Beauties and Beasts

Chapter 31: brought to you by Yogi Bear

[doo dooooo doodoodeedo, phenomenon] We cut the wood, we scare away the bear, and we angst. 
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Ryan woke up before the sun rose over the Camel Hump Mountains. He wasn't allowed to sleep in the house unless Shay was sick, so these precious few moments where the snake slept were all he had to spend time with Shay. Ever since they'd moved houses, he'd been alert. The house's location worked perfectly because it was a short distance away from the waterfall that fed the main stream through the City of Beasts. His scent was easily lost there. Wolf beastmen sniffed around every other day, presumably pretending to guard Curtis, and if it was known that a panther lurked around the house of a beautiful female... well... it was better he wasn't known.

Shay caught him a few times, her natural early-bird chirping her awake just as the top of the sun passed the mountains. Unfortunately, her mates preferred slumbering until the warm summer sun touched their skins. She understood about Curtis, but she didn't know that much about leopards. Occasionally she'd see Ryan's panther head poking over the bottom of the window before disappearing, but she knew he was out there.

Parker explained the seasons to her the other day, about the rainy season being their version of fall before the winter set in. Curtis, worried about her loyalty during those months, took it upon himself to do every favor she asked of him, and some she didn't. He didn't need to worry though; his tender attitude towards her ensured she couldn't turn him away, no matter what Neara's heebie-jeebies might be.

Speaking of Neara... she'd taken to coming over to help Shay patch up the place. Granted, their role involved more decorating and/or directing the beastmen where to put the stones/table/fire pit, but Shay enjoyed talking with her friend and Orson enjoyed lifting more stones than Curtis and Parker.

"Shay, if winter is coming, shouldn't we get firewood or something?"

She stopped carving more chopsticks and looked at the sky. Dark clouds lined the horizon and although Curtis had said they had enough time to fix the roof, it was significantly harder to burn wet wood. Her house was larger than Neara's by another room, so they could store it in that. "Sure. Curtis?"

"Yes, my Shay?" He looked down through a hole in the roof and smiled.

"We should cut down a lot of firewood... for winter. I know you'll be hibernating, but..."

Curtis slithered down and wrapped his arms around her in a tender embrace. He whispered, "I will do everything to ensure your comfort, my Shay."

She blushed and tried not to look at Neara's stiff face. Curtis didn't see a need to hide his tail in Shay's home and she couldn't bring herself to ask him to change back.

"If Curtis is helping chop wood, I'm coming too!" Parker leaned over from propping stones into place in the walls. "I can chop more wood than him!" He held up a stone axe he'd been issued by the Ape King. In fact, all the females had been given stone axes to help with this very purpose, delivered by wolf beastmen earlier that day.

Orson dropped a load of stones and wiped his brow. Sweat glimmered on him and caught the sunlight in a way that showed off the wiry frame and stiff muscles underneath. "I'll go back to your house, Neara, and grab your axe."

Neara shrugged and kept her eyes on the fishing basket she was weaving for Shay. It had taken a little bit of practice, but they'd managed to strip the bark efficiently, much better than Neara had the first time, and the bark was significantly more supple this time around.

"There's only one axe; I guess the snake can't come!" Parker cheered up, but his knuckles went white as he gripped the axe handle.

Curtis looked at him with a blank face, then reached his tail over to a thick tree as wide around as Shay. His scarlet scales twisted around it until they made three rings. Not a muscle in his face moved as the branch snapped beneath his grip, splinters flying into the curtains and scattering like broken glass.