Small Beginnings

[Asher Mossa]

Their pace was rushed, though they walked in silence for some time, the energy surrounding them was not. Asher was unsure of what had just happened between Alvida and the others, but a short explanation was all Asher got. It was an obvious explanation as well. Clearly they did not like each other, but why? Was Alvida somehow something more than they were? The mystery of it all only added to the questions he had, and had it not been that one question was so strong, Asher would have pressed for an answer and asked the question. This did not seem like the time or the place for it, especially as Alvida did not seem like they needed to slow down yet.

"You do not need to apologize for them," Asher said as they continued to rush through the glen. "They are not your responsibility, are they?" Of course they were not, right? They were servants of Fadirin, and it was theirs to do as they were told by the father. why would his words have somehow caused such tension. The looks he had gotten from Alvida and the seers had almost been a warning that he was stepping into something that had not been his place, but was that truly the case?

Asher let the silence fall on them once more. Their pace finally slowed as Alvida seemed to have more to say. Everytime he thought something was going to come from her mouth there was nothing. He did not need an explanation, but if she was going to give one then he was all ears. What followed was more on an apology, and Asher simply sighed.

'I did not tell you what would happen to your rings when you sacrificed them, because I was afraid you would not do it.'

"I may not have, I don't know, however, there is one thing you should know. I did not falter because I had you with me. ," Asher said as her hands began to wipe the tears which still clung to his eyes. "What we have, Alvida, it is certainly unique, but I cannot promise you that my mind will not wander to them. For a time they were my world, just as you are quickly becoming mine."

Without a second thought Asher pulled Alvida close and wrapped his arms around her. There was nothing for her to fear because no harm had been done. Was he stronger? Perhaps he was stronger than what she gave him credit for, but there were things Asher had not done in his life until now, until Alvida. She needed to know that it appeared as though she were key to the strength she had witnessed thus far. His lips pressed an affectionate kiss to her forehead. Blue eyes looked down to her gaze as his fingers lifted her chin up to look at him.

"If I have to remind you of just how true that is, we will not make it to the tree by nightfall. And while the tree is in sight, we are still on the wrong side of the woods surrounding it."

[member="Alvida Osulf"]

 

[Alvida Osulf]

Skógur Heim | [member="Asher Mossa"]

You will never be as worthy as them.​

Sorrow always looked so prominent in his ocean blue eyes. From the moment they had met in the first on M'Haeli she had been captivated by the emotions swirling in the bright sapphire eyes. His pain was written in them more often than it was on his face. The more she got to know him the more obvious it became. Yet, as her fingers stroked gently against the puckered scar encircling his eye she noticed the spark that was taking over. A steadily growing light that had been present since they had arrived on Skógur Heim. Before she could get too lost in his entrancing gaze his deep baritone words overtook her thoughts. Alvida shook her head firmly. 'I do not want you to forget them.' Though her voice was still filled with no shortage of remorse for her actions her eyes had taken a serious gaze. It was not meant to offend him, or to suggest that she was angry with him in anyway. 'I would never ask such a thing of you.'

As Asher engulfed her in his embrace Alvida whispered a soft sigh. There was so much more she wanted to say to him, so much she wanted him to hear in words instead of telling looks or stolen moments. What she couldn't figure out was whether or not hearing them would make things worse. Would it confuse him? What if he didn't reciprocate? How many years had it been since he had heard anyone say what she wanted to say? Alvida shook her head, hiding it by pressing herself against him, almost losing her frame entirely in his grasp. Being wrapped in his arms always made the world still, as it did the voices, the wolf and her anxieties. Even the soft summer breeze that made rippling waves through the endless grass plain seemed to still itself for a moment. He brought her such a powerful relief from all the harsh realities of life that it simply couldn't be explained in words. She pressed herself against him further, remiss to break free of the embrace. After realising that she could have stayed there till the end of time it was only Asher's quiet prompting that reminded her they had somewhere to be.

