Niv perked up the moment she heard the familiar sound of the big loud metal thing approaching through the forest. The low rumble of its engine carried across the clearing and reached the den easily, and her ears twitched upright while her tail immediately began thumping excitedly against the side of the couch.
Juno was back.
At least, that was what Niv assumed right away.
She had been waiting inside the den for what felt like a very long time after finishing her shower, and the promise of hot meats had been sitting at the front of her thoughts the entire time. The idea that Juno had finally returned filled her with a sudden burst of energy.
For a brief moment she sat there trying to decide what the correct thing to do was.
Should she stay on the couch and wait for Juno to come inside?
Or should she go outside and greet her?
Niv tilted her head while she considered the question. If their positions were reversed, she knew she would be very happy if Juno came out to greet her after being gone. Humans liked greetings too, right? It seemed like a good idea.
Niv had already decided what she wanted to do before the thought had even fully finished forming.
She bolted upright from the couch and hurried toward the door, her claws clicking lightly against the floor as she crossed the room. Her excitement made her move quickly, and she barely slowed down as she reached the entrance and pulled the door open.
The figure standing outside was not Juno.
Instead, there was a human male standing on the porch.
He was older than Juno and built much more heavily, with a stocky body and thinning hair across the top of his head. His scent hit Niv immediately, and it was unpleasant in a way that made her wrinkle her nose. More importantly than any of that, though, he simply was not Juno.
Niv let out a startled yelp.
“Fucking hell,” the man blurted in shock.
“Human!” Niv yelped right back.
For a few seconds they both froze where they stood.
Neither of them made any sudden movements as they stared at each other, both clearly unsure of what the other one might do next. The moment stretched awkwardly while the strange creature in the doorway and the confused man on the porch simply locked eyes.
Then the man suddenly turned and bolted.
He ran as fast as he could toward the loud metal travel thing sitting in the clearing, fumbling with the door as he scrambled inside. The engine roared back to life almost immediately.
At the exact same time, Niv slammed the door shut as hard as she could.
Her heart was racing as she leaned against the door from the inside, staring at it while the sound of the vehicle quickly retreated into the distance.
That had been terrifying.
Juno was okay, of course, because she was Juno.
But other humans?
Far too scary.
Niv stayed pressed against the door for a few seconds after slamming it shut, her ears flattened slightly while she listened to the retreating noise of the human’s loud metal travel thing. The thing roared as it sped away from the clearing, the sound gradually fading into the distance as it moved farther and farther away through the forest.
Only when the noise had almost completely disappeared did she slowly relax.
Curiosity got the better of her again, and she crept over toward one of the clear walls of the den so she could see outside. Peeking through the glass, she watched the metal vehicle bounce away along the rough path until it finally vanished between the trees.
Niv let out a long breath she had not realized she was holding.
That had been far too close for her liking.
She stepped away from the clear wall and paced around the room for a moment while her nerves slowly settled. Waiting on the couch suddenly felt like a terrible idea now that she knew strange humans might show up without warning.
So instead of sitting down again, she decided to stand watch.
Niv moved back toward the front of the den and remained near the door, occasionally glancing out through the clear walls while keeping her ears tuned for any unfamiliar sounds approaching through the forest. She had no idea who that human male had been, but she knew one thing for certain.
This was Juno’s territory.
And while Juno was gone, someone had to make sure it stayed safe.
A little while later she heard the rumble of another approaching vehicle. The familiar low growl of the engine carried through the trees again, growing steadily louder as it moved closer to the clearing.
Niv immediately rushed back to the clear wall and peeked outside.
This time she recognized the loud thing.
And more importantly, she recognized the person stepping out of it.
Juno had returned.
The relief that flooded through Niv was so strong that she did not even stop to think. She hurried straight for the door, threw it open, and sprinted outside across the clearing. The ground was scattered with sharp little rocks that normally would have made her slow down, but she ignored them entirely as she bounded across the yard.
Juno had just finished climbing out of her vehicle when Niv reached her.
“Oh Niv, hey—oh fuck!”
