“Um I'm pretty sure Allen doesn't weigh this much.”

A slight giggle escaped Lenora as she gave a nod. “I've no doubt that he doesn't but still. You're used to packing around more weight then your own so your body knows how to move with it. While we're struggling to keep up with you.”

“Speak for yourselves.” Terima had a wide grin on her face as she looked back at her sisters. “Pera's right you two need to get moving and quit talking so much.”

As Pera turned her attention to Terima she couldn't help herself. “Terima be careful it's not like you're packing food.”

“It's not a big deal Pera I'm fine.” As Allen held onto Terima's back he felt a little awkward. He was used to being carried by Pera but this was new. However it was part of their agreement. In order for Allen to come along one of them had to carry him. However, it wouldn't have been fair for Pera to be the one as it was by her desire that he was there. So she'd agreed to take on Terima's pack as well as her own so that Allen could come.

“Oh alright. Just be careful about sudden stop Terima Allen bruises easily.”

“I do not!”

Before Pera could respond Terima spoke up. “Don't worry Pera I'm being careful not to injure him. I know I'd have to answer to you and Stella if I did.”

“You're darn right. Okay let's get moving we can talk while in motion.”

Allen instinctively tightened his grip on Terima as she began to move again. He was a bit surprised whenever he heard her words in his ear though. “Don't worry Allen I won't let you get hurt you're my brother after all and the precious friend of one of my best friends as well as one of my friends.”

“Thanks Terima it's just I've never been this far away from the village before it makes me a little nervous.”

“Never? What about with your mother?”

“Oh well yeah. I've been to the beach with my mother before to play in the sea some. It's just I feel safe with her around.”

“I imagine most people feel safe around Stella if they're on her good side.” A slight giggle escaped Terima as she dashed along not really thinking about the various limbs and vines she knocked out of her way to avoid slowing down or hurting Allen.

“Ah that's not very nice. My mom isn't a mean or unreasonable person.”

“True but she's still a keeper and come on Allen admit it. You know that your mom has a bit of a temper on her.”

“Well she can get upset but it's not like the people she gets upset with didn't deserve it.”

“True and thus why she was able to earn the status of keeper. Her anger is justified the vast majority of the time.”

“I. I just don't see it. I know my mother can get excitable whenever something upsets her but I just don't believe she's short tempered like that.”

A slight giggle escaped Pera as she listened to Allen. Of course given that he was Stella's baby he wouldn't be able to see his mother in a negative light. She wasn't going to try to force him to do so either. “So Allen how many days worth the clothing did your mother give you?”

“Five.”

“Five? Why five?”

“A set of clothing for when we make camp tonight and then two days worth the clothing while we're there then some clothes for our return trip.”

“Ah I see but Allen. We don't plan to sleep tonight. We planned on running through the night.”

“Huh? Oh well that's fine to. It's not like I'm doing anything.”

Before anyone else could respond Terima spoke up. “Feel free to take a nap Allen.” As she spoke Terima brought her tail up and pressed it against Allen's back to better secure him. “Just lean your head against my shoulder and take a nice nap.”

“Hey stop that!”

Allen couldn't help his surprise as he looked at Pera. “What's wrong Pera.”

“It's well. If Allen is going to take a nap it's going to be on my back!” It was impossible to keep the energy out of her voice as she responded.

Allen felt his skin warming up as he began to blush upon hearing Pera's comment. “I see.”

A slight giggle escaped Terima as she considered pushing Pera a little further though chose not to. “Okay Pera how about this. Allen's a good friend of mine and so are you. So when he begins to tire we can swap off. I'll carry what you're packing and you can carry Allen. I'm sure you're more adept at giving him a smooth ride then I am anyway.”

There was no hesitation on Pera's part as she nodded her head. “Sounds good. Thanks Terima.”

“No problem. Of course, if I'm going to do that for you I'm going to want a favor in return.”

“What?”

“I'm not certain just yet. I'll let you know later.”

“Hm alright just as long as it's not something I wouldn't normally do on ethical grounds.”

“Okay. Of course I could always ask you to do something rather embarrassing after all that doesn't involve ethics.”

When Pera didn't say anything immediately Allen couldn't help but speak up. “You wouldn't do that to one of your friends would you?”

“Oh probably not.” A slight giggle escaped Terima as she turned her head slightly and stuck out her tongue before continuing on her way.

***********************************************************************************

“How are things going over there Alex?”

“Just fine Markus aren't you a little worried about leaving now though?”

In response Markus gave his head a nod. “Yeah that's why I've chosen to lighten our load and take fewer valuables with us on our departure. The cold season can be quite rough around here and it's going to be a burden having to carry more of our provisions with us. This is about the best time to leave though.”

“Are you sure you can be happy with that though? Some of the plants you're having us leave behind would have fetched quite a price.”

“Not as much of a price as the one's we're taking. Besides as we move through the forest and closer to safety perhaps we can retrieve others.”

“You do have a point there.”

As he had been speaking Markus finished wrapping up the package he'd been working on. Inside of it he'd stored several fire crystals to serve as a heat source if they couldn't find a way to start a natural fire. “Be careful that you make sure that package is water tight it has the most important part of our emergency food supply.”

A grin formed on Alex face as he looked at Markus. “I'm rapping it up exactly the way you taught me to and made me practice again and again. I really wish that you wouldn't talk like that though. This stuff taste plain terrible.”

“Yeah I know but it'll keep you alive that's for certain. It wasn't meant to taste good it was to keep you full and give you the energy you need to keep moving.”

“Markus exactly what do you plan to do if we encounter something like the kobolds?”

“Become claimed again.”

“What!”

“You really think they won't send someone to watch us once they realize we're gone? They'll send someone and we'll never know that she's there. Then the moment it's clear that we're going to die and we can't get out of the situation ourselves she'll step in save us and then drag us both back here. We'll go back to working at whatever job they feel like assigning us and have to earn out freedom all over again.”

A look of horror had appeared on Alex's face as he looked at Markus. “What are you talking about?”

It was impossible for Markus to keep a strait face as he heard the concern in Alex's face. “I'm just joking. You don't believe that weapons training I put you through was for nothing do you?”

“I had began to wonder.”

“We've got a few items for dealing with such problems. There isn't much we can do if enough of them show up though. That's why we're planning to avoid such confrontations and thus won't be going anywhere near their nesting area.”

“I see. So when are we going to leave exactly?”

