After leaving the derailed training that Mortis had planned, she immediately ran to the falls, not even stopping in the Armada territory purely out of fear that she might run into Artorias some time during the day or Mortis or her father... Anyone really. She needed a moment to collect her thoughts, to let herself cry, to think of some way to begin building Artorias' trust in her again. She stumbled to a stop outside of the den that they had shared the night he came to see her during his and Ulric's tour of all the packs, managing to slip inside and hide before she collapsed onto the furs and covered her face with her paws. She was vaguely aware of Marigold curling against her and nosing at her cheek, but it took awhile before she was able to calm herself down enough to wrap a paw around the fox and pull her closer.

"What do I do?" she asked quietly between hiccuping gasps as she started to catch her breath, angrily rubbing the tears away from her cheeks. Marigold got up form where she was laying against her chest and sat in front of her, holding her cheeks between small, dark paws. "Briar, you've gotta pull yourself together," she said sternly, catching Briar off guard and making her blink her wide, turquoise eyes at her companion. "You know I'll always be straight forward with you and I'm tired of just watching you beat yourself up for no reason. If you don't want to lose him, right?" Briar gave a small shake of her head and Marigold nodded, lowering her paws. "Okay then. Forget all this mess about you being a princess and stop thinking about your family. Think about you. What you want, what you need, what makes you happy. Artorias makes you happy, right? And what makes him happy? I'll give you a hint."

Marigold reached up and booped Briar's nose. "You! You silly girl. You make him happy. With or without you winning fights or whatever it is you're trying to use make yourself feel like you deserve him. You make each other happy so why is it complicated? I'm also pretty sure that if you just relaxed in your fights and your training and stopped putting so much pressure on yourself you'd do better." Briar looked down between her paws, picking and messing with the fur under them. "Hey hey hey, no!" Marigold said as she grabbed Briar's chin and pulled her head up to look at her again. "No fidgeting, no worrying, okay? Now it's time to snap out of it. I'm not going to let you do this any more. You know what's going to make you a good second alpha for Artorias? Spoiler alert, it's not fighting skills or healing knowledge or being the best hunter. It's being able to support him emotionally, help keep his head on straight, and help him stay happy. And you do all of that so well without even trying. You already had your skill and you were just ignoring it."

Briar stared at her companion for a moment, the realization crossing her features. She thought about holding him in the training room after he destroyed it in a rage, she thought about all the times she caught him smiling like a fool when he looked at her, she thought about all the nights they spent cuddling and sharing little kisses and whispers, she thought about the night they had spent here learning and playing with one another. None of that had involved any kind of fighting, just a lot of love, and tears collected in her eyes as she began to realize how big of an idiot she had been. She threw her forelegs around Marigold and squeezed the fox close, much to Marigold's displeasure, before Briar got up and started taking off her armor, setting it off to one side of the den and placing her bracelet carefully on the top of the pile. She still didn't know if she could win Artorias back, but that determination and that fire was back in her chest and she was desperate to try. She went outside and spent some time washing herself off in the river that led into the falls, cleaning off all the dust and dirt from her travels and fights over the last week or two, realizing that she hadn't been taking care of her coat as much as she usually did with how out of sorts she had been.

Once she was pristine once again, she shook herself off and then spent some time gathering fire wood while she she dried in the sun, building a camp fire a short distance from the den in a collection of rocks that had clearly been used for this purpose at some point in time - though she was extra careful and added some of her own as well to make sure there was a good radius from the fire and the grass outside of it. After how her mother and brother died she was a little overly cautious around fires. She didn't light it yet, but the time she spent collecting all the wood was enough for her fur to dry from her bath and she shook her fur out again, smoothing it down into silky tawny waves. She pulled a couple of the furs from inside the den out to lay them near the fire, making a place for them to enjoy a little picnic and the view from this spot at the top of the falls. By the time she had gone and hunted a couple large rabbits, got them skinned, lit the fire, and the pieces of meat laid out on the stones beside the fire to let it begin cooking the sun was starting to set and the falls were colored with the reds and oranges that gave this area its name.

She straightened herself up again, slipped inside to put her bracelet back into its rightful place on her wrist, and then went out to sit on the furs outside with a nervous sigh. Now she just had to wait and see if he showed up or not. She tried her hardest to not stare off in the direction of the plains, making herself fuss with their dinner or anything else so she wouldn't just be sitting here watching for him the whole time. Please come... Please come...

