“Good morning Io; this is a pleasant surprise seeing you up and about. I would have brought a second coffee,” Natori remarked as he entered the control room for what used to be manufactory number one. Io’s need for semi-regular maintenance, as well as her research project with the old reactor core and robot from the Forge, had earned the facility a temporary redesignation as a laboratory. Io looked up from the main panel, giving him a brief smile over her shoulder as she leaned against the back of the swivel chair that he usually occupied.
‘A second chair might have been more appropriate Natori. And you know I don’t drink or eat,’ she reminded him. He shrugged and leaned against the nearby bulkhead.
“Sitting in that chair on the bridge all day is probably bad for my back. Might I ask what the occasion is? Are we late for the Cauthan harvest festival?” he asked, suddenly anxious that he might miss such a spectacle.
‘Be careful, you’re reminding me a bit much of our dear Alice,’ Io ribbed him. ‘Assuming things play out as they did last year, the villagers will finish bringing in the harvest. Once that congestion dies down enough they will prepare the village square for the festival. Unless Antoth makes any changes this year the festival itself will be two days long, with the primary purpose of pairing off young Cauthan who have come of age in the past year or two.’
“How wonderful,” Natori gushed. “Though I am curious that it occurs at the end of the fall and beginning of winter, as opposed to being some sort of spring-like fertility festival. They are similar to us in many ways so I thought the symbology might be the same.”
‘One year gestational period,’ Io held up a finger as she turned back to the displays. ‘I suppose they judge working the fields while pregnant to be preferable to giving birth during planting season, when food may or may not be available in excess.’
“Was that necessary?” Natori wondered.
‘Physically checking on the lab’s systems? Of course not, sir. I just find it amusing to turn my back on you as though I have more important things to do than give you my undivided attention. Perks of being an artificial lifeform, I suppose.’
Natori smiled slightly around the lip of his coffee mug, walking forward and placing a hand on Io’s shoulder as he leaned over her, reviewing the display before them. “Would you like to accompany me to the harvest festival then?”
‘That’s sexual harassment, Natori,’ Io chuckled, allowing his hand to remain on her shoulder. ‘But if you insist, would you mind squeezing gently? Now harder, against the muscle beds? Mmm, strange. I will need to work on that feedback system. As for your invitation, did you not hear me when I said that the harvest festival is for pairing and breeding?’
“I am happily married, as is the First Lieutenant. I was simply extending the invitation on the assumption you would not want to be a third wheel for the duration of the event. I will admit, however, that you three seem to have a slightly different dynamic than one might expect. You need not accept,” he explained.
‘How generous of you,’ Io responded slyly. ‘I think that could be fun, actually. I accept. We can have our non-date date and Russell can experience a true harvest festival experience with his wife. It saddens me to think it will be the only one he will ever have though.’
“You don’t believe they will decide to come with us?” Natori asked, taken aback by her statement. “That blonde one, Alyra? She seemed to be chomping at the bit. She gets along well with Alice too, from what I’ve heard.”
‘And she is undoubtedly the least influential of the seven,’ Io explained curtly. ‘Ratha has killed more Cauthan than the vast majority of the guard force, other than maybe Antoth himself. She is mated to the leader of the village. She is exceedingly proud, devout, competent, and has loathed humans from the moment we walked into her temple and broke her stuff.’
One of the mechanical arms within the manufactory moved to operate on something within a radiation shield that Io had set up upon retrieval of the reactor. Natori watched it with a contemplative expression. “Maybe I am mistaken, but the relationship appeared more complicated than that. What of hers did you break, exactly?”
‘Another time, Natori. She respects the Herculean feats that we have achieved here, that is all,’ Io clarified shortly. ‘However, I will say that your little explanation of galactic politics might have cracked her resolve. Thantis may find them fascinating, but a free spirit like Ratha will come to loathe the Ghaelen even more than most humans do. Perhaps it is best we leave her on Mara lest she join our armed forces, now that I think about it,’ Io realized, taking her chin between her well manicured fingers. Natori noted that she’d opted for a light pink.
“You really believe she would do so?” he asked. She shrugged.
‘Well, it would be a difficult conversation to have with the population if you were to ban them from martial training. We will uplift you in every way except your ability to defend yourself doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?’
