FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Snow and ice coated her fur as the red fox trudged up the frozen slopes. She was tired, hypothermic, and suffering from altitude sickness. Because she had spent most of her life in lower, warmer climes, she was completely unprepared for the challenges of crossing a mountain range in winter. All her dangerous mistakes added up to a virtual death sentence: she had started climbing too late in the day, she hadn't brought enough food or water, her clothing was too light, she had overestimated her speed, and she hadn't realized how quickly weather can change in the mountains. Her higher thought processes had already shut down. Basic survival instinct was all that was left, and it told her to keep moving. If she kept moving, she might not freeze.

One foot followed the other in an unsteady rhythm. Walls of rock and ice rose sharply on either side as she followed a narrow gap in the otherwise impassible mountains. Wind roared through the pass, and strong gusts nearly knocked her over more than once. A blizzard had reduced visibility to nearly nothing. Snow buffeted her slight body, whirling through the air so that anything more than a few feet away was obscured in whiteness. I must be near the top by now, she thought. She had no way of knowing that she was nowhere near the crest of the ridge. There were still thousands of vertical feet and several miles of ground to cover before she would see the other side. Determination would not be enough. She lacked the skill and strength to get through the pass alive. Her addled brain couldn't work out this fact, and she would have kept on moving forward to her death if she hadn't slipped on a loose patch of ice. She tumbled and slid hundreds of feet down the icy slope before sinking into a snow drift. She retched several times from the dizziness and exhaustion, and made one attempt to get back on her feet before she collapsed.

I'm not going to make it, she finally realized. Her failure was obvious, and she knew that she had to turn back. The only problem was that she couldn't move. She didn't think anything was broken, but her energy was gone. She tried to call for help, even though she knew it was futile. No one else would be stupid enough to be up there in such dangerous conditions. No one would even be able to hear her voice over the wind. Tears tried to streak down her face, but froze as soon as they left her eyes. All she could do was wait to freeze to death. As her vision started fading, she thought she saw a canine form moving towards her through the storm. Feelings of hope leaped in her chest and tried to fight the more probable view of her situation. Could someone really be coming, or was it just a hallucination? She tried to look at the figure that now stood over her, but she couldn't make her eyes focus. Strong arms lifted her limp body, and she felt herself being carried down the mountain. Only one coherent thought surfaced in her mind before she blacked out. This is it. I've died, and an angel is taking me to be with my people.

***

The dream felt so real that it might have been a memory. Her parents, siblings, and friends were all gathered around her and enjoying a wondrous feast in a brightly lit hall. A bonfire roared in a massive stone fireplace. They were still safe and warm and happy. They were still alive. There had been no death and destruction. There had been no lonely sojourn through unknown lands, and no hopeless search for a new home. It was wonderful, and she wanted to believe it was real, but there were too many inconsistencies. Many of the people at the table had died long before the village was destroyed. Her grandparents were there, as well as the ancient vixen who knew the best way to tell all of the tribe's old stories. There were also people who had never existed at all, like the ideal mate she imagined whenever she got lonely late at night. Then there was the fact that such an incredible building had never existed in her village. The illusion had been nice while it lasted, but as she noticed more of the inconsistencies, contentment gave way to sadness and longing. The vision slowly faded, and she felt consciousness returning.

There was no great hall filled with lost loved ones, but at least there was no ice either. She found herself wrapped in warm furs next to a small fire within a dry cave. As she tried to move, she realized that fur blankets weren't the only thing wrapped around her. Someone's arms were around her chest, and she realized that her clothes had been removed. The person in bed with her was also naked, and she could tell from the protrusion poking her in the back that he was definitely male. Fear and anger welled up as she wondered exactly what he had done while she was helpless.

She elbowed the mysterious male in the stomach to loosen his grip, and then rolled away from him and tried to untangle herself from the blankets. Springing to her feet, the vixen glanced around, disoriented, and tried to locate her clothing, or at least her knife. When she saw her captor moving to stop her escape, she gave up and ran towards the mouth of the cave. She didn't get very far before he tackled her and dragged her back to the fire. She struggled against him while snarling, growling, kicking, and biting; however, he was bigger and stronger, and she was still weak from her ordeals. He wrapped her in the furs again despite her protests. Every time she tried to get up, he would push her back down and tuck her into the blankets even tighter. When she finally stopped struggling, the stranger went to sit by the fire. Realizing that she wouldn't be able to escape, she settled for surreptitiously examining herself to find out what he had done to her. Her mood softened once she was reasonably sure that body heat was the only thing he had shared.

She watched him watch her as he sat by the fire. She realized he was a coyote, which surprised her. Most people wouldn't have bothered helping someone outside their own tribe, much less a different species. Her eyes roamed over his body as she tried to take in his features. His whole body was lean and hard, toughened by his rough life and his desolate environment. His chest was quite broad, as if it had been forced to expand to compensate for the thinner air at the higher altitudes. His muzzle was shorter and somewhat broader than a fox's would have been, but handsome in its own right. His coat was mostly a reddish-brown color, although the coloration was much darker on his back and much lighter on his stomach and chest. His tail had the same color as the rest of his coat, but turned black at the tip. She had an eye for tails. The coyote's was nowhere near as long and luxurious as hers, but it was still nice by non-vulpine standards. Finally, her eyes fell between his legs. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, his sheath was clearly visible. She tried not to stare, but she was curious after being poked in the back with that thing. It didn't seem to be particularly large, but it was hardly tiny, either. Trying to judge his size was futile anyway; she had nothing to compare it to, considering that she had never seen a naked coyote before. She blushed when she realized how much time she was devoting to thinking about the coyote's crotch. Down girl, she chastised herself. She couldn't afford to have those kinds of thoughts about anyone until her long journey came to an end, even if the male in question was rather attractive.

The vixen's body contrasted sharply with the coyote's. She was small and slender, but it would be a mistake to think she was soft. Years of dangerous travel had given her the body of a huntress - lithe, limber, powerful, and trim. Her muzzle was long and narrow in the usual way of foxes, and the large triangular ears atop her head were always alert to the sounds of her surroundings. Bright red fur covered her back, as well as her relatively short arms and legs, while her pelt turned white at the front of her body and black on her ears, paws, and the tip of her tail. Her huge fluffy tail was her pride and joy. In the right light, her fine tail fur could seem like shimmering gold. It was the only small vanity she could allow, and she cleaned and brushed her tail at every reasonable opportunity.

They stared at each other for many long minutes. The coyote seemed content to let the silence continue. The vixen, however, was not. "Who are you?" she asked.

The coyote responded with several strange words she couldn't understand. Frustrated by the language barrier, the fox only sighed. There they were, two strangers trapped in a cave during a blizzard, and they couldn't even have a conversation to pass the time. She wanted some explanations. How had he found her? Why had he helped? Why were they naked?

As if reading her mind, the coyote picked up a stick from beside the fire. He dipped the end in some soot and began drawing crude figures on the walls. First he drew a stick figure with a bushy tail on top of a triangle. She guessed that it represented her attempt to climb the mountain. Next, he drew the same character sideways with her eyes crossed out. He added a second stick figure to represent himself. The new stick person was dragging her unconscious body away. In the final drawing, he showed the two stick figures huddled together next to some squiggly lines that were probably supposed to be a fire. She giggled at his little drawings. From the third drawing, she understood how he had saved her life. She remembered that one of the best ways to keep someone from freezing was to strip down and share body heat as much as possible. That explained why they had been naked together in bed.

"I'm sorry I got angry at you earlier," she said, even though he couldn't understand her apology. "I was scared and I jumped to some bad conclusions."

He gave an equally futile response, and they sat in silence for a while. Then the coyote picked up a small rock and made a sound. When she only gave him a blank look, he did it again.

"What? I don't get it."

The coyote made the same sound again and pointed emphatically to the rock.

"What about the rock?"

He gave a frustrated grunt before repeating the ritual. She thought for a moment, and then made the same sound while pointing to the rock. He smiled and nodded. He picked up the stick he had used to make the drawings and made a different sound. She repeated it.

"You're teaching me your language." She was grateful that he was interested in having a conversation with her. "Thank you. Let me teach you mine, too."

She lifted some of the bedding that covered her body and said, "Blanket."

"Blanket," he replied, before making a sound that she assumed was the equivalent word.

They continued their game of pointing to objects and trading words until they both yawned deeply. The coyote moved towards her and started to lift the blankets. She shrank away, which made him pause. He laughed a little and said something. She only recognized a few words, but she grasped the basic meaning.

"These are your only blankets, aren't they?"

He nodded.

"Listen, there's some bedding in my pack. I can get that out and let you have your bed back." She pointed to her pack and tried to make the meaning clear. He shook his head and moved close to her again, mumbling some kind of explanation. Apparently, he thought she wouldn't be warm enough by herself. Once they're warm, keep them warm. That was what a gnarled old fox healer had told her once about rescuing people from the cold. The coyote wanted to make sure she could produce enough of her own heat before letting her sleep alone. The vixen knew she wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Alright," she sighed. "I hope I can trust you to not try anything."

As they huddled together in the pile of blankets, she was surprised at how comfortable she felt. Sharing a bed with a strange male should have been awkward and unsettling, but feeling his warm, muscular body next to hers was oddly reassuring. It was true that he had saved her life, but there was more to it than that. She decided that it was his kindness that put her at ease. It had been rare during her journeys to find people who would help her without expecting anything in return.

***

When she awoke the next morning, the first thing the vixen noticed was that the sound of the wind outside had died down, signaling that the storm had passed. The second thing she noticed, much to her annoyance, was one of the coyote's paws on her breast. For a moment she considered hitting him in the stomach again, but she ultimately decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he had only shifted in his sleep. She gave him a little nudge to wake him up. He grunted, and murmured an equivalent of "good morning". The fire had gone out, and the morning air was bitterly cold. Even so, the coyote got up without hesitation and put on a leather tunic and wool pants. He then added several layers made of different kinds of furs before moving towards the mouth of the cave. The vixen tried to get up too, but her host gently pushed her back into bed.

"What are you doing? I need to start climbing again."

The coyote said something, but his meaning was lost in a jumble of words she hadn't learned yet.

"Listen, I can take care of myself. I've been on my own for a long time. So, thanks for saving my life, but I can't hang around here."

He rolled his eyes at her stubbornness and gestured to the exit as if saying, if you insist.

"Thank you for understanding." She looked around and spotted her clothes and her pack in a pile by the opposite wall. She moved to get dressed, or tried to. Her legs were still unsteady, and she tripped several times just trying to cross the cave. Bracing herself against the wall, she tried to force her legs to work to no avail.

Her new friend came up beside her and offered to help support her weight. Determined to stand on her own, she pushed him away and took two steps before falling over again. He caught her before she hit the ground.

