Padding and bouncing and wandering her way through the vast snowy wilderness, Caelum hummed softly to herself as she moved and watched her tiny companion dart to and fro, dipping down over the frozen rivers. She did her best to follow but soon was left behind, panting from the effort of trying so hard to move. The sky was quite overcast, foreshadowing snowfall still to come. Despite the gloom it was still a lovely day; the rivers nearby shimmered with layers of ice and not one bit of the landscape had escaped being enveloped in a winter wonderland. She took shelter under some trees, their bows hanging heavy as they bore the weight of the ice and snow so that the lowest of them brushed against the dark top of her head while she settled down. With a little dusting of snow on her head she could almost blend into the scenery entirely. Yawning and stretching out her weary legs, Caelum simply relaxed and enjoyed the frosty day.

Zephyr had always been particularly fond of the winter. Something about the light dusting of snow on the ground, and the slight chill in the air made him feel blissfully nostalgic. The memories came to him much easier now that he was getting used to having Caelum around again, but daydreams of his past came more frequently than the nightmares. Part of him was sure those would never stop, but he was relieved when he didn't awake with a start with visions of death. He was actually growing used to the peaceful life he'd begun to settle into. A life with Caelum, far different from what they'd once shared but somehow so familiar too. It was a beautiful day, despite the cloudy skies and threat of snowfall soon. It didn't seem like the sort of snow that a blizzard might bring, but one of a picturesque, serene winter day. His spirits were far more light than usual as he padded beneath the trees, trailing after one particular scent. He made no effort to block the sounds of his arrival, and by the time he found her, resting beneath the icy tree branches, he was grinning broadly. "Hey stranger," Zephyr hummed, tail thumping against his hind legs. "Mind if I join you for a moment?"

She knew it was him without looking, the familiar sound of his pawsteps were unmistakable by now. For a time when they'd been apart she'd grown worried she would forget what it sounded like to hear him approaching. Cae was glad those fears - and a handful of other burdens she'd been carried - had since melted away as they spent more and more time in each others company. This was the life she'd missed so terribly, one where she could always count on hearing the familiar sound of Zephyr walking up to her. Craning her neck around, Caelum met his grin with a toothy one of her own. Ah, how she loved the way her heart still fluttered when she laid eyes on him. "I suppose you can, I was kind of hoping a handsome man would come along to help keep me warm." A flirtatious wink accompanied the comment. She leaned to one side, hoping to encourage him to lay next to her.

Though things were much closer to normal with her now, there was still an air of strangeness sometimes.. years of not speaking, of letting hatred and regret build up within his heart had left a void of sorts that he wasn't sure could ever be filled. He tried to let it go, but there was still so much to say to her that he hadn't found the courage to admit yet. Forgetting was easier than remembering, though, and he was content for now to let his worries slip away when he was in her presence. His eyes glimmered with affection as she turned to meet his gaze, grinning in response. "Well then, I'd say it's your lucky day," he quipped gently, taking her encouragement easily and moving to lay against her side, relishing in her warmth and the way her sweet scent suddenly enveloped him like a blanket. He breathed a heavy, content sigh, leaning to nip at the back of her neck fondly. "What do you say?"

It was funny how instantaneously her mood could shift in his presence. From neutral bordering on content, to a sunny disposition in the span of a minute. Spending time with the love of one's life tended to do that she supposed. No matter what happened, that fondness she felt for him just wouldn't stop holding tight to her heart. That was perfectly fine with Caelum. Shaking some icy powder from her head, she let herself sink back towards Zephyr as he settled in beside her so she could take advantage of his warmth and the familiarity of his touch. It was such a lovely sensation that she nearly didn't answer his question, so lost was she in the simple but overwhelming pleasure she got from being nestled up against the man's thick earth-toned coat. "I suppose it is," she purred softly, eyes half shut while she attempted to wriggle her way even closer, pressing herself against his side till she could get no further. Her movements were accompanied by the crunching of snow under paw till she finally relaxed and turned so she could face him, offering several absent-minded licks to the backs of his ears. Gentle lapping suddenly turned to gentle nibbling, a sparkle appearing in her eyes that wasn't there before. Leaning back slightly so she could inspect him from a better distance, she offered a coy smile, tail tapping for a few seconds while she let the silence drag on a moment to allow that nice feeling of suspense to really settle in. Leaning in to whisper in his ear she cooed, "How about you? How lucky are you feeling this fine day?"

