Being sick sucked. Big time. He had spent too much time helping out in valhalla when the flood had hit that apparently he had gotten hit with a cold. Horrible cold. Sneezing, runny nose and his throat itched like there was no tomorrow. As much as he would've liked to have Meili caring for him, he hadn't wanted to get her sick, so the young Adravendi had quarantined himself from Valhalla, spending some time outside of the pack, waiting out the cold since he had no knowledge of any herbs given the fact that he hadn't gotten a chance to spend time with his mom. It had been an agonizing week without being able to see his little woman but if it meant keeping her from getting sick then it wasn't too bad. But the week was over and his cold was long gone. The heat of summer had hopefully dried up most of the water that had accumulated in Valhalla, so he wouldn't have to worry about catching a cold anytime soon. Today he was heading back home, back to his little teal-eyed woman, but before he got back he was going to take a detour towards Emerald Valley. It was such a beautiful place and even more so now that it was summer. The grass was lush and green, swaying gently in the breeze, giving the appearance of an endless sea of grass. His cerulean eyes spotted dear up ahead but the yearling paid them no mind. The landscape was much too beautiful for him to think of food. Besides, he'd eaten breakfast already. Ivory tipped paws carried the young man through the lush valley, every sense alert in the afternoon sun. The warm rays shone down on the silver man, warming his shoulders as his thoughts swirled around Meili. How he'd missed her. Stopping in the midst of the emerald sea, Gael tossed his crown back, lips pulling together as a soft croon filled the air, calling his little woman to him. He had been away from her for too long. As his voice echoed out the young man remained vigilent, waiting to see the familiar flashy of timber and teal. Talk like this

Quiet and creeping, meili made her way through the lush grasses of the valley. She was crouched low, her small form easily hiding below the tops of the grasses. She had been working on her hunting with Ashtoreth a little the past couple weeks and now she was trying to put her new hunting skills into practice. She eased along, inch by inch, the fawn up ahead nearly within her reach. She wasn't big enough or strong enough to take the doe or buck by herself, but she could easily take the young fawn and maybe even run off with it if needed. Just as she was getting within striking range of her prey, a howl rang out across the valley. Her teal eyes went wide and her ears laid back against her skull, yelping as she ducked out of the way, nearly being trampled by the fleeing deer. She panted, gathering her senses after the scare. Irritated by losing her kill, she stood up as she grumbled to herself, seemingly appearing out of nowhere to any bystanders. Her gaze darted around, looking for the wolf that scared off her catch. Her eyes finally landed on the large, familiar, silver form, her gaze softening into pure joy and a huge grin spread across her muzzle. "Gael..." she whispered to herself, her tail wagging madly behind her. He had apparently disappeared for a week, leaving her worried sick about him. Bounding forward as fast as her runner's legs could carry her, she tackled him, the momentum knocking the both of them to the ground, Meili landing on top of his larger form. "Gael!" she exclaimed, laughing and nuzzling his chest, lifting her head to look into his breathtaking cerulean gaze, her tail whipping madly behind her. "Where have you been? I've been so worried, are you okay?" Suddenly overtaken with worry again, she looked down at him, peering down his body this way and that to make sure he wasn't injured. "Speech."

He hadn't realized that she had been in the valley with him. Perhaps the pungent smell of deer and summer had clogged his senses or maybe his nose still hadn't recovered from the running it had gone through during his cold or maybe he had just not paying attention. So it was no surprise to see the young man startled when suddenly he saw a figure rise from the tall grass, seeming to have appeared out of nowhere. At first he thought it to be just some regular old wolf, perhaps a rogue that had happened on the area at the same time he had, but when the wolf turned around, there was no mistaking the teal gaze. No other wolf he knew had eyes like those; except Meili. And it appeared that she recognized him too, her tail wagging madly behind her as she bounded towards him, her much shorter legs carrying her faster than he had ever seen her go. Gael tried bracing himself, but her momentum was too much even for him. She barreled into him, throwing his legs out from under him, knocking him back onto his back as they tumbled a few steps before stopping, his larger frame ending up beneath hers, his name bursting from her lips happily as she laughed, nuzzling his chest as she gazed at him. His own laughter bubbled from his silver lips, cerulean unable to tear themselves away from her gaze as she reached up to kiss her cheek, audits straining forward at her words. Where have you been? I've been so worried, are you okay? A goodnatured chuckle rumbled in his chest as he watched her take a once over of his body, checking to see if he had any physical signs of illness. Of course Mei, I'm completely fine. I just had a terrible cold and I didn't want you to catch it, so I isolated myself until it went away. But I'm back now and I'm not going anywhere. Nothing but the pure truth spilled from his lips as he reached up with his forepaws, gently batting at her neck, simply glad to be back in her presence. How he had missed his little woman. Talk like this

