06 Duir
The Forest Through the Trees
06 Duir
by Assilsasta
(¯`·.
.··¸.-~´¨¯¨`·~-.,-( Consultation )-,.-~´¨¯¨`·~-.¸··. .·´¯)
Sonet stirred as
the woods fell unnaturally quiet. She felt Donovan's chest move with each soft
breath of slumber as the dear rested on his fur. She looked over the soft blue
glow of his energy, more calm and tranquil than he had been since they had met.
He'd gone through so many emotional changes over the few days they had been
together, and she knew he would go through many more. She felt him shift as she
ran her fingers through the long thick fur of his cheeks and watched his eyes
flutter open.
He looked down
at her, his arm still around her shoulder from the evening before. For the
first time the fact that he was completely nude with the deer girl cuddled
close to him, he felt no shame or embarrassment. Sonet watched as the light
blue shifted to a muddied brownish green as his mind shifted back to the
reality of the situation he was now in.
"What is wrong
Dawn?" Sonet asked as her paw moved to his bare chest. "What are you thinking
about?"
"The same thing
I was thinking about last night," he answered as he looked into her brown eyes,
"I know you think there is nothing wrong with what we did last night..."
Cutting him off
mid thought she said, "What we did was wonderful."
With a little
smile as the sensations of their coupling meandered through his memory he
returned, "I'm not going to argue with that, and I'm not going to say I don't
want to do it again. But, the thing is I still feel like I need to do
something. Like I am skipping the most important thing for us."
"You mean the..."
The deer hybrid trailed off as she tried to recall the word he used the night
before.
"Marriage," he
said finishing off her thought, "But, we're too young to do that. you're too
young."
"We are not too
young for a handfasting," She replied, "And we are in just the right place to
have one."
"I... um..." Donovan
looked up toward the top of the canvas dwelling where the wooden poles met. "I
don't know. I don't even really know what that is."
Sonet rolled on
top of the slightly older boy, straddling his abdomen to look into his eyes.
"You said it last night. It is a ritual to affirm to the gods and those present
that we are dedicating our lives to one
another."
He looked up
into her eyes for a moment before his gaze drifted to her unclothed body, her
small, perky breasts, the soft brown fur of her chest and belly. He was
momentarily mesmerized by her hair as the brownish-red locks cascaded over her
shoulders. He shook his head to drive out the thoughts of rolling her over and
reliving their shared passion in more than just his mind.
"I..." the young
lynx thought about what to say next as he closed his eyes to ward off the
temptation of the girl that rested on top of him. his pecker slowly stiffening
behind her. "I think we need to talk to someone about this first. This isn't
something you just jump into after knowing someone for only a few days."
Sonet bounced to
her hooves, Displaying her slightly spread nethers to Donovan as his eyes
reopened at the sudden change of her position in relation to him. "Then let's
go talk to the priestess. She did Marks first handfasting, and I am sure she
can set your soul at ease about this." She reached her paw down to him as she
spoke.
Donovan reached
up and took the offered paw as he sat up. "I should put some cloths on first,"
he said as he glanced down at the bright red tip that peeked out of this
sheath. "And how do you even know this priestess is even here?"
Sonet reached
down and tossed him the shorts he wore the day before as she said, "She is
here, they are all here. The circle is being readied for tonight."
"How long have
you been up?" Donovan asked as he pulled the shorts on, not worrying about his
briefs. "Did you already go out or something?"
"No," She
replied, "It's just too quiet, they've been here for a while now, Many of the
animals are still not used to many of the outsiders that come here." Without
much more warning or any attempt to clothe herself, Sonet pushed past the flap
of the tent, followed closely by the lynx.
As Donovan
stepped out into the open air he saw the quiet activity of the festival goers
as they moved through the new grouping or peddlers and crafters. In the
distance several furs had gathered around the altar stone with one older Bengal
tiger directing their activities. Sonet swiftly took hold of Donovan's paw and
pulled him with her as she glided silently through the crowd, the only noise
from the pair was that of the slightly off balance lynx snapping twigs and
kicking rocks as they moved.
