Little Feet - p10

Burman drifted off to sleep and awoke in the morning, memories blurred. He did remember doing what he did, and was unsure of what came over him. Perhaps the same thing that got him into bed with her without remembering it... He frowned. Was some part of him rebelling against the rest of him?

The girl stirred in his arms, a pleased sleepy murmur coming from her as her small hands tightened on him. A tiny, sated sigh escaped her and she slipped back into sleep, grip on him easing slightly. "Tisha?" he said, softly.

His voice roused her from sleep, delicate hands flexing on him as she burrowed closer. "Mmm... yes, beloved...?" she murmured, tongue flicking over his skin in a sweetly erotic manner he'd felt for the first time last night. Last night... he remembered vaguely his little vixen being so aggressive, so eager for his touch.

"Do you recall last night... clearly?" he asked cautiously.

"Not after we returned to the room," she replied, one hand sliding down to caress him intimately, instantly bringing him taunt and to full readiness for her. "Perhaps you would not mind showing me your ardor again now that both our heads are clear?" This time she nipped his flesh lightly before letting her tongue caress him. "I remember... enjoying your touch very much," she added wistfully.

"You... did we... did both of us attack a male who desired you?" he pressed.

She made a sound of disgust. "He pulled me from your arms, and I'd never even looked at him before," Tisha stated with annoyance, then turned thoughtful. "I did hit him hard enough to make him drop me... perhaps he was merely surprised that I fought him?" That did not seem right, from what she heard about Orc relationships. Didn't most Orc females dislike bedding males of their own kind?

"And I did not break you last night... perhaps you are less fragile than I thought," he commented. "We should test this... to ensure your safety," he added, as an afterthought.

The little vixen laughed throatily, arching against him enticingly. "I have all the time in the world to explore this with you, beloved," she murmured, golden eyes glowing with love for him. "Where would you care to start your experiment...?"

"I do not know... can you lift me?" he asked curiously. Burman was much heavier than she was.

Tisha smiled up at him wickedly. "What makes you think I would wish to lift you off of me?" she whispered seductively, shifting in his arms in ways that made his thoughts turn from speech to far more carnal inclinations.

"Promise me you will not let me hurt you?" he whispered. He knew he hadn't last night... and he'd hardly been uninhibited or holding back.

Her fingers moved up to twine in his hair, slowly pulling him closer. "Beloved, do you not know that the only way you hurt me is by holding yourself from me?" she whispered, a trace of sadness flickering in her golden eyes. "I die a little each time you have pushed me away to protect me from yourself."

"I am not making any move to push you away..." he pointed out. "I care about you; I have for some time."

She kissed his lips gently as he allowed himself to be drawn within reach. "Without you, I am not complete. Touch me, Burman. Show me your love again... I wish it most dearly... I wish to be yours for always..."

He caressed her face with his hand. "Should we not head for home first?" he asked.

"Isn't there much to do before then?" she asked, disappointment filling her. "Please... please, Burman... please won't you touch me again as you did last night? For a little while at least...?" Tears gathered in her eyes as she felt him pulling back to protect her from his touch. She caught the hand caressing her face in both of hers, holding it close and pressing her face into it. "Please..." she whispered, begging him shamelessly.

"I..." he paused. "You wish to be with me, and no other?" He sounded nervous about the idea.

"I know you would not hurt me, Burman. It is only you who doubts this. Do you think I bedded others because I did not want you?" She looked up at him, pain showing clearly. "That is not so. I wished to free you from an obligation that filled you with concern for me to the point where you could not bear to touch me, could not bear to feel me touch you. Venak made quite clear he has no interest in being my mate, although he would not mind if I only lay with him. Vulmin..." She swallowed hard, lashes concealing her gaze for a moment before she met his eyes once more. "Vulmin I lay with only to have the money to help care for my kits, when they come. Because without a mate, I cannot stay with any of you, no matter how much I wish to. And I wish to stay with you always, Burman." Tears slipped down her cheeks, dreading the thought that her confession would only make matters worse.

"You missed one male you laid with," he grated out, unable to hide his jealousy anymore. He wanted her, wanted to possess her, to have her waiting for him at the end of the day, to see her throughout the day...

"I have only been with three males," Tisha replied, stung. It took a moment for her to realize whom he must be thinking of. There were three partners now, and she had left in the company for one and remained with him all night, too. "Pamdul has never done more than be in the same bed with me, and we only slept," she said quietly, fingers combing through Burman's hair wistfully. "There is no chance of my having his kits," she said, making it as clear as she could, gaze lifting to meet Burman's as he frowned down at her angrily.

He thought about it. "I thought you wished to have my young," he asked. "You do know I have tried to hide my feelings, but when I keep laying in bed with you... it makes it harder..."

"I do want your young," Tisha told him softly, burrowing into his chest. "I have not gone into heat yet, although I do not think I will escape that for much longer. What must I say, what must I do to heal this hurt I have caused you? I will do anything... anything you require..." she promised rashly, weeping silently into his chest.

"What hurt have you caused me? All the hurt was there before we met," he said, holding her tightly.

Her arms slid about his neck and she held onto him tightly. "You are the keeper of my heart, Burman, and no other. Let me be yours, even if you do not love me. You like and care for me, I feel that. It is enough for me to have that, to be allowed to give my love to you freely..."

"Have I stopped you from expressing your feelings?" he asked. "I simply have needed time to come to term with my own."

She nipped his ear lightly. "You have stopped me before, several times, unless I was willing to do all I could to break your control." Tisha paused for a long moment. "I was... wicked last night. You made me so desperate, fearing that your control would last longer than I could wait..."

"Am I so obvious and transparent that I must drive you to this?" he asked her curiously. He was clearly enjoying her attentions, but wanted to focus on the conversation.

She gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"That I desire you so and stop myself that you feel the need to give me such a push?"

"You have told me so often enough," she reminded him, puzzled by his words. "Told me that I would break your control if I continued touching you, told me that you feared harming or even killing me... Why else would I need to resort to adding black fruit wine to our cup last night?"

