Author's Notes

I've seen authors make the subject of this chapter's title a preference Night Furies might have, and others just establish it as a given that is not questioned, in stories written both before and after The Hidden World. I've only seen a single series explore what it might actually mean.

A whole new world of possibility had been opened to Dreamer, unshackling a restraint that he had been stifling himself with. He couldn't express how much pressure had been relieved by Fleeting literally holding him down and forcing him to confront those stupid inhibitions, but now he felt free, confident, more comfortable in his own body.

Why'd he been such a prude in the first place, anyway? Wrrr, Long-Paws were very different creatures in many ways, there was probably some reason for all that nonsense, but he didn't care to puzzle it out. He'd had much higher priorities upon waking – such as chasing Fleeting down and properly exploring her to his heart's content in retribution for the previous light; it was only fair.

He groaned amongst his deep panting while he lay on his back, staring at but not really seeing the trees rising above him towards the dark sky beyond. For all that he'd had the best sleep he could ever remember, and had woken so energised he'd actually sprinted from the den to find where everyone had gone, now he felt depleted, weary to his very soul in the best possible way.

Fleeting panted beside him, hindlegs still twitching in the air by his head, and he purred as he remembered them stretching and flexing, her body writhing beneath his, how she had moaned… No, he shouldn't be thinking too much about that right now; that path led to a vicious and exhausting cycle, and the scent clinging to his snout was enough to deal with as it was.

Instead, he wearily heaved himself around and flopped onto her chest, snuggling up close to her. She smelled like him… Then she licked his head, and he smelled like him. Wonderful, he thought dryly, before returning the favour by licking under her jaw.

She wrapped her paws around him and held him close, and he didn't feel the slightest shred of awkwardness about how they were pressed together. He had experienced all of her, explored everything she had with all of his senses, and she had done the same with him. There was nothing to hide and nothing to hide from. He should have just been open from the start, this felt wonderful; in an emotional sense as much as a physical one.

"I want be your mate," he purred into her warm, dark scales without preamble. "I want you be my mate… our mate," whatever, he didn't care, "want nest with you, fly with you all my lives…" He just knew. They had only known each other… three months or so? Not long in the grand scheme of things… but a long time to spend almost every night with someone, a long time to get to know them. It felt like a lifetime, and yet also somehow no time at all.

Perhaps he was just a hopeless romantic, but he didn't care. Everything he knew about her so far was everything he had dreamed of. She was strong, playful, confident, intelligent in her own way, and so very, very attractive. She was also mischievous – sometimes to the point of aggravation, particularly when she was bored – and, at times, anxious and shy, probably an effect of having been alone so long. He loved all of it, a feeling that deepened every night he spent with her.

"I want that also," she purred into his ears, words that filled him with pure, unbridled joy-

"Soon," she hummed, then pushed him off and climbed to her paws. He flopped to the ground with a confused, sad warble, completely limp in his indolence. "When we mate," she purred, nuzzling his cheek, "then we are mates. But I not ready for that yet." Her gaze trailed down his body, along his tail. "I think you not ready also. You not could even catch me for that now!" She pranced around him, hopping over his tail, her eyes playful and mischievous.

How could she be so energetic? She had to be five times as exhausted as him… Or maybe it was six, he hadn't exactly been keeping count. "That is challenge?" he growled, though he didn't so much as roll off his back. She had told him she wasn't ready and he would respect that; besides which, a sharp, sensitive twinge in his hindquarters told him he'd probably regret it. "I can help?" he then offered. "When I can move again. You are very good at that…"

She glanced at his hindquarters with a purr. "No, you…" She trailed off, looking thoughtful for several heartbeats, before tossing her head with a huff. "No, it not is you. I need to do this. Grrr, even if it like trying to break rocks on my head."

Dreamer found something about that highly amusing, though he couldn't quite put his claw on what. "I not going anywhere," he huffed, meaning it both figuratively and literally.

"Your friend-mate will eat all our fish while we sniff our tails here," she growled playfully, then hopped over him again and trotted off in the direction of the lake. He watched her go, purring under his breath as he appreciated her lithe figure…

Then his stomach growled audibly, and he discovered he actually could move if he put his mind to it, climbing to his paws to lope after her.

Wanderer sniffed at the air as he glided in the morning light, distracted by his thoughts but noticing that this rising sky-fire was significantly less warm than the previous one. The trees too were changing, the canopy thinning as its leaves fell. The seasons were progressing inexorably through their cycle, the icy breath of the cold-season looming in the distance.

Worryingly, there were less fish now than there had been. Each hunt for them, in both the river and lake, took slightly longer, was slightly more difficult. He had not particularly cared before, but they were fatty, meaty fish, and he didn't want them to disappear, especially not with the problems posed by the next change of season.

They would likely lose access to the lake again, when it filled with ice or snow as they had first found it. Not only did this limit their hunting, but also the territory of the fish; he cared little about how prey lived beyond what helped him catch it, but it seemed obvious that with less territory came less food and breeding. He now knew there were fish there, but if they hunted them through the cold-season then there might not be any at all by the next cold-season.

Then there was the land-prey-pack they occasionally hunted from. It was a big pack, but it hadn't been here last cold-season, not that they had found. It would be important to fill up on it while they could, and keep watch for when it left, because he suspected food would not be nearly so plentiful when it did. There were many small-land-prey to catch, what they had survived on last cold-season, but those were fickle hunts requiring much prowling and digging for mere morsels; chasing them was pointless, expending too much energy.

