by Belle Harper
He looked to his tail and back to me. He grabbed it and pulled it closer to himself. It was then I really noticed him. Oh no, was that blood? Had someone hurt him?
I crouched low, as if I was approaching a scared injured animal.
“You won’t hurt me, will you?” It was more a question to myself but I watched as he listened to the words I was saying and the tone of my voice. I wish I knew more Aashi words. I was a little lazy when it came to learning them all. I knew only a few. I cocked my head to the side and pointed at his tail. He looked over my shoulder to Marin, I didn’t even look back to see what he was doing. Because whatever this guy saw was enough for him to show me his tail, just a little. And my heart leap in my chest.
“You poor thing, who did this?” I cooed, I wanted to comfort him. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. Something I saw too many times volunteering in the local animal shelter. But he wasn’t a lost and injured dog. He was a person. An Aashi. He was all alone from what I could tell, and he was hurting.
I moved in closer, he watched me cautiously. He was always glancing back to Marin to see if he was coming over. As I got close enough to the male, I could see scratches on the side of his face, his tail was hurt badly. And I knew the outcast Aashi used them to get through the trees. Without his tail he would be a limb down. Not that was too hard with the fact he had two legs, four arms and another tail that seemed to still be working.
I saw the faint mating marks on his thighs, so it was okay to touch him. I wouldn’t set off his crazy hormones and make him think I was his mate. I could help him.
I moved the two leaves closer and stripped one. There was enough branch left on this one to make a splint, then I started to shred the leaves to make wrappings to tie it onto his tail. He watched me and I watched him out the corner of my eye. I couldn’t fully trust him, but I felt like he didn’t want to hurt me. Just give me a flower. And for that I wanted to help him with his tail, in the only way I knew how.
“My Elle?” Marin called and the Aashi moved fast away from me. Hiding himself further behind the tree. I turned to see Marin was looking over my shoulder. When he caught my eyes, he quickly turned around again. I felt bad, he was only worried about me. And really, he should be, I was doing what they said could be dangerous.
I motioned with my hand for the big guy to come back.
“Come here, I will help you.” I whispered, wondering if he was even still there, but I wasn’t going any further to find him. If Marin could see me that was as far as I would go.
I saw him slowly move towards me. Like he knew any fast movement and I would be out of here. His eye were so wide, he was acting so scared of me.
“Come here big guy, I got this.” I showed him my branch and the strips of leaf and he looked at me with a confused expression. He was giving me his trust and I had to proceed with caution. Injured animals lash out when they were in pain. So did humans. He might do the same to me.
I smiled and cocked my head, motioning with my hand for him to give me his tail. He hesitated. He was still wary of me. Of my intentions, I guess. Shit I forgot he was out here as a rejected male. He probably had some bitch queen scare him away from all females for life.
“Elle,” I tapped my chest and pointed to him. When he didn’t respond at first, I did it again. He taped his chest and said “Elle.” I tried to suppress my giggle at that. I shook my head. “I’m Elle, Elle” I tapped myself and then pointed to him. I could see in his eyes he understood that I was asking his name.
“Carub.” He smiled as his fist pounded against his chest. I turned to see Marin really wearing hole on the forest floor. He didn’t turn around but he sensed something was wrong. When I looked back, I realized I had forgotten to keep my eye on Carub and he had moved closer. He was now leaning towards me. I tensed as my pulse started to rise. I slowly leaned back a little, trying to get some space. He mimicked me and now we were both sitting, smiling at each other.
“Okay buddy, let’s get this tail fixed before I’m on my way to Clan Wolf.” And before Zurcov finds out because I think he would be the one to kick your butt for being this close to me.
I reached out to where he cradled the injured tail in his lower left hand. He looked at me again, worry in his eye as he moved it towards me. I smiled and nodded until he placed the tail in my hand. The end was clearly broken, but the bone wasn’t protruding. Fuck, would I have to reset it? How did they deal with this sort of injury here?
I touched it and he hissed.
“Elle?” Marin called out. I looked to Carub and gave him my best “be quiet” eyes as I responded to Marin that I was okay.
I gently lifted the tail; these things were like a cat’s tail. Like a big cat, I guess. But then like a monkey with the way they did so many things with them. It was literally like an extra limb. They could control everything it did. Now looking at it, I didn’t think there would be much I could do. I hoped that it would heal on its own, I didn’t think it would ever look the same but at least it wouldn’t heal on an angle like this.
“I will try a splint, but I don’t think it will work buddy in the way you want. It’s one of those bones that’s gonna be hard to fix, but I will try my best from what I know.”
He watched me intently as I moved the branch part and placed it beside his tail.
“Elle?” I looked up to his big eyes and I could see the pain behind them. And not from the injury. From being alone without anyone to help him and here I was, helping him. I wanted to cry and hug him, and tell him that it would be okay.
Carub was all alone in this world and had no one to help him. I gave him a sad smile...
“I know buddy, I got you. I will make you feel better.”
Chapter Five
Carub
When I spotted the female many moons ago, I had been following her journey through the trees. Just like many other males were. But I knew she was different, different to the Aashi females. I didn’t know why?
