Dreamer staggered from the den and simply collapsed onto his side in the grass, closing his eyes against the harsh light and uncaring that some of the leafy blades landed in his mouth as he gasped for breath. The cool, clean air was bliss, flowing along in a gentle breeze whistling through the bare trees nearby, carrying scents of the lake and lingering vegetation. He revelled in it, so wonderful and revitalising after the stuffy air from the den.

'Revitalising' only in the barest, shallowest sense of the word, because that had been… a lot of mating. He was hungry, but could scarcely comprehend hunting now, couldn't even consider getting up; he'd barely made it outside. He ached in ways he hadn't known was possible, sore in muscles he hadn't known he possessed, but it was over now… until next cooling-season, at least. Just another annual routine to look forward to, he supposed, though one significantly more enjoyable than shedding. Once he had stopped tripping himself up, anyway.

Hopefully he was over all that now. So much of his prior thinking seemed childish in hindsight, getting hung up on stupid details. He felt as if nothing would faze him now, because compared to when Fleeting had been bearing down on him, teeth in his foreleg and hot breath billowing over his chest, and Wanderer had-

He purred and stretched his stiff, aching body, arching his back and putting the memory from his mind; he didn't need to get caught up in all that again, he was exhausted enough already. Still, that had given all three of them the most relief, they'd all slept for at least a couple of hours afterwards. Perhaps he would have been embarrassed or ashamed, before, but… that just seemed pointless. They were all adults – in every sense of the word, now – and had all purely benefited from it, so why should he feel bad? All that drama he had put himself through with the Lightstrikers seemed so stupid in hindsight, he'd been such an idiot, torturing himself over nothing.

That was easy to think now, of course, feeling as if he needed the next two seasons to recover from the last two nights, but it didn't make it any less true.

Shuffling pawsteps preceded Fleeting staggering out of the den to collapse next to him. "I never want mate again," she groaned, rubbing her head into the grass.

"That your fault," Dreamer rumbled at her, lethargically pawing at the wing that had landed nearby.

"I not had mates for this before," she growled back. "Mrrr, was very nice…"

Lighter pawsteps emerged from the den, and then an enquiring nose ran up Dreamer's back before snorting over his ears. "I will hunt for us," Wanderer declared, then leaped into the air and took flight, his wingstrokes smooth and firm.

"I will bite him harder next cooling-season," Fleeting grumbled, her words slow and lethargic, as they watched Wanderer ascend and settle into an easy glide over the forest, his dark shape flickering through the bare branches.

Dreamer wasn't so much focused on that as the reminder of her many, many sharp teeth, and how much she liked to use them. "He is bringing us food," he pointed out. He had no idea how, but he wasn't going to question it.

"He is forgiven," she purred, then rolled onto her back, sniffed at herself, and sighed as she flopped back into the grass. "I need to clean…" Her wing flicked out and whacked Dreamer's chest. "With something that not smells like you."

"That is your fault also," he huffed proudly, swatting at the wing.

She whacked him again before rolling upright and arching her back, digging her claws into the ground to stretch, then shook herself. "You should dig hole for that," she said, gesturing to the carcass from a couple of nights ago which had been dragged over to the trees, "also for what Wanderer bring us."

That sounded like a lot of effort… but he dragged himself to his paws while Fleeting took wing towards the lake, and padded over to the carcass. It was mostly bones, but small scraps of meat still clung to them, smelling pungent but not yet rotted. Picking it up to carry it away would be difficult, and he didn't want that scent all over him.

He picked out a spot that looked good and firmly anchored his hindlegs to drag his wide paws through the ground. He'd dug up a lot of rabbit dens, but that wasn't quite the same, just widening a hole and hoping it wasn't too deep. With this he could really let loose, at least as much as his weariness allowed, and soon he was covered in dry dirt. He'd need to go dive into the lake later – he probably should anyway, he smelled horribly musky – but that could wait until after food and maybe a refreshing nap in this cool wind.

His claws caught on a rock, and he absently worked around it – almost immediately hitting another one next to it, far too uniform and similar to be coincidence. The dirt crumbled and parted to his tough claws until he'd uncovered two long, hard, curved bones, running parallel to each other. Curious, he dug around them, finding the rest of the ribcage, and then digging out above it.

Part of him was terrified to know, but he had to, and it gave him great relief to find the skull was long and narrow, a prey-thing. He didn't know what a Night Fury skeleton looked like, but he was glad he hadn't found out by digging one up within eyeshot of his den.

Still… someone had buried this here. Much as he was about to now, really. It certainly hadn't been him or Wanderer, they didn't typically eat around the den because of the mess that would build up, and it also just didn't really feel right. This now was an exception… one that the previous inhabitants had probably used themselves.

