Always [Katari]

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The evening wind carried a chill as it mussed the male’s ivory pelt, blowing strong from the mountains that bordered the western region of the Oriens. The air was crisp, growing colder with each passing day as their world descended into winter once again. Before him, the mountain range stretched out and upwards, as far as the eye could see. The jagged hills almost seemed endless – a fact that would not normally bother to burly male, but he knew his traveling companion would not be happy about the climb. He had been fairly confident in his navigational skills. After all, Summit had come this far unscathed. But as the elevation slowly climbed the further the pair strayed to the south, Summit was not so sure about his sense of direction. He had asked her to wait just below so that he could see if they were close to their destination. He just had to stop to admire the view.

The sun’s last semblance of light was quickly disappearing in the western horizon, painting the tallest peaks brilliant shades of fuchsia and lavender. The sky was golden where the sun had vanished only moments before. The eastern firmament was a deep blue color as day seceded to the nighttime once more. A full moon, surrounded by little dots of light as the star’s made their nightly appearance, was hanging low in the sky. The moon looked impossibly big, and the massive orb illuminated the landscape, which was dotted with huge evergreens and boulders that towered over even the largest of lupine kind.

Despite the arguable fact that Summit and his super best friend were lost, it was still far better than wandering alone. She carried a lightness about her that was intoxicating, and they could spend hours just talking and laughing about nothing in particular. He suspected Katari would not be thrilled once she realized they were climbing further into the peaks rather than trying to escape them. The pretty female he had befriended was not accustomed to cold, nor was she a fan of the changing seasons. Already, a light dusting of snow decorated the tallest summits, left over from a short storm that had passed a few days prior. Hazel eyes turned back to the east, where the ocean lapped at the shores of Anikira. From that elevation, he could see the dark sea in the distance. ”Hey, Kati! You have to come up here and see this!”

Summit’s original plan was to lead Katari further into the south, where the plains stretched out for miles and no wolf could strike a claim. He knew she was partial to warmer weather, so it seemed reasonable to go towards the desert, like a bird migrating for the winter. The southern lands were free, which was good news for loners like them. Other realms had already been claimed, but no recent scent markings obscured the area, so Summit knew they were not trespassing. He sucked in the chilly air deep into his lungs, savoring the sweetness carried by the breeze. His heart was beating fast within his chest. By now, he thought, he should be less... shy, or awkward, or whatever it was he was feeling every day that he spent around Katari that caused him to trip over nothing and say silly things. She wasn’t going to judge him or be mean to him. He knew that by now. On the contrary, her kindness occasionally caught Summit off-guard, made him like her that much more. She was definitely strange, but that only added to her allure in Summit’s muddled mind. He had never met someone like Katari before, and had already realized he was not likely to find someone like her again in the near future.

Mostly, he tried not to over-think things, as he had a tendency to do. He had someone now that he could travel with, hunt with, all of the good things he had never wanted to do alone. For Summit, that was good enough. For the first time in a long time, he felt a sense of contentment when he woke up that lingered on until he fell asleep. The smile that crossed his muzzle was unabashed as he waited for his friend to come and admire the sunset with him.

words: 716

tag: @katari

ooc: couldn't stop the muse for a new post,

I'll reply to their previous thread next!
Her new nickname from Summit is Kati. <3

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The world was once again descending into the dark clutches of winter. Katari could see it everywhere; the coldness seeping through the ground, the night eating up minutes of daylight. Even now snow threatened the horizon, bringing with it the promise of a grey singularity that would blanket the earth and its creatures. Up here, high in the mountains, it was even colder, far away from whatever warmth was still buried in the soil. Katari would have never tolerated places like this, but she was with Summit. Just his presence seemed like a warm beacon, a light against the swirling shadows. It was a mercy, too, as Ren had left their company in favor of lower, more lush grounds to spend his time. It left Katari and Summit in an awkward yet friendly mood, wanting but not taking. She wanted to be able to  get closer to him- although she would die of bashfulness if she so admitted it- but each time her mind offered the possibility, she was wracked with an onslaught of shivers and nausea. It was frustrating, really, to not be able to dive headfirst into a super best friendship. Baby steps were taking too long. She was impatient, not to mention cold. 