He looked at her. "Perhaps we should stop talking," he said. "It seems like we should move forward." Burman could not recall any other female being so desperate to have him that she would think to lace his drink with black fruit wine, trusting to get the desired results. That Tisha had dared try this pleased him. His brave little vixen dared much to offer him her love.

Tisha shivered in pleasure at the thoughts his words brought to mind. "You will touch me again... now?" she whispered hopefully.

He pulled her closely. "I suppose so." There was no point in resisting anymore. Tisha shyly began touching him again, testing to see if he would hold back once more, or if he would give himself to her fully as he had last night. He stroked her fur very delicately, still obviously fearing he would hurt her and not being able to bear it if he did. Her eyes narrowed at this, refusing to allow him to backslide without a fight. Having bedded two others whose actions and reactions she could clearly remember, Tisha used every trick she knew to break down Burman's control. Soft caresses, breathy moans, pulling him closer and begging him until he was close to being mindless with the need for her.

He cursed... words she was not familiar with, and grabbed her, pushing her roughly down on the bed and taking her with all the need burning within. Her cries of delight and pleasure filled his ears, the delicate-seeming vixen clearly relishing every caress, every possessive move of his body. When he regained a measure of control, he lay over her, shuddering with the waves of pleasure still rippling through him, the aftermath of more pleasure than he could clearly recall experiencing before. Tisha touched him lightly, hands trembling with awe. "Oh my..." she breathed, shaken by his passion. "Are you always so wonderful, my beloved...? How could anyone, having felt your touch, not pine for it always?"

"Now... may we make preparations to leave this place?" he asked. "I wish to be home, I am more comfortable there." Her words soothed a part of him Burman had not realized ached, comforted and filled a hole his former life without her could not prepare him to see. Staying here, where they might both have foes waiting for them did not appeal. They would both be safer in the Foxlands.

Tisha nodded, cuddling against him while he held her for a few moments longer. "Am I your mate now?" she whispered, hardly daring to hope.

"Yes," he said. "If that is what you wish. Certainly no female I have ever met has fought for the right before..." His soul warmed at the thought that she desired this so much. It would give him the right to protest anyone else touching her, certainly. It would be expected of him, in fact.

"Most everything I have done since meeting you was done in the hope that you would claim me," Tisha whispered happily, nuzzling him before nudging his shoulder to encourage him to roll onto his back. Mellowed by their recent activity, he allowed the girl to have her way, and Tisha straddled his belly as she ran her hands lightly over his body. Golden eyes gazed at him so hungrily he thought she would try seducing him once more, but after a few moments of gazing at him, she reluctantly slipped free and began dressing. Hot eyes followed his moments as he also dressed, combing out her long mane of black hair.

"What do you wish to do now?" he asked, curiously. "Will you settle necessary business here so that we might return to the village?" He seemed eager to get out of town.

"Yes. I do not know how to do so, though." She gazed at him hopefully. "Mathter has agreed to work for me as my accountant, and knows much of Vulmin's affairs, having been his accountant for fifteen years from what he says." Tisha blushed, dropping her gaze. "He... he suggested guards should be hired, but neither of us knows anything of doing so..."

"Private guards are hard to find; ones who are trained, the former military ones who are available are either older or thrown out when Jethular had trials to determine their worth." He shrugged. "Perhaps at home... your cousin is always willing to get himself injured for your honor..."

"He isn't trained at all," Tisha stated with concern, biting her lip. "We could... we could offer to pay the two guards Vulmin had to take us back, releasing them there. I do not think they would be eager to remain in the Foxlands." She did not seem all that thrilled to make them such an offer.

"We could wait until a guard unit goes on patrol between here and the trade village," he suggested. "Or travel with another party... there is safety in numbers."

She nodded, grateful for his suggestions. "I have not spoken with Venak yet about... about profiting from..." Tisha bit her lip. "What did he wish to do with his share of the money?" she asked, trying to recall if Venak had admitted any particular desires to her.

"Accumulate more money, I suppose," he said. "Many Orcs enjoy the challenge of accumulating money and building business."

Tisha straitened out the bedding as she considered this. "Vulmin was his uncle, and he is our partner. It would only be fair if at least some of his uncle's assets became his," she said, looking to Burman for his thoughts on this matter.

"Legally? What does Fox law say on this?"

"Fox law says it is mine, to do with as I wish," she stated softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I would not have it at all if I were not partners with you and the others. Honor, not law, demands that I share what would not have been mine at all with those who gave me the chance for it. Pamdul wants to have his vineyard; that is simple enough, and there will be Foxes willing enough to help him for the chance to eat well and earn money, if no Orcs are interested." Anxious eyes watched Burman.

"Venak... perhaps you should find out what he desires," Burman said. "I enjoy commerce in all its forms. Venak seems... more interested in acquisition."

"I do not... know him well at all, Burman. Will you be with me, and help me find the words to make this offer without insulting him?" She bit her lip uncertainly. "I would not wish to... cause further hurt to any of you..." Pamdul would be upset that she chose Burman over him, as he'd been hurt when she let Venak be her first.

"I will talk to Venak," he promised. "Pamdul... I think you would do better with," he suggested. "He is very... simple. And requires small words to understand things."

She rose from the bed and wrapped her arms about his waist, holding him without making an effort to arouse her lover. Burman's arms enfolded her as well, feeling his jealousy easing as the girl continued making plain her preference for him. "I trust in your judgment in all things when it comes to dealing with Orcs," she whispered, glad of his willingness to help her with these things. "Mathter has promised me lessons in reading, as well as coming to understand all that now belongs to me. We are mates now, and all I have is yours. Should anything happen to me, it will become yours. Mathter says that Vulmin destroyed his reputation, and will never be able to find work again. I ask that you see he never lacks for the rest of his life." She smiled up at him. "I wish to live long with you, beloved, and give you many offspring..."

