Bane awoke with a start, tongue lolling out of his maw as he looked around the den with his one eye. He smelled it in the darkness, a chill in the air as he crawled down from his little nook into the den. Excitement fluttered his aged heart at these signs. Winter had come, and with it another year completed in his life. Kailos was stepped over and Lior skirted around as he approached Tahlia's side. Noses would touch as he spent a moment rousing her from her slumber. "Tahlia wake up, shhhhhh." Bane looked back at their pups. "It's snowing." The pale wolf stepped over the half years and climbed the incline to the snow blocked entrance.

The wolfs breath began to fog as he got close and nosed his way into the snow. Paws would scrape a big enough hole for him to emerge into a land that had not been so the evening before. Sizable flakes still falling from the grey sky showed how it was done in such a short about of time. A smile surfaced at the sound of the mountain pines being caressed by the wind. The glow of the sun still blocked by the opposite range of mountains, a moment of worry went through him as he looked at Tahlia and if he had woken her too early.

"Beautiful ain't it?" The pale wolf hushed while staring at the she-wolf. Widened paws brought him to her side, Bane nudging her flank to turn around and follow him as to took the lead down their hillside. A quiet place was sought after as his grey flecked forelegs muscled aside the snow for Tahlia to have an easier time following him. "My mother always said that the first snowfall was the day I was born, that was ten years ago." Bane proclaimed as he pushed through the loose powder and continued to the blanketed bushes up ahead.

Walk | Talk | Think

Her eyes fluttered open at the soft contact to her nose. Her right, cloudy eye was unseeing while the left slowly cleared to bring her husband into focus, standing beside her and quietly urging her to wake. Her brow furrowed, her head lifting from the paw she had it resting on, but even as she took in a deep breath, preparing to question him, he shushed her quiet. A swift glance told her why. The children slept soundly next to them, oblivious to their rousing parents. He did not want to wake them yet.

He explained himself in a simple, informative phrase, and Tahlia blinked slowly. Snow? Already? Was it really winter now? Had so much time passed, and so quickly? Slightly stunned, Tahlia rose slowly and followed Bane past Kailos and Lior to the front of the den, fitting herself through the opening he had just created to step out into the crisp, chilly morning. Her own breath fogged as it left her muzzle in a sigh, her gaze cast upward. Indeed, it did snow. It covered the ground in a thin blanket of white, covered the branches of the trees, and still fell from the sky. The sight of it was lovely - the first snowfall of the season - and though she was still admittedly sleepy she smiled, pleased to be witness to it.

An ear turned, caught the question, and nodding her head she answered, "It is." Bane stepped close and she turned her softly smiling expression on him, receiving a gentle poke against her hip to encourage her to follow. She did, stepping through the cleared path that he made for her and feeling silently grateful for his consideration. It might even have been an unconscious gesture but it showed her how much he truly cared. The way was easy for it, and wandering along in his wake as he shoveled the snow away from her path she listened as he mentioned his mother. Her ears perked, her attention fixing upon him before her, and her curiosity stirred. Had he ever mentioned his mother before now? She could not say that he had, nor that he had mentioned being born so early in the season.

But it was the last phrase that struck home, stealing her smile, her contented happiness, that placed ice within her middle. Ten years ago. Ten years! So long he had lived already, reaching an age not many could boast of. But how much longer? He still had much of the young warrior he was in him yet, enough to keep her fooled into thinking they had forever to themselves. How much longer, truthfully, would he be of this world, be with her, their family? It chilled her worse than the snow, and in that moment she was glad he was preoccupied with pushing through the snow, his back to her and his attention ahead. He could not see the fright that revelation had put in her.

Likely he expected some sort of remark from her, maybe even just a little something to know that she had been listening, and Tahlia drew in a deep, quiet breath as she eased the severity of her expression before he could turn and see it for himself. "It is your birthday then?" she asked at length, hoping her tone sounded cheerful and would not betray the thoughts that had buzzed through her mind. It was his birthday. They needed to celebrate, not mourn over a date and time that had yet to even reach them.

Widened paws would carve the path for Tahlia to follow him down the mountainside and to a place of solitude. A thick copse of trees or a surrounding of bushes would do. Thick flakes slowly drizzled down between the the trees, a pile of powder causing a branch to give way somewhere off to his right caused his ears to flick. It was only the fact that this was how he knew to truly love a mate besides a lick or a nuzzle. Would Tahlia eventually get tired of laying for him? Bane's shouldered past a bush and glanced back at Tahlia, catching himself as he almost ran into the cliff side just below the slope near the territories lake. His tail would curl around his leg and a relaxed sigh rasped passed his muzzle.

