Reila slept relatively soundly through most of the night, the affects of the wine making her feel heavy and relaxed as she stayed there in Chimera's embrace. She didn't have nightmares but she didn't dream at all. Her mind was all fuzzy and dark as she lost herself in that sleep. That was, until early morning came and she was no longer feeling the wine.

Her more sober mind felt Chimera around her, and in that darkness she was seeing she jolted just slightly as she woke up from the sheer bit of worry she felt with him around her. She was coherent though and not in her crazed state, it was the thought of being that way and attacking him that woke her up. Her still tired eyes glanced around at Chimera and the trees around them. She only took a moment before going to carefully remove herself from Chimera without wanting to wake him. The sun wasn't even up yet, but she was already getting the idea of having breakfast ready for him when he woke up.

"Reila"

He'd slept well and thankfully hadn't been assaulted this time. There had been no dreams and it had been a very restful sleep. Chimera had been roused a few times that morning by the waking calls of birds, but had easily drifted off again. At home, he would have already been up. Out here, there was no need. There were no duties that needed attending to. They were just here to make pots. Or at least Reila was here to make pots. He wasn't having any more of that shit.

The woman in his arms stirred and tried to extract herself from the partially asleep brute. He growled and his grip tightened around her, pulling her body flat against his belly. She would most likely feel the morning 'excitement.' but he wasn't ashamed of it. It was just a thing. Besides, she'd been bold enough to practically sit on it last night, so why should he care?

The brutes neck curled and he buried his nose in the thicker fur of his sleeping companions neck. His eyes were still closed but he was very much awake, curious what she would do now that he was holding her captive.

"Speech"

Reila didn’t fight as Chimera pulled her back in, and after a few seconds she too put her hold back around him as her head rested down on his own. Her unseen smile could probably be felt in the way she held him back. She hummed lightly from the enjoyment she felt with Chimera holding her close like this. She hadn’t forgotten what had happened between the two of them last night and while it felt mostly like a dream she knew it was real. Not just from waking up surrounded by him but she could still feel the way he felt against her and the taste of his lips against hers.

Reila had laid there for a few moments if that was Chimera’s plan. She wasn’t accustomed this this type of affection specifically, so she wasn’t thinking of giving him any morning kisses or nuzzles she was just soaking in what they had right now. She didn’t ignore, but didn’t mention the hard parts between them. She would have rather him pursued her than she assume, and she knew this was the way of men anyway.

After those few perfect moments her paws carefully brushed over his shoulders as if she was waking him up though he already was. She whispered softly, "I was going to catch us some breakfast." She was just going to go a little ways down the river to catch a couple fish for them, and then maybe they could start their day.

"Reila"

Reila stilled in his grasp and he pulled her against him and soon her head was rested upon his own, her arms around him as much as she could reach. The brute's tail thumped once or twice on the ground as she stayed there with him, rather than pulling away. He was comfortable and could very well have fallen back asleep for a while if she hadn't begun to speak.

Breakfast. The man's pink eye cracked open and he looked at her as she pressed her paws against him. Breakfast did sound good. He grunted and released his hold upon her before rolling onto his back, wiggling back and forth in the grass for a moment to scratch an itch, then falling into his opposite side with his dual-toned back to her. It was nice to have a lazy morning as they were few and far between.

Black and white ears perked, listening for the movement of the woman to leave. He wasn't going to go back to sleep. Instead he had an idea that would have to wait until she left the clearing in search of whatever breakfast she had in mind. Only when she left did Chimera roll to his paws and move off in the opposite direction with a little sack in his maw. He was off to pick berries to go with their breakfast. Bitches loved berries.

"Speech"

Reila didn't rip herself from Chimera, and when he seemed loose enough she finally went to carefully take herself off the ground beside him. It was an odd feeling, like she was empty and missing something. She'd ignore it, that was easy for her. She was rather level headed anyway, most things didn't bother her.

