Vanille had come to call for Arcturus later in the day and with the winter upon them that meant less room for day light. She typically helped him with hunts for Elysium and of course some for herself as well but today didn't seem to be one of those days.

They made their way around Firefly Lake which wasn't out of the norm for them. Vanille figured him staying close to his family and temporary pack was better since there was no one waiting for her back at home. She wouldn't say of course but she did value Arcturus' life more than her own. He had others to depend on him, she did not.

With the winter months, the fireflies of the lake were no longer floating around. But as the skies drew darker, it seemed the clouds cleared up the sky and there was a vast canopy of stars above them. Without saying anything, Vanille looked at Arcturus before stopping to lay down and roll over, looking up at the stars from the edge of the lake. She didn't speak as there was nothing to say. That was okay with her, and she didn't feel anxious about any silence between them if he kept it that way. Maybe that meant they were comfortable together.

"Vanille"
Base By WatermelonCreature

Arcturus never turned down a chance to spend time with Vanille regardless of what they ended up doing. He followed her without complaint over to the nearby firefly lake which had become a frequent spot for them for the times that they weren’t hunting except maybe for the occasional fishing trip. He still understood his mother’s logic for having them join up with Elysium for the winter and he was glad to spend some time with his family now that he was slowly beginning to pull himself out of the pit he had been living in, but he was kind of looking forward to being able to hang out with Vanille and not have to make her call for him at the borders every time and spend chunks of their time just traveling to wherever it was they were going.

When they got to the Firefly Lake it was already dark, but the sky was clear so every star in the sky was bright and visible. He looked to her and their eyes met for a moment before his blue hued friend laid down and rolled onto her back, her rose pink gaze turned up toward the sky. He was about to lay down as well without really thinking much about it, but as he came over to her side his sapphire gaze glimpsed her slender form and he quickly looked away with a bit of warmth coming to his cheeks while he laid down and rolled onto his back as well, trying to clear his mind as he looked up at the pretty night sky as well.

The conversation he had with his uncle recently made him rethink the way he felt when he was with Vanille and in some ways it made some stuff make way more sense but it also made him worry that maybe he’d accidentally go too far if Vanille didn’t feel the same. He had always thought that she was really cute, but he hadn’t really thought about what that meant or what it could lead to. He just liked being around her and he liked the little butterflies he felt when he looked at her. His front paws settled over his chest while he tried to brush off his thoughts and all the stuff Indigo had told him while very carefully making sure his gaze was on the stars and not wandering somewhere else.

"Arcturus Indarra"

Vanille hadn't really noticed the way Arcturus may have been looking at her. Maybe there was a little shift in his demeanor, but nothing she would pay attention to. They had gotten comfortable enough that what he may have been experiencing was not bothersome or out of the ordinary to point out. So she wouldn't notice. She couldn't say she felt exactly the same way. But maybe that was because she was hiding those deeper feelings and being more naive than she would know. She did really like the time she spent with Arcturus, but she wouldn't go anywhere beyond that.

She had laid there looking up at the stars with him without saying a word, she was fine with that. If he spoke she would listen, but for now she was quiet. Like the stars were whispering to her.

She shifted her body just slightly while still laying on her back, gently leaning the top of her head into his at an angle. And again settled there in the chilly grasses under the stars. "I've never traveled this far until you moved here." She stated, just a bit of conversation. She didn't mind the travel at all, in fact she quite liked it. She was getting used to the path from home and back but traveling had opened up her mind to other places in the world she could see. A young mind speaking. She was quite reserved so she did feel a little bit like an eager child to the thought.

"My mother taught me how to get home if I was ever lost." Her paws raised up the the stars as if drawing the line west of here. "It never seemed to happen. I never forgot though." Her voice may have turned a bit somber and Arcturus couldn't see the slight squint in her eye as she thought, "The Long Night is a little fuzzy though."

"Vanille"
Base By WatermelonCreature

Arc was content to lay quietly with Vanille for as long as she wanted, just happy and comfortable with her no matter what they were doing. Then he noticed her shifting and felt the top of her head against his and he smiled softly, tipping his head so that his cheek rested against the top of her head. They still looked up at the stars, but he wasn’t really paying attention to them. They were like the visual equivalent of background noise while his attention was really on Vanille even if he wasn’t looking at her.

