Chapter 26: First Kiss
#26 of The Mating Season 3
Chapter 26: First Kiss
Just as Zalia had told Kilyan earlier that morning, there was new grass up in the pastures: fresh spring grass forcing its eager way through the last slushy puddles of snow, the first grass of the warm seasons. The morning was warm and sunny and bright, and for the first time in a long time, the sky was a deep and endless blue. Zalia helped her mother herd the sheep out into the pastures, and mother and daughter walked side by side with their staffs as little Enya and Yuri followed in their wake, giggling together and clutching their dolls. The sheep wandered out into the bright morning, pulling up the grass at once with their teeth, and Aliona found a lone tree on a hill to sit under. They spread blankets across the damp, muddy earth, and the three generations sat happily together as the morning wore on.
"You know I've been caring for these sheep since I was their age," said Aliona with a happy sigh, and she nodded at the two pups, who were making their dolls walk together across the blanket.
"Really?" said Zalia in surprise. She set aside a basket, which contained their lunch for that day. Her mother had never told her such a thing before, but since Aliona seemed distracted, Zalia slipped her paw in the basket to steal a bit of sandwich and received a quick rap on her paw from her mother. Aliona smacked her daughter's paw as absently and yet as sharply as if she'd been smacking it for all twenty-one years of Zalia's life.
"Yes," answered Aliona. "My father died when I was very young and for a long time, my mother was so ill for want of him that she didn't get out of bed. I had to watch these sheep alone, protect them from lone wolves. I was often miserable and frightened up here on my own. But I never showed it. It would have hurt my mother too much if she knew how much I suffered because she was suffering. But then I had you," said Aliona happily and touched the back of her paw to Zalia's cheek. "And I never felt alone again."
"Oh, Mom," said Zalia sadly and took Aliona paw in her own. "Why are you telling me this? Because of Dad?"
"Zalia, do you know why we gave you your name?" Aliona waited, watching her daughter.
Zalia's deep blue eyes went blank. She shrugged and looked curiously at her mother.
"Because your father wanted to name our second pup after Zaldon. But you were a girl, so we gave you a name very similar to his instead. Do you know why your father wanted to name you after Zaldon?"
"Because Zaldon saved you from that sorcerer. Back before I was born, right?"
"Not only that, my daughter. You see. . . . your father and the sorcerer Zaldon . . . are in love." Aliona waited again, watching for her daughter's reaction.
Zalia stared blankly at her mother a moment, then grinned. "Mom! Are you teasing me? That's not funny --"
"I'm not teasing you, Zalia, it's true," said Aliona quietly.
Zalia stared at her mother. "So . . . you're saying Dad got sick . . . because he wanted Zaldon!"
"Yes."
Zalia grabbed her mother's arm. "You're not going to leave Dad, are you? Dad's not going to leave us!"
Seeing her daughter's alarm, Aliona cupped Zalia's face. "No, no -- Zalia, no one is leaving anyone! I have always known of your father's love for Zaldon because you father was honest with me from the start! In fact, I sometimes think I understand your father's feelings better than he does. You see, your father likes both males and females, and so, he loves both Zaldon and myself the way -- the way a male loves his two wives."
"So what's going to happen when Zaldon leaves again?" Zalia demanded angrily. "Dad will just get sick all over again?"
"I don't know," Aliona whispered. "Maybe if Zaldon came to visit more often, your father would be happier."
"Mom!"
Aliona looked quickly at her daughter and was alarmed to see tears in her eyes.
"I don't want Dad to get sick again!" Zalia cried in earnest, her fangs flashing in her mounting distress.
Aliona glanced at the two pups, who had stopped their playing and were staring at Zalia in wonder.
"Why don't you two go and play?" Aliona told the pups.
Little Enya nodded and leapt up, tugging on Yuri's paw. The two pups ran, cutting through the muddy patches of tall dead grass and short fresh grass with their manes and their tails streaming after them, giggling, clutching their little dolls.
"Not too far!" they heard Aliona call.
"Yes, Grammy!" Enya called over her shoulder. She grabbed Yuri's paw with a mischievous smile and said, "Come on! This way!"
The two little pups darted down through the grass together, giggling softly, grinning at each other. They came at last to a little stream flowing down from the western wood and sat together beside it, dipping their feet. It was beautiful here and the sunlight sparkled on the water as it swept down, splashing over the rocks.
"I come out here all the time with Mommy and Grammy. I'm gonna be a shepherdess when I grow up. What are you gonna be?" Enya asked.
Yuri sat blank a moment, then said in return, "I -- I don't know."
Enya sat in surprise. "Wow. You understand our language better than you let on!"
Yuri grinned.
"Are you really gonna go back with Zaldon?" Enya asked after a pause.
Yuri nodded sadly. "But we'll have each other still, right?" she whispered, showing Enya the little tan doll the other pup had given her.
Enya lifted her own doll, which was a bluish-silver replica of Yuri. "Right!"
The girls giggled as they made their dolls kiss each other. But they froze suddenly, startled that they had just done such a thing, and little Yuri blushed, shrinking behind her long mane.
"Your mane is like the water," Enya whispered, leaning close to Yuri now. "And it shines in the sun like it too. Why do you hide behind it?" Enya stroked Yuri's silvery mane back from her face and smiled. "There. Now I can see your eyes. They're really pretty, like the rest of you. Do you think I'm pretty too?"
Yuri took Enya's paw and whispered back, "Yes!"
"And do you want to kiss me? The way we made our dolls kiss?"
Yuri shivered happily at the warm look in Enya large blue eyes. And Enya was so pretty with her tan fur, her thick black lashes, and that white stripe cutting up her belly. Without even thinking, Yuri leaned forward. Enya leaned forward too, and the little pups kissed each other on the lips. They closed their eyes and touched each other's faces, lightly caressing, and their little paws joined, the fingers tangling as their small mouths continued in this sweet and innocent touch.
"Enya! Yuri! Where are you!"
The pups broke apart breathlessly as Aliona's voice echoed over the pastures. Their ears pricked forward and they listened to Aliona calling them a moment, but catching each other's eye, they pressed their foreheads together and giggled, kissing each other again.
"Enya!" Zalia was calling now.
Enya took Yuri's paw and whispered happily, "Let's go!"
The two pups dashed from the stream and ran back up the hill, their tails whisking through the grass behind them and their giggles a youthful refrain beneath the deep blue sky.