It had been too long since he’d returned to Boreas. During the time of sickness Thanatos had gone away, instructing Poe to carry messages back and forth to Shiki so the other male wouldn’t feel completely abandoned by him. The young man had thought long and hard during that time, fighting to expell sickness from his body and working to ensure that he would return to the wolf he’d come to love. Their relationship was still young, but Thany was determined that, when he finally made the trip home, he was going to tell Shiki exactly how he felt and never leave his side again. The Estuary didn’t look any different, and Thany breathed in. When Poe last met with Shiki it had been somewhere here in the West according to the raven… but where exactly? Thany had traveled here in hopes that he might find Shiki… the longer he was away from the other male was killing him. He breathed in, coming to a stop by the water. What if Shiki had moved on without him? It’d been some time since his last message… what if Shiki had given up on him? With a worried expression Thanatos rose his muzzle to the sky, loosing a howl that he hoped and prayed would reach the wolf he sought. "Talk" "You" Think

Loneliness. It was all he knew before. Until he met...him. But that hadn't lasted long before he had left. Shiki understood why, but he wished he hadn't.  Shiki had long ago moved from the Redbud Nook where he had been born to the Estuary, keeping well away from the strange scents that lingered in the surrounding areas. Never before had he been in a pack, and he didn't think he even knew what a pack was.

Laying his head on his paws, he curled up around himself. In the time he'd been here, he grew accustomed to eating birds eggs and the rare duck, whenever he could get his paws on one, at least. But the small male was a terrible hunter, never having been taught how to survive. Quite frankly, he was surprised that he was still alive and breathing...Once in a while, he had the company of Thany's companion, Poe, but every time the raven left, he was left with the overwhelming feeling of loneliness once again until the birds next return. But...he hadn't seen Poe in a long time...and the boy was convinced that he'd been forgotten...

At least, until now. A howl in the air jerked him from his fitful sleep, tired eyes suddenly wide as birds created an earful of noise from the sudden call. His heart pounded in his chest, and for a moment, he thought someone was coming to take this place as their own. He remained within the confines of his den beneath the tangled roots of a willow, listening as the final echoes began to fade away. In some way, shape, and form...that voice sounded familiar...it was a voice he only remembered in his dreams, and when the howl faded away, he realized. "Th-Thany?" His voice came out as a broken whisper, and the tiny male would run out of his den in search of his caller.

The metal on his bracelets clinked together as he ran, ears pinned back as he moved with wild abandonment. And it wouldn't take long before he'd see him, his saving grace. He did not stop, even when his lungs began to burn from his sudden sprinting. Were he any other wolf, this would be an effortless task. But he was malnourished, always had been since his mother had left him, and he not knowing how to hunt. As he reached Thanatos, the small boy would throw himself into the others arms, burying his face into the fur on his chest. "Y-You came back!" He began to cry, unable to restrain himself as his tears spilled freely and his voice broken up by sobbing. "D-Don't ever l-leave m-me again!" It was a plea, more than a demand to the man as he curled his body into Thany's. "Don't...l-leave again..."

"Speech"

The male felt relief enter his heart as he heard the clinking of Shiki’s bracelets. It had to be him, he thought, gaze shifting as he looked for the other male. Finally teal eyes would shift to the smaller form of the creamy-tan wolf. Thanatos felt his heart flutter, and, bracing himself the man would wrap his head around Shiki’s smaller form once the other buried his face into his chest. Thanatos’ gaze softened, a quiet whine leaving him as he licked the top of Shiki’s head.

“Shiki… shhh…” The man cooed softly. “I’m not… going… anywhere… again.” He promised. He didn’t even think, just reacted, nuzzling Shiki’s head and cheek to try and soothe him. “I… missed you...” Thany breathed out, speaking in a sure tone. “I don’t… ever… want to… be… apart again…” His drawl came out slow, but his expression never once wavered. “Shiki…” Thany gently curled his body back around Shiki’s own.

“I’ve done… some… thinking…” The male breathed in. Could he go through with this? What would Shiki think when he finally asked the question?

"Speech"

Thanatos' words fell upon him, the familiar way he talked hadn't been forgotten because he had clung to the male's voice in his head. At one point, he thought he had forgotten it. But he was too stubborn to let it go. :I-I thought you left me! I thought you found a new life somewhere else!" He continued to sob because he had started to believe that the other man had left him all alone like everyone else before him. He quietly listened to Thany, taking in the warmth of his only friend as the male curled around him. He glanced up then when Thany said he'd been thinking. Thinking what? Was he going to tell him that he did find someone else? A better life? That he didn't want to be around him anymore?

In all honesty, Shiki had so much negativity running through his mind. Believing that nobody wanted to be around him because he was so pathetic. Maybe that's why his mom had left...he was never good enough. But even with those thoughts, he forced himself to listen. "W-what?" His words were a cracked whisper, afraid of what might come next.

Thany shook his head as Shiki spoke. “Never…” With a single word he spoke his promise. The brute kept his body curled back around Shiki’s own, a small smile on his face when he spoke his next words. The words that would be the most important ones he’d ever spoken in his life. “Shiki… I… want you… to… be my… mate…” Thanatos wasn’t sure how Shiki was going to react to those words… if he even viewed Thanatos as more than a friend. But they had been together for so long… surely the other male felt something? “I want… to… always be… with… you…” Thanatos’ words were so soft, still holding that slow drawl that they usually did. He held his breath, waiting for Shiki to answer and hoping for the best.

"Speech"