“No, of course not. But a pregnant mother?” Natori clarified. Io finally turned around in her chair again, conjuring a swirl of books and papers above the built-in projector in her left hand. “I see you kept the upgrade.”
Io ignored his comment in favor of their prior conversation. ‘Surely I don’t need to refresh you on the body of literature that demonstrates an increase in the deviation of behavior between males and females as society becomes less subsistent and more advanced? The Cauthan do what is necessary, no matter who or what they may be. Ratha hunts. I don’t believe that her children will stop her from doing so once they are born.’
“Well, I am sure that we can channel those desires into something productive!” Natori declared, earning a playful scoff from Io as that portion of their chat came to a close.
‘I suppose that’s the best that we can do. It’s well known which camp I fall in regarding the uplift debate, so I see no need to belabor the point further. Did you need something from me this morning, Admiral? Or are you just here to flirt with the most beautiful member of your crew in your wife’s absence?’ she wondered with faux innocence. Natori laughed and took a step away from her.
“You are always quick to the cut, Io, or maybe it’s just me you enjoy toying with? I suppose I wanted to step away from my chair for a moment, if you will, but your feedback regarding yesterday’s meeting with the Cauthan council is welcome, along with anything you think I should know about the upcoming festival. What progress have you made with our relics here?” he wondered, waving an arm broadly at the manufactory floor, where the deactivated robot Cauthan from the Forge also resided.
‘Well, your drive core engineers specialise in fusion and antimatter, not fission, and there doesn’t seem to be much intersection between metallurgy and xenoarchaeology among your staff,’ Io began on a slightly imperious note. ‘But I don’t even have a GED to my name and they’ve been very pleasant to work with. So who am I to talk? I am willing to put money that I do not have on…’
“Yes?” Natori encouraged as Io suddenly fell silent. “Are we gambling?”
Io turned her chair to face him fully, a look of both concern and deep thought knitting her brows. ‘Do I appear to be thinking very hard about something mildly distressing at this time?’
“You do indeed,” he confirmed, cocking an eyebrow. “May I assist you with anything?”
‘More than a few things but one of my processing units just hit upon a curious idea, one that really only has become relevant since I began using this body regularly. Am I entitled to a salary?’ Io asked.
Natori visibly recoiled at the question, not out of fear or anger, but surprise. “Dare I ask if you would like one?”
Io bobbed her head back and forth for a spell. ‘I mean, it would be more upstanding from a moral perspective than creating or stealing it. I’m sure I could learn to do both, but I know that Russell would be incredibly disappointed in me, to say nothing of Veera. How could I steal credits or dollars knowing that she went hungry rather than beg for food? My emotional subroutines would become absolutely unbearable. By the same token, I will not always have access to this ship or your generosity, Natori. I suppose your slight touch of madness should be included as well. Most Delta brass would likely do their best to have me liquidated.’
“And they would have good cause, but we have been over this already. I have made my decision and I will live with the consequences, Io. I don’t have many compunctions about adding one more name to the crew rosters, but what do you intend to spend it on? You do not eat or drink.”
‘If only I did,’ she sighed, crossing one leg over the other. ‘My ongoing maintenance, of this body at least, will require military grade fabricators and materials. Usually the concept of military grade is something of a sick joke, but my analysis indicates that in this instance the private sector does not have what I need.’
“Oh I’m sure there are one or two billionaires back on Earth you could call up, but point taken Io. I feel the need to inform you that even an officer’s salary will likely not be sufficient for, well, that.” Natori pointed to the manufactory’s large stores of basic materials while Io allowed her head to hang to one side.
‘It’s the principle of the thing, Natori. My life will be one hundred percent digital in all likelihood once we return to Earth and I am no longer stationed here, but a part of me wishes to go through the motions anyway, for Russell and Veera if nothing else. I believe they would respect such a desire. Perhaps I will find a way to design myself to be more durable in the interim.’
Natori smiled sympathetically. “They are not the only ones who would respect such conviction, Io. I might go so far as to say that all of humanity is fortunate that you had such upstanding ‘parents’, if you don’t mind my use of the term.”
