As the weather began to turn warmer towards the gradual approach of spring, Rogue had been spending a lot more time out around the northern territories of Boreas. Was it because the tundras were becoming less like icy wastelands and more like temperate biomes fit to explore? No, not at all. It was because that was where Kaino was! To say the young brute was smitten with the Saxe fae would have been a horrid understatement. With no pack to tie himself to, his family scattered to the wind, and all the time on his hands, Rogue had become a bit of a restless free agent, and so he stuck close to the Syndicate lands in hopes of stealing some of the lavender and gray femme's time and attention. Kai made him feel important again, like he was someone worthwhile when he was with her. And Rogue was hooked on her like an addict on a powerful narcotic.

On this night, Rogue had invited Kaino out to stargaze and enjoy the auroras while they were still in full swing during the remnants of winter. He had spent the day crafting a campsite of sorts, with a makeshift den carved out of a slope in the earth and a fire pit dug just outside to keep them warm—although he had another idea of how they could keep each other warm. Rogue had managed to catch a few fish from the nearby streams for their dinner and had traded for some furs from the nearby Armada market to make a comfy bed for them. Piles of ermine and snow leopard pelts lay strewn inside the den, plush, warm, and cozy to keep them comfortable. Hey, even if they were roughing it a bit, Rogue still wanted to make sure the lady was taken care of. His mother would have never forgiven him for such poor manners.

After Kaino had arrived and their meal had been cooked and eaten, night had fallen across northern Boreas. Lying together around the crackling fire pit, Rogue gazed up at the stars overhead, watching them twinkle from between the bands of auroras dancing above them. It was all so very romantic... until a snap of a nearby branch caught the brute's attention. Amethyst eyes snapped down, scouring the dark tree line for any signs of movement. His senses were on high alert, sharpened and ready to react. Then they made their appearance. Three brutes Rogue didn't recognize emerged into the perimeter of the fire's glow, glaring at him while leering at Kaino with lecherous intent. The wolves growled, low and threatening, and Rogue's eyes narrowed. These were exactly the kind of wolves Kai had been afraid of coming for her...

"Get outta here, boy, and leave the bitch to us. Maybe we'll let you live," one of the brutes snarled out, his friends responding with sinister chuckles, echoing his sentiment.

Without a moment of hesitation, Rogue got to his paws, disappointed at having to leave the warmth of Kai's side, but there was business to be handled. Rogue had seen Kaino fight before against Nimue and was sure she could hold her own and help drive these savages away, but Rogue wanted to prove himself to her. His bravado wanted to show off to the impressive fae that he was more than just a pretty face and a good lay. "Excuse me a moment while I take care of this, Kai," he said with a debonair grin and devilish wink to Kaino. Then he turned to the wolves creeping closer and engaged.

Rogue immediately charged the closest brute with a snarl, long legs quickly closing the gap with a few swift bounds. The brute swung a paw upward to try to catch Rogue's jaw, but the Klein brute ducked the attack and went in for the wolf's exposed neck—but not with his fangs. Instead, Rogue extended his razor sharp black diamond claws and drove them into the brute's throat with a viciously accurate swing. The brute gave a choking gasp of surprise, and then gurgled as Rogue tore his claws up through the wolf's neck, severing tendons, veins, and arteries, and rending his trachea open like a knife. Blood sprayed all over Rogue and his foe, who fell to the snow clutching desperately at his neck to try and stop the fatal bleeding in vain.

With one foe dispatched, Rogue turned to his next opponent, who was already rushing him. "Whoa!" Rogue quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding the jaws of the wolf snapping down where his leg had been a moment before. Again Rogue swung at his foe's head with his claws extended, but the brute was equally as nimble and backpedaled out of the way. Back and forth they danced, Rogue testing his opponent's reflexes with feint attacks while deftly dodging the bites and slashes of the brute. Eventually the brute got his timing right, and Rogue felt the wolf's jaws lock around his foreleg and bite down hard. A yelp of pain tore from Rogue, but the Klein was smarter than his foe. Using their close proximity, Rogue toughed out the pain and brought his free paw down over his enemy's eyes, digging his claws straight into his eye sockets, blinding him. The wolf howled in agony and instantly released Rogue, allowing him to pivot and kick the wolf away and straight into the fire pit, setting his fur ablaze. The wolf howled and screamed, scrabbling about blindly before taking off aimlessly into the forest, where his body could be seen smoldering a ways off before he finally collapsed and burned out, clearly dead.

