Nick and Amber

Amber decided to spend the rest of the day with Nick. Nick was happy to have alone time with Amber and didn't care what they did. First, Amber went shopping for some supplies to take back to the beast world if she went back that night.

She went to a sports and outdoor store and bought a weather-resistant backpack. Next, she bought some camping supplies that might come in handy in the beast world. Nick was interested in the hunting equipment and started asking questions.

"What is this?" Nick pointed to a bow and asked Amber. Amber laughed and responded, "This is a bow. Hunters use a bow with arrows to hunt prey from far away." Nick was intrigued. All the fighting in the beast world was up close.

If they had ranged weapons, they could keep the females safer without the risk of getting injured. Nick became curious if it would be something he could make in the beast world. Amber showed him a wooden bow with some long feather arrows. 

She explained, "These are more natural. Some of the newer ones are made of metal or plastic. We wouldn't be able to make those, but the wooden ones would be possible."

Nick studied the bow and arrows until he understood the design and was confident he could replicate it in the beast world. Amber educated him a little of history from the bow and arrows. 

"Bows and arrows were used in ancient wars to kill the enemies from a far distance, Some archers could shoot the arrows from a tall wall, or far away and still hit their target. Some hunters use them to shoot birds from the sky."

Nick's eyes widened in thought. He imagined shooting other flying beast men who tried to steal Amber away. He didn't want to rely on the other flying beast men if he could do something himself. 

He thought of the war with the Mermen. If they had bows and arrows, they could shoot them before they reached the city. He was not badly injured because he was a 5 striped beastman, but the lower-striped beastmen could defend the city from higher up.

They would not lose as many beastmen if they had these weapons. The females would be better protected and provided for. Nick made up his mind to create these and teach others how to use them when they returned.

After buying all the useful things that could fit into the backpack, Amber took Nick to the hotel to store the backpack. Nick looked around the hotel in awe. There was an indoor waterfall and pond in the lobby. Nick noticed other people walking every which way and kids running in bathing suits to the pool.

Nick guarded Amber so she would not get run over or bumped into. Amber just laughed and assured him, "It's ok. They are just excited to go swimming." Nick humphed in response. He would not relax his guard around Amber, even if it was just a younger human.

Amber checked in and got the hotel keys. She went up the elevator to the top floor. Nick was skeptical at first about the big moving box. Amber reassured him it was safe. Nick didn't want to seem weak or scared in front of his mate, so he bravely entered the metal death trap.

If anything happened, he would protect Amber with his body. He could hug her and cushion the fall. Amber had no idea of how anxious Nick was being in the elevator. She would have laughed at his heroic thoughts, but his stoic face did not give away any worries.

They reached the room and Amber put the things away. Nick carefully surveyed the room. Amber asked, "Do you want to change before we go to dinner?" She knew that Nick was used to wearing less clothes in the beast world, but she wanted him to not stand out too much.

She planned to take Nick to a buffet so he could eat his fill of meat. Otherwise, he would not be full. She knew he could eat an entire cow if he were hungry enough. 

Nick did not want to change or put on more clothes, so they left for the restaurant. Amber had changed into a yellow summer dress. She wanted to dress up a little since this would be a date night with just the two of them.

They both wore sandals, so they still matched. Nick noticed Amber's foot coverings were similar to his and it made him smile. He liked this alone time with Amber very much. He noticed that Amber's dress matched his shirt. 

Amber explained, "This is called dressing as a couple when two people who are together match." Nick was very happy to know that Amber intentionally dressed to match him. He hugged her and they walked with his hand on her back in a possessive manner.

He had to show the other males that she was taken. He couldn't growl at them, so he had to use body language instead to make sure people knew Amber was his mate. 

She had used a white shawl to cover her mate marks. She didn't want anyone to judge her for having so many tattoos at such a young age. This city was not too big and if she accidentally ran into her mother or someone who knew her, this would save her from explaining them.

Since the hotel was downtown and the buffet restaurant was only a few blocks away, they walked to dinner. The weather was nice at night. Not too hot and not too cold. 

They arrived at the restaurant and Amber paid for both of them. The waiter sat them close to the buffet and brought the drinks. Amber ordered water for both of them. Nick was not used to all the different flavors and she knew the meat would be salty. 

Amber led Nick to the buffet and he followed behind her sniffing the air. All the different spices were a little overwhelming for him, but he was hungry and didn't want to waste Amber's good intentions.

Amber showed him how to pick food. Nick loaded his plate high with steaks. Amber laughed and informed him, "You can come back and get more after you eat that. Just make sure to get a new plate each time."

Nick nodded in understanding. They went back to the table after Amber picked up her food. She had a balance of meat, vegetables, and rice. She knew Nick's appetite was mostly for meat. 

Nick finished his food quickly and waited for Amber to finish her plate. Amber chuckled. "You can go get more if you are still hungry. You don't have to wait for me. I will be fine right here."

Nick looked a little warry, but since they were so close to the food, he decided to go and get more quickly. He kept Amber in his peripheral vision and quickly filled up a new plate with meat. The meat was not as good as his, but he was hungry and would not waste it.

He made sure to drink water to balance the saltiness of the meat. By the time Amber finished with her first plate, Nick's used plates were stacked up on the end of the table. A waiter came by to collect the used plates and was astonished at how much Nick had eaten. 

He had to inform the manager or they would run out of food before the dinner rush! The manager started to glare at Nick when he went back for another plate of meat. This customer was going to cost him all the profits of the day if he kept eating like this!

Amber noticed the glare from the manager and whispered to Nick, "Are you still hungry? You might want to try some salad or rice." Nick shook his head and stated, "I like meat! Even though I can cook it better, this is not bad. It is just too salty."

Amber knew the food in this world was more salty than what he was used to. She saw him drink a glass of water with each plate and felt it was time to go. She got a plate with some desserts and finished them. Nick had eaten all of the steaks and moved on to the ham. 

When Amber finished her dessert plate she glanced at the manager again. He looked like he was ready to kick them out. Amber asked Nick, "Are you finished? I am full."

Nick could still eat more, but he was not hungry anymore. He nodded and they left. The manager sighed in relief to see them leave. He told the waiter not to allow them to come next time. He would lose too much money!

Amber just laughed to herself at the manager's expressions. If he only knew how much Nick could eat, he would faint! They walked along the shore at night and it was beautiful. Amber showed Nick some plankton that glowed when she walked in the water.

She had fun playing in the shallow water while Nick was happy to see her enjoying herself. They walked for a while until they returned to the hotel.

Amber showed Nick how to shower and they both got ready for bed. Nick didn't want to sleep, so he watched Amber as she fell asleep in his arms.