As she began to roll out the last of the furs in the temporary den she created for her and Saracyn's celebrations she nodded to her ravens and the trio of ebony birds flew off to head back toward Elysium's territory and kick off the scavenger hunt she had prepared for her twin. She smiled a bit and fidgeted with some of the furs and pillows that she had placed in the small cave not far from the edge of the water at the sound. The lapping of the water against the rocks and the rush of the various waterfalls in the distance kept the silence at bay, but it still felt all too quiet now that she was fully alone and waiting on her brother to arrive. This was certainly a less than traditional way to carry out their soul mating ceremony, but quite literally no part of their relationship was traditional. She knew that Saracyn could best her in a fight fairly readily so that could have been the easy way to go, but part of her just liked the idea of challenging Saracyn and giving him a way to truly earn this right that he had wanted from her so badly. So she spent the last several days laying out the path and preparing clues for her ravens to give him. It was still fairly early in the day so there was plenty of time for him to make it to the sound by the time it got dark.

Domina broke off from the two males as the three ravens began to go to their designated places along the prepared scavenger hunt. She had the honor of giving the first clue and kicking off this whole endeavor so she made a beeline back to the island, easily gliding down through the trees and landing on a branch just outside of the den that the twins had claimed as their own when they moved out of the family's den. Oil slick feathers ruffled and smoothed back against her body as she waited patiently for Saracyn to appear and eventually she spotted the red-marked twin moving through the trees below as he returned from an early morning hunt. With a caw to get his attention, Domina took off again and wheeled down toward the ground with a few sweeping beats of her wings, landing on the dirt in front of him. With a few waddling steps she came to stand in front of him, looking up at the male equivalent of her master with avian tilts of her head. "It's time for your soul mating challenge, young Commander!" the corvid declared, ruffling her wings. "Miss Avacyn has challenged you to a scavenger hunt and you must find her at the other end. Decipher each clue and you will succeed. Your first clue is... 'only in the dark will you be able to spot me where the water reflects my light.' Good luck!" With an amused caw, the raven took off again, sailing off to where her next post would be.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Saracyn had known that Avacyn was planning something unique for their soul mating ceremony. She had always been the one to think through elaborate and significant details, an endearing trait that he loved about her, and he knew she would spare no expense when it came to the biggest moment of their lives. Given how unusual and unorthodox their relationship was, he was sure that this would be no simple spar the way his parents or uncle had gone about their soul mating rituals, but for the life of him he couldn't think of what she might be planning. So he bided his time and waited, going about his usual routines and responsibilities, knowing that soon enough the time would come for him and Ava to be bound together for all eternity by the Ancients.

Soon enough came early one morning following one of his usual dawn hunts. He'd succeeded in bagging a sizable boar and after bringing it back to the pack's larders, he began to head back to the den he shared with Avacyn to get himself cleaned up. On the way back though, the insistent caw of a raven caught his attention, glancing up to the tree branches to spot Domina, one of Ava's companions, gliding down to land at his paws. He regarded the avian with a curious tilt of his head until she declared that it was time for his soul mating ceremony. At first, the bird's words confused Saracyn simply by the suddenness of the news thrust upon him, but as realization dawned on him, an excitement and eagerness lit up his cerulean eyes and his tail began a subconscious wag behind him. He listened closely as Domino explained the challenge before him—Avacyn had hidden herself away and left clues for him to follow to find her. He had to prove his worthiness in a scavenger hunt with her as the prize. Sara gave a deep chuckle and grinned. Yep, that sure sounded like Ava, all right!

"A test of wits, eh?" he remarked with another chuckle. "Very well, I'm up for a little puzzle solving." With his clue given, Saracyn considered bending the rules a little and telling Vindr or Veior to follow the raven and lead the way for him, but he knew Avacyn had put a lot of effort into this, and she'd be heartbroken if he didn't take the soul mating challenge as seriously as she did. This was important to them—to her—and he would play by the rules. Fortunately, the first clue was easy as pie. "Come," Sara called to his raptors with a whistle, turning and sprinting off in the direction of the bridge. He crossed to mainland Boreas and rushed over to the neighboring Firefly Lake, pausing only long enough to throw himself into the water in an impromptu bath to clean himself off since he hadn't gotten the chance to do so before. Emerging from the water with water sluicing from his coat, the crimson prince shook himself dry and looked around the area, eventually spotting Domina and another one of Avacyn's ravens waiting in a nearby tree. With a smirk of triumph, the brute made his way over to the tree, looking up at his navigators. "Well well, looks like I'm not so dumb after all," he teased with a smirk. "So where am I going to next?"

