Bog's harsh growling sends several goblins scattering as he stalks to the courtyard. He couldn't believe Yemma! How dare she have the audacity to insult Marianne! She hadn't wasted any time when she approached him and bluntly told him that he was making a mistake, just as he did twelve springs ago.
The reminder had already put him in a bad mood and when she answered his question by stating that hunting with Marianne is the mistake, he growled at her for the first time ever. She tried to defend herself when he warned her about disrespecting his mate but her defense was only more insults that nearly got her hit with his royal scepter.
He has full confidence that he and Marianne will have a successful hunt and he told Yemma that. Besides, they weren't hunting to gauge how compatible they'll be as mates but because he wanted Marianne to experience everything of the Dark Forest. They were already mates, for spirit's sake, so he didn't care if unmated goblins viewed them unfavorably for failing a hunt. He has no desire to have another mate and he'll rip apart the first male that sniffs too close to Marianne, that is if she leaves anything left of the other male for him to attack.
Bog growls louder at the reminder of Yemma's last comment. It was a good thing Adder was looking for his sister and came upon them in time to hear his sister's disrespect or Bog would have forgotten that she was a nursing female.
"Relax your thorax! You're sending everyone into a tizzy," Griselda chides, walking up to him. "What's got you so agitated?"
"Have you talked to Yemma?" Bog questions instead.
"Not lately," Griselda admits. "The poor thing has been keeping to herself a lot. What does this have to do with your attitude?"
"She was talking to me about Marianne and how I shouldn't take her on the mateship hunt," Bog answers.
"She's just concerned like the rest of us about Marianne and the infant. Nothing to get all upset about," Griselda soothes.
"This wasn't about being concerned about Marianne being pregnant," Bog snarls. "First, Yemma had the audacity to insinuate at Marianne being unable to truly support me as a mate and then she felt the need to not only remind me of the consequences of a failed hunt but she also had the nerve to suggest that I reinstate the Topaz King's ridiculous law and take a goblin mate since my infant with Marianne will be too weak from the added fairy blood to be able to complete the trials."
"She said what?" Griselda growls.
"Fortunately, Adder was looking for her and kept me from doing something that I'd regret later," Bog admits. "I got over her rejection a long time ago but hearing her say that fairies and halfling-bloods would never be as good as a true goblin, I just..."
Griselda reaches up and lays her hand on her son's arm as his claws scratch against his royal scepter and he growls out his anger. Despite seven generations of halfling-bloods being king, there are still a few pure-blood families in the Dark Forest that looked down on those from mixed origins.
"Your Majesty," Adder murmurs.
Bog looks over at the timid call and relaxes his posture at Adder's cowering form to assure him that he won't take his anger out on him. No doubt the male is worried that he'll lose his position on the royal guard because of his sister's comment.
"Yemma doesn't mean it, Your Majesty," Adder insists.
"Her disrespect to my mate, her queen, is inexcusable," Bog states. "Queen Marianne has earned the respect due to her and I will not..."
Bog's words are lost as Marianne walks into the courtyard. He would take solace in the fact that he isn't the only one in the courtyard gaping at her in astonishment but he couldn't tear his eyes off her alluring form to even notice the gathered goblins.
"Lit...little thistle...," Griselda stammers.
"What? These are my hunting clothes," Marianne gestures. "Are they not...appropriate?"
Appropriate?
For his self-control?
No.
Here he thought that that dress she wore during Samhain was tempting but this...well if they weren't already mates, he'd make sure that they would be in a very short amount of time!
Bog can't stop his eyes from roaming her length. The rough grey and black material fits her much like her normal attire, a sleeveless high-collared tunic with leggings and high boots. The simple black spaulders that cover her shoulders with straps that cross her chest, the simple black vambraces that cover both forearms, and the black belt around her waist are of the same material as her clothing. An unmistakable material with an unmistakable pattern, viper snake-leather.
As if seeing her wearing the great predator's pride isn't enough to stir his desire to its peak, glinting in the setting sun, two daggers adorn her hip where her sword should be. A set of six knives glint from their position on the left spaulder's cross-strap and both thighs support a set of three knives strapped around them.
She's magnificent!