Célestin had to admit Medea's suggestion had been a good one, though he was still nervous about Pegasus chosing to keep the land his uncle had warned against, but he trusted his friend. Maybe he knew something that the Adravendi boy didn't. But the nook was a verident land, prey abundant and the boy had to agree it was a good choice. The lands still didn't quite feel like a home yet though, he'd yet to fully commit to a den for some reason it was a hurdle he'd yet to truly tackle. The pack was new, their borders still less built up and the pack scent still settling, but Célestin felt the rush of hope as he thought about the future and where they were headed. More than that he felt a flurry of excitement and nerves as he realized he'd face that future with Pegasus. speaking Thinking  you

His wounds had healed nicely since the fight and now, finally, after weeks of rest he could leave the quick den he had fashioned for himself and explore the lands Medea had chosen for him. The Nook was alive even in the summer heat, squirrels chattered and scampered through the fallen leaves while the summer sun shone through the lattice work of leaves. He had to admit it was nice, but the territory was too far removed from the Shrine. The Shrine had become key in his ultimate plans for vengeance, as long as the Abraxas had interest in it, he would need to hold it. He grumbled to himself, knowing that Medea would hate the idea of giving up her Nook, but ultimately, he was sure she would understand it was for the best. He lifted his head, catching the scent of his closest and dearest friend on the breeze and crouched low with a wicked grin spread on his features. Silently, with measured steps, he moved through the Nook, his head lowered as he tracked his friend downwind with the trained precision of a hunter. He spotted his quarry, seemingly unaware of his presence and coiled the muscles in his back legs tightly. There was a brief moment of absolute stillness and then…He pounced, a playful snarl escaping him as he leapt to tackle his friend to the ground. speaking Thinking  you

Célestin had his head tipped back, his eyes closed and basking happily in the dappled summer sun, he was totally unaware of the danger stalking closer, lurking dangerously close and so when a force hit his back sending him sprawling, landing flat on his stomach, limbs spread around him, he was wholly surprised by the attack. A single surprised grunt the only noise he made as he went down. The rainbow boy started to squirm, his first instinct being to get out from under his attacker but then Pegasus' scent reached him and Célestin summoned a playful growl, doing his best to roll over so he could face his friend head on. "How very rude." He said teasingly, winking and poking his tongue out playfully. speaking Thinking  you

He chuckled heartily, his tail lashing playfully behind him through the underbrush of leaves. “I’ll have to keep you on your toes if you’re going to be protecting my pack.” He said and rolled off his friend before shaking out his fur. “Mind joining me for a walk? I’d like to get to know this place better.” He looked through the peeking light of the sun through the leaves and took a deep breath, his family’s scent already heavy on the air. His heart broke momentarily at the thought of taking it away from them, but the Plain had belonged to Philomena’s family once and he intended to restore it to her. Even so far from the north the air was dry and he had spotted signs of fire in the east already, it would be hard but he was sure, in time, everyone would understand. speaking Thinking  you

Célestin was very much aware of his vulnerable position, under Pegasus with his belly exposed as it was. His friend chuckled and the boy felt his face flood with heat. "How do you know I don't have you exactly where I want you?" He asked, pushing a forepaw into Pegasus' chest as if proving his point. Célestin quickly rolled onto his haunches as Pegasus freed him and took only a moment to pretend to think over the invitation. "Hard sell." He teased and rose to his full height, shaking the dirt and grass from his coat. Célestin looked at Pegasus, relishing in the joy of being in his presence again, it was almost as if they'd never spent a full season apart but he knew now as he allowed his gaze to wander over the prince that he'd missed even just being allowed to breath in Pegasus' presence. He gestured for his friend to take the lead. "Got something on your mind?" It was an innocent question, he'd learned how to read his friend easily enough now and the way Pegasus' gaze wandered told him his mind was doing the same. speaking Thinking  you

