Conflicting Thoughts

Aliana could sense the tension in Chimera from the moment he’d come to her to invite her out on a picnic. It wasn’t often these days that the two of them got to do many things together, the clouded queen staying busy tending to and raising their rapidly growing brood and Chimera running the pack and… doing whatever it was Chimera did. Lately, that had involved a lot of extended trips with the shipwrecked slave he’d rescued on their beach a season ago. Aliana would never outwardly admit to being envious or suspicious of Chimera or his motives, but it was impossible for her to not at least suspect something was going on there with everything she was silently observing from the sidelines. Still, she trusted her mate, and had full faith in him that he would be satisfied with what he had. She already hadn’t liked that he’d taken another lover in Erystotle, but she had understood. Chimera needed a man from time to time.

After their sons had been left in the care of a sitter, Chimera gathered up a picnic for them and led the couple out to the docks and the ferry, shuttling them across the strait to the mainland. Ali followed alongside her king every step of the way, taking in the beautiful Austerian spring sights as hey traipsed through the aspen forest bordering their island home until they arrived at the den they’d all built a season ago. While Chimera went to gather some firewood for them, Ali took to unpacking their supplies, including a massive bison hide and a smorgasbord of food.

Chimera lit a fire, flooding the area in orange light and warmth as the late afternoon sun began to sink below the horizon, shrouding the woods in long and heavy shadows. At his beckoning, Ali cast her king a sweet smile and sauntered over to drape her svelte form across the fur blanket beside him, long limbs stretched out in repose. Taking a glance up to his face, Aliana saw anxiousness in his handsome features very uncharacteristic of the giant brute. "Is there something on your mind, my love?" she asked in delicately gentle lyrics, lifting a dainty paw to rest over top of his black-toed foot while she studied his expression with tender concern.

"Aliana"