[Bronze Wood] Hunting for Answers {closed Avi and Terminus}

[Terminus Norin]

Terminus had been thinking about a lot as they talked. He was realizing that the feelings he was having were the desire to bond with this fascinating Kelvic. He also knew that it was yet too soon and he needed to keep things slow and even.

If he had known of Avi's concerns regarding magic and over-giving he would have told her the symptoms and that not much could be safely done to stop it since interrupting res production in a reimancer would result in a loss of control and possibly a bigger bang than intended. he would however feel very pleased that she cared enough to try.

When she touched his hand he briefly allowed himself to act on the impulse to squeeze gently allowing himself to feel her hand in his for a moment. But he was careful not to trap her hand nor move quickly. He was certain that should she bond with him it would be forever. This one was special indeed.

I can't tell you how glad I am that you aren't going anywhere. I lost one person who told me she wanted to be close to me. She couldn't handle Ivak. It has left a raw wound in my heart so I'm very careful.

He smiled as he was braiding her hair, it was silky and thick and heavy in his hands. He felt a warmth spread from his hands to her hair or so he imagined it. he could see the enjoyment in her face as she studied him, her eyes settling into a contented ruby. Again he felt an urge to snuggle close to her, but restrained due to not knowing how birds cuddled.

Well unfortunately I may just have to find out in the end. Hopefully we don't have another Valterrain.


Once he had finished and she had pulled on her boots , she stood and offered her hand. He took her hand in his and felt the warm,softness of it,pulling himself to his feet with a warm smile. He really was ready to begin the hunt. he motioned with a sweep of his hand that did not hold hers.

After you milady. Lead the way and let me know what to do.

[Avi]

Avi had a good understanding of what he meant about others not being able to handle something that was part of you, that helped defined who and what you were. She was like that though, perhaps, for a different reason. She was an animal who could make herself look human. She wasn't covered in soft fur, and she wasn't cuddly like Nya. She was perfectly happy in her own skin, but owls were enough to inspire anxiety in plenty of people, especially when they could carry you off. At least, here in Syliras, not a lot of people could begin to guess what a Talderian Black Owl was besides that it was, possibly a black bird that liked to hunt at night. That wasn't to say she ever think to compare herself to a god. Nothing she would ever have to worry about, there.

She squeezed his hand in a tight grip, hanging on for some moments after even once he was on his feet. She appreciated the way he was letting her make the decisions, and at the same time, it encouraged her. He seemed pretty passive. That meant, quite possibly, she'd be able to push him around... and if she was perfectly honest with herself, she didn't mind that at all. She enjoyed getting her own way, and, well, she'd be pushing him until he eventually decided what boundaries she could not cross. And once he showed her those boundaries, she would see if he could enforce them. And then, well, then there would be a true test of wills while Avi saw what he was made of before probably acquiescing to his demands. If she felt like it. Most of the time... Avi never gave up, she never gave in. She just changed her mind. Besides, she thought to herself, it showed he was a fast learner... especially after she had nearly taken his fingers off at the festival. It was just as well she hadn't, because now he had all ten fingers that she could put to use braiding her hair, and for, possibly, just possibly... other intimate purposes. But she would see about that yet. She hadn't even kissed him, so there was no point in counting the clutch before the eggs hatched, now, was there?

She let go of his hand eventually, though, and stepped into the cooling ashes of the fire, to make sure that they were well and truly out before spreading them over the forest floor, and stepping on them again. Only once all evidence of their stay had been more or less erased did Avi nod with satisfaction and step lightly away. "Good to go," she said cheerfully, scooping up her backpack deftly and pulling it on, passing her great long spear from hand to hand as she shrugged the straps on, and adjusted them to the proper length. "The straps are useful for when I am traveling," the Kelvic explained. "See how long they are? This way I have room to move my wings and the pack will stay put... so I can carry my things."