“Well…Now that you mention it.” He cleared his throat and began walking taking in the sights of the nook if only to guiltily avoid meeting Célestin’s gaze. “I don’t think we’ll be able to stay here between the droughts and the fires that are happening.” He admitted, his gaze wandering downward as he trod over the dried leaves fallen well before fall. “The problem is I don’t know how I’m supposed to…” He trailed off, his face twisting slightly as he chose his words carefully. “Well…Tell anyone. Medea has her heart set on this place, but if I lose the Shrine I lose everything I’ve already worked for.” He explained. He knew Cél wouldn’t like that. Torin had after all advised him against it, but if the Abraxas were willing to fight over the Shrine he would let them bring the fight to them. speaking Thinking  you

Célestin allowed his gaze to wander away from Pegasus as they began to walk, his eyes sliding further east where the signs of a fire hadn't escaped him. The truth was he still wasn't keen on the idea of his friend using the shrine but he also knew he trusted Pegasus with all his heart. He cocked his head to the side as he thought, taking a deep breath and sighing before he spoke. "They followed you this far didn't they?" He asked, turning his gaze towards Pegasus again trying to catch his friend's eye. "I can't speak for anyone else but I trust your judgement and it seems to me that if your family was willing to cross continents to find you, chosing to move a little more isn't going to be a deal breaker." He didn't know Pegasus' family too well yet, though they all reminded him of his friend, they all fit the defintion of princes and princesses the boy now possessed and he was certain if they had even a fraction of commanlity with Pegasus that his friend was worried over nothing. speaking Thinking  you

He ducked his head, smiling bashfully at the other male’s heartfelt reassurance. “As long as you’re with me that’s all that matters.” He said, feeling his heart quake slightly at the words and how true they rang in his own ears. His love for Célestin frightened him sometimes but he assured himself that the two remained best friends and entirely platonic. The mottled male could be affectionate but that hardly bothered him, he had grown accustomed to it over the long year they had known each other. He took a deep breath, catching his friend’s scent as the wind shifted and thought for a moment how it complemented the floral scent of the nook. He felt oddly weightless as he walked past the budding trees with his friend beside him. speaking Thinking  you

Célestin felt his face flood with heat as Pegasus vocalized his fondness? No, maybe he'd have simply called it trust in Célestin. His chest fluttered with a familiar lightness, but now he also felt like there was a ball of lead in his stomach. His mind drifting back towards his chat with Priscilla... and he quietly wondered if he'd be able to meet her expectation, if he'd ever be able to confess to his friend what he'd told only his own sisters. Célestin wanted to dive deep into that simple phrase Pegasus had spoken, to ask him what he meant, what they meant. But he didn't instead he turned to the only thing he had left in his defensive tool box, humor. "Flatterer." But it didn't roll of his tongue quite as easily as most of his teasing, it felt heavy when he said it and he quietly prayed Pegasus wouldn't notice. Célestin allowed himself to fall into silence, taking in the quiet moment of peace with his friend, his gaze sliding away from Pegasus again, glancing up at the canopy above them. Medea had claimed that in spring the canopy had been pink, full of soft petals that spread above them and gently littered the ground. The boy couldn't help but imagine his friend with soft pink petals in his fur, the dappled sunlight crowning his magnificent coat. "It is beautiful here." He said softly, almost against his will. His gaze once more drifting to his friend, almost as if he wasn't talking about the lands around them at all... which maybe he wasn't. speaking Thinking  you

The Lovliest Lies “It is.” He said softly, but his eyes were on Célestin. He was surprised to find the mottled wolf looking directly at him as he spoke and thought for a moment how close they were to each other, and how easily he could reach out and burry his face in his fur. He forced himself to look away then, an errant blush creeping over his features as his eyes narrowed stubbornly. This was wrong. Ley knew it was wrong. He forced himself to think of Philomena and how his thoughts should have been for her but his heart ached at the notion. Célestin was the one who knew him; he was the one who had traveled with him, he was the one he missed most deeply when the other man’s sister had died, he was the one that had stood by him through everything and he was the man he wanted to stand beside when his brother antagonized him. His heart did more than ache, his heart hurt. It was painful to look away from him and reject him in that minor, silent way. He asked himself just how deeply he loved Célestin, and then he knew. Worst of all, he knew why. His ather’s story had traumatized him. It was a filthy love, one spawned from pain and outrage, in spite of how pure he felt around him. Talking Thinking You Of All

