After spending several hours walking around the market and looking at various goods being sold, Freya decided it was time to take a break.
She led me to a nearby lake on the outskirts of the village. Other females and males were hanging around the small lake, some even enjoying the lake.
As for the lake itself, it was a breathtaking sight, the water crystal blue and a welcome sight in this heat. We headed for the edge of the water away from others. Tall grasses tickled my legs as we walked over to a large palm tree.
"I'm sooo tired." Freya declared as she got comfortable in her red-haired male's lap. "It's been a while since I've gone to a market day."
I hummed in agreement, laying back on the deer skin I had bought earlier. A gentle breeze blew by us and I closed my eyes to enjoy my surroundings. It was peaceful despite there being others around us.
The market had been super busy and was filled with all sorts of goods, from different foods to furs and other assortments. I even spotted a stall selling various spices. Honestly, it reminded me a little of the farmer's markets back on Earth.
Just with beastmen everywhere.
Suddenly I heard Freya shout, "Marco no!"
Before I could figure out who she was shouting at, I felt something hit my legs. Snapping an eye open, I found myself gazing at a small black cat. Must be a panther cub.
It yowled at me, trying to get under my legs as William tried to make a grab for the little cub. I couldn't help, but laugh at the sight.
Sitting up, I grabbed the little cub the same way I would grab a cat. Which thankfully, I had experience in because of all the stray cats that lived in my neighbourhood.
"Aren't you a naughty thing?" I murmured softly as I handed the cub to a worried William.
"Elisa, I'm sorry about him." Freya cried as she hugged my shoulders. "I'll make sure he gets scolded properly."
"It's fine." I patted the other female on the head. "He's just a cub and was probably just playing. Don't go too hard on him."
The cub yowled once more as if in agreement while Freya sent the cub a glare. He looked like she was about to say something when two more cubs appeared with one of Freya's male.
"Have you seen M-" The male started when his eyes fell on the cub in William's arms. His eyes hardened as he grabbed the cub out of William's arms. "You little brat! Causing trouble again?!"
The poor cub cried as his father growled at him. Meanwhile, his brothers came towards me, curiously sniffing me. Out of habit, I held up a hand so they could sniff my hand.
"You're really good with cubs." Freya observed as her cubs nudged my hand.
"Eh… I just learnt a few tricks in my tribe." I chuckled nervously. "Anyway, is it okay for the cubs to be wandering around like this?"
"It should be fine as long as they are within grabbing distance of one of my males. There's nothing really dangerous here." Freya answered, settling next to me on the deer skin. "Bringing them out gets rid of their extra energy, so they don't cause trouble. Plus, they can explore the world around them and learn."
"Oh… I see." I watched as Freya's cubs lost interest in me and crawled over to their mother.
She let them crawl onto her lap, gently petting them as they lay there. "Of course, my youngest Marco never seems to lose any energy."
As she spoke, Marco's father let him go and he quickly ran over to Freya. Seeing his brothers wouldn't entertain him, he moved his attention back to me, nudging my hand to give him pets.
I obliged after Freya gave me a nod. As I petted him, an idea came to mind. "Freya, do you mind having one of your males get me a stick, some thin vines and a large feather?"
"I don't, but what do you need it for?" Freya asked curiously.
"I think I may have a way to get your cub here to lose some energy without him running around." I replied.
Her eyes sparked. "Well if it helps, I'll do anything at this point."
The panther male quickly went off to get the items and when he came back, I quickly tied the feather to one side of the vine while the other end got tied to the stick.
Once I was down, I held the toy up in front of Marco. "Hey Marco… Wanna play?"
He looked up to see the feather moving gently and instincts kicked in, making him try to grab the feather. However, I moved it away before he could and it soon sparked a keen interest in catching the feather.
"What an interesting idea…." The panther male mused as he sat by us, eyes tracking the feather. "Teaching the cub hunting skills while playing."
"Elisa, let me try!" Freya exclaimed with a gleam in her eyes.
I handed the stick over to her and she eagerly began teasing her youngest with the toy. Her other cubs noticed the game and one of them joined their younger sibling in trying to catch the feather.
Eventually the cubs got tired of the game and decided to snooze around us. Freya's males brought us some water and food and we chilled out talking about various things.