Love Can Be Blind

"Oh, Pat! Come in, please!" Despite the chilled wind, Catherine slid the door to her home wide open with the largest of smiles. "And if it isn't my busy daughter, too! Come on in before you all freeze to death."

"I came across this bunch on me own way over. Had to rescue them from the snow up yonder." Patrick gave Cat a quick kiss before offering to hang up everyone's jackets. "Good thing I've got me that buggy now or they'd have gotten lost in the hills."

"Actually Yoyo was our secret weapon, daddy." Robyn, requiring no coatfor her robotic shell, simply shook snow out her faux fur. "He makes gun sights that can see heat. Quite the skill, yeah?"

"It's nothing special. Nanites can do a lot more these days." Iolvin nudged Pat out the way as he placed his jacket on a hook in a closet, hinting that he'd take care of things so the old squirrel could relax. "Best useful thing I can do with mine are make contact lenses."

"He's being humble. There's loads more uses for his nanites." Adrian gave his jacket to his husband and passed along their wife's as well. "The contacts are just icing on the cake. With as much reading as he does now, I'm glad he chooses those over glasses."

"I liked him in those glasses, actually. They framed his face handsomely." Zoë rubbed her cold hands together and found a seat adjacent to an electric heater. "Not that it mattered since he could make more, but he did keep breaking them. Gotta agree that he isn't a glasses guy for that."

"Well I like them." Rhyme tossed her coat to Yoyo and joined Zoë for some warmth. "Ari thinks they make her look silly, but I think glasses are sexy."

"Really, now?" Ari formed a set of nanite glasses over her snout and made a quick pose. "You should have said something. They really don't bother me, other than when they get in the way of work."

"Glasses or no, you owe me, Ielunschra." Cat nearly tackled her daughter to the ground with a strong hug. "Four years. Four! How bad of a mother must I be for my own daughter to avoid me that long?"

"We talk every other day on holo-chat, mom." Ari loosened into the hug, kissing her mother between her ears. "I'm sorry. Work is rough on my schedule with my new crew and all the escorts we run. I made sure to have time for today, though. I do try to put family first."

"Well... good. As long as you still care, it's alright." Cat scanned out the open door a bit before reluctantly shutting it. "Where's the rest of the family? Are my grandwhelps too busy for this?"

"They're coming. Michelle gave me a tracker to use since they don't know the area well and sensors can't penetrate the blizzard." Ari pulled the pawheld device from her coat and let her mother take a look. "They'll bring the others over with a portal once I set that up outside. Our ship could land but theirs is... massive, really."

"Oh, you landed him? Maybe if the storm lets up I'll finally get a look at the Volk. Robyn keeps squealing about her ship." Cat chuckled under her breath as she grabbed a cup and headed for the kitchen. "That ship your daughters run is all Nadiya talks about, you know. Oh, who wants tea?"

A few furs raised their paws, last among them being Yoyo. "So Hope's talking to you now, mom?"

"Oh... No, unfortunately not. Her friend Qesis mentions it a lot though." Cathy placed a large kettle on the ceramic stove and noticed someone outside the kitchen window. "Speak of the timing... Sweetie, could you get the door for Qesis? She walked from across town in that snow."

"Oh, sure. Dedication--I like it." Ari figured out the locking handle to the door in a jiffy and shoved it open. "The track's got a bend to it that's catching. Want me to fix your door later, mom?"

Pat waved a paw. "Actually I was gonna tackle that meself when the snow calmed. It could be a week though, so no worries."

"Oh, okay..." Ari gave Robby a particularly questioning look, which was answered with a smiling nod. "I'm freezing my tail off here... Qesis? You out there?"

"Oh, sorry! I dropped one of these." The human held out a bowl of fruit resembling green peaches, which Cathy took off her hands so she could undress. "Thanks, Cat. Those were never here. Got it? Last of the meeba from the garden, and my parents would kill me if they knew."

Zoë shrugged her shoulders then made some room by the heater for her fellow human. "Over some fruit? That's a bit harsh."

"Meeba are just about the only fruit that grows in the cold season and dad loves them." Qesis waved in thanks for the warm spot, but headed to the hallway instead. "He'll get over it. That or he'll get some from the distillery. Perks of being a god-king, I guess."

"God-king? You mean the Pharaoh?" Rhyme perked up at that keyword. "So you must be Siamun and Viola's girl. Nice to finally meet you, hon. I'm Rhyme."

"Nice to meet you. Oh, but... could you keep that to yourselves? Officially my birth mother is the queen, Ana." Qesis bowed and waved as she headed to Nadiya's room. "The fruit is a gift if you'd like some. Hey Cat, is she sleeping or what?"

"Nadiya is going on a hunt before the first sunrise." Cathy sighed as she placed the bowl of meeba between everyone. "I told her not to overdo things today, but she won't listen."

"Well it's getting to be that time." Qesis opened the bedroom door, mumbling to herself as she shut it behind her. "Are we doing this the easy way ot the hard way, Nadi?"

"I'd normally say there's nothing wrong with a bit of work on your day of adulthood, but that snow..."

"Ielunschra, don't worry about your little sister. She's been out in worse, and I think it gives her time to think or something." Cathy sat next to Pat and cuddled into him, smiling at the stares they received. "As long as she's back by the ceremony I think it's fine."

"Hunting on her birthday, huh?" Yoyo sloped his head back and stared at the ceiling. "I remember when dad took me out for mine. I think I was... twelve, thirteen? We had a lot of fun, even if I scared away the whole forest."

"And that's why you stick to fishing, dear." Dee snuggled his husband's chest and nuzzled into his collar. "As long as she's safe it should be fine. Does she hunt a lot?"

"A few times a week. I'd argue that if not for her and the Ancients, we'd have no red meat in this tribe." The kettle started steaming, calling Cathy back to the kitchen. "She's truly good at it, but I think she wants more out of her life. I wish she'd talk to me. I only want to guide her."

"I can't believe she still keeps quiet. I know she's not mute because she's talked to me." Ari shook her head and walked down the hallway. "That's ridiculous. She should talk to her own mother... Excuse me? Is it okay to enter?"

"Yeah."

Ari slid open the door and almost immediately wanted to back out into the hallway on behalf of her sister's privacy. "O-Oh. I'm sorry. I'll--"

"It's okay. Come on in. Just be quiet, 'kay?" Qesis resumed curling up against Nadiya to snuggle the sleeping fox, despite her wearing little more than a drape to clothe herself. "Oh, right. I normally don't have to explain myself to your mom. We're just really close and... I like to share warmth."

"Oh... Okay. A lack of fur in this climate does warrant that." Ari leaned against a wall of the small room and examined her sister with awe. "I just don't know that much about my own baby sister. She's grown so much these last few years. She might even be bigger than me."

"You're six-eight, six-nine? I think you've got a few inches on her still." Qesis pulled her friend closer and started nuzzling the back of her neck to stir her awake. "I'm surprised though. When she said you were big, I didn't think..."

"We run tall in this family, from our dad's side. She... draws more from that gene pool, what with being mostly a vixen." Ari crouched by her sister and ran a paw through her hair. "I guess she lives up to the name. She might not be tall, but she's beautiful... and bigger where it matters more, I guess."

