Avacyn pulled a cover off of the pile of supplies she had left out here by the mostly finished guard station what felt like forever ago. She had started the project some time ago, but with everything that had been going on around her pulling her attention in so many different directions it had been put on hold. It wasn't something that was direly necessary to the function of the pack, especially since the pack that they had once shared this border with was gone, but she still wanted to see it finished regardless and she was sure the warriors that were patrolling this far out would appreciate the covered area to stop and rest as they got into the snowy winter season.

Still, finishing this project had taken a back seat in comparison to the fact that Albion was going to be doing it with her. She smiled a little at the thought while she checked over her supplies and sorted them out a bit, making piles of the different lengths of wood and thatch. She always enjoyed having someone to help her with her projects, but she was especially happy to have a reason to spend time with him. It was tricky learning how to navigate this odd relationship she had made for them, but as long as Albion was willing to give it all a try then she was going to do what she could to start building their relationship and showing him what it could be if he decided to stay.

The sound of paws moving across the dried grass pulled her attention and she lifted her dark gaze, spotting the tall, pale form of Albion moving toward her. Her smile brightened and she stepped forward to meet him, her tail wagging gently behind her. "Good morning," she said with a little chuckle. "Sorry to pull you out here so early. I just like getting all of the work out of the way so I can enjoy the rest of my day." She glanced back at the materials she had been preparing and explained, "The walls are mostly done, they just need a bit of reinforcing to withstand the upcoming winter and the roof needs another layer of thatch."

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Albion tried not to stay out too much later after Ava went to go lay down for the night. His brain hadn’t wanted to shut off though, so he hadn’t actually gotten to sleep for a long time. It was both an eternity and too soon when the time came to meet up with his future Queen. Albion yawned as he returned to the lake early the next morning, his massive paws guiding him through the grass to where Avacyn had already been working. Probably even before he’d rolled out of his bed.

The thought made him grin, and the sleep he had managed to settle a lot of the turmoil from the night before. The change in lifestyle was still jarring, and he hated to admit it but he missed Fenmyre. He missed seeing his parents, even if it was still hard to think about Chimera. He stuck close to Ruse and Cerb, at least he had their presence. Even Scylla had been gone for so long. The thought of her made his heart ache more, and he shook himself to clear his thoughts as he padded up to Avacyn.

Her inky gaze lifted to his glass like eyes, greeting him with her sweet voice. Albion felt the corners of his own lips pull back into a soft grin. "Enjoy the rest of our day.” He was taking a few liberties in his assertion, but he felt the same. He’d help her with her work, and then take as many of her moments as she would allow him. He wanted a clearer picture of the future he was heading towards.

"Well, let's get to it then.” He said without hesitation, looking over the supplies. Bracing the walls would be his main objective first. He picked over a few of the bigger logs, choosing one to take to a corner of the guard house.
"Albion Klein"

A little grin pulled at Avacyn's lips as Albion corrected her statement with saying that they could enjoy their day once the task was done—their day to spend together. "Our day," she agreed with a chuckle, looking up at him with pleased affection. Things had felt rocky when she had first invited him here and he moved into Elysium, but little things like that gave her hope that things could work out. She nodded in agreement when he moved on to the work she described, going with him to the pile of wood pieces. As he selected one of the larger pieces out of the bunch, she helped to carry it over before directed him where she wanted it, making good use of his height to get the log in place against the corner of the structure. She had him hold it there then as she went over to her tools, gathering a short handled hammer and a few rough nails she had made, tapping them into place to connect the piece of wood to the rest of the structure.

After the first piece was in place it was easy to repeat that pattern several more times, reinforcing the corners and fixing a few places where the wall hadn't held up as well as other places. By the time they were done with the walls of the structure it seemed far more sturdy than it had before. It wasn't a fancy building by any means, just a modest building to step into in order to escape the weather, but it suited its purpose just fine. "That should do it," she said with a satisfied sigh, grinning up at Albion as she settled back on her haunches for a moment to take a short rest. "Now all that's left is adding some more thatch to the roof." She lifted her paw and pointed out a stump that stood next to the building on one side. "I climbed up on that to reach most of the roof. Would you climb up there and I'll pass the material to you? It would probably be easier for you to reach."

