Wheeling Gull Isle the songcord

And just like that, the island emptied of nearly all its inhabitants.

Caracal wandered the shore facing the mainland, a bracing morning wind tousling his red fur. He pointed his fox-like snout upward, sifting through the scents—salt, chiefly—before pivoting and looking toward The Greenhills.

Was @Heda up there? Was anyone else left, besides the two of them? He hadn’t seen Bartholomew in quite a while. Frowning thoughtfully, Caracal howled to let her know he wasn’t going anywhere.

This can be AW/RO if you don’t have room or time.

the land grew silent.
heda exhaled. she watched the ocean stretch out below her. so many had gone. she was happy to have provided succor to the sapphique wolves.
but mireille's absence had left a vacuum, and heda had been unprepared for the loneliness she felt. the salt-draped girl was happy then for caracal's call, and moved down the greenhills to meet him. "it's just us," she said softly, brushing her shoulder against his own.

It made no sense whatsoever, though part of him feared Heda had gone too, leaving him alone in a ghost town. Would he stay here all by himself? No, he realized he would go after her.

But she was here, he noted with a little puff of relief as she descended the slope to meet him. Their shoulders bumped as three solemn words fell from her lips.

Just us and this island, he rejoined lightly. Oh, and God, of course, he added, eyes shining on her face. Hey, I want to ask you something.

it was odd, being without bartholomew.
heda knew before she might have suffered more. but she had become rooted to the island and each day she drew of its strength.
and god
caracal was treated to a soft smile that lit her golden eyes. "ask away!" the saltwolf encouraged, looking into the sunniness of his striking face.

If she was discouraged by their sudden solitude, it didn’t really show. She spoke with that same warm enthusiasm he had come to know and love. Caracal cherished it, actually.

I’m gonna go visit my mom and Killer at Mereo. I’ll just be gone a few days.

He could invite her, especially since leaving now meant Heda would be totally isolated on the island. But Caracal sensed she wouldn’t mind that reprieve much, not if she had her island and her God. She might actually enjoy it, after playing hostess to Sapphique.

When I get back, I was wondering if… He drew in a breath, suddenly nervous despite their easiness. I was wondering if I could court you, Heda.

caracal was leaving, though he assured her he would come back. heda nodded gently at this. her red-run friend enjoyed traveling far more than she, for he had family off-island while she did not.
heda was —
surprised! she gave a light laugh and reddened harshly under her fur, then slowly sobered to think of bartholomew.
she had left him to his god and still there was aching in her soul.
heda glanced down at the earth between caracal's wandering paws. "i think," she said softly as she brought her head up to study the joyous young man who had come to sweetharbor. 
"i think i should listen to god when he puts someone in front of me."
her throat hurt, to think of her mentor, to love him. but he had not been her path.
"yes, caracal."

His heart was pounding, he realized, swaying him along with the sea breeze. Heda could always say “no.” Caracal prepared himself for that possibility, determined not to let it affect their friendship. As long as she was in his life in some capacity, he knew he would be content.

But she said “yes”! He drew in another huge breath, letting it out on a grin. His eyes danced. For a second, he didn’t know what to do with himself. Then, with a boyish laugh, he leaped at her, his forelegs flung wide. He wrapped them around her, pulling Heda against his chest—she could probably feel his crazy heartbeat—before grasping at her shoulders and holding her at arm’s length.

Cool, he said, then laughed and tugged her against himself again, tucking his head over her pale shoulder.

caracal was exuberant. heda let herself be embraced, laughing; she put her own arms around him. for now, nothing seemed as if it had changed. and truth be told, she didn't truly understand what courtship was.
but it sounded — long. it sounded final in a way that she liked. she found herself regarding caracal with a studious look, one that tried to look past his edges to the sort of man he might become.
"when are you leaving?" she asked, attempting not to think of bartholomew.

Well, he drawled when she asked him for a timeline, raising his head to look her in the eye, I was thinking of going right after I spoke to you. But now I’m feeling a little reluctant to leave, he admitted with a huff of laughter. So I think I’ll go tomorrow morning. And I swear I’ll only be gone two, three days, tops.

For no reason in particular, he curled his paw against her jaw, holding her face briefly. Then it slid down the graceful slope of her neck, teasing over her collarbone before it danced over her shoulder and nested in the reddish lock of fur there. He didn’t tug, just wound his toes in the soft strands, kneading them a little.

I wanted to make sure I could offer a real commitment to you, he said quietly. And courting’s not—that, exactly, but I definitely have some strong feelings for you, Heda, and I think it’d be fun to see where they might go. You might even say it’s my biggest adventure yet, he concluded with a soft, glowing smile.

:cheese:

theyre SO CUTE

caracal spoke, and she saw the earnestness upon his face. he had never wavered in his devotion to sweetharbor, not since he had called it home.
heda was not sure if god wound a light into the motes of his spirit, as it was for her. but he was goodness, he was goodness and a constant, like the hymns bartholomew had taught her.
heda stiffened in surprise when he touched her, though it was not to recoil nor to draw away. it was a marvel, the warmth of caracal's paw and the way he combed through her salt-laced tresses.
strong feelings. an adventure.
heda searched herself for something that came close. affection. a gentle camaraderie. she wondered when he had decided he felt these things for her. 
the saltwolf had never thought of romance as a tangible thing; she loved bartholomew but there was no true understanding. not yet.
hesitantly she put out her own paw toward him, trailing it along one of his wrists.
"i will be here when you come back, caracal." her smile wavered only a little, in shyness, in unsurety. but her eyes were resolute, enchanted.

I know, it’s disgusting! Haha, want to fade and have another when he comes home?

Coming home to her sounded glorious, as did having this whole island all to themselves. Caracal wondered if he would eventually miss having others around… but if he had Heda? And the island? (And maybe God too?) Especially if he intended to focus a lot of attention and energy on courting her properly—which he did—then he had a feeling he wouldn’t mind at all.

I know you will, he answered warmly, threading his toes more firmly into the fur growing at her nape and bending forward to peck a kiss to the soft patch of skin between her nose and upper lip.

ABSOLUTELY

it was not loneliness rolling over her, but something like anticipation. "i am going to visit sapphique while you are gone," she decided, that same energy filling the spaces around her soul and settling like a fine lavender mist.
his kiss darted down into her belly; again, that same stiffening and then the flowing out of tension as she accepted the strange wonder of it.
"be safe. walk with god," she reminded him, a smile suddenly fresh and irresistible upon her face.
heda met his eyes once more and then began to retreat with much in her mind and his face now occupying a goodly part of it.