BREAKING RULES, Combining two worlds (Part 3)

RANE

In the common room, where all the females who'd volunteered to mate with one of the males gathered, it was pretty quiet. There was a small whisper of conversation here and there, but to think that there were more than seventeen women in a room and you could almost hear a pin drop was amazing...

Even the low whispers came to an end as Rane walked into the room with Margit and two elders by her side. She got on to one of the benches, which were usually sat during the communal meals and raised a hand to get all of their attention.

"My dear ladies! First of all I would like to thank each and everyone of you for volunteering to mate with the Shri men. I hope with all my heart that with this the future of our clan will be blessed with a bunch of little ones!

Each one of you is close to her ovulation moment, or is already ovulating. Those who are in doubt can get tested by Marja and Elle, those who are sure that they are not ovulating yet but will do so in the coming days, can gather around Margit, she will set up a schedule of who will "mate" with the males and when. I know this isn't the nicest word for what you'll going to do, but for lack of a better word, we'll just stick to it.

The women who are currently ovulating can report to me."

Wende watched as the two older ladies gathered around one of the dining tables, displaying the things they had brought with them.

Margit did the same at a table in another corner, but she had no other paraphernalia with her than a notepad and a pen.

To gather courage, Wende closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

There was no time for hesitation anymore! She had to do this, she had to help these men! How she was going to do that... she had no idea, at least not yet, and she hoped that when she was alone with the Mohr'kad, the giant would believe her when she told him she was there to help him and his men, so they could come up with a plan together...

A pang of guilt shot through her heart. She was about to break all the rules and betray her clan, but everything inside her screamed that Mohr'kad and his men were not like the Shri men they'd encountered in the past.

Not that she had come across that many of them. Most of them she had seen from a distance and what had happened in her childhood she couldn't remember with the best will in the world. The hatred towards the men was mainly fuelled by Rane and the rest of the elders, who had consciously experienced the murders, rapes and destruction.

Yes... she had seen the ruined villages and the dead bodies, but she had never experienced this violence herself and she couldn't reconcile this at all with Mohr'kad and his companions. Something inside her said that these were others... something that the giant himself had already indicated...

Could she really take him at his word?

Wende straightened her back, she had to trust her instincts!

Slowly she walked over to the table where Rane was sitting. There were only two other women gathered at Rane's table, the rest had joined the two oldies and Margit, and Wende waited with beating heart for her turn.

She saw how her mother narrowed her eyes when her gaze fell on Wende's name. Slowly the woman's gaze met hers, and she looked intently at her daughter.

"You managed to convince me that you changed your mind, but I have to admit, I am very surprised at the choice you made... None of the other women chose that hideous creep... Why did you ?"

Tilting her head slightly to the side, Rane looked questioningly at her daughter.

Wende felt her hands start to shake and she quickly put one in the pocket of her jacket, the other she pressed against her thigh as imperceptibly as possible.