Duskfire Glacier cut open my sternum and pull my little ribs around you

dated for the 31st

the wraith wakes to fire in his veins, a seething frantic fever he's never felt before. he's spent much of his time at the borders and beyond, ensuring that the scent markers are strong and that none travel too close to the pack with so many expecting — but last night, by chance, he'd chosen to spend the night within the territory. a wise choice, he thinks now, given the intensity of the haze over his thoughts. perhaps in a clearer state of mind, zephyr might have recognized the scent of his heat upon him. perhaps he'd have known to avoid company. but his head is fogged, so he doesn't.
instead he answers nature's call without question, seeking @Wintersbane without a single thought to the reason. his steps are fast and full of purpose, instinct guiding him away from the scents of others and toward the alpha of the glacier. his mission is unclear even to him, but the determination to see it through is unshakable; nothing will stop him from finding the man he seeks.

wintersbane wakes before the sun rises — customary to him always, but renewed with the expecting mothers. he walks the borders in the witching hours, strengthening the scent markings while it's still cool and the sun has yet to rise. when it begins to crest the horizon, casting a spill of golden buttery rays upon the land, he seeks out the herds in neighboring territories; making mental notes of their grazing patterns and where they appear to favor nesting for the night. thus far, they appear to favor qeya river — which brings with it no real surprise.

he catches what he can by himself and adds it to the caches in a regaled effort to stock up though prey is plentiful.

he lingers in the beginning of the glacier melt where it feeds into the qeya river and takes a deep drink, cleaning himself of the blood of his recent kill, freshly buried in the nearest cache.

i can spree this whenever you're free <3

the wraith finds the alpha in the space where glacier meets river, blood-scent in the air, yet the details of their meeting slip past him in this moment. he slows, feeling the fire in his veins leap in anticipation, and chuffs his greeting as he approaches. his tail swishes slowly as he continues his advance, posture uncharacteristically low and submissive, and a throaty whine escapes him when he's near enough for the other's scent to overwhelm him. he isn't sure what he needs — but he knows wintersbane can provide it.

wintersbane recognizes the scent that wafts off zephyr in a way that he wished he didn't; muscles pulling taunt beneath his feverkissed coat as his body instinctively reacts to the pheromones upon the air. rationality finds him — briefly — and fills him with the worry of betrayal. he wanted children, yes; a legacy but where does he draw the line? where does he stretch it too thin and become careless? why was there a slight fear; a flash of ice, that he was betraying?

betrayal could only be done if he was married and as he made his stance on it clear over and over again there was no one he was betraying.

yet, it lingers like a nagging buzz in the back of his mind all the same.

yet, as zephyr's throaty whine shatters the quiet trickle of meltwater, the soft creak of ice as it began to splinter apart, the tundrian tucks it away. knowing that he was never one to resist the sirensong of estrus.

wintersbane returns with a low rumble; given to lust like it is his patron deity and he the apostle chosen. he drifts nearer, silently seeking permission with each ghosting step forward.

sorry for the delay, my body picked a terrible time to get sick (': fade to black here? we can continue in this thread or another set directly after, up to you!

the brief tension in the air goes unnoticed, written off as a byproduct of the electricity that seems to spark between them rather than hesitance. zephyr is only aware of wintersbane's approach, of the rumble that acts as a magnet to the wraith who had already been thoroughly ensnared by his own hormones. he steps forward to meet wintersbane's approach, consent given in the form of a tentative touch; his nose to the alpha's chin, then his neck, another whine following.

i figured i'd wrap with this post & start us a new thread. <3

at some point, without wintersbane noticing his mind quiets, guilt and consequence hushing to silence as instinct burns like fire in his veins, and instinct hooks its unforgiving and unyielding teeth into him.

zephyr invites him closer; giving him the consent he seeks with tentative touches. wintersbane wastes no time diminishing the distance between them given the permission he sought and takes zephyr into his embrace to stoke and soothe the fires the season had evoked in them both.

fade to black