Chapter 18 #2
Eyeing Mirror-Copy One, I let him sweat it for a minute peppering Kehl with questions about what would happen if I refused, only half listening, before doing as Kehl had shown me to do if I accepted the apology.
It felt like Daisy’s mates all let out a collective sigh when I stood and clasped his arm, Kehl hovering close, and Mirror-Copy One bowed his head to me. I waited until he lifted his head to dip mine towards him in acknowledgement.
Mirror-Copy One moved closer and held his arm out to Kehl next.
Leaving an arm around me as I retook my seat, Kehl reached out to clasp Mirror-Copy One’s forearm and they both bowed their heads.
“Brethren,” Mirror-Copy One announced in growl-speak as they lifted their heads.
“Brethren,” Kehl growled right back. His eyes looked a little wet at Mirror-Copy One’s words but he was holding back.
I waited until they departed to quietly ask Kehl, “What was that brethren stuff about?”
“Mean they s’pport Kehl and my Purr-roo now on,” he rumbled out in answer.
“Like a pact? A special promise of protection?” I guessed.
Kehl nodded.
“You don’t mind that I said that, do you?” I murmured as I leaned into his embrace. “About the wave at Dace thing to Daisy?”
Kehl shook his head. “Village need ‘cide, embrace Dades or leave ‘lone, no ‘tween. Too much in-the-tween, the gossiped, like say. Go-ed on too long,” he rumbled out in complete agreement with me.
“No like, then no like and leave ‘lone, Dades leave them ‘lone.
‘Cide ‘cept Dades now, then ‘cept, like rest.”
I smiled to hear this. He wasn’t wrong. No one was saying everyone needed to love her or anything but the quiet, unfounded rumors about her were insane. Wagging tongues were not the answer. They only compounded the problem.
Dace was really trying here, so hard it was impressive. She was doing everything she could think of to show everyone she’d changed and wanted to be a productive member of beast society.
Glancing up at my mate, I wondered at the silly smile twitching at his lips. “What? What’s that for, that look right now?”
Dorothy’s mates returned to the room wearing similar goofy smirk smiles.
“Daidzee males ‘fraid my Purr-roo ‘tack they Daidzee, she keeps be ugly my Purr-roo and my Purr-roo furr-rends,” Kehl said simply.
“I’m not a blood thirsty beast,” I muttered.
When he chuckled, I gave him a curious look. He grinningly added, “Lo denaii females fierce.”
“Foot, or Creeson,” I grumblingly corrected. “Sounds nicer than being called an unwanted. You all, you’re very much wanted.” My huffing, puffing chuffs were met with wide grins all around.
“I wouldn’t know the first thing about beating the snot out of someone. I would have given it my best shot but that was all bluff,” I admitted.
“My Purr-roo fierce.” Lifting my hand, Kehl brought my clawed fingertips towards his lips to place a kiss along my knuckles. “My Purr-roo fierce,” he repeated, then mimed out snapping his teeth and snarling softly, imitating me defending him.
The whole thing made me laugh. “If you say so, hot stuff.”
Snatching me up, rumbling happily, Kehl nuzzled my neck, nipped the skin, and cuddled me close.
The rumbling purr he let loose had me shivering in his arms. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I playfully bit his ear.
“Think time Kehl take him Purr-roo home,” one of Dorothy’s mate’s suggested.
Growling softly with me in his arms, Kehl stood.
He got a few steps before I leaned in and bit at his shoulder. Kehl let out a garbled growl and stuttered a step.
Dorothy’s males all laughed uproariously, like watching Kehl gone gooey over his woman loving on him was great entertainment.
The growl I let loose silenced them, but Dorothy cracked up. “Boy, she told all of you!” she hooted and hollered.
One step out the door and Kehl stopped dead in his tracks. I was too busy grinning and waving good-bye to Dorothy over Kehl’s shoulder and hadn’t quite caught up on the lack of movement until a strangled noise uttered from my mate.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Turning, I made an equally as choked noise.
It looked like just about the whole village had gathered around outside.
Joanie and her family group occupied one of the sections closest to Dorothy’s. “Hey, babes!” Joanie lifted her arm and gave a little wave.
Rosa and her family were gathered near Joanie’s family group’s spot, and Mal and hers were there.
Daisy and Red’s groups were huddled close across the way from them. Lolly and, shockingly, big mouthed Tina, Louisa, and all their families. There were even a few unfamiliar faces I’d yet to meet.
It was an enormous group gathering.
“Why is everyone hanging around out here?” I whisperingly asked.
“My Rothy say, we all fam’lied, whole village, Kehl too.
Need all start acting like, not bunch of grumpy babies, no like this or that for dummy head stupid reasons.