He sighed to himself as he swooped down to their den, feeling dreadfully mature. It had been a long, long time since he'd had to worry about food like this, and he wasn't enjoying the reminder.

"I think that stupid," Fleeting growled at Dreamer as Wanderer ducked into the warm main chamber of the den. "Not can help you that much."

"But we fly better than you," Dreamer taunted, flexing his back-fins, then fended her off as she tried to bite them.

Wanderer purred to himself as he watched them argue and play, not wanting to burden them with his depressing thoughts, and curled up in the comfy little spot where he had woken up. The cold-season was a while away yet, and he wasn't worried about their survival, just a nagging thought off the back of some poor hunting. Still, it bothered him.

They were their full adult sizes now, and he still stood a head higher than Dreamer, who had never caught up in growing from when they were hatchlings. He felt a responsibility as the larger, more experienced Nightstriker who had once grown up in this land to ensure they were provided for, all of them, that his Dreamer and now their prospective mate would not go hungry again. That had happened far too much already, and Dreamer deserved a chance to relax for once, to have someone else take care of the problems. He would have other, more pressing concerns to deal with; they all would, of course, but Dreamer had not been through it before and was likely to… be his Dreamer self.

Wanderer was confident he could handle the question of food to keep them all comfortable. He knew from Sire that meat kept longer while cold, they could stash a kill for a while and easily get through the first half of the cold-season, if they weren't too active…

Warning, someone growled, and Wanderer glanced over to see Fleeting chasing Dreamer's tail with eager eyes while he shuffled away. She pounced him, trying to roll him over, but he kicked her off, swatted her away, and when that still didn't dissuade her, leaped to his paws and disappeared straight out of the den.

That had been… sudden; Wanderer had barely been given a moment to figure out what was going on, let alone how to react to it. Fleeting just huffed, staring after him, then trotted up to Wanderer and snuggled up to him, nuzzling into his neck.

He hummed thoughtfully into her ears, but felt no need to lecture her. Dreamer was a peculiar person, she knew this and was figuring out her own relationship with him. She had already managed to help him in a way Wanderer could not, so trying to give her advice now might only confuse things.

She didn't seem to want to talk anyway, purring as she licked up his neck and hooked her tail around his. He purred deeply, nuzzling her head and neck, savouring her scent… There was a mix of his own there now too, sort of a halfway point before her own sharp scent mellowed, the two present but not yet mixing, just one over the other.

She was going to be their mate… She squeaked happily as he rolled them onto his back to grip her shoulders and flanks, holding her tightly to himself. Where were you, when I flew in my last life…? Not that he would change those winds if he could, he would only want everything to end up here anyway. There had been pain this way, for all three of them, but they were past that now. Now, all that was left to do was to live.

She wriggled down a little to lick around his forelegs, and he relaxed to let her more easily groom him. He undoubtedly smelled of her too, given how regularly she did this; between her and Dreamer, he had rarely needed to groom himself this last sky-ice-cycle or so.

A playful nip startled him, and he met her cool gaze – then blinked as she licked his snout. But he was fast, and got her back for it, so she nipped him again, so he nipped her, and then they were wrestling, except not really because he was already sort of pinned on his back and just fending her off while she tried to bite him. Her tongue came out again, and he retaliated in kind, both of them fighting to groom each other in a writhing tangle of limbs and wings.

Surprisingly, she finished first, barking triumphantly as she hopped off to clean her face. Wanderer rolled to his paws and inspected himself, finding his hide suitably clean despite making such a struggle of it. Fleeting purred and slowly walked up to him, sidling up to put her flanks under his nose, which he had yet to clean for her. His mind wandered while he worked, wondering how she had survived the cold-seasons alone… but perhaps he shouldn't ask her about it, she deserved her own care-free cold-season.

He hummed thoughtfully as he nudged her over onto her side. Asking her would be sensible, she knew this area better than he did, and it would be embarrassing if he had to ask later. She would also be more comfortable knowing he was taking care of it. He finished grooming her, then sat on his haunches to ask the question – but decided to bring it up next light instead, seeing her relaxed across the ground, watching him through heavily lidded eyes and panting lightly. Instead, he settled down and draped a wing over her, and she nuzzled into his chest with a small sigh…

Enquiry, he warbled quietly, and she drew back a bit to look at him with wide, studious eyes. Perhaps it was about Dreamer, he had run off and wasn't back yet. Wanderer warbled confidence, adoration, lightly nuzzling her snout, then ran his claws down her back to her moaned approval.

He himself had no doubts, no concerns thinking about her as his mate. He could focus on keeping them all comfortably fed, prove that he could, while she and Dreamer figured out whatever they needed to. It was the least he could do.

"Hunt with me!"

Wanderer huffed involuntarily as Fleeting's paws landed heavily on his chest. He stared up at her from where he lay on his back, at her eager face set against the background of the incredibly clear night sky burning with uncountable motes of light. "Now?" he mumbled; he'd been playing quite intensely with Dreamer, who was napping nearby.

"Now, yes," she chuffed, and he wheezed as she walked over him. "I find big-fast-land-prey, want hunt it, chase it, sink my teeth into its neck…" Her tail slowly slid across his chest, broad tail-fins brushing his neck and forelegs. "You coming?" she purred, glancing over her shoulder at him.

Hrrr, it was later in the night than he'd thought it was, and his stomach was certainly agreeing with her. He chuffed and rolled to his paws on the tiny loose rocks of the lake, glancing at Dreamer-

"He is sleeping," Fleeting hummed, walking around between them. "Let him sleep, we can give him some later."

