Winter had set in a long time ago, making every setting in Ala cold and agonizing to walk through. For those used to the dropping temperatures and biting winds, it was a godsend. Pandora was not one of those people. She was a winter baby, but preferred the warm, sunny days where she could bask and let her gleaming coat catch the sun's rays. She was a beauty in the hot weather, but winter was a different story. Her hatred for the cold was very high that evening, leaving her in a bitter mood. She had been hanging out at the lake, looking at her reflection in the frozen surface. Her beauty was something not many could claim they had, but to have it and not be able to share it among other wolves...it was very depressing. A warm breath in the shape of a sigh left her lips, forming into a puff of smoke before quickly evaporating. Her turquoise eyes shimmered, but only with the sadness of being alone. Solitude really did suck. Silently, she pulled back from the water and curled into a cobalt blue ball. Her den had caved in from the weight of snow, causing the rocks above her to break free. She was now alone, sad, in heat, and homeless. Her body began to shiver and a faint scent crossed her nose before she pulled her face beneath her tail. Golden-backed ears flattened as soft sobs wracked her frame. Hope seemed lost in her part of the world. Talk like this

The bitter winter winds ruffled the man's coat, making his grumpy mood even worse. He was thankful for his size, it was easier to migrate through the snow. But he was higher up, and the wind whipped him right in the face. Growling he stalked onwards. He wasn't quite sure where he was going, but he just needed to find a nice cave to go and pass the hell out in. It had been how long since he had slept now? A good three days at least. He could feel the beginning of utter exhaustion, and he just wanted to be away from Ebony while he slept. That way if he cried out, no one could hear him.

He started to make his way to the lake for a quick peek to see if it was frozen, when he saw a rather odd looking rock. Blinking his eyes, he tried to focus on it, but his damned half blind eye made it hard. Shutting his silver eye he peered at it with only his auburn one, more clear without the blur of his left eye. That is when he noticed that the rock was blue and gold, and was not a rock at all. It was moving, and crying. Opening both eyes he blinked, trying to see if he was dreaming. Bending down he bit his leg, but when he looked up the wolf-rock was still there. That is when it hit him, the scent of heat. Fendar's body shuddered, the smell calling to him in ways that he didn't like. The poor thing was shivering and crying, it would not help if he strutted over and told her that her scent made him horny. Nope, big no-no. He turned to leave, when her sob broke free. The large male winced, he couldn't just leave her out here to freeze to death. A sigh buffered out from his maw, and he moved back to face the stranger. Cursing his giving heart, he stalked over to her. Without so much as a word he settled himself down in the snow beside him, letting out a grumble as he wrapped his huge form around her smaller one. He encased her in his heat, while the smell of her season struck him hard in the face. Fendar was pretty close to just driving his nose into the snow to block it out. But he had been through worse. Gritting his teeth, he rested his auburn head atop her own, huffing out another sigh. There, maybe this would stop her from crying.

The sadness that had taken over the poor girl had consumed her mind. The cold was only making her situation worse, something she was not happy with at all. Her whole world was becoming black and white, making her want to slip into the shadows of some random part of Alacritis. As least there, she would be able to find a place to rest from the shivering temperatures. Night time was not a good time to become so depressed.

Her sobs continued to ring through the small area she had curled up in, making her figure shiver as an afterthought. She was shivering so much, she could feel the brisk wintery air leave her quivering body. As she stopped moving, she then realized something was up. Why was the wind suddenly ceasing its teasing manner upon her frame? The answer came in the form of a scent....and it was all around her!

Pandora's head slowly rose from beneath her tail, eyes dappled with frozen tears upon her eyelids looking around. She caught the bi-colored gaze of an unknown male, one who hadn't said a word but appeared from out of the dark. Her ears perked and her respirations slightly increased. When she saw that he wasn't interested in her succulent scent, she began to calm down. His warmth was greatly appreciated and all she could do was stare. After a few seconds, the depression departed, her tail moved to muffle her scent, and she softly cleared her throat. "Th...thank you..." she softly said, Romanian tones slightly wet by the recent sobbing.