As they approached
Sonet stopped short of the tiger and pressed her paws together as she spoke,
"Merry Meet, Sister Sharleen." As she spoke she bowed slightly. Donovan taking
his cues from her mimicked the movements.
The tiger turned
to meet the young couple as she returned the greeting, "Merry meet, Sister
Sonet. What may I do for you?"
"Dawn and I have
questions about a handfasting," The young Doe said, the husky tail wagging
behind her. "As I have never considered such a thing, Grandfather never fully
explained it to me."
A bit
embarrassed by Sonet's frankness Donovan chimed in, "Its... umm... well..." As he
stumbled over his word the tigress smiled. "I really don't know anything about
this stuff, or how any of it works. Its... umm..." He trailed off as he tried to
figure out how to put his thoughts into words without sounding like a pervert
or lunatic. He thought about the fact that he had only known the girl for three
days, yet could not picture not being at her side. Then the memories of his
father rushed in to torment him over the lust he felt for the young doe, and
how foolish it was to think that love could be found in such a short time. He
looked down at the ground as he fought with his upbringing.
The priestess
smiled as she placed a paw on the Lynx's shoulder, "A proper handfasting is no
small matter, and nothing to be taken lightly." She looked at Sonet as she
continued, "It is a binding of souls and an affirmation of love. It is a
promise before the Goddess to be bound to each other in a union of spirits. As
young Dawn is new to our ways we should follow the tradition of a year and a
day."
Donovan looked
up at the tiger as he asked, "A year and a day?"
"It is tradition
that an initiate, any new comer to our ways, Practice and study for a year and
a day before being fully initiated into a coven or circle. This is done for
several reasons. The first and most important of which is that you fully
understand the basic principles of our beliefs. And for you two, it would be a
time to follow your paths and be sure they run together."
"Well, You see,"
Donovan started to explain, "last night we... umm..." Donovan's voice trailed to a whisper as he
felt the hot blush run into his cheeks
and ears.
As her new lover
's arua shifted through colors of confusion and mixed emotions, Sonet turned to
the Priestess and spoke, nearly without thinking of the words she used, "Bhí
orainn gnéas, agus imní sé air mar gheall ar an mbealach sé ina chónaí."
Sharleen looked
at Sonet and her mind stumbled through translating what the young Doe has said.
She dropped her head for a moment in slight dismay as her lack of practice in
everyday use of the nearly forgotten language had caught up to her with the
young forest dweller.
Sonet frowned
slightly as she watched the muddied yellow glow
swirl around her. The young doe took hold of Donovans paw as she
reworded her comment, "We mated, He has claimed me as his own, and I have
claimed him. He told me that it is his tradition to marry the mate you have chosen, but he says we are
too young to do that. Years ago, you performed a handfasting for Brother Mark
and the bunny girl. How is that different than what I'm asking?"
Considering the
young doe's question carefully, an odd look came to the priestess face. "Unless
my memory has failed me, have you not seen fourteen summers sister Sonet?"
"Fourteen
summers have passed, eight summers since I last left my grove to come here, "
The young doe said as Donovan's comments about her age spun through her mind.
"Then I may
understand his concerns," she said as she looked to the lynx. "And what is your
age, if I may ask Dawn?"
"Seventeen,
ma'am," the lynx said falling back to his proper educate when talking to
elders.
"I see, and I
would assume then that you are from somewhere other than the state of Colorado.
By law, even as members of a faith that most consider... nonstandard," the
tigress said with a slight sigh in her voice, "we are still bound by the laws
of marriage of this state. In this case young man, since she is of the age of
fourteen, she can indeed choose to marry
with parental consent, as long as her chosen mate is no more than three
years her elder, So your age is not an issue, if this is truly what you both
wish. The only obstacle would be that there is no one to give consent for her,
as her mother and grandfather have both passed through the veil. Normally this
would prevent her marrying anyone. However, Sonet does not adhere to the laws
of anyone other than those of her beliefs. That would be of no comfort to you,
but what may be is the fact that as she is the only living member of her
family, another person not related to her could give their consent, if they are convinced that it is her true
wish, and in her best interest to do so."