She let out muffled giggle into the folds of his tunic, blonde locks swaying in the breeze as she shook her head against his chest. When she pulled away some of the fire had returned to her eyes. Though she said nothing for the moment it was clear an idea was forming in her head. Like a bomb slowly ticking toward explosion her expression changed from a mildly amused grin to a mischievously playful smirk. Thin fingers wrapped around the soft material covering his arm, pressing just a little too hard in her wild excitement. Eyes flashing with a hint of her usual playfulness and with a smile to match Alvida looked up at Asher. 'You know how to run with magic, yes? Like I did in the forest we first met in?' As per usual she did not wait for an answer. If he could jump up a mountain in three leaps he could sprint across a stretch of grass ten miles wide. Instinctively she braced the lower part of her legs, ready for the instant hit of adrenaline that would urge her muscles to go faster than she had any right too. 'On your count, saetur einn.'

 

[Asher Mossa]

Alvida was too good for him, and he knew it. While she had been his guide on this journey, she had also become his lover, but as they moved closer to the one place that had been calling out to Asher since the first day, the two were becoming more. The thought both excited and scared Asher all at once. He knew he had not felt these things for anyone since the passing of his wife. Never had his mind allowed his heart to lead, and yet with Alvida, he found his mind had taken a back seat to a great many things. Asher would still be lost without her, but he was lost in her as well.

Of course she had not meant that she wanted him to forget his wife and son. Asher knew that had not been what she was asking. Fadirin was the one asking him to put them in the last and look to his future, Alvida was simply showing him the way. He smiled at her as his eyes softened and his lips pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I know.”

Asher took Alvida’s hand in his. In many ways touching her was an impulse, something born of how close he felt to her and wanted to feel. Everything about her and the world he was on was the first thing to feel so right in so long. Asher was not going to do anything to lose it.

“I would never suggest that you would. It’s just…”

There was something there, words that needed to be said that fear still would not allow Asher to speak. His eyes said them with every stolen glance. Fingers wrote the meaning of it with every soft touch or stroke of her arm. His lips spoke of what he felt with every sweet and passionate kiss he placed on hers. It was his tongue that had remained silent despite so much protest from within. Asher still did not say the simple words which would change everything. How could he? What was he supposed to do, tell her that when he closed his eyes at night her face was all he could see, and that when he was awake she consumed every waking thought. Her playful stare was the one thing which pulled him out of his own mind and back to their task at hand. Even though he wanted to reach the tree, part of him did not.

Of course Alvida had not waited for Asher to answer before she set her legs and started her the count. It was time he took a page from her book. With the tree in view Asher sped off running before she could finish telling him to go. With the force energy concentrated on his legs, Asher didn’t need to push off in order to run. His Jedi master had taught him many thing about how the force worked. Perhaps Asher even knew things Alvida did not.

The world around him was a blur of motion. Trees turned into green and brown streaks. The golden wheatgrass seemed like a sea of yellow as Asher dan toward the center of the tree. His movement only stalled as they reached the center of the forest, the thick trees giving way to a clearing of moss and grass greener than anything Asher had ever laid eyes on before. The air was clear, rejuvenating, and as he could feel Alvida coming alongside him, his eyes searched for hers before taking in the size of the tree.

“This is more majestic than the vision itself. Is it always this impressive?”

[member="Alvida Osulf"]

 

[Alvida Osulf]

Skógur Heim | [member="Asher Mossa"]

You may not like what you find, little wolf.​

Alvida couldn't help but laugh at him. Though she did allow herself a silent curse at how quickly she seemed to be rubbing off on him as he sped off into the distance, leaving her behind in a cloud of dust. Asher seemed to know much more about the magic of the Gods than any she had met before. She absently wondered who had taught him how to control it, and where he had even gotten it from. Perhaps one day she'd try convincing him to teach her some of what he knew. Her bright green eyes grew wide as she realised she was standing around dumbly, lost in her own thoughts. In half the time it had taken her to realise she was behind Alvida had called on her magic to send her speeding across the plain like a slug from a blaster. Wind swept wildly through her hair, making blonde streaks whip aggressively behind her. So aggressive that they snapped the air in half with great cracks that echoed across the grassy plain.

