Nahia had woken before dawn, feeling restless. The stars still glimmered as the sun peaked over the east. Not wanted to wake her emazte, who was still sleeping quit peacefulle when she left, she quietly pulled a cotton tunic over her and stepped out of the tent heading towards the collection of trees near the camp to watch the sun rise. Her bare feet were silent on the grass as she made her trek. Her spear was in her hand, even before the break of day she never went anywhere unarmed. The discovery of her spirit being that of the lion had surprised no one. Listening intently for anyone that could be about, she moved with the quickness and grace of the large cat, despite her short stature.

It wasn't unusual for Nahia to wake before dawn, she seldom slept a whole night. She had been that way since she was a child. It never was a trouble for her. The hour just before dawn was the most peaceful of the day. It was still quiet, no one stirred yet, even the land was hushed with the stillness of night.

The breeze blew her long sleek black hair from her face, she reveled in the feel of it. She stood her spear in the ground next to her, her arms spread wide letting it wash over her, she smiled. The feel of the night made her spirit dance. Before she realized she was doing it she heard herself hum a song she had known since childhood. The only way to make this moment better would be to share it with Lorea. With that last wistful thought, she let herself fall back on the grass and watched the sun begin to rise over the plains.

Lorea was often a light sleeper, so it was nothing unusual when the slight disturbance her wife made by leaving their tent was enough to momentarily wake her up. One eye carefully popped open just in time to see Nahia's form step outside. Lorea closed her eyes again and tried to go back to sleep. On most nights, she would have been successful at it, but her own paranoia was more than enough to rouse her into complete wakefulness. Why was her little wife leaving alone at this hour? It was worth investigating, and Lorea desperately hoped she would see nothing more than what happened on her own late-night outings.

She quickly rose to her feet, got dressed, and slipped outside. Her wife's silhouette was still visible as a distant shadow, and Lorea followed it quietly. She made a great effort to keep the distance between them steady; the last thing she wanted was to lose sight of the other woman's form. Lorea was able to see how strange this situation was: the ram pursuing the lion. Then again, from another side it wasn't so strange at all becasue Lorea was clearly the more manly of the pair.

And then her 'prey' as it were stopped. Lorea stood still as well, watching closely. So far she was alone, which was a relief to say the least. Lorea did not move any closer until she saw the form in front of her collapse on the ground. She then ran up quickly and bent her head so that she could look at her wife. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you alone," she said bluntly. "Nobody's coming to meet you, are they?"

Nahia heard light steps before she saw the form of her wife standing before her. Her questions, although accusing, made her smile. It was oddly sweet that he wife still worried that there could be someone else. There wasn't, of course. And there never would be. Nahia had more honor, not to mention Lorea was all she needed. She looked up at the soft face, full lips, and deep eyes that belonged to her Emazte. It was a wonder how the woman could think she would want anything else.

Nahia sat up, her dark hair rolling over her shoulder past her waist in an ebony wave. Her look was stern, but her eyes danced with laughter. "Of course there is not anyone coming, how could you think such a thing?" She grasped Lorea's hand as she spoke, tugging her to the ground next to her. In an intimate gesture, she brushed the stray hairs from the other womans face, before pulling her into her arms. Lorea definitely had the spirit of a man, but even a man needed nurturing.

"Oh emazte, why would I want anyone but you?" She spoke softly. "I know I should be offended, but your jealousy warms me. I was simply restless, I thought I would come watch the sunrise. You seemed so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you." she smiled. The air was still chilled from night, but the sun was peaking up over the horizon. It was amazing to Nahia that she could be so close to someone. She had always been a bit of a loner, especially after her mothers death. Sadness kept her from letting anyone get too close. Until Lorea, she hadn't trusted anyone. For so long she felt virtually alone. Lorea had found her, and almost instantly Nahia had fallen in love. Now here they were, Nahia's arms wrapped around Lorea, watching the first light come over the plains.

