Bearclaw Valley you need cooling

The river murmured low in the dark, its voice steady, familiar. The air was thick with cold, settling deep into the valley, but Cole had known worse. It wasn’t the chill that drove him back to his den, nor the ache in his bones from the day’s work—it was her.
@Winslet.
His beloved girl.
The den was quiet when he stepped inside, the soft hush of her breathing the only sound he cared to hear. Moonlight barely touched the edges of her fur, and for a moment, he only stood there, taking her in. The rise and fall of her sides, the warmth still lingering where she lay curled.
He moved slow, careful not to wake her, setting the hide down before draping it over her frame. A fresh pelt, thick and soft, meant to keep the cold from biting at her. Then he leaned in, pressing his nose to the crown of her head, lingering there.
A kiss, a breath, a quiet promise.
Y'fall asleep on me? he murmured, the words just a rasp of sound.
Then, settling beside her, Cole let the weight of the night ease from his shoulders.

the river lulled her to an early sleep, as it did most these days. the gurgle of the water tumbling gently over smooth pebbles a soothe to any ache in her soul, her mind. she always tried to wait for cole's return—every sunset, she'd lay at the mouth of their den, a hopeful smile on her lips. waiting to see her man round the bend, his figure backlit by the setting sun. 

but she often fell asleep long before he'd return. curled in the hearth of their home, gently inhaling his scent that cocooned around her. the gentlest lullaby. and just as often, she found him in her dreams. waiting for her, welcoming her. 

winnie stirred the slightest at first. her subconscious driving her to curl instinctively into the warmth placed atop her. only to be awaken at the gentle kiss pressed to her forehead. sleepy eyes flutter open to blink away the remnants of her sleep; to find cole settling beside her. 

her smile is tired, but no less soft, no less warm. shifting, she rolled onto her side to face him. burrow her muzzle into the fur of his neck and shoulder, pressing soft kisses before she stilled. 

"mmm, you come home too late." she murmured, voice scarcely louder than the rush of the water. but it didn't matter; he always came home to her.

"thank you for the hide, my love." winnie sighed as she settled against him. her eyes sliding shutting once again though she did not sleep, just simply relaxed. "tough day?" came the gentle question, the earnest desire to hear about his work. his anything.

Cole exhales slow, a deep, weary breath that carries the weight of the day with it. His hand—no, his paw, but damn if it doesn’t feel the same—rests heavy against her side, grounding himself in her warmth. He lingers in the feeling of her before he speaks, voice rough with exhaustion.
Long.
That’s all he gives at first, letting the silence settle between them like an old friend. But she knows him, knows how to wait him out, how to let the words come when they will. And so they do.
Gave Ameline a gift. A beat. He shifts slightly, gaze drawn to the river, watching as the moonlight dances across the water. While back, she asked me to go to Swiftcurrent Creek to thank 'em for... His jaw tenses, eyes flickering to her legs—scarred, healing, a reminder of what she’d been through. What he hadn’t been able to stop.
...Helpin’.
Another pause, heavier this time. There was a lot goin’ on then. Too much. But that ain’t an excuse, and he knows it.
You can come with me, if ya want. He murmurs it, not quite looking at her, but there’s something in the way he says it—an offering, a bridge. He knows she don’t need him to speak for her, to make peace on her behalf. But if she wants it, he’ll make the trip with her. Stand beside her. Whatever she needs.
And if she don’t? Well. He’ll go either way.

"oh my heart," she started, voice thick with emotion. with reverence. "you work too hard." spoken in a gentle murmur. though she knows he will not change, and she does wish him too. only...she wishes he could relax for just a moment or two. wishes he could be enveloped by the same calm and peace he gives her. the same overwhelming sense of security. 

he is a hardworking man. work is apart of him—his drive, his restlessness. he is reliable and steadfast, but he is also only a man. a man that can only overwork himself for so long. she rests her head atop his shoulder, humming a soft tune in content. "one of these days, i will force you to stay home." came her gentle tease, followed by a gentle huff of amusement. 

was that too much to wish for? would it be so bad of her to crave his presence, to keep him in her company for just a day? to bathe him with the undying love she had to give. to pamper him in the way he deserves for all his hard work. just the thought of having him all to herself for a day...it stirs something within her. a warmth, a spark. a knot to her stomach she'd only felt once before.

her scent curls around them, sweeter than before. heavier. and she's so eager for his touch, his attention.

he speaks of ameline, then of swiftcurrent. the place where she'd been ushered too all those weeks ago, after the coyotes had torn into her legs and her back. physical scars that are now healed, while the mental ones were still in the works. she had never gotten to thank them and their medics for helping her. her heart aches with guilty, but then there's hope as he extends an invitation. 

her tail gives a solid thump against the ground of their den, betraying her excitement. her joy. to walk beside him and to finally be able to give her thanks, to let her gratefulness be known. 

