Speech

They had finally left Abaven and headed west to hopefully find a more milder area to spend the winter. Brandr had some business to take care of in Celestial so she had agreed to wait for him here. She was extremely excited for their new life and the freedoms that would come with it. They had been moving pretty quick so far, wanting to find somewhere to settle now that it was winter so it left little room for some proper time with one another, but hopefully once Brandr returned she hoped that would change. There was only a soft layer of snow here around the lake and it was quiet and peaceful. Her gold eyes looked out over the lake's frozen surface as she let her mind drift into her thoughts.

It went back to her conversation with Caelum before leaving Abaven. The advice and encouragement she had given Corentine about the news she had yet to disclose to Brandr. This was a time to be excited, a time to be happy. She was nervous about being a mother, but the next chapter in both of their lives was just starting and she should be sharing the happiness with Brandr. She figured that now they had found a temporary spot that she could tell him, as long as his mood seemed to be good. Just these thoughts made her excitement grow, anxious for him to return already.

She turned her form and headed back to the den, figuring it should soon be time for Brandr to return. She at least hoped it was soon time for him to return. She went in and curled up inside the den to relax until he came back. She couldn't help but grin, her tail gently wagging as she anxiously waited his return.

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Pain still marred Brandr's heart after the departure from Abaven. It had been a rough parting to say the least and of course there was guilt but not as much as he'd regret not following his heart. He and Corentine journeyed west and as they did so it grew steadily warmer. Winter was upon the lands but he hoped they'd be able to find a nice place to settle down in the mean time. When they'd arrived at Wolfpaw Lake it was decided that it was a good place to set up a temporary camp. There was plenty of prey and fresh water and hopefully, if the winter wasn't to harsh, it would remain accessible. Brandr had left on his journey to Celestial to deliver the news of Abaven's takeover. It was difficult to say what would happen next but he let the knowledge slip away to the back recesses of his mind. At the moment he just wanted to slip into the den with Corentine and cuddle up close to her. Light snow was beginning to fall and he could just lay there and watch it come down in all its serenity. "Corentine? Sweeite, are you in there?" Brandr poked his head into the den. "Talk" "You" Think

Speech

It had felt like a matter or hours since she had settled within the den, but in reality it had been a matter of minutes before his voice called into the den. Her gold eyes would brighten and she could feel puppy like excitement running through her, but she could also feel the fear dropping her stomach. She took a quiet deep breath trying to calm herself letting a smile slip onto her lips. Lifting her head she looked towards the entrance.

"Yes Hunny I'm in here," she called.

Her tail began to thump against the floor of the den as she waited for him to come in and curl up with her, something she had been looking forward to since he had left. She found the feeling of being so close to him and the attention he would give her something she craved.

"How was business?" she asked curious at out he made out.

She had never been around any other pack other then Abaven and wasn't sure how friendly or how they all got along together. She knew Brandr was familiar with it though from the rank he held in Abaven before they departed.

Art by Kanvos

Brandr smiled at the sound of her voice, feeling a warmth spread in his stomach. It was good to be home. Gingerly, Brandr slipped into the den and moved next to her, seeking to curl around her and take in her warmth and her scent. It was a cloudy, quiet, winter day. Snow was beginning to fall again and he could think of no better way to spend an hour or two then watching the snow and spending time with his mate. She asked about business and he sighed, leaning over to nuzzle her. "I delivered the news. It's hard to say what is going to happen next. Perhaps we can talk about it later? I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything." Why couldn't the Abraxas just stay in Auster? Why did they have to go and trouble other packs like this? "How have you been here? Settling in alright?" "Talk" "You" Think

Speech

When he entered she moved her form, giving him room to move in behind her and comfortably curl around her. She still felt excited shivers run up her spine when they were this close, not used to it just yet. She soon settled herself as she gently pressed against him and settled in to enjoy the feeling of his body curled around hers, the warmth that came from it, and his scent overtaking everything else in the den. Her ears caught his sigh before he began to nuzzle her. She in turn leaned into his affection, closing her eyes happily, and gently wagging her tail. His reply wasn't unexpected because she too was trying to wrap her head around everything. She didn't mind at all not discussing it, in fact she was more then happy to talk about other things, including the news she was planning to share with him. Though she was still uneasy about how he would act especially since they had just started their nomadic journey.

