Dusk had fallen over the Cattail creek. Spring peepers cried out, their shrill mating cries overwhelming even the buzzing of bugs. A gentle breeze rustled the fronds of cattail and other reeds, mostly last years growth but with young sprouts peeking through in some places. Ankaios was studiously washing his paws, having been coated to his elbows in river muck thanks to his day's activities. He'd found tubers of Arrowroot and the young tubers and shoots of the cattail as well. Both were adequate additives when patients needed to eat something nasty. He'd found horsetail and watercress and farther into the forest a patch of wild leeks. It masked foul tastes as well, and it was a decent substitute for garlic when it or echinacea were out of stock. He hummed to himself, a tribal ballad he'd learned in his use. It was absent minded, somehow pleasant to him despite the now painful memories it existed alongside. It was a low, folkish tune with a rumbling, turning beat. It was more suited to harvest season, but the bounty here was so great that he could not help but mumble along to the words as he went. He had found a rather large leaf of burdock and tucked his gathered goods inside for the moment, holding either side gingerly with his incisors. The scent of leeks was strong beneath his nose, masking almost everything else. It would be dark soon, and the stars were just beginning to show in the rose-violet sky. It was pleasantly cool, with a low mist beginning to creep up from the water and into the forest around him. Spring was such a lovely season, he reflected with a gentle smile on his face. "Talk" "You" Think

Navigation - Cattail Creek

Pyralis rolled sharply over to her other side letting her limbs flop useless on on the floor of her den.  No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get comfortable.  Her heat was in full swing making her restless and irritable.  How was she supposed to fight her own horomones?  Growling she slipped out of her den into the cool spring evening in her new home in Auster and began climbing up to the rim and toward the cedar falls.  She hoped a walk in the cool night air and the subsequent drink at the cattail creek would be enough to cool her so maybe she could get some blessed sleep! Step after step Pyralis focused in on her destination and was managing to ignore everything else until she at last came to the creek and nearly dove in face first as she smacked and slurped at the water.  Quickly sating her thirst, well… at least one of her thirsts she lifted her head to turn and journey back to her den when she caught the faint sound of singing and a familiar voice.  Scouting quickly and silently toward the sound she spied Ankaios!  He was easy enough to spot, his brilliant coat shimmering like embers in the inky night. "Well, well, if it isn't my lucky evening.  Hey stranger!"  She winked playfully at the man not bothering to hide her heat. "Talk" "You" Think

Ankaios' peaceful evening was shattered by a familiar voice. A shock ran through him, and his head turned sharply. No, he certainly was not mistaken. The woman from the other day, who he had found feverish and wounded, seemed to be looking much better now. He gave her a thin grin, and a raised brow. "You're looking chipper," he said. He gave her an appreciative eye and, gods she was large, he was pleased to see that she really did appear to be healing well. "How's your shoulder?" Ever the physician, he wanted to at least check. The wind shifted, and the smell of her heat washed over him. He stiffened as his body took note a moment after his mind. He felt flushed, and at once antsy. A deep recess of his mind groaned, fearing the worst. But, being the gentleman he was, Ankaios did his best to show no outward sign that he'd noticed. "You know, I don't believe I ever caught your name before." It was true, though she'd been pretty out of it. Maybe she'd mumbled it, and he'd missed it entirely, but the point remained that he had no idea. And how could he ever act the proper gentleman if he didn't know his lady's name? "Talk" "You" Think

Ankaios was a sight for sore eyes, or any eyes really and she made no attempt to hide her wandering gaze until he spoke.  Her golden eyes flickered to his own and she grinned.  "Fantastic!"  She jutted the formerly wounded limb forward with a graceful flourish to reveal the tender pink tissue that was no longer red, oozy and inflamed.  She hoped her fur would grow back but she couldn't be sure that it would. Pyralis stretched out one of her forepaws, delicately stirring the creek.  "Pyralis Abraxas.  Known also as Pyra, Pyr, and Pyre.  Pick whichever one suits your fancy I don't mind.  And I believe your name is Ankaios correct?"  She stood and strutted towards him, her tail waving languidly in the air as she sought to get inside his personal bubble.  Pyralis spoke in low tones, "You know… I don't believe I ever got the chance to properly thank you." "Talk" "You" Think

Ankaios was fascinated to see the woman in full health. He realized that her fever had indeed drastically drastically drained her energy. She showed off the wound, and Ankaios took a few steps closer to inspect how it was healing. In fact, he was surprised to see her healing so quickly, but on second thought and after inspecting her impressive frame for the umpteenth time, maybe he wasn't so surprised. She was probably stronger and sturdier than two of him combined. Oh well. He had long ago accepted that he was a creature built for agility and grace, and tried not to envy her. She gave her name at long last as Ankaios rolled it over in his mind, getting a feel for it. Pyralis Abraxas... Hmm. It suited her, he decided. It was a languid, strong name. "Pyralis," he mused aloud... "I'll try not to forget." He sniffed and tried to keep a straight face, but his cheek twitched up in a poorly suppressed smirk. He doubted a creature of her stature had an ego any smaller. She pressed in closer, and sudden found it quite hard to swallow. The scent of her heat was overwhelming, seeming to enclose him entirely. He wished the wind would shift, something, anything, while he did his best to maintain his composure. "Oh, the pleasure of your company is payment enough," he intoned, trying to maintain a humorous edge, and not stumble over the dryness in his mouth. "Talk" "You" Think

