Sun Mote Copse sea of trees

They galloped around the copse in tandem, one or the other pausing now and again to hike a leg (in Njord’s case), squat (in Meerkat’s case) or rub themselves on the rough bark of a tree. Every time she stopped, Meerkat also made a point to scuff her paws in the soil, their soil, before springing fleetly after her husband.

Time passed in a blur as they finished their circuit and plunged back into the copse’s heart to spread their scents there. Soon the place was drenched in eau du Sveijarn-Corten and more than a fair few pheromones too.

Meerkat led her mate toward the river at the foot of the mountains as the sun began to sink in the sky. Had they really spent a whole day here? She felt spent in the best possible way. Although they’d already made a pass through here, she dropped to the grass on the bank and began to roll, smothering herself in the scent of the land now. She belonged to it as much as it belonged to her.

I don’t want to leave, she admitted in a whisper, eyes seeking Njord’s from where she sprawled contently on the shore. Tomorrow, let’s bring the girls here. We’ve marked it, now we need to settle it. We can go back and forth while we transition, since it’s not so far…