Supported by his strong arms, she looked up into his eyes and felt a light blush form on her ears. "I guess I'm not ready to travel yet."

He smiled down at her, and his look said it all: that's what I've been trying to tell you. He helped her back to bed and said something. She caught the word for "food" and assumed that he intended to go hunting. She had no idea where one could find game at this altitude, but she wished him luck, with her stomach rumbling its assent.

The coyote set a water skin next to the vixen's head, as well as a few strips of some kind of dried meat. Then he moved to the fire pit to rekindle the fire. He had it burning again in no time; there were still hot coals under the ashes from the previous night. After making sure that the extra wood was close enough to the vixen that she could keep the fire burning, he grabbed his only weapons - a knife and a spear which were kept next to the fire pit when not in use. With a friendly wave, he left the cave and trudged into the icy wilderness.

The waiting game began once he left. Chewing on the dried meat, she idly wondered what kind of animal she was eating. It tasted good, regardless. Over her meager breakfast, she thought over her situation. Although she appreciated everything the coyote had done for her, the vixen hated being so dependent on someone else. She had spent a long time traveling through dangerous lands, and was unaccustomed to leaving her well-being in the hands of others. She picked up the skin and took a drink, wondering how long it would take to recover her strength. As the minutes and hours passed, she occasionally poked the fire or added some more wood. Eventually, with nothing else to do, she fell into a fitful sleep.

She dreamed in bits and pieces, flashes of visions appearing on the edges of her mind. Images of a tribe carving out an existence in a vast, untamed wilderness swirled in her head among whirls of color and sound. Although the new tribe started with only one family, they soon multiplied until they thrived in their new home. It was the kind of strange, broken, nonsensical imagery that came from extreme exhaustion.

Delicious cooking smells brought her back from the realm of dreams. Slabs of meat roasted on spits over the hot fire. The coyote sat nearby, slowly turning the spits so the meat cooked evenly. His spear and knife lay nearby, and a fresh pile of wood was stacked neatly by the cavern wall. The light coming in from the mouth of the cave was dimmer and redder than it had been, hinting at late afternoon. Roused by the enticing smell and the crackling fire, the vixen shuffled over to sit next to the coyote, with one of the blankets still wrapped around her otherwise bare body.

She smiled at him. "Welcome back. Looks like you had a good day."

He murmured a greeting before taking one of the pieces of meat off the fire and offering it to her.

"Thank you," she said as she took her dinner. After a cursory sniff she guessed that it and the dried stuff from earlier came from the same kind of animal. What it was hardly mattered at this point, as she wasn't about to reject fresh meat. The flesh was surprisingly delicious and succulent. Somehow the coyote had cooked it perfectly. The vixen let out a delighted little growl as she enjoyed her meal, and she smiled at the coyote to let him know how good it was. He smiled back, but said nothing.

As they ate in quiet contemplation, the vixen found her thoughts drifting to her mysterious rescuer. She knew nothing about him, and the lessons of many bad past experiences told her to be cautious. Even so, it was surprisingly difficult to look at this coyote with suspicion. He had saved her from a cold and lonely death, given her shelter, and shared his food. Through it all, he had asked nothing in return and showed no inclination to take advantage of her weakened state. She couldn't possibly repay him, but she could at least meet his selflessness with friendly gratitude. At the very least, she ought to learn his name and let him know hers.

She sighed as she considered the best way to share names. If she simply pointed to herself, would he understand that she was saying her personal name, or would he think she meant her species? Finally she decided it was pointless to sit there thinking about it; it was time to try something and see what happened.

"I'm a fox," she declared, pointing at herself. Then she pointed at the coyote and said, "You're a coyote."

He regarded her with a quizzical tilt of the head.

She pointed at herself again and repeated, "Fox." Then back to him, "Coyote." After that she said, "I'm a fox, but my name is Nita. Nita - do you understand? Will you tell me your name?"

He still seemed lost, so she tried one more time. "Fox, Nita; coyote..." she trailed off as she gestured at him with a questioning expression.

A small grin played across his face as her meaning dawned on him. "Fox, Nita," he said as he pointed to the vixen. Then he pointed to himself and added, "Coyote, Kalyan."

They beamed at each other, feeling like they had made a major breakthrough. They finished their meal in silence, wondering how long it would be before they could have a real conversation.

That night they tried to continue their word game, but they quickly found that they had run out of objects in the cave to name. Instead, they took turns drawing things on the walls with soot. Neither one had much talent when it came to drawing, so the pictures were crude. Some of the drawings were simply unrecognizable, which led to many bouts of laughter. As the fire burned lower and they both started yawning, Kalyan allowed Nita to retrieve her own bedding from her pack. She wrapped her woolen blankets around herself while the coyote climbed into the furs she abandoned. Although she was comfortable at first, she soon realized that even though her bedroll had seen her through many harsh winters, it was not thick or warm enough to protect her from the thin, frigid mountain air. Throughout the early parts of the night she inched closer to her new friend, until she shook him awake and asked for help. He understood what she wanted, and they spent the next few minutes combining their blankets into a single warm bed until they could crawl in and curl up against each other. She didn't mind as much as she thought she would. There was something undeniably pleasant about sharing warmth with a friendly body, and somehow the feeling of the well-toned muscles beneath his fur made her feel safer than she had in years.

***

The next day, Nita didn't feel so weak. She was able to dress herself and move around the cave, though she couldn't venture too far from the fire before she started to feel light headed. Once again Kalyan left first thing in the morning, but he returned only minutes later carrying a large portion of dried meat. Then he retrieved some things from the back of the cave, most notably the hide of the animal he had killed the previous day. Nita surmised that he must have started tanning the hide after his hunt while she was still napping. She spent the day watching as Kalyan worked the hide and prepared it to be made into clothing. They nibbled at the preserved meat as the hours passed, and the vixen could only wonder where he had learned to work leather.

Over the days that followed, Nita regained her strength quickly. Kalyan eventually finished the tanning job, and presented the fox with a warm and sturdy fur overcoat that easily slipped over the rest of her clothing. Nita couldn't thank him enough and was amazed that he had put so much effort into a gift when he barely knew her. Now that she had the proper clothing to withstand the weather, the coyote led the vixen on a short tour of the area which he called his home.

Stepping out from the mouth of the cave, she got her first good look at the mountain. The weather had cleared since her disastrous climb, leaving the sky bright blue and cloudless. Each breath that escaped the canines' mouths was clearly visible in the crisp cold air. The cave opened onto a small, relatively flat piece of ground which turned out to be the top of a small promontory that rose a few dozen feet above the main slope and overlooked the lone path up the mountains. To the left, a ledge provided a breathtaking view of all that lay below. The vixen could see the forested valley where she had started her hike only a few days earlier. The forest rose with the mountain, until the slopes became crags and cliffs and the thin air and thinner soil became insufficient to support anything but the hardiest alpine vegetation. At this height the only trees were small, scraggly dwarf versions of the pine, spruce, and fir that resided at lower elevations. She enjoyed the view, but she eventually turned her attention to her more immediate surroundings. Directly across from the cave, only about a hundred yards away, towering cliffs of rock and ice rose up and obscured the sky. To the right, the path continued upwards, with the treacherous icy slope continually becoming narrower as it was squeezed by the walls on either side. Behind her, the rocks that nestled their tiny cavern jutted towards the heavens with the same imposing grace possessed by the opposing cliff.

The coyote took her by the hand and led her to the right, where the tiny bluff merged with the main slope. They walked down until they were below the cliff they had stood on only minutes earlier. In the shadow of the ledge was a small pond, which currently sported a thick layer of ice. A crude wooden shack stood nearby, and a quick peek inside revealed that it was a smokehouse. Slabs of dried meat of different animals hung from the rickety ceiling over a tiny, well-used fire pit, preserved by smoke and cold. The fox finally understood where the dried meat had come from, and was glad the coyote had the foresight to keep an emergency cache of food.

For a time they wandered around the area, exploring jumbles of rocks and copses of gnarled trees, until Nita started breathing heavily. She still wasn't quite used to the altitude, so they cut their little walk short and headed back to the cave.

It didn't take Nita many more days to adjust to the thin air. Soon she was healthy enough to wander around by herself, though she knew she wasn't yet strong enough to make another attempt at crossing the pass. Instead, she learned the lay of the land below the little cave by gathering firewood from the sparse groves of dwarf conifers that dotted the mountainside. The high altitude no longer made her feel sick, and it was becoming easier to breath.

Through it all, she learned more of the coyote's language. They moved past the need for frustrating word games. Nita increasingly found that she could understand Kalyan's meaning even if she didn't recognize every individual word. At the same time, her vocabulary increased, and she more often resorted to using the coyote's tongue.

Eventually, though, she felt restless and dissatisfied. Lazing around didn't suit her. She obsessively counted the days since the storm. It had been nearly two weeks. In the years she had been on her own, never had she gone so long without finding her own food. Never had she stayed in one place for so long. She was eager to move on and fend for herself again, and the only way to do that was to stop relying on Kalyan so much.

She confronted him that night while they ate. "I'm going hunting with you tomorrow," she told him.

The coyote seemed uneasy. "Are you sure you're ready?"

The question made Nita bristle. "Of course I'm ready! Don't treat me like I'm helpless. I may have been sick and hurt for a few days, but that doesn't mean you need to coddle me as if I'm some newborn kit!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you," he said quietly, with his ears splayed in apology.

Nita stewed in her irritation for a few minutes, but then she noticed how the coyote seemed genuinely upset about their exchange. Maybe she had been too harsh. "Kalyan, I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just frustrated about this situation. I don't like to feel useless."

"It's alright. I shouldn't have doubted you."

"Will you please take me hunting tomorrow?"

"I'd be happy to."

"Thank you."

***

She dreamed that night, as she often did, of the idyllic future that waited at the end of her journey. Her mate, her perfect male companion, waited for her by a tree. He was an ideal fox, with bright red fur, a slender and agile body, and a glorious fluffy tail. Nearby, their kits played and wrestled in a field. They ran to each other and fell into a tight embrace. It was everything she wanted in life. For a little while she could forget the uncertainty of her wandering life, yet the morning came as it always did and destroyed her fantasy.

Waking up with the cold air on her nose, Nita groaned. She hated that dream. It used to be a welcome reprieve, an escape from the troubles of the waking world, but it had lost its charm some time ago. She hated the dream, because every day it seemed more like a hopeless fantasy and less like a possible future.

The vixen tried to roll over and found herself on top of Kalyan. The sudden pressure on his chest caused the coyote to wake up, and the startled pair of canines blinked at each other a few times before they got their bearings. "I seem to have become a pillow," he observed.

