Greatwater Lake When that’s all behind us

Since her journey around the Wilds had ended, Asterr had taken to spending much of her time within the lair. She'd not been ready for any real adventures away again, knowing that her presence was still needed at home. It was her job to assure the others that all was well, still, despite whatever distrust they might harbour towards Ukko. Initially, she had worried for an uprising, but had since been impressed by her follower's ability to adjust with the change. She'd not yet been approached by anyone with a complaint, and so she'd felt comfortable enough to take a short trip away. It wouldn't last for any longer than a day, or perhaps a night as well, if she were to time her departure correctly. Thus, it was with a need to keep to a certain schedule that she'd taken off early in the morning, having left even before the sun had risen; of course, her mate had been woken and told of her short trip whilst sleep still gripped him, a hope in the back of her mind that he might have been too groggy to follow after.

Asterr had been careful in the way that she moved, having not reached the lake until close to noon. Once there, she'd moved along at a slower pace, lapping at the water when it was necessary, but otherwise focusing on getting to its other side. The task of doing so had been far from easy, too, but she'd not given up until there existed no longer a waterway between herself and the shaded woods. To get near to it was not something she'd been foolish enough to do, however, and so she'd kept close to the water's edge. For several moments, the girl had done little more than stare in the direction of the forest. It wasn't until the last possible second that she'd tilted her muzzle towards the sky and loosed a howl for her dear friend @Damien, hoping that his attention might be the only thing attracted out into the open from the depths of Blackfeather.

I'll say this happened right after this thread so that I don't have to say Damien left BFW again...

Although he'd found her, Xivilai had seemed to make her own choice about returning to Blackfeather Woods. It wasn't like Damien had had another option anyway, having been cornered by the thief and her beasts, but the girl had tried to return to her captor instead of Damien. It felt like a failure, coming back with empty hands, but Damien wouldn't always get what he wanted for as much as he hated it.

The Shadow prince had started back home right after losing the kid, seeing no point in lingering around to know where she'd be taken, but not long after setting his route away from the great lake the compelling voice of the dragoness diverted his destination. Damien wasn't expecting to know about her so soon after their last encounter, but the last thing he would do was refusing her call, more so after having touched her the way he did.

The impeccable dark of her fur stood out in the scenery, staring into the distance with those pearls she had for eyes. She had always been a piece of art, at least to Damien, and seeing her had made his pulse rise considerably. "Hey," he managed to vocalize as he approached her at a steady trot, halting just a tail-length away from her awkwardly. He waved his tail in greeting, letting it express how glad he was to see her again.

There was a feeling of unease within her stomach, surely having been caused by the anticipation that came with waiting. Though they had met with one another recently, she couldn't help but think back to the last time that she'd called for him specifically, just as she'd presently done. For back then, it had not been Damien that had come to greet her, but a female whose name she'd never received; a liar, if the chieftess were to call her by an honest title, for she had left their encounter with the belief that a promise had been made, and then learned that it'd never been upheld. Of course, the dark woman had not actually said the words I promise, but what had been said was interpreted that way. And so to learn later on that the message had never been delivered had made her wish to not encounter the stranger again. Those within the forest, her friend excluded, were not meant to be known by her.

When a dark shape had appeared in the distance, she'd lifted her head for a moment, only to return to a more casual posture upon realizing who it was. Some forces had been kind to her, bringing the male she'd been wishing to see, rather than a being created from impish intentions. Asterr was glad, but nervous still, though she'd done her best to keep her expression as nothing more than a smile. With a greeting offered, her own tail had swished back and forth once or twice, giving a soft, "Hello." There came no other words, at first, for she knew not where the conversation should be taken. In truth, she had no reason for seeking him out other than because she'd just wanted to see him. There existed no business in need of being attended to, really, leaving it as a casual encounter, which she wasn't particularly accustomed with.

"How are you?" was asked after a period of silence on her end. Her curiosity was just as genuine as always, truly wishing to know if he was well. And, if he wasn't, how she might go about fixing whatever might be wrong.

Her kindness to him had probably been the virtue that set Asterr apart from everyone else. Everyone had always seen Damien as the heir, the strange shadow that would one day claim Blackfeather Woods. Asterr had seen Damien's deeper self, and she had cared about him. For that Damien was grateful even if he didn't know how to express it.

