I’m very aware of the fact that “we” just means Raiska and Kula. I won’t be doing any ambushing. I hate how useless I feel in this moment. Not just useless, but the whole source of everything. If it weren’t for me, neither Raiska or Kula would be fighting for their lives right now. Raiska wouldn’t be injured, and Kula wouldn’t be separated from his Muru and his future child.
We follow Kula. I’m surprised that Raiska is able to move as quickly as he is with only one functioning leg. He’s fast enough that once I start getting tired, I’m the one slowing us down.
The mountains remind me more of the Appalachian mountains than the Rockies. There are a lot of trees, and it makes me feel safer as we go deeper into the mountain forest. If there were any survivors among our pursuers, they should have a tough time finding us within this thick forest and winding mountain paths.
We soon reach a stream that cuts through the mountain. There’s a small clearing, and a rock formation that gives us some natural cover.
Kula gestures for Raiska to sit down.
“I can keep going,” Raiska says, though his voice is strained.
“Sit down, brother.”
Raiska glares at him, but sits down. He sighs relief as he gets off his feet, and he lets his scythe fold away into the higher dimensions.
“I’m going to rip this out now,” Kula says.
“What if he bleeds out?” I ask.
“He will die if we leave it in.” Kula’s face then goes dark, and he breaks eye contact with me. “He will not bleed out. Trust me.”
Raiska looks at me with tired eyes. He seems to know what Kula has in mind, but I don’t.
“Don’t hurt him,” I say.
“I will not hurt him more than I need to,” Kula says. “Now, brother, on the count of five, I will—”
Without even beginning to count, Kula rips the rod out of Raiska’s leg.
Raiska lets out a monstrous roar and doubles over in pain. Blood begins seeping out of the wound on both sides.
Kula summons his axe. He grips the handle close to the glowing, higher-dimensional blade, and he presses the flat side of the axe against Raiska’s wound as if it were a cattle brand.
There’s a sizzle as it makes contact with Raiska’s blue skin, and Raiska’s screams grow even louder and more agonized.
I’m beside him, clutching his hand. He squeezes me back as Kula cauterizes his wound.
Just when I think it’s over, Kula pulls Raiska’s leg and moves his axe toward the other side—the other end of the wound.
“Please don’t,” I plead, tears falling down both of my cheeks. “It’s hurting him so much.”
Kula brings a finger to the shimmering scar across his face. “I know his pain. Unlike mine, his is necessary to save his life.”
He presses the axe to the other side, and Raiska’s body shudders, and then he collapses down onto the rock.
“Raiska!” I shout, falling down beside him. I press my fingers to his neck. I feel a pulse. It’s fast, but strong.
“He’ll be fine,” Kula says, letting his axe disappear.
Kula reaches his hands into the stream and slurps up some water. “Drink something, human.”
I squeeze tighter to Raiska’s hand. “I won’t leave him.”
My throat is dry though. I am thirsty.
“Get a drink,” Kula says, “then come back to him. You can’t stay by his side if you die of dehydration. Your body is in flight-or-fight mode. That uses up a lot of energy. You won’t know how thirsty you really are until your adrenaline dies down. Trust me, human, drink.”
I force myself to go to the stream. I splash water all over my face, and then I slurp up as much as I can.
“Slowly,” Kula says.
I ignore him and drink as fast as I can, but then I start coughing. I drink as much as I can so that I don’t have to leave Raiska again, and then I’m right back by his side.
I don’t hold his hand, because I’m afraid it will somehow hurt him. Instead I just lie down next to him.
“I’d move him,” Kula says, “to somewhere more comfortable. But he’s Valittu, a rock is probably one of the more comfortable places he’s ever slept.”
“Was his life really so horrible?”
Kula shakes his head. “I can’t know for sure. He was raised by Ulkar though. When I so much as hear an Ulkar’s voice, I want to run. I can’t imagine being raised by them. Come now, you can’t sleep on that rock, human.”
“I will.”
