He smiled and enjoyed the look of high regard in his mother’s eyes as well.
Unfortunately, it was to be short-lived.
“Oh, and by the way, Karrick,” Amanda asked, feeling playful, “was that before or after the dream you sent me of the two of us on the beach?”
Grimacing, he said, “Before.”
He swore later that lightning shot out of his mother’s eyes when she heard this.
His mother slapped a slender hand against his chest and forced him to sit down in one of the chairs. “So you were frolicking on the beach, huh? Did you seduce this young woman in her dreams, Karrick? You know that’s wrong. I thought you gave up such foolishness when you were a teenager,” Bethan scolded.
“Honest, Mom, I didn’t do anything bad. We were just sitting together on a beach, holding hands and talking.”
Bethan turned to Amanda whose eyebrows had raised a notch hearing Bethan admonish her son for the suspected shenanigans.
“Is he telling me the truth?” Bethan demanded.
Amanda, though she knew Karrick had violated his mother’s rules, was not about to make things any worse for him. “No, it’s fine. Those are the facts. He visited me in my dreams and we got to know each other very well.”
“I’m sorry. I probably seem like I over-reacted, and perhaps I did. It’s just that having the ability of this psi gift is a privilege, and with such a great privilege, comes great responsibility,” she explained. “I’ve often wondered when Alexander and I made the decision to create an entire pack with the ability to communicate via dreams if we’d been too arrogant. I’ve wondered if we’ve loosed on humankind a subspecies that uses this gift for selfish reasons rather than the greater good.”
“Please don’t feel bad on my behalf. I think you’re only trying to do the right thing. It’s no problem,” Amanda replied, feeling somewhat guilty since she and Karrick really did violate Bethan’s rules of behavior.
Karrick looked at Amanda with an eyebrow raised, behind his mother’s shoulder. He mouthed ‘thank you’ and she rolled her eyes in reply.
* * * * *
Amanda left Karrick shortly after his mother’s visit to settle into the hut his parents had said she could stay in while visiting Eridani. The hut contained a large queen-sized bed that was remarkably comfortable and beautifully hand crafted, like the rest of the hut’s furniture. The intense day had left her feeling drained, and she was soon asleep.
The next morning, Karrick arrived at her doorstep bright and early. A bedraggled Amanda answered the door, having fallen asleep in her clothes.
“You look great even when you look like hell,” he commented with a smirk.
“I suppose you showed up this early to make me my breakfast. Well, I see there’s a small kitchen in here so get to it,” she said, pointing to the kitchenette as she headed off to the bathroom to shower.
“I never said I was going to cook it for you.”
“Bullshit. You agreed to do it for a week.”
“I said I’d provide you with home-cooked breakfasts.”
She stood and looked at him for several minutes, replaying their earlier betting conversation in her head. “Damn, you’re right. I’ll have to remember how tricky you are on that. Next time I’ll make sure I’m more specific.”
She was in a much better mood when she came back from her shower. “It was nice to have hot water. What do you use for your power source to heat water and provide lighting in the compound?”
“We discovered a nearby natural gas deposit shortly after we arrived. We use that for almost everything.”
“Very convenient. Looks like you recovered pretty well from yesterday’s debacle,” Amanda commented, snuggling into Karrick’s embrace.
“I’m feeling wonderful. Want to climb on the bed so I can show you that everything is in perfect working order?”
Amanda smiled. “Keep that thought. I’m tempted but I didn’t eat any dinner last night and I’m starving. If you’re not going to make me breakfast, how do I get fed around here?”
“We have a communal hall that everyone goes to, to get meals. Lot of times, people like to cook on their own, but the hall is almost always open for meals. Many from the pack like to go there to visit with their friends and extended family.”
“Sounds like fun. Give me a couple minutes to get dressed. God, I can’t believe how tired I feel today.”
“Maybe you’re pregnant,” he said, wagging his eyebrows at her.
“Maybe I’m tired because I’m not used to all the exercise I’ve been getting the last couple of days. I just came off a spaceship after traveling in it for two months, for crying out loud. On ship, I only had a moderate opportunity to work out, and I just spent the past few days hiking kilometers over rough terrain.”
Karrick sniffed along her neck. “Your scent has changed. You’re not in estrus anymore.”
“Good. That’ll keep the other wolfan males from following me around in a lustful daze.”
“You smell pregnant.”
“Impossible. You’re just saying that because you’d like me to commit to you.”
“I would like you to bond with me as my mate, but I’m not making this up. You’re pregnant,” he said, seriously.
Amanda stalked off to pick up her environmental suit and opened the right arm panel for access to medical treatment. She keyed in several codes and out popped a small vial with test sticks.
“What’s that?” Karrick asked.
“A pregnancy test kit.”
“Jeez, you really do have everything.”
“I’ll be right back,” she said as she marched back to the bathroom, carrying the test kit in a tightly closed fist and a tan pantsuit bunched in the other.
Karrick waited several minutes and then wondered what was taking so long, suspecting that Amanda might be sitting down in shock. He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it. “It’s positive, isn’t it?”
