It had gotten late and the pair of navigators had maybe spent too much time away from the camp. They started heading back with the sun setting earlier every day. Duchess was sure they would be fine to make it back, until the storm clouds started closing in on them from the west.

She still kept moving East, ready to move around Ashen and The Armada but that’s when the rain started to fall. It fell easy at first, but then the down pour happened. Duchess stopped momentarily as her pelt was getting wetter by the second, "I saw a cavern a little west of here, we should be able to wait out the storm there." She shouted through the static of the rain that muffled her ears and then she made quick to the cavern.

She ran in blindly at first, the darkness of the cave was less overwhelming when her main concern was getting out of the rain. But once she jumped in the cave she felt crowded and bumped roughly into one of the walls. She yelped very quietly as the stone cut her, though the small sound echoed through the entrance. She was hoping the cave wasn’t this dark all the way through.

"Duchess"

Segin glanced up at the sky at the first rain drops that started to fall on his head and back. He had already begun to think that they weren't going to make it back to the band before dark, but this pretty much sealed the deal on that thought. The drizzle very quickly turned into a downpour and he had no complaints as Duchess yelled to him about the cavern she had seen, giving her a nod before running to keep up with her as they darted toward shelter. This weather reminded him so much of the first time that he met Indigo, though he was in a very different place physically and mentally than he was back then.

He darted into the cavern along with Duchess, the sudden darkness surrounding them as they escaped the heavy rain. He blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness, but before he could really make any sense of his surroundings he heard Duchess yelp. "Are you okay?" he questioned worriedly, shifting toward her and carefully feeling across the cavern floor until his shoulder brushed hers. Now that he had a few moments to get used to the darkness he could at least start to make out shapes and the occasional flash of thunder gave him glimpses of their surroundings.

Segin Epsilon

Location: Time's Cavern

She pushed into Segin lightly for comfort as she reacted to her yelp, "Yeah I'm fine. I've had worse." She shook it off while the stinging continued but it would subside. She moved forward into the cave, a puddle had started to form in the middle from the rain, she carefully stepped through it hoping the cave went further in to get away from the filling floor. It was still completely dark all around her, and she could barely see the shape of Segin when she went to look at him.

Finding the back of the cave, she was disappointed it didn't go back much further, but her chin caught a surface that they could perch up on. "There's a ledge here." She stated before putting her legs up and weakly dragging her body up onto it, grunting almost silently from the sharp soreness in her shoulder. She moved out of Segin's way, or at least she tried to in the complete darkness of the cave so he could climb up as well. The ledge was big enough to fit the both of them and probably one other that was their size so it kept them close but comfortable. She laid down gently, leaning off her cut shoulder so the skin wouldn't be bent and make her uncomfortable.

"Duchess"

He relaxed slightly when she issued him that she was fine, but just because it wasn't as bad as some wounds she had gotten didn't mean that he shouldn't be concerned. Even a small cut could get infected if not treated. Either way, they moved forward deeper into the cave, wading through a shallow pool to make it to a bit of higher ground in the cave, only to find what seemed to be the back of the cavern. He was about to suggest that they go back closer to the front of the cave to keep away from this pool that was slowly growing around their feet, but then Duchess mentioned a ledge and started climbing up onto it.

He waited till she got up first since she seemed to struggle with it, ready to help push her up if need be, but once she was up over the ledge he hoisted himself up as well, finding himself in the secluded area with Duchess. In the darkness he could just barely make out the outline of Duchess' form as she settled down, waiting till she had laid down before he did the same so that he didn't accidentally bump into her or something. He noticed how she was leaning away from her injured shoulder and he frowned with concern, scooting closer till his side was against hers. "You can lean into me if you want, get more pressure off of your shoulder." He wasn't always sure of how Duchess felt about him, but that never really stopped him from being affectionate. It was just part of who he was - the kind of guy to hug someone the first time they met. He dipped his head to gently nuzzle between her ears while they laid there, adding, "Hopefully this storm lets up soon."

Segin Epsilon

Duchess was a little tense when Segin jumped up with her, but relaxed as he did and gently leaned into him when he offered. She didn't feel the same way about him that she did with Indigo, but they had still shared their special moments together and it certainly had him at the top of her list with the rest of the band. She did care for him, and she cared for the others to some extent. But Indigo was in her top priority above them all.

She looked out at the dull glow of the cave entrance, but it strained her to squint and try to make anything out around her. Before she knew it she was asleep, a lot easier than she normally would.

By the time she woke up, the storm had passed over them but what surprised her was the glow inside the cave. Her eyes gently moved up to the skylight of the cave, the moon lighting up everything that was dark before. There was still a small puddle in the center, but she didn't know how long the storm had been gone for.

