he thought he'd been the one doing the hunting, not the other way around. his attention had been set on a pair of rabbits when she'd sprung her attack on him, his eyes widening as she leapt for his side.

"woah, wo-" was all he managed to get out before he scrambled backwards and ended up tripping over his own legs. not a moment later and he was back on his feet, slightly embarrassed but ready to rumble nonetheless. and so it was with a playful growl in his chest that he sprung forward with a paw aiming for her shoulder, a mischievous smirk wide across his features.

if not for the layer of fur, one would have been able to see the blush upon his cheeks at the realization of how weak his strike had been. flustered at his own assult, he just barely had time to register her counter attack before he felt her aim strike true.

immediately he began to wiggle backwards, hoping to somehow free himself from her hold. should that not work after a minute or two, he'd aim to throw his weight against hers in an attempt to send them both tumbling to the ground.

"pinned ya!" he exclaimed, tail proudly waving behind him as he looked down at the now trapped ying. mischievously he stuck out his tongue and squeezed shut his eyes, a childish expression he used to tease the adults with whenever he got in trouble as a child.

he stayed like that for a moment or two before her prodding encouraged him to move, which he did. carefully he moved himself to mimic her position so that he might be laying on his back beside her, his attention now set on the cloudless sky above them.

it was difficult to keep his attention on anything but ying when he had a pale snout poking at the side of his cheek. slowly, he let his eyes roll to the side so that he might watch her nudge at him over and over and over.

playfully, he swung his tail in her direction, hoping he might smack it against her side. "i'm more of a lover than a fighter" he let out, the proof evident in his scarless coat. fighting for any reason other than what was absolutely necessary was unimportant to him. he'd much rather just get along with everyone and have fun instead.

he let out a chuckle at her response before he quickly whisked his tail away in the opposite direction of her teeth. "been asking around about that volcano" he let out just before he turned to his side and gently blew some air in her direction.

a general location as to where it might lie would certainly help, though so far he hadn't gotten much insight. "what about you?" he wondered as she leapt in his direction, legs braced and muscled tense as he prepared to take on the full force of her attack.

he relaxed as she came to rest atop him, his snout reaching up to poke at the bottom of her chin. "oh?" he let out with a tilt of his head, his mouth forming an 'o' at learning she'd been hunting her enemies.

it was hard to imagine her with enemies given he'd only seen the best side of her so far. "like what" he wondered aloud after she revealed there were bad things happening, his mind wandering with the ideas of what terrible things could possibly be going on.

a fighter he most certainly was not, but helpless? "you'll protect me?" he asked, ears cupped forward as he pulled up a paw to place on her chest. "that's hot" he let out with a smirk, tail swaying lazily as he looked up to meet her gaze.

he'd keep an eye out for these attacks, but overall remained unworried. if he couldn't fight them, he'd outrun them. "you be careful too, even fighters fall sometimes."

"not forever", he'd be a fool to think his body could keep up with his adventurous nature till the end of time. "but i want to see the world while i can. before i have a family and responsibilities that keep me in one place".

"i will visit though..." he let as he rolled to his stomach, lips parting to speak once more "...as long as you promise to go on more adventures with me". ying's company was enjoyable, and he felt a sense of fascination when by her side.

he knew at some point it would end, though a part of him selfishly wished it would not. "you have a curious way of choosing a mate" he thought aloud, not bothering to hide the twinge of sadness in his tone.

quietly, he pulled himself upright before moving in her direction, aiming to place his forehead against her own should she allow it. "i will miss this, when it ends" he admitted as he sucked in a breath, content to enjoy her touch for as long as she would let him.

he let out a soft chuckle at her words. "i will not be pretty when i am old" he warned, knowing full well that his youthfulness would not last forever. he imagined ying would hold onto that fire within her no matter how much her bones would ache in her later years.

"but i would like that" he finally let out after releasing a sigh he'd been holding in. they would each live out their life as they saw fit, and if he could do so as her friend, then that was good enough.