by Tracy Lauren
“That…that I’m docile,” I repeat the word, unsure of how I feel about their assessment of me.
“Give it time. They have not yet known you long enough,” he teases. I’d elbow him for the slight, but I’m too busy holding his arm in a death grip, so I resort to giving him the stink eye instead. But Dax only smiles wider when he sees he’s gotten under my skin.
I’m suddenly startled when one of the creatures, a child no doubt, comes creeping close to me on all fours. He stops at my feet before pushing himself up on hind legs. Giving me a tentative sniff, one of his short arms reaches for my hand. I release Dax and allow the boy to touch my fingers gently.
“You are nice,” he says to me.
“Thanks. You too,” I struggle to say in their language, still holding onto his little hand. There are nervous murmurs coming from the older natives.
“Papa says the mothers are not nice…we should run from them if they…” he tells me. My translator is already doing better in processing his words, but they still come in a little choppy. I don’t think I fully understand what he means. Where are all the mothers and why should they run from them?
I kneel down in front of the kid, lowering my voice. “Tell me, is your papa nice?” I ask.
“Oh yes! I love my—” Suddenly an adult comes and scoops the boy up. I hear admonishing words being whispered to the child as he’s torn away from me by the protective adult. These people really do seem scared, and it leaves me with an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. I return to Dax’s side and link my fingers through his.
“No! You do not see!” the native from the river exclaims again. “She is not like us!”
“It is true, did you see her with Khl’ck?” someone in the crowd says. I assume they are referring to the kid.
“…look at…she…her male…” someone else points out, indicating my hand in Dax’s. I look up at him for answers, confused and shaken by the attention of these aliens. But Dax is no help, he’s got this dopey grin on his face and gives my fingers a playful squeeze. No help at all. I frown.
“I’m sorry,” I work to say, “I’m a little confused.”
“Her words are strange,” another alien rudely points out, I frown in his direction and everyone in his vicinity backs up, bobbing their heads down low to the ground in a submissive position.
“You are not…” the river native questions.
“Sorry, can you say that again?” I ask.
“You are not from here?” he repeats.
“No, I’m not,” I answer, happy to be able to communicate.
“Is this your male?” he motions toward Dax, and it seems every alien’s eyes shoot to our interlocked fingers.
I look at Dax. The twinkle in his eyes makes me think he knows damn well what we’re talking about despite his inability to speak the native’s language. I straighten my back and resolve myself to my answer. “Yes,” I tell the river native.
I don’t want them to think I’m on the market, and if Dax does pick up on what we’re saying I’ll just have to beat the smirk off his face if he tries to tease me about it later. I shoot him a couple of daggers with my eyes, just so he knows it too.
“Do you have young?” the river native asks.
“Huh? Uh, no. No young…” I tell him.
“Are you…” he asks more seriously.
“I did not catch that last part.”
“Mature?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I follow…” I admit.
He clicks more at me, but nothing comes in right…until one word finally does… “Menstruation?” he presses.
“Excuse me?” I gasp and recoil.
“What is it?” Dax frowns at my reaction.
“He is asking me about menstruation!” I tell him, horrified.
“Hmpf,” Dax grunts. Though he wears a bit of a frown, he still seems to be amused, probably by my discomfort. “He is likely trying to determine if you are sexually mature. An adult,” he adds when he sees the horror still on my face.
“Kllckt!” An elder steps forward, admonishing the river native. “That is likely too forward a…this female!” The elder turns to me. “Tell me, what is your name?”
“My name?” I repeat. The elder gestures an affirmation.
“Ummm, Vivian. Vivian is my name.” Alien eyes shoot uneasily at one another.
“Kickin,” the river native, whose name is apparently Kllckt, says. “Kickin,” the others all echo.
Kickin… That’s as close as they can get to saying Vivian. “Close enough, I guess.” I shrug, smiling.
“Please, Kickin, join us by the fire,” he says, gesturing inside the common house. “We…a celebration…your arrival…”
“Oh, that’s really not necessary!” I tell him.
“We insist. It is not every day…strangers. At the very least you must allow us to feed you. You can…of your people. We would love to hear of them,” the elder says warmly.
“We need supplies,” Dax says with an encouraging nudge when I don’t step forward.
“Okay…” I say with a forced smile.
We are led into the common house. In the center is a large bonfire pit filled with crackling embers. Benches surround the warm center of the room and the elder leads me to take a seat. Looking around I see evidence of the natives’ work. Fish had been left out mid-preparation, interrupted by our arrival, no doubt. Baskets line the walls, filled with fruit and vegetables, and bundles of herbs hang from the ceiling. The elder speaks in hushed tones to Kllckt, and others hurry to tidy the space. Kllckt bobs his head eagerly at whatever the elder whispers to him.
