Bearclaw Valley If love is a joke, then use me ruthlessly

set before the start of the snowstorm thread with Indraaaa

There was something amiss in the valley—or perhaps it was the world as a whole.

He couldn’t tell.

The sky was dark overhead, any lingering rays of sunlight trapped behind a mass of angry clouds. The sight alone had his fur standing on end and him pacing back and forth, anticipating and dreading what it meant. He had memories, flashes of images from a time not long after his birth, but something—instincts—told him that it wouldn’t be the same as then. Not exactly, anyways. Just as dangerous, perhaps, but it was something he would get through with his pack just like his parents before him.

Besides, none of that was what really had his attention.

No, there was something else—something he recognised but could not so easily place, regarding it still, to this day, as a spell. But he did not allow his mind the opportunity to process this, no, he was too busy tracking down the source—sending him up the path of boulders and towards @Reigi.

the snow had begun falling.

and falling.  and falling.  and falling.  and it didn't stop.  it cast a darkness over her home that she didn't like, and with her head cast up to the clouds she growled, lip raised as she snapped at the snowflakes that dared to fall in her valley.

although she had yet to notice the seasonal changes her body was undertaking, yet she did notice her pale-coated friend at her side.  she jumps down from her boulder, greeting him with her usual enthusiasm.  so what would it be today?

The closer he got, the greater it grew, and the more difficult it became for him to fall victim to distractions. He didn’t know what it was at first—he never did—but when the source was revealed he had his suspicions. But Alexander was not himself, at least not in the civil sense of the concept—he was a primal being, ruled by instincts and roped in by nature itself.

But he was neither impolite nor pushy, tail swishing amicably behind him as he closed the space between them. Soft whines emanated from his throat as he sought her muzzle out with his, mouthing at it gently. He even dipped his head thereafter, tossing it back and forth as if to encourage play; though that wasn’t what he wanted, he kept at it. And, as if to further contribute to the idea—it wasn’t intentional, he didn’t even realise the resemblance—he approached her and bumped his shoulder against hers, keeping up with his overall mouthy antics all the while.

now this was a dance she was familiar with.  she did not know how she felt about it coming from her white knight; she was quite fond of him, and her previous experiences with this act had been rather unkind.

but she would dance with him to the end, no?  that is what she'd promised herself once he was kind enough to let her in.

it was different this time, in more ways than one... although she yet did not know their consequences.

as usual she liked his mouthiness, and she matched it with that of her own, enticing him forward with sways of her own tail and the gentle tugging of her teeth.

She did not flee or display any signs of discomfort, matching him instead. Alexander took it as a welcoming, pressing forward, still, and bumping his nose against various places all over her face. This he was used to, in a way, but also not quite; he’d been lured in and trapped before but, for the first time, he did not try to fight or rush it. He took his time, playing with her and finding comfort in her company, as he nipped and pulled at her cheek—then her shoulder and her side, before stopping finally at her flank. And though he found solace in being so close to her, her scent like a drug to his senses, he couldn’t ignore the growing discomfort in his nether regions.

In what was perhaps his most impolite—to onlookers, anyways, although it felt entirely natural to him—gesture yet, he shoved his nose towards her tail, only to retract it at the last second and, instead, press his muzzle against her tailhead. Along there he sniffed, taking in the hormones and further testing just how far he could go.

she felt it too, the rush of hormones, and although it was early still in her heat she felt the pull of his presence calling to her.  it had never been this way before; men had always pushed themselves on her and as her alpha, she nearly expected her companion to do the same.  his probing muzzle came at no surprise but his reluctance grabbed her attention through the haze.

what?

almost naturally, her tail swung out of his way and she backed against him, an appeasing whine escaping from her throat as she felt a pleasant buzzing where he brushed against her.

The moment her tail swung to the side he found the message to be clear: this was okay. He nipped at her a few times more as he rounded her entirely, stopping only seconds before lifting himself onto her. It was almost mechanical, the way his forelimbs slid around her waist and paws hooked him in, though the love-bites that followed made it clear he wasn’t lost—it wasn’t at all the same as last time, for this time he actually felt something. When he grabbed hold of her scruff his grip was gentle, careful not to break the skin. He wasn’t driven by selfish desires, he genuinely cared for her—even if he’d yet to realise it, yet to notice how his trust had morphed into something else.

He was slow at first, almost uncertain, but he easily regained his confidence as the motion of his hips quickened—and he gave Reigi sum fuk.

a wave of uncertainty passed over her and left as quickly as it came, for he did not push her front end to the ground, he did not make her submit to him.  this was about something other than power; perhaps not quite love but something more than trust and care.

she was a vocal lover, unhindered by societal expectations, and she rocked her body in time with his.  once their romping came to an end, she turned to him again with that same shocking intelligence behind her eyes.

yes, there most certainly was something different about this and it wasn't all in the tender way in which her white-cloaked alpha had treated her, no.  this time she had felt something, more than physical, and this was just its culmination.

it frightened her.

she'd never felt this way before, whatever it was, and without the verbage to communicate it, it frustrated her.  but maybe she didn't need to.  as the swelling went down and their bodies were released from each other, she continued to seek his physical presence, dotting him with kisses and love bites — so long as he didn't run off to digest his own feelings first.

It was not his first time, he had taken part in the act several times before, but this time—this time was the first that he did not leave. Even after they were free of one another, he didn’t run off or insist she leave him be, but instead sought out her company even more. He didn’t know what it was, he didn’t have it in him right now to think—whatever it was, though, he didn’t dislike it. In fact, he almost preferred it, preferred her, over all else. Later, perhaps he would think himself to be a fool for letting someone so close again but, as of right now, he didn’t care about the past. He didn’t care about his mistakes, about those he’d once allowed to enter his life—no, he had not the capacity to even think about these things, let alone care for them, when around her.

He did not keep still as she drew close to him, returning her kisses with those of his own, mixing in nips as he went along. He was confused, deep down, though it’d yet to truly dawn on him; he could feel a nagging sense of why bubbling up within him, trying to take hold and drive him away to think, but he didn’t let it. He focused on where he was, being with her, and just enjoyed the feeling of being in her presence.

But then came the thought of danger, realising where they were and what was going on. With eager steps and soft tugs on her neck, he tried to lead her away from the entrance and down into the valley.

feel free to tack on an ending or archive as is, and then i'd love a follow up thread.

reigi was and probably always would remain blissfully unaware of her companion's troubled past and perhaps it was for the best.  she thought of him as strong, unshakeable.  if only she knew better.

she was enraptured by his present joyful mood, and with ease he lured her from the mouth of the valley and into the packlands.  her focus was on him; she cared little about where they were or what they were doing, and until he bid her away or she was agitated enough to digest her own feelings, she'd remain at his side.

but for now, none of that could touch her.