A Dreamer's Knight

Chapter 11 - Tricksy

Mikaen and Jeronem spent a full day travelling before stopping to set up camp for the night almost exactly where One predicted. He sat on a thick branch of a tree a fair distance away, watching as the two would-be adventurers settled for the evening.

"Right on schedule." Nodding, he turned his attention to a clearing close to the shores of the nearby Lake Yuna. It was empty at that particular moment, but Teach's list made it clear that would not be the case for much longer.

The list didn't indicate just how much longer, however, and One had nearly fallen asleep by the time two tigreth women strolled into the clearing. Humanoid in form and face for the most part, the tigreth carry the tails, fur, and ears of their ancestry. They retain their ancestors' retractable claws as well, lethal weapons in a tight spot.

One watched them silently as they pitched the tent. It was hard not to; both of the young ladies were quite lovely. The first had dark brown hair coupled with auburn fur, save for a patch of white down her chest. The other had blonde fur so light that it almost looked white, her hair a darker shade of blonde. The pair wore just enough clothing for modesty's sake, typical of the furred tribes of Longshore (and quite understandable, as I am to understand it gets rather hot across the plains of their home), though the blonde's clothing was notably more modest than that of her companion, possibly having something to do with her being notably.

"Well, I guess I'd better get started." One said a few minutes after the pair pitched their tent. He fished the wile out of his pocket and activated it. The air around him shimmered for a moment before he vanished from even his own sight. He carefully made his way down the tree before finally moving as close as he dared to the side of the tigreth tent. Fortunately, he was able to get close enough to hear the conversation within the tent.

"... another day in this Creator-forsaken forest. Next time, Dad can just get his lazy ass in gear. Hmpf."

A gentle voice reproached, "You shouldn't speak of father like that, Teria. He sent us because he thought it would be a good learning experience."

There was a loud snort. "I still can't believe you fell for that."

During the brief moment of silence that followed, One carefully peeled back the tent flap so he could get a view of the inside of the tent. The blonde tigreth was sitting on one of two quilted sleeping bags, looking a bit downcast, while the auburn tigreth with the white patch on her chest was rummaging through a backpack. They were both in their nightclothes, which consisted of little other than t-shirts and panties.

After an uncomfortable pause, the auburn-furred tigreth let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Tirinia. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I'm just annoyed that he dumped this on us. I mean, he could have at least made up a better excuse."

"Did mother say anything about it?" Tirinia asked, twirling the end of her long ponytail with her fingers.

Teria gave her sister a look. "Have you spoken with mom lately?"

"Not since she gave me the medicine for the thrall." Tirinia's cheeks burned red beneath her blonde fur.

One glanced down at Teach's list and double-checked his objectives. Teach had included a fairly in-depth explanation of exactly what One should do and exactly why he should do it, but One didn't really need it. He had prior experience with the tigreth and their mating rituals from previous assignments.

Since the beginning of their recorded history, there have been significantly more males than females in tigreth society. In what is probably a natural reaction of the abnormal male/female ratio, female tigreth engage their potential mates in combat until defeated. Potential mates are identified by attractiveness, strength, and certain psionic cues that the female can sense with a natural minor telepathic ability that manifests after maturity.