There was no response, so he knocked again and then opened the door. Amanda was dressed and leaning against the shower stall, staring off into space.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She looked at him, focusing on him with some effort. “I’m okay and yes, I’m pregnant. These test strips are extremely sensitive and they’re also very accurate. I tested twice just in case.”
“Are you upset?”
“I’m not anything right now. I’m in shock.”
Karrick crossed his arms on his chest and with a stubborn look on his face, said, “We’re getting bonded.”
“What!?”
“I’ll get the arrangements made and we’ll be married in the traditional wolfan bonding ceremony three days from now. That should be enough time to get everything ready.”
“Are you nuts? I just found this out. You can’t just haul me off to a bonding ceremony because you found out I’m pregnant.”
“Watch me.”
“Watch this,” she said and reached over to yank Karrick’s mane. When she pulled her hand back, small tufts of fur fell out of her hand.
“Ouch! You don’t need to get all violent on me,” he said.
“Out. Get the hell out of here! I don’t want to talk to you right now. You have no right to make me do anything!”
“What about breakfast?”
“I’ll find the communal hall on my own. Get out or I’ll pull some more of your fur out!”
A loud knocking sound on the hut’s front door startled them both.
“That must be my mom. She said she might stop by to see you this morning,” Karrick whispered.
Amanda’s eyes widened before she whispered back, “I hope she didn’t hear any of this.”
“She’ll know something’s up when she sees the blood dripping from my face, and poor me, having just survived a spider dart attack, yesterday.”
“Your face looks just fine, you whiner.”
He reached over and kissed her quickly on the lips, jumping back when she reached up for his mane ag
ain. He smiled wickedly and said, “I’ll let her in and tell her you beat me up.”
“Do that and I’ll snatch you bald,” Amanda replied, her hands on her hips.
* * * * *
Just as Bethan was about to knock on the door again, it opened and an agitated Karrick stepped out, rubbing his facial mane as if in pain.
“You’re here rather early. Is your neck paining you, dear?”
“I thought I’d…invite Amanda to breakfast at the communal hall but she said she’d go with me another time. Uh, see you later, Mom, Jadd.” And with that, he quickly strode away, as if in a great hurry.
Bethan entered the hut, followed by Jadd. As her eyes adjusted to the dim interior, she saw Amanda standing in the corner with her arms tightly crossed over her chest. Bethan asked, “I’m sorry to intrude, is this not a good time?”
“Oh no, it’s fine really.”
Jadd spoke up. “Looks like you’re kind of mad. Umph—” he cut off, feeling the elbow in the side Bethan gave him. “Umm, I’m Jadd, Karrick’s pack brother. Nice to meet you.”
“I hope you don’t mind, Amanda, I thought it would be a good idea to have Jadd escort you around today and give you a tour of our compound. I thought that might help you with your search to find something to help with the current wolfan crisis.”
Amanda pulled herself together. Bethan and Jadd were going out of their way to be cordial to her and she didn’t want their feelings hurt, regardless of how angry she might be at Karrick at the moment. “I think that’s a great idea. Karrick said something about there being a communal hall where everyone eats together for most of their meals. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. Maybe we can go there together and have breakfast?”
“An excellent idea. Jadd and I would love to join you.”
* * * * *
Amanda looked around her with unfeigned interest inside the spacious hall. Row after row of hardwood tables filled the spacious interior and in the back, food was served cafeteria style as people stood in line with plates and forks, holding them out to get servings of food. Bethan directed her to where the plates and utensils were and all three stood in line patiently.
The wolfan looked at her curiously, and many gave her tentative smiles. Amanda felt a bit uncomfortable, but not unreasonably so, just the amount most people feel when they meet a large group of people for the first time, people who seem ready and willing to accept them in their midst.
Bethan decided to take the opportunity to speak on Amanda’s behalf and made a point of introducing her to them. By the time Bethan was done, Amanda was blushing profusely. Bethan recounted Amanda saving Karrick’s life and told the pack of her traversing twenty light-years to come to their planet to find a way to help the wolfan in the current political crisis.
By the time Amanda was introduced around, the wolfan met her with open arms and many of the mothers with children were quick to show them off to her. Her embarrassment soon wore off.
Amanda was impressed with the strong family orientation of the wolfan, and delighted in the many children who were presented to her as daughter and sons or pack daughters and pack sons. She decided to check up later on what the distinction was between pack and non-pack children.
After an excellent breakfast of scrambled eggs, streusel coffee cake, and Kujah juice, Bethan left Amanda in Jadd’s hands so he could spend the day with her, showing her around their community.
At first, Amanda had been very polite and somewhat stiff, but by early afternoon, she was very comfortable with Jadd and subjected him to much teasing and affection. It helped her to put the worry about how her pregnancy would affect her life away from her mind for awhile. Amanda could clearly see Karrick’s influence on the boy and thought they had similar personalities.
While nothing seemed to come up yet that might help with her mission, of special interest to Amanda was the beautiful young female, Danni, whom she was introduced to late in the afternoon. The girl was definitely not wolfan, and clearly one of the other subspecies engineered long ago for planetary settlement.