"Bigger...?" Qesis noticed Ari staring at Nadiya's quite above average chest and flushed her face with blush, a paw moving to pat her own flat chest with a whimper. "O-Oh... Yeah, she's... gifted in that department."

"Well don't you worry. Those things come in spurts, so you probably won't be far off for long. Though... damn, sis. What are these, double-Ds?"

"Um... I think she's a small double-H." Qesis pulled away, realizing she'd need to resort to more drastic measures to wake the fox anyway. She found a discarded bra on the floor and placed it in a clothes hamper. "Yeah, thirty-two double-H. Lucky girl."

"Damn. That's pushing the limits of nature, huh sis?"

"Not exactly." Carbon walked into the doorway, leaning against it while Sydney stood behind her. "Your father's mother was about the same. She was large, in all manners of speaking. I think she could punch through an engine block."

"Oh. Dad did always say our height came from her." Ari stood and gave the two a greeting pawshake. "The girls find another way to get you here?"

"Yeah, they tracked your watch. I forgot about the quantum entanglement connection on that thing myself, actually." Carbon entered the room and gave Nadiya's head a few strokes of a paw. "She's growing up so beautiful. I wish her father could see what brilliance he brought into the universe..."

"I'm sure it would go a long way to getting her and mom talking." Ari tried to stop Qesis as she poured a glass of water on Nadiya's face but she was too slow to respond to such an awkward act. "What was that for!?"

"To wake this lazy sleepyhead up, of course." Qesis knelt down with a small towel and dried the waking fox's muzzle. "Sorry, Nadi. The first sun is about to rise though." There was a strange silence between the two, then Qesis impromptu said, "Of course! Happy birthday, silly! Now get yourself dressed nice and warm so you can hunt. I want time with you later so the sooner the better."

The others shared a few odd looks, then Ari fell to a knee to check her sister. "Nadiya? Are you... alright? Should I take you somewhere," Ari looked to Qesis with concern and lowered her voice, "away from her?"

"No, it's fine. Sorry, sis." Nadiya took the towel and wiped her fur off, the task much easier with the thick otter fur she inherited repelling most of the moisture. "When did you come in? I'd have woken up sooner if I'd known."

"You sleep harder than I do, huh?" A chill worked up Ilaria's spine, sending her false arm twitching enough it nearly whacked Nadiya in the shoulder. "Ick. Sorry, thing has a mind of its own. Um... We landed a few hours ago in the lake to the south, but there's a blizzard making things difficult. Patrick thankfully had his truck with him and passed us by."

"Oh, that's a nice coincidence." Nadi checked the others in the room, her paw coming to rest on her own forehead as she found nothing but questions pointed her way. "Oh, boy. There's a dozen of you here, huh? How do I explain this...?"

Sydney moved past her wife and oscillated her view between the three near the bed. "Okay, now I'm getting a bit freaked out." A shiver flittered up her spine as well, but afterward the ottkat nodded with a grin. "Oh, I know how that works all too well. At least you've got some way of making it all mesh well, though."

"What...?" Ari looked to Cid, than back to her sister as those two met faces--but oddly not their eyes. "Nadiya, what's going on? I don't understand."

"Sis... I usually avoid crowds for this reason." Again Nadiya turned her head to look at her sister, but the eyes just didn't line up right. "I know what you're thinking." Suddenly her eyes twitched about, landing square on Ari's after a short interval of trial and error. "Sis... don't think less of me for this, please. I can't see much of anything, which is why my eyes are all over the place."

"Oh... Little sis, I don't care about that. I only care that you're happy."

"Good... because that's not all. I can't hear well either, only really low and high pitches." Nadi sighed as she read her sister like an open book. "Only you can hear this. The reason it seems like you can't hear when I talk to others... is because you really can't. I'm... using my mind, if that makes sense. I actually know what you're thinking."

"That... makes a lot more sense, actually. In fact now that you mention it, the feeling I get when you talk like this is similar to with Ceylon's telepathy." Ari tried to think of a condensed way to explain the alien, a few moments of groans passing before she had an answer. "Let's see... Ceylon is a new--"

"He's a Versa from a water planet." Nadi ducked her head down in shame. "S-Sorry. I was already in your head, and the imagery came to mind..."

"Yeah, the big oaf does that to us too." Ari nodded to herself and kissed her sister between the ears. "Don't worry about it. I'm more concerned with you not talking like this with mom."

"But I--!" The vixen shot her head up, frustration written all over her expression. "I want to, but I don't. I... I have too much respect for mom to go... probing around in her head..."

"I'm not trying to force you, sis. I just know that she's really concerned." Ari slumped into a hug, once again very aware and even a little envious of her little sister's larger chest. "Uh... She might even be a little lonely. It's not easy raising a family that doesn't respond to your love."

"I'll... think about it." Completely unlike a nearly blind girl, the teenage fox hopped to her hindpaws and reached for some clothes she'd left hanging in the closet. "It's hard on me too, you know. I'm trying my best."

"I'm surprised you go hunting. Just how bad is your sight?"

"I can see light, mostly--the time of day and that sort of thing." Nadi threw on a few layers of shirts and some thick pants without much effort at all. "I can't see clearly until something is pretty much next to my face, but by then it's too close to read..."

Ari found a heavy duty coat next to her and grabbed it, offering it to her sister once the rest of her clothes were equipped. "So if you can't see anything but a blurry mess, how do you hunt?"

"I see the same way as I do now." Nadiya pulled the coat over her arms and tightened a few toggles. "I've got bad eyes so I just borrow good ones. I can use all of your senses, though what I get back does go through the filter of your own mind first. If you think I'm ugly, I see myself as ugly. Thanks for thinking I'm attractive, by the way. Better than most guys see me, actually."

"Oh, I think I get it. So we're like living security cameras helping you along."

"I... guess? I see what a 'security camera' is in your head, but I've never experienced one."

"Um... Ari? You two alright?" Evelyn flickered into view as she morphed off of her spouses' paws from her ring forms. "You're talking like you've got something going on here, but your sister sounds like she's having a stroke--no offense."

"Oh, right. She needs to use telepathy like Ceylon." Ari nudged her snout toward Eve. "Why don't you explain again to one of them? Eve is thinking we're crazy."

"Eve? I see mention of her... but..." Nadi checked all of her points of view, pointing a finger at each in order. "Qes, you, Carbon, and Sydney. Oh, and Yoyo is coming in a second. Who or what is Eve?"

"Really? You don't see her?" Ari looked directly at Eve and tried again. "I'm staring at her now. Nothing?"

"What the fuck...? Sis, I repeat: Who or what is Eve?"

"She's... Carbon's and Cid's mate. She used to live inside Carbon; that's all I know for sure."

"She's talking about Eve, I take it?" Carbon tilted her head ponderously, trying to figure out the situation. "All I'm hearing is little coos and yips. I'm guessing she makes that look like she's talking in your head?"

