Dragoncrest Cliffs Say, could that lass be I?

Thought we could work on a new thread while the other one simmered :)

“Thisaway,” Njord directed as he guided the sandy woman through Sapphique. The others had welcomed @Meerkat with open arms and, by now, the excitement had died down until it was just the two of them alone. Though Njord felt Meerkat needed no handholding when it came to exploring the nooks and crannies of Dragoncrest, he led her towards his den with zeal.

The burrow was hidden deep within the Greatpine Wildwood, dug out from beneath two large, fallen trunks. The lip of the wood sheltered the entrance from fallen snow as stray bushels of pine needles provided some privacy. He had done a bit of rearranging to make it look more tasteful for her arrival.

“M’den… s’humble but, I thought we could stay here until we picked a new one out together. Tha ground is frozen solid.” He lifted a nubby paw and shot her a bashful grin. “I tried dryin’ out some moss fer beddin’ ta make it comfier.” Since he had only slept here alone, there had been hardly any reason to embellish his habitation until now. His blue eyes turned to her as a quiet fell over him, taking it all in.

She didn't know where he was taking her but it didn't really matter, did it? Meerkat realized she would follow Njord just about anywhere, a thought which brought a soft, soppy smile to her face as she they ambled along together. She couldn't decide which was more beautiful: the sprawling seaside territory she now called home, or the brief glimpses of Njord's backside whenever she fell a bit behind.

Before long, they arrived at the woods lining the sea cliffs. Greatpine, she remembered him calling it. Meerkat didn't hear any woodpeckers today, though she enjoyed the scents of sea salt and spruce that mingled here. It made the wintry air feel particularly refreshing. Her heart had never felt so full, her lungs never so clean.

Njord stopped and showed her to a den. His den. Their den. Meerkat's lips parted when he explained that he'd spruced up in preparation for her to stay here with him. They hadn't really discussed their specific living arrangements, so her heart leaped almost in disbelief as her amber eyes sought his. He wanted to keep her close. She wanted to be kept close.

She moved to snuffle into his nape for a moment, burying a happy little noise there before retreating just far enough to clasp his paw between both of hers and kiss his poor toes. Meerkat then rapidly pivoted to examine his hard work more closely. The burrow was cozy and modest. It smelled like him. Meerkat smiled to herself, tail wagging so that it brushed the earthen walls. Soon it would smell like her too. It would smell like them.

"It's bonnie," she concluded decisively, gaze lifting to capture his. "Now get in here and kiss me."

It hadn’t crossed Njord’s mind to do anything differently. There was a natural drive within him to be close to Meerkat and provide for her. Lucky for him, the seafarer’s instincts pleased his sweetheart and this fact further deepened the feelings he felt for her. He mirrored her wide smile, ears pricked to attention. “Ya like it,” he blissfully mused as Meerkat nuzzled his nape and kissed his filed toes.

Meerkat moved to inspect his work more closely, which made her beau lean forward in anticipation. Something about seeing Meerkat in their den made his heart do a somersault, completely smitten, and when she beckoned him in he did not hesitate.

“Aye, ya need not ask me twice!” Njord laughed as he slid into the den, snuggling up against her as she had the first night they spent together. At first, he peppered her with small kisses and tried tried to make her laugh by tickling the back of her ears with nibbles. Though he tried to be cute, Njord could not help himself be overcome by more sultry desires… and he found the tempo of his gestures become slower and more passionate.

He rolled atop her to deliver a long, lustful kiss and looked into the warm gaze of Meerkat’s eyes… but stopped to laugh at himself. “I canna help myself wantin' you,” he groaned. He dramatically flopped to the side (maybe to break his own fixation) and cried out, “you’ve bewitched me! Gave me tha spunk of a buck rabbit in Spring! Did ya make my ears long, too?” he raised his paws by his ears, imitating a hare.

He obliged her, nearly smothering her with kisses. Meerkat laughed, breathless, squirming happily beneath Njord’s shower of affection. When he deliberately tickled her ears, it did something funny to her insides. She jerked, nearly clobbering him in the chin with her elbow. She ended up barely grazing him, though she saw no reason not to murmur a kiss against the grizzled fur there anyway. She wondered if she should tell him her ears were evidently a button to turn on her libido, deciding it might be more fun to let him figure it out for himself.