"Speech"

It was hard to ignore the scent, but he was a solider. He could endure it, and he would. He would not take advantage of the poor woman, he wasn't like that. She was sad and cold, like ice against his fur. Fendar wondered how long the woman had been out for, winter was harsh this year and it probably didn't take long for her to get cold. The dame didn't seem to notice him at first, but when she did she moved to lift her head. He raised his own head that had been resting over hers, giving her space to get situated. But she just stared at him. Ears pinned slightly as he cleared his throat, slightly uncomfortable. He didn't have anything on his face, did he? He was quite the strange guy, just waltzing in and wrapping himself around a stranger. But then again, Fendar did have a big heart under all those grumpy tones -- it just took a bit of digging to find that. She thanked him, tone sweetened by an accent he didn't know. He nodded gruffly, giving a grunt in response. He would be lying if he didn't notice how pretty she was, but as her tail wrapped closer to her own rump he was reminded about her situation. She didn't want that, and neither did he. He didn't even know her name, nor anything about her. That simply would not do. He knew that he was being quite rude, so he unpinned his ears and let his gaze roam her face, nosing off the salty tears that rested on her face. He couldn't have them freezing on her, now could he? "I'm Fendar Xanilov." He murmured, tones soft as they were so close to one another. "We should probably find some shelter, its gunna get dark fast." His tone was very matter-of-fact, straight to the point with slight tones of his grumpy demeanor. But he wasn't about to move until she said something. If she wanted her own personal Fendar jacket, there wouldn't be much that he could do. He had already committed to playing a blanket, better own up to it. "Talk" "You" Think

At first, the male gave off an awkward vibe. He was silent, but his demeanor was one of devotion. Perhaps that was why he had instantly curled around her, not asking any questions or voicing anything regarding her heat scent. The fact that he hadn't voiced anything made Pandora feel...better?, she supposed, about her current situation. After all, it wasn't her fault that she was born in the winter, nor that when she had turned two, she was nothing but hormones. For some strange reason, they were quiet tonight, and she was relieved that they remained that way. The male then revealed his title, giving him a name she could put with the face. Xanilov... She had heard that name before, but for the moment, she was not sure where it had come from. Nevertheless, she had met someone from his family, but that male's face remained a blur, like his name. Such compiling thoughts were complicated for her delicate mind at the time, so she weakly pushed them away to focus as the male nosed her frozen tears from her face. "Pandora...Pandora Artenie," she revealed, letting her name float between them on raw lyrics. The sobs had left her voice temporarily used, but she knew it would return in time. Even as she spoke, she slowly realized that the male was a looker, one that was not boastful and didn't appear to brag about his genes. Another soft smile appeared on her face, but it vanished when he suggested finding a place of refuge. "Oh," she said in a gentle protest. "I would have been inside, only if..." She looked beyond him to the den that rested a few yards from where they lay. "My roof hadn't caved in..." Her ears slowly flattened against her skull as she lowered her gaze to the golden-dipped front paws she adorned. "That was my home, my only place of safety for the past year." "Speech"

She told him her name, and he slowly nodded his head. It didn't sound familiar, but he had not been in this land for too long. Still, it was her accent that intrigued him. Fendar's voice was different from the mainland wolves, but it was so slight that it was hard to notice unless close attention was paid. But Pandora's name sounded foreign in itself, spoke of an exotic land far away from this coast. She seemed to be calming down, even a smile showing on his face. Ah, better.  He didn't want any more of those messy tears or shaky sobs, it made his head and his heart hurt. Ladies should not be sad and alone, not in a time like this.

It was all fine until he brought up shelter. Oh damn. Way to go Fendar, he just had to open that big mouth of his! A sigh left his maw and he shuffled slightly, unsure of how to console her. But talk of losing homes was one he knew all too well. "I understand, Pandora." His voice cracked, and he looked away as she did to hide the pain. He watched his home be torn apart by war and blood, fought for it too. "But a home is not a place where you rest your head at night. Its in here." He said softly, lifting a paw and placing it on her chest. His head moved to look at her piercing blue eyes, a soft smile on that auburn muzzle of his. He had to relocate after hiding, there he moved from place to place. He brought his home with him, because he had no other options.