"He not will like us bringing him food," Wanderer huffed. "Unless you want carry it in your claws."

"Then he can hunt his meal," she growled quietly, trotting past Wanderer and then leaping into the air.

That seemed… a little callous of her, Dreamer wouldn't like to be left out of such a fun hunt… but then again, they had only been napping. He stared at Dreamer suspiciously, but it was very difficult to tell if he was sleeping or not.

If he was still sleeping, he must need the rest. If he wasn't then he seemed content to stay behind for some reason. Wanderer flicked his wings dismissively and leaped into the air after Fleeting, who was circling above.

The trees and banks lining the river whizzed past below as she led him along it, expertly and effortlessly weaving through the eddies and currents of the night wind. He found himself mesmerised, more so than usual, by the movements of her wings and tail, so smooth and graceful, exerting so little effort it was as if the wind guided her and she merely followed its whim. Even when she drifted down into a landing a short distance outside their territory, it seemed only because that was where the wind was taking them.

She landed gracefully, flicked her wings, and delicately folded them against her sides. "Unless you will be hunting me," she purred, giving him a sideways look with a flick of her tail as she pawed at the ground, "you should scent this track."

It took him a pawful of life-beats to realise what she was saying. "Yes, prey," he chuffed, trotting over and then scenting the soft, grassy ground; his mouth was watering, and he'd riled himself up into needing to eat something. The fresh scent of prey immediately stood out to him, from where it had taken a drink from the river. A familiar scent from long ago, and very similar to some of the prey he and Dreamer had hunted as fledglings. Small, firm depressions in the ground from hard hooves, a softer scent of lighter, thinner fur, and a promise of lean strength. Fleeting was already prowling along the trail, and Wanderer leaped to catch up, falling in alongside her.

She jostled him for possession of the track, and progress was slow. Wanderer wasn't quite sure what the problem was, he'd never had this with Dreamer – but after having a fair amount of time to think about it, he pointedly nudged her aside a bit, rubbing his neck against hers in the process as a show of mutual trust, then took up his own position on the other side of the trail.

Initially she was confused, not quite trusting him, and kept drifting across when she thought the trail had turned. But they gradually picked up the pace, him following her when she veered away and her following him as he followed the trail when it turned his way. Soon they were loping through the trees and falling leaves, much faster than either of them could track alone, with complete faith in each other; admittedly only for a simple task, but something Wanderer had only ever shared with one other.

The prey had wandered far since leaving its scent by the river, but they pursued swiftly, once they were properly working together. Eventually the intensity of the scent sharply rose, indicating it was close, and he slowed a little to see what she wanted to do.

He didn't really remember much of how he had formed this bond with Dreamer. He had taught Dreamer to hunt, and seemingly straight after that they were working together perfectly, though he knew it hadn't been that simple. Learning to hunt together with someone new was strange, but also exciting in its own way. He didn't know Fleeting's specific preferences yet, but he found himself eager to find out.

She didn't even slow, assuming the lead and sprinting right out after the prey. It barked in alarm as it bolted, its long, powerful legs immediately pushing it into a swift gallop, and Wanderer bared his teeth in anticipation. The prey was not faster than them, but it was not much slower and could run for much longer. A challenge.

Fleeting tore after it, and Wanderer kept pace, breath hissing through his teeth as they darted between the trees, back and forth. He pulled up beside her again and she barked happily… but she didn't let him in on the chase, kept right on its tail to doggedly pursue it wherever it led her.

It hadn't been as obvious with the slow, lumbering land-prey-pack, which was much less of an intense chase and slightly more of a fight, but she was accustomed to hunting alone, to simply chasing and catching. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, just that she didn't know to, just as he and Dreamer hadn't known many things…

He shouldered in on her pursuit, forcing her aside. She growled at him for it, but he growled right back, then gave her a significant look before taking up his own position. She looked uncertain, confused, eyeing the distance between them, but didn't immediately make to reclaim the solo chase.

Before she could give in to temptation, Wanderer brought his focus back to the prey, to the hunt. It had pulled a little further ahead, but that distance was closing again. Its pale, furry pelt shuddered with each impact, large antlers bobbing while it ran swiftly and efficiently, those slender legs and thundering hooves doing all the work. The entirety of his own body was working to keep pace, his back curling to bring his hindpaws further forward and then providing even more power as he leapt off, while his wings and tail flicked every which way for balance as he darted around obstacles.

Now properly focused, he pushed himself – then growled confidence, trust, shooting a glance aside at Fleeting who had tried to copy him. He pulled forwards, and the prey angled away, towards Fleeting. Again, she didn't understand at first, but after seeing how it much more easily wore down the distance to head it into each other she was soon cooperating, hunting with him instead of alone.

They were both nearing their limit, Fleeting slowing and beginning to falter in her fatigue, when by sheer chance the prey stumbled, misstepping or catching a leg on something. Wanderer lunged, and Fleeting lunged, and they must have nearly torn the prey in half when he tackled its hindquarters and she grabbed its torso and viciously sank her teeth into its neck. The two of them and the prey all tumbled to the ground, but Wanderer and Fleeting were back on their paws before they even slid to a halt.

The prey wasn't dead, but it was broken and defeated, kicking weakly with its working legs, and Fleeting swiftly put it out of its misery. She then sat on her haunches, panting heavily, while Wanderer did much the same.

