As spring turned to Summer, Kuu and Evan worked hard at learning to understand eachother. Evan actually took longer then Kuu did; though Kuu was ever patient with the human.
As they learned to communicate with eachother, they had many moments where things were lost in translation, or there was an awkward misunderstanding.
Sometimes, they had to revert to guessing games and random gestures, which was absolutely hilarious when they disagreed about something. Most often, this was the result of Kuu getting mischievous and doing something to Evan that freaked him out only to make the Enderman laugh his ass off.
No matter how many times one wakes up to creepy glowing eyes inches away from their face, one never gets used to it! And the worst thing was, Kuu didn't do it every night. It was completely random when he decided to, so Evan could go a week or two without a staring Enderman first thing in the morning... then suddenly have it happen for several days in a row. And Kuu found it hilarious. Every time the human freaked and nearly fell off his bed, Kuu would about fall over backwards laughing until he practically had tears in his eyes. It never got old! Well, to Evan it did, but not to Kuu.
Ever since that day that Kuu had 'kidnapped' Leanna and brought her to his home, Evan just could not work up the nerve to go back to the trading post. He was afraid to speak with her again. He knew he'd have to go eventually, but for now he had enough supplies.
Kuu, too, avoided the village. He knew there was danger there if he was seen; and he realized that it had actually been really stupid to show himself even to Leanna. He regretted it by the next day, and stayed in the house in hiding for almost a week. But no angry villagers came; and he realized he was safe. Leanna had not revealed his presence. At that, he was very relieved. He wanted to make it up to Evan somehow, but he couldn't think of how. But Evan seemed to have forgiven him. He was relieved at that. He didn't want one stupid action ruining his friendship.
Evan, on the other hand, realized how apologetic Kuu was, and kept reassuring him that it was fine. He knew the Enderman regretted his actions; and was truly remourseful. Of course, she would never speak with him again, but... that might have happened anyway. He DID live with an Enderman, after all. She would have most likely freaked out as soon as she found out either way. It was just sooner rather then later.
Evan was just now adding the very last touches to Kuu's bedroom; which was taking a lot of work. It was taller then the rest of the house; and he was gathering stone to give Kuu his own personal fireplace. He knew the Enderman would appreciate it; he loved the hearth in the livingroom. He had already noticed that Kuu loved to collect things, so he was adding lots of shelves in, and places to store things. That, and he needed to make a doorway tall enough for Kuu to go through without stopping. Evan's room was finished. It was Kuu's that was still in the works.
The day was a good day to go gather hearthstones. Kuu, of course, followed to help as always. He loved being outside. He loved the vibrant colors around him, the warm sun, the fragrant grasses, and trees, and flowers. His new home was nothing like his old home; black sky and whitish yellow stone in floating islands as far as the eye could see. Here, there were colors, plants, smells, and most importantly, companionship. There was so much more to look at... and in his experience Evan was a lot friendlier then his Colony.
Kuu was lost in his thoughts, looking up at the sky and watching soft, white cloads float across the brilliant blue. The ambient energy around him felt fresh and new, made him feel alive, awake, and well fed. The birds flitting from tree to tree had his attention too; He was perfectly content and happy in that moment. He purred almost constantly as the two enjoyed that beautiful late summer day. Evan found it adorable.
Evan had gotten a bit ahead of Kuu; he hadn't realized his friend had dropped behind to inspect a patch of grass with brightly colored flowers scattered through. When he heard the agitated staticy cooing of an Enderman, he didn't even think twice before looking right up.
"What's the matter, Kuu?" he asked.
Only, that wasn't Kuu. This Enderman was a full head and a half taller then Kuu; and a bit slimmer with delicate, almost feminine features. Its did not appear to have breasts, though its chest was slightly softer and rounder looking then Kuu's. Its hair was long; wispy shadows that flowed around its shoulders. It and had a slight flare to the hips; a graceful form. And this Ender was most definitely NOT pleased with Evan looking at it.
