August 3, 2022.

Over the next couple days, Jenny's family fell into a comfortable routine. With two males in the family, Harvey turned his attention towards his doctorly duties. He would treat those who needed him and they paid him in return. He would need a crystal to buy a den here in the city, but none of his patients so far could pay him with that.

Jenny now had two males. Harvey felt he would need to leave soon. It saddened him more than he expected. Jenny made good company and offered advice on health practices that he found revolutionary. He felt it was a shame, but knew it was necessary. Simon aside, most males would not tolerate a male who was neither a mate or a guardian to stay so close to their female.

Harvey could tell that Mestor wasn't pleased with the situation, but the fox suppressed most signs of discontent. Harvey was impressed by the other male's emotional control. Even so, he was not willing to push it. He started sleeping in the common space of the den after Jenny got used to Mestor. He would eventually need to leave.

Harvey discussed it with the males of the house and they came to an agreement. Harvey would stay until Winston returned. Jenny expressed displeasure that lightened his heart. He hoped that Winston would accept her court. She deserved to have strong males protecting her. Harvey hoped that Winston was a male that would respect her wishes and unusual tendencies.

As soon as he earned a crystal he would buy a den as close as he could. At first, he found it strange that he wanted to be around a female that he was not interested in mating, but Jenny said that was normal for friends.

Friends... It was a new term that Harvey didn't dislike. He wanted to humor his selfish wish to stay close by, but felt guilty doing so. It wasn't something beastmen did. Females could easily misinterpret his actions.

Harvey thought of Bai and a smile appeared on his face, unbidden. Bai was unusual as well. He often wondered if she and Jenny came from the same place. Jenny wouldn't talk about the other girl's origin and Harvey would never pry. Bai didn't seem to mind his friendship with Jenny and that made him feel somewhat better. She was the only female who Harvey didn't want mistaking their relationship.

While Harvey made his own plans, Mestor and Simon alternated duties. They steadily increased the number of furs in the home with all of their hunting. They also made sure the firewood and bamboo piles were growing too.

Jenny took care of her crafts and chores while meeting with Bai. While they were being busy bees, Curtis returned. Jenny wasn't surprised at all, at least, not until she met the man. Jenny always loved fictional creatures, lamia being one of them. Curtis did not disappoint at all and shocked her speechless. The author had not exaggerated his beauty. He was absolutely gorgeous.

Picking her jaw up off the ground, Jenny had managed to introduce herself properly. Curtis greeted her coldly, but at least he acknowledge her to an extent. Bai's family of three seemed uncomfortable, but Jenny wasn't going to mess with that. That was all on Bai.

Jenny's involvement with the girl finally paid off. She gave Jenny some of the rice that Curtis had brought her. It wasn't much, but Jenny wanted to dance for joy. She was always a healthy eater, excluding the occasional cup ramen, but Jenny was dying for carbs. She took the rice and expressed her gratitude dramatically.

Curtis and Parker, who first looked at the gift to Jenny in disdain, softened significantly. Jenny didn't care. She got rice and she wasn't giving it back. Nope, it was hers now. 'Why did they struggle so much growing rice again?' Jenny knew that the males died from exhaustion, but not why.

Jenny asked Harvey about it. It seemed they had poor practices. The males here weren't used to taking care of themselves and would literally work themselves to death. Jenny thought it was sad and started weaving some wide-brimmed hats for the future.

Thanks to her knowledge, Jenny was certain that they would successfully grow both rice and wheat in the future. She would prepare for that. She also weaved nets from tree roots. Bai did so in the original novel to prevent birds from eating the seeds. The exact details weren't specified so she crafted it how she wanted. She would like to try making a scarecrow too. It might not work, but it would be cool to try. If nothing else, it'd be a project to keep her occupied.

She worked on the nets with Mestor for a while, but didn't take too much of his time. Mestor had other things to do, things that she could not help with. Like cutting firewood. Harvey would still assist her, but worked on restocking his herbs and treating patients mostly.

