I took a long, deep breath. Selina had screwed me, figuratively, at least. I really had no choice but to follow her orders if I wanted any chance of being human again. I took a few ginger steps, and then a few more, and went back around the corner, where Lea was still waiting, happily watching the clouds drift by.
“Oh, hi!” she said, looking down and grinning at me. “Where’s Selina?”
“She had to run,” I said.
“Oh, well, what did she want to talk to you about?” said Lea.
“Nothing, really. She, uh, just says it would be a good idea if I stayed with you.”
Lea hopped in place, her yellow hair bouncing. And other parts bouncing. “That’s great!” she said. “I’d love the company, and my house has lots of space since my mother died.”
I nodded, not sure what else to say.
Lea grabbed my hand. “Come on, I’ll show you it! You’re going to love it.” She pivoted, her legs together like a ballerina — an impressive movement for such a large creature! — and started pulling me toward the house at the end of the street.
“I hope you like potatoes and carrots,” she said. “I’m going to make a lentil stew, and maybe while we’re waiting for it to boil, you can mount me for a while!”
I choked. “Listen, I’m flattered and all, but — ”
She stopped, looking back at me, her face fallen. “You don’t want to mount me? Is it my hair? A lot of the boys in the village don’t like yellow hair. It’s not fair.”
“What? No! Your hair is fine!”
She slowly turned to face me. “Then what? It’s my rear, I bet. As big as it is you don’t — ”
“No, Lea, listen, I, uh — want to, but — it’s a little — soon,” I said.
She frowned. “Soon?”
“In — my village, we, uh, date first, before — er — mounting.”
She frowned harder. “That sounds backwards,” she said. “How do you know you’re going to be a good couple if you don’t mount first and like how it goes? I’ve turned down lots of boys who weren’t very good at mounting me. I’m kind of hoping you’ll be good at it with those nice strong flanks of yours.”
I swallowed hard. “Let’s just wait until — after dinner,” I suggested, my face feeling hot.
She shrugged. “Well, okay, I don’t really see why, but we can eat first. Maybe it’ll give you the energy to mount me really well! I need to make sure there’s lots of potatoes in the stew.”
She turned, her tail happily flagging back and forth. “Well, come on,” she said cheerfully, and waved back at me. “Let’s go home and eat, and then you can do me, and then I’ll show you your room!”
As she happily strolled away, her raised yellow tail did nothing at all to hide the dark slit nestled between her brown cheeks, and it required more willpower than I imagined I had not to stare directly into it.