Walk | Talk | Think The ceremony was done and over with, and while she had gotten exactly what she wanted in the end - she could now claim Leon as her mate freely and with Erani's blessing - it had brought to the forefront of her thoughts a part of the mateship that she had been suppressing: children. It was not that she disliked them; they were often cute and amusing as they tried to keep up with the adults and learn their place amongst their family and pack. But for as long as she could remember Ashtoreth had worried about having a few of her own. They were such fragile, impressionable things, in need of constant care and requiring so much time and energy. She was sure she would be able to keep up, being a hunter and all, but how would she do raising kids? Could she do it, and decently too? She continued to worry over those thoughts as she wound her way back to the den, the smile that should have been upon her face absent with only a small crease to her brow there to give evidence to troubled thoughts. Gold and purple eyes stared unseeing ahead, distracted by the visions within her mind. The grey wolf supposed it was only a matter of time before Leon mentioned it. Not to mention she was hardly getting any younger. If she was going to have them, now would be the time. If only her thoughts were in agreement. With the den in sight, Ashtoreth hurried her pace and slipped quietly within. Empty. Not what she was hoping for. Each moment on her own was more time to give thought to her future, to worry herself sick with fears that she was inadequate and would fail her mate in this way. Her ears folded against her head with an airy sigh, and though she was not tired the petite wolf paced to the back of the den, turned once, and then proceeded to curl up tightly upon the ground. Hopefully Leon would return soon. Ash was not sure she was ready to voice her fears aloud to him just yet, but just having him close, to feel his reassurance wrapped around her, would ease her mind and calm her fears.

A lot had been on his mind lately. He and Ashtoreth were officially mates now, as the ceremony had made it official. He was proud to call her his mate, for he wanted no one else by his side ever. With those thoughts, however, came the other lingering thoughts about their future. It was something he always thought about, and he wondered if she often thought about it too. They were both getting older, they had both loved each other for a long while now, and he was starting to think about the more serious things of their future together. The ache in his mind and heart at missing her pulled him along, pulling him straight to the den they shared together. All the while his mind started becoming more scattered as nervousness about mentioning it began to overcome him. He would try to shake it away, however, as it was an important thing he had to know.

The den would come into sight minutes later, his heart pounding more at the prospect of seeing his beloved Ashtoreth. His tail would begin to wag, his pace quickening as he caught her scent. It was intoxicating, calming, it lulled him into a state that could both make him scatterbrained and tongue tied, as well as calmed and more sure of himself. Upon entering the den, deep blues would see her form lying at the back of their chosen den. He would move quietly towards her, wondering if she was napping or if she was resting. Either way, he approached with quiet certainty and gently kissed the top of her head. "Ashtoreth, sweetheart..." He murmured, unsure of what to say. Instead, he lowered himself to press against her back, resting his head upon her back and giving her shoulder a soft lick. He held her close, head draped over her shoulders as if embracing her.

He loved her to no end, adored her like tomorrow would never come. He could no longer imagine a life without Ash, his Ash. And with that came the wondering of what life would be like with her if they had children. He was afraid, however, at the thought as well as excited. He had never really been around children, had never really thought about being a father, but it couldn't be too hard, right?

Walk | Talk | Think She was lost in thought, fighting with herself over whether her worries were valid or pointless. It was a never ending battle, each side only gaining so much ground before she would cave and reconsider the argument and start the whole process over again. By the time she caught the scent, the one that both calmed and excited her in the same breath, she felt her thoughts flee as her attention wholly fixed upon him, the tip of her tail making a few quick taps against the ground in expectation of him. Leon. It was strange how easily he could make everything better, just by the effect of his scent and nothing more. But this was no mere passing by of her mate, no, and she soon realized this when she heard the sound of his steps lead up to the den and quietly enter inside to join her. Ashtoreth was still, two-toned eyes staring toward the back of the den with no view of Leon as he padded quietly over to her and stopped just behind where she lay. She held her breath, uncertainties of a moment ago rendering her indecisive enough not to react, to freeze and wait and hope that somehow he could fix it, everything that she felt was wrong. The kiss to her forehead drew closed her gold and purple eyes, her tense body relaxing a small bit as Leon lay down at her side, curling around her in that sweet, cuddling manner of his. The petite grey wolf melted into his touch, uncurling just enough so that her body pressed back against him. But even after a moment it fell short. She turned, rolled, moved herself so that she faced him where she lay on her side, and immediately she pressed her face into the soft fur of his neck with a rough nuzzle. She struggled to think of what to say to him, but one thing did come easily and was given voice with the utmost ease. "I love you." Goodness, did she mean it. She really did hope he knew and understood his importance to her. But the tension her uncertainties were creating was suffocating, and resorting to her naturally odd humor Ash tried to lighten her own mood. "Erani sure knows how to throw a party," she stated with a nervous smile, hoping to hide the fact she had been worrying herself into a fit from her mate. Nothing had been broached yet, though simply being beside him was enough to make her question whether she could even stay away from him in order to prolong the coming of future generations. He was so perfect to her; could children from him truly be as scary as she thought?