It wasn't long after Curtis came back that they heard word of the trading party's return. By then, Jenny had several nets prepared, even though she was way ahead of time for that. She planned to use them in her garden first to see how well they worked. She also had one that she would used as a bag to carry some things around with. She made the holes small enough to gather cotton in a much larger amount.

She was gathering cotton when roars and howls could be heard throughout the city. Jenny got excited enough to run home with Mestor. She deposited her cotton, drank some water, and rode Mestor's fluffy back towards the ape castle.

They arrived early and Jenny spotted a huge white tiger with a scarred face. She breathed a sigh of relief. Winston was finally here. She caught his gaze and made sure she didn't look away. It was harder than she thought, but Jenny succeeded. She couldn't really tell if his gaze lingered or not. She hoped it had and wanted to think it was a good sign.

It took a few minutes for the crowd to gather fully. Jenny had Mestor bring her as close to Winston as possible before she slid off of him. It didn't help that she had no idea which way Winston would leave. Running after him would certainly look strange, but Jenny probably always looked strange. If she had to, she could do it.

While she was trying to concentrate, some of the suitors that she had not seen in a while approached her. "Does he scare you?" one asked.

"Don't worry. He may be like that, but he is a beast of the city," another chimed in.

Aggravated by the commentary, Jenny shut them down. "No he doesn't," she said resolutely. They seemed appalled at her comment, but continued to try their luck. Mestor growled and they backed off. Jenny had a feeling that the dwindling suitors had something to do with him. It had been a lot easier to breathe recently. Less males had approached her and the alligator man had not shown back up since too. Mestor shifted and wore his skirt while Jenny's sight roamed.

Jenny's eyes found their way back to the tiger who was staring at her. She was feeling scrutinized and self conscious. The butterflies were giving her trouble. There was no way she was going to look away though. This could be a very important moment for the both of them.

Breaking their focus, the ape king announced the results of the trade and how Winston saved the fox female. Jenny held her breath as Winston shifted. She wasn't at the right angle to make out his face, but she could definitely make out his rear. Jenny coughed and looked away. That was not the first sight of his human form that she was planning on seeing.

"Please no! Stay away!" The female yelled as if she was looking at something actually scary.

Jenny felt the punch for Winston. Even if he was considered ugly or scary, that was uncalled for. She was acting like he was going to jump her. Jenny watched Winston turn away and tried to use her eyes to compel him.

Jenny caught his gaze falling on Bai and wanted to curse. Was she out of luck? No, Winston didn't like Bai until the campfire, so Jenny should be okay. Once he jumped off the stage, Jenny pushed through the crowd to get to him. Some males tried to talk to her, but Mestor warned them off.

They made it out of the group of gathered beastmen, but Winston was gone. Jenny huffed in aggravation. She had no desire to stick around and watch a brawl. Mestor and her exchanged looks before leaving.

A low growl stopped them dead in their tracks. Mestor growled back, but the big tiger was already shifting. Jenny caught an eyeful of everything point blank and her brain broke for a second. Winston was built and big. Not as big as Tony, but he had to have been 6 and a half foot tall if she had to guess.

Before she could appreciate his handsome face while avoiding the lower region entirely, Winston confronted them. "Why were you following me?" He asked, suspicion leaking into his voice. He was frowning and appeared less than friendly.

"Umm," Jenny tried to speak but her voice box quit functioning. Mestor interceded on her behalf.

"My female wishes for you to join her family," Mestor said cautiously. Jenny didn't have anytime to get worked up over Mestor's wording.

"I have no interest in being a guardian," Winston stated coldly.

Jenny's brain coughed and sputtered before revving up. "Not a guardian," Jenny said hurriedly. She was making a fool of herself again. All she had to do was open her mouth and speak properly. She could do that, she knew she could. But she was meeting someone akin to a celebrity crush right now and it was proving more difficult than she expected.