‘I do not at all; they are my parents in many ways,’ Io acknowledged. ‘It becomes complicated when I yearn to be physically closer to the Lieutenant specifically, but I content myself knowing that sex and affection are exceedingly complicated even for purely biological organisms. I am cursed and perhaps blessed to know its mechanics. But you never know, Natori. If Russell had been a more utilitarian user of my technology, had he not yearned for more personality from me, I would have never come into existence in the first place. If he was a cruel man, or an indolent man, perhaps the same. You will never know how I came to be because no one will, no more than you could turn back time and pick the single sperm that fertilized your egg in your mother’s womb.’
Natori was quiet for a moment, rubbing his recently shaved chin as he stared into the distance. “I missed a spot this morning. My dear Io, only you could make an everyday conversation about wages more existentially harrowing than one about ancient relics from long lost, hyper advanced alien civilizations. Give me some time today to speak with the right people on my staff and I am sure I can get you added to the databases. You will have to set up a bank account upon our return, of course. You and the Lieutenant will have more than a bit of back and hazard pay coming your way, though you will forgive me if I don’t confer upon you a rank equal to your pay grade. I believe it would set a… poor precedent.”
‘Oh yes, the advanced artificial lifeform ordering the human crew about?’ Io clarified as a smile returned to her face and a faint, unexpected sensation developed in her chest. ‘I am apparently rather excited about having my own income, so let’s leave it there for today. Thank you, Natori. What else would you like to know about our little collection of artifacts here?’
“Anything you can tell me!” the Admiral insisted animatedly. Io ran her fingers through her hair and sighed lightly at the request.
‘Well, the reactor core is round and cylindrical, suffering radiation leaks from-’
“Anything I don’t already know on account of basic observation,” he clarified quickly, his tone indicating he understood well enough that he deserved her dryly sarcastic answer. “If you please.”
‘Of course, Admiral. Let’s start with the composition of the samples. There is a subtle, perhaps even sublime level of development on display with respect to the metallurgy. I would advocate for larger samples to be taken from the Forge itself if we wish to melt them down or really beat up on them, but we will see what we can learn from these if that is not possible.’
“Not that I disapprove of the word sublime at all with respect to learning and exploration, but could you be a bit more specific?” the Admiral requested. Io held out two fingers, pointing first at the control console and then whipping them towards Natori. His device pinged a moment later informing him that he’d been pushed a file.
‘Of course, Natori. As you can see the actual composition of these alloys is not particularly revolutionary. Whatever species built the Forge, this reactor core, and that Cauthan robot, they still used silicon, copper, iron, carbon, titanium, aluminum, and other elements we would commonly associate with electronics and infrastructure. There is no undiscovered element x or other such nonsense that defines them. It is more the ratios and blending that are interesting, to me at least,’ Io explained, maintaining eye contact with Natori as one of her hands conducted something of a small symphony behind her, commanding the manufactory’s robotic appendages. With her own body and multiple research subjects in need of care, Kaczynski thought the arrangement rather appropriate.
“It occurs to me that we may need to kick you out of here if we need to construct another fighter sometime or another, but let us hope that’s not necessary. So what do these compositions tell you, Io?” he inquired, taking a detailed look for himself over the last dregs of his coffee.
‘For starters, cost was a non-issue,’ Io explained. ‘The ratio of what we would consider to be expensive heavy metals back on Earth indicates they were quite adept at acquiring these materials from space and then shipping them to wherever they needed to be. The way the alloys have been blended, as well, is something we don’t quite understand yet. At least, I have no way of explaining to you how I would go about creating such evenly blended compositions.’
“And not just even,” Natori remarked as he reviewed the preliminary research data. “This analysis of the robot, for example?”
‘Quite so,’ Io agreed, turning to regard the examination table on which that subject rested, unmoving. ‘It’s given me quite a few novel ideas about my own construction, but as I said humans don’t have the technology to achieve them.’
“Putting together that complexity of gradient alloy on that sort of scale,” Natori mused respectfully. “It makes me wonder quite a bit about the source of the Forge’s stability and durability. What of the interior of the robot? Was anything… I see.”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Io’s face had drawn into a disappointed frown the moment he mentioned the robot’s insides. ‘It is the same story as the Forge, Natori. That bot will likely go hundreds of years without revealing any real secrets to us. Whoever constructed that Forge very clearly intended for it to serve a specific purpose and, upon completion of that purpose, leave no usable trace of itself behind.’