Stifling a laugh, Nita apologized, "Sorry, I'm still getting used to sharing a bed." She rolled off of him and decided it was time to get up.

They prepared for their outing quickly, pulling on their many layers of warm clothes and gathering their most important supplies. Each had a full water skin and a sharp knife, and Kalyan had his spear. They were ready and saw no reason to delay. With the first light, they left the cave and started their downward hike.

Nita had wondered where Kalyan did most of his hunting, and as they walked the coyote explained that he traveled to different parts of the mountain depending on what type of game he wanted. In this case, he thought it would be a good idea to look for rabbits. Going after easy prey meant that Nita wouldn't have to exert herself too hard while she was still recovering. She grumbled a bit about being treated as if she were a kit on her first hunt, but inwardly admitted that she wasn't sure yet if she had regained her full strength.

Kalyan's preferred hunting ground was farther down the slope than Nita had suspected. They walked for a long time before Kalyan whispered that they had arrived at the right place. The vixen glanced around, taking in her surroundings with a practiced eye and noting the places where prey was likely to appear. They were in a forested area surrounded by tall, thin pines and thorny underbrush. Only a few feet ahead, a break in the trees revealed the edge of a mountain meadow where the sun shone on grasses and wildflowers.

The two canines went completely silent. Ears perked up, listening for the slightest rustle in the grass or brambles; noses sniffed the air, detecting the unmistakable, delectable scent of fresh rabbit. On noiseless paw pads, they crept closer to the meadow while putting some space between each other. Then they waited patiently for some sign of their quarry. From instinct and experience, they knew it would do no good to rush things.

It took some time, but finally a rabbit poked its head up from a hidden warren. It was only six feet away from Nita, but somehow it failed to notice her. The edge of the vixen's lip curled up in a smirk. Time to eat, she thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kalyan raise his knife, but she motioned for him to stay still. Without even bothering to reach for her weapon, the vixen slid into a low crouch and coiled her powerful leg muscles. Using her tail for balance, she lined up her target, tasted the air for any sign of danger or distraction, and determined the direction of the breeze. She held her position for several minutes as she watched the nervous rabbit look around. She knew it sensed danger, but if it hadn't noticed her already, it would never detect her presence unless the wind shifted. The rabbit seemed to decide it was safe, and it bent its head to take a nibble at some grass.

Suddenly the vixen sprang upwards, flying through the air in a graceful arc, and came down on the rabbit with paws and jaws. Its life ended quickly as she sank her fangs into its neck. She quickly lapped up the warm blood that flowed from the wound before taking a larger bite from the body and tearing off a large strip of flesh. Kalyan looked on with wide-eyed wonder at the unexpected display of prowess and ferocity.

She noticed him staring and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I was hungry. Would you like some?"

Kalyan was too shocked to respond to her question. "That leap was incredible! I've never seen anyone move like that."

The slightest hint of a blush formed in her ears at his compliment. "Thank you, but it wasn't my best. I'm still a bit out of shape." However, she quickly moved back into her huntress mindset. "Now, do you want some of this rabbit or not?"

"I suppose, but don't you want to cook it?"

"I don't mind eating my prey raw. I don't often have the luxury of a fire when I'm traveling."

He decided he wasn't about to let a female act tougher than him, so he took a bite out of the rabbit carcass.

They sat together under the branches of a snow-covered pine as they worked to pick the kill clean of meat. When only bones remained, they licked their chops clean of blood and bits of offal.

"That was a nice snack, but I'm still hungry," said Nita.

Kalyan replied, "And we need to find something for dinner, too."

He noticed a fleck of blood still clinging to the side of her muzzle. "Oh, you missed a spot," he said as he leaned forward and licked it from her face. As his tongue passed over her, she blushed so deeply that some of the red on her cheeks could be seen through her fur. Never before had she allowed someone outside her family to lick her like that, nor could she believe that this coyote she barely knew had dared to do something as intimate as try to groom her. So many thoughts and feelings rushed through her mind that she didn't know what to do other than stare at him, but then she realized that he was blushing as well, and the guilty look on his face seemed to say that he regretted his rash action. The vixen thought for a moment and decided that his intentions had been innocent. Besides, she had kind of liked it. Any thought of being angry disappeared.

Instead she responded, "You missed a spot too," and gave him a quick lick under his chin. She blushed again and coyly looked away, hoping that he wouldn't realize that there hadn't been anything on his muzzle. The coyote's taste lingered on her tongue, and she discovered that she found it rather pleasant.

The brief awkward moment passed, and they returned their attention to the task at hand. After a few more hours, they managed to kill several more rabbits. Kalyan looked to the sky and noticed the sun getting lower, so he called to Nita, "It's getting late. We need to head back. It's too dangerous to climb at night." They started their hike and didn't make it back to the cave until twilight.

***

After they returned from their hunting trip, game in tow, they stoked the fire and began preparing their meal. They skinned the kills and roasted them over the coals. Only the crackling fire and the sizzling meat disturbed the quiet of the cave as they stared into the flames. Finally, Kalyan broke the silence.

"I have to admit I'm impressed by your hunting skills."

"Thank you," Nita replied. "I think you're a good hunter too."

"Thanks. I have to be. Otherwise I don't get to eat."

"I know what you mean. I've had to fend for myself for a long time now, and it's rare to find people who are willing to help a wanderer."

They were interrupted as a log in the fire popped and sent sparks flying. They took a few seconds to make sure that none of the sparks had landed on anything flammable.

When they settled down again, Kalyan said, "I'm curious, Nita. If you're a wanderer and can go anywhere you want, why did you choose to come here? Why try to climb these mountains when they're so dangerous? There must have been easier paths for you to take."

"I was looking for a way to continue moving west. When I found the pass, I didn't realize it would be such a difficult climb. I grew up someplace where mountains were round and small. There were no snowcapped peaks or jagged cliffs reaching for the sky. I didn't understand how different it was."

The coyote nodded. "I get it. I underestimated the mountains a few times when I first came here, even though I had been warned about the danger. You don't truly realize how awful this place is until you've been stuck up here for years."

"Is it really that bad?" she wondered. "I can see that it's harsh, but it's also kind of beautiful."

He barked out a bitter laugh. "See if you still think like that by the time summer rolls around."

"Summer? Kalyan, I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, but I'm not staying that long. I have to keep moving."

"I understand, but if you're still determined to cross the mountains, you'll have to wait. During the winter, it's too dangerous to climb much higher than this cave; the only safe time to go through the pass is the middle of summer when the weather clears for a few weeks at the higher elevations."

"But then I'd have to wait for more than half a year!"

"Sorry. You could always turn around if you get sick of me."

"I can't turn around. I have to keep traveling west. Don't you know any other ways through the mountains?"

The coyote shook his head. "This mountain range is mostly impassible. This is the only way through that my people know of, and it's extremely dangerous even in the best conditions. There might be other ways through if you travel north or south, but I wouldn't know. I never go too far from this cave, and my tribe wasn't exactly well traveled. We had few visitors, and even fewer of the villagers were adventurous types."

With a defeated sigh she said, "Well, I suppose I don't have to decide right now."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you need to. It's nice to have some company."

Their conversation broke off as they removed their food from the fire and focused on eating. Eventually Nita's curiosity got the better of her. "Do you like living up here?"

"I hate it here, but I don't have a choice. I was exiled by my tribe."

"Why?" she asked with concern. "What did you do?"

"I humiliated the chief of my village. It's a long story, but I'll tell you if you're interested."

"Oh, you don't have to. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's alright. Besides, if we don't talk about something, it's going to be a long winter."

"I don't want to bring up any painful memories." This was a half-truth. Nita didn't want to open any of Kalyan's old wounds, but she was more concerned that he would ask about her past if he told her about his. She wasn't sure if she could share those memories. So much of it still hurt terribly, even though years had passed since the events that made her a lone wanderer.

"It's really not a problem. To be honest, I've wanted to be able to share the story for a while. I'm tired of brooding on it by myself."

"Well... alright."

"First of all, when you were still in the foothills, did you happen to pass a coyote village?"

"I did, or at least I smelled it. I decided to avoid it, though."

"Well, that's where I used to live. When I still lived with my tribe, there was a certain female who was extremely beautiful. All of the young males wanted her, and many of us tried to court her."

"I'm guessing you wanted her too," she said with a knowing smile.

Kalyan blushed in embarrassment. "Yes, I tried to win her too, and to my surprise she didn't immediately reject me. In fact, at the time I thought she really liked me. There was just one problem. This girl was the village chief's daughter. He didn't like me or my family, and he wanted her to accept one of the other suitors as her mate. Her father kept trying to chase me away, but I wouldn't let him intimidate me. I kept visiting her. I even convinced myself I loved her."

"Didn't she feel the same way?"

The coyote shook his head as he explained, "I'm not sure she ever had feelings for anyone but herself. She was extremely vain. The only thing she cared about was how much attention she could get from others. She loved that so many males were willing to fight over her."

"That's terrible."

"It is, and I didn't understand her true nature until it was too late. My sister tried to warn me, and my parents tried to get me to notice some of the other young females, but I wouldn't listen. I was blinded by lust."

"So how did this lead to you being exiled?"

"I'm about to get to that. After a few months most of the suitors had given up. The choice came down to me and the son of one of the chief's closest friends, and yet she still wouldn't choose. Well, my competitor became impatient and angry, because he thought he was clearly a better coyote than me. That's when he challenged me to a Tam-nat-jit."

"Tam-nat-jit? I've never heard you use that word before. What does it mean?"

"It's a ritual fight. Two males fight each other unarmed to settle a debt of honor. There are a bunch of rules and traditions involved, but I won't bore you with that. Anyway, my challenger thought it was the perfect chance to prove his superiority, but I beat him. He was enraged, his father was enraged, and the chief was enraged. They claimed that I cheated somehow. It was ridiculous! Half of the village had watched, and everyone knew that I was the true winner, but that didn't matter. Hardly anyone was willing to stand up for me, and the few who were didn't have the clout to change our leader's mind." He paused for a moment as he grimaced with indignation. "That was it. The penalty for violating the sanctity of a Tam-nat-jit is permanent exile. I was the victor. By right, the mating ceremony should have been performed that night. Instead, I was thrown out of the village with only a knife and a blanket and forced to march up the mountain. I've been up here ever since."

"I can't believe that your own people would do that to you," Nita said sorrowfully.

"I couldn't either. I didn't understand how the chief could be so powerful that he could manipulate our traditions for his own purposes, and I was angry at the other villagers for allowing him to do that."

"How did you even survive up here alone?"