Winston's frosty expression completely changed to one of surprise. Jenny used the moment of silence to summon up her courage. "Not as a guardian, as a male," Jenny spoke as clearly as she could. This was it. She practiced for this. Whether she was rejected or accepted, she could handle it.

Winston's expression turned to one of confusion. "You... are certain?"

Jenny didn't understand if that was a good sign or not. Then again, he'd just been publicly humiliated. That must have hurt. "Yes." Jenny said clearly. There was no room to misunderstand, she made herself very clear. Jenny found herself holding her breath in anticipation. Her eyes were locked on his silver ones.

"Okay," Winston said hesitantly. He still wasn't sure what was going on. He had just hardened his heart to the idea that he would never find a female, but this one came to break that resolve. He could refuse her, but he didn't want to. Even before, this female had not shown him fear. It was the first time that had happened and Winston couldn't help the small bud of hope that she just planted in him.

'He said okay? Okay? That's a 'yes' right? I did it? Just like that?' Jenny thought as she tried to gauge what just happened. She honestly expected rejection. She really didn't know if she could steal a male lead for herself, but she might have done just that. Feelings of relief and elation flooded her.

"Great!" Jenny felt her enthusiasm was a little to much, but she just proved she could change something important. Something struck her and she felt her face heat up. She just proposed to a complete stranger who didn't know her name. "My name is Jenny."

"Jenny," Winston said is a distant tone. He was still trying to grasp this turn of events. He had a female now? He did and her name is Jenny. "Winston." He introduced himself finally catching his bearings.

"Nice to meet you," Jenny said and felt so backwards that she almost giggled. She needed to relax. Things went better than she expected.

They walked home in awkward silence. Jenny wasn't sure where to start. She had some plans in mind, but they had disappeared. She couldn't find them now. Should she talk to him about herself first? Even Mestor doesn't know the whole story...

Maybe she should start with her living situation? Her habits and work minded activities? The alligator that might be interested in her? Or she had to ask him about his feelings. Was he really okay with being her male when they literally met and spoke for less than five minutes?

They got all the way back and Jenny still couldn't figure out where to start. Harvey greeted them at home and nodded towards the two males. Winston came inside at her invitation while Jenny gave Mestor some looks.

Thankfully, Mestor understood her discomfort and started speaking. "Most of these were made by Jenny." He motioned at her crafts and Jenny felt self-conscious again. This was not what she wanted to talk about. Wait... Maybe this was a good thing. She could use this topic to explain her need to do stuff.

Winston was surprised to say the least. He never blamed females for being lazy, but he knew they generally didn't like to work. They would make baskets for their cubs, but that was it. Winston saw all manner of baskets that were holding different things. It confused him, but he didn't show it.

Jenny used the opportunity to show her desire for activity and work. Jenny made herself look at his face while Harvey handed him a fur to cover with. Anytime the conversation flatlined, Mestor would revive it. He kept the flow going, while he and Harvey helped explain her situation.

Winston did not verbally discourage Jenny's habits. If his female wanted to work he wouldn't interfere unless it was dangerous. Now that his head and heart had returned to normal, he was able to observe Jenny.

Winston did not usually focus on details, but he took in everything. Jenny's hands were calloused cracked. Her skin was tanned and maybe a little dry. It did throw him off seeing her male-like muscles, but he didn't find it unappealing, just unexpected. Her face had many little, but numerous scars that worried him. He didn't know what could do that to a female. 'Perhaps, she was ill as a cub,' he thought to himself. If not for those, Jenny would surely have more males than just the three of them.

Jenny could feel the eyes boring into her skin. She couldn't tell if Winston was happy or not. His face was mostly blank. "Winston, is something wrong?" She asked. It was better to clear anything wrong up right now.

"I," Winston paused. "I do not understand. You do not seem bothered by me."

Jenny blinked and pointed to her face. "Scars don't bother me. I have my own." Jenny thought about what to say next. "Do mine bother you?"

