The two of them had been steady doing what they could for Valta as the pack was getting it's bearings and settling into the new territories. That seemed like ages ago and maybe it had been. But as things started to settle, all of the time between then and now started to blur together. Everything but those deeper moments Vanille shared with Arcturus, and of course her favorite time of the day where they would meet in his den for the night. It was a life she was growing accustomed to.

She had decided they needed a break, or more that he did. Not that they were really working too hard. Valta was very relaxing, filled with a number of capable and skilled wolves to hunt and take patrols or go scouting for other resources. But she still felt like the little get away would be worth it.

She didn't really have anything planned for the night, just for that true alone time the two of them could share. It did feel different in some way the further they made their way from the borders. Maybe there was a part of her that was just feeling a little bit too young and girly, Arc seemed to pull that out of her the longer they stayed together.

She had picked up some sticks and logs along the way, placing them in a temporary bag she had found in the pack stores that had flint to start the fire. The autumn into winter was growing cold so she planned ahead for that. She guessed it was the perfect time to make a trip like this. Near the cliffs edge, not too close of course, she started the fire with Arcturus' help setting up their little camp under the partly cloudy skies. And soon she would join him to settle by the growing fire. Laying with her side hooked to his, a paw reaching forward to clasp with his, and her gaze looking up at the stars while she leaned her head into him.

"Arc & Vanille"

Arcturus certainly took after his parents when it came to working hard. Even though Valta certainly had more than its fair share of well skilled individuals, he still couldn't help but put in just as much work if not more than some of their other members. It was the kind of structure and motivation that he had when he was a pup and had lost sight of when they struck out on their own. He had rediscovered an appreciation for that kind of thing in the time that they had spent in Elysium, but now it was even more true since they were living in a pack that had a significant portion of their members that were related to him in one way or another–and of course because of his desire to protect and provide for Vanille. She was a capable woman all on her own, but it was just something that felt fulfilling to him to be able to do these things for her.

Still, when Vanille insisted on taking a break and making time to take a short trip away from the pack he couldn't say no. They didn't get a ton of time together between their respective tasks besides when they both came back to their den at night so the opportunity to spend some real quality time with Vanille was more than enough to pull him away for a while. He helped her gather some wood along the way, carrying some bigger pieces that wouldn't fit in the bag she bought, and once they reached the scenic view of the cliffs he helped to get their fire going. The weather was brisk and a bit chilly, but once the fire was going it would be plenty warm enough. Settling down onto the soft grasses, Arcturus laid with Vanille tucked into his side and smiled as her paw came to curl around his. Being with her had become such a normal part of his life now that he couldn't imagine going a day without her anymore. Curling around her much smaller frame a bit more, Arc dipped his head to nuzzle affectionately between her ears. "Thank you for making me do this," he said with a little chuckle. She always seemed to have a way of knowing what he needed before he knew it himself.

"Arc & Vanille"

Vanille pushed gently back into Arc's affections, a small smile growing on her lips that he may not have seen but could probably feel without. She too had been growing more dependant on his company, his companionship. And as she had told him before, there was always that fear of losing him. It was lesser at times, but it was always there. The curse of losing someone so close to them. It was what made her feel so connected to him, he could understand the loss.

"I hope I didn't force you out here." She joked quietly, knowing that wasn't the case. There were new parts of her that had unraveled as she became more comfortable around him. Before she may have seemed so closed off and shy. And she still was at least pretty quiet. But she opened up more and became herself as time went on. Another thing that came along with being alone for so long.

She looked back up at him, her ears folding back slightly as she moved in to give him a kiss on his muzzle, not a quick peck but not a long and deep one either. "It's pretty cold out." She suggested, her paws squeezing a little more around his foreleg. She hoped he would get the hint to invite her into an embrace which was hardly different than how they were now. She knew she didn't necessarily have to ask, but tonight she was playing a bit of a game with him. Or maybe testing her own feelings and emotions while they had the time alone together.

"Arc & Vanille"

Arc grinned and chuckled when Vanille insisted that she hadn't forced him out here and he responded with a soft, doubtful hum, but the playful grin he wore showed he was merely joking. Of course she hadn't forced him to take some time away, he and wanted this for both of them, but it was still her idea and her initiative that had made this happen. He appreciated her for it regardless. As she wrapped around his foreleg and reached up toward his muzzle, he leaned down to meet her half way, pressing his lips to hers to return the tender kiss she offered. He had never thought of himself as a very affectionate wolf, but Vanille had brought out so many different sides of him and made him realize so much about himself in their time together. He knew he wouldn't be this way with anyone else, but he was just happy being able to have someone he could be so relaxed and comfortable with.

