I was determined to hate Trivolep and show as much stubbornness as I could with my 'new role' as a mom or whatever. Well, I couldn't say it was that difficult. In fact, it was easy for me to hate him.
The problem was more on him hating me...

I was currently watching as the camp awoke with my ears perked, in case of an attack.
You could never be too cautious.
The first rays soon flashed in my eyes and I soon felt something... odd and nostalgic.
It was heat. The rays heated my pelt and my surroundings, showing a clear sign that Spring was upon us at last.

The ice would soon crack and the prey would be fat, the snow melting away while our coats stayed white.
It would be a difficult Spring like this, but we would survive.
And as The Onyx die in the Winter, we die in the short Spring and Summer, only just for a few months.

Trivolep soon joined me, laying down by my side and staring, not at the sunrise, but at me. He didn't care that I saw him doing so, he just did.
And like that, soon he was putting his tail over me and nudging over to me, grinning as he towered over me and straightening himself out so that he just looked taller.

"Your pelt, it's... so pretty Hikoshi.."

I almost barfed at this. While other females would coo over him (as he was rather pretty as well) I just gave him a snort of disgust and stood up, beginning to walk away until he barreled on top of me, holding me down.

"Now now now, pretty one, you stay here.... So that we can look at the view together longer.."
I just grunted at him and pushed him off of me, storming away as he tethered himself and raced to catch up to my pace.

"This is... unnecessary stubbornness, my love! We're together now, see?..."
I didn't respond and kept walking, hoping that he would soon leave me alone.
A heavy silence swept to both of us until he raced in front of me, looking straight at my scrunched up, disgusted face.

"You don't get it now, do you?"
I stared at him blankly.

"No... no, you don't."

"Don't get what, smart mouth?"
I let out a hiss telling him that I was on edge, but he didn't get the hint. If anything, he began to move closer to my face.

"That you can't escape from me. You will have to show affection to me at some point... you are mighty pretty..."

I huffed at him.
"Continue, please."
Dork. Idiot. I'll rip his teeth out one by one-

"Oh and if you don't, keep doing what your doing? Well, what do you think she is gonna do with you? Your little pretty pelt ain't going to save you if she decides that you're a failed experiment... what do you THINK happened to your little mama, Krisnil?"

I took a moment to process this.
"My mother didn't come back one day after another fight with dad... they said that she died in the battle.."

Looking back, this didn't make sense, as her role was a parent, meaning that she couldn't fight without somehow getting out of that role, which had never happened in centuries.
So how did she die?

"Wait. Your telling me that my mother wasn't cooperative so Caribou.. killed her?"

He sneered.
"Took you awhile to connect the dots, huh? Your father was also part of the argument, don't forget..."

I was on the verge of tears, beginning to sniffle and sitting down with my head low, defeated, as Trivolep whispered in my ear.

"Your mine, Hikoshi, mine forever. Unless you want your pretty little pelt off The Ledge, like your parents."
I shivered at this as he walked away.

The Ledge was a place close to the borders and The Outlands, where Caribou would dispose of the unnecessary bodies and waste from war. It was a cold, chilly place that the sun didn't seem to be able to touch underneath. It haunted death and had a bad aura whenever you came close to it, sent shivers down to your spine. On the bottom of it were long, pointy rocks that penetrate through the victim; a quick and efficient death.
I continued to sit there and recalled my last meeting with Mahogany in The Meeting Spot, which was when I had first learned that I had to be with Trivolep......

I raced through the bushes, knowing that I was late to the meeting; a whole hour late, actually. My mind was racing and my heart was forever pumping at a steady pace.
I remembered every part of his perfect face - his ghostly short-haired jawline and his long, steady ears.

Before long I was there.

I quickly placed the leaf on top of the stick and waited for him to come.
Of course, he never leaves me waiting fo long as a head popped around the corner just mere seconds later, lighting up when he saw the leaf and whispered my name.

"Hikoshi..?"

I popped out from behind the rock that I was waiting by and waved hello, laying down by the river, our territories border mark.

"Hikoshi, your face is all.. droopy looking. What happened?"

I sighed in defeat, knowing that he would have to know soon enough.
"I got my job... as a mother."

His face fell.
"Oh..."

"Heh. Yeah, not that great. But worst of all, I'm partnered with Trivolep."
Now his face twisted in anger, which I thought was really cute, grinning at it.

"That m- ... what, has my pelt turned pink? Why are you looking at me like that?"

I snickered.
"Nothing..."

He fixed his face and laughed back - a cute laugh, a soft one.
His face had twisted into a perfect angle, making him look awfully pretty.
It soon stopped and gazed into my eyes instead, lost in thought... thought about me.

"Look, Mahogany, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that we couldn't be together, and I'm sorry that I can't nuzzle you and clean your coat and play around like pups again, because I want to."
He looked at me as if I was going nowhere with this and, I was, going nowhere with this, so I switched it up.
"I want to be with you and do all those things, but... my pack comes before my personal happiness and.. feelings."

He looked crestfallen.
"Oh.. yeah, yeah. Um. But why, Hik- Hikoshi, look. Your pack and mine is - is in a war in a battle. Someone's going to eventually find out about us, and one of us if not both of us, are going to die because of our 'loyalty' of sneaking away and meeting each other in secret. Your going to have to choose me or your pack sometime. It's just... I've made my decision, so, you know, if you ever change your mind..."
He went silent, looking to the ground and I had the sudden urge to hug him.
I could see the rocks in the river, and I could see just how I needed to jump them to get to him...
But I couldn't.
Rules come first.

He all of a sudden looked up at me, understanding clear in his face.

"You've chosen your pack, haven't you? Hikoshi..."
I shook away the question.

"It doesn't matter! All that matters is that we are together now, right?"
He didn't seem convinced, a bit of something fiery in his eyes.
A bit of anger, or jealousy, or perhaps disgust.

I could practically hear his thoughts.
She's just like the rest of them.

I growled at him instead.
"Really? I come here as soon as I have the chance to see you, each time I have a break, it is for you. And now I'm going to have little to few breaks, all of which I'm going to give for you, and your angry at me? Look, I'm sorry about who I supposedly chose, but I'm going to go through near torture of labor, and you're too worried about something else.
I'll see you whenever I have the chance, Mahogany."

He looked at me in shock as I stomped away, huffing like an angry pup.

But I couldn't be with him, no matter how much I wanted to.
I had my destiny.. all figured out.