Naiche had faced some rough days in the not-so-far-distant past but it seemed life had quit throwing those cruelties against him.  Life had actually been good again for the last couple of days, even if admittedly unplanned and leaving Naiche confused.  How much of his being happier had to do with the fighting, how happy he was with the test and rank of general, versus spending time with Asla? Naiche had thought to do a partial patrol after time with Tamsyn but in truth his shoulders ached, the fresh wounds by Asla’s claws had not appreciated Naiche fighting against Tamsyn.  Even as a mock fight with no real damage done by Tamsyn all that fast pivoting and pressure put on the shoulders when lunging in had taken a toll.  The injuries certainly would do no lasting damage but they did remind him that now wasn’t a time to think of things like patrolling or long walks.  So it was Naiche was moving slowly back to Asla’s den.  He could have gone faster but Pan was trotting beside him instead of riding on those shoulders.  Naiche was using the time to try and figure out some of his thoughts and feelings. Naiche had given up one piece of denial, he liked Asla and not just for respecting her fighting skills.  Grudgingly the golden wolf had to acknowledge having no desire to return to his empty den when he could instead share a den with her.  He could accept that but Naiche still felt uncomfortable with it.  He hadn’t felt a need to grow close to anyone after losing his original family and certainly, Rue’s death didn’t help him want to get into a relationship.  What had happened?   Naiche hadn’t noticed when he stopped walking to look up at the sky.  The first answer his gut came up with was simply how he felt more at peace when with Asla.  After Rue’s death, she had been there, and again later when upset she had been there.  Even some of the older memories with her things that had annoyed him still held meaning for some reason.  What was wrong with him?  With a slow sigh, he noticed Pan continuing on ahead and caught up.  They were getting close to the den and all he had was more questions of his feelings instead of answers.   Naiche shook off the uncertainties as he neared the den.  Uncertainties made him look and feel weak, which was a thing he still didn’t want to show to anyone and certainly not Asla with what was causing these feelings.  Settling for a tired but pleased expression he stepped back into the den, glancing for Asla with Pan by his side. “Still here being lazy?” the wolf teased mildly.  She had best have been lazy with the healers warning for her to rest.  Naiche would feel bad about the injuries if they weren’t both so proud of the fight they stood for.  The fight was well worth every injury he’d earned and there was no way Asla felt any different.  Damn it, how much did they think alike also? "Naiche"

"Aslatiel Fatalis" Once Naiche left, Aslatiel hadn't been able to stay still for long. Her paws began to itch and she kept thinking of the many things that she could be doing. After walking around the spacious den for a time, the injured Reaper decided that she'd had enough. Out into the world she went. If she couldn't rest, she might as well catch a meal for the new general to be, right? Right. It didn't take the young wolf long to sniff out her prey. She was lucky to have found a creature like this so far South, but with the winter being as harsh as it was, she couldn't be too surprised. Aslatiel and Ashur the leopard had come across an injured bison yearling. Its leg was snapped and it was dragging the flopping appendage in the snow. It's wails for the rest of the herd were weak. The damn thing was just about dead from pain and exhaustion. Asla walked right up to it and it didn't even react. Shock had set in. So she and her companion quickly dispatched the bison and began dragging it back to the den. Yes... her wounds had split open a bit with the tugging and pulling, but what else was she supposed to do? Let it suffer? No, she had to put it out of its misery. Saint Asla, at your service. Who knew how long Naiche was going to take? Once the pair had the young bison back at the den, Asla began skinning it with the sharp, special knife that she kept for the task. She made short work of the thickly furred hide and set it aside to tan later on. She then went on to slicing the meat into manageable chunks. Most of the meat she took to the winter food stores, but she kept a haunch for herself and Naiche to feast upon. No doubt he would be hungry and tired when he returned. Asla hadn't had time to clean herself up before the golden wolf returned and was still spattered with blood and gore when he walked through the door. His words brought a scoff from the girl and she gave her purple eyes a roll. "Hardly," she chuckled, turning to him, a grin on her bloodied face. "I was preparing a meal for you, General." With a wink, she passed him and went outside to clean the blood from her creamy fur.