It hadn't been an easy hunt by any means. He… did feel the fatigue a little more strongly than he probably would have a cold-season or two ago, he'd been lazy without constantly needing to fight for his life, but he wasn't any worse off than Fleeting at least. "Good hunt," he crooned wearily, "when you hunted with me." Hunting such fast prey alone was exhausting.

"That was," she panted, trailing off, then just groaned awe, amazement. "I felt so close to you… Like we were…"

Understanding, he purred. "Hunting together is very good."

Agreement, she purred, lethargically hopping over to lean into him. He nuzzled her, draping a wing over her back, and she happily huddled up against him. Her scent was strong, very strong, almost completely overpowering the strong scent of prey-blood slicking her teeth and claws…

"We should eat," he said reluctantly, eyeing the prey and acknowledging the burning in his muscles, then withdrew his wing. Fleeting grumbled before following him to the meal.

It wasn't a large prey for its kind, somewhat average all round really, but it was more than sufficient to feed the two of them. He noted with approval that Fleeting was very adept at getting through its tough hide, quickly making her way to her preferred meats, and then they were feasting, hastily reclaiming the energy they had expended.

"Your sire, dam, teach you how hunt like that?" she asked once they had sated their initial hunger and were calmly picking pieces from the carcass.

"Some," he hummed, thinking back warmly to his lessons in hunting. "Mostly I learned with Dreamer. Needed survive, but had small bodies, no fire."

"I had no fire for hunting, once," she said quietly. "Much bad luck. I was maybe stupid also. But I nearly not could catch anything…" She chuffed proudly, ruffling her wings. "But I found prey, like this prey. Chased it from forest so I could fly, then landed on it."

Wanderer hummed sympathetically while he cracked up a large bone for the tasty meat inside it. "I, also Dreamer, always keep one shot for if need. Has saved our lives…"

"I not like using all my fire also," she growled, "but was much cold, then I used last shots on small prey. I not knew larger prey was near, hunting was bad, but I maybe needed that small prey, maybe not could chase big prey if not ate small prey." Agreement, he chuffed. Really, the more shots they still had, the better, but sometimes it was difficult to know when to use them and when to tough it out. "But that was much time past," she hummed, "I am better hunter now. Know which places not have food in cold-season."

"We not will be hungry here," Wanderer declared, hoping she didn't correct him. He was fairly sure he had it all figured out, though regardless there would be enough to survive on at least.

"No Long-Paws here," she agreed. "But some near, they have food we can take."

Wanderer watched her while she tore off more meat, the carcass bucking under her claws as she tugged. He hadn't even considered that. The Long-Paw nest over the mountain would have much food, much prey, that could be used as a last resort. He didn't want to rely on it, and he knew Dreamer would hate the idea if it was suggested to him, but it was a possibility, an option.

She shuffled around the carcass and sidled up against him, draping her tail over his and a wing over the rest of him. "We have much food here, much water, good places for hunting, no Long-Paws," she purred quietly, delicately nuzzling the side of his face. "Company is good also…"

Agreement, he purred, pressing his head to hers, then shuffled to hold the carcass down and tear off a particularly stubborn chunk of meat. They finished the rest of the meal in silence, finishing off the carcass and stuffing themselves in the process.

"I will sleep much this light," Wanderer groaned, stretching his stiff body. He wasn't particularly looking forward to the return flight, he'd much rather just lie down and sleep here. But this was an open, unfamiliar place to sleep in the light, outside his territory.

Fleeting gave him a flat look, then huffed and took flight, also moving slowly and stiffly. She seemed… frustrated about something. The return flight, perhaps, burdened with their meal as they were. Or maybe his face was still covered in blood. Wrrr, if it was important, she'd tell him, she was quite a straightforward Nightstriker; he liked that about her. He quickly cleaned himself off and hurried after her.

Dreamer woke to an odd sound, a light scuffle over the dirt, and cracked an eye towards the source. Wanderer and Fleeting were wrestling – at this hour? The brightness of the light outside the den may not have been unusual a month or two ago, but for the cooling-season it was very early to be awake. Possibly the only reason he had roused was because he had slept so lightly, restless as he was.

He had a worrying thought, right as Fleeting drew back to pounce again and instantly ease his sudden concern. Not that he was concerned about them mating or anything like that, in his incredibly limited experience that… seemed almost overdue. More just that they might have forced him into deciding between staying and listening, or leaving the den, neither of which sounded fun.

Still, the thought of mating had him digging his claws into the soft ground. Fleeting certainly didn't seem to mind helping him with his lust – quite the opposite, she regularly encouraged it – but it was becoming increasingly difficult to sleep when she didn't. She had spent most of last night with Wanderer, as she was wont to do occasionally, and he didn't want to monopolise her; he didn't want to think too much about not having her all to himself either, but he'd fly those winds when he came to them.

Despite the ridiculously early hour, she seemed to be doing her best to rub as much of herself as she could against as much of Wanderer as she could reach. Wanderer looked as if he was still trying to sleep, waving his paws lazily at her, then grabbed her and held her down. As Dreamer watched through a lidded eye, she wriggled backwards, slipping out of the tight grasp, then nuzzled his flank and rolled into him again.

Dreamer's eyes were drawn to her hindquarters, her hindlegs kicking the air as she shuffled on her back, and a quiet hum of desire escaped under his breath. Fleeting's ears immediately went up, and she looked over – then Wanderer grabbed her again, holding her down and groaning weary into the back of her tail.

She pried her way free again and huffed at him, then sultrily eyed Dreamer and sauntered outside. Dreamer was not slow to follow, emerging from the den and almost tripping over her tail as she took off into the afternoon shade of the mountain.

