After the Hallows had all well and settled down following the wedding and all of its festivities and after the change of the season which had brought some cooler weather, Ezra decided it was high time for him and Syanna to get away for a bit. He had helped to hold down the fort while Artorias and Briar were away on their honeymoon so now it was his turn to take Syanna on a bit of an adventure. Staying in the castle all the time couldn't be doing them any good. In fact, he had even considered offering to find them a different room away from where that awful day had happened if Syanna wanted, but for now he was just trying to believe in what she had told him with her insistence that he couldn't protect her from everything. He was doing his best to just let her heal in her own time and just be there with her for it all so he was purposefully trying to back off a bit and instead tried to find things for them to do together—like spontaneous trips across Auster.

They made their way down along the shore, past the falls, and eventually landed in a shaded, wooded area with a peaceful creek babbling in the background. The plant life and under growth was lush here and it made for a very pretty place to linger for a while. Plus, he was fairly certain it would be easy to hunt them some dinner once they got hungry. "Why don't he rest here for a while? Plenty of shade here at least." Even though the heat had finally broken, the long walk in the sun was still pretty tiring. After getting a long drink from the creek he flopped down into some plush grass under one of the near by trees with a content sigh.

"Syanna & Ezra"

Life had all but returned to normal around the Hallows and for the wolves that made up the pack. Even Syanna had begun to slowly rebuild her fractured self back into a semblance of the wolf she used to be prior to her assault. It had been a long, painful road to recovery, but finally she was beginning to feel like she could feel alive again, some of the guilt of what she'd had to do for herself and Ezra seeping away from her soul the more she reflected on it. That guilt would forever be present until the day she and Ezra decided they wanted to try for a family, but until then, she couldn't keep torturing herself with the "what if"s. It wasn't fair to her and it wasn't fair to Ezra who had been nothing but caring and supportive of her through this whole messy ordeal. She owed it to him to try to get back on her feet and keep moving forward, not let herself be stuck in the past. What was done was done, and she needed to live in the present. Ezra deserved at least that from her. He brought out the best parts of her, amplified them, and made her feel worthwhile. He was the reason she was still alive today, and the only future she wanted to have. That realization brought on another unexpected and frightening realization to the vulpine-like woman—she had completely fallen for Ezra.

That was why when Ezra told her he wanted to take her adventuring across Auster one day out of the blue, Syanna hadn't hesitated to say yes. Ezra had been more than a bit shocked, butt happy all the same, and after some preparations the two were off. They headed south to a little creek just south of where the Hallows harvested all their grapes for their wines. The place was right on the edge of a forest, cutting through some of the trees and the fertile grassy plains. The edges of the mellifluous stream were lined with dense walls of cattails, creating a pseudo barrier between the two sides. The area was tranquil and beautiful. Following Ezra's lead, the smaller vixen-like fae walked beside her boyfriend towards a copse of birch trees, settling down to cool off in the shade after their long walk in the sun. Though the weather wasn't as hot as summer had been, Auster was always pretty temperate and warm. She was just glad the rains had held off for them!

While Ezra got a drink, Syanna relaxed and reclined into the soft grasses beneath the shady canopies of the trees. She watched her boyfriend for a long while, admiring how handsome he was, still reveling in how lucky she'd gotten to find him—or well, for him to find her, she supposed. A little smirk rested on her lips while she looked him over, verdant eyes lingering on some of her favorite parts of him. He had been so good to her... "Thank you for bringing me out here, Ezra," she called out to him after a moment. "I, um... I wanted to tell you something while we're out here." Syanna fidgeted with the grass beneath her paws, pulling out a couple longer blades and curling them around her toes while she spoke, an uncharacteristic nervous tick to the usually confident fae. "I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate all you've done for me these past couple of months. I know it hasn't been easy for you, and I know I haven't made it easy either, so... thank you... for not giving up on me." She turned a little smile up his way, still playing with the grass as she gathered up the courage to say what she really wanted to say. "I'm not going to let what happened stop me from being me and being with you, because if you're gonna stick yourself with me, you deserve me at my best..." Here we go, now or never, Syanna... "...and because I..." Say it! "...I love you."

"Syanna & Ezra"

Ezra's ears perked when Syanna called over to him where she was lounging in the shade while he got a drink and he looked back at her over his shoulder with his usual grin at her thanks. "Of course. I'm happy to," he replied as he turned back to come join her on the grass, settling in beside her to enjoy the cool breeze that passed through the shaded area. When she mentioned how she wanted to tell him something while they were out here he looked at her curiously with a tilt of his head. "What is it, beautiful?" He had already been very surprised and encouraged by her eager willingness to take this little trip with him and that alone had been a treat for him after the last few months. A little part of him worried that it would be more bad news or some kind of way for her to let him down easy on something, but the expression she wore didn't seem to hint toward anything like that. He hardly ever saw her nervous and the way she fidgeted with the grass under her paws made him infinitely more curious and more than a little nervous about what it could possibly be.

