"Don't make me leave again." The words rebounded in her head over and over until it felt like they were crawling up the inside of her skull. It was an almost physical sensation, a little needling pressure at the base of her ears she couldn't shake. Theory wanted to cry when she'd said it, but she'd pushed it down. No, she would never make her leave again. Nor would she abandon her side. The best she could do now was prove it, which she'd done by gluing herself to Thalia's flank the entire time they'd attended the festival. They'd been so close their fur was holding a static charge. Whenever she stepped away, even an inch, every bit of her reached out to every bit of Thalia, pulled taught by the ends of her fur. Theory was filled with the notion that yes, this was correct. As if the universe was clicking into place. Even the colors seemed brighter than they had before. Theory walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Thalia away from the bonfire. Her skin was prickling now just like her head, synapses firing down the length of her spine that made her shiver. They'd polished off the bottle Theory had brought across the Bifrost together, taking the last sip just as Artorias had lit the pyre. The flames had been so bright she'd looked away, burying her face in Thalia's fur and inhaling deeply. This was real. This time, it would last. Now they were retreating from the main crowd, still raucous with merriment. Shouts and cries and singing followed their exit, and Theory chose to retreat what other visitors had murmured was "God's Garden." What better place to spend time alone with her own personal goddess? Blurry bodies peeled off one by one from the procession of wolves seeking respite from the crush of the crowd. Theory noted them, and the trails of brilliant color they left in their wake. Every step they took seemed to glow. Her body grew warmer now, even for the balmy summer night. She was burning up from the inside. Theory took a steadying breath, leaning for a moment on Thalia before continuing and selecting a quiet spot among the stone foundations surrounded by night-blooming jasmine. The scent went straight to her head, delicious and dizzying. Strangers passed by their hideaway occasionally, but Theory only had eyes for the wolf tucked by her side. She used the crumbling rock wall to brace herself as she slowly laid down, panting just a little. "Here, lay with me," she murmured. "speech"

Though she'd heard rumors of the upcoming bonfire festival, Thalia hadn't even been sure she would formally attend. For so long now she'd been on the sidelines of the happenings in Boreas and Auster, fending for herself and not getting involved in the affairs of the various packs that existed now. At the very least she hoped to linger in the shadows, to catch snippets of what might be going on, but she hadn't been sold on really attending, not until she reunited with Theory. Now that they were together, everything felt like it was conquerable. She could walk freely now, no longer riddled with the constant barrage of anxiety and worry about what her next step ought to be. For years she felt like she was just waiting for something to happen, for some sort of sign - and now that she'd seen it, she felt infinitely lighter. Even the aching in her joints seemed to lessen with each moment spent with Theory, though it was no doubt an effect of the drink they'd been sharing, too. The relief was instantaneous, and just as intoxicating. She could hardly stay away from her. As soon as they stopped making contact Thalia found herself moving back to her as though they were two souls magnetized, seeking whatever touch from her she could find. Whether they stood shoulder to shoulder, or whether Thalia reached out to occasionally press her nose to the other woman's flank, each touch felt more electric than the last. The sound of the festival attendees faded into nothingness as they slunk away from the bonfire. The world was alive - from the sound of laughing and shouting to the sound of frogs and insects that buzzed all around them in the night - and only seemed to come more vibrant with each step. Colors were bright, blinding even in the darkness that settled in around them. A few stray fireflies that floated by left a long trail of light in their wake. Sounds were even more brilliant too, Theory's voice very nearly like a song to her ears. Panting softly by the time they reached the God's Garden, Thalia obliged with the other woman's request. The taste of that drink lingered on her tongue still. Using Theory's body to help guide her, Thalia let herself sink down onto her belly, burying her nose into Theory's neck and giving her a series of kisses well before she fully reclined. "You're even more beautiful than I remember," Thalia confessed, her voice warm as she redirected her mouth closer to Theory's ear. There was no use holding back now, the intoxicating drink fully shattering whatever remained of them - not that there had really been much left since they'd come together once again.

The air came alive around them as Thalia laid by her side and covered her neck and ruff in kisses. She groaned softly and stretched out her body until the tips of her toes were splayed out wide. Everything felt softer, somehow. Like the edges of her vision had been shorn off and replaced by dancing, gossamer shadows. It was beautiful, and everything she felt like this night should be. In so many ways it was what they had been waiting their entire lives for. They'd fought and bled and cried and screamed for this. "That's high praise coming from the goddess herself," she said huskily, shivering as the tip of Thalia's nose pressed against the soft cup of her ear. It was colder than she'd expected, the sensation intensified tenfold. Around them wolves had begun to pair off, shrouded by cover of night and the sweet smelling, jasmine-scented air. Theo could hear soft moans coming from just over the crumbling foundation they leaned against. She curled tighter around Thalia as if claiming her all for herself. If the cold light of day had shone upon them, she might have been mortified by the sounds that surrounded them - they were alone, but not quite. They had some small amount of privacy but they weren't in private. But she'd waited her whole life for this moment. Theory pulled back her lips delicately and nibbled small little bites starting from the crest of Thalia's head and down to the base of her spine. When she got there, she rose slowly to her paws and spun around so that her head was facing Thalia's parted legs and her hips lay by the smaller female's head. Her vision was sparkling now, the fireflies exploding like starbursts around them. From the other side of the wall she heard soft words and murmurs, but they sounded like a prayer heard from underwater. Theo closed her eyes and gave another, firmer love bite just at the base of Thalia's tail at the same time she felt rather than saw a few blurry shapes move out of the darkness towards them. The presence felt warm and friendly, as if she knew in her soul it was nonthreatening. Like perhaps God had joined their embrace. It was easy then to let go and give herself over to bliss entirely. "speech"

All her life before this moment seemed to pale in comparison to this moment. This was what it had all been leading up to - her head was spinning, her senses were both dulled and amplified at the same time. How that was possible she wasn't sure. Everything seemed brighter, louder, more tangible somehow, though at the same time she felt like she wasn't even really experiencing this directly. She felt like she was seeing it from all angles, all timelines - from both the past and the future - like some all-powerful deity, like her forefathers who came before her. The power she felt coursing through her was addicting in a way she'd never felt. The feeling was only amplified by Theory's words, confirming what every cell in her body already believed. She was a goddess among mortals. She'd always known that, but somehow she'd never really believed it fully until this moment. A content purr left her lips, not much different than the voices that drifted to and fro around them, swirling around their heads freely. Such an atmosphere wasn't normally something that appealed to her but Theory was an exception. Always had been, always would be. And Thalia didn't care who heard or saw her claiming what was rightfully hers. The movement at the edges of her vision didn't go unnoticed to her either but nothing about their presence made Thalia feel uneasy. She welcomed the faint touch of a stranger against her shoulder, though she was zeroed in on Theory and her sounds and movements. Nothing else mattered now, just the way their bodies moved against one another and the way each touch made her vision dance with sound and color as two became one, long overdue. -fade to black!!!!-