Walk | Talk | Think Very carefully Callisto adjusted the plants in the little nook at the base of a tree she was using as her temporary storage. It was far from ideal - it was not deep enough, nor was it big enough to replace everything she had lost in her move - but she was making do as best as she could. These were going to be her new living quarters for a time, this newly regrown forest, and since she had no idea where else to go she stubbornly wanted to make this place as comfortable for herself as she could. Which meant first and foremost making sure that her plant stores - or at least what remained of them - would continue to be safe until the time came when, or if, she moved again. While she worked, her mind did too. It felt odd not having a pack's border surrounding her, even given as much time as she had been without one in recent months. She still felt at risk, particularly since she was alone and there was no one around who would jump to her defense if danger showed up calling her name, and in no way was she prepared for a repeat of last time. The evidence of that encounter was likely still up in the north, growing within the bowels of the unnatural metallic structure grounded and covered in snow and watched over by the white, beastly demon with purple eyes. She had been reminded of them recently, felt her guilt return and an idiotic notion to see if she could find those young wolves rise up to accompany it, but that was possibly the riskiest thing she could do. And yet there was still a part of her that wanted to try. She tried to console herself with the fact this time was different. Maximous - of all wolves - had given her a particular plant to soothe her mind and prevent her from becoming pregnant again without her consent. It was a great burden lifted, and she took the remedy faithfully once a week, despite the demoted healer being right about it tasting horrible. For what it provided, it was well worth it. Or at least Callisto hoped. She had not gotten to talk to him directly about the plant to ask any of the questions that she had about it - her own fault for refusing to speak to him - and with a clear lack of knowledge about it she was unsure how well it could be trusted. There was still the fact Max would likely not have lied to her about it - her irritation with the cat over this fact had yet to fade - but things between them were different now and not at all like they had been when she had been his student and nothing more. Suddenly tired of repeatedly shuffling around her plants without any placement of them feeling right to her, the black and grey wolf huffed and turned away from them, pacing a few steps before she stopped with a deep frown etched into her sharp features. The busy work and pointlessness of organizing them was no longer working to keep her occupied. Maybe she should go look for the cat and drag her forcefully along to find even more plants that she could not fit into her new little plant nook.

Jakart was a fare ways away from where the remnants of his family had made their camp amount the eastern lands. His brothers of hunting, sisters off doing gods know else when they disappeared. And he had met Callisto a few weeks ago. It put a spring in the males step, a cheeriness that he had found someone thought to be forgotten and elusive and that Callisto had reentered his life if only for a short while. Jakart wished to meet her again, their rendezvous he felt had been shaky at best and awkwardly tense at worst. A lot had changed the year or so they hadn't seen each other. His parents deaths last winter especially. It sobered him up for the real world and it's problems, troubles and misgivings. It still hurt at times, but his siblings helped.

The male suddenly stopped, heart rate beginning to pick up faster at the scent that he picked up. Callisto. Her heat scent. The male tensed at the feelings that overcame him. Jakart liked Callisto, his advances at friendship notwithstanding he just felt... at ease around her. And so he set off deeper into the regrowing forest to see the one he called friend even though she may not have felt the same way. Jakart bounded up onto a dead tree, spying Callisto a few paces away.

