by Ruby Dixon
It’s gonna be a long damn day.
SALUKH
Tee-fah-nee cannot walk.
When the trio limps out of the hunter cave – and they do limp – I am incensed to see that my Tee-fah-nee, my mate, is leaning heavily on a spear. It’s clear to me that her leg is worse today, not better. Taushen tries to put an arm around her and she pushes him away, and I can see the young hunter flinch backward.
Good. She is my mate.
Nor will I allow her to walk all the way to the Elders’ Cave.
As I have followed them, I have taken great care to remain out of sight and downwind. I have covered my tracks and kept my distance. No more. No longer. My female is hurt and in pain, and I refuse to sit back and let her struggle. I jog through the snow, making my way toward the group. They are ahead of me, but they move so slowly that it takes no time to catch up.
As I come into sight, I hear Josie’s gasp. She points in my direction. “Someone’s coming.”
Taushen turns, and I watch as he tenses at the sight of me. By now, he has figured out that this is no coincidence, that I followed them because I did not trust that he would keep the humans safe. Anger blossoms on his face and he stalks toward me, furious.
“What do you do here, Salukh? You are supposed to be hunting!”
“I am watching over the humans.” I gesture at Tee-fah-nee, who, even now, is trying not to put weight on her leg. “She is hurt and cannot walk. I am here to help.”
“You are not supposed to be here,” Taushen protests again. “This is my prize!”
I glare at him. I do not care about prizes. I care about my female. He scowls at me but does not stop me as I approach Tee-fah-nee. Josie watches me with wide eyes, but all I see is Tee-fah-nee’s face, her smooth human features lined with pain.
I touch her brown cheek with my fingertips in a gentle caress. “You should not be walking.”
“What choice do I have?” Her voice is soft, pained.
“I will carry you,” I state, and when she stiffens, I add, “If you will let me.” I must remember her fear, always.
She hesitates, and then nods. “Taushen’s going to be mad,” she murmurs, even as she lifts her arms to go around my neck.
I do not care if Taushen hates me. All I care about is getting my mate out of the cold and someplace safe where she may rest her leg. I lift her into my arms and she weighs no more than a kit. Humans are so fragile, so soft, so poorly equipped to survive. It makes my chest clench with fear.
Taushen voices a protest, but I ignore him.
“You can carry me if you want to carry someone,” Josie offers. “I’m freaking tired.”
“Caring for Ti-fa-ni is to be my prize,” Taushen states again, and he sounds like a petulant child. “Aehako will hear of this and he will not be pleased.”
He will not be, no. But he can be angry with me later. “Let us get to the Elders’ Cave and we can argue when the women are safe.”
“I guess this means no one wants to carry me, huh?” Josie says, and laughs at her own joke. “Figures.”
• • •
Even with Josie’s brave attempts to keep pace with us, it takes many hours for us to get to the Elders’ Cave. The suns are low in the sky and both humans are exhausted by the time the smooth oval mountain comes into view.
“Finally,” exclaims Josie, and I inwardly echo her sentiment. Tee-fah-nee is shivering against my chest, and her face is tight with pain. I want to get her to safety and care for her. She needs a warm fire and blankets and warm, comforting food. She needs the healer, too, but that will have to wait.
As we enter the strange cave-system that is the Elders’ Cave, I see more of the ice has been removed from the interior, revealing strange rock walls that are too smooth and more flashing lights. Tiny spurs of rock stick out everywhere, and there are lights flashing on a flat surface set into the cave wall.
“You can set me down anywhere,” Tee-fah-nee murmurs. “I’m sure I’m heavy by now.”
“You are not heavy to me,” I state staunchly. I would carry her across the mountains if I had to. It is no pain to hold her.
“Over there,” she murmurs, and there is a strange stool with a back by the remains of what looks to be a fire pit. I set her gently down on the stool and she relaxes. I begin to unwrap her leg but she pushes my hands away. “I’m fine. I can get it.”
I frown but do as she asks.
