A Satyr's Mate Ch. 09-10

CHAPTER NINE

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Lena had decided to call him Faustus. It meant lucky or fortunate.

He was indeed that, and proved it many times over with his endless, near-disastrous antics. From nearly falling off the ledge of our picture window onto the rocky slope below, to narrowly escaping Shala's hoof as it swung at his head after he'd tripped her going up the trail. I continually had to stifle my laughter around him as he was almost always in trouble for something. Usually with Shala.

But he was so lovable, it was hard for anyone to stay mad for long, and everyone looked out for him. Even Aeron spent more time with him than any other lambkin.

I continued to feed him throughout the summer months, although he was coming to need me very little with the greenery in full sprout. Lena and I remained close throughout, and Dolphus provided just the right mix of discipline and structure that neither Lena, nor myself had the heart to invoke.

Dolphus and I resumed our active sex life. Not quite as frequent as before our breeding, but still active enough to keep me somewhat satisfied. It wasn't like mating season, though, and I found myself daydreaming about it often. I longed for the frenzied rutting. Being taken over and over until every muscle was aching. But when I tried to discuss it with Dolphus, he turned away from me. He didn't want to mate again.

I tried reasoning with him about it. I knew the risk and was more than willing to accept it. But he wasn't. His argument was the same every time.

"I can't risk losing you again like that."

"You won't be. We'll time it better. Plan for bad weather by getting to Valame's in plenty of time. I want to try again, Dolphus."

"Non, Ashira."

"What are you going to do, just leave me here alone for the entire season?"

That was where his plan had holes. He wouldn't leave me alone during mating season. With twice the number of males to females, it was too risky.

"I want to be your mate. For real."

"Everyone knows that we are together."

"Yes, but I want to make it official. There are still some satyresses who think they stand a chance as long as we haven't produced offspring."

"There is one. She will soon shift her focus to another. Sensai is third in ranking and will soon overtake my position."

"You mustn't let him do that. You are far stronger and smarter than he. If you won't impregnate me, then how about Lena?"

Dolphus growled, tipping his horns in my direction. I'd brought it up several times but he was unwilling to even consider the option.

"Why not?"

Dolphus sighed. "I don't want Lena. Besides, I highly doubt Aeron would approve."

"Aeron? Why would he care? He has Zira, and any other satyress he wants, for that matter. His mating with Lena was an accident, I thought."

"No accident."

"What do you mean?"

"Aeron prefers Lena over all others. Watch him when Lena is near, you will see."

"What will I see?"

"You will see that he looks at her the way I look at you." With that, Dolphus leaned down and pulled me into a deep kiss, his tongue dancing with mine until my insides melted.

"Does he kiss her the way you kiss me?"

Dolphus shook his head as his lips sought mine again in a deep, soulful kiss. I reached down to wrap my fingers around his growing cock. His muffled moan in my mouth made me ache for him.

I pulled away from our kiss and lowered to my knees, never breaking our gaze. Gripping his cock in my hand, I laved the head with my tongue while he watched.

"Ashira..."

I smiled at the sound of him growling my name. He had come to enjoy sex as much as I did. I could hardly believe that he'd gone years without it before my arrival, when going without it for a few days now made him a very cranky satyr.

I closed my mouth around his cock head and swirled my tongue over his weeping slit. I loved the taste of him. Both at the commencement of our activities, and when he released. I wanted to know what his viable seed tasted like but I knew I would never get the chance. During mating season, he was interested in injecting his seed for one purpose only. To impregnate me.

The thought of that sent a rush of arousal to my core and I doubled my efforts in sucking his cock.

"You will make me release. Stop, Shi."

"I want to taste you."

"I want to taste you first. I can smell your arousal and it's maddening."

Dolphus lifted me up to my feet and then pushed me backward onto the bed, spreading my thighs in the process. His tongue was delving into my heated flesh before I was settled, like a satyr ravenous for supper after mating season.

He'd become so skilled with his tongue, knowing just where to flick it to drive me wild with lust. His lips were always active, too, wagging back and forth like a sheep searching for fresh grass in the snow.

My hips bucked off the bed in response as I clawed at his shoulders, the bed covers, his ears; anything within my grasp. He chuckled at me before pinning my wrists to the bed.

