Jukrit woke to an unusual sound—a low, rhythmic calling that echoed from the barn. He sat up, instantly alert, his healer's instincts recognizing distress even through sleep.

"What is that?" Noraxia mumbled beside him.

"Kalina. Something's wrong." He was already pulling on his clothes, grabbing his medical kit from habit.

They hurried to the barn, where they found Kalina pacing restlessly in her stall. Chenara was perched on a high beam, chittering nervously and refusing to come down. The big gheval's tail was flagged high, and she was making that calling sound again—a deep, resonant note that Jukrit had never heard her make before.

"Is she sick?" Noraxia asked, concerned.

Jukrit approached carefully, examining Kalina. Her eyes were clear, her breathing normal, no sign of fever or pain. But her behavior was agitated, and she kept turning her hindquarters toward him, tail swishing.

Then it clicked.

"Oh no," he said.

"What? What is it?"

"She's... she's in estrus." Jukrit felt his ears heat with embarrassment. "Heat. Mating season."

"Oh." Noraxia paused. "Is that... bad?"

"It's natural. But we don't have a male gheval. At least not one that's male yet," referring to Chenara. He backed away as Kalina moved toward him, lowering her head and making a soft whickering sound. "Which means she's going to be very frustrated and uncomfortable for the next week or so."

Kalina took another step closer, clearly focused on Jukrit. She nuzzled him gently, then made that calling sound again, louder this time.

"Is she... is she interested in you?" Noraxia asked, a note of disbelief in her voice.

"I think so." Jukrit carefully sidestepped as Kalina tried to position herself. "In the absence of an appropriate mate, animals sometimes fixate on their caretakers. It's misdirected instinct."

"You sound very clinical about this."

"I'm trying to be professional!" But he couldn't help the nervous laugh that escaped. "This is... this is not covered in most healing texts."

Kalina followed him around the stall, her attention unwavering. She was being gentle, not aggressive, but her intent was very clear. Every time Jukrit moved, she repositioned, tail flagged, making those soft interested sounds.

"Okay," Noraxia said, trying not to laugh. "So what do we do?"

"I don't know! My herbs are for treating illness, not... not this." He dodged another approach from Kalina. "She's not sick. She's just following her biology."

"Can we bring in a male gheval?"

"From where? Marta's farm is two days away. And I don't even know if she has males available." He managed to slip out of the stall, latching it behind him. Kalina pressed against the gate, still calling. "We need to think of something. She's going to be miserable like this."

They retreated to the house to strategize, though they could still hear Kalina's calls from the barn. Chenara had followed them, clearly upset by the disruption to her routine. She climbed into Jukrit's lap, chittering anxiously.

"It's okay, little one," he soothed. "Kalina's just... going through something."

"How long does this usually last?" Noraxia asked.

"In Ghevals, about week, according to Marta's notes." Jukrit pulled out the breeding information Marta had provided. "She said ghevals come into heat every three weeks during breeding season. So even if we solve this cycle, it'll happen again."

"Can you just... avoid her? Stay away from the barn?"

"She needs care. Food, water, exercise. And someone needs to look after Chenara—she's too upset to be near Kalina right now." He sighed. "Besides, that doesn't solve the problem. Kalina will be frustrated and unhappy."

They spent the morning trying different approaches. Noraxia attempted to distract Kalina with treats and grooming, but the gheval remained focused, calling persistently. When Jukrit tried to enter the barn to feed her, Kalina immediately zeroed in on him, following him with devoted attention that would have been flattering under different circumstances.

"This is ridiculous," Jukrit muttered, climbing up to the loft to drop hay down rather than risk entering the stall. "I'm being courted by a gheval."

"At least she has good taste?" Noraxia offered.

Despite the awkwardness, Jukrit had to admit he was a bit flattered. Kalina was a beautiful creature, and her attention, while misdirected, came from a place of trust. She'd bonded with him as her caretaker, and in the absence of appropriate mates, that bond had transformed into something else entirely.