The smooches continued, calmer now, until Njord stopped abruptly and threw himself to the ground of the den. Meerkat gazed down at him, amused by his declaration. It was actually more of an accusation, though made in good fun. She smirked a little, gleeful that her mere presence could have this effect on a man. Nobody had treated her quite like this, save for that brief overnight fling with Finley, though Meerkat never let herself think about that.

You’re adorkable, she said, reaching out a toe to press against his nose with a quiet, boop. Meerkat then chased her touch with a lick, unable to resist whispering teasingly against his lips, Is that a bad thing? Wanting me? You know… She pressed her head into the space beneath his throat, gliding, lissome, until she was flush against his chest. She pressed her cheek against his breastbone, a smile in her voice as she told his heartbeat, You know you can have me.

Meerkat laid flush against him and Njord couldn’t help but notice how well they fit together. He, beneath her, like the rocky bottom of a stream and she, draped atop, like a winding brook. “Hmm,” he hummed contentedly, wrapping his arms around his woman to hold her close. He inhaled, the scent of glacier pine still deep in her tresses. “No, it isna a bad thing,” he agreed, soft lilt filled with amusement.

He reflected on Meerkat’s consent and the double entendre of her words. He wanted all of her. Forever. Njord’s paws slid down to the small of her back as they shared a tender moment inside their warm burrow, hidden away from the cold world. “You ‘av made me a ‘appy man. There so many things I want to speak about. I want ta better ken yer mind an’ heart.”

Njord kissed the top of her head as she laid against his breast, his grasp slipping further down to her waist. “Hmm, suppose there will be plenty time fer that… for now, I only wish ta ravish m’lady.” His blue gaze traced her outline in the darkness as his pulse accelerated once more.

The word “ravish” made Meerkat flush with pleasant heat. I like the sound of that, she said, nuzzling along his chiseled jawline. She could think of no better way to christen this den as theirs…

I hope it’s cool to fast forward? :D

Afterward, she basked in the afterglow, tucked up against Njord like two spoons in a drawer. She could’ve easily drifted off to sleep, though it was the middle of the day and there was much to do to begin her life here in Sapphique…

Well, she supposed nobody would hold it against them if they took one day to themselves. Nonetheless, Meerkat pressed upward, hip still tucked against her lover’s warmth as she gazed down at him with affection that actually surprised her a little with its intensity.

Could we go to the beach? she asked, bending to nip at his ear just because it was there, tempting her. And tell me all these things you want to talk about, Meerkat added, curious what was on his mind.

Perfection

Njord and Meerkat were captivated by their desires and the seafarer found himself swept away by the spirited wave that was his paramour. Following, the man was diligent in his aftercare as he laid besides her, a new warmth cast through him from eartip to toe. They laid together, satiated, and basked in each other's company. Njord would have been content to stay there all day, until Meerkat suggested they go for a walk on the beach to talk.

“A bonny idea,” Njord agreed. The red-tail (somewhat begrudgingly) stepped out into the cold and shook his pelt. His maw took to the air to taste the breeze. “It’ll be a calm day on tha shore,” he announced before turning towards a well-marked path that would lead the pair to the tunnel.

As they walked together, Njord entertained his cheri with a small melody.

O luaidh, 's truagh nach deachaidh sinn
Oh love, it's a pity we never courted
È luaidh, 's truagh nach deachaidh sinn
Eh love, it's a pity we never courted
O gura truagh a' cheist, o luaidh
Oh what a pitiful question
Nach robh mi san uaigh mun d' fhuair mi sealladh ort
Would that I was in my grave before I met you
O luaidh
Oh love

Chunnaic mi thall sa mhòine gearradh i
I saw her working on the peat
Gruagach òg, 's chòrd a pearsa rium
A pretty maiden, and I liked the look of her
Chaidh mi anull 's gun fhaic mi i dlùth
After closer inspection
'S a' mhais' air a gnùis a dh'ùraich leannanachd
Her beautiful face had me wishing for courtship
O luaidh
Oh love

An tèid thu leam gu tìr nam monaidhean
Will you go with me to the land of the moors
Tìr nam fiadh, nan earb 's nan coineanach
The land of deer, roe and rabbits
Tìr nan siad, 's ann bha thu riamh
The land of heroes where you always lived
'S gun ith thu do bhiadh gun sgian 's gun ghreimiche
Where you will eat without knife and fork
O luaidh
Oh love