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Putting a smile on her face wasn’t a terribly difficult task, but each one did seem special. She agreed with his corrections, he didn’t mind the early hour or the work. He returned her smile with a quick smirk of his own, thoughts of what their afternoon was going to be like keeping him distracted enough as they both went to work. It wasn’t any kind of palace or impressive structure, but with a little bit of effort it started to look much more organized and finished. The work wasn’t terribly difficult but it did require quite a bit of teamwork to complete. Hammering nails especially took a lot of Albion’s concentration. He mostly held everything in place for Avacyn’s more delicate paws to hold the nail while she carefully tapped.

They found their groove so to say, and the rest of the pillars went up easily. They worked in sync, and more important than small talk was finding out how compatible they were when they worked together. Arguably, that would be the most important part of their relationship. Born of duty, most of their lives would be dedicated to the expectations of the pack and Mendacium family.

He sat back for a moment as the pair of them finished the walls, he took a drink from the water skin mixed in with the supplies. Avacyn sat beside him to rest for a minute as well. She pointed at a step stool like stump. He could put the thatch in place while she hauled it to him. Albi gave a nod and passed the water to her before again lifting himself to his paws. He grabbed a bit of thatch to start and climbed up the stump onto the roof. Reaching as far as he could over the building.

"Albion Klein"

Avacyn took the waterskin she was offered thankfully to take a drink and sat for a moment longer before she got back to her paws as well to finish their work. She could have sat there for a lot longer than that, but she appreciated Albion’s dedication to finishing their task and in the end it would be better to just get it over with so that they could get to the more enjoyable portion of their day than putting it off longer. As Albion took the first bundle of thatch over to the stump she had been using as a stool, Avacyn got up as well and got a pot of pine resin adhesive she had made and dipped a stick in it till there was a good sized blob of it on the end, passing the stick up to him to use to adhere the thatch over the first layer she had put down some time ago.

They went like that for a while with Albion laying down the thatch on the slanted roof and her passing him bundles of the material and more adhesive as he needed it. It took a while, but in the end the roof looked far more ready for whatever rain or snow would come through the rest of the autumn and winter seasons. She imagined they would need to patch it again for the spring, but for now it was in good shape. She probably could have done this herself, but it would have taken her all day where now she had so much more time left in the day to spend with Albion and she was very happy about that.

With a pleased grin and her tail wagging happily, she took a couple of steps back to look at their handy work. “It looks great!” she said, turning her ebony gaze up to his, giving him a bright smile. “Thank you for your help,” she added as she tipped her muzzle up to press a kiss to his cheek. Looking to the supplies she had brought with them, she started pulling out a fur to lay on along with a simple meal. “I think we’ve more than earned some lunch, don’t you?”

"Avacyn Mendacium"

While he had wanted to linger and sip on the drink a bit longer as well, it was better they were swift to get back to work. They were very nearly finished and there was no point in slowing down at this point. They could have all day to lounge and enjoy each other’s company. For now, he focused on the thatch job he was doing, which wasn’t spectacular if he was being honest. Albion was not a master roofer, and it would likely need to be redone before the weather started turning warm again. It wasn’t going to last the spring rains, but maybe the winter snows.

At the very least, he had helped save Avacyn a half a day of work, he was working to uphold his end of the bargain for her. The real prize once he had placed the last massive frond and stuck it into place was Ava’s grin and her happy wagging tail. His affection for her was mostly innocent, he enjoyed making her smile, he liked the attention she gave him, and most of all he enjoyed the sweet kisses she placed upon his cheek. Like the one she gave him now after thanking him for his help.

His cheeks flushed softly at her touch, and he leaned in slightly to her affection. "You’re welcome.” They didn’t linger there for very long, as Ava grabbed a large hide to spread out for their picnic. She laid out the food, stating after so much effort they deserved the dinner. "More than earned.” Albion chuckled quietly as he shifted his massive weight to sit beside her. She had a simple meal for them, but hunger was the best spice and he was famished.

"Albion Klein"

Avacyn chuckled as Albion agreed that they had more than earned their meal and continued to pull out the meal she had packed, laying it out at one edge of the hide she had unrolled so they wouldn't have to lay on the cold ground. It was nothing spectacular, just a couple of venison steaks that had been wrapped in a waxed cloth to keep the juices from dripping on anything else, a pot of honied berries, and a couple waterskins, but it would hit the spot given how much of an appetite they had worked up working on this thing. Once everything was unpacked and unwrapped, Avacyn settled in beside Albion with her side lightly leaning into his. She knew that it was an odd situation they were in with this arranged marriage that had been presented to them, but she tried to treat their relationship how she would be with anyone that she would care for or be affectionate with. She didn't want their interactions to be awkward so she purposefully did things to help him feel like he was just as welcome to return those affections like leaning into him or sharing little kisses. She hoped that her initiating that part of their relationship would help the rest flow a bit more easily.