The skeleton collapsed as he dug it out, ribs folding flat and not interfering with the hole he had dug. They made it difficult to dig much deeper, but it was already deep enough; evidently, if one had been here before. He widened it to take a second carcass, then dropped in the one he had as heavy, laboured wingbeats drew near, Wanderer returning from his hunt.

He, Wanderer, and Fleeting had thoroughly claimed this territory, and this den, as their own. But it had once been someone else's. Somehow, this particular remnant put that into focus, and he could imagine the previous owner digging exactly as he had, probably at this same time of year.

It was with a much heavier heart that he turned back towards his den, thoughts on the past, and what it might mean for his future.

Although it had not yet snowed, as happened earlier and more regularly over the small-lands in the north, Wanderer could tell the cold-season had come when he stepped from the den after waking to find he had slept through the whole light. The wind bit through his hide, mostly just smelling cold, and there seemed to be a pale gloom over everything.

He chuffed to himself and trotted out into the night. The sky-fire had no real warmth to it around this season anyway, so he was quite happy to enjoy the darkness to its fullest. The wind lifted him with ease as he took flight, carrying him over the quiet, peaceful land towards the lake, everything still and silent. He liked the start of this season, before the wind became truly cold but with beautifully long nights. Sire used to like it too, he'd often taken Wanderer on long, relaxing flights before the cold truly took hold, even carrying him until he'd grown too big for it, still strongly smelling of their family…

It was a good memory. And now, with a female mate, he would one night be able to pass it on to his own fledgling. He looked forward to that.

He rolled and swooped down towards the lake, spotting Fleeting gliding around the shore. By now he knew her well enough to recognise her size and shape, her flying habits, how she tended to give her wings a tiny little flick before flapping as if testing the wind first. He didn't immediately move to meet up with her though, just appreciated watching her hunt in the pale light.

She suddenly dove into the lake, then quickly splashed to shore and shook herself off. A bright, warm glow then lit the area as she flamed the ground to curl up on.

Wanderer glided into a landing beside her, and she lifted her head with a warm purr. "Cold-season is here," she rumbled, inviting him under her wing. He hadn't eaten yet, but that could wait, so was happy to snuggle up against her. "Mmrrr, you so warm," she moaned, rolling to hook a foreleg over him and pull him tightly to herself, nuzzling into her chest.

He purred happily, not all that bothered by her cold, wet hide. "Only if I can eat soon," he hummed, shuffling to give her more of his warmth; he had plenty to spare, and she would warm soon enough.

"No," she huffed, digging her claws into his back, "you stay here always, keep me warm. No eating."

He shifted to stare flatly at her, but she just nuzzled him, not meeting his eye. "If I not can get food," he rumbled playfully… then chewed her ear with his teeth retracted.

Warning, she growled into his chest, but he just gummily chewed her other ear instead. "Eat then," she grumbled as she stood, then yawned and stretched. "You say we not can hunt river so you can bring me some also."

"That not fair," he teased, swatting at her, and she growled at him again. "But if my mate not can feed herself, I will hunt for her," he barked, hopping back from the expected reaction.

She huffed, staring at him with narrowed eyes, the green stark against her black scales even in the darkness. "Your words not can bite me, because you will bring me fish," she said confidently, lying down and crossing her forepaws.

"I think if my mate is rude, also biting to me…" Her eyes narrowed on him. "…she must be hungry, so I should bring her food," he decided, then took wing with dramatic haste.

She had been joking about being limited to the lake, not as annoyed as she had sounded, but it was inconvenient. The deeper waters in the middle were murky, near impossible to fish, but while it was trickier than the river it was more reliable hunting.

Movement caught his eye before too long, and he angled for it and punched into the water. He felt something slip through his claws, but injured it in the process, and was able to scramble across the lakebed to catch it. He broke the surface to chomp that one down, then set about looking for another.

The second fish he found took time, longer than he would have liked; long enough for Dreamer to have found them and start talking with Fleeting, by the way they were lying together. Wanderer huffed as he took the slippery prey in his teeth and carried it back to them, giving up on finding a second for himself. Dreamer ran off as he crossed the distance, though Fleeting still eagerly snapped down the fish Wanderer threw to her. "What Dreamer doing?" he asked curiously.

"He doing Dreamer-thing," she hummed curiously, running her tongue along her cheek, and Wanderer snorted amusement.

Dreamer came running out of the forest, carrying a big dead branch, and dropped it on the ground with a significant glance at Wanderer before running off again. "That Dreamer thing," he chuffed as he understood. "I will help him."

"Not you also," she groaned, "you should come keep me…" She eyed his wing as he felt a dribble of water fall from it. "Wait, no, go help him," she sighed, settling onto her paws.