Lorea did not need to hear any words, for her wife's smile told her enough. The fact that she had smiled at the accusation instead of answering it with a frown or a look of shock was enough to prove her innocence. That said more than any words could ever hope to. Lorea could not help but return the smile, greatly pleased to see that her jealously and fear had been unneeded. She allowed Nahia to pull her down to the ground, and she held her lover tightly.

Though she went to great lengths to hide it, Lorea did in fact have a softer, more womanly side. As far as she knew, there were only two people who really knew about it: her wife and her mother, who often thought of Lorea as her 'male daughter.' Since the two of them were completely alone, she had no problem in letting it show right now and nearly giving up her manliness in favor of gentleness. For quite some time, she simply stayed still and enjoyed the presence of her wife. Truth be told, getting pleasure from soft intimacy as well as hot passion was her feminine guilty pleasure.

After some consideration, she pulled away slightly, just enough to leave room for a conversation, and she spoke softly. "You' said exactly what I want to hear." A pause, Lorea was almost afraid to continue. "Sometimes...Sometimes I'm afraid I don't satisfy you enough."

The feel of her lover pressed against her, warmed Nahia deeply. Feeling her emazte soft and warm in her arms even after all this time sent shivers of pleasure through her. In that moment watching the skies, her spirit soared. It was a feeling she only got when she was with Lorea, it was as if the rest of the world and their troubles didn't exist. It was just the two of them and their bond of love.

The moment, the she knew it could not last forever, ended as Lorea spoke. Her words troubled Nahia, enough for tears to well at the brims of her eyes. How could she think she wasn't enough? This woman, who had saved her from a life of loneliness and replaced it with such joy, such a love that is only heard of in stories told to children. It pained deeply her that Lorea could feel such a thing.

Nahia reached down and gently touched her fingers to Loreas chin, tilting it so she could look into her soulful eyes. Her face had such a soft beauty, even if she did possess the spirit of a man, it was the intimate moments like this that made Nahia fall in love with her all over again.

She brought her lips to the other womans forehead before speaking. "Emazte, you are my everything," she spoke softly letting her raw emotion into her voice. "I would not be whole without you. Your love satisfies me more than you could imagine." Nahia was not one to share her feelings in such a way, in fact Lorea was the only one she ever opened up to like this. She brought her lips to kiss her wife, passionately, holding nothing back. As the kiss ended she locked her gaze with Lorea and whispered softly, "Never let such thoughts worry you, my love."

Lorea simply allowed her wife to kiss her, and if she had wanted more Lorea would have passively allowed that as well. It was another side that few got the chance to see, when she let go of her aggressive nature. Even in intimacy, Lorea was typically more assertive, but from time to time she saw the appeal of taking the other side. Nahia left her wanting more, at least until she spoke. Those soft words reminded her of another concern of hers, one she was trying to forget. Best not to let it go. After all, if she could not be honest with her own wife, then who could she be honest with?

"No, that doesn't worry me so much, but something else does." Lorea kept her voice soft, and she reached out to lightly run her fingertips over her lover's neck. She knew well enough that what she was about to say might ruin this beautiful moment. "I've been thinking that I might like you to have a child." Her heart raced as she waited for an answer, but she was able to keep her face steady and pleasant. One hand quickly found her wife's hand.

It was not so strange of a desire. Everyone, man or woman, wanted children, so Lorea saw nothing unusual in the fact that she wanted to be as close to something like a father as she could. However, the trouble with it was that it would mean sharing Nahia--if she was willing, of course.

The comfort and pleasure Nahia had lying there on the grass was interrupted by her lovers words. Until that moment she hadn't known her heart could be filled with joy and break simultaneously. Of course she wanted a baby. What woman didn't? And the thought of raising a child with Lorea was wonderful. She wanted nothing more in the world than to have a family with her emazte. But she knew that making love with Lorea wouldn't give them that child, and the thought of being with someone else was dreadful.

There was a long silence while Nahia looked for words. In the end she decided speaking from the heart was the only thing she could do. "Of course I want a child. I want your child, our child. But I would have to...to lie with a man. Lorea I want no one but you. The thought of someone else touching me is...disturbing."