No matter how hard she tried it seemed she could not catch up with Asher. Part of her tried to say it was simply because he had longer legs, but some other part rationalised it by saying she knew the route better. Her muscles pressed on so quickly that the dull ache caused by exercise had turned into a fiery burn. By the end she was a little out of breath. A loud squeak of surprise filled the silent, sacred forest as she almost crashed into Asher when she came skidding to a halt. She hadn't quite gotten the hang of stopping yet. When she had regained control of herself again Alvida sank her teeth into her lower lip, a rather pleased and excited grin making itself apparent on her face. Her voice was barely a whisper as she replied, one of her hands reaching out to search for his. 'Yes.' Her fingers wrapped around his, her touch softer than it had ever been. 'Always.'

There was a magic in the air as she took the first step across the mossy ground toward the aged bark of the tree. Every step she took was cautious, as if making a single sound or wrong move would disturb the serenity of the entire forest. The ancient tree itself was so tall you lost sight of it in the clouds. Its roots stretched from the wide trunk all the way through the soft dirt, twisting, turning, and burrowing to the will of mother nature. Despite the lack of sunlight the lush leaves decorating the thick branches seemed to glow a luminescent green. Alvida's eyes were almost the same colour, filled with a child like wonder that she couldn't and wouldn't attempt to suppress.

When she felt they had gone far enough Alvida stopped, taking in a lungful of sweet air. Her gaze shifted from the incredible sight of sun bleached moss crawling up the peeling bark of the tree to face Asher. Whenever she had visited the tree the closer she got the more she could feel his power. She could not say whether Asher would feel the same, or whether or not Fadirin would even talk to him, but it was a journey someone was insisting he take on his own. She would follow behind him, no doubt finding answers of her own too. 'Are you ready?' Alvida let his hand slip from her grasp, putting more effort into the simple action than she cared to admit. Nothing more was said, she simply watched with one foot positioned and ready to follow him. The silence seemed to allow the growing power of Fadirin to wrap around them like fur on a cold winter night, pulling them temptingly toward the mangled roots of the tree.

 

[Asher Mossa]

Always, came her reply. Asher rather liked the sound of something so grand that it always impressed and caused a reaction of wonderment each time one saw it in person. He could not decide if the vision had simply failed to capture the magnitude of it, or if the tree itself was so magnificent it would never be possible. All Asher knew was that nothing in the galaxy had made him feel any smaller than he did in that moment. His eyes peeled themself off the tree and turned to Alvida as her hand slipped into his. He could feel her caution, and suddenly Asher grew nervous. What was it that had made her suddenly shift in her mood? Perhaps it was the fact they were finally getting answers, but neither of them knew what those answers would be. His eyes moved to the tree as she stepped forward with him in tow. They would know the truth soon enough.

The moment his hand slipped away from hers, Asher felt naked, yet the voice called to him. Whether ground was actually shaking or the vibrations were in his own mind, Asher felt the rumble in the ground as he heard Fadirin speak to him. It had always been the same thing since the vision. His name. A calling.

“Asher... come to me...”

The voice was loud, more clear than it had ever been up to this point. As he reached out to touch the tree, the draw became too much. Soon the fact Alvida was behind him seemed to fade. A soft hum filled his ears and drowned out any other sound. From this point if Alvida said anything, Asher did not hear it. A glazed look washed over his face as it seemed as though he were carried away in some kind of trance. In an instant his hand touched the rough and aged bark of the tree. In that same instant Asher fell back onto the ground, flat on his back, though he felt nothing.

Everything changed. Light became dark, save for one lone figure in front of him. It was the man carved in stone. Asher looked over his shoulder, a soft and faint glow in the distance followed behind. Somehow he knew it was Alvida. His head turned back to face the man.

“I have been waiting for this day since the moment you were taken from us. I am sorry for the things you had to experience, the pain, loss, heartache, but it was necessary. You needed to know the world behind this one.”

Asher took a step forward.

“Why... why was it all so necessary?”

Why had always been the question. It was the only question that had mattered. The man simply nodded and snapped his finger. Suddenly a window to the physical world was open. A finger pointed toward Alvida who now guarded the fallen warrior.