After she had taken a few bites of her meal, she glanced toward Albion with a little smile. "Thank you again for helping me," she mentioned, curling her white-tipped tail around his hip affectionately while she enjoyed their picnic together. "It's always nice to be able to cross something off of the list, you know?" She turned her dark gaze back to the food at her paws, pulling off bites of venison and occasionally stabbing one of the berries with her claw to bring it to her mouth. As she finished the main course of meat she picked up another berry looking up toward Albion with a little smile as she swiped the berry off of her claw with her tongue. They often fell into comfortable silence when they were together, but she didn't mind in the slightest. With her world constantly being so busy and so full of wolves pulling her in one direction or the next, she quite enjoyed their moments of peace and silence together.

With their lunch eaten she leaned into his side a little more heavily, slipping one tiger-like paw around his foreleg as she settled into his larger frame. "If you could be doing anything in the world right now," she asked conversationally, peering up at him with a little grin while they snuggled together with just the quiet lapping of the lake in the background, "what would it be? What's your favorite activity to do when you're not working?"

"Avacyn Mendacium"

After so much effort and work Albion felt satisfied in his effort. A job well done with company he enjoyed, and they still had a half a day to spend with one another. So far Albi was completely uncertain about the relationship he was supposed to develop with Avacyn. She wasn’t sparse with her hints, the easy way she leaned into his shoulder and offered him affectionate kisses opened the door for him to return them. His attention was mostly occupied by her presence, the warmth of her fur against his, the subtle sweet scent of her pelt, and the loving mischievous glances she offered up to him.

He gulped down another bite as Avacyn spoke again, thanking him for his help. Though he wasn’t certain if the gratitude was for the shack, or his presence here in Elysium. She curled her tail around him, which brought the corners of his lips back into a smirk. Albion returned the affection, his own long white tail flashing across her dark hip. "Satisfaction of a job well done.” He rumbled in return as he watched her sensual eating. He gave her a little smirk as he finished eating his own lunch, hungrier after the work that they did.

Avacyn slipped one of her feline paws around his leg as they finished the meal they shared, she leaned into him a bit more heavily and he felt himself relax against her. He could feel her shift and look up at him his own glass blue eyes fell to her dark shadow gaze. Avacy questioned him softly, if there was anything he could be doing, what would that be? The charming answer was to just say what they were doing right now, sitting here snuggled up to her. He wanted to give her the truth though. "I’d be out adventuring with Cerberus and Scylla.” He answered her quietly, sighing heavily afterward. He shook his head carefully so as not to disturb Avacyn. "But being here like this with you is a close second.” He returned his attention to the lovely princess at his side. All of his attention, like she deserved.

"Albion Klein"

His answer wasn't the charming, flirtatious answer she had set him up for, but it was honest and in a way she appreciated that even more. He told her how he would be out adventuring with his siblings and she smiled with understanding at that. She knew that their family was just as tight knit as her own and she couldn't imagine being away from her siblings the way that he, Cerberus, and Rusalka currently were—or being away from her littermate the way he currently was with Scylla. If anything it just spoke to how much he loved his family and that meant a lot to her. It showed what he valued and that he was willing to be honest with her with where his mind actually was. Still, as he mentioned that being here with her was a close second to being with his siblings, it made her grin and chuckle softly, peering up at him with an obvious affection. "I'll happily take being a close second," she replied, tipping up her muzzle to nuzzle his cheek.

As she nuzzled into his cheek, she didn't immediately pull away, instead lingering there in the warmth and closeness of him and the richness of his scent that filled her nose. The way she felt about Albion was entirely different than how she felt when she was with Saracyn, but she didn't think that was a bad thing. She cared for them both, even if it was in different ways. She knew that wasn't what either male truly wanted from her, but she couldn't deny the way Saracyn made her heart and soul feel complete, nor could she deny this natural attraction and affection for the Klein male at her side. It felt easy to mold her side into his, to share these affections with him, and enjoy this day that they had made for themselves. This felt like the romance she had always imagined when she was little and she was listening to her mother's lessons about finding a male that can both offer physically what she would want to pass along to her children, but also makes her happy and that she enjoys spending time with. Albion was all of that for her.

