Feline agreed with that.
‘It seems you are very much wanted lately,’ Feline said almost seductively after some silence and Sula looked up out of her thoughts. Of course she had told Feline about her meeting with Shazar and Feline had been very helpful and was totally on her side. She also knew that Feline was a lover of women, although she rarely spoke of it.
Sula stared long into Feline’s eyes and both felt warm all over and it wasn’t the tea that did that.
‘I…er…best be going,’ she spoke softly and stood before grabbing her coat. ‘Thanks for the tea.’
Feline swallowed, then nodded and let her go.
~~~
Outside, walking back through the dark woods the cold autumn evening scent brought her back to her senses.
I can’t have feelings for Feline! She is my sister-in-law!
When she opened the door to her house she took extra care to be quiet so she wouldn’t disturb Fay or Felix. It was rather late. As expected Felix was snoring on her side of the bed. An empty bottle of cider still dangled in his limp hand. Sula took the bottle off him and placed it on the nightstand, sighing. When her head hit his pillow all she could think of was his sister. Even in her dreams she was there…
~~~
Over the next couple of days Felix took Fay with him to their orchard to help him with the apple and pear harvest and when Sula had finished her chores around the house she would visit her garden and attend to the last roses left blooming before heading over to Feline’s. Every day she stayed at Feline’s a little longer.
It was a wonderful crisp autumn day with a clear blue sky and the foliage the trees were about to shed, looked as if they were on fire. The sun shone down on Sula’s hair making it look auburn in the light. She wore her special green hat with orange embroidery on it. Whenever she went out she wore a hat; in summer it would be a headband. The villagers only knew her like this.
Whilst she worked she swiftly cut a warm sunny yellow rose with bright peach at the corners, like summer blushes, and thought of Feline and smiled.
‘For you,’ she said when Feline opened her door to her.
‘Aw, Sula! You’re early,’ she smiled at her friend, surprised, and at the rose she brought.
She took the stem between her fingers and smiled at the colours and when bringing the flower to her nose she inhaled deeply, opening her lungs to the scent, closing her eyes.
‘It’s got no thorns,’ Sula said and she sighed, ‘I couldn’t stay away any longer, Feline. I had to see you.’
Feline frowned and chewed her lip, holding the rose close to her heart. ‘I er… was just about to go out. Would you care to join me? I’ve heard that the geese are back in the lake. No doubt they’re feasting on Bodi’s corn at this time of day but there should be swans hopefully to gaze upon.’
‘I’d love to.’ Sula smiled warmly. Feline took the rose inside and quickly put it in some water first then shut her door. Together they headed to the lake deep in the woods.
‘Any improvement on the home front?’ Feline asked.
‘Don’t ask! Although to be fair we hardly see each other.’
‘You’re avoiding him?’
I feel so much more comfortable when I’m with you. But out loud she explained, ‘It’s harvest time.’
‘But usually you’re helping Felix. Is he alright with you spending your time… with me?’
‘He hasn’t said anything and anyway I’m my own boss! He can’t make me do anything I don’t want. He knows I need some time alone.’
Being with me is hardly time alone… Feline thought but shrugged, massaging her painful right shoulder. Even though the sun shone it was a cold day and the cold got to Feline’s shoulder.
‘Besides,’ Sula concluded. ‘he’s got enough help from his friends. And I’m the one who does all the jam making.’
When they arrived at the lake they held their tongues so as not to disturb the wild birds.
They sat down at the lakeside on the soft yellow grass. No geese were to be seen but there were two beautiful swans grazing on the water plants of the lake, sticking their heads and their long necks deep into the water. Drops of water glittered in the sun on their pure white feathers.
‘So graceful,’ Feline remarked and Sula glanced at her.
‘Did you know that the more similar the plumage of birds, where it’s hard to tell the difference between a male and a female, the more likely it is that those birds are monogamous?’ Sula asked.
‘No, really?’ Feline glanced from Sula to the water and chuckled. ‘I knew about swans and of course your favourite snow geese and wolves. I suppose there is indeed no difference in their appearance in either gender from the outside.’
