The afternoon had provided an enriching experience for the Nomad. The time spent with her neighbor and Lead of the Ichika family had put her in a pleasant mood. A new confidence for this move was found and motivated her determined process to rebuild her home within Wentworth.

Winter was coming in slow but steady breaths of cooling wind. The anticipation of the season to come making her smile all the more. Even as she toiled away moving earth and wood to construct her den, she wore a smile that shown even through the coming night. Her work continued long after the sun's light receded and she was left digging away at the ground in the still darkness. She wasn't too far from Razekiel's hut, but far enough that her work would not disturb his comfortable lifestyle. The woman was determined to have her den made before she rested, leaving no option to return to the Forest to sleep. This was her home now and her first night needed to be here within the safety of her enclosure.

Optime limbs withdrew the earth from its warm bed, her form plunging into her made hole to further increase the depth of the burrow. It was primal really, a wolf residing within a hole within the ground instead of above it, but there was a reason behind it all. Deep in the earth was natural warmth that would keep her throughout the frigid season and the furs that would line the floor of the den would add extra heat should the temperatures plummet to relentless lows. For the time being, she was satisfied with her work and at last withdrew from the mouth of the den to observe the exterior. The dug soil was used to raise the mouth of the den, making a proper entrance instead of a simple hole. The interior was wide enough for herself providing a little extra room for an optime transformation, but little more. In time it would have to be expanded to house her future trophies and stockpile food for winter, but for now this quaint little abode would do.

Surprisingly she had managed with little distraction. Only the call of her companion would turn her head now and again, but she was solely concentrating on her task. Not even a figment of grey invaded her mind though he had always consumed her thoughts. As the days wore on without a glimpse of him, she came to terms that this was how it was going to be. Left with a memory and scent that still clung to her. It wouldn't fade away so easily, nor would the memory. But it would in time as did all things. She had found a sliver of happiness in this move, comfortably straddling the line between responsibility and her desire. She wouldn't let herself be bothered by a mere thought... not when she was supposed to revel in this accomplishment.

A rest well deserved was taken at the mouth of her den, reclining against its risen wall in Optime form. Her arms delicately resting atop her stomach, head lolled to the side resting upon the earth, the inhale its rich scent and that of the clear night air. Peace came over her, and as her eyes slid shut and ears were filled with chatter of the evening life, she fell into repose.

Her breaths had become even as she fell into a light doze, simply at peace with her work and surroundings. She could hear more of the wild now that it resided just beyond her doorstep and even within light sleep, she smiled with satisfaction.

With each new breath that filled her lungs, a little more of Nature became familiar to her, a part of her. And though she was speckled by soft soil, the fragrant scent encapsulating her nostrils, the remnant of the grey could not be overcome. And with each breath, it was as though the scent was growing stronger... more noticeable. Her acute sense picked up on the bend and trudge of leaves, but it was not enough to stir her from her rest. If it were an intruder she could just slip deeper into her confine and wait out the threat. No need to be hostile unless provoked. But while the thought kept her in place, she was not to linger there for long.

A voice too familiar, too sound to be conjured by a dream pulled her sharply from her rest. The musk of power invaded her widening nostrils as her eyes grew wide with alarm. She knew that word... she had heard that strange greeting once before. How likely was it that another random soul could utter it? X'yrin felt her heart quicken, her digits trembled with the sudden rush of adrenaline though she was firmly rooted in place on the ground. This wasn't real. She had only just gotten herself to believe the fleeting encounter was nothing more than that. And now he was here...again. The woman was not touched by fear, but the longing that was forcibly buried suddenly burst to the surface; its compelling lure pulling the female from her den.

Darkness was taken as but a glimpse before her sights solely fell upon the depths of frigid blue. They commanded a chill to course down her spine as she pulled herself to stand upon her firm two feet. She could only stare for a moment, unsure whether the image before her was indeed real or some twisted delusion fabricated by her desperate longing. "That word..." she began softly, not yet finding her true, confident voice. "I still do not know what it means. Yet that is twice now you've said it." But was it truly the second time? Or had their first encounter been nothing more than a primal dream?

A silly notion, to believe this was nothing more than a dream. But what was she to expect after days spent alone with only a memory and a scent. Yet it was real, he was real. As he brought a hand to her shoulder perhaps confirming his own thoughts of her, she felt his touch and knew her mind had not tricked her. Her heart near burst from her chest. A pleading whine slipped unknowingly from her maw before what composure she had was tossed to the wind and she fell against him. Her arms circled around his mountainous form seeking his solidity and warmth, confirming and reaffirming that this was who she thought it to be.

There was no doubt nor hesitation in her actions. For the first time since their parting, she felt sure that this was how it was to be. Her rational mind could not yet understand what caused her to embrace him like this, but she trusted the part of her that did know. Whispered words of understanding filled her mind, recalling the many questions that plagued her during those lonely nights and days and found their answer within this reunion. The primal mind even brought silent tears to the female's eyes as the painful void burdening her chest slowly began to fill... and she felt whole again. The woman grew more aware that this void, this longing, the emptiness all stemmed from her knight's absence.

"Then I must ask..." she uttered quietly, letting her head rest again his broad chest. "How would you say 'fool' in French, so that I may have a name to call you by." In the midst of her silent tears, she smiled faintly. Bitter at him for leaving her alone, and disappointed with herself for letting the denial of the truth encompass her. "Or would you prefer Shadow?"