He didn't know what to say to that; it occurred to him there would be less challenge in making deals if he already had all the money needed, but he would find other ways to amuse himself... Tisha, for example. "Do not think I am always correct," he warned.

The girl rubbed her cheek against him slowly. "No one ever is," she agreed. "You have a lifetime of experience with them that I lack, however." She wondered if he would have ever thought of giving a place to Mathter if she did not suggest it, but would not ask. "You are my love," she said with a contented sigh. "I look forward to cooking for you once more."

"I do not wish to eat TOO much; it is bad for one's health. I wish to live longer."

Tisha giggled. "Perhaps I shall have to make more sweet dishes," she teased, wrinkling her nose at him playfully.

"You wish to make things I do not enjoy eating?" he questioned in mock-seriousness.

"Others can enjoy them," she protested innocently.

"Very well," he said. "You can make them for others."



Burman trusted her to take care of herself,  even as he watched her, worried about her, and cared for her. He had arranged for them to join a caravan heading toward the trading village. There were guards; just plain Orcs, watching out for those attempting to rob the cargo.

During the day, when most of the caravan was asleep, she went out to pick some berries and whatever other items she could find. The caravan moved slowly, due to the extra goods and the time it took to move them. They had just crossed from the plains into the forest: the perfect place to forage. She hadn't had anything other than meat since they left.

Having seen the "fields" of Kavali mushrooms on their way out of the Orc city, Tisha itched to discuss with Burman later a plan to harvest such crops to help feed Foxes. She'd longed to snatch some as they passed, but hadn't quite dared do so. Finding a berry patch, she gathered as many as she could into a basket to savor later, along with other foods she'd gathered. The girl finished and rose to stretch, basket at her feet.

Suddenly, she was knocked to the ground, someone sweeping her feet out from under her. "You are Tisha?" an Orc female asked. She was clad in a dark robe, and wore something on her head Tisha had never seen before. It seemed to be blocking the sun from hitting her eyes. It resembled a helmet. She held a blade in each hand.

"What of it?" Tisha demanded, rolling to face her foe to allow her to, at need, thrust her feet in the belly of the other girl and toss her over head. "We have never even met before. Why do you attack me?"

"You did not expect someone would come to see you, after you killed Vulmin and took his money?" the Orc girl asked. "Is that not why you left so quickly?" she asked. "Do not try to move..."

Tisha made herself comfortable on the ground while insuring that she could still make use of her plan if further violence were offered. "It was never my intent for him to die in my bed, or from being with me," the vixen stated, eyes darkening with sorrow. "He was... kind to me," the girl whispered, feeling a pang once more.

"He was not bored with you yet," she said. "He would have thrown you away when he got that way... I have seen it happen. The only reason I survived so long..." she paused. "Never mind that. I have come to take my revenge."

"To what purpose?" Tisha inquired. "Killing me will profit you not at all, while if you were to speak with Mathter, whom I took on to manage my accounts, the accounts once belonging to Vulmin, you would know I did not mean to leave his other mates with nothing."

"Does revenge need a benefit?" she asked. "It will make me feel good to do so... You were lucky, vixen. Nothing more."

"Then you would rather no benefit other than my blood soaking into the ground?" the vixen inquired, shaking her head in amazement. "And I thought all Orcs greedy for wealth." She watched the female over her curiously. There was no fear in her, although her blood moved fast within her, making her ready to face this angry female with every hint that she was as calm as if meeting her at the inn's parlor.

"Some things are more important..." She paused. "Who said anything about killing you? I did not. I will if you force me though."

"What did you have in mind?" Tisha inquired calmly, quite curious about this female standing over her. She made allowances for the other's upset over the death of their once shared mate. Tisha found his death to be upsetting; why would not the rest of his mates find it so?

"I intend to remove all your pretty fur."

That declaration surprised Tisha. It wasn't all that violent, for one, nor would it harm her. But it would cause an awful stir. "Mmm... tempting, but no thank you," Tisha replied. "I like my pelt in its current condition." She tilted her head to one side, observing the female. "What will you do, now that you are no longer Vulmin's? Do you have plans in place to see to your comfortable living? Skills with which you can start a business, another male chosen to keep you?"

"You are irritating, do you know that?" the Orc girl said.

"No one else has ever stated so, no. What is your name? You know mine, and I would like to know whom I am speaking with." The longer they spoke, the less threatened she felt.

"Isnalla," she said. "I have tracked you all the way from the capital. It is too... light here."

"Mmm..." Tisha shrugged a little, rising to her feet. "Isnalla, I will be cooking dinner soon. Perhaps you would care to join us for a meal?" The caravan cooks didn't mind allowing her to cook for her own party, certainly.

The Orc woman grabbed her arm. "We are not done here yet..." Isnalla was surprised by the ease with which Tisha twisted her arm free and gave the other female a look.

"I am well aware of that, Isnalla. However, I like to get an early start on cooking, and you seem to have a lot on your mind." The vixen stooped swiftly to recover her basket, setting off to rejoin the caravan, pausing once to look back. "Coming?" she invited once more.

"Bah," Isnalla said. "You owe me revenge... I should shred you with my teeth."

The vixen smiled at her, eyes dancing with mirth. "Where would the fun be in that? So messy, and getting fur in your teeth..."

"I thought of a perfectly acceptable revenge. You will just not sit still..."

The vixen sighed heavily. "If I let you do such things to me, others would be most upset with you and wish to do you ill. And that would be unfortunate, since finding you and sharing some of my windfall with you was in my plans. Think of how you have thwarted my plans to find you first," Tisha suggested helpfully.

"You have not begged for my forgiveness, " she said in a sullen manner.

"For what? Having to wake next to a dead Orc?!" Tisha demanded, giving Isnalla a look of horror. "Do you think I plan on making a habit of such? Certainly not!" She shuddered, continuing to walk on, body stiff with indignation. "Besides, if he had died elsewhere, you would have nothing at all," Tisha stated softly, shoulders slumping a bit as she thought more on it. "He left no will at all, and he has family. I expect they will be far from pleased that all was given to me. Far less pleased than you are."

