The following days were pleasant. They were growing colder and colder, but they were still pleasant. Hulda learned that the bed in the center of the common room was actually made of four beds, each one making up a quarter's worth. They were all pulled out so that in the middle a hole could be dug for a thick post to be secured into. It wasn't very tall at all, perhaps only a head's worth taller than the beds. A brazier was placed on top of the post, and it was secured with metal straps with holes and nails in the holes, pounded into the wood at different heights.
One night, when the cold was unbearable, charcoal was placed in the brazier and lit. A lid with thin holes was locked onto it, just in case it fell over. The women snuggled close to the men, leaning against them. Yann had to sleep with both Sasha and Johnan nuzzling his straight humanoid torso. While Dobromil held Danuta close, baby Dagny was resting against Danuta's legs. Lili and Hulda were more free to wallow about on their beds, embracing their husbands as if they needed their support to keep from falling into a mysterious abyss.
It wasn't quite this way in the beginning of the night. At first, some of the males would lie down with their warm arms outstretched so the females could touch them. Then, after an hour or less, they'd wake up, search for the appropriate person to embrace, and go to back to sleep with their humanoid torsos straight.
Hulda rather liked this was of sleeping. Yes, it was different from lying down, but she had a sturdy, strong man to lean onto, and sometimes, if both parties had difficulty sleeping, they'd have a discreet moment of kissing.
Occasionally, when Ehlov seemed to think nobody was noticing, he'd put a mischievous hand on Hulda's backside, over her clothing. A peasant normally slept wearing clothes, especially when it was cold.
Ehlov never did anything too ... aggressive. Not only was his whole family in the room, but two of those family members weren't even adults. It would be quite disgusting for him to risk having them witness something too ... intimate.
Hulda thought this really was a lovely way to sleep.
Safe and held ...
And warm ...
It was overall a nice life.
Even the sex got better as the days passed.
Hulda's body seemed to learn just how lovely a hard cock can be. Her soft insides would always react as if penetration was a dear caress, probably because more literal caresses would always be given beforehand, but that was perfectly fine.
Hulda was happy, very happy. She told the whole family so on the morning after the first time they slept with the brazier in the center of the common room. She said she liked knowing that everyone treated her like she belonged, that the work was reasonable, and that her husband was so strong and loving. It was a good life.
Sasha was so pleased that she gave Hulda a crude wooden brooch roughly shaped like a beautiful, nude woman holding a sleeping baby girl. "This is Chussan. She's our childbirth goddess. Pin this to your clothing for good fortune where motherly duties are concerned."
Hulda didn't really believe in this goddess, but she saw no harm in taking the gift. She pinned the brooch to her apron and thanked Sasha.
That afternoon, Ehlov carried her off to a stone temple outside of the village. He asked a priest there to write their names down as a couple. When that was done, Ehlov did something strange. He asked to look at the paper.
"Why do you need to look at it?" Hulda asked, playfully tugging on the back of Ehlov's hood. He didn't answer. He acted like she hadn't said anything.
The priest didn't ask why, probably because he didn't want to seem rude. He showed Ehlov all the funny looking swirly things on the paper. Ehlov stared at it for a good, long time.
Hulda was getting a bit impatient. She patted his humanoid shoulder with her fingers. "We need to go back home. I want to tell everyone that I'm your real wife now."
Still, he lingered, ignoring her.
But, finally, after a few more moments, he nodded and said to the priest, "Alright. Thank you."
On the way home, something happened.
A young neighbor, maybe in his early twenties, galloped over to Ehlov and started yelling at him.
"It's your fault! You and your damn doors!" He pointed at Ehlov with a trembling finger. His eyes were wild.
Ehlov retreated a bit, visibly uncertain, but clenching his fists.
An older centaur rushed to the younger one. He seemed to be closer to middle age. "Anton! Calm down! You're being a daft cunt!"
Hulda was pretty sure those centaurs were brothers. What was the older brother's name? Franthel?
Anton screamed out, "It's his damn fault I can't afford a wife!! Meanwhile, he made sure he got a woman before he thought up all these doors!!" He lunged a bit towards Ehlov, who only retreated even more.
Franthel grabbed Anton by his arms, and he stomped his hooves. "You're going after him while he has a woman on his back?! Have you gone twisted?! Pa will knock your head in a wall when he hears about this!!" He actually slapped Anton's cheek with the back of his hand, making a loud, cracking noise in the air. "We're going home, and if I hear you spitting this shit out again, I'll beat you until nobody can see your skin color!"
That calmed Anton down. He pouted like a child, but he was calm. He followed his older brother away from Ehlov and Hulda. Franthel called out behind himself, "Sorry about that! If you ever need a favor, let me know!"
Ehlov shrugged the incident off, and he said to Hulda, "We're going to eat and dance tonight. Ma will probably make the biggest pot of egg drop soup for you to dip your bread in."
It turned out to be a simple little dinner party, nothing elaborate or expensive, but Hulda was glad to enjoy it. The food was hearty. The company was loving. The world was peaceful.
***
Snow was the same in Breden as it was in Hulda's homeland. It made the world quieter, especially in the morning. Winter was very much here.
Dagny was a crawling thing, which meant that her little hands were often filthy, and she liked to put dirt in her mouth. Well, she liked to put everything in her mouth. The males had to be especially careful when they were near the child, because they were deathly afraid of stepping on her. Dagny liked to crawl up to anyone, woman or centaur, and gaze up at them with her big gray eyes. Her strawberry blonde hair was very pretty. Dobromil liked to stroke it whenever he could, and he'd often say, "Just as pretty as your Ma, yes you are."
Hulda was trying to give Dagny a wash one morning, planning to put her on one of the beds, when Johnan looked up from his cooking and asked, "Hey, Auntie Hulda, why don't you have a baby in your belly yet?"
Hulda rolled her eyes and set the babbling little Dagny onto the bed that Danuta often slept on. "I can't say I know."
Johnan wiped his hands on his apron and sighed. "Well, figure it out soon. If you have a boy, we'll have more strong workers. If you have a girl, we can sell her off to a man when she's old enough."
Hulda wanted to say, "Well, it's not like we're not trying!" She had to bite her tongue to stop the words from tumbling out.
Hulda knew the cold wouldn't stop anyone in the village from trying to conceive children. She saw several couple wandering off to the wilderness, wearing sheepskin cloaks lined with fur and carrying folded platforms.
And later that afternoon, Hulda was doing the same with her husband. She had on her trusty pair of wool stockings and wooden clogs to keep her lower legs warm. A wool cap was on her head and a fluffy cloak was around her clothed body. Ehlov was much the same, his humanoid torso well protected. The horse-like body had a natural winter coat, so no extra covering was needed there.
When they were settled and ready, the platform set, their mittens removed, Hulda embraced Ehlov with eager arms. Their misty breaths blended together. Their pink noses tapped and rubbed each other. Their minds both wanted to work towards one goal.
Ehlov whispered into her lips, "You're a good wife, and you'll be a good Ma." Then he nuzzled and nibbled her throat, which had her squealing and sliding her hands under his clothing. He was wonderful to touch, hairy, sinewy, and burly with just the right amount of fat to keep him healthy and able to work. Hulda liked to imagine he could fight off a bear. She didn't want him to ever fight a bear, though.