Briar Fatalis

Artorias stood at the border of the Armada territories, facing out toward where his family's home had once been. Though the boundaries between lands was metaphysical, a very real, solid force seemed to hold him in place, preventing him from taking that step over to go see Briar. Since her breakdown at their training earlier in the day, Artorias hadn't seen hide nor hair of Briar around the Armada lands. Had she been avoiding him? Or had she been out here, doing whatever it was she had been up to. He didn't know why she'd asked him to come see her at the Sunset Falls in the evening. Clearly she had something on her mind. Actually, she had a lot on her mind. He did as well—though his thoughts were undoubtedly more morose than hers.

He had spent almost all day dwelling on what she had said, on how sad and broken she had looked when she looked up at him and pleaded for forgiveness. He still didn't think he believed Briar had fixed what had caused her to break down in the first place. She had felt inadequate, inferior compared to him. He didn't think much had changed in the short weeks that had followed their separation. Maybe he was wrong, but Briar seemed exactly the same to him. What bothered him most though was that she was still dwelling on herself and herself alone. He didn't know what inner demons she was wrestling with, but none of what was upsetting her was important to him. He hadn't chosen her because he was looking for the best fighter to have at his side or the best hunter to provide for him or anything of the sort. Yet Briar was forcing him to live by her standards and her rules, ending their relationship without any conversation from his side, without any regard for his feelings and perspective. It was that selfishness that had shown Artorias that perhaps Briar was right—maybe she wasn't good for him. If she didn't care about him enough to let him decide for himself who was right for him instead of forcing her decision onto him, then was she really the right wolf to be planning a life around?

These doubts and second thoughts had hurt almost as bad as Briar breaking his heart had, and coupled with the fresh loss of her had left him in a very dark state of mind. He'd been looking forward to this training trip as a distraction from everything, but it seemed like things would only get worse. Now he was being forced to face Briar and everything that came with her. Fucking great... Well, he supposed he could hear her out for what she had to say to him. If he didn't like any of it, he was always free to leave, no matter how much it might sting. Yet now, standing at the border, it felt like the most difficult task to take that step to go see her. For a brief moment, Artorias considered not going at all. Why shouldn't he stand her up? She'd given him no reason to seek her out. Ah, but then would he be any better than she had been, breaking his heart and running away without having a real conversation?

Scowling, Artorias took a deep breath and then stepped over the border. He trekked across the hot springs and towards the falls, once again following old and familiar paths he'd long-since stopped taking. He was alone and unarmed, having left all of his equipment and Corbin back at the barracks to go speak to Briar alone. As he trekked up the side of the falls, watching the clear water run like lava in the setting sunlight, he noticed the thin trail of smoke coming from up near where his family's den had been. Artorias raised a curious brow, and when he reached the summit, he realized the answer to his curiosity.

There Briar was, lying beside a campfire on some furs, fresh game cooking near the open flames. She was looking away from him, her profile illuminated in the fading sunlight and dancing firelight. Her turquoise eyes shone like gems from her face, and her fur looked radiant, clean and wavy, adhering to her feminine form like she were a perfect sculpture. Artorias hated how beautiful she looked and hated how just the sight of her like this made his heart ache. He was suddenly very aware how he would look compared to her: fur salt-tinged and sandy from his day of training on the beach with Mortis, very clearly in need of a bath where she had taken the time to clean herself up for him. Well shoot, too late to go back and make himself presentable now.

With curious amber eyes, Artorias approached Briar's campsite, eyeing the picnic she'd set up for them. "Expecting someone special?" he spoke to announce his presence to her, teasing her gently. He looked over everything she had prepared for them and had to admit he was a little impressed. She was trying really, really hard and it showed. "What's all this?" Artorias slowly made his way over to sit on the empty fur Briar had lain out and gazed inquisitively at the Fatalis princess, his posture notably defensive and tense. It couldn't be helped; he was sitting beside the wolf that had hurt him greater than anything else in the world had, after all.

