by L. M. Brown
Delta lifted Trix’s chin so he was facing him once more. “Put up with?”
Trix tried to look away again. “Well, you and Farron prefer the male form, right?”
“I…”
Trix gave him a tight smile. “You don’t have to lie to spare my feelings. I’m well aware that when one such as myself gives birth, they can expect no attentions from their mates until they’re back to normal.”
Delta growled. “This is normal for you, at least for the moment.”
“You think so?”
“Yes, of course I do. Your female attributes are just as much a part of you as your male parts.”
“That doesn’t mean you find me attractive while my female hormones are dominant.”
Delta grinned. “I happen to find you very attractive right now.”
Trix rolled his eyes. “I just gave birth. I know I look awful.”
“I’ve not seen you in months. That makes you the most wonderful sight in the world.”
“Doesn’t mean you’ll want sex with me.”
“If you think I’m going to wait until the babies are weaned before we have sex again, you’re sadly mistaken. Um, unless you no longer wish to be with me in that way?”
“Of course I want you.” Trix glanced at Farron. “Both of you. But look at me—I have breasts!”
“We can see that,” Farron replied as he perched on the edge of the bed. “You’ll recall that neither of us shied away from your other female parts.”
“Yes, but that’s different. It’s not like it’s on display all the time.”
Delta snorted. “No, you’re right about that. But that’s not the point. Your breasts don’t bother me, or Farron, and we don’t want you to worry about having them either.”
Farron perched on the edge of the bed. “Delta is right. I may be sexually attracted to the male form, but you’re my mate, and that means I’m always going to want you, no matter what your appearance.” He reached out and gently cupped the breast that wasn’t currently being suckled. He stroked his finger over the nipple and gave the flesh a small squeeze.
Trix whimpered and gave a loud sniff.
Delta reached over too and wiped away the stray tear that had begun to run down his cheek. “No tears,” he whispered.
“I can’t help it,” Trix replied with another sniffle. “Yesterday I was sure I was going to lose my babies and I was all alone. Now I have two mates and a litter and you say you don’t even mind that I have breasts.”
Farron shook his head. “How could we possibly mind that you’re able to feed our babies?”
A cry came from the cribs and Delta hurried back over to pick up their daughter.
“She’s probably hungry too,” Trix said. “Her brother fed earlier, but she didn’t. Bring her over here. Farron, can you take this little one?”
Farron was already relieving Trix of the bundle in his arms, so that Delta could pass him his daughter.
“How long until you’re ready to move to the ship?” Delta asked. “Your belongings are already there.”
“As soon as she’s done feeding,” Trix replied. “I’m not going to be doing any sexual acrobatics any time soon, but I think I can manage a short walk, especially if it gets me off the Cage.”
“I can carry you if you’re struggling,” Delta offered.
Trix rolled his eyes. “I’m not an invalid.”
“No, but you have just given birth.”
Farron chuckled. “Face it, Trix, Delta is going to make sure you’re well and truly pampered.”
“I’m not going to say no to that,” Trix replied. “After this place, I could use a little pampering.”
Delta kissed him lightly. “And I’ll make sure that you get it. All of you.” He winked at Farron. “And that includes you too.”
Farron gave him a wicked grin. “I look forward to you taking care of me.”
Delta laughed kissed Farron. “I know you do. Now, how about we take one of the babies each and make our way to the ship?”
“Where are we heading?” Farron asked.
“A spaceport,” Trix replied immediately. “I didn’t get chance to buy everything we’re going to need for the litter.”
Delta nodded. “The nearest port is three days away. Do you have enough supplies to last until then?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“Then let’s go and buy everything else we need and decide where we’re going to head next.”
Together, the three of them carried their babies to Delta’s ship, all eager to leave the Cage once and for all.
Chapter Twelve
“The living quarters are down that way.” Delta gestured to the right. “Farron will show you where to go.”
Trix nodded and followed Farron down the passage.
“This is the bedchamber,” Farron explained, though it was fairly obvious what the room was.
“Is there only one?” Trix asked. It seemed a little small for all of them and he couldn’t see anywhere for him to set up the cribs, not that he had any yet.
“There are a couple of rooms for crew, but this is the largest. I see your trunk and pillows are here. Where are the rest of your belongings?”
“This is all I have.” Trix hung his head. “I had to leave my furniture back on the Pleasure Station. I could only carry so much and the bigger I got, the less I could carry. I suppose it was lucky that I was taken to the Cage when I was, because I don’t think I’d have been able to move all of this by the time I was ready to deliver.”
“We can go back to get the rest of your things from the Pleasure Station.”
Trix shook his head. “They’ll have been claimed by others long ago.”
“Then we’ll buy you new things to replace what you lost.”
“You don’t have to do that. I still have quite a lot of the credits that Delta paid me.”
“You do?”
“Yes. Why? Did you think I’d squandered it all at the gaming tables?”
“No, but we thought you might have had enough to stay on the Pleasure Station for a while, at least until we could get back to you.”
