“Hodlen’s family wille,” Bane said as he took Kelli from me and gently burped her. “They have long had curiosity and we need to collect the rest of our extended family.”


    “The trip will be good for Mycah’s family and Tyle’s family,” Evan agreed handing me a cup of water as Christof tidied up around me. “The boys will learn the world by seeing it and experiencing it.”


    This alien issue would not be over for a long time, but it would soon be controlled. If the worked together, Damien was sure the next attackers would never breach our atmosphere. The could be made reasonably safe.


    Kein had the entire trip nned out in detail. There were ces we would camp outside and other regions we could visit with establishedmunities. He knew where we could restock our water. Damien’s family had always been superior hunters, so that was no issue. The excursion would be a good way to get new experience and meet new Paterians.


    It wasn’t like we’d do this alone. Damien exined many men wanted to travel. It sounded like they were setting up caravans from the Wild West. Some men were traveling for curiosity, some were going to find extended family, and some were just looking for a change. Lots of families had some reason to do this.


    “There are so many ces I would like to see myself…” I said thinking back on my studies.


    There was a body of water in the coldest region of the world that shone red part of the year due to minerals. Other ces had herds of giant beasts that didn’t live near here. Kennedy and Hannah said they were like dinosaurs. These were things I’d found immensely interesting, but never thought I’d get the chance to see.


    “We know what you want to see,” Kein informed me proudly. “It is part of my n.”


    *****Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    T’vailk girls, we soon learned, weren’t like other women from this world. They never grew fur and their thick golden skin was impossible to breach. Unlike other women who liked it cool and dry, they preferred warmth and water. Kaley and Kelli were swimming before they were walking. They were at home in the warm dampness of the bathing cave.


    The mountains Kein’s ancestors were from was on the edge of a tropical sea. It was stormy and windy, but steamy hot. The rain that fell almost continuously was a blessing to cool the area.


    Here, in these mountains, cold predominated, so Kaley and Kelli needed clothing to stay warm. They hated the cold. The tiny clothing that I made and put on them really did make them look like small elves.


    As they grew it became obvious they would never have the towering stature of other women. Tosu estimated the twins would only be slightly taller than me full grown. Their delicate limbs were deceptively strong, though, and the talons on their fingertips grew in markedly soon. Kaley and Kelli were just as tough as typical Paterians, just built for a different climate.


    Other things made me think they were slightly elfin and different from other Paterian women. They liked to y jokes and were into everything. No one around us minded their antics when they were small. Kaley and Kelli grew up surrounded by the families we knew well. The twins enjoyed livening up our days.


    Once the girls learned to walk they’d sneak into someone’s room and do silly things. Short sheet Basin’s bed in the afternoon or tack the cover over the entrance to Stayne’s lodging shut in the middle of the night. They would do anything and everything to amuse themselves.


    As Kaley and Kelli got older their games began affecting the entire camp. The twins became more and more borate in their designs for practical jokes. Since Pateria was not a ustomed to this type of fun, there was mixed reaction. Kein and I quickly learned that losing sight of our girls resulted in trouble.


    Luckily for me Damien and his Brothers took a very active role with our young miscreants. Unlike Hannah or Kennedy these girls explored the world outside our camp with their male breeder and his Brothers. Damien made sure they knew how to hunt and Kein helped them hone their tracking skills. Bane made sure they could use a gun and Evan took them for target practice regrly. My men did everything they could to keep the twins busy and constructive.


    Despite all our best efforts, it was still far toomon that we were asked to present the twins to the Administrators. Kaley and Kelli delighted in the irritated looks I saw Hannah throw them. Knowing Hannah’s goals I did my best to control my youngest girls. The sprites were fast and sneaky. They were truly a menace.


    Mycah’s young family was a weapon in my arsenal against the twins activities. The attentive young boys kept a runningmentary on their sisters’ antics. While we often missed the subtle signs the girls were up to something, Mycah never did. He and his Brothers always seemed to know when Kaley and Kelli were nning a caper.


    “They are bored again,” Mycah would tell me quietly during the evening meal.


    A frantic search would find the twins loosening the tops of spice jars in the kitchen.


    “I don’t know where Kaley is,” Jonathan would inform me as we swam and bathed in the morning.


    Kein found them painting bright eyes on a shadowed patch of wall in the very back of the cavern.


    “Come on, Daddy,” Kaley whined while she perched on a warm stone.


    “It will be funny when someone sees it!” Kelli eximed as Kein quickly rubbed the haunting visage off the wall.


    They just couldn’t seem to stop their antics. The twins sharp wits were not entertained with simply learning about the world. I got the feeling they enjoyed the excitement their stunts caused.