Kaitrus was pleased his respected Captain had agreed to marry he and Astrid. He knew he needed to make it official with a lawmaker, but he wanted Erykk to do it first. He respected the male, and he felt a surge of pride at him agreeing to help him.
"Her den is just this way." He said to the large golden lion behind him. Erykk was lean, but he was tall, and his muscles were conditioned to make him look like a true predator. But he was a pretty calm fellow, so long as others were agreeable around him.
"She knows we are coming, right?" Erykk asked, arching an eyebrow as he climbed the rocks.
"No.. I told her that I'd be back, but I never mentioned this. She's super sweet, and I know she won't mind.." Kaitrus said, his voice a little less confident than it probably should have been.
"Ah. Lovely. So we will just show up at her doorstep and say 'Hello, we are here to marry you.' That should work out." He said, shaking his head and letting out a chuckle.
"Shhh!" Kaitrus said, his eyes wide as he gulped. Her den is right up here, and I don't want you to be what she hears.. Especially with you complaining."
He stepped closer to the den, not wanting to invade her mother's space, he stopped just outside.
"Astrid?"
The cubs were still little, and Astrid was enjoying taking care of them. All the little bundles looked like their mother, and father (when he happened to pop up to visit). The pale lioness cooed at the youngsters, nosing the little girl before hearing the sounds of approaching footsteps. One…two? Her ears pinned back just a tad. She wasn’t a violent lioness by any means, but she didn’t want strangers messing with her young siblings either. With a quick glance towards her mother, the lioness moved out of the den, feeling the tension leave as soon as she heard the voice.
“Ka…Kaitrus?” Her dark pink eyes looked curiously from inside her den, to the dark male and his striped companion. Who was this other?
“What are you doing here? And…who is this?” She hadn’t met the captain before. She gave a slight bob in greeting to the male, glancing at him curiously. Males were something that Astrid wasn’t use to casually talking with, so she still found herself weary. But if he was a friend with Kaitrus, then he’d be a friend for Astrid as well!
Erykk's first assessment of the female Kaitrus had chosen was approval. She was pretty, and she was his age. Well..their age. Erykk wasn't really much older than them really. He looked at Kaitrus, expecting to hear something good.
"I couldn't wait till we could find a lawspeaker. I wanted to say my vows to you with a witness behind me." He tried to keep it together, but his heart was threatening to explode right out of his chest. "My Captain, he agreed to watch me say those vows to you. To witness it and vouch for it. Until we can get to a Lawspeaker, and really make it official."
In truth, if Kaitrus took a deep look at it, he might have come off creepy or really pushy. But he was sort of pushy. He needed to be, as there were far ore bully type lions out there who would just take someone.
"I'm Erykk," The golden lion spoke, taking her paw and kissing the knuckles before stepping back and arching an eyebrow. "This silly boy is rather persistent. I think he likes you very much."
Astrid tilted her head with a confused look on her maw. This whole marriage thing was definitely something that was complicated for the young adult thrall. Her head returned to the normal state as she spoke a short, “okay?” she couldn’t help but have the questioning tone in her voice. She seemed utterly lost.
Astrid didn’t mind the pushiness. It was barely registered in her mind. This was how male lions acted, so what was out of the norm?
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Erykk.” Didn’t Kaitrus mention he was a captain. “Captain, Erykk.” She corrected, bowing her head again. Captains were good right?
She smiled at his last comment. “I like him too?” Silliness aside, she couldn’t help but feel the strange flutter in her heart at the strangeness this lion acted around her. She’d ask mother about that sometime.
Then something hit her. Did she need to have vows too? She wasn’t prepared. Her eyes widened a bit. Uh-oh.
Erykk laughed, a good harty laugh that was not common from him. "Yes, yes. I imagine that you must. I'm glad you will take him off my hands." He said, and then grinned like a cheshire at the ebony and orange male that was trying so hard not to blush at the moment.
"Gee thanks, that's nice of you Erykk." He said, and his voice wavered a bit. He squeezed his eyes closed, gulping and looking towards Astrid.
