I left the cave-hole for a little bit after seeing Vera had moved to attach herself to Husband, and walked to Lily's cave-hole. I wanted to check up on her, since her belly was fat now, and what happened to Berry might happen to Lily as well at some point tonight, but she was just sleeping stupidly with her fat belly sticking up. Maybe nothing was going to happen until tomorrow with her strong ones, so I stepped out of goblin-home for some fresh air and saw Truffle laying down outside by the fire-pit.
"What are you doing out here so late, Truffle?"
"Watching the moon." She said pointing up at the moon which was red like blood and looked huge in the night sky.
I sat down beside her, since the fire-pit was warm and the night felt a little cool. While lying next to her on the ground, she began rubbing her fuckhole.
"You've been to see Lily?" She asked me.
"Yeah."
"Want some?"
She held out a small pouch.
"Is that what I think it is?"
"Yeah, color-spin-think powder. Take a small pinch and sniff it. It will make you feel calm."
I opened the pouch and took a small pinch of the brown powder, bringing it to my nose and sniffing it. Right now, I could use a whole hell of a lot of calm.
"Now what?"
"Lay down and look at the moon with me."
I laid down and watched as the moon bent and changed shapes, while at the same time turning many different colors. It felt unnatural, but it was a little calming. At least until Truffle began speaking about Ark.
"I want to spend my life growing mushrooms with Husband, Ivory, and our strong ones."
"What are you talking about?"
Truffle was always a strange goblin. She liked being lazy and watching mushrooms grow. I think it was because when she was a strong one who had just crawled out, she lived in a part of our old goblin-home that always felt wet and had many mushrooms growing freely.
"I want him to stay with me and Ivory in our cave-hole. I want him to look at me like he looks at Berry's strong one. Have you ever seen his face when he does?"
"Not really."
"Berry talked to me about something Husband said to her. It was one of those human words he says sometimes when he talks."
"What word was it?"
"Love."
"What does it mean?"
"Do you know the feeling that comes after you get a belly full of big seed, then Husband lays down next to you and puts his arms around your body and pulls you into him making you feel warm and your head full of stupid-think?"
"I know it. Probably why I haven't killed him already for all the times he's been stupid when I told him not to be. Is that what Husband calls love?"
"No. I think that's what we call love."
"Is there a difference?"
"Some. Husband said love is the biggest care he can give goblins. Wanting to be with goblins, making each other better, stronger, smarter, and happier. Why has Old One never told us about such a feeling or a word in gob similar to it?"
"I don't know. You know how she is, always angry, saying: this is the goblin way! or this is how goblins do it! or This is how goblins are supposed to live! She hates all humans because Spear-hand and Shaman were killed by them. Everyone she knew except for us was killed by them. The males we used to play with, our mothers…"
"I don't hate Husband for that. I was scared of him at first, I admit… but after seeing how Husband cares for Berry, for Diana Artemis, for me and Ivory…"
Truffle put a hand over her belly which also had a bump, smaller than mine.
"...I want my strong ones to know Husband's love. To be better, not only a mushroom-head like me. I want Husband to be proud of my strong ones like he is of Diana. Even if she's not a good hunter, maybe she can listen to Husband and become good at something else…"
Truffle sniffled for a moment.
"Prima, what do you want to do with Husband?" She asked me.
"What is there to do with him but get big seed and have many strong ones as soon as possible?" I answered the obvious.
"You should find some time to think about it. Things have always been the same our whole lives here in goblin-home until Husband arrived. He hasn't once tried to force something human on us to change us to suit him except clean our bodies more often. But we are changing now that he is here…"
I already knew that. Every time Husband wasted big seed with me, I've felt stronger. My strength increased and my hunting senses have sharpened.
"...like mushrooms."
"Mushrooms?"
"Prima, I've never once thought about putting a perfectly tasty mushroom over the fire-pit in all my moons. Just like I've never once thought about eating fire-meat like Husband only can. I tried fire-meat the other day, and it's disgusting. I don't think I will ever like it. But fire-mushrooms? I don't think I can enjoy regular mushrooms the same anymore. And I'm talking about the same regular mushrooms I've enjoyed eating every single day of my life!"
Truffle was just rambling on after that, about how Husband was like a fire-mushroom or something, I didn't really follow it at all, until she came around with another question I could at least answer.
"Who did Husband choose tonight?"
"Tree-chopper."
"Prima, what will happen after all goblins get big seed?"
"What do you mean?"
"Will Husband be allowed to choose freely after all goblins have strong ones? Will he keep living in that big cave-hole the Great Protector made for him, or can he choose to live with one of us in our cave-holes if he wanted to?"
"Why does it matter?"
"I want Husband to keep picking me. I want him to tell me to spend the night with him, or for him to come to my cave-hole and stay without me having to ask. I want him to feed me mushrooms and do things to my fuckhole with his mouth and hold me after, and…"
"You really are a seed-head, aren't you?"
"Maybe, but I don't think I'm the only one having these thoughts. I even had a nice dream that I was a human the other day."
"Why would you want to be a human?"
"Because he is our Husband. He… has to be careful with us."
"Careful?"
"Husband is strong enough to leave us with legs like reeds, but Husband does not have strong skin like us. Our teeth and nails can easily pierce it. He's afraid of us sometimes. Just look at Husband's shoulders and back–full of bites and scratches from us. I may spend all day looking at mushrooms, Prima. But I spend just as much time looking at Husband whenever I can. I wonder, maybe… if Husband has a chance to run away… would he? Does he have another Human female out there past the boundaries that he cares for or loves that he thinks about going back to?"
While she rambled on again, I felt dizzy from watching the moon keep spinning when it shouldn't be. It also shouldn't be green, I had enough sense left in my head to know that much. I got up from the ground and my feet were unsteady, leaving Truffle to keep stupid-talking to herself. I made my way back to where Husband was and saw Vera had moved him slightly so she could lay between the wall and Husband, her head resting against his chest while under the big rag.
Even in this state, Ark was doing for my sister something that I haven't been able to do for her since we've come to our new goblin-home as strong ones. He's given her happiness and found her a purpose. Something she can do as a goblin.
I stared down at them both before deciding that I was feeling tired enough to not want to go back to my cave-hole. Plus, someone had to keep an eye on both of these stupids.
So, crawling under the big rag, I did the same as my sister on his other side, pushing my body against him, putting my arms around both Ark and my sister, and burying my face into the back of his neck. Truffle's thoughts and observations about Husband must have gotten to me due to the color-spin-think powder. I decided to just deal with the troublesome things in the morning. For now, I would enjoy sharing warmth with Husband for the rest of the night.
And it was nice… until I was being shaken awake by Jewel.
"Wake Husband up. Hurry!"
My eyes opened and my mouth felt dry.
"Jewel? What's going on?"
"Lily. It's time."
I shot straight up, causing the rag to be peeled away from Husband and Vera's body.
"Her strong ones?"
"Lily is in pain. Old one says they will come soon. Lily asked for Husband to come see."
I rolled out from under the big rag, crawled over to the small hole with water my sister had dug earlier and scooped my hand into it, taking many sips from it but noticing the water never seemed to empty.
"What's this hole?" Jewel asked.
"I'll explain later." I replied, and then began shaking Husband hard in order to wake him up.
"Wake up stupid Husband, Lily's strong ones are coming!"