Though the thought of impending snowfall was a bit discouraging, it also sounded like a lovely excuse to find somewhere to curl up with Caelum, a thought that settled quite well with him right now. He let out a gentle sigh as she leaned back against him, marveling at how her smaller form fit flawlessly against his own, as though they'd been crafted to fit together from the start. It was a foolish thought, but he'd let himself be briefly humored by it; it was no less outlandish than them being together after all they had gone through, now was it? He peered at her a bit curiously as she shifted against him, finally turning to face him. The way she looked at him, from the sudden mischievousness that glimmered in her sky blue stare, to the smile that played at her lips, it made his stomach do flips. A warmth that he hadn't felt in some time - maybe just briefly, here and there, since they'd reunited - suddenly blossomed in his chest and crept through the rest of his insides suddenly.  "How lucky am I feeling?" Zephyr reiterated the question, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his ebony lips as he watched her with equal intensity. Something about the way she looked at him made it feel like his heart skipped a beat. He leaned in after a moment to nip at the fur that lined the underside of her throat, gentle but certain. "I don't know. I suppose you'll be the one deciding if I'm getting lucky or not..." His voice was low, and he found it difficult to hide the sudden need he felt welling up inside him at their proximity at the suggestive tone she'd been using.

With her sweet nature and general low key way about her one would never have guessed how quickly Caelum's thoughts could switch from to innocent to outright indecent. There was no stopping her now, the gentle breeze her spirit usually mimicked was morphing into an untamable storm - she couldn't turn back now if she tried. Thank goodness she was right where she wanted to be with the man she wanted to be with. The positively wicked grin she wore never faltered even for a second. Her hot breath met the cold winters air in a puff of swirling vapor that danced and twirled it's way through the air away from the two wolves. Her frosty colored eyes were alight with warmth, shimmering with more mischeif than one wolf should be able to produce. Another breath escaped her lungs at his nip to her throat, more fuel for the fire that was blazing within them both. "Well then," she drawled, letting her honey-sweet words hang in the air a while as she leaned in to deliver a few quick kisses then quickly hopped to her feet and shook out her ivory pelt. Taking a step away, she stood with her back to him, looking over her shoulder with that wicked smile, "Lady luck must be smiling on you today." -fade?-

It'd been a long time since he'd shared a moment like this with Caelum - or with anyone, for that matter. Even in the period they'd been apart, he hadn't thought of anyone else even slightly like he ever had once thought of her. It surprised him how quickly the passion welled up inside his chest, white-hot and familiar, something that came to him and seemed as natural as breathing itself. A soft growl fell from his throat, from lust rather than anything even mildly resembling aggression, at her grin. It was mirrored with one of his own, the corners of his lips turning up in a smirk, giving away his equally wicked intentions. The motions came easily to him as she turned, and he moved forward to drape his forelimbs over her back, nipping gingerly at the back of her neck as pleasure slowly washed over them both. - fade! - Once they were finished, Zephyr was panting softly as he moved to her side. He bumped lightly against her shoulder, lapping gently at the fur there.   "Hey," he started, his voice husky as he searched for the words. He paused for a moment, his ears flicking as he glanced away, as though searching for something. "I love you, Cae.." His voice trailed off as he turned back to her - wondering why it'd taken so long to tell her when it felt more true than anything else he'd said to her.

--- Letting out a shuddering sigh, the woman leaned automatically into his touch, a response that once was commonplace but now she was only just beginning again. At first when they'd reconnected she'd felt some kind of hesitation deep down, as though she were tensed for things to go wrong. But now all that was gone and she found herself entirely at ease in his presence. How she'd lost something so wonderful was beyond her, but now Cae was just glad to have Zephyr back again. Flicking a pale ear towards him she waited as he seemed to search deeply for the words he wanted to use. When he finally found them, she turned a bit so she could press her nose to his cheek and coo softly in a tone just above a whisper, "I love you too," her words held all the certainty in the world, rolling off her tongue so easy it made her heart skip a beat. Reclaiming this love felt like falling into it all over again. It was beautiful, powerful, and a bit overwhelming in the best way possible. Glancing to the side, she noted the continued snowfall outside of their little hideout beneath the tree. The snow this season was honestly incredible, and with her barely average height traveling was one hell of a task. Taking a half a step back she gestured towards the outside world, "Should we look for somewhere a little cozier soon?