Ahi watched as Elisa slept soundly in his snake coils, too exhausted to put up her 'tent'. He would've helped her put it up if he knew how to work those strange sticks.
Still, a tiny part of him was happy that he didn't know how to put her tent up. He liked coiling his body around her, keeping her safe as she slept. Not that he was willing to admit it.
He feared letting himself indulge too much, not wanting to lose control of himself. His instincts had grown stronger since they mated and he constantly wanted to be around her.
Ahi knew he had to reined himself in. Otherwise, he would cause problems with Elisa's future mates despite promising never to cause conflicts. He had already snapped at Xavier a few times when the two were close.
But the other male was a huge idiot too.
It was clear as day he held some kind of interest, maybe even affection, for Elisa. But instead of pursuing it, the stupid bird was withdrawing even more.
Ahi sighed, his hand gently caressing Elisa's hair. She murmured something and his hand immediately stilled in fear of waking her. However, she settled once more, snuggling deeper into her sleeping bag.
He smiled at the sight, hand going back to caress her hair. The fire just outside the cave they were in crackled as a sharp wind blew into the cave. The coldness made Ahi shiver.
It was beginning to get much cooler and Ahi knew he would become more sluggish as the days went by. He wouldn't go into a full hibernation, but he would definitely be sleeping for long periods of time.
That made finding Elisa another mate all that more important. He wouldn't be able to properly provide for her during the cold season, let alone protect her. He was going to need someone to protect her.
Someone he could trust with her safety and well being.
Suddenly, Ahi picked up footsteps and looked away from Elisa to see Xavier coming back with some firewood in his hands. He was surprised the male came back with how long it took for him to collect a few sticks.
"Clear your mind enough?" Ahi asked as the other male dumped the wood inside the cave.
"I was just collecting firewood…" Xavier muttered, taking a seat by the fire. He glanced at Elisa for a moment with a small smile. But the smile fell as he looked at Ahi, who was giving him a knowing look. "What are you looking at?"
"A pretty stupid bird who doesn't know a good thing when it hits him." Ahi mused with a small smirk.
He had to admit he enjoyed teasing the proud bird sometimes. Maybe he should help Xavier in pursuing Elisa.What did she call it again… Oh, playing matchmaker.
He would play matchmaker.
"Stop giving me that weird look." Xavier's voice dragged him out of his thoughts. "And I don't know what you're talking about…"
"Stop playing dumb." Ahi got serious. "I know you like Elisa. If you wish to pursue her, I'll help you."
Ahi couldn't understand why Xavier wasn't more excited. In fact, he acted the opposite. Was he that opposed to having a mate?
"This again?" Xavier muttered under his breath. "You should stop…"
"Fine, I'll stop, but you're going to miss out on something good." Ahi shrugged, knowing he shouldn't push it too far. He still needed the bird's help to get to Grasslands City. "I hope you can live with that."
Xavier sighed, turning his head away. "It's not that easy you know… Elisa said she wasn't interested, so I'm not going to push it too far. I'll just get hurt and become an annoyance."
Ahi frowned. "She only said that because you put the distance there first. If you try, maybe you'll see you have…what it's called again… oh yeah chemistry."
"Chemistry?" Xavier looked at him confused. "What's that?"
"It's like this attraction thing that pulls you to another." Ahi explained. "Elisa told me it's like a fire that slowly burns inside one's heart as they like someone more…"
"Oh…" Xavier murmured, pausing for a moment. "It sounds nice, but I don't think that'll work with Elisa and I. She doesn't treat me the same as you-"
"Because you're not her mate." Ahi growled, slightly annoyed. "You have to earn it first. You hold yourself at a distance, so Elisa does the same to respect you. I never held myself back, making my intentions clear. That's why I got a chance."
The cave fell silent as Ahi's words save for the fire occasionally crackling along with the distant sounds of animals. He watched as Xavier quietly thought about his words.
After a few minutes of silence, Xavier finally asked, "You really think I stand a chance?"
"Probably." Ahi thought about it. "She didn't hate you holding her earlier and she was fine with you in the hut. If Elisa didn't like your presence, you would know."
Because he'd personally see to it Xavier stayed away from her just like he did with those crocodiles and jaguar brat. He would always keep pests away.
"I see…" Xavier went quiet again for several minutes. "I guess I could try harder… But why help me with this? Aren't you scared I'll take away Elisa's attention from you?"
"I do fear losing Elisa's affection." Ahi answered honestly. "But I fear losing her more. I can't protect her properly during the cold season. You know that's the time most females suffer and die when they're with ferals."
Xavier nodded his head. "I do."
"Well, I can't let her die, even if it means having to share her with other males." Ahi continued. "I'd rather do that and know she's safe than be selfish. I would just lose anyway in the end… You're someone I trust to care for her. You have great hunting skills from what I've seen and we work well together despite our differences.
"It'd be good to have you as Elisa's other mate because we could work together… I'm sure that'd be better than fighting for affection. Besides, I know where I stand in Elisa's heart and it's the best thing a feral could ask for. Wanting more would destroy that."
He knew the last part was a bit of a gloat, but if he was going to be clear about everything, he wasn't going to leave anything out. Xavier needed to know how he really felt.
It was the only way to push the dumb bird in the right direction. And Ahi could already see his words had worked, the other male's eyes almost sparkling.
Perhaps if things went well, he wouldn't have to be so worried about the cold season.