The days that followed after his fight with the bear he had fallen into a comfortable routine with Yurei. It seemed like they spent every spare moment together, only parting ways when she needed to tend to her duties as a healer and he needed to go hunting to add to the pack's food stores. Whenever there was times when she wanted to go out to collect herbs and he didn't need to hunt he started to go along with her and helped her carry herbs back home. It made him happy to just be with her no matter what they were doing. The longer they spent together the more sure he became that he wanted this to be a part of his life forever. As long as he was around her he was able to stay more calm than when he was by himself. She gave him the perfect distraction and kept him from dwelling too much on himself. He refused to put Yurei through the "ceremony" that his father had put his mother through to make her part of their family. It just didn't sit well with him and he never wanted to intentionally hurt her in anyway - even if his mother had agreed to it at the time. However, he still wanted to do something as a show of how he felt, some kind of gift or action to prove how he was feeling. A few days prior while he was out hunting he just happened to spot a silver glimmer sticking out of the dirt and when he stopped to uncover it he found exactly what he needed. It felt like a sign from fate that he was making the right decision. He had cleaned up the piece of jewelry and brought it back to their room, hiding it from her under a hide he had gathered so that it would be a surprise. On one particularly clear, lovely spring day, he brought Yurei to the deck of the ship where they had first met, leading her to a spot that looked over the vast, empty plain of the tundra with the pine trees lining the horizon in the distance. The sun had just began to set so the sky was lit up with vibrant oranges, purples, and reds. The stage was set perfectly and now he simply had to hope his confidence carried through to actually ask what was on his heart. He brought her over to the railing and nodded for her to sit. "Wait here... I'll be right back," he told her, giving her cheek an affectionate lick before turning away to go back to their room to retrieve his gift. When he came back he was holding a silver bracelet carefully between his teeth. It was a solid silver bangle that was inlayed with vibrant green peridot stones that were shaped like leaves. In between each stone was engravings that looked like vines to connect each leaf of peridot into a continuous vine. He placed the bracelet between them as he settled onto his haunches. He was nervous and excited all at once and everything he had planned to say suddenly either left his head or felt inadequate for what he wanted to do. He chuckled softly at himself and his ears flicked uncertainly. "Yurei, I... I can't promise that I will always be the best wolf for you. I'm broken and dangerous with problems that I don't think I can ever cure. I don't deserve to have you... but I want you to be mine so badly. The only thing I can promise is that I will do everything in my power to protect you and love you to the end of my days... You make me believe that I can be better. When I'm around you I feel so much more calm and I can actually hear my own thoughts. You're like the medicine I never knew I needed." He tipped his head down to gently nudge the bracelet toward her before he let his eyes meet up with hers again and he added. "Yurei, if you'll have me... I want to make you a part of my family. I want you to be mine forever. My family had a way of doing this... my father did this to my mother to make her part of our blood, but I don't want to do that to you. I don't want to leave a scar on you to prove that you're mine. Instead... I'd like this bracelet to be a sign of that. I want this to be a sign to everyone that you are mine and are a part of our Praetor lineage." He paused for a moment, letting her absorb what he had said and giving her a moment to decide on her own if this was something she wanted. He didn't want to pressure her in any way no matter how much she wanted her to agree. This was her decision to make. He waited anxiously for her choice and quietly hoped that he hadn't misread how she felt toward him all this time. "Talk" Think

