She sat at the edge of the willows, one ear turned back to listen to the quiet murmurs and louder yaps of her family. She had second cousins! Castiel was back. Her family was beginning to come back together. A soft sigh heaved from her nostrils. Then why was she so lonely? Of course, she knew the answer. Falk. She hadn?t seen him since before the challenge. Just minutes before it. He hadn?t been there when she?d gotten there. And then she?d been too consumed with worry for her mother to think beyond getting her to safety. Mismatched blue and gold eyes gazed across the small river that flowed out toward the sea. Was he alright? Did he miss her, as much as she missed him? Her family was safely together. With Alsander there, and Deviant, they were safe enough. She could easily leave to seek Falk, and apologize for her disappearance. And yet? The fear that he might have moved on and found new happiness with another female rooted her to the spot. There was the matter of her heat, as well. She was afraid that, if she did seek him out, he might think she was only seeking him because of her cycle. Her gaze dropped to the clear water flowing by just a short few paces ahead of her paws. She needed him. Wanted little more than to see him again and feel his embrace. She wanted him by her side when it came time to retake Valhalla?s rightful home. But she was afraid. It wasn?t shameful to be afraid. She had known that from the start. Fear was the natural means of keeping oneself alive. She might shove past the fear to fight a battle for her pack to keep her home safe, but deep down, even in all the adrenaline, there was still fear. This fear was different.

Months had passed since he had last seen her. Whole seasons had drifted by, his paws had grown hard and worn with the many miles he had traveled in his searches for her. He had almost given up the hope that she would somehow appear and they could pick up where they left off. He had almost given up the hope that she was out there looking for him as well, that she still wanted him. He had never made it to Erani's challenge, hadn't been there for her or her mother in that moment, and for that he would never forgive himself. He had stayed behind, worried about who would be there to defend Valhalla's lands while the bulk of their members went to watch the challenge. However, because of that he wasn't there to follow Surreal where ever it was that they ran off to when the challenge ended. He had no leads to follow and, therefore, they had seemingly fallen off the face of the earth. After he found his sister by complete chance his hope had been renewed. He had decided that he would give his search one last chance and if he still didn't find her he would settle in the pack that Sibelle co-lead. He resigned himself to being alone for the rest of his days, had made peace with the fact that Surreal had truly been the love of his life and if he never found her he would spend his days supporting Sibelle and her wishes. It was the least he could do for his dear sister and it would be better than simply wandering in a fog of depression as he had been recently. Falk padded across Alacritis, hopeful but prepared for the worst. He saw willows in the distance, saw a stream of water on the horizon. His mind was wandering from one thought to another, thinking about Surreal and Sibelle and wondering what would happen should he find her, what would happen if he didn't. He caught Surreal's scent, but it didn't even register with him that her scent could be part of reality. Falk had smelled her scent so many times over the last few months, but it had only been a product of his wishful thinking. But there was something different this time. Not only did it suddenly seem more real somehow, there was something different about her scent. It was just different enough for him to lift his eyes from the ground and peer ahead of him, his eyes narrowing as he looked toward the willows ahead of him. They were still a good distance ahead, but what he saw made him stop in his tracks. There, at the edge of the river, he saw a silver form. It was hard to tell from this distance if it was really, truly her, but somewhere deep in his gut he knew. He knew, without a doubt, that he had finally found her. He stood there in shock for several moments before he finally made his paws move once again, slowly at first and then at a full on run, wishing and hoping desperately that he was right. When he got closer he saw her clearly and it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The pressure of heartache lifted from his chest and for the first time in countless days he felt like he could breathe clearly. He couldn't speak. He simply ran toward her, desperate to feel her body against his, to feel that she was real, that she was here. He didn't consider the possibility that she didn't want to see him any more, didn't consider the possibility that she no longer loved him. Without a word he slowed to a stop just on the other side of the shallow stream that she sat at, his gaze intense and filled with emotion as he looked at her, his bright blue eyes tracing her form while he tried to decide if she were another figment of his imagination. Still not speaking, he took one careful step at a time toward her, his eyes never leaving hers, till he splashed through the stream and came to a halt in front of her, peering down at her. Hesitantly, Falk reached forward to curve his neck around hers in an embrace. It wasn't until the very moment that he leaned in to press his neck to hers and didn't feel the image of her form give way, the moment that his fur mingled with his and he felt the heat of her body against his, that he truly broke down. His entire large form crumbled. It was like a mountain breaking apart into millions of tiny rocks. It happened all at once, his legs buckling beneath him and the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding rushing out of his lungs. He sat hard on his haunches and lifted his forelegs to wrap around her, pulling her tight to him as he pressed his face to the thick fur of her scruff, clinging with all his might to her smaller form. Something that very rarely happened to him rushed upon him so unexpectedly that he hadn't had time to prepare himself against it. He cried. A sob escaped him and tears welled up in his eyes, his voice rough as his deep tones finally managed to form words. "Surreal... Oh, Surreal, my love... I thought I would never find you, I thought I had lost you forever... Oh Surreal..." His words were broken by heavy sobs as tears of joy ran down into his fur, so truly happy that he couldn't contain himself. Speech Thought Others

She was so deep in thought, that at first, she didn?t register the sound of paws touching the ground and bearing weight, until they stopped. This made her look up, and her eyes landed on a frame she?d been longing to see ever since plunging into the sea, bearing her mother between herself and Alsander, Falk. He looked as though he wasn?t sure he was really seeing her. But soon, the male was charging toward her, and she braced herself for the anger, the condemnation of her abandonment of him. It never came. Instead, he slowed, as he reached her, and almost cautiously reached out to embrace her. She couldn?t hold herself back, and met him half way. A moment later, he dropped like a pile of rocks to the ground. And he was crying. She still expected him to berate her for vanishing, but the words that tumbled out between sobs were anything but. She had wondered if he would move on. Find a new mate. How could she have been so blind about one so stalwart. ?Oh Falk? I?m so sorry.? Her nuzzle sought the russet cheeks, tongue daring to snake out and caress the fur. A soft cry left her, her own eyes welling. ?I should have found you, told you what was going on. But ohh, Falk. Mother was so bloody, all I could think of was getting her out of there.? Her nose buried itself in his scruff, her lean frame shaking. Was it possible to feel so wretched, and yet so joyful? He still wanted her, that was clear, and yet she had left him hanging, clueless to her whereabouts. How could she ever make that up to him? ?I?m so sorry.? It was almost a wail.

His dear mate's words met his ears, the voice he had been craving to hear for months, but the words she spoke confused him. It had never crossed his mind that she should be guilty for disappearing or that he should even be upset with her for leaving. All of his anger had been directed toward himself for not being at that challenge and for not being able to find her. He hugged her tight, letting his larger form curl around her protectively, afraid that if he let her go she was dissipate into thin air. "No, Surreal, no... Please, don't be sorry. I'm the one that should be sorry," he told her, his deep voice still rough with tears. "I should have been at that challenge. I thought I was doing the right thing, staying behind to help guard Valhalla, but I realize now that I should have been there for you and for Erani. I should have been there..." Falk gave a shuddering sigh and pulled away from her just enough so that his gaze could find her stunning eyes, not letting his paws fall away from her form just yet. It would probably be quite a while before he got up the courage to be more than a few inches from her again. A slight smile curved the corners of his mouth and he ever so gently licked the tears from her cheeks. "I have missed you so much. I searched for you every single day... I've probably covered every single inch of Alacritis and even a little outside of its borders, but I don't regret a single step because they eventually led me back to you." His smile widened a bit as he just took a moment to really take in the sight of her, gazing lovingly down at her as he admired her beautiful face, gorgeous eyes, amazing fur... She was as beautiful on the outside as she was on the inside. "I think you've gotten more beautiful since the last time I saw you," he said with a chuckle, his tone picking up a light tone of teasing. It wasn't till then that he noticed the change in her scent again and it still took him a moment to realize what it meant. It was the first time he had been around a fea who was in heat so it was a bit of a reach for him to remember that. He blinked at the realization, but he didn't comment on it. Falk simply held her a little tighter and placed a kiss on her muzzle while he tried to figure out how to sort out this natural craving her scent brought up in him. Speech Thought Others

