Beastly Beauty

Chapter 17 : Her difficulties

After the incident with the stranger, Rhea was afraid to go out alone on her own again. He made her speechless after the purchase and refused to take any kind of exchange for the silk! He had left her back at the witchdoctor's hut and disappeared into the crowd again. Nothing is free! He had made his intention crystal clear! And she had taken the bait! She kept the silk hidden and didn't tell Aethon about the encounter. Because her stomach is getting larger, she starts to have difficulties to move around. She cannot see her own legs nor bend her upper torso anymore. Her skin and scales cracked around the area of the abdomen, making her itchy and stinging sometimes. Rhea was moving around very slowly with whatever she did, afraid that she'll accidentally trip over anything. She made it as an excuse to hole up inside the cave.

It's the early month of the dry season. Her appetites grew... her diet consists of lots of meats... Aethon's cooking skills was very good by now! He learnt all kinds of cooking methods and techniques to make sure Rhea's food stays "inside" for long even though right now, she's not as picky as before. She likes to eat nuts while watching Aethon cook or when Nix sews his feathers on some of her clothes to keep her warm in the winter. Both her mates rarely leave her alone even when they need to go out. The storage at the back of the cave was now fully stacked with foods. And the bed was now made up of an uplift flat earth lined with several thick furs and skins! She didn't know how Aethon did that but she was grateful and enjoyed the cool, soft bed. If they still lay on the grasses as bedding, she'll have difficulties getting up whenever she has to release her urge.

Aethon had also dug a small pit at the side of the cave for her convenience. She simply have to dump some soil to cover the waste. Little did she know that both her mates would wake up early each day to clean up her mess. Nix, being a white snowy old, was a clean freak! Thanks to him, all the mess that Aethon usually did with his failed cookings or leftovers was properly handled. Rhea had quite the comfortable and clean home... far better than her neighbours! She had previously peeked inside some of the locals' homes on her visits to the Oldman. Fruits' shells scattered on one side of the cave, food waste rots just outside the house. And all of this was just in the vegetarian lands. She didn't dare imagine what it's like if it's a carnivor. The bones must be scattered everywhere! She shook her head slightly to discard the thoughts off her mind. She stretched her aching body.

"Ahhhhh! I want a cool bath!"
She blurted out her thoughts.

"I'll help you wash up, my love..."
Nix spontaneously answered.

"I've prepared a bucket of warm water."
Aethon said from the cave's entrance.

"I want to swim! I don't like this kind of washing up! I want to wash my hair and dip in the water and float and glide! Look at my ugly, dry skin!"
Rhea ramble to her mates.

"You can... but after the birth. I promise. For now you have to bear with this... You can hardly walk properly nowadays."
Nix persuaded her.

Rhea huffed as a response and didn't talk anymore. She walked away from Nix to the cave's entrance, completely ignoring him.

"I know you're angry, but at least wear your foot cover! We don't want you getting hurt... Please, love..."
Nix brought a pair of thick sewn skins and tied them up securely to her feet.

"Thanks, but I'm still not talking to you."
Rhea said without even looking at him.

"Aethon, is there some kind of celebration or something? Why do I see a lot of people coming to the marketplace these days...?"
She asked curiously.

"Oh, I don't think it's anything serious. Just the horses fighting for their ranks. Why? Do you want to go see them?"
Aethon answered carefully.

"Oh... Can we go? I'm curious."
She said pleadingly.

* * * * * * * * * *

The day was hot so, Aethon carried her in his firm embrace to some sheltered area which was specifically built for the attending females. They passed through a crowd of bulging muscles and packs. Every male gathering there is showing off their bodies to woo the females. Once seated under the sheltered space, Rhea can clearly see the ongoing match and the participants. All the mates of the females were gathered a little bit away from them, giving space and clear view to watch the match. Nix left a bowl of nuts for Rhea to munch on her lap before he left reluctantly.

"Hey scaley! You're here! You should take in more mates! We have a lot of available males this time! Too bad Helen missed them! Hahaha!! More for me!"
A red haired female with a toned figure greeted Rhea and laughed loudly. She's one of the Oldman's neighbours.

"I'll consider, but how do you know which side is winning...?"
Rhea asked the female while munching. Her eyes focused on the match.

"Oh! It's not that hard. The one got pushed outside of the square line, lose. So far, no one would fight to death. They'll just try again later."
She answered excitedly.

"Is this match only held for horses?"
Rhea asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not specifically. But in out tribe it's much safer and easier this way. Look! The spotted horse is winning! Wuuu~"
She suddenly stood up and accidentally knocked the bowl of nuts off Rhea's lap.

All attending females also joined in cheering for the winner. Rhea ignored them and bent down with difficulty to try and reach the bowl on the ground. She didn't mind the scattered snack but it's her favourite bowl! Unexpectedly, a hand grabbed the bowl and passed it to her. She looked at the one helping her. Damnnn! It's the stranger! What do I do...

"Hi! Are you alright? I haven't seen you out for quite some time. I didn't know you like things like this..."
He smiled at Rhea.

"Hi... Thanks, I'm okay. I didn't think you'd be here. Are you participating?"
Rhea averted her attention from his face to the empty bowl.

"No, I'm just here to trade something. I don't need to fight, I don't eat grass."

He laughed while looking at the crowd.

"Oh, okay. And... about last time, why did you wish me birthday? How do you know it's my birthday?! What are you?"
Rhea looked at him with suspicion.

"Hey, relax! Everyone knows that your kind was born in that season... And I'm just an ugly, fat meat-eater. You don't want to see me in my other form."
He said in an upset tone.

"Oh, okay. I have to get back. See you."
Rhea answered awkwardly as she anxiously tried to get up from her seat. Guess it's just a coincidence he wished it exactly on her birthday.

Seeing her struggling, the stranger casually picks her up in his sturdy embrace and carries her to where her mates were waiting.

"She wants to go home. I'm just helping."
He said that while carefully transferring her into Aethon's arms.