BONUS Epilogue - Aloryk

(1 whole year and some change later)

"Is it not time you went home to your own mates?" I glare at the infuriating females. I like Delphi and Chaz-Titi well enough, especially as they make my Polly happy, but do they need to be in mine and my mate's hut all the time ? My Polly and her sister have formed quite the bond, and I do not wish to break it, but I swear that the female ‘stops by' our hut so much more than is necessary.

" Aloryk !" Polly stares up at me from her place sitting cross-legged on the ground. She swats my calf, but I catch her wrist with my tail.

Chaz-Titi laughs as she stands, brushing at her behind. "Come on D, someone wants to give his mate his special sparkles." She vacates my home the quickest, leaving Delphi to give my mate a farewell hug.

I do not understand the female's need to hug in greetings and leavings when they both live in the same village and see each other at every sun's rise and sun's set.

" Ricky ," Delphi nods her head to me as she departs.

I raise a brow and return with, " Daffy ," as I watch her leave, shaking her head and laughing at me. She knows I can say her name correctly now since my Polly insisted I practice.

"You should be nicer to my friends, mister," my mate tells me, lightly smacking my calf with her free hand, the soft blow landing this time.

I seat myself next to Polly and reach over, gathering her soft body up in my arms and placing her in my lap. "They are intentionally cock-knocking me."

She giggles, and it is the most wonderful sound in all of the lands. "It's cock- blocking ."

Shrugging, I smile down at my female, reaching to tuck her hair behind her ear so that I can see her pretty face more clearly. She knows that I enjoy the company of the other females when they are making my Polly laugh or have her in high spirits. It is important to me that she has close bonds that fill her with happiness.

But she also knows that I had training with Second Spear Mavyx very early this day and could not enjoy breaking my fast with the taste of her cunt like I usually do.

"I do not care what it is called," I tell her, cupping her cheek in my hand. "I only care that I have time with the most important person to me."

She softens. Not that she was particularly angered, but the gentle smile, and the way she leans her head into my hand has my skin-stars excitedly whirling.

"Here," I tell her, leaning to reach for the pot of stain. "The one over my heart is beginning to fade again."

Polly smiles and takes the stain from my hand. Over the moons since we started this, my Polly has covered my skin in many etchings. Most of them are her name, some of them are drawings. One evening, after a bit too much fermented fylli fruit drink, my mate apparently wrote ‘property of Polly' on my rear. I cherish every one of them, but the one over my heart - the first that she gave me - is the one that I cherish the most. I do not let this one fade, not for a moment.

Polly has given many of these ‘tattoos' to others in the tribe as well - mainly the females. She said that ‘ something snaps' and I ‘initiate kill mode' when I see her touching other males, so she has limited the times she gives skin-etchings to my fellow tribesmales ‘ for my nerves '.

Quietly, my mate remains in my lap, twisting slightly so she can work on her name over my heart. I wrap my good wing around her, keeping her for myself. My lame one is stronger than it was, with thanks to Delphi's instruction. I can use it to glide down from a height, but I have come to accept that it will never lift me high into the skies again.

And I am at peace with this. These are the way of things, and if the Goddesses ever did exist like we once thought, it was their will.

I watch my Polly as she concentrates on my heart-etching. She is probably adding more embellishments to the original. This is something she does often, and I enjoy watching her as her clever mind and hands are working quietly. "Do you need more sunlight?" I ask softly, not wanting to interrupt the way she is completely absorbed by her work.

Polly lifts her hand from my chest and stares at my heart. "No, I-"

She pauses, her brow furrowing.

"It is fine if you have made a mistake," I tell her. Sometimes, she does this, though I have liked all of her ‘mistakes' so far and do not care.

Polly shakes her head, her hand holding the feather whose quill she uses to apply the stain falls to her lap. "No, Aloryk. It's… your heart-stars ."

"My-" I look down and there I see them, dancing around her name. I blink a moment, holding my breath, because of course they would be reacting to her touch, but normally, they disperse after her hands leave my skin, fading out into nothing.

But these ones do not do that.

They continue to glow, burning like I know they should have been doing all this time.

"I knew they'd come," my Polly says and I look up to the female who I have chosen every day since I found her. "It's about damn time," she says, grinning.

I cannot stand to not be kissing my female right now, so my head dips to take her mouth with my own, only breaking to murmur words of love into our kiss.

I gather her closer, holding those gorgeous curves of hers as tightly as I can. Polly moans before making a ‘mphh' noise and pulling away. "You're smudging the stain everywhere."

"I do not care," I tell her, chasing her lips with my own.

"Hey, lovebirds?" I hear a female call from outside our hut. It is Chaz-Titi again, back to cock-knock me further.

I answer with a loud growl that causes Polly to cover my mouth and giggle. "Yeah?" she calls out.

"Niska's on the communicator again. She wants to talk to you…"

THE END