"Aslatiel" Asla was beyond exhausted. Mentally and physically. Her whole world had changed today. She was now Reaper and Magnus had been ousted from the pack. After accepting her victory and receiving a bit of attention from a healer, Aslatiel motioned for Naiche to follow her. She needed some rest. Even if she didn't sleep, Aslatiel desperately needed to get off of her paws. "Come on," she cast a glance at Naiche. "We're staying in my den this time." His den was fine, but hers had all of her things in it. Plus Ashur and Pip were there and would probably be wondering where she was if she didn't come home again. She'd been given an earful last time. The leopard and the tiny bat really cared about her. Stopping at a small stream, Aslatiel gently washed the blood, both hers and Naiche's, from her fur. She had to crush the ice to get to the freezing water underneath, but it was necessary. Finally, she took a long draw of the water, wetting her dry throat. With her pelt wet, Aslatiel hurried to her den where Ashur already had a fire going. Within the den there were separate chambers. Ashur the snow leopard had his own, Pip slept in a pile of furs on a shelf and Aslatiel's chamber was at the very back. A fur hung over the doorway and she pushed it aside before padding in. The floor was thick with various furs and was very plush. Throwing herself down on the furs, the young wolf sighed. "What an exhausting day, eh, Golden Boy?"

Naiche hadn’t exactly expected Aslatiel to tell him to follow after her.  His mind had to wonder was telling him to come in the manner of princess, the reaper, or as the friend?  He was going to assume friend and at mention of den that certainly hit the mark, except when did it become a matter of they would be doing that instead of if he would want to?  There was a part of him that instinctively wanted to say no with emphasis but that part of his mind was being ignored right now.   Naiche felt great.  Ok, so admittedly he was tired and in pain on various spots of his body to a decent degree but he hadn’t emotionally felt so good in a long time. A good fight was always a joy and this one had been the best yet.  There had been no holding back and it was a thing they had both needed.  Tension relief in the purest way possible.  So it was that Naiche went along, days of emotional pain melting to be replaced with good battle memories and a more satisfying form of pain. The golden wolf almost forgot his cloak but put it back on gently.  Those shoulders stung where Asla had pierced and the cloak partially rested on it.  For whatever words Naiche might have had with others he hadn’t really talked to Asla back at the gathering.  He’d had nothing to say to her that he planned to discuss with others around, it just wasn’t his style.  Naiche had a reputation to maintain after all.  So it was a pleasant and quiet walk back.  His mind roamed over the fight both to imagine what he could have done differently and just to enjoy the memories of it. He stopped when Asla did, also drinking some of the water.  The icey water cold was sharp but so so good with how thirsty he was.  Like Asla he reluctantly got into the water enough to wash off his injured areas.  Looking in the water's reflection he got a better sense of what his muzzle looked like after her fangs had been in it.  Sure explained why it hurt.  That would leave a beautiful scar. He made his way in and slowly sank his rump end down to sit in the furs, “More than I expected,” he offered back.  Ok, he had been going to just sit but he was not only cold from the weather but the water did a number on the cold.  Naiche lay down into the pile of fur, once more reminding himself he hated winter.  He gave Asla a sidelong glance at first as his mind seemed to work through some indecision but finally leaned over to give a lick to the side of her muzzle, “kiss for the winner I think was the deal?” a slow sigh, “I don’t like losing Asla, expect a rematch.” There was a spark in his eye as he said it before adding more somberly, “but, no one can doubt that you earned the rank now.  Only a fool would even suggest we were taking it easy. "Speech"

