Jean-Claude Dieudonné

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS THAT YOU'RE DEAD? NO ONE EVER HAD MUCH NICE TO SAY. I THINK THEY NEVER LIKED YOU ANYWAY. OH TAKE ME FROM THE HOSPITAL BED. WOULDN'T IT BE GRAND AIN'T IT EXACTLY WHAT YOU PLANNED. AND WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF WE WERE DEAD

The steam rose around him, it’s warmth caressing his skin under the night sky. Guiding him, leading him towards their sacred pools. He shivered against the gentle breeze, making him even more eager to find a pool to submerge in. The steam only a taste, teasing him for what awaited beneath the surface. He would not stop now, not so near the edges where others might lurk. Too nervous or worried about going deeper and getting lost among the pools. But not him. He sought the pools further inward, where there was no one. The quiet welcomed him into its embrace, the ripple of the springs the only sound that greeted him. Finally dark paws come to a halt, maned head tilting ever slightly towards the pool to his right.

Slowly did he slide into the water, submerged enough to where only his head rested on the surface on the water. Like an alligator waiting for his prey. Emerald eyes were upturned towards the starlit sky, It always reminded him of someone in particular. But he would keep that thought to himself. Dark tipped ears flicked forwards, more aware of his surroundings than he may seem by passerby’s. Though he doubted anyone else was out here at this time of night. He let the water warm him, aching muscles from his recent challenge thanking him for the reprieve. He didn’t bounce back as fast as he used to, aging wasn’t something he had grown particularly fond of. A part of him wondered where his children had gone. Where were they now? Was he destined to be alone here?

"Speech."

@Amara

code by corvus

I am flesh and I am bone.

Do you walk in the valley of kings? Do you walk in the shadow of men? Who sold their lives to a dream? Do you ponder the manner of things? In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark

As she grew older and time seemed to be slipping away, Amara couldn't help but wander to an area that she didn't come very often. There were memories here that had been trapped away but she felt drawn to go and be there. To let those memories go. The cold air bit at her and she did her best to shake it off. Even the cold air of the bluffs wasn't enough to have her steady against the wind that was blowing against her. She huffed and made her way toward the Hot Springs. She needed to go back to where things ended. Where they decided to go back and to make a mark on the lands south of them. They had fled her, following Amara, as far away as they could get.

She wasn't paying as much attention as she should have been as her memories started to roll through her mind. The dark sky aided in her comfort but also hid the fact that she wasn't alone. That within the waters was a lion that was connected to all the memories that were working their way through her mind to the surface as she laid down in nearly the same spot she had been in when Cassine had announced that she wanted to go back. That she was tired of hiding and running. Tired of the cold and Amara didn't blame her at all.

I've got fire in my soul.

Do you walk in the meadow of spring? Do you talk to the animals? Do you hold their lives from a string? Do you ponder the manner of things? In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark

code by corvus

Jean-Claude Dieudonné

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS THAT YOU'RE DEAD? NO ONE EVER HAD MUCH NICE TO SAY. I THINK THEY NEVER LIKED YOU ANYWAY. OH TAKE ME FROM THE HOSPITAL BED. WOULDN'T IT BE GRAND AIN'T IT EXACTLY WHAT YOU PLANNED. AND WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF WE WERE DEAD

For just a moment he floats there, blissfully unaware that he wasn’t as alone as he thought he was. The hair on the back of his neck tingles telling him someone is there but still he does not move. Lost in thought as he gazed at the stars above. It was cold but peaceful here, a stark difference to the warm red rock of the Bluffs. He had grown so used to its red hue mingling amongst the brown of his fur that a part of him ached as it was washed away in the springs. He had never expected to become as attached to Amaryllis as he had found himself, attached to a family that welcomed him back with open arms. Trusted him even though they did not truly know him. Even his own brother did not know him. So naturally he gravitated towards the one speck of familiarity amongst the unknown. And speak of the devil and she shall appear.