"Yes it is. Or close to that time." Bane started as he tilted his head to eye Tahlia and the half circle of bushes that hid them. "I want you for this day. I want a time to ourselves and get away from pack life. With our responsibilities of hunting and being busy during the day and such. Not a lot of time to be with one another..." The pale wolf remained hopeful even as he continued to ramble his explanation. The tip of his muzzle brushed up against her cheek. "Some time to ourselves before the rest of the pack wakes." Bane whispered, a gentle kiss being place over Tahlia's milky eye, turning it into a trailing lick that traveled over her forehead. Bane tucked his chin against his chest. "I've noticed you've seemed down lately." The wolf leaned his head forward to place a kiss on his mates lips. "I just want to say that I still find you beautiful." The old wolf rumbled with a tender smile.

Walk | Talk | Think

He seemed not to notice her inner turmoil and Tahlia relaxed a little, assuming her ability to mask her true feelings had held. She hated to use it against him, her husband, the one wolf she knew she need not keep secrets from, but it was not a topic she had wanted to bother him with. His spirits had been high; it would have broken her heart to know she had ruined that for him.

They had not stopped until they were a distance away from the den, a distance away from everyone, surrounded by snowy foliage and a cliff. Her gold eye cast a suspicious glance around the location, her distracted thoughts coming to a new conclusion as she realized what he had done. He had drawn her this way not to watch the first snowfall. No, Tahlia was sure he had an alterior motive, one she was more than a little familiar with.

Sure enough, he admitted it, plainly wishing to have her for his birthday. Tahlia listened closely, her seeing and unseeing gaze softening as he tried to explain himself though it sounded more rambly than she thought he had wanted it to. It could not possibly have been a product of nerves. They had done this enough times for it to be second nature, without any hesitation or uncertainty. But, she quickly reminded herself, this day was special. This could not be like all the other days, not if it was his day. He brushed his muzzle past hers and reached up to kiss over her eye, both closing as a tightness and warmth spread within her heart as he reassured her of his affection and her beauty. Yes, he really did need something special for his birthday.

She tucked her head and pressed it against his neck until she was sure the tears that had sprung up in her eyes had gone for good. Drawing in a steadying breath, she finally pulled away to look at him, and nodded her head faintly. "You will have me," she assured him, "but," - here she paused, sure she would get his attention since setting stipulations had never been in her nature. Not until today - "I will have you, too."

Would he follow her train of thought, what she hinted at? A part of her was convinced it would surprise him, and it only fueled her desire to catch him off guard in this way. She stepped close, kissing his lips softly once, twice. "Today is your day, my husband," she whispered, "and I want it to be the most memorable for you yet. Let me make it so. Let me take the lead." Now her tongue rasped against his jaw, trying to coax out one of those growls that she loved so much. Her ears folded back, her eye seeking out his with a commanding, pleading stare. "All you need do is lay back. And enjoy."

His milky sapphire eye stared at Tahlia's closed ones, watching flakes drizzle onto her withers and ears. She came forward and pressed her head against the side of his neck, the pale wolf sitting and placing a paw over a shoulder. Bane gingerly rubbed the limb against her shoulder and side, a content sigh leaving him. He didn't mind their embrace, feeling her sides gently expand and retract for a few moments until she drew back, nodding slightly a few times as she gave consent. But their was a catch with what she said, making Bane skew his head a bit. She would have him? The pale elder felt the corner of his maw twitch as he realized what she asked. Tahlia was asking to be the one primarily treating them during their time alone.

His mate came up to him during that realization and planted a pair of kisses on the tip of his muzzle. A rumble left him at her surprising action. Seduced by the touch of her lips and even further intrigued by her tongue gliding along his jaw. The lustful growl bubbled up from a fluttering chest as his pulse quickened at her expression. The way her ears folded back and how she looked at him. A growl left his muzzle as he planted their noses together, tongue pressing back into her maw as he closed his eyes for a moment and held the intimate gesture before withdrawing. The command she gave was exotic. Lay on his back and enjoy? The pale wolf planted another quick kiss on Tahlia's muzzle as he lay on his side, anxious to experience her offer. Bane rolled onto his back and tucked his forelegs to his chest, head leaning back and tilting slightly to look at Tahlia. A foreleg stepped into view, feeling the wispy fur of her stomach graze over his chest as she leaned down to plant a kiss on his muzzle.