Lo denaii all didfrent, warrior, hunter, gather, maker, healer, all needed help take care village.
All didfrent, but all same. Village home.
Kehl fam-lied. No care Kehl didfrent. Still same.
Still part of village,” Heckes called over the din.
Several males stood up, slapped their chests with a growl, and then held an arm out to Kehl.
Kehl’s grip on me tightened. He was trembling and trying to hide it. Grinning, I growled back in answer at the males standing and saluting in support of my mate.
When they dipped their heads respectfully, I responded in kind. Kehl was looking a little too dumbstruck, his mind still trying to safely reboot, to respond. With a happy rumble in my chest, I placed a smacking kiss to Kehl’s cheek.
“Boog say, that the more like it!” Bauheg, Mal’s mate that she lovingly calls Boog, jokingly called out. “Kiss you mate, Kehlor!”
Mal shook her head at her male but lifted her head to receive his kiss when he dipped down to follow suit.
Several males and their mates laughed, and many more growled approvingly.
“See? They love you, I love you, just the way you are,” I whispered to my male, then nuzzled the side of his face.
“No- No know what say,” Kehlor croaked out softly.
“Say you take you Pah-ru home, claim you female!” a male called out from the crowd.
Kehl snorted out a laugh and growled back in Creeson at the male not to make his Purr-roo blush, that’s his job, which only made me blush harder.
Others quickly chimed in, until Kehl was laughing and I was ready to pinch him and then take cover behind him.
It was all in good fun, purely joking, and Kehl was so happy and relieved there was no way I was going to spoil his fun.
“What are they saying?” I overheard Joanie ask one of her males as Dorothy and her mates escorted us down into the mass gathered.
“All the nice things,” Celuk rumbled out at her with a grin that said he was going to make her work for it to get it out of him.
“Uh-huh… I’ll just bet,” Joanie sassed.
Celuk laughed and Rek leaned around him to tell his Jojoknee exactly what was just said.
“Well…” Joanie’s cheeks pinkened.
“Oh! Over the here! Come be here, my Orrie and Carrie!” Doogie called out.
The male shot up, then ducked, lifted a squawking Elle up seconds later.
Everyone laughed and watched in amusement as Elle slapped at him with one hand, growling down at him to put her down, but gave up to grip his hair hard enough to make him smile with one hand while dutifully waving us over with the other.
“Now put down, loafed!” she called out as we said our hellos and made our way over.
“Elle use that word… but it not mean what Elle think it mean. Like say Doogie loafed like bread. Elle mean loafed or oaf, fuzzy for the brains?”
“Elle know it means,” she grumbled as she found her feet, then jabbed Doogie in the stomach. “Loafed oaf,” Elle muttered huffily.
Doogie doubled over with a groan. Elle gave him a hard nudge that sent him flopping to the ground. Stepping over him, she grinningly scooped Carrie and baby Orrie up with a happy rumble to nuzzle her mate and baby.
“Well, make sure he’s okay now,” Carrie fretted as Elle ignored him in favor of making little Orrie laugh.
“Big butt,” Doogie mutteringly grumbled at Elle.
Covering Orrie’s eyes, Elle stuck her tongue out at him. “Fat loafed,” Elle shot back.
Doogie laughed, still holding his jabbed side, and grinned. “My Carrie make Doogie fat loafed,” Doogie joked.
Carrie made an affronted noise and made Elle set her down. “Everyone’s bottoms and- and other body parts are perfectly proportioned!” she burst out primly.
Doogie and Elle cracked up at their female.
Rolling her eyes at the pair, Carrie marched right over to us. By the time she reached us, Elle and Doogie were trailing closely behind, teasing one another mercilessly but quietly enough Carrie couldn’t possibly overhear.
“Now, I don’t know you all that well but Pru loves you, vouches for you, Dace too. That’s good enough for me.” Carrie held her arm out just like the males had.
Kehl set me down to clasp her arm and bow deeply. “Means lots to Kehl, my Purr-roo’s frends ‘cept Kehl,” he rumbled out softly.
“You’re her mate, and she’s more than a friend to me.
She’s become like family, more than mine ever gave a damn about me.
” Smiling shyly, she added, “I guess that makes you family too.” Gazing down at her little one, she told her, “You hear that, munchkin? You have a big, bad Krampus for an uncle to watch over you.”
Before she could finish, I was hugging her and Orrie. “Thank you,” I whispered in her ear.
“Of course,” she whispered back just as softly. Pulling back, her eyes were as watery as mine. “I meant it.”
A soft tug on Kehl’s leg had us glancing down in the direction of the small blue fuzzball gazing up at Kehl curiously in his Krampus form. We had no idea if his shift was permanent or temporary for now.