Slipping away from his cheek, her muzzle traced the side of his, and instead of pulling away she instead brought her lips to his. She pressed a kiss to his lips that was light and sweet at first, but was soon followed by another and then another, each a bit more tender and passionate than the last. Even though she was still working through what the emotional side of their relationship would eventually look like, the physical came easily to her and she couldn't deny the skip her heart made in her chest when they were pressed close like this or when her lips found his. She knew that Albion had come to Elysium on a trial basis of sorts and that there was still a chance that at the end of all of this he could decide that he wasn't finding what he needed here with her, but until that day came she was going to do what she could to fully embrace this potential between them. A soft, pleased hum escaped her as her paw drifted up to his cheek, gently cupping his face and tracing his ear as she pressed deeper into their kiss and tasted him on her tongue, her eyes slipping closed while she savored being alone here with him.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

He could see the understanding in her features as he gave her the honest answer from his heart. Albion’s family was the driving factor in his life, despite the distance and turmoil between he and his father. The young man was here holding up his end of the bargain though. Fenmyre was gone, but his vow was not rescinded. It seemed like she was satisfied with his follow up desire, that being here was just as good in his mind. Maybe this moment, this relationship, had been contrived, but as he sat there with her in the quiet afternoon it felt natural.

He leaned in to her affection when she didn’t pull away, the corners of his lips pulling back slightly as she nuzzled against his cheek. Avacyn leaned into him, and Albion instinctively wrapped one pale arm around her shoulder. He was still uncertain what this was all supposed to look like, but right now the scene before him was what he wanted. Their work was done, and all that mattered right now was the one beside him. Albi was young, and content with the sweet nuzzles she offered, but she didn’t remain there. Her nose touched his as she softly kissed him.

A surprised murmur fell from his lips but it took only a moment before he closed his eyes and leaned into her. He let her lead, not that he knew how to anyway. This was his first kiss. He chuckled into the increasingly passionate affection. Her dark feline paw cupped his cheek and pulled him closer, so Albion went with her. Tasting her tongue as he pushed back, supporting her back with his paw that held her, as he aimed to lay her back in the grass. He wanted to be even closer as he aimed to press his belly against hers as he fell deeper and deeper into their kiss. His vow, his family, everything around them faded as Avacyn centered in his world.

"Albion Klein"

Avacyn found no resistance from Albion as she pulled him deeper into the kiss she began which she was certainly glad for. He had never refused her advances or affections so she hadn't felt a reason to hesitate now, but it still felt good to have him return that passionate kiss and seem just as eager for this. It never occurred to her that this was his first kiss or his first venture into this kind of physical relationship. She guided him naturally without thinking much about it, all of her constant thoughts and calculated considerations fading away as she easily gave into Albion and gave him her entire focus. The physical was so much easier to untangle and figure out than the emotional side of things. That familiar warmth and desire, which unknowingly was far more familiar to her than it was to him, rose up in her core the longer they kissed and she did nothing to hinder that natural fire between them.

At first Avacyn didn't notice the way Albion was shifting with her, at least not until she felt the soft grasses under her cushion her back and felt his belly pressing to hers, but even when she did notice she didn't stop him. Instead, her paws followed along his shoulders and looped around the back of his neck while her lips remained pressed to his, her tongue tracing his teeth with a soft, humming sound of pleasure. Her feline claws combed through his pale fur along the back of his neck and through his scruff as she made out with the male that was to be her betrothed, forgetting everything for a moment about their promises, families, alliances, and the complexities of relationships. In that moment it was just the two of them and the primal instincts that made everything feel so much easier than it actually was.

She wasn't sure how much time passed among the keep, lustful kisses and wandering paws, but eventually she managed to convince herself to break that kiss with a soft gasp, blinking open her obsidian gaze to look up into the glass blue gaze of Albion. A little grin tugged at her lips as she laid in the grass that surrounded the lake, the only sounds around them the sound of the gently lapping lake water and their own heated breathing. With his belly pressed to hers, Avacyn could feel his heart beating with hers and could feel his lean, toned form along her lithe body–feeling every part of him against her. "Do you want to keep going?" she whispered against his lips, her paws tracing along the back of his neck and teasingly playing with the edge of one ear, peering up at him with a sultry gaze and a easy grin on her lips.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Albion was young and youthful and however much he believed he knew everything and the way of the world his whole future seemed like it was up in the air. He could still turn tail and flee, escape this strange cacophony of emotions and social labyrinths to navigate. He might have the previous night, thankfully he was never really alone when he went back to the den. Albi and his siblings shared a space, so it wasn’t so obvious his fiance was not at his side. Now though, as he felt her in his paws and manipulated her form, the thought seemed impossible. He didn’t want to be anywhere but here with her like this.

