It was nearing the middle of October but crickets and cicadas still sang in the night. Peregrine shifted where he lay in the grass, his ears pricking as he listened to their soothing hum. He heard a howl off in the distance and it caused his ear to twitch. He instinctively turned his head to stare off in that direction, though of course he couldn't see anything due to the distance and darkness. The sound tapered away into nothing.

Feeling a bit restless, he rose to all fours, crossing the rendezvous site and heading further down the western side of the caldera. On his way down the slope, he came across Pan's scent trail. He began to track it without thinking, then caught himself and turned, resuming his earlier trajectory. He missed his lover but intended to give Pan some time and space to sort out his thoughts and feelings. Should Pan approach him, he would not turn him away but Peregrine would not seek him out either.

He made it to the foot of the mount and dropped his nose to comb for other scents. In lieu of tracking his lover, perhaps he would stalk his mate instead. Or maybe he would just find some small prey to hunt. He pondered the options as he glided through the deep black October night.

Something was… off. Fox couldn't quite place it. She felt more alive, more energetic, more feisty. Perhaps that was what sent her after Peregrine in the middle of the night, stealing away into the darkness like the sly creature that she was. Silver eyes darted here and there, though there was little light to guide her. The air was cool—cold, even. In no time, snow would cover the mountainside and leave it a white wonderland.

She slowed when she picked up on his scent, nostrils pulling in the cool night air mixed with Peregrine's musk. It was fresh, and she grinned at the thought of seeing him. In fact, it made her downright giddy. Adding a skip into her step, she went as quietly as she could until she was only a few yards away. Once there, she began stalking him like prey, head below her shoulders as she licked her lips.

He continued stalking through the breathless night, momentarily unaware that the hunter had become the hunted. Then a little breeze kicked up, soughing through the grass like a whisper and scattering leaves that made delicate scratchy noises as they tumbled together. These noises masked his mate's footsteps, though nothing stopped her scent from blustering into his nose. Peregrine stopped like he'd slammed into an invisible brick wall.

He turned, their eyes meeting even as his widened. "Your scent..." he said, tone colored by surprise quickly morphing into delight. He felt a tightening in his belly as he prowled toward Fox, suddenly more predatory in manner. He wasn't after meat, though. A different kind of lust pooled in his bloodstream.

He quipped in a sultry whisper, "Unexpected." But not unwelcome. With a breathy growl, the Alpha began to nose and lick his mate, a little rougher and more eager than usual as he brushed along her muzzle, her fine cheek bones, the curve of her neck...

He noticed her with the change in wind, and Fox pricked her ears forward when he turned and locked eyes with her. "Your scent…" he said, quietly. At first, she was not sure what he meant. But his immediate change in posture and attitude tipped her off quickly enough. "Already?" she thought, perturbed by the notion that it could be time already. She did not choose these things, though. Nature had a way of doing whatever she wished with her subjects, and Fox was much too weak against those forces to reject them.

A tingle of anticipation and excitement coursed through her when Peregrine drew close, licking, nipping, and nosing her. Fox's tail flitted anxiously back and forth, though it was not the type of anxiety that edged her away from her mate. Instead, she found herself returning the sentiment, lingering on Peregrine's scent longer than she normally would have.

Beyond his initial surprise, Peregrine didn't question the timing or what it might mean for the litter that resulted from an early autumn conception. In fact, he didn't think at all. Instincts took over as he continued to preen her. Soon, he made his way toward her enticing hindquarters. He nibbled along her hip bone, then swung himself around so that he stood behind her, staring at all her lovely curves.

Without preamble, he went from four feet on the ground to two, his forelegs embracing her and tugging her closer to him. Normally he might have paused to make sure he had her consent. But nature was in the driver's seat today, so Peregrine simply obeyed his hormones and began their sybaritic dance.

Like Peregrine, Fox didn't stop to think about the implications of their acts. She'd never thought about it before, so why would she start now? Instead, she allowed herself to succumb to the dance that they had danced countless times before. The movements were easy and familiar, a script that had been rehearsed so often it was muscle memory by this point. Not to say that it was boring, of course.

The chorus of night critters provided the music for their timeless dance. Peregrine found himself getting lost in all the sensations. He lowered his head, arching his black muzzle toward his own chest and pressing his face into the space between his lovely wife's shoulder blades. He breathed against her red fur, rapidly at first and then slower as they struck their rhythm. Then his breaths came faster again when he began to guide them toward the culmination of their mutually pleasurable caper.

A long groan announced the grand finale. Peregrine then fell silent and slack as he clung to Fox, blissfully exhausted. He planted a kiss on each shoulder blade, another at the nape of her neck and then one further along her spine before he twisted to dismount. Their bodies remained tethered, so he didn't go anywhere, though he curled in such a way as to continue affectionately preening his mate.

"I just put so many babies in you," he joked, his muzzle brushing against a velvety red earlobe. It was meant to be playful, though the sensuality of it caused the simmering fire in his belly to begin roaring again. The best part about this whole process was getting to do it over and over and over again.

It wasn't until Peregrine spoke that it really sank in. Babies. Fox let out a half-hearted, "heh," though her heart was racing for reasons other than their pheromone-induced tango. If that was the case—if Peregrine had just gotten her pregnant—their children would be born in the middle of winter. Quite possibly the worst time for such a thing to happen. Fox began to panic, though she did not voice her concerns. It was easier to keep them to herself, especially when Peregrine still seemed locked in that blissful after-sex paradise.

Suddenly, Fox wondered if there was anything she could do to stop the process. Maybe a naturalist or a healer could help her figure something out. Having kids now simply wasn't an option in her mind. They would barely have a chance.

Eventually, her body and Peregrine's disengaged (lulz), and Fox pulled herself away from him. "Perry…" she began, licking her lips. "I don’t think… I don’t think we should have. I don’t think we should again." The thought of losing children due to the colder weather was too much for her to bear.

Peregrine could practically hear the *bah dum tss* when Fox spoke. Still caught up in a euphoric cloud, he blinked owlishly. Perhaps her brain was firing on all cylinders but his decidedly wasn't. Instincts ruled at present. How could he think about anything (other than boning her, of course) when Fox's scent lingered around his head, affecting him like a drug?

"Shhh," he murmured, batting playfully at her, snuffling flirtatiously in her ear and otherwise paying no credence to Fox's valid concerns. "A little less conversation, a little more action," he quipped (unknowingly quoting an Elvis Presley song), giving the Alpha female a sleazy wink with his good eye. Even if she wasn't game right this very second, he was determined to seduce her again. Nature demanded it of him.

Peregrine reacted as she thought he would, so at least it wasn't a surprise when he completely dismissed the notion that this might have been a bad idea. In fact, he seemed intent on doing it more. Fox huffed, knowing that explaining things further would require more energy than she had. So instead, she opted to let herself flop to the ground and began to snore only moments after. What? Lovin' was hard work!