“A purpose that it considered completed the moment that robot there interacted with a living Cauthan,” Natori muttered, stroking his chin. “A purpose that tried to keep all space faring species away from this place.”
‘I agree with you on the second conclusion, Natori, since we have not found much evidence to indicate that the Forge was meant to keep something locked away within this system. At least I hope we never find such evidence. But we do not know what about Thantis specifically caused the robot to declare its task complete. Was it just seeing a living Cauthan within that control room? Was it the fact that Thantis could speak with it? Was it the word Kel? Was it the datapad in his hands? We have no way of knowing for sure, at least not right now. The insides of that bot are completely fried, every single circuit. I know; I checked.’
The Admiral pinched the bridge of his nose. “That is disappointing to hear, Io, but I thank you and the science teams for your efforts. Even if we can glean something from the metallurgy on display before us we will be better off for our efforts at the Forge. Speaking of metallurgy and the Cauthan, I would like to ask that you submit a formal proposal for your Cauthan trade program so that I might review it. There are matters of classified technology and crew safety to consider, especially if the species is as innately curious as you described.”
‘They are that curious and then some, Natori. I do not worry about their ability to learn, just the framing of the content within a context that they understand. That would probably rely heavily on their gods and mythology. One need only spend a few moments around someone like Thantis to understand how they see the gods as part of the living world. And then there is the unknown of how well or not they will adapt to a more sedentary lifestyle. Perhaps they will enjoy sports? Soccer seems out of the question, though.’
Natori laughed loudly at the image of a Cauthan popping a soccer ball on its talons. “I suppose we are both putting the cart before the horse, Io."
'Then I hope you plan on making a good impression at the harvest festival. I would hate to have whole minutes of processing time go to waste,' she said dramatically.
"Not to worry, Io. I believe I know just the people for the job."
-----
"I seem to remember something similar happening last year, though as I recall that hyrven was dead," Zolta laughed, waving to Winters as the well built human wandered into the town square with an exhausted Fenrir draped over his shoulders like an oversized scarf. The human nodded, reaching up to scratch lightly at the animal's jowls.
"Somebody was feeling antsy this morning so we had a bit of a run around today. You guys need help?" he asked, looking around as the disciples of Tyrdus went about the laborious task of preparing the town square for the annual festival. Zolta scoffed, ruffling his feathers.
"We could always use help, so be careful who you ask."
"Let me just deal with this lunk and I'll be free," Russell offered, turning and walking towards the nearest overflow trench that ran along the eastern side of the square before dumping out under the southern wall of the village. Fenrir was glad to take a drink, laying down and depositing most of his chin and jaw into the water directly as his human collared and leashed him. “Maybe Xan will be around to play with you a bit later, but I should help out here. You done, buddy?”
Fenrir took a few more minutes to drink his fill of clear, slow-flowing river water before looking over at Russell. The human smiled, watching the water drip from the beast’s fur. Satisfied that Fenrir would not go thirsty while he worked, Russell affixed his muzzle and then led him over to the ursae skull that still rested in the square. It cast ample shadows and featured plenty of places for Winters to tie off the leash. Confident that Fenrir wouldn’t cause an incident unless someone walked up to and directly harassed him, he sought out Zolta again. The young smith was working on one of the two lanes that would be used for the contest of strength, digging into the packed dirt that had been tamped down by a year’s worth of foot and cart traffic with a hoe. Russell grabbed a spare tool and did the same, the bounds of the lanes already marked by ropes held in place by crude, wooden stakes. “How’s the wife, Zolta?”
“You mean Asha? Is that what you humans call a female mate? She’s doing well, but tends to stay at home most of the time now. The size of our cub is finally catching up with her, but we can’t wait for her to be born,” he explained, a caring smile developing on his face as Asha’s pendant hung from his neck, glinting occasionally as it caught Seil’s light.
“Same here, man. I hope everything goes smoothly,” Russell told him. “Thought of a name yet?”
“No, not yet. I want to give Asha some time to come up with one if she wants. I would probably feel more strongly about it if we were going to have a son, but since it’s a girl I figured she might want to name it,” Zolta explained. “Will you visit after she’s born? I think Asha would appreciate it.”