"Precisely." Nadiya dove deeper into Carbon's mind, finding a hollow spot where Eve used to reside. "I think I get it now. She moved out of your body and gained her own...? But is it not a living body? Does she not have a brain?"

"She has a mind, but... I think it's a hive mind of sorts? She used to be countless cells in my body, not a centralized being." Carbon hugged Eve quickly, forming a Link in the process. "What about now? Any different?"

"Woah. Yes, very different." Nadi quirked her head as she became acquainted with the sensation of a Link, let alone the missing components of Carbon's veile. "Evelyn. Okay, this makes sense. Her mind is scattered when I look at it, but this 'Link' thing pieces her back together."

"Interesting. I think I get how this works for you." Carbon smiled to Ilaria. "You have a really cool sister, Ari."

"She's your sister too, technically. Sister in law, maybe...?" Ari shook her head as she grounded that tangent. "Anyway, we're holding her up. If she wants to hunt on her birthday, let's let her hunt."

"We're going hunting?" Iolvin grinned as he waved for his little sister. "Birthday hunt. I'm game."

"I think she probably wants to go alone..." Qesis meekly replied.

"That so? And I was going to go ask Lulu's twins to find my rifle. A little family bonding would have been nice, especially after that last trip to Ooblek." Yoyo nudged past Carbon and gave his sister a hug. "If you want to do your own thing though go right ahead, Hope. You know I can always find something to do with mom instead, heeee."

"Well I'm sure she's getting enough fun with Patrick around..." Nadiya licked her brother's snout. "Thanks, big bro. I was just thinking we could use some meat for the ceremony... and I could clear my head a bit, maybe. It definitely beats trying to explain the mind games to these guys."

"What? She hasn't told you guys about the mental fuckery? Oh, are you guys in for a surprise..."

"I think we get it, at least enough for now. She's like Ceylon a bit, more or less." Ari joined the hug and received a lick of her own. "And being blind and deaf isn't necessarily a bad thing. I can relate, what with my own kids."

"Thanks, big sis. I didn't think you'd take that so well." Nadi took a deep breath, then yanked her siblings into an even tighter embrace. "Get your gear. I think there's room for the two of you on the hunt. Maybe the two of us can catch up, since I don't get to see you as much as Yoyo."

"Yeah, I'd like that. Maybe I could show you a thing or two about using a bow while we're at it. Family secrets and all." Ari smiled as she bonked her twin on the noggin with her own. "Go bug the girls, Yoyo. Turns out you'll be needing that sniper rifle after all."

"Hell yeah."

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2 Hours Later

Tundra North of Vaiinu Settlement

Planet Vasily

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"Thank the gods. Snow's finally clearing up a little." Ilaria whispered to her sister not two meters away hiding in her own drift of snow. "So what exactly are we looking for out here? It's hard to see as it is, let alone find things we don't--"

"Big sis, you'll scare them away. They have great hearing." Nadiya sighed and crumpled into her hiding spot. "And that one heard you. The lukotoga make good prizes, but they aren't easy to trap or shoot. There's... four more in the area, after that one called his friends away anyhow."

"Luko... toga... 'luko faatogafiti'? Trickster wolves?" Ari raised her bow and slowly scanned the hazy horizon. "Alien wolves it is, then. You get that, Yoyo?"

"Oh, we're hunting those? I had one in my thermal scope a minute ago. These things have huge jaws." Yoyo adjusted his rifle slightly, draping a cloth over the glowing barrel once he was facing his new vantage. "Okay, we'll bag one of those then. They look like good meat."

"Call them out if you can, quietly. Link if you need to, but I think throat mics will do."

"Oh, good call. They've got big ears."

"Cool. Oh, but maybe we can help each other here." Ari slowly lowered her recurve bow and thought of a plan. "Nadiya, can you see any landmarks through them? I think we can get Yoyo to triangulate them with his sights and some pointers."

"They do not see like we do. They see through snow up close. It isn't easy." Nadi tried to find something they could spot that wasn't recently covered by the blizzard, but nothing was coming up just yet. "Something is odd. Normally they would all run off together. These are... searching for something. They're braver due to the snow cover as well."

"Well keep trying, sis. We've got this. Yoyo... see if you can find what they're hunting. That might make good bait."

"I'll scan around."

"Thanks, lil' bro." Ari gave the open tundra another visual scan, her view settling on her sister while she closed her eyes in concentration. "It really takes a lot to read someone's mind, huh?"

"Actually, it isn't hard normally. I'm just trying to interpret four different minds to figure out what they're actually tracking. That's not taking you and Yoyo into account." Nadi sighed as she focused on her sister a bit more. "You mean hard on the target. Well... it can be, if I'm being intrusive or our minds don't mix well. It can hurt in really bad cases."

"Yeah, I was wondering. It felt strange the first time for me. I guess you've been lightly tapping into my noggin for years now, though."

"Not only do you get accustomed to the sensations, but things also get easier for me. Being sisters helps too, I think." Nadiya's ears perked and rotated in a rare show of use. "I might have something. Give me a bit more to figure it out."

"Take your time. We have hours until we need to get back." Ari checked the direction her sister's ears now pointed and focused on a tree line. "So... I sense you don't look forward to your coming of age ceremony."

"I don't look forward to crowds in general. I don't get along with the other kids well, but in groups they just have more ammunition for teasing me."

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Ari noticed a bit of motion, but held off her aim as she didn't quite remember where her twin had positioned himself. "Do you not like the tribe? Is this lifestyle not for you?"

"I love our tribe! That's not it at all!" Nadi forced herself to calm down for the sake of the hunt. "I love doing my part and providing something the others struggle hunting. I have a place in the Vaiinu. You're barking up the wrong tree, sis."

"Then... is it the ritual first mating? I can understand if you'd rather pass; you know you can skip it, right?"

"I... didn't know, actually. That's one problem I'd rather not face right now."

"You can read my mind. You know I'm like you. Being... not quite male or female. I had to decline my mating too. Don't be embarrassed about it." Again Ari spotted movement, this time the shaking of snow from a tree. "That's not all, though? You said 'one problem', implying...?"

"Mom. She's... all of our mom. As Raft Mother she has a lot to deal with already. I can pass on the mating, but... as a daughter of the Raft Mother how will it look if I can't say a word?"

"Don't worry about it. Just... act like you're shy. Whisper things to me and I'll relay them to everyone else. After sixteen years of being far too distant, I'm here today to be a proper big sister and help you." Again the trees shook, bringing the treetops to Nadiya's attention. "Or... you could try talking to mom directly. She's never heard her little girl. That's devastating. What better a time to change that?"

"I... I can't. There's so much baggage there..." Those pointy fox ears swiveled about, finding their focus on the tree in question. "Almost every night she stares up at dad. I know she's thinking about me... about how much she wishes dad was here to raise me too..."

"She does? Mom..." Ari readied her bow now, finding Iolvin's rifle poking out of a different patch of bushes. "She never mentioned that whenever I called. She always seemed happy. I... guess you know more about her than I do at this point. Damn my job."

"It isn't your fault. She's keeping it to herself. Even trying not to read her though, I still feel her sadness every night." Nadi raised her own weapon--a custom built crossbow that looked much like a drawn bow--and readied it to fire a bolt. "I can't think about this right now. This is why I wanted to hunt today--alone."

