"It's good they get a little scared now and then. Otherwise they'll get too comfortable."

They needed to return at some point, much to her disappointment. She swam to the edge of the pool and dragged herself out. Her clothes made her a heavy stone but she managed. They made their way back to camp and Jet offered one of Hana's clothes to borrow. She would have to thank Hana later and possibly apologize for borrowing without asking. Iona took the dress and changed into it in Hana's tent then came back out. The dress fit her fairly well, though loose around her arms since she lacked the arm muscles. 

Once she came back she listened as Jet explained the next step and what they would be discussing. He told her about how he would be fine with whatever she wanted. A smile formed on her face as an idea popped into her head. The elders were all together and she had Jet by her side. 

"Tomorrow. I want to marry him tomorrow." She boldly declared. 

The elders were frozen with shock and even her own father seemed flabbergasted. They clearly had been expecting some sort of resistance and far more time. 

"We can't do tomorrow." One of the elders protested, "There wouldn't be time to prepare a ceremony or-" 

"Forget the ceremony!" Iona asserted, "I'd like to be married as soon as possible."

She turned to Jet and gave him a little smooch on the cheek. 

"I won't get a catch like him in a hundred years." 

Jet put his arm around Iona’s waist. “I think I can solve the issue of the ceremony.” He waved his hand.

“MA! I’m not having a wedding and you have to deal with it!” Jet yelled at seemingly nothing.

There was a portal with an explosion as Angela came through. Angela was coughing and waving her hand, “What?! What do you mean?!” Trygve ran over and helped her through the portal.

“Iona wants to get married tomorrow. So, there’s no time.” Jet waved his finger.

“No son of mine is just going to elope!” Angela got red in the face. “WHAT DO YOU NEED?!” Angela got with the elders and she gave them everything they would need. “NO, SON OF MINE IS NOT HAVING HIS WEDDING BECAUSE OF ILL-PREPAREDNESS.” Angela put her hands on her hips.

“Ma, your hair is smoking…” Jet pointed.

Angela picked up her long hair and blew on it. “It’s fine. Alchemy. It happens. I have to inform your siblings of the wedding.” Angela put up her hand. “We don’t miss a party. None of us.”

“She’s the master of weddings… and she hates it when her sons just elope,” Jet whispered to Iona before kissing her temple. “So? Tomorrow night? Tomorrow is a full moon… Did you do that on purpose?” He looked at Iona.

To her surprise, Jet seemed to have a plan. He shouted at the top of his lungs at the air. Then she remembered how Angela was always there to keep Hana in line. Perhaps she always had an eye on her kids. Suddenly a portal appeared with an explosion as an upset Angela stepped through. Jet played her like a fiddle and got her to take up the mantel of preparing the ceremony herself. Jet gave her a kiss on the head and asked if she chose tomorrow on purpose. 

"Of course!" She smirked, "I knew it would be more fun that way." 

Iona had her doubts on whether a legitimate ceremony could be pulled together by tomorrow night but chose to say nothing. Either way, she was determined that she would be a wife by tomorrow night. Ceremony or no ceremony. However the fact that all of Jet's siblings would be showing up made her wonder how many people would be at the wedding. 

"Jet, out of pure curiousity, how many siblings do you have?" Iona asked. 

She had to guess at least seven, six, eight or possibly even ten. His family seemed like it was a large one. Since she was going to be his wife, she also wanted to know this information in case they chose to visit in the future. 

Jet held a look for a moment, “Not all of them will be here. A lot of them are busy but I have… over one hundred siblings…” He looked at his mother who was scolding Trygve by grabbing his beard.

“When was the last time you washed this?”

“You aren’t my wife.”

“You damn well need one,” Angela said with concern as she waggled his head around holding his beard.

“You need a new dress since Jet ruined yours~” Angela spoke calmly as she kept pulling on Trygve’s beard. “Luckily for us… The bitch is doing her rounds.” It was clear who they got their attitudes from. “So I told her she was fat~”

“ANGELA YOU OLD FUCKING HAG,” the voice thundered from the horizon as a group of dragons appeared.

“Oh good, you’re here.” Toya flew down on a red dragon as she landed skidded off and decked her sister in the face.

“That’s for calling me fat!” Toya yelled angrily. “What the fuck do you want?” A ten-year-old boy with blonde curls hopped off of the dragon and came over near Toya.