Katari cast her eyes upwards, looking in vain for the silhouette of Summit against like-coloured snow caps. He seemed to fit right in with the deep drifts and lazy glaciers, while she was clumsy and ill suited for the trek, both mentally and physically. However, she had come for Summit, and that was more than reason enough. She couldn't lie to herself and say that she didn't like him. What she could say, however, is that she shouldn't. She shouldn't put herself through weeks of pain, wanting something just out of grasp, her body revolting at even the slightest mention of intimacy. She shouldn't put Summit through the trails of being with her, a gauntlet littered with broken glass and pitfalls. How could she deny it, though, when he had swooped into her life, only to push the teetering pieces back into place? She was with Summit, and even in this maze of rock and snow, it was enough. 

Her ears perked at the sound of his voice, a small grin flitting across her face as she was pulled out of her numb thoughts. She felt warm and fuzzy just at the thought of reclaiming the distance that currently separated them, short as it may be. Her giggle was swallowed up by the snow, and she noted how different the acoustics were up so high, with nothing to hold in sound. Not that it mattered. They were the only ones crazy enough to wander up so far. Even now she was beginning to feel the weight of the oncoming night, the unobstructed sky the only solace in this empty space.

Summit was waiting,his body silhouetted against a gorgeous backdrop. "Kati?" she snickered in mock malice, "Kati is coming, dear sweet Timmus." She didn't bother holding back the laughter that spawned from the word, clouds of fog swirling around her aura of playful teasing, "Get it? Its like Summit, but backwards. I should be chief namer of people. Watch out elders, there's a new sheriff in town."

Words: 543
Ooc: This thread is going to be adorable omg

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The world was quiet all around him – a little too quiet, Summit noted as he waited for Katari to catch up to him and his vantage point. He flashed his friend an apologetic smile as she approached, knowing the steady elevation gain had been noticed by his traveling companion by now. It still felt good to see her there, and his ears flicked forward at the welcome sound of her giggles. She could go her own way whenever she pleased, but she didn’t. Summit wasn’t about to go asking questions.  He didn't want to upset the balance or ruin their adventures together.  She was still here, when only weeks prior, the two had been perfect strangers.

Their meeting had been serendipitous, a happy accident. It was more than he could have asked for, just to have someone to explore with. He relished the notion that the someone happened to be Katari, like a waking dream – someone who didn’t judge or ridicule, who didn’t mind if Summit was not the imposing, dominant sort of brute. Anikira had enough of those types wandering its shores.

”Timmus?” He cast her an odd look, squinting through the fading light to see if she was serious about this newly invented moniker, and her bubbling laughter broke the otherwise still serenity of the snow-covered hills that crowded around the,. ”I will probably regret telling you this one, but when I was a pup, they used to call me SumSum. Little SumSum.” The childhood nickname had not been uttered in years, and the thought made him want to laugh and cry all at once. It felt good to remember every now and then, but as always, the memories of his family were forever destined to remain bittersweet.

The remnants of daylight seemed to fade with every passing moment. Everything looked golden and beautiful. He felt a little guilty for leading them into the land of the lost, but even wrong turns had their advantages. Shaking his great snowy head, the white wolf gestured in the direction of the setting sun with a gentle nod. Hazel eyes fixated on the horizon and the jumbled skyline, and Summit unconsciously inched closer to the fae. ”Isn’t it nice?” The pair stood equal height, and he nudged her shoulder with his own, barely enough to touch. ”This is the best part – Being able to see for miles. Everything else looks so small and insignificant from a distance.” His head tilted to the left to admire the rising moon.

words: 419

tag: @katari

ooc: should be studying for finals = short reply. xD

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Why did she stay? Katari knew the answer was both obvious and inexplicable. It flitted in the shadows of something she didn’t want to admit, something terrifying and messy and wonderful. She could build a mountain congruent to the one they were climbing with excuses and ways around the answer that she needed to accept. She was staying because she had nowhere to go. She was staying because somehow, climbing this godforsaken mountain with Summit was better than exploring the warmer lands. No, no matter how many times she told herself why she kept pushing through, no answer felt true. Nothing she told herself filled the space in her heart, no words calmed the frantic buzzing in her mind. Like the cliff faces that made up this barren land, the truth was a long way above her, and a hard height to fall from.

Summit should be a stranger. True, she made friends quickly and easily, but even the weeks they had spent together should not have affected her the way that they did. She had been on a cloud her entire life, unattached from anyone and everyone. She had survived by putting herself first. It was the one rule she had followed, and had made Ren follow. Love yourself more. She had watched her mother love her father more, and saw the wounds and blood that followed. She had put herself second, and suffered what seemed like ages of torment. Katari had vowed from the day she left to never be in that situation again. She had promised not to let other jostle her out of her spot in the sun; it was too dangerous. Why then, did she want to put Summit first? Why did she not cower at the idea of letting herself get hurt, if only to ease his burden? Why did she love him more?

