Page 48 of Scarred

“I wonder if your mate will be happy to see Shelly too,” Idris said. “She is a female on a mission to drive every male insane.”

“Are you talking about a little girl who talks so much you want to plug your ears?” Amma asked. “She’s here?”

“Yes,” Idris answered. “She was found wandering the forest alone in bad shape. Unfortunately, she recovered quickly.”

“Oh, she’s a good girl. Once you know her, she can be quite fun to be around. As a matter of fact, we share the same magic,” Amma said with a grin.

“You talk to animals?” Ethan asked as he joined them.

“Yes.” Amma gestured to the three on her back. “These are my companions, Mike, Sam, and Astro. If you think Shelly talks too much, you should hear them.”

“Are all your family members witches?” Idris asked.

“Yes,” Amma answered. “We are also all women.”

Suni smelled the strange males seconds before they moved onto the path before them. He pulled Amma against his chest and resisted reaching for his morning star. These males were mature and prepared to battle for their village. He didn’t want to give them any reason to hurt his mate.

“Zuberi, what is the meaning of this?” one male demanded. He was standing slightly ahead of the others. The other males deferred to him and he had the thread of authority in his voice. “You bring strangers into our home?”

“Chief,” Zuberi took a step forward. “We found Suni and his mate while checking our borders. They are family to our chiefess.”

Ru’s eyes landed on Amma and widened before a smile broke across his face. “I see you have found an exceptional female, warrior.”

“I have.” Suni’s chest puffed out. “She stole my heart the second I saw her.”

Ru chuckled. “That seems to be the way of her family. Please, come, Jo should be at home. She has not been feeling well since becoming with calf.”

“Congratulations.” Suni slapped Ru on the shoulder. “A calf is such a blessing.”

“Yes. We are very excited for this one, our first.” Ru’s chest puffed with pride.

“Our family do have interesting pregnancies. There are certain things we need to be successful,” Amma said. “I will check on her and make sure everything is going well.”

“Thank you.” He blinked and pointed at the animals on her shoulder and pack. “Are you like Shelly?”

“Since I’m older, I like to say she is like me,” Amma said. “I can’t wait to see her. We hadn’t really started Shelly training when everything blew up.”

“She is doing well,” Ru said. “Giving my males trouble, but that is expected of a half-grown calf when they are testing boundaries.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that.” Amma warned. “She hasn’t learned how to keep her feelings away from the animals. Or at least, she hadn’t learned by the time I saw her last. One time she got angry, and we had an invasion of ants.”

“Ants?” Suni asked. He had never heard of such animals. “Are they dangerous?”

“Not by themselves. They are very small, but they travel in the thousands and their bites hurt.” Amma rubbed her arms. “I haven’t seen anything like them here, so we should be safe.”

“Thank you for the warning.” Ru turned and waved for them to follow him. “I will make sure my warriors understand.”

Suni was surprised when they exited the forest and were immediately in a clearing inside the Ykot’s boundaries. He looked up and noticed it had been built in a valley. It didn’t have enough defendable spots. Anyone, or anything, could sneak up and do damage before warriors could respond. He felt better when clearing turned out to be where the armory and training area were located. At least during the day, they would be protected.

The other males broke away, but Suni and Amma continued to follow Ru. It was obvious that Ykot was new and still in the process of being built. He could see the potential it had. The living area would eventually be defendable no matter the time of day or night. When Ru stopped, they were standing in the market area. Suni was impressed by how many warriors there were. He had heard stories of new villages just starting out that had only two or three families, if that.

“Ru, this is a lovely area,” Amma said. “It’s going to be breathtaking when finished.”

“Thank you. Jo has a lot of input about the organization and location of various buildings.” Ru smiled. “I could not ask for a better mate. She has even set wards around the perimeter of the village so only those without malice can enter.”

“Smart woman,” Amma said. “It was one of the first important things we were taught as young girls. Well, that and not to run through a cast circle.”

“I –“

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