“Just keep yourself rested for the next two or three days. Once I start hearing music coming from the market area we're going to depart.”

***********************************************************************************

“Are you okay Maria?”

“Sure how about you Joseph?”

“Yeah I'm fine but don't you feel a little awkward?”

“Why would I feel awkward?”

In response to Maria's question Joseph reached behind her and took hold of the straps that held the supplies she was packing to her. “How about the few hundreds of kilograms you have attached to your back?”

“Ah it's not a big deal. You know how strong we are after all.”

“Well I have an ideal of how strong you are but it still seems like it'd be awkward?”

“Hm not really. Now I'll tell you what is awkward at least initially. Suddenly going from being able to easily walk through a door to having to worry about banging your head on the frame.”

A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he gave a nod. “Yeah I can see where that would be difficult.” As he finished speaking Joseph leaned more firmly against Maria pressing his head against her shoulder and gave her neck a kiss.

For a moment Maria was made to purr as Joseph leaned against her. “Do you like me carrying you like this?”

“I'm amazed what all you can use those tails of yours for.” Currently Joseph felt Maria's right arm underneath him and pressing against his side as he leaned against her. Her tail wrapped around his back providing a sort of safety line to keep him from moving about too much while leaving her left arm free to most various obstacles out of her way.

“It's something we learn while playing as children normally. Haven't you ever wished that you had a fifth limb to help you do things?”

“I might have once or twice but I never could figure out where to put it.”

“Mm that is a good question. I suppose that if it was truly another hand and arm it'd be rather awkward to have it on your back like a tail. It wouldn't exactly look very pleasant either.”

“I'd have to agree.”

“So perhaps full blown four arms?”

“Well that would look better then a single arm on just one side or in the middle of your chest.”

“Yeah that would be rather strange. Hey Joseph do you think you could pull on the ropes a little bit? Something feels a little loose.”

“Sure.” As he spoke Joseph took hold of the ropes and began to tug on them. As he did so he couldn't help but feel they were entirely taught. “Maria these are anything but loose.”

“Well yeah they feel that way if you barely pull.”

“Barely? I'm pulling as hard as I can.” As he spoke Joseph tightened his grip and leaned back a bit actually pushing against Maria some to try and test the ropes.

“Mm alright I suppose it might just be in my head then. So are you interested in meeting the orcs?”

“Actually yes I am. I've never really had the chance to speak with an actual orc before though I imagine the ones you have here are a bit different then the ones I've seen before.”

“Yeah I guess a lot of the things here are different.”

“Hm well the tuskers seem to have the same attitude as anywhere else.”

“Really?”

“Yeah though the ones in the forest do appear quite a bit larger then the ones I've seen elsewhere. I imagine it's due to having such a healthy environment to grow up within.”

“You might be right. Anyway, the beach is just a little further now.”

“Already?”

“Yep.”

“Wow it doesn't feel like we've been traveling for long at all. Though I guess it wouldn't to me considering the fact that you've been packing me this entire time.”

“It helps that you've grown used to how fast I like to run as well.”

“I'm not sure I have.”

“Hm? You don't know how quickly I've been moving?”

“You don't know how much I've been looking at the side of your neck or face.”

A slight giggle escaped Maria at this statement. “Well that works just the same. We're about there though I can smell the cooking fires.”

***********************************************************************************

“I see. So you're going to be even larger then you are now in just a few short days?”

“Yeah. Some of my sisters will be joining us for a celebration on the beach and you're more then welcome to join us.” A slight giggle escaped Kersara as she looked away. “I've actually been planning for this as have my fellow sisters and we've built up a stockpile of food over the last few days. Plus what my sisters will be bringing we've got quite a nice reserve.”

“Well none of us are going to turn down a party! Still, I don't want to be the guest that didn't provide anything. We could make use of the rest of our rations. We planned to move quickly so instead of assuming we'd have time to gather from the forest we carried some of our food with us in the beginning. None of us are going to want to eat it though now that we've got the choice of fresh fish and fruit.”

“I can understand that.”

“The rations may not taste very good though.”

“None sense. One thing me and my sisters know is how to take something and bring out its real flavor. It might take some work but we can cook it up real nice like.”

“That sounds great Kersara.”

Kelah was actually made to jump slightly as she heard an unfamiliar voice and quickly turned to face the newcomer. She relaxed immediately upon seeing Maria though she had to stop a chuckle as she noticed the heavy pack Maria was packing as well as Joseph though she'd already set him down. “Friends of yours that will be joining you I take it.”

“Indeed they are. That's quite a pack you're carrying there Maria.”

“Joseph thought the same to.”

In response Kersara gave a nod. “Kelah this is Joseph and Maria. Joseph was actually saved by Maria whenever he was lost in the forest. Joseph, Maria this is Kelah the orcish war leader in the party.”

In response Kelah gave a nod. “Pleased to meet you.”

In response Joseph gave a nod. For a moment he said nothing but took a moment to look Kelah over. Immediately he noticed how well defined the orcs muscles were and couldn't help but make a quick comparison to Kersara who was standing right next to her. They seemed similar though he couldn't help but think if they'd been the same scale Kelah's would have been slightly larger. “It's nice to meet you as well. Kelah does being the war leader mean you're the leader of the orcs?”

“No that would be my father. Being the war leader means I handle things such as encroachments on our land and other threats that are a little too serious for the regular hunting parties.”

Maria gave a sigh as she settled the heavy pack she'd been carrying on the ground. While the load hadn't really burdened her she couldn't fight the desire to stretch as she removed it. “Pera, Gina, Terima and Lenora are all going to be arriving with the rest of the supplies. Have you picked out a location yet Kersara?”

“I've got a few ideals. The shore there is rocky so it's not likely that anything will try to make a landing there. At least not in significant numbers.”

“That sounds good. So Kelah will you and your orcs be joining us?”

“I was just talking about that with Kersara before your arrival. From you response I thought you'd heard our conversation though.”

“Just a little bit of it not enough to know exactly what was going on.”

“Ah well we'd be happy to join you and your sisters. I'm worried though won't that hinder us from our duties of protecting the beach.”

For a moment Maria said nothing but then her lips parted in a toothy grin. “If they're dumb enough to attack us while we're celebrating and allowed to eat as we desire then all they'll do is add to the menu. I've nothing against food that decides to come to me of its own choosing.”

A slight chuckle escaped Kersara as she gave a nod. “I'd have to agree with you Maria. I wonder if Pera and her little friends have ever tasted water kobolds.”