Walk | Talk | Think The irritable, aggravated healer wolf made herself fall still, draw in a deep breath, and release it slowly, attempting in the only way she could remember to calm herself down. It did little to actually alleviate anything she felt - it was all there roiling just below the surface - but it did give her something else to focus her mind on, and for that Callisto tried it a few more times with more success during each repetition. There was no sense getting mad anyway; everything that bothered her was out of her control and there was nothing she could do to change it. Though really it was that fact alone which caused most of her strife. Still restlessly, her gaze continued to dart around looking for the cat, feeling certain she must have been close since nothing ever seemed to make her go away for long. A noise that sounded like claws on bark caused her ears to perk and, expecting to see the little feline climbing somewhere, Callisto turned herself to look. What she saw was certainly not the cat. Instantly, she tensed. It was not because she feared the wolf who stood upon the dead, downed tree - relative to his family, he seemed to be the timid one - nor did she distrust him outright. Despite being caught in the midst of her heat during their last meeting Jakart had conducted himself respectfully around her, offering her the space she required and not making things entirely awkward by saying anything that might have bothered her in some way. It was mainly because of what she felt. Natural desires warred with a deep rooted mistrust of the male species, and feeling both well up in her at once made her even more guarded and distrustful than usual. Callisto was tempted to turn and walk, but pretending that she had not seen him or could not hear him calling after her would likely only end up with him following her, not leaving. But as she looked at him and felt what she did, she recalled her earlier thoughts. She was supposedly safe this season, guarded against pregnancy by the plant she had been using, and technically, if she wanted to, she should have been able to sleep with anyone to appease her heat and not have to worry about the repercussions. And here seemed to be a possible candidate to test that theory, someone she thought might be more compliant and controllable given her need for dominance in such a situation - having the control taken from her once was plenty more than enough. Now how did she go about getting him interested? She had been putting so much energy into fighting her feelings that she did not know the first step in going with them. Having nothing to go off of, she was forced to awkwardly figure it out on her own, and with a growing hunger in her blue eyes the usual distant wolf stalked slowly closer. "Jakart," she called, her tone direct. She hoped the use of it would win him over considering she had forgotten it during their initial meeting.

Jakart watched Callisto turn around at his call, glad to see his friend was out and about. But she was kinda far from Ebony if he remembered where the pack resided. Some lake and boulder field to the north. Or was it more west? He couldn't remember, didn't have a chance to see the pack territory since his sisters didn't join Ebony. The pale grey male leapt down from the fallen tree and bounded over the mossy remains of the tree's stump.

"Callisto." Jakart cheerily spoke as his mismatched gaze reacquired her dark form. "Ebony doing ok? Does someone need an herb that I can help you all the way out here?" The she wolf was coming towards him, calling out his name. "Remembered my name this time I see." Jakart chuckled as he strode up to his friend. His nose twitched at the ever increasing proximity to the source of her heat. Winter was right around the corner, and with it the painful reminder of when his father had passed away. But that was a year ago, and Jakart wasn't one to dwell on past happenings. He stopped in front of Callisto and sat a pace away.

Walk | Talk | Think The ground between them was covered fairly quickly with both of them moving to meet each other half way. Callisto could not take her eyes away from him and was still trying to come to terms with what she was doing. Was she really going to do this? Test out the plant that Maximous had given her to see whether it would work? And if it failed? It was entirely risky, chancing the very thing that she wished most to avoid, but she wanted to be sure under circumstances that she herself had chosen and approved of. Maybe…maybe if things went wrong she would be able to find something nearby that would get rid of any complications afterward. But only if things went wrong. Jak asked in a sort of roundabout way what it was she was doing there, even bringing up her pack. Or what used to be her pack. That was right; he likely knew nothing of Ebony changing hands, of it becoming Yfir, of what it had done to the pack’s dynamics and stability. But it was not important, not at this moment, and she saw no reason to deviate from her plan just to explain to him everything that had happened. At least saying his name had brought about the desired reaction, and his laughter sounded promising. The healer was struck again by how odd it was to actually have someone greet her cheerfully who was not Max, and who seemed happy to be around her. It made her feel a bit more comfortable with her choice to approach him. He stopped to sit, but the grey-legged wolf only slowed, stopping only once she had clearly invaded his space and was more than close enough to touch him. She paused there, her muzzle even with his and her eyes capable of seeing with more definition the contours of his face, and with her pulse quickening slightly Calli debated what to do. Not even instinct could guide her when she still warred with herself, and in a moment of frustration she lashed out. She growled, mixing dominance and aggression with desire in the sound, as she bit against his neck, gathering flesh between her teeth, and had to stop herself from drawing blood. Surely that would put an end to everything before anything could truly begin. Carefully Callisto eased her jaws open, and quieting the growl within her throat into a warning purr she nipped against his neck, trying to be gentle and stir something up within him that would answer what she was already feeling beneath the tension. Her body felt rigid, ready to defend herself if need be though she had no training other than what Jakart himself had tried to teach her a year prior. She moved her nips to pinch the fur of his shoulder between her teeth as she stepped in to press against him, hoping he would be smart enough to quickly catch up with her and what she was, hopefully, hinting at. It would have been entirely her luck for everything she was doing to be clearly off the mark and for Jak to only be confused by her instead.

