Lost Creek Hollow i gave her my heart, she gave me a picture of me as an old time sheriff.

Ever since coming across the place, it had instantly become her favorite spot in the Hollow. Heck, her favorite spot in the entire Wilds. She'd never tell @Rannoch this, of course, knowing he might get his feelings hurt that she loved it more than the perch he'd picked out for her at the Vale. But still, she couldn't help herself. Everything about the falls simply moved her, like a song written just for her. It was like the whole world had shifted and molded itself into this place in anticipation of her presence. She just loved it. Fully and absolutely.

Liffey hopped gracefully along the rocky ledges until she was on the final level of the Falls where the layers of small cliffs dropped off into the deep valley far below. She felt as though she was standing on the edge of the world, but there it was - stretched out far and wide below her. That part was cool, but with an upward turn of her head, she was gazing again at what she loved most about Antares Falls: The stars.

The naturalist dropped to her haunches with a soft smile on her face, simply gazing at the heavens and losing herself amongst the constellations.

"Liffey," Rannoch called; he had expended most of his energy to catch up with his wife. Although he was still recuperating from the trauma that Shardirk had done, he couldn't help but be drawn to his wife's side. Rannoch moved stiffly from where he stood, and slowly hobbled to where Liffey sat. Once at her side, Rannoch quickly dropped onto his hindquarters and turned to her with a smile. 

He knew that it was foolish of him to be out and about—he was still recovering. Yet, the medicine had grown lonesome since Hyacinth's unexpected demise, and he longed for things to return to normal. Rannoch wasn't naive about the damage that his injury had done to both his family and the pack. 

"It's been some time since we've been able to do this, hm?" he mused quietly before he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Liffey wasn't expecting company, so she started when she was hit suddenly by the sound of her name. She turned to peer over her shoulder, eyes widening at the sight that met her gaze. Rannoch, up and about on his own four paws without any to help him. What on earth was he thinking? He was so in trubble.

Her eyes were wide and jaw dropped still when he settled beside her and planted a kiss on her cheek. His words were lost somewhere in the pounding in her ears, so her response was not at all directed by what he'd said. "What are you doing out here!" Liffey replied, her eyes narrowing a little, "You should be resting still! You're going to get yourself hurt and undo all the healing you've done, and then I'll have to hurt you and you'll be worse off than you even started."

Rannoch had already envisioned Liffey's response, and she was just as bewildered as he had imagined. "You worry too much," he replied, "And I got over here just fine. Just... not as quickly as I would have liked." Rannoch sighed; he didn't like admitting that he wasn't up to par. 

"I'll have you to help me get back to the den," he teased with a wink. Although he didn't doubt her abilities, Rannoch knew that he was much larger than his petite wife.

Liffey frowned at her mate's reckless dismissal of her concern. Her heart twinged sympathetically when she recognized his discomfort in admitting his slowness, but it wasn't enough to warm her over completely. She quirked a brow at his request for an escort home and pursed her lips.

"Oh heck no," Liffey admonished, unable to completely stifle her own humor, especially after that wink, "You are turning into quite an unruly, disobedient young man and you won't see me rewarding that kind of behavior." She lifted her chin and turned away from him.

"Oh heck no," Liffey replied. Again, there was no surprise here—Rannoch had anticipated her feigned authority, humor and all. 

"But, Liff," he whined, and then poked his nose to her cheek, "I neeeeeeeeeed you!" Rannoch attempted to meet her fiery gaze, "You're my only hope to get back to the den!" Truthfully, he could get back to the den if he really wanted to.  But, Rannoch enjoyed teasing Liffey.  

"Are you really going to leave your husband out here to freeze in the snow!?" he suggested with mock concern.

His pleas reached her ears and she found herself fighting not to laugh. She narrowed her fiery eyes into slits and glanced sidelong at him, her mind racing to come up with some clever response. She was not her mother for whom the witty quips just flooded freely. She needed time to think, and consider, and usually fall short anyway.

Liffey's expression softened after a few seconds as she decided it was best to just let the game go. Like a snake with a neck she leaned forward to snake neck her neck snake around her mate's snake neck and omfg I'm in tears laughing but anyway, she nuzzled into his embrace and let go of her anger with a happy sigh. "Oh who am I kidding, I can't even pretend to stay mad at you," she said with a contented purr, "I will hurt you though if you hurt yourself again, counterproductive as it may seem."

The Frostfurs coiled, and their snake-like necks snaked around each other. It had been some time since Rannoch had held Liffey close, and he relished their nearness. 

"I understand," Rannoch mumbled happily. " And I'll deserve it, too, if it happens," he admitted; he couldn't keep winding up in these types of situations. Rannoch needed to be there for Liffey, his children, and the Hollow—he had his responsibilities, and he was determined to uphold them. "I'll be better," he promised. 

"How have the kids been?" Since, everything, really. Wisteria was meeting, their Dad had almost died—they had been through a lot.