"They will do more than shave you," Isnalla pointed out nastily.

Tisha shrugged. "Hardly your problem, is it? I'm sure Marina is enjoying her work," she added with a bit of morbid humor. "This whole thing started when I asked her for help. Now I have partners who care about me and more assets than I will ever know what to do with. If not for Burman..." Her gaze turned soft and filled with yearning. "If not for Burman, I would dread meeting every male Orc for the rest of my life, wondering if it was myself or the money he truly desired."

"Bah, gods...! as if they ever did anything for us... Where were they my entire existence? Off helping Foxes, and Elves and... what are those pink creatures?"

"Did you ever ask for help from them?" Tisha inquired as they reached the edge of the camp.

"Ask? When did they offer?" She scowled. "Who asks for help? They are supposed to have power. They should know I need something."

"Marina did nothing for me until I asked for it," Tisha stated softly.

"She killed him for you."

The vixen set up for cooking, silent for a long, thoughtful time. "I doubt that. He was old... everyone keeps telling me how old he was. Perhaps what we did... the hours we spent..." she trailed off, blushing and glancing at Isnalla. "You know what he could be like... I had not expected him to be so kind, so generous in teaching me about... pleasure..." the vixen admitted with wistful shyness. "He taught me much I will be grateful for." Clearly the vixen had enjoyed her time in Vulmin's bed, and expected that Isnalla had felt the same way about him.

"Who do you think taught him?" she said. "He took credit for everything."

"Do you think he would discuss his other females with me in bed, especially on our first, our only night together?" the girl asked softly. She added spices to the stew with a free, almost casual hand as excellent cooks could do.

"He was fat," she protested. "And old." The vixen couldn't be right in the head, finding bedding such a lump of a male leasurable=...! Isnalla had always used all her skill to disguise the disgust she felt whenever Vulmin came to her bed, and Tisha expected her to believe that it was something the vixen enjoyed?

"And kind, gentle... he taught me so many things that a male would enjoy, things that can be enjoyed by both, if both are willing to give to each other." The vixen's expression was soft with memory. "I never expected to enjoy being with him; I agreed to have money for raising my kits, when I have them. But... when we finished, I found I did not mind that he was so large, or that he was older than I by far." Isnalla realized what a threat such a vixen would have become to her, had Vulmin lived much longer. The girl not only hadn't minded being with the fat old Orc, but had =enjoyed= it, if one believed her. And with Tisha plainly expecting that Isnalla received the same treatment from him, what reason did she have to lie? The thought was chilling.

Isnalla made a noise. "Are you sure he did not die to get away from your chipperness?" she said, a bit obnoxiously.

Tisha fell silent, giving Isnalla a reproachful look. The stew simmered for a time as dusk made sitting in the open more bearable, and others began moving around. The smell of the stew made Isnalla's stomach rumble with hunger... and not only because her last meal was so long ago. Others looked at the pot Tisha stirred hungrily; it would feed far more than the few in her party, for a few others had inquired if she would cook for them while she traveled as part of the caravan. Flattered, Tisha agreed readily.

Burman approached her. "Who is this?" he asked curiously. "She did not come with us."

His curiosity held nothing of desire, which pleased Tisha. The vixen gave him an adoring look. "Burman... this is Isnalla. She was concerned about talking with me with the rest of you around, and caught me while I was out gathering things for my own meal." Her eyes sparkled with good humor. "I think she realizes now that you won't mind her talking with me while we settle her portion. Mathter and I haven't had a chance to plan out how best to contact them yet, so I was pleased to have a chance to speak with her so soon."

"If any of you touch me, I will extract parts of your body you can live without, but you will miss," Isnalla commented.

Tisha gasped. "Isnalla! They wouldn't dream of touching you without your invitation..." if then, she added privately. She remembered how pleased Venak had been when she'd offered to let him be her first, offered to let him have her at that time. Perhaps it was her willingness, her desire that made him so hungry for her that day. It was hard to believe that Isnalla, pretty as she must be for a female Orc, had ever kept kept Vulmin for any length of time in her bed with such an attitude.

"Maybe we should let Venak escort her," Burman suggested. "He is known to enjoy the company of a female."

The vixen looked at Burman warily. She did not think he lied about not caring to spend any time with female Orcs ever again. Frowning, she looked at Isnalla. "Try not to start a fight. My partners are not the sort to force themselves on a female, and are less likely to be interested in Orc females anyways." Isnalla growled at her and stomped off. Tisha looked after Isnalla and frowned. "Are they =all= like that?" she asked, trying to wrap her mind around this thought.

"No. Just many of them."

The girl sighed, cooking side dishes for her own pleasure while finishing the stew for general consumption. As soon as she ladled out the first bowl there was a line to eat from her pot. Tisha smiled pleasantly as she handed each bowlful out, but without any sexual interest in any other than Burman. She simply radiated joy as she looked at him, behaving herself and not putting on a more obvious display before the others.

"What will you wish to do once we reach the trading village? Such a rich vixen will be very popular there," Burman asked her.

She settled on his knee, a habit taken up since their first shared drink. It was her way of clearly stating to all that she was only interested in Burman. "I don't know," she admitted, leaning against his chest as she waited for the rest of her meal to cook. "Perhaps I shall ask my mate what he thinks would be good investments."

"There will be many people wanting you to invest in them there. I kept the ones away in the capital."

Tisha chuckled warmly, rubbing her cheek against him a little. "Do you think me lacking in gratitude?" she murmured. "Shall I need to prove otherwise upon our return...?"

"I will look forward to anything you wish to work on upon our return."

Swallowing thickly Tisha slipped from his lap to check on her own meal, mixing the stew cooked for all with plants she'd gathered.

Mathter approached her. "I have a proposal for you," he said calmly. "I have been speaking with the leader conveying these goods to the construction sites in the trading village."

She gave Mathter her complete attention. "Yes?"

