Jet was riding Rune back into the camp. They had been married for three months now. A month was spent by themselves in a seaside cottage in Elysia. They got to know about each other. Not everything but enough from their idle talks. He was excited to see her. The last two weeks were spent abroad with the tribe’s warriors. They had participated in a tribal war. This was Iona’s first war where Jet was away from her.

Rune was running hard and it took no time at all for Jet to jump off of Rune as soon as he spotted Iona helping out some of the tribe’s women with wash. He was bandaged on his chest from a rouge arrow but other than that he looked just as healthy as he left. He ran up behind her and grabbed her before she could recognize his scent.

“Hey beautiful,” Jet whispered into her ears before laughing. He tossed her up a few times and caught her in a hug. “Ow… Okay. I shouldn’t…” He winced a bit as the bandages turned crimson. “Dumb idea.” He shook his head getting over the pain as he hugged her tightly. “I missed you. I missed your scent. I even missed the way you get pissed off when I slack off.”

The first month of marriage was their honeymoon and it was just as sweet as any honey. She had enjoyed the sights, they had long discussions throughout the day, and the nights were blissful and often made her sore the next day. Most of her time there had been spent with Jet and could only be described as heavenly. When they returned the sense of new joy and excitement of marriage continued. Then he was called off to war. 

Iona had experienced wars in her own tribe. Her tribe was massive and had more than enough soldiers. However, the soldiers were untrained and the majority of the wars had been won through clever leadership and mass of numbers. The actual skill of the warriors was basic at least. For her, wars meant death. When Jet left her, she had a smile on her face and seemed as cheerful as anybody. She was deeply saddened and terrified of what may happen to him but she knew it was better to send a soldier off with a smile then with a terrified look. Iona had tucked away her personal feelings and sent him off as best as she could. 

It wasn't until after she left that she delved headfirst into work. Iona began with massive amounts of research on the tribe, from their traditions to their battles to anything else she got her hands on. Then she went around and helped with the organization of the tribe. Iona was a quick learner and memorized how they liked to organize themselves. Their organization was a bit outdated but she was able to work with it. She helped calm petty inner tribe quarrels before they could escalate, made new accounts for their resources and averaged out how much would be spent during the war, built new relations with a few members of the tribe, participated in hunting for the tribe, organized hunts, and sent messages to the healers in war to ensure they had enough medicine and herbs for the battles ahead.

Throughout the war she had kept herself as busy as a bee. Any pause she made would give her mind too much time to think about the what ifs. Even sleeping became a difficult task when she sometimes envisioned the worst when she closed her eyes. Her father had participated in tribal wars but she also knew he had protection magic to prevent him from being an easy target. And even then, they had too many numbers for most attacks. This was the first time she had to seriously consider that somebody she loved might not come back during a war. She didn't want to think about that. So she continued her work and took prescribed sleeping medicine to help her have an easier sleep. 

Her curly black hair was a mess and she was wearing simple clothes, not bothering to dress up. Early that morning her father had sent her a message. His forces had been training and some of his men had been provided to the war, as was agreed in the marriage pact. But the more interesting part of the note was his request that once Jet was home and ready he wanted them to visit the Broken Embers tribe. She smiled at the letter then tucked it away in her items in the tent. Yesterday one of the other women had requested that she joined them with the wash. It was an opportunity to get closer with the tribeswomen and hear all the details about the tribe, new babies, and everything else. 

Iona was busy at work when suddenly, she felt someone grab her. It took her a few moments but when she heard his voice, she couldn't stop smiling. She hugged him tightly, then realized he was injured. A small sigh escaped her lips as she asked one of the women to fetch one of the healers. 

"My wonderful idiot." She said to him warmly, "I missed you too. Even when you reopen your injuries and slack off. Now I demand to know if the one who shot you is dead. If not, I will go kill them myself." 