"Hold still, little one."

But I didn't want to hold still, and the more he dominated me like that, the wilder it made me. He knew all that, of course. It was part of our dynamic, what made sex so amazing for both of us.

A moment later, my back arched and I was shuddering against his mouth in blissful climax. "Oh, sweet Osmos..."

Dolphus released me and climbed up my torso until his cock was swaying inches from my face. "Finish me, Ashira. Now."

His commanding voice nearly undid me again. Taking him into my mouth, I licked and sucked furiously. His hips bucked against my face as he unloaded his semen onto my tongue and down my throat with a growl.

He collapsed onto the bed beside me, panting for a few minutes. When his normal breathing returned, he rolled onto his side toward me.

"Isn't this enough for you, Shi?"

"It's not the sex, Dolphus. That part is great. I want little ones. A Faustus of our own."

"Osmos help us, the flock can't survive another Faustus."

"You know what I mean. I need this, Dolphus. I need to try again. Just once more."

"Non, Ashira."

"Don't you love me at all?"

"Love? What is this word?"

"You've never heard it before?"

"Non."

"It means...It's like when you adore something so much it makes your heart hurt from it. Like I feel about Faustus, like I know you feel about him, too, though you don't show it. It's that feeling that makes you do really stupid things, things you wouldn't ordinarily do."

Dolphus frowned as he tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Don't you have any word that describes that in your culture?"

"Yes. It's called lunacy."

"Dolphus!"

I shoved his chest with my hand and he subsequently pinned me to the bed. "Nothing is going to change my mind."

"You are a stubborn satyr, you know that?"

"Everyone knows this. I question your mind that you are just now coming to this conclusion."

We wrestled and played until it was time for dinner. That was our routine. The argument changed slightly but the result was the same.

August was upon us before I knew it. I could hardly believe I'd been with Dolphus for a year. Dolphus, Aeron, Niro, and Sensai all went to the auction. Another large male Sibian slave was on the docket to be auctioned off and the satyr council was certain they would see the outlaw buyer there.

It made me nervous for Dolphus to go to Sibiu, but I squelched my fear as best I could. He misread my emotions and thought that I was missing Sibiu.

"I once told you that I would give you the choice to return to a free life. I have not had the opportunity with everything going on. Do you wish to accompany me to Sibiu and stay there with your father?"

What he was suggesting was ghastly to me. "No! Why would you even suggest that?"

Dolphus was only mildly shocked by my response. "Because Sibiu was your home once."

"This is my home. Sibiu...It's just a despicable place full of lies and deception. I never want to go back there."

"Not to visit your father?"

"Not really. Not unless you're with me."

"You could stay for just a short while. Two months, perhaps?"

Suddenly, I realized why he was pushing me to go. He wanted me safely tucked away for mating season. "Nice try. I'm not going anywhere, so you best get used to the idea. Quickly, too. Zira believes her season is starting early this year."

Dolphus groaned. "I had heard that, too."

"I am going to check on Faustus and Lena tomorrow, and then spend the rest of the day outside. The weather has been calm, and I just know that you're going to put me on house arrest after you get back, in time for the season."

"You are correct. You must be careful while I am gone tomorrow."

"I will. You be careful in Sibiu. I love you, Dolphus."

I'd come to tell him often that I loved him. Even if he didn't understand what it meant, it felt good to say it. He never said it back, though, and I tried not to let that get to me. After all, he didn't know it was customary to do so.

The band of four satyrs left at dawn and I didn't waste any time getting to the pasture where the satyresses gathered in the late summer. Faustus greeted me first, with Lena right behind him. He'd stopped feeding the month before but would continue to stay with the females through his second season. Then he would be off with the bachelors until he bred in his sixth year. Once he left the satyress grouping, I would likely not see him very much. My heart ached at the thought.

While I could see some of Lena in him, the older he got, the more Faustus favored Aeron. It was hard to remember how small he'd been once. He was going to be an impressive satyr someday.

I spied Shala across the field. She was chastising a young buck for something. She liked to do that a lot. She was twice as bossy as all the other satyresses combined. It was rumored that she was even worse during mating season. It made sense that Dolphus was not attracted to her in the least. He would never stand for being told what to do at any time, but especially not during season.