"I discussed the possibility of bringing some of these goods to your village. They seem willing to consider it." It was not something she had asked of him, but the vixen's reaction of pleasure rewarded him. She was more than an eager student, she was also one who made him feel important effortlessly.

"Really? Which ones?" Tisha inquired with delight, her joy in what Mathter had done for her plain for all to see.

"I thought stoves were an item that might be popular. Many Foxes have heard of them."

"Oh..." she breathed, thinking about that. "Is there someone willing to instruct others in their use?" It would be harder to sell such things if no one could explain how to use them properly. And she would like to know how to use them, too.

"I have heard a rumor about the inventor... that it was a female and she is here in the Fox Realm."

That surprised Tisha quite a bit, and she wondered if all she'd been told about the way Orcs ran things wasn't... stilted, and far from accurate. "Do you know her name, a way of contacting her?" Tisha inquired.

"No, but it is said she has the ear of the Queen."

Tisha sighed wistfully. The Queen, Lady Fox to those of the Foxlands, surely had much to do without hearing from a silly vixen wishing to find the inventor of something Orcs wished to sell. "Anything else?"

"There was a female here a moment ago; maybe she knows how to use a stove."

"Perhaps," Tisha agreed. "It was Isnalla," she added, curious if Mathter recognized the Orc female.

"Oh... her... I did not recognize her with the clothing on her head."

She smiled ruefully. "She threatened Burman... I do hope that is not how she plans to continue, or it will be difficult to give her any help at all in starting over."

"She has made her business being taken by the same male... would you not be unhappy if you saw your investment taken away?"

"He was old! Everyone keeps telling me so. This means that he would have died sooner or later with or without having ever shared a bed with me!" Tisha protested, without meaning to let anyone else overhear her. A few of the nearer Orcs heard it, but the vixen did not notice.

"I do not think she should blame you... but she has had a major life change without her consent."

"So have I," Tisha murmured, finishing her meal with a sigh.




When Tisha arrived in the trading village, she was already a celebrity. Everyone wanted to see the rich vixen, talk to her... and try to get her money for some project. Shortly after she arrived, the Governor himself invited her and her mate and anyone else she wished to share his table for a dinner. Burman urged her to go; after all... such opportunities were not normal.

Tisha agreed, but only because Burman urged it. It felt... wrong that suddenly having so much money would be a reason for others to wish to meet her. She became tongue-tied when swarmed by people wanting to meet her, or people seeking to get her financial backing. The vixen had nothing fine to wear for the dinner, and would not have known what to buy if anyone suggested she wear something finer. She clung to Burman's arm, seeming rather shy as they were seated.

A tiny hand tugged at her dress. "Do you have any children?" A high-pitched voice asked her. It belonged to a little white Fox boy.

"No..." Tisha said, surprised into speech. He was adorable, and simply had to belong to the Governor's mate, Winter the Harvest Dancer. She caressed the boy's ears wistfully.

He pouted a bit. "Not enough children here to play with," he told her. "No one brings any. There's one boy... and he's crazy. He digs holes all day."

Tisha blinked at this information, caught without a thing to say to that. She smiled a little. "When I have kits, I will make certain you have a chance to meet them," she promised softly.

He nodded. "Are you the vixen who killed the Orc and took his money? Everyone is talking about you."

The girl flushed, quite embarrassed by such a way of describing herself... and that it made her well-known. Tisha looked away, ears folding away into her hair. "Excuse my son Paltov," a rich female voice said, and Tisha looked up to see Winter picking the boy up. "He does not mean to distress you." The stunning white vixen smiled at her gently. "You do have a reputation of being able to... destroy an Orc through pleasure."

"He... he was rather old," Tisha stated weakly. "It was hardly intentional..."

Paltov hugged his mother. "It was just what all the grownups were saying, Mommy," he told her. "Didn't mean to make her upset..."

Winter hushed him with a kiss. "Sweet, I'll explain more later," she promised, hugging him, then turned to greet Burman. "You are the one who claims Tisha as his mate?" she inquired, silver eyes looking at him curiously and noting Tisha's doting expression when she looked at her lover.

"No... she is the one who claimed me," Burman said, with some good humor. "I could not resist her."

Tisha blushed and giggled a little, burying her face against his shoulder, hands slipping about his thick arm. Winter laughed at that, her gaze turning to Ramel and warming with her love. "I think Ramel might say the same thing."

"And you have already produced such children, or are they from a previous coupling?"

"This one is adopted; our young are sleeping just now," Winter said, her attention returning to Burman. "You are curious, and wish to see them?" she asked, smiling.

Tisha looked up, golden eyes wide as she heard the offer to see what her own young by Burman might look like. Her fingers tightened on his arm. "I would like to see them," the red vixen replied softly, glancing at Burman hopefully.

"I am curious what they look like as well, Orcs or Foxes..."

"All of our first litter appear more Fox than anything else," Winter stated, fingering her son's ears. "Would you care to meet my mate, Ramel?"

"We have met," Burman said. "I doubt he recalls though."

The white vixen looked curious, but did not ask. "Do you wish to meet him again?"

"The children first, perhaps." It would please Tisha to see young ones.

"The others are still drifting in," Winter commented, glancing about the room. "We could look at them briefly..." Tisha caught her breath in excitement. Burman knew she hungered for kits, but her excitement to see those of others seemed odd to him. Young were far too common in the Orclands, forming gangs in the streets one must watch out for. What was so different about Fox young? Maybe it was the fur, he mused.




His red vixen looked down on the sleeping kits with a wistful hunger that told Burman how much this meant to her. After several long moments, she tore her gaze from the kits to look at Winter. "The are so adorable," she said.

Winter laughed softly. "Always, when they sleep."

Tisha glanced at Burman, blushing shyly. Did he want children at all, or would he give them to her only because she wanted them, and he would be too jealous of another touching her to let another bed her ever again? She smiled at him a little and blushed more. What would it have taken to make him step forward and claim her, if they had not gone to the Orclands where she'd served him that wine?

"Please do not wake them," a voice said from behind them. The quiet vixen sat in a rocking chair, trying to get some rest. She sounded exhausted.

