Chapter Seven #2
Yendal. She shuddered. She knew that Lord Orex would take care of them, but they were terrifying predators. Having two in the house would be nerve-wracking.
Two hours later, Karogyn watched the family and the yendal cautiously getting used to each other. Lovely. It wasn’t two of the creatures; there were seven.
* * * *
Zelda knelt on the ground, and the yendal came to her and rubbed their heads against her.
The breeder was startled. “They don’t normally take to people so quickly.”
Aretta smiled. “Predators always got along with Mom.”
Orex grinned.
“Oh, right. Oops, sorry, Lord Orex.”
The breeder laughed quietly.
A three-eyed feline in pewter was sniffing around Orex. Aretta had a soft lavender creature in her arms, and the remaining five kits were looking at her with their tails lashing.
“How many kits in each litter?”
“There are three here, and the collection is three, three and one.”
“Which is the solo kit?”
“The one that is playing with his lordship.”
“And one that isn’t related to the one Aretta has?”
He pointed out the three in the line.
She nodded and got up. She held up her hand and tried to project. “Stay.”
She walked backwards, and a powder-blue kit was looking at her, and its tails were moving slowly. The others had come running.
She sighed. “Sorry, folks. I need a kit that knows how to stay when I need them to stay.”
The four disappointed kits mewed and sulked when she went and took the pale-blue one into her arms.
The breeder told them about the diets and about the life spans. The yendals were going to last seventy years with proper care. They didn’t start breeding until they were thirty.
She looked at the breeder with the kit held in her arms. “Where do we go to get the inoculations?”
“Lord Orex can manufacture it here in the palace.”
“Can we call you with questions?”
“Any time, Lady.”
Aretta was busy talking to her new friend.
Orex was holding his own kit. “I will have the leather worker here to make harnesses tomorrow. They can’t run loose in the building at all times.”
Aretta nodded. “Okay.”
Zelda cuddled her new friend. “Okay.”
He snorted and looked at his yendal. “Okay?”
A soft paw grabbed his nose.
The housekeeper laughed softly and said, “I have brought in the chopped meat.”
Zelda looked at her kit and said, “A normal fist-sized ball of meat, please. For each.”
The woman laughed, and Orex led them all to the family room while the breeder left with a lot of money.
The new pets each got a plate and a wad of meat to work on. Orex looked at her and smiled. “So, how are you enjoying your first day on Orexi?”
She smiled. “It is interesting. Where are they going to sleep?”
“We have an anteroom, and they can have their beds there.”
Aretta snorted. “Yeah, sure.”
Zelda smiled. “So, you can make the antivenin?”
“Yes. I have a lab here.”
She nodded and looked at the creature who was playing with Aretta’s hand.
He nodded. “Come on, Aretta. Your mother and I are resistant. I need to make sure you can enjoy your pet for decades to come.”
Aretta nodded. “Okay. When is dinner?”
“As soon as you are set up.”
Karogyn heard, took the plates away, and left the room.
They took their new friends and headed to Orex’s lab. Once a sample was taken from all of their new acquisitions, he ran it through his equipment with a drop of his saliva.
“Oh, I get it.” She set her pet on the floor, and the other two sat next to her, watching and copying her, so they were all looking serious. Zelda smiled. This was going to be fun.
She got her nanite jab with the venom as the focus, and Aretta got the same. Hmrain were immune to all forms of venom. Technically, Zelda’s body was protected, but this way, Aretta didn’t feel singled out.
Aretta rubbed her shoulder and said, “Maki, where do you want to sleep tonight?”
Zelda chuckled. “Try not to have her in your bed, but she is a baby, so she might not want to be alone.”
Orex nodded. “Ours can curl up together.”
Zelda nodded. “Alira is good to stay close, even with that one.”
Aretta chuckled. “Mom, can you help me train her?”
“Of course.”
Orex leaned toward her. “Will you help me train Bron?”
“Of course.”
He chuckled. “Well then, I think the bipeds need dinner. And your siblings.”
Zelda took his hand, and they walked with their little friends keeping up as they made their way to the dining room.
Zoey and Zani were impressed and a little wary of the kittens with three eyes and two tails. The yendal curled up by their feet as dinner was served.
Orex asked casually, “So, Zelda, how long have you seen animal thoughts?”
“Since I was five. Aretta can do it as well, but she needs more practice. Maki is going to be her first friend to communicate with.”
Zoey and Zani looked at Zelda. “You talk to animals?”
“I am talking to you, too; it is not extraordinary. It got easier when there was less population.” She sighed. “Though asking the deer which one of them wanted to die was very unpleasant.”
Zoey paused. “Oh, damn.”
“Some of them wanted to sleep. They couldn’t find food. The lack of humans was nice.”
Zelda smiled. “Don’t worry, it isn’t a casual thing. I have to do it deliberately. It just made hunting easier. Creepy, right?”
Dinner was put down, and she smiled and nodded to her server. Aretta did the same. She watched her, and when Orex looked at his meal and then Zelda’s, he pulled her plate over next to his and lifted her onto his lap. He took a forkful and held it for her.
Zelda blushed a little but opened. He fed her, caressed her cheek, and kissed her temple. Aretta giggled, and the other two smiled, but Zelda was fed slowly, and then Orex fed himself. They were still done before the other three.