-Fade to Black-

Walk | Talk | Think

She was rewarded with the desired growl and more, his tongue gliding past her lips in an intimate kiss. He would agree. He had said nothing and yet she knew he would comply with her wishes, her birthday present for him. She had suspected he would; he was always so accommodating for her. She received another kiss before he lowered himself to his side and then rolled to his back, his single blue eye never leaving hers. A small, confident smile sat upon her lips, her tail beginning to sway with her own eagerness. How different this would be for them both. Bane was always the one to dictate how their rendezvous went, and she was more than content to allow him that leading role. But for now she would try to wear that confidence well, try to give her husband a memorable birthday.

Tahlia padded over to him, over him, lifting and placing her paws into positions reminiscent of those he had used himself. She paused as she stood over him and met his eye, surprising herself in that moment of realization that she had grown so bold as this. To initiate something new with her husband, to go beyond the boundaries that she thought had been hers. But despite her surprise she felt no sense of doubt, no regret with the decision she had made, the decision she planned to carry out. She bent her head down and, closing her eyes, kissed his lips again. And the rest of her followed, settling into place, finding the right position so that she could take the lead.

-Fade and skip-

Breathless, Tahlia slumped across Bane's chest, her head turned so that her cheek was cushioned by the soft fur there. She could hear his heartbeat, feel each breath he took beneath her, and wondered if he had enjoyed himself as much as she had. She had anticipated stumbling moments as she tried to find the right way of things, how to do exactly what she had set out to do, but if there had been any she had not been made aware. He had made her comfortable, confident, to the point that, as far as she was concerned, it had been a success. But, just to be sure...

She uncurled her neck and stretched her head out and slightly up to peer at her husband with her working eye, saying nothing though she reached out to place a tender little kiss to his chin.

His mate collapsed onto his chest, the stars in the corner of his vision encroached further across his sight before disappearing. What his mate had done had been simply mesmerizing. And as Tahlia lay on his chest Bane couldn't help but wonder if she had been taught anything of what she just did by, say... her mother. The pale wolf's panting eased her head up and down on his rising chest, his muzzle turning from where it lay to the side and licking across the bridge of her nose. Tahlia shifted and stared at him, as did he, she placed a lick on his chin and Bane eased his head back with a stunned smile. A rumbling sigh reverberated through his chest.

"What did you do to me? To us?" Bane gave a suppressed laugh and lay his head on its side, eye staring up at her. The elder gave a slow blink, idle and wishful thoughts wondering if she would be with young again. The wolf shifted his grasp on her sides and let his dew claws trace through the fur just in front of her hips, shifting his body a bit underneath her. "I just, wow. Gods woman." Bane sighed and slumped his head back to stare off into the sky, letting the snow flakes drizzle onto his muzzle.

"I'm sure you found it pleasing, I hope. I can help if you didn't. I mean since you were so busy with me..." The male ceased his babbling with a grunt as he adjusted himself to be more comfortable. His chin still tingled from when she licked him. Snowfall had caught on the edges of her ears only to fall off in clumps when she moved. It felt like the softest of cotton when touching his cheeks, and yet it didn't compare to what the two wolves had felt.

Walk | Talk | Think

If that was not a satisfied face then she had never known one. Just that quick look at Bane had been enough for her to know, without a further doubt, that she had accomplished what she had set out to do. And it made her smile, proudly and victoriously, where she lay on him. It might have made more sense for her to move, to allow them both a little space to catch their breath, but she rather liked being able to feel each rise and fall of his chest, to hear just by turning her head the rapid beat of his heart. Just knowing she had done that - she had caused it all - was so liberating she felt her old confidence return in full.

He was so dazed when he spoke that it was all she could do not to laugh in delight, restraining herself to a few giddy chuckles as her tail wagged in an almost lazy fashion behind her. Good. That was just what she had been hoping for. She felt him shift beneath her, felt his claws trailing by her hips, and with a smiling sigh of her own Tahlia relaxed further against him, closing her eyes and turning her head to rest it against his chest to hear his heart again. He deserved to have it flutter, to have it fly. She had already lost count how many times he had done the same for her.

Her ear tweaked slightly as she listened, eyes opening to watch the snow fall around them before she realized Bane was beginning to ramble. "I am plenty satisfied," she assured him as she lifted her head from his chest to peer at him again. "Even more so knowing you enjoyed yourself so well." She watched him silently for a moment, took note of him shifting again beneath her, and a little she did too. "Should I move?" Tahlia was quite comfortable where she was, but today was his day. She could be just as happy cuddling beside him as above.

