The Wolf, the Butterfly, and the Kraken

Chapter 4

I found little to no information on Venerans around town. There were rumors of how they kept slaves, like themselves. The slaves were distinguished from other Venerans by the collar they wore. Some had nicer collars than others, but it still meant they were someone's property. The thought of a race buying and selling their own kind was barbaric. Yet I now owned an Veneran. I should show her as my slave.
I got a piece of leather and hammered my sigil into it- two scythes in front of the moon. Then I punched a few holes in it and added a metal pin and a cinch. She froze when I approached her inside the den. She looked like a cornered mouse, unsure where to run. It had been nearly two weeks and I still scared her. She then collected herself mentally. I waited patiently.
She gave me a greeting of respect by tilting her head and baring her throat. I returned the gesture and held up the collar. I pointed from my neck to hers. I saw tears in her eyes before she meekly bowed her head and held her hair out of the way.
Putting the collar on her brought me closer to her than I had been since I shamed myself. She had a distinctly female odor, one I had smelled on our females before. She smelled pregnant, but only just. Maybe it was my imagination. Maybe elemental females just smelled different.
I made certain she would have no trouble breathing in the collar and stepped away to admire my handiwork on her. The collar seemed too wide, by a bit, for her neck. She seemed sad. Her shoulders slumped.

* * *

The potato plants were all starting to show the very earliest signs of sprouting, despite the chill. I had honestly been unsure why he was planting potatoes going into a cold season, but apparently this kind did well in cooler climes. The grain showed signs of little bits of life too. Sprouts made me happy. In a way it was relaxing being in the fields, even though it was getting colder with every rainstorm.
The full moon had come and gone nearly a week ago. My blood had not. I was never late. Maybe it was my body saying I should eat less beans and potatoes. I couldn't get pregnant by having sex with a Lycant. We weren't even the same species.
As I approached the house I could smell him. The door was closed, but I knew he had meat. I opened the door, smelled carrots, and felt like puking. I never did though.
My nose told me Vam had been in the barn. I could smell chickens and goats on him. He had also been doing something with wood. Sawdust. How could I smell all of that?
Maybe I was smelling things. Carrots had never made me sick before. Maybe it was some sort of spice I smelled. I looked in the pot. Carrots. I approached him and saw a chicken feather on his sleeve. I pulled it off and tossed it in the fire. Crazy.

* * *

It was the first time she had willingly approached me. She seemed confused and looked pale, maybe sick. She was definitely pregnant. The small smell had gotten larger by a couple degrees over the past few weeks. Ever since my suspicion that she was pregnant I had wracked my mind. She had bled on the ship, which for most animals with hair meant she was in heat then. But our kind were different. We could potentially impregnate any time, but traditionally Lycants mated to have children when they were ready for such things. Could she, as an Veneran, bleed and still be pregnant? Did I make her pregnant? How could I ask her these things?
I sat at the table with her. She was staring dubiously at my poor hunter's stew and eyeing the three rabbits I had brought in from my traps.
I had taught her the words for male and female animals. She was lost in her thoughts so I cleared my throat. Her eyes met mine. "Did you have a ram or rooster of your own in Venera?"
She took a moment to translate my words. "My pack owned many animals. We had goats, chickens," she said a few words for animals we did not have here and, "I had a cat. She was nice."
No, she was misunderstanding. I growled in frustration and thought harder. Then I asked, "Did you have a warrior, or raider?"
She thought hard and then frowned, once she understood my question. "In Venera all males join the Host and serve many seasons before coming home." She seemed frustrated, like now she was trying to find the words. Finally she settled on, "He was going to be home in 5 more seasons, maybe a mate."
"He wanted you?"
She nodded.
"But you never-?"
She shook her head no scornfully. "In Venera it is not good when females mate before being wed."
I did not know the word 'wed', but assumed it was a formal joining of sorts. I nodded, "Here it is the same. We must work hard to be good enough to find a mate."
"Raiding?" she asked quietly.
"My Sire is a known warrior. My mother bore him 3 litters. The first died of a sickness that took many."
She said, "Blight. My mother and brother were lost that way."
She understood then. "Of the second litter only a sister remains. One brother was killed in a training accident when he was small. The other died in combat when his honor was challenged."
She nodded that she understood.
"My litter had two girls, and me, a runtling."
She was confused at that word. I showed her with my hands my head, and another, taller, way over my head. She understood, and nodded.
"My people kill runtlings as a kindness when they are born. My mother did not wish to lose another son and begged my father not to do it. She swore I would prove myself worthy one day." I swallowed the lump in my throat, "She asked a friend to allow me on the raid. You know how that went."
She blinked and slowly nodded. "Father is shamed. Not only am I a runtling, but I can not even succeed as a raider where he is a known warrior. I got drunk and made my shame worse. I brought you dishonor as well. I am sorry. And now there is a litter that we have because of it."
It took her a while to process what I said. She nodded, then turned her head in confusion, "Litter?"
I nodded, "Surely you can smell that you are with child. I have been smelling it for weeks. And it is only growing stronger the longer you have been with child."
She shook her head, "No! It can't be! I'm only a little late."
She didn't know. But I saw her start trying to make sense of it and things coming together for her to reach the only conclusion. I was right. I had gotten her pregnant. Her chest heaved and tears ran down her face.
Then she screamed a battlecry and threw herself at me. I didn't stop her at first. She hit me as hard as she could on my muzzle, eye, shoulder, stomach. It was nothing next to what I had made it through as a child. Then she grabbed a meat skewer.
I swiftly grabbed her hands in one of mine. She was so small next to me. But every bit as fierce as my mother, who could easily take my sire down. She was still trying to kick me, and screaming what I was sure were Veneran swear words. I stood to my full height, towering over her. She screamed curses at me.
She was right to.
I cried.
She stopped struggling. Her head hung, "What do I do? What do we do? Are you going to kill me?"
"I need you for the farm if I am to raid. I will give our litter the kindness denied me."
"Elementals don't have litters. They only have one child at a time, usually."
That was something. I would only have to kill one offspring. Oh Mother Moon. I would have to kill the one offspring I might ever have. I trembled, feeling weak. I released her hands and sank to my knees, sniffling and sobbing.