19. Suni

Chapter 19

Suni

S uni was proud of his mate. She hadn't even blinked when she had been accused of bewitching males. Instead, she was able to bring calm to the situation. He still put his body between her and the other males. He didn't like how quickly they reached for their weapons around her.

"Suni, be at peace," Zuberi said. "Ethan was surprised by your female's animals. No one is going to harm you or her. Jo would not be pleased."

"No, she wouldn't," Amma said. "Now, that woman would turn you into a snake and then step on you. Don't get on her bad side."

"She has proven she is a powerful ally," Zuberi replied.

"The suns will be rising soon and we need to continue moving. It is not safe to have a female outside a village gates during the day right now," Godric said.

A shrill noise pierced the air, and Amma stepped closer to Suni. "What is that?"

Suni wrapped an arm around her. "A female muk in heat. How close are we to their breeding ground?"

Zuberi sniffed the air. "Too close. I will take us around so we do not run into any male muks. They are excitable at this time and will attack us if they can."

"I want to see them," Amma said. "I wonder if they look like anything I'm familiar with."

Suni shook his head. "No. It's really not safe to get close to them when they are in rut. Males are territorial and will attack anything they deem a threat."

"I can see how you guys can be seen as a threat with your horns and stuff but look at me. Do you really expect they will see me and think ‘she's going to harm us?'"

"I do not claim to know the minds of animals," Suni answered. "But I do know how they react. I will capture one after we reach the Ykot and you are safe. The meat is slightly sweet."

Amme smiled. "I look forward to tasting it. With some of those spicy leaves."

"Leaves?" Burke asked.

"She has a fondness for juniper leaves," Suni answered.

"We have plenty around Ykot," Zuberi said. "Ethan and Burke, you will scout ahead and make sure we do not come across any males in rut. Godric and Idris, you two will watch our sides. Suni, do you mind bringing up the rear?"

"It would be my honor," Suni answered. He would be able to keep his eyes on Amma from that point of view too. "Is there anything here, besides the muks, that I should be looking for?"

"Nothing you have not dealt with before," Godric answered before disappearing into the foliage.

Suni chuckled at the young male. He could remember when he had been dismissive of most dangers found outside of the village. It was always a welcome challenge to find something new, but he didn't want any surprises with Amma under his protection.

They hadn't been walking for long when the suns started to break the horizon. Suni was happy the other males were around. Muks had been known to attack hunters without warning. He smiled when Amma's little animals, who had escaped into the foliage the first chance they got, returned by jumping on her back. Suni noticed they were growing. Soon he would insist they walk on their own or be carried on his shoulders. Amma didn't seem to notice the extra weight.

Zuberi's ears rotated when Amma started talking to her animals. Suni was used to her one-sided conversations, but it was amusing to see the confused look Zuberi kept giving her. Amma either didn't notice or chose to ignore it and continued talking to her friends. From what Suni could pick up, Mike and Sam were overselling their ability to hunt, while Astro stayed quiet. Suni knew the two squirrels couldn't hunt. He had watched them try, and it had been hilarious. They made too much noise and pounced seconds too late. At most, they could hunt plants.

Zuberi held up a hand and they stopped. "We are nearing the Ykot," he said as he turned to face them. "I should have asked earlier, but does my chief know you are coming?"

"He does not," Suni answered. "If I remember correctly, the chief was Volt. What happened to him?"

Zuberi nodded. "He is still the chief of Qunic. Ru was recently given land to start his own. While we are still small, we are strong. I wouldn't advise having ill intent toward anyone."

"We are strictly here to visit Amma's family," Suni promised.

"If we were here to hurt anyone, Jo would kick our asses," Amma said. "I am no match for my cousin when she's angry."

Zuberi smiled. "She is a powerful female. Suni, I would not touch my weapon if I were you. Jo is pregnant and unpredictable."

"She's pregnant ?" Amma's eyes widened. "No way! The women in my family become possessive and fussy when they're pregnant. This is going to be fun to tease her about."

Suni frowned. "Maybe not. We do not want her to become distressed."

"You don't understand." Amma's smile became sinister. "It's my job . It's what other family members would do. What are we waiting for?" She started walking and passed Zuberi. "This way, right?"

