Jade Fern Grove the ending and the beginning

@Libeccio. Dated for c.3/20/17

The sun crept through small openings in the thick canopy, creating a magnificent show of the evening's rest. Noor watched from beside a tree as the beams slowly grew darker with each passing moment, soon enough being replaced with the silver reaches of moonlight. She bent down and took a bite of the small hare resting at her paws. In the nearby distance, one could hear the low calls of nightcrawlers, though Noor was confident in thinking that she was alone. She stood and began to make her way deeper into the wood, and consequently, farther from the safety of her home.

As night descended upon the Teekons, a lone Libeccio sought shelter beneath the canopy of a great fern laden forest. He slipped beneath the curled fronds in complete silence—naught but a whisper on the gentle evening breeze. So far, his solitary existence was proving far more tolerable than the doldrums of his previous life. There was no council to scrutinize his every move; no higher ranked members to tell him what he could and could not do on any given day. He appreciated his freedom perhaps moreso than he would have as a younger boy, and was glad that he'd held out as long as he did.

The winds shifted then, and brought to him a scent that he'd been explictly forbidden to pursue: the heady aroma of a she-wolf's heat. He stopped dead and his heart skipped a beat. Slowly his head turned to face the wind, and his leathery nose flared as it drew in more of the telling smell. Nothing prevented him now from following through with the lust that was beginning to burn through him, right down to his loins. They nearly ached with pent-up desire. Libeccio changed course suddenly and, with ears perked and nose stuck out, went off in search of the alluring she-wolf. 

It didn't take him long to spot movement between the trees, and he quickened his pace to close the distance between them until he was mere yards away. Libeccio came to a halt and his eyes sought her own. He called out to her with a friendly chuff, but the rumble that was echoing deep in his throat bespoke of his raw need. But he hung back, patiently waiting for her to decide if she would entertain his company or not.

The sound of another approaching put Noor on edge. She sat back on her haunches in one quick, instinctive swoop and pinned her ears back against her head. A chuff was uttered, to which she did not reply, though she made sure to keep her gaze focused on the male's movements. She knew the connotation behind his rumbles and growls which only served to make her all the more nervous. As Noor waited in the silence for him to make the next move, a weak threat of her own rolled from her throat.

Libeccio was not a passive creature by any definition, but he was not also out to take advantage of her fortunate (for him) situation with violence. He splayed his ears submissively when she rumbled a threat of warning, and waved his drooped tail in an attempt to diffuse the tension but he didn't back off. If this was to be his only chance at siring children, he wasn't about to let it slip between his hands by being too nice.

A wary glance was sent left, then right, but he saw no other rivals lurking between the trees. They were alone. He stepped a little closer, and was almost in reach of her flank; the heady scent driving him nearly mad with desire, but he somehow kept his wits enough to offer her a glance and a whine of placation. He wanted to speak, but was there reason for it? His need was clear as day.