Heron Lake Plateau Just smell with your eyes

Though some might have said their becoming a mated pair was sudden and ill-thought-out -- and at the time, they might have been right -- over the year that had passed since, the bond between Raven and Quixote had deepened into something so intimate and connected that, individually, they were but two halves of a much greater whole. So attuned were they to one another's needs, emotions, and quirks that it often seemed they could have an entire conversation without any need for spoken words at all. A single glance between them was frequently all that was needed for Raven to understand how her mate felt about something.

All of that was to say that Raven did notice something was off with him. She'd noticed for some time now, in fact, but hadn't wanted to press. Qui was one of those types who, if he wanted to talk about something on his mind, he'd talk about it. His departure wasn't what woke her, but rather the dim, unconscious awareness that she was alone. It was a quiet, primordial instinct that made every animal just a little more alert to its surroundings, and as she blinked her sleepy eyes in the early morning light, she saw with a tinge of regret that her subconscious wasn't wrong. For a moment she remained where she lay, gazing off in the direction his scent seemed strongest, before she seemed to make a decision about something and rose to her feet.

His scent was easy enough to follow through the thinly-scattered trees, whose canopy rang brightly with the cheery, tinkling music of spring songbirds. As the sun climbed steadily over the mountain ridges to the east, its watery light angled gently through the dew-damp trees and painted the surroundings with a soft, scintillating shimmer. She loved this time of the day, when the world -- and she herself -- felt rested, clean, and renewed. Somehow, morning always seemed to wash away the preceding night's troubles and worries.

She found him after a while, the shadow of his black form ranging along the scrubby fringes of their borders. There was both purpose and distraction in the way he moved, and she could tell he had a lot on his mind. Mindful of the direction of the breeze, she moved so that it would carry her scent to him as she closed the distance. Soon, she was by his side and for the moment, the gentle brush of her shoulder against his was the only thing she said. Perhaps it was all that needed to be said.