"I'm sorry, sis. I'm pressing too hard." Ari lined up a crouching, horizontal draw and kept her muscles tensed just right for a clean pull. "We can talk later if you feel like it. Let's focus on this for now. You look focused. What have you got?"

"Those lukotoga are circling one tree now. There must be something they've worn down in the branches, but for some reason I'm not able to read it."

"Yoyo, check the treetops for an injured animal. There should be four of these wolves circling below that." Ari pulled up a map hologram on her watch and hid it just out of sight. "Relay the coordinates when you spot them. I think I know where to fire already but I need to be sure."

"Copy that, Lulu. One sec." Yoyo angled his rifle upward and scanned the trees, finding to his surprise that their quarry was actually much closer to him than was ideal for his long range scope. "Oh, wow. They're close to me, alright. Lots of little things moving in the trees, except for one with faint heat moving below it. Looks like... K-12, C-9... Well, a hundred marks ahead of me, if that's not precise enough."

"Considering a final grid mark is a matter of meters, I think that's good enough. That was fast though. You've done this with her before." Ari suppressed a chuckle as she confirmed her spied location on her map. "That's it, alright. Guide us in. How tall are these things? What radius are they circling. I'm going to take a blind shot."

"They're almost running up the tree, so I think any shot at the base--" Yoyo quieted himself for a moment, then took aim at a specific blob of weak heat. "They're desperate, huh Hope? Well if you think that'll work then just give the word."

"Ari, you're thinking of the wrong spot. Let me guide you... though I don't know how your bow works." Nadi worried about her own shot first, lining up her crossbow so all she needed to do was release a trigger. "How about this? Your impact spot is... four meters right and three back from where you're assuming. Aim for about half a meter off the ground, like you are now. We'll fire when you do."

"Sounds like a plan. So there..." Ari adjusted the tension of the muscles in her arms so when she drew her bowstring her shot would line up perfectly. "Alright, fire."

Iolvin fired his rifle first, the weapon set to fully electromagnetic for a mostly silent shot until the sonic boom caught up with the shell. Nadiya's bolt went flying with a snap immediately after, her crossbow lunging forward and back with a hefty whir of a rotary spring system. Ilaria's arrow was the last set loose, lagging far behind the rest but landing square on target with a loud yipe.

Ari rose up as she pulled another arrow from her hip quiver in case of a defensive counterattack. Instead one of the lukotoga ran the opposite direction of Yoyo's shot. The remaining three didn't move at all, leading Ari to carefully close the gap.

"I think we got them. Holy crap." Ari broke out with all her suppressed laughter at once. "That was a hail-mary move. I'm surprised mine was a hit."

"Well if we each got one I think that'll do it for dinner." Yoyo stood and dusted snow off his weapon and person. "I'll keep an eye out for more. You two go check the-- Oh, sure."

"Sis, wait. I feel scared." Nadiya tossed her crossbow to the side and jogged past her sister to the downed lukotoga. "It's not them. What is this?"

Ari checked the alien wolves and determined they were all humanely killed. "Mine hit one in the heart. Looks like you got two with that shot, Yoyo."

"Hope missed? Well that's no good for a Rihzyet."

"We're taking her out back for practice tomorrow. Now though, she's worked up over something. Give us a moment, bro." Ari stood and stretched her bow over her shoulder. "Nadiya, how can I help?"

"Whatever this is, it's hiding from us. It's preventing me from--" Nadi looked straight upward and reached out her arms just in time to catch a small creature falling from a tree branch. "It's hurt! S-Sis... help!"

"I don't..." Ari checked over what looked like a small six legged fox with winged membranes similar to a bat. "I see blood but I don't know where it's coming from."

"It... It's coming from a shoulder. One on the--"

"--fix it!? If you're not going to eat me then kill me! Don't torture me like this!"

"T'aaulaau...?" Nadi stared back into the creatures eyes as he writhed. "I can read him. His middle, left shoulder was bit as he ran..."

"So this shoulder..." Ilaria found the small puncture in the animal's hide and reached for a cloth strap tied to the handle of her bow. "It's not terrible. If you can get him to hold still, I think I can wrap it up and stop the bleeding."

"I'll try. This is... odd for me." Nadi focused and closed her eyes, recalling the feeling running through her when the creature spoke to her. "Do we... understand each other?"

"Yes! Gods, yes! Just... get it over with already!"

"I don't want to hurt you. Quite far from it, actually." Nadi felt around for the animal's tail and turned him around so he was cradled more naturally. "I need you to hold still. We will stop you from bleeding but it's hard when you're slashing your claws all over the place. Can you agree to that?"

"I... I can try. It hurts so much though."

"Oh, good; you got through to him." Ari picked up some fresh snow and packed it into the wound, drawing yips and hisses from the creature. The natural cheat worked though, the ice drying and soaking up all the bright blue blood on the surface for just long enough that the bandage could be applied cleanly. "There. It's not perfect, but it'll do the trick for now. Can you tell him not to move on that leg much?"

"I don't think I can. 'aaula move quickly through the trees and need these arms to gain height." Nadi adjusted her hold on the small animal after delving deeper into his mind and understanding him more. "You couldn't get away because of that arm. And... your brethren left you for bait because you're a runt? That's so... cruel."

"I thought I would be alright knowing my family would get away, but... I didn't expect it to hurt so much, or to get so scared."

"That's only natural. Nobody wants to die like that." Nadiya pulled the aaula closer to her chest and snuggled him close to keep him warm. "You can't go back to them, not like this. Let us take care of you until you can move again. Please."

"I... I can't refuse that, not when you slayed my captors." The aaula shook and twitched in pain, but slowly calmed as the sensation mysteriously weakened. "What is this? What have you done?"

"I'm taking some of the pain for myself. It'll help you relax."

"You... would do this for a runt like me?"

Nadiya eased the animal onto her breasts and wrapped her coat around him. "Of course. Every living thing deserves a fighting chance. You most certainly will have yours if you rest and let me take care of you. Now quiet, please; it's hard to talk and divert your pain at once."

"Y-Yes, of course. Thank you!"

"There she is. I've got her, Yoyo. Come help with the wolves." Ilaria cradled her sister's chin in her paw for a moment. "You looked like you were in pain. Are you two alright?"

"Y-Yeah... We'll be fine. Let's get this aaula back home where it's warm."

"You said t'aaulaau earlier. I guessing 'tagata aau o laau' from context? Tree swimmers?"

"Yeah. They... well, swim through the trees." Nadiya peeped through the small gap in the folds of her coat as the t'aaulaau shut his eyes and attempted to sleep in his newfound warmth. A tiny whine of joy yipped out her muzzle as she smiled despite the dire situation. "I've never been able to talk with the aaula before. I always thought they were too simpleminded, but it was the opposite. This... is already becoming a memorable day."

"Well good. Your sixteenth birthday should be memorable. Just maybe forget that you're the only one who missed." Ilaria crouched down to pick up one of the lukotoga and carry it over her shoulder. "Aren't you glad we came along now? Come on. Let's get cleaned up and ready for your ceremony."

