~*~ A purr rumbled out of the beauty's chest as a stray snowflake danced through the air and saw fit to land upon the tip of her nose. "Well aren't you a beauty?" she murmured absently. A flick of a rough pink tongue and it was gone. Silverback resumed her observations of the world about her. The softly falling snow seemed to muffle every possible sound - even the lull of the ocean waves below. Silverback was alone in the silence at the top of the world. The great pillar of frozen water and snow that crowned this land, was just off to her left and slightly behind her. The feline's massive paws were planted at the edge of the ice cliffs. So close was she to the edge that when her chest swelled, it hovered over the empty air. But she was of mountain stock - ever since the birth of her species. She had chased sheep up and down cliffs that others would've sworn only birds could reach. That was what it meant to be snowcat, it was a gift, but lately... it had become a burden too. Silverback was one of a dying kind. Outside of her now dead parents and siblings, she had never seen another of her breed. For all she knew she was the last leopard. That was what had driven her to the leave the hard won boundaries of her territories - to forsake her peaks and foothills and rock ledges and seek the other corners of the world. Her pawsteps could wind a trail over miles and miles of unmapped snowfeilds and tundra, but as of yet she had found nothing. Nothing. The world rechoed in her mind, the only sound in all of the silent land. She was sick of nothing. Loneliness was annoying. She'd been independent all her life -and intended to remain so for all of her days, but she could still find pleasure in the words of another. These days she was feeling so conversation deprived she'd even accept the company of a wolf. ~*~

Bane was a long way from home, but that didn't bother him, for he had almost missed it, the shadow-like form shifting along the northern most point of these lands. The fur of a chest brushed against ground as the wolf lowered himself into the snow. "Leopard... leopard... leopard." Bane wheezed with each breath. The sudden shock of having a mountain stalker being seen had been unnerving for a moment. Bane took to laying low and inhaling deeply to try and register this ground shadow's scent. It was... female. A female snow-leopard. Was it hostile? What was it doing so far away from the mountains. The animal looked fine and Bane... no, this female feline wasn't a common animal. They're species had history, culture, and a nasty claw swipe after breeding in this leopards case.?

The Snow Leopard was just staring over the shelf of ice and Bane began to realize just what she might be thinking. Was she going to jump? It would be understandable. Snow Leopards were dying out, and Bane couldn't even remember the last time he heard one of them scream over their mountain territory, only that he remember that he'd heard it. Still, he felt obligated to try and stop her despite being outclassed should this encounter turn violent.

Bane stalked closer until he was a comfortable distance away, trying not to disturb and debris in his path. The grey wolf cleared his throat and uttered in a quizzical manner. "Mam, are you going to jump?"

~*~ The silver silence of the ocean and the sky, was not to remain for long. First came the scent of a mutt, and then the sound of labored breathing, tipped with the common name for her kind. Speak. Of. The. Devil. A canine was coming her way. She didn't bother turning or shifting until the male spoke. Then it was that she reacted, albeit with spine prickling slowness. After all, only the most accomplished huntress, has the patience and skill to take her time. Silverback's grey-green eyes widened ever so slightly, furry lashes, blinking once and then raising in a lazy, quizzical look as a graceful bend of the neck brought her head around. Over her shoulder she glanced, taking in the form of a scarred male wolf who smelled heavily of distant lands. "What a curious way to start a conversation," she mused, her tones rolling out in sweet, low notes just raspy enough to hint at a purr or a growl. She didn't get the chance to use her voice much, so she had never bothered trying to coax airs into it - but she was a cat, and that sort of thing came naturally. A giant's paw took a side step, making the first movement of a turn around. Furry eyes swept forward against her skull. It didn't need to be said that she could turn nasty at any minute, but for now, all appearences were placid and pleasureable. Odd words or not, she would speak with this male. He'd already succeeded in intriguing her ever so slightly. What sort of creature asked such a thing? And was it her own imagination, or had she heard something like a trace of concern in that question? Cliffsides didn't imply that sort of thing to her - she'd spent her entire life upon them. For on thing, she was too proud to ever kill herself, and for another, even if she were, she was certain she could come up with a much more creative way of ending her existence; One that didn't involve -and she almost shuddered at the thought- water. No, she had merely been thinking, enjoying the forlorn beauty that she very well could've been an embodiment of. ~*~