Meili breathed a sigh of relief when he explained his absence, her expression softening with affection for the considerate brute. He had isolated himself to keep her from catching his cold? "That's very sweet of you," she told him, gently licking his chin and running her muzzle through the fur along his neck. She finally got off of him, climbing down from his larger form and back onto her own ivory paws. She waited till he was upright once more as well before poking his chest playfully with one of her forepaws. "You could've told me where you were going before you ran off though," she teased him, chuckling softly. Her teal gaze found his cerulean one again and her heart fluttered, making her grin. She was happy to know that they could be separated for days and he could still make butterflies fly up in her stomach with just a glance. "Would you like to help me hunt since you scared my catch off with your howling?" she asked, her tone playful and teasing. She could never be mad at him, especially for something as small as scaring off some deer. This place was full of prey so she was sure it wouldn't be hard to find some more. "Speech."

She seemed to be more than relieved that he was alright, his explanation for his absence boding well with the little woman, which in turn was a relief for him. Part of him feared that she would be just a tad bit upset with for having disappeared so suddenly, but the reasoning behind his disappearance was enough to quell any if there were, reasons to be upset with him. That's very sweet of you. A half grin curled his lips, shoulders rubbing against the earth beneath him as he shrugged, his stomach twisting into knots as she kissed his chin, running her muzzle across the fur lining his neck, sending ripples of goosebumps across his skin. Even being away from her for a week could not diminish the feelings that were brewing for her. I just did what I had to do to keep you well. He answered honestly, watching as she clambered off him, allowing him the room to get his paws beneath him again before poking him in the chest with a paw, teasing him about having told her something. She did have a point there. I probably should have. Can't really remember why I didn't. Please forgive me my little woman, I never meant to worry you. His ears flattened against his head, cerulean eyes becoming big like a puppy's as he lowered his head, crouching in order to shorten himself as he rubbed the top of his head underneath her chin, very much like a pup would do to its mother, though their relationship was the farthest from that. He pulled up a moment later, a playful grin creasing his lips, her question peaking his interest. Whoops. It's the least I could do. Sorry about that by the way, I had no idea you were hunting. The playful grin turned sheepish as he tilted his head to one side, unable to break eye contact with her. Those teal eyes. How he loved them so. Talk like this

Meili was touched by the care that Gael had for her. Knowing that he was willing to isolate himself to keep her from getting sick was extremely sweet of him and she almost felt bad for poking fun at him for not telling her that he was leaving. She couldn't help but smile and giggle as he crouched to nuzzle under her chin. He was so adorable, really. "Of course I forgive you, my big man. You meant well, I know." She reached up to give his muzzle a lick, her teal gaze finding his happily. She shook her head at his apology, waving it off with a grin. "No worries, you didn't know. If it had been anyone else though I would have been very annoyed with them, but how can I be mad at you?" she said with a laugh, an easy, relaxed grin finding its way onto her muzzle. She had felt lost without Gael while he was away and now that she could see that cerulean gaze of his again she felt whole once again. He couldn't seem to pull his gaze away from hers and she honestly didn't mind. She could gaze into those cerulean eyes for hours and be happy. But, she had a job to do. Giving his chin an affectionate lick, she pulled her eyes from his, gazing around the valley around them, wondering if they would be able to find a suitable meal now. "Speech."