“Because she is so fascinated by it. Technology was never going to be kept away from this place, and she is never going to be content to keep her feet on this planet as long as there is more to explore. I knew this and had to ensure there would be someone for her, to know the way of the outside worlds. Everything you’ve seen and experienced was all to prepare you for this, for her.”

Fadirin snapped his finger again. Asher now stood next to a bassinet, carved from wood he had only seen in Alvida’s home. The baby was small, frail, but the eyes were ones Asher was intimately familiar with.

“The day you were taken was the day she was born. You are winterborne. Born of the gods for the gods, my little Askr.”

The scene changed yet again. This time the world was different. Things had come to the planet which had made it better, and Alvida was in the center of it all. Scenes flashed, bouncing from one future to another, and where there was Alvida, there was always Asher. Their journeys had been separate until the day at the lake, but now it was the same journey. It was one journey. For as far as Fadirin showed Asher, their path was the same. Weddings, funerals, births, children, war, famine, and plenty, Alvida was at the center of it all, and Asher was always the one beside her.

“Do you understand what I’m showing you, what I am also telling her?”

Asher nodded.

“I understand,” he said as his eyes opened and the bright green orbs of his future stared directly back at him.

[member="Alvida Osulf"]

 

[Alvida Osulf]

Skógur Heim | [member="Asher Mossa"]

This will be a vision like no other.​

Though the birds in bushes called and the breeze ruffled the lush flora, Alvida felt the forest grow quiet. Wide green eyes drank in the slow, meaningful steps the man in her gaze took. He moved with a purpose but still it was as if his feet weren't really his own. Alvida knew he would be far away by now, drowning in the intense power that ebbed and flowed through the forest. A warm smile spread across her partially open mouth as she recalled the first time she had found herself in the circle of Fadirin's power. She too had been in a daze before she even reached the tree, just as her charge seemed to be now. Too Alvida the whole experience was like a drug. In the throes of a vision it was almost as if she had been swept away to another plane of existence. Everything felt bright and vibrant, like her mind had been switched on and her eyes had truly opened. Yet, when it finally died down her mind, body and soul craved it all over again.

For a few tense moments after Asher touched the tree Alvida could practically hear her own heart beat rushing against her ear drums. The tension in the forest grew so high she could taste it in the air, feel it as it wrapped around her lungs and crushed them almost to the point of suffocation. She was nervous and excited for him all at once, a rush of two emotions that she had never considered to put in the same pot before. After a few minutes, when she was sure he wouldn't pass out, Alvida crunched quietly across the mossy undergrowth to touch the tree herself. The bark under her finger tips felt familiar, like the frame of a bed you slept in when you were a child, or the first training sword you had ever held. A smile touched the corners of her lips as she lent her head back to catch a shimmering ray of sunlight. Then, and only then, did her own soul seek Fadirin's wisdom.

Nothing ever prepared her for the sudden way a vision took hold. In the blink of an eye her vision blurred from black to blue to a blinding white that could not be hidden from. Flashes of images crossed her mind, colourful and vibrant depictions of a village much like her own. She recognised the trees, the farms, the clothing... that boy. A boy with hair as dark as tree bark and eyes as bright as a crystal clear pool. If it weren't for those eyes she might not have recognised the childhood face of her charge. He seemed so bright and happy, with the youthful gaze of a boy who knew no hardships or strife. Someone who knew nothing of the painful memories that grief and despair brought. Almost to the inaudible sound of someone's fingers clicking, the vision changed. Bright red flames licked at her mind's eye, the heat rolling from them wave after sweltering wave. Horrifying screams bombarded her ears from every direction, though above it all the unmistakable sound of a mournful child.

