Dragging his head from his pillows, Charlie scanned around the room. As usual by the point, the Chiefess lay next to him. Around him wrapper her arms, preventing him from moving his body. Turning his head more to get a better look at her, he couldn’t help but smile slightly at her ears as they flopped around in her sleep.

Was this a sign of her dreaming? He remembered some of the dogs he had back in the capital used to wag their tails if they were having a good dream, so maybe her ears were just her dreaming. Moving his head up a little more, he looked to see her tail wagging. Yeah, she was dreaming. Charlie started to his left, away from the Chiefess. Phukomeia lay on the bed in quiet contempt.

Behind her, Charlie could just see the top of her tail swaying from side to side as she stared at him.

“You look cute while sleeping,” she said, smiling gently at him.

“Tell me, Charlie, how many pups do you humans usually have?” Phukomeia said, her big, beautiful eyes locking onto his.

“Pups?” Charlie said, blushing a little as he noticed her nude state. Laughing a little at his visible arousal of noticing that he himself and the Chiefess were also nude.

“Sorry, I mean babies,” Phukomeia said, licking her lips and the growing shyness of Charlie. She had to admit though, she was impressed about how he still managed to keep a coherent sentence despite how embarrassed and nervous he was getting. Weak body, but a strong mind.

“We have about maybe, anywhere between one to three,” Charlie explained, looking away from her as she crawled across the bed and to his side.

“I see,” she said in her deep native accent as she pressed herself against his arm.

“M…. May I ask why… you ask?” Charlie said, his voice beginning to tremble.

Phukomeia smile widened, she had done this to simply get a little glance into his mind, think for a moment what he thought. All this would help her to both understand him and evolve her training as a Vulture and her skills of seducing people, as well as getting into their minds. So far, her analysis told her that he was good at being able to think well in highly stressful situations, but his speech detreated quickly the more nervous he got.

Before she had found it weird how he seemed so calm in otherwise stressful situations. Firstly, at the ritual, she assumed it was because of the drugs, and times before and after she could see now it was just his mind. The mind of a merchant that was able to think well in hard situations. Smart but weak. She could see why the Chiefess liked him. Placing a kiss onto his cheek, she began to probe him further.

“Well, how many pups do you think you will have with the Chiefess? Or maybe with the two fuck wits over there,” Phukomeia said, pointing to the two women in the corner of the room. Charlie couldn’t see them well, but he could tell it was the Heirs of the huntress and warrior clans. Placing her lips against his ear, she whispered into them.

“How many pups would you have with me?” Seeing his face turning a bright red, she decided to move away before his squirming woke the Chiefess.

“What do you want?” He said, relaxing a little as she moved away from him.

“I just wanted to tease you a little, anyway you should probably get up soon, Nolkonoe wants to speak with you,” Phukomeia said, moving back even more until she was off the bed.

“Would you mind?” Charlie said, nodding to the tightly wound arms of the Chiefess. Smiling, Phukomeia only laughed as she began to decipher which clothes were hers based on scent.

“Hey? You going to help?” Charlie asked as he watched her begin to put on her grass top. Humming to herself, Phukomeia carried on with getting dressed.

“Please,” Charlie asked, knowing she was probably just wanting to tease him more.

“For what price?” she said, smirking as she put on her grass skirt.

“Depends on what you want?” Charlie said, not wanting to have to do something that would be too much of a bother to him. He had a long week and didn’t want to have another week like it for at least a couple of clam ones.

“One day, in the future, spend one day with me. Not the Vultures, but with me,”

“Do I have the room to ask why?” Charlie asked, wanting to know the catch to the seemingly harmless request.

“I want to know more about the man who has been taken into the Chiefess’s harem,” Phukomeia smiled as she saw the look of confusion on his face.

“Harem?” he questioned.

“Indeed, I believe Nolkonoe mentioned it before. But each clan must offer up one of its heirs as the wife or concubine in this case to the Chiefess, I am one of the several concubines. Klipesia mother is currently filling the place for the heir to the Forger clan as they refuse to offer tribute. Klipesia also doesn’t wish to be a concubine and the only reason she is even in here today is because of you. Since she doesn’t wish to be a concubine, Cluupyte has been filling her place. Again, Cluupyte’s daughter is only here because of you,” Phukomeia explained as she scoured the room for a brush to get the knots out of her fur.

After Phukomeia had used the imperial made brush to take the knots out of her tail fur, Charlie spoke.

“I agree,”

“To what?” Phukomeia answered, looking over his nudity as it seemed the Chiefess had wrapped her legs around his waist since the last time she had looked at him.

“Your terms to give in exchange for helping me out of the Chiefess’s bloody vice-like grip,” Charlie said, getting a little annoyed at her smirk.

“Fine, I’ll wake her,” Phukomeia said with a smile.

“Wait no!” Before Charlie could plea, Phukomeia was already by the side of the Chiefess. Grabbing her tail, she yanked with all her might before sprinting out the door.

“You bastard!” Charlie yelled after her as the Chiefess sprung to life. Instinctively, she smacked Charlie on the head, assuming it was his fault that her tail was pulled.