Of course I forgive you, my big man. You meant well, I know. Silver plume wagged happily behind him, cerulean gaze alight with relief and joy. He was glad that she could easily forgive him. He wasn't sure he would be able to stand having her upset with him. Thank you little woman. Kissers upturned in a smile, his heart thumping unevenly in his chest at her kiss. Even being apart for a week couldn't take away the fact that every time he saw her, his stomach always turned to knots and it was like his heart was sprinting a marathon. He leaned down, placing a tender lick between her eyes, just in the middle of her forehead. They were still friends who acknowledged the fact that they their feelings went beyond friendship, but Meili meant a lot more to the young Adravendi than she realized. More than he thought anyone other than his family could mean to him. No worries, you didn't know. If it had been anyone else though I would have been very annoyed with them, but how can I be mad at you? He chuckled quietly to himself, shrugging at her words. He didn't really know, but he really glad that she wasn't. As amazing as it would be to stand around all day gazing at each other, Mei had lost her lunch for the day and Gael was determined to help her get it back. He pressed himself closer to her after her kiss to his chin, allowing his gaze to mimic hers in inspecting the valley. See anything yet? He whispered quietly, allowing his breath to tickle her ear, chest pressed against her right shoulder. Talk like this

Gael's close proximity to her was quite distracting. He towered over her so with his chest pressed to her shoulder she could easily sit and nuzzle into his neck. It was hard sometimes to remind herself that he was still a yearling and may very well still have some growing to do with him already so much taller than she was. Meili resisted the urge to cuddle up to him like she wished she could and turned her attention back to her hunt. With a flick of her ears she heard movement in the distance. Her head turned to her iChat and sure enough there was the doe she had been stalking before, apparently unable to resist the lush grasses that the valley offered. The deer did seem to have a little bit of common sense, seeing as she was on the very edge of the valley with her ears alert, but still a very possible meal for the little hunter. Meili looked up at Gael, a grin flicking across her muzzle. "You block hr off and take her down if she gets away from me and I'll be sure to send her in your direction?" she asked softly, giving a little toss of her head in the direction of the deer. She crouched down; easily disappearing in the grasses. She led the way toward their prey, moving slowly and quietly. When they were about three yards away, Mei gave him a little nod to say wait here, and she crept in an ark around behind the doe. She has to be extra careful since the tricky deer had placed herself where the grasses had begun to thin out toward the tree line, but Meili still managed to remain undetected. She closed the distance between her and her future meal. At the last possible second she leaped out of the grasses, spooking the deer into taking off in Geal's direction. She got in one firm bite on the doe's hind leg before it took off, slowing it down considerably. She gave a short woof in her man's direction, warning him to be ready. "Speech."

He was so close to her. This was the closest he'd gotten to her since having returned from his leave of sickness. The yearling wasn't so young anymore, his second birth quickly approaching. He was nearly a man now and with the coming age come things about his body that he wasn't aware of until now...until he was alone with Meili, pressed up against her...Just as his thoughts began to wander down a path they had never wandered down before, a flick of Mei's ears and the turning of her head brought his attention back to the matter at hand. The hunt. You block hr off and take her down if she gets away from me and I'll be sure to send her in your direction? A brief nod was presented to his little woman, a gentle nudge with his muzzle encouraging her to go forward and catch her meal. Silver form was lowered towards the ground, muscles tensing in anticipation. He followed after her, quiet in his movements as to not give their position away, halting about three yards away, staying in place from the nod given to him, cerulean gaze tracking her movements as she arched around from behind the doe. She waited until the last second, throwing herself at the herbivore, scaring it towards him. He remained hidden, nostrils catching the strong scent of blood. Meili had injured it already. Perfect. He waited until the doe was nearly ontop of him before bursting from the grass, powerful jaws agape as they closed around the animal's throat, forepaws wrapping around its neck as he used his weight to drag the animal to the ground. Gael twisted, managing to throw the deer down, though he still landed rather hard on his right shoulder. His grip never loosened, jaws tightening around the creatures windpipe as he crushed the air from it, waiting out until it stopped breathing before releasing it. Talk like this

