The Sentinels Take me out, and take me home,

Anyone wanting to intercept Ibis? Heat thread 4/5.
Estrus: 5-13 days long (receptive in final 5; high fertility).

The grey haze of sky brought with it a chill not unlike winter, with a metallic quality to the air foretelling a possible shower, but it did not dampen Ibis' spirits. If anything, it invigorated her. The warmth of bodies-pressed-to-bodies was a glorious thing she had discovered and she could not stop thinking - what would it be like in the rain? She had tried this game of dancing-too-close with a stranger and then with someone she knew; once in the mountains, and once in the glen of the valley. Would it be different out here, surrounded by these towering trees while the sky raged?

She could not help but fantasize dashing through the ruins, or perusing among the blackened trees choked by thick moss, discovered by Mal again - or another stranger - maybe a woman, would that be strange? Ibis was not squeamish about sharing herself; she wanted to enjoy this new use for her body, and if it felt so good she figured, there couldn't be harm in it.

Lenny is right on the cusp of heat. She'll probably smell of it.

Everything was so hot and uncomfortable and gross right now, and Lenny sought out the sea. Torbine was by the water, and the ocean spray had always helped her when she felt sick before. Her skin crawled underneath her fur and she felt... 

She didn't know how she felt.

The girl was almost to the ocean when she caught wind of a familiar scent, tinged with something much sweeter than it had been before. It was... far more enticing. Lenny approached the smell and found, much to her hazed delight, that the little princess from before was here.

"Hey, uh, Ibis, right?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as she approached, tail setting off at an easy wag behind her. Why did the little wolf seem so much... prettier than before?

He had come drunkenly in pursuit of Lenny. She'd lived west, and he'd headed west. No, he'd never love her the way he loved Deidra. But she was cute, and charming, and if he got high enough maybe he could imagine she was Dei. Just for a minute. 

He'd wandered too far. Of course. He was always damned to this, life was one long torture fest and poppy seeds and Deidra were the only things that seemed to relieve his sorrow. The former was not near enough to comfort him. The latter might be- and so he searched for a couple of minutes in the lighter grasses of the shore. There he found what he delighted, plucked it and consumed it. It would take a few minutes to kick in. 

But before it could, new scents came to him on the breeze. 

Were the seeds hitting early? Or had he been blessed by worldly angels? He followed as a mindless boy whose mind only further melted as he walked, tied to the invisible rope. Lennie. And- another beautiful creature. So small, so delicate, so beautiful. Both of them smelled of heat, the stranger much stronger than the other, and he couldn't help the reaction his body naturally had to that- though he shamefully kept it subtle as possible. 

Greetings, Lenny. Greetings, Miss... He paid each of them a respectful nod, though tail wagged slightly behind him, revealing the eagerness of his thudding heart.

How serendipitous that she find others roaming this forest! The chances were slim, or so she believed, unaware of how false fate truly was in this little written universe. She was imagining all kinds of things to herself - lewd things, tricky things, innocent games and curiosities, when a familiar voice drew her out of her head; when Ibis looked around she didn't see anyone at first, which was odd. Maybe her imagination had taken on a life of its own? Oh - but she smelled something too, almost like lillies, but cloying like fresh honey, and that drew her around the base of one massive tree to where Lenny lingered.

A shaft of light caught upon the girl's smooth, dark face. Warming the silver-blue of her eyes a touch, and drawing Ibis' attention because of it. She recalled the woman from days ago, and found her eyes roaming across her to trace the white blotch at her breast, and back again. Oh! Hello, she murmured, and would have said more - but someone else came along.

This second shape was vastly different. They were young, like Ibis. Pale, except masked, and at first she thought it was Mal following her - perhaps eager to play another game, but as soon as she thought of that she wanted to deny him; it hadn't been enough the first time. But this stranger's face was a little wider, and their eyes softer. When they spoke it wasn't anything like Mal's deepened voice, and there was a calm affect to how they moved -- oh, she was staring.

Ibis, she introduces, side-stepping around poor Lenny in order to drift around this newcomer; he was more intriguing to her because of how unknown he was. And why did his eyes look so big? How soft his coat appeared, luxurious and healthy... Soon she had pranced all around him like a hungry little bird trying to find the best piece of suet; and then she was sidling up to Lenny again, conspiratorial, and asks her (not all that quietly:) You know him?

Everything seemed like it was dialed up to eleven. The smells were sweeter, thicker, there was a haze around the edges of her vision, and her entire body was so warm. And Ibis was... well, she was suddenly very beautiful and alluring and Lenny, very suddenly, wanted to do whatever she wanted to do. Forever.

Until the spell was broken and another familiar face showed up. Fionn approached them, pretty and striking as he had been before, still smelling of those herbs. A smile crept across her face, but was quick to vanish when Ibis suddenly turned all of her attention to the boy. 

Hey. Lenny wanted that attention.

"Yeah, uh, he was a sparring buddy a little while ago," she told Ibis and offered Fionn a wag of her own tail. "Hi, Fionn. Nice to see you again." Maybe a little too nice, if her body had anything to say about it.

Still, this was a game. It was more fun that way.

Lenny moved to rest her chin on the nape of Ibis' neck when she came back over and leaned in, moonstone eyes flickering over to Fionn in a sort of challenge. Come play with us.

Ibis. Wide ruby eyes gazed at her with something like nervousness as she danced around him, picking him apart like a celebrity on a red carpet. Was something wrong with his appearance? Could she hear his heart thumping wildly in his chest? He gulped down the lump in his throat, and did everything he could to surpress the natural excitement that rose in him as her scent trailed in fragrant ribbons after her. 

And then she was away, and he was practically leaning forward after her as she slunk up beside Lenny again- asking if she knew him, to which she answered truthfully. Nice to see you again. You too, Lenny... and Ibis- it's a true pleasure to meet you. Lenny leaned into Ibis, though her gaze teased at Fionn. Electricity ran down his spine- were the poppy seeds hitting yet, or was this something else entirely? 

We should, um... We should spar again. No, that didn't feel right. It wasn't that he wanted to spar, really. He just wanted to be near them... the words didn't come, and instead he crept forward carefully, hesitant like a shy fawn. Eyes flickered between both of their lovely faces. Has anyone told you two ladies how, um, beautiful you are? I, I just... Ah, there it was. The lack of control over what he was saying that came with the seeds. While he murmured it, he would come up close to Ibis in particular, nose sniffing eagerly at the hormone-tinged air like a curious rabbit. All the while his dark tail wagged back and forth behind him, betraying the tension that had begun to build within him.

It relaxed Ibis a little bit, knowing that this wasn't a stranger to Lenny (who, themselves, was just barely not a stranger herself so really why was her opinion even a part of the equation --) and whatever misgivings Ibis had, thin to start with, evaporated. She would have sauntered back over to Fionn when he began to speak; except that Lenny had placed her chin across Ibis' neck. Having grown up as quite a physical creature with her brother, cuddly and loving and all kinds of affectionate, this sort of physicality was deeply missed and kept her locked in place. She turned her attention slightly inward, basking in the company of the woman long enough to miss the exchange of looks from shadow-to-stud.

It was Fionn's compliment that roused Ibis back to the conversation; he stumbled somewhat over his words, but they seemed genuine, and as much as Ibis appreciated the sentiment - she couldn't help but gawk at him and laugh. The tittering of girlish laughter erupted from her, filling the sequoia woods with mirth that wasn't meant to be antagonistic in any way, but it did hold a slight edge to it.

Aw, he's sweet, Ibis murmurs thoughtfully, leaning in to Lenny. She focused her attention on her periphery, as that was the best way to look at the dark smudge that was the woman, and added: First Mal, now this one - how many cute boys are following you around? There was a michievious tone to Ibis' voice as she mentioned the dappled young man, but she didn't elucidate.

Cute boys were following her around? Lenny had certainly not been aware of that. A look of bewilderment crossed her face as she looked from Ibis to Fionn. Was the boy cute? Perhaps, but she hadn't really... thought of that, really, until now. Now that she was warm all over and felt the strangest of urges toward both of the individuals in her vicinity. 

Weird. 

And beautiful? Lenny hadn't been called that much before. Kyr was certainly the more beautiful of the two - lithe and slender and quick, not stocky and strong like Lenny. 

"Are you going to stand over there all day, or are you going to come here?" she asked Fionn suddenly, surprising herself, and nosed at Ibis' ear. "We need to..." She wasn't sure. What did they need to do? She looked at Ibis, hoping for an explanation.

a little bit of assuming they'll allow stuff here, but they can move away if you don't want em to recieve :)

Her laugh made him feel self-conscious, suddenly on display, vulnerable. Was he not bold enough? Ought he be more manly, less hesitant? It was not in Fionn's nature to be straightforward, but feeling like he was mocked, made him want to show the girls that he wasn't just a sweet boy. He could be fearsome, tough if he desired. And that scent was still intoxicating him- goddamn. 

She called him cute though, and that was invitation enough, as he felt his cheeks burn warm with bashfulness. She was saying something else about some other guy but he couldn't much hear it anymore, and soon Lenny was drawing him closer too. Her voice trailed off just when he needed some direction... but instinct was enough to fill in the blanks. Ruby eyes gazed upon them both like lovely goddesses; he flickered back and forth between them indecisively.

Both were beautiful- but Ibis had that aroma that was all the more magical. He would not leave anyone out, though, and planted a kiss of his tongue on Lenny's cheek. Soon though, he was prowling around them, feeling less civilized and more animal. His body did the decision making, his heart too. His mind was somewhere far off, only vaguely grateful for what was starting to feel like a wonderous opportunity. Fionn began to quietly preen at Ibis' neck and ears, slowly trailing down her spine if she would allow it... though his gaze flickered up awkwardly to Lenny occasionally, and yet somehow her being there made things all the more... exciting. Electric.