At the Seracian's words, of which he knew she had heard them, the snow leopard did nothing immediate. The grey wolf fidgeted on his paws while swaying from side to side as he waited for the leopardess to do something. She merely twitched her head to one side, Bane tensing his muscles and furiously thinking of how to fight her. Then, with exaggerated slowness, the mountain shadow began to turn the rest of her body too look at him. The snow leopardess began to speak, Bane taking her question as an almost kind of hurt admonishment. The wolf couldn't help but shy away and look down at his paws as she talked in a strange yet soothing sort of accent, his own jaw clenching in tense nervousness.

Bane felt the obligation to ask for forgiveness. Clearly the wrong words had been said and he had spoken to quickly.
"My apologizes mam, I assumed incorrectly and I was foolish in my thinking and jumped to early at a false conclusion. A wolf simply does not see a Snow Leopardess on a daily, even yearly basis. I for one have only see one of your kind once before, of a time and place lost to me, only that I remember I have seen your kind before. Your lithe and shadow enveloped forms are easy to miss when you aren't stalking along the sides of your mountains." The make wolf finally trailed off and tensed himself up as he waited for her verbal or physical response.

~*~ Silverback watched with some amusement as the male struggled with a sense of danger and discourtesy. She was not truly offended, but then, even when she was, Silverback was loathe to show it. Much better to smile and grin and let the claws come out of no where. She was used to her presence having strange effects on other creatures. She didn't deal with mutts very often, but they tended to show either outright hostility or blatant fear. She'd never really made an attempt to have a serious conversation with one, but she was curious. Perhaps it could be interesting. Her keen eyes picked up the slight signs of nervousness in the flicker of the male's eyes and the tightening of his jaw. How adorable. For such a scarred, rough looking creature, he could appear quite soft when he was made uncomfortable. And his words were most gratifying. Even if Silverback had been made annoyed by his first question, she estimated that his speech would've been enough to soothe her. He had a decent way of talking this one. The cat's eyes and ears were his as he spoke, but they did not sparkle with true interest until he mentioned another of her kind. But that died away as soon as the word "lost" came. So much for that. Still, flattery has its own sort of balm. Her muzzle was creased with a hint of smile. "That's better." Soft and sweet, her words played into the curls and curves of the icy wind. "Do tell, what is the name of the wolf before me? The one who seems to know so much of my kind." ~*~

An almost minuscule?perking of posture seemed to have captured the leopardess's attention at the mention of another like her, but that went away just as quickly for Bane didn't even notice it. And the wolf couldn't help but give a nervous smile and glance away from the she-cat at her remark. At least the ice was breaking between the two species. Breaking slowly. Very slowly. So slow that Bane didn't even know if he should just beg his goodbye or?faint. But he settled for a third option when she asked his name.

There was no harm in that. She wouldn't just ask the name of a wolf if she was planning on killing it right? "My uh, name is Bane, mam, and may I also inquire your name as well." The snow leopard's voice was like ice moving over ice, so silky and each word sliding over the next. It was enrapturing, to the point where he almost missed her question. "I don't know much about your kind mountain shadow, I am merely relying on a single experience from my youth. I can only clearly recall a leopard jumping from cliffside to cliffside before leaping upon a mountain goat. The rest after that... fragments. I thought your kind lost after the eruption."