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Warning: Saracyn is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
Saracyn's designated wolf to protect as a Bodyguard is Avacyn. She may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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Domina came to perch next to Loqui after fulfilling her first task on this quest they were curating for their master. Passing the time by pruning her mate's fathers, there was a stretch of time before they finally heard the footfalls of the young Commander approaching them. Domina gave a cawing laugh at Saracyn's comment about not being so dumb after all before she took flight again to head off to the next location so that she could give Cogitare a heads up to be on the look out. In the mean time, after a deeper chortle from the diamond-taloned raven, Loqui peered down at Saracyn with slight tips of his head and a click of his beak. "We shall see about that, Commander. Your next clue is this: Within the stone ruins lies a sanctuary for things forgotten by creatures past and rediscovered by the rodents of today. That is where you will hear your next clue." Without waiting to hear any of Saracyn's questions or comments, Avacyn's long time companion took to the sky and drifted on the wind to follow his mate to the next location, the trio of ravens now perched and awaiting their master's future soul mate to arrive.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

The chortling laughter of Avacyn's companions inspired confidence in the young brute that maybe he would stand a chance at solving his sister's enigmatic riddles and pass his soul mating trial. However, the intimidating words of the male raven did little to continue that inspiration of faith as he was posed with the second riddle to finding Avacyn's location. This time, the riddle was much more cryptic, alluding to things Saracyn had little or even no knowledge about. A sanctuary for things forgotten by creatures of the past? The fuck did that mean?! The confusion furrowed the Commander's brow, but before he could ask any questions, both ravens were alighting and taking off in the air. The temptation to have his raptors pursue them was greater than ever... but still he resisted. Avacyn was worth doing things right for.

"Well, shit..." muttered a frustrated and bewildered Saracyn, chewing on his lip while he slumped back on his haunches to think. Stone ruins... The only place he knew that had ruins like that close by was the Stone Steppe, so that could work. But what the hell had that bit about a sanctuary for forgotten things meant? With no clue what he was doing, Saracyn got back to his paws and hurried his way over to the neighboring territory, arriving a short while later. He was very familiar with the Stone Steppe, but trying to figure out what a sanctuary for rats meant perplexed him. After spending a couple of hours searching through the ruins, Saracyn was growing frustrated. It was all just old crumbling rock! How was he supposed to find anything here?

Just as he was beginning to give up hope, Veior gave an alerting caw and the Mendacium prince spotted a small family of rats go scampering into one of the larger dilapidated structures, vanishing from sight with some food clutched in their mouths. A curious brow raised over one eye and he proceeded to follow them inside. At first, Sara didn't find anything—until he nearly stumbled down into an exposed hole at the back of the ruins. It was a bit of a snug squeeze for the dire brute to fit himself down into the underground corridor, but once down, he found himself in some old cellars. Decaying wood shelves lined with old bottles of unidentifiable liquids lined the walls, and they continued to span off in all directions from this central hub. But he wasn't interested in any of that. What he was interested in was the trio of ravens perched almost silently above his head from where he'd come in. A triumphant grin peeled across his lips as he gazed up at Avacyn's companions,. "Found you," he declared proudly, tail wagging against the dusty, dirty floor while he waited for his next clue.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Warning: Saracyn is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
Saracyn's designated wolf to protect as a Bodyguard is Avacyn. She may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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The stretch of time between when the clue was given and when the red and black form of the commander finally slipped through the door had the trio of Avacyn's companions beginning to grow anxious, but eventually he passed what was likely the most cryptic and difficult of the clues. The three of them were clearly pleased by the development, ruffling their feathers with excitement and giving happy clicks of their beaks. Even though they wanted this challenge to truly be a challenge, they also wanted him to succeed on Avacyn's behalf. "Good. I was growing nervous, young Commander," Cogitare replied with his bird-like laughter. "This last clue should be an easy one, yes? Your clue is 'return to the place of love's first kiss'." If a raven could grin he certainly would have been as he added, "If you don't remember where your first kiss was then I don't think we can be of any more help to you!" The trio of ravens laughed and then took flight once more, fluttering past Saracyn's head as they escaped out into the surrounding ruins, flying back to the island to return to their normal roost. Their job here was done and they would give the young lovers some privacy for the rest of the evening.

