Beauties and Beasts Pt 2

Chapter 159

First of all, I am deeply apologetic for the long absence. Still going through the divorce, started a new job, and the nuggets have a host of medical problems/appointments and everything. I do plan on writing more and I've been doing a little here and there and... I hope it makes up for it. Thank you for your kind comments and support; it means a lot that I can still make someone out there happy :)

In which the girls find relief in pottery making and a game of rugby goes awry... but we figured it would so nobody's surprised. Honestly we're just shocked they tried again.

The pots didn't turn out quite like expected; there'd been some explosion in the kiln, though from the damage it was impossible to say which pot struck the other like a bullet, but undeterred, they tried again. And again. Batches upon batches, even enlisting the help of Shay's mates. Curtis's heat sensitive tongue, once Shay convinced him to at least look at the kiln, let them know it was too hot for the delicate pottery and they hadn't massaged enough air bubbles out of it. Shay declared a throwing wheel was in order and, after some adjustments to the wheat grinder, they made one. It ran off of beastman power rather than foot power, and Tony often had to be reminded to slow down, but it worked well and soon they each had a custom teapot. Shay infused hers with the hair/fur of each of her mates, (Curtis at the top, of course) and Neara took the largest teapot for herself, not content with little swallows of tea.

"At least I don't have to worry about kidney stones." The massive clay cups she'd tried to fashion into a water bottle didn't help and she had yet to find a suitable glaze that made the water taste at least somewhat normal.

Shay blew her off with a blowing motion. "Pfft, kidney stones, schmidney stones, all you have to worry about is whether or not your mates can hunt down a crystal. I bet those would take the edge right off."

They looked over the field with a worried eye. This was their first attempt at rugby after the City of Beasts, and the discovery of Orson's powers, so they weren't sure how it would go. Curtis and Ryan had both been put on Orson's team in the hopes they wouldn't try to kill him, but the other side looked puny as a result, boasting Parker, Muir, Harvey, and a very flirty Benedict.

"Man, those shoulders look awesome. Do you fly much?"

Muir shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm an Eagle."

"That explains it, I guess. So what do clouds taste like? I have a theory they're salty because most water, except in rivers, is salty."

Shay decided to whistle to start the game and interrupted anything Muir was going to say.

Chaos erupted across the field as Parker lunged for the ball and Curtis immediately tried to imprison Orson in his tail. It grasped on thin air as the Sheep, moving faster than their eyes could follow, appeared just to the side of the attempted capture, shaking his head. Ryan stiff-armed a tackle from Tony, who flew backwards, taking a hapless Muir with him. Benedict chased Parker and grabbed his tail, yanking him backwards in a heap. Having wildly misunderstood the game, he immediately started wrestling, gold and white fur floating in the breezeless afternoon sun. Shay's girls giggled and cheered their mother's mates and guardians in turn, laughing at Muir's attempts to dislodge himself from a thoroughly dazed Tony.

Curtis hissed in frustration and lunged again, Orson shifting positions as rapidly as Curtis could change his, each time with a pitying look on his face.

"See, this is the problem with predators--" shift "-- they always think it's the fastest or strongest--" shift "--who win when actually--" This shift brought him behind Shay, who barely had time to shriek as Curtis's tail bolted around her waist and dragged her to him, fangs bared. "--it's the smartest."