~*~ Her words didn't seem to do much by way of putting the male at rest. But that was just fine, the cat liked watching mutt in this half distressed state. He was rather cute. She liked him, that is, she liked to watch him dance - for Silverback, that was as partial as she got. He delivered a name Bane; rather ominous sounding for so unsteady a creature. It bright the light of humorous to those many-faceted eyes of hers. The snow leopard remained standing still, just watching the dog and twitching her long, sweeping tail every so often. He'd asked for her name, but even as she began to open her mouth she paused. No one had ever asked for her name before. The only ones who'd ever needed to use it were her family, and they already knew it from her birth. It was... strange. But Silverback's hesitation was momentary. her grey-white muzzle lifted slightly. Her arch raised proudly and she stepped a massive paw forward to rest light as air on the snow. "I am Silverback," she said quietly. The cat was showing off, letting her feline figure gleam in the cold shreds of light that sifted down through the storm clouds. Vanity and Pride are not sins in a cat's book. They are merely facts of life. Silverback was a magnificent creature and she knew it. She didn't act like she did solely for the point of inspiring jealousy or adoration - but then again, she didn't have to. But the dog's words about her kind, once more gave her pause. She listened to Bane's statement about seeing a cat's terrific leap. How amusing that something something so commonplace to her had created a marvelous lifelong memory in a creature of another species. But 'amusement' did not describe her features when the male went on. Once more the word 'lost' tolled out. A death bell. Silverback's ears drooped ever so slightly. Her snake-like eyes lowered to the snow. "Eruption..." she muttered quietly to herself. She knew nothing of things that had gone in the world beyond her mountain range, but it sounded terrible enough. She sighed, letting the exhale draw the vapors of regret of her being. "Well it was probably then that they were wiped out from that part of the world." She glanced away, back towards the cliffsides and the blue-black ocean churning slowly beyond. "I confess I begin to fear that I am the last of my race." She didn't know why she told him that. Why she let him in upon such a secret that she had been holding in her heart. Was she that starved for companionship that she could blurt out things to a total stranger? Or was it something about this male in particular that made her think he could be trusted? ~*~

The snow leopardess was still except for that long tail that was never ceasing to move. Bane growing interested in the entrancing tail she had. His mind was filled with a younger thought... it would be a pleasure to touch it, maybe swipe at it with a paw. So soft. The mountain shadow gave noticeable pause at his question, and a tilt of her head as if she was thinking. She took a step forward and Bane mirrored her, his paws splaying out to prevent himself from sinking into the snow even as the female leopard spoke her name. Her name was Silverback. Bane could have sworn he saw the leopardess glimmer in front of the backdrop the grey clouds where casting from his lower position. Mesmerizing.

Bane stared at her for a good long moment while his brain fought to catch up with what his eyes were seeing, almost to the point of not noticing the sad way her unpointed ears drooped. The grey wolf saw her say something and then heard the next bit. Bane felt sorrow rumble in his chest, and he took a step closer saying something he agree with as the right thing to say.?"It... it is most likely the case Silverback, and I'm sorry. I am also in a way the last of my kind. My tribe is dead, and it is my fear and hope that no other wolf will follow what we believed in. Maybe it was fate that brought us together?"

~*~ Silverback's eyes remained cast away, gazing at the cliffs and the sea beyond. What the male had said... about jumping... No, Silverback was too proud a creature to ever kill herself, but she could see how another in her place would consider it. Yet if the fates willed Silverback's life was to be one of lonely wanderings, then it would be so. She would have to carry on under the cloak of such a tragedy and find what life she could in the day to day. It hurt. She didn't want to let go of hope. Hope had been the whole reason she'd left her range and gone traveling. If she had to let that go completely... She heard the male take a step closer. They were quite near now, but Silverback didn't register his presence until he spoke. The words came out, agreeing with her fears. Silverback hadn't wished to show faintness of heart, but she could not control the subtle spasm that contracted her lungs and made her throat bob behind the pale neck fur. Her ears flattened, and her eyes closed to mere slits. Silverback had never cried in her life, nor would she now, but if she had ever had a moment of coming close to it... this would be it. All that softened the blow was the male's "-I'm sorry." It was not a mere courtesy or condolence. There was a hidden depth to those words. Like he could actually understand the pain. But that wasn't possible- Or... was it? Bane went on, and Silverback was made to understand. He'd lost something precious too. Perhaps not his whole species, but his people. An older race by the sound of it. The cat's ears began to raise, harkening. She turned her head ever so slightly. She still did not look up, but the corner of one slitted eye could be seen; forlorn and thoughtful. Though her burden was a heavy one to bear, she could at least say that she did not know what she was missing. But to be holding on to something tangible and then feel it all crumble away? Was that a worse pain? Or was it better? For, at least he had a memory to hold onto. Silverback didn't know. She'd probably never have even the chance to find out. But before the silver siren could even begin to mull such questions over, the unexpected came: "Maybe it was fate that brought us together?" The eyes that had been so reluctant to rise flickered open suddenly and focused like pins of light upon the male's. "...what a bold thing to say..." she murmured, but her voice lacked it's own boldness now. It had dropped any trace of teasing or humor. And with her mind still swimming in her own brand of sorrow, the words came out hushed and almost breathless. He had succeeded in taking her by surprise for - lets see, was it the third or fourth time - in their short encounter. Was it even possible for a wolf to understand her deepest longing? She was struck. Was he... could he possibly mean that by sharing their familiar pain they might each soothe the other's wounded heart? Silverback didn't know if she could give a mutt that much credit. He was probably just idly remarking on the coincidence. What a strange meeting this was turning out to be - here, at the end of the world. ~*~