Thrown from his thoughts, nostrils flared as she filled his senses. Emerald gaze bored with the sky, and seeking another just as bright. They find her easily despite the steam, lost in her own thoughts. When you lived as long as they had memories tended to pop up when you least expected them, a part of him ached that he had not been in more of them. And if he had stayed, what would they be? Refusing to linger any more on the what ifs, he would swim towards the edge of his spring. Pulling himself up and out of the water as quietly as he could before following behind her a ways. Watching as she lay amongst the pools but did not get in one. It suddenly occurred to him how foolish he might look being soaked to the bone, but he approached her anyway. "Mind if I join you?" low baritone rings out, moving to lay beside her whether she agreed or not. Close enough that his side brushed lightly against her own. Would she shy away from his touch?

"Speech."

@Amara

code by corvus

I am flesh and I am bone.

Do you walk in the valley of kings? Do you walk in the shadow of men? Who sold their lives to a dream? Do you ponder the manner of things? In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark

Amara was lost in her thoughts and that made her less aware of what was happening near her. It was something that didn't happen often but she also thought that the open space and the misty fog would be enough to keep her hidden and give her time to notice them. Amara wasn't sure that she had thought that anyone would be in the water, it had never crossed her mind when they lived here.

The sound of the water moving caught her attention but it took her a moment to understand that what she was seeing coming out of the water was a lion. By the time her mind adjusted and understood, she saw that it was @Jean-Claude so she didn't move. Had it been anyone else, she would have jumped up ready for a fight but the male was trusted. She lifted her golden gaze to him as he neared, water dripping off his body as he moved. She raised an amused brow at him as he asked about joining her as he laid down. She watched him as he settled in, close. Closer than anyone she didn't directly share blood with had dared to be to her in a long time. *Cold? She questioned him while trying not to focus on the fact that he was touching her, barely but it was there. Her golden gaze stayed settled on him as she kept her thoughts on hold for the moment.

*french

I've got fire in my soul.

Do you walk in the meadow of spring? Do you talk to the animals? Do you hold their lives from a string? Do you ponder the manner of things? In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark

code by corvus

Jean-Claude Dieudonné

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS THAT YOU'RE DEAD? NO ONE EVER HAD MUCH NICE TO SAY. I THINK THEY NEVER LIKED YOU ANYWAY. OH TAKE ME FROM THE HOSPITAL BED. WOULDN'T IT BE GRAND AIN'T IT EXACTLY WHAT YOU PLANNED. AND WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF WE WERE DEAD

He waits quietly, letting her mull around her thoughts till she feels ready to talk. Jean-Claude is comfortable in silence, does not shy away from it. They could sit here and not say a word to each other and he would be just as satisfied. Or he just didn’t understand the meaning of awkward silences. But it doesn’t feel awkward, it feels natural. She was a women of few words and he a man of few words.

She does not move away, which he takes as a good sign. He doesn’t push his luck, does not move closer unless she wanted him to. Emerald gaze sweeps towards her as she talks, ”not anymore.” now that you’re here the last bit echoing in his head, tiptoeing around feelings that hadn’t surfaced for a long time. Feelings he thought he’d never find or feel again. He didn’t want to overwhelm her, she had her own losses she was dealing with. It was nice, though, to have someone whose presence brought warmth rather than darkness. And she who had built their family up, made it stronger even if she was not blood, she deserved it more than any of them. She who bore their Matriarch would always hold a special place in their family, a special place with him.

"Speech."

@Amara

code by corvus

I am flesh and I am bone.

Do you walk in the valley of kings? Do you walk in the shadow of men? Who sold their lives to a dream? Do you ponder the manner of things? In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark

His words were simple enough but Amara folded her ears back slightly in mild amusement. She gave a small huff before lifting her gaze toward the sky, the stars visible through the mist as the winds pulled it around. What brought you this far north? She tried to push aside the fact that he was so close to her. It was cold and he was wet, only made sense. She trusted him but she hadn't been touched by another male in a long while and she could almost feel her skin burning under her fur.

Her earlier thoughts slipped away as her golden gaze remained locked on the stars above them. Amara had never been good with her feelings, understanding them, understanding the feelings of others. Things had been spelled out for her before and she had been through enough now to know that she was able to have feelings for another, to love, in her own way.

