[jobiehanna]

Rhea & Pankajar (Pan)

So, this is what it felt like to go on vacation. Rhea didn't like leaving her kids with a babysitter, but Pan had convinced her otherwise. If it weren't for him saying that, the couple wouldn't be in Idalani. They had caught a flight in the night before and had spent the night in a beautiful hotel. It had been expensive because it was Valentine's Day Eve, but Rhea and Pan felt it was worth it. They hadn't had a real vacation since their kids were born.

It was a relief to be away, but both parents were also very worried about the safety of their four children. Ever since Rosemary had been kidnapped, they hadn't felt the same about leaving their children. Sure, it had happened in the broad of daylight beneath their noses, but it was a completely different matter to leave the remaining four with a babysitter. Rhea couldn't remember a day in the last four years when she had not seen their smiling faces.

Presently, the married couple was walking around the falls. Both had opted for their kuhna forms to better navigate the busy area, but Pan was wondering if it was such a good idea. They were smaller this way, and he wondered if he'd be able to protect Rhea, should the need arise. He glanced at Rhea, and couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. Rhea, his wife, was the most beautiful being he had ever seen, human or otherwise.

On the other hand, Rhea was perfectly content with the feline form. It was in this form she had met the love of her life. She carried a picnic basket they had gotten at the Lovers' Hotel in her one tail, and the other was entwined with Pan's. She glanced at Pan and caught his eyes on her. She felt a blush creep up her cheeks at the intensity of his stare. "Pan, stop it. You're making be act like a teenager again," she said with a girly giggle.

((Forgot to put HUNT in the title when I started this. I hope it's alright to add it! ))

[jobiehanna]

"Stop what?" Pan asked innocently with a raise of his eyebrows. "I don't know what you're talking about," he went on to say with a smirk.

Rhea rolled her eyes. "You know what," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him. Whenever she was with Pan alone, she couldn't help but feel a like a young girl again.

"I don't," Pan insisted, his eyes sparkling with playfulness.

Rhea couldn't help it, she laughed. "Quit playing innocent with me, Pankajar," she said, using his full name.

"I can't help that my wife is the most beautiful being on the earth," Pan said with a large sigh. He always knew when she used his full name that she had had enough of his teasing. Lately, it hadn't been taking very long for her nerves to run thin. But who could blame her? He certainly couldn't. Though it had been years since the disappearance of Rose, it still hit Rhea hardest. It hit him too, but Rhea was much more sensitive to it than he. He felt a pang in his heart for his lost daughter, but kept up his game with Rhea nonetheless. She didn't need to be reminded of what they had lost. He smiled as innocently as he could and gave her puppy dog eyes.  

"Oh please," Rhea said with another roll of her eyes.

[jobiehanna]

Pan chuckled and nudged her with his shoulder. "Awe, you're beautiful and you know it," he said with another playful wink.

Rhea looked at Pan from the corner of her eye and felt a shiver go up her spine at seeing him wink like that again. She couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach at spending time with him like this. It had been so long since she'd been this way with him. "Thanks," she said in a whisper.

"No problem," he assured her. "I'm always ready to give you compliments," he went on to say with a large grin. At this Rhea just smiled and blushed again.

[jobiehanna]

Rhea was used to Pan messing around and flirting, but it just seemed so out of the ordinary now. He hadn't been nearly this free spirited since Rose's kidnapping, and she knew it was because he blamed himself. She knew it was because he thought he could have prevented it, and she was always trying to convince him otherwise. Rhea glanced at her smiling husband and knocked into him playfully. "Right," she said with a dismissive shake of her head.

Pan had been expecting a fire-y response from Rhea, but her nudge caught him off guard. He stumbled and a terrified expression crossed his face when he realized he wasn't regaining his balance in time. He fell over and tumbled into the water beside him. He tried to scramble for purchase on the grassy muddy slope but couldn't. Within seconds he was flailing in the water trying to right himself and tred water.

[jobiehanna]

"Oh no, Pan," Rhea cried as she watched her husband fall into the clear water. They were still some distance from the falls themselves, so she didn't worry about him getting caught by the undercurrent. Rather, she was worried about his swimming skills. It had never been his strong suit.

