Fox's Glade [m] porcelain

backdated to when yakone was still in heat 03/26 (eta date)

yakone found herself driven back toward her old haunts, still gripped by the restlessness of her season. she'd had fun with the man in the forest, but he was gone now. she was alone. and she certainly did not want to be.

emboldened and impatient, yakone prowled the glade in search of her next distraction. she hoped that this one would stick around awhile longer.

here comes the BOY

Kallik was married and Arlette was gone.

Was it any wonder his descent from the Sunspires passed in a haze? Merrit hardly remembered deciding to head towards Fox's Glade again. His movements were instinctual, pressing him towards a place that had once meant comfort to him, despite being devoid of everything he had given his life to protect. Kallik was his own protector now, and he had failed Arlette.

He found himself around the place where his sister had buried Kaito. She had been careful to maintain his grave while she had been in Easthollow, and Merrit had helped, but their absence had led to the grave's neglect and it took Merrit too long to find the place where they had laid his body down. But once he had found it, he took to breaking away the vines and branches that poked over the grave and busied his mind with thoughts of what to do next.

before long, the muffled sounds of shuffling foliage and snapping branches drew yakone's attention. she turned, seeking to track the source at an idle pace. her steps were light, cautious; there was no guarantee that this path would lead her to a friendly face, or even a wolf like herself.

but the sight that finally drew her to a halt was not unwelcome. the lone wolf cut a striking dark figure against the pale grey murk of winter's soft death. yakone chuffed a warm greeting, stepping forward with tail waving amiably. her eyes drifted to the center of the wolf's focus, and she wondered what he was doing. perhaps he would explain.

His work consumed him, along with his thoughts. How was he to bring the children of Easthollow home, if they had all been killed or scattered to the winds? He thought of Clary -- but surely, she had her own family now. Keen, he had not seen Keen in many months. Steph and Ezra he had only really heard of in stories. And what of Greyback's children? Siarut and Nanooks? They were all gone, save he and Kallik, and there was no way Merrit could ever bring them back --

A chuff interrupted him, and he turned with a slight raise of his hackles, only to lower at the kind face who met him. A woman he had never seen before, warm and friendly in her approach, and bearing scents altogether foreign to him... quickly, he dipped his head in apology, though his eyes still betrayed a guarded sense of uncertainty.

"I'm sorry," he offered, "you startled me." There was a sweetness about her that he couldn't quite place, and he thought this was an odd thing for him to notice upon first meeting. Odder still, the nerves that seemed to shake him. He caught how her eyes drifted to his paws and he understood what she was asking. In a way, she reminded him of his aunt Nanook.

"Arlette," he blurted out, before he realized what he had said. Stupid. He bit his lip. "Uh, my sister. We buried her mate here. It's... been a long time since I tended his grave..." why was he saying so much? And about something like this, to a complete stranger. Stupid. But something slipped, and the words just came.

he looked at her, and the air between them suddenly seemed alive. not electric, no; this was warmer, softer, a rose-hued hum tinging the space around them. his eyes were green - no, hazel. his voice was as warm and quick and alive as the tension thrumming between them, smoky honey and citrus tones.

he spoke of a grave. a sister; her mate. sensing that he needed comfort, yakone stepped closer and pressed her nose to his cheek. she whined softly and kissed his chin, seeking to lift his spirits. death was tragic, but life always gave more reasons to celebrate than to mourn. there would always be new love, new happiness.

What had he expected from her? Certainly not this. A sudden heat rushed from his core and flooded his head with warmth, tingling in those places she kissed - his cheek, his chin. He had never received such affection from anyone before, and he froze before he melted against her. As if touch is what he had been missing. And maybe it had been. How long since he had been this close to anyone?

The emotions of the past surfaced and logged in his throat. Not only of the month but of the year, and of the years, all of them, ever since father had left, since Merrit had seen Stark reflected in his face and had decided he would be no better than that -

Her comfort drew him in, and he found himself drawing nearer, seeking to bury his face against her, forgetting, for the moment, that he had only met her - that they hadn't even the chance to exchange names. He had missed the touch of another, and she offered her warmth so freely to him... that for once, he did not even think of the consequence.

fade here? <3 and we can have a new one!

for a moment, she feared her touch was unwelcome. but her fear was unfounded; he melted into her, and their embrace felt like the most natural thing in the world. like they were meant to be here. made for this.

someone had once told her that they were all made of stardust, just like the bones of the earth itself. that in each of them was a piece of the heavens, and once in awhile - just every so often - a piece would find its match. a perfect fit. two sprinkles of stardust from the same corner of a vast universe.

if that was true - if they were right - then perhaps yakone finally knew what it meant.

the pale woman of the wilds sought to draw her nameless lover further into her embrace, and then into its natural completion. she did not think of the future, or of children. she only thought of him.