Swiftcurrent Creek pardesi

in the days following his and @Dawn's tryst, realization had settled slowly in the pit of his stomach. it might not have in any other season, but so soon after the debacle with vidya and rajendra. . .he was well aware of the perils of their respective fertility. if things went according to nature's plan, events would transpire quite quickly. children needed a foundation—

and two loners adrift in the mountains did not a good foundation make.

they made their way down from the crags, finding themselves near a swift-flowing stream he'd encountered once or twice before. adi was too close to the maplewood for comfort, but he didn't have a choice, now. by sowing his seed, he had sealed his fate. her fate. and now they must make some sacrifices.

a scent or two along the border was familiar to him, though he couldn't place any of them definitively. there would be time enough to figure all of that out. aditya howled, his call for an audience shivering over the valley, then cast a silent glance at dawn. right now, introductions must be made, and invitations hopefully handed out. . .

he supposed they could go elsewhere. but time moved more quickly than careful deliberation would allow.