“I would like to try to start again,” Arie offered.
Emala smile and approached, ignoring the males’ wary grumbles. “It seems we should do just that. Maybe then Kyx will stop standing over there looking like I’m about to take his favorite treat away.”
Arie glanced over and found that he indeed looked anxious as he watched them from where he stood with his triad brothers. Not wanting him to worry she smiled at him.
Emala took her hand and glanced at Rager’s unforgiving expression. She hesitated and spoke directly to him.
“I have overstepped with your triad, your family. Although Kyx is my son, I have been with my own triad long enough to know how things work.” She glanced at her mates “I knew the time would come when I would have to turn his care over to his own family, and as my mates’ expressions are reminding me now, I grievously overstepped those bounds. I would like to repair this meeting by explaining why I reacted the way I did, if you would permit me.”
Rager’s expression remained stony but Arie saw his eyes soften as he inclined his head for the woman to continue. He stepped back so that Emala could draw her forward and urge her to sit on a thick pad of furs that Vordri had placed near the back of the cave.
“I must admit I was taken by surprise by your presence. I didn’t realize that humans and Ragoru were compatible,” Arie said.
“It is something, isn’t it?” the older woman said with a broad smile. “No one in the Citadel or the close-minded people of the villages would want such information to get out, but it is not only possible but happens often. Why do you think our planet was chosen for the Ragoru? The human race was on the decline and the Ragoru needed a new home. Being compatible made our planet the logical consideration for the Feriknikal.”
Arie’s mouth dropped open. “So this has happened from the start? Why doesn’t anyone know about it? Why didn’t Warol and Rager know? They were just as surprised as me to see you.”
Arie saw the males in question creep closer with interest.
“Oh, yes. It was planned that way. The Feriknikal made the first matches when they arrived. Unfortunately, there were prejudices on both sides and many among both humans and the Ragoru were not keen on mixing our peoples.”
“How do you even know all this?” Arie asked in awe.
“Because, dear, my great-great-great grandmother’s sister Viki was among the women selected to be mated to a Ragoru triad. My direct family line always had a good relationship with our Ragoru kin until a huntsman swept through and killed them all during my mother’s generation. My mother was to mate a triad at that time and watched not only her kin slaughtered, but her own males killed in front of her eyes before the huntsmen hauled her away to Old Wayfairer Citadel.”
Emala’s smile dropped away. “This is why I did not wish for Kyx to be involved with humans. It is too dangerous, but not only for them. It is dangerous for any human woman found with Ragoru. My mother was found guilty of perversion and released into the control of distant relatives. I was born in that hellish house, the product of one of many rapes. I grew up and I watched my mother die there, still grieving for her mates all those years later. It was only by some miracle that I managed to escape.”
Her eyes drifted to the larger of her mates and she smiled.
“Mishar is not here for you to meet, but he is the one who found me half-delirious in the mountains and brought me to his triad brothers. They cared for me and nursed me back to health. After a time, we were inseparable. It seems our stories may not be so different. You had the good fortune to be rescued, and for that I am inclined to agree with my son that the gods had their hand involved.”
“They did find me,” Arie admitted, “but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. They were moved by pity and offered to escort me to the Citadel where I might rejoin my grandmother, if she is still living.”
Emala’s eyes widened and she exchanged a concerned look with Kyx before reaching out to grasp Arie’s hand in urgency.
“Child, trust me in this: stay away from the Citadel. I don’t know what agreements you have with Kyx and his brothers, but it is not safe for you. The Order of Huntsmen holds power there and if anyone even suspects that you have been alone in the company of Ragoru, I fear your fate will not be any better than that of my dear mother.”
“There are already huntsmen trailing us,” Kyx said.
Korash growled. “You should be safe enough for the time being. Unless one knows the way into our territory, it is not easy to find. The North Forest keeps its secrets well. I would advise you not to wander far from this cave though, unless you are traveling to our den. At least until you determine what your path is from here,” his said with a pointed look to his son.
Arie licked her lips nervously. There was clearly some message passing between the family that she wasn’t privy to. Even Warol and Rager seemed to possess a certain understanding that eluded her and lasted long after Kyx’s parents departed. The looks the triad bent toward her were now speculative. Arie felt a rush of nervous anticipation that never seemed to be set at rest one way or the other. All three males seemed at times on the verge of saying something to her, but always seemed to think better of it and remained silent.
For her part, she didn’t know what to think. She had assumed that reaching the Citadel would magically solve all of her problems. Now she was faced with the very real possibility that going there would mean her death or imprisonment. How had she never heard that the Order of the Huntsmen were based in the Old Wayfairer Citadel? That didn’t seem like information that would have been overlooked. Everyone knew who the huntsmen were on sight; someone must have known more. By the way gossip always spread, it should have been common knowledge long ago.
She started when Kyx dropped down beside her, his expression solemn except for an odd yearning crept into his eyes when he thought she wasn’t looking. One of his hands reached forward and caressed her cheek.