In the Sound, as the sun began to dip closer to the horizon, she began to shift with a bit of nervousness and fiddled absently with the edges of the sheer robe she had slipped on. This all had felt like so much production compared to their romance which had all been very of the moment and spontaneous and she went back and forth on the accessories she was wearing again and again. Of course the gift that Saracyn was to take from her as part of the ceremony was a must, but the sheer robe with tiny, sparkling gemstones around its hems was certainly out of her comfort zone. She just hoped Saracyn liked it. She stood up just long enough to toss another piece of wood onto the fire before she returned to the pile of furs she had been waiting on, sighing softly as she watched the sky through the entrance of the alcove she was waiting in, hoping to herself that she hadn't gone too far with her cryptic clues.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Saracyn shot a reflexive glower up at the trio of ravens when the third one made a comment about growing nervous with his progress, but they all seemed to be pleased with how he was proceeding so far, so the prince decided not to pursue it further. Let the birds have their jokes. He'd be having Avacyn soon enough. Cogitare gave him the final clue to Avacyn's location, and the avian was right; it was an easy puzzle for him to solve. Love's first kiss. No matter how many kisses he and Avacyn shared since that fateful day over a year ago now, Saracyn would never forget that moment for the rest of his life. That night watching the northern lights with Ava after their chaotic day of literally fighting the world had been the moment where the Mendacium prince had found his place and purpose in this world—at Avacyn's side, from this day until the end of his days. Cerulean eyes alighting with realization, a grin spread across the Commander's face just as the ravens cawed their laughter and fluttered out of the cellar.

Sara made his way outside and gave a whistle for his raptors. Vindr swooped down and landed on his back, tilting his head to his master as he awaited further instructions. "Go back to the den and retrieve my token," he commanded the avian, knowing that he would know what he was speaking of. "Bring it to me in the Polar Sound." Vindr gave a croak of understanding and took to the sky again, heading back to Elysium while Saracyn and Veior made their way northward along the coast towards the Polar Sound. The sun was moving towards the western horizon in the late afternoon by the time he made it to the northern inlet, following the rocky coast as he sniffed about for any traces of Avacyn. He knew she wouldn't just be out and about and would be hidden away for him to find... but where would she be? As he searched, a caw from overhead caught his attention. Vindr had returned, gliding down to settle on the wolf's back, a silver shimmer of jewelry clutched in his beak. Sara dipped his head and Vindr slipped the necklace around his neck for safekeeping. Now that he had his token to give Avacyn for their soul mating ceremony, he was ready to find her.

After searching for a bit more, the smell of woodsmoke from nearby caught his attention. The trail led him down to the water's edge, and then to a cave just off the rocky embankment. His heart thrummed with excitement, pounding against his chest. This was it; the moment he'd been dreaming of for almost all his life! Glancing back to his raptors, Sara gave them a simple order, "Return home." His companions obeyed without hesitation, leaving the crimson brute to handle this last part of his ceremony on his own, and granting the soon-to-be-mated couple their privacy. Practically buzzing with excitement, the dire brute walked up to the mouth of the cave and past the burning fire to peer inside. The sight that greeted him made his breath catch and his heart skip a beat. There she lay, spread out across a vast bed of plush furs and bathed in firelight, swathed in a sheer robe of fine fabric that accentuated all of her feminine curves and shapes while concealing just enough to entice him.

"Avacyn..." Saracyn spoke her name on an airy breath, grinning from ear to ear at the sight of his beloved. Cerulean eyes blazed with triumph for having completed his challenge and desire for the luscious fae before him and his marking glowed all the brighter with his racing heartbeat. Not wasting any time, Saracyn began to move towards her, his gaze never leaving hers as he drew closer until he was almost over top of her. He wanted nothing more than to simply take Ava then and there, to claim her as his for now and forever more, but he knew they weren't done just yet. She had put so much effort into doing this properly, and he would follow the ceremony to the letter with her since he knew how important this was to her—to them. But that still didn't stop the enamored brute from climbing over top of her so he could press his muzzle to hers and claim her mouth in a deeply passionate kiss, a heady groan of love and need rumbling deep inside his throat as he tasted her. Breaking their lips apart after a few long moments, Saracyn proceeded to cover Avacyn's face and jaw in little nips and kisses, leisurely working his way down the side of her neck. "Say the words... Bind us together..." he whispered in husky, desire-filled tones as he nipped at her throat, not caring how difficult he made this for her. She was finally his, and he would finally be hers, for all eternity. He was going to savor and enjoy this night so that they would remember it forever.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Warning: Saracyn is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
Saracyn's designated wolf to protect as a Bodyguard is Avacyn. She may enter his threads not marked as Private.
____________________