“Actually Kersara I haven't ever tasted one.”

“Ah well perhaps you'll get to learn.”

Instead of showing any signs of horror Kelah were made to grin. “You and your sisters are most assuredly predators. It's no wonder so many of the spirits of the forest show you a begrudging respect especially those of other predators.”

Kersara couldn't help but grin as she looked at Kelah. “I'll show you the spot where I plan to set up for our celebration. If you and your allies would like to join us you're welcome to follow.”

“May we have a little time first? I pushed them hard on the march here and now that they've eaten I'd like to let them rest.”

“That would be..” Maria went silent as she heard a gasp and turned to look at Joseph. Upon turning she was a bit surprised to see a tusker standing next to him apparently examining him.

Joseph hadn't noticed Razor walking over to him until the tusker had actually began to sniff at his leg. Now that the animal was there though he didn't know what to do. The tusker didn't seem to intend on attacking him though he didn't want to provoke it. Maria was near by but calling for her help didn't seem appropriate at the moment either.

Kelah noticed Joseph tensing up immediately and realized the situation. “Don't worry about Razor there he isn't going to attack you. He's just checking out the new comers to the camp is all he's quite well trained.”

“I. I see. Well he startled me I will say that much. So you train tuskers?”

“Yeah they're quite intelligent and can be of real help ones properly trained.”

“I see. I'm surprised that such a thing can be done considering how dangerous they are.”

“Well we can't really do much with the truly wild tuskers. You either have to get them young or there isn't really anything that can be done. Okay Razor that's enough back off.”

In response to Kelah's words the tusker looked up at her for a moment and then turned and began to walk away. It didn't really notice the look of relief on Kelah's face nor did it have any ideal of how close to death it'd come with Maria there. Though it had never held any intentions of attacking Joseph it had wondered who the new comer was.

It was impossible for Joseph to keep from sighing as the tusker left him. “So that one's name is razor then?”

“Yeah he's the alpha of the tuskers we brought with us and I suppose you could call him my pet as well.”

“Then you trained him?”

“No. I don't have the skills needed to properly train a tusker but I've worked with him for a very long time.”

Once things were silent for a few Maria spoke up. “So Kersara have they been any other attacks?”

“A few sadly one of them was successful.”

“Huh?”

“I found a patch of the forest that had clearly been stripped. I can only assume it was by the sea kobolds. Fortunately it wasn't a very big patch but it must have happened while I was away at the main village.”

“Well damn it.”

“Yeah but let's not talk about that. You came to celebrate with me not work right?”

“Ah well that is true.”

“Well then let me carry some of that and let me show the spot I have in mind. Kelah we'll come back for you and your orcs later is that alright?”

“That's fine. Kersara one thing. My father wanted me to scout the beach for a place in which we could build a village. Do you have any spots in mind?”

Upon hearing this Joseph couldn't speak up. “Oh the village they were talking about at the meeting.”

Now Kersara turned to Joseph. “You know something about it?”

“Yeah it was brought up during the meeting. Most of the brothers were for it though they didn't seem to want to allow three hundred more orcs into the forest.”

Now Kelah spoke up. “Oh? Do you know how many they were considering?”

“Mirin suggested one hundred and fifty orcs with the possibility of more once the fishing village has proven itself.”

For a moment Kelah said nothing but looked at Joseph intently. When she was sure he was being honest a smile formed on her face. “One hundred and fifty huh? That's not a whole lot whenever you consider an entire village but it's sure better then nothing. I believe that we can work with that as long as we stream line some things.”

Now Kersara spoke up. “So you believe your father will be happy with that?”

“I'm sure he'll be happy for the moment but well hopefully we'll be allowed to increase our numbers even beyond that once the village has been built. Still, it means we have to prove ourselves here.”

“I'm sure that won't be a problem for you Kelah. I've seen you orcs in battle and for such fragile beings you're remarkably capable.”

Upon hearing the word fragile Kelah raised an eye brow. Of all the words she'd heard to describe orcs fragile wasn't one of them. “Okay now that has to be the strangest thing I've heard in a long time.”

***********************************************************************************

“How is he doing Pera?”

“He's sound asleep.” As she spoke Pera glanced over her shoulder at Allen who had finally fallen asleep with his head on her shoulder. “How are all of you holding up?”

Gina grinned as she spoke. “We're all doing fine. I'm surprised that you're still so energetic after packing two loads for so long.”

“Like I told you earlier it really isn't a problem. Are you okay Terima?”

“Yeah I'm fine. I can pack this until Allen wakes up and we swap out once again. I still wish we could have stopped a few minutes ago though. We won't see fresh fruit like on the tress we passed up for a long time once the cold weather finishes rolling in.”

Lenora spoke up now. “That might be true but I really want to get to the celebration and fill my belly. Won't it be wonderful to have our hunger weakened?”

Pera couldn't contain her energy as she responded. “Yeah! It's going to be wonderful. It really was fortunate that Joseph came to live with us wasn't it?”

“Yeah especially when you consider the odds of him dieing in the forest. Maria was in the right place at the right time.”

To this Pera gave a nod. “Yeah it's actually enough to make me believe luck exist or perhaps we have our own god looking out for us.”

“A god that's never spoken to us?”

“Ah well does a god always have to speak to those it decides to help?”

“Hm I guess not. I mean I've heard stories about priest that could use interesting magic. Ever wonder why we never capture any priest though?”

Once again Terima chose to speak up. “Actually we have in the past. My mother said they tend to be trouble makers though. First they try converting the claimed they're working with and then encourage them to rebel against their keeper. Though there was one case I thought was particularly funny. The priest managed to convince the claimed to resist but not with violence. Instead they refused to work and refused to eat.”

Pera couldn't help the surprise in her voice. “Huh?”

“They didn't fight back violently or anything they just refused to do any work and refused to eat. They just set or lay there like they were going to let themselves starve to death.”

“What were they trying to do?”

“Apparently they wanted to be released.”

“Okay but wouldn't it have made more sense to try to escape?”

“I thought as much to but they seemed to believe this was the best way to go.”

“So what happened?”

“The sisters didn't know what to do. The claimed weren't doing what they were suppose to do but the weren't doing anything deserving of serious punishment either. It got to the point that the keepers actually went to the brothers for a solution.”

“Which was?”