Her sweet words about how much she appreciated him and everything he had done for her brought a little, lopsided grin to his lips and his expression softened as his tail brushed against the ground with gentle wags. His nerves at least started to settle with her thanks, feeling reassured that this really was just a moment of happiness among the dark of everything that had happened and he was more than happy to savor and enjoy it while he could. He hoped that slowly they would get more and more good moments like this to enjoy as time went on, but he knew there would still be hard times and doubts ahead of them too. He almost wanted to just pull her into him and insist over and over how she didn't need to thank him and how he would forever try and do whatever he could for her, but he could tell that there was more to it than that so he stayed quiet, letting her work through her obvious nervousness to say what she wanted to say.

It was hard to keep his smile from pulling all the way across his face as she went on about how she wasn't going to let what happened stop her from being herself, showing a little glimpse of his Syanna that he missed so much—the same one that had already over come so much and just continued to keep on fighting. Even just that little moment had been enough to tell him that all this work and effort and support he had been putting in really was worth it, but when she finally got to the point of everything she had said and revealed what she had actually wanted to tell him it felt like everything stopped for a moment as his heart skipped a beat and he started to wonder if this was all somehow just some kind of dream.

His eyes widened as his brain caught up to the present, realizing after a beat that this wasn't a dream and she really had told him that she loved him. That made his heart soar and he just couldn't keep himself from scooping her up in his forelegs and pulling her smaller frame tight to his, laughing lightly with giddy laughter as he squeezed her tight and nuzzled into her cheek, feeling as if his heart might just swell and burst right out of his chest. He knew how much that little phrase meant coming from her and even though he would never have taken an expression of love lightly from anyone, it especially meant the world coming from Syanna. Words couldn't possibly express how he was feeling in that moment, so flooded with relief, happiness, and love, Ezra just defaulted to showing her how he felt in the only way he really knew how. He caught her lips with his own, kissing her deeply and passionately as he held her tightly to him, laying on their sides in the plush grass on the bank of the near by stream.

"Syanna & Ezra"

It had taken all of the inner strength Syanna could muster to reach the point she had now. For all her life, she'd avoided commitment, falling too deep with someone else. She hadn't permitted herself to trust another after the betrayal of her betrothed and her family, deeming it too risky and not worth the cost. But the time she'd spent with Ezra had changed her views on a lot of things—most notably about herself. He made her feel worthy of being loved. He made her feel worthwhile. Never once did he treat her like a possession or an object, nor did he have any expectations for what he wanted from her. It hadn't been an easy thing to grasp or accept, but as that unavoidable realization crept up on her, Syanna knew there would be no going back. She'd found a new life in the Hallows with Ezra, a place she could call home and just be herself. It was all she had ever been looking for, and everything she had been denying herself by running from her troubles.

As those fateful words fell from her lips, the vulpine-like fae watched while Ezra's expression froze and shifted through all the stages of realization. First bewilderment, then confusion, then shock, and finally joy. His wide-eyed smile warmed her heart and she saw in his eyes the exact moment his brain finally made the connection between what she'd said. She just gave him a little nod as if to wordlessly confirm things for him, but before she could say or do anything else, Ezra was scooping her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing, practically hoisting her off the ground with a surprised squeal while he laughed and smothered her in nuzzles and kisses. Syanna giggled in return, forced into being subjected to his barrage of affection with no hope for escape. Dainty cream paws pressed on his chest, trying to buy herself any space at all while he squeezed her tighter to his form like a man possessed.

"Ezra!" Syanna cried out amidst peels of laughter, playfully beating on his broad chest with her paws as she uttered out his name in gleeful exasperation. It felt like shouting her boyfriend's name in frustration whenever he behaved like an unruly yearling had become a commonplace thing for her, but secretly she adored it. It was an endearing trait how enthusiastic and excitable he was. Syanna wouldn't have changed Ezra for the world. "Ezra! You're smothering m-!" Syanna's griping was swiftly silenced into muffled sounds of protest as the dire brute caught her lips with his, kissing her with a deep passion that made butterflies flutter in her belly and her heart race in her chest. Her paws, no longer smacking his chest, instead gripped to his thick fur, holding onto him while he brought them down to their sides on the grasses of the riverbank, wrapped up inescapably in his arms while he kissed her. Syanna's wide emerald eyes drifted closed behind fluttering lids, giving herself over to the moment and kissing her boyfriend back with all the same fervor, allowing herself to feel some of the passion that had been absent in their relationship in the wake of everything. But this moment right here, this made her feel alive, reaffirming to her that she wasn't dead. She was a survivor, and she was all the stronger because of Ezra.