He looks like he’s about to argue with me, but when he sees the determination etched on my face, he shakes his head and gives up.
“I would hunt some food for us. Maybe forage something, but I won’t leave you and Raiska undefended. It won’t be comfortable, but we can last quite some time without food.”
“How long will Raiska need to heal? I know your kind heals really fast.”
“He probably just needs the night,” Kula says. “Those scars on his leg from my axe will never heal, but all the injuries and shock to his body should be good by morning. He’ll be hungry as fuck when he wakes up though.”
“Why will they never heal?” I ask.
Kula points to the scar on his chest and face. “Six-dimensional wounds.”
“Who gave those to you?”
“My masters,” Kula says. “They were a lot different from the Ulkar, but in some ways, the Valittu and the Aparans had similar upbringings. I will ask you one last time if you truly will sleep on that rock.”
“I will.”
He nods. “Then rest well, human.”
Sixteen
Raiska
I wake up with my Muru’s body pressed against me. She’s warm, but I’m covered in sweat.
It feels like I had a fever, but it broke, yet the fever sweat is still clinging to me.
I look down at my leg, which feels strange, and see two scars like Kula’s on either side of my leg. They are shimmering higher-dimensional colors.
My memory starts coming back to me. The pain of those wounds is the first thing I remember. Slowly I begin remembering the car chase. The explosions. The pursuers.
I jolt up. There’s a dull pain as I put weight on my leg, but it’s nothing I can’t bear.
“Brother!” I shout.
Kula is sleeping on the grass. He jerks awake.
“You’re up,” he says.
Annabelle wakes up and yawns, then looks suddenly shocked when she sees me. “You’re awake!”
She runs to me and wraps her arms around me. She presses her soft little body against my hard muscles. I wrap my arms around her, never wanting to let go.
Kula summons his axe. “Now that you’re up, I will hunt.”
My stomach growls as Kula mentions hunting. Valittu can heal fast, but it uses up a lot of energy. Normally we have plenty to eat, and it’s a trivial cost. Right now though, with nothing to eat at all, I’m feeling the true price of my healing ability.
I speak to Annabelle as I hold her against me. “Are you okay? Are you injured at all in any way? Did Kula take good care of you?”
“Hey!” Kula says. “What are you accusing me of?”
“I’m fine,” she says. “Kula made sure I drank water. He tried to get me to sleep on the grass—”
“You let her sleep on the stone!” I growl at Kula.
I try to take a step toward Kula, but Annabelle pulls on my arm. “Really! He tried, but I wouldn’t leave your side, Raiska.”
Kula gives me a sheepish grin, but I point a finger at him. “You have been warned, brother!”
“You must be starving, Muru,” I say, “let me hunt something for you. You stayed by my side while I was injured, but now that I am strong again, I will provide for you.”
"Raiska," Kula says, resting his axe onto his shoulder. "Let me hunt. You stay with your Muru. I'll bring us food."
"She's my Muru, brother. I should provide for her." I summon my scythe to make my point.
"Please," Annabelle says.
"Don't kill each other over this."
Kula sighs and lets his axe fade away. "I'm tired. I don't have the energy to argue over this. Go hunt, Raiska. Provide for your Muru. And don't forget to get something for me too."
He grins at me, and I nod my head, scythe still in hand. "I will be back with a plentiful bounty."
"You're bringing home the bacon, Raiska," she says, grinning at me.
"I'm nearly certain there will be no pig meat available at this altitude or on this planet, Muru, but I will try to hunt you something with a high fat content, if that is what you desire."
"It's an expression," Kula says. He's lounging down on the grass, his head resting on a bundle of leaves. He yawns lazily.
"It just means you're providing for me," Annabelle says, holding tight to my hand. "Be careful though. Please."
"Kula," I shout. "Get up. You need to stand watch. No lazing about."
Kula sighs and stands up. "I'll keep her safe. Don't you worry, brother."
