Grow up time, as the majority of the characters stop mooching off of Winston-the-Man-Cake and get their own house! So take off the training diapers and pull on the big kid pants, gonna talk...about...aw shucks, I don't wanna grow up. Oh, and bugs. Because this is the wild and we haven't seen enough of them.

_________________________________

The temporary home, as Curtis had found, turned out to be one of the empty stone houses, though this one had been more forgotten than most. Unlike Neara's, which had been dusty but ready to move in, this one's roof had caved in and the door was missing. It was a basic large square, with the usual stone walls of closely fitted square blocks. Vines had had their way with it till the walls looked half made of greenery rather than stone, and a monstrous maple tree hung its lowest branches just feet above where the steepled roof used to be.

Shay, who hadn't had high expectations in the first place, just said, "Parker says it's going to rain a lot tonight."

"I've already set up a temporary roof in the back," said Curtis. "Come see, and if you're not satisfied we can always find another. But the closest empty home to your friend is quite a ways away."

"I'm surprised the walls are still standing." Shay stepped through the ancient doorway, brushing her fingers on a carpet-like patch of moss on the frame as she did so.

"Yes, the building techniques of the ancestors were impressive. The buildings of the City of Beasts were here long before the City itself was established."

What remained of the roof cast the main room into darkness. Moss grew in the corners and spiderwebs glistened in the square of evening light from the west window. The firepit still had blackened remains, though ferns had grown there over time.

Curtis took the lead into the back room, which, unlike the front room, had already been completely cleared of critters and moss. The light from the western window revealed a roof of large, green leaves and branches woven together and a thick, grass nest underneath. The grass had been covered with a large bear skin, of which Shay only had ideas as to how he found.

"I used the grass similar to the one back at your friend's home," he said. "And I covered my scent about the room to keep any bugs out."

"It's big," Shay said softly. "A big bedroom, I mean. It's nearly as large as the main room."

"The main bedrooms usually are, so that all the female's males may fit." She didn't miss the frown in his eyes. "I would prefer a home with multiple rooms if that were the case, but seeing as it is just us..."

The dying sunlight from the window suddenly faded to gray. Shay glanced outside to see stormclouds had reached the orange remains of the horizon.

"If the roof does not hold, I can dig us a den," said Curtis. "I didn't before because you asked for stone."

"You can clean stone and bugs can't dig through stone, Curtis," she said before reminding herself that she was dealing with a snake man who had lived on his own all his life. "You saw how easily I got sick, right? Cleanliness is important to prevent that and it will be even more important when babies come along."

Curtis slipped past her into the room. "Pity. Earth holds heat and cool better."

"Maybe you could make a den and then pave the inside with stone."

He put a knuckle to his chin. "Actually, that's..." He turned to her. "Would that please you?"

Well, she'd really like a little victorian cottage, but seeing as they had no wood polishes that she knew of--wait, pine needles...

Thoughts for another time.

"I think we should try to find someone who is good at building stuff first." She looked up at the improvised ceiling. "Because while you're a wizard at sewing, I wouldn't say house building is your forte."

The cool scales of the narrow tip of his tail brushed her calves.

"The Inheritance has only rudimentary home building...but I will learn. So if you want something, don't hesitate to tell me."

The tail coiled higher.

Shay got a funny feeling in her gut.

"Is this room satisfactory for tonight?"

The tip of the tail reached her hips, not pressing yet, but enough to bunch up her snake-skin skirt.

Oh freak, what had she just agreed to? Did she seriously walk over here with daydreams of houses and forget why he practically danced off in the first place?

Mom, I swore I'd save myself for marriage, but I don't feel married at all.

She felt like a teenage girl who had just followed the wrong person into the forest at night.

The tail finally tightened and her toes left the dirty stone floor.

"What's the Inheritance?" She just managed not to squeak.

"Snake beastmen inherit memories to aid in their survival," he said, his gaze lidded.

"Seriously?" Assassin's Creed was real!

