My response seems to sober Maverick up, and he sighs while looking up to the sky in defeat. "This isn't the time for this... I'll explain after we've finished here. Good job Qiao Ai, now get back to work." I don't know what a mate is, but from context clues... I think I've just brought on something that will make my living situation veeeery awkward. I quietly back away from Maverick, and jog back to the deer meat, stopping briefly to grab another animal to do next.
---
Maverick listened to the sounds of Qiao Ai pitter pattering away, only daring to open his eyes once they stopped. Opening his eyes, the impulsive suggestion he made and her lacklustre response come flooding back. He planted his face into the snow, silently screaming and wiggling around in embarrassment. "What the hell, you dumbass?! Why would you even say that?!" His laments were silenced by the snow and didn't reach the ears of the little fox nearby, but Maverick stayed in the snow like that until the cold cooled his head and he could think without getting overwhelmed by shame. He raised his head slightly to the point where his eyes were just barely above the snow, and peeked over to Qiao Ai. She was dragging the huge body of one of the prey over to her spot, straining and grunting at the sheer weight of it. She looked adorable. At least in Mavericks eyes. 'Having her as a mate... wow. That would be so nice.' He couldn't take his eyes off her, and so he continued to watch until he remembered that he also had stuff to do, and scrambled back to his own station.
---
It took a few hours to finish up my two prey, and by the time I was done Maverick had already finished, taken the waste pile a while away to dispose of it, and melted some clean snow into water to clean off with. After placing my pile of meat next to his and hanging the skins of a rock to dry off, I trudged over to him. At this point I'm exhausted. My hair is matter, I'm covered in blood and my still very much naked body aches. "How are you so much better then me at this?" I whine, and Maverick laughs when he turns around from the stone basin to see my appearance. "I've done this for a long time already, and my cultivation level is much higher then you. This will get easier for you the stronger you get." I glare at him sceptically, I don't think that'll ever get easier. My gaze just amuses him more though, and he smirks while saying that it will. I avert my drifting gaze from his body, and trot up to the basin of water to start washing all this mess off. It's a sizable basin, and it's probably filled with a good half a bathtubs worth of water.
While I'm pondering how to go about cleaning myself, Maverick helpfully speaks up; "I've got a second basin that's almost done melting out in the sun. Feel free to use both to completely clean up. My eyes sparkle at the prospect of having an almost bath, but I still don't know the best way to wash myself. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I ask Maverick. "You can probably just scrub the stuff on your skin right off, but your fur might need some help. I don't think you'll be able to do that by yourself. He grabs a lock of my hair and plays around with it while staring and humming, probably thinking about how to wash it. However, while doing so he's radiating pure attractiveness, and my breath hitches at the sight. Dirty thoughts start creeping into the corners of my mind, but I push them off with the thought that this was inappropriate right now.
He looks into my eyes just as I finish fighting off my horniness, and says; "Should I help with your fur? I can go grab a leaf that I know helps. It grows nearby." He looks so innocent that I just nod while staring at his face, and he shifts on the spot before sprinting into the snow silently. After he's gone I quickly reach for the basin, wetting my hands and starting to scrub. The water's still cold, but it doesn't really bother me. The blood on my hands comes off pretty easily, but it just reveals another layer underneath. It goes around halfway up my forearms, stopping just for small splashes to still keep going up. There were more splashes on my torso, breasts, neck and face. I hope this basin is enough.
It takes around 15 minutes to get it all off, and afterwards, I carry the heavy stone basin over to a cliff nearby, tipping it all over the edge. The rusty smell isn't that strong, but better safe then sorry. After jogging back I'm almost dried off, and Maverick is waiting for me back by the cave with a handful of fragrant leaves and another basin of water. "Welcome back!" I'm feeling refreshed after that wash and welcome him very eagerly, and he seems slightly touched before gesturing me to sit down on a rock near him. "I'll wet your fur before trying to get the blood out with the leaves, is that okay?" It sounds great, and I nod like a baby chick before plopping down on the sun warmed rock. I hear rustling near me, and Maverick grabs a smaller rock bowl filled with water. It pours over my head, running through my hair, and the dampness makes my head heavy. There is too much hair on my head. Maverick starts gently massaging the matted parts, and the smell spreading around along with the sensation of him massaging me makes me purr with delight. Literally.
I decide that this is a great time to bring up the subject from earlier. "Maverick, what are mates?" He startles slightly behind me at the question, before humming slightly in thought and replying. "Mates are two beasts that create a mutual bond with each other. Mates are bonded for life, although a beast can have several mates at once. The mate bond makes it easier for the pair to have kids together, and lets each other know about danger to the mate, as well as the general direction of where they are. It's mutually beneficial and pretty much essential to our way of life. There are also pretty much no downsides as long as the mate doesn't die an awful death, so many beasts just go crazy and have a whole bunch of mates. Ah, your fur is almost done. I'll pour some more water and then we'll need to dry it and that should be it."
I have several questions, but I wait quietly for Maverick to finish washing my hair. He grabs the small bowl and fills it up, before gently pouring it through my hair. He repeats it twice, before stroking through the strands, checking for anything he might've missed. It felt great, and I almost started purring again. After, Maverick leads me over to a tree in the sunlight, and I climb up to an exposed branch with him to bask in the evening sunlight while my hair dries.
"Can I ask some questions about mates now?" I turn to face Maverick as I ask, and he looks into my eyes as he gives the go ahead. "Do you have any mates?"
"I don't. I've never met someone I liked enough to make a mate." That answer made me blush, but luckily because of my dark skin he probably couldn't tell. "So you like me enough?" His eyes crinkle as he smiles radiantly and nods.
"Okay then. That's a bit fast but whatever. Next question. Do you have to stay together forever with someone you're mated with? What if you don't end up getting along with them." He tilts his head at this question, as if he doesn't understand it. I don't see what's not to get. "Um, beast's feelings don't change like that. If we get along, we get along, and if we don't, we don't. You can normally tell after the first couple encounters whether we'd like each other, and we do. If we get along, we can make it work. However, there is a ritualistic way to break the bond. We could also live separately, while having other mates. If you live in a settlement, you could probably be near each other without having to constantly interact. Does that answer your question?"
It did, but it still feels a lot like deciding to marry a person after knowing each other for only a day. Also, what does he mean beasts emotions don't change? That's not how emotions work? Though, beast's brains might work differently seeing as they're closer to animals then humans. What a simple way of living. Hnnng, I think I'll wait a while before deciding on anything. "Can I wait a few days to give you an answer?" I asked Maverick, who's been staring at me the whole time. "Of course. The fact that you didn't turn me down right away is good enough for me." My hair was now dry, so I jumped down off the branch into the snow below, and when Maverick joined me, we walked back to the cave to cook our food and sleep.