"Astrid, I'm sorry. I'm just nervous. No one has ever made my heart flutter the way you do. No one has ever made me want to.. protect them the wya you do. I love you, and I hope that I can show you just how truly you have stolen my heart." He took a deep breath, and looked at Erykk.
"Astrid... Will you spend your life with me? Bear cubs to me eventually, and call me as your husband? I know this isn't official. But it is in our hearts. We will know. Will you let me love you forever?" He asked, a soft smile on his features.
Erykk shook his head and gagged a little, though he did it silently as to not ruin their moment. Talk about disgusting display of affection. He had never seen a male so weak at the knees for a female. That being said.. He wasn't against it. But Kaitrus was just mushy.
Astrid watched the duo male pair before her. The striped one, Erykk, was making Kaitrus seem much more uncomfortable. They certainly had a strange relationship going on, that was for sure.
The pale lioness didn’t understand the nerves though. This was something that was routine? Her ears perked at the mention of cubs. Little bundles of fur like she was helping protect in the den behind her. She’d be able to call them her own…to raise them. She liked the idea of being the guardian of the little fuzzballs.
She nodded, her voice not speaking just yet. I do? I will? What would be the proper answer. Her head turned towards the silent expression that Erykk made and she blinked. He definitely was a strange lion.
“I will~” Part of her knew not what she was agreeing to, but she could feel it somewhere in her heart.
But now, did she need to say something in reply? She mimicked the male, just not as much in detail.
“Will you…Kaitrus…spend your life with me?” that’s the way it was supposed to go, right? She’d do better when it was apparently official. At least, she would hope.
When she agreed, he wanted to rush and hug her tight. To lick her face and just hold her and know she was real. She was his. He was hers. But he knew she wasn't exactly the touchy type yet. He would teach her how to be comfortable with a hug. With his hugs. He knew it was all sort of fast, and new.. But he already knew he wanted to love her forever.
"Of course. Forever. And even thereafter, whatever the great Kings have in store for us."
Erykk cleared his throat, looking at the two, and then smiling softly.
"I guess that will do till you get to a lawspeaker. Do that soon though, Kaitrus. Make it official. Congrats you guys. Congrats, Astrid." He said, bowing his head to her, and turning to walk away, leaping off the stones with a great grace.
Kaitrus stepped forward, nuzzling her gently, trying not to make her uncomfortable.
"I won't keep you long, I hear your little siblings in there. They must be growing like weeds." He chuckled.
“Uhm, Erykk?” The lioness spoke softly, before the lion could flee so soon.
“Thank you.” It was a brief term of appreciation (for what she didn’t know); she thought it appropriate to use though.
“They are growing so fast,” she murmured, a low purr rising from her throat. It was something that she had never done around a male, let alone Kaitrus, before. “They’ll be out soon. You’ll be able to meet them then,” she didn’t want to invite strangers, excuse me, her husband into the den while the cubs were still so young. It was her mother’s job to present them to the pride, not hers. Regardless of who she knew and their relationship.
Before he leapt off the stones, he stopped. He heard her speak, and he turned to look backwards to both of them.
"You are welcome, sweets. You two have a good life. Take care of him." He smiled, and then turned back around. Finally disappearing beyond sight. He had his own things to attend to, but he was happy he could have helped them.. He had done a good deed, no matter how weird it had been for Kaitrus to actually ask him.
Kaitrus smiled, the thought of growing cubs made his heart swell. He wanted to meet them. He had always been good with cubs. It was a wonder he was a Reaver, but he was a bit of a Fixer Upper in that case.
"I'd love that.. Just let me know when." He said, and licked her cheek.
Astrid nodded, returning a brief nuzzle before retreating back to her den, to the warmth of the seven young siblings and her mother. Today had been a rather interesting day. When her family wasn’t napping, she’d definitely have to explain what had happened. She was sure her mother would be happy. For now though, the lioness yawned, curling herself next to the warm bodies before drifting into dreamland, into a world of fantasy.