But that didn't solve their problem.

By afternoon, Jukrit was researching frantically, going through every text on animal husbandry he owned. There had to be something—some way to ease Kalina's distress.

"What about exercise?" Noraxia suggested. "Wearing her out so she's too tired to think about it?"

They tried that. Noraxia took Kalina for a long walk around the property, letting the gheval run and expend energy. It worked for about an hour. Then Kalina spotted Jukrit in the garden and immediately trotted over, resuming her courtship display.

"Your turn," Noraxia said, heading back to the barn. "I'm going to write to Marta. Maybe she has advice."

Jukrit found himself in the absurd position of weeding his garden while a lovestruck gheval watched his every move, occasionally nickering hopefully. When he stood up, she approached. When he moved, she followed. When he tried to go back to the house, she blocked his path, tail flagged high, clearly hoping he'd finally take the hint.

"Kalina," he said gently, scratching her neck. "I'm very flattered. Truly. You're wonderful. But I'm not... I can't..." He sighed. "This is the most awkward conversation I've ever had."

Kalina nuzzled him affectionately, her version of a hopeful smile.

Noraxia found him an hour later, sitting on a fence post while Kalina grazed nearby, never taking her eyes off him.

"Marta sent a reply. Fast courier." She held up a letter. "She says this is normal, and she's very sorry she forgot to warn us. Apparently Kalina went into heat right before we picked her up, so she wasn't expecting it again so soon."

"And the solution?"

"She suggests either bringing in a male gheval, which she can arrange but it would take at least three days..." Noraxia paused, reading further. "Or finding a 'proxy focus' to redirect her attention."

"A what?"

"Something that can substitute for a mate. Not... not literally," she added quickly, seeing his expression. "But something that occupies her breeding instincts without actually mating. She suggests a large stuffed form scented with male gheval pheromones. Basically a decoy."

Jukrit stared. "A fake male gheval."

"Marta says she's used it before with young females who came into heat before they were mature enough to breed. It's not perfect, but it gives them something to focus on besides their handlers."

"That probably won't work for her." He looked at Kalina, who was still watching him hopefully. "She's quite mature."

"Avoiding close contact" proved easier said than done. Kalina had decided Jukrit was her chosen one, and she was persistent. Every time he came near the barn, she called. When he brought her food, she barely ate, too focused on nuzzling him. When he tried to check her claws, she kept repositioning, making the examination nearly impossible.

"I feel terrible," Jukrit said that evening, watching Kalina pace in her stall. "She's genuinely distressed, and I can't help her."

"You're doing what you can," Noraxia assured him.

That night, Kalina's calling kept them awake. The sound was mournful, frustrated—the cry of an animal following instincts that couldn't be fulfilled. Jukrit lay in bed, thinking about solutions, while Chenara curled against his chest, also unable to sleep.

"Poor girl," Noraxia murmured. "Both of them, really."

"I've been thinking," Jukrit said. "Once this cycle is over, we need a long-term plan. We can't go through this every three weeks."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Either we get a male gheval permanently, or..." he hesitated. "I mate with her."

Noraxia stared at him, her expression unreadable in the dim moonlight filtering through the window. "Is that... possible?" she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Biologically, I mean. Between a squirrel folk and a... gheval?"

Jukrit sighed, the sound heavy with exhaustion and a strange, reluctant resignation. "I don't know. The texts are silent on it. Marta's notes are all about gheval-to-gheval breeding. But looking at her... the structure is similar enough that it's not impossible. The risk would be... injury for me, because she's strong and sudden movements can..." He looked toward the barn, where Kalina's calls had taken on a desperate, pleading quality. "But she's in pain, Noraxia. Real distress. And it's my responsibility. I brought her here."

A long silence stretched between them, filled only by the rhythmic, mournful sound from the barn. Noraxia reached out and took his hand. "I don't want to lose you," she said softly. "To anything. But I can't stand to listen to her suffer like this, either. If you think this is the only way... then I'm with you."