He didn’t know why he was surprised to hear that this was the furthest she had traveled and seemed to only do it because he moved up here. " Really?” he questioned curiously. His mother had always been so set on them exploring the world and seeing as much of it as they could so they had been all over the place since they left Armada and struck out on their own. They did usually keep some kind of home base, but she had always encouraged them to go out on their own as long as they were safe about it. It didn’t really occur to him that others didn’t grow up in the same mindset.

She went on to say how her mother had taught her how to get back home, his sapphire gaze following her paw as it traced out a shape in the stars. Even if she had never needed to use it that was still a handy skill to know. He realized she had never really mentioned her mother or family before now and he was about to ask about her when Vanille brought up the Long Night. He gave a little frown at the thought, thinking about how strange everything had been during that time. It had happened right after his father’s death so it was all pretty fuzzy for him as well, but probably for different reasons.

"Did you get sick?” he asked gently, remembering that many of the wolves in Armada while they were still living there had caught a strange, mysterious illness during the Long Night.

"Arcturus Indarra"

It wasn't really that she wasn't allowed to leave or wasn't promoted to, but she was so young when her mother had passed that there wasn't a need for her to go out and travel. And once that happened she didn't really want to travel too far from home. It was difficult having a life on her own at such a young age, not that she had opened up to Arcturus about it. She was pretty quiet and reserved but she was more comfortable with Arcturus more than he could know.

When he asked if she had been sick she shrugged her shoulders and her head tilted inwards to him as if to face him but the way they were laying she couldn't fully look at him. Her gaze moved back up to the stars as she responded, "I don't know. Maybe?" She had seen the effects on the other animals and prey but she had never met any others that had been sick. "No one was around to tell me." So she'd really have no clue what had happened in that time frame other than the parts that vaguely flashed over that now that he had mentioned it she did feel sick and not right. She was still here though somehow. Under the stars with him.

It had seemed like they had just got here but as Vanille looked up at the clear winter sky she realized how late it was getting. "I should probably head back. It's getting late." She didn't jump up to leave though because... she didn't want to. In her heart she needed to go back home to her den that she had shared with her mother, but she also was starting to get in an emotional spot where she didn't want to leave Arcturus.

"Vanille"
Base By WatermelonCreature

He had managed to evade the illnesses that he had seen some of the wolves around the Armada get during the Long Night so he wasn't entirely sure what it was really like so when she said how she wasn't sure if she had been sick he wondered if maybe she had been and it had made her memory foggy. Either way, he was glad she had made it through it okay so that they could be here together now. His own memory of those months wasn't exactly the best or most clear either and what he did remember was just him hiding out in the den and avoiding anyone and everyone in his grief. The only real memory he had was Tira dragging him out of the den to go chase fireflies. Other than that it was all kind of a blur.

It felt like they had only just laid down and suddenly Vanille mentioned how she should be getting back since it was so late. His gray-backed ears flicked with disappointment and he turned his head to to look at her, his cheek against the ground while he remained on his back. She didn't get up right away and neither did he. He normally tried really hard to not come off as too attached or clingy out of some kind of fear that he might come off as desperate or something like that so usually he didn't put up a fuss when she got ready to leave, but as they both laid there he got the sense that neither of them really wanted to leave.

"If you don't want to go you don't have to," he told her softly, a little hopeful that maybe she might decide to stay. "Or... If you want me to come with you I will." He still didn't know the full extent of why she kept to the den she lived in so firmly or why she seemed so reluctant to leave it, but if it was easier for him to come to her then he wasn't against doing that either. He'd have to come back to the pack because his family was here and he had some duties he was responsible for right now, but that wouldn't always be the case. His sapphire gaze looked over her face, trying to figure out what she was thinking or what she wanted, but it was hard. Girls were more difficult than he imagined.

"Arcturus Indarra"

Vanille had only glanced at first as Arcturus turned more to face her, but once she realized what he was doing she too turned into him with her paws curled into her body but close enough to graze along his own paws or body. It was a sense of comfort of being around him, she didn't mind being this close to him. She quite liked it actually but her thoughts had been clouded by other things or just her own young naivety.

