Gazing Through the Shadows [Caden]

[Saskya]

Original Code by Firenze


"If you try, you risk failure. If you don’t, you ensure it. " - Saskya

Third of Winter,515 AV

Early morning seemed to come quickly to the Bronzewoods. The bleached,creamy snow covered the ground that had once been green, and had procured what could e described as a cold,chilly air outside of the seasoned, cozy cottage that held Saskya along with her bondmate,Caden and had done so for nearly a year now. The seemingly decrepit furnace had stayed on through the night and kept the two warm,along with the position that they had fallen into a deep slumber in. Saskya gently stirred in her slumber, her pale, radiant eyes slowly opened to the light of the bright morning that had breached it's way into the cabin. Her senses slowly started to come back to her,as her body was regaining consciousness from her deep slumber. Her vivid dreams had elated her when she was in her peaceful sleep. Her lover's comfort had stimulated her senses,when she had fully opened her eyes. They had fallen asleep and stayed in the same position that they had been in before,during the night. She had smiled to herself. She was truly happy and comfortable in the position. Caden had his arms wrapped around her lower stomach,in a soft grip, with both of his arms. She had still felt the touch of his hands on her silky,smooth black hair and the radiance of his smile as she closed her eyes during the night.

It was rare that she had awoken before Caden, as he had spoke about always being trained to wake early in the morning. It was him on most days that would gently wake her up to proceed with the day,and venture out on their next task jointly. She had slyly drifted out of his grasp and stood up. She looked at her sleeping bondmate and stated to ponder "Hmmm..Maybe I should make breakfast. If he's hungry, he will surely wake up." She proceeded to quietly giggle to herself mischievously as a child would, in their devilish stride. She had trekked over to the cooking stove.

There had been the previous night's leftovers on the cracked wooden counter. She reached down to light the fire under the cooking pot and then proceeded to gather wooden bowls, as well as some spices and oils from the storage container in the kitchen. While the meat had been cooking in the pot, she had added some elderberry,sage and salt, as well as a teaspoon of olive oil, or so she though. In her haste to get everything gathered,she had not been paying attention and grabbed a tablespoon instead. She cursed silently when she realized her mistake and quickly added a mixture of some more spices to hopefully mask her mistake enough to where it still tasted good. She was not nearly as skilled in the cooking department as a world-class chef would have been. The salt had depleted the meat into a form of jerky, Saskya had realized this and quickly pulled up the now tough jerky. She sighed as she heard Caden rumble in his sleep, he was waking up slowly. She giggled again thinking to herself "I knew he must have been hungry,I just hope he likes it." She had quickly spun back around to the cooking storage,grabbing two wooden plates along with some eating utensils, then proceeded to cut up the meat with a sharpened knife,being careful not to wound herself. She had placed a decently sized slice of meat on each plate and advanced to their makeshift table that Caden had built himself when they first made their home in the cottage. She had bent her knees down a slight angle, setting the plates and utensils out carefully. The aroma from the meat had made Saskya close her eyes and had made her tongue salivate. She thought to herself "At least it smells nice." She slowly crept over to Caden and proceeded to gently wake him.

[Caden]

Original Code by Firenze

"When darkness looms, that is when we are at our best." - Caden

"Five more... minutes" Caden said groggily really not wanting to crawl out of bed. Though his nose picked up the scent of something rather nice, though it was Saskya's cooking so it was better than his own and he really liked that she cooked for the two of them. He was terrible and could only make the most basic and easily understood things... such as a sandwich. Anything beyond that and he was pretty well lost. He had lived with his parents up until his mother passed not long after his father had. The cottage had been theirs and Caden had been forced to sell off most of the nice furniture, dishes and accessories because of the debts his mother had incurred making sure that Caden was well provided for.

"Fine." He grumbled with a sly smile rolling himself out of bed, shirtless and only in some undergarments as far as the nether was concerned. He was toned, albeit not bulky and due to his slender athletic frame and light skin most considered him malnourished though he certainly was not. His tall but slender frame allowed for more agile movement in the forest and it meant that he was less of burden to the horse that Saskya had. Caden made sure to keep himself fit so he could carry his game and other equipment, so that like a couple days prior he could manage to carry a nice deer back to Mithryn. Some weaker hunters had to cut up their catch in the field, but because Caden lacked that kind of knowledge and skill he preferred to just carry it back and let Luthor do the cutting.

"Oh, I will need to stop by the Butcher's today and pick up our half of the meat from the doe I caught." He said idly as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a silver collar. Engraved on it was the word Kya. "I uh..." He said scratching the back of his head and holding out the collar, "bought this for you. If you don't like it, I could sell it back" he said shyly. He was rather embarrassed to be offering such a thing to his bond made. She was a Kelvic and some people preferred to show ownership, this was more to give her something to physically have to remind her of him, though as he thought more and more about it, he could have simply settled for a ring or bracelet or something else.