"Artorias" | "Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

Briar laid across the fur, fiddling nervously with her bracelet, watching the sun set. Without her really noticing, Marigold had slipped away, going back to their den in the Armada as soon as she saw Artorias cross through the hot springs from her perch on top of the den so that the two of them could be alone. Briar's heart beat anxiously while she waited for him, hoping and praying that he actually came, but somehow feeling as if he would be justified if he didn't. After how she had acted and how she had treated him she wouldn't have been surprised if he stood her up and left her here on her own. But she continued to plead silently for him to come anyway, to give her one more chance to make things right. She knew it was a lot to ask of him and it wasn't fair. She hadn't been fair to him at all and she didn't know how to express the guilt she felt. She tried to play some words over in her mind, preparing herself for what she might say to him, but when she heard his voice behind her all those thoughts flew away.

Her gaze turned to look at him and it suddenly felt like all the air had been pulled from her lungs. He might have been disheveled and salty and sandy from his day of training, but that didn't matter. If anything, it just made him look all the more rugged and handsome and masculine. The warm light from the sunset caught on those amber eyes that she loved so much and she got so caught up in them that it took her a moment to realize she was just staring at him like an idiot. She barely heard what he said, too caught up in his presence and the fact that he was here. He had come. She watched him move toward her at sit on the fur that was laid out beside the one she was on. His posture was stiff and stand offish, obviously still hurt, but he was here and that alone felt like the biggest blessing. It made her feel like she might have a chance.

When he questioned her elaborate set up with the campfire, the cooking meats, the furs laid out for their picnic, she glanced at it all with a little smile. "This... This is nothing," she insisted with a little shake of her head. She had wanted to do something special for him, something to set the tone and show that she really was trying, but it barely scratched the surface of what she wanted to do for him. "I was expecting someone very special... Extraordinary, in fact," she added with a soft chuckle as her mind caught up to what he said. She brought her eyes back up to his with a pointed, adoring gaze. No one was as special as him, especially not in her eyes.

Doing her best to keep her nerves in check, she sat up and rolled herself to her paws so that she could turn to face him, standing across from him for a moment as she tried to remember any of the words that she had rehersed to herself. She didn't feel the need to look away from him now. Her gaze was apologetic and loving, still pleading in a way, but she didn't feel like she might crumble to pieces looking at him now. She wasn't fully better, she had a lot of growing and learning to do, but she didn't want to do it alone. "Artorias..." she began just for the words to end up dying on her lips. His eyes captivated her and made it hard to think about anything else.

She stepped toward him after a moment of hesitation, crossing that short distance with a new determination. She settled on her haunches in front of him, her gaze lingering on his as she reached up to hold his face between her paws before she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. She kissed him with a gentle tenderness, but even that made her eyes close for a moment and made her heart skip wildly in her chest. When she pulled back back again she searched his eyes while her paws gently stroked over his cheeks, savoring the fact that she could feel his fur against her paw pads again. His scent filled her nose and it suddenly felt like she was home. She tried to search his face, tried to see if he felt the same as she did in that moment, but she knew she couldn't just kiss him and their problems suddenly be fixed. She had hurt him. Badly. And she had to mend what she had done.

"I'm sorry," she finally said quietly, far more certain and sure than what she had said to him this morning. "Artorias, I'm truly, deeply sorry for what I did. I was so, so selfish... I was unfair to you, to me, to us... I was so blinded by my own shortcomings to see any of the good and I'm so sorry that I took that out on you. I didn't even let you try to help..." Her voice broke as she replayed that night in her mind, her ears flicking. He had tried to stop her, to try and make her see reason and get her to talk it out with him, and she had pushed him away. She had pushed away the only good, stable thing in her life and now she was desperately trying to pull him back.

"I... I understand if you can't forgive me. But... If you can just let me try, if you could just give me a chance..." Her paws shifted away from his cheeks, trailing down to rest on his chest while her eyes remained on his. "I want to be with you. I want more of those days of going on patrols with you and snuggling with you at night and teasing you about things and just... just being with you. That's all I want. Because I... Because-" Her words cut off before they could come tumbling out of her mouth, the realization hitting her all at once. "Because I love you," she whispered after a moment before she finally forced herself to stop, barely able to breathe as she waited for his response.