Her gaze was up towards him for a moment, and when she finally went to speak she looked down at her paws and where their bodies may have met. "I want to stay here with you. But I need to go back." She went quiet for a few more seconds, there was a tension building there within her. For such a quiet girl maybe not noticable, but maybe noticable for Arcturus who had spent so much time with her. She was holding her breath, really trying to contain herself. It wasn't really scary to think of sharing things with him... it was just hard to face.

She took a quivered breath in but she wasn't crying, there weren't any tears. She just couldn't really bring herself to look up at him because she felt like then maybe she would start crying. As comfortable as she was around him it was still embarrassing to think of that happening. "My mother... died last winter." The thought of it was really overbearing but she was still able to stay mostly reserved for now. Her paws flipped in front of her as she looked at them, at her paw pads as if she were remembering what they had done that day. She had tried to save her mother but not even a master healer could have. She didn't really blame herself for her mother's death but still thinking of her dying under her paws was a harsh memory she avoided the best she could most days or nights.

"Vanille"
Base By WatermelonCreature

As Vanille shifted to face him he did as well, both of them facing each other with their paws lightly grazing one another while he waited for her response. He could see some kind of hesitation even if he didn't know why or what was causing it and eventually she responding but not before she looked down at her paws. It was hard to hide the disappointment he felt when she insisted that she needed to go back even though she wanted to stay with him. It was hard for him to understand why she couldn't follow what she wanted, but the way she tensed made him worry that he had hit some kind of nerve or made her uncomfortable somehow. He almost shifted to move away and give her more space, but she hadn't moved so he remained for now, watching as she seemed to struggle to get out what she wanted to say.

When she did finally manage to speak he was caught off guard by the truth she shared, but not because of the sad news of her mother's passing. He blinked with shock at the similarities in their lives that had crossed over in unexpected ways. It certainly explained why she was on her own. He didn't know why her father wasn't in the picture, but the fact that her mother had passed was explanation enough. A look of understanding and sympathy crossed his face as he softly sighed, gently taking her paws in his own and giving them a light squeeze. "My father passed away last winter as well," he admitted quietly after a moment, trying to give her a little smile.

He didn't like to think about his father's death. He had already thought about it again and again and thought through every little detail that could have gone differently. At this point he had committed to moving past it at his mother's encouragement to do so. He was lucky to still have his mother and sister and even his uncle to push him forward and keep him looking ahead, but he realized that he had never heard Vanille talk about anyone. She had been alone every time he saw her and had never smelled anyone else's scent on her. "It's hard... loosing someone like that. I'm sorry you had to experience that too." he said softly, his ears flicking back.

"Arcturus Indarra"

Her gaze stayed down at her paws as Arcturus took hold of them and explained himself nearly the same story. And it was very similar and very heartbreaking. A girl to her mother, and a boy to his father. Vanille would never envy him for having more than her though. She didn't have the kind of dark heart to be jealous that he had a mother, and a sister, and an uncle. She had come to terms with being alone long ago or what felt like it. And she couldn't be more grateful for Arcturus sharing his life with her.

She still couldn't really bring herself to look back up at him, that fear of fully losing it still at the front of her mind. But her paws slowly drove forward to hug around his barrel under his arms while her cheek found comfort in the mane of his chest. That's where tears finally fell but neither one of them would know as she stayed still right there holding him. She had nothing really to say but she felt the same. She'd hurt for his loss just the same as her own. She did really care for him.

She stayed there for a moment, seeing nothing but his dark fur under the moonlight and hearing his breathing and the soft beating of his heart. She finally carefully pulled her face back to look up at him, her eyes flicking over his face with the remnants of her tears down her cheeks. Her nose was dangerously close to his, but she wouldn't push forward. As if she didn't know how. But would either of them know? She did feel this pull, this urge to connect their lips, but she didn't. Instead stayed there just gently looking up and down the bridge of his nose.

