ALEK

     "Do you want to go inside?"

     Ahote's question could be completely innocent, but his body language made me read it differently—it was so much more than a simple suggestion, and I had a feeling of where this was going.

     It made me nervous.

     I didn't reply to his question, instead, I tore my eyes away from him and fixed them on the flowers below. It wasn't that I didn't want to sleep with Ahote. I did — I really did, but I was worried that something had sparked in him to suddenly want this. If I knew anything about Ahote it was that he wasn't hasty and he ruminated over his thoughts for days before deciding on something. This seemed too sudden.

     "Is everything alright?" The worry in Ahote's tone made me look up at him. I bit my bottom lip, feeling bad for making him panic. His face was flushed, and he looked panicked.

     "Everything's fine," I replied, reaching out to hold his arm. His eyes moved to my hand that was touching his skin before it looked back at me. We shared a knowing gaze, and I could see the lust from before return in his eyes. As much as it excited me it also left me puzzled. I wondered if he was on heat and was masking his scent. I couldn't think of any other reason why he would suddenly be like this.

     "You should come inside before you freeze to death." I smiled at Ahote's continued attempt to get me inside the house. Sure, it was a little chilly because it was still early in spring, but I was far from being cold.

     "Alright," I replied, deciding to go inside. I knew for a fact that once I got anywhere near him, he would keep edging me. His roundabout way of going about things was cute. I was used to him being blunt about what he wanted and how he wanted it, but I guess spontaneous Ahote was a little shyer about his decisions.

     Ahote gave me a smile when he heard my answer. He took his hands away from the window sill before disappearing into the kitchen. I headed for the front door, realizing that he was planning to meet up with me. As I waded through the crowd to get to the stairs leading to the front door I got a few nods of acknowledgment as well as some smiles here and there. It made my chest feel warm, and it in a way reminded me of the times I would group up with some wolves during my travels before disbanding later on. We didn't know each other too well, but we were acquainted enough to at least acknowledge each other's existence when we met later in other regions and countries.

     Throughout the time I've been here, I still felt out of place, but the trip with the hunters made me feel more welcome. Within the three days of the hunting trip, I had bonded with the wolves, and they seemed to be impressed by the knowledge I brought along with me from being a Kappa in my previous pack. Lapu also warmed up to me during the time and he had pulled me aside earlier today to talk with me. Lapu had given me a hard time when I first got to Peace River, but after our talk, I could say that I understood his perspective more and to have his blessing to be with Ahote made the situation ten times better.

     I chuckled a little as I shook my head. I had wanted to talk to Ahote about that, but he hadn't been paying attention. The one thing I've noted that is taken seriously here is family. Although we were gone for three days, the hunters spent most of the time hunting talking about their families. I would admit to feeling left out because I didn't have much to talk about, but I had been edged to talk a bit about my former park and my parents and friends from before. I'd lost everything, but it was nice to dwell in the memories of the past — the memories before things became unbearably lonely.