‘Yes, in snow geese, turtle doves, storks, albatrosses, black vultures, bald eagles; both genders all look alike and often mate for life. And birds are not the only ones,’ Sula added smiling conceited, looking back at the couple in the water. ‘Wolves, prairie voles. All of these animals grieve when their partner dies.’
Sula didn’t really want to think about Felix dying because ever since Shazar told her that she would outlive her husband she was worried. She would lose him.
I wanted to grow old with him…
‘Just like that pair of storks who have a nest in one of those massive beech trees on the village plaza. They’ve been together for as long as I can remember,’ Feline said with her jaw dropped, thinking quickly, her eyes darting from side to side. ‘So the fact that male and female humans look differently from the outside would suggest they are…polygamous?’ Feline wondered out loud.
Sula knotted her eyebrows and gave her a half smile. ‘I think you might be right about that!’ she laughed, ‘Although Felix isn’t as hairy or big as some men, I suppose an alien species looking at the two of you, not seeing the both of you naked, would be able to tell that he’s male and you’re female. In general women are more finely built and men the rough cavemen version and I suppose even uglier to an outsider, whilst in many other species it’s the male who is finer looking and more colourful. Hmm, you’re onto something there. Perhaps…,’ and she looked intently at Feline. ‘for people to be monogamous, humans should stick to their own gender?’
Feline laughed heartily but quickly tried to change the subject away from herself, ‘Sula, it amazes me how much you know about animals! Have you learnt all this from your mother or did you actually encounter all of these creatures yourself and…merged with them?’
‘Both. My mother taught me a great deal. She led me to all the creatures that could help me gain great survival skills and extra powers and I’ve explored a lot myself through various countries, asking native tribes at times. I understand so much more now and could give you weirder facts than I have just told you. Some insects and fish can change gender at will. Some can grow back lost limbs, some can even turn back time and become infants again.’
Feline’s eyes grew big and she tried to read Sula’s face to see if she was joking, but her face was as serious as ever and she knew Sula wouldn’t lie to her.
‘Sharks can detect a single drop of blood in the sea from miles away,’ Sula smiled. ‘A sea turtle can feel a twig moving on its shell and a catfish can detect an earthquake days in advance by its vibrations.’
‘Are you trying to impress me?’ Feline smiled.
‘How can you tell?’ Sula laughed.
‘Well, it’s working!’
They laughed and Feline suddenly flinched with pain. Sula was worried but the other woman just watched the swans and absentmindedly rubbed her shoulder. By taking Feline in with all her senses she recognised pain in her aura so much she felt slightly nauseous herself.
‘Is it your shoulder, Feline?’ The look in Sula’s eyes was full of concern.
Feline massaged her right shoulder with her left hand and while looking away to the lake again avoiding Sula’s loving warm jade eyes. Lately her irises showed more specks of orange than ever before. Her voice broke as she said through
gritted teeth, ‘I travel to Southland for a reason. Felix always says that if you can’t cope with the winter you don’t deserve the summer.’ She shook her head rubbing her shoulder again with pursed her lips. ‘He doesn’t feel my pain! Even though we’re twins he doesn’t feel it. But you do! I’ve had this for a couple of years now. I’ve been to a couple of healers and they all say the same thing; I overdid it with this arm, worked too hard on the land. A ‘frozen shoulder’ they call it. Only warmth and light massage and gentle exercise soothes it, but it may never heal. The pain gets worse when the weather gets colder, you see. I might not deserve the summer in Felix’s eyes but winters here are unbearable for me. To live in pain-’
‘Oh, Feline, of course Felix mentioned it. He understands and has never said a bad word.’ Sula laid a warm hand on Feline’s bad shoulder.
‘Not to you he wouldn’t.’ Feline smiled sadly relishing in Sula’s touch.
I wonder if there is any animal ability that can help her ease her pain?
‘Hmm, would you let me help you?’
