"Come on Fae!" Comac pulls my wrist gently.
The weather warmed up and Damien started digging rows for my garden.
He takes me to a wooded area. We walk for a while and eventually come to a lake, with a view of the city.
"This is beautiful!" I look around at the beautiful spring scenery. The breeze billows through the trees, bringing the scent of the newly bloomed flowers. The grass is soft against my bare feet, and the water is warm for this time of year.
"I thought you might like this, it's my favorite spot." He picks up a basket that he hid behind a tree and sets up a picnic. "I hope you're hungry, I brought some lunch." He pats the ground next to him by the water.
I sit next to him and dip my toes in the water. "This is nice."
He hands me a bundle of grapes.
"Aw, this is the fruit we ate when we first met. That's thoughtful." I kiss him on the cheek.
He blushes as we eat to the soft music of nature. The peaceful quiet is relaxing.
"What made you think of this?" I ask curiously.
"You looked like you needed a break. The pups are a handful, so peace is nice once in a while."
I lay my head on his shoulder. "Thank you, this is sweet of you." We sit there and watch the water sparkle in the midday sun.
An hour passes and Comac gets up. "Would you like to swim?"
My eyes light up. "You mean it?"
He nods and smiles. "Of course, let's go!" He reaches out to me and I take his hand.
We jump into the water and splash around for a bit. I dive under and sneak around him and latch onto his back. "Got you!"
He laughs and flips me around. "Now I have you!" He pulls me in for a passionate kiss. Then he pulls me into a spot by some lily pads and long grass. He pulls me close and his lips cover mine so gently. His hands run through my wet hair, caressing my cheek.
"You are very beautiful, you know that?" He asks.
I hold onto his hand. "I know as long as you tell me." My face heats up at the compliment.
We keep kissing under the cat tails and lilies, his hand on my lower back.
I can feel my body heat up in the water.
His body presses against mine. He kisses my neck and whispers in my ear. "I want to make you mine." He's trying to sound dominant it's cute.
I pull my top off and throw it onto the bank. "Then what's stopping you?"
He hesitates for a moment, shocked at my answer. Then pulls me against him once more.
We cuddle on the bank, breathless. My muscles twitch and I try to rub them away.
"Are you alright?" He sits up and looks at me.
I nod. "Yes, thank you." I bathe in the sunlight. "I didn't realize that you could do two rounds at a time."
"Sorry."
"It's alright, you think we should head back? It's getting late." I stand up, though my legs try to protest.
"I'll carry you back if you want." He stands next to me, eyes filled with concern.
I shake my head. "I'm sure I can walk, Comac. I appreciate the offer though."
We slowly make our way back to the house.
When we get back Damien has dinner ready and the pups run up to me in excitement.
Their paws scratch the floor as they run. "Mommy!"
I kneel and kiss them all on the head. "Did you guys miss your momma?"
They nod.
"Why don't you guys get in the bath and we can all snuggle in bed tonight?"
They squeal in excitement and run off.
I sit next to the fire and warm up.
"They love you, don't they?" Damien pokes at the fire.
"They love you too, not just me. You should take your son hunting. He's gonna need to learn soon."
"I don't want to think about that. I want him to be small forever." He groans.
"I know how you feel, it's painful watching them grow up. Especially the girls." I'm reminded that I have to teach them things eventually.
"Before I forget, your garden is ready to go." Damien stretches.
"You go rest, you can work on it tomorrow." Comac pushes me towards the bedroom.
I roll my eyes. "Okay." I slowly make my way to the room and the pups follow me. We all cuddle together under a blanket and sleep the night away.
3 weeks later
I wake up sore, my legs ache from sitting on them too much. I sit up and slowly stretch. At least my garden is planted and slowly growing, I hope.
I look around and the pups are huddled in the corner, snoring. Damien and Comac are in animal form still sleeping. And Arkell is by the window dozing. He's not in his animal form, though I've never seen a real Griffin before.
I slowly stand up and stretch again, trying not to strain myself. I get to the main room and grab some dried fruit and put it in a pot to boil and rehydrate it. Once I put that on the fire I go out to feed the chickens some of the grain we bought.
Once they are eating I go into the coup and grab the eggs they laid. They have more to give since the weather is so nice. I put them all in the empty basket I made and go back inside. The eggs go on the counter and I rinse off a few to use with breakfast.
They are cracked and I scramble them as best as I can. It's easier to eat with no utensils.
Arkell comes out of the bedroom, brushing back his hair. "How long have you been up?"
I shrug. "Not long, just doing the morning chores."
He looks me up and down. "Are you alright? You look like you're in pain."
"I'm a little sore. I've been busy these past few days, other than that I'm fine."
He waves me over. "Come."
"What's up?" I ask standing over him.
"Sit, tell me where you are sore." He pats his lap.
I sit down and he gently rubs my shoulders.
"Just let me know if it hurts."
I nod. "You're good at this."
"Thank you, I try and do whatever I can for my females." I hear the smile in his voice.
"If I may ask, how long have you ruled?"
"Since I was about, fifteen. Now I'm reaching almost a hundred years."
"Woah." He is a lot older than I thought, maybe a little too old. What do I do?
"At most I only have maybe fifty years left of life. I need an heir, I'm almost desperate. We maintain a balance among the Beastmen, without us they could go into chaos." He massages my lower back and goes to my legs.
My face heats up as he touches my thighs. I try not to moan when he finds my sensitive spot. "How many spouses have you had so far? Besides me?"
He thinks for a moment. "I'd say, about five. Most of them gave up on reproducing with me, when they do that I'm abandoned."
"That's heartless. I couldn't imagine doing that to someone."
He stops and wraps his arms around me. "That means a lot, thank you."
We stay close like that for a while. I rest my head on the nape of his neck. For someone so muscular, he's really comfortable.
Suddenly he jerks his head up.
"Everything okay?" I ask.
"We need to evacuate, now."