2/5 updates for today, August 16, 2022.

Jenny would've jumped for joy if she could have. Spring was finally here and she was so happy that she couldn't contain it. After Simon loaded her up with fur coats, she was allowed to leave the den. Rolling her eyes, Jenny ignored the over-coddling in favor of exploration.

Over the cold season, Jenny had grown closer to her spouses. It now felt completely natural to be around them and share affections with them. Her comfort and ease was noticed by her mates and they all felt a strong sense of pride.

Jenny's pregnancy hadn't been terrible so far. Her back would get a little sore and her ankles swelled slightly. She could handle those, but hated the heartburn. It only flared up occasionally, but it didn't feel good when it did. Her morning sickness had not struck in some time and she was very grateful for that.

While Jenny was busy being pregnant, her spouses had worked out in their own way. Simon felt comfortable with his new strength and Mestor had increased his. Mestor still estimated that it would take a couple of years for him to reach his third mark. Winston and Simon both said that it would take them awhile to reach the peak of their current levels.

Jenny praised them, but never rushed them. She knew some of what they had to go through to achieve that strength and Jenny wasn't willing to lose any members of her family. Jenny had yet to see Sieg and hoped he would pop up soon.

Jenny had a lot of time to reflect over the cold season. She realized that she hadn't had to recite her 'fake it till you make it' mantra or her 'treat it like a game' one in a long time. Jenny didn't have to fake anything now and could no longer treat this like a game. It didn't bother her either. Just because she couldn't trivialize the situation, didn't mean she couldn't enjoy herself.

Jenny was doing well. Really. She had a family that loved her and the resources to live fairly comfortably. If there was something she felt she lacked, it might be friends. Sure there was Harvey, and she was grateful to have him, but he was kind of busy pursuing Bai. Jenny avoided that thought and changed direction. She had friends on Earth, but no boyfriends. Here she was married and had one friend. She giggled to herself and played with some snow.

Jenny hadn't tried to make friends here, so that was on her. Maybe once she settled down outside of the city, Jenny could put some effort into that. Then again, she'll be pretty busy raising her daughter. If she could she would, but it wasn't a terrible loss if she didn't.

Jenny had decided to tell Harvey about the city collapsing in some way or another. He would undoubtably defend Bai, but Winston wouldn't be there to help. That would make it harder for her to escape. The thought of Harvey getting caught up in the ape king's crusade filled Jenny with dread.

'Positive thoughts,' Jenny recited to herself. She absentmindedly played with snow while Simon watched. Feeling childish and in need of a distraction, Jenny slung some of it at him. Soon, they were both splashing each other with white stuff while laughing like children.

Once the melted snow started chilling her, the two of them went home. A familiar form caught her eye when they returned. Sieg sat dozing in front of her den. His eyes blearily opened when she approached. Feeling a smile coming on, Jenny invited him inside.

Sieg warmed by the fire and watched Jenny cook. He had not brought anything with him and felt almost guilty about that. To make up for it, he would bring a lot next time. As soon as his body could move again, he had found himself here. He was starting to feel ravenous and would hunt after this appetizer.

Sieg knew of the coop with birds and decided to find more for Jenny. He especially liked to eat them. Then again, he liked everything. He usually didn't bother about making a list of favorites.

He continued to watch Jenny and felt a sense of inclusion. The female in front of him did not fear him or annoy him, yet he didn't feel like taking her away. No... He did want to, but if he did, he would have to rebuild a den from scratch and that sounded like a lot of work. He didn't want her to complain or be upset either. Jenny looked happy here.

This was good enough for him. The fire was warm and the food was good. "Sieg," Jenny called. His attention focused on her. "Are you going to be okay? It's going to take some time." Jenny asked worriedly. He caught her peeking at his stomach and realized it was making a lot of noise. Jenny hurriedly looked away and asked Simon to get him a fur.

Meanwhile, another part of Sieg heated up. His hand found his chest as if testing its temperature. It was the same as the rest of his body even though his heart felt warm. Cracking a smile, Sieg decided he liked this den and the female that resided in it.

Jenny started to drag out a mat with some furs on top for Sieg, but Simon took over. The big guy looked like he was going to stick around and she didn't exactly have a couch for him to crash on. Sieg took a look at the offering and left without a word.

Scratching her head, Jenny figured she offended him somehow. Maybe she inadvertently questioned his ability to take care of himself or something like that. Rolling her eyes, Jenny didn't worry about. Relationships of every kind relied on communication. She would ask him next time, but it was up to him to convey his thoughts.

Sieg returned three days later covered from head to toe in things. He had terrible makeshift sacks that held who knows what slung over him. He offered his gifts to Jenny. Sieg did not shed his skin like snakes did and could not offer such a thing. He was strong and could hunt anything if he had the energy. He dropped his bloody sack at the door and brought the rest inside.

Sieg did not want to make two trips so he grabbed everything in one go. He had prey sitting at the door, already cleaned. He had a sack of different wood varieties and vines that he found. Another sack contained every herb he could find. He didn't pay attention to things like type, so he grabbed anything with flowers or smell.

"What is all this," Jenny asked to confirm his intentions.

"Gifts," Sieg said nonchalantly. He felt his heart tremble for a short moment when he thought she might reject them.

Jenny wasn't sure if she was dense or if he was. Feeling the need to confirm, Jenny persisted, "For what reason?"

Feeling a frown on his face, Sieg wondered if it wasn't enough. Jenny didn't seem happy. He watched other males court this way, but now he felt bad about wasting the effort. Sieg turned around and laid by the fire, ignoring Jenny's question and the mat she had set out for him.

