Cautious Surrender

by C. L. Scholey

  “Why do I feel like I’m in a pick up joint,” Adan complained. “Can’t you aliens learn to keep it in your pants? Are all male aliens horn dogs? My scent will drive them crazy. They must have me.”

  “What did he mean by ‘until morning?’” Blu asked.

  “Once we leave the safe haven we will need to watch Adan closer. Now that the assassins know where she is we’ll have to get her away as fast as possible,” Veikko said. “I can scent there are two who wish to ransom her to the highest bidder, two who must have been contracted by the Tonan, and two who will have been contracted by the Braxians if I fail to deliver you both. You also need to know once an assassin is contracted they never stop until their mission is accomplished—or unless they die.”

  “Hunted for life?” Adan asked. “Yep, best day ever.”

  “We can sleep over here. No one can touch you in here unless they want to risk banishment.”

  Adan’s head snapped up at Veikko’s words as he moved away. She and Blu followed. “Banishment? Are you kidding me? There’s a place more ungodly than here?”

  “Yes. I’ve been to the planet to escort a few assassins who won’t or are incapable of following the rules. Some assassins return from a hit and can no longer control their bloodlust. They are a danger to everything. Let’s hope others from your ship don’t end up there.”

  Adan felt her panic build. She clutched at Blu. “You don’t think Bethany and Finn or any of the others ended up on that planet do you?”

  Blu pulled her into his arms. “Finn won’t allow anything to happen to his mate. Bethany has nothing to fear.”

  Adan stiffened. Blu led her to a mound of furs near Veikko. No, she didn’t think a Zargonnii mate would ever allow anything bad to happen to the one he loved beyond belief. Adan just wished she were one of them.

  Chapter 7

  Blu stayed awake, keeping watch throughout the night. One by one the assassins left, realizing they wouldn’t get a shot at Adan. Any who ventured too near were reminded of how deadly Blu’s eyes were. He respected their customs and killed no one, but a few would be nursing his gentle reminder for weeks. Veikko had watched but said nothing to either Blu or the assassins. He didn’t interfere. Before long, the assassins got the message and gave Blu and Adan a wide birth. Come morning, Blu was feeling deadly. No one touched his little Adan.

  When Veikko led them from the safe haven the next morning, a wild storm hit them in the face. Green rain pounded down from the skies in sheets. Thunder on the planet was different than on Blu’s, the noise didn’t boom but exploded in huge black and green vapors, followed by erratic dark green lightning which struck behind enormous objects to silhouette them, display them, and then annihilate the object. Trees uprooted under the assault, the green gas in the air spun wildly in all directions. Mini tornadoes the size of Blu erupted and wildly tore across the ground.

  Vegetation in areas took a sabbatical and disappeared under the ground. Large green eyes from mounds of dirt on the ground blinked repeatedly to be rid of the excess moisture. As Blu watched, a few of the mounds slid away, spinning in a lazy motion with the water that seemed to steal them. At their feet, water swirled rising to caress Adan’s ankles. Small waves formed.

  Blu pulled Adan closer, trying to shield her but she pulled away. His fur was soaked in green wetness within seconds from the deluge. Veikko was of no help, he had morphed into his quills, the water sizzled as it touched the green light at the pointed tips. He kept his distance from Adan to Blu’s relief. Blu’s hair still waved wildly around but water dripped from his saturated strands.

  “I’m sorry, Blu.” Adan shoved him away again. “You look and feel like squishy snot. Booger Blu.”

  Adan didn’t look much better. She was sodden; she gripped her shirt and pulled it from her flesh, making a strange noise when she tried to wring it out. She was shivering. Blu didn’t notice the cold, but it was apparent Adan was feeling it.

  “We need something to shield her with,” Blu shouted over the noise of the storm.

  “I have an idea,” Veikko shouted back.

  He made his way to a moss covered mass of rocks and searched. When he returned he was holding a long cocoon. What had been living in it was gone. It was long enough to cover Adan from head to toe but it would limit her movement. Blu held the cocoon and encouraged Adan to climb in.

  “You can’t be serious,” she yelled.

