Gunth had a n already in the works. From what Tosu had said the women would not remove men from thepounds. They thought they could protect them. Gunth and his Brothers thought the men would need more help than that.


    The male Administrators divided the men into teams as Hassar divided the women. We had to help defend the ore in the mountains and stop the massacre that was sure to happen at thepounds. This camp was near two differentpounds and we vowed to protect them both. It would take careful organization to make sure that happened.


    Damien and his Brothers volunteered to defend the Barnaspound. My men were put on the rotation roster and I was ted to stay here and help with preparation. I noted that both Hannah and Kennedy were assigned to stay close to the Barnaspound.


    “Come on,” Armant said walking by and getting my attention, “we need to get to work. If men are going to be living away from camp, we have to send them with supplies.”


    It was an insanely busy day. Damien and his Brothers packed bags and loaded a transport. They were gone with arge contingent of men by the time the sun was midway through the sky. They would sit in the caves beneath thend in preparation for an attack.


    I barely caught up to my daughters before they left on their assignments. Hannah was still angry with me and only begrudgingly epted my hug. I saw the anger in the fierce line of her brow and the thin line of her lips.


    We stood in the garage and it churned with activity around us. This was not a good ce for a long talk, but that was irrelevant. I had to let Hannah know I loved her, despite not understanding what had her so angry. If this world went to war, I had no doubt she would ce herself on the front lines.


    “Hannah,” I begged, “forgive me for loving your father past all reason. I did not mean to upset you. I’m not even sure why you are upset. You know Damien cares for me. You told me you wanted us happy and together. I think your anger is misced.”


    Hannah’s eyes darted left and right before she spoke quietly and in English.


    “My Sister and I will be Administrators someday,” she said without emotion. “I can’t have everyone thinking Ie from breeders that do not have good forethought. It would affect my selection. You act so rashly sometimes and you ignore the rules, they know I think like you do…”


    I had not realized how driven Hannah was, but it made sense. She wanted to be in charge and take on leadership roles. I would never begrudge her those goals. I hoped one day she’d learn sometimes rules were meant to be broken, but I appreciated her conviction.


    “Youe from breeders that love each other very much,” I said passionately while cing a hand on her arm. “Your parents are determined and nothing will stop them. We will not hamper your dreams, Hannah, I promise you. We just couldn’t allow the Administrators’ prejudices to continue to control us.”


    “The rules are important. Society’s goals are important,” Hannah said firmly and then looked at her Sister, “but I understand family muste first. I just wish you all had made your arguments, before…”


    She wished we’d been up front with the Administration and I had to smile.


    “Sometimes, Baby Girl,” I said slyly, “it is better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. Sometimes no one will believe the truth until they see it.”


    Hannah’s face softened a little as she rolled her eyes and pulled me into a hug. “I love you, Mama,” she sighed. “You are so stubborn. Now would be a bad time to further test the rules. Just please be careful. Try to stay safe.”


    Promising to be careful, I hugged my girls as I held back the tears. Kennedy and her Sisters approached and I was able to say good-by to them, too. In all honesty, both my daughters were as excited as their male breeders had been. None of them seemed that worried about what they were preparing to do.


    “We all havemunication pads, Mama,” Kennedy informed me just before she left. “Use them sparingly, but contact us if you need to talk.”


    They were gone a momentter, springing into the air and flying off with bold strokes of their wings.


    I couldn’t stand and watch them dwindle to a speck as they flew boldly off. I turned away and hurried back to Armant’s shop and found the Brothers just leaving. Today they would go to the fields and harvest. I would stay and do the work in the shop.


    “You have be very slow in the fields,” Armant informed me. “The other men thought you were merely gettingrger. Now that we know you carry a new life, none of us want you beyond the safety of our camp. Females that are heavy with a child rarely spend much time outside the main camp. Their Sisters take up their responsibilities or they are shared by other females. You have no Sisters and you do men’s work, so we will help you.”


    I had enjoyed the hard work in the fields, but thebor was quite taxing. Bending to pull weeds was very difficult and I was frequently out of breath. The inside work was still tiring, but it was easier to get done.


    “If it is truly a female of T’vailk heritage,” Reil continued, “that would be quite a unique thing.”This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    The Brothers all agreed and I suddenly realized I had not asked Kennedy about that. In the rush to find out about the warships, I had not asked about the baby’s parentage. My hands rested automatically on myrge belly.


    I smiled wondering if this was Kein’s little one growing inside of me. Hannah had told us his line was from those strange, wild mountains. The girl in my stomach rolled under my hand as I thought about it. If she was his, I was sure this would be a wonderful, strong girl.


    “T’vailk females are unique,” Armant said knowingly, “we’ve never seen them, but we’ve heard about them.”


    The Brothers all agreed about the interest in my belly as they headed out. I wondered what that knowingment referred to. I would have liked to have them stay and talk, but this was not a time for idle conversation. We had much to do and less hands to do it with. Taking my cue from Armant’s family, I settled down to stitch as quickly as I could.


    My family traveled far from me in theing days. I felt the distance between us and it made me yearn for them. It was only the knowledge that they protected my precious boy that made it bearable. The little one inside of me craved contact with her male breeder. As the days passed I sensed her struggle to stay connected to him. Both of us missed them terribly.


    Rose and I moved our things into the rooms our men lived in. Both of us worked to make the dwellings cozy for our families when they returned. We had faith they woulde back to us. Even when our bond with them felt weak and fragile, because of the distance, our love for them was as strong as ever.