Suni shrugged his shoulders when Zuberi looked at him. "She is a female on a mission. I am not going to be the one to stand in her way."

"You have a point." They started walking and quickly caught up to Amma. "Maybe you should wait for us," Zuberi said.

"Oh, she won't do anything to me. I'm family," Amma said.

Suni supposed she believed that, but he had seen pregnant women do some strange things. Idris strode out from cover and dropped into step beside him.

"I wonder if your mate will be happy to see Shelly too," Idris said. "She is a female on a mission to drive every male insane."

"Are you talking about a little girl who talks so much you want to plug your ears?" Amma asked. "She's here?"

"Yes," Idris answered. "She was found wandering the forest alone in bad shape. Unfortunately, she recovered quickly."

"Oh, she's a good girl. Once you know her, she can be quite fun to be around. As a matter of fact, we share the same magic," Amma said with a grin.

"You talk to animals?" Ethan asked as he joined them.

"Yes." Amma gestured to the three on her back. "These are my companions, Mike, Sam, and Astro. If you think Shelly talks too much, you should hear them."

"Are all your family members witches?" Idris asked.

"Yes," Amma answered. "We are also all women."

Suni smelled the strange males seconds before they moved onto the path before them. He pulled Amma against his chest and resisted reaching for his morning star. These males were mature and prepared to battle for their village. He didn't want to give them any reason to hurt his mate.

"Zuberi, what is the meaning of this?" one male demanded. He was standing slightly ahead of the others. The other males deferred to him and he had the thread of authority in his voice. "You bring strangers into our home?"

"Chief," Zuberi took a step forward. "We found Suni and his mate while checking our borders. They are family to our chiefess."

Ru's eyes landed on Amma and widened before a smile broke across his face. "I see you have found an exceptional female, warrior."

"I have." Suni's chest puffed out. "She stole my heart the second I saw her."

Ru chuckled. "That seems to be the way of her family. Please, come, Jo should be at home. She has not been feeling well since becoming with calf."

"Congratulations." Suni slapped Ru on the shoulder. "A calf is such a blessing."

"Yes. We are very excited for this one, our first." Ru's chest puffed with pride.

"Our family do have interesting pregnancies. There are certain things we need to be successful," Amma said. "I will check on her and make sure everything is going well."

"Thank you." He blinked and pointed at the animals on her shoulder and pack. "Are you like Shelly?"

"Since I'm older, I like to say she is like me," Amma said. "I can't wait to see her. We hadn't really started Shelly training when everything blew up."

"She is doing well," Ru said. "Giving my males trouble, but that is expected of a half-grown calf when they are testing boundaries."

"Don't let her hear you say that." Amma warned. "She hasn't learned how to keep her feelings away from the animals. Or at least, she hadn't learned by the time I saw her last. One time she got angry, and we had an invasion of ants."

"Ants?" Suni asked. He had never heard of such animals. "Are they dangerous?"

"Not by themselves. They are very small, but they travel in the thousands and their bites hurt." Amma rubbed her arms. "I haven't seen anything like them here, so we should be safe."

"Thank you for the warning." Ru turned and waved for them to follow him. "I will make sure my warriors understand."

Suni was surprised when they exited the forest and were immediately in a clearing inside the Ykot's boundaries. He looked up and noticed it had been built in a valley. It didn't have enough defendable spots. Anyone, or anything, could sneak up and do damage before warriors could respond. He felt better when clearing turned out to be where the armory and training area were located. At least during the day, they would be protected.

The other males broke away, but Suni and Amma continued to follow Ru. It was obvious that Ykot was new and still in the process of being built. He could see the potential it had. The living area would eventually be defendable no matter the time of day or night. When Ru stopped, they were standing in the market area. Suni was impressed by how many warriors there were. He had heard stories of new villages just starting out that had only two or three families, if that.

"Ru, this is a lovely area," Amma said. "It's going to be breathtaking when finished."

"Thank you. Jo has a lot of input about the organization and location of various buildings." Ru smiled. "I could not ask for a better mate. She has even set wards around the perimeter of the village so only those without malice can enter."

"Smart woman," Amma said. "It was one of the first important things we were taught as young girls. Well, that and not to run through a cast circle."

"I –"

"Amma!"