Chapter Four
Ember watched her tribe atop the cliff overlooking the pound in which her tribe regularly visited. It was nice seeing the Wild Hunt like this, relaxed and comfortable without a single care in the world. For some reason, it felt like a very long time since that sort of atmosphere surrounded the Wolfriders. Even Kini and Merlo, who'd become rather snappish during the past week, were enjoying themselves. Merlo--- who had yet to enter the water or remove his clothing ---was resting on the bank on his stomach, sleepily chatting with Scouter as Tyleet and Dewshine brushed and braided his long thick hair, weaving wild flowers and leaves into it decoratively. Kini was in the water splashing Yun until Pool and Sust ambushed the female Go-Back. The two females exchanged glances before attacking the two in furious retaliation. Mender was watching the battle with amusement until a stray batch of water hit him, soaking him through and through. With a mock growl, her tossed off his clothes and jumped into the water, joining the fight by making everyone a fair target.
The Chieftess lifted a hand to her mouth to hide the smile that she couldn't fight back, partly afraid that if she were to laugh, she would break the spell that had been woven around the tribe.
"Enjoying the view?" Teir approached his lifemate and sat beside her in one graceful move.
Ember smiled coyly at Teir, then threw herself back to stretch out, propping herself up with her arms behind her back. She swung her chief's lock idly, reveling in the feel of the sun warming her face. "Yes, actually. This was certainly what our tribe needed. Some time away from duties and work, to just relax."
"To cool off tempers and bodies," Teir agreed.
"Something I need to do right now," Ember said, finally releasing the laughter that had been bubbling in her chest. Getting to her feet, Ember quickly threw off her leathers and, tossing her lifemate a teasing look over her shoulder, gave a loud yell as she plunged off the cliff into the water, curling into a tight ball as she fell only to straighten out and hit the water like an arrow.
"Chieftess!" Kini gasped in terror, eye going huge as she watched their chieftess descend. When she hit the water, Kini broke away from the water battle and swam to Ember's side, grabbing her arm worriedly when she resurfaced. "Ember, By the Great Sun, why did you do that? You could have been hurt."
"Are you okay?" Merlo, hair unbound and wild, only partially finished, waded into the water until it soaked the end of his cropped loincloth. He started to reach out for Ember, but hesitate coming closer when Ember tilted her head quizzically at him.
"Of course. It was a short dive."
"Exactly," Kini responded, almost sounding as if she were scolding the older elf. "You could have broken your neck."
Merlo glanced at the spot where Ember had impacted and his eyes went wide as if something had just come to him. "What if there'd been rocks on the bottom?"
"Or an undercurrent that could have sucked you up?"
"Or---"
"Hold up, you two." Krim came forward, easing Kini away from Ember and giving her a firm shake to calm her. "Stop your worrying. We've used this place for swimming before. We know it."
"But, you should be more careful," Kini insisted, avoiding looking the Go-Back female in the eyes.
"Cubs," Pike joined in from his spot on the bank, chewing on a long piece of grass instead of the dreamberries in his hands (he was saving those for later). "Ember wouldn't have jumped if she wasn't sure that it was safe."
"I...guess," Merlo relented, face burning red as he realized how they must have seemed, over reacting to something the others obviously considered normal behavior.
"Everything all right?" Teir called from on top of the cliff, leaning over the edge to look down at the pack.
"Everything's fine," Ember shouted back, then turned her attention to the still agitated Sun Villagers. Of the two, Kini looked the most distressed, obviously disturbed by the "risky behavior" of their leader; Merlo appeared to be more embarrassed than anything. "Right, Kini?"
"Sorry, Chieftess. I just...I saw you jump and...I…" The Sun Villager licked her lips nervously, glancing at the elves around her, then--- as if suddenly realizing that she was the only one still worried ---nodded, wringing her hands. "It's fine."
Far from convinced by Kini's reaction, Ember placed her hands on Kini's small shoulders and ducked her head to look her in the eyes. With a soft smile, she cocked her head to the side and asked, "Really?"
Kini giggled nervously, feeling embarrassed that Ember was putting forth so much effort just to make sure she wasn't worried anymore. "Yes, Chieftess."
Patting the other elf's shoulders firmly, Ember pulled back upright, saying, "Good." She then turned her attention to her lifemate still perched on the cliff above. "Are you coming in or not, Teir?"
