When he didn't speak at first, Kiona said, "What is it, Achak? Is there something you want," not paying any attention to how that question led Achak's mind elsewhere to what she actually meant.

            Achak swallowed. "I need you to... scout the area by the river. I'll send someone to accompany you in a few minutes." Kiona nodded without saying anything else, but sent him one last curious glance before she was out of sight. He wasn't sure why he let her go by herself when he could've just went with her anyway, because meeting up with her in private was his original plan. So instead of waiting, Achak let Kanook know that he was going to scout the area and followed Kiona.

            This was the quieter part of the stream. It was mostly rocks blocking a subtle flow of the river, which then opened back up and ran a lot smoother. There weren't any fish in the river at this time, most of them probably made it to the lake, if they weren't already caught and eaten by another animal.

When Kiona made it to this part of the river, she stopped and took a long drink before she began her scouting. For some reason she was very thirsty lately. Through the sound of her drinking water, and the sound of the river itself, the hybrid heard someone draw near her. It must have been the scout that Achak sent after her. She was thinking it was probably Takoda or someone, but to her surprise it was Achak himself. She stared at him with her mouth agape, water dripping from her moist canine lips. She noticed herself "drooling" and quickly licked the water away.

            The wolf was already smiling, for whatever reason it was, and approached the hybrid closely, which she did not protest to. He said, "You missed some," and licked the nonexistent excess water from her lips. After enjoying the sight of Kiona’s face, Achak suggested they begin to scout the territory.

            The two of them walked slowly down the river, kind of forgetting about surveying the area at all (which Achak wasn’t worried about doing because some scouts were still out doing their job). Their scents were making each other excited, and the ambiance of the sound and sight of the water flowing, the birds chirping, and the sun peeking through the trees only added to their enthusiasm. They made small talk along the way, talking about why they loved spring, and how much they missed it that past winter.

            “Another reason I like spring is…” Kiona began saying, until her attention was drawn elsewhere. Achak looked in the direction she was and saw a new family of foxes playing together. They were a safe distance away from them, so to not startle them, and the wolf and the hybrid stood and stared for a few moments. The kits had just stopped playing with her father to give their mother some attention, and she lay there play biting her offspring while her mate watched blissfully.

            It wasn’t what Kiona was initially going to say about spring, but it reminded her on how much she loved babies. When she lived in Nome, she always liked them (when they were quiet and not annoying). Babies, puppies, and cubs were the few who ever were treated with care by the hybrid.

            She sighed in slight jealousy, but more with cheerfulness, which caused Achak to face her. He had been enjoying the display as much as she was, but they both choose to continue walking.

            Achak wanted to tell her how he felt. This entire day had made him realize his own feelings towards her were not just based on what season it was. Neither of them spoke, but it was only because for the first time in his life, Achak was at a loss for words. He wasn’t afraid, was he? He took a deep breath and decided that if he was going to be rejected, he would want to be rejected by Kiona first.

            “Kiona,” he said, coming to a halt. She stopped and faced Achak, looking up at him, seeming hopeful. “I want to tell you something.” She stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. He was going to be brave about this. He didn’t want to stutter over his words or whisper them cowardly. Kiona needed to know this. “I love you. And I would love for you to be my mate.” He finally said as mortification suddenly grabbed him by the throat.

            She could feel her breath escape her. Kiona was expecting something grand to happen today, but she never expected him to ask this of her. It was the first time the hybrid heard those three words said to her in so long… And once she caught her breath again, she beamed; her mouth still open in astonishment, which was a good sign for the wolf, who felt his breath return to him as well when the wolf-dog returned his love in simple words.

            Neither of them hesitated to nuzzle each other forcefully, yet amorously. When they took in each other’s scent, they felt excited yet again, and Achak couldn’t help but rest his fangs gingerly over Kiona’s scruff. As pleasant as that felt, Kiona felt the urge to run, and she did, only after running her tail under his nose. She grinned at him, luring him into the chase, which he couldn’t help, but oblige her.

            It was dark at this point, but Achak could still find her easily. Both of their adrenaline was rushing, blood pumped everywhere throughout their bodies as they ran through the trees, moonlight showing which way to go. Kiona never felt like this before when she was running. It was remarkable to them both. Achak felt like a cub again, playing a game of tag. Only this time the prize was worth so much more than winning. As much fun as chasing Kiona was, he wanted to find her as soon as possible.

            The hybrid slowed down on purpose, wanting the wolf to catch her at this time. This feeling was already so strong, it was unbearable. Once the two saw each other, Kiona kept up one last dash before Achak teasingly tackled her to the ground. Again they engaged in vigorous snuggling and licking, and added merry-making to the sweet event taking place under the starred sky.

~~~

            Black and silver awoke tightly wrapped around bright red and white. She was sleeping sounder than ever now. Achak figured she must've been really tired to be sleeping this quietly. He simpered at her sleeping form and licked her head, in turn he slowly stood up and decided to get them breakfast while his mate was still asleep. The thought of her being his mate made him ecstatic on the inside. And soon they would have a healthy, beautiful litter and that thought made him even happier, if it was even possible. His thoughts were inturrupted by the sight of a large buck rabbit, who was soon going to be a part of the wolves' early meal. The wolf pursued the rabbit, but he wasn't as enthusiastic about it as he was chasing Kiona the night before.

            Kiona woke up almost as soon as Achak left. She could almost always tell when he wasn't around. She wasn't too worried about why he wasn't near her right now because it gave her time to reminise on their night together. She stretched out her tiny body and took the time to study her surroundings. Somehow they made it on the borderline of their territory. Was it their territory now? Or was it still just Achak's? Was she the alpha female now?

            All of these questions kind of overwhelmed the poor wolf-dog and she changed her mind to something else. Like how thankful she was that she and Achak didn't return to the pack after they collapsed in exhaustion on the ground after their "time together." What a time, she thought... And she was going to have his pups! How excited Kiona was that she of all people was going to be a mother!

            Being so giddy about this made Kiona embarrass herself. She took a deep breath and tried being less bird-witted, though it was pretty much impossible because she could hardly contain herself. She even caught herself pacing the area as she was waiting for her mate to return, which she found to be a pretty dumb thing to do, so she decided to do something productive and clean her dirty fur.

            Achak returned to his previous location with two rabbits hanging by their feet from his jaws that were to be presented to Kiona, who he witnessed cleaning her front leg; he thought it was kind of...adorable. She noticed she was being watched and collected her posture. Then she walked over to him, stiffling a mischievious smile as he dropped their breakfast to the ground. Kiona licked his muzzle and they cuddle each other again. If they weren't so hungry for food that moment, they probably would've engaged in other familiar activities, but if they were to do that, then the pack back home would really wonder where they wandered off