The storms had finally cleared up in Abaven's parts. And everyone could finally return home...after several weeks of disaster and horror. Finally. Even if there was a ton of destruction that had been done. She knew with the amount of strength Abaven had, they could all return to their normal lives. After a clean up, of course. She couldn't help but wonder how they'd get such a ruined place pretty again...but she had faith. The girl would be leaving early though. She wanted to make a stop before she actually explored deeper into destroyed Abaven.
Dirt and mud covered her ankles as she trotted down Abaven's borders, pale green eyes full of no emotion as she inhaled the dirtied air. It didn't hold anything familiar anymore...just the smell of soaked bark and rain. Wren winced and exhaled a cold breath of air, picking up her pace along the invisible border line. It was chilly out here...and it looked almost like a battlefield. Fallen trees with splinters sticking up out of the ground. Rocks thrown and tossed everywhere...puddles of water, uprooted plants. And that horrible breeze that danced in the middle of it all.
The sun also refused to show through the darkened clouds above. So it was almost like living in a nightmare. It sent chills up Wren's spine. But she just kept on going- until she reached the still slightly flooding rapids. The woman halted and took a moment to absorb the moments she had when Abaven was beautiful. The sky was blue and the sun felt so good against her back...and everything was green and pretty.
She remembered when Bass and her sat together beside her den and talked about things. He sang to her, and she told him a story. As if she was talking to her own child! It was nice...though. To be so close to her best friend. To absorb his warmth and lock it in her mind. Wren breathed out softly and made her way down the rapids, eyes searching for her den. But once she found it...it was hard to tell if it was even a den. It was completely smashed, a tree toppled over it and the rock that sheltered her split into two. The inside of the debris was also filled with water.
Wren stopped cold and stared in horror. Tears instantly escaped her eyes, and fell to the already-soaked earth. Her heart sunk into her chest and she felt like collapsing. "No..." The girl slowly dragged herself over, her head hanging as she stared. Finally, she crumbled to the ground and coiled up miserably, shutting her eyes and trying to find comfort in only her curled body.
"Wren's Speech"
"Bass' Speech"

Their home had been torn apart and gutted, taking up most of Bass' time. The constant working was helping him return to his old self though, his mind slowly mending. He felt more worthwhile, more like he was needed. But he came to realize that he needed Abaven much more than it needed him. There was one soul who he missed the most though, and that was Wren. He had hardly seen her in the caverns, but then again he mostly stared at the walls before him. But now, now he wanted nothing else than to hold her close. Everything was so much easier when he was around her, it felt so natural. He could talk to her for days on end and never run out of anything to say. She made him feel like he mattered, like he was needed and important. Wren was such a huge part of his life -- and she occupied a large portion of his heart. Sure they were young, but that didn't matter to him anymore. All he could think about was how good she smelled and about how he longed to sing with her. They were more than just best friends, so what was holding them back? Age? Fear?

Her scent crossed his nose, pale tail wagging behind him as he followed her trail. He picked his way over the torn down plants, leaping over the base of trees and he made his way towards her. When he saw her though, she was curled on the earth. He paused, a single paw raised as he gazed at her form. She looked so tiny. It was then that he saw why she was upset, her den had been crushed. He let out a soft breath, padding ever so slowly towards her. "Oh Wren..." He whispered, folding himself onto the ground so that he could curl his warm body around her. He rested his head gently atop her own, pressing a soft lick on her ear. Curling himself tighter around her he allowed the silence to spread, giving her all the time that she needed. He just offered his warmth while the gears spun in his mind, wanting to make her happy again.

Finally he scooted a bit so that he would be able to nuzzle under her chin, trying to pull her head up. Bass' pink tongue snaked out of his mouth and lapped up her salty tears. Golden eyes searched her minty green ones, a soft smile parting his lips. "Don't worry about all of this Wren, I have a place where you can stay." He said softly, gently touching his nose to her own. "Why don't you just stay in my den with me? There is more than enough room, and it was far enough from the lake that it didn't get flooded. The strong rocks held up." His gaze shifted away, making him clear his throat. "Plus it would be nice to share a den with you..." His pale cheeks grew hot, his eyes slanting over towards her to see if this made her cheer up. It would be amazing to curl up with her at his side, their warmth shared. It was getting colder as Autumn began to unfold, and Winter was coming fast. His large stony den would be rather cold, but he knew that Wren could light anything up with that spark within her.