Briar Fatalis

It was still highly amusing to Artorias how Briar always looked like she'd seen some sort of mythical creature with how she looked at him. It was surprise and delight and excitement all at once, reflected in her eyes and written on her face. Had she not thought he'd come? Well, fair enough, he had been debating that exact same thing with himself, so her fears were justified. But here he was. Like it or not, Briar had left a permanent mark on his life, and whether he wanted to be near her or not, that wasn't something he could ignore or erase. She smiled at him and again his heart did that infuriating ache, like it was trying to race the way it had before whenever she smiled, but the broken pieces were too weak and fractured to do that anymore. He couldn't resist a wry smirk of his own when she mentioned she was waiting for someone extraordinary. Oh, so she was doing some serious sucking up to him now, huh? Artorias never thought he'd see the day the Fatalis princess would start kissing up to him. Kissing on him maybe...

Artorias held her gaze, his own still burning with the fire that never died in them, but it was no longer cold, distant, or hard. His eyes had softened significantly once he saw the adoration directed at him in those turquoise jewels she owned. He saw the remorse in her eyes, but he also saw the courage it took to be here with him and the determination to set things right. Briar got to his paws and came to stand directly across from him, not averting her eyes or shying away from him this time. She said his name and the edges of his mouth twitched into a ghost of a smile. Gods, did he love the way his name sounded on her voice... He held her gaze for the entirety of her gathering her thoughts, letting her take her time with her words. There was no need to pressure her; she'd done enough of that to herself as it was.

Briar came closer to him and a nervousness filled his stomach and his chest, watching her closely while she sat on her haunches barely inches apart from him. Before he knew it, Artorias felt Briar's paws gently holding his face while she brought her mouth forward to meet his. The moment their lips met in gentle, loving kiss, the fire that he'd tried so hard to smother flared back to life. Smoldering embers rose into a low burning flame and he couldn't tell if the heat he was feeling in his body was coming from the campfire or what Briar was doing to him. Artorias gave no resistance, kissing Briar back with the same tenderness she gave him, his paw coming up to rest over Briar's cheek while she kissed him. Their lips parted, and fiery amber found cool turquoise with a longing, loving gleam. Artorias drank in everything that Briar was: the feel of her fur under his paw, the warmth of her touch on his face, her scent filling his nose... It was all so familiar and comforting and grounding. With Briar, he knew everything would be okay. With Briar, he knew he was whole.

While he gazed at her with that same look of love, Briar began her apology, and this time it felt as if her words were coming directly from her heart. Nothing felt rehearsed or expected. He didn't know where this revelation had come from, but it was a refreshing change from what she had been this morning and weeks before. She had still only partially understanding what had hurt him so much about that night, but she was learning and getting there slowly. Artorias let her speak, getting everything off her chest and say what she needed to say before he would respond, watching her every second with patience and compassion. Her paws drifted from his face down to rest on his chest, right over his racing heart that was already beginning to mend itself. She voiced her desire: she wanted to be with him again, to share the days and nights they had before.

Then she confessed she loved him.

Artorias' heart skipped a beat. He stared at Briar in stunned stupor while his mind tried to process what she had said. His mouth hung open in a silent gasp, trying to find words to fill the space she left in the wake of that revelation. She loved him. Briar loved him. This was no longer a crush, no more just two wolves flirting and courting one another. This was love. Full, true, whole-hearted love. Artorias struggled to breathe for a moment, his mind blank, his pulse racing like liquid fire in his veins. But all the while he couldn't stop staring at Briar; staring into those turquoise eyes that had blessed and haunted his dreams, soothed and excited him, brought him peace and passion. All he could think of when staring into those eyes was her. In them he could see everything they had done and everything they could be. He saw the fight with the saber cat, their first spar in the Armada training grounds, patrolling the Hallows, her holding him while his mother died, snuggling in his room and kissing to the rhythm of the rain outside... But more than that, he saw her standing beside him as they led the Hallows together, he saw her smiling while reciting vows at their own wedding, he saw the family they could raise and the future they could create...

That was when Artorias knew he loved her too.

He didn't respond with words right away. Instead, Artorias used the paw still resting on her cheek to guide her muzzle back to his for another slow, gentle kiss, except he didn't pull back once this one broke. Artorias instead leaned closer to rest his forehead against hers, cradling her close while he brought his other paw up to find her side and loop around her waist, pulling Briar closer to him until he felt her body meet his and her soft, wave coat mingled with his coarser, mussed up fur. "I love you, Briar," he said, his voice low and gentle, not wanting to break the tenderness of this moment.