"Aslatiel" She was so tired. Mentally and physically, the day had been exhausting. The ups and downs of the day had taken their toll and Aslatiel was happy to sink into the pile of plush furs. Though she was worn out, Naiche seemed to be buzzing. He was on some sort of battle high and Asla was simply happy that he was happy. The day had been big for the pair of them. She had requested that Naiche be made her second in command. She hadn't told the golden wolf as much yet, but she would soon. For now, rest. Laying on her side on the furs, she missed Naiche's side-eye but there was no way that she could miss the kiss that he placed on her cheek. The brow above her marked eye arched and a lazy little smile curled on her scarred maw. "We both won today, Golden Boy." Pressing into the furs with one paw, she leaned up and returned the lick, though hers was a swipe across the side of his muzzle. She then dropped back to the furs with a sigh, not making a big deal out of it. If she had, maybe he'd never try to kiss her again. Asla liked kisses and, surprisingly, she liked them even better when they were from Naiche. He had been so unwilling before. Seeing this shift in him was more than interesting. The young wolf's body ached from the physical exertion, but it was a good ache. The marks on her neck and muzzle stung a bit, but she would live. Right now, she just wanted to sleep and heal. Casting her galaxy gaze to her companion, Aslatiel opened her arms to him, beckoning him to her. "Come and sleep with me. We have a lot to discuss, but I'm damn tired, Naiche." If he denied her, she'd probably just fall asleep anyway. They were both damp and it was cold outside, so his best course of action would be to cuddle, nap and get dry.

Had they both won in some fashion?  Naiche was undecided though it was possibly true. It had been a hell of a fight in his mind and hopefully, the spectators felt the same way.  To a degree, he didn’t give a damn what the others thought, except if he wanted that higher rank it was important as he’d need the pack to have faith in him.  Well, those concerns were for another time and place. What was needing to be done today had been.  He could spend time licking his wounds and pride at the loss along with a bit of rest now. Her return lick wasn’t that much of a surprise by now and just earned a soft huff and sigh versus a glare.  He had licked her first, right? Hopefully, it didn’t get to repetitive but, the day had been good enough that he could allow that give and take.  Clearly, the way to get Naiche more relaxed was to At Asla’s request he move over to her it got another scrutinizing gaze.  What was with her always wanting so much physical contact with others?  Well, he assumed others but he had never exactly spied on her to see how she was with other wolves in another den.  There was a handful of seconds that passed before he got up and laid down next to her so that one of her paws could rest down on his scruff if she so wanted.  Naiche stretched out his legs and head before tucking them back in.  It would be warmer, and he was cold and wet.  “I’m sure whatever you want to tell me can wait till after you get some rest.  I expect the overly cautious healers just want us to rest today anyhow.  Few little wounds get them worried easily.” What was it they suddenly needed to talk about? Her winning reaper didn't seem likely to affect him.  Even sharing a den on occasion wasn't a big topic.  Well, it would wait. "Speech"

"Aslatiel" Boy was he a bag of mixed messages. He licked her, she licked back, he looked annoyed. It was amusing. He really needed to get over his dislike of affection. If they were going to be sharing a den together, it was something that he'd have to get used to. She held back a lot, but she wouldn't stop entirely. If she did, they might as well not bother sharing a den together. Absently, she wondered when he'd remember to go pick up Pan and bring him as well. There were other chambers that their companions could call home. Ashur slept in the guest chamber and Pip slept on the shelf. Pan could surely find a place in the spacious den to call his own as well. Asla waved a paw, motioning for Naiche to join her and he eventually did. When he laid down, she stretched out, pressing her belly against his side. That paw did rest over his shoulders and she pulled him in close. The dampness of her fur was making her cold so the heat of his golden frame was welcome. She pressed her cold nose into the side of his neck, effectively tucking her chin against her chest so that her forehead could rest against him as well. Doing so blocked out whatever evening light managed to filter through the doorway. Naiche's words brought a little chuckle and she mumbled between their bodies. "Nap first. Talk later." Mojito was overly concerned about her wounds, she was sure. Despite the tension between the pair, he was still her friend. It would be odd if he wasn't worried about her. She would be fine though, as would Naiche. No doubt they would have matching muzzle scars as a remembrance of what had transpired today. She still had to thank him for his help, but that too could wait until after she slept. -Time skip?-

