Testing My Luck in the New World

Night was heavy in the sky. The large bonfire in the middle of the village shone like beacon capable of keeping the entirety of the tribe warm. The light of the flickering flames stretched across the clearing and led the cat-kin in a joyous dance set to the tune of several stringed instruments that I couldn’t find amongst the crowd.

Most enjoyed themselves in dancing near the fire or were simply enjoying conversation as they sat around the dozen or so smaller fires built around the village. A few were embroiled in heated battles over in their sparring grounds and fewer still were showing the world that Tama and Kimiko were not the only ones that didn’t mind sharing their passionate love with an audience. I was no longer surprised to see any of this.

We sped past the some twenty or so women huddled around tables set near the fire. They prepped and stirred several massive pot’s worth of whatever was owed to the admittedly delectable scent that that filled the air. The short distance they kept between themselves and the blaze made me worry for their tails, but all wore happy smiles.

The celebration of Yua’s sudden return had well and truly begun. Her ears caught wind of all this, but it was the sight of her people waving and calling to her as we pressed through the village that really stole her attention. I knew she wanted desperately to join them, but she shook her head and led me by hand through the forest.

I hadn’t realized how far we’d gone until the light of the bonfire had all but vanished, leaving the job of lighting the forest to the still yawning moon. The sweet music of her people had easily been overtaken by the sound of the rushing river splitting the forest in two. Leading me by the hand, Yua guided me to sit at the river’s bank first before taking her spot on my thigh.

Letting her wrap my arms around her for warmth, the air near the water was chilly, I asked, “They can’t hear us from here?”

“Not unless they really try. The sound of the water cuts out most noise.”

With a contented smile, Yua stretched one of her shapely legs out and dipped a toe in the river. A small shudder briefly took her, but she didn’t pull it back when she leaned on me.

“This is where my people get our drinking water. It’s also where we bathe and play when it’s hot. I never would have thought I’d miss this place after trying the bath you made us back home, but this is nice.”

Closing my eyes to silently enjoy her calling our little cabin in the middle of nowhere our “home,” I let her enjoy herself for a while until her ears flicked. Casting her gaze across the river, we found a couple of deer come to drink. She smiled softly at them, but seeing them reminded me of something.

“When you told me what animals were in this forest, why didn’t you mention spriggans?”

“Hmm? Yes. You asked what animals were in the forest. Spriggans aren’t animals. They’re something like spirits, I think. Nothing to worry about.”

“So, it was just poor wording on my part,” I laughed, wondering what else might be out there. “But then why did Mana look so upset at the mention of their nest being taken over?”

Her father was a Hunter, meaning he routinely hunted the creatures of the forest to put food on the table. If she had any fondness for them, then I would have imagined she wouldn’t have to worry about them being hunted. Instead, she cried over them losing their nest.

This question caused Yua to furrow her brow. Looking vaguely uncomfortable, she withdrew her foot from the river and took my hand in hers.

“Alex, I… I feel like there’s so many things I should have told you before bringing you here. The decision to come was just so sudden that I… And you’ve been so worried about everything from me fighting to where to look that…”

I tightened my arms around her waist to comfort her. I’d like to hope that I hadn’t been ogling the other women here as much as she claimed I did the women in the city. But I let out a small breath when I admitted that I definitely had.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I won’t lie, it’s been rough, but I’m happy I brought you.”

The moonlight bouncing off the river caught the smile cautiously spreading across her lips, but it didn’t last too long.

 “It’s not just that. If you are going to be Mana’s mate someday, there’s something about her that I should have told you before I pushed the idea.”

I wondered why she didn’t say whatever she was about to say before she offered the girl to me on a silver platter, but I braced myself. Whatever it was couldn’t have been too bad if she let Mana become a Thief. But it was best I knew what I was getting myself in to.

“Mana has always been a little, well really, spoiled,” she started. “Everyone here learns to fight when they are young. Even if we don’t want to fight, we are taught to defend ourselves. But she never took to it because she wasn’t very good at it. And one day, after fourteen-straight wins, I knocked her into the dirt and she barely managed to pull herself to her feet before running off into the forest crying harder than I’d ever seen before.”

Yua turned over her palms and clenched them, remembering the punch she threw that made her friend cry. She continued.

“After that, she gave up fighting. I’d been gone so long that I’d forgotten how refuses to spar with anyone. She was so blatant in her rejections that it was almost insulting, but all she had to do was pout if they got mad and she’d get her way.”

I opened my mouth to say something, then stopped, only to decide that, if she was also going to be my mate, then there was no harm in asking.

“Are you saying they never got mad at her because she’s so cute?”

Yua nodded softly at this and unclenched her hand.

That would explain why her own father, and even the village chief, were so weary of looking her way whilst she pouted. And I had to agree with their refusal. Those big blue eyes of hers were dangerous.

“She knows she’s cute and uses it to get her way. That’s why she’s so spoiled. Because it always works. Every time someone came asking to spar, or she was called to do her chores, she’d run away into the forest to fool around. She spent a lot of her time playing in the trees to avoid the trouble. She simply doesn’t like doing things she’s not good at. I thought that she might have changed her ways while I was gone, but the way she acted today makes me think she only got worse.”

“So, she uses her looks to get her way.”

“That’s what she used to do, but I could tell she was surprised when you didn’t immediately give in to her. Especially since you fell for her the moment you saw her.”

“D-Did you have to point that out?”

I don’t want to think myself so weak that I’d just throw myself at anyone with a pair of tits. Though it was hard to deny it when I had two humanoid lie-detectors besides me at the time.

“Hehe. Well, she certainly liked that about you.”

“… I guess your people being able to hear each other’s hearts makes confessing super easy, huh?”

