The Peace the Evening Brings

[Cascade]

A cool evening and a full belly could fix a lot of things, but they couldn't fix Peril's nerves. She hoped that Secunda wouldn't be able to hear her heart thumping against her chest like it was trying to escape, nor see that her entire body was tense with anticipation. Anticipation of what, she didn't know. She didn't know what she was expecting, she didn't know what she wanted, she didn't know anything except that she was irrevocably something for Secunda and she couldn't tell if he was something for her back. The last thing she wanted was for the day to end, but as the moon began to rise and the meadow slowly began to turn a brilliant, shimmering white as the lunar flowers opened up, all her trepidation melted away in the light of her favorite place.

And what a place it was. They were as far from their the bluffs as they could possibly be and yet she still felt like she was home. Her powers were forgotten in the face of what she felt was true magic, and in the brilliance of the moon and the flowers she couldn't care less which one of them was in awe of it more, only that they were both in awe.

She wanted to say something to him, but she was afraid to break the effect of the meadow by breaking the silence. Plus, she didn't know what she could say that wouldn't embarrass them. It wasn't clear to her whether it was because of recent events, but a flower petal brushing against her leg felt more than ever like a friend giving her reassurance. Maybe if she didn't worry about what to say or do, maybe if she just let it go, something would happen.

[Gyllbane]

Secunda watched the moonrise in awe, the flowers that bloomed before them impossibly beautiful against the star-streaked evening sky. He doubted that there was a more beautiful place in all the world, much less the Valley. "It's beautiful." He said quietly, not quite aware of his thoughts translating to speech. And who better to experience this place, this veritable paradise with than Peril - Peril, whom he'd shared possibly the most harrowing - and amazing - journey of his life. Peril, who knew him better than any other wolf in the Valley. Peril, who, in less time than it had seemed, had barreled her way into his life and into his heart, her mark on his life no less permanent than the powers that dwelt within him.

He turned his head toward her, then, trying his hardest to hide his anxiety. How should he even begin? "Peril," He said carefully. "Thank you. For- for bringing me here. And for going with me on Sheba's quest. And for - well. For everything. I know it's been rough." He gave a quiet chuckle, though it didn't do much to ease the tension.

"But I wouldn't trade it for anything. We've both gone through so much, it..." he trailed off for a moment, clearly struggling with his words, a sensation he had almost never experienced. "It's great, being around you. I like it. A lot. I mean- you. Being with you." Look at him, stumbling over his words like a lost pup - he was certainly doing a fine job of messing up. "I like you a lot, Peril."

[Cascade]

Oh. Oh okay. Was this really happening? Peril searched her brain for alternative explanation for this sudden heart-to-heart in The Most Romantic Spot on Earth™, and although she could find none she couldn't completely accept the apparent reality. Flower hugs could only do so much to keep a girl from doubting herself at a crucial moment. The sincerity and emotion of Secunda's words barely had the opportunity to register amidst the many options she was weighing, but from the flutter in her chest it was a safe bet that they managed to hit their mark.

"Look, Secunda..." Wow, what good news had ever started out with 'look, Secunda'? "I really like you too. A lot! Like, I really really appreciate you going on that quest with me. It was super cool of you." Oh god, this was terrible. It was sounding more like a rejection with every word and that was completely not what she was going for. The Most Romantic Spot on Earth™ was failing her when she needed it most. "Anyways, you're a great friend." Bad. "And you're like a brother to me." What the hell? That wasn't even true. "But I think we should...be mates?"

Okay, well. She ended on a good note at least. Hopefully that wasn't too much of a mixed signal.

[Gyllbane]

As Peril gave her reply, Secunda's hopes began to quail at what seemed like her rejection. Had he pushed it too far? Had he overstepped some invisible boundary, misread her actions towards him on some fundamental level? With each word his stomach dropped further and further - he was a brother to her? That just didn't feel right-

Wait. Mates?

Secunda was reeling from the whiplash. All that 'you're a good friend, like a brother' led up to... mates? He smiled wide, giving a laugh of disbelief and wondering if he'd misheard her. But she'd said it plainly - whatever the strange lead-up, she cared about him just as deeply as he cared about her. His heart beat out a staccato rhythm in his chest, and he wondered if this was what flying felt like - like having your feet swept out from under you but instead of falling, soaring.

