Welcome to Gaia! ::

The fur on his ears bristled when he first saw her, and he tried to conceal a growing redness in his cheeks. This shy creature being escorted by her father was one of the most beautiful of his kind he had ever seen. Surely they had to be some sort of tribal royalty!

The bristling reached down to his tail when the girl's father stopped in front of him, a weathered but vigilant gaze staring through his very being before yielding a glint of approval. They talked. Negotiated, if you can call it that, but Taneir's attempts at outside gain were very thin. A union with what amounted to a princess that would also benefit his tribe, and all he had to do was move to her land? He thought it a dream come true!

Her village looked excited upon their arrival, busily preparing some sort of festival. He wasn't quite sure what everything meant, but he participated as best he could to make a good first impression.

Taneir was led away and dressed in what assumed was a finely made ceremonial robe. A belt went across his middle and was imprinted with symbols he wasn't familiar with. As the sun set, he was led back to the middle of the village, waiting at the end of a lavish carpet for his eventual mate.

The first site of her took his breath away. She seemed to outright shine even though her eyes remained down. He held her hands, barely able to contain his excitement and anxiety as the ceremony proceeded.

After the celebratory feast, he was led away to a small room with other males, one looking to be the tribe's shaman. He provided a blessing of some sort in an ancient language--probably some sort of virility cheer, Taneir thought--before being led outside the door of a large house. He took a deep breath and entered, witnessing his new mate sitting on the bed.

"H-hello..." Taneir said to the figure. "I know we haven't had much time to talk yet through this. I--I just wanted to say I am deeply honored to have been chosen to be the mate of someone as beautiful as you and will do everything I can to make our lives happy and fulfilling." He fidgeted, desperately wanting to see his new mate eye-to-eye but unsure of the protocol.

Taneir smiled, gazing into her eyes silently for a few moments, her purring tones captivating him, before suddenly remembering he should speak. "I... I would have been a fool not to accept you." He reached out and took her hands, almost like at the ceremony. "I know you're nervous. I am, too. This is all happening so fast. Um... what is it customary for your tribe to do now?"

Taneir's eartips burned as Nalla provided the explanation for consummating their union.

"I... I had hoped--er, I mean, I imagined... I..." he gave an awkward chuckle, his turn to eye the floor, before looking up. "I am ready to mate whenever you feel comfortable doing so..." He took her in his arms, firm yet gentle, and guided her toward the bed, a purring of his own resonating within his chest.

His purring involuntary, Taneir's breathing grew heavier as his dark brown eyes gazed into her lighter hues, a hand moving up her arm to slide down the strap of her dress. "My mate..." he breathed, leaning in to meet his lips with hers.

Taneir stirred awake to a warm touch, opening his eyes to see the form of his mate waking him. "So it wasn't all a dream..." he whispered, a faint smile on his face, before the knocking on the door diverted his attentions. "Oh! Is that--hold on..." He slipped the robe he had been given yesterday on and made himself presentable, bowing slightly as Nalla's father entered the room. "Good morning, sir..."

Taneir bowed slightly again. "Thank you. I am very honored to be a part of your tribe." He blushed at the mention of grandchildren, then tilted his head. "Children should not be up only to me. It is Nalla and my decision, together." He looked over at Nalla and gave a reassuring smile.