She gave a small mental shake. She was jumping to something because of her feelings of those lost to her. Amara had no way of knowing and no real reason to think that @Jean-Claude might even have the same thoughts. He had remained, proven himself loyal and steady but that didn't mean anything. Still, she found her body leaning towards his without much thought until she was pressing against him enough to feel the warmth of his body as well as the chill from his wet fur.

I've got fire in my soul.

Do you walk in the meadow of spring? Do you talk to the animals? Do you hold their lives from a string? Do you ponder the manner of things? In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark

code by corvus

Jean-Claude Dieudonné

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS THAT YOU'RE DEAD? NO ONE EVER HAD MUCH NICE TO SAY. I THINK THEY NEVER LIKED YOU ANYWAY. OH TAKE ME FROM THE HOSPITAL BED. WOULDN'T IT BE GRAND AIN'T IT EXACTLY WHAT YOU PLANNED. AND WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF WE WERE DEAD

It was strange to be here, to see her without the Bluff at her back. The familiar red hue had been washed from his feet the minute he had stepped into the springs. But there it stood, stark against the black of her fur. He couldn’t imagine her without the red hue, it had become a part of she was. Of who they were. Emerald gaze swept towards her, watching her as she watched the stars above them. ”Needed to think, it’s quiet here.” he answered with a slight shrug. It was quiet here certainly, private and enough space that he had thought he wouldn’t have been bothered. He didn’t mind her company, it was welcomed even if his intentions had been to be alone. It was the push he needed, to be bold for once, instead of dancing around things unsaid. He had made up his mind. And with the privacy of the Springs, there was no better time.

”Be my mate.” he says boldly, face still turned towards her. She had once told him that she had asked Apollinaire and he had refused her in favor of Louve. But his eyes had not wandered, they had always chosen her. ”We both want the same thing. I care for you.” French tones are low, raw, vulnerable as he bares himself to her. He cared for her, he did. One of the few he could trust, who he held dear, who he wanted to be with. He knew their time would be limited, he had been too late, come too late. That didn’t mean they couldn’t spend the rest of the time they had making that up. The children they both wanted was only the start.

"Speech."

@Amara

code by corvus

I am flesh and I am bone.

Do you walk in the valley of kings? Do you walk in the shadow of men? Who sold their lives to a dream? Do you ponder the manner of things? In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark

It was indeed a good place to think, to come and remember but it seemed that the lion had other thoughts than she did. Had other reasons that he was here thinking, not dwelling on the past but thinking of what was to come. Her golden gaze snapped down to meet his emerald gaze. She had once heard that history repeated itself but to hear those words again caused her heart to hammer in her chest. She knew that Kieran was dead, gone and that she had every reason and right to find another mate. She had thought on it, tried to act upon it, tried to make it her idea but had fallen flat and had for the most part given up on it. She blinked slowly as her mind tried to process what was happening here.

The cold air bit at her fur as she looked at him. She couldn't deny that she had come to enjoy his company, to seek him out in a crowd, but did that mean they would be good for each other? This wasn't like with Kieran. She didn't know so much then and hardly knew who she was. Now, she knew. She knew her strengths and her weaknesses. She knew her worth and a big part of that was because of Kieran, because of the cubs they had together. Silence filled the air between them as she looked at him, her gaze softer than normal.

He cared for her. Something that she hadn't had in such a long time. She trusted him and in many ways that was the biggest factor. Finally, she took a deep breath to steady herself. Being with me comes with risks. He would become a target, as Kieran had been. There was no getting around the fact that Amara had enemies, she had those who would try to kill her without much thought. While he most likely knew that the family had enemies, she wasn't sure that he was aware that he would be attached to every danger that she faced and then some. Unlike last time, she didn't falter with her words. She didn't give him an answer with her warning, not yet at least but she did lean a little more into him. Her body sought to find him with a little more contact. The warmth she felt before spread through her and she knew what it was now. She wasn't good with feelings because she locked them away but she slowly unlocked a few to know if this would be right, if it would work or not.

I've got fire in my soul.