Jakart let out a sigh as he curled his tail around his haunches. Their paths had crossed again, Callisto a fair distance from Ebony to be hunting for game or herbs. Nothing but moss covered logs as far as be cared. Callisto still came at him, far closer than there previous meeting, his smile lessening just as she growled. The lunge took him completely off guard, and her jaws closed around his neck. A anxious heartbeat as nothing happened, waiting for the tearing of his throat, the out-pour of blood to drench the moss underfoot.

And just as quickly she relaxed her grip, Jakart able to start breathing again, ear unpinning from his skull as she let out a purr and nipped the fur of his neck. Callisto place another nip on his clavicle, his shoulder, Jakart snapping out of the daze her actions had put him in, feeling her chest brush against his. That sound of raw desire when she had first bit him echoed in his head. It all came together. Callisto's heat was now driving her, body in desperate need of a male. And it gave him pause as he thought of the next step, arguably the biggest step in a wolf's life, the nerves starting to go away as his mindset focused on what she was wanting from him.

A growl of his own rumbled forth, neck stretching to kiss the side of her jaw. Return her motions before it all came together. Waiting and wanted to feel his paws around her hips. His ears pinned back, head ducking as he kissed the side of Callisto's neck, embracing the closeness of her body. Another rumble left the grey male as he stopped beside her tail, a kiss placed on the inside of her ankle. A nervous breath left him as he turned as brushed the tip of her tail to move it out of the way. In one smooth motion he brought himself upon Callisto's back, paws firmly gripping the crook between her hips. Everything ready. Everything right. And he stepped off to her side, leg drawing over her back as he stood beside her. A whine left him as his mismatched eyes stared back at Callisto. Did she really want this?

Walk | Talk | Think She must have caught him off guard to begin with. There was no immediate response but after a moment she heard a growl answer the one that she continued to voice, and as if competing with him her own grew a little louder, wanting to best him in any way she knew how. Giving ground was still an issue with her, though it was eventually going to be necessary to do what it was that she was asking. Callisto had yet to come to terms with it, and even as he reached around to kiss her jaw her ears shifted back in a sign of her disapproval. But at least it was progress, action from him when before there had been none, so she let it slide rather than try to shut down his own physical advances.   Her nips stopped as Jak placed another kiss against her neck, and she could not quite stop herself from wrinkling her nose. Though she tolerated it, she questioned why he bothered to do it. She was not asking him to be sweet to her, nor did she want affection. That was all tied into a realm of emotional attachment she was unsure she would ever be able to enter into, and there seemed no sense in leading him to believe she wanted anything more than what she was suggesting. The last thing she wanted was another male professing his love for her; detachment suited her better. As he rose to his paws and moved, traveling along her side, Calli's breath quickened. Her body tensed even further as she turned her head to watch him stop behind her, and unbidden her back leg lifted out of his reach when he kissed her ankle only to be set back down quickly, another growl of warning accompanying it. Was this some new and different means of toying with her? Why did he find it necessary to drag things out? She was finding herself more and more frustrated by the second, and the feel of his paws as they reached for her hips, trying to secure a grip, almost did her in. It was not Jakart's legs that she felt snaking around her hips, but someone else's, a demon's. Memories that had long been suppressed, banished from thought to keep the nightmares at bay, returned as if they had never been gone, and half expecting teeth to latch onto her scruff at any second, sealing a fate that she would not approve of, Callisto reacted. Before he could secure his grip and take away any sense of control she had, she turned, twisted, and broke free of his loose hold. An angry, feral snarl drew back her teeth to reveal her fangs, threatening him as convincingly as she could as she swung her hips out of his way and bristled at him. But was that not what she had wanted? Was that not what she was asking? Conflicted, she growled again, half directed at Jak but half directed at herself. They were not going to get anywhere if she kept reacting like this.

