Swiftcurrent Creek Reflektor

The man watched her in a state of quiet, only realizing that he was holding his breath when she shifted; her ears fell back and he breathed out. Her eyes turned upon him and he inhaled, slow, deliberate. Proudheart ruminated over what he said, and she seemed to grow nervous as well. Perhaps he had asked the wrong question - perhaps she did not understand? His mouth opened a crack, and Njal dragged his tongue swiftly over his nose in a nervous gesture. They had not been together in a long time. It was entirely possible that she did not feel the desire for a family the way he did; and so he was afraid. Even while the woman spoke and mentioned others, at first Njal did not hear it. He was lost in thought and apprehension.

Fox was still annoyed with him, and he did not know how long it would last. Could he bring himself back in to her good graces? Would she accept that the two of them - Njal and Tuwawi - were mates and that they desired what any couple desired? Regardless of what they wanted, the two of them would need to prove themselves thoroughly before any inclination of a bigger family could grace their minds; still, Njal thought of it. He wanted it, and hoped that Proudheart wanted it just as much. He was snapped out of his thoughts by her affirmation. "It has been on my mind. To give us children," And again, Njal breathed. A sharp breath exited him and eased in to a sigh. "Palestrike. You are my Aokkatti. My blood." Yes. They were bonded in many ways. Everything in life brought them together again and again, but they had never been granted more. Is that what she wanted too?

Njal's features became almost frigid. They did not express much. He was too afraid to really tell her what he wanted, in case it wasn't right. If there was even a small chance that it could not happen, he would not entertain the thought - but he did want it. A family. A great bloodline would rise up from the two of them, he was confident of this, and this alone. "Proudheart-" He murmured her name, the only true name he knew her by, but she was quick to draw close. To press her face in to his chin and ask, "What do you wish for?" And he melted in to a sheepish smile.

"I want... You. I want happiness for us both." He slowly spoke, enunciating carefully so that he could avoid mistakenly speaking. Now was not the time for his English to falter or his boorish accent to overtake things. "We are family with, or without, any children." That sounded wrong. Defeatist. He paused to think again and restated, "Our children would make Swiftcurrent strong." His smile grew larger at this thought, and Njal carefully shifted his head away from Proudheart so that he could press his nose against her cheek; flick his tongue across her fur. His deep voice rumbled against her skin when next he spoke.

"I want our family to be strong and good. Children with your fire, children of mountains and glaciers." A low chuckle suddenly came to his lips, for the thought of their red children racing across the snow made him so gleeful; he could not hold that back for long. "Imagine that, Proudheart. Our sons racing across the plains like sveijarn-- burning stars." It was a brilliant thought that imbibed Njal with a new vigour. An enthusiasm that ignited within his chest and burned under his own skin.