Do you walk in the meadow of spring? Do you talk to the animals? Do you hold their lives from a string? Do you ponder the manner of things? In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark

code by corvus

Jean-Claude Dieudonné

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS THAT YOU'RE DEAD? NO ONE EVER HAD MUCH NICE TO SAY. I THINK THEY NEVER LIKED YOU ANYWAY. OH TAKE ME FROM THE HOSPITAL BED. WOULDN'T IT BE GRAND AIN'T IT EXACTLY WHAT YOU PLANNED. AND WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF WE WERE DEAD

Like she did, he never thought those words would come out of his mouth again. Not after Marcella. Their time had ended long ago, and he had punished himself long enough for the way things had turned out. That didn’t mean either of them did not deserve to find that love again with someone else. They had both lost their mates, their children grown, it was time he put himself first. What he wanted first. He held her golden gaze, giving her no reason to doubt his words, to doubt his sincerity. He could not and would not take those words back no matter what excuses she used to try to deter him. He wanted her despite the name her previous husband had given her, he wanted Amara for Amara. Even if she wasn’t Dieudonné, even if she had never had Louve or Elaine. A part of him knew he would have felt all the same. She may believe Kieran had given her her worth. But she was so much more, unequivocally her .

Her touch was welcomed, his gaze softening against her own. Letting his body lean against her touch in answer. A light chuckle rocks his core as she speaks, head moving forwards to playfully nip at her ear. ”I wouldn’t have asked if I cared about risks.” he says firmly, moving back to look in her eyes once more. ”Whatever may come in the future, I’ll be by your side. Always.” leaving no room for argument, there was nothing she could say, nothing she could warn him about that he would shy away from. He had made his decision. He was Dieudonné. If he ran away at the first sign of trouble he wouldn’t deserve her. He wasn’t afraid of her enemies, he wasn’t afraid of having a target on his back. Whatever danger would come, they would face together.

"Speech."

@Amara

code by corvus

I am flesh and I am bone.

Do you walk in the valley of kings? Do you walk in the shadow of men? Who sold their lives to a dream? Do you ponder the manner of things? In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark

Playfulness was not something the star covered high sovereign was used to but she didn't flick her ear away as he nipped at it. There was a lightness in the action that she wouldn't, no, couldn't push away. At this point in her life, she could use someone to remind her to take a moment to enjoy simple things. Her life with Kieran had been filled with unknown, fights, wars, and then he was gone. She had raised their cubs on her own, her feelings for him steady but faded as time went on. He returned and before they could do or be anything more, he was dead. There had been no time for playfulness or even an understanding of what that could mean. Things were very different in her life now, she was different. Had she not earned some time to let down her hair and have that glass of wine?

A soft shuddering breath escaped her as she heard his words. He knew the risks and still asked her. The males in this family were nothing if not stubborn. If she had not come here and they had found themselves together, alone and seeking warmth, would it have all gone the same? His words seemed to suggest that it would, that this wasn't something that he was just tossing out there to see if it would work out. Feelings drove his action and it wasn't just good timing that she had stumbled upon him here. He would have found her with this sooner rather than later and if she had allowed herself a moment longer to ponder on it before now, she would have done the same. She saw no reason to get permission from her daughter as she had from Cassine. While Louve did lead the family, she was also still her daughter and Amara didn't wish for her to have any room or reason for the choice to be taken from her. Later would do just as well.

I am yours and you are mine now.* Acceptance and laying of her own claim upon him as a rare smile graced her features when she looked at him. She aimed to brush her head against his chin as she leaned into him more. There would be no space left between them now, no room for the cold air to find slip in and all at once she knew what she wanted. Her tail flicked across his hips a few times before coming to rest on his body. Warm me up, mate.* She made her own playful snap toward his ear before she moved enough to pull her upper body under his chest, pressing herself into him with every movement she made. Her intention, desire, and demand of him clear. Their mateship would not be held off, it would start here and now. Her heart as steady even as she seemed to feel a press of emotion against it.

fade exit

*french

I've got fire in my soul.

Do you walk in the meadow of spring? Do you talk to the animals? Do you hold their lives from a string? Do you ponder the manner of things? In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark

code by corvus