Dragoncrest Cliffs the blade and the bow

Evening of March 16

Meerkat tipped her pale snout toward the full moon rising over the black sea. Well, almost full, she noted with a twitch of her lips, thinking of those nights during her childhood when she had stargazed with @Phox. Smiling fondly at those memories, she waded into the surf and began gently cleansing herself in the cool, dark waters.

After she finished her bath, she retreated to the nearby tunnel to drip dry. Meerkat had insisted she and @Njord sleep separately tonight. She couldn’t be sure if he’d opted to sleep in their den or if he, too, had found a quiet spot elsewhere in Sapphique’s seaside sprawl. Wherever he’d decided to rest, she supposed they were both gazing at the same moon.

That thought brought another smile to Meerkat’s face as she gingerly lowered herself to the cool, stony ground. She shifted onto her side to favor her baby bump, then curled her nose toward her tail as she tried to get some sleep.

---

Morning of March 17

It was a bonny day for a wedding. Too excited to sleep anymore, Meerkat rose with the sun and swayed toward the waves again. She waded into the shallows and stood there gazing out over the waters for a long time, watching the world gradually brighten. She turned to peer back over her shoulder only when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching behind her. Her eyes and face lit up brighter than the sunrise.

They spent a little while there, the sea swirling around their ankles as they murmured to one another. Eventually, Njord guided her inland. They had talked about gathering everyone on the beach, getting married with their toes in the sand. But with @Erzulie bound to the roja den with her little ones, Meerkat had suggested a different venue.

Already, Seaflower Respite bloomed in a great swath of purple. Meerkat caught glimpses of the blossoms through the trees as she and Njord strode around the shore of Glintwater Lake. Aside from the location, the Pearl didn’t know what to expect of the upcoming ceremony. What had Njord planned for them?

Her brown eyes found his face, her own expression full of adoration and excitement. I love you, she said on an exhale as the two of them approached their destination.

Please let Njord post first, then it’s open to everyone else in Sapphique.

Thank you, everyone, for your patience with me <3

Njord laid on a plinth of cold rock bedside's Glintwater’s glassy surface. The moon’s pale face looked down upon him, peacefully, and cast her bright light across Sapphique. He was grateful for her company, for tonight he laid alone.

It was Meerkat’s idea to separate on the eve of their wedding in anticipation of vowing to be together for all time. It felt… ceremonious… to not lay eyes upon his bride until tomorrow. Yet, having grown accustomed to her presence at his side, Njord felt a strong urge -– like a riptide — to lessen the distance between them. He, begrudgingly, resisted and clung to his stone bed, trying to ground himself.

As the minutes slipped by, thoughts of his dear fawn-colored Suricate and the relationship between them danced in his mind, clear as his reflection on the lake. Thoughts of her eased him and a fresh appreciation for his beloved bloomed anew. Together, they would cross the rubicon and pen a new chapter. Njord, never having been more sure of anything in his life, had trouble falling asleep, heart brimming with anticipation.

But sleep he did. The first rays of light made Njord’s lids flutter open with surprise that he had managed to rest at all. The seafarer spent some time preening himself (making sure to get a good roll in some fresh-smelling pine) before hurrying off to collect soon-to-be Mrs. Sveijarn-Corten.

He found her by the sea, looking especially radiant, and took the opportunity to steal a few precious moments alone in the surf. Then, they moved in tandem back towards the lake, where Njord had arranged a small glen as a gathering venue. @Mireille and @Chacal had helped him clear the area – at it’s center, a small raised slab of stone for a platform. The trio had picked early Spring flowers – white and yellow daffodils – and beachcombed shells for decorations. Njord used old memories of weddings on Meares Island to guide his design. @Loko had also helped his father with hunting a buck for a celebratory diner. Under Kigipigak’s tutelage, the young man was becoming quite the accomplished sportsman

As they rounded the bend, Njord watched Meerkat’s expression in an attempt to gauge if his preparations were to her liking. “I love you too, mo chride,” he murmured, nuzzling his bride, before tipping back his head to summon @Erzulie, their officiant, and the rest of the pack. @Rosalyn @Sobo @Hermes @Jorunn

Rosalyn had not been asked to assist with the ceremony. She did not mind - it suited her to remain away from it - and she took a place nearby to observe with a quiet bemused skepticism she could not quite bother to hide. How long would their witnessed love carry them? Hers and Erzulie's had never stood on ceremony but had stretched regardless. She could not help but see this display as an overcompensation for some lack within them, though she did hope they made their way through it.

Erzulie would officiate, so she was free to do nothing but watch. The day was beautiful for it, the ground warmed beneath her, and she settled in comfortably. If not reserving judgement, then at least assuming she would enjoy the viewing of it. She was curious to see what would be said.

It was all very over the top to Sobo, who had not been invited to help. All very undeserved for a man who had not so much as spoken of his woman to his children before bringing her home and knocking her up, and over the top for a she-wolf who had hardly begun to make her mark in Sapphique.

He made an appearance that day mostly because he would be in trouble with his mothers if he did not. He would rather be anywhere else in the world and had considered not coming at all. All this did was cement things for him. In that moment, it made perfect sense to Sobo why Sapphique as a whole thought so little of men. A pretty face turned their way and they became so full of themselves they lost their sight for anything else and then expected a giant celebration for getting their cock wet. No wonder his mothers did not think highly of them.

