Bearclaw Valley needlework and seedlings,

tvar walks beside her in silence for a moment, her words lingering in the cold air between them. she spoke with an almost dreamlike quality, her thoughts spilling out in vivid imagery, painting a picture of what she sought. a man, strong and scarred, yet soft when it mattered.

he listens, his sharp gaze fixed ahead, though his ears remained turned toward her.

at her sigh, he glances her way, catching the wistful expression that softened her usually sharp features. it was... something. a warmth. it didn’t escape him that her description could’ve mirrored aspects of himself, but he let that thought sit quietly in the back of his mind, unspoken.

tvar felt the faintest tug at the corner of his lips to see the mischief that danced upon her lips.

"aye." he rumbles out.

"i have." he says nothing more then. he knows that he is speaking of himself, but if he hadn't been, he wasn't so keen on revealing whom it was either way. he did not wish to see rala pursue another man. he came to this verdict swiftly. with whelping season swiftly approaching, and the night of the long winter, he would be the one to shield her like a warm hearth—if she would have him. and he would fell any man who stepped to him. a matter swiftly and deftly dealt with.

he continues walking, allowing mighty black paws to fall to the ground, thudding against snowmelt and ice. the corner of his mouth twitched as he added, “you’ve got your fairytale planned already.” he murmurs. with a turn of his head, he reaches to nudge a nose upon her cheek. there, it pushes through soft fur and he inhales her scent, greedily. wishing to memorize it. so that he may never forget it, as he would not forget this walk they shared. come morning, she would be all that occupied his thoughts. and it was a welcome reprieve to @Gjalla who haunted him so. he says now: "this must be it."

she had stopped before a neat little hollow, one that smelled of her fiercely. he huffs, almost like he's disappointed to see their time come to an end. "goodnight, rala."