The Hunter's Song

Chapter 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 out of 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 red-tipped quills fall 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 had 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 own ship, Venom Heart, and Shale's Ice Fang. She named hers Hammerhead because that's what she thought it looked like.

I, however, chose to forfeit my request and instead demanded to be re-reviewed for permission to engage in a solo queen hunt to gain Elite status. Shale was convinced my performance stats far exceeded the 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 mandibles together in confusion. "But I never took my eyes off hers."

Shale withdrew and reluctantly slid his hands off the table.

Oh, that's what she meant...

When the three of us were together... and I noticed it as well in my recording of their pairing in the Joust. Shale's focus was always on other body parts.