FSE

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Chapter III

Inside a typical Inkasi home, a young adolescent lady was seated on a cushion. She was hunched forward wearing a concentrated expression on her face. Her long brown hair reached the middle of her back, and small breasts were developing on her chest. Her entire body was maturing into adulthood. Topaz was sixteen now. A teenager. However, experience and coordination were developing too without physical signs. The young genet grumbled at the needle in her hand as she poked herself, yet again with the sharp point.

"Do you need some help?" Tiranu noticed her daughter's struggle to mend her simple loincloth. Sewing was never one of Topaz's strong points, and the normally quiet house had heard quite a few frustrated curses when she attempted the skill.

"No." Topaz grumbled only to prick her finger once again.

"Are you sure?" Her mother pulled the genet's tail.

"I'm not little anymore mom!" She pulled her long tail away and held it confidently. "I'm sixteen." The adolescent genet gave a firm nod from her cushioned seat on the wooden floor.

"I can see that." Her mother poked a claw in the tuft of chest fur between her developing breasts. "But there's no need to snap at me when I offer you help."

"Sorry." Topaz's ears folded back. "If I have a good rhythm going then I usually poke myself." The adolescent genet rubbed her fingers.

"You just need more practice." Tiranu sympathetically grinned.

"That's what you always say." Topaz wiggled her nose and huffed.

"It took me a while to learn it when I was your age. I guess sewing doesn't run in our blood." She chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess not." Topaz smirked.

"Besides, I thought you preferred sewing than watching after Yani's daughter since she finished nursing last year."

"No!" Topaz chuckled. "I don't mind looking after her more. It's better than stabbing myself." She glared at the needle in hand.

"I recall that you always complained that she smelled like milk." Her mother added.

"Now that she's eight years old and fully weaned, it doesn't matter."

'Forgetting and remembering at will.' Tiranu thought to herself, remembering how she acted at her daughter's age.

"I don't mind helping Yani whenever she needs it." Topaz concluded. Her green eyes suddenly lit up. "I need to help N'Doru today!" She remembered.

"With what?" Her mother tilted her head in question.

"Things for the Full Moon Festival in a few days!" The energetic genet sprang from her seat, tied on her elaborately styled medium length loincloth, and left the house in an instant. The older genet sighed at the house's sudden silence.

"Teenagers." Tiranu's mumbled and crossed her arms wearing a little smirk. There were ten annual festivals in Luo: the Full Moon Festival, Mothering Days, the Monsoon Festival, the Sun Festival, the River Festival, the Earth Ceremony, the Butterfly Festival, the Flower Festival, the Birth Ceremony, and the Water Wars. Each one had a unique aspect but all were celebrated by the entire village with dancing, feasting, and games late into the night. Then the following day would be spent resting and returning to normal work. Topaz loved them all!

'I'm almost a fully grown woman!' Topaz gleefully sang to herself jumping off the top step from her house. The genet's necklaces clacked together. Her feet half skipped over the dirt as her eyes looked around the village happily. Luo was starting to show signs of an upcoming festival. Villagers of all ages were busily preparing. The village had torches pre made, masks being crafted, drums being painted and created, and potted flowers were moved to desired locations. The bright colors charmed Topaz's eyes. All celebrations were usually concentrated in the middle of the village, but it wasn't uncommon for a festival to spread into the rest of Luo, or even spill out into the jungle.

"Hi Topaz!" A group of three little kids ran up to the genet like a swarm of insects. The youngest wasn't quite old enough to start wearing a loincloth yet, unless his parents wanted to clean it every day from dragging on the ground. An Inkasi styled skirt was out of the question too.

"Hey! What are you three up to? Not getting into trouble I hope." She teased. All of them shook their heads.

"Elder Abanaki told us that a ghost lives under his house!" The eldest, a female genet, excitedly stated.

"That's not true!" The second blurted out. The smallest one looked between the older two, unsure of who to believe.

"Are ghosts real?" The youngest clutched his small beaded necklace tightly. Topaz knelt down to their height.

"Have any of you seen a ghost before?"

"No." All three shook their heads.

"Well, if you can't find the ghost at Abanaki's house, then it isn't real." She confidently explained. All three turned to each other. "Let's go check his house!" The kits scurried away and Topaz resumed walking through the village. It wasn't too long ago that she believed in ghosts.

"Hello Topaz!" Lady Amasi waved as the adolescent passed by.

"Hey!" She smiled at the elder genet who was busily dividing feathers and dried grasses into separate and neat piles. Both materials were frequently used as adornments to wrap around one's wrists or ankles for dancing. "Ready for the festival?"

"Not nearly ready enough." She mused. "Are you ready?"

"Of course! I'll see you then!" Topaz hurried past.

'She's as energetic as ever.' The old Lady Amasi smiled and returned to separating the two items. Topaz maneuvered around a few villagers carrying armfuls of wood for a large bonfire in the center of Luo. She spotted N'Doru under the shade of a few trees between two homes. A little half eaten bowl of Pacu and plantain, a common Inkasi dish, was sitting beside him.

"What are you doing N'Doru?" She asked the male genet.

"Apparently not making arrowheads or fashioning bows." The quiet civet grinned as he carved the edges of a bird mask. The large beak had not been painted yet, and plenty of feathers resting beside him were ready to be attached.

"You don't need arrows for an automatic." Topaz giggled.

"You don't hunt with a gun, do you?" He held the mask up.

"If it looked like that, then yes. Still need me to help?"

"Sure. Can you help stir some paint for Chona?" He motioned to the genet standing behind them. "He's going to paint this mask and then a few drums for the festival in a few days."

"For Chona!?" She covered her muzzle.

"Yes... The paint is right there." He pointed. In four small wooden bowls, liquid pigments and brushes were idly sitting. "I can't do both right now, especially since you weren't here earlier to help make it."

"Sorry! I forgot while I was practicing how to sew." She started stirring.

"Sew? You're in the jungle or on the river all day." He mumbled. Topaz stirred until her arm was sore. Chona the genet was half a foot taller than Topaz, slim, broad shouldered, and undeniably handsome to her. His fur was the same brown tone as hers. He wore a neatly designed long loincloth, an armband, and a necklace with tooth resembling stone fixtures.

"Hey Chona." Topaz quietly greeted the busy genet. "I heard that you needed some paint." She held the bowl out to him.

"Topaz!" He exclaimed. "Yeah, that looks perfect. Maybe we'll get to see your brushwork at next month's ceremony."

"Thank you." She nervously laughed. "I-I hope so."

"What are you planning to do after the festival?"

"Well... I don't know..." Topaz shrugged.

"I going on a hunting trip for two days with a few friends and my dad. Since you like adventure in the jungle, would you like to go with us?" The female genet's heart started racing.

"Me?"

"Sure. Or are you busy?"

"No! I'd love to go!" She barely zipped her blurting muzzle shut. 'Don't look like an idiot girl!' She scolded herself.

"Sounds good, and thanks again for the paint Topaz." He grinned.

"You're welcome!" She fidgeted before returning to N'Doru. Her feet felt like they were floating over the ground. N'Doru noticed the fluttery Topaz standing next to him with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"You like him." He smiled.

"Shut up!" She sharply elbowed him, but couldn't wipe the smile off her face. N'Doru chuckled and resumed working on his mask. 'Chona Modora....' No other name rolled so perfectly off her lips. "Ok. Maybe I do like him." She finally answered. 'He's hotter than burning coals!' The genet's voice shrieked inside her head.

"Now you need to shout it proudly and tell him personally." The civet grinned.

"Do you wanna wear that mask permanently?" She warned him.

"You'll have to wait when I'm finished." He teased. Topaz rolled her eyes and settled down.

"I think you're painting that mask too much."

"I don't want it to look like wood." He applied more red to the top cheeks.

"But it's made of wood." She pointed out.

"If you're not going to help me paint, why don't you help Mazia and her parents unpack?"

"Mazia is back?!" Topaz's eyes and ears lit up.

"Yeah." N'Doru slowly nodded. "She just came back by canoe..." He looked up and noticed that the genet was already gone.

'I can't believe she's back from Abussa!' Topaz excitedly ran through the village to her friend's house. The Durani household was a modest size with a small unattended garden in the dark earth surrounding it. Topaz saw a short fluffy tail disappear into the open doorway. Behind, an adolescent female set an armful of cloth on the top step.

"Phew!" The civet wiped her forehead and plopped down on the bottom step. Mazia was fifteen and a half now, and Topaz hadn't seen her friend for a whole year. The civet had matured noticeably. She was expectedly taller, but a touch shorter than Topaz. Feminine curves were more visible, and she was growing into a lovely lady.

"Mazia!" Topaz shouted and ran towards her.

