by Vivian Venus
He blinked and stared at her, and Kaylee then wondered if trying to convince him otherwise was a bad idea. After all, without his help she would be dead. If she was going to survive until the rescue came, she would need him. Tor’s expression grew serious, and he strode over to her, the pale yellow light of the yellow planet casting him in a sort of pale aura. His dog-like ears twitched. She stiffened, suddenly wondering if he had believed her and had changed his mind and was going to leave her here to fend for herself.
“It’s alright, Kaylee Mentz. You have only forgotten, like the first hunter of Ulduuk lore. I will help you remember your place here.” His serious expression broke into a look of warm reassurance. “I promise you.” He turned and continued up the boulder path. “We only have a little ways left, but it’s difficult. Let’s go.”
She sighed. She supposed that him believing whatever he believed was fine. She was safe with him after all…at least from the dangers in the jungle. But from him was another story. With his talk of her being sent to save his people…she didn’t know what his intentions were with her though she had a few guesses, and he couldn’t be convinced that she wasn’t sent from his gods...
Sure, the thought of what he would be like crossed her mind. It made her feel strange and inappropriate, it was a taboo thought she shouldn’t be having, but Tor wasn’t exactly shabby looking. Kaylee had seen pictures of alien species before, but none looked like Tor. Human-like with his build, but with those beast features…the ears, the tail, the eyes. His muscles were ripped in a way that no man could ever achieve, like he was something straight out of Greek myth, the Minotaur or something like that. No, he wasn’t shabby looking at all, in fact she didn’t know aliens could even be this sexy.
But even if he was a god-like level of sexy, Kaylee wasn’t so up for the idea of becoming an alien’s bride.
They scrambled up a series of stacked boulders, Kaylee refusing his hand when she tackled each one of them, but it was the top that she froze, any sort of confidence drying up immediately. They faced a huge crevice – to her it looked more like a valley – where one gargantuan rock had cracked in two. The branches of a huge tree hung overhead, with vines hanging down between the space, and without any hesitation Tor leapt and grabbed a vine, swinging himself like a monkey from vine to vine until he reached the other side.
Kaylee felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach as she peeked over the edge of the crevice and saw the bottom was hundreds of feet down, shrouded in nighttime darkness. “Oh, God,” she murmured. “What have I gotten myself into?” With a trembling hand she reached out and grabbed hold of the nearest vine and tugged it to test it. It was firm. She looked up saw the thick branches of the tree that hung over the top of the void. She swallowed, her throat dry. “Isn’t there a way I can just climb this tree over,” she shouted to Tor.
“Impossible,” he said. “Not unless you like kreyachs.”
She didn’t want to ask what kreyachs were. Looking up again into the dark, thick tangle of branches in that primordial canopy above, she imagined all sorts of creepy crawly things that could make their home there. She swallowed again, her palms wet with sweat.
“I will come back for you,” Tor called, grabbing hold of the nearest vine.
“Don’t,” Kaylee said. She was going to do this. She had to. She took a deep breath and then counted down in her head.
Three…
Two…
One.
She propelled herself out on the vine, gritting her teeth and her eyes wide as dinner plates. She reached out and grabbed hold of another vine – got it – released her other hand and then swung. She had made it half way across! Her vine swung out and she reached out to grab the next, but she hadn’t been quick enough and she swung back the other way. “Shit,” she said, and then glanced down. The sight of the ground so far beneath her made her vision lurch and her fingers tingle with numbness. She was losing momentum. She only had one chance! She was carried back the other way and she stretched out with her hand to grab the waiting vine— she had it! As she let go of the other vine, she felt a sudden surge of instability. Her body dropped off balance and the one hand holding tight slipped on the waxy skin of the vine. She slid down, screaming in surprise, grabbing with her other hand but it was sweaty and couldn’t get good purchase… She was falling.
Tor saw this even before she had let go of the other vine. He saw that she had not built up enough speed and that the direction she had moved herself was going to swing her out of control, and he had not hesitated. He sprinted and leapt out over the edge, grabbing the nearest vine and swinging down towards her. He extended his arm as her grip failed and just as she was about to fall into the void he grabbed her, bundling her under his arm like Tarzan with Jane. He swung back to the other side, dropping deftly from the vine with a landing like a seasoned gymnast, gently lowering Kaylee to the ground.
