by Zara Starr
I felt strange when Ella peered back at me. I could not explain it, but I felt an instant fluttering in my chest when I smiled at her—revealing my non-jagged teeth. She widened her mouth to smile as equally bright.
“She seems to find you less revolting than the rest of us,” Khay said as we all strode out of the cave.
The female suddenly approached me and tilted her head curiously at me as she pointed toward Arh and Dew who had been deeply engaged in conversation, mainly regarding her, for the duration of the time they’d been speaking.
That, and continual insults that seemed to be in great supply for Arh. I scoffed and shook my head. I wished more than anything that I could tell her what she wanted to hear—or at least clarify a few things about our kind for her.
She pointed at herself and opened her mouth widely as she spoke up.
“Ella,” she said, just as she had before.
I nodded in acknowledgment, realizing that this was her name and she was doing her best to make proper introductions.
It impressed me to see her so valiant and brave, in spite of the fact that she had been repeatedly seen shivering. Whether from the cold, or fear, I could not be sure but I supposed it was likely a combination of both.
Ella suddenly swung around and pointed directly at all the others looking at her, staring as they had been ever since she had first entered our midst.
“What are they talking about? How come your teeth look nothing like the others? Where am I? What is going on?”
Ella continued to speak, but I could not make sense of anything. Yet I did my best to answer her in my own tongue.
“I do not understand. Please, do not shout at me. I want to help you.” I tried to reassure her, keeping the tone of my voice neutral as I looked back at her.
Karr suddenly stepped closer and nodded. “She is allowed to stay, that is all that matters for now. I’m taking her back to my home cave. That seems to be the best place for her right now,” Karr said.
He looked at Ella and nodded to her. “Ella,” he said, as he pointed toward the mouth of the tribal cave.
She looked back at me and scoffed aloud. I shrugged and nodded with some urgency. The best thing for her was rest, and Julene and Karr could ensure that safest within Karr’s home cave.
“I will be there in the morning as soon as you are ready,” I said, wishing to use my time with Ella to learn more ways to bridge the gap of communication.
I was still unsure how I would take her clothing measurements with her stout refusal to allow me to touch her.
I supposed, however, that I would not have enjoyed the touch of some strange beings either. And yet, as I looked at her, her mouth falling agape as she watched Karr’s movements, there was nothing I yearned for more.
Her skin seemed creamy and soft, alluring like the skin of a sweet young doe’s. I wondered what it would be like to spread my three fingers across her face, pulling her closer to me as I tenderly kissed her lips.
I knew that at this point such things were just the wild imaginings of my hormonal brain and were likely never going to happen. It was a perplexing position, but it seemed I had been placed here nevertheless, as I was certain the other males had been too.
“Very well, please do,” Karr said as he walked closely behind Ella.
Dew stepped forward and glanced at me. “Do you care if I accompany you? I would speak with Karr on having permission, but I saw how she prefers fruit. It seems that my assortment may be of value to her and Julene while she is recuperating. Is that permissible?” Dew asked.
After the interaction he had shared with Arh, I was amused by this behavior, and felt that he had a point. Something that I, too, had observed about Ella was her preference for the sweeter fruits and the sweet water.
“No, you are right to consider your harvests, Dew, but I would check with Karr beforehand,” I said.
Khay shrugged as he interjected, “Pardon the intrusion, but I am sure you both realize Karr has a lot to do this time of year. I don’t think he would be opposed to Dew visiting Elluh.”
He placed emphasis on the female’s name, and I chuckled at the strangeness of it.
“Aye, but I respect your brother a great deal, Khay. I would not want to get on his bad side,” I said.
It was true that Karr was the strong son of a beloved elder, and it was with great sadness that I recalled the strength of one of his and Khay’s fathers; Hika.
Their mother, Solara, too had been a great and wise female, but she possessed one severe flaw—one I feared might cause issues for Ella, as well.
“Then I am positive he would welcome your company and assistance with great appreciation,” Khay said.
I smiled slightly. “All the same, I will have a word with Karr after he has delivered Ella to his home cave. I will convoy with you,” I said.
Dew glanced at Khay and shrugged. “Should I come, as well?” he asked.
I nodded. It seemed most fitting for him to speak with Karr himself.
Every strong male had the right to offer assistance to the female and I knew Karr respected our culture and ways. I was positive he wouldn’t balk at someone like Dew wishing to acquaint himself and help with Ella’s malnourishment.
We all began walking, with Karr directly behind Ella, Julene to her side, and each of us—Khay, Dew, and myself—standing all around, as we strode out of the tribal cave.
Ella’s eyes seemed to continuously dart over to me and I wondered if she was truly interested in me, or if it was merely the flatness of my teeth that had made her feel safer.
We all moved through the jungle slowly, and in moments walked out into the small clearing that we knew to be Karr’s meadow.
My eyes dashed around and I recognized the hard work and long effort it took to create the magnificent monlas that Karr so often spent his time on.