Her tail swayed back and forth against the plush furs and beneath the long, sheer robe that was draped around her body while she continued to wait, shifting and stretching out more comfortably on their makeshift bed as she eagerly awaited the arrival of her soon to be soul mate. She had wanted her challenge for him to be a real challenge and didn't want to just hand him the prize, but at the same time she wished he was already here and that she had made the challenge easier or shorter just to have that immediate satisfaction. She knew that in the end it would be more than worth it regardless and she hoped that Saracyn would be just as happy as she imagined he would be when he finally arrived.

The sound of large paws lightly thudding against the ground outside made her white-tipped ears perk with interest and her dark gaze lifted up toward the entrance of the alcove once more with an eager hopefulness and moments later her twin's familiar scent reached her on the soft breeze that blew through the Sound, telling her that the moment she had been waiting for had finally come. His handsome face that mirrored her own came into view and a smile pulled across her lips, her cheeks flushing and heart skipping a beat in her chest at the breathless way he spoke her name when he saw her. Before she could even greet him or ask him what he thought, Saracyn was moving toward her and all at once her new mate had claimed her lips with a passionate kiss and she was immediately swept away by him, her eyes fluttering closed with a moan of her own replying to his as she easily rolled onto her back for him while his larger frame covered hers. Any thoughts that might have been on her mind were instantly scrambled in the intense spark of their love and lust for one another. A heated gasp passed her lips as Saracyn broke the deep kiss he began, her ebony gaze fluttering open to a heavy lidded look of desire as she looked up at her love who eclipsed her view. A whine of need escaped her as his affections trailed across her face and jaw, moving down to her throat and causing her head to tip back for him as her back arched and her forelegs slipped around his neck, more than ready to give all of herself to her lecherous twin.

However, Saracyn's whispered, husky reminder of the vow that she was to deliver reminded her of why they were here in the first place and she had to force her mind to refocus at least long enough to deliver the words that he prompted her for. Her words were breathless and punctuated with soft gasps whenever he would catch a particularly sensitive nerve at her throat with his teasing and tempting that made it incredibly difficult to focus. She did her best not to miss a word of her practiced vow, not wanting to slip up on the slightly amended ceremony that she had worked on just for the two of them. "Ancients, we come to you as one heart and one soul... He knows my soul and carries it with him in each of his steps, just as I do with his. We are one being in two bodies, as you made us to be..." Her toes curled, holding on to the thick fur of his scruff as she tipped her muzzle down to his cheek, brushing her muzzle against the edges of the flame-like marking that glowed just as brilliantly as her own. "We vow that no one else shall know our hearts nor our souls for the rest of our days. We do this with the knowledge, understanding, and acceptance that we will have no one else in life or in death... We–" Her words cut off with a gasp for a moment as Sara's frame pressed more firmly into hers, pulling another whine from her before she managed to continue on with their vow. "We will walk together as your chosen children in one spirit to share your strength and your power till the day that we walk together into the hall of the Ancients... Together we shall intertwine in death, granting our strength to our future generations so that we may live on in them. We bind our souls together with this vow. I name this man, Saracyn Mendacium, as my mate."

Avacyn leaned back from Saracyn then now that their promise and vow was made in the eyes of the Ancients. Regardless of whether or not they would actually approve of this union was still to be seen, but when she caught Saracyn's bright gaze with her own she couldn't deny the way her heart felt so incredibly full nor the all consuming desire that ran through her and made her skin feel as though it were lit by electricity everywhere they touched. No one else mattered. As long as she was able to make Saracyn's dream come true and make this life for them then she knew she was doing something right. Her paws trailed away from the back of his neck as a grin played on her lips, lifting away the necklace that he carried with him and lifting it over his head, taking the token he brought for her. In exchange she took off the heavier chain that hung around her neck, lifting away the darkened steel pendant that had been resting against her chest while she waited on him and turned it to slip it over his head to replace his token for her with the one she made for him. The angular pendant that now rested on his chest harkened back to the pointed shards that made up her glowing marking with a polished piece of obsidian sitting as the centerpiece to match the color of her eyes–something that she hoped would remind him of her as he wore it, but would still be subtle and masculine for her handsome mate.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

