Niv, despite the heavy exhaustion pressing into her bones, had not managed to get any meaningful sleep the previous night. Her body ached pleasantly from the exertion, every muscle still humming with memory, but her mind refused rest. She had learned so much.
Juno had been an incredibly attentive teacher, patient and knowing, guiding her in ways she had never expected, showing her the depths of human intimacy while keeping the rhythm of her own desires.
The air around them was thick with scent, a heady, intoxicating mixture that clung to every surface and filled every inhalation with warmth and longing. Each breath Niv drew seemed addictive, a reminder of Juno’s closeness and the lingering traces of their bodies intertwined. She hadn’t realized that her antlers could be used as grips in their mating, but even that strange, intimate detail hadn’t dampened her pleasure.
And Juno… Juno tasted exquisite. Even after the human had run her ragged, pushed her limits, and tested her patience, she had kept pressing and teasing, drawing out every gasp, every shiver. Niv had not minded one bit; in fact, she had reveled in it, her body responding instinctively to the constant, thrilling attention.
She turned her gaze slightly, eyes softening as they fell upon the small human beside her, still deep in sleep, chest rising and falling gently, head nuzzled comfortably against Niv’s side. Even in rest, Juno exuded warmth and the quiet comfort of safety, a living reminder of the night they had shared, of everything she had learned and experienced, and Niv’s chest swelled with an unfamiliar tenderness.
Her bond-mate.
The thought settled warmly in Niv’s chest, and a slow grin spread across her face as she looked down at the sleeping human tucked against her side.
After many warm times of her life, she had finally found one.
Among her people that would have been enough. The bond would be understood, accepted without question. Dens would be merged, routines joined, and lives quickly woven together until they were no longer separate things.
No spawnlings would come from the pairing of course, Niv understood that much. Their bodies were simply too different for that, but that hardly mattered. Spawnlings could always be adopted later, if that was something Juno wanted. Plenty of families did that. It was not unusual at all.
Her tail gave a slow, contented flick beneath the blankets as the thought drifted through her mind.
Maybe now would be the time to merge dens.
The idea felt natural, almost obvious, but then she hesitated.
No… not yet.
Her people would likely have done so already, especially after a night like the one they had just shared. Once two people accepted each other like that it usually meant the decision had already been made.
But Juno had explained that humans did things a little differently. There was something called “dating” first. Time spent learning about each other before anything as serious as sharing a den happened.
Niv didn’t fully understand the reasoning behind it, but she didn’t mind. If that was the way humans preferred to do things, then she would happily follow along.
Because Juno would see it eventually.
She would see that Niv was the perfect bond-mate.
Of that Niv was completely certain.
Her grin widened slightly as another memory from the night before slipped back into her thoughts.
And… she might have liked very much being called a “Good Girl.”
Niv still didn’t fully understand why those words had made her feel the way they did. Every time Juno had said it, something warm and electric had sparked through her chest and down her spine, making her tail twitch and her body react in ways she had not expected. It was confusing, but also very exciting.
Among her people the larger female usually took control during mating. That was simply how most pairings worked. Strength and size tended to guide the rhythm of things.
Yet somehow Juno, who was only a little shorter than a male in comparison, had taken charge of her completely.
She had pushed her down into the bed, told her what to do, praised her when she listened, and Niv had loved every moment of it.
It was strange. So very strange…. But it was also new, and fascinating, and she found that she liked this newness very much.
Juno shifted slightly in Niv’s arms, the movement small at first, just a sleepy stir as she adjusted against the much larger body she had curled herself around during the night. Her cheek rubbed lazily against Niv’s side as she stretched one arm upward, the motion slow and groggy in that way people moved when they had not quite finished waking up yet.
“Mmmm… good morning,” she murmured, her voice still thick with sleep. She blinked a few times and tilted her head up just enough to look at Niv. “How are you?”
Niv had been awake for quite some time already, quietly watching the human sleep and thinking about the night they had shared, so the question made her ears perk slightly.
“Tired,” she admitted honestly. Then she smiled in a wide, satisfied way that made her eyes soften. “But very very very good.”
Juno snorted softly at that answer and rubbed at one of her eyes.
Niv shook her head immediately, her tail giving a faint thump somewhere beneath the blankets.
“No! Very good. Liked it all. Very much.”
Juno let out a quiet, hoarse chuckle that turned into a brief cough.
“Well I am very much glad you enjoyed it,” she said with a grin. Then she cleared her throat and grimaced slightly. “Ugh. I need some water. My throat is way too dry.”
Niv instinctively tightened her arms around her for a moment as Juno began shifting away, and she had to stop herself from letting out a small whining sound when the human slipped free of her embrace. The warmth that had been pressed against her all night disappeared as Juno sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
The smaller woman reached over to the nearby table and grabbed a container of water, unscrewing the lid before lifting it to her mouth. Niv watched as she greedily gulped it down, her throat moving with each swallow.
