Duskfire Glacier Don't go sharing your devotion, lay all your love on me

Trade; Counselor! For anyone but I do still owe you (@Wintersbane) that therapy thread!! If you have the time/space 

The early morning was particularly cold, the sun just barely peaking out from its horizon unable to warm the earth just yet, frost nipped the blades of grass beneath the hotahs feet while hot air collided with the stark cold. The resulting steam billowed from the mans nostrils, like a dragon exerting fire with every breath. The usual early morning clamor of the birds reduced to a few small sparse chirps as even the winged creatures hesitated to leave the warm confines of their nest. The same could have be said for Rye only a half hour ago, the warmth of the den called to him like a siren in the sea but the calls of nature won the struggle readily. With his day already started, the new father decided to use the opportunity to set aside chores early. 

As the last refill of a cache finished, Rye ventured to the melt water and drank from the sharp lake. He could feel the water rake down his throat and settle harshly into his belly, a firm contrast unsettling him with a shiver. Once his thirst had been parched Rye moved to a nearby rocky outcrop to rest and enjoy the sunrise until the time came to return back to Imaq and their child.

Sleep did not come easily to her after her encounter with Issorartuyok. She returned to the glacier with a ponderous step, then bedded down beneath the shelter of some pines, only to stare ahead into the darkness for long hours. Her mind stayed wide awake as Meerkat wondered if she'd made the right choice to stay here rather than accompany the settler to his destination.

Just before daybreak, she gave up on the enterprise entirely and headed out to greet the sunrise. The air was surprisingly chilly, though she imagined that was due to the colossal block of ice casting its shadow over the land. Meerkat smiled to herself as she wandered toward the lake to cure her cottonmouth.

When she arrived by the lake, she spotted Rye and immediately smiled, tail waving. "Morning!" she called out to him, taking a quick sip before picking her way over to him where he sat on a stack of stones. She paused below, wondering, "Mind some company?"

Eerie. That word crossed his mind a few times as the silence of the morning stretched uncomfortably long, it was unexpected since Rye was under the impression the tranquility of silence brought forth.. well, peace. He was used to the cries of pups begging their mothers to nurse them, Sikuliak among them and usually he cried right beside the hotahs ear. So, perhaps he had gotten too accustomed to constant noise. As the sun rose so did the birds. Their songs beginning to fill his ears and fill the once vacant air. Rye closed his eyes and breathed deep but then a voice cracked his concentration, one eye peaked out from its lid and met a glowing, familiar face. 

"Meerkat," He cheerfully greeted, both eyes open and lifted by his ear to ear smile. "Of course not, come sit by me if you wish." Rye scooted himself to the side to make room for the yearling in case she decided to join him atop the rock. Whether she did or not wouldn't stop him from asking, "What are you doing up this early?" He questioned. It occurred to him that his early may be her normal morning but regardless it was a decent conversation starter. 

He invited her to join him, scooting over to make room, and Meerkat hopped up to take a seat at his side. "Thanks," she said right before he questioned the hours she kept. The yearling huffed a laugh and admitted, "I never went to sleep last night, actually."

Her gaze wandered from Rye's face out over the water, taking in the views from this slightly elevated vantage point. Duskfire's claim was a very beautiful slice of the wilderness, that was for sure. Abruptly, she felt more at peace with her decision to stay here rather than go with Issorartuyok, no matter how temporarily.

Letting the affirmation sink in a bit, she drew in a deep breath and returned her attention to her companion. "What about you? Are you an early riser? Hey, how's your kid doing?"

His brows lifted with small concern after hearing Meerkat had not slept in the night, he wondered if it was a symptom of something greater but that was his own experiences making assumptions. "Have trouble sleeping sometimes? I think I have a few sprigs of chamomile in a cache somewhere if those kinds of nights persist." It was hard to recall where he last set things, after the birth of his son (and others) most of his medical activities centered around pup care. Now that he thought more about it, the herbs may need replacing but that wasn't too much of an issue with summer still in full swing.
Together. Meerkat and Rye gazed at the lake below, the hotahs own tawny eyes enjoying seeing tiny waves lap at the waters edge as more poured in from the glacier above. Meerkat broke their silence with a few questions of her own, Rye swayed his head side to side and slightly shrugged. "Sometimes but as of late, no, not really. As for my boy? He's a pawful, always getting into something or trying to explore outside. During the nights? Well, when he's hungry he lets his mother and I know right away." The hotah chuckled at the memories, he was sure Sikuliak was going to be wide awake upon his return.

