(AIM Log between Buffy and I)

Bonni
She had dreamt of home more often lately. She hadn't known adventure would come with such a price. She missed her father.. and the familiar sights. She missed the ocean and the sound of the waves on the shore. She missed everything, even her half siblings and she'd hated them.. She supposed she just missed the fighting. It was familiar, and it was gone. She stared up at the darkness, the stars illuminating the sky. They twinkled, and she found herself unable to look away. She flopped onto her back, tail swishing in the grasses. Her heart ached, though it was easy to ignore with Shirou by her side. When she got too much time to think though, that was usually when it hit her. Brunette curls flopped over one soft green eye, and she wondered if her family missed her. The rogue life, the adventure, it was fun. She enjoyed it, and honestly.. She didn't know she'd return home if she could. To stay anyway.. She quite liked the freedom. They lived rather well, though food seemed more and more scarce the further they went on. Shirou never let her go hungry though, and she wasn't a bad huntress as it was. Not...terrible anyway.

Shirou
Shirou had been given a lot of time to ponder since leaving home. He knew his lass thought of it often for it haunted her eyes even when she smiled. It had to be difficult on her to leave so much behind, and he would be a fool if he didn't acknowledge that it weighed on him as well.

His offspring, though grown, were missed. One simply doesn't sire nine cubs and not grow fond of the noise. Shiro and Shira were gone as well, having taken to the rogue lands together, and though he hoped to find them someday soon he held out no hope of seeing his siblings again. The triplets were likely split for good which left him pensive.

He padded closer to Bonni and laid a hunk of fresh meat by her. It had taken him the better part of the day to catch the prey, and what meat it provided went to Bonni first. He would not eat until she had her fill. Crystalline blue eyes sought out her softer green gaze and he frowned. "What's on yer mind?"

Bonni
She had been so far in thought, she hadn't even noticed Shirou stepping closer. Though when her eyes met with his, they warmed and she offered a smile that was just for him. The smell of the meat hit her nose, and she knew she had found a good male.. He took care of her, and even tolerated her mood swings as of late. She sat up, rolling onto her side before pushing up with her legs. She butted her head against his chin, rubbing her head under his chin. "I was just thinkin'" She said softly, her sand paper tongue licking at his maw, helping him clean the blood.  She looked down at the chunk he had brought, and grinned up at him. "Ye did a good job, Shirou." She said, swelling with pride. She may have missed home.. But truth was.. Where Shirou was, she was already home. "I missed ye.. It must have been a long hunt." She said after another nuzzle to his chin. "Sit with me." She purred, lying on her belly, and patting the earth next to her.

Shirou
Smiling sweetly back to her, the spotted male saddled next to his mate. He nuzzled his chin into her curls, careful not to douse them in blood. "Mm hmm". Shirou wouldn't press the issue, but he knew enough to decipher when Bonni's melancholy had reached levels he didn't like.

For her he tolerated the cleaning and without his cubs to fake gag around him he was able to truly appreciate the gesture. She really was too good for him. No one else would put up with him for as long as she had, and Shirou knew it. "Only the best for my sweet." He sat down next to her, leaning down to n** playfully at the base of her ear. "The herds have gone West; any further North and we risk losing our food source."

Bonni
"Mmmm.." She purred, at his affections. He sat next to her, her ear twitching with the n**. She giggled, a sound quite unlike her most times. But when she giggled, it was usually at the paws of Shirou in one way or another. "Looks like we should change course then, aye?" She asked, arching an eyebrow up at him. She didn't know what it was like to go really hungry, and she didn't want to start now. She thought her figure too perfect to ruin it with being too skinny. She didn't want to be skin and bones, after all. "Ye okay, sweets?" She asked, sitting up so she could pull at his mane softly. "Ye look more lost in thought than I was." She was rather like Shirou in that she could read when he was in a particular mood as well. "We should do something.. Get our minds off things." She said, her brow furrowing as she sat in thought.

Shirou
He grinned at her giggle, making a mental note to bring out a lot more of them later this evening. When he was sure they had a dry place to sleep protected from predators, that is. They had a temporary den, but everything about it was wrong to Shirou. It wasn't good enough to cover the dirt between his toes, let alone his lady.

"Hmm?" Obviously having dazzed out for a moment, he leaned into her pull. Shirou shook his head. "How could I not be okay with ye around?" He tried to sound casual, but he was worried; it was becoming more of a habit these days. "I know something I could do, but it's a little early for that."

Bonni
She grinned, narrowing her eyes and purring up at him. "Mm, it's never too early. But that wasn't what I had in mind." She chuckled, and leaned over to take a bite of the chunk of meat at her paws. She knew he was hungry, and she also knew no matter how hard she pushed, he refused to eat befores he did. For having once been a pirate, he was quite a gentleman.. She took a few more bites, before motioning that he could take over. She licked at her muzzle, cleaning what blood she could off. Then she starting doing the same thing with her paws. "Are there any water holes out here?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. It had been awhile since they'd swam at all.. and quite frankly she missed the feel of water under her paws.

Shirou
His hopes rose only to be thwarted at the last moment with curious confusion. Shirou lowered himself so that he could lay and eat in relative comfort, pondering what it was she had in mind. It didn't take him long to finish it off; somewhere between the hunt and the snack he'd gotten earlier his appetite had grown.

When he was finished, Shirou took a few cleansing swipes across his maw. "I think so. A small one, some odd distance South of us."

Bonni
When he said he thought there was a water hole nearby, a large smile grew on her face. She looked at him, playfully raising her rump in the air. "Come swimming with me." She coaxed under half lids and long lashes. She knew the look to give if she wanted something from Shirou.. "I'll even make it up to ye later, on my honor." She said, standing and feeling a bit of the happiness flood back to her bones. It had been awhile since they'd played around. They'd been far too busy surviving. Not that that wasn't important, but she just wanted to do something familiar, no matter how small. "I promise not to drown ye too." She winked.

Shirou
As if he was going to say no. Shirou loved the water as much as the next sea born cat, but it was the tempting siren that sealed the deal. "Ye've got me, lass." He stood, for all the world looking as if he were simply going to lead her...when he reached over and swatted her rump with his paw before bouncing away.

Shirou had a large, mischievous grin on his face. "Ye promised that last time, and I've still got water in me lungs." He gave a fake cough and took off at a job towards the South, looking over his shoulder as he went.

Bonni
She gave a squeal when his paw hit her rump. She spun around, grinning, dashing towards him. She loped next to him, keeping good pace. He'd be hard pressed to lose her, she was pretty fast as it was. "Aye, I remember! Ye best mind yer tongue, then." She purred, shouldering into him gently. It was in her to want to take the lead, but she had no idea where they were heading. She supposed she had better trust him... and hold to her promise of not intentionally drowning him...

(Fin)