"You are good?" he asked worriedly, walking over to scent her; it wasn't like her to be this lazy and complaining. Her scent had changed with her heat, becoming deeper and muskier, but hadn't really returned to normal. She didn't smell sick, just different in a way he wasn't familiar with.

"Yes," she chuffed. "I just tired. My hindquarters still are aching." She rolled onto her side and stretched out with a purr. "You, Dreamer, mated me only. I not mind that, was nice, but you need care for me now." She purred at him, then at Dreamer as he dropped another stick with the first and frowned at Wanderer.

"I should help him," Wanderer huffed, then leaped to catch up to Dreamer with a stern bark. "Dreamer," he rumbled as they slowed to a trot just within the treeline, "not run so fast. More we do, more prey we need. But not much prey here now."

"Land-prey-herd still is here," Dreamer rumbled as they passed through the spindly trees devoid of their leaves, "but yes, I understand. Good to make habit now."

"Also we not know when they leaving," Wanderer added. They maybe leave next light. We will hunt then, but better if you not already much hungry."

Agreement, acknowledgement, Dreamer chuffed, settling into a more efficient stride, and they picked out their dead branches and dragged them back to the lake.

"You are very strange males," Fleeting rumbled as they dropped more branches into the pile, and Dreamer got to work while Wanderer retrieved one more. By the time he returned with a last heavy branch, the wood splintering to his teeth, Dreamer already had a small fire going and Fleeting was staring at it with wide, wondrous eyes. And as Wanderer settled down, she seemed to realise it was radiating warmth, and shuffled up close to it with loud purrs. "Strange is good," she groaned, stretching out on her side around the flames and getting in Dreamer's way as he tried to add more branches.

Dreamer tossed his head with an amused huff and settled down with them, the flickering flames casting deep shadows around them. "I need say what I thinking," he said slowly, picking at the grass with his claws. "I not know… what I doing… what this all means…" He glanced up at Fleeting, who was watching him with a sort of curious confusion. "We mated with you much… in way that might make you… have…"

"I not will have egg," Fleeting snorted. "I need feel safe, happy, for that." She purred deeply at both him and Wanderer. "You are my mates… very good mates, I very lucky… but I not know we will have much food. Not seen how you protect our territory. Many cooling-seasons will pass before I can be that comfortable." She shuffled a little closer to the fire, the flames practically licking her belly. "Mmrrr, but you doing much already…"

"We should have enough food," Wanderer added. "Just need not be greedy." He shot a glare at Dreamer, "That not mean not eat."

"I will hunt small-land-prey soon," Dreamer chuffed. "We survived last cold-season, not worry. Hrrr, maybe I can do thing next cold-season…"

"Can we keep branches also?" Wanderer asked. "For if we want fire, not need get them when not much food." He recalled Fleeting saying she'd once been cold enough to use most of her fire; that was probably bad luck, but she would appreciate having an alternative.

Dreamer churred thoughtfully. "Yes, but I not know where keep them. Somewhere near where we will make fire, not want carry them far. We can look for cave in warming-season."

"You are saying," Fleeting purred, stretching her legs around the fire, "that my mates are very clever, will ensure we not will be hungry or cold." She cracked an eye to give them an amused glance. "But they not know female's head from her tail."

"That not our fault," Dreamer huffed.

"I not blaming you," Fleeting purred back to him. "I can teach you how I want. You learned very quickly…"

Dreamer hesitated, then churred thoughtfully. "I not know if I should be worried about that." He huffed to himself. "Wrrr, nobody else will tell us. This already very strange for me."

He had said it light-heartedly, but it struck at Wanderer in an unexpected way, and Fleeting as well by the way her tail curled around the fire. Dreamer was putting his full faith in them, listening to them and watching them, because he had no other examples, not even the somewhat hazy memories of a good family that Wanderer had. Even his Long-Paw upbringing had been limited and inadequate. He was, in a way of thinking, as vulnerable as a hatchling.

And yet, he trusted them that much. He had to trust them, both of them, or he wouldn't have been able to mate with Fleeting. He'd mated with her, without any experience or knowledge beyond what – admittedly, very little – Wanderer had told him about Nightstriker families, which were apparently very different to Long-Paw families. But he'd trusted them, not even questioning it, with the rest of his life; perhaps that had been what had held him back at the start, but he'd got through it fairly quickly.

Wanderer felt terrible. He'd assumed Dreamer knew so many things, and hadn't learned from the numerous times it had caused confusion. Wanderer himself had known little about the trust required to mate, but… he couldn't even recall explaining that much. And when he thought about how hard it had hit him… "You not eaten, I will hunt for you," he said abruptly, then stood to walk towards the forest, already sniffing for small-prey trails.

