Doc woke a little groggily. Condensed dryad essence was no joke, and he’d had it last night. Fragmented pieces of the evening with Lia, Yucca, Rosa, and Wildflower came back to him. Lia had been at the edges of everything, helping him and Wildflower complete the union of shaman for the tribe. Rosa and Yucca made sure that everyone stayed fully engaged.
Some blonde hair on his left caused him to look over. Lia was sleeping peacefully, her head resting on his arm. Rosa’s glowing green eyes met his on her far side. His lips twitched up as he thanked his “Creepy Weed” for everything she did, making her beam back.
Shifting flesh against his other side had him turning to thank Yucca, but he froze, instead. Auburn hair took up his other arm where Wildflower slept, a happy look on her face. Yucca giggled softly as she watched him from the far side of the sleeping elder. He looked up at the spiky-haired dryad who beamed back at him, her eyes also glowing.
Yucca’s giggle got both Lia and Wildflower to stir themselves into wakefulness. Lia’s arm went over his chest, squeezing him as she kissed his cheek. “Good morning, husband.”
Another arm joined hers as Wildflower hugged him. “Good morning, indeed, Shaman.” Her lips touched his ear, making him shiver. “I can only remember snippets of last night, but I know we were active well into the small hours.”
“That is who he is,” Lia said. She sat up, letting the blankets fall away from her torso. “Yet I always feel so refreshed the next morning.”
“Because he always heals everyone before he goes to sleep,” Rosa said. “Everyone is in the best condition they can be in.”
“Except me,” Doc murmured, then summoned his healing and touched his leg. The last hints of tiredness washed out of his body. “There we go.”
“Breakfast should be soon,” Lia said. “Rosa, Yucca, be dears and go get it for us, please.”
“Yes, mistress,” Rosa said.
“Gladly, Lia,” Yucca added.
Doc was about to ask Lia why when Wildflower kissed his ear again.
Lia smirked down at him, then leaned over him. “We’re going to give her a good memory, Doc. Trust me when I say it’s okay. Wildflower, this will be your last time with him, so enjoy it.”
“Thank you, Lia,” Wildflower murmured, then kissed Doc’s ear again. “I’m very thankful.”
Yucca went out the flap quickly, but Rosa looked back with a smirk, her eyes glowing brightly before she left.
“Now, Shaman,” Lia said, slipping a leg over his waist and gently nudging Wildflower a little away from Doc. “We’re going to have one more bit of fun with your new elder. This will be the memory of her shaman that she keeps for ages, so we should make it a good one.”
Doc stared up at her with a bit of confusion. “Then… why are you the one on top of me?”
Lia smirked, then eased herself down his chest, kissing as she went. “Oh, I wasn’t going for a ride…”
“I recall that he loved it when two or more of us did that,” Wildflower said, then began to kiss down his body, as well.
Doc stared up at the top of the teepee as his body reacted to the two beautiful elves kissing him. “No man is this lucky…”
“Correction: you are,” Lia snickered. “Now shush. Just enjoy.”
Doc shut his mouth and did what she said.
~*~*~
It had been a whirlwind of sex with Lia directing every moment. When the dryads returned, they’d joined in. Wildflower slipped out while Doc had been shuddering through one more orgasm because of the dryads. While he calmed down, the others had gotten dressed and left him in the tent.
Finishing getting his gun belt on, he shook his head. Life sure is funny… I’m fairly certain Bluewing will be joining us tonight. Didn’t really want to sleep with every tribe or leave kids behind, but… here we are. Lia assured me, as has Rosa, that the others are okay with it, so I can accept it, because they wouldn’t lie to me. Exhaling, he shelved the thoughts before he stepped out of the teepee.
“Your breakfast,” Lia said, handing over the pemmican and fry bread. “Now that you have a moment to eat.”
Doc snorted. With a wry grin, he took the offered food. “I see you still need to eat, too.”
“Of course. My husband can be quite demanding in the mornings.”
“Who’s demanding?” Doc asked her with a raised eyebrow.
“You, but when I’m with you, definitely me,” Lia laughed, bumping him with her hip. “People will be hoping for you to heal them, and we’re already later than normal.”
