Roman had been a little confused when the weather never really started to get cold, but Auster stayed warm when winter took over Boreas. So the two of them went North, it wasn’t a journey to the top of the world, but she felt tired by the time they found snow. It was like the two of them had entered a whole nother world. There was a thin white layer of snow covering everything and they were walking into a storm. Massive snowflakes fell from the sky and covered them and the supplies they carried. Lilith was already wishing for a thicker coat and they were hardly across the bifrost.

Lillith was grateful to have Roman at her side. After the night he’d snuck into her room and they shared a first kiss, being beside him felt more natural. She found herself seeking out his presence, in more than just hanging out. She liked to feel him close beside her, he was unlike any other wolf that she loved. Lil knew this couldn’t be anything but love, even if they had only known each other a couple of seasons she could feel it. Not that she felt like she could say the words out loud yet. That was still a little scary, but as she looked from the falling snow to Roman’s handsome features she realized maybe it wasn’t so much.

"The snow… It’s so pretty. Shame its so cold.” She shivered a little and leaned more heavily against Roman as they walked. Lil knew a spar was heading her way but just being close and walking in the winter wonderland was everything she wanted in that moment.

"Speech"

In the days that followed their midnight rendezvous, Romulus and Lillith had grown closer than ever before. The two wolves, inseparable as they'd been before, were now attached at the hip almost all day every day. If it hadn't been obvious that the two were courting one another before, there could be no doubt of it now. As their relationship progressed, so too did the seasons, late fall giving way to early winter. But where Roman had expected frost and chill and snow, the days only seemed to get warmer and sunnier. He was baffled, perplexed by this strange phenomenon. Where was the snow? Where was winter? This felt more like what he knew summer to be like! Had the world gone screwy again?

That was how he and Lillith found themselves making their way up the coast towards the northern continent of Boreas. It wasn't a long trip, but even he could see how drained Lil was getting as they crossed the Bïfrost. The silver-furred young man made a mental note to let her rest once they got to where they were going. The further north they went, the colder the air got, until finally they crossed into the fjord and saw a light dusting of snow, with thick, heavy snowflakes falling from a dense gray sky. A cold wind rippled through his fur, the first real taste of a familiar winter. Roman grinned, recognizing the cold of his birth season.

"Now there's the winter I know!" said Romulus with excited eyes. He glanced down to Lillith's beautiful features, catching her already staring up at him with those big ruby eyes that made his heart do somersaults. Gods, she really was so pretty, especially now against a pure white backdrop that emphasized every shifting tone in her ivory and silver fur. She commented on how pretty the snow was, but also how cold it was too. As soon as she shivered, Roman was leaning his bulkier form into hers, letting her absorb some of his body heat. "It is beautiful... We should start warming you up then." Craning his neck down, Roman first placed a little kiss to Lil's forehead to get her to look up, then captured her lips in a soft kiss for a few blissful seconds. This far away from the castle and her father, he didn't feel the need to hide his affections with her, letting himself be a little bold with the Adravendi girl.

Smiling to himself, Roman continued to walk through the snow with Lillith by his side, large paws crunching the fresh powder beneath heavy pads and leaving two identical trails where they walked. He fully intended on getting her into a spar while they were up here, but for right now, he was just happy to spend time with her exploring the wintery world. "What's your middle name, Lil?" he asked while they walked, turning curious silver eyes to her. "I wanna know everything about you. Every detail of who you are. Your full name, your favorite color, your favorite foods and flowers, everything!"

"Speech"

The breeze blew through their fur and all at once they had stepped into a whole different season. Winter gripped her and just as Lillith began to shiver Roman leaned protectively against her, warming her with his larger form. This was really winter, snow surrounding them and cold winds. It was really quite beautiful, and gave her a perfect excuse to keep so close to Roman. He agreed with how beautiful it was, and that she needed to be warmed up. She smiled as he kissed her forehead but with her attention given was quick to press his lips to hers. He was right when he decided this was the quickest way to warm her. She blushed as he kissed her unabashedly in the daylight.

