by A. G. Wilde
That was enough for her to sit upright.
“You mean we can send a message to Earth?”
“If that is what you wish, the facility is there,” Xul said. He was busy gutting the center of the stalk that he’d cut into small pieces.
A thrill of hope went through her and Athena smiled at him for the first time.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Xul turned to glance back at her and paused, his eyes running over her face. Nodding slightly, he turned back to his work.
Athena stared into the slight pink tinge of the zehmip’s mouth. Stretching her hand outward, she ran her fingers along the surprisingly soft interior. She could feel the warmth emanating from the outside and felt a wave of relief that she was no longer walking out underneath the suns. Her feet were still aching but she hadn’t the strength to look at them.
Maybe in the morning, or night rather, when they would get up again and start their trek.
Athena sighed, anticipation in her veins.
There was a chance to be saved. Not only her but the other women who’d been captured as well.
Thinking of walking five more days didn’t seem so bad knowing there was hope in sight.
* * *
Xul had his back turned to Athena but he was alert to her every move.
The female human’s presence was unnerving in a sort of way that he could not describe.
She had turned away from him and was tracing patterns against the inside cheek of the zehmip. He wondered what she was thinking.
Glancing at the zehmip stalk in his hand, he continued gutting out the soft yellow flesh. He didn’t know how she was going to take it but this was going to be their food and drink for the day ahead.
The zehmip’s meat was both energy-dense and had a high fluid content. It would stop them from starving to death and keep them hydrated in the wilderness of Muk.
As he finished scooping the last of the flesh from the plant, Xul cut thin strips from the bark. Those he used to wrap around the scooped out flesh.
He was done in a few minutes and his eyes fell on the little barriers he’d made. In the night, those barriers would not stand up to the sand cats that were bound to come into the tent, looking for food for their young.
They were large beasts that slept in their dens under the sand in the day but came out to hunt at night. As a matter of fact, they looked much like the beast the Isclits had removed from the humans’ terrarium, except the sand cats had much larger ears, no protruding teeth, and were the exact color of the sand underneath which they lived. They were elusive creatures, however, always choosing sneaky approaches when hunting their prey and they always hunted in groups.
He would have to keep a sharp eye as they trekked toward the outpost as he was sure the human, Athena, had no idea what was in store out there in the wilderness. And there was no time to teach her about it.
As the wind picked up, another sound caught his ears.
It was a soft sound, almost inaudible, but his ears were highly sensitive and the sound floated into them easily.
Turning to look behind him, he watched her shoulders rise and fall in a slow rhythm. Frowning, he leaned closer, his eyebrows shooting up as he realized she was indeed doing what he thought she was.
She was sleeping.
Either she was entirely comfortable in his presence or she was so tired from the ordeal that her body had gone into maintenance mode.
Either way, it was the perfect opportunity for him to observe her more closely.
The entire time they’d been walking, he’d been waiting to hear her complain about the journey. Yet, she hadn’t. Not until he himself had been thinking about taking a break.
Peculiar creature, she was.
Moving closer, he studied her face.
She had pouty little pink lips and a small defiant little chin. Her skin was soft and hairless, offering no protection to the elements. As Xul found himself moving closer, his leg brushed against her foot and she winced in her sleep.
Xul frowned, his eyes flashing to her feet. Gently taking one into his hands, he marveled at how small they were.
It was a wonder she was even able to carry her body weight on such small and, once again, delicate, things.
She hadn’t complained, but he didn’t need to be a human doctor to know that something was wrong with them. She had no pads underneath her feet to protect them from anything.
Anything sharp could easily puncture the soft skin. His brows furrowed deeper.
He imagined walking on the hot sand was also painful, and if the redness and blisters along her heel and sole were any indication, the harsh sand of Muk was already taking a toll on her.
Cursing underneath his breath, he rested her foot back against the sand.
The human’s Earth must be highly safe and without hazards. How else could the human species survive if they were so easily wounded?
With one last glance at her, Xul grabbed his spear and crept from the tent, making sure he did not wake her.
* * *
Something roused her from her sleep, Athena wasn’t sure what but she didn’t need to glance around the tent to realize she was alone.
Xul’s large presence no longer overpowered the space and that made her sit upright too quickly, causing a new pounding in her head.
Hand placed lightly over the bandaged wound, as if that would help with the pain, Athena squinted.
Something like a high whistle split through the air again, and Athena froze. That’s the sound that woke her but she had no idea what it was. As the sides of their makeshift tent shook, she could only assume that it was the wind.
If not, it was some animal and she needed to protect herself.
Trying to see outside, she peeked through a narrow space in one of the barriers.
All she could see was brown, in the air and on the ground.
Sand was swirling all around them. The storm was picking up.
Well…the sand was swirling all around her, for she was alone.
