After the day and night that had taken her and her twin all across Boreas in a series of bloody fights, they had come back to the caves and quietly settled in her secluded alcove. They had enjoyed more of the affections that were new to them until they finally passed out with exhaustion from their long day, tangled tightly together in the pile of plush furs in her room. It was hard to go back to their days as normal after that, but there was work to be done around the pack with the plans that her and her mother were working on with the near by lake and some improvements that would need to be built on all of their lands. She never complained about the work that was placed on her and was proud to be able to do all of this with her mother for their pack that she was set to one day lead, but it was hard to keep her focus there when all she really wanted was to run off for a day of adventure with Saracyn again.

She came back to the caves late after spending the day scouting and planning at all of their various territories, making lists of materials they would need and who she might assign each task to. She briefly passed by Saracyn's den, peeking inside and seeing his sleeping form in the shadowed darkness. A soft, slightly sad smile touched her lips, her white tipped ears flicking against her skull for a moment as she quietly moved off toward her own den. She didn't want to disturb him, but she hadn't gotten to spend any dedicated time with him since the day they shared together that had opened up a whole new side of their relationship that she hadn't been expecting, but very much treasured. She laid down in her bed and for a while just stared at the wall, willing sleep to come, but it never did.

Eventually she convinced herself that Saracyn wouldn't find her waking him and if she had to guess her twin would probably prefer it. The way he looked at her, the way it felt when they were snuggled together... She couldn't even begin to describe how it made her feel and that was exactly what she needed right now as she tried to quiet her busy mind and relax. She got up again and went across the path that wound through the cave system to where Saracyn's private alcove was once more, stepping into the familiar space and not hesitating to settle down into his bed beside him, gently lifting his foreleg and slipping into his embrace as she leaned her head into his chest. It always felt like coming home when she was with him, like some part of her wasn't quite right without him, and now that she was pressed into him it felt like she could breathe a little easier and a soft smile lingered on her lips as she sighed softly, her dark eyes closing as she slipped her forelegs around him.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

The quiet space of Saracyn's private alcove was disturbed by the soft sound of shifting bodies on top of the massive bed of plush furs and breathy sighs and gasps. Avacyn pressed closer to him, her long legs wound around Saracyn's neck as he held her by her sides tight to his form. He could feel her hot breath against his lips with every rapid exhale she made, the pair of wolves breathless as they gazed into one another's eyes. Saracyn lost himself in the depths of those obsidian eyes, his paws gripping tighter to his twin as if she might disappear if he dared let go. This embrace was far more intimate than any of the cuddling they had done before, but already Sara knew he'd never be able to go back to the way things were before. Ava peered up at him with half-lidded eyes, her gaze shifting from his own down to his lips, then back up again. Saracyn didn't say a word—he didn't need to. He knew exactly what his sister wanted, because he wanted the same thing. Bringing his muzzle back to hers for what felt like the first and also the hundredth time that night, Saracyn kissed Avacyn with a tender love and passion, losing himself in the whirlwind of wild and new emotions like a wild ride he never wanted to end.

Bright cobalt eyes snapped open with a start as Saracyn awoke in the darkness of his private den. The world was still quiet and dark—nighttime. He blinked his eyes a few times, letting them adjust to the darkness as he stretched out his athletic form across his wide and much too spacious bed. A dream... it had all been a dream. But it had been a dream based on memories. That night he and Avacyn had returned from their chaotic trip around Boreas, worn out yet riding a high of adrenaline and freshly discovered emotions for one another, the twins had stayed up for as long as their bodies would allow them to, cuddling in the privacy of Ava's alcove like they had when they were pups. Kisses and affections were shared until they both crashed from exhaustion, and when they awoke the next day, they had to return to their normal lives. But despite that, their relationship had forever been changed, evolved into something far stronger and more intimate. Saracyn had never felt what he did for Avacyn with any other wolf. He couldn't explain it, and he couldn't give the feelings names, but he liked them. He liked them a lot.

