by Lee Morgan
Kara started openly laughing behind them. It was the kind that’s contagious and soon everyone was laughing with her. She could barely breathe as she said “Who knew…” She took a deep breath. “…that the all knowing Head Elder actually played online games.” She chuckled some more. “What is your favorite game?”
“Texas Hold ‘Em. It is an easy to learn game, but knowing how to play is the real trick.” The rest of the ascent was quite comical with Kara asking questions about some other games he likes.
Eventually they all jumped back up to the Elder’s platform and walked down the hallway. The Balancer and Changer Elders went to their own gates. Beside the Keepers stone gate were their six packs from their room. Connor picked up his and Sarah’s while Mark and Jack followed his lead. He turned around with the packs as Sorono opened the gate.
With it now open they realized there was a new building besides the four big ones. This one was maybe nine feet tall and fifteen feet wide with a twenty foot length. There were three wooden doors. The building was up against the left wall and close to the sanctuary. Connor realized the materials from earlier were now made into a building. He knew Sorono had it built just for them, but the top Elder still said “Here is your new resting place. I had a few Guards come in here to build it while you were with me. I hope it is to your liking. You may choose whichever room amongst yourselves and will stay as my guests.”
“Thank you, Old Man.” Kara said and ran to the middle door. “Honey, this will be our room. I’m going to go and get the painting supplies from the temple building.” And with that she ran off to the golden doors.
Sorono chuckled. “What a high spirited hatchling.” He looked at Connor and said “Supper should arrive in about two hours. Go and settle into your room. We will eat dinner later. Veronica and I are going to spend some time in my sanctuary until then.”
“Thank you for doing this for us. We really appreciate it.” Sarah said and Sorono smiled.
He and Veronica walked through the large wooden door of the sanctuary and disappeared behind it.
Sarah and Connor took the closest room to the front gate. Once they opened the door they were both shocked at how similar this room was compared to the lodge. There were only three big differences. The first would be that there wasn’t a ceiling light. The second is that walls were white stone rather than painted wood and finally there wasn’t a closet. There was a bed, a nightstand with a bowl of water and a dresser.
“Home sweet home!” Sarah said behind them and then sighed. He tossed their bags on the bed and sat down. Connor patted his thigh and she walked over to sit on his left leg. She laid her head against his chest and then looked up at him with unfocused green eyes. “Connor, do you miss our home?”
“Of course I do. I miss spending hours alone in the woods with the woman of my dreams. Just think, we are now a month closer to going home. And one day soon our family will grow by one.” He kissed the top of her head.
“Do you always know the right thing to say?” Her eyes focused and her smile softened.
“I wish. I’m just very observant.”
She smiled a little more. “Well I hope these months pass quickly.”
That night, after supper, with everyone working together they finalized the six dances because that could be danced in pairs. Each dance had to have a different outfit. With a unanimous decision everyone concluded that instead of a masquerade they would have a costume dance. You could make whatever kind of costume you wanted, but it must be unique. The clothing could range from conservative to scandalous. It really didn’t matter because it was up to the individual. The Elders all decided to wear normal clothes and participate like normal men and women and actually associate with everyone. The allotment time for clothing was from nine in the morning till two in the afternoon. The dancing seminars were held from two till four and the rest was free time.
They decided that the dance order would be Ballroom, Tap, Modern, Swing, Latin and finally ending with the Costume dance.
The next morning they were greeted by Sorono and Veronica again, but Sorono was dressed completely different. He was dressed in a sleeveless white robe like Veronica, but the edging of his robe was a light blue. He wore what looked like a gold chainmail belt. Sorono grinned once he saw the two of them exit their room. “I just received a message saying that the items I ordered have arrived. They have already split the shipment of clothing and materials and brought down the women’s materials to level four.”
They had breakfast with everyone and no one wore their Elder’s robes for once. After that, Connor and the rest of the men hurried up to level one. And for each Elder there were two guards to protect the leaders of the meeting. They saw well over one hundred large metal crates lining the walls of level four’s stage and two large mirrors to look at oneself.
When Jack, Mark, Sorono, two male Keeper Guards and Connor made it to level one, he saw the same amount of crates situated on the sidelines of the football field. When someone recognized them a hush settled over all the men in the room. Connor started laughing and his voice carried off the walls. “Oh come on guys, were here to do the same as all of you. We’re here to show our ladies that we can look just as stunning as they can. We’re all equal here so let’s just enjoy ourselves.”
“Connor’s right. Go ahead and open the crates so we can all get to work before the dances pass us by.” Sorono backed him up.
No one moved until Xaon spoke up. He was standing close to a crate in the football field. “Come on guys, they’re right. Females aren’t the only ones who can look breathtakingly stunning.” He turned around and reached up to open the latches. He backed away as the side opened and fell to the floor. There were four huge rolls of colored fabric on rollers in that box. There were black, white, yellow and silver cotton sheets.