With that, though, she set off, continuing her conversation as they went. Where she had been intensely curious, full of odd and childish questions at the festival, she was serious, thoughtful, and almost methodical now, like she had settled down, especially with a hunt at hand. She had quieted and calmed, too, when they had started to hunt the Dhani on the beach, and it was clear that to Avi, hunting and tracking were serious business, and she was taking her task of teaching him these things seriously. "Normally, when I hunt," she told him as she walked, "I fly. If I'm really hungry, I'll find water, and catch a fish. The easy way out," she grinned a little at that admission, her eyes an amused gold. "Desperation makes you stupid on the trails." She certainly seemed ready and able to keep up a steady conversation. Perhaps she was part parrot instead of owl...?

"Hunting and tracking is taking in everything that's around you. We use most of our senses to hunt - we listen for prey, we watch for them, we smell them... What we want to do, because we're on foot, is watch the ground, and what we are walking through. Look for tracks, anything that says something was here," Avi told him, her voice calm and quiet, and deadly serious. "Anything disturbed... broken plants, sometimes even blood. Bits of hair caught on trees or in thorns and on the bark of trees where they rub themselves against things, scratching an itch, or fleeing, or something." That was how she was taught. Learn how nature looks when it's perfectly natural, when everything was in balance. Once you understand that, you would be able to pick out the other signs that indicated something was moving. "Sometimes, you can hear other, smaller birds when they make a big deal about finding something," she added off-hand.

As they walked through the chilly wood, Terminus could see how occasionally, Avi's ears seemed to twitch, like she was trying to catch sounds. Once or twice she'd changed directions in the way she was leading him. Clearly, she had heard something.They had been walking for a while before she stopped suddenly, stepping deftly and gracefully to one side, reaching behind her to pull Terminus over to the left, where she stood. "Aha, look," she was pleased as she squatted down, transferring her spear from her right to her left hand. There in the soft ground was an indent. "Deer, I think," she held her finger just off of the track, tracing it in the air to make sure that Terminus was also seeing the indent in the slightly soft ground. "I think it's fairly fresh... see how the mud is still wet? It's not dried yet. So we'll follow it," she decided. She looked on ahead in the direction that the deer's tracks were going and pointed with the spear in that direction. Terminus could make out other impressions, much like the one they were squatting beside, leading in a path away from them. Avi's eyes came in handy here - she saw the tracks, almost as plain as day.

"Stick to one side," she warned the Azenth, glancing at him with ruby eyes. "That way we don't muck up the tracks with our own scuffing. That way, if we overrun it, we can come back and look again." She got up, and stepped neatly to the side, mindful of where she was padding in those leather boots of hers. She would much prefer to go barefoot - feet were not made to be covered here in temperatures so warm - and feel the earth squishing beneath her feet and between her toes, but boots were better.

"Tracking is much different here than it is at home," she told she indicated each track. "Zulrav can stir Morwen's snow, and then, all of a sudden, you cannot see anything. You've lost your tracks. Sometimes, some of the animals are really light, they don't weigh much... and so their weight doesn't penetrate the surface layer, unless they're enormous. But if they are, well, their weight backs the snow down even more when there's a herd of them. It's not so easy to track in Taldera by yourself. It's best to take a dog or four along, if you can't fly overhead and look." She grinned a little at that. So she had an advantage when it came to northern hunting. All she had to do was translate that experience to the here and now.

[Terminus Norin]

Terminus met her eyes with his when she held onto his hand and cocked his head slightly as it to get a better look at her. In her human form she was striking, a slender,athletic form with burnt almond skin that had a silky feel to it and an airy smell not musky. Her hair was a lovely black with bluish-violet highlights and he had noticed a few oily,pearlecsent black feathers in her hair while he was braiding it. Her almond shaped eyes were a magnificent ruby when she was content and shifted colors with her moods which he found fascinating.