Bending her head down she gently nibbled at his chest as he asked how she was settling in. She lifted her head so she could speak.

"Yes, I'm really liking the area so far and it's vary easy to navigate. I've also seen plenty of prey tracks both small and large," she replied. "I feel it's vary promising at least until winter passes."

Come spring, who knew where they would go, if anywhere. It all depended on how the prey and the weather was. This lake provided a great water source and seemed well traveled by prey for now, but would warmer months change that?

"I also have some more news to report," she said before nibbling his chest fur again waiting to gauge his reaction.

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"Brandr speech" & 'Brandr thoughts'

Contentment warmed his weary bones and as he gingerly set his burdens to the back of his mind, for now, he allowed himself to smile gently. He was pleased that Corentine found the land promising. He certainly had and he eagerly nodded at her points. "I feel the same, and given the terrain I believe prey should be bountiful, especially when spring comes." He felt truly lucky to find such a place uninhabited by a pack.

"Oh? I hope it's good news. I could really use some." He chuckled lightly as she nibbled at his chest fur and he leaned down to gently lick across the top of her muzzle.

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"Corentine speech" & 'Corentine thoughts'

He agreed with her about the land and was relieved that he was seeing the same in this land. This meant they would be able to keep their family fed throughout winter and as the pups aged through spring. She was still unsure how he would react, but she was relaxed by his presence and his scent. They were certainly lucky and she hoped that the luck would continue. She couldn't let herself worry, they would just need to take a step at a time and would get through it together.

She smiled at his words and his lick. Her tail wagging lightly before gently leaning into him and sighing happily. She could stay like this forever.

"We are going to be parents," she said.

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"Brandr speech" & 'Brandr thoughts'

The wind picked up a bit, taking the snowflakes and tossing them into the air in a magical swirl. A winter storm was moving in and it was likely to get heavier but he had nowhere he needed to go for the moment and it was a moot point anyway. There was nowhere on earth he could imagine wanting to be more than with Corentine. His thoughts were warm and fuzzy, he could feel a drowsy contentment start to fall over him… until Corentine spoke.

"We are going to be parents."

Brandr's heart skipped and he turned to stare at Corentine as he tried to process her words. Of course the thought had been in his mind ever since the night they'd spent together. He knew pups could come from it. Furthermore they'd been trying for a family, that was a huge part of the reason he'd opted to leave Abaven. He couldn't bear the thought of raising children in a home with the thought of political and religious violence threatening them every night and every day. Yet, even though the thought of pups had been on his mind, to hear it confirmed by Corentine left him stunned into silence.

"I... oh spirits Corentine. I'd been hoping… you're sure?" Joy bubbled up in his chest. He'd been hoping for this, he lifted his forearms to wrap them around the base of her neck as he sought to lick at her cheek. "I can't believe it! This is incredible!"

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"Corentine speech" & 'Corentine thoughts'

She snuggled instinctively closer to him as she wind began to pick up with a storm coming in. She loved that she was right here with him, able to snuggle close when the temperature dropped. Like Brandr was feeling, there was no where she would rather be then here snuggled close to him. In fact if she could they would stay like this all the time and never go anywhere. She could literally remain like this for forever and be completely happy. She could imagine them like this even when the pups were born. She only had a hard time imagining what it would sound like with the little pups within the den with them.

As expected it seemed to take a little time for his head to wrap around the fact, just like she had done when she had first figured it out. Her gold eyes were bright as she looked to him waiting for him to wrap his head around the idea. Then he began to speak, wrapping her and giving her loving licks to her cheek. Her tail lightly drummed the floor of the den.

"Yes I'm positive," she replied with a bright smile gently licking him in return to help reassure him that she was completely sure.

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