As more of Asher's painful past trickled into her memory Alvida could feel the hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She could feel the breeze outside of her vision licking gently at the wet lines they left behind. As she watched his wife and child slip away to join the Gods, no longer did she find herself struggling to truly understand the pain Asher felt. To her relief the window of the past created by the Gods went black. Alvida stood in the middle of a never ending desert of darkness, the only light cast across it appeared to be a dim green light in the distance. Alvida knew who it belonged to, just as well as she knew his power and his mercy. 'Sit.' The voice commanded. Alvida obeyed. Like a child at the foot of their grandparents chair Alvida sank to the floor, crossing her legs and tilting her head to cast her face in the glowing orb of light. 'Why did you do this...' Her voice was a whimper under the crushing might of his watchful eye. Some distant part of her had caught up, had realised the promise she had made to Asher.

Her own words rang in the empty cavern like a bell. She had promised him, not even a few hours ago, that his tragic history was not the doing of any God she knew. Not only had she lied to him, but it was by the hand of the one God Alvida thought would never have turned his back on Asher. A pang of guilt spread through her entire body, making her stomach cramp to the point of squirming pain. Waiting for his answer only seemed to increase the tension in Alvida's body. It was not her place to question a God, especially not this God. But here she was. 'It was necessary.' The light shimmered, as if bristling at being questioned by a mere mortal. 'He needed to experience life outside of this world, he needed to know more beyond the simple life we provide for you here. For your sake and your guidance.' Alvida held her breath. Somehow the answer didn't really seem to justify the torture they had put him through. It still made no sense in her head. A booming sigh filled the stretch of blackness, shaking it so violently Alvida could feel it in the core of her bones. 'Pay attention.'

Blinding cracks of light spread wildly over the dark prison the great God had trapped her in, like everlasting forks of lightning in a midnight sky. The ground opened up, throwing Alvida down into an eternal pit of bright white. Though she knew she was in no danger Alvida felt as if she had left her stomach behind in the desert of black. Her body tensed as if she were expecting it to shatter when she impacted whatever awaited her at the end of the fall. With no warning walls began to form around her, stretched almost paper thin as they rushed into view. They snapped into place properly, a deafening silence overtaking her mind as Alvida focused her attentions on the scene below. A table in the centre of the room which Alvida recognised as the regular meeting place of the three alphas of each pack. The only strange thing about it was it seemed to be surrounded by four bodies instead of three.

Voices tricked up, voices she could have picked out in any situation. The booming voice of Fadirin spoke over them as she watched Asher and herself engage in a lively argument with the two older skin-changers. 'The goals you have set for your people are bold, little wolf. But you are foolish to think you can accomplish them alone. He is the key to your success, just as you are the key to his. Only together can you achieve all that you have set out to do. They day you were born, he was taken. We have crafted and moulded him to fit you, as we have you to him.' The blurred outline of Asher seemed comfortable amongst the wolves, like he had always belonged in a pack of vicious carnivores. He shouted just as loud, laughed just as merrily and debated just as heavily. 'Asher has knowledge that you can only hope to possess. Not only will he be your guide and protector on this journey, he will be the voice of reason for the entirety of Skógur Heim and her people. The Dùsundir are ready to have a voice again, and I have picked well.'

Everything fell into place, each piece fit snugly together like a hand made jigsaw. Though Skogur Heim had long since recovered from the brutal wounds the thousand year war had left on its surface, many of it's people still suffered. Left with the guilt of their ancestors that had caused a war that had almost destroyed the entire planet and their existence. How much longer could they continue to blame themselves? They needed a chance to have their say again, a chance to start fresh. They needed someone with a mind strong enough to fight their corner, but smart enough to keep the peace that had called their planet home for two hundred years now. They needed someone wise to the ways of the Galaxy, someone who had experienced both joy and sorrow, someone who was familiar with the scars of war, and the time and effort it took to heal them properly. They needed Asher. As the realisation dawned on her Alvida waited for the vision to fade, as it normally did when Fadirin felt pleased enough with conclusions.

What she was met with instead was a bright orange glow that grew steadily brighter as the vision continued. Alvida's mind settled on the second image, a room she immediately recognised as the feasting hall they had shared breakfast in. The wood was aged a little more, the chairs and tables smoothed down just a fraction by a few years use. At the end of the firepit, which had been extinguished and covered over with a plank of wood, Alvida could make out the blurry vision of herself perched eagerly on the edge of a wooden chair watching something intently. A roar she could only assume was the excitement of a battle taking place rushed through her head. Two men in the centre, one with eyes like blue fire and the other three times as large as any other in the room. They were surrounded by friends, family, people she had known as far back as her memory could recall. All cheering and hollering as the fight ensued. The battle did not seem to be taking place out of ill will. Both men were laughing jovially, joking in their baritone voices as their swords and fists flew wildly at each other.

