Moonspear crazy hormonal fat whale

Charon wished that he could look into Amekaze's head and find out if she thought that he really had shagged Althaia. He felt that all the evidence pointed in another direction, 'cause Harley had all the reason in the world to mess with Charon, considering he'd actually done Althaia (... too). So he felt like he had a good point, and like Ame had no reason to further suspect him. But of course she was a crazy hormonal fat whale right now, so he wouldn't put it past her to twist the plausibility of recent events and blame him for shit that he wasn't likely to have ever done. Considering her current state though, it wasn't like he'd bring it up right now. Probably better to keep things peaceful until the pups were born and Ame went back to her normal, steady self.

He arrived at the den he had chosen for the pups with a scrawny hare in his mouth. The den was along the upper reaches of the forest, but the lower reaches of the mountain; far enough away from the borders to be safe, but not near any of the treacherous spikes of the Spear. There was a stream nearby and he'd worked to dig out a proper den with enough space, which they needed considering Ame's size right now. Not that he would ever tell her that, either. As he arrived he chuffed, hoping to find @Amekaze near, but it was possible that she was out and about doing other things too, he realised, so he put down the hare and waited.

She wasn't going anywhere in any sort of hurry right now. Having recently surfaced from a long, restful nap, she was easing back into awareness after a cool drink at the creek. Now, she was milling through her possibilities with no particular sort of motivation or vigor. The only need that really stood tall above the others was to eat, but this was a constant, especially now that she'd figured out the tactic to eating more smaller meals so not to anger the delicate balance of her fickle appetite, sour stomach, and the apparent need of these puppies.

Which.. were a matter that seemed to be escalating quickly now that most of the chaos had settled (hopefully). She suspected she was being hyper-sensitive to it, considering how new and unknown this all was, but she swore she felt them more and more by the day. Indication that they grew, and already no less. It was still indistinct but certainly enough for her to know, and even now in the most recent of days, it was bound to be obvious to anyone. After ousting Harley and Althaia, and all things relating to that, she had really begun to pay them more mind -- more so than just being that vague extra weight she carried, physically and mentally.

She caught herself moseying a path and scented Charon not long after, so she followed that once she smelled dead rabbit involved too. It didn't take her long to get there, near the densite where he lingered, and upon sight of him, she caught her mixed reaction in her throat. Her hackles threatened to rise but honestly, it was starting to feel like a waste of energy unless specifically pushed towards it. That and she had interest in what was at his paws.

Following a flicker of hesitation, she wiggled her half-raised tail at him and eyed the rabbit.

When Amekaze came round the corner, he was met with a carefully wagging tail that seemed like a good sign. Charon figured now that Althaia and Harley had been rid of, they could just go on with their lives. Ame seemed a bit friendlier now too, which was good. He knew he'd need to provide for her a lot, and was glad that the herds were returning so that he would be able to feed his mate through her pregnancy and the eventual birth of their children. They'd need to be a team again by the time that happened, so he figured they didn't have a lot of time.

He nosed the rabbit towards her and then drew in closer to her, boldly running his nose along the line of her jaw and towards her ear, where his tongue ran out once. He wasn't going to make Ame happy by being a pussy, he realised, so now was the time to be a strong and confident man — that was what she had fallen for. He took his distance again after that single touch and said, "It's good that prey's returning, so I should be able to provide enough." To be honest, he really just preferred it if she'd stay in the den, safely tucked away, and he'd shove in food every now and then. He didn't really want to deal with bat shit crazy Ame, 'cause it might crash things after she stopped being bat shit crazy and didn't remember that she'd been such a weirdo.

She watched him nose the rabbit towards her, as expected, and licked her lips at it. He would know she hungered and this was an easy enough way for him to stay on her good graces, she believed. And better yet, it saved her from the chase for now. While she did still hunt her small game here and there, her success was not so great lately. She'd almost be content to shelve the efforts for a while but she was too willful to do it too soon.

It was perhaps in part due to this that she let his motion run up to her ear. She only rumbled, although not in a threatening way, and aimed to let herself enjoy the attention -- not remember why she had to be angry.

There was that distant want to reciprocate, somehow, but she couldn't act on it yet. Too focused on the food..

When he moved back, she took to the rabbit with a firm paw on it so she could rip into it. With blood on her tongue, her tail waved slowly, satisfied for the time. Then to him, she nodded. "Good," she agreed and glanced up towards him. She swallowed her current piece of rabbit. "At least the famine had ended when it did. This would not go well.. during," she grumbled because she was far too hungry to scrape by on just fish and old cache scraps. She didn't want to imagine her rotten mood if that was the case. She was not the best at timing herself (because a pregnancy in a hot summer was evidently not the wisest thing she could do), but at least that was for the better as far as prey was concerned.