“Hmm. I guess so. But it’s more like it’s not even needed. When one of our people finds someone they are interested in, and if that person feels the same, they usually just find a tent and make it official by mating.”

“Wait, find a tent? They don’t use their own?”

The thought of me coming home only to randomly find a couple of strangers going at it in my bed refused to let go of my attention until Yua spoke again.

“Usually, yea. Depends where in the village they are, though. Some don’t even use a tent.”

“You mean they mate out in the open? Where people can see them?”

Yua nodded with a small giggle aimed directly at the surprised gasp I let loose.

“Wow…”

Tama and Kimiko aside, I did see a few of the cat-kin going at it while we walked the village, but to make a spectacle of their first time?

Shaking my head, I laid back on the grass. Yua politely slipped off of me and snuggled up in my arm. Together, we watched the moon and the stars claim the sky as theirs for the night. Listening to the river and to the occasional light thump of her tail brushing the grass, I thought to return the conversation back to why I needed to speak privately with her, but then she rolled herself back onto me. Pressing her breasts against my chest, Yua laid on top of me as if the sight of me enjoying her softness was more interesting than the nature she’s missed.

She smiled warmly.

“I know Mana loves you.”

“Wh-What? Where’d that come from?”

Ignoring my question, Yua laid her cheek on my chest.

“I wouldn’t suggest making her your mate unless she loved you too. I bet you were thinking she just wanted to get stronger with you, right? We don’t just pair up with someone for the sake of convenience. Ever.”

“Then you heard her heart and knew?”

Her smile took on the sudden twist of a smirk as she slowly shook her head, nuzzling her chin into my pecs.

“She told me herself when you were fighting Daddy. She ran to our tent and listened with us. I’ve never seen her so interested in a fight before.”

Despite myself, I snorted my way through a smirk. She of all people would relate a person’s love to fighting. It was so like her that any doubt I had in the sentiment faded instantly.

“… And you’re really okay with this? Mana, I mean.”

Yua opened her peachy lips to answer, but I stopped her and continued.

“I do love her,” I said, fully incapable of denying it. “But you should know that when I made that little cabin for us, I only ever meant for you to share my bed.”

I wanted to add that having her approval to take a second wife would make me endlessly happy, but I decided against it. With the way she was, I was worried she might make my wants her own and neglect her own feelings in the process. And I wanted to hear her thoughts when Mana wasn’t around to influence her. So, I stayed quiet. I wanted her answer as my first wife, not my slave.

“Of course, I’m fine with it. As your mate, I want to make you happy. I’d be just as happy to hog you all to myself, but I know bringing Mana along would just make you happier!”

            I closed my eyes to draw in a deep breath, hoping that I could catch the scent of her boundless open-mindedness to make it my own. But hearing her proclaim both her love and willingness to let me share mine spurred a certain part of me to stand up.

            Yua’s ears flicked, as if she heard it harden, and she started to grin wryly. I could practically hear her start to call me Master again, but taking a page from her people’s book, I stopped her.

            “Wah!.... Hahaha!”

            Grabbing her by the hips, I through her onto the grass and this time, I rolled on top of her. Laughing and holding out her hands to welcome me, she parted her legs without the need for me to ask. Confident that the trees shaded us well enough in the night’s ever-growing darkness, I pressed my lips to hers the moment she let me in. After all the intrusions, I wanted to enjoy all her little gasps and moans to myself for a while.

 

            Not wanting to keep Yua from her people for too long, I once more cast the Body Wash spell on us and we returned to the village proper. While I felt just a little guilty for drawing her away for so long, I was happy to see that none of the festivities had come to an end in our absence.

            Having mutually enjoyed our little chat, Yua led me back through the crowd of cat-kin and, wanting to get back to business, brought me straight to Kimiko.

            The buxom cat girl was sat on a log besides one of the smaller campfires dotting the area. She’d been enjoying a chat of her own with another beauty, but as soon as I was close enough to see the color of her eyes, her ears flicked and she turned to us. Looking just as inviting as her daughter might have, Kimiko pat the spot on the log next to her. I had no doubt that she already knew why I wanted to speak with her.

            We took the offered seat between her and this other woman. Yua sat beside me to cuddle up under my arm again. Enjoying her contented look, I noticed how this new cat girl, a woman roughly Kimiko’s age named Chibi, grinned toothily at me. Her long black hair cascaded down over her shoulder to cover only one of her modest breasts, but it wasn’t my noticing this that caused her to grin. Nor could I think of what I’d done to deserve her staring. I just sat, carefully distancing myself from her.

Meanwhile, Kimiko herself stared at Yua. Her smile stayed warm and inviting, but with the flickering flames of the campfire casting shadows over her more delicate features, she looked oddly menacing. I got the distinct impression that she might not be as accommodating of polygamy as Tama was, or that she was just upset that we snuck away from the celebration thrown in her honor to have sex, but her bright yellow eyes never once looked my way.

            Sensing this, Yua’s ears jerked. When she looked to her mother, all Kimiko did was raise a brow at her. Pressing her lips together in contemplation, Yua’s ears gave yet another sudden jerk and hefted my arm off her shoulders and stood. Turning her back to me, Yua widened her stance and lowered herself onto my thigh.

            Instantly, Kimiko’s mood lightened up and the pressure I’d been feeling from her vanished. Yua smiled apologetically and the flick Kimiko’s tail gave might as well have said “It’s all water under the bridge.”

            However, village customs aside, I was forced to acknowledge the fact that the taken women’s way of spreading their legs on their mate’s lap meant that Yua’s vagina was on clear display. This became no less obvious when I took note of the half dozen people, men and women alike, that passed by us, stopped and gave my Yua a brief congratulatory greeting.