"Luck, mainly. It took time to learn how to survive, and somehow my early mistakes didn't kill me. You know what's funny, though? Even though I regret that I ended up here, I think I would have regretted it more if I had gotten what I wanted back then."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She would have been a terrible mate, because she was so cold and selfish. She never once spoke in my favor or tried to defend me in front of her father, and she didn't seem too concerned as she watched the warriors drag me away. I don't miss her. I don't really miss anyone besides my parents and sister."

They became quiet then, and Nita reflected on the story Kalyan had told her. She admired his tenacity even as she felt anger over the unfair treatment he had received. All too soon, her thoughts were disturbed by the question she had been dreading.

"What about you? Why is it so important for you to go west?" Kalyan asked innocently, without realizing how difficult it would be for her to answer.

"I'm trying to find a new tribe of red foxes."

"What happened to your old tribe? Were you exiled too?"

"No, I wasn't exiled. The thing is, my tribe... it..." Nita stuttered. She couldn't bring herself to say it. Memories flooded back and her eyes began to water.

Kalyan noticed her distress. "Are you alright?"

"My tribe was destroyed," the vixen blurted out.

The coyote looked horrified. "Destroyed?"

She nodded, while taking several deep breaths to keep calm. Kalyan didn't press her for details. He only waited for her to speak again. It took some time to bring her emotions under control and organize her thoughts, but Nita eventually continued, "My tribe used to live far to the east, in a warm, forested land where many fox tribes had lived for generations." The words came more easily than she had expected. After so many years, she was tired of keeping her burden to herself. For the first time, she had a sympathetic friend to listen to her, and she wanted to share her story even if the memories were painful. "I'm told that the tribes used to fight often, especially over territory or hunting rights, but when I was young we had a long period of peace. Then one day the gray foxes decided they had had enough."

"Gray foxes? There are different kinds of foxes?"

"Of course. Didn't you know that?"

"You're the first fox I've ever seen. Before I met you, I'd only heard vague stories of your kind."

"I guess I never thought I would travel so far that I would find people who don't know anything about foxes..." Nita paused for a moment and became pensive, but then she found the will to continue. "What you need to understand is that rivalries constantly formed between different tribes, but the deepest, longest lasting, and most bitter ones were between red fox tribes and gray fox tribes. We just couldn't get along. Like I said, when I was young we had peace, so I never understood how bad it was between our peoples. Sometimes the older villagers would talk about the old conflicts, but it didn't mean much to me. I thought they were the same as all the other stories - myths about the heroes of the distant past. It never occurred to me that my parents and grandparents had actually fought against the gray foxes."

"So why did they break the peace?"

"The same reasons as always. They wanted more space and more game, and they hated us anyway. During the peaceful years, the gray foxes had been making alliances and mending old wounds amongst themselves. They reached a point where multiple villages were acting as if they were part of one tribe, which had never happened before. They started threatening and attacking different red fox villages. It kept getting worse and worse; some villages were wiped out, and others decided to leave and find new land. Eventually, we were the only red fox village left."

"Why didn't your tribe leave?"

"I wish I knew, but I wasn't old enough to be involved in tribal councils. I know the elders discussed it, but they decided to do nothing. It was such a foolish decision. It wasn't long before the gray foxes started attacking us the way they attacked the other red foxes. First they burned all of our crops. Then they started killing our hunters. It got to a point where no one could safely travel outside the village, and our food stores started running low. Finally, they raided the village."

Nita had to pause again, nearly shaking with anger as she remembered the mistakes of her elders and cruelty of her enemies. With a deep breath, she continued, "One night the sentries raised the warning cry. Everyone woke up; the males went out to fight, and the vixens and the kits went to the meeting place at the center of the village. We listened to the sounds of the battle for a while, but then we smelled smoke." The vixen stared into the fire, as if its light and heat could take her back to that night. "They set the village on fire. Some of our warriors came back, including my father. They tried to lead us into the forest, but we were already surrounded. The gray fox warriors fell on us from all sides with spears and arrows; people were screaming and running everywhere. My father tried to get us out. Somehow he kept our family together. And then..."

She remembered it clearly. With the village burning behind them and all their friends and neighbors shrieking and dying, their path was blocked by a group of warriors. Her father turned to her and pressed his hunting knife into her hand, the same one she still used. By tradition, it should have gone to his eldest son, but her brothers were too small. "Protect our family. Take everyone away from here," he said, and then he hefted his spear and strode confidently towards the band of enemies. Standing proudly before at least ten opponents, he taunted and challenged them, daring them to face him. His loved ones fled into the night, but they still heard his shouts of pain and fury. Heavy footsteps followed them, and she knew her father had died. Then her siblings screamed. Her mother yelled. The gray fox war cries were right behind them, and she smelled blood. She panicked and didn't stop running, even though her family needed her - even though her father had tasked her. It had been his last request, the greatest responsibility she had ever been given, and she had failed immediately.

"Nita? Nita!" She broke out of her reverie as Kalyan placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright? You trailed off."

She shook herself, clearing away the worst of the memories as she tried to restore the distance between past and present. "I'm fine, Kalyan. I just need to gather my thoughts. So much happened that night; it's hard to figure out how to best explain it."

"If you want to stop..."

"No. I've told you this much; I want to finish it. Some of the gray foxes found us before we could get too far, and they slaughtered my family. A few of them approached me, and I was sure I would die next, but then one of them said he wanted to have some 'fun.' He described to his friends all the things he thought they should do to me." She couldn't help but snarl as she remembered that lewd warrior. "I was terrified, but that turned out to be my chance to escape. They all started arguing so much over who should use me first that a fight broke out. I ran away while they were distracted. After that, I just kept running until I was sure I was out of their territory."

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. It happened a long time ago. There's nothing you can do to change it."

"I still don't understand, though. Why do you have to travel west?"

"Because we had a sister village. Our tribes were always very friendly. When the gray foxes became too aggressive, they decided to leave. The last we heard, they were traveling west to find a new place to settle, so I decided to follow them. I've been traveling west ever since, hoping to run into them somehow."

As she finished her story, Nita looked utterly despondent. Kalyan tentatively hugged her, and when she didn't try to push him away, he held her a little tighter. They stayed like that for a long time.

"Thank you," Nita whispered.

***

Weeks passed as they survived together. Kalyan taught Nita everything he knew about living on the snowy mountain slopes, and she was grateful for his advice. She was even more grateful for his friendship. It felt wonderful to be able to talk to someone after so much time alone in a hostile world.

One morning as they were preparing for the day's hunt, Kalyan asked, "Do you want to try something challenging today?"

"Sounds interesting. What do you have in mind?"

"I think we should go after the bighorn sheep that live on the upper slopes. It's hard to track them because they move over the steepest, rockiest cliffs. Half the time I can't even follow them, and when I do manage to catch up to one of them, they're tough and ornery and difficult to kill. Both the terrain and the animals are dangerous."

Normally Nita preferred to avoid risk, but after several weeks of trudging over the same places, she was willing to do anything to break the monotony. "I think I can handle it," she smirked.

They gathered their gear and headed out, with Nita clutching a new flint spear that Kalyan had helped her make. Their spears served as walking sticks for most of the steep, treacherous climb. As they proceeded to a part of the mountain Nita had never seen before, she thought about some of the lessons Kalyan had taught her during their time together. It made her wonder about their current course, so she asked, "Didn't you say it was too dangerous to climb this high in winter?"

"True," he nodded, "but we're not going much higher. There's a cleft in the rock wall nearby. It leads to a series of cliffs and ledges where the sheep like to gather. I'm glad you're paying attention, though."

The icy slopes shined a brilliant white in the glare of the early morning sun. A gust of wind blew some snow off of the higher cliffs as they climbed, and Nita's thoughts drifted back to the night she first met the coyote. "I just thought of something else. You also said it's too dangerous to travel at night, so what were you doing that night you found me in the snow?"

Kalyan hesitated. "You're going to think I'm crazy."

"Why would I think that?"

"Because I heard voices that night," he admitted, "and I listened to them."

Nita couldn't understand why he sounded so ashamed. "What kind of voices?"

"They were whispers that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. They told me to go outside, and they sounded so sweet and persuasive that I barely thought twice about following them, even though I knew it was a bad idea. Then, as I walked uphill I saw something tumble down the slopes. That's how I found you."

"I think I'm lucky you listened to those whispers," she said as she placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

He gave her an odd look. "Among my people, it's a bad omen when someone starts hearing voices. It means that they've been seized by a wind spirit and will soon visit disaster on the entire tribe."

"Not all spirits are evil," the vixen asserted. "My people used to talk about spirits called the Bopo. They float around and whisper mischievous things in your ear. Their ideas usually sound strange, but things always seem to work out for the best for the people who follow them. I think you heard a Bopo that night."

Kalyan grinned in spite of himself. "I've never heard of a spirit willing to help mortals. Even most of the gods I know of are generally pretty indifferent. So did your people often follow the advice of crazy spirit whispers?"

"Of course not," Nita laughed. "You have to be careful about which spirits you listen to. It's easy to confuse the Bopo with the Hoklo. I suppose the Hoklo are similar to your wind spirits. They whisper evil ideas and always make sure people get hurt."

"Either way, some god or spirit must be watching over you."

Their conversation paused as they reached the cleft. It was much narrower than Nita had expected, and required some creative climbing skills to get through. They continued through the narrow gap in the rock and emerged on a small outcrop perched above a sheer drop. The mountainside stretched away both above and below, but to the right an exceedingly narrow shelf led to a wider, safer looking area. Beyond that lay a group of steps, terraces, ledges, and alcoves where bits of vegetation found purchase on the otherwise uninhabitable rock face. In many of these areas, bighorn sheep gathered to graze. Nita had no idea how they were going to sneak up on their prey when there was no cover and had even less of an idea about how to reach the sheep without falling off a cliff.

"I see what you mean about the terrain being dangerous," she said.

"I thought you were up for a challenge," Kalyan goaded.

They started their traversal of the rock shelf, pressing their bodies as close to the wall as possible. Nita found it terrifying and exhilarating and was incredibly thankful when the path widened into a broad promontory. From there they scrambled over huge boulders and clambered up and down small cliffs and crags until they found themselves on a relatively wide and flat piece of ground with a small group of sheep. Their quarry grazed at some bits of brush while the canines hid behind a boulder. The wind seemed to be in their favor, coming from the opposite direction and ensuring that their scents would not waft to the wary herd.

The pair began to creep towards the unsuspecting sheep, angling towards one who was somewhat isolated from the rest. They were almost in position when a load bleat echoed from the cliffs. All of their potential meals scattered, nimbly hopping across the rocks and ledges. Nita wondered how their hooves could find the tiny footholds with such ease, but her train of thought was interrupted when she saw the one who raised the alarm.

