She lays against the dirt. Her chest rises and falls with her heavy breaths. From this position, she can see the sky in-between the trees but only barely. Enough to tell the day is dying. The woods are quiet but she can hear the blood in her ears, her head swims lazily with delight. Somewhere close, she can feel him. It’d been quick, more a battle than a lover’s bed but wasn’t it always like that between them? They took encouragement and relief in the struggle.

Echidna props up on her elbows.

There’s a streak of blood down the middle of her chest. How did it always circle back around to this moment? Was it uncontrollable lust or love? Did it even matter? Her dark eyes look over the smooth plains of his body, right next to hers. She wonders if there’s any use in being gentle or if this was all there was now between them. Echidna bites her lip for a moment and then she shifts onto her side, watches the way he breathes and tries to settle down.

She wants to say something, anything – her mouth opens, then closes. Words stuck at the back of her throat and on the tip of her tongue. She is afraid to disturb the moment, he might leave her all alone in the woods. Did it matter?

Echidna inches closer to him, her hand reaches out timidly until her arm circles around his middle like he’s something to keep her afloat. She rests her burning cheek on his chest. It’s both a comfort and a source of anxiety.

But she wanted to be authentic, do what she felt. It didn’t matter to her right now, he could tell her if this was crossing an unspoken line.