They were not yet at a destination, so their kiss only lasted a few lovely seconds before her alabaster paws were moving again. She leaned against him and they settled into an easygoing pace. She couldn’t quite let go of how cold her toes were. She didn’t really remember her last winter, but she was wrapped in blankets and tucked away just so she didn’t freeze. As though he was trying to keep her attention off the freezing temperature Roman asked her a series of questions. She tilted her head to catch him from the corner of her eye as she smiled shyly at him. Her heart fluttered as he asked everything about her. Like she was the most interesting wolf in Boreas. Which she definitely wasn’t, he’d seen much more of the world than she had.

Her flush turned into a cherry blush. "Lillith Liberalia Adravendi. Um…” She paused a little bit and averted her gaze. "Silver is my favorite color.” For no particular reason. "I like all foods, especially the ones I haven’t tried before. Daffodils are my favorite flower.” Lil quietly answered all the questions he asked. She didn’t know that there was much else of interest when it came to her personal life. "What about you? I.. I wanna know everything about you too.” She told him softly as her garnet eyes returned to Roman’s liquid mercury gze.

"Speech"

Romulus' attention was engrained in every response Lillith gave him. To him, she was the most fascinating wolf in Boreas and Auster. He wanted to know every little detail that made her who she was. This gorgeous silver and white girl that had captured his attention and stolen his heart. He noticed her blush, still adoring that light shade of pinkish-red on her pallid cheeks, as well as the way she got all shy whenever he did anything to embarrass her. He snickered, but didn't say anything to interrupt her.

Lillith Liberalia Adravendi. Roman repeated her name out long, getting a feel for it on his tongue and on his lips. It was quite regal, said with flowing vowels and consonants that made her sound like royalty. Silver was her favorite color. He shot her a wry look when she said that, then glanced down at his silvery fur, wondering if he played any part in her color preference. She liked new food experiences and loved daffodils. All of this information the young man filed away for later reference. Already he was imagining surprising her with a bouquet of blooming daffodils, or cooking her some new and exciting meal.

She asked about him next, speaking her desire to get to know him as well, and Roman chuckled softly under his breath, the sound forming a physical cloud of steam from his lips. "Well, my full name is Romulus Quintus Armada," he began, glancing up at a few icicle covered evergreens as they walked past. "It's kind of a tradition in my family now that every generation has to have one wolf whose middle name carries their generational number. My dad, for instance, is Quartus, since he's the fourth Armada generation. I'm Quintus, the fifth. And one day, one of my children with have the middle name Sextus, and my grandchild will have Septimus, and so on."

He glanced back down at Lillith, staring deeply into her rich garnet eyes with a grin as he answered the next question. "My favorite color is red. Any shade is good, but the darker, the better." Just like her eyes. "My favorite food is seasoned venison. It can be cooked or raw, just os long as it's got a special blend of herbs my father uses on it. It's delicious!" Roman paused as he considered the next question. "Uhh... I don't really know if I have a favorite flower. I guess lavender is pretty good; I like the smell of it. Orchids are also nice. Actually, yeah, let's go with orchids." His gaze returned to Lillith after he gave his answers, finishing with, "Would you like to take a turn asking me some personal questions? Or are you ready for your heaping help of snow to the face?"

"Speech"

She liked the way her name fell from his lips and how he hung on her every word made her feel special like nothing else did. Lillith didn’t see herself in nearly the way that Roman did. She was given a very clear glimpse with the way he looked at her. Maybe she didn’t feel like she was very interesting but he did, and they had a lifetime of experiencing the world. If she saw and went to interesting places, she felt like she would feel much more worthy of that title than she was now. Still, being the center of Roman’s attention was an experience like no other to her.

Lil couldn’t let the attention linger on her for very long before she was quizzing him in return. She was given a grin and a soft chuckle before he spoke. Giving his full name and an unexpected story behind it. Her name had something to do with a wine goddess, if she remembered correctly. Lillith had never had wine and wondered where her father got the name. Not very interesting in her mind unlike Romulus. Similarly she watched with great interest as he answered her questions one by one. His favorite color was dark red, something she would take note of. He’d told her frequently how beautiful he thought her granet gaze was. The girl blushed again.