A massive, angry ram jumped down from a higher ledge and charged straight at them with his horns lowered. Both coyote and fox managed to dodge out of the way, but the ram only turned around and prepared for another charge. The canines found themselves separated by perhaps a dozen feet, with Nita closer to the edge of a drop.

"Nita, be careful!" Kalyan called. "I've never seen one this big. We should try to get away."

The only problem with his idea was the hulking creature blocking their avenue of escape. With a snort, the ram barreled towards Nita. The vixen readied her spear and prepared to face the ram. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Kalyan looking at her as if she had gone insane. She blocked him out and focused only on her approaching target, mentally judging his speed and distance. From the side, she heard a yell as the coyote dove towards her in an attempt to tackle her out of harm's way. However, she had other plans. She deftly rolled to the side, while her friend flew right over her head. As the ram rushed past, she thrust her spear up at just the right time, lodging it deep between his ribs and piercing his heart. His momentum carried him headfirst into a boulder, where he stopped dead.

Nita checked that her prey was really finished and let out a victorious shout. It took some effort, but she managed to dislodge her spear from its chest. Then she noticed that Kalyan had disappeared. She was scared for him. What if he had fallen off the ledge? She had no idea how far the fall was. What if he was hurt, or worse?

She rushed to the edge and looked down. It wasn't a particularly large drop, and Kalyan had landed head first in a deep snowdrift. Only his legs and tail stuck out, wiggling frantically as he tried to get free. From the top of the ledge, Nita laughed uncontrollably, partly from relief and partly from the ridiculous sight her friend provided.

It took them the rest of the day to get the kill back to the cave. Dragging the hefty carcass over the rough terrain was difficult and exhausting work, and Nita just wanted to go to sleep by the time they returned. Kalyan let her take a short nap as he prepared their evening meal, roasting some of the ram's meat over the fire while saving most of it for the smokehouse.

Dinner that night felt like a victory celebration. The difficulty they had in bringing down the prey only seemed to make it taste better. They ate more than usual, so by the end of the meal they both felt full and lazy as they reclined by the fire. Nita sat in Kalyan's lap, leaning back against his chest and enjoying the way she was caught between the warmth of his body and the warmth of the fire. The two canines merely stared into the fire in silent reflection, thinking about the events of the day and the possibilities of the future. It had become a sort of nightly ritual for them: sit quietly for a time after dinner, then find something to talk about.

Tonight Nita decided to break the silence first. "Can you tell me more about the mountains?" she asked.

"What else can I tell you? We've already discussed this."

"No we haven't. Not really. You only told me that the mountains are dangerous and that it's impossible to cross through the pass for most of the year. You must know something else. At least tell me the name of the mountain range."

"It's called the Girisha Peaks."

"See, there is more you can tell me. Does the pass have a name?"

"No one has ever bothered to name it."

"Why not?"

"There's no point in giving it a name. As far as my tribe is concerned, trying to cross the mountain is suicide. There are plenty of stories from my old village about foolish coyotes who tried to climb too high. They all died."

"I guess I'm even luckier than I thought, if you found me in a place where no one ever goes."

"You're also lucky that I know more about these mountains than anyone. The villagers long ago gave up on climbing the upper slopes. I only learned how to survive up here by necessity. I had nowhere to go but up."

"So no one has ever crossed the mountains?"

"No one living, anyway. There are some old stories that claim someone made it across and then came back. Apparently there's a lush valley on the other side. It's almost a paradise: tall trees, plentiful game, clear rivers, that sort of thing. But that was generations ago."

"Do you think the stories are true?" Nita wondered with genuine curiosity.

Kalyan only shrugged. "At the very least I know a forested valley exists, but I don't know what it's like to live there."

Puzzled, the fox asked, "Wait, are you saying you've been through the pass?"

"Sort of. I reached the crest of the ridge once. It was one of those rare clear mornings where the upper slopes don't seem so threatening. I decided to see how high I could climb, but I never thought I would get to the top. Once I was up there, it was as if I could see the whole world. It was beautiful. I looked back towards the village, and I saw everything I had ever known, plus endless lands where I had never traveled. Then I looked down the opposite slope where none of my people have ever been. There was a huge forested valley. It must be at least fifty miles wide. I can't even guess how long it is. I couldn't see either end. There's another mountain range beyond it, but it looks smaller than the Girisha. I don't know if anyone lives down there. If there are any settlements, they're either too far away or too small to be seen." The coyote's voice was almost wistful as he remembered the incredible view.

"Why didn't you keep going? It must be nicer than this place."

"I got scared."

"You, scared?" the vixen teased. She reached up with one hand and lightly scratched the back of her friend's neck. "That doesn't sound like the brave coyote I know."

In return the coyote briefly nuzzled the top of her head. "I get scared a lot. I was definitely scared today when you were nearly gored by that ram."

"But you dove in to rescue me anyway. That's why I think you're brave," Nita replied with a warm smile.

"Some rescue," Kalyan laughed. "I got stuck in a snow bank while you finished off the ram. You never actually needed help, did you?"

"Not really, but I still appreciate the gesture."

Their conversation slowly died down as they told jokes and teased each other for the rest of the night. Eventually they settled into bed together to prepare for a new day.

***

A few more weeks passed. One morning, as they prepared for the daily hunt, Nita noticed that Kalyan was panting and breathing heavily. He took far longer than usual to get ready. "Are you alright?" the vixen asked.

He brushed her off. "I'm fine. Let's get moving."

"Are you sure? You look like you can barely move. What if you're sick?"

"It doesn't matter. I've been sick before. I'll live."

They set out as usual, walking down the slope towards one of the hunting grounds, but after only a few minutes, Kalyan started to sway with each step. He braced himself by using his spear as a walking stick, relying on it more and more as they went. Nita eyed him with concern, but said nothing. Then the coyote stumbled and collapsed face down in the snow. He tried to regain his footing with no success, barely able to prop himself up on hands and knees. Nita knelt by his side to help him.

"We have to turn back," she stated, and her friend didn't argue or resist, though it was difficult to tell if he really heard her. His gaze seemed distant, and his ears and tail seemed to twitch in response to things that weren't really there.

With one of his arms around her shoulder, the vixen propped him up so they could begin the slow march back to the cave. He couldn't seem to stay on his feet, and by the end she was practically dragging the semi-conscious coyote behind her. When they finally made it back to their shelter, she wrapped all of their blankets around him and helped him lie down.

Briefly regaining his senses, Kalyan noticed that he was no longer outside, so he groaned, "What happened?"

Nita answered softly, "You collapsed. I knew you were too sick to hunt."

"There's no such thing as 'too sick' up here," he insisted. "Either you keep working or you die. Help me up."

Emphatically shaking her head, the fox sternly said, "No. You're staying in bed today. Let me take care of everything." He tried to get up, but she pushed him down. "See, you're so weak that I can overpower you."

With a shuddering breath, he stopped fighting and sank into the blankets. Nita built up the fire a little so he would be warmer. Then she set out alone to find something to eat.

When she returned from hunting, she found Kalyan curled in his blankets, shivering and mumbling about his delirious visions. She tried to calm him down by stroking his head and cooing gently in his ear. Placing one hand on his forehead, she noticed that his temperature had spiked since she left. "Poor thing, you're burning up," she murmured.

She prepared a meal while listening to Kalyan talk in his sleep. Most of what he said was incoherent until he uttered a single clear sentence: "Why are there squirrels on the ceiling?"

Nita nearly laughed at the bizarre question, but then she felt bad for making light of her friend's suffering. The food was ready, so she began to eat. After a few minutes, Kalyan raised his voice in alarm. "Nita, where are you?"

She hastily moved to his side and reassured him by lightly rubbing his chest. "It's alright, Kalyan. I'm here."

"Make the squirrels go away. I'm trying to sleep."

"Um, sure. They're gone now."

"Oh, but their tails were so fluffy. Like yours. Can I stroke it?"

"Maybe later," she said, holding back another snicker. "Are you hungry?"

"A little."

Using her knife, she cut a portion of meat into tiny chunks, which she hand fed to the sick coyote. After only a few pieces, he refused to take more.

"You're the best, giant squirrel," he thanked her.

The next morning, Kalyan's condition was even worse. The hallucinations had stopped, but his fever was higher and his breathing had become ragged and shallow. Nita was troubled, and decided she needed to do more than just take care of the hunting for a few days. She needed to find some medicine.

"Are you awake? Can you hear me?" she whispered.

"Yes," the coyote grunted.

"Today I want to look for something to help your fever," the fox explained. "Do you know where I can find any medicinal herbs?"

Slowly, with great effort, he responded, "Nothing like that grows up here. You'll have to go down to the base of the mountain, near the village."

"Is there anyone there who might be willing to help me?"

"You should probably stay away from the villagers. They're suspicious of strangers. At best they'll ignore you. And if you do meet any other coyotes, promise that you won't mention me. If they find out you're helping an exile, they'll..." He paused, as if he couldn't bring himself to explain what his former neighbors were likely to do. Instead he concluded, "I don't want you to get hurt."

Nita prepared for her errand, filling her water skin and packing some dried meat from the smokehouse. She left a pile of wood within Kalyan's reach and made sure he was wrapped tight and warm in the blankets. She assured him that she would return as soon as possible.

It was a long hike down, and by the time Nita reached the forested foothills, the sun was already high in the sky. She wondered if she would be able to make it back before dark. Long before the village came into view, her nose detected smoke and other scents that announced the presence of a settlement. She kept her ears alert and proceeded cautiously. The last thing she needed was for someone to sneak up on her.

The fox continued forward, and the smells of civilization grew stronger. Finally, the wooden palisades of the village wall peeked through gaps in the trees. She angled away, knowing that she was too close. She skirted the village in a wide circle, staying out of sight, but close enough that she could discern the sounds and smells of the villagers. Her eyes stayed on the ground; she knew the characteristics of the plants she sought, and knew the conditions in which they usually grew. However, the search still took a long time due to her lack of familiarity with the area.

She began to despair. It was already so late, yet she had found only a few herbs. How much longer could Kalyan be left alone? She tried to push the thought out of her mind. There was no use in worrying too much; it would only distract her from the task at hand.

That was when she heard a twig snap under someone's paw. Others were approaching and making no effort to hide their presence. The vixen hid behind a huge tree, controlling her breathing and staying still and quiet. She strained her ears and nose to get more information. The smell was definitely coyote, and judging from the footfalls, there was thankfully only one person. It might still be possible to get away without a confrontation.

Nita crept around the trunk of the tree, hoping to slip away unnoticed, only to find herself face to face with a female coyote. Startled, they both leapt backwards with a yelp. The vixen readied her spear and uttered a guttural warning growl while raising her hackles. The coyote growled dangerously too, clearly displeased to find an intruder in her tribe's territory.