He was okay with her dominant personality, Nya had warned him she would be dominant. He also knew that he would have to be very firm when he set boundaries with her or there would be things happening when he did not want them to. Right now she was a balance to his more passive personality and he could live with that. He would not take pleasure from her till they were ready to mate and that would require a little bit of ceremony, that she would have to live with.

He watched as she removed all signs of the fire and their presence here. He had slept in his bedroll that night and not his tent so that was easy to do. He noted how deft and agile she was for someone who was such a large animal she moved with a grace and agility that defied that image. He nodded as she said she was good to go and as she spoke of how her pack was made to adjust to her wings when she was the Owl. He could see intelligence in her speech and actions and that pleased him greatly. In a potential bond mate intelligence was a major factor.

As they walked and she talked to him he noted a different Avi than the one at the festival. Though he knew that this was the same Kelvic, she seemed more serious and focused here, very methodical and serious. She was like she was as they hunted the Dhani at the beach. He decided he liked both aspects of her as the childlike and curious Avi was charming to him. He also noted the ability to keep a steady stream of conversation going. He bemusedly wondered if there was some parrot in that owl.

He however listened to what she said, he noted that she was telling him that hunting and tracking was about using most of your senses. And that it was about being aware of your surroundings. He began to listen to the sounds of the forest and smell the various smells, trying to pick out the individual experiences from each. The forest was becoming alive to him with sounds and smells.

She then said that the primary sense when on foot was sight that you watched for any sign of disturbance, broken plans, blood bits of hair or fur or tracks, anything that indicated something had been there and how long ago. He would also have to learn how nature looked in balance and undisturbed so that he could tell when it had been disturbed.

So then my first lesson would be to take in nature undisturbed,learn what things look like, sound and smell like when they are in balance, so that I can detect disturbances.

They stopped and she showed him a place in the grass where there were indentations in the ground. She was tracing one in particular that looked to be fresher than the others. She said it might be a deer and he noted the hoof like appearance of the print and the split at the top of the print and how deep it was. He supposed more could be told by a track if one knew what to look for.

So I would suppose that one could tell more than the type of animal form the print if one had more information about the different tracks.You could tell how long ago this animal had been here and if it were female or male as well as how big it was If you knew more about the animal you were tracking. You could also tell if it was a single animal or a heard of them.


He smiled as he had noted the twitching of Avi's ears noting that she was listening to everything. He also nodded as she spoke of tracking being different back in Avanthal. How Zulrav could hide tracks more easily as Morwen's snow could prevent depth of tracks. He could tell that she knew how to track in the harder to track in north and that would mean she could translate to the forests of Sylira. He was looking forward to this hunt

[Avi]

Avi, for her part, had spent a lot of time in nature. She was part of it. She had a fairly good idea, when it came to hunting, what was out of place and where. If you didn't learn those signs, after all, you did not eat. Despite her young age, hunting was natural, instinctive to her. Even if owls didn't really track by sight and on foot, but rather overhead. It was a lot faster, but the Kelvic had a great deal of patience for this sort of thing. She could only get better at it, after all, and learning how to track and hunt in different regions would be useful. "Yes," she agreed happily. "That is how you learn. You start tracking and hunting by knowing what is out of place... that is when things start to stand out."

"That is so," the Kelvic flashed him a brilliant smile. "Male and female deer have different feet. So do birds. Male birds keep their feet closer together than females," she knew that much from experience. The pelvic bones meant their stances were different - they could only keep their legs as their bones allowed, after all. "Some packs... hunt in single-file to trick those who would try to decide how many there are. Very useful." She paced the trail slowly, content not to overrun it, though from time to time, she looked up sharply. "See how the tracks are getting further away now, and the feet are no longer spread out evenly, but are leaving wider spaces?" she glanced at him. Before, the tracks had been fairly evenly spaced - their quarry had been walking. "It's running now. See? The branches are broken, here and here." Avi stood up, indicating branches that were hanging limp off of the brambles of a blackberry bush before plucking a tuft off hair off of a thorn, holding it up. The fur was a light tan in colour, thick and almost fuzzy. "Definitely a deer. Something must have startled it from somewhere," Avi added, straightening and looking around, her eyes a blend of green and gold as she picked up the pace a little. "Do you hear that?" It was a stupid question, since her own hearing was quite a bit better than his, but Terminus could hear the faint sounds of something crunching, and what sounded like a few snarls.

