During the trek back to camp, Reina lagged behind. She felt a little awkward with her new family, but she was also giddy.
'I can't believe I finally found a herd-mate!' she thought. 'He's not what I imagined he'd be; he's not even a demi-human, but he didn't mind my oddities or disfigurement, and he... he actually kissed them!' She put her hands to her face, blushing at the memory.
'Speaking of kisses, Azalea kissed me, as well, and on the lips no less. What did that mean? Did it mean anything? Is that normal? What is considered normal for humans and fairies?'
Arriving at Devin's camp, she assessed her new home. "Your camp looks clean and well organized. I would expect no less from my herd-mate."
"Thank you. I try to keep it that way. I like knowing where everything is."
Reina looked toward the wagons. The largest barrels had round stone plates on top and bottom, lashed together with rope. Ice clung to the sides and rim of the barrels.
"You mentioned you were a merchant. What do you sell?" Reina asked.
"Before I answer that, how much do you two know about human society?"
"My herd didn't have much human contact outside of migration routes. When I was very young, my parents took me with them to the human capital, but all I remember is a lot of people and tall buildings." She shrugged.
"The Northern kingdom is an alliance of demi-human tribes and the old kingdom of Lindone. There are three major human cities: Thawdenn, Iceford, and Merport, with a smattering of smaller towns and homesteads across the region. Because of the poor growing environment, milk is an important staple, especially during the winter months. Because there are very few holstaurs this far north, compared to the Middle Kingdom, sheep-girl and satyr milk have become the primary alternative -- mainly because they endure cold better, and sheep girls have the added benefit of producing wool," Devin explained as he started to break camp.
"So you're a milk merchant?" inquired Reina.
"Mostly. I buy milk wholesale from Thawdenn and resell it in Iceford or one of the smaller settlements, charging a slightly higher price, plus a delivery and handling fee. I sometimes also barter for other demi-human commodities: lamia venom, sheep-girl wool, spools of arachne silk, pollen from alraune, the occasional order of milt, and caviar from Merport, plus a few other things."
"That sounds like a lucrative enterprise."
"It's a modest living. Everyone needs something to be moved from one place to another, so I figured the prospects with that as a profession would be stable."
"Are these stone plates responsible for this?" Reina asked while tapping the ice on one of the barrels.
"Yes. Those specific ones are called chill runes. Think of them as a pre-cast spell. Runes are flexible and convenient for non-affinity users. They can be applied to many different materials for a variety of effects, but they have many limitations, too, mainly duration and availability. I'm not sure exactly how they are made, but I think they take blood as a fuel source."
"Impressive you have multiples of these."
"Enough for each milk barrel, but they'll expire soon, so I hope you don't mind the hasty departure, but it's almost noon, and we have quite a bit of distance to cover. We'll be heading out as soon as we are packed," Devin announced.
When the wagon was fully loaded, and Devin was hitching up the bay, Reina put a hand on his arm. "May I be allowed to pull the wagon?"
"You can, but why?" he challenged with a stunned expression.
Reina patted the old bay. "I can't, in good conscience, let this elderly horse do all the work alone. I would like to assist her."
"That's fine with me, but I don't have a spare harness. I'll have to rig something, and it probably won't be comfortable."
"I am not concerned about a little discomfort." A warm smile broke out on her face.
Reina positioned herself next to the bay as Devin tied some spare rope into an assortment of loops. Then he placed them around Reina's lower torso and behind her front legs.
"How is it? Not too tight?" Devin checked.
"It's a little rough, but it will suffice."
Devin climbed into the driver's seat, and Azalea took up her favorite perch on his shoulder. He gave the reins a test pull. "Can you feel that?"
Reina felt a little tug on her left side, then the other. "Yes."
"Let me know if you become too tired," he offered.
With a flick of the reins, the wagon jerked forward. Reina watched the bay, timing their movements together. Progress was slow at first, but Reina soon settled into a complementary gait.
As they neared the treeline, Devin pulled the wagon to a halt. "How are you feeling, Reina?"
"This is quite invigorating," she panted, "although this area is getting a bit sore." She rubbed where the rope was chafing her skin.
Devin thought for a moment, then rummaged around the wagon bed.
"This might help." He placed some burlap fabric between her skin and the rope. "Better?"
"Yes, thank you."
Devin stood on the wagon and poked his head above the trees, checking the highway for signs of people. Seeing none, he climbed back into his seat, and the trio made their way down to the road.
"What a magnificent example of human ingenuity," Reina commented.
"Half right. The king's highway is the cooperation between humans and demi-humans."
"I remember my mother mentioning it when I asked her about human culture once," reminisced Azalea.
"It was the answer to the problem of particularly harsh winters that would strand many tribes and stymy trade. Though, I think it's mostly taken for granted now," Devin mused.
When she was guided to the edge of the road, Reina had to maneuver a bit to clear the lip of the embankment. Its construction was mostly crushed rock overlaid with packed earth, slightly higher than the surrounding environment. She stopped a moment to wipe the sweat off her forehead. "It has been quite a while since I've exerted myself this much. I don't know how this poor creature managed it for so long." She patted the bay's head. "So we are headed to Iceford, herd-mate?"
"Yes, but we'll make a detour to my friend's homestead," Devin answered.
"I have never been to this part of the region. Excuse me for a moment." She pulled up the blanket covering her backside, squatted, and urinated.
Devin cocked an eyebrow. "Do you have a pee fetish or something?"
Reina hid a smile behind her hand, "For many demi-humans, urine contains a great deal of information about an individual, but to answer your question, no, I do not. The fact you've seen me urinate so much is purely coincidental. In this specific instance, though, there is a custom among whitehorns called poronkusema. When we start a new migration into a region we are unfamiliar with, we measure the distance based on how often we need to empty our bladder."
"That's one way to do it, I guess."
"Maybe I should have done the same thing when I flew here from my village," Azalea quipped.
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