As the tiger
spoke Donovan's eyes widened in disbelief. Unsure of how to respond he looked
to Sonet, her tail wagging as they listened. He looked back at the tiger as he
asked, "But... who in their right mind would think it was a good Idea? I mean
she's fourteen and I am seventeen. Neither of us have a job, and she lives in a
dirt hut in the woods. I understand that she knows how to live and survive in
those conditions, but most people would think that by itself was crazy. Now
you're talking about the possibility of finding someone that would think her
marrying a jobless drifter that she met only three days ago is in her best
interest? It sounds like a bad plot twist in a poorly planned story. I'm not
saying that I don't want to stay with her or marry her or anything, it's just
that the odds of that are like..."
"Meeting someone
in the woods that goes out of their way to help you when they don't even
understand your ways?" Sonet asked softly as she squeezed his paw in hers. She
looked over at the priestess with a smile as she said, "The mother smiles on us
already, she will bring what we need and bless the union herself."
"As she always
does sister Sonet," the priestess said with a gentle smile on her lips. Looking
the lynx squarely in the eyes she continued. "If a union with Sonet is what you
seek, then consider this. You seek one that will accept her decision,
regardless of their own thoughts. One that will put nothing above her best
interests, and her happiness. Look to those among this community that know her,
and would set aside their own prejudices and allow her to find the things she
seeks. There are still a few that would do so willingly, even it goes against
what they believe to be best for her."
Donovan looked at sonet for a moment. "Well,
the first person that comes to mind would just call me a stupid city slicker
that doesn't know shit, and shoot the idea down in a heartbeat before either of
us could get it off our tongues." Suddenly he dropped his face into his paw,
"What the fuck am I thinking." Then looked up again at the tiger, wide eyed,
"Oh, I'm sorry ma'am I should pay more
mind to my language."
Not giving the
Priestess time to react to the lynx apology, or even contemplate what he had
said, the nude Doe hybrid took the half-dressed lynx by the paw as she began to
pull him into the crowd again. "We should look for Brother Mark, He should
understand."
(¯·. .··¸.-~*´¨¯¨*·~-.,-(
Appeal )-,.-~´¨¯¨`·~-.¸··. .·´¯)
As the young
recently married couple arrived at the meeting grove they were greeted by many
offerings of congratulations. Each one met with a polite thank you despite the
fact the pair were beginning to grow weary of the attention. After entering the
common area of the grove Mark pulled his wife to the side, avoiding several of
the less frequent visitors that always seemed to seek him out.
"Ariel honey, I
was honestly tempted to let this festival pass, but with Sonet here... let's just
try to find her as quietly as possible so I can make sure she's alright. Then
we can do whatever you want, or slip out of here and go get something to eat
instead."
"Mark, if you're
so dead set on keeping your promise to her grandfather, tell me this. What is
it you have against Donovan?", Ariel asked giving him a wilting look as only a
wife or mother can muster.
"It's not that I
have something against him exactly honey, It's just that he's in so far over
his head without a clue of how much his life will change if he stays with
Sonet. Honestly, I have my concerns whether the guy can tough it out or not,"
the Bernese boy said shaking his head slowly. "I know many, even in this
community, that would think me a fool to leave that doe where she is. But they
don't know or understand her upbringing and her ways. Taking her from that
grove of hers would be like putting someone on the moon in a pup tent."
"Maybe it would,
but she seems so certain that Donovan has been sent to her to help her and be
with her. What makes you think otherwise?" the collie asked.
"I'm not saying
that he hasn't, Sonet has always been far more connected to her beliefs and in
truth to the old ways than anyone I've ever known, including her grandfather.