Turning to his last foe, Rogue fixed the brute with blazing sunset eyes and a snarl, advancing on him. This wolf had more brains than balls though, and with a simple "Nuh uh, nope!" he turned and took off into the forest again. Rogue considered taking off after him to finish the fight, but he didn't want to just run off from Kaino and his foreleg was beginning to ache where he'd been bitten, and a high speed chase didn't exactly sound like a fun way to spend his evening. Letting out a dominant howl after the fleeing wolf to warn him against coming back, Rogue returned to the carnage to clean up. He dragged the dead brute's body into the woods and out of the firelight, leaving it for whatever scavengers wanted an easy meal a short distance away.

Rogue returned to Kai's side, slightly splattered with blood and sporting a slight limp on his front left leg as he walked. It was bitten and bleeding a bit, but nothing severe and likely just a sprain. "Have no fear, my lady. Your virtue is safe this evening from those bad men," he teased her with a playful grin, hamming it up and recounting the way she'd teased him the first time they'd met in the hot springs. He flopped down beside her, trying to mask the wince on his face as a jolt of pain raced up his leg. Yeeeeah, definitely not how he'd planned this night to go...

WC: 1189

"Rogue Klein"

The proposed date night was terribly cute. Any opportunity to be spoiled and have attention lavished upon her was quickly agreed to. It seemed as though he'd thought everything out, much to her surprise and pleasure. They had a meal, there were furs, a nice little fire, cuddles and lots of pretty sky lights. Kaino was a very physical fae. She wasn't shy about touching or being touched, so she relished in the opportunity to smother Rogue with her own lavender form. He was so much bigger than she was and he was so very warm.

As they lay there beneath the auroras, both of them content, their good time was ruined. Or, well... it was interrupted, at least. One of the brutes told Rogue to leave, stating that he should leave the bitch for them. Kaino's brows lifted in amusement and she laughed all the way from her belly, toppling off of Rogue in the process. She landed on the plush furs on her side, comfortable as could be. Still giggling, she watched as her man, (Yeah, she said it) went off to handle the problem.

The bite to Rogue's leg almost brought the woman to her paws, but she gave him the benefit of the doubt and he didn't let her down. One of the attackers stumbled into the fire and Kai giggled again, a silver gloved paw covering her maw as she still lay on her side in a state of absolute comfort. It wasn't as if there was a battle to the death going on or anything.

The last brute fled and Rogue made his way back to her side, his words bringing a soft chuckle from the lavender lady. She opened her arms to him, drawing him down onto the furs beside her. Rolling a bit, she brought his injured foreleg towards her and began gently cleaning the wound with her tongue. "My hero," she purred, placing another languid lick along the bite. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Kaino"

Rogue was still riding the high of adrenaline and triumph when he rejoined Kaino on their bed, falling happily into her reaching arms as he settling in to snuggle up with his lovely lavender lady once more. She had seemed positively dazzled watching him in combat and getting to show off had done a wonder for Rogue’s ego. He flashed Kai a charming smile while she drew him down to her, relishing in her comforting embrace and the rush of feeling like her hero. He'd shown her that he could fight too and was more than just a pretty face and a good fuck. Why was he showing off for her? Eh, maybe he just liked looking good for his lady. Plus she'd shown off how good in a fight she was and he felt like he should at least be able to match her prowess if he wanted to be with her.

Kai readjusted her position beside him and brought his injured foreleg closer to her, her soft tongue gently cleaning at the bites on his leg. They weren't so bad and likely wouldn't even leave a scar, but they did sting like a motherfucker. He winced at the first contact against the rent flesh, but settled quickly again, watching her with an affectionate and somewhat protective smile. He had started to feel a bit possessive over Kaino Saxe; not in the sense of wanting to control her, but in the sense that he wanted her to be his. His lover, his girlfriend, his partner. Rogue thought back to all the times his sire had told him and his siblings that he just knew their mother was the fae he wanted and silently wondered if this was how he had felt back then. Wanting to be with someone, to hold them, to kiss them, to protect them and possess them. Kai brought out feelings and urges of masculinity and dominance in him that he hadn't felt before her, but she also made him feel like someone worth being possessed too when she lay her claim to him in turn.