The aging light stretched the shadows long across the flawless blankets of snow, turning the world into a peculiar shade of blue. Summit himself was inked in the hue himself, his fur glowing with the colour of the sky right before dawn. “Little SumSum? I could definitely see how that would fit. It gives me the vibe that you were a chubby baby.” She snickered, hoping her teasing would mute out the storm brewing inside her.

“It’s gorgeous” She marveled at the curtains of colour painting the sky and ground. Gold, orange, and blue, all doing their part to create the masterpiece that was the sunset. She was amazed at the warm shades strewn about the sky, colours that she would not expect to see in such a winter landscape. “I would watch this forever if I could.” She breathed nearly silently, the crystalline fog of her breath billowing out before her. It caught the filtering light, dancing orange above the white sheets of snow. “I feel like I could forget everything and just… melt into the landscape if I stay right here. I love it.” The words sparked the fire that had been waiting to be lit. It was a rush of truth, of promises of joy and torture, happiness and sorrow. She felt the honesty that she had been trying to suppress roll over her like a wave, crashing against the inside of her mind.
“I love you.”

Words:552
Ooc: BOWCHICHICHICHICHICHIKKOWWAHWAHWAHWAHWAH

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The moon was so bright, impossibly brilliant against the clear indigo sky. Had the moon always been so big? Being with Katari was like seeing the world for the first time. Everything was different now. Summit found he could never tire of her outlook and charming disposition. By now, Summit was no longer phased by the little quirks that others might find off-putting about Katari – on the contrary, he found her endlessly endearing. He didn’t mind the presence or the subsequent disappearance of Ren, as if the invisible wolf was an old friend of his, as well. Katari was more than a “super best friend.” Summit knew it, and he suspected that his traveling companion knew, as well. It was like they had known each other all along. They were a family now, two lost souls brought together by kismet. Maybe there were only two of them (excluding Ren, who had gone his own way for the time being, according to Katari). But they stayed together, hunted together, cared deeply for each other – all of the things families did.

But it was more. It was more than a brotherly affection that he felt for her. When she was near, he felt lucky to be alive and lucky to be in her presence. She was nothing like his sisters had been, and his old friends could not compare. Her bubbly aura was irresistible. She had the brightest eyes, sometimes it was hard not to stare. Now, he couldn’t imagine going on without her, even if he had never said so out loud. Their friendship was light and fun, but there was an unspoken puzzle tucked carefully away behind teasing words and soft touches. He wanted more.

As she teased him, Summit kept his mouth shut firmly this time, not wanting to add more incriminating information to the flames by telling more of his silly old stories. It was embarrassing, certainly. So was tripping over your own paws, which he did with some frequency. It really didn’t seem to matter to Katari. She was never bothered by his clumsy words, his tendency to wander aimlessly, or the way he got excited when there was something worth noticing along their journey like a rare flower.

”I know that you don’t like the cold, but I’m glad that we’re here. If you end up somewhere good, then you’re not technically lost. I’m pretty sure that’s how it works.” Katari’s warmth seeped through him as she spoke, her energy and lightness, and his smile widened across his snowy white muzzle. I love it. He nodded in agreement. ”Me too.” Her happiness was infectious. The more he experienced her joy, the more he wanted to surround himself in it and linger there at her side, make the sunset last just a little bit longer. She was perfect in a flawed way, and more beautiful than she realized, but Summit could never put the feelings that swelled inside of him into words.

I love you. The words sank in and the brute’s breath hitched in his throat, something between a gasp and a choke. He was stunned by her candidness, and the three simple words felt like an avalanche. Was she joking around again? No – this wasn’t the sort of thing that wolves joked about. The words ruminated within his skull. Love. What did she mean by that? If it was true, then it was not just a figment of Summit’s overactive imagination. Suddenly, the sunset was forgotten, along with the cold and the snow. His eyes searched Katari’s for the same courage she had summoned to say it first.

Am I asleep or awake?

