Chapter 22: Big Happy Family
It was normal for mates to kiss in front of other beast men. They had even seen some females mate in the wild before. They were more open about expressing their emotions than modern people.
In the beast world, reproduction was the most important thing to help their species survive. They encouraged physical intimacy between mates. This would increase the chances of reproduction.
Amber was already pregnant at such a young age. She must have excellent reproductive abilities. They all secretly wished for litters or cubs or eggs for themselves.
Finally, after all the excitement of the day. They got ready to sleep. Amber washed up with water that Tom brought for her. Oliver had made a large stone tub for Amber, so she didn't have to bathe in the river.
He didn't want to share his beautiful mate with outsiders. He knew if they all saw her, she would have an endless line of suitors. He was content with the suitors the queen had recommended but didn't want Amber to accept too many males into the family.
He knew his female was too kind to reject males. She had even offered an invitation to that arrogant Lion beast man. If he wasn't too arrogant to be a beast guardian, he would be a part of the family now.
Oliver was glad that Lenny declined her offer. He didn't want someone like that in the family. It was ultimately up to Amber, but the males would not make it easy for any males that were not good enough for their mate.
Amber took an uncomfortable bath with all the males looking at her. She tried to cover up as much as she could, but there was only one room. Nick noticed her shyness and ordered the other males to go wash up in the river.
The 6 other males reluctantly left but washed as quickly as they could and returned home. They were eager to sleep in the same room as their new female.
Tyler and Tom collected sticks and grass for Tyler to make his own nest. When they returned to the room Tyler made his nest in the opposite corner of Tom.
The rest of the males found a spot for them to sleep close to Amber. Nick had already helped her dry off and get changed into a sleep dress. She laid on the bear fur rug and he laid down and pulled her into his chest.
Oliver slept hugging Amber from behind. Fred curled up near her feet. Barry slept near the door to protect her from intruders. Ray slept near her head.
She slept well all night and felt very safe with all the beast men protecting her in the middle.
The next morning Amber wanted to go look for new fruits and vegetables. She was getting tired of eating meat and nuts all the time. Nick told her he would trade some gems for wheat and rice. He went to ask the kings first if they had any extra from harvest season.
Most beast men would only make enough for their female. Farming was hard work and very labor intensive in the beast world. They didn't have modern technology or techniques to help them farm more efficiently.
Fred went to gather more nuts and berries for Amber. He knew the nuts would not go bad all cold season. With his new stripe, he was more comfortable with foraging further away from the city.
Barry went to gather more honey for Amber. She told him a technique to try with smoke, so the bees wouldn't sting him. She didn't know all the details but knew the basics. He was willing to try it.
Tyler went to gather more eggs for Amber. She also asked him to bring some birds back alive so she could have a chicken coup. She told him that way they could have fresh eggs every morning.
Tom, Ray, and Oliver went with Amber to explore the forest surrounding the city. Amber rode on Tom's back as he flew her outside the city walls.
Oliver swung through the branches and Ray ran in his Wolf form. They saw some fruit trees a little way away from the city. Amber was excited! She knew that all kinds of fruits and herbs were found in the jungle.
Her class in elementary taught the kids about the rainforest and jungles of the world. There were too many varieties of fruits and edible plants to list.
She was looking for lemons or limes. She asked them before they left to look for a fruit that is yellow or green and grows on a tree.
Soon Tom saw the yellow and green fruits and landed near the tree. He had already checked the surroundings and made sure it was safe.
He would not repeat what happened last time with the crocodiles!
Oliver and Ray caught up and transformed back into their beast men forms. Amber still blushed when she saw them naked. She turned her eyes away and they covered themselves with loincloths.
Oliver knew his mate was shy. He didn't mind. Ray and Tom were still beast guardians, so they didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable by being too forward.
Amber asked Oliver, "Can you climb up the tree and get some of the yellow and green fruits for me?" He was the best climber in the group and climbed up the tree easily.
He tossed a few fruits down and the other beast men caught them easily.
Tom handed a yellow fruit to Amber. She sniffed it and was happy to discover it was a lemon! It looked a little different than the ones she was used to in her world, it smelled the same. She asked Tom, "Can you cut it open for me?"
Tom smiled and happily sliced the yellow fruit in half with his sharp talon. He tasted the fruit first to make sure it was safe for Amber.
Before she could warn him about how sour it was, he had already taken a bite of the fruit. She just looked at him with her mouth open. He didn't want her to think he was weak, so even though the fruit was very sour he swallowed it with a straight face. Amber just looked at him in disbelief. She had never seen someone eat a lemon and not make a sour face.
She did notice a single tear from his eye before he turned his head away to hide it from her. She asked him, "Are you alright? Those yellow fruits are very sour!"
He nodded and didn't speak for a minute. She handed him a water skin and he took it carefully. He drank some water and it helped to get rid of the sour taste in his mouth. Finally, he could talk.
Tom asked, "Why do you want sour fruit?" Amber replied, "I don't eat it by itself. I use it to add flavor to meat and water." He nodded and thought it might be good on meat. He waited a few minutes to make sure there were no bad side effects before handing the fruit to Amber. She took it and licked it. She instantly made a sour face and reached for the water skin. Luckily Tom didn't drink it all! He was amused by her reaction. Ray and Oliver wondered what the fruit tasted like. Ray asked, "Is it sour?" Oliver asked, "Is it not ripe yet?" He knew that fruits sweetened the riper they were. If some fruit was picked too early, it would taste sour or bitter.
Amber replied, "It is ripe. It's supposed to be sour. The green ones are probably not ripe yet and will be sourer."
She passed the fruit to Ray and Oliver for them to try it. Ray also kept a straight face, but Oliver had more difficulty. He was used to eating sweet fruits, not sour ones.
They collected all the lemons that Amber wanted and went to find more fruits. Amber noticed some avocados and wanted to get some. She asked Oliver, "Can you get some of the bumpy black fruits?" Oliver had never tried them before and was skeptical. He climbed up and got a black bumpy fruit. He was even more confused when he felt the bumpy leather-like skin that reminded him of a toad. He wondered why his mate liked this fruit. He would get anything to make her happy, but his mate had some strange tastes.
He climbed back down and handed the fruit to Amber. He asked, "Is this what you want?" Amber gently pushed on the avocado and tested its ripeness. It was ready to eat. She nodded and again asked Tom to slice it in half for her. He used his talon and cut through the leather-like skin.
He was surprised to see it was bright green inside with a large seed. His talon was so sharp it cut through the seed easily. He was about to taste the fruit when Amber stopped him.
She instructed, "Don't eat the skin or the seed." He nodded and scooped out the inside of the fruit. He also pitted the seed. He took a bite of the green inside of the fruit and was pleasantly surprised. It was blander than the sour fruit and had a creamy texture.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone