“How?”
“Well, you can boil it, bake it, fry it, however you want.”
“Boiling over an open fire is familiar to us, but what exactly is ‘frying’?”
I dragged one hand down my face and let out a long, weary sigh, realizing I had to explain basic modern cooking terms from scratch to these clueless Stone Age beast.
“Let’s head out to gather potatoes first, then I’ll teach all of you how to fry food.”
Tigris pulled me into a warm hug.
Though autumn was rolling in, the weather remained sweltering, I was dressed in a black crop top and plain track trousers.
“Then my mate and I will stay behind, if that’s alright? We’ll wait here,” Donna asked, gently resting a hand over her still flat stomach.
“Sure thing! I’ll bring cooked samples over later to celebrate your incoming cubs. See you soon!”
Our original three person trip quickly turned into a group of six.
Mara’s two bonded mates and Donna’s eagle husband tagged along, hauling empty animal hide sacks to fill with crops later.
“Wife, you’re sweating heavily. Come lean against me, I can cool your skin down,” Jor said, brushing his tongue lightly along my cheek while I was still tucked in Tigris’s embrace.
Tigris instantly shoved him away with his free arm.
“Back off, snake! I’m her chosen mount for the day. You’re stuck hauling all our supplies!”
“She already spends every night riding atop you. Let her pick who to ride during daylight hours instead.”
“What the hell… Not like that! I meant resting on his fur like a bed! Tiger fur is thick and soft enough to replace hard cave bedding!” I rushed to correct their crude implication, my cheeks flaming hot.
The other three beastmen paid no mind to my flustered correction whatsoever.
I turned my face away to hide my blush.
“Fine, I could hop onto Jor’s back later, but I am still okay for now.”
Tigris’s amber eyes blew wide, but he held his tongue and didn’t argue further.
“Anything for my wife,” Jor smirked mischievously, striding ahead toward the uphill trail.
The path grew steep, and the ambient temperature dropped slightly as we climbed.
Tigris’s naturally warm body heat made walking beside him pretty pleasant.
Halfway up a cleared slope, I spotted familiar leafy bushes.
Potato plants.
I stepped forward to check on them, finding the ground bursting with plentiful potatoes underneath.
“Wow, this whole patch is full of potatoes! Why hasn’t anyone here been harvesting these regularly?”
“From my ancient memories, beastman used to forage large amounts of these roots long ago,” Jor answered.
“Most mountain tribes slowly shifted to full carnivore diets over generations, though. I’d guess herbivore clans far off still tend and eat them.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Hurry up and dig them out carefully! Don’t tear up the roots and leave unharvested potatoes stuck underground.”
I reached down to pull one plant free when Tigris and Jor both blocked my hand at once.
“Lily, step back and watch us work. Tell us what needs to be done instead.”
“Exactly. Your soft hands shouldn’t touch dirt while I draw breath.”
“Whatever you two. Hey you, what’s your name?”
“Me? I am Tod.”
“Alright, Tod, pass that potato over.” I examined the potatoes in his hand.
“This one’s dangerous, listen closely everyone. Any potato with green sprouts growing on it can poison or kill you. Never cook or eat sprouted potatoes, only pick clean, unsprouted ones.”
“Are these green sprouted roots completely useless then?”
“Not at all. Plant them back into the soil, and they’ll sprout and grow a whole new potato crop.”
“Lily, you’re incredibly wise. How do you know all this knowledge?”
“Even my centuries of inherited ancestral knowledge never spoke of such rules,” Jor added, sounding genuinely impressed.
I huffed at the nonstop compliments from the tiger and the thousand year old serpent pair.
“Quit the cheesy lines and follow my orders. Collect only full sized, sprout free potatoes and fill our sacks.”
Before long, the group trundled downhill toward the tribe gate, massive hide sacks bulging full of potatoes, dirt smudged across their faces and clawed paws.
A tribal guard stepped in to block our path, eyeing the messy procession suspiciously.
“Did you lot raid a traveling merchant’s stock? What’s all this dirt covered loot?”
“These are a brand new edible crop that could keep your tribe from starving through the freezing winter,” I replied casually.
“Truly?” His eyes widened with sudden interest.
