25. Xax

Chapter 25

Xax

" O h, thank you," Amanda told Tribon. "That's . . ." She swallowed hard and glanced my way.

Did she see this as a deficiency on my part? I should've brought her meat, a common courting gift. Why hadn't I?

I'd followed my heart in other directions.

She'd appeared to accept my substitute gift, but only partly. While she wasn't rejecting the structure I'd built, she might agree with Gerain and Floosar that my stumps for tables and chairs weren't good enough. No, she'd plant a spore and have the god help her craft something new. I wasn't insulted. Not one bit. They were hard and clunky. I should've thought of planting a spore myself.

How could I make this up to her?

Meat, of course. I'd hunt soon. How else?

"Thank you, Tribon, but I'm not hungry," Amanda said. She backed away from him until she bumped into me, then remained there, her body pressing into my chest. "I appreciate your offer, however."

Tribon's hand dropped, as did his face.

Julop and Vessak stood nearby, holding equally appealing pieces of meat. Looking from her to me, they eased backward. They turned and walked toward their shrooms.

After pausing and dipping his head toward Amanda, Efendest rounded the tea shop and walked toward the woods, while Vessak gulped and stared down at his offering of meat, before he strode around us and over to his shroom, entering the stem. The door hissed closed behind him.

"I have a feeling it means something when someone offers meat," Amanda said with concern, stepping away and turning to face me.

"This is a courtship ritual in my clan. It shows the recipient that the one offering wants to provide for them."

"Ah." Her frown didn't ease. "They wanted to ask me out on a date?" She must've seen my confusion. "A date is a courtship ritual back on Earth. When someone likes another person, they ask them to do something with them. The time they spend together is called a date."

"Do dates involve meat on Earth?"

"Sometimes, if they go out to dinner together or hold a barbecue."

My worry dropped but didn't completely go away. How could I arrange a date for her and me?

"If you want to accept their meat, you should tell them this," I said. I had to state it plainly. Despite the will of the gods, she deserved to have complete say in who she mated with.

"I don't want their meat." Her eyes glowed with humor, though I wasn't sure why. "I only want one male's meat, but he hasn't offered it to me recently."

Bork? No, she couldn't be thinking of him. He was old, though it wasn't uncommon for an older male to mate with a younger female. But she hadn't looked at Bork as if she wanted him to offer her meat. Cresar was too young for mating. Who could it be?

"I see," I said.

Perhaps she meant Efendest. He hadn't come near; he'd slipped away before offering his meat. I hadn't noticed her attraction for him yesterday, but she might show her interest in a completely different way than a Zuldruxian female.

"I hope you're offered the meat you long for soon," I said, my voice choking off with dismay.

Her low laugh rang out. "I'm going to see what I can do to make sure that meat is offered to me as soon as possible."

My heart sunk, and I glanced toward Gerain and Floosar standing close by, both looking as if they were about to laugh along with Amanda.

I was missing something here, but I couldn't figure it out.

Gerain tugged on the hem of my loincloth and nodded at me. "You need to hunt."

"You're correct. I owe you meat. "

"Yes, yes, you owe me meat. Not courting meat, of course, but meat to fulfill our deal. I believe you owe someone else meat as well." Her low chuckle was echoed by Floosar's.

"Who?"

She only laughed harder. "Get me at least one haunch and be sure to bring back extra. That's all I'll say."

"Two haunches might be best, don't you think?" Floosar said quite seriously, though her eyes sparkled as well.

Gerain grunted. "You are a wise male, Xax. I can see why the gods chose you for this honor."

It was an honor to hunt for another, but I wasn't sure that was what she meant.

However, I liked how she turned her warm gaze toward Amanda. I would always be Amanda's friend and hopefully her lover and mate, but she needed other friends to make her life complete. Cresar, Gerain, and Floosar were a good start.

"I'll leave immediately." I tightened my grip on my spear.

Gerain nodded, her lips quivering with laughter. "Yes, do."

"I'll be back swiftly," I added as I started toward the woods.

"Yes, hurry," Gerain said.

As I trotted into the woods, I had no idea why the three females rolled with laughter.