12
CASHOL
E veryone in the cavern is helping themselves to medicinal tea the next morning, talking in low voices,
and sleeping in. I want nothing more than to strut through the cave and bask in the admiration of my
fellow hunters, but I will hear their teasing words some other time. Instead, I watch my lovely Meh-gan sleep, curled up in the furs at my side, her yellow mane spilling over the blankets.
So much for going slow.
I hope my chief is not very disappointed in me. I tried to go slow with her, I truly did. Meh-gan would not be denied, though, and I am a weak hunter in the face of such enthusiasm. Last night, she used her mouth and her hands in ways I could scarcely believe, and I tried to do the same for her. By the time we fell asleep shortly before dawn, we had mated at least seven times, and our khuis slowed their song, indicating that resonance was fulfilled.
I am a little disappointed it went so fast. I know others resonate for days on end, and I think perhaps that would be grand. Tiring, but grand.
I wake Meh-gan with a kiss to her shoulder. I love kissing her. It does not matter if my mouth mates with hers or notโI want to touch her all over and just stroke her soft skin. I want her scent in my noseโฆand her taste on my tongue, her hands on my body. My cock rises stiffly once more, but Meh-gan only burrows deeper into the blankets, smacking her lips.
โShall I get food for us?โ I whisper, nuzzling her neck as she tries to sleep. โAnd perhaps some hot tea?โ
She shrugs, sleepy, and I decide that is close to a โyes.โ The thought of providing for my new mate fills me with glee, so I dress quickly and rake my hand through my mane, trying to comb it out with my fingers. I emerge from the cave to see Sevvah grinning in my direction. She has a plate full of freshly cooked kah cakes
and I bound over to her.
โMy favorite elder,โ I tease.
She shakes her head at me. โLook at you. You are a mess.โ She licks one finger and tries to smooth down a bit of my mane. โWhat will your pretty mate think if she sees you look like this?โ
โShe will think I do not care what my mane looks like because I am too busy satisfying her?โ
Sevvah snorts. โI have a gift for your mate. I was digging through my supplies and found some old tunics she might like. Come. I will make some tea, too.โ
I hesitate, glancing back at the entrance to the supply caveโmy cave, I amend. The cave I will live in with my mate. The thought fills me with pride and a curious sense of joy. Ever since the khui sickness took my father, I bounced from cave to cave. After the sickness ravaged the tribe, there were many of us left without family, and while the elders did what they could, it was not the same as having a family. The only person I had left was my cousin Vektal, but he had taken over being chief, and was constantly busy. I remember many nights I sat by Sevvahโs fire, trying to seem lighthearted and full of joy so I would not be a burden.
She is as close to a mother as I can remember, so I let her fuss over me and even though I long to go and curl up around my mate again, I go to Sevvahโs cave and let her fuss over me.
B ๎๎๎ ๎๎๎๎ I ๎๎๎๎๎๎ ๎ ๎๎๎ S๎๎๎๎๎โ๎ ๎๎๎๎, I ๎๎๎๎ ๎ ๎๎๎๎๎๎ ๎ ๎๎๎ ๎๎ ๎๎๎๎๎ ๎ ๎๎ ๎ ๎๎๎ ๎๎๎๎ with my mate, a pouch of tea leaves, a morning meal for my female, and a waterskin full of hot, fresh tea. It feels as if it takes forever to get back to her, but when I return to our cave, Meh-gan is gone.
It isโฆdisappointing.
I set down my burdens and glance around the cave, but I do not see my yellow-maned mateโs head.
Frowning to myself, I notice Haeden near the main entrance, and head over there. I had promised to go on a long hunt with him, but things have changed.
Everything has changed.
I cannot stop smiling as I approach, and the moment Haeden sees me, he rolls his eyes and goes back to strapping additional spear-shafts to his pack. โHo, my friend,โ I call, in a cheery mood. โThe weather is lovely this morning, is it not? A perfect day for a hunt.โ
He grunts. โI would ask you how your evening went, but we know,โ Haeden grumbles. โWe all know.โ
I clap a hand on his back. โResonance is glorious. I never thought I would have such joy, and here I am.โ I shake my head in wonder. โYou will be going on that hunt by yourself.โ
โYou did not fulfill resonance? I am surprised.โ He shakes his head, tightening a strap. โYou kept me up all night with your grunting. And if it was not you, it was Vektal, or Dagesh.โ He has a sour look on his face. โThis cave needs thicker walls.โ
I chuckle, because he is simply mad that his furs remained empty last night. I know my friend and I know he is happy for meโฆeven if it means he must go hunting alone. He is simply going to frown about it for a bit first. I flick his braid. โWe fulfilled resonance, thank you.โ I rub my chest, where my khui sings softly now, as if it is tired. โBut things are still new. I wish to stay near Meh-gan for a while. I do not want her to miss me too much.โ
Haeden snorts. โShe will only miss you if you are gone.โ
I want to tease him back, to say that he is jealous, but I hold my tongue. Haedenโs sad history is not something to be thrown in his face, ever. I am too good of a friend to be cruel, so I just grin at him. โYou are right. I am the one that would miss her if I was to go out for many nights. I do not want to wake from a dream in which I kiss my mate only to find I am kissing your ugly face instead.โ
โI think neither of us wishes that.โ
I glance around the cave. People are moving about, projects being spread in open space. Sevvah and Kemli are talking, and a fresh pouch of tea is being placed over the fire by Hemalo while Harrec laughs and gestures about something to one of the human females. I still do not see Meh-gan. โHave you seen my mate?โ
โYes. She ran for the distant hills at dawn,โ Haeden grumbles.
I mock-kick a bit of snow onto his boot. โAt dawn, my mouth was still on her.โ
My friend raises a hand into the air. โSpare me your bragging. She disappeared with the noisy one a short time ago. So you will not go hunting with me?โ
โNot this time. Perhaps the next.โ I cross my arms over my chest, considering. I normally love to go out on a long hunt, but I feel no urge to do so right now. I want to spend time with Meh-gan. I want to hear her laugh. I
want to see her smile.
I want to mate with her again.
I will definitely be staying close to the cave for the near future. My cousin Vektal will understand. He, too, has a new mate and has been swapping longer hunts for quicker ones. I will set trap lines nearer to the caves and hope for the best. I gesture toward the center of the cave. โYou could always ask Harrec if he wishes to go.โ
Haeden gives me an unimpressed look. โI would rather go alone.โ
I ๎๎๎๎ ๎ ๎๎ H๎๎๎๎๎ ๎ ๎๎๎ ๎๎๎๎๎๎, ๎๎๎๎ ๎๎๎๎๎ ๎๎๎๎๎๎๎ ๎ ๎๎ ๎ ๎๎๎๎ ๎๎๎๎๎. I๎ ๎๎๎ ๎๎๎ ๎๎๎๎ ๎๎ friend Jo-see, the โnoisyโ one that Haeden refers to, they will not be far. Both Meh-gan and Jo-see always seem to be working on one project or another in the caves, and rarely venture out. I check one of the storage caves, and then I hear a feminine giggle as I move toward the femalesโ cave. Of course. Jo-see lives in that cave, and Meh-gan did until last night, when we resonated.
Just thinking about her makes me smile, and I rub my chest. I move along the wall, curious to hear the murmur of voices. I can make out Meh-ganโs chuckle, and Jo-seeโs higher-pitched giggle.
โYou can have all the leather straps,โ Jo-see is saying. โYou know I donโt want them.โ
โAre you sure?โ Meh-gan teases. โYou can always make a ball gag for your buddy Haeden.โ
They both giggle. โBall gags are for sex, and the last thing I want to do is think about sex with that man.
Yuck.โ She makes a disgusted sound. โHeโs such an ass.โ
Well now, I wish to know what a ball gag is. I am very curious, because now that I have Meh-gan as my mate, I am interested in all things sex.
โHeโs really not that bad,โ Meh-gan says, the sounds of rustling coming from within the cave. โCashol is friends with him.โ
โOh my god, look at your face when you say his naaaaame,โ Jo-see erupts in giggles. โThatโs sooo cute.
Are you happy, then?โ
โI meanโฆI guess? Define happy?โ
I frown to myself. Why is her answer not instantly โyesโ? Mine would be. Is she not full of joy this morning, as I am? I hide deeper in the shadows, listening.
โHow was resonance? Are you in love?โ
โAfter one night? Not quite. We still barely know each other. Heโs really nice, but I feel a little guilty. He wanted to go slow with things and I talked him out of it.โ
โBecause the cootie was pushing you?โ Jo-see giggles again.
โNo, because I wonโt be safe here until Iโm pregnant.โ
โWell, problem solved,โ Jo-see calls triumphantly. โYou are now officially pregnant.โ
I move away from the cave, because I do not want to hear any more. I amโฆoddly hurt. Meh-gan did not sound as if she wanted to mate with me at all. Strangers? How can we be strangers after last night? We shared everything. I have never felt so close to another as I did when I held her in my arms.
But for herโฆit was duty. She did not want to go slow, because she wanted to fulfill resonance. Because for some reason, she thinks the sa-khui will abandon her.
My pride is wounded, I decide. I wanted to be enough for her. I wanted her to be so entranced with our mating that she would be all smiles this morningโand every morning from now on. But Meh-gan must need more to feel secure. She thinks she will be abandoned if she does not please me. Vektal was right in that I should have gone slow, but I did not listen. I let my cock make the decisionsโmy cock, and my mateโs eager hands.
Now I know why she was so eager, and I feel foolish. I head to my cave, grab a spear and leather rope, and decide that there is no better time than now to set up my trap lines near the cave.
Perhaps a long walk will clear my head.
