Tshala woke slowly with a pounding head and a dry mouth. Blinking slowly, she groaned softly while simultaneously chuckling at her own foolishness. It had been quite a long time since she had overdone it on brew. She’d almost forgotten what it had felt like. She was in for a miserable day ahead, but she would suck it up as her fields couldn’t pay the price for her own foolishness.

Stretching slowly so as not to make her head worse, she didn’t realize she wasn’t alone until her paw hit a warm body laying close behind her.

Tshala froze and swallowed a curse. How much brew had she drunk last night? She honestly couldn’t remember. Her memories were…blurry. Moving slowly, she turned carefully to see who was behind her and she blinked in surprise at a familiar green form. The male was clearly still asleep, his side rising and falling slowly as he breathed.

Rhuthro.

Tshala sighed as memories rushed back. The Fallohide had invited her to join her for a brew last night. She’d spurned his attention for as long as she could remember. It wasn’t because she didn’t like the green male. It was because everyone liked him. That and his position constantly had him coming and going, which made him incredibly unreliable. Her first priority had always been her ambition and her love of plants. She wasn’t going to sacrifice that for anything. She’d clawed her way to the top and was extremely proud of her position as Master Farmer. She didn’t want to sacrifice anything for that. But now…….

Clearly the two of them had given in to the chemistry that had been brewing between them for a long time. Now, she just didn’t know what to do about it.

Wincing at the awful taste in her mouth, Tshala realized she had more immediate concerns. Gingerly, she stood and moved as quietly as she could to the outside of her den. She would get some water and eat something. Things would make more sense after that, she was sure.

----

A small noise woke Rhuthro and he blinked at the light, yawning widely, and then blinking in confusion at the strange surroundings. Where was he? He wasn’t in his den. Last night he had been drinking with Tshala and then………

Swearing mightily, Rhuthro came to full alertness in an instant. Standing, he glanced around in a panic. Tshala was nowhere to be seen, though her scent was everywhere. This was her den after all. It was small, but meticulously clean and orderly, just like her.

“Oh no, oh no, what have I done?!” muttered Rhuth to himself as he began to pace back and forth. Clearly the two of them had more brew than they should have. All of Rhuth’s plans for slowly winning over the heart of the Master Farmer were tossed aside like refuse. A small part of his brain, and heart, were thrilled! He’d longed for Tshala since he’d grown into an adult and became interested in females, but she’d always seemed indifferent. Obviously the two of them had spent the night together and he felt a smug male satisfaction at that, but he quickly throttled that down as he began to panic at her response.

Her absence was probably a bad thing. Probably. Was she regretting it? Had she fled his side immediately upon waking? It was still fairly early, but he knew she had to wake up early to get to the fields anyways. He was torn between staying and seeing if she returned or fleeing to the sanctuary of his own den. It was strange to be in her place without her. He felt as though he was invading her privacy.

No matter how she reacted, he needed to make it right with her. He hadn’t planned this and Rhuth needed her to know that. He didn’t want her to feel as though he’d tricked her. He loved her, but he had no idea how she truly felt about him.

He had just decided to leave when he heard the sound of her returning. Freezing in place, his ears pinned back, he faced her sheepishly.

“Uh, good morning, Tshala,” he said, quietly, bracing himself for anything.

----

Tshala felt a hundred times better having had some water and cleared her head. She was unsure of what she was going to say to Rhuthro and was surprised to see him awake when she returned to her den. It was quite obvious that he expected her to attack him and she rolled her eyes slightly at that, while also feeling a bit sad. Still, she couldn’t fault him for that reaction. She’d certainly given him an earful in the past. But things were different now. They’d spent a night together and even with her primary love for her position and her plants, she knew that she felt affection for this green male who had obviously been trying so hard to win her. She would have preferred to take things a little slower, but maybe it was better this way.

She was incredibly practical, after all. So they had slept together. Clearly the two of them were physically compatible. She could remember that much. And she wasn’t getting any younger. One day she would need to have cubs so she could teach them her craft. Tshala knew she would make an excellent mother. Eyeing the green male critically, she smiled to herself. She could do worse than build that family with Rhuthro.

“Well, good morning to you too,” she said, settling nearby. “I need to get to the fields, but we should discuss things soon. We need to decide if we are settling in your den or in mine. I like mine, of course, but it is small and we should consider that. I don’t’ know if yours is larger, though I do know you don’t use it as much since you travel. And of course, we’ll have to make all the proper marriage arrangements,” she added thoughtfully. Glancing coyly at him out of the corner of her eye, she purred, “You do want to marry me, of course. Don’t you?”

Tshala swallowed down a chuckle, not wanting to hurt the stunned male’s feelings.

“In any case, we can discuss this tonight. I’ll meet you at your den after I am done in the fields. I’d like to see what yours is like before we make any decisions. I will see you later.” She nuzzled him absently before striding purposefully out to her fields.

----

Rhuthro gaped like a dead fish, stunned and speechless, after she left. After gathering his scattered wits, he managed to stumble out and towards his den. He had cleaning to do and preparations to make!


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