Doc began to eat as he walked with his beautiful, but deadly wife. The two dryads behind them were giggling, the bright glow of their eyes casting shadows ahead of them. The snippets Doc caught were all about the previous evening, making his face redden as he ate.
“Please wait!” Wildflower called out.
Doc paused, as did the rest of his group. Wildflower walked quickly to his side, her contingent of Spiny Crest elves behind her looking happy.
“Good morning, Elder,” Doc said.
“Good morning, Shaman,” Wildflower said brightly. “I am glad you have breakfast, as well. I would feel terrible eating alone. Shall we?”
“Gladly,” Doc said, now bookended by Lia and Wildflower.
“Chieftains don’t have to sleep with shaman apprentices, and you will always be the shaman of the tribe,” Wildflower said after a few seconds. “The apprentice I have coming to learn from you is a cousin of mine. She’s done her best to try rekindling the magic of shamanism; you will be the bright blessing she always wanted.”
“You’ll be the only member of your tribe that has slept with me,” Doc said slowly. “I just need to see her to make her an apprentice.”
“Pity for her,” Wildflower smirked, but she looked a bit happier.
“Someone enjoys knowing that she will be a little special to you,” Rosa said.
Wildflower’s face flushed, but she didn’t try to correct Rosa. Instead, she deflected with, “Our shaman will be changing the world.”
“Gods willing,” Doc nodded. “What testing is happening today?”
“Tomahawks,” Lia said. “Throwing and melee combat. Most of the warriors will take the field today.”
“That should be entertaining. Are you going to join?”
“Not today. Bear-heart, my first husband, was a master of the weapon. I haven’t touched one since…”
Doc put an arm around her waist. “I understand.”
She leaned against him as they walked slowly to where a group of people waited for him to arrive. “Thank you, Doc. Now help the tribe so they will fully accept you. You might have a warrior or two to heal before today ends, too.”
“Got it,” Doc nodded.
~*~*~
Bluewing was smiling brightly as she took the seat beside Doc. “I’m sad I didn’t do better, but I am quite pleased to be invited to sit with you.”
“You are formidable and well-versed in many areas of the tribes,” Doc complimented her.
Bluewing’s gaze darted to Lia then back to him. “Something you like in your women?”
“My husband doesn’t have a type,” Lia laughed. “One of our wives, bless her, is a wreck when it comes to violence. But in her own arena, she is formidable.”
“Give her laws to argue, and she will crush her opponents,” Doc grinned, thinking about Sophia.
“Laws… a Sagesse?” Bluewing asked with raised eyebrows.
“My wives are eclectic. Lia and Rosa, you’ve met. In Elka are Sonya, a dwarf from the Oresmelter clan; Sophia, a Sagesse, as you guessed; and Ayla, a half-elf with ties to the Treeheart tribe who excels at money matters. Last, or first actually, considering she was married to me first, is Fiala, who is in Furden. She’ll be having our child in a few months. In addition to that, she started a trend of powderless makeup. She worried that as a feline bestial, she wouldn’t be accepted by the dames, but in Furden, she has been.”
Bluewing was quiet for a long moment, processing what she’d just heard. “I would say you are unlikely to have a single type of woman that interests you.”
“He’s unlikely to marry again either,” Rosa added softly. “As it is, he fights himself to complete the ritual to be shaman. He dislikes leaving behind children without a father.”
Bluewing looked at the ground while Doc looked at Rosa questioningly.
“I see… I will give up on the hope of being accepted as a wife, then,” Bluewing said after a few seconds. “If it bothers you to leave children, Doc, I—”
“Stop,” Lia said softly, but firmly. “He isn’t fully against it. Do not close off what you want because you think he is appalled by it.”
Doc exhaled. He really was still torn on the matter, but seeing Bluewing’s crushed expression, he placed a hand on her knee. “Having been without parents, it tugs at me to leave a child with only one. I have to accept that, with what I am doing, it will happen. Even my wife, Fiala, is going to be raising my child without me. While I do kind of wish I’d waited to make everyone fertile until afterward, it is what it is now. Just promise me to do your best for them?”
“My whole tribe will cherish them, Doc,” Bluewing said earnestly.
“I’ll be holding to that in my heart,” Doc smiled. “Now let’s watch the warriors and cheer for anyone but Red Hawk to win.”
“Yes,” Bluewing beamed, her hand covering his on her knee.