Bane didn't notice how Silverback was choking up, but he did notice her rounded ears flick to attention and her one eye staring at him. That eye was menacing, with a downward slash going along the center from top to bottom. He like that eye of her's. So different. His words about fate reached her and the felines head snapped up to stare at the grey wolf, the leopardess making a comment about his assumption. Bane definitely noticing her sadness now.

"Odd it may be, but it is a helluva coincidence." Bane took the most nervous and cautious step of his life then. It wasn't slow. It wasn't fast. Just a normal step forward. And as he preformed this advancement towards Silverback he spoke all the while. Low voice, calm deminor. "I however take our meeting as a sign. Two kindred spirits, though not of same species, are lost amidst this land of ours though they do know where they are, they don't know where they are. Where they stand in this world. We just might be the last of our kind in our respective ways. But that tells me one thing. We are survivors." Bane settled his splayed paws into the snow and brought it's partner next to it. Bane fought the urge not to howl in sorrow for this leopard for fear of startling her.

~*~ His first words were true but disappointing; they seemed to confirm Silverback's prejudice... but then he went on... and the she-cat was made to readjust her views. Seemed not all were the same. What he said - she could not have said better herself. He brought out the underlying truth of the situation in all it's tragic beauty. They were each of them alone in their respective worlds. But here the snow the boundaries between species were let to fade just enough for them to see a likeness of themselves in the other. Silverback had been raised up with a ingrained distaste for canines; they were brutish and creative, they were wasteful, unnecessarily rough hunters, and when compared to the abilities of such a creature as her, they were toddlers. Such was what she'd assumed was more or less true for all dogs, oh certainly some of them were more intellegent than others; some of them she could have a decent conversation with, but in the long run, they were a sorry species and she couldn't figure out why they should thrive whilst her people died out. But this male... this one was different. Heaven help her... she was starting to feel a kinship towards this one. His plight was like hers. They both deserved better, but knew that whining and sighing would give them nothing. He was right: they were survivors. And whilst this all went on in her mind, Bane was moving forward. They were already close - but now Silverback could feel their fur brush. Her own skin prickled at the sensation, but not exactly in a bad way. The thing about snow leopards, is that they are solitary. In their natural conditions, they only seek eachother out during the mating season. Silverback was getting better at the whole 'being social' bit, she could smalltalk with other creatures to pass the time and ease the loneliness, but being close to another creature like this? In her mind that meant one of two things: fighting or courting; and she didn't feel like causing this wolf any harm. He'd stepped up nervously, one might say reverently, -as it should be, Silverback though- but it seemed that his empathy for her was over weighing his logical wariness. He truly felt for her. And having someone understand like that... the dappled she-cat hadn't realized how much it would mean. Suddenly she was being the bold one. She leaned in towards him, perfectly content to let their bodies brush if he didn't pull away. And she brought her large, round head over to his, snaking out her pink tongue in hopes to let it rasp across the side of the male's muzzle. She was prepared for him to be puzzled, she was too, but she stared back at him unashamed. ~*~

Bane felt his fur touch the snow leopardess's ever so slightly and heart rate fluttered at the texture of her pelt, so soft and wispy. A dreamy sigh shuddered its escape from his muzzle as she brushed her body with his ever so slightly. Silverback brought her head forward and Bane became dazed as he lost himself in her grey eyes with his own pup colored sapphire ones. Suddenly Silverback's tongue was grazed firmly along the side of his muzzle and Bane fought back the urge to snap at her in retaliation.