In between the deer's prints, though, was something new. "Look," she paused in mid-stride, eyes widening slightly. There was a cat's paw print there, a big one. She tilted her head. "Forest cat? Bobcat? Some sort of cat," she decided. The Kelvic wasn't a native, and was a bit unfamiliar with some of the predators of the Bronze Wood. The wildlife of Taldera was a bit different from the wildlife of Sylira. But she knew a cat's prints when she saw them - she had seen Nya's, after all, with the pads and toes. But the size of these prints weren't large enough to bother her, on ground or not, and they definitely weren't Nya's... too small. If she had to, she would shift (and, admittedly, destroy the clothes she was wearing), but Avi, however, seemed determined to check it out. It might have been a mistake, but she didn't seem to concerned by the sounds that were getting louder and more ominous the more they followed the deer's tracks.

She picked up her pace, combing through the broken bushes, pointing them out to Terminus as they went. They found another length of hair, but this fur was woollier, milky-grey in colour, and much longer. She held it up and out to Terminus, silent, but grinning before pushing aside the last bit of bushes ever so slightly with her spear. What was by anyone else's standards a very large cat, Avi only shook her head. It looked up at them, snarling, bearing its fangs, big and white in its bloodstained maw, standing over a deer. The deer that they had been tracking, and had apparently been beaten to by another predator. "It has a nice pelt," Avi admitted grudgingly. "Very pretty. But we'll leave them to eat. He beat us there. We'll find something else." Avi wasn't about to kill a wildcat in its prime just because it had pretty fur. Maybe they could have gotten a lot of money for it, but money... wasn't really something Avi cared about. She wasn't about to eat the cat, even if she could.

"Stop your fussing," she called at the tuft-eared cat. "We're leaving." She backed up, spear at the ready, bumping deliberately into Terminus to get him moving as the cat yowled in warning. "Let's go," she turned around once the cat had gone back to eating, judging by the sound of chewing and ripping. "We'll find something else to hunt." She started off not the way they'd come, but in another direction. She wasn't worried about getting lost, after all. "Where are you from?" Syliras, it seemed to Avi, was a big melting pot. You found plenty of things there. Who knew where Terminus was from?

[Terminus Norin]

Terminus was watching Avi when she spoke and when she moved, but he was also allowing himself to become aware of nature around him, he listened to the various hoots and howls and even the playful breezes each would tell him a new tale, he also smelled the rich,earthy smells that cane to him from the dirt and the musky smells of animals. He was also aware of the warmth of Avi's body when she was close to him as well as the smell of her.

Her smile when he made the logical jumps about tracking made him smile as well as she indicated he was correct. He started watching the ground for things out of place and especially noting anything she showed him.So male birds walk with their feet closer together and some animals walk single file to hide their numbers. He Noted the fact that the tracks they had been following were getting further apart and then Avi said that indicated their prey was running from something.

She pointed out some tracks between the deer tracks that looked like a smaller version of Nya's tracks to him. She also showed him a tawny,fuzzy tuft of fur which indicated the deer had been startled . She then seemed to be listening to something and as he strained to listen, he was rewarded with the sounds of snarling from a distance.

