War was all the hunter heard of these days. Talk of fighting, of challenges, of alliances and enemies. Meili hadn't seen her dear Gael in quite a while and she was afraid more than anything that he had been pulled into the war games himself. He was large, strong, and just. It was almost inevitable that he would be given some sort of role in all of this, but Meili wished against it wholeheartedly. She wanted him here with her, safe and sound. Her teal gaze had been searching the Valhallen territory all day, hoping that they would finally rest on her friend again. Every time she thought of the larger male as a friend she had the unyielding feeling that she was lying to herself. She had tried her hardest to make the feelings for him go away, but nothing she did had helped. She still thought of him constantly, worried over him, hoped to see those cerulean eyes of his every moment of the day. She sighed as she came to a halt on top of a small, sloping hill. She needed to see him, to speak with him, make sure he was okay. Giving in to her wishes, she finally raised her muzzle to the sky and let loose a howl, hoping he would answer. Speech Thought Others

He hadn't forgotten about her...It just seemed like that. It wasn't that she wasn't important anymore because she, it was just that he was an Adravendi and Valhalla had been established by Adravendi's, so he had a bigger responsibility to his pack than most did because it was truly his. So many things had been going on with the pack in regards to the upcomming war between his pack and their enemy Glaciem. His uncle had promoted him the day before to Heir...a rank he never would have thought to ever reach in his life. Aza had been heir for the longest time...and now she was a prisoner of Glaciem. The young Adravendi gritted his teeth. They would get his sister back. They had to. Azalea wasn't going to stay under the clutches of the Ice King for long. Not if he had anything to do about it. And then a voice he hadn't heard in quite some time rung across the atmosphere, calling to him; Meili. Oh his Meili. Gael wasted no time in rushing from his den to answer his little woman's call. Ivory paws beat the earth beneath him as he hurried to Meili's side, ceruleans coming across her familiar timber figure, locking in on her teal eyes. How he loved those eyes. The now Heir slowed himself to a slow walk as he approached his little woman, embarassment filling his cerulean eyes as he pushed himself against her, burying his nose in the nape of her neck. Meili... he murmured gently into her skin, his heart thumping unevenly inside his ribcage. Talk like this

Her big man wouldn't keep her waiting long. Within moments the sound of paws hitting the ground met her ears and she turned to see Gael slowing to a walk and approaching her. Their eyes met and her chest tightened, her heart pounding away nervously in her chest. He was the only one that could pull such a strong reaction from her with the simplest glance. Her gaze filled with joy and a small smile crossed her muzzle as his body pressed against her and she heard him whisper her name. "Gael..." she replied, burying her face into the fur on his chest, breathing in his warm scent happily. She waited as long as she could before she finally pulled back to gaze at him affectionately again, but the pure joy of seeing him would be short lived as her previous worries would return. Worry creased her brow as she spoke. "Gael... Do you have to go fight in the war? Tell me the truth. I know you're family is a large part of Valhalla and I know how much this pack means to you, I just... I just don't want you to get hurt." Worry and fear filled her teal gaze as she awaited his answer, already knowing the answer, but not wanting to believe it. Speech Thought Others

She would bury her head into his chest and Gael would sigh with relief. War was creeping on them so fast and he now to worry about protecting the pack with his life, but for the briefest of moments, just holding Meili to him, he could forget about it all. Right in that moment he wasn't Gael the heir; he was Gael the man that belonged to Meili. Plain and simple. His name would grace her lips, sending his heart into stutters. She was the only one that could make his name sound special. They held each other for what seemed to be an eternity before his little woman was the first one to break their embrace. He could already sense the worry coming off of her in waves and he knew what question was going to come from her lips. Gael... Do you have to go fight in the war? Tell me the truth. I know you're family is a large part of Valhalla and I know how much this pack means to you, I just... I just don't want you to get hurt. The Heir would allow his gaze to drop towards his paws for a moment, lids slipping closed over his eyes. He didn't want her to worry, but he couldn't lie to her at the same time. I do. My uncle called for me yesterday and promoted me to heir. I'm now the Heir to the Valhallan throne and I have to fight. I have to defend my people Meili... He trailed off, allowing his gaze to come back up to meet her teal one. I have to get my sister back from Glaciem...And I have to keep them from getting here because if they defeat us and take Valhalla... His throat constricted, ears folding against his skull. If they took his pack, they could take his little woman too...and he wouldn't be able to stand that...He couldn't let them take Meili when they had already taken his sister. Talk like this

Her worst fears were realized as Gael spoke, confirming that he must fight for Valhalla. He had good news as well though, saying that Syrinx has made him the new Heir. She gave a sad smile as pride surged through her, but that smile quickly disappeared as he revealed that Azalea had been captured by Glaciem. Wouldn't they ever stop torturing them? Hadn't they taken enough? Liberty, Azalea, putting her man in danger, threatening her home. Desperate rage rose up in her at just the thought of Glaciem and their awful deeds. When she looked at her big man all she felt was pride. He was such a good wolf, so just with a huge heart, full of love for his family and pack. She understood his duty that he must fulfill, even if she didn't like it. Meili gazed at him in silence for a moment, so afraid, happy, and proud all at once. The timber-hued fea finally pressed herself against him once again, resting her head on his shoulder and pressing her chest into his. Just having him close eased her worries, even if just for a moment. "I understand why you have to go," she replied softly. "I don't like it at all, but I understand. And I'm proud of you. For being an Heir I mean. And for standing up for your family. You're such a good wolf... The best I've ever met." She smiled softly, keeping herself against him. Her eyes slid closed and her heart pounded in her chest. She finally spoke the words she had been dying to say for so long. She whispered them into his fur, so gently and tenderly. "I love you, Gael." With war on the horizon there was no time to lose. Every moment was precious, Meili realized that now. Speech Thought Others