If Charon would've had a choice in it, he would've hit home the very first time they mated and they would've had spring puppies, like it should be (Thistle'd explained that to him once, even though he was a fall puppy himself). But considering the famine, it was probably for the best that it hadn't been that way. He watched as she hungrily attacked the rabbit, and realised she must've been hungry. But then again, didn't pregnancies make you hungry all the time, anyway? He wasn't too sure, but he wasn't about to ask. Maybe he should just keep feeding her and see how much she could eat to try it out...

"Yeah. Good timing," he said with a smile and continued to watch her eat. "I'd like to take you somewhere when you're done eating." He hoped she would be fast, because silences were presently not their best feat. Before, silences had never been awkward, but nowadays it seemed that they sometimes were. Well, not for him, but he felt that Amekaze often turned into a crazy hormonal angry pregnant lady when the silences lasted too long. Which, y'know, was understandable, considering her condition, but he didn't really intend to be the victim of it.

She may not ever understand why now. Was the famine's end the cause? Did it mean the summer would be long, and winter come late? Or something even more, something she could not foresee fully? It felt right to be curious of these reasons, for she believed nature responded to its causes and effects. She was no exception as another piece of the greater picture and would continue to just learn as she went; she had no other choice. It was generally her policy to not spend time in the company of wolves in her situation. Not really extensively since she'd been a yearling with her mother, and that was so long ago.

Amekaze only watched him partially as she worked through the rabbit, and canted her head warily when he mentioned going somewhere. That had her curious although she didn't question it yet in favor of food. The faster she ate it, the sooner she would find out anyway.

Since she didn't have interest in picking every scrap off its bones right now, she ate what she wanted and move to set it aside -- likely to return to it later if she was bored enough to work on it again. For now, she licked the blood off her lips and went to Charon's side to plant a sharp little nip on his shoulder. "Where?" she asked, squinting at him.

While she ate, there was a silence between the pair of them. Charon watched her eat; normally he'd have loved the silence, but it felt somewhat uncomfortable now. He tried to shake the feeling off, but eventually made a compromise by telling himself that it was going to get better. Time, that was all they really needed, and maybe a few good gestures here and there.

That was exactly what he intended to do. She stopped eating, leaving scraps on the bones for the scavengers or later, and sent a tingle down his spine when she sharply nipped at his shoulder. "It's a surprise," he answered with a shimmer of playful mystery in his eyes. "C'mon!" He roughly nipped Ame's shoulder and then started in a leisurely trot up the mountainside. He started to follow a trail leading up the mountain and his tail wagged in playful invitation as he sped up his pace a little.

There remained that wariness, the one that made her temper shorter than ever even when she tried to not let it overrule, that still refused to be shook entirely. But, she was feeling marginally less prickly towards him in general and like humoring him a bit more. So, steps forward. Small, but necessary. She couldn't cite her reasons just yet and maybe, indeed, it had only needed some time. Something about the need to move on and put all the ugliness further behind them in the past was probably also a large part of the cause, too. With or without knowing Lazarus was dead somewhere and that he'd absolutely not had his paws on the thrall, her pups were coming and she needed him.

The glimmer in his eyes earned him a long look back. She intended to see this through, curiosity helped encourage her, but she didn't know how long that would last alone. At least with all of her immediate needs met, she had very little to worry about otherwise right now. She gave him a short growl of a response and glided forward after him. 

He moved quickly and gained speed with ease. She kept pace for now, all while watching the scenery skim by.

She followed and was surprisingly good at keeping up his pace as they followed a trail leading up the mountainside. Charon enjoyed the run; it was like they were free of all the burdens that had fell on them lately, free to do whatever they wanted and go wherever they wanted. When he looked at Ame he no longer saw the hormonal fat grumpy Ame, but his mate, carrying his children, surely — and he felt happy.

They eventually reached a hole in the rock surface that might come familiar to Amekaze. Charon sniffed the cave's entrance and poked his head inside briefly, then withdrew and looked at Amekaze invitingly, asking her silently to go first (he just hoped her stomach wouldn't provide problematic going in).

She aimed to not look too far ahead, and didn't really put much effort into deciphering what would await her because she would just find out soon enough -- even if surprises really weren't something she fancied much normally. Amekaze aimed to just let herself relax and alternated between watching him and the landscape pass by, decidedly torn between it all. After a while, she had to hope whatever he was taking her to was getting close. She gradually started to want to slow up, fought it off, and opted to just pant a little harder along the trail instead until a crevice in the mountainside came into sight.

