For the first time since I had arrived here, waking up was one of the most exciting parts of my day. Amethyst was still fast asleep. After what she had gone through going to the sprite village, she deserved the rest. It was my turn to cook for her. I was a little apprehensive about it, as I had never cooked before, but I was ecstatic to be the one serving her for a change.

Sneaking out of the room, I was greeted by Kiena, whose tail began to wag as she noticed that I had entered the room. She was so adorable. In many ways, she reminded me of my sister when she was a kid – back before, social status was a thing.

“Whatcha doing?” she asked, her eyes never leaving me.  I could tell that she was curious. I guess it was since usually, Amethyst was up before me.

“I am making breakfast,” I said.

“But momma usually makes breakfast,”

“yes, but she is so tired from the other night, so I thought I would make her breakfast this time,”

“Okay. Can I come?” Kiena asked, giving me those big brown eyes. I could never say no to someone that cute, so I nodded. I gave a quick look around for Nivtal, but I didn’t see her anywhere. I guessed that she was probably still asleep.

It was a warm morning as we headed out of the house. People were just leaving their houses as well. It was a bit of a strange day for me because we were told that all our responsibilities were put on hold so that we could celebrate our bonding. I still was a little confused about all of this, but I was happy to have someone after this time. Not to mention a cute little girl who looked up to me. Smiling, I looked down at the little catgirl holding my hand.

“Oi, will you two wait up,” I heard from behind us. I recognized the voice. It was Nivtal. I guess I was right about her still being asleep.

“What’s up,” I asked. Nivtal gave me a weird look. I guess that was a phrase that she wasn’t used to.

“I guess the sky is up,” she said. I had to suppress a laugh. Although I was sure she was literal, back where I was from, some people would say that to be smart asses.

“What do you need?” I asked more clearly.

“Nothing, I just didn’t want to be in the house alone. It is strange being in this village. Everything is so big. I mean, the Ent’s are big, but we don’t live in them,” Nivtal said. I tried to imagine a sprite living inside an Ent. It wasn’t a pretty picture.

“So, I have meant to ask. If you are a water sprite, does that mean that there are other types of sprites?” I asked. She looked at me then sighed.

“Of course, there are. I get that you are from another world, but I am sure you have heard of summer sprites and winter sprites. If it weren’t for us sprites, who knows what would happen with the weather,” Nivtal said matter-of-factly. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that there weren’t any sprites where I was from. At least none that anyone had ever seen.

When we got to the kitchen, the cook was already at work. I waved to her and then went to get some food from the storage area. I was surprised to see how they stored their food. Meats were salted and dried until they were cooked. There were eggs, but they didn’t look like any chicken egg I had ever seen before. Many different herbs and spices were growing in slots in the tree. I guess that the tree provided the plants with the nutrients to sustain them.

After a bit of thought, I decided to make breakfast like my mom used to eggs and bacon. The eggs were easy to find, but I couldn’t find any bacon. I guessed that they didn’t know about making bacon yet. Instead, I grabbed a decent-sized piece of meat. Grabbing a piece of wood that had been sticking out, I made a makeshift knife. It wasn’t all that sharp, but it was jagged enough to cut the meat. The cook watched with curiosity as I cut the meat with my little creation.

Once I had the meat sliced into semi-thin strips, I put them on the cooking stone. I had never thought it would be possible to cook something on a huge rock, but it was heated by a decent fire. With the meat cooking, I turned my attention to the eggs. I wondered exactly how I would make them when I didn’t see any kind of pan. After asking the cook, she produced a stone bowl. It was a bit bigger than your usual bowl for eating.

Once the bowl had heated, I cracked the eggs into it and used a spoon to stir it. Although I was never really taught how to cook, I did watch my mom when she cooked enough to learn how to make scrambled eggs. Occasionally the cook and Kiena asked questions. I did my best to answer them as I watched the eggs. I also turned the meat over as it was almost fully cooked on one side.

