The newcomers peer up at me. One pushes something on her nose, strange circles over her eyes that make them seem bigger. The other one with the short white mane and dark skin touches her chest. “Doh-dee.”
The big-eyes one points at herself and bellows very loudly. “AH-GEE. AH-GEE.”
The other females make faces at her, exclaiming and babbling. “Snotdeff,” Doh-dee says, and Ah-gee mutters something in a reply.
Ribbit steps in front of me as if she’s protecting me. “Friend,” she tells them. It’s a word that I have learned recently. Friend means a companion, like my cats. Someone you enjoy.
It makes me feel warm inside. We are skipping the tail sniffing, it seems. “Fren,” I agree, though my mouth does not form around the sound as well as theirs. “Ah-gee, Doh-dee, Dakotah, Ribbit, fren.”
Ah-gee titters, her hand going to her mouth. “BIG fren.”
All the females make scolding sounds at Ah-gee, who just cackles even more. She points at me with delight, making more sounds, but I miss all of her words. She speaks differently than Dakotah and Ribbit, who say their noises slowly and deliberately so I can follow. Ah-gee wiggles a finger and says something else and Ribbit buries her face in her hands. Dakotah will not look me in the eye.
“No?” I say, indicating I did not follow their words. I shake my head.
Ribbit brightens and turns to look at me. “Murr, food? Meat?” She makes an eating motion with her hand. “Meat for Ah-gee, Doh-dee?”
This I can follow. She wants me to feed them like I do all my strays. This is an easy enough task, and one that gives me pleasure. I bare my teeth at them to let them know I am pleased, and Ah-gee stops in her cackling. Doh-dee makes a concerned sound, reaching for her stick again.
The fear-scent returns, and I wonder what I have done wrong.
“Murr friend,” Dakotah says firmly. Her tone indicates that if they do not like it, they do not have to be part of our family. I am filled with a rush of affection for Dakotah, because like Ribbit, she is protecting me in her way. She will not have anyone be scared of me.
Her reassurance pleases me so much that I pull her closer and nuzzle her hair affectionately. She stands stiff against me, her heart beating fast, and I rub my nose against her mane to drink in her scent and to show the others how much she means to me. “Meat,” I reply, “Murr meat.”
“BIG meat,” Ah-gee whispers, and Doh-dee nudges her shoulder.
“Big meat,” I agree. If they want a large amount of food, I will bring these females a feast.
I drop three cattle—one for my cats, and two for my humans—before shifting back to my human form and returning. Dakotah has started a tiny fire as she likes to do, and Ribbit is chopping up bits of meat for the cats. They crawl all over her, meowing with excitement. Doh-dee and Ah-gee sit by the fire, perplexed expressions on their faces as they watch the proceedings.
Do they not understand the food is for them? I stride forward and rip a haunch from one of the dead cattle, then hold it out to the seated elders. “Big Meat.”
“Ohmigawd,” mutters Doh-dee.
The sound of excitement! “Ohmigawd,” I agree happily. “Yes ohmigawd.”
Dakotah moves in, touching my arm and trying to lower it. “Dankyoo, Murr,” she tells me. I recognize “dankyoo” as a praise word she makes when she is happy. She beams up at me and pats my arm again. “Cook meat.” Points at her small flame. “Fire.”
I nod again and do as she has shown me. She likes the meat shoved through a metal stake and spit over the fire so it can roast in the smoke and heat steadily instead of directly in the coals. I do this for her and once I am done, she grabs my hand and pulls me away from the fire and the other females. Curious, I let her, wondering what is happening. Humans have such different customs that sometimes they confuse me. She has not indicated that she is unhappy with me, or that she wishes to mate, so I am not certain why we are leaving.
After a moment, she produces a long length of cloth and holds it up. “Fr mi?”
“Fr mi?” I echo, touching the cloth.
She shakes her head, indicating she does not have the proper sounds to describe it yet, and reaches around my waist. As I stand still, she puts the fabric about my hips and knots it, wrapping my groin and covering me from abdomen to thigh. She says a few words, and I catch “Ah-gee” and “Doh-dee” and “no,” but the rest of it is lost.
It’s all right. I know what this is, and I throw my shoulders back with pride.
Dakotah does not wish for the other females to look upon my cock. She wants to keep my body for herself. She is declaring her intent to claim me. I have seen female cats chase away otherfemales that get too close to the male they are fond of, and surely this is more of the same.
I could not be more pleased.
I wonder if this means she will kith me now. I lean in close, eyeing her face, waiting for her lips to distend towards mine.
They do not.
Her pulse races. Dakotah gets skittish, muttering something under her breath that’s too quick for me to follow. Her gaze flicks over my face, her cheeks reddening.
