Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 106646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
We had one good romp in the furs and she was done. I do not understand this. She moaned when I touched her. I have asked her before what I did wrong and she claims it is not me, it is her. I do not know what to think.
I am B'shit's friend once more, and that is a truth. I do wish to be her friend. But I also held secret hopes that B'shit would realize what a great male I am and that she would demand to be my mate once more. That she would realize how much she missed me and fling herself into my arms and my empty hut.
She does not, though, and my hut remains as empty as my furs.
The tribe is full of rumors about us. Some have noticed that we go off together and that we are no longer fighting. One night, B'shit worked late trying to shape one of her pots and her muscles grew tight. The next day she walked with stiff legs, and I'rec confronted me and asked if we were mating in secret.
I said nothing. They do not need to know that we are nothing but friends. Like B'shit and her pottery, I will keep our friendship secret. It is as fragile as the pottery itself, and I will do nothing to wreck it.
But it is difficult. Very difficult. And as one day fades into another, I begin to despair. Perhaps I will always only be B'shit's friend and nothing more.
Then…D'see arrives.
The new female comes from the skies, in a dark, egg-shaped rock, and I am reminded of when K'thar and R'jaal found L'ren and M'rsl. They said they came from an egg, too. She steps out and she is a dainty female with a mane like a sunset and a wide, excited smile. I smile when she greets the tribe, imagining that she will make a fine mate for one of my clan. So far, Shadow Cat has not resonated to a single female. B'shit has my heart, so I do not look for another, but I know our lack of mates stings for O'jek, I'rec and U'dron. We do not like to be seen as less. So I am pleased when D'see joins the encampment. Another attractive female makes the odds better.
B'shit immediately dislikes her.
At first, I think B'shit is angry at me again. She glares at me even though I have done nothing, and storms away when I try to approach her. That night, I go to her clay-making cave and she is not there. The candles are dark and B'shit is nowhere to be seen.
The next morning, I approach my “friend” and ask her. "Were you not feeling well last night?"
B'shit just shrugs. "Why do you care?" She walks away.
Why would I not care? It is baffling to me. I watch as she leaves, frowning to myself. Have I not been her companion every night for this past full turn of the moon? I fetch her water, get new clay, sift and offer advice. Sometimes I just show up to talk when she does not want help but likes the company. Why is she mad now?
A hand taps me on the shoulder. I turn and see D'see, who is watching me with a knowing look. Her eyes are strange and pale, dead without the bright blue life of a khui in them. But the look on her face is knowing. "Is that your paramour?" She gestures at the retreating B'shit.
"My what?" I cannot even begin to say that word.
"Lover?"
That word I do know. "We mated once but she has decided to just be friends." My voice is sour. "And now she is angry and I do not know why."
To my surprise, D'see smiles brightly. "I've seen that sort of thing before. She's jealous."
"Jealous?" I give her a skeptical look. "I do not think you know B'shit."
"I might not know her, but I know women," D'see says with a toss of her sunset mane. She gives me a winning smile and leans in and touches my shoulder. "She may say that she does not want you, but she is lying. I saw how she watched you. She didn't like you talking to me." When I shake my head again, D'see touches my chin. "Quit frowning. Smile at me. Laugh when I laugh, and then look over at your female."
Then, D'see laughs.
I wonder if she is addled, because she is laughing over nothing. But she gives me an encouraging look with her eyes and I realize this is some part of her plan. I fake a laugh, feeling like a fool, and glance back at B'shit. She is on the far side of the camp, but she is no longer walking away. Instead, she is watching me…and she is glaring as if she is angry.