“Harlow?” Josie calls out, disappearing into one of the side-tunnels. “Harlow, are you here? Rukh? Harlow? Anyone?” She returns a few moments later, disappointment on her round face. “They’re not here.”
“They must be back at the main cave,” Tee-fah-nee says. “They split their time between here and there.”
“Well damn!” Josie looks upset. “I wanted to see their kit.”
Taushen steps forward. “The suns are going down soon and it will grow colder. If Tee-fah-nee’s leg is hurt, we will be here for several days. We will need more food, and firewood.”
Both Josie and Tee-fah-nee look at me.
I straighten and get to my feet. “You are right.” I gesture at the females. “You stay here. Taushen and I will get supplies. We will be back soon.” I don’t miss the irritated look that Taushen sends in my direction. If it were me in his place, I would be mad, too. I have taken over, and the women look to me for assurance, not him.
“Oh, but if the computer’s working, it can fix Tiff’s leg,” Josie says, her face eager.
My nostrils flare. I don’t like the thought of a come-pew-turr mending my woman. It is too strange for me to understand, and I do not trust it, but I will allow it if Tee-fah-nee is in that much pain. I touch my mate’s cheek. “Do not do anything until we return. I will bring back some faa-shesh root. It is good for pain.”
She nods and shifts in the chair. “Be careful.” Her gaze flicks to Taushen, and I realize she is thinking of the competition, where Vaza and Bek attacked me. Taushen is not like them. He is all words and little action, and he is young. He will be angry, but he will not use his fists.
I nod and head out of the Elders’ Cave, down the strange dark ramp that has been uncovered. It only has a light layer of snow on it, which tells me Rukh and his mate with the orange mane were likely here just a day or two ago.
Taushen follows me out, and the moment we are away from the cave mouth, he shoves my back. “Salukh,” he hisses. “What do you do here? She is my prize.”
I grit my teeth and ignore his anger. Were I in the same position, I would feel the same helpless rage. “I am here because she is my mate.”
He sucks in a breath. “You do not resonate.”
“It does not matter, my friend.” I close a hand over my fist. “I feel it, here. It is simply a matter of time.” Time, and convincing my silent khui that there is none for us but Tee-fah-nee and her dark curls and soft skin.
His eyes narrow as if he does not believe me. Then, a disappointed sigh escapes him. He hangs his head. “There is nothing I want more than a mate, but it is clear she does not care for me. I have tried to impress her and she does not notice. I offer to carry her and she is offended. Yet the moment you arrive, she puts her arms around your neck.”
I try not to feel too triumphant in the face of his defeat. I put a hand on his shoulder and squeeze it. “There is yet another human woman, and Farli will be of an age in a few seasons. You may yet have a mate.”
He sighs.
I understand; it is cold comfort to think of another when the female he wants is as attractive as Tee-fah-nee. But she is mine; even Taushen can see it. “Do you wish to hunt or shall I?”
“I will hunt,” he says glumly, pulling his spear from the carrying loop over his shoulder. “You collect wood and dung and the root for Ti-fa-ni. Maybe if I feed the human Jo-see she will appreciate it.” He doesn’t look thrilled at the thought.
I clap his shoulder. “We best get started, then.”
TIFFANY
“I can’t believe it,” Josi
e wails. She clutches a thin sheet of plastic in her hand that crinkles like foil and thrusts it toward me. “I found that on the medical bay.”
“Out of order,” I read aloud, smoothing out the odd ‘paper’. “Harlow must have left the note in case anyone else stopped by.”
“How is it out of order?” Josie’s voice is despairing. She drops to the ground near my propped up leg and her eyes are shiny with tears. “I need it to work. I need it!”
I shift in my chair, my leg throbbing. “You aren’t the only one.”
She looks over at me and dashes her fingers under her eyes. “Shit. Sorry. I just…I had my hopes up, you know?”