Taking this as the sign that things were back to normal, Scouter brought Merlo back to the bank where Dewshine mockingly scolded him for getting up before they were done with his hair. Merlo apologized, promising not to do it again, and laid back down so the girls could finish their work. Yun didn't waste any time getting Kini back involved in their battle, switching sides to help Pool and Sust waterlog the Sun Villager. Luckily Mender came to her rescue and their game was on again.
There was a splash, larger than the one Ember had made, as Teir joined the pack and Kini's jump was high enough for all to see, though they all pretended that they hadn't.
Krim had to force herself not to shake her head at the Sun Villagers as she went back to land to convince her lifemate to leave his pouch of dreamberries and enter the water. However, Pike just waved off the idea; he was perfectly happy right now just lounging without the effort of keeping himself afloat. Besides, those waters weren't safe until his son and Scouter's decided to let the water stay in the river. As if to prove his point, a large wave hit the bank, just missing Pike and Krim's feet.
Understanding that Pike just wasn't in the mood for water fun that day--- and with fairly good reason ---Krim settled beside him, taking Ember's place as spectator. Although she wasn't naturally a reflective elf, Krim studied the newest members of her pack with a strange sort of intrigue. Go-Back children matured so quickly, as did most Wolfrider cubs, it was strange seeing grown cubs like Kini and her brother who reacted so badly to just a miniscule brush with danger. Back at the lodge, every child knew that life was all about taking risks and having fun, be it with a roll in the furs or the rush of battle. She could barely believe that the Sun Folk still smothered their children like this, taught them to fear everything outside of their enclosed shelter.
"Dreamy without berries?" Pike chuckled, surprised to find a thoughtful look on his lifemate's face. As much as he loved her, Krim thoughtful was about as likely as Teir dreamberry drunk.
"Those two aren't going to make it, are they?" Krim asked instead of answering Pike's question.
The Howl-keeper blinked blankly at Krim, then allowed her question to sink in. "Oh, I'm sure they will eventually. Dart formed a whole pack of Wolfriders from Sun Folk stock."
"Jack-Wolfriders," Krim corrected him, turning onto her back to place her hands behind her head. "And those at least were Sun Village Sun Folk, not Palace-Dwellers."
The elder Wolfrider and Go-Back looked at where the elves in question played with their tribemembers, as happily as if they had been part of the pack for years. But they both knew it was only an illusion. Once they returned to Howling Rock, Merlo would continue to balk at the hunt, his ability to cope with it as a part of his daily life continuously waning, and Kini's temper would grow shorter and her resentful of always being put on berry picking duty would swell. The pair would be back to getting under each other's skin and biting when all that frustration and irritability built up more than ever. Then the problem of what to do with the Sun Villagers would rear its ugly head again and, unless Ember was keeping some sort of secret plan under her seat, they'd have quite a time trying to solve it.
With a sigh, Pike rolled on his side to wrap an arm around Krim's small waist. "We'll just have to see."
---------------------------------------------------
Kini sat at the base of Howling Rock watching the warriors of the tribe scuffling with their wolves and generally greeting each other before their next hunt. Even Tyleet was now there, playing with her Patience, though they wouldn't be joining the hunt so she could look after the Sun Villagers. As usual, she, Merlo, and Kini would be left behind to guard their home---from what, Kini had no idea because these plains were empty of anything other than themselves and the animals they hunted. Even as paranoid as Merlo was, they hadn't seen a single bear or longtooth during their entire stay. It bothered Kini like nothing else to feel so useless, but when it came to hunting, in all honesty, she had no desire to join in and she knew that if she tried, she'd only fail miserably. Kini didn't like to fail at anything.
With such a frustrating contradict in her heart and head, it was no wonder that she'd been snapping at Merlo all day, since he was the only one she felt comfortable being mean to. Feeling restless, Kini got up and strolled over to the shadowed side of Howling Rock to wait for Tyleet to finish with the wolves. She wasn't surprised to find Merlo on this side of the holt, crouched over something she couldn't quite make out, but she could tell he was taking it very seriously. Smiling rather wickedly, she sauntered over to her brother and loomed over him, purposely blocking his light.
"So, dreamy head, is there a good reason you're playing in the dirt again?"
"There's a rock here I like," Merlo replied evenly, "and I'm trying to dig it out." He was well aware of Kini's latest mood and, as always, figured he would just wait it out. If only Tyleet wasn't busy with the other Wolfriders…
"If you were a rock-shaper, you could just force it out."