"How old is he? And what's his name?" Meerkat wondered, a smile in her voice. Assuming Rye told her, she added, "My mom had four this year and I have no idea how she did it: from birthing them, to nursing them, to raising them..." She deemed it unnecessary to mention that Marten had died young. "My sister only had one but even she had her work cut out for her." She didn't know why she brought up Fennec, whose child was a source of old heartache. The words just popped out of her mouth in her effort to sympathize with her new pack mate.

Clearing her throat and shaking her head a little, she continued after a beat, "But, hey, if you ever need a hand, I'm happy to help. And I'm not just any old sitter, I'm a coach. I won't just watch your kid, I'll teach him things." Meerkat winked and laughed. Her heart beat a little faster, hoping Rye and the pup's mother would allow it, someday if not today.

"And to answer your earlier question, no, I don't usually have trouble sleeping. Last night was sort of a fluke, I think. I had a lot on my mind. But I feel more clearheaded now," she was sure to add, lest Rye think she'd ignored his kind offer.

"Sikuliak," Rye slowly spoke his sons name to aid in hearing the correct pronunciation before continuing on. "He's a month old now, growing so fast it's hard to believe." He admitted, a wisp of sadness clinging to his tone. Meerkat went on to mention Towhee had four during the year, it sent a shock wave through his body but ultimately it brought him relief. Though the relief was barely understood himself, Rye was glad it was there. 
Meerkat also mentioned she was a coach, able to guide and teach pups, it was an intriguing offer, one Rye would happily take her up on when the time came. "I have a feeling Liak will be a rambunctious little pup once he's old enough to walk, talk and cause trouble. So I think I will send him your way to be your problem for a bit." Rye laughed but on the inside, he dreaded needing to learn to let go and let his boy grow. Parting from his parents was a strenuous task but his child, his own flesh and blood.. He knew it was going to be a herculean task. Rye was thankful that fact was still far away. A moment later he added, "But, you will have to talk to my wife— Er, soon to be wife, Imaq about pup sitting too. I wouldn't try to seek her den out for obvious reasons but I'm sure you know that." A smaller chuckle given. Of course Rye would mention Meerkats offer to @Imaq and learn her opinions on it but it would still be wise for Meerkat to meet the merle.
"I understand that." He said regarding the yearlings reason for being unable to sleep. "I'm all ears if you'd like to talk about it." Rye smiled softly. Since Lane and his strife driven talk the hotah was beginning to learn he liked to be an ear for those in need, it honored him to be trusted with sensitive information. It was slowly becoming a new avenue to explore.   

It warmed her insides when Rye seemed receptive to the idea of Meerkat coaching little Sikuliak. He did caution her about the boy's mother, which the yearling acknowledged with a nod of understanding. She didn't bother disguising her curiosity with Rye called this Imaq his "soon to be wife." The idea of bastards didn't bother her one bit—seeing as she was one herself, technically speaking—but there was the obvious implications of a romance.

And what girl wouldn't want to hear more about that? "Soon to be?" Meerkat pressed with a smile. "I'm all ears if you want to talk about that," she added with a good-natured laugh, hoping he would indulge her.

Meerkat flipped the question onto him with a good-natured laugh tacked on, Rye responded with some soft chuffs. "Certainly." He said, his golds venturing towards the meltwater. "After the birth of our son we decided to be together, since then I've waited for her to recover before we finalize details of our marriage and I make my journey to the mountains." Rye gazed at the looming sunspire mountains, then back to the water. 
"I don't wish to leave her alone, nor Liak, but I have something I must do in order for my family, myself included, to recognize the marriage as proper." His gaze returned to Meerkat, unsure of what else to say. He hadn't even told Imaq of his intentions in fear of worrying her and hesitation to begin the process, something that was beginning to eat at him. She deserved to know ahead of time but his own selfish needs were getting in the way. 

Rye mentioned traditions that were unfamiliar to her, so of course Meerkat had questions! "What details?" she wondered, then, "What journey?" He said something about propriety and she raised a paw and pushed playfully at his shoulder, surprising herself with the gesture of familiarity. Hopefully he didn't mind. "I want all the deets, Rye!"

Of course, Atlas flickered through her mind, as did their brief "marriage." By now, she could reflect back on that time more objectively, not just that fateful night but the entire relationship. She had really cared for him, she was certain of that, but in hindsight, Meerkat had been too young to call it love. Of course, she couldn't speak for him, especially since she hadn't seen him since.

She let those thoughts linger for just a moment, then gently set them aside. Her shining eyes fixed on Rye's face, eager to hear more about his plans to tie the knot with Imaq. Part of being in a new place was meeting new people and learning new traditions. Meerkat couldn't help but wonder if it would be an event of some kind and whether it would only involve the two of them and their son or perhaps the entire pack somehow.