"Topaz!" The civet perked up and jumped to her feet.

"You're back!" She collided with her friend into a big hug. The two girls were a mess of excited giggles and happiness. "What was it like? Did you have fun for a year away from home? Tell me everything!" Topaz finally let go of her.

"It was... alright." She nervously chuckled. "But it's nothing like being back home again." The civet was all too happy to see her best friend again.

"Wow! That's a cool garment." Topaz eyes her friend's neat shirt. "Where did you get it?" Topaz felt the cotton sleeve.

"It's a shirt that I got from someone at Abussa."

"The fabric is soft."

"It's supposed to be." She stuck her tongue out. "Can we do something other than stare at it?"

"Sure! What do you wanna do?" Topaz jumped up.

"We could swim in the river!" Her civet friend exclaimed. The two ran ahead to the Luo River without hesitation. They passed the small open area where the village reached the water and into a thicket of trees. A short path led to the river's waters. The spot was secluded from others wanting to swim or bathe along with those canoeing.

"The secret spot." Topaz whispered and started taking off her necklaces.

"Only if no one sees us." Mazia joked and unclasped her bracelet. Both quickly shed their garments accordingly where they were set aside on a branch. Topaz glanced over but couldn't help herself from staring. Mazia tended to wear necklaces and such most days, plus she had been visiting another village with her father for over a year, but Topaz didn't expect her friend to change so much. The maturing civet was a little stockier than the year before with feminine curves. Two dark buds of flesh that had normally been shadowed by her grey dusted white fur stood out proudly with the surrounding puffy circle of black flesh atop her breasts. "What?" Mazia asked.

"Yours grew so much compared to mine." Topaz cupped one of her friend's maturing breasts. The civet's were literally a handful in the genet's palm and Mazia was only fifteen!

"Yours did too." She pointed out.

"Yeah, but not like yours!"

"Careful! Don't try squeezing them." She stuck her tongue out wearing a humored grin. "They're a little sensitive."

"I know better than that. Yani played that trick on me when I was a little kit."

"What happened?" She tilted her head in question.

"She squirted milk in my eye." Topaz closed one. Mazia dissolved into a bunch of giggles.

"I can't do that! But that sounds like something she would do!"

"She can't do it anymore, and you look like a mother already."

"A mother?" Her voice softened into a whimper.

"You might be one some day." Topaz shrugged and returned her attention to where her hand rested. Unnoticed, the civet's ears folded back against her head in embarrassment from the comment. The genet felt the developing breast. Her friend had changed physically so much in so little time, or maybe she hadn't been paying attention to the subtle differences before she left. The puffy black areola wasn't even there before. It felt so weird that her childhood friend was growing up. "Yep, they're real." Topaz confirmed and retracted her hand.

"Of course they are. Now can we swim?" She set aside her two necklaces and plain copper earrings.

"Sure!" The duo quickly jumped up. "I'll race you!" Mazia challenged her friend and lined up beside her.

"You're on." Topaz looked ahead at the water. The two made a mad dash to the water. Fish scattered at the first sound of many rapid splashes. They laughed as they waded into the cool water. Topaz tripped feeling her leg suddenly seize up. Mazia splashed ahead obliviously. "Ah! My leg is cramping!" Topaz hobbled out of the water. Mazia quickly waded to shore where her friend sat down. "Can you help it?" Topaz whimpered. She looked at her friend's leg with utter confusion.

"I-I don't know how. Lets get you to Den's hut." She scrambled to pick up her friend. "Ugh! You're heavier than you look." Mazia grumbled taking a few shaky steps forward.

"Heavy!?" 'I don't have breasts the size of melons.' She managed to grin despite the pain in her leg.

"Stop squirming!" The civet huffed. Thankfully Den's home was within a stone's throw from where they were swimming. The middle aged brown genet had a talent for setting splints among many other medical things beyond the girls' imaginations. They were still dripping wet when they reached Den's door.

"Den! You here?!" Topaz yelled in Mazia's arms.

"Yes..." They looked over at the side of the front room where the aforementioned male was seated.

"My leg is cramping!" Topaz whined in her friend's arms. The corner of his mouth twitched into a vague grin.

"You're lucky that I am not busy right now." He held his voice low at the dripping wet adolescents standing in his doorway. "Go lie down over there." He pointed to a blanket. Mazia gladly placed her friend down with an exhausted sigh. "Where on your leg?" He knelt beside the antsy female genet.

"Here." She pointed to her calf.

"Roll over." He calmly instructed. Topaz did and felt him massage over the spot. Her toes clenched as he untangled the painful knot in her leg. "You should stop hurting yourself or at least teach yourself to do this." He grumbled rubbing her leg slowly but firmly, targeting the center of her pain. A relaxing sensation gradually set in. Topaz looked up at Mazia with a lopsided grin causing her friend to hold back a chuckle. "Make sure to stretch before you flail in the water like a speared fish." Den finished.

"Can you get my foot too?" Topaz whimpered.

"Is that hurting too?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded. Much to her surprise, the genet brought her foot into his lap and began kneading his thumbs over the pads. 'Got a foot rub from Den!' The genet grinned at her friend who was equally amused.

"I see that you're back from Abussa, Mazia." He looked over at the quiet civet beside Topaz. "I'm assuming that he had plenty of things taken to trade."

"Yeah, he did. It was a lot fun too, but it's good to be back home though."

"There's no place like home." He agreed. Mazia nodded and idly rubbed her tummy. Topaz merely hummed below. "There." Den finished and set her foot down. Topaz rose to her feet and took a few steps.

"Good as new!" She chirped.

"Take it easy for the day. Be your normal wild self tomorrow." The stern male reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah." She sighed with relief and moved her leg. "Thank you for the help Den."

"You're welcome. Now go find your clothes wherever they landed." He pointed at his loincloth and Inkasi skirt hanging by the doorway. The two girls looked themselves over.

"He has a point." Mazia quickly left with Topaz.

"Thanks again!" She called back. The middle aged genet returned to his previous cushion and resumed his work. Topaz and Mazia hurried over to where their clothes were and dressed. "He's stiff as a tree." Topaz chuckled.

"He hasn't changed since I left." The grinning adolescent civet folded her arms. They walked down the little jungle trail to the river's private access. At the trail's end before the embankment they spotted someone crouching on the ground among the cluster of riverside trees. Yani's daughter was sitting on the ground looking at their garments and jewelry. Curious little hands felt over fabric and necklaces alike.

"What are you doing here Illana?" Topaz's sudden voice made the eight year old civet girl jump to her feet.

"Uhh." She guiltily fidgeted with Mazia's skirt around her feet. Topaz's large necklaces hung lowly on her smaller body. "Playing dress up." Topaz chuckled at her silly appearance.

"You're too small for our clothes." Mazia mused.

"Uhh." The little civet looked up at Mazia curiously with a blank stare.

"You remember Mazia don't you?" Topaz put an arm around her friend. The little civet blinked and wiggled her nose. Mazia gave a smile to help jog Illana's memory.

"You got bigger." She touched the adolescent civet's tummy.

"Mazia is growing up just like me." Topaz smiled and looked at her friend only to see her silent and not at all enthusiastic reaction. "We were swimming a little bit ago."

"Can I swim with you two?" She asked.

"Sorry, but I hurt my leg earlier when we ran into the river. Maybe another day." Topaz promised.

"Okay." Illana said in dismay as Topaz and Mazia dressed.

"Come on. We can walk you home." Topaz held the little girl's hand, and all three walked back into the village.

"Why did you leave the village?" Illana asked Mazia.

"My dad stayed there with some relatives and traded. We helped the family with fishing, farming, hunting, and their six festivals."

"Six festivals? Don't they have ten like us?"

"No. Not every village is like Luo." Mazia tried explaining.

"Did the other village make you get tall and big?" Illana innocently asked.

"No." Mazia kept her voice from coldly replying. "I'm just getting older, like Topaz."

"But Topaz didn't change!" She chirped. Mazia looked away.

"You see me everyday Illana." Topaz ruffled the little one's hair. She laughed trying to evade the hand. "There's your mom." The genet spotted Yani not too far away chatting to a friend.

"Bye Topaz. Bye Mazia." She scurried off.

"It's hard to imagine that we were once like that." Topaz nudged her friend.

"Yeah." She forced a grin as they approached Topaz's house.

"Hey mom I'm home!" Topaz stepped inside and took off her skirt. She hung it on a small peg beside her mom's under a shelf. Mazia kept everything on despite being inside.

"You're finally back from helping N'Doru?" Tiranu called back above the sound of something cooking.

"Yes! And you won't believe who I found!" She excitedly replied. The genet mother came into the front room and blinked.

"Well look who is back!" Tiranu beamed a smile at Mazia. "I almost didn't recognize you." They hugged.

