After their day spent roaming Elysium lands apart from Fia giving Stolas some of his own time to do so and at least another painful family dinner to get through, Fia assumed Stolas would have been tired and saw him back to the guest den he had occupied. She figured he’d be going home soon, maybe even tomorrow. She could understand the hardship of being away from family herself even while she hadn’t done so before or even really thought about it. It wasn’t a particularly easy thought when she thought of him being here.

She headed back to her own den, maybe not realizing the differences in time that Stolas usually occupied at his home in Ashen. She guessed it was normal for most wolves to find time during the day and sleep at night. She did a little of both to be honest. And so she would take a short, few hour nap back in her own den. Her mind got the best of her though even while she found some sort of tranquil enough solitude and slept some. And after so long of laying awake in her den she rose to leave, and head towards her friend’s temporary den again.

Quiet paws on the mountain paths were second nature to her, and the only thing Stolas would have been able to hear if he did was her lightly calling out, "Hey, Starboy," She’d walk into the den if she needed but at least wouldn’t push him around. "Come on." asking him along before heading up the trails to an open ledge the island had to offer. She knew he’d love the view of the clearing spring skies and past the shores on the horizon of her home.

"Fiametta & Stolas"

Stolas had greatly enjoyed his time in Elysium! He had never been to another pack for any extended periods before, and getting to see and experience Elysium's culture had been an exciting and eye-opening experience. The fact that he was spending all of this time with his best friend was the cherry on top of the proverbial cake for him. Fiametta kept him occupied with tours and sightseeing opportunities across her home, capturing Stolas' fascination with the beautiful island and the lands the pack had claimed along the coast as well. Her family was friendly and welcoming to him, whether because of his family lineage or his relation to Fia he didn't know, but he supposed it didn't really make a difference. He was glad to be welcomed so hospitably by the Mendacium wolves, and despite the ribbing and dark humor sent his way by Alastor, he had a nice time getting to see their way of life and their customs.

But all good things had to come to an end eventually. After a few days away from home, Stolas knew he would have to return to Ashen to resume his duties and studies. His little vacation had been a grand experience and he was already eagerly anticipating the next time he'd get to visit, or perhaps even planning when he might be able to host Fiametta down in Ashen. Still, he knew going back home would be bittersweet for the both of them. He could only hope the time between their visits wouldn't be too long or difficult. He really did not want to lose his only friend again. After another dinner with Fia's parents, the flame-marked girl had delivered him back to his den, the two parting without incident. He would need to be heading home in the next day or two, he supposed. But gods, was it hard convincing himself he needed to go back when all he wanted to do was keep hanging out with Fia. Left alone to himself in the quiet of his den, Stolas fell into a gradual dreamless sleep.

A few hours passed before his light napping was disturbed by a voice calling to him from outside. The paw steps of his visitor had either been so quiet or he'd been so asleep that he hadn't noticed them, but when he came to, it was Fia's voice calling to him from outside. "Fia...?" he mumbled back, getting to his paws with a stretch of long legs before trotting out to find her. It was still dark, just around midnight, the times Stolas was usually most active. His sleep schedule had gotten a little out of sorts adjusting to Mendacium time, but he could fall back into his routines easily enough. Besides, he wasn't that tired enough to not want to hang out with his fire-marked friend. Fia told him to follow her, and follow her he did, a curious tilt to his head while dark paws fell easily in line with hers. "Uh, sure. Where are we going?"

"Fiametta & Stolas"

As soon as he was outside the den and following along Fia shot that all too familiar crooked smile his way, a face she only shared with the few in her family. Maybe Stolas didn't know about the cold shoulder she typically gave others, he may have had the chance to witness sooner or later. He should have at least known she wasn't made of sunshine and rainbows. "You'll see." A silly thought of some kind of initiation had crossed her mind, but that wasn't why she was dragging him out of bed. They weren't going to go see a dead body or anything.