"Sure, sis."

Iolvin finally arrived and knelt to pick up the remaining prizes, but found himself staring at his little sister's chest. "Am I going crazy, or are Hope's tits getting bigger every time I take my eyes off them?"

The two sisters shared bursting laughter between themselves as they headed back to Nadiya's discarded crossbow. "Can you at least wait until after she's an adult to start ~sizing her up~, Yoyo?"

Iolvin picked up both of his wolves over one shoulder and playfully sighed. "...What? I can't help both my sisters are hot."

---

---

5 Hours Later, Second Sunset

Raft Mother's Home

Vaiinu Settlement

---

---

"Gah! Eah..." Nadiya slammed her forehead into the front door's frame as she rushed inside. "Ugh. I'm coming, little guy."

"You l-left me..."

"I didn't want to, but I had an obligation I couldn't miss and you were still sleeping. I would have brought you along, but some of the ceremony took place outside in the cold." Using the aaula's presence and odd sight for reference, Nadi stretched out her arms and felt her way back to her room. "Oh, there you are. I'm sorry, little guy. I'll stay with you through the night."

"As long as you aren't leaving me..." The pocket fox shifted his strange, four-eyed view around from his blanket he curled within. "This place is so warm. Why would our elders warn us to stay away?"

"This heat is artificial, for one. If you break into these shelters you allow the heat to leak out." Nadi took a moment to synchronize with the aaula's vision, the mix of thermal and motion vision taking some adjustment before she felt comfortable enough to trust it. "The other big reason is because if we could catch you, we'd probably eat you or put you to work as a whole. Thankfully I can speak with you and prevent that here and there, but I would recommend against moving in on this territory just in case."

"Nadi? Are you in here?" The vixen sighed as she added Qesis to her sphere of influence, the human walking toward the bedroom already. "I thought I saw you heading home. Why are you leaving earl--" Qesis' eyes fluttered wide open as her jaw dropped in awe. "Oh gods, it's so cute! Where did this little girl come from?"

"He came from the hunt earlier. We saved him from being lukotoga lunch." Nadi hissed, not just from her bruised head but as she took on more than her fair share of the animal's dull pain. "I'm sorry I skipped out right after donning my sirat. I can help with... with Yiff's pain so he can sleep."

"Well that's... just like you, I guess. You always help everyone you can, so why not animals as well?" Qesis crawled up to the tiny, makeshift bed and eased her hand in to rub the fluff wad resting within. "Why 'Yiff'? 'Yiffy'? Is that something S?moan I don't know?"

"The smooth one brings up a good point. I'm curious as well now." Yiff nudged his head into petting between his ears. "Is there a reason you've designated me this?"

"You can understand her?"

"Well you can understand her, so why not?"

Nadiya flopped to Yiff's side and cradled the blankets closer. "I think I get it now. You can read others like I can... as a natural defense, I'm guessing?"

"Yes, in a way. Being near you somehow makes more information available to me however." Yiff shut his eyes as the rubbing slowed to a stop. "Don't change the topic. Why do you call me this 'Yiff'?"

"Oh... It's just... the only sound I could hear you making while you were asleep. Sorry, we can come up with another name for you if--"

"No, Yiff is fine. I was wondering why you needed identities like... 'names'." Yiff curled up into a tight ball, his wing membranes shielding his injury out of habit. "I see now that you don't identify with scents. Does that mean you have a name then?"

"Yes. My name is Nadiya... or Nadi, or Hope... It depends on the person. Just... use Nadiya." Nadi ran a paw along Yiff's back as he dozed off. "I'll be here next time you wake. Rest up, Yiff."

"Nn... Nadiya..."

"You looked lost in thought there, Nadi. It's always a good look for you." Qesis hoisted herself over the blankets and laid herself down on the bed beside her friend. "He seems to be feeling better. Whatever you're doing, keep it up. Yiff is cute as hell."

"I guess so. I never really got a good look at him until just now, through your eyes." Nadi peered through her peer's sight again, finding her gaze settled upon her new sirat. "What? Do you think it looks good on me?"

"With your... curves? No, honestly. It needs a bit more cover to do you justice..." Qesis pulled a few drawstrings on her slip dress and took it off, leaving her in just her long coat and winter robes. "Here. If you tucked this beneath the top and... Well let me just show you."

"S-Sure." Nadiya carefully sat upright and held her arms out, allowing her friend to tuck the Egyptian-style slip into her top and below her lower drapes to fit much like a form-fitting tunic. "This... looks better to you?"

"Definitely. You always did wear our clothes better than us. And thankfully I don't wear sheer linens like the queen." Qesis adjusted Nadi's new outfit so the fit was smoothed out, a blush piping to her cheeks more and more with each tug of that large chest. "So... We weren't allowed to see the last part since we aren't from the tribe. D-Did you... m-mate with anyone? Was it--?"

"I passed on it. My sister gave me some good advice and... I think I'm happier about all this now as a result."

"O-Oh, that's good. Good for you."

Nadi nudged her friend in the ribs with her elbow as she laid down. "You're just glad you won't have to give up being virgin buddies just yet."

"I won't say it's not part of it." Qesis rested beside Nadi and snugged against her, the human handling the cold worse than her furred friend. "But wait... the other participants were both guys--hot guys. You passed on that? And what do they do when... Oh gods, they didn't--?"

"There's nothing stopping them from being gay, hon. I'm pretty sure someone else just picked up the slack though. 'Becca came of age last year alone, so she might have volunteered." Nadi rested her head atop Qesis' own. "I slipped out before any of that would have happened. We'll have to ask the guys how it went in the morning."

"Yeah..." Qesis rolled to her side, draping an arm over Nadi's waist. "You still gave up on having likely the only parent-backed sex of your life so I wouldn't feel bad. I'm not sure how I feel about that, Nadi."

"Don't go thinking I did that just for you. Maybe I had my reasons too, you know." Nadiya noticed the hand on her side, but more so she saw a peek of what lay beneath Qesis' robes before she shifted her coat. "Damnit, Ari..."

"What is is? You only talk to yourself when something's got your attention."

"We're too close to hold anything back. You've been a good friend to me since I can remember. We've shared everything together. You've helped me get around and hone my mind. Yet... Fuck, this might be easier..." Nadiya reached for her close friend's hand, guided it down to her sirat drapes, and slid it beneath to rest on her hardening manhood. "I don't want to hide anything from you, ever. S-Sorry if this is crude, but I d-don't know how--"

"Nadi, I know." The human's hand shook with a loose grip, slowly firming around her friend's length in time with her own confidence. "I've gotten hints through the years. You forget I've helped you with everything. I could tell you were hiding something, and recently when you've been sleeping..."

"You... noticed that, huh? S-Sorry. It's just an automatic response or something. It's just dreams--"

"And what about this? Don't tell me this is from a dream too." Qesis gave her friend's cock a nervous stroke. "I'm not upset that you find me attractive. I'm actually happy."

"How could I not? I don't need to see you to know you're beautiful."

