Birds of a Feather

Satira felt some relief wash away her burning embarrassment when Azzurra giggled and thanked her for the compliment, then dismissed her stammered apology for looking at her rump with only a bit of a flush. Whew! At least she'd managed to save a bit of face there, no thanks to her awkward yammering to defend herself when she hadn't needed defending or to say anything at all! Still, it did scant little to alleviate the heaviness Tira felt weighing on her soul as she talked about the bigotry she'd received for her mixed genetics and her strange appearance in a land and family dominated almost entirely by wolves. Azzurra would never know and she'd never say how it felt to be a part of the Fatalis family, where familial heritage and pride were toted as the greatest aspects, and to know you didn't belong in it entirely, no matter how much she tried or how much effort she put forth. She would still never be 100% what they valued. Sure, her mother had taken her and her brother away from there to live their own lives, but it was a painful memory seared into her young brain for the rest of her life.

There was quiet between them, and for a moment, Satira wondered if she should have just kept her mouth shut and pretended everything was fine, just like she always did. Then at least she wouldn't have put Azzurra in an awkward spot like this. But to her surprise, she heard the sound of paw steps moving not away, but towards her. When Tira looked up, there Azzie was, sitting so close she could feel her fur brushing her side. Bright blue eyes peered up at the taller girl in shock while she reaffirmed that Satira's ears were cute and so was she. She called her amazing—the first time anyone other than her mother or father had complimented her. Then she felt the other girl's lips on her cheek. Tira's mouth dropped open in a silent gasp, eyes wide while she gawked at Azzurra. The monochromatic girl got so flustered when she realized what she'd done, but little Tira was still just reeling at the notion that someone outside her family had kissed her!

"N-No! No, don't be sorry! It felt nice. I just... I wasn't really expecting it. No one's kissed me besides my mom and dad before, so I just... wasn't ready for it, y'know?" She gave a bashful little smile up to Azzie, hoping to assuage the other girl's sudden shyness. She leaned over to nudge and nuzzle Azzurra's shoulder, hoping to get her to look back at her again. She liked being around the larger girl. She made her feel special and got her warm all over, but in a good way. She thought about how she saw her mother kiss those wolves they traveled with, and how Azzie had just kissed her. Maybe kissing was just a general expression of affection to wolves you liked? Gathering up what boldness and courage she had within her, Satira leaned up to plant her lips right against the side of Azzie's cheek, kissing her back in turn. "There," she said with a confident smirk, "now I kissed you too. So you can feel better too."


"Satira"