Her eyes closed again as she took in Segin's form from behind her, desperately trying to go back to sleep but instead had other things on her mind. She didn't like doing this against Indigo, even if thats not how the others saw it. But she liked the attention from Segin, and she was growing more and more used to at least their physical touches as time went on. And it was only a matter of time before she moved outside of the band with what she felt like she needed.

She stayed there laying like she was sleeping for a moment until her rump gently went to push into his own hopefully needy parts. She moved like she was still sleeping beside him, and as if the motion was unintentional, but it was in fact her intent to be desired by him. Her tail rested along the side of his leg as she pushed carefully, waiting and hoping that he'd wake up and give her what she wanted as subtle as she was about it.

"Duchess"

As Duchess began to fall asleep, he watched her for a few moments with a soft smile on his features before shifting slightly so that he could slip a foreleg around her and pull her closer, giving her the upper part of his other foreleg as a pillow so he could be sure that she would be more comfortable laying on this stone ledge. The steady sound of the rain was soothing and with her warmth pressed into him it was easy for him to relax and start drifting to sleep as well. He didn't sleep quite as deeply as she did, hovering in and out of sleep just to make sure that if something appeared in the cave with them then he'd be aware enough to react.

He wasn't sure how long they slept like this, but at some point a combination of the light now filtering into the cave from a skylight above them and the feeling of her shifting in his embrace started to pull him out of sleep again. At first he thought she had just been rolling or shifting in her sleep, but then he felt her press into certain parts of him, her tail brushing his leg. In this groggy, half asleep state his body almost acted on instinct, his forelegs tightening around her to pull her tighter into his chest his hips pressing into her while he blinked open his silver eyes. He shifted his gaze to look down at her, trying to decipher if she was truly asleep or not.

With a slight smirk on his lips he bushed his muzzle against her ear and cheek, nuzzling through the fur on her neck as he tried to gently pull her from sleep if she wasn't already awake, the paw around her gently tracing her side. After how their first time together he hadn't tried to purse anything like that with her again. He was a sexual creature without a doubt, but he was also too cautious about over stepping a boundary that he would never do anything without being sure that's what she wanted.

Segin Epsilon

She was nearly relieved when he started to shuffle himself, and when he nuzzled and caressed around her she easily reacted to his touch, her body curving into his as he made her crave him more. She whined quietly, more into a hum than a sign of pain. The cut on her shoulder she had completely forgotten about in this moment. Her eyes still closed she spoke out, "Please," Her voice was more lustful than anything else as her cheek pulled up towards him. Her body was a clear sign of what she wanted but just for the clarification if he needed it, "I want you, Segin." She was ready to take him as they were, but just as she was with Indigo, and just like she was with their first time, she was completely at his mercy. In reality she was building their relationship on what she believed were his sexual desires. It was fine to her because it was the same with Indigo. In her mind, maybe because of Draco, if she gave them this then it kept her close to them. Like there was no other way to make them happy. She was still tense at first with Segin and relaxed after they began, she had taught herself that there was pleasure in what they did, even if she had more selfless thoughts. She did truly enjoy herself, and through her voice she didn't hide it.

-Fade-

She went to hug around him chest to chest afterwards, her breathing faded as she relaxed her head into him. She stayed quiet for a good long while, only attentive to him if he said anything. Her claws gently scratched along his shoulder blades before she started to run them through the fur of his chest, almost instinct in her times with Indigo but she wouldn't recognize the difference. She could have easily fell back asleep while back in his embrace and relieved from the time they just had together, but just as she was running back into dreams her head picked up off him suddenly but gently with thoughts that had plagued her mind over the last few days. Her head laid relaxed back into him again, "Segin..." She paused, almost finding it hard to open up because the last time hadn't gone so smoothly for her. Her voice grew near silent, "I want babies." She was honestly, genuinely curious about how he would react. But also scared. Because while Indigo showed his understanding and his interest, that's not what she pulled from when she asked him.

"Duchess"

As soon as she began to press back into him and his touch he already knew what the answer to his silent questioning would be, but she gave him a clear answer anyway with her lustful words, a little shiver running through him as he gave into the desires. his foreleg wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into him while he kissed along her neck, molding himself to her as he joined them together once more. His voice joined hers as it echoed through the cave, easing her through the first few moments until he felt her relax into him and he could truly focus on bringing them both the pleasure they needed.

-- fade --

He cradled her into his chest afterward, a little grin lingering on his features while he kissed her ears and cheek, murring softly at the feeling of her paws roaming over his shoulders and chest. There was an easy silence as they relaxed and floated on the afterglow of their pleasure and for a moment he thought they might both fall back asleep. He was very nearly there, satisfied and comfortable with Duchess snuggled into him, but seemingly out of nowhere she spoke his name, making him open his eyes again to peer down at her curiously. She still had her head on his chest so it was hard to see her expression, but he heard her words just fine.