A short layer of snow white fur covered the girl’s body, at least that which Amanda could see. Most of her body was hidden by the long figure-hugging gown and decorative sandals Danni chose to wear in honor of their visitor. It turned out that Danni had a very strong interest in the art of cloth-making. She wanted to show off the gown she had created from fabric made from native Eridani plant fibers similar to flax and cotton.
Amanda admired the sweetness of the young girl and thought she was quite the beauty. Danni had large blue eyes with long silky black lashes and shapely black brows. Her lovely white hair tumbled in long loose curls with a streak of black at the top of her forehead in a saucy curl with little wisps of black interspersed at the sides.
When Danni spoke to Amanda to thank her for saving Karrick, Amanda heard the hint of a purr behind each of her words. It was clear Danni was one of the feline subspecies, but Amanda was unsure which one and too well-mannered to ask such a question upon short acquaintance.
Jadd saw the look of curiosity on Amanda’s face and decided to alleviate it once they had left. “Danni’s a tigran and the only one of that subspecies in our pack. Before we came to Eridani, my pack dad was asked by the Rajah of Cephei IV, a major leader on one of the several tigran planets, to ensure that the psi talent of empathic communication was genetically engineered into his line. He was glad to do him the favor because the Rajah helped provide mega amounts of credits for much of my dad’s genetic research.”
“So not all tigran are empathic?”
“No. The talent only happens once in a while in their species and those that have it are considered true royalty. The Rajah wanted to have the trait engineered into dominance, to ensure it was passed down, so that his descendants would continue to rule after he was gone. Danni was the result of the genetic mixing of the Rajah’s sperm with an altered egg from his first wife.”
“What happened?”
“The Rajah’s first wife died in an accident and he remarried. The result of that union caused all sorts of political upheaval, and for a while the government there was in chaos. The Rajah asked my pack dad to keep Danni’s zygote in deep-freeze until an appropriate time when it could be transported to Cephei IV. Unfortunately, our ship crashed and that ended that possibility.”
“Do you think the Rajah gave up on her?”
“Probably. Danni would probably still be in deep-freeze except that the unit started to malfunction and we were forced to implant her in one of the older wolfan females, Marissa.”
“That was probably an unusual situation for both of them,” Amanda said, smiling at the thought. Marissa was very gruff and the mother of five large wolfan males, all who were about as wide as they were tall, like their mother. She imagined the wolfan mother loved her daughter but didn’t know quite what to do with her.
Jadd later dropped Amanda off at her hut, with an invitation issued by his parents to come to their house for dinner. Amanda looked forward to a quiet evening with Karrick’s family.
Chapter 10
Alexander sat back in his favorite chair, his feet resting on the ottoman that Jadd had made for him. Both the chair and the ottoman had padding inside them making them very comfortable. The chair back was even adjustable so that Alexander could sit up straight or lean back comfortably.
He smiled at Amanda, his eyes gentle with understanding. He was glad that Bethan decided to invite the girl over for dinner to their cabin after letting her get her bearings at the compound. He had only known her a couple days but already liked her immensely.
Alexander poured Amanda a cup of Kujah wine from the small jug he had set next to his chair and handed it to her. “I’m sorry but we didn’t find the blaster, Amanda.”
“I suspected as much; my gut instinct tells me that Shodan has it.”
“I think you’re right. I had to tell Karrick and I hope you’re okay with that. He’s dispatched several men to track Shodan down and th
ey needed to know about the potential danger.”
“Not a problem. I was just worried that Karrick would jump out of his hospital bed and start tracking Shodan down right away.”
“Sounds like something my son would have done. You were right to give him a chance to recover a bit first.” He set down his cup on a nearby table. “Amanda, I’m curious. How old are you?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“You were born about three years after we landed here. Did your father ever talk to you about us?”
“Oh, yes. He had mentioned that the both of you grew up together on New Earth. He said that your fathers had adjoining plantations and that after you finished your primary twelve years, you decided to leave to study genetics at the Harvard Bio-Engineering Institute on Mars. He said that it was very boring without you when you left.”
“I missed him, too. I was glad when he showed up six months later at my doorstep. Did he tell you that he changed his major course of study five times?”
“Yes, he did. He claimed he learned everything he wanted to know in a year and then always got itchy to move onto something else.”
“He was very intelligent and didn’t like to be pinned down to doing just any one thing. When I last saw him, he was talking about going into business with Yasuyoshi. They had some idea about harnessing the massive electrical energy resulting from the tidal pull of Jupiter on its moons, and mass producing electro-stat batteries from it.”
“Actually, they did work on that venture for a few years, and then gave up on it when their backers pulled out at the last minute. It was too bad, because it was just on the edge of becoming a going concern. There’s a penal colony now on Io where the plant used to be.”
“That’s too bad. What did your father do after that?”
“Dad still had the bug to start his own business so he decided to go back to basics. He knew an enormous amount about the practical aspects of running a plantation and had learned quite a bit about many aspects of bio-engineering, since he was changing his major in that area every year. He developed a business selling genetically tailored livestock, customized to thrive in all sorts of different environments. He did quite well at it and he enjoyed the variety it gave him.”
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