Page 91 of Feast

“Well hello there,” the woman said simply. She had a funny accent, as if the native language of this planet did not fit comfortably in her mouth.

Ika signalled for Slaine to put her down, and the ukkur gently set Ika onto her feet. He kept his hands on her shoulders to steady her, which was nice as she was feeling a bit top-heavy with her new belly. Her other mates and Rolf crowded closely around her.

“Hello,” Ika answered, and after a moment she asked, “Are you the First Woman?”

The woman just chuckled.

“It’s such a silly title, but the ukkur insist on using it. And as I’m sure you well know, once the ukkur get an idea lodged in their stubborn brains, it’s pointless to argue with them about it. Anyway, it’s better than the names the nith call me, I suppose. As for you, you can just call me Alyx. And what is your name, my dear?”

“My name is Ika.”

Alyx smiled. “Ika. A very pretty name.”

The chubby little ukkur at her breast had stopped feeding and now smacked its lips as it drifted off into sleep. Very gently, Alyx handed the tiny thing over to Krogg, and Ika was touched at the way that he cradled the small being in his huge arms. Some of the other little ones clung about his legs, and Ika realized that he had been the one who made these little ukkur by putting his sap into Alyx.

Alyx adjusted her garment to cover her breast, then stepped forward to look at Ika more closely in the waning light.

“Krogg tells me that you do not carry a nith mark. Is this true?”

Ika nodded.

“Would you you mind if I have a look?” Alyx asked politely.

“I don’t mind,” Ika said. “But…”

She darted her eyes toward the other ukkur crowded around her—Thusar, Gunnar, Muk, Slaine, as well as old Rolf.

“Ah yes, of course,” Alyx said with a wry smile. “The ukkur have a tendency for overprotectiveness, don’t they?”

Alyx tilted her face upward to address the towering ukkur. Despite her small stature, she seemed not the least bit intimidated by them.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to inspect your mate, Ika. I will not harm her. I merely want to examine the skin on her hips.”

The ukkur muttered and passed communicative glances between themselves. Finally, Thusar nodded to Alyx.

“We agree.”

Ika intuited that they did not have a problem with Alyx examining her body because she was another woman. As such, they were not jealous of her.

Alyx gave her a knowing wink, as is she too had experienced this ukkur possessiveness in her day. Then she bent and very carefully pulled aside the flaps of Ika’s garment, exposing one hip and then the other. When she saw that there really was no mark on either side, she muttered to herself.

“Incredible. Absolutely incredible.”

“I don’t understand,” Ika said. “Why is it incredible that I don’t have a mark?”

Alyx stood upright and brushed the hair back from her face. She placed a comforting hand on Ika’s shoulder to set her at ease, and Ika found that she liked this woman more and more with each passing moment. She realized she had never spoken to another woman before, and she was grateful that her first encounter could be such a pleasant one.

“There is much about this that I do not understand either, but I’m sure we will get to the bottom of it together. For now, I imagine you and your companions are weary from traveling, and no doubt you are eager to sit down. Come inside. Tonight you and your companions shall dine in my dwelling, and we shall talk.”

***

The interior of Alyx’s tent was a simple dwelling with furs to sit on, a small stone-encircled fire in the middle for warmth, and a few pots and baskets around the sides for storage. While the dinner was prepared, Ika and Alyx sat and chatted casually while a dozen little ukkur scurried about playfully.

Ika learned that Alyx had three ukkur mates. One of them was Krogg, the army leader, and another was Jale, the ukkur who had first approached them after the battle. The third mate was named Ravnar, a brutal looking beast of an ukkur. Despite his scary looks, however, Ravnar was very sweet and loving with the little ukkur who climbed all over him, goading him into wrestling matches that he would pretend to lose.

The atmosphere was one of love and security.

Ika was also happy to see how well her own companions hit it off with the others. Muk joined Krogg to aid in the preparation of the meal over the bigger fire outside. Gunnar spent most of his time conversing with Ravnar, who was a master trapsmith. Thusar talked with Jale, who filled him in on the details of the ongoing war with the nith. As for Slaine, he spent most of the time before dinner entertaining the silly little ukkur by making funny faces.