Zelda sighed. “Aretta, this is considered traditional seating if you have a Hmrain. It’s a demonstration of manners, conduct, and care with their contracted consorts.”
Orex chuckled. “That is a summation. We also do this when there are other males about who are looking for partners. It indicates that she is protected. As for tonight, I am just practicing.”
She looked at him and blushed. “Oh, right.”
Aretta blinked. “What?”
Zelda chuckled. “The brother or sister who is currently a speck. Orex is saying he will feed the baby at the table so I can eat.”
Aretta grinned. “I can help.”
Zoey smiled. “If we are still here, we can help, but I do need to go and visit Trin. I will have to swing by Aten, or Cori could meet us at Sanctuary Base.”
“Cori is...” Zelda asked.
“Related to Trin. Half-sisters. They have an older sister named Isolde. Do you remember that music blast memorial?”
“How could I forget?”
“Isolde did that.”
“Whoa.”
Zani nodded. “Yup. Whoa.”
Zelda frowned. “What do you think made the mental difference? Nature or nurture.”
They settled in to discuss whether stress could have been the motivator. Zelda participated until she saw that Aretta was nodding in her seat. “I will be right back. I just need to take her to bed.”
She looked to Orex, who let her get to her feet, and he did the same. “We will be back for the fruit course.”
He led them up to the private quarters, and the three kits scrambled around, sprinting and then colliding in collections of paws and tails. Aretta’s rooms were two removed from Orex’s, and she looked at it with a big smile.
Orex said, “The bedroom is that door there. This is the outer room where your maid will sleep.”
Aretta blinked. “I get a maid?”
“Of course.” Orex showed her the room, the bedroom, and the panic button, and he looked at Maki. He cut a cat door into the lower portion of the door for the night. “We will install a mechanical door later in the week.”
Aretta nodded. “Will you still come if I call?”
“Either myself or your mother will hear you. We will be here if you need us.”
Aretta looked at them. “Okay. You will be downstairs?”
“We will, but Maki will be here with you.” Orex nodded. “Did you know they can sound an alarm?”
Aretta looked at Zelda. “Mom?”
Zelda looked to Maki and the others, and she said, “Sound an alarm.”
There was a pause, and then an ear-shattering shriek dropped her to her knees. Zelda clamped her hands over her ears and silently begged the kits to stop.
Orex frowned. “You have enhanced hearing?”
“Yeah. Sucks to be me.”
Aretta slowly lowered her hands. “Okay, that will work.”
Zelda’s ears were ringing. “Right. Let’s get you ready for bed, and then you can sleep, and I can learn to read lips.”
She walked with Aretta to the bedroom, got a sleep tunic for her, and pulled back the bedding. Orex’s staff had been thorough in prepping the basics. When Aretta was in bed, Maki hopped up next to her. Aretta whispered, “Why did he cut a hole in the door?”
“Aretta, you remember that book when you were little? Everybody Poops?” She smoothed her daughter’s hair. “Maki uses the lav and triggers it. It’s a fun bit of training that the breeder did for pet-class animals.”
“Oh. Right. That’s handy.”
“No kidding. It means if we travel from world to world, we can easily take them with us.”
Aretta beamed. “Do you mind if Orex adopts me?”
“As long as I am acknowledged as your mother, I am fine with it. I am not going to be pushed out of that position. I earned it.”
A large hand touched her shoulder. “You did, and it is yours in perpetuity. Now, let her sleep.”
Zelda smiled, kissed her daughter’s forehead, and stroked Maki. “Call us if she needs us.”
Maki snuggled with Aretta and closed the lower two eyes. The third was calmly watching the little girl.
Zelda got up, and Alira and Bron walked with them as they closed the doors. Orex set the exterior motion sensor. Aretta could leave, but anyone going in would sound the alarm.
They were halfway down the steps when she softly said, “Thank you for taking care of her.”
He smiled. “Caretaking is built into me, but you need me to care, so I care. She is easy to care for and remarkably direct. She explained to me that all children we have must begin with the next letter of your alphabet. I will do the best I can.”
She laughed, and their little kits shot past them.
They returned to the dining room and discussed how long her sisters would be staying. Orex lifted a tablet at one point and smiled. “Your friend Skylar will be here in three days. She’s going to take possession of one of my favourite warship designs. She’s very excited by it.”
Zoey said, “Does she say where she is?”
“She said she was talking with Pericoffs about fucking.” Zelda read over his shoulder. “Oh. Wow. Her job is really diverse.”
He looked at her and smiled. “So, it looks like our first few months here will be filled with visitors. Nebel is also asking to bring Lily and their little one for a visit. He wants to see my ship designs so he can steal them. He tries every few years but doesn’t like to leave home.
I am guessing that he is going to offer to escort you to Sanctuary Base. Trin was one of his inventors.”
They sat around, and Zelda felt a warm body on her lap.
She smiled and looked at her sisters, and they talked about what they wanted for their new lives.
First, they wanted to see friends who had come through it with them, and then.
.. they wanted a life bright with possibilities and guys who could tell them apart.
Grinning, Zelda looked at them and sighed. “This is so much better than the dream realm.”
Zaniah asked, “Why?”
Zelda grinned. “We are all dressed.”
The ladies laughed together, and Zelda saw Orex’s expression. When she was in the dream realm, the rest of her was with him, in his arms, under his protection and lips. Maybe it had something to offer after all.