When she slowed up in front of it, recollection of a cold, sleeting winter's eve came back quickly as she paused before the cave's entrance. But there had been more than that there too. Nothing overly noteworthy, just quiet time between them that had maybe served as a step forward towards bigger things. Amekaze wriggled her tail in tiny, hesitant expression of something that wasn't some manifestation of frustration.

A bit of careful maneuvering slipped her past the entrance and in to where it was cool, darker, and a little different from how she remembered it -- but seasons had that tendency. As her eyes adjusted and she snipped lightly across the floor of it, she slid in towards the back of the space then arced around to make sure he followed. She tried to see if she could gauge his intentions, too, since they still remained as unknown as they did. Above all, she liked the dip in temperature compared to outside and to think, last time they had come here for warmth.

Amekaze slipped in first, and the small wag of her tail did not go unnoticed to Charon. That was his intention with this, to just take her mind off of shittier things and make her feel good. She was perhaps a little crazy in the head due to hormones right now, but she was still his mate. Their mateship had been born out of practical thought to start with, but after seeing her torn by Lazarus’ doing Charon had realized that he did care for her — even if things were difficult right now. He was still not sure how close he could come, or what was good, and was reminded of the failures of him and his every time he thought of Lazarus.

He slipped in after her and marvelled at how different the cave was now than that one winter’s night. The frozen drips of ice had become drippy rocks, causing water to rhythmically drip onto the floor and body of water below. The water in the cave stood still and was shallow for the most part, and Charon moved through the shallows in pursuit of Amekaze, following behind. He hoped they’d end up huddled together someplace like that one night eventually, ‘cause even though not much had happened, it’d been special. He followed wherever she lead, letting her explore the cave’s interior while he marvelled at its beauty as he glanced around.

She snooped along, taking the surroundings in easily and continued to better adjust to the scenery. Just as the cave had changed itself, so had they over the many months that had spanned. This was her only time returning to here since they had last left it, prompting her to marvel curiously at how that had worked out -- how it seemed to be reserved for them, together.

While the frozen walls had been a bit more interesting to behold visually, she was beginning to think she preferred it this way with the cool, clear waters being a large part of this all. Then again, she was feeling more bothered by the heat lately than she ever had been before. Maybe that preference was just that talking more loudly than the rest right now. Anyway, she knew she needed a cool off in a great many, many ways.

But she got the sense he kept a distance, even here and now. Although, she really only paid him mind from the corner of her eye until she finally turned to face him. She wondered why, exactly, if it was because he (rightfully) feared her teeth or her pushing him away or something else relating to either Lazarus or Althaia entirely. Amekaze couldn't deny that it had her feeling conflicted, too, although grasping for the right way to move right on past it. So long as he minded her (kept her fed, didn't get on her nerves, kissed her ass a little, etc.), she seemed less inclined to lash, but she admittedly missed that certain sort of closeness only he had been allowed

So she'd test it to see if he was staying back for her sake, or his. She'd have to show him that just because of the wrongs wrought upon her, she did not have to be kept at arm's length. More often than once, Ame was curious if that had been why he'd allegedly been driven to take advantage of Althaia's heat.. but she also preferred the belief he upheld that he had nothing to do with it, as it was far easier to swallow. More than anything, the not-knowing of that made her uneasy about him. Anyway, she backtracked to move beside him and lightly splashed some of the shallows up with her approach. This carried her right in close enough to sidle up against his side, her shoulder matching up with his.

The last thing that Charon wanted was for Ame to end up like Dhole, tearing away from the grasp of his teeth as she told him that things were over and that she was leaving. He wasn't really sure what Flóki had done wrong, as he had meant to ask him that (but it was kind of a difficult question to pose as you couldn't just say it like that), and neither was he sure if Amekaze's situation was the same. Dhole was a precious little flower that you couldn't even stand on once or it'd die and all the petals fell off. But Ame... She was like a flower made of glass, where you would only hurt your own feet if you stood upon it, and she didn't break that easily, did she?

He glanced at her in thought as he followed the trail, staying close but never so close that he could touch her, afraid she would shy away. He stopped when she stopped and leaned down to take a quick sip from the waters. It tasted funny, slightly salty and rocky, and yet also more pure than he had tasted before. He licked his lips when he felt Amekaze come up beside him. The touch sent an odd tingle down his spine, especially because it had seemed so long ago since they had touched. He had felt the longing before, but he was so afraid to push her away.

This place brought some sort of tranquility though, a place away from those kind of worries. He remembered how he had responded when she said she thought to be pregnant, a thing that was even more visible now. He wanted to tell her that he was excited for them, that he would give them anything they needed and wanted, be a good father — perhaps even that it didn't matter who would be the real father, because nobody would know about Lazarus, and no matter if they all had his face, Charon would know that he was their father.

