“So how far does your territory go?” Juno asked as they walked deeper into the forest together. She had changed into proper outdoor clothes before leaving the house, and now she followed behind Niv while trying to keep up with the taller woman’s easy pace. The ground underfoot was uneven and covered in leaves and roots, which made the walk slower for Juno than it probably would have been on one of the proper trails she was used to.
Niv glanced back at her for a moment while thinking about the question.
“Take half the day to run across from side to side,” she said after a moment, giving a small shrug of her shoulders. “Not too big. Bigger than males, obviously.”
Juno blinked at that last part and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Obviously?”
Niv looked mildly confused by the reaction, as if the answer should have been completely self-evident.
“Yes?” she said. “Males don’t need big territory. Usually stay in bond-mate’s territory. Easier that way.”
She stepped over a fallen branch while speaking, moving through the trees with the kind of casual ease that came from living in the forest her whole life.
“The Father died before I grew up though,” she added after a moment. “Never knew him.”
Juno slowed a little when she heard that, her expression softening slightly. “Ah… sorry to hear that.”
Niv shook her head almost immediately.
“No sorrys,” she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “Can’t be sad if don’t know him.”
Juno opened her mouth as if she was going to respond, then hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.
“Oh. Yeah. Right,” she said, sounding a little unsure of what the appropriate response was supposed to be.
They continued walking for a bit longer until Juno suddenly stopped in front of a thick line of tangled bushes blocking the way forward. The branches were covered in leaves and thin twisting stems that looked like they had grown together over time to form a natural barrier.
“Give me a sec to get past this,” she muttered while reaching forward to push the branches aside.
Niv watched her with mild curiosity while waiting.
“Humans are not very good in forest,” she observed after a moment. “Short legs.”
Juno snorted quietly while wrestling with one particularly stubborn branch. “Some are,” she said. “I’m just not someone who goes off the beaten track too often. I usually stick to established trails when I’m hiking. You know, the paths people already cleared out.”
Niv tilted her head slightly while listening.
“Humans like their trails?”
“Yeah, a lot of them do,” Juno replied as she finally forced her way through a thinner section of the bushes. Leaves brushed against her jacket while she stepped through to the other side. “Honestly, even though I like living somewhere small and close to nature, I’m still kind of a city girl at heart.”
Niv paused and looked back at her with obvious curiosity.
“What is a city?”
Juno took a moment to brush a few stray leaves off her sleeve before answering.
“Uh… it’s basically a really large place where lots and lots of humans live together,” she explained. “Huge buildings, roads everywhere, shops, homes, all that kind of thing. I grew up in the south side of Auckland, which is on the north island of this country.”
By this point she had managed to squeeze fully through the bush line and stepped out into a slightly clearer patch of forest floor. She turned around briefly to make sure Niv was still following easily.
“Lots of people?” Niv asked.
Juno nodded. “Yeah. Actually, about a quarter of the human population in this whole country lives in that one city.”
Niv immediately recoiled at the idea, her ears flattening slightly against her head.
“Too scary!” she said without hesitation.
“Sorry, sorry,” Juno said quickly, half laughing while trying to keep up with Niv through the uneven ground. She had just been talking about cities and population when her foot caught on something hidden beneath the leaves. The next moment her balance vanished completely as her toe snagged on an errant root sticking up from the forest floor.
She pitched forward before she could stop herself.
There was a brief moment where her arms windmilled uselessly in the air, and then she landed flat on her front with a dull thump that scattered dry leaves in every direction.
“Owwww,” she wheezed, the sound drawn out as the air rushed out of her lungs.
The noise made Niv spin around instantly.
“Juno!” she called, her voice sharp with alarm.
She hurried back through the trees in only a few long strides, her much longer legs making the distance disappear almost immediately. By the time Juno had rolled slightly onto her side and started pushing herself up, Niv was already crouching beside her.
“Are hurt?” she asked quickly, leaning down to look over the human with obvious concern.
Juno waved a hand dismissively even while she was still catching her breath.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she said between small laughs, though the laugh came out a little strained from the fall. She pressed a hand against the ground and slowly pushed herself up to her knees. “Just not really built for this sort of bushwhacking.”