She turned towards him, her head snuggling into the fur of his neck. The words she told him made his heart flutter. Then again, whenever she was around his heart always fluttered about his chest. He always felt like a kid with his first crush, but he was entitled to it right? She always made him feel that way, and he never wanted the feelings to go away. He smiled at her, kissing the top of her head as his blue eyes gazed softly upon her. "I love you too, very much so." He would respond, his words genuine and heartfelt. In truth, he really did love her. And he didn't want to be without her, ever. He adored her to no end, and never wanted to see his life without her. He thought about it, once or twice, how life would be if they had never met. And in truth, he could not see his life without Ashtoreth in it. He didn't even want to imagine a life without her in it, and knew that his life would have been incomplete without her.


He lightly laughed at her comment about the party. Indeed, Erani had surprised him with her intentions during the meeting. Leon had vowed to Ash, and he would uphold them until his last dying breath. His heart would pound within the confines of his chest, as thoughts of what were to come crept up on his mind. Now that they were officially mates, there was the future to think about right? Eventually, they would have to settle down and think about their future. Think about their life together, children, a family...their future as two soul mates. The thoughts made him both nervous and excited, the prospect of having children with her, the love of his life and keeper of his heart excited him. It made him want her more then ever, but he didn't want to feel like he was pressuring her. He would wait forever for her, if forever was how long he had to wait for his perfect angel.


He nuzzled her with greater force, ferociously showing his affections as his heart pounded. He pressed closed to her, as if embracing her to his body. Gently he kissed her muzzle, his affections for her becoming obvious no matter how hard he tried to contain them. "I love you so much, Ashtoreth Adravendi. I hope you know that. There's nobody I'd want in my life, only you. And I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us." He looked at her softly, his blue gaze swimming with the depths of his emotions for her. He was nervous yes, but he truly did not want anyone else. He wanted her, and his body ached to feel her touch, to feel her against him. He loved her, and he wanted to show her just how much.

Walk | Talk | Think She made him laugh, the sound happiness to her ears. Her own smile about her face lessened its nervousness and grew in amusement that she had managed to bring about a chuckle. She was lucky he enjoyed her humor, was truly glad that he did. She knew she had complications dealing with serious situations, turning to humor when things became too tense, and goodness if this was not one of those moments. Ashtoreth was conflicted. On one hand, she was nervous about potentially being a mother, of pups she would carry and then birth and then raise within her shared den with Leon. But on the other hand, she was beginning to doubt her ability to resist. Even just cuddled up against him like this was building her desire for him, aided by the fact her season had rolled around and was causing her to react even more strongly to his simplest of touches. Which in turn were making the excuses and counters to her worrisome thoughts sound so very rational and comforting. Her two-toned eyes closed as he roughly returned her nuzzle, breath hitching at the desperation of it. Apparently she was not the only one feeling this way. He drew closer, causing her to squirm to do the same, before he kissed her muzzle with such a gentleness it was almost teasing. Ears twitched and then stilled as he spoke to her and her heart leaped and raced faster when he said her name. Ashtoreth Adravendi. That certainly had a lovely ring to it. She liked even more that it made it plain and clear that she was his and no others. A tiny shiver raced down her spine as she smiled, still listening as she indulged in the feel of him so close. Yep, she was really having a hard time saying no. But did she want to anymore? They were mates after all, entitled to this sort of joy even if she was worried about the repercussions. Pups. But Leon would be there. She had even told him once before that he was going to be great at fatherhood. And if there was anyone she trusted to raise kids right, to play a very active role in their lives and make them love him as much as she did, it was him. "Neither can I," she answered in a whisper, surprising herself to find that it was true. She stared back into his eyes, feeling the intensity behind his stare bore into her and ask the unsaid question that was upon both of their minds. "I'm ready to find out. When you are." Her words were indirect but she was sure Leon would understand. It was as close as she was going to get to saying yes to everything that being mates entailed. Her worries still lingered but she forced them aside and instead focused upon Leon, taking comfort from him and all the happiness that he represented in her life, past, present, and future.

His heart would pound like a jack hammer within his chest. He loved her. He wanted her. And he knew she wanted him just as much. His gaze would turn warmer, hungrier, though not animal hungry, simply hungry to show her how much he loved her, hungry to show her that he wanted her and only her. Hungry to start their future together. He buried his face against her neck, inhaling her scent. Intoxicating, her touch and warmth of her body only furthering the hammering of his heart. It seemed it might burst from his chest any moment, though he would contain himself...just barely. Her words, soft spoken with a hint to them. He knew exactly what she wanted. What they both wanted. And he didn't want to keep waiting any longer. They had waited long enough, a couple years at least, for this moment.

His head would brush upwards, a mixture of retained excitement and nervousness apparent, he was sure, within his movements. Her scent drove him crazy, it always had though he had done well to manage it. This time, however, was different. Blue gaze moved to her dual toned one, and slowly he would kiss her nose, her muzzle, her cheek, her neck, and slowly he moved further down. Body brushing against her own, a primal feeling bursting within him, though he kept it contained. His head moved over her back, planting kisses along the way as he moved further. His breath would rise in pressure, nervousness melting away into a feeling of excitement and anticipation. He loved her...and he would show her. Gently and slowly, he kissed her body and placed upon her the gentleness she always brought about in him. He knew her to be a nervous girl, though he hoped that it would push away from her, just as it had from him. Even so, he was careful to make certain she wasn't uncomfortable, and once it was clear she was alright, he would bring himself over her and prove to her, his love.

-Fade To Black-