“Well, Jet is getting married… I need to borrow Kite for his wife. She wants to be married tomorrow.” Angela huffed a bit. “I wouldn’t have called you for any old reason.”

“Oh… could have said that instead of being a bitch.”

“It’s for the boulder that went through my window this morning.”

“Oh… AURORA YOU LITTLE SHIT,” Toya screamed and a woman who looked like Toya hid behind the dragons that landed. “STOP PESTERING YOUR COUSIN! PUNCH HER IN THE FACE LIKE I DO YOUR AUNT!” Toya screamed.

Jet leaned over and whispered to his bride-to-be, “That’s my aunt Toya.”

Hana was over on the ground with a small grave the size of her shoe. Jet quirked an eyebrow.

“Hana? What are you doing?”

“I’m holding a funeral for your balls now that you are getting married.” Hana was praying and clapping her hands. “Please grant Jet’s balls a new lease on life in his next life. Thank you.”

Her eyes widened with surprise at the number of siblings. Over a hundred?! Iona knew right there and then that she would never volunteer to host any family gathering events. Angela approached them, still holding onto Trygve's beard, and calmly spoke about getting Iona a new dress. Then she mentioned a bitch and how she told her she was fat. Iona's brow furrowed in confusion until she heard a booming voice from above.

A group of dragons approached with a red dragon as it's leader. The first thing the dragon rider did was punching Angela in the face. Jet then told her that woman was his aunt Toya. She could only see the family resemblance with Hana. Iona looked around and spotted Hana who was holding a mini funeral. She was holding a funeral for Jet's balls. Iona covered her mouth to keep herself from bursting with laughter. 

Eventually preparations for the wedding continued and Iona was introduced to a tall blonde man named Kite, the person Angela got punched in the face for. Iona sat him down and talked with him over the dress. She wanted something loose and more comfortable than her last gown. Iona wanted to keep the lace but add a new veil that incorperated flowers. Iona gave him her measurements and anything else that was needed. 

After dealing with the dress situation, she went in search of Jet. It hadn't been long since they parted but she had a few things to ask him. Once she found him, she grabbed his hand and began to inspect it. 

"Your hands are warm." She observed before putting his face next to her hand, "Can we agree not to have any secrets between us? Honesty is important to me and I've seen what can happen when a couple lies. Even the little white lies." 

Kite sat in front of Iona and sketched loosely the dress she wanted. A fox woman was with him looking over his shoulder. There was obvious romantic signs between them as Kite would reach up and take her hand whenever she gave him a good idea. He showed her the sketches and let Iona pick one. “I can have it done no problem. Anythings for a favorite cousin~”

Jet was busy trying to get his nerves down. He had his shirt off and he was hurling axes into a target. Once he saw Iona he stumbled a bit and missed his target. “HOLY SHIT JET!” One of the men yelled as the axe was implanted above his head with force.

“Sorry!” Jet yelled with a cringe before looked at Iona as she took his hands. “I was… trying to not be nervous.” He tilted his head as he held her hand to his face. “You can trust that I’m not going to lie to you, Iona. I promise on my name as the warrior of this tribe.” That meant a lot especially since he was a leading position. It was a promise on his life. “Hana was right. I am loyal and you give me no reason to doubt you.”

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Don’t you worry about none of that with me. My mother would fucking kill me before you ever had to.”

She only realized after the fact how much of a distraction she'd be the moment she stepped in the room. Iona couldn't help but smirk at the fact that her mere presence was more than enough to distract him. Perhaps he would be this shy later on when there were less clothes involved. Now that she had secured his oath, she felt confident in his honesty and in herself being honest to him. She was determined to avoid the trappings of her parent's temporary marriage. 

"Excellent. Now I want to give you something. The gift I gave to you ended up going to your sister." Iona said with a small smile, "So I have something else to offer you."

Reaching into her sleeve, she pulled out a piece of lace that had been untied from somewhere. It was too small to be something from her hair. Too long for socks or shoes. Placing the item in his hand, she moved in close, inches away from his ears. 

"I'll let you guess where it came from." Iona whispered. 