"Y-yes! Yes, mates would... mates would be good. Wonderful. I'd like- I'd love that." He amended in a shaky voice, then paused for a moment before looking at Peril carefully. "So the whole brother thing was- that wasn't true, I hope?" He grinned.

[Cascade]

Okay, the lunar meadow had been a great idea after all. A very, very good idea. One of the best ideas, second only to the idea to go on a journey with what turned out to be the most important wolf in her life so far. Also the "getting magical powers" thing would probably shake out to be pretty high up on that list after some practice, but for now the journey to get those powers and going to the lunar meadow were the number one and number two best ideas, respectively. Oh god, he was probably waiting for an answer, wasn't he?

"Cut me some slack, okay?" Peril stuttered, turning away so that he might not see her embarrassed blush, "It's not like you're some kind of master wordsmith." The enormity of what just happened hit her. She had suggested that she and Secunda be mates. And he had accepted, no less. "So...are we mates now? Or do we need to do something else?" A pause. "WAIT, I didn't mean that! Uh...I just meant. You know, is it official?"

[Gyllbane]

He chuckled good-naturedly at her embarrassment, still a bit lightheaded from Peril's accidental misdirection. The disbelief had begun to fade, and instead a comfortable elation was setting in - it felt right, the word mates.

His expression changed from surprised to sheepish at her insinuation, however, and he was lucky for the fur on his cheeks, else she'd see the flush that overtook him. Like a lovestruck pup, he thought, until realizing that that about summed up his current situation and had to keep back a snort. "Ah. I. Um- I've never... had a mate before?" He said it like it was a question, and then mentally chided himself for it - of course he hadn't, not with the way he was speaking, and on top of that, how had he managed to sound so unsure about it? "I'd say we should 'announce' ourselves to the pack, as it were, but there's... not very much pack to announce it to." He wasn't quite sure how they would handle telling the Alphas; he still wasn't sure where he stood in their ranks, and what their reaction to a new mated pair would be. He supposed that was a problem for a different day, though - for now, there was the moon and the stars, the flowers, and Peril, and he could most certainly be content with that.

"I don't think there's anything else. Unless the Valley has some strange, secret mating ritual that I'm not aware of." He said, half-joking - he wouldn't rule out the possibility, though, not with everything he'd experienced in the valley thus far. He sidled closer to her until his shoulder was flush with hers, his previous nervousness overtaken by relief. "You would know better than I."

[Cascade]

Once again, Peril's imagination went wild at the mention of a secret mating ritual. She didn't know quite what such a thing would entail, but her head conjured images of a foot race and some sort of bizarre rain dance. "No there isn't, and I'm pretty sure that's a good thing," she said, trying to shake the images out of her head without accidentally summoning any bloodthirsty plant monsters. She suspect that she could use her powers on the lunar flowers, but the idea of laying her magic on that kind of perfection seemed very corrupting to her.

Weird dances and weird powers aside, Peril couldn't help but think of the implications of her being mates with Secunda. There were certain things mates did that friends didn't, after all, one of the major things being...well, populating the valley, to put it in the most unappealing terms possible. She wasn't opposed to the idea of having pups by any means, but she'd never incorporated that particular fantasy into her tapestry of life aspirations. She hoped Secunda could pick up the slack when the time came, because she predicted that there was gonna be some slack when it came to her ability to nurture tiny, defenseless beings. Was she getting ahead of herself? Maybe he was thinking the same thing. She shot a glance his way, but couldn't read his expression any better now than she could two minutes ago when they weren't mates. "I suppose the mind reading doesn't come automatically," she said. She would have kept it to herself, but she figured it was a good time for him to start learning more of what went on inside her head.

[Gyllbane]

"I'd be surprised if it did." He grinned. He had begun to wonder what wolves did as mates - other than the rather obvious, which Peril had brought to a somewhat embarrassing light. Was there a requisite amount of time to spend with one another? Did they have to designate pet names, start planning names for pups? A shred of anxiety crept in amongst the happiness - what would Peril be expecting him to do? Self-doubt was not something he experienced often, and he wasn't sure he enjoyed the feeling.

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply and letting the calm of the place settle in. "We'll figure it out. We're in this for the long haul, after all." He needed to not worry so much about the future. It would come in time, and they'd handle it as well as they could. Together. Thinking about the prospect of spending the rest of his life with Peril overcame any concerns he had about what the valley held in store.