She may be right about the lynx. I'm not worried about her nearly as much as I
am about him. She is more than capable of taking care of herself, or both of
them to be honest. But my main concern with Donovan is whether or not he thinks
he can walk away from the world he's known his whole life and accept hers
openly and completely. If he can't, or thinks he can meet her halfway....he's
only fooling himself, and setting her up for a hurt she should never have to
know. I made a promise to watch over her, and I intend to keep that promise no
matter what it takes. But even at that, I can't put my own concerns above hers,
she simply knows herself better than I can possibly know her."
As the teen
couple had been speaking, walking slowly around the outer edges of the grove
Mark had paid little attention to the more central area of the circular grove.
A noise off to his side catching his attention suddenly caused him to look to
the side. His eyes widened slightly as he caught a glimpse of the doe hybrid
and lynx near the altar area as the pair spoke to the priestess. Taking hold of
his wife's arm Mark pulled her to a stop, pointing to the altar as he said,
"and there they are now. Looks like everything is okay, and he hasn't bolted on
her." After a few moments the Bernese boy began to chuckle softly, his mate
beside him giving him a stern look as she asked, "what's so funny?"
"Oh nothing,
unless you consider that two days ago he would barely look at her, and she
couldn't get him out of his boots. Yet there they stand, him half nude and her
so close to him that she's nearly leaning against him." The canine pair stood
watching the doe and lynx silently as they spoke to the priestess.
(¯·. .··¸.-~*´¨¯¨*·~-.,-(
Appeal )-,.-~´¨¯¨`·~-.¸··. .·´¯)
"Wait," Donovan
started as he was helplessly led through the growing throng of furs, "Mark
thinks I am the worst person for you to be with. I bet he even wishes I never
set paw on his land."
Sonet stopped
cold in her tracks. The sounds of the gathering drowned out the natural sounds
of the wildlife as she turned to him. Donovan instantly recognized the fire in
her eyes as she started to speak, "His land? This is a forest of the mother, a
living, breathing thing. It can't be
owned, one cannot own the life of another. We live with the land, through the
land, not on it." She looked him in the eyes as she continued, "You've learned
to live a disconnected life. I see how weak the mothers touch is on you. I see
it in Mark, Ariel, and all the others here. You all have a separation, a
barrier. You've shut the natural flow of energy out. Those here are slowly
learning to re-open that path, to accept what the Mother offers." She broke eye
contact as she looked at the ground. "You, Mark, even the priestess are missing
so much, and you can't even see that is is missing. But I know Mark will
understand what we want to do. You may not like him, and he may not like what
you represent, but he will... He will understand that I need you."
Donovan wrapped
his arms around the shorter girl and pulled her nude body against his bare
chest as he rested his muzzle on her head, between the small nubs of horns.
"Okay, We can at least ask him. The worst he can do is call me stupid and walk
off, right?" He stood there, with her in
his arms for a long moment in silence, his eyes closed. The feel of her
breathing, and relaxed in his arms felt right, as if she was meant to be there.
He was uncertain of how much time passed as they stood, other furs maneuvering
around them, before the realization and images of her developing breasts
pressed against him invaded his tranquility.
He gently pushed her back to look her in the eyes as he felt the
tightening of his shorts over his member. "Let go find the the mut before it
gets too late to do anything."
As Sonet looked
back up at him with a smile she pointed to the side and said, "They've been
over there watching since we left sister Sharleen."
"Wait, what?"
Donovan looked to the side in disbelief as he caught sight of the pair. "Then
why have we been wandering around looking for them if you knew they were over
there?"
The doe tilted
her head to the side with a smile, "Because he is trying to watch us from a
distance and its fun to let people think they have gone unnoticed."
"Wait," Donovan
pause for a moment to think, "Did you know I was there when I first saw you and
bolted?"
"No, you really
surprised me," she said, "No one's ever been that close to the grove before."
"Well it doesn't
really matter anyway, are you ready to talk to them? I'm ready for the tongue
lashing I'm sure he has ready."
"No, not yet,
it's time to have a little more fun," The young doe smiled as she suddenly
turned and bolted away from the crowded area and into the trees, almost
immediately vanishing from sight.
