Chapter 10

Kat and Trae spent a second night in the hut.

Trae had packed most of the meat in his preservation room in the cart. He would give it to Mitch Bones. He mostly smoked the older male’s meat. It being a bit tougher wouldn’t matter and the shukra should make it taste sweeter. He would grind a lot of it up later for his travel bars.

Kat had him strip and checked his wounds. They were healing and since she already had him half-naked, he decided to get her in the same state. He didn’t find a lot of resistance and soon got her completely naked. Trae soon learnt that the wonders of the night before were just as wonderful on this night.

They spent more time experimenting, getting to know each other’s likes and dislikes, and by the third time he had come in her, he knew he was hooked. The marvels of sharing his body with Kat and enjoying hers wasn’t something he ever planned to give up.

They talked about when they would leave and Trae was heartened by the way she was getting enthusiastic about coming home with him. He hoped she liked his home. He did explain that he didn’t spend much time in town and that winters got a lot colder up in his mountains than they did here.

In the morning, they boxed up the smoked meat and packed up the cart. At first, Sampson wasn’t real happy with riding up on the cart but he soon settled down under their seat on the blanket Kat had put there for him. After a while, he crawled out and Trae sat him on the seat between them.

He rolled over, put his head on Kat’s lap and her hand held him on the seat. They were both amused when he started to purr while she tickled his belly. She had to stop him from slipping off a couple of times when they hit bumps. Samson decided his bed under her feet and behind the footboard was a safer place and he went back to it so Kat could cuddle back up with Trae.

The first person they met at the estate was Gunther. Gunther nearly had a coronary when Sampson’s head popped between Kat’s feet and snarled at him. Kat chided Sampson and he looked up at her. He lay back down between her feet but he didn’t take his eyes of Gunther.

Otto soon joined them as he had heard the cart coming into the yard. He was as shocked as Gunther that they had kept the cub. Trae and Kat decided that Sampson was a good excuse as to why they couldn’t stay as Lady Trenton wished when she joined them with Olive.

Interestingly, it was Olive that was fascinated by the cub. Sampson didn’t snarl at her and he even rolled over so she could rub his tummy. Olive even grinned at Kat, to her amazement. Sampson let her pick him up and Kat found herself heading to the kitchen, with a small container of smoked meat and the haunch that Trae had set aside for the Talons.

Trae found himself being led to the sitting room. He, Gunther and Otto talked about the weather and farming while the ladies organised tea. Once they were all assembled, Trae and Kat told of their little adventure to the amazement of their enthralled audience.

Fran wasn’t real happy that the cub was on the sofa with Olive but she decided to keep her peace. Olive had been driving her crazy with her moods and moping since she had broken the engagement with Dewar. Fran had been surprised when Olive did it. Personally, Fran felt Olive could do better. She had never liked the boy’s attitude.

As much as Fran was aware of her position, she wanted Olive to be happy. Many thought she had married down when she chose Otto but she loved him just as deeply now as when she had picked him. He was the son of a past Mayor of Wing City. He tended to be a bit studious but he did care about the people in her Province, and he loved her. These facts were what mattered to her.

Fran was surprised when Trae handed her a gift. He had fashioned a long thin wooden box to put it in for her. She was amazed when she found the box contained an eagle’s feather that was 90cm long. Such a feather from a giant eagle was highly prized. She and Olive were both speechless by the gift.

They were even more so when Trae informed them that he had found a diamond and garnet deposit in the cavern. Gunther knew where the cavern was and he, Fran and Otto had become excited by the find.

Their province wasn’t an exceptionally rich one anymore, being mostly farming and fishing these days. Fran and Otto both knew the find would mean that many of the improvements they wished they could do were now affordable. They didn’t need a big mine to help them out.

Olive also realised that her worth had increased. She was a potential Earth Mage. She just wished she had a ring so she could help her parents with the mine. Even without it, she could assist but it would be better if she had a magical item to boost her powers.

She had been trying to decide what she was going to do with herself now that she wasn’t going to marry Dewar. She had been disgusted by his tantrums when he had been caught cheating. She also didn’t want a partner that would knock her around.

To be honest with herself, Dewar had not impressed her of late and his hatred of Kat had been very odd. He had been getting rougher with her during sex before the blowout and it had caused arguments. She had reasoned that if he could beat up on Katrina because she defied him, then he would do it to her too if she continued to argue with him.

His tantrum when she broke it off with him had frightened her more than she had told her parents. It was one of the reasons she had come home as soon as school had finished. At first, she had believed him when he said Katrina had stolen his spell. He had been very convincing.

It was only later after the exams that she had heard Walter grumbling to Fenton that they should have dragged the show-off bitch off, and fucked her like Dewar had promised they would. The spineless skats didn’t dare do it now that they realised she wore magical items.

When Olive had confronted them over the comments, they had told her to piss-off and keep her mouth shut. She wasn’t afraid of them but at that moment, Olive believed everything Katrina had said was true. She still didn’t like her any more but she hadn’t lied. Then again, she had never known Kat to lie when they had been friends.

She had gone to Dewar’s home and confronted him after the exams. He had tried to sweet talk and distract her, by kissing and fondling her. However, she just knew it was lies. She had told him the engagement was off and she’d rather marry Nathan the Nerd than him.

