[Firekeeper Saga]: The Mating Game
Title: The Mating Game
Fandom: The Firekeeper Saga by Jane M. Lindskold
Summary: ID EVEN K WHAT THIS IS Firekeeper thinks Derian needs a mate. Short little bit of nothing, no idea where it came from.
There was something slightly unnerving about having Firekeeper stare at you, Derian decided. Maybe it was the way she never seemed to blink. Or the way she sat there perfectly still, looking like she would be perfectly content to never move again.
“Derian,” she said suddenly, just as he was about to demand she stop staring, “Why don’t you have a mate?”
Derian blinked, just horrified at first. “It’s called a wife, Firekeeper.”
“A mate,” Firekeeper insisted. “Why don’t you have one?”
He could feel himself beginning to turn pink. “Well, I…it’s not that simple. I’d have to find-“
“Well, you could start looking,” Firekeeper said, cutting him off. “I am sure there are lots of ladies who would be happy to be your mate. Even if human females seem silly about that sometimes.”
It was still unnerving, Derian thought, how she referred to ‘humans’ as though she were something else entirely. It was just habit. He hoped. “Well, --er, Firekeeper, the fact is-“
“You would make a perfectly suitable mate,” Firekeeper insisted. “You are strong and brave. You provide for your pack - your horses,” she amended. “Your family. And you are handsome, I suppose.”
I suppose?
“I am sure if you would just strut a little more -“
Strut?
“Then you’d find a mate. If you were not like my brother,” she finished, dramatically, “I could be your mate!”
And just like that, her eyes lit up. That, Derian was quite aware, was a bad sign. “Firekeeper,” he said hastily, before she could get started. “I think that - I'm quite all right. I don’t need a mate. I don’t want one.”
“Don’t be silly,” Firekeeper said. “Of course you want a mate. Every male does. And it is my job to find you one, since you don’t seem to be looking enough.”
“If I wanted a mate,” Derian said desperately, “I’d be looking. And I certainly would have found one by now! Firekeeper-“
“Sometimes people are just strange,” Firekeeper said, shaking her head. “If you do not want a mate, then why are you always pining about after Lady Elise or Lady - whatever her name is, the other one?”
“I wasn’t pining after anyone!” Derian exclaimed, his cheeks hot. Firekeeper stood up, stalked over, and poked him in the chest.
“Of course you were pining. I can tell when there is pining. Do you think people are the only ones who do it? Wolves are just less foolish about it. Now are you going to cooperate or not?”
Derian had a distinct, sinking sense that he was thoroughly doomed. “I don’t need a mate,” he protested faintly. “I can find one for myself.”
Firekeeper snorted, a very undignified, extremely unladylike sound. “Well. We’ll just see about that.”
Fandom: The Firekeeper Saga by Jane M. Lindskold
Summary: ID EVEN K WHAT THIS IS Firekeeper thinks Derian needs a mate. Short little bit of nothing, no idea where it came from.
There was something slightly unnerving about having Firekeeper stare at you, Derian decided. Maybe it was the way she never seemed to blink. Or the way she sat there perfectly still, looking like she would be perfectly content to never move again.
“Derian,” she said suddenly, just as he was about to demand she stop staring, “Why don’t you have a mate?”
Derian blinked, just horrified at first. “It’s called a wife, Firekeeper.”
“A mate,” Firekeeper insisted. “Why don’t you have one?”
He could feel himself beginning to turn pink. “Well, I…it’s not that simple. I’d have to find-“
“Well, you could start looking,” Firekeeper said, cutting him off. “I am sure there are lots of ladies who would be happy to be your mate. Even if human females seem silly about that sometimes.”
It was still unnerving, Derian thought, how she referred to ‘humans’ as though she were something else entirely. It was just habit. He hoped. “Well, --er, Firekeeper, the fact is-“
“You would make a perfectly suitable mate,” Firekeeper insisted. “You are strong and brave. You provide for your pack - your horses,” she amended. “Your family. And you are handsome, I suppose.”
I suppose?
“I am sure if you would just strut a little more -“
Strut?
“Then you’d find a mate. If you were not like my brother,” she finished, dramatically, “I could be your mate!”
And just like that, her eyes lit up. That, Derian was quite aware, was a bad sign. “Firekeeper,” he said hastily, before she could get started. “I think that - I'm quite all right. I don’t need a mate. I don’t want one.”
“Don’t be silly,” Firekeeper said. “Of course you want a mate. Every male does. And it is my job to find you one, since you don’t seem to be looking enough.”
“If I wanted a mate,” Derian said desperately, “I’d be looking. And I certainly would have found one by now! Firekeeper-“
“Sometimes people are just strange,” Firekeeper said, shaking her head. “If you do not want a mate, then why are you always pining about after Lady Elise or Lady - whatever her name is, the other one?”
“I wasn’t pining after anyone!” Derian exclaimed, his cheeks hot. Firekeeper stood up, stalked over, and poked him in the chest.
“Of course you were pining. I can tell when there is pining. Do you think people are the only ones who do it? Wolves are just less foolish about it. Now are you going to cooperate or not?”
Derian had a distinct, sinking sense that he was thoroughly doomed. “I don’t need a mate,” he protested faintly. “I can find one for myself.”
Firekeeper snorted, a very undignified, extremely unladylike sound. “Well. We’ll just see about that.”