Chapter 2
Wooing His Woman
He headed out to get everyone roused and ready for the hunt. The last one he wanted to get was Victoria because he wanted her to get as much sleep as possible. When he arrived at her tent, she was already dressed and about to leave.
“I’ll escort you to breakfast,” he offered.
“Let’s go.”
They headed to the bikes and rode them up the mountain to the kitchen, which was the first room in what would be the governor's mansion.
It was the only room that had been completed, but there were other places where people were staying, even though they had not been finished.
Brenda was there, and each was brought a nice plate of breakfast food.
The plates were piled up high with generous amounts of everything, and he hoped that Victoria would eat most of it.
It needed to be finished quickly because the hunt was going to start soon, and they would be leading it.
Her appetite was good, and that pleased him.
It surprised him that she actually ate everything on her plate just as he did.
They grabbed a snack bag and took their bikes down the mountain.
That was where everyone lined up for the hunt.
Once it seemed that everyone was there, Victoria took off because he let her go first. He liked the feeling of having her back since the hunt could be dangerous.
That was no guarantee of safety because danger could come from the front as well, but he would do all he could to ensure that nothing happened to his female.
This time, they hit it further than they had ever been.
It would let them know a little bit more about what kinds of animals were in their area, and they would also take note of the plants, although it was unlikely they'd have any time to gather them.
Never unusual on the various planets that they had been on in the warmer areas, it was like a safari.
There were many animals that resembled animals from Earth, but especially in the areas where you could find giraffes, rhinos, hippos, and gazelles.
The variety seemed almost endless. Victoria took a shot and brought down a giraffe.
That wasn't what it was, but it certainly appeared to be.
Oret checked it and gave her a thumbs up.
Then he took down a hippo. His shot was perfect, and it needed to be.
If they weren't hit right, they could rampage.
The hunt was on, and everyone was paired up to ensure that there was no suffering from animals that were hit but not killed.
They filled a truck in no time and filled the next one.
That was when one of the hunters seemed to be missing, and they stopped to look for them.
While they were looking around, Victoria began to take samples.
It was a good use of time, so he helped her.
The hunter turned up, and luckily, he was unharmed except for the ass chewing Oret gave him.
He put everyone at risk by wandering off because those hunting for him could have been hunted by the predators in the area.
After that, the hunt resumed, and they filled a few more trucks before they took a break for lunch.
Lunch was an informal affair, and everyone ate whatever they had brought.
Not the best meal for his female, but he had brought extra food and some of those chocolates that she loved so much.
By the time they were through eating, he was happy with the calories she had consumed.
If she were around him all the time, he would see that she would gain back the weight that she had lost. That was a priority for him because he was that concerned about her.
Once lunch was done, it was time to work on their kills.
To begin with, they all worked on their own kills and salvaged whatever parts they wanted.
Even though they didn't have Earth to trade with, at least not in the way they had before, they could still make things that they needed with the items from their kills.
Furs were always good, and skins from certain animals were also good.
Horns and claws were still collectibles, but the market for them was smaller.
Victoria had amazing skills when it came to working her kills.
It was hard to say who was better, but it was probably him because he had the size and strength over her.
They worked hard, but with their large number of kills and the training they were undergoing, there was no way they could complete them all.
Some would just be gutted and placed in refrigeration for tomorrow after the fishing.
It was time to get back to the hunt now that they had some empty trucks to fill up again.
In the late afternoon, the young hunters had the pig roasting and the camp set up.
Everyone would set up their own spot for the night before they gathered around the fire to tell stories and eat their supper.
Most Majuri love this part of the hunt the best. That was saying something for a race that loved outdoor activities, such as hunting.
Oret knew that most of those in Victoria's family were good storytellers, and he was excited to see what stories she would tell.
He intended to let her tell the first story to get things started.
With the hunt over, everyone went to clean up as best they could before they set up their spot for the night.
Most had sleeping bags, but a few had cots because they were afraid of what might be on the ground.
A good reason to worry, but most of those creatures could crawl up the legs of a cot and end up in bed with you anyway.
All that work for nothing. He’d tried both ways and ended up with company in bed either way.
That was the company he didn’t want. There had even been a poisonous snake that had slithered up the leg of his cot.
It had been looking for warmth on a cold evening, and it had been sluggish, and he had managed to get away from it.
The medical people had loved him because the snake had turned out to have a venom that made a useful medicine.
Tonight, he would love to share a sleeping bag with Victoria, but as hot as it was here, there was no reason to cuddle.
They each had their spot set up, and now they went to the fire, which was burning low because, again, the heat was too much to bear, even as it grew dark.
Others joined them, and soon the circle was full, and it was time to start telling stories.
“As the leader, Victoria should go first and tell us a lovely story from Earth,” Oret offered.
She shot him an ugly look, then proceeded.
“Earth is a lost planet, but it was so much more in its past. Earth has had many great civilizations in its past, with some employing dark practices, while others sought knowledge and strove to do good. With so many stories, it’s hard to choose one, but I’ll pick the story of the warriors.
It was a race of female warriors that had fighting skills that no one could ever match.
They could beat the best fighters of any race and yet in time, they disappeared, and no one knows where they went. ”
“How could a race of female warriors survive? There would be no way for them to reproduce,” Oret wondered.
“Part of the legend is that they would choose males, the best, most capable ones that they could find, and they would mate with them. Some say that once they became pregnant, they would force them to leave, and some say they would kill them. Others say a small group of men lived among them because female members of their group fell in love with them. But it was truly a female-led society, and even if males were allowed to live among them, they would have no say in anything they did.”
“What do you think happened to them?”
“I like the story that they went to another world and never came back.”
“There are worlds out there in my time with female-led governments. Some are even warrior worlds. Perhaps that was where they escaped to.”
The rest of the story time was spent arguing about how a place with only females could exist. Everyone had an opinion, and the argument was still going strong as the young warriors handed out the food for supper.
Victoria got the fruit from the pig’s mouth.
It was the closest thing they had to an apple.
She split it with him, and it was good. The argument that a few still discussed finally ended after bedtime.
At least Victoria had her sleeping spot set up right next to him, and he could feel her heat and was pleased with her presence at his side.
He wished that she would sleep in his arms, but he knew it was too soon to expect that.
When they said goodnight, he did give her a sweet kiss, and he was pleased that he had gotten away with that.
It was morning, and a day for fishing. As with everything he did, Victoria was a master fisherman.
She out-caught everyone, and when she began to fillet her fish, it was obvious that she was better at it than even he was.
This was a job they managed to keep up with, and by noon, they had caught, gutted, and prepared a huge number of fish.
Guess what lunch was? It was fish and it was delicious.
Victoria's appetite had increased, and he was pleased with the amount of food she had eaten.
She needed him, and he hoped that it was clear to her as well.
His female insisted on going to the mines and checking on things before she would even consider going gathering for the afternoon.
When she checked up at the mine, she was pleased with the progress and how everyone was doing in their jobs.
“Ready to go gathering?” He asked.
“Just for a little while. You know that managers cannot rest on their laurels because it doesn't take long for success to turn into failure.”