For a brief, all to brief, moment there was bliss. Then the quiet, slight rejection. Célestin felt his heart sink, not for the first time he was suddenly unsure; he'd had flirting rebuked before but this was different. It hadn't been a line, not even really anything close to a confession but something about Pegasus looking away felt like more than a simple change in focus. He couldn't know what it truly meant but in that moment the boy felt his stomach drop out, seemingly leaving his body altogether. Without even thinking about it he took a small side-step away from Pegasus, creating a bigger space between them, already feeling like a canyon. Célestin tore his gaze away from his friend, suddenly very aware that he had to hide the prickling at the corners of his eyes. The boy shook his head, screwed his eyes shut and did his best to banish the signs of doubt from his demeanor... but he couldn't seem to summon any words to fill the silence and so he felt it stretch between them. That hurt most of all, things had always been so easy between them... and Célestin couldn't help but feel he'd ruined something, maybe forever, and he wasn't sure he could forgive himself for it. speaking Thinking  you

He felt his heart drop suddenly into the pit of his stomach as Célestin moved away. He wanted to comfort him, and tell him everything would be alright. He realized then how things had shifted between them, he could sense the other male’s despair in the mounting silence and could almost hear choked sobs on the wind. He wanted to make it go away, to have everything go back to how it had been just a few moments before. He opened his mouth to say something then closed it, feeling his mouth grow dry as he hesitated. “It’s wrong.” Some distant part of his mind howled “Then let it be wrong damn it.” A far more conscious and adamant presence resounded. “Célestin…” He muttered as soft as a psalm and slowly he turned his attention back to the male. His father would have chewed his ear off if he could see him now; looking so woe begotten at another male, but his father wasn’t there, no one was there right now, not his siblings, not his mother, they were alone, standing at the beginning of a completely still moment. “I l-“ The words died in his throat, he wanted to look away but wasn’t sure he would ever be able to stand himself again if Célestin took the opportunity to run and never be seen again. "Speech" Think You

Art by Sterling-Raven

Célestin took a deep breath as Pegasus spoke his name, screwing his eyes shut and tilting his head away from his friend, still trying in vain to hide his racing emotions. He breathed a long, loud exhale. Listening as Pegasus struggled to speak, seemingly cutting himself off. Then when he felt he'd sufficiantly smothered his outburst Célestin swung his head to look at Pegasus, a smile plastered on his face and desperatly trying to keep his eyes from revealing to much. He wondered if his smile looked as tight as it felt. "Cat got your tongue?" He teased, finding it easier to slip into his usual tone this time, though he rocked on his toes for a moment as he suddenly clamped down on his urge to nudge his friend with his shoulder, instead rooting himself to his current position. Célestin knew he needed to change the subject, that if they stayed right here in this moment whatever had briefly been lost would never come back. He kept the smile on his muzzle as he cast about a little too frantically, spotting a hind moving through the trees. He gestured with his head. "Hungry at all?" He asked, his voice breaking into a sort of desperation despite his best attempts to keep it even. speaking Thinking  you

" N-no.” He said stiffly a beat too late to respond to his initial question, then his expression swiftly changed as he realized a second question had followed the first.  “I mean yes! I mean-“ He floundered gaping like a fish as he faultered, caught completely off guard by the male’s question. “Deer!” He blurted suddenly catching sight of the hind. “Let’s deer the hunt.” He managed to say and then realized an instant too late that he had misspoken. A vibrant flush covered his cheeks under his fur, raising every hair on his face as he looked at Célesin wide eyed and thoroughly embarrassed. "Speech" Think You

Art by Sterling-Raven