Life had been good for Hroarr of late. Vikings had been going well, though he seemed to find more reason to go out on them recently. The weather had been fantastic, even when it rained. He ignored any talk there might have been about the fierce grins he tended to wear lately and what they might indicate. Yes, life was wonderful.

That is, until a rumor met his ears. Anakain had a suitor, according to the Freeborn females chattering as they passed by his den. He frowned, angling his ears forward to try and catch more of their talk as they moved away. As if somehow knowing he wanted to hear them, the group stopped nearby to speak more earnestly, and Hroarr frowned more.

Some burly brown reaver was supposedly hanging around Ana and her den. The giggling Freeborn seemed to think him handsome, though nobody seemed to know his name or whether he was from outside the pride or not. Soon the gabbing lionesses moved on, leaving Hroarr with his jaw clenched and brow furrowed. He tried to go back to his nap, but found himself huffing intermittently and lashing his tail.

Finally giving up, he got up to pace, glad that he was alone for the time being. Why was he so agitated over this? He should be glad for Ana! But he most definitely was not. What business was it of his?! She was his reaver, not his... thrall. His mind veered from the word "mate" at that critical moment. Finally he convinced himself that he was disturbed because it meant she'd be distracted from her job. Yes, that was it, and he was going to confront her about it!

With his mind made up, though he was still feeling rather muddled about the whole situation, he marched over to her den and stormed in without waiting to be invited. "You need to end it, now." he told the startled lioness forcefully, emphasizing his words by slamming one paw to the floor.

Ana was thankful in that moment that she had sent Tipa off on an errand with a torn hide she needed repaired. She stared at the big lion who she called Captain in complete bafflement. "End what?" she replied, standing up from where she'd been reclining. Her ears swiveled in confusion at this very erratic behavior, so unlike him.

"You know what I'm talking about!" he thundered, raising his voice as he never did, his brow lowering in anger. "This riff-raff hanging around you! He has to go. I won't allow such a distraction!" He waved a paw vaguely as he spoke, tail lashing his agitation.

"Riff-raff?!" she replied indignantly, squaring her shoulders and narrowing her eyes at him. "Distraction? I see. So if one of your male reavers has a fling, that's okay, but if your female reavers care to dabble, it's suddenly a distraction?!" She was swiftly growing into a towering rage. He'd never coddled her, never treated her as anything less than any of his other reavers, but there had always been something... different, somehow... between them. Maybe now it was finally coming out, and she was not having any of his nonsense. She was not a frail thing to be shielded and protected!! "What I do with my own free time is none of your business, Captain!" She sneered this last word insolently as she never would have thought to do.

Hroarr glowered at her as she rose to the occasion and sassed back at him. She was such a difficult pawful! Why couldn't she just do as she was told?! "It is my business when it affects your job!" he outright roared at her, his mane and a line of fur down his back starting to stand on end.

"And exactly how is my job being affected, sir?" she snarled back, her ears angling back and her own tail beginning to sweep the floor in agitation. What was all this about? How could he possibly think so little of her, after all she'd done to prove herself?!

"If you're mooning over this male, you won't be paying proper attention, and you'll get yourself killed!" he bellowed, gesturing forecfully and tossing his head, ears pinned and pupils wide.

"There is no male, and reavers die all the time!" she yowled back at him, matching his volume, oblivious to how many others must likely be privy to this spat due to how loud they'd both gotten at this point.

Her words hit him like a splash of frigid sea water. No male? But those females... they'd said... his ears began to fold. "B-b-but....," he stammered, suddenly abashed and aware of the level of confusion he'd been carrying since he'd heard those gossipers. She was right too... reavers did die all the time. Why did he care so much that she specifically not be distracted like that? He gulped, blinking at the angry lioness wordlessly. "There's no... I mean... you aren't... uh...,"

She frowned at him, eyes narrowed. She had never fooled herself about how she felt towards Hroarr, but had never been certain how he felt about her. He'd kept their relationship strictly work-related, and she'd accepted that definition of their interactions. That hadn't changed her interest in him, however. But it seemed he had not caught on to things before now, or so she was beginning to suspect. Perhaps it was time to put him out of his misery, and come clean about her own feelings.

