Awaken's thoughts were killing him. He didn't know what to do. He truely loved Mercianne. He had no idea if he should tell her or not. If he chould wait or what. Every since th night in the cave he'd been kinda avoiding her, for fear that would happen again. He felt conflicted. His body told him to run to her, ?ut his mind held him back.

Awaken went on a walk through the new territory to clear his mind. He didn't quite smell like the territory yet, so it'd be normal to be cut off by a packmember. He gave a shrug and continued to walk untill he stimbled upon a hole in the ground.

JACKPOT! He sniffed around the edge of the pothole. Looked like a burrow and smelt like an animal. Imtresting things that could be found in such places. He gave a long thought before plunging his head inside. He sniffed around waiting for his eyes to adjust. His paws planted in the black ground above it. But once the darkness became clear, he regretted ever even bothering with the hole...

WHAP! Awaken jerked his head back from the hole, needles stuck on the left side of his cheek. His eyes widening in surprize. Oh what a horrible mistake he'd made. A porqupine waddled his way from the burrow and up a small mound of dirt and out of site, but awaken was left looking like a voodoo doll. He did the only thing he knew to do. "MERCCIIIII!" He yelled with a bit of embarassment. He didn't want her to see him like that, but how else would he get the quills out?

Walk | Talk | Think

The transition to the new territory had been made, albeit reluctantly, and as far as Mercianne was concerned the most difficult part was over. She still missed desperately their wintry home, the ice and snow, the wide den that they had all shared. But there was no going back; to do so would be to abandon the original Glaciem, and she couldn't do it. These wolves had grown to be like family to her, constant companions that she couldn't dream of living without. It was follow or be left behind with strangers. There really had been no choice.

But even with the true challenge behind her, that didn't mean she was out of the woods just yet. There was still the matter of finding a place to rest and searching for the herbs and plants available for use here so that she could begin stocking up in their new location. Surely there would be some new things, some things that she would no longer need, and the sooner she begun understanding what was available, what wasn't, and what she would need to search for the better they all would be.

So she set off, wandering aimlessly through the territory with her nose constantly prowling for the telltale scents that would lead her to a find. She traveled along a particularly strong one, an unfamiliar yet potent smell, when she stopped in her tracks, ears perked with surprise. Her name rang clearly through the woods, the voice familiar enough to make her heart suddenly speed for no apparent reason. Awaken! She smiled at the sound of his distressed voice, hurrying without thought to answer his call. She had yet to see him since their transition though hadn't doubted that he would come. He seemed just as devoted to this pack - this family - as she was and held every confidence that he would join them in this new land called the Tortuga.

When she found him, she approached with an swift, eager tail wag, a pleasant smile about her face. "Awaken," she greeted happily, ready to hurry to his side and give him a quick nuzzle, though as she neared and received a closer view of his face the amiable expression fell away into concern. "Oh, what happened?" she asked gently, stopping short as she didn't want to upset any of the quills and cause him further distress. Of course, she realized late that her question was a rather obvious one. He'd made someone upset. "May I?" Merci smiled timidly, reluctant to just jump forward and begin plucking the quills from his face. She wanted him ready for it, since it was surely not going to be a comfortable process.

Awaken gave a pitiful wimper. "never stixking my head in a hole around these parts again!" He whined. He looked back tward the direction the porqupine went. Stupid pokey rat! He attempted to crack is usual charming smile but the motion made the quills wallow deeper and cause him to grimac.

"Oh please do! Ive gotten myself into all kinds of messes but thisis by far the worst!" He ploped down on his belly, pawing at the quills trying to dislodge some. He failed, causing more blood to hit the ground. But, then that smell. Not this again.

Awaken grimaced. He didn't know how much longer he could take it! He'd been holding everything in since they first met. His body began to heat up, he felt as if he were on cloud nine. Gargoyles words of advice came into mind about timing and not acting too soon but he could just feel it in his stomach. Today was the day he maned up.?