Obligation to return the gesture, and show that he was unafraid overrode any logic the wolf was supposed to be thinking, and he shifted his head forward.?The grey wolf was tense as he sniffed her cheeks to solidly acquire the leopardess's scent. Then, against all instincts, Bane lick of his own along the side of her face starting at the lower side of her cheek. Lupine tongue went over the feline's eye and ended at the tip of the leopardess's round ear. Bane tensed up in preparation for Silverback's reaction.

~*~ The leopard's touch was not just accepted, but returned. Once Silverback would've thought she'd recoil from such a thing as a dog's kiss. They were beneath her. Substandard hunters that crawled around the same level as raccoons and possums. But maybe.... Just maybe they weren't all that bad. And even if it was just about always true, there could be one exception right? What a strange fluttering she felt in her rib cage when he brought the tip of his long muzzle to her cheek. It didnt seem to matter any more that he was what he was. He had enough mind to recognize her pain, enough heart to feel empathy with her struggle, and enough body heat to soothe the lonliness. She leaned into his touch, her whiskers bowing forward with pleasure and a silky purr vibrating up from her throat; it warbled as the male moved and then faded into a feline's fluttering chuff when his tongue left her ear. It was only after the sound died that she realized she'd made it in the first place. It startled her a little. Perhaps a wolf would know nothing of such gestures, but big cats chuff between intimate friends and sometimes family. It's not something given to a casual stranger and certainly not to a creature of another species. "I'm sorry..." The silver fae murmured, pulling back. She wondered if she'd just embarrassed herself. That would be a first. She tried to explain herself and for once in her life her voice wasnt perfectly controlled and confident. "Just... thank you. Thank you for saying that. For being here." She couldn't really help it, she liked the male and-and his lick meant he liked her back right? Or was that just an assumption based on ignorance of another species? A low rumbling moan escaped her muzzle. "If only you were a leopard." Though it was given a note of regret, for her, it was indeed a great compliment. ~*~

Bane felt Silverback press against his muzzle's touch and her whiskers traced of his fur as they glided along, a strange noise, almost like a growl reverberated from the leopard's throat. But her expression didn't look or seem hostile, so Bane took it as a feline quirk. A chuffing noise was audible at the end of his little administration, the grey male giving a grateful yet nervous smile as he resumed his tongue's caress. Bane didn't understand the meaning of that particular feline noise also, but it almost felt as if Silverback was pleased. Bane closed his maw and gave his own assuring smile. "There's no need to be sorry Silverback, I think I understand it."

Silverback's voiced changed right then and there as she spoke, Bane letting concern for the snow leopardess cross his features. "I'll always be there for one like me." The feline let something very then familiar come out of her maw as she spoke her next words. If only he was a leopard? My my, what a complement she's just given him. Bane rubbed his head under her chin and turned to look up at her again. "What would you have me do? Who said that we cannot be together for tonight?" The grey wolf was sincere in his question as he rubbed his body along her front chest as he slide underneath her head, an imitation of her chuff being given by the wolf. Bane knew what it ment now.