"Syanna & Ezra"

Ezra ignored all of Syanna's playful attempts at pushing away from him or scolding him for his barrage of affection. If anything it just made him pull her even tighter to him and double down on all of the kisses and nuzzles that he was showering her with. She made him feel like nothing else could and kept this excitable energy in his heart, sparking it so easily with just a flash of her smile or the simplest little phrase that made everything feel worth it. He had never really understood the love and relationships that his father had sought out again and again, but now that he had love of his own and someone that made him feel like the very best version of himself he felt like he had a better understanding of him and everything that he had done for their family. Ezra knew that he would do anything to give this beautiful, smart, cunning, kind fae the world and he wanted to see her flourish more than anything else, but she also made him better for it too. She made him think about something other than himself and reminded him why it was worth it to care and love about someone the way he did her. He loved her endlessly and even though he had already known that she loved him too it just felt like this huge moment of trust to have her say it back to him.

The moment that his lips found hers and he started to kiss her with all of the passion and love that he had been keeping held back to give her time and space to heal, he felt her paws grip onto his fur and felt her give into the moment with him which made the hungry fire in his core flare to life for the first time since everything happened. The way his heart began to beat harder in his chest, the heat that spread from everywhere they touched, the quiet, muffled sounds that escaped them both as he kissed her with all of that desire that he had for her... This was really the first time that he felt like it might actually be possible to get back to where they used to be. He knew there was no reversing what had happened and there was no real pretending that it never happened, but he had started to worry that he'd never see or feel this side of Syanna again so this was as reliving as it was thrilling. His strong forelegs wrapped around her sides, his paws resting over her hips as he pulled her to him until their bodies were molded together like finding the puzzle piece that fit him perfectly. He kissed her ravenously for a long, lingering moment with soft groans and growls from the building lust and pent up desire, making out with his wonderful girlfriend that he loved more than he could ever really say with words.

Eventually he managed to pull himself away from her lips with a soft gasp, blinking his ice blue gaze open to look down at her with a sly grin while he panted lightly. The desire and love he felt read easily in his gaze while he continued to hold her snuggly against him, giving her hips a gentle squeeze in his paws. "I love you too..." he finally said softly to her in return, his grin widening as he lightly brushed his lips against hers as he spoke. That was probably obvious from how he reacted, but he would never get tired of telling or showing her how much he loved her. "I love you so much..." He wanted to do more, he wanted to show her how much, he wanted to make love to her, but he didn't want to push her too far too fast either. The side of his muzzle brushed against hers and he nuzzled her cheek with his own, asking softly as his lips reached her ear, "What do you want to do...? Tell me... You set the pace..." The fact that they were even making out after she told him that she loved him already felt like leaps and bounds from where they had been so he didn't want to ask too much of her all at once, but he was willing to go as far as she wanted or stop right where they were.

"Syanna & Ezra"

Of course Ezra had made no attempt to stop when she tried to get him to lighten up on her. That was who he was and it was part of his playful charm that Syanna had come to know and love about him. It was what made him so quintessentially Ezra, and why he was so perfect. For all the hell dealing with her had to have been like for him, not once did he give up on her. Even when his needs took the backseat or were outright put aside, he didn't once complain nor try to push her for anything. Ezra was patient, allowing her to recover in her own time when it would have been far easier for him to just abandon her in her broken state and move on with his life. For a time, Syanna had felt like a lost cause. But Ezra was stubborn and hardheaded. He refused to quit on them. That was why he was still here with her now, and why she felt so confident in confessing her deepest emotions to him. This was his reward for being so good to her—along with everything else that was to come.

It was easy for Syanna to melt into those strong, bulky arms and massive paws while he held her close to him, their kisses deepening in passion at his insistence. Syanna's eyes remained closed while she made out with her incredible boyfriend, tasting him on her tongue while her dainty cream-furred paws combed through the fur on his chest and the back of his nape when her forelegs looped around his neck to cling tighter to him. Soft moans and murrs escaped her in muffled cries against his lips while they kissed deeply and passionately, bringing a fire back to their lives that had been missing for far too long. It had been months since Syanna had felt the familiar desire she felt in her belly whenever she was wrapped up in the Adravendi brute's arms, but now it was immolating her from within, spurring her on with reckless abandon. Syanna felt Ezra's paws slide down to her orange-furred hips, gripping her there to pull her body tighter to his with a keening moan of surprise. She wrapped her hind legs around his waist, entwining herself around him while he held her, her toes curling as he stole her breath away and made her head spin with desire.