‘What do you mean?’ Feline asked and she gestured at the swans. ‘They will go south soon and so will I. I need to follow the warmth.’
‘I can give you that. My name, after all, means ‘Sun’.’ Sula’s voice was sensual and followed Feline’s eyes looking from the swans back to her. Feline appeared as if in shock.
Their eyes locked and Feline felt warm alright.
‘I…can try something. Birds are considerably warmer than mammals. If I go in, let’s say swan-mode, my hands would feel warmer.’ Sula spoke and laid a hand on Feline’s shoulder again.
‘What here? Isn’t that risky?’ Feline asked flustered.
‘To give you a massage?’
‘Yes, no, I…meant er…going into what did you call it, swan-mode?’
Sula smiled at that, suddenly confident.
‘Let’s go to your place then.’
~~~
The heat from Sula’s hands was intense and seemed to burn through Feline’s skin right through her nerves into her bones. It was just about bearable but it still felt great. Sula’s hands moved in circular movements around Feline’s shoulder, focusing on the centre of her pain. Feline could not resist an occasional moan. That made Sula’s stomach flutter pleasantly, like a butterfly.
They were sitting on Feline’s floor on some cushions in front of the smouldering fireplace. The blond woman had stripped to her bra. Usually the fire helped her a little but this; Sula’s hands, her touch, so warm and loving exceeded any fire and even the sun.
‘So, what’s it like?’ Sula asked, her eyes dark, coming to sit next to Feline when finished.
‘It was excellent,’ and Feline tried to move her bare shoulder, rolling it. ‘It’s completely gone…at least for now. Thank you.’
Sula smiled. ‘That’s good to hear but what I meant was… what’s it like to make love to a woman?’ Sula asked softly.
Feline took a sharp breath and looked away, shy all of a sudden, her face crimson, covering her shoulders by pulling up her cardigan.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.’ Sula rubbed her forehead, hiding her eyes in her hands, embarrassed.
Feline shook her head. ‘It’s alright. You haven’t,’ and looked at Sula again very bravely, tilting her head with a pensive look. ‘I don’t know if there is much difference but I wouldn’t know as I’ve never lain with a man and wouldn’t want to. I suppose a woman’s body is softer, warmer, it feels familiar, safe. There is never a threat. Everything is equal and falls into place. I can just be myself,’ she spoke softly as if to herself but Sula heard it as if she had spoken directly to her. Feline concluded, ‘Well, that’s how I feel personally.’
Sula swallowed, looking at Feline’s moist lips, slightly parted.
I wonder…
She kept looking at Feline’s moist mouth and licked her own while bending ever closer.
Feline shook her head, understanding what was going on but breathing heavily. Sula didn’t have to speak because Feline knew her so well and could usually tell by looking at her expression what she was thinking or feeling. However this look was new to Feline; her eyes darker than ever, the orange specks shooting like stars. This was a look of want, of lust. Although they had shared some intimate moments whereby the two had locked eyes or held hands and both had felt warmed by it, Feline especially could have easily let herself get carried away. But she had always respected Sula, her brother and their marriage. Feline had never wanted to think more of it; thinking Sula’s touches to be innocent.
Maybe they weren’t, Feline thought and felt confused.
‘No…Sula. Don’t.’ Her voice merely a whisper she had to look away to break contact. She stood and grabbed the empty tea cups from the table and turned her back on her and walked over to her kitchen sink.
‘I suggest you go back home now, my friend,’ Feline said whilst still having her back turned.
Feline stood like this for some time, shaking but frozen, trying to regain her composure. Trying not to think of stunning, lovely and good-hearted Sula and how it would be so easy to give in to the urge. An urge she had always felt from the moment she had first met her when her brother first introduced her. She thought of no one else but her initially. But Felix was so in love and the couple so happy. Feline had to accept this, although it was difficult at times because Sula’s presence did not make things easier. And although Sula had indeed shown signs of needing her, especially the last few days, and given her hugs and kisses and told her almost everything, Feline had always taken those signs for close friendship or as sisterhood and nothing more than that.