Being asked how he was was not a common thing for Damien. Cicero would ask occasionally, sometimes even Potema, but none of them, or anyone else, asked because they truly cared. To Damien, Asterr's question had been an honest one, and it made him feel special in a way not many things could. "Glad I didn't have to wait so much to see you again like the last time," he answered, and those words too, had been honest.

Everything was fine, then, she'd decided from his response. She still felt bad for having not sought him out again sooner after having met his pack mate, but no comments on the past had been made. She wanted to move away from it, and to focus on visiting him more often from then on out. Their homes were not so far apart that she shouldn't be capable of seeing him, after all, and she'd grown used to the various twists of the mountains enough to pass through them with ease. And so the girl had nodded, showing her understanding of his words, and then responding with, "I will do my best to ensure that you are not made to wait that long again." The fact that she enjoyed seeing him helped to solidify her claim, and so she'd honour it.

Asterr shifted, looking away briefly as her thoughts were collected. When she'd looked back, her uncertainty was clear, mixed with something along the lines of embarrassment. "I apologize for our last meeting. I should not have put you through that." Her voice was quiet, almost as if the topic was something she'd been forbidden from speaking of. And while she'd enjoyed their time spent together, some part of her mind insisted that it was not right. That she shouldn't have made him put up with her as she had.

To her response, Damien smiled coyly, satisfied by the prospect of seeing her not only this once, but many times to come. However, he would always make sure to keep the dragoness away from his home, knowing just how dangerous it would be for her to come any closer to the Dark Forest than the great lake. He didn't think he would have to remind her this, bud Damien wanted Asterr to remain safely distant from the darkness of his world.

When the female apologized, Damien frowned, becoming confused for a moment as he tried to understand what there was to be sorry about. He couldn't contain a blunt "Are you serious?", after which he couldn't produce coherent words. He shook his head and clutched his mouth for a moment, thinking his words better before saying "That was the best day of my life," with such honesty that his soul was probably spilling out of his eyes.

The bluntness of his tone had taken her by surprise, gaze faltering until she'd opted for just looking elsewhere entirely. She had felt it necessary to apologize, some sector of her conscious state having deemed her behavior as being unfair. For though he'd told her to stay, it had been her responsibility to think in a clearer way and act based upon that, but she hadn't. She'd allowed for herself to be influenced by how comfortable she felt around him, which had lead to something she'd have assumed he'd regret—yet, he hadn't.

Asterr peeked back in his direction, searching for his gaze, and then discovering the words to be true once she'd met it. He'd spoken not with the purpose of easing her mind, but with an intensity she'd found to be a rare thing. "I–," she paused, stumbling over her own voice for a moment. "I had assumed that you would want to forget about it." It was her own fault for having assumed something, she supposed.

Her gaze fell upon him with the revelation of Damien's thoughts about their last meeting. Damien held it with his own, seeing the bewilderment on her expression as his fault. He probably should have kept quiet about it, say something else instead, but in that moment the blunt truth was the only thing that had crossed his mind and he'd put no resistance against revealing it.

Asterr admitted that she'd assumed Damien would have wanted to forget about their encounter, which took Damien by surprise. Back in that moment Damien had been explicit about his pleasure, having told her that he was glad he'd stayed with her that day. "Did you... Want to forget about it?" he asked, suddenly feeling completely out of place and rejected.

The day could still be remembered clearly, as was the relief she'd felt when he'd told her to stay. She hadn't wanted to leave and he hadn't made her, and so she'd felt guilty, then, for having believed he'd wish to forget about their time spent together. Once he'd spoken, she'd been quick to shake her head, having not intended to send such a message. "I do not," was the first portion of her response, a frantic effort having been made to correct herself. "I want to remember it." And despite her own desire, she would have pushed it from her mind had that been what he wanted.

"I do not know if it took," the girl said, words having escaped before she'd the opportunity to think them over properly. "Or if they would be yours." Asterr felt that she need not elaborate on what she'd meant, deciding not to share with him the details of her travels.

The tension began to spur Damien's anxiety. The anticipation of her response, the uncertainty of what she would say, the desire for her to say she didn't want to forget. All of those things managed to make a knot out of Damien's throat. But in the end she pleased him with her answer, revealing she didn't want to forget about their connection either. Her words send a shot of peace through his body and for a moment Damien could only stare into her pearled eyes with the same attraction there ever was.

And then she dropped a bomb. Nuclear.