She wanted babies. The statement made his brows lift with surprise and he was suddenly very awake, shocked by the idea while his dazed mind tried to keep up. "You... you want... babies?" he questioned softly, almost like he needed to confirm just to make sure he had actually heard her correctly. His paws rubbed along her spine while he tried to comprehend this. It wasn't something he had ever really considered, but he thought about his younger siblings and how he had felt seeing them as puppies and the joy he always felt when he was around younger wolves... "I... I think I'd like to have children too... at some point," he replied after a moment, slowly coming to terms with the idea.

But a follow up to that train of thought hit him and his eyes focused on her again, baffled and shocked by the whole turn of events. "Were you... Do you mean... Not with me right? I mean if that's what you wanted then... Then I guess we could, but... I didn't think you liked me that much."

Segin Epsilon

She tried hard not to show her disappointment at his first few words. Her eyes stayed down on his fur in her paws, she carefully let out a deep breath she was holding while she let him keep giving her an answer, though it wasn't really a question that she asked.

Duchess didn't feel like she was good enough. Mostly for Indy, but through Segin's first words, she felt like she was hit with the same kind of rejection she found from Indigo. And it was incredibly sad because the way Indigo felt, it really wasn't harsh. It wasn't no, it just wasn't right now. But it was really hurting her ego, and she felt further away from Indigo because of it.

It wasn't much different now with Segin. He didn't really seem sure. Like yeah he'd do it, maybe, but he didn't sound like it was truly what he wanted. Whether that was from the heart or just utter shock Duchess paid little attention to the reasoning. It made her feel less desirable.

She found it in her to glance up at him quickly, moving back down to her working paws, "Indigo..." Her paws paused for a moment while she had considered that maybe her saying that could have hurt him too, but she wasn't exactly sure where his head was at. "He told me the band isn't ready." Her paws went back to fidgeting. The great time they had just moments ago could have been mistaken as forgotten, but really this was how Duchess felt afterwards every time. So her maybe harsh, or dead expressions could have at least been normal to Indigo, maybe not so much Segin but who knew what he thought.

"Do you..." She thought it was silly to ask, especially after the couple times they had shared together, "Think I'm pretty?" The lingering thought of how she felt about him from his statement of not liking him that much stayed more in the front of her mind while she tried to divert from it, or maybe hear more of what he had to say.

"Duchess"

He didn't know what kind of response Duchess was hoping to get from him and with the lack of response he got he couldn't really tell if he offended her or hurt her with his uncertainty. It was just so unexpected and as much as he liked the idea of having pups and a real family it was still a big decision. He didn't want to be like his father and just have children just to have them. He wanted to love and cherish each of them and give them all of his attention. It was a thought he couldn't fully process in the middle of the night in a random cave while holding Duchess like this.

He wasn't all that surprised when Duchess told him what Indigo had said, not really thinking much of the fact that she had asked Indigo first. She had made it exceedingly clear in all of her actions that Indigo was her priority and that she loved Indigo most. That didn't bother him. He shared his heart freely with anyone who might want a place within it, Indigo included. Hearing that the band wasn't ready made sense, though he imagined that probably wasn't what Duchess wanted right now. "It does make sense," he told her gently, "We just started traveling and we're still getting our supplies and trading straightened out... It probably wouldn't hurt to wait till things are more put together at least." Of course a small thought in the back of his mind wondered if Indigo had only told her that to make her wait or to put off making that kind of decision with her, but that wasn't his place to judge.

Her question over whether she was pretty made him tilt his head with confusion. "Of course I do," he told her without hesitation brushing a paw against her cheek. "You're a gorgeous woman, Duchess... Of course, I um... you're not my usual type, but... That doesn't change the fact that you're objectively beautiful. Maybe that's even more of a compliment, being attracted to you even though your not male and not a larger woman." He stopped himself awkwardly after that, feeling a little bit like he was sticking his paw in his mouth.

Segin Epsilon

Segin really was too nice for his own good. And while he gave Duchess what she wanted, she didn't take it genuinely. She was starting to believe that no one understood her. But maybe that was because she had retracted into herself too. She was constantly hearing things she didn't want to, and only wishing everything could go her way.

She laid down into him, not speaking anything about it afterwards. Maybe it showed her disappointment but just like with Indigo, she just wanted to forget about it.

The moon had started to go dark through the skylight in the cave, "Just hold me?" Her quiet words were almost begging. It was never enough for her, and she felt like she was never enough for anyone. But that wouldn't lead her on a path of leaving. She was too reliant on what Indigo gave her, and maybe even Segin too. As the cave grew darker in seconds, she clung to him as she felt silent tears on her cheeks. It would be harder for her to fall back into sleep from here.

"Duchess"