It reminded me of my own handiwork, though tanning hides was a bit more vigorous with the stench than it seemed his fish were. I knew, in good time, it too produced a horrible odor.
Karr paused as he nodded toward Julene and Ella. “Go inside and tend to her by the fire,” he said, glancing toward me as he tilted his head. He noticed Dew standing near me and nodded toward him. “Have you something to say?” he inquired.
Dew’s eyes shifted toward me and he nodded. “Yes, do I have permission to bring the female food?” Dew asked.
Karr perked a brow. “Do you mean to court her already?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
Dew shook his head. “No, but I did notice that she has been eating the fruit more than anything else. I think I could supply that for you,” Dew said.
Karr snorted and pursed his lips before shrugging nonchalantly. “I too have seen this, but I warn you all that courting should be done slowly. We still have much to learn here,” Karr explained.
“Where do you think she came from?” I asked out loud for the first time since I had first thought of it. The others glanced at me with puzzled looks across their faces.
“I do not know, but she is here on Eilahas now and we are responsible for her,” Karr murmured. “You may bring fruits. Come in the morning before I go out to fish and you can stay with the female for her breakfast.”
“Eilahas seems to be having more and more strange things happening. Have you noticed?” I asked, wondering if any of my peers had similar thoughts too.
Khay shrugged slightly. “The storms have grown worse, but I do not think anything else has changed,” Khay said.
Karr perked his eyebrow at him and I peered over to Dew. “What do you think?” I asked him directly.
Dew seemed a bit surprised by my question and frowned in slight. “I only know what I see from the plants I gather, but it does seem things are changing on Eilahas,” Dew retorted. “It is growing later. I should go back to my home cave. When the sun rises, I shall return.”
I did not know what to think of his answer, but I suspected Dew felt uncomfortable speaking up before the sons of a notable deceased elder.
“Aye, until the morning, but I do not wish you to go yet,” Karr said as he looked back toward his brother.
With Julene safe inside tending to the female, I knew that Karr would likely spend most of his time outside the home cave immersed in his work. What I needed most, however, was the measurements for the female. I hoped to have some clothing created by the time I went to see her the next day.
Dew frowned. “Would you have us go inside then?” he asked.
I took this opportunity to see if I too could enter the cave. “Is it possible for me to measure her now?” I asked.
Khay glanced at me, and then his brother, and nodded. “Do you think that she will be alright with all of us inside so close to her?” he asked.
Karr reached out to him and the two gripped one another’s arms with a head bow. I recognized that his brother held a deep fondness for him.
“Trust my instincts, brother,” Karr said as he released his brother’s arm, and looked back at me. “Come inside, all of you. I shall do my best to encourage Ella’s cooperation for measurements, Bahl.”
Never before had I been invited into the home cave of Karr—or any of his kinsmen. It stunned me that I would be privileged with such a thing. Typically, our home caves were a place only one’s mates and children were welcomed in.
We had found, through time, that the safest way to keep the females and children safe was to have them inside the caves where the beasts and leeches of the forests could not penetrate.
Aside from the protection the caves provided, they were warmer when the cooler weather came, and cooler when the blistering heat of summer was boring down upon Eilahas.
Of course, Karr’s cave, despite now hosting Ella, was a bachelor male’s cave. She was only staying here temporarily, and if she were to accept a triad of males into her life—whether it included Karr or not—she could choose a larger cave on her own and the males would move in there.
Right now, there were four males in the small cave with her and Julene. I couldn’t help but wonder if she would choose any of us.
Ella
I still didn’t know a damn thing about anything regarding the purples. It seemed easiest to call them that because I still didn’t even know the name of the planet I had somehow ended up on.
But what bothered me most, was not knowing what conclusions had been drawn regarding myself at the meeting Karr had left me by the fire to have with the older men. What had they decided to do with me?
As we walked across the meadow to Karr’s cave, I noticed that most of the others kept somewhat of a distance from himself and the male who so strangely resembled him. I wondered if the two of them were royalty or something special to these people.
When Karr chose to direct me into the cave with the female called Julene, I wondered what he would be talking about with the other males who had followed us from the larger cave.
I approached the fire with the dampened furs and spread them out beneath my knees as I knelt down. Julene walked to the furthest corner of the cave and began pulling something out of an animal skin satchel that reminded me of the pouches of marsupials in Australia.
I suddenly wondered if it had been cut from some animal’s body for the purpose of being Julene’s purse and felt my stomach tense.
She pulled what appeared to be some sort of grayish-white root and a small rock from the satchel. I watched as she seated herself, and began grinding a bit of the root in her hand with the rock.
She looked at me and sniffed the air suddenly. I wondered if she was implying that I stank. It was wholly possible, I considered, as I had been pulled from a gigantic lake that seemed saltier than most.
Suddenly, Julene stood up and walked over to the wooden cup that Karr had left for me earlier. She lifted it and sniffed the cup, grimacing at the scent as she shook her head. She shifted some of the bags from her belt and pulled what appeared to be a wineskin from it.