Romulus went on to talk about his father’s venison seasoning and struggled for a moment to narrow down which flower was his favorite, and he settled on orchids. She wouldn’t forget his fondness of lavender because she liked it too. He asked her if she had any other questions, or if she was ready to eat snow. "First of all, you know you can’t beat me.” She boasted teasingly, puffing up her little white chest just a little. "Second, I guess I want to know… Do you miss the home you grew up in? Do you.. Do you ever wish you were back there?” Would he want to return there someday? Would he eventually have to leave her here?

"Speech"

Romulus scoffed and gave a dramatic roll of his eyes when his monochromatic companion boasted about how he could never beat her. So what if he'd lost the fight on the beach? It was only because he'd lost his footing in the sand! Or the sun was in his eyes! Definitely not because he'd actually had his ass handed to him by a wolf almost half his size, surely not! "All right then, cocky. We'll see who's eating a mouthful of snow by the end of this," he retorted, already bristling and eager for their spar, but he was also enjoying their conversation as they walked through the winter wonderland together.

Lillith's next question took him by surprise. When he'd offered her the floor to ask him anything she wanted, he'd anticipated something like his favorite season, or favorite memory from his childhood, or something else equally expected. Her asking if he missed his home and wished he was back there caught the young man off guard, glancing down to Lil with wide eyes and mouth opened in shock. "I guess I miss the familiarity and the memories I made there, sure. But in the Armada clan, family is everything. Wherever your family is, is your home." He gave Lillith a small, hopefully reassuring smile and leaned down to boop his nose against hers. "You're my family now, Lil, so my home is where you are. Do I miss my siblings and parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles? Sure. But I wouldn't give this adventure up for anything. And I wouldn't wish to be anywhere else right now."

Well, okay, maybe that last bit was a little white lie. He might have wished he was back in the Hallows castle, snuggled up to Lillith in her warm, plush bed, practicing those kisses the two of them were so fond of. That would be the only other place he'd wish to be right now. But this right now was important! It was testing Lil's endurance and stamina, helping her build up the strength to go farther in preparation for their Northern Lights trip. "My turn," he said, wish a little devilish twinkle in his silver-toned eyes. "If you could have any one thing in the world right now, object, action, or moment, what would you want?" Part of him expected her to say more kisses, but he was curious to see what she'd respond with.

"Speech"

Roman teased her back in return, he didn’t quite believe the boast she offered him. Not that Lillith could blame him, her win on the beach was probably nothing more than a fluke, but that didn’t change the outcome. She did well in firing him up for their spar, but she took him the opposite direction with her uncertain question and the deeper meaning beneath. Lil didn’t hide her nervousness very well, nor the little look of fear as she asked about where his heart lie. He told her that he missed the memories made and the individuals who made up his relatives, but more important than that, she had become his family.

The sentiment was something she wasn’t expecting. She knew that she liked Roman and that he liked her back. How deep did their friendship and budding relationship go? How far did she want it to go, where did she want it to go? Did he want to take her as his mate like her father had with Eska? Were they going to grow up and make their own family? It wasn’t like she hadn’t pondered these questions before, but they had been mere what ifs. With Roman’s word in her ears she was seeing them as eventualities. Wonderful amazing eventualities. Roman wanted ot be right here with her despite all of it.

Lil’s cheeks flushed strawberry as she gazed up into his silvery eyes. The grin on her face brightened her features and she was warmed by more than his words. She was his family, and deep in her heart she knew the same was true inversely. He was her family, he’d made his place beside her and now she didn’t want to think of life without him there. Roman went on, and he asked her where or what in the world she could want if there was anything she could have in that moment.

The girl looked away from Roman at the question, suddenly struck by it and how hard she hesitated. He was right, she wanted more of his kisses, but if there was anything Roman would not deny her it was kissing. She had to answer something unattainable, her one true wish that would never come true. "I want to be healed.” She answered him quietly, shame hinting at her voice. "No more tiredness, no more exhaustion, no more losing my breath, I want to function completely. Like everyone else.” Her whisper was soft and she leaned against him heavily, desperate for his strength.

