“What would I regret?” The emerald feathers on his crown popped up and bobbed. “You have everything I look for in a mate.”
“I don’t have wings.” I spread my arms wide. “I can’t fly.”
“I don’t care,” he replied. “I spend most of my time inside, and if we need to fly somewhere, we can use a shuttle, or you can ride on my back.”
“I don’t have any feathers, a beak, or talons.”
“And I don’t have any hair, smooth skin, or luscious lips.” He took a step forward and grabbed my hands, enclosing them in his. “None of that matters to me. A partnership involves listening, caring, taking, and giving. It is a bond formed between two souls that is filled with trust and mutual understanding.
“It begins with a seed—the first meeting of two beings. Our moment was you crashing in the nearby jungle and bursting into my life. And then, with time and care, it blossoms into an unbreakable love.
“If you want to make us official, I’d love to perform a mating dance—an ancient Ekoiskra tradition that invokes the Four Winds to bless the couple and bind their souls together for all eternity.” His voice was strained, almost beseeching me to accept him. “If you say yes, and after we seal our fate, I will officially register you as my mate in the galactic citizen roster, earning you an additional layer of protection on top of mine.”
Something about this felt like a wedding proposal, but without the ring and in an incredible setting. He was still giving me his heart, partnership, protection, and soul as if it were a universal sacrifice.
When it became clear that I would not be going back to Earth, I realized that I would have no need for a ring. That was a human custom, but it was heading in the direction of extinction. A sign of ownership that was not well received by individuals of younger generations, and something that would get in my way at work.
“Yes, I want you, and only you.” “Yes, I want you, and you alone.” I nodded and leaned in, pressing my face against his soft dawn-feathered chest as his hands let go of mine and he wrapped his wings around me. “I want to make our relationship official, under your traditions and through the government. What do I need to do to prepare?”
“Nothing really.” He squeezed his wings tighter around me and placed his head on top of mine. “I could perform it for you right now if you want.”
“I’d like that,” I muttered, closing my eyes and listening to his heavy heartbeats. “Therefore, no one could ever question our connection or take me away from you.”
“Let’s go to the pool, where I can wash you, and we can eat our morning meal along the shore while we dry off in the warm sunlight.” He let go of me and turned me around to face him. “Once you’re completely dry, I’ll make you wet all over again as I rouse you with a dance before the Four Winds.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
* * *
“Areyou ready to answer my questions while I prove my worth?” he purred, his amber eyes darkening, his purr sounding more like a series of chirps. “Tell me what I need to do to earn your claim. You were thrown into my life by the Four Winds, and now I must catch your gust of wind in my wings and soar with you for eternity.”
“I’ll answer your questions, but are you prepared to handle them?” I teased, sitting on the edge of the large peachy-white border, wondering what I had gotten myself into. “What kind of dancing are we talking about?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” He spread his wings and extended his crest, as if he was displaying them for me to judge.
“You may begin,” I replied, motioning with my hand as if I were a queen speaking to an entertainer about to begin a performance.
“Your desire is mine.” He beamed, spreading his wings to their full extent and shaking them violently.
I sat on the large rock, my eyes fixed on Axel as he performed his mating dance. His feathers were a vibrant shade of black, almost iridescent in the sunlight, a similar coloring to ravens on Earth.
He strutted around, flapping his wings and singing a song that only he seemed to understand. He moved with such grace and precision, each step and gesture perfectly executed.
His body moved as it was a fluid bending to the wind; his graceful spins reminded me of the pinwheel seeds as they fell from some of the exotic trees back on Earth. Every time he turned, his piercing amber eyes would lock and hold onto mine as if he was dedicating his dance to me, letting me know that he wanted no other.
But it wasn’t just the beauty of his dance that captivated me. As he moved, I could feel his eyes on me, as if he were performing just for me. I felt a warmth spreading through my chest as I watched, and I couldn’t help but feel a strong connection to my beautiful, avian male.
It was clear that he was trying to seduce me, and I couldn’t deny the pull I felt toward him. It was as if he was speaking to me through his dance, communicating something deep and primal that I couldn’t quite put into words.
I felt my heart racing as he drew closer, his wings spread wide as he approached the rock where I sat. And when he finally reached me, he leaned down and brushed his beak against my cheek, sending shivers down my spine.
I couldn’t resist the temptation any longer. I reached up and ran my fingers through his feathers, feeling their softness and warmth.
Without a word, he took my hand and led me into the dance, and we moved together in perfect synchronization, our bodies flowing as one.
The world around us seemed to fade away as we danced, lost in the magic of the moment. And as we twirled and spun, he wrapped his wings around me, and I knew without a doubt that I was falling in love, and I would always remember this romantic moment with Axel.
“Would you take me as your mate, swearing our union on behalf of the Four Winds?” he asked, his eyes begging me to answer.