Setting the basket gently on the ground Rhea readied herself to dive in after Pan. She approached the water's edge and watched him flail around. She didn't want to waste any more time so she jumped in, immediately catching herself and swimming closer to Pan. She helped him get balanced, "I'm so sorry dear," she said with an apologetic look. He looked like he was swimming pretty good before she had reached him, but she still wanted to help him.

[jobiehanna]

"I didn't need help ya know," Pan said with a playful scowl as Rhea helped him. "I would have gotten it."

"I know," Rhea said with a smile. "I just wanted to help you," she finished with another smile.

Pan beamed as his paws tredded water and Rhea guided him to the bank. "My lovely wife, always coming to my rescue," he said with a chuckle.

Rhea rolled her eyes, "Well, if I don't save you, who will?" Pan chuckled again and stuck his tongue out, his eyes playful. Then they reached the bank and Rhea hopped up onto it to help Pan out.

[jobiehanna]

Once they were both safely on the bank and had shaken the water out of their fur, Pan turned to Rhea. They stood face to face, and Pan wore a particularly serious expression. "Rhea, you've saved me from much more than you'll ever know," he nuzzled the side of her face and whispered softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you in my life," he added just as softly.

Rhea accepted the affection and nuzzled him back. "I know," she said, her tone soft as well. "Without you I don't think I'd have been able to make it through these last few years. You're my rock," she confessed, a strange intensity in her eyes.

Pan returned her gaze, "And we'll continue to get through it by supporting and loving each other. I'll always love you, Rhea," he said intently.

"And I you, Pankajar," she said, nuzzling him once more. This time her use of his full name was that of affection and not frustration. She had a way of doing that with his name, giving it different meaning each time she used it.

Pan smiled and closed his eyes. Then his stomach rumbled and he opened them immediately. He chuckled nervously, "Guess I ruined the mood," he said with a sheepish grin. "Are we gonna eat soon?"

Rhea rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Not yet, we haven't reached the spot yet," she chided. Now it was Pan's turn to roll his eyes. At this Rhea giggled, "We better get going then, before you starve," she said with another laugh.

[jobiehanna]

Rhea picked up the basket she had abandoned with one tail and linked the other with Pan's. "Let's go," she said to Pan, pulling him with her.

Pan chuckled, "Can't object to that. Just how far is this 'spot' anyway?" He asked. Before they had come out here today, Rhea had spoke about reading about a place at the top of the falls that had a beautiful view. She spoke about it for hours explaining how to get up there and how it wasn't usually overcrowded because not many people wanted to take the time to hike all the way up the large hill.

"Well, we still have to go up the side of the falls..." Rhea said with a grin. "It might take another hour," she went on to say.

Pan grumbled, "An hour? I don't know if I can wait that long," he teased.

Rhea rolled her eyes, "Course you can," she said. "I believe in you," she added slightly sarcastically.

Pan rolled his eyes, "I know." He winked and followed beside her up the barely seen path. It looked like she had been right, not many people can up this way.

[jobiehanna]

They wandered up the hill taking turns leading. The path meandered so that it was more gradual than steep. Weeds grew up on either side of said path, but it looked as if they weren't the only ones who had come up this way recently. Not that they minded, they'd just picnic somewhere else.

"That's... some... climb," Pan said between breaths. He had never been in good shape, and the climb had winded him. He was more for staying at home and eating than going out for a hike.

Rhea giggled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I know, but we made it," she said cheerily. She wasn't nearly as winded as Pan was, but she didn't eat as much either. Whether he liked to admit it or not, Pan was developing a small gut since they were married. He loved food, and Rhea was glad to cook for him.

Pan smiled, "Yup... now can we eat?" He was slowly catching his breath. He looked around the area, noticing the river that flowed down to make the falls below.

Rhea giggled, "Yes, Mr. Food," Rhea said happily. She walked closer to the river and sat the basket down. Whether there were other couples around, she didn't know. But it didn't look like it now. Maybe they had gone further into the woods?