"Merci... I just can't take it anymore. Im sorry ive been avoiding you. It's just... I-.. He sighed, wanting nothing more than to just curl up with her and show her what he felt. "I LOVE YOU MERCI!" He'd finaly said/yelled it. But fear of how she'd take it overwhelmed him. "Merci... Will you do me the honor of being my mate?" ?

Walk | Talk | Think

As sympathetic was she was toward Awaken and his current predicament, there was still a certain amount of humor to it. A porcupine? The luck! Though she knew such creatures were typically less common toward their previous home, how their unique scent might not be so obvious to others of their pack. Likely this would not be the last case of quills she would need to tend to. "Oh, Awaken," she repeated pitifully though with a touch of gentle laughter to her voice as he gave her the go ahead and rested himself upon his stomach. He did seem so sore about the whole thing, and she did her best not to crack too big of a smile as she stepped closer, still examining the quills where they rested. He tried vainly to dislodge them by merely running his paw over them, but she turned her ears back at the mere sight. Surely it was going to do no good.

He eventually gave up on that venture as useless, delving instead to what seemed like an inner struggle that Mercianne mistook as adjusting to the newly caused pain. Awaken was a strong creature, but if he had complained as he had about them than surely this was a special kind of pain entirely its own. "I'll be gentle, okay?" she warned with quiet reassurance, sparing his forehead a little touch of her nose as she lowered her muzzle to reach carefully for the first of the quills.

Her jaws were parted, ready to close and pull, when the darkly colored wolf spoke up. She paused, drawing her head back and closing her jaws quietly as she listened with a sudden look of concern, sensing an urgency about him that was unfamiliar and nerve wracking. He apologized for avoiding her - a fact Merci had thought to be true but had been avoiding thought of - and surprised her completely by his next admission. It came loudly, unexpectedly, and the timid little wolf flinched a little at the sound, the message taking a moment to follow.

And when it did, she felt her heart stop for a beat, and then pick up double time. He loved her? He wanted her to be his mate? She fidgeted, unable to hold still as she stared at him, meeting his poison apple stare with her dark brown eyes. She could tell he meant it, every word, and probably having to contain it for however long he had been plagued by it had been a torture. But she could not say she hadn't gone unscathed either. It had been odd, the sudden need to nuzzle him or brush against him any time she saw him, just a little nudge to satisfy that need.

Her tail wagged and sped up as her smile grew, her fidgeting becoming more pronounced. "Really?" she asked quietly at a near whisper, "Me?" Unable to deny herself, or him she supposed, any longer, she reached forward and carefully nuzzled the side of his neck opposite to his porcupine quills, burying her face in the thick fur there as she answered, "Of course. I...I love you too." She stayed there for a moment, relishing in the small bit of contact even though she wanted more, to press herself more closely to him and kiss his face if he would allow it. But she still had to tend to his reason for calling. With visible reluctance, she drew her head away, sharing a shy, happy smile with him as she moved her muzzle toward his other cheek. "I should...get these out," she stated softly, distractedly, as she reached for the first and gave it a good tug between her teeth, pulling it from his skin and then hurrying to finish the rest of them while Awaken was still hopefully stuck on her answer.

Awaken gave a sweet smile, ignoring the pain in his face. He leaned into her kiss, placing another on her cheek and snaking his head over her back, nuzzling her gently. He treated her as if se were made of glass and would break if he handled her too roughly. Treated her as the treasure she was. His tail wagginv in exitement. She had acctualy said yes! He couldn't belive it! Dream come true, he'd finaly found 'The One'.

Then the realizeation of pain came flooding back into his face when she mentioned it... Oh... Right... That hurts... He sat still as she pulled each needle from his skin. "Owch! He muttered as each were extracted. Soon he felt that his face was free of all forign objects, thank god! He then turned his attention to Merci again. "Thankyou so much! For everything. ?

