Swiftcurrent Creek It's only smellz

Even though Bazi insisted she wasn't mad—which provided some relief—she was still keyed up about it and Relonkiv sensed that powerfully. He remained pancaked on the ground, whatever pleasure he'd derived from hip-checking his foster mother long gone and forgotten. Except... even as she reassured him, that delicious aroma wafted around them, causing a strange tugging sensation in the pit of his belly now.

He was having a difficult time focusing, much less understanding the adult's gentle but firm reprimand. "What I do?" he asked, so he could be clear what not to do ever again. "Go bumpy?" he guessed. Did this mean she didn't want to wrestle or cuddle anymore, either? His heart squeezed. Then again, this hadn't been either of those things, not really... there had definitely been something different about it, just like there was something different about her smell.

"Why you thmell weird?" he asked baldly in the next beat, his nose wrinkling. It had something to do with all of this; he just knew it!