  “It’s dry inside. It’ll keep you warm.”

  The ground shook and Blu steadied her as Adan almost lost her balance. To their right a crack in the ground sounded as a sink hole opened. Green water swirled faster as the ground began to disappear. Blu shoved Adan into the cocoon, tossed her over his shoulder and started running. Veikko was able to move from ground to tree to moss-covered rocks. His quills clung then retreated to allow him to release his grip as he rolled.

  The swirling water at Blu’s feet rose to his knees making it harder to run. Veikko was gesturing they climb higher onto a mountain of rocks. The mountain was huge, the ascent wet and slippery. The further they raced from the rising flood, the closer they came to the gas. Adan was already coughing. If Blu were to press his mouth over her nose and mouth he would have to slow his movement so she wouldn’t be dislodged. If he slowed his movement, his lungs, powerful as they were, would be exposed to the gas twice as long. The real problem was he would still be breathing in the gas and would transfer it to Adan. If he stopped taking breaths as though under water the gas would invade her ears, eyes and extremities, as it was unlike water. It wasn’t a solid substance.

  Veikko encouraged him to climb higher, yelling there would be caves, but they were too far up and Blu knew if he climbed any higher he would expose Adan to the gas no matter what he did. He stood undecided, dropping Adan lower into his embrace. Below his feet the green water churned, above his head the gasses swirled dark and ominous. The water churned too fast, he wouldn’t be able to keep a solid hold on her slippery mouth. They could be under water for hours, battered mercilessly against anything. Blu could feel his heart race, he was feeling real fear and it hurt.

  Adan struggled out of the cocoon when Blu didn’t move, unclear on his next move. Adan glanced up then down. For a second her gaze settled onto holes in the mountain possibly caves, but the gas was lowering to cover them. Veikko had vanished from sight. She gazed at Blu with a look so full of compassion he wanted to die. There was death everywhere Blu looked. He couldn’t see a way out of their situation. Terrible reality hit him hard in the chest until he wanted to die. He had failed her.

  “I can’t save you.” The words tore from his mouth. Pain of loss almost killed him. He couldn’t battle the weather. He thought his heart would break that very moment.

  She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. Green rain dripped down her chin. The darkness of night, the storm thundered behind her. He saw it in that instant what she had wanted to say so many times but didn’t. She loved him.

  “You can save you, Blu.”

  “No.” He wouldn’t. He couldn’t, he would stay with her; he just needed more time to think.

  “Yes. Do it for me. I love you, Blu. I have the second I set eyes on you.” She shrugged sheepishly. “Too bad I can’t fly.”

  She smiled at him in the cute way she did when she was scared but resolved. He would take her in his arms and sooth her fears. He would press his mouth to hers; he would thunder to the caves, he would…Blu bellowed when Adan leaped from his arms. She was too slippery to hold and he had no warning. She sacrificed her life to save his.

  Her body plummeted toward the water and rocks far below. The impact would kill her immediately. Blu roared his terror and made ready to jump after her as she freefell through the air. If he could catch her, he could cocoon her body, he would think of something after she was safe in his arms, there had to be something he was overlooking. A hand circled his wrist stopping him. Blu struggled but Veikko gestured and pointed. A large furry beast caught Adan in its wings, wrapping her tightly
until Blu couldn’t see her. Up it went, disappearing into the gas.

  “She’ll die,” Blu bellowed.

  Noooo.

  “She won’t. Come on.”

  Veikko yanked Blu behind him and dragged him high onto the rocks into the thick gas, pulling him into a deep cavern full of twists and turns. The cavern was free of gas but Blu didn’t know for how long. When they stopped, both Blu and Veikko were breathing heavily. Blu loathed the alien.

  “The gas will kill her, you bastard.” He snarled and approached.

  “No, the air dancer’s feather fur filters the gas. She never would have survived the gas this high; your wet fur wouldn’t filter it. The water will retreat. The storm will stop eventually. The air dancer couldn’t have made a better appearance.”

  “What will it do to her? The damned things are mating. One tried mating me.”

