Jolie helps as she can but this is routine for me and I do most of it alone. Satisfied at last I look from the door to her. I point at her then the bed and tilt my head hoping that maybe she'll capitulate and decide to stay after all. She grins and shakes her head, not that I expected anything different. Maybe this hunt will be easy. I hope so. Walking out the door then up the entrance passage I slide the rock aside that hides my home and we emerge into the burning light.
My protective lenses close while she shields her eyes from the much brighter light of the sun. Once the rock is back over the entrance to home I shift the sand to make sure it's not obvious then point in the direction I want to go. She smiles and we set off. It isn't long before I spot the tracks of a herd of bivo. She didn't do well with the smoked and dried meat but fresh it should be good for her.
She doesn't move as fast as I do. I didn't think of how much it would slow me down making sure she could keep up. The sun is dropping low by the time we catch up to the herd. When I spot them I drop to the ground and motion for her to do the same. We hide behind a huge boulder thrown from a nearby ridge and watch the herd. They mewl as they move their large heads and tusks digging through the sand to stir up anything edible. Small animals, hidden plants, anything that will fill their bellies and keep them moving.
One of the bivo has fallen behind. It's old and weak judging from the way it moves. As we watch it falls further behind the herd which is moving closer to the ridge. I couldn't have asked for a better situation. Turning my head to her I hold my palm flat and motion towards the ground then point up at the ridge. She nods understanding so I lie flat and crawl towards the ridge. Pausing to check on her she's mimicking me well so I keep moving.
At the top of the ridge I crawl to the edge and look down. The drop is about twenty feet which is good. Enough for me to get extra force as I come down but not too much for my wings to handle. The majority of the herd has moved past the ridge with only a few stragglers left behind. Jolie crawls up next to me and looks over the edge. Turning back to me the concern is obvious on her face.
"Jj-oo-lee," I say softly then pat the ground trying to indicate for her to stay put.
When she smiles I take it for understanding then loosen my lochaber and pull it up beside me. I rise up, gripping the lochaber in both hands, and spread my wings in preparation. The lone, straggling bivo below stops as my shadow falls over it and mewls. It's massive head looks side to side but isn't able to look up where the real threat is. I leap, holding my lochaber before me point down. The point drives in true just behind the bivo's massive head severing its spine and killing it instantly.
Folding my wings in as it falls below me I jerk the lochaber free then crouch and look. The herd continues grazing, paying no mind to the lost weak one. You can't be too careful in hunting bivo. One or even two aren't difficult but if you get the herd they will trample and gore you. In a herd they're very dangerous. Looking up, Jolie is peering down over the edge of the ridge with her eyes wide.
"Jj-oo-lee," I say softly, holding up a hand to indicate I want her to stay there.
The herd is close and I don't want to risk her attracting their attention. They move away and once they're out of my sight I motion for her to come down and join me. Her head disappears from the ridge and while she's walking down and around I dress the meat and harvest what I want from it. I'm almost done when she comes around the corner. When she arrives she quickly sees the operation I'm doing and jumps in to help. As I butcher the meat she wraps the pieces in my oilcloth and then puts it away in my pack.
The sun is setting by the time we finish and there's too much fresh blood here to make this a good camping spot. Gathering up our things I motion and gesture that we should move. She falls in beside me and I match my stride to hers. She talks almost non-stop as we walk. I remain silent simply enjoying her voice. Once I'm sure we've put enough distance between us and the spilled blood I stop to make a camp.
I untie the blankets and lay them out for each of us then I remove some firewood and tinder from the pack. I use my throat glands to start a fire which Jolie seems to find fascinating. She motions with wide-eyes until I create fire again. I'm not sure why this fascinates her but apparently it's not an ability she has.
Once the fire is going I take out some of the meat and impale it on skewers that I position into the ground so that the meat sizzling in the flames. She continues talking, each of us sitting on our blankets. I watch her almost forgetting to turn the meat. The way she moves, the cascade of fur on her head that sometimes falls across her forehead, everything about her is beautiful. When she moves it has a grace that is unlike anything I've ever seen. So much energy and vibrancy contained in the small package of her body. In my eyes I can see her fairly vibrating even when she's sitting still.