Awaken nuzzled his face into her ivory fur, enjoying it's sweet scent. She smelt like one of the sweetest flowers he'd ever had the pleasure of faceplanting into on one of his daily runs. His good cheek brushing past hers and tounge darting out to lay sweet kisses over her cheek and neck. He was carefull not to push on her too hard, for fear of hurting her.

Hurting her. The number one fear. Harming the one he cared about the most on the whole planet. He'd even asked Gargoyle to kill him if he ever did in any way. The agony of the thought of causing any kind of pain to her loomed over him like an ominous black cloud. But, for now, it seemed that all horrible thoughts were gone. He was free from the slavery to his past.?

"Hey, Merci. When are we going to tell everyone? He asked exitedly. They were engaged for goodness sake! Possiblity of pups soon were very likely. And possibly a wedding! But for just a moment, primal instincts took over. He felt the heat coiling in the pit of his stomach again, the uncontrolable urge to make babies driving him. He yelped and laid down again, He refused to ever touch her like that without her consent.?

Walk | Talk | Think

Her cheek still tingled in the place that he had kissed her as she quickly and carefully drew each of the porcupine quills from Awaken's face, not giving him a moment to dwell on the pain of one before she set off taking out another. The sooner she got it over with the better, and the less pain overall it would cause him. Better to just have one large ache than many little ones spaced over time. At least to her anyway.

When finally she had finished, he thanked her, and despite both of their admissions of a second ago she found herself feeling even more shy than usual, surprised at her own boldness and quickness to agree to be his. And yet through her surprise, Mercianne felt a strange and comforting certainty. This was a good thing. This was a good wolf. He was a great friend, a constant companion to her even through the bad times, and a wonderful protector to not only her but their pack. She couldn't imagine a more suitable mate and husband than him, and her tail wagged all over again just at the thought. Still, it was Awaken who moved first, and despite her timidity she readily leaned into his nuzzling, her own touch rougher than his. She didn't harbor the same fears that he did of harming his mate; she knew he was strong and could handle much more than merely her.

His gentle, tingling kisses traveled back from her cheek and toward her neck, and Merci felt a dreamy, silly smile slip across her face, her dark eyes closing blissfully as she basked in his attention. Oh, how long she had wished to do this! To be free to cuddle and snuggle with him without feeling as if she was being a nuisance or annoying him with her attention. It would have been so painful to know she was driving him away and causing him any sort of discomfort. But knowing now that he cared for her, making her realize that she felt the same and couldn't possibly have thought of answering him any differently, filled her with joy.

An eager question fell from Awaken's lips then, drawing her eyes open with a few careful blinks. Oh. She had forgotten about that matter. It only made sense, she supposed, that the rest of the pack know of their decision. It was custom as much as it was to let everyone know that they were no longer available. But the thought made her want to press her face back into the protective mess of fur on his neck to hide. Did she really need to have it announced to everyone? Wouldn't it be just fine if Gargoyle alone knew?

"I don't know," she answered gently, though the tail end of her words was cut off by a sudden yelp from Awaken as he fell once again to his stomach. Much the same as last time, Merci took a quick step back, her eyes widening with surprise. It had confused her the last time it had happened, and this time was no different. "Are...are you okay?" she asked him nervously, her ears turning to rest against her head and lower her head closer to his while her eyes searched his face, already wondering if she might need to rush off in search of a plant or something to help him with whatever malady was ailing him.

(things may get abit mature from here on)?

Awaken winced when she asked about his issues. He didn't want to tell his new mate of his "problem". "Males are hardwired to procreate and sometimes the urge... Uh... Does... Stuff. his ears folded side-ways with the tention and he tucked his head. "Merci... I love you more than life it's self. But my fear of hurting you wont let me obay my body's intentions. ?

Awaken slowly got up, willing himself to stop. His body refused to obay and continued to defy him. He nuzzled into the side of her neck. That smell intoxicateing him. The pain in his underbelly growling oncemore. He waited for a sighn of approveal before even offering to go any further. He would deny himself even farther if she had said no.?

