by Xander Jade
She sighed, shifted those horrible thoughts from her mind and returned to the subject of this new man. Maybe her mom would catch a break and he would be one of those rare males to share equally and the lead female would be just and loving. That would be great.
Julia saw her mom fixing dinner and called out, “Hey Mom!”
Felicia turned around and smiled. “Hello dear. How was work?”
Julia thought about her day and sighed wistfully. “Mom, it was boring until a good looking man came in.”
Of course her mom knew exactly who she was talking about. “He wouldn’t have been carrying a bow, have a dagger on his belt, and let me guess, he bought a wagon?”
Julia giggled, “Yes ma’am, he did.”
Felicia laughed, “He’s very handsome and looks like he can hold his own.” She paused before continuing, “He even asked me out on a date.”
Julia squealed and ran over to her mom to hug her. “That’s great Mom! Isabella asked him out as well.”
Felicia nodded and responded, “I know. We talked when she brought over the wagon. We’re happy about the opportunity to court him. Maybe it will become more.”
Julia smiled at her mom, knowing the look she was sporting. “Mom, you’re smitten already?”
Blushing, Felicia didn’t deny anything, instead said, “That’s none of your business young lady. One day, you and Abby will have your own courting opportunities.”
Julia blew a raspberry. “We could care less about that Mom. Our time is spent worrying about other things. Besides you know we take care of ourselves and even each other. The male hunt is way in the future, if at all.”
Her mom sighed, having had this conversation many times. “I know sweetie. Isabella and I do the same for each other when the urges overtake us. Don’t get me wrong, I love the intimacy we have with each other and it’s very fulfilling, but being with a male is different. I can’t fully describe it and you would need to have your own experiences before understanding.”
Julia didn’t think so. She heard her mom’s numerous conversations with Isabella about how she was never satisfied with her husband, but from the sounds coming from her room when Isabella came over, it would seem she was satisfied completely.
“Whatever Mom, Abby and I have heard your experiences with each other and know for a fact from the screams we hear from your room that we don’t need to rush into any marriages. We’ve overheard your discussions, and from what you say, and from listening to others talking about bullying from sister-wives, we aren’t planning on trying for a long time.”
Felicia wasn’t affected at all by her daughter’s comments.
“Did you think that would make me blush or be embarrassed? You have no idea young lady. I know that you’re wary and at the moment against marrying after hearing our talks about the men that we had, but the thing you need to know is, we haven’t given up on our dreams, honey. Having a family that takes care of each other rather than the women watching over the man all the time. The passion we can have with each other and the sharing of that passion. Not having to worry about money all the time. Having adventures together.”
Julia was shaking her head. “That sounds great Mom, but let’s be realistic. How many examples can you count of women who have that dream? I hope you and this new guy hit it off, maybe even marry. Hell, maybe you would let us have a ride as well, but I’m not counting on that dream.”
Felicia groaned and responded, “A ride, Julia? Really? What would happen if you had that opportunity to ride him, and you wanted more?”
She shrugged, but didn’t respond. Felicia spoke again, “Sweetie, I know this world isn’t fair and would change it if I could. Seeing as you feel this way, my mind is made up that we could share my next husband.”
Julia almost fell on the floor at that statement. “What!? You would share your husband with me if that opportunity came?” She couldn’t believe what her mom was saying.
“Of course, our way of life is hard and if that would set your mind at ease, then yes, we could share. He would have to be the right man, though.”
Felicia smiled at the look of shock on her daughter’s face, hoping this would make her think about courting a man. She wasn’t really going to offer up her next husband for a ride as Julia put it; the young woman needed to get her head right and find a man of her own.
Julia blew out the breath she was holding. “I’m not going to count on that ridiculous statement Mom, but thanks for saying it.”
Felicia grabbed her daughter and hugged her tightly. “I love you, Julia.”
She let go and went back to cooking dinner, while Julia, still dumbstruck over her mom’s statement, went to her room.
~~~~~~
The next day I rose early, knowing that yet again, I needed to get started on my to-do list. I decided on warm oatmeal and some berries with coffee for breakfast, then went out to the barn and got started on what would be my daily chores: milking, feeding the animals, and gathering eggs. Later it would be to go through the garden and gather produce from it.
After finishing the chores, except for the eggs, I went to the tool closet in the barn and got what was needed to build the chicken coop. Grabbing the wood and the fencing, I got to work. Hours and some cursing later, the coop was done. I picked up the cages and released the chickens and rooster to let them get accustomed to their home. I watched them for a couple minutes, then went to the next priority on the list. The other rows of my garden. I cleaned up my work area, put away the tools and equipment used, and grabbed the veggies and seeds before walking to my plot. Going to the next available row, I started planting the beans, squash, peas, tomatoes, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, and cucumbers. I finished as the sun was setting. Wanting to clean up, I went over and used the pump to wash myself before heading in to make dinner, finishing the night with some reading.
The next couple days followed a similar rhythm. I performed my daily chores, then went to work on my list. My goal at the end was to try to get the grumpy panther to hunt with me.