"Gods above... That's what I mean. You make me happy, and seeing you being happier makes me even happier." That stroking slowly increased with the lightest of touches. "I thought I wanted you to have sex and... find a mate today. But then I saw you go into that hut and... something inside me broke."

"Qes, I--"

"Please, let me finish this. Nadiya, I have a secret too. Later this year, my parents plan to... set up an arranged marriage. They want to groom me into the perfect goddess for my people. But I... I just want to stay with you. Spotting you sneaking around and then hearing you passed on your chance to mate..." Qesis stopped her movement, after which it took a moment for the tears to blur her vision and alert Nadi to her crying. "For a moment, however brief, I wished they could choose you. I wanted you to rescue me from that life. I..."

"You don't have to wish, Qes. I'll always be here for you." Nadiya rolled over and carefully wiped her friend's tears. "We've been best friends since forever. Why not for life?"

"Nadi... are you...?" Qesis stared into her friend's eyes as long as she could manage, but her embarrassment drooped her gaze downward... where her blushing only intensified upon spotting Nadi's bulge. "Are you asking me... to be your mate?"

"I'm asking you to ignore your parents and just take what you want from life. I'd be honored if you chose me, but I'd never forgive myself for letting you marry someone you didn't love." Nadi corrected her manhood and lifted Qesis' chin so they gazed into each others' souls. "I do find every moment better near you, and I wish to feel that way for the rest of time. I just don't know... if you feel the--"

"I do! I... I mean, I do feel the same way but also... _ I do _. I want to be your mate." The stress that decision incurred suddenly exhumed itself in the form of Qesis shutting her eyes and resting her forehead on her new fiancée's snout. "Somehow I'll have to explain this to my parents... Then if they don't approve, I'll have to... run away with you, I suppose. But if that doesn't fly--Gods, there might be assassins, or even war!"

"Shush. Calm down, Qes." Nadi gave that forehead a soothing kiss. "The way we see it here, only two things matter: love and family. We have the first base covered; if we plan to have a family, we're mates. Nothing more, nothing less. It doesn't matter that you're a goddess to anyone."

"But we're not even adults. S-Sorry, I'm not an adult now."

"No, I'm not quite there yet either. I still haven't mated." Nadiya tossed herself over Qesis and splayed her robes wide open, her dangling cock grazing the inside of the human's smooth thigh. "If I'm not mistaken, that would make you an adult as well in both our cultures. I'd... be honored to share that rite with you, Qes."

"Nadiya... Yes. Fuck it, yes. Claim me as your mate." Qesis spread her thighs a little wider, then pulled her love closer for a slow, gentle first kiss. "Make me a woman--your woman. We'll tackle the fallout together, as a team."

"Would that make me an honorary goddess?" Nadi smiled as she pressed perhaps a bit too far for another kiss. "Actually, would that work? You're a false goddess, so why not me?"

"Because my parents..." A spark of joy burned across Qesis' face. "Anything they say goes. If they say you are a fox goddess, it just might work. Hells, it may even bring our two cultures closer." The human's enthusiasm ratcheted up a few notches, easily spreading to her partner and her throbbing obelisk. "Act the part and we'll do this. We'll be... We'll be mates."

"We still have one thing to do before all that, and you're too cute to hold back longer." Nadi moved herself forward until her tapered tip pressed against soft heat, but with a few prods she found herself confused. "Ah... S-Sorry! I'm completely lost with all this, and--"

"It's fine, Nadi. Here. You just don't know where to put it." Suspecting the existence of similar parts, Qesis reached behind her lover's balls and rubbed a finger around her drooling entrance. "See? That's where it should go."

Nadiya adjusted her angle and tried a few more times, the first two slipping too high and the last attempt pressing just a hint into her love's rear. "Is that--?"

"T-Too low! That's the.. wrong hole, Nadi. Let me guide you." The human looked down between her vixen's breasts and admired her full spire a moment. Then with a gently squeeze on her tip, Qesis aligned Nadiya's manhood to press gently into its first womanhood. "That's the one. All set, hon. Just... please take it easy on me."

"I'll try. You know I won't hurt you willingly." Nadi slowly eased herself deeper into her mate, making their pairing quite official. "Does it hurt? I've heard your first time can sting."

"It's... a bit awkward, but 'painful' is definitely not the right word." Qesis gasped as she slowly took all of her love's length, her face soon buried in humongous tits that demanded their own attention. "You feel so big... Oh gods, Nadi."

"Well you're crushing me with that thing, Qes. You're so tight and... scorching hot..." The fox relished the sensation, simply rocking millimeters into the sensations until-- "Oh! Wh-What...!?"

"Did you... already...?" Qesis grit her teeth with a shudder as her mate's knot quickly inflated, barely catching it in time to shimmy out of a potential tie. "You came just from that?"

"I'm... so sorry, Qes. I--"

"No, I'm happy! If you like me that much how could I not be happy?" Qesis kissed her mate's neck, only to find that quivering mess of a vixen curl to make the kiss proper. "You're shaking. Do I feel that good?"

"Y-Yeah, you d-do." Losing strength in her wobbly arms, Nadiya flopped onto her back next to Qesis. She winced at the foreign sensation of her warm cum blindly landing in a final strand on her chest and bleeding through her dress, but soon after she started to relax in the savory afterglow of her first orgasm. "Paths Divine, I love you. Sorry I didn't last long enough for you to finish, Qes."

"Well that doesn't look like too much of a problem." Qesis wrapped a hand around her mate's resilient erection and rubbed her fingers gently over her deflating knot. "Maybe keeping you from tying me kept you going? You think you can keep it up?"

"I literally haven't ever used this thing before, but I'll give it a try." Nadi gasped raggedly as her mate straddled her and engulfed her very sensitive spire in liquid fire. "D-Don't worry about me, Qes. Nothing but s-smiles and grins here."

"Nadiya, goddess of shivers and silliness." Qes rolled her hips around, probing for a good angle to draw out her peak the fastest. "You're still sensitive, huh? I get that way too when I play with myself. Thankfully," she paused with a sigh of pleasure as she found an amazing position, "it doesn't take much to make me scream for mercy. Want me to go slow for you?"

"No, I want you to feel your best. Just do your thing and I'll grit my teeth." The vixen found herself doing exactly that as her mate started raising and dropping her hips. "Oh, shit... Fair warning, I don't know how long I can keep this up. I'll try for you though, Qes."

That magnificent specimen of a fox cock pressed and scraped perfectly on Qesis' G-spot on each fall, eliciting constant gasps and moans from the human. "G-God-ds... N-Not a p-problem..."

"You like that?" Nadi shared some of her mate's sensations with her mental probing, very much noticing her little weakness. She started bucking her hips into each of Qes' falls, raising the intensity of the human's moans until she was basically screaming. "Th-That's... so sexy..."

"I'm...! G-Gods, I'm cl-lose!" Nadiya barely held onto her senses as she fought to heighten her peak, but in the mess of it all she did notice her mate's knot swelling and sticking as she rose. "Tie m-me! Sh-Share your cum w-with me, deep ins-side!"