Before the human could react properly, the tall antlered woman scooped her clean off the ground and pulled her into a tight embrace. Niv buried her face into Juno’s chest, holding onto her as if she had no intention of letting go any time soon.
“This is a pretty intense welcome,” Juno said with a small chuckle as she steadied herself in Niv’s grip.
Even though she had been startled by the sudden tackle, she did not sound upset. Instead she lifted one hand and began gently stroking Niv’s damp hair where it spilled down around the antlers. Her fingers moved slowly through it, smoothing it back in a way that was calm and reassuring.
Niv leaned into the touch immediately.
She liked that feeling a lot.
The warmth of Juno’s body combined with the soft motion of her hand made the tight knot of nerves inside Niv’s chest slowly begin to loosen. She stayed pressed against the human for a moment longer before finally lifting her head enough to speak.
“Scary human male came,” she said.
Juno blinked.
“What?” she asked, her tone immediately shifting to something more serious. “Ah… did he see you?”
Niv nodded quickly.
“Y-yes. Very close. Very scary.”
Juno frowned slightly while she processed that information. One hand continued absentmindedly brushing through Niv’s hair while she thought about it.
“What did he look like?” she asked after a moment.
Niv scrunched her nose while trying to remember the details.
“Missing hair on top,” she said, gesturing vaguely toward the top of her own head. “Smelled bad.”
Juno snorted despite the situation.
“Okay,” she said slowly, trying not to laugh. “That unfortunately describes a lot of men, especially a lot of ones that play with cardboard.”
“Had loud travel thing like yours,” Niv continued, trying to explain while still holding Juno securely in her arms. “But different colour. Shaped a little different too.”
Juno nodded slowly while she listened, her mind already working through the list of people who might drive out this far to her place.
“Right,” she said after a moment. “Might have been Barry then. Shit. Okay.”
Niv lifted her head again and looked down at the human with mild concern.
“Is bad human?” she asked.
“No, no,” Juno replied quickly, shaking her head. “He’s actually a good bloke. He helped me out with that leg you gave me the other day. I let him keep a bit of it too since he went through the trouble of helping me process it.” She paused briefly while considering the situation. “He also knows that I’ve… well… seen you around before. I mentioned it in passing. He probably doesn’t know anything else though.”
Niv thought about that for a moment and then nodded once.
“Okay.”
Juno shifted slightly in Niv’s arms before speaking again.
“Can you put me down?”
“I don’t want to,” Niv replied immediately.
Juno raised an eyebrow.
“When did you get this bold?” she asked with amused curiosity.
Niv did not answer with words. Instead she simply buried her face back into Juno’s chest again, pressing close like a large affectionate animal that had decided this was exactly where it wanted to be.
Juno laughed quietly.
“Well,” she said after a moment, “if you put me down I can make the hot meat I promised. I also picked up some special snacks that I think you might like.”
Niv made a strange whining noise deep in her throat that was not entirely human, clearly torn between continuing to hold Juno and the powerful temptation of food.
Eventually the promise of hot meat won.
With visible reluctance she lowered Juno back onto her feet, setting her down gently in the clearing.
“Good girl,” Juno teased with a grin.
She walked over to the vehicle and opened one of the doors, leaning inside to grab several crinkly bags filled with groceries. The plastic rustled loudly as she pulled them out and balanced them in her arms.
“Alright,” she said while turning back toward the house. “Let’s get inside. I have a movie I need to introduce you to.”
Niv was having what she would easily describe as the best evening of her entire life.
She did not truly understand what was happening inside the glowing flat rectangle that Juno had placed in front of them, and much of the story went over her head in a confusing blur of tiny humans, strange decoration skins, and dramatic talking. Even so, none of that seemed to matter very much. She had a pile of hot meats sitting beside her that Juno had cooked on the little indoor heat plate, and she was curled up comfortably on the couch right next to the human herself. Between the food and the company, Niv felt content in a deep sort of way that made her tail occasionally smack the couch beside her.
On the screen, one of the tiny humans was shouting something very loudly and dramatically.
“And never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!” the tiny man declared.
Niv leaned forward slightly as she watched the little figures move around in the glowing box. The man laughed loudly for a moment, then quite suddenly he stiffened and tipped sideways, collapsing out of his chair and disappearing from view.
