Backdating this to winter where she is just noticing

Elli was more then confident that she was pregnant which had placed her leave  from Regium perfectly. She was nervous as she wandered about, looking for Ritsuka after noticing that the place they had been at had been claimed by a pack. Where had he gone off to? She really needed to talk to him about... this. Elli let out a howl for him, hoping he was in the area as she entered a cave to avoid the winter winds. Elli was hopeful that he meant what he had said and that he would be there for her. He didn't seem like the kind of man to lie and she was his mate after all. She took a deep breathe, knowing that the hormones or something were going to be getting to her.

"Speech."

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Ritsuka was unsure where either Elli or her sister had gone. The tan male was sure Haruka would be back. She would be. They were siblings tied by a thread of destiny. She was strong fae, despite her size. Ritsuka would not doubt their reunion again. Even if it took time. For now his focus was trying to keep and eye and ear out for his mate. The thought of their night together had his heart racing. He was looking forward to seeing her again, praying she was able to leave Regium without too much consequence. But waiting, and being alone, were things not easy for him. He would take in a breath of frosty air, ears perked as he scented it. The winds were terribly cold. Was Elli even out in this? Surely she hadn't left Regium yet?

The man was a bit worried. The lands where he had settled were claimed back a pack and, not wanting to get into conflict would flee from them. Paws crunching on the snow Suka would continue along, fur fluffed up, debating where he could possibly settle down. That was when he heard her call over the wind. Ritsuka would turn his head, feeling his heart flutter. That was the call he was waiting for. Sending a silent thank you to the heavens Ritsuka would go bounding through the snow towards the caves of the past.

As he approached the entrance her scent would strongly come from it, and Ritsuka's gaze would brighten. He would slip inside without a second thought, though his eyes would take longer to adjust to the limited light.

"Elli?" He'd call softly.

Backdating this to winter where she is just noticing

Attention would turn from her worries to a familiar form entering the cave, calling out her name softly as the brown figure appeared before her. She rushed forward, giving him a swift lick on the cheek in greeting. "Suka, I've been looking for you." She murmured as she backed up a bit, a grin present on her muzzle. She wondered how he would react to the news she saw as fantastic. Would he agree and be supportive? Only time would tell. "There is something I've gotta tell you." The sooner he knew, the better. Her scent had subtly started to change and she wasn't sure if he had noticed it yet or if he would for a few more days.

"Speech."

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A smile spread across the lips of the man as he was greeted, returning the loving lick upon the cheek to her own.  His tail would wag some, his green eyes shining. "Funny how that works. I was looking for you as well." He knew the pack claiming the territory that he had last been seen in through them both for a loop. "But we're together now, so no need to worry." The man would say softly. He would close the little bit of distance between them, pressing to her coat and laying his head across the back of her neck. She had news to tell him too it seemed, though it did not seem to be anything bad, so the male kept her in his embrace.

"News hmm? What might it be, my love?" Ritsuka would saw softly. The scent of Regium upon her coat was duller. She had left the pack, as she said that she would. Perhaps she had already claimed her own land? But maybe there was something else too. He would blink some, her scent caught in his nose. Something seemed... different. Rather than ask, however, the male would wait for her to speak first. Perhaps she would have the answer in what she wanted to tell him.

Her warm greeting was answered with a warm response, an embrace stretched around her head to her neck and she reciprocated, doing in the same thing on Ritsuka's own neck. Her eyes had faded out the slight sense of worry that she had just held in them. He asked her what the news had been and she grinned, moving her head to look, at least as far as she could without turning her head completely around, and spoke the words she had been dying to say. "Suka, you're going to be a father." She couldn't hide her joy at the situation. "I left Regium like I promised and maybe a day after is when I first noticed." As a healer, she had a good nose to notice those things.

"Speech."

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His beloved was warm, despite the winter chill. Suka was just so happy to see her, to know that she was safe. When he looked back to her, meeting her gaze, she would drop the news. Anxiety, excitement, and fear all bubbled up within Ritsuka at once. A father. The two emotions that could lean towards neutral and negative were nothing compared to the positive one. His tail would wag a mile a minute, his eyes shining brightly.

“Oh Elli this is wonderful news!” It hadn’t been her season, so it wasn’t expect, but all the same Ritsuka was overjoyed. He would gently nose his mate’s cheek. “That throws a bit of a loop in your pack plans though... It’s for a reason that couldn’t be more perfect. It must be a sign for the gods that we were meant to be.” How else could it be explained that she got pregnant during winter?

The mixture of emotions in his eyes only made her positive that he would be a good father. He exclaimed that it was wonderful news. "Yes, it is." The words were put in a happy and serene tone. He spoke of it putting a wrench in her plans but she quickly countered with words of her own. "I don't care about pack plans right now, I care about my children... our children." Quickly he added how her pregnancy was a sign that they were meant to be. They both knew she had been out of season and it shouldn't have been possible. "You took the words right out of my mouth." She murmured as she snuggled against the side of his neck.