"i would love nothing more than to come with you." she sighed. "they deserve nothing less. but for now...let me have you all to myself." came her gentle words, laced with a certain sweetness. a certain need.

a desire.

"please?" she pleaded so prettily.

Cole chuckled low in his throat, the sound rough but warm as he listened to her. There was always something about the way she spoke to him, soft and steady, like the river outside their den. A force of nature, but gentle in the way it shaped him. He could pretend all he wanted that he was the unmovable one, but she had a way of pulling him under without even trying.
That right? he drawled, amusement flickering in his tone. Gonna tie me down, keep me home all day? You think I’d let you? He knew damn well he would. He’d let her do just about anything if she asked sweet enough, and she always did.
Her scent was different tonight, curling around them like the warmth of summer before the first heat of the day. It wasn’t lost on him. His head dipped, brushing his muzzle along the curve of her neck, slow, unhurried. You got me now, don’t you? His voice dropped to something quieter, something meant just for her. Ain’t goin’ anywhere.
For tonight, at least, she could have what she wanted.

his rebuttal was met with gentle laughter, a crinkle of eyes in amusement, before the sound was muffled. muffled by her burying further into his fur. closer, closer. as if she couldn't get close enough. inhaling his scent—it wraps around her mind, her senses. enthralling. 

"you would not fight me," she stated with a playful smile, hidden by the copper of his pelt. this they knew. "i have a feeling you'd enjoy it more than i." a soft tease. a scoot closer. needy.

with a sigh, her mind is not quiet. filled with thoughts and ideas of keeping him homebound, of keeping him near. smothering him with the affection that oozes in her veins, desperate to be unleashed. perhaps she was smothering him—but in this moment, she couldn't find it within herself to care. 

"you belong here, with me." her admission was less gentle, and slightly more demanding. heavy. oh, if only he could feel how much she needs him. wants him to stay.

Cole huffed, a quiet sound, more felt than heard, as she pressed in closer, closer still. Like she was trying to crawl beneath his skin, as if the warmth between them wasn’t enough. And truth be told, it never was—not for her, not for him.
Her voice was soft, muffled by the press of her muzzle into his fur, but he heard the teasing lilt, felt the smile against his chest. He let out a slow breath, shaking his head just slightly.
Wouldn’t be much of a fight, he admitted, voice low, rough. You win before I even get my damn teeth in.
It was true. He wouldn’t fight her, not really. He’d argue, sure—grumble about duty, about the things that needed doing. But in the end, she’d win, because she always did. Because when she looked at him like that, when she clung to him like he was the only thing keeping her tethered, he didn’t have it in him to pull away.
It wasn’t soft, not this time. There was weight to it, the kind that settled in his bones, heavy and warm all at once. He exhaled through his nose, pressing his jaw to the crown of her head, lingering.
I know, he said, quiet, honest. Ain’t ever been a question.

"you would defy me?" winnie murmured against his fur. gulping another greedy inhale of his scent, wishing she could wear it for the rest of her days. and then she's retreating, just enough to lift her muzzle to press soft, feather-light kisses upon his jaw, his cheeks. wherever she could reach, for it could never be enough. he deserved all of it; all of her raw, reverent affection. and she knew he wouldn't deny it; he would not deny her.

the very thought makes her mind feel fuzzy. as if she was drunk on his touch, his words, his very presence. her breath is a gentle warmth against his fur, as her kisses travel to his neck. a soft, gentle rumble of her need filling the peaceful quiet of their home. "then tonight, you are all mine." it wasn't a demand, but a fact.

and he would be hers for every night following.

His breath caught, just slightly, as her lips traced along his jaw. Her voice, warm and breathy against his neck, stirred something deep—something ancient and protective. Cole had known war, winter, loss. But this—this quiet claim, this reverence she poured over him—this was what made a man feel whole.
He didn’t move for a long moment, letting her worship him in the only way she knew how, soft and fierce all at once.
Then, his head dipped, muzzle brushing over her ear with the gentleness he reserved for no one else. His voice was low, rough like gravel smoothed by rain.
I could never.
He pulled her closer, chest to chest, so that she could feel the steady drum of his heart—how it beat only for her.
Tonight. Every night. I'm yours.
And for once, in the midst of a world full of jagged edges and old ghosts, he was content to surrender.

fade