I do know. She’s ready to start her new life. She wants a mate and babies. She’s tired of being held back by the past. Boy do I know how that feels. Her face is so sad that it makes my heart hurt. “I’m sure she’ll be back soon, Jo. If it can be fixed, Harlow can fix it. We’ll just stick around for a while, get the language beamed into our brains, let my leg heal, and wait for them to come back.”
Josie nods, but the disappointment is still written on her face. “She probably got the stonecutter working again and went back to the main cave. That means more caverns will be opening up and everyone will be moving back.”
“Mmm.” I’m not looking forward to that. Moving back means travel – which I’m rather sick of at the moment – but it also means more people crammed into one cave system. Normally I wouldn’t mind that, but more people means more men falling all over me to try and get my attention.
I’m pretty damn sick of that.
My thoughts stray to Salukh, and I shiver under my furs, thinking of the way he strode across the snow, all fluttering dark hair and intense, angry eyes. He’d made a beeline right for me, and I knew, somehow, that he’d been watching over us and had come out the moment he saw I was hurt. And I should be annoyed that he was following us, but I’m all warm and fluttery instead, because he’s here. He’s here and he’s going to take care of things. He’s going to make sure I’m safe.
For some reason, I feel instantly better at that thought. It doesn’t matter that I have a bum leg or that Taushen is mad or that the machine is broken and Harlow’s nowhere to be found. None of that matters, because Salukh is here and he makes me happy. Actually, seeing him cross the snow toward us like some big blue avenging devil made me feel happier than I’ve felt since landing on this planet.
Maybe when we get back to the South cave, I’ll invite him to share my furs on a more permanent basis.
I turn to Josie. “It’s going to be a while before the men get back, I imagine. Should we go ahead and get the language beamed into our heads while they’re gone and get the headache over with?”
“Might as well,” she says, and the cheerful note is back in her voice. Not much keeps Josie down for long.
Chapter Fourteen
TIFFANY
Getting the sa-khui language downloaded to my head involves standing very still while the computer shoots a laser-beam into my eye. I’m not sure about the logistics of it, other than it nukes your brain momentarily and makes you wake up with a splitting headache. Josie and I take turns getting the language and then sit, waiting for the men to return.
My head throbs and aches, and my brain feels as if someone took an apple peeler to it. Not fun, but it had to be done. “I can’t wait for Salukh to come back,” I tell Josie, leaning my cheek against the weirdly comfortable chair that’s been moved into the ‘main cave’. It’s probably more like a cargo bay, but it’s open and makes the aliens less skittish. Plus the door is nearby and there’s a metal section of the floor that’s been set up to use as a fire-pit, encircled with stones. A few pieces of odd furniture have been moved into the area, and I wonder if that’s Harlow’s work or other visitors that have stopped by. Near me on the other side of the fire pit, Josie is curled up in her cloak and seated on a stuffed pillow.
“So you can practice saying dirty things to him in sa-khui?” Josie teases, but her words are accompanied by a wince and a press of her fingers to her temples.
The idea isn’t a bad one, but with the way my brain feels, I’d settle for having someone rub my head and hand me a drink of water. “Nah. Just feels like they’ve been gone for a while now. I hope everything’s okay.”
I really hope Taushen isn’t being a dick to him and trying to start something. I know he’s not supposed to be here, but I can’t help but be glad that he bent the rules and showed up anyhow.
“That’s because they have been gone for a while,” Josie says, and tugs the blankets closer around her body. She flops down on the pillow and yawns. “I’m going to try and sleep off some of this migraine. Wake me if a chocolate bar shows up and wants to cuddle.”
I stifle my laugh — mostly because it hurts to laugh — and peel myself out of the chair. It’s chilly away from the fire, and I rub my arms as I wander over to the doorway. The suns are setting, the endless snow outside taking on a purple tinge. They should be back soon.
A furious breeze whips at my thick hair, and I’m shocked at the strength of it. Good lord, where did that come from? I take a few more steps toward the door and lean against the entryway, peering outside. There’s no snow falling, but the temperature is definitely getting colder and the wind is picking up. Gonna be a cold night. I’m glad we’re inside.
