Even though spring was just around the corner, he had been looking for an excuse to take Tira away from the pack lands for a bit and when she began to mention the lack of a good herb supply around their home he saw that as his opening. He hadn't been back to the island where Fenmyre used to reside since the pack fell, but he knew how lush and tropical it was so surely there had to be some herbs there. Maybe the plants that Chimera's ladies had cultivated would still be there. It wasn't a terribly long trip and he was pleased to see that the ferry system that his former alpha had set up was still working so it was easy enough to pull the floating platform back across to where they were waiting on the mainland. "After you, beautiful," he said with a grin as he gestured to the raft, holding it steady for her as she climbed aboard. After joining her he started to pull them across with the pulley system attached to it. The island itself didn't look like it had changed much at all and as he stepped onto the shore he looked around with a bit of nostalgia. It was more overgrown now without consistent residence to keep the plant growth in check, but it was still a beautiful place and he could see the bungalows a bit further down the beach that were still standing strong. "I don't know if the plants in the green house will still be alive or not, but we can start there if you want," he suggested, gesturing with his paw toward the center of the island ahead of them.

"Cináed & Satira"

Although Satira loved her home in Valta, there was always a nagging part of her heart that yearned for a vacation. After spending so much of her life being raised out in the wild lands and roaming wherever she pleased, being tied down to one place got a bit tiring. So when Cináed offered to take her down to sunny Auster for a little getaway, the wolf-dog was already packing and ready to go before the words had finished leaving his lips! Taking nothing but her little leather bag to bring home some southern-growing herbs with her, the pair set off down to the southern continent, spending a day for travel to reach the offshore island that Ciná used to call home. The warm, balmy temperatures were a damn sight nicer than Boreas' chilly winter, and if nothing else Tira enjoyed getting to soak in some sun while they were away.

She had never been to this island before, but Ciná seemed to remember his way around as if he hadn't been gone from here for almost two years. He led her over to a pulled ferry running from the sandy shores of mainland Auster to the island and held it still while he gestured her to get in. Satira giggled and gave him a roll of her eyes. "Oh, such a gentleman! I'm all a-swoon," she teased. him back, but accepted his help all the same as she hopped onto the ferry, settling in for the trip across the channel. The ferry ride wasn't long and the calm sea made it an easy pull for Ciná, so they arrived on the island only a few minutes later. Tira stared in wonder at the lush tropical paradise as she stepped out onto the old wooden dock. More of those big old structures stood around here, but these ones were mostly overgrown with the tropical vegetation, vines clinging to the walls and ferns sprouting out through broken foundations. It was such a surreal mix of natural reclaiming manmade.

Cináed suggested they go check the greenhouses that used to be here to see if any of the plants had survived and Tira nodded her head. "Plants are surprisingly hardy sometimes, and the soil here smells fresh and the air is plenty humid. They'll probably have thrived on their own." Letting Ciná take the lead, Tira continued to study her environment. Really, she was here looking for a specific kind of plant that she knew only grew in lush tropical climates. If she could find some, then she'd consider this trip a massive success—and her and Ciná were bound to have a reeeeeeally good time together.

"Cináed & Satira"

Ciná chuckled when Tira explained the hardiness of plants and pointed out a few things about this environment that could have allowed them to thrive. "Well, lets go put that theory to the test." He knew at least a little about a lot of different things, but plants and their growth was one thing that he was fairly clueless about and he was more than happy to let Tira be the subject matter expert on that particular topic. He led her through the lush jungle, following the over grown but still visible paths through the trees. Even though it had been a couple of years now since he had officially called this home the area was still familiar and he navigated it as if he had never left. "I spent so much time here before Fenmyre dissolved..." he mused mostly to himself as he looked up through the tree branches above them and out at the landscape that was still so familiar.

Soon enough they reached the central part of the island where the main compound sprawled out in front of them. The big house was a sight to see in of itself, but the focal point of their trip was around back and down a small path away from the main building. The clearing around the large greenhouse opened up in front of them and a bit to his surprise there was in fact quite a bit of lush foliage still within the glass walls of the structure. It wasn't quite as vibrant and full as he remembered, but it was still impressive. "Huh, look at that," he said with a chuckle, glancing back at Tira as he stopped in front of the greenhouse. "I guess I assumed they wouldn't survive without someone around to water them."

"Cináed & Satira"

Cináed began to lead the way by memory around the island and Satira was happy to let him be her guide. He had lived here once upon a time; he likely still knew this place like the back of his paw. She'd just get lost in this maze of buildings and overgrown paths. As they walked, Tira took in the sights around her. Cabanas and smaller houses lined the beaches and outer edges of the lush jungle. Inside the denser parts of the forest, larger structures began to dominate the area. Old walls were crumbled and covered with vines, mosses growing on old wood, and glass from decades earlier was either fogged with dirt and grime or shattered entirely. It was like looking into an alien world and Tira loved the vibe of this place!