The male had felt Callisto tense beneath him. Different from spreading her legs to lower the angle of her hips or even bracing for his administrations during the mount. The way she had growled before his paws had wrapped themselves around her hips or the way she denied his teasing when he had kissed her leg. Above all else what had made him stop as he stood beside Callisto was the way she had growled when he decided they were going to quickly just before he was supposed to preform.

Jakart's lips curled to show his canines, hackles slightly raising at her actions. He didn't growl, only displaying a warning, ear pinned back with narrowed eyes. She didn't push him away, her hips however swinging away from him as another growl tore from her throat. Jakart shied away her, taking a look around their surroundings. The two of them we moderately concealed by the fallen trees, moss providing a springy surface to walk on and were easy on the paws. An idea formed in his head, a time when his brothers were under tutelage from their father. A different way of performing. Given the location and Callisto's hostile behavior Jakart mused that if she was on her back, where she could snap and nip and look at him while he tended to her seasonal needs, than maybe this whole thing would be easier.

There was new purpose in his movements, slightly more hesitant from the females growls, but Jakart now had a more solid game plan of helping Callisto with her heat. Cautiously moving around back towards her flank again, a paw came up to her hip and firmly pressed against her leg. Jakart's paws shuffled and he switched to the opposite paw. A whine left him, not begging but more trying to get her to relent and let him help her. Mismatched eyes stared back at the she-wolf, jaw tightening at her hostile growl. "Callisto." Jakart whispered. "Let me help you. If not on your paws then upon your back?" His breathing was becoming haggard. He wanted to help her just as much he thought she wanted him to. When she would let him, well, the male would have to wait and see.

Walk | Talk | Think He matched her expression though not the sound, and Callisto continued to stare him down even after he let her keep the distance she had placed between them, the distance she both wanted and loathed. Doubts began to enter her mind of whether she was truly prepared for what she had started. Jak had tried, following every cue and suggestion she had made, and she had ruined it by pulling away. Despite her difficult ways, he did not leave though, only looked around them into the woods. Was he checking his exits? Was he reconsidering too? She did not want him to - they had been so close just a second ago - but she could not blame him either. She was doing a really poor job of convincing him to stay. The waiting was agony. Not knowing whether she had driven him away entirely or if he was willing try again kept the deeply etched frown upon her face, and her already raised defenses made it hard to cover up her fangs though she did manage to silence her growl. The anxious healer waited, keeping her silvery blue eyes fixed upon him, and as he hesitantly approached her again, once more going toward her hips, Callisto felt another low growl rumble up her throat and had to forcefully cut it off. No, he was willing, and this was what she wanted. She could not keep fighting him like that, no matter how much she feared a repeat of events happening again. But she did tense just as before and turned her head to follow him with her eyes as Jakart tried again to paw at her hips, only this time was different. He did not pull her towards him, did not try to rise over her and secure a grip, but instead pulled her downward. Her hips moved under the pressure of his paw but a side step kept her on her feet, and the look she gave him was utterly, frustratingly confused. What the hell is he doing? She was nearly ready to growl at him again, tired of him dragging things on with his senselessness, when he whined, following the sound with ragged, whispered words. On my back? The confused look on her face only intensified at the odd suggestion he made, but as he continued to paw at her hips, pressing to try and get her to roll, she felt her balance give and a little gracelessly staggered to the ground on her side. He wanted her on her back? It was such a vulnerable position that he asked for, all of her vulnerable points exposed to him and at his mercy, and because she was feeling even more defensive now she pinned her ears and bared her teeth slightly with another warning growl, tucking her chin in a feeble attempt at protecting her throat. She could not comprehend what it was that he had planned and did not understand the position he had wanted her in - as she recalled, it typically went a very different way - and with clear skepticism within her gaze she stared up at him, daring him to make a move now that he had her where he wanted her.

Callisto didn't relent or didn't seem to understand when he pawed her waist, the look she gave clearly showing her confusion. But even as she resented his pawing Jakart didn't give up that she would relent and follow his instructions. Eventually her hips buckled and she fell onto the mossy forest floor, visibly uneasy and uncertain with that stare. Callisto's pinned ears, exposed fangs as she growled up at him even as he made the first motions to bring himself over her.

