Page 9 of Ngozii's Plight

Sitting on the log, I kick a stone into the water and watch the ripples move along the surface. I wonder where she is now, how close she is to coming home. She warned me she would be gone for at least two weeks, maybe more, and we’re crossing that two week threshold. I sure hope the comms and other supplies she went to procure were worth it.

I know she’s doing what she thinks is best, something that will help us all, keep us in contact, but I wish she hadn’t just left like that. What if she’s been attacked or taken? How am I supposed to find her with little to no resources? Not letting my worry and fear get the best of me is the hardest part of this. At least when we were in space and separated by the ship, we always had communication with each other, were always available to help the other. Not this time.

In order to keep myself from falling into my own thoughts, I’ve kept busy within the village. I’ve begun hunting with my elite group, Terax and the others teaching me all they can about the animals here, the best techniques, and how to use each weapon. It’s been a lot, and some of the training has had me sore and exhausted. It’s like a work out some days more than hunting.

On top of that, the Sautiitions living in the waters nearby, and being our friends, means that they’re helping to share spoils from the sea that the villagers have never obtained before. With more seafood being brought in to eat, the hunters get more time to do other things, so my team has begun to organize the others, giving each of them shifts and jobs to help protect the village.

People have never felt more safe here, and Criido has been quite impressed with the military precision with which we’ve organized. Aside from the mild paranoia that began to spread early on over Criido’s illness and another potential attack in Kari’s absence, things have gone very smoothly.

Tonya and Melodia barely leave Criido’s side, their people bringing in what they need so they can tend to him day in and day out. He’s recovering well and is finally up and about again, but the girls keep him locked up and supervised so nothing else goes wrong. They monitor everything just to be safe.

Seems that I’m very well suited for this type of life, even if it gets a bit boring at times. Willa keeps me on my toes, though, always surprising me. With the Sautiitions helping with food, they’ve also found many beautiful pearls and jewels in the lake, which they brought to Willa, who has begun making bejeweled clothing and jewelry. I came home one day to find the house a mess of materials, jewels, and strings. It was a nightmare in there, and she was a thrilled little whirlwind. It was both terrifying and hilarious.

Despite that, I very much enjoy our domestic lifestyle. When we want a little spice or extra privacy, we head for the treehouse in the woods and enjoy a night under the stars. Oddly enough, the other night when we were there, I was awake in the middle of the night, her head on my chest as I stared at the stars wondering where Kari was, when I thought I heard a helicopter. I thought I was imagining it, probably sleep deprived, as I’ve not seen any here before, but with a city so close by and interstellar travel available, why not planes and copters? It was a bit too quiet for a full helicopter, though, more like a remote controlled one or a drone.

I never saw anything, so I brushed it off and eventually fell into a fitful sleep, but the thought has never left me. I’ve spent the last few days debating if I should even mention it to my team, warn them to keep an eye out, but will they even understand what I’m talking about? I also question whether or not it’s worth mentioning. It could cause them to be wary, paranoid, or overly concerned, and I’m not entirely sure we need to be. As far as we know, Tavionna is the only real threat we have at the moment, and she’s not known for using drones to get her messages across.

Also, what in the world does it mean? Who would be flying a drone around here in this drone death trap of trees and hunters? What are they looking for, trying to find? Are they spying on us? Who are they? With so many things unanswered, I figured it was something better left to discuss with Kari and Vahru when they return, to see if they might feel it’s a necessary thing to worry about.

Sighing as the sun begins to dip to the horizon, I stand and brush my pants off, heading back into the village. I’m so tired for so many reasons. I’m tired of worrying, thinking, wondering where they are and if they’re safe. My body is exhausted from being tense, on alert, and worked so hard. Sleep eludes me due to the worry, and if I do manage to slip into sleep, I have nightmares of Kari lost among the stars, never to return. The way I worry about her, you’d think I was in love, but she’s become more than a friend over the years, she’s my family, all I have left of it. Losing her might just break me.