The last part was said in a low growl as a little streaks of wind picked up around the both of them. She wasn't a soldier, that she knew. But if somebody hurt her wonderful idiot then they would understand the storm they had brought on their doorsteps.

Jet carried her carefully and placed her on top of a barrel. His fingers moved her hair back before kissing her lips soundly. “Bastard never saw me coming. I took the shot for our idiot in chief training. I didn’t even realize how deep the fucking thing was until after I killed him. At least it wasn’t a serrated arrow~” He rolled his shoulders before kissing her again. “Gods I’ve missed you.”

“Jet Thurgood!” Boomed the healer and he threw his hands up off his wife. “You should have come to my tent IMMEDIATELY.”

“Can’t blame a man for running to see his wife can you?” He looked over at the elderly healer. “SURELY, your husband ran after you~”

“Of course he did… I’m the healer,” the elderly woman poked at Jet and the lycan warrior cried out.

“IT WAS A JOKE,” Jet seemed defenseless to the healer as she took the bloodied bandages off of him and looked at it.

“You took this for Vadim?” The healer looked up. “This wasn’t aimed at you.”

“Yeah, you know loyalty,” Jet frowned a bit. “He was gonna get killed. Can’t let him die lest I become chief. Heavens help us.”

“Wouldn’t be the worst thing…” The lady sighed a bit and made sure the whole arrowhead was out before applying magic. “He’s fit Iona. Make sure he doesn’t overdo it or else it will reopen. I’ll call his mother on him if he does it.” She gave Jet a smirk before bowing to Iona.

“See? Fit as a fiddle. Now… Where was I…” Jet tussled his head around as he picked Iona back up and put kisses all down her neck.

His touch was more than enough to send delight throughout her body. She didn't even noticed when he placed her on a barrel. His eyes, his scent, his wonderful face were all the things she wanted to see. He was alive and breathing. That was more than enough to make her day. She smiled as he kissed her then listened to his story. The little wind quickly died down and she was satisfied with the bastard's death.

"I'm so glad to have you back my dear." She said and gave him a kiss. 

Suddenly, a booming voice interrupted them as the elderly healer approached them. The healer was shouting at Jet for not coming to the tent immediately. She could tell he was in trouble and she couldn't help but snicker at the elder's quick wit. The bloody bandages were removed but Iona only stared at them. Instead of being frightened or squeamish, she behaved like it was one of the problems of the tribe. She had little interest in healing but understanding the process may save her life one day. 

"Thank you." She said to the healer once the wound was taken care of. 

As soon as the healer was out of sight, he went right back to the kissing. She gave him a few kisses from where she could reach on his face then on his arms and hands as he traveled down her neck. Then, she remembered something and put a finger to his lips before leaning in close. 

"We can continue that later. I have something I need to talk to you about." Iona said, remembering the letter from earlier, "My father has requested we visit the tribe. I have a feeling he'll set up a little ceremony with Broken Embers tradition, introduce you to our people, and maybe suggest a heart piercing." 

Iona had him follow her back to their tent, as a way to get him to see the letter and to give them more privacy for later. Their tent was large and comfortable with many animal furs to keep them warm and the finest of materials. Most of which came as marriage gifts or engagement offerings from the tribe. She lifted the note for him to see it. The note was exactly as she said, along with some details about new training techniques and more births in the tribe. 

"We'll have to wait until your injury is healed." She stated, "I don't want you travelling around with a hole in your chest." 

“Me too. I’m surprised you are even letting me touch you with how I smell though~” He smelt like war… Blood, death, and any other things. “I practically begged Rune to run right to you.”

Jet had a disappointed look on his face as Iona stopped him. Was she not gonna let him have her because of his wounds? He bit the tip of her finger to be playful. “Fine, fine.” He listened and he thought about it. “Yeah, that sounds good to me. It’s for the good of both tribes and I just won them a war. They can’t refuse me.” Leaving was never really too much of an issue for Jet. As long as his father was alive he had a proxy.

