[ P ] Evergreen

S

nowflakes drifted along upon a salted breeze until it all collected upon the shores of Aberdeen. Always an interesting sight it was, to see a beach laden with snowfall. The scenery was vastly different and yet the same all at once. Clover felt akin to it in that way. Her life had changed and so had she, all within the matter of a single year.


As she watched the magical procession of the snowflakes as they danced their way to the earth, she thought of Daisy. Wherever you are...I hope you're seeing how beautiful winter is... She sent this thought across time and space with all of the love she had in her heart that was slowly healing.

Releasing a sigh, she watched her dragon's breath with a bit of childish delight before turning and heading back towards her den. She imagined Cian was still sleeping which had given her time to prepare a little something for him. Throughout all of their trials and tribulations, he had been there for all of them and for her, so she wished to show her appreciation for his presence in her life.

Despite the fact that she hadn't agreed with him entirely on every decision, Clover knew that her husband had never made them lightly. He had a beautiful heart that cared so deeply for their family and he knew that every action of his was made of pure love from the moment he woke up until he went to sleep. Even then, he carried that same love with him into the land of dreams.

When she entered the den, the warmth of the atmosphere caused her to shiver lightly and she shook the snow from her coat before approaching the sleeping giant. Light paw steps moved as quietly as she could muster before she dove her head into the ember fluff of Cian's winter coat. She wriggled her way beneath one of his arms until she was snuggled against his chest within his embrace. Clover turned herself around so that she was facing him before touching a cold nose to his and whispering softly, “Good morning, sleepyhead..."

@Cian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

A

utumn had passed in the blink of an eye in Aberdeen. Alone in a family den without the rest of his kin, the enormous wolf slept soundly by morning’s light. The nightmares still lingered within his skull, but they were less frequent now, with pleasant dreams returning to his unconscious mind when he slumbered. That night, he had dreamt of his family. But in this vision, his offspring were all grown up, with children of their own. There was a cacophony of noise, laughter and talking and pups playing. There were more wolves than could be counted in this dream. A faint smile graced his lips as he slumbered.

The older children were nearly adults now: Summit and Journey were the same age their parents had been that fateful day when the pair had been conceived. The younger children were almost yearlings, and already, both Piper and Soraya were independent and prone to wandering. How could he deny them their curiosity? Such wanderings had led Clover and Cian together when they were yearlings themselves.

All the while, the seasons continued their eternal march forward, and Cian anticipated the future with excitement tinged with sadness, for they were on the precipice of no longer needing their parents at all.

Cian was roused from his sleep by gentle warmth that spread throughout his hulking form, inspiring an unconscious smile. Deep orange eyes opened slowly as a giant yawn escaped the brute’s maw. Cuddled up beside him was Clover, his partner of nearly three years. In a tired voice, he greeted her softly, ”Hi, Clove.” He pressed a tender kiss to the brow of his beloved, taking in her cherished scent.

Oh, the temptation was real! How lovely it would be simply to stay like that all day, cuddled up as close as could be, winter be damned! There was little else that Cian required to reach his own nirvana. The brute was simply happy to be near such a beautiful creation of nature – one that he was fortunate enough to call his wife.

But today was a momentous occasion, and as his waking senses returned to him, he realized – he had intended to wake early that morning, to make a special day even more spectacular. He had overslept, and the sky was alight with a wintry day. For a moment or two, his facade expressed his surprise. But what could he do? He leaned his muzzle closer to Clover’s ear to whisper: ”Happy anniversary, my love.”

With all of his willpower, Cian forced himself to his giant paws, nuzzling Clover. ”Shall we?” With a silly bow, he extended a paw to invite the femme to lead the way.


@Clover

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

C

lover watched as dark lips drew themselves into a smile as her husband waded through sleep to meet her in the waking world. In truth, she might have let him keep sleeping with how deeply and peacefully he'd been resting. Selfishly, she was glad to have him back with her yawning and stretching and curling himself in closer to her. “Hi, Cian..." She returned his greeting in a murmured tone, closing her eyes and leaning into the kiss he pressed against her forehead.

She hummed softly with satisfaction as the warmth from his slumber radiated across her own body. Perhaps we stay like for just a little bit longer... The fae wolfess thought as she pressed further into his this winter coat. Clover's eyes fluttered open at a sudden shift of her mate's body and when she glanced up at him, he seemed to be a bit more alert, surprised even. She gave him a quizzical lift of her brows before his muzzle came to rest against her ear.

