A Satyr's Mate

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Our Legacy

Mari birthed a satyress. They named her Agda. Unlike her mother, Agda inherited my unruly mane. It made her appear very Baltian, except perhaps for the telltale satyr legs and hoofed feet. She had two bumps for horns that could only be detected by feeling with one's fingers. From the waist up, she appeared all human.

She was every bit as independent as Mari had been as a lambkin, though, and she matured quickly. She was all satyress inside, possessing the stubborn willfulness of her satyr bloodlines, and this presented some challenges for Mari and Finn.

They'd thought they would raise her in the Baltian village. The challenges of that were immense as the pace proved to be too slow for Agda. She longed to be free to run with the other lambkin in the flock. Mari took her there several times per week but it wasn't enough for her. Within a day of being back at home, she'd become restless and unruly again.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Mother."

I looked up from my stitching to Mari's concerned face. "What is it? Is everything alright?"

Mari shrugged off my concern. "Agda needs to grow up with the flock. Finn hasn't wanted to accept this, but I think he will if he knows she is being looked after by you and Father."

"She's not weaned, yet."

"Valame will help me to express milk into containers for Agda. She doesn't require much, and only once a day. Anyway, I'm not just planning to drop her off and forget about her. I'll come visit every few days. Can you do this for us?"

It was the first time Mari had ever asked for my help with anything. "Of course we will look after her."

"She doesn't like to be fussed after, and she often resists eating. When she starts to jabber a lot ..."

"She needs to go down for a nap. Yes, she's just like her mother was as a lambkin."

"I don't remember being this difficult."

"No, you wouldn't, but you were every bit as obstinate. We can handle it."

"That's a relief, because I'm not sure, but I think I might be pregnant again."

"What? How is that possible?"

"We ... well, we didn't think ..."

"Are you happy about this?"

"I guess. I'm more shocked and confused than anything else right now. I didn't think it possible or we would have been more careful."

"This is good news, Mari. Your father will be thrilled."

"Yeah, I know. His theories, and everything. Listen, Finn is probably back home from work by now. Agda is with the flock. I told her to come here at dusk."

"You didn't tell her of the arrangement?"

"No. She'll be happy, though, so no worries there. She won't even miss me, I'm sure."

"Is that how you would've felt if I'd have left you?"

Mari frowned. "No. You would never have done something like this, though."

"It doesn't make you a bad mother, Mari. We are constantly faced with choices that have no clear right or wrong path. You will know right away if this is the proper solution for Agda."

"I'll visit tomorrow morning, after Finn leaves for work. I'll talk to her about it, then."

I smiled and nodded at her wise decision.

"I need to get going before Father arrives. I'm not ready to talk about my pregnancy or how it happened so quickly, and you know he'll pry."

I chuckled. She was absolutely right about that.

So, that was how we came to having another lambkin in the den. The arrangement settled Agda down considerably, and eased any remaining tension with Aeron, though he was growing less and less steadfast on flock rules. Mostly because of his attachment to Lena.

They'd become practically inseparable, and in those rare moments when they were apart, Aeron had difficulty focusing on business. Because of this, his own offspring were beginning to challenge his alpha standing. Dolphus didn't like it.

I assumed Dolphus was troubled because Aeron was his friend. Dolphus reminded me that only a human would place such emphasis on emotion in a situation like this. He didn't like the challenges because there was no other satyr as capable as Aeron at leading the flock. It was as simple as that.

"You promised to do something for me, do you remember? When you were tied in the woods?"

"You can't be referring to the hot springs because I allow you to do that every time now."

"Non. I refer to the last agreement."

"I remember. The one involving Aeron and Lena."

"Precisely."

"Now might not be a good time with all the opposition Aeron is facing."

"Breeding season nears. His focus is lost. Now is the perfect time. Aeron and I are planning to oversee training exercises tomorrow. Lena will most likely accompany us. I would like for you to join us."

"What are you hoping to accomplish with this?"

"I will guide him on how to relieve the tension that is rising inside him. The very one that is scrambling his thoughts."

"What if he rejects what we're doing?"