He took off after her, following closely behind as she weaved and swerved above the forest, its bare, spindly branches reaching up to them as they flew. She was not fleeing, and they were flying too low to risk much aerial play, but the chase was getting his blood running, helping drive away his lethargy.

After a short flight – it only felt like a small eternity – she led them down to a landing by the lake, where she spun to face him. "We should play-fight," she growled with tension, frustration, desire.

"Fight?" Dreamer warbled. He hadn't really done that much with her, only the very basics, tentatively relearning what was play and what was not. "I… not thinking much about fighting," he admitted, pawing at the ground. "I not will be much challenge." Either that or far too much of one; tired and distracted was not a good combination.

Fleeting huffed. "If you want my tail," she growled, kneading the grass with her claws, "you will need pin me for it."

Dreamer's gaze drifted down her long tail as she flicked it out to the side. "That is good motivation," he conceded – then lunged without warning, leaping across the distance between them in two long, lightning-fast bounds; she was learning to fight, and part of that was surprises.

She startled and just barely managed to dive out of the way, but he had expected that and was already driving his claws into the grass to halt and leap after her again. She was off-balance, unprepared, easy prey…

That made him hesitate, realising he was fighting all-out again, only teaching her how to flee and get caught. He took a breath and swiftly prowled around her instead, letting her get her bearings and make the next move. She watched him as he circled her, ever patient, but she was going to be waiting a long time before he…

No, he realised he should give her an opportunity, this was playing, and an intentional misstep, pausing as he shifted his balance, had her immediately leaping at him. He reared up to meet her, remembering at the last moment not to use his superior strength to just throw her over.

They wrestled, standing on their hindlegs, Dreamer focusing on holding her off while she tried to find a grip on him with her claws or teeth. She was not bad, by any means, she certainly had strength and speed… just not the experience from a life of fighting. It put Dreamer in a peculiar place. It wasn't really boring, but he could pin her at any time, and he had to keep focusing on what she needed. He wasn't really having fun, at any rate.

The heat burning within him was not helping matters. But perhaps he could use that… He pushed her back and stepped into her, not toppling them but just pushing them into standing taller, closer together. Her hindpaw brushed his leg as they teetered and waved their wings for balance, tails not quite sufficient with them leaning on each other.

She growled, trying to step back to get leverage, but he just followed her, hooking his paw over her shoulder and pulling her close to him with a purr. It was not a fighting move for good reason, and she was all too happy to lean back, twist him around herself, and drive his shoulder into the ground, but he didn't care. Her warm body lying over him was much more interesting, and from there it was simple enough to wrestle her over onto her back.

A hindpaw somehow found its way to his belly and pushed him off, knocking his breath from him in the process, and then she was trying to pin him again, but he heaved her off before she could get a good hold on him… It wasn't about the fight anymore, they were just rolling around in the grass, him enjoying her body against his and her doing much the same if the claws hooked over the base of his tail and digging into his shoulder were any indication. His wings were bruised from rolling over them so much, but it felt so good, so right, until at last she lay back, defeated by his weight bearing down on her. He was purring, and she was purring, hooking her tail around his, their breaths alternating so that her chest rose and fell with his. She felt so close, so warm, so real, and he couldn't help nipping at her frills, not wanting to break away from her for anything…

She wriggled under him, and he shifted to let her pull her hindleg up in front of his, to reach up around him. Her claws dug into his flanks and shoulders, while his flexed against her wings and tail, so unbelievably close…

A deep purr rolled into his ears as her claws kneaded his flanks… and then she tugged, arching her hindquarters up into his with a sigh of desire.

Something seized Dreamer so suddenly that he would have yelped had he been able to so much as breathe, but he was paralysed; not like with his previous stupid thinking, but something far deeper and more base. His thoughts were tuned to the female beneath him, tearing through everything he knew about her, everything he didn't know about her, everything flying past so quickly that he barely had a chance to determine what each thought even was.

Seemingly everything from the last few months, from their very first meeting, burned vivid but fleeting impressions into him in a matter of moments, picking apart what she was to him. Every joke they had shared, every time they had wrestled, every prey they had run down and feasted on together. Wanderer had been part of it too, and he seemed… happier, more at peace, since she had entered their lives. Even when she tried to wake him at ridiculous hours, he would have a warm purr and a playful spring in his step when they met up later. Dreamer didn't know what Fleeting herself had been like before they'd met, but since then she'd gradually grown friendlier and warmer. She had regularly made it clear she wanted him, and that desire was heavy in her scent, her trust evident in how relaxed she was around him even when vulnerable to his claws and teeth.

The sudden flashback hit the present moment and kept right on going, projecting his desires into the future, seeing them nesting together, living together, growing old together… It stuttered a little over Wanderer's involvement in the relationship, but Dreamer loved both of them, they both loved him and each other, and it would only provide a better environment to raise children in.

Something nagged at him… and whatever was doing this honed in on it like a hungry Nightstriker hunting their prey. Fleeting was female. Mating with her brought the possibility of children, though that was what he one day wanted. That thought brought him nothing but joy, thinking about a little Nightstriker bounding around to three warm, comforting purrs.

That fantasy was accepted and callously discarded, lost to the torrent of memories, and a little voice corrected him from deep within – mating with her could result in an egg. She might… lay… egg…

Reptile

He was released from the grip with a feeling of ice running through his body, instantly quenching any and all desire more thoroughly than dunking himself in any body of water ever had. He jerked back, mouth falling open, to stare in disbelief at the female Nightstriker- dragon- reptile beneath him, barely comprehending what was happening.