Confusion, enquiry, Dreamer warbled, lifting his head to watch him as he walked past. "You not need do that," he hummed.

Confidence, trust, Wanderer chuffed back, consciously keeping his wings and tail from dragging. Yes I do. Not for Dreamer's sake, but for his own… as a start towards making amends, and being a better mate.

Dreamer drifted on the cool wind down towards his den, feeling disturbed and more than a little conflicted. To start with, he'd only wanted to listen to some peaceful and perhaps evocative music… Why did Long-Paws have to be so… grrr…

He'd been up quite early, and returned quickly, so it seemed likely Wanderer and Fleeting were yet to rise. Since the land-prey pack had left they'd also all been generally lazier, conserving energy for the cold-season, so there didn't seem much reason to be up. But he needed a distraction, a reminder that he wasn't responsible for everyone, least of all a nest of Long-Paws on the other side of the mountain, so he hoped either or both of them would be up for doing something…

He landed in the grass by the den, beside the patch of dirt directly outside worn down by hundreds of leaps and pawsteps, then poked his head inside. Fleeting was still there, peacefully curled up on her own in the middle of the den, looking lonely and inviting, her warm, relaxing scent drifting out to him… Snuggling up to her was sounding like a better idea the more he considered it-

Warning, she hissed at him, alert and eyes narrowed on him the moment he took a step inside. "Get that scent off you," she growled, climbing to her paws and stalking over while he backed up.

"Sorry," he warbled placatingly, "not thought it was that bad…" He sat on his haunches outside and scented his foreleg… though the scent of the Long-Paw nest was not heavy on him at all. Or perhaps he had just become a bit blind to it in his careful exploration through the alleys and corridors and over rooftops. He must have, for her to notice it so quickly.

Amusement, he hummed, watching her flame the ground where he had stepped and then turn over the dirt before carefully padding it back down. "You acting like you are nesting," he joked, though with a hint of a question.

"I not have egg," she growled sharply, then seemed to catch herself. "Sorry," she rumbled, "I feel… strange. Maybe I just tired still. Want rest this night… Not want den smell like Long-Paws."

"That is fair," he agreed. "I will clean, then we can rest together." He was sceptical, it had been weeks since those frenzied nights of mating… but everyone had their off nights, and he liked the idea of just relaxing. She smelled tired too, somehow, so maybe she just wasn't well, or was going through some female thing; it wasn't as if he knew any better than she would.

She delicately padded down the last patch of dirt in the entrance to the den, then blinked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "I not will complain if you bring me small-land-prey also… Two small-land-prey."

"But you definitely not have egg," he rumbled with a smirk at her.

"You want to check?" she growled, rolling onto her back and kicking her hindlegs at him-

"I not want keep my mate waiting for food," he barked hurriedly before leaping into the air, entirely unsure of if she had been joking or not; probably, he wouldn't have even known where to start. In any case, he needed to clean himself off, and the most thorough way to do that was by rolling in the river.

On his way there, he spotted Wanderer sitting by the lake and decided to drop in on him, barking a greeting as he descended. Wanderer looked up at him and watched as he landed, though he looked thoughtful, distracted. "What biting your tail?" Dreamer asked him.

"Snow coming, soon," he replied, pointing his snout to the wind with his nose twitching. "What will happen with lake?"

Dreamer rumbled thoughtfully, folding his wings to his back and walking to the water. "Snow not will do much… This not will freeze." He pawed at the water, dipping his claws into it and running them along the surface. But looking up at the mountain, the lake was at the bottom of a long valley… "Snow will collect on mountain, then slide down to fill lake, probably."

"So…" Wanderer churred thoughtfully. "Water in lake, also fish, all will be pushed out? That why we decided to fish from lake, not river."

"Yes," Dreamer chuffed happily; he'd known some Vikings who wouldn't have been able to figure that out. "Hrrr, I need hunt, but Fleeting is… not much happy this night. Nearly bit me for walking into den." He huffed at the confused look he received. "I smell like Long-Paw nest…"

"She is being strange," Wanderer agreed, walking up beside him to stare into the water.

Dreamer hummed uncertain, wary. "We sure she not has egg?"

"I… not think so… Dam said it very rare female has egg. We probably will need many cooling-seasons with her for that. I think she just is tired." He looked sideways at Dreamer. "You not sound much happy for flying. You not hear your nice sounds?"

"No," Dreamer growled, then sighed; he could mope about this for weeks, or he could talk about it and get it all out now. "He not there. I looked around. Saw… not nice things. Hungry people huddling in shadows. Fledglings also…" The adults he'd seen could possibly be held responsible for their choices and situation, he didn't know enough to pity them or scorn them, but what kind of sick nest left kids out in the cold to fend for themselves!? He'd been looking forward to spending some of these longer nights listening to the strange instrument, but now it all felt tainted.

