Pure Vanilla walked silently through the whispering hush of early winter, each hoof pressing into the thin veil of frost that dusted the earth like powdered sugar. The crisp air nipped at his nose, swirling past bare branches and carrying the sharp scent of snow, yet he hardly noticed the cold. There was a different kind of fire burning in his veins, something hot, restless, and unfamiliar.

It had started not long after Shadow Milk— his mate, a strikingly intense wolf hybrid who’d once stalked his herd with unnerving focus— had moved into his life. And more intimately, into his space.

Since then, everything had changed.

Pure Vanilla had grown oddly.. territorial, possessive in ways he didn't understand. He'd caught himself scent-marking the perimeter, bristling at imagined rivals, and constantly drawn to Shadow Milk's presence like a moth to flame. His body was restless, his thoughts more primal. It was infuriating and intoxicating all at once. Every brush of fur, every lingering glance from his mate sent heat coiling low in his belly, and gods help him if Shadow Milk so much as growled.

He didn’t know what was happening to him. He’d never experienced this before, not the raw instinct, not the unrelenting hunger that flared at the most innocent touches. But neither had most hybrids before finding their first mate. The old instincts lay dormant, like seeds waiting for the right season to bloom.

And now… it was blooming. Whether he liked it or not.

With a soft huff, he shook snow from his coat and stepped off the trail, the crunch of dead leaves fading as he approached the cozy wooden cabin they now shared. The warm glow of firelight flickered behind frosted windows, and beneath it, a scent so familiar it made his chest ache.

Shadow Milk.

Even from this distance, he could smell him.. fragrant and sweet, edged with wild blueberries and fresh rain. A scent that haunted his dreams and fogged his thoughts. It was maddening. Comforting. Everything all at once. Pure Vanilla paused at the door, heart thudding a little too fast, and finally let the smallest of smiles curve his lips as he entered the warm cabin.

He was finally home.

“Shadow Milk? I’m home.. I managed to forage some good stuff for us if you’re interested.” He started, always one to bring things come for the other no matter how many times he was told not to by the stubbornly prideful wolf.