Seeing the murder in her eyes, Charlie decided it was best to try and not fight her. Scurrying from her arms, he yanked on a pair of trousers, a shirt, then some shoes before scampering out the door. A confused, frustrated, and still tiered Chiefess only watched him, not having the energy to care for the time being. She had a good sense of smell, and even better hearing, she could just find him later.

Widening her eyes, the Chiefess realised something, with his newly found presence as a member of the tribe there were bound to be women from clans trying to claim him. Leaping from the bed she got dressed in her usual attire before sprinting after him. Out of the door, she only caught a glimpse of Phukomeia dragging him off around a corner. Oh right, Nolkonoe wanted him. Grunting, the Chiefess could only hope he got to the temple safely.

Practically dragging Charlie through the streets, Phukomeia manoeuvred between the buildings and groups of people. Every now and then surely would catch the eye of a native woman or group from native women who would laugh, giggle, or make a gesture for him to come over to them. Even if he wanted to respond to them, he couldn't as Phukomeia moved so fast between the houses that the groups quickly became a hazy blur.

Eventually, they reached their destination, the bottom steps that led up to the gigantic temple, the main temple of the village. Nervously he stayed up for the seemingly never-ending staircase that looked to be at least a few thousand of the cold, tanned a reddish-blue by the sun, steps. Knowing that the weak human would probably not be able to go up that many steps without becoming exhausted, Phukomeia wrapped him in her tail before she got onto all fours.

Digging her nails into the sand, she threw herself forward, and up the steps. A shaking Charlie bounced in the grip of her tail as she leapt up the temple, ten steps at a time. He had to admit, despite the mix of fear and motion sickness he was feeling, she was an incredibly fast form of transport. Reaching the top of the steps, a sweaty, but happily exercised Phukomeia placed him down onto the ground.

Collapsing onto the stone, Charlie laid there for a few seconds. Staring at him impatiently, Phukomeia waited for him to stand, but he didn't. Jumping she realised that she may have accidentally killed him, and immediately flung herself to his side and began to look him over. His face was a putrid white as his eyes slowly tracked up from the ground to look at her.

“Hey, you alive?” Phukomeia set as she stared down at the slowly reddening cheeks of Charlie.

“Throwing him around like that had shaken all the blood in his body, give him a couple of minutes and allow the blood to return to him. Once his cheeks are a rosy red bring him into the temple.” Nolkonoe said, having come out of the temple after hearing from one of her guards that they had arrived. Only to come out to see Charlie having been shaken like one of the fruit drinks of the southern-eastern realm.

“What’s wrong with him?” Phukomeia said, moving down and begging to lick his cheeks.

“I said don’t touch him! he has motion sickness and needs to be still,” Nolkonoe snapped at Phukomeia. Phukomeia moved back, allowing Charlie to relax. Seeing the exhausted look in his eyes from even inside the temple, Nolkonoe ordered a guard to get them some food and sugary drinks.

A shadow fell over Charlie. Looking up, he saw Nolkonoe with a plate of berries and fruity drinks. Kneeling by his side, she brought the drink to his lips.

“Thank you,” Charlie said, drinking the drink, before quickly devouring the berries. Seeing the colour quickly returning to his cheeks, she smiled.

“You alright?” Nolkonoe asked as she looked at the brightening eyes of Charlie.

“Yes, thank you,” Charlie said, moving to wipe his lips of the remaining juice from the berries and drink. Smirking, Phukomeia leapt forward and licked his lips.

“Tasty~” she muttered before helping him get to his feet. Wobbling slightly, Nolkonoe threw an arm out to stop Charlie from falling over.

Waiting until he was able to walk on his own, Nolkonoe took him towards the temple.

“Wait outside, I wish to talk with him alone,” Nolkonoe said, extending her request to both the guards and Phukomeia. A little annoyed she had come all this way, just to be turned around and told to leave, Phukomeia reluctantly left with the guards.

Alone, Nolkonoe looked to Charlie. Waving a hand, she gestured for him to follow as she moved into another room. Immediately upon entering, the vile scent of seaman and blood assaulted his nostrils. To his dismay, it was a familiar scent that reminded him of the sacrificial hut of the Vultures. His legs shook, preventing him from entering the darkroom. Muttering a few words, Nolkonoe’s hand lit into a small flame.

Moving around the room, she began to light torches, filling the room with orange light. Charlie’s legs stiffened as he saw the person-sized polls that lined the sides of the walls. In total, he counted ten of the blood-stained polls. On the floor laid piles of pillows, all stained with blood or seed.

“What is this place?” Charlie said, trying to still his nerves as he saw Nolkonoe light the last of the torches, revealing a large stone altar at the far end of the room. In some kind of twisted irony that was the only piece of furniture in this room that wasn't smeared with blood.

“I've brought you here today two things,” Nolkonoe said, throwing the flaming torch into a bowl of the pitch.

“First, I would like to talk to you about the Region Lord, and to do that I must talk about our goddesses,” Nolkonoe said, sitting down on the stone altar. Raising a finger, she gestured Charlie forward, teasing him to come and know more and the Tribe’s macabre history.