Bearclaw Valley But if you’re so smart

The sentry stone was cool to the touch when Ameline hopped onto it. Rain had fallen through the night, darkening the surface of the stone, and nurturing the small spots of moss that had not yet been kicked off by the Regina. 

She circled a few times, before she hopped back down. After she stretched, she made her way along the narrow passage out of the valley, marking the ground as she went, occasionally scuffing her paws and kicking up clods of earth so that her border markings were easily visible. 

Mine, She said, with every scent marking.

with another hunter close by, ancelin took the moment to catch up with his mate. thus far the ones who had wanted to stay had not been proper guardians or sentries. their children would change that, he decided; they were princesses with strong teeth to train them.
he nipped at ameline's nape, hiking a leg to cross every mark of hers with a careful stream of yellow, reinforcing them and also her as their queen.

She glanced toward her mate, as his scent blended with hers. A memory was triggered, and her expression soured slightly as she continued along.

I ‘member Avicuth makin’ uth do the the thame with her, She commented as she pressed her muzzle against a tree. The rough bark combed through the thin fur of her cheek, leaving little pieces of lichen behind. Do you think she wath a bad mother? She asked then, suddenly keen to hear her mate’s opinion.

"she knew you wanted to be a queen," ancelin quipped, though ameline's question made him too taste a little bitterness.
feeling that his mate was beautiful, was lovely as her cheek brushed the bole of that tree, the rex shrugged. "she wasn't worse than my mom, i guess. but arielle wasn't a leader. so it mattered more what avicus did." and it hurt more when she left.

Ameline snorted. She knew I deserved it. She commented with a shrug of her shoulder, which she then shoved against the uneven bark of a spruce. Several of her own hairs remained trapped in the sap when she pulled away. More than huh, anyway. Thpecially thinthe she dipped out, more than onthe. An’ when huh kidth wuh thtill young, She complained. 

And yet, Avicus had a pack with guardians, hunters, caregivers and children. Families that grew, and a border that regularly had the power to fend off trespassers. In spite of all that Ameline perceived as shortcomings, Avicus at least had had a pack. 

What are we doin’ wrong, Anthelin? She asked. Are packmateth really tho hard to find?

"you always did." ameline already had her own opinion of avicus. and while ancelin didn't feel so strongly, neither did he experience the need to defend his aunt. she'd come. she'd left. the end.
"we're in one valley. the taiga was bigger. and there was no one else around us really," he pointed out. "even sapphique took some travel to reach."
now they were in a stuffed-full valley, pressed on one side, and with less prey. "we're new here. have to make a name first, i guess."
that paused ancelin, and he blinked at ameline. "i met someone who came by last month," he murmured, going on to explain who that had been, who she was to the valley, and what she had shared about their surprising connection to akavir.

She supped on the validation, nursing the conviction that had been slowly shrinking as time went on, and their pledged members left. 

Had she done something that had sent Annorak off, or had he come to realize that his ambitions needed room to be fully realized? Had Drust left because the Bearclaw family had grown? 

She was full of doubt; fortunately, she had a husband who helped chase those doubts away. 

I wish I could go an’ thcout….Find net memberth, but…I can’t leave you an’ the girlth, She said. 

Ancelin, it seemed, had had some luck at least. And? She asked, hoping he might have some good news to add.

"and — well. she said she wasn't coming back. but isn't it so odd we — we have a connection to akavir now. the creek."
a moment ago they'd spoken of being alone. now he wasn't sure they were. "lilitu is my aunt. my mom's sister. she said her dad is akavir."
for a moment he went on marking, coming to the swift wisdom that he wasn't sure what to do with that information at all.
"you know, i can always hold down the fort here too. you can leave them," anceline encouraged with a wave of his tail. "we can take turns."

Not coming back? Ameline squinted, and opened her mouth to seek clarification when her mate elaborated. All she knew of the Creek was that they were led by a man who was somewhat stiff. Arlette she found likeable enough, though it had been some time since she had visited to collect herbs. 

A blood connection, however, interested her. Tho….That maketh you an’ Akavir…He’th your great uncle? She asked. Hmm, She mused, wondering how this new connection might somehow aid them. Like her mate, she could come up with nothing. 

