Wheeling Gull Isle teik

do u mind if we backdate this to sayy the 8th? <3 if not we will leave it open ended as far as date!

the land was wakening with a thousand flowers sending ripe perfumes into the hot air over the mangroves. heda had not stopped thinking of that sorrowful, shaking boy at their borders. she could not remember a time when she had ever sent someone away.
but she was a mother now, and she must think of their protection.
still.
heda wound among the mossbathed trunks and at last called for @Caracal, trusting another of the others could watch their expansive offspring for a few minutes. they needed a private moment after the upset of that encounter.

You rang, my dear? Caracal said upon arriving at Heda’s behest, his coat soaked with saltwater. I swear I just talked to a dolphin, he said to explain his dripping figure, then fell silent and attentive to whatever she’d called him here for.

Totally cool with me! Can we update the timestamp so I know where it falls on my threadlog? :)

done!

"that boy," she said with a smile, though she wanted to hear about the dolphin.
after, however. "i think he should come here. he really — wasn't a threat. and we could use a consistent sitter for the pups."

He immediately knew which boy she meant, though Caracal could’ve argued he wasn’t one. Their sons were boys. He was a young man, at least a year of age. But he had no desire to refute his wife, in this or any other matter. With that said, he made a thoughtful face as he considered the decision he’d momentarily thought best.

If you want to give him a chance, then I’ll back you. I just—he’s really immature. I don’t say that to be mean, I’m just stating facts. He might be a handful to teach and we already have our hands full. But, Caracal said, squatting on his haunches and raising both forepaws, again, we’ll do whatever you decide, wifey. And I’m sorry for swearing in front of Kai, for the record. I put two seashells in the swear jar when I got back.

Thank-ie! :)

the breath held unknowingly in her throat was released; heda nuzzled into his fur, lying her head against his shoulder for a moment. "it happens. god doesn't expect perfection, and neither do i." it was part of why she wanted to bring the boy back.
a thought touched her golden eyes. "maybe toward the end of summer or fall we could visit your family, take all the kids and the rest of sweetharbor if they wanted to come," she chuckled, thinking of what a spectacle that would be.
she kissed his cheek. "what did the dolphin say?"

He didn’t quite know whether she was referring to Hviske or himself, though Caracal quickly decided it didn’t really matter. The moment her head made contact with his shoulder, he leaned to press his cheek against the top of it.

Sure, he said easily, knowing it would probably be a logistical nightmare in practice but hopefully well worth the trouble. It’ll be so weird, taking them to the mainland, he posited aloud, wondering if the kids would be excited or maybe scared, particularly Judah.

That was a thought for another day, so he focused on Heda’s next question and sat up excitedly to tell her, I swear to God—oh, sorry—but I’m telling you, it said ‘wazzup!’ to me. I was just out for a swim and it cruised right up to me and said that, then splashed me, laughed and swam away. I saw it jump a little farther out. It was wild.

"weird. and stressful! they're going to run in every single direction," heda sighed in prophesy, pressing a paw to her forehead as she settled against caracal. "wazzup? friendly!" heda exclaimed, softening with a grin.
"imagine having dolphins for regular friends. do you think they'd teach us how to swim like that?" she asked, toting a particularly girlish fantasy of swimming far beneath the surface with the inhabitants of the ocean.

For the moment, he didn’t reply to his wife’s speculations, though later on he would find himself wondering. He had been so invested in simply surviving their infancy, Caracal honestly hadn’t spared a single thought toward what they would be like as they matured and became grownups. It was almost unfathomable right now, though in the nights to come, he would spend hours pondering his children’s futures.

Presently, he laughingly answered, I think we’re a few blowholes short of being able to join a pod, although how cool would that be?!

His eyes glittered as he dreamed of it, his eyes meeting hers as she imaigned it too. For a moment, Caracal indulged them in this fanciful, lighthearted daydream, closing it with a thoughtful hum.

So, back to—what’s his name again? Ah, right. You want him to train as a sitter? he checked in with his wife. I guess we can start that by supervising some playtime with the pups and whatnot. He doesn’t strike me as a particularly confident little fella, so we should probably work on building that up with him…? he thought out loud.

"he is nervous. i think giving him some tasks might help," heda said, glancing at caracal with the suggestion in her eyes that he be the one to offer that. she held the look thereafter, her eyes suffusing with such adoration that she felt compelled to kiss him, to wind her slim pale arms around the shoulders she felt supported all of sweetharbor.
"i'm glad every day that god brought us together," heda whispered, setting her forehead against his. "and that our children are healthy, and our home is beautiful, and we have dolphins as neighbors."

Sure, he said agreeably, though Caracal couldn’t help but think out loud, If he’s prone to nerves, Dinah is going to obliterate him, and chuckle fondly.

All thought of the kids (including the overgrown one) fled his mind as his wife wrapped herself around him and spoke sweet words. Caracal looped his own forelegs around her slim figure, making a purring sort of noise when their foreheads touched. His eyes naturally closed and he tipped his snout to lick the tip of hers.

Mm, me too on all counts, he said with his eyes still shut, savoring the intimacy for a moment before his eyes shot open. Although I do wish we had more alone time together. I think even if we tried to find some, we’d be kidding ourselves that it would last, at least anytime soon. But when the kids are all a bit more grown, I say we go on a hot date… or maybe even a really belated honeymoon. Babymoon? Moon… moon?

heda laughed. "yes. we'll go on a baby moon moon," she jested, kissing his cheek, his eartip. the thought that beyond winter came spring, with new children, touched her mind. and then on its heels came desire.
heda was someone dedicated to her god and to her prayers and to her children; she left room for little else. but caracal reminded her of these things; his goodness, his dedication, the feel of his strong arms around her; 
"i look forward to being alone with you," she decided to say, bold with her gilded glance even as cheeks chastely flamed!

He gave her a mischievous grin and an eyebrow wiggle when she confessed she couldn’t wait to be alone with him. Caracal’s features quickly softened as he kissed her nose, then draped himself over his young wife, breath warm against her temple.

Me too, Caracal said, dipping his head to nibble where her jawbone met her throat.

He wondered which would come first: their family vacation or their romantic getaway? He supposed they would probably happen in that order. Caracal groaned, though it was edged with happiness. He looked forward to both trips, for very different reasons.

Love you, wifey, he breathed against her cheek as he straightened and reluctantly pulled away, lest he get carried away.

As if on cue, he heard the playful cries of children coming closer. That noise quelled the subtle stirrings inside him. He caught Heda’s eye, smiled fondly, winked and then reached a still-damp paw toward her. He was happy they’d stolen these few moments, though it was time to get back to business.