“Just making a point, sister. I try to strangle her and she takes pleasure in my touch. A difficult opponent.”

“Perhaps she simply enjoys being choked,” Shake says in a tone that makes me a little nervous. Who enjoys being choked? Ah, well. I suppose I have no room to talk. I enjoy being tackled to the ground and snacked on by strong, older women. In comparison, a little choking hardly seems like something to get worked up about.

“Wouldn’t say I hate it,” I mutter as I massage my neck. “How about it Cloud? Want to go for round two?”

“Must I lay on my back and bear my stomach? I think I’ve helped you demonstrate your prowess enough.” With a wave, she walks away, heading for Alana who is fending off the attentions of Fox-Ears and Mouse-Tail. I’m sure that’s going to be fun but my attention is wholly consumed by the excited woman ready to break me in half and not in the fun way.

Shake really is impressive, physically speaking. She’s tall, taller than even Kierra whose is taller than any other woman I know and most men, with legs as thick as logs and arms almost as big. Her muscles goes beyond the toned, defined bodies of myself and my wives. My elf is like a large cat, with a lean form perfect for its function. I’m strong but there’s still a few places where I’m soft.

Shake? This woman is a wall. There isn’t a touch of softness on her. Not on her body and not in her face that is all angles. I could probably fit a wagon on her broad shoulders. Saints, she can probably hurt someone if she looks at them too hard.

“How do you know Cloud?” I ask as she looks me up and down.

“Cubs are raised together. We were born in the same season.”

“Ah. That’s why she calls you sister.”

“She calls you that as well.”

“We bonded over wrestling monsters.”

“The bonds of communion are stronger than blood.”

“I think it’s more that we’re kindred spirits.”

“Then we are of one heart as well.” The crowd makes room as Shake backs up, putting distance between us. She crouches, touching the floor with the tips of her fingers and lining up her horn so it’s ready to skewer me. It’s a strange position but I recognize the beginning of a charge when I see one. I set my feet and prepare for it, slapping my chest right over my heart. “Don’t miss.”

She lets out an explosive breath and her eyes begin to glow. Incredibly, so does her horn, the ivory gaining a soft luminance as her bronze skin darkens. Our eyes meet. I see the moment she decides to attack, the moment I would take to dodge if this was a serious fight. But as it’s a challenge for them, and a joke to me, I hold my ground.

Her first step splinters the wooden boards beneath her and each consecutive step does more damage. I grunt as her horn punches through my chest and her arms wraps around me as she powers forward.

I don’t know why I imagine she’ll stop as we near the wall. Instead, she leaps forward, blasting through the wall in a shower of splinters. The saints damned horn slides in deeper as we hit the ground, throwing up dirt and grass as we crash through the garden.

When we finally come to a stop, I shove her off me and roll away. We both take a few moments to recover, I taking a few moments to do two rapid shifts while Shake shakes her head while climbing to her feet.

We face each other, both unharmed despite the destruction we’ve wrought. “I should have pierced your heart,” she grumbles while approaching me.

“Bones must have knocked you off course.”

“I usually pierce bone.” She huffs and her breath frosts in the cool evening air. It’s not that cold out…so she must be running hot.

“When my charge doesn’t work, I crush the prey, but Cloud has made it clear that isn’t an option.”

“Never know until you try.” All that close contact is making me…mm. The pain isn’t enough to dissuade me. Might be making it work. Jack’s little party trick was terrible but her horn was nothing compared to the early days of Kierra’s training, when the crazy elf would hurl blades at any opportunity.

“Do not eat meat you would deny to your brethren. It is either poison to the body or the spirit.” She chuckles. “It wouldn’t be good for me to indulge after denying Cloud. The Temple teaches its children to hold grudges and pay them back manifold. Perhaps later, if your confidence and constitution remain intact.”

“It’s a promise. In the meantime, you have to tell me what’s going on with that body.”

“It isn’t nearly as impressive as your own.”