"Speech"

Romulus saw the flash of color on her cheeks and the sweet smile painting Lillith's pretty face while he explained how she was his family now too. He didn't know how far their relationship would go, but he was invested in it and in for the long haul now. When he'd arrived in Auster, he never would have imagined he'd get hooked on someone as easily as he got hooked on Lil. She'd become his addiction in all the best and intoxicating ways possible. He knew that she liked him and regarded him as her family as well, and that had been the deciding factor in him staying in the Hallows or striking out on his own. Lillith had become the keystone to his entire life here in Ardent. Any future he saw had Lillith in it.

But how deep did it go for Roman? He was still young, so plans for the future were virtually nonexistent. The only certainty he had was that he wanted Lillith in his future. He wanted to see how far they could go together, to run as fast and as far as they could in this crazy thing they had together. Did he want to take her as his mate, marry her and make her his wife? Maybe, the possibility was certainly strong, but marriage wasn't something at the forefront of his mind right now. He knew he would want to have a family one day; it was the cornerstone of being an Armada wolf, after all. He could see Lillith as the mother of his children, raising a family of beautiful snowy silver babies together. She was kind and gentle, nurturing and loving. Lillith would make a great mother one day.

Roman hadn't realized the dopey smile forming on his face as he thought about a future with Lil until she began to give her answer to his question. As soon as she'd started speaking, he knew where this wish was going. His smile faded instantly, and his expression turned serious, but the love in his eyes only burned hotter. "Hey, hey! No! None of that talk," he interjected as he brought their walk to a halt. He turned abruptly to face her, lifting large yet gentle paws up to cup her face and look her in those big, beautiful ruby eyes. "You stop that. That's my favorite wolf you're talking bad about. You will be healed, Lil, but until then I'm not gonna let you keep hating on yourself like this. You're the only wolf that doesn't see how amazing and strong and beautiful you really are." His expression softened as he gazed into her eyes, a happy lovestruck smile creeping its way over his muzzle. He gently stroked over her cheek with one of his paws, looking at her like she were a beautiful work of art. "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You'd never talk about yourself like that again if you could."

"Speech"

Thinking about a future together was easy when they were out here all on their own. As she stood there was no future without Roman, he’d swooped in and become such a huge part of her life. Disentangling him would be impossible, if he wanted her as his wife or not. Their friendship would last forever, but looking ahead and seeing the natural progression was easy. Her father, her brother, Roman.. They all saw it before she did but Lillith opened her eyes to find Romulus’ features and she knew she wanted that forever. She wanted to build a life with Roman, and there wasn’t much that would change that fact.

He didn’t say as much but just being in his presence she felt like he was looking forward to the same future. His easy going grin might have been proof of that, it only disappeared as she answered him. Lil’s gaze was quickly returned to his liquid mercury gaze as he halted her self depreciating speech. Roman stopped her, carefully cupping her cheek as he sought out her undivided attention. Slate tipped ears tipped back as he scolded her softly, trying desperately to reverse her course of thinking. Even if she could see herself differently his kind words didn’t hide the fact that she wasn’t truly whole.

"Roman,” he really was being unrealistic, but the way he gazed into her eyes proved he believed every single word he told her. He believed she was going to get better, he believed it with his whole heart. Lillith leaned against his paw as he stroked her cheek, and he wished that she could see herself like he did. Tears welled at the depths of her garnet gaze as she looked up to him, but her lips carried a soft smile and her cheeks remained flushed.

His words were everything she needed to hear. She wasn’t completely healed from her illness but she overcame it. Lillith’s strength was in the simple fact that she was still here. That was why they had come out here to begin with. Training for her body to recover into the capable young woman she was inside. "Alright, then no more talking about it. I’m gonna be about it. Someone needs to eat snow.” She didn’t let the tears fall on her cheeks, and invigorated a huge grin spread over her features as she teased him in return for all of the nice things he said to and about her.