Mine. You're mine.

"My silly girl... Don't you know you were always perfect to me? I never cared if you were the best or the worst fighter, or the best or the worst hunter, or whatever. I only cared that you were you. But it felt like what I thought of you and what I wanted didn't matter to you, and that's what hurt so much... that my opinion of you didn't matter." He paused for a moment, letting her mind process what he said while he tilted his muzzle up to give her another soft kiss.

All mine. Always mine.

"I want you to be my partner, Briar, whatever that looks like now and down the road. I just want you in my life forever. Please don't shut me out again." Now that they had been mended and his broken heart was healing, all Artorias truly wanted was to love on Briar the way they had before. He wanted to show her just how deep and how hot his love for her ran through his body and soul. Most importantly, he wanted to make sure she would never, ever think about leaving him again.

"Artorias" | "Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

The love in Artorias' eyes and the feeling of him kissing her back with his paw on her cheek was the first taste that everything was going to be okay. It was the first relief she had felt since that night and it made her feel like she might topple over from the weight of it all suddenly being pulled from her shoulders. But sitting here with her paws on his chest, she continued her apology, needing him to know how much guilt was on her heart over the mess she caused. She needed him to know that she didn't expect to just be given his forgiveness and that she knew it was a lot for her to ask to have his love in return. But she wanted it to bad. She wanted her Blue Boy, her Art. She wanted him to be hers. He was supposed to be hers. Even when she was trying to push him away to be with someone else, the thought of seeing someone else at his side ripped her apart. She thought she would be willing to bear that to let him be free without her weighing him down, but she understood now that love was more important.

A little smile pulled at her lips as she watched the absolute stunned silence that came over him at her declaration, but as the seconds ticked by she felt like she couldn't breathe, waiting for his reaction and his answer, feeling his heart beating under her paw. There was that lingering fear that he'd turn her away, refuse her apology, tell her that the damage had been done and all of this made him realize he really didn't want to be with her. If that was the reality it would most certainly break her, but she couldn't blame him for it either. But he didn't do any of those things. Instead he held her cheek, pulled her muzzle to his, and gave her a loving kiss, so gentle and tender. She melted into that affection with a relief and a love that was indescribable while her core flared with that fiery desire that just made her want more. Her paws wrapped around the back of his neck as his forehead leaned into hers, a smile pulling at her lips while relieved, happy tears filled her eyes.

His voice, his familiar voice, saying those words to her in return made her heart feel like it might soar out of her chest, skipping so hard it made her gasp softly as her smile spread into an all out grin. He loved her too. He loved her. Whatever else came, that was the best and greatest gift that she could have asked for. Just to know that he loved her. She listened to his words, heard how she had made him feel, and it made her feel even more like a fool. Marigold had been right. Nothing else mattered besides the fact that she made him happy. The guilt twisted in her gut again at knowing that she made him feel like his opinion of her didn't matter, only emphasizing how selfish she had been in those whole thing. In her efforts to be selfless and push him toward what she felt were better things, she had done the opposite and just taken away what he really wanted. She returned his soft kiss and he continued to take her breath away with his sweet words and forgiveness that she didn't deserve, listening to his desires for their future and a simple request that was easy for her to agree to.

Briar wrapped herself around him as she hugged him tight, burying her face into his fur and pressing herself to him as if she needed to remind herself that he was really here, that this was really happening. He really loved her and she really loved him. "Your opinion is the only one that matters," she insisted softly against his scruff, her voice thick with emotion. Joy, love, guilt, desire... it all mixed together into an overwhelming storm, but he was her rock that she clung to, her grounding point that made everything right in the world. The other half that she didn't really understand that she needed until he was gone. "I thought giving you up was the only way that I could show how much I loved you... I thought I needed to save you from me. But I was wrong. I was so wrong." She squeezed him tighter, nuzzling into his fur as the tears finally spilled from her eyes. She had been willing to give up everything just to see him have the life he deserved, but she had been too blind to see that the only life he deserved was the one that made him happy. She understood that how he saw her was how she needed to see herself.