A father. What would the children look like? How would they respond to him? Ritsuka would wag his tail, his eyes shining so very happily. All that mattered right now was their children, their beautiful children. Someday she would challenge for a home for them, and Suka would support her, but right now it was their time together. He would press his head against her neck as well, closing his eyes. This moment was a beautiful moment, a moment to be treasured. The hardships in his life were easing up, and his reward for his efforts was a family of his own. If only he would stand to be a great father, as his old man had been.

“Is this where you want them to be? Here in the north?” Ritsuka would ask gently. “If you feel we need to get them to a temporary home... Wherever you want to go... I’ll be with you, Elli. I want them to be safe, and you too. Wherever you are happiest...” The male would whisper to her softly.

Elli was calm, keeping her eyes focused but collected. She drew a deep breathe, her eyes focusing in carefully on the topic. The north? "It doesn't matter where, Suka. Though I've become so accustomed to the north that I don't think anywhere else would be ideal... well, unless you don't like the north then we could go towards the west... maybe where Tortuga used to be?" The ideas were thrown out at a fast pace as she tried to crunch numbers and figure out where their family would start and where it would likely remain for quite some time after the children were born.

Ritsuka would give a small nod. It didn't matter where, but she had become used to the North. It was her home, her plane of existence so to speak. Ritsuka wasn't so unfamiliar with it at this point, and truthfully, well, the cold had started to bother him a little less. It made all the difference when you had someone to snuggle up to after all. The tan brute would push Tortuga out of his mind, thoughts clear when he spoke.

"We'll stay in the North. I've come to like it here and... I want to set my sights on the future, not the past. Who we were back then, as Tortugans, are not something we'll be again, right? You're going to be an alphess of your own pack, and both of us parents. We can't look behind if we're going to move forward." His words held an excited tone. "But you know the North a bit better I bet. We'll just need to figure out somewhere safe, somewhere warmer where the pups can be raised even if temporarily." The man would look around them. These caves probably wouldn't be the best suited... but maybe... maybe there was somewhere warmer deeper within.

She buried her head in the warm scruff of her loving mate, Suka. He spoke of her knowing the north better and she took a step or two back to focus on the situation. "Don't forget you will be a powerful King, Suka." The words were whispered in a light yet serious tone. She grinned, her eyes focusing on him as she spoke again. "I know the perfect place. It's called the submerged woods. It's a bit farther south and warmer and there are several places where we can build a den." She smiled as she thought of it. She had always been mission-based and nothing she knew of would change that.

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Ritsuka would let out a small laugh. "Yes... a king. Your king, and that's all that matters to me. Ruling beside you." The tan male would wag his tail some, listening to her suggestion for a place. Submerged woods. Down south... warmer... several places they could build a den. "I've never been there myself... but it sounds like a plan." The male would nuzzle her cheek. "Then, when you feel they're ready, we can come back to the North." Ritsuka would give a soft chuckle. "Unless you find somewhere else you like better. I don't mind the traveling... to find the perfect place." Gaze would turn towards the entrance again.

"Who knows? The world is our oyster now. As loners we can pick and choose... and prepare for the real challenge." Ritsuka would breathe in, closing his eyes. "I guess... I'm just happy going wherever... as long as it's with you. I think that's what I've truly been missing all this time... some sort of bond with another. Wolves are social beasts after all." He would shift his gaze back to Elli. "...and there is no one I'd rather be beside. Through anything and everything... us together. I promise you I'll always be there."

She held a smile to her face as he spoke about being her king. She nuzzled his neck while breathing in. "Anywhere is perfect as long as I'm with you. Nothing can keep us apart." She whispered, simply taking the time to absorb his warm embrace. She closed her eyes gently, taking a deep breathe as her heart pounded in her chest. Why was she so nervous? They were both there and they where happy. They were going to be parents and everything appeared to be turning out alright. Her stomach felt like it was churning, knowing that she now carried life. Everything was hitting her in Epiphanies all at once.

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Anywhere. Ritsuka would give a small smile, dipping his head. "Yes, anywhere, as long as we are together." He would agree with her gently. The road that lay before them held so much promise; promise of wonderful journeys full of tough and hard tasks, but wonderful and happy ones as well. The times ahead held the promise of memories to be made, of lives worth living. Yes, their future was what lay ahead of them and together they could weather it all. Ritsuka would place his paw gently over Elli's own, pressing his head against her own as he just breathed in. Their time was now... and soon it would all begin to unfold. It was here, the real legend would begin.

-End Thread.-

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