Clearing his throat as his ears pinned slightly in embarrassment and he took his paw off of her form. He looked around, trying to think of something else. "Why don't we go on a little hunt for a home for you? I could always bring you back to Ebony, but only if packs are your thing." His voice was soft, hesitant. He knew that not all wolves liked to be in a pack, and he respected that. He would not push it on her, which is why he suggested looking around. Fendar's metallic gaze moved upwards, gazing at the sky as it began to grow grey. Frowning, he knew that it would start to turn black in only a matter of moments. The most bold stars started to show, shining through the haze as the first warning of nightfall. Shit, probably not the best time to go looking around. They couldn't really stay out here all night though, Fendar could only produce so much heat...

She was saddened by the loss of her den, but somehow, Fendar knew how she felt. The reasons why were unknown to her, but aside from not knowing his past, Pandora felt like she was not alone in the world. In that moment, Fendar was someone who had been in her shoes before, making her isolated world widen to add him. He continued to make her world bigger by telling her that home was where the heart was, furthering his explanation with a physical motion of his paw. She looked down at his foreleg and saw where he had touched her chest. A soft smile appeared on his face and she raised her eyes to meet his in that soft moment. "I will have to remember that, Fendar," she replied, tones hinting a tiny bit of tenderness that was wrapped in her Romanian accent. Fendar then pulled back and suggested what she had been down to do: look for a new home. The tenderness displayed in her eyes receded into her mind and she cleared her throat before they broke their held gaze at the same time. The offer to take her back to Ebony reached her ears and at first, she didn't know how to respond. Instead of worrying about it, she coughed and stretched out all four legs from underneath her dark blue form. "I...I think trying to find a new den wouldn't be a bad idea," she admitted, deciding to tuck away the idea of Ebony for later. She didn't know what the pack was like and even if she did, would she even want to go simply because a random gentleman appeared and offered? The possibilities from that question were endless. Pandora would be the first to rise from the cold ground, of which the snow had melted beneath both bodies and created a circle that surrounded them. She took a dainty step away from Fendar and shook out her pelt, unintentionally showing off the golden marks that graced her shoulders and hips. They all shimmered and caught the remaining light of day, casting a short shadow of her form to hit the snow. Her ears perked and she looked at him with an anticipating gaze. "Would you...mind accompanying me on this quest?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't disappear since she rose first.

Her gaze had grown softer, eyes and mouth smiling. His words had touched her, and he had made his mark. His own grumpiness had worn off through the conversation. Sleep didn't matter when he was caring and protecting someone, it was his job. He strove to make others feel safe, he felt a great pleasure in it. All signs of her tears were gone, even her voice had lost most of its harshness. Pandora said that she would remember that, and he nodded. It was something he took to heart, something he had to find out the hard way. He felt as if he had lost everything when Old Ebony had fallen, but he had the most valuable thing left -- his life. So many lives had been taken during that war, so many dying screams of his comrades. Eyes squeezed shut to block out the images, to stop the sounds of their screams. He would never forget, but he had allowed himself to move on. The girl stood, and he was thankful that he could stand up. He was starting to get a little too comfy, and their gazes had broken with an awkward feeling lingering. But as he rose to all fours, he realized just how much bigger than her he was. He knew he was bigger than most wolves, but he hadn't been able to fully see her size as she became a wolf-rock. He couldn't help but gaze at those dazzling gold markings, intricate designs that wound around her form. They were like a maze, and all at once he wanted to explore it with his claws. Shaking his head he forced his gaze to her face, flashing a small smile. Oops... had he been caught staring? Fendar shook himself, both to rid the snow from his multi-auburn shaded coat and to clear those thoughts from his mind. She was vulnerable right now, last thing she needed was some big oaf staring at her. Pandora suggested looking for a new den, and his head nodded with a little too much vigor. As she asked him to accompany her, he barked out a laugh. "Did you think I was going to leave you to have all the fun? I don't think so." He muttered, eyes casting around the lake. It was growing darker, and with this woman in heat he knew that if left alone, the temptations of some wayward male might come to haunt her. "Plus, every pretty lady needs a big man for protection." Goodness... what was that? Was that an attempt to flirt? Ha! He was so lame. Bringing himself to her side, he smiled and hoped that she took that in a teasing matter. No need to make things any more awkward, he had done a good enough job of that already. Idiot... "Talk" "You" Think