She made her way a short distance down the river, finding a little drop in the water that seemed ideal for her to catch fish without any supplies. She stepped out into the rush of water, standing her ground and waiting for her opportunity. She let a few fish swim by, she was looking for the biggest one she could find for Chimera before she'd grab one for herself. The fish grew used to her solid legs the longer she stood there and as they swam upstream it would be easier to strike.

Once she had caught the couple fish for her and Chimera, she headed back towards camp. She started a quick fire while Chimera was out and prepared the fish by cutting off the heads and tail and then getting them set up by the fire. She laid back down in front of their smoking meal only waiting for Chimera to return while she turned them over.

"Reila"

While out looking for berries, Chimera had been forced to run off a young bear. It had been easy business as young bears were skittish things. Once the ursine was out of the area, the big brute began plucking mulberries from the branches of a tree. He only wanted red berries and firm black berries. The green and white ones would be left to ripen. The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice, he'd been told.

With a decent haul of mulberries, the man made his way back to the clearing beside the river where he and Reila set up camp. As he walked down the game trail, a fox crossed his path and that fox had a fat hare between its jaws. A growl from Chimera made the fox drop its catch and hurry quickly away. With a chuckle, Chi picked up the rabbit and practically pranced back to camp, pleased as punch.

Once back, he noted that Reila was there and that she was already preparing fish over the fire. Coming up beside her, he dropped the rabbit at her elbow and the little sack of berries closer to her paws. Chimera then sprawled out on his belly, hind legs stretching out behind him. The brutes thick, obsidian tail lashed slowly back and forth across his thighs. "A fox was nice enough to catch us a rabbit," he informed her with a shrug.

"Speech"

Reila's smile rose as Chimera came back into camp, her eyes following him until he dropped the hare and bit of berries down beside her. "Thank you." She could never really say enough. It was part of her slave nature, but she was happy with what Chimera gave her regardless.

She rose to skin the rabbit, cutting the meat right down the middle before placing the strips by the fire and going to wash her paws in the river. Returning back alongside Chimera, she used the knife to pull the fish off their pikes and onto flat rocks they would use as plates. She swapped for the rabbit meat which would be done by the time they finished their fish. Reila plucked the berries that Chimera had collected, giving a little mmm with a bit of a giggle as she took her share.

Once they were done breakfast, she stayed there for a moment quietly looking up at Chimera with a bit of a smirk and pause before she finally spoke, "I was thinking we could collect some of the sugar crystals to take back to the pack. I bet your sons would love them." She joked a bit, but in all the sugar would be a good addition to their resources. They would find a good use for them back home.

"Reila"

As he lay down, the woman thanked him, to which he merely nodded. She had always been grateful. It was... pleasant. Chimera watched as she skinned and butchered the rabbit, putting the meat on the fire after pulling off the fish. He took a bite of his fish while Reila leaned towards the berries. Her little giggle and sound of pleasure was terribly charming. She was just so innocent in ways. Perhaps that was part of her draw. The pair ate in relative silence, finishing first the fish, then the rabbit and eating the berries in between. A fine breakfast.

As they lay there, the small woman suggested that they collect some of the sugar crystals to take back home for his boys. Chimera chuckled softly. "Good of you to think of them." His children would indeed enjoy a sweet little treat. "I imagine the sweetness could be used for cooking and for tea." He wasn't a cook, but he did enjoy his tea. Sweet tea could be an interesting taste for sure.

Rising from where he lay, Chimera shook out his two-toned coat and offered a paw to the bob-tailed woman to help her to her paws as well. "We came here to make pots, you know," there was the faintest hint of humor in the brutes pink eye. "Let's pack up and take what sweets we can back home." It would take them a while to walk back, so they might as well pack up and get started.

"Speech"

Reila took a long blink as Chimera had mentioned her thinking of his sons before her gentle gaze moved back up to him. It wasn’t like she knew any of them, she didn’t really know any of the residents aside from Chimera and a better encounter with Dalila compared to Aliana. But the intent of doing something for the rest of the pack was there. Her heart was in the right place, she would provide for them all she could.