Naiche took one look at Asla and rolled his eyes, “I didn’t realize hunting was a form of resting,” the words said with dry humor.  Naiche came further in, and there was no hiding the pleasure on the food ready for him.  Who wouldn’t be hungry after a good workout like that?  Naiche generally did his best to keep busy and work hard the result tended to include a hefty appetite as well.   So she had indeed known what he had gone out to speak with Sirius about.  “So sure I got the position?” choosing to question the result over asking how she knew.  Perhaps if the logic had seemed so obvious to him it had been obvious to others.  He preferred that idea over Naiche just being that easy to read.  “You know, I had to give Tamsyn a lesson on fighting.  She’s been doing it longer than I have, maybe it was too much for me?” Yah, even as he said it Naiche saw the flaw in logic.  Had Naiche failed he wouldn’t be in a good mood.  She would have met grumpy Naiche instead of smug. “Anyway, did you also know Tamsyn was coming to visit for the test? It was good to see her again.”  Naiche moved to help himself to some of the meat, no point in letting the meat just sit there while they talked.  “Thanks for the food by the way.” Pan certainly had no interest in the food, instead of heading over to Ashur to meet up with his new roommate.  The pangolin was still a gentle creature that just wanted to be on good terms with others. "Naiche"

"Aslatiel Fatalis" Naiche's words made her smirk and she shot back, "My darling boy, you don't realize a lot of things." It was true. Naiche was a thick skulled kind of guy. There were times when he refused to admit the obvious. Like staying here with her. She knew he liked it. He knew he liked it. But would he admit it? Probably not. The big dummy. After using snowy water to return her muzzle and paws to its pristine coloring, she went back inside the den. Using a scrap of fur, she dried herself as good as she was able. The small, crackling fire in the hearth would do the rest. Asla spared a glance at Pan and smiled. "Hello, Pan." She directed him to the side chamber. It was a big chamber full of furs and some shelving. Ashur was in there napping. She'd told the cat that he would have a new roommate soon and the consensus was, 'as long as he doesn't snore...' Listening to Naiche talk about the task that he'd completed brought a nod from the striped woman. "A decent task." Again, he let loose his snark and Aslatiel rolled her eyes. "If you hadn't succeeded you'd be in a much less desirable mood. And no, I didn't know she was coming." Naiche helped himself to the bison meat and she did so as well. She'd cut it into smaller, more manageable pieces. The rest would be stored near the fire to dry. He thanked her and she shot him one of her beaming grins. "You're welcome." As she settled down, she released a slight hiss. Her neck wounds were sore from the exertion. If she went back to Mojito, he'd likely avoid her or yell at her for not following his orders. And so she would suffer, but the bison meat had been worth it.

Asla’s remark on Naiche’s insight got her a flat expression though whether she saw it or not was questionable when she was cleaning her paws and muzzle.  Asla could be nice and understanding on things, she could also be snarky and seek out ways to irritate him.  Why did she like irritating him?  Was it just a thing some girls had fun with?  No, Asla was definitely unique in some areas. Pan waved hello to Asla, clawed digits moving up and down a little bit, before laying down next to the cat, rolling up partway into a ball, scales sticking out as he made himself somewhat comfortable.  Pan was eyeing that snow leopard’s pelt thoughtfully.  He bet it would feel good curled up next to that cat.  Gingerly Pan unwound himself and attempted to lay against Ashur.  Of course, Naiche would have a pet that enjoyed physical contact even as the wolf had tried to deny his own interest. The fire in her den was a nice touch and helped fight off the cold waiting outside the den.  His eyes flicked upwards at the pain hiss, twitching a lip, “You know, jokes aside you shouldn’t overdo things too much.  Last thing the pack needs is their reaper hurt so much she can’t help but resting.”   Naiche focused on eating his meat with that and had to admit it was tasty.  Bison.  Bloody hell, she went injured after bison? Was she alone? She had come back in one piece so whatever the situation she’d dealt with it.  The place was comfortable, and Naiche felt himself relaxing more than he would around other wolves or out in the open.  “You seem in better spirits than a few nights back.  Maybe the secret to get past feeling bad is just to go for an all out fight,” Naiche offered up at least slightly joking, slightly serious.  It wasn’t just the fight that had helped him of course, spending time with her also helped.  Easier to put the reason on the fight thought.   "Naiche"

"Aslatiel Fatalis" The feel of a body beside him brought a chirping trill from the spotted cat. He opened one pale green eye and spied the little scaled creature. He'd never seen such a thing in his two years of life. Lifting his head slightly, he inspected the little beast a bit more. It was kind of cute. Asla had told him that her friend was bringing another little friend, so he had been prepared. Satisfied with his inspection, the cat wrapped his thick, warm tail around the little pangolin and placed his head back down on his paws. He was worn out after dragging the bison all that way. Aslatiel picked at her meat, shifting her gaze to rest on Naiche as he gently chastised her for going out to hunt. "Yeah, well... I have a hard time sitting still. It feels lazy and I don't like it." It was... sweet. He was showing concern for her well being. Yes, they bickered and picked at one another, but to see that he genuinely cared was something different than what she was used to. Asla wasn't complaining. In the few days since they'd been spending time together, she'd managed to push away most of the sadness caused by the distance between Indigo and herself. Naiche's words though brought it all back and suddenly she felt guilty for forgetting that pain. Asla swallowed hard and her brows furrowed. "Maybe..." was all that she could manage. How could she have forgotten that Indigo was a world away? With a frown, she pushed her meat away, appetite gone. Releasing a pent up sigh, Asla placed her leftovers near the rest of the meat pile them left the main chamber and curled up in the dark bed chamber on the pile of furs. Damn Naiche for opening his mouth... He hadn't meant to upset her, but she couldn't help it.