Following that day, the twins had returned to their daily routines. Between their tasks and their parents' ambitions of expanding Elysium to take over the Firefly Lake, the brother and sister had been kept occupied practically from dawn to dusk. Between the hunting efforts he aided and Ava's general managing of everything as she learned to be the next Genetrix, the prince and princess didn't get much time to do things on their own. That made him even more grateful for the day they had shared together. But since then, Ava had infected his every thought, invaded nearly every dream. Even if they couldn't spend time together, she was with him. The thought brought a sigh from the Mendacium lad as he lay in bed, staring into the darkness and willing himself to fall back asleep. While lying there, he heard the soft sound of paws and claws on the stone floor by his door. Peering through the dark, he saw a wolf in his doorway with the unmistakable glow of Avacyn's marking. He glanced at her, wondering if she'd come for more cuddles and kisses, but the next thing he knew, she was moving on, no doubt heading for her own bed. Disappointment wrenched the young wolf's heart, and he resigned himself to closing his eyes and trying to sleep again.

No more than a few minutes had passed before he heard paw steps again, this time coming into his private alcove. Sara kept his eyes closed, but one ear remained perked and alert, listening as his visitor came right up to his bed, then climbed over the furs to cuddle up to him. His nostrils flared, surreptitiously breathing in their smell and finding Avacyn's scent of vanilla and cedar wood. The corners of his lips twitched in a playful smirk, waiting while she carefully lifted his foreleg to tuck herself in against his side. Already Sara felt a million times better, like parts of him that made him whole had come back with her. As soon as she'd settled in with him and began to relax, Sara sprung his trap, wrapping both forelegs tightly around Ava's sides and pulling her body tight to his as he embraced her, curling his neck down to nuzzle over his sister's crown and grace her brows with gentle kisses. "Caught ya," he whispered with a roguish grin, his bushy tail coming up to find her's in the darkness and gently entwine around it, keeping as much of her wrapped up with him as possible.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Avacyn had just begun to relax into Saracyn's warmth when all of the sudden he grasped her against him tightly, making her gasp softly and open her eyes again to see the soft glow of his special marking in the darkness and the gleam of his grin. She chuckled and grinned, her tail thumping softly against the bedding happily while he nuzzled and kissed the top of her head and brow. "You certainly did," she whispered back with a giggle when he said how he had caught her. His tail stopped her wagging as it entwined with hers, making them as tangled together as they could possibly be. Her head settled on the soft fur of his chest while her forelegs squeezed around him. "I couldn't sleep. I missed you," she explained softly, though she doubted he really needed an explanation. If he felt even close to how she did, which she knew he did, he would just be happy that she had decided to join him.

She nuzzled into his chest and her paws gently rubbed his back with a tender affection, more at peace than she had been in a few days. She wished they could be like this all the time, always snuggled as closely as possible together with not a bit of space between them. She fully relaxed into him, her smaller form fitted perfectly into his. She hovered somewhere between staying awake and drifting off to sleep in his arms for a while before she finally decided to listen to the soft flutter of butterflies in her stomach and the dance of electricity through her nerves where their bodies were pressed together. She lifted her head from his chest, blinking open her dark eyes to find his in the shadows of his room, seeing his matching marking and the soft gleam of his aqua gaze in the pale light it gave off.

A smile pulled at her lips and she tipped her muzzle up to find his, their lips meeting and causing her heart to skip a beat in her chest. Her forelegs instinctively tightened around him as that initial kiss deepened and her lips pressed more firmly to his. Her eyes drifted closed again with a small, quiet whine, the soft noise carrying her deep need for this moment and for him. Her paws followed the curve of his sides, up over his chest, to slip around his neck to hold herself tight to him while her tongue met his with another soft whine to anyone else might not have meant much, but Saracyn knew her inside and out. He would be the only one that really knew the emotion behind that whine and how much even just kissing him like this made deep waves of rolling need and love go crashing through her.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

The quiet gasp that Avacyn made when he grabbed her made Saracyn's heart do a little skip in his chest, thumping faster in time to the beating of Ava's tail against the ground as it wagged with glee. He loved seeing his sister happy, loved knowing that he could bring his twin such bliss. He saw it in the way she grinned, the way her tail whipped back and forth, and the way she looked at him. He was just barely able to make out the happy glint in her obsidian eyes thanks to the gentle glow of their matching markings, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to see her at all. It was strangely intimate lying with her like this. They had spent almost every night of their youths cuddling at night in their shared bed as they grew up, but this felt different now. The whole tone of their relationship had shifted and things that had at one time been innocuous sibling matters now felt like they had a much deeper meaning to them. As they tangled themselves as closely as they could, Sara found himself calm and content just listening to Avacyn's steady breathing next to him. Her presence calmed him, soothed him, brought him peace that nothing else in the world could.