Though she had lightened up, her mate seemed to take that as his cue to take on the serious note. Liffey appreciated the sentiment, though she didn't really need his promise. Rannoch had done what he'd needed to do when the cougar had attacked. She could not fault him for it, nor would she when it would otherwise have made itself a threat to their kids. She trusted completely he would never put himself in danger unneccessarily.

At his question, Liffey quirked a brow, wondering if maybe his walk had taken more out of him than he was letting on. She let it go though and just smiled as she answered. "They're okay. They miss you," she said with a slight pause, "I think they miss both of us, actually."

She frowned down at her paws, guilt twisting in her chest. She hadn't been there for them as well as she should've been these past few weeks. Most of her time had been spent at Rannoch's side. They were six months old now and didn't really need her as much, but still. She knew she was just trying to ease her own guilt with that thought.

"Hey," Rannoch replied softly, noticing the obvious shift in Liffey's demeanor, "It's okay, Liff. It's been rough for us all." He nudged her cheek, hoping to lift her spirits. "We'll be better, and we'll grow stronger as a family, too." Rannoch sighed; it'd been a rough few months. 

"Maybe we can all go on a trip together," he settled after a brief pause. "I feel like we didn't have a lot of time with your parents when they visited last, and it'd be good for them to see the grandkids again..." Rannoch watched Liffey, and wondered what she thought of his idea. It'd be good for them to get away for a little bit—especially before he resumed any of his former leadership responsibilities.

Liffey smiled at her mate, knowing he was right. They needed time to recover from this, and unfortunately that wasn't restricted to just physical recovery. There was mending that needed to be done emotionally too, and that always seemed to take far longer. They'd make it, though. She had no doubt.

At the suggestion of a trip, Liffey's smile became more real. "It would be nice to see them again," she said, but then her smile faltered a little, "But.. it's a little close to Moonspear." She dropped her gaze and bit her lip, considering. She had no desire to run into the Ostregas again, and knowing their luck, that's exactly who'd be sitting there waiting for them the moment they crossed out of the Flatlands.

Rannoch understood Liffey's sudden concern. "You're right," he replied, his voice softer. "Honestly, I had begun to forget about them... It's been a while since they've been brought up in any conversation."

"Is there is a more-southern path that leads to the plateau?" he asked after a brief pause, tilting his head. If there was anybody who would know an alternate path, it'd be Liffey.

Liffey frowned a little at her mate, not at all liking that he had forgotten about Moonspear. Even the scar across her muzzle seemed to sear a little in indignation, but she quieted her feelings on the subject. Rannoch had not been nearly as tormented by the Ostregas as she had, so his perspective of what had happened was far different from hers. She envied him. She would be hard-pressed to ever forget. 

"I don't think so..." Liffey answered, after a brief pause when she had to remind herself that her parents no longer lived at the Caldera, "Best bet would probably be to travel North along the coast, though it will add a few days to the trip." Worth it, in her opinion, if it meant keeping her family well away from Moonspear.

Rannoch was quick to see the error in his statement; life at Moonspear had been traumatic for Liffey. In response to seeing her frown, he postured himself penitently—ears lowered, tail wagging uneasily, and his smile soft. Rannoch was sorry to have caused her to frown, and it showed. 

He nodded in reply to the suggestion that had been offered. "I wouldn't mind," Rannoch replied, his expression brightening slightly. "It'd be nice to show the kids the ocean along the way, and take our time." He knew that his injury would also slow them down. "We'll already have to be slow because of me—might as well take the scenic route and spend some more time together."

Liffey nodded, finding herself smiling, just a little. He was right - it would be nice to have more time with the family, and the idea of seeing the ocean was absolutely thrilling. "I like that idea..." she confessed, her mood brightening by the second, "You know, I've never actually seen the ocean before?" It seemed crazy that she hadn't, but it was true - all the ranging she'd done, she'd never gone that far North.

"You haven't?" Rannoch replied, obviously surprised. He had mixed feelings about the ocean—namely his upbringing in Blackrock Depths—but he wouldn't allow himself to lessen her opinion of it. "I think you'll love it," he said. "There's nothing quite like it."

ya wanna wrap this one up? :D

Liffey smiled as she imagined seeing the ocean for the first time. It seemed like such a magical, life-changing thing. And best of all, she would get to have that experience right alongside her kids. It would be such a wonderful memory to share with them. And Rannoch would be there too!

"I do very much love things that there's nothing quite like," Liffey quipped, reaching to kiss her mate on the cheek.

"I do, too," Rannoch agreed with a smile; there was no one quite like Liffey. "But, yeah, it'll be good for all of us, I think. We can head there whenever, too, since things seem calm here." Although he had been excused from his leadership duties, he had to consider the Hollow's welfare before embarking on a multi-week trip. "We'll bring it up to the kids tomorrow," he decided. 

With their plan determined, Rannoch and Liffey enjoyed the remainder of the evening together under the twinkling starlight.