He stepped over her belly and swung his hips over hers, forelegs stepping up to grip against Callisto's shoulders. Jakart looked down at his, well, friend may be to strong of a word considering her actions towards him. But he was determined to ease her heat and her demeanor, to calm the fury and agitation of her heat. The grey wolf brought his hips low and stepped forward as he began, taking another step and feeling his cheeks warm as he brought his muzzle equally up to Callisto's. His throat was exposed, and he hoped she would be comforted by the fact that she could retaliate and control him with easy exposure to such a vital area. Thoughts went to her comfort, ankles pinching her neck off the moss. Jakart dipped his muzzle and kissed the side of her cheek, losing himself in the moment both of traveled towards all along.

-Fade-

Walk | Talk | Think She watched with sharp, wary eyes as Jak stepped over her and aligned himself with her body, tense but still entirely confused. Calli remembered from the last time how things had gone, how the process worked, and this, what he was asking of her, did not follow that same scenario. Of course, she had not gone out purposefully to seduce Lel into laying with her, but he had shown her clearly what it was like to be taken. This, lying upon her back with him crawling over her, was not that, and her thoughts were going wild with bad expectations of what would happen. Jakart was supposed to be the timid one, intimidated enough by her displays that he would not do anything out of the ordinary to harm her further, and yet she found herself even more anxious than if he had followed closely in Lel’s footsteps. Another growl, low and a little shaken, sounded from her chest as she reached once more for him. Her jaws sought the soft, sensitive, exposed skin of his throat as a precaution - as much as she tried, she still could not trust him entirely - and though her hold was firm she did not cause any unnecessary harm for him. Nor would she unless it became necessary to return any undue favors he paid her. Still bracing for the worst, Callisto growled against his throat as he began. -Fade- As she lay later within the male’s embrace, one of his forelegs still draped across her chest from where he lay beside her, Callisto still could not quite believe how different this time was compared to her first. Her expectations of what she had asked of Jak had been incredibly poor, risking further damage both mentally and physically to prevent with certainty other damages - lasting, lingering dredges of guilt and unwanted responsibility involving another unplanned litter. Only the experience she had been given was nothing like what she had expected. Selfishness had been replaced with consideration, and pain with pleasure. What she received was not what she expected, but as she turned her head to peer sidelong at Jakart, still unable to find any words that seemed to fit right for her, Calli felt less bothered and closer to normal than she had all season. She shifted a little where she lay, at last becoming aware of his paw that he still rested upon her, and lifting her own curled foreleg she nudged it, hinting that he should draw it back.

Where Callisto had initially held his throat with her fangs Jakart only felt a slight aching sensation. If it was a desire of maintaining control during the course of their physical rendezvous that had caused her to do so he was unsure. Only he knew that after a while her jaws had left him during their mating and much more pleased noises filled his ears other than her initial growls. The grey wolf's sides rose and fell as his breathing calmed, a stroke of a paw given across Callisto's chest as he stared back at her. He reflected the way her paws pressed against her chest before she moved to hold his shoulders while in the midst of it. Any leverage Callisto had if she wanted to use her fangs was lost, and a certain level of trust was established. She had wanted this, the male glad to preform but questioning the stand-offish act in the beginning

Clearly it had been a lack of trust despite his initial hesitation to preform. Though Jakart knew he was flighty and a bit skittish by nature, Callisto needn't worry about any aggressive actions resulting in bodily harm from him. Maybe the anxiety of wanting the burn of heat quelled but also hoping that she would not become pregnant was his once-mates source of worry? Jakart stared back at Callisto, a slight grin breaking out over his muzzle. The she-wolf touched his paw and pushed it back towards him, the grey wolf withdrawing the foreleg to tuck it against his chest. Not quite there yet in the relationship, however mutual it had been. Jakart cleared his throat and scooted a little closer. "So... where do we stand Calli? I'm not intruding on a previous male's territory am I?"