Damien's face became a frown once again, but this time his jaw dropped by the shock that Asterr's words had brought him into. How on Sithis' name could have Damien not thought about the possibility of impregnating Asterr? She had been in heat, and he'd known it all the time, so, where did his common sense go? Little did the shadow prince know that once upon a time, his very own sire had gone through the exact same thing with Meldresi.

Damien was about to apologize, tell Asterr that he hadn't thought he might do such thing to her, but then he picked up the second part of her comment and connected the dots. "Wait..." he breathed, "What do you mean 'mine'?" he asked, feeling somewhat insulted by the possibility of Asterr having even touched anyone else than him. But they were not mates after all, he had no rightful claim to the dragoness, and so her body was her own, and she could do what she pleased with it.

Whatever tension that had been released by her want to remember had been replaced rather swiftly following her statements. The frown had been concerning, and she'd wondered for a moment if she might have said to much. Perhaps she should have eased into the subject, rather that allowing for her mouth to just blurt it out as if it were nothing. She'd not been thinking prior to saying it, though, but was quick to realize that she should have been. Every possible scenario should have been gone over within her head before she'd considered even forming the words, but that had not happened, and it was too late to turn back now. The potential outcome of their closeness had been shared, and neither of them could do anything more than carry on with the conversation from there.

Yet another turn had been taken, though it was one that she'd been somewhat prepared for. To explain herself was not something she'd intended to do but, deep down, she understood that he deserved that much. For though neither had any claim over the other, they were still friends, and to withhold information from him seemed wrong. "I had encountered others after leaving you," she began. "Some had not bothered me, but there were others that I had spent some time with." None of them had forced her into anything, but had instead been kind and respectful of her as another being. Yet, even still, recalling the experiences with Damien there to listen didn't seem right at all.

There was silence, then, a moment in which her voice was lost having arrived. Asterr's lips had parted once or twice as if she was readying herself to speak again, but nothing had come out until several minutes later. "I am sorry," was all she'd managed to say, hanging her head slightly and pulling her gaze away from his own. Having already thrown one curve ball his way, she'd decided to leave out the bit about Ukko; that would have to be saved for later, for she wished not to push Damien so far over the edge that he'd never want to see her again.

It took a moment for Damien to process all the information. First came the rage, Asterr had not told Damien this before, that she had shared her body not only with him but with others during the same period of receptiveness. But then came the realization that first, she had met them after their own encounter, and second, she was in heat. He couldn't judge her for that, just as much as she couldn't judge him for indulging his desires of having her in that moment. So that rage became understanding.

"No- that's... That's fine, it's not your fault..." he tried to console, but looked away in an attempt to hide his own shame. He was the only responsible for the mess this had become, and now he could not think of a way to make it up to her and the creatures that were probably now stirring inside of her because of him... No - Actually, there was a way.

Damien looked into her eyes, her pale eyes of silver, with a shyness that he rarely ever showed. "Asterr?" he said, "If... If they were mine..." he stuttered, "Would you... Would you want me to be theirs?" he offered, falling silent to the realization of what he'd just said and looking ardently into the silver gleam of her eyes, looking for her soul.

Averted had her gaze remained, drifting towards the ground as she'd waited for... she wasn't entirely sure what she'd been waiting for. A verbal lashing? Shouts of anger or betrayal? Or, perhaps, understanding? She knew not, for she couldn't decide what she wanted—what would make the situation better, if it could be repaired. Neither had a claim over the other, she'd had to remind herself, but that fact alone didn't make her feel any less guilty. They were friends, and so that by itself should have been enough for her to avoid others at all costs, but it hadn't been.

When he'd finally started to speak, she'd braced herself, only to realize that it wasn't necessary. It was fine, he'd said, it wasn't her fault. Back towards him she'd found her eyes going, but away had he then looked. Knowing not how to respond, she'd offered silence. Her apology had already been extended, and so the urge to give another had to be fought off. It was fine, she'd told herself, repeating his words within her mind.

Their gazes met again, and this time she hadn't looked away. Not even after he'd presented his question, which had, undoubtedly, taken her by surprise. "Yes," the girl had eventually answered, several moments having been taken previously so that her thoughts could be collected. "If they are yours, and you would like to be involved, I would want for you to be there for them as their father." If he wouldn't want to be there, then she wouldn't hold it against him, but she couldn't help but hope that he might like to be.

