He paced through the woods wearing his armor, his eyes upturned as he passed the gigantic trees. There had been a point when he’d owned these woods and he and his brother had hunted through the towering spires and he had met with the pack mates that answered his first call. That was all a lifetime ago, when he was a yearling boy and the weight of leadership had crushed him. It had taken a second try at leading to convince himself he was no leader, and a string of heartbreaks and betrayals to go along with it. He yawned, the helmet raising as he opened his maw. Thinking of his failures always made him bitter, Paradise had advised him to focus on his beautiful family and accomplishments, but it was hard with so much weighing him down. He had left the pack for the day, leaving his children with Paradise against his better judgement to venture out alone and sulk. He sat with a huff, wishing he had at least brought Cloud with him as someone he could talk to and keep his mind from straying into darker territory, or better yet leaving the children with Cloud and taking Paradise with him to get away from their own life for a bit. He had hardly had a chance to be alone with her between the pack and their needful pups even though he fully intended to make her his wife when Acere approved of their relationship. That made him feel like even more of a failure, he still hadn’t told her about Kai and their sordid relationship even though he loved them both. He was afraid of what she might say when she found out; afraid that she would leave him and break his heart, maybe take their children away and never allow him to see them again. He swiped furiously at the ground at that, his head lowered as a growl climbed up his throat, more frustrated with himself for even thinking Paradise would do that to him. He wished she was here now, wished he could hear from her own mouth that she would never do that to him. "Talk"  Thought "You"

She had returned the night before with Incendio and the few packmates who had gone to the festival. Incendio had passed out as soon as they got home, and was still asleep even now. She had seen Ty leave the packlands not too long ago, and part of her longed to spend some much needed time with him. The other part didn't want to leave her kids alone but...she knew she could trust the pack, or at the very least, Ty's brother with them for a little while. After a quick word with the quiet hunter, she headed off to follow her mates tracks through the snow. She remembered exploring these very same woods during her time as a loner. She had been grateful for the company as she explored, and she appreciated every moment. For so long she had been alone...but now she wasn't. She had fallen fast and hard for Tyranis, and despite the mistakes in his past, she vowed to help him live on and not dwell in it...just like she tried so hard not dwell in her own past full of loneliness and regret for missing out on everything in her life. It was just them two now, along with their kids and their pack. That was all they needed...right? Molten gaze spotted him up ahead, though on the way she could see him swipe at the ground and feel the frustration rolling off of him in waves. Frowning, she continued her approach and she quietly walked towards him until she brushed up beside him, her shoulder brushing his and she offered a gentle nuzzle to his neck. "Something is bothering you, dear?" She asked gently, turning her gaze up to look at his own molten eyes. She had come to appreciate him and his company. His companionship was all she craved. His love. Everything about him she couldn't get enough of. They had three beautiful children, and she secretly hoped for more in the future, though it was something she'd yet to admit out loud. "Talk" "You" Think

His spirits lifted at the quiet hymn of her voice and he felt his frustration leave him as she brushed against him. He shook off his armor and let it clatter to the forest floor before lowering his chin against her forehead. He wanted her to see him as few rarely did, unguarded and laid bare as only she was given a right to. “Nothing you need to worry yourself with.” He told her, his paw lifting to hold hers as he leaned into her warm body, a soft pleasant whine escaping him as he held her just for a moment. Just having her there was enough to assure him that everything would be alright; the world seeming to align for just one instant in complete correctness as he held her.“Just thinking too much about things that shouldn’t matter.” He muttered, feeling his darker thoughts begin to seep into the forefront of his mind, right where she could chase them off. "Talk"  Thought "You"

It's a cold front!

In the distance, a storm brews, cold and dark. The temperature drops just before the storm hits. It is upon the duo in mere seconds, and gone again after that. Within a few more minutes, a second, stronger storm lashes out and the air becomes nearly as cold as a winter afternoon. Although severe, the storm passes quickly, giving way to a bright day, but the temperature never fully recovers, remaining brisk throughout the day.

"Nothing you need to worry yourself with." He stated. She frowned for a brief moment, though she didn't press him to talk if he didn't want to right now. She felt his paw over hers, causing her frown to disappear quite rapidly. He leaned into her, the softest of sounds coming from him and she reached to press her head beneath his chin. "We are all guilty of keeping thoughts like that, " Herself included. He didn't know much about her past but...there wasn't much to tell. She had been abandoned and she had wasted seasons of her life waiting for them to come back. But they never did. "I'll always be here for you, Tyranis. Just as you've been there for me when nobody else was." He and their kids were the only true family she had now. Her blood family were now long forgotten, and they no longer deserved to be called her family after they abandoned her. Part of her was afraid Ty would have done the same by now, but he hadn't. She didn't want to dwell on those thoughts, and instead focused on the here and now. "And our three beautiful children will be here for you as well," She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before backing up a pace and stood. "Come, walk with me," They wouldn't make it far before she scented something strange. Molten gaze turned to find dark clouds in the distance, and all too quickly they had descended upon the land. The temperature quickly dropped, and the storm was on them faster than she could think. A flurry of rain and snow whipped around them for a moment before it passed before she could react. But then a stronger storm hit more seconds after. Wind drove up the snow and rain pelted down on her, a fierce blizzard sweeping up around them. "Tyranis!" She cried out as his form was lost in the driving storm. She couldn't see far ahead of her, so she hunkered down as close to the ground as she could, eyes closed tightly as the storm whipped around her. It seemed, however, that the second storm wouldn't last long, either. It broke away, passing over them before giving way to a clear sky but the temperature remained frigid. She was covered in snow and ice, body shivering from the wintry assault. She looked up to Tyranis as he stood over her, her ears flattened from the storm and her fur ruffled. "A-are you alright?" She worried for him more than for herself. She was cold, but unharmed for the most part. "Wh-what was that?" Having never lived in the North before joining Winterfell, she had never experienced a storm like that before. She wondered if it had hit pack lands...she was sure that if it had, Cloud would have gotten her children to the den where it was safe. "Talk" "You" Think