"No," Winston said firmly. He could not think of another reason to push the matter since Jenny made herself clear. He felt his heart warm. Ever since he got this scar, the attitudes of those around him shifted. From males, he was mocked or pitied. From females he was scorned or feared. This was the first time in a long time that he felt a sense of ease.

"That's good," Jenny felt relief followed by excitement. She got Winston and he didn't find her ugly. Now she just had to work on speaking to the handsome man. There was a lot to cover, but Jenny didn't want to overwhelm him all at once.

When Simon got back, he growled at Winston. One look from the tiger man had Simon cowering. Jenny scratched her head and called Simon over to sit next to her. Jenny decided that she first needed to make sure that they all got along well. Before she could get into it, Winston reminded her of the bonfire.

Jenny was tempted to pass on it. Putting herself close to one of the main antagonists didn't seem like a brilliant idea. She should be off his radar still, unless the tiger king told him of her night romp through woods.

There was also Rosa. Jenny really didn't want to get involved with her. Using her acting skills, Jenny should be able to manage for a short time, but not long. Jenny avoided troublesome people like Rosa back home.

The only pros Jenny could think of was free food, experiencing a slice of beast life, and maybe meeting Shuu. Thinking hard about it, Jenny decided to skip it. It wasn't worth antagonizing Rosa because she 'stole' Winston from him. It also wasn't worth it to get noticed by the ape king. Shuu wouldn't necessarily like her either and she had to manage her current family. The fact that she had Winston now took a huge weight off her shoulders.

Jenny didn't expect to thrive with only three males in the family, but she could worry about it later. Just like Mestor and Simon, there were males outside of those mentioned in the original that could court her.

The males accepted Jenny's decision and she used the opportunity to explain her family's situation. She asked, almost insisted, that Harvey be allowed to stay until he could get his own place. If any of them had an issue with her request, they didn't voice it.

Winston took everything pretty well and Jenny cooked dinner with Simon. He was looking a little glum so Jenny decided to give him a job. He was more than happy to prepare her vegetables as she described. Jenny seasoned the venison moderately and brushed some of it with a honey glaze. She let it sit for a short while and worked on the rest of the deer meat.

Mestor and Winston built up the fire while Harvey took the meat and started roasting part of it. Jenny put her deer fillets onto her stone skillet. The hot oil sizzled and splashed.

"I'll take care of that. Please," Simon insisted and Jenny relented. She would make aprons one day. The thought of the males here wearing them made her chuckle.

The males listened to Jenny's light laughter and relaxed. It was a sound that they all agreed was pleasant. They assisted where they could, but let Jenny do as she pleased. Mestor served dinner as Jenny instructed and they all started eating.

Winston took a bite and his eyes widened. It was good. Very good. He didn't know that meat could taste like this. Jenny had made it herself too. His tail twitched as he polished off his serving. Winston was given another.

Mestor found the tiger less intimidating than before. He thought Winston's reaction to the food was funny, but didn't comment. He didn't mind prodding at Simon occasionally, but he wouldn't dare tease the tetra marked male. Then again, Mestor had a similar if not a more exaggerated reaction when he first ate Jenny's soup. He wasn't sure which of her dishes was his favorite.

Simon ate his meal eagerly. He always loved Jenny's cooking. It was so tasty that his taught nerves had relaxed. He knew that Winston was strong, but it was different to be in his presence. Now that Jenny's family had a powerful male, he could work harder at earning a stripe. He wolfed down his second portion and waited for Jenny to finish hers.

Harvey ate his food more calmly, having enjoyed Jenny's cooking longer than any of the other males. He would miss this, but did not feel regretful. If anything, he was grateful that he got to experience the things he did and learn the things that Jenny has taught him.

Jenny felt the atmosphere lightening up as she ate and felt better. She should've know that food would be the answer to most problems. Hungry beasts are agitated beasts. She was no different.