            Yua paid their eyes no mind and greeted them back, while I heavily considered covering her with my hand again.

            “So, Alex,” Kimiko started, sliding across the log to sit directly beside me. Without meaning to, her massive breast pressed into my arm. She was uncomfortably warm after sitting next to the fire for so long. “Let me see that plant you want.”

            “R-Right.”

            I handed her the quest slip and after giving it a good look, she shook her head.

            “Sorry, but I’m not familiar with that one. I only collect the ones I can use to make healing salves.”

            “It’s okay,” I sighed. “We’ll figure something out.”

            I actually already had a backup plan in mind. With Miss Bellenfort’s map and Kimiko’s knowledge of the local fauna, it’d be easier to search the forest by avoiding places where she knew the flowers didn’t exist.

“I do believe we have some of those Cure Poison potions Yua asked about, though,” Kimiko added. “But not many.”

Before I could question why she’d have so few of those when they lived in a forest that was supposedly filled with poisonous dangers, I figured they’d likely used up their stock. But then I remembered Yua mentioning that they weren’t allowed in that part of the forest and grew a little confused. Then I grew even more confused when I noticed that this Chibi woman was staring at me still. Still with that same cheeky grin plastered across her face.

I’d have scooted further away, but doing so would have caused me to sink further into Kimiko’s breast, so I bore with it.

“I can trade you some Healing Potions for it.”

“No need. I know you two might end up in that part of the forest, so you’d better take it. Besides, I know the Apothecary in Guerraway doesn’t have any. I already sent someone to check.”

“I see. Well, I heard their potions were supposed to be disgusting anyways.”

“Hmm? They taste just fine to me.”

Yua smiled as I stared blankly into the flames warming us. Was everything that tiny witch of an apothecary lectured me on just a lie? Or was she just bragging about her own work while belittling everyone else’s?

“Anyways, thank you,” I said. “We weren’t able to get any in Amoranth.”

“Please don’t worry about it. Think of it as me just helping my daughter.”

I nodded. “That’s why I wanted them in the first place. Can’t go letting her get poisoned.”

Yua smirked up at me, cutely pressing a finger to my lips to tell me to shush and I hugged her close. Seeing this, Kimiko’s ears twitched.

“Oh, right. Yua, I wanted to ask about…”

Before she could finish, Chibi jumped off the log to stand directly in front of me. With the campfire behind her and almost close enough to singe her tail, she thrust her hands onto her hips and widened her stance, as if specifically trying to show off the small bushel of hair between her thighs. There she observed me for a couple quiet moments.

 

 

Neither of the other cat girls with me bat an eye at her, but I felt an inexplicable pressure pouring off her. Right up until she grinned widely and leveled her index finger at my face.

“I like you. You’d be a good mate. I want you.”

With her impromptu declaration released into the wild, Chibi once more thrust her hand onto her hip, making her breasts jiggle. Watching her tail swish about, I started to wonder if I had unknowingly seduced yet another of their women and if I was about to be dragged off into a free tent, but all such stupid thoughts ceased when Yua and Kimiko let out a small giggle in unison.

“Alex,” Kimiko started, hiding her laughter unlike her daughter. “This is Chibi. Mana’s mother.”

“O-Oh… Uh. Nice to meet you.”

Of course. Here I was about to panic at the thought I had somehow drawn the interest of yet another cat girl, only to have Yua of all people laugh at me.

But what else was I supposed to think?! With what she said and the fact that, other than her black hair, she looks nothing like Mana, what the hell else was I supposed to think!

“Heh.” Chibi laughed, crossing her arms. “Yes. I like you for my Mana.”

Say that the first time!

“Thank you,” I said, trying not to show that the three’s laughter bother me. “I’ll do my best for her.”

 Chibi nodded, still grinning, and plopped down on the log right beside me. Boxed in by the two mothers and with Yua on my lap, I very suddenly felt like I had no way to escape this fleshy care. The only solace I could find was in that Chibi didn’t press her comparably much smaller breasts into me like Kimiko did.

Goddess… Yua can hear my heart the moment I fall for a girl. What the hell is she hearing now?

Well, whatever it was, she was still giggling.

“So, when do you plan on bleeding my Mana?” Chibi asked, exuding excitement as she rubbed her thighs together. “I think right now would be best. Or maybe after dinner. She’s happiest after eating meat.”

I don’t know why I thought I was done being surprised by these people. First Mochi refuses to let me near her, now Chibi is offering her up to me on a silver platter? Shouldn’t she be guarding her daughter’s chastity or something?

“I, uh, Mochi said we can’t be together until…”

“Pfft. Don't worry about him,” Chibi scoffed, dismissing him with a wave. “I’ll hold him down with mating. He definitely won’t say no if I ask. You can use that chance to…!”

Chibi’s ears stiffened sharply and her shoulders jumped. Her excitement dwindled away almost instantly as she shrank back. Yua laughed again.

“Hehe. Chibi got yelled at again.”

“Heh…”

“Chibi, you shouldn’t go against your mate like that,” Kimiko lightly chided.

… I guess Mochi must have heard her offer. The ears on these people are way too dangerous. I can’t even see the man and she heard him.

“A-Anyways,” Chibi said. “My Mate already gave you permission to take her as yours, but you have mine too.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best to keep her safe and happy.”

Chibi nodded, her smile returning as she crossed her arms.

“Good. Now, when you finally bleed her, be sure to let me know. I want to check.”

“Check? How would you…”

“Eh? How? You just spread her special place open and look inside.”

Chibi tilted her head at me, eyeing me as though I were some sort of idiot for asking. I skillfully pretended not to notice, though. That wasn’t a subject I wanted to touch.