“You enjoy young?” the elder asks me.
“Enjoy? Um, I like kids if that’s what you mean,” I reply uneasily.
“You will not attack if they misstep?” he inquires seriously.
“Attack? Children? God, no!” I gasp.
“We have to ask. Our young are very precious to us,” he tells me apologetically.
“Yes, of course they are. I would never hurt a child,” I assure him.
“Wonderful,” he says before turning back to Kllckt, giving him further instruction. When Kllckt rushes off the elder comes to sit on the old wooden bench next to Dax and me.
“Please excuse…questions. We have never…anyone of your kind before. My people are curious.”
“That’s understandable, I guess.” I smile politely at the old man. Some of the tension begins to leave me again. These are strange people and their questions are rather invasive, but I suppose it makes sense. We are alien to them.
I sit there nervously for a while, looking back and forth between Dax and the elderly man. It’s strange being in the position to lead this alien interaction. I mean, Dax is supposed to be the alien ambassador. I’m just the scared human far from home.
Dax smiles stoically. I get the impression he’s playing dumb for some reason. I imagine he’d be able to navigate this situation just fine even without my translator actively processing the natives’ language. I have the sneaking suspicion he thinks he’s doing me a favor, and heck, maybe he is.
“I didn’t catch your name,” I ask the elder.
“Khkuk,” he replies.
“Cahcook—” I mimic.
“Khkuk,” he corrects.
“Uh huh, yeah Cahcook. So, where are all the females, the mothers of all these kids here?” I try to ask in a casual, noncommittal sort of way.
“That is the reason my people are so curious about you,” he begins. “We are the… Males and females among our kind…different from one another. Our females live up high in… The mountain caves.” He indicates a rocky range far in the distance.
“They isolate themselves even from one another. Coming down at…to hunt or to mate. They are fierce and vicious. Larger and stronger than males.” He stops to appraise me for a moment. “It is strange to see you with your male, you are so small in size compared to him. Small compared to our females as well.” He says this with an alien approxi
mation of a smile, at least his lips curl up over his long yellow teeth and I really hope it’s a smile.
“Um…thank you?” I say, not knowing how else to respond. “But why are the kids not with their mothers?”
“Our females are not like us when it comes to their…capacities.”
“I’m sorry, can you say that word again?” I stop him.
“Mentally. They are not like us mentally. They are wild, like animals. They do not know the males they mate with, nor do they know their young when they are born. After a male has mated with a female, we must track her; it is a very dangerous time. Once she births the young we must go into her den to rescue it.”
“Oh my! That’s horrible! That’s kidnapping!” I say without thinking. My hand flies over my mouth. Instantly I hope I have not offended our host.
“It is horrible, but necessary. A female would devour her young if we did not do it. I hate to admit it, but there have been many cases…we failed to bring the young back safely. Often…lose a tribemate in the effort to rescue the babe.”
“I’m so sorry, I can’t imagine.” I search for the right words to say. “It must be a very difficult way to live,” I struggle to say.
“It is, it is indeed. But it is also all we have ever known. I do not…make our females to sound like monsters, you must know that we love them dearly. Sometimes we will try to catch one, to tame her, or get through to her somehow. But there is no knowing behind their eyes,” he says, shaking his head and looking off into the distance.
I look over at Dax, who still wears a dopey smile on his face. He absently clasps my hand with both of his, giving it comforting little pats as he assesses our surroundings. I clear my throat and toe the ground; not sure what else I’m supposed to say.
“I would love to hear more about your tribe, Kickin. Is it far from here? You must have traveled a very great distance, I’ve never seen anyone like you before. Nor your mate.”
I smile at Cahcook, but my eyes go wide with nerves. “Daaaax,” I whisper to my side. “He’s asking where my village is.”
Dax just smiles and nods his head like an idiot. I squeeze his hand as hard as I can, trying to force him to help me out. He just pats mine lazily in response. Jerk.
“Do you come from the far side of the mountains?” Cahcook asks.
“Um, we are actually not from here,” I answer.
“From the shore?” he presses.
“Uh…no.” I shake my head.
“Beyond the great waters?” Disbelief raising in his voice.
“Beyond. Far beyond,” I agree with a nod.
“Are there more of your kind? Females? Perhaps in need of a mate?” His questions are insistent, but he isn’t sounding like a creeper. He sounds more like a lonely man hoping there is something more for himself and his people out there in the world.
“I’m sorry, Cahcook, I am the only one of my kind. Besides Dax and myself, there are no others,” I tell him, trying to let him down gently.
“I see,” he sighs. “Well, you mustn’t be surprised if my people give you much attention this evening, you are quite the novelty to us.” I see him looking wistfully at my hand laced with Dax’s. “Your mate is a very lucky male. Oh look! The food and festivities are about to begin.”
