by Maya Carnage
"I'm going to go see if I can find Pops, I'll see you two later."
I walk around the village for a while, but I find no sign of Pops. I'm not worried that I can't find him, he's a grown male if he wants to take an afternoon off he can. I finish my search and circle back to the shop, where Havrick sticks his head out of the window and shouts, "Pops came by, we let him know that you were looking for him. He'll be at the village's dinner."
Havrick's loud voice draws the attention of several tribesmen, who are littered around the shops in this area. He goes back into the shop. I can hear him begin hammering at a weapon once more.
Since I won't be talking to Pops until Later, I guess I can go and check on the children, they should be back at their house by now. Hopefully, not doing anything reckless, though with them anything is possible. Exxil's house isn't that far from the shop, and Pops's house, it doesn't take me long to walk there. It's a lonely walk because most of the tribesmen are setting up the big meal in the center of the village.
I don't bother knocking when I get to Exxil's house. Pushing through the door, I find the three children in the living area. Hexxil is laying on her front, reading a book, she doesn't look up when I shut the front door. Ferle is building a fort with some chairs and blankets. Rexxil is asleep on the small cot pushed against the wall.
"Uncle Lorth! Is Uncle Havrick with you?" Ferle drops the blanket he was holding and rushes over to me. He looks around me, at the door. "Your Uncle Havrick is still at the shop with your father. He'll come by before going to the village meal."
I ruffle Ferle's hair, causing the boy to huff. He glares at me for messing up his black hair. Havrick has convinced our brother's son that his hair is one of the most important things in his life. Ferle sometimes spends a whole hour taking care of his hair in the mornings. Exxil has complained that he sometimes causes all of them to be late in the mornings.
Ferle runs back over to his half-built fort.
I sit down next to Hexxil. She gives me an annoyed look. "What?"
"How do you like working in the garden?" I asked.
"It's fine. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either."
"It might take some time for you to really, start liking it. I wanted to let you know, that for the next few days you'll be by yourself in the garden with Lucia. If you wanted, and if you asked your father first, you could go over and spend some time with Lucia and the other women. If that's something, you would like to do."
Her face brightens,"Really? Lucia is fun to work with she tells hilarious stories. You think Papa would be okay if I went over to her house?"
"Yes, he likes seeing you happy," I said.
"I'll ask him tonight." Hexxil goes back to her reading. I get up and help Ferle with his fort. I crouch down and climb into the tiny structure when it is finished. Ferle pretends that we are under attack from a neighboring tribe and that we are hunters sworn to protect the village. We are in the middle of planning a defense against the oncoming attack when Exxil and Havrick come stomping into the house. Exxil shouts that he's going to go bathe, then we'll leave for the meal.
Ferle runs out of the fort, abandoning me for his favorite uncle. Sighing, I crawl out from under the blankets. Havrick tosses Ferle in the air and catches him before he touches the ground. When the boy's feet hit the floor, he takes off running, yelling that Havrick is one of the attacking tribesmen. Havrick throws his head back and releases a war cry before charging after Ferle.
Havrick and Ferle's noise wakes up Rexxil. Screaming at the top of his lungs, Rexxil let us know that he wasn't ready to be woken up. I pick him up. Setting him on my hip, I walk back and forth, calming the little boy down. When he is only sniffling and sucking on his thumb, I sit down on the couch. Rexxil curls up on my lap, he begins to drift off again.
Exxil doesn't take that long in the bath. He's out within ten minutes. "Let's go we don't want to be late." Exxil grabs the jugs of juice he made for the gathering, then ushers us all out of his house.
By this hour, most of the tribe is already at the village gathering, they probably have already had a plate or two as well. At the gathering, Exxil goes over to where the food is, with his juice. Ferle yanks Havrick over to his friends. Hexxil looks around the place, and when she doesn't find who or what she is looking for, her face drops. With Rexxil still in my arms, "Did you want me to take you over to Lucia? They should be here by now," I ask.
"Sure."
