Whispers from my Muse - "Camping"

     The label on the tent had said 'two man', but I was reasonably certain
that 'two small kids who never moved' was more along the lines of what I'd
actually paid for.  Trying to fit three people into it, even if one of them
was a small kid, proved to be an interesting feat.  The fact that two of
the people squeezed into it had tails, just made it more interesting.

     "If you hit me with that thing one more time ..." and I got whacked
in the face by Kal's tail _again_ as she turned to face me.  This time,
she managed to nail me in the side of the head with that stupid bell she
refused to take off as well.  There was only one thing left for a poor
human to do, and I did it.  Reaching over so I could grab her tail, I
pulled it close and bit down near the end.

     I knew by the look in her eyes that the price of my moment of glory
was going to be high.  My son though, looked at what I was doing and grabbed
his own tail and held it close to his chest in horror.  Since I was going
to pay no matter what I did at that point, I ducked back into my sleeping
bag, Kal's tail still in my teeth, and zipped it closed.  When I snaked my
hand out the top and asked my mate to "hand me the ketchup", all hell broke
loose.

     Later, after I'd sat quietly and groomed the tail I'd drooled all over,
I decided that Naldantis _really_ needed a good pummeling.  The whole
reason the three of us were sitting here in the middle of the Alaskan
wilderness was because he had all the willpower of a limp washrag.  Three
days ago, he'd waited until I was alone in my den, then closed the door
and asked if he could talk to me.

     "Sure, what's on your mind?" I replied as I turned around in my chair
to face him.

     "Could you find it possible to not be around the house for the next
couple of days?"

     I remember blinking in surprise, then getting just the slightest bit
angry.  "You will of course tell me _why_ I'm being thrown out of my own
home?"  Then I noticed now nervous Nal was and traded my anger for curiosity.

     "I have noticed over the years that you are not real comfortable with
the sleeping arrangements when one of our mates decides to become playful.
You have also mentioned that you can usually tell when they are 'on the
prowl' as you call it, because their scent changes."

     Suddenly I knew exactly what was bothering him and I knew there was
nothing I could do to help him.  Yes, I'd learned over the years just what
that faint musky smell meant, and I'd also learned just what it did to
Velan males.  "Lythandi?"  Nal nodded his head.  "I assume she wants to
try for a child of her own again?"  I got another nod and he started to
shake ever so lightly.  Closing the book I'd been reading, I set it on
top of my desk and turned off my reading light.  "Kalindra and I will
be gone a week so don't wait up for us."

     With something that sounded like a whimper, Naldantis nodded and
turned to leave.  When I saw the cloth ropes hanging out of the pockets
that had been facing away from me, I told him, "Make that two weeks and
I'll be taking Lan Louis with me."  I'd seen Lythandi like this once or
twice before and it would take awhile for her to work it out of her
system with Naldantis, her willing tool.  Willing, because he was a healer
and _knew_ exactly what was being done to him, and didn't try to fight it.

     Like I said before, that had been three days ago.