Hoshor Plains to the divine, mischievous spark in you

there is a brisk, biting chill in the air as the viper rises, the absence of @Arktos next to her stirring her awake. she assumes he must have already set off on his daily patrol, and takes the moment to relieve herself before moving to follow his trail.

their claim, though fresh, has grown in strength much to the diligence and effort of her husband. she has kept her focus to the outer territories, taking note of where the herd lingered and how far they pushed their boundaries before turning round towards the heart of the plains.

she considered moving her attention internally and focusing on the unexplored portions of the plains. it would do well to know where the herd would move for birthing, and where the focal point of their own territory was. would they stretch across the entire grassland, or remain fixed in a small range of the pasture?

she would seek to know such information, and would become watchful of the beast's activity during the upcoming days.

movement in the distance seized her from her thoughts, and the silhouette of what she thought to be her husband began to materialize in the distance. she let out a chuff, pace increasing to close the distance between herself and whoever stood ahead.

with a wrap of a patrol under his belt, arktos makes his way towards the heart of the plains, where the herd presently grazed. a chuff steals his attention, slipping it from betwixt his teeth with an iron grip. he recognizes the voice and immediately shifts everything to attend to her.

he makes quick work of the distance, meeting her half way.

wife, he drawls in a low rumbled greeting; almost purring the title as a nickname. unseen and behind his teeth if the 'my' that goes unsaid but whose essence linger all the same. husband is a title that arktos is proud to carry.

their self assigned tasks of seeing yellowstone to fruition haven't allowed them much time together and this creates a certain sort of thrill, like they were two lovers sneaking out of her house for stolen moments away.

he moves forward to press a lingering kiss to her cheek, a small nip offered to the cup of her ear.

steps quicken as they danced closer, the rumble of his greeting sending shivers to sweep across her spine. "husband," she purrs with returned affection, leaning close as he moved to place a kiss to her cheek, a nip to her ear.

she breathes in the moment, drinking in the stories of his labor and dedication to their home. she shifts to press her muzzle to the side of his neck, placing tender nibbles and doting kisses where she could reach.

she would not thought to have felt such magnetism to anyone outside of her own children, and yet...

"you've been busy," she states with a step back to search for the mossy green she'd found to be a comfort, her eyes speaking of praise and curiosity all the same. and in the wordless gleam of her gaze, words not need spoken for her intent to be clear.

she wished to know of his findings, of his troubles, of his interests and of his doubts. she wished of all he had to share.

a soft shudder runs through arktos, cutting the wrangler down to size at the pepper of her kisses and nips; delighting in her touch.

there's no rest for the wicked, y'know. he grins, wily; coyly. the borders are entirely established, which means keeping the scents refreshed and patrolled will be easier, he draws in a breath, drinking in her perfume; letting it tease his senses. recruited some into our home and chased others out. he would murmur against her cheek.

been workin' with the herds too, gettin' them used to me, to our presence so they're not spooked. every day, though, he was learning something new about them.

how 'bout you? arktos inquires, eager to hear of her own trials and travels. how was dutch? any nearby packs that require immediate visitation?

she leans to what touch is offered, a flicker of her ear offered to each note he shared. she takes a mental record of what information is exchanged, organizing it through the clutter of her mind and storing it away for later reference.

established borders, easier patrols, recruits, and interlopers. a smile teases it's way to the edge of her lips as he speaks of his work.

most fascinating of his shared details was that of the herd. she'd given them a wide berth during her own investigations of them, unfamiliar with their kind but entirely aware of the threat they could pose.

he asks of her own endeavors, to which she readily replies.

"dutch was more accepting than i'd imagined. he requests we send word once we've settled." moontide was the last thing he'd shouted during her departure, though she admittedly was unaware of where that was. given the name, she assumed along a coastline.

"i've tracked and inscribed the herd's movement from a distance. they travel no further than the great lake," she paused, snout motioning to the south west, "and do not cross the river to the west." the mountains offered a natural barrier the beasts could not scale, which left them almost perfectly corralled in the plains.