Trix sat on the edge of the bed, suddenly tired from the exertions of the day. “Had I known you were coming to find me, I probably would have stayed there, but I had to make my decisions on the basis that I was on my own.”
“I understand. Delta and I will be spending the rest of our lives making things up to you for abandoning you when you needed us the most.”
Trix smiled and kissed Farron on the cheek. “You may regret that when you find the babies are screaming in the middle of the night and no matter what I do to try to calm them, they won’t settle.”
“We,” Farron corrected. “It isn’t just your responsibility to care for them. There are three of us, and Delta and I will be doing our share.”
Trix believed Farron meant that, but he appeared to have forgotten Delta’s comment back on the night they were together, about how noisy newborn babes could be. The canine hadn’t seemed very enthusiastic about having youngsters on board his ship. Trix suspected it might be down to him and Farron to make sure that the babies didn’t disturb the grumpy captain. It was with that in mind that he made his suggestion.
“I think me and the babes should take one of the other rooms.”
Farron stared at him for several long seconds. Trix fidgeted under his gaze. “Delta wants you here just as much as I do.”
Trix cringed when he realised Farron had read him through their newly strengthened mating bond. There would be no secrets between them from now on. “Farron, you know it’s the sensible way to go about this. This room might be large enough for two, or even three adults, but not with three babes as well. I have to be near them to feed them, especially whilst they’re so young. I could take the room across the way.”
“I don’t like the idea.”
“You know I’m right. Besides, I’m used to having my own space and this is all happening so suddenly. You and Delta have had time
to think about how this is going to work between us. You have a bond of your own to think about.”
Farron shook his head. “The bond is between all three of us. It’s unusual for my people, in fact I’ve never heard of it happening before, but just because Delta and I have spent a little more time together than we have with you, it doesn’t mean our connection to you is any less. If anything, my connection to you is stronger because you’re the father of my young.”
“But if I hadn’t been careless enough to get myself pregnant, you wouldn’t even be back here.”
Farron snorted. “I rather got the impression that it was me who got you pregnant, unless those aren’t actually feathers I see on our son and daughter’s heads. Besides, is that even possible? I mean, you do have both parts.”
Trix chuckled. “Technically yes, but it’s not easily done. It’s also a form of inbreeding that results in miscarriages and still births. Thankfully, it’s rare it happens at all.”
“Ah, good. I mean, not good that it results in miscarriages and still births, but…”
“I know what you mean. This wouldn’t be my first litter if it was easy to impregnate myself. Goodness knows, I’ve spent as much time as any other dual-gendered feline exploring my body.”
Farron chuckled. “I hope to watch you doing that sometime soon.”
Trix grimaced. “Not that soon. My female parts are going to be sore for a while yet, not to mention the bleeding. Since I’m male-dominant, I get to avoid the hassle of menstruating that the females and female-dominants have to put up with, but right now my female hormones are dominant, so I get that joy too.”
“When you’re ready,” Farron assured him.
“Thank you. So, would you mind helping me set up some temporary cribs for the babies?”
“Of course not, but don’t you have proper cribs?”
“No, my belongings are what I could carry, remember? Most of what I bought for the babies was clothing.”
“Then let us see what we can set up,” Farron agreed. He nodded over to the side of the room. “What about here?”
Trix gave the door a pointed look and Farron relented.
“Very well, let’s give you your own space, but I want you to know you’re welcome in this room whenever you want.”
“Thank you.”
“And Delta will say the same thing,” Farron assured him, clearly anticipating Trix’s worry in that regard. “In fact, I suspect he’ll be most displeased when he finds out.”
“Finds out what?” Delta asked as he stepped into the chamber, still holding their daughter, who slept peacefully in his arms, giving no sign of her earlier distress.
“I’m going to set up quarters for me and the babies across the passage,” Trix explained. “This room really isn’t big enough for all six of us.”
Delta grinned and went to a panel on the wall. “That’s easily solved.” He pushed a few buttons and one of the walls rolled up into the ceiling. “All the interior walls can do this save for the ones on the flight deck and the ones that surround the entrance ramp. I often lost out on jobs because the cargo wouldn’t fit on my old ship. So when I bought this beauty I made sure it came with an interior that could be easily modified.”
Trix frowned when he realised his first argument for his own room had just been completely countered. “But what about when you need sleep and the babies are crying? Surely it would be more sensible for me to keep them separate from you?”
Delta shook his head. “Certainly not. We’re a family now, and families should be together.”
Farron stepped in with Trix’s next argument. “Trix feels this is happening a little quickly for him. He needs some time to get used to the idea of being part of a nest, rather than on his own.”
“A nest?” Trix asked.
Farron shrugged. “It’s what avians call relationships with more than two beings.”
“I know, but I didn’t think your clan used that term.”
“We don’t, not usually, but there are three of us here, and it seems the most appropriate term for us. But don’t worry, I have no intention of expanding our nest any further. Any additions to our family will be in the form of babies.”