As they walked, Ciná explained how he had spent so much time wandering around the island. Tira nodded her head. "Yeah, I mean, I guess you would if you lived here," she agreed, almost as if that was common sense. As they walked on, Tira would steal little glances up at Ciná, watching as he looked around at his former home. "Do you ever miss it?" she asked him, wondering how much he had been a part of Fenmyre before its fall. Not that she thought he was unhappy living in Valta now, but she had no idea what Fenmyre life had been like for him. All she knew was that he was a much different Cináed now than he was back then.

After some time walking, Ciná led them up to a massive compound of houses at the heart of the island. Satira gawked at the grandeur of the buildings as they passed by them. She was definitely going to want to see inside that place before they left! Making their way round the back of the main building, Tira saw the glass structure of the greenhouse rising up through the dense jungle and her curly tail immediately began to wag a mile a minute! Tiny speckled paws trotted briskly up to the greenhouse, and when they got up close it was apparent there was still a lot of plant life inside! "Ha, told ya!" Tira jeered in good humor, sticking her tongue out at Ciná before trotting her way inside, her floppy ears bouncing with every excited step. Inside smelled of loamy soil and vegetation. It sent a thrill of excitement running up Tira's back. This was a veritable treasure trove of plants! Walking down the center row between the plants, Tira noticed some glass shards on the ground and glanced up to find one of the panes of glass in the roof had shattered. "That's how they've been staying alive," she pointed out to Ciná. "Rain's been getting in from the ceiling, and the greenhouse helps keep all that moisture trapped in here so the plants can make the most out of every drop."

Satira began her grocery shopping trip, winding her way down every row of plants to see what rarities she could find. The healers of Fenmyre had certainly kept a wide variety of herbs! Ginseng root, Jewel Weed, lavender, chamomile, trillium, and more! She gathered up as many of the rarer herbs as she could, packing them neatly in cloth wraps and stowing them safely within her satchel. She found another section of the greenhouse with some more fun plants—cannabis, kava, khat, salvia, silphium, and pennyroyal. Recreational drugs and contraceptives. Tira was floored by the amount of contraceptive herbs being produced in Fenmyre! Blue eyes wide like a kid in a candy store, she carefully harvested bundle after bundle of the adult fun time plants with her sharp claws, a naughty grin on her face the entire time. "Well well well, what have we here?" she mused out loud, turning a teasing smirk to Ciná as she raised a brow in his direction. "What did you say you did in Fenmyre, Ciná? Cause this is a looooot of contraceptives." Tira giggled to herself and continued her harvest, still looking around for that one specific plant she was determined to find.

"Cináed & Satira"

Ciná shifted his gaze back down to Tira when she questioned him about whether or not he missed Fenmyre and he looked back up at the tropical foliage thoughtfully. "Yes and no... I miss certain parts of it," he explained after a moment. "Chimera was the first wolf willing to take me in after Ignis let his pack crumble and I distanced myself from my old family. Fenmyre was the first place that really felt like home and like someone actually gave a shit about me. So... I guess I miss what it was for me back then more than anything else." He glanced back down at Tira then, a little, sly grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "I've found something even better than that though. Maybe there is something to the whole fate thing," he said with a pointed look before he refocused on the path ahead of them just as the greenhouse began to come into view.

Tira of course darted on ahead with a notable excitement at the sight of the huge glass structure filled with all sorts of different plants and Ciná couldn't help the grin that crossed his lips as he watched her. She was at her most attractive and adorable when she was eager and excited about something. The way she pranced forward to investigate the greenhouse with her ears bobbing with each step and her tail curled high over her back... She was always the cutest and hottest wolf he had ever seen, but he loved when she was in her element like this. "Yeah, yeah," he replied with a chuckle as she had her moment of "I told you so" about the vibrancy of the plants inside. As they stepped inside he was immediately hit with that strong sent of plants and earth. He tipped his head back till he spotted the open gap in the roof of this place as she pointed out the reason why this place was still so moist and alive after all this time. With that mystery solved all that was left was to see what they could find to take back home with them.

Ciná had no hope of distinguishing one herb from another so he mostly just followed Tira as she wound her way through the rows and rows of herbs, clearly pleased and excited by everything she found as she went about systematically collecting some of just about everything they passed. He noticed when she took a particular interest with a certain section of the garden, raising a questioning brow when he saw the grin on her face as she plucked away even more of these plants. She quickly revealed what had her so interested when she turned a teasing smirk toward him, questioning what he had been up to in Fenmyre and pointing out the mass amount of contraceptives that were grown here. It caught him off guard enough to make him sputter a bit and chuckle, rolling his eyes with a grin. "I personally was up to very little in that regard, unfortunately. Chimera, however, was up to quite a lot. I believe he had... three queens if I remember correctly? And another lady and maybe a man... It was hard to keep track of them all." His grin grew with a sly naughtiness as he leaned forward to nip playfully at her hip as he added, "You might as well gather plenty of those now though since I'm making up for lost time with you."