As the words left her mouth she knew she had made a mistake dismissing her wife's wishes. Nahia so desperately wanted a family, and knew Lorea felt the same. "But if thats the only way...of course you would be there with me while...while our child was made...perhaps we could." she spoke slowly, trying to wrap her mind around such a foreign idea. Her hand tightened the grip on Lorea's. She managed a weak smile. The thought of a baby was wonderful. Nahia kissed her wife softly, "Is this really what you wish my love? You will still find me...desirable, if someone else...? You know I would never if there were another way...I want no one but you." Fear tightened in Nahia's belly as she waited to hear her answer.

Lorea sighed heavily. She had to pause for a moment to work out what she wanted to say and how to say it. Putting her thoughts into words, let alone into the right words that would express exactly what she wanted was an intimidating task. It certainly didn't help that her thoughts and feelings seemed to contradict themselves over and over. Lorea wanted the result: a child, but not the only way it could be achieved: sharing her wife.

"Of course I would still find you desirable," she said softly, still thinking about the words she wanted to say as she formed them. "But, I should be honest with you, I still find the thought of someone else touching you disgusting. It's the only way, and I suppose you can see why it troubles me." Lorea brought her wife' hand up to her lips and kissed it softly. Nahia was her wife, her lover, and Lorea would be lying if she said she didn't got a little possessive. She would have to get past that if she wanted Nahia to also be the mother of their children.

"Think about it as long as you need to. I understand if it's something you would rather not do." Lorea fell silent and turned her attention toward the rising sun. There was no need to let anything ruin this beautiful moment, even though it might had been more enjoyable if she kept her concerns to herself for just a little longer.

Nahia smiled, and ran her fingers through Lorea's long dark hair. She let the new silence fall around them as she contemplated what to do. Having a child was a life long dream of hers, but the idea of being with someone other than Lorea was awful. Nahia was an honorable wife. Not only that she was a true wife, she honestly wanted no one but the woman next to her.

The rising sun caused hues of color dance across the sky, it was breathtaking. Nothing could have made the moment more perfect. Nahia looked at Lorea, she decided in that moment that whatever the cost, she would make their dreams come true. Nahia leaned in and brought her lips to meet her lover's. It was a slow passionate kiss that promised more. Nahia pulled back, just enough to look into her eyes. "If you will be with me the whole time, and it is what you want then we can have a child. Just know that as much as I want a child, you are the only one in the world I would ever want to touch me."

Before Lorea could speak she pulled her back into a kiss, drawing their bodies closer together. The only thing that could've made the moment sweeter was for the cloud of sadness to lift. Though she wouldn't say it out loud, she was still deeply troubled at the thought of lying with someone else. But her wife wanted a baby, Nahia wanted a baby, and there was only one way to achieve that.

Lorea could hardly appreciate the beautiful scene that danced across the sky. She certainly noticed the vibrant, dancing colors, but to her it seemed to be just another start to another day. There were more important concerns taking control of her mind, ones that begged for immediate attention. After all, there would be more sunrises. The first concern was her mix of emotions, and even though she tried to ignore them they begged to be sorted out as soon as possible. Second, Lorea wanted to direct the rest of her attention toward enjoying the company of her wife.

As Nahia kissed her, her mind was elsewhere and distracted with a rather disturbing thought. However, Lorea tried her best to hide it and to kiss her wife just as she would on any other day. She couldn't help but wonder if what she told her wife was really true: if she would still desire Nahia after she had been touched by another. The thought still made her feel sick; she would easily admit that. What if, after seeing it happen, those feelings came back every time she looked upon her wife? Lorea decided that these concerns were best kept secret for now. There was already more than enough for her wife to think about.

Lorea did not answer immediately, but simply allowed her wife to kiss her again. Though, the second time, it was more difficult for her to keep her distractions to herself. Her desire for intimacy had almost completely left her, and she only returned her wife's affections half heartedly. When she did pull away to speak again she left the kiss unfinished, and the softness left her voice.

"If it's what you want, I will begin looking for someone as soon as I can."