She led him up the mountain paths to one of the clearings a little higher than halfway up the ranges, somewhere there wasn't a lot of den traffic so they could be on their own up here. Nothing new. She took a seat, rounding her gaze to look back at him and pat her paw on the ground beside her. She wouldn't plead with big eyes though, like she knew he'd come to be beside her anyway. Fia had little or even no doubt of Stolas being her good friend.

She'd wait until he was making himself comfortable seated beside her when she leaned up against his shoulder with her own and her cheek into his neck. Not really pushing into him but with no awkward tension between them. "I knew you'd like it." She wouldn't even ask if the skies and the midnight oceans were beautiful, she just believed she knew enough about him to know he'd think so. Maybe not so different from his old southern home of Ashen, but maybe something completely different. She felt it was for her even with his being the only place she knew best. Being here beside him brightened up something new in her life, something she was digging into discovering.

"Fiametta & Stolas"

Although Stolas had never been on the receiving end of Fiametta’s standoffish personality, he was not oblivious to the introverted manner she carried herself around others. He had always known her as the short spoken girl who had engaged with him first at the Samhain bonfire though, and he had only seen her blossom and come out of her shell since then. He was blissfully unaware of just how differently Fia treated him, though given enough time he would come to realize how her interactions with him differed so greatly from anyone else. Likewise, she brought out a much more confident and outgoing version of himself when he was with her. On his own, Stolas was a stoic and austere wolf akin to his sire, but with her he felt wholly alive. With Fia, Stolas felt like he had a drive and a purpose.

Fiametta remained tightlipped as she led the way for the two of them, giving him little more than cryptic encouragement as she guided him up the mountain paths in the middle of the night. All Stolas could offer was a raised eyebrow and follow behind her. He trusted her of course, but it still made him wonder what she had in store for him. Eventually Fia seemed content with their destination: a small plateau near the top of the mountain range that leveled out and offered an expansive view of the island below, the sea surrounding them, and the heavens above. Even without her patting the place next to her, Stolas was already walking up to sit beside her, gazing up in wonder at the endless sea of stars, constellations, and galaxies above their heads. "Whoa..." Haunches flopped back to the ground, the tall brute gazing up at the sky with amazement. He had never seen the sky this clear before or quite so large!

Stolas' fascinated staring was only interrupted when he felt the gentle warm pressure of Fia leaning into his side, bringing his gray gaze down to find her briefly. She was snuggling up into his side with her cheek resting on his shoulder. A little smile and flushed warmth came to the young wolf's face. Turning to look back up at the sky, Stolas tilted his head to gently rest his cheek on Fia's head, his bushy tail giving a slow and happy wag behind him like a feather duster on the ground. "You know me well," he quipped back, half amazed by the sights she had brought him to say, half stunned by his own realization. Fia knew him well. She had taken the time to learn him and his passions, and she had remembered them. Had Widow ever done the same for him? Did she even remember him wherever she was? Ordinarily, thinking on his long lost first love would have brought him pain and regret—but this time, he didn't feel anything. The memories made him feel nothing at all. All of his emotional response belonged to Fia now. She was his future, and she was worth a million of his pasts.

"Thank you," he whispered, though it wasn't clear what he was thanking her for. For the view, maybe. For getting to know him. For being a true friend. Or for being the reason he didn't hurt anymore.

"Fiametta & Stolas"

Fia wouldn't know the struggle that Stolas had, and either way he was hiding it well. At least for now she wouldn't feel like Stolas looked at her and saw someone else. She never felt that way. She wouldn't have any reason to. For her everything started with him. All of it was unraveling before her eyes, and she could see what she saw in him. A little at a time, in every moment. She still wouldn't notice it plain as day, but that was on her own choice. It was almost like she wanted this to last for as long as it could. Just the two of them, friends, the best in each other's lives. She didn't know what would lay beyond that, but she knew every part of this was special in it's own way.

