The Sand-snowed Path [..Mirage.&.Xercese..]

[eclipse]

The grey wolf that moved silently through the tall , ice-covered stalks that jutted from the hard-packed ground wasn't studying the beauty of the land around him. True, it was a glorious sight, but the soft pawsteps that followed him called his attention more than the cold winds or softly falling snow flurries did. The steps were soft, delicate and gentle... placed precisely and carefully. It was obvious they were female to any wolf who heard them... that in itself would be enough to catch the attention of a good number of wolves.

That wasn't quite what held Xercese's attention, though. It was the fact that the same thing that happened so many moons ago under the cloud-brushed sky at Hrellia was happening again, only with the wrong female. The he-wolf stopped to turn and look at Mirage, fighting back all the feelings he felt. The smaller lady behind him made him think of a horse he once saw. He had vivid memories of struggling to bring it down and sink his teeth into it's throat, and yet the proud pied beast would not fall to it's knees and give up. It was the same thing: Too many times before, he scorned Mirage. Too many times before he found himself baring his teeth at her and chasing her from their happy existence. Still... she accepted him again without so much as a growl and now was showing such devotion to him and his cause that he was partially awed by it.

"Mmm... Mirage..." he paused, savoring the name on his tongue. It was a sharp, hard name unlike the lingering name of his mate. He was tempted to say it again, for it felt good to finally be able to say it so companionably... After a moment of hesitation Xercese decided against it and moved over to her, standing by her side. "This is our home. Not much, but as the pack grows, we can expand."

A sharp breath of wind mixed their fur together for the briefest of seconds, and Xercese felt a chill go up his spine quite unrelated to weather. "What do you think?"

[† Kadaver †]

After catching up to him when leaving the Rock, she had strayed a bit more to his side, rather than behind him directaly. Staring at the alpha's backside was for omegas, which she would die before she got anywhere below her current status. Instead, she was at his side, her eyes skimming the area. She knew she was in the territory, for it immediately smelled like him when the duo crossed the boarder.

When he stopped, she continued until she was directly at his side. "This is our home. Not much, but as the pack grows, we can expand." Expanding wasn't a problem for her. She had proven that fact probably a little too well in her last major appeareance in these lands. "What do you think?" He asked her, though she ess had partially zoned out, mesmorized by all the white. Snapping back, her silver eyes bore into him as she replied. Just as you said. We could expand. Two's company, dear Xercese, though I was thinking of more of a...party? She purred, her tones thoughtful.

Dictating was in her blood. She was a ruler of many numbers, and though her prior kingdom had fallen, she had been granted with a second chance. Not to mention, a second chance with another at her side, rather than a mere henchmen like Zuko, whom she was still utterfly peeved at. If he teamed up with Hayashi, than it would just be easier for her. Two birds with one stone. Her thoughts wandered back to the land, imagining what it would look like when the cold snow melted.

Tell me, Xercese. What was it like being a father? She asked curiously, though her tones were layered partly with seduction. Mirage wasn't getting any younger, and even in her larger empire, she had no heirs. It seemed to be a past life when she was pregnant before, her pups never exiting her womb. Their unborn deaths were of her own accord. The fae, young at the time, never showed it, but even though their father had betrayed her in the worst way, they were half her's. She cried for them once, and only once, feeling the loss that only a mother could understand.

The maternal instinct never ceases, and now she was in a more stable lifestlye, with or without Xercese. If she were to conceive now, she would give birth by the time the trees budded.

//OoC;; I am sooooo sorry. Thanks for kicking me back here.\\

[eclipse]

Xercese watched a pair of black crows wheel and dive overhead, screaming at each other before joining in a plummet towards the trees. They slid out of site, lost in the center of the lands that he called his. For a long, wind-chilled moment he was lost in his mind, imagining them alighting on some fallen tree side by side. They were lost to every creature but themselves... At the sound of his name, the wolf flicked an ear towards Mirage.

"I set off to the slave sales to send out invites... give them to souls in the wrong place at the right time." his lips curled back at the memory of all that he found: broken, chained figures that would never build a foundation. "I almost left when you came and enticed me away."

The way she looked at him as he spoke made him want to edge a little closer. True, she spoke in a calm and neutral fashion and they were both standing a respectful distance from each other... but he couldn't help but feel a slight dip in his gut when she turned those vivid eyes on him.

Tell me, Xercese. What was it like being a father?

Xercese bit back a questioning yip. Of course he was expecting some kind of question from her... but that? any other time he would have said something along the lines of 'whooooah! A bit soon, eh babe?'. There was no mistaking the subtle implications and hidden undertones that question posed. The translucent cover of 'I'm just curious' was the only thing that stopped the raised eyebrows and the stare.

"Well... it was a while ago..."

Of course Xercese remembered what it was like. He could still feel the delicate touch of paws on his shoulder as a pup played with her father. His heart still burst with pride when he remembered Hayashi showing him their small forms for the first time. The memory of his blood, his own blood mingled with Hayashi's, in flesh frolicking around his paws was sweeter and more glorious than anything the alpha ever knew.

The expression of intense longing on his face must have given him away, he could tell, so he continued.

"... but it was beautiful. I loved it... I miss it. I wish I knew if Hayashi's and my young still..." ... without trying to, he found himself filled with shame again. If the pups still lived? he shouldn't be with Mirage. His blood would need to be whole, have both parents... if he had pups with some other female, it would be a twist of the knife in the pups' hearts. If they lived. If Hayashi knew where they were. If they found out. He turned to look at Mirage, his gaze more intense that he ever allowed it before.

"But I miss it..."