Kaino asked how she could ever repay him and Rogue shot her a playful grin, the lecherous undertones and gleam in his sunset amethyst eyes unmistakable. The languid lick of her tongue over his injury was both erotic and painful, but in a good way, a way that made Rogue quiver gently beside her. "Well, your champion certainly wouldn't say no to a kiss from his fair lady," he teased her with his own purring baritone vocals. He leaned in closer and nipped at her closest ear before whispering against the soft appendage to add, "I'll let you pick where you kiss me though." Rogue flashed her a wolfish grin and husky chuckle while his uninjured paw lifted to rest on Kai's side, beginning a leisurely circuit of running his digits through her soft fur from shoulder to hip, stroking over her slender side. Kaino was a beautiful wolf, and Rogue's love language was absolutely physical touch, which he lavished her with every chance he got.

"What's it like being you, Kai?" he asked, gazing thoughtfully into her mint-ice eyes. "I wanna know everything about you. Your favorite color, your favorite food, your favorite smells. Places you like to go, things you like to do... I wanna know you." While perhaps a bit broad, Rogue wanted to open the conversation for them to learn more about each other. He wanted to know everything about Kaino Saxe. Who she was, where she came from, where she wanted to go in life. Was she a wake up early or stay up late kind of wolf? Did she have siblings? Did she want kids? Everything. And Rogue was ready to put in the time to learn her head to tail, and every inch in between.

"Rogue Klein"

Kaino curled up with Rogue, reveling in the sweet little strokes and pets that he bestowed upon her. Physical contact was also very much her way of communicating her care and so she touched him in turn, one paw stroking down the brutes dark chest. His comment about where to kiss him brought a husky little chuckle from the amaranthine fae and she leaned up to place a very chaste kiss upon his lips. Surely that hadn't been what he was intending, but he did say that she could choose.

Rogue surprised her with his next line of questioning. He really wanted to know her, did he? The bob-tailed woman scooted a little closer, shifting and wiggling til they were chest to chest, their limbs entwined with one another. "My favorite color is most assuredly blue," she spoke, humor in dulcet tones. "My favorite food? Hmm..." She thought about it for a moment, head tilting back and forth as she considered. "I enjoy roasted bison and sweet, honeyed carrots." The Saxe fae wiggled closer still, her nose dipping just under Rogue's jaw. "I quite like your smell. Woodsmoke and lilac are my favorites, I think."

After delivering a little kiss to his jawline, Kai pulled back enough for their eyes to meet. "I was raised to protect and serve the Saxe family. They're here in the north, so this is where I want to be. No real travel aspirations, unfortunately. Exciting of me, right?" Kaino's expression was serious; a change from her normal, mischievous features. "All that I really want in life is to keep my family safe, Rogue." She slid her cheek along his, resting her chin on his shoulder, mostly so that he couldn't see the emotion in her mismatched gaze. "I'd go to any lengths for them. I'd do anything. Things that might even frighten you away." That was the first hint that Kaino had given the galactic brute, hinting that she was more than just some sweet little fae.

"Kaino Saxe"

Rogue saw the playful gleam in Kaino's eyes, heard the husky little chuckle she made, and then... she placed a soft kiss on his lips. It was a twist Rogue had not seen coming even though he probably should have. Hey, he did leave it up to her discretion where she kissed him! Still, he couldn't resist the playfully disappointed huff when she pulled back, shooting her his signature lopsided grin and squeezing her svelte form in his strong forelegs. "You absolute minx..." he teased her with a chuckle under his breath. Oh, he'd be getting her back for that one at some point...

