The Hunter's Song

27: Weakness🔥(Eh'kt)

I returned home to find Shale on his knees, his head low, and prostrated in the foyer of our new split-level dwelling.

"I did not fail," Shale hung his head in shame. "But my actions were unworthy of victory."

Shale had taken time off to recover from his injections provided by Dr. Kazz'mon. However, where I was vomiting and in a state of delirium over multiple days, my Aixx only experienced mild nausea and a migraine for a day and a half.

"I thought it was a game," Shale leaned forward with his hands splayed on the cold stone floor. "I did what she asked... but..."

The entire house reeked of sex.

"Where is she?!" I clenched my fists.

"Asleep," Shale curled his head down and let his limp red-tipped quills slip forward.

"Explain to me what happened," I relaxed my hands but clenched my jaw in agitation. "Spare no detail."

It'd been several weeks since our return to Sahei and I was off tending to my duties as Adjutant, in preparation for the delegation of razkurs arriving from Menthla next month.

Actually, there were two delegations arriving. The first and smaller group was to assist with the preliminary arrangements for Menthla's formal introduction to the Council of Ancients and the Supreme Nexus Matriarchs that was scheduled three months from now.

We outperformed Oru's expectations and, according to our Elder's Sahei-wide declaration, our Envoy brought great honor to Jahaa and the Nexus. Enough for Shale to claim a new larger dwelling carved into the side of a mountain down south where Sahei was coolest. Mourning Crow earned an interceptor raider ship, similar in size to my ship, Venom Heart, and Shale's Ice Fang. She named hers Hammerhead because that's what she said it looked like.

It didn't, but our mate insisted.

I, however, chose to forfeit my request and instead demanded to be re-reviewed for permission to engage in a solo U'la'ke Liege challenge to officially gain Forged status. Shale was convinced my performance stats far exceeded average and my petition would be accepted.

We will see...

I sat Shale down at our central eating table and listened to him walk me through the events that took place shortly after I left this morning.

With the success of Shale injections, I suggested to Mourning Crow he might enjoy being tested as I was, but she had reservations. I assumed her concerns revolved around him being larger than me, as her exact words were ′I don't think it's a good fit'.

I would never ask her to do anything she didn't feel comfortable with and I expressed that I brought it up solely because I didn't want him to feel excluded. She agreed to think it over and I opted to drop the topic, as thoughtful consideration was the most I could ask for.

I should have listened to her.

Shale recounted Mourning Crow setting the rules of the challenge and the harrowing experience of her washing him with her breasts. But his account deviated from my own. He spoke of her skin, her hands, her lips - upper and lower. His level of detail nearly had my own nethers swelling. Strangely, he never mentioned her eyes.

When I asked him, he said that midway in she made him look up so he couldn't see her.

"It was brutal!" Shale snarled. "Has she performed this cruelty on you?!"

"Yes," I tapped my quills in confusion. "But I never took my eyes off hers."

Shale withdrew and reluctantly slid his hands off the table.