Nam biodh peann 's pàipear geal agam
Had I pen and white paper
Sgrìobhainn dhut sìos mo chainnt le barantas
I would write this in vows that cannot be broken
Cùmhnant tha teann nach fhosgail bhon chlèir
A contract sealed by the clergy
'S ma dh'fhalbhas tu fhèin, chan fheum thu t'fharadh ann
If you go, you will not need your fare
O luaidh

By the time the song was over they had reached the sand. He looked at Meerkat with fresh love in his heart. "I ken it takes... time... ta truly grow together." Njord's stoic composure cracked and he smiled sheepishly, "so you'll 'av ta forgive my hungry mind." He began to meander up the beach. "Yer heart is familiar ta me, but I want ta learn more about ye. All the in-between bits. Like," Njord inhaled as he looked at the sky, "Knowin' tha land. Maybe a passer-through has seen where tha largest tree is. Or the widest river. But he doesna ken where tha small spring hides, or where the owl nests."

Njord realized it was a large ask to spill one's guts on queue. "Maybe I should start with a simple question," the seafarer hummed. "Do ya 'av a family name?"

She pushed upright as they prepared to disembark, sweet aches singing through her body. Meerkat’s lips curved into a secret smile at these reminders of Njord’s claim on her as the two set out into the cold winter’s day.

When he broke into song, she could only gaze at him in enthralled surprise. She didn’t recognize a single word, though the way his voice dipped and pitched through the melody made her belly swoop. She’d had no idea he could sing, on top of everything else. With Njord, it seemed, wonders never ceased.

Meerkat wanted to ask him about it, inquire after the lyrics, but they reached the beach and he spoke in his usual timbre. The first words he spoke reminded her fleetingly of Issorartuyok but she quickly banished the thought of him. She much preferred her lover’s ardent nature, leaving her with no doubt how he felt about her.

Believe me, she said quietly as the pair of them began to mosey along the sands, there’s nothing to forgive. She said nothing else, sensing there was more Njord wanted to say.

He explained that he didn’t just want to get to know her, he wanted to get to know her intimately. Meerkat felt warmth swirling in her veins, her toes tingling even as they sank into the shifting grains underfoot. Of course, that feeling was mutual, and though they would ideally have the rest of their lives, she was eager to tap the wellsprings of his soul too.

Njord decided to start with a simple question. Yes, it’s Redhawk, Meerkat answered with a soft swish of her tail. My full name is actually Suricate Redhawk, though I’ve never gone by anything but Meerkat. And… She paused, brown eyes dancing thoughtfully over his face, I always intended—hoped—to take my mate’s name, when the time came, as far as surnames go.

Her heartbeat ratcheted up a notch or two. She figured it wasn’t too early to discuss such matters, if they were hoping to walk down this path together. They’d already talked of children. Nonetheless, everything was still new enough that Meerkat felt a little breathless, waiting to see how he’d respond, what he would say next.

Meerkat was a willing partner and she enthusiastically indulged Njord’s wanting mind. Suricate was a name he pocketed for later. An impish grin curled his lip as Njord imagined playing that card as they laid together to take his lady by surprise.

“Redhawk,” Njord parroted with a rolling ‘r’ off his brogue tongue. “The Caldera was named after yer kin, then,” he mused. Memories of Meerkat’s tour surfaced in his mind. He would never forget that lush territory’s with its shimmering blue lake at the heart. He wondered if it had been difficult to say goodbye to her homeland. Yet, he recalled her wanting a fresh start when they had met at Duskfire’s borders.

Meetkat’s next comment made the redtail’s pulse rise and put a buzzing in his ears. Their gaze met as he cocked a brow at the woman’s allusion. “A traditionalist, hmm?” he said with a smile. It made Njord think of the formal marriages on Meares Island. “I have two last names, myself. I suppose my mother couldna be convinced ta give up the family name. Sveijarn is my father’s kin, y’see, but Corten is tha bloodline of Meares Island.”

He paused, to allowed Meerkat an opportunity to inject a question, and then continued on. “I know a bit about yer family,” he chuckled to himself, for Meerkat’s family was anything but traditional. “What was it like growin’ up? Yer childhood?”

