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He was not entirely sure what she was getting excited about. The cramped area into she had him drag the wagon barely gave him enough room to maneuver it into the position she wanted behind one of the wooden structures—a stall? He looked over at the humans in the space next to them. It was a family with small offspring wearing odd coverings playing around a block-like wheeled vessel made of metal that only vaguely resembled Eve’s wagon. Its back hatch was opened as hers had been while they were loading it, and there were several wooden crates and baskets that were visible just inside of it. They had stacks of…jars? Yes jars, that was the word…filled with some sort of golden substance in addition to various other containers stacked neatly.
“Hey Skal. I’m thinking we should put the pumpkin out in front of this largest table on the ground. With Halloween coming in the next few days, there will be families eager to get their hands on…” her voice trailed off as she turned and followed the direction of his curious gaze. Her high-pitched squeal made his ears flatten as he jerked back in shock and looked around frantically for any sign of threat. “Honey! Oh, and they have the special wax balms that they make restocked. Come on, Skal, let’s go check it out!”
The corners of his mouth curling at his mate’s demanding enthusiasm, Skal stripped off the harness and followed behind her. His fur immediately started prickling, however, as the smile the humans greeted his mate with froze on their faces as their eyes turned toward him. The female became impossibly paler than he already was and shuffled back, pressing her rounded body against her male. Hissing whispers to her offspring, she gathered her offspring close to her as Skal eyed them curiously from his peripheral eye, his primary focus remaining on his mate as she inspected the jars and small metal containers.
“Oh, you made more honey and mint salve! I must have some of this,” Eve gushed. She nudged him with her arm and nodded toward the jars filled with liquid gold. “Get two… no,” she squinted at him thoughtfully, “with the way you go through my sweets, a dozen jars just to be safe. If it doesn’t last until spring then we will have a problem,” she chuckled, her eyes at last turning to the mated pair. “Oh! I’m sorry, this is Skal. He’s with me.”
“With you?” the male croaked. He exchanged a look with his mate. “Oh… I see.”
“It would be that one,” the female whispered, and her mate grunted in agreement.
Skal’s ear twitched and his smile flattened. He didn’t expect humans to be particularly welcoming or accepting of a Ragoru but he deeply disliked the way that they were speaking about Eve. The female gave her a strained smile as his mate held up another container and exclaimed over it.
“The same exchange as usual, yes?” she inquired. She tapped her chin, “Though with all of that honey perhaps you can let us have the whole bushel of apples, that crate of pumpkins over there… oh and some of your blackcrest berries.”
Eve looked up, her smile slipping so faintly that if he had not been focusing on his mate as he should, he would have missed it. “Actually, I do have credits…”
The female waved her protest away. “We are happy to help you…. A young widow all on her own. Well, not so on her own but a new start is also worthy of celebrating,” she chuckled. “Besides credits between friends is so crass. This works better for us, don’t you agree?”
She pinned Eve with her pale stare and Skal watched his mate’s lips tip upward uncertainly as she gave a small laugh.
“Sure, you are right.” She looked over at him. “Skal please go get the bushel…”
“No, don’t worry about a thing, I can do it,” the male interrupted with a fake laugh that made Skal’s hackles rise.
Why were they constantly interrupting and overriding his mate? He glanced over at Eve expectantly, hoping that she would insist that he intervene. Instead, she stood there with a polite smile on her face while the female carefully counted every jar and loaded them into a small crate.
Her eyes landed on the balm in Eve’s hands. “Did you want the salve too? I can have Henry grab another container of berries for it.”
Eve bit her lip and looked down at it, setting the small container down with a shake of her head. “No, that’s alright. Maybe next time.”
Skal bit back a growl of annoyance, keeping silent as he followed her back over to their stall. That was until he saw the male—Henry, lifting the largest of the melons onto his shoulder. His temper frayed but he held back his impulse to growl as he crept up behind the male.
“That was not part of the trade,” he rumbled in his most casual tone.
The male’s eyes widened, a look of fear flashing through them, but then he relaxed and gave another forced laugh. “Oh. This? Eve always gives the children one of her sugar melons. Isn’t that right, Eve?” he called out to Skal’s female as she came to a stop just behind him.
Skal’s head dipped and he looked over at her, begging her to refute the male’s words but she simply smiled weakly.
“Yes, of course. I’d forgotten. I hope your children enjoy it, Henry,” she murmured as the male hauled the last of the food that he had come to collect with him without another word. Her eyes followed the male, and she grimaced as she looked back up at him. “I know. You don’t need to say it.”
“That they cheat you?” he growled softly, keeping his voice pitched low so that the other humans did not overhear them. “They took much for the little that they gave you. Even a sugar melon without offering you any small gift in return. They could have given you the salve for as much as they took from your supplies.”
“I know it looks that way but really honey has a greater value to it than much of what I grow. It’s okay, really.” She put her hand on his arm and gently stroked his fur, the touch soothing him. “I know it looks bad, but they are good people and work hard for their little business… and he’s right. The last couple of years I always gave the children a little sugar melon because they always looked so longingly at them, and their parents buy so very little at the market. A sweet little treat is a small cost to make children happy.”
He sighed and briefly lowered his head to nuzzle her cheek. He did it quickly rather than extend it the way he longed to so not to make Eve uncomfortable. She was a good and generous female just as he thought. And because of that he would not point out that the melon the male chose was not a small one but the largest and nicest that they had picked. He kept it to himself and focused on trying to make his female happy. Her immediate peel of laughter at the brush of his fur on her cheek and neck made him smile as he withdrew, his heart filling with the sparkle of happiness and amusement in her eyes.
She was still smiling as she patted his arm and stepped back and she turned to survey the work still waiting for them.
“All right let’s get this done quickly and then I’m going to be the one to feed you, my brave defender,” she teased.
He snorted at the title, but he was secretly pleased. He liked that she would see him that way even though he had done nothing to truly earn it. And he was hungry, even if it rankled him that he was not able to be the one who provided for her. His mind turned to things that he could possibly make so that he might be able to earn these credits she spoke of to purchase things for her. The possibilities turned in his head as he moved containers. He could weave baskets and carve toys as he had for the rogs that had never come. He could even prepare thick furs once their own nest was taken care of. The idea thrilled him, and he completed his work quickly, eager to share his thoughts with his mate over their meal.
Some of his excitement dimmed, however, when he noticed the wide berth that the humans were giving them as the humans passed them on the street. It was even more noticeable when they stepped inside the building that Eve had chosen. Perhaps his plans wouldn’t work, after all. Not if the humans were so afraid of him that they weren’t even returning his mate’s greetings. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear. “You mentioned a room. Perhaps I should wait there for you tomorrow.”
He noted the way her skin shivered and the faint scent of arousal stirring on her skin, but her eyes were clear of any hint of desire when she peered over at him, her brow knitting in confusion. “Whatever for?”
He gave a pointed look toward the human seating a pair of humans who had come in after them. “They are frightened of me. Perhaps too frightened to come near your stall.”