Its entire body went completely stiff. It stood tall, mouth wide open, eyes narrowed, as its claws grew out. No spikes appeared on its back. Evan knew that was definitely not the frightened posture he'd seen from Kuu. This one was aggressive. Its growl shifted into a vicious snarl, until it rose into that horrible, bone-chilling threat howl. And it was far more vicious. The sound was filled with rage and fury. Evan's face went white as he slowly and shakily backed away.
"Oh shit... Oh shit... Oh shit..." He whispered again and again as he fumbled for his sword. Suddenly, he felt his limbs freeze up as he was caught in that terrible gaze. No matter how hard he tried, he could not move. He was done for. The new Enderman was going to kill him.
Then, there was a flash of black. The gaze was broken, leaving Evan to gasp for breath and shakily try to regather his composure. Kuu stood as tall as he could, adopting the same posture as the taller Ender. He opened his mouth wide, narrowed his eyes, and howled right back. He took a step towards the other Ender, and howled again, this one more vicious then the first. The other Enderman vanished, only to reappear behind Evan and charge him, but Kuu was right in step. He whipped around, and teleported into his adversary's path with a vicious snarl.
Claws clattered against claws and teeth snapped viciously. Evan heard a hiss of pain from Kuu, followed by more growling before they separated. The two Enders circled eachother, staring eachother down.
The new Ender was the first to charge. It rushed Kuu, who met it with a growl and a shash of claws. The two fought like rabid dogs, their snarling and howling unearthly and horrible to hear. Evan tried to draw his sword, but it seemed stuck in its scabbard. That, or his shaking hands were fumbling too badly to get a good grip on it.
Evan finally managed to get his sword drawn, but was now at a loss. The two were too intertwined in battle for him to attack without risking hurting his friend. A cry of pain came from the newcomer, followed by a louder cry from Kuu. A splash of inky black blood hit Evan's cheek as their claws and fangs slashed and they kicked at eachother.
Finally, they separated. They were both bleeding, but Kuu seemed to be hurt worse. He was panting, too, but not backing down. Evan took that moment to charge at the taller newcomer, only to have sharp claws slash through his sword as if it was a stick of butter. He stared dumbly at it, until he was ripped out of his shock by a furious howl and razor sharp claws aimed right at his neck. But the claws never met their mark. The other Ender shrieked its rage as Kuu tackled it, fangs snapping at its neck.
The two went into another tumble of snarling and snapping and slashing. Another splash of Ender blood hit Evan's arm. Evan fumbled for his bow, but his shaking hands spilled the arrows all over the ground. He swore.
Suddenly, Kuu shrieked in agony, his eyes going wide as he flailed and thrashed. Things had taken a turn for the worse. The other Ender's fangs were buried in his neck as it growled. He was bleeding heavily and clearly frightened. Kuu was now fighting for his very life, gasping with his tongue hanging out, his struggles growing more feeble as he tried to catch his breath.
"NO!" Evan screamed, finally finding his courage in this terrible turn of events. He had to do SOMETHING. He had to give his friend a chance! He grabbed his water skin and threw the water at the adversary. It worked. It leapt away from Kuu and hissed furiously. It now stared at Evan warily.
Kuu staggered away, shaking himself a bit. He coughed and panted, eyes wide. But he didn't back down. He stood up, his legs shaking, and faced his enemy once again. The two circled eachother, growling back and forth. To Evan's surprise, he noticed the wounds on both were actually healing up as they circled eachother. The taller one's wounds healed faster then Kuu's did.
Then... as quickly as it had begun, the fight was over. Evan saw the shift in Kuu's behaivor in an instant as the breeze shifted. His body relaxed quickly as his pupils dilated. He took in breaths if air, taking in the scent of his adversary. The scent sent waves of heat rushing through his body and straight to his head, making him shake it. His growl turned into a rough purr, the sound very different from the purr Evan was used to. Deeper, rougher, almost growl-like in quality.
That was no EnderMAN – what stood before him was a female. And the scent of her estrus hung heavily on the air, intoxicating Kuu and taking over his every thought. He purred on and on, the sound wavering as he shifted restlessly from foot to foot. The young male's attack was cut off as if somebody had flipped a switch.