While Ava snuggled in closer and rested her head against his fluffy chest, she admitted that she couldn't sleep when she missed him. Sara's expression softened, his heart melting for his perfect twin. One large white-tipped paw slowly moved up her side to stroke soothingly over her cheek. "I'm always be right here for you," he murmured in reply, his voice gentle yet adamant with conviction. She didn't need to justify any reasons to come cuddle with him, though he did appreciate the confidence she had in him to trust him with this vulnerable side of herself. "I missed you too." The twins laid like that for a while in the stillness of the night, embracing one another as if there was nothing else in the entire world besides the other. To Sara, that was partially true. Avacyn was his sole focus, the only thing that existed in his world right now. It was just him and her. It was that simple.

Quiet murrs of delight rumbled in the adolescent dire's chest while his twin's tiger-like paws rubbed over his back, kneading into taut developing muscles with a tender affection that made his eyelids flutter. Gods, Ava knew exactly what he liked! Just as she did, he also wished they could be like this always, pressed as closely to one another as physically possible. He'd been emotionally bound to his sister since they were born, but now that they had a physical element to their relationship too, he found himself craving the closeness of her body, her paws touching him and her lips on his. He never wanted to separate from Avacyn—never. They fit together like pieces of a puzzle meant for one another. Neither wolf said anything for a long while, Sara listening to Ava breathe while they snuggled and she stroked over his back, her movements gradually slowing while she drifted off toward slumber. Sara smiled, stroking paw pads over Ava's cheek and head, petting her while gently ushering her off to sleep.

But that moment didn't come. To Saracyn's surprise, Ava instead snapped back to alertness, peering up at him through the darkness with this excited little smile on her lips while their gazes met. Sara didn't have long to wonder what was on her mind before Avacyn answered his question by bringing her lips to his, kissing him with a familiar tenderness that he loved. His eyes drifted closed, his heart quickened, pulse racing hot in his veins from the contact and he eagerly moved his muzzle back against hers, falling into harmony with his twin's motions. His foreleg around her side tightened as well, holding her close while his paw on the back of her head gently held their mouths together, cradling Avacyn in his embrace while he kissed her. That small whine she made sent a shiver rippling through his body, stirring things inside the adolescent he hadn't felt before. It made him want to kiss Ava all the more fiercely, wanting to feed that need she was communicating to him.

A low, rumbling growl-groan left the young wolf in reply, holding on to her while her paws roamed over his sides and chest, coming to loop around his neck while she pulled her body tighter to his until she was all but wrapped around him. That was when Sara felt and tasted Ava's tongue against his own for the first time. Saracyn gave a surprised murr that quickly melted into a pleased hum, letting his instincts be his guide while he made out with Avacyn. Neither one of them was experienced, but they didn't need to be. They'd learn everything together, and they'd learn what their partner liked along the way. In a way, that was actually an even better experience. Ava gave another soft whine and Sara responded immediately by sliding his paw on her side lower, looping his strong foreleg around her waist to fully pull her against him, every inch of their underbellies pressed together with Ava's legs practically around his waist with the way they were lying in his bed. Saracyn uttered another low growl-groan sound from deep in his throat while his tongue danced with Avacyn's, refusing to let her go or give any space between them, no matter how hot his body felt like it was burning. He would immolate himself before he allowed himself to separate from her.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Avacyn was always astounded by this softer, more caring side of Saracyn that it seemed like only she got to see. How he held her, how he looked at her, the gentle way he stroked over her head and cheek as he tried to lull her into sleep... She loved everything about her twin, but this side of him was probably her favorite. She wasn't sure if she just liked these moments with him because of the love she felt from him or if it was because they were special and unique just to her. Perhaps it was a little bit of both. When she lifted her head from his chest and brought her lips to his he didn't hesitate in responding to that desire with some of his own, holding her in a way that took her breath away and swept her up into every emotion that only he had been able to bring out in her. His large paw holding the back of her head and his strong foreleg wrapped tightly around her sides sent little shivers from the top of her head to the tip of her tail and the instincts she was still getting to know were crying out to press closer to him, to wrap herself up in this feeling.