Pyralis drank in his gaze, rolling her shoulders lightly and showing herself off. He'd be a fool not to want her. He chose to call her by her full first name which suited her just fine. She chuckled a little as he twitched and fidgeted. Oh it had been so long since she'd played around with someone, it was fun watching but a fire was growing in her belly and was swiftly beginning to rage. She was to keen on drawing this whole thing out but it was difficult to tell what buttons she'd need to push to get the man where she wanted. He seemed to be trying to keep up his physicianlly composure. "Oh, the pleasure of your company is payment enough," Pyralis continued forward intent on stopping only inches from him, the lascivious grin never leaving her face. "Oh? I assure you it's no problem for me to do… more." She leaned forward, trying to whisper the last word in his ear before pulling back to gaze at him, elongating her neck and turning her head slightly to the side. "Besides, surely a compassionate man like yourself won't leave me to suffer like this all by myself?" "Talk" "You" Think

Ankaios felt somewhat like a piece of prey. He was caught in the serpent's gaze, the air swirling with her scent which sent his own emotions and good sense into a tizzy. It had been... quite some time since he'd be with another in the sense he was certain she implied. She drew in close to him, and his thought drowned out into white noise. Blood roared in the man's ears, and he cleared his throat quietly. In the back of his mind he knew the consequences of this, some rational flea in his ear was shouting it at the top of it's tiny flea lungs... Sadly, to no effect. Ankaios rumbled, a low sound somewhere between a growl and a hum and a whine of frustration. He liked to think of himself as a bit more civilized than most folk, but his patience was wearing against the jagged edge of his less-than-gentlemanly thoughts. "Well, I never claimed to be a compassionate man," he rumbled, voice taking on an undeniable gravel. After all, in truth he was only in it for the pursuit of knowledge, the puzzle that a wound... or in this case a woman, put before him. Some last strand of resistance broke within him, and he advanced, pressing in close. A part of him was intimidated by her size, as always, but that part of him was small in comparison to the desires driving him just then. "However, I am opposed to allowing others to suffer. Perhaps we ought to compromise..." He grinned toothily, in a way which did not at all match his words. The grin was selfish and wanton, not at all like the proper, soft-spoken man he typically portrayed. He waited to see if she would step over the line dividing thought and action, half expecting her to pull away as if it were all a cruel joke. His toes quivered, claws digging into the soft ground beneath him. Gods, he hoped that wasn't the case... "Talk" "You" Think

Desire was humming down her limbs sending shivers creeping down her spine but she held herself together, a master in a delicate game but it was getting more difficult with each passing moment. She was rearing to go and he was moving so slowly. "Not compassionate? Helping a wounded stranger for no payment at all and then not even taken advantage of her altered state? Seems awfully compassionate to me. Don't tell me I make you nervous… if you're a little rusty I'd be more than happy to loosen you up…" The last phrase rippled from her throat in a sultry purr. To her surprise and delight he was the one that pushed forward instead, closing the gap between them and she saw the shift in his express, the unraveling, the push toward desire. Pyralis stepped forward again, pressing her chest forward, seeking to meet it with his as she unashamedly took in his scent, nose seeking to bury in his ruff. Her tongue would dart toward his left ear as she whispered in low tones filled with want. "You have my utmost attention…." "Talk" "You" Think

Ankaios was tightly wound, to say the least. He felt the strangest disconnect between his body and his mind, and which was in charge of which at the moment. Instinctually, he took in a deep breath, which proved immediately to be a mistake. He'd hoped to calm down, flush some of the fire out of his heated veins, but the scent of her was inescapable and did nothing but add fuel to the fire. Her words were a meaningless buzz in his ears. For all that he had closed half of the gap, she sealed the deal by pressing against him, pressing her muzzle into the fur of his mane. His mind was lost to him, awash in the raging sea of proximity. He released his very last inhibitions, allowing a mental situation to become an entirely physical process, acting as instinct, as desire, required. "You have my utmost attention…." He growled, nearly a whine, his frustration leaking into the air. "Hmm, the feeling is mutual," he husked back. The idea that his actions might have consequence was as far from his mind in that moment as it could have been. Ankaios enjoyed the feel of her pressed against him for a moment longer before his addled mind suggested he reposition, which he did eagerly. He did not know for how long they would share time together, and he did not particularly care. In that moment, the night was theirs and the future remained shrouded in mist and uncertainty. He was perfectly fine with that. -Fade- "Talk" "You" Think

Pyralis held her body close, she'd crossed the line and she was positively burning. She wouldn't let him pull away now, not til she had what she wanted even if she had to drag him down on top of her. Thankfully it seemed she didn't need to worry about that option as he growled out his answer. She groaned, excitement pulsing through her veins. Slowly she let her mind unwind, giving her body the reins and she sought to lick and nibble her way down his neck. He shifted away from her but she wasn't deterred, she knew this was but a shift in position, she could smell him now, his own scent growing stronger and her tail curled up over her back. Oh this was going to be fun! -Fade- "Talk" "You" Think