I make my way through the tribesmen all gathered around the big fire. I head in the direction Exxil went. Helencia is making food for the tribe tonight, so the other women are probably close to her. Exxil's over near where the drinks are kept. He's talking to Pops.
I wave.
Pops holds up his hand, wanting me to wait. Looking Over to Hexxil, I let her know that I need to talk to Pops first, then I'll take her over to Lucia.
"Can I just go look for them? I know they're around here somewhere," she asked.
"That's fine."
Hexxil leaves in search of Lucia. "Where's she going?" Pops asked.
"She's looking for Lucia. While Tracy and I are gone, Lucia volunteered to help her out in the garden."
Pops eyes brighten. "Is she taken by any of the tribesmen?"
I roll my eyes. "I don't know, Pops, though I don't know if she would be up to helping raise three children." I know what he's thinking about. It's something I thought about, too. Lucia seems to enjoy spending time with children, and she gets along great with Hexxil. It would be an idea suggestion for her to move in with Exxil, help out with keeping an eye on the children while Exxil's at the shop. Plus, Hexxil would love having Lucia around more often. I can tell that she enjoys having a female in her life to talk about things with.
"I will hint at it to her, you never know, she might be interested," said Pops.
Smiling, I just shake my head. Sometimes you have to let Pops be Pops. He'll never stop interfering in his son's lives.
"What did you want? Exxil mentioned that you came to the shop looking for me."
"I wanted to let you know that Tracy and I are leaving tonight, after the gathering. We should be back in a few days," I said. "Where were you? You rarely leave the shop during opening hours."
"I went to see Aaga. She's doing a lot better now. I wanted to make she wasn't overdoing it," he said.
"Okay, I'm glad that she is doing better. It was scary almost losing one of our mages." The mages in our tribe have been around for years, none of them have died in my lifetime. When Aaga was bitten and dying from the poison, it made the whole tribe anxious. Especially Francis, Graviel, and Teris. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if it was Pops who was dying. My hearts clench at the thought.
"I'm going to go find my mate. I'll see you when I get back." I tell him since I will be busy after the big meal.
Tracy sits down on a stool next to the table holding some of the food prepared by the tribesmen. She laughs loudly at something Jessa said. In her hand, she holds a mug filled with a brown liquid. Her body shakes with laughter causing the cup's content to overspill. She wipes at the droplets that land on her leggings. When she raises her head, she sees me. She smiles and waves me over to her. "Hey, Hexxil said you were here. How was your day?"
"It was spent pacing back and forth, my mate. I couldn't help but be anxious to escape tonight with you," I said rakishly. She blushes slightly, takes a sip from her mug. This close to her, I can smell what she is drinking. It's the mule that one of the elders make for every gathering. I hope that she hasn't had too many mugfuls of the drink. It seems light at first, but when it hits you, well let me just say that it's laid out Havrick on occasion once or twice. "How many have you had of those?" I point at the mug.
She smirks. "Just the one. Gradalla told me how strong it is, so don't worry, I'm not going get drunk."
Helencia walks over to the table with Havrick. They are chatting quite fervently. Helencia smiles widely at us. "Everyone loves the soup! It's a hit, guys!"
Kat
e, Jessa, Tracy, and I all clap uproariously. Havrick wraps his arm around Helencia, hugging her to his side. Helencia gives the women a look that I can't decipher. They just shake their heads at her while smiling.
Tracy gets up from her seat, "Let's get something to eat, I'm hungry. I've barely eaten anything today because I was too busy helping Helencia prep for tonight."
I take her hand and lead her over to where the plates and bowls are stacked. We circle the sheltered area, adding a little of everything to our plates. When we are finished, we go outside and sit down with Lucia, Hexxil, and Pops.
Pops sits next to Lucia. He leans close to her while he talks. She nods and smiles politely, but looks mildly uncomfortable. Tracy and I sit down next to Hexxil. She greets Tracy with an exuberant grin.
"Hey, Hex. How's it going?" Tracy sits down and spreads a napkin on her lap. She hands the extra one to me. I mimic her actions spreading the white cloth on my lap. I guess humans must drop food on their laps.