Her legs wouldn’t carry her and she dropped to her knees. Sweat dotted her forehead and she throbbed with adrenaline. “I almost…I almost…” She couldn’t bring herself to say it. She slowly pulled herself to her feet.
“We’re here,” Tor said, “just ahead.” There was now a clear pathway worn away into the cliff face which led up and around a bend, and he turned to continue. “I would never have let you fallen,” he said, stopping for a moment, and then walked on.
Kaylee looked on after him. Toovah continued to sleep on his back, and she was momentarily taken away from her brush with death with astonishment that the little alien child could sleep so deeply. She hoped that he would be okay, though Tor seemed to think that she had already saved him.
The village was under the shade of a huge tree that burst out of the rock of a towering flat topped mesa that grew out above the jungle. Looking out and around there were several more of these rocky mesas off in the distance that pushed out from the tree line. Tor led her past dark and empty huts, through the remains of the village which once had been full of life. They reached a small hut which had been maintained, standing out as clean and repaired compared to the rest, and Tor pulled back a hide covering the entrance and they went inside.
In the center of the hut lay a hearth and surrounding it a large bed of furs. Tor undid the tie around his chest and lowered Toovah to the ground, catching him in his arms and then laying him out on a small stretch of fur. “The fever is breaking,” he said, relieved. “He’s sleeping peacefully now.” He pulled up a fur blanket over the boy, and Toovah reacted in his sleep, pulling it up to his cheek and turning over, his ears twitching slowly, his little lion’s tail swishing out from under the blanket. Tor then dashed two rocks together and after a moment had a small fire crackling in the hearth. He pointed to the bed of furs. “Kaylee Mentz,” he said, “please, sleep here.”
She eyed him with a bit of caution but was too tired to protest. A heavy wave of exhaustion had come over her and she laid down, setting her seed canteen aside and keeping her eye on Tor to see what his next move was going to be. He sat down cross legged in front of the fire, just across from her so that she saw him through the leaping flames. With the nest of furs and the warmth of the fire, Kaylee found it her eyes growing heavy with sleep. She tried to keep them open, not wanting to let her guard down around him…
The events of the day caught up with her and she passed into a deep, dreamless sleep.
FIVE
When Kaylee awoke the next morning it took a few moments for her to remember where she was, and that the events of the day before had not been one crazy dream. It was the screeching calls of birds – or at least she thought they might be birds – and the cacophony of exotic life that told her that she was indeed stuck in the jungle of some unknown alien planet. She sat up quickly, then remembering the alien hunter who had brought her here and how she was so sure that he wanted to…
The hut was empty. The small heap of furs next to her were unoccupied. Had the little alien boy been cured?
She lay back down, staring up at the ceiling of the h
ut. It was made with brown green reeds thatched together, a hole in the center of the roof which was blackened with soot. Tor, she thought, the image of that strangely handsome alien man filling her mind. That body, those ears, that tail… She couldn’t believe what she was thinking but he was incredibly alluring in some strange animalistic and exotic way.
“What am I even thinking about,” she muttered, covering her eyes with the back of her wrist. Maybe she was going a little loopy. She’d up and left Earth, a move that was as uncharacteristic of her as anything could possibly get, and now she was marooned with an alien man with muscles from here to Mars. Maybe if he did come in here demanding for her to give herself to him she would just go with it…
There was a rustle as the hide flap covering the entrance to the tent pulled back. Kaylee shot up, pulling the furs up to her chin. Or maybe not. “Stay away!” she shouted, clenching her legs together. Then she saw it was Toovah, the little boy. His big eyes blinked curiously, his ears pulled back. His tail swished behind him, the fur puff on the end bristling out in surprise from her shout. He cocked his head.
“Oh,” Kaylee said, embarrassed. “Hello.” She lowered the furs from her chin. He looks like a…like a cute little puppy or something, she thought. “Are you feeling better?”