"Cináed & Satira"

Much to her amusement, her teasing him with the contraceptive herbs made Cináed stammer and sputter like he'd been busted for some horrifically embarrassing crime. Of course she hadn't expected him to be a total playboy fucking everything in sight, but it did come as a bit of a surprise to hear that he hadn't been very sexually active during his adolescence in a pack as debased as Fenmyre had been. Satira shot Ciná a questioning look, almost doubtful of his claim, but chose not to press him even further, lest that cute shade of red on his cheeks turn even redder. While she harvested her plethora of herbs, Ciná explained to her the need for all the contraceptives—Chimera had three queens, a paramour, and a gay lover. Tira snorted and wrinkled her nose up in a combination of disbelief and disparagement.

"Jeez, that guy's gonna be dead from some STD some day," she remarked, cutting out a healthy bunch of pennyroyal to take home with them. As she harvested, she heard Ciná come up behind her and released a surprised yip when she felt the dire brute's sharp teeth nip playfully at her hip, instructing her to gather plenty of the contraceptives for all the lost time he planned on making up with her. Tira turned to fix Ciná with smoldering blue eyes and a wicked grin, her curled tail flicking out to smack against the end of his snoot before he could pull away entirely. "Ooooh, being back home getting you all riled up, big boy?" the little wolf-dog teased the massive wolf. "Well, I guess I'll just have to make sure you're well taken care of before we decide to go back to Valta then. Like you said, we have a looooot of time to make up for, and plenty of good stuff to make it happen."

After she had collected all that she wanted, her satchel practically overflowing with herbs of all kinds, Tira moved to join Ciná and looked up at him with a sly smirk. "So, would you like to show me around, my handsome tour guide? I'm sure you know all the best places for a couple to spend some time enjoying these plants, right?" Keeping her sultry gaze fixed on Ciná, Satira lifted up some of the pennyroyal, letting him watch as she chewed down the herbs and swallowed, running her tongue along her lips for good measure. Yeah, she was shameless, but why feel embarrassed to let herself cut loose and enjoy herself with her roommate with benefits? It was all in good fun!

"Cináed & Satira"

Ciná chuckled as she swatted his nose with her tail, his golden gaze gleaming with lecherous amusement. Being back home had very little to do with getting him "riled up", but being with her always managed to do that. "I'm not going to be the only one well taken care of before we head back," he promised with a sly smirk. Sure, he had wanted to pay a visit to his old stomping grounds and let Tira gather all the herbs she needed, but what he had really wanted was to get away with Tira for a while. It wasn't as if they didn't get plenty of privacy when they wanted it back in Valta, but for what he had in mind this place felt like the better backdrop. Hopefully, when it came to it, Tira would agree.

Before he could respond in agreement for knowing the best places to enjoy the herbs she had just gathered, he watched as she pointedly ate a portion from one of the plants she had gathered from the selection of contraceptive herbs just moments ago. She was certainly never subtle, but he loved how direct she was with what she wanted. He smirked with a low chuckle and replied, "Absolutely. Right this way, beautiful." Ciná led her back out the way they came, holding open the door to the greenhouse for her as they stepped back into the tropical landscape of the island. There were more than a few good spots he could have taken her to, but he already had one in mind before they came to the island so that's the one he stuck with.

He followed a trail that had been cut through the dense jungle foliage, leading her away from the large compound that the Klein family had called home and back into the thick of the trees and greenery. The path was a bit rougher and more grown in than the last time he had walked it, but it was still usable. It wasn't too long of a walk before they made it to a secluded cove on the other side of the island with soft, pale beach stretching out on either side of them. On this side of the island you couldn't even see the mainland so it really did give the illusion that they were much farther away from civilization than they really were. There was one of the island's many large gazebos right at the edge of the beach and as soon as he stepped onto the covered platform he lifted the seat of one of the benches, revealing a storage area underneath. "Thank goodness Chimera didn't clean this place out when he left," he said with a chuckle as he began to pull out a few furs and some firewood out from storage. The furs would likely be a bit musty from sitting in storage for so long, but they'd certainly do the trick for their evening on the beach.

"Cináed & Satira"

Satira shot Cináed a sly look, complete with a little feminine smirk and all when he made his comment about not being the only one well taken care of. "I do hope that's a promise," she remarked with a sultry purr in her vocals as the two of them made their way out of the greenhouse together. She had collected plenty of herbs and recreational drugs to fill her bags and keep her stocks full for quite some time, barring a sudden outbreak of the plague or some apocalyptic event, and now all she had to do was mix them up into their respective compounds and medicines. She'd have to wait until she got back home to use her chemistry set and made the actual decoctions and tinctures, but she could still mix a few of the dry ones together for their own personal use tonight.

