“Someone told I’rec about it, though, and he gifted Tia a
cloak this morning. She’s been wearing it all day. He beat
Sessah to the punch.” She shakes her head. “I know all is fair in
love and war, but that’s cruel.”
Poor Sessah. I know everyone thinks he and Tia are
destined to be together because they’re the closest in age, but
Tia seems to have other ideas. She loves to flirt with Shadow
Cat clan, and the more attention she gets, the better. This is
unfortunate for Sessah, because he’s utterly smitten with her.
My heart squeezes in sympathy for him and I feel like an ass for
even considering making K’thar a cloak. His gift idea was
already stolen once. I don’t want to be the jerk that steals it
again. “Young love is hard.”
“He needs to resonate. Once he does, he’ll get over her. His
obsession will switch to someone else.” The smile she gives me
is thin. “Look at you. You and K’thar are happy as two bugs in a
rug.”
I grab her hands. “Which is why you have to help me think
up a gift. I’m running out of time to make something.”
She laughs. “A gift?”
“Yeah. I’m totally open to stealing your idea, too. What are
you giving T’chai?”
Her expression gets sad. “I…nothing. I didn’t think about it.
Me and T’chai…it’s difficult. Giving him a gift would give him
hope for something I’m not sure I can give anymore.”
Just like that, my anxious bubble deflates. I squeeze her
hands tighter. “Oh, Mari. I’m the biggest ass in the world, aren’t
I? I’m sorry. I’m so thoughtless—”
“It’s fine. I promise.” She gives me another shy smile. “It’s
just another day, you know? I’m sure if you don’t give him
something, he won’t mind.”
“I’ll mind, though.” I’ve been obsessing all week. Each
time I’ve caught him furtively working on my presents just
makes me feel worse, too. “And I know he’s giving me some-
thing, so I have to give something back. I have to make it
good.”
“Lauren,” Mari says with a shake of her head. “It’s just a
holiday. It’s not about the gifts, okay? It’s about spending time
with those you love. You know the saying -- it’s the thought that
counts.”
“Tell that to my mate when I give him a ‘thought’ tomorrow
morning,” I grumble. “It’s just…he’s so wonderful, you know? I
want to show him how much he means to me. I’m just not good
with gift giving. I overthink everything and then I get
paralyzed.”
“I don’t think he’d want that,” Mari laughs. “I think he just
wants you to be happy.”
“I am happy.”
“Then enjoy it.” She gives my hands a return squeeze.
“Enjoy every blissful, resonating day and don’t worry so much.”
I still worry, though. I smile as the tribe gets together around
the fire for dinner, and Raven breaks into more Christmas
carols. It turns into a sing-along from the humans, and
Raahosh and Rukh produce a full-length sashrem tree and the
kits decorate it as we watch, and Harlow cooks up the not-
potato root of it for what she calls ‘sa-khui latkes’, which are
tradition with the other tribe. The tree is sad and pink and
flippy, so the decorations slide off the branches, and it makes
me think that they must have traveled into the mountains to get
it and bring it back, because no trees like that grow around
here.
It’s just another thoughtful, wonderful way the people here
adapt to what they have and make it their own.
K’thar pulls me into his lap as we sit by the fire, nuzzling my
jaw. “You are quiet, my pretty mate.”
I smile at him. “Just thinking.” I slide my arm around his
neck…and immediately upset a nestling Kki, who squawks
indignantly at me for touching him. “Whoops.”
“He is cold,” K’thar says, grinning. “This place is always cold
and he has no mate to warm him, so he must settle for me.”
“Poor thing, having to settle for you,” I tease. “I know what
that’s like.”
He mock-growls and nips at my jaw again, one of his many
arms sliding around my waist. He’s distracted, at least, and so
I’m saved from having to answer him. The No-Poison celebra-
tion goes on around us, everyone laughing and having a good
time. Everyone except Sessah, that is. I notice him sullenly
hovering at the edge of camp, a hangdog expression on his face
as he watches Tia. Several of the women are working on chains
of colored seeds for the children to hang, and I notice Tia sits at
the edges, flirting with both U’dron and I’rec as she strings
seeds. She’s wearing a white fur cloak over her shoulders, thick
and puffy and cloud-like.
It is a nice cloak. Poor Sessah.
When it seems like every song has been sung and the food
is gone and the kits in bed, K’thar and I head back to our tent. I
see the boot waiting at the doorway, and my stomach sinks a
little, because I still don’t know what to get my wonderful,
perfect mate that conveys just how much I love him. We go
inside, and K’thar stokes the fire, then straightens. He raises
one hand over my head, and I see a handful of dried leaves
dangling over my hair.
“What the heck is that?”
“It is not poison,” he tells me helpfully. “And now I shall be
awarded with kisses, yes?”