“That’s what my mother and father did to me when I was bled.”

Never mind. Apparently, Chibi wanted to further the point.

“… Is that another of your people’s customs?”

“Nah. Not the tribe’s, just my family’s.”

I breathed a sigh of relief that made Yua’s ears flick. Thankfully, she wasn’t going to have to undergo any weird examinations. Though they would be mostly pointless since Tama walked in us and eagerly peeked at what we were doing. As for Mana’s case… Well, she was born into the wrong family. Nothing I can do about that but offer to not let her parents know.

“Then I guess I will…”

“Daughter Yua.”

Before I could confirm or deny my willingness to participate in yet another tradition, two cat-kin men joined us by the fire. One looked to be around our age and the other a few years older. Given how young Yua’s parents looked, these two could have been father and son.

Denying Kimiko’s offer to let them sit beside her to get warm, they faced Yua directly and despite their bits and pieces hanging out openly, her gaze never left their eyes. Honestly, I have no idea how they do it.

“Daughter Yua,” the older of the two started. “We know that the food will be ready soon, but please spar with us.”

“Yes, please,” said the younger man, clenching his fists in anticipation. “We absolutely have to fight before you leave again!”

At the sound of yet another challenge, Yua’s tail flicked against me. A fierce grin crept across her face as she stood to meet their challenge. She didn’t need to ask my permission this time.

“Oh? Yuuma, Akio, did you both want to challenge me at the same time?”

Confused, the men looked to each other.

“No, Daughter Yua. We’d take turns.”

Yua huffed, crossing her arms.

“Nonsense. I’ll fight both of you at the same time. Come on! Alex, you can wait here. This won’t take long.”

With a smile and a wave to me, Yua eagerly took off running towards the sparring area. The two men looked to each other again and, unconcerned with how her easy acceptance of a two on one betrayed her confidence, they shrugged and followed her through the crowd. I watched up until they were no longer in sight, but kept my eye on Yua’s health bar just in case.

It made me happy to see her so excited, but watching her leave into this forest of nudity to go enjoy a good ol’ round of ass-whooping instilled a new worry in me that I apparently was not prepared for.

She left me alone with these two older women. Two beauties, nonetheless. Potential mother-in-laws or not, I suddenly felt very out of place.

As if sensing this, Chibi slid over the log to sit even closer to me. She didn’t have the assets Kimiko did that allowed her to somehow become spatially unaware of how close she was to people, but she did firmly press her thigh against mine, locking me down right after Yua vacated my lap to give me an exit. She looked to me, her deep grey eyes shining with curiosity under the moonlight.

“So, I heard you and Daughter Yua mating earlier, but what was your first time with her like?”

“I, uh…”

What the fuck?! Aren’t the usual questions for a new couple supposed to be where did you meet or where did you go on your first date? You ask that five seconds after meeting me? That is not something I want to talk about. I wanted to keep that lovely night between the two of us.

“Chibi,” Kimiko sighed. “You can’t just ask humans that. They’re not like us. They prefer to keep their mating a secret, right?”

“Y-yes, that’s right!”

Kimiko, I could kiss you if I wasn’t sure Tama would kill me. Thank the Goddess at least one of these two had some common sense.

“Eh?” Chibi pouted. Cute as she was herself, that look of hers couldn’t hold a candle to Mana’s. “How boring. Then, um, where are you from?”

“Uh…”

Shit. Now talking about our first time doesn’t sound so bad. Knowing how this tribe works, they might even take our story to be nothing but casual banter, if not something scandalous. But the thought of actually unleashing the made-up story of my origin just barely crossed the line of being worse.

Sensing my hesitation, Chibi added, “I want to know how far Mana’s new home will be.”

“O-Oh. Um, I’m not sure of the area’s name. We just kind of settled somewhere that looked nice. It’s pretty far, but with my magic, I can bring her here in an hour or two.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Having already heard my fight with Tama and Yua’s story, neither of the mothers questioned the existence of my magic. I already played with the thought that my abilities could just be a family secret, but with all these cat ears so recklessly eavesdropping, the entire village had to know by now.

Chibi nodded to herself, smirking at some hidden thoughts I wasn’t sure I wanted her to let out, then she leaned forward. Pressing her palms to my thigh to lean on me, she shot a beaming smile my way as her tail swished delightedly.

“Then that means you aren’t really going to take her all that far, right? She can visit sometimes?”

“S-Sure. Whenever she wants.”

With Kimiko’s massive soft breasts pressing against my arm and Chibi’s small hands uncomfortably close to my monster, I didn’t think I had any reason left in me to say anything but yes to whatever they asked. They could ask me my deepest secrets, my fears, my weaknesses and even ask for the details of my reincarnation and I would have been powerless to refuse.

“Eeep!”

Thankfully, I was saved, not by Yua returning from her fight, but from Mana.

With her petite daughter suddenly appearing besides her, Chibi jumped and let go of me to face her. When she saw her daughter she pressed a hand to her heaving chest and sighed.

“Geez, Mana. How many times do I have to tell you to stop sneaking up on people like that?”

“Hmph,” Mana pouted, circling around Chibi to stand before me. “I didn’t want you to hear me coming or you might tell Daddy.”

With a huff, Mana spread her legs and, without asking, lowered herself onto my thigh. She chose my left, where Yua typically chose my right, and got comfortable herself. Under the soft pressure of her, I was forced to bear with the utterly adorable sound of her contented sigh as she leaned into my chest as if she owned the place.

“Mana,” Kimiko started. “You shouldn’t disobey your daddy like that. He said you two aren’t allowed to be together yet.”

“So? It’s not like we’re alone. You and Mother are here.”

“Mm. You still shouldn’t disobey him like that.”