Meili waited patiently from where she stood, watching as her man brought down the doe with ease. She smiled proudly, but the smile quickly disappeared as she saw him land hard on his shoulder. She winced and ran over to him as soon as the doe lay dead and he released his grip on it. Her ivory paws carried her to him, collapsing to the ground beside him with a soft thump, licking at his right shoulder worriedly. "Are you okay, Gael? That looked like it hurt." She examined him carefully, not seeing any outward signs of injury, but knew it could be bruised or at least sore. Meili lapped at his shoulder soothingly, her dinner momentarily forgotten. She lifted her muzzle a bit to give his cheek a lick, her teal gaze finding his with an unexpected wave of happiness. Only his cerulean eyes could catch her attention like that. She couldn't explain it, not that she wanted to. Her heart fluttered helplessly under his gaze and a soft, dreamy smile drifted across her muzzle. She had thought about him endlessly when he was gone and now he was finally here beside her again. Finally pulling her gaze from his, she leaned into his body happily, her small form fitting into the crook of his side perfectly. She nuzzled his neck with a content sigh, feeling like they were worlds away from everything with the tall grasses circling them and only the blue sky above them. "Thank you," she said softly, finally finding her voice again. "For helping catch that deer... and just being here." She wanted to say more, desperately wanted to tell him how much she missed him and how she felt about him, how much she cared for her man, but she restrained herself. One of her biggest fears was to tell him all of this, only to have him not feel the same or, worse, scare him away with it all. She knew eventually she would have to face her fears... but how? "Speech."

The deer struggled feebly in his grip, its legs flailing in a weak attempt to get away. But it was too late. It was all done for. Gael didn't loosen his hold on the animal's windpipe, jaws clenched tightly around it as he felt it take its last shuddering breath before going still. He waited several moments just to make sure before slowly letting the deer fall from his jaws, crimson liquid staining his silver lips. Salmon tongue swiped out to lick the blood away, ears flickering backwards at the sound of pawsteps. Gael craned his neck around as he righted himself to his belly, cerulean gaze coming to rest of Meili's smaller figure as she came to plop beside him, her teal gaze full of worry as she licked his right shoulder. Are you okay, Gael? That looked like it hurt. He winced slightly at her touch, a breath hissing through his clamped jaws but a smile curling them anyways, nodding towards his little woman. Nothing a good night's rest can't fix. He bumped her cheek with the bridge of his muzzle, smiling lovingly at her. he loved that she worried about him because he worried about her just as much, if not more. She would lift her head to kiss his cheek, making the smile blow up into a full blown grin, his heart stammering in his chest. He had missed being around her so much. Every time he saw it was like seeing her for the first time again. He was always surprised by how beautiful she was and he didn't think that it would ever go away. Their eyes met and he couldn't find the strength to look away, even when food was sitting right beside him. It wasn't until she looked away first, but only to mold herself to his side that their gazes broke. He pressed her against him, his muzzle pressed into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent, ears forward with attention as she spoke. Thank you. For helping catch that deer... and just being here. He would rumble into her neck, incisors gently nipping at the skin just beneath her fur, his tone husky as he spoke. Don't thank me little woman, it's what I'm here for... His voice became a breathy whisper as he nipped his way up to the crook of her ear, nibbling the base of it. He had no idea what was going on with him, but he kind of liked it. There were new feelings stirring inside of him that he'd never felt before and he was rather curious as to where they lead. Would Meili help him discover what they were? Talk like this