The groan that Saracyn made when her tongue found his while she deepened their kiss made her heart skip, feeling the rumble of that sound through her chest and reverberating through her like nothing else. Her paws that were wrapped around his neck flexed and gripped a the thick black and red fur of his scruff, holding herself as tight to him as she could, but it wasn't until he responded to her whine by wrapping his foreleg around her waist to pull her body as tight as he physically could to his that she felt like she might be close enough to him. Their making out was desperate, heated, passionate, messy and inexperienced, but it was perfect. It was everything she needed and wanted. Something about the dark, secluded night made it all feel so much more heightened, almost as if she had actually fallen asleep and this was really a dream. The heat that built from her core and radiated out over every inch of her skin felt like it might burn her up from the inside out, scorching everywhere they touched, but in the best way she could imagine. Every time they kissed and made out it seemed to get even more intense and tonight was no exception.

Her instinctual drive to be even closer to him brought one of her hind legs up to hook around his, keeping herself as wrapped around him and tangled up in him as she could be while their lips were locked together. She could feel his heart beating as wildly as her own from their chests being pressed so tightly together and the den was filled with quiet, muffled sounds of delight from the both of them as they got hopelessly lost in one another. Saracyn had always looked out for her and given her everything she needed and wanted, even if she didn't know that's what she needed yet. She hadn't realized just how deep her feelings and connections to him went until he unlocked them and now it made her realize everything that had been simmering just under the surface. She wasn't sure how long they made out like that for, but eventually she was forced to pull back from his lips by her lungs aching for air. She broke their kiss with a soft gasp, panting lightly as she blinked open her eyes to find Saracyn's face once more.

She was met with the familiar glow of their special markings, but the brightness of that glow stood out even more than usual. Logically, she was able to make sense of it with their elevated heart rates and body heat likely causing some kind of reaction with their unusual markings. In her heart she wanted to believe that the connection they had between these markings that designated them as the rare and special set of twins that they were had lit up even brighter because of their physical connection and the love and passion that they were showing to one another. A grin pulled across her lips as one of her paws moved from the back of his neck to his cheek, her white-tipped toes tracing along the shimmering marking around his eye with delighted awe. "I love you," she whispered softly, lightly kissing the tip of his nose.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

All alone in the quiet stillness of the night, tucked away in the privacy of his personal alcove, the twins were living in their own little world. There was nothing else that existed in this moment for the lovestruck Saracyn. There was no pack, no other wolves or world just outside, there were no parents sleeping soundly just down the tunnels from them who could wake up and catch them in the act. Nothing but Avacyn. She was all that existed to Sara, her and her alone. She enthralled him, captured his every sense, haunted his every thought. Everything about his violet nebulous twin was perfect—utterly and totally perfect. She made him feel emotions and sensations that were foreign and new to the yearling, emotions and sensations that he had little doubt she was experiencing along with him. And judging by her reactions, she was loving them as much as he was. Her every quiver, shiver, and shift of her body was felt and received. Her paws gripping at his scruff caused his own to flex and grip at her hip. Sara never wanted to let Ava go in this moment.

Deep down, primal instincts were awakening for the first time, driving the young male to cling possessively to the fae sharing his bed with him tonight. The fact that they were twins had no bearing on the matter—if anything, it amplified his emotions, just as the dark amplified his senses while he savored and enjoyed this moment of blissful passion with his sister. Everything about this moment felt romantic, raw, and right. The heat simmering low in his belly began to seep its way through every fiber of his being, searing him alive from the inside out and intensifying anywhere their bodies touched. But it still wasn't enough for Saracyn. He still needed Avacyn closer, tighter, more his. These feelings that had begun that night beneath the auroras had grown stronger every time they kissed and every night they spent together since, culminating in this tempestuous roiling magma core burning up inside of his body and soul. Their actions were unpracticed, inexperienced and messy, but it was so quintessentially them, and getting to share and learn with Avacyn as they went was one of his favorite things about this relationship they were forging together. They would learn how to do these things together, learn what the other liked, learn how to perfect it so he could keep hearing more of those lovely little whines she made or feel her press herself all up on him like she was doing.