"No, there's no male," she told him more gently, ears easing forward cautiously. She was about to take a very big risk, and her expression showed her trepidation. She wasn't a reaver because of timidity, however, and she pressed on, despite the backlash that might be about to explode. "No male but you." she finished quietly but firmly, keeping their eyes locked.

He gulped again visibly, feeling like he had something stuck in there. He stared into her intense eyes, trying to make sense of what she'd said, and of what he was feeling. "No... male... but... me?" If anything, his fur stood out more than ever. "As... as your captain.... right?" he managed to get out, even though the answer was there in her eyes. She shook her head slowly, not letting him off the hook. "You mean... you... me... um...," he stumbled on, unconciously taking a step backward. His tail was frozen behind him in a straight line, and his ears were canted to either side in dismay.

Ana decided it was best to be as clear as possible, or this might linger between them unresolved for far too long after this. She took a single step forward to match his backward one. "There is no male for me but you." she said clearly. "I have always known it was possible you'd not want me, but until I knew for certain, I could never consider anyone else." There, the truth was out, and there was no taking it back.

He looked positively stunned, and had the situation not been so serious and so much hanging in the balance, she might have laughed at the expression on his face. He finally sat his hindquarters down and rubbed his face with both front paws. He took a deep breath after, and seemed to settle a little, looking less like a gazelle foal beneath the paws of a predator. "I have been a fool, it seems," he said quietly, finally raising his eyes back to her face. "In many ways." He appreciated her settling herself to sit quietly before him, not commenting.

He took another deep breath and squared his shoulders. "First, I must apologize for barging in here and accusing you of something I overheard from some brainless Freeborn." He rolled his eyes in typical fashion of a reaver discussing freeborn. He really should have known better, but apparently he'd been ripe for such a volatile suggestion. "Second, I must also apologize for insisting I had the right to dictate your personal life activities." He hung his head at that, because he normally took such pains to treat the females exactly as he'd treat the males, and invading their personal space and ordering them about concerning their romances was anything but fair. But if he was to make good on his apologies, he also had to be as truthful as he could be with her... of all lionesses, especially her.

Ana, for her part, sat quietly and watched him without any judgment in her expression, though her heart was in her throat. If he rejected her, this would ruin not only their possible personal relationship, but also their working relationship. She likely would have to leave his warband and find another for herself. She'd heard of a possible all female band, which she found intriguing, but she didn't want it to come to that. Not at all. All she could do now was hold her breath and listen as he kept talking.

"But I owe you more than just apologies," he continued, lowering his voice further. "I... have always known something more existed between us." It was a hard thing to admit, even to himself, much less this lovely lioness. "The attraction has always... been mutual," he finally got out, dropping his eyes to one forepaw as he scuffed at the floor self-consciously. "I... have always had trouble with finding a female that suited me," he explained slowly, "and I think I've just gotten used to being a bachelor... to not believing I'd find a female that matched me well."

He sucked in a deep breath, feeling the ache of lonely years tighten his chest. It hadn't been easy, seeking a soulmate in a pride that seemed intent on spreading genes as far and wide as possible. It was generally believed that he tended to have affairs while on vikings and just never brought anyone home as a complication to his structured life. He'd let the gossipers believe what they wanted, but he'd been waiting all this time.

"You," he went on, raising uncertain eyes to her again, "have been a dream. Having you by my side on vikings has given me great joy. I've found no better fighting partner, male or female." It wasn't really that she was the best fighter he'd worked with, it was that they worked smoothly as a team, as if they always knew what the other was thinking or going to do. "I got upset because... I can't imagine my life without you beside me."

She smothered a giggle at the startled look that crossed his face when he said those words. It was as if he hadn't meant to or expected to say them, and that they had taken him by surprise. Her whiskers spread in a slow smile as she gazed up at him. "I don't want to be anywhere but with you," she responded sincerely.

His heart fluttered like a wounded and terrified bird at her words, at her gaze, and at the electric thrill of her touch as she moved closer and nuzzled his mane in tentative affection. His breath caught and hiccuped in his throat, choking him momentarily before he bent his head and nuzzled her back.

That moment, for the both of them, was like becoming whole in a sudden rush of relief, understanding, and joy. For now, just leaning into each other's gentle embrace was enough to fill and become their whole world. Nothing existed but the two of them, giving and accepting love endlessly. The bond was formed, and there was no doubt that nothing, even death, was going to break it. Soulbound, they became as one being, hearts, souls, and minds.