Despite the snarls and the sounds of things they might not want to encounter she pursued this thing. he knew that in her natural form that she could take anything the wood had to throw at her but he didn't want her to have to. Then she showed him the woollier, gray fur which indicated this was some kind of forest cat. He then saw the cat already having taken their prey and Avi indicating that they would leave it. He nodded and let her lead the way for now as she knew better what they were doing

[Avi]

When he didn't answer right away, Avi just kept walking. Maybe he was gathering his thoughts together. Some people she knew liked to do that. They sorted their thoughts out of the big jumble that was in their heads, lined them up, and went from there. Occasionally she glanced at him over her shoulder as they trekked over the ground to take in his face. She knew he was following her, it wasn't a matter of looking behind to see if he was still there - she could hear him, after all. As they walked on, Avi was beginning to develop a sense of sympathy for those who hunted on foot. Her nose wasn't the best - simply average, not like Nya's - and because she was missing these important scents, she found hunting on ground very, very boring, even as she kept a keen eye out for any potential signals of nature disturbed. Still, there were areas she couldn't fly to look, and that was when hunting on the ground would be a valuable skill to have. So she stuck it out. Even if it would be just that much easier to shift, and take off with Terminus on her back and look for things from the sky. Easier, faster, and funner. But taking the easy way out all of the time wasn't the way to go. It wasn't like it was a matter of life and death.

But as she walked, she had to wonder. Maybe he wanted her to explain something about herself first. So she spoke up quietly as they picked their way through the forest. "My full name is Aviquilat of Frostmane Hold," she told him. "My name means 'wild feathered one'. I am two years old, and I am from Avanthal. Here, where you have family names, like Norin, we have Holds that help keep track of the families," she explained. "I am a dire Talderian Black Owl... most of them are not as big as me. I hunt at both day and night, but I like the night better, even if most people don't," the Kelvic added. "I blend in better at night, in the dark. Most prey never hear or see me then. It works well. My favourite foods are salmon and beluga, but beluga are hard to catch. Belugas are smaller white whales that you find up in the north. Very heavy, but very good eating." She'd caught them before, usually really young ones. Hauling an adult Beluga out of the water was probably beyond her skills; Avi had never tried it. She had always figured she would be dragged under if she did, and then, well, then she'd be in trouble. "I like walrus, too, and seal." Hell, she liked pretty much everything. If she could eat it, she wasn't particularly picky.

As she walked, she paid particular attention to the ground, looking for more tracks, and any tufts like the ones they had found before. She didn't mind the exercise, though, and it didn't bother her that no matter how far they had gotten. She could always fly them back. Flying made for easier navigation. But as Avi walked, she found herself pondering. Was he shy? Was that what why he didn't share? Did she make him nervous? She wasn't sure. He seemed pretty calm before, and had told her that he found her beautiful. She didn't know how much Nya had told him about her, either. But she resolved to do something about it.

All of a sudden, Avi whipped around, mindful of her braid and her spear, letting the weapon drop as she pressed her black-clothed body to his. She let him feel the swells and curves of her form as she cupped his face with both hands, and pressed her lips to his in a sudden, hard, tempestuous kiss, never giving him a chance to argue, her eyes a blend of ruby and gold. She fanned her fingers out over his face, stroking his skin with her fingertips before pulling away only slightly when she needed air, and rested her forehead against his, her chest heaving. Her voice was husky as she repeated her question, then, her eyes, burning with intensity, locked on his face, not letting go right yet. Each word was emphasized. "Where... are... you... from?"

[Terminus Norin]

Terminus walked in silence when Avi seemed to be watching the ground looking for more tracks and disturbances. Her eyes were sharper than his but he joined her, mimicking her movements as best he could. He was beginning to enjoy the tracking part of hunting,he wasn't so sure about the actual killing though, he knew it was necessary though and would go through with it efficiently when the time came.

As to why he didn't answer Avi about where he was from, he had been so busy paying attention to the lesson and watching nature fore signs that he had missed her inquiry. If he had known her thoughts about him being shy he would have admitted to a certain shyness around her and a certain nervousness, he had never wanted to be close to someone like this before except for Sura and that turned out badly. But the one thing he did know was that Avi did not seem to care who he worshiped nor that he had caused the incident that took Sura from him, she just simply cared about him and that was something he was unused to.

