you touch the bump I punch your throat

Absinth’s grin widened at Aresenn’s remark, her eyes glinting with prideful amusement. “Survive, indeed,” She murmured, watching him push the slain prey aside, his powerful movements a small reminder of the fierce warrior he was. A temptation if ever there was one, watching the ripple of muscle under his coat. A shiver ran down her spine, but not for the cold.

She could sense his unease growing, the weight of her revealed secret settling heavily between them. The towering cliffs loomed above, their sharp edges cutting into the sky, but it was the look in Aresenn’s eyes that held her attention when he finally spoke, the word uttered in question as he froze.

“Yes.” The fae confirmed, her voice steady. She watched him pace, the snow crunching beneath his paws, feeling the weight of his uncertainty as he moved. She let him think, allowing herself to relax back onto her haunches as her back had begun to ache. Pregnant and all, you know. ‘What are we going to do with pups, Absinth?’ He finally asked, his voice tinged with exhaustion and… curiosity? The question hung in the air, mingling with the cold breath of winter. Well she had an answer to that, courtesy of his own minutes ago.

“Well, I suppose we’ll have to teach them how to be misfits like us,” Absinth said, a sardonic chuckle escaping her lips. “I’m not exactly mother material, and you’re not exactly the doting father type.” She paused, her eyes locking with his, searching for any sign of how he was truly feeling. She continued, her skull tilting as she cast him a determined stare.

“The world isn’t kind, and it certainly hasn’t been kind to us. But we can make it a little less cruel for them. Teach them to fight, to survive, to be stronger than we ever were.” Her tone softened, which may well have been another rare glimpse of vulnerability shining through her usual bravado that only he was privy to.

Absinth stood and began to step closer, her gaze unwavering as she approached him. “And I’m not about to back down from a challenge, especially not this one. Hell, I won my raid battles with the little babes already. They’ll be born winners.” She smirked, a flicker of her usual mischief returning.

wormwood