Snuggle Negotiations

Soulsand cursed quietly under her breath as she threw another log onto the campfire, sparks bursting into the air as the fresh wood impacted with the glowing embers. Although they were safe from the windstorm raging outside, the cave she’d found was damp and cold, and she was going through what wood they’d managed to scavenge more quickly than she would have liked.

She took a quick inventory of what they had left; it would be enough to last the night, she decided, after doing some quick mental calculations, but only if she used the wood sparingly. It would keep them all from freezing to death, at least. That obviously was much more important than having a few hours of blissful, toasty comfort, no matter how much she may have wished otherwise.

With the fire rekindled, she decided to do a quick perimeter of their campsite. The sound of her steps was masked by the crackling of the fresh wood burning, but she still took care to tiptoe to avoid waking her companions. It had been a long day of walking to find supplies, and both Sweetiebelle and ShadowClaw had looked completely worn by the time she’d finally decided that they weren’t going to be able to make it back to the caravan before nightfall. They had both put on a surprisingly brave face, trudging after her without complaint as she scouted out a place for them to stop for the night, but the moment they’d finished setting up camp and Soulsand had declared it was safe, the two of them had crashed in a pile on the cave floor, cuddling up against each other under their shared blanket for comfort and warmth.

Perhaps not enough warmth, though, Soulsand thought to herself as her perimeter check brought her closer to their sleeping forms. When she had been tending to the fire, the pair had been far enough away that the dancing shadows the firelight cast had made them harder to see. Now that she was closer, she could spot the faint tremors that wracked their frames as the night wore on and the air grew colder.

Soulsand watched them for a moment, before sighing quietly to herself. As much as it pained her, she knew what she had to do. She turned back towards the pile of supplies they’d left against the cave wall and started digging through her pack. With a grunt, she pulled her own blanket out from the bottom, swearing quietly again when she accidentally knocked down a stack of cans they’d scavenged in the process.

Despite the noisy clatter echoing off of the stone around them, neither Sweetiebelle or ShadowClaw even twitched. They truly were exhausted. No wonder the cold hadn’t woken them.

Soulsand briefly gathered up the cans, and then headed back towards her sleeping companions. Gently she draped her own blanket overtop of them. She watched them as slowly their shivers slowed, and then stopped altogether. Sweetiebelle let out a soft sigh, a tiny smile growing on her face even in her sleep, and then she snuggled up closer to ShadowClaw before settling.

Soulsand didn’t let her expression change, but she felt a burst of satisfaction, watching her companions sleep more soundly.

Now if only satisfaction could keep her warm, she thought ruefully.

Once she was sure that they were warm enough, Soulsand left Sweetiebelle and ShadowClaw to return to sit by the fireside. It wasn’t burning bright enough to warm her comfortably, but it would be better than nothing. She wrapped her arms and then her tail around her body and resigned herself to an unpleasant night.

She was abruptly knocked out of her brooding, quite literally, but a huge fluffy head butting itself into her personal space so violently she almost fell over. She let out a little squeak, and grabbed wildly at a nearby massive horn to keep herself upright.

“Dox!” she hissed, both outraged by the sudden attack and embarrassed that she had been distracted enough to miss Dox’s approach. She shoved at the monster with all of her might, and Dox obligingly let her go, though she still stayed far too close for Soulsand’s personal taste. She bristled and glared up at Dox, climbing to her feet in a futile attempt to stare her down. “Where the heck have you been?”

The smug grin Dox had been sporting slid off of her face, replaced with a guilty look. “Uhhhhh, exploring? Yeah, just exploring,” Dox said hastily, her eyes darting to the side, suddenly unable to look Soulsand in the eye.

Soulsand took one look at Dox’s shifty expression, and immediately decided that so long as there wasn’t any blood, and nothing was currently on fire or exploding, she was too tired and cold to care about it.

Sighing, she settled back down on the cave floor, crossing her legs and wrapping her arms around her middle. “Whatever, I don’t care,” she muttered, her attention back on the fire.

A second later, she let out another involuntary squawk as Dox suddenly scooped her up into her arms and pulled her in tight until she was surrounded by the soft fluff of Dox’s ruff, her face squished against Dox’s chest.

“Dox!” Soulsand shouted, though her voice was so muffled by Dox’s fur she wasn’t sure if the monster could even hear her. “What the heck, let me go!”

“Nope!” Dox replied cheerfully, only tightening her hold. “You’re way too cold. I gotta warm you up. You tiny mortals are so delicate, I wouldn’t want you to catch one of those icky cold things.”

“I’m fine!” Soulsand insisted, trying to twist out of Dox’s grip.

“Sure you are bro,” Dox told her condescendingly, patting her on the head like she was a small child.

That did it. Soulsand let out a battle cry, and then squirmed and shoved with all of her might. She managed to pull herself out from underneath the arm Dox was cradling her with, but before she could scramble free, Dox grabbed her with the other arm and squished her right back into Dox’s fur.

Their tussle lasted a few minutes. Soulsand put everything she had into breaking loose, from kicking and biting to even tickling, but every time she broke free for even a second Dox would just scoop her back in and cuddle her in close again. Finally, her energy spent, Soulsand hung in Dox’s arms like a ragdoll, huffing and furious and completely exhausted.

But she had to admit, if only to herself, at least she wasn’t cold anymore.

“There now, you finished?” Dox asked her with a cheeky grin.

Soulsand swore at her, but both of them knew that her heart wasn’t really in it.

“Yes, yes, I know,” Dox laughed, and then she settled herself down on the floor, her massive body curled around Soulsand like the world’s fluffiest quilt. “Now, I’m pretty sure you mortals need this thing called sleep? Maybe you should try it.”

“You sleep too!”

“Shhh,” Dox hushed her, her eyes closing. “Go to sleep, Soulsand. You’re safe, I promise.”

Soulsand wanted to argue, but she was so tired from their fight, and Dox’s fur was really cozy, and she knew that if any danger approached, Dox was more than capable of keeping them safe. Maybe it wasn’t so bad, having someone take care of her, just for a little bit. Maybe if she just rested her eyes, just for a minute…

--

As she felt her mate’s breathing ease out into the regular rhythm of the deeply asleep, Dox allowed herself a small smirk, enjoying her moment of victory. And then she, too, settled in to rest, warm and content. All was well.