"Good, I asked Papa if I could spend some time with Lucia at her house, he said yes," she said. Hexxil tells Tracy about what Lucia has planned for them something called a spa day? I've never heard of it, but by Tracy's reaction, I guess she has.
Exxil joins our table. When Rexxil sees his father, he clambers out of my arms, and around the table to his father's side. Exxil picks his son up and sets him in his lap. He hands Rex a spoon and the boy digs into Exxil's plate.
Exxil talks about the repairs he did today and the pieces Havrick worked on for the hunters. He says that it was relatively slow, but it was a good thing because they managed to get done most of the backload of work.
When we are done eating, Tracy and I excuse ourselves. Pops wishes us luck, and Lucia says she'll see us when we get back.
We go to my house first, where I pick up our bag of supplies and my own bag. We stop by Tracy's next. She brings with her a small bag, packed with her clothes. "I'm hoping that you packed enough supplies for the both of us because I'm only carrying clothes."
"I made sure to pack plenty so don't worry, my mate," I reassure her.
We leave Tracy's home and begin the trek through the woods near the River tribe.
∞∞∞
Since it was late, we both would have already been in bed by now if we were home, we decide to pitch the tent and settle in for the night, and begin the trial in the morning. While I make sure to tie our bag of food up in a tree, so that the beasts on the ground can't get to it, Tracy puts the tent up. I learn that my mate is very efficient with the tent. It doesn't take her long to have the tent up and ready to use. It takes me longer just to tie up a bag in a tree.
That's why I decided not to be a hunter.
"You ready for bed?" Tracy stands with her hip cocked to the side, her hands perched on her waist. There are dark bags underneath her eyes, and I can tell she is struggling to keep them open. I tighten the knot once more, before giving up. That's as good as it's going to get.
I follow Tracy into the tent. She lays down on her side. I take the spot next to her. We face each other. I swallow. I didn't realize how close we would be when sleeping in a tent. This is going to be a tough night. I can already feel my cock hardening beneath my leggings. Tracy smiles sleepily at me. "Good night, Lorth." She closes her eyes, and it doesn't take long for her breath to even out. She is fast asleep. Letting out a breath of relief, I reach down to adjust myself. When I rearrange my cock into a more comfortable position, I move in closer to my mate. Wrapping my arms around her, I rest my chin above her head. Listening to the soothing sound of her breath, feeling the warm heat caressing my throat, I drift off to sleep.
In the morning, I'm awakened by Tracy gently shaking my shoulder. When I open my eyes, I find my mate with mussed hair, staring down at me. Rolling onto my back, I stretch my arms above my head, yawning. "Good morning, Tracy."
"Do you have breakfast in that bag of yours? Or do we have to hunt something?" She asked.
Sitting up, I pull her into my arms. I place a kiss on her brow. "I packed some fruit and dried meat, though we will have to gather some water from the river to drink." I crawl out of the tent with Tracy following behind. I go over to the tree, untie the bag, and dig through it until I come across the fruit and meat. I hand a couple pieces of fruit and a pack of dried meat to Tracy. I leave her next to the tent while I go get us some water. Tracy's already ate one of the fruits and half the pack of meat. I take two of the mugs from the supply bag, fill them up with water, and hand one to Tracy. I sit down beside her on the ground, our backs pressed against a large tree trunk.
I take a fruit and a couple packs of dried meat, we eat our breakfast in silence. Tracy watches the trees. She sees the fvisiks hop from one branch to another. She smiles when she catches two of the beasts teasing a third with a piece of fruit.
"What do you want to do now?' Tracy asked after we finished eating.
"I thought that we would go for a walk down by the river. It's nearly overflowing, and the rapids are rough at the moment, but it's beautiful to look at."
Tracy gathers up our trash and tosses the cords of the fruits into the shrubbery. The three fvisiks that she was watching earlier jump down after the fruit. She puts the empty packs back into the food bag and puts our mugs in the tent. I show her how to tie the front of the tent closed, that way no beasts will get into our stuff while we are gone.