"It's nice to see you too ma'am."

"Mazia, you have grown in such a short amount of time into a beautiful young lady." Tiranu complimented the adolescent civet. "You're almost as tall as me!"

"Thank you." She quietly grinned and folded her ears back.

"Do you two need anything?" Tiranu asked, but they collectively shook their heads. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything." The mother pointed out before quickly walking back. The girls sat down on a pair of cushions together. Mazia curled her legs up and held them to her body.

"Aren't you stuffy?" Topaz noticed her friend tugging on the collar of her shirt. Being naked inside the home was a practical thing to do because the tropical climate of Luo was normally hot and humid. Any hint of a breeze caught by the open shutter along the walls was gladly received during a hot day.

"No. I'm fine." She looked away and straightened the fabric. The civet didn't sound or look comfortable.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" The civet shot a glare at her friend before looking away abjectly. An odd moment of silence passed where only the sounds of Tiranu humming and cooking could be heard. Mazia suddenly stood up and approached the door. She appeared flustered with her ears folded back.

"What's wrong?" Topaz asked.

"I need to go help my mom cook." She quietly opened the door. "Sorry." Topaz watched the door close, leaving the front room in silence. She stared ahead in utter dismay. Tiranu entered from the kitchen and noticed the house was missing one guest.

"Where did Mazia go?"

"She had to leave..." Topaz sulked.

"I had so many questions to ask her about Abussa." She stared at the door for a moment. "What's wrong Topaz?" Tiranu sat down beside her daughter.

"I don't know..." The genet stared down at her chest and lap. "We're growing up." Life wasn't about finding time to play anymore. Topaz suddenly found herself in her mother's arms and was effortlessly pulled into her lap.

"Hey that's another reason to enjoy life more." Her mother rocked back and forth with her. The younger genet wanted to be hopeful. Topaz looked at one of her mom's large breasts wondering is she would look like that when she was older. What about the pudgier stomach, and rougher foot pads? Then there was the older voice, health problems... "Is there anything to look forward to after I grow up?" She wondered.

"What makes you say that? You have your entire life to look forward to." Her mother emphasized 'entire.'

"I guess..."

"And no matter how much you grow up, you'll always be my little Topaz." Tiranu kissed her daughter's forehead. The adolescent grinned.

"Thanks mom."

A long ring striped tail slowly twirled above the ground. Slow leisured steps quietly stepped over the forest floor. The humid jungle was the home of Topaz the genet as much as it was for the Inkasi villages like Luo. A tooth designed rock necklace hung around her neck, and a left ear wore her typical red feather earring. A finely made knife hung at her hip, bobbing as she walked. A very plain brown loincloth was tied around her waist as well. She had come back from a walk through one of Luo's hunting trails in the low hills upriver with a group. However, her focus was taken away from the jungle and the upcoming Full Moon festival. Mazia wasn't in the mood to talk for the past two days, and Topaz was concerned. Her friend was usually very open and happy, never aloof or upset.

"I'll go out on the canoe for a while." She thought aloud. "That'll help me relax." It was also a good excuse to get away and pick some fruit. Topaz skirted around sleepy Luo. The village was calm and quiet at the hour with little activity. A middle day nap was not a useless hallmark of many Inkasi villages. The humid jungle heat was difficult to work through during the hottest hours, and little could be done. A breeze was always welcome during the day. Down by a dock, Topaz jumped aboard and freed her canoe before pushing off. Steady paddle strokes brought her into the middle of the river where she floated downstream. She passed by two villagers in a canoe were singing a folk song about a flying fish. 'Mazia's mom always sang that when we were kids.' It helped lift the adolescent's mood. She paddled further downriver and into a quieter place. No one else was canoeing or on the embankment. The peaceful stillness of the wild Inkasi jungle surrounded her. Birds, insects, and frogs loudly filled the air with their natural music. The genet was alone in the jungle once again. Her canoe drifted towards an undisturbed section of land.

"This is perfect." She eagerly tied her vessel to a tree as soon as she bumped into the shore. A pair of footprints were left in the mud as she walked ashore. She slipped her loincloth off and set it aside. Topaz placed her hands on her hips and took a deep inhale. "Let's see if there is a mango tree around here." The genet confidently stepped through the ferns and underbrush. Her feet stirred up colorful moths to flight. She smiled feeling the young palms leaves and greenery brush across her bare fur. Best of all, there was no loincloth to bog her down. The single garment was hardly anything to wear at all but combined with anklets, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, armbands, and everything else... it was freeing to take it all off.

"Hmm." Topaz looked around the canopy before spotting a certain type of tree. She licked her lips and approached a mango tree. Moss and lichens grew along its long and sturdy branches. With predatory instinct, Topaz sought a hanging fruit and quickly found one. The genet crouched, then pounced but missed the dangling morsel. A second jump proved fruitless too.

"Hiyah!" She jumped a third time and successfully plucked the swollen fruit from its lofty perch. Topaz smiled with satisfaction and looked for a nice spot to sit back and eat it. A mossy bank surrounded by grassy plants was the perfect spot. She walked over and sat down in the middle of the foliage. "Perfect!" She ate her snack. The cool ground beneath Topaz made her body tingle. There was something to cherish about peace and quiet in the nude when one could afford to find some.

'No babysitting, sewing, or running errands.' She merrily thought to herself and settled in. "Just me and nature." She spoke in a soft whisper. Her eyes took in the complex canopy above where twisting limbs, vines, and leaves created any entirely different realm above her own. She spotted a chameleon slowly making its way across a nearby branch. The little reptiles were occasionally on the bad end of local folklore, but were usually unharmed. Topaz aimlessly ruffled a hand through the tuft fur on her chest, and watched the chameleon slowly cross the branch where a tasty insect stood unsuspecting.

'Mazia loves chameleons...' Topaz remembered. Her mind drew away from the rainforest and back to her troubles. She wished that she had Mazia to share the time with, but her best friend didn't seem comfortable in her own fur. The genet managed to doze off into a short nap, but that was only a temporary escape from the world.

'Guess it's time to head back.' She stretched and sat up. The young genet slipped away to the riverside with light steps. Topaz tied on her loincloth and hopped into her canoe before pushing off. Her paddle strokes were quiet traveling upstream. A few more people were on the water fishing, or traveling to the opposite bank where a large field rested. Topaz stayed to the shore and reached a dock soon enough. She tied her canoe alongside several others under the shade of a mangrove tree. Several kits were jumping into the river and playing in the water. Loud squeals filled the riverside.

'Maybe Petra can help me out.' The genet thought to herself as she jumped onto the wooden surface. Topaz stepped around a small pile of cloths and headed into the village with confident strides. She wasn't about to give up on her friend yet! The adolescent passed by a house and noticed someone familiar approaching her.

"Hey Kawassi!" She recognized the slim female genet in her twenties, and her husband, a civet of similar age. Kawassi wore a typical zig zag patterned loincloth that draped below her knees. A colorful bandana, earrings, and bracelets also adorned her beautifully spotted body. She had also recently traveled to the capital of the Inkasi Free State for a week with her husband.

"Hey Topaz! It's been a while." They hugged. Her civet husband, Jonah came up with a small sack of rice in hand.

"Hey. How's it going Topaz?" The shy civet grinned.

"What was the capital like?" Topaz immediately asked with a giddy voice.

"Wow." She remarked with wide grey eyes. "The city was something else... I don't know where to begin!" She laughed.

"A city? You mean a really big village."

"Nothing about the city is like a village." Kawassi remarked. "There were so many buildings of different heights; the ground was covered in concrete and another hard material; people wore clothes that covered everything from neck to foot; there were machines called automobiles that rolled fast than running; and I have never seen so many people in one place in my life!" She finished summarizing the spectacular sights.

"The only familiar things we saw were trees, people, and food." Her civet husband joked.

"I've never heard of auto whatever you called them before."

"They're big metal things with wheels that you sit inside." Kawassi's tried explaining. "Then whoever drives it takes you places." Topaz wasn't sure whether to imagine a giant canoe or not. "Oh, and when I was inside one of their larger buildings, and it was freezing cold!"

"Cold?" Topaz hardly believed her ears. That word was not often used in Luo, or most villages for that matter.

"Imagine your ear tips being so cold that you can't feel them! Your toes and pads freeze too. And your nipples are so hard you'd think they had turned into rocks!" She exclaimed. "Oh and speaking of them, you aren't allowed to show them to anyone."

"No one can see them?" Topaz looked at them in confusion.

"You're not allowed to go naked inside your home either. All women must wear a shirt or something inside the city."

"Did you two?"

"Yeah. It wasn't a big deal to us. But before that, a lot of locals stared at us like we had fallen from the sky."