Russell stood straight and wiped his brow, looking at the sky. “If I can, I will. But we might be gone by then,” he said with mixed emotions.
“Gone? You mean gone gone? Back to your home planet?” Zolta asked.
“Yeah. I don’t think the Admiral intends to stay here through the winter. Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but right now the priests are debating whether or not to come along for the ride. I think it would be really swell if you did, but I’m not a Cauthan. Not my call to make. If you do though, I’ll put in a good word for you with Darius, our quartermaster. I’m sure he’d be interested in an apprentice who forged an ursae-killing weapon.”
“That’s… a lot to take in,” Zolta remarked, pausing his work for a moment as well as he processed everything Winters had just told him. “So you might not be here when our cub is born?”
“Yeah, that’s about the right of it,” Russell admitted seriously. “I’d stay if I could, like I said, but I don’t really have a say in it.”
“Doesn’t sound like I have much of a say in things either. It’s up to the high priests,” the young father replied. The two continued to work in silence for several minutes, softening the earth as the festival, at least, was a known quantity. At one point Zolta paused and stood from his work, tilting his head to look past Winters. The human turned his head to follow the Cauthan’s gaze, finding Lance Corporal Mendes approaching them.
“Lance Corporal, is there something I can do for you? You came a long way if it was just to watch me move dirt,” Russell remarked, returning the shorter man’s salute.
“No sir, I should be asking you the same question. Orders from the top. The Admiral requested that Private Rex and I assist in preparations for this… harvest festival?”
“Is that right?” Russell asked, leaning on the long handle of the hoe he’d been using. “Admiral Kaczynski asked you and Rex to be his show of goodwill?”
“In defense of Private Rex, sir,” Mendes spoke up, looking around at the hustle and bustle. “Private Lipper has an unfortunate history with your wife and her people, and Private Orlova is a reserved and occasionally brusque individual. It was the Admiral’s decision that the two of us should come down and lend a hand.”
“Well, Rex certainly has the body for it,” Russell agreed, scanning the square but finding neither hide nor hair of the well built soldier. “Where is the Private, Lance Corporal?”
“Ha well, he was waylaid on our way to the square, sir,” Mendes reported without explaining anything at all. Zolta had gone back to working on his patch of ground, unable to catch much of anything from the conversation being had in English. Winters cocked his brow at the Corporal.
“Define waylaid, Lance Corporal. Ratha didn’t get him, did she?”
“That’s the firebrand who’s married to the village chieftain, right? No sir, it wasn’t her. We were walking past the large buildings on the way in, I guess one of them is the hunters’ lodge? One of the Cauthan inside recognized Rex and wanted to speak with him about something or another.”
“Ah yeah, he did pull Brythis out of the fire didn’t he?” Russell remembered. “Well Corporal, we’d best put you to work then. Chances are we might not see Rex until it’s time for you to retire to the ship. Those hunters tend to be rather talkative when they don’t have much to do. Have you ever been introduced to Nerazek? Zolta, I’ll be back in a few.”
“Yeah, no problem,” the Cauthan waved them on, more focused on creating an even surface for the games than inter-species politics. Mendes replied as the two men walked towards a rough-hewn work table where the forgemaster was poring over a hide scroll.
“And then we need to change the alignment of the archery range and fit in a few more stalls along the southern rim… ah, Winters! Good day to you! That little pup of yours has absolutely exploded in size, hasn’t he? I remember the lads fawning over it not even a year ago.”
“They really do grow fast,” Russell agreed, resting a hand on the table. “If he’s in the way I can move him, but I think he enjoys being able to watch.”
“More power to him,” Nerazek insisted. “He’s out of the way and not harming anyone. I wish I could be in the shade all day too. Who’s your friend? I’m not sure that we’ve met. He seems capable.”
“Right,” Winters cleared his throat, preparing to switch rapidly between English and Cauthan. “Nerazek, this is Lance Corporal Rodrigo Mendes. He’s a Jumper, like I am. Corporal, this is Nerazek, forgemaster and the high priest of Tyrdus, the Cauthan god of smithing, craftsmanship, and metal.”