Tracy slips her hand into mine as we walk.
I watch my mate as we near the river. Sometimes when I look at my mate, I can't help but struggle to catch my breath. She is the most beautiful female I've ever seen. I've fallen in love with Tracy quicker than I thought possible. Even though I haven't known her for long, my soul feels at home when I'm near her.
What amazes me, and what I find so captivating about her, is how she looks at life. Her breath catches when she sees two of the elders kiss each other on the village paths. When she watches the fvisiks at play, she smiles brightly. How she is always there for her friends, that she tries her hardest to make sure they feel at home here. I love how perfect her soul is.
"I think your pops has found Exxil a female," she laughed.
"Yes, I believe he has," I said. "He wasn't too pushy with Lucia, was he?"
She shakes her head. "No, he just said that Exxil's needing some help with his kids, and he asked her if she likes spending time with kids. Lucia picked up on what he was implying. She told him she didn't mind kids, though she hasn't had much experience with them. I think she started feeling odd when he started asking her what her thoughts were on matehood." Tracy's eyes sparkle with mischief. "I think your father might be looking for more than a nanny for Exxil."
I sigh. I love my father, but I don't think Exxil is ready for another mate. He still grieves for Meema. I know that it would be good for the children to have a mother figure in their lives again, but I just don't think that their father is ready, yet. "He needs to slow down. Exxil won't be happy when he finds out that Pops is trying to find him another mate. Exxil needs help with his children, and I think Lucia would be great with them," I said.
"I think that your father just wants to see his son happy again. He might be going about it the wrong way, but his intentions are pure," Tracy bumps her shoulder into mine.
The river rushes by us, mist coats our skin. The water isn't usually this rough, but it looks like a storm is brewing toward the west. When we reach the bend where the river goes left, trailing into the River tribe's land, we circle back.
The rest of the day is spent talking about our childhoods. She spent most of her time growing up with her grandmother. Her mother and father worked long hours, so they would leave her and her brother with her maternal grandmother. They would help her out in her gardens and greenhouse. This is where Tracy fell in love with gardening, she says she went to a university, this is similar to training and becoming a mage, where she studied botany. The study of plants.
I tell her about growing up with my brothers, and what it was like before my mother died
. She was a very doting mother. She was always there, when we scraped our knees or fell out of a tree, that she told us not to climb. She was always dressed in gorgeous gowns, jewelry our father bought her. The other tribesmen would come to her whenever they needed to borrow an ingredient for a recipe. She would even watch the other tribesmen children if they were busy or just needed a moment of silence.
"You miss her a lot, don't you?" Tracy sips from her mug. After I built a fire, I boiled some water and made us some tea.
"It's gotten easier, not having her around, though it doesn't hurt any less. I thought it would, you know when I was a child. That's what everyone said. I believed them because I didn't want to feel that much sorrow for the rest of my life. But, it hasn't lessened, I've learned to live my life with it. Some days are better than others, but there are days where I wish she were still here."
"It sucks, not having your mom around. I was lucky. I had her with me for over twenty years, but that isn't enough. I would do anything to have her next to me right now," Tracy looks down into her cup as if it could tell her how to make what she wants possible.
If there was any way I could give her what she wants, I would. Our pain might be similar, but they're not the same. My mother died, it was terrible and tragic, but that isn't the same as knowing your mother is alive but you will never see her again. If I were in Tracy's situation, I don't know if I ever could come to terms with my reality.
That terrifies me. Tracy might never come to terms with her life here she'll always be searching for a way to return home. It is selfish of me, but I can't help but hope that she never will find a way off Ghegion. I love her and I should want to do whatever I can to help her get back to her mother, but I don't think I would ever get over losing her. I loved my mother, and it still hurts today, but I don't just love Tracy. Tracy is the reason my hearts beat. My life would be empty without her.
I don't know what to say, "Are you ready for bed?" I asked. I know, I should have offered words of comfort and agreement, but the thought of her leaving had left me raddled.