"He will not. You must trust me on this point."

I did trust him. After all we'd been through, the number of times Dolphus had saved my life, I trusted him completely.

The following day began fairly normally. After our morning meal, we met Aeron at the training site and watched their daily drills. Lena didn't join us for another hour, having an injured lambkin to look after. It wasn't one of her offspring, but she'd come to be very good with nursing wounds, probably due to Faustus, and so she often cared for others in this way. She'd come to be a contributing member of the flock and this elevated her status significantly.

Instinctively, I tried to move away from Dolphus and Aeron so I could speak privately with Lena. It wasn't to divulge Dolphus' plan, just habit. Satyresses didn't often mingle with satyrs outside the breeding season. Dolphus stopped me, though, by pulling my back against his chest and holding me there. Lena stood between me and Aeron.

Dolphus started out rather slow, his palms nonchalantly caressing my breasts as he and Aeron engaged in conversation. Then he began absent-mindedly tugging at my nipples until they protruded obscenely on their own.

Aeron didn't seem to notice at first, but I could see that it was making Lena uncomfortable. She glanced down quite often at his hands as she shifted from one hoof to the other.

I was about to stop Dolphus when I noticed Aeron's nose beginning to quiver. He didn't look at us, though, instead he turned his attention to Lena, eyeing her with curiosity.

Dolphus slid his hand down my abdomen until he was cupping my womanhood in his palm. I could feel the tension rising within me. The warmth of his palm heated the entire apex between my thighs. I widened my stance to afford his hand better access and witnessed Lena taking notice.

Being neither shy, nor modest, Lena gawked openly at Dolphus' hand as he proceeded to penetrate my eager folds with his finger. I turned my face so that I could watch her reaction. It was subtle, but nonetheless clear. Her pupils were dilated, her breathing erratic, and perhaps the most obvious, her thick nipples were swollen and rigid. I allowed my own gaze to linger on them for a long time. I'd always secretly envied her nipples. Their thickness was perfect for suckling, and the way they protruded ... my mind suddenly went hazy, swimming in a sea of lust. I bucked against Dolphus' jabbing finger, seeking that release that I so desperately wanted.

Aeron picked up Lena's aroused scent. He moved behind her, pushing her forward until her hands were on the ground, her hind still high in the air. Without hesitation, he positioned his cock at her entrance and thrust inside her. Grunting with each stroke, he proceeded to pound his cock into her. A moment later, her legs wobbled and her back arched as she mewled her release. His climax followed with the next stroke.

Watching them like that and knowing that we'd prompted them to do it, tipped me over the edge of my own climax. I soaked Dolphus' hand with my juices. It had been a very powerful release for me.

Aeron's cock remained buried deep inside Lena. Judging from his expression, he hadn't quite gotten enough. Dolphus noticed this, too. I wondered why Aeron didn't just continue to take Lena. He was in position to do so and she was quite willing, judging from the cooing sounds she was making.

Dolphus turned me around to face him and then pressed on my shoulders until I had no choice but to drop to my knees. His member was swollen, erect, and leaking clear fluid. I didn't have to be told what he wanted. My mouth immediately closed around the head of his cock, my tongue laving the delicious deposits there. I was hungry to taste him and made it known through my eagerness to suck and lick his beautiful cock.

Dolphus swept my hair back and held it in his fist so that Aeron could get a clear view. Within moments, Aeron commenced to rocking his pelvis. Gently at first, then with increasing speed and force until he was pummeling them both toward another climax.

Dolphus pulled out of my mouth just as his cock was beginning to spew. His cock sprayed strings of milky fluid over my hair and face. A moment later, Aeron growled his release.

I was lifted to my feet. My adoring mate cleaned the remnants of his release from my face, then locked me in a deep kiss. When we broke from our embrace, I noticed that Aeron and Lena were in their own affectionate cuddle. There was no doubt in my mind that they were true mates. Only a mate would show affection like that.

Aeron released Lena and instructed her to join the other satyresses. He had work to do, but would find her later. Dolphus nodded at me to go with her. The old Aeron was back and ready to focus on his responsibilities again. Dolphus' plan had worked. At least it got them started. The rest would be up to Aeron. One thing I was sure of, it would only get easier for Aeron each time he indulged himself with Lena.