  “Adan looks like a small female baby to an air dancer. If one tried to mate you it’s because it more than likely circled you both and when not challenged by another male it may have thought your mate was dead and you and your young were in need of protection. Who knows, it could have been following us the entire time. A lone female with a young one and no protection would have thrown herself at the male.”

  “I’m not exactly in the market for a furry mate. What will he do with her?”

  “Keep her safe. He will take her to his nest, wait out the storm and come looking for her—mother.” Blu thought he saw Veikko hide a laugh.

  “I’m not letting it catch me. It will want to mate in the air.”

  “We seem to have a problem.”

  “You think ass wipe?”

  “The storm will pass in a few hours. We should have a plan by then. In the meantime an air dancer is surprisingly vicious. Even the assassins don’t bother with the creatures. Nothing will harm Adan. The fuzzy beast will consider her its offspring; they are very doting parents to young, even ones not their own. The air dancer will come back for you and expect you to fall into its arms with gratitude. We’re going to have to make you unattractive to the male, more so than normal. Damn, you’re ugly green.”

  Blu would have liked to shove some of the assassin’s quills were the green gasses wouldn’t shine.

  “You better be right,” Blu said snarling. “Or your planet will be under siege by a pissed off Zargonnii warrior out for blood—any blood.”

  * * * *

  Adan stopped screaming, her legs stopped kicking. When the air dancer first grabbed her, she was terrified. She clung helplessly wondering what it would do to her. It did nothing but hold her tight. Its fur was feather light allowing her to breathe, and when she realized she could breathe without the gas invading her lungs, it was a sigh of relief.

  The air dancer’s arms circled her, the inner wings wrapped around her, warming her frozen body against its broad chest. Adan could feel how powerful it was. The being flew through the air with ease; it was obvious she was no burden to its strength. The creature peeked at her every so often, its red lips offering a grin. A soft cooing from deep within his throat was calming her rapid heartbeat. While the huge bus-sized wingspan sped them through the air high above the gas, below his body curled around her. It made no move to mate with her, cuddling her as one would a small child.

  When they reached a round nest of massive interwoven twigs, rocks and caked mud, the air dancer paused, hovering over the air, one huge clawed foot gripped the edge where the nest had an opening. He peeked at her, his gaze serious and Adan screamed when he dropped her. Her body tumbled through the sky as she gasped for breath. She was dumbfounded; it had saved her to kill her? It made no sense.

  Adan felt the flapping of a cool breeze next to her. The air dancer was at a freefall beside her. Its wings pulled tight to its body. Its gaze centered on her in a coaxing fashion. Adan didn’t hesitate; she reached for it, both arms outstretched. Immediately, she was pulled into his embrace and once more taken to the nest. When she was settled inside the creature pointed at the nest’s edge and her and shook his head. The implication was clear. He had taught her a lesson. Any escape attempt would kill her; she would fall to her death. When the creature hunkered down before her, a large furred clawed hand caressed her cheek. He cooed again. The creature was trying to calm her. She remembered what Blu said. The creature obviously thought she was a child.

  Oh God it thinks I’m his child now.

  The air dancer went to the lip of the nest and jumped. Adan scrambled to her feet and watched as it flew lower into the gas and vanished. She was alone. Scared shitless didn’t begin to describe her emotions. Other nests dotted the horizon in the surprising clear air; overtop and underneath the clear section the green gas hovered in a thick sheet. She could see the lightning zipping across the sky beneath her.

  “Well, gee, it looks like today will be a repeat of yesterday,” Adan muttered aloud. “I’m off to a good start. Almost drowned, almost fell to my death, kidnapped by a—wait for it—a bird. A million miles in the sky. Oz is looking pretty darned tempting about now, bad witch and all.”

  She wandered around, taking in her surroundings. The nest was large and round on the inside. The walls were surprisingly smooth in most areas; others were rough, as though the nest were under construction. Adan wondered how many mates this air dancer had had. From ground to ceiling it was moss covered, the ground soft beneath her feet with small sticks protruding in different places. There were areas resembling rooms. One was larger and cozy, no doubt where Casanova wooed his female. A smaller area was possibly for any offspring. The last area made her gag. Bits of flesh and fruit spotted the eating area. Blu mentioned the males kept the home clean, Adan wondered if he were a bachelor.

