Keep Watch

I had the pleasure of taking Truffle back to her room in a princess carry the following day as Ivory held onto Button who was absent-mindedly sucking on the wrong breast, not appearing to care very much that there was no milk to be found there yet. Truffle had become a lot more docile once she got back to her little mushroom farm. She didn't want to go into her room directly. Instead she was immediately showing her daughter all of the mushrooms and even feeding her some.

To see my little lazy sleepy-eyed daughter half-slobbering on a mushroom cap made me completely sure this was Truffle's daughter. Not that I doubted it for a moment, since I saw her crawl out of Truffle myself. Now that they were back home, Ivory had gone into her side of the shared cave-hole and returned with one of those bone charms that she made, and gave it to Button. The head of the doll was even shaped like a mushroom, and as expected, Button tried slobbering on that one too.

With Truffle and Button entrusted to Ivory's care, I make a quick stop to relieve myself at the nearby shit-pit. I ended up dropping a funky double together with a goblin whom I recognized only as one of the remaining two I had yet to do the deed with.

Tell me, is it wrong to pick up a goblin in the shitter?

Not that I hadn't done it before with Jewel…

"Husband! Pick tonight?"

"Yeah… It's just you and one more to go. Sorry it took so long."

"Pick me! Not last get Husband big seed!"

"Hmm… have a good reason for making me want to pick you tonight?"

"Maybe find good thing Husband like?"

"Alright, then. Find me something you think I would like by the time the sun goes down outside. If I like it, I'll pick you."

She finished by wiping herself with a few leaves, all-agrin agreeing quickly to my offer. I wondered if there was a stigma attached to being chosen last? Also, I feel like any shared bathroom experiences outside of sex should be reserved for after you've already done the deed. Call me old fashioned, I guess.

For the record, I didn't care if she found anything good. She approached me about it proactively, so I was just going to choose her anyway because of that. If anything, I was now curious to see what the worth of my big seed might actually be to a goblin.

Passing by Berry's room on the way back to my own and failing to peek inside like I usually do, a few steps later I found that I had gained a heavy weight on my right leg. Looking down, to my delight I had found my most bravest eldest drop goblin daughter clinging on to me.

"Want a lift somewhere, Diana?"

"Come to cave-hole, Husband!"

One day she'll call me daddy. One day…

"Okay, is there something you want to show me?"

"Come!"

"Okay, okay, how can I say no to my little bear-slayer?"

I reached down and petted her growing hair before turning back a few steps and heading to Berry's room. There were a few things that had been gathered which were organized in the living room that weren't put away in the bedroom I had made for them. What Diana was showing me was… half of a drawing on the wall. It wasn't art per-se, but a draft.

"Husband make Diana Artemis new cave-hole!"

"You want a new cave-hole? What about the one daddy made for you already?"

She patted her little chest and grinned.

"Diana Artemis hunt big-bear. Husband take tribute. Goblin hunter now. Prima say goblin hunter have own cave-hole. That cave-hole for Berry."

Ah, she was having a bit of rebellious independence now that she killed a bear. She was about what, three weeks old going on thirteen moons, I guess? Daddy might not be able to buy her a pony, but making a room fit for a princess is something I can most certainly do.

"I'd be happy to make it for you my fierce little princess, but daddy can't use magic except for making a light to see outside of his cave-hole without Jewel to watch."

"Why?"

"It would be better for you to ask Prima or Jewel why, because I don't think my answer is the right one for you to hear."

"Diana Artemis bring Jewel, Husband make cave-hole?"

"Yes, Diana. I will make anything you want me to. By the way, where's your mother?"

I didn't see Berry around anywhere. It was only my bear-slaying latch-key daughter at home right now.

"Berry go hunt. Get blue berries make blue water. Diana not hunt today. Big-think new cave-hole."

I'm glad she is aware of having a work-life balance from a young age. I was often overworked myself, so it's good that she has her priorities in place. Considering that on the floor in front of the crudely marked wall was the same sharp stone Berry and I had both used to make next to no progress on digging the wall of this cave that first day for her sake… Diana was at least smart enough to scratch an outline of the shape of the room she wanted. She was definitely a capable goblin like her mother.

"Husband will wait here for you until you bring Jewel."

"Okay!"

Diana dashed off speedily, and in no time at all had returned with Jewel. I didn't doubt for a second that she'd be able to rope that particularly greedy goblin.

"Diana kill Black-bear. Earn cave-hole." Jewel said incontestably after arriving, crossing her arms and nodding with approval.

I can only think of it as high praise coming from Jewel.

With Jewel present, I began in earnest, using the topaz stone to make my daughter's new room. What kind of room is good for a budding young huntress? I didn't need to think about it hard. Diana was directing the whole operation. She had been to the cave-holes of Jewel, Ivory-Truffle, and Lily. She knew exactly what she wanted.

"Want big bed like Husband cave-hole. Not up. Down, in ground."

She wanted a recessed bed? Well, it's her call. There were cubby holes and shelves added by request and I even raised a hollowed out box of compacted dirt up from the ground and a sliding lid on top to act as a secret storage trunk. Jewel made a growl that indicated I would need to duplicate that for her in her own room later. She does like having places to hide things, after all.

Diana began moving a few things from the living room and nothing else from the bedroom she had been sharing with Berry up until now into her new quarters. She didn't have all that much to call her own just yet, but she was standing there feeling very proud of herself for getting a new cave-hole made with love.

What father wouldn't move the world–or excavate a cave–for his daughter if she asked sweetly enough?

I had asked Jewel for a little bit of extra time to do something in the cave, mostly to help out Berry's blue water operation. I had hollowed out a space in the wall opposite to Diana's new room and made a flat surface for a countertop. It would let Berry fit about six large pots side by side, much bigger than her small bowls she used for everything which I learned, surprise surprise, were made by Toy!

I decided to call it here before I wasted more of Jewel's time. I'd make a few nice pots for Berry when I got back to the breeding room. Diana gave me a hug for a job well done (I think!), and I couldn't help but notice the large knife she carried around tucked away into her loincloth.

I think I'll make her a stone sheathe from it later. There was no bear skin left from the kill to tan and hide into leather, not that I had the first clue at all in how to do it. What I could do was make a thin and lightweight stone sheathe, something with a sturdy loop that could hook into her loincloth. I might be a far cry from any kind of artisan, but I felt like I could do that much.

I returned to the breeding room, promising Jewel she could find me tomorrow to make her a very special treasure box for her things. Jewel was easy to please like that, just appeal to her greed and promise her that the things she wanted would be only the best quality, and she was quite agreeable to just about anything. I would have gone for a freebie with Jewel, but Prima was already waiting for me, along with Doll.

"Husband, keep watch human. Today get sun." My main wife informed me all of a sudden.