The Sentinels Heat II

Private for @Iota!

Calida had left the grayscale male behind, continuing her way west across the coast. His scent clung, heady, in her red fur, and it was only now, away from him and his intoxicating scent, that she thought of Iota. A sharp pang of... something - regret? uncertainty? - picked at her, and she lifted her muzzle to the skies to call for him.

Iota had taken much time to ponder his options since wandering into Calida's life that fateful night... He had had time for little else but pondering, in fact. Though he was by nature a social creature that thrived on conversation, it had been important to him that he sort out his thoughts. There was something about Calida, some small piece of something relatable within her, that had clung to him like a spring rain. It had left him feeling similarly warm and heavy... When her voice rang out to him, not for the first time, he perked immediately and steadily pushed on towards the increasingly familiar song. "Hello again," he chuckled, his tail wagging gently as his eyes crinkled in a smile. 

(@Calida sorry for the wait!)

Iota appeared, and Calida was thankful that he had no gotten lost again; she had pushed on ahead to scout the way home. She smiled tentatively at him, but now that he was close, she felt the familiar stirrings within her. She hadn't even known the man she'd laid with before — but she knew Iota better. She was drawn to him, in more ways than one. She met his gaze, warmth creeping up to her face, then she pushed forward to brush her cheek against his, as once more her instincts began to get the best of her.

She met his gaze and her eyes betrayed her smile before her lips did. He felt his breath hitch as she pressed her cheek to his, and equally following his instincts, he leaned into her touch readily. A soft sound escaped him, not quite a sigh, but something lighter... had he the ability to blush, it was likely he would have from cheek to chest. "I... missed you..." he practically breathed, almost surprised at his own candor. "I shall not leave you wondering after me again. My mind is made up to follow you, wherever that may lead me... Should that please you, of course." I want to be near you...

Fade to black here?

For some reason, she couldn't speak. She could only gaze at him as he spoke, and then she pressed herself closer, rubbing her side against his. She wanted him close — always, or, that's how it felt at the moment. A soft whine was pulled from her muzzle, and she pressed deeper into the trees — she would not have another female interrupt her again. Sheltered now, the scent of her heat filled her head; she felt dizzy, almost, and wanted nothing more than for Iota to be near her, to touch her.

It was as if their souls were dancing, each twisting up in the other like smoke dances with fire, or the waves dance with the shore... He followed where she led him, further into the trees and...

FADE TO BLACK

His breath came in shaking waves when they parted, and nothing he could do would pull the smile from his face. He stared a moment at the silhouette of her face bathed in starlight, before he closed the distance between them again to place a series of gentle, passionate kisses to the base of her ear and jawline. "Have you ever been caught in a moment you wish didn't have need to end?"

She wished it didn't have to end, but she knew better; she would be expected at their new home eventually. This is where the first of her anxieties began — what if she was pregnant? She had not one, but two dalliances — and with two different men! She began to feel the stirrings of guilt and shame, and these overrode the pull of her season. Quietly, she murmured, "Yes... but, we've delayed too long. Let's keep going... and hope Lane will even let us in." She didn't know if she would be kicked out or not, but she wasn't one to run away from her commitments. Then, she sighed, getting to her paws, hoping that the rest of their journey would go smoothly, and that no more surprised happened.