down the last swallow. And whatever it is, it can’t possibly be as bad as the chemicals in the Mother’s Milk they made us drink in the Compound.
Speaking of the Mother’s Milk, as she finished the soup, she began to feel a strange tingling in the tips of her breasts, just as she had when her nectar had been coming in. Surreptitiously, she looked down, but all she could see was the black fur suit she was wearing. What was going on down there?
Before she could ask to be excused from the table to go check, the first course was whisked away and Sure Paw, the servant, brought them platters of what looked like spaghetti to Penny. At least, it was long strands of something covered in a rich brown sauce.
Chieftain Swift Tail and Lady Bright Coat put their long muzzles in their plates and began to slurp up the spaghetti-like substance at once. Penny was afraid she and V’rex would have to do the same but this time the servant had thought to bring utensils for the “flat-faces” so it wasn’t necessary to stick her face in her plate.
The utensils were like three-pronged forks with the tines set wide apart, which at first made it difficult to get the “spaghetti” on the fork. But Penny managed at last and twirled up a bite of it to put in her mouth.
The minute she did, she realized that what she was eating wasn’t pasta at all. It didn’t have a soft, giving texture—instead it was meaty and chewy. Taking a closer look, she saw that what she had taken for a strand of spaghetti was, in fact, a long, thin, tube of meat. And the brown sauce was like gravy, which gave the whole thing the texture and flavor of Salisbury Steak.
Though it wasn’t what she had expected, it was actually quite enjoyable. And she tasted the chive and garlic flavor of the breedalot herb in it too, which added a little zing to the dish.
Thinking of the herb made Penny realize her breasts had stopped tingling, though they felt heavier now than they had. Again she wished for a break in the meal to excuse herself and check things out, but again, before she could, the next course came out.
This course wasn’t nearly so nice as the first two, Penny thought. It was a wide bowl full of raw bones with a side of some kind of chewy brown nuggets basted in clear brown glaze. She picked politely at the bones and ate one or two of the nuggets—which tasted like really well-done steak—as she watched the two royal Fox’ens crack the bones with their powerful jaws and slurp out the raw marrow inside.
It occurred to Penny that this whole dinner menu was meat-based. After a month of being vegetarian, it was certainly a change of pace, but she wondered what dessert would be like— that was, if there was a dessert.
As it turned out, there was. After the raw bones and chewy nuggets, Sure Paw brought them each a crystal goblet filled with a light, airy mousse that tasted both sweet and meaty. There was a thin, stiff strip of some kind of candied meat stuck in each puff of mousse which was salty and sweet and better than the mousse itself. At least Penny thought so. And this time, at least, there was no hint of the breedalot herb. Which was good—Penny didn’t think the flavor of chives and garlic would pair very well with anything sweet.
“Well…” Chieftain Swift Tail sat back and patted his furry midsection after Sure Paw had cleared the table for the last time.
“That was a most delicious meal, your Excellency,” V’rex remarked, also patting his stomach. “And so filling!”
“Yes, very filling,” Penny agreed. “And extremely tasty.”
“I’m so glad you liked it!” Lady Bright Coat beamed at them, her tail thumping the cushion again. “You know,” she added, looking at Penny. “That’s a lovely necklace you’re wearing, Lady Penelope.”
Penny was relieved by her words. All evening she’d been trying to think of a way to bring up the Eye of Ten’gu without being too blatant about it. But now Lady Bright Coat had practically shoved the opportunity in her lap.
“Thank you. I love yours, too,” she said, leaning forward eagerly. “Wherever did you find such a beautiful pendant?”
“Ah, it was actually discovered here, when we first moved into the city,” Chieftain Swift Tail, answered for his mate. “Our explorers found it and brought it