bring on the wonder, we got it all wrong

One for daddy @Scimitar :)

They left @Kaskara to watch the children and headed for the mountain. Bazi was weak from feeding and limited movement, but with patience and a little help, they eventually made it to the rocky shelf where they had first conceived.

"I swear this used to be easier," the pale Alpha gasped, scrambling the last two feet and collapsing on her side, chest heaving - mostly for dramatic effect, but Bazi could not deny that she was out of shape. At least she no longer resembled bottom tier of a snowman. "Will you still love me if I waste away? You stayed when I ballooned.. this is your second trial." Apart from a slight pouch and hyper-inflated teats, Bazi's sides were once again flat. There were subtler changes to her physique, but as long as she was no longer grotesque, the new mother did not care.

Bazi and Scimitar had escaped for some alone time -- something Scim had been rather upbeat about until he seen the rather awkward grace his wife now moved with. Upbeat soon turned to worry, and with each step she took, it was everything the regal could do to keep from flinching outwardly, as if she were about to plummet down the sides of the mountain and to her death below.

Perhaps settling on a mountain had not been a wise plan.. no doubt, once the foursome were traveling along his worries would rise tenfold.

So, he attempted to mitigate the situation as bets he knew how, and stood in front of her. At least if she went barreling down, perhaps she would instead knock in to him and he'd go down instead.. much like a circus routine. "Forever and always," he promised, his eyes regarding her with mild concern.

"Forever and always," her husband promised monotonously. Bazi felt a familiar sting of irritation. Scimitar was not known for his wordiness, but he had been particularly silence since the birth of their children. Or did it pre-date their arrival? Bazi could scarcely remember a time in the recent past when he had said more than two words to her - and always with what seemed to her like reservation. Bazi propped herself up on her elbow, eyeing her lover with narrowed eyes and a thin smile. "How do you feel - about everything?" she asked, "In more than four words," she was quick to append, ears swivelling and seriousness settling upon her features.

It would seem his words did not appease the little vixen, and as her eyes cast upon him in a glower he was all too familiar with, Scimitar stilled his own form, eyeing her with false bravado. It had been one thing for hormonal Bazi to let loose upon him -- but the words she spoke now seemed like an artfully laid trap, and he took a second to truly consider what this could mean.

Perplexed at best, Scimitar's tail swung through the air, his muzzle giving an idle shake. "Exhausted," wouldn't cut it, nor would "terrified," once more. "Right now? I'm scared you're about to plummet down to your death and our pups will starve with no milk."

There was a small pause as he shifted then, understanding that whatever it was he might think this was about.. it never was with Bazi. She kept him on his toes, to say the least. "What is this about, Bazi?"

Scimitar was no fool. Bazi's face tightened into an obnoxious pout when he pressed her to explain herself. She wanted to talk - that was all. About their past, their future, their dreams. Scimitar seemed reluctant to do any of those things, least opening his mouth has some sort of negative effect on the children. "I'm not a cripple. And I'm just as capable as you are," she huffed, 'I don't understand why you're always, ALWAYS worrying. It's summer, our children are fine, everything is great. Why can't we just talk and relax? Make a joke! Something!

His eyes narrowed at her as she made a comment about him comparing her to a cripple -- something that stirred his pelt to bristle slightly. "I never said you were," he spoke, his tone becoming flat in comparison. She continued on then in a rage, and for a brief second, Scimitar thought about bypassing his mate and going back up the slope and to the den to relieve his sister of her current duty.

Instead, his bright eyes stared at her almost incredulously. A joke? When did he ever joke without some form of cynicism attached to it? "I worry," he began, his lip twitching in his frustration. "Because we've been shit on for the past few months, and all of a sudden things are good. Which means we're due for the universe to open its ass up and swallow us whole."

Finally - words, and plenty of them. Nothing like the conversational depths she had plumbed with Paarthurnax, whiling away the hours by solving the puzzle of the world. These were the ember cousins of the emotions she had shared with Fox, or Danica. Bazi got to her feet, facing her mate head on. A stern, sparkling stare replaced her glower. She was gunning for a fight - if only to see her mate riled for the first time since the fight with Jace. She had loved that man, no matter his actions.

"You can't think like that," she stated - fact. "You can't teach your children to spend their entire life looking over their shoulder. What could happen that hasn't already happened? I'm certainly not going anywhere, if that's what you think." A low blow. Bazi's chin inched upwards.

What could happen that hasn't already happened? Had he been more of a superstitious wolf than simply believing in bad luck, he would have stared at her incredulously.. disbelieving she would dare taunt whatever hell gods watched over them with such a brazen statement. While he wasn't, he still felt a trickle of apprehension course through him even then, and a small scowl course his features.

Confusion plucked at him as she continued, asking if he thought she was going to leave. When had that ever been implied? "Bazi," he responded, completely floored by this entire conversation. "What the hell?" Had her sanity gone in the past few months?

It wasn't going the way Bazi had hoped. What exactly had she hoped for? Fire, she thought, her gaze flickering between Scimitar's two staring eyes. Some sign that settling down and squeezing out a bunch of children didn't mean the end of passion and adventure. Perhaps she ought to have said that rather than spitting poison in his face, but it was too late now. Bazi was a proud woman (though her present behaviour was more befitting a girl - and a spoilt one at that), and backtracking had never been her strong suit. She sighed, ears slumping on either side of her petite head. "It's nothing," she muttered at her own forepaws, "I'm sorry, that was mean. I'm just having trouble.. adjusting."

As if he had flicked a light switch, Bazi shut down -- her ears drooped so pathetically against her petite skull, and the fire she had wished to instill upon him suddenly drained from her. Confusion was an understatement in this situation, and the Alpha gave his muzzle a shake. "Adjusting how, Bazi?" Were the kids exhausting her? Did she need more time away from them..?

He shifted his weight then, from one side to the other as he stared, unsure what to do. Did he comfort her? Change the subject? End their impromptu 'date' that had thoroughly went down the drain? Tentatively, he reached his muzzle out, grazing her cheek with his wet nose. "You're tired.. that's understandable. But we have an afternoon before us.. what do you want to do?"

"Everything. Babies, moving, Paarthurnax leaving, the.." The lack of drama? "It's just a lot." Bazi laughed - a dry, bitter sound. Scimitar hurried the conversation along, burying her outburst in the past. She accepted his touch, but stepped back when he moved his nose away and looked up the mountainside. Clearly, this conversation was over. Bazi couldn't explain why she was pissed - not rationally, anyway. It was just a feeling. "Let's explore. Maybe the back of the mountain? I haven't been there yet."

Nothing made sense – and yet, in a way, he knew it did not have to. Exhaustion likely clung to her very being, and withholding any more reflection of his concern for her, the cinnamon wolf fell almost silent at the mention of Paarthurnax and her kids. He was not sure how life would have been had the crimson she-wolf still been here – would the boys have accepted the newest litter? Would his feelings for her, had she not left, still flicker every so often, despite his mateship to Bazi? It might have been better this way, even though both Alphas missed their best friend greatly.
 
Giving a nod in silent agreement, Scimitar spoke no more. Instead, in a poor attempt to alleviate the situation, Scimitar gave his mate a playful nip to her side before quickening his pace, beginning the journey to the other side of the mountain.