Now it was clear something else was going on, something more and deeper. Perhaps it was just mere curiosity from Sula, but it both aroused and confused Feline.
It’s not fair of her! Feline thought upset. It wouldn’t be right. Sula is vulnerable and doesn’t know what she wants, ‘If you don’t go now… I don’t know if I’ll be able… to resist you,’ Feline, breathing heavily concluded.
But when she turned round she found Sula had already gone, the door still left ajar.
Chapter 28 The Training
Over the next few days Sula tried to occupy her mind by training Fay before school would start before the girl’s mind would be clouded, taken over by learning to read and write.
Mother and daughter were walking through the mountains heading to a nearby lake where they hoped to find a flock of geese. A different lake to where she had been with Feline.
‘The skill of flying is one of the most important skills to have as a comyenti,’ Sula explained to Fay. ‘Not only can you cover great distances in less time if speed is needed, but if you travel by land you may encounter many obstacles along the way such as dense woods, mountains, lakes and…human villages,’ Sula glanced at her daughter whilst walking hand in hand with her. ‘But up there you can pretty much travel in a straight line, unbothered, using the stars, the sun and landmarks to navigate,’ and she pointed skywards. Fay listened intently.
‘Or down in the water by swimming and breathing under water as the sailfish; the fastest fish on Bhan.’ Sula smiled at her daughter.
‘But speed isn’t always the answer so merging with a trout can prove to be just as effective. Those fish can stay motionless against the current and also stay warm and… anyway,’ she saw the look of confusion on her daughter’s face and knew she was rambling on the way she always did when talking about animals, and she stroked Fay’s back lovingly. ‘let’s stick with the goose for now shall we? The goose has many other wonderful aspects. What do you think they are? For example how do you think she keeps herself warm?’ Sula asked Fay.
‘Her feathers!’ Fay answered enthusiastically.
‘That’s right. She has multiple layers of feathers to keep her warm. It’s called insulation. Instead of hair she has feathers everywhere apart from on her feet and bill. Because of her feathers she can stay warm and active up there in the coldest of winters and fly for h
ours on end without tiring. And there is another thing many birds in the sky have.’
‘She can smell when spring arrives?’
Sula laughed at that. ‘That too! Although there are other birds with a better sense of smell such as the giant albatross or even a pigeon, the goose is indeed a migrant bird and not that bad at smelling overall but I meant something else.’
Fay looked as though in deep thought and said whilst counting on her fingers, ‘There is smell, touch, seeing, hearing, tasting…er seeing?’
‘Right again, honey. Up in the sky you can imagine everything looks a lot smaller, her eyesight is not as good as an eagle or hawk but it’s still a lot better than ours and she has a broader range. The goose has another great skill: she has an inbuilt compass! She has a way of knowing the right direction she needs to head in, even if the sun is behind the clouds or the stars, she can always tell north from south, even in the dark!’
‘Really?’
Sula nodded. ‘And when geese sleep they always keep one eye open and half their brain will stay alert to predators. This might come in handy one day, Fay, if you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation and you’re not sure if you can fully trust where you lay your head down but you desperately need to rest.’
‘A bit like Wave and Tiger?’
‘Hm, a bit like that,’ Sula nodded.
As they approached the shore of the lake, they soon spotted the geese. Trying hard not to disturb them, Sula walked with Fay by the hand to the edge of the water and concentrated on calling one of the snow geese over.
This was the first step. Sula could of course have chosen the eagle instead, as their eyesight, next to the ability of flight, was superb. However eagles were harder to approach and not suitable for a child that is just about to turn five. By merging with a goose, Fay would gain, if successful, five abilities over her own; better smell, flight, compass direction, insulation and broader better vision. A sixth ability would follow, not instantly but only after using it at least once: an inbuilt map.
The Comyenti Series Book Bundle, Volume 1 and 2 (Epic Romantic Supernatural Fantasy) Page 23