Days went bye and for Yurei it still felt like a dream that she now wasnt alone as she had always been,she now had someone beside her,they shared their time whenever they had the chance.Sometimes he even joined her in her routinary herb forage and for the first time she could enjoy the company of another wolf,and no any wolf but someone who cared for her,who was giving her safety.Casso had become her new dayly life,part of her life,one that used to be lonely,sad and with no reasons to keep living.She couldn't been believe that just a few months ago she was at the edge of starvation due to her depression,but now here she was. Alive and with someone she was starting to love. And there she felt glad she was alive,she felt glad death didnt took her when it almost did.For once she was happy to be alive even if she often showed otherwise with her attitude. Today under the evening's sun she waited in the deck of the ship,exactly where they met for the first time.Casso had told her to wait there. And like always ,Yurei never disobeyed what others told her to do.She looked up to the skies,skies painted in reds and oranges.Announcing another day was coming to an end.And while she waited she felt nervous,anxious and scared,scared of what would happen.No she didnt have any distrust with Casso,the distrst was to herself,to her potential reactions but not knowing what Casso would do made her feel anxious and she didnt want to start acting like a stupid again. After some time,Casso was back but with something on his mouth.A bracelet,one he placed before her. Her heart started to pound fast and hard,her legs became rigid as anxiety and surprise came through her veins,through her chest.She looked at him sitting down facing him.Silent she wanted to hear what he would say. "Yurei, I... I can't promise that I will always be the best wolf for you. I'm broken and dangerous with problems that I don't think I can ever cure. I don't deserve to have you... but I want you to be mine so badly. The only thing I can promise is that I will do everything in my power to protect you and love you to the end of my days... You make me believe that I can be better. When I'm around you I feel so much more calm and I can actually hear my own thoughts. You're like the medicine I never knew I needed." Her ears were folded like always,but not from fear this time,she was feeling warming and feeling something she though she didnt have anymore,she used to think her heart wold never have the capability of feeling love instead of the pain it always had.But here it was beating in a good way. Shaking due to the mix of emotions she took the bracelet and placed it on her left paw. "Yurei, if you'll have me... I want to make you a part of my family. I want you to be mine forever. My family had a way of doing this... my father did this to my mother to make her part of our blood, but I don't want to do that to you. I don't want to leave a scar on you to prove that you're mine. Instead... I'd like this bracelet to be a sign of that. I want this to be a sign to everyone that you are mine and are a part of our Praetor lineage." Before allowing her aching throat to make any word in response she walked toward him,with her usual submissive posture,then she attempted to sit before him with just a few inches between them.And without saying anything she hugged him with her legs trying to find place around his larger body. Closing her eyes with tears coming from them she would finally say. "I know i can be stupid sometimes ...someone without faith in herself and in the world around her...i used to believe my heart couldnt love..it's .broken beyond repair...but since i met you i has been feeling these dark clouds over me ,these demons who crawl into my memories are ceasing. whenever i feel you around me i feel things i had never felt before...and I dont know what this sensation is,there is a lot i dont know...but I want to be with you...and there is no enough words i could use to express how happy i am...i am now..." She looked up to his bi-colored eyes. "If it is okay... I wanna...be with you for the rest of my life...i want you to be my family..." She then closed her eyes pressing her head against his chest. "Speak"

Without really realizing it, he held his breath while he waited for her response. He wished he could say that he knew she would say yes to his proposal without a doubt, but he couldn't. It still felt impossible to think that someone would actually want him and would willingly choose to be his. He only saw himself as broken goods and as someone who wouldn't be a good partner or father. He watched her lift the bracelet he had brought to her and slip it onto her leg and a moment of relief washed over him. She could have not said a single word and he would have understood. A smile pulled across his lips and he felt like his heart might find a way to soar out of his chest. When she moved closer to him he didn't hesitate in letting her wrap her forelegs around him. He lifted his own forelegs so that hers could wrap around his sides and he could wrap her up in his embrace around her shoulders. He had begun to grow used to the feeling of her head resting on his chest, but somehow it still made his heart skip a beat every time. Tears were incredibly rare for him because of the way he typically locked down all of his emotions and let very little of them actually show through to the surface, but this overwhelmed him with joy to the point that he couldn't help the tears that collected in his two toned eyes. He peered down at her, only able to see the top of her head for a few moments as she spoke, and he listened to every word she said as if they were the most important thing he would ever hear. When their eyes connected again and he saw the tears there through his blurred vision that matched his own he had the solace of knowing that they were tears of joy. That would be the only tears he would ever allow her to experience for the rest of her life. If anything dared to ever upset her again he would personally see to it that they were destroyed and punished for what they did. Once she confirmed that she wanted him to be her family his smile widened to a point where he wasn't sure he had ever smiled this widely before. He squeezed her tighter to him and he dipped his head to lovingly nuzzle his cheek against the top of her head once she rested her head against him again. His Yurei. She was all his. He kept her wrapped possessively in his embrace and he wished he could just keep her held there forever. He never wanted this perfect moment to end. He only leaned back from her enough to let his paw shift to her left paw, lifting it up so that he could admire the way his gift sat perfectly around her wrist - as if it had always been meant to be there. The leaf shaped gems matched her eyes and stood out brilliantly against her perfectly white coat. It was a physical, visual representation of his love - one that beautifully adorned her rather than physically marked and flawed her. He was proud of his find and was fully convinced that fate had led him to it to give him a solution to his dilemma of how to make her his. "My Yurei... Yurei Praetor... my mate," he said softly, another giddy smile pulling at his lips when his eyes shifted back to hers. He leaned down a bit till his muzzle met with hers and he left a gentle kiss there - the first of what was sure to be many, many more over the course of their life times. Even just that small little taste of love and affection made his heart flutter in his chest. He let his paw slip away from hers so he could hug her tight again with a content, happy sigh. He had accomplished the one thing that had been lingering on his mind nearly since the day they met and he honey couldn't imagine being any happier than he was right in this moment. "Talk" Think

She now didnt want to get away from his embrace she wanted to stay there forever,wanting to feel him this close.She felt her heart beating fast,fast and hard.But for once it wants because of any fear,of any nighmare.It was now beating with love,love she couldn't describe with words,it was just too much to be measured in the simple way people did. She kept her head shoved into his chest,feeling this was the heaven she has been looking for so many years,years of desolation,of reject.She knew nothing would erase her past,her memories from a unloving family,but she knew that beside Casso that wasnt as far as it used to be,and she was also going to try helping too,help him with the broken soul he also had like hers. They both had demons to fight,to confront but together they could. He snuggled his cheek against hers,and Yurei allowed him to do so ,trying herself to make it too.She tried to smile,to form such thing but she couldn't remember when was the last time she smiled, years probably.Since she was tiny, helpless.But after that she had never been allowed to smile,and due to that she didnt know how to do so at all.She tried but she couldn't, lowering her ears a bit she felt impotent,her emotions were broken and thus hard to control. "My Yurei... Yurei Praetor... my mate," Hearing those words made her feel a chilling crawling down her spine,but it was on the good side,she felt it shocking but something she definitely loved to hear. She looked at his eyes. "My Casso...." This felt weird coming from her lips, she never saw things to be hers,to claim something for herself but thought it was okay in this time she said that. And there she lied down and kissed her. Once again she felt the chill on her spine and slowly she lied down to closing her eyes as they kissed. "I love you..." "Speak"

She was his and he was hers. Hearing her say that in return cemented this move forward in their lives into reality. Yuri Praetor. He liked the sound of that. It was an official way to permanently separate her from the family that had mistreated her so badly for so long. She was his now and a part of his family. For all the flaws and tribulations his family had been through, they were still strong and they all looked out for each other. He knew that without a doubt if for some reason he wasn't able to carry on in protecting her then his family would take his place and make sure they were carried for. That was something he had realized after hearing how concerned his uncle had been about his mother and aunt when he reunited with him again. Even though they were not related by blood, they were still family even after his father's death. "I love you too..." he replied softly as he nuzzled his cheek into hers. His mind started to drift to what might be next for them and the thought of family returned to his mind. For the longest time he had fully blocked out the possibility that he might have children. He didn't think that he'd ever actually find someone that would love him the way Yurei did and even if he did manage to find someone willing to deal with his flaws then he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to pass along his problems to another generation of wolves. However, now that the possibility was in front of him, he couldn't help but be tempted by the thought. Family was a huge part of his life and always had been - the idea of adding to his family of his own felt almost too good to be true. Was it worth it to risk dooming one of his children to struggle the way that he had? Of course they were both still very young, there was more than enough time for them to decide if this was something they wanted, but it still nagged at the back of his mind. "Yurei..." he said as he pulled back just enough to be able to see her eyes again. "Do you want to have a family? Of our own, I mean. Would you want to have pups?" This wasn't just his decision to make. Even if he was nervous about the prospect, the decision was ultimately up to her. She would have to be the one to go through carrying their pups and bringing them into the world. He would obviously do all that he could to take care of her and their children through the process, but her body would be the one to go through the worst of it. "Talk" Think

"I love you too..." This simple sentence gave her a mixture of emotions at the same time,and it was still weird for her as never in her life expected someone to actually love her,to tell her I love you instead of the I hate you or the indifference she has been feeling from her start in life.Some more tears escaped her eyes, joy again was the reason for them and she wasnt going to hide them anymore. Or at least not with Casso. She welcomed his nuzzling and gave him a shy kiss on his cheek.He then called her name,and there she looked up tp him again with anxiety, This was just her nature,to be insecure with a lot of thing that shouldn't be. Eyes of pale green filled up with concern at first,hoping she havent done anything wrong.She couldn't help but feel she was doing all wrong,she held none optimism with herself,in the way how she saw herself. And she just hopped all was going to be fine. Then he spoke. "Do you want to have a family? Of our own, I mean. Would you want to have pups?" The question was shocking for her,Yurei was clumsy over how it could be to have pups.A side of her was nervous with the question,as like anything she didnt know gave her the anxiety of not knowing what would come with it,but in the other hand she felt her chest flow with the image of she and Casso having a family, maybe this could help her find more confidence in herself. But she didnt want it to be just for need, she considered his question and took her time to think. A lot could come with pups,but she held no experience nor way to know how to raise them,she neither knew what they could mean. But having them with someone who loved her helped her remove part of the fear. But she needed to know if he did wanted them too. "I must say that i don't know if i have the maturity for raising pups...but I will be happy to having them with you..." She then hid her head back to his neck exhaling his scent."And what about you?... Would you like to have?" She looked up to him. "Speak"

Casso let her take as long as she wanted to think over his question. He would never rush her though anything - especially not something as life altering as this. He wasn't really sure what he hoped her answer would be. If she didn't want to have a family then that would solve his moral quandary for him. He wouldn't have to debate whether his own selfish desires were worth risking the futures of his children. If she did want to have pups... well, then he would have to decide what was more important for them. Was it more important to fulfill their desire to have a family or is it more important to stop the cycle that his ancestors began? He still didn't have an answer for himself when Yurei spoke and gave her answer. It didn't have the finality that he had hoped for and it seemed like she was just as unsure as he was on the subject. It wasn't something that they needed to decide on today, but it was something that was going to linger on his mind for a while. "I'm not sure yet," he admitted with a soft sigh after a beat of silence. He didn't want to burden her with his own worries and concerns, but he supposed that was part of being in a relationship. "I would love to have a family with you, but I just don't know if I could live with myself if I saw our children struggle like I have. My issues are something that can be passed through the generations so if I ended up passing along my issues to our sons..." His voice trailed off and he glanced away from her to look out over the railing of the ship with a sigh. "I don't want to hold us back from doing anything we want to do together. I just have to be aware of the consequences." After a moment of thoughtful silence he brought his eyes back to hers and he pulled a small smile onto his lips. His paw lifted to her cheek, gently brushing her soft, pale fur. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring down our happy moment, my love. It's just something that was lingering on my mind and I wanted to see what you thought." He placed another gentle kiss at the end of her muzzle and the affection made his smile widen a bit more genuinely, the corner of his mouth even pulling up into a daring smirk. "I just wondered... If I wanted to have all of you... would we be ready for what could come of it?" He had never been with anyone in that way, but now that he had someone to call his own he was incredibly tempted to do just that. It was a battle of all is different desires and insecurities and wants and doubts that made him hesitate even though he wanted nothing more than to just completely cover her from head to toe with every ounce of love he could muster. "Talk" Think

As the conversation went on it seemed both of them were unsure about having or not pups at some point,again she didnt know what having them would mean. There was a lot of things she still didnt know about the world at all.She has been trapped in her own world,in her sadness for so long that she never got herself a chance to learn essential things besides healing of course. She looked up to Casso,placing a paw on his left cheek. "It's alright, myself have doubts about if ill contribute any good to our pups...i don know if the depression can be passed but beside you, all will be alright..." She rose a bit to try licking his cheek. "I don't want to hold us back from doing anything we want to do together. I just have to be aware of the consequences." "I understand,myself have issues...but whatever the choice you want...i wanna stay by your side until my last day...i love you..." She closed her eyes he brushed her cheek.She really was still getting used to be treated like this,with care and love. She lied down beside him with pinned eyes and tail tucked asking for permission. Then she would place her head on his front legs. "Mind if i stay here?..." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring down our happy moment, my love. It's just something that was lingering on my mind and I wanted to see what you thought." She looked at him again licking his cheek. "Its okay,its not your fault i am just too happy...happy to be with you...and remembering all of these years of being alone and hated by the world...i feel happy that at least you love me...that at least you care...and i love you...and ill support you always." She pinned her ears again feeling the dark cloud that always accompanied her. "I just wondered... If I wanted to have all of you... would we be ready for what could come of it?" "I guess...together we have nothing to fear..." Words from someone who feared everything but yet honest. "Speak"

The small, gentle affections that Yurei gave him felt like something that he could cling to, as if her presence and her love were like a life line. He found himself leaning into her touch when her cheek brushed his and a smile pulled across his lips when she would lick his cheek. When she laid beside him with her head on his legs he was more than happy to form his body around hers so that they fit together like two puzzle pieces. "Of course. You never need to ask, my love." He never wanted her to feel like she needed to ask for his affection or whether it was okay for her to be within his space. If anything, he preferred for her to be next to him like this. She was quickly becoming his main source of joy and light in his life and he wanted her to be as wrapped up with him as she could be at all times. From her responses he could tell that they were equally unsure with how they felt about having children. It seemed like something they both might want in the future, but for now maybe it was best for them to learn and grow together for a while first. She needed time to heal and to learn how to be loved and he needed time to trust himself and make sure he could be the mate and father he wanted to be. It did give him some hope that once they were ready that would be a step they could take together. He did wonder if perhaps he should get a second opinion on things... Maybe he would ask his uncle for his advice before they made any major decisions. As much as he disliked asking for help, that was something his was going to have to learn how to do. "We'll figure it out together," he assured her as he nuzzled his face into her scruff. "We have so many years together ahead of us, we don't have to decide anything right now." He smiled and left a gentle lick across her nose. "I love you." "Talk" Think

With his permission granted she allowed herself to relax lying there to feel Casso closer to her.He was probably now the only family she had,the only one she could call her soul. Having a mate was something that never seemed something she could have, being hated even by her own mother made her deny herself the right to have someone to share her life with.She never considered herself worth enough to be loved,to be considered someone's partner. And now that she wasnt alone anymore she felt some of the weight in her shoulders lifting but not all of them.No one could know if they would be lifted in a whole,as her demons were harder to defeat than just that. Demons that have been with her from years now,and getting rid of something this lasting would take years as well if not her entire lifetime. "We'll figure it out together," She looked up to him nodding in response to his phrase. She guessed they needed to get to know more each other and learn to grow a bit more an then the decision could be taken with both being more sure about this huge step in their lives. Pups weren't a joke, they could be the highest responsibility a wolf could have and once they were on the map there won't be any step back. She again pressed her shy lips on his cheek,with ears pinned. "I love you too...Casso..." She closed her eyes feeling peace for the first time in her life. "Speak"