Nothing's More Important

As noon approached, the light was enough to wake him despite the relatively small number of hours they had slept. Alice was still sleeping soundly, until his movements roused her, eliciting an unhappy growl.

Peace made or not, Justin erred on the side of safety and nuzzled his growling mate. "Just waking up." He considered saying more, but opted to try to slip away and let her decide if she wanted to chat or get more sleep. He had science to do!

"Huh? Oh... oh! Sorry..." Alice managed before a yawn silenced her. "I'm not used to being woken... I didn't mean to... sorry." Apologies accomplished she seemed about to fall asleep again.

Justin hesitated a moment, then kissed her cheek before dashing off, to make it clear no hard feelings were present. As soon as he slipped away though, out came his supplies and he got right to work mixing and heating, er… Well, that was the idea. Fire still refused to obey, so heating was out, but mixing, grinding, and other such things were waiting to be done with glee.

Hours slipped away, as science was done, until the late afternoon, when Alice finally sought him out. “What are you up to my studly stallion?" She said, after setting a bowl of flowery salad before him.

The compliment brought a light tinge of red to his fuzzy cheeks as he directed a hoof at one collection of plants. "These have a mild irritant that cause skin rashes on direct exposure, do be mindful." He had a rash right on his nose, where he had played with poison ivy and tried to get magic out of it to mixed results. "It's all so fascinating!"

Alice giggled. “Yes, I was familiar with that one. I sometimes use those to drive off overly curious children. A painful rash causes less trouble than a wolf sighting. Did you make anything useful?"

He bobbed his head and pointed to a pile of smoldering rock beside him. "I made this!" He flashed a bright smile. "It was amazing! I put some of this, with this." He pointed to the herbs he had collected. "Mixed it for exactly twelve seconds. Any longer or shorter and it didn't work quite right, but do it just that long, pour, and boom, lava! I'm… not exactly sure what I'd use that for, but think of it!"

Alice looked dumbfounded for a bit, before shaking her head. “You are definitely amazing, Justin. Do you want to take a break?"

He only just then noticed the salad placed near him and reached for it. "I think that would be a good idea, thank you." He placed the bowl between his legs as he sat and buried his face in it, munching with loud happy crunches.

She rubbed his back lightly with a paw as he ate, before an impulse came over her and she was soon stroking his back with a human hand, scratching lightly along his mane. She was human now, much like the little girl but alive, naked, taller, and much fuller chested... her skin was a very light tan, her hair a darker brown, and eyes the very same as they had been. Loving. Possessive.

The soft petting was met with a little rumble at first, but as it became a hand and mussed through his mane, his ears went up curiously. He turned towards her and gasped softly. "A-are you that? I mean." He cycled his hooves through the air, failing to make sounds.

Alice giggled. “It’s still me, Justin," she confirmed. Her voice was much softer, less growly. “Do you like it? This is how I can disguise myself. Though I need clothes to go into town."

Justin leaned in and gently nuzzled the female, inhaling her scent while he was close to see if she still smelled of his new wife or not. "It's still you, I mean, right? It's just… you look just like that girl, the one that was… I couldn't help her, but to be here, I guess…"

The wolfy smell lingered on her, so she was quite recognizable to her stallion. Different, but familiar. “You mean the ghost... you still have her totem... I think you could call her again if you tried. She lived near here, but I never got to know her well."

He pointed at her, then waved the hoof up and down at her. "You look like her." The fact that all humans were hard to tell apart didn't help, though some parts of her were very clearly different than the parts on the male he had met, starting with a lot less clothes. "Are you related?"

It was kind of weirdly refreshing when she realized she could sit in front of her husband naked in human form without it automatically become a sexual thing... but also a bit frustrating to be likened to a little girl like that. "No, I don’t think so. I don’t have any relatives out here. You... I need to get you into town one of these days so you can learn to tell one human from another. Might need a muzzle on you, though, so you don’t accidentally reveal yourself..." she grinned at the thought, mostly because it wouldn’t be her this time.

His snout contorted with surprise and he stiffened. "I can be quiet if I want to." He turned up his nose, but it quickly came back down to look her over with all the more curiosity. "What are those?" He pointed directly at her breasts. "Is that normal? Are you hurt?" It could be an injury, or so he thought. He wasn't sure what else they could be.

“Am I?" she looked down in alarm, before realizing where he was pointing. She giggled when she figured it out. “No, no. Those are my mammaries... mares have those too, right? In humans they're higher and more pronounced. And..." she blushed a bit. “They can be nice for... foreplay? As my husband, they're yours to touch, if you like... anytime we’re alone. Just be gentle... I am easier to injure in this form, and not used to being touched like that..."

