Quiet stretched out across Fireside as snow blanketed the land. It fell gently, for once, the flakes falling gracefully to the ground instead of being blown violently through the sky. It was the first week of winter, and Valdís woke to find herself another year older. She sighed and snuggled closer to her wife, burying her face in the other woman's ruff. When did she get so old? Eight years! Part of her debated about retirement so she could focus more on her remaining years while she had them. "Ásvor… love? Where is all the time going? Could you slow it down for me?" She was grateful to have the day without the pup. Álarr was holding a sleepover for Úlfr to work on crafting weaponry. "Talk" "You" Think

Ásvor had never been even a fraction as driven as Valdís. As a youngster she'd had high hopes and ambitions, and - as it always seemed to do - life took her completely off-course. She'd dreamt so long of resurrecting Yfir, before she'd realized how she felt for Valdís, when she'd given up those dreams entirely in favor of... well, better ones. This simple life was hardly what she'd ever expected, but now that she'd made herself at home here in Fireside she couldn't imagine anything else. She was merely a healer here, tending to the livestock as well as her fellow packmates when she needed to. Occasionally she was eager to join one of their raids, at least to get her blood flowing, but beyond that - and raising Ulfr - life was quiet and pleasant.

That wasn't to say she was completely opposed to spicing things up a bit, but she didn't yearn for chaos as she once had. Instead she found herself longing for these moments of simplicity. She let out a content purr as she felt Valdís bury into her fur, slowly stretching out her limbs and shifting herself closer to her, basking in her warmth from the slight chill that crept in from their den's entrance. Her words made her chuckle a bit, even if they had a painful truth to them, even if Ásvor didn't necessarily fear death. Despite not being the most faithful woman, she did believe in the afterlife and that she and Valdís would reunite in the realm of the dead someday, in Helgafjell if not in Valhalla or Fólkvangr. "That's a good question," she breathed quietly, slowly opening her eyes and blinking sleep from them. "But it slows down too much, we'll be stuck with Úlfr forever," Ásvor teased lightly. She loved their son deeply and truthfully he was growing up too fast - she really wouldn't mind the passage of time slowing down at least a bit.

If Valdís were completely honest there was a twinge of fear budding in her breast with the coming of winter as well as her eighth year of life. She was in her sunset years. Each day that dawned drew her closer and closer to her final one and she had yet to fully decide how she felt about the after life. She didn't know what she expected to happen. Valdís snuggled tighter up to Ásvor. As long as she would eventually see Ásvor in the after life that was all that mattered. She felt another stab at the idea that Ásvor, being older, might go before her. She would have to ask Ásvor more about the after life later but for now her wonderful lovely pulled her out of her darkening mood with her humor. Valdís smiled and chuckled. She reached over to try and lick her wife's cheek. "Fair point, the chick must leave the nest at some point." She sighed. "I can't believe he's a yearling now. However, at least we can have more time to ourselves now. I hope! Unless we need to start worry about him bringing home his own little romances." Mothers to a teenage boy, goodness were they going to have a challenge. "Talk" "You" Think

Someday soon they'd had to sit and seriously discuss their deaths. Not only what came after, but what they'd do if one of them died before the other. Now that she had devoted herself to Valdís, life before her seemed somehow less meaningful and she couldn't imagine life after her being much different, though Ulfr no doubt added a new important facet to life too. These conversations were best left for a different day though, perhaps before their upcoming raid? For now she was content to bask in the simplicity of their moment and in the warmth of her wife's touch, which was even more entracing given the chill that was creeping in with winter's steady arrival.

She let out another laugh. "I cannot promise against doing something extreme if he falls for someone who ever up hurting him. Murder might not be off the table," she half-teased as she stretched out and leaned more heavily into Valdís. Truthfully she just wanted the best for Ulfr, whatever that was, as he grew older. As long as he knew how to take care of himself and respect his allies, she really couldn't ask for anything else, but that wouldn't stop her from feeling fiercely protective even as he grew. "Say, what would you want to do if you found out we had... I don't know, a week left to live? What would be your ideal week?" Her question was more out of curiosity than a real need to discuss the fact that their lives were no doubt more than halfway over and on the downward trend now. She wondered if Valdís would stay here in Fireside and live out their lives just as they had been or if there was something she'd never done that she'd want to finally do. Ásvor was curious, and she nibbled lightly on her fur as she waited for her answer.