He came back to his senses, blinking hard to try to think of what to say next – something clever, meaningful, anything. ”I... love you.” The words felt foreign on his tongue, but they began to tumble out like a deluge after a storm, slightly incoherent but he meant it all. ”I do. All the time we have together... Having you to share my secrets...” His paws slid closer to Katari’s and the rest of his body followed so that he was sitting close enough to feel the heat from her body against the cold night. The wolf leaned closer still, nuzzling his nose against her soft cheek. ”Someone to keep you warm when you don’t know where you’re going.”

words: 726

tag: @katari

ooc: <3 I can't even

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The last trickles of light soon slipped beneath the silhouettes of mountains, plunging the world into a hazy dark. It was no less beautiful now though, the stars true dots of light against the infinite blackness. She was a being of light and warmth, and yet, even in the coldest reaches of the mountains, the darkness that surrounded them was comforting. It made a fuzzy feeling twitch inside of her, knowing that, wherever he may be, Ren was looking up at the same sky. It was like he hadn't even left. 

"Is it?" she mused. She wanted their voices to carry through the silence, to shatter the quiet that had come with the darkness. "Perhaps, but you are still lost, even though you have discovered something beautiful. You are lost... and found." She turned to Summit, unable to keep her eyes trained on only one thing when there was so much beauty around them, "Like how I was lost in the forest, and I found both myself and you. Or how my mind was lost at sea  until Ren dragged me from the depths, bringing along a piece of me that I didn't know I had. Lost and found." It was rare that she expressed herself so openly, and it felt refreshing. Summit always had that effect on her. She wanted him to know every nook and cranny of her mind, to explore and take apart and just exist within her soul. How she could ever admit to this was another story.

Her eyes focused on his form, a tint of confusion forming from the sound that had just came out of him. Had she been wrong to admit such a thing? Should she have kept her mouth shut? Nervousness filled the empty silence between them, and she felt like she was teetering on a fence, waiting to be pushed one way or the other by whatever he said next. 

The next thing he spoke washed over her with an icy realness, pulling her into reality. The words exploded like fireworks above her head, and she wanted to run and jump and roll and fly in happiness. Outwardly, she was completely still, frozen in a stunned sort of petrification, but inside, her mind was lit up by a thousand suns, burning hot in her throat. She didn't trust her voice at first, and was thankful when Summit continued, although his words only added kindling to the fire raging within. "I... thank you." she breathed, unable to form any sentences, "Really. I can't put into words how much I need you."

She was being selfish. Katari knew that. She knew how much she could hurt Summit, even if she couldn't help it. She knew of all the scars still waiting to heal, gouged too deep to forget. Summit didn't deserve her. Why did she still want him?

Her eyes focused back into the present when she felt him close, nose pushing against her cheek. He was close. Too close. No. She fought to stay calm, to fight against the waves of anxiety chewing away at her mind. Her heart sounded loud in her ears, hammering against the confines of its cage. This is Summit. You love him. He won't hurt you. Still, she could feel the pain of her past brought up fresh, see the wolves surrounding her, hurting her, closing in. Too close. Her muscles trembled along with the pulse of black that circled her vision, the rest of her body tense. The once cold air had turned hot against her skin, the night sky no longer bearing stars but eyes, thousands of pairs of eyes watching her, waiting to hurt her. They were the eyes of her father and brothers, the eyes of countless strangers, the eyes of Summit. No. 

Her body skittered backward almost on its own accord, relieved from it's choking panic. Her breath swirled out in hot, ragged puffs before her. It was only once the pulsing around her vision subsided that she looked over to Summit, hoping she wouldn't she pain looking back at her. She had done it. She knew what loving him would mean, and yet she had stupidly admitted it anyways. She cast her eyes downwards, listening to her heart resume its normal pace. Her voice was weak, catching in truth and secret knowledge,
"I never know where I'm going"
How could she be so blind? So stupid? So selfish?
"I'm sorry"

Words: 740
Ooc: *claws eyes out in sadness*

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The vivid sunset was fading into darkness, the brilliant pink and golden hues replaced by the nighttime shades of indigo and black. The sky grew dim with every passing second, and the stars were making their nightly appearance in the dusky firmament above. Lost and found... He had never known that he was lost before Katari, misconstruing loneliness for freedom. He muttered a thoughtful hm in response to the ideas she proposed. ”Maybe it doesn’t really matter where we end up, lost or otherwise, as long as the journey is well spent. It makes no difference what anybody says. No one really wants to be alone.”