Donovan took a
deep breath and sighed knowing that he had no chance at all of following her or
even finding her. Resigned to his task he turned and started to walk toward the
Bernes boy and his wife as he thought through what he was going to say until
Sonet returned for whatever fun she had planed. He looked at the ground as he
meandered closer to the couple, bare pawed, wearing nothing more that the
shorts he slipped on when he left the tent, and his paws in his pockets.
He looked up
from his beeline path to the pair to be certain they hadn't moved while he
looked aways. He made eye contact as he gave a halfhearted wave of his fingers,
"Hey Mark, Ariel, fancy meeting you here."
"Donovan," the
Bernese boy said in return. "I see Sonet hasn't scared you off yet, and from
the looks of it either you forgot to do your laundry, or she's gotten you to
loosen up a little."
"Nice to see you
again Donovan," the young collie said as she smiled at the young lynx.
Donovan shrugged
weakly as he said, "It's kind of like going to the beach I guess, everyone's
doing it so why bother fighting, go with the flow and all that jazz. Besides
Sonet kind of rushed us out this morning. She gets a little excited about
things."
"Indeed she
does, always has and likely always will. So..." Mark said, pausing for a moment
to look the lynx over more carefully, "how long did she let me stand here like
an ugly tree before she told you we were here?"
"I guess from the
start," the lynx answered, "Back when we were talking to Ms. Sharleen. Which
kind of brings me to a question."
"A question?",
Mark responded, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I'll admit you looked like a
man on a mission as you walked this way. But to be honest I thought perhaps
that was to tell me to fuck off and leave. After the ass chewing I gave you the
other day."
"Thats on my
list of top phrases I would like to use, But this is for Sonet, not me," he
said still running things through his head as he wished the doe would reappear
out of the thin air she went into. "Okay, so its kind of for both of use. And I
am fully ready for the condescending rhetoric you surely have built up, and I
already ran through everything my family would say. They'd disown me on the
spot if I wasn't already emancipated." He looked up into the green canopy the blocked the view of the blue
sky as if the words he was looking for
would grow out of the trees. "Sonet and I... We kind of... Well, its like this...."
The trio all
jumped with a start as the melodic voice spoke from only inches behind the canine couple, "We want to be handfasted, or
married... or whatever its called. And did you really think I wouldn't notice you
watching us?"
"You want to
be..." Mark began, stunned that the doe had been so brazen with the statement,
though he knew he shouldn't have expected less. Her question momentarily
sidetracking his train of thought as the doe looked at him. "No Sonet, I did
not think I could go unnoticed by you. I even asked Donovan how long you let me
stand here like an ugly tree before you pointed us out to him. But this getting
handfasted, I take it that was what you were speaking to sister Sharleen
about?" he asked the young doe cocking an eyebrow at her.
"Yes," she said
confidently, "but everything seems so complicated. Why can't it be simple? Your
laws get in the way of everything. It makes me just want to go back to my grove
where things work the way the Mother intended."
"Well, I was
thinking of a few things lasts night and just now as I was walking over here."
Donovan looked at Mark with a renewed confidence with the young doe close by.
"See, I promised Sonet that I would stay with her, and I can do more to help
her from a... um... real world standpoint?" He questioned his wording, knowing that
Mark would disapprove or think it condescending of Sonet's lifestyle. "See, I
am emancipated so I can do just about anything I would need to from a legal
standpoint. And if we were married..." He trailed off a moment, "Okay thats a
stupid reason to consider it. I like sonet, I even think I love her. I want to
be by her side and do everything I can for her and it... it just seems right. No
matter where I look or what question I ask the past three days come to the same
end in my heart. I don't know much about the handfasting stuff, just that its
something like marriage from a pagan perspective, but I was brought up that if
you have feelings for someone like I have for Sonet..."