As their kiss broke and Vanille mentioned how it was cold out, Arc smirked and chuckled at her not so subtle hint at what she wanted. "Well, I certainly can't have you getting cold," he teased as he slipped his foreleg out of her grasp long enough to drape it around her as he shifted onto his side. He scooped her up into his embrace easily, pulling her much smaller frame into his own with the plush fur of his mane that trailed down his chest acting like a pillow for her. Now that he was fully matured his fur had grown out into a full lion's mane with the trail of longer fur tapering off at the bottom of his chest. Sometimes it felt like his excess fur got in the way or was more trouble than it was worth, but it wasn't so bad when he was getting to be an extra source of warmth and comfort for Vanille. His large paws slipped around her slender frame, holding her snuggly to him while his head rested on the fur they were laying on and he looked down at her affectionately, a little grin lingering on his lips.

"Arc & Vanille"

Vanille was glad that Arcturus really wouldn't even need her to ask. She knew the two of them had grown comfortable in affections towards each other not that she had ever really been against them. She had never been in a relationship before just as him, but as time went on she grew and flourished in what he offered her. And that extended into their home too, not just their own physical and emotional connections.

She took the moment to find that comfort in the plush of his mane, maybe not a new feeling but something that would never grow old to her. He may not have been able to see the smile on her face as she pressed her cheek into him softly, but he may have felt it was there anyway. Times had surely changed for her.

Her gaze pulled up to look at him as they got more comfortable and she couldn't help but feel butterflies from the way he looked back at her. She wondered if that would ever change. She'd eventually pull her ears back and push forward to keep kissing him, gentle paws moving up and across his chest and shoulders. She grew more hungry and eager as they went on, as they had before. They had shown passion for each other time and time again. It would only be a moment or so before she pulled back with a little gasp from their broken kiss. She looked back up at him, a paw petting down at his mane while she almost considered not asking at all. "Have you ever thought to..." She paused while it wasn't entirely an easy subject she supposed. But with him, she felt like she could talk about anything. "Take us further?" She wasn't oblivious to the idea of what 'average' couples did, or maybe in a sense of what was expected of her. Maybe not from Arc, but it was something in the back of her mind. He'd never given her a reason to find something wrong with them, but there was a flick of doubt as her heat season had come and gone. Not that she was ready to have children or anything, she knew how to take care of contraception. She felt the changes in her body and her desires as she came of age. She wondered if he felt the same, or even if he was saving himself for marriage. She had never really explored those emotions for herself.

"Arc & Vanille"

There was no hesitation in returning her kiss as she leaned up toward him to catch his lips with hers, not that there ever was. He had been slower in his advances than perhaps some other males would have been in their situation, but he had never been shy about holding and snuggling Vanille or sharing many a passionate kiss with her. He loved all of their affections and he was no different from any other young male in his instincts and desires, but he and still somehow managed to take things slow, even after they moved in together. He had never really thought about why that was or what was keeping him from pushing for more–not at least until Vanille broke their kiss and their eyes met again, her words almost mirroring his thoughts as she questioned him about taking them further.

There was a few ways he could have taken that question, but he knew exactly what she meant. "Of course I have," he replied easily, giving her a shy grin while his paws rubbed along her lower back. "I've thought about it since that night we kissed by the lake. But I... I care about you a lot. I wanted to make sure I was doing this right for you and giving you a good relationship. I didn't want you to think this was all just because I'm attracted to you. I'm not sure if I really even know what that's supposed to look like, but I hope I'm doing okay." His ears flicked back bashfully as he spoke, giving her a gentle squeeze around her sides while he held her tight to him and leaning his muzzle down to hers for a softer, shorter kiss.

There was a moment of hesitation before he told her more softly and with a bit less certainty, "My sisters and I all have different fathers... And I'm sure my mom loved all of those men in one way or another, but... I've never wanted that. I know there's like... ways to prevent that from happening and all that, but I just guess I was afraid of accidentally bringing pups into the world before I was really sure about who I wanted to spend my whole life with." He knew he could talk about anything with Vanille, but there were some things that he still had a hard time admitting even to himself and this was one of those things. Any time he was reminded of his father or his scattered, broken family it was difficult, but it was worth it to share this part of himself with her and help him explain why she was so important to him. A little smile pulled at his lips as he added, "But I've found that with you. I can't imagine being with anyone else. I'm not saying we're ready to be parents or anything, but... if it happened, I'd be excited to have a family with you."