Sad, sympathy, Wanderer warbled, sidling up and putting a wing over him to hold him close. "I know you know this, but you not can help them. It not is fair… but not was fair for us also." He nuzzled Dreamer's head, and Dreamer leaned into him, taking strength from his presence. "We need protect our nest only. Not worry about others. You not can be their alpha, not want be their alpha. I know it difficult for you, my Dreamer, but you not can worry about them."

"You right," Dreamer rumbled, "I know that… But is good to hear you say…" He still didn't feel any better knowing of their suffering, not really, but it was yet another facet of this broken world he couldn't fix. Having Wanderer confirm that was reassuring at least. He shook off the wing and his moping along with it, "We need hunt-"

Paws wrapped tightly around his shoulders, and he shrieked and flailed as he was yanked off his paws. He was suddenly dunked underwater, nearly inhaling it in the process and getting that wet stuffy feeling through his nose, but then his paw found purchase on what was grabbing him and he managed to kick Wanderer away.

He splashed and kicked, attempting to hold his assailant off while he found his paws and reclaimed his senses from the water that was deafening and blinding him. A blurry dark shadow kicked up white splashes as it lunged again, and he clumsily lunged right into it, their chests colliding with a wet slap that cut through the distortion in his ears. Dreamer grappled for purchase, trying to pry his way under Wanderer's forelegs while Wanderer did the same to him, hindpaws sinking into the mud under the shallow water as they tried to push each other off-balance.

Dreamer knew Wanderer wasn't really trying to win, noticed him gradually losing his balance, hadn't felt his weight shift to adjust his hindlegs. Dreamer pushed him to that tipping point, and he roared as he was wrestled down into the water, then spluttered as Dreamer straddled him and playfully tried to pin him under the surface.

As soon as he had clearly established himself as the victor, he jumped off and shook himself, feeling mud caked on the wrists of his wings and various other places. It was a loose, sandy mud, however, and easily came off once he waded a bit deeper to submerge himself.

Suitably clean, he splashed his way back to climb up the bank, then took a running leap and fired ahead of himself to dry himself off; he had burned a lot of energy already, while they were supposed to be conserving it in the cold-season, but using his fire didn't seem to make him any hungrier. "Want help me hunt?" he asked Wanderer after he did the same. "Our mate want two small-land-prey. Also I not eaten yet."

"We can hunt," Wanderer chuffed, following him off towards the forest. Perhaps they should split up, to conserve energy, but he didn't suggest it, and Dreamer didn't say anything because he wanted to spend time with him.

Many prey-trails appeared once they were a short way into the forest – these rabbits were prolific, he couldn't overhunt them if he tried – and he and Wanderer took up positions on either side of it to track it back to its den. They set a casual, efficient pace, one that left Dreamer's mind wandering. "Hrrr, she make me think of Long-Paw females, before have hatchling. Biting, hungry, more biting if not made happy…"

"You want her to have egg," Wanderer teased, then huffed and split off the trail to follow a stronger, more recent one.

"Maybe not now, but you want hatchling also, yes? Not try tell me you not want be big, caring sire…" Dreamer paused for a moment, then had to leap to catch up again. "Wait, how… We both are Sire?"

Affirmative, Wanderer chuffed. "Will call me Sire, also you Sire. We both Sire." He took over the trail and pawed aside a shrub to find the hole beneath it, then started digging it up while Dreamer struggled to wrap his head around that. The very concept was foreign to him, he couldn't fathom calling two people the same thing and it not being confusing. Though, to be fair, he could barely understand having one parent in the first place, let alone-

Wanderer shoved his paw into the hole and dragged out the squealing prey, which was quickly silenced. "You eat," he chuffed, tossing the kill to Dreamer, "I had fish." Dreamer caught it in his teeth, and held it in his paws to bite and tear it in half before quelling his growing hunger with it. Wanderer was back to digging, occasionally scenting the hole, until he could reach in and claw out another struggling rabbit.

"Good hunt," Dreamer crooned, then accepted the second kill and devoured it just as quickly. That would be sufficient for now, though he'd have to hunt again later, which was fine. "Now we need hunt for Fleeting."

Agreement, Wanderer chuffed, though he shot Dreamer a stern look. "Not worry," Dreamer huffed, "I will hunt again later. Not will be hungry." Satisfied, Wanderer led them to the next trail and they followed that one too, quietly enjoying each other's company.

They'd been lucky with the first den, the second took much longer to find and yielded only a single rabbit, which Wanderer promptly ate; Dreamer still wasn't used to that particular quirk of sharing food, but Wanderer hadn't been paying attention to notice his momentary surprise. The third hunt was somewhere in between, and again yielded only a single rabbit, but that was enough.

