The cavern's walls were lined with roots; thin like thread and bulbs of thick knots twining and running in endless sporadic patterns above her head like the colors of sky becoming night, winking with slick beads of falling dew. They clung to the ceiling and its crumbling soil with dainty fingers of green, spilling its bloom across what was once the remnants of winter dark and blue, keeping like veins the structure of a den that was the Alpha's chamber. It was comforting, this little hole, thick with must and laced with dust though easy on one's tired eyes, drowned in a warmth that smelled of herb and oaky plumes of earth. Like him. Like Azul. His scent, his intoxicating aura, was precisely this - here. A haven in which he laid he head, blessed by the first gentle touches of spring's green thumb. She was caressed by its glory as she approached the back wall, her eyes closing and her smile growing as her paws indulged in the sweet softness of the floor's moss and pillowing blankets of dirt, breathing and savoring before she was to be joined by his presence.

Her belly hit the dampness of floor with a sound like a sigh from her lips, her legs curling beneath the fluff to her chest and her tail twisting about her ankles, the nape of her neck against the flattened gravel that welcomed gently from behind. Her hind legs stretched out behind her, splayed by strands of cream, mindlessly shifting as time wore on and their strings awaited their pull. Time was irrelevant in this bubble of heat and earthen smells, though she knew he would come once his presence was relieved of its call for duty, and this sent her thoughts reeling. The suspense was heightened and before long she craved his embrace, all but counting the seconds until he would save her from the silence. She wanted his voice at her ear, his skin at hers, his scent in its truest form. His warmth was what she begged for, for the emptiness beside her was becoming ever emptier, and the realization of her - nearly - desperation was rather frightening. She had become so dependent upon Azul so very quickly, and the season and its many temptations all but put fire to her previous desires, but she knew her lusts were more than simply those of a bitch in heat. She wanted to love, to search and to feel, and she would never wish to do so with anyone but her king.

Leaving the Deltas' in the field, he rushed to his den. Racing through the field, it kicked up the pollens and dust from behind him. The pollen clung to his fur, covering him in the scent. Azul was on a war path for home. Nothing would stop him from reaching his destination and nothing would stop him from discussing what he wished with his fae, his love, his Alphess. As he made it back to the camp, he noticed how late it actually was. The sun was almost completely set, but he decided it was time to calm himself down. He would be discussing important things with her first, then to their connection. When he finally made it outside their den, he stopped and stared at the entrance. How could the Alpha be so freaked out right now? This was his fae, she had stolen his heart and yet he was nervous like a pup with a crush. Although she was the first fae he ever cared for. Thinking about her, caused all this issues to go away and wash from his mind. He paced outside the den, thinking of his words carefully. What would he say? How would he put it? How would he make his move? Saliva began to build in his throat, clogging the airways. He coughed it up, forcing it from his pipes. He took a deep breath and prepared himself. "Alright... you just go in there, say what you have to say and then make your move. it is spring and the season will pass soon. You have to act now..."

With no more motivation, the brute entered the den. As he entered, he smiled to his Alphess. She looked beautiful in comparison to his dark walls. Her eyes shone brightly, captivating the brute where he stood. The nerves built up within him once again and he pressed forward. His paws forced him to stand before her. Before he spoke, he dropped his head to her cheek and nuzzled it lovingly. As he pressed the fur of his to hers, he smiled. He took in her scent, nuzzling his nose in her beautiful coat. "Hello dear, I have missed you." He placed a gentle lick to her cheek and dropped his body to the floor before her. He stared deeply into her eyes, smiling happily at her. "My darling Lucy, I have been wishing to speak with you on a matter, I find to be very important." He cleared his throat, looking down to the floor, then bringing his gaze back to her. "I wish to continue our lives together and start a family. The Deltas have already asked that they be allowed to grow their family." He looked over to his side, staring at the wall. "I could not tell them no, and I could also not allow them to start before we do," he said as he chuckled softly. He licked under her chin, just one time. "What do you think of having pups? Perhaps we have six or even eight? I hope we have a little girl and she looks just like you, sharing all your beautiful qualities. Anything else, I don't care, as long as they are strong and healthy."