"Well, I'm not a rock-shaper."
"True." Kini crossed her arms behind her back and stretched out the toe of her sandals to kick at the dirt her brother was trying to move. "Mother Recognized Father in the Palace, conceived you in the Palace, gave birth to you there, and raised you almost exclusively in the Palace, but you have yet to show even the smallest hint of magical power all these years. No rockshaping, treeshaping, gliding, healing…magic-feelings. Not a single talent, as magic-less as a Go-Back."
Merlo bit down on his bottom lip and felt a familiar gloom settle over his head. Unfortunately this was a topic often brought up when his sister wanted to get a reaction out of him. However, this time he was determined not to let her get to him. Taking a deep breath, he said as flatly as he could, "Leave me alone, Kini. My heads hurts and all I want is to get this rock out."
"You ability to send isn't stronger than the average Sun Villager," Kini continued as Merlo hadn't spoken. She started to pace around the other elf, idly scratching the surface of the ground around the rock whenever she passed it. "The Wolfriders probably do it better."
"Yes, dear sister," Merlo muttered under his breath, his bubbling annoyance and anger fueling his efforts to dig out the fascinating rock. "I'm sure they do. You, on the other hand, cannot boast such abilities, can you? You've spent almost all of your life in the Palace and still…you're just as deficient as I am."
Kini stopped her pace, stung by the way Merlo had turned the argument on her, and she pouted, "I am not deficient."
"Then neither am I," Merlo replied simply. "We're simply two average Sun Villagers with the foolish notion that we can pass for Wolfriders. Ah-ha!" The rock came out at last and Merlo heaved a sigh of relief as he looked it over, marveling at the crystal-like properties. His violet eyes dilated as he wandered himself to get lost in the beauty of the rock, tuning Kini out completely with a smile on his face. However, Kini didn't appreciate Merlo's dismissal. She still out some stream to let out and there was nothing more difficult than arguing with Merlo once he decided that he wasn't going to allow himself to hear anything he didn't want to.
"There you go, dreamy head, spacing out again," Kini grumbled under her breath. "All over some stupid rock."
"It's more crystalline than rock, actually." He turned the opaque stone over in his hand, admiring the way the sunlight bounced off its sides. "You know, Kini, you need a hobby," Merlo sighed off handedly.
"Like what? Rock collecting, like you?"
"No. What about knitting? You used to love to knit. You even brought some of that zwoot yarn with you."
Kini couldn't help but glance longingly in the direction of her den where said treasure was kept, but she shook her head with a sigh. "Leather is the Wolfrider way. Zwoot yarn isn't even for real Sun Villagers; it's for Palace Dwellers." Feeling more depressed than angry now, Kini sat beside her brother, leaning against the base of Howling Rock sleepily. "We aren't Palace Dweller anymore, and we're not Sun Villagers."
"Well, we're certainly not Go-Backs or Wolfriders. Where does that leave us?"
Kini slammed her fist against the ground. "I'm going to be a Wolfrider. I don't care how long it takes---"
"That's a lie," Merlo snapped, attention ripping from his stone to his sister. "If you really didn't care, you wouldn't be snapping at me everyday like a near-wolf with foaming sickness."
"Shut up!" Kini demanded as she got back on her feet, giving her brother a light kick in the ribs with the toe of her sandal.
Merlo jumped up instantly, pushing Kini. "You shut up!"
Kini swatted his hand away like she was dealing with a bothersome fly, knocking the rock he'd found down the slope of the hill. Don't even start with me, Butterfly.
Violet eyes narrowing angrily, Merlo deliberately lifted the hand she'd slapped, letting his sister's eyes follow as he reached out and shoved her again. That was it. Without her normal snarl of fury, Kini threw herself at Merlo, bringing her brother down instantly, but Merlo had been expecting his sister's retaliation, so was prepared for it when she came at him. He easily rolled them over, putting him on top to pin Kini; however, Kini had studied Pool and Sust whenever they wrestled (which was fairly often when they were trying to impress her) and pulled one of Sust's favorite tricks on her brother. Before Merlo was balanced enough to settle into place, she swiftly pulled her knee up, jabbing Merlo sharply in the stomach and taking him off guard so she could sling herself into the position of power. Merlo's stomach burned from the jab, but he was still aware of what his sister was doing and wasn't about to let her win, not this time. Just as Kini was almost in the dominant position, he flipped them over, releasing his sister to get on his feet again. His advantage didn't last long before Kini knocked them before to the ground a second time for a nastier wrestling match that involved much more hair pulling and scratching than those between Sust and Pool ever did.
