Summer had undoubtedly arrived in Boreas, even if it was a far cry from summers of the past. At least it was warming up; the rocks of Monument Rapids were no longer slicked over with dangerous ice, and though a chill still lingered in the air - especially in the mornings and evenings - it was definitely growing warmer. The sun felt surprisingly warm today against his back as he lounged by the edge of the rapids, lazily fishing. Emphasis on the lazy. He wasn't really aiming for much, mostly keen on dipping his paws in the ever-rising rapids and occasionally batting at a fish. Once he'd gotten close to snagging one, but as soon as he rolled to a proper position and tried to reach for it, it was gone, slipping easily between his paws. Ah well, he wasn't too bothered. Corvus let out a yawn as he stretch out his forepaws and resisted the urge to roll onto his side and close his eyes.

She had been quiet recently, her biggest social event had been the hunt of the wollen beast. Even then she wasn’t about to describe their endeavor as a social gathering. Her head hung a little lower, and she tried not to think about how heavy her heart had become. She tried to take joy in the life that returned to Abaven, everything was becoming bright and green, a stark contrast to the death of the long winter. She felt renewed as much as the foliage was becoming. Her dainty paws carried her along beside the rapids, the river was once again flowing in earnest. No more ice or drought. It was an incredible sight. But nothing compared to what she saw leaning over the water. She loved Corvus with all of her heart, and she wasn’t sure she could have gotten through the last season without him.

”Fish dinner tonight?” She asked him softly as she made her way to his side and snuggled up against his chocolatey fur. ”Or maybe a nap in the sun?” Twig smiled as she caught him yawn. It was a lazy afternoon, and she hadn’t been moving quickly or with purpose herself. She nuzzled against his neck, always feeling a need for his affection.

Corvus wasn't sure whether the relative quiet that had plagued Abaven was a good thing or not. On one hand, it had given him and Twig proper time to grieve. He'd eventually told Theory what had happened, but he hadn't told anyone else, he didn't feel the need to. On the other hand, it gave him a little too much time to think, and while he tried to busy himself with pack duties he found his mind straying to Twig and the children they'd almost had. Finding a way to occupy his thoughts was difficult some days, which led to him somewhat compulsively patrolling or tracking down prey. One benefit was that Corvus had lost some of the fat he'd gained over the last year in his pursuit to keep his body constantly occupied.

Today, though, he was letting himself relax. At least near the rapids he could allow himself to be slightly transfixed by the predictable flow of the water and watch it crash over the rocks, with an occasional fish to shift his attention to. But Twig was an even better distraction. She reminded him of what they had lost, he couldn't deny that, but that was outweighed by how much hope she gave him for the future - their future. How much love they shared. A grin touched his lips as he leaned back into her. "Fish dinner could be good. Once I'm feeling motivated," he admitted with a chuckle. "I'm enjoying the sun. It feels like it's been gone for too long." As if to emphasize his point he stretched then, forepaws stretching over the rapids before relaxing.

Twig had maybe been grieving for so long, especially considering the relatively low impact their loss created. The only wolf she really talked about it with was Beat, he was the only one she even needed to tell beyond Corvus and that was enough She still hurt, she knew she would for a long time, but she was really trying to find her way back to normalcy. Of course, seeing Soul and the young of the pack was hard. She often thought about what could have been, where the pups would be at this point if… It was the what ifs that truly tore her apart. Especially as she saw Corvus laying there by the edge of water she could imagine their puppies positioned around him, napping and lazily learning how to fish. Her chest clenched at the thought and she tried to live in reality. It was just her and Corvus here.

His grin was enough to brighten her. She had to remember that she still had Corvus, he endured the loss with her. It was their loss. She still struggled with the feeling of guilt and blame, but Corvus chased her difficult feelings away. His presence soothed her, and she did and could think about the future. They were in their prime, there would be more chances for a family. Now that she was much more aware of what she lost, Twig was much more aware of what she wanted. She wanted to give Corvus children, she wanted desperately to raise a family with him, the man that held her heart and she loved so deeply.

As he made himself more comfortable Twig lowered herself to the rock beside him, snuggling in against his belly as he made himself more comfortable, proving his point of relaxation. Twig felt like she hadn’t been able to relax since last fall. ”I have really missed it.” She agreed. Like her life felt clouded over now that the sun was shining on them she could feel a brightness returning to the future. ”I’ve missed you,” she admitted softly, nuzzling into his chocolate fur. ”I’m sorry I’ve been so… distant.” It wasn’t like they were separate, but mentally she hadn’t been completely available.