Walk | Talk | Think Well, Jak looked pleased, if his grin was any indication. Calli supposed that meant it was good all the way around. There was no denying that she had enjoyed herself - she had been just a tad too noisy to hide it - but that was all for the better given all the misgivings and doubts that she had had about how it would go. It amazed her that things had worked out this way, with her lying upon her back and him lying over the top of her, but even that did not matter really. Her heat, for the time being, was sated, her mind temporarily free from its influence, and very soon she would know whether the plants she had taken would really do their job. He took the hint as she nudged his paw and promptly drew it back, folding it to his chest and leaving her free from his embrace. Callisto sighed again, her pale eyes closing as she let her head recline back against the mossy ground and rested after what they had done. She much preferred this quiet. She had no idea what to do now though. Her need of him was gone - all that was left to do was wait and see whether their activities would take or if the preventative plant would do as she had been told - but what was the proper way to part ways after their rendezvous? Did she thank him and tell him to leave? Should she let him stick around a bit before sending him on his way? It was unfamiliar ground for her, and she quietly mulled over what to do as she lay beside him. She had still not come to a decision by the time he moved, scooting just a little closer to her on the ground and asking her a question she did not quite have an answer for? What did this make them? Not quite friends but not quite lovers? Was there even a name for it? There was also the matter of him using only part of her name, much the same way that Kassander had, a nickname of sorts instead of the full thing. Even now it struck her as odd, but both this sense and the puzzlement of his first question were overshadowed by what he implied with his second question. Her eyes opened and her stare was sharp as she turned her head to regard him incredulously. The previous male's territory? Did he mean..? He could not possibly..? But he must have. He must have noticed during their physical contact that this was not her first time, that she had been taken before, only he spoke of it as if it might have been a mutual exchange, as if she had given herself over to her first willingly. She might have been calmed by their previous actions, but her temper flared up rather quickly as her gaze narrowed angrily. "I am no one's territory," Callisto growled, detesting the suggestion that Jak made of her being Lel's. No, she was her own woman, free from the clutches of everyone and free to do as she wished. And never again would she let herself become the victim of a brutish demon. Never again.

Jakart just stared at his once mate, several thoughts racing through the males head as he tucked his paws closer to his chest. Mismatched eyes just watching Callisto deal with the aftermath. Unlike him she took to remaining on her back as she settled her head on the moss. Lack of physical contact after their union somewhat bothered Jakart, and despite those actions being reserved for lovers Callisto denied accepting his embrace. They still must be friends then. Her behavior leading up to their mating still nagged the back of his mind, and if it was out of need for him to preform and simply ease the sensation of heat, well, Jak wasn't really in a position to complain. The males ears remained perked as his maw snaked forward to nip an ear, tossing it as he would a mouse when she remained silent about what the current relationship between them was.

The inquiry regarding a previous mating however was not in good taste to be brought up as he found out. Callisto's piercing gaze, the furrowing of her brow into a scowl and the way she spat them. The sudden realization that the union they shared, however enjoyable during, didn't mean anything between them. That didn't sit well with Jak, and he let her know just how he felt as he rolled onto his stomach. "So does this mean there is still nothing between us? That our pups will know the presence of me a scattering of times when I see them? I will see them Callisto. I will not make them mine but they will know their father." The male tried to be even more angry than he already was, his last words however ending in a whine. He didn't understand her hostility. That what they did didn't mean anything to Callisto.

Walk | Talk | Think Everything felt like it was deteriorating fast. The peaceful - albeit awkward - moment after their union had been shattered the moment Jakart had asked his question, and Callisto could feel her mind whirling downward in a spiral of anger. How dare he assume she was someone's property! And Lel's of all people! It was absolutely absurd, not to mention aggravating, given the history that was attached to it, to her. She had been a captive for months, forced into motherhood against her will, and now once she had gained her freedom she was spoken to as if she was just someone else's favorite toy. She was so caught up in her own anger that she could barely focus on the argument Jak tried to make, about the significance of the act they had committed together. It was too much for her to think about, too much to try and comprehend all at once, and so she picked out the simplest piece of it, something that she could easily argue back against. "There won't be any pups!" she answered heatedly, raising her voice as she spoke over the tail end of his words. As she fell silent and thought about her outburst, Calli began to wonder if it was the right thing to do. Surely it would bring about more questions, ones that she was particularly reluctant to go into detail about. Shit. Carefully, very carefully, she tried to explain. "I took something that's supposed to prevent that from happening during this time," Callisto stated, trying with some effort to keep her voice neutral and even. It was going to do neither of them any good if she lost her temper again, and in her current state there was still a high chance of that happening.