Lilith leapt away from him, her silver striped tail wagging against her hips as she lowered herself into a play bow and invited him into their snowy spar.

"Speech"

She said his name, surprised by his sudden protest of her talking down to herself. Gradually, Romulus saw Lillith's expression soften to a grateful smile, tears welling up in those wine red eyes. Eventually, she agreed to stop talking about herself like that. She was going to be about making herself better, and that started with their spar. Her grin provoked one in him as well, Roman flashing all of his sharp teeth in a wide grin when she suddenly burst out of his grasp, leaping away to lower herself into a play stance, her tail wagging for him. Roman snickered and turned to face her, squaring off against the silver and ivory young woman. She wanted a fight? She was gonna get her fight!

"I'm not letting you go two for two, Adravendi!" he remarked with a raucous laugh, and then bared his teeth in a playful snarl. Steel-toned eyes narrowed to focus on his opponent, and then the snow spar was underway. Roman launched himself at Lillith, giving her as little time to ready herself as possible. He was going for a blitz tactic: strike hard and fast, overwhelm and surprise her to get her off guard. He threw his body toward hers, leaping into a pounce aimed for her once he was within a few feet. He fully expected her to dodge, so this was a feint attack. He aimed to land with his paws tensed and ready to shift his momentum to whatever side she chose to dodge to. He'd learned how she liked to fight back on the beach. She was fast and agile. He had to prevent her from moving as much as possible.

Romulus vs Lillith for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Skills: Novice Fighter & Intermediate Healer

"Speech"

Lilith was not in any kind of good fighting stance when she offered him to initiate their spar, but their good natured rivalry was obvious in how he answered her challenge. She was ready to run just as soon as he even thought about throwing his first attack, but she hadn’t ever fought on snow before. Lillith’s tears were gone now, they didn’t come out here for her to feel sorry for herself. This was just the first step of a thousand mile journey. Only one small step at a time but there was no doubt Lillith was making progress. Like now, she caught her second wind and there was no telling they had just walked up from Boreas.

Especially with how fast she was. Lil started to make an about face as Roman charged her. Using her play like stance she took off, barely avoiding his grasp as she slid in the semi wet snow. Uncontrollable laughter fell from her lips as she realized how close he had been to ending the fight right there. Ready for him this time, Lilith did a figure eight so she could face him again, but her defenses set with much more precision. She lifted herself to her toes and bent her joints and tucked her chin.

If he was still barreling towards her Lillith wanted to use the slippery snow to her advantage, she ducked into a slide. Lil aimed to wind up under his belly, hoping to trip him up by suddenly being under his feet. Surely his first instinct would be not to stomp on her? It was a gamble she didn’t have enough time to think about.

Lillith vs Roman for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: 1+
Size: Medium
Build: Light
Defensive Battle Accessory: Jaguar fur coat
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Advanced Healer
"Speech"

Much to his frustration, Lillith's reflexes were fast enough for her to spring back into action before he got close enough to pounce her. She ran away from him like she had on the beach, looping back to come at him. Romulus smirked and stayed where he was, planting his paws to brace himself to intercept her. He learned from last time that pursuing her when she ran was a fool's errand, so he simply waited for her to come back to him. And come back she did, charging at him. The larger brute opened his forelegs to try and catch her, but instead got nothing but air. He blinked, confused, until he caught a glimpse of her sliding underneath him.

Roman gave a gasp of surprise when he felt her beneath him all up close to some very sensitive and vulnerable parts. Fortunately, it seemed like she was aiming for his legs instead of any other parts. Unfortunately for her, since he hadn't been moving, she didn't trip him, but it did make it very hard to maneuver to get any sort of attack off on her. Growling to himself, Roman decided that if she was going to use speed to her advantage, he was going to use his size to his.

While Lillith was beneath him, Roman aimed to drop himself down on top of her and wrap his forelegs around her in a tight inescapable bear hug. If he managed to grab her, he would set into a roll mimicking a crocodile's death roll, bringing Lil along with him as he attempted to grab her and roll so that he was holding her pinned against his belly while he lay on his back, holding her legs uselessly kicking at the air.