“Well some just wanted to kill them or let them starve to death while others didn't believe that suited the situation. In the end they made a deal with the claimed. If they would return to work with no further complaint and would work diligently for six months they'd be moved up to rank one status.”

Gina couldn't help but speak up as she heard this. “I believe I heard something about that. I wonder why none of the other claimed have done something similar.”

In response Terima gave a shrug. “They lack the unity that one priest provided I suppose though I believe some do try. The majority just don't have the fortitude to actually go through with starving themselves to death though it seems. At least not with how they're treated.”

“You seem to know a lot about this Terima.”

“It's a fun thing to study at times. Did you know that there was one claimed who would actually try to escape two or three times a week?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I think his keeper came to consider it a game and even found it amusing after a while. As well she quit punishing him all together for trying to escape as long as he'd gotten his minimum work done for that week.”

“What happened to him then?”

“Well apparently one escape attempt was more successful then the others but he didn't make it out of the forest. He had gotten out of the safe zone whenever he was attacked by something. Fortunately his keeper heard him screaming as she'd gone looking for him and was able to get to him in time but not after he'd taken some pretty serious injuries. They were severe enough that he lost his ability to run.”

“I guess that means whatever got hold of him damaged his leg pretty badly.”

“Yeah if I remember correctly it was a tusker. He'd made the mistake of getting between a mother and her piglets and well she'd gotten hold of him when he didn't run fast enough. That was pretty much his last escape attempt though. The funny thing is that according to my father his keeper was actually disappointed whenever he quit trying to escape.”

A slight giggle came from all the girls though Pera was the one to speak up. “Do you think he tried to escape just so his keeper would come and catch him again?”

In response Terima gave a shrug. “It's possible you know. After his injury he was apparently made into a trusted claimed a few weeks later whenever he set down and explained all the methods of escape he used in detail to his keeper and how she could prevent them.”

“Did he ever move beyond that status?”

“I'm not sure really. It was a while back whenever my father told me this story.”

For a moment Pera was silent then she looked back at her sisters. “Do any of you know a brother that can't really run?”

To this Terima gave a shrug. “None of them come to mind though I don't know of any claimed or ranked that can't run either.”

“Hold on. If he became a brother wouldn't they fix the damage to his leg so he could run again? I mean even if he wasn't a brother there is a chance he'd get his legs fixed if he earned it. They are brothers that could do it even if the materials needed are costly.”

“You have a point there Pera. Still, I wonder who it could be if he became a brother.”

***********************************************************************************

The sun was long gone and Kelah took in a deep breath as she looked up at the moon. Only a quarter could be seen tonight but on the beach she could feel the power flowing from it. It energized her despite her fatigue from the long trip and she stretched her arms towards the moon and had to repress a howl as she felt the mark on her wrist awakening. The mighty wolf spirit was also looking upon the moon this night and felt the energies.

“You're awake awfully early or did you sleep?”

“Kersara? I could say the same about you. I slept for a while but was awoken.”

“Awoken by what?”

In response Kelah pointed up towards the sky. “I can feel Luna's gaze upon us at this moment and it feels me with renewed energy.”

“You mean you have a contract with the spirit of the moon?”

A slight giggle escaped Kelah as she shook her head. “No. Not by any stretch of the imagination have I earned such a place. However, through my dealings with Night Fang I to can take in some of the energies granted by the moon. Have you ever considered the relationship between liken, wolves and the moon?”

“I can't say I have. What about it?”

“I've thought about it a bit and I've wondered. Were werewolves once wolves that were granted a new form by Luna or where they humans who were granted the strength of wolves?”

“I'm afraid you'd need to speak to someone else about that.”

“Honestly I doubt anyone knows except Luna herself. I've wanted to ask though. Are you Ken to liken in any regards?”

In response Kersara shook her head. “No. We don't draw our power from the same sources, we can't shift forms, our genetic structure is entirely different just to name a few things. Yet you're not the first person to ask us such a question.”

“Yeah I suppose that was a silly question on my part.”

“Now what I want to know though is are druids in anyway related to werewolves? Just consider the fact that their abilities are both derived from nature though druids don't share the connection with the moon spirits I imagine. They also have similar shape changing abilities.”

“Wouldn't the easiest way to find out be to ask a druid?”

“You'd think that wouldn't you? In my experience though it's hard to get a strait answer out of them about their abilities that isn't general knowledge.”

“I guess they're some things about their teachings they don't want outsiders to know. More of our supplies seems to have finally arrived. You girls are here early.”

Pera had a smile upon her face as she emerged from the forest and saw Kersara and Kelah. “Hey there. Hm where are the rest of our sisters that watch the beach? I figured you'd all have gathered by now.”

“They're at their regular spots still but they'll be arriving tomorrow with some of the food they've gathered.”

An excited giggle escaped Pera as she clapped her hands. “Isn't it wonderful? We actually get to eat until we grow. All of us get to. I wonder what it's going to feel like.”

“You know what increasing your food intake is like.”

“Yeah but nothing like this. This will be the first time I was allowed to eat enough to cause an instantly noticeable change in my size. I wonder what packing Allen around is going to be like.” As she spoke Pera glanced back at Allen.

“Who can say? I will say this though. It's kind of mean to make Terima there pack all your stuff while you give Allen a ride. I'm pretty sure you were the one that wanted to bring him after all.”

“Huh? Oh no. Terima and I” Pera didn't get to finish as Terima spoke up.

“I'll say it was mean of her! Would you believe she threatened to not let me hang out with them if I didn't pack all of this?”

“I did not! I would never do something like that to my friend!”

“Not only did she threaten me though but she also threatened my poor pet bird. She said she'd eat him if I didn't help out.”

In response to this Pera was made to pout and looked towards Terima. “I did no such thing and you know it.”

Before Terima could respond an amused giggle escaped Kersara. Of course she knew Terima wasn't telling the truth. If Pera had indeed made such threats Terima would have undoubtedly been ready for a fight. At the moment though her scent indicated that she was completely relaxed. “That's not what my nose is telling me Terima. If you're going to tell stories like that you're really going to have to work on getting yourself more worked up.”

It was impossible for Terima not to grin as a giggle escaped her. “I just wanted to give Pera a hard time.”

In response Kersara gave her head a slight nod and walked over to Pera. She didn't say anything as she slipped an arm around Allen and gently lifted him away. “We're setting up further down the beach that way. Why don't you all take your supplies there and begin getting prepared?”

In response Pera gave a nod. “Sure thing. Will you bring Allen down once he wakes up.”