I repaired some fencing, an issue with the cold room, and a couple other minor fixes. Getting the roof replaced took longer than I had anticipated, but at least for now it wouldn’t leak. I also fixed the spots where the rain damaged the wall and floor.
After completing those tasks, I went back to building my home. Before going any further, I needed a way to lay some sort of foundation for my home. Not having a concrete contractor, I went up and down the creek looking for large rocks. Going back and forth for what seemed like forever, I had enough rocks to get started on the foundation. I was going to dig and place the stones close to each other. I knew of course they wouldn’t fit together, but the plan was to form clay all around in between the spaces to mold them together. It was going to take some time to finish, but I grabbed my shovel and started on the job. It was the afternoon when someone got the drop on me. I was concentrating on my task and didn’t hear any footsteps.
“Hello, neighbor!”
Flinching, I realized my weapons were in the barn, but turned around to see who it was. Two beings of a race I’d never seen before were at the fence, watching me. My eyes stared at them for a moment, two females it would seem. One of them was short, with brown hair and silver eyes. She had on shorts that just covered her curvy hips and a shirt that resembled a wife beater that showcased her big tits, but what set her apart were the horns that came out of her head and curled around her ears. A Ram Girl? The other was of a feline family. She was tall with long, onyx black hair and deep blue eyes. She was wearing boy shorts that appeared to be spanx and a bikini top. Her pert breasts were on display. The black pointed ears and tail set her apart as well. A Cat Girl? Beastkin. That was what my mind told me. Who cares, they were hot.
I roused myself, I didn’t want these ladies to notice me gawking, and replied, “Hello. What can I do for you, ladies?”
They both laughed, the cat girl said, “We see no ladies here, sir. I’m the area bitch, she’s a te
ase.”
Oooookay.
The ram girl started speaking, “Now Celina, be polite.” The cat girl just kept chuckling, but the ram girl continued, “Good afternoon, my name is Lilyann. We were walking by and saw you working, then decided to introduce ourselves.”
I bowed and responded, “My name is Dominic.”
“Are you new around these parts?” Celina asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Please cut out the ma’am stuff. This place has been abandoned for years, what made you want to live here?”
Not wanting to give away anything, I answered carefully, “Like you said, it was abandoned and was far away from town. I like my privacy so decided to give it a shot.”
Both females nodded. I walked over closer and Lilyann whistled. I forgot that my shirt was off. Celina purred when seeing me as well. I didn’t know how to take that, but didn’t deter them.
“My my my, look at that male specimen, Celina. He is well built.”
“He sure is. I bet he’s packing too,” Celina purred.
Both females giggled, after a few moments, Lilyann commented to her friend, “I wonder if he can take care of himself or is a pussy like the others?”
“He looks like he can hold his own. Where is your family? Are they around? We don’t want to be rude and would like to introduce ourselves to them as well.”
I smiled, knowing this would confuse them. “I can take care of myself, been doing it all my life. To answer your question, I don’t have one.”
The duo looked at me with a blank stare, before bursting into laughter. It took them a few minutes before they calmed down. I rolled my eyes and went back to my foundation. Getting back into the groove, I heard Celina call out, “We’re sorry for that. It was just funny. You must be good with the kids.”
I didn’t stop but said, “Not joking.”
They didn’t say anything for a few moments, but started whispering. Lilyann asked, “May we come over the fence and talk?”
“Knock yourselves out.” I went on putting the rocks in their places and digging the dirt out to make it level. The ladies came over and watched me.
“What are you building?” Lilyann asked.
“A foundation, it will strengthen my home rather than setting it on dirt.”
“Cool, never seen it before. Umm… were you serious about not having a family?” Celina asked politely.
I nodded and she went on, “Did they die?”
“Nope.”
Lilyann asked in a low voice, “How have you survived this long without help?”
I laughed. “Like I said, I can take care of myself.”
The duo went wide-eyed and whispered frantically back and forth.
“It’s just unheard of, Dominic. No one that I know has been without a family. Are you an orphan?” Lilyann asked.
Grunting, “No, not an orphan.” I placed another stone and asked, “What about you two? Where are your significant others?”
They dropped their heads. Celina whispered, “We don’t have any, Dominic. Our mates have perished and we haven’t found anyone to replace them. It’s been a long time, our group has grown over the years. It used to just be Lily and myself, but it’s up to six now.”
That’s sad, wonder how old these two are. Not going down that road, though.
I stood up and looked over. “I’m sorry to hear that. You ladies need anything?”
They smiled sadly.
“We didn’t stop by to be a burden to you, Dominic.”
“It’s not a problem, Lily. Can I call you Lily?”
She smiled broadly, “That will be fine.”
“Cool. What do you need? Manual labor? Food?”
Both women glanced nervously at each other. Celina whispered, “Food would be nice. We’ve had trouble with thieves and assholes coming to take ours.”
Lily spoke after her. “The bitches keep bothering us. We may have to move if it keeps happening. We and the women at our home aren’t fighters, just want to be left alone.”
I remembered that they had said neighbor, when first approaching. “How far do you live from here?”
