Page 63 of I Married A Catman

I gaped at her for a moment, trying to remember myself doing it. Then I smiled, my heart melting with a tender emotion.

“I don’t recall doing it, but I could see it happening for you. Sadly, as I mentioned before, it cannot be ordered. It must be earned,” I said teasingly.

Ophelia scrunched her face at me and mumbled something unintelligible that made me chuckle. She then glanced down between us before looking back up at me with a falsely disapproving look.

“We just finished washing. And now you’ve made a mess again!”

“I did,” I concurred, unrepentant. “But since we’re already in the shower, I say we get a little dirtier still and then wash it off when we’re done.”

She grinned and gently bit my bottom lip. “I like the way you think. By all means, show me how dirty you can get, especially if it ends with some more purring,” she quipped, making me instantly hard again.

And show her, I did.

Chapter 15

Ophelia

We spent the next couple of days scouting the land in search of our new home. Things were a little complicated as Gaelec still needed to work during the day. Obviously, we couldn’t broadcast our intentions and played it off as if we were just going on romantic escapades while my mate showed me my new home world.

A part of me felt guilty about using the Pride’s shuttle and speeders to plan our departure. At the same time, it was only fair considering the measly wages my husband received for the long hours of work he put in daily.

Granted, in comparison to the city, prices within the Pride were extremely low. Most goods would be traded amongst them in exchange for another item or for labor. People didn’t have to shop for food as all meals were communal. Even for couples who ate privately at home instead of with everyone else in the Great Hall, they only had to go pick up whatever ingredients they needed from the larder and shared food storage.

As overwhelming as our plans somewhat felt, I was truly excited about embarking on that adventure with Gaelec. Melelyn was a stunning planet. The region we lived in also had the perfect weather. There was no winter here. This area compared to the Caribbean on Earth. With sunny skies year-round, warm weather, little humidity, and no tornadoes or hurricanes, what more could we want?

We stopped in various sectors that were deemed fair game. They were easily identifiable as claimed land had a marker warning wandering people that they were on the verge of trespassing. The specific boundaries of claimed territory would show up on their version of a GPS. They also had motion detectors and beacons set specifically to issue a warning whenever strangers entered that land. Furthermore, like cats, Nazhrals possessed scent glands under their paws that allowed them to mark their territory.

It turned out to be even more complicated than buying a house. So many things needed to be taken into consideration beyond the mere availability of resources nearby. Yes, we wanted highly populated hunting grounds, fertile land to grow some of our own produce or breed some animals, a good water source, easily defensible positions, and reasonable accessibility to nearby villages for trade, and to the city to be able to hook up to their network... among others.

Many of the places that we visited lacked one or more of those things. The first abandoned nomad camp that we stumbled on got me excited. But it quickly became obvious why they gave up on it. The soil was too hard with some kind of really dense rocks that would make it extremely costly and time consuming to dig a proper sewer system. It also sat open on every side, making it extremely difficult to protect. We didn’t fear attacks from other Prides, but roaming animals could prove problematic, especially during mating season.

It was only on the fourth day that we found the one. Another abandoned roaming males’ camp. Located on the Gyota Plateau, the place was stunning. I wasn’t quite certain why they called it a plateau when it was in fact a bay surrounded by tall rock outcroppings that provided the natural defenses we sought. A beautiful waterfall on the left side gave it a lost paradise feel. A short distance away, the plateau gradually turned into a forest teeming with life, but nothing too fearsome or dangerous.

The best part of it all was that a basic sewer system had already been set up on top of a well for fresh water. The latter surprised me as Nazhrals, like most cats, could drink seawater. Unlike humans, their kidneys were able to filter salt out of the water. This was great news as it reduced the burden of making this place more welcoming for me. The handful of buildings that once served as houses would need to be razed to the ground. At a glance, this place had been deserted for several years.

“Why was it abandoned?” I asked, baffled as to why they did all this work only to call it quits.

“I can only speculate,” Gaelec said pensively as he examined our surroundings. “I don’t see any functional energy or communication systems. If they failed to set proper ones, their camp would never have thrived in the long run. They had to have had something energy-wise, if only to dig the sewer system. But I suspect they might have had a generator, which gets extremely costly and isn’t a viable permanent solution.”

“Won’t we have the same issue?” I asked, worried.

He shook his head and smiled smugly. “Energy efficiency is my specialty. This place is perfect for us to set up a geothermal energy system. It is going to be our most costly investment, but it will make our lives infinitely better down the road. As for coms, we’ll have to get ourselves a tower with a signal booster. It will be a lot of work, but I’m thrilled at the prospect. If those charitable organizations you spoke about can help us find discountedelectronics, it will allow me to stretch my funds to the fullest. For most everything else, we can gather the materials ourselves to save on cost.”

“And my funds as well,” I reminded him in a slightly chastising tone.

He smiled and nodded, although I suspected that, as much as possible, he would try to keep my own savings for last.

“Any chance your brother would join us?” I asked as we walked around the area, trying to plan the rough layout of what our village could eventually look like.

He pursed his lips with a dubious expression. “Kazaer and Ylis are growing extremely close. I’m certain she will claim him.”

“Exactly!” I exclaimed enthusiastically. “Having them both here would be perfect.”

He gave me an indulgent smile. “You forget that Ylis is in a very strong position at the Pride. I suspect she will become the Head Huntress in the not-too-distant future in spite of Oluina’s plotting and scheming. Life here in Gyota will be hard for the first few years. For me, it will be no different than my time on Molvi. For them, it will be brutal.”

He cast a concerned look my way, his wheels spinning as he further pondered the matter.

“I know you said you’re used to roughing things. But I fear that it might be difficult for you as well.”

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