A thrill ran through me as we returned to the village. Despite the strangeness of our situation, I was excited to see my soon-to-be-bonded mate and see how she had begun to make our dwelling a home. The differences between us were proving far greater than I had first anticipated—at least from an anatomical standpoint—but it would take a lot more to deter me from my goal.
A grin tugged at my lips as I approached my dwelling to find Irco setting up a cooking area alongside the left wall, right outside.
“There you are!” Irco said warmly. “I’m making good progress.”
“So I see,” I replied.
“I partially owe the Temern for that,” the builder confessed.
“Oh?” I asked.
“He sent a hot plate and a cooking oven with an adaptor for our power sources,” Irco continued. “Without that, it would have taken us a couple of weeks at least to build one from scratch for your mate.”
Although pleased by this quick solution, I frowned. “You asked Kayog for equipment?”
Irco laughed. “No, Great Hunter. Kayog sent it, along with various things your mate might require, like blankets, towels, cooking pots, and other things. He called it a wedding gift on behalf of the UPO,” he explained.
“Ah… very well, then,” I said, relieved. “But why are you building this outside?”
“Serena and I agreed that, with the dwelling being inside a cave, despite the good ventilation, it is better to keep the cooking outside,” Irco replied. “Since we have warm weather throughout the year, it will not be a problem for her. However, I will build a roof and half walls so that she can still use it when it rains. I’m going to add a couple of counters here and here.”
“Can you add a sink?” I asked.
“Yes,” Irco said, pursing his lips. “But I will have to pierce through the wall to connect it to the one inside.”
“Do it. I want the best for my mate,” I said firmly. “And her hygiene needs?”
“The shower is already set up. The ‘toilet’ is functional, but it’s still a work in progress. In truth, I wanted to discuss this with you before we finished,” Irco said sheepishly.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, immediately concerned.
“There’s nothing wrong, but your mate is quite modest in her requests,” Irco said, shifting uneasily. “Based on what she explained to me, humans use their toilets multiple times in a day, unlike us who only go once a week or so.”
“That is correct,” I said.
“Well, she mentions that they sometimes have to go during the night,” Irco continued. “It seems quite inconvenient for your female to have to leave your dwelling in the middle of the night to go to the cleansing area just to use the toilet. Our nights can be chilly, and humans have no proper night vision like we do.”
I stiffened, my eyes widening in understanding. “Excellent observation, Irco,” I said, berating myself for not having thought of it myself. “It would be better to have a toilet directly inside our dwelling, and a shower as well while we are at it.”
“Agreed,” Irco said, perking up. “But your mate immediately dismissed the idea when I suggested it. She felt it was too much work when we already had something functional, and that as a new member of our tribe, she should adapt to our ways.”
While her diplomatic answer to Irco pleased me, I knew the real reason behind her refusal. Serena was trying to keep the changes to our dwelling to a minimum so it wouldn’t be too hard to undo once she left. Even that outdoor kitchen would be easily dismantled without leaving a single trace of its existence should that day come.
I will see that it never does.
“An admirable sentiment,” I said nonchalantly, “but I will not have my mate traipsing around outside at night because I failed to provide her with all the proper comforts required for her species. You will build a proper hygiene room for my mate in the house. She loves the view onto the hidden valley. Can it be built at the back of the dwelling with a large window looking out?”
“Yes, Szaro,” Irco said, his voice bubbling with excitement. “It will be a little tricky, but it can definitely be done. We browsed images of human hygiene rooms. In addition to the shower and the waste seat, many contained large tubs that fill with water in which humans can relax or bathe. There was this one model that your mate really liked,” he said, flipping through the images of his tablet to show me. “I can recreate something close to this in one of your back rooms. And Terya can carve ornaments on the walls similar to this.”
A slow grin stretched my lips. “Do it. And have her embed glowstones in the bigger circles in the pattern,” I added.
“Oh, yes! That will be a nice touch!” Irco said approvingly. “I will tell Terya.”
“I will go see my mate now and prepare for our bonding. I’ll see you later,” I said.
“See you soon, Great Hunter,” Irco replied as I turned to enter my dwelling.
