Xenophobia was clear to see among the people of the town. They did not like the idea of the non human free folk staying among us. When I proposed the idea of letting them integrate and live in the town to bolster our numbers, the speed they shot it down shocked me. I made it very clear that it would be unwise to mess with them. We were new to the area. A war would be costly. Jeffery Swiftheart, our leader agreed with me. "Elves are known for their magic. We would not stand a chance as we are currently." he said. All of the interlopers were shooed away non violently for this reason. None of them had any hostile intentions for us, so they often just walked away if a rough looking mercenary told them to leave town. My guest house was 20x25 meters in the right hand corner of my plot of land. It had a kitchen, dining room, sitting room and 2 offices. There were several bedrooms. My main home was a wide 90 meters. The 5 meter alleyway on the right hand side led to the front door of the guest house. We had 2 outhouses outside to do our business. 2 was enough. I hoped.
It took time to construct. While that was going on, Bonnie was still living in the free folk village. I was still going to over there to fuck her. Petraa and Jeran were also real knights serving the Swifthearts. They decided to just combine their plots together since they were a tribe. That meant their land was 200x100 meters. Housing was not something they wanted. Other than a structure that looked like stables and a training area that looked like a jousting track, they were fine to keep the area unsettled. The stables were to keep out of the rain and the elements of the weather. Centaurs could still get cold in winter and hot in summer. They also wanted to train their children in the ways of the warrior. That required an armory to store their weapons. It was made for them right outside the jousting track. The children were expected to be able to run fast, shoot arrows effectively and strike hard. There was nothing wrong with that. Cavalry knights would be great for us. The plot of land included the clearing where our mighty shaman, Enetes, communed with the Great Spirits. They were happy.
Zipping forward just 3 months, I was surprised when Bonnie was very round with child. Apparently dog kin were only pregnant for 5 and a half months. Bonnie was happy about this. I was more wary myself. I needed a son. The probability was high that I would have at least one in the litter. She was really confident that she was full with quadruplets. Discretion was the better part of valor. There was an elf that liked to wander around town. I asked him if he could read and write. He looked at me in pure confusion. It was if I had asked him the color of the sky. "Doesn't everyone know how to read and write!?" he asked. I shook my head. "Language is not innate. You have to learn it. What languages are you literate in?" I explained. He was totally fluent in Common and Elvish. He was conversational in the many dialects of beastkin speech as well. I knew for a fact that many of the builders and mercenaries we brought with us were totally illiterate. He recoiled in horror. "How can that be!? Did they not have parents to teach them?" he demanded. I offered a tutoring position at my home.