It was so, so hard to remind herself that Gael was as young as he was in moments like these. Her ears were turned forward at attention to catch her man's husky whisper, blinking with a mix of surprise and pleasure as he lightly nibbled up her neck to her ear. He had never acted this way before, and it caught Meili by surprise, making her breath catch and her skin tingle. Even though she really hadn't had much more experience with this sort of thing than her man had, she knew enough that she could easily spot the new way he acted with her. He was almost two, she reminded herself. Before long he would truly be her man, not a yearling. Maybe that would explain the sudden shift in his behavior. She couldn't complain though, not when he took her breath away with the husky tone of his voice and the light touch of his teeth against her skin. Their dinner completely forgotten, Meili brushed the side of her muzzle up along the side of his neck and she tenderly licked at his chin, a soft, pleased rumble sounding in her chest. Putting the world and all of the issues in the way of their relationship out of her mind, she thought only about Gael and this moment with him right now. She leaned into his touch, her fur mingling with his. Her tail came over to lay over and entwine with his and the forepaw closes to his brushed against his. She didn't think about their age, she only thought of him and how much she cared for him... no, not just cared for. Loved. She finally admitted it to herself as she gave gentle, tender kisses to his muzzle and cheek. She loved her big man. Her heart pounded in her chest and she wondered in the back of her mind if he felt the same... or if she had only captured his young, unknowing affections. "Speech."

He was almost two years old now. His birthday in the winter was quickly approaching. Only a month or so left until he turned two. He was nearly a full grown man. And with the coming of age came the new realizations about his body that he hadn't noticed before. Lying here with Meili, with her body pressed up against him, he was suddenly becoming acutely aware that he was a male and she a female. And his body was taking notice to, driving him to do things he had never done before, things that were both unknown yet instinctual. In that moment, there was no thought to what others opinions were about their relationship, to what the age difference between them was. The only thoughts there were allowed were those that only pertained to his little woman and how beautiful she was...He'd always known she was beautiful, it had been the first thing he had noticed when they'd first met all that time ago, but right now in this moment, she seemed even more beautiful than even before. How was that possible? She probably just got more beautiful with each passing day. The food that he had helped her catch was forgotten for the time being, his appetite for food suddenly gone, replaced with a whole new appetite. Meili of course knew what was going on, or so he thought she did given that she was older than him, as she began to rub her muzzle against the side of his neck, kissing his chin gently, a pleased rumble vibrating in her chest. Cerulean gaze disappeared from view as he felt her lean against him, her timber pelt mixing with his silver one, tail intertwining as she kissed his muzzle and cheeks. He could feel a low pulse begin to pound between his hips, but instead of shying away from it, Gael embraced it, allowing it to thrum through his entire body as his muzzle skimmed down her nape, salmon tongue swiping out to kiss at her skin. Gentle nips were given as he slowly made his way down, tracing her spine about mid belly before beginning to make his way back, his own low rumble vibrating in his massive chest. Talk like this

Meili wasn't exactly sure what the swirling emotions that each of her man's nibbles and licks gave her. All she knew was that she liked it, whatever it was. She searched for a word for this feeling, this... lust? Is that was this is? It was like the love she held in her heart for him, but so much more intense and warm. Her eyes fluttered closed as his kisses trailed down her side, sending new feelings and shivers through her that she had never felt before. She had never felt this way toward anyone before and almost felt drunk from the rush of feelings and sensations. She burried her muzzle in the fur along the side of his neck, breathing in his scent and keeping herself pressed as close as she could to his form. The world around them was merely a blur as she completely shut it out, pushing away all of her thoughts as she enjoyed this rare moment alone with her man. "Gael..." she whispered, her voice soft and breathless. She loved the feeling of his name on her tongue. It wasn't a call or a question, it was merely saying his name for the joy of saying it and knowing that, for this moment at least, he was all hers. "Speech."

He had never been in love before, didn't even know what love was. He'd seen plenty of times how his parents were with each other, so he had a vague idea of what love looked like, but he had never experienced it for himself. And part of him wanted to, but at the same time he didn't feel like he was ready for it. He had just come back home several seasons ago and he was still trying to figure his place out in his pack. His aunt had told him that he was going to be trained as a beta, but he wasn't sure when that was going to happen. Things were starting to fall in place, but he wasn't sure where he stood with Meili at the moment. They both liked each other, that much was certain, but as far where their relationship was going he had no idea. Did he love Meili? It felt like he did. He really cared about her, that was for sure, but did he love her? How did someone know if they loved someone else? So many unanswered questions but he didn't want to think about any of them right now. He just wanted to focus on his little woman and what his body was telling him. Meili would turn towards him, pressing her muzzle into his neck, her breath tickling the skin beneath it. A low rumble of pleasure would vibrate in his massive chest as he tucked his chin over her head, holding her to him, ears flicking forward with attention as she whispered his name, sending shivers down his spine and making the heat circling his hips burn just a little bit hotter. Meili... There was so much feeling in that one word. His body wanted to do one thing while his heart another. Gael didn't know what to do because he wasn't sure about what was going on with him, both physically and emotionally. He just hoped he would be able to figure it out. Talk like this