After she rose from the ground, she saw how tightly he closed his eyes. She silently wondered if he was experiencing a headache or a bad reaction to another whiff of her heat. As he shook his head, she finally assumed that maybe a bad thought had come to his mind and he wanted to get rid of it. Pandora didn't say a word, but merely watched him after he got on all fours. She took notice of how he watched her swirls and she shyly looked away before he noticed her gaze. Maybe her hormones were starting to act up again, she didn't know, but the way he was mesmerized by her swirls and lines made Pandora feel more like herself. Of course, this would not be voiced, either. Especially if they had just met and didn't know much about each other. Such thoughts were pushed from her mind and she took a chance to look back at him. His gaze had moved to her face and his body had moved closer to hers as he answered her question with a laugh. The sound was warm, enticing, and a welcomed sound to her ears. She hadn't made someone laugh in quite awhile, and the physical reaction of her humor had been missed. Pandora couldn't help but feel more warm than before as they took a few steps forward, his eyes roving the surrounding area. The dens she knew about were further back from the lake's edge, but definitely in a safer region of the layout. She just didn't know if any of them were vacant for the winter season. What he said next made Pandora halt in her tracks. He looked at her and she looked back, her eyes merrily twinkling despite the sudden stunned silence. The tip of her tail wagged at his attempt to flirt and she playfully bumped her left shoulder against his right. "Yes, you are quite right," she agreed, her tones more happy and relaxed with each word. "I wouldn't be caught with a tiny, weak excuse of a man. That's not the kind of lady I am." Their banter was definitely making her feel better and she took a few steps forward again, hoping he would fall into place beside her. Her smile widened and she gave a soft sigh as she looked over to the set of trees protecting the dens from view of the lake. "There are some dens over there in that direction...if you are brave enough to face any dragons?" There had been some lizards there in the summer, but she figured they were long gone by now. However, that didn't keep her from being cautious. Talk like this

Damn, he had been caught looking. Fendar had half the mind to look away and whistle, to seem even more like he had been caught red handed. It had been a long while since he had had an interaction like this, one that was fun and easy, yet full of embarrassing moments and funny looks. He felt like a young boy again, discovering that woman were a nice thing to look at. Pandora was a rare breed indeed though, he had not seen marks like that in his whole four years of life -- and he had been around town a few times. But it would seem that as time passed with these two, the girl was starting to warm up just as he was. He felt better than he had in awhile, like he had just slept but without the nightmares. So he gladly stood and took a place at her side, finding it rather comical that she was a lot smaller than he had thought.
He startled slightly when she stopped dead in her tracks, legs splaying somewhat as he looked around for danger. When he realized that it was just to look back at him, he relaxed and offered her a small smile. He was still quite jumpy, he doubted that it would ever go away. She moved her shoulder and bumped his own, making Fendar chuckle in his low baritone. "then what does that make me, my lady?" He asked in a teasing manor, raising a single brow as he looked down on her. He wasn't a fool, he knew that she was flirting. But it was breezy and calm, something that he was enjoying throwing back at her. He needed to get out more, to get into more conversations like this. It took a weight off of his shoulders, made him forget. When she brought up fighting off dragons he just let out a huff, spreading his legs and puffing out his chest. "A valiant knight would not leave a poor damsel in distress, now would he?" He teased, bending down and flicked his wet nose against her ear. The soft hair tickled his nose as he pulled back, smirk spread across his black lips. He could take a dragon fight any time.
Seeing that she was heading towards the tree line, Fendar followed her in stride. His eyes kept peeled for any signs of a den, and it wasn't long before he saw a large burrow, big enough for two wolves. Grinning, he trotted over and stuck his nose in, sniffing around to see if anyone was in there. He was greeted with a rather loud growl as a leg struck out, claws running down his nose. Yelping he pulled back, nose twitching as blood pooled across the black surface. Letting out a growl he peered in, closing his one half blind eye to try and focus better. There sitting in the cave was a rather pissed off badger, teeth bared as it growled and hissed at him. He growled right back, snapping his teeth in its direction. That is when he saw the smaller shape of young ones, cowering behind their protector. Frowning, he snorted at the rather rude mother and backed off. He wasn't going to drive them out in the cold.
Fendar returned to Pandora's side, the cold air stinging his slashed nose. "I seem to have ran into a dragon, but she was protecting her babies. Couldn't very well drive them out." He mumbled, ears folding slightly. "Any luck on your end?" He asked, sniffling as the blood started to slowly trickle towards his nostrils.