Jet followed her like a puppy as he waved to various tribe members. Him being home meant their husbands would be home soon. “Sure,” Jet nodded along. “The hole as you put it… Isn’t even that bad.” He folded the note up and scooped her up taking her to their bed. “It’s just a little wound~ It will heal just fine.” He peppered her with kisses. “You worry a lot about someone who is used to this~”

He undid her dress and sat there on her, “You know you are beautiful.” He wanted to make sure she forgot if she was mad about what he said about his wound. “The most beautiful woman in all of the Highlands~” He sucked up to her. It also didn’t take him too long to make her feel like the most beautiful woman in the highlands.

After they were done ‘catching’ up he pulled her onto his chest and put his arms around her. “You are a pain in my ass,” he laughed as he closed his eyes. “Don’t do that you’ll get hurt. Don’t do it that way what about your chest.” He mocked her easily enough. “But you like it like that don’t you little Fox?” He gave her a smirk. “Told you my chest was fine~”

He sunk his head into one of their pillows looking at the top of the tent. “Heavens help the man who thinks they can win a war with you. I’m just going to forfeit every time you try. You scare me.” He was joking with her. “The mighty Jet scared of his very petite wife. I can understand completely why the phrase happy wife, happy life exists now. I used to think it was dumb butttttt,” he looked down at her and stuck his tongue out.

“We can leave tomorrow. The more I shift the better the wound gets anyways. I don’t heal like regular Lycanthropes. You know that. If anything that spell helped kicked up my natural healing. Soo… Pack a bag and we’ll take Rune… and we’ll you know meet your tribe. I’m sure they think I’m the most horrifying thing alive… Maybe some of them still think I’m Hana.”

He didn’t listen to any protesting as he just proceeded to roll and hold her closer, “Yep, tomorrow.”

She was scooped up and placed on the bed as a series of kisses traveled around her body. She combed her fingers through his auburn hair, playing with the the little braids and taking them out. He was her husband and she was ready to play, just a little concerned about his injury. A little fun should be fine. Her dress was undone and he called her the most beautiful woman in the highlands. Iona carefully moved her position and sat right on his lap, with no dress or any covering to get in the way. Reaching up for his neck, she pulled him close and smirked. 

"Then be a good boy and make me feel like that." She demanded in a soft gentle voice. 

Little did she know those words would almost re-open his wound. Time passed and they finished their special activity. Throughout it she had been trying to keep him from damaging his injury in case he made it worse and to avoid getting blood all over the bed. She hadn't expected his visit today so she didn't have any stain remover for any blood ready. Not that she always needed it…. He rambled about her nagging and she simply smiled while starting to poke a little at his chest to annoy him. 

"I see. You were completely right darling! Your chest is fine." Iona said with an evil little smile and one last poke. 

But she was careful not to cause too much damage. Just to induce a little pain. He joked with her and she smirked with pride at the statement of his fear. When he stuck out his tongue, she took the chance to bite it in a retaliation. Her playful mood had returned just as it went away. Whenever it came to their special activities, she had a surprising ability to be ready for the next round. But she could see he was tired and they both needed to sleep. 

"Are you sure you'll be ready for tomorrow?" She asked in a serious tone, "I know you heal differently from Lycanthropes but even that healing could take up energy."

There was no use protesting. He held her tightly and rolled around. She just shook her head, gave him one last kiss before blowing out the candles. 

“Yes ma’am,” he chuckled to her demand.

“OW,” Jet squinted his eyes at her, “who’s side are you on?” And the next thing he knew she bit his tongue. “MOST DEFINITELY NOT MINE!” He said out loud with a laugh.

Jet smirked a bit as things calmed down, “I know that. If I didn’t… I would be taking you for round two but~ I need to sleep so I can take you home.” He was out before she even blew the candles out. The morning air was cold as he pulled up some of the furs and kissed the top of her head. He could tell the sun was barely even coming up.