The little wolf-dog followed her giant escort around the island, sticking by his side all the while as she drank in the sights around her. It was hard for her to think about Ciná living on this tropical island paradise and ever wanting to leave willingly. After a short bit of walking, the two of them emerged out on the beach on the far side of the island at a secluded cove, private and isolated. Tira smiled and nodded approvingly as she took in the sights. It was tranquil, peaceful, and without another soul or strip of land in sight. Out in front of them, the swelling ocean sprawled as far as the eye could see. It was gorgeous! Tira followed Ciná across the soft golden sands to a dilapidated gazebo, watching with curiosity as he pulled up a bench to reveal a hidden cache of supplies. Furs were laid out and firewood was prepped for a campfire for them.

Satira chuckled and smirked, shooting Ciná a suspicious glance. "You're sure you never brought any ladies out here for any explicit purposes? This all feels veeeery deliberately set up to me," she teased him with her accusations, but still sauntered over to lay out on one of the furs all the same. She slid down to her belly on the fur and proceeded to pull out a few different herbs she'd just gathered—cannabis and kava—beginning to pull the leaves from the stems and ripping them up into smaller pieces. She began to construct two piles of the torn up leaves, measuring out the drugs as evenly as she could between them. This was her own special blend of euphoria-inducing narcotics, a lovely high that left the imbiber feeling excited, happy, and stimulated, as well as highly sensitive to physical touch and pleasure. There was little doubt what she'd be doing with this tonight. "Care to join me, big boy? These one's will make you feel awesome." Gesturing Cináed to the second pile she'd made, Tira scooped up her own pile and stuffed the plants into her mouth, chewing slowly to let the plants soak in her saliva and really get the full effect of the drugs.

"Cináed & Satira"

Ciná glanced back at Tira as she accused him of bringing ladies out here for 'explicit purposes', pointing out how deliberately this was all set up. He grinned and rolled his eyes with a little shake of his head while beginning to pull out a stack of logs that he could build into a campfire. "I'm flattered that you think I could pull in ladies often enough to justify having a whole set up at the ready just for that." He knew she was just poking fun at him, but it did make him chuckle when he tried to imagine himself as the playboy that Tira tried to make him out to be. The truth of things was quite the opposite no matter how confident he was–or at least tried to be. He picked up each of the pieces of firewood and began to arrange them into a pile on the sand outside of the gazebo. They'd have to lay at the edge of the gazebo's platform to really enjoy the warmth later once the sun set and it began to get chilly, but that was a small price to pay in order to avoid setting the gazebo on fire.

Right as he finished leaning the logs against one another to make a pointed pile of sorts and was filling the cavity in the middle of them with smaller twigs, he heard Tira ask if he was joining her, making him look back over his shoulder at her and see the separated out herbs in front of her. He smirked a little and nodded in agreement, replying, "Let me get this fire going and I'll be right there, gorgeous." He had never really partaken in anything stronger than alcohol before he moved in with Tira, but she had introduced him to all sorts of things and always trusted her to know the best combinations of things. It only took him a moment to get the tender lit and after a bit of stoking the larger pieces of wood began to catch, casting a warm glow out across the two of them.

Satisfied, he turned and came back to the gazebo where Tira had made herself comfortable. Ciná flopped down beside her with a content sigh and then gave her a little grin as he dipped his head to lick up the leaves she had portioned out for him. By now he was very familiar with these kinds of drugs thanks to her so he knew the drill when it came to chewing them slowly and letting them get good and broken down so they got the full effect of them. He slipped a foreleg over her shoulders while he chewed and swallowed the herbs, pulling her tiny frame into his chest and nuzzling the top of her head, giving one of her flopped over ears an affectionate lick. He knew they'd have a little bit of time before the drugs really kicked in so in the mean time he asked, "Why don't we play a little game? See how well we've gotten to know one another," he suggested with a smirk. "True or False. Give me something about you and I'll try to guess if it's a lie and I'll do the same."

"Cináed & Satira"

This time Satira couldn't help but scoff out loud and roll her eyes when Cináed insisted that he couldn't pull in ladies the way she thought he could. "Oh please. You really expect me to believe that Mister Tall, Dark, and Handsome was part of a notorious sex pack and wasn't getting any tail? Yeah, okay, buddy." Tira continued to fiddle with the herbs she'd harvested while she waited for Ciná to finish getting the fire started for them, occasionally looking up to watch the sky over the ocean changing colors as the sunset progressed on towards twilight. Eventually there was some snapping, a glow of orange light, and then warmth. Tira looked over to see the fire really getting going now and smirked proudly at Ciná. "Well look at you go, wild outdoorsy man," she teased him playfully. As Ciná collapsed beside her, she slid his pile of herbs over to him, watching with an approving smirk as he licked them up and took his dose as well. She'd made sure to compensate for their size differences, so he had a bit more than she had. Had to make sure he was getting good and high too, after all.

While they basked in the fire's glow and waited for the drugs to kick in, Satira cuddled closer to Ciná's larger body, feeling the massive dire wolf loop a strong foreleg around her shoulder to pull her in closer to his body. The little wolf-dog fae murred happily as she snuggled up into his warmth and felt his muscles against her back. She loved how much bigger and stronger Cináed was than her; nothing turned her on quite like feeling him manhandle her and just move her around like she weighed nothing. He suggested a game with a smirk to test how well they knew each other and Tira raised a curious brow up at him. "Sure, I'm down to play, but we're gonna make this interesting if we're doing this," she replied, curling her fluffy tail around her hips. Tira reached over for her bag once more and pulled out an old glass bottle filled with some sort of dark liquor. She didn't know if it was whiskey or rum, she'd just pilfered it from the ruins. Shaking the bottle to show it off to Ciná, Tira removed the stopper with her teeth before taking an exploratory sip. It was spiced, funky, slightly sweet—a rum for sure.

"If you guess and you're wrong, you drink. If you're right, I drink, and vice versa." Offering the bottle over to Ciná to sample as well, Satira hummed and pursed her lips in pensive thought. "Okay, big boy, let's start with something easy... I nearly died when I was a pup." She glanced up at Ciná, waiting to see if his memory was as good as he claimed it was.

"Cináed & Satira"

Cináed grinned as Tira agreed to his little game, partially because he just liked having activities of any kind to do with her and partially to hide the little flutter of nervousness that hit his gut. He had been sitting on something for far too long that he wanted to tell her, but it never felt like the right time. If his plan worked out right maybe now he'd finally have an excuse to be fully honest with her. Of course Tira had to add in her own little twist to his game and pulled out a bottle of some kind of liquor. It wouldn't be a date with Tira if they weren't getting high and drunk, after all. She added in her own terms to their game of true or false, saying if he was wrong he would drink and if he was right she would drink. "Works for me, beautiful," he replied with a chuckle, taking the bottle from her when it was offered so he could see what it was they were drinking on tonight. At the very least she had managed to pilfer something that actually tasted good so it'd be a pleasant drinking game.

Leaving the rum between them and a foreleg draped around her side, Ciná turned a curious gaze toward her to see what she'd start with. Knowing her it could be something actually easy to guess or it could have been something to throw him off, but luckily she did actually give him an easy one to remember. "True," he answered confidently with a little smirk, nudging the bottle toward her. Of all of the stories she had told him about her life, how could he forget her encounter with a huge snake? He waited till she had taken her required swig of liquor and then hummed softly with thought as he decided to pick what he'd make her guess first. "Chimera's pack was the first pack I lived in," he said after a moment of thought, knowing that she'd know the answer, but not wanting it to be an immediately obvious one either.

"Cináed & Satira"

A smile broke out across Satira's face when Cináed readily agreed to her suggestion to improve the game with alcohol, and the two of them got right into it. The first round had been an easy one for him, and unsurprisingly Ciná guessed correct right away. She had told him about her encounter with the giant anaconda as a pup so she would've been more taken aback if he hadn't remembered. "Just testing ya, big guy," she teased him as he gave her a cocky, confident smirk. Tira happily took the bottle back and downed a healthy glug of the spiced sweet liquor within. Setting the bottle back down between them, she looked up at her giant companion, waiting for her turn to prove how well she knew him. His question was also far too easy, and the little wolf-dog wouldn't be able to resist ribbing him about it a little as well.

"False," she answered with confidence, a playful gleam in her eyes as she added on, "Did you really think I'd forget your past so easily, Mister Praetor?" Yeah, she was fully expecting some sort of retaliation from Ciná for that, but she couldn't resist, it was too easy to rile him up! Still smirking, it was Satira's turn to push the bottle of rum over to him for his mandatory swig of alcohol. Now she had to come up with another one... Tira hummed for a few moments and tapped a tiny paw against her chin while she considered a challenging one for him. "You're the first brute I ever slept with." She fixed Ciná with a curious stare, wondering just how much of a free lover he thought she might be given her debased nature.

"Cináed & Satira"

Of course she would know he was lying–their only real spat had been over her figuring out that he was Ignis' son. But her first fact had been so easy so he figured he ought to give her an easy one too. As expected, she called him out and said it was false, adding on that she wouldn't so easily forget his past with his former family name. He smirked and gave her a playful glare at that, lifting his large paw to lightly boop her nose in retaliation. He had come to terms with his past and his lineage far more than he had once been in their time together, but that didn't mean he liked it. "Yeah yeah," he grumbled with a chuckle, shooting her a little grin as he reached for the bottle and lifted it to his lips to take a long drink. The drugs she had given him earlier were just starting to blossom into a light, tingling warmth from his core and this was sure to expedite that feeling.

Putting the bottle down, he looked to Tira expectantly, waiting to see what she would come up with next. When she stated that he was the first brute she had ever slept with, he chuckled and grinned as if he had already won and began to push the bottle toward her as he replied, "No way... That's false." She was always such a wild child and their first time at the Hallows party had been so spontaneous that he couldn't imagine that he had possibly been her first. He was already nudging the bottle toward her again, so certain that he was right, only to have her push it back toward him and correct him. At first he didn't believe her, but there wasn't any break in her expression that told him that she was joking.