Cian's whispered words caused a pleasant shiver to trail down the length of her spine and a broad smile brightened her features. “And a Happy Anniversary to you, lovely husband 'o mine." She returned the sentiment, her wagging tail resting against the bend in his that had been acquired during their youthful adventures at Tir And Nog. A sigh of protest escaped her when the hilling form encircling her lifted and Cian stood himself up, beckoning her forward with a bow

Clover raised a paw to her mouth to stifle a giggle at the ever-chivalrous behaviour of her Knight in Ember Armor. She hopped up and trotted to take his side, guiding him from the den and out into the open. She led him down a path that widened into a snowy clearing . Ahead of them was a collection if meticulously placed stones in a circle, symbolizing the Standing Stones that they had discovered together those years ago. A newly tanned and treated animal hide was spread out at the center of the stones to create a space for them to sit comfortably. Then a huge pile of acorns and various nuts were placed in the middle of this pallet, another ode to their history...this one dating back to the day they'd first met one another.


@Cian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

C

lover’s voice greeted him like a song, melodic tones with that familiar Highlander lilt that he adored. “And a Happy Anniversary to you, lovely husband 'o mine." He could sense the hesitation in her feminine form when he began to rise, but there would be time for cuddling all winter long – especially if it continued to grow colder, as seemed to be the pattern in the passing days. Unconsciously, he was humming a happy tune as they exited their safe nest, staying close to Clover because it was bitterly cold… and because he just wanted to be close to his wife, always.

He cast a glance over his shoulder to the now-empty den. Not one of their children had been there the previous night, and though he tested the breeze, he couldn’t detect their scents nearby. But Cian tried not to worry, as the older pups usually kept close watch over the almost-yearlings, and any nagging thoughts were easily brushed aside for the sake of the occasion – and perhaps, today of all das, it was for the best that they were off on their own adventures so that their parents could spend some time together, one-on-one.

Without question, Cian would follow the female’s lead, gait slowed so that he could remain side by side with his much smaller mate. Snow danced on the gales gracefully – it was far more frigid this year than last, when they had exchanged vows before their offspring, but he would never be cold if the pair were standing side by side, forever a team, always equal in their partnership.

Down a snowy path the traversed until they came across a scene: There were stones placed intentionally in a ring, reminiscent of the Standing Stones they had discovered years before. His expression did not hide his astonishment as he took it in – every minute detail, every echo of their earliest days, now three years later. The acorns and nuts, clearly not for their own consumption, brought him back in time, when everything was different and new. He had been a soldier then, and he thanked the gods for that first encounter that enabled him to see the folly of military life.

For a moment or two, he simply took in the sight, ember orbs wide with delight. ”This…” His focus turned from the stones and hide to the woman beside him. ”You did all this?” It was not the thoughtfulness of the gesture, nor the obvious care… It was mostly because Clover had managed to surprise him. But she had always been talented when it came to catching Cian off-guard – from their very first meeting.

He leaned closer to rest his cheek beside Clover’s. "I’ll never forget that first meeting. Who could have guessed…” His deep voice cracked with emotion as his words tapered off. With a deep inhale, he continued, voice dropping an octave to an impossibly low tone: "You saved my life that day, Clove, you know? If I hadn't found you... If I hadn't spent the day collecting critter snacks..." The brute chuckled. "Who knows?" Perhaps he would have stayed in the army, following his father's wishes and the orders of wolves now dead from the war.

A tear slid down his cheek, the happy sort that only his family could inspire. "I will forever be grateful for that day, and all of the ones that have followed that I'm lucky enough to spend with you. I love you, Clove."



@Clover

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

C

ian's reaction to what was laid out in front of them was absolutely priceless. Clover was practically glowing with the delight of watching her husband notice all of the little things and making the connections to their history together. The soft ember fluff of his cheek came to rest against her and Clover leaned back to offer a couple of swift licks to his muzzle before nuzzling close to him again. She had to hold herself still, her paws wishing to dance happily where she stood as she listened attentively to the emotion behind his words. She could feel her own rose-colored orbs begin to shimmer in response to witnessing such raw, genuine feeling from her mate.

There was so much love in this man that she fondly gazed upon. It was difficult to imagine their lives having gone in any other direction than into each other's arms. Clover wasn't even certain such a thing was possible when it was clear by the way they'd met over and over again that they were fated. Connected by some invisible string, they had to be. “You..." There was a sudden overwhelm and she couldn't even form the words before her tears began to spill in response to seeing his
She turned and hugged into his chest, holding onto him tightly as she tried to speak in between her crying. “You are so precious to me, Cian...I'll never ever find the words for it. My love for you is boundless...with everything we've gone through and seen...I can't ever thank you enough for...for simply being you."