Then everyone turned their attention to the boxes and started opening them. There was a separate box of sewing needles and miles of colored thread. In another box was measuring tape, paper and pencil, scissors and hangars. There were feathers and other assortments in two crates. There were four boxes that contained leather shoes and three more boxes for tap dancing. There were silks, cotton and some other kind of fabrics in most of the other boxes. Connor was amazed at how much diversity Sorono had ordered for the ending celebration.
“Come on boys, let’s get to work!” Jack said as he rolled up his sleeves and blended into the crowd.
The rest of them followed suit.
When Connor arrived at a fabric roller and it was his turn. He flew up and cut off six thick strips of black cotton. He made his way to the next box and grabbed a thin needle and matching thread. Scissors were a must as were sewing pins. He was happy he knew about knots and string from being an outdoorsman because he would have been lost if he sewed without any knowledge whatsoever.
The first project was now underway.
Sarah currently sat in a corner on the stage as she began sewing on a strip of white cotton. She started on this dress because the swing dress would need the most fabric and time. She had already finished hand sewing the mid covering together and the flair of the first strip of the dress.
Jillian had a blood red silk strip in hand as she explained that she started on creating her Latin dance dress. Kara watched them closely as she quickly learned the art of sewing by hand. She began working on a pink cotton cloth and said she was going to make a poodle skirt for the swing dance. Veronica too was carefully sewing on a large white sheet, showing how even her large and clawed hands could do even the most delicate tasks. She had asked Jillian and Sarah about the dances and how the clothing from the women should look. Sarah sent her a few mental pictures to choose from and Veronica quickly caught on.
Behind them came a unique and familiar accent “May we join you?”
Sarah turned around to see Amphrite and Adela carrying fabric and the Head Elder was smiling pleasantly. There were four female Guards also carrying their own fabric and were also tasked with ensuring their
leaders survival while also designing dance material for their mates simultaneously. Amphrite was wearing blue jeans and a large blue shirt along with tennis shoes. Sarah’s shorter and eldest living ancestor was wearing a white and yellow sundress with sandals.
Kara chirped saying “The more the merrier.”
“Thank you.” Amphrite smiled and came closer to sit down next to Sarah. They all sat in a loose circle with most of the materials laying in the middle.
About an hour into the many tasks Amphrite asked Sarah “Why did you want to dance for the end of the meeting? I’m just a little curious.”
Sarah smiled and sat the two layers of sewn dress down. She turned and looked into her richly green eyes and they really were honestly curious. “You’ll probably laugh.”
“You’ll know it is funny if I do.” She said airily.
“Well when Connor learned to fly, I tried doing it myself. The problem was I flew too high and lost my concentration and fell. He saved me of course, but I was scared to ever fly again. Later on he coaxed me to fly together with him. He was a marvelous teacher. While teaching me to fly I learned how to control the currents with subtle adjustments of my feet.” Sarah looked up at the ceiling and leaned back on her arms. “The first time that we ever danced was when we were flying around the house he built for me. We flew for what seemed like hours.” She turned her eyes back to Amphrite. “I simply missed the feeling of twirling in circles with him and I just wanted to have another dance.”
“I see…” Amphrite bit her thumbnail idly for a moment. “I know what you mean. Dancing is a beautiful and sensual expression between lovers. I just hope Poseidon hasn’t gotten too rusty.”
“Well just tell him to start polishing the barnacles off his trident.” Kara said while smiling and Amphrite erupted in laughter.
“I’ll tell him that one for sure.” She kept struggling as she laughed.
Sarah went back to sewing her dress on the marble floor.
She wasn’t even a quarter done with the first dress when the time was up. She was told to wrap up the dress and write her name on a tag. There were five large containers that were actually more like filing cabinets. Sarah slid her name tag in the slide and dropped the dress in the inside. She pushed the slide closed as did everyone else and returned the scissors back into the other bin.
She walked up to level three and Connor was already waiting for her along with her father, Mark and Sorono. Sarah could easily pick him out, even without their bond because compared to the other men in the room he was a giant. He was grinning from ear to ear and she knew he had a good day. She could enter his mind, but she knew he would only hide his surprises. She looked around the room and smiled inwardly. All of the benches were stacked together on the far end of the room and left a gigantic space for everyone to learn how to dance and have plenty of space to move around.
He walked up to her and said “I haven’t a clue as to dancing, but I’ll learn.”
She smiled and said “Just don’t step on my toes… I mean it, your feet are huge.” He chuckled and they walked as closely as they could to see the instructors. There was a pair of Changers on stage along with several other women giving instructions on Latin dancing. It was fast paced with a lot of turns and sexual thrusts of the hips and legs. Sarah knew a lot about dancing, but she was still fascinated on how the body could move and look so breathtaking. Connor rarely blinked as he watched and studied the dancing. She was shocked once she entered his mind.
He glanced at Sarah, but allowed her to watch. He wasn’t shadow fighting, but shadow dancing. He watched the dancers every dip, swish of their hips, hand gesture, torso movement and even how their heads moved. He incorporated every movement into his mind and altered them for his use. Just the mental images alone made her heart race and she knew when he really did dance she would be thoroughly impressed.