Niv immediately looked alarmed.
“Is he okay?” she asked. New chapters come out on g.com first.
It was the eighth time she had asked that exact question since the movie started.
Juno, who was lounging comfortably beside her with a bowl of snacks in her lap, chuckled with patient amusement.
“Yeah,” she said, waving a hand casually. “He’s fine. He’s also just playing pretend for the story.”
Niv frowned thoughtfully while she tried to make sense of that.
“But he drank the poisons,” she said, sounding genuinely concerned.
“They don’t actually poison the cup,” Juno explained. “It’s all part of the acting. None of it is real. They’re just pretending so the story works.”
Niv slowly nodded as the explanation settled in her mind.
“Oh. Okay.”
Seemingly satisfied with that answer, she reached down and grabbed another piece of hot meat from the pile beside her. This one was especially good because it still had the bone inside it. She happily sank her teeth into it and began chewing enthusiastically, occasionally cracking the bone slightly with her strong jaws while she gnawed at it. The sound of crunching echoed softly through the living room.
Back on the screen, the remaining tiny characters were still talking.
“To think,” said the woman in the flowing decorative skins, “all this time it was your cup that was poisoned.”
The masked man replied calmly, “They were both poisoned. I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder.”
Niv froze mid chew, her eyes widened dramatically as she stared at the glowing screen, and then she gasped.
“He tricked the tiny male!” she exclaimed in amazement. “He must be very strong if even poison does not hurt him.”
Juno snorted with quiet laughter.
“True love is a force to be reckoned with,” she said casually while popping another chip into her mouth.
The chips had quickly become one of Juno’s favourite snacks for the evening, though Niv kept glancing at them with curiosity. She clearly wanted to try them, but earlier Juno had explained that the chips were made entirely from plants, and Niv had made it very clear that she did not like eating plants if she could avoid it.
Niv leaned forward again as the story continued, her attention completely locked onto the glowing screen. When the characters entered the dark, foggy forest she immediately gasped and pulled her feet up slightly onto the couch, her ears tilting forward in alarm as she watched the shadowy trees close in around the tiny humans.
“That forest looks bad,” she muttered with clear concern.
Then one of the giant tiny-prey’s appeared.
Her entire expression changed almost instantly.
Instead of looking frightened, Niv’s nose twitched and her mouth began to water slightly as she stared at the enormous creature on the screen.
“Oh!” she said with sudden interest. “Big tiny-prey.”
Her eyes followed it eagerly as it skittered across the scene.
Tiny-prey, in Niv’s experience, were usually very small, quick little creatures that made for tasty snacks if you managed to catch them. They were nowhere near as satisfying as the hot meats Juno had made earlier, but they were still quite enjoyable when she managed to find them out in the forest. Seeing a tiny-prey that large made her briefly imagine how much meat it might have on it.
“Lots of food on that one,” she murmured thoughtfully.
Then the story moved along again and the tone shifted, and Niv’s attention snapped back to the actual events unfolding between the characters.
Her shoulders tensed.
“The bad male is going to take away the female!” she exclaimed suddenly. “But she was just rescued!”
Juno, who had already seen the movie several times before, nodded with an exaggerated air of wisdom.
“Tis a story of trials and tribulations,” she said in a theatrical tone.
Niv slowly turned her head toward her.
“I don’t understand what that means.”
Juno shrugged slightly and tried to explain.
“It means the story, like all good stories, has moments where good things happen, and moments where bad things happen,” she said. “If everything stayed good the whole time, the story would be kind of boring. The struggle is what makes the ending feel satisfying.”
Niv did not look convinced.
Her shoulders drooped a little as she stared back at the screen.
“I just want her to be with her bond-mate,” she said sadly.
Then the scene changed again and the masked man was suddenly overwhelmed and captured.
Niv’s eyes widened dramatically.
“Oh no!” she cried, nearly dropping the bone she had been chewing on. “The masked male got hurt and taken!”
She turned toward Juno in disbelief.
“They lied!” she said, sounding genuinely upset by the betrayal. “They can’t lie!”