After a smidge bit of shifting and wiggling to get their bodies aligned perfectly like two jigsaw pieces fitting together, Kai settled in and began to fire off answer after answer, giving Rogue a more personal insight into herself. Rogue listened with rapt attention, one forearm wrapped snugly around her waist to hold her body against his while they cuddled and talked, the other slowly running his paw up and down her back, following her spine to her shapely rump and giving her ass the occasional squeeze or appreciative grope. Hey, she was hot, and he liked feeling her up, even when they were having innocent little conversations. Her mentioning her favorite color was blue earned her a proud grin from the blue-furred brute, practically relishing in knowing he was her favorite color. How serendipitous! Roasted bison and honeyed carrots... Rogue committed her favorite meal to memory. He'd definitely be using that later.

Rogue gave a quiet hum of delight when Kai nuzzled her way into his neck, her soft pink nose wandering under his jaw while she spoke of liking his scent, as well as woodsmoke and lilac. Another wolfish grin played on Rogue's muzzle while his digits combed through the fur along her back, sharp diamond claws ever so carefully extending to trail against her soft, warm skin. What followed next was very unexpected however. Kai pulled back, mismatched eyes meeting her brute's sunset jewels. There was a seriousness as she spoke of keeping her family safe, of that being her life's only goal. The shift in atmosphere kept Rogue from cracking jokes with her as well, the sincerity in his gaze showing that he was taking this seriously since this was clearly important to her. The Klein brute nuzzled her back, gently resting his jaw over her head as she laid on his shoulder. He couldn't see her expression, but he could hear the tone of her voice shift almost imperceptibly when she spoke of doing anything for her family, even things that might scare him.

A soft sigh escaped the dire brute's lips while he slid his paw up from Kaino's back to gently caress her head, holding her close and safe. "I just set a wolf on fire to keep you safe, Kai. I don't think you could frighten me away," he reassured her with just a touch of humor amongst his serious response. But if she was truly afraid that the things she did could scare him, it did make him wonder what the rest of her family was like if those sorts of things didn't faze them. What the hell was he getting himself into? "I think most wolves would be willing to do anything to protect their family. I know I would. Well, y'know, if my family still existed..." The Kleins had all but fallen apart, dissolved into the aether to exist only in memory and the pages of history. He didn't know where any of his siblings had ended up, if his mother and father were still around, or what the future would look like for his line. Everything was a big blank space of unknown—and it terrified Rogue.

"Rogue Klein"

Rogue held her loosely, his big paws roaming over her curves, physically worshipping and appreciating her svelte body. A little sigh of pleasure escaped the woman and she gave a bit of a wiggle, pressing her rump into the roving paws. She did so enjoy his touch. Though the woman had experienced sexual encounters many times before, having Rogue touch her was different. It was as though he was the one that had always been meant to touch her. The one that she'd been waiting for.

After baring her deepest wishes to the blue giant, Rogue held her close, one paw resting on the back of her head. Kai felt... safe. So safe. He joked with her, saying that he'd lit a wolf on fire for her and Kai chuckled gently, refusing to move and make him give up his hold on her. Kaino never wanted Rogue to let her go.

Rogue spoke of his family and it saddened the purple and grey fae. Her brow furrowed and she did pull back just enough to bring her paws up to cup his cheeks. "I can be your family, Rogue." Her tones were soft and breathy and, a moment later, she pulled him into a kiss. A deep, heated kiss. The one that he had deserved from the very beginning. The lavender dame moaned softly into her lover's mouth and, if possible, she pressed her body more tightly against his own.

The intent had been to play a game, but Kaino was suddenly overcome with emotion. She broke the kiss, but kept her lips close to his own. "Come home with me, Rogue. Be a part of The Syndicate. Be my mate. My lover. Please..." Hormones or whatever, but even thinking of being parted from the man before her was unbearable. "No one has ever made me feel like you do... and I never want to be without you." Kaino's gaze met Rogue's and there's a vulnerability there. A shyness that was very unlike the bold, Saxe fae.