"R-Really? But you're already s-so tight." Qesis lunged forward, her only response to that question being to nibble and suckle on her mate's large tits. "Sh-Shit... Okay, Qes. I'm also..."

Qes slammed her hips downward harder as her mate's thrusts started lifting her off the bed. After a bit of struggle the two sets of hips met flush, a squelch of mixed fluids signalling the locking of that fox knot exactly where it belonged. "F-Fuck!"

"Ah! T-Tight!" Nadiya embraced her mate, mushing her into her chest as she fired heavy surges of cum against her mate's tingling cervix. "Oh, Paths... Spirits, guide me..."

"Ung! Oh!" Qesis quivered and shook over her love in the wash of her climax, her mouth angling upward to desperately reach for Nadi's distant lips. "K-Kiss me, my m-mate..."

"Ah...?" Nadiya found herself distant in her mental link as well, the afterglow clouding her connection to Qesis' mind. She eventually regained her external senses and pleasantly found the human reaching. Naturally she returned the kiss, angling her muzzle to settle deeply into the love of her life. "Mn... I love you, Qes."

"I... hah... I love you too, Nadi."

"Yiff... Yiff, yiff..." Nadiya noticed her ailing ball of fluff was making a lot of noise and reconnected to him, only to find Yiff was covering himself in multiple ropes of his own jizz. "That was amazing."

"I'm sure it was, Yiff." Nadi smiled as Qesis cuddled into her chest and pulled her robes and coat over the couple. "You were watching? Was it a good show?"

"It was... honest. I like honesty." The aaula curled into a ball and licked his fur clean, savoring the taste. "On that note, I felt all of it thanks to you. You forgot we were sharing senses."

"I woke you up? Aw, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Runts like myself don't get mates..." Yiff finished his grooming and loosened his stance, trying once more to relax. "That was my first sexual experience as well. Thank you, Nadiya."

Qes nuzzled into the slightly thicker fur between her mate's breasts. "Nadi? You okay in there?"

Yiff cooed and shut his eyes peacefully as Nadi once again shared his pain. "Tend to your new mate, Nadiya. I'll be alright for now, thanks to your efforts."

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I'm perfectly fine." Nadiya kissed her new wife on the forehead, reached for her thick blanket, and covered the two for the night. "Let's rest like this, my love. Tomorrow is going to be the interesting start of our new life."

---

---

The Next Morning, 1 Hour until First Sunrise

---

---

"I can't believe this is actually working." Nadiya sent a shake throughout her whole body as she stretched in the hallway, giving herself a moment to adjust after leaving the bathroom. "Your sight is really different from ours but the extra eyes help a ton. I can actually walk around without feeling for walls like this."

"If simply seeing is how I can repay you then you must be a generous person, Nadiya." Yiff perked up onto only his rear legs, standing up from the hefty shelf of Nadi's tits. "That smells delicious. What is that?"

"That is... Oh, you'll love this." Nadi stepped out toward the living room and sighed in relief as she gained her whole family's points of view. She smiled as she noticed Zoë molding small meat patties with Cathy in the kitchen. "Yiff, that is the wonderful smell of the beast that bit you. How would you like to take a chunk out of him too?"

"You... eat the ground beasts?"

"I think he's more of a ground meat right now. Yes, we consume all we kill. We must balance our role within nature." Nadi zeroed her sister's position and gleefully plopped into her lap. "Morning, sis."

Ilaria gave her sister a hug and pulled her close for nuzzles. "Hey, my special lady. You feeling any different now that you're an adult?"

"I do, thanks to your advice the other day. I can't thank you enough."

"I'd watch your wording there now that you're one of the grown-ups. There's always one way you can thank us now." Ari licked her sister's cheek with a giggle. "So how's the little guy doing? Are my sutures holding up?"

"They are. I just changed Yiffy's gauze and it looks like the wound is clotting." Nadi nuzzled her new friend in her chest and smiled as she relayed a message conveyed in raw emotion between the two. "He sends his thanks too. He's happy to be alive and loved."

"'Yiffy'? Heeee... Well that's exactly what I like to hear. Good." The older sister smiled for a moment, then pecked a kiss on her younger sister's cheek. "You seem much happier today, too. I saw you run off as soon as you could last night; did something change?"

"Well... yes, actually. I suppose I should--"

Iolvin sat beside his twin and leaned forward to give his little sister a nuzzle. "Morning, Hope. You feel...?" His nose winked a few times and he glanced downward to a faint white stain on Nadi's sirat. "Oh. No question, you really must feel better."

"I was just about to tell Ari about--"

"O-Oh... You're all here so... early today." Qesis rubbed her eyes as she walked into the living room wearing just her outdoor robes. "G-Good morning. What's... going on?"

"We're just enjoying ourselves around the not-fire drinking not-coffee. Family time." Adrian played the gentleman and stood from his armchair, offering it to the human. "Care to join us, or do you have to go?"

Yoyo perked up with a hearty grin. "Oh, no. I think she's at least staying for breakfast."

"Oh, yeah. I'm not going anywhere." Qesis politely nodded in recognition of Dee's gesture, then headed to the kitchen and grabbed a mug. "Is that toasted blue tea I'm smelling, Cat?"

"Indeed it is. I just took that pot off, so help yourself. We'll have breakfast cooking soon too." Catherine noticed her youngest child smiling away and she gained a smirk as she prepped her food. "So you stayed the night? Nadiya seemed a little upset when we got to the matings so I appreciate you cheering her up."

"Actually..." Qesis looked over to her new mate questioningly, taking special note of Cathy suddenly sniffing for a new scent she couldn't identify. "Nadi...?"

"Don't, please. She should know, but..." Nadiya looked down to Yiff as she stood, cradling the injured aaula with the care she'd grant her own child. "I think I know how it feels for her, for a mother. Maybe not all of it, but... enough."

"Is something wrong with Nadiya, sweetie?" Cathy stopped seasoning her wolf patties and leaned closer to Qes. "Did something happen last night? Is she sick?"

"I think... you won't want to hear this from me." Qes took a step to the side and hugged her mate's shoulder. "You'll like it, though."

The unique scent of the couple's mixed sex suddenly clarified in Cathy's nose. "Wait..."

"Wish me luck, Qes." Nadi closed her eyes as she probed her mother's mind, afraid of what she would find. To her surprise Cat's head-space felt no different than anyone else, except perhaps a bit more natural with the two sharing common genes. "M-Mom? I'm... so sorry I've... No, I'm ashamed I was too scared to... to talk to you like this until now."

"M-My... baby girl..." Cathy's legs buckled as she broke into tears, leading the new couple to dart their arms forward and support her. "Have I been so b-bad a mother? Why?"

"I thought I would be invading your privacy, but... I didn't want to feel how much you missed dad every time yo looked at me. Yet you... You're feeling nothing but joy right now. I'm such an idiot." Nadi pulled her mother's face to her chest and dried her tears on her dress, with a few helping licks from Yiff added for good measure. "I love you, mom. We love you."

"I love you too, Nadiya! I love you so much!" Cathy shivered as her emotions overcame her further until a grain of truth sobered her a pinch. "Wait, did you say 'we'?"