“B-But Mother is okay with it, right?”

In a flash, Mana turned her big blue eyes on Chibi and the older woman through up her hands to shield herself. The cute pout making her lips shine made her mother’s entire body stiffen like stone. Even her once lively tail stopped swishing.

“Y-yes. I approve of him.”

“See?” Mana said, turning the same look to Kimiko.

“…!”

Unlike Chibi, who got a full-faced attack, Kimiko managed to turn away, ripping her breast off of me to clasp a hand over her mouth, likely to prevent a squeal.

Seeing this, I almost wondered why Mana wasn’t the chief yet. This girl could make her whole tribe bow to her by just turning on the water works. But then I saw the distinct droop in her cat ears when her gaze flicked between the mothers. Each were doing their best to look away from her and, when Chibi chanced a peek, saw Mana’s continued pouting, she once more hid behind her arms.

“Hmph…”

She reached out to Chibi, as if to say everything was okay, but the self-blinded mother didn’t see the hand she offered. I thought she might have been happy about getting her way with her troublemaking, but her shoulders fell.

Instinctually, my arms flew around this petite girl’s waist and I pulled her close. I couldn’t tell if she was faking that pout, but I knew at once that I couldn’t bare to see it for real.

Her ears shot right back up and, instead of pushing away this man she barely met, she looked up to me and smiled brightly. If the tears in the corners of her eyes were anything to go off, we just avoided a catastrophe on par with nuclear armageddon.

“Big Bro…”

Unable to look away, I brushed the beginnings of those tears I didn’t even understand away with my thumb and she blushed. Then, as if trying to headbutt me, she lowered her face and shoved her cheek into my chest. I held her closer still and she moved her hand as well.

I thought she meant to hug me back but instead, her fingers flew south between my legs. My mind blanked for a brief moment, remembering my nudity and how the mates of this tribe held each other. I was about to ask her to stop for fear of receiving an arrow through the eye from Mochi, but another hand shot between my legs before I could utter a single syllable.

Kimiko’s palm pressed flat against my penis just before Mana’s could make contact. I tried to blink away her warmth, but it didn’t work. Only when Mana’s hand touched Kimiko’s and shot back in surprise, did the mother pull hers away.

“Mana,” Kimiko chided, her tone sounding deftly serious. “I suppose I won’t stop you from sitting with him, but you are not his mate yet. He is not yours, so do not touch his manhood.”

“… Fine.”

In a huff, Mana’s body fell limp in my arms. Still blinking, somehow still conscious, a random syllable or two managed to find its way onto my tongue, but Kimiko shot me down with a serious gaze. She smiled a very motherly smile, but somehow the mirth in her eyes was gone.

“That goes for you too, Alex,” she said, her yellow eyes dipping down to make sure my hands weren’t anywhere scandalous.

“U-understood.”

 Satisfied with my answer, Kimiko drew in a deep breath, her massive breasts heaving with the effort. Warmth returned to her smile as she clapped her hands together. Chibi pat Mana’s head comfortingly as Kimiko changed the subject.

“Anyways, Alex. If you don’t want to treat Yua like a slave, why did you buy her in the first place?”

“Oh, uh, well…”

She shook her head.

“I’m not mad at you. You were kind enough to bring her back to us when you really didn’t have to. I just don’t understand your motives.”

“…”

Right. I suppose Yua told them her side of things. It’s only natural that she want to hear mine. She knew some of it already and there was plenty I couldn’t tell her, but I guess she had the right to know the rest.

Curiosity once more pricking her ears, Mana lifted her chin from my chest to listen. Likewise, Chibi and Kimiko both pressed up against me again, trying to show I had their full attention. Feeling oddly comforted by their three-way embrace instead of anxious, I went ahead and told my story.

 

Several minutes had passed since I began and by the end of it, Chibi and Kimiko were nodding together, understanding of my reasons if not agreeing a with them. It was surprising how calm they were after I outright stated my original intention for Yua, like they didn’t have a single judgmental bone between them.

But Mana took my tale in a different way. She sat there, her mouth agape almost from the moment I started. Her hands squeezed around mine when I mentioned how alone I’d felt. I genuinely wasn’t trying for sympathy, but she looked like she wanted to cry for me. I hugged her close before she could and finished.

“I see,” Kimiko said. “Your actions were still wrong… but you do treat her well. And I can both see and hear how much she loves you, so… I don’t know what to say.”

“I think it’s a fine reason,” Chibi said, leaning back on the log. “Maybe not right, but if he didn’t, we still wouldn’t know what happened to her.”

“True…”

Listening to the two mothers debate the merits of me buying one of their daughters as a slave, I said nothing. I just sat quietly and hugged Mana’s petite frame against mine. If my time with Yua taught me anything, it’s that she felt no resentment for how we met, but that didn’t mean everyone else would see it the same way.

Still, even if the truth lost me a few brownie points with these three, I don’t regret my actions.

Perhaps sensing this and coming to a silent decision herself, Kimiko let out a breath before her warm smile returned. She lifted her ears to the sky to listen to something far off.

“Dinner’s ready,” she said, standing. “I think Yua’s a little too preoccupied to have noticed. So, I’ll…”

“No,” I said, setting Mana down. “I’ll go let her know.”

“I see. Please do.”

Mana’s ears flicked despairingly after being let go, but after quickly sniffing the air, her tail swished about in obvious excitement. Spinning on her heal, she pressed her lips to mine before either of the others could stop her.

“I’ll get your food,” she said and took off running towards the large bonfire.

I felt an incredibly idiotic smile spread across my face like a virulent infection that I just couldn’t get rid of. Meanwhile, Chibi nodded in loving approval before following her and Kimiko let out a small, exasperated sigh.