~*~ For supposedly being so different, the male was reading her well. Extremely well. Sincerely, he told her that he believed he understood the gesture, and perhaps also what had fueled it. And with that smile on his face... Scars or no, he looked absolutely adorable in that moment. There was a part of Silverback which liked watching him dance for her, feeling him tuck his head under her chin, seeking her warmth and her touch. It all proved to please her vanity. But that was not to say there wasn't something deeper too. They had been open to eachother. Though only having met for a minutes, it did seem as though fate had made them tailor made to understand one another. To, at least for the time they were together, fill the missing gaps in their hearts. Why could he have been a leopard? Was that too much to ask of the fates? He truly would've made a great one. And it was then that a thought struck her: Assuming that one day she did find a male, and assuming he wasn't dusty to the point of death, what if he was a complete a--? What if he felt nothing of the tugging loneliness or the pride for their species as a whole that Silverback felt? What if he didn't like? Wolf or no, Bane's persona was all that she could desire in a mate. He was deep and sober, wary and thoughtful, and most of all, he was ready to please. Silverback felt her purring unconsciously kicking in when the male brought his skull neath hers. Apparently she couldn't help herself. She hadn't been shown anything like affection since her early days with her mother - and for one thing, that had stopped the first winter after her sibilngs died and the old she-cat prepared herself for Silver's death too, and for another, it was a completely different genre of love. What was happening here and now was something that instinct had prepared her for since she was two, but it had never happened before. "What would you have me do? Who said we cannot be together just for tonight?" The weight of his question was all that was needed to push her over the edge of a decision. As his scarred body thread itself acrost hers, she leaned her head down, stretching her thick neck to let her fur caress his. He was so open. So sweet. And apparently his mind and heart were in the same place as hers. His words rechoed in her head: Who said? An increase of volume to her purr, bringing it from a whisper to a more audible level, was her agreement. His attempt at a recreation of a cat's love-word was precious, and not half bad actually. The sadness and puzzlement had all but vanished from her eyes now, and with a spark of humor, the last trace left. "You're perfectly right, you know," she said, her voice slipping back into silver timbres. Before there could be a break in the contact, the she-cat rose, and tucking her head low, now came up along his side, her purring going through dips and peaks as she moved. Her back arched with pleasure, and she leaned into him, to the point of almost worrying about him falling over. In cat fashion, she rubbed the flat top of her head against his side. "A wolf like you deserves a better fate," she said gently, coming up til she stood beside and slightly behind him. "Lets forget our troubles for tonight." (ooc: probably one or two more posting rounds and then I'll want to fade to black ;) ) ~*~

Bane felt Silverback's rumbling along his left side and gave an odd smile at her feline oriented quirk, his splayed paws kneading the snow upon which the two animals were standing overlooking the cliff. She'd let her neck fur glide over his back as he had walked about underneath her head, the rumble in her chest no longer being felt but heard as a pointed ear swiveled to her direction. The same ear caught her other words as Silverback agreed with him, Bane mimicking another feline chuff as the snow leopardess rose and began to rub her soft body alongside the wolf. That strange rumbling was fluctuating as she ached her back and pressed herself against him, almost making him fall over. Bane widened his stance and pressed back, yet another chuff imitation being given.

The grey wolf's breathing quickened and remained still for the most part as Silverback rubbed the top of her head against his side, her rounded ears being felt as they dug into his side. Bane turned to give Silverback's head a gentle lick with the tip of his tongue. "It is not only me that deserves better you know.?I will be gentle, you've been through too many rough happenings and I will not add another to the list." Bane turned around till he was standing face to face with the snow leopardess Silverback. A paw was wrapped around her neck and he spoke in a mere whisper into the closest rounded ear. "Yes, let us, let us forget all the sadness in our lives, if only for a while we lose ourselves in eachother. A sovereign joining of kindred spirits..." The grey wolf ended in a hushed gasp.

