Firefly Glen [m] the initiative

set for the evening of june 7th.

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The participants have indicated the following reason(s) for this warning: conception, maybe?

The moon waned gibbous, and Sialuk felt in full bloom under the glow of the satellite. Three days she had frolicked among men and women, taking her lovers as greedily as a newborn pup might suckle at her mother's bosom. Each one a treat, and yet none able to satisfy the instinct for more. She made a path down the spear and into the glen, eyes alert for anyone who might dare to test her.

A heavy scent enveloped her, sure to capture whatever bachelors may lurk nearby. The soft light of the moon above highlighted her silvery fur as she flitted through the trees, laughing joyously at the freedom.

Having recovered from his wounds within the Rise, and given his time there had lasted far too long beyond his mending, Glaukos felt the need to disperse and did so after giving thanks to Avicus — bestowing upon her people a cluster of fresh kills, ranging from one lost beaver to a trio of game hens — and was on his way. He had nowhere to go without Mereo standing; so, he roamed.

His roaming brought him away from one range of mountains and towards another. He did not think, he only let his paws do the deciding, and came to the glen while night reigned supreme. There was a haze, either brought on by the starlight or the warmth of spring as it slipped towards summer, and Glaukos panted openly, not bothering to hide his presence. It was a lovely night, even to the stone-hearted man.

There came laughter, and the glint of something bright between the trees; both brought his attention fully to the scene before him, and Glaukos moved to get a better view. It was here he saw Sialuk, of the nearby mountain, and watched as she danced in the light.

A watcher stood nearby, and Sialuk paused to test the air.

There were nights when she thought of the soldier and his general, but they grew fewer and further between. Since then, she had taken other lovers to her ulaq, relishing in the pleasure it brought her and the way it knit the village together unlike any other place she had called home. Meerkat's children—and now Towhee's—thrived on the slopes of the spear. And though she missed the face of Raiyuk, she knew neither he nor Nasamik were far.

She approached gently, reigning in the bustling whirlwind of emotions and impulses that threatened to burst from her chest. Glaukos, you... village Mereo. Sialuk found some part of her upset that he had not come to her upon the dissolution of the general's outpost. Another part of her wanted only to find herself lost in him as she had been with her other lovers, their scents still thick upon her coat.

Her words brought to mind his loss, and he did not know how to process it at first. Only a scowl draped his face, adding a more sullen expression where usually there was one of stoicism. He cleared his throat, seeking words that didn't want to be spoken; they grated through the air.

It is gone. He did not like being so untethered. That much was evidenced by the forlorn expression in his eyes. I had gone hunting, and was injured. When I tried to return I found it... empty. No explanation left to him. His voice dwindled; he chose now, not to focus on what he'd lost. The wolves of the Rise, who have been... friends, to me, in an odd sense that was true, —helped me to recover.

And he was here, now. Aimless. A shadow of his former self, standing before the flicker of her moonlit body.

He had not come to her when he was injured, and Sialuk knew now that it must have been a painful ailment. He appeared healthy now, though perhaps a bit thinner than she had last seen him. You stay with them, these friends of the rise? she asked. Sialuk stepped closer, instinct overruling any practical concerns she might have about bedding a hunter not within the ranks of one of the moon villages. So long as there were adults to raise the children, what matter was it who she shared her body with?

Yes, he answered, finding the truth was easy. I left them with gifts as thanks, but... without somewhere else to go, maybe I was meant to stay there.

He was distracted by this thought; then by the way she looked, and the spell that her condition cast upon him. Glaukos was conditioned to ignore it - ignore those urges - but he found it difficult now, fighting that growing sensation.

The man loomed. Or... maybe not.

Glaukos appeared lost, uncertain. Sialuk knew what she desired, but she would not thrust it upon him, no matter her instinctual state.

And yet…

Come to Moonspear. Be a father to my children. Find purpose. I want this for you, Glaukos. And for me. She could not promise him as wife, but she could promise him as a loving partner. And she knew now that it was love that kept her coming back to him when he was near. Please.

What came next was not expected in the slightest. Yet he found himself unphased by it, or at least unafraid of it; strange, yes, but no stranger than any of the recent pivots in his life. He could choose to say no and remain the way he was — alone, wandering, aimless — or go to the mountain with her. Be a father? He didn't know if he could do that (especially given that he hadn't known his own father), but there was a certain appeal to being with her.

She had mentioned purpose and that was what he craved, most. It is what he was trained for. Who was he without a purpose? Without a mission to accomplish, or orders to follow? Rather than face what that could be, who he could be when given reign over his own life, Glaukos saw the opportunity presented by Sialuk and was glad for it.

As you wish. He did not know what else to say, in the end.

should i add him to the ranks?! and feel free to fade or time skip—whichever you prefer!

He agreed, and—in her current state—Sialuk was delighted. She pulled down whatever boundaries she had been holding up before, weak as they were, and she pressed the crown of her head into his chest, letting herself enjoy the pleasantness of the warmth, fur, and heady smell that emanated from him. Sialuk pulled back then, licking him on the nose and laughing.

Tonight would be theirs.

Yeah!

Glaukos did not know affection. He knew physicality as it might apply to a soldier but nothing beyond that, and had outgrown his tendency to throw his weight around even in that regard. When Sialuk pressed close, he did not know what to do in the slightest. She kissed his face. It was enough to see her happy, to have accomplished something that appeased someone else — and as Glaukos did not know anything about personal wants or desires of his own, he felt vindicated in his assertion to follow her.

The night would indeed be theirs; he would do whatever was asked, so long as it was what Sialuk desired. He needed a purpose in his life for it to matter - and for now, that purpose was whatever she required of him. She was the antithesis of the soldier that he was; the opposite of everything Germanicus was, with lessons Glaukos had never been allowed to learn. In some moments he felt at-odds with his own training and his vows and had to remind himself Mereo has fallen; so too, his vows were of no use.

wrap here and have another? i love them. <3

Beneath the light of the moon, Sialuk came to know yet another lover in Glaukos. Whereas Chakliux had taken the lead during their time together, it was Sialuk who guided Glaukos tonight.

...

In a blissful heady state, she kissed him once more, then tugged gently on his ear. Come, I will show you the village, she beckoned, leading him toward the place he would come to know as home.