Blacktail Deer Plateau Feverpitch

 

So many of the pack was sick. Catori so far had avoided catching the same symptoms as her family but still she's was slowly burning alive. She knew instinctively that in the next couple days she would end up isolating herself from the rest of Morningside and only allowing Grayday near. After the rough edict he had given she didn't think anyone would be foolish enough to disobey him - and certainly not stupid enough to try it with her. 

She crossed along the snow covered borders - making sure she marked them frequently enough since so many had chosen to ignore their place on the plateau. It made her worried about when her own children might come along, with any luck they would be long gone. 

Forrest had had her hands full, what with nearly all of the men sick. Luckily, the children had stayed (generally) healthy, so her work wasn't nearly as tedious as it could have been. The cold weather did nothing for her joints but worsen the aches that she got throughout the day, and with so much work to be done at home, she hadn't had a chance to take a break and visit the hot springs!

While everyone was off to their own devices, Forrest slipped away to the border, ready to make her temporary escape. Had it not been for the familiar image of Catori down the borderline, she would have bolted straight across as quickly as her old bones allowed. But, for the sake of bonding, Forrest decided to stick around. Tally ho! she cooed, drawing in near, How are you, dear?

Catori wasn't alone for too long, a thing she was both the unique combination of loathsome over and grateful for - in her solitude her thoughts just kept circling and circling. It was Forrest, and Catori ground her teeth for a brief moment as she willed her body into a bit more of a relaxed state; there was no use fretting over her own packmates after all. She trusted them. She valued them. "Consumed," She said with a wistful sigh, giving a shake of her coat to disrupt the snow that had settled there. 

"I don't imagine it will be much longer before my heat has completely overwhelmed me. It's that slow burning ache that promises soon, now." She admitted. She was a frank thing, and it didn't embarrass her to admit what was happening. Why would it? She was only able to really predict within a week, at max two, she'd be swept up into pheromones and hormones and nature's dangerous demands. It would be nice though to have a partner through the process - and then their babies, well, that was the end goal. "How are you doing?" She asked curiously, trying to focus on something other than the nagging itch deep in her bones. 

Having not at all been taken aback by Catori's natural posturing, Forrest smiled and sighed. I know the feeling, she admitted. Three litters later, and she was sure she'd never wanna do it again. I'm alright, just been looking for you, stranger! It's my job to keep an eye on you, remember? It didn't look too good to have "patient neglect" on Forrest's reviews so she tried to stay as up-to-date as she could.

With few males in the pack, all of them either mated or otherwise deterred from mating this year, Forrest didn't think that Catori was in any sort of danger. It was an idea that would linger, though, no matter how ludicrous. Is this gonna be your first time? she asked, wondering if Cat had any previous experience as a mother.