MATING RITUALS AND MOTH ATTACKS
767 Words
Cassie was not prepared for the shapeshifter version of spring cleaning.
Leo stood shirtless in the middle of the den, holding a feather duster that looked like it had been cursed sometime during the 1800s.
“This,” he said solemnly, “is a sacred fox ritual. We call it ‘pretending to clean while actually hoping someone else offers to do it.’”
Cassie crossed her arms. “Your ancestors must be so proud.”
“They are. They’re watching from the other side, judging my dusting technique.”
“You’re not even moving the duster. You’re just tapping things like you’re playing magical Jenga.”
Leo narrowed his eyes. “I am spiritually dusting. It’s a performance.”
Cassie grabbed the mop. “Here’s my performance: Act I, girl cleans floor. Act II, fox gets hit with mop for being useless.”
Leo bowed dramatically. “Encore, please.”
She chased him around the den with the mop for a full five minutes before tripping over a rogue enchanted root and crashing into a pile of fox pelts.
“Do those move?” she shrieked.
Leo peeked from behind the mushroom shelf. “Only if you disrespect them.”
---
Breakfast of Regret
After their tragic attempt at tidying, Leo announced he’d make breakfast.
Cassie, having tasted his cooking before, immediately assumed a defensive posture.
“What are we having? Oat mush with a side of burnt hope?”
“Excuse you,” Leo said, dramatically cracking an egg into a moss-lined skillet. “This is an ancestral omelet. Passed down by generations of fox chefs.”
She squinted at the ingredients. “That’s just eggs, leaves, and a crouton you found on the floor.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “It’s rustic.”
“It’s a lawsuit.”
“I call it The Full Moon Frittata.”
Cassie took one bite and nearly cried. “Why is it spicy?”
“That would be the accidental ghost pepper pollen. Oops.”
Cassie downed three sips of herbal tea and lay dramatically on the stone floor. “Tell my story.”
Leo knelt beside her. “Here lies Cassie: brave, sarcastic, burned internally by fox cuisine.”
“I trusted you.”
“You shouldn’t have.”
---
The Mating Ritual Debrief
Later, sprawled out on a patch of magically warmed moss, Cassie threw a stick at Leo’s head.
“Explain the mating ritual thing again. Slowly. Like I’m a confused tourist.”
Leo chuckled, flicking the stick away with a lazy hand. “Fine. In the old traditions, shifters find a bondmate through trials of compatibility. Physical synergy. Emotional tests. Often food-related disasters. Sound familiar?”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “So this entire past week has basically been a long, awkward shifter date.”
“Exactly. And so far, you’re passing with flying colors.”
“Define ‘flying.’”
“You haven’t tried to kill me.”
“I’ve considered it.”
He leaned over her, voice soft. “But you haven’t.”
She stared at him for a beat too long.
Then: “Do all shifters flirt this much?”
Leo shrugged. “Only when we’re serious.”
Cassie blinked. “Are you saying you’re—?”
Before she could finish the sentence, a giant moth dive-bombed her face.
“AH! IT’S TOUCHING ME!”
Leo jumped back, laughing uncontrollably. “The forest spirits approve!”
Cassie flailed wildly until the moth flew off. Her hair was a disaster. Her dignity, gone.
She glared. “You summoned that thing, didn’t you?”
“I swear on my fluffy tail, I did not.”
She pointed a shaking finger. “You are the worst magical boyfriend I’ve never agreed to have.”
Leo grinned. “But you’re still here.”
---
Late-Night Confessions (And Moth Vengeance)
That evening, under another shared blanket and the smell of lavender moss, Cassie whispered, “Why me?”
Leo turned his head. “What do you mean?”
“You’re a hot forest fox man with access to ancient magical heritage. I’m... a bakery intern who might turn into a woodland creature during an emotional meltdown.”
He smiled. “Exactly. You’re chaos wrapped in cinnamon rolls. That’s my type.”
She chuckled. “You’re the most ridiculous man I’ve ever met.”
“And yet...?”
She paused. “And yet, I’d rather fight off another moth than leave.”
He took her hand. Gently. “You won’t have to fight anything alone.”
Outside, in the trees, the moths gathered again.
Plotting.
---
- Writer