Fleeting easily slipped free and nuzzled his cheek with a purr of understanding, but he flinched back, not wanting to give in, trying to find this instinct or whatever it was so that he could reason with it! He was a reptile, he'd long ago come to terms with that! Of course his mate would be a reptile too! But try as he might, he couldn't reconcile the thought of a child coming from an egg. It cast everything in a new light, he was outside in the middle of the day lying on top of an animal – he protested that, Fleeting was not just some animal – but she laid eggs, like a fish or bird, and eggs were something that were eaten with breakfast-

What felt like a vice clamped down around his hindquarters, and he could only whine in defeat as he realised it was futile. His stupid body was just not cooperating, now of all times; couldn't this have happened when his mind was the part not cooperating!?

The world spun, ground unsteady beneath him. Fleeting was staring at him, and he could only think the worst. He didn't even know what this meant, for himself or for her, and now he felt awful because it was like he'd just been carelessly leading her on all this time clearly not intending to be her mate but how could he even explain that the problem wasn't her except it was really and he was just conflicted about having children- eggs with her-

"I sorry," he whined shakily, "I not… I need…" Time, he needed time, to think, to understand, but the words weren't coming, he could barely breathe-

Fleeting took a tentative step towards him, and he spun and ran. He knew it wasn't the best way to handle the situation, but he didn't know what to do, even though this would probably only make things worse… but no worse than he had made it already. No worse than he could make things in his panic.

None of that made him feel the slightest bit better as his paws beat the ground, carrying him into the lonely forest.

Wanderer roused slowly from a deep sleep, sounds and smells gradually trickling into his senses. A light pattering of rain outside had cleared the air of dust, bringing to life the scents of soil and vegetation, all distinct with sharp clarity. Fleeting was nearby, amongst the warm, comforting scents of their den, while Dreamer's scent was recent but not fresh.

He tilted his head and was greeted with the cool, dim light of overcast dusk silhouetting Fleeting's dark shape lying between him and the entrance. Without quite fully waking, he shuffled over to drape a paw and a wing over her, lightly nuzzling the back of her neck. She smelled… stale, somehow, though he couldn't have said why he felt that way. Enquiry, he warbled quietly.

She remained still and silent for two pawfuls of life-beats, only her steady breaths indicating she was even awake, before purring and rolling to press her shoulders to his chest. Her hindleg slipped under his, and she shuffled so that her smooth back pressed against his front, from the corded muscles of her wing-shoulders twitching against his chest to her tail brushing his tail-fins.

While this closeness and warmth was very nice, something was clearly bothering her. She wasn't as… enthusiastic as usual, and seemed to be watching him from the corner of her eye. "What?" he asked carefully, a little worried something had happened with Dreamer.

"I am… attractive?" she asked quietly, stroking his tail with her hindclaws. He could only respond to that with a long, deep purr, holding her close to him and savouring the contact-

She wasn't gentle in kicking him away, then hopped to her paws as he rolled upright. "You say that," she growled, looking and sounding hurt and offended, while Wanderer seized in a shocked stupor. "You, also Dreamer, very strong Nightstrikers. You do much together, I see how much pain you have lived, but you still so happy… I… I want be part of your lives…"

This… wasn't making much sense, but that he agreed with. "I also-"

"You do?" she growled, cutting him off. "Because I try, I try get your interest, but you…" She huffed, sitting on her haunches with her tail lashing behind her. "Dreamer is… strange. He smell aroused just when looking at me. That was good feeling… But you," she stood and stalked over to him, "I not smell that on you ever! Are you even hiding anything in there?" She swiped at his hindquarters, and he jolted to his paws with a set of stinging slashes down his flank, frantically trying to navigate his thoughts-

"But I thought, maybe, that not matter," she said quietly, drooping. "Maybe I not need mate with you, if I can mate with Dreamer… Maybe I do wrong, maybe I not good enough, but he not can mate with me, but my heat will start soon, but you not even see I am female…" She was whining now, distraught, layering pity and sympathy over Wanderer's confusion and guilt and everything else storming through him. "I not," she paused to whimper and slowly turn away from him, "I not want suffer, seeing what I not can have…"

A pawful of things became very clear to Wanderer as she took dragging, miserable steps towards the light outside. The first was that he was as stupid as he had ever called Dreamer. Had he… really never given any indication that he wanted to be with her…? He certainly had no memory of doing so… because… Rrmm, he really was stupid…

The second, far more alarming fact, was that if she left now… if he stood there and did nothing while she walked away… there was a chance he would never see her again.

He leapt and tackled her – she didn't even fight him, letting herself be pushed to the ground and then staring up at him while he stood over her. "I not think you not are good enough," he growled vehemently, needing to voice that before anything else. "Yes, we not had good lives. For much time I was… trapped. Many females there wanted me, but they not were Nightstrikers. I not… could show any wanting, if I do then they… kept trying mate me." He growled at himself, "But I stupid, I keep doing that, even now…"

Below him, between his paws, lay a wonderful, attractive female Nightstriker. He did not need to search far to find the feelings that came to him most evenings when he woke alone, when he acknowledged that craving so he could more easily suppress it later, and an involuntary purr built under his breath despite the situation. "We are strong, but… also stupid," he admitted. "I not know why Dreamer not can mate you. Maybe… that my fault…" Either because of something he hadn't thought to explain, or because Dreamer thought he wasn't interested in her. "We sometimes will be stupid, not know something or do something wrong, but I, we, need someone tell us all that…" He pressed his snout to her forehead, "Please, not leave us, you make us very happy just being here, just being you…"

She sullenly stared up at him, motionless. When he finished, and the only sound was the pattering of rain on the grass outside, her ears and frills flattened, and she started shuffling under him, working her way onto her back. She then reached up with her hindlegs to sink her claws into his haunches, and tugged him down towards her.