After about fifteen minutes, I had made enough food for the four of us. The cook thanked me for the tips that I had given her and asked if I knew any other cooking methods. Sadly, I really didn’t know all that much. Why didn’t I take FACS in high school?

“That smells good,” Nivtal said as she hovered over the food. It was a little annoying. It was like having a fly flying around your food when you were trying to eat. I know that she wasn’t a fly, but the irritation was still there.  

“Thank you. I just hope Amethyst will like it. It was something that my mom used to make for me every morning,” I said. A twinge of pain hit me as I mentioned her. I missed her but wished that she had been more supportive. That wasn’t the case, though. Whatever dad said went, and that was just how it was.

“I bet she was amazing at cooking,” Kiena said, her eyes on the food as well. I could see a little drool sliding down her chin. It was kind of cute. Although they were pretty intelligent, sometimes they still acted like animals.

By the time we got back to the house, Amethyst was sitting on the floor waiting for us. As soon as I walked into the house, she sniffed the air. I watched as she raised her brow, looking at the food I had in my hands.

“Hello love, we were waiting for you,” Amethyst said, still eyeing the food. I got the plates and served breakfast to everyone. Amethyst’s tail was going ninety miles an hour, I swear.

“I hope you like it. It was something from my world,” I said. Amethyst timidly poked at the food for a moment. Then she grabbed a piece of my makeshift bacon and took a bite. I could see the delight in her eyes. Next, she tried the eggs. This was the moment of truth. I watched and waited for her reaction.

“Wow, this is amazing. I have never had something like this before. What is it?” She asked. Before I could answer, she stole the rest of the eggs. It was a good thing I had made everyone a plate beforehand.

“They are called scrambled eggs. It’s straightforward to make. You just cook the eggs in the stone bowl while stirring the eggs until they look like that,” I said, feeling proud of myself that I made something that Amethyst liked.

Once we were done eating, it took the plates to the wash area. I was still amazed at how they got water. Much like sap, they just tapped in the tree, and the water comes out. They even have a way to close it off when they aren’t using it. It won’t be long before they figure out how to take a shower. I could figure out how to help them with that. It was weird to think that I was literally making history on this planet.

“Coralin, we would like to take a bath,” Amethyst announced. I didn’t know why she was announcing it to me. It wasn’t like she had to ask permission.

“Okay,” I said. Amethyst shook her head then looked at me.

“We would like to take a bath with you,” she said. This caused me to blink. It wasn’t out of embarrassment or anything. It wasn’t like there was anything I hadn’t already seen. Hell, neither of us had anything to cover our genitals. It just surprised me the way she said it. It was almost as if she was pleading.

“Okay, I will take a bath with you. What about Kiena?” I asked. Indeed, she would bring her along as well.

“She will be fine for a while,” Amethyst said. I looked over to Kiena, who nodded then went back to what she was doing.

“I will watch her if you are worried,” Nivtal said. It was weird that she would offer to watch a child she just met. I wondered what Amethyst would say, but she just nodded, then looked back at me.

“Let’s go,” I said, taking her by the hand. It felt different holding her hand. It wasn’t like when I was holding Kiena’s hand. It was different. Somehow, more romantic. I could feel all seven of my tails moving with my excitement. You would think that that would be exhausting, but it felt no different from waving my arm. Well, more like seven arms.

Once we go to the cave, Amethyst made sure that there wasn’t anyone else there. I didn’t understand why she was worried about others being in the lake, but I wasn’t going to question her. Once she was confident that no one else was there, she kind of dragged me there. Slowly, she dragged me with her into the water. The heat from the water was incredible on my skin.

“We don’t know how to thank you enough for coming into our life. We were afraid that we were going to be lonely forever. We tried to be with the others, but it never worked out. We didn’t know what the problem was, not until you showed up,” Amethyst said with a quiver in her voice. I could tell that this was hard for her to talk about. I was sure that it had something to do with her sister.

