In Plain Sight [M] [DragonSong]

[Juno]

"Love you," he whispered, smiling warmly as he pulled up one of the furs on the bed to leave covering her. Once he was satisfied that she was settled he left his cave briefly to gather wood from the nearby saplings for the fire at his makeshift hearth. At least it was big enough to reasonably heat most of the cave away from the entrance.

With it started and the small flame growing healthily he took what pots and buckets he had to fill with snow and set them down in a semi-circle around the hearth to melt as the fire would continue to grow. He was certain he'd need to retrieve more later, though, once the wolves had drunken their fill. He added a few more branches from the torn up saplings to feed the fire until he was satisfied with the heat radiating off it.

Finally returning to Brenna he nudged at her shoulder gently as he climbed up to lay beside her, uncertain if she might still be awake.

[DragonSong]

The wild girl sighed softly and shifted to allow more room in the bed, half-asleep. "Everything okay?" she mumbled, eyes closed. One hand reached out find his arm, drawing it absently around her.

[Juno]

Chris smiled tiredly, humming quietly as he glanced over to where the wolves were gathered. They seemed content at least, or perhaps just too tired themselves to complain about his home.

He indulged her groping around for him after a moment, tucking himself against her side to draw her close to nuzzle gently against her neck. She seemed a bit warm to the touch...perhaps he'd been gone longer than he'd realized. The shifter hardly had the energy to dwell on it, though, exhaustion pulling him quickly into a deep sleep.

[DragonSong]

Despite a weariness that was bone deep, Brenna only managed to sleep for a few hours, and she was restless all the while.

Finally, she carefully disentangled herself from her mate and slipped out of the bed, picking her way around the furry bodies that littered the floor. Snowfur and Longclaw were curled around the pups, their grown litter snuggled close to their sides. Bright-Eye seemed to be guarding the door, though she too was asleep.

[Juno]

The shifter frowned in his sleep for the loss, quietly turning to reach out into the empty space around him for her. He resettled once he found nothing, though, entirely exhausted and unable to even open his eyes for the brief disturbance.

[DragonSong]

Brenna stilled when she heard him shifting and glanced back over her shoulder, then sighed quietly when he seemed to settle. Tip-toeing, she made her way back to the bedside long enough to lean down and kiss his temple gently.

"I'm okay. Be back soon," she whispered, just in case he was more awake than he seemed. Then she made her way back toward the door and slipped outside into the snow, shivering slightly at the drastic drop in temperature.

[Juno]

Chris was unaware of her absence until he began to wake a few hours, starting slightly when he realized the space beside him was cold. "Brenna?" he mumbled in confusion, lifting his head sleepily to look out at the rest of the cave that was empty save for the wolves.

[DragonSong]

Most of the wolves were awake, save Chaser, and Snowfur was once again nursing the pups, though she seemed much more content with her back to the fire and her family huddled around her.

Bright-Eye lifted her head from her place by the door and whuffed softly at Chris, nodding out into the snow to indicate where his mate had gone.

[Juno]

A chill settled in his blood for a lack of any verbal response, hurrying to his feet at the soft sounds Bright-Eye seemed to be directing at him. He watched her, eyes following her gesturing with a groan. He shook his head, quickly picking his way through the resting wolves to stumble outside.

He immediately found her footprints in the snow and he growled under his breath as he stormed off to follow them, calling out her name in an anxious, booming shout. Chris prayed his mate hadn't wandered too far.

[DragonSong]

It must have only been the second or third time he called when she heard. Brenna lifted her head and shouted back through the bitter wind, "Over here!"

She was already making her way back to the den, following her own footprints. Half a dozen arctic hares were strung over her back, and she was absently cleaning the blade of her knife as she approached.

She frowned slightly as she heard her mate calling. He sounded worried. "Chris?" She picked up her pace, jogging back toward him now.

[Juno]

When Chris finally caught her voice over the wind he squinted out into the distance and rushed to meet her as she came into view. He couldn't keep the open worry from his face, the scent of blood from the hares draining the color from his face until he realized it wasn't his mate's blood at all.

He breathed a shuddering sigh, shoulders slumping wearily as he reached out to hug her close. "Just- I woke up and you were gone," he mumbled in explanation, feeling a little silly after seeing that she'd only left to hunt for the pack. "Should've taken me with you, I could have...carried things," he muttered.

[DragonSong]

Oh.

He'd been worried.

Guilt clutched at her heart for a moment and she shook her head. "I didn't want to wake you," she murmured, stepping closer. "You were so tired... But I'm sorry I worried you."

[Juno]

Chris frowned, shaking his head at her apology. She'd only been trying to be nice, it wasn't fair he was getting grumpy over it.

"No, I... I understand. Just with everything that's been going on...I was scared for you," he admitted, reaching to try to take the small burden of the hares from her. Maybe he could at least carry it the rest of the way for her, short a distance as it was.

[DragonSong]

Brenna tried to smile reassuringly, but she was too tired to properly form the expression. “I’m sorry,” she repeated a little listlessly, and allowed Chris to take the hates from her as they started back to his den.

[Juno]

He'd settled them over one shoulder, using his free arm to pull her close in a side hug as he trudged back through the unbroken snow beside her tracks. Once they were safely out of the cold and back inside his home he moved to unstring the hares to give to the wolves, only holding one back so that his mate might be able to eat in peace.

"If they need more we'll find prey for them," he promised, eyeing the fire curiously as he held it up in question. "Cooked or raw?"

[DragonSong]

"Raw," she replied tiredly. "But we can cook one for us, if you want."

She didn't really want to take food away from the pack, but she knew Bright-Eye and her foster siblings could hunt for most of the pack while the nursing Snowfur took what she needed from Brenna's catch. They could spare a rabbit for the humans.

[Juno]

A tired smirk reached his lips as he turned to grab a knife and carefully begin the process of skinning it for her. "I was asking for you, I'll find my own later," he insisted, hoping to make sure his tired mate would not have any reason to go brave the cold alone again.

[DragonSong]

"We can share," Brenna insisted with a slight frown. She'd begun passing the remaining five hares out among the pack. Two went to Snowfur, and the other three were split between the active hunters. Hopefully it would be enough that they could go out and get some real game.

[Juno]

Chris watched her out of the corner of his eye as he quietly went about dressing the hare, humming softly in agreement. She was right, but he was anxious after the ordeal she'd gone through with her pack when there was still much more work to come.

After poking the fire a bit and adding more wood to the pile he set about the slow task of cooking the meat. It was about ready by the time the wolves seemed to be done with their share and when it had cooled enough he offered it out to her with an insistent, "Eat your fill first, I'll finish the rest."

[DragonSong]

Bryn frowned at him even as she began picking at the hare. She took care to leave as equal a half for him as she could manage before pushing it toward him with a determined glower. "Eat," she demanded, though it was rather ruined by the way she was sort of pouting at him.