A mixture of emotion ran through her chest, which she could almost feel pumping heavily up and down outside of her vision. Before she could wrap her mind around why her Father and Asher would have any reason to fight in a crowd like that, the vision changed once more. Various scenes flicked through her mind like moving pictures, sounds filling her mind and leaving them almost as quickly as they had arrived. The sounds and images of life, death, war, peace, joy, sorrow... The only constant seemed to be Asher. The only familiarity was the soft crystal pools that never left her side, no matter what the vision showed her next.

Reality came rushing back. All of a sudden Alvida found herself staring dumbly at the bark of the Father Tree, eyes stinging as the light rushed back into them. Though the intense events of the past few moments had made Alvida feel as though someone had smashed a stone slab over her head, there was only one thought on her mind. She didn't care that she had seen into the past, her mind did not linger on the lavish decoration in the future feasting hall, nor did it focus on the soft gurgling sounds of the baby she had heard. All she could think about was him. The tips of her alabaster fingers left the tree as the heel of her boot dug into the soft dirt underfoot. She had no idea if he had yet to come round from his own journey, but Alvida found that she didn't have the patience to figure it out. One of her hands grasped at his and tugged him toward her. Flushed rose lips met his in a passionate kiss, filled with all the emotion that she couldn't find the courage to say.

 

[Asher Mossa]

One.

Asher knew the meaning of everything he had seen, and understood the message the All Father was showing Asher. He and Alvida had been one from the very beginning. HIs life had been intentional from the start, every experience was fashioned to shape and mold him to be the man he needed to be for her. Alvida had assured him the evils he had experienced could never have been the work of any god she knew, and yet it had been. Every bit of it. There was no animosity toward her for such a thought or feeling. She trusted her gods and believed the best of them, and perhaps Fadirin was helping her to understand as well. For all Asher knew they had the seen the same things, but there was no real way to know. Each vision would have been so each of them knew what they needed to know. Asher gathered enough that he was not about to tell someone else's story to another. This was Asher's story, and she was his reason. Alvida was his purpose.

Her kiss was passionate. There were no words to be exchanged, and no sharing what the other had seen. It was though the passion and love in Alvida's kiss was enough to confirm that she had been given a similar message. Asher returned the kiss with equal amounts of passion, only deepening the kiss with each passing moment. His hands snaked over her, pulling and tugging to rid the woman of every obstacle that lay between him and her. Nothing needed to be said, no words or vows needed to be exchanged in the moment. As if Fadirin was driving them to it himself, the two we set toward consummating everything they had been shown in their vision. Whatever raw and animalistic urges the two had shared before, this was not that. Asher and Alvida acted from something deeper, and intimacy neither had ever known.

Asher was not aware of how much time had passed, or even if they were going to be able to make it back to some kind of house to stay before the final rays of the setting sun disappeared below the horizon. The man was simply content to lay with the woman the gods had seen fit to place him with. As he held her close, her form pressed to his, Asher looked up at the sky, still unable to see to the top of the massive tree. His fingers crawled lazily along the bare back of the wolf in his arms as his breathing finally settled into a steady and relaxed rhythm. Deep breaths pulled into his lungs between the soft and pleased sighs of man well sated. Aside from the rustling of the leaves which blew in the breeze and the steady beating of Alvida's heart, it was silent between them.

What was there to say? Asher could think of a few things, but many of them seemed to fall short compared to what they had just expressed to each other in a way words never could. Still, there was a nagging sensation in his gut that he needed to be the one to break the silence. Asher needed to be the one to speak first. A few more breath were taken in, the rhythm changing to suggest he was about to speak.

