Red paws plodded through the forest. The trees were both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Flint had grown up in the forest, but he’d never explored this part of the woods before. As he feet kept moving, his mind wandered back to the Lunar Meadow, where he’d last ventured. He thought of Maya smiling at him. Her kind eyes meeting his. She’d made him feel better despite all odds. Flint had thought that he’d lost everything. He was separated from his family and wasn’t sure whether they were alive or dead, but he suspected dead. Yet, she’d smiled.
Then, he’d ignored the feeling that started to bloom, but now he regretted leaving Maya. He missed her, strangely almost as much as he missed Jess or Kodi. It confused Flint to miss a wolf he’d barely known, but he wondered if he would ever see her again and wondered what would have happened it he’d stayed. That was all in the past, now. Now, Flint wandered. Part of him was convinced that he was searching for his family, but he wasn’t even sure if any of them were alive. Most of him just wandered because he didn’t really know what else to do. Flint stopped suddenly as a Redwood trunk seemed to grow right in front of him and he nearly ran into it. In truth, it’d been there the whole time and Flint just hadn’t been paying attention.
The male sighed and rested his cheek against the rough bark. Then he stiffened as his ear caught the soft sound of sobbing. It sounded like it was coming from the other side of the tree. Cautiously, Flint padded around the trunk. A bright red tail came into view. Did he dare hope? Flint poked his past the final bit of trunk. There she was. Flint caught his breath.
”Illao?”Illao’s head jerked up. Her eyes met Flint’s fiery gaze.
”Flint?!” Illao stumbled upright,
”You… you’re really here?” Illao hesitantly touched her nose to his fur. As soon as her mind accepted the fact, Illao flung herself into him and buried her head in his fur, collapsing against him with a sob of relief.
”I thought I’d never see you again. I was so worried that something might’ve happened to you like my dad. Did Jess make it out, too? Please don’t ever leave me alone. I can’t be alone again. Never again,” she babbled into his fur. His paws wrapped around her, cautiously as if Illao were about to disappear as soon as he embraced her.
Illao eventually pulled away with a final question,
”Will you stay with me?Flint nodded,
”Always.” It was the first of her questions that he’d answered. All the others had been slurred into her sobs. Illao smiled and wiped at her wet cheeks with a paw.
”Thank you....
Every day had dragged by when Illao was alone. Each one blurring into the next as monotony slowly swallowed them. With Flint, the days were too short. Illao had everything from jokes to deep conversations to keep her feeling alive. She’d even shared with him everything about her father’s death, even though it hurt to talk about it, and Flint had listened, providing the comfort she needed. They wandered through the forest for a while, but when they stumbled upon a comfortable den and decided to settle. Perhaps it’d be temporary, or maybe it wouldn’t, but Illao felt content wherever she was… as long as Flint was there, too.
In a rare moment of solitude, Illao relaxed inside the den, looking out into the sunny world beyond. She spoke softly to herself. Illao had found that her thoughts made more sense when she spoke them aloud even if it was only a whisper.
”I miss Flint. He’s only gone hunting for a bit, but I miss him. We’re together all the time, so maybe I shouldn’t be missing him. Maybe I should be glad to be apart for a bit. I miss him, still. I want to be able to see him. I can’t risk him not coming back. I need him. I need him… He always makes me feel better. Even if we’re talking about something somber, it’s better talking about it to him than talking about it alone. I don’t think I’d feel that way with anyone else. I want to be with him forever. Does that mean I… yes, I care about him but do I… like like him? I think I-” A rustling noise interrupted her. Illao fell silent as her head shot up, alert. It thumped against the roof and she winced.
Rubbing her head with a paw, Illao slipped out of the den to see Flint returning with a rabbit hanging from his jaws.
”Flint!” she greeted with a yip. She raced towards him. She wanted to embrace him, but she held herself back. It wouldn’t be same as it had now that she realized that she…
He grunted and dropped the rabbit.
”Hey, Illao.” Flint smiled at her, his fiery eyes warm and familiar, and Illao felt tingles run down her spine. That had never happened before. Things were a little different now. Illao couldn’t pretend that everything was normal. She had to tell him… but she couldn’t bear the thought of Flint rejecting her. Illao knew he’d never mean to hurt her and he wouldn’t leave her, but it still scared her that he might not feel the same. Flint pushed the rabbit towards her,
”I already ate something while I was out, so this one’s all for you.”Illao looked down at the rabbit, then back up to Flint. She had to do it now before she lost her nerve.