While they probably could keep hunting enough food for the whole night, it was a bit of a boring hunt, and it always made Dreamer tired and lethargic. He stifled a yawn out of necessity, as it would cause him to drop the prey dangling from his teeth, and made for a clearing he remembered nearby. From there, they leapt into the sky and winged their way back to their den.

Fleeting was still inside when they arrived, meeting them at the entrance and weaving around and between them as they walked inside, rubbing herself against them. "Your prey," Dreamer warbled around the fur in his mouth, holding it out for her-

She lightly swatted at him, her ears and frills folding back. "Is better you eat prey first for your mate," she growled, then flinched as Wanderer growled at her. "Sorry… I am… more biting this night…"

Dreamer dropped the prey and warbled reassurance. "I not mind." If anything, it was kind of nice that she told him off for doing things she didn't like. On the other paw… He didn't understand her preference in the slightest, just thinking about it made him gag a little – which only made it easier to heave up his own meal, nearly choking on it as he spat out two slimy lumps. Blegh… Still hate doing that. Fleeting crooned delight and slurped it up, making him gag again, then happily received her second requested small-land-prey from Wanderer.

No accounting for taste, I suppose. Dreamer gave his head a shake, then lay down and set about tearing up and eating his third rabbit of the night. A fresh kill was much better, in his opinion.

After wolfing down the second half, he shuddered and purred as Fleeting licked the back of his neck, arching his back and stretching out under her as she put a paw over him. "You smell like fire," she purred into his ears, "I should fix that." Agreement, he whimpered as she lightly nipped at an itch behind his frills.

The cold-season wore on, growing colder and colder, though Wanderer wasn't minding it as much as he used to. Even when snow blew in on the wind and left clumps of white for pawfuls of nights, he didn't really feel the ice under his paws. Though it clearly wasn't a sentiment shared by all.

"Why you are so warm!?" Fleeting growled from where she huddled under Dreamer's wing. "Not know how you can be out here, my paws are freezing to ground!"

"That because you not doing anything!" Wanderer barked happily, bounding around them and then leaping to bite a little bundle of snow out of the air. He was fascinated, he'd never seen it fall like this, all clumped together into thick leaf-like shapes that floated gently through the still air to the ground. This was the thickest, most gentle snowfall he'd ever known; there was even enough substance to each clump that they put a chill to his tongue as he snapped at them.

She huffed and further tucked her wings and tail to herself. "You also are eating it. I think you just are strange. You will be hungry later."

Confidence, Wanderer chuffed, stalking a particularly large flake as it fell. He pounced it right before it touched the ground, and actually felt the trickle of water run down his tongue as it melted.

"You not will have fun like that," Dreamer crooned at Fleeting, lifting his wing and shuffling away. She growled at him and tried to huddle closer, but he kept moving, making it difficult for her, until he leaped away and she leapt after him.

They raced off into the trees, leaving swirls of drifting white flakes behind them… and a few moments later, she came racing back alone, eyes fixed on Wanderer. He splayed his paws, chest low to the ground while she approached, to leap away from her pounce and run off after Dreamer; while conserving energy was important, so was playing, and he had a hope that they would get much food this night anyway.

He bounded joyously through the forest, paws skipping along familiar paths littered with delicate piles of snow. "Give me your warm!" Fleeting roared gleefully from close behind him, unaware she was the one being hunted… Wanderer grinned to himself as he led her on, angling for a shrivelled and bare thicket that was barely visible under the snow, trusting that-

Dreamer leapt from the thicket, and Wanderer yelped as he was tackled and dragged to the ground. "Get her, not me!" he barked, struggling against Dreamer's heavy paws on his shoulders, then yelped as Fleeting leapt into his hindquarters and sank her teeth into his leg with a playful growl.

He might have had a chance if it had been only Dreamer, but together they were more than capable of torturing him with licks and nips in sensitive places, heedless of his yelps and shrieks, immune to his struggling. He was breathless from laughing so much, the fight gradually devolving into weary wrestling as they grew weak with mirth, until they just lay in a warm purring heap in the snow.

Despite the snow, the night was not cold. It certainly wasn't warm, but there was no wind to speak of, so with some well-angled wings there was much warmth trapped among the three of them, more than enough to be comfortable; even Fleeting was relaxed.

After a while, enough time for them to have rested, the warmth of their play began to wear off. Wanderer didn't wait for it to become uncomfortable, reluctantly wriggling and prying his way free, then shook himself off before taking to the air; Dreamer and Fleeting were following along with a slowness that suggested they'd dozed off. The snowfall had slowed, now just little white specks drifting from the sky which he circled through while he waited for them.