"Kai & Rogue"

While the pair laid there basking in the physical and emotional affections of one another, Rogue couldn't help but wonder if this was what his father had been talking about. Memories of his sire's stories to him and his brothers when they'd turned adolescents of how he'd met their mother played in his head. Maverick and his uncanny ability to answer a question without really answering a question had simply told them that he'd just known he was in love with Venom. At the time, Rogue had disregarded it as fairytale nonsense. How could you just know you loved someone? Now, holding Kaino to him like this, just the two of them in their own little world far away from the noise and nonsense of everything else... well, Rogue didn't know if he could call this love at first sight yet, but he couldn't deny that maybe he was starting to get what his sire had meant.

Giving Kai her unspoken wish, Rogue continued to hold and cradle her svelte body close to his, never relaxing his arms around her for even the slightest second. Even letting her go that little bit felt wrong. The fallen prince had already let go of too many wolves in his life, lost too much. He wouldn't be letting go of Kaino Saxe. As if reading his mind, the moment he passively mentioned his disintegrated family, Kai was withdrawing her head from his neck until sunset amethyst eyes met the contrasting blue and mint jewels of her gaze, feeling her dainty paws caressing his cheeks while he lost himself in those eyes. Kai said she could be his family, and a moment later was sealing her promise with a kiss. Rogue murred in response to her moan, the soft press of her lips to his in a deeply passionate kiss stirring things inside him and between them. Yes, the heated kiss was arousing in its own right, but what was actually lighting Rogue's fire was the intimacy of the moment. For the brute who had lost everything, hearing the wolf his heart raced for offer to be his family made his heart skip and pulse race. He wanted nothing more than to have Kai be his family—and to be part of hers in return.

Rogue held the back of Kai's head as he had been doing through their kiss, holding her while he tasted her on his tongue. When she eventually pulled back, neither got far, only the thinnest gap of space between their mouths allowing them to speak in hushed tones. Kaino asked him to come home with her, to join the Syndicate—to be her lover and her mate. She practically begged him. She didn't need to beg. Rogue knew his answer the moment she asked, and his resolution was affirmed when he gazed into those gorgeous eyes and saw the shyness and vulnerability in them. He knew what he wanted, and what he wanted more than anything was Kaino Saxe.

"I want nothing more than that," he spoke in low, breathy tones, each word a husky exhale against her lips while sunset eyes smoldered with devotion the more he drowned in her gaze. "I want to be your family, Kai. I want to be your everything. You've already become mine." It was an odd feeling to the playboy prince to be committing himself to one fae, but even the passing thought of being without Kai, of being with anybody else, it made the brute feel hollow and false. There was no denying it; he was entirely bewitched by Kaino—and he wouldn't have it any other way. "I am... a little nervous, I'll admit, about meeting your family," Rogue confessed with a shy smirk and ears folded to his head. What if they didn't like him? What if they found the former prince unworthy?

"Kai & Rogue"

Could Rogue be more perfect? The dire brute held her close, his paws stroking her back in a comforting manner as she spilled her heart out for him. A bit of shy fear rose its head like a striking snake. Fear that he wouldn't feel the same, wouldn't reciprocate. They hadn't known one another for that long, after all. Kaino seemed to hold her breath, the moments between her admission and his next words feeling like eons rather than seconds.

Kaino could breathe again the moment that Rogue began to speak. 'I want nothing more than that,' he had told her with ease. Whatever wall that Kaino had built within herself crumbled and she smiled, her mint and ice eyes getting a little misty. He wanted her. He wanted to be hers. He wanted to be her family. Kaino gave a soft laugh of relief that may have sounded similar to a sob... but it wasn't. It really wasn't. She moved forward, burying her face into the thick fur of his neck so he couldn't see the watery eyes.

Rogue admitted that he was nervous about meeting her family and Kai laughed again, this time a true laugh, though it was muffled by his fur. She didn't pull back, but she shifted her face enough to be able to speak clearly. "You don't have to worry about them. If anyone touches you, blood or not, they'll end up with some nice, new scars." She meant it, too. Kaino fought for what was hers and Rogue was definitely hers.

Having decided, Kaino extracted herself from Rogues grasp. She held out one silver gloved paw to him. "Let's go home." The lavender and smoke fae wanted nothing more than to take the galactic brute to her- no... their...- home, and love him as mates should be loved. She stood there, eyes on his own, paw outstretched. She was ready for this next step.

"Kai & Rogue"