Toovah still looked confused and concerned about her little outburst. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m sorry. I was just scared, I didn’t know it was you.” She held out her hand. “Come here,” she said, smiling.
A smile burst onto his face and his ears darted straight up, and Toovah dashed over to her, jumped, and threw his arms around her neck. “Whoah,” she laughed. He rubbed his cheek against her shoulder and she heard a little purring noise coming from his throat, like a happy lion cub. Kayle stroked his dark hair, unsure what else to do. “You’re okay,” she said softly, grinning. He was so cute!
“Toovah. Don’t bother her, she’s sleeping.” Tor stuck his head in through the flap and saw what was going on. “Oh,” he said, giving a little grin that showed off his pointy canines. “Did you rest well?”
“Yes, thanks,” she said.
“Come on, Toovah. Leave her alone.”
Toovah looked back over his shoulder at Tor and shook his head, his ears going flat.
“It’s okay,” Kaylee said, patting his head. “I don’t mind. He’s adorable.”
“You saved his life. You truly were sent by the Great Ones.” Before she could respond, Tor gestured for her to follow. “You must be hungry. I’ve just returned from a hunt, come out.”
She was. She hadn’t eaten anything since the light dinner served on the shuttle, and that must’ve been nearly twenty hours ago. She realized she had no way of checking the time – she had no watch or holo-comm on her, she hadn’t even thought to bring any supplies with her from the pod… Devlan’s harsh words echoed in her mind.
You can’t do a damn thing for yourself.
“Come on, Toovah,” she said, softly. He let go and she stood up, certain that her hair was probably a crazy mess, and wishing she could take a shower. She felt a tap on her leg and looked down, and Toovah was holding up the seed canteen to her in both of his hands. “Thanks,” she said, smiling as she took it from him. She couldn’t help but be taken by the little guy, with his puppy-dog ears and cat-like shyness. And the way he had purred! So cute. She wondered if Tor purred too when he was feeling happy. She felt herself go hot as she imagined what might make him purr.
She uncorked the seed and sipped a big mouthful before leaving the tent, Toovah holding a small handful of her shirt and walking along next to her. When she pulled back the flap, she held her arm up to block the glare of the sun, and Toovah did the same, looking up at her and copying her. When her eyes adjusted she saw that Tor had a bonfire going out in what looked to have been a social gathering area, like a camp fire pit, with several logs surrounding the fire for sitting. Over the flames he was cooking an animal that looked a little like a cross between a pig and a deer, and when the smell of it hit her nose she felt her stomach gurgle.
Above, shading almost half of the village were branches of a ginormous tree which seemed to be growing straight from the rock of the mesa the village was settled on, its trunk wider than Kaylee could even imagine a tree’s trunk could get. Behind it was the still visible yellow planet, the Great Eye, and beyond Kaylee could now see the jungle expanse in its full daylight revealed glory. Her pod was out there somewhere, hidden somewhere amongst all those trees. She would have to go back to it, she realized. It was the only way she had a chance to be rescued from this place. The pod had the transmitter in it that apparently had stopped broadcasting its position after the crash. She needed to figure out how to get it to work again.
She took a long breath. She didn’t know how she’d do it, but she knew she needed to go back there. But first, food.
She sat down on a log in front of the bonfire and Toovah took a seat next to her, looking up at her curiously.
“He likes you,” Tor said, turning the meat over the fire. “He’s not even that affectionate with me.”
“He doesn’t talk much,” she observed.
“Yes, he was always a quiet one. The others used to tease him about it, I remember. When his parents were taken by the sickness, he all but stopped speaking.”
“Oh,” Kaylee said, surprised, and she stroked Toovah’s head. “I thought that he was your son.”
Tor shook his head. “He and I are all that is left of our people.”