Juno gave a small thoughtful hum as Niv’s protest hung in the air. She shifted slightly on the couch and set the bowl of chips on the table in front of them, clearly thinking about how to explain something that was not quite as simple as Niv wanted it to be.
“Well,” Juno began slowly, “bad people do lie. That part is definitely true. But good people lie sometimes too. Sometimes a lie can actually be… a good thing. Or maybe not good exactly, but neutral. Or complicated. I don’t know.”
Niv immediately shook her head.
“Lying is bad,” she insisted firmly. “No one should ever lie.”
Juno leaned back a little and folded one leg under herself while she considered that. She could see Niv meant it with her whole heart, which made the conversation feel strangely important.
“What if the lie would protect someone?” Juno asked after a moment.
Niv frowned, clearly confused by the idea.
“What? That is not possible. Lies hurt.”
Juno rubbed the back of her neck as she tried to come up with an example that might make sense.
“Alright,” she said. “Let’s say someone was coming after a person that was very precious to you. Someone you cared about a lot. And the bad people wanted to hurt that person. Then they asked you where that person was hiding. Would you tell them the truth?”
Niv did not hesitate even for a second.
“Yes!” she declared confidently. “Because I can protect anyone I want!”
Juno raised an eyebrow slightly.
“And what if there were multiple people after that precious someone?”
Niv opened her mouth to answer immediately, but the words did not come out.
Instead she froze there for a moment, staring at the floor while the idea slowly settled in her mind.
The conversation was beginning to feel strangely familiar to her, like something she had thought about or talked about a very long time ago. It made her chest feel tight in a way she could not quite explain.
“I… I don’t know,” she admitted quietly.
Juno gave a small sympathetic smile.
“I think it would be okay to lie in that situation,” she said gently. “You wouldn’t be lying to hurt anyone. You would be lying to protect someone you care about.”
Niv thought about that for a few seconds, her ears flicking slightly as she considered it.
Juno continued, offering another example.
“What about if you had a surprise for someone?” she said. “Like a gift, or a celebration, and you wanted to keep it secret from them until you could give it to them properly. Would that kind of lie be alright?”
Niv’s expression softened a little.
“I guess that would be fine,” she said slowly. “For a bit.”
Juno gave a small shrug.
“Honestly, I kind of like your attitude about it more,” she admitted. “Lies are almost always bad. Life would probably be a lot simpler if people just didn’t lie at all.”
She paused for a moment, and her expression grew a little more complicated.
“I know that from firsthand experience,” she added quietly. “Sorry, this was kind of a pointless conversation. You’re right. Lies are bad. They can hurt people for a very long time.”
Juno’s voice had gone softer near the end of that sentence, and there was something in her expression that made Niv pause. The cryptid woman tilted her head slightly while studying the human’s face. It felt like there was much more behind those words than what Juno had actually said out loud. Niv could almost feel it, like a scent she could not quite track down.
But Juno did not elaborate.
Instead she simply leaned back into the couch again and turned her attention toward the glowing screen. The tiny humans continued moving around in the little rectangle, shouting dramatically and swinging swords while the story rushed toward its ending.
Niv stayed quiet after that. She tried to focus on the story again, though she kept glancing at Juno every now and then while the movie continued. Eventually the story reached its final scenes, where everything began to resolve itself in grand and dramatic fashion.
By the time the movie ended, Niv’s eyes were watery and her nose was slightly runny.
“They got to be bond-mates even though the male died then undied!” she said, her voice full of emotion.
Juno smiled warmly at that.
“They did,” she agreed.
Niv wiped at her face with the back of her hand, still sniffling slightly while she tried to recover from the emotional whirlwind the story had put her through.
“When did this happen?” she asked curiously.
Juno blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“The story,” Niv explained while gesturing toward the now dark screen. “When did all this happen?”
Juno chuckled a little.
“Oh, it didn’t,” she said. “It’s just a story. A pretend one that people acted out for entertainment. The movie itself was made years before I was even born.”
“Oh. Okay.”
She stared at the blank screen again, then looked back at Juno with new curiosity.