She leaned back from him after a while just enough to be able to see his warm amber eyes again, looking at him with all the love and happiness in the world, her paws combing through his scruff just to feel his fur slipping through her claws again. She was never going to let him go again. That was a mistake that she wouldn't repeat. With her guilt and heartache lifted away, the love and passion left behind felt hotter and stronger than she even remembered, each second that she sat with her muzzle just lightly brushing against his making that now familiar warm, tingling pressure and fire start to build higher and higher in her core and across her skin. "I made us dinner," she said as she nuzzled the side of her muzzle against his, the smell of cooking meat reminding her of the strips of rabbit laid out across the stones behind her. "The only problem is... that's not what I'm hungry for any more."

Briar Fatalis

As he professed his love for her, Artorias saw the gamut of joy dancing in her gorgeous turquoise eyes, graced by that wide, ecstatic smile. Briar wasted no time wrapping herself around him in a tight embrace, holding him like he was a ghost that might slip away in the blink of an eye. Blinking past the surprising burst of affection, Artorias' smile softened while he wrapped his forelegs around Briar's sides in return, paws running slowly up and down her back to soothe her. He held the Fatalis princess tight to his body, refusing to let his grip around her loosen. He was never going to let her go again, not if he had anything to say about it. His snout nuzzled at her forehead, drawing in her scent of fragrant florals and vanilla, amber eyes slowly drifting closed while he savored the moment of getting to hold her once more.

As she spoke, he could feel his heart mending itself, the pieces pulled back together by the compelling force of love. The ache of loss was steadily replaced by a different ache, one to keep her held close and keep her to himself, cherish and adore her. He gave a soft incredulous chuckle as she explained the flawed logic she had convinced herself of to prove how much she loved him. "I know, you were just trying to do what you thought was best for me," he replied, his voice an equally low murmur. "But your feelings about yourself are just as valid as my opinion. If you feel you have areas you want to improve or work on, I want to help you. I want you to feel as amazing and confident and beautiful as I see you. Whatever we have to do to get you there, I'll be with you every step of the way." He squeezed Briar gently in his arms. "You don't have to do any of this alone, y'know."

Briar's self-esteem wasn't something he could fix in a day though; Artorias wasn't arrogant enough to think that. He just wished Briar had told him how she was feeling so he could help her feel the way his princess deserved to feel rather than shutting him out. His eyes only opened again once Briar pulled back, finding cool turquoise shining with affection and true love. He gave her a warm smile, reaching a paw up to delicately wipe some of the crystals falling from those eyes away from her cheeks while the side of his muzzle brushed against hers. All Artorias wanted in this moment was to hold Briar, keep her close to him all night long, kiss her all over and let her know nothing but love. He couldn't tell if it was the desire in his belly or the heat of the campfire that was warming him all over, or maybe both, but the fire inside him was growing into a smoldering inferno once more. The feeling of Briar's paws running through his scruff, her feline claws gently parting thick fur to prick at his skin while her body pressed tight to his, it was awakening urges they had discovered together.

Artorias nuzzled the side of Briar's face in harmony with her motions, amber eyes drifting to the filets of rabbit cooking on the stones beside the campfire. "I know, I've been making sure they don't burn," he replied with a little smirk. Black ears perked on his head and his pulse quickened in his veins when his lover mentioned that she wasn't hungry for their dinner anymore. A knowing grin replaced his smirk, Artorias running his muzzle along the side of Briar's jaw, right where it connected to her neck, then up to brush the edge of her ear with his lips. "Hmm, that's a shame. It smells lovely." Of course, Briar smelled even better than the cooking meat. A roguish look crossed his face while he parted his jaws just enough to let his teeth catch the edge of her delicate ear, practically purring his words into it. "What are you hungry for then, my Briar?" His Briar. His

"Artorias" | "Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

She appreciated that he didn't just deny how she saw herself. He told her how he saw her, but he didn't tell her that she was wrong - instead he offered to help her get to the point where she could see herself the way that he saw her. Amazing, confident, beautiful... All things that she tried to personify and wove into the mask that she wore around anyone that she didn't know. She couldn't wear that mask around Artorias though. He pulled out the real her, the soft girl underneath the bravado. It was as frightening as it was exhilarating to be so free with someone and trust them so completely that she could let down all of her carefully crafted walls and just be herself with him. But what really struck her was his promise that she didn't have to do it alone. It felt like more and more she felt like that was the only way there was to do things to keep herself from feeling like a burden or to prevent others from seeing her weaknesses, but her Blue Boy found a way to just make her feel like he was genuinely there to support her. There was no judgement, no shame. Because he loved her. He loved her. This was what love was. He was hers and she was his. That's all that really mattered now.

