Chapter 18. Eloi Breeder
Shikha straddled Mog's torso as he rested quietly after his usual long day's work. Her stomach had expanded in size with the growing life inside her. She ran her fingers over the bulge, hoping to feel a kick like she had often heard the other Morlock mothers talk about. Mog smiled up at her and pressed a finger against her belly button.
"I'm still surprised over this beautiful creation of ours. I wonder what a baby between us would look like."
"Maybe it will have lots of light hair just like you. Maybe it's eyes will glow brightly in the dark and perhaps my eye color? Who knows for sure." Shikha blushed. "Who knows if it will even be alive."
"Don't talk of such things. It will be a very wonderful little baby for sure." Mog reassured her with kisses on her forehead. "You will make me a proud father."
"I just hope our children will have a good future. Being part Eloi might be tough for them." Shikha rested her head under his chin.
"I will make sure that they do. Nobody will make our children's lives be any more difficult then the other Morlocks I assure you." Mog clicked his teeth as he would do to his rivals. "Anybody dare to do so I will visit them personally."
"Yeah and show them the old fashion Mog-way." She snickered. "Well let's not think ahead of ourselves I suppose."
The cave life for them here was usually quiet except for the occasional quarrels between the others and the children running around. Fere had faced once again another obstacle in her life. For one things caves normally housed a pair of mates. If a cave was vacant or only had one Morlock it was normally challenged by another that wanted the place to one day have a family for himself. Other Morlocks that lost out in the fight for one or was just too weak would live on the outskirts of the cave walls and crevices.
Being an aged widowed female, Fere had no chance of keeping her cave for herself for very long. Fown himself, being tough enough, kept his own still but was always getting into fights to keep power over it.
Poor Fere came home one morning after tending to the Eloi to find her home not so empty. A younger male ousted her out to make room for his own future. The female didn't fight with him as it was unnatural for males and females to clash. She simply gathered her things and piled them against the wall. Here she slept by herself wrapped in a blanket. Fown shuffled by with an Eloi draped over his shoulders. He noticed the familiar female and stopped.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the walkway?" He was very much surprised to see her things strewn about.
"You should know a single female can't keep her own for very long." She simply answered him in irritation.
"Come with me then." He picked up some of her things under the fold of his arm.
"Whatever for?"
"You were nice enough to care for me when I was down I am willing to do the same." He purred.
"No don't worry about me. You should be worrying about finding a nice, young mate to bear you some children and to keep your cave secure." She disputed him with shrug of her shoulders.
"I was hoping you would be of help for me with that." Fown dropped his gaze and walked closer to her. "You know very well the feelings I have for you."
Fown didn't answer right away. She turned her head and thought about this. It would be better then sitting out here in the way of other Morlocks. Plus he was a familiar face. She looked up and followed him to his own cave not far down the corridor.
After making herself at home, Fown delayed no time in showing his affections for her. This time Fere didn't try to resist and allowed him to mate with her. A new tie was bonded between the two and love was restored.
Fere felt a weight lift from her heart. Now she had a lover to care and feed her again. She went about her work when BlackStone came forth in the smaller breeding shed with a stray Eloi in his hands. It was limp but still alive. It was wearing strange and ragged clothing.
"I found her at the mouth of the cave. The children were teasing and tearing at her. I noticed the weird clothing so I decided to bring her to you. I don't know how one of our Eloi managed to stray away." BlackStone told her.
Fere had a very soft heart for her Eloi livestock. Being around them for so many long years she has learned very much about them that others of her kind were so blind to. She gathered the small Eloi in her arms and wiped her face with a wet cloth. After further inspection she found the Eloi to be a young female.
Katie awoke to find herself face down in a bed full of dried grasses and flowers. The sweet smell softened her nerves and willed her to raise her head in a dull-like manner. Around her stood dozens of bare feet. She tilted her head upwards to see Eloi bunched around her shivering their tiny bodies.