Naiche couldn’t argue about it being hard to sit still.  Most of the time he found it lazy and a good way of growing weak but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still a good idea when you were injured.  Well, depending on severity of the injury and whether it was Naiche or anyone else.  Naiche couldn’t abide staying still either, clearly it didn’t count in regards to him. Her response to his comment on feeling better had Naiche quickly realize the error of his casual comment.  Crap, he’d hurt her.  Naiche forgot about the small bit of meat remaining as he watched her walk off.  Naiche thought about following right away but instead gave Asla a moment.  He went ahead and finished the meat though it didn’t have much taste to it once his thoughts were centered on trying to fix the damage done with just a few words.  This was exactly why it sometimes paid off to just be quiet. It was a long period of time, a good two or three minutes before he followed after Asla.  He stepped in quietly, for a moment just looking down at her curled up backside.  If only he could just take back the comment so it didn’t happen.  Naiche sat down next to her then slowly lined himself up and slid down to lay pressed up against her, wrapping his tail around a portion of her body, his head ending up near hers.  It hurt him to know he hurt her and he didn’t like that on more than one level.  “Asla…” Asla what? Sure, start a sentence about to throw words out when just throwing words out is what caused the problem to begin with.  On top of that words that one part of his mind said might help the other part said no way could he possibly say.  “I’m sorry.” The sincerity was laced in the two words deeply.  With some hesitation, he gave a gentle lick on the side of her muzzle, then laying his head on hers. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it.” Naiche understood being upset over losing a loved one, she really did love Indigo clearly but, he wasn’t dead?  She could still go visit at times so why did it bother her so much?  He wasn’t judging though, just confused.  It hurt her, and for whatever damn reason that hurt him.  “Sometimes I am an idiot," he offered knowing quite well she'd happily agree, at least when she was feeling her normal self. "Naiche"

"Aslatiel Fatalis" Asla lay in the darkness of the chamber, curled up in the furs though her eyes were wide and unseeing. She was mentally berating herself when Naiche eventually deposited himself beside her. She was surprised at his apology but was even more surprised at the strange amount of tenderness that he was showing. To her, of all wolves. He actually curled his body around hers which was as good as holding her close. Where was Naiche and who was this imposter? When the golden brute placed a lick on her cheek, Aslatiel nearly had a coronary. It took her a moment to even realize that he had spoken to her, the shock was so real. Well, he could never say that he didn't like kisses again. She'd never believe him. Such sincerity needed to be responded to so the cream and gray lady adjusted, curling her neck so that her chin rested over Naiche's paws and her cheek was rested against his chest. He could still use her neck as a pillow. She didn't mind that one bit. "It's not your fault," she spoke softly. "I'm upset with myself. I forgot that he was gone... I shouldn't have forgotten." Forgetting made her feel horrible. She knew that Indigo felt more than the rest of them put together. For her to forget... it felt like a betrayal. The young wolf nuzzled into Naiche's chest ever so slightly with her cheek. "Thanks for being here, Naiche, truly." He made the separation a lot easier. With everyone abandoning her, she was lonely. No Indy, no, Azure, no Bas, no Kaizer. All those who promised to always be there, they were gone. Naiche was still here though and if he ever tried to leave, she'd break his legs and drag him all the way back.

Naiche could most certainly say he didn’t like kisses in the future, this was special.  Right now Naiche was only thinking of trying to make her feel better.  He had felt bad for Asla earlier when she’d been upset, but this time he had caused it and that made her pain all the worse.  Even while trying to comfort her he was kicking himself.  A few words could upset someone a great deal quickly but he doubted words would be enough to mend things just as fast. “Asla,” again he stalled to stop what he would of said, Naiche first words would probably be wrong again without thought.  “There’s no way Indigo wants you like this, right?  He’s a really gentle guy, I’m sure he wants your love, but he doesn’t want you to suffer from it.” Naiche let out a slow sigh, “words aren’t my strong spot.” Naiche wouldn’t say it, he never planned to say it but having her pressed into him like this did feel good, other than her being hurt. Naiche let out a slow exhale at her thanks, he just didn’t know any words that would be useful instead of causing more damage.  “Sure, after all, I don’t know how to make fires, so you really do have the better place,” a light jest, trying to fall back on something that he didn’t worry about saying the wrong thing on.   Naiche would protect Asla from whatever the problem was.  He had thought this before in regards to her physically not being hurt again after the boar accident, but now it was more than her body that concerned him.  The gold-coated wolf didn’t want her hurt emotionally.  When he first met Asla she seemed quite fond of Azure for being with, and then she had Bas so how was it that now she didn’t seem to have either of those to turn too?  Where was her damn slave?  Maybe she needed a new fur pelt if that was the only part of him that could be kept around.   "Naiche"