His change in demeanor did not go unnoticed by the female. She completely forgot about the human. Her claws retracted as she lifted her head, taking in his scent as well. The two circled eachother, once. Twice. Three times. Each move from Kuu had him growing more and more excited, his steps almost a dance. He was bloodied and wounded, but took no notice of it by now. His mouth was open as he practically tasted the scent on the air.
Then, he made his move. He stood tall, letting out a soft, wavering growl, with a few clicks and chirps mixed in.
The female's demeanor changed a bit, and she lifted her head and bared her teeth. For a moment, she had been impressed. The young male had guts. But he was small. Young. Inexperienced.
It all happened in a blur. Her lip curled with a deep growl as her claws extended again, slashing into Kuu's cheek. Kuu let out a whine of pain, the hormone-induced spell broken as the female vanished, leaving nothing but floating particles and a humbled male in her wake.
Kuu whined and dropped into a crouch, panting and keening. Though the odd keening was nothing like the cries he made when injured. These sounds were quite different, mixed with wavering growls and chirps. For the first time in a long time, Evan was almost afraid to approach his friend. But he was wounded, and Evan wanted to see to helping him.
After a moment the human finally approached the Enderman. He carefully placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you allright?" Evan asked in concern. He emphasized the concern in tone of voice and body language, showing Kuu clearly that he was worried.
Kuu panted a few times, before he looked at Evan. He whined softly.
Evan carefully took off his shirt, tearing it into shreds, and wrapping up the worst of the Ender's wounds. Kuu was hurt, bad. But his body wasn't as wounded as his pride.
"Come on, let's go home." Evan said. He knew Kuu could understand "go home". But Kuu didn't budge. He whined again.
"You need rest." Evan said. "You're hurt. We can do more work tomorrow." He tried once again to get Kuu to get up. Finally, Kuu whined his displeasure, but stood.
Evan balked, and took a step back. For a brief moment, he just stared dumbly at the sight before his eyes. Had it been just the very tip of it, like the first time he'd seen... that, he might have been able to brush it off. But, no... nothing was left to the imagination now. Kuu was completely and utterly hard, his entire length out in the open for the world to see. The area beneath the usually subtle and hard to see slit had filled out into two round orbs, which Evan quickly realized were most definitely Kuu's balls. He had just learned a hell of a lot more about Ender genitals then he had ever, ever wanted to learn.
Evan cleared his throat, and turned away stiffly, his face cherry red. He started heading towards home, trying to push that sight out of his mind. Kuu followed meekly behind, instead of teleporting ahead and exploring everything he could see like usual. He paused to lick at his wounds once or twice, cleaning the blood away with his long, prehensile, glowing tongue, before having to speed up to catch up with Evan. His physical wounds were healing. Already they were half the size they had been, but his wounded pride was the worst of it. And that constant burning need. And there were no signs of it going away, either.
Evan had hoped he'd be a bit less... exposed when they got home, but Kuu was still as restless... and excited, as ever. Once back, Kuu started to pace. Back and forth and back and forth, making those odd, restless wavering growls mixed with chirps and odd, rough purring. After a time, Kuu grew tired of pacing, and lay on his bed, curling up beneath his blanket. This came as a relief to Evan, who kept getting unwanted looks at Kuu's manhood.
Even laying in bed, Kuu was terribly restless, growling and keening and shifting constantly. It actually worried Evan a bit; most of the time, if he ended up with an awkward... well, boner, it would disappear on its own after a while. This just wasn't happening for Kuu; it just flat out wasn't going away.
"... Female?" Evan finally asked Kuu. Panting, Kuu nodded, then shifted restlessly. His body needed some sort of release; and badly. Unlike a human, it wouldn't just up and go away on his own.
Evan tried to think of a way to calm his friend, but he shook it off. There wasn't much he could do.
"I'll... leave you to that..." He said, awkwardly. He was just about to head to his bedroom when a knock came at the door.
"Who the hell..." Evan groaned, almost ready to just ignore it. The knock came again. Whoever it was clearly knew he was home, and wasn't taking ignoring as an answer.
Kuu went quiet and withdrew fully under the blanket as Evan opened the door. He nearly fell over himself in shock when he saw Leanna, had up and poised to knock again.
