Ride Out the Storm With You

When Straton had been trying to decide how he'd spend his twilight years, traveling the world had been on the bucket list. But traveling with a gorgeous young thing like Cicero? That had been an unexpected twist of fate that he hadn't seen coming, nor did he rebuke the gift the universe had given him. The old bounty hunter had found her when the pretty obsidian and snow fae had come rushing into the cave he'd claimed as shelter during a tropical storm in some warm lands many, many miles away. She was a lone traveler as well, seeking herbs and mushrooms for her experiments and sciences. A clever girl, sharp as a tack and witty to boot. He appreciated her keeping an old man company through the storm. They'd shared some stories, shared a meal, and as the hours passed, acquaintanceship had turned to something akin to friendship. Straton had always had a soft spot in his hardened heart for small ladies, and Cicero was no exception.

They'd spent the next few weeks traveling together, seeking out the foreign ingredients she desired. The more time they spent together, the more they learned of one another. She was from a far off land called Boreas, a member of a family called the Aracari, and a lover of the pharmaceutical sciences, particularly hallucinogenics. He told her about his history as a bounty hunter, sparing her many of the sordid details in the beginning, but Cicero was down to earth and worldly, and nothing he said seemed to faze the fae ravenous for more stories and experiences. It was like her thirst for knowledge was unquenchable, and her drive reminded the old hunter of himself. Tenacious, relentless, passionate. She didn't treat him like he was beyond his prime. If anything, she looked at him as if he were the most desirable thing in the world.

Their time together, while meant to be brief, ended up becoming a permanent fixture when the two fell into an easy romance. Cicero made him feel things he hadn't felt in a long time, and he in turn poured his charm on for her. Sweet whispers in her midnight ears before they fell asleep, little trinkets and gifts, doting on her like a lovestruck pup. Straton had always had a weakness for smaller women, and their age difference did nothing to deter him from finding this attachment and passion with Cicero. Wherever she wanted to go, he was happy to go, content to simply be with her and see parts of the world his paws hadn't taken him to yet. So when she said she wished to return to her homeland, he was more than happy to oblige.

Arriving in the southern continent of Auster, Straton could immediately smell the approaching storm. Heavy thunderclouds began to roll over the evening sky, and before he knew it the world was mostly dark. Cicero led him into the hollow of one of the gigantic oaks and the hulking shadowed brute slunk inside just as the deluge began, pelting the earth in a torrential downpour. He glanced back with a victorious smirk. Cicero spoke his thoughts aloud and he chuckled, a low grumble of laughter from within his chest. "Reminds me of the night we met," he remarked while he slid down alongside Cicero, draping a thick foreleg across her side to pull her slender body closer to his. Together they watched the thunderstorm outside, lightning illuminating the world every so often like bursts of sunlight. "Do your family know where you've been off to, or is this a surprise homecoming we're walking into?" While he spoke, he leaned his muzzle closer to go to kiss and nibble across the back of Cicero's neck, grooming her fur and just enjoying little affections with his lover.

"Straton"