"The Inkasi have beautiful spots though." Topaz chuckled.

"It wasn't because of that. They think being naked is immodest, and means you want sex or something." Topaz wrinkled her nose, puzzled.

"Why do they think that?" They shrugged.

"The capital is less traditional so they seem to forget that they have bodies under their clothes. There's a lot of strife about it from surrounding villages like ours, and more stuff that I heard about."

"There were even some protests when we left." Her husband added. "Nothing violent thankfully."

"The capital sounds like a strange place." She made the married pair laugh.

"We need to hurry up and get to my parent's house or we'll get an earful from my dad." She explained.

"You're mated but you still have to report home to your mom and dad?" Topaz tilted her head curiously.

"Yep!" Kawassi chirped.

"Kassula can turn into stern stone over small things like that." Her husband added. Kawassi's mother, a light sandy furred genet had that reputation among family.

"I have been with her while she has hunted, but your mother has always been nice and happy."

"You weren't raised by her." Kawassi teasingly added. "Things will be different when we move or build a house of our own."

"It was great to see you both." She hugged them.

"We bought a few of their clothes. If you want to look at them come by the house anytime. There's a lot more I can tell you about the capital!"

"Sure thing!"

"Take care till we see you next time." They departed.

'I will not have a curfew when I'm older.' Topaz thought to herself as she went to her friend's home. She hopped up the four front steps and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A voice answered. Topaz opened the door and found Petra's father sitting on a cushion, snapping pea pods into a wooden bowl. Green end pieces were scattered in his naked lap and the floor around him.

"Hello, is Petra home?"

"Ah, yes come in Topaz." The male civet warmly greeted her. "Petra is in the other room." He pointed to the door to the right side of the front room. Most homes in Luo had only three rooms: a front room for eating and visiting; one back room that acted as a bedroom; and another back room that acted as a kitchen. However, larger households sometimes had an extra room or two for accommodating a large or extended family. Topaz hung her loincloth on a peg and walked into the side room. She found her friend in a comical position. Petra was bare of clothing and laying on her front. The thin blanket underneath her was ruffled, indicating plenty of movement. All four of her limbs were stretched out as if she were a soaring bird.

"Hey, Petra-Oh! Were you napping?"

"No." She groaned and stretched, but remained laying on her front. "My old father was laughing his tail off a minute ago."

"Old?" Topaz grinned. "He's around the same age as my parents."

"Old to me." She opened an eye and half grinned. "What brings you by?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Mazia." She sat down as Petra tossed her a cushion.

"Oh yeah. She returned from Abussa." Petra nodded.

"Did you see her?"

"Only for a little while the other evening. I was coming home with my dad from the fields across the river when Mazia was going to the river."

"Did she act different?"

"I don't know. I mean, she was definitely older but we only talked briefly. How was she different around you?"

"At first, everything was fine. We talked and decided to swim because it's hot in the afternoon, and we just wanted to do something together. But Mazia didn't talk a lot after we swam. When she came to my house, she looked at the floor, and didn't remove her clothes and relax or anything. Then she suddenly left."

"So what? She isn't a kit meant to be running around naked." Petra found it silly.

"I know, but she's... different." Topaz frowned. "We were inside after all."

"I guess that is a little odd... She's never introverted. Why is she so reserved and quiet now? Did someone do something to her in that village?"

"She didn't say..." Topaz hoped that no one made fun of her friend. An epiphany suddenly hit her. "I think it's because of her chest."

"Huh? What's wrong with her chest?"

"She doesn't like that it's large."

"So? Your mom has large breasts. Plenty of other ladies do too." The civet pointed out.

"She has more body fat, and I was always a hungry kit." Topaz grinned.

"I can see she needed both just for you." Petra chuckled as her friend rolled her eyes. "Do you really think that's what's upsetting her so much? The villagers kept thinking she was older, like a mother?"

"Yes! Mazia was so stiff around the house. She wouldn't take off that shirt or her skirt. Her body must have been roasting under that heat!"

"That can't be the only reason."

"Then it's her whole body."

"She's growing into an adult... So why does it bother her? You should be worried about not growing up already." She nodded to her friend's increasing height, budding breasts, and longer hair.

"Me? What about you? You're the same as me." Topaz pointed at the civet accusingly.

"What? I have short hair and-" Petra's face turned into a cute frown as she rolled to her side and looked at her chest. They were identical there for now. "Whatever." She dismissed it. "So what will we do to cheer up Mazia?"

"We should do something to help cheer her up." Topaz thought aloud in agreement.

"What do you have in mind?" She place her chin in a hand.

"Uh... I don't have anything yet." Topaz rested her chin in her hand as well. The two girls thought for a moment. "Should we just confront her about why she's acting so strange?"

"We can talk to her like we always do as friends. Maybe that will work."

"I hope so." The genet looked at the shutters where a gecko quickly darted to the safety of a tree limb.

Chapter IV

A fifteen year old civet quietly approached a tree that she used to climb as a kid. The bark was worn where hands and feet once roamed to climb. Her hand touched the trunk and a lingering vine.

'It wasn't that long ago.' Mazia thought to herself and stepped away from the tree. The laughter of a few kits playing nearby only saddened her further. 'One day I was a kit, and now I'm suddenly an adult.' She didn't like the new changes that her body was undergoing so quickly. 'Why do I have big thighs?' She frowned. 'A big chest...' The civet added. "I feel so old for fifteen." She sullenly sighed and worried that it would only get worse.

The sound of someone hollowing out a canoe nearby hummed in her ears like a tiny drum. A few testing notes were hit on a hand drum too. Luo was preparing for its Full Moon festival only a few days away. Despite the impending excitement and fun, Mazia only felt nervous inside. 'How am I going to handle the festival?' She worried about everyone staring at her.

Unbeknownst to the sad civet, two people were approaching her from the nearby houses.

"Mazia!"

"Huh?!" She whipped around and found Topaz and Petra walking towards her.

"Hey!" The bubbly genet beamed a fresh smile at her lifelong friend.

"Oh. Hi Topaz." Mazia mustered a grin and hoped to forget about her problems for a while. "Hey Petra." She greeted the calmer civet.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Oh. Just uh... I was sitting for a while earlier and I wanted to walk around."

"Wanna go running through the field like we did when we were kids? Nothing but the sun on our fur." Topaz tempted her friend.

"We're not little kids anymore Topaz. You can't just prance around naked until our parents find us."

'I still do.' Topaz held her tongue. "Oh come on! We used to run and play in the field together. We'd search for flowers to smell and pick, and then we would get into trouble with our parents."

"That was years ago." Mazia dismissed her.

"Then why not spend the night over at my house? The three of us." She offered. Mazia's fidgeted and her lips pursed tightly as if the air around her was suffocating. Petra pulled Topaz closer.

"You're trying a little too hard." She whispered discretely.

"Sorry..."

"How about getting some stuff ready for the Full Moon Festival?" Petra suggested.

"I don't know if I'll go..." She stared at the ground. Topaz and Petra looked at each other worriedly. It wasn't like their friend to miss out on a festival, even if it was a minor one.

"Tell us what's wrong."

"What's wrong?" Mazia frowned. "Nothing is wrong!"

"You're our friend, and we're concerned." Petra spoke up. "Something is wrong."

"She is right Mazia." Topaz stepped up. "You're normally playful and very kind, but you haven't been yourself since visiting Abussa. You've changed."

"Changed? I look older than what I really am! I'm big here." She clutched her shirt. "And here." Her other hand rested on her hip. "I am not a kid anymore!"

"Everyone grows older." Petra interjected. "It's perfectly normal. All of our mothers have gone through what we are going through right now."

"But I already look like someone's mother!" Mazia balled up her fists. "Everyone in Abussa thought I was one. Even you stared at me!" She angrily pointed a black claw at her friend. Topaz stepped forward and hugged Mazia tightly, much to the younger civet's surprise.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen you in so long!" She bemoaned. "Civets are stockier, so you'll grow into a lady faster, right Petra?" The quieter civet nodded.

"I know... But with everyone staring at me I thought I was an ugly tree or something. I didn't feel like a person!" She swatted a few leaves and pinned her ears back. "I grew up too fast." Topaz undid the embrace.

"It isn't bad. You'll get used to it and help us when we finish growing up."

"Yeah. When someone hugs you, your chest will be accustomed to the squish." Petra hugged herself tightly to demonstrate.

"Then you'll want to marry someone and start a family..." Topaz added, wistfully thinking about her own future for a moment. Mazia looked down at her black furred feet and anklet guiltily.

"You're both older than me... This isn't going to change."

