Turning up and around a column of steps would have normally been hard for Set to navigate with his snake body, but the staircase was created wide specifically so his own father wouldn't have to change into his legs to climb them. The pair followed Anna, Shuule looking at the steps themselves, amazed at the application of what to her were multiple stone pedestals stacked on top of each other. No homes from her village had second levels, but she could understand perhaps a ladder connecting the two. Her mother had explained the buildings from her journey to The City, but she hadn't been inside any of the double story structures. Unlike modern human world homes, the rooms were all fairly uniform without a clear indication what each would be intended for. Anna pointed to a room to the left, with an old wooden door that was more worn than the others. "You two can stay here, this is just a spare room if we are ever blessed to have multiple ages of cubs in the house at once.

"Are YOU okay?" Shuule stammered, feeling Set freeze up like he was about to have a heart attack. His eyes had drawn down from her face to her breasts, which at first she had just assumed he was being crude, but now worried, she glanced down at her own bare chest. "Oh!" Now she saw it - the spousal mark. A black, intricate serpent wound up her body like an S shape, its tail starting on her left breast, spiraling up over her chest, its head landing at the point of her sternum. In the center of the solid black snake were perfectly symmetrical red circles that crawled up the entire length. She looked back up at her mate, grinning broadly. "I told you!" she exclaimed. "I don't know why you didn't believe me." Set's mind spun, consumed with the thought that this was somehow a mistake, still. Even after all this time, the gifts, the gestures, her words of affirmation, it didn't matter. "I just don't think I can explain how much this means," he said

There wasn't much to say after Anna's explanation, not enough time to consider it without being awkward. Set had no desire to be a ruler, if that's what Anna was hinting at. It was hard enough for the snake to willingly live within a community, and live with other males as spouses of his mate. Ruling over, giving orders, and intimately caring about the needs of thousands of men and women was not something he was probably even capable of.The day had now moved well past noon, and Shuule was starting to tire, still injured, newly mated, and have not eaten much other than the fruit offered. Set remembered her request other than just food -"Is there somewhere I can take Shuule to bathe?" Set asked."Oh! Yes. The city has a waterhole, but we have a stream behind the back door. You two can just use that." Anna was happy to oblige, ushering them to the back. "We also have this- it's a scrub - use it in the stream on your body. You can even use it in your hair." She po

Iro got up to open the door, but by scent they were all aware it was Harvey, eager to see how Shuule's wounds were healing."Hello!" Shuule waved from the table, all put licking her bowl clean. Even in her small home village, manners did exist, but they barely did at her cave, so she was starting to slowly remind herself what wasn't acceptable.Harvey's eyes beamed at the girl's enthusiastic welcome, having to stop himself from wagging his tail like a dog. Yesterday had been a lonely day and night. After being so central to many important decisions, he spent his time doing...nothing. Being nowhere, not being of service. He would have been at Anna's house at the break of dawn if he didn't know he would be intruding."I'm glad to see you doing so well!" he exclaimed, though his eyesight suddenly settling on the undeniable, dark snake mark, visible from the top of her clothing. Nearly coughing, he looked up at Set, who was keenly aware of Harvey's eagerness to touc

Elena and the other woman next to her took a second to register what Anna was even talking about, and then gasped, gripping their tea."Is this....?" the stranger woman asked Anna, staring suspiciously at the fox, who had backed up and curled herself around one of Set's legs.Anna cringed, scanning the women's faces trying to figure out what their next moves would be. "Er.... yes. That's Shuule. And that," she pointed to the three striped male standing squarely on guard, "Is her mated spouse, Set."In his full human form, a male's sense of smell was always good enough to sniff out species, but women didn't have the same ability. To make sure they knew exactly who he was, Set blinked, letting his reptilian pupils dilate into slits.Elena and her friend peered upwards at the dark haired man, gulping, giving him a grim smile, but had nothing else to say."Let's keep going," Harvey requested gently. Happy to oblige, Anna ushered everyone forward down t