Tasting her on his tongue, feeling her heartbeat against his own hammering in his chest. The young prince didn’t really know what he was doing, but his instincts were strong. As he moved against the Princess he expected some resistance, but like she could read his mind Avacyn allowed him to lower her into the grass beneath him. Each breath came a little more rugged than the last as her tongue traced his serrated ivory teeth. His skin pricked and sent shivers up his spine as her sharp claws traced through his alabaster fur.

Though he held her tight, his large white paws gently roved the curve of her waist and savored the slope of her hip. He might have laid there with her the rest of the day, getting to know her form and the taste of her tongue, but eventually she pulled from him with a breathy gasp. He blinked open his own gaze, mostly stupefied at the new ways she could make him feel. His blue white eyes met her dark colored irises as she spoke to him in husky whispered tones.

Albion’s brows raised at the question, not really surprised by the question, and not at all uncertain what she meant. He returned with a deep chuckle, the obvious answer being yes. "Of course I do.” She didn’t even really have to ask, "But shouldn’t we wait until we’re wed?” The Prince was partially teasing, but also partially serious. He was first a prince and a gentleman after all.

"Albion Klein"

There was little doubt in her mind that Albion would want to keep going. After all, he had been the one to put her in this position and the way he was feeling over her body and returning her passionate kiss left little room for her to doubt his desire. Still, with the way their future together and the state of their relationship was still up in the air she couldn't help but ask and perhaps in a way it was more just to tease him than anything else–a way for her to either push him toward what she really wanted or to have them move on from this heavy making out and feeling over one another. Perhaps she should have some kind of concern or show some kind of caution over rushing into a sexual relationship like this, but she didn't. With how she was raised and the way she had seen her parents live her view of physical affections was less serious than some.

As she expected, he assured her that he did want more, the words and the way he raised a brow at her question making a wider, more amused grin pull at her lips. Still, as he went on to question whether or not they should wait until they were wed, it did make her pause, wondering just how much of that concern was real and how much of it was teasing. Her immediate reaction was to laugh and brush it off, but the words stuck behind her lips. Perhaps it was just the way he phrased it that stopped her–the assuredness of when they were wed, not if. It was at least enough to catch her off guard and pause for a moment, searching his face and his bright, ice blue gaze for some sort of sign of whether he was serious or not. She couldn't quite put her paw on how it made her feel as she realized this was the first time the thought of their marriage to be felt real, that he might actually put up with everything she was asking of him to stay with her and see this union through.

When she finally pushed past her own thoughts, her expression had softened slightly with emotion she hadn't expected to feel, a little smile tugging at her lips as her paws rubbed along his neck and shoulders again and she tipped her muzzle up to press another, softer kiss to his lips. "Perhaps we should, but I don't want to stop and I don't think you really do either," she replied quietly against his lips. She finally pulled him into another kiss, this one far deeper and more passionate than the last, letting her actions speak for her when words seemed to fail. She had come into this date ready to take him as far as he wanted to go, but now she truly wanted him. Maybe he hadn't thought much of the statement when he said it, but he was showing his true colors in these moments and was quickly earning her trust and hope that this all might actually work out.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

He proposed his question, but kind of felt like the kid who asked his teacher about homework. Albion knew he might not really want the answer that she gave him, but his half teasing, half question made her pause. Albion was given a glimpse of her vulnerability, he caught her off guard as he held her against him. The way her lips parted as the words died on her lip, and the curious and startled glance that flashed over her beautifully sculpted features. They were supposed to be married, a union to strengthen the blood ties of their families, to be the man the rest of the world knew as her husband. The father of her children and partner in life.

If only they could truly have something as simple as a life like that. He was slowly realizing what was truly in store for him, but his day with Avacyn, having her beneath him here, made him believe that she could give him a happy life despite the challenges they faced. He was no stranger to the lifestyle she was inviting him to, Chimera had his harem after all.

Avacyn grinned up at him with her answer as his heart decided that if he could receive a smile like this there wasn’t much he couldn’t weather for her. Keeping his word wasn’t so complicated or difficult when she whispered back suggestively. After a couple of kisses that shooed any other statements he might have said away, he gladly fully gave himself up to her. The physical part was easy, holding her against him Albion moved and shifted out of instinct as they dived deeper into the passionate kiss renewed. She took his breath away, and hopefully would continue to do so for a very long time.

"Albion Klein"