carried the pups. Why was everyone always complimenting her? It agitated Hawkeye, even though she knew they were being polite. She certainly didn't feel beautiful with her sides extending.
Hawkeye looked upward with the word "wet" coming from Lux. The Alphess though that maybe she shouldn't be out in the rain while pregnant, but rolled her shoulders in a shrug.
"As am I," the black wolf replied to Lux. Whenever she was bored or looking for something to do, Hawkeye had always found herself walking the borders of her lands.