She withdrew to meet his eyes, gazing into the deep hues of crimson that still made her heart swell. “Oh!" A look of surprise came over her then and she couldn't control the wriggling that came with her excitement. “Wait! I have something else for you! I almost forgot!" She pranced away from him and to the pile of acorns and nuts, toppling it to reveal something beneath. “C'mere! Come see!" She waved him over and stood back so that he could inspect a leather pouch that was decorated in engravings of leaves, but what was on the inside of it was what she was particularly excited about. Once she knew he was looking she bent down and pulled the strings to open up the pouch revealing all of the little gifts that their pups had bestowed upon them when they were married and three additional trinkets from the pups that came after.

@Cian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

Cian was silent as his mate spoke passionately, save for a sigh as he soaked in every word she uttered through tears. He leaned carefully into her warmth. It could be no accident that she fit like a puzzle piece in his embrace. If two could melt together, then certainly, they would be one. ”I would never be who I am without your influence. It is I that must thank you.” His words were barely more than a whisper. He had often contemplated the consequences of what would have happened, had he never come across her the day in the Fae Forest. No family, none of the things that had come to matter the most… None of it was possible without Clover. He pulled away to look down, to see the tears of joy on his wife’s cheeks. There had been too many sad tears, but Clover deserved this – to feel the depths of his love and appreciation, to know happiness. ”I owe everything to you.”

As the tidal wave of emotion threatened to overwhelm the brute, the she-wolf's attention was suddenly averted, and fiery eyes followed her fluid movements. She beckoned him to come closer, an invitation he would never refuse. Cian peered curiously into the satchel to find the familiar collection bestowed upon them as wedding gifts – things that were not valuable to most, but to Cian, they were irreplaceable. ”I remember how excited they were. I can still see it,” he shared with the sigh of a dreamer. ”The ocean waves, the color of the sand. And the flowers – dandelions,” he remembered with a laugh and a knowing glance.

”And these from the little ones – or, not-so little anymore ones,” he acknowledged with a tinge of sadness for the tiny babies they had been, that they would never be again. When there was still Daisy… No, he couldn’t be sad, not today. There was still so much joy, and he didn’t want to miss it.

His attention returned to Clover, and he eagerly filled the space that had come between their forms. ”Nothing about our wedding was more beautiful than you.” The cold winds did not phase him. Winter itself could not extinguish the flame when she was so near, burning within his core. "In every lifetime, I'll find you. I'm certain. I'll forever keep you warm," he promised with another whisper close to her ear.



@Clover

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

thinking back on those memories of their small wedding with such fondness, she touched the different pieces that each of her children had offered. “They thought that was such a magical day." The mother chuckled softly as she recalled their reactions to her appearance as she'd walked down the beach to meet them. “Oh, my little loves...they have no idea that they are the magic in our world."

Clover paused when she grazed over a gift from baby Daisy. There would never be a day that she stopped thinking about her or stopped keeping an eye out for her. Until the day they met again, it was these special tokens of love that had created beautiful wrinkles in time keeping her lost baby girl alive in her heart. Her silken ears lay back as she felt the sorrow shared between her and her mate.

Then Cian was suddenly closer to her, the suddenness of his movement making her giggle as he invaded her space so eagerly. Her cheeks warmed at his words of flattery and she turned her face away. “If you say so, Cian..." She lowered her voice, cutting her eyes at him while she played coy.

His heated breath against her ear and the promise of his warmth for lifetimes beyond this one sent a familiar tingling sensation throughout her body. Clover closed her eyes and released a soft sigh, leaning into Cian's touch before opening her eyes and turning to meet his gaze in an attempt to read whatever desires swirled within the crimson mirrors of his soul.

@Cian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

he world that surrounded them was quiet and peaceful – a far cry from the anxiety and fear that had existed in the foreground of their lives for all those months. Tiny snowflakes, scarcely larger than a pinprick, swirled and swayed gently in the cold breeze. But winter could not phase the brute today. His form felt heated from nose to his tail, still crooked from a race lost long ago. Magic was all around them – something he never would have seen, if not for Clover. All the while, the scent of the sea was a reminder of how far they had come. Together, always.


