An Unearthing of Goddesses

An Unearthing of Goddesses Part 29

Kate rose in the morning, refreshed and ready to put her romantic worries away for the present. Hume brought her a breakfast of porridge and dined with her on the terrace. Maeve and Kitsune called to her from the ground far below. She started to head back inside for the stairs when Hume stopped her.

"That's not how we get down!" he said, guiding her to a rope hanging from a branch overhead. A wheel dangled from it and at Hume's instruction, she grabbed onto it and with no warning, he pushed her from the terrace, where she ziplined all the way down to ground, trying not to scream the entire way. Maeve caught her and without further fuss, they headed into the wood, her heart still racing.

Kitsune began to run and Kate followed, Maeve at the rear. Kate soon tired and began to slow, but as soon as she did a sudden energy came over her, starting at her hind legs – hind legs? Then she was running – really running, the trees streaking past. It felt effortless, like she was born for this, bounding over tree roots and across stream beds. Then, a scent caught her nose – strong, familiar, female, coming downwind from ahead. She caught sight of a grey fox standing ahead. Kitsune. Then another scent, also familiar and wild, assaulted her nose. A red fox joined at the grey fox's side. Maeve.

Kate joined them, glancing down at her own body – she was lean and taut, with tan fur and a white tipped bushy tail that she wrapped around her body as she sat. Kitsune sniffed the air, her nose high. Kate caught it too – a gamey, primal, delicious smell. Rabbit. Kitsune sprang up, following the scent, and passing by Kate gave her a playful bite on the ear. Then she was off like the wind, Kate and Maeve close behind. They wound through the trees in pursuit, their padding feet silent on the forest floor. Then Kate's ear perked; her hearing was acutely sharp and she sensed the rabbit's quickened breath and strong feet scrabbling in the dirt just beyond the next tree. Kate pivoted round and pounced, relying completely on instinct to direct her attack, rather than a clear sight of the hunted. Her teeth sank into soft warm flesh and the rabbit screamed in protest. She latched onto its neck and soon it was limp. The grey and red foxes appeared at her side. Kate snarled at them reflexively – the prize was hers. She devoured it as they watched, eyes narrowed and ears back.

They spent the day running through the forest, hunting and exploring and napping on warm stones in a field. Their yips carried ahead of them and they frolicked, chasing everything that flew or crawled or ran. They cornered an irate hedgehog who indignantly protested their intrusion and burrowed away, and they awakened a startled opossum who was sleeping blissfully. The day ended with a surprise ambush on a skunk who wasted no time in spraying them all with his potent fragrance for their trouble. They retreated in defeat to the forest's edge and Kate found herself human again as they reached the treehouse.

"Oh, my Gods – we smell putrid," Maeve noted as they arrived. They walked onto the lower deck to watch it empty of inhabitants at their arrival. Hume turned from the firepit where he was roasting quail.

"What in Olympus – were you on the losing side of today's hunt?"

The three sunk desolately into hammocks.

"Get down to the baths," he said. "I'll not have you stinking up my kitchen." He tossed a bag of something bright orange to Kate. "Rub this all over before you go in."

Chastised, the three retreated down to the baths on the grounds of the treehouse. A row of cypress trees bounded the periphery of the complex. Kate shared the bag, which was filled with some kind of fragrant spice, and they all disrobed and rubbed it over their skin. Then they plunged into the cool pond, rinsing the orange residue off and soaping up.

"Next – mud baths." Kitsune said, and they moved to a murky, warm, bubbly pool of chocolate earthy mud. They lounged lazily in the thick mass, smoothing it over their faces and bodies.