I was shocked to find out that the lump on my back turned into a second tail!
Ishi told me about how I used my flames to help take down the snow monster during the fight. She also said that, after that incident, This second tail appeared. None of us have any idea why I have another tail. The doctor seemed to wonder if it was linked to my mana fever, but wasn't sure.
It didn't bother me at all, surprisingly. Even though I've never had two tails (and I haven't even had one tail for that long if I'm being honest), it felt natural. I can move them independently of each other, much like how I can move my fingers. It's still difficult and uncoordinated, but I think it's cool. We decided to go out when my stomach rumbled painfully from being empty.
Ishi filled me in on some of the details of Pyochi Village while we walked to a spot for lunch. They are a solitary village on Pyochi Mountain. The whole village was built in an unground cave. They have almost no contact with external tribes, which is why their architecture and amenities are so primal. Arctic fox and some Arctic wolves live here in the mountains together. They were originally two separate tribes who lived above ground.
However, The Chuti (those snow monsters) arrived and nearly wiped out both tribes. They joined together to fight the invasion of monsters, but they couldn't protect their villages and fight the monsters. They stumbled across this cave system and expanded it over the years to become their new joint village.
Apparently they have mined for this natural resource that they call firestones. Those are the red bulbous things that sit in the 'fireplaces' to keep the shelters warm. They stay hot indefinitely; however the heat they produce is proportionate to the brightness of the stone. They have utilized the firestones for a lot of things. They discovered that if they put the firestones in the frozen soil, it thaws and is able to grow crops. Wood is their #1 most valuable resource due to it's scarcity so they have created ways to cook using the firestones.
Underground they have a tree farm (which is used sparingly for lumber if needed), a farm for crops, and a farm to raise livestock. This is the first village to decide to bring in wild animals, domesticate them, and use them for food. A huge portion of the caves was set aside just for the livestock farm; I would be curious to see it.
"Should we sell the wood we have in the space to pay for the medicine?" I asked her. "I wonder how much we would get for it…" I ruminated.
"No, firewood is useless to them. They need lumber for building." Ishi told me.
"That sucks." I said dejectedly.
"No worries. I have a line on another source of income. Marshall will too once he gets better." She said, smiling down at me.
"I can help too!" I said, feeling bad that Marshall and Ishi planned to work to pay for my medicine while I did nothing.
"You just focus on getting better."
"What?!" I said, angrily, stopping to look at her. "You and Marshall were both ACTUALLY hurt in that fight. There is no way I'm letting you guys do all the work. I am HELPING." I said with determination.
I had hoped to channel my inner Ishi and intimidate her into compliance, however the height difference made it seem more like I was a child throwing a tantrum.
Ishi smiled with indulgence, and patted my head.
I felt tingly when she touched me, and my body felt like a magnet was pulling me towards her, but I resisted.
"Does that mean you agree?" I said with a sly smirk.
She leaned down towards me, her mouth close to my ear. I felt her warm breath on my skin which gave me goosebumps. My heart started racing and my mouth went dry.
She whispered into my ear, in a deep seductive voice, "No." Before standing up and looking proud of herself.
I flushed in embarrassment and anger. I bitched at her all the way to the tavern.
* * * * * * *
We drank Mead and ate their most popular dish, which was some kind of stew served in a honey-baked bread bowl. I was really excited to eat some good food. My tails were swishing in anticipation. We went up to the bar to grab our food when it was ready and I couldn't resist asking about the honey.
The barkeep told us that they have been able to keep honeybees as well since discovering the firestones. They said that the honeybees were the original dwellers in this cave but they were in hibernation when the Demi-humans arrived.
We sat down to enjoy the hot meal. The meat inside the stew was very tender and just fell apart in my mouth. They had all sorts of vegetables in the stew as well, along with some familiar spices. The bread was similar in flavor and consistency to sourdough, however it was sweet thanks to the honey. I ate with relish, my aching stomach finally feeling relieved to be fed.
"Want more?" Ishi asked, looking at my spotless plate.
I leaned back in the chair, feeling like a bloated pig. "I couldn't fit more in, even if I wanted to."
Ishi laughed and went up to pay. I have no idea where she got the money, but I was thankful.
I made sure to thank her when we were leaving.
We walked down the streets, making idle conversation about what we saw.
Suddenly, Ishi stopped walking. She gave me a strange look.
