Mist swirled thick and cool on the forest floor. Finch gulped a little bit. This place had always given her the creeps, but she knew there were rare plants and mushrooms that only grew in certain wet, dark places... like the base of this forest floor. She had put it off long enough, but now that spring was here and the world had begun to wake up in earnest, it was time to get cracking. At least the prospect of finding new and interesting plants was enough to give her courage to tread across the pillowy moss and venture deeper.

The air may have been heavy with condensation, but beneath that heavy smell of spring-warmed water and lush vegetation lurked the tinge of her first heat. It was embarrassing. Finch had known it would be coming - she was a healer, after all, and prided herself on that - but it was a different sort of thing to know something intellectually versus experiencing it firsthand. She'd tried to cover the smell by rubbing crushed lavender near the base of her spine and tail, but she couldn't really tell if it had helped. Finch was hesitant to wander away from Avalon territory with this new development, but at least she was nearby and could scamper home if something didn't feel right. For now, she trained her eyes on the shadows of the forest floor. Each nook or cranny she passed might reveal something and she was intent on keeping her wits about her.

word count: 204
total:454

Listen. For all her smutty stories and idle fantasies, Maki was naïve as they came. She'd never even kissed anyone before, but had used the phrase their tongues battled for dominance more times than anyone ever should. It ought to be illegal really, someone lock her up and throw away the key, make her think about the numerous literary crimes she had committed and repent. Whatever that would entail, maybe she should write some poetry instead, a few haikus even.

Point being, she'd sort of waxed overly fluffy and meandering prose about the passions of heat and what not, but experiencing it for herself the first time? This weren't it chief! And she didn't know what to do with herself, because even if she kinda liked the idea of adulty things-gosh she was sort of an adult now?- she was a chicken and frankly, not the crumbliest cookie.

So she found herself wandering, itchy paws and itchier pelt. Reasonably, she knew she wouldn't find any hunks here, but darn it! Where was her meet cute! With a growl, about as threatening as a fox, she lunged at a nearby vine yanking at it hard, making the tree it was connected to rustle and shudder.

word count: 174
total: 628

Suddenly, the very tree next to her came alive! Finch yet out a strangled yowl, sounding like some strange mix between a bleating ox and a bobcat kitten. She just about jumped out of her skin, not to mention her heart was beating so fast that she immediately felt light-headed. The white female stumbled to the left and then the right, then face-planted straight into the damp ground in front of her. Nose down, butt in the air. To her credit, even though she wanted to very badly, she didn't cry. Without realizing it, Finch had screwed both of her eyes up tight, so she very carefully opened them one at a time. Now that she was a bit ahead of the tree that had lashed out with all its stripling might, she saw a young wolf her own age standing right beside it, gripping a thick vine in her jaws. Oh. Well, that made more sense than a tree on the prowl. Finch licked her lips and croaked: "Can you help me up? Please?"

word count: 134
total: 762

Maki tugged and yanked at the vine, only to find that it didn't vent much of her frustration at all. She paused, ears flicking forward as she caught the sound of an almost meek request, maybe a little embarrassed she'd needed to even ask in the first place? Moving on autopilot, Maki sought out the floundered pale wolf and helped her without much thought at all, scooped a paw under her belly and helped push up till the stranger was back on her four paws. Not booty up like- hm, she smelled a little off too- was she yanno...thirsty as well?

"I ain't judgin'" Maki was pretty sure she'd described one of her characters being in such a...compromising position before, so she had no room to but... "but why'd you go and do that?'"

word count: 212
total: 974

Finch resisted the urge to shy away at Maki's touch when she helped her up. It was awkward, letting someone come into your personal bubble like that, but her front paws were smarting something awful. She must have pulled something when she stumbled forward. Thoroughly embarrassed, she shifted back and forth on her aching paws as that familiar hot, itchy feeling crept across her face. Of course she was blushing again. Maki's perfunctory question made her want to dig a hole, crawl into it, and cover herself with the dirt. "I-I... I was startled!" she stammered.

A light breeze blew through the forest, stirring the mist and bringing a familiar (but distinct) scent to her nose. This female was in heat, too! Maybe she'd have someone to commiserate with who wasn't family. "I mean, I can tell you're in the same... predicament I am," Finch said, that blush getting hotter and hotter. "It's made me feel like I'm so on edge! It really felt like this tree was about to attack me or something, and then I tripped." It sounded stupid, even to her, but it was exactly how the situation had played out. "Being in heat is the worst, right? I'm Finch, by the way. Thank you for helping me up."