"That was certainly unexpected," Asher said of both the vision and their tryst. Alvida would likely understand it to mean both as well. He hoped she shared the same sentiments. "I take it he showed you to?"

A smile pulled at Asher's lips before she could even answer. He knew in part that he was asking questions he already knew the answer to. That was why he rolled so his eyes looked into the sharp green orbs which had managed to entrance him many times over.

"Alvida..." he said almost quietly. "I want all of it... every bit of what I saw... all of you."

Asher kissed her swollen lips.

"I am falling in love with you," he whispered against them as the kiss broke.

[member="Alvida Osulf"]

 

[Alvida Osulf]

Skógur Heim | [member="Asher Mossa"]

Tick tock, little wolf. The sun is setting. All good things must come to an end eventually.​

They said all they needed to say in the kiss. Alvida had never thought so much emotion and power could be palced behind one simple act. The long drawn out display of something neither had thought they would ever be party too seemed to last forever, though she found she was not disappointed when it ended and was replaced with passion of a different kind. Everything faded. The sun lit forest, the creak of the ancient tree, even Fadirin's voice stilled as the couple lost themselves in each other. In the events that ensued she had never felt so connected to one being, so involved and invested in one person she was sure her life would be entirely meaningless without. If the Gods truly did will them together in such a complex, unbreakable way then Alvida would be the last to complain. She had long since made up her mind about Asher. She was his, and he was hers. Both moulded to one another since their first breath. One torn from the other for the soul purpose of them eventually find their way back into each other's arms.

Beads of pearlesant sweat rolled down the alabaster curves that draped carelessly over Asher's chest. Alvida's fingers traced delicate circles over the silvery scarred lines that littered his body. Her exhausted lungs still struggled to draw in the refreshing forest air, but the sensation was not uncomfortable. It came coupled with the dull ache of strenuous activity and the lingering, pleasurable jolts of satisfaction. Though her eyes were more focused on the rhythmic rise and fall of Asher's chest, the forest surrounding the tree had never felt more alive. The scenery seemed greener, the birds only had songs of joy to sing, and even the wind had stilled enough to allow the sun to heat the mossy undergrowth. In the almost silence Alvida allowed her mind to wonder, exploring the minute details of each vision to her heart's content.

As his chest expanded rapidly, an indication of his desire to speak, her train of thought shattered in a not unpleasant way. For some reason his voice seemed different. Softer. Like the edge had been worn down to a blunt and harmless whisper. Alvida found she rather liked it. Propping herself up on one elbow to meet his intense gaze, her heart beat seemed to instinctively quicken. It wasn't the first time they had looked into each other's eyes in such a way, but Alvida could feel the soft blush breaking over her fair skin. Her lips parted just fraction as she launched into answering his question, but before a syllable could slip out Asher had caught her in a mesmerising kiss. When he pulled away her eyes remained shut, lips still parted as if recalling the taste of him. They only opened at his words.

She felt the breath catch in her throat as he kissed her once more. A moment or two passed where she simply allowed herself to enjoy his presence. Moving herself away from his tempting embrace Alvida's rose tinted lips curled up to form an endearing smile. Her fingertips swept lightly across his jaw, meeting at his chin and grasping it between two of them. A grin replaced her smile as she pressed a few sugar sweet kisses over his face. 'I am in love with you too, Asher.' Though low in volume her voice was not a whisper as his had been. Instead it swelled with confidence, as if she had known she loved him from the moment they met. There was also some relief that came rushing through. It felt indescribable to finally release the words that had been floating around in her head for sometime now. She released his chin and shuffled a little to tuck herself neatly into his arms. 'We were made for each other. I needed no vision to realise this much.' She wanted to say more, to apologise for leading him to believe his path had not been laid by the gods, but she refused to spoil the moment. For once, everything felt right. For once, the little wolf knew peace.

 

[Asher Mossa]

Asher smiled as he rolled onto his back and pulled Alvida even closer. He wanted to feel her skin against his. The realization had begun slow, but grew quickly. They had never needed Fadirin to tell them they were made for each other. As Asher let his mind wander over every moment since they had met, Asher had known it since he heard her voice calling to him on the lake. Even before the mystery of who had been speaking to him had been solved, his soul knew. He invited Alvida to lay her head full of disheveled hair on his chest. They were simply basking in the afterglow of their love making.