Romulus vs Lillith for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Skills: Novice Fighter & Intermediate Healer

"Speech"

She was fast, that was one talent she would never deny having. Her long slender limbs carried her away from Roman’s grasp and she could feel the frustration from him as he slowed and waited for her to return to him. He was learning really quickly that she couldn’t just be caught. So he stood waiting for her return attack, looking much like the brick wall that he was. Lilith smirked and grinned as he prepared for contact that would never come.

He wasn’t running anymore so at the very least there wouldn't be any massive paws to try and dodge, but that also meant he hadn’t tripped and instead of sliding out from underneath him she was stuck beneath his belly. The combined snow and her plan going awry didn’t give her near enough time to retreat and all at once his massive weight was pressing down on her.

"Ah! Roman!” She squealed and giggled as he wrapped her up and rolled with her body pressed tightly against his belly. Lilith kicked and struggled, aiming to be free of his grasp as she wiggled herself over his belly. There was an unmistakable laughter that fell from her jaws, a sound of pure joy even if it looked like she was going to be the loser in this fight. She didn’t give up yet, if she could only get loose enough to shift to her own belly she could lift herself to her paws and ‘pin’ Romulus against the ground beneath her.

Lillith vs Romulus for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: 1+
Size: Medium
Build: Light
Defensive Battle Accessory: Jaguar fur coat
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Advanced Healer

"Speech"

And the winner is...

Lillith

Romulus must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Romulus: Attack Roll: 96 Defense Roll: 16 Agility Roll: 76 Perception Roll: 54 Total: 242 Attack[96] + 5% Bonus[4.80]: 100.80 Defense[16] + 15% Bonus[2.40]: 18.40 Agility[76] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 76.00 Perception[54] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 54.00 Total[249.20] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 249.20 Lillith: Attack Roll: 39 Defense Roll: 21 Agility Roll: 88 Perception Roll: 78 Total: 226 Attack[39] + 5% Bonus[1.95]: 40.95 Defense[21] + 25% Bonus[5.25]: 26.25 Agility[88] + 5% Bonus[4.40]: 92.40 Perception[78] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 78.00 Total[237.60] + 15% Bonus[35.64]: 273.24

A triumphant grin spread across Romulus' lips when he felt Lillith's smaller, slender body squirm trapped beneath his bulkier frame. His maneuver had been successful, and now he had the wildly kicking girl wrapped up in his arms. To her credit, Lillith struggled like mad. Gods damn, did she put up a fight though! How could a wolf who kept claiming to be so sick and weak give him a run for his money like this?! She squealed his name and burst into fits of giggles and laughter. She was clearly having the time of his life, so even if he ended up winning this spar, he was just happy she was having fun.

In a shocking turn of events though, Lillith actually managed to squirm her slender body out of his grasp, freeing herself enough to flip herself over with her belly pressed to his and two alabaster paws pushing down on his chest to keep him pinned to the snow-laden ground. Although neither of them had technically eaten any snow this time around, Roman was covered in it and successfully pinned beneath Lillith. He gazed up at her with wide, surprised silver eyes. She had somehow pulled out another victory from him! Even when things looked grim for her, she managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. To say he was impressed would have been a gross understatement.

"Wow, you actually got me again!" he remarked, curling his forepaws up to his chest and leaving his belly exposed in a sign of submission to her. His tail wagged excitedly against the snow while he stared up at Lil in disbelief. "Damn, Lil! Are you sure you're as weak as you say you are?" This made twice in a row she'd beaten him. Once he could take as a fluke, twice and she was just better than him. "Well, you won, little snowbird! What would you like to claim as your prize?" He flashed her a mischievous grin, wondering what she'd opt for her prize for beating him fair and square.

"Speech"

Somehow Lillith struggled out of Roman’s tight grasp and maneuvered herself above him. Laughing, kicking and all but screaming ceased as her delicate paws pressed against his chest and her belly restated against his own. All was replaced by a shy smile as her garnet gaze beamed down on his handsome features. Romulus looked up at her with as much surprise as she had felt, but as she lay perched upon his chest she felt complete. She knew her illness had not yet fully run its course, but being here right now with Roman she was in perfect health and fitness. At the very least that was what it felt like, and a feeling like that was worth the world to a girl like Lil.

She wanted to cement this moment in her mind, its perfection something unachieved before and who knew when she would feel like this ever again. All too soon though Roman spoke with disbelief. He couldn’t believe she had won again either. "I told you,” She returned softly as she grinned lightly and blushed vividly. She remained balanced over his belly, straddling his waist as alabaster paws sunk into his plush chest. She didn’t have the heart to argue with him as he asked after her certainty of weakness and only encouraged the blush on her features.

His mischievous grin when he asked what she wanted for her prize really sent her heart fluttering in her chest, and after all the praise he showed her she didn’t want to reveal the difficulty in her breathing. Lil grinned in return, but pulled herself away from his warm body reluctantly. She turned away from him, finally taking in a deep breath as of as her paws swept over the snowy ground. There was much more accumulation now than when they stepped foot here and before long she achieved her goal.

Feeling cooler, and breathing easier, Lillith presented a little snowball shaped like a heart. "I want you to eat snow.” She grinned like she just said the funniest joke in the world, but her grin held so much more than that because at that moment she wasn’t sure she had ever loved anyone so much as she did Roman. She felt the emotion deep down in the core of her bones. It was overwhelming and frightening but amazing and warm at the same time.

"Speech"

Lillith looked equally as surprised as he felt that she'd managed to reverse the grapple and get him in a pin, but that shock quickly turned to giggling triumph. He grinned as he stared up at her beautiful face, silhouetted by a cloudy gray ski as fat snowflakes fell down around him. With her victory now secure, Lillith gave a little well deserved boast that she'd told him so, and how right she was. Roman had not been expecting a second loss at the paws of a fae half his size! Let this be a learning lesson to him on humility and caution. He slowly unfurled his paws to rest them on her waist while she remained straddling his waist, unable to keep his silvery eyes from glancing down her svelte form perched perfectly atop of him and feeling a heat and certain urges rising within him.

Lillith grinned when he asked what she wanted for her prize, then reached over and began gathering up a pawful of snow. Romulus' brow raised in curiosity while he watched her shape the snow with dainty paws, wondering what she was up to until he was presented with the snow heart she had made for him and commanded he eat it. Laughing softly to himself, he shot another grin back up at Lil. "I bet you think you're so clever, don't ya?" he remarked with a wry smirk. Still, he took the snow heart from her and made a show of holding her garnet gaze while he opened his mouth and popped the entire snow heart inside. He crunched down—then immediately flinched as the cold ice hit his palate and began to melt. He crunched the snow down, feeling it melt into water almost instantly in the humid cavern of his maw before swallowing it down.

Determined to not be outdone even in defeat, Roman opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue to show he'd eaten it all, then danced his toes along the edges of Lil's waist and sides, targeting those ticklish spots he knew about just enough to make her squirm a little on top of him. "Get what you wanted, champ? You like making me eat things, huh?" he teased her, beaming up at her and curling himself to sit up enough to place a slow lick on the end of Lil's muzzle.

"Speech"

Playing in snow it was easy to forget how warm her body was becoming while she was positioned so compromisingly atop him. That same fiery feeling that she’d been burned by when he’d first really kissed her returned. The girl was thankful for the snow. She didn’t want to feel overwhelmed or too hot like she had been. Lil wanted to enjoyed being close to Roman like this, sharing each other’s heat and being alone in a heavy snow fall. The muffled sound was otherworldly, and it was easy to believe that they were the only two wolves in existence.

Lil presented her tiny packed snow heart and fell into Roman’s silver gaze as he looked up at her. He chuckled at her and teased her for her clever choice. Lilith couldn’t help her grin as he took and carefully devoured the icy relic. She could feel him jump as the freezing cold snow froze his mouth but he still wore his handsome crooked grin. He opened his mouth and showed her it was empty of it contents, she had indeed made him eat snow. What she didn’t expect was the retaliatory tickles against her soft fur and skin.