She chuckled again after saying that, though the sound carried a bit of pain in it as she rubbed one elbow.
Niv blinked at her for a moment, not entirely sure what was funny about the situation, but she still offered a steady arm to help her stand. Juno gratefully accepted the support and pulled herself the rest of the way upright, brushing dirt and bits of leaf off the front of her clothes.
“Okay,” she muttered while straightening up and stretching her back a little to make sure nothing was actually injured. “That one’s going to leave a bruise later.”
After dusting herself off a bit more, she looked around at the trees again and then back toward Niv.
“So,” she said, trying to sound cheerful despite the small accident, “where exactly is this spot you wanted to show me?”
Niv’s expression brightened again immediately, her earlier worry disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
“Almost there,” she said reassuringly. “Just a bit more. Will be easier for you to walk when get there.”
She gestured further ahead into the forest, clearly eager to continue now that Juno was back on her feet.
They walked for a while longer after that, moving deeper through the forest while the ground slowly began to slope downward. The trees grew a little thinner in this part of the woods, which allowed more sunlight to filter down through the branches. Juno appreciated that change immediately because it made it easier for her to see where she was putting her feet. Even so, she still had to watch the ground carefully as she followed behind Niv, stepping over roots and loose stones while trying not to trip again.
After several minutes of walking, a faint sound reached her ears.
At first it was quiet enough that she almost missed it, but the longer they continued the more noticeable it became. It was a steady rushing noise, soft but constant, like something moving over rocks. Follow the newest chapters on novelping . com.
Juno tilted her head slightly as she listened.
“A river?” she asked, glancing ahead toward where Niv was leading.
Niv nodded without slowing down. “Yes. Very good place. Come most days.”
The answer made Juno curious, and she picked up her pace slightly so she could walk closer beside her guide.
“So this is part of your territory then?” she asked.
Niv shook her head.
“Rivers not territories,” she explained while continuing down the slope. “Scents don’t last long here because of water. Place where all comes to drink from it. Clean in it.”
She gestured ahead with one hand as she spoke, as if the explanation should be obvious.
Juno thought about that for a moment and then nodded slowly.
That actually made a lot of sense. Running water would constantly wash away any scent markings, so it would be difficult for anyone to claim a river as personal land. From what Niv described, it sounded more like neutral ground where animals from different territories could safely gather.
“That’s fair,” Juno said.
They continued walking until the trees finally began to thin out completely. The forest opened up ahead of them, and a bright band of reflected sunlight appeared through the gaps between the trunks.
A few seconds later they stepped out of the treeline entirely.
In front of them stretched a wide riverbank covered in smooth stones and patches of pale sand. The river itself flowed steadily through the center, its surface glittering under the morning sun as it rushed past. The open space felt dramatically different from the dense forest behind them, with a cool breeze moving across the water and far fewer obstacles underfoot.
Juno stepped forward onto the open bank and immediately relaxed.
The place really was beautiful once Juno had a moment to take it in properly. The river moved steadily through the open space, its surface catching the sunlight and breaking it into small flickers of white and silver as it flowed past the rocks. The sound of the water was constant but gentle, blending together with the background noises of the forest in a way that felt oddly calming. Cicadas buzzed somewhere high in the trees, birds called to each other from deeper within the forest, and every now and then a faint breeze rustled through the leaves along the riverbank.
There was something incredibly peaceful about it.
Juno found herself breathing a little easier just standing there.
Niv, meanwhile, walked straight to the edge of the water without hesitation. She crouched down near the riverbank and leaned forward to drink, scooping up water with both hands before bringing it to her mouth. Her back was turned toward Juno while she did it.
Juno’s gaze drifted over to her without really thinking about it.
Then she suddenly realized something and looked away again, her face warming slightly.
Right.
Niv did not wear clothes.
That fact had been easy enough to ignore while they were walking through the forest, but now that they were standing still and the lighting was much clearer it was a lot harder not to notice. From this angle Juno could not help but see that the tall cryptid woman had a very impressive backside as well.