“I'll be certain to. I'm guessing you traveled all through the night though.”

“Yes.”

“Let's revise what I said then. Take the supplies and set them down where they'll be safe then get some rest yourselves. I'll wake you all up before you miss anything interesting.”

***********************************************************************************

Dinon felt a little awkward as he helped gathering supplies for the celebration. While the orcs didn't have the same restrictions the sisters had they did have to be careful about what they took from the forest. Now he'd been told to gather whatever seemed appealing to them and not to hold back. Even if he wasn't truly gathering much more then normal it still felt awkward to have that restriction lifted and made him a little nervous. He could tell that he wasn't the only one that felt that way.

“So how are your studies going Allen?”

“Pretty good. We're learning to substitute some of the tougher to find reagents with more common ones we can find within the forest.”

“That's neat. So you know that similar physical properties are a good indicator of such compatibility?”

To this Allen gave a quick nod. “Yeah. It was kind of neat seeing how corn can be substituted for wheat in many situations and the reverse is true to.”

A grin formed on Joseph's face as he heard this. He had expected the brothers to learn using more exotic materials considering what the forest could provide. However, given the situation he realized it was still made more sense to use common plants that could be easily replaced. “I bet you've ran into a few situations where that didn't work out to well though.”

“Oh yeah our instructor showed us one. What would have been a potion of bark skin actually became toxic due to the substitution.”

“Hm Allen just what do you do with the potions that don't work out like that?”

“Um well our instructor let one of our sisters have the toxic one. She said that it tasted good.”

A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he shook his head. “It figures. I guess there is no way a weak potion like that could affect one of them.”

Those students with dyed hands had to go through the safety lessons all over again.”

“So what did you have to do?”

“I just had to practice some basic methods more to improve my speed and coordination. I still get a little nervous though whenever I'm working around flames.”

“Oh? Is there any reason why?”

“I don't like being burned.”

A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he gave a nod. “I understand that.” For a moment Joseph went silent and looked around for a moment noticing Dinon. It took him a moment to decide to do so but he chose to speak up. “Pardon me but my name is Joseph may I know yours?”

“Sure but don't talk formal like that. My name is Dinon.”

In response Joseph gave a nod and turned to face Dinon taking hold of Allen's hand and guiding him to stand next so him not wanting to exclude him from the conversation. “If you don't mind I would like to ask you a few questions. I've been wanting to ask them for a while but the sisters didn't really seem the best people to ask.”

“Well go ahead.”

“When I first entered this forest I was told how dangerous it was and how few people ever make it out. However, you orcs seem to do quite well here and even enjoy the location. Could you perhaps tell me what makes this forest so dangerous?”

“Ah well this place isn't really all that dangerous to be honest. You just have to know what you're doing and lets face it most people don't.”

“I've heard even experienced hunters have trouble getting through this forest though.”

“That wouldn't surprise me but are those hunters alchemist as well?”

For a moment Joseph went silent and considered what Dinon had said. Indeed the forest wasn't dangerous just because of the animal life and the layout. The plant life could be quite dangerous here if you didn't know what you were doing. “I see. So to travel here safely I suppose one would have to be both woodsman and herbalist. How do you orcs get by though?”

“Well you don't really have to be an alchemist to survive here. You just have to know what plants are dangerous, which ones aren't, what signs to look for and that sort of thing. Most coming into this forest don't know that sort of thing though. From your questions I gather that you're a new comer to the forest though. Surely you can think of at least one mistake you made while here.”

“I. I well. I tried to scare some tuskers off with a loud bang.”

At first Dinon said nothing but just looked at Joseph. A few moments later a huge grin appeared on his face and he had to struggle to keep from laughing. “Yeah that's a really good way to get yourself killed!”

“So I learned. Still I get the ideal that tuskers are pretty smart. When Maria jumped down and let out a roar they ran quickly.”

“Tuskers are naturally aggressive and tend to respond to threats by attacking them. However, they are smart animals indeed. The tuskers you encountered most likely have a few or had a few members who had been hunted in the past by the beast people. So they know that they don't stand a chance and know to run when one of them confronts them. However, that's not truly the nature of the tusker to run.”

“Yeah so are there any little things you care to warn me about?”

“Are you thinking about looking around the forest alone.”

“Absolutely not.”

A slight chuckle escaped Dinon as he gave his head a nod. “From the conversation you and the young one were having. May I know your name over there?”

“Sure, I'm Allen.”

“I'm pleased to meet you Allen. Okay something that's common sense around these parts. Well don't get too close to the ever sleep fields.”

A grin formed on Joseph's face as he gave a nod. “I'm an alchemist I know that much.”

“Well then let's see here we should go the path of the woodsman then. It might be easier to travel but don't walk on clearly defined paths. Predators know that prey animals like to travel those paths and if you're on one you're more likely to get picked out.”

“That or run into more tuskers.”

“Actually, if you know how you can check to see what direction the tuskers are going in if you're lucky and they've been my recent. There is no real risk in traveling very far behind a group of tuskers as most predators will have cleared out.”

“That makes sense. Do you use that trick often?”

“When I can.”

“So what do you do when you find out you were wrong and the tuskers are up ahead?”

“If I can turn around and go the other direction. As long as you haven't agitated them like by making a threatening sound they'll let you leave. Just make sure you're not between them and their piglets. Other then that the best suggestion I can give is climb up a tree if a good climbing tree is handy.”

“I remember hearing that tuskers are liable to wait you out in such a situation.”

“Being waited out beats dieing right away and that's not entirely true. Those people they wait out have done something to really make them angry. Going back to the piglet example for a moment. If a mother tusker catches you with one of her piglets and she gets you up a tree she's going to wait you out. Naturally those males interested in her are going to join in on waiting you out to get in on good terms with the female.”

“So how do you save someone that has made such a mistake?”

“Typically you have to set a trap for the tuskers or have some way of evading them. That said that's easier said then done. I know one hunter who made such a mistake and ended up a tree. He traveled for several miles from tree to tree despite the dangers before finally coming to a location that he could escape from the tuskers.”

“You mean they quit tracking him?”

“No. He was able to switch from the trees to landing upon a hill that was too steep for them to climb. He then ran before the tuskers decided to go around the hill and come after him.”

“I see but surely they have their limits. After all they have to eat.”

“That's true but tuskers are quite capable of munching roots and extremely hardy plants for sustenance. What you said is true for the person up the tree as well after all and the odds are the tuskers will have more food then they do.”