Mating season approached too quickly for me to even worry about how it was going to be different for us. It would have been a waste of time to worry about that, though, because it was even better than it had been before. Since my scent did not change throughout the season, Dolphus remained eager to mate for six straight weeks. It was the longest mating season we'd ever experienced. By the time it was over, I was more attached to him than ever, and sickeningly submissive.

"You act more like a kitten than my Baltian tigress."

"Stop teasing."

"Non, that I cannot do. You are mine to tease."

"I am yours with which to do many things."

"Ah, yes. Are you feeling needy again so soon, my sweet mate? Have you not had your fill?"

I shook my head as I eyed him alluringly. "I will never have my fill."

"Neither will I. For this there is no cure. Each season my attachment to you grows stronger. This is problematic for my position in the flock."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, love, that I am stepping down."

"Dolphus, you can't. The flock needs you."

"Yes, Shi, but not as a guardian; as a guide. You and I must share this miracle of how we are together so that others may experience it for themselves. It is our legacy."

It was a concept that I hadn't given much thought to outside of childrearing. Obviously, Mari, Lucius, and Draco, and all of their offspring were our legacy, but there was also our contributions to the future generations of the flock. If by some miracle it changed the breeding cycle to allow for more offspring to be born, then that would really be something to have passed along.

Once the weather broke and spring was nearing, Lucius requested to accompany the young Baltian-Timaean couple on their trip to Timaeus. I was concerned, as any mother would be, about him traveling so far from home, but I kept it mostly to myself. Dolphus convinced me that Lucius was no longer a lambkin and quite capable of caring for himself. Somehow that mattered very little to me as I waited for him to return. He would never be too grown for me to worry about his safety, I decided.

With Agda and Draco so close in age, not even separated by a full season, and essentially growing up in the same home, they developed a very interesting relationship. Like most siblings might act, they argued and rivaled, sometimes so viciously that we'd kick them out of the den to go settle it. Unlike most siblings, however, they were inseparable. One never ventured out without the other one.

I worried about what would happen when Draco was pushed out of the satyress circle to go spar with the other young bucks. Agda would not be able to follow him any more than he would be allowed to stay beyond maturity. This practice had never come into question as satyrs do not become attached to one another, typically. Not that you could tell from our family. Dolphus and I were clearly a mated pair, and Mari had chosen Finn as her exclusive mate. There seemed to be something in our bloodline, or maybe it was just the way we were raising our offspring, that seemed to promote that type of behavior.

Draco and Agda's situation brought another question to mind: Is their attachment an early sign of being a mated pair, or are they merely close family members? There were no rules against incest in the flock. It wasn't against the laws of Sibiu to engage in incestuous relations, only to marry one's own sibling or child. Draco and Agda were Uncle and Niece. While it wouldn't be optimal for them to mate, it would be allowed by even the strictest of court systems.

I didn't like the thought of it, though. I continued to try and separate them, if for no other reason than to prepare them for the upcoming split that their situation would create. I was wholly unsuccessful in my efforts. They just found ways around me and no one, not Mari, Finn, nor Dolphus shared my viewpoint on interfering. They were far more willing to allow mother nature to take her course.

It was a lesson that I was struggling to learn. I still clung to some of my childhood teachings. I also held onto the notion of mind over matter; that reason was stronger than emotion. I thought that by explaining the dangers of inbreeding, we might convince them to change their course. It did nothing. When Draco was fully mature, he found a cave dwelling in the grotto area halfway between the Baltian village and our domicile. A month later, Agda joined him there. They announced that they were a mated pair, regardless of not yet producing offspring.

I never thought I'd witness a pairing to rival mine and Dolphus'. Draco and Agda redefined the term. They were sickening to be around, always finishing each other's sentences, fussing after one another, and then passionately kissing as if they'd just been reunited after being apart for years. I honestly felt bad for trying to separate them because they really did belong together.