Her chin lowered to the cavern floor, columns of a day's closing sun dancing stripes upon her velvet nose, her amber stare fluttering about with soft sweeps of lashes across her cheeks. The sweet taste of earth trailed along her tongue's dimpled edge as it was breathed, putting her mind temporarily to rest as it tirelessly spun. She would have no nightmares this night, no ghosts or shadows to haunt her, as if the stars drawn by the darkness above would hear her pleas for silence. She would be alone - alone - with Azul, and her qualms would do little to stop what she was ready to unfold. With a gust of spring breeze that tickled with his scent at her muzzle he appeared - out of thin air, it seemed - dragging behind him the dripping cloak of fresh evening purple. She watched at first as his head ducked to avoid making contact with the ceiling, as his steps faltered upon their gazes greeting, and the way his body slumped with familiarity. His coat was astonishingly flawless, draped handsomely from his shoulders like falling ice of white that shone with a glow in the final embers of light, hanging aloof from his burly build in wisps and dewy spirals. His teeth peeked and glinted as he smiled, his breath - for but a whisper of a dying moment - lingering like smoke before his chest, but his eyes.... His eyes were what her attention sought.

Her nose was scrunched and deepened with wrinkles as she returned a grin with excitement and love rosy upon her lips, bending her neck as he placed a kiss into her fur in order to do the same upon his wide shoulder of milk and cream. "As I have missed you, love." Her head bumped beneath his chin as she slid it into his warmth, her eyes awakened now with fervor as he spoke of the Deltas, their request, and finally - with voice thick - a request of his own. His forwardness surprised her, though its sincerity and joyous origins were...comforting, like a swelling heat against her chest. "Azul, I..." she stared up at him like a lost pup, her eyes rounded like a doe's and pooling with watery sunshine. In a moment of quickened thinking and judgment sluggish with bliss she answered, content that the decision that she was to make tonight - even whilst caught in the heat of their contact - would lead to something beyond her recognition of beauty. "...yes. I would love to be a mother, and I would love to see you as a father. I...I'm ready for a family. Finally." She twisted her body around to reach his eyes, paying no mind to the soil that clung damp to her back as nuzzled her way further into his neck, speaking softly around his fur. "Oh, Azul. I love you. So much."

Nuzzling back into her fur, he smiled. The Alpha pressed himself tight against his fae, lapping his tongue against her muzzle as if he could not be stopped. When he did, eh looked into her beautiful eyes, staring deeply, "I love you as well dear, very much. I cannot wait to see you as a wonderful mother." He positioned himself to her side, nuzzling and nipping at her gently. "You have no idea how happy this makes me." His voice was gentle and sweet.


Waking up, bright and early, he looked to his side, feeling her fur pressed against his. Her gentle body was still asleep, resting peacefully. His eyes looked over her from nose to tail. Her belly was round and full, coming close to the time for their young to be born. Joy filled the Alpha to the brim. He watched her sleep for a moment, then licked her cheek gently. "Lucy, dear, it is time to wake up." He slowly moved from her side, standing and shaking his fur out. Taking a few steps towards the entrance, he could feel the warmth of the season pressing down on his fur. Peering out to the pack, he chuckled to himself. Turning his head back to his mate, he pressed his head to her forehead, rubbing them together tenderly. "Time for a little exercise today. Can't have you resting too much, now dear."

She awoke to his tongue lapping at her cheek, to his side shifting against hers as he shook from his slumber and the morning light broke. Her eyelids fluttered ever so gingerly as his breath puffed at her ear, his voice beckoning for her to turn and greet his words so temptingly, but her legs refused its call. She buried her head into the nook at his neck and groaned into his fur, failing miserably to lift herself off the ground and instead rolling herself towards him, smiling against the warmth to his skin as a paw brushed light as fingertips across her swollen belly. "Oh, but it is so comfortable in here," she whispered, her tongue at his shoulder in a kiss good morning before his touch was replaced by stuffy emptiness. Her paws went to follow him, stretching away from her stomach as her back arched with a delightful shiver and a muffled grunt, her jaws peeled away in a mighty yawn. With some effort, she twisted about and joined him at the entrance, sitting with a slump in the dappled sun spilled upon the floor and her forehead against the flat to his muscled arm. "But, I suppose some sun will do me good. Do us some good, hm?"