"Arc & Vanille"

Vanille was quiet as Arc had spoken his piece. She almost went to speak out in response to the way he was feeling, but then he continued to open up to her. All of that was perfect to her. She really did rely on him emotionally and she was more than happy to see just how honest they could be with each other. She would do the same.

"I've been scared... a couple times." A little confession, not anything that had been holding her down. She knew she wouldn't really have to explain why. Arc had known she had been alone for a long while before they met, so to say she had never done anything like that before wouldn't even need to be spoken she assumed. Same with what she would say next, but it felt like it needed to be said. Like it couldn't be said enough because he knew. "I care a lot for you too Arc." She shone a grin up towards him as her head gently rubbed into the inside of his foreleg in affection. She couldn't pin point exactly why she was scared though. The feeling, maybe wondering what could change between them had they continued on. But Arc telling her that there was no one else he'd want to move even a step beyond and have a family with, it was more solidifying to her than she could tell him. She didn't like to act overly clingy or emotional, but the truth was that she was that way. She was good at keeping at least the harder emotions away. She did focus on the good because her past, and his too had a lot of harsh roads along the way.

She had kept still through the time he had spoken, her paws gently kneading into his fur every once in a while but otherwise just giving him her full attention. Honestly, she wouldn't think that the way he spoke, and what he opened up to her about was difficult for him. Not that it was an easy subject, but he did show her that talking to her about it wasn't so difficult. She could feel the same with him now. "I don't know much about my father." It wasn't very hard for her to talk about not only because she was fully comfortable with Arc but because it was something she had come to terms with at a very young age. "My mother never spoke badly about him just that he wasn't ready for me." Maybe not exactly Arc's own childhood, but she could relate to not wanting to jump into the depths of family life so quickly. "I'm glad you found me though Arcturus." He had given her more than she imagined or expected. She didn't have a bar set high, but she knew Arc was a good man.

"Arc & Vanille"

Arcturus gave Vanille a gentle squeeze in his embrace as she admitted her fear. Even if she didn't share or couldn't put into words what had caused it, he at least hoped that his presence with her helped to ease some of that. The grin she gave him as she expressed how much she cared for him in return told him that he was probably doing alright at that. All he really wanted was for her to be happy and even if he didn't exactly know what a solid, happy relationship really looked like, as long as she was happy he had to assume he was at least doing something right. He nodded quietly with a look of understanding as she admitted that she didn't know much about her father, a small frown pulling at his lips as she shared how her mother had told her that her father hadn't been ready for her. He couldn't help but wonder if that was really true or if it was just something that her mother had wanted her to think, but there was no way for them to know now. He felt like he had known his father pretty well before he was killed, but had he really? That was a topic he wouldn't let himself ponder for long, but still he wondered from time to time what his life might have been like if his father was still a part of it.

As Vanille told him how she was glad that he had found her, she pulled his thoughts away from their families, bringing his full attention back to her and to them. Their relationship and the love they were building together. It pulled a smile across his lips and he tipped his muzzle to press a kiss to her lips in response. "I am too, Vanille. I'm so glad I have you." His lips quickly returned to hers as he shared another kiss, but his lips didn't leave hers right away. He lingered there, his sapphire gaze slipping closed with a soft hum of delight as he let himself just enjoy the feeling of her lips on his and having her much smaller frame tucked into his own for a long moment. Making out with her wasn't exactly new for them. This level of affection had become familiar over the time that they had been living together as their relationship steadily grew and became more comfortable, but with the thought of taking their affections further freshly on his mind it somehow felt different as his forelegs tightened around her waist and their kiss grew more passionate the longer it went on. He had grown used to the feeling of that warmth spreading through his core sparking a deeper desire in him, but where he would usually try to ignore it and push the thoughts away, he let himself follow where that instinct and desire wanted to take him as he got swept up in the love he had for Vanille.

Without consciously making the decision, he rolled with her so that she was on his back beneath her, his larger frame resting lightly on top of hers. He continued to kiss her passionately for several more long, heated moments before he finally realized the position he had put them in and he gently pulled his lips from hers with a soft gasp, panting lightly as he blinked open his eyes to look own at her. Every instinct wanted him to keep going, to finally satisfy this long held back desire, but he hesitated and looked to her instead for direction. His broad tongue gently swiped across her chin as a quiet whine escaped him, a quiet question of whether or not she was just as ready as he was to finally take that next step in their relationship. He would wait for her forever if that's what it took if she wasn't ready, but he knew that she was the wolf he loved and he was ready to fully share that love with her if she was.

"Arc & Vanille"