After dealing with the collar, Caden happily looked over the meal she had prepared and smiled at it. She hadn't the best cooking skills but it was still edible... he hoped. Caden took a bite out of the meat-jerky substance and was pleasantly satisfied with what she had prepared. Sure, it may not have been what she had planned but it was food and he was certainly pleased by that. "Delicious" he said grinning like a child who had been given cookies.

"So I was thinking that we could go hunting today?" He said looking at her curious as to what her reply would be. From their time together they had both come to understand that they each loved the forest. She yearned for it in a natural sense and he yearned for it as an escape. It was his second home, though he generally considered the forest his home and the cottage in Mithryn his second home. Some people thought he might as well just up and live in the forest and Caden had truly considered that on more than one occasion but the amenities that came with living in Mithryn were a bit much to just leave behind. For one the ready supply of goods at the Mithryn Market, the entertainment at the Fool's Errand Inn and the skills that served Caden so well at Luthor's Butchery. Of course the mere fact of security superseded it all. The high walls and the ever present Knights were a constant reminder that the wider world was a cruel place, one that would gladly swallow people whole without batting so much as an eye at the matter. "Maybe we could also talk about leaving Mithryn?" He said gingerly, before taking another bite of the meat and offering a gentle smile to Kya.

[Saskya]

Original Code by Firenze

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. " - Saskya

She smiled. She had known something clicked in Caden's, as he immediately rose from his position of slumber. She had bent down very closely to him,as he sat up and gave him a quick kiss,before softly speaking "I made breakfast for us..I hope you like it. I know I'm not the best cook in the world." She gazed at him for a moment, admiring his tall and slender body, much like hers. She had also admired how strong he was and how easily he could pick her up. She had a very athletic build to herself,standing at only five feet and five inches compared to Caden's height. Her body was thin,curvy and sleek which were attractive feautures in women, or so she had heard in many males fantasy talk from walking around Mithryn Outpost, doing her daily duties. Occasionally, some of these men had whistled at her, in an attempt to get her attention, but she knew better not to indulge them, although she was flattered.

"You caught a doe yesterday? That's great!." She smiled "Maybe I can make something extra special for us tonight,hmm?" She had noticed out of the corner of her eyes that he had been idly digging in his pouch. "What was he digging for?" She had thought to herself, and watched as Caden had tired to explain himself to her. She was taken back by what she saw,nearly bringing her to tears of joy. Caden had bought her a sliver collar,with her pet name, as Caden called it, on the collar. It had read "Kya" on the collar. She squeaked, quickly hugging Caden, her slender and muscled arms, softly wrapping around his waist. "I love it!" She exclaimed in excitement that she could no longer hold back. She had smiled. Sliver was one of her favorite metals, she thought it looked very beautiful. "Thank you..so much!" She looked at Caden,as if offering him to put it on her.

They both had turned their attention back to breakfast,it was starting to cool down. "Well..Let's eat. Shall we?" They had both proceeded to the table and sat akin to one another. She had waited for him to try the jerky substance, to see his reaction to the food, she had graciously prepared a while before. She watched him inject his fork into it, "At least it's still able to be eaten with a fork.", she had looked own at her own plate, picking up her fork and injecting it into the meat, before glancing at Caden again to see a look of satisfaction on his face. "He liked it!" She exclaimed in her thoughts,faintly smiling, as she took a bite of the jerky, she closed her eyes. "It was good!" She had smiled as he said that it was delicious.

He had spoken about going hunting. It was his favorite thing to do and they usually did it togheter, as a start of a small tradition. "I'd love to go Hunting."

In truth,she loved doing anything with her bond-mate,even if the task was rather medial, she still enjoyed his company and she was sure he enjoyed hers just as much. She loved being out in the wild as it was her natural home in her mind. A home that was anywhere and everywhere,but her origins were in the Bronzewoods. She paused for a moment,continuing to take small bites, as she listened to Caden, resisting the urge of her inner form to eat the dish, as if she was in her shifted form. She had been caught off guard by what Caden had said next. He had wanted to leave Mithryn? she had thought about it at times too,for there were good and also very bad memories of her time in Syliras. She had been enslaved for a year and had watched her family's cottage burn down, knowing that they had both been killed. But where would they go? She didn't know. "That would be fine to talk about.." she faintly smiled. "Although I do have one question. Where would we go?" She glanced at Caden,as she continued to eat her meal, waiting for his response.