”Flint?” He tilted his head to indicate he was listening, Flint’s version of “Yes?” or “What’s the matter?”.
”I… think I…” Illao stepped closer to him. Her heart thundered in her ear. Why was it so hard to say aloud?!
”I-I…” Flint looked concerned. Illao had never struggled his much to talk.
”Illao, are you okay?’ He stepped toward her and ducked his head a little to inspect her expression,
”Did something happen?”Blaze it all! Illao activated her power and the third eye shone on her forehead, sending her thoughts straight into Flint’s mind,
”Flint, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I can’t imagine not having you in my life. I love you. I love you. I. Love. You. I want to be more than just two friends out in the woods. I want to be with you as more than friends. I want to be mates with you. It’s okay if you say no. I won’t be mad. Maybe, I’ll be a little sad, but that’s okay. Just being with you can be enough.”
The torrent of thoughts flooded through Flint’s mind. He was used to Illao’s occasional use of her power. So, when her power mark activated, he was prepared for the words. What he wasn’t prepared for was the words’ meaning. Illao and him as mates… That thought hadn’t occurred to Flint in a very long time. At one point in his puphood, he’d developed a small crush on her. He used to find himself daydreaming about them being together when they were older. Flint had never told Illao, though. He’d decided to wait to see if she liked him back. After some time of her not showing any sign of sharing his feelings, Flint had accepted that Illao probably wasn’t one and the crush had just faded.
Apparently, he’d been too hasty. Flint analyzed his current feelings, fidgetting with a pebble near his paws. Illao was important to him and he cared deeply about her. He’d probably die for her. But did he love her romantically? Was this what true love felt like? It wasn’t like his crush so long ago, but that had just been a silly little crush. Then, Illao had been the interesting new pup. Now, Illao was familiar. Flint felt like he knew her almost as well as he knew himself. So, this was real. He hadn’t recognized it as love, but it had to be, right?
”I love you, too,” Flint responded, softly,
”And I want to be with you, forever.” Illao squealed with joy and tackled him, playfully. She licked him and nuzzled him. She’d never been like this with him, before. Flint smiled and tried to lick her back, but Illao was squirming around so much, he kept missing. Finally, Flint firmly wrapped his legs around her smaller form, so he could lick her cheek. At the last moment, Illao turned her muzzle and they touched noses instead.
”I love you,” she whispered, aloud.
...
It felt like almost nothing had changed. Being mates with Illao was basically the same as being close friends. The only difference was how intimate she would be. Illao would lick and nuzzle him throughout the day and cuddle up close to him at night, occasionally they became even closer. It felt nice. Flint felt happy. Life seemed to be finally back on track since he’d lost his siblings. Flint had a mate and den. There was the possibility of pups in the future as well. Illao seemed open enough to the idea. Life was good.
But, some part of Flint felt off, dissatisfied. He argued with himself that he had everything he wanted. Perhaps, he was just missing his siblings. He decided to approach Illao about the idea of look for his siblings. He was sure she’d agree to it, but the right moment to bring it up never seemed to arise.
Every now and then, Flint enjoyed a solo hunting session. Though he didn’t mind Illao’s nearly endless stream of conversation, he also liked the moments of silence solitude gave him. However, whenever he came home, Illao seemed almost panicked. She tried to hide it, but Flint could tell that being alone would never be something Illao enjoyed. So, those solo trips became rarer as time went on.
One night in the den, Illao started talking about her family. She talked about her faded memories of her mother and sisters, and how she wondered what they were doing now.
”Seasons ago, I might’ve said that I miss them, but I don’t think I do anymore. I would barely recognize any of them if I saw them. Besides if I was with that family, I wouldn’t be able to be here with this family… our family.”Flint saw his chance,
”Our family? As in Jess, Kodi, and Toki? I’ve been meaning to ask you… Do you think that maybe… we could go look for them? I know they're out there, somewhere.”Illao looked a little surprised, then her expression quickly became sad.
”Oh… I didn’t mean… Flint, I was trying to tell you that I’m expecting pups.” Pups! Oh power, pups! A mix of excitement and terror filled Flint. Illao kept talking.
”But we can still look for Jess, Kodi, and Toki! We’ll just have to get back here before the pups arrive or we can find a den on the road. I-””No! Flint cut her off in panic. Illao’s ears flew back at the volume of the word.
”No…” Flint said again, more softly,
”I don’t want to risk losing you or the pups. We’ll just stay here.””Alright,” Illao licked Flint’s cheek,
”The pups come first, but afterward, we’ll find them.”-Thread End-
