Sunspire Mountains you will be a king

attn @Tryphon

 

She had washed herself of him, of it all, of everything but her anger and her fury. She sought the silver man, having made many swift decisions in the span of two days. Saghani knew it was he her heart belonged to. He was her weakness, which frightened her. Even in her moments away from him, even as she was making decisions that would change all things, he was in the back of her mind, a niggling sense of reason to continue. Taggarik had directed her to a different path; she would build things from the ground up, and make the foundation unshakably strong. 

The woman found all things had a bitter taste since the incident, but her favor and her feeling toward Tryphon had remained. She had lied to herself, but would not do so again, for her lie had brought her to something weaker. Saghani did laugh at herself for it, it was all she could do! What else was there? And hate. Her hate made her stronger. 

But first. First, she needed to find him, the man who had from the start stolen something from her that she denied to even have at all. It was all very confusing, all very quick, but Saghani knew that they were not a stepping stone to one anothers destiny, but a very crucial part. She threw her head up and howled for him, knowing that if he heard it, he would come.

Being vague about his injury, since he's supposed to receive one from his trespassing thread.

His efforts to seek her out directly had been idiotic, naive even, and had led to misfortune on his part. But he had fled the area when the chance arose for him, tasting her on the air and feeling a pit form inside of him; it felt as if Tryphon was abandoning her the way he abandoned everyone else, and he could not stomach it. There was nothing he could do but run - and nothing hurt him more than that mental image which held in his mind, that of the shadow surrounded by strangers and welcomed by them.

He hid for as long as he could, but inevitably she came calling for him. The sound of her upon the wind was a shock, something Tryphon thought was only in his mind, but he was willing to test the chance of her summons leading him to the truth. He slid from where he had secreted himself away to nurse his wounds, and trudged through the snow - aching in many ways - and nearly collapsed when he saw the shadow lingering nearby. He boofed, calling to her softly, and fell silent.

Saghani smelled him before she saw him, and a knot twisted within her stomach as she noted the odor of blood. 

A cold, malicious fury came within her as she turned and raced toward the direction he came from, called from, and could not help the pathetic whimper that expelled from her as she saw him, smelled him—there was no question of it, of who had done this, and Saghani selfishly, hypocritically did not care for why (though she felt she knew), only that an ill had been done. Another trespass against her. 

She grit her teeth, swallowed a snarl. He would be, now, the sole person she spoke to beyond those that had heard her voice. That number was too many, a thing reserved for only those you loved and sought a future with. Your pack, your mate. Let others think you dumb, was their law, let them think you know nothing, and learn everything. Hers was a diluted subbranch of warriors, a more vicious, vindictive ilk of a long and great, powerful line. It was she and hers that terrorized enemies, brought them to their knees, provoked war only to finish it as bloodily as they had started it. 

And as she smelled the man before her, saw him weakened, Saghani knew her days of war were not yet ended. Saghani had adored it, but had left it to find if there was any other thing to life. Staring at him, she saw, no. And that mattered not. Not when you survived it. 

We will kill them for what they have done, she moved toward him, so that she might whisper this against the curve of his ear. Saghani's ears fell flat against her own head, moving to reach for his injury, to clean it some if he would let her. She lay on her belly, and looked back to him with her fierce eyes. I have behaved foolishly. I have disobeyed my heart. You are my heart, she confided, A heart I denied, because hearts make one weak. Already, I feel if I were to lose you, her breath hitched, her eyes narrowed and averted, I feel that I would die. Shamed by this. Shamed by this dependence, the likes of which she had never had before. Shamed by her desire to coexist with him, rather than to dominate as she had Tagg, who had appealed to that primal, ambitious part of her. 

This one was more. 

She would tell him of it, this foolish thing, whether he asked it of her or not... but she let him digest her words now, and again began her ministrations if he would let her. 

#unexpectedfeels

oh gosh what do i do now  

He could see his own breath pealing out of him, curling about his face as it dissipated, and there was a red gleam in the snow; parts of him trailed behind, but his future lay before him, the shadow - who upon realizing he had come, bound close. Her voice was strange to his ears and he almost flinched back from it. Even in whispers it was strange to him, but he did not stop her. He listened, but did not hear her - did not hear the implications, because the words meant nothing to him. Tryphon decided to slip close, lowering himself to his chest so that they were on equal standing. He was injured physically, she was injured.. Perhaps emotionally, perhaps only mentally, by this rejection she had faced. He wedged his head against her neck, rested his chin across her back, and lay there while she spoke. His wounds would heal. For now, the blood mixed across them both.

Saghani watched him, but did not move away or flinch. He moved of equal standing to her, and Saghani could not tear herself away as he moved and held her this way. Weak, she told herself. But the supportive gesture made her feel impossibly strong. On top of the world. Saghani took care not to rub against his injury, but moved to kiss whatever was in her reach. She had run away once and she would not do it again. She pressed further against him, and rest there, expressing in her typically silent way, I won't leave you. Never. Saghani would put the final decision in his paws, but was content to linger here, tongue flicking against skin to express her adoration, in the quiet for now. The woman nuzzled him gently, softly, carefully, the thing telling enough of the truth of her words, of love.

This was a connection he had never had. Someone who would choose to be with him - not forced through the structure of a pack, of corrupted bloodlines. She was not here because she had to be, but because she willed it. Their relationship (which was a word beyond Tryphon) had been one of necessity, and now... Had mutated. He did not have words for what the mutation entailed; only that they were together again, perhaps for always, and he was... Happy. It made the boy happy to know that his lonely days were gone - happier still to know it was this shadow which would be his companion.

He held her close until she began to kiss him, a thing which felt strange but not bad. There were no words between them right now. None that needed to be spoken, except, "Tryphon," his voice like stone pouring down a mountainside, of crushed ice, a pebble quake. He looked to her now expectantly, eager to know the name of his other half - his shadow, who would follow him step for step through life's great turmoils.

Saghani breathed him in, each and every scent, adoring it, desiring it, and remembering the day they had almost—

Stupid, for having not. Stupid, for wasting her own time to believe that another could measure to what in mere hours this one had awakened in her. Saghani would have cursed herself if she were not so happy in his arms, the thought of what she must tell him slipping from her mind for a moment. And then he spoke, and she heard him soundly, the name strong and powerful as she knew he would be. Saghani, she responded to him, not missing that he had spoken to her in his voice, a voice she strangely loved, too, as she detested all others. It was not the words of Tagg, and the lone word informed her of his constitution, of what she knew was within. 

Well, they would hide from one another no more. And he would know her true name, where no other would. She moved from his embrace only so that she could look to his wound, and judge it for its severity. It did not look crippling, but it did not look good, and she knew that she would need to take care of it. Saghani knew how to, the skill being required to learn to help ones fellow if needed... 

Saghani wondered where to find them, here. She was a stranger to these lands, but recalled having seen things in passing. But snow had fallen since then, had it not? Her nose moved gingerly toward his own, to press lightly against it. In looking at him, Saghani knew in her core the depth of her feelings toward him, and they flooded her senses, and overtook her awareness. I will fix this, she thought, I will fix everything.