Chapter 6

Drovo

“What time are we leaving tomorrow?” Taylor asked as she ate the evening meal. We were all seated at the tables surrounding the cookfire and discussing the plans for our journey to the ship.

“We should leave at first light so we will only have to make camp once before getting to the ship,” Brexl suggested.

“First light it is,” Kayla sighed. I had observed that she was not a morning person. She wasn’t the last person to get up from the furs, but she was close. I liked that though. It gave me time to prepare her stimulant drink. I’ve gotten a lot of things wrong with Kayla, but making sure her morning drink is ready by the time she wakes up seems to be the one thing I’ve gotten right.

Participating in the larping seems to be another thing I got right. Chasing Kayla around the kala and hearing her laughter fill the space was the most fun I’d had in seasons.

And I could have sworn there was desire in her eyes when I fell to my knees before her. I’d gladly get on my knees before her if she would look at me like that again.

She seemed less irritated with me now that I had finished her chariot, but I wouldn’t say she was pleased to be around me. We were in a strange middle ground between dislike and friendship and I hoped this trip to the spaceship would push us toward the latter.

“I better start getting ready for tomorrow then,” Kayla got up from the table and headed to the storage cavern where the human females slept.

“Yeah, me too,” Taylor agreed.

I finished my dinner and sat on a chair against the wall and sharpened spears. I didn’t need them, but it was a pleasant thing to do with my hands. The elders used them when they went out on hunts, so I tried to keep our stock of spears high.

“Shall we retire to our cave?”

Gab-bae was sitting on Tarak’s lap when he suggested they leave the main cavern. His hand had remained on her stomach for the entire time she sat with him. It was a wonder of wonders that one of us not only found a mate, but will soon have a sietling as well. To go from outcast to sire was no small feat for us shifters.

I had forced myself to stay away from such dreams. Even with Kayla constantly on my mind, I still didn’t dare to think that I could have what Tarak does. I knew I had messed things up with Kayla, and at this point I could only hope for friendship with the female that dominated my thoughts morning, noon, and night.

I got up from my chair with the idea that I would head to my private cave, but instead I found myself walking toward the hu-man’s cavern. Laughter rang out down the hallway and I could hear Kayla’s voice among the others.

“He did not,” she said.

“Oh yes, he did. This man told me that he never paid for his date’s meal because he wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to end up with a gold digger,” Anusha explained.

I strolled past the door and witnessed nearly all the hu-mans plus Neelu and Drondia gathered around Kayla to unbraid her hair. They all sat on the floor in their bonnets and night clothes.

“Was he rich?” Sarah asked.

“No! He told me he worked in finance, but halfway through the date, he admitted he was an entrepreneur.”

“We all know what that means,” Ashley added.

“What does that mean?” Sarah looked confused as she undid another red braid.

“It means he was unemployed,” Kayla explained.

“Oh,” Sarah still looked confused, but she asked no more questions.

Their activity looked like a traditional bonding experience for females, but I still wished I could join in. I’d love to sit with Kayla for hours, working her hair to perfection.

“All done. That was the last one,” Ashley remarked as she undid the final braid.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed out their shoulders and wrists, everyone but Hai.

“Let’s brush it out and get to braiding!” Hai encouraged.

“Uh, uh, uh,” Neelu held up her hand, and the women paused.

“Be mindful now, and brush blessings into her hair.”

“And with each new braid, speak life or a wish over Kayla to lock in good luck and joy for her future.”

Kayla’s eyes turned glossy with unshed tears. “Thank you.”

Watching Kayla being treated kindly and seeing our traditions passed down to the hu-mans filled my heart with joy.

Hu-mans and sirrets alike, we were one unit now, one dekes, united and supporting one another.

I turned and left, willing my feet to carry me to my bed cave. As much as I would like to stay and watch Kayla be pampered, I needed to get a full night’s rest to be ready and alert for tomorrow.