“How do you get the tiny humans into the square thing?” she asked seriously.
Juno let out an amused hum and reached into one of her pockets.
“Well, this might help explain it,” she said.
She pulled out a small rectangular device and held it up.
“This is a phone,” she explained. “It’s a similar type of device to my laptop. Smaller, but it can still do a lot of things.”
Juno shuffled closer while she said that, casually leaning her side against Niv’s much larger body as she held the device in front of them. The sudden contact made Niv stiffen slightly, her muscles locking up for a moment while she tried to process the unexpected closeness.
Juno, meanwhile, seemed completely unconcerned.
She tapped the surface of the phone several times, and the little screen kept changing what it showed. Different symbols and pictures flashed by until eventually the screen switched to something that looked like a reflection.
Niv blinked.
On the tiny screen she could see both herself and Juno sitting there side by side.
“I can see us!” Niv said with delighted surprise.
“Mhm,” Juno replied casually. “Tell me how much you liked the movie.”
Niv straightened up proudly.
“It was good!” she said enthusiastically. “It was sad and scary at times, but I liked it a lot, like the human spawnling in the end!”
Juno tapped the screen again a few times.
A moment later Niv nearly gasped in shock when the phone began playing something.
On the screen she could see herself again, moving and speaking exactly the way she had just a moment ago.
“It was good! It was sad and scary at times but I liked it a lot, like the human spawnling in the end!” said the copy of Niv from the tiny screen.
“They used an older way to record it,” Juno explained while holding the phone up so Niv could continue watching the screen. “But the basic idea is similar to what this does. Think of it like a reflection that you can keep and play back whenever you want to see it again.”
Niv stared at the tiny screen with enormous, fascinated eyes. The idea of capturing a reflection and then making it move and talk again later seemed almost like magic to her. She slowly nodded while continuing to watch the little recording of herself finishing its sentence.
“That is strange,” she said quietly. “But also very clever.”
While Niv was still studying the device, Juno shifted slightly on the couch and leaned even more of her weight against the larger woman’s side. The casual movement pressed their bodies together much more firmly than before.
Niv froze.
A noticeable flush crept across her face and down the sides of her neck as she suddenly became very aware of how close Juno was sitting. Her antlers tilted slightly back as if they did not quite know what to do with themselves.
Juno sniffed lightly near her shoulder.
“You smell amazing,” the human said with an appreciative hum. “Your fur is silkier than before too.”
Niv blinked in surprise at that comment. She lifted her nose and sniffed the air around herself, catching the lingering scent of the soap she had used earlier in the shower. The smell was still very noticeable to her, and she personally did not care for it very much. It was sharp and floral and completely unlike the natural forest scents she was used to carrying on her fur.
But Juno had said she liked it.
Niv hesitated for a moment before looking down at herself. She reached down and gently brushed her fingers through the fur on her thigh. Now that it was fully dry, the texture really had changed. Her claws slid easily through the strands, which felt softer and smoother than they ever had before.
She blinked again, slightly amazed by the difference.
“You like my scent?” she asked cautiously.
Juno nodded.
“I liked it before too,” she said with an easy smile. “It was kind of musky, but not in a bad way. This smells good too though.”
Niv shifted slightly, looking a little conflicted.
“The scent is… too strong,” she admitted slowly. “But if Juno likes it…”
The moment the words left her mouth she immediately regretted them.
Juno leaned back slightly and her expression changed to something that looked a bit unhappy.
“Sorry…” Niv said quickly, even though she was not entirely sure what she was apologizing for.
Juno shook her head right away.
“No, no apologizing,” she said firmly but gently. “If you don’t like the smell then that’s completely fine. I can get scentless soaps instead. That’s an easy fix.”
She gave Niv a reassuring smile.
“That way you won’t have to smell it on me, and you won’t have to smell it on yourself either if you want to use my shower again.”
Niv thought about that for a moment before nodding.
“Okay.”
Juno shifted closer again after that, apparently satisfied that the issue had been resolved. Her hand came to rest casually on Niv’s thigh. For a moment it simply stayed there, warm and steady against the thick fur.
Then her fingers slowly moved along the edge where the fur ended and smooth skin began.