“Nor do I,” and yet the vision still plagued his mind.

Everything had been the will of the gods, and while Asher had already forgiven her for it, he could not help but wonder why the gods had to choose pain and loss to be his primary teacher. What would his pain possibly contribute to Alvida’s guidance? Had he been exposed to certain evils only to protect her from them? Each lash and scar on his back carried a different weight to them now. They were no longer the marks of his slavery and defiance, they were now a physical reminder of what the vision had shown him. The happiness and the challenges of their future were written on his back long before any vision.

“You don’t need to apologize. You did not know either,” he said as his fingers traced lazy patterns into her skin. Alvida had said nothing, it was the subtle changes in her breathing and hesitancy that followed her words that betrayed she wanted to say more. “We was what we needed to, and more than anything to find you are my reason makes every scar and blemish that I have collected these years more than worth it. If this was my road to you, then I would walk it gladly every single time.”

There was more to discuss about what Asher and Alvida had seen, but this was not the time for it. Both of them knew the vision created as many questions as it had answered, and told Asher there was more for him to learn. The man would be a leader among them, and as such he had to know their ways as well as he knew those of the galaxy. His was two worlds, and her mission wasn’t how to make them one. It was an odd thought that their union was that in physical form. They belonged to two worlds, and yet to each other. Asher smiled at the idea and decided to say it.

“We are two worlds made one, Alvida. I will help you... with all of it I will never leave your side.”

He kissed her forehead not in any hurry to leave as the sun began to set over the the horizon.

[member="Alvida Osulf"]

 

[Alvida Osulf]

Skógur Heim | [member="Asher Mossa"]

Brace yourself for the wrath of the alpha.​

​

Alvida accepted his invitation gladly, draping herself over his muscular frame. With her ear pressed against his chest she could hear the steady rhythm his heart beating out against his rib-cage. It was a sound she wished she would never forget. Though it had been broken and rebuilt so many times the heavy thudding seemed stronger than ever. Alvida noted the tension in his voice as he spoke, it was a tone she'd heard many times since they'd first met. He was thinking about something, or something was playing on his mind. Alvida did not lift her head, she simply wrapped her free arm around him and pulled herself as close as she could. She was sated in her knowledge. She knew why the Gods had done what they did and she knew at least part of their plans for the future. To her it seemed enough, but Alvida had not gone through the torment Asher had.

She shuddered at the gentle circling of his fingertips on her skin and, though she wasn't even remotely cold, goose pimples seemed to raise at his touch. A soft sigh broke the silence she had allowed to creep over the couple. It seemed that even though he willingly accepted the path the Gods had paved for him Alvida could not push away the thought that it was her fault. 'If it were within my power I would take each and every one away for you, or at least bare them myself.' Her lips pressed together, creating a soft humming sound that vibrated along her jaw line as she thought. 'There will be time to talk about what we both saw later.' She propped herself up, chin resting in the dip of his chest, bright green eyes seeking out the kind pearls she had grown so accustomed too. 'And we must tell my Father and the other alphas what we saw...'

Sea-foam eyes watched him intently as the last sentence poured from her mouth. She wasn't expecting a reaction of any kind but she knew for a fact that the conversation with her Father would be interesting to say the least. '...But do not worry about that just now, saetur einn.' Nimble fingers reached up to stroke across his cheek, relishing in the way his skin felt under her touch. 'I simply would like to enjoy this moment with you.' Alvida crawled the fraction of an inch it took to reach his lips with her own. When the softly placed kiss broke Alvida nuzzled herself under his chin, entirely content with the way her body seemed to mould to his. 'One world.' She whispered softly into the skin stretched over his neck. 'One mind and one heart.' Her pale hand came to rest over the left hand side of his chest, a content sigh leaving her throat as she did.

They would stay there, pressed against one another until the sun left the sky, leaving the forest too cold to bare. Or at least until Alvida realised her Father would be expecting them back for dinner.