A rumbling laugh spilled from Valdís' lips and she nodded as Ásvor said murder would not be off the table if someone dared to hurt their son. She nodded. "If it should come to that I should like to assist. The two of us together could come up with some truly unique ways of dispatching a wretch." She bore Ásvor's weight as the other leaned more heavily into her. She took comfort in the weight and the closeness as she wondered what she could possibly say to Úlfr in regards to love. She truly believed it was fate or the work of Ásvor's gods that had brought them together. It was so unexpected and so wonderful. "Say, what would you want to do if you found out we had... I don't know, a week left to live? What would be your ideal week?" Her brow furrowed as Valdís thought for a moment. "Well, now that is a good question. Hmmm… I suppose I'd like to head up to the mountains. Do some hiking and taking in the view one last time. Autumn would be ideal to see all the colors. Maybe fight a bear." She chuckled then leaned down to kiss her lover's nose gently. "And of course make love in a cozy little place, overlooking a warm fire and a beautiful view. What about your ideal week, love?" "Talk" "You" Think

Ásvor nodded solemnly at her words. They could joke about it all they wanted because she highly doubted it would come to that, but there was a seriousness to her words. The depths she'd go to, to protect both Valdís and Ulfr, were limitless. She hoped Valdís had some hint of just how much she'd do for her family - unflinchingly. Perhaps that level of loyalty was unusual but for them Ásvor would gladly sacrifice anything, even her own faith. She breathed a content sigh. "I'm sure we could make it quite inventive," Ásvor agreed easily. She wasn't sure what sort of method she'd prefer to use if someone truly hurt a member of her family. Perhaps a swift, merciful death wasn't the best. For a moment she considered the sort of poisons she could concoct to enact a painful, lingering death - but her thoughts quickly shifted to her own mortality.

Death wasn't something she feared, though she didn't quite feel she'd used up all her time in this mortal realm quite yet. Ulfr was but a yearling now and still needed the guidance of both his mothers as he found his footing in the world. But of course it was not entirely about Ulfr, even if it mostly was. Ásvor wasn't completely surprised by her wife's answer to the question she'd prompted, even if she hadn't known precisely how she'd respond. "I love that," she breathed another happy sigh. "And... I feel like your answer sort of skews whatever answer I would've given you, since it's so perfect and all," Ásvor grinned as she leaned in to nibble at the fur at the side of her wife's throat. "I'd just want to spend it with you and Ulfr. Somewhere quiet and lovely. Spending the rest of my days on a mountaintop, taking in the views sounds like a wonderful way to go." Truthfully she knew things weren't always so easy. Ásvor would fight in Fireside's army for as long as she was able and dying in battle was as worthy a cause as anything else, though at the end she knew and accepted that her fate was not entirely up to her.

Valdís grinned and snuggled closer to her wife. "Well, I'm glad to know I've got good taste but then, you already knew that." She playfully reached for Ásvor's ear as she felt the delightful sensation of her lover nibbling at the side of her throat. "Well, then. I say when autumn comes again we go on just such a trip." A little bit of vacation to look forward to right before her 9th birthday would be just the thing to help take her mind off of getting older and the end that would eventually come with it. If she could just let loose the low drone of doubt that whispered in her mind that this was all there was. Valdís pushed back against her own thoughts, reminding herself that it wasn't necessarily the end. Not from what Ásvor had told her and she believed and trusted her lover beyond all else. One life would end but she would begin another, and could she really ask for a better fate than spending an eternity with Ásvor? Was there really anything so sweet? Valdís shifted to move her lips closer to Ásvor's ear as she pressed her body closer, tail twining toward Ásvor's legs. "You know… I think Aerndis was taking Úlfr out on a hunt. What do you say we make the most of our time before he gets back?" -fade to black?- "Talk" "You" Think