"Wha.. I-I thought you never wanted to see me again!" The man gasped.
"I never said that." Leanna said, smirking a bit.
"I just thought that whole thing with Kuu..."
"Kidnapping me and bringing me to your house?" Leanna finished for him, then laughed. "Yeah, that scared me quite a bit, but it was an interesting memory. Something I'll never forget. And I realized, well, it's not often you get the chance to meet an Enderman face to face and not be mauled. That, and I was worried about you. We haven't seen you around in months. Is Kuu still here, by the way?" She changed the subject at the last moment because she saw Evan rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly and giving her a sheepish look.
Evan nodded. "Yeah, he's still around. Though he's not exactly... presentable at the moment. He's acting a little... erm... odd." He explained.
Leanna gave him a questioning look. She was just about to ask something when Kuu, unable to hold back anymore, let out a whine.
Leanna was at the Enderman's side in moments. "What happened to him? He looks..."
"He looked a lot worse on the way here. Believe it or not, his wounds have mostly healed already. We had a bad run-in with another Ender. He... and his pride... got pretty hurt." Evan said.
That was when the scent of another female hit Kuu. She, too, seemed to be 'in season' as it were; her scent wasn't as intoxicating as the female of his species, but in his state of being it was enough to set him off the rest of the way. He turned to stare at Leanna, that wavering growl turning into a rough purr. His mouth was half open, pupils fully dilated again as he took in her scent. He shook his head, and they contracted back to normal, but one more breath of her scent had them dilating again.
Leanna took a step back nervously. "Evan? What's wrong with him?" She asked. "Why is he looking at me like that?"
Evan was just about to reply when Kuu suddenly jumped out of the bed. He paced, trying desperately to ignore her scent. She was human. He's already scared her once; he didn't want to frighten her a second time, but hormones clouded his mind. Leanna gasped, her eyes widening as she saw his... condition.
She was rendered completely speechless for several long moments as Kuu paced, not taking his eyes off of her.
"... Wow." She finally said. "He's... That..." She then noticed how uncomfortable Kuu seemed. "... Should I help him?" She finally asked.
Evan stammered for a moment. "I.. if... If you... Do you think you CAN help him?" he glanced at Kuu.
"... I have my ways." Leanna said and gave him a smoldering look that made Evan turn several shades of red. A further shift in her scent damn near drove Kuu wild, whose wavering growls grew louder, mixed with that odd, rough purr. "Besides..." She added. "He's a completely different species. Nothing will come of it."
"I'll.. er.. I'll... leave you to... to it..." He stammered. His hands found his door. He quickly went into his room, closing the door hastily. He had just seen a side of Leanna he never dreamed he would see, and as much as he tried to deny it, the thought excited him.
Leanna couldn't help but laugh as Evan retreated to the other room to give them privacy. She turned to the Enderman, who was still watching her. His gaze was odd, pupils dilated, mouth partially open, stance relaxed but alert. He moved closer, ready to leap back at the slightest change in demeanor. He was conflicted; Hormones raged in his mind and body. But she was human. He could very easily hurt her. Compared to him, she was delicate. And... he actually wasn't quite sure what he was to do.
Leanna seemed to sense his unease. She smirked to herself. He was just like any village boy having their first time, which was amusing to Leanna. Despite the difference in their lanuage, and Kuu's clear physical differences, he wasn't so different then a young human male.
"This is your first time, isn't it?" She smirked a bit. Kuu couldn't understand her, but he chirped in response. To her surprise, he seemed slightly nervous. Yeah, definately his first time.
"Don't you worry about a thing." Leanna re-assured him. "You'll do fine. Just let your instincts lead you." Her tone was re-assuring as well, which seemed to put the young Ender male's mind to ease.
Kuu slowly approached her, before circling her once. She followed his movements, until he took a step closer. She realized he was displaying his finer features - trying to get her interested in him. Intimidating, but breath-taking. Impressed, she stared for a moment. She couldn't deny her own growing excitement. Finally, she realized he was waiting for her acceptance. His stance was eager, but guarded.