They must have been making more noise than they were aware of because suddenly hands were grabbing them, pulling them apart, and the Sun Villagers were panting hard by the time Ember had enough space to stand between the two of them. Teir and Scouter held Merlo still while Dewshine and Krim kept Kini in line; all were baffled by the ragged appearance of the Sun Villagers. Merlo had twin sets of scratches on both of his cheeks that were slowly dribbling blood and his gold circlet had been lost in the dust. Kini's regular ponytail dangled out of its usual position on the top of her head, hanging like a dying branch on a tree.
The Chieftess regarded the newest members of the Wild Hunt with a fierce glare that commanded their complete attention. However, for once Merlo and Kini seemed impervious to her glower as they kept their eyes locked in a now silent battle of wills.
What is going on? the Wolfrider Chieftess demanded, her sending cutting through to Merlo and Kini keenly. Well? Brother and sister started talking at once and Ember silenced them instantly with, QUIET!
Teir tightened his firm grip on Merlo's shoulders, bringing the young elf back a step to give Ember some room to breathe. She was glad for it because she knew that she was going to need a clear head to figure out her next step. Taking a deep breath, Ember pointed a finger at the two Sun Villagers.
"Get to your dens now. And don't come out until I say so."
"You're grounding us?" Kini asked incredulously.
"Ember, that's not fair."
Thoroughly frustrated with the younger elves, Ember's hands shot out like snakes striking to latch onto Merlo and Kini's ears. The pair cry out more in shock than pain and continued to complain as she led them to where their dens were located, right next to each other. "To your dens, now!" She released them and gave each a push in the direction of their den.
"But---"
"Ember---"
Get in there, she ordered in a mental tone that said she would brook no further attempts of fighting her decision.
Startled by Ember's genuine anger, Kini and Merlo scurried into their dens without another word; their posture while doing so perfect mimicry of how lower wolves addressed a leader they knew wasn't pleased with them. Ember couldn't wonder off handedly if Kini and Merlo were even aware of that; however, she was almost positive that they didn't.
Tier walked up beside Ember, placing a hand delicately on her tense shoulder. Beloved?
I'll give them some time to cool off, she explained to her lifemate, keeping her sending open to the rest of the tribe. Then I'll talk to them.
Scouter stepped forward, looking tired from his morning watch. Even though he was scheduled for some sleep to make up for his time spent on guard, he was already angling his stride towards the hole that Merlo had escaped to as he asked, "Ember, maybe I should---"
The Wolfrider cut off her scout with a sharp chop of her hand, impeding his movement towards Merlo's den. "No, Scouter. I will handle this." Sensing the Wolfrider scout's unease, Ember gave him a firm clap on the shoulder. "Get some sleep. Tyleet will watch over them until we get back from the hunt."
---------------------------------------------------
Hours later, Kini still remained crying as she laid in her pile of furs (donated by Mender, so Sust and Pool wouldn't fight over whose she kept), face buried against her arms as she struggled with the idea that they were going to be sent home. No, Ember hadn't said it in so many words, but her reaction to the fight between her and Merlo was obvious. It was bad enough that the tribe believed the two of them to be useless, now they were troublemakers, too.
There was a quiet knock on the side of the doorway and Kini lifted her head to wipe away her tears and regard whoever was visiting her. She stunned to see Ember crouched at the entrance of her den, looking much calmer than she had after the fight, and her heart dropped into her stomach as she realized that Ember must have come to tell her the bad news.
"Kini?" Ember asked after a long moment of Kini just starin at her like she was afraid that the Wolfrider Chieftess was going to eat her.
"Y-Yes, Ch-Chieftess," Kini stammered, pulling herself from her worries to face the reality of the situation. She hadn't thought that Ember would be able to stomach looking at her after what she'd done; she'd partially expected Tyleet to be the one who would inform them of their banishment to the Palace. Feeling very embarrassed over her tears, Kini scrubbed at her eyes as she scrambled to tidy up her den. She certainly hadn't expected company that day, so things were messier than usual. Tossing things into small corners and dusting off messy furs, she apologized over and over for the state of her den.
