Kiana was fortunate that with her interest in Lakshmi that none of the boy's brothers had confronted her. She knew one of the brothers was a guard, like she was. Kiana worked early in the morning, followed by Koka. After Koka came Ananta, one of Lakshmi's brothers. Ananta and Lakshmi looked nothing alike. Where Lakshmi was soft and kind in his demeanor, Ananta was harsh and unyielding. Not even their pelt colors and markings looked anything alike. You could only truly tell when all four brothers met up with one another. Lakshmi had a twin, though green in color like Ananta. That was the connection. It went both ways though.
Ananta had a twin as well with the same soft silver as Lakshmi. She hadn't met the other three, but she saw them from a distance with their brother. She briefly saw Amanta this morning, having switched shifts with Koka to sleep in a little later.
Amanta gave her a hard look, but Kiana slipped off towards the flower patch she found Lakshmi at daily. It was somewhat of a routine for the boy. He'd spend the morning with Apokries and then after he'd wind down in the flowers beneath the dens.
Sometimes he'd cry, but sometimes he'd just relax or nap. She'd been watching him for longer than the first breakdown she'd helped him with. Normally it wasn't as bad as that time, but he'd shake a little then take a nap. That first day she talked to him personally...
She couldn't help but do something.
Kiana found Lakshmi in his usually place. He was stretches out, basking in the sun. The pastel spots dotted along his spine seemed brighter than normal, and it made her smile. Lakshmi's eyes were closed as he basked, and Kiana looked at him fondly. It had been a few weeks since they first spoke to one another.
And she was smitten completely.
It would take some getting use to. Most other males were domineering, but it didn't mesh well with her personality, even if she found them nice to look at. Lakshmi was nice to look at, and he'd fit nicely along side her. He was sweet and kind and just perfect her. She watched him a bit longer, unwilling to interrupt his peace. She gave a soft hum, eventually, to alert him of her presence and settled down next to him.
It took a while for Lakshmi to open his eyes. He was sleepy, and he stretched out his paws in front of him, looking at the dark shape of Kiana against the sky. He smiled up at her, tail wagging a little bit.
"Hi," he said, shyly. He blinked up at her a few times, trying to push away the tired feeling. It didn't work, at least, not completely. He stayed down, with his body being tickles a bit by the flowers on either side of him.
Kiana smiled back down at him. "Hi," she said back, a small chuckle at the back of her throat.
Lakshmi debated getting up, to join Kiana in a sitting position, but the effort felt too great to move. He stretched his paws out further instead allowing his belly to press into the cool earth below him. He yawned a bit.
"Join me?" He asked softly, still sleepy-soft from his nap and not at all anxious in this moment. He felt nice, good. Sun warmed and sleep calm, and Kiana found herself enjoying this side of him. She gave a soft hum and let herself slide into a laying position. She was quite close to Lakshmi at this point. She could feel the heat from the sun but she could also feel the warmth radiating from the dog next to her.
He gave her a happy grin, shifting a little so his flank was resting a bit against hers. It was a bold move, at least for the shy male. Kiana watched him for a moment, and he ducked his head, giving her a shy smile. She smiled back at him, reassuring him that the touch was okay - that it was acceptable.
Lakshmi gave a small sigh of relief. He hadn't quite meant to be so bold, but the touch between them was a comfort. Kiana was kind to him, grounding. Like a rock - like the mountains that surrounded their home on almost all sides. He found comfort in her.
Kiana pressed against him too.
The pair rested against each other for a while. Lakshmi is sure he fell back to sleep, because when he blinked again his head was resting on his paws and Kiana was pressed a bit closer to him than she had been when he last blinked. He didn't want to move though, sighing happily into the comforting weight of the larger dog against his side.
Kiana had noticed the other drifting away against her side. He practically curled into her as he drifted back off into his nap. She gave a small chuckle and allowed him to do so. She was the one that disturbed his nap in the first place after all. She would be rude to keep him from his sleep.
He'd seemed tired the last couple of days anyhow. It would be good for him. She could feel eyes on her from the guard spot but she ignored it in favor of focusing her attention on Lakshmi. She wondered how she was going to approach his brothers about seeking to court their brother.
Amanta seemed watchful and protective. Well, she could play that game too. She gave a small sigh and laid her head down too. Even if they were safe here - they were far enough away from the border to get a first alert - Kiana felt a swell of protective energy that kept her from napping at the same time as Lakshmi. Perhaps it was the fact of Amanta watching them, she couldn't be sure.
She gave Lakshmi a small nuzzle to the top of his head, glancing briefly up at Amanta, who turned his gaze away finally. She gave a small chuckle, but refocused her attention on Lakshmi.