She was silenced by him pleading for her not to be sorry. In turn, he apologized, explaining why he had never arrived at the challenge. His staying back had been a choice of good intent. That he could care enough about the pack proved his worth, even if she had been worried when she hadn?t seen him there. She buried her nose in his fur, taking in the scent of him, and shuddered slightly as it brought about a wave of heat. Heat that she fought to force back. Luna?s teeth, not yet. There was a lot to talk about. His words brought a warm, fuzzy feeling to her belly, and a smile to her face. ?I?m so glad they did. I missed you, too.? More than words could ever express, she had missed him. He was studying her now; her eyes, and face, and she practically heard the click of realization as he figured something out. A grin crossed her face at his words spoken a moment before that click. ?And you haven?t lost any of your handsomeness.? She planted a kiss on his muzzle, then sat back slightly. ?I intend to take our lands back. Not quite yet, but sometime soon. I need to prepare as much as I can. I don?t know what skills the female who rules there has. I need as much skill as I can get. If I cannot win back our home? Then I will make a new one for us.? It wasn?t the us one used just for the two of them. It was ?us? as a whole unit; family, friends. The pack. Her eyes were intent as she gazed up into his sky blue gaze. ?Will you lead beside me, Falk? Help me rebuild the family that red bitch scattered?? Will you stand by my side, through all that comes? She wanted him by her side; that stalwart strength and gentleness. And she wanted more than that. She wanted children tumbling about their paws, painted in their colors. She wanted? Her hind end wriggled, and she scooted closer, almost unconsciously. She wanted way more than just him at her side. ?Falk..?

When she leaned back from him a bit he knew she wanted him to focus on what she was going to say because it was going to be important. He listened to her declaration and he wanted to be surprised, but in all honesty he only had a feeling of certainty. In fact, he would have been more surprised if Surreal had told him that she was never going to fight to get her home back. He knew how much Valhalla had meant to her and it seemed only right that she should lead it. She had been working toward that goal for as long as he's known her. He nodded in understanding, a soft smile on his muzzle. The question she posed next was one that he did not even have to ponder over. Without a beat of hesitation he answered, "Of course, my love." He would do whatever it took to stay by her side for the rest of their lives. If that meant ruling beside her and supporting her in her role as an alpha then he would not hesitate to do just that. He loved her and wanted to see her flourish in all of her endeavors, especially this one. He placed a kiss on her muzzle and added, "I will never leave your side and I will do everything in my power to protect our pack." The thing that still gnawed at the back of his mind, the thing about her he had noticed moments before, came rushing back to the forefront of his attention as she scooted toward him. All she said was his name, but there was so much meaning in that one word. His eyes searched hers as he leaned down, his larger frame curving as he brushed his muzzle gently against hers. Each touch was electric and each spark lit him on fire. "Surreal..." he said reverently in reply. His muzzle slipped through the fur along the side of her neck and around into the thick fur on her scruff, taking a deep breath in and with it her scent, with a shaky sigh he lifted one of his forelegs and wrapped it around her again like a hug, pulling her as tight to him as he could manage while he carefully and tenderly placed kisses all across the top of her head, her ears, anywhere on her beautiful body he could reach from his position. "Surreal, I want to..." he whispered against her fur. Speech Thought Others

Fire. Ice. Lightning. Sensuality. She stayed above the surface long enough to hear his vow to stay by her side, before that roaring tide that was nature?s call overtook her. Every touch was a flicker of lightning along her skin, sending her fur on end from a new kind of excitement. He was her tonic. He was her aphrodisiac. She broke away from his embrace, muscles quivering, before she gave in to baser instincts; twining her frame around his much larger one, side to chest, and tail flicking against his side in a dance that she wasn?t able to stop. He wanted. So did she. Even if it hadn?t been her cycle, she realized, she would still have wanted this. Tongue met his ear as she circled the large male, eyes slightly more feral than before, scanning his frame. She came shoulder to shoulder with him, head buried against his neck, a low, gentle growl caressing its way from her jaws. ?Then do it. Dance with me.? It was a sultry purr that left her maw, followed by a nibble along the creamy throat of her mate. Oh the fire in that touch. The lightning that sparked from the drag of fur to fur. The ice, what had been nerves, had all melted away to liquid sensuality. -Fade to sexy black ;D-

It was like watching his mate transform into a sultry temptress as she broke free of his hold and began to move around him. His eyes tracked her, his heart pounding and the blood rushing in his ears, the more her body ran against his the more he could feel himself falling into her rhythm, that primal need for her rising to the surface. But under that need was the true love and passion he had for her. It was that love and that passion that drove him forward and made him act on that desperate need. His own deep, rumbling growl mingled with hers as she spoke and her agreement was all he needed to rise to his paws and finally satisfy his need for her. It was fitting that his first of this dance would be with the woman that he had tirelessly hunted and craved. It was fitting that the one wolf who could both build him up and bring him to his knees would be the one that he loved without question. As he savored every inch of her and devoured her smaller frame with his own, as he set about translating his passionate love into a dance, it felt like nothing else existed in the world except for Surreal. -fade to black- Speech Thought Others