Sorry for the wait, thanks for your patience! <3

The yearlings excitement radiated off her and onto him, but it still left him a bit sheepish, if not for his fur a pinkish hue could be seen across his cheeks. In some strange way he didn't really understand the hotah felt honored to be given such abundant interest, as if he had been starved of it for years despite the opposite being the case. His joy could not be expressed by only a humble smile, rather a multitude of things, like the sway of his tail, the rapid thumping of his heart, and the heightened stiffness in his ears. He didn't imagine their conversation turning out the way it has but his complaints were nowhere to be found.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you." He laughed partly through his words. There was a sense of foreignness to the situation but Rye was eager to welcome it with open arms, being heard by a partial stranger was liberating. "The details are mainly me not letting my soon to be know I have to take that journey, I didn't want to worry her, so I made the selfish decision to not tell her. Now if I do I think I will be blindsiding her, I've really put myself in some fire water." He sighed, pausing a moment to let what he said settle in Meerkats mind. "The journey, it has to do with hiking atop the highest mountain within range of where ones chosen agreed to be with them. It can't be a tiny little thing, it has to be big, dangerous and impossible to climb. Why? Because if you are willing to climb the biggest, most scary mountain in the land for someone you love then no issue from then on can be too great to overcome. Supposedly a show of someone's love." From excited, to partly troubled, to finally somber, his range of emotions had dipped so fast even the man himself was left dizzy. Rye loved Imaq greatly, there wasn't a doubt in his mind she was worth the journey but sometimes even love had a hard time quelling anxiety. "I never questioned why I have to do this, it was normal in my birth pack and I never bothered. Too busy playing or whatever."        

No worries at all! Take your time. :)

Rye obliged her request and Meerkat listened raptly, though what she expected and what he actually said were quite different. She tried to keep her expression still as he shared, though the cogs of her mind were whirling. He was going to go on some deliberately life-threatening journey against his intended's knowledge? Risking his life to prove his love to Imaq sounded like a whole bunch of malarkey to her, though Meerkat didn't want to judge too quickly. Some practices were steeped in spiritualism and tradition, which were deeply personal. She did not want to insult Rye's beliefs, even if the whole thing sounded much more foolish than romantic to her.

She might not have voiced her skepticism, except for the last few words Rye spoke: "I never questioned why I have to do this..." "Maybe you should?" she suggested gently. "It sounds like a grand gesture, though I don't doubt that you would be dedicated to Imaq whether or not you scale a mountain first. Anyway, the two of you have already embarked on a way more challenging journey, one that's already tethered you together always," Meerkat pointed out, a smile playing about her lips. "Raising a child."

Rye had only ever toyed with the idea of fully questioning his traditions, fearing the worst would come to haunt him if he strayed too far from his family values but Meerkat's advice pushed him to the other side of the fence. To him, it almost felt as if he had gained permission to challenge his beliefs and the core values of them. "I think you're right." He admitted, softly nodding his head. The woodland man breathed in deep, his back crackling as his lungs demanded more space, and then breathed out, a small plume of warm air visibly dispersing above. "You make a good point. Raising Liak is a grand journey of it's own and far less risky than some all or nothing climb." Rye smiled, it was taut but still genuine. A deeper storm had began building itself, twisting into a typhoon of inner turmoil and the hotah could feel just how wicked it would grow to be but that did not detract from Meerkats advice. Rye still greatly appreciated it and had every intention to explore what the other side of the fence had to offer. "Thank you." He finished, a humbled hum of laughter quietly following.    

"Mm," Meerkat replied, "not sure about it being less risky..." She grinned to show she was only joking around and threw a gentle elbow at him this time. "But, yeah, I can definitely appreciate the sentiment behind climbing mountains to show your love. It's a grand gesture. But I think Imaq and Sikuliak would appreciate it a lot more if they had you around and not far away, risking your neck," Meerkat finished with a soft smile.

"Hey, what do you say we grab some breakfast, Rye? And then I think I'm gonna crash after." She still didn't feel particularly tired, though she could feel the weariness creeping in and new a meal would send her right off to la la land.

Archiving!

Rye laughed, his head bouncing as the rolls of laughter came through. "I think I will have to agree with you." The hotah returned the elbow nudge in full before readily agreeing to some breakfast, he knew a stash that had been filled in the late hours of the night before. "Follow me." He said, hopping down from the rocks and waiting for Meerkat to follow.