~*~ Though she loved to look full upon that silly face of his, Silverback didn't want Bane to leave her side. The closeness that they'd shared already was addicting and soothing in ways she could never have expected. Her elongated tail wrapped around her, trailing along the ground to curl it's striped end around one of the male wolf's foot paws. But it wasn't as though he had gone far. He even hooked his other front leg around her neck. It was incredible really, to see the silver huntress, the queen on the mountains, turning to a kitten beneath his paw. It was still the same powerful body - the same coiling muscles and wicked claws and jagged fangs - but some new spirit seemed to be animating it. Her eyes were keen but filled with longing rather than sorrow, with hope and humor instead of bitterness. She wanted to plant a kiss on the bottom of the male's muzzle but he was already moving it towards her ear. His words confirmed what she wanted most. For this night they would no longer be alone in a world which had cheated them. They would belong to eachother. fade to black ~ unfade Morning's first grey light was beginning to filter in over the ocean. Certainly, in his endless rounds, old man Sun had thought he'd seen it all but if he peered down at that snowy corner of the world, even he would've been given quite a shock. Laying in a makeshift nest of snow and ice, two figures lay together - a wolf and a leopard. Probably a first as far as anyone was concerned. Silverback was an early bird thanks to her hunting instincts, but with the warmth of the past night still seeping through her viens in blissful sleep, she had never wanted to open her eyes. Awaking next to Bane made up for that though. Her back was still pressed against his belly fur, her own legs flopped out straight beside her. Even as something like consciousness drifted reluctantly to her mind, her head reminded down, perhaps lying in the powdery snow, perhaps cushioned in an obliging scarred, foreleg. The only sign she was even living was the slow, steady rise and fall of that exotic coat, and the occasional shift of her tail which tended to twitch even in her dreams. But yesterday, the waking world had been even better than any dream. Oh there were differences in mating instincts, certainly, but they figured it out. After all, they'd had all night. They were pieces from two different puzzles, and yet they found could still make a match. And the male had kept his word, he had been gentle, probably more so than any male cat would've been; Silverback hadn't even felt the need to sock him. He had been a wonderful partner, but the night had grown old around them and now it was day. Too early for goodbyes though, just yet, Silverback wanted to remain in the forgetful embrace just a bit longer. And she wanted to hear his voice again when the wolf awoke. A wolf. The realization was there: she'd mated with a wolf. But the thought just brought a chuckling rumble to echo softly in her frame. Yes she had - and she'd liked it. But she had no plans whatsoever on making a regular thing of it. She wasn't that lonely just yet. Bane was something special. And she had a feeling he always would be. She wondered idly what his thoughts could be on the matter. Had he been nervous? Intimidated? Honored? Proud? Oh she'd probably find out soon enough when he awoke and she could read his expression. For a moment she considered waking him with lick or a gentle prod, but no no, he was far too adorable laying there. She closed the slitted eye she'd been watching him through, and, with an uncontainable smile, nestled herself deeper into the snow, hoping for a few more precious moments of rest. ~*~

Bane felt something on his paw, and his looked down nervously to see that it was her tail. Silverback's grey eyes reflected a similar and familiar look of desire he had see before in a females of his own species. It must has been universal for wolves and leopards because Silverback was giving the same look. Consent. And as he scraped himself along the snow leopardess's body to get behind Silverback the male wolf was already beginning to ponder several ways of how they could do this. And the snow leopardess and grey wolf had all night to try and find the best one.