"So? I don't care how old our bodies become, we will still be friends." Topaz proudly declared. Mazia turned away and closed her eyes in frustration. Topaz reached out but Petra placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on. Let's go." Petra nudged her away. The genet hesitated for a moment before leaving Mazia in peace. She dragged her feet behind Petra along the edge of the village. "Don't feel bad. We tried talking to her." The civet tried cheering her up.

"I know," Topaz huffed, "but this isn't good."

"I'm sure that we'll think of something." Petra thought aloud. Topaz stared at the worn ground where so many people walked every day.

"Wait a sec... I can ask Lady Amasi's older sister for some guidance!" She perked up and snapped her fingers.

"Who?" Petra's head tilted.

"I remember my dad telling me when I was younger that her sister was a shaman."

"A shaman?" Petra confusedly replied.

"They help give advice and stuff. Come on," she tugged Petra along, "we have to at least try for Mazia!"

"Okay then." She followed Topaz. A quick search brought them to an old house bordering the jungle and village. Shrubs and ferns divided it from the nearest houses. Palm trees hung over the pointed roof as if to camouflage the structure. Plenty of wildflowers and medicinal plants grew in the space in front of the lonely dwelling.

'It feels like I'm in the middle of the jungle.' Topaz thought to herself. Above its three front steps, the door was open.

"Spooky..." Petra folded her arms.

"Come on. We're doing this for Mazia." Topaz led her friend forward. The wood creaked as they entered the dim space. The shaman was sitting on a cushion inside the one room building. Several shaved sticks with markings, and small bones occupied her attention on the floor. The one room building was very simple, matching the ascetic lifestyle that a shaman lived. A stockpile of vegetables and grains were stored in a corner. Several blankets on a mat created a bed. There were few clothes and personal items hanging on the back wall either. There was no kitchen either, because shamans cooked and ate outside. The only item on her body was a large simple necklace of wood that hung to her lap. The elder female wasn't pudgy like her younger sister, Lady Amasi. The old female was very thin. Even though she had a thin frame, her body couldn't escape sagging skin that came with advanced age.

"Hey, are you Lady Amasi's sister?" Topaz blurted out.

"That's no way to greet-" Topaz elbowed Petra. The old genet looked up at the two sudden visitors she had.

"Hello. Yes, I am her sister." She slowly spoke with a smile. "My name is Malwecho. Please sit down if you like." She offered. Petra and Topaz grabbed a cushion apiece and didn't even bother removing their loincloths. "What brings two young visitors by my humble home such as yourselves?" She kindly grinned, revealing several missing teeth in her maw. They quickly sat down.

"Ok..." Topaz took a breath. "Our friend hasn't been herself lately." She looked at Petra who gave an affirmative nod. "She traveled to Abussa with her parents for a year. Now she's fifteen and maturing like us, but she doesn't like it."

"It's like she is afraid of her own body." Petra added. "It's frustrating."

"How so?" Malwecho asked.

"She's shy and quiet." Topaz started. "She wears a shirt now, no matter how hot it is. We're worried about her."

"Let me consult the ancient ones." She gathered the sticks together. Topaz glanced up at a series of masks hanging on the back wall and wondered if the elder was going to talk to them. The old genet didn't leave her seat and instead organized the animal bones into a square. She then mumbled some sort of chant to herself and began separating the shaved sticks using her fingers. The odd ritual perplexed both youths.

"What is she doing?" Petra muttered under her breath. Topaz shrugged. The two curiously watched Malwecho finish dividing the sticks. A knowing expression overcame her face. She stopped humming to herself too.

"Ah... Water." She finally straightened her back and looked at them.

"Water?"

"Are you thirsty?" Petra readied herself to get some.

"No." She kindly smiled and raised a hand. "The image I have received is two waters, or a river."

"But what can we do to help?"

"Nothing." Malwecho simply answered.

"Do... Nothing?" Topaz could hardly believe her final answer. The young genet slouched forward in resignation. 'All this for nothing?'

"You must let the river run its course." The shaman explained. "No one can change its course. Yes, there may be rocks and rapids in one section. It's normal to feel upset when your body first matures as an adolescent into a young adult. But the waters will calm themselves." Topaz and Petra looked at each other blankly.

Mazia crept through the village during the night. Her footsteps scarcely overturned a stock or a leaf. The civet returned to a quiet spot along the Luo river. Frogs and crickets were already filling the air with sweet tranquil tunes along the river's shore. Mazia quietly walked to the river's edge through a small grove. Since she began to physically mature the adolescent preferred to bathe by herself. It was beyond embarrassing for the adolescent when an infant in Abussa confused her for its mother. She sighed with relief that no one else was around and began to disrobe. Bracelets, a necklace, and two anklets came off first followed by her zigzag patterned skirt. With a little internal encouragement, her shirt was pulled off last. Mazia looked down at her body with contempt. She lifted both breasts with her hands, and there was a fair amount to lift.

"They hang... Droop. Stoop." She made herself grin only to frown once again. Her chest was once flat, but now she bore wide, puffy areolae and thick nipples that pointed somewhere between the ground and straight ahead. Civets tended to be shorter and stockier, and Mazia had plenty of curves. She traced over her wide hips, pudgy stomach, and thicker thighs. Even if her curves were normal, the civet didn't feel comfortable about them. Mazia sat down on a fallen log and thought for a while. The moon shined with full force above, illuminating the water like opal or silver.

'Maybe they're right.' She stared at the river's quiet shore. 'I might look like a mother, but I'm still me.' She confidently told herself. Her ear flicked hearing footsteps behind her. Mazia swiftly grabbed her shirt and turned around to see a figure standing behind her. "Oh. It's you Malech." She inwardly sighed. Malech was a civet with the same colorations as her. He was seventeen, two years older than her, and of average height.

"Sorry if I startled you." He apologized.

"You're fine. What are you doing out here so late?"

"To... uh, swim for a while. What about you?" His answer made her fidget. Mazia didn't want to turn back and head home just because of one person at night.

"I was about to take a dip in the river too." She admitted.

"Cool." He grinned and disrobed. His loincloth and two armbands were placed beside her garments. An awkward moment of silence passed as the two adolescents stared at each other. Mazia didn't feel so comfortable about swimming anymore. "I like your spots." Malech admired Mazia's uncovered back in the partial light.

"Oh," she arched her back and sat up straight, "uh thank you." Her ears shyly pinned back as she clutched her shirt to her stomach, hoping he wouldn't gawk at her chest.

"So... Do you want to swim together?" He shyly asked and took a half step forward. Mazia looked up seeing that he was grinning and staring at her face, not her breasts.

"Oh. Sure! I mean... that's why I'm here." She returned the friendly smile and stood up from her seat. Mazia set her shirt aside but kept her chest covered with her arms. He walked alongside her and they waded into the river together. "The water is still warm" She loosened her arms and waded up to her waist.

"You'll have to take a plunge." Malech lunged out with a loud splash, and sunk to his neck. The female civet nibbled her lip and sunk to her neck with a light shudder.

'A little cooler than I thought...' She slowly swam out towards him, feeling the water envelop her body. 'At least I'm underwater for the most part.' Mazia stopped where her toes still reached the silty river bottom. The bashful adolescent quickly rubbed through her fur.

"I thought you were swimming?" Malech drew laps around the timid civet.

"I'm relaxing first." Mazia silently hoped that he didn't know she was cleaning her fur. Her hands made quick work until she was satisfied. 'Done...' The female civet sighed with relief. Her ears perked up at the lack of sound. She looked up and found the soaked Malech staring at her. A happy grin was entrenched along his black muzzle. "Why are you so excited?" Mazia defensively asked.

"I thought you were swimming. Your head is still dry."

"I am!" She exclaimed at the male's odd grin. He stuck his tongue out and jumped back into the water. Mazia felt her cheeks warm briefly. She dipped underwater for a brief moment and resurfaced. She shook the excess water away only to find herself alone. 'Where did he-' The water moved as a shape rose from the water's surface.

"Boo!" Malech spit water over her head.

"Ah!" Mazia splashed him out of instinct. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Okay! I'm sorry." He backed away. Malech swam and floated around close to shore instead.

"Why am I in such a testy mood?" She sunk to her nose and blew bubbles in the water. 'They almost float to the top!' She crossly folded an arm over her chest. 'It' s dark... It's okay.' The adolescent told herself and loosened up before swimming out to Malech. The male was floating on his back at the moment.

"Hey, uh-"

"Sorry for snapping like that." Mazia quickly spoke. "I've... It's been a long time since I've been home. I'm adjusting." Her ears pinned back against her skull.

"Oh. Well... It's great that you're back." He grinned.

"Thanks." She softly answered. A brief silence passed between them with only the sound of water and insects to hear.

"Let's swim then." He offered. Mazia nodded, and the two young civets headed off side by side without hurry. "So what was it like staying in Abussa for a whole year?"

"Ok... I guess..." She plainly spoke. "It's a lot like Luo."

"What did you and your family do there?"

"We visited relatives and stayed in a large house with my uncle and aunt. Absolutely no privacy there."

"I can Imagine."

"We traded some things that we brought, and helped them farm." Mazia didn't include the embarrassing parts where she had trouble with her body maturing. "So what happened in Luo while I was gone?"

"Hmm..." He floated on his back for a moment in thought. "Not a whole lot. My dad is letting me practice shooting with his rifle. He says it's good to know how to use a firearm."

"That's pretty cool. I know that my dad wouldn't teach me that."

"Then there's the ten festivals that happen every year. Just another year passed." He summed up. Mazia nodded and stared up at the night sky. "Hey. There are some rocks here." Malech turned to the shore and clambered up onto a stone. Mazia watched him quickly pose before jumping back into the water with a loud splash.

"You're crazy." She softly smiled as he resurfaced.

"Why don't you be crazy with me and jump too?" He wiped the water from his face. Mazia wiggled her nose and waded towards the rock. A childish giddiness that she hadn't felt in a long time urged her forward. The female civet lifted herself onto the flat stone and looked around the isolated space nervously.

'How did he get me up here-?' She jumped when Malech suddenly whistled at her. "Stop!" She bashfully fretted before jumping in. She rose up and shook the water off her head only to hear clapping.

"That was a perfect splash!" He smiled.

"Thanks." She coughed out some water and laughed.

"Let's jump off together." Malech grasped her hand.

"What? She blinked as he led her back. "Are you serious?" Mazia hesitated when she touched the rocks.

"It'll be fun." The adventurous male climbed first. Mazia looked up at the naked male in the dappled moonlight and felt her cheeks blush. She hastily climbed up to him. They had to press tightly together on the small stone platform.

"I might slip!" She stood firm.

"Then jump!" An arm wrapped around her. Mazia gasped and briefly screamed before they plunged into the river together. The civets resurfaced and spat water out.

"You might wake up the village with a scream like that." Malech chuckled.

"At least give me a warning next time." She wiped the hair away from her face. Malech beamed a smile back at her. They climbed the rock and jumped off a few more times together before lazily wading back down to their shoreline.

"That was a lot of fun." Mazia touched the muddy river bottom with her foot. Malech held a low branch up for her to cross under.

"Yeah. It was." He agreed and over eagerly swam up to her side.

"Hm?" She felt his leg brush against her leg.

"Oops. Sorry." Malech bashfully backed away.

"It's fine." She waded alongside him to the shore. Her skin tingled from the accidental contact, but it felt divine.

"So, uh... Wanna watch the night sky for a little bit?" Malech stopped in a few inches of water.

"Okay... Where do you want to sit?" She looked around.

"How about here?" He pointed to a spot just before dry land. They sat down in an inch of water in the cool silt used to help grow numerous local crops. Droplets of water fell from their wet fur like rain. Their lower legs hid beneath the water and only their clawed toes peeked above the water's surface in the deeper section. The quiet sound of droplets falling into the water below gradually softened to an occasional drip. Both civets stared up at the glittering starlight. The soft thrumming of crickets and other insects soothed the air.

"It's beautiful and quiet out here at night."

"Yeah, it's really nice." She agreed. For once in over a year, Mazia didn't think about how she looked to someone else. She leaned back onto her hands and relaxed. Malech did the same, but his hand touched hers. Mazia looked over at him.

"Oh. Sorry-" He started to back away.

"No! It's okay." She bashfully blurted out. Both of their ears folded back as their gazes returned to the water. Her foot leaned over and touched him, and he didn't shy away.

"So... Do you want to meet here again another night?" He fidgeted.

"Again?" Mazia dumbly asked feeling her heart flutter. An awkward moment of silence passed between the two adolescents.

"I mean if you don't want-"

"Yes!" She blurted out. "I'd like to." Mazia calmly finished. 'Maybe things will be alright.' She found herself grinning alongside Malech. Everything felt better for the moment, and she certainly did not want that to change.

In the main room of the Musavaka house Topaz's mother and half a dozen other females around her age were trying on breech cloths, dressing, and stylizing pieces of jewelry for the night of festivities. Every minute or so there was a round of laughter as the middle aged females gossiped, joked, and told stories of recent news.

"Tiranu, where is your husband at?" Mazia's mom asked.

"He's helping a few of his friends cooking for the festival." She carried a few beaded necklaces back to the circle and knelt down behind a young genet named Raina. "How about these three?" Tiranu placed them over Raina's head. The short genet gently shook her shoulders to make the beads clack.

"They're perfect for dancing." She admired the colorful beads.

"They look perfect on you." Tiranu, Topaz's mom, cooed and rubbed a few beads in her hands. "I think I'll try something wooden like them." She placed a hand on the younger female's back and started to returned to a cushion beside her. But she stopped.

"Your fur is so soft too!" Her hand lightly rubbed the fur between Raina's shoulder blades.

"Thank you! My sister, Lady Khama, and a few friends went swimming together in the river yesterday. Oh, it was so much fun. Then we quickly bathed and our fur dried as we walked back to my house to groom each other." On the opposite side of the circle, Lady Khama chuckled as she tried on another pair of anklets. The pudgy civet was a year and a half shy of the silver age of fifty. Long brown hair draped down to the base of her tail. Two modest braids with yellow feathers draped over her well rounded breasts.

"I never laughed so much when we ran through the village dripping wet! We almost forgot our clothes by the river."

"How many times have we forgotten that with age?" Tessibu, an older genet in her fifties grinned. She was the oldest in the group, but so full of life and clearly full of gossip. Her dark brown and lighter brown undertones were ticked with silver. Several beaded necklaces hung around her neck. Two large feathers adorned her short hair, and a tasseled loincloth with intricate zigzag patterns was folded in her lap. She was ready for the festival.

"More than we can remember." Lady Khama laughed as she tried on a skirt next.

"How do these earrings look, Tiranu?" Mazia's mom asked. The little white feathers hung attached to copper rings.

"I like them!"

"Did y'all hear that a snake got into Lady Amasi's house?" Tessibu mentioned.

"No. Is she alright?"

"Yes. Luckily Nabooru saw and killed it."

"It must've snuck in through the shutters. I heard that she never closes them, even during a rainstorm."

"I live close to her and heard the lady scream. I can only imagine how close it snuck up on her."

"You always have to be on the lookout for snakes." Bes nodded.

"Tessibu always knows everything about someone." Raina whispered to Tiranu.

"I heard that!" The old genet piped up. "I just like to know everything about everyone." She grinned.

"We all know to find you for the latest news." Raina acknowledged. "Has anyone seen Mevla's son recently?"

"He just turned two I think."

"Yep! Speaking any new word that he hears."

"He has his mother's spots!" Mazia's mom giddily spoke and nearly dropped her hand drum.

"He rarely cries too."

"The little guy is energetic and so curious." Raina mentioned. "And always playing with something. Mevla visited my house a few days ago. I was all relaxed in bed and asked him if he wanted to cuddle. The little guy crawled up into my arms and laid back with me." A round of 'Aww' passed through the room.

"We can't keep up with a toddler, even if all of us teamed up together."

"Raising one is difficult enough." Mazia's mother added.

"Try three." Lady Khama tapped her tummy. "It will show."

"Things only hang lower." Tiranu added. "My necklace doesn't hang lower than my breasts anymore."

"Pick a larger one." Another joked.

"You know you're aging when your breasts rest all over your husband when you sleep." All of the older females nodded to that.

"Or when they sag..." Lady Khama added.

"Raina and Bas will figure all of this out soon enough." Tessibu looked at the two younger ladies teasingly. A quiet moment passed where all of the ladies made their final decisions on what to wear. Some started to stand up and practice a few dance moves to ensure everything behaved normally.

"You're suddenly silent Bas." Lady Khama noticed. "Is everything alright?"

"I suppose..." The young civet fiddled with an anklet on her right foot.

"You can tell us." The older dark grey and sliver civet placed a consoling hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Well... I need to ask you something." Nervousness was evident in her voice. "About my feet." Lady Khama looked at the civet's foot.

"They look very soft and clean." She noticed the supple padding.

"Thank you... but my husband Mkobo likes them." Bas stretched her legs out and looked at her black socked feet. She was a younger grey female civet in her late twenties, like Raina. For the Full Moon festival she wore two bronze bracelets, a long decorative loincloth, a turquoise anklet, and two feathered necklaces.

"What's so special about them?" Lady Khama asked.

"I don't know but whenever I've been in the fields or walking outside enough to dirty them, he will ready a washcloth or even a bucket of water to clean them."

"He is probably just a very clean person."

