Gimme Some Sugar

Artorias was wandering the quiet half of the castle in the stillness of the night when Bowen had crossed paths with him. He'd been making sure everything was safe and sound when he saw her, regarding her with bright fire-opal eyes and a smile, and was stopped when the caramel-cream fae leaned up to him. Art leaned his head down so she could whisper her request into his ear: meet her at. secret place she'd discovered down behind the Lazuli Falls. A curious brow raised, but before he could ask any follow up questions, Bowen had planted a tender kiss on his cheek and walked off. Artorias watched her go, unable to keep his eyes from roving over her shapely hips as they swayed with her every graceful step. Since Briar had moved in, Artorias had noticed Bowen seemed a bit down and had been wanting to find a chance to carve out some time to spend with her, just the two of them. Seemed like the opportunity had taken itself.

The dire brute finished his rounds of the castle, then stopped in to let Briar know he would be taking a walk with Bowen—only to find the Fatalis princess sound asleep in bed. He didn't want to disturb her, especially after all the excitement she'd had getting settled in at the Hallows and meeting all the new wolves of the pack, so he quietly crept over to place a soft kiss on her temple, then slipped back out of the bedroom and made his way southbound out of Hallowed lands to the southern falls. He followed Bowen's scent trail along the plains and past the ridge lands until the sounds of the falls reached his ears. It was a beautiful Austerian winter night, dry from the rains for once with just enough of a chill in the air without being uncomfortably cold.

Arriving at the cascading waterfalls, the Aegis followed Bowen's scent behind the falling water and through a crevice into a hidden cavern just out of sight. As he slid through the narrow crevice in the rock, Art noticed the clear crystals jutting from the rock walls and ceiling like geodes. There was a moment of reflexive panic, the terrors of the Long Night still fresh in his memory, but these ones didn't glow, and there was a faint scent of sweetness in the air. The panic left him and he pressed on, emerging into a small cavern with a cozy alcove just above the cave floor. Bowen's scent filled the chamber, and when he peered up, fiery eyes spotted the beautiful russet fae waiting for him up above.

"You have a knack for finding secret treasures," he said with a chuckle, coming closer to hoist himself up onto the alcove with her. Once up, he realized Bowen had prepared a little picnic for the two of them. His heart did a somersault at her sweet gesture, glancing back to rich emerald eyes with a crooked smile while he approached to settle his larger body down around his slender sister, reaching his snout in to nuzzle behind a caramel-colored ear. "Are we celebrating something, or did you just want to sweep me off my paws?"

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"