Maybe it was from the way she smelled that had my cock ache to release seed whenever she was close by? Was it her pretty hair, the color of elders? Yet she wasn’t one. She seemed young.
I had never seen a female mate a male before. I didn’t know how it worked, only that it was something they did, and kits came after it. I was cast out of my clan at such a young age that I didn’t know much about females at all. Only that they were mean, scary and cruel. But not this female, she was different in so many amazing ways. I just knew in my heart she was. So, when I watched her at the hole her mate dug, I picked a flower for her. I wanted to give her many other things but her mates took care of her very well.
I even showed one yesterday where I saw some oha growing. He was grateful and I felt like he might trust me as a rejected male and let me travel with them. I knew he wouldn’t trust me with his mate alone, but he said to come to her one day and present myself as a possible chosen mate. He told me that she wouldn’t see any males yet, that he was waiting for her to tell him when. He told all the males she did prefer smaller warriors. He just wanted us to know when the time came that the larger males might be overlooked, and that was his mate’s choice. It was her choice, and I respected that.
I knew my size was larger than her mates, and she had picked smaller warriors. But I hoped in time she would see my size as nothing to be scared of. Maybe that was why she liked her males small. It was odd for a female to not have large mates, she had selected the smallest ones I had ever seen. One was almost the size of a takxe. And he was her first chosen mate.
But from what I saw from the beautiful female, was that she treated both her mates as equals. It was as if the first mate marks made no difference to her and I liked that about her. No first and favorite mate.
What I wasn’t expecting was her to spot me when coming towards the flower. I was trying to stay hidden but her scent was so strong, and my cock leaked with seed as I inhaled her perfume.
When she hadn’t moved away from me, I quickly turned my head. I didn’t want
to see the look on her face, one that would show how much she disliked me. I wasn’t fit for a female like this one. She was too good for me. I had been a rejected male for almost sixty years.
When I slowly looked back after not hearing any footsteps or the sound of her calling out to her mate, I could see her watching me still. She smiled. I froze, unable to breath as I could hear my own heartbeat racing in my chest at the sight of her smile.
I almost didn’t believe she was real. I had to be dreaming for her to smile at me like this. She looked to the flower again, so I used my good tail to move it towards her. I wanted to show her I meant no harm. I wanted her to have the flower, show her that I could be a good mate. But when she saw my other tail, her smile fell and was replaced by something else. My heart hurt, I was a weak injured male.
I quickly gathered it in my lower hand. I didn’t want her to think I was not strong. I was strong but when the other females mate caught me off guard for being too close to his mate I didn’t react.
I let him attack me, I didn’t put up a fight as such. Only defended myself against him. He broke my tail in the fight and that was all. I walked away better than I thought I would. I was a much larger male then him, I could understand what he was doing when he first attacked me. He was showing the other outcast males that he could take them on, size and strength didn’t matter. He would protect his female to the end.
She spoke to me in those strange words of hers, low so her mate who had his back turned to us couldn’t hear. The tone of her voice wasn’t one of anger to tell me how weak I was, no it was soft. Like she didn’t want to scare me as much as I didn’t want to scare her.
I watched her again as she studied me. Maybe she was seeing a strong male, someone that she would like to take as a mate. I held my breath, not knowing what she was going to do next. Did she wish to see my cock? I had seen her laugh and reject the males that had done that in the past, but maybe she wished for me to show her mine now. I wasn’t sure how best to present myself.
She crouched low and pointed with her hand to my injured tail. Did she want to see it? there was nothing I could do for the injury. It would heal like this and be impossible for me to use it. But if it kept her here a few more minutes then it was worth showing her the injury. If she didn’t choose me as a mate after seeing my tail. There would be nothing I could do to change it. I didn’t know a takxe out here who could heal it. I wasn’t friends with many outcast males, I kept mostly to myself.
When she started to strip the leaves she had brought over with her, I watched on curiously. Was she going to make a cloth here now? Then her mate spoke to her. I know he sensed me here, he just didn’t know I was this close to his mate. I didn’t want to upset him or her, so I moved and kept myself hidden if he were to approach.
When he didn’t come and attack me, I realized she didn’t alert him to my presence still. Now she called me with her fingers to come closer, I did. I moved slowly to her, my cloth wet from all the seed leaking from my cock and my good tail dancing slightly at her wanting us to be close to her.
She reached out as if she wanted my injured tail for something. I didn’t understand. I held myself back. Was she truly as nice and sweet as she seemed? Or was she like the Aashi females and wished to hurt me further. Did she want my tail so she could pull it? hurt me?
“Elle,” she tapped her chest. I watched her face, the way her expressions changed so much was truly mesmerizing. “Elle,” she spoke again. Maybe she was trying to tell me something?
“Elle?” I tapped my chest as she just had. She smiled and I felt proud to have said her word but she shook her head as if to say I was wrong. She tapped her chest again and said the word. Elle. When she pointed to me, I understood her meaning. She was telling me her name. Her name was Elle. A sweet name for a goddess.
“Carub,” I pounded my chest proudly. To tell this female my name was more than I expected today, and now I was blessed to know her name and have her know mine.