"Are you well, cousin?" Winter asked softly. "Perhaps you should sleep. I could ask Yalta to watch over the young for a few hours."

Tisha had never seen a silver Fox before; as she moved, her fur seemed to shimmer, like a million little mirrors reflecting the light from the open door. "I am just tired..." she said. "I do not wish to go to bed so much as be with my love... but I will likely lose consciousness as soon as I lay down..."

Tisha watched her with concern, letting Winter handle her own cousin. "You tire too easily," Winter said, worry coloring her tone. "I will speak with Ramel, and take over for you. You must rest and recover your strength..."

"I have a litter of kits, a husband who fills me with need, a lack of sleep, and my dancing practice..." she said. "I do not know how you do this."

"We will hire someone to watch the young," Winter promised softly, setting her son down and sending him out of the room with a quiet word to go find Yalta. She then helped her cousin from the chair and guided her to another room. Moments later she returned. "Forgive me... I must stay and watch over the young. Please feel free to return to the dinner party," the white vixen offered.

Tisha's small hands wrapped about Burman's forearm, glancing up at him briefly. His face was impassive, giving her no clue to his thoughts. "Thank you for... letting us see your little ones, Winter," Tisha murmured. The pair left her to mind her young, walking slowly downstairs. "Burman... do you... mind... having young?" Tisha asked him nervously.

"If you do not turn into the silver vixen," he said. "And do not become so tired you can barely stand."

"She was not raised to care for young," a voice said, coming up the stairs. It belonged to a plain, but pleasant looking young Orc female.

"Not raised to care for young?" Tisha inquired, confused.

"She was raised on the streets of the capital," Yalta said. "Before she met the Queen's mage."

"What capital?" Tisha asked, bewildered. She saw from Burman's face that he understood. "The =Orc= capital?" That meant she'd lived in the Orclands. as a Fox or an Orc? Uncertain if it was polite to ask, she stepped aside to allow the female a clear path, still rather bewildered by the conversation.

She started to move past. "I was taught the things a proper lady should know: how to cook, clean, raise young. she fought for her survival."

It was something to consider, and Tisha thought on it in silence as they returned to the room downstairs, where everyone was gathering around the table, taking their places to eat. Tisha found herself seated between Burman and another Orc, who was introduced to her as Fen. She greeted him softly, with a small smile, passing food to him as it came around.

"You are the vixen with the colorful history," he said, calmly.

Tisha gave him an uncertain look. "I beg your pardon?"

"The one that is being talked about."

She flushed, dropping her gaze. "He... he was old," she stated softly, anxiously touching Burman's thigh under the table for assurance. "It was not intended that he die."

"I did not say anything about it, merely asked if you were the one. I do not spread gossip."

The girl nodded slightly, not lifting her eyes from her plate. Kavali mushrooms were passed down, and her expression turned keen. A number of slices of the mushrooms made it onto her plate, her hand hesitating a bit before passing them on with a wistful expression. She accepted a meat dish from Burman and added some of it to her plate.

"I am Fen, the Master Builder," he said. "I did not wish to be rude. I am merely curious about certain things."

Wary golden eyes regarded him for a long moment. Tisha ate her first slice of Kavali mushroom very slowly, savoring the flavor, wishing she'd dared leave the caravan briefly to snatch as many as she could to bring home. It would have been rude; surely someone was planning to harvest them... sell them... "What things?" she asked, swallowing the last of her mushroom slice.

"You are a rich woman by all reports, your holdings in Orc territories... have you toured the new Orc inventions we are installing here, to impress not only the Foxes, but our own people and the rest of the world? An enterprising vixen could take good advantage of this..."

Tisha sighed. "I have seen some, but... take the stove. How does one use it? What makes it better than a fire?" At least he did not wish to know all the sordid details of Vulmin's death. Her leg pressed against Burman's wishing things were not so formal, and that she could sit on his lap, feeding him bits of meat... Not that she'd dared do that where they had an audience, for she might have stirred up resentment. But she had plans to do so, when they were home and alone...

"Does your home have a chimney? With or without it, does smoke enter your home when you cook?" Fen watched her curiously. A rich Orc girl would be haughty, well aware of her new importance and working hard to be certain everyone else knew of it. This little vixen seemed to shy away from mention of being famous, yet blossomed when someone simply spoke to her like a person.

"Some, but not much," Tisha admitted, giving Fen a bit more of her attention as Burman let his hand rest casually at the base of her spine. She pressed back a little into the touch, taking comfort and assurance from it.

"Open fire has disadvantages: it is dangerous, it produces too much smoke, and not enough heat. The stove is a box in which the fire is lit and fueled, with a flat surface on top. There are holes cut into the top of it into which pots are inserted. Heat is controlled by various means. It is something of an art, but something once you learn this..."

She looked frustrated at that description, for it meant that she would have to find someone to teach her how to make a stove work... but she also remained attentive.

"Imagine being able to cook several pots of stew, and to individually regulate the amount of heat to each pot," he told her. "It was a work of genius... one unfortunately that no male would have thought to bother to invent."

"I was told it was invented by an Orc female..." Tisha offered hesitantly.

"Yes... although a male got most of the money for it. And males have taken ideas from it and used them in other fields. The principles of it were used to create a large stove for heating a large tank of water to be siphoned off for bathing... we are using it here in this very village. This house has pipes which move water to several bathing rooms. Both hot and cold water..." This caused her golden eyes to widen, the Kavali mushroom in her fingers forgotten. Fen knew he had her attention with the mention of hot and cold bathing water... "This village gets the benefit of such things, and my workers are rewarded for new ideas... and a promise of the profit from their sale."

She nodded absently. When Mathter agreed to work for her, she had doubled his wage. And people kept mentioning these Orc stoves, but no one seemed to know how to use them...! "I don't suppose the water pipes can be added to a house already built?" the vixen inquired wistfully.