He made an appearance, but there was nothing celebratory about the silence that wreathed him or the judgmental set of his jaw. The instant the ceremony concluded, he would slip away to be alone once more.

loko on the other hand, was very proud of the stag he and njord had felled, and it was this victory which carried his spirits this day. something about the pains they’d all taken behind the scenes to make this happen spoke to loko on a communal level — and he was so very ready to share his excitement until he caught the hard line of sobo’s expression.

he was immediately pulled to the earth from his soaring heights. a glance towards rosalyn, and she wore a similar distant look, deeply nuanced.

damn, this was a grim lot.

the newlyweds bore no such grimness. even loko, who often mirrored the humors his brother wore, could not help but smile as he watched his da and meerkat. they looked happy, truly — he wondered if he would ever find his meerkat, too. the ceremony transformed their wintry keep to something a little sunnier this day, and loko could not resist being taken in by it all.

after this post, meerkat > njord > erzulie, then it will open back up :D

erzulie and rosalyn had not sought such a ceremony for themselves before. they had only known, and lived that day henceforth in love and devotion to one another, with many, many children born to them in the years that followed. 
she left quennell and aminthe in the loving care of clementine and arcelia, nuzzling each of her grown daughters quietly. they had given their lives to sapphique, and it was noted each day. erzulie nursed the babes to sleep before she departed
her body still carried signs that she had given life, but she trusted that soon she would return to the normalcy of tucked waist and hard figure. it was not a priority of hers: she was there to nourish the pair for as long as they needed.
njord's call rose, and it was filled with joy.
and erzulie would arrive with the same.
a wreath of yellow flowers for each of them; she reached to arrange first one garland around meerkat's neck, and the second for njord. 
as the pack gathered, erzulie glanced around, eyes alighting briefly upon sobo with a knowing expression. and then she turned back to the happy pair, her smile resplendent and filled with affection.
"today be a good day," she said, raising her voice so that all might hear her.
"today, before de sea, we ask dat de union of njord an' meerkat might be blessed. njord has been a part of us for a long while an' has become greatly important to sapphique. an' meerkat may have not yet been wid us as long, but her love an' loyalty for njord be clear."
it still remained to be seen where their true hearts would lie once their attention was held by new children.
the obsidian set her mintglow eyes upon each of them. "speak what be in your hearts now," she urged, smile remaining and tail asway.

It was tempting to keep her focus on Njord and let the rest of the world simply fall away. But this wasn’t just about the two of them; it was about their family. Meerkat wanted to acknowledge those who had come out to celebrate, support and witness them today, especially because she knew that some didn’t necessarily approve of their union.

Her gaze found Rosalyn first. The Ruby was looking around with a dubious expression on her face. Meerkat knew better than to take it personally. It was entirely possible she was confused about what she was doing here. Or perhaps she simply didn’t understand all the pomp and circumstance. Either way, Meerkat’s lips curved into a fond smile, glad to see her.

Her brown eyes drifted to Sobo, who looked as surly as ever. She doubted he was here for herself or Njord, though she took a moment to catch his eye, nodding and smiling her appreciation. She was truly glad to see him here, at least for his da’s sake, though for her own and Sobo’s, Meerkat’s attention didn’t linger.

She didn’t know that Loko had helped Njord fell a stag for the wedding feast, so Meerkat was surprised to see his upbeat expression. She met his smile with one of her own, tail waving. He looked truly happy for them. Perhaps she had conflated him with his brother and made too many assumptions. She made a note to seek him out sometime after this, though Njord now recaptured her attention.

Her beloved guided her onto a platform strewn with seashells and wildflowers. Meerkat gazed down at the lovely display a moment before lifting her head. Being raised above the others this way, the center of attention, made her suddenly self-conscious. Her jaw tightened and she swallowed, eyes seeking and finding Njord’s as she finally let herself get lost in him.

By the time Erzulie stepped up to place matching wreaths about each of their necks, Meerkat felt a little steadier. She bowed to the Obsidian, then caught her eye and smiled with not just appreciation but adoration. This woman had made her feel welcome from the moment she had arrived. It meant so much to Meerkat that she stood here beside them in celebration.

Fighting tears now as Erzulie made her speech, Meerkat tried to take deep breaths and focus on how adorable Njord looked in his floral necklace. She laughed under her breath and sniffed wetly, feeling happier than she could ever remember when she recalled why they were here today: they were getting married!

And their lifelong commitment would begin with an exchange of vows. Trying not to think of how much Sobo might sneer or whether Rosalyn might pass away from secondhand embarrassment, Meerkat opened her mouth and sang:

I have died everyday, waiting for you…
Darling, don’t be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years…
I’ll love you for a thousand more.

And all along I believed, I would find you…
Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years…
I’ll love you for a thousand more.

I love you, Njord, forever and always.

There was more she intended to say. But Meerkat’s voice caught in her throat and she lost her ability to speak. Instead, she gazed up at him with tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, her mouth curved into a radiant smile. Anyway, there weren’t really words to describe just how she felt about this man.

Lyrics belong to Christina Perri.