The Weight Of The Past

- Ehi! La terra chiama Reeden! Siamo ancora in contatto, tesoro?

Shaken suddenly from his mindless lethargy, the cougar flinched in his wicker chair, nearly spilling the still-hot coffee from the mug he held in his paws. Feeling the fur on the back of his neck involuntarily rise, the male turned his head to the side and quickly lifted his gaze over the black frames of his glasses, almost immediately encountering the pink nose and bright green eyes of the lioness, staring intently at him. She must have been sneaking up on him, because he didn't catch the sound of the decking boards buckling under her paws.

"S-Sorry, Veri." He muttered, placing the mug back on the table. He took off his glasses and slowly rubbed his eyes with his fingertips. "Lately, it's been hard for me to gather thoughts after a long day at work." He explained, feeling something that was tickling the backside of his ear. When he reached to check it, he found a yellow leaf that was stuck in between his hairs. Early signs of autumn were already showing in the Valley of the Four Oaks, starting from the cold mornings, evenings and leaves that were falling down from the thick branches.

"I've noticed." Veridia replied, slowly straightening up and folding her arms under her breasts covered with a green sweater, looking down at the cougar with narrowed eyes. She was a well-built lioness, whom Mother Nature had spared no expense in both height (she was almost half a head taller than Reeden) and curves in all the right places. Her seemingly plush appearance, however, was at odds with the female's personality — sometimes even too harsh, direct and impulsive. "And you probably listened carefully to what I just said, right?"

"Umm..." Reed suddenly felt a strong urge to sink as deeply into the chair as possible, perhaps shrink to some microscopic size. "I — you know, I... -must have somehow... missed that." He muttered as quietly as possible, focusing his gaze intently on the area around his knees.

Veri sighted loudly, muttering something under her breath in Italian. Lowering herself toward the cougar, she suddenly grabbed his paw and with a swift, strong move she lifted him up from the chair with ease.

"W-what are you-?"

Lioness' finger pressed against his muzzle.

"Just follow me, tesoro." She said silently with an unknown expression of her muzzle, guiding him back inside Veridia's small, yet cozy house. They passed through the kitchen and hall without a single word, but Reed wouldn't even dare to ask her about it - partly because he was too drained for it, and partly because he knew that even with his loud protesting, Veridia would drag him with herself anyway.

Their bedroom - filled with the daylight going through the glass wall, warmth of the fire that was dancing lazily inside the small fireplace, simple, wooden furniture and the scent of autumn candles - looked and felt as cosily as it could be, tempting to be used as a calm spot for a long hours of relaxation or sleep.

Before the cougar male was able to open his muzzle and say anything, the lioness turned around quickly to face him. Placing her gentle, soft fingers on his torso, she started to open the buttons of a white, formal shirt that was still on him, letting out a deep, silent purring from her chest. It didn't take her long to have full access to Reed's firm torso and toned six-pack. Veridia took her moment without any sign of rush, dragging the tips of claws through the white chest fur and the middle line of the cougar's abs, sending a pleasant shiver through his spine and dragging out heavy, loud pants out from his muzzle. Her touch was gentle, almost caring, yet Veridia knew every single spot on Reed's body that she needed to press for a specific reaction.

It didn't take her long to hang one of her fingers on the black belt's buckle. Feeling a gentle tug on it, the cougar lifted his head up and looked into the deep, green eyes that were already waiting for him. Reaching with paw, Reeden placed his fingers on Veridia's cheek and closing the distance between them, he linked his muzzle with hers in a kiss. A kiss that he missed so much today, almost begging for it in his thoughts. It was always reminding him of the sweetness that even the world's finest candies and chocolates couldn't replace, warming him up tip to toe.