]

Her ears pleasantly perked forward when he called her 'my lady'. The phrase had never been used to define her, and it was something she actually liked. She shyly looked away from him as they walked, only to look back at him through her peripheral vision as she swiftly replied. "The complete opposite, of course." Whatever little bit of eyes he could see would have a brilliant sparkle to them. "Otherwise, I wouldn't want you to be at my side." She revealed some of what she was feeling, but Pandora didn't mind if he knew. For some reason, it made her feel more relaxed about him being there.

His sign of affection made her get a few spine tingles, causing her fur to rise and fall down to her tail. The last time someone had nuzzled her ear had been when Scorpion was at her side...The wonderful evening and morning tried to rise to the surface, but she pushed them down with a firm paw. She didn't need the memories to appear now, not when she was in a completely different situation. His next question made her turn her head back in his direction, full gaze landing on his. "If you did such a thing, this damsel would become a blue popsicle!" She looked away from him again, eyes rising to the sky and a dramatic sigh hitting the air. "A beautiful piece of work frozen in time...." Pandora couldn't help but giggle as soon as her words faded. The girl had a flair for the dramatic effects.

They had reached the line of trees and the line of potential dens rose and fell in front of their eyes. Without saying a word, she left his side to explore the next available dark space, only a few yards from where he stood. The one she found was full of dry leaves and dead tree branches, evidence that something had once lived there. The scent was stale, indicating its presence was long gone. Slowly, she stepped in with her front paws and looked around, hoping nothing would jump out and startle her. Eyes dilated as they got accustomed to the darkness and what she found was worth the effort.

She stepped back outside, hating the brisk wind that automatically whipped her slender frame to the side. Her eyes shut tight from the chill and she shivered before she set back to stand beside Fendar. As she approached, her eyes opened and she gasped. Blood was forming on his nose, the evidence of him facing a dragon already beginning to seep into his nostrils. "Oh my..." She said breathlessly, eyes widening at his wound. It took her a minute to finally get her thoughts together before she said, "Yes, actually, I did. Follow me." Her blue frame turned back into the wind and she shivered once more as she walked towards the den she had found.

Once they got in from the harsh breezes, Pandora shook all over and then began to search. Freya had used some type of plant to help with coagulating blood, but she had no idea what it was. She impatiently sighed and looked for some large leaves that wouldn't break at her touch. Grabbing a few in her mouth, she walked over to where Fendar was and touched her nose to his maw. Rather than lick up the blood like a regular wolf would have done, she took a leaf and attempted to plant it above his nostrils, hoping it would catch. Turquoise eyes looked up to meet Fendar's, and she softly blinked as she also tried to watch and see if the blood would stop streaming so fast. "I 'ope dis tops soon," she said with a mouth full of leaves. Part of her felt guilty for the injury he had received...another part felt enticed that she was able to help it stop. Usually, her siblings were the ones who enjoyed people getting hurt so they could take care of wounds and the like. For some reason, she wasn't so squeamish in that moment.

"Speech"

Stars are only visible in darkness ,

Fear is ever-changing and evolving.