“I’ll explain everything after I wash up and rest first.” I sent the rest of the group off with instructions to gather at our cave before dinner, ordering them to wash a large portion of the harvested potatoes and bring the cleaned tubers along for our first cooking lesson.
Arriving back at the cave, I took a small towel and headed to the small spring next to the bed.
I took off my crop top and pants, wet the towel, and wiped myself down.
“Lily, you should call me if you want to clean yourself.” The tiger beast walked up behind me and started licking my toes.
Surprised by his sudden lick, I stepped on his furry head in annoyance.
“What are you doing? Who told you to lick my feet, huh? Are you a pervert?!” Still with my right foot stepping on his forehead, I covered my sports bra with the small towel.
“Lily, male beasts are supposed to care for all their female’s needs. Please let me clean you.” He started licking the sole of my foot, which made me shudder from the tickling sensation.
“I told you, stop it!” I pinched both cheeks of the giant tiger.
His eyes flashed with innocence, and he moved back to lick my palm this time.
“Hey! You are still dirty. Look at your paws and face, all dirt. And you want to rub your dirt on me, huh?” I pinched his ears this time, and the beast whimpered in pain, begging for forgiveness.
Jor was outside tending to the potatoes, as he was the one with knowledge about storing them, so I called him inside.
“Jor, come here. Let’s all clean up. Both of you need a quick dry bath before you put dirt on the bed.”
Jor shifted to his human form and walked over naked, sitting down in front of me in the exact same position as Tigris.
What is this?
Two naked hotties sitting like beggars in front of me…
Darn it, my capitalist brain.
I shook my head and used my damp towel to wipe Tigris’s face.
His face turned as red as a tomato.
Somehow, I could see his entire muscle tense up as I brushed his face, neck, and chest.
As I dipped the towel back into the spring, I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of his claws digging deep into his own thigh.
“Lily, do you love me so much?”
I watched him in surprise, not expecting that question.
“What do you mean?”
I took the towel and began to clean Jor’s face this time.
Again, this one tensed up too.
His eyes, which had been solemn moments ago, now looked hopeful just like Tigris’s.
“What is it? What is wrong?”
Jor’s hand caught mine as I wiped his neck.
“Lily loves me too.” His eyes slit naughtily, and he bit his lower lip while resting his head against my hand.
I felt my own face warming up and quickly pulled my hand away from his clutch.
“What is wrong with you two?”
I crossed my arms over my abdomen, and the two of them leaned forward.
“I remember my father telling me, only a partner who loves you so much would care for you like this.” Tigris leaned further in, his face a mere five inches from mine.
“Hssss… You are naughty, Lily, coveting two males at once. But it is fine, because I love you just as much. I adore you too, my wife,” Jor said, leaning against my stomach as his snake tongue brushed my skin.
“Let me clean you too, wife.” Tigris took my towel, and now I was facing two perverts in only my underwear.
“Wait, we are having guests soon, uhhhh…”
Tigris pushed aside my sports bra, revealing my breasts.
I was worried I had a lot of sweat on me right now, but without even a two second wait for my concerns, Jor took my panties off and started licking the side of my bean.
These lunatics…
“I love how you care for me, Lily, but I prefer to be the one caring for you like this.” Tigris wiped away my sweat, though I thought it was now being replaced with saliva instead, his free fingers twisting my buds like a toy.
I moaned and shivered every single time he did it.
“I hate that I agree with the foolish tiger, but I love you wet for me, Lily,” Jor spoke, his voice muffled as he buried his whole face in my wet folds.
His nose aggressively poked my little bean, and a cold, slimy snake tongue wandered deep inside.
Although thin, it was branched and moved independently within me, sending a powerful shock of electricity straight to the crown of my head.
Instinctively, I grabbed the side of the bed tightly, until the straw beneath poked into my cuticles.
“STO… HHH”
Before I could even finish, Tigris stuffed my mouth with his own.
I let go of the bedside and scratched his back hard, trying to tell him to stop.
“Lily, I think you love us so much. Right here, it’s pulsing like this, and your tasty water keeps coming out nonstop.” Jor’s words made my whole body tense up, but the worst part was that he started to suck out all the fluid pooling beneath him.