Summons, he barked once they were in the air, leading them a short distance above the forest, towards the lake. It was not frozen, somehow it resisted the cold, but soon that wasn't going to matter. Enquiry, Dreamer warbled, but Wanderer just grinned toothily at him. Long ago, Sire had shown him something, and he was reminded of it by the talks of prey in the lake.

He eyed the snow built up in the valley. While the snowfalls so far this cold-season had not remained on the ground, it had been collecting on the mountain; at its deepest, it was almost completely burying trees. They knew what was going to happen, of course, had planned for it… he was just going to help it along a bit. He fired at the top of the valley, the bright shot streaking up to wink out near the peak. A puff of white rose up from the impact, sort of like a cloud…

"Hrrr… I not think that worked," Dreamer rumbled after a short time, flapping to keep altitude. It… did seem that way. Wanderer deflated, feeling disappointed. "Maybe… we should-"

A spray of white mist suddenly kicked up from a little way down the valley, where there was a slight bend in it, and the three of them held their breaths. It started subtle, but there was a cloud building down the slope, until the head of the avalanche was clearly defined.

A distant rumbling reached their ears as it built in size and momentum, though much of it was obscured by the cloud it was creating in the process. One part of it spilled over a steeper cliff, unfathomable amounts of snow tumbling from the cloud that floated out into the air.

They drifted there, watching in awed silence, as the torrent of ice impacted the lake. To start with it didn't seem as if anything was happening, but then the water bulged, and a wave broke over the bank.

To Wanderer's disappointment, the cloud covering the avalanche reached out over the water, obscuring much of what was going on. But as that slowed, he could see the pawfuls of rivers now trickling through the forest, dark streaks in the snow that had settled. "Who wants hunt fish with me?" he barked happily, veering down into the forest where he could see a dark shape writhing in the damp snow, Dreamer and Fleeting hot on his tail. They might not find enough to feast, but they certainly would not go hungry this night.

A claw inadvertently poking Dreamer's leg roused him from the brink of sleep, not for the first time. He leaned back a little and shifted his wing to allow Fleeting to more easily fidget, again, then sighed under his breath as she settled.

It wasn't a huge issue, he supposed. Aside from the occasional night of playing, they were being very lazy this cold-season, spending the lights sleeping and the nights talking, cuddling, and just generally lying around the den. The cool air drifting through the entrance seemed to induce a state of lethargy, encouraging them to conserve energy. If he didn't sleep well now, he could always nap during the night.

Fleeting started fidgeting again, testing Dreamer's patience, then growled to herself and crawled out from between him and Wanderer. Enquiry, Dreamer warbled, but she just trudged to the back of the den, put her tail against the wall, and lay down again. Should I go and see if I can help… or just try to get some sleep… She didn't seem to want his help, given she'd moved away from and then ignored him.

On the other paw, he considered himself a loving, caring mate, and his mate was behaving oddly, perhaps in pain or discomfort. He rolled to his paws, considering how to approach her, then noticed her shivering where she huddled. Why had she gone off on her own if she was cold? Something wasn't right… Enquiry, Wanderer warbled sleepily, and Dreamer huffed uncertain as he stood to walk over to her.

"What wrong?" Dreamer warbled quietly, settling down in front of Fleeting. "You not are sleeping, now are over here…"

"I not know," she grumbled, huddling under her wing, then groaned and rolled onto her back, shivered, and curled up on her other side. "I feel… weird…"

"We can do anything?" Wanderer asked gently, walking over and then lying on his chest next to Dreamer. "Hunt for you? Can bring fish, if need." For this occasion, they could definitely fish something out of the river for her.

"No, not hungry," she growled, then whimpered and writhed uncomfortably.

Helpless, Dreamer whined. He understood that it might be uncomfortable for her to talk, more so than she felt already, but she was giving him frustratingly little information on what was happening. It wasn't as if he was going to sleep while his mate suffered, and the only thing he knew about healing was treating wounds, not… whatever this was. He shared a look with Wanderer, but he looked just as helpless.

Fleeting groaned and stretched out on her back, panting lightly. "I feel like I ate big rock…" That was a start, but it didn't tell Dreamer anything helpful. The issue with living out here like this was that they didn't have anyone to turn to, nobody to fly to and ask for help or advice. What if it was something bad, she could be sick, or-

Surprise, Fleeting grunted, then scrambled upright to lie on her chest, her body rocking with her tense breaths. "I think…" She stared at Dreamer with wide eyes… "I might have egg…"

Dreamer choked, then coughed to clear his throat. Ha! I was right!

…

The revelation came slowly, gradually, while he stared back at her. What it meant. What it would bring. Fear and doubt clawed at him-

Discomfort, Fleeting whined with a twist of her head, snapping his attention back to the moment. Right, freak out about that later…

"What we can do?" Wanderer asked quietly, though he sounded tense.