He caught the meaning of her words, he wasn't stupid. He knew this was flirting, but there was more of an edge to it, a more sexual approach from the tone of her voice. He smirked at her, but made no impasses. He was slightly awkward in this situation, while he had no issues flirting back, he was still struggling to get over her heat scent. The conversation was taking a turn that he was unsure of, but it was certainly putting his self restraint to test. He wouldn't dare take advantage of her, and he wasn't quite ready to have pups yet. Plus, she wasn't ready to join a pack and he didn't want to leave Ebony and Kassander. If Pandora did end up carrying his pups, he wouldn't leave her side. He wasn't one to hump and dump, for him it was a more serious matter. A dying breed of gentleman, he was. She was happy right now though, out of that stupor that had once clouded this side of her. He would not suppress it, he was quite enjoying this time with her. So he took a deep breath of the freezing winter air, the bitter chill of it cooling his nostrils. It also blocked out a bit of her scent though. Plus, looking for dens would be a good distraction, it would keep his mind off of it.

When she turned to him and said she would have freezed, he chuckled. "Yes but then all would travel from across the lands to see the rare frozen beauty. Would that not delight you?" He jested, lightly bumping up against her again. He couldn't deny that he had seen her shiver though, when he brushed against her ear. It had been hard to miss, that iridescent fur of hers shimmering in the moonlight as it stood on end. He gritted his teeth to down the pleasure that it gave him, slowly pulling back from her in a non-alarming matter. Fendar had to get it together, this was not going to happen. Not unless she wanted it, and only if she was ready for the consequences that may befall her, and him. She would not get rid of him if she ended up pregnant, even if he had to leave Ebony.

When they roamed back towards each other, he was surprised that she seemed to be so shocked by his injury. It wasn't bad, but the blood wasn't stopping. He would live, he had been through worse. Plus if it scarred, it would be an interesting tale to tell, that was for sure. When she said to follow her, he nodded and dutifully padded after the woman and into the den. Fendar glanced around at the twigs and leaves on the ground, certainly no place for a lady. "Let me take some of this stuff outside, this is no place for a proper lady to stay." He said, sniffling slightly as the blood continued to flow. He didn't really care about that, he wanted to get all of this musty old stuff out of here. He was looking around at the den, so when he felt the heat of Pandora and the press of leaves against his nose, he startled. His hackles rose as he jumped, his skin crawling. But he settled down when he saw that it was just her, so very close to his face. Metallic eyes gazed into her cyan ones, his breath stilling as she held the leaves to his nose. He found his breath catching in his throat, her gaze so very captivating.

Fendar cleared his throat, gaze ripping away from her own. She mumbled through the leaves, hoping that the bleeding would stop soon. The male chuckled, eyes cutting back towards her own. "That should be good, m'lady. More than you needed to do." His voice was soft, barely above a whisper. They were so close to one another, teasingly so, noses almost touching. "Now will you let me tidy up for you?" He asked softly, suddenly feeling a bit shy. Oh what a delicate creature a woman was, to have him in shambles from a little look. A serpent who's bite you could not resist. His eyes shimmered at the thought, Pandora the snake didn't quite sound right. She was beautiful, and knew it too. Rightly so, but he knew that she must get a lot of attention. He needed to cool his hormones, cleaning the den and stepping back into the winter air was enough.

Fendar Xanilov

The closeness that had come with her trying to help him was worth the effort Pandora had made. She didn't mind the intense atmosphere between them as the bleeding finally slowed. She had been used to having company around her at an intimate level, but this had always happened when she wasn't in her season. Now that she was, the increase of hormones and the fire in her veins was slowly tempting her to ask for relief. Nevertheless, she knew from the time she had spent with Fendar that he wouldn't do it unless she wanted a long-term relationship. The idea was enticing, but she didn't know if she could commit. So, she pulled back after the leaves had caught all of the blood and lowered them to the floor with a graceful swoop. In response to his softly spoken question, she looked back up at him with her bright gaze. "Of course," she simply answered before moving aside to have him work on his personally made mission. Despite pulling back, the spark that had accidentally been lit continued to warmly burn as she watched him clean what all he could. Devoted, focused, determined...such qualities were hard to find in men these days, let alone those her age. She blinked a couple of times before reclining to her haunches. "Do you do this for a lot of damsels in distress?" She teasingly asked, a smile taking over her features again. Talk like this

She pulled away from him, and Fendar felt as if he could finally breath. He couldn't help but let his metallic eyes roam her body once more as she dipped down, taking a bit of pleasure from just how beautiful she was. Never before had he seen a woman like this, and she had his interests. But it was more than just his instincts driving him towards her -- his base urges telling him to hump the crap out of her -- but she was interesting as well. Playful and smart, and alone. He felt the need to protect her, which is why it was no big deal that he got scratched in the process of it. He slowly moved further into the den, pawing at the dead leaves and forming them into small piles. There were some sticks that had frozen to the ground, and others wedged in awkward positions. Letting out a small growl he made his way towards them, jaws opening to snap the sticks in half. Thankfully that was all it required, and he had enough jaw strength to do so with ease.