Kayla

My heart was near to bursting as I listened to Neelu and Drondia say positive things over me and my life as they brushed my hair. It was such a beautiful tradition and I was happy they’d let me be a part of it. Not to mention, with so many people working on my hair at once, it’d be done in no time.

Ashley, who had interned at a black owned salon, demonstrated how to do the braids. The rest of the women got to work and soon the sweet blessings everyone wished upon me got sillier and sillier.

“May your pillow always be cold on both sides,” Talia chuckled at her own light-hearted wish.

“May your meat always be perfectly seasoned,” Taylor added.

“May your mate be well endowed,” Hai said with a laugh.

“May your pet buffalo always be healthy,” Sarah smiled, but then her face scrunched up in confusion as she asked, “what does well endowed mean?”

All the adult women looked at each other awkwardly.

“I think now is as good a time as any to explain the birds and the bees. What do you say, Sarah? Are you ready for that conversation?”

The young girl, who was becoming more of a young woman every day, tucked some hair behind her ear and nodded. “I’m ready.”

“Well, let’s start with your own body. Do you know what a vagina is?” I asked, and Sarah nodded her head again.

“Do you know what a penis is?”

“Yes,” she said in a quiet shy tone.

“Some people have both a penis and a vagina, are you one of those people?” She shook her head no.

“Just a vagina.”

“Okay, now that, that’s established, do you know the difference between your vagina and your labia?”

“No. Isn’t it all one thing?” Sarah looked confused.

“I can draw a picture,” Hai volunteered.

“That’d be good,” I agreed.

Hai drew a detailed diagram of the female anatomy. We all took turns pointing things out and explaining how they functioned in sex, their sensitivity, and their impacts on everyday life.

Then Hai drew a picture of the male anatomy and Sarah’s face turned three shades of red.

“Does this look familiar?” Hai asked.

Sarah shook her head.

I continued on and explained the ins and outs of penetrative sex, where the penis goes, how semen is implanted and how it gets to a woman’s egg for fertilization.

“Sex doesn’t have to be penetrative, though,” Anusha piped in. “You can receive all kinds of pleasure from stimulating the clit, labia, or g-spot.” She pointed to the different body parts on Hai’s diagram.

“And if someone stimulates those parts using their mouth, it can be referred to as oral sex.” Taylor added.

“My sister said sex is painful the first time. Is that true?” Talia asked.

“For most people, it is.” I confessed.

“See this here?” Hai pointed to a thin curved line she labeled the hymen. “This piece of skin can stretch or tear the first time you are penetrated causing some bleeding.”

“So that’s where the blood comes from,” Sarah said aloud as if some great mystery had been solved for her.

“The pain comes from your vagina being stretched out for the first time. For me, it wasn’t painful as much as it was an uncomfortable amount of pressure.”

Both Talia and Sarah nodded their heads at this. Sarah looked pale, yet determined. At least she wouldn’t go into sex, not knowing what to expect. No one had told me sex could be painful my first time, and it was quite a shock.

“I’m going to get some water,” Sarah whispered. “I’ll come with you.”

Talia helped Sarah up from the floor and they walked to the main cavern together, red faced and full of whispers.

As soon as the teens left, we all burst out into giggles.

“Poor thing looks like she’d seen a ghost,” Fatima remarked.

“At least she’ll know what she’s getting into,” Ashley sighed with a distant look in her eyes, as if she were remembering her own experience.

The girls finished my hair, and I happily ran my fingers along my fresh braids.

We all got comfortable in our furs, and I pulled my top fur up to my chin with a smile.

“Good night everyone,” Ashley called out as she blew out the last of the oil candles that lit up our cavern.

“Good night,” A few of the girls called back.

I was eager to get some sleep. I had been wanting to get away from the mountain and now was my chance. Fingers crossed our journey would be a fun excursion and not a complete disaster like our trip from Orsu’s den to the mountain. I pushed those thoughts aside. We’d be fine. We would travel in the daylight away from the jagwa dens. Everything would work out. I was sure of it.