Well, that’th a thurprithe at leatht. She said. Maybe it might make Akavir a bit less of a stick in the mud, now that he knew he had relatives living in the Valley. If he took some interest in them, they might strengthen their alliance.

She gave him a soft smile when he gave her leave to scout. She moved toward him, to brush her muzzle beneath his own. Perhapth I will…Maybe when one of the girlth ith old enough to travel, I can take one of them with me…Thart trainin’ them tho they can thcout too, thomeday.

wow! she was fast with that, and ancelin goggled at her in delighted surprise. "great-uncle?" he snorted. "won't he love hearing me call him that," the rex chortled, already excited to do it.
maybe akavir would be less uncool to them then.
"yes. i take them with me when i'm tracking around here. they'll be scouts, rogues, warriors, huntresses, warriors. get it from their mom, you know," he added, blowing warm air across her face as his belly kindled with butterflies.

She shrugged, and grinned slightly. "Who knowth what he'll think. Maybe he'll loothen up a bit...Do you intend to tell him?" She asked then, curious if he cared to keep this knowledge a secret. As it wasn't hers to keep, she felt it was best that he chose what he do with it. 

She blinked, inhaling the scent of his breath. "Mmmm, meatbreath," She said, with a cackle, before she moved to lean her chest into his shoulder, and reached up to try and support her chin with the edge of his shoulderblade. "They get the betht thingth from you, too," She said.

"i mean they'll absolutely be clowns," ancelin joked a little, tail beating a faster rhythm. her eyes drank him in, and as he tipped happily into their depths, he thought it would be cool if they could sneak off. just for a bit.
"i'll tell him at some point. might wait till we're on better footing." but he wanted to see akavir's expression. it wasn't like his great-uncle needed to even recognize him. ancelin had the only family he needed right here in bearclaw.

Ameline chuckled, and then her voice fell silent. Clowns…It must have been a part of how he viewed himself, she thought. And while she saw and loved him for his goofy nature, it was not all she saw in him.

She remembered the fight- the way he had shown his willingness to shed not only his own blood, but that of another so he might stake a claim on her. 

She remembered the man who had been chosen to help hunt in Sapphique- who had promised to have eyes for no other, and had returned with a blue shell which she treasured to this day. 

She remembered how quiet he had been when he’d returned from his search, distant as he processed the fact that he was on his own. 

She had seen him fight, hunt, make love…And saw in him all the pieces that were missing to her own puzzle. When she looked in his eyes, she too wondered if they could steal a moment together, hot and negligent. 

But as always, there was responsibility…And conversations that needed to take place, some time or another. The matter with Akavir was important, but not urgent. 

He’ll be a fool if he’th anything but proud. She remarked, staring deeply into his eyes.

ameline gazed at ancelin in a way that made him want to always be worthy of it. he preened beneath the admiring caress of her beautiful eyes, heart thumping with a visceral desire to satisfy her, to please her in more ways than one.
to be her knight.
to protect this valley with her.
"okay, you're right," ancelin breathed, a kiss pressed beneath one ear and then another, because she was too sweet not to lose control for a little. a lot.
"want me to show you how right you are?" he teased, though his eyes were half-lidded with the pleasure of being so close to her, so powerful together in their land.

She leaned into variegated fur, smiling as his lips brushed against her ears. She blinked slowly, a cat reveling in the touch of a master's hand, both gentle and addictive. With each touch, her need for more grew until her pupils dilated and she pulled back to regard him with a wild, onyx stare tempered only by the fluttering of her eyelashes. 

A soft growl, and her hackles raised. She braced herself for him, welcoming the carelessness of making love in a wild, open place.

ensnared, he let out his breath at the expression in her eyes, the way she unfurled in royal cowling for him, for him.
his caresses grew ardent, then feverish; he whispered to her just as he joined them, the sanctity and the filth of those words undetailed in mortal script.
he was undone; strong; a powerful worshipper; his voice was a cry for ameline at that last, unheedful of who might hear his joy, his pride, his delight.
they favored one another there in rapturous demand. he hunted blood for her on quaking legs thereafter, unwilling to rest until she was sated in the sun.