Nita's mind raced as she thought through the situation. She had to avoid a fight at all costs, and this wasn't her territory, so she needed to retreat. Slowly, she stepped backwards, putting more space between herself and the coyote. However, it did little to ease the tension.

The coyote barked at her, "What are you doing here, stranger?"

Cautiously, the vixen decided to adopt a more submissive pose, pressing her ears back against her head, lashing her tail back and forth, and lowering her spear tip slightly. "I'm only trying to collect some herbs," she explained. "I didn't mean to intrude."

The coyote didn't relax, but at least she held off on attacking. She examined the vixen's posture and seemed unsure of how to react. "I've never seen your kind around here. Where are you from?"

It occurred to Nita that this coyote may have never seen a fox before and might not understand her body language. She did her best to appear nonthreatening, keeping her voice soft as she answered, "I'm a wanderer from the east. My homeland is very far away."

The other canine took a step forward, baring her teeth aggressively.

"Again, I'm sorry for trespassing," the fox continued. "Will you let me be on my way? I don't mean any harm." Taking a chance, she dropped her spear and extended her hand in a gesture of friendship. All of her experience on the road told her that she was far more likely to be attacked than to be accepted, but she felt she had to risk it for Kalyan's sake.

To Nita's surprise and relief, the coyote stopped growling. She approached cautiously and sniffed her hand. Maybe we can come to an agreement, the vixen thought. But then something strange happened. The coyote looked puzzled for a moment, and then she sniffed the outstretched hand a second time. Afterwards, her demeanor changed completely. A multitude of emotions played across her face: recognition, bewilderment, amazement, hope. She noticeably relaxed and even smiled, offering her own hand in return. "My name is Kala," she said. "What is your name?"

"I am Nita," she replied, nose twitching as she registered Kala's scent.

"Perhaps I can help you. I know a lot about plants."

The vixen accepted the offer eagerly. Together, the two females searched the forest, and soon Nita had everything she needed. Kala gladly pointed out all sorts of herbs and roots, including some that Nita didn't even know about, and explained their uses in detail. However, the fox couldn't shake the sense that the coyote had an ulterior motive, and it made her bristle. Several times, as they kneeled to examine one plant or another, Kala would take a quick whiff of Nita's fur, as if checking that the scent was still the same.

When the vixen's pack was full, they stopped and prepared to part ways. "Kala, I couldn't have done this without you. I don't know how to thank you enough."

"You could start by telling me the truth," she answered with a wry smile.

Carefully, but not as smoothly as she would have liked, Nita asked, "What do you mean?"

"I know you're hiding something," the coyote stated. Nita began to back away slowly, unsure if she should continue the conversation. Kala's expression became more serious as she continued, "I don't know why you're being so secretive, and I would normally leave you to your business, but I need to ask you an important question. Do you have a companion?"

"N-no, I'm alone," the fox stammered.

"You just lied again. I'm sure that someone else's scent is on your fur."

Nita remembered Kalyan's warning and decided to get away before it was too late. "I have to go," she said as she briskly walked away.

Kala ran after her, begging, "Nita, please! That scent on your fur... Have you met a coyote named Kalyan? Is my brother still alive?"

Her brother?

Nita stopped in her tracks and turned to face Kala. "Kalyan is your brother?"

The coyote nodded.

"He's alive," the vixen confirmed.

The coyote's face lit up. "You have no idea how much this means to me," she said, with her eyes becoming slightly misty. "I thought my nose was playing tricks on me. When you see him, please tell him that I miss him."

Nita smiled. "I will. He's talked about you before. He misses you too, and your parents."

A frown passed over Kala's face. "Our parents passed on some time ago."

"What happened to them?" Nita asked. "Kalyan would want to know."

"Our father died from some kind of wasting sickness only a few months after my brother left. He just kept weakening until he couldn't go on anymore. After that, our mother was distraught. She started keeping to herself and eating less and less. I was the only one she was willing to talk to, and then she shut me out too. One day she went to sleep and never woke up. I'm convinced she died of a broken heart."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. I've already grieved, and I'm glad to know that I still have one family member left. Thank you for looking after him."

"It's no trouble. We're friends. He helps me just as much as I help him."

"You must be very close friends, considering that his scent is all over you. Does this friendship involve lots of cuddling?" Kala teased with a droll smile.

"We do not cuddle!" Nita insisted, with a furious blush rising in her ears and muzzle. "We're just efficient about sharing warmth."

"I'm only teasing," she laughed. "I didn't mean to offend you."

Nita tried to take the joke in stride, though she couldn't quite hide her embarrassment. "You didn't offend me. I just don't want you to get the wrong idea. I consider your brother a friend - a very good, very warm friend." Both canines laughed at that. Then Nita noticed the sun getting lower in the sky and became worried. "Thank you for everything, Kala, but I really need to get going."

"You don't have to thank me. It's no trouble at all if it helps Kalyan." The female coyote hugged the vixen and added, "Come back to visit when you can. I think we could be friends too."

"I'll try," she promised, surprising herself when she realized she meant it.

Nita rushed back up the mountain as fast as she could walk. Night fell long before she reached the cave, but her mission was important enough that she felt she should risk hiking in the dark. To her horror, she returned to find the cave dark. The fire had burned down to embers, and Kalyan shivered and thrashed in bed, caught in some feverish nightmare. The vixen worked quickly, gathering wood to build up the fire before crawling into bed with the struggling coyote to calm him down. She didn't eat that night, focused only on keeping her friend warm and calm.

At the first hint of morning light, she went to work. She ground up some of the plants she had collected and combined them into a simple medicine that she forced Kalyan to eat. After that she fed him some morsels of meat to keep his energy up. Only then did she take care of her own needs.

That morning marked the beginning of a long week. Nita took care of everything. She hunted, tended the fire, cooked, and made him take his medicine. Finally the fever broke and he started to regain his strength. At the first opportunity, she told him all about her meeting with Kala, as well as the news about his parents.

When he had fully recovered, and realized how close he had come to death, he said to the vixen, "Nita, I can't thank you enough. How can I possibly repay you?"

"You don't have to. We're friends; I wasn't going to let you die. Besides, you saved my life before. If anything, I was paying you back."

They smiled at each other, knowing that their bond had grown stronger.

***

"Tell me a story," she said one night as they sat in front of the fire.

"A story?"

"You know your tribe's stories, don't you?"

Kalyan scratched his ear. "I still remember a few, but I'm not a very good storyteller."

"Please tell me one anyway. I'm curious about the kinds of legends coyotes tell."

"Fine, let me think for a second." He hummed to himself as he thought. "Oh, I know a good one. In the distant past, a race of giants terrorized the world, doing whatever they wanted. They would tear up entire forests and smash the settlements of smaller mortals just for fun. Finally, a hero named Vergna decided that something needed to be done to make the world safe for smaller beings. He tricked the giants by inviting all of them to a wrestling match and claiming that the winner would become a god. The giants gathered on a large plain, and Vergna set himself up as the judge. Because all of the giants were willful and power hungry, they tore each other limb from limb. As the battle went on, the fallen warriors were piled in the center of the plain until there was hardly any room to move. Finally, only one remained. He started bellowing about being a new god and asked Vergna to declare him the winner. Instead, the hero approached the last giant, who had been greatly weakened, and slew him. When the final body hit the ground, all of the corpses turned to stone. That was how the Girisha Peaks were formed."

Nita suddenly felt uncomfortable as she imagined all of the rocks around her as pieces of giant corpses. "That's rather violent. Don't you know any happier stories?"

"That's about as happy as our stories get, considering that the mortals actually won for once. Most of our other legends end with a pile of dead coyotes."

"That's very different from the type of thing I grew up with. A lot of our stories were very funny, and the heroes usually succeeded by being clever instead of being strong. There used to be this old vixen in my village who knew all the stories and was really good at telling them. Listening to her was so interesting and exciting that people would be on the edge of their seats even if they had heard the tale a hundred times before." Her voice turned wistful as she recalled the happier moments of her past. "Someday I'll get to listen to her again. She's probably waiting at Yananiwa right now."

Kalyan tilted his head in confusion. "I don't know what that means."

Nita explained, "There was a sacred mountain near my homeland called Yananiwa. It was said that the entrance to the spirit world was somewhere on the mountain. Depending on who you asked, the spirits gathered at the summit or at a spring on the mountainside. When a member of our tribe died, their soul would go to the mountain. Of course, the elders could never quite agree on how the souls traveled there. Some said that an angel with shining wings would come and carry the person away. Others said that a mysterious fox in a crimson robe would lead the dead away in the night."

"What happens when you get to the mountain?"

"You get to enter the spirit world and the sacred hunting grounds, where you meet all of your ancestors and talk and sing and hunt forever."

"In our afterlife, when you die you go to a great chamber somewhere underneath the Girisha Peaks. Everyone suffers in cold and darkness forever while coated in dust."

"That sounds terrible!"

"It kind of is. I think I like your version better."

Nita sighed. "When I was a kit I would sometimes climb the mountain and try to see or hear the spirits, even though my grandmother always told me that I shouldn't be so eager. She said that it was only possible to hear them when it was time to join them. Then one day she started hearing my grandfather's voice, even though he had died several seasons earlier. It wasn't long before she left us."

"That must have upset you."

"At first I was a little sad, but in the long term I was happy for her. It's not a bad thing that she passed on. She got to be with her mate again. She saw her parents and siblings again, and when it was time, she was there to greet my parents and siblings. Someday she'll greet me too, no matter how long it takes. At least I hope so. I know everyone is waiting for me, but sometimes I wonder if my soul will even be able to make it back there. I've traveled farther than anyone from my tribe ever has. Will the angel be able to find me? Or the crimson guide? Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better if I had died with the rest of the tribe." Her voice broke off in a sob, and only then did she notice the tears streaming down her face. She didn't even know when she had started crying.

Kalyan didn't know what to say or do, so he just held her and nuzzled her, letting her weep softly into his fur. He whispered little reassurances in her ear and made a point of saying, "It is better that you lived. I'm glad you're here."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so depressing," she sniffled after a while.

"It's alright; you have nothing to be sorry for."

"Most of our stories were more lighthearted. There's this great one about a senile squirrel who tried to steal the sun. It's so funny, but I can't remember how to tell it right now. I can't think of anything but that mountain."

"Don't worry about anything. You can tell me some other time." The coyote stroked her back reassuringly.

She looked up, and their eyes met. His presence made her feel so much better. She lifted her head slightly just as he leaned his head closer, and their muzzles nearly touched. They froze in that position, barely breathing. To the vixen, the thought that she didn't have to cry alone was something of a revelation. Kalyan's warmth was so comforting. His scent was so familiar and inviting. Nita began to wonder what would happen if she moved forward that last inch and kissed him. Would it change their friendship? Would it change their lives?

