Beauties and Beasts

Chapter 45: brought to you by a learn'n

We now continue with today's episode of "I Couldn't Help It, He Was Hot."

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Fortunately, or unfortunately, or both, rugby became a huge sensation throughout the City of Beasts within just a few days (Shay blamed Tony, who she chased off with a stick the next morning on finding him, not only fine, but with one of her short-birds in his maw). Though it didn't completely erase the disparity between high mark and low marked beastmen, it did level the playing field enough that no marks with enough skill could face off against one marks on fair ground and even two marks with practice. This equalizing effect gave the majority of the men hope and gave the higher mark men fodder for their ever-raging competitive spirit.

Shay told Curtis about this while she curled around their eggs beneath a fur down in the den while he hung in the hole, waiting to digest his last, rather large, kill enough to fit in comfortably.

"That sounds ridiculous," he said, looking amused from his upside down position. "And a waste of energy. Couldn't they be doing more useful things while running back and forth like idiots?"

"It's called 'fun', Curtis, and it's as important as work. You need a balance of it to be truly productive, else you'll wear out a lot quicker."

He cocked his head, sending a wave down the waterfall of scarlet hair down to the floor of the den where it pooled to the edge of the fur blanket.

"Can it really make you more productive."

"Yeah. Are you more productive when you're happy and hopeful or when you're sad and feel like everything's a waste. Fun makes you happy and hopeful."

His eyebrows went up--or down, considering his hung position.

"Of course. That makes sense." He folded his arms, leaving a hand out to cup his chin in thought, though his eyes gleamed on her. "Many things you say from your world seem so simple that I'm surprised I hadn't thought of it myself, and yet I can't say I ever would have thought of them."

"That's what makes them brilliant." Shay hugged the three orange-sized eggs nestled against her chest. "What's fun for you?"

He flashed a smirk, something he'd only learned to do since after she'd married Ryan.

"Watching my enemy's faces as I triumph over them and laying their heads at your feet."

Shay gave him a droll stare.

"Wow. How dull your life must be."

"I can forgo the presenting of heads, but it is a fantasy of mine. Swimming with you would be a less...violent fun, but fun nonetheless. Unfortunately, we had little chance to do with our marriage being the end of summer. But there is always next summer."

"I do enjoy a good swim," chirped Shay.

"Are you doing okay with the eggs?" he asked.

"Of course! I get to hug our babies! You know, you could afford to let me do this more often."

He frowned. "You needn't give so much of yourself to them. You've already sacrificed your body to birth them."

And as though afraid she'd be tempted to push him on this, he came down not a minute later and pushed her out.

Ryan spotted Shay stepping from the bedroom with a pout. He crouched over the now empty firepit as they had moved their fire to the finished fireplace. He was setting stones in over a layer of packed sand. The small stone bricks would stand out against the rest of the solid stone floor.

"Where's Parker?" she asked.

"Where do you think," said Ryan with distaste.

Shay smiled, though. "Hey, he's already brought several loads of roots in, and he's really good at the game. Frankly, I'm just glad he's found something to make him happy."