As he may have expected, she didn't say much. Relaxing into his side, some sort of relief in the way she gently pushed into him. Eventually she'd straighten up, her gaze still out on horizon and her shoulder still against his. Savoring the moment maybe, but really just preparing for the next. Maybe not so obvious, but her nose slowly turned toward his face. Dark slitted eyes gently blinking as she looked up at his slightly taller frame. She would give him a moment to notice, but in due time if he didn't she would take that next step forward. No doubt in her mind. Not for her inexperience, not in any fear of how Stolas felt about her. She knew, and she was willing to take what was hers. Pulling him into her lips hopefully just by pure emotional drive alone, but she would physically if she had too. If he was too nervous to do so himself or maybe if he didn't want to at all.

"Fiametta & Stolas"

This moment was perfection to the young starry-eyed brute. Truly nothing could top sharing this magical experience with Fiametta! It might have been silly to think of such a simple and mundane instance as having such a profound impact on Stolas' life, but compared to how the rest of his time on earth had gone, it really was the simple things that he found the deepest meaning and joy in. There were no expectations or stations for him to uphold, no decorum or calls to stand on ceremony as was dictated to a wolf of his prestige. He wasn't a lord of Ashen, nor was she a noblewoman of Elysium. They were just Stolas and Fiametta, two wolves, two friends. He could forget about his sordid past and the difficulties that had come with it. He could let go of any preconceived notions of who he was supposed to be or how he was supposed to behave and act. Nothing else mattered because there was nothing and no one else here. Fia had never held any grand suppositions of him nor did he feel the pressure to be someone on her behalf. Being with her was liberating as much as it was thrilling. He doubted she would ever know just how much she had done for him already.

Stolas was far too captivated by the beauty of the midnight scene to pay much attention when Fia shifted to sit upright at his side. He did, however, notice when she tugged at him for his attention. Graphite gray eyes blinked to snap him back to the moment, and the taller brute turned his head to face his friend just in time for her to bring her muzzle up to meet his. Stolas' heart skipped a beat the moment their mouths connected in that gentle kiss, a bolt of electricity surging through his every nerve and making his fur stand on end like he'd just been electrocuted. Gray eyes went wide with surprise and he drew in a sharp inhale of breath. His heart flipped with joy, but his mind was screaming in panic. This was exactly how things had gone with Widow just before she had disappeared from his life. The anxiety in him grew, those festering feelings of inadequacy and guilt clawing their way out of the darkest pit of his soul, threatening to unravel him.

But Fia, just like a flame in the darkness that was emblazoned on her fur, chased those dark clouds from his brain and immolated him with a rush of emotion. This is what happened before. It's happening again. She's going to leave you. You're going to lose her. The panicked thoughts ran rampant through his head, but he paid them no attention. She won't leave me. Fia is different. Fia is special. She cares about me more. His heart shouted down the worry in his head threatening to give him a panic attack and allowed the brute to give himself over to what he knew he truly wanted. Gray eyed slowly disappeared behind dark lids as he leaned closer and pressed his lips to Fiametta's wholeheartedly, the tension in his body gradually seeping away the longer their kiss lasted beneath the twinkling stars. And just like that, their whole dynamic had shifted, evolving into something more beautiful and burning brighter than anything he could have dared to dream of.

"Fiametta & Stolas"

She would have expected nothing less of him, giving her what she wanted and while it wasn't a doubt in her mind hopefully it was what he wanted too. She wouldn't know just how these things went, so as it were she wouldn't notice that little bit of strain or even in that split moment of a second thought from him. Nothing amiss. Maybe nothing ever would be.

Being new to the experience she was really just testing her limits but overall just naturally gifted at least for this first time. She didn't feel awkward or like anything was wrong and maybe that's what led her to keep pursuing his kiss longer. Confident as ever yet slow and passionate, there was always more to explore later. The emotions she felt swirling through the back of her mind making some kind of peace with who Stolas was to her now. Something she kept diverting from while she moved out of the younger stages of her childhood. It had been a long time coming.