While she held herself to him with her paws around his neck, nuzzling into him, her heart skipped at her own words as she surprised even herself with being so bold. It was one of those things that she didn't really consider before she let it slip past her lips, she only listened to that desire that he created in her and let it take over as she pressed herself to him tighter. Her eyes fluttered and her head tipped slightly to the side as his muzzle traced the edge of her jaw before he moved up to her ear, a smirk crossing her lips at his teasing words. She knew he'd have little interest in their dinner once a different kind of activity came into play, but she always liked his humor. She gasped softly at the feeling of his teeth against her ear, even the smallest, teasing touches feeling that much stronger because of the time they had spent apart. She wrapped her forelegs tighter around his neck, pressing her chest to his in some vain attempt to alleviate this need to get closer to him, this heat building up in her core driving her forward.

"I'm hungry for you, my Artorias..." she whispered back, turning her head slightly to kiss along the side of his neck while her claws trailed through his scruff again. Hers. All hers. Just like she was all his. She wanted all the pleasure she had felt with him the first time they stayed at the falls like this and she wanted to make him feel amazing. She wanted to thank him for loving her in the only way that felt fitting. She chuckled softly, letting her gaze find his after a few moments, looking at him with that same fire and wanting that she had the first time they experimented with one another. "What do you think?" she asked softly against his lips, giving him a soft kiss between her questions. "Should we eat our dinner first or just have each other for dinner instead?"

Briar Fatalis

Every little gasp or grin or sound he was able to draw out of Briar felt like another little victory, and Artorias savored each and every one he got from her. The way Briar tightened her forelegs around his neck to pull her lithe body closer to his made more of that fiery tension build in his gut, aching for satisfaction and release. With as much time as they'd spent together, he had an inkling that Briar knew just how to navigate him to exactly where she wanted him, guiding his attention away from their dinner to a much more pleasurable activity. Her response sent a delightful shiver down his spine, that aching between his legs returning tenfold while his paws roamed up and down her back from shoulder to hip, his claws delicately parting her tawny fur as they traveled the curves of her body. Quiet gasps and murrs left the young wolf while his lover's lips danced over the side of his neck while thin feline claws ran through his thick scruff. He adored the way she spoke to him, especially when she called him hers.

Artorias followed Briar's lead, tilting his head up and to the side while her lips moved over his neck. Little tingles of electricity coursed through his veins, amplifying every sensation he felt. The desire for her he felt returned like a wildfire scorching him inside, that lust for the pleasure they had experienced the night they shared at the falls not long ago urging him further and further. When her kisses stopped, his head tipped back down so amber met turquoise, seeing the same smoldering look for him in her eyes as he felt for her. He gripped Briar around the waist tight, tugging every inch of her body closer to his, like he couldn't ever have her close enough to him. He loved that look in her eyes and the grin on her face. It held all the promise of a wonderful night for the two young lovers.

He returned Briar's soft kiss and gave a husky chuckle when she asked if they should have their dinner first or have each other for dinner. "There's only one thing on my mind right now, and it's not the rabbit." Closing the thin space between their lips once more, Artorias kissed Briar with that slow burning passion, letting his mouth press harder to hers as the lust flared hotter and hotter in him. Keeping his forelegs wound around Briar's waist, Artorias began to recline back, gently lowering himself to the furs she'd laid out for them. He came to rest on his back, pulling her down over top of him without breaking their muzzles apart while he tasted her tongue with his own.

With her body resting over top of his, Artorias ran slow paths with his paws over her body, from the base of her tail up to the base of her neck, following the ridge of her spine up and down. His tail beat excitedly against the ground while he made out with his lover, eyes closed to savor the moment, her taste in his mouth, her scent in his nose, her fur in his paws, her body draped across his. Other than the sounds the two wolves made, only the falls and the crackling campfire could be heard, and as the sunset faded into twilight, evening began to blanket the two lovers in the intimate privacy of night. For the first time in a while, everything felt right in his life, and he was going to enjoy the night with his Briar.