Silence greeted me. For a moment, I wondered if she was out, but Irco would have told me as much. Was she sleeping? I immediately dismissed that idea. Humans were diurnal beings like us. I flicked my tongue, tasting the air for traces of Serena.
The terrace.
Of course, I should have known. It had greatly fascinated her. I headed straight to the back of the dwelling and pushed the door, which opened quietly onto the balcony. The vision that awaited me took my breath away.
Standing with her back to me, facing the stunning view of the valley, Serena was performing strange movements on top of a black mat, holding weird, stretched poses for a few moments before switching to another. For the first time, I got to see the golden beauty of her exposed brown skin. Barefoot, my mate was wearing nothing but a skin-tight lower garment from her waist to the middle of her thighs—making her legs look infinite—and a top without arms that only covered her breasts.
I observed her quietly, mesmerized by the grace of her movements, the impossible poses she executed, the undeniable strength some of them required, and her incredible sense of balance to maintain them. But even more fascinating were the things she could do with her legs. I don’t know how long I stayed there, transfixed by my mate. She took on this weird pose, leaning on her forearms, which rested flat on the mat, her head lifted to look straight ahead with her body raised over her, her pointed feet almost dangling in front of her face. If she pushed them any further, her body would form a proper O.
She must have sensed my presence at last because her head jerked down, and Serena looked behind her between her arms supporting her body. My mate’s eyes widened in surprise, and her body tipped forward. She yelped as she fell and ended up lying on her back.
“Serena!” I shouted, rushing to her side.
From the way she’d fallen, she could have broken her arms. Even as I lowered myself next to her, she sat up, rolling her shoulders while grimacing.
“Are you all right?” I asked, worry knotting my inside.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, giving me a reassuring smile. “You startled me, that’s all. I was in the zone and didn’t hear you come in.”
“I’m sorry. I should have announced my arrival,” I said, still checking for any signs she’d been injured. “I was just fascinated by what you were doing. What was that?”
“It’s called yoga,” Serena explained. “It’s a great way to meditate, exercise, and to work on your strength and flexibility.”
“It is quite amazing. I didn’t think humans could move that way,” I said, genuinely impressed.
“You have no idea all the ways I can move,” Serena said smugly, further piquing my curiosity. “I’ll have to show you sometime.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” I said with a grin. “I just wanted to let you know that I have returned.”
“How did the hunt go?” Serena asked with a sincere curiosity that made me feel warm inside.
“It went well,” I replied. “Thankfully, we arrived early enough to prevent any serious damage to the Chiswa population. But there are other herds roaming close to the forbidden areas to the northwest. Our scouts are monitoring their progress to see whether we will need to intervene or not.”
“I’m glad to hear you were able to contain it. No one’s injured, I hope?” she asked, while starting to get up.
I instinctively extended a hand to help her. She didn’t need it and appeared stunned by the gesture. Still, she accepted my assistance with a smile. A sudden heat coursed through me at the softness of her hand in mine and the silkiness of her skin. I’d never touched her before, or any other human for that matter. I had not expected this. When she gently pulled out of my grasp, I almost reached for her again. I swallowed hard and flicked my tongue to get another taste of her for lack of her touch. My fingers burned with the need to further explore the delicate wonder that was my mate, but she wasn’t ready to do any such things with me… yet.
“No one’s injured,” I confirmed. “AND 36 new Flayers have been added to your score in the Hunt,” I added with a smug smile.
“WHAT?!” Serena exclaimed, shock plastered all over her face.
“You are Ordosian now and my mate. The tribe’s kills are your kills. I claimed all of them for you,” I said proudly.
“But… Why would you do that? I mean, don’t get me wrong, that’s amazing! But why did you?” Serena asked, looking genuinely confused. “I figured you’d be furious with everything related to the hunt.”
“The hunt has its upsides and downsides,” I said with a shrug. “But you are my mate. It is my duty to see to your present and future welfare. Whatever fate and the Goddess may have planned for us, I want all of your needs well-taken care of. These extra credits will help ensure your comfort, whether to resume your travels or to purchase foreign goods and have them delivered here.”
