Auror

A few days later...


We start organizing the houses for the summer days. In two days, winter will arrive, bringing with it the mating cycle. Everyone is working tirelessly. Anira organizes everything in the morning, and I manage the night shift. The humans have started to leave, and tonight none of them will be in Forty Mile.
Ann told me about her meeting with Luna. I wondered why she hadn’t called me to the meeting. Of course, this completely changed how my companion started to act. Everyone now regards her as their leader and my destined one.
“Hey, if you keep sighing around, we won’t be able to stock all the supplies needed for the next three months,” Black decides to hassle me.
“If you worked more and paid less attention to me, it wouldn’t be a problem,” I growl roughly.
“Some things don’t change even with the arrival of a companion,” he retorts, already moving away from me.
It’s twilight, almost dawn, when Ann appears with two large mugs of hot chocolate and distilled spirits.
“Gentlemen, I believe there’s nothing more to be done,” she says, handing out the mugs, and we start drinking.
“Thanks, but I’m almost four hundred and fifty years old, ma’am,” Black says, and soon we see Marin, his companion, approaching him.
“Good morning, Ann. Good morning, Auror.” Black wraps her in his arms, and she smiles in her always protective way, her need to touch him instantaneous.
“Good morning, Marin. Did you come to get your companion?”
“Yes, they haven’t stopped since they started. I believe all the houses are stocked, and they don’t need them as much as we do.”
“I agree,” Ann says, and they both smile.
“How about a run home, Daemon?”
“I’d love to stretch my legs with you, dear.”
Soon Marin leaps into the air, transforming into a beast, and with a loud growl, they both disappear from our view.
“Wow! I’ll never get used to seeing that. It’s so powerful,” Ann says, looking at me.
“I wish I could do it for you to see, whenever you wanted.” The feeling of falling short in any regard frustrates me. She is my companion; I need to be devoted to everything concerning her.
“Hey, no more feelings like that,” she says as she walks through the door, which I keep open to always have access to my feelings.
“If I were a férnus like everyone else, I could be a complete companion.”
“Auror, you are a complete companion. And even though the damn stuff they put in the water prevents the transformation, I’m still here, desiring you just as you are.” I smile because she always jokes about the drugs. According to her, it's her brain's way of not freaking out.
“But…” I feel how I could fulfill her desires and how she would find me sexy and powerful, if only there wasn’t an eternal condemnation hanging over me.
“No ‘buts.’ I know you like to fulfill my wishes, but believe me, big guy, we wouldn’t be together if you weren’t in the position you’re in. The truth is, I wouldn’t even exist.” I feel a pang of fear when she says this, as if she’s afraid that everything we have now might disappear.
“What do you think about going home?”
“I think it’s a great idea. There’s nothing more we can do.”
I pick her up in my arms and run with her through the forest as the sky begins to lighten. Her scent and her body entwined with mine feel like being in a dream. We’re halfway there when we feel the snow begin to fall. Winter has just arrived, and the mating season will soon start.

***


As I walk through the house, darkness is falling, and Ann is still asleep. We spent the morning exhausted after my repeated indulgences with her; her scent excites me, and I need to keep my distance for now so she can rest.
I review our supplies again, ensuring we have everything we need for the next three months. I waited for Ann to fall asleep so I could perform a task that all férnus need to do to keep stray males away. We need to mark our territory. Ann releases a sweet scent when she’s excited, which bothers other férnus males because it mingles with mine, but a stray férnus wouldn’t care. Centuries ago, an exiled férnus approached a house and violated a female in heat, leading to a bloody fight that left both males dead and the female badly injured. She deteriorated and died years later. A férnus cannot survive long after their companion’s death; it’s as if a part of them is turned off, and they cannot live without them.
I leave the house, the snow forming a soft blanket on the ground. I mark our territory by urinating and rubbing my scent around the perimeter, extending two meters into the forest. I do this for hours, signaling any unwary or ill-intentioned animal that a férnus male lives here.
Returning to the house, I head straight for our bedroom, stopping by the kitchen to grab food for my mate. The good feeling that bursts in my chest cannot be contained, and the vibration of my body is completely involuntary. Euphoria takes over me when I realize she’s awake and has crossed the door of my mind.
"The smell is delicious and makes my body wake up and my stomach growl," she says, smiling, with her long white hair shining like a shooting star.
"I figured you’d wake up hungry. What do you want first?" I offer the tray.
"Venison stew with toast."
"It’s my favorite too."
"Has anyone ever told you that you cook really well?"
"I’ve never cooked for anyone but you, Ann."
"That can’t be true."
"I haven’t eaten cooked food in many years; I always prioritize feeding like the beast I am—hunting, killing, and tearing my prey with my teeth."
She smiles and leaves my mind. It’s always like this; when she senses any sadness from me, she withdraws, as if wishing to give me privacy. My companion takes the toast and dips it into the flavorful, spiced meat broth, savoring the taste. As I watch her eat, she extends her hand, bringing the food to my mouth.
"Eat," she gently requests.
Being fed by a companion is one of the most cherished expressions of care among férnus. We don’t speak or enter each other’s minds during these moments; we simply enjoy the silence, sharing the food, though I’m sure she can hear the powerful beats of my heart.
I never thought I’d experience this moment, not after what happened to me. Having someone felt like an impossible dream until she arrived, showing me that everything could be new and different.
"We could watch something," she suggests at the end of the meal.
"I’ve never watched TV."
"Really?" She rises on her knees and crawls into my lap, settling herself comfortably. "Okay, what do you like to do? Do you want to mate for three months straight?" Her startled expression almost makes me smile.
"Not a bad idea, but I am whatever my companion wants me to be. Everything I do and will do is to bring you comfort." Her head rests against my chest.