Iona snuggled into him from him waving the furs around wildly. “Easy, just rest. I just moved them a little.” He teased her with a few kisses. “Get a couple more minutes while I wash up and inform everyone okay?” He pulled himself away from her, which made Iona make unhappy noises.

He was away for about twenty minutes or so as he came back in with his hair wet and dressed in his traveling clothes. “Rise and shine love. It’s time to pack.” He moved her hair and rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

He couldn’t begin to understand where he ended and Iona began, at least in a way he could describe. The bonding magic had made them so much closer than if they had fallen in love normally. He would die for her and somehow he knew she knew it. He let his thumb leave her face as he began to pack his own bag and strap weapons to himself. Rune was outside the tent with a variety of different things strapped to him. More of Jet’s weapons should he need it, his bow, lots of arrows, and other things he thought would be a necessity.

He rubbed Rune’s head before getting his cloak on making sure the clasp that Iona had made for him was nice and tight. “Alright, Iona… You better be ready,” he peeked inside the tent. “Or I’m going to have to come up with some sort of punishment.” He joked about it. “Or I can help you.”

Once Iona settled on what she needed and how Jet could help he put her bag on Rune and threw her up onto his back. He got up behind her and put one around her and the other held on Rune’s reigns. “Now, don’t throw Iona off… Heathen. I think he missed you because he was really angry at me for the last week.” With a smirk, he spurred Rune into moving.

He had a general idea where the Broken Ember tribe was staying. He had asked his father about it for Iona’s sake. “Just rest. I’ll get us there no problem and wake you up when we get there. Shouldn’t be that far… Pa said they were staying a day or so ride from us for the time being. Maybe a little bit more. Nothing Rune and I can’t handle.” He reassured her.

Thanks to the wet weather it ended up being four days. Two of which were them stuck in a cave with Rune so that his legs didn’t get stuck in the mud. Finally, the Broken Ember tribe came into view and Jet looked relieved.

“Welcome back home Iona,” he kissed the top of her head. Already he saw people stopping to look at the ‘strangers’ approaching them.

They bantered all day but at the words of rest, she decided to take him up on that offer. She relaxed and let herself doze of and trusted that Jet would handle anything that came their way. The weather while travelling was wet, something that concerned Iona when she first saw it. The clouds and the wind reminded her of someone… but it was unlikely. They finally arrived at the camp of the Broken Ember. The sight of her old tribe filled her heart with joy. Although she was enjoying her life with Jet and the new tribe, she couldn't help but feel a little homesick. 

The tribe's camp was massive. It stretched across the plains with hundreds or even thousands of different tents. There were at least ten separate bonfires to accommodate everyone and each section had its own little leader to keep things in line. The entire place seemed more like a movable city than a tribe camp. People were rushing about going from tent to tent like a bunch of busy ants. Their hunting groups were several different packs, each from a different section of the tribe. And almost every household had seven or eight children at minimum. 

Most of the tents were white, tan, brown, or black depending on the materials used. Only a few were able to sport different colors and those were often important sages, elderly, leaders, famous warriors, or the chief's family. Dye was available but most of the people didn't have time to go through the tents and dye each of them. But when it came to the food… fresh spices were almost always used. Smells of garlic naan bread, meats mixed with curry, buffalo stew, and many other spicy dishes. Her mouth watered at the smell of them. Then she remembered they needed to meet her father first. She hopped off the horse and began to head towards the top of the hill that the entire camp was based around. At the top of the hill there were three separate tents with her old tent in the far back and higher.

Before she got far, she realized that Jet had been detained by a horde of women all admiring his appearance. Iona zoomed over to Jet and took them by the arms while shooting the other women a glare. It didn't take much more for the women to back down, as they still remembered Iona and the rare times she was angry. But a few brave women stayed behind and began asking questions. 

"So this is the beast you married? He's more….well less…. barbaric than I expected." An older woman explained. 