Wanderer seized, tensing as he suddenly and involuntarily clawed through his own mind, through every memory and thought of the female beneath him. She was a Nightstriker for starters, putting her at the top of his preference, but that wasn't even close to enough. It seemed foolish to try to describe her with mere words – she was simply Fleeting, described in countless individual and unique experiences, and she was everything he wanted in a mate. He might have had trouble expressing his want for her, but he had no intention of ever letting her forget it. She was only herself, which was all he wanted, and even despite snapping at him, and now staring petulantly up at him, she was relaxed, trusting, her heady scent carrying her want of him, her willingness.

She not only seemed to tolerate his quirks, his and Dreamer's, she barely acknowledged them as issues. He had noticed her subtly explaining things to them, such as eating a balance of meats and, a particularly fond memory, how to impress a female, filling the gaps in their upbringings without making them feel stupid and inadequate. In that way, he already knew she would be a wonderful dam.

Dreamer had not been able to mate with her. The force tearing through him honed in on that, searching for reason, though he didn't have an answer. Clearly, Dreamer had been through this too, and something had stopped him, but in this moment there was no way to know what.

That was almost the end of it, he simply couldn't take a mate Dreamer had issue with, but it didn't feel right. Dreamer and Fleeting were very close, perhaps closer than Wanderer himself had been with her. It wasn't like with Whispering, he wasn't avoiding her or getting tense and stressed around her, he was only ever happier and more relaxed in her presence. Whatever his issue, it wasn't with her, it was either some backwards Dreamer thinking he just needed time to work through or it was something Wanderer himself had done or not done. Yes, he was confident about that.

He exhaled as he was released from whatever had happened, then took a deep breath of clean, cool air; his head ached dully, having been forced into a lot of very quick thinking, but…

"I want you," he purred deeply, settling over her, and she dug her claws into his back with a long, shuddering gasp. He was intensely aware of her as he moved, of her wonderful scent, her claws holding him to her, the sound of her relieved purring and delightful little squeaks, and the feel of her pressing against him.

As amazing as it was to experience this sheer closeness with her, sharing these heights of bliss, the best feeling of all was truly accepting her as his mate, of further filling the void of loneliness that had plagued him for countless seasons. He had his Dreamer… and now they had their Fleeting, and he purred that happiness while she sank her teeth into his shoulder and howled her own joy over the gentle background of the evening rain.

Dull claws scraped rock, a simple monotonous task, a constant grating sound to focus on. Lift forward, drag back… Lift forward, drag back…

Now, of all times… Starvation was a familiar feeling for Dreamer, both as a dragon and a Long-Paw. This was not starvation, he had recently eaten his fill, but it was easily comparable, an intense, gripping void in his abdomen; his body communicating its needs, demanding they be met, with overwhelming discomfort. He hadn't been able to imagine how one could suffer from this, but he'd almost rather starve than be gripped by the sheer unbridled desire burning within him.

It had been bad when he'd woken from his shallow and tortured sleep, and was only getting worse, whatever he did. Hunting a calf from the land-prey-pack had hardly been a distraction, and he barely felt the exertion of carrying the heavy remains all the way back to the den. But his eyes ached, constantly tense and focused, his chest burned from his slow, constant panting, saliva dripped constantly from his parted teeth, the buzzing of an insect somewhere nearby was so painfully irritating he was seriously considering firing at it, and his claws were worn blunt on the rock beneath him. He didn't know if this was better or worse for being exhausted, for spending a night and the following light tearing himself apart for his failure with Fleeting. But at least he didn't feel bad for her anymore.

He winced at a particularly loud howl resounding from the nearby den, a few body-lengths away. No, he certainly didn't feel bad for her now. A little bad for Wanderer, maybe… The pair staggered outside shortly afterwards to find the carcass left there for them, and he looked exhausted as he physically fought Fleeting off of himself to eat. When she gave up and settled down to eat her own fill, he looked up to meet Dreamer's gaze, and they stared pityingly at each other for a few moments.

After he had eaten, while Fleeting was distracted licking the meat off a bone with questionable care and enthusiasm, Wanderer dragged himself to his paws. "Dreamer," he groaned as he trudged over, "I need… rest. Not can do this alone… She not can be sated…"

They sat there, both panting for different reasons. They also stared at each other for different reasons, because Dreamer was worried what might happen if he brought attention to the shadow sneaking up behind…

He winced as Wanderer was yanked back by teeth in his tail, who yelped and then could only stare pleadingly as he was dragged back and around into the den; he'd be feeling that in the morning.

Still, Dreamer didn't feel too badly for him either, not for this. For suffering this alone in a past life, definitely. Forget feeling weird about it, forget inhibitions, Dreamer would be right in there with them if he could. Admittedly, if it was just him and Wanderer, he might not even have issues with that, his body pushing him right past any awkwardness or discomfort.

