Seren slipped between houses, scanning the nameplates. Grey pack. Fisher pack. Flame pack. Each name was unique; every mated pair chose their pack’s name together when they married. Some made more sense than others, Seren thought, passing by the Rabbit pack's house. Really, what had they been thinking? Wolves ate rabbits.

She pulled off her new glasses to polish them, but didn't stop walking. And then there it was, when she put her glasses back on. Steredenn. Elowen's and their parents’ house.

She raised a hand to knock, but her knuckles refused to touch the wood. Her hand shook, breaths frozen in her chest.

“Seren?” Blythe appeared behind her, reaching around to rest a hand on her arm. “Are you alright?”

Seren shook her head.

Blythe pushed her back. “Go on. I'll talk to your parents if they come.”

“But I–” I should. After the way I left…

“Darling, you're petrified.” Blythe leaned up to give Seren a quick kiss. “If it makes you feel better, if things go badly I'm just going to scream for Elowen and run.”

Despite herself, Seren laughed. “Okay then.”

Soon after, three wolves ran southward. Elowen's departure had been much better received than Seren's. Their parents had even wished her well, telling her that she should bring her mate to visit, when she found one. They hadn't even acknowledged Seren.

Seren pushed down the sting of jealousy and asked, <In the Darkness, everyone picks a new name to use there. Do you have any ideas for yours?>

Elowen took a moment to answer. <...Can I share your name, Seren?>

Seren shook her head, confused. The glasses case hanging around her neck bumped her chest. <What?>

<Not literally,> Elowen clarified. <Another name with the same meaning.>

<What do you mean?>

<I've been talking to Aunt Elys,> Elowen said. <Did you know she's in the Darkness? Or was?>

<Is,> Blythe put in. <Unless she definitely left. You don't age out. That's so cool, though, maybe it's why Da came to Morcant to begin with?>

<Maybe,> Elowen agreed. 

<How's this affect your name, El?>

<Her Dark name is Stella. She asked me if I wanted to use it, but it's sort of close to yours, isn't it? Since it means star too?>

Seren yipped in amusement. <I'm not the owner of star names, Elowen. Or should I say Stella?>

<Well I just wanted to check!>

Seren laughed silently, tongue lolling out, and shoulder-bumped Stella.

Seren opened the door to a room full of a smoky haze. It wasn’t strong enough for anything to actually be on fire, but she still tensed. “Love? Are you in here?”

Blythe yelped from the kitchen. “Seren? Stay there, I’m nearly done!”

“Okay?” Seren leaned against the wall and pulled out her notebook. Nibbling on the end of her pencil, she studied the words on the page and the notes beside them. The musical notation wasn’t complete, it was only a guide to the melody that sang in her heart when she read the words. Seren hummed the notes as she waited, scribbled out a word and replaced it with another. That one was better. 

Soon, the song would be ready, and then she’d be able to gift it to Blythe to begin the courtship process.

Courting was different from dating. Everybody did dating. It was, as far as Seren could tell, fairly similar whether you were shifter, human, fae, or demon. But, at least among Great Plains wolves, dating meant casual relationships or children's experiments. Courting meant more. It came with rules, expectations, responsibilities. It was how wolves decided if they worked well enough together to start their own pack. Beginning with an exchange of gifts, the two wolves would spend more time together, hunt together, work together, sometimes live together– although, since Meredith and Gwyneira had taken Seren in, she and Blythe had been doing that for years now.

…Something definitely smelled like it was burning. “Love, is everything alright in there?”

“Perfect!” Blythe’s cheer sounded forced. “You can come in.”

Seren dropped her notebook and pencil back into her bag. “Okay, what’s…?”

A breeze blew from the open window, dispelling some of the haze. Blythe stood on the far side of the table, surveying the neatly plated steaks.

“I burned the onions,” she said mournfully.

Seren laughed, reaching her with a few quick steps and pulling her into a hug. “Oh, love.”

Blythe pulled free and gestured at the table. “It’s… it’s a courtship gift, if you’ll have it. Ceinwen and Eirian helped me catch the deer.”

Seren’s hands flew to her mouth. “But– yours isn’t ready yet.”

“That’s okay.” Blythe tipped her head. “Do you want it?”

“Of course.”

The corners of the steak were charred, like the onions layered along one side. The sauce coating the food was watery and thin. It was underseasoned, not enough salt to bring out the flavors.

It was the best thing Seren had ever eaten.

Seren tucked her hair back nervously. It immediately fell over her glasses again, slipping off the fur of her ears. She frowned and let it be. Enough of that today. Today– well, today was special. Her gift to Blythe was finally ready.

She took a few quick breaths, calming herself, and began to run through scales on the guitar Gwyneira had lent her. Seren still preferred the flute and its sweet, clear notes, but she couldn't sing while playing it.