"He's not the beast." Iona quickly explained, "The rumors of him being the beast turned out to be false." 

"Oh. So is the beast single?" Another woman asked. 

"The beast is a woman. Her name is Hana." She commented. 

Most of the women sighed in disappointment, except for one young lady in the back. 

"I'm okay with that! When can I marry her?!" The woman called out. 

"She has a boyfriend too!" Iona shouted. 

"WELL FUCK!" 

Then the young woman stormed off. Most of the women had less interest in Jet now it was known he wasn't the beast. Iona guided him up the hill and over to her father's tent, only to find it empty. She frowned in confusion but shrugged it off and turned to Jet. 

"I'm sure he's off doing something important." Iona said, "Well what do you think so far?"

The Broken Ember camp was impressive to Jet. It wasn’t overwhelming thanks to him being from Sularia but it solidified in his mind that Iona would be fine in his motherland. He knew she was homesick. He felt the sting whenever she thought about something remotely close to the Broken Embers.

Jet chuckled as he watched Iona excitedly get off the horse. He dismounted Rune and held his reigns. He was content with following Iona around, however, he had let his guard down just enough to be swamped by all kinds of women. He didn’t know how to handle this since his own tribe tended to stay away from him. Even in Sularia, he had managed to avoid the crowds. “I’m so–”

He got cut off by his lovely wife and Jet had a stupid smile on his face as she answered all the questions, “Thank fuck that’s over.” He rolled his eyes. “Throwing Hana in next time. She might actually fight them.”

He let a stable boy take Rune after putting all weapons up but his sword. He wasn’t too sure why he needed it but he always felt comfortable keeping it. Looking towards Iona he was quick to catch up with her. “I had to get Rune situated I’m sure he’s pissy.”

He took her hands and felt her skin as he thought about it, “Reminds me of Sularia a bit… With how many tents there are… It’s not a city but it might as well be. I feel oddly at home.” He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

“Come on, I know you are dying for food. I saw you drooling. They can find us. I’m sure rumors spread fast.” He ushered her out and even put his cloak around her. Without his cloak, he looked smaller than most warriors but then again he wasn’t built like the rest of the tribes. Sularian blood ran through him and gave him a prettier appearance which didn’t always go over so well with the locals.

“Iona?” They were halfway to the food tents when a man stopped Iona by grabbing her arm. “I heard they–”

Jet let out a growl and smacked the man’s arm away from Iona making sure not to hurt her. “Don’t touch her like that.” Jet was tall but the lycanthrope in front of him was almost just as tall. There were a few growls between them. “Yes, she got married. Is that a problem?” Jet was almost barking towards him. The audacity of someone touching her like that… It was driving her nuts. They still hadn’t gotten used to the mating ritual yet. The effects it had on them were still strong.

“It’s fucking pathetic,” the man got in Jet’s face.

“Come again?” Jet quirked his eyebrow. He knew what was coming but he wanted to hear it.

“The fact her father let her marry a mutt,” the guy screamed and Jet let out a sigh. “She was mine!”

“For fucks sake,” Jet picked up Iona and gave her a kiss before putting her on a barrel nearby. “Stay.” He took off his weapons and handed them to her. “Hold these. I’ll be back.” If it was one thing that Jet hated it was when other’s looked down on him for his halfling blood.

“You just going to make out with her right there? Not man enough?” The man started to approach and Jet turned around.

“I wanted her out of the way so none of your blood got on her.” Jet’s eyes had turned from their beautiful blue to a raging red. He wasn’t about to shift… This guy wasn’t worth it. “If there’s one thing I fucking hate more than someone touching my mate it’s when someone brings up my mother’s blood.”

“Well, your father must have loved who–” He didn’t get to finish as Jet threw a right hook and followed it up. He grabbed the guy off the ground and picked him up with ease.

“Ma would kill you just for disrespecting her name,” Jet slammed him into a pile of firewood. He rolled his shoulders and took off his shirt throwing it to Iona. “Hold that too.” That was just to show off for Iona.