"i've yet to meet any opposition to our claim," for which she was grateful, "which i believe is mostly thanks to your efforts." praise whirled through her tone as she offered gentle sways of her tail.

strange how it was that in the short time since they'd claimed yellowstone, nephele felt she knew more of the land here than she ever did on the glacier.

this surprises arktos on both fronts, but then again, arktos is sure this desire has nothing to do with him and everything to do with nephele. the two men barely know each other, after all. i suppose we can arrange that, arktos is eager to found yellowstone because he is not sure how long they have until her season starts but he knows that once it does the deadline countdown would truly begin. but his eagerness does not mean the process can be rushed.

it's not lone wolves i'm worried about, but other packs nearby. arktos lets out an half amused, half annoyed snort. i can handle the swaggering young buck that thinks he can intimidate me into sharin' my land, or lettin' him move through it as his pleasure.

they're not hard to scare. he grins toothily at that.

and how're you settlin' in, darlin'? you like it here?

the confidence of her husband is one that is both reassuring, and attractive. she did not doubt that he could handle any lone interlopers that thought themselves capable of disrespecting their claim. his worry of others settling too near was a shared concern.

"i've yet to discover any packs close enough for worry." she knew of the three she had passed by during her first entry to the wilds, but did not think them cause for any disturbance. potential allies, close, but not too close.

"i would not be eager to see any try any settle within the surrounding territories." the idea of neighbors was not something they had yet to discuss, but nephele was plainly aware of her own preferences. she was a woman with wealthy tastes. she desired a large property, big yard, high fence, with neighbors not seen or heard for miles.

jim bob and susan who lived down the road twenty minutes were acceptable. karen who lived next door was not.

his question of her settling in caused a brow to raise, a thoughtful wave rolled in. "i do." she couldn't quite place why, though she assumed it was because this felt like their home, while morningsong felt like she had been crashing at a friend's. "it is certainly warmer here than the glacier," she let slip as a playful remark while brushing alongside him in an invitation to walk.

"and what of you? have you settled well?" from what she could discern he had fallen into a scheduled routine. she imagined if he did not enjoy it here, he would not be so fixed in his effort.

no, me neither. speaks arktos, glad that they stand as one on that. it would help make them a united front if they ever came up across that opposition. arktos was not a bleeding heart and though the prospect of the herd being central to yellowstone meant that they didn't have to go outside their claim for resources didn't mean that he wanted next door neighbors, either.

this'll be my first home since ground zero, for arktos, it was his first home ever without memories of anything past. i'm settlin' better than i ever could've on the glacier. while he had no clue where he came from, there was something about the plains that spoke to him, that worked to calm some sort of brewing storm within him.

these plains are a good place, and if we teach our kids to work the herd and keep the land, it'll serve our family for generations.

they were joined in their stance on neighbors, which was greeted with a satisfied hum of approval. talk of such discussions got her thinking to the regions stretching farther than what surrounded them, and of potential alliances. a thought that was quickly stashed to a mental folder marked 'for later'.

the words of her husband drew her focus once more, his liking of the plains bringing forth a feeling of comfort. their decision to leave the glacier behind not one regretted. "i am glad to hear this." it was a reminder to the woman once more that he had so few memories to call his own, and that she was in all ways his only known world. the idea of such knowledge was intoxicating.

the conversation turned to that of the future, and she let out a pleased, "i will be happy to see those days come true." the thought of children, grandchildren, and many more generations keeping the land and tending the herd brought her immense gratification. there was no 'if' for nephele, there was only 'when'.

there was, of course, no guarantee that their children would choose to stay; though he has no memories to draw of, his mind jumps to the line of thought that tells him that children wanting to leave the nest, to taste the world out on their own was a given, and that they could only hope for a return, if that was the case.

but he does not give voice to these thoughts.

they did not hold a place here, with her. when children were a promise of their future but not yet promised in the corporeal.

as will i. rumbles the warbear, contently.

she leans into the strength of his side when he rumbles words of agreement. though there was no promise of guaranteed children between them yet, it was not difficult for her to imagine the sight of them running amuck through the fields. sons, daughters, grandchildren in the years to come. all tending to the land they worked towards now, all claiming that of yellowstone.

it was a vision she'd had since the moment she could imagine herself a mother. the only change was that arktos now sat beside her in the picture.

she rests against him for a moment or two before stirring again, feet drawing her a step away as her stomach gives a rumble. "care to join me for a hunt?" he'd just wrapped up a patrol and she'd just awoken. she thought a meal would sound enticing for the both of them, and give them yet some time together before separating to continue their own responsibilities.

want to fade here? <3

though there is a soft ache of muscles begging him to relax for a bit, arktos agrees to a hunt all the same. though kept at bay by purpose and his singular mindset, there is a soft ache of hunger in his belly that a small woodland or plainsland critter would quickly quiet.

as it was her idea, arktos gestures for her to lead the way to their quarry, content to spend some time bonding with her as they hunt their small meals together.