When Ezra did eventually break their lips apart, it left the vixen-like fae gasping for breath, emerald eyes flickering open to reveal the hazy lust-drunk glassiness of them while she looked back up into his pale blues. In his gaze, she could see that same want and desire, his sly grin leaving little to the imagination—and his huge paws squeezing at her hips left even less. He voiced his love for her in return, words he'd said to her before, but that now felt much more impactful now that she knew what the emotions behind them felt like too. Syanna smiled up at her boyfriend, her claws gingerly raking through the fur on his neck to tease his skin. Then Ezra brought his muzzle to hers to nuzzle her cheek and whispered into her ear, asking her what she wanted. Her core clenched with an aching heat for him, already able to feel what he wanted from her pressing into her from below, a smug grin playing on her lips to know she still had turning her dire brute on down to an art. The question was... was she ready for more?

Syanna exhaled hot and heavy, wriggling her hips against his while Ezra held her sitting in his lap, deliberately teasing him while her mind raced with thoughts. She wanted this. Her body was telling her that she wanted this. Her heart and soul wanted it too. But her mind... her damn broken brain... It was still reluctant. Well, no more! Syanna was not going to hold herself back from having what she wanted and what he clearly wanted too. Syanna tipped her muzzle up until she was brushing the bottom of his ear with her snout in turn, then whispered back, "I want you to love me, Ezra... Just like we used to do..." The vulpine fae drew back just enough to be able to gaze into her boyfriend's eyes, letting him see the smoldering need in those verdant pools. "Just go slow for me, okay...? And... please don't pin me down. Not just yet." In her eyes, Ezra would see the lust and love, but also a profound trust in him. He gave her the ability to set the pace, but she wanted to give him the free rein to do what he wanted to love her silly. He had all her faith to treat her right and not do anything to trigger her lingering trauma. She needed this—but Ezra needed this more.

"Syanna & Ezra"

Ezra would have waited a life time for Syanna and if she had told him then and there that she wasn't ready yet then he would have backed off and stopped for her. Still, he couldn't say that he wasn't relieved and excited when he felt her hips press and shift against his, teasing him and making his toes curl and grip her soft fur in response. There was still a hesitation from her, a moment of silence while she seemed to be thinking through his question, before he finally felt her muzzle brushing against his ear and heard her soft whispers with her desire for him to love her just like they used to. His core clenched and flared up with a fiery desire at those words, but there was also a pride and deep, unfathomable love too. He knew this was a huge step for her after what she went through and when she pulled back enough for him to see those rich emerald eyes that he adored and saw the fire and need in them for the first time in a long time he simply couldn't explain how much he admired her strength and tenacity.

The only stipulations she had for him were easy to follow and he was more than willing to make whatever accommodations she needed from him for her to be comfortable. The trust she was putting in him for this didn't go unnoticed by him and he wasn't going to do anything to break that trust. "Of course..." he agreed easily, grinning as one of his paws trailing up her side from her waist to come rest gently on her cheek, taking just a second to admire her gorgeous features and remember for a moment that he was lucky enough to call her his. "I love you..." he said again softly against her lips before he claimed them in another tender, passionate kiss, a quiet, muffled groan of need and desire escaping him as his muzzle locked with hers and he tasted her on his tongue. His paw gently held the back of her head for a few moments while they made out before trailing back down the back of her neck and along her spine before joining his other paw around her waist, holding her tight and steady against him.

With the pair of them still on their sides and entwined into one another, Ezra slowly drew his hips back and shifted her a bit against him to get them into a better position, being intentional and deliberate with his moments so that Syanna could feel what he was doing and what was coming while he kept his lips pressed to hers. His paws roamed over her waist, hips, and rump, feeling up the love of his life and expressing just how much he desired her in his movements and actions. When he did finally align them and he felt her around the most sensitive parts of himself again he had to break their kiss with a soft heated gasp, panting lightly as he found her gaze with lust glazed, heavy lidded eyes.

Watching her expressions and reactions to make sure he wasn't going to fast, he slowly started to join them together and the rush of pleasure that he had sorely needed washed over him like a tidal wave, knocking the air out of his lungs. He moved with slow and steady movements, savoring every moment and giving Syanna every bit of the tender, passionate love she deserved from him. Just because he was holding back and being gentle didn't mean he wanted her to feel like he wasn't giving her his all and where he would have usually pulled her onto him harder or pinned her under him to love her senseless, he made up for with slow, strong rolls of his hips and the way he clutched her stunning body to his as if he might never get to have her again. The quiet clearing was filled with his deep, baritone groans and quiet growls as the pleasure quickly began to build, the fact that it had been quite a while since the last time he had gotten to feel any of this very evident in how easily he was climbing toward the apex.

"Syanna & Ezra"