"They can... but not as easily. The water must come from somewhere: an underground spring, a clean lake... rainwater... we have used all of these here, to show them off to prospective purchasers of such technology. Once a source of water is brought to the home, if you wish hot water, the heating system must be put somewhere. The size of it depends on the amount of water needing to be heated..."

Tisha looked at Burman. "Perhaps if we expanded... the new areas could house such bathing rooms...?" Once he'd mentioned expanding, she thought. It would enable them to continue using the old while adding more onto their current structure.

"You would need workers to do this, Tisha," Burman reminded her. "Fen is here, building this village..."

Fen looked at her. "He is correct. The techniques were are using are so new, Orcs will have to come here to learn them."

The vixen nodded wistfully, ears wilting a little with regret. She would love to bathe warm without having to haul hot and cold water each time. Usually she just settled for a cold river bath. "How long before workers might be available?"

"I could spare a small crew for about a week... if I order the right equipment and..." He looked at her. "Are there Foxes in your village interested and able-bodied?"

She bit her lip. "They are all farmers, and this is their busy season," she reminded him. Growing crops was demanding work. You had to keep animals from eating your harvest, weeds from choking it, and make certain enough water reached it to keep things growing. It sped up briefly at different times for various crops too, of course.

"I have never been to your village. But with a small crew I could, in a week's time, erect a bathhouse onto the side of your existing structure. Where is the nearest water source?"

"The river is not far," Tisha said, her ears lifting a little. Being able to offer guests a hot bath would be something Foxes would find appealing, and Orcs might care to try it too. Some of them...

"I could not tell you if we had time to run pipe without coming to look at the area for a day." He paused. "If you are willing to pay for the service, I will arrange to have your house modified with as many Orc inventions as I can in the time I have. Once these inventions become more in demand, and popular... more will come to learn how to install them. I already get more workers every day for the untrained labor, such as digging trenches."

"Value for service," Tisha said with a small smile, her hands slipping about Burman's thick arm, caressing him a little beneath the sleave. "We would be willing to pay, of course," the vixen offered. "It would be an investment." Something to make their inn more practical, although it might, in the end, be better to build a new structure for the inn itself. Tisha marked it for discussion later with Burman.

"If this endeavor is successful, there are other buildings in the Orclands who will buy the benefit of my expertise," Fen said. "Unfortunately for the schedule imposed for the construction of this village... no other Master Builders... individuals capable of leading projects to free up my time wish to emigrate here, it is the unskilled laborers who flock here." Fen paused. "But I bore you with my talk. Eventually, everyone becomes bored with it. The only one I know who can talk on such things as much or more than I is the governor's sister; she has turned out to be an excellent designer and draws up construction plans..."

Tisha's ears cocked forward alertly. "Is she? I would like to meet her too. So far I have only met two Orc females, and I do not know whom the second one was. She was very polite..."

"She is around here somewhere," he said. "It is a good time to be a creative Orc," he said. "The King is encouraging innovation instead of stifling it. If initiatives work here, I foresee there will be a demand to rebuild the capital and the other Orc cities and towns, building by building to dig up the street to lay pipe to bring water to people's houses, a new era of luxury denied us..."

The vixen looked far from bored by his talk, if her attentive gaze and food allowed to grow cold on her plate could be trusted. The girl sighed. "My only talent is cooking," she said a bit sadly, looking up at Burman with a rueful smile before regarding Fen once more. "Before I went to the Orclands for the past few days, I tried new dishes each night on our guests." She itched to try more things, but knew she would have to save most of her attention for business and learning what she'd need to know to become adept at managing her acquisitions.

"Then... you should speak to Yalta. She is also an excellent cook. She could teach you to use a stove," he suggested.

"I will ask after her later in the evening," Tisha promised. "Thank you, Fen. I did not know whom to speak with about learning the use of one."

"You are most welcome..."

Her attention returned to her meal, chagrinned to realize that the meat was cold now. She blushed, wondering if anyone else noticed, but was far too embarrassed to look and see. Rather, she ate daintily from what was on her plate, accepting more as the dishes came around again. The mushrooms came around as often as the meat, sometimes plain, other times cooked lightly and flavored. No matter how they were offered, Tisha always took some onto her plate and devoured them with evident pleasure, eating far more of the mushrooms than meat.

There was another tug on her dress. This time a little yellow vixen girl. "Yes?" she inquired warily. Meeting the boy reminded her both of what she wanted and what she'd gained through the death of another.

She was meeting many differently colored Foxes of late. "Have you seen my little brother?" the young vixen asked.

Guessing this to be another of Winter's children the vixen nodded. "Earlier," Tisha admitted. "You are also Winter's child?"

"Yes. I'm Ada."

"You are very pretty," Tisha said quietly, wondering what the girl wished of her.

She blushed. "Thank you. You are pretty too... is that why Orcs like you so much?"

"I am not so pretty," Tisha denied, blushing. "There are many who are more so." And while Burman and the others might have seen them in passing, the chances were very good that they had never seen the prettier vixens up close. "They like my cooking," she allowed, touching Burman's arm lightly on the inside. "And I enjoy cooking for them."

"Are you a mage? Like Bulgria? They say you did magical stuff..."

Tisha looked bewildered by this. "I am a cook, not a mage."

"But... they said you had magic powers that you used to kill someone..."

The red vixen's mouth opened and closed without speech as she tried to think of how to respond to this. "It was his time," she said at last.

"So... you were clever, you killed him while he slept because he was much bigger? Daddy won't teach me to protect myself from bad Orc males. He said he will teach my little brother how to protect me, like he protects his sister..."

"No... he lived when we fell asleep. When I woke, he was... gone." How did one say these things to a young girl without making her fear bedding a male she desired later?

"The Gods took him?" she asked. "Will you tell me more about it? I like good stories, and everyone is telling this story... but they say I'm too young to understand."

Burman caught her eye, his own gleaming with amusement. He found humor in this, which eased her embarrassment a little, and she smiled. "He asked for me to be his mate after tasting my cooking," Tisha began. "I like to experiment, and he found my creations quite tasty." The fact that he'd asked only to bed her, and that before doing more than smelling her stew were things she had no intention of mentioning. No one could say differently.