“We’re not close. We’re not really neighbors, we just said that because well, we were curious. Our home is on the outskirts of Capena. Celina and I wanted to get away for a little while and maybe try to locate some food.”
Nodding on that explanation, I asked, “Would you ladies like to stay for dinner?”
Both gasped. Celina spoke in a hesitant manner, “Are you sure, Dominic? Like we said, we don’t want to impose.”
I scoffed, “It’s not a problem. Let me clean up and we’ll go inside.”
They nodded and waited for me to get done. I picked up my shirt and walked to the cabin. An odd thing hit me, where the hell is Scar? Not seeing him around, I figured he must be out hunting. I led the women to the kitchen, started the fire on the cookstove and got the ladies some glasses of water. When they were settled, I went and got a couple steaks out of the cold room and put some spices on them. When the fire was ready, I placed the steaks on the cooking grate and got some potatoes, washed them real good, then sliced them up and threw them in a pot. I threw butter in and sprinkled paprika and salt on before placing the pot on the grate. Letting that cook, I put some butter in another pot and sautéed some squash, bell peppers, onions. When that was done, I let the concoction simmer on the grate. Turning the steaks every so often, I checked on the potatoes. Five minutes later, I took the pot holding the squash-bell pepper mixture off the fire and set it on the cooling grate. Five minutes after that, I did the same for the potatoes.
During this time, the women asked me numerous questions, mostly about where I was from and how I learned all the things without help. I told them that most of it came from reading and my family. I wasn’t sure if they believed me or not.
It was time to take the steaks off. I got some plates and transferred the meat and set them on the table. Grabbing the other pots, I put plates down on the table to let them sit on so they wouldn’t damage the table.
Lilyann and Celina had eyes big as saucers when I told them to dig in. I went and got them silverware before sitting down. They tried to not be hasty in getting the food, but I could tell it was hard for them. Hmm… I wondered how long it had been since they ate properly. We talked about their hobbies and jobs. Both liked to explore, cook, and take care of the home. The duo loved to grow gardens but since they lived near town, the gardens either got trampled or stolen from. Lily worked as a waitress at a cafe in Capena, Celina at one of the board houses. They wanted to know what I did for money.
I shrugged and answered, “Not much right now. Hoping to get the garden going so it will feed my household year-round. I’m also putting in an herb garden for spices and medicinal herbs.”
“That sounds great, but you didn’t answer the question,” Lily advised.
“Well, I’m a novice enchanter.”
The women looked at me with raised brows. Celina said, “You’re an enchanter?”
I nodded and Lily asked, “You serious?”
“Yes.”
“It’s just that particular art is rare and supposedly only the dwarves know how to enchant.”
“Like I said, a novice.”
They didn’t say anything for a few minutes. I just kept eating, thinking about everything I had to do the next day.
“Show us,” Lily said suddenly.
Raising my left brow, I asked, “Why?”
“We want to see,” Celina replied.
Not really caring, I got a piece of paper and drew the symbols for razor-edge and strength, then said the transference spell to the regular knife I was holding. I closed my eyes, knowing what was coming, and when it happened, the women yelped. I chuckled at them as they rubbed their eyes. It took a few minutes for the temporary blindness to go away. At that point I showed them the runes on the knife, but before they said anything, I thrust the knife into the table. It sunk halfway through. Lily and Celina stood up a
nd gasped.
“Holy shit, he’s telling the truth,” Lily whispered in awe.
I pulled the knife out and placed it on the table, then went back to my steak. The ladies didn’t join me at first, but two minutes later they sat back down.
“Dominic, you have to keep this to yourself until you’ve got some protection,” Celina advised.
“I agree Dominic, you need to surround yourself with strong women. No one around has the ability that you just showed. If word gets out before you take precautions then others will come after you. Kidnap you, use you.”
Grunting, I nodded to them and they relaxed.
Lily glanced over at Celina. “It’s about time to go.”
Celina nodded and they were about to get up. I looked out the window. It was dark now. I turned to them and suggested, “You ladies don’t need to leave. I need to go into town tomorrow, I’ll drop you off.”
The women looked at me for a few moments. Lily asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, you two don’t need to run around the forest in the dark.”
Celina smiled and said, “Thank you.”
I nodded and we cleaned up. The women went to the hallway and saw all the books on farming and such. Both wanted to get a book and read, so I nodded and let them. After a couple hours of reading, we went to bed.
“There are three bedrooms, you each can take one. Mine is the first.”
Lily sighed and nodded. “Thank you, Dominic. We will take you up on that offer.”
“Unless of course, he wants to join one of us or both at the same time. I’d be up for some lovin if you have nothing against beastkin. A big dick always makes me feel good,” Celina purred and stretched out on the couch, showing her long legs and delectable ass.
“You don’t know me, Celina. I could be a killer and bury my trophies in the backyard. Maybe that’s why I don’t have a family.” I smirked.
Lily scoffed, “Please, Dominic. You forget that we’ve been around for a long time and know people by their actions. You’re what? Late twenties?”