The small huntress was a whole mix of emotions and still had no idea how to sort them out. She needed to think. She needed to tell Gael how she felt, but she couldn't. She wanted to so badly, but she didn't know how. Her heart thudded in her chest and her thoughts tangled into a jumbled mess. Her ears folded back as she forced herself to pull away from him, scrambling to her paws and backing away from him a couple of steps. She whined softly, her teal gaze showing her confusion. She wanted to stare at the ground, but she remembered how much he hated when she wouldn't look at him so she met his cerulean gaze instead, but her heart twisted with longing when she did. She had to go, had to think... but how could she leave him for even a moment when being away from him was so saddening. She sighed and padded back over to him, resting her forehead in the nook where the side of his neck met with his skull, breathing in his scent and finding comfort in it. "I'm sorry... I'm just so confused. I don't know what to do." She lifted her head once again to look at his handsome face, falling silent. There were so many words she wanted to say, but none that she could. Speech Others Thought Thank you Yumpy!

Everything was so new and confusing and interesting and just too much. There were so many things going on inside of him, he didn't know what to listen to and what to ignore. He wanted to talk to Meili, to try and make sense of the feelings that were bubbling inside of him. He wanted to follow the urges that his body was showing him, to see where they would lead to. He wanted to stop and just take a breather. He wanted to talk to his father or his mother, to see if they could somehow help him figure out just what exactly was going on with him, but he was hesitant to talk to them about Meili. The first time his father had seen them together he hadn't seem very pleased. Would his opinion have changed now? He wasn't sure he wanted to find out. He could always talk to his mom, but with his new baby siblings, he didn't really wanna bother his mom with his own indecision. So what was he to do? He thought Meili was going along with it, but it seemed that he was reading her all wrong. Her ears folded against her head and he found his side suddenly empty as she pulled away from him, a low whine escaping her jaws, her teal gaze full of confusion. Immediately the fire burning through his system vanished, leaving him cold. His own ears folded against his skull and his brows furrowed with worry and his own confusion. What was going on? Mei sighed before moving back towards him, pressing her forehead into the crook of his neck, her nose tickling the fur there as she whispered that she didn't know what to do. His little woman pulled away from him to allow their gazes to lock again. I don't know either...There are just so many feelings bubbling inside of me...I don't know where to start... How was she supposed to explain to his little woman just exactly how he felt? Talk like this

"I feel the same way, Gael..." she replied softly, her voice just a whisper. Her legs folded under her as she laid down in front of him, feeling so small compared to his large size. A wistful smile drifted across her muzzle as she thought about the first time they had met, that day that she had tumbled into a tangle of willow branches and he had come to her rescue. He had been larger than her even back then and she could swear that he had grown even since then. He was growing up. She kept reminding herself of that. He wasn't a pup any more. He was even almost too old to be called a yearling. She gave his muzzle a gentle, affectionate lick, smiling a little easier as her emotions slowly settled and her heart eased into its usual gentle patter. Even though she was always a mess around him and their whole situation was a strange, twisted thing, but she honestly wouldn't trade it for the world. She wouldn't trade him for the world. He was her man. She smiled softly and gently licked the tip of his nose. "Gael... Go talk with your parents, okay? You have them for guidance, take advantage of it while they're here. You never know... you never know when everything may completely change." She looked down sadly at their paws, wondering what her parents were like, what they looked like, if she had siblings... She didn't think she would ever know. She wondered if Gael knew how lucky he was to have such a big family here with him. Speech Others Thought Thank you Yumpy!