The grouping migrated to the lower pasture, with Lena and I lagging behind.

"You seem sad today, Lena. Why?"

"Aeron gone to Sibiu."

"I understand. Dolphus is with him."

Aeron and Lena's connection had become common knowledge. It was beyond anyone's comprehension since Lena was so young and much lower ranking, but attraction was difficult to explain. It was also impossible to argue with.

"You are speaking less backward since you've been spending time with Aeron. Can you tell?"

Lena shrugged and shook her head. "I not tell difference."

She didn't have all the words right, but at least her nouns and verbs were in the right order. It was sometimes difficult to decipher what a satyr was saying. Loomis was the worst, in contrast with Aeron and Dolphus, who both possessed excellent verbal skills. It was imperative to their roles in the flock because they often interacted with humans.

A yelp, followed by falling rock caught our attention. Lena and I rushed to the edge of the landing, fully expecting Faustus to be dangling by his fingertips. When I realized what had happened, I had to turn my back to stifle my laugh. It was Shala this time who'd lost the scuffle. She'd tumbled to a narrow landing several feet down the cliff face.

She was spitting mad, too. She clamored to gain purchase so she could climb back up, but was having a hard time of it with all the loose rock. She was maybe a foot short of reaching the lip that would get her up. Faustus was reaching for her, but each time he extended his hand, loose rock showered Shala.

I spotted a narrow opening to one side that was ideal for climbing up and down. If one was human, that is. A satyr's wide hips would not fit through it, not even an adolescent or a satyress.

I debated on whether or not to do it. Shala hadn't given me any trouble since mating season, so we were in a ceasefire, of sorts. Season was upon us, though, and I'd caught her eyeing Dolphus on more than one occasion. I knew she was about to make her move again, so I really didn't want to help her. On the other hand, I couldn't just let her stay there.

I sighed heavily as I knew what I needed to do. Lowering myself to the ground, I slipped my feet into the crevasse and eased myself between the stones until I was standing beside Shala.

"Need a hand?"

Shala hissed at my little joke. As she was about to retort, an arrow slung past us, narrowly missing her shoulder. We both crouched down and turned toward where it originated. We could easily hear movement, but the aggressors were hidden from view.

I called out toward the bushes where I was certain they were hiding. "Who's out there?"

I heard whispers and more rustling. "Number Four?"

I recognized Number Two's voice from the auction. "What are you doing? Why did you just shoot an arrow at us?"

"I wasn't shooting at you."

Shala gasped and then bit her lip. For the first time, she actually looked humble.

"Get out of the way."

I stood up. "No! Why are you attacking satyrs? They haven't done anything to you. And this is a satyress. You can't go around killing females. You'll exterminate the entire species that way, you know that."

"We need to eat."

"Look, I get it, but there's a lot of other animals out there. Hunt something else."

Number Two stepped from the bushes and approached the area where we were standing. "What are you doing up here?"

I suddenly felt very defensive. "I live here."

Number Two studied me up and down and it occurred to me that I probably was quite a sight to him, standing there naked with my hands on my hips. "You're here by choice?"

I wasn't sure how I could explain my situation without going into every event that had occurred in the past year, so I simply shrugged my shoulders. "Sort of."

"Come with us. We can protect you."

"I don't need protection. Who are you people? What are you doing?"

"It's none of your affair."

"It is when you hunt and kill satyrs. Who do you work for? What are you after?"

"You don't need to know. It has nothing to do with your...your..."

"Flock."

"Yeah, so just forget you saw us."

He turned to retreat back into the wooded area. I wasn't satisfied with his answers but I couldn't think of anything to say to get him to stop and talk to me. "Stop hunting satyrs!"

I waited for a response, but got none. It was sort of silly of me to yell out like that. I'm sure there were a dozen more intelligent things I could've said, but it was all I could think of at that moment. Besides, as bold as I probably appeared on the outside, I was actually a bit scared.

I turned toward Shala who was still cowering on her haunches. She stared up at me with wide eyes.

"Come on. They're not going to shoot at us again. Not today, anyway."