The next day they learned how Ballroom dance and that was followed by Tap, Modern, and Swing dancing. The Costume dance was a dance of their choice.
It took a week just to finish all the tiny details on the white Swing dress. The next dress Sarah worked on was the Tap dress.
Clockwise and Counterclockwise
Days blended into weeks and weeks turned into months and it was finally the night before the first dance and there excitement filled all within the mountain.
Sarah and Connor were currently in the sanctuary again and up in the cedar tree and he knew the lights were going to go out soon. They were still fully clothed and didn’t bother with wearing their armor in here; there wasn’t any danger they couldn’t handle now. She was leaning against his chest, looking at the surrounding trees. He started slowly rubbing her bare arms as they were folded under her perfectly shaped breasts. He then slowly started rubbing her belly and stopped once he felt something peculiar.
He sat up and said “Sarah, lift up your shirt for a minute.”
She sat up straighter and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “What? No foreplay anymore?” She smiled and said “Alright then.” She lifted her shirt up just above her bra covered breasts. “Do you like what you see?” He looked at her belly where that oddity was felt and smiled. “What’s the matter with you, Connor?”
He rubbed her lower belly with an even wider smile. “Sarah, have you noticed that you’re finally showing?”
She looked down confused until his hand moved away. Her smile grew and she held her shirt with one hand while the other slowly started caressing her lower belly. “It’s true.” Her eyes began watering up. “Connor, this is the first outward proof that we’re going to be parents. Our little Pearl is finally revealing herself to the world.” She looked up at him and some tears escaped. He brushed them off with a thumb and she nuzzled into his hand. Her emerald green eyes opened again and she stated “I’m going to go show Mother the good news.”
“I’m going with you.”
Sarah knocked on Jillian’s door not a minute later and both of her parents were excited at the news. Jillian dropped to her knees and kissed the tiny bump. Kara came out of her room with some blue paint smeared on her right cheek and her apron splattered with a variety of paints. She had heard Jillian’s loud voice. She also squealed once she got to feel her niece growing in his mate’s womb.
That night, the whole family didn’t get much sleep as his sister and mother-in-law kept feeling Sarah’s belly and rubbing gently.
The first dance of the day was Tap. All the men went up to level one and got dressed for their first dance. Connor opened his file cabinet and pulled. He withdrew the Tap equipment and slid them on. To make sure all remained well he walked in front of a large mirror to look at himself and adjust any minor problems. Behind him Connor heard everyone’s shoes clanging and he laughed the first time he saw a Keeper learning how to dance. They might be giants, but they sure learned how to dance quickly with those big feet and look amazing doing so.
His mirror’s image showed all aspects of the clothes. Shiny black leather tap shoes accented well with the semi-loose black pants. His shirt was pure white with long sleeves. It buttoned down the middle and his brushed back and watered down hair finalized the outfit. Mark and Jack looked about the same, but Sorono wore silver pants, oversized white tap shoes and a beige shirt along with a black belt.
When it came time, all of the men were to go down to level three to wait on their women. He made it along with every other man as they stood in one of two long lines. He looked over on the stage to see a full orchestra of over two hundred musicians that would switch during the break so they too could dance. They were all preparing their instruments and readying for the music to dance to.
He then felt Sarah getting closer and realized all of the women were coming up to join with their partners. The moment Sarah appeared he could no longer see anyone else. The vision of her was all consuming.
She was wearing a mostly blue dress with the exact shade of blue that her wedding dress had been. It was designed similar in comparison to a one piece bathing su
it. It revealed many of her exquisite assets. Her toned legs and impressive bust couldn’t be matched in his book. There were two spaghetti straps over her shoulders to keep the dress from falling off. Her dress glimmered in the lighting and the dress hung to her every sensual curve. At the backside of her waistline held a silk cloth that dropped behind her knees and flowed behind her as she walked into his direction. Her long and straight hair was now curled as it cascaded over her shoulders and back. Even her Tap shoes were a matching blue.
She made it to his side, wearing an accomplished smile. “Ready to dance, my knight”
He held out a hand while saying “It would be an honor, Princess”
Once everyone paired up, the music started with a thrumming beat that gained everyone’s approval. He remembered every step and used those memories to dance. Sarah’s smile grew and she kept up.
When the dance finished he asked “How did you get your hair to curl like this?” Connor couldn’t help himself as he started running his fingers through her bouncing hair.
“It was easy. I used Fire to warm up some metal rods and then wrapped up my hair to give the curls. Do you like my hair this way?” Her green eyes were openly expecting.
“Of course I do, what man wouldn’t?” She smiled even brighter when he kissed the top of her head.
That night he put the first costume into the bag so it wouldn’t be forgotten.
On day two Connor pulled out the next outfit for the Swing dance. He wore a black sleeved shirt with a silver vest fastened with black buttons made from onyx. The vest made a perfect contrast on his chest. He wore black jeans along with black dress shoes. He also made an old fashioned hat like he remembered from history class during the Swing and Jazz era. He was grateful for Sarah’s help when she taught modern history that didn’t make the history books.