The meat cooks then we eat. This time it goes much better. She's able to eat it and keep it down well. Good, the guster meat has helped. It bought me time to figure out a way to get her epis. We lie on the blankets which she stays on top of even as the temperature drops. To me once the sun goes down it gets quite cold but apparently it's still too hot for her body. Jolie tosses and turns then stands up, grabs her blanket, and comes over next to me. Lying down, she cuddles up close, pressing her body against mine.
The warmth of her is pleasing and arousing. My cock stiffens and my thoughts turn carnal. She rests her head on her arm and makes no further indication of desiring more than my body's cooling ability. Though I want so much more from her I won't take it. She has to initiate anything further between us. I will hold the line between the man and the primal that threatens to consume me.
9 JOLIE
Waking up I realize how much I like the way we fit together. His strong arm lies across my waist and curls up over my breasts. He's so much bigger than me, I'm curled inside the C shape of his body. It makes me feel safe. I roll into him and find he's already awake and watching me.
"Good morning!" I say cheerful. "Man what I wouldn't give for some coffee. Mornings just aren't right without coffee."
It's clear he doesn't understand me but he smiles and stands. I help gather our blankets and roll them. He gathers up the pack says something then starts walking so I follow.
"So this language thing is tough. How do I tell you I really need to get back to my friends? It's pretty important I think at this point that I get back. They're going to be missing me you see. I guess that raises the question why you live way out here? You found me at the city why don't you live there? Ladon's nice, you two would get along I think. Maybe. Or maybe not? Is that why you live way out here, where ever here is."
He glances at me as I talk but remains silent. It's okay I've grown use to his long silences and it's not like we're actually talking anyway. I guess I sort of am. I mean he's there and I'm here but we're not communicating. Exchanging actual ideas. That takes a lot of gesturing and meticulous role play to get our points across to each other. The play he put on when he wanted me to stay behind brings a smile to my face. He's so sweet.
It wasn't hard to figure out what he wanted because he was worried I'd get hurt but to hell with that! This has been a grand adventure. Well actually this has been a lot of walking and then lying on the sand and watching him kill a big beast but it still beats waiting alone in a cavern not knowing if he would come back or not. No, this has been fun. I like him. I like the way he looks at me and doesn't say much. It's nice. When he does act he's strong and certain which has an appeal I've never thought about before.
The men I knew before, on the ship, weren't like that. They were all, hmm, I don't know a good word for it. Soft I guess. The hardest decision life on the ship required you to make was whether to go out for dinner or eat at home. Our lives were incredibly routine and predictable. I mean the day you were born your job and education were set before you could say mom. It's the way it had to be on a generation ship. You couldn't have some generation decide not to do the jobs they were designed to do. The ship wouldn't survive and we'd never
have reached our destination with a viable colony.
So yeah, those men weren't manly men. The movies and television shows from earth had man's man types. Clint Eastwood, John Wayne. But Doctor Who was always more my type. Tennant please, hmmm yes. Smart and in control. I see some of that in Sverre now that I think of it. He's big, much too big and bulky to be a Doctor but it's in the way he plans things out. He's smart and uses his mind as much as his muscles. From what I've seen of Ladon he muscles his way through everything but not Sverre.
Hmm, so if Sverre was a Doctor… the image just doesn't work. It's like trying to imaging Arnold Schwarzenegger playing the role. He's too big, too bulky, the Doctor is lithe or something. Still, he's alien, so is the Doctor. He's smart, like the Doctor. Okay so for my purposes he's my Doctor and I'm his companion.
Can the Doctor have sex with his companions? Well that's still being debated at least among the fans on the ship. There was the whole Rose storyline but they never had sex. He's kissed girls though, which is hot. Okay well Sverre is too big to be a real Doctor so I'm going with yes. If he wants to. Or is it more if I want to? Do I?
