Bonding
Consensual Bonding
Pre-Bonding
Sentinel
When in the presence of a compatible Guide, the Sentinel will scent out that Guide’s compatibility levels and openness to Bonding. The Sentinel will have a higher level of awareness of the Guide, and strongly desire to be near them and to make physical contact.
To the Sentinel, the Guide will smell ripe for claiming, and the Guide may reinforce this by allowing a scent-marking. The Sentinel will then feel compelled to make physical contact with the Guide, and begin scent-marking. This is achieved by making skin-to-skin contact, primarily from scent glands that exist along the Sentinel’s cheekbones. The scent from these glands is the most potent, but scenting can also be done with (and is frequently done in tandem with) other parts of the body, such as chest, neck, groin and thighs. It is very normal for both Sentinel and Guide to wind up half-dressed or completely nude by this point, depending on whether or not they are sexually drawn to each other.
The Sentinel will also feel compelled to memorize their Guide’s body, by sniffing, licking, and nuzzling all over the Guide in question. The taste of the compatible Guide’s sweat will only reinforce and encourage the Bonding urges in the Sentinel. Particularly forward Sentinel will also try to elicit more of that tasty Bond-ripe scent by scraping their teeth over the Guide’s neck, where the the Bonding-pheromone is exuded the most strongly.
Guide
When in the presence of a compatible Sentinel, the Guide will feel inexplicably drawn to the Sentinel, and begin to feel the pull of those innate Bonding urges. They will instinctively respond to a Sentinel’s aroused (not sexual arousal, but the state brought on by the Guide’s own compatibility) mental state, and their body will begin producing a Bonding pheromone that draws the Sentinel to them. This is the “ripeness” that Sentinel responds to, and an amenable Guide will allow the Sentinel in question to respond with a scent-marking.
For the Guide, the physical contact that occurs with the scent marking will help them establish an empathetic link with the Sentinel. The feelings brought on by this link are generally very pleasurable, and the link is vital for the next step in the Bonding process.
When the contact from Sentinel to Guide increases to the point of licking, sniffing, and nuzzling, the experience will be quite pleasant to the Guide as well, imbuing them with a sense of rightness. This is what they were meant to do, and their bodies are quite happy to encourage it to continue. The Guide will desire the Bond rather intensely. With or without their explicit intent, the Guide will then tilt their chin up, and bare the throat to their Sentinel. This indicates to the Sentinel that they’re ready to move to the next step. (The actual process of scent-marking and exploration may take only minutes to several hours, depending on the pair in question) A Guide left offering their throat to their Sentinel without immediately being bitten will often feel needy, overheated, and desperate. This could be indicated by writhing, whining, or even tears until the bite has been administered.
At this point, unless they are interrupted, the pair will move on to the actual act of Bonding (in many cases whether they intend to or not). Nature plays a very big role in Bonding, and once the process has begun, it’s often very difficult to stop, merely because at this point, instinct has taken over.
Bonding
Once the Guide’s throat is bared, the Sentinel will feel a compulsion to bite the throat of their Guide. At the moment of the bite, the empathetic link established by the Guide will be blown wide open, thus allowing an actual meeting and merging of the Sentinel and Guide’s souls. The two halves twist together to become one whole.
The actual soul-fusing has been described through metaphors in a variety of ways by Bonded pairs around the world, from some saying it was like vines binding up a trellis to others comparing it to the warp and weft of yarn weaving together to form a whole piece of cloth.
While the bite does not need to break skin in order to ‘take’, it’s not uncommon for Sentinel to fall a bit into their more animalistic sides and draw blood. In the heat of the moment, even that pain to the Guide would be muted by the actual Bonding experience.
At this point, the pair becomes intensely aware of each other. In a platonic bond, they may just sit there, locked together for several minutes, taking in the sensation of feeling complete, and coming to terms with their expanded awareness of one another. However long they choose to remain connected is generally mutually agreed upon.
In a sexual bond, once the bite has taken, they may follow their emotions straight into intercourse. This makes for a much stronger Bond than a platonic one, merely because in the beginning both are vulnerable, exposed and every nerve is an open end. Both parties are the most basic they will ever be reduced to, so deepening the Bond is simple and easy. Following, sexuality is simply a wonderful way to re-establish a connection (much as someone may feel closer to their spouse after a good romp, for instance).