"Artorias" | "Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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Briar grinned as Artorias' arms squeezed tighter around her waist, pulling her tight against him while he answered just as she had hoped, confirming that he had no intention of stopping to eat the dinner she had set out for them either. His lips caught hers again and she sank easily into his affections, letting her eyes close with a pleased murr, everything he did stirring that desire to life and feeding that fire that had returned so easily now that he was back in her life - for good, if she had anything to say about it. She held on tighter to his neck, putting up absolutely no resistance as he started to lean back and take her with him. He pulled her down over top of him, making her heart skip and flutter when she felt her whole body down laying across his, all the way from their chests to their hips.

Her lips stayed pressed to his as she made out with him, giving little soft hums and whines into their kiss as he pushed their kiss even farther, driving that need and burning fire hotter and hotter. Every single place that his paws touched as he traced her spine tingled with electricity and even though they were pressed together as close as physically possible it still didn't seem like enough. After the first night they spent at the falls with him, getting to experiment and experience pleasure for the first time, she knew what this feeling was and better understood this burning desire. That didn't make it any less maddening though. In fact, their time apart and the overwhelming joy and relief she felt over getting her love back only make it all the more desperate.

Eventually she made herself break their kiss with a soft gasp, panting lightly to fill her aching lungs with air as she blinked open her eyes and grinned down at her Blue Boy. She suddenly remembered that they were out in the open, her face flushing as she chuckled and her expression grew bashful, glancing up around the empty falls. No one was around and as the world continued to sink further and further into darkness the more isolated they felt here in their little corner of the world. She briefly considered getting up and ushering him into the den, but as she shifted on top of him and felt his body against hers again, that hungry fire reminded her of why she had picked this over eating their dinner. Looking back down at him she gave him another grin as a little daring thrill went through her, kissing him hard once more as she gave into her wants fully, getting lost in this boy she loved so deeply as she celebrated everything about him and their love for one another.

-- still *wholesome* fade --

Briar Fatalis

The little sounds he was able to draw from Briar with the simplest actions never failed to further stoke the fire they kindled whenever they were together. Feeling her body resting on top of his, every part of them touching from chest to hips with their paws all over each other somehow just felt right. His tongue explored her maw, wrestled with hers, savored her taste while they made out, giving his own quiet masculine murrs and grumbles of delight as their kiss deepened and lengthened. He grabbed pawfuls of her fur as he clutched her tight to his body, never again wanting to let her go. She was his—his alone, and all his. Something instinctual inside himself made him want to claim her, all of her, to make sure no one else could ever take his Briar from him, the urges driving him to more wild, urgent levels of desire. He wanted her, all of her, all for himself, just as she was touching him and holding him and kissing him like she wanted him all to herself as well.

When their lips did finally part, Artorias swallowed a deep breath to cool his burning lungs, slowly opening those amber eyes to gaze up at Briar. She truly was the most beautiful wolf in the world. A tender paw ran up the curves of her body to caress her cheek with a gentle touch while he gazed so deep into her eyes he thought he might drown in those turquoise pools. A look of realization crossed her face and suddenly Briar was flush with shyness, gazing around. It took Artorias' lust-drunk brain to realize that they were still outside in the open, and also followed Briar's gaze to the darkening world around them as night claimed the land. Besides the sounds of the crackling fire and rushing water, there was nothing and no one else around them.

"Just us..." he whispered up to his lover with a chuckle. He still thought that Briar would want to head into the den for some privacy, but the young fae surprised him yet again by shifting to get more comfortable on top of him and then giving him a daring grin, followed by a deep kiss. Artorias murred in surprised delight while he melted into her lips, his paws finding their way down to her hips to hold her body down onto his, his tail swishing excitedly against the furs they were laying across. His heart raced in his chest, his soul burned for her in every crevice of his body, want and need searing him alive. Briar took the lead, and both wolves were once more submerged into the depths of desire and love.

This time felt different than the first time. Last time, it had been exploratory, a chance to learn one another's bodies intimately. This time, it was a moment of heated passion between two lovers, sharing their desires and speaking their love for one another with their bodies, reveling in their reunion and their love. Time meant nothing now, the world meant nothing now. All there was, was Briar. All there ever would be was Briar. Once more, Artorias was all hers, and she would be his.

- define "wholesome" fade -

"Artorias" | "Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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