Leaving the woman that was no essentially my mother-in-law to wait by the fire, I made my way past the dozens of cat-kin lining up to get their food and towards the sparring area. I knew full well where it was and, since Yua’s life bar had occasionally taken a small hit as we talked, I knew she was still there. But without really knowing why, I stopped in my tracks.

A few of the cat-kin smiled kindly at me in passing, saying nothing of how I stood in their way. I couldn’t help it. An invisible spear of lightning made my heart thud against my ribcage. It compelled me to turn around and I immediately found the cause.

Standing there in the middle of the food line, Mana waited quite impatiently, tiptoeing to look around her taller tribesmen to see what was for dinner, though I was sure she could smell it. This wasn’t too surprising, but what gave me pause was how isolated she was.

This unbearably cute girl, who was open enough to lovingly embrace me as her man the moment she’d discovered her feelings, was alone. There were people in line both in front and behind her, but they all kept a good distance from her, whereas the rest of them were otherwise packed close together as they chatted. Only Mana was by herself, wearing an upward turn to her lips that looked oddly empty as she waited in silence.

Suddenly and overwhelmingly unable to accept this reality, I dashed over to her and scooped her up into my arms in a princess carry.

“Ah! Wha… Big Bro? What are you doing? The food is ready.”

“I know, but…” Realizing I didn’t have a reason to do this, I pulled one out of thin air. “I thought we could go get Yua and eat together. How about it?”

Mana blinked up at me from within my arms, her cheeks slightly flushed. Then a wide, happy grin spread across her lips. She nodded emphatically, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“Yes! Let’s get Big Sis.”

Grinning myself and feeling as though Mochi was lying in wait somewhere, scoping me out for any wrongdoings, I took care to not touch her in weird places and took off for the sparring grounds.

There I found a sight I was more or less expecting to see. The younger of the two men that came to challenge Yua, Akio, was on his knees, holding his head with a pained expression. Meanwhile, a short distance away from him, the other two still battled it out.

“Ra. Ra. Ra!!”

The older man, Yuuma, was on his back on the ground. Yua rode on top of him and I couldn’t help but notice how her crotch was pressed directly against his face as she levied blow after powerful blow into his unguarded stomach, each with the force behind it to knock up the lunch he’d had three weeks ago. Her attacks were so relentless that I almost forgot to be concerned over their positioning.

Just as we got there, Yuuma turned his face away from her crotch and gasped, as if he’d been unable to breathe. Had she been trying to end the fight by suffocating him with her pussy, while also beating the last breaths of air out of him with her fists? Man, what a way that’d be to lose a fight.

I felt the last lingering threat of my continued sanity snap and, surprised myself at how okay I was with what I was seeing, I just watched.

Yuuma didn’t stop after drawing a deep breath, nor did he take a moment to think about where his nose had been a second ago. Grunting with each hit, he searched for a way out of her hold. He found it quickly. Using her comparably lighter body weight, he wrenched his hand out from under her foot, grabbed her by the knee and used all his strength to throw her off him.

Yua let out a small yelp of surprise as her back hit the dirt. Rolling onto her back herself, she tried to jump back to her feet, only to be tackled by the recovered Akio.

The younger of the two men landed on top of her, his face pressing against her breast for but a moment until he reeled back and threw a punch at her face. She blocked this easily and, unwilling to use the same tactic she did this afternoon, bucked her hips the moment Akio threw a second punch, throwing him off balance. Smirking as she made use of the opening she created for herself, Yua slid back out from beneath him, pulled back both her legs and kicked him square in the gut.

Watching him fly backwards from her unrelenting force, Yua climbed back to her feet, only for her ears to flick the moment she noticed Yuuma appear behind her. Grabbing her by one arm, his free hand flew between her thighs and he lifted her into the air in a motion so quick and so smooth she couldn’t have reacted to it if she’d seen it coming.

Spinning her around, throwing her legs up in the air, he wrapped his burly arms around her hips and dropped himself. Attempting to pile drive her, he all but completely ignored the punches she unleashed on his arms.

Just before her head hit the ground for what surely would have been the knockout blow, Yua braced herself and let her forearms absorb the impact. His momentum ended sooner than he meant it to, Yuuma’s grasp on her shifted and dropped further down her waist. Still holding herself up on her arms, Yua threw a knee straight into the man’s nose.

“Gah!”

Yuuma managed to turn his face just before the impact, but her blow still rang true when a rivulet of blood started to pour out of his nose. He’d lost.

But before she could celebrate evening the odds, Akio returned to the fight by dashing in and landing a quick punch to Yua’s cheek the moment she got back to her knees. Briefly dazed, she didn’t have time to react to his second or third punches until she regained her senses and jumped back to avoid the fourth.

Her breasts heaving with her every labored breath, she wiped her thumb under her nose to check for blood, found nothing, and put up her fists.

The two battered cat-kin stared each other down for a moment or two before breaking into a full-on sprint towards each other. Yua threw out another punch, but Akio ducked it and tackled her yet again. Like Yuuma, he wrapped an arm up and between her breasts and sent the other up her back to lock his hands together to use her own weight against her. Twisting his hips, he threw her over onto the dirt face down and jumped onto her. He pressed a hand firmly down onto her back to keep her from moving while he straddled her ass.

With a resounding grunt, Akio threw a punch aimed at the back of her head, but her ears flicked and she whipped her head to the side, forcing him to punch only dirt. She then put her hands to the ground and pushed with all her might. Showing her strength to be more than enough for the both of them, she launched him off her and herself back to her feet.

With Akio thrown backward to the ground, Yua spun on her heel and ran to deliver a return punch of her own. Her fist struck his jaw with an impressive crack that sent spittle flying. His eyelids fluttered shut, but only for a moment.