Three seconds seemed to stretch into eternity as they gazed at each other, but then Nita looked away. The trance broken, they retreated from what might be and returned to what they had always been - wanderers, hermits, temporary friends out of convenience and circumstance. The fox leaned her head on the coyote's shoulder and sighed, "I'm going to miss you when I leave."

She could have sworn she felt him tense up when she said that, but the feeling quickly passed. He only said, "I'll miss you too," as he rubbed her back in long strokes. They sat there for a long time, simply drawing strength from each other, until their bodies noticed the chill of the night air and they forced themselves to undress and settle into their warm nest of furs and blankets. Safe in Kalyan's arms, Nita fell asleep while listening to his steady breathing in her ear.

That night she had another dream. She was lost and alone in a cold place, but her mate, that perfect fox, found her and led her to safety. In warmth and happiness, they returned to their home among a gathering of friends and family. The carefree revelry went on until the vixen noticed that the male's form constantly shifted. "Are you alright?" she tried to ask, though her words seemed to come from everywhere rather than from her mouth. His height, build, and coloration never stopped changing. It became impossible to tell if he was even a fox, or if... or if he was something else entirely. An irrational fear gripped her. How could she be with this creature? It wasn't what she wanted. It wasn't what she had dreamed of and strived for. She ran away, heading back into the lonely cold, and eventually she found herself pushing a round stone up a steep, icy incline. Sometimes it would slip and she would lose ground, but she always started climbing again. Her reasons for doing so were irrelevant; she only knew that it was vitally important to push the stone over the top of the mountain. From the side of the trail, her parents and grandparents looked on with pity.

Her eyes snapped open as the nightmare came to an end. The pitch blackness of night still reigned, and for a split second she wanted to lash out at the formless creature from her dream. However, her fear passed and she took a deep breath. She settled against the reassuring presence of her coyote friend and rested her head on his chest. I really will miss him, she thought before drifting back to sleep.

***

Although she enjoyed every moment she spent with her coyote friend, Nita still counted down the days until she could cross the mountain and continue her journey. Spring arrived, though the mountain barely showed any difference. The days grew longer, and the weather warmed at the lower elevations, though the snow remained on the slopes around their cave. Spring brought the promise of renewed life, but the vixen had almost forgotten that springtime meant she would have to face an important yearly event.

Nita awoke to a terrible yet familiar feeling. A peculiar musk hung in the air, and her entire body felt hot and twitchy. There was an indescribable need in the pit of her stomach, as if it was a void that needed to be filled. Her loins ached, having become wet and swollen overnight. She had felt all of these sensations before and knew what they meant. She was in heat.

And she wasn't the only one who noticed. The scent of her pheromones was already having an effect on her bed partner. His nose twitched as he woke up, and he let out a low, lusty growl. His arms held her tighter as he rubbed his crotch against her back. She nearly gave in right there, but she still had the presence of mind to understand the potential consequences.

"Stop."

He didn't. He only growled again, louder and more insistent.

"Let me go!"

Their naked bodies pressed closer together, and for the first time she felt his manhood extend from its sheath. His flesh tempted her. The one thing that could sate her heat lay only inches from where nature intended it to be. His deep growls resonated in her ears as he breathed down her neck. He was dominating her, and her body desperately wanted to give in to his advance. Her will nearly crumbled as she felt his warm, tight grip on her body and inhaled his masculine scent. He said not one word, but his body language spoke for him: I'll make you mine.

Her body nearly answered for her. Her muscles twitched as ancient reflexes tried to make her assume a mating position. Her tail moved to the side of its own volition. The vixen whimpered in want and need, but one final thought held her back. If she mated, her quest to rejoin her kind would end. After all the years of determined suffering, her mind would not let her throw everything away on a fleeting desire. The heat would eventually pass by itself, so letting this coyote satisfy her body wasn't worth the risk. There could be only one answer to his unspoken demand.

"No!"

She drove her elbow into his stomach as hard as she could and knocked the wind out of him. As he coughed and sputtered, she darted out of bed.

"How dare you?" she barked in anger, teeth bared, while glaring at him in disgust. Despite her fearsome demeanor, a distinct note of sadness tinged her voice and her eyes reflected her feelings of betrayal.

The pain brought Kalyan back to his senses. He shrank from the snarling vixen, less from fear than from shame. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"I've stayed here too long," she cut him off. "You've only distracted me from my quest." She threw on her clothes and gathered her meager belongings. In only minutes her pack was ready. The coyote watched her and looked as if he wanted to say something, perhaps make an apology, but he remained silent. Finally, as she moved towards the cave entrance, he summoned the will to go to her and place a hand on her shoulder. She whirled on him and slapped him away as she yelled, "Don't touch me!"

Thoroughly rebuked, his ears splayed back and his tail drooped between his legs. He whimpered, and his eyes conveyed a rush of uncertain thoughts and emotions even as the seething vixen maintained her menacing scowl. His mouth opened and closed, releasing some stray stuttering sounds as explanations and entreaties died on his lips. In the end, he barely managed a whisper as he pleaded, "Please don't go."

She regarded him for a long moment as she considered the time they spent together and what it meant, versus the mission she had set for herself and the singular importance it had held in her mind for so many years. Then, evenly, with no malice, yet no obvious remorse, she replied, "I'm leaving."

***

The vixen walked downhill at a brisk pace, planning the next leg of her journey. Going through the pass was no longer an option. Instead, she would go either north or south to try to find another way around the mountains. All she could think of was how much time she had wasted with that coyote, living with him as if they were mates. She should have been searching for a way through or around the mountains for all those months.

She was angry at herself for pointlessly delaying her search for the missing red fox tribes. The coyote had admitted that his tribe knew little of the lands outside its territory, so why hadn't she left and looked for her own way across the mountains as soon as she regained her strength? It was because she felt like the pass had beaten her, stymied her efforts, and she wanted revenge. She was determined to conquer all obstacles between her and her people, like she always had. She told herself that stubbornness was the only reason she had stayed for so long. There was absolutely nothing else she desired on that mountain.

Nita started to snarl at everything for no reason. Her heat always made her easily irritable. She hated that warmth in her loins that made her want to be touched. She hated that irrational lust that made her have strange fantasies. There was always a small part of her that wanted to find the nearest male and let him breed her and fill her with kits, but she knew how foolish that would be. She didn't want to be used and abandoned by some random canine. She wanted to start a real family with a loving mate, and she knew that only a fox could be a good mate for her. Her past experiences taught her that different species could not know anything but hatred for each other. That was why the gray foxes had destroyed her people. That was why so many of the wolves and coyotes she met during her long wandering had either shunned her or tried to harm her. Thus, she fought the burning desire in her belly. She had been through lonely, fruitless heat cycles before, and she knew she could and would do it again.

And yet, hadn't the past few months proved otherwise? Unbidden, her thoughts drifted to Kalyan. They had shared so much over their months together and become very close. She was angry at him for losing control that morning, but she didn't hate him. He had become a dear friend, the only one she had known for several years. In fact, the word friendship didn't quite describe what she felt for the coyote. She had known friendship before, but this feeling was stronger and different.

She loved him.

"No! That's ridiculous!" she said to herself.

It was simply impossible. Why should she give up the chance to be with her people for some exiled coyote? They weren't the same tribe, or even the same species. A union with him could never work. They could never be happy together.

Then again, hadn't they been happy for the past few months? He wasn't just some coyote. He was the coyote who had saved her life, taught her how to survive in a new environment, and comforted her countless times. He was kind, strong, gentle, and intelligent. Even if she found another fox, could she find a better mate?

She had been so focused on her journey that she had never really considered the possibility before. Certainly there was something between them, but was it really love? Maybe it was just her instincts begging her to finally submit to a strong male. Or maybe she had simply lost the will to continually travel alone through the hostile, unknown wilderness, and she was deluding herself because it would be the perfect excuse to stop.

It was perhaps the most important decision of her life - stay with the coyote forever and be his mate, or keep moving and never see him again. And probably die alone, never knowing a lover's touch or the joys of children... She shook her head. Her heat was getting to her. How could she decide something like this when she was so distracted, and when her own body was biasing her thought process?

As each new thought piled onto the last, Nita walked faster and faster, until she broke into a run. With a frustrated yell, she charged into a snow bank, diving beneath the powder and rolling around before popping back to the surface with a gasp. The cold snow against her body shocked her back into clarity and focus. For at least a moment, she could forget the heat in her loins. She waded over to a rock outcrop and shook the snow from her fur. Then she sat there for a long time, trying to sort out her true feelings, thinking and dreaming, planning out as many possible futures and contingencies as she could imagine.

The vixen lost track of time as she stayed there in quiet contemplation. She was cold and stiff by the time she made her decision, but the peace of mind it brought was worth the momentary discomfort. It felt as if a huge weight had been removed from her body. She finally knew what she wanted, and what she needed to do. She stood up and began walking back uphill.

***

"You're back!" Kalyan exclaimed as Nita walked into the cave. She looked at him and tried to keep her expression neutral as she watched his reaction. His ears perked and his tail wagged as he rushed to her. Relief washed over his face to the point of near elation. "Nita, can you ever forgive me? I'm sorry about what happened this morning. I don't know what came over me, but-"

She silenced him by locking her muzzle with his in a sudden, intense kiss. "I love you," she breathed as she threw her arms around the stunned coyote.

He was completely bewildered. "I don't understand. This morning you were-"

"Forget about this morning. I only want you to answer one simple question. Do you love me?"

He looked forlorn as he said, "It doesn't matter. I can't ask you to stay, even if I want you here. It wouldn't be fair to keep you from your people."

"Stop trying to be selfless and tell me how you really feel!" the vixen barked.

He seemed reluctant, but she could see the true answer in his eyes. She knew it was there, she just had to convince him that he was allowed to say it.

"Tell me," she pleaded.

He broke down and exclaimed, "I love you, alright! For weeks, maybe months now, I've loved you, but-"

She stopped him with another kiss. "That's all I needed to know," she said with a dazzling smile.

"Are you really sure about staying?"

"Kalyan, if you truly want me, all you have to do is ask."

He looked as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, but the confusion and uncertainty slowly drained away until he could look at her with a contented, loving smile. With a deep breath, he asked, "Nita, will you be my mate?"

"Yes!"

This time he kissed her. They held it for a long time, just tasting each other. When the kiss broke, only one thing was still on their minds. They stepped back and started undressing.