Amidst their making out, Saracyn felt Ava shift her lower body closer to his, lifting her hind leg to fold it over his hip and hook behind his own leg, draping herself around him like a silk sheet. The contact brought their bodies as close as physically possible, gently tugging his lower half into hers so he was nearly settled between her warm, silken thighs. Sara groaned again in response, the deep guttural sound of feral bliss rumbling in his chest while he luxuriated in Avacyn's presence. His large paw on her hip grew bolder, moving on instinct to curl around to the small of her back, then slowly followed the curve of her body down until he was holding her by her shapely rump just above her tail. White-tipped toes flexed over her flesh, kneading tenderly into her supple muscles while he cradled his love like that with her hips pressing into his in ways that made him feel strange and hungry like he never had before. Together they created a quiet symphony of muffled sounds of pleasure together, her whines and his groans along with the subtle shifting of bodies atop the fur bed while they got completely lost in one another.

Avacyn was such a heady experience that Saracyn didn't realize how long it had been since he'd taken a breath until Ava broke their kiss and his lungs burned with that first breath of fresh air, the yearling gasping for oxygen along with her. Cool-toned eyes flickered open, gazing at his twin though half-lidded eyes to notice the same thing she did: their matching markings glowing more intensely in the dark, so much so that he could see Ava's gorgeous onyx irises clear as day. There was no logical part of Saracyn's brain still functioning at this point, so he simply took the brighter glow of their marking to be a part of the love they were discovering together, the thought bringing a smile to the young brute's lips. It was like a physical representation of the bonds they were building, just as their souls were tethered together, and it only served to further reinforce in his mind that this was how things were meant to be. Him and Avacyn—always him and Avacyn. He felt his twin's paw move from his neck to stroke up over his cheek, tracing his marking on the left side of his face so gently it made his skin and fur tingle. He was gazing into her eyes, losing himself again when she professed her love for him, so she would see every millisecond of stunned shock that crossed his face, followed immediately by warm love and unrestrained joy in his cerulean gaze. His heart raced when he heard those words, his marking giving off an extra bright shine for a moment while he replied, "I love you too."

And he did. Oh, how he did! Saracyn loved Avacyn more than any other wolf in the world. More than his family. More than himself. He loved Avacyn with everything he was and everything he had. For her, he would have gladly been culled so that she may live. He would have fought the world to the bitter end if she needed it to be done. For Ava, he would build temples and tear down empires. He would plant forests and move mountains. For her, he would do anything. The light kiss she placed at the end of his nose made the usually brooding adolescent grin wide with so much happiness that his tail began to quiver in its entwined hold with hers, unable to wag but unable to keep still either. "I love you so much, Avacyn. I want to keep loving you for the rest of our lives and forever, and nothing's going to stop me from doing that for you." Sara knew the lessons that Manea had taught to them both from a young age. He knew about finding his soulmate—but maybe he already had. Their mother had told them that siblings could never be soulmates... but they weren't just siblings. They were twins, unique beings blessed with an Ancient soul apiece. What if their unique situation made them a unique exception? That had to be the case, because Saracyn could only believe that he'd ever feel this way for Avacyn. They were meant to be together, with her leading the Mendacium family one day, and him at her side as her mate. That's why he'd been made and allowed to live, why they were twins with their own souls—so he could be hers forever.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Avacyn watched as the emotions crossed her brother's face after she admitted her love for him, seeing the shift from shock to a deep love and joy that reflected from her own gaze. It wasn't like they had never said that they loved one another, but it had never been like this. What had been an innocent expression of affection between siblings had become something else and while she still didn't fully understand what she was admitting or how she felt, it still felt real and true. There was no second guessing and no regrets. A genuine, loving smile pulled across her lips as he replied in kind, her heart skipping a beat and her own luminescent marking glowing and shimmering along with his. When she kissed his nose and she saw the bright grin that crossed his face and felt the delighted quiver of his tail against hers she knew that this was exactly what she wanted. His happiness made her happy like nothing else and if just giving him the love she already felt for him could do that then she wanted to give him all of the love in the world.