Stepping onto the porch, I get a hint of bacon through the door and grin as I pull it open. Sure enough, Willa is setting a stacked plate of bacon in the center of the dining table, a plate of pancakes stacked equally as high beside it. I laugh and head straight for her, her arms swinging around my shoulders as she kisses my face repeatedly in greeting. Her tail whips around behind her, shaking the hem of her short dress around her hips, and it takes all my control not to slip my hands beneath it and have her for dinner instead.

“I’m glad you’re home! I made dinner!” She smiles so brightly, it lifts my heart as I chuckle at her.

“Your favorite.” I mumble, booping her nose as she giggles.

“I think I made them right. At least, I hope I did. Either way, I’m starving, so let’s eat!”

We drop into our seats and dig in, Willa moaning obscenely as she chews her bacon. The woman never gets enough. I shake my head as I laugh, wondering what I created by teaching her about bacon. She licks the grease from her fingers, her eyes fluttering closed as she moans and chews the last bit in her mouth.

“Willa, you keep that up, and I’ll make you lick something else.” I give her a stern look, daring her to keep up her little act. Of course, it backfires because my kitten is dirtier than I ever would have imagined when we met.

She licks her lips, grinning at me as she slowly pushes her plate away, turning in her chair to face me. “Are you offering me dessert, Captain?”

I can’t help the grin on my face as we stare at each other, each daring the other to make a move. She reaches her right hand up, slipping the thin strap of her summer dress over her shoulder, baring her golden mating mark to me before doing the same thing to the other side.

Scooting my chair back, I turn as she stands, letting her dress fall to the floor around her feet. Her tail lazily lashes side to side as she stares at me, her body bare for me to enjoy. Her long black hair falls to her waist, a few strands just covering her nipples as it falls over her front.

She steps forward, dropping to her knees as her fingers pull at the strings on my pants. She barely has the fabric out of the way, and I’m in her mouth, my head falling back on a moan as her tongue swirls around me. One of my hands slides between her horns, fisting her soft hair tightly as I fight to let her have control of her own head. My other hand is gripping the side of the chair so tight it hurts.

She releases me with a pop, my cock throbbing as I nearly blow in her face. Her eyes meet mine, blinking in a wide, innocent stare as she sweetly asks, “Did you want dessert, too?”

Grabbing her under the arms, I lift her up, swiftly tossing her onto my shoulder as I kick off my pants and march into the other room and drop her onto the bed. She laughs, her hair fanning around her as she brushes it out of her face. Before she opens her eyes, I’m between her legs, turning those giggles into squeals of pleasure as she fights to keep her thighs open.

Pressing my forearms into her thighs, I pin them to the bed, devouring her as she begs, pleads, and pulls at my hair, her body shivering and convulsing as I push her to her limits.

Standing, I take my time removing my shirt, watching as her eyes track my every movement. She studies every muscle, her tongue peeking out to lick those perfectly plump purple lips. I crawl up her body, kissing her with everything I have, sucking on that bottom lip I adore so much as she moans and claws at me, begging me to enter her.

My fingers sink into her hair, and holding onto her tightly, I lower my body and slide into her, setting a steady, gentle pace. As much as I want to ravage her, I’m also feeling a bit overwhelmed with the world right now, and I want to enjoy her being here with me.

“God, Kitten, you feel so good. I don’t want to let you go.”

“Never.” Her eyes meet mine, and she must see right through to my soul because her demeanor changes in an instant. Legs wrap around my waist as her palms glide against my back, soothing me rather than teasing and egging me on. She lifts her head, her lips meeting mine in a tender kiss, and all I can do is squeeze her tighter.

Our love is passionate, drawn out, and sweet as we keep a slow pace, enjoying our time together as I fight to hold off my impending orgasm for as long as possible. Eventually, I can’t fight anymore, emptying myself inside her as she pleads for it, holding onto me as she comes undone.

My body grows limp, and it takes all I have to roll onto my side so she can breathe. There’s a long moment of quiet as she disappears, cleaning up dinner and herself before she climbs into bed. She presses her back to my chest as she pulls my arm around her, her tail wrapping around my leg, and I snuggle her in close, breathing in her scent as I finally fall into a fitful sleep filled with dreams of a life I used to have with my best friend.

---