She barely moved a muscle in her body but her paw rose carefully and placed upwards on his chest, still keeping that sideways lean into him as she continued, deeper, maybe in a way silently asking him what he wanted from her too. At least as much or as little as she was willing to offer him tonight on her island. She wondered if she should stop, pull back, but she didn't want to. It would be a long moment or so before she'd finally make that reluctant retreat in slow time, fluttering her even dark eyes back at him like the pretty like flame she was. Mischievous smile, maybe the most expected. "I hope my family was worth your time. And waking you up and dragging you up here." It was all a tease, Stolas at least didn't seem bothered by her brutish and humorous father. He was still here after all even if it was just pushing through for her. That could have been another one of those things that attracted her to him. What loyalty. With a soft relieved exhale her gaze moved carefully over his face and back to his lips, flicking again to his own eyes and really questioning what more would be going through his head.

"Fiametta & Stolas"

For as anxious as Stolas was getting about this kiss with Fiametta and dreading how it might make his new friendship tank the way it had with Widow, he could not deny just how good and right it felt. There was still that initial surprise and shock, but more than that there was giddiness, there were sparks, there was excitement! Fia would be different; something in his gut told him so and he believed it. Fia continued to kiss him with a slow and passionate confidence that made his heart race, beating strong and alive inside his chest. He kissed her back with that same yearning craving that a young red-blooded male felt whenever he was given special attention from the fairer sex. His head swum with a light, almost drunken feeling of euphoria. Their relationship had been changed forever, but he was glad for it. He didn't ever want this moment to end!

As their kiss continued and mouths moved gently against one another's, Stolas felt Fia shift at his side until one of her paws pressed to his chest, almost right over his pounding heart. He lifted one of his own large dark paws, draping it around her lower back to settle just above her waist and keep her held near to him while they cuddled and kissed. The emotions swirled about inside his heart and soul, dizzying and invigorating and amazing! It felt so, so different from the strictly primal way everything had felt with Widow—this felt deeper, far more profound, and nowhere near as scary to him. With Fia, Stolas felt invincible. She made him believe everything would be okay. With their increasing physical contact, Stolas tightened his foreleg around her waist, subtly pulling Fiametta closer to him while his lips pressed and moved against hers, that primal part of him remembering what went beyond this contact and hormones craving it again—but he resisted for now. Too fast. That was what had burned him before. He didn't want to back off or pull away, he wanted to pursue that burning feeling of desire, but he was understandably a bit gun-shy. He would be willing to wait until it felt just as right as this did, and Fia could set their pace.

Eventually, Fia would break their lips apart, letting the prince take a shallow breath of the cool night air to refill his oxygen deprived lungs. Stolas didn't care; he happily would have suffocated if it meant getting to kiss the flame-marked princess. Graphite eyes slowly peered open, watching the way her obsidian jewels fluttered up at him with this cheeky, breathtaking smile. Stolas couldn't help but give a lopsided grin back, this dopey look of overwhelmed affection on his face, gazing at her like she were the most beautiful star in his sky. She made a comment about her family being worth his time and the Klein lordling chuckled under his breath. "Anything important to you is worth my time. Your parents are wonderful, and I had a good time meeting them." Another chuckle as he added, "And no amount of sleep would be worth missing this with you."

The young brute caught the way the flame-coated fae glanced down to his lips and understood her unspoken question. With a little mischievous smirk of his own, Stolas gathered up his boldness and lifted his free paw up to delicately caress Fia's cheek, tracking the edge of her jaw with gentle digits as he examined and explored her in the intimate moonlit moment. Then, using his paw to gently guide Fia's muzzle up to his, he claimed her mouth in another slow, passionate kiss. Gray eyes slowly closed as that burning feeling returned deep within his core, aching for Fia, yearning for her. This was an important step for the prince—the first time he had initiated a kiss with a fae. He was reclaiming his ability to love and feel passion again without the sense of guilt and loss. Though he didn't say it aloud, Fiametta was helping him heal in ways she didn't even know. If she wished to know the dark history and worries that lingered in his mind, he would tell her. But for right now, all he wanted to do was feel as good as he did when he was kissing her.

"Fiametta & Stolas"