Juno lowered the bottle with a satisfied sigh once she was done and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.
“Okay that’s better,” she muttered before glancing back at Niv.
“So,” she began, stretching her arms above her head, “anything you want to do today? I’m free for another three—”
Her sentence was abruptly cut off as the small rectangular device sitting on the table suddenly started making loud, shrill noises.
Juno groaned.
“Give me a moment,” she muttered.
She grabbed the phone and pressed it up to her ear.
“Hey Barry. What’s—AH right. Yeah. No, it’s all good. Yeah, trust me.”
Niv watched curiously as Juno paced a small circle beside the bed while she talked.
“Uh, would you believe me if I said she was more scared of you?” Juno continued. “Nah, not pulling your leg. I’ll talk more later. Ugh, yes, she is. Don’t worry, she’s a sweetheart.”
Juno suddenly broke into laughter.
“Serious dude, she’s cool. Well then cremate me if that time comes. Just toss my ashes off a cliff or something. OKAY I just woke up, I am going now. Yeah, see ya mate.”
With that she ended the call and placed the phone back down on the hard surface beside the bed.
“Okay,” she said, turning back toward Niv, “so that was Barry and he was worried about me.”
Niv tilted her head slightly.
“But I did not see the male,” she said.
Juno smiled faintly.
“Phones can be used to talk over very long distances.”
Niv’s eyes widened.
“Really? Are they magic?”
Juno shrugged casually.
“I mean in a way, kinda, but not really,” she said with a small laugh. “So yeah. Wanna do something today?”
Niv’s ears perked up immediately.
“I want to do whatever Juno wants to do!”
Juno scratched the back of her head thoughtfully.
“Well Juno wants to get up, shower, then get dressed. So I think I’ll do that. You can shower after me if you want.”
“Okay!” Niv said eagerly. “I like the hot water. It’s like the hot springs but a waterfall.”
Juno paused mid-step and looked back at her.
“You know of some hot springs?” she asked with interest. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“Yes!” Niv said proudly. “The Mother has some in her territory.”
“That’s cool,” Juno replied, clearly intrigued. “I’d love to see them someday.”
Niv hesitated at that, her expression shifting slightly.
“Maybe not good idea… yet,” she said slowly. “Will… will need to talk to the Mother first. She not like humans very much. Especially after the Mother’s Sibling Son was killed by the humans. Very bad.”
Juno nodded thoughtfully.
“Ah, yeah, that’s fair enough,” she said gently. “No worries.”
Then she rubbed her chin and gave a small thoughtful hum.
“Hell, I could look into getting a hot tub,” she added. “They’re a pain to maintain, but sitting in one at night in winter sounds pretty great.”
“Hot tub?” Niv repeated, the unfamiliar words rolling slowly off her tongue as she tried to picture what Juno meant.
Juno paused in the doorway and turned back toward her, one hand resting on the frame as she considered how best to explain it.
“Think of it like a hot pool,” she said after a moment, gesturing vaguely with one hand as if the shape might help illustrate the idea, “except it’s something I can place pretty much wherever I want. Usually outside somewhere. And it stays hot all the time.”
Niv’s ears perked slightly.
Juno continued, warming to the explanation. “It’s basically a big tub that heats the water and keeps it warm, and you sit in it and relax. Some of them even make bubbles in the water too.”
Niv’s eyes widened a little at that.
“I like hot tubs!” she declared excitedly, even though she had technically never seen one before. The idea alone sounded wonderful. A hot pool that could be anywhere and made bubbles sounded like a very good invention to her.
Juno chuckled softly at the enthusiasm.
“I’ll think about it then,” she said with a small smile. “Right, I’m gonna go shower.”
With that she disappeared down the hallway toward the bathroom, leaving Niv alone in the bedroom.
Niv stayed where she was for a while longer, stretched out across the soft sleeping space. The bed was incredibly comfortable compared to what she was used to. Normally she slept on packed earth or forest floor, sometimes with moss or leaves gathered beneath her if she felt like making things a bit nicer.
This though… this was different.
The mattress gave beneath her weight just enough to support her body, and the blankets were warm and soft against her skin. It was pleasant, though it also felt a little strange.
She wasn’t used to sleeping on her back like this either. Normally she curled on her side or stomach, which worked better with her long tail. Lying on her back meant the tail had to sit awkwardly beneath her, and after a while it was starting to feel a little sore from being bent at a strange angle.
Still, she didn’t mind staying there for a little longer.
The room still carried the warm scent of the night they had shared, and the quiet comfort of the space made her feel oddly content.
A voice suddenly called out from the next room.
“Hey Niv!”
Niv’s ears flicked toward the sound immediately.
“Yes Juno?” she called back.
There was a brief pause.
Then Juno’s voice came again, sounding slightly incredulous.
“Did you use all my shampoo yesterday?”