"Vanille"
Base By WatermelonCreature

Arcturus watched Vanille while she kept her gaze hidden from him, looking down at their paws where he held hers. Eventually though she slipped her paws from his and instead shifted forward to slip her forelegs around his chest, hugging herself to him and making his eyes widen with surprise for a moment. Having her suddenly hugged so tightly to him, her head resting on his chest in the thick fur of his mane, it caught him off guard and made his heart flutter in his chest which he desperately hoped she didn't hear or catch onto. It only took him a beat to get his bearings though and his expression softened as he slipped his forelegs around her as well, returning her hug and gently rubbing her upper back to comfort her. As he kept his head tipped down and his sapphire gaze lingering on the top of her head he had to fight against this pull to hold her closer or nuzzle her cheek or some other kind of affection—and just as the thought crossed his mind she lifted her head from his chest to look up at him.

His breath caught as her muzzle lifted, so very close to his and making his heart skip and stutter in his chest again. His gaze flicked across her features as well, his ears folding back at the darkened fur where her tears had run down her cheeks. That tug and pull to her was even more difficult to ignore and after a few moments he didn't want to ignore it any more. His stomach fluttered with nervous butterflies with the fear that he might mess something up or misinterpret all of the signals she was giving him, but in the end he decided to just go for it and hope for the best. He tipped his muzzle forward, crossing the slight bit of space that still separated them, and gently pressed his lips to hers.

It was soft and uncertain at first, feeling that first press of her lips against his and his first ever kiss in general, but he quickly settled into the feeling that rushed through him in a way he couldn't really describe. He lingered there for a few moments, giving her a few gentle kisses before his lips slipped away from hers to move over to her cheeks. He kissed away the remnants of her tears, moving from one cheek to the other before finding his way back to her lips for one more kiss. He pulled back just enough for his gaze to find hers again, a little grin tugging at his lips. "Let me walk back with you?" he asked softly. "I don't want to keep you from your den if you really want to go back... but I can stay there with you tonight."

"Arcturus Indarra"

Vanille hadn't felt really anything like this before. She could almost compare it to the early days with her mother or really the whole life she had known with her. But no, this was completely different. She hadn't known many others besides Arcturus but she knew this was different than anyway she could feel towards anyone else. This was a completely new comfort she found in him.

She stayed just there as each of them looked closely each other's faces until Arturus finally made the move. It wasn't something really unexpected, everything just seemed to come naturally between them. She wouldn't pull away or stun in shock. Instead gently pushing into his light kisses with her own. It may have felt a little weird and awkward at first but really it wasn't. They seemed to work through the first little pecks easily.

Her eyes still stayed closed from the kiss as he pulled back and took her tears away which seemed a little less embarrassing now. When he kissed her one more time she did finally bring her gaze to his again. Her own ears pulled back slightly when he asked her if he could stay with her tonight. Which she wanted, she really did. One of her paws rose up over his chest just in an affectionate way as she padded down at his mane, "I can't keep you from your family." Her eyes moved back down maybe showing how much she did want to accept him walking her home and staying with her. But Arcturus still having family was more valuable to her than herself. She wouldn't stop him from coming but she wouldn't ask.

"Vanille"
Base By WatermelonCreature

Arcturus could tell that she was reluctant to deny him and she didn't tell him no—only that she couldn't take him from his family. He smiled a little as she patted lightly at the floof of his mane. He even liked something as simple as that—just having her laying in his embrace while she messed with his mane. "Yes you can," he insisted, his paws gently rubbing her back. "I see my family every day. I can be away for them for a night. Plus, my mom raised us to be independent and explore. She knows I can handle myself and doesn't mind if I'm gone for a night." He tipped his head down to kiss her forehead affectionately, his mind still boggled that they had crossed over this threshold in their relationship so that he could finally give her all of the affection that he had been too nervous to give her up until now. "I want to be with you tonight." Even more than that, he didn't want her to be alone. She had never made him think that going back to her den alone had ever bothered her, but after an emotion filled night like tonight he thought they could both use the company.