"Sieg?" Jenny questioned, completely confused. "I know your not sleeping," Jenny didn't like the cold shoulder he was giving her. It was going to bug the crap out of her if she didn't settle this. Jenny sat down next to him and huffed. "Have I offended you?" Jenny managed to hold back her snark as she asked.

Sieg cracked one eye open. Had she offended him? "No," he replied.

Sighing dramatically when Sieg didn't continue, Jenny got comfortable with Simon's help. "Sieg, please hear me out. I can't read your mind," she started. "If you don't tell me something, I'm not going to know what you are thinking."

Sieg thought about her words as she continued. "What do you want from me?" Jenny asked seriously. "I'm not asking in a bad way, I just want to know what your expectations are."

"Your food," Sieg answered honestly. Jenny balked at his response. That was direct. He looked at her and added, "You." Jenny breathed in her spit an started hacking. Simon growled, but whimpered when Sieg looked at him. "But I don't want you to scream or run away," Sieg said naturally.

Once Jenny stopped choking, she found her words. "Why does it have to involve me screaming and running?" Jenny questioned somewhat worried.

"Females don't like be taken," Sieg shrugged. He confirmed that from experience. "They don't like ferals either," Sieg watched Jenny's response to that.

Jenny felt like she was being tested here. "Of course they wouldn't like being taken against their will. Why do you think that's the only option?" He gave her a look that had her cracking a smile. "What I mean is, you're here now and not taking females. There could be other options available to you if you make a good reputation for yourself." Jenny was being optimistic, but Sieg had been pretty reasonable.

Sieg snorted at that. Besides Jenny, the other females all yell at him. They'd have their males attack him if they weren't already in action. "It is the only option for a feral," he stated with little emotion. 'Usually,' he thought to himself while glancing at Jenny. The other female that visits Jenny's den does not yell at him either. In his 40 years, only these two females were like that.

Jenny sighed. She really wanted to insist that there should be another way, but she wasn't stupid. She was operating on common sense from her upbringing. There was no telling if females here would be willing to change their minds. Her spouses did though... 'Maybe it was better not to tackle this now,' she thought.

Jenny had let the main issue pass until she controlled her emotions. Feeling grounded, Jenny brought the topic back up. It would be less painful to ask directly at this point. Something that can be answered with a 'yes' or 'no.'

"Do you want to join our family?" Jenny asked. Holding her breath, Jenny decided she did good. If you have to remove a bandaid, it was best to rip it off.

Sieg gave his full attention to Jenny and she squirmed under the probing gaze. It had been awhile since she'd seen his beast form, but now she felt like he was the predator she remembered.

Sieg's heart quivered, but no one other than himself could tell. Lizard beastmen did not receive a detailed legacy like snake beastmen did. He did receive some hazy memory's about hunting and dangerous beasts, but it wasn't much. Although he had no direct memory of how his father and mother interacted, he was certain that it wasn't anything like this.

Feeling his heart warm again, Sieg responded, "Yes." He didn't understand courting techniques well since he couldn't be bothered to learn before, but he didn't need to know for this. Jenny was asking him to be her male as far as he could understand. She didn't demand it, but instead asked him. He knew she was an unusual female, but it still struck him.

Jenny's brain did cartwheels. She effectively just proposed and got an affirmative. Feeling giddy, Jenny proceeded to explain a bunch of things. She focused on how their family worked and her expectations. When the topic of mating came up, Jenny bashfully asked to wait.

Jenny did have good feelings towards Sieg, but wasn't ready to go to bed with him. She felt those relationship was still far from that. He huffed a little when she asked him to wait, but seemed to accept it.

Sieg did not see a reason to hold off on mating, but also didn't see a reason to push the matter. Jenny was pregnant and couldn't bear his young. She was also against it, which meant he risked upsetting her. He would wait.

In the meantime, Jenny told him of their family's dynamic among other things. He knew of Jenny's habits and did not mind them. He didn't have fierce protective instincts. It wasn't like Jenny was facing a colossus, she plucked plants and made baskets. He saw no harm in such things.

Jenny spoke a little of her culture. Sieg listened with one ear as he started dozing. Jenny could practice whatever customs she wanted to. As long is she didn't ask for too much from him, none of it would bother him.

Noticing that her newest fiancé was quite disinterested right now, Jenny decided to continue the conversation for another day. The other two came home and noticed Sieg. Jenny gave an awkward thumbs up. The mission was successful, but Jenny felt lackluster about it. Sieg just wasn't an enthusiastic person in general.

Jenny went through the gifts and sorted them out. She whispered a 'thank you' to the sleeping Sieg and continued on. Leaving the food bag for the men, Jenny went through the herbs. 'These are... poisonous,' Jenny though. 'Did he just grab anything?'

With a chuckle, Jenny separated the poisonous plants from the herbs and cleaned the good ones. Mestor noticed and commented. "Are all these poisonous?" He knew of some herbs that females are supposed to stay away from and looked at the lizard male skeptically. Mestor didn't think he would intentionally poison his female, so this must be accidental.

Before Mestor could toss out the dangerous ones, Sieg scooped them up and dumped them outside. He did that so fast, the rest of Jenny's herbs blew everywhere from his tailwind. He came back and gathered all the scattered herbs awkwardly. Jenny stared at him, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. 'Was he being shy now? This is what an embarrassed Sieg looked like?' She thought humorously.