The two men began to brawl. The lycanthrope tried using his much larger build against Jet but Jet knew how to handle it as he merely tossed the man. The fistfight that came after was short as Jet weaved and dodged before brutally punching the man several times. “Now, fucking apologize to my mate.” Jet dragged him over to Iona.

“For what?”

“For thinking, you were man enough to even be on her level.” Jet growled and stepped on the man’s back making him cry out. “Say it before I break your arms.”

“I’m sorry!” The man yelled and Jet let him go. The force made the man bash his head off the ground.

“Thanks,” Jet took his shirt back so he could get dressed.

"They would probably want to date her too." Iona admitted, "My tribe is very…flexible… no desperate is a better word… when it comes to who they love." 

The truth was that Broken Embers had gained their power and numbers from one thing and one thing alone. Knowing the art of seduction and the desire to have a good time. She listened as he spoke about the tribe and compared it to Sularia. He felt at home, despite the swarm of women that almost ran him over when he first entered. Iona looked over the massive amounts of people and felt the warmth that they brought to her heart. She wasn't the chief's daughter anymore, in the title sense, but she still felt the desire to watch over them when she could. 

"I never drool!" She joked, "I only slobber."

Iona strolled with him through the mass of tents as they followed their noses to the food. Some people waved to her while others just gave her a respectful nod. Although she grew up with the tribe, there were always too many to get personally attached to all of them. As they walked she pointed out certain spots where she used to play or other spots where she had strong memories. Suddenly, somebody grabbed her arm and her entire body froze.

If it was anybody else she would have used her storm magic to shove them away. But she recognized the face of the person who grabbed her. One of her old suitors, Geris. Jet smacked the man's arm away and Iona quickly took a few steps back. She had a smile on her face but there was an uneasiness in her eyes. Geris got in Jet's face then screamed out insults, including calling Jet a mutt. She rolled her eyes at his shouting and then gave Jet a genuine smile as he picked her up and placed her on a barrel. 

"It seems you forget who the hound is. Well give a good beating for me." Iona instructed. 

She decided to stay on the barrel as it was a comfortable seat and a good spot to avoid the oncoming blood. His temper flared as he began to give clear warnings to the man to back down. But the fool didn't understand danger when it came up into his face. Jet slammed his fist into then man's head and followed it up with another punch. Geris' eyes widened in horror as he was lifted off the ground and thrown into a pile of firewood. Iona took his shirt with glee and nuzzled it. Then she stared at his abs and muscles and butt while he fought. 

Jet was clearly the experienced fighter in the battle. As they were fighting, her father and brother approached them. Her father looked fairly pleased at the sight of Geris getting beaten while her brother just looked scared like it would happen to him if he wasn't careful. Her mate dragged the man's body over to her and demanded for him to apologize. After the man spit out an apology, Jet knocked him out with a final blow. Then he took his shirt back. 

"Awww I liked having it." She pouted before stepping onto the man like he was nothing more than a rug beneath her. 

Iona reached up and pressed her lips against his. Then she took him by his hand and led him towards the food huts, watching as other woman looked on with gaping mouths. She embraced him with a sudden hug. While he was distracted with the hug, she made a sign with her hands on his back. In her tribe it meant "Man is taken". Iona then paused and looked at her brother. 

"If he's dead throw him in a hole. If he's living send him to the healers tent." She said, "I'll let father decide his punishment later." 

Her brother quickly got to work and started dragging the body off. Her father came around and offered to show them the way to the food tent. There was more than enough food for everybody despite the large population. Frequent hunts and temporary growing stations along with good trade deals made access to food possible. 

"The man you beat was a previous suitor. While my mother was in the tribe she would keep the suitors away." She explained, "Two years ago she and father had a falling out and she left the tribe. She visits every so often but… the suitors tried to take it as an opportunity. So I made a deal with my father for a foreign marriage instead."