She did feel a bit bad about that last comment. Nathan Charms wasn’t really a bad sort as he had helped her out with her metallurgy class. She was also starting to think that Dewar had not been a good influence on her. She couldn’t even remember what it was that made her start hating Katrina.

Her soul searching had her comparing how she used to behave to how she behaved when in Dewar’s company. She didn’t like the person she had become over the last two years. It wasn’t how her parents had raised her nor had it inspired people to trust her.

Since she had been home, she had paid more attention to how others seemed to view her and knew her moods and sharp tongue had not won her any friends. She suspected she was going to have to make some serious changes in her life now that Dewar wouldn’t be part of it.

She was surprised that after two weeks of not being in his company she hadn’t really missed him or his moods.

Olive’s little think session was interrupted when the butler announced they had more guests.

She was surprised when Nathan and his father Chance, the Director of the University, were shown in. She then felt an odd spike of jealousy when Katrina jumped up and hugged Nathan. She knew she shouldn’t since Nathan had been more Kat’s friend at the University than her’s.

Nathan then spied Sampson. A look of fascination came over his face, as he sat on the sofa with Olive and asked if he could pet the cub. Sampson sniffed his hand when it was offered and stretched out to let Nathan stroke his belly.

“What a fine fellow, you are,” Nathan crooned at Sampson. Kat and Trae both chuckled, and the others also had to smile. “Where did you get him?” Nathan asked Olive.

“He’s an orphan, two males had adopted him but they couldn’t hunt properly. They had been taking our people to feed themselves and Sampson. Trae and Kat kept him after they killed the males,” she told him.

“Wow! Do you think he will grow up to be a man-eater?” Nathan asked but he didn’t stop petting Sampson.

Trae answered, “No, I’m not sure if he will stay domesticated but once he and Kitty are ready to go and find their own home I’ll make sure they settle away from the Pass and people.”

“Who is Kitty?” Nathan asked.

“She is a cub close to his age that I have at home in my valley on Cuttail Island,” Trae answered.

“So you’re taking him home, that’s a shame but I’m sure he will be happier there. It’s handy you already have a girlfriend for him,” Nathan replied with a grin.

“Yes, it is. I just hope they like each other,” Trae replied.

“How could she not like such a handsome fellow?” Nathan replied grinning, while he scratched Sampson’s belly for him.

“Girls can be darn fussy,” Trae answered and earned himself, ‘the look’ from both Katrina and Olive that had the older adults chuckling.

Nathan nodded his head in agreement with Trae and snuck a look at Olive that surprised her. Olive suddenly started re-evaluating the young man sitting beside her. He wasn’t as tall or as handsome as Dewar was. He was, however, a perfectly nice looking man of the Pix race.

He was about 5cm taller than she was and he did have lovely big dark purple eyes. He had always displayed perfect manners. She had never heard him say a mean thing about anyone and yet she had never seen him back down to Dewar and his mates either, now that she thought about it.

Then she spied the ring. “Nathan, what is that?” she asked.

Nathan looked at his hand and then he blushed a bright red. “Sorry, but it wanted to come to me,” he said as he lifted his hand to display the ring.

Nathan was then surprised by Katrina coming over and giving him another big hug. “I’m so glad it went to you, it couldn’t have gone to a more deserving person,” she told him. “Don’t you agree, Olive?”

Olive fought back the tears. She had wanted the ring but she also believed that Nathan was probably a better candidate than her or Dewar. She hadn’t always been a nice person and she knew Nathan would never contemplate being a bad magician. He was just too nice of a lad.

She got up, went over and hugged Nathan, and congratulated him. She went to kiss his cheek but he turned his head and her lips met his. Her lips tingled as she pulled back from him. They both looked at each other and licked their lips. Then Olive giggled to Nathan’s surprise.

Poor Nathan blushed and then squirmed. Olive looked down and knew why he was squirming. She was rather surprised by the bulge in his pants and raised her eyebrows at him making him blush even harder. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

Olive looked at Sampson who had rolled over and sat up. He made an odd little mewling noise at her. Olive said to Nathan, “I think he needs to go for a little walk, would you carry him for me?” Nathan was happy to agree and picked up the cub. He was surprised how heavy he was even though he was skinny. Olive linked her arm into Nathan’s and directed him outside.

Fran looked at her husband and he smiled back at her. She then said to the room, once the couple were out of sight, “Is it my imagination or did something just happen between those two?”

Trae smiled at her, “Yes, I believe Nathan just got claimed.”

Otto chuckled, “Smart girl, he is a much better chap for her.”

Chance said, “I’m not going to get in her way. If she is anything like her mother once she settled on you Otto, it will be like changing the mind of a Goddess.”

Fran chuckled. She was rather tickled by her old friend’s comment. “Well, since we have a new mine to establish, I think it might be smart for us to hire a nice young Earth Novice to help Olive sort out the details.”

There were grins all around the room at that statement.

Trae and Kat did end up staying for lunch.

They were both amused to watch Olive and Nathan. Nathan surprised them all when he didn’t back down when he disagreed with some part of the discussion about the mine. Mine Engineering had been the basis of his two extra years of study.

He had studied at the University in Hilton City on Cuttail Island for his first four years and then he came home. He had wanted to study with Master Aims for the advanced classes and with Master Rothman to finish his Engineering specialisation.