I began to wonder how much we really chose our mate versus what was predetermined. Had Dolphus really chosen me, or did I produce the exact pheromones that attracted him, thus it was neither his choice, nor mine? And what of Loomis and Haibu? Was their alternative preference born in them, or did they choose it?

Conversations about these very things often kept Dolphus and I up way beyond high moon. His insights and theories on such matters were fascinating to me and I couldn't get enough of them.

Lucius missed another mating season, and I was beginning to wonder if he was ever coming back. I feared we'd lost him forever. But just before the first winter snow, we got word from Mari that he'd returned. With him, he brought a young wife.

We were surprised to hear that he'd gotten married. We discovered that it was the only way he could bring his mate back with him. Like me, Callisto was half Baltian and half Sibian, and her Sibian side of the family insisted on a proper wedding. It made sense, but I was still disappointed, nonetheless, at having been robbed of the opportunity to witness the event. Lucius tried to convince me that it didn't matter; it was just a ceremony. I knew different, having raised him.

Lucius and Callisto settled into our domicile until they could decide where to live. We tried to give them space and privacy, fully knowing what a shock the flock environment probably was for her, but it proved difficult. I hadn't realized how much I'd changed my lifestyle until I saw it through the eyes of a young girl that was me only eight years earlier. My behaviors were more in line with satyr morals than Sibian ones, and my lack of propriety with relation to clothing and sex were highly shocking to her.

Valame and I spent some time preparing Callisto for what to expect as a human mother of a satyr. She and Lucius both needed to be aware of the dangers. I knew she probably wouldn't want to stay with the flock long term, but we managed to convince them to at least stay through their first birthing with people who were experienced at such things. We were thankful for this small miracle.

Mari and Finn had their second lambkin. It was another girl, which surprised everyone. This time when the little satyress began showing signs of independence, they didn't hesitate to work out the same arrangement as Agda. Our den was full to capacity with the addition of Brighid, and I began to realize that there was going to be no end to it. Unlike other satyrs, our grown lambkin gravitated back to our domicile.

Other than the initial awkwardness at mating season, it was lovely having everyone around. Even Dolphus didn't seem to mind it. Having a tight-knit family unit made me feel stronger and safer than I'd ever felt in my life. But I wondered how long it would last.

My half brother, Father and Valame's son, Nuadha, really exemplified the vastly different rates at which a human developed versus a satyr. Nuadha was barely older than a toddler, while my youngest satyr boy, born after him, was already fully grown and recently mated. It illuminated what I thought was an even bigger problem for the survival of the satyr species. Their numbers would have to dramatically increase in order to offset the shorter lifespan.

Dolphus agreed with my assessment but had no solution. He was still tabulating numbers and making predictions. I'd come to find out that Lucius' visit to Timaeus was not only to explore the region of his ancestry and ultimately find a wife, but to connect with a nearby flock and gather information about their numbers. What he brought back was alarming.

The Timaean flock was experiencing the same phenomenon as our flock. Heavy male to female ratio with dwindling numbers overall. Their satyrs had taken to mating with Timaean women with mixed results, but eventually no Timaen woman in her right mind considered such a match for fear of perishing in lambkin birth. The stories that Lucius shared with us were dreadful. They brought emotions to the surface that I had long since buried.

By plotting numbers on a graph, Dolphus and Lucius came to the same conclusion. The Timaen flock would cease to exist very soon, within Lucius' lifetime.

"We should do something, Dolphus. We could share with them what we know about successfully birthing lambkin."

"Non, Shi. We must let this happen."

"Why?"

"It is mother nature's course. It is not our place to decide what species live and die."

"Lucius, were there any pregnant Timaean women while you were there?"

"I don't think so. Besides, we'd never make it in time to do any good."

"He's right, Shi. We can't help them."

"What does this mean for our flock?"

Dolphus sighed heavily. "We are facing the same fate. It will not happen in our lifetimes, but not long after. We are a dying breed."

"It's not fair."

Dolphus pulled me into his arms. "Fairness is a human-created concept. It has no place in nature. You must accept that change is the natural order. By Osmos' will or by the natural earth around us. Either way, it is inevitable."