Seventeen
Annabelle
Raiska leaves, and I feel nervous without him. I know that Kula will do everything he can to keep me safe, but I know he won't go as far as Raiska would. Still, Kula sits next to me and makes conversation with me. He understands human culture, and human females, a lot better than Raiska does. He's been among us longer, and being married to Ellie has probably given him a lot more experience at dealing with the needs of human women.
In this case, he can sense my unease, and he is trying to keep my mind off of the situation by making smalltalk with me.
"What's your favorite dish on Earth?"
"Um, probably grilled cheese."
"Grilled cheese?" He raises an eyebrow at me.
"I know it's not sophisticated or anything, but it's something I grew up eating. Whenever I was hungry growing up and my parents weren't around, it was something I could make easily and quickly. I used to make it with just crappy white bread and pre-sliced cheese product, but as I got older I tried to elevate it."
Kula perks up at that. "Yes. I watched a lot of cooking shows on Earth. They like to elevate and deconstruct. This inspired my cooking in the restaurant as well."
"I found this white bread recipe translated from Japanese. I don't know how well you know different Earth cultures, but Japanese people are really into good, homemade white bread. I got the recipe down perfect, and I make two loaves at night, freeze one, and eat the other the next day. I use good aged cheddar cheese, and I put the sandwich onto the pan with tomato slices and basil in it. It tastes so good."
I hear Kula's stomach audibly rumble, and he laughs. "Lakria has amazing ingredients, but we are lacking an herb similar to basil. If the council ever establishes contact with Earth, I will prioritize getting a fresh supply of basil at my restaurant, and I will try to make this elevated grilled cheese available for you. As a comfort food."
"That would be nice." I force a smile, because from the way he's speaking to me, it implies that I might have to stay on Lakria forever. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but it would mean that I couldn't see my friends or family again. Possibly forever. Kula, Ellie, and Raiska could become a new kind of family for me—and their kids—and the kids that Raiska and I would have. It would be a strange thing, considering how quickly I had to leave my homeworld.
"The council was truly considering making contact, human," Kula says. "If that happens, you could travel freely back to Earth. The Ulkar have ascended and are no longer a threat..."
He trails off there as I bite my lip and try to hold back tears.
"Sorry," he says. "They are no longer mounting active invasions of entire worlds, as they did when they exterminated the mother race of Raiska and me, but they are not exactly leaving humanoid and three-dimensional species completely alone. The Breeding Games..."
"Do you think we will be able to get away?" I ask.
Kula looks over his shoulder, as if he's expecting to see Philos walking up to us right now. "I think our best hope is to get to a more favorable place to defend, and to stay alert. Forgive me for speaking so bluntly, Annabelle, but you and Raiska should also pick up where you left off in the hotel room that night where I jokingly cockblocked him. Just give me the word, and I will find an excuse to go somewhere far away where I cannot hear your screams and moans, and—"
"Too much detail, Kula."
"Apologies. Still, the cleanest solution is for Raiska to get you pregnant. This will end the Breeding Games."
"Raiska said there is something wrong with him. He's cursed or something."
"I will talk to him. I was able to get Ellie pregnant even with no bond. His cock is functional, is it not?"
I blush and look down, not wanting to make eye contact with him. "Very, very functional."
Kula laughs. "Then you don't need to worry. He'll be able to knock you up, little human."
Raiska comes back with his scythe covered in animal carcasses. I gasp, because they are the cutest little animals I've ever seen.
"God! What did you do?"
I look at the dead little animals. They look like cartoon bunnies with big, glassy eyes. Except they are dead.
"I've brought home the bacon," he says, stripping one of the animals off the long pole of his scythe and throwing it onto the ground. "I will skin it and cook it at once."
I take a few deep breaths. I think of all the things I like to eat on Earth that are also cute animals. Pigs are cute. Cows are cute. I eat them without thinking twice. I've just been so far removed from the actual process of how meat is made, that I have taken for granted the sacrifices these animals actually make. If I'm going to eat these cute little rabbit things—and I will, because I'm absolutely starving—I should at least be able to look them in the eyes and be respectful of the sacrifice they made to keep us alive.