Kaylee could see the pain in Tor’s expression when he mentioned it, so she didn’t press him about it for details. She watched as he took out his stone knife from his belt, picked up a piece of wood which had been carved flat into a plate, and then sliced off a piece of juicy meat onto it. He held it out to her, and she took it from him. Then he carved off another piece and handed it to Toovah who immediately ripped into it. She looked at her piece and poked it with a finger. It was still hot. Toovah was eating it with his bare hands, seemingly unbothered by the temperature. She looked up at Tor, who had sliced off a piece for himself and took a seat adjacent to her. “Please, eat,” he said, and he picked it up with his hand and ripped a huge piece off with his sharp canines.
When in Rome, Kaylee thought. The heat didn’t seem to bother Tor and Toovah but it was still too hot for her fingers, and so she slid the meat so that a portion of it was hanging off the edge of the plate and then bit into it that way. It was tender and juicy, with a flavor that tasted a bit like a mix of pork and lamb. As the hot meat filled her belly she felt strength returning to her body and her mind, and she remembered the pod. She needed to ask Tor for his help to get back to it; for one she didn’t even know exactly the way back, and she knew that there was too much about surviving this jungle that she didn’t know.
She eyed him thoughtfully as she chewed the meat. She was still nervous about him, apprehensive about what he wanted, but at the same time he hadn’t been anything but a gentleman from the time they had met. Kaylee had thought she was a good judge of character, though after having fallen for Devlan’s charms she now second guessed herself, but Tor seemed to be a good…alien. He had a certain air of responsibility and authority around him, and Kaylee wondered if that was from the confidence gained when you were a master of your surroundings. She wondered if Tor was maybe the lead hunter, or maybe he was the Prince of his tribe or something like that. She found her face growing hot again. Prince of his tribe. Why was that so hot?
She was going to bring up the pod, but Tor spoke first. “Just to the north of the village is a place where the water bubbles up hot from the earth. It’s clean and safe there, and maybe you would like a bath?”
“That sounds amazing,” she said. For a moment she considered putting off that long and probably dangerous trek back to the pod in favor of taking a nice hot spring bath, but she knew she needed to get back there as soon as possible. She already had no idea how long she had been asleep for – a rescue team could already be scanning the quadra
nt. “But Tor, I need to get back to my pod, I mean, my star. I need to see if anyone is looking for me.”
“Toovah and I are the only ones here,” he said. “Who would be looking for you?”
She sighed softly. She didn’t think she would be able to explain interstellar space travel and that there were hundreds of known populated worlds out there besides his. “My people. From where I came from.”
“The Great Ones sent you,” Tor said. “To save Toovah. And to be my mate.”
Kaylee’s face went red. She didn’t recoil at his words this time, but they did make her heart race. “I…I don’t think so, Tor. It was just a coincidence. Maybe that was your Great Ones who made that happen, who knows? Maybe they did send me here to save Toovah, but they didn’t send me here to be your mate.”
She felt tense now, gripping her plate firmly in her hands. Toovah stared back and forth between them, a curious expression on his face. Kaylee’s mind went to Devlan again, thinking of what would happen whenever she would speak against him. She swallowed and felt sweat prickling her forehead, and prepared for Tor to explode at her. To force her. She was up here in this village, no way of leaving on her own, held by this huge alien hunter and…
“Alright.”
“Huh?” Kaylee said blankly.
“If the Great Ones had sent you to fulfill both my requests, then it would happen. It’s not something I can decide. Perhaps you were only meant to save Toovah. That was their will, and I must wait patiently to see if saving the Ulduuk is part of their will as well. I will take you back to your star, and stand by your side to protect you until your people come to take you home.”
Kaylee was shocked, completely not expecting him to have that response. “Thank you,” she said. It was all she could manage at that moment, and she felt somewhat sheepish. She picked up the last of her meat and stuffed it in her mouth, and she felt her eyes threatening to brim over with tears. Oh no, Kaylee. Don’t cry now, you never cry, but it was too late. The entire weight of everything that happened finally drew down on her, breaking past the defenses she had put up from the moment she had stepped into that escape pod. She was stuck here, so far away from anything even close to home, and she was completely helpless. She had told herself she was leaving to prove that she strong, but so much for that. Big, hot tears gathered in her eyes before finally streaming down her cheeks, and she bit her lip to try and keep in the sobs, the quick rise and fall of her shoulders giving her away.