-Fade-

~~~~~~

-Fade in-

Dawn broke, Bane's prostrated form was laying against her back, a forepaw draped across her shoulder to hold her close with the other acting as a cushion for which she lay her head on. The grey wolf and snow leopardess lay amidst the drifting snow, they're body heat not the only thing keeping them warm last night. A low wall of iced over snow having formed around the two sleeping forms, Bane feeling the way his mating partner's sides expanded slowly with air with the rise and fall of a peaceful and exhausted nights sleep. At least it was Bane that was exhausted and he didn't doubt their nights activities were not just his burden.

Silverback and Bane had spent a while seeing what would work and wouldn't as they let their similar mating instincts guide them. Both found that although they differed in species, some things remained the same. The wolf didn't remember any complaints when they'd locked together, or give any of his own when he had to crouch, even as Bane and Silverback wasted the night away together in the numerous and passionate joinings they had together as the leopardess and wolf found comfort with one another's similar souls. Two wandering and lost spirits had done something no other wolf or leopard was heard of attempting. And as they finally decided to cease they're activities Bane was relieved to have not received any smacks of the leopardess's wide paws.

The grey wolf stirred in his sleep and relished in the immediate warmth Silverback was providing. Disbelief and pride swept across his mind as he remembered what they had been doing last night. Bane had mated with a snow leopardess, and to be honest, that was all right with him. A gentle lick was given along the back of her feline neck, his tongue going over a spot before closing his maw and leaning over to whisper in a round ear. "You awake?"

~*~ Silverback could feel pleasant shivers dance over her spine at Bane's method of waking. Her eyes were still closed, but she let out a trilling sort of moan that answered for her. "If I must be." she added in a whisper. But now that he was awake she did want to see him. Eyes just beginning to slit open, she raised up her head a little, shifting her weight to the elbow of the foreleg nearest the male. Her lips peeled back in a luxurious yawn that showed all her teeth, had had her whiskers curling up over her head. But then her face returned to normal. Her tail meanwhile, had slipped around to brush against the wolf's flank. It was incredible how close she felt to him. Not so much attached, but bound, certainly. She could not deny the bond she felt with this creature of another species. She'd felt it the past evening strong enough to erase nature's boundaries, and now - now it was strong enough to shake her soul. She was an independent species, not given to ever going so far as to settle down with a life mate, but they could still love. Intensely. Bane had already discovered that though. -- And it wasn't just the physical codependency or any such thing. They were the same. It had felt like their very souls had mingled and touched. It wasn't just about the acts, it was about the time spent inbetween, the talking, the caressing; Silverback wanted to know more about the male. She wanted to share secrets and stories, to feel his licks one more time before she took her departure. She looked down at him then, seeing the contentment that seemed to glow from his body as it did hers, and the subtle hints of surprise and pride that showed in his lupine eyes. It assured her she'd made a good choice in a first mate. Even if he could not give her pups, he had given her heaven for one night, and a memory to last a lifetime (which for snowleopards, is about twice as long as a wolf's). "You are glorious, love," she purred straight out as she watched him. "And I never thought I'd say that - well - about any creature really." She shrugged, a gleam of humor shinning in her eyes as they curled back into pleasured slits and she let her neck once more lay across the snow. She rolled into her mate slightly, turning so that she lay on her back with her feather soft whisps of white belly fur in the air. For a moment, she stretched out her hind legs that had grown taunt with ecstasy, and then she just curled up like a kitten, the top of her flat skull resting now and then on the ground as she looked up at him. "Tell me a secret, Bane," she asked of him. "Perhaps something about yourself, perhaps some memory bright enough to not hurt in the remembrance." Those cat's eyes, usually so guarded and clouded with a hundred different angles and thoughts, were quite clear and honest. She fully intended to trade some of her own for some of his. ~*~

Bane traced his paw up and down along Silverback's side as he lay his head back down in the snow, enjoying the way her body twitched. Silverback raised her head to look back at the wolf after she moaned her reply, her eyes cracking open in feline narrowness as the she-cat braced an elbow while giving a yawn, Bane getting a good look of her fangs as he remained peaked over her before settling back down against her back. The snow leopardess's tail drifted up to her side and rested alongside the flank of his skyward hind leg. The grey wolf had never felt so alive ever since last night, Silverback truly completing his life. The nuzzles and licks given as they stroked each other between their numerous sessions were things he'd always remember. For all intents and purposes, Bane didn't mind that she wasn't a wolf, their time alone being the best he'd ever had.

"I'm glorious only because you were such a good and patient partner. Such a passionate night I'd thought for sure that I would be clawed by you." Bane smiled up at Silverback when looked behind her at him.
"You were full of surprises to." Bane rose to his front elbows and nibbled the side of a rounded ear as she rolled onto her back against him, belly in the air as she curled up adorably. Bane adjusted a paw underneath her head and another on her belly, Silverback say she wanted a secret of his, and Bane mimicked a chuff the end of her request.?"Secrets you say, I've gathered at few in my life, and there isn't another I can think of I would want to share them with."

Bane reflected for a moment before speaking.?"I've had a forbidden midnight tryst with an Amenti female, and she was in heat at the time of our union. I wouldn't be surprised if she became heavy with young. And the joy I would feel, it bring me happiness after such a long time, watching them grow." Bane lay on his side away from her and gave an outward stretch of his legs, hearing the pops of tendons and muscles stretching from their use last night. He rolled back against curled up form and brought his neck under own to whisper in an ear.

"If you ever need me Siverback, come find me to the south along the northwest side of the only lake to the mountains of Seracia and find the trees with the marks upon which my right shoulder bares, my den will always be there." Bane gave her an honest look and a caress with his tongue was stroking below at the base of a rounded ear. He wish they could be together forever.