Walk | Talk | Think

She watched closely as her mate winced, still worried that something had suddenly gone wrong. Was there anything she could do to help? Was there anything she could get him to remedy whatever was wrong? Mercianne bit the inside of her lip, resisting the urge to whine with worry. But rather than express any outward shows of pain, it seemed he was overcome with...embarrassment? Her confusion was brought to an end as he answered her with a touch of reluctance, chalking up his current complication with being male and falling prey to the natural urges that came along with it.

Oh. Oh. Well, it seemed there wasn't really a plant that she could think of that would help him after all. Though there was one way she could assist him. But even the thought drew a heavy blush to her face, her ears to fold back and her head to lower in much the same way that his did. That was a huge step, one she had never really considered before. But neither before had she dreamed of finding someone who could wheedle his way into her heart like Awaken had. He was a part of her whether he knew it or not, important in more ways than one. And his considerate, worried statement touched her even more.

She smiled even though she could barely bring herself to look at him, tail wagging as he lumbered slowly to his feet, condition ignored, and reached forward to nuzzle her. Merci reached forward with a visibly eager jump, kissing his cheek affectionately before nuzzling her way into his neck, her favorite spot to nuzzle because of how thickly his fur grew there. Feeling his own muzzle beside her neck, she turned her head so that she could kiss his cheek softly once more. "I love you, too, Awaken," she practically whispered. "And I trust you. I know you'd never hurt me."

She sought his eyes then, wanting him to read the truth and conviction she held in her gaze, to take it and make it his own. She didn't want him doubting himself, second guessing every thought that crossed his mind. Or every urge that rumbled through his body. Without quite understanding what drove her to, she turned herself to more easily press her cheek roughly against his uninjured one, not wanting to upset the sensitive skin where she had pulled out his quills, and slowly swung her body around to lean against him. It didn't occur to her how he might interpret it, didn't think of how he might react, but only knew it that it felt good - felt right - and she wanted him not to be so anxious around her.

Mercianne's snuggling made the problem worse. His belly heated up as the problem grew. A blush crossed his face She saw the look in her eyes. The look that he'd begged god for, for so long. Soon the gentle licking and nuzzling became more intense.?

Awaken loved every moment he'd spent with her and he'd give anything to spend yhe rest of his life with her. He wanted to show her exactly how much but fear of her regretting it. But, that look. The look seemed to be one of accseptance. When she swung her body around he took that as a sure fire sign to mate.

He gently placed one paw over her back, touching to ground on the other side of her. His face gently nuzzling the back of her neck. ?Tounge darting out over her ears and the crown of her head. ? "May I?" he gasped. Such closeness made the pit of his stomach burn with the passion.

Walk | Talk | Think

The timid wolf's dark eyes closed as Awaken nuzzled into her fur, pressing close to those gentle nudges and licks. This was better. At least he wasn't just standing there, internally warring with himself and unable to do anything because he was afraid she would break. True, she did feel shy around him still, but having him close made her feel safe, confident, and comfortable. This was progress, right? It made her tail wag again as she leaned into him, returning his nuzzles and kisses with tender affection and delighting in his wanted attention.

But even as she encouraged him, she could feel the mood change, moving away from worrisome and becoming more resigned, more intimate. It caused her skin to prickle where he touched her, her heart to speed and her chest to tighten. Ever gentle, ever patient, he reached across her, scooting to place one of his paws on her other side so that his large, muscular form hovered over hers. She swallowed, suddenly becoming still. Instinct rather than experience or education warned her of what was to come, and naturally with it came a touch of nervousness. Not knowing what to expect, whether she was prepared or not, ran through her mind, but as she felt Awaken nuzzle her neck and place careful, comforting licks to her head she knew there was no question. She trusted him.