A feeling of dread began to grow in her stomach. His spear was gone and at one side of the tent, he’d placed some neatly wrapped packages. Were those packets food?
Athena settled back on her haunches as she stared at the little packages, putting two and two together.
He’d left her, hadn’t he?
Maybe he’d thought that she was going to be too much trouble on his journey or maybe he just didn’t like her company.
She’d tried really hard not to complain while they were walking, even though the sand was so coarse it had easily grated on her feet, creating blisters.
But she’d kept her mouth shut.
It had been either follow him or take her chances and return to the wreckage—and the latter option wasn’t really an option.
As she pulled her knees up to herself, Athena sighed and tried to think positively.
So what if he’d left her? She’d survived this long; surely she could survive a little longer.
He’d told her enough to let her know that she should stay awake at nighttime and sleep during the days.
She could use this tent as her outpost and try to find food. If there were plants on Muk then there must be water somewhere. She just had to find it.
It would be just like Girl Scouts...just solo and way more dangerous.
She had no choice.
She could do this.
But even as she repeated the mantra to herself, she couldn’t help the feeling of dread that was enveloping her soul.
Placing her forehead on her knees, Athena squeezed her eyes shut.
She wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t.
She’d maintained her composure for so long, even after waking up in a cell with aliens, even after being chased by a frickin’ saber-toothed tiger, even after being auctioned, even after her ‘owner’ made it very clear what he planned to do with her when they reached his ship…heck, even after watching an assassination in live and living color and then crash-landing on a desert plane
t.
She. Was. Not. Going. To. Cry.
Yet, the thought that Xul had left her made everything seem worse. Maybe it was because, out of all of this, he was the only alien she’d met that was even mildly nice.
She must admit, he was a bit difficult to deal with but not so much so that she wasn’t getting used to him.
Or maybe it was the fact that he’d suddenly dropped the bomb that there was a chance she could return to Earth.
Why drop that bomb and then leave?
He represented that hope, and now it seemed as if he was gone.
12
It was worse now, the wind, howling incessantly and shaking the little tent. Athena was curled up in the center of the tent, listening to the wind howl and each howl and whistle seemed to take with it a bit of her resolve.
There was so much sand in the air now, the light from the suns was completely blocked out and it seemed like night outside. She wondered whether that meant the creatures that lived on Muk were going to leave their little hidey-holes. She needed one problem at a time. She could deal with that. What she couldn’t deal with was a series of problems, one after the other, with no resolution in sight.
A section of the barrier moved and that made her jump. Scrambling backward, she stared at the barrier.
If there were weapons close by she would have been scrambling to get one. But there was nothing in the tent. Nothing except those weird little wrapped packages Xul had left. She’d investigated them before and the smell was foul.
Maybe she’d been wrong about him leaving them for food. And now that she thought about it, why would he have gone through the trouble to leave her food anyway?
Her chances of survival on her own were already dim.
But she wasn’t going to give up.
Gripping the only thing she could use for defense, Athena dug her fingers into the sand and took up two handfuls.
Maybe she could throw it into the face of whatever it was that was trying to get in, momentarily stunning them, and then she could dash out the other exit and into…well, let’s not think about that yet. One problem at a time, remember?
The barrier popped open and in came the horns then the body of a large beas—no, it was Xul.
But it was already too late, her reflexes were too fast. The two handfuls of sand were already hurtling through the air to land squarely on his forehead.
Xul paused, took a moment to secure the barrier for sand was getting inside the tent, then turned to glare at her.
Athena’s hands flew over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I thought you were a predator.”
Xul’s eyes narrowed as he bent his head to shake off the sand then raised an eyebrow at Athena.
For a moment, he just looked at her and then a rumble left his chest as he threw his head back and laughed.
It was a wonderful deep sound that made her insides tingle and it was Athena’s turn to frown. Ignoring the tingle, she focused on the obvious thing in front of her.
He was laughing at her.
“I’m glad you find that so funny.”
“You think sand will stop a predator?” His laughter was replaced by a grin now and Athena tried to ignore the pull of that surprisingly attractive smile.
It was like one of those grins you wished that hot guy in high school would direct your way. You know, the one that made girls swoon in the hallway. Yep, that same one that created groupies all yearning to have that title of being his girlfriend.
Athena frowned deeper. What was wrong with her?
Xul was an alien. Nothing was going to change that.
Sure, he was tall, and strong…her eyes ran over his shoulders and chest, pausing at his loincloth.
And sure, he looked much like a ripped male human, only bigger and with horns.
And sure, remove the fact that if he wasn’t an alien, she would probably be drooling over him…
That all didn’t mean anything.
He was an alien.
And so far, she’d found out the hard way that most aliens were full of shit.
And what was he doing here anyway? She thought he’d left her to fend for herself.
Xul’s grin slowly disappeared as he regarded her but the amusement didn’t leave his eyes.