"I'll start the fire," Kula says.
Raiska shakes his head. "I will."
Kula sighs. "Brother. You just provided for her. Take a fucking rest and let me start the fire. You really want to cook?"
Raiska shrugs. "Now that I’ve done the real man’s work of killing the animals and bringing back the bacon, I suppose you can do the trivial part of preparing them. You’re the chef.”
Kula gets a big, shit-eating grin on his face. "Hm, it turns out my stupid little thing of making food with real ingredients rather than relying on a synthesizer is a valuable skill that is going to help us all to survive. Anyone who made fun of me in the past for pursuing a useless skill and career must feel pretty foolish right now."
"What is the human expression," Raiska asks me, "for this obnoxious thing Kula is doing right now?"
"Rubbing it in," I say.
Kula grins. "Sometimes it's necessary to rub things in. Otherwise people like Raiska will not learn to be more humble in the future."
Raiska sits down next to me, and we watch as Kula skins the cute little animal carcasses with his axe. Raiska and I gather twigs and dry leaves, and Raiska teaches me how to build a fire.
We get everything laid out and ready to light, and Kula strikes a rock with his axe to ignite the kindling.
Once the fire has started, Kula skewers the freshly skinned meat onto his axe handle and props it up onto two tall twigs that he has stuck into the dirt. The tops of each twig have a "V" branching at the top which holds the axe in place a few feet over the fire. Kula whistles as he turns the axe slowly and rotates the meat. Within a few minutes fat is dripping off the meat and sizzling into the flames. The smell hits my nose, and my mouth starts watering.
I rest my head onto Raiska's big, broad, and muscular shoulder, and I hook my arm into his. "Thank you for bringing home the bacon. It's going to taste really good."
"Only because of my brother's skilled cooking!" Raiska says in a voice loud enough for Kula to hear.
Kula cocks his head at Raiska. "What's that?"
"This meat will taste good only because of your valuable cooking skill!" Raiska looks down at me and grins. "I am being humble."
"You'll have to work on that. You're being a bit too on-the-nose."
"Does that mean obvious?"
"Yes. It sounds like you're kissing his ass."
He gets a horrified look on his face. "I would never kiss Kula's ass."
Kula and I both laugh.
Soon the food is ready. We have no silverware, plates, or anything to eat with, but Kula uses his six-dimensional axe to slice the meat into bite-sized pieces. He cuts pieces off as we are ready to eat them, and both Kula and Raiska go completely overboard making a point to feed me first.
I don't protest at first, because it tastes so good. I've used the expression "hunger is the best spice" before, but I don't think I truly understood the meaning of that phrase until now. Until I was starving on the top of a mountain, running from aliens who are trying to rape me, and eating freshly hunted game cooked by an expert alien chef.
I eat so fast that I start hiccuping.
Raiska jolts to his feed and points an accusing finger at Raiska. "You didn't fully cook the meat! She's been poisoned!"
Kula shakes his head. "It's called a hiccup. It's a human thing.
"Hiiiiiick." My throat is too dry, so I cup some water from the stream and slurp it down.
"Drink it upside down," Kula suggests. "Or I could scare you."
"Hiiiickkkkk! None of that ever works for me," I say. "Hiiick. I just ate too fast. I need to take a break. You two eat, please, I'm—hiiiiick—much smaller than both of you. I've probably already had too much."
Raiska doesn't seem to believe that the hiccups are a normal thing, and each time I let one loose, he looks at me with a grave expression.
"Does she need medicine?" Raiska asks.
"I don't," I say, pounding my chest with my fist. A big burp comes out. "That will probably do it. Hiiiiick. Jinxed it."
Eighteen
Raiska
"Brother," Kula says. "I need help with my axe."
The Breeding Prize: A Scifi Alien Romance (The Breeding Games Book 2) Page 11