He squeezed her hand, gratitude and fear warring within him. "I need you there," he admitted. "To help me, to make sure I don't hurt her. And... because I don't want to be alone with this."

They went to the barn, a lantern casting long, dancing shadows. Kalina's calls intensified as they approached, a hopeful, eager sound. She pressed against the stall door, her large, dark eyes fixed on Jukrit. With Noraxia's help, he unlatched the gate and stepped inside. Kalina immediately moved to him, not with aggression, but with a powerful, searching need. She nuzzled his chest, her warm breath gusting against him, then turned, presenting herself to him. Her tail was flagged high, revealing her readiness.

Jukrit took a deep, shaky breath. He ran a calming hand down her flank, feeling the tremor of her muscles. "Easy, girl," he murmured. "Easy." He looked at Noraxia, who stood by the gate, her face pale but determined. He undressed, the cool night air raising goosebumps on his skin. His own body responded to the primal scene, a mixture of clinical purpose and undeniable arousal.

Kalina stood patiently, a low, guttural hum of anticipation vibrating from her chest. Jukrit moved behind her, his heart pounding. He could see her sex, swollen and slick with the clear fluid of her estrus. It was a vertical slit, plump and dark, unlike Noraxia's, but the unmistakable invitation was the same. He positioned himself, his own member, fully erect and throbbing, pressing against her warmth. He was nervous, but her scent—a musky, sweet, earthy smell—was intoxicating, overriding his hesitation.

He guided himself to her entrance, his tip slipping against the wet folds. Kalina shifted back slightly, a clear sign of acceptance. With a slow, careful push, he entered her. The sensation was overwhelming. She was incredibly hot and wet inside, her muscular walls gripping him tightly, far more powerfully than any other being ever could. There was an odd, pleasurable texture to her passage, ridged and firm, designed for a gheval's unique anatomy, but it accommodated him quite well. He let out a choked gasp at the intensity of it.

Kalina let out a deep, satisfied groan, a sound of pure relief. She began to rock back against him in a steady, instinctual rhythm. Jukrit moved with her, his clinical detachment dissolving in the face of the raw, biological act. He could feel her powerful haunches working against him, her body taking what it needed. Noraxia watched from the shadows, her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock, concern, and a bit of understandable jealousy.

The pace quickened. Jukrit's control frayed as the tight, wet heat and Kalina's eager responses pushed him toward the edge. He gripped her hips, his fingers digging into her short, dense fur, and thrust deeper. The sounds in the barn were no longer just Kalina's calls, but the wet slap of their joining and their shared, ragged breaths. With a final, powerful lunge, he buried himself as deep as he could go. His body convulsed, and he released a torrent of his seed deep into her waiting womb. The pleasure was so intense it was almost painful, a blinding, all-consuming release.

For a moment, they were locked together, Jukrit panting against her back, his heart hammering. Then, slowly, he pulled out. A trickle of his semen, mixed with her fluids, ran down the inside of her leg. Kalina stood still for a moment, then turned and nuzzled him again. This time, her nicker was soft, content, and calm. The desperate fire in her eyes had been replaced by a sated, peaceful glow. She lowered her head and began to nibble at the hay in her manger, the first time she'd shown interest in food all day.

Jukrit quickly dressed, his legs feeling unsteady. He walked to Noraxia, who met him with a fierce hug. "Are you alright?" she whispered into his shoulder.

"I'm fine," he said, his voice hoarse. He held her tight, burying his face in her hair. "I love you," he said, pulling back to look her in the eye. "I love you more than anything. That... that wasn't love-making. It was a medical procedure. A necessity. I did it for her, because she was hurting. My heart is, and always will be, entirely yours."

Noraxia nodded, tears shimmering in her eyes. She understood. She kissed him, a deep, reassuring kiss that reaffirmed everything between them. They left the barn, leaving Kalina to her peaceful meal, her agonizing calls finally silenced. As they walked back to the house, hand in hand, the night was quiet once more, the crisis resolved by an act of profound, unconventional compassion.