“If you want more,” Delta added. “We would never force you.”
“Maybe one day,” Trix said. “It’s going to be hard enough to manage these three. I’m just glad I didn’t have five or six like some of my species do.”
Farron chuckled. “Someone at the Pleasure Station told me one of the high nobles of the felines had six, but at least he has a staff of servants to help.”
Delta laughed. “You heard wrong. He had three, and one of his mates had another three. Since they were all born within a relatively short span of time, some folk are unaware that there were two birthing fathers.”
Trix frowned. “A high noble has been discovered to be dual-gendered?”
“Yes.”
“That sounds wrong too.”
Delta smiled. “I got my information straight from the source. The high noble in question is one of the trio who I gave passage to. His mate gave birth on my old ship, and I can assure you, Ty, the high noble, was also very much pregnant.”
Trix hadn’t been back to Furyne in years, and he wondered how this Ty being dual-gendered might have changed things. When he’d left, being born with both male and female sex organs was something limited to the common felines and a limited number of the low nobles. “I’m surprised any high noble would let the world know he was dual-gendered by becoming pregnant. They always looked down on us common felines and blamed us for the sickness that rendered so many of our females unable to bear young. When the side effect of the cure was discovered and a portion of the next generation were born dual-gendered, it was soon noted that the majority of them were from amongst the common felines, and it has remained that way ever since.”
“Well, I can’t speak for all the high nobles, but I can tell you that Ty felt no shame in being dual-gendered. On the contrary he appeared delighted about the fact.”
“Maybe things are changing on Furyne,” Farron suggested, echoing Trix’s own thoughts.
“Perhaps, but I’m in no hurry to go there to find out.”
“Is there anywhere you would like to go?” Delta asked. “Besides the spaceport for supplies that is.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”
Delta gestured to Farron. “Well, in that case, perhaps we could go visit Farron’s family on Cygon. He left rather abruptly and from what he tells me, things were a little strained.”
Trix gave Farron an enquiring glance and the avian blushed.
“You’ll recall I went home to be mated.”
“Yes, but I ruined that for you.”
“No, you didn’t do anything of the sort. We all had a hand in forging the bond between us. Anyway, it was only when I was… er… unable to perform, shall we say, that we realised what had happened. I had to explain everything to Sera, my proposed mate, as well as both of our parents. I left as quickly as I could, desperate to get to you, but I’ll have to go back at some point.”
“I’d like to see Cygon,” Trix offered. “I’ve never been to an avian world before. What’s it like?”
“It’s beautiful,” Farron replied. “I’ll take you to all my favourite places and introduce you to my family.”
“You think your family would want to meet a whore?”
“I don’t see why we should tell them,” Delta said. “You’re our mate and the father of our babies. That’s all that matters.”
“My parents already know,” Farron said quietly. “As I said, I had to explain why I couldn’t mate with Sera.”
“How did they take it?” Trix asked. He wanted to know what sort of a reception he was likely to get on their arrival.
“Mixed,” Farron replied with an honesty that Trix appreciated. “I’m hoping that considering how much time has passed already, and it’s going to be some time before we get to Cygon, that the d
ust will have settled. Besides, I’m not only bringing my mates home, I’m bringing my babies too.”
“The babies borne by a whore, not the mate they had planned for you,” Trix reminded him.
Delta took the space at the other side of Trix to where Farron was sitting. “You’ll never have to sell your body for your cream again. Farron and I will keep you fed. As your mates, it’s our duty and pleasure to do so.”
Trix gazed at each of his babies in turn. “I hope that these little ones find their mates quickly. Too many of my species end up starving or whoring for their milk or cream.”
Farron shrugged. “Or maybe someone will come up with an alternative diet by the time they are older. What age is it they drink plant milk until?”
“Late puberty,” Trix replied. “It varies from feline to feline.”
“That’s a long time away.”
Trix shook his head sadly. “My species has survived on milk and cream for as long as we can remember. I doubt it’ll change any time soon.”
“Maybe the humans will come up with something.”
Trix swore and hissed, startling the baby in his arms. “If humans had any knowledge of felines they wouldn’t have done what they did on the Pleasure Station. They didn’t care if we starved.”
“They need someone to educate them on felines,” Delta added.
“I think some felines already are,” Farron said. “I spoke with some of them, as well as some of the humans, when I was waiting for Delta at the Pleasure Station. Humans have made some great advances on their world when it comes to synthetic foods. They have hope of finding substitutes for milk and cream that will nourish felines and relieve them of the need to prostitute themselves to feed.”
“A noble idea, but I’m not going to count on it happening. Humans can’t be trusted with the welfare of felines. They’ve already made that clear.”
“Well, let’s not worry about it for now,” Delta said. “We’ll feed you, and you’ll be nourishing the babies, and that’s all we need to concern ourselves with for the moment.”
Farron agreed and handed over the baby he held to Delta. “Here, you can hold them both while I set up some cribs for them.”