Naiche had known fully what to expect this time and for the most part didn’t seem to react.  There was an unintended shoulder twitch for a moment with her paw near where she’d dug her claws in but so long as she wasn’t directly on top of them it was fine.  Besides, as he relaxed he had to admit resting a bit wasn’t a bad idea.  Naiche kept his own head outstretched, paws on either side of his head.  Most of his body stayed stretched out in fact, no need to curl up really.  Between the furs and Asla pressed against him he would warm up fast enough.  Closing his eyes he didn’t bother to respond to her words, there was no real need to.  Soon enough the energized wolf who had seemed ready to go another round was in a deep sleep. Time passed and eventually Naiche woke up slowly.  He was warm and comfortable was his first half-wake thoughts.  His tail swept the ground twice before his eyes opened and he recalled just where he was that Naiche had found himself so comfortable.  This wasn’t his den but Asla’s, and she was there curled up against him.  Asla appeared to still be sleeping comfortably.  Letting out a slow and deep sigh Naiche peered towards the exit and realizing it was already morning.   Naiche had a meeting with Sirius today and it wouldn’t look good to be late.  Should he wake Asla up?  She was right there and for a passing moment he almost licked her forehead to wake her in a gentle manner but then Naiche scratched that notion off the list when he thought of it.  A gentle nudge?  No, Naiche could do better.  Carefully extricating himself from where she lay he took a step forward, then another lining up just right so that he could instead whack her nose lightly with his tail.  Good morning this way was less awkward and more amusing. “Hey, Reaper.  It’s morning.”  The title was used in a casual manner, more of a reminder what she had won yesterday. Stretching out he suddenly regretting it, that hadn’t been the only thing either one of them had got yesterday.  Damned claws of hers and the bit of cold air coming in warned him the moment he stepped outside the muzzle injury was going to hurt like hell.  Oh well, totally worth it.  Looking at Asla’s face he smirked at her own muzzle’s injury.  Both of them had to aim for that didn’t they? Matching scars. "Speech"

"Aslatiel" What. The. Fuck. One minute she was sleeping deeply and sleeping well. The next she was getting bapped in the nose by something. Her warmth was gone too. A growl pulled from the young wolf's chest and lids peeled back from sleepy purple eyes. The first thing that she saw was Naiche's damn tail wagging in her face. The words that he uttered confirmed the fact that he'd been the one behind the rude awakening. Lashing out with her claws, she raked them through the tip of his tail, hopefully pulling out a few hairs in the process. Sliding her front legs beneath her, Asla sat. A yawn was released before she fixed a fully awake glare at the yellow wolf before her. "Do that again and you can just go be cold in your own den." There was a hint of humor in her words though. She enjoyed having Naiche here with her and, by the way that he had been sleeping, she could tell that he enjoyed it too. Stretching, she felt the pain in her neck where she'd been bitten. The pain was dulled by her victory. She was the Reaper. There was no disputing that. Moving past Naiche, she slid her side along his mostly to make him grumpy. It was easy to do, really. As she passed, her tail flicked under his chin. Moving to the shelving set in the far wall, she took up a piece of dried venison, offering a piece to him before taking a piece for herself. "Better eat before your meeting, Golden Boy. It wouldn't do to have your stomach growling during your interview." Hint hint.