No. This is all just a fantasy in my head to pass the time. I can't let myself get so caught up. Sverre is way ahead of me and off to my left. Realizing I've fallen behind him I take off running. If I cut across diagonal I'll reach him faster so I do that. On my third step the ground shifts and then I'm falling.
"HELP!" I yelp as the sand sucks me down then blackness yawns below.
My stomach clenches tight as the sensation of empty space opens up and I'm falling. Screeching sounds are followed by rustling leather then things are flying at me out of the dark and I scream. I scream so hard it feels like my throat rips but I keep right on yelling. Things, big nasty things, are hitting me and I'm still falling. I look up towards the receding light reaching in vain for something to grab on to.
"Jj-oo-leeeee!" Sverre yells, appearing above me with his wings spread diving in for me.
My heart leaps as I reach for him hoping against hope. He closes his wings to his body then he's plummeting closer. Things that I can't see clearly fly at him screeching. I catch glimpses of wings, teeth, and green flashing eyes. They tear at his flesh as he closes with me. When he's close he opens his arms wide then grabs me tight. His wings pop open breaking our fall then we hit the ground and we're tumbling head over heels. He's wrapped around me in a protective ball and I'm still screaming in fear and relief.
As we roll to a stop he leaps to his feet. The weapon he used yesterday drops to his hand. I start to stand but he pushes me down to the ground with his free hand then stands straddled over me. The flapping of wings and the screeching continues. He turns side to side waiting then the things dive out of the blackness attacking him. He swings and one of them is sliced in half but two more hit him from the other sides sinking their teeth in.
He grabs one with his free hand, ripping it away and slams it to the ground where he then impales it with his weapon. Two more dive in but these he ducks. Grabbing the one still chewing on him he throws it off and stabs it. He stumbles and almost falls. I don't see any severe damage but the wounds he does have are affecting him.
"Sverre!" I cry out as another one of the things comes at his back.
He whirls around with his weapon and hits it like a bat connecting with a baseball. It's flung into the darkness and I hear it smack against a wall. He wavers once again and fear knots my guts. The sounds of the things are growing less. There can't be more than two or three of them left. I rise up to my knees behind Sverre so I can try to help protect his back. I don't know with what or how but I have to help him. He dove down here to save me and I have to repay that kindness.
Two of the things swoop by overhead dodging in and out of the light streaming down from the hole above us. It's only ten or fifteen feet but when I was falling it felt like miles. Sverre turns a circle with his weapon at the ready. Our backs are pressed against each other and I notice that there's a tremor running through him. He's shaking like his muscles are spasming. One of the creatures screeches and dives in only to meet its end on his weapon. The other one flies out of the hole above us screeching then it's quiet. Sverre completes one more circle then his knees seem to give out and he drops to the floor.
"Sverre!" I exclaim.
He looks up at me from his hands and knees. The muscles of his back are spasming so hard I can see them jumping under the cloth. His arms are shaking and he can barely raise his head to look at me. He raises a hand towards me then the spasms reach the arm supporting him and he falls to his face.
"No!" I grab his shoulder and try to lift.
He's heavy, forcing me to strain as I try to turn him over. He moves, trying to help, but his muscles all quiver with hard spasms that make me hurt watching them. I get him on to his side and he looks at me with pain in his beautiful eyes then his body convulses hard throwing him over onto his back. He's shaking, his legs kicking, his arms flailing then his eyes close and he goes still.
"No, no, no," I say over and over, a mantra against the worst.
Holding my ear next to his mouth I hear the soft intake of air. He's breathing. Good! I lay my head on his chest and listen. His heart is beating but it's odd. There's an echo to it that isn't right but for now I'm going with the fact it's beating at all. The sun streams down from the opening I fell through creating a circle of light that's burning hot. Touching his face and arms they're warm. I don't know if they're too warm or not. His body is better with the heat of this planet than my own but what does he need? The heat is making me uncomfortable so I decide to move him.