This is not to say, however that Bonds which began as platonic may not gain added benefit by becoming sexual. If there is real emotion and connection between the two, it may become nearly as strong as a Bond that began sexually in the first place.
Post-Bonding
Once the Bond has been achieved, Sentinel and Guide are now inextricably linked both mentally and emotionally. They become innately more aware of the other individual, their feelings, their needs, everything. If one is hurt, the other will feel the pain through their Bond. Unless there is severe discord between them, even the act of being physically apart for distances beyond a few dozen miles will make them uncomfortable. This is even more pronounced in platonic Bonds – a physical separation of two or three miles could put a strain on their already-fragile Bond.
A Bonded Guide will now know when their Sentinel is overtaxing their Senses, and will be able to assist in reining them in. A Bonded Sentinel will know on instinct if their Guide is in danger, and will know when they need to go protect them. The Bonded Sentinel will find his senses significantly easier to control post-Bonding as well. Similarly, each half will desire that their Bondmate stay content and happy.
Nonconsensual & "Battlefield" Bonding
In extreme situations, where the Sentinel’s instincts override common sense, and he hunts down a Guide and forces them into a Bonding, this is called a Battlefield Bond. The derogatory term is “Rape-Bond” as the Guide in question likely had little to no say in the act. It is accepted as an unfortunate, but occasionally necessary act in order to bring in a Rogue Guide who will not submit to Bonding. The Tower does not explicitly endorse such Bondings, but the Guide Hunts continue on…
Pre-Bonding
Sentinel
As the Sentinel urge to Bond is a strong one, any whiff of a stressed, Unbonded Guide will set off their predatory instincts, and incite them to chase the Guide down in order to attain the Bond they so desperately need. The Sentinel will feel compelled to track down the Guide, and attempt a Bond once their prey is caught.
Guide
A Guide caught up in a hunt will likely be extremely stressed. They will sense the predatory hunger of the hunters, and this will cause their body to exude a stress-pheromone that is (unfortunately) nearly as chemically appealing to the excited Sentinel as the Bonding pheromone would be. Because of the intensity of their hunters, and the stress on the Guide, the Guide’s empathic channel is left somewhat open – leaving them vulnerable to bonding.
Bonding
Once the Sentinel has caught the Guide, they will instinctively pin them against a solid object (like the floor, a wall, etc.) to prevent the Guide from escaping again. Scent-marking begins immediately, as the Sentinel can’t resist his frenzied, hunting urges.
The Guide, during this scent marking will begin to respond instinctively, whether or not they actually want to, by squirming beneath their Sentinel (thus facilitating the continuing scent-marking), and baring their throat. The Guide will feel overheated and stressed, but the feelings shared between the two of them will be more animalistic than they would be in a consensual Bond. It’s not uncommon for a Guide to get caught up in the excitement and thrill of the hunt, and actually begin to desire the Bond as much as the Sentinel does – though this is a temporary desire, and almost never lasts beyond the act itself.
In battlefield Bonding, the Sentinel will almost always break skin when he bites the Guide’s neck – this is a throwback from their more animalistic sides. Some have been known to even shake their Guide by the throat, to enforce compliance, or to make the Bonding mark especially visible to rivals. Intercourse will always be part of a battlefield bonding, regardless of the sexual orientation of the participants – the animal urges are that strong.
Post-Bonding
Once the thrill of the chase is over, and the Bonding is complete, both Guide and Sentinel are linked in the same ways as in a consensual Bonding, however outside the hunting frenzy, compatibility between the two will be dampened dramatically. (For reference, a Guide who was Bonded as part of a hunt described his Bonding experience as: “Like having my very soul invaded with noxious weeds. I wanted to dig them out, but whenever I tried to rip them away from me, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever experienced.”)
Forced Bonds are often weaker than their consensual counterparts, and unhappiness on one part of the Bonded pair usually means unhappiness for both of them. Forced Bonds usually result in Divorces within a few years, due to significant incompatibility.
Bonded Pairs
The Tower
Guide Anton Matvey Volkov & Sentinel Soren Jones
Guide Theodore Blackwood & Sentinel Dorian Philippe Mondeaux
Guide Lucas Sayer & Sentinel Rafe Reed
Rogue/Unaffiliated
Guide Rhys Falkner & Sentinel Blaise Plesec