Moments passed in cold silence, and in those moments she tried to process everything in her mind. She wasn't even paying attention to what was going on in reality...what was happening to her, and what could happen to her. But those moments didn't last too long...for something had curled around her, and provided her warmth. At first, she just ignored whatever was curled around. Yeah, it was warm. But did it matter? She didn't even allow herself to look, until a warm lick was pressed to her ear. By then the name had finally reached her. Bass. Wren forced a weak smile, raising her chin with the help of his gentle nuzzles and turning to look at him.
"Why don't you just stay in my den with me? There is more than enough room, and it was far enough from the lake that it didn't get flooded. The strong rocks held up. Plus it would be nice to share a den with you..." She studied him as he looked away, frowning and bringing her head to his gently. Her eyes rolled shut, and she took a few moments to enjoy the silence. Then she would speak in a whisper. "That'd be wonderful, Bass."
It was a bit weird. They both...loved each other, didn't they? And yet, Wren didn't have the courage to show affection in that kind of way. Why? What was possibly keeping her from Bass? Wren breathed in and opened her eyes again, moving in to draw a gentle lick against his hot cheeks.
"I love you." It was sudden. But it comforted her...to be able to say that to him. She slowly scooted in closer to him, leaning into him and nuzzling his neck almost playfully. But at the same time, gently and lovingly. Then, she'd shift her gaze to the sky, minty eyes studying the dark clouds that hovered over the pair. As if it were going to rain right on top of them. She smiled and allowed herself to let out a giggle. "Hey, Bass? I know it's a weird question...but why do we hold back?" The girl took a moment to rethink her question, going into a sudden panic. "Ah, not in that kind of way. But...I mean..." She choked on her words, and found herself giving up. Their relationship probably just got a whole lot weirder.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

He just let her have all the time she needed, not wanting to push her at all. This was a hard time for all of Abaven, no one hadn't been affected by the weather. He himself had been more than down in the dumps, he had been a shell of himself. All of his strength and feelings of leadership had vanished with the gusting winds. But as soon as the sun reared his head, he felt some sort of use flow into his blood. But now laying here with Wren, he felt on top of the world. She had a way of making him feel giddy and like he was floating on a cloud, Wren was everything. He didn't feel this way about anyone else, it was just when he was with her. So he just nuzzled into her soft fur, enjoying being with her once more. Too long had they been apart, he hated that they seemed to have a few splendid moments together and then stayed apart for far too long. He hummed low in his throat as they laid there together, just letting her be.

At long last she spoke, telling him that she would like sharing a den with him. His tail beat softly on the earth, a soft pounding the only sound between them. His heart pounded as she kissed his cheek, his tail stilling as his breath caught in his throat. Then those three words left her lips and he felt as if his heart stopped all together. "I love you too Wren, with all my heart." He said softly, nuzzling into the softness of her neck. Wren looked to the sky, and he took the moment to let his eyes wander along her multi-hued coat. She was so beautiful, it almost took his breath away. "You're so beautiful." He said, his cheeks flushing like mad as he tried to capture her gaze. Wren was simply perfect in his eyes.

Her sudden giggle had his ears curving forward to focus on her. Her question had his head pulling back, blinking furiously. He couldn't help but chuckle when she stuttered over her words. His mind hadn't even gone there, he would have understood her first statement. He paused for a moment though, still blinking at the girl. It was such a brash question, and it made him realize that they were being silly. "I'm not sure Wren. Perhaps because I've been... scared. Afraid that you will reject me, or that through this I might lose you as a friend and I never want that to happen. But to be honest Wren, I cannot picture anyone else by my side for the rest of my life. I want to be there to hold you through the thick and thin, to comfort you when you are sad and to be there to celebrate your victories. I want you to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night. You have already captured my heart, and I hope that I did the same to you." He smiled softly at the woman before him, his heart full to the brim. He pushed his nose forward and brushed it along her cheekbone, placing soft kisses there. "Will you be my mate, Wren? My first and last, my one and only?"

