Caracal’s lips pursed as he stared at the mainland, devoid of any familiar faces. He drew in a deep breath, then let it out on a sigh. He turned, walking along the beach a while before deciding to head to the forest edging the island. He found a seabirds’ nest on the ground at the foot of a tree, perhaps knocked down by the temperamental winds as the seasons prepared to change. There were four eggs tucked inside it, two of them intact.
He devoured the two cracked ones, shells and all, then carefully rolled the remaining pair into his mouth. They clicked against his teeth as Caracal headed toward The Greenhills, eager to deliver breakfast to Heda but moving slowly on account of his precious cargo.
He found her at the crest of a slope, where the views were the most splendid. Caracal stopped and dropped his head, gently depositing the eggs in the dry grass near her feet. He smiled at his successful delivery, then raised his head to behold Heda as she looked down at herself in wonder. He cocked his head and smiled.
Morning! I brought you—
he began to say when the scent finally hit him.
He had smelled it before, on other she-wolves, though he’d never been this up close and personal with someone in heat. Caracal gulped, just barely stifling the impulse to inhale deeply. His mouth started to water, which was kind of weird.
It was a little difficult to focus, so he held his breath as Heda spoke. She mentioned a presence, then prayers and dreams. Caracal emptied his lungs with a quiet whoosh and tried to ignore the lust humming in his veins.
Tell me about it,
he urged her, even though a baser part of him wanted a little less
conversation, a little more action, please.
Her mood was infectious, no doubt because of the heady pheromones swirling around them both. But seeing Heda happy always made him feel glad, no matter what she smelled like. Caracal’s eyes danced as he watched her spin. A loud puff of laughter escaped him.
Today I learned sunshine smells fantastic,
he said, giving in for a moment and drawing her fragrance deep into his lungs.
His heart skipped a beat—possibly even several—at Heda’s next words. Caracal gazed at her, expression guileless. He knew the hormones were likely the catalyst for this moment, though it wasn’t as if it was a hasty or impulsive decision otherwise. They had been cruising toward this destination all along.
In response to her exclamatory proposal, he sprang at her, wrapping his forelegs around her and then kissing every part of her he could reach: her forehead, the corners of her eyes, her cheekbones, her jaw, her neck.
Yeah,
he exhaled into the curve of her neck, then chuckled and rocked her, crooning,
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know, dear…
He drew back to peck her on the tip of her nose.
How much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away…
My sunshine,
he murmured against her throat, teeth pressing ever so gently into the tendon there when her scent stole his breath again.
When he drew back a moment later and saw tears in her eyes, Caracal frowned. Had he hurt her? There was nothing upset about her expression, though. Perhaps these were happy tears.
Nonetheless, he kissed them away before moving back again at her question. He didn’t know if there was some sort of ritual to this. He just assumed they made the vow to one another. Perhaps they could—no, should—do something to commemorate it.
Would you like to do anything special to mark the occasion,
he asked, smiling softly as he tacked on, wifey?
There was one thing he could think of that would be a very fitting way to celebrate, though Caracal was still doing his best to resist her siren call. Surely she would be in the mood to consummate their marriage at some point, though he hadn’t forgotten her boundaries. It was hard (lol) but he intended to respect them and wait for Heda to initiate.
What,
he joshed her without missing a beat,
you mean you don’t want to be Mrs Redhawk, after all?
He pretended to pout for all of three seconds before huffing another laugh. It was strange to think of shedding Redhawk, though perhaps he could just scoot it to the middle. And as far as a new surname went, he wasn’t picky. He wondered if Heda had any more specific ideas.
I’m down with whatever you choose for us,
Caracal said, his stomach doing a happy little flip-flop as he smacked a kiss on her cheek.
He supposed they could take Sweetharbor or maybe even Wheeling Gull (maybe Wheelingull?). That thought prompted another, hilariously invasive thought. Caracal started cracking up.
Picture this,
he said,
sotto voce, moving away so he could sweep his arms across the vista.
We could be… the Wheelers!
Heda promptly tabled the conversation. Caracal gave an indignant squawk, then winked at her right before her gravity drew him back in again, like the moon tugging on the tides. But she was the sun, so what did that make him? Caracal inwardly rolled his eyes and stopped thinking about metaphors.
You are,
he agreed in a happy murmur, peppering her neck and shoulder with kisses.
And from there, he couldn’t resist. She smelled
so good. Caracal trailed kisses, licks and nips down her shoulder blade, sent a letter to her
heart. His own heart thrummed in his chest as his nose skimmed down her ribs. When he reached her hip, he nibbled tenderly at the flesh beneath her pale fur.
Despite telling himself to yield a moment ago, he suddenly moved back to put his face close to hers, whispering huskily,
I want to make love with you, sunshine. Can we?
ALL THESE LINKS <333 feel free to timeskip or fade
make love.
heda could not say she had ever heard the words before, but the implication of them jarred her breath, gilt eyes flying wide for a moment before she averted them with a virginal sheepishness.
her chest seemed as if it were filled with galloping hooves. she glanced back toward their neat little den at the peak of the greenhills, and then around at the wild land which surrounded she and caracal, the dome of blue sky above and the grey-blue sea encircling the richness of sweetharbor.
he touched her in a way she had not before; whispering in a voice she had not heard before; heda shut her eyes and leaned back against him, tonguetip touching his lips in something not quite chaste but without force.
unable to speak, she only nodded, trembling in a good sort of way.
the expression in her face now, a reassurance, trust that he would guide her through this event horizon with the gentility she needed.
He felt a pang of guilt for asking when he’d meant to leave the ball entirely in Heda’s court. He just couldn’t quite help himself. His wife was, in a word, irresistible.
She nodded, though he could tell that she was nervous. Caracal was more excited than anything—that little dip of her head
did things to him—but he was a little anxious too. He’d never done this before. He had a vague idea of what to do but he wanted to make sure it was as pleasant for the Mrs as he knew it would be for him.
Don’t worry, we’ll be awkward, fumbling virgins together,
he quipped, nudging at her with an elbow before tucking a reassuring kiss behind her ear.
As much as Caracal wanted to take her right then and there, he bumped his hip against hers and then motioned forward with his vulpine snout. He led Heda downhill, toward the field of lavenders. They wouldn’t bloom until later in the spring—right around the time she bore pups, should they conceive today—but it was one of her favorite places, where she might feel the most comfortable.
When they arrived, Caracal turned to face her. He thought about checking in with her about what this likely meant: they would not just consummate their union, they would likely create life! That was kind of a big deal. But they’d already established that they wanted to be parents, so he decided they could discuss it afterward.
For now, he resumed showering her with affection, every kiss more sensual than the last. She was right. She was the sun at the center of his universe, the source of all things good and light in his world. He was right too. God was a girl and her name was Heda
Wheeler.
I went for the fade, though I’d love a followup soon!