I watched as she poured a bit of clear fluid into the cup and then dumped the ground root remnants inside it. She swirled the liquid with her hand and then walked over to me, holding the cup out before me as she nodded, and pointed toward me.
I wondered what the drink consisted of and what effects the root she had given me would have.
She seemed to sense my apprehension and lifted her head, folding her hands together, and closing her eyes as she rested her hands palms-up against her own cheek. I quickly understood that she was trying to indicate that the drink would help me sleep.
Is it some sort of sleepy time tea? I wondered curiously.
I took the cup from her and leaned my nose forward, inhaling the scent of the fluid as I tried to consider what it smelled most like.
It seemed to have no scent, however, and I wondered if it would taste as terrible as the water that Karr had first given me, or if it might be more pleasant like what Julene had offered in the larger city-cave.
I had dubbed it a city-cave quickly as it seemed to be the center of their people’s world, but I was curious to know if all of them lived in their own separate caves like the one Karr now held me in.
I took a slow sip of the fluid and groaned. It was horrible and reminded me of some nasty cough medicine my mother used to give me during the fall. I couldn’t stand it and was about to spit it out until I looked back at Julene and saw the hopeful expression on her face.
These creatures were really freaking me out, and the more they offered me, the less I felt inclined to take.
I was feeling like a prisoner, and being stuck in a dark and humid hole in the earth wasn’t my idea of fun, but I had to reconsider that these people had pulled me from the lake, had offered me food and water, and were keeping me safe from the elements.
But why? Was it because they were honestly decent, or was it because they wanted to keep an eye on me? Worse yet, were they going to keep me alive forever, or was it just a short-lived thing?
Every thought I had only led me to more questions, and the worst part about it was not a single living soul here seemed to understand anything I asked—body language and the pictograms seemed to be the only thing that worked.
I was growing exhausted with all of it, and that seemed to cause my fears to go into hyper mode. I shook my head, placed the cup down beside me, and coughed a bit.
Julene tilted her head and pursed her lips as she looked over at me. She pointed at herself and then began pulling at her clothing before she pointed at me.
What is she trying to convey here? I wondered as I raised a curious brow.
The skin I was wearing and my underwear were still quite wet, but I didn’t care. Anything to keep me covered up was welcomed at the moment, but from the way Julene was behaving, I wondered if she wanted me to remove my clothes.
Why the hell would I do that? I thought, remembering my mother’s advice about only taking your clothes off for the doctor or someone you loved.
This lady, if that’s what she could be called, wasn’t someone I loved. So, why the hell would I agree to take my clothes off?
At the same moment, I considered the fact that she had so many different satchels with herbs that it might be possible that Julene was the tribal medicine woman. I wondered suddenly if I should allow her to oversee me—just to check for any injuries or damage that I wasn’t yet aware of.
I glanced around the cave. It seemed like all the men had chosen to stay outside and I wondered if that was for the very purpose of Julene conducting her examination on me.
I stood up as my eyes flickered around the cave and slowly slid the animal skin I was wearing from my body, revealing my semi-nude body to Julene—one of these purple creatures—for the first time ever in my life.
Please, don’t eat me, I thought nervously.
Julene tilted her head and pointed toward my bra and panties, and nodded to me as she grunted.
I stood stunned in my place, the tiny fragments of cloth that covered me were the only thing separating my foreign body from her eyesight, but she didn’t seem al
l too concerned for my nudity. She was more concerned with doing her job.
She nodded toward me and pointed again, grunting once more—this time more vocally than she first had. I realized from her behavior that she did not want to waste all her time doing this and I reluctantly lifted my arms toward the snap at the back of my spine.
Julene watched as I slid the bra from my breasts and covered them with my forearms. She rolled her eyes as she let out a low chuckle and pointed toward the v at the apex of my thighs.
Oh, God, I thought. This is seriously the moment of no return. I sure as hell hope none of the males come in now.
I shimmied out of my underwear and stood, lowering my arms from my breasts into a cross so my forearms would cover my boobs as my palms came to cover my crotch.
Julene nodded, pursed her lips, and spun her one larger index finger in a circle; which I realized meant ‘turn around.’ I spun around and watched the opening of the cave mouth. Four looming shadows began to approach.
“Crap!” I muttered aloud, realizing that the men were headed directly into the cave where I now stood stark naked. After the way they had gawked at me before, I was now tripping petrified!
Julene’s eyes widened as I sunk downward and began grabbing at the skin and furs furiously.
I had to find some way to cover myself up. Being completely humiliated in my birthday suit was not my idea of fun, and I was thoroughly concerned about being seen in such a vulnerable state.
I spun around, wrapping the skin around me haphazardly, just in time for Karr to approach.
God, I think they saw me! If they were intent on eating me—well, now they know the quality of my gluteus maximus even with the mountains of gluten that I had done my best to avoid!
My eyes were wide with terror and Julene seemed to detect it as she began to shake her head and wave at me.
What are they going to do next?
Eleven
Karr
My eyes widened as the four of us walked into my home cave. The sight of Ella’s creamy skin nude before us was not expected.