I'm relieved when he purrs again. "In my culture, clasping a tail is a sexual advance, my Ree."
I make a little yelp and let go of him, suddenly getting a sense of how he probably feels right now.
"I'm so sorry!"
"Well, as you said, I didn't tell you and I was enjoying it," he purrs out, putting a pin in reversing our roles.
Something about his tone lets me know he knows exactly what he's doing.
I laugh, and he joins me with his chuffing. It feels good to be sharing a moment of levity with him and even better to be doing it in the warm cocoon of his fur.
Then I realize the light filtering through the trees suggests it's evening.
"As much as I would love to talk over all of our relevant erogenous zones, and possibly touch them if that sounds good to you, I need a bathroom break, water, some food, and then to get Silver in a place I'm not having to worry about her," I tell him.
"I want to touch all of your places and for you to touch mine," he says, his breath hot against my neck. "But I also agree that your Silver needs to be our priority."
Thivoll loosens his grip on me so I can sit up. My hair is wrapped around my limbs in ways that make repositioning difficult.
I have a long strand of it caught under my armpit and my temper flares. "Could you use your claws to cut off all this ridiculous hair? Ugh!"
Thivoll takes a gasping breath. "I love your mane, my Ree. Please don't ask me to do such a thing."
I grumble internally, but must admit it also feels nice that he likes it. "It just grows right back, anyway. I already tried to be rid of it."
He growls, but doesn't comment and simply moves us into a better position so we can climb down. When he sets me down on the forest floor he tilts back onto his haunches so he can run his hands through the offending length of it.
His purr builds and then stops shortly after. "It has changed."
I look down and stiffen at the sight of it. "Is it orange?"
It's a stupid question, but it pops out anyway.
"Yes, you have large orange streaks among the indigo. It's beautiful, but why has it changed?"
I huff out a breath. "Apparently each of us will start to take on the traits, and I assume somehow some of the genetics, of whoever we are around. At least for a certain period until the changes halt. Or something like that. They didn't really explain it."
He's silent for several long moments. "So you are becoming partly manticorid? I've not heard of this technology. I wouldn't think it would be possible and that I would be immune."
"Well, I guess since I'm not immune that it can make me more like you? Or maybe I'll only partially change because at some point I'll be immune? I wish I knew."
I gulp, the realization that everything has or will change suddenly crashing down on me. I can't even rely on my body being the same and just want to find a corner to hide in.
Preferably with ice cream and potato chips.
Thivoll pulls in a breath along the roof of his mouth. "I see. You are afraid."
He pulls me close to him, one hand on the back of my head and the other stroking down my back, over my butt and down mylegs. He pulls his hand back up and pats my ass and then starts again.
On the second repetition, it brings a small smile that lightens the heavy weight of panic, if only slightly.
It's been interesting interacting with each other with no good sense of where it's socially acceptable to touch each other.
No need to explain, thankfully, since it's quite pleasant.
I sigh. "All the change has been hard and you're right. I'm a little scared, but mostly I just feel overwhelmed and like there's nothing I can rely on anymore."
A comforting purr radiates from his chest. "You can rely on me. I might not have a lot of control over what's happening to either of us, but I promise I'll do everything I can to keep you safe and as comfortable as I can."