The continued their looking and he felt the emotions coming from Avi, a mix of confused wonder and annoyance, but no real anger. If he were to interpret what she was giving off it would be that her curiosity about something was getting the better of her and he had not addressed it yet.

Then she spoke of her name and the Hold she came from, she also spoke of the practice of taking on the name of their Hold as their last name. Her name seemed to fit her from what he could tell and he actually spoke at that time.

The name Terminus comes from Pre-Valterrain times, it means "Devoted one" or it can also mean"Seeker" but devoted one is closer. My mother is fascinated with the time before the sundering and she chose my name from that time.


They continued on and he wondered what it would be like to be hunting with her from the air, though he would have to be perched on her back to do so. He wanted to feel the wind in his hair even though it was chilly and feel the power of her muscles beneath him as they flew. This thought was a sensual one for him and he allowed it to continue despite his vow not to be intimate with her unless they mated.

Suddenly she whipped around much like at the beach,except this time she was more mindful of her spear and braid. He flinched at first thinking he had done something wrong again,though he couldn't be sure what it would have been. Then he saw the blazing look in her eyes right before she pressed her body close to his, so close that he could feel the swells and curves of her next to him. This was an unusually comfortable feeling for Terminus as they seemed to fit together in this manner, however it was also surprising as he wasn't expecting such a move.

He didn't have long to contemplate this surprise, nor to get his arms around her waist before she cupped his face in both hands and bestowed upon him a sudden, hard,tempestuous and long kiss. He had no warning nor time to object and his eyes widened in surprise before he relaxed and allowed the kiss to continue. It was a warm and passionate kiss that stirred feelings in him that were long forgotten, and as she fanned her fingers across his face, stroking it lightly, he began to return her kiss with a fervor equal to hers, allowing himself to enjoy kissing her, letting his hands move up her back and caress her during the kiss.

When she broke the kiss, still staying close and breathing heavily, her chest wasn't the only one heaving nor were her words the only ones deep and husky from the experience. She kept his face within her hands and when they locked eyes, His eyes burned with an intensity almost as great as hers and he listened to the sound of her voice as she again asked him where he was from.

He was still stunned by what had just happened and quite breathless as he tried to collect his racing thoughts and answer her.

I...I..Im from Syliras actually. I...uhh..was born not far from the city in a home in the woods. He stopped and took a deep breath, cleansing his mind and collecting his thoughts. Both my parents still live and I think you should meet them and I should meet your family as well. Because if we spend too much more time together Avi, I won't want to leave you.

He carefully collected his thoughts and made sure that what he was saying was what he wanted to be saying and that the direction she was leading him was the direction he wanted to go in. He remembered Nya's words of warning about Avi's dominance and his eyes took on a look that said he was collecting his own thoughts and desires.

I won't try to keep you if you don't want to stay. I know you are a wild animal and need your freedom. But you must understand that humans in these situations are a bit different, we tend to want to be close to those we care about. Sometimes we are very clingy and tend to hold on tightly. When you act like you are right now, we tend to get ideas in our heads.

He continued on seriously not knowing how much Avi knew about humans in emotional situations. she did seem to understand being around humans and he said.
I know you were raised around humans and know a lot about how we do things and the rules for living in our world. But the one thing you need to understand is that this kind of kiss doesn't come from an uninterested person. I have no intent of taking physical pleasure from you unless we decide to mate. I do want to take the time to be sure that is what we both want.

He continued as he was on a roll and laying down boundaries, he was communicating to her *his* desires and wants, hopefully she would choose to respect what he was saying and then they could continue the process of getting to know each other. He spoke again softly, with a note of caring in his voice.

Aviquilat of Frostmane Hold, you are a special being, you have the best of two worlds available to you and that I really like about you. I find you fascinating. Like I said if we spend too much more time together I will not want to leave you. So be sure you want to be with me before we get too much closer. If we continue this direction...I wonder... is this how Kelvics bond?

He left room for her to respond while still holding her close until she pulled away or kissed him again or something.

