California Soul (clean)
#4 of 1849
The life of a 49er was hard- in between the heat and exhaustion of a California day and the threat of Indian attacks, undeserving claim-jumpers and other miners all looking for the same treasure, these men would stop and think about the decisions they made that led to this. For Clarice Vulpino, concealing her feminity was much tougher than all these things- hiding the fact that "he" was indeed a "she" from literally hundreds of males who had not seen their girlfriends or wives in months.
And being a vixen she would soon be in heat in a few weeks, meaning that for the charade she had put on, the guys would treat her the same way a lion treats a juicy steak. Her only hope would be to travel with one of the guys back to San Fransisco under some pretense, then remove the mask and costume of a masculine 49er for a frontier vixen's sun dress, adventure for motherhood. She could not maintain that gruff, inverse falsetto forever, she could not drink beer and smoke and eat like a savage forever, she could not cuss like a sailor all her life- she was a woman and needed the gentle yet strong hands of a compassionate husband who would love her until the day they died.
"Why not Sheng Lee?", she thought out loud. He was also a fox, kind and noble, had received enough cash and was also a member of a marginalized group. For a moment, she thought of how socially-unacceptable for a mixed-race wedding would be, but then again women prospectors were not usual either. It was at that moment her plan was set in motion.
"Sheng Lee- I have received a note. Rudy Pentesila wants to talk to you over by his cabin for a private matter," David Carrington spoke to the fox, now proficient in English after a year of immersion in the language. Sheng Lee knew that the cabin was inhabited by only one miner, Clarice in disguise as a male but Sheng Lee was the only one who knew the identity of 'Rudy Pentesila'.When he entered the cabin, he was met by Clarice nee 'Rudy' in her prospector's uniform which included the helmet she seemed to always wear. (She blamed an Indian tomahawk blow which disfigured her face as the reason for wearing the identity-obscuring headwear.)
"There is a reason for me calling you. I'm in heat and will need to leave for San Fransisco. You saved us from claims-jumpers and settled disputes in my favor, helping me to earn this. The days of prospecting are over for me but I was not a failure at it by any stretch of the imagination" She pointed to her poke, the prospector's bag bulging with many dozen nuggets of gold next to her pan, sieve, and pick-ax.
"We need to talk about where we go from here. You know full well that I can't have them thinking I'm a man forever", the vixen who had been living a false life said.
"And yet if we go back to San Fransisco" Sheng interrupted, his tail involuntarily wagging as he looked at his gender-bending girlfriend "they won't recognize us at all as husband and wife. I once lived in China, where the woman was expected to be a mother but from time to time, they could be warriors and emperors. And when foreigners came, we married into their countries easily."
"Which is eactly why we need to marry somehow and if we have to escape society's rules and live our lives in sin, then that is what I am afraid we will have to do. I hate parts of the big city- nature doesn't care if you're rich or poor, male or female, or where you were born. All that matters is can you survive?" she said, worry lines creeping over her forehead.
Sheng had noticed this also- his marksmanship which he used to great effect when claims-jumpers came to try and seize the gold field won him the respect of his peers. And in such an environment, slowly the bigotry against his Chinese heritage eventually faded.People came to respect him, maybe not for who he was, but for the talents he had in protecting people, a skill Sheng believed was passed down through the ages as his ancestors were warriors and imperial bodyguards.
"Our children- think of our children, with my intellect strong enough to fool seasoned sourdoughs into thinking I was male and your strength, which kept us all alive, we will be responsible for the smartest, brightest citizens of California. The future leaders of this great state could very well be our offspring. I knew from the moment I met you, that you would be the one to protect me. And now I am yours," she said, wrapping her arms around his body in loving embrace before kissing him deeply and for a half-minute "and you are mine."
"Yes, we must be strong in the storm. Because others will be looking at us for help", Sheng said, taking Clarice's paw in his own and pouring some beer out of his canteen. "To California", they sipped and slowly drank the expensive alcohol.
"And those others you speak of, they will soon inherit this land- this land of California," she said with an exhuasted yet triumphant look on her face. She could see the trust in her lover's eyes and knew that in this moment, she would be as happy and peaceful as she would ever be. The two lovers fell asleep in each other's arms, thinking about their new homeland, their new life with each other. She felt safe and warm in Sheng Lee's arms, which she had never felt in years, not since the Indians massacred her family. For she was the future of California.