When Pandora asked him if he did this often, he looked over his shoulder at her form with a grin on his face. "Nope, you're the first one that hasn't been related to me." He said truthfully, seeing no need to hide it. So what if he was a good guy? Most wolves didn't stick around long enough to see through his grumpy exterior. Grabbing a mouthful of tree bits, he made his way to the mouth of the den, tossing his head to the side so that they didn't rest just outside of her new home. It took him a few trips until the den was clear, all the dead leaves swept out. He wrinkled his nose, the musty smell was strong enough to even drown out her heat scent. This would simply not do. Looking over to Pandora, his tail wagged as an idea came to mind. "Just a second."

Pushing his way quickly out of the den, his gaze roamed around the forest. Silver eye closed to give him a better view of the darkening trees, looking for one in particular. Ah, there! A pine tree. The large male picked his way carefully to the tree, watching out for the deeper snow banks. Once he made it to the trunk, he rose on his hind legs and rested his paws on the bark. His neck stretched until he could reach the lowest hanging branch, snapping the branch off with his teeth. He disturbed the tree though, the snow that it had been collecting dumped all over his auburn body. Eyes grew wide as he saw it coming, but he wasn't able to get out of the way in time. Yelping, he was knocked off his paws and his large body was buried. What a great knight he was.

Digging himself out of the snow, he huffed, but the branch was still firmly in his jaws. Ha! Pulling himself up he wiggled the damp cluster of flakes off of him, although they still clung to his fur. Fendar made his way back to Pandora, prize held high. As he walked in he tossed her a goofy grin, coated in snow. Walking to the back of the den he dropped the pine branch, rubbing the needles with his paw pad so that the scent came alive. Picking it back up he wiggled his head around, then dragged it along the walls of the den. Satisfied, he dropped it and took another whiff. Ah, better! No more must, just pine and Pandora's delectable heat scent. He shivered slightly, but it was not from the cold.

The brute eyed the blue and gold woman, a single brow raised as he awaited her approval of her new home. "Does this satisfy the damsel?" He asked, sitting in the middle of the cave. He was still covered in snow, but it slowly began to melt. "And should you require a knight to protect your new castle from dragons, I can guard the entrance." His vocals may be teasing, but he was being honest. He didn't really want to walk home in the snow anyways.

She watched in silent wonder as he moved around the den, cleaning up what debris he found unsanitary for her new home. Pandora had never had a man do such a thing for her before and it only made the obvious spark burn brighter into a healthy flame. Her tail curled around her precious curves as she felt his eyes slip down her frame before leaving. What was he going for? She turned her head to see what he was up to and when he came back from being bombarded by snow, she saw the pine branch in his mouth. Immediately, he began to spruce up her home with the scent of fresh winter and pine, causing her nose to tingle. It all smelled so nice...

When he was done, he sat in the middle of the cave, evidently proud of himself. Pandora couldn't help but smile at him as he volunteered to guard the entrance of her new den. She definitely didn't want any dragons coming into her home, especially since she had just claimed it as hers. Turquoise eyes watched him with that same wonder as she rose from the ground and approached him, taking only a few steps. He was everything a girl could ask for...a monogamous girl, that is. Slowly, she reclined back to her haunches in front of him. "I think that could be arranged without any problems," she said, accepting his offer as guard. "I wouldn't trust anyone else with such a responsibility, Fendar." Her words were soft, enticing, as she looked up at him through her long eyelashes. "Slay those dragons if you must, just don't hurt yourself too badly." A tender smile appeared across her face as she blinked and gently nuzzled him in the chest. "Knights must make sure to be at their best before approaching dangerous situations..."

