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It wasn’t all for nothing, though. All the healed females chose to stay in our stronghold, and some had even formed mate bonds with my warriors after the rut. If the human leaders wanted to give us their sick females, we were more than willing to care for them, though we wished they’d send them over before they were at death’s door.
Having seen enough, and glad that she my Clara was relatively healthy, I pulled up the questionnaire and gawked at her answers.
For her favorite color, she’d put “black like my soul,” but for some reason I wasn’t sure that was an honest reply. For her favorite food, she’d put “calories” and, worse yet, her answers for her top hobbies were “staying alive” and “being an upstanding citizen of the colony.”
This was useless.
“You look like you’re stuck in a rut with a Golorian whore. What’s wrong?”
I shoved my hand in front of Vostak and brought up the file as a hologram for him. “This is what’s wrong. Who has “staying alive” as a hobby?”
“I should have warned you about that. Most of the forms we received were useless.” Vostak kept reading her replies and blew out a breath. “Either the females purposefully put in silly replies, or they were afraid to put in honest answers.”
“How am I going to build a suitable nest before the rut consumes me?” I’d thought we had more time, but it was getting bad already. At least, for me. Being around Clara didn’t help.
“You’ll have to guess like we did when we built our first nests.” A pained look crossed Vostak’s face, as if he were remembering the nest he’d built back on Kadri. “I don’t think human females are as picky about nests as our females are. I'm under the impression that many who end up spending our heat with us did not have much at home.”
I knew that much. The human colony had much wealth, but it was not evenly distributed. Many of their riches stayed at the top. In that way, it wasn’t very different from Kadri under the rule of the Usurper Queen and her daughter.
I started with the items that were the easiest. Our nest would need a large sleeping area. It would take at least a day to process the furs, and I hoped I could hold out that long. Hunting was exactly what I needed to clear my mind of the tempting female.
“Come hunt stolix with me.”
The creatures had some of the softest fur I’d ever felt, and I’d hunted on many planets across the galaxy. Available in a range of colors from a silvery gray-blue to rich red-brown, there was sure to be one Clara liked. I could have one made into a capelet for her. They were also plentiful, and taking a few extra had no effect on future populations, as they multiplied so quickly.
There wasn’t much to do in the days before a rut, and Vostak agreed eagerly.
“I should cure some of their hides for my nest as well. And our meat stock could use a replenish. They are mighty tasty, though it’s not the best season for them.”
It was the start of spring, and the thick layer of fat the stolix put on for winter was mostly gone. A few human females thought they tasted like birds they called ducks, though most had never tasted duck either. The human colony had brought livestock from their home planet, but they were difficult to raise here and were considered rare delicacies.
Perhaps my Clara would think of stolix fur and meat as delicacies as well. The creatures were not native to their continent, and we had a strict no-poaching agreement with the colony. Just as our treaty stated that no Kadrixan would set foot within a certain perimeter of their colony, hunting on our continent or fishing in our coastal waters was strictly prohibited.
Breaking any of these rules by either side would shut down our treaty, stop all trade, and most likely start a war. For a race that did not raise warriors, humans sure did start many spats.
We entered the armory and suited up for our hunt. Perhaps I’d be able to find a rare black stolix to match her heart.
Chapter 10: Clara
“So what actually happens when the rut starts?” It was Michelle who finally asked the question we were all wondering.
“The Kadrixans had this elaborate system all figured out, but when the shit hit the fan that first year, it all went to hell in a handbasket.” Tasha chuckled. “It was a mess, and the guys started fighting left, right, and center.”
Giant alien warriors fighting sounded frightening, but Tasha spoke of it like it was totally normal.
“You’re not doing a good job selling me on this,” I said.
“Nah. We worked it out.” Tasha pulled a neatly-wrapped bundle of clothing from the shelf and handed it to me. “When the rut starts, the need consumes them and is only temporarily satisfied by sex. Whenever warriors show signs of violence or a fight breaks out, we do our best to break it up and distract them. Usually, they get the hint and carry us to their rooms. After sex, they calm down for a while before it starts up again.”
I unfolded the first layer of fabric. New clothes! They were super soft, and I couldn’t wait to get out of this cheap, mass-produced dress the colony had given me.
“So we get to choose?” I asked, looking around the room.
Everyone was changing right here, so I did too, pulling off the offending garment. I pulled a super soft, knee-length sheath dress over my head, the stretchy fabric forming around my curves. I rolled up the other pieces I’d been given—a tunic, a wrap-style cardigan, and a pair of leggings—and stuffed them into my bag.
They’d given us these backpacks first thing today, and we’d slowly filled them with things we needed from the supply rooms. I hadn’t realized how much my hair needed a brush until I got one. Socks, underwear made from a thinner version of the wonderfully soft and stretchy fabric as our clothes, and shoes had been welcomed.
Unlike the clothes, the packs were made from a futuristic, indestructible fabric that reminded me of everything Kadrixan. The shoes were simple fabric sandals, which were all we needed inside the stronghold and in the valley.