Clearly in a daze as he could barely keep his eyes open, he still refused to give up, but it was all he could do to make a swipe at her again. All his last effort to end the fight in his favor got him was a weak slap on Yua’s breast that did nothing more than make it jiggle. Unconcerned, she punched him again in the nose, drawing blood.

Smiling himself despite his loss, Yuuma came back to the two and offered Yua a hand up as she panted. She took it and they both helped Akio to his feet. There, Akio still dazed, they clasped hands and bowed to each other, mutually satisfied with the results of the match.

And like that, the fight was done. Akio’s consciousness did wane, causing him to grasp at Yua again to steady himself, but she took his uninvited groping in stride as he collapsed into her chest, finally falling unconscious. Yuuma, despite his nose still bleeding profusely, thanked her for the match and hefted Akio over his shoulder to cart him away for healing.

Watching them go, Yua let out a long, satisfied sigh. Taking a moment to draw in a long breath of victory, her ears flicked and she turned to me. She grinned broadly. I was prepared for her to barrel into me to brag about her well-fought victory, but I didn’t expect her to do it while I was still holding Mana.

“Alex, I won! I beat them both at the same time!”

With Mana giggling as she was sandwiched between my chest and Yua’s, I accepted her victory with open arms. But as much as I wanted to let her gloat over her victory, we had to get going. She did want to eat her people’s cooking, after all.

Looking excited enough to jump for joy over her glorious feat of strength, Yua practically skipped back to the log we shared with Kimiko while Mana dashed back to the food line to get us our food. I couldn’t help but notice the way she was licking her lips as she took off.

“Fuaah!”

Plopping down on the log, Yua sat beside Tama, who was once more holding Kimiko on his lap. He was holding a bowl of what looked to be a mix of stewed meat and vegetables, but the broth was a spicey-looking orange. Despite this, and for reasons I didn’t feel like guessing at, Kimiko reached her fingers into his bowl, grabbed a chunk of meat and brought it to his lips for him. He chewed it contentedly as she smiled and took some for herself.

“Daddy,” Yua said, stretching her arms over her head. “Could you heal me, please?”

“Huh? Sure. Healing Fist.”

Without tearing his eyes away from the next piece of meat Kimiko fed him, Tama blindly reached a hand out to Yua. Surely meaning to place his palm over her heart, he accidentally, but openly, pressed his glowing palm to her breast. No doubt noticing her softness, he still didn’t let go. Nor did he squeeze her. He didn’t even twitch in embarrassment when he turned briefly to check the location of her bruises. He clearly didn’t care, he just held and healed her as though it were the most natural thing to do.

Yua let out a long, pleased sigh when all the painful marks on her body began to fade away. Tilting her head back with a satisfied smile, she looked as though she were only lounging in a hot tub as she let the healing process run its course.

It was done in seconds, fast enough for Tama to fully return his attention to Kimiko before she could offer up another bite.

Unable to say anything in rebuke after everything today, I just sat beside Yua, grabbed her by the hips and lifted her onto my thigh. This earned me a loving passing glance from Daddy-dearest, a pleased smile from Kimiko and a warm hug form Yua as she draped an arm around my neck to lean on me.

Mana came back a few minutes later, struggling to carry all our food. Yua hurried to relieve the petite girl of her burden and, after Mana noticed her sitting on my lap, she smiled happily and turned to sit on my free thigh before instantly digging into her meal.

Yua giggled at this and, matching Kimiko’s loving efforts, helped by feeding me since my hands were full holding these two beauties. Feeling all my worries wash themselves away as I enjoyed the sheer warmth of getting to hold the both of them, we continued our meal peacefully, with the only chatter between us being about Yua’s time in the city.

Enjoying the fact that Tama didn’t dismiss me every time I hopped in to say something, I mostly kept to myself and let Yua enjoy her time with her parents and ate in relative silence. I could not place the kind of meat, but it was indeed spicey.

 

When we finished, all three of the ladies got up and carried our bowls off. Mana had returned to climb back up onto my lap, but Yua and Kimiko had disappeared somewhere together. Figuring they were going to get the Cure Poison potion we were after, I found it all too comfortable to rest my chin on Mana’s head.

“So, boy,” Tama started, chin in hand and barely glancing at the girl in my arms. “If you accepted a guild quest, does that mean you and Daughter will be leaving tomorrow?”

“Yes. Sorry we couldn’t spend more time here, but we have to get going.”

“Tch. Whatever. Just don’t forget about those humans.”

With that, Tama left us to head off somewhere else in the village.

“We’ll be coming back soon,” I called out and his ears twitched.

Mana giggled, half knowing I meant for her, half because of how Tama stopped mid-step and let his tail flick about excitedly before walking on. I didn’t bother waiting for him to be out of earshot before speaking again.

“Mana,” I started, enjoying the ticklishness of her ears. “Yua and I will handle the humans bothering you guys, but after that, would you help us with our quest?”

She may play out there to avoid troublesome things, but I figured she might know where to look. If not, we had a whole village-worth of people to ask. Surely someone had seen it before.

“Definately! But, oh, when will you be coming back?”

“I don’t know,” I said, enduring the pout that came with her disappointment. “As soon as I can is all I can say.”

If the humans went to all this trouble to hide whatever they were doing, I doubted they’d be easy to negotiate with. We might even have to get Guerraway’s officials involved to get them out peacefully.

“Okay,” she moped. “But don’t take too long. Everything here is too boring without you and Big Sis.”

Without another word, Mana snuggled up under my chin and closed her eyes. Soon enough, the excitement of the day had her snoozing in my arms. This girl was too open with herself, but I welcomed the chance to hold her.