Nadiya nodded with a breaking smile as her own emotions got the best of her. She took her mate's hand into her paw and held it up for all to see. "Mom... if you don't mind, I'd like to perform another ceremony today... with my new mate at my side."

"The two of you... Gods, my little girl is..." Cathy squeaked as she clamped her paws around the couple's grip and pulled them to her chest. "Yes! Definitely! I-I-I'll happily see you two through the mating rites!"

Ilaria nearly choked on a swallow of tea. "Kack! M-Mating rites!?" The surprised sister stood, lost her prosthetic leg, and promptly fell. "I wanted you to be proud to become a woman, Nadiya, but this is a bit of a stretch!"

Nadi wanted to comfort her sister, but chose to do so vicariously through their mother. "Mom, I have to use my mind to speak to others and I can only talk to one person at once. Could you... do us the honor of telling everyone our good news?"

"Your... mind?"

Much like myself, Misses Rihzyet. Ceylon abruptly announced his presence outside by joining the conversation and broadcasting it to the others. Apologies, Nadiya. If I may be of use, I am conveying the meaning of our words to everyone present. Shall I continue?

"I think I'd rather my mom announce the last bit, but... this could be useful, yes." Nadi looked to her family and then to her mate. "I spent a good part of the night thinking about my future. I... I want to go to school, up in space on Vapor Furnace Prime. I want to learn all I can to be of better use to our people." She specifically grabbed her mother by the shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "I want to become the greatest Raft Mother the Vaiinu have ever had. I want to be just like my mom."

Cathy broke down in tears of happiness anew, latching forward around her daughter's neck for the tightest hug of her life. "Oh, my Nadiya! I love you so much!"

"I love you, mom." Nadi looked to her mate again as she cradled her mother's head against her shoulder. "I'd rather not do this all alone, though. Together forever... right, Qes? Would you like to enroll with me?"

"I'm not at all sure how we're going to make this work with my parents, but we're beyond that now." Qesis rested her head on her mate's shoulder and stroked her fingers through her new mother's hair. "I'll follow you wherever you go, Nadi. Besides, I... suppose I've been wanting to become more than just a figurehead for my people as well. College sounds like a good place to start. Together forever."

Nadiya barked in approval as she combed her mate's own hair with her claws. "Thanks, Mister... Ceylon? So you're Ceylon!" Eventually Nadi honed her connection to the aquatic alien and looked through his eyes, finding him swimming in the lake just outside. "No wonder I was having trouble; you're quite far away. That's impressive."

Not as impressive as the potential I see in you, young lady. Congratulations on your recent boons.

"Thanks... big guy. Wow, I'm not used to this scale." Nadiya soon figured out she was peering through eyes placed in the edges of Ceylon's mouth and made an odd face. "You better stay around a while. I'd like to know you better."

Of course, Nadiya. Likewise.

"Mom, I promise not to put you through anything like this again. I... I just didn't understand what I meant to you, what just talking with your daughter meant..." Nadi scritched Yiff's ear approvingly as he continued licking Cathy. "Forgive me for that... Please, forgive me. I... want to learn from my stupid, idiotic childhood mistakes and become... well, I'd like to be even half the mother you are to me."

"I love you, and that's all you need. Love forgives all, binds all..." Cathy finally managed to hold a controlled smile and beamed it to the rest of the room. "No, we'll save that bit for later. Just know that the secret is simple, unending love."

"So... you still want to do the honors?" The vixen licked her mother's nose and joined her in wholesomely grinning. "It's all yours if you still want it..."

"Oh, definitely. Everyone, listen up." Cathy pulled the new couple out from the kitchen and presented them together. "We have some preparations to do. This evening we have the grand honor of joining Nadiya and Qesis as lifemates. Gods bless his soul, my only regret regarding this is that Vasily won't be here to witness his youngest daughter's happy day. That said, I think it would be nice to break tradition and hold the ceremony under the moonlight so he'd have a fighting chance from the grave." Cathy reeled Qesis in for a kiss to the cheek. "Enjoy the morning. Get to know your new sister better. Break out the booze. Then be ready to get off your tails and help make this the best day we can for our wonderful little women."

"Nadiya's getting married!?"

"It's just as she says, Adri. She might also be a mother, all things considered. Congrats on popping your cherry yesterday, Hope." Iolvin walked over and tossed his arm around his sister, nudging closer to their mother at the same time for a whisper. "Don't you need a man for that ritual? Or can you just... use your own juices alone?"

"The fertility blessing... Crap." Cathy looked over to Patrick and then back to her son. "Normally I'm supposed to use my mate, and Pat's essentially taking that role now. Considering he's not a direct relative, and that Qesis can have a child of almost any species... perhaps we should use someone else."

Qesis sighed as she tried to understand the ritual's importance. "We don't need to do things by the books if you want. If that's the case, we'd need to have another ceremony later by my mom, the Priestess."

"No, that won't do. If Nadiya wants to take up my mantle she should follow all of our rituals." Cathy smirked as she looked to her twins. "It isn't unheard of for an infertile couple to let their blood relatives provide the offerings. Iolvin? Ielunschra? How would you like to bless your sister and her mate?"

Ilaria stood to the call. "Can we perform the entire ritual?"

"If you have the stamina, I don't see why not." Cathy chuckled as she remembered her older children's ritual on the Starbreeze. "I only went with the short version because we had a discerning audience. No reason we can't bring Qesis into the family properly tonight."

"Nadi... what's she talking about?"

Nadiya shrugged her shoulders to her wife's query. "I only know a little about this ceremony. We haven't been around on this planet long enough to need it much."

"This is going to be fun. Been a while since we've fucked, Yoyo." Ilaria slipped behind the couple and snugged against her twin brother, making sure to press her muzzle between the new mates' heads for a sly whisper. "I wonder if you're a top or a bottom, sis..."

"Oh, fuck." Nadiya looked down into Qesis' beautiful emerald eyes with an expression of absolute regret. "I think you're about to know everything about your new brother and sister... inside and out. Call it... family bonding?"

"Oh..." Qesis noticed Ilaria's hard bulge poking her in her back. "Oh! Um...!"

Nadiya pulled herself away from her family and tugged her mate back to her room. "Can you, um... Just tell them:"

"'We'll just be practicing for a while.' Practicing what?" Qesis stiffened up straight as her robes moved and her mate's cock slowly slipped into her from behind. "O-Oh...! Ah... 'Give us a couple of hours to stretch.' Ouh!"

"Good for you, sis. Good for you." Ilaria watched the two wrangle into the room and shut the door, then whipped out her own cock from her sirat drapes and nudged her brother to the couch. "Well we might as well practice ourselves while we wait for breakfast. Eh, Yoyo?"

"Hell yeah, Lulu."

"Just don't spoil your dinner, my whelps." Catherine smiled and went right back to cooking her huge breakfast. "And don't you dare ruin my sofa or you're paying shipping _ from Earth _ for a new one." She eyed her oldest children from the corner of her vision as she worked, a new pep in her step from all the good news. "I feel thirty years younger just thinking about those two. Ah, what it means to be young and in love..."