“Don’t make any decisions today. Let us take care of you at least a little while longer until you are certain.”
Her eyes scanned his face, taking in the gentle slope of his brow and the broad muzzle set perfectly in his face, framed by two pairs of eyes that reminded her of summer honey. She traced the back of his hand with her fingers.
“What is it that you want, Kyx?” she whispered. “If you could have one choice for yourself, what would it be?”
His normal flirtatious nature ebbed away as he regarded her seriously. He leaned in and whispered. “Unlike the others, I’ve always known that this was possible, but I never imagined the connection to a human female would be this strong. I understand now what my fathers have. All I dream of is you, Arie, but that will be enough until that dream is yours too.”
16
Winter seemed to descend out of nowhere in the weeks following their arrival. The first hard frosts had been an uncomfortable warning, but on the morning of the fifth day they’d all awoken to a thick blanket of snow. Up until that point, they’d been comfortable with the few goods that Emala and her triad had provided. But after that first snow, with no immediate decision in sight, the families came together in cooperation to prepare the cave for the cold season. Rager had been inflexible on what they’d need. Arie suspected he would have gone out and hunted himself to the point of exhaustion to provide enough supplies to see to their needs if it came to that. Thankfully, it did not.
Vordri and Korash made an appearance and brought supplies over in the days following the first snow. They replaced the leather flap over the entrance with a better one that tied snugly to the anchors, and increased the padded beds of thick furs with even more surplus. All the males then worked together to cooperatively load the narrow room at the rear of the cave with nothing but firewood. The males had looked at the stockpile and then at her, murmuring to each other in Ragii in such low voices that Arie had been unable to make out a word. By the end of the day, they’d doubled the supply.
She even had the opportunity to meet Mishar
when he came with bags of prepared meat. The pure white male didn’t seem able to speak, although his eyes shone with good humor. Whereas Rager had pale ice-blue eyes, Mishar’s were the brilliant blue of a summer sky. With the help of his triad as translators, he managed to communicate with signs expressing his great happiness to meet them. His gentle features and sweet personality won Arie over.
To Arie’s surprise, she saw Emala frequently. Although the other female never came without one of her mates, she made a point to visit a few days a week. She not only provided Arie with a couple changes of clothes, but also set out to teach her how to cook and make the most use out of foraged and hunted ingredients. Sometimes the lesson occurred at the cave, and sometimes Kyx would escort her to his parents’ den at his mother’s behest.
Arie dreaded the lessons at first, memories of her failures at learning to sew coming to the fore of her thoughts, but Emala proved to be a patient teacher with many useful skills to make life comfortable far from the human trade routes. To Arie’s surprise, she even noticed an improvement in her sewing skills as the female taught her the easiest way to stitch the leather pieces together with strong bone needles.
As the days passed, Arie found herself thinking less of finding her way to the Citadel. She had even ceased thinking about the huntsmen after so many weeks with no sign of them. She wondered if the pursuit had been called off. Surely even huntsmen wouldn’t be so suicidal as to risk exposure to the brutal weather. With no imminent threat lurking around the corner, Arie found that she was happy.
She’d long lost track of the days, but she figured that no less than three months had passed since she was rescued by her triad, closing in on four, and they’d slipped into a comfortable routine. Thanks to her high-protein diet, her hair had grown long and thick in those months, the curls now extending down to her hips. Warol loved to touch it, dragging the lengths between his fingers as all four of his hands worked it into braids or just played with it, running soft strands across the tip of his nose.
The males seemed quite content. While Warol and Kyx took turns scouting, Rager often stayed inside with her, his large bulk a comforting presence. He busied himself with weaving baskets from the long grasses given to him by Mishar, or found some task that needed tending to. Sometimes he would go outside and patrol the immediate area around the cave while one of the other males rested.
In the evening, all the males would be in the cave after dark, their bodies settled around her. Arie taught them how to play dice with a set she’d made from the knucklebones of a wild goat that Warol and Vordri had killed. She’d laughed when she saw just how competitive the males could be. They, in turn, taught her various games that involved sticks of different lengths and colorful stones.
Arie admitted to herself that it bothered her how, aside from their mutual non-penetrative lovefest that was becoming more and more common, the males never initiated sex with her. As they had all gotten closer, she assumed that their relationship would naturally progress in more physical expressions of intimacy.
She was therefore confused when just weeks into winter the triad began to act hostilely toward each other, and worse whenever they lay together. The situation was getting increasingly tense between Rager and Warol. The males often snarled and threatened one another. Worried about an eruption of violence, she was eventually driven to solving the problem by sleeping apart from all three of them.
The hostility between the males only seemed to increase. Rager never seemed to relax, with waves of aggression and dominance rolling off him continuously. Kyx never got involved in the fights, but seemed to be retreating within himself miserably as the conflict escalated. Much to Arie’s dismay, Warol began to spend long periods away from the cave. Whenever he came home, his expression would be one of such sadness and longing that it made her heart ache for him.