  Adan went to look outside again figuring the nest couldn’t simply be floating, it had to be attached to something. She gripped the wood beneath her hands and pulled herself higher, gazing down every so often, watching for the bird. When she reached the top she noted a massive mountain of rocks in the far distance. The nest was suspended by a long interlocking row of twigs, dried mud or clay and rocks. She was impressed, it was sturdy as hell.

  The air was clean, but overhead the solid mass of green covered the planet, blanket form, she wondered where the sunshine was coming from. Larger cloudy light pockets, where she assumed the sun shone through, were darkening. The days on the planet were short. Adan was tired and began the task of climbing down again. She could escape, but it would have to wait until morning. Once she managed to crawl along the twig bridge she would have to climb down the mountain.

  In the small room inside was a place obviously meant to sleep. The bed nest was covered in warm fur. Adan lay down wearily. If the bird thought she was a child then it might think Blu was her mother. Adan knew Blu wouldn’t go with it. She hoped he was safe in one of the caverns she saw. Blu never would have made it up the mountain to the caves with her in tow. The gas would have killed her; Blu’s fur was too wet to filter air. He might have died trying to save her and Adan couldn’t fathom the idea. Her dream was Blu. She wondered if the air dancer would be confused by Blu’s disappearance. It would obviously think a mother would go with him to be near her child.

  “I have such a headache,” Adan grumbled.

  Knowing this wasn’t a dream she would wake from, Adan opted for sleep. She wanted to dream of her parents. She wanted to remember the love-filled home she grew up in on Earth. As she closed her eyes she envisioned her grandparents’ farm. The old swayback horse she loved to ride was a gray color and the sweetest animal. Silly ducklings floated in the dog’s water dish. She hadn’t thought of Trooper in years. No one ever did figure out what kind of dog he was, except big. Trooper was a hundred-and-fifty-pound mutt. For eleven wonderful summers he was her best friend until his death. He protected her from everything, even from herself at times when she got too close to a raging river. Smiles of home lulled her toward sleep.

  Adan was startled awake before real sleep overtook her. The nervous twittering of the bird approaching
made her sit up. When the creature saw her watching him he cooed. Adan shivered noting the drop in temperature. She could see her expelled breath. Goose bumps dotted her arms. The freezing air had crept up fast.

  Adan scooted back as the air dancer approached. The creature went to her and picked her up. He took her to a bed of sorts. Lying down, he wrapped his arms around her, followed by his inner wings then surrounded them both with his massive outer wings.

  Warm and safe, Adan once again closed her eyes. “Good night, Trooper,” she whispered.

  * * * *

  The slight movements of the air dancer woke Adan. She watched as the dark night crept up the nest walls, rolling toward the ceiling then vanishing. The bird creature smelled funny. Awake and hungry, she wrinkled her nose, shoving it away. The creature smiled at her, slid a hooked finger down her cheek and ran to the entrance where it sailed outside. Adan was up and after it, looking over the edge. Many more winged creatures flew by. Some were smaller, a little larger than her and she wondered if they were male offspring.

  For a moment, a small winged air dancer hovered near the entrance of her nest. It was cute in a weird way. He motioned her to come to him. Adan cocked her head. He really expected her to jump into his arms?

  Not bloody likely.

  Adan jumped back when her air dancer, she dubbed Trooper, flew at the young creature. Another male was quick to defend the youngster, but it was clear Trooper was reaming them both out. Her Trooper turned into commando dad on a rampage. Adan thought the youngster was lucky Trooper wasn’t in possession of a shotgun.

  The youngster and what was most likely his father took off. The father of the youngster had the male by an ear, dragging him, flapping, away. Trooper stared at Adan for a second, motioning her back. He waited for her to comply. Adan moved back and sat on the soft ground. Trooper flew off, but was back before long. In his hands he held fruit and a hunk of some kind of meat and led her to the eating area. Adan took the fruit but didn’t touch the meat.