Juno cleared her throat quietly and tried to pretend she had not been staring.
She moved over to a cluster of smooth rocks near the edge of the clearing and carefully lowered herself down to sit. The stone was warm from the sun and pleasantly flat compared to the uneven ground they had walked across earlier. Once she was comfortable, she slipped her backpack off her shoulders and dropped it onto the rocks in front of her.
“Alright,” she muttered to herself while unzipping it.
She rummaged around inside the bag for a moment before pulling out a water bottle and a small container of food she had packed earlier that morning. After everything she had done just to get here, she felt like she had definitely earned a break.
She took a long sip of water first, letting the cool liquid wash away some of the dryness in her throat.
While she did that, she glanced back toward the river just in time to see Niv standing up again and walking back toward her. The taller woman moved easily across the rocky ground, clearly familiar with this kind of terrain. Niv came over and lowered herself down onto the rocks directly in front of Juno, sitting cross-legged while facing her. It looked a little strange, watching such inhuman legs sit like that.
“Is good place, isn’t it?” she asked.
Juno nodded while setting her bottle down beside her backpack.
“Yeah,” she said with a small laugh. “I already love it here. Though getting here was pretty exhausting for me. You have much longer legs than I do.”
Niv nodded in agreement, as if the explanation was very obvious.
“Humans are very small.”
Juno snorted quietly at that.
“I mean, I am pretty small,” she admitted. “But not every human is. I actually have a cousin who’s wider than you. Not quite as tall, but there are definitely some humans who are taller than you.”
Niv scrunched up her nose in disbelief.
“But you’re so small,” she insisted.
Juno shrugged slightly.
“I’m shorter than average,” she explained. “Much shorter than average, actually.”
Niv studied her for a moment before smiling in a way that showed far too many sharp teeth.
“You are very cute,” she said with complete sincerity. “I want to nuzzle you much.”
Juno let out a small, very undignified squeak before she could stop herself.
“Oh, umm, thanks,” she said quickly, her face going a little pink as she tried to recover some dignity after that embarrassing noise. She fumbled slightly with the zipper of her backpack again while she spoke. “Do you want something to eat?”
Niv’s expression changed instantly the moment food was mentioned. Her eyes lit up with interest in a way that was almost comical, like someone had just flipped a switch inside her head.
“You have food?” she asked, leaning forward a little.
“Yeah,” Juno replied while digging around inside the bag. “Nothing too fancy though. Just some trail mix, some jerky, and some pork crackle that I grabbed from the store this morning. I’m not sure about the trail mix for you though, since it’s mostly nuts and dried fruit, and I have no idea what your taste is like. I also don’t know if you’ll like the jerky or not, but I guess we can just find out together.”
She pulled out a sealed packet and opened it up, revealing several dark strips of dried meat. The smell was strong, smoky and savoury, and it immediately drifted through the air between them.
Juno tore one of the strips free from the rest and held it up briefly.
“Here,” she said. “Hold out your hand.”
Juno placed the strip of jerky into her palm.
The wolfwoman stared down at it for a moment as if examining it, then picked it up between her fingers and tossed the whole thing straight into her waiting maw without even the slightest bit of hesitation.
Her sharp teeth closed around it as she began to chew.
“Ish good!” Niv declared enthusiastically, though the words came out a little muffled because she was still in the middle of chewing.
Her sharp teeth worked through the strip of jerky with surprising efficiency, and the pleased expression on her face made it very clear that the experiment had been a success. She chewed for a few more moments before swallowing, then looked down at Juno’s bag again with open curiosity, as if wondering what other interesting things might be hiding inside it.
Juno watched her reaction with some amusement.
“Well, that’s good,” she said, smiling slightly.
For a brief moment a strange thought passed through her head. Watching Niv chew so happily like that made her wonder if the cryptid woman might actually appreciate something like one of those big rawhide bones people bought for dogs. The mental image of Niv sitting somewhere in the forest happily gnawing on one like a giant wolf was both ridiculous and oddly charming at the same time.
Juno quickly pushed that thought aside before she could start laughing at it.