It was as if he was dreaming, and not one of those terrible dreams about the dead that he head when he slept fitfully in the night. She needed him – no one had ever said that before to Summit. The euphoric sensation was short-lived, though. He closed his eyes and she was gone in an instant. An unsettled feeling churned inside him as he realized what had happened, blinking hard as he stared at Katari. Dazed, he watched in disbelief as she sank away, head ducked as if she were ashamed. A disconcerting silence eclipsed the surge of adrenaline that had excited to brute only seconds before. Summit’s eyes averted away from the disturbed she-wolf, off to the darkened eastern horizon, searching for answers in the dark, far off ocean that surrounded Anikira. The snowy male inhaled the chilly mountain air, lungs burning and his snowy expression crestfallen. His chest felt tight, as if someone was squeezing the breath out of him. The warmth was gone, taken back as quickly as it was offered. What happened?

A hectic feeling inside overcame Summit as his hazel orbs returned to the wolfess at his side, who was doing her best not to meet his gaze. Were they headed for disaster? All of it could come crashing down around him, leaving both wolves a wreck. But then, he could not just turn and walk away, not now. The way he felt would never be reasoned away. The distance would not dissuade the male.

We both go down together.

”Katari,” She wanted to retreat back into herself, he could see it in her drooping posture and he could feel it in the air between them. Something had shifted in her mind in that instant. Katari’s gaze was fixed on the ground, shutting off from the world around her, further away from him into the same, unchanging shadows that had become so natural, so normal in her mind. But Summit would not accept that. ”That doesn’t make me love you any less.” His mouth felt parched, but the urgency of the moment coaxed him to continue. He wanted to fill the gap between them again, but Summit held himself back with the lingering restraint left in him for fear of scaring her away. They had come this far together, and Summit did not intend to continue on alone.

”We’re family now, Kat, you and me. Whatever came before, it doesn’t matter. None of that makes a difference to me. This is here and now. We’re still here.” He was real, not one of the phantoms in her mind that haunted her memories. He smiled his characteristic lopsided grin that had faltered when she moved aside. Wolves like Katari were a rarity – he had never guessed someone like her could exist. Without her, he would be lost, but the words faltered on his tongue. Summit was far from being a forceful brute, but he was not going to let it go. Unconsciously, he began to inch closer again, couldn’t seem to stop himself, like she was a magnet. ”I will always find you when you lose yourself.”

words: 634
tag: @katari
ooc: SUTARI FTW.

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Nobody wants to be alone. The words sunk deep within her mind. If they were true, then why did so many refuse offerings of company? Why then did her own mind recoil at intimacy? She wanted what she couldn't have, and when she got it, fled in fear rooted deep within her consciousness. It wasn't fair. She wanted to break free from the restraints holding her, the memories and pain. She wanted to love physically just as much as she could from a distance. It was her greatest pain, a torture that she brought on herself. There can only be light if there was once darkness, and only darkness when the light falters.

Katari watched, pained, as Summit took in her distance. She wished hopelessly that he could understand, that, despite her silence, he had managed to piece together her broken mind. No such luck. She was the sun, her flares bright and beautiful and dangerous. They left darkness and hurt in their place, confusing milling with the dreadful anticipation of waiting. She loved him so badly it hurt, yet her mind filled her body with memories of pain. She wanted to get close. She didn't want to have to travel this earth alone. 

Her gaze was blank as she stared at the snow, wishing it could give some answer to her problems. Summits voice lifted her out of her mental canyon, and she looked towards him, trying to find her words. Family. He was family. He and Ren and her. Could she trust him? Her entire life, the only constant had been Ren. Even now, even when Summit raced through her bones and tingled in her blood, could she plant him in her life as something that will always be?

"You do not deserve this." her voice came out hoarse, cold, brimming with a harsh reality that was only now coming to light, "You don't deserve my broken mind. Summit I want you so badly. I want to spend seasons with you and age with you and survive storms with you and just exist with you, but how can I stand watching you jump aboard my sinking ship? How can I say these things, when every time I want to bridge the gap between us, I feel the scars, the wounds, the tears of my past as if they are once again fresh against my skin? I don't... I don't want to hurt you, but I am scared that no matter what I do, I will."

She didn't move away as he slid closer, her energy spent from her first relapse. She could try. She could push against herself, she could fight with whatever strength she had left. Could Summit eventually be as close as Ren? Closer even? It took all her hope to think of it. Maybe Summit wouldn't want to endure the struggles, but for as long as she was with him, then she wanted to try. She would build an immunity. She would let him fill the cracks. They were super best friends. Forever and ever. 

She watched the gentle clouds of her breath roll out before her, barely visible in the dimmed light. She was bursting at the seams and yet empty at the same time. Things left unsaid remained on her tongue, but this was not the right time to say them. Now, alone with Summit on this mountain ridge, it was the place for honesty, for raw, unfiltered thoughts. "Would you stay?" She breathed, unsure if he would even hear her weak voice, "Would you put up with my distance, if only on the promise that it will fade with time and patience. I couldn't take it, Summit, if you gave up on me halfway. Please just... just leave now or say you'll stay forever. Promise me. I wont survive being broken. Not again."



words: 641
Ooc: ;_; Kat is full of honesty that she has been suppressing for so long in this post. I am feeling super musey so I hope you like it <3

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He could feel the distance growing between them, but as Katari spoke of her broken mind, he felt a chasm within his chest. She never told stories of her history, but Summit knew that it was a dreary one filled with looking phantoms of the ones she used to know. She felt it too, he was convinced of this much. And that was all he needed to know. He took a deep breath, inhaling her scent along with the cold mountain air. ”You know you can’t get rid of me that easily. When I say that I love you, I meant that I would always love you. You’re the best thing that has come into my life. I couldn’t just... walk away now, try to forget that we ever happened. I can’t do that, Kati. This is one of those lifelong sort of things.” The great snowy brute spoke with assurance. He had never been so certain of something in all of his life. He was not thinking about his own well-being or whatever warnings she was attempting to make. None of that mattered anymore.

I want your love, don't try and stop me?.

Can't get enough, still hanging off me?.

Slowly, he continued to fill the remaining gap between them, large ivory paws sliding closer to her smaller mitts. He hoped that she would not shy away again.  ”Being around you, it’s like – it’s just like being home, no matter where we wander to. We could go anywhere from here and I wouldn’t complain.” Inside, Summit could feel a new stirring, feelings he had never had before that made him feel restless in a new way. All he wanted now was to be closer to her, closer than he ever thought was possible, physically and emotionally, to show her how much she meant to him. Nothing else seemed to matter – the stars appearing in the fading dusk, the snow beneath his paws and the jagged mountains that stretched onwards into the dark, mysterious beyond, and the feeling that they were the only living souls on the earth.

Your guilty heart, don't let it break you,

?And if you pray, no one's going to save you.

He wanted her to see that he was in it for the long haul. The thought of living without her was cruel. His form was trapped, ambivalent about what he should do next. It was becoming nearly impossible to ignore the enduring longing to be closer still. Despite the snow on the ground and the chill in the wintry air, Summit had a feverish feeling, but he restrained himself despite the feminine scent that filled his senses and his mind, intoxicating as a drug. He was torn between the exhilaration of her honesty, scared to say more, but even more scared of losing her if he did not speak his own truth. He did not know if they were headed for disaster, but at least they would be going there together – if she allowed it to happen, allowed him in. Whatever happened next mattered less when it was “us” instead of just Summit alone. He could feel it in his core, that rising excitement that made him crave more.

Your love is air, I breathe it in around me,

Don’t know it’s there, but without I’m drowning.

His hulking form was shaking as the adrenaline pumped through his veins, hot as embers inside of him. He smiled his usual sideways smile. ”I want to see the island with you, as much as we can see.  I want to protect you – not that you need to be protected, I know you can make it on your own,” he stammered, his characteristic awkwardness threatening to overcome his sentiments. ”But you don’t have to. Not anymore. It’s not just you or me, this is – this is something bigger, more than I ever imagined I could find.”  This was right. The choice was hers now – she knew how he felt, he could say no more without making an idiot of himself (if he had not already done so), and while Summit was many things, he was not a liar. He had no plans to go away or to let her go without spilling his heart out and exposing the secret pieces of himself that no one else could reach. If fate had other plans for them both, it was beyond his power. He could not foresee his own future, but somehow, it looked a little less grim now that he knew the energy between them was not a figment of his imagination. The prospect of being with Katari made him dizzy with eagerness now.

words: 777

tags: @katari

ooc: muse = yes

[Deleted]

Katari felt like she was lost at sea, seeing land in the distance yet unable to reach it. The waves battered the inside of her mind, tossing her to and fro. She stared at Summit, hoping his mere image would anchor her down. Breathe. His words calmed her, as they always did, and her eyes focused on him. There was always something so calming about his voice, a drug laced within his words that was dangerously addicting. "Thank you" She sighed, closing her eyes to feel the space around her. No breeze stirred the cold air, no snow melting or crunching beneath them. She felt grounded, even so far out of her comfort zones. Here she was, up in the mountains, in the cold, beneath an endless sky, and yet, because she was with Summit, she felt that she would be okay. Already she was beginning to feel lighter, happier, more like her usual self. "Life long." She mused, "I like the sound of that. You've already said it, so no taking it back. We're super best friends remember? You gotta stay with me my entire life mister. Sorry, but that comes with the deal of being mine."