The gentle touch sent a sudden shiver running up Niv’s spine, and she sucked in a quiet breath as the unfamiliar sensation rippled through her body.
Shakily, and with a great deal of hesitation, Niv slowly lifted one of her large arms. For a moment it hovered uncertainly in the air, as if she was not entirely sure whether she should actually go through with what she was thinking. Her heart was beating faster than usual, and she could feel the warmth of Juno’s hand still resting against her thigh where it had been tracing along the edge of her fur.
After a few seconds of nervous deliberation, Niv finally made her decision.
She carefully wrapped her arm around Juno’s shoulders and gently pulled the human closer to her body. The motion was slow and cautious, as if she was worried that Juno might object or pull away at any moment.
But there was no protest.
Juno simply allowed herself to be drawn in, settling comfortably against Niv’s side as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The human’s warmth pressed pleasantly against her, and Niv found herself relaxing slightly now that she knew she had not done something wrong.
For a little while neither of them said anything.
The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the electronic devices around them and the occasional rustle of fabric when one of them shifted slightly on the couch. Niv could feel Juno breathing slowly and steadily against her side, and the steady rhythm made her feel oddly calm.
After a moment, Juno spoke.
“Did you have fun today?” she asked quietly.
Niv immediately nodded, though she realized a second later that Juno might not be able to see the movement from where her head was resting.
“Y-yes!” Niv said quickly. “Much!”
She paused for a moment as she tried to gather all the different things she had experienced throughout the day.
“There were lots of new things,” she continued with growing enthusiasm. “And the hot meats were very good. The forest was also fun to explore.”
She shifted slightly while holding Juno a little closer.
“But the best part was that Juno was there the whole time.”
Juno let out a small amused sound that was somewhere between a chuckle and a quiet sigh.
“You’re incredibly earnest,” she said.
Niv tilted her head slightly at that word.
“What does that mean?” she asked with genuine curiosity.
“It means someone who is very sincere,” Juno explained patiently, her voice calm as she tried to put the idea into words Niv would understand. “Someone who is honest about what they feel and what they think. They don’t pretend to be something else or hide behind tricks or games.”
Niv listened closely to that explanation. Her ears shifted slightly while she thought about it, her brow furrowing as she tried to turn the meaning around in her mind.
“So… someone who says what they mean?” she asked slowly.
“Yeah,” Juno said with a small smile. “That’s a pretty good way to put it.”
She shifted a little where she was sitting, settling even more comfortably against Niv’s side. Her shoulder rested lightly against the taller woman’s chest while Niv’s arm remained loosely wrapped around her.
“I like that about you,” Juno continued. “A lot, actually. It’s probably my favourite thing about you so far.”
Niv immediately felt warmth spreading across her face again. Compliments were still something she was not used to receiving, especially not ones that sounded so genuine and relaxed. Her grip around Juno tightened slightly before she realized she might be squeezing too much and carefully loosened it again.
Juno hummed quietly to herself, clearly in a good mood.
“Also,” she added after a moment, “I find your flip-flopping between being bold and brash one moment and then shy as a kitten the next to be very cute.”
Niv blinked in surprise.
She stiffened a little, suddenly feeling very aware of how nervous she had been acting earlier.
“I do not do the flip-flop,” she said, trying to sound confident.
The attempt did not work very well. Juno let out a quiet laugh, clearly unconvinced.
“So… would you like to stay over tonight?”
Niv’s ears lifted high and her eyes widened with hopeful excitement.
“If… if it’s okay,” Niv said quickly, clearly trying to keep herself from sounding too eager and failing miserably in the process. “If you want. I would like that.”
Juno could not help smiling at the reaction. The tail alone was enough to make it obvious how pleased Niv was with the idea.
“Well,” Juno said thoughtfully while glancing toward the clock on the wall, “it’s not actually that late yet.”
She shifted slightly where she was sitting and stretched one arm out toward the table where the remote was sitting.
“Shall we do another movie?”
Niv’s entire posture brightened even further somehow, which Juno had not thought was possible after the tail display.
“Okay!” Niv said with immediate enthusiasm.