The males paws tensed against the spongy moss as he stared at Callisto. Another whine following his previous left him at her words. Ears flattening as she broke the news. There would be no pups. No wiggling babes to look after and watch as they grew. He had been used. The word "whore" came to mind for a moment as he just stared at the she-wolf. But the standoffish demeanor before they had done the deed didn't echo acceptance one bit. Hell, her fangs against his throat didn't exactly count as normal courting behavior as far as be knew. A slight scowl showed his confusion.

"Was this all for your heat then? Not just my seed? I don't...." Jakart trailed off and looked away from her. Callisto must have had her reasons. "You enjoyed it yes? The burn lessened now?" Jakart felt as bad for her as he did his sisters during their season, having no idea what their bodies put them through. The she wolf had even said that the herb would prevent pregnancy this time. That ruled out barrenness, and left only the heat to be lessened. And pleasure, there was that. A shallow smile pealing across his muzzle. This time. Suddenly her last words came to mind. This time? Jakart suddenly stood up on his forelegs, realization creasing his brow. Callisto had confirmed that she was no virgin, but now a previous mother? "This time?" The grey wolf murmured, everything starting to be pieced together.

Walk | Talk | Think I shouldn't have done this, Callisto thought regretfully as she watched Jakart's expression fall further with another pitiful whine. The news of the plant she had taken was hitting him unexpectedly hard, and she could not fathom why the knowledge of not being burdened with a litter of whiny, demanding, unruly little whelps could be so upsetting. It should have been a relief, a happy thing that the both of them would be free to continue living their lives, but he was making it sound like some great tragedy instead. Maybe she had made a mistake dragging him into this. She had thought when he appeared that it would be easier just because he had always struck her as more of the timid type, someone she could control easier during, but, in her hastiness, she had given it less thought than the decision deserved. I shouldn't have done this. This was stupid. Her irritation was returning, growing, though it was inwardly directed. She had acted rashly, in the moment, without entirely thinking through what it was she was doing, and with who. She closed her eyes with a soft groan, tempted to rise and leave, to run from this whole disheveled mess that she had created, but he never gave her the chance, pressing for more with further questioning. At least now it sounded as if he was understanding things better, at last acknowledging that it was simply to appease her heat. "Yeah." Calli answered quickly, a little snappishly, as if this should have been common knowledge. And thankfully it was mostly true. Her desire to know if the plant would work was just the other side to that same coin. She nearly laughed when she was asked how she fared now, a blunt, unamused sound. "Yes," she stated simply, while her internal voice was a little more generous. Nicer than my last time. The healer thought that might be the end of it, or at least hoped so. He looked a little less squeamish now than he had when she had first told him, and she almost thought she saw a smile on his face. Assuming it meant things were okay now, she began to rise, rolling from her back and to her stomach, though it was enough time for more questions to weasel their way into Jak's mind. "Yes," Callisto stated for a third time, "This time. My season." She had thought that was clear enough too. "I'm not having ano-" Realizing what she was saying as she was saying it, she hastily cut herself off before she could finish saying another and ended instead, "an accident." Maybe he had not noticed. But when had her luck ever been that good? Pretending that she had not given too much away, that they might still be getting back to steadier ground, she pushed herself up from her stomach to sit and, with her keen nose, caught a familiar, irritable scent. She was frowning already as she turned her head to look over her shoulder and saw the damned cat strolling up, the feline's thin tail waving as she stopped beside a tree to sit and regard both Callisto and Jakart with a curious, mirthful expression. "Entertaining company, are we?" she asked, her tone smooth, low, and mildly amused.  From where she sat, Callisto curled her lip and growled. Leave it to the cat to always have an unwanted remark for everything. If only it was not quite so fast; she would have loved to make it reconsider talking out of line again.

At least Callisto was being honest with him. Yes he had been used, but it wasn't the most horrible thing to be tricked into. It had been for easing her heat, the pleasure not hurting either as a plus Jakart imagined. But no pups. An herb taken and a male sought out to finish the rest of her symptoms with some physical companionship. Jakart supposed it was a smart idea to feel normal without the overall possibility of young.