This moment meant so much to her. It was a moment that she'd refuse to forget...that she'd remember a long time from now. Because nothing meant more to her than Bass. She remembered the awkward times they went through as yearlings...the first being when they first met. But instead of feeling like an idiot every time the memory popped into her mind, she found herself smiling and laughing. Because, even as flirty as she was back then, she had never seen her and Bass as more than friends one day. They had just turned out so awkward. Now look where they were. Bass meant the world to her...and he was more than a friend. Much more by now.
Wren's heart felt like it would beat right out of her chest. The warmth that they exchanged...the gentle nuzzles he offered her. Being so close to him. With all of this, she really did wonder why the two held back the love they felt for one another. Wasn't it obvious by now? The girl sighed and leaned her head against him, continuing to stare up at the sky with a warm expression. Even if she did seem like her mind was set onto something else- nothing but Bass was on her mind. "I love you too Wren, with all my heart." Wren smiled and tipped her head up, planting a gentle kiss on his chin. Her eyes searched his face for a moment, before she moved them back onto the sky.
"You're so beautiful." Her ears moved forward, her minty eyes once again traveling up to him. She studied his face and he seemed...well, embaressed maybe? He also looked almost as if he was going to continue to speak. So she just awaited his words while allowing herself to blush a bit as well.
He explained what he wanted, and she listened in carefully, continuing to flush like crazy. So once he finished, she pressed her nose into his neck, smiling and feeling tears form in her eyes. Usually she wasn't emotional for things that brought her joy. But this just made her feel so special...and wanted. Wren slowly shut her eyes, a weak smile playing across her lips. She nodded lightly and tried to think of something to say in reply. But all she could think about was how happy she was...
"Will you be my mate, Wren? My first and last, my one and only?" Her heart skipped a beat. She knew what she heard was what he really said...so she paused for a moment, and then answered instantly without any hesitation whatsoever. "O-of course, Bass...of course." Wren pressed her head to his again, and added a few words of her own.
"You're such an important part of my life...and I want to wake up right beside for now on." She didn't know what to say. She was so overwhelmed by all of these feelings that were expanding in her chest. So she just told him whatever she could squeeze out, before collapsing against him to process everything in her mind. She had...a husband now. And he meant the world to her. Nothing awkward about that, right?

"Speech"
'thoughts'

She sat so still for a moment that Bass feared that he had startled her. Had it been too much? Panic took over his body for that pause -- it had been so short but it was enough to make him worry. But then she opened her maw, and Bass let out a breath he had not known he had been holding. A big puff of relief left his maw and he pressed a gentle kiss to her nose as her head rested on his own. "Oh Wren, my sweet, sweet Wren." He said breathlessly, his heart threatening to beat right out of his chest. This moment would be forever implanted in his mind, and it was most likely the best day in his two years of existence. She said that she wanted to wake up beside him every day, and his grin extended on his face. "Then never leave my side. I promise to care for you, even if it means putting myself in danger. I promise to love you and care for you, even if you come home smelling like rotting elk." He said softly, chuckling lowly at his little joke. He loved this woman with all of his heart, an he never wanted to let her go.

Wren fell into him and he couldn't hold her close enough. A rumble vibrated in his throat as he wrapped his neck around her own, pressing soft kisses everywhere he could touch. "I love you with all my heart, mind, and soul dearest Wren. I will never let you go, you are the most precious thing in my life. And now... now you're my wife." He didn't know what else to say, just saying that out loud seemed to be strange on his own tongue. He had a wife. A wife! He needed to tell his sisters, they were probably already going to kill him for not telling them that he had been in love with this woman for quite some time now.

"I love you with all my heart, mind, and soul dearest Wren. I will never let you go, you are the most precious thing in my life. And now... now you're my wife." Wren relaxed her eyes and smiled weakly. Again, the thought of having of husband...came back to her as shocking. It was so new...and it was almost weird to say and think that she actually had a husband now. But it felt amazing all the same. Bass. A husband. Her husband. She just couldn't let that slip from her mind. It would always be there to remind her, no matter where she was.---And it was a nice feeling. She had someone who truly loved her...who would miss her if she ever disappeared. Who'd hold her close every night.
The woman sprawled her legs out and sighed, taking in every single word he had whispered to her and locking them away in the back of her mind. Not so she'd forget them eventually, though. So she would always have them to think about when she needed them most. Kind of like storing old bones as a pup, and finding them as an adult. Or always watching a certain tree sapling grow as a pup...and then coming back as an adult and seeing how big the tree has grown. It brought an amazingly warm feeling to the heart. So...maybe if she ends up depressed one day, she can think back on these memories and smile.
Suddenly, at the verbal mention of memories, Wren thought about the time her and Bass sang together. She remembered how they sang out into the night like nothing else mattered at the moment...and his voice was stunning. Together, they were both stunning. And it still meant a ton to her. Especially how they both met up at that imaginary border line...that single hill near the hot springs. Suddenly, Wren felt emotional again, and tears threatened to spill down her face. But before they did, she turned her head and buried her face into Bass's fur. "I'm such a baby," She whispered in a silly, yet uneasy voice, face still stuffed into his fur.
"Thief, Bass. You're a thief." She finally pulled away from him, eyes glazed over with tears, but her lips still forming an easy smile. "You've stolen my heart. You have really stolen my heart..." She finally released those last bits of tears. Of course she wasn't sad...she wasn't mad. They were tears of joy...in a way. No, she was just overwhelmed with way too many feelings. And she was touched...touched to the point that it was too difficult for her to lock the tears away. "Could we please sing together again? It doesn't have to be now...but, sometime soon. It'd be nice to hear your voice again..."
"Speech"
'thoughts'