I looked at her, confused.
"What?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.
"Why did you do that?" She asked.
"…Do what?" I asked back.
She looked down.
I followed her gaze.
I was holding her hand.
When did that happen?!
I don't remember grabbing her hand. I tried to remember. Just before she stopped, I was excited about a street stall I had seen.. maybe I grabbed her hand in excitement?
I slowly let go of her hand.
"Sorry, I didn't realize.." I muttered, avoiding her gaze since I was feeling very awkward.
I felt empty all of the sudden, when she let go of my hand. I must be relying on her too much.
She didn't say a word, she just led me back to the medical center and went her own way.
When she walked away I felt the emptiness even more intensely. Like I just wanted to follow her and never leave her side.
I clearly have developed some codependency issues.
I sighed and went back to the room to be with Marshall. I must be missing my mate, that's all.
I opened the door and he was still sleeping. That medicine must have really knocked him out. I took off my coat and shoes at the door then I snuck up in bed next to him and used his heat to warm my chilly hands and feet.
"Welcome back." He said groggily as he rolled over to face me.
My stomach filled with butterflies at the sound of his voice. His musky, earthy scent filled my nose and made me feel like jello.
"I missed you." I kissed him. "Did you eat?"
"Yeah…" He said. then a dark devilish look spread across his face as he looked at me and added, "But I could go for seconds."
I didn't catch on right away, but as soon as he reached for my bottom and pulled me in for a kiss, I understood. I felt his hardness though his pants rubbing against me.
Well, that was quick.
He had my arms pinned to my sides as he kissed me deeply. After a minute or so I was able to free my arm to reach for him. I felt his bulge and stroked it while we made out. He reached down to my sensitive place and started teasing. I felt my body react very strongly. He seemed to sense it too.
He started removing my clothes. I undid his pants. I was reaching for the waistband to remove them when I felt his bandages.
Shit! Wait! We can't do this! He's injured.
"Marshall-" he sensed my hesitation and cut me off with a kiss.
He suavely finished removing all our clothes while his lips and tongue distracted me.
He grabbed my hand and placed it on his swollen member. He let out a quiet growl as I gripped it.
"Will you be satisfied with this?" I asked as I moved my hand up and down it, like I did at the river.
"Not this time." He growled out quietly, with a dark look.
"Marshall… even if we take precautions… you might reopen your wounds. We can't do that." I said reluctantly.
"What if I don't move?" He asked.
"How are we going to have sex if you don't move?" I asked him.
A devilish smirk appeared on his face as he grabbed my hips and placed me on top of him. I gasped in surprise as he grabbed it and lined it up at my entrance.
"If we do it like this, maybe." His smile made my heart speed up and his touch made me tingle.
The image of the dead women was still in the back of my mind; but this time it didn't stop me. My body was taking control and my rational mind felt like it was in a fog. I felt like my body was going to explode if I didn't have him this minute.
I heated up as he entered me, the sensation sent shivers though my body. I felt myself tighten around him, he moaned in response.
He used his hands to guide my hips at first, rocking them back and forth. I got the hang of it quickly and took over.
"Mika…" He growled low, as I sped up. I felt like my body was on fire.
My mind felt like it was in a fog as my body started moving of it's own accord. I leaned back and felt his member touch a very sensitive spot, causing me to shiver. The sensations were building, I was getting close.
Marshall muttered something else, but I couldn't stop. I was rocking harder, and faster… pushing him deeper inside me.
I heard him growl as he called my name and I felt him twitching inside me.
I felt my own wave of pleasure reach it's climax as I called out, my bottom twitching.
There was a moment where we just breathed heavily, staring at each other. By this point I'm usually sore and exhausted, but my body reacted again and started moving.
He had a look of confusion at first, however it was quickly washed away. His eyes almost appeared to glaze over as I started moving again. His sent assaulted me and it made every sensation so much more intense. My body was rocking quickly, shoving him so deep inside me that it should have been painful.
He reached up and grabbed my breasts, teasing me and bringing me close to the edge quickly.
"Marshall~" I moaned
He seemed to come to his senses for a brief moment. He looked like he wanted to say something. I flicked my hips which caused him to moan deeply and throw his head back.
He seemed to lose control as well, he flipped me over and started thrusting deeply and forcefully.
Our bodies were taking control and even if we tried, we couldn't stop. It was like being drugged.