“No one’s is as impressive as me. I won’t hold it against you.”

Shake lets out a roar of laughter, a large arm going around my shoulder and pulling me into her side. The heat she gives off makes me sigh and unconsciously burrow deeper into her hold. Like I thought, she runs hot. “In every litter, a leader is chosen. One who is closest to the brethren and is fit to guide the others down the natural path. I am the leader of my litter. It comes with many responsibilities but also many opportunities. Most envious is priority attention from the Temple’s fleshworkers.”

Ah. “You’re saying that you are not special, but further along the path than most. Or most members of the Temple your age.”

She squeezes my shoulder. “I follow the path of the Jesheau warhorse, a bloodline preserved from the ancient kingdoms. They are faster and stronger than any other. Far more durable as well. Our keepers of knowledge have records of warriors riding them into battle. The Jesheaus were just as much weapons as the swords and spears wielded by their riders. They charged into enemy armies, carrying the corpses of three or more men on their large horns.”

I can believe it. She carried me like I was nothing and she’s a diminutive version of the manabeast she’s seeking to emulate.

“As they are mounts of war, they were brought to the Harvest continent. The Temple’s first followers bred them at the behest of the old generals, both keeping the bloodline pure and interbreeding them with other mounts of war. One of the resulting bloodlines was the Moon Jesheaun.” Her opposite hand points to her glowing horn. “Smaller and less aggressive but smarter and more magically gifted. They have bad sight on bright days but compensate for it with good nightvision. They are also very resistant to the cold, which is nice during winter.”

“Is that why you chose to emulate them?”

“Look like one, live like one, become one. The Jesheaus are omnivores that eat anything that threatens them. They are highly aggressive and territorial. They must be raised alongside their riders from foals and will throw any other that tries to mount them. To live like them would require me to be a being of carnage.” She brings us to a stop and looks down at me, dark eyes big and serious. “Be careful who you surround yourself, as you will become what you know.”

“Is that supposed to be a warning?” I whisper into the tense air.

She sighs explosively. “Guidance. I speak it with the same instincts that tell me to breathe. A consequence of being the leader. Take of me what you want and ignore the rest.”

“That’s a really open offer.”

“I meant it as I said it.” We step into the house before I can comment on that weighty statement. Many curious gazes immediately snap to us. Shake steps away from me with a big grin. “I failed!” she roars, with the same energy as someone declaring victory. Amusingly, the other members of the Temple cheer for her, hooping and hollering. “Ruby, you are next.”

“Nope!” Fox-Ears, or I guess Ruby, shakes her head. “Lay-Lay says she’s just as tough against magic and I rather not deal with the mana strain.”

“Lay-Lay?”

“Yeah!” I stiffle a laugh as she latches onto Alana, squeezing her around the waist. My future knight grimaces but doesn’t push her away. “She’s super nice and she said I shouldn’t bother so I’d rather not.” The girl tries to discretely sniff her but Alana notices and pushes her face away. That’s not enough to dissuade the girl, who holds on with a shameless grin. In the midst of their struggle, my future wife glares at me, rightly blaming me for her troubles. It’s not her scent that’s got the fox-girl stuck to her.

I turn my attention away to focus on the rest of the contenders. “Anyone else? Come on,” I wheedle them as I see nothing but resignation and reluctance. “You haven’t got a chance in the Abyss but that’s no reason not to try.”

“I’ll go.”

The crowd parts to make room for Junior as he stomps forward, Fen following behind him. “Forget the reward. A free chance to punch you is good enough.”

“You’re only going to hurt yourself,” I say, not bothering to look at him as I waggle my fingers at his, but really my, succubus. She blows me a kiss. I mime catching it and pressing it to my own lips, making her giggle. It’s fake, of course. Something so juvenile would never get a reaction out of such a creature but she indulges me and that is a pleasure of its own. “You may be a gorilla but I’m a lot tougher than I’d used to be.”

“I’m not blind. What I am is a physical caster with some competence. I’ll take my chances.”