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Feyrahl, SoFurry Edition

Strengthening Bonds, Ch 3.4

With a large half-Lynx, half-Bear leaning toward him, Mac realized he didn't have a lot of time to make up his mind and the emotional moment they'd shared left no doubt in his mind what the shortening distance between them indicated. Although responding to the advances of a Feyrahlian almost twice his size should have brought with it a dozen different thoughts and numerous things to consider, Mac set them all aside, tilting his head upward, pursing his lips to accept Rolin's kiss.

How would it feel? The Feyrahlian had a muzzle, and Mac had never kissed a muzzle before. Would he enjoy it? It was Rolin, so he knew that, regardless of how it felt, he would. At least, that was what he thought until he the Ranger's jaw ended up slamming into his forehead. So caught up in the moment, Mac hadn't realized that Rolin had moved to embrace him, not kiss him. After the collision, the Ranger withdrew, confused. "Is... everything alright?"

Mac, a little dazed from the impact, tried to replay where he went wrong in his mind. Feeling a blush explode across his cheeks, he offered a sheepish chuckle, reaching up to rub his forehead. "Oh.. I... heh... musta misread things. I thought we were going to... you know... kiss."

The Lynx-Bear cocked his head to the side. "Kiss?"

The Human, for a split second, wondered if he'd REALLY overestimated the situation; had he been so entranced that he had completely misunderstood Rolin's opinion of him? Was Mac's read on the situation so far out into left field that the Ranger hadn't even had the slightest interest in a kiss? That idea was set aside when Rolin followed up his question with "What does it mean? 'Kiss'?"

Mac immediately realized his most obvious fault in presumption. "You don't know what a kiss is, Rolin?"

The Lynx-Bear blinked calmly. "I do not. Perhaps it is a Human concept that does not translate into the Feyrahl culture."

Taking a step back, the young man decided that things had to slow down, at least until he could figure out where he and Rolin stood with regard to one another. "Well... a kiss is what people do to show affection... they touch lips. Why? What do Feyrahlians do to show a sense of closeness and intimacy?"

The Ranger thought for a moment, reaching up to rub his paw along the underside of his chin; whether it was in thought, or to sooth an ache resulting from impacting with Mac's head, the Human didn't know. After a moment, Rolin responded. "It would depend on the circumstance, and the degree of... ah... regard. In most cases, for friends and family, we would normally start with a hug... like so."

As a finisher to his statement, Rolin moved in again, carefully avoiding Mac's head, and wrapped his arms around the Human. There was an obvious strength in the Lynx-Bear's arms but the expression of fondness felt warm, snug, and comforting without any sense of claustrophbic restraint. It felt... really good. As the Ranger withdrew, Mac couldn't help but smile. "Humans have hugs too."

Rolin nodded, a reserved smile on his muzzle. "It is one of my preferred greetings for those whom I hold in high regard."

Mac returned with a nod of his own. "Right. Humans hug family members and really good friends. Sometimes we use it to comfort someone. Touch is important for social interaction among Humans."

The Ranger cocked his head to the side. "Ah... then it would seem that hugs are similar for Humans as they are for Feyrahlians. Where does a 'kiss' fit in?"

Having to suddenly explain a kiss was much harder than Mac had anticipated, especially when he was put on the spot. Doing something without a second thought and having to stop and elaborate on what it was and why it was being done added a certain level of complexity to things. "A kiss is... I mean... it's.... well... when two people put their lips together. It's a much more... uh intimate-- much more meaningful expression of... a... connection... between them... I suppose."

Rolin stared, seemingly absorbed in the direction. The Lynx-Bear waited patiently for the entire explanation like a university student listening to a lecturing professor. As Mac trailed off, the Ranger reached up and rubbed at his furry chin once again. "Ah... then perhaps it is much like how Feyrahlians brush muzzles. It sounds quite similar, at least, and used in the same way."

Mac considered what his companion had said. Without much in the way of specifics it was impossible to gauge the interaction in a comparative way, but he thought he was beginning to understand. "Brushing muzzles? As in... against one another? Like... cheek to cheek? Considering how sensitive whiskers could be, wouldn't--"

His follow up question was interrupted as Rolin leaned down, one enormous paw gently cupping the Human's chin. A furred thumb on the right side of his face rotated Mac's head until he was facing Rolin's. The Lynx-Bear leaned down, looming large, and the young man's breath caught in his throat as the Ranger's large, blunt muzzle slid up against the side of his face. He felt his companion's coarse fur brush against his cheek; the Lynx-Bear's whiskers tickled his nose and, for a moment, when Rolin's muzzle pressed up against the end of his mouth he could feel the thick, hard outlines of broad, pointed teeth beneath the Ranger's fur-and-flesh.

As Rolin pulled back, the feel of fur-on-flesh going in reverse elicited a faint shiver from the Human. The Ranger spoke softly, a smile on his lips "That was brushing muzzles."

Mac's brain went blank for several seconds, staring up into the Lynx-Bear's enormous amber eyes gazing down at him; there was warm regard in them, and something... deeper. "That... was pretty nice. I guess it is a little like--"

He didn't have a chance to finish his statement as Rolin, still close, closed the short distance between them, the end of his muzzle pressing against Mac's face. It was awkward, not just because of the size difference and the lack of similarity in the anatomy of a Human mouth and a Feyrahlan muzzle, but because the Lynx-Bear didn't seem to know what to do, and Mac was too surprised to reciprocate... at first.

After a snap recovery, Mac sat up a little straighter, raising a hand to cup the side of Rolin's head, fingers lost in the Ranger's fuzzy cheek fur. The Human reciprocated and Rolin, a very quick learner, began to pick up the understanding of what to do based on Mac's wordless guidance. What had begun as an awkward, alien experience of kissing a Lynx-Bear did not take long to turn into one of the best kisses of Mac's life, and, when he relaized that, his head started to spin-- realizing that he hadn't taken a breath in quite some time helped bring him back down to earth, and he slowly drew back.

Rolin's smile never faded, though there was a decided reddish tint to the furless insides of his large ears. "Was that a proper kiss? Did I do it correctly?"

Unable to hold in a laugh, Mac nodded. "Yeah... Yeah you did. That was its. Not like any I've had before, but, yeah... it was definitely a kiss."

The Lynx-Bear's smile widened for a moment, then collapsed in on itself as his brow furrowed and his ears lilted. "In a GOOD way?"

Mac's laugh turned into a warm chuckle and he nodded. "Yeah... in a very good way, Rolin."

The Ranger nodded, satisfied with the answer. "I am glad." And, with the statement made, Rolin hefted his large bulk upward as he got to his feet. Turning around, he held a paw down to Mac. "Come... there's something I want to show you."

The Human accepted the help up. "What is it?"

The Lynx-Bear smiled as if responding to some unshared joke. "You'll see, Handsome. You'll see."