“Sand was all I had after you left.” Athena tried to keep her voice level. She wasn’t quite sure if she should be happy or angry at the moment.
Xul grunted, dropping to his knees in front of her. Resting his spear, he reached for her foot.
Athena pulled it out of his reach immediately.
“There’s something called boundaries you know.” She frowned then eyed him. “What are you doing anyway?”
“Your feet need healing,” he said, outstretching his hand again.
“And you’re going to heal them?” Athena raised an eyebrow. “How?”
“Give me your foot.” He reached for her foot again and Athena reluctantly let him take it.
His touch wasn’t soft but judging from how he’d ripped open the ship and taken down the zehmip, he was trying to be really gentle with her.
Reaching into his sack, he pulled out what looked like a purplish flower.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a herb. It will make you feel better.”
Athena watched him work. Squeezing the flower, he let the little drops of fluid that came from it fall on her sole.
“You went to get that for me?”
Xul glanced up at her and something passed behind his eyes before he blinked. “I do not need you lagging behind when we trek tonight.”
Athena frowned at his cold answer but did not respond. There was no use arguing with him. For now, she’d just accept his kindness without protest until she knew enough to start fending for herself.
They had a long trek ahead of them. She was pretty sure she was going to need to get more of the flowers he’d found and keep them around.
The fluid from the petals was already soothing the blisters and Athena eyed him as he worked. How did he even know about these things?
When he finished, Xul put her feet down and grabbed one of the packages he’d wrapped and set to the side.
Glancing at her, he put one by her legs and proceeded to unwrap his. It only took him a few seconds before the yellow meat of the zehmip was in his mouth and he was chewing. His eyes narrowed as he watched her.
Grasping the package he’d put down for her, she lifted it to her nose and was instantly repelled.
“Oh shit.” She held the thing far from her nose. “Oh God, this reeks!”
Xul’s eyes were still narrowed. “It is not dung,” he said. “And, as I said before, spirits don’t answer prayers in this place.”
Athena blinked then tried hard to hold back the laugh that threatened at her lips. “‘Oh shit’ is an Earth phrase. It's just something you say when something negative happens or if you’re surprised. And I’m not literally calling on God himself when I say oh God...it’s just an expression.”
Xul’s eyes narrowed some more.
Yes, yes. She knew what he was thinking. Humans are peculiar and yada yada.
Sniffing the package again, she tried not to puke. The thing did smell vile.
“You’re sure this is food? It smells like something you leave to kill your enemies, not something you willfully ingest.”
Xul snorted softly. “Eat. You will need the strength for tonight.” He took another portion of his into his mouth and Athena screwed up her nose.
“Eat,” he pressed. “Then we will sleep.”
As the traitor that it was, her stomach chose to growl at that very moment. Reluctantly, Athena opened the package and looked at the contents.
The zehmip’s flesh looked nothing like it smelled and that was probably for the best. As she took another sniff, she could feel Xul watching her but she paid him no attention. Using her fingers to pin her nose, she tipped her head back and let some of the zehmip’s flesh fall into her mouth.
It was soft and somewhat st
icky and every chew released a burst of sweet fluid. If you got past the fact that it smelled like dirty socks, it wasn’t so bad. Chewing quickly, she took some more into her mouth, pinned her nose, and repeated the process.
She was finished after repeating the process eight more times and when she was done, she noticed Xul was studying her with his usual amused expression on his face.
“For someone who complains that something smells like dung, you ate it very quickly,” he murmured.
Athena opened her mouth to answer him but the amusement growing in his eyes made her realize he was only riling her up. “You know what, I am going to rest for the trek ahead.” She said, turning her back to him as she reclined on the sand.
“So am I,” Xul said, as he moved to lie beside her. They weren’t touching, but even with her back turned, she could feel his presence beside her.
Outside the tent, the wind howled, making the sides of the zehmip shake.
“Are you sure this thing will hold?” Athena asked. “It sounds really rough out there.”
“This is a lesser storm,” Xul replied. “We will be safe for the day.”
Well, she’d have to take his word for it.
* * *
Hours later, the wind was still howling but Athena could not sleep. Her mind was on other things. Like the fact that not long ago she’d been back on Earth enjoying a relatively simple life and now she was cooped up in a tent in the middle of a desert planet, her only companion a burly alien.
Speaking of him, Athena glanced over her shoulder. He was lying on his back now but his eyes were closed. She assumed he was still sleeping.
How he managed to sleep when the wind was so loud outside, she did not know but if what he’d said was anything to go by, she’d have to learn to do the same thing soon.
Gingerly outstretching a hand, she used a finger to touch his hair. It was a lot softer than she expected and Athena raised an eyebrow.
Either they had some really good conditioner on his planet or he had really good genes.
Judging from the soft fuzz covering the rest of his body, she was going to bet on the second one.