His rasping voice whispered against her ear, his breath causing it to twitch gently, and in answer she nodded her head, murmuring a quiet, "Yes," as she leaned a little to one side to brush her shoulder against his supporting front leg.

OOC: Fade? And fast forward if you'd like?

*ding fastforward! Peawee-whoohoo bouncy bed game is done.*

Awaken smiled, giving Mercianne a sweet kiss across the cheek. His body exausted from the extravigant activities... Girls sure did have it lucky?Then it hit him, what if he'd hurt her? Oh no, what did he just do?! A wave of worry and fear consumed him " Oh god, did I hurt you?I'm sooo sorry!" His tail retreated between his legs.

He looked down in shame. He just lost his verginity, took Merci's and might have hurt her in the prossess all in the same dang day! He gently nuzzled Merci's neck, licking every so often. "I love you and I'm sooo sorry if I hurt you at all!
(sorry for it being short... Awaken muse is like... Gone...)

Walk | Talk | Think

The little creamy white wolf turned, her smiling face pushing beneath Awaken's as he came in to give her a kiss on the cheek so that she could snuggle against his chest. So wonderful. He had been so wonderful to her, so sweet and gentle and considerate that any and all worries she had had at the start were completely gone now. She was his, undoubtedly, undeniably, and would be for as long as he would have her. Which she hoped would be for all time.

The good mood, however, didn't seem to stick around for him quite so long. Just as before, he worried about harming her, about causing her any pain during their activities, and Merci smiled timidly down at their paws, nuzzling her cheek against his chest once more. "Please don't worry," she murmured, turning her head to the side so that she could place a few licks to the underside of his jaw. "It was perfect. You were perfect." A little blush settled across her hidden face even as she said the words, knowing he needed to hear them but still feeling bashful about the whole thing.

Sitting down, she scooted closer and leaned into him, nuzzling his chest and under his chin as she drew in his scent and noting how it mingled with hers. "I'm so happy," she whispered, unable to keep the sleepy little blissful smile from her face. "I could stay right here forever." And truthfully she didn't want to move. She was comfortable here, safe and protected and loved just within Awaken's embrace. "You don't...have anywhere you need to go, do you?" she asked, drawing away just enough to peer upward into his face. She hoped he didn't; she wanted to stay cuddled up with him for as long as she could.

OOC: Well, the deed is done. If your muse is temporarily shot, we could call this thread done if you want. c: There's always the next fun one where she tells him she's expecting.

Awaken gave a sweet smile. He hadn't hurt her. Thank god! He brushed long her fur, watching as the fine white blended with his dark black fur created a wash of grey. "We can stay here as long as you like." ?

Awaken laid down in the dirt, and looked back up at her, offering her a place to lay down right next to him.?
(yeah... My muse is gone...)?

Walk | Talk | Think

He answered by brushing alongside her, weaving his fur with her own. Mercianne closed her eyes enjoyably as he did so, leaning into his touch and nuzzling into him as he coiled around. He didn't have anywhere to be. That was wonderful news. Her tail wagged again upon hearing so, unable to withhold any of the emotions she was currently feeling. It was all so strange really. So private and so timid, and yet here with Awaken she felt so open and willingly exposed, timid and yet able to overcome it so quickly and with so little effort. He brought out a different side in her that she hadn't even quite known existed, and she was very glad he did. She liked this side very much.

With a graceful move, the large wolf set himself upon the ground, inviting her to the crook that his body created as it curled in place. Without a second thought, Mercianne settled there, tightening her body into its customary ball that she tended to adopt when sleeping. Not surprisingly, she thought herself a good fit there beside Awaken, and with a pleased smile she snuggled in more closely to him. It didn't even occur to her that they were still out in the open, not even protected from the elements than any wandering passersby. But it hardly would have mattered. She was happy; that was more important.

Nestling her cheek into his thick fur, Merci relaxed and rested, enjoying the small bit of private time while it lasted.

-Exit Mercianne through sleep or something and end thread-