The little half-breed jolted herself up on her own spindly legs. Not to far in the front stood a Morlock handling all the Eloi nearest to her. She reared her head and choked on her breath. Here was fear to be dealt with.
The scrawny Eloi followed in a single file line down the narrow corridor. Their eyes stared at their own feet as they passed by. Soon she realized she could no longer hide in the back as she soon became the last to be inspected. She gulped down her spit and pulled herself together and marched to the Morlock. She tried to imagine it was Shadow poking around at her. She shut her eyes and allowed the Morlock touch her all over and pose her.
"She's quite a lovely example. This is the one we found at the mouth of the cave." Fere smiled and rubbed the Eloi's backside. "I do like her very much. I say we keep her and see what she produces."
"Fine then." BlackStone pulled her aside and led her down the same corridor as the others. As she reached the bottom she found herself distracted. A large Eloi male stood alone glancing at the his brethren as they walked by. This one reminded her of the older males back at the house. Their eyes met and locked. His was as dull and lifeless as if she was staring into the eyes of a cow slaughtered a day ago. They frightened her and she broke the stare. The Morlock led her right around him into a separate area from the Eloi destined for meat. The large male craned his neck and followed after them, interested in this new addition. Here she was made to dress in a white tunic with gold laced around the bottom and collar.
Katie hid herself in the corner behind the other females and sobbed secretly to herself. A few of the nearby females stared at her in curiosity. It was not often that one of their kind would actually cry. The half-breed was still not aware of the place she was in. She only noticed she was surrounded by females. Some were pregnant and only two were nursing. She poked her head outside the gate that held them in and peeked around the exterior of her small shelter.
There again was that strange male. He lifted his head and stared at her with those dull, blue eyes of his. These Eloi she was surrounded by were duller then the ones she came to know from the Sphinx. They were dumb but at least lively and playful. She saw the male's expression suddenly brighten when a Morlock female approached the area. She came to a conclusion that they were conditioned to gain great trust into the Morlocks.
"Hello." She spoke in their tongue. The male stared back at her and this time approached. He pressed his forehead to hers and smiled faintly. These Eloi were extremely confusing indeed. The male's many personalities appeared random and abrupt to her. His lips met hers and he gave her a sweet kiss.
As being part Eloi it was also part of her nature to understand their ways. Well most of them anyways. As she had learned from home from the many stalking males, love was random and brief among them. To both sexes, each other were only mere things to make love with and go their separate ways until next time.
She whimpered and pulled her head back in from the gate away from him. He leaned forward and stared at all the females with a hungry expression.
Then it dawned onto her that this was a breeding farm. The male looked different only because he was much older then the other younger, lankier Eloi who were slaughtered at a young age. He was well-developed and aged just like her father's original followers.
He was quite a handsome fellow but also way too empty for her tastes. Her human side gave her that gap that cut her off from her more stupid side. Both her halves tugged at her harshly as if they were two dogs playing with a single rag doll. Her Eloi side wanted to mate with him and her human side was totally against this sham-bag. The male didn't know any better and only cocked his head to once side. He was not used to having a female refuse his advances. He reached his hand inside and beckoned her to come close.
Oh how the male's voice was so soothing and tempting! His years of cooing females had chiseled him into a professional master of heavenly happenings and endless boundaries of love. Some of the Eloi females even started to grow interested and giggled. His eyes were focused on Katie though. She was new here and was an open female. He reached in farther and offered his hand for her to take. He simply wanted to sweep her off her feet and bring her to some secluded area to make love to.
"You stop that business Shandow. Wait till she's fed then you can flirt." Fere pulled him away from the gate and guided him to another area. Katie sighed a breath of relief and dropped into the comfy bedding. Before she could even settle herself she was dragged out and shoved down the isle past more shelters containing females.
That male was standing nearby again and grabbed her hand. The Morlock female pushed her forward and left them to their own devices. Shandow lead her outside into a private, fenced off of a forest dense with flowers. It was bright outside and a very nice place to laze around.