I can’t stop laughing, because the corrupted version of
holiday traditions are funny and sweet at the same time. I fling
my arms around his waist and tilt my head up for his kiss. “If
you wanted to make out, all you had to do was ask.”
He grins down at me. “I wish to give you traditions, my
L’ren. No-Poison is important to your people and so it is impor-
tant to me.” He leans in and lightly kisses my mouth, so tender
it takes my breath away. “I have made you a gift—”
“Tomorrow,” I blurt. “Let’s exchange in the morning. That’s
part of tradition.”
“Very well.” He strokes my cheek with one knuckle. “What
else do you do on this night, then?”
“Allow me to show you,” I say, and take one of his hands in
mine and lead him to our furs.
It’s a long time before we go to sleep. K’thar kisses every inch of
me, in ‘proper’ No-Poison style, and we make love by the fire-
light. We make love almost every night as it is, but tonight feels
special, and I’m overwhelmed with how much I adore him and
how happy I am.
There’s just no way to channel all that into a pair of ugly
leather socks.
I climb out of bed to stir the fire, and K’thar turns over.
Immediately, Kki takes my place in the furs, huddling against
K’thar’s thick fall of hair and digging his claws into it. The little
flyer is on him like a tick with the colder weather, constantly
trying to squeeze his way into K’thar’s clothing and hide from
Oh.
I know what to make for my mate.
Excited, I grab my sewing basket from the corner and set to
work as quietly as I can.
It’s practically dawn before I’m done. I cut the final threads and
knot them in a decorative style, and then rub my itchy, hurting
eyes. I’ve squinted by the fire all night long but I’m pleased with
the changes I’ve made to K’thar’s favorite tunic.
“L’ren?” K’thar mumbles sleepily as he sits up, rubbing his
face. “You are up already?”
“I haven’t slept yet,” I tell him, fighting back a yawn. Seeing
him tired is making me tired. “I was working on your present.”
That wakes him up. “You made me something?” There’s
boyish joy in his face. “I made you something, too.”
I hope mine’s sufficient. I squelch back a worried thought
and hold the tunic out to him. “Here.”
He takes it from me, and I can tell he’s confused, because it’s
his favorite tunic, one he wears regularly. “It is…very nice.”
I fight back a laugh and go join him in the blankets,
crossing my legs underneath me. “No no, look at the front. I
made some changes to it.”
K’thar studies the neckline, and realization dawns on his
face. “You made a hood.”
“No, it’s not a hood. It’s a carrier. Sorta. It’s a reverse hood.
See, it’s in front.” I hold it up to his chest and show him where
it’ll lay. “It’s lined with extra fur and some stuffing on the inside
to make it super warm. You can wear it in the front of your
tunic, or inside the neck and share warmth with Kki on the
days it’s really cold out. It’s not much, but…” I shrug.
“I….thought of you.”
It sounds lame now that I say it aloud. All I did was sew a
hood into the front of his tunic. It’s nothing amazing.
But he touches it reverently, then pulls his tunic on over his
head. Gone are the decorative ties, and in their place is the
loose, thick puff of ‘hood’ that I made for Kki. He calls to the
little flyer, and then tucks him into the new pocket, and slips
the entire thing into the neck. It rests against his collarbone,
warm and fuzzy, and his smile of pure delight fills me with
pleasure. “Can you hear him warbling? He is happy.”
“I hope you’re happy, too.”
He leans in and kisses me fiercely. “I have the best mate.”
I beam at him. I know Kki constantly is cold. The flyer
doesn’t have the thick fur that the native creatures do, and he’s
constantly burrowing into K’thar’s clothing and tearing holes
into stitches or getting in the way. With the adjustments I made,
the fur hood acts a bit like a scarf and a pocket at the same
time, and it’s the best of both worlds. “Happy No-Poison to the
best mate a girl could ever have. I love you so much.”
K’thar kisses me again, his camoflage flashing with a rare
display of emotion. Then, he touches my cheek. “Now it is time
for your gift.”
He hands the small, leather-wrapped bundle to me and I
peel back the leather carefully, revealing two shining, delicate
pearly spirals. “Oh,” I breathe. “What are they?”
“They are carved from shell,” he tells me. “You twine them
in your mane to keep it out of your eyes. My mother used to
wear her mane like that, sometimes.” And he takes one and
twists it into a handful of my hair, holding it back. “You are
lovely, so I wanted you to have something equally lovely.”
There’s a knot in my throat. “Oh, K’thar. Thank you. You’re
so thoughtful.” I touch my hair, wishing I had a mirror. “I love
you.”
“And I you.” He kisses me…and then looks over at the
entrance to our tent. “Did…”
I laugh, touching my shell-spirals, pleased with the gift. “Go
and check.”
“My boot,” he cries as he looks out the flap of our door. “It is
full of gifts! S’nta did visit.”
No-Poison might be my new favorite holiday.
The End — Thank you for being a fan. <3
Twas the Night Before No-Poison Day Page 2