“You’re really sweet and thoughtful,” Serena said, looking at me with an expression I could not identify.
“With you only,” I said teasingly to hide my embarrassment. “But now, we must prepare for our bonding ceremony,” I added in a gentle voice. “It will start within the hour.”
“Oh!” she said, an uncertain look descending on her features. “What… what should I do? What should I wear?”
“We must shower, so that we come to each other cleansed of any burden of our past,” I explained. “Females usually come bare, as they bring wisdom, nurturing, and life to the union, all of which are contained within themselves. It is the male who adorns himself to display his strength and ability to provide for his dwelling. As your species does not go around bare, you may wear what you wish.”
“Okay, I can do that,” she said, licking her lips nervously. “Is there anything specific that I’m expected to do during the ceremony?”
“Normally, there would be,” I replied gently, “but it would be too complex for you to learn, and I doubt your anatomy would allow you to perform it as it would require a tail and greater physical strength than you possess. It has already been discussed with the Elders, and they agreed with how we will proceed,” I added quickly when she seemed on the verge of panic. “You will sit and observe the ritual, then you will join me. We will embrace and kiss under the blessing of the Elders. You only have to stand there and hold me, I will take care of everything. It won’t be long, so you shouldn’t be too indisposed.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” she replied with a nervous laugh. “I can hold you for however long it takes. I just don’t want to make a fool of myself or embarrass you.”
“You won’t,” I said with a smile. “Come, let us go shower. Take the clothes you intend to wear as you will not return here. Salha will take you directly from the cleansing room to the Great Circle.”
“Salha? Where will you be?” she asked, confused.
“I will return here to adorn myself,” I said with a grin.
“Riiight, I forgot that. All right then,” Serena said with a frown, her face taking on a pensive expression.
I suspected she was mentally reviewing what clothes she had in order to pick something appropriate. She headed to our rest room, which I hadn’t seen since my return. To my delight, a large human-style bed had been set up next to my heating plate. Irco had brought in a dresser for Serena, as well as a rack on which some of her outfits hung. Later, he would build a proper space for her to put those clothes. But right now, seeing my previously empty space becoming crowded with my mate’s belongings and filling up with her scent reawakened that warm feeling in my chest.
“I’m afraid I don’t have a white dress, as is our tradition,” Serena said sheepishly. “But I hope this little black dress will be acceptable.”
“Human clothes make little sense to me,” I said in an apologetic tone. “All that matters is that you are happy and comfortable with the ones you will wear tonight.”
“I love that dress,” she said with a timid smile. “It makes me look good… I think.”
“Then the little black dress it is,” I said, finding her expression adorable. “Let us go, my mate.”
As we made our way to the cleansing area, we passed a number of my people, many of them already adorned for the celebration. Theirs adornments were simple and muted so that I could shine in their midst. While Serena appeared to grow more nervous, excitement bubbled within me. It was irrational. I should be as worried as my female but, as illogical as it was, this felt right.
I parted ways with Serena when we entered and made my way towards Mandha and Raskier, who awaited me with scrubbing stones. A short distance from us, near the window overlooking the hidden valley, Salha was waiting for my mate next to her newly built enclosed shower.
My tribe mates were timid at first, uncertain of my frame of mind under the circumstances. But when they saw my cheery mood, both males relaxed and teased me with the traditional pre-bonding raunchy comments while washing my tail and back. At the same time, I polished my front, face and arms with the stones.
We finished before Serena was done. A good thing, as it would give me more time to properly adorn myself. Mandha came with me back to my dwelling, further assisting me as I put on my necklace made from the polished teeth of the most vicious beasts I’d defeated to display my strength, a pair of bracers made of precious metals and gems to display my ability to provide, and upper arm rings—right below my shoulders, but just above my fins—that I crafted myself to showcase not only my skills but also my rank and achievements. I then moved to my armory to select my most exquisite battle staff, which could be split to turn into a pair of vicious blades. Along with Raskier, Mandha would perform the warrior’s dance with me tonight as I had done for him on his bonding night.
We exited my dwelling and made our way to the Great Circle where my destiny awaited.