“If you say so, Cian..." The distinct lilt in Clover’s voice was enough to drive the wolf wild, and his body responded instantaneously – it was winter, no doubt, but it felt like summer within his hulking form, delightfully feverish, tempting. None of their children were around, a fact that Cian hurriedly verified with another quick glance around, which was one good thing about them being older: alone time that had been virtually nonexistent for the better part of a year. There was a glint in his fiery eyes as he breathed in her wildflower and honey scent. ”Should there ever by any doubt…” His words tapered off as he sought the delicate neck of his beloved, sweet kisses that were still gentle – but with a growing sense of urgency, as being this close was near torment when they could be closer still…


His head felt light; for a second, Cian wondered if he was still asleep, still dreaming. But her feminine scent was no illusion, intoxicating as if he were drunk, but he had never had a drink in his lifetime — and who needed alcohol when he had this? And the look in her rosy-hued sights — that look — awakened within him those same instincts and desires they had discovered quite unintentionally two years prior.


Still, the giant hesitated from continuing, as it was not in his nature to disregard her feelings. As before, and as would always be the case, their intimacy was Clover’s choice to make. He inhaled a steadying breath as he pulled away from her, searching her visage for any doubt, any indication that she had no interest in joining once more in their union. "Is it alright...?"


@Clover

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

A

fter so many years of her life spent with her gentle giant, Clover was aware of exactly what to say and do to get a rise out of her mate. The simple drop in her tone of voice produced sparks between the two of them. She followed Cian's gaze as it broke from her, but only to give their surroundings a quick glance. There was no subtlety in his action and Clover immediately realized what it was he was doing. The fact that he desired her enough to look about briefly, but otherwise disregard that they were out in the open stirred up the smouldering embers in her core.

To her ultimate delight, Cian took her response as a challenge, ready to prove to her how he treasured every part of her. Clover craned her neck while he set her flesh ablaze with a plethora of kisses. She bit her lip, inhaling the scent of his musk that became more prevalent as the passionate kissing intensified. “Cian..." Clover exhaled his name shakily, pressing back into the giant's promising frame as he drew closer to her still. Suddenly, he stopped and pulled away, causing her to immediately turn to peer up at him, pink orbs swirling with that haze of yearning for him.

Cian had always sought her approval before chasing his carnal desires. Even in their youth, when they had not a clue what they were doing he would never have prioritized his wildest dreams before hers. But, here and now...Clover wanted him to. No...she desperately needed him to give in to his primal instincts. She leaned in, standing on tingling tip-toes to press her forehead against his, breathlessly whispering, “Please..." That was all that it took to untether the beast that was bound by his own commitment to her. Setting him free would swiftly lead to her own unraveling until the pair were intertwined. At the end of it all, they would find themselves woven together in a tapestry of passion and destiny, discovering glimpses of infinity in a world that was utterly finite.

[Fade To Black...]


@Cian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

[after fade to black…]

Cian shivered not from the cold, but in the aftershocks of bliss that only their union could inspire within him. This was the only home they needed, and it was there in each other’s arms. The way they fit so perfectly, two puzzle pieces that could only go together. Despite winter, he felt feverish in the wake of their passion. Clover was a goddess in the flesh and fur, beautiful beyond measure in every way fathomable. He needed no intoxicants to feel exuberant, her scent was enough. Paired with her stunning features and the sweet lilt in her voice, she was irresistible. She created life and gave of herself with limitless love. If every wolf had a mother like Clover, their world would be a very different place: more empathetic and kind. Peaceful in a way that had never existed on Rionnach, and probably never would.

No words were necessary when they laid together, entwined but not yet exhausted. Ember eyes roamed his wife’s graceful form before finding her pink sights. A questioning expression on his facade, along with a playful grin pulling the corners of his lips into a smile, said all that was needed as he rose again to his paws. A flush of anticipation worked through the brute as he sought acceptance from his mate once more.

[time skip to dusk…]

The day was over in the blink of an eye. To say that their anniversary had been active was akin to saying the sun is warm, until his legs were shaky and despite his willingness, the coming night urged the wedded wolves to relax. As they rested on a bed of fine sand, the ocean stretched out before them endlessly. The brute’s much larger form encircled his mate, chin resting upon her shoulder.

As serene drowsiness threatened to draw him into slumber right there on the beach, he gazed over to Clover again. She was practically glowing. No, wait – she was actually glowing. Her pale coat was illuminated by a colorful warm light as she was illuminated from above. Heavy-lidded eyes turned upward to the heavens, which were alight with vibrant shades of coral and turquoise that decorated the night sky like flowing water as it twisted through the darkness. ”Look, Clove. The sky is alive tonight. It looks just like a river, doesn’t it?”

Yes, it was that time of year again – not only to grow a family, but when the aurora borealis illuminated the winter darkness. Another night beneath the northern lights together. ”Happy anniversary, love. I hope we have so many more just like this one.” He nestled his cheek beside his mate’s as he watched nature’s show up above. The colors that painted the sky were awe-inspiring, capable of warming even the coldest of heart.



@Clover

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck