Once they’d worked their way past the many townsfolk waiting in line to barter at the temple of Valta, Winters and Veera arrived at their destination. Stepping inside the temple of Tyrdus they found an unexpectedly relaxed scene. A few villagers were there discussing trades or work, but it was clear that following the preparations for the festival, the craftsmen were enjoying a well-deserved break. A few were sipping on what appeared to be tea. Winters was unable to locate Zolta after a quick scan of the room, but he did see Zolta’s master sitting on a bench against the left wall. As they approached him he looked at Winters and waved in greeting.

“Ah, hello there human! How goes it? What brings you here?” He asked.

“We’re here to return the cart you loaned Winters a couple days ago.” Veera began to explain. The smith looked at her as if just noticing she was in the room.

“I don’t remember addressing you, mutt.” He scoffed. Winters frowned and felt his hands move to his weapons, a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed. Veera however, laughed at the offender. Winters relaxed only slightly.

“Can you understand the human?” Veera asked with a hand on her hip, challenge in her eyes.

“A good question smith, can you?” Winters chimed in, raising a brow. He already knew the answer.

“No.” The burly Cauthan responded flatly.

“Funny thing…I can.” Veera commented idly, stroking her earpiece. “He gifted me the ability to understand his language. He even allowed Zolta that honor for a time. You…not so much.”

“Get to the point.” He demanded. Winters placed a hand on Veera’s shoulder and spoke. She translated for him seamlessly, smiling at his display of protection. She loved it when he drew those little circles on her fur with his thumb.

“Originally I came here to return your cart and to offer my thanks to you and your fellows. The wood you prepared for my shrine was well shaped. I had hoped to discuss further business with you. After the festival has passed I intend to go on the hunt. I’ll need weapons, equipment, and surely a few skilled hands to work with what I manage to acquire. However…” He paused and shrugged, looking idly around the floor of the workshop. “It looks like there are plenty of options for me here. I’m sure there are others who won’t take issue with this fine young lady. Or maybe I’ll just ask Zolta. He was quite inventive when I needed a quick fix for my sword.” Winters continued, giving the smith an arch look. It was clear the point was being made. Forging weapons would be a lucrative job, even if the human needed nothing else.

“I-I’m sorry human, I meant you no offense. Surely we can come to an agreement? I’m sure you’ll find my work to be quite satisfactory.” Winters paused and looked at Veera. She met his eyes. A silent understanding passed between them as she swished her tail sharply. Most of the other craftsmen had grown quiet, and were giving the altercation their full attention. As guild mates they all had a shared interest, but the individual craftsman actually doing the work always took home a larger portion of payment for a job. It was an opportunity they’d clearly not pass up. Winters shook his head.

“No…I don’t think we can. You see, it wasn’t me you offended. Well I suppose you did offend me, but only because of what you said to Veera. You owe her an apology sir, not me.” Winters concluded, seeing the gratification on Veera’s face as she translated word for word. Discrete laughter met his ear from some of the other craftsmen. He didn’t really know or care if they held Veera in any higher regard, but they certainly got the message and would keep their mouths shut in the future. That was enough for him. The Cauthan before him bowed his head, his sense getting the better of his stubborn pride.

“You have my apologies Veera. I hope we can both put this…unfortunate incident behind us.”

Veera wasn’t usually one to enjoy a power trip, but then again she’d so rarely ever been in a position of power she didn’t know what to do. What she did know what that she found immense satisfaction in the smith’s forced humbleness. Knowing that Winters likely considered the point made as he squeezed her shoulder, she nodded stiffly with an angry flutter of her feathers. “I hope so too, for your sake. You’ll find your cart out front. Where can we find Zolta?” She asked sharply, only interested in the briefest of answers.

“In the storehouse.” He pointed to his left at the doorway to the cavernous room full of stockpiled material. Winters and Veera departed without another word. They found Zolta in the back corner of the warehouse. He was sitting on a stool in front of a stack of stone. They could hear a faint scraping sound coming from his direction. Walking closer they noticed he’d taken to grinding the stone he’d found in the river against the much larger stationary surface. He seemed to have developed a rhythm, polishing the area in question with sandpaper after the major imperfections had been ground down. He was wearing a thick leather glove on his dominant hand, allowing him to apply a significant amount of force without having to worry about sanding down his claws or fingertips. He was holding his right wrist with his left hand, putting his whole upper body into the motion. Winters and Veera looked at each other for a long moment.

“If she turns him down, that girl and I are going to have words.” Veera whispered. Winters nodded, saying nothing. There was nothing to be said, really. He knew exactly what was driving Zolta. Fight for her. Win her. Protect her. Love her. In that moment, watching the kid strain himself over the stone, Winters knew he’d make a fine mate and was glad he’d extended the boy his help.

“Hey, Zolta.” Winters called, knowing the Cauthan would only recognize his name. He stopped and turned to them, giving a curt nod of acknowledgement as Winters handed him the translator.

“Hello Russell, Veera. What do you need?”

“Not much. Just stopped by with that cart and figured we’d check in on you. How’s it coming?” Winter asked.

“Can we see it?” Veera asked excitedly. Zolta glanced away in embarrassment but eventually presented the stone with a shrug. It was almost complete. “Oooh, it’s beautiful Zolta!” Veera exclaimed. Winters had to agree. Io’s choice had been inspired. The stone’s original rough look had been due to various imperfections that, when sanded and smoothed, had revealed silver flecks under the surface, like mica. Zolta had said Asha possessed light gray fur and green eyes. The stone would match both. Nearby Winters saw the wooden cradle the stone would rest in. Zolta had already smoothed it down into a rough oval, though it retained a wild and chaotic nature thanks to the warped grain of the wood. He’d bored a small hole in the top, through which a supple leather string was threaded.

“I think she’ll like it Zolta. We won’t keep you.” Winters offered.

“It’s alright, I could use a break anyway.”

“Oh? Well then.” Winters leaned against a stack of timber. “Thought about what you’re going to say yet?”

“No.” Zolta hung his head. Veera sighed.

“It’s hard, isn’t it?” She asked, placing a hand on the kid’s shoulder.

“Yeah. I don’t think I could stand it if she said no.” Zolta confided. Winters was about to say something but Veera shot him a sharp look.

“I remember being rejected.” She told the young apprentice softly. “It cuts deeply, every time. But that’s the risk we all have to take. None of us would be here if our parents didn’t do the same, right?” She reasoned. Winters felt his gut burn. Io saw fit to give him a look as well. He was sure they were thinking about the same thing, his capacity to hurt Veera. Zolta huffed a short breath before replying.

“Yeah, I know Veera. I told Winters the same thing the other day though. Knowing doesn’t make it any easier. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about what happened to you. But at least you have him now, right?” Winters and Veera looked at one another, unable to affirm or deny what Zolta had alluded to. Zolta gave them a confused look that morphed into a disbelieving grin.

“And yet here the two of you are, trying to give me advice?” He joked. Veera slapped him on the back of the head.

“You watch your tongue Zolta, especially when you’re talking about things you know nothing about.” She ripped into him with a seriousness that caught both him and Winters off guard. “I’ll be the first to admit that my relationship with Russell is complicated and unorthodox. But he’s been through things you can’t imagine. You’re lucky to have his help at all. If he set his mind to it I’m sure he would have multiple offers this year.”

“I never said it wasn’t good advice. Sorry.” Zolta mumbled.

“Eh, don’t worry about it kid. You aren’t wrong, but you’re still a snarky little punk.” Winters winked at them. “Besides, it’s been that kind of day. Your master didn’t help matters.”

“He called her a mutt, didn’t he?”

“He did, and Russell was more than happy to put him in his place.” Veera remarked proudly. “Thanks for that, by the way.” She gave him a winning smile. Zolta shook his head.

“He’s a good smith and a great teacher but he’s always been…opinionated.” The kid lamented.

“Then you keep learning from him. No one says you have to act like him too.” Winters insisted. “When this festival is over, I think I’d like to commission a couple of jobs with you if that’s alright.” Veera gave him an approving look. Zolta shook his head though.

“You’d have to go through my master. I’m not allowed to take any jobs on my own yet.” He told them. Veera saw that fire in Winters’ eyes that surfaced whenever he was told he couldn’t do something. Her feathers waved at the scorching stare.

“Is that so? Well, I wouldn’t want to rock the boat too much. Very well, I’ll make sure I only deal directly with the…adults.” Winters drew out the last word, getting a quizzical look from Zolta. Veera got his meaning and bared her fangs at him. I love it when he does that, gets ready to break things. Winters continued as he and Veera made to leave. “Don’t worry about it Zolta. Thanks for giving us the heads up. If you want to talk before the festival, come by Veera’s place tonight. It’s along the blockhouse, outer ring, northeast side of the village. It’s the one with the shit door.”

“Russell!”

“What? It is a shit door.”

“Well yes but…” Veera gave him a hurt look.

“It’s also the one with a massive amount of firewood around it. You’ll know from the smell. Best fish stew you ever tasted.” He draped an arm over Veera’s shoulder. She slapped him on the chest before leaning into him all the same.

“You think you’re so good, don’t you?” She purred up at him.

“Well when you react that way it’s hard not to think that.”

“Ok, goodbye now!” Zolta almost shouted at them in an exasperated voice, tossing the translator back to Winters. Their antics were driving him up the walls again and his break had gone on long enough.

“Ok ok, we get it.” Veera replied. “Do feel free to stop by later if you like!”

“Uh…sure. Thanks.” The sound of grinding stone reached their ears as they continued.

After departing the temple, Veera and Winters decided on spending the rest of the daylight hours foraging. After mixing up a quick stew for later, they departed through the north gate of the village. Winters noticed Xan was on duty.

“Hey Xan, how’s it going?” Winters asked.

“What? Are you going to corrupt every eligible bachelor in the village?” Veera laughed at him. Xan looked confused, only understanding Veera’s side of things. Winters handed him the translator and pointed at his ear. Xan got the idea.

“How are you Xan?” Winters tried again.

“Woah, this is pretty cool!” The young guard remarked, pushing against the earpiece with a finger.

“Just don’t get it stuck in there.” Winters warned him jokingly. “Looked like you were thinking hard about something there. What’s up? A certain someone on your mind?”

“Oh stop being so cruel to them all!” Veera admonished.

“Yeah, there’s this girl, Eris. I’m going to show her what I’m made of this year. She’ll be unable to resist!” The guard puffed his chest out proudly, completing an impression of the antithesis of Zolta.

“Well well…someone’s confident.” Winters remarked, looking the kid over. “How do you plan on doing that?”

“By showing how strong I am, obviously!” Xan replied like Winters had been living under a rock.

“I see. Well good luck with that then.” Winters said, motioning for the earpiece back.

“Oh, thanks for that fish the other day. It tasted really great. My brother and sister loved it!” Xan informed the human.

“What about you?” He asked.

“Oh I had a bite or two. It’s alright!” Xan assured him, returning the earpiece. Winters nodded before turning a leaving with Veera at his side. Once they were out of earshot she spoke up.

“I know that look.” She told him. “You’re brooding again.”

“You know you like it.”

“I do. It makes you look powerful, like when we first met.” She refused to deny it. “But I can’t help wonder what’s going on up there. Care to share?”

“Just re-evaluating my impression of Xan. I was worried he might be a pompous little shit until a second ago.”

“Well that’s harsh.” Veera said seriously.

“Maybe, but you have no idea how many humans I’ve seen who are the same. Put a gun in their hands and it makes them think they’re invincible. I know for a fact that Xan’s never seen a day of real combat in his life. Between that and how he was talking about…what was her name?”

“Eris?”

“Yeah, Eris. The way he was talking about her pissed me off a bit too, though I know that’s how your tribe does things. But then he decided to tell me what he did with the fish I gave him the other day.”

“You did?” Veera asked, surprise evident.

“Yeah, figured it was a nice thing to do. That and he was always kind to me at the gates, never seemed to have a problem with you either. Anyway, what type of person takes something they might never have again and gives it to their two siblings? Hard to hate someone like that, even if he’s a bit big in the head. I think he became a guard for the right reason at least.” He explained. Veera nodded.

“You plan to help him too?”

“Only if he needs it. Sounds like he’s got a plan. Doesn’t mean it’s a good one, but he’s got a plan and confidence. So that’s more than most, I’m sure, including Zolta. We’ll see. In the end I don’t want to play matchmaker, you know? I’m not a god. I don’t know who would make who happy. Maybe Eris will have no interest in him.”

“Fair enough Russell. We’ll just have to see how things play out. Ready to learn about the wilds of Mara?” Veera inquired as they reached the tree line.

“Absolutely. Lead on my lady.” He bowed into a sweeping gesture that had Veera chuckling.

“Yes yes, come along now human.” She called. “I doubt you’ll be so eager once you’re on your knees digging up roots.”

“If that’s the price I pay for tasty soup, I’m more than willing.”

For the first couple hours Winters and Io listened intently to Veera as she moved delicately around trees and sparse underbrush, describing the various plants scattered around. Io had even simulated a notepad and was scribbling furiously for effect. There was a lot to take in; which fungi were edible, which were poisonous, and which were inedible but could be used for healing. The same applied to various herbs and roots. They even spotted a few chesko, though the animals immediately scattered when they detected the presence of interlopers. They behaved very much like deer, and Winters figured he would hunt them the same way when the time came. For now he was happy to have a bit of time to observe them.

Winters was immensely pleased when Veera happened upon a growth of the herb she said made up the tea they’d had at the temple of Kel the other day. She explained that one needed to simply dry and roast them over a low heat before steeping. Not burning them was the tricky part, which was also why that particular tea was considered something of a luxury; not because the herb itself was scarce, but because preparation was so difficult. Winters nodded, making mental notes to both thank Thantis and to figure out where to get mugs. It was true they could use their canteens, but that wasn’t a permanent solution.

His mind began to wander as he considered again when exactly he’d started thinking of it as their home. Not hers, but his too. Io had mentioned it the day before in response to his comment, but he didn’t know if that was truly the beginning. He scratched his head, casually watching Veera’s tail wave about as she knelt to pick another bundle of herbs. That was another pertinent question. When had her tail become so mesmerizing to him, to say nothing of the curves just below it, framed nicely by her dress, stretched taut by her position. Winters forcefully dragged his eyes away, scolding himself for so blatantly leering at Veera’s ass. Pull yourself together soldier! He chastised himself, remembering Veera’s words to him that morning.

You can’t keep doing this to me.

Winters felt deep guilt and shame wash over him as he and Veera continued strolling north, picking up anything interesting as they went. Io, despite her lack of full sensor suite, was ecstatic to be surrounded by so much new information. As for Winters, the evidence kept piling up that the dynamic between him and Veera had changed, was changing, thanks to him. He’d laid his comrades and Jess to rest. While he’d not forgotten them and wouldn’t ever in the future, he felt liberated to act on certain other feelings that had been building under the surface of his sorrow. Veera, being who she was, had picked up on it immediately. The meaning of her words was pretty clear, thanks to Io. She was afraid of false hope. The current situation was untenable. A solution had to be reached, he decided, noticing another set of large claw marks on a tree they passed. They looked older than the ones he’d seen by the river. He gave it little mind but kept his eyes peeled.

What the hell do I do? I mean, really there’s only two options but seriously…what the fuck do I do? Winters turned those choices over in his mind. Option one, which he referred to as the ‘shit option’, was to completely deny what he and Veera were both experiencing and remain platonic survival buddies…who hugged each other…a lot…in a manner that was definitely not platonic. It would additionally require placing a hard stop on the increasing physicality and emotion they’d started to share. There would certainly be no more ‘feather kitten-ing’. Option two was…well, that depended on what part of Winters was considering the question. To his brain, option two was a jumbled mess of possibilities and permutations, most of which involved him hurting Veera by leaving her on Mara or getting her killed once she was off world. He admitted that in a few wonderful eventualities they got to live their lives out together, either on Mara or on Earth. To his heart, option two was the ability to reclaim what he had lost. It wouldn’t be the same, of course. It wouldn’t fill the void Jess left behind. But it would bring him peace, happiness, and contentment. It would grow his heart. That alone made it worth considering. To scoff at a second chance was to spit at fate. And finally, refusing to be ignored was the primal part of Winters. The part that had been denied for weeks, which was far too long; to say nothing of the underlying male drive to mate and sire offspring in general. That particular part of him wanted nothing more than to throw Veera down and take her beneath him, claim her so that none of those undeserving pricks in the village would ever touch her, show her the thrill of sex for pleasure, hear her come undone beneath him. Good lord…I’m a screwed up mess. Winters concluded as those thoughts washed through him and made his cheeks burn. He was just about to attempt discussion with Veera when she stopped walking suddenly, tail held still and high. She was sniffing the air intently.

“Down, now!” She hissed. Winters immediately dove forward, sliding into a protective kneeling position in front of her, his knife drawn.

“What did you smell?”

“Something…not chesko.” She replied nervously as they both scanned the forest floor. They’d long since passed the areas that the Cauthan used for timber. Those woods had been well maintained, the trees evenly spaced with sparse underbrush. Now the trees were different, closer together, uneven. The ground was rougher, the sky less visible. Undergrowth was similarly sparse, but that was because of the reduction in light that reached the ground. What did exist was twisted and chaotic. These were the wilds, and Winters could feel the hair on the back of his neck prickle. Io saw it first.

‘Movement detected. Ahead, just to the left. It’s concealed by that low brush.’ She warned them both. A second later Winters saw the footfall of an animal that was definitely not a chesko. As it padded further into view he swore under his breath.

“Shit, so that’s a hyrven.” The creature looked like the offspring of a wolf and a Cauthan. The ears and tail were almost identical to the natives, though the beast possessed a second tail. The body was lithe and muscular. Winters could tell even through the dense fur that it didn’t rely just on speed or stealth to kill. There was a good deal of raw power in the body. Io had zoomed in as much as the visor would allow and was cataloging everything she could. Winters allowed himself to relax only slightly, noting that they were downwind of the animal. The coat was a beautiful snowy grey and it had a black stripe along its spine. After a few more moments the animal was in full view. Winters figured that it was about six feet long from nose to the base of its tails and four feet tall or so at the shoulder. In spite of her awful attitude, Winters felt his respect for Ratha grow. If she could take down even one of these things, that was saying something. “Why is it alone? I thought they hunted in packs.”

“Your guess is as good as mine, though I don’t smell any others.” Veera whispered back.

‘Sir, if they follow a pack dynamic I believe this could be a male that was ejected from his by the alpha. Look here.’ Io highlighted a relatively fresh wound on the hyrven’s muzzle. It had stopped to sniff the ground.

“Right, that would make sense. Kicked out because he became a threat to the alpha. I guess he’s lucky that’s all the damage that was done. Io, you have everything?”

‘Everything I can obtain with this equipment at this distance sir.’ Io affirmed. ‘I would need biological samples in order to confirm most of my hypotheses.’

“Then I think we should head back Veera.” Winters advised, not allowing himself to get distracted by Io’s pronouncement.

“I agree, wouldn’t want to wait around and find out that your lone hyrven theory is wrong.” She replied, backing up in her crouched position. Winters followed, not turning away from the animal once. When they’d increased their distance significantly they began a brisk walk, remaining silent and very aware of their surroundings until they caught sight of the village again just before nightfall.

“Whew, what a day! Thanks for making the fire Russell.” Veera said, stowing away the various provisions they’d gathered on their trip. Her adrenaline had slowly climbed down after the initial hyrven induced spike and the idea of a warm fire sounded all the better for it.

“Of course, it’s no problem! Pyromaniac here, remember?” He smiled at her as the flames danced high and shone in his eyes. Her reply was happy and carefree.

“You’re awfully well behaved for someone who claims those tendencies, so thank you for that as well.”

“Oh stop, you’re just trying to get me to blush.”

“So? It’s quite adorable.” She smiled sweetly at him, achieving the desired reaction. “See?”

“I think adorableness is in the eye of the beholder…feather kitten.” He rolled the last words off his tongue, pleased to see her respond in kind. “So I guess we’ll have to wait until after the festival to trade what we’ve got here? What do you think we can get? I was hoping we might be able to secure a couple mugs for tea and anything else. What do you think?” He asked, allowing a transition into the mundane and very acceptable topic of home furnishing. Veera joined him by the fire after hefting the stew they’d prepared before their departure into place. Soon enough it warmed sufficiently and they began to eat.

“Well, I suppose we did get that tea from Thantis and we’ve only got the canteens. There isn’t anything else you want first?” She asked.

“I think you’d know that better than I do. Maybe a chair or two but I don’t mind the floor, really. I did enjoy that tea though.” He added.

“Well how can I say no to that then? I’ll stop by the temple of Tyrdus sometime after the festival. I might be able to strike a deal, I might not. You saw how things went down today.” She looked at the floor dejectedly.

“I did. I won’t say it’ll be fine because I don’t know that, but they know that we represent one another now, just in case the outfit wasn’t enough evidence to get through their thick skulls. If they won’t give you a reasonable price I can always show up, though I’d rather not get that reputation.”

‘You’d love it, barbaren. And they would most certainly deserve it.’ Io asserted. Veera laughed.

“I’m inclined to agree with Io, though I can understand why you wouldn’t want to have that reputation. No need to make Antoth’s job any harder. Let’s worry about that if it happens. You might be right about them. I think if I can forage for a couple more days I’ll have enough to get credit between Thantis and Gentia or to trade directly if one of the craftsmen happens to want this stuff.” She gestured at the bench where their findings were nestled together. “I figure if I’m going to get drinkware at all I might as well get stuff that’s crafted from decent wood and well filed so we don’t get splinters. Not to mention if the wood is too porous it’ll just start tasting like whatever you put into it…and rot.”

“Couldn’t agree more, quality over quantity.” Winters gave her an affirming nod. “If you don’t like what they have, commission something. We’ll make it work. I trust you. You’ve proven extremely resourceful so far. I have every intention of contributing as well.” Veera’s feathers and tail reacted to his praise.

“Thank you.” She said softly.

“It’s true.” He assured her, gazing into her eyes. The beast inside him demanded to be sated, but he denied it, cursing himself for putting off what he knew they desperately needed to talk about. “So, you want to tell me a bit more about how the festival is going to work? When should I show up?” He needed to know the answers to those questions, but it was still a diversion. Veera’s eyes lit up as she began discussing the subject.

“Well, technically it begins at sunrise, but there’s a lot of set up on the first day. People will claim their stalls and everything, set up their wares. Most families just take the same place year after year. There’s rarely any conflict. So that goes on for a bit and then things just sort of happen. Antoth and the guards will rotate overseeing the events, but only the older ones. Xan and the others his age will be given the whole day to participate. It varies every year but it usually ends up with a couple activities going at any given time for the young ones. That gives the men a chance to show off and allows the females to observe without splitting attention too much.” Veera explained. “There’s food eaten and served all day but most people will take a break around midday and before sundown. After dinner there’s the dancing, obviously, as well as drink and games around the fires. I don’t mind telling you that plenty of bets are taken on various pairings throughout the festival.”

“Wait…people bet on who’s going to get together?” Winters didn’t hide his surprise.

‘Oh come now sir. You remember high school, don’t you?’ Io asked incredulously.

“Well yeah Io, I remember being that age…but adults?”

“I guess it’s just a tradition that began one year and carried over.” Veera shrugged. “Only good part about getting shot down. I lost a lot of people a lot of food, goods, or whatever they might have been trading.” She remarked with a hint of bitterness. Winters could tell that it still hurt.

“Hey, c’mere.” Winters opened an arm invitingly and Veera snuggled up to him. “They’re idiots feather kitten. Someone should have snatched you up four years ago.”

“I don’t know Russell, but I guess that makes you a lucky man?” She rubbed her head against his shoulder gently, ticking his neck and lower jaw with her ears. Every time he called her that she felt a desire to prove she was indeed soft and fluffy. It was a devious nickname.

“I…” He started. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to affirm that of course he would take what the others were too blind to see, but he didn’t. “I am lucky I found you.” He settled on. It seemed to satisfy her for the time being. “So, what else?”

“Well, on the second day there’s a big race around the village. Everyone competes pretty much; it’s a lot of fun. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the chance to stretch your legs?”

“Absolutely.” A feral grin graced his lips. “Can’t go letting humanity down now, can I?” Veera laughed.

“Oh this will be so good this year. All those boys are going to feel the same way, can’t let the human go beating us and taking all the girls.” She giggled at the image of a bunch of Cauthan maidens hanging off of Winters’ armor. “I’ll be betting on you all day you know, so you’d best not slack.” She wagged a finger at him.

“There’s only one girl I’d take.” He whispered. Veera’s breath caught in her chest. Everything felt tight.

“Then why not…” She needed to know.

“You’d be alone…forever.” He held her closer, as if the very words might summon an HEL shuttle to spirit him away from her. Veera sighed and looked into the fire. She was sure he was doing the same. “I don’t know if I could do that to you.” He admitted.

“What does it say about me that I might still be willing to take that chance?” She whispered back.

“As long as that’s a maybe, I won’t.” He affirmed. She hated it, but she saw his reason too. That molten, burning heat in the pit of her belly was crying for satisfaction but it wasn’t enough to deny the truth, a truth they both clearly understood. “I am sorry though…I was thinking about this morning.” He offered.

“I’m sorry too. I overreacted. I’m happy you’re feeling better, really.” She began drawing imaginary lines on his leg with a claw tip. “I just…got ahead of myself.”

“I see.” He replied shortly, again feeling guilt creep up his spine. Why couldn’t he just admit to her that he’d done the same? Why couldn’t he admit to the daydream of the kitchen on Earth with Veera dressed in an apron helping him with breakfast? It could never happen. Even if I did they’d arrest me and steal her or…gods know what. Or I’m just a coward when it comes down to it. Finally a bit of the truth came up in his mind.

“Maybe there’s a reason my people do things the way they do.” Veera idly remarked. “It’s simple, isn’t it? Make a choice and hope for the best.”

“Sure. I think there’s something to be said for that.” Winters agreed. “I guess if you’re being unkind, all humanity does is tip toe around the issue until two people finally take that tentative leap into the future. It is a bit silly now that I think of it, especially since we get divorced just as easily as getting married these days.” He spat the last sentence.

“Divorce?”

“A mutual decision to break a marriage bond.” Veera recoiled in surprise.

“That’s awful.” She whispered.

“I agree, but sometimes two people just don’t work out.” Winters shrugged.

“Well of course they wouldn’t! Not when they both know they have an easy out!” Veera asserted hotly.

“Woah woah…not sure where this is all coming from. I’m not saying you’re wrong or anything but-”

“I’m not wrong Russell. This…divorce…is wrong.” She gave him a long searching look. “Your species must be very wealthy indeed to look at love so callously.”

“You call it love at sixteen? After two days of courtship?” He didn’t know why he snapped back at her.

“Of course not! Zolta has known Asha since they were cubs. Even if he didn’t and they decided to become mated on a whim, they would find love in their own way, over time. When it’s for life you have every reason to find love. If not…” She trailed off, looking heatedly at the human. For his part, he looked guilty and upset, not combative. That mollified her a bit. He wasn’t intent on fighting.

“Sorry for raising my voice.” He offered the olive branch. She took it readily.

“I’m sorry too. It’s just that so much of your species’ courtship seems wonderful. So much of human courtship has been wonderful, even if we don’t know what to call…this.” She pointed at herself and then at him repeatedly. “I guess I was just so taken aback that divorce could also be a part of your customs.” She returned to his side, looking up at him for approval before leaning in to reclaim her second source of heat.

“Well…that went rather nicely all in all.” Winters remarked after a moment spent in healing silence.

“What?”

“Our first argument.” He stated simply.

‘Oh mein gott.’ Io grumbled. Veera snuggled up to him further.

“Let’s not do it again, alright?” She asked, knowing as well as he did it was more a hope than agreeing to anything concrete. Nevertheless, he smiled at her and rubber her shoulder.

“As you wish, feather kitten.”