He was gentle but she wiggled against his touch, giggling softly and reacting involuntarily. She made no great attempt to flee though, and his paws settled back against her before she wanted to. Lillith settled down and relaxed once more against his chest. Being close wasn’t the difficult obstacle she had once felt. Lil wanted to be right here, belly to belly. She shrugged as he asked about her habit of making him eat the ground covering. "Well,” before she could get anywhere his tongue pressed to her lips and she felt herself again stunned by his affection, but in a good way.

The look of dazed surprise lingered for a moment before Lillith reacted, forgetting all about what she was going to as as garnet gaze met polished silver. She leaned forward before he could pull away, touching her dark nose to his and tilting her head slightly to press her lips against his. Her eyes closing as she leaned into her affection, her heart pounding against her sternum and her belly doing flip flops as she did. Her dainty ivory paws slid over his chest and around his neck as she pulled herself closer. Her chest against his she could feel his beating alongside her own.

"Speech"

Romulus gave Lil a toothy grin when he saw that look of daze and confusion cross over her face. That had been his exact goal, to make her cheeks turn that lovely shade of pink and short-circuit her brain. He held her on top of him, her smaller frame rested atop his, soft belly pressed to belly so that every part of them was touching. Yet as he went to withdraw from placing the teasing lick to the end of her snout, Lillith stopped him when she brought her nose down to meet his, her wine-hued gaze smoldering with a look he hadn't seen in them before and taking him by surprise. In the next instant, Roman felt Lillith's lips press to his with a tilt of her head, stealing his breath with a shockwave that ran through his body.

Roman gave a quiet hum of surprise that melted into a rumble of delight as he kissed Lillith back, moving his lips against hers in harmony with her motions. He felt those warm tingles rising all over his skin where her body touched his, large paws moving to wind around her sides and roaming up and down her back. His claws extended to gingerly trace through her fur, following the curve of her spine from shoulder to rump, keeping her embraced tight to his body all the while. His heartbeat quickened in his chest as they kissed out amongst the snowy wonderland, the quiet stillness of the winter world dampening every sound around them like they were existing in their own universe. He was still very careful to monitor his actions though. He didn't want to push Lillith too far and risk overwhelming her again.

So he let her set the pace, content to kiss her with equal parts passion and affection that she showed him. He was a little surprised though. The way her forelegs wrapped around his neck and how she held herself to him and kissed him... it was much more heated than Lil had ever been before. She must have been feeling really good! But hey, he wasn't about to start complaining! If she wanted to let things get a little hotter, he was more than happy to indulge her desires.

"Speech"

Lillith closed her eyes and gave herself over to the sweet affection and the tender kiss that she gave him. Surprised like she had been his soft gasp egged her on, she grinned into the kiss. She breathed in with a soft gasp in tandem with his pleased hum and rumble of delight. Lil felt the same way, like this kiss was everything she would ever need. Somehow she kept her breathing under control, with the fire that ignited in her core, the electricity that raced over her skin wherever they touched. His massive paws trailed over her her spine and along down her slender body. Her breathing hitched as he roved over her hips and trailed his claws through her silvery fur.

Despite the cold and the snow that fell around them Lillith felt like her body was smoldering, instead of being afraid of the fiery feelings she tried to embrace the new sensation. If there was anyone that she knew that she could be comfortable with it was Roman. She did try and conceal her shortness of breath earlier, but now she hid nothing. Her breathing hitched, she hummed against his lips, and held herself steady through the incredible feelings that rose and washed over her as she lay with the boy she had come to feel so strongly for.

Lilith eventually blinked open her gernet gaze and pulled away from him slightly, her breath quick as her heart that hammered against her sternum. She grinned at Roman as she looked up at him, keeping their muzzles close. "Roman,” She gasped his name as she caught her breath, her grin and feelings indescribable. "Did you know…” She hesitated only slightly, feeling more nervous about her words than the kiss they shared. "I’m falling in love with you.” She finally confessed as she gazed into his liquid silvery eyes, her uncertainty palpable.

"Speech"