Crouching by his head I hook him under his shoulders and try to drag him past the circle of light. He doesn't budge so I dig my heels in and lean back with all my weight. My feet sink into the sand up to my ankles then finally he slides a few inches, far enough that I land on my ass. Climbing up I reposition myself, hook him again, and repeat the process. I have to do this five separate times before I've finally pulled him just outside the streaming light.
Moving into the shade gives me the layout of the cavern I fell into. It looks like an old tunnel of some kind. Now that the things which attacked us are gone it's empty. It continues to my left and right as far as the light will allow me to see before blackness swallows it. The walls are smooth as is the floor and ceiling, like it was bored out by a machine. It's too smooth to have been naturally formed.
Sverre's chest rises and falls slowly but he doesn't move so I inspect him for wounds. I find several bites, each of them inflamed and swollen. The worst are the ones on his back where he had to tear the things off. They took chunks of his flesh with them leaving open wounds.
He packed for the hunt and I wonder if there's not something of medicinal value in there. He seems so thoughtful and careful that it seems likely there'd be something. I dig through his pack and almost at the bottom I find a jar which is wrapped in oil cloth tied off with a string. Unwrapping it I find a small jar with a lid that screws off. When I remove the lid there's a thick, goopy salve inside that smells incredibly strong. The odor of it assaults my senses making my eyes water and my sinuses burn.
Seems like medicine to me so I dip my fingers in. It's cool at first touch but warms on my fingers as I uncover the first of the bites on him and smear it across. I treat each wound carefully with the salve until I'm sure I have each of them covered. I don't have any bandages to cover them so I use his shirt and pants to keep the salve from collecting dirt. Once I'm finished I carefully rewrap the jar and return it to the bag along with all the supplies.
Now I wait. The adrenaline has dropped out of my system leaving me feeling drained clear down to my bones. I've got nothing left and I'm thirsty. Sverre had a water skin so wearily I climb to my feet and look for it. I find it a few feet away lying in a pool of wetness. It hit a sharp rock when it landed and was cut open. All the water is soaking into the sand. Looking at the diminishing wet spot the urge to cry is overwhelming but I'm too dry for tears. Dry sob
s shake my body for a few minutes. When it passes I return to Sverre and lie down beside him.
I'm tired. So, so tired. I just want to curl up with him and go to sleep. I want his arms around me, holding me tight against his cool, strong body. He's a stranger to me. I don't know him and we can't communicate but he's done more for me in the time we've been together than any other person in my entire life.
Lying here with my head on his shoulder, listening to the soft sound of his labored breathing I realize how scared I am he won't wake up. It's more than my own survival. I like him. I want him to be okay. Sure I'm screwed if he doesn't wake up but I might survive. I'm smart and can probably figure out how to get out of here. I don't know that I want to without him though. His strength and dominating nature is balanced by how kind and thoughtful he is. He makes me feel… happy? Safe? Cared for? Maybe something more?
Is this how it was for you Calista? Did you fall for Ladon like this?
Darkness claims me as my thoughts spin wildly out of control.
10 SVERRE
Looking around the council table I see they're all in agreement. Rising to my feet it feels as though the air is thick, resisting my motion, like it's trying to tell me to stay seated.
Someone screams my name. She's falling.
No, no this is now. I'm at the council. We're about to vote. The debate is over. Once I stand I'll call for it and then everything will go to hell. It's wrong, we're making the wrong choice. How do I tell them? I have to convince them.
She's screaming my name, I have to reach her. She's falling.
I shake my head to clear it of the distant scream. I don't know what that is. My duty is clear and this is the right choice. Revolt is the only answer. We cannot let our people continue under the yoke of the Star Imperiya. I make it to my feet and meet the eyes of each member of the council. They're resolved. We are resolved.
Dragon's Mate: A Scifi Alien Romance (Red Planet Dragons of Tajss Book 2) Page 7