Amron and Jasmine had promised to help get Blythe and Seren some alone time, and Stella had helped her set up a blanket under the biggest tree in this meadow. So she shouldn't worry, she had plenty of help in this.

She wiped her hands on her skirt, taking a deep breath. It would be fine, it would be fine, it would be–

“Seren?”

Seren's head snapped up. Blythe stood there, just outside the tree's ring of shade. Sun caught in Seren's eyes and she had to duck her head again. That lock of hair fell back on her face.

“Blythe! You're here!”

Blythe dropped to her knees on the cloth, scooting closer. “Yeah, Amron said you wanted to show me something?” She quirked an eyebrow, the motion mirrored by her ears. 

“Yeah! Uh, yeah. H-hold on.” Seren looked down, scrabbling for her notes. “I, uh. I've been working on something. For you. Close your eyes.”

With a curious smile, Blythe obeyed.

Seren took a deep breath, trying to relax, then settled back against the tree and began to play. She missed a couple notes, but Gwyneira had said to just continue on and ignore missed notes, so she did.

Then she began to sing.

“I knew the truth of my heart when you showed it to me

Saw the way that you ran, your own heart so free

I felt so lucky that you were my friend

Only one with who I never had to pretend”

Blythe's mouth had dropped into a smiling O, eyes still closed. Seren smiled and looked back at her strings.

“I never meant to fall in love with you

Never meant to ruin what we had”

“But–”

“Didn't think you’d love me even then

And if I’d known, I’d have done it again

For every day I fall in love with you again

Every day I can't believe that you chose me–”

Seren yelped, falling beneath Blythe's tackle. She barely managed to push the guitar away before she was pinned beneath Blythe, who sat on her stomach.

“You beautiful, wonderful, ridiculous girl,” Blythe murmured. “How could you think you ruined anything?”

“That was before you told me I'm wonderful and ridiculous.” Seren traced Blythe's cheek lightly, hand lingering over the old scar. “But you're worse. You didn't even let me finish the song.”

“I think I can make up for that,” Blythe murmured, and leaned down to kiss Seren deeply.

“Seren?” Blythe said, idly.

Pushing her glasses up her nose, Seren looked up from her notepad to admire the way Blythe's muscles flexed beneath her sleeveless shirt as she hefted two bags of animal feed at once. “Yeah?”

“How do you feel about kids?”

Seren's pencil slipped, scoring a mark across her carefully lined pages. “What?”

Blythe snickered. “Amron's a teacher's assistant, and he said that another teacher was complaining about her assistant going off to study with no notice. She's looking around for someone else who can start right away. So, do you like kids?”

Seren nodded, absently erasing the pencil mark. “El and I have several younger cousins. We got stuck with babysitting a lot during the winter.” She looked up sharply, ears pricking forward. “How old are the kids?”

“Seven or eight.” Blythe turned to heft the first bag of feed onto a shelf. “So that's a yes?”

“Yes. I'll tell Amron next time I see him.”

Blythe got the second bag settled and turned back, leaning against the shelf. She wore a knowing smirk. “So… What did you think I was asking?”

Seren blushed and busied herself redrawing the careful lines she'd drawn in for musical notation. “Nothing!”

“Nothing nothing?” Suddenly Blythe was in front of her, peeking over the notepad like a puppy. “Certain sure?”

Seren pushed her head back. “Love!”

“We're courting, aren't we?” Blythe mused. “Which, if all goes well…”

“Mmf, fine!” Seren glanced around, checking for Blythe's boss, who was nowhere to be seen, before she admitted, “I thought, for a second, that you meant the idea of… us having kids.”

She was delighted to note that Blythe's cheeks pinked at that, though she didn't lose that smirk.

“Well… I'd not be against that, eventually,” Blythe murmured. “Would you?”

“Definitely not.” Tucking her notepad between her knees, Seren reached up to cup Blythe's cheek, tugging her down. Pups were a treasure and a delight, and to raise them with Blythe would be… well, incredible. “I love you, Blythe Herian. I want to start a pack with you, and travel with you, and raise pups with you, and, Blythe, you’re blushing!”

“You're so earnest!” Blythe nuzzled her, half crawling onto Seren's lap. “We should travel. Someday. You want to be a traveling bard, don't you?”

“What could be better than living by my music, with you?”

Blythe bounced up and kissed her nose. “Doing that with pups. I've got to get back to work, before Cedric gets back. Go find Amron and I'll have something for you when you get back.”

“Oh?” Seren eyed her, gathering up her notebook and the pencil that had fallen, unnoticed, to the floor. “What?”

“If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?”

“I suppose not,” Seren allowed. 

“Guess you'd better hurry!”