Winter had descended on them all, and even as the temperatures plummeted and harsh, cold winds whipped across the mountainside he didn’t really mind. The cold brought with it only more opportunities so pull Haven’s petite form against his own in the long nights, more rambunctious games to play to keep their bodies warm, and a subconscious rush of hormones that made them nearly inseparable. He had only left her side for a little while this afternoon to give her as much space as he could possibly stand. Now he was making his way back down the mountain with a plump hare dangling from his slender muzzle. He had spotted the rabbit darting between the trees and on a whim decided to make it a present to his mate.

He wasn’t sure exactly why he did this, hunting had never really been his thing before and Haven, with her quick feet, didn’t need him to hunt for her, but he had felt such a primal urge to provide for her he had taken it with surprising ease. Following the pull of his soul to her own his azure and golden eyes peered out from the brush until they landed on her petite form lounging in the little sunlight that was left of this day. Immediately he felt the tightness which enveloped his heart when he was away from her vanish, his dark tail immediately beginning to sway at his ankles and she hadn’t even spotted him yet. It was a wonderful feeling, to simply look upon her and feel such love and devotion welling up in his chest.

Finally he could wait no longer and broke from his cover to trot over toward her eagerly just as she rolled over with a loud groan that made his patched head tilt. Was she not feeling well? Immediately a pang of worry bloomed in his chest, and thought he smiled at her around his prize his gaze ran over her small body in search of anything that might be wrong. Dropping the hare at his small paws he stepped forward, lowering his head to nuzzle her cheek, murmuring a soft, “Hello, my love,” into her creamy fur. His nose did not stop there, without a second thought his dark muzzle ran the length of her body, snuffling and licking and generally just showering her with kisses, and while he told himself it was to make sure she was okay he enjoyed it far more than he probably should have. Circling back around he finally made it back to her head, licking her ears and between her steely gray eyes with a sigh of contentment before he plopped down beside her.

No matter how much he tried he could never tire of touching her, even now the tips of his paws brushed her own. They had been doing plenty of touching, as it were, their playful games turning into something less innocuous which would undoubtedly be his death warrant should her brother catch him, and yet he found it hard to care. There were worse ways to leave this world than loving someone, and love her fiercely he did. Had he been an older or more experienced man he might have noticed the subtle changes in her body from their fooling around, the slight alteration of her scent, and even mood swings which were growing in frequency. Naturally, or not so much, he didn’t and lay beside her now in blissful ignorance that his life was about to change. Forever. Peeling his eyes from her beautiful face to where the sun sank steadily below the horizon he leaned his bony shoulder into her side to simply feel her pressed against him. “The fireflies will be coming out soon,” he said with excitement, though there was still a touch of concern in the words for she had not been fully herself lately.