Here with me (Zeroki)

Exhausted, the loud slumbering of the wolf bear drifted from the seclusion of a bed of sun warmed rocks. Yanya was finally able to rest, after carrying her wolf brethren on her back for so long.
Lost in a deep dreamless sleep, she felt assured that they had reached a safe place for the time being...

Cold eyes watched over the reunions among the pack, as the ebony flier sat beside her soldier. Neither having left each others side during the evacuation (or at least, trying hard not to...)
Her eyes scanned for her brother and his mate. Kerridwen had seen them earlier...
Nose twitched as she scented the air of this new place. "At least the Alphas are alright." Kerridwen murmured softly in absent thought.
Sighing, she turned to softly lick Saeros on the cheek, "How are you feeling?"
Her eyes brightened a moment as the she-wolf looked over the warrior's wounds. He had been lucky...
Fear began to creep to her heart as thoughts of him lying on the ground... bleeding... unconscious...
NO! he was alive! Here...Now... with her... Why did her mind insist on wondering so?

Saeros didn't think he'd ever been so tired in his life. Well, maybe when he'd been banished from his birth pack, but that was an entierely different story all together. His usually glaring eyes were half lidded in fatigue.

He was lucky to be alive, and the thanked the gods that they hadn't yet taken him. The warrior didn't want to go. Not yet...

The lick on his cheek brought the dark soldier from his musing and thoughts. His green eyes turned to the fiery flier and his blinked for a moment.

"How are you feeling?"

Saeros blinked once more before a small, teeny, tiny, eeeny, weeny little smile creeped onto Saeros' muzzle, while the torn remains of his ears flicked a bug away in irritation.

"Better than earlier, I'll give you that. What about you?"

He watched her eyes, traveling his torn body.

Nudging her neck lightly, his dark green eyes took on a particularly fierce gaze.

"Quit thinking like that. I'm right here, Kerridwen."

His soft nudge awoke her from the horror of her fears.
"I'm sorry..." She murmured in apology, her ears flicking back to his stern tone, and in embarrassment at having being caught out. "I just- Agh...I don't know." Her voice trailed off as she put her mind elsewhere. Had she really become so transparent that he could know her thoughts?

"I'm alright. A bit sore, but nothing that can't be fixed..." The flier replied with a light smile, remembering his question, and avoiding admitting how scared she had been for him.
Her tan chest was ripped open with a long, but not so deep gash... Blood had crusted and turned to scab. Annoying and itchy.
Her wounds were minor and except for that one, few would leave noticeable marks.

Saeros actually chuckled a bit at her quick apology. (IT'S THE FATIGUE! I SWEAR TO GOD!)

"Please don't apologize."

The torn soldier sort of smiled, which actually looked kinda cute on him. (In-a-scarred-bad ass-damn fine looking wolf-is smiling-way.) Before he nudged Kerridwen's muzzle lightly with his slightly torn one.

Thank the gods Saeros' fur was so dark, because he would have been fifteen shades of distinguisable red by then.

"It's been a long time since somebody actually cared about me."

(ooc) Sorry to butt in, I just have a request for Nocturne.

Would you mind posting in Gildarius' post "Infringing cautiously on other territories" with Howlite (and anyone else, if you'd like) at some point? You can decide when you'd want Howlite to jump in.

Soft as rain was the smile that returned to greet his, as Kerridwen felt a great warmth surround them in that moment.
She was glad that one soul could see her for how her heart longed to express, and years of hardship had stolen away.
She nudged him back, lost for words for the time being at this show of affection.

She would be glad when the pack has settled, and eyes are not so close on every members whereabouts...
Aware of her mind's wondering habit, the flier chuckled before musing her thoughts over with her companion.
"I was just thinking of those meetings we had before... Private arrangements known to both, yet said aloud be neither...
We do work well together Saeros. And for me too it has been a long time."