He blinked with surprise for a moment, thinking back to their first time together with a guilty grin. "Ah fuck... Well, I, uh... I hope I made your first time alright for you," he replied with a chuckle, trying to play off the way it sent his thoughts into a tail spin as he lifted the bottle for a second time. Gods, if he had known it was her first time... He wanted to think he would have done something differently, treated her differently, been more gentle, but the more he considered it he wasn't sure if he would have changed a thing. That night had been just as messy and untraditional as the rest of their friendship and relationship had turned out to be so maybe it had been just right. After all, it had been more than enough for her to make such a lasting impression that he hadn't been with any other fae since that night.

He put the bottle between them once more, pausing for a moment before he returned his golden gaze to the pale blue of hers. "My turn again, huh?" he questioned with a little smirk. He had planned on waiting out their game a little longer and going through a few more rounds of this back and forth before he got to what he really wanted to say, but as he tried to search for some other fact or lie to give her he kept coming up short. The words that sat on the tip of his tongue kept getting in the way. He expected to feel more nervous than he did, but something about how he was holding her and looking into her eyes like he had countless times now reminded him that this was what he really wanted and most of those lingering nerves went away. "I love you, Satira," he told her earnestly and probably with more sincerity than he had ever said anything in his entire life.

"Cináed & Satira"

The look of frustration and ire on Cináed’s face as she teased him about his estranged family. Satira liked to push his buttons, but she didn’t want to genuinely hurt or upset him, so she didn’t prod at that sore spot too much. There was a look of snarky triumph in her bright blue eyes as the little wolf-dog watched the dire brute take a long drink of the rum in defeat, giving a pleased little wiggle against his side as the warmth of the rum in her belly began to spread, mixing with the heady floaty sensations of the cannabis taking effect, relaxing her and putting her in a slowly growing state of euphoria. Ahh, this was the life!

Much to her surprise and delight (and maybe a bit of annoyance, because how easy did he think she was?), Ciná guessed incorrectly about her sexual history. "Nope, wrong!" Tira declared with a proud puff of her chest and a wag of her fluffy curled tail. "You were the first and only brute I’ve slept with so far. You weren’t my first first, but she was a lady, so I suppose yeah, that means you get to claim bragging rights for deflowering this wolf-dog girl, big guy." Tira flashed Ciná a naughty grin and giggled at the look of shock on his face. Without missing a beat, Satira pushed the bottle of rum back over to him to accept his losing shot, a Cheshire Cat smile on her face all the while. He took his drink with a bit of an apology hoping that he made her first time good. Tira scoffed and looked up at Ciná with a smirk on her lips, eyes half lidded as she brushed her fluffy tail up over his thigh in response. "Yeeeeah, you were a pretty good lay that first time, and you've only gotten better with experience, stud." Both of them had matured a lot since that night years ago. Gods, had they really been living together for that long already?

It was Cináed's turn once more, and the way he was looking at her like a fox in the henhouse made Satira guess he already had a wild one cooking up in his noggin. And sure enough, when Ciná finally made his statement and claimed he loved her, all Satira could do at first was stare at him. There was a long pause, a stretch of silence filled only with the rhythmic rolling of the waves on the shore. And then Tira was bursting into laughter, a smile splitting her muzzle from cheek to cheek. "Oh man, you really went easy on me this time, huh? If you wanted a drink that bad, you could've just had one!" she remarked amidst fits of genuine laughter. "C'mon, I know that's false. You don't have to tease me like that." Still giggling to herself at how ridiculous he was, Tira slid the bottle across to his paws, letting him take that drink he so clearly wanted to with such an obvious lie. He loved her. Yeah, as if!

"Cináed & Satira"

Ciná had fully expected the shock and even some disbelief when he finally admitted how he truly felt about her. They had both agreed easily to being casual room mates with benefits when he first moved in with her so he knew she'd be surprised by him admitting his feelings, but he had let himself believe that the feelings that had developed for him were mutual. That belief was shaken as the obvious shock on Satira's face suddenly broke into laughter, causing his expression to falter and ears flick slightly with uncertainty. Part of him wanted to just chuckle, agree, take the drink to give himself an escape from this awkward dread that started to build on his chest. But when he glanced down at the bottle as she pushed it toward him he knew he couldn't take it back. If she didn't feel the same as him then that was something he'd have to come to terms with, but he needed her to know he was serious one way or another.

He pushed the bottle back toward her quietly, his little grin gone and replaced with a more serious look as he met her gaze once more. "I'm not teasing you," he assured her. "It's not false. I love you," he repeated, doubling down on his decision to tell her how he felt. "Look... I know that wasn't what we originally wanted from this... from us... but the longer we're together the more I care about you. I've never felt like this about anyone before. I thought... I don't know, I thought maybe you..." He sighed and shook his head as he looked off toward the ocean with a little frown. He had hoped that Asla was right, that he should share his feelings and that Tira would want to hear them, but her laughter made him question whether he had made a mistake.

"Cináed & Satira"

Satira had been so sure that Ciná was pulling her leg with that obviously false claim that after she had pushed the bottle of rum over to him, she had fully just looked away out over the ocean as she considered her next round for him. That is, until her thinking was interrupted by the nudge of the bottle back against her leg. Blue eyes snapped down to the bottle, then to the giant red paw holding it, then up into the golden gaze of her lover. He wasn't smiling anymore. There was no joke or jest in his expression. Cináed looked deathly serious as he held her gaze and reaffirmed that he wasn't teasing her or lying to her. I love you. He said those words again and Satira's heart both leapt in her chest and dropped into her stomach. He was speaking again, rationalizing how this hadn't been their original plan and yada yada, but Tira had stopped listening. Her ears were ringing as she stared dumbly up at him. Ciná loved her? He loved her?! No no no no no no no, this couldn't be happening!

A panic and fear began to rise up in her heart and Tira's expression dropped from mirth to anxiety as she shook her head rapidly. "Take that back," she demanded him in insistent tones, shifting to roll and face him fully, still in his arms all the while. "Don't say you love me, Ciná. I'm not a good wolf to love. I'm not even a full wolf. I'm a mess of a hybrid with so many issues. I'm not worth getting attached to." Steel blue eyes that had been so resolute in her refusal of his admission suddenly looked worried, anxious, and scared. A petite speckled paw lifted to grab him by the thick fur on his shoulder, giving him a little shake as she repeated, "Take it back! You can't love me! Everyone who loves me winds up leaving me! My mom, my dad, my brother, they all moved on without me!" Tears had begun to spring up into the corners of Tira's eyes as she looked up at Cináed like he was about to disappear at any second. Her chest heaved with shaky stuttering breaths. Her paw stopped shaking him, but kept a hold of him still as she murmured in a weakening voice, "Please... I don't want you to leave me too..."

"Cináed & Satira"

While he was looking out toward the waves, making an attempt to untangle the knots in his stomach so maybe he could at least find a way to salvage their friendship, he missed the growing panic on Tira's face. It wasn't until she insisted that he take it back that he looked back down at her with confusion and saw the fear in her eyes as she shifted to face him. His brows pulled together, not understanding what about this had gotten this kind of reaction from her. Still, he stayed quiet and listened as she demanded that she was not a good wolf to love, pointing out her hybrid lineage and issues as reasons why she wasn't worth getting attached to. Before he could deny all of that and point out how ridiculous that line of thought was, she grabbed his shoulder and shook him, making him blink with shock while she went on, insisting that everyone that loved her ended up leaving her.

Suddenly, everything clicked into focus for him. He had interpreted her initial reaction as her not having the same feelings that he had, but it was so much more than that. Without another word, he shifted to face her as well, slipping his other foreleg under her so that he could pull her smaller form tight to his. He pulled her into his chest and tucked her head under his chin, wrapping her up in his forelegs as he gently nuzzled the top of her head. He was no stranger to the feeling of being abandoned and left behind by anyone and everyone in his life. That was why he had been so willing to have this casual, no commitments relationship with her at the beginning. But now where he wanted that commitment to try and keep her in his life permanently she saw that commitment as a reason he would leave.

He didn't say anything for a while, just holding her tight and giving her tender nuzzles and kisses across the top of her head and her soft, folded ears that he had come to love so much. Eventually, once he felt her breathing begin to settle, he lifted his head so that he could look down at her again, one of his paws moving up to cup her cheek and lift her gaze up to meet his. "I am not going to leave you. I am not going to move on without you. I don't care about your bloodline. You are worth being attached to and so, so much more," he insisted quietly, punctuating each statement with a kiss to her nose, forehead, cheek, muzzle, anywhere he could reach. He held her gaze while his paw gently stroked over her cheek, adding, "I never knew my mother, my father was never really a father, and my siblings and I were always pitted against one another. I've never had anyone that I actually cared whether or not they left or not... until I met you. Now... Now I don't know how I could possibly live without you."

He let his paw slip from her cheek so he could wrap both of his forelegs around her again, giving her a gentle squeeze while he kissed her forehead once more. "Maybe the other wolves in your life sifted their focus to other things or moved on, but... Tira, you are what I want my future to be. You are what I am moving on to, not moving away from. I love you. I love you and whether or not you feel the same that is never going to change." He held her gaze, giving her a moment to absorb everything he had said and waiting to see how she would react. He knew that this wasn't something that was going to be fixed with one conversation. Hells, he was still getting over things that happened when he was barely a yearling and he knew it would be the same for Tira. But Tira was worth fighting for–even if what he was fighting was her own demons.

"Cináed & Satira"

The panic rising up in Satira’s chest felt like a claw tearing through her lungs to grip at her heart like a vise, her nerves tightening, her vision beginning to swim as the combination of the drugs and her rising panic attack started to overwhelm her. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her, not with Cináed! He had been her rock, her foundation, her constant these past couple of years and now he was trying to change everything up! How dare he! Everything was just fine the way it was! Tira had never felt such a confounding and scary whirlwind of emotions tearing up her turbulent heart. Why were things changing like this again after she’d finally found some sort of normalcy?! Now she was going to lose Ciná too and she’d be all alone again, but this time she’d truly be alone. Her mother had her own family now. Her father had his own family now. Her brother was starting a life with his girlfriend. And Tira? She’d just be left behind and forgotten.

On the verge of a full on panic attack, the hyperventilating little wolf-dog suddenly found herself being scooped up in the tight embrace of Cináed’s strong forelegs, holding her trembling body against his. The combination of panic and her beginning drug trip was a hell of a thing and poor Tira was spiraling. She heaved a few unsteady breaths to try and ground herself, tears stinging at her eyes while the giant dire wolf embracing her kept her cradled to his body. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to yell and scream at him for doing this to her. All she could manage to do however was smack weakly at his chest with tiny paws a few times before she just crumbled inward, clinging to his fur for dear life while she broke down into sobs, hot tears cutting down her face as she faced the prospect of losing another wolf that mattered to her.

For a while they stayed like that until Satira had managed to calm herself down enough to actually get a breath in again, her little body trembling with the mental and physical exertion. Being tucked up into his chest with his head covering hers was a comfort, like a giant weighted blanket soothing away all her fears. No words were exchanged, but none needed to be said. Ciná said all he needed to with the gentle kisses and nuzzles he covered her forehead and ears with. The soft touch of paw pads met her cheek and lifted her muzzle with gentle insistence until their gazes met, Tira’s blurry and glistening with tears while Ciná reassured her that he was never going to leave her, that he didn’t care about any of her perceived flaws, and that she was worth being loved. Tira’s chest tightened as she hiccuped through a few stuttering breaths while Ciná laid bare his soul to her. Every gruesome detail of how his family had fucked him up and how hopelessly attached to her he was now. It was sweet and romantic in its own sort of way, a very Ciná kind of way, and Tira loved it.

Satira sniffled back a fresh wave of tears as a nervous excitement and happiness blossomed in her chest while she stared up into those hypnotic golden eyes while Cináed pledged his love to her again and swore that she was what he wanted her future to be. A sound caught between a laugh and a sputter left the wolf-dog and she smiled up at the handsome face of her brute like she was seeing him for the first time all over again. Hearing the commitment and conviction in his voice felt like a security blanket being wrapped around her, swaddling her away from all her heartache and worries. They still had a long way to go before either of them was truly better—and maybe they never would be totally better. But as long as she had Ciná, Tira knew she wasn’t alone anymore, and she never would be again.

Amidst this blissful euphoric feeling, the pleasant high she had been waiting on came rolling in, and before she knew it, every part of Tira's body felt light and floaty, every nerve sensitive and heightened and buzzing with warmth. A small speckled paw reached up from his chest to caress his cheek, then the second, and as Satira held Cináed's face in her paws, she lifted her muzzle up while guiding his down until their lips met, locking the pair of wolves in a slow yet deeply passionate kiss that she held onto for several long, amazing moments. When their lips eventually parted, Tira didn't pull away from him, instead looking into Ciná's eyes as she stroked his cheeks and giggled. "I love you too, Cináed. And now I want you to kiss me and show me how much you love me." Gods, how badly did she want him to love her senseless here on this beach right now!

"Cináed & Satira"

He had gone into this having no idea how Tira would react or if she would even reciprocate these feelings that he had finally built up the bravery to say and when she had laughed he had feared the worst outcome. In the end he felt like they had only grown closer and uncovered so much more than he had even planned. When Tira smiled up at him and he felt her small paws rest on his cheeks any lingering concern or fear was swept away, a similar smile pulling across his face. This was the fae he loved and now she knew how he truly felt about her–and from the way she guided him into a deep, passionate kiss he knew she loved him too even before she vocalized the words. He wasn't sure if it was just the euphoria of finally telling the truth and knowing that he would have this little wolf dog in his life till the end of his days or if it was the building high from the drugs that she had given him, but Cina was over the moon. He returned her slow, deep kiss with a soft, content hum, his forelegs wrapped around her waist and pulling her snuggly against him. This was everything he had hoped for and more.

When she did eventually break their kiss, he blinked open his eyes to peer down into her pale blue gaze again and a goofy, over joyed grin tugged at his lips at the sound of her giggles. Then she said the words he had been dying to hear. I love you. It occurred to him that he wasn't sure if he had ever heard someone say that they loved him until now and it only made this moment all the sweeter. She was his first and only love and that was all he really needed. Her demand that he kiss her and show her how much he loved her was probably the easiest request she had ever made of him. Without hesitation, he rolled with her till she was on her back beneath him, holding himself over her with a sultry grin on his lips. "As you wish, my love," he rumbled with a chuckle, his muzzle lightly brushing against hers before he claimed her lips in another deep, slow, passionate kiss, his eyes sliding closed once again

"Cináed & Satira"