"Less fangs would've been nice," Jakart began as he twisted his head and scratched his throat with a hind leg. Just thinking about it made him cringe and his throat itch. "but I'm glad you trusted me and found enjoyment." Callisto rolled onto her stomach, either having finally recovered herself or was prepared to leave... now that his services were no longer needed. She clarified her point about "this time" being about her season and not having an accident.

Jakart wasn't an idiot though. His father's wisdom bouncing around between his ears. Either she took a very rough tumble in her life or she was previously mated with. The subject was obviously a sore one to bring up and Jakart decided against calling her out on it again as he strode over to Callisto and sat next to her. The wolf was about to inquire where the stood with one another, turning at her growl to see Callisto was looking over her shoulder. A cat at the corner of his eye. He closed his maw to silence himself and his ears pinned at the felines words. "Company entertained her..." Jakart mumbled in discontent, eyes downcast towards the moss.

Walk | Talk | Think She could have almost laughed when Jakart commented upon her use of fangs in the initial stages of their union. Using them had not been the first thought on her mind either when she had decided to act on the impulse her body was giving her. It had been the nervousness and anxiety that had grown alongside her desire that made her act harshly and needlessly dominant. What she had asked placed her in a considerably vulnerable position, one that she recalled all too clearly being used against her before, and she had not wanted to take that same risk again. It had only been a means of precautionary self-defense, but it obviously had come across differently. Rather than answer, Callisto bit her tongue, feeling she had said enough already and fearing that she would again say too much if she tried speaking. The arrival of the cat came perfectly timed, however. No sooner had she gotten upright, the inquisitive male was moving closer, drawing nearer to take a seat beside her. She could practically feel the question bubbling up, taking shape just before it could be spoken, and the distraction the cat provided stopped it from being asked. There was a tiny relief in that - Jak seemed very interested in all the hard, difficult questions that she had no idea how yet to answer - but really the irritating feline was just annoying in a new way. The cat's bold, cheeky question had been just another way that the creature had crossed a line, and she was even more sure of it when the male next to her responded in another version of his pitiful, despairing voice. Could nothing go right?! She ignored both the cat and the wolf to get to her feet and pace just a short distance away, her tail lashing irritably as she went. A low, grumbling growl issued softly from her muzzle, her lip still curled, and her pale, silvery blue eyes clenched shut. This was stupid! She had acted too rashly, jumped into something that she had not given enough thought to, and now she was left to reap the consequences. Only, she realized, she was not the only one partly responsible for this mess. "You know, you could have said no if this was such a big issue," she snapped, turning her head and directing her words at Jakart. Like hell was she going to let him get away with making her feel like the bad guy in all of this. He had made a decision too. Too curious about the conversation at hand to interrupt, the cat merely watched, brows raised, and shifted her golden eyes between the two quarreling lovers.

Jakart pressed a paw against the moss and let his claws rip across the vegetation, not sure how to really respond to the ebony and grey female. The cats arrival made the conversation even more awkward. The male stopped his idle movements at a horrifying thought. What if the feline had been watching? Callisto's distancing of herself from him however brought him back to the matter in front of them. The she wolf wasn't leaving however, speaking that this was also his fault before turning to regard him with glaring gaze. Jakart stood and took a few steps towards her but stopped, allowing her space. The silence while he thought nearly got to him, mulling over each word carefully before he spoke. "Performing as a male isn't a big issue. The big deal is after, after when the pups are born and must be fed. Raising and protecting ones family. The one important thing is if you want to stay and deal with the consequences of such actions. And that frightens males." He wouldn't leave her if the tryst had resulted in offspring.

The healers admittance to using an anti conception herb to prevent pups still not lessoning his resolve despite she had simply been using him. "The moment I stood over you as one and held you in my paws I thought of what could come and prepared myself accordingly. So no. It's not a big issue." Jakart shook his head and brought himself right next to her, whispering so the cat couldn't hear. "I don't mind what you did. You had your reasons. Just be honest with me from now on." The grey male stepped away and cast a glance at the feline. It felt like he should leave now, but he'd wait and see what course of action Callisto would take next now that he had made a few things clear.