Beneath an orange sky, whispered words passed through a snowy camp and friends huddled close together for warmth, their breaths fogging the cold air. Nightshade and Blossom huddled close together for warmth, faces red with cold as they laughed and talked. Across camp, a pair of amber eyes glowered at the pair, hate glowing inside of their fiery depths. Slowly, Ivy stood, the she-wolf practically shuddering with cold as she made her way over. “Nightshade, shouldn’t you be doing something useful?” She spat, pelt prickling. Nightshade looked at her and glowered, flicking an ear. “Omega’s shouldn’t be conversing whenever we’re all freezing to death, they should be gathering feathers and moss and things to keep us warm.” She growled, baring her teeth. “Well, I’ve done that all day.” Nightshade retorted, her voice level and calm. “The only reason you’re cold at this point is because you haven’t gone inside a den.” The brown she-wolf’s eyes flared with renewed rage as she took a step forward, hackles raising. “I don’t think you quite know who you’re talking to. Omegas like you should learn to hold their tongues-” Ivy was roughly pushed back by a tall, gray and russet wolf pushing himself between the pair. “You should learn to take some of your own advice.” He glared down at her, his green eyes cold and clearly disgusted by her behavior. Not giving her a moment more of his time, he whipped around to look at Nightshade, a small smile playing on his lips as a snowflake landed on the tip of her nose. “It’s starting to snow.” Tangle commented, voice warm and rich. Nightshade laughed kindly, pushing herself to her paws, her midnight pelt in stark contrast with the frozen white landscape around them. “It seems it is.” “Blossom, I hate to do this to you, but could I steal Nightshade for the night?” He wrapped his tail around Nightshade’s, a light blush dusting the black she-wolf’s face as she looked at him. “I’d like to show her something.” The white wolf laughed kindly, nuzzling Nightshade quickly before pulling away, her blue eyes warm and bright. “Of course I don’t mind. You two don’t have *too* much fun without me.” She chuckled, before slipping past them. A small blonde she-wolf and a large white male smiled at her and she trotted over happily, tail wagging. Nightshade smiled as she watched her go, her heart surprisingly warm on such a cold evening. Then, she turned to Tangle. “Shall we?” “We shall.” Giving her a quick lick on the cheek, he gently led her out of camp, the silent falling snowflakes dusting their pelt with tiny crystals all the way. “Where are you taking me?” Nightshade asked after a time of warm, comfortable silence. “It’s a surprise.” Tangle chuckled, his green eyes warm and shining with love as he glanced down at her. “But don’t worry,” He leaned down to nuzzle her ear quickly. “We’re almost there.” Just then, they emerged from the snowy, crystal white woods to an endless snowy field. In front of them, a large boulder jutted out of the ground, almost like a tall, tiny mountain that climbed slowly up for a good five or six meters before cutting sharply down. A breath of awe left Nightshade’s mouth as the moon’s glow reflected off of the smooth surface, casting shadows and reflections on the clear, white, untouched blanket before her. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to this part of the territory before.” She breathed, a smile melting onto her face as she turned to look at him. “Come on, we don’t wanna miss it.” He urged her forward as they bounded across the untouched snow, leaving deep tracks in their wake. “Miss what?” Nightshade called after him, a laugh bubbling it’s way up her throat and escaping her mouth as she pushed her way through the snow after him. “I still don’t know why you’re taking me here, y’know.” “You’ll see!” Tangle called over one shoulder, his tongue lolling happily to the side as he reached the base of the rock. Nightshade reached his side soon later, a giddy smile on her face as he wrapped his tail gently around hers, leading her up the smooth, rocky surface. “Careful, it can get slippery when there’s ice out.”
They reached the top and Nightshade let out a sigh, her heart warming. “You can see the whole territory from up here.” “Yeah, yeah, but that’s not why we’re here.” Nightshade turned to look at her lover, only to find his eyes fixed anxiously on the now-dark sky, littered with stars. She turned her head upwards, feeling her shoulders sink at the miles and miles of endless stars above them, lighting up the night sky like tiny little fires. Snow fell gently around them, silent and encapsulating them in a tiny, single, significant moment. Here, together, surrounded by crystal white and ocean black. Cold everywhere around them, but their love for each other warming the air. “It’s.. beautiful.” Nightshade breathed, glancing over at Tangle. But as she looked, she saw his ears fold downwards, eyes losing their hopeful glimmer. “Tangle, what is it?” “I didn’t take you out here to see the stars either.” He murmured, an embarrassed red glow on his face as he stared at his paws. “I-I’m sorry, I must have gotten the night wrong. Maybe it’s tomorrow and I just didn’t know. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to drag you all the way out here for nothi-” Nightshade silenced him with a ‘shush’, laughing kindly and burying her nose in his warm chest. “Tangle, don’t be sorry. Any time I spend with you is perfect.” For a moment, Tangle seemed as frozen as the almost picture-perfect landscape around them. Then, his shocked face melted into a warm smile, and he nuzzled the top of her head, heart warm and swelling with love for the beautiful black she-wolf in front of him. “Nightshade, I..” Was he really going to say it? Was he really going to confess his love to this beautiful, smart, kind she-wolf before him? Swallowing, he continued. “I just wanted to let you know, that-” And suddenly above, a light broke out across the sky. Brighter than the moon and all of the stars combined, the two wolves lifted their heads, gasps leaving their lips as the Northern lights danced above their starstruck eyes. For a moment, Nightshade could only stare in awe at the illuminated night sky above her, green and purple dancing above them, entrancing and breathtaking. Finally, she found her voice. “I.. I think you got the night right after all.” She breathed, voice full of awe. And when she finally managed to pull her eyes away from the beautiful lights above them, bounding and leaping across the sky, she found Tangle already staring at her, the lights dancing across her midnight pelt as tiny flecks of snow continued to trickle down around them. For a moment they could only stare into each other's eyes, one pair midnight blue and the other forest green, purple and cyan dancing across their faces. And despite the beauty bounding across the sky above them, there was nothing more enthralling than the wolf right in front of them. “Nightshade.. I’m in love with you.”