Now, as she had felt before, there was only comfort. There was only him. No other thought dared cross her mind in fear of spoiling this well deserved moment. She had waited for him, though her mind would not acknowledge this without contest, her heart knew this to be true. Since their joining and her departure, she had been waiting, hoping to see him again. Her nameless Shadow. "Ompre."

She lifted her muzzle, pronouncing the name for herself with skilled tongue. And as he announced his name for her, the woman's ears fell back, the mystery dispelled as there was now a name to his face. The primal mind needn't a name, but sound and smell was enough. However the civilized mind was not so easily appeased with just that. She smiled as he leaned down and caressed her nose, the flesh wrinkling bashfully from a lover's touch. She felt her face warm by the title he gave her. "You would call me Nomad... if you'd like," she smiled, drying her tears with the back of her hand. "But X'yrin is how I am known."

She could not believe how Fate worked at times; giving her but a taste of what her heart unknowingly desired then brashly snatched it away. ...and kept it from her. She felt her smile wane, the toil of his absence upon her coming to light at last as she sought his icy hues. "I searched for you," she confessed, holding his gaze as she spoke only the truth. "Against rationality I tried to find you... under the pretense I was only appeasing my want for the wild. But I know now that I was looking for you. I hoped to see you again. But when I couldn't... I felt foolish. I didn't even know why I wanted to see you again like this, but I had to. And when I didn't... I... I didn't know what to do." And even now faced with him again, she did not know what to do... what the next step was. Yet she knew she wanted to remain with him, as they were now.

"I thought I wouldn't see you again."

There was little to nothing the two knew of each other, but it felt irrelevant from the way things had transpired. They had shared more of each other during that single night than words alone could convey. It had all been on a primal level, rushed but not at all regretful. But it was now time for the conscious mind to catch up and satisfy the curiosity that bid for an explanation of words.

He couldn't look for her, he confessed, making the woman all the more curious as to what she didn't know. He spoke of the lady Nayru and her ears perked intently. Her form went rigid under his touch as her mind was consumed with speculation. She didn't know of Saul, but Nayru... What sort of a relationship did they have that would have compelled him to respect the pack border? Dare she admit it was a little unnerving, but she held her questions, allowing her knight to further explain. As he lowered himself to the ground still keeping a possessive hold around her, she followed in seamless movement bringing her legs on either side of his hips and sat comfortably in his lap. After what they had shared, decency was a concept not afforded to them.

Despite his reluctance to cross the border to find her, she was moved he had wished to. Still the matter remained what made him to do so? And what provoked this longing she had for him, for that matter? "I am glad," she said, setting aside her personal questions for now. She leaned into him, adoringly caressing his muzzle with the side of her own. "Had I'd never seen you again, I might have left them all. I couldn't bare continuing on alone like this... and I couldn't understand why. As a Nomad, I had never felt the loss of having anything taken from me. But I had ever since that night. I felt empty, Saluce. And I know now it was because you were not there. But... I don't know why it affected me so strongly." Her muzzle fell to his neck, buried within his mane as she deeply inhaled his scent. "I still don't know."

She both knew and did not know where this comfort was stemming from. She had met the male only one time before and now was intimately wrapped around him, still held within his protective embrace. An odd second encounter, but the times of their meetings didn't appear to bother her as it should have. She knew this was a repercussion from their nightly meandering and the bond vigorously forged between them. Yet shouldn't she have felt off about this? Even a little? He was still a stranger to her, not in body but in mind. If anything she should have kept him at arm's length til he was certain what this madness meant. She needed to do that. The primal mind had been suppressed for a reason; so situations like this wouldn't arise without definitive reasoning. Just how much had her conditioned mind forgotten when swept up by his allure?

As he held her, gently coaxing her into silence, she looked to him peering deep into his glacial gaze. She searched for what questions they might have held, in hopes they would reflect her own. But his gaze was so unfamiliar, so new she didn't know where to begin to decipher him. She could have looked into the Shishen's eyes and known what though the had, what feeling he failed to hide from her. But this male beneath her, her ompre, could conceal anything. She did not like that at all.

Her den was a short crawl away. Its warm open maw luring her in to take refuge from the coming chill of the night. Saluce's warmth was enough to keep the chill from seeping in, but it was not enough. As her eyes wandered over him, committing every detail of his fine physique to memory, the urge to reclaim it surged forth. The resurfaced doubts were damned for the sake of appeasing her primal longing. He was here now and she did not want to waste this time on questions that would be later answered. The perplexed glaze to her eyes dissolved away to longing once again. She focused on the surface of blue instead of again delving deeper in. She brought a delicate claw to the bridge of his muzzle and stroked it fondly as a knowing smile crept upon her own. "Have you a place to sleep, my Ompre?"

She craved the attention brought on by his ministrations, her feral mind at last bleeding into the civil overtaking reason to want. The games of seduction were not lost to her, merely unrefined with none to practice on during her time as a wanderer. Yet the male trapped between her thighs was incredibly well versed, rousing dormant lust for the awakening appendage trapped between them.

A tip of her claw followed the defined contours of his muzzle, her eyes laden with desire following the carefully marked trail. The rise of his seeking hand coaxed the arch of her back whilst a pleasant sigh escaped her lips. Slowly she drew a trail, fingers ghosting through his fur along his arm until her searching digits grasped his occupied, bringing his hand to cup a prominent mound.

“Perhaps you should stay with me…” she breathed as her heart quickened its beat.