But as desperate as he was, as intense this need gripped him, he still couldn't wholly accept Fleeting as his mate, that stubborn voice of the Viking sitting smugly in its little corner of his mind while it watched him suffer. And however he hypothetically felt about the hypothetical situation without her, Wanderer was clearly already exhausted. That doubt, that concern, was an insurmountable barrier that prevented him from even considering them as options; it was like how even as hungry as he'd ever been, he had never considered rocks or sand to be edible, and never could. He was tempted to… try alleviating it himself, but he had a strong feeling it would be a wholly inadequate substitute.

So he could only pass the time… minute by agonising minute… trying to keep himself distracted and dragging his claws across the rock.

Wanderer wearily pushed a limp Fleeting off himself, knowing she would only start again if left there; she would anyway, but he might get a little more time to recover if she had to work a bit more for it.

Not that he was particularly arguing… He'd forgotten how intense this first rutting was, before becoming accustomed to it, and he could already feel his body preparing for more, dulling his aches and reinvigorating him. Still, he had to wonder the real reason Sire had recommended finding a male friend-mate first, because he really was struggling to keep up with her.

"How Dreamer is…?" Fleeting murmured beside him, her voice touched with concern, worry.

"He is…" He was what? Not good, it was an unpleasant loneliness to suffer. "He is Dreamer."

She huffed amusement at that, then sat up and started cleaning him off. "You know him more… Will he…?"

"I not know," Wanderer hummed solemnly. "His thinking is very strong… Maybe too strong. Also he has bad thoughts from Long-Paws… But I know it not is you or me." His expression had been longing, frustrated, apologetic, nothing to indicate he didn't want to be their mate.

"That is…" She paused to growl to herself, "Not good, but not bad also. I hope he is good soon. I want him in here, I want to share this with him, make him happy… Not is nice being alone like that…" Her licks drifted down to the faint but sharp ache where she had grabbed his tail. "You are good? I not want mate you too much…"

"I am tired," he admitted. "But…" His body was again burning hotly from within, helped in part by her inadvertently provocative licking, and he had no trouble finding the strength to roll onto her, pushing her onto her back while she wrapped her paws around him with a happy squeak. "I not care about that…"

Somehow, miraculously, silence prevailed. The usual sounds of light drifted into the den, birds twittering and flapping their little wings as they occasionally flew past, but inside was silent.

Dreamer noticed this because he was not really asleep. Almost, he was right on the edge of it, teetering on the brink, but not quite taking that fall into slumber, not when it felt as if his hindquarters could melt iron if given the chance. As such, he noticed things like silence.

Although, until just now, that awareness somehow did not extend to Fleeting having snuggled up to him at some point, the sneaky little troll, while Wanderer lay nearby apparently dead to the world. But Dreamer's body was still locked down tighter than Gobber's sock drawer, he couldn't give her what she wanted however much he tried… to…

He lost wherever that line of thought was going, and sighed into Fleeting's frills. She whimpered under her breath and slowly writhed against him, clearly not sleeping so well herself. He couldn't even consider doing what he had been with her, that was closed off to him just as thoroughly… but for some reason he couldn't pull himself away either. He'd been drawn back to the den, hoping to find her and knowing full well what was likely going on if he did, and then when it had started raining, he'd crept inside and hidden under his wing by the far wall. Maybe he was like the hungry kids hanging around the storehouse during a shortage…

His thoughts derailed again, dissolving into nothing. It was… more difficult to think than it should be…

Any forming notion of concern was alleviated when he took a deep breath, recognising the scent of sweet-grass. It was coming from Fleeting, notably around her frills and ears, and it was mixing with her hot, needy scent into something divine. He inhaled deeply, fanning the heat raging within him behind its thick wall that prevented him from…

His thoughts trailed off again, sidetracked by that instinct going through him. But this time it was… slower, sluggish, wandering aimlessly around the fact that she was a reptile. So? he challenged it. She had a sleek, attractive body, pristine scales, and large, beautiful eyes. That was his desire, it would be weird if she was anything else.

Reptiles were different… Different to what? Certainly not to him. Nightstriker families were… not what he had expected. But that didn't make them bad. He was only being left out, only made to suffer, because of his own stupid thinking.

It was working, that barrier slowly breaking down… Fleeting noticed too, and whimpered need, desire, rubbing her body against his. She might have an egg if he did this; she might even if he didn't, but that wasn't the point. That was still weird to think about, but… it didn't change anything. Don't tell me what is wrong, tell me what is right. His preconception of how children came about was brought to mind… and it was not difficult to convince himself which was the preferable process.

He didn't break through all at once, but it gradually relented, Fleeting twitching with every mote of progress he made. Her claws dug into and kneaded his haunches, she was purring increasingly loudly, clearly impatient, but not once did she rush him. She was being so understanding, so tolerant, and that helped immensely, easing his burden while he systematically dismantled the block placed on him and convinced this system hard-wired into his head that he had no doubts, no reservations about being her mate and everything that would come of it. Her body, her very scent, told him she wanted this, needed this, she had no doubts, and he didn't either, whimpering into her ears as she moaned into his chest, his body moving on its own…

Finally, he collapsed onto his side next to her, panting and purring in relief. Fleeting panted and purred with him, then shuffled in between his paws and snuggled up against him, and he curled up around her. "I had bad thinking… but you…" She tilted her head and looked up at him contentedly through a lidded eye, her body finally relaxing, relief and happiness heavy in her gaze. "My mate," he purred deeply, nuzzling her head, and she purred as she nuzzled into his chest…

She shoved him into his back and plonked herself down on top of him. "I have waited much time," she growled gleefully, staring down at him with an outright predatory grin. "Now you have much catching up you need do…"

Concern, he squeaked up at her.