It was early in the evening as she tucked Malico and Mariah into their bed, making sure they were both fully asleep before she quietly slipped out of their den and closed the "door" with the hide that hung over the doorway. The sun had set a couple of hours before, leaving them the moonlight and stars as their main source of light as she stepped back out into the main chamber near the entrance where the fire from their now eaten dinner was beginning to die down. She slid down onto her stomach with a contented sigh, laying down next to Alastor on one of their furs and leaning into his side with a soft smile. She always looked forward to the end of the day when she finally got some time to relax with her husband.

Her paw slipped over his as she nuzzled into his neck, her tail curling around his hip. "Avacyn and I spoke again today about her stepping into the Matriarch role," she mentioned, picking up the conversation that she couldn't speak too much about in front of small pups. "It seems like we've settled on her taking over this summer... so I guess we'll be retirees sooner rather than later." It was a bitter sweet thing, knowing that their first litter was now old enough to be leading a pack. It meant that their hard work in raising them was now brought to fruition and they would be able to enjoy their time together more fully, but it also meant seeing the days of their little pups being children was gone forever.

"Manea & Alastor Mendacium"

Evening brought with it a simple serenity. The world, and even life itself, seemed so much easier and at peace once the veil of night had settled over everything. The chirp of crickets in the mild spring night leant their sounds to a nocturnal chorus, accompanied by the waves of the ocean that surrounded their island home. It was the only time of day Alastor really took the time to drink in the perfection of the life he'd managed to build with Manea here. He still didn't know if he believed that he deserved all of the good that had come to him since the day the incredible Mendacium woman walked into his life, but far be it from him to deny or argue with whatever deities had bestowed this paradise upon him. While Manea was busy putting their youngest litter to bed, Alastor laid out by the dying fire just outside the mouth of the den, enjoying the lovely evening and gazing up at the sea of stars in the nighttime sky. After some time, the soft sound of padded paws approaching him made the dire brute's ears swivel back, his head turning in time to greet his violet mate as she settled in at his side for some cuddling and unwinding.

Alastor leaned in closer to nuzzle the back of Manea's neck with gentle affections, lifting one strong foreleg to drape a giant black paw across her side. Manea was the first to break the silence, bringing up the conversation she'd had earlier with Avacyn. "Oh, is that so?" Alastor remarked with an intrigued raise of a brow while his beloved mate filled him in on the details of their talks of succession and abdication. The giant wolf breathed a long, wistful sigh, putting on a dramatic show of looking forlorn. "I always knew this day would come... The day when I become too geriatric and arthritis-ridden to continue to lead. Pretty soon I'll be seeing the Reaper everywhere I look, and- oh, wait, is that a gray hair I see in my tail? Oh, woe is me! Poor, poor old man Alastor!" Alastor grinned a wide, toothy smile as he put on the theatrics, but in truth he also felt the same bittersweetness that Manea did knowing that their eldest pups were no longer the little babies he used to carry around on his back, and would now be leaders of their pack. He was so incredibly proud of Avacyn and Saracyn, but a part of his heart still yearned for those easy days of carting them around like they weighed nothing.

"So, what's the first order of business as retirees then, my love?" As alphas, most of their years had been dedicated to the establishment and operation of Elysium. Now that the pack would be under new management and they could be hands off, they could finally do all the things they wanted to but hadn't had the luxury of free time or freedom for. There were a number of things Alastor could think of that he'd enjoy doing, but he was also curious about what Manea had in mind for their abundance of free time.

"Manea & Alastor Mendacium"

Manea hummed happily as Alastor draped a paw over her side, allowing her to snuggle closer to him as they talked about the passing of the torch to their children. As soon as her husband started off on his over dramatic woes of growing old, Manea rolled her eyes and sighed with a shake of her head, an amused grin spreading across her lips. He was absolutely ridiculous, but she wouldn't have him any other way. He always managed to find the humor in nearly any situation and kept her from sinking too far into the seriousness of things around her. "You know I did think I was seeing some gray hairs here..." she replied teasingly, nuzzling her nose under his chin with a chuckle. "Don't worry, dear, you don't look a day past five."

Alastor questioned what the first order of business was now that they were heading for retirement, and Manea hummed for a moment, having considered that same question herself a bit. "Well, it seems like Avacyn is set on keeping us in a moderately high rank in an advisory role once she takes over," she mentioned. "Counselors I believe. I guess in that regard our work here is never entirely done... but I do think we've earned a vacation." Her grin returned at the thought and she nibbled lightly at his jaw. "Once autumn rolls around and our youngest are a year old we should take a trip. Find some lovely beaches to enjoy or hike through some scenic mountain ranges... or both!"

"Manea & Alastor Mendacium"

It was a good thing Manea found his theatrics endearing, or Alastor likely would have been murdered by his disparaging wife a long time ago. Instead, all he got was an exasperated eye roll and a shake of her head. Alastor simply held his childish grin leveled at her, but that grin was quickly wiped away when Manea teased him back and mentioned she had indeed seen some grays in his sea of ebony fur. Another startled gasp and a clasp of his paw to his chest as the dire brute looked positively horrified at this revelation. "Oh no, the end has begun! My time is nigh!" he continued in his dramatic tirade of self-pity. "Remember me as I was—a handsome, burly stud wolf who's smart and strong and amazing in bed!" Manea nuzzled him and shut him up, the brute chuckling as he nuzzled his fae's crown back in return. "Thank you, darling, but I was fishing for four, not five." Another chuckle as he squeezed his wife in his forearms, holding her close in their embrace.

To his question, Manea immediately began by explaining how their work would still not be done, and how Avacyn wished to have them both in advisory roles to her and Saracyn. Alastor shot a skeptical glance to his mate, raising an eyebrow as if to ask 'Really?'. "She wants me to be a counselor too? Has she seen me at work? I'd make a terrible advisor. Besides, she's smarter than the both of us combined. She's certainly a hell of a lot smarter than me! She doesn't need the advice of a grizzled old has been with psychopathic tendencies." Despite his lamenting, Manea did indeed have some suggestions and requests for what they could spend their newfound free time on. A vacation... Alastor brightened at the idea. The couple hadn't had a true vacation since the birth of their second litter. Some time to themselves away from the pack, out in wild lands, perhaps visiting the Hallows that had so graciously offered them a permanent place to visit... Alastor grinned a little as he thought of the trouble the two of them could get up to in the Austral pack with their lovely alphas. "A vacation sounds like a splendid idea! We could see more of Boreas and Auster, really explore the lands. Maybe pop down to visit our good friends down in the Hallows for a spell. It's been some time since we've seen the two of them. We could go see Ashen's new home as well on the way." So much to do, but now they had so much time to do it with!

"Manea & Alastor Mendacium"