His mate had sang her laughter at what he was sure was a very amusing expression on his muzzle. Tahlia's tail wisped over his own as she settled further atop him. His back was cool against the fresh snow but his chest and belly were warm from the she-wolf still laying on him. He didn't mind this at all. A comforting weight he'd never get tired of. And when she lay her head below his neck Bane let out a long, if nothing but content, sigh.

Tahlia voiced that she had found the experience as satisfying as he had, and that was all he had ever wanted during their intimate actions. His foreclaws scratched between her flank as he caressed the joint between her hips and hindlegs. The remaining milky eye Bane caught Tahlia staring at him, his mate's gaze truly showed that she was being honest. The elder didn't doubt her of course, only by the fact that some truth's were hazy in how honest they were when new things were tried. As far as having her move, Bane wouldn't dream of it. At least not during they time they've had to themselves.

"I'm fine with this. No need to make yourself more uncomfortable by getting off of me." Bane rumbled in merriment at the quirky statement. The pale wolf grinned and made their noses touch, his tongue pressing against her chin to her nose between their muzzles. "So... did you learn anything you just did from anybody?" Really. Bane was curious as to who taught he what she just did to him. Or if it was all on the spot then he was all the more in awe at her boldness leading the two wolves in something new.

Walk | Talk | Think

With his paws at her hips, he declined her offer to move, assuring her in his own words that she was fine where she was. The golden-eyed woman smiled, permitting another chuckle, as she watched her husband and mate. Truly, she felt wonderful, more like herself than she had been feeling since the accident during the earthquake. It was as if the rift that had been created between who she had once been and who she wished to be had finally been bridged, and even her lack of a functioning right eye made no difference any longer. If she could manage in her own way to surprise her husband even in this state then there was no limit to what else Tahlia could do.

Her eyes closed briefly, indulgently, as he kissed her and then peered into his face as he spoke curiously of where her knowledge for their previous act had come from. She was entirely unprepared for it and easily embarrassed though she was just as shocked by his casual tone, shifting slightly atop him. Nothing was out of bounds for him. "It may have been told to me once," she answered evasively, being as truthful as she dared while trying to mask her surprise as their new topic of conversation, "but never before put into practice. Until you." Only with Bane would she ever find herself speaking so plainly of such things. And, looking back, she was glad to have shared this special moment with him alone. She was sure no one deserved that sort of...gift more than him.

But she could not stay embarrassed very long. His ease with the subject made it easier on her to get through it, much the same way she had been able to keep her courage while treating him. Reaching, Tahlia turned her head to nuzzle the side of his neck with her cheek, drawing away so her seeing left eye met his right as she stared down at him. "Happy birthday, my husband. My love," she murmured softly, placing a gentle kiss against the side of his muzzle and then across his lips sweetly.

He felt her shift on top of him, Bane knowing that his mate was often quiet about this sort of talk. And her answer was just as elusive as it was assuming that she was told about what she just did. Tahlia's mother must've been the best mate ever. His once widowed mate commented that she'd never done this before, as was assumed by the fact that she was still a virgin before they became mates. Only him. Bane wish he could say the same that he was her's only. But with the amount of females he'd been with that was obviously a falsehood. Alarice, some young female that had nothing becoming of it. Des, Alena, and Silverback. Bane briefly wondered what became of the leopardess. There was the whore on the beach. Then there was Tahlia, and by the gods his Tahlia. Tahlia. Oh how he loved his Tahlia.

The feeling of her cheek against his neck, wishing that he could see the twinkle in her eye. His mate turned her head and there the glittering orb of gold was. Bane had mirrored the movement of her head, his hazy sapphire eye giving a slow blink as he pawed her chest. "Thank you my mate. You made it that much more special because of it." He trailed off and let the sign that was breathed dissolve into a rumble of satisfaction as she gently kissed him. Oh she knew how to shut him up. A rumble shook his chest as he reached up to graze his teeth through the fur on her neck. The pale wolf would remember this morning for the rest of his days. The paws laying securely against her waist rubbed her sides and he matched her signs of affection. Reaching his head up and intruding his tongue into her muzzle as he brought her onto her left side. Perhaps he would feel inclined to make sure that she had been satisfied, but for this moment he would gauge her happy mood and inquire if she would lay herself for him. He knew what she liked, and he only wanted to be sure that she was satisfied.

Walk | Talk | Think

Thank goodness he was kind enough not to press further than he had regarding her instruction. He may have made her feel comfortable enough to be open and honest around him, to speak to him more plainly than she was accustomed to speaking and on subjects that she normally would have left untouched, to even do things with him that she would never even have considered with anyone else. But her new boldness still had its limits, and some habits were hard to break. Deep down she was still modest and conservative, a lady in every respect, and it was not something very easily set aside.