As difficult as it was for Saracyn to hold himself back from simply pouncing on Avacyn and taking her right there and then, the crimson twin managed to keep his lustful urges at bay at least long enough for Ava to get through their soul mating vows to the Ancients. White-tipped ears perked on top of his skull as he listened to his twin sister recite their own unique vows to the Ancients, the corners of his lips curling up into a wicked grin as he heard her words come out between stuttering breaths and little gasps of delight. He quite liked making this tricky for her, especially if she was going to keep making all of these cute reactions while binding their souls together. Saracyn didn't stop, didn't slow down or hesitate in his affections. Heated lips covered her sensitive throat in slow, firm kisses and gentle nips and nibbles, nuzzling his way through the short fur of her throat to follow her pulse down her neck. Avacyn was so perfect... She was flawless in body, mind, and spirit. Feeling her divine form pressing up into his, hearing her sultry voice speaking those words he'd longed to hear... it was everything the young brute had ever wanted.

Saracyn released a heated sigh of delight when he felt Avacyn's toes curl into his scruff, clinging to him while she nuzzled the edges of his rapidly glowing markings around his eye, the glow intensifying in the low light as his heart pounded strong and alive in his chest. Glancing up at Ava's beautiful face, he noticed how her marking was glowing just like his, their lights pulsing in perfect sync as their hearts beat in time. Grinning like a giddy pup, Sara couldn't help himself and pressed a firmer kiss right where Ava's pulse was strongest in her throat, sharp fangs nipping at the tender skin there while his massive paws pulled her body all the tighter to his. The gasp that cut off her words and that needy whine sent a delighted shiver rippling down the brute's spine, loving how easy it was to coax these sorts of reactions from her. She was just so damn adorable!

Eventually and with much difficulty from him, Avacyn was able to complete their vows and finish their soul mating ceremony. And just like that, Saracyn was her mate, and Avacyn was his. The twins had been bound by Mendacium custom and Ancient law. Sara's heart skipped beat after beat as Ava gently ushered him up until he was gazing down at her again with the biggest grin of his life on his face, bright cerulean eyes shimmering with love and a few traces of happy tears. He lost himself deep into those obsidian pools of Avacyn's eyes while she lifted the necklace he wore for her over his neck. His token for her was a simple but elegant silver chain, and from the end hung a pendant of flames that mimicked the marking on his face, made from smooth flowing pieces the same lustrous silver. In the center of the flames hung two small gemstones set back-to-back—a blue diamond and a ruby—to represent his eyes and fur color. It was a much more feminine take on his marking, just as the necklace she hung around his neck was a more masculine style of hers. They were both perfect representations of the twins and how they saw one another: so similar yet uniquely different, and so perfectly suited for one another.

Saracyn gazed down at his beautiful mate, his wife, his eyes following her slender neckline down to where his necklace for her lay against her chest, the white metal gleaming against her dark fur in striking contrast. He lifted a paw to catch the pendant hanging from his neck, lifting it to examine it for a moment before returning all of his focus on the gorgeous fae spread out on the bed beneath him. "It's perfect," he whispered to Ava in the quiet darkness of their wedding den, leaning in closer until he could feel her warm breath washing over his lips. "You're perfect. I love you, Avacyn Mendacium." Then, without wasting any time, Sara claimed Ava's lips in a deeply passionate kiss, sealing their union physically as she had done spiritually. The dire brute groaned softly against his new mate's muzzle, blue eyes closing as he gave himself over to the moment. One oversized paw slid down along the side of his svelte fae, following the curve of her hip to grab at her rump and pull her body closer to his. Pressing his hips to hers, Sara joined their bodies together, breaking their kiss with a heated gasp before he immediately went to claim her mouth again, kissing her with all the passion that burned within him as he claimed her body, consummating their marriage and binding them together for all eternity.

- fade -

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Warning: Saracyn is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
Saracyn's designated wolf to protect as a Bodyguard is Avacyn. She may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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