"No. He clearly enjoys washing them. Sometimes he will rub them at night when we're in bed."

"How do you know he enjoys it?"

"When he was washing them the other day I noticed his loincloth was tenting."

"Oh. I guess that's not by accident."

"I mean, I don't mind if he does it!" She bashfully interrupted. "I enjoy it too. Is that okay?"

"If you both enjoy it then there's nothing wrong." Tessibu answered with a grin. Bas shyly looked away with a relieved grin.

"A loincloth doesn't hide a male's excitement very well." Lady Khama chuckled. "But at least everything is covered."

"You can't ask for much more." Topaz's mom heartily agreed.

"You know why males don't cross their legs like us?" Mazia's mom grinned.

"So they won't squish what is between their legs." One smartly answered. A round of laughter passed throughout the room, even from another room. The door to the bedroom opened as a young genet stepped into the main room. She wore a long loincloth with green and blue stripe patterns. The beautiful spots along her legs and back were visible for all to see. A headband kept her long hair out of her eyes. She donned metal and beaded bracelets along with beaded necklaces looped under her arms.

"Where are you going Topaz?" The adolescent heard her mother's voice through the fray of cackling voices.

"I have my other things at Mazia's house." The steps she took made the two bells attached to her loincloth jingle.

"Don't linger there too long. The festival is about to start."

"We won't!"

"You look beautiful Topaz." Mazia's mom smiled.

"Thank you Mrs. Durani." Topaz sheepishly grinned.

"Careful Tiranu, she will catch many wandering eyes tonight." Another added. Talk of times when the ladies were younger quickly erupted as Topaz quietly slipped outside.

"Outta there." She grinned and hopped down the front steps. 'It's only good gossip if I'm with my friends.' She thought to herself and quickly made her way through Luo. Torches were already being lit as the evening drew to a close. The smells of fruits, and meats being cooked in open fires filled the air with tantalizing aromas. Drummers were already gathered in the village's center with a good chunk of villagers. Old chopped stalks of grain were tied to their shins and wrists in accordance to traditional dress. That included a very plain loincloth. Others were elaborately dressed like the females back at her house. Colorful bandanas, loincloths, feathers, as well as jewelry were worn by all. Even a few toddlers were dressed for the occasion.

'This is so exciting!' She hurried by a few more houses to the Durani household. Topaz jumped to the top step in a single bound. A knock on the door was quickly met with a smiling civet on the other side.

"Hey! You finally made it Topaz!" A cheerful Petra exclaimed. "Get in here!" Her friend was dressed up for the festival as well. Two layers of feathers lined her dot patterned loincloth; metal bracelets adorned her wrists; and a simple beaded anklet resting atop her left foot. In the back of the room Topaz spotted her other best friend trying on a pair of turquoise earrings. Mazia wasn't wearing an Inkasi skirt, but a draping loincloth that only covered between her legs and rear. Her beautifully black striped and spotted legs were visible for all villagers to see.

"I think our plan worked." Topaz whispered to Petra, noting Mazia's more positive attitude. Their friend was more relaxed and back to her old self again. She wasn't self conscious about disrobing inside anymore and there were a few days where she wouldn't wear the blue shirt at all.

"Hey! You finally made it!" The civet flashed Topaz a smile. "Where were you?" Mazia inquired.

"Stuck at home for a while, overhearing everything that our mothers talked about."

"That had to be an earful."

"Was my mom there?" Petra asked.

"Nope."

"Oh. She must be getting ready with my dad then."

"So are you two ready?"

"Just about!" Petra chirped.

"Alrigh-Ah!" Topaz jumped.

"What?" Her friend's ears perked up.

"I bit my tongue!" She sorely spoke.

"Hey, at least the full moon festival is almost here." Petra cheered up her friend.

"It is here!" Topaz excitedly rubbed her hands together.

'Not till it starts at night.' Petra shrugged and looked up at the canopy through the open shutters.

"How do I look?" Mazia approached them. The turquoise matched her bracelets and a string of beads around her waist. Her long brown breech cloth had yellow and white triangular patterns along its side and front piece.

"Beautiful!" Topaz exclaimed.

"A lot better than me." Petra smiled. The civet's heart buzzed warmly from their compliments.

"Please tell me that you're going to dance." Topaz wiggled her hips side to side as if to demonstrate.

"I might when no one is looking." She stuck her tongue out for a second. "This will be one of the few days I don't wear a lucky shirt." Mazia pulled the blue fabric over her head revealing her upper body.

"Good! You'd burn up wearing that." Topaz shook her chest to rattle the necklaces on her upper body. They merrily clacked together in a wooden tune. "And don't shake your chest too hard while you're dancing Mazia. You just might knock someone down." The genet grinned tapping her friend's side with her long tail.

"Don't trip me with that long tail of yours." She playfully swatted the genet tail away.

"It looks like both of you will knock me down." Petra giggled.

"Like my mom always says: it isn't dancing unless you're bumping into someone else." Topaz started gleefully shaking her upper body again.

"Now you're sounding like my mom." Mazia stepped back to adjust the feather earring.

"Aren't best friends supposed to act like second moms?"

"Ugh." Mazia feigned disappointment before giggling. Topaz grinned and started bumping into Mazia again.

"Put a little dip in your hip... Put some glide into your stride." All three laughed. "I'm glad to have you back Mazia." Topaz leaned on her friend.

"I was only gone for a year." Mazia placed an arm around the genet.

'It felt much longer than a year.' She thought to herself. The loud beating of a drum startled everyone.

"Are you two going to hug all night?" Petra stood by the door. "Everything is about to start."

"Ready!" Mazia checked herself over.

"Wait! Where did I put my hand drum?" Topaz quickly looked around the room.

"What's it look like?"

"It has three feathers attached to it by leather string. There were red and green paw prints on it." Her friends shrugged.

"I don't remember you leaving a hand drum here." Mazia flicked her tail.

"I must have forgot it at my house!" She suddenly realized.

"Don't worry about. Let's go."

"No. I want to drum when everything starts." Topaz promptly left. "I'll see you two shortly!" Mazia and Petra shrugged as their friend departed. Topaz hurried across the village to her house. Everyone else was already crowding into the center of the village, and the genet had to constantly weave by crowds of people. She passed by the group of females and her mom.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Her mother called out.

"I'm getting my drum! I forgot it!" The adolescent hurried back to her house. The empty front room was surprisingly tidy after several females crowded it earlier. "Drum, drum, drum..." Topaz searched throughout the house and found it at the foot of the bed. 'Why did you end up there?' The genet frowned at the hand item. She retied the small bells to her waist and wiggled her hips. Little rings jingled gleefully. Several booming drums alerted her. 'I'm coming!' She knew the introductions were wrapping up and quickly left her house. Singing and the pounding of drums and singing echoed throughout Luo. Topaz returned to the center of the village and found the celebration underway. Hundreds of villagers were celebrating throughout Luo's center. The arrays of colors was more stunning than a myriad of rainbows. Her friends and their friends and family were all scattered throughout the large crowd. Even her parents and their friends were already dancing near a small side fire.

"You made it back!" Petra waved to catch her attention. "And just in time."

"Yeah... Barely!" She caught her breath and held up the hand drum. "Where did Mazia go?"

"I don't know." The civet shrugged. "I saw her run into the middle." Topaz was relieved that their friend Mazia hadn't stayed to the side from nerves. In the center of it all was a bonfire. Giant colorful drums were carried on someone's back while another behind beat them. A group of older females began chanting in tune with the music:

Cho-so-ka

Supi-du-ha-ru-ne

Soo-lo-wai-ee-nay!

Man-ja-ne

Ka-so-ne

Soo-lo-wai-ee-nay!

Chueri-no-saja-ne

Ha-ba-ma

He-o-wai-ee-may!

The music and happiness spurred her into action.

"Let's dance! Let's dance!" Topaz tugged Petra into the crowd. The genet danced and let the music guide her. Every stride, hop, and beat was met in rhythm with the crowd and music. An occasional bump into someone else was usually met with laughter or a smile. A hand suddenly seized her shoulder.

"Look!" Petra had to yell for Topaz to hear her. She saw Mazia dancing with Malech. Both were jumping around together, enjoying every moment of the music. The adolescent genet couldn't have had a better festival. Loincloths twirled and flapped while necklaces and jewelry bounced; the music was gleeful; and everyone in Luo was happy. What a time to be alive.

A blur of brown fur and black spots rustled a large palm leaf. Topaz hurried through the jungle trail at a breaking speed.

'I hope that I'm not late!' She jumped over a fallen branch. Remembering a hunting trip with Chona and a group was hard when Topaz had to deal with a festival and Mazia being upset. The rifle on her shoulder bounced as she ran. The eager genet finally burst into a little clearing in the rainforest where a few others were waiting.