"Males inherit them when they come of age. It is how we know how to find a mate and how to please her..." He pulled her near till only his own tail separated her from his chest. Though his eyes smoldered, his gentle mouth still spoke as casually as if they were eating ice cream in the park.

Goose-bumps erupted up her arms. A scream knotted up at the bottom of her lungs.

"C-Curtis, I-I've never done this--I don't--"

"Shh, don't be scared. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"I definitely argue otherwise."

"Then tell me," his tail sucked back down the same corkscrew path it had taken up and his arms wrapped about her. Cool arms, the same temperature as the muggy air. "What are you afraid of?"

Shay gulped. Despite his arms, or maybe because of them, she had started to shiver.

"I'm afraid it will hurt."

"I will endeavor to make it anything but hurt." he pulled back slightly and looked at her face, concern etching his features even though his eyes burned. "Your safety is my first concern."

"What if I get pregnant? How will I take care of myself--I'll be huge for months--"

"Snake pregnancies only last for a month, if there is enough food." His hands moved feather-light through her hair, smoothing it and running his fingers through the strands.

"Seriously?"

"You keep asking if I'm serious, but I've never acted unseriously or joking. Where are you getting this idea?"

"Uh...it's a saying..from my tribe..."

"Uh huh." His face drew nearer. The snake coils had silently vanished to be replaced with those long, pale legs. More of him than ever before now pressed against her.

He leaned down to brush one of his high cheekbones against hers.

"Is there anything else?" he breathed.

The gust of rosemary made her shiver harder.

"What if...what if I don't like being a mom? What if I don't like snake babies? What if...what if..." How was he so close? The heat from his body filled her, warmed her from the inside out and she became conscious of her arms around his, hands steadying herself against his muscles, smooth and hard.

"Then I'll kick them out." His tongue flickered across her lips.

The tongue was followed by a brush of his lips. They were soft as silk and promising of pleasure.

(And here Tyndali had to step in, as LoweFantasy could only writhe and blush in embarrassment. She can't even handle watching people kiss on TV.)

"Now, please," he whispered. "I wish to mate with you..." He looked at her, his eyes filled with longing. "...but I will not go against your wishes." His body pulled back, the heat gone, a sudden rush of ice stabbing her midriff. Normally she wanted to snuggle with fluff, but the heat he filled her body with... she hadn't known he was capable.

The pause zinged with unseen electricity which she felt down to her core.

"What if I regret this?" she whispered.

"If there's the slightest doubt, my Shay, I will not broach the subject." His tone was serious. "Snake beastmen, ferals, are known for taking females and forcing them to mate. You..." He looked incredulous, wondering, almost young. "...you bring softness and sweetness to my life. I will not force my body on yours."

Gulping, she closed her eyes, then opened them back up as she found herself more scared when she couldn't see his beautiful face and the burning emotion with which he looked at her. The feelings he stirred in her were terrifying in the way a steep cliff was when you looked down. You knew you shouldn't jump, but everything in you, nature itself, tantalized you over the edge.

"What if we just kissed for a little?"

Her back hit bear fur before she was even aware her feet had left the floor. Whatever she could see of the makeshift roof in the dying gray light was blocked by Curtis's broad shoulders and curtains of scarlet hair.

He kissed her. Hard.

"I love you," he said the moment he drew back.

After searching her face, he kissed her again. She kissed him back, the intensity of the moment building to a knot in her gut. She'd kissed before, but never like this. His passion felt controlled and she wanted more of it, more intensity. Her cheeks burned as her thoughts were slowly consumed by the man on top of her and the sensations he was invoking in her body. She pulled back with a gasp and tried to see his face in the dying light. "Curtis... I want to mate with you."

He moaned and jerked forward, then pulled himself back. "Shay... " He nipped her neck, the sharp teeth grazing her sensitive skin and making her moan. "Shay," he murmured into her skin, "are you sure?"

"What?" Her head cleared for a little. The sensation of hot scales singed her body and she leaned into him to absorb more of it.