"So what's your name?" She asked the male, hoping to distract him with questions. The male leaned close against her back.
"Shandow." He finally responded after long thinking. His voice now sounded disinterested. His hand guided itself to her waist. Again he tempted her with his sweet and promising voice. Oh how strange he was! She shook him off and darted off into the shaded brush. The male glanced around him and then followed her.
Again and again he tried coax her into offering herself to him but she was playing hard to get. A few other of the females were soon coming out from the dark opening to play in their natural environment. They sat in groups and would shout out random words that made no sense only to laugh at each other.
"Leave me alone." She warned the male with a hard shove. "I don't want to sleep with you."
The male was very taken back and left her alone to join his other females. Katie now wished that she had never ran away from home. When she had found out that Shadow had run away himself because of her father and Jones she went out to search for him after she was able to. She still hoped he was in one of the caves down below but sadly she would never know that she had gone the wrong way. Shadow was a good week's travel opposite from the colony she now resided in.
Some of the Eloi gathered around a tree and stared up at the fruit dangling from it. Katie waited for them to climb up and pick some off of the branches. Only a few moments later some grew distracted and wandered off. The others still reached out to the fruit and nothing more. She rolled her eyes and went to knock some of the food off for them. The fruits smashed into a splattering pulp on their fair heads. They fled backwards and madly waved their arms around. She chuckled at their stupid antics and gathered some for herself.
The male joined her again, this time not being so pushy about his love business. Instincts only told him that he had to be more subtle with this female. He took a large cherry-like fruit and nibbled on it.
"So you breed females so your offspring can be slaughtered. How does that make you feel?" She questioned him.
Again he took awhile to respond as he slowly chewed on his food. "We all die anyways." He drawled out like some drunk.
"Yeah so? I know I will die but that doesn't mean I can't make the best of my life." She felt already very disgusted with these stupid creatures.
"We all die." The male simply repeated.
"Do you even feel any love? Deep love for one of your females that you want to be with her forever?"
"Course we love." His eyes seemed to roll. "Forever? Why for anyways it is unnecessary."
"I don't think I will ever mate then. I want somebody who will love me forever." She winced at the thought of eternal loneliness. "What about your own children? Do you even care about them and their fate? I know you must have many. I bet many of them are already eaten."
Shandow didn't answer. It was not that he was trying to be rude. It was more of the like that he was not used to being questioned at all. Nor did he have any instincts to care about his own children so it was pretty pointless to answer such a question as he couldn't comprehend such logic. He only continued to eat his fruit. Katie was learning fast that living here was not luxury at all. True, living your entire life around animals was fine and it was easy to personify them but the Eloi were just something different. They looked so human yet they didn't, likewise the way they were mentally. She wondered how on earth her mother and father managed to have such strong bonds together. It was only this example that kept her hopes up that someday she to would find an Eloi that wanted the same thing; to just love one for all their life. There had to be another one, just one at least.
An Eloi's heart is like a lock. She often remembered Jones telling them as he was to curious about Eloi and their mating behaviors. It needs a key that no other of it's kind can even open. Hence it will always remain closed.
She didn't know what that really mean, only that it was an important matter to take into account as she searched.
"How the hell did you ever become so dead-brained? You don't even seem to have a soul in those eyes of yours!" She cried at Shandow and threw the pit of her fruit at him.
If only he had only a touch of more curiosity he would have greatly wondered why this female was acting so off. In his own way he did noticed she acted different but still even then he couldn't absorb it. She was the only Eloi he had met in his entire life that had nasty behavior. Actually he recalled the only time he remembered an Eloi acting even close to this was when one of the females were in labor. It was only pain and maybe this female was in labor? Well the masters would come soon to fetch her then.
"Different." He nodded to her and dozed off under the warm sun.
"I'm glad of it." She narrowed her eyes.