"Speech"
'thoughts'

The auburn male grinned back at her, watching as she made her way towards him. He blinked softly as she took a seat in front of him, very close to his larger body. He looked down on her softly, metallic eyes growing more and more tender as he looked at her. He didn't even mind her heat scent anymore, it didn't phase him. His tail thumped on the cave floor as she agreed to him watching her as she slept. Fendar wasn't one to sleep anyways, nightmares still haunted him to this day. So he would watch the lady as she slept, although not in a creepy way at all. He would make sure that she remained save in her new home, and that those dragons didn't come to haunt her. The dame nuzzled into his chest, and his eyes grew wide. He stood ridged for a moment, until his lumbering frame melted into hers. He lowered his head so that it rested on top of hers, a low rumble vibrating in his chest. "I would gladly fight off a bear if it meant that you would be safe, m'lady." Fendar whispered, letting his head fall until his neck wrapped around her own. She told him to be at his best, and he chuckled softly. "I'm always on my best behavior, am I not sweet Pandora?" He rumbled, nuzzling his damp nose softly into her cheek. He would lay down his life for her, even if this was the first night that he had met her. Whether she liked it or not, he was now attached to her. He would be making visits to this cavern often, his interest in her only starting to grow. It was not just attraction that he felt towards her -- even though she was damn fine -- he also felt a strong need to protect her. Pandora would be safe with him, but he would not force her back into Ebony. It would be a nice break though, to get away and spend some time with her. "Talk" "You" Think

His reaction to her made her feel safe, secure. She didn't know why, but she hoped that he wouldn't leave her for a good bit of time. Despite the heat circling around them, she knew that he wasn't attracted her just because of her scent. When he rested his head on hers and then gave her an embrace, she welcomed his warmth with a tender smile to her dark lips. She let hers droop against his chest and felt the warm fur of his person graze her cheek. Her eyes closed as he spoke, telling her he would make sure she would be protected. All she could do was hum softly.

Fendar then chuckled and pulled back to look at her. She giggled at his question and said, "I don't know, dear Fendar. I've only known you for one night...I have no clue how you are during the day." Pan raised an eyebrow, giving him a quizzical look that could stop traffic if she wanted. Her tail curled around her frame as she pulled back a bit more to emit a low yawn. It pulled her lips back to reveal all of her teeth, lasted a few seconds, and then she shook her head. Turquoise eyes looked up afterward and she apologetically said, "I think I'm...ready for some sleep." She didn't want his warmth to leave her, but she knew that it would seem weird to him to have her ask him to stay next to her for the night.

Stars are only visible in darkness ,

Fear is ever-changing and evolving.

His breath stuttered at that gaze of hers, but he simply let out another chuckle to hide his amazement for her. Such a pretty woman, who knew how to use it. She was a killer queen, that was for sure. But he saw so much more in her than that, so many things he wanted to discover about her. Pausing for a moment, he studied those capturing eyes. "You entice me, Pandora. I hope to discover how you react in the broad daylight." He teased, that grin not leaving his maw. He was not usually like this, but then again when had he ever met someone like the woman before him?

He gazed at her as she stepped back, a large yawn splitting her jaws. She was sleepy indeed. But when she made no move to actually get comfortable, he rose a brow at her. "I already said I wasn't going anywhere, so lay down so I can keep you warm." The tip of his tongue snaked out to stick out at her, eyes squinting as his nose wrinkled up to make the silly face he was aiming for. He relaxed himself, laying on his side and leaving a wide enough gap at his belly for her. Patting it invitingly with his paw, he just waited. Sleep would not come to him tonight, but it didn't mean that he couldn't keep her warm.

Fendar Xanilov

He made the official first move, stepping away from her to lay down near the end of the den. She watched him with a fascinated gaze, slightly surprised that he had read her mind so well. He gave a gentle command and she obliged, only because he was so warm about it. Her paws pushed herself up to a standing position and she quietly walked to meet him. Blue form swirled in a semi-circle as she lowered herself to the ground beside his brown frame. "Thank you..." she softly said, tones warm as she gave him another tender gaze before lowering her head to her front paws. Eyes closed and she went off to sleep.

"Speech"
'thoughts'