“I see your point but what if you should continue your attack while in the tree?”

“That's not a good ideal. The tuskers are smart and I've little doubt that they have sense enough to take cover and wait you out. Then once you believe they're gone they run out from the bushes and that's the end of it.”

For a moment Joseph said nothing but then a chuckle escaped him. “No wonder tusker meat is so expensive.”

“Indeed! Typically we only dine on such things during great celebrations.”

“Really then maybe I should go get a few.”

Upon hearing the voice Joseph, Dinon and Allen looked up into the trees. Allen was the first to speak up as he looked upon Terima. “Hey Terima are we getting ready to start cooking?”

“Indeed we are. Still, after listening to your conversation I'm hungry for some tuskers. If anyone asks tell them I went to find a few.”

To this Allen gave a quick nod. “Sure thing.”

Dinon could hear the branch bend as Terima jumped off it and noticed the thickness of it. While he couldn't be certain of the exact strength of the branch it at least gave him an ideal of how much forced had been involved in that jump. “It must be a truly terrifying experience to be hunted by one of them.”

***********************************************************************************

Kelah couldn't help the look of shock on her face as she took in a deep breath and looked to Kersara. “I can't believe you have the rations we brought smelling that good.”

“It took some doing but like I said this is the type of thing we specialize in.”

To this Kelah gave a nod and took a moment to look around. In total she guessed there was around twenty to at most thirty sisters gathered on the beach including the ones that had arrived earlier. The fact that this was the entire force that was used to protect the waters and yet they'd succeeded so well was truly astounding. “Kersara, I hope you don't take this offensively but I've seen some of your kind in the forest before. Those of you gathered here look different for the most part for some reason.”

Kersara couldn't help but grin as she looked at Kelah. “You noticed huh?”

“I believe I have.”

“What exactly have you noticed then?”

“Those of you gathered here seems more defined physically then the ones I've seen in the forest. It's not as blatant for the others as it is for you but it seems to be the case.”

“We were designed to fight in the forest on land. We weren't really meant to fight in the water though so those of us who guard this area have to undergo some special conditioning. After all, what good is chasing them off the land if you can't run an invader down and kill them? It doesn't help that this beach is also one of the furthest points from our main community so the odds of us getting help here are even more greatly diminished.”

“I see. So those of you stationed here are particularly powerful.”

“It's a necessity to hold the position but that isn't the only reason. It's just that well. We all get really lonely out here or many of us do. So we have to do things to take out minds off how alone we feel.”

“I see and exercise helps with that.”

“It can.”

“Hm perhaps I should let you have one of our elder tuskers to keep you company. He'd need some time to get used to you but I sure you'd find them a pleasant companion.”

A slight chuckle escaped Kersara as she looked at Kelah. “A companion could be amusing to have out here though I don't know how happy the tusker would be. I don't see them out this way. I get the feeling that they don't like the beach.”

“From the way Razor and the other tuskers are acting I would agree with you.”

“Are they doing alright?”

“Yeah they're fine but Razor is moping around.”

“Huh? How can you tell?”

“He's not running around like he usually does whenever he's not actively guarding something. I tried to get him to wrestle a bit earlier but he didn't want to do that either. He just sort of lay there and huffed until I offered him an apple.”

“Did that perk him up?”

“Just long enough for him to eat the apple.” A slight chuckle escaped Kelah as she shook her head. “Ah well he'll get over it. He always gets moody whenever I make him go somewhere he doesn't want to go or make him behave. Once I caught him going after some morons that had gotten too close to the piglets. I had to call him down to keep him from killing them. It was a good month before he quit being angry with me.”

“Why did he attack them? I thought they were trained to obey.”

“Razor knows to obey certain orcs but that doesn't mean he obeys all of them. Only those involved in the training of tuskers are generally allowed around the piglets unsupervised. Razor knows this and he didn't know them so he knew something strange was going on. So he did what he was trained to do and protected our resources assuming that the two orcs that shouldn't have been there to begin with were up to something.”

“Were they?”

In response Kelah gave a nod. “Yeah they were apparently going to take the tusker as a sort of joke or that's what they claimed. There was probably more to it then that but they claimed they didn't mean to cause any harm.”

“What did you do?”

“I took them to the master trainer sense it was his tuskers they were messing with. As an elder he's capable of dealing out punishment just as much as I am.”

“So what was the punishment?”

A slight chuckle escaped Kelah as a grin formed on her face. “It was very shitty. They had to clean out the tusker poop pins for several months, had to help in gathering the feed for the tuskers, maintain their regular duties and received a minor flogging.”

For a moment Kersara said nothing but then she chuckled. “Sounds like something we might do honestly. So just what is tough about gathering tusker feed?”

“Okay well I'll put it this way. Tuskers like Razor love apples and other fruit but that's not really what they're meant to eat. Just thinking about it. How are they going to get those apples down? There isn't really much they can do but they're very well suited to digging up roots, tubers and other things. Now our tuskers naturally get a sprinkling of fruit in their meal but they still need the hardier stuff wild tuskers eat to stay healthy.”

“I can see where that could be a lot of work. Mm.” After a moment of silence Kersara retrieved another spoon and filled it with the soup she then offered it it to Kelah. “Give this a taste and see what you think.”

At first Kelah wasn't certain what to think of Kersara's actions being far from used to being asked to try new foods. Instead of arguing though she took hold of the spoon handle and took it from Kersara's hand. There was no hesitation on her part as she consumed the contents though she chewed slowly to get the taste. “It's quite good actually. I'm surprised you did this with our rations. When does the party really begin though?”

“It begins just as soon as we're done cooking and the food has been set up. Once the celebration begins I doubt any of us are going to want to take the time to cook more. At least not for a while.”

***********************************************************************************

Joseph had eaten with the sisters before but now as he set on the sandy beach and looked towards the ocean for a moment he could feel something in the air. Maria's food was before her but she hadn't eaten any of it yet. None of the sisters had even Pera and her friends seemed to be setting quietly. This apparently made the orcs uncomfortable as well as they watched the sisters. “Maria what is going on?”

“Huh?”

“None of you are eating?”

“Oh.” A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she gave a nod. “We're just taking a moment.”

“For what?”