But speaking and acting were two different things, especially when one was caught up in the moment and still flying with the happy knowledge she had surprised her mate in the best of ways. And especially since she had managed to cut off whatever he had been meaning to say more in thanks to her with a kiss to his lips that elicited one of her favored rumbling growls of satisfaction. She smiled and closed her gold and cloudy eyes indulgently, enjoying the tickling, tingling sensation of his grazing teeth running through the fur along her neck. His paws roamed upward along her sides, ruffling her fur the wrong way and causing her to shift a little for a second time above him, though this time not because of nervousness.

His tongue pressed passed her lips and suddenly she felt Bane shifting beneath her, rolling the both of them until she was no longer over him but beside him in the snow. She could feel the cold of it seep up into her fur, especially where he had rustled it, but the cold was easy enough to counter. Tahlia scooted closer to her greying husband, drawing from his warmth and snuggling close if for no other selfish reason than because she could and wanted to. And because how else was she going to match each kiss he gave her from a distance? She pawed at his neck softly, already feeling less of the cold snow beneath her and more of the warmth of his affection.

He felt her shift herself closer to him, a small ridge of snow being formed up below the intermingling fur of their stomachs to gradually melt away. Bane's leg laying bent on her exposed shoulder, his paw running back and forth through her disheveling fur to scratch at the skin with his nails, giving a content exhale as he reached his muzzle forward to touch her nose again. His fangs would gently nip at her nose, tongue flicking out and licking the side of her muzzle. The corners corners of his muzzle lifted when felt a paw pressing against the base of his neck. A hum was voiced, not giving Tahlia one of her favorite rumbles of satisfaction.

Teasing. That was the word. Band closing his eyes with a smug smile. Ain't no other wolf had a mate such as Tahlia, and that made him the luckiest male alive.?"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay like this for a little while. Just be with one another at least until the?commotion of others starting their day gets to?encroaching to what we're sharing." And by that Bane meant laying here together as undisturbed as possible. Only the snowfall was allowed to do so this moment. He brought a paw against the base of her throat and gently pressed. So soft. He wondered, being as she was now after giving her gift to him, that if she would allow it. He didn't want to come across as forceful, or that he hadn't heard her words about being satisfied, but Bane loved Tahlia. And as he thought of a few times in the past, he wondered how else to truly love his mate. To keep things fresh and exciting for her. To give surprises and other showings of affection. An uneasy creasing settled across his brow at the unsure thoughts.

Walk | Talk | Think

The feel of his claws parting through the fur of her shoulder and grazing across her skin sent up a little shiver beneath his touch, reacting so quickly to him and each little suggestion he made. He nipped softly at her nose, licked her muzzle, and smiled as he made a quiet hum when her paw touched his neck. No growl, no rumble, no feel of it within his chest answered her gesture, just the quiet hum, and somehow it was not enough. Not after the look she had gotten out of him a moment ago, not after knowing what she could now do. His teasing was like a challenge, daring her to figure out what might bring those growls back, and she was tempted to take it. But Bane reminded her as he suggested they enjoy their time together of the rising sun, the waking pack, and how quickly the quiet around them would give way to day and activity. Their time was limited, and would all too soon be coming to an end.

He brought his paw to her throat, similarly to how she had done to him, and he pressed gently. Tahlia moved slightly at the press, rolling just enough to peer into Bane's face and watch the way his expression changed, how his smile became something of a thoughtful, worrisome frown. What went on behind that single blue eye of his? What did he think to make him worry so? She could not understand what had transpired inside his mind to change him - was it anything like what had scared her at first? - but she did not want to let it linger longer than it needed to. "Bane," she said, attempting to draw him back to the present. A soft kiss was place on the tip of his nose. "No frowning. Not today." No, today was his day. He needed to enjoy it, with smiles and laughter and happiness.

She knew of one way to make the frown disappear - a way, he had once told her, that relieved stress - but would there have been enough time for it? No one knew where they had gone though their scent could easily be followed. Being found like that was not something she wished to happen. But there is always later. There would be plenty of time later, when the day's work was done and they could settle the pups inside the den. "Maybe tonight," Tahlia whispered, smiling, "we can do this again." Now that she was more confident, she could only imagine everything would be better a second time. And she hoped the thought might keep her husband smiling to himself until nightfall. For now she stayed snuggled close, occasionally pawing again at his neck, nuzzling him with quiet kisses, and waited until the activity of the pack would draw them up and away.

-End Thread-