The same way his own proposition had taken him aback did Asterr's response surprise him. In all honesty Damien would have never trusted himself to be a paternal figure, none the more when it was the righteous Asterr's own offspring they were talking about. He would corrupt them, pull them down a dangerous path and ultimately lead them to their own demise. But the possessive feeling both over Asterr herself and those he'd planted in her was growing strong, he wouldn't allow anyone else to raise them if they were his, and actually at this point, given her answer, there was no mortal power that could deny him the pups' claim.

"I do," he said, rid of stuttering and awkwardness. It was a promise, an oath he'd never break. That feeling of anguish, of uncertainty, dissipated as it became clearer what he would have to do differently from now on to secure his offspring's safety. "I don't want them any close to Blackfeather Woods," he spoke with full security of what he was saying, "It would not be safe for them, or for you," he explained. He didn't think Asterr would disagree knowing what she'd gone through herself. All Damien could think about was Potema finding out that he had brought children to the world and not offering them to Mephala, but he couldn't do that to Asterr, she didn't belong to that world, and he cared too much about her to risk her safety.

500th post for you~!

A breath was held unknowingly, anxious feelings having arisen within her stomach as she'd awaited his decision. To force him into something that he wasn't the least bit interested in wasn't something she'd ever do to him, or anyone for that matter. One's own will was a wonderful thing, and she'd not take it away, especially where children were involved. Though their existence and father alike was unknown, still, the thought alone that she'd be bringing a new batch of Draconid's into the world had her feeling protective. She would not ruin Damien's life or theirs by forcing something undesirable to happen, no matter how badly she'd want it.

He'd answered, and she'd been able to breathe easy once more. Should they be his, he'd be involved in their lives. Though he'd most likely not be around as often as her own father had been, she believed that it would be fine. "I would never let them near your home," she'd voiced, having absolutely no problem with agreeing. She knew little of the woods, but it was enough to make her certain that it wasn't a place for her—their?—children. "You may visit them at mine as often as you would like to, though." Ryūjin had experienced some alterations, but it was still the home that she'd always wished for it to be. There was peace and there was trust—between most of the members, anyways—and so she doubted that there might be any issues with his visiting. "If you travel northeast over the mountain range, you will eventually find yourself standing before the entrance of a cavern—it is within it that my tribe lives," added the girl, unable to recall if she'd ever told him how to get there before. Even if she had, a refresher couldn't hurt.

Wooo! :D

Just as he's expected, Asterr agreed to never letting her -their?- children near his home. The fact that this was all a hypothetical case scenario, in which he would both first need to prove that he was the actual father of the pups, or that there were any pups at all, was lost in Damien's thoughts. This was all too real now for him to back down, he could not regret -would not regret his words now. And it seemed that Asterr had a similar mindset about it too. Without hesitation, she had offered him to visit anytime, and told him how to find her tribe. This, in Damien's way of thinking, figured as commitment from both ends.

"Why don't you show me the way?" he suggested, looking at her calmly. He didn't know where she'd been headed to before finding him, but Damien didn't believe he'd found Asterr for no reason. Mephala wouldn't have put her in his way like that for nothing, and this time he wanted to enjoy her company in a different sort of way. What could be better than a road trip to get to know your children's mother better?

Laaaaast post. Frick future tense, man

There'd not been a particular destination within her mind when she'd set out to travel that day. She'd simply wanted to visit her friend, which any location could have worked for. So, when he'd suggested that she show him the way, she'd had no reason to object. "If you have the time for a trip, then we may do that," she'd voiced. There was something interesting about the idea of going on a journey with him—or perhaps it was just Damien himself that intrigued her, which could most definitely be the case. They were friends, but not much had ever been shared between them during previous exchanges. There was a part of her that wished to know how he had turned out the way that he did, for she knew of the type of wolves that made up his home. Liars, she'd decided, but he was not with them. The male was kind, at least to her.

"I do hope that you do not mind traveling over the mountains," the girl had noted, offering him an amused smile before having turned in the direction of the range. She'd wait until he would decide to follow, and would then walk with him over and through the mountains, engaging in conversation whenever it was appropriate to do so. Asterr would move across the rocky terrain with a sense of familiarity, which would only increase once they were to eventually reach the cavern. Should he remain after that, she would speak with him more until it was time for him to return to his own home. Whenever their farewells might be given, she'd wish him safe travels and watch him head off before returning to the comfort of her home.