NINE

- kuvier-

It does not take Sedona long to fall asleep. Within moments of leaving her to lie down, I hear her heart rate slow and her breathing even. I knew that she may feel worried about the sleeping arrangements; I noticed the surreptitious glances she would throw at the sky and me.

But, I have had every intention of sitting watch from the moment I smelled her scent and felt the mate bond fall into place. With the night falling and our closeness to the Blood Mountains, I worry over a stray zuhvit. So, I plan to sit and watch until the first eye has a companion.

As I sit, I cannot help but glance back at Sedona often. My eyes are continuously drawn back to her sleeping form as if not of my own volition. I feel this constant need to have eyes on her, to know where she is, and to see for myself that she is whole and safe. It is why I could hardly bring myself to be away from her for more than a few moments.

My mind drags me down as I think about what this will mean for my atan and village. With eight new females, this is still not enough for the number of single males. There will be hysteria when they learn that mate bonds have returned, not to mention that the females do not seem to experience the mate bonds. The elders describe the bond, when it's felt between two people, as undeniable. It required satisfaction immediately and both parties were happy to satisfy it.

Sedona seems to respond to me instinctually, but it is not with the intensity that mirrors what I feel for her. Instead, it presents as a natural ease around me, and a subtle desire to touch me. I do not know if she realizes she does it, but every chance she has she touches me. She's asked several times to be carried about to see outside or see the awning. Every time she finds herself on my back, she ends up stroking at the base of my horns or in the middle of my forehead where I know I am soft. There is only one softer place, but I do not imagine she will stroke that any time soon.

Regardless, her actions prove she feels the bond, but not the same, and that creates a problem. I cannot possibly bring her back to the clan before we have completed the bond and I have claimed her. It is too risky otherwise. I cannot chance someone trying to usurp my claim.

I frown and glance back at her again.

No, I will not take her back until I have marked her. When she has taken me as her own and bears my mark with pride, I will bring her and the other females, if they have hatched, back in triumph. Perhaps this will be the thing that finally atones for the sins of my father.

I spend the rest of my time keeping watch thinking about how I must go about winning the heart of my mate. The Great Mother has gifted me her soul in bonding me to her. But only my Sedona can grant me her heart and her body.

When the second sun begins to rise in the sky, I gather additional snow in my water pouch and hang it over the fire so it will be ready for Sedona when she awakens. And then, I lay down and finally allow myself to sleep.

It feels like no time at all before I am waking to the sounds of stirring outside of the crate. I blink my eyes open and sit up when I see Sedona is standing just outside, wrapped in my furs, and looking at the sky with a hand shielding her eyes.

"Sedona," I call, getting to my feet. She looks at me and then points to the sky a string of words falling out of her mouth. Curious, I move to stand next to her and cock my head curiously.

She says her words again, saying the word ‘dahk' over and over. I give her a dejected look and shake my head indicating I do not understand. She huffs and then looks from the sky to me again. Finally she crooks her finger at me and I lean down closer. She points up, directly at the Mother's eyes and then looks at me intensely before covering my eyes with her hands. She does this a few times and for a second I am still lacking understanding, but then I get it.

She wanders about the dark season. I shake my head, "The dark season is coming, my mate, but not for several more hands of days yet."

She looks at me with surprise and looks at the sky again. She looks back at me and says something that sounds like, "Fuhken aylee-in plahnits." Then, she walks around me and back in the sky cave. I follow at her heels as she mutters to herself still. She says something else, rubbing at her braided mane, a frown painting her face.

"I do not understand," I state, folding myself at the fire.

Though large, the sky cave is not tall enough to allow me to stand to full height comfortably. My body is still stiff from the hard stone of her cave and I stretch out my limbs as I watch her. Her eyes flitter between my face and my abdomen, and an emotion I cannot quite pick out flashes over her.

She clears her throat, averting her eyes and the tips of her ears turn a deep, ruddy color. When she looks back at me, her eyes are firmly fixed to my face. She repeats her words, pointing to her mane. It is only when she makes a combing motion that I understand her meaning. She wishes to comb her mane. I frown as I realize that is something I cannot give her. My grooming kit made of carved bone is in my hut with my mother. As I had packed to go, I had thought to myself, what is the point of taking it on a hunt? Such foolery.

I open my mouth to tell her as such when a thought occurs to me. My body grows warm at my own thoughts, but I question if she will allow me to do what I wish. I suppose there is only one way to find out. Grabbing the pouch of now warmed water from its tripod over the fire, I toss an additional vifer into the flames, to ensure that Sedona remains warm. Then, I fold my body back to the ground and tuck my legs inward, crossing them underneath me, turn to her, and expectantly pat the ground in front of me.

I can visibly see her weighing her options and I wait with bated breath, hoping beyond hope that she will let me care for her in this way. It feels like a celebration when she hesitantly moves towards me, sitting herself in front of my crossed legs with her back to me. My face breaks with my smile and I am glad she faces away from me and cannot see my giddiness.

Sedona's mane is coarsely curled in her braid and stops at her shoulder blades. It is beautiful, a darker brown than the mane of any Lieq I have known. At the base of her head and at bottom of her braid are long black strips of…leather? I gently pull the bottom one off and realize with astoundment that it is stretchy and feels nothing like any fur or leather I have seen before. It is also not a strip, but rather a circle. I slide the second one off of her thick braid.

I set both ties aside, fascinated but unwilling to wait any longer to touch her mane. My clawed fingers work at carefully unraveling her braid, and as I do her natural scent floods the air around me. It takes a great deal of effort not to bury my face in her mane just to smell her. Something tells me that my Sedona would scurry away if I did that, so instead, I focus on the task in front of me.

Working her hair out of the braid is fairly easy, but detangling the individual coils with my claws requires water and a gentle touch. Yet, I do it with care and soon her hair is damp and hanging around her shoulders. When I have finished detangling, I tell her so and she crawls away from me, taking a seat to the side of me.

"Thank you," she mumbles sheepishly, avoiding my gaze. I barely hear her words.

She is more beautiful than anything I have seen in my thirty-three seasons. With her mane a halo of curls around her, a slight red tint to her cheeks, and the fire flickering shadows across her features, I feel that I am looking upon something magic. She puts her hands to her head and begins running her fingers through her mane. My hands inadvertently reach out and stroke at the curls closest to her face.

I hear her breath hitch and her eyes find my eyes. Neither of us moves for a long moment, my hand still embedded in the coils on her head. Too soon, Sedona is the one to break the spell, giving a little cough and pointing at the ties beside me. I blink away my distraction and give it to her.

She sets them next to her and for the next while, she splits and braids at her hair. My eyes never leave her as I watch her fingers flit, tucking and twirling until she has several smaller braids against her scalp. She doesn't braid all the way down, her hands smoothing over the braids and gathering the loose curls into a ponytail at the base of her neck. She ties it off and then does one more larger braid with the leftover curly tail. And when she finally finishes, I miss the unruly wildness of her hair, but she looks gorgeous with it tamed and braided down.

Braids are sacred to my people and Lieq females only braid their manes for celebrations, such as mating feasts and birth celebrations. During those times, they braid in bone beads dyed and colored with the vibrant, resilient plants that grow along the mountains. Lieq braids are far more intricate during these times, and yet, I have never seen a Lieq female look as ethereal as my Sedona does in this moment.