As I waited for Yua to return, spending my free time watching the sight of the cat-kin enjoying the party, some enjoying it a bit too much, Mochi found his way back to us with a grinning Chibi in tow.

Stopping in front of us and furrowing his brow, Mochi held out his hands. Knowing full well what he wanted, I unwrapped my arms from around Mana’s waist and he dove in to grab her before her sleeping form could fall. Holding her up in his arms, he smiled at her sleeping face, but said smile vanished when he looked to me.

“I let you be with her tonight since I knew you’d be leaving for a while, but she’s coming back with us.”

“I understand,” I said, standing. Meeting his gaze, I said, “But I will be back for her.”

“…”

A small upward turn to his lips showed itself for a split-second before he nodded and turned. He didn’t want to give her up, that much was easy to tell, but he understood that this was what she wanted. Hopefully that was good enough for him.

Watching them go, Mochi carrying their petite daughter away in his arms, Chibi grinned and poked my cheek.

“You had your chance and you messed up.”

“… What are you talking about?”

“Heheh. Like I said, I was mating with him since I left you. You could have bled Mana, but you didn’t.”

Still grinning after admitting to her debauchery, I noticed that Chibi’s face was damp with sweat and that a few strands of her long black hair were clinging to her skin. Though, I dared not look any lower than that for further proof.

“… You know my ears aren’t as sensitive as yours, right? How would I have known?” I said, then paused and added. “N-not that I would have gone against Mochi.”

I waited, staring into the crowd, waiting for Mochi’s eyes to lock onto mine, but he didn’t return.

“Hahaha! You’re so uptight! Even I think Mana needs to get it together, but don’t be so stiff around her, too. Besides…”

Her voice trailed off, but not because she’d heard her mate calling for her again. She pressed her body fully and unreservedly into mine for a hug. Stunned and, before my brain could register the feeling of her chest softly squishing against mine, she whispered as though she wanted to keep what she was about to say a secret between us.

“I can tell meeting our people has been a bit much for your senses, but I can promise Mana will make for a good mate. I couldn’t teach her how to fight, but I know I taught her right.”

Suppressing a small laugh, both at what she said and how easy it felt to hug her back, I whispered, “You don’t need to sell me on her. I’d take her regardless.”

“Hmm. Good,” she said, ending our hug. “I’ll make sure she wakes up early enough to see you off.”

“Thank you.”

Her cheeks brightening with a warm smile that felt at odds with all the grinning she’d been doing up until now, she turned to leave. But she did turn back only once and, touching her fingertips to her mouth to hide her lips, she spoke again in her usual voice.

“Oh, and I don’t mind if you want to sneak into our tent tonight. I’ll hold My Mate down if I have to.”

“… I won’t be doing that. Goodnight.”

With a playful shrug, Chibi wandered off. Thankfully, I didn’t know where their tent was, so I couldn’t be tempted. So, turning away so my Memorize trait couldn’t force me to remember the route she was taking, I headed back to our tent. Ready to be done with the day, I graciously awaited Yua’s return so that we could get some sleep.

A good while of relaxing in our hay bed later, Yua strode back into the tent. Moving straight for her backpack, she took out the water skin I had her keep there, uncorked it and took a long draw. She let out a satisfied sigh before tilting it back again for another drink.

I smirked at this. Thanks to my magic, we effectively had all the water we could want, so there was no problem with her drinking greedily. However, my smirk didn’t last long.

When Yua reentered the tent, she’d left the tent flaps open and the village’s large bonfire was still only just petering out. The leftovers of its warm light traveled straight into our tent and illuminated an unmistakable wetness drenching her inner thighs.

I sat up and, before her ears could catch my panic, my hand flew up between her thighs, ready to use her own customs rather than her status as a slave to demand answers. Her ears jumped in confusion at the sudden penetration, but she accepted it so easily that you’d have thought my fingers had always belonged there. She didn’t even squeeze me back.

Without a word, she waited for me to speak.

“Yua, where were you and what were you doing?”

“Hmm? I was in my parents’ tent, teaching Mother how to masturbate. She asked me to tell you that she really liked it and to thank you.”

I blinked once. Twice. Thrice. But nothing I could do could let me unhear that. What’s worse is that the idea didn’t shock me. It honestly sounded like something she might do in her misplaced attempts to share her knowledge with her parents. I had thought that I was being corrupted by these people, but that one line proved that it was me doing the corrupting as I had ruined what little purity these people had left.

I should have been bothered, but instead, perhaps having some of this news excited me.

Had it been a hands-on demonstration or was it purely visual? Just the thought of either of those options causing the two world-class beauties that were Yua and Kimiko to enjoy an unintentionally intimate moment together had me throbbing.

“Yua… I know you’re probably tired after all that fighting, but I really need you right now.”

Looking slightly confused, she turned just her head and noticed my throbbing. Grinning, she slapped the cork back into the water skin and threw a leg over me where I laid.

“Of course, My Mate. Whenever you need me.”

All on her own, and without noticing my thoughts for once, Yua removed my fingers from her and accepted the much bigger rod awaiting her embrace. Taking but a moment to correct her position, she started moving for the both of us.

The tent flaps were still open and I didn’t care. The whole tribe could surely hear the way her own movements caused her to moan and I didn’t care. Yua’s bouncing hips were faced towards it as she did her best to pleasure me and I just didn’t care anymore.

And yet, as if the world meant to mock me, or maybe praise me for surviving this day mostly unscathed, nobody bothered us. We had to harbor no more unwanted guests, no curious voyeurs and no more requests for a fight. We finally had a real moment alone in this village where privacy was a myth and it lasted long into the night before we fell asleep in each other’s arms.