“To realize that we're about to eat until we feel our bodies beginning to grow. It's quite a moment.” As she spoke Maria reached down and took hold of the shell which held her soup. She lifted it to her mouth but didn't consume it. Rather she took a moment to inhale then turned her attention to Kersara who seemed focused on some ribs. Kersara seemed to feel Maria's eyes on her.

Instead of eating right away Kersara chose to stand and speak up. “Before we begin I feel that I should say something. Rare are these moments when we get to knowingly increased our size. Very rare indeed as many of us will experience them less them five times within our life time. On this day though we all get to move closer to what we once were thanks to our brothers efforts our own and thanks to yours Joseph. As it was your life bloom that has allowed this day to come so much sooner I just want to say and I'm sure we all do. Thank you for coming to be part of our community.”

It had actually caught Joseph off guard whenever Kersara thanked him. The extra attention was quite surprising and it made him feel a bit bashful. So he said the only thing that he could think of. “You're all very welcome thanks for giving me such a wonderful and safe home.”

In response to this Kersara gave a nod. “Now then. Let's eat!”

Joseph truly wasn't prepared for the sound of all the sisters suddenly sinking their teeth into various types of food. It actually sounded like a roar and nearly made him jump. Apparently the orcs had responded similarly. As he took a moment to look around he was surprised to find that the only person other then the sisters who was eating was Allen. This brought a grin to his face as he tore away a piece of bread and began to mix it in with his stew.

Allen had learned a long time ago to eat slowly and enjoy the company of his sisters. As he watched them eating though he didn't believe this was a time for conversation. This actually made him somewhat nervous and he began to look around for someone to talk to. They were several orcs within earshot but he didn't know any of them and Joseph was too far away to comfortably speak to. Before he could really settle on what to do though he felt something brush against his back and turned around to find Pera's tail gently rubbing against him. This made him smile and he began eating again.

Despite her desire to eat Pera had noticed Allen's discomfort and moved to comfort him. She would happily speak with him the moment her stomach was a little fuller. As she ate though she had to remember to leave Allen's food untouched or she'd end up eating it all as well as her own. As she and her sisters ate they paid no attention to bones or fruit skins that would normally require pealing. Their teeth tore through both with supreme ease as they filled their stomachs.

Kelah was uncertain what to think but after a while began to eat her food as well. As she did she found the others orcs were joining in with her. Apparently they'd been uncertain as to what they should do until they saw her eating as well. As she ate though Kelah made it a point to use her knife to retrieve most of her food for fear of losing a hand to one of the beast girls that were setting near by. Indeed it was quickly becoming clear why so much food was piled up within arms reach of each individual. They didn't want to stop eating even to stand up.

Maria quickly placed her bowl back upon the table the moments the contents was empty and reached out taking hold of too massive fruit. She didn't bother removing the bitter outer layer as she bit into each but took a moment to throw some salt inside the fruit the moment the opening had been made. What she didn't notice was that as she bit into the fruit a large stream of juice erupted from it and splashed Joseph on the side of his head.

Joseph didn't know what was happening as his face was assaulted by the fruit. There was a slight stinging in his eye and he turned to see what Maria was doing. As he cleaned off the juice though he grinned despite the pain and moved a bit to shelter himself from further assaults. Clearly Maria and indeed all the sisters were more focused on eating then anything else.

As Dinon looked around he turned to Kelah. “I believe we should eat fast or there's not going to be anything left.”

A slight chuckle escaped Kelah as she looked at the sisters. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Well I don't want to be the one left hungry.”

“Oh so you want to be the one that ate all of their food while they're still hungry?”

“Um well no. I don't want that either.”

A slight chuckle escaped Kelah as she shook her head. “Don't worry what you see before you is hardly the beginning. I was wondering why they were making so much earlier but I know why now. They're several items still being slow cooked though.”

To this Dinon gave a nod. “I don't know how they're fitting it all in there. I believe the four little ones have already eaten more then I could.”

“Strong stomachs I suppose.” As she spoke Kelah reached across and swiped one of the thicker fish fillets off Dinon's plate.

“Hey! That was mine!”

Before continuing Kelah took a big bite of the fish. “Was is right. I finished mine while you were talking and wanted another.”

“Well why didn't you just get one from the mane plate?”

“I don't want to risk losing a hand.”

A sigh escaped Dinon before he got a rather large spoonful of food and began to shovel it down. Thoughts of conversation went away as he grew determined to stop Kelah from getting anymore of his food even if he had to eat it all at once.

***********************************************************************************

“They're still going at it.”

In response to Joseph's comment Allen gave a nod as he looked out over the water while setting on the beach. “This is pretty normal for such celebrations actually. When they do the same thing in a few hours that is what's going to be strange.”

“So they can eat like this without growing?”

“Once in a while yes. Normally such feast means a longer time without eating and eating smaller amounts so their bodies don't begin to grow. If a sister eats like that several times though over several days their bodies will begin to adapt.”

“Yeah I've been told as much. So how fast do they grow anyway?”

To this Allen gave his head a slight shake. “I don't know. Hey Joseph would you mind if I asked you a kind of personnel question.”

“Go right ahead.”

Instead of asking right away Allen looked towards Pera for a moment then back to Joseph. He felt his cheeks warming up and he looked back out over the water. “What it's like to be with a female that's weaker then yourself?”

“Huh?”

“Our sisters are so much stronger, faster and more durable then us brothers. What is it like to have females weaker then yourself around though?”

“Hm I guess that's something you've never experienced. Well I'm not sure if I can completely explain it but in some ways it's more difficult.”

“How so?”

“Our sisters are strong beautiful beings and they know it and thus they have nothing against showing it. At least that's what I've seen. So they have no trouble showing you how they feel about you. Where I come from though many feel that the man should be the one to approach the woman.”

“Um that's really strange.”

A slight chuckle escaped Joseph before speaking. “Well it would be to you. Also as men are the stronger we're the ones that are expected to protect the woman.”

“I see. So the women do all the studying to become mages and alchemist while the men are warriors?”

“Now if that was the case would I be an alchemist?”

“If you were a girly man you would be.” Allen couldn't help but grin as he noted the look on Joseph's face.

“You've got a bit of a mouth on you don't you? Anyway, no that's not the way things are. Often the women are just expected to stay home and take care of the home.”

“Huh? If they don't provide anything though how are they going to be treated as equals?”

“In many cases they aren't.”

Instead of responding right away Allen glanced back at Pera. “I don't like how that sounds. Even if I can never protect Pera I can help make sure she's well fed and comfortable.”

