The Histories of Shuule

After she had calmed down, Set brought Shuule back into the cave, even helping her undress and dry off before she laid down for a nap.

By the time she woke up, the sun was beginning to die, and he had to push back intrusive thoughts that her outburst was because she was upset that her first spouse was a serpent. He knew, he was sure, it was bottled up emotions, but to then need to sleep for so long during the day felt like a mourning process.

Unnerved, he hadn't woken her, but rather slithered up the outside of the caves' rocks to settle on the top to watch the sunset, alone in his thoughts. It was flat up there, and a good place to pass the time if you weren't afraid of being seen, but with it being the peak of the dry season, he hadn't thought to show Shuule as it could be incredibly hot during the day.

"Set?" She called out quietly, hoping he would hear her, tugging on the very end of his tail, which he let hang over the doorway so she wouldn't wake up and think she was alone. Instinctively he lowered more of his snake tail down, wrapping it around her and lifting her up onto the rocks above.

Shuule hadn't redressed, instead merely wrapping herself in the green horse hide like one would wrap a blanket. Not expecting this, Set smiled at her. "Good evening."

Sheepishly, embarrassed by her earlier crying, she sniffed and rubbed a puffy eye before she fumbled over some intelligible words before landing on, "Sorry, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm really happy here."

Set didn't move at first, trying to get a handle on the situation as a whole, his doubts still raised, until she scooted over in front of him, still bundled up, and leaned into his cool body. With that, he melted, curling his tail around both of them while hugging her closer in his arms, still watching the sun go down.

"You have nothing to apologize for," He said, squeezing her tight, as if he let go, she may realize her mistake and slip away.

For the first time, the silence between them felt perfect, rather than the product of an awkward truce as the sky became brilliant pinks and purples.

"You aren't my first," Shuule squeaked out.

Set stiffened up, not because it was an issue in this world, and not because of jealousy, but because he swore he saw no spousal marks on her. And after all this time, a spouse would have come looking for her.

Spousal marks were unique to each species and somewhat to each male. The first time they mated, their spouse would be marked with his pattern; an ink like symbol of their animal form. A male could only leave their mark once, on one woman, in their lifetime. This link between spouses also served as protection, and allowed a male to navigate towards his mate if they were separated. It was a hard-wired instinct to fiercely protect their mates, something Set was honestly a little wary to find himself under the control of. So if a fox hadn't come sniffing and throwing himself mindlessly at the jaws of a giant serpent to find Shuule...

She answered his burning question, poking her left foot out of the green blanket. There on the top of her foot, right above where her toes met her body, were three slashed lines that had long healed over, but would probably end up scarring.

He furrowed his brow as far as it would go, his green eyes turning into small slits, not being able to help himself. His mind was spinning. She canceled the spousalship. The ultimate banishment of a male to a lifetime of hopeless wandering, unable to create another bond, ostracized by most social circles - becoming Rootless.

Set started to question everything he thought he had learned about this tiny female, until he started to feel her shake in his arms. Cooler heads prevailed instantly, and he made the observation that the scars, and therefore the mark, was on her foot. Not only that, but the lowest part it could be. Marks placed themselves depending on the true emotional bond that the couple had for each other - there were many neutral positions all over her body, but a mark so low meant there was no love, at least at the time of the mating. Perhaps even fear.

"My parents knew I was different but were able to hide me until I was eight," Shuule took a deep breath, deciding to start from the beginning. "The first time I ever shifted, it was outside in front of the clan. Our village leader decided to accept me - his wife did, really - and my life was fine for years."

She trailed off, thinking about her relatively good childhood. "Normal, even. I was a female child and our village hadn't had one in several seasons. I was treated like such an asset would be.

...But then the years went by and there still were no other female children. The people started to think it was because I was born, and I was a curse - but if they threw me out, then there weren't any other females, and most of our villages' women had started to reach the age that they weren't getting pregnant. And then - then Cain's spouse died and I think she was the only one keeping him from going completely unhinged. He lost it, Set,"

Shuule looked up at him with her big brown eyes, trying to urge him to see her truth.

"Within hours of her dying in childbirth, he found me with her other spouses and dragged me to the center of the village and demanded I take mates. Nobody really wanted to be my spouse anyway, but the young men also didn't have any other options. He demanded his eldest son become my spouse. And honestly, I didn't mind it, I didn't care that much I guess," she trailed off.

Coupling was easily transactional in this world, love bonds did not have to be made with every spouse, since a woman would have several - "But then that first night alone, when we were done, he told me that if any of our kits wound up like me, he'd drown them. And then he just left."

"I went back home - to my parents house I mean - and told them I was leaving. I had threatened before, but this time they didn't try to stop me. I had learned many things, because of my mother going -" Shuule shrugged, if she wasn't wrapped up she would have waved her hand off. That was a topic for another day.

"I had been prepared to live on my own, they made sure. My mother begged me not to take the damn horse but I wanted to bring along my weapons, extra clothes, and salt. She insisted I would be accepted in the Second Great City. I used my shifting to my advantage, I think it's hard to feel the bond when I'm shifted, so then when I got out of the village limits, I shifted back to human and clawed it off. Even if that boy hated me, he would have felt that and I just don't know... anyway, and now I'm here."

"With me."