Redsand Canyon if atlas falls

Hoping for a 1x1 @Kallik thread

It had been… chaotic. Chaotic was a very kind way to describe it. She felt as if she had been pushing and pushing for the past month, balancing motherhood with her job as a medicus. She battled stubborn patients like Towhee with her children peeing all over her and crying when she tried to clean them up and it had all been… a lot. The stress took it’s toll even now, the children a little older, a little more independent, just over a month old where they’re already starting to develop their tiny little personalities.
 
And with it, came a murder in Akashingo, an amputee patient still on her mind, and Tierra carrying an unconscious unpredictable wolf across the borders. In that moment, she sought a moment of peace and comfort, a moment to breathe in the embrace of her husband. She sought him out as she moved not far from their den towards the commons, knowing at this time of day, just before things settled for the night, she could find him at least somewhere in the area… or perhaps he would find her… all she needed was a moment to simply be and exist. A moment to pull her head out of the ever so entangled webs of confusion and chaos that had quickly settled over the canyon with the introduction of the little lives… not just their children, but Ruenna’s and Towhee’s as well.

always!

Kallik had been singularly focused on keeping his family and Mereo safe. He enjoyed his times with the family at night, and during the day, he as busy training or patrolling. He did a lot of hunting, mostly for his wife but also for the other mothers. It didn't leave much time for himself of for quality time with Aquene. He might have hoarded as much time with his wife as possible before the twins were born if he had known everything would become so much more demanding. 

He was fresh from the arena after a spar with @Germanicus (reference) when he picked up his wife's scent; he would know it anywhere. He was dirty from being pinned in the sand, but he didn't care.

He quickly tracked the scent, only to find Aquene heading in his direction. He picked up his pace to meet her and greeted his healer with nuzzle to her cheek. Where are you headed? I can walk you. he offered. He assumed the twins were with Towhee. Kallik kissed her cheek while he waited for her answer.

True to her own instincts, it did not take him long for her husband to find her, nuzzling her cheek as he ran her maw alongside his neck, pausing for a moment at the base to simply breathe in his scent. She didn’t care that there was sand littering his pelt or the way some of the grains clung stubbornly to her own fur when she finally drew her head back. The question brought a smile to her features, a softness in a special brand reserved solely for her husband. “I was going to find you.” She admitted softly to him, cooing him along with a gentle motion of her head. A walk sounded lovely, even if that was not what he had intended.
 
The kids were safe for a moment with their trusted friend. “I just needed some time to breathe.” She admitted again, already starting to feel molecules of stress dissipating from her body as she took some time to breathe in and out. Inhale, 2, 3, 4. Exhale, 2, 3, 4. “Things have just been crazy since the twins arrived, and with everything else constantly on fire around here… I just wanted to steal a moment alone with my husband. We both need a chance to breathe.”

Kallik leaned into her touch, pulling in her scent and reveling in her warmth. She soothed his worries in a way nothing else could. It turned out that she was coming to find him. He moved willing with her when she indicated she wanted to walk with him. He would reach over and nibble at her nape as they moved, excited to get to spend some quality time with her. 

Aquene explained that she needed some time to breath, that things had been crazy since the boys had been born. He couldn't agree more. It seemed they had less and less time with each other between their duties to the pack and taking care of their family. He had missed spending time with just her. You can steal as many moments as you would like, he told her softly. They had plenty of time right now. 

I know the perfect place, he told her. We can walk there.

Despite the recent disagreement about how to handle Sybol when he arrived on the borders, she craved his touch and the safety of his presence. The love never faded, and it never would, not as long as she had anything to say about it. He moved with her, nibbling as they moved which caused light giggles from her in return. It was amazing how he could pull her back into the headspace of being a doe-eyed yearling with just a few simple touches, even now as their family grew and they entered the stressful time of raising children.
 
She chuckled softly at his words, casting her gaze sideways with a wink in his direction. “I could… but if I stole as many as I would like, Germanicus and Arsenio would be quite displeased. They’d never see you.” She teased lightly. She’d steal all of his moments if she could, but she knew that it was not feasible. “Lead the way, darling.” She offered peacefully as she fell in with his stride and let him guide their way. “Are you planning any more trips to the Vale? It will be less time than either of us think before the twins are able to travel there.” Though it left pangs in her heart to think about leaving her friends, it was a new life for them, one with more control, and one that would help another close friendship of theirs thrive.

He loved the way his affection made her giggle. Really anything that told him she was happy—he would do just about anything to make sure she was. He nuzzled her nape and kissed her cheek as they walked, unable to help himself.  Thankfully, she never minded his constant affection. 

Kallik lifted an eyebrow at her teasing, a smile lifting one corner of his mouth. The would survive, he teased in return. Kallik on the other hand, would not survive if he didn't have Aquene. She was his beacon in the darkness always. 

Kallik led them towards the passageways, moving through the system of paths the seemed like they had been carved out of the canyon stone intentionally. No, not until the twins are old enough to travel with us, he answered when she asked about his plans with the vale. Arsenio and I talked before the boys were born, and he knows I won't be back until the entire family can make the trip. Which was good because he didn't think he could handle being away from his family right now. He needed to see the children often throughout the day to ease his anxiety. 

the path stopped at a fork, and Kallik went to the left. They would wind their way through the next path until it spit them out in front of a cave. He would lead his wife inside to where a small pool of water sat in the carved out stone in the ground of the cave. There was just enough light from the entrance to dimly illuminate the area. Kallik turned to Aquene. I found this with the imperator when we first came to the canyon. I think it's peaceful here. He waited for her assessment.

Never before had she been showered with any form of physicality, and so any time he offered it, she accepted it almost greedily. It reminded her that it was different, and that he cared for her. Of course she knew that he cared for her, but this was something she needed to keep reminding herself. It was healing, and her mother had always told her that healing was a circular process, that even wounds of the mind took time to heal because you would loop back to things over and over.
 
She just wanted a straight line path to it, but for now she did what she could. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth when he teased in return and she offered a snort. “I think your sons would disagree… I think they might have a problem with you stealing all of my time as well, just as they would have a problem with me stealing all of yours.” She reminded him playfully, offering another light nuzzle to his neck before turning her attention back to the path they walked briefly.
 
He would not return before they could all travel as a family. Admittedly, she was relieved for that. “I’d prefer to leave when they can travel… it will hurt to leave, but the sooner we arrive at the Vale, the sooner I can establish a storage there.” She knew Tamar kept an eye out for herbs and collected them, but she did not yet have the necessary expertise. “It took quite some time to build what I had in Mereo and it will take just as much time in the Vale, possibly longer because the Imperator already had a place for me to store things. I’ll have to create my own there.” She doubted she would be blessed with a natural formation like she was there.
 
It wasn’t longer after she finished her piece that they arrived, a cave similar to the tablinum, water gathered in a small pool as she curiously took her entrance, looking around with a hint of an awe in her eyes. “It’s stunning… the canyon has so many fascinating attributes to it.” She hummed out as she turned back to him with a smile, moving back into his embrace and simply enjoying him.