She nodded her affirmation. My grandparents—my mom’s parents—Peregrine and Fox founded the original pack and named the land after themselves. Meerkat would have to tell him their love story sometime.

But right now, she was focused on theirs. I guess you could say that, she said, heartened by his smiling response. I like the idea of belonging to one another, and sharing a name with the children we make together. And if there was any doubt she was referencing him in this hypothetical, it was put to rest by the smoldering look in her eye.

Meerkat Sveijarn-Corten, she thought to herself, almost feeling bold enough to say it out loud, then losing her nerve. Anyway, Njord wanted to know more about her family, her childhood in particular.

They were approaching a piece of driftwood washed up on the beach. Meerkat moved closer to it, taking a seat facing the water. She patted the spot beside her and grinned at Njord. They could walk again soon, but she was feeling a little achy (in the best possible way) and she wanted to give this line of inquiry her full attention.

Well, my mom definitely isn’t what you’d call traditional. She wasn’t really the romantic type, so when her season came around, she sort of… well, slept around. Meerkat chuckled, wondering if Njord knew what he’d signed up for by asking this particular question.

Her eyes roved from his face out to the horizon. She didn’t know who my father was for sure—Kaertok was her best guess, but I didn’t learn that until much later—and she didn’t even know she was going to have me until the moment I was born. She didn’t think she could have kids at all, so I was her ‘meer-acle.’ I was raised by her and my uncle, Phox, but I think of him as my dad. His mate, Niamh, was sort of a third parent and their kids were more like my brothers and sisters than my cousins.

I had a very good childhood, she continued, and I quickly grew to love the idea of becoming an ambassador for my pack. At the ripe old age of five months, my older brother, Bronco, and I moved to our sister pack, Moonspear. She paused, wondering if he had heard of it. When they branched out into a third pack, Firefly Glen, we went there. By the time tragedy struck, I guess I wasn’t really a kid anymore…

She wouldn’t mind telling Njord about that someday, either, but Meerkat didn’t want to dwell on such things today. Instead, she gazed at him, hoping her answer had sufficed, before querying in turn, And you? Tell me about where you grew up, what wee Njord was like.

To hear Meerkat speak of her past, and deepen their knowledge of one another, filled Njord with satisfaction. He sat besides her upon the flotsam and uttered an ‘ahhh’ of comprehension when she explained how Kaertok had come to be her father.

He soaked up this insight like a dry sponge. “Sapphique’s kids are comin’ up on seven months, now,” he added wistfully with anxious chuckle. Mireille had done a fair bit of wandering. Would she, and the others, leave their natal pack so soon? “You must ‘av been quite tha canny lass,” he said, peering over to regard to her. He smirked and shot her a wink, “but that hasna changed, has it?” He opened his mouth to ask about the tragedy, but Meerkat quickly skipped to a different subject. Njord picked up on the hint.

“Wee Njord!” he bellowed a laugh at Meerkat’s vernacular and the image of himself as a rolly pup. His head bobbed in a ‘well let me tell you’ animated sort of way. “Och, wee Njord was a troublemaker,” he said as his eyes rolled back, as if to better tap into his memories. “I’m tha middle of three siblings. My older brother is Aegir: a man of fire an seastone. Braw and fierce… but thick skulled an irreconcilable,” Njords face contorted as a thin smile painted his lips. His criticisms were clearly filled with a mixture of love, admiration, and rivalry – a brother sort of thing. “M’sister’s name is Angrboda. She is like tha calm sea. Level headed. Diligent. Last I saw her she was shadowin’ my grandsire to lead Meares Island.”

He sucked in a breath and realized he had started the story backwards. “Meares Island is where my mother, an tha Cortens, are from. A wide island off the Teekon coast in tha South, sister to Vargas Island. My people are hearty, stoic, and have sea savoir faire. And,” he added with a tip of his head, “they’re a great deal religious. Followers of a ol’ deity named Atlan. But I didna care much for that.” His eyes squinted as if he couldn’t make something out in the distance. “I canna recall how my father, Valtyr, met my mother Priixu… they are opposite in every way. Except, I ken my father had been married once before… He told me she died, and I think that changed 'im.”  He turned his blue gaze upon Meerkat. "I know they'd love you," he added, "especially my mother."

Crashing waves drew his attention back towards the sea. “But me, I was a troublesome child,” he sneered at Meerkat as if to say ‘look what you got yourself into.' “Playin’ dangerously on tha rocks. Skippin’ class. Fightin' with my brother. Arguin’ with my mentors. Received a few lashin’s for that,” Njord sighed with a smile, as if he recalled the good ol days. “Och, I was a stupid lad,” he laughed with a shake of his head. “A bit of a late bloomer, I think. I stayed on Meares for a long time, never quite findin' my place. One day I plucked up the courage to swim ashore to Teekon and I haven't looked back."

She didn’t know what “canny” meant, though the way he used it, Meerkat decided to take it as a compliment. She wondered if she would ever get tired of his brogue. Somehow, she doubted it, even after listening to it for nearly ten minutes straight as he regaled her with tales of his younger self.

Everything he said intrigued her, though the mention of his parents’ approval stuck out to her for obvious reasons. She would love to visit Meares Island someday to meet them, if that was in the cards. Although Njord said he didn’t subscribe to his birth pack’s religious beliefs—quite a curiosity to her—it sounded like he was still on good terms with his parents and siblings, if from a distance. But it was his four final words that stayed her tongue from asking, at least today.

I think my parents would approve of you too, she shared. I’d love for them to meet you sometime. My dad is very easy to get along with and basically one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. My mom is… Meerkat chuckled, not sure how to describe Towhee. Well, she’s quite the character. Did you know she’s deaf? She even came up with her own sign language. I speak it, though I’m pretty rusty… Idly, she wondered if she might one day reveal to him that she was partly deaf too, something no one—not even her own mother—knew.

Anyway, she said in the next breath, realizing she’d sort of yanked the spotlight back from him and gently nudging it back in his direction, I really like your family’s names. Aegir. Angrboda. Valtyr. Priixu. They were so exotic and somehow resonated with strength. Njord, she added to the list with a smile, meeting his eyes. I for one am glad you decided to take the plunge and come to the mainland. What brought you here specifically? To Sapphique?

Yeah! Last one for me :)

Njord smiled at the promise of meeting Meerkat’s blood. In the end, family was everything… and he felt it was important to nurture those connections. He imagined their budding family making the trek to the Caldera in the summer, unaware that Meerkat’s natal pack no longer inhabited the land.

“Maybe you can teach me” he suggested when Meerkat mentioned her mother had developed her own language to communicate. Njord would be willing to do anything to make an impression.

She went on to ask how he had found Sapphique. “Survival,” he replied candidly with a bob of his head. His brows lifted as he exhaled. “The journey across tha sea was taxin’. I was alone an’ had never hunted on the mainland. I couldna gather enough food to feed myself… and I was rail thin as winter approached. Erzulie found me as her clan traveled from the Seaside Moors towards Dragoncrest. The pack was known as Rusalka, then… an’ they had been recently attacked by a bear. My plan was to only stay until tha Spring and then travel to tha glacier… but somethin’ about the ocean kept me by the cliffs. Fate, maybe.”

On the topic of starvation, Njord thought how the Taiga’s caribou herd had become sickly. Thankfully, Sapphique had a bountiful harvest in the ocean. Seals, clams, muscles, crabs, and fish were a hearty part of their diet, in addition to mainland fare. As if on queue, his stomach grumbled. “Say… do ya have any interest in huntin’ fer razor clams?” he asked her, curious.

Wrapping for us!

It turned her stomach, a little bit, picturing Njord on the verge of starvation. She felt a surge of gratitude toward Erzulie, a nice sort of counterbalance to the unwelcome imagery drifting through her mind earlier in the day. She mused about the Obsidian, and the ocean’s seemingly magnetic pull, in silence for several beats.

Everything happens for a reason, a voice in her head whispered. It was perhaps a rather idealistic viewpoint, though Meerkat leaned into it, particularly in bad times but during good times too. She did wonder what might’ve gone differently, had Njord made his way to the glacier, perhaps before she did.

But why speculate when the present was such a gift? Razor clams? Meerkat repeated. Sounds dangerous. I’m in. She swept back onto her feet, nipping at the soft furs on Njord’s cheek just because she could, then motioned for him to lead the way. Meerkat would happily follow him anywhere. It didn’t even matter what they did or where they went, as long as they were together.