Naiche’s tail jumped up fast, but not fast enough to avoid her claws.  Turning his head he glanced at the den floor where a few strands of his fur were settling.  It reminded him of the fight with the lion and an amused smirk on his face as that fight had ended up with his tail being injured and now here she was slashing fur out of it.  Naiche didn’t bother to comment right away, figuring he wouldn’t get his attention till she was done with the yawn but, then she had her own little threat to aim at him.  Asla humor. “Oh no,” the words were lacked with mock concern, “sleep in my own den? With only a pile of furs to keep me warm?”  He opened his mouth to add to the comments when she was sliding up against him and yes, his ears flattened by habit.  His ears flicked back and a scowl was on his face with the words princess were on the tip of his tongue.  He didn’t say that word though.  A drunken Asla had once said she didn’t like it when he called her that and he didn’t want to hurt Asla. Naiche felt sarcasm the easiest thing as his mind and body were still working out his feelings about sharing a den with her.  The way it should feel and how it did feel were in an argument that was hard to ignore.  Naiche wanted to be cold and aloof and didn't want to appear weak.  It also hurt when people you got close to, when those people were no longer there. That was what subconscious logic was telling him but there was another whisper in his mind pointing out it felt comfortable sleeping next to Asla.  The little voice even had the nerve to point out he liked Asla.  Hell, he could argue with that part of him that Asla was a complete pain. She was a fun pain.  Ugh.  He could dislike Asla more just for the myriad of thoughts that wanted to make things confusing.   Naiche wasn’t much for soul searching and so after a moment he quit worrying about the emotional crap or meanings and just focused on the moment.  Asla was there offering him some venison.  “Thanks.” the words shifting away from sarcastic to friendly. The golden wolf accepted the venison quickly eating it and casting her a curious glance.  Was she aware he planned to ask Sirius for a raise in rank? It made sense so maybe she’d figured it out?  The word interview though?  “So you already have an idea on what I’m going to ask Sirius about?” Glancing towards the exit he added, “I’ll meet with Pan later and let him know to head over here tonight.”  Was it so hard to say that they were going to just keep sharing the den for the winter? Maybe.  Even though Naiche had to admit his own den seemed a little more empty when he thought about it. "Speech"

"Aslatiel" Aslatiel sneered as Naiche threw his sarcasm at her. Maybe she should let him go sleep on his own. He'd be crawling back eventually, she knew. Or hoped. Whichever. "Don't act like you don't enjoy sleeping beside me." She grinned. "I woke in the middle of the night and you looked more than content." He'd been having some good dreams. His tail had been lightly wagging. It was terribly cute. After finishing her dried meat, the young woman turned and moved towards the golden wolf. Lifting one paw, she brushed a crumb from his lower lip. He asked if she knew what the meeting was about and she winked at him before sliding past. Mojito had ordered rest, so she was going to rest. "Oh, I know all about it." She'd made her request to her father, putting in a good word for the dumb dumb in front of her. No doubt they would talk about a promotion and whatever needed to be done to attain that promotion. Either way, she was confident that he would achieve his rise in rank and his position beneath her. Hehe, beneath her... Sliding back down to lay on the pile of furs, Aslatiel lightly brushed an itch on the side of her muzzle with one paw. The raking teeth marks atop her muzzle were sore, but not unbearable. She would live to fight another day. Grey ears perked as Naiche spoke of directing Pan over to her den. "Sounds good." A yawn pulled from her and she sank lower into the furs. "You'll have to tell me all about it when you get back." She had an idea of how it would go, but she would still like to hear it from him. From her place at the center of the furs, the cream and grey lady watched him with swirling purple eyes.

Naiche’s ears flicked back in irritation at her mention of his looking content.  Yeah, he had been pretty content and he really hadn’t expected it.  Being part of a pack but keeping distance from overly close bonds had seemed a good plan when he had first joined.  He wanted to prove himself trustworthy and loyal but to the pack as a hole versus closeness.  Sure, it was sharing a den to remain warm but feeling more at ease when he’d been sleeping with her was definitely not part of his plan. Damn it, he liked Asla and that bothered him.   Naiche watched the new reaper, trying to figure out her thoughts and after a moment just decided to drop it.  She flicked a crumb off his mouth and Naiche reached up to rub at his muzzle with his own paw without thought.  Naiche was going to see Sirius and it was time to leave the den and thoughts of Asla or confusion on feelings behind.  Naiche would be back tonight though, he would bring Pan.  Now that he had made up his mind on it the wolf found he could accept at least as much as sharing her den.  The rest of the confusions within him would wait until after he had gotten his title as general.  It would be his. “Sure.” Naiche gave a good long stretch, “It’ll be a good story I’m sure.” Asla wouldn’t be the only one moving up in the world damnit.  Naiche turned to leave but turned his head with a considering look at Asla, wondering if he should say anything else.  He wasn’t going to think on it more but Naiche found one more moment of soul searching before grinding his teeth inwardly, “and yes, I did enjoy last night.  I,” then the awkwardness was back for whatever else he might have said, “I liked it, I’ll be back later.” "Speech"