A Love Like War

Alastor trudged his way out of Alias Lake, water deluging from his flowing coat like a waterfall as he stepped out of the water and onto the pebbly shore. It was late in the warm autumn afternoon by the time he'd gotten himself cleaned up after his romp with Relm, scrubbing the mess and scent of sex from his fur to the best of his abilities. Not because he felt any sort of shame for what they'd done, but because with his new longer fur, having it get matted and messy tended to be much more uncomfortable for the giant wolf. Walking up along the shore, Alastor gave a shake of his strong body, tossing loose water from his fur in all directions. He would likely remain damp for some time—another curse of his luxurious new coat—but at least he didn't look or smell or feel a sight anymore. With the sun still up in the sky, the dire brute moved to perch himself on a large rock by the lake, letting the sun dry his fur. Abyssal black eyes watched the way the light danced and reflected off the surface of the water, nearly hypnotic, while he ruminated about the evolution of his relationship with Relm. He still didn't know how it had happened, how things had gotten this way, but somehow they had. Relm had been his to protect. Now she was becoming something else entirely.

After some time of letting the warm sun dry his fur, Alastor rose to his paws, gave another short tousle of his coat, and then began to make his way back to his den. It was still early enough that the twins would likely be out doing their own work, but he wanted to check in on Manea. As his wife's pregnancy developed, he began taking on more and more responsibilities for caring for her, just as he had done dutifully during her first pregnancy. He didn't mind; he quite enjoyed doing things for her, especially as she was growing the newest addition to their blossoming family. He did wish she would start to take it easier though. Being the ever industrious leader she was, Manea refused to give up on her duties or delegate any of them to Avacyn. Perhaps he'd have a talk with her about that; keeping her healthy was his primary concern, after all. Alastor climbed up the mountain path that led to their cave, gazing out across the expanse of Alias from coast to coast as he walked. Arriving at the den entrance, he was surprised to find Manea lying asleep right at the mouth of the cave. He blinked in surprise; had she been waiting around for him?

Approaching the den, Alastor saw Manea's eyes open as he drew near, then her head lift to greet him with a small smile. The dark-furred brute smiled back and came closer to gently bump his massive head against hers in a gentle nuzzle. "I've been tending to the pack's needs. Running patrols, same as always," he replied. It wasn't a lie. She made some sort of comment about him fancying himself a swimmer, and the confused brute turned a curious glance down to his still damp underside. A hearty guffaw left the massive wolf and he grinned back at Manea, moving to come lay beside her in the entrance of the den. "My dear, you know I love the water! Maybe a touch less so now that it takes me an eternity to dry, but it's never enough to turn me off from it." Again he chuckled, then peered down the length of Manea's body to her belly, which was just beginning to swell with their children. The dire brute murred at the sight of his beautiful wife pregnant with his pups, shifting closer to nuzzle into her scruff and drink in her scent, altered slightly from her pregnancy hormones. What was it about her being pregnant that attracted him to her so? "How are they today?" he asked, lifting a paw to drape across her side and rub slowly over the bulge in her midsection.

"Alastor Mendacium"