Instead she reached back into the bag, pulled out her own strip of dried meat, and began chewing on it while enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the riverbank. The jerky was tough and salty, but after the long walk through the forest it tasted pretty great. She leaned back slightly on the warm rocks while she ate, letting the steady sound of the river and the distant buzz of cicadas fill the quiet space around them.
“So what do you usually do, day to day?” Juno asked after a moment, reaching into the open packet again and handing another strip of dried meat across to her companion.
Niv accepted it immediately and began chewing with the same eager enthusiasm as before. She clearly liked the jerky quite a lot. Between bites she answered the question in her usual straightforward way.
“Hunt. Wander. Clean. Drink. Watch stars and moon. Sleep.”
Juno nodded slowly while she listened.
“I see,” she said thoughtfully. “It sounds pretty peaceful, honestly.”
While Juno was speaking, Niv began shifting around on the rocks in a way that was not even slightly subtle. She scooted a little to the side, then adjusted again, then shuffled forward another few inches while pretending very hard that she was not doing anything at all. Her eyes were pointedly focused somewhere else as if she were studying the trees across the river with great interest.
By the time she was finished with this extremely suspicious maneuver, she had managed to move herself until she was sitting very close beside Juno.
Juno definitely noticed, but she did not comment on it.
Niv swallowed the last bite of jerky and continued speaking.
“Is peaceful when I’m not hunting,” she said. “But I like hunting, so is okay. What do you do?”
Juno leaned back slightly on her hands, thinking about how to answer that.
“Well, Monday to Wednesday I work pretty hard so I don’t have to work for the rest of the week,” she explained. “It’s a good system if you can manage it. Other than hiking around places like this, I like cooking a lot, and I watch movies sometimes. I also enjoy drinking wine in the evenings when I’m relaxing. And every now and then I go into town and hang out at a café I like. There’s a cute girl named Sarah who works there, and I had been thinking about asking her out at some point.”
The reaction beside her was immediate.
“To dating her?” Niv asked, her voice suddenly sounding much more subdued.
Juno turned her head toward her and smiled.
“Yeah,” she said casually. “Except I think I found a woman who’s a lot more my type.”
Niv blinked in surprise.
“Oh,” she said. “Who?”
“Well,” Juno began slowly, pretending to think very hard about it while she looked out over the river, “she’s tall. Really tall, actually. Like, noticeably taller than me.”
She held one hand up in the air as if illustrating the height difference.
“She’s also got some pretty incredible muscles,” she continued thoughtfully. “Not in the bodybuilder sort of way where everything is huge and exaggerated, but more… athletic. The kind you get from actually doing things all day.”
Niv had stopped chewing and was listening very carefully now.
Juno kept going, clearly enjoying herself.
“And she absolutely loves my meat,” she added with a completely innocent expression. “She can down my sausage in one gulp, which is honestly very impressive.”
Niv’s ears twitched slightly as she processed that.
“Oh, and she has magnificent antlers,” Juno finished casually, glancing sideways.
For a moment Niv simply stared at her while her brain worked through the list of traits one by one. The realization slowly spread across her face as everything clicked into place.
“You are talking me!” she exclaimed, pointing at herself in sudden understanding. “You trick me!”
Juno immediately burst into laughter.
“I did,” she admitted between giggles.
“That is mean,” Niv said with a pout.
Juno clasped her hands together in front of her chest in an exaggerated show of apology.
“Aww, I’m sorry,” she cooed, trying and failing to hide the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I won’t do it again.”
She paused for a moment.
“Unless I think it’s really funny,” she added.
Niv huffed quietly at that and crossed her arms for a moment, clearly not very impressed.
“I am going to clean myself while we are here,” she announced after a second, standing up from the rocks.
Without waiting for a response, she turned and marched toward the river with an almost dramatic amount of determination. When she reached the edge, she did not bother easing herself in slowly the way a normal person might. Instead she simply dove straight into the water with a loud splash that sent droplets scattering in every direction.
Juno watched the entire thing happen and her brain helpfully supplied exactly one coherent thought.
Fuck, she is hot.