I watch the snow for a bit but when it’s clear no one’s on the horizon, I wander away again. It’s too cold to stay near the door for too long. Instead, I move toward the computer panel at the far end of the room. There are very few buttons and the ones that are there have extremely strange writing on them and are shaped oddly. I know the button that turns things on, though, and I push it.
“System activated. How can I assist?”
“Can I get a weather reading?” I ask. “What’s the temperature outside?” I’m not sure if the computer knows standard units of measurement, so I add, “Set the freezing point at zero degrees.”
“The temperature outside is pleasant and slightly above normal for this time of year. Going by your guidelines, it is one degree below freezing.”
Pleasant? One degree below freezing? Barf. How I wish I’d gotten stranded on Planet Florida instead of Planet Iceland. As soon as the thought crosses my mind, though, I dismiss it. Salukh wouldn’t be there if I were anywhere else…and I’d miss him. I feel warm thinking about him and I can feel myself smiling. “What about the weather tomorrow?”
“The temperature will be dropping due to a cold weather system incoming. Would you like to see an overview of the terrain?”
“A map? That’d be great.”
I wait impatiently as the computer pulls up a visual on the screen. At first it’s all white, but then the picture starts to fill in slowly. I touch the screen and it zooms in, but I’m not sure what I’m looking at. “Can you point out where I’m at on the map?”
A moment later, a red dot appears. “You are located here.”
Glad I asked. It looks like a whole lot of nothing to my eyes. I lean closer, peering at the picture. I have no idea where the main cave and the south cave are in relation to where I’m at. I’m not sure the computer would know the caves either. I drag my finger over the map, making it zoom in and out, looking for landmarks of any kind. “Can you show me where the crashed ship is?”
“Query: I do not understand what ‘crashedhip’ is.”
Well, this was as bad as talking to Siri on her old iPhone. “It’s how the humans landed here. We were in a large metal ship. Can you locate that?”
The computer blips and then a blue dot shows up on the map, in the mountains to the east. “There is a deposit of metal here, according to my scanners.”
“That must be it,” I murmur to no one in particular. It’s northeast of here, which means that the main tribal cave should be nearby somewhere. It’s a half a day’s journey from the main cave to the Elders’ Cave – the old, broken down ship I’m standing in – and it’s a half a day’s trek from the main cave to
the South cave. Different directions, though. “Can you zoom out? I want to see the entire area.”
“Query: I do not understand what ‘zoom’ is.”
Oy. “Make the picture bigger so I can see the entire region. I want to see all of it.”
The screen changes again, and this time I can see a very large chunk of land, along with the mountains to the east and what looks like the sea – or even an ocean – over to the west.
One thing dominates the entire picture, though: an enormous white swirl situated to the southwest. “Um, what is that?” I point at it without touching the screen. It’s covering over half of the map, and that’s throwing me off. It’s unnerving just how big the shape is, and reminds me a lot of a hurricane when it would show up on a weather radar.
“That is an incoming weather system,” the computer explains calmly.
“It looks…big.”
“Scans show that the system will be bringing high winds and a larger than normal amount of frozen precipitation to all affected areas.”
Well, I’m no Not-Hoth weather girl, but that doesn’t sound good to me. “Exactly how much is a larger than normal amount?”
“Expected precipitation will be somewhere in twelve to sixteen nashae.”
My brain automatically filtered through the strange word and told me that was a unit of measurement used by the sakh people. “Compare one nashae to a human measurement of one foot.”
“One nashae is roughly equal to 1.34 human feet.”
Holy crap. “And this storm is going to bring twelve to sixteen feet of snow?”
“Incorrect. The weather system will bring 12-16 nashae of snow. The correct measurement in human terms is 16.08 human feet to 21.44 feet of precipitation. In addition, precipitation will fall as a mix of both snow and ice, later leading to snow as temperatures continue to drop.”