She was slightly startled at the contact of his paw on hers, but more because it was unexpected than uncomfortable. She looked down, grinning. She could do this. Whether they stayed alone on this mountain ridge or traversed through countless lands with countless other wolves, she wouldn't let go of Summit. She wanted so badly to let him in, to erase the space between them physically like they had done mentally. If not for her own sake, but for Summits. She had to be strong to protect him, even if it was protecting him from herself. It would be irresponsible and cruel to let go now. She wouldn't let the light go out, it simply was not her nature. 

"I... want that too." She admitted, locking eyes with him. It was so freeing to be able to admit her thoughts, like she was letting light be shed upon something that had always been kept in the dark, "I would stay with you, no matter what. I'm tired of pretending to be okay. I don't want to go this world alone, not when I have someone like you within my reach. You are just too tempting." She giggled playfully, leaning forward to nuzzle at his cheek for a mere second before pulling back again. Baby steps. "Oh, my little SumSum" she sang in mock forlorn, "You will be the death of me, I know it. What am I ever going to do with you?"
Ooc: This turned out to be... really bright. I like it :3 I tad rushed, but only because 11 is approaching o.o

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Super best friends and more – Summit was not sure what they were now, not sure how to label what was happening. Did this make them mates? That sort of thing was supposed to last a lifetime, as it had for his own parents. The female did not shy away from his touch this time. She could no longer deny that she felt it too, and Summit’s heart felt as if it leapt into his throat as his excitement threatened to overpower his senses. Katari wanted it too – whatever it was, no matter what the future held, Summit finally felt certain that she would not vanish into the night, afraid of her own thoughts and feelings.

You will be the death of me, I know it. What am I ever going to do with you? Her comment, innocent as it was, would prove to be an eerily correct premonition in the near future. Kismet had taken them this far, but would not allow them to continue on much longer down the same road. Summit and Katari were still young, and an end to their story seemed far off, years away. This was only the start of something new and unexpected, something more wonderful than Summit had imagined.

He was beaming, his smile spread wide across his long muzzle. The brute breathed in the fresh mountain air, cold in his lungs, but delicious. The stars stared down, and looked remarkably bright in the darkened sky. Everything seemed better now. First love just had that kind of affect on a wolf, especially when the other felt the same. ”Just so you know, you don’t have to try to be okay. Just be Kati, and be honest, that’s all I need. I can handle the rest. If you want to hide, I’ll just have to come and find you. And that’s a promise. A promise from Summit is as sure as a sunset.”

A random idea popped into the brute’s imagination, and he took a step away from Katari in an attempt to cool the warmth that spread through his core when she was so close, feverish in spite of the high altitude and cold night. ”I have a question for you, Kati.” His deep voice dropped to a tone just above a whisper, and his muzzle moved closer to her ear, as if he was going to tell her a secret. Instead, he made a proposition. ”When is the last time you howled – and I mean, really howled, free and loudly? You know, the kind that echoes for miles? I can’t remember for me. But it has been a long time. Too long, really.” As he spoke, his timbre grew louder. Summit had never been one for staying still and silent. Even as a pup, he had been rambunctious and talkative, friendly to anyone who would give him the time of day in his natal pack. In spite of the troubles and the losses, those character traits never seemed to fade. Even on the worst days, Summit could not help his optimistic outlook and amiable demeanor.

”What do you say? Two voices are better than one, and these lands are unclaimed, so no one can get mad and chase us off for doing it. No one is around to stop us.” Freedom – something that he had come to relish after a lifetime of pack life, and something that the pack wolves did not possess. Even if he was Katari’s now, he had never felt so free in all of his years.

words: 610

tag: @katari

ooc: c;

[Deleted]

I want to share your mouthful
I want to do all the things your lungs do so well

It felt like the world was sliding around her. Or, perhaps more accurately, it felt to Katari like she was sliding, deep into a trench filled with foreign emotions and form which she could never escape. She didn’t necessarily think that she should be afraid of whatever laid ahead of her, but it was perhaps slightly unnerving to for once have things out of her control. What happened to her walls? How had Summit snuck around them so effectively? They were of no use now, not when she would so willingly break them down if he desired. She was his, undeniably, in a way that she didn’t think he realized at all.