“Well keep in mind Allen the entire world isn't like this. They're a great many cultures out there. Honestly though your culture surprised me.”

“How?”

“Well it's surprising that in a culture with such a vast difference between the abilities of the males and females neither has tried to enslave the others.”

“Our sisters wouldn't do that to us we care about each other too much.”

“Are you sure that extends to all of them?”

Part of Allen really wanted to say yes but before he could a few names flashed into his mind. “Well most of them.”

Immediately Joseph noticed the change in the tone of Allen's voice. “Allen is something wrong?”

“Yeah just some scary memories.”

“What happened?”

“I can't remember it all but, I remember hearing my mother speaking to some sisters once. She told them that if she ever caught them near me or their scent on me she'd break their necks and well from the tone of her voice. Well I know that she meant it.”

“Did that scare you?”

“I was scared of them.” For a moment Allen once again went silent. “I think I remember them but I can't be sure.”

“Do you believe they're still around.”

Despite focusing on her food Pera had been listening to Allen and Joseph the entire time. Throughout it all she'd been growing more angry as she knew exactly who Allen was speaking about and the thought made her fight to keep her claws retracted. She had even slowed down how quickly she was eating a fact that her three friends had noticed as well. It was Terima's voice that got to her though.

“Don't worry about it Pera none of us would let those bitches around Allen.”

“I don't see why they're allowed to live.”

“Come on Pera they they are only slight older then us. You weren't nearly as responsible as you are now back then either.”

“I didn't do anything like those two! They didn't even show remorse.”

“Come on Pera relax. This is a happy time just enjoy your food an think of fun things to do with Allen once we've eaten all we can.”

“Yeah you're right Terima.”

After a while of silence Allen once again spoke up. “So are the girls in the outside world as pretty as the ones we have here.”

“Ah well Allen beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

“Well do you think our sisters are prettier.”

“Actually I do.”

“So what was the biggest city you've ever been to?”

“That would have to be the capital of the gale kingdom.”

“What was it like?”

“Buildings everywhere and paved streets. A lot of people compacted into a relatively little space such that at times you felt like you were having trouble breathing. I spent most of my time in my study though working on the life bloom.”

“Joseph about that. You worked on the life bloom for the Gale kingdom right?”

“Yes I did.”

“So they financed your research?”

“To an extent yes.”

“Well then.” For a moment Allen went silent and bit his lip. “Doesn't that make you a thief?”

For a moment Joseph felt like he'd been struck by a rock. Instead of getting upset though he gave a sigh. “In some ways I suppose that I am. After all they paid for my research as well as my room and bored.”

“Then didn't they have a right to the life bloom?”

“Allen let me ask you this. You're making a potion for someone that you believe will cure your sisters of some illness. However, you find out during your research that if misused the potion will serve as more of a poison then a cure. Yet the person who hired you still insist on you making the potion and giving it to them. Would you?”

“I could never do anything like that.”

“Well that was my situation with the life bloom. I suppose that perhaps there is a debt for me to repay to the Gale kingdom however it's not like I never contributed anything to them.”

“What else did you contribute?”

“The research I submitted before my departure.”

“What else did you work on for them?”

“Well my specialty is in modifying already existing life forms. I helped develop a new means for them to create strengthening potions for their soldiers using certain mushrooms. The end product was somewhat weaker then a fully refined strengthening potion but much cheaper.”

“How much cheaper?”

“Well they were ten percent weaker on average then a standard strengthening potion. However, they only cost one third of the price to produce. I also worked on some things though that honestly I wish I hadn't.”

“Like what?”

A sigh escaped Joseph as he looked at Allen. “I worked on things that are better suited for taking lives them saving them. I helped develop potions that could be loaded into a container and thrown over a castle wall to poison dozens of people at once. War leads humans to make some pretty unpleasant things.”

“Where they your projects?”

“No at the time I was working under a senior alchemist.”

After a few moments of silence Allen gave a nod. “Our teacher told us that the knowledge to save lives and the knowledge to take lives are closely interwoven. You can't learn to save someone without learning a means to kill them if you truly understand it. Good or ill depends on the way that knowledge is used.”

“I'd agree with your teacher. So Allen what do you hope to do whenever you're no longer learning?”

“Um hm. Well I know that I want to help end our sister's hunger. That is if you haven't ended it by the time I begin working seriously. I'm not sure exactly how I would like to go about it though. Perhaps I could help revive our tries to develop an energy distribution system that didn't make use of food.”

“I believe I spoke to some of your brothers about that earlier. What has your instructor told you about it?”

“They talked about how difficult it was to make magical items that could receive the energy that wouldn't degrade while exposed to our sisters. It can be done we know that it's just hard.”

“So you'd like to try to make magic items that stable?”

“Yeah. It's a shame we don't have more silver.”

“True it does make extremely stable magical items.”

“Hey Joseph, you said that you developed a way to make magic potions more cheaply then normal even if they are weaker. Could they help us?”

For a moment Joseph was silent but it only took a moment of consideration for him to answer. “No. The materials needed to make them in bulk aren't readily available in the forest. For you they'd not only be weaker then what you're using but they'd also be more expensive.”

It was impossible for Allen to keep from frowning as Joseph told him this. “It isn't fair. We're honest and don't hurt the people that live outside the forest if they don't try to take it from us. So why can't we have trading partners like we did in the past?”

“When was the last time the brothers and sisters tried?”

“I really don't know. I remember my mother talking about it though and how every time they've tried something has gone horribly wrong. In the best case scenarios the people start pushing the sisters for more goods and they just cut off trade relationships. In others they try to take the forest by force.”

Before Joseph could respond a sudden noise got his attention. It only took him a moment to realize that it was the sound of drums being plaid and he turned to see where the others had been setting. What he found was that many of the sisters had gotten up from the mostly empty table and began to move around as had the orcs. It took him a moment amongst the shuffle to find the player and he was a bit surprised to see Maria setting down amongst five drums of various sizes playing away. It wasn't his only surprise though as he saw several sisters standing around her.

As Kersara swung her hips she placed her hands on her thighs and moved them slightly down their length. Flexing the muscles in her legs, arms and stomach as she did so showing how well developed they were. As her hands moved down her knees bent but her hips continued to sway until her hands ran over her thighs and then she began to stand up once again. Her fingers traveling the outside of her legs to press against her stomach as she moved them upwards. Her right foot shifted ever so slightly and she began to turn swaying her hips the entire time with the music.