But none of those words were shared and instead her gesture was met with one of his own as he placed his throat on her neck. He lifted a paw to bat gently against her legs and moved his nose so that he could allow his tongue to roll out and touch her ear, hoping it was the kind of gesture she was looking for and that he wasn't overstepping any invisible mates-who-were-assaulted boundaries here.

Maybe the place and the time elapsed helped, but she inevitably preferred the physical reassurances. Finding that he was not shying away came as a relief that encouraged her in the long run. After his initial coldness had originally unsettled her (that he had eventually contrasted with words of love), then events had culminated unexpectedly from there on out, it was a welcome change of pace. 

He seemed to proceed with a touch of caution though, but that was fine with her for now. She guessed it meant he was being mindful of her, her space, and otherwise considering everything that had happened with her hair-trigger hormonal temper there as well. It was perhaps in his best interest but she would be hard-pressed to compare anything he could do to what had gone on between her and Lazarus -- mostly thanks to dissociating from the memories as best she could.

She just wanted it to be right again, however that was meant to be for them now. Amekaze knew it was there, somewhere. It wasn't far. Their balance was still struck. She loved him, too.

So Ame growled softly because she could only say it through the smallest gestures. Although it was a course little note, it was done so approvingly and with fondness. She leaned into the touch with her ears splaying out, suggesting he continue as she curved her body against him.

His gesture was received positively, which made Charon feel a bit more confident in this dance he had no idea of dancing (what with the rules all jumbled up and changed). He let out a playful growl as his teeth nipped out to reach for Ame's ear. He withdrew from her neck and bumped his head against his side of her neck. Then he nipped at her cheek and dashed off a small distance, into the shallows of the water inside the cave. He lowered his rump to the ground and tail wagged in playful invitation.

The reverb of his growl swung her ears up and from the corner of her eye, she watched him, although it was far easier to keep track of him based on touch alone. Him against her neck remained well-received and her feet stationary, then teeth nipping at her cheek finally pulled a low playful growl from her too. He moved away, quick, and she didn't follow instantly. Her tail lashed slowly and she watched to see how far he'd go first, before gliding into motion herself after him. There wasn't exactly a lunge or a pounce about it, as much as she might have preferred, but she closed the distance with her own sort of vigor anyway.

With his rump down, she didn't know what he may be planning when she moved to him, but was ready to adjust accordingly to any mischief. She stayed standing, her damp tail waving raised tall now as she nipped back up from his shoulder, then his neck towards his ears.

He woofed in invitation and she drew closer, nipping at his shoulders, cheek and ear. A playful growl was in his throat and he lifted himself off the ground, woofing as he stood on hind legs and tried to wrap his front paws around Amekaze's neck so that he may either drag her down into the shallows if she were to fall, or simply keep his paws around her neck as she kept standing and shower her face and ears in nibbles, nips and licks.

Invitation received, her concerns felt awfully far away when she drug her nips through his furs and had plenty of them returned in kind. Ame playfully flashed her teeth when his paws reached up onto her neck, and she shouldered against him until she didn't fight to keep her balance upright anymore. She leaned down first onto her shoulder, and her hips followed soon after as she quickly adjusted as needed, extra bulkiness considered.

But, if she was going down into the shallows (not that she minded the cool clearness), it wouldn't be without trying to hook her legs around him any way she could to drag him all the way down as well. Even if that failed, he'd have to deal with her paws all over him, so as she growled playfully at him, she believed it was just in his best interest to get down here too unless he had a better idea.

He found purchase and felt her get dragged down. He tried cushioning the fall as much he could because he didn't want to hurt her in her fragile position, but in his attempts to get her down easy he did not pay enough attention to his own defenses and he came crashing down with her, rolling into the shallows and sending water splashing everywhere.

He didn't know how it happened, but at the end of the story he found himself completely soaked and beneath Amekaze rather than in his position on top, and he grinned lop-sidedly up at her.

want to fade this soon? :) i'd love to end some older threads so i can start newer puppy ones! :D

ya i can wrap it ;D

At ease, she went with the flow of this and found herself in the water, soaked from the splash and being submerged alike. All she could do was growl playfully as they tangled and splashed -- plus snuck in her share of lips and nips where she could. But, she would not have it any other way.

Matters culminated, and she smirked down at him fondly. She left her full weight sprawled across him for just long enough to make a point (re: be obnoxious with it), and only after a good lick to side of his snout did she slide mostly off him. However, she was loathe to leave contact entirely until eventually, she knew she'd eventually need to seek some drier land. Once time for that came, she let the play wind down naturally and nudged him away towards a cozy spot to rest when she was tired.