Saracyn confessed his love and how deeply it ran, telling her how nothing was going to stop him from loving her forever, and she had no doubts that he meant it. In the back of her mind she heard the lessons they had gotten from their mother. She knew every word and had studied the Mendacium laws front to back. She knew the expectations that had been put on her as the next Matriarch, she knew that the laws stated that they would never find their soul mates in their siblings. Still... The way she felt when she was with Saracyn and the love she had for him couldn't be a fluke. All of this had to be real and if it was then what did that mean for them? Did this connection that she felt to him not make him her soul mate? They had already defied most of the Mendacium laws by being born as twins and being allowed to have both of them live. Could they continue to defy the laws when she was supposed to be the ones upholding them?

She leaned her cheek into his to chase away her doubts, breathing in his rich, uniquely Saracyn scent as her nose pressed into the fur of his neck. For tonight at least she didn't want to think about or consider any of that. She just wanted to live in the blissful ignorance of knowing that Saracyn was going to love her until the end of time and she could love him endlessly in return. She wasn't going to think about the consequences of that or how the family might react. For now it was just them tucked away in his room, concealed in the darkness of night with just their matching markings giving them light. She curled and shifted until she could press her face into the crook of his neck, slipping her forelegs around his sides as she clung to him and held him snuggly to her. "I just want to stay like this forever," she told him softly, closing her eyes and getting lost in his scent, his warmth, and the safety she felt being wrapped in his embrace—away from the pressure and expectations of everything else. She started to relax into him and the longer she laid there the more the sleep she had struggled to find before started to creep up on her. Part of her didn't want to sleep, she just wanted to keep living this perfect moment, but if she was going to have to sleep then at least it would be in Saracyn's arms.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

There was a secret part of Saracyn that feared confessing his feelings to Avacyn so boldly. He knew her destiny and duty as the heir to the Mendacium family and Elysium hinged entirely on her ability to uphold their laws and beliefs, and what he was saying was in direct opposition and defiance to those teachings. He knew he should have thought or felt differently, but he couldn't, he just couldn't! Avacyn was his entire world, his everything, his morning and night, his beginning and his end. How could something be so wrong when it was the most certain he'd ever felt about anything in his short life? How else could anyone explain their existence, their uniqueness? Even their own mother, the current harbinger of their family's laws, could not explain the circumstances beyond fate or destiny. Surely that trumped everything else.

Fortunately, Avacyn didn't seem taken aback or revolted by his declarations, instead leaning her cheek up to nuzzle his with tender affection, which he happily returned with a quiet rumble of delight. The simple show of love made his heart flutter, his glowing marking stuttering with its light in response to his racing heart rate. He gently rested his muzzle between her ears, nuzzling into the nape of her neck while she buried her face into his, breathing in the sweet and woody scent that was so uniquely Avacyn like it was his own personal brand of cocaine. Gods, he could get high off of her for the rest of their lives...! All the heavy thoughts weighing on his mind seemed to disappear into nothingness when Ava curled closer into his embrace, burying her face in the crook of his neck between his throat and shoulder and clinging tight around his sides so nothing could separate them. Sara's large white-tipped paws curled tighter around Ava's slender sides, one around her waist and the other around her midsection to keep her held securely to him while they snuggled in the quiet darkness of the night.

Saracyn's eyes slowly drifted closed, letting darkness consume his sight while he basked in the touch and warmth of Avacyn. He peppered her forehead between her ears with little kisses. This was his little slice of perfection here with her, a moment he never wanted to end. As if reading his mind, Ava echoed his thoughts in her words, and Sara gave her a tight squeeze in his arms. "We can," he whispered back to her, speaking with his muzzle gently brushing the edge of her ear so only she could ever hear these words. "You can have anything you want." All Avacyn had to do was say the words, give the command as the future Genetrix and her word would be law. They could share these moments for the rest of their lives with no inhibitions or restrictions or expectations about them. They could live their days together, never to be apart. Those were the final thoughts Saracyn had before sleep took a hold of his tired brain, and with his twin cuddled up close to him, the young wolf fell into a deep, restful slumber.

"Saracyn Mendacium"