I boosted her up so she could reach the ledge and then slithered into the crevasse to shimmy my way up the same way I came down. Shala had joined the group and was recounting the scene to them. I shuddered when I realized that Dolphus would likely hear it from someone else before I got the chance to tell him. I knew he wouldn't be happy.

***

"What were you doing on that ledge in the first place?"

"I was helping Shala, actually."

"I've never known Shala to need assistance."

"She fell over the ledge when Faustus butted her. It was an accident, he didn't mean it."

"Why didn't you boost her up right away so you both could run? Why did you feel it necessary to engage them in conversation?"

"I don't know. I was afraid they'd notice Faustus on the top ledge and shoot at him. I wanted to divert their attention."

Dolphus shook his head. "Where does this uncommon bravery come from? You could have been killed, Ashira."

"So could Faustus. Or Lena. Or Shala. Any one of us. Anyway, they weren't aiming for me. They even said so. Humans don't eat humans."

"They do if they get hungry enough. You mustn't trust this band of humans."

"I don't. Are you done lecturing me? What did you discover at the auction?"

"Very little. The large slaves that we had our eyes on all went to the mines."

"The mines? How many?"

"Four in all. Three of them were rather large males."

"The miners barely have enough money for one or two slaves per auction, and only if they are fairly reasonably priced. Could the mining organization be in on it?"

"Perhaps. Maybe not on the plan as a whole, but they could've cooperated during this auction only. Maybe in exchange for free slaves."

"Slave number two asked me to join them. He said they could protect me. What do you suppose he meant by that? The only person I need protecting from would be Grachhus. If they worked for him, that wouldn't make sense at all."

"He likely thought you needed protecting from us. From me."

"Oh! I hadn't considered that. You could be right. Too bad he didn't just answer my questions."

"Did you really yell, 'stop hunting satyrs' at them?"

I nodded, my cheeks heating in embarrassment.

"You are never going to hear the end of that, you realize."

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing that I won't be going out in public for awhile."

***

Dolphus tried to keep a safe distance while I was holed up in the domicile. He spent hours pacing a perimeter around the front entryway, afraid of how he'd react to my scent when season began. I knew we were within a day of it happening when I heard the clanking of sparring horns from the window. The males were restless, signaling that everything was about to change.

I was restless, too. Dolphus hadn't touched me sexually since he'd returned from Sibiu and I was about to lose my mind. I felt I might go mad if he somehow managed to refrain from mating with me.

I felt it the very second it moved in. I can't describe how I did it, my body just suddenly felt feverish all over. Dolphus was outside, and when I stepped through the entryway, he was nowhere in sight.

I remembered the year before and suddenly a plan took shape. There was more than one way to lure a satyr into mating. If he wouldn't come by invitation, maybe jealousy would drive him to me.

I headed down the path to Sibiu where I knew bachelor satyrs gathered. There was bound to be a few sparring. At least I hoped they were there because I needed them for my plan to work.

"Ashira, where are you going?"

I didn't bother to look back at Dolphus. I probably wouldn't be able to see him, anyway. He wouldn't dare come that close to me. "I need fresh air."

"Get back to the domicile."

I ignored him and kept walking. I didn't have to look to know he was following me. I also didn't have to go far because on the path in front of me was two sparring bachelors.

I only paused for a second before approaching them. They picked up my scent and snorted their approval, their horns coming together in a loud clap one last time before the closest one made a break for me.

I wasn't exactly expecting him to do that. I thought they'd spar some more, giving Dolphus the chance to sweep me away. I screeched as the young satyr was about to reach where I was standing. In response, he locked his knees, his hooves sending rock and dirt flying in my direction. When the satyr's chin lifted, his gaze fixing on something taller behind me, I knew in an instant that it was Dolphus.

Fierce, deafening growls filled the space around me. My bones trembled uncontrollably. I was in the middle of a three-way fight that I'd started because of my foolishness. I silently prayed to Osmos to get me out alive as the beasts closed in on both sides of me.

It went on for several long minutes. Growling, pawing, hissing, but no sparring. No hitting, no yelling, no one throwing anyone else off the path. Finally the noises stopped. I opened my eyes to see what had happened but was quickly and roughly shoved face-first to the ground and mounted.