"You not need do anything," she strained, adjusting herself, then sharply exhaled and panted heavily. She looked up at Dreamer with a mischievous, if somewhat harried expression, and lifted a wing to expose her side. "Want watch?"

Dreamer's mouth fell open, the wheels of his mind sinking into a bog and sticking fast. But before he could even figure out if she was serious, she bared her teeth and groaned again, her whole body bunching up, claws sinking into the dirt… and then she relaxed with a great sigh, taking long, deep breaths.

That… was it? Dreamer and Wanderer both waited in tense anticipation while she took a few moments to catch her breath… and then she reached around behind herself, and delicately dropped a dark object from her teeth onto the ground between them.

It was… an egg. A very dark, near-black egg, slightly larger than his paw. But egg-shaped, and indisputably an egg. Fleeting ran her tongue over the top of its smooth exterior, cleaning off the bulk of the fluids slicking it, then curled around and started licking herself clean too.

Dreamer stared at it, fascinated despite himself; for all that it was right there, he just couldn't wrap his head around it. How many people had ever seen a Nightstriker egg? Aside from Nightstriker sires and dams… Wait, that includes me now…

He gave his head a shake and leaned in to scent it, his curiosity overwhelming everything else – then jerked back with a snort and pawed at his nose; he really shouldn't have been surprised by that heavy scent, given where it had come from. It was also very warm, he'd felt the heat radiating off it… He supposed it was at internal body temperature, which made sense, but it still surprised him.

Dreamer and Wanderer both could only stare while Fleeting hesitantly reached out with her paw, then slowly, gently, scooped it towards herself to hold against her chest. She seemed as much in shock as they were, staring sightlessly, looking dazed. "Wrrr, there go my plans for next night," Dreamer joked faintly.

Fleeting's eyes narrowed on him. "This is your fault," she hissed, swatting at him with her spare paw.

"What!?" Dreamer barked. "Me!?" Wanderer was at least as responsible for this as he was!

"You tricked me," she growled, abusing his reluctance to fend her off or retaliate with her precious charge, "made me feel like I had hatchling already!"

"I… not know how I should feel about that," he grumbled, trying to figure out if he should be offended or pleased; he was beginning to settle on a mix of both.

"I not know if I ready to be sire," Wanderer said faintly. He then shuffled up to Fleeting and nuzzled her. "But I will try…" He stole a grin at Dreamer. "I had much practise."

"Why everyone treat me like hatchling," Dreamer growled, swatting at him.

"Because you behave like one," Fleeting crooned mockingly; Dreamer growled at her too.

Their gazes all drifted back to the egg, blending against Fleeting's chest in the light of the sky-fire filtering into the den. They had joked, made light of the situation, but… this was just… so sudden. He had already been sort of forced to come to terms with this being how Nightstrikers reproduced, now unable to forget that this was a life kindling in the crook of his mate's foreleg, but it still didn't seem real. "I not know much," he hummed quietly, "but… I will try also…" He certainly had a lot of examples of what not to do.

"Will hatch in maybe two sky-ice-cycles," Fleeting hummed, gently putting her nose to it. "Needs keeping warm until then. I think you will be good sires." She huffed. "I not would have it if I not know that."

That all did a surprising amount to put Dreamer at ease. She believed in him. He doubted himself, but… in a way, that was what his own sire had never done, not that he knew of. Some doubt was healthy. He could admit he didn't have the answers, but he had two amazing Nightstrikers with him, he wasn't alone in this. Knowing that two months stood between him and actual responsibilities was good too; the egg had been sudden, being a sire would not be. "Want me take it so you can rest?" he offered. He certainly wasn't about to be sleeping, and while he was terrified of so much as touching it he wasn't going to let that stop him, not when he had been partially responsible for bringing it into being.

"Not this light," she growled possessively, holding it close. "I need to… get comfortable with it."

Wanderer stood and walked around to put a wing over her. "Tell us if you need anything," he hummed warmly with a quiet purr.

"Some space," she immediately replied, shuffling a paw-length away from him, but still remained snugly under his wing. Dreamer carefully moved to her other side, putting his wing over Wanderer's, and lay his head so that he could stare at the little spark of life nestled up against her. A purr slowly built in the back of his throat as he thought about the future, a bright-eyed little Nightstriker hatching in the warming-season…

He would make mistakes. But he would admit them, learn from them. He would listen and understand. Despite the excitement, despite everything this meant, his eyes began to drift closed while absolutely nothing changed. The only movement was with their steady breaths, while he gradually came to the firm resolution that he would protect his son or daughter from going through what he had; of all his adventures, this one felt like the most important by far.