With that, she left the axe throwing competition and headed to her own tent for some rest. It was only in her tent that her face turned pink as she realized exactly what she had done. Iona wanted to give him the lace but the delivery and behavior were all completely improvised. Slamming her head into her pillow, she gave out a little squeal of excitement. Had she known this was how it would have turned out, she wouldn't have been as worried before. 
—————————–
The day passed quickly and before she knew it, she was dressed in a new lighter wedding gown with a veil tucked underneath a crown of flowers. Her makeup and hair had been prepared to perfection. Beautiful and enchanting music flowed from outside her tent as she stared at the mirror that was provided for her. Iona's stomach was in knots and her face was like a stone statue. For some reason she felt nervous. It was the exact opposite of the confidence she had brought earlier. Perhaps now… now she had something to lose. Something was at risk. 

The bride took a few moments to breathe and walked around the small tent, wondering when they would call her to step into the night of marriage and festivity. Her two friends had left to go join the rest of the crowd, leaving her to her thoughts. Iona remembered the promises that Jet had made to her. The oaths sworn to her and only her. And she too had sworn the same. She couldn't doubt him now. With a sense of regained confidence, she continued to wait for her cue. 

Then she saw her father step into the room. His eyes grew wide with amazement at his daughters shining beauty. Yet in his heart he knew he would miss her dearly. Her father cleaned up his watered eyes and held out his hand for Iona. She took it eagerly and stepped out from the tent and into the moonlight. The sky above was a tapestry of diamonds and light. The path before her that lead to the pavilion was surrounded by paper lanterns. Each tree had a shining lantern of blue, purple, white, or some other color that represented a night theme. A bonfire had been prepared for dancing and warmth while clean wooden tables were prepared with dishes yet to be touched. 

The pavilion was the shining jewel of the space. White little cosmos flowers surrounded the pavilion's grass while the roof of the pavilion left a circle just fit for the full moon to shine through. Each column of the pavilion had fairy lights wrapped around it while the view from the pavilion showed a beautiful grassy field embraced by the stars. The sight of everything left her breathless. His mother certainly knew what she was doing. She followed her father's guidance up to the pavilion where he handed her off to the most wonderful sight of all. Jet in an outfit that his mother picked for him. 

This was it. 

Jet had been flustered since Iona left him. He had never paid attention to the women kin of his tribe. He was always working to make his father proud and the one woman he had been interested in… He couldn’t have so he let it all go. Iona was awakening it all in him. Angela was finding it all amusing. Jet knew where the lace was from. He kept it with him for the next day thinking about it.

–

Angela did Jet’s hair for him. It looked so neat compared to how it normally was. He wore a deep blue tunic that had sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It wasn’t fancy but it didn’t outshine Iona or the night. He looked well put together for how the men of tribes normally were. He was clearly groomed. His eyes were glued to Iona. The tribes stood up together as Iona came through with her father.

Angela stood off to the side with Trygve and gave Iona a nod. They would be blessed by the Mother Moon tonight and not her. This was tribal tradition. Iona was handed over to Jet and they stood in front of the tribe’s shaman. She gave a great speech about the joining of tribes. While Jet and Iona weren’t marrying for love they were for their respective tribes.

“Jet, have you decided what you will offer Iona?” The Shaman looked at him.

“I will bear the mark of marriage on my body for her.” There was an audible gasp. There was whispering. They were a political marriage and they must not have expected it. “But also… For my wife to be.” He motioned to Hana who was dressed like a proper lady. “The symbol of my mother’s people. The lapis lazuli…” He pulled out a beautifully crafted ring. “Your dress was crafted by the first part of the pair so I thought it was only fitting that the second part of the pair craft your ring. From Sularia, made by the blacksmith Tempest… I give you your band. The most precious stone in all of Sularia.” He slid it onto her finger and it fit perfectly.

He leaned in and put his mouth to her ear, “You really shouldn’t tease me. I’ll think of you more as a fox than a wolf… Should I call you my little fox?” It wasn’t loud for anyone else to hear thankfully. He pulled back with a grin.

“Iona, do you have something to offer Jet?” The shaman seemed pleased with all of it.

Iona had been fortunate that Tempest was suck a workaholic as she had been able to forge her two gifts in a matter of moments. She had pulled Tempest aside earlier and asked her to melt down some of her other silver jewelry to make something better than a piece of lace or an axe for his sister. Something that he would able to wear on him whenever he went and in whatever form he took. The ceremony was begun with a brilliant speech about joining of the two tribes. The Shaman then turned to Jet to ask her what he would offer. Then he spoke of bearing the mark of marriage on his body. Iona's tribe had their own version of this. Instead of tattoos it would take form of a piercing. But the message was still the same either way. On the outside, Iona was calm and happy. On the inside she was squealing with joy. 