OOC: Forgive me for not replying sooner. Yet again, life intervenes...
Yes, I will reply to your thread, Heaven

"I was just thinking of those meetings we had before... Private arrangements known to both, yet said aloud be neither...We do work well together Saeros. And for me too it has been a long time."

Saeros nodded lightly. For some reason, it felt so....right to sit here. To smile and smile only for her. The soldier couldn't remember the last time he felt so content....

Like he belonged here.

The dark soldier sighed, leaning his head against Kerridwen's own.

"We work well together, though I think in the beginning, we tried to rip each other's throats out." Saeros commented with a smirk.

His smirk turned to a smile, his deep green eyes shining with something long ago thought lost.

"Kerridwen....?"

Saeros did not move his head to look at the flier, but instead looked up to the stars, a few of which twinkled from behind the clouds of smoke that obscured the sky as the sun set in a deep red.

He cared greatly for the fiery flier, so deeply in fact, that he was surprised now as he thought about it, the lengths he would go to for her. Saeros would hunt for her if she was lost, would mourn her death, and would kill to stay with her.

The soldier realized with little surprise that he not only cared for her. This....feeling went beyond simply caring for someone else.

Maybe, this feeling...

Maybe it was....

Love...?

"Stay with me....?"

He turned his head towards her, smiling slightly, his eyes shining softly in the evening light that the sunset cast upon them...

"We work well together, though I think in the beginning, we tried to rip each other's throats out." Saeros commented with a smirk.

The flier chuckled at his comment, thinking that they may still be a few days where each might want to take a piece out of the other... but not today...
Her gaze did not follow to the stars, but to others around them, families and loved ones cuddled and comiserated. And for one of the few times, didn't make the flier sick from the sight...

"Kerridwen....?"

"Yeah..." Her voice echoed as her name called, bringing her eyes back to him.

"Stay with me....?"

Kerridwen leaned in to lick Saeros's muzzle slow and meaningfully, "I'll never leave." she whispered softly.

OOC: Hey Zeroki, lets try play this one out as long as we can?

"I'll never leave."

Saeros smiled, his eyes shining. He was happy.

For once, Saeros was completely and truly happy with where he was, and where he was planning to stay.

The soldier nuzzled the flier next to him.

"You know this means I'm leaving the soldiers, right?"

Saeros sighed but still smiled.

"I've had enough with the fighting anyhow. I don't think my body can stand being torn up anymore."

Returning his affections she paused, looking at him in amazement at his decision, though could understand...
"What would you do?" Kerridwen asked, wondering how Cold Mountain would take the news. The Alphas wouldn't argue much... not when they had so much on their minds already... But the Delta might resist in giving up his best soldier.
All in all the flier was relieved at the idea as she cuddled her body close to his...

"What would you do?"

The warrior shrugged lightly at her question.

"I can hunt, or be a flier, like you. I wouldn't mind staying in reserve as a soldier, to fight only when they need me."

Saeros chuckled.

"And I don't think Cold Mountain will object much, I've seen too many fights as is. I'm tired of killing. I want to have a life, a family, since I didn't really have one of my own growing up."

He leaned his head against Kerridwen's.

And here, he felt at peace...

Kerridwen smiled warmly. A soldier reserve? She could live with that... And a family? Hmmm... now that was a thought that could make the flier blush beneath her ebony fur.

"And when do you suggest we start this family, my dear?" She purred out teasingly, flattered that anyone could picture herself to be the mothering type.
In truth, the idea scared her a little... The memories of her parents began to pull the smile from her face. Would she be a good mother?

"And when do you suggest we start this family, my dear?"

Saeros laughed and turned his head to Kerridwen, his eyes glinting mischieviously and a wide grin slapped across his muzzle.

"Whenever YOU want to, dear."

Kerridwen laughed, before covering his face in soft licks. "Let's first find a new home... It'll be foolish for the now, when so little food is available. Besides..." she leaned over to whisper, her breath soft to his ear, "...there are too many eyes around us..."