"Hey!" Topaz skidded to a halt and caught her breath. "I'm here!"

"It's about time that you showed up." Chona grinned.

"Now if only Kassula would hurry relieving herself." Tamba, the male civet standing close to Chona muttered. Tamba was older than them, having just turned thirty during the current season's start. Standing beside him was Chona's father, Ulandi Madora. The father's height and strength was impressive, not to mention a handsome appearance that he passed down to his son.

"It's nice to see you Topaz." The father warmly grinned.

"Glad to be here." Her eyes glanced at Chona. "So, uh what are we hunting?"

"A peafowl or wild pig would be nice." Tamba admitted.

"Better than hunting for monkeys." Chona murmured to Topaz.

"Why do I have to bring my rifle then?" She motioned to his spear, and the others' bows.

"In case we run into an elephant." He teased.

"No one has seen an elephant around Luo in decades." Topaz frowned. Ulandi raised a hand for peace.

"Some villages are restless and looking for conflict." He turned to his side and showed a similar bolt action rifle strapped alongside the quiver on his back

"Restless? What for?"

"I have heard that a few in the north are distasteful about how the capital has handled the Free State's affairs.

"Everyone here?" An older female voice interjected. Everyone looked up as Kassula approached them with a bow in hand.

"Yes." The four voices resounded. She was a middle aged rustic golden furred genet. Despite the female's age, her muscles were taught and well conditioned to hunt in the rainforest. A plain loincloth and necklace were the only items she wore, other than the quiver on her back. The basic wear gave her a more natural beauty.

"Okay. Who is going in which group?" Kassula stopped by a large tree and asked.

"How many groups can we have? There's only five of us." Ulandi stated.

"We'll do two then..." The eldest thought for a moment. "Topaz and I can be one group." She placed a hand on the adolescent's shoulder. "You three can be the other group."

'Drat!' Topaz muttered under her breath. Kassula was the oldest with the most experience, so no one argued. She watched in disdain as Ulandi, Chona, and Tamba quietly walked into one trail heading towards the river. Chona shrugged at Topaz with an optimistic grin before disappearing behind a leafy palm tree.

"Ready Topaz?" Kassula asked.

"Oh... Yes!" She hastily followed the older female into the dense jungle. 'Why couldn't I have been with Chona?' The adolescent frowned. The path they used was no wider than a foot or two with leaves, branches, and other plants obscuring most of the way. The loud sounds of birds high above them seemed to accompany the duo every step through the trail.

"I think," Kassula whispered, "we will be hunting for a bird." Topaz nodded and flicked her ears. There were plenty all around them, but that didn't make it easy.

**

Topaz halted. A hand tapped her to sit and be still. She fidgeted with the strap to her rifle and watched Kassula quietly stalk ahead.

'I hope she catches this one.' She could barely make out something in the canopy. Since the morning began Kassula already tried twice, but their feathered prey managed to slip away just in time. After lying in wait for more than an hour since their last attempt, Topaz was ready to catch something. The older genet paused and turned slightly. Her gaze was set on the canopy above. Topaz held her breath as an arrow was notched. She took aim and drew back before letting the arrow loose. Kassula's expression fell and she relaxed her body. "No luck this time either." She looked back and sheepishly grinned at Topaz. The younger genet shrugged. "I guess we can call it a day. It's almost noon." Kassula stood up. Topaz rose to her feet and followed the rustic gold genet through the jungle.

"Oops!" Kassula hopped over the ground. "Almost stepped into a hole." She checked her ankle before resuming their walk. "I hurt my foot once already, and now I'm worried it will happen again."

"What happened back then?"

"I hurt it. Den told me to stay off it for a few days and everything was fine... I remember a few years ago when I was-"

"Younger?" Topaz guessed.

"Yes. When I was your age without the silver appearing around my muzzle and tail." She chuckled. "I never worried about getting hurt."

"Do you ever feel older?"

"No, not really." She shook her head. "My body feels the same as it did around your age. Although, it's more noticeable now when I crouch down and lean forward to hunt."

"That's normal."

"You'd be surprised to hear that Tessibu tells me that I can stop it."

"Really? How?"

"I don't believe her because I talked to Den about it, and he knows how the body works. But she keeps telling me to stop bending over." Kassula chuckled and quickly demonstrated. "As if that would stop anything!" The older female stood upright with her hands on her hips.

"As long as I don't kick mine when I'm older." Topaz made Kassula laugh loudly.

"I guess that's all females like us can hope for!" She exclaimed between laughs. "Goodness. Do you want to sit by the creek near here?"

"Sure. It's humid." Topaz remarked about the approaching midday heat. The pair located the trickling water shortly. They sat down among the ferns and dipped their feet into the cool shallow waters.

"Ahh. It's not so bad that we didn't catch anything now." Kassula sighed. The older female laid back contently. Topaz relaxed and looked at the jungle around them. Dragonflies, little birds, and other minuscule insects paraded throughout the flora.

'Looks like the only things around us can't be eaten.' She half grinned.

"I really love your earring Topaz. The feather is a beautiful red and yellow." Kassula looked up at the adolescent's left ear.

"Thanks. I think I found it last season while exploring the jungle." Topaz touched the metal ring holding it. "Why aren't you wearing more than a necklace and cloth?"

"We're hunting. I can't have everything making noise." She clacked the wooden beads on her necklace. "I was never fond of wearing a lot of jewelry anyway."

"My mom and I seem to find something new to wear every season." Topaz mused.

"Your family doesn't travel, right?"

"Nope, but my aunt Annika does."

"Good thing. If you're like some of my friends then you'll end up with a lot of jewelry from different villages."

"I don't think we could trek through the free state in search of little stuff like that." Topaz glanced at the few feathers on the strap of the rifle. "I usually don't wear anything when I'm out here by myself."

"You still lose your loincloth out here?" Kassula held back a chuckle. "I remember when your mother worried so much about you because of that."

"She still does."

"I was just a year or two older than you when I started looking for a mate. That gave my mother plenty of headaches. You're not madly in love with someone are you?"

"Eh..." Topaz merely shrugged and hesitated.

"Come on Topaz, you can tell me." The middle aged genet lightly elbowed her. "There must be a male that has captured your eyes and heart."

"Well... Maybe there is someone." The youth wistfully smiled at the canopy above.

"Ah. I knew it." Kassula happily spoke. After a few more minutes of leisure she sat up. "Ready to see if the guys caught anything?" She gave a quick stretch.

"Sure." Topaz helped her up.

***

"Hey Mazia!" Topaz waved at a figure sitting on the bottom step to her home.

"Hey!" She looked up. The civet was wearing her neat blue shirt as well as a typical skirt. Basic green beaded anklets adorned both her feet. Even though Mazia had gotten over her body issues, the civet still liked to wear her shirt outside most days.

"My shoulder is sore from carrying this thing." Topaz set the rifle aside and rotated her arms.

"I'm still sore from dancing."

"I think you danced as much as me." They both grinned. "What are you doing?"

"Peeling a few mangoes." She nudged the little bowl and flicked the juice off her thumb.

"I'll help you." Topaz sat down beside her friend and unsheathed her knife.

"Thanks. I appreciate it. How was your hunting escapade?"

"Not as fun as I wanted it to be."

"You seemed very excited about it the other day."

"But... I wanted some alone time with Chona though..." She admitted. It was surprisingly difficult for her to find some alone time with the busy male.

"I heard that you liked him since I came back."

"Who told you that?!" Topaz nearly dropped her knife.

"Calm down! I think Petra or N'Doru told me." Mazia wiggled her nose in thought.

"Oh ok..." She took a deep breath.

"Don't be so stingy about telling someone. He's bound to find out at you like him." Mazia finished peeling another mango.

"What if he doesn't like me?" Topaz worried.

"You won't find out unless you ask him." Mazia teased.

"Ugh! Stressful." They giggled together.

"So did your hunting party catch anything?

"Kassula and I didn't catch anything, but the guys caught a bird and a little boar."

"You could've used your gun."

"I don't want to blow the entire bird up." Topaz giggled. "Besides, that would scare everything else away."

"Oh... You can tell I don't hunt." Mazia held up a mango.

"Using food as bait might help."

"Not if it knows we're the ones waiting to eat." They both laughed.

"I talked to Kassula for a while too."

"What did you two talk about?"

"She chatted about anything. I would've fallen asleep if she started talking about childbirth." Both laughed.

"I'll be ready to talk about it after going through it." Mazia snickered. Both girls finished peeling their last fruits. They wiped their knives and sticky hands with a wet cloth.

"Mazia..."

"Hmm?" She hummed contently.

"I'm glad that you're my best friend." Topaz leaned on the civet.

"So am I." Mazia leaned back on her.