“She was?” she whispered, not questioning Zalen but marveling at the story. His own great-grandmother had been a first Alphess. That meant that the blood that coursed through Zalen's veins was truly meant for the life they wanted so dearly to create. Her eyes scanned his dark mien as she thought about the story of Ruby, and of his heritage. She so greatly wished she had a story like this to tell. Her father had been the founding leader of Cercatori d'Arte, but he was still very much alive and did not have the mysticism of a ghost. In time, though, she would learn to appreciate her lineage too.
She laid her chin on her paws, side pressed against the spot Zalen's body traced so perfectly for her own to fit in, and drifted off to sleep while thoughts of her beloved Ruby... great-grandmother in law?... trailed through her imagination.
Her dreams were filled with heavenly romps with Zalen, not dissimilar to the ones he himself had. From time to time Ruby would enter and she would walk with the mighty Alphess, but here in the dream world her visage was not nebulous as it had been when Titania had seen her. She was even more beautiful here. Titania walked with the Alphess through the clouds when the regal wolfess nudged her gently with her muzzle.
“Mmm?” Titania raised her head, eyelids opening half mast, and turned her gaze to Zalen. The nudge from Ruby in her dream had also been a nudge from her love in real life. Sleep was still heavy on her, and it took a long moment to begin to shake it from her body. Her maw opened in a wide yawn, tongue lapping out lazily as she soaked in the air. Finally she started to blink the sleep from her eyes. It was like they had switched roles – Zalen was already at the mouth of the den telling her to come see. Now the thrill coursed into her veins again and she leaped out of the alcove. A quick stretch of the forelegs, a kick of the back, and then she trotted over to him.
“Ah-ha ha ha!” She barked laughter as she watched her mate bound out of the den like a pup and promptly disappear into the snow. Every last hair of his dark form disappeared into the cloudy white snow. Her laughter quickly cramped her side but still she couldn't hold it in. It hadn't been so funny when she almost did that three times yesterday, but it was perfect now. He was supposed to be the sure footed one, after all.
She pranced delicately out of the den, careful to avoid making the same mistake. Her tail lashed unevenly as she trotted over to him. Her giggles started to die down, and as they abated she glanced to the west. The sky was still dark far off, and when she turned around she saw the bright orange-pink sunrise. The vision was not lost on her.
Yet Zalen's excitement was contagious. He wanted to explore and so did she! “What are you waiting for, slow poke?” she teased but he was already off, her paws kicking into gear a beat behind. Before them lay the woodsy expanse of a lush forest – one that in some ways remained green even in this winter. They danced among the trees, Titania weaving in and out coming close to Zalen and then parting in a wolfish adaptation of tag. She romped wholly feral, hardly even using words, choosing ancient canine techniques of communication, until finally she had something deeper to communicate.
“I was thinking...” her fae voice finally broke the wild. They had been running for a while and she now slowed to a brisk trot. Her eyes were on Zalen. “Our pack needs a name. Something appropriate... But nothing like those strange translations that touch back to the human world, like all the others out there.” She made a motion with her head, thinking of the origin of Cercatori d'Arte. The sky had lightened significantly now, and each of the night's stars were invisible. Still she remembered the sight of the sunrise as they left the den.
“We are still guided by the Alphess. This is as much her land as it is ours now. We are just a new generation carrying on an old tradition. I saw a sight this morning... did you notice it too? The dawn... our New Dawn...” Her eyes shifted to peer before her while she spoke, but turned back to him in that moment. What would he think of it? Was it silly?
Just then the ground beneath her felt strange. She stopped, surprised, and looked down at her paws. The trees didn't grow here. She looked to her right and there was a path of missing trees – the same to her left. Her ears flattened... something wasn't right. She took a few more steps forward, now coming to a patch of missing snow. “Zalen... the ground...” She had seen paved roads before, but hadn't expected this. Here in the midst of their wild paradise was the remnants of the humans' destruction... a highway carved through the center of their beautiful forest.
OOC :: This was so out of proportion. Sorry. x.x
[/html]