Life always went on, no matter how huge their losses were. No matter how much they suffered they were destined to overcome their losses and they were destined to strike again in the future, often when they least expected. This one had been by far one of the worst he'd dealt with, only now beginning to really feel like himself again. Even still he knew he wouldn't forget what they'd dealt with, not ever, though time would surely make the pain more tolerable. It was strange too, how loss had made him begin to understand what he wanted too; a family with Twig sounded perfect. He was reminded often of a different path he could've taken in life but he'd ended up here, and this was where he felt he belonged, beside Twig no matter what they might have to endure together.

He sighed contently as she settled down with him, giving her a gentle nudge with one paw. "You don't have to apologize. Ever," he assured her quickly. Her distance wasn't surprising, and though sometimes he found himself wondering what it meant, at the same time he'd needed time to himself to. Corvus didn't process things as easily as others might, and he wasn't always good at talking about his feelings, especially when he was still grieving. "You're here now and that's what matters." He knew she didn't mean physically distant, but he meant his words anyway. She was present in this moment and that was all he could ask for. "And I missed you too," Corvus admitted, leaning to nuzzle her lazily before returning his attention to the water, batting lazily at the rapids. "What's the likelihood of me catching something like this, you think?"

Moving on was the most difficult part of it all, knowing what they were missing out on was the most difficult part. Twig wanted to give Corvus children, she wanted to raise a family with him, the man that she loved. Knowing that was truly what she wanted made the loss that much more painful, she just hoped that when… if they tried again they wouldn’t be faced with the same result. Her heart broke from the ones she lost unexpectedly, she hadn’t even known of their existence before they were gone. The next time… Twig wasn’t sure she was quite ready for next time.

She didn’t like that they had to go through this together, but there wasn’t anyone else she wanted to share her grief with than him. Corvus made his way into her heart and she never wanted to let him go. She belonged beside him, like this, right here. He assured her there was no need for her apology, not now or ever, and she let a relieved sigh fall from her lips. Corvus put her at ease, she knew there was no one else she wanted beside her like this. She returned his nuzzle with an innocent kiss on his cheek. After everything they had been through, the show of affection still brought butterflies fluttering in her belly.

She let her attention drift to the water as he batted at the water, and commented on the likelihood of that watching their dinner. ”I’ve heard that you can catch catfish with your paw, but not like that.” She chuckled lightly, the sound almost carefree and joyous. ”Maybe if we were near the ocean you would attract a shark.” A smile played on her features, an expression that hadn’t been so easy to wear recently.

Corvus was trying to remind himself to live in the present. It was easy to fall into a negative train of thought, thinking of all the things he and Twig had gone through. He'd lived a relatively easy life, all things considered, but he'd still experienced things that kept him awake some nights, tossing and turning. He had to remind himself that he couldn't live like that though. Focusing on the present, on his life with Twig, and on bettering Abaven - those things were what he had to focus on. Easier said than done, sure, but he could always try. Being better was a constant struggle, not a switch that just flipped on.

And today was one of those days where being better, feeling better, felt completely obtainable. Not all days were like this though. Grief was a constant fluctuation, like the weather, one he'd learned he couldn't ever completely avoid once it reared its head. Those thoughts left his mind though as he nuzzled Twig and she kissed his cheek. "Fortunately there are no sharks here. I don't think, at least," he added, casting a skeptical eye toward the rapids. He feigned some wariness as he jerked his paw back in toward his chest. "Tell me more about this catfish technique then, I might be feeling a little hungry now," Corvus commented with a sly grin.

Twig and Corvus had a lot of grief that rested on their shoulders, they should have been out here teaching their children how to fish. Instead they were alone. She tried to be strong for her mate, the both of them struggled even now. They still had life within them, they still had so much time ahead of them, there would be more chances, she hoped, to start their own family. For now their focus was on bettering themselves and the pack they called their home. Neither of them were completely successful, but both of them were obvious in the efforts to return to normal.

This was a good day, comparatively speaking. Her sorrow would never truly be swept away, she knew that. Having Corvus here beside her helped her to feel like she had found normalcy again. There wasn’t another wolf in the world that could comfort and support her like Corvus and she hoped he could feel the same for her. She would do anything for him. The two of them were in relatively high spirits and Twig felt good joking with the one she loved, this easy going banter was something that she had missed desperately and she needed it. He joked about hoping there aren't any sharks in the river and Twig giggled softly at him, she felt the warmth of her smile spread over her entire body.

”Well,” she started with a smile, trying to remember what she had heard. ”Catfish are bottom dwellers, they live in crevices and ledges under the water. If you stick a paw in their home a lot of the time they will bite down and you can pull them out.” Twig hadn’t ever tried or seen it herself so she didn’t even know if it was possible, but it was warm enough that they could potentially give it a try together.

