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“It’s not the same.”
“How so? Are you telling me there is not someone else in your life, someone important to you?”
She is quiet.
“So,” I continue, “it is alright for you to have other people in your life but not me?”
“I do not have five other guys that I fuck on the regular.”
“But you have that ex-mate of yours.” We have reached my cabin and begin our descent.
“We were together for twelve years—sun rotations—but then we got divorced. It means that we parted ways and are no longer married, no longer mates.”
“I see. In my culture, mating is usually for life, though we do on occasion have people who split from their mates.”
We land outside my cabin with a light bump. I open the drone door and help Melinda out. She takes a look around us at the lush pastures before us and then to the rustic cabin. “This is beautiful. Do you come up here often?”
“Not as often as I would like. This is my place of refuge when I need to get away from everyone and just be myself. Come with me. I will show you around.”
As I say this, I wrap my tail around her again. This time, she does not protest. We walk quietly down a path that follows the trail of a stream towards the enclosed pasture, which is dotted with drens, a small woolly animal that I breed. Melinda gazes at them curiously, taking out her communicator to capture some images.
“What are these creatures called?” she asks.
“They are drens, known for the tenderness of their meat and the silkiness of their coat. We use their wool to make soft but durable fabrics. Your bedding at home is most probably made with dren wool.”
“Can I approach them?”
“Yes, but they are skittish animals and may run from you. Take it slow and do not alarm them.”
I unravel my tail from around her waist and lead the way, taking very gentle steps toward a nearby dren grazing lazily. Once we are within touching distance, I quickly lace my tail around it and grab it by the horns. As it begins to thrash, I croon soothingly and use one hand to stroke its forehead. In a short while, it settles in my arms, and I murmur, “There, there, little one. No need to fret.” Turning my gaze toward Melinda, I say quietly, “Come closer slowly. You may stroke its coat and the top of its head.”
She does as I say, smiling in wonder at the silky feel of the wool beneath her fingers. The dren bleats in appreciation and her smiles grows wider. “Oh you cute thing.”
“Do not get too attached, Melinda. This cute thing will one day be served on a dish at meal time.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me!” She ruffles its head and the dren bleats a few more times, happy to be petted and fussed by the lovely lady.
I chuckle. “It is the cycle of life. This dren is luckier than most of us. It gets to live a carefree, happy life in this beautiful valley until one day, it is put to eternal sleep. It will never have to face growing weak and infirm in old age. I consider that a good life to have led.”
“I guess when you put it that way…” She gives the dren one final stroke then straightens to her full height.
Carefully, I release the creature, which gambols off into the distance. I return my tail to the place where it belongs—around my Melinda—and we walk on, going up a gentle hill that slopes toward another, heretofore hidden valley.
“Do you breed any other animals?” Melinda inquires.
“Yes indeed. Look over there. Can you see a set of outbuildings?”
She nods.
“That is where we keep the rest of our animals. There are jujos, medium sized feathered creatures that produce the most delicious eggs. And we also have a half-dozen bilos. They are larger creatures that produce the creamiest milk imaginable.”
“Sounds similar to some of the farm animals we have on Earth.”
“And also to the animals that were on my ancestors’ home planet, light years away in another galaxy. I find it intriguing that civilizations and living things can develop in such similar ways so far from each other.”
“Yes. For years before we made first contact with the Venorians, we always imagined alien species would be a lot more different to us then they turned out to be. Perhaps it shows we’re all part of some grand master plan by some higher being.”
I smile, “Indeed. All the different deities we worship could very well be a manifestation of the same higher being. I like to believe that in the end, all these spiritual paths lead to the same destination.”