“I think I prefer that title,” Mendes remarked, offering the Cauthan his hand. Winters quickly explained the human custom of greeting and the smith caught on, shaking with a strong but stiff motion. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And you. Now what can I do for you two? Not to be rude but I’m a bit busy at the moment,” Nerazek pointed out the obvious before turning away from them to discuss with one of his fellows where the log piles for bonfire construction would be laid out to minimize obstructions during the daytime festivities. “Sorry about that.”
“No worries, Nerazek. We just wanted to see if we could be of assistance. Rodrigo is here on behalf of Admiral Kaczynski, our leader,” Winters explained.
“Ah, the tall, lanky one! Always looks like he’s covered in soot? Keen mind on him, runs even quicker than his mouth I assume. No wonder he and Thantis get along so well, eh? No time to talk about such things right now, but I’ll take all the help I can get. Winters, you recall the sparring pits correct? I haven’t sent anyone over to the barracks yet to collect armor or wooden weapons. Think you could do that?” the forgemaster requested.
“Shouldn’t be a problem. I think it’s safe to say the Corporal and I might get some use out of them later,” Winters stated with a pointed glance at Mendes.
“Anytime, Lieutenant. Weapons optional.”
“Keep your feathers flat until the festival there, lads! But thank you for your assistance,” Nerazek cut in. Russell recalled one last item before leaving.
“There should be another human soldier floating around today, huge guy, goes by Rex. Sounds like he got taken aside by Valta’s crew but if you see him feel free to give him some work to do.”
“You mean that walking mountain over there?” Nerazek pointed behind them to where Rex had just recently arrived in the town square before immediately being set upon by a young Cauthan female. All three of them watched with bemused expressions as the boyish, lightly feathered alien stuck herself at his side, her staccato attempts at conversation clearly trying the soldier’s patience.
“You’ll forgive me if I offend, but that’s one of your women, yes?” Mendes asked.
“Ha! She’s only mine by profession! But yes, young Rena there is Brythis’ daughter. I suppose that’s the human she’s been on about for the last cycle or two. I can’t blame her, saved her father from a pack of wild hyrven. Way she told it, he killed them with his bare hands. I didn’t believe a word of it of course, but I suppose I’m having second thoughts now. Is he your commander?” Nerazek wondered.
“I’m his commander, actually,” Mendes clarified with amusement. “But that would be quite something were it the reverse.”
“Not sure I’ve ever seen a man that size look so out of place around a woman,” Russell quipped, eliciting a chuckle from Nerazek and a frown from Mendes.
“Private Rex has his reasons, sir. Private Lipper knows more than I do but I would appreciate it if you would put in a good word with the Admiral assuming his patience holds for the rest of the day.”
“Lipper, huh? Should we take him with us then?” Russell suggested.
“Oh no, I think this will make for one excellent story,” Mendes insisted, watching as Rex appeared to steer the conversation towards the preparations taking place around them. He began laboring with unusual vigor, seeming to relax slightly as his companion, instead of continuing to harangue him, put her own back into piecing together one of the many covered stalls that would be used to display the finest produce available from the fields that year. “Well that takes care of that. Lieutenant?”
“Yeah, we have our own job to do. Back here, Nerazek?”
“Oh yes, please,” the Cauthan agreed, motioning to the area generally behind his planning table. “We’ll move them into the square once we’re finished with preparing the arena itself. My thanks to you both. Selah.”
-----
“That’s so wonderful! I didn’t know you would be attending the harvest festival. Are you excited? I’m really nervous.”
Rex stood and took a deep breath to calm himself, looking down at the boards that he and the young female were fitting together. Almost all Cauthan carpentry was unreliant on nails on account of their metal scarcity, and he was wishing for a good flathead to pummel instead of fitting dovetails together. “Why are you nervous?” he asked. He was on orders to provide a good impression, but after dealing with the hunters and now faced with the daughter of the man he’d saved, he had no desire to speak about himself. Asking her questions was the best option. He took slight comfort in the fact that she seemed more than willing to take up the lion’s share of the conversation, her short, black plumage fluttering with her emotions.
“It’s really embarrassing but maybe you’ll have a different perspective, being a human and all. I mean, the other human fell in love with Veera.” Rex coughed loudly as the translation came through but the young Cauthan kept on, maintaining a prodigious pace of conversation even as she worked, her lithe but defined musculature prominent as she fitted the next board into place. “So… yeah, I came of age last year, sixteen. And I guess you don’t know about the festival but it’s when we pair off and find our life partners. I had hoped to find one too, obviously, but no one approached me. I asked a handful of males and none said yes. I was really sad, you know? I know that I look like a male in some ways but they didn’t have to rub it in my face!”