Ember wanted to chuckled at Kini's eagerness to please--- she was glad to see that the Sun Villager wasn't just going to pout over her punishment ---but she didn't allow her amusement to show. Kini was still being punished after all; however, soon Ember grew tired of Kini's groveling and she grabbed the other female by the upper arms, stopping her from scrambling about the den. "Ease up, Kini. I'm not angry with you right now. I just want to talk."
Kini grinned sheepishly, brushing away the lock of hair that partially hid her left eye; it fell back into place immediately. "Sorry, Chieftess."
Without Kini's abrupt movement to distract her, Ember was able to just take a good, long look at Kini's den. That evening, Teir had suggested that Ember should get to know the Sun Villagers better, observe the activities they enjoyed and try to tie it to some job to be done within the pack in order to help them find their place. Ember had been planning on doing just that after the hunt where they'd all have full bellies and would be more likely to talk, until Kini and Merlo had gotten into a tumble like a pair of territorial wolves. Now she was going to have to be less subtle about her studying, looking for clues to a possible path for Kini in her belongings, before she just gave up on their pair all together, or they killed each other.
Inside Kini's den was set up just like the others, though smaller because she was the only one occupying it. On the ground and walls were the typical elven keepings, her dagger, some clothing, sleeping furs, and...something else that caught Ember's eye. All around there were piles of strange bright colored string like some beast had walked through the den shedding them. A pair of metal spikes sat precariously near the pile of furs that constituted Kini's bed, entwined in a batch of the string.
"What's this?" Ember asked calmly, picking up a section of one of the piles of red to discover that it was string. The texture was soft, but not silky. Stray strands of the string spilled out here and there like wild grass, yet didn't itch like grass could. It was almost like hair, but more…animalistic. However, Ember had yet to meet an animal with this type of fur.
"It's a zwoot hair," Kini stated softly.
"This doesn't feel like any zwoot I ever petted, and I grew up in the Sun Village." Ember placed some string between two of her fingers and rubbed it experimentally, enjoying the texture.
"It's been treated by a mixture I made to make it more…" Kini trailed off looking very embarrassed as she realized that she'd almost started babbling about her yarn making process. "I made it myself," she forced herself to conclude. The elder Sun Folk used to get irritated when she did that; only clothes makers were ever interested in that sort of thing, and Ember wasn't one.
However, Ember wasn't put off by Kini's talk; in fact, she was rather curious. Kini had never spoken about being a seamstress before and, although they already had Tyleet as their tanner, Kini's style of clothes-making was interesting. It couldn't hurt to have more than one elf responsible for their clothing. "What do you use it for?"
"I knit...make clothes, mostly things for the white cold."
Ember lifted a brow at Kini incredulously as she entangled the string around her fingers. "The Sun Village doesn't have a white cold."
"I didn't grow up in the Sun Village; I lived in the Palace where Cutter's tribe stayed, where white colds were seasonal. Mother wouldn't even think about letting me outside if I wasn't bundled up properly, but nothing I made was appropriate enough for her. So I got angry and, accidentally kicked some Moonshade's treatment leftover from her tanning onto my collection of zwoot hair and, well, I thought it would be ruined, but it…it just worked." She couldn't help a quiet chuckle at the memory. "A lot better than I ever dreamed it would."
"Sometimes things that appear to happen by accident, have a special purpose hidden behind them." Ember placed the string she'd been playing with back where she'd gotten it from and started to casually pace around the den. She couldn't stop herself from chewing on her knuckle as she thought out her next move. "Have you made anything recently?"
"Yes." Kini scurried over to her furs and dug out a soft looking brown colored coat. There was no fur trimming it like there was on Go-Back clothing; however, it looked just as warm. The Sun Villager presented the coat to her Chieftess, watching eagerly like a cub waiting for praise on a project they'd put a lot of pride in, and leaned casually against the wall across from her. "I made it for Tyleet, to thank her for being so nice to me and Merlo. I guess I forgot to give it to her."
Ember studied the clothing with as critical an eye as she could. She wasn't a tanner like Moonshade and Tyleet--- when it came to the process of making leathers for clothing, Ember didn't honestly know much ---but even she could tell that the treated zwoot hair was strong, yet not harsh against the skin. An elf wearing this coat in white cold would be perfectly warm without loosing a lot of mobility as they did when they wore Go-Back styled coats. It was a fine piece of work. A smile spread widely across Ember's face as she realized what the best place for Kini would be.