Layers of clothing fell away until they stood before each other naked. The sight was hardly new, but Nita took several long moments to admire her lover's body anyway, catching many details she had never dared to notice before, all while reveling in the little thrill that shot up her spine as she observed him doing the same to her. Kalyan's penis had already extended from its sheath, and Nita eyed the wondrous organ with rapt fascination. It was a dark pink color, almost red, and had a tapered, scoop-like tip as well as a bulge at the base. She wanted it inside her even as she wondered how it would fit. She worked her way back up from there, ogling the hard muscles of his stomach and chest as she shivered from both cold and arousal. Her gaze returned to the coyote's face and their eyes met. There was love and desire there, yet he seemed hesitant.

"Is something bothering you?" she asked.

He blushed as he said, "I don't really know what I'm doing. I've never done this before."

"Neither have I," she replied with a shy smile. "I think we just need to let instinct guide us." At that, she grabbed his hand and guided it to one of her small, pert breasts. That was all the encouragement he needed. He began to knead the soft mound of flesh, intrigued by how it felt beneath his hand. Before long he was using both hands to explore her entire body, roaming over her subtle curves with obvious hunger. The vixen closed her eyes and murred as her mate groped her. She felt his hands move down from her breasts and caress her stomach before moving even lower. She was sure he would touch her where she had never been touched before, but he veered away at the last moment and brushed her hips instead. Her whine of protest turned to a gasp as he suddenly grasped her firm rump. Once again, the touch lasted only a moment before those hands traced the curve of her spine from bottom to top, ending in a firm grip on the back of her head. Kalyan moved in for another kiss, but this time he didn't limit himself to merely touching lips. He used his tongue, flitting over the outside of her muzzle, sweeping along her teeth, and dragging it under her chin and along her neck. Nita moaned and trembled under the coyote's touch.

She was so distracted by his tongue that she didn't notice his hands were moving again. Her butt received another squeeze, but it was just the precursor to his real goal. One hand gripped the base of her tail and gently tugged it. Nita cried out, and even she couldn't decide if it was from pain or pleasure. Kalyan's other hand stroked the length of her soft tail as far as he could reach. His fingers left little ruffles in her fur, and his claws barely scratched her skin. The vixen began to pant and whine from the extraordinary sensations.

She couldn't take it anymore. She abruptly broke out of the coyote's grip and moved to their pile of furs, making a point of lifting her tail high to show off her red, glistening slit. She dropped to her hands and knees and presented her hindquarters, looking back at her mate with lust-filled eyes. "What are you waiting for? Take me," she dared.

The coyote was behind her in an instant. He dropped to his knees and seized her gorgeous rump with both hands to line up his eager length with her receptive flesh. The vixen whimpered in need as she felt his tip rub and poke against her, but when he finally plunged into her depths, she yelped from the strange discomfort of her first penetration. She felt so full! She couldn't imagine how she could withstand this feeling for much longer. When the hard length withdrew, she huffed in relief, but found to her surprise that she desired to feel it within her again. Luckily, her mate gave another deep thrust before long and held it in so she could get used to his size.

She wiggled her rump as she adjusted, moaning as the intrusion caused a series of unfamiliar, but pleasurable, spasms in her nether regions. Her tail went crazy, whipping around and batting against her partner's muzzle and chest until he gently nipped at it. With a gasp, she forced it to settle down and moved it out of the way so her mate could see the rest of her body. He growled in approval and leaned over her body, planting a hand on either side of her as he nuzzled her. She murred again as she basked in the attention and turned her head to kiss him softly, before bucking her hips ever so slightly to let him know that she was ready for more.

At that signal, he growled in her ear, and that deep, domineering rumble told her that her male was worthy. He began to thrust in earnest, though his movements were awkward, and he slipped out numerous times. With each slip, she would whimper from the sudden feeling of emptiness until he managed to get his member back inside her.

Eventually they found their rhythm. The coyote would sink into the vixen's heated depths, and she would push her hips back to meet his advance. She released a tiny gasp each time his hips met her rump. As they moved faster, her passage felt hotter and wetter and made a loud squelch each time he hilted himself. Their humping was smooth and swift for a time, but after a while he seemed to have trouble pulling out. That was when she remembered the bulge at the base of his length, and realized she could feel it. It was getting bigger, catching against her lower lips with each thrust. The coyote slowed and made his motions more deliberate, until he managed to shove his entire fully engorged knot into his mate, who grunted as she took it. An experimental pull only made them both groan in pain as the organ failed to come free. They were firmly tied together now.

Kalyan's body enveloped her. To Nita, only he mattered for now - his warmth, his power, his lust. She moaned his name and dared him to go faster and harder, and he obliged. He rocked her body with his thrusts and growled out his pleasure. Cute little grunts and yips escaped the vixen's throat as that bulging knot tugged against her insides. Little licks and nips on her neck and ears let her know that her mate hadn't fully given in to wild instinct. He was still thinking of her enjoyment as well.

Soon the nips grew harder and more frequent. Nita began to pant each time she felt Kalyan's teeth on her neck. When he finally clamped down in a full mating bite, she called out wildly, begging to be filled with his seed. All of the new, intense sensations of mating overwhelmed her, and her heated passage began to clench and spasm wildly. The vixen's first orgasm pushed the coyote over the edge. His seed spurted from his throbbing length in a white hot rush.

As the incredible feelings passed, the canines each released a long, high-pitched howl that echoed off the walls of their cave. When the triumphant sound faded, Nita nearly collapsed, and Kalyan didn't fare much better. The whole encounter had lasted only minutes, but it felt like it had been hours. They shifted and shuffled until they found a comfortable position, and Kalyan pulled some blankets over them. Neither one could stop smiling. They nuzzled each other as they rested.

They dozed for a few minutes, and the coyote's member softened and slipped from the vixen's passage. He kissed her before leaving their bed to retrieve some dried meat from the smokehouse. When he returned, they nibbled on it together, but quickly realized they had a different appetite. They grabbed each other and mated again in a writhing tangle of flesh and fur. It was like that for the rest of the day: mate, rest, eat, and mate again. Each time, they learned more about the pleasures of the flesh, exploring each other's bodies eagerly and learning new things about themselves in the process. The sun had set by the time they exhausted themselves completely. Wrapped in each other's embrace, they fell asleep.

In her dream, Nita sat under a tree cradling her round, swollen belly, surrounded by her parents and grandparents. They all talked excitedly about the healthy kits that were surely on the way. Her father asked about her mate, and she assured him he would be there soon. Indeed, as soon as she spoke, she heard him approach. She looked up, but did not see the same handsome, agile fox she had always dreamt of before. In the months since her rescue from the frozen pass, her dream mate had slowly transformed. He was taller and more muscular now. His tail was shorter. His fur was darker, to the point that the red had changed to brown. He hardly looked like a fox at all anymore. Her vision of a perfect mate had changed into a different sort of canine.

She awoke and sighed, but it wasn't the sigh of resignation that had escaped her lips so often when she was traveling through the wilderness. It was a sigh of peace and contentment, as if all her problems were behind her. She smiled at her own foolishness, thinking that she must still be giddy from the good dream, but then she felt those wonderful, protective arms around her.

There was something about his arms. The way he held her allowed her to block out all the worries and dangers of the world for the few hours they spent in bed. She beamed at him and poked his nose so he would wake up. He blinked and looked at her with a contented smile.

Nita licked Kalyan's face and murmured, "Good morning, my perfect mate."

***

Days passed and turned into weeks. It didn't take long before Nita realized she was pregnant. Indeed, she had suspected within that first week of mating when her heat cycle had seemed shorter and less intense than usual, but said nothing in case she was mistaken. Kalyan was ecstatic when she told him.

Nita soon made another trip to the village to tell Kala the good news. The new aunt was at least as excited as the new parents and helped by giving Nita some supplies and materials that they couldn't obtain on the mountain or make by themselves. There was so much that the vixen had to make several trips over a period of days to bring everything up to the cave, including pots, baskets, sewing materials, and materials to build a makeshift crib.

Weeks passed and turned into months. The short summer passed by, but Nita never once thought about trying to cross the mountain. She no longer cared what might be on the other side, because for once her heart and her mind were happy to be in the same place as her body. As her belly swelled and her unborn kits placed more demands on her body, Nita was forced to do less hunting, but Kalyan redoubled his usual efforts and was able to bring in more game. Nita often warned him not to overexert himself, but he was eager to prove his worth as a mate and a father. At night by the fire, they would sit together and feel the life growing within the vixen, wondering what their offspring would be like.

In early winter, the kits' time arrived. Nita's first labor was difficult. With no midwife and only a general idea of what she should expect, the reality of the situation caught her off guard. She was scared and in pain, but her mate was by her side the entire time, comforting and encouraging her. In the end her body already knew what to do, and after a few fretful hours, she found herself cradling twin boys at her breast while their proud father looked on with joy.

After that, time lost all meaning for the new parents. Keeping the new kits warm and fed took all their attention and energy, and it felt like they didn't sleep for weeks. Eventually, though, life settled into a pleasant routine. Kalyan provided food for the family, while Nita worked on making their little home more hospitable whenever the twins were napping.

***

Her beloved coyote was glowering into the fire, as if watching for some unknown danger. He had been like this a lot lately, keeping to himself and barely speaking. It worried her, and so she resolved to help her mate out of his foul mood if she could.

She moved to sit next to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong, Kalyan? You've been so distant lately."

He snapped out of his reverie and looked at her, placing his hand over hers. "There's nothing wrong. I'm just thinking about how I can better provide for our family."

"You don't need to worry so much, my love. You're already doing a wonderful job."

"No, I'm not."

"How can you say that?" she asked, voice full of confusion and concern. "We have plenty of food, a good shelter, a warm fire..." She moved closer to snuggle against him and place her head on his shoulder. "And we have each other. I'm happier than I've ever been."

He wrapped his arms around his mate, relaxing ever so slightly. However, when he next spoke his voice held a self-accusing tone. "Our children deserve better than to live in a cave," he stated.

"So that's what's bothering you." She shook her head, feeling relieved. "I don't think any less of you just because of where we live."

"It doesn't change the fact that our family is stuck here just because of my past mistakes. It's not fair to you or the kits."

"If it weren't for those mistakes, we never would have met, I would have died, and the kits never would have been born."

"I know, but I still feel like it's my duty to make our lives better. When spring comes, I want to go down to the village and try to convince them to accept us. If I have to swallow my pride, even if I have to grovel in front of the village chief, it will be worth it if our kits can have a proper home."

At that, Nita's voice turned stern, though she still maintained a comforting hold on the coyote. "If you really want to confront your old tribe, then I'll support you all the way, but don't you dare think that you're a failure. I mean it. I don't care where we live, as long as we're together." Then she dropped to a reassuring whisper as she added, "You're the greatest mate I ever could have asked for. I love you, Kalyan."

"I know, Nita. I love you too. And thank you for believing in me."

By the light of the fire, the two lovers kissed. There were many more days of winter left, but they knew they would survive and even thrive.