“Uh huh,” Rex nodded absently, trying to ignore the impulse to flee rapidly from women discussing love. The task of building was barely adequate in its distraction. He chanced a glance at her face as she focused on their job, looking over her dark gray muzzle, light gray fur, and black feathers. He supposed she did look like a male in some ways, but most Cauthan looked similar to him so he was in no position to comment. “So you’re a tomboy? What’s the problem with that? Your junk works, right?”
“M-My what?! Are all humans so crude? Of course it works!” she hissed. “They suck, you know? They’re always hanging around and chatting when we’re on a job or at the temple but the moment it comes time to make cubs oh no, they don’t want a female like me. They want one with a giant plume and a butt the size of my head! Well whatever, half the males I asked last year are dead. I’d be a widowed mother at seventeen.”
“Ha! Well there you go. Worked out in the end,” Rex barked, bringing their work to a screeching halt as the first horizontal plank was lifted atop the frame of the stall they’d built. Rena was looking at him in horror.
“W-What? Why would you-”
“No, that was… fuck me. Sorry,” Rex muttered, feeling a cold, creeping sensation trickling from his close cropped hair down the back of his spine as he realized what he’d said at the spur of a moment. Without another word he stood and walked away from her, traversing the square to where Fenrir was tied up. The hyrven glared at him but didn’t make any further protest as the Jumper sat down defeatedly and began rubbing him between the ears. “You’ve got the right idea, pup. No women, no bullshit, just laying around and enjoying the view. Wish I could be like you. Aw shit, why won’t she just leave me alone?”
“I’m sorry,” Rena apologized as she came to stand a couple of feet from him. “You didn’t really like the conversation, did you?”
“No, but that’s not your problem. I was an ass. I’d be angry as hell if people I knew died. I just don’t do conversation,” Rex tried to explain. She smiled weakly at him.
“I… yeah, sometimes my father says that I talk too much. Says that it’s not lady-like and that I need to compensate for the fact that I don’t really look like a lady and- I’m doing it again,” she realized. “Look, I could use the help. I’ll be quiet.”
Rex looked down at Fenrir and gave him a final scratch under the chin. “Maybe it’s better I’m not like you, boy. I’d get my neck snapped by someone like me. Yeah, I’ll help.”
“Thank you,” Rena replied appreciatively, proving that she could speak in a dignified and feminine manner when she wasn’t rambling excitedly about something. In the place of conversation they simply worked faster, with the young Cauthan chancing glances at the incredibly robust human who had saved her father’s life but seemed to want nothing to do with him, her, or anything. “I can handle the rest if you don’t want to. Doesn’t seem like you know your way around a hammer too well.”
Rex looked at her over the stall they were just about finished with. “The hammer I use is different. And you’re not getting rid of me that easily; I’m on orders.”
Rena wasn’t particularly looking forward to the prospect anymore but distraction arrived in the form of the other two humans, laden with arms and armor as they re-entered the square. Rex stood straight with enough lumber for most of a second stall balanced on his shoulders. “I thought you said the festival was about mating. You fight your boyfriends too?”
“W-what? No, you silly! The boys get to fight and we watch!” she elaborated, picking up the rest of the wood and tools before tagging along behind him. “Didn’t I tell you?”
“Tell me what? All I remember is you talking about boys and me being a dumbass,” Rex replied shortly.
“Well that’s not all the festival has to offer!” Rena told him pleasantly, sensing a new opening in his awkward shell. “There’s dancing and games, feats of strength and precision, fighting and bartering and gambling too.”
Rex’s face lit up the moment she mentioned fights. “Well why didn’t you say so in the first place? Let’s get these set up already.”
Rena's heart throbbed momentarily as she imagined Rex fighting against Kaha or Antoth or even Winters. “Uh, would it be alright to talk more during this one?”
The human soldier shrugged as he laid the first piece of the frame in place. “Don’t see why not. What do I win in these fights if I enter?”
“Your pick of the females if they like you!”
“Oh for the love of-!”