"This is good work."
Kini bowed her head lowly, a proud blush rising over her dark cheeks over Ember's small praise. "Thank you, Chieftess."
With a sly smile, Ember coyly inquired, "Could you make more?"
"More?"
"More coats, like this. One for each of us during white cold."
"Yes! Yes, of course." Kini jumped to her feet, looking as if she were suddenly full of nervous energy.
"Can you make more than just coats?"
"Yes. I can make foot coverings and hats and gloves and...."
"Enough for the whole tribe?"
Kini looked at Ember with tears gleaming with unshed tears. "You mean, you're not going to send us back to the Palace?"
"No, I'm not." Ember approached the Sun Villager and placed her hands firmly on each shoulder, looking Kini right in the eyes. "You're place is here, Kini--- and Merlo's place as well ---with us."
"Really?" Tears fell from Kini's violet eyes when Ember nodded wordlessly. "Oh, Chieftess! I promise I finish every last one of them. With gloves to match and snow caps and..." As if she could no longer contain herself, Kini jumped the Wolfrider, arms clamping tightly around her neck and she hugged her tightly. "Thank you!"
Ember returned the hug, then placed a hand on her head. "It might take a while for you to find out just where you fit in the Hunt, Kini, but you will find it."
"Do you really think so?"
"Yeah." Still smiling, Ember leveled Kini a scolding look. "Though you'll have to stop fighting with Merlo every chance you get."
Kini flush with embarrassment this time and hung her head guiltily. "Yes, Chieftess."
"Ember," the Wolfrider corrected Kini gently but firmly. "My name is Ember, Kini, not just Chieftess."
With a shy smile, Kini looked up at Ember with a roll of her eyes without lifting her head. "Yes, Ember."
---------------------------------------------------
When she'd finally gotten Kini to believe that she really wasn't dreaming and that everything she'd said was true, Ember moved on to Merlo's den. The moon was just starting to reach its peak and the Wolfrider realized with some frustration that she was going to miss the hunt. It was a good thing that she'd sent Pike and Krim to lead the hunt without her. Coming up to Merlo's den, she strained her eyes for any sound and was confused when she didn't hear anything.
"Merlo," she called as she entered. There was no answer. "Merlo?"
As she ventured further into the den, Ember picked up the faint sound of quiet, steady breathing and Merlo in his sleeping furs, curled up like a newborn wolf cub at its mother's side fast asleep. Stepping carefully (Merlo's den was messier than Kini's with all sorts of rocks and leaves and sticks thrown haphazardly around), Ember approached the sleeping figure, catching sight of the bright bead collar he always wore leaning carelessly against the wall near the Sun Villager's head, and crouched down beside it. She shook her head in partly in exasperating partly in fondness as she realized just how young Merlo looked while he slept; age wasn't a thing that typically meant much to elves, yet Ember found herself wondering just how old Merlo really was.
As gentle as a summer breeze, she reached out a hand and stroked his long black hair, still wild from his tussle. Merlo stirred in his sleep, but didn't wake up. "Silly little cub. What am I going to do with you?"
"Ember?" Teir popped his head in Merlo's den and Ember immediately "shh'ed" him, gesturing at the sleeping elf. Moving with elven grace, Teir slid into the room and tip-toed his way to his lifemate.
"He fell asleep," Ember explained when Teir made his way to her.
"He was stayed up with Scouter this morning on watch even though he knew we'd planned for a night routine," Teir replied with a knowing nod. "I doubt he got more than four hours of sleep. Which is probably part of the reason he started fighting with Kini in the first place."
Ember shook her head, still stroking Merlo's hair. "No, Kini started that fight." Silently the pair just watched over the sleeping youngster, then Teir felt the familiar touch of Ember's private sending. It's going to be harder finding Merlo's place. Kini already had a skill from her days in the Palace.
We'll find him one, Teir assured her. Maybe we should just let him sleep, then send Scouter in.
No, I'll wait here until he wakes up. Ember settled down into the furs surrounding Merlo, curling around the younger elf.
Shaking his head at the way his lifemate so quickly changed moods--- she was so angry with the pair what felt like only minutes ago ---and catching the quietly longing in her eyes as she cuddled Merlo, Teir sighed in quiet defeat. Without disturbing either elf, he climbed into the furs behind Ember to wrap one arm around her waist and placed the other upon Merlo's head. We'll wait until he wakes.
To be continued…