As Chimera had suggested a couple things they could use the sugar drip stones for Reila nodded acceptingly, "Tea sounds good." She was sure the sweet taste would go well with other things too like it had with the wine. If anything it would be a little treat for everyone.

Reila put her soft paw in Chimera’s as he offered it to her and rose up on her feet. She hummed to his little bit of humor, though she had thoughts of her own too. "We can take the clay back to Fenmyre, I’m sure a few of us can finish crafting them there." She took a pelt off the cart before going to submerge it in the water. The clay would need to be kept moist so they could tarp the wet pelt over their sleighs once they loaded them up. She pushed the collected clay boats over to the cart and placed a couple thick sticks up the slope to make a quick ramp before she went to push them up on the cart. Chimera’s help was always welcome, but she could manage just fine.

Finally they were packed up so she approached Chimera so that he could take her to see the sweet crystalline caves.

"Reila"

The long blink was noted with a bit of amusement. "I have ten children, you know." So far. After his six boys, Chimera had decided that ten was enough, but now that they were growing, he felt the need for more pups on the island. Hopefully he'd be able to convince Aliana one more time.

The man rumbled in agreement as Reila admitted that sweet tea would be good. He then helped her up and they worked together to put the clay on the cart. The bob-tailed fae suggested that she and others could make pots with the collected clay and Chimera chuckled, flashing teeth for a moment. "Aliana makes fine pots. I'm sure she would be eager to get her paws on this."

Once their camp was broken down, Chimera slid into the yoke of the cart and pulled it back towards the roaring falls. Once there, he dropped the cart and motioned for Reila to follow. A bag in his maw, big paws moved over the slick stones and it looked as though he was going to walk straight into the falls, but he walked behind instead. There was a little cave there that was filled with the candy spires. Placing the bag in the center of the little room, he began breaking off the little crystalline sticks and placing them in the sack.

"Speech"

Reila hadn't known the number of children Chimera had but she knew it was more than just Aliana's litter. Honestly she couldn't name each even just of them at least given the fact she hadn't met them. It would seem though that Chimera's number of children was not off putting. Really his whole lifestyle was not an issue for her, not that her feelings for him were very deep. She was finding him attractive in more ways than one but she was more experimenting with these emotions rather than thinking she was in love with him.

Reila's usual contented grin didn't falter, but honestly the mention of working with Aliana didn't seem like the best idea to her. On her end at least, she wouldn't really look forward to that. She would do but... she was just feeling very off with her without confirmation that she was the one who was struggling with her and Chimera's time together. All she did was keep the smile and nod her head gently in response.

Chimera went to take her to where he got the sugar crystals and the cave behind the falls was very secluded and... romantic in a way. Not that they were really using the space to that advantage. But Reila couldn't help but think of some of the things they could do, or the things she wanted to do to him locked here behind the falls. It seemed to be a large part of her personality at least. She easily pushed the thoughts out of her mind as she moved to the stalagmites, struggling a little more than Chimera to break them off at their thick parts but she made do. She placed the spikes in the bag he had brought along with him and continued to take just a few more.

"Reila"

Reila nodded with a smile as he suggested that she and Aliana make pots together and Chi thought nothing of it. They would have to learn to coexist at some point, being in the same pack and all. Better sooner than later. If problems were to arise, they'd have ample time to sort that shit out. Honestly, he didn't want to have to deal with it. They were both adults and should be able to interact in a civil manner, if anything.

Into the cave the pair went and they began popping off the little crystal spires to deposit into the sack. Halfway full, Chi hefted the sack and gave a little sound of amusement. "Heavier than they look," he commented before continuing their sweet plundering of the cave. They didn't need as many as they were taking, no doubt, but the cave was nice and cool and he wasn't ready to leave quite yet.

"Speech"