Damn it all! Damn the war! Damn Isardis and his pack! Damn Liberty for having brought his upon his family! Damn it all! It wasn't fair. Valhalla shouldn't be going to war. They were the biggest pack in all of Alacritis, but they were also peaceful. They didn't start wars with anyone; they helped others, not killed them. But Glaciem had forced their hand. They had challenged for Liberty and Chrysanthe hadn't allowed her to go so easily. Then they'd taken Gideon. And now they had his sister. When would all of this end? Rage began to bubble neath the surface of his silver pelt. Why couldn't his family just be left alone?! His cerulean gaze would stay riveted to Meili's and the rage that was bubbling inside of him would simmer for the moment. He couldn't let those kinds of feelings fester inside of him when his little woman was in his reach. And then she would close the gap that she created, pressing her chest against his own, resting her crown atop his shoulder. Gael would wrap his chin around her neck, holding her to him, listening as she congratulated him for having been promoted to Heir. A bittersweet smile twisted his lips. I wish I didn't have to go...But I have to protect Valhalla...I have to protect you my little woman...I have to... The young Heir wouldn't release his hold on the timber woman, wanting to keep her as close as possible because this very well could be the last time he got to hold her... And then three words that he never thought but always hoped would come from her lips reached his ears. I love you, Gael. His heart stopped. His breath caught in his throat and he froze. I love you Gael. Her words echoed in his head for what seemed forever which in reality was only a few seconds. She...She loved him. Meili loved him. She loved him! Gael would pull back in order to look his little woman straight in the face, cerulean eyes watering with unshed tears. I...I love you Meili. He finally managed to choke out, his voice thick and husky. She loved him. She really loved him. His heart slammed into his ribcage as it sped back to life. He loved Meili. Talk like this

For the briefest momet, when she felt Gael freeze at her words, she was afraid she had made a mistake. Did he not feel the same way she did? Was he thinking now? Her heart stuttered with nervousness, worried over what he would say as he pulled back to look her in the eye. Her nervous fear was instantly washed away when she saw the tears threatening to spill from his eyes and heard the precious words that she had been dying to hear for so long. For the briefest moment everything in the world seemed right. All of the puzzle pieces had finally fallen into place and her heart soared because of it. A huge grin slowly spread over her muzzle and she wanted to leap with joy. He loved her! Gael truly loved her. That was all she had wanted to hear for months and now she finally had her wish. Everything felt so sweet, so real. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes as well and she showered his face with affectionate licks. "My big man... I love you so much," she said, her voice thick with tears and love. It terrified her even more now, having him going off to fight, but at least now she knew. If anything awful happened while he was away, she would know without a doubt that he loved her. Speech Thought Others

His feelings for her had been festering for months; building and building. He'd started out liking her, and then caring for her...and then loving her. But loving was something that had been having trouble coming to terms with because how was one supposed to know when they loved someone? This was first time feeling such feelings for another wolf and it was understandable that he was confused by them. He hadn't gone to his parents with his question because it didn't sound like something that could be answered because everyone's interpretation of love could be different. So the young Adravendi had kept his feelings and questions to himself, hoping that the answer would present itself on its own. And it did. In the form of Meili's confession. Perhaps the only reason he only questioned was feelings was because he didn't know how Meili was feeling towards him. But now he did. Part of him had hoped that she would reciprocate his feelings, but he'd never thought that she would love him like he loved her. It was the most incredible feeling in the world, better than anything he had ever experienced in the world. For that brief moment in time, he felt invincible. He wasn't scared of the war to come; he was ready to face it head on. Because even if he died, he would die knowing that his little woman loved him too and that was enough to give him the courage and strength that he needed. The tears that had been pricking his cerulean eyes spilled over as Meili fawned him with kisses, encouraging the Heir to return her affections. My little woman...I love you so much more. It probably wasn't the best of times for them to be confessing their feelings for each other, but it was better than never. Now at least if anything happened to either one, they wouldn't be left with the doubt. Talk like this

Meili felt a strange mix of strangling worry and light happiness as she thought of her love going off to war. They loved each other, but if something were to happen, what would she do without him? She would be completely lost. She hid these feelings though. She knew he was worried about her enough as it was and she didn't want him distracted by anything when he fought. She wanted him to win and come back safely with his sister in tow. The small fea looked up to her man with pride in her gaze as tears spilled onto her cheeks. "You'll go and make me proud, won't you? And come back to me when it's all over?" she smiled and licked the end of his nose playfully like she always did. Just like out times. So much had changed, so much with them had evolved, but some things remained the same and reminded her of why she had fallen in love with him in the first place. Her teal eyes met his and she savored these moments with him. Every second was so special when she was with him. Speech Thought Others