"Aslatiel Fatalis" His words were true. Indigo wouldn't want her to feel bad, but that didn't change the fact that she did feel bad. A grunt was her only response and she closed her eyes, mashing her face more firmly against his golden chest. He could just shut up and they could fall asleep again or something. No doubt she would feel better when she woke. Or at least she hoped as much. It wasn't her intent to bring Naiche down on this big day of his, so she tried to push everything away from her mind. Maybe she needed to get drunk again. That had been a fun time. Naiche had hated it but he'd taken it like a champ. It seemed that he couldn't just accept her gratitude. He had to make light of the situation. She couldn't blame him for it, but for once it might have been nice to get some serious emotion from him. Ugh, what was wrong with her? She was irritating herself with all of this emotional bullshit. When had she ever let emotions rule her like this? Different possibilities flitted through her mind, but only one really stuck out. She was getting closer to being of age. Was this a taste of the dreaded 'hormones' her aunt had told her about? If so, she really wished someone would take her off of that list. She didn't need this sort of garbage muddling up her thoughts. "I really am proud of you for making General. I put in a word with my father and requested that you work with me." Sirius had insisted that Naiche be tested just like she had, but there had been no doubt in Asla's mind that he would succeed. He was tenacious just like she was. What would he say to having been requested? Would he ask why? Well, maybe she would tell him anyway. "I asked for you because I trust you, Naiche. More than most wolves." Some family included. "Are you tired?" She imagined that he might be after training with Tamsyn. They were both still healing and their bodies needed rest. Besides... it was supposed to snow again. She could smell it on the wind. And Ashur had told her, but that was beside the point. The girl curled herself more tightly against her golden companion. Perhaps they could take a small nap, then patrol together later.

Naiche waited quietly, listening to her words. “Thanks,” offered quietly about her request.  He was glad Sirius still wanted to test him, Naiche didn’t want to think he was just given a position because Asla had asked for him to get it.  Honestly, once Naiche had figured something out he had enjoyed the challenge of the test. Naiche almost opened up and shared some sentimental junk on past and trust and emotional stuff to respond to Asla, but then it was swallowed back.  Opening up just wasn’t a thing Naiche was keen on, but she still deserved a little after that. “You’ve pissed me off at times, irritated me, but you know I’ve fully trusted you for a while now, even when I didn’t like you much.” Did that help? It was honest but it also reminded him Naiche wasn’t always that keen on her.   “Um, but I do like you now.” How much had she changed?  What about himself?  Was it how they really changed or just getting to know her better?  The word was just like, it was all he could make himself claim.  The small word came with sincerity versus some flippant tone.  “You’re pretty great.”  He thought of suggesting she talk to Tamsyn later as Tamsyn would be seeing Indigo eventually when she returned to the hallows.  It seemed a good thing to suggest but Asla was smart enough to think it up on her own.   Time to quit talking about it to hopefully make things better.  “Tired, sore but comfortable.”  Not that Naiche intended to whine on being sore, but it went along with how a nap might be a good idea.  The notion occurred again to say something nice but sentimentalities wouldn’t come out.  Best to just stay quiet and sleep for a while again.  Naiche inhaled deeply then slowly let out the deep breath. "Naiche"

"Aslatiel Fatalis" If there was a picture with the word "Awkward" somewhere, Naiche's face would surely be right next to it making some stupid, scrunched up face. It was comical just how horrible he was with conversation. Asla couldn't help it. She smirked into his chest as he talked about not liking her. Yeah, well... She knew he'd come around eventually. The Fatalis lady could be charming when she wanted to be. At least with Naiche her niceness wasn't a lie. They both knew that she was more than capable of being horrible to him. He continued being awkward. Oh, he liked her now, did he? Well she would bloody well hope so. Might me a little strange for two wolves who disliked each other to be squished up so close. Mentally, she rolled her eyes. She would agree that she was pretty great though. Asla replied with no more than a muffled scoff and a very mild headbutt. Too much talk. Just go to sleep. Naiche confessed that he was tired and sore and Asla was much the same. Killing the mostly dead bison had still taken a lot out of her. She could periodically hear a low growl as Ashur took a particularly deep breath in his sleep. They were both pretty exhausted by the end. "Sleep," she insisted. Already she could feel the heavy pull of oblivion. It really was much nicer sleeping with someone else.