He was glad to let go of his grief, if just for a moment. Corvus would gladly bask in these brief moments of solace. These were the moments he lived for, these little moments with Twig where he could forget about everything that had happened to them and focus on the here and now. All that mattered right now was Twig, and fishing. Or lack thereof, really. Her laugh made his smile grow, the expression brightening his features as he twisted around to get a better look at her rather than the water. It wasn't like he was having much luck fishing anyway. Having lunch with her sounded good though, it'd save them from feeling hungry later on and having to scrounge up something to eat.

"Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully, considering her words. "And they're supposed to like moving water ?" As lazy as he was feeling, catching a catfish sounded interesting - if not a bit painful too? - and his interest was piqued. Leaning over the edge of the rapids he stuck a paw down into the water, reaching toward the bottom - using his back paws to grip the ground and keep him stabilized. "Nothing yet," he stated, wiggling his paw around a bit more. He moved it around the edges of some rocks down there, shifting again and again until suddenly he felt a sharp sting and retracted his paw, flinging back a small catfish with it, much to his surprise.

Their relationship was a true one, the pair of them weathered tragedy and triumph together. Through all of it they had each other here to rely on, thick and thin she had Corvus to lean on. He was her support and her rock, she couldn’t imagine being here with anyone but him. She loved him and the way he smiled at her as they let themselves get lost by the river. They didn’t have to think about anything but their lack of fishing. There wasn’t anything but this moment in time enjoying the weather, the beautiful surroundings, and Corvus’ smile.

He didn’t seem like he was so sure of her theory, but she doubted it too. Twig shrugged, why not? She thought there were catfish in both still and moving water but she was no expert fisherwoman. Instead of theorizing anymore Corvus leaned into the water like she suggested. Twig tilted her head curiously and watched, ready to leap forward in case he started going over the edge. He commented he hadn’t found anything yet, ”Oh well, it was an interesting….” And then suddenly Corvus was lifting his paw from the water, a catfish nibbling on his toes. ”Oh, my goodness.” She wasn’t sure she had ever seen something like that ever before. "You actually did it!"

It was strange sometimes how the things in life that seemed difficult could be as easy as, well.. catfishing, while others - things they hadn't even expected, like losing their unborn children - proved so terribly difficult. Life was unpredictable like that though, he supposed. That was something he'd learned pretty early on in life but he'd never experienced anything quite so surprising. But he was trying not to think about their past, and instead focus on their future as best as he could. Currently his attention was on the fish that he'd accidentally caught. It was hard to resist the urge to flick it toward Twig, feeling a bit playful now. Instead he managed to wrangle the thing down and lean to bite down around it's neck, it's wriggling slowly and quickly coming to a halt.

This was the exact sort of thing he needed today. Something simple, to lighten his mood. It was almost laughable how easily it had happened, with only the slightest hint of effort on his part. After a moment of registering what had happened, he let out a loud laugh, a laugh that started slowly at first and then built up stronger in his belly. He wasn't even sure why he was laughing but the situation was so surreal that he couldn't help himself, laughing so hard he felt tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "I have no clue how I did that," he admitted, starting to catch his breath after his little bout of laughter. "But I guess we have a snack now. Not sure I could do that again if I tried."

She really couldn’t stop smiling as the pair of them stared at the fish that was so oddly caught. Twig missed innocent moments like these, where they weren’t buried by grief and they could truly enjoy being alive. More than that they could enjoy being together. They’d been forced through very difficult times, but as the seasons changed so did life. It went on and so did they. Twig was too excited to remain sitting or lounging, she found her feet and was almost surprised when Corvus didn’t flick the fish at her. She could almost see the mischievous look in his eye.

Her tail was wagging at a pace it hadn’t in a very long time. There was an excitement in the air she hadn’t tasted in longer. Corvus started to laugh at the absurdity of it and Twig couldn’t help but to join him. Who knew such a tiny catfish could bring the couple such joy. Just when they needed it the most. Their little talk swiftly devolved into giggles and Twig was forced to take a knee as she struggled to breathe. Eventually they were allowed to speak and Corvus found his voice first.

”I don’t think you could either, but it was amazing.” Who would have thought just sticking your paw under the rocks would produce such results? She shook her head in disbelief. There was one thing she was certain of, this would be the best taste of catfish she would ever have. Twig stepped forward with a grin still playing on her toasted coconut fur. She leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his muzzle. They knew sorrow and joy together, and she didn’t want to share the ups and downs of life with anyone else. "Hey," her voice was a whisper as she pulled away slightly. "I love you." Twig reminded him with a shy grin as she found his endless forest gaze with her own vibrant lilac. After everything that emotion was stringer than ever, and she knew he was the one she was meant to be beside.