"Are you sure?" His thumb pressed against her chin and pulled her to face him, her mouth opening slightly at the pressure. "You are so beautiful, my Shay."

The blush filled her face, her chest, her body until everything was heat, burning, and then him.

In the distance, thunder rumbled and the first drops of rain hit the earth.

*Naughty hours later*

(Lowefantasy returns)

She woke up unable to move or see anything and aching all over. Starving was another characteristic of that.

At first she was so exhausted she couldn't figure out why she was even awake. Then a low, slightly muffled voice spoke.

"You can't keep her locked up in there, she needs to eat."

The coils about her hissed. A ray of light broke through the darkness, bringing with it a sliver of cold air and the sound of rain on leaves.

Shay shivered and nuzzled deeper into the bear fur beneath her.

The light and cold suddenly increased.

"Love," Curtis whispered. "Can you sit up?"

Shay groaned. "Tired." It was hard even to speak.

A cool cloth came over her, covering her nakedness before an arm gently scooped under her shoulders, propping her up against a wall of snake coils.

"Stop. Sleepy," she whimpered.

"You need to eat," said Ryan's low voice. "You've been mating for a night and day."

That woke her up. "What?!" No way. Though that explained how exhausted she was. Freak, this wasn't normal.

"No need to worry," said Curtis as though reading her thoughts. "With practice you'll build better endurance." (....I just typed that >.>)

But try as she might to launch out of the warm cave Curtis's body made around her, her legs refused to listen to her, and her arms merely flopped about like grounded fish.

"I'll feed her," said Curtis, opening up his coils, leaving only that which held her up. "You clean her up."

Ryan's golden eyes flickered to Curtis in surprise, but he didn't give the snake time to recant that as he had a rag instantly in hand. Shay, blushing from head to toe and trying desperately to cling to the snake skin, braced herself for even more chill.

But the damp rag was warm. The bowl of water he drew it from slightly steaming. Only then did she smell the scent of fire and hear a slight hiss of rain turning to steam from the front room.

"Shay," Curtis held a smaller stone bowl, this one steaming. She smelled fish. "Open your mouth."

The spoon poured in Neara's fish soup, which she swallowed greedily.

Ryan worked carefully, his hand steady despite the tenseness of his shoulders. First he carefully cleaned the dirt on her feet till her very toenails shone, even using a bit of his chunk of soap. Then he cleaned up her legs, carefully lifting up bits of the snakeskin at a time.

When his rag finally reached the level where it truly started to become uncomfortable, Curtis snatched the rag.

"She's finished. Get her more," he said, handing Ryan the bowl.

Ryan took it without a word and flashed out, his tail not so much as twitching as he did so.

It didn't matter that Curtis had seen everything, she still squawked as his hand dove down there to clean. But her body had become lead.

So she tried to distract herself with another pressing subject. "You're letting Ryan in?"

Curtis paused, then kept wiping.

"I told you before," though his voice was stiff. "He saved your life and his knowhow of medicine is useful. Also...the cold season will be upon us soon and I will need to hibernate. I can't leave you alone. He will protect you. If you don't like him, use him and cast him aside." The hope in his voice that she'd do just that was more than evident.

Warmth like lava and light as air flooded down to her toes.

"And...and what if I do...like him?"

The rag stopped at her belly button. Curtis's mouth went paper thin.

Ryan returned, soup in hand. In a flash Curtis had the snakeskin back over Shay.

Ryan didn't dare look at Curtis as he knelt down at Shay's side, his golden eyes shivering on hers, alight with something like hope.

Curtis hissed and took the soup.

"Do not be mistaken," he snapped. "This is my territory and she is mine. I can always kill you and find another."

Ryan bowed his head, revealing the pair of pink circle scars on his back. What Shay could see of his black tail had fluffed. His fuzzy black ears, pulled back, vibrated.

But he said nothing.

Shay ate two more bowls, a stunning feat seeing as she had never been a big eater, and fell back asleep before Curtis had even completed rebuilding himself above her.