The signs had been subtle at first, but the pups hadn't taken long to announce themselves to the both of them. At times, Israfel watched Samia as she slept, the slow rise and fall her of chest offtset by the growing abdomen. He would watch and think, and all kinds of questions would start to exist alongside him there in the darkness. At one point, it had been his mother sleeping, and his father watching, or Rogue watching and worrying just like him. His mother had left though, and his father raised he and Moonfeather along for long stretches of him. Israfel never resented his mother for it, and he could understand it too, but it didn't make him worry any less. What if he ended up like that? If his mother and father's imprint bond hadn't been strong enough...What could he do to make sure they didn't end up like that?

The thought had spurred him into action. He had made his intentions clear to Thor, and he'd quickly prepared Samia to travel to Spirane. Israfel wasn't sure if there was some kind of secret to making sure two individuals stayed together, but he'd try anything and everything he could. The first step, according to him at least, was to secure Samia's companionship through more than their imprinting. Imprints were one thing, involuntary and unexpected, but mates? That was voluntary. To Israfel, that made a great difference.

He'd been thinking about just that when she queried him on rabbits, and he shook his head as he came back to reality. He grinned with his usual confidence. "There's plenty of rabbits there! Once we announce ourselves, I'll settle you in and go gather some up for you," he offered as he loped towards her, practically sighing in relief when she pressed up beside him. Being close to her always seemed to put his mind at rest, or at least ground him enough that no thought or feeling could shake his resolve. Israfel had heard others call their mates and imprints their 'rock,' but he disagreed with that. Rocks could be washed away, displaced, or broken up by wind and rain but Samia? No, she was like a great, ancient tree with roots that reached the centre of the world. Even if the wind shook some branches free or fire charred the bark, the tree was always the most stable thing there was. Nothing could uproot it.

He rested his head atop her shoulder, though he nipped at her ear playfully when she began to fret over the den. He'd heard that before! He'd been trying to return to it as much as he could, just to put her at ease, but it didn't surprise him that she was worrying. After all, they'd returned after so many years for it but instinct had demanded she make a new one. He gave her stomach a quick glance, his eyes narrowed in reprimand. To think the pups were making her worry so much already and they hadn't even started with the biting and the yapping!

"Well, it wouldn't come to fighting! I'd catch us all a nice, fat pheasant and we'd talk it over, and they'd give the den back and help put it all back in order for us too," he said with his head still atop her shoulder, though he knew she'd be able to feel his grin as he drove his muzzle into her thick, pillowy fur. "But nobody's going to steal it, don't you worry. I made it obvious we'd be back for it, and anybody who doesn't listen will have to apologise. I think being the childrens' chew toy would be a good way to say sorry, don't you think?" He moved back from her so he could look into her face, broad grinned with a hint of a laughter in his eyes. He remembered being the chew toy. That was punishment.

"If you're feeling up to it, do you want to keep going? We're close now - I can smell the borders just ahead of us." He pointed upwind, where the ground began to slowly rise. "I want to get you somewhere warm before it gets too dark. The snow out here can be something else!" He didn't want to rush her, but he certainly felt a special kind of urgency. Spirane could be far more wild and unruly than Glorall, and besides...He wanted to know who was still around. He had wanted to revisit Spirane for his father's blessing, but he hadn't been able to check in ahead of time. What if they had arrived too late? He hoped Samia couldn't feel the way his heart seized up for a moment, though his eyes flashed with worry nonetheless. She already had enough to worry about as it was...Israfel hated adding to that.