She gestured to my tail again and held her small palm out, I think she wished for me to hand it to her to see the damage. So, I did, I was a little cautious. But only because I wasn’t sure she wanted my tail and not something else from me.
When it was placed in her hand, I felt a zap through my body. It was like my something tingled under my skin and it took my breath away.
It was something I couldn’t describe. But I knew then, this was my mate. She was made for me by the goddess above. She touched my broken tail and I hissed at the touch. It hurt more than I wanted her to know, but I was so caught up in her face I wasn’t expecting her to touch me like that.
“Elle?” her mate called out and I slunk back down low. I didn’t wish for him to spot me, her touching me was more than enough in this life. I didn’t want her to witness her mate killing me. She once again didn’t alert him to my presence. I was surprised but still grateful that she wished to be here with me.
She spoke her words softly to me, as she placed the leaf stem beside my break. What did she wish to do with that? Was she going to heal me? She was a takxe? A female takxe. My heart pounded in my chest.
“Elle?” I used her name, I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted to use it over and over. She looked up at me, her smile was not the same this time, this one held pain. Had she been hurt? Like me. I looked over her body, but I couldn’t see any injuries. She spoke some other words as she started to wrap the shredded leaf around the stem and my tail. I didn’t dare move or speak a word. Although many times it pained me, I knew she would look over to see if I was okay.
I was okay, more than okay. Elle was touching me. She was healing my tail and I was fascinated at what she was doing. I would never have thought to do that. She had made it straight. Most injures didn’t take long to heal. A few days, but this would mean my tail would function correctly now. I would be able to use it again.
She smiled at me, before speaking her words, but used my name. Taking the flower, I picked for her, she pushed her hair behind her ear and placed it there as she stood.
She smiled and waved her hand before running off to her mate. I looked down to my tail. Bringing the wrapped end closer for me to see what she had done.
Elle was the most amazing female.
Chapter Six
Elle
That poor Aashi, I couldn’t stop thinking about him all morning. Zurcov carried me through the trees, while I clung to his front like a baby in a carrier. I poked my head just above his large shoulder and watched Marin as we made our way to Clan Wolf.
I wondered if Carub was following us, and if he got into a fight with another outcast male? Shit, should we be worried that they were fighting. I didn’t know if that was normal for them. But I didn’t want to tell my mates about him, they would freak out and never let me poop alone.
My stomach made sounds but I wasn’t feeling like food, I was actually getting a little nauseous today. And I didn’t like the swaying anymore.
“Babe,” I called out to Marin who was coming up behind us. He looked up at me, wearing a big grin as he swung around a branch and landed on another with his feet. He was like a gymnast and he knew it too. He liked to show me his skills.
“What is wrong my heart?” Zurcov asked, one of his hands running down my back. I laid my head against his chest.
“I feel sick, maybe we can take a break?” I felt bad that he had carried me all this time, and I needed a break from it. But it was tiring holding onto him, even though his lower arms held me and I just had to wrap my arms around his body. I had tried to hold him around his neck, but it hurt more. My arms didn’t like being held up so high.
“Yes, we shall take a break.” Zurcov stopped suddenly and I felt like my stomach left my body and then snapped back in from the movement. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. I groaned. That felt worse. Oh god. My mouth was starting to water and I was feeling hot flushes. This wasn’t good. I was going to be sick.
“Vetok, we rest now.” He called out to Vetok who was up front but
I couldn’t tell Zurcov I needed down now. My stomach chose that moment to heave.
“Elle?” I heard Marin call out in a worried tone. I pushed away from Zurcov’s hot chest and threw my head to the side before I threw up. I could feel them both with me now, worried and fussing. I couldn’t stop to tell them it was just morning sickness or swaying sickness, as every time I tried, I heaved over and over until everything in my stomach was now empty.
“She is okay, its pregnancy.” Hadley was now close to me. “We can get sick from the babies… ah kits.” She quickly corrected herself.
I could hear them all clustered close around me, worried. I righted myself, feeling weak and crap, I laid my chest against Zurcov. I hated how hot he was, but I just didn’t have the strength to hold on to him. I just hoped no one was below us when I vomited.
“We shall rest and bring you water.” I didn’t speak I just lay there against his chest as he took it very slow descending the tree. Vetok was shouting at someone or something. But I didn’t care right then. I needed to rinse my mouth out and just have a rest for a few moments. Close my eyes and let my stomach settle.
After water and some oha to calm my stomach, I was starting to feel better.
“Your lips are looking pink again. How you feeling?” Hadley placed the back of her hand to my forehead. I smiled over at her, she had explained the whole situation to the guys. Vetok was asking outcast males for the nearest water hole. That was what he was yelling about. Apparently, he was very worried about me. Which made me smile. He gave off vibes that I had always made me think that he felt the opposite way about me. Like nothing mattered but him and Hadley, but I guess his super bossy ways got me water. Which I was grateful for.
“Yeah, I feel so much better now. I think maybe I will walk for a bit. The swaying in the trees is what I think pushed me over the edge.” I didn’t want to take the chance and throw up again. I hated being sick and if little bubba wanted to walk. We would walk.