Forward... right?

The colors of the forest swirled before her eyes, a dazzling dance of green and gold. The detritus beneath her bare feet might as well have been the softest carpet, for all the notice she took of it. However, her silks had become an incredible burden in the heat of the day. She tugged pathetically at them, but the way Tythere had wound them over her form seemed an impossible puzzle to her ****-addled mind. She gave up after only seconds, resigning herself to suffering for the rest of her journey.

It did not take long for her to forget her discomfort when she was distracted by the gossiping birds around her. Normally she would have lingered, but it was forbidden to converse with animals on the day of one's Binding. She pressed a finger to her lips and giggled, as if to physically stop herself from uttering anything in their presence.

She hummed a bright little tune to herself as she continued on, until she caught the sound of running water. Water! Water sounded delicious right now. With some fresh pep in her step, Pan followed the sound until she came to a small clearing. There she found her water source: a creek that wound around a large wisteria tree, with flowers so rich in purple they might as well have been living amethysts. The birdsong had quieted; the only sound was that of the gurgling creek.

Pan stood at the water's edge and took a more meticulous go of undoing her silks. After some fumbling, Panphrey finally managed to unwind her silks and tossed them aside. Naked in the glow of the late afternoon sun, Pan stepped into the creek and bent at the waist to catch the running water in her cupped hands. She gulped down the water, paying no mind to the little stray rivulets that ran down her chin, her neck, her bare breasts. She then scooped up and second handful of water and splashed it over her face, giggling in delight as spare drops glittered like diamonds in the sunlight.

Once she had cooled down, Pan's delight dulled into a grey loneliness. Something was missing. Why was she here, again? She had come to meet someone, she was sure... but where were they? The swirling colors and musical sounds that she had been so fascinated by at the start of her journey now distressed her. It was as if her mind was trudging through rainbow sludge, fighting through a cacophony of sing-song voices just to remember who she was supposed to meet. Hoping it would flush out the puzzle of her mind, Pan sank to her knees and then laid back in the creek, her eyes turned up to the blue sky as water flowed around her.

Pan laid there for a moment with her eyes closed, just listening to the flowing water. The creek was small and shallow, the water not even coming up to her ears. After several long seconds, Pan opened her eyes to find a fox looking upside-down at her.

Wait, no.

A fox did not have such a long face, surely. And a fox's lips did not split into a toothy grin all the way to their ears. And they certainly did not have three eyes.

Pan laid there in the creek, mesmerized by the creature. The blue of its eyes was electric and alive, as if sparks jumped across its irises. It blinked two eyes at her, while the third eye in its forehead remained ever vigilant. When it spoke - she was sure it was speaking - its words seeped into her ears and soaked her mind, like creek water. She was not sure if she liked it or not.

Do you recognize me, dearest one?

"I..." She did - or she thought she did - she just could not find the words.

He chuckled, the sound vibrating the inner walls of her mind. His voice filled her up as if she was an empty cup. It was warm and sweet, like honey, coating her insides with its stickiness. It was ecstasy. She decided she liked the feeling after all.

"I do know you," she finally managed. "You're... you're my..."

Yes.

She reached up with both hands, resting them on either side of his face. His autumn-colored fur was warm to the touch. She held his face, staring up at him in wonder. So beautiful, she thought. He's like a piece of the sunset.

Kethaeros, the Revealer of Secrets.

His lips parted and a long, slender tongue emerged. Tilting his head slightly to the side, it licked one thick stripe along her wrist. He made a sound almost like a purr before turning his attention back to her. She was so fixated on his face that she almost did not feel a hand snake over her shoulder to cup her breast, his claws pricking at her nipple.

Mate with me. Our bodies will revel together as we Bind our spirits.