[Avi]

Avi was pleased at the way he had returned her sudden kiss. He had good instincts. And he was a goooooooood kisser. Her eyes were a calm mix of ruby and sapphire, though there was flecks of gold in them, belying some of her excitement. She showered no indication of desiring her own space, because she didn't move away from him - she stayed right there in his arms, as if it was the most natural thing in the word for her. It was quite a change from the last time they had been together - at the Festival where Nya had introduced them. She had nearly taken his fingers off for touching her. Clearly, things were different now.

She had been raised with people, true... enough to observe some of the funny pre-mating rituals that they performed, and to see that aforementioned clinginess in action. Avi herself wasn't clingy. She liked to be close, yes, but clingy... rarely. But she had never had a bondmate before. So that, perhaps, would change. Why else would she kiss him like that? She rested against him, tracing minuscule patterns with her splayed fingertips on his skin. "I know," she told him, her voice quiet. "But... doesn't physical pleasure come from mating?" she didn't see the problem here! What was...

Oh. Waiiiit...

Understanding flashed in her eyes. "You mean bonding? Not wanting to mate unless we bond?"

"I would like to meet your family," she decided. Avi, after all, enjoyed meeting new people, and to mee those connected with Terminus... well, she thought she would like that. "Maybe next season," she rested her forehead against his, her eyes never leaving his. "We'll fly to Avanthal. I will show you where I am from, and who my people are." She pushed him a little with her body, all the while moving herself to the ground and taking him with her until she was straddling his lap. She cuddled against him in this new position, finding it quite satisfactory.

"Bonding is different for every pair," Avi told Term, tilting her head slightly. "I haven't bonded with anyone before... but I always thought I'd know it when I met the right one." Her hands left his face as she draped her arms over his shoulders, crossing them loosely behind his head. "I've had time to think about it. I was thinking about you after I met you at the festival. I haven't felt like this with anyone else... never. I have thought about it. This is what I want."

She accepted his ground rules without complaint. She saw them more as the beginnings of a framework... more of a guideline... less about the rules. But it was in her nature to challenge them - she wasn't a dog, a critter that instinctively liked and needed rules. She lived by her own rules, except for when she was intermingling with people, and that was when she had to behave in line with the rest of society. She had no flock to which she had to conform to, after all, when she was flying.

That was when she had her stroke of genius. A win-win situation for both of them.

"Mate first, and see if we're compatible," Avi suggested. If he was putting such an emphasis on bonding first before mating, but he clearly was intimating and intertwining both acts... well, it made sense to her, at least, that they should be seeing how well they got along together before finally bonding. "Since you want a bonded mate... and I want to be bonded for life. If we don't go well together... that would be bad." Avi's ulterior motives were simple. She wanted to see just how physically compatible they were, and she didn't want to wait overly long for it. "Bonding... to me... is sharing everything," Avi told him, searching his eyes. She was very, very serious if the deep ruby colour was any indication. "I want to bond for life. Some Kelvics... don't insist on sharing every aspect of their bonded mate's life. But I would," her lips brushed his enticingly, and her knees tightened on either side of his legs.

"You know what I'm like," she tilted her head ever so slightly, drawing so that she could look at him properly. "I can only change so much of me. I want a bondmate that is able to take me as I am... and be happy with who I was meant to be. I can only change so much of myself before I'm no longer me. This is me, Terminus Norin. Take me... or leave me."

[Terminus Norin]

Terminus was gathering his thoughts in the moments of silence between them, which seemed as if hours were passing. It was not an awkward slowing of time, it was as if Tanroa had slowed time down so that they could enjoy this moment. And enjoy it he was, Avi felt good in his arms as if she belonged there and always had. He could feel her in his mind as well as in his arms, but she was on the fringes, the bond had begun and he had no intention of stopping it unless she did.