I turn to see the males of Cahcook’s tribe carting in more baskets of food. A handful of them carry roughly carved musical instruments, flutes and drums mostly. A song kicks up and some of the men work to bring the fire roaring to life. Beyond the walls of the common house night is beginning to fall.
Kllckt approaches with a platter of food. He holds it out, keeping his head down, performing that odd submissive dancing motion as he nears me.
“Thank you, Clickit,” I tell him as I take the tray from his hands. He looks up into my eyes and his tail swings down, hitting the packed dirt with a hard smack. Surprised, I jump at the sound of it. If I read his expression right, he almost looks pleased at my reaction.
“Is this safe to eat?” I whisper to Dax. He grabs a meaty piece of something and pops it into his mouth.
“They eat it,” he reasons with a shrug.
“I forgot you were a freaking scientist. Thank you for your astute analysis. Where’s your scanner thing?”
“Got wet. Mmmm, this is good. You should really try this,” he says, grabbing another piece but this time holding it out in front of my lips. My hands are occupied by the large platter. I am very hungry, so reluctantly I open my mouth and he slips the morsel of food inside.
“Ohhhh, that is good,” I moan. I’ve been too many days eating nothing but protein rations. Suddenly there is a hiccup to the music. I look up to see all eyes trained on Dax and me. Even the elderly Cahcook stares at us, slack jawed and full of longing.
“Oh, um…excuse me,” I say, balancing the tray on my knee and holding it with one hand. I use my free hand to swipe at my mouth and tentatively begin to feed myself.
“That should be my job,” Dax says.
“What?”
“Feeding you, I am your mate after all,” he teases.
“Oh, shut up. I knew you picked up on that, and for your information, I only said it so I wouldn’t have any of these guys trying to court me or whatever it is they do… Dax, their chief told me about the women on this planet.”
“Yes?”
“They sound like wild animals, like monsters. They actually…they actually eat their young if the fathers don’t rescue them in time,” I tell him emphatically.
“Hmm, it makes sense they are so interested in you then and also why they see you as docile. I am sure you are quite a prize in their eyes,” Dax points out. I don’t know if I should be offended at his words or not. I mean, only now does it make sense that they are interested in me? Like if their mates weren’t vicious hamster monsters I would be completely unappealing, but since I don’t eat babies I’m suddenly not that bad. I frown, trying to sort out my emotions.
Another native hands Cahcook a bag that looks to be made of leather. The elder holds it to his lips and takes a swig of the contents before he offers it to me. “Ghklng?”
“No thank you.” I smile politely as I decline, but Dax reaches over me for the bag. Cahcook shares it willingly.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” I hiss at him.
“What?” he asks naïvely.
“Drinking. I’m willing to bet there’s alcohol in that.” I motion to the bag in his hands.
“Oh, I am hoping for it,” he says, taking a swig. “Are you sure you do not want any?”
“No! And I really wish you wouldn’t either.” I lower my voice even though the natives can’t understand me. “We might need to have all our wits about us,” I insist. He obliges me by handing the bag back to Cahcook.
Cahcook is laughing. “Your mate would make a good brother to this tribe, Kickin,” he says, taking another swig before passing the bag on to the next man.
I look up to see Kllckt watching me. I shift nervously in my seat. Just then, a loud ruckus fills the room. Half a dozen children come running in. Some go straight for the food, others line up before the musicians and begin to roll around in a wild dance to the song. They almost remind me of puppies rolling their backs, but their bodies move more like snakes and they flip and flop oddly about. It’s creepy when the adults do it, but cute on the kids, and I get lost watching them. I even catch myself smiling.
I relax enough to eat more from the platter on my lap. If I want to eat I figure I better hurry up, Dax has just about devoured the whole meal. I also notice he grabs fruits and vegetables from the nearby baskets and shoves them into his rucksack.
I catch the gaze of the brave little boy who ventured to speak to me. I smile when I recognize him and he drops to all fours, scuttling over to me. He puts his chin on my knees and nuzzles me like a cat. Setting the nearly empty tray aside, I place a loving hand on the child’s head. His eyes are so sweet, looking up at me. I feel a pang of sadness for him, that he has never known a mother.
It’s a loss that resonates with me, but I eventually had my grandmother to fill the void. This little guy will never know motherly love.
“Come up here and sit with me, little man,” I tell him. He eagerly clambers up next to me, actually scurrying around my torso and back, before finding a place next to me on the bench. “Whoa, okay… Comfortable?” I ask when he settles in.
“Oh yes!” he announces happily.
“Tell me about your home, little man,” I ask.
“What do you want to know?”
“Oh, anything. What do you like about it?”