A Little You and Me

Aliana had matured much during their time away from the world they knew, and though it had been less than a year, time had dragged on painfully slow when her days were filled with constant worry and care over her sick king. Once a quiet and subservient slave, Aliana had blossomed into a demure and composed lady, a sagacious and keen mother, and a confident and elegant woman. Acting on her mate and children's behalf, Ali had taken the reins when it came to raising the six children Chimera had sired with her, all whilst helping the other ladies provide for their family. At the forefront of all her efforts had been Chimera's health, and the small clouded fae had spared no expense to make sure her love received everything he needed to recover. She searched high and low for all manner of herbs, consulted with foreign doctors and healers, and even traded her aquamarine and silver crown to nomadic merchants for rare medicines in the hopes of improving Chi's health. She spent sleepless nights at his side listening to his breathing, days snuggled up to him to keep him warm, bringing him meals and making sure he stayed nourished. All of this she did without complaint or hesitation. Nothing mattered to her like he did, and she would have traded a thousand crowns to save him from death. Jewels could be replaced; Chimera could not.

After he began to recover and expressed interest in returning home, Aliana had made sure to procure plenty of the medicines that had worked for him for their trip. They arrived in Boreas at the midpoint of winter, the cold and snow welcoming them back and immediately worrying Ali. Chimera's health had improved leaps and bounds, but he still had not yet regained his normal healthy weight, and there was still no telling if his symptoms would resurface. Fortunately, the Klein man's health seemed to hold stable enough as they made their way towards Ashen's new home. Chimera wanted to rejoin the pack while they got back on their feet, a decision Ali agreed with wholeheartedly. But for tonight, the group would camp out in the fjord just south of Ashen. Ali helped get their family settled in, and once done Chimera sought her out for a moment alone. As she did, Aliana gave no protest or hesitation to follow her giant monochrome brute out away from their camp and through the pines of the fjord until they located an isolated clearing bathed in late afternoon sunlight. It was beautiful and tranquil, perfect for the wolves to share a quiet moment together.

Petite snowy paws carried the supple fae over the mossy terrain, following at her mate's side as he moved into the sunlight and settled down on his side. Ali watched Chimera for a moment, basking in the sweet relief of knowing he had lived and was healing—but that basking was swiftly cut short when a pair of large paws came up to pull her down into his side with her, pulling a giggle of laughter from the fae. She snuggled up into Chi's side, letting her nose nestle into the curve of his neck near his shoulder to breathe in his scent. He no longer smelled of sickness and medicines and death. He had his natural male musk back again, and smelled only of her Chimera. The small femme's tail began a slow, happy beat of a wag while she brought her paws up to rest over his forelegs wound around her side, so happy that he was still alive that she could almost cry. The kiss to her brow brought a happy purr from the woman who tipped her slender muzzle up to return the kiss to the underside of his jaw. "You're getting your strength back, I see," Ali teased him playfully with another giggle, snuggling closer into his embrace to emphasize her words.

"Chimera & Aliana"