An excited shiver ran down her spine as he pulled close to her and asked if he could call her his little fox. Starting with nicknames already? Iona smiled at him, knowing she would have to come up with something clever later. The ring he handed her was gorgeous. The Lapis Lazuli was a deep blue with speckles of gold hidden inside. The symbolic nature of the ring and its connections to his life, to his history and to his identity was as valuable as the actual gemstone. Soon it was her turn and the Shaman asked her what she had to offer. She turned and one of her friends handed her a small wooden box. The wooden box was carved by the people of her tribe, showing symbols of flames and the shattering of the sun. All symbols with deep-rooted traditions and memories. Before she lifted the lid, she turned to the Shaman. 

"I too will bear the mark of marriage." She announced before lifting the lid. 

Inside was a ring made up of the silver from her melted down jewelry pieces. The image of a threaded wolf paw was on the front and sides of the ring. It was something she asked Tempest to do personally, as it represented the thread of life mixed with the life of a wolf. The brooch held the symbols of fate which bound and moved everything in the known and unknown universe. She reached for his hand and placed the ring on him. Then she took the silver brooch and placed it in his hand. 

"The ring symbolizes life in both forms and offers you protection in whatever form you take." She explained, "The brooch represents the threads of fate which bind us to every destiny and destroys every path."

She leaned in for a moment, for barely a second and was able to whisper a phrase. 

"If I am the fox, then you must be the hound." She smirked. 

Soon the Shaman continued with the ceremony. 

Jet was more than happy to hear that Iona would bear the mark representing the two of them. If they were going to give it their all they needed to respect traditions for such things. His eyes looked down at the ring and they lit up. He knew Tempest’s work anywhere. The half lycanthrope was going places for sure. The brooch was just as impressive and he knew it would fit his cloak just fine.

A smirk came to his lips as he got called a hound. This would be their life then. The shaman looked between them and nodded as the drums of the tribe grew more intense. “These two wolves are mated for life unless they cannot get over their differences. Iona Ravin, do you promise to always put the tribe first and work as the beta’s wife to resolve any and all issues that you should find? You must remember that soon we will pass the torch and the chief will change. This also means that your time is coming as well Jet… Are you prepared?”

“I am,” Jet nodded and looked to Iona to make sure she was ready for such a thing too. Though he guessed she was used to the responsibility from being the Broken Ember chief’s daughter. Once Iona had said her peace the shaman took the blood of a fresh kill from the day.

“This is Jet’s kill. He demonstrated his skill to us from an early age. Know that the bloodline you are joining is fierce. The first to shift of his age. The first to take his own kill in battle. The first to hunt. The traditions in our tribe dictate that these be drawn upon the body as you will see once he is marked for marriage,” the shaman educated Iona softly. “If you were part of this tribe you would know this but since this was pushed fast…” The shaman held a glare at first. “However, it will be Jet’s job to fill you in on everything you need to know.”

Jet could feel the shaman’s hate for their decision. These things were often taken slowly, however, he had no issue teaching Iona. “I swear I will teach her our traditions and learn her own as well. Don’t fret too much.”

The shaman released a sigh and shook her head, “I’m not worried too much about you.” Hana put her hands on her hips as their eyes met. Clearly, the shaman was worried about the other half. “Going back to the task at hand… I will now mark you both with the blood of Jet’s offering.” The Shaman moved quick to draw symbols on both of their necks. The symbol of marriage that they would later tattoo somewhere else. “A wolf’s weak point is their neck. I choose this spot to bless you by the Mother Moon.”

Jet moved his neck when he had to but he kept his eyes on Iona. There was a calm to his eyes even when he flinched as the shaman drew her mark. He was cautious and hardly let anyone that close. Iona would be his exception. Once the mark was done the shaman lifted the bowl and let out a loud chant. Magic bound them and Jet became extremely aware of Iona’s existence. Her scent, her breathing, anything that was her… It made him freeze up. The tribes blew up in celebration as everyone got up, the music shifted to a lively celebration, and Jet scooped Iona up to give her their first real kiss.

“If I didn’t want you back then… I certainly do now,” Jet whispered into her ear as he hadn’t put her down. The calm in his eyes was filled with anxiety of what would come.