(This takes place in the Jahy Sarlarin before the disbanding)

"What does your brother think of this all?" Gaspard asked, his voice a low murmur. The more and more they conversed, just the two of them, the more she noted the softening of his voice. When she was alone, she would think upon these interactions like a fairytale come true. When she was with Gaspard she felt complete. She felt like she was endless. She felt like she could take down everyone one of the Qyrhy on her own. Evren thought of it all—of the path that took her from being an adolescent that drew pictures of them together in the sand to now, lying at the edge of Baj-jer, far from the spying eyes of fellow Burkut, touching sides and watching the stars.

"What?" Evren returned, not expecting. Still, Gaspard surprised her with most of his actions.

"Of all this," he spoke. Even though he was quiet and though his voice had softened, it still held that serious and professional undertone. "Of you. And of me. Of us. What does your brother think?"

"He…" Her voice trailed. Evren hadn't spoken to Asil about this turn of events (though she was sure that he was knowledgeable. The whole damn pride probably knew at this point, given how gossip traveled). Her brother had long known about her feelings towards Gaspard, since he was 'the Bey's brother' and not 'the Bey's uncle.' Many things had changed since then—territories had changed and individuals had died—but her affection towards Gaspard hadn't.

"I don't know," Evren admitted. She held her breath as she leaned into him. The lioness swore that he would be able to hear her heart pounding in her chest. Miraculously, in a scene she would say was taken straight out of a dream, instead of moving away Gaspard shifted his weight to accommodate her.

What Gaspard would never admit was that his heart was also pounding. He couldn't hear or feel hers and had no way of knowing, but the two were beating in a way that sounded with a melodious rhythm. He had no response for her, only let the silence wash over them. He noted the feeling of her; her warmth and weight against him, the way she disappeared like a shadow in the night.

He couldn't pinpoint an exact moment when his feelings for Evren changed. Very possibly because those feelings didn't really change in any drastic sort of way. More along the lines of… doors opening. Paths extending. Gaspard found himself protective over Evren, and not merely in the way a teacher cared for their protégé. She occupied his mind more and more. He wanted to spend time with her, and not only in training or scouting or making sure she was okay. He wanted her company.

Training turned into spending casual time with each other. That in turn became… well, this.

The stars made the sky seem massive. The twinkling was dimmed only by the presence of a moon that was not quite at half but still more than a sliver in the sky.

"What of your nephew?" Evren asked, glancing in his direction.

"I don't know," Gaspard admitted. "I haven't spoken to anyone about this."

"Of course," Evren replied. It made sense. Gaspard was least of all someone who was likely to chit chat about his love life. It wasn't like she felt bad about it, either. She wasn't concerned that he felt shameful about her, or anything. One of the (many) virtues that Evren saw in Gaspard was that he seemed to have little concern for what others thought of him. She wished she could be that way. Would it have not been conceived as ridiculous and if it wouldn't reflect badly upon Gaspard, Evren would be bringing him up in conversation as often as physically possible.

She was young, excited, and in love. Give her a break.

Silence overcame them again, but at no point did it feel empty or awkward. They both just let their mind wander and enjoyed the moment they were in. They were part of a pride of war. Blood was shed on a consistent basis. Individuals died. There was the threat of attack constantly. The likelihood of either of them losing their life within the next moon was greater than if they were in other places.

Still, both of their lives contained times of bliss. It wasn't all just hard war. Their lives weren’t solely filled with blood boiling with anger towards their enemies. The two had come to find refuge in times like this. In feeling the warmth of another in the deep dark night.

Evren could feel his breathing. It was a low rumbling that rose out of the pit of him. It filled her with reassurance. She shifted, her head resting against his chest and nestled into his mane. Gaspard blinked and didn't move and Evren could feel him holding his breath. She could hear the thumping of his heart in his chest.

"Are you happy?" Evren asked after a thoughtful moment. This was all she had dreamed of. What, though, was this like for him? What was it like to be with someone that in the distant past was only a student that he treated with cold indifference?

For once it was Evren that had caught Gaspard off guard. He furrowed his brow and thought deeply. He thought of the things that made him who he was. Hate for the Qyrhy, that was a given. A jealousy of his brother that died when the Bey did. Fighting, training. Seriousness (excessive amounts, Ashnh would argue). He was made for battle. Every inch of him had lived every minute of his life for the war. Was he happy? Here with Evren. With a lioness that was once a student and was now… Well, something much more than that.

He released his breath in a long exhale, shifting. His tail found hers and his head moved. She felt it tuck over hers as he pulled him close. "More than you could imagine."

Gaspard would remember than night as being the peak of the good times. Good times that lasted a long while, but would inevitably come to a steep and drastic decline.

(WC: 1037)