"Please be gentle." She whispered to herself. She removed her clothing, before she got up on the Enderman's bed. She remembered what Evan said about posture - how that seemed very important to Kuu's understanding of one's intentions. So she made her posture inviting. Her entire body buzzing with excitement, she prepared for what was to follow.
Evan sat on his bed, trying as hard as he could to ignore the sounds coming from the other room. When things finally went quiet, he risked opening his door to peek into the living room. Kuu, for one, looked satisfied. He was laying lazily atop his blanket, purring contentedly.
Leanna was laying beside him, trying to catch her breath. Evan flushed, but her eyes turned towards him.
"I'm not going to lie. I'm going to be very sore later. He's... big." She said as she stood up, a bit wobbly in the legs. She got her clothes on. "What brought that on, anyway?"
"Well... the encounter we had wasn't just with another of his kind. She was, apparently, female. I don't know what happened. She was intent on ripping me apart. He jumped in and they fought to the point I thought she was going to kill him, until his demeanor completely changed. He tried to approach him, she clawed up his cheek, and teleported away. His... problem, just wouldn't go away. I guess the presence of another female, regardless of species, finished setting him off. I don't know much about... erm..." Evan cleared his throat as he rubbed at the back of his neck again. "Endermen's mating habits but... He trailed off. "Heh... this is... really awkward to talk about, isn't it?"
"Don't talk to me about awkward." Leanna smirked.
Evan flushed.
"At least this time I wasn't kidnapped by an Enderman trying to play matchmaker." She said, then laughed.
"I still have no idea why he did that." Evan said.
"Honestly? I'm glad he did." Leanna said. "It was a very interesting experience. And it's rather fun to have a little secret I keep away from everybody else."
"Really?" Evan asked, surprised. Leanna was full of surprises today.
"It let the two of us get to know eachother better." She said. "I never thought of you as the sort to take risks. I like it."
Kuu finally shifted, lifting his head. '… Your females are nicer.' He commented.
Thanks to their hours slaving over trying to learn eachother's languages, Evan was able to understand him. He had to laugh. "I would say so!"
"What'd he say?" Leanna asked curiously.
"He said human women are nicer then Ender women." Evan said. "And I'd say he's right. Human women don't try to rip your face off."
Leanna laughed again. She gave Evan a hearty thump to the back. "I like your sense of humor." She said.
She stayed at his house for a few hours. They talked almost that entire time. Evan had to admit... he liked her more and more. She was very spirited; nothing like the other village girls. One thing eventually lead to another, and the two ended up in Evan's bed. But finally, it was time for her to leave. It was getting late.
"We'll walk you home. It's getting late, but with Kuu around the monsters don't bother me." Evan said.
"If you'd like." Leanna smiled.
"Come on, Kuu." Evan said, motioning for the Enderman to follow. The shadowy creature stood, then shook himself lightly before following Evan and Leanna to the village. They made good time, and before long they were on the outskirts of the village. Evan walked her to her door while Kuu stayed in the treeline.
"Come visit again, hear?" Leanna asked.
"Of course." Evan smiled.
Leanna went inside, as Evan went to meet Kuu at the treeline.
"... I think she likes me." he said, sounding surprised.
Kuu let out a pleased little "Prrdh!" before he took hold of Evan and leapt into a teleport. The man barely had time to help before everything just sort of... warped out of focus. It was the oddest feeling, as if you were spinning and floating all at the same time. It was like rushing at extreme speeds... and yet standing completely still. It was completely and utterly disorienting. Everything warped back into focus, and suddenly they were in his house. His head spun worse then the times he'd drank himself to oblivion in the town's tavern.
Evan blinked twice, staggered, and fell over backwards. Kuu caught him before he hit the floor. Kuu stared down at him, head tilted to the side. 'Are you allright?' He asked, in Enderspeak.
"D-don't DO that!" Evan gasped. He suddenly rushed out of Kuu's arms and stumbled dizzily into his bathroom, where he hunched over and threw up. Kuu followed, until the smell came to him. He crinkled up his nose and went back to the livingroom to wait for a very disoriented Evan to stumble in and flop dizzily on the couch.
'Lesson learned...' Kuu thought to himself. 'Don't teleport the human without warning. It makes them sick.'