"From a real
world perspective Donovan, it sounds to me like there is something you are
trying very hard to not say to my face. A pagan handfasting is not like a
marriage, it is a marriage. A very serious commitment to someone, which in this
case you have known for only a few days." Raising a paw to stay the lynx from
speaking he continued, "I'm not saying that you can't fall in love with someone
so soon. I would be one of the first to tell you otherwise, I know personally
how quickly it can happen. But in this case I wonder if it is truly love, or
more of a case of guilt and regret for your actions."
Donovan closed
his eyes for a moment as he took a deep breath. As he let it go he looked the Barnes boy in the eyes, and
started to speak, "I really could care less about what you think,or wonder, or
your opinion of me. That has nothing to do with why we even came to you. I
don't need your permission or insight on why I decide to do things. What I need
YOU for is simple, and we could
easily go to someone else, but you were the first fur to come to mind for both
Sonet and I. Since she is only fourteen and has no living relatives we need
someone to give consent for those stupid REAL WORLD rules and laws that she
thinks are getting in the way, and right now I agree. Really I don't give a
damn about any of that right now, for all I care we can just walk off into the
woods and vanish like she does so well. But I want to do this the right way. Both
in the way I was raised and something at least close to her traditions. So I'm
staying with Sonet, as my mate, with or without your help." As he finished his
rant, Donovan braced for the backlash from the dog boy as he started to prepare
his retorts.
"Alright, you
have had your say, and I will have mine. I only ask that you return the
courtesy of not interrupting me as I did for you. Whether you realize it or not
Donovan, my only concern in any of this is and has been Sonet and what is best
for her. While I will give you your due for your tact, you have admitted more
than you realize as far as your actions with her, and your intents towards her.
I was unsure until just now whether you were being honest with her, and more
importantly with yourself about your feelings for her. But I won't harp on what
I now know you have done. Regardless of my promise to her grandfather I do
realize that other than her beliefs and upbringing she is a normal female with
all that that entails. That is not my business to interfere with. Her happiness
and her safety are what I was charged with protecting by the man that spent his
years raising her. To hear you say that your intent is to stay with her as her
mate, and to take on the very person that you're convinced thinks you're a fool
proves that you are sincere. There are only two things that at this point I
need to know to answer your request one way or the other. Those are if you and
she can honestly look me in the eyes and say that you love each other. That and
that this is without a doubt in her mind, that this is what she wants." The
Bernese boy said flatly, his voice steady and even as he spoke. "Now, can you
do that Donovan? Or you Sonet, can you look me in the eyes and say that without
reservation?"
Sonet looked at
Donovan, then they both looked at the canine couple. Donovan started with, "Yes
I love her, I can't even imagine being without her." The doe followed with, "I
do not doubt my choices, as it is the Mother that guides me. Donovan and I are
meant to be together. Do you intend to stand in her way?"
"What I intend
Sonet, is to do exactly what I promised your grandfather I would do. To protect
you as best I can. It now seems that the best way I can do that, is to grant
your request and put you and Donovan in the paws of your chosen mate. I will
not stand in the way of the Mother, or of the daughter that listens to her,"
Mark replied as he looked Donovan squarely in the eyes. "Against my initial
hopes Donovan, you have come to understand, at least to some degree, what it
means to accept Sonet into your life. The only thing I will say is this,
consider carefully how much of our world she truly has need of, or to be exposed
to. You may find that you prefer her world far more than you can imagine. For
as long as you wish it to be Sonet, I will continue to keep the promise of
keeping the grove and the rest of the land the Mother has charged me with
trying to keep it safe from the greed of my world. You and now Donovan will
remain unhindered, and in peace by everyone and everything from my world that
could intrude otherwise." Having said all that he felt needed to be said the
Bernese boy smiled broadly, looking to the young doe as he added, "so... I
believe we should let sister Sharleen know that you have found the one to give
their consent, and will be more than happy to do so." Before anyone could move
he turned to Donovan again, leaning near to the lynx, his voice low as he said,
"may the Goddess, the Mother, and your God watch over you both, and give you
strength Donovan, she's in your paws now."