The feel of her fingertips tracing along his chest was delicious and wonderful. He had not allowed himself to care like this since Sura. He smiled as she was puzzling out the idea of mating and physical pleasure, this was one of those times that he had to remember she was not human and he would have to explain to her what he meant. He smiled as she made the connection between mating and bonding, she was so close to what he was meaning to say so he clarified.

Avi, humans..well some humans want to become married, which is a formal exchange of vows between two people before they engage on mating. It is a step beyond bonding and a formal declaration of two people deciding to spend a life together. It probably is more words than anything between a bonded pair as the commitment is already there in the bonding. Some Humans need Cheva to bless their unions before they feel truly mated. I am one of those humans.


He smiled as she spoke of meeting his family and said Next season would be fine, my parents don't really get out much until the spring arrives. I also look forward to meeting your people and learning more about where you came from.

He allowed her to ease them to the ground in a not too snowy spot,placing his arms around her as she cuddled in his lap, she would note that his body was as warm as if he had been near a roaring fire. Such was the gift of Ivak, Terminus would never know cold as his body would always radiate heat,even on the frozen tundra of Avanthal.

He listened to her speak of mating first then bonding. He had told her he wanted to be married before they mated, but he was certain that Ivak, being a god of passion would not hold him to that strictly. And he knew where she was coming from on this one, she needed to know if they were compatible in every way before she would give herself to him totally. She spoke of bonding for life and he wanted a bondmate for life. It was agreeable to him and he nodded.

He did not answer her with words, but answered her with actions. He pulled her to him gently and kissed her, softly at first and then with more passion. He hoped that somewhere between them they could get enough cover from their packs to keep the wet,snowy ground off of them, but that was the last rational thought he had. \

He was consumed by the passion between them and gave himself to her in that fashion. As he did he felt her mind open to him and his to her, there was a connection forming he could sense her, feel what she was feeling and unlike his gift from Ivak the bond between them let him know exactly what she was feeling and that it was she who was feeling it.

So this is bonding he thought to himself and wondered what she was feeling right now and then he did not have to wonder as he could feel the passion in her within his own mind, the desire to please and be pleased both. I will take no other. She is who I want, I swear now that I will not ask her to make room for another in our lives. I only hope she feels the same. He then lost himself in their passion

[Avi]

It was the first kiss of many.

Avi clung to him with hands and knees, garments discarded, as she pressed herself to him, delighted and more than somewhat triumphant at getting her way - but they had both had equally strong feelings on the subject. She could respect what he wanted. But at the same time, it was something for the both of them. In a roundabout way, she was looking out for him as well - waiting to mate until after Cheva had blessed them had never made sense to her, but then again, human particulars were human particulars. To each their own.

But what she did find, perhaps, was that the pair of them went together veeeeery nicely.

She was surprised at the warmth Terminus radiated - Avi was used to colder temperatures herself, but the sheer warmth that came from the man took away the faint bite in the air that prickled at her darker skin. Her hands moved along his sides, feeling the muscle and skin, fingers spread out as she explored his body. Her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own, as they were unable to settle on any one colour as she sought other kisses from him, some soft, some forceful. She occasionally moved his hands placing them on her body, encouraging him to explore and feel and touch. There were five senses, after all, and Avi enjoyed hitting every single one of them.

After a while, she was content to rest with him, no where near tired, but aware that her own energy levels could get a little out of control as she nuzzled him, resting her head against his. Terminus was able to detect a few feelings coming from her... just vague impressions... but he might have realized that that was what Avi was feeling. Pleasure. Content. Curiosity. Joy. Wonder. Was this bonding? The Kelvic cuddled into him, looking at him suddenly, her eyes a vivid gold as she rested her head on his shoulder, content to trace patterns on his skin.

They found the Gnosis mark on his right breast soon enough, and she outlined it with careful, delicate fingertips, an uncharacteristic gentleness in her touch from the dire bird. "From Ivak?" she angled her head slightly, drawing back enough to look at him, and then only to prevent him from answering with another kiss.