“You make us feel happy. We worry about you when you leave the house. We are afraid that you are going to find someone else who makes you feel the way you make us feel,” Amethyst said as she turned away from me. Although I couldn’t see her face, I knew that she was tearing up. I reached around her and pulled her into me, making sure that my arms were around her waist.

“There isn’t another person I could see myself with other than you. I have been in love with you for a while. I was just so afraid that you wouldn’t feel the same way,” I said. She leaned her head back against my shoulder then sighed.

“We were afraid too. After what happened with our sister, we didn’t think we would ever be happy. Then you came. We tried not to think about you for a while. We were so afraid of being hurt,” Amethyst said. Her words stung a little, but I understood where she was coming from. Her mom didn’t really show her the love she deserved, and the one person who did love her was gone now.

“I will always be here for you, Amethyst. I promise that. And I will always do everything I can to protect you and Kiena,” I said. I meant it too. I was going to learn to use these powers to protect her, Kiena, and everyone else in the village. They were my family now, and I wouldn’t stand by and watch them get hurt. If that meant that I had to lead a rebellion against the humans, I guess I will have to put my feelings aside.

“Please don’t make a promise unless you mean to keep it,” Amethyst said. That comment was like a slap in the face. How could she think that I would make a promise and not do everything in my power to keep it?

“I mean it,” I said as I held her tighter. I could feel her heart beating against my chest. It was pounding rapidly. I didn’t know if she was scared or excited. I leaned my head forward a bit, then licked her cheek. I was rewarded with a low purring sound. It felt strange because I could feel it on my shoulder and in my chest. It was the craziest and sexiest feeling I had ever felt. Then she turned around so that she was facing me. She wrapped her arms around me as she looked into my eyes.

“We are bonded to you. That is for life. I will always be yours until one of us dies,” Amethyst said. Her words made me a little wary because if I understand a bonding, even if somewhere down the road things grow apart, she will never be able to find another person to bond with. I hoped it never came to that. The last thing I would want was for her to be lonely for the rest of her life over something that couldn’t be resolved.

“I will always be yours,” I said. I was going to make damn sure that that was true. I loved this woman, and I couldn’t see myself with anyone else. She smiled at my comment then licked my cheek. Then she nuzzled her cheek against me, which I reciprocated, nuzzling against hers. I could feel my heart pounding. I still couldn’t believe that she was mine.

Slowly, she trailed one of her fingers down my side, sending an explosion of sensation throughout my body. I could feel my nipples getting hard already. This was not a reaction I was used to.

“Soon, we would like to mate with you. We know that it is different from males, but we have never been interested in mating with a male. When we are in heat, we lock ourselves away,” Amethyst said. I couldn’t imagine having to hide away because of something so natural.

“I would like that. I am sorry that you have to endure so much. But what about an heir?” I asked. After all, she was the elder’s daughter. Then I remembered that Kiena was Talissa’s granddaughter, so there was still a possibility.

“Kiena will be the heir, should anything happen to us. Then her child,” Amethyst said before leaning her head against my shoulder. We stayed there like that for a time. It was as if the world had stopped for just that moment - everything was perfect.

“Kiena wants you to be her momma. She really loves you. We have never seen her take to someone the way she did with you. You make her feel like her being different isn’t a problem. We just wish that others didn’t treat her differently for something she didn’t choose,” Amethyst said. I was a little shocked that Kiena had brought something like that up.

“I would be delighted,” I said. I had always wanted kids, and in a way, I was getting one. I just always wished I would be the one who was giving birth to a child. But now that I had Amethyst and Kiena, that thought was nothing more than a distant memory.

“We should get back. Kiena is probably annoying Nivtal by now,” Amethyst said. Part of me wished that we could stay there a little more, but I understood. She was probably worried that something happened or would happen if we didn’t get back. I followed her out of the cave as we headed back to our house. I smiled as I realized that Amethyst, Kiena and me would be a family from this day forward. If only my dad could see me now.