She looked over the clearing with her mate, her protruding belly pressed against his fur and her ear folded between their heat, her chin lifted to meet the late spring breeze. "The pack is flourishing, my love. So many have found us, and so many have stayed. But, I cannot help but feel uneasy. I am afraid of what our children will be born to." She met his eyes hesitantly, her lips curling into a smile as to lighten what tension she had created, but in time and with each breath shared fading into a pursed line that cut harshly into the scar that hung deep from her muzzle. "I cannot protect what I wish as much as I wish, and I know you are more than capable of doing so yourself, but...please be careful. Make sure you return to us come the fall of each day. There are many who are angry among us, and I fear they will act upon their anger with too much haste even for their benefit." Her eyes closed and her nostrils flared as her cheek met his skin, taking a quiet breath as to calm before stepping from their embrace with a light nip to his nose.

"Now. How about that exercise?"

Azul was proud of Lucy. She had been taking the pregnancy so well. Sure she had her moments of insanity, but he endured it with love and devotion. It was true, Azul loved Lucy more than anything on the planet, but those pups would be just as important. He could never imagine replacing his love for her with his young. "Exercise will be much better for all of you. Plus it will be good to get some fresh air, see some of your friends in the pack. I don't wish for everyone to think I killed you," he chuckled as he nuzzled his cheek to hers. He licked her cheek and moved himself close to her, lying on the ground once more. Perhaps she would need more encouraging. Azul smiled and nodded his head gently to her, "Lucy, many wolves have joined our numbers and many more will join as well. Our pack is growing and we have very much to be thankful for." But as she looked to his eyes, he could feel the pain she was suffering from. "Lucy, I would never allow any harm to you or our young. No wolf is dumb enough to try and over throw us or bring harm to my family. Every day I will come home to our den, lie beside you, and tell you how much I love you every night as you close your eyes to sleep. I promise you, nothing will happen to any of us. Not a single hair in your fur will be moved out of place, unless it is by myself or the pups you bring to life this summer."

As he moved himself closer, he pressed his cheek to her. "I love you Lucy, so please try and forget these things that haunt you. Let's take a nice walk outside, stretch those beautiful legs of yours, and show the other wolves how gorgeous you are." He smiled and licked both sides of her cheek. He moved to his feet and walked out into the beautiful day. As he moved about the small area before their den, he shook out his fur. The sun shone down on his hide and he smiled up to the sky. It was a beautiful day and soon the other wolves of the pack would know that his mate was expecting. He was the proudest he had ever been, only expecting to be more so once his pups were running around the pack.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind that too terribly. No one would bother looking for us here if they thought us dead. No interruptions." She giggled under her breath, the sound soft and fleeting like a child's, before pitching forward to press gently her nose to his. "Though I must admit, I do miss the pack. There are many I have yet and wish to meet. Let's hope none despise me yet for stealing away their Alpha for so long."

She closed her eyes and breathed; savoring his scent on her tongue, the feel of his embrace seeping through her coat. She lowered her head and tucked her chin into her chest, withdrawing from his skin to sit - a tad lopsided - with the warmth of the sun at her back. Her eyes did not flutter beneath their lids as she listened, nor did her tail twitch or neck stretch from its kinks, but she was not asleep as she looked to be; she was thinking. Remembering. Each day she spent with Azul was like falling in love again, beautiful bliss in each kiss, each word, and for a time she could easily mistake for a dream the nightmares had finally stopped. But how long would it last? He was right, of course; it would be better for both her and her family to forget those dark shadows and walk out into the light the new day brought, but the reoccurring thought of something...odd would not allow her mercy from its relentless trifling. There was a wolf she had both seen and not seen around the outskirts of camp, slinking most suspiciously though the closing shadows of evening on days when the bustle of her pack mates was nonexistent, and she would have approached him if not for the air of utter dominance that he threw about him. It disturbed her, he frightened her, but her qualms could just as easily be little more than paranoia. She was scarred, after all, and though there was one whom brought with him the illusion that she was whole again, there would always be holes.

"I love you, too, and always will. Thank you - for being so amazing. As usual." She brushed her shoulder against his side as it slid past her, turning to watch him stand before his camp, proud and virile, before joining his company at the lip of the den. "Oh, no. You should go out there and show your beautiful legs," she grinned up at him, her eyes aflame with innocent mirth. "For they are much more beautiful than mine."