“Is Bea meant for me as my mate?”
There is a sharp sound, like someone choking on water. “She…I don’t know,” the Goddess coughs. “That’s a pretty heavy question right there.”
Heavy? Yes, my words do weigh heavy on my tongue.
“I-…” the speaking-stone drifts like a lazy moonfly, swaying side-to-side. “I don’t know. If I say yes, you’re not going to drag the poor female off to your cave and force yourself on her are you?”
Force myself upon my Bea?!My wings flare at the thought, my tail whipping one way and then the other. For the first time in my life, I dare togrowlat a Goddess. How could they suggest such a thing?!
“Alright, big guy,easy. I’m just checking. You can stand down.”
I cease my growl and settle my tail, but my jaw remains tight and my stance uneasy.
The Goddess sighs. I have never heard a Goddess sigh before in all of my days. “Look… uh… Zanteer? Does this female like you? Would shechooseto be with you? Because in my experience some males completely misinterpret the language offemales, you know? And if you’re not picking up on her hints that she just doesn’t see you that way, thenyoubecome the problem.”
“I-…” my shoulders sag, my wings drooping along with them. “I do not know if she would truly choose me. She… does not like making choices.”
“Whodoes?” the Goddess chuckles. “Look, although I have a lot of experience in encounters with females, I’m not the best when it comes to this whole ‘mate’ thing you guys have going on down here, so… I guess the best thing to do is give her some space?”
My throat feels suddenly tight. “Space?”
“Yeah. Back off a bit. If she’s meant to be your female, then there will be signs. You can’t force these kinds of things, my friend.”
My arms fall away to my sides. Signs? What signs? From the Goddesses? Or from Bea?
“If you will not give me my heart-stars, is that not the biggest sign of all from the Goddesses?”
There is a moment or two of silence before I hear muttering. “Shit… I knew I should’ve ready that fucking manual-” before the words from the speaking-stone become clearer. “Uh… yeah, sure. Um… the Goddesses only want what is best for you and the female.”
I rub the heel of my hand into my bound chest. It hurts there. Though, I do not think the pain has anything to do with my injuries.
Chapter 24 - Bea
“That’s Girryk, Tyka, Ryxn,” I say, pointing to each of the little boys before me. “And over there we have Xaryk and Dox. And this little protector of mine is called Tyll,” I say, grinning down to the boy who has decided to become my shadow since our ordeal yesterday. I don’t blame him at all of course. We went through a lot together. And, despite my opinion on his father’s actions, Tyll still lost his dad.
Ry, the Carer from Zarriko’s tribe smiles at all the boys. “How nice. The last youngling I was charged with raising for our great Protector, Draxx, has just entered his training to follow in his father’s wingbeats.” He pauses to sigh fondly, shaking his head. “I have raised many younglings for my tribe, but the Goddesses have not blessed us with a son for many a season now, and when I heard about the exchange, I thought it may be a chance to come and pass on my knowledge to other younglings.”
“We have perfectly fine teachings in this tribe already,” one of the other Carers sniffs as he ushers some of the boys to stop playfighting with the sticks they’re learning to whittle into crude spears.
I give Ry a knowing look, but he just smirks back at me with a shrug.
Some Trixikka are taking to the idea of the two tribes trying to mingle better than others. Ry - an older, dashing sort ofgentleman, with white hair and a few white feathers being one who seems to be grabbing the opportunity with both hands.
“And I look forward to learning your teachings,” Ry answers with a ‘kill-them-with-kindness’ sort of smile.
The other Carer just grunts.
After the meeting this morning, I was sent straight to the younglings to assist with a lesson on which jungle bugs are edible if you find yourself lost, injured, and desperate in the forest - and which ones will kill you. One of the Carers had gathered a selection of specimens for the boys to inspect; wiggling grubs, skittering crawl-things, and even a large, glossy beetle the size of a cat.
The beetle acted like a pussy-cat, too. It leaned into touches and chirped when the boys scratched it in just the right places.
The younglings were required to identify which bugs could be eaten - and then eat them. I was relieved not to be included in that part, and even more relieved to learn that the ‘pussy-cat beetle’ isn’t worth killing, since so little of its meat is edible.
I’d wanted to go to back to Zyn all throughout that first lesson. The Healer who’d bandaged him up had come to tell me when he was done, and said that Zyntarr was now resting.
So, I had left him be. He needs his sleep.
That had been a good few hours ago now. And I’d spent a good deal of time with Ry from the other tribe. He’d seemed genuinely interested in what lessons I’d brought from Earth, and how schooling differs where I’m from.