"I can't cook," she said. "But I like people who keep me not hungry, so others must too."

The red vixen sighed, as if sorely tried. "Burman, my mate here, has told me that I must not cook too much for him, or he will become fat and lose his health..." The fingers she had hidden up his sleeve caressed him, enjoying the hard clean lines of his body.

He smiled, very subtly, something she was learning to see, how his moods played out insignificantly on his face. Ada looked at her. "Which way did my brother go when he spoke to you?"

"Winter carried him upstairs, then sent him from the room when she became concerned about her cousin... I do not know where he is now."

"What's wrong with Tirtzah?" she asked, curiously. "Is she sick?"

"She is very friendly, isn't she?" Burman said in a neutral manner.

Since the girl was successfully distracted from Tisha supposedly killing her former mate, she hardly cared what the topic turned to. She nuzzled Burman's shoulder lightly and smiled up at him with adoration for a moment before looking down at Ada, her expression becoming concerned. "I am not certain what is wrong with her; she seems to be... simply pressed past what she has the strength to do."

"Tirtzah's pretty, isn't she? I like it when she dances; everything sparkles..."

"I've never seen her dance, but she is very lovely." Tisha cast an anxious glance at Burman, wondering what he thought of this other beautiful female. Granted he'd mentioned not wanting her to become weak as Tirtzah, but what about pretty like her...? Burman suddenly looked very interested in something else, no wanting to discuss other females with her, fearing it would displease or hurt her.

"Have you ever met anyone who wasn't an Orc or a Fox? I saw this funny man... he had pink skin... and no claws... and little itty bitty teeth..."

"No, I have not seen anyone who was not Orc or Fox," Tisha replied in a small voice, Burman's sudden withdrawal from the conversation filling her with dread. Would he rather have a beautiful vixen such as Winter? All Tisha had was her skill with cooking to draw a male... and more money than she knew what to do with.

"She is describing a human; they are smelly creatures," Burman said. "I met one once; he was imprisoned for entering Orc territory... I believe they executed him."

"Oh." She realized her hand on him was clinging tightly, and forced herself to let go. If he left her, it would be crushing. Tears stung her eyes. "Please excuse me," she murmured, rising from the table.

"What is wrong?" he asked her. "Did the girl offend you somehow?"

"I'm sorry!!" Ada cried. "What did I say?"

Tisha smiled at the girl. "Nothing, sweet. I only need a few moments..." She left the table before the tears could fall. The thought of losing Burman so soon after finally catching him made her hurt too much to think. Outside there would be air, and the space to recover herself before returning and pretending that nothing was wrong. Perhaps nothing was...

"You are being paranoid, sweetie," a familiar voice said as soon as she was outside.

She swung around to find the goddess Marina leaning against the outside of the Governor's home. "Winter is... very beautiful... Burman could easily find someone prettier..." Tisha flushed with embarrassment.

"And she has Ramel, who would kill Burman if he was interested, which he isn't. He's trying to avoid making you upset, and succeeded in making you more upset. Ironic, huh?"

The girl struggled with this thought. "He is not... sorry I am not... prettier?" Tisha asked after long moments of silence. She did not wish for him to regret choosing her, certainly.

"I could make you the most beautiful vixen in the land and it wouldn't matter to him; that is what love is..." She sighed, thinking of her less than nothing of a lovelife.

Heart eased some, Tisha tried to put her mind in order. Not easy to do when she'd let herself get so upset. Burman cared about her, cared deeply. He'd protected her from the first from the others before things had settled into where they would be working together. "Pamdul will be hurt by this," the vixen sighed softly. She hated to hurt him, for he was a very sweet soul.

"Give him a big hug and tell him you care about him, but you love Burman."

Tisha nodded. "Mathter has promised to teach me how to read." When she became good enough at that, then Marina wouldn't have to make time to visit her anymore, unless she felt like it. Which she certainly didn't have to do =now= if she didn't feel like it. Mortals could call on the gods, but that didn't mean the gods were required to do as requested.

"Oh good. When you are done, I can leave you a note," she said. "By the way... this isn't an order or anything, but I haven't heard you singing my praises to anyone..."

"They don't seem to listen very well when I do," Tisha stated softly.

Marina sighed. "It is tough working so hard at your job and not being appreciated for it. There are millions of things I do I never get credit for. It is just... Gods aren't unlike anyone else in that way; we need to feel loved and appreciated."

The vixen blushed. "I appreciate you," Tisha murmured. "Venak and Vulmin taught me enough that... that I was able to win past Burman's reluctance when he was sober." Her ears heated further as she recalled this. "He still thought of me as a dainty flower petal he must touch only with the greatest care..." And now that he was past that point, she wouldn't mind if he still wished to treat her that way from time to time. She rather thought it might feel nice... But exploring that on the road wasn't much of an option.

"Didn't I promise to take care of you?" She said. "Haven't I delivered on my promises?" Marina's voice was controlled, and friendly. She'd always acted like she and Tisha were best friends...

"Yes," Tisha agreed softly, thinking of how it was between her and Burman now. She enjoyed sleeping in his arms, even when they did nothing else. He was not one who wished all others to hear her pleasured cries in the open, and she was glad enough of that. If he'd wished for that, she would have had a difficult time refusing, for she loved being close to him very much.

"So... you don't need the kind of personal attention you did; you'll do fine," she said. "You are safe with your love, and I see many kits and happiness..."

She glanced at the goddess shyly. "He is very sweet to me. I do regret upsetting him by taking others... but don't regret being with them. Should Venak ever wish a mate again, he would be good to her." As he'd been kind to her, that first time she'd lain with anyone.

"We have plans," she said, mysteriously.  "Now... remember he loves you, and wants to take care of you."

That fit with Tisha's plans very well, for she wished to take care of Burman for the rest of her life, too. The goddess vanished from view, and Tisha returned to the dinner party.