It worried Arie so much that Emala noticed it as they sat together in front of her hearth. They were sharpening bone knives when the other woman glanced over at Arie.
“Is everything okay?”
Arie chewed at her lower lip with her teeth, uncertain of how much to divulge.
Emala sat aside her knife and sharpening and stone and touched the back of Arie’s hand. “You will feel better if you talk about it. Trust me.”
Knowing that she was right, Arie confided, “I don’t think the guys are happy.”
The other woman drew back slightly in surprise.
“Whatever makes you think that? Every time I see any of those boys, I don’t imagine I have ever seen a happier triad—outside of my own that is.”.
“They are acting… strangely. There is a terrible tension in the air, and Rager and Warol are at each other’s throats. I can’t even lay between them anymore because they were fighting over me.”
Emala looked at her in confusion before a look of comprehension lit her features.
“Oh dear, those poor boys. You haven’t chosen yet. It is the season and you haven’t chosen,” she said with a short sympathetic laugh.
Korash looked up from where he’d been dozing on a plush nest of furs at the further wall with a pair of rogs nestled against him. He smiled at the sound of his mate’s laughter. “What are you two going on about now?” he inquired.
Emala shook her head as she wiped away tears of mirth and explained to her mate, “Arie’s boys are acting out. She hasn’t chosen yet.”
The male’s eyes widened. “No? It is no wonder they are acting out.”
Arie frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Arie. Of course you wouldn’t, and naturally your triad is too well-mannered to point out the problem. Among the Ragoru the females choose, you see. Males can do nothing but present themselves and wait for her choice. This is compounded by the fact that Ragoru typically choose to mate for life and so are raised to abstain from sexual contact so as not to confuse their mating impulse. This way a female can choose with clarity of mind, and the males will yield to any competitors for her affections. The rare times that a mating falls apart are devastating and often traumatic for all those involved.”
Arie’s mouth rounded. “That’s why they haven’t initiated anything when we lay together.”
Emala smiled and tapped her nose. “Exactly. But I’m afraid you are in a bit of a pickle.”
Korash snorted from the other side of the room.
“What do you mean?” Arie asked.
The older woman laughed again. “Winter is a funny time for the Ragoru. Do you know that each of my rogs were born around the same time of the year?”
She shook her head silently.
Emala’s smile widened. “It is because Ragoru go into breeding season during the winter when they are denned up with their females. Normally this isn’t a problem because they are with their mate, who would also be going into heat at this time, but it can be a confusing time for us human women during our first winter with them. The sex is… intense.” She giggled with a blush that made her suddenly seem years younger. Korash chuckled and sent his mate a steamy look that had Arie turning red.
She cleared her throat. “So, because I haven’t chosen, and they are basically in the male version of going into heat, it’s a testosterone overload?”
“Exactly.” Emala smirked, picking up her blade and sharpening stone again. She looked up and arched an eyebrow. “Have you given any thought to your decision?”
Choosing meant forever. She’d hoped it would be more like human courtship. The guy offered and then the woman accepted or declined. From what Emala was saying, everything hinged on her making a decision and offering it to them, and that terrified her.
“What are my options?”
The other woman shrugged. “There are three possibilities. One: you choose them and prepare to enjoy a satisfying winter. Two: you continue as you are and attempt to manage tempers until you are ready to choose or the winter passes, whichever comes first. Three: you do not choose them and they part ways with you once the snows recede enough to
make traveling possible.”
Arie’s heart instantly rebelled against option three. She was scared as hell, but she knew that she did not want that to happen. That just left her with options one and two, which still left everything up to her to make the move. The only difference was whether she would do it now or later. Either way, she would have to conquer her fear of rejection and her terrible case of nerves to accomplish it.
“How can I be sure that they want to mate with me? I don’t want them joining with me just because they feel biological pressure.”
Korash sat up and answered for his mate, a large grin on his face. “Do not concern yourself with that. I have seen the way all three of those males track you with their eyes with every small move you make. They are eager for your choosing.”
Arie nodded and turned back to her work. She focused as much as she could on the task at hand, although she cursed heatedly when she accidentally messed up the edge of her blade due to her mind straying too much back to her triad. Her mouth was dry and her palms sweaty, making maintaining a grip on her knife rather tricky. She had a sudden appreciation for what men must feel when they propose joining.
When Kyx returned hours later, she’d made her decision and her nerves were a mess. He’d given her a confused look, his head tilting to the side, but didn’t say anything as he helped her bundle up in her furs. His brow pulled down into a frown when she smiled weakly at him. She knew she was acting strangely, but the more naturally she attempted to behave, the worse it got.
The walk to their cave seemed longer than normal, and not just because she was walking on her own two feet. The trees kept the worst of the snowfall at bay. Yet with every step, she became more nervous with the knowledge of what she was going to be committing to. It felt right, but that didn’t help the nausea that threatened to expel her latest meal. By the time they entered their cave, she had worked herself into a frenzy.
Red: A Dystopian World Alien Romance Page 13