"Come on, lets get you home," he told her with a gentle squeeze before he let her go, carefully untangling from her before he stood up and gave his coat a quick shake. He looked up and waved Bream down from a near by tree, the bird constantly following him whether he asked him to or not, and told his companion to go back and let his mother know that he was going to be gone tonight just so she wouldn't wonder about him. He didn't think she'd be too worried, but it also wasn't really like him to not be home. If it was Tira she probably would have been a lot less surprised. He turned hs gaze back down to Vanille, giving her a toothy grin before waving her forward. "Lead the way."

"Arcturus Indarra"

Breaking the ice was new, but somehow she felt like she just fell into place right here beside him. The way he touched her, the way he kissed her forehead, maybe it had been prolonged how they were feeling. And now everything just felt so right and natural to her. She could feel it in him too.

Still, she couldn't really explain those deeper, darker emotions she felt when she told him she couldn't take him from his family. It was more like she didn't want to ruin the mood, or relationship between them. She wouldn't know just how this was supposed to go, or could go. But right now in his arms she wouldn't think beyond just where they were right now. It was new and enticing, but Vanille was just in this bad mindset of everything going wrong. She couldn't quite feel that way right now, but right under the surface it was there.

She felt the loss of him when he moved to get up, and it made her want to pull up to him and keep him down. But she didn't. Instead feeling that wall of his absence and taking a moment to get up herself while he set his bird out as a messenger. She could muster out her own soft smile as he looked back her, and without much else she went to move on back to her home.

After the travel they had made it back to a dug out den on the tree line edge of the Rio Grande. Vanille had considered if only for a moment staying outside of the den or at least for a little while but with the cold and late night she took a pause just where she had the center of her small camp before turning an eye to Arcturus and heading inwards of her den. She hoped her gaze was inviting enough but when she was laying down inside she did feel a strong urge to wrap her paws around him a little more affectionately than when they were just at the lake. She did miss him being so close if only in the short time between then and now. She still felt a little awkward in doing so, or maybe more like she was desperate or clingy. But she also felt like Arcturus could understand her.

"Vanille"
Base By WatermelonCreature

With the issue of taking him away from his family for the night settled, he followed her back to her den, happy to be able to spend more time with her. He always hated when they had to leave one another at the end of the day and at least for tonight they wouldn't have to. They were quiet as they made the trip, but comfortable silence had always been easy for them. He walked at her side, looking down to her with a smile from time to time until they reached the den in question. It was a simple but effective home of a dug out den near the river and the sound of the rushing water filled the air along with the quiet chirps of crickets. It was peaceful and they were most definitely alone out here which gave him a level of privacy he had never really had since he had been with his family all this time.

Arcturus caught her gaze as she looked back at him before slipping into the den and his heart fluttered in his chest as a goofy, happy grin tugged at his lips. He no longer wondered or questioned why she needed to come back here, he just accepted that this was her home and that's why it was important. He was sure if they had remained in the Armada he would have the same kind of attachment to a place, but since he had spent the large majority of his life up until this point traveling and moving from place to place he didn't. Regardless, he was more than happy to follow her into the den as she led the way. The space was tight for a wolf his size so he was a bit hunched over until he could get settled down with her, curling around her to fit comfortably in the small den. Even though they had just been snuggling together by the lake he still felt a small twinge of awkward shyness as he slipped his forelegs around her to pull her to his chest, the feeling only disappearing when he saw that she was comfortable and wanted that too. All of this was still so new and he felt like he was just figuring it out as he went along, but it made him feel like nothing else and he loved every moment of it.

Holding her tightly like this in the darkness of the small den, she had his mane as a pillow and his warmth surrounding her and he quietly hoped that soon they would get to sleep like this every night. He didn't have to worry if she made it home okay, he didn't have to wonder if she was sleeping alright. He could see all of that for himself and rest easier knowing that she was here with him. He tipped his head down and tenderly kissed her forehead again as he gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm happy I'm here with you, Vanille," he whispered as he nuzzled her ear, his claws lightly trailing through the fur on her back as he eased her to sleep, staying awake until he felt her breathing deepen and slow and the weight of her starting to fully relax into him. For a little while he laid awake with Vanille tucked into him and he just an awe and a happiness that he couldn't really describe until he finally drifted to sleep himself, fully relaxed and happy with her in his arms.

"Arcturus Indarra"