You’re the first and last of your kind
I wanna be every lever you pull
And all showers that shower you

She was floaty. Summit always had that effect on her, but now, in the dull darkness, the feeling was more pronounced, not shy to come out and ravage her brain. Despite this, she could feel the ties holding her to the ground, to the present, as her consciousness danced from star to star above them. She sighed contentedly, sitting back on her haunches and leaning against him. Yes, this is okay. As long as I have control, I am okay. She was learning more and more about herself, so much that she wondered how she had gotten by in the years before Summit came to shed light on her darkest corners. “How can you make feel so much with your words?” She mused aloud, speaking just to hear her thoughts out loud. He settled her, grounded her when her mind raced through the clouds. She wondered if he realized the effect he had on her, the way his voice walled out any cold darkness that crept through the forests of her mind.

I want to be every button you press
I’m gonna kiss you like the sun

She could stay like this forever. Forget the aging night, the promise of a new day. For once, she wanted to exist simply in this moment. How far had she come already, to think such thoughts without Ren being around her? She hadn’t realized how much she had relied on him, and how much she struggled when he wasn’t here. Now, with Summit, she felt the months stack up, forging cracks into what she had thought was an unbreakable mind. Her mental path to realization was halted, however, as the muddy fog that had swamped her mind vanished the instant Summit moved away, breaking the moment, and subconsciously, she let out a small whimper, opening her eyes to look confusedly at him before he began to speak.

Devour me

“Howled?” She wondered, scrunching up her face in attempted to remember, “Not for a long time, I suppose. I have always just ghosted through lands, so I never considered it.” She smirked at his offer, though inside she now was dying to hear what they would sound like together.

Oh, devour me

“You are right. We could sing the night away and not a soul would hear. It would be our song and nobody else’s. The night is ours.” She jumped up, snow clinging to her coat, and began prancing around excitedly. She wanted to be joined with Summit, to hear the cries echo into the sky. She peered upwards, at the infinite darkness, and began, her voice rising in volume and pitch until it was all that filled her ears. She waited for Summit to join her, waited until his voice mimicked hers and chased out all the doubt and fear in her mind.

Devour me
If you really think that you can stomach me

Words: 633
Ooc:

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Some wolves went their entire lives never knowing what it felt like to find someone who so perfectly complimented their personality, who filled in the void left by ghosts of the past. He had seen love before, imagined what it might be like. It was nothing like he had dreamed – it was consuming, left him hungry for more, heart pounding and spirit light. It was beyond words, even for someone like Summit who normally had no problem expressing himself. He felt honored to be the one, and fortunate to be so close to the female who had captured his attention and his heart. There was no one else quite like Katari, and while others would view her as an oddity and a bother, she was the world that consumed Summit, the hope he would cling to. He was in deeper than he had known. He had enough love for the both of them.

“You are right. We could sing the night away and not a soul would hear. It would be our song and nobody else’s. The night is ours.” The night, every star in the sky, even the land was theirs alone that night. All felt right in the world for the first time – So far away from the politics of pack life, far from each wolf’s tragic past, even further from the life Summit had expected to lead. Here, there was no loneliness, no scorn. The old sadness was, in this place and with this wolf, replaced by the new feelings he could now embrace. Now, he could allow himself to feel, knowing that Katari was there with him both mentally and physically, as well as emotionally, lo longer hiding behind her protective fortress of isolation. Summit wore his emotions as easily as a heavy coat in the winter, and he was beaming as the sound of Katari’s timbre broke through the stillness of their own private night.

The brute’s voice joined Katari’s chorus, eye lids fluttering shut as he lost himself to the sound of them, changing the song of his companion into a duet. Their song was not a warning or a display of dominance for others. It had been years since he had howled, but a wolf could never forget. It was as natural as taking a breath, and a sense of unadulterated joy filled Summit to hear their mingling calls together. Better with two instead of one.

He imagined how his family would feel about his mate. His mother would have loved her, his sire would undoubtedly approve of his choice, and his sisters… Summit could picture it in his mind’s eye. Each of his sisters would have cherished Katari for their own special reasons, each with personalities vastly different. His beloved siblings would have been thrilled to accept another she-wolf into the close-knit family.

This reality would never exist.

The future was not as bright as it promised.

Can't stop what is coming
Can't stop what is on its way

words: 514
tag: @katari
ooc: sorry for the wait!
this could be a good
ending for this thread,
unless you want to add more!