"Mamm--Oh!" He jerked upright at the realization. "But… they're in the wrong place, and they're… are you with a foal already? I didn't realize!" He looked quite embarrassed indeed and began looking around as if some small child may appear at any moment.

Alice giggled quite a bit, and scratched behind Justin's ears. “Silly stallion. Humans grow them out a bit in advance, to show their health and fertility. They get a bit bigger before giving birth, though."

He tapped his chin softly. "So they're… always like that? That's fascinating. We don't do that, ponies that is." He rose to his hooves. "And I'm a stallion, so I don't do that at all. You don't mind, I hope?" He thought back to the male, did he have breasts? He didn't remember any.

“That’s fine, Justin. They are just a female, thing, anyways. They show I'll be able to feed our foals well when they do come," she explained. No need to wonder out loud if they were compatible that way. It would prove itself in time, and if not... there was magic for that kind of thing, if she could find the right kind of mage. "Hmmm... as a stallion, do you have any parts you particularly like to be touched, aside from the big long one down below?" she asked as her hands roved over his soft fur.

A bright blush swept up over his face at the question. "L-like that? I mean,.. It's about friendship, and being together, you know?" He reached a hoof for her and brushed her cheek. "Wherever you… I mean…" Gosh, where did he not like being touched? Maybe that was easier. "Ponies don't like poking in the eyes or in the mouth, that would be a bit weird I guess. The rest's mostly OK?" Smooth. He looked a bit sheepish.

The hoof was a bit hard to be caressed with, but the mighty werewolf didn't mind. “No eyes, agreed. The mouth can be fun though," she objected, pulling his hoof into her mouth and nibbling playfully for a moment. “I promise not to eat you."

He paused a moment before he realized she was being playful and he smiled. He felt at her tongue and allowed her to gently nibble at his hoof. Unlike at first blush, he had plenty of sensitive flesh behind that, lining the area all around his 'palm' past that solid wall. "I trust you."

She nodded, before kissing him on the snout. “Trust is good, and friendship is good too… hmm… oh! We should go check on my friend, Amelia. As soon as the sun goes down. I’ll go get ready! She’s already been bound, so it’s okay if she knows about you.” She was soon off, heading back toward her den to fetch something.

Justin rose up fully and stretched out as she headed off. When she returned, he tilted his head. "Did I miss who Amelia is? I'd like to meet your friends though. Is she a wolf like you? A pony? Human?"

Alice was still disguised as a human, but now had a dirt covered blouse and blue jeans on her. “Amelia is a human, but she knows about me, and other stuff... and knows not to tell others. She’s a good human," Alice said. "I warded her house before the fires got here, but she still had to evacuate. She might not be home yet. But we'll try."

He nodded quickly. "Alright. So she should look like you did?" He gestured at Alice. "And less like the fellow I rescued then? I hope he turned out alright." He tapped his chin thoughtfully before his hoof touched a bit of the rash and he winced a moment. "I have to be mindful of that."

“Oh! I’m so sorry!" Alice apologized, before rushing off again. She brought back a different leaf and held it against his rash. "Please help him heal," she asked the leaf, and it glowed green a moment before the rash started to fade.

He crossed his eyes, trying to see what was happening. "You're an alchemist too?!" His hooves reached up quickly to peer at the curative leaf, taking in its details and memorizing it. "I wonder if I could incorporate this into a curative brew…" It took a moment before he folded his ears back. "Oh! Sorry, thank you."

She shook her head. “Not an alchemist, a shaman. I just asked its spirit to help you. It probably would be good for that though. They like to help. I'll help you find some later."

The idea of a new healing plant seemed to excite Justin quite a bit and he clopped his forehooves together. "Thank you, um, dear? Hon?" He paused. "Now I just sound silly."

"What's silly about it?" Alice asked as she led the way towards the edge of the grove. “I guess we both need to get used to pet names... snugglehooves? Is that one too silly?"

A little giggle escaped him. "Is that an offer? Seriously though, we should probably meet that friend of yours." He shook himself out from head to tail and looked ready to travel.

“I’m yours to snuggle anytime, Snugglehooves~” Alice said. And before long she took a moment to prove it, pulling him down into a snuggle as they were just in sight of the treeline, able to see the scorched wasteland beyond, and the sun slowly sinking behind distant hills. It didn’t look like there was anyone to see them, but she was unwilling to take the risk. In the distance, a single, lonely, white house stood, surrounded by a patch of healthy green grass, in stark contrast to the burned out ruins that dotted the rest of their view.