by Zara Starr
While Arh may have thought that he was the strongest and most capable of hunters and that meant he was somehow stronger and more capable of fighting than I, he had never before seen me actually take on a challenge.
For what he had put the female through, I wanted to knock all of his canines straight down his arrogant throat. Bastard ass! Imbecile! I thought as I started toward the satchel.
“You know,” Veruka began, drawing my attention from the bag and the anger stewing inside my veins. “It is quite amusing to hear him say she may have a few contusions. I see none, really. But it did seem like Arh was…”
She chuckled as she searched for the proper words—a habit she turned to often. “Defeated. Didn’t it?” she asked me quizzically.
I smiled and shook my head. This was why I so loved Veruka. She had a witty sense of wisdom and was telling me, in so few words, that Arh had already been set down a few notches—by a foreign female, no less.
“Woof!”
I turned back toward the satchel and pursed my lips.
“Ha, you are truly a fascinating woman, Veruka,” I said. “What do you think is in the satchel?” I asked her, wondering if she too had heard the yelping or if I was simply losing my mind.
The female’s eyes glanced between us with a bewildered expression and then she turned to gaze at the wriggling satchel.
“She seems bothered by the yelping, or maybe frightened? You know, that’s only going to shoot the beetle toxin into her nervous system faster,” I said.
“You’re right, she does seem terrified. Though, I’ve never heard any animal cry like whatever in the satchel is.”
Veruka walked over to the female and reached for her hands, lifting them in between hers—the binds still taut between her wrists. She lifted the female’s hands, drawing her eyes up to meet her own as they met.
“I know you do not understand my tongue, but perhaps you will understand my gestures,” Veruka said in a calming voice.
The female glanced back at me and I could see she was troubled by her lack of understanding. But from the way she looked back toward Veruka, she seemed a bit less apprehensive.
Veruka released one of the female’s hands and reached into her tunic pocket, drawing out an obsidian blade as she brought it toward the binds. She cut through them cleanly and pulled them from the female’s arms.
The female lifted one wrist into her opposite hand and began massaging her wrist. I could see the rope burn clearly even from where I stood.
I smiled as the female looked back at me and Veruka waited for her to turn her attention back upon her. Once she did, Veruka lifted her hand and pointed toward herself.
“Veruka,” she said firmly. The female perked a brow.
“Veruka?” she asked.
Veruka nodded and pointed to the female. The female bit into her lip slightly and I wondered if she understood what Veruka was asking. She glanced at me and I pointed toward myself as I murmured, “Dey.”
“Veruka and Dey,” the female muttered. I smiled and nodded, and Veruka drew her hands together to clap slightly as she nodded with a bright grin.
“She seems smart,” Veruka said. “And tough—taking on my son as she did,” she said as she walked around her. “It’s a little hard to see what she looks like under her clothes, but from the surface, I don’t see much of anything save for the rope burns,” she said.
“Yes, I’m appalled that he put her through that,” I murmured.
“Well, in his defense, it is all he knows. I do not know what else you would expect from him given she chose to attack him. Which, is all that it could have been. Arh is callous, arrogant even, but he would never harm a female. He knows better and he desires a mate more than anything,” Veruka said.
The female coughed suddenly and Veruka paused to look at her.
“Mikaela,” she said as she pointed at herself. I tilted my head. “Please, don’t hurt my dog,” she pleaded.
“Muh-kay-luh?” I asked, intrigued by what I figured was her name.
Veruka pursed her lips. I had no idea what the rest of what she said meant, but she peered over at the satchel again and I felt compelled to walk over it. Moving quickly, I lifted the bag and made my way back to her, holding out the bag.
The female smiled slightly, taking the bag into her arms and carefully opening it. I watched as a strangely shaped creature popped its head out and began yelping endlessly—almost in my face. I backed away as Veruka finally opened her mouth.
“Mikaela?” she asked.
“Yes, Mikaela!” She nodded with a smile, holding her animal within her arms.
I determined it to be hers from the way she silenced and calmed it—even while being in captivity. The creature was unlike any I had ever crossed paths with, which had me both curious and cautious.
I pursed my lips as I considered how unique her name was. It was fascinating that it too ended in a ‘Luh’ sound, just as Ella’s did.
Hopefully, this Mikaela and I would grow to understand one another just as Ella and my younger brother, Dew, had done. Somehow, someway—I would make sure of it.
Scar
I watched as Arh made his way out of the home cave almost as quickly as he had entered it. He approached me with a scoff.
“My mother has asked that you make the female a tonic—with sweet water. She is tending to her now and asked me to come and assist you with its preparation,” Arh said to me as he approached.
I chuckled. “I bet you hated that.”
“I do not wish to argue, Scar. There is a female in need of care and that is supposed to be something you can help with. So, help,” Arh said.
“From the looks of things, Arh, you dragged her in here unwillingly. The rope burns were horrendous. What were you thinking?” I asked him.
“She attacked me and I had no choice! She was fighting like an enraged dragon! What would you have done?” Arh demanded.
“Not bind her wrists like a beast. Of that, I can assure you.”
“Isn’t that why you bear your name?” Arh smirked.
“Careful, Arh. I am not just another gatherer. I too know a fighting challenge when I see it.”
“I did my best to stop her, but she was strong in a way I never expected a female to be,” Arh said.
“Well, with the way you dragged her in and all you have revealed yourself. It seems you’re definitely not at the top of the list of hunters should she choose to partake in a triad. Are you?” I taunted.
I knew he wouldn’t attack me, not here on his mother’s territory—not with all I did to assist his family and home cave. Arh and I may not have been close, but we had common respect that made it easy for me to speak openly.
I would be damned if I didn’t do so after his terrible treatment of a new and eligible female. They were a rare thing and he knew it. Binding them was no way to introduce them to our culture.
“You’re right. That is why I intend to do everything I can to make it up to the female,” Arh said.
“Is that what you call her, Arh? The female? So, you do not even know her name?” I asked.
“In the midst of her punching my face, I never got the chance to attempt asking. Though, I am certain we shall know it soon enough—with my mother overseeing her.”
“Your mother is likely just as angry as I am, as I am sure Dey is, for what you’ve done to her,” I said.
“Perhaps, that is true, but that only means I need to work more diligently at convincing her that her health was my primary concern. Or else I never would have brought her here to see the likes of any of you,” he spat out.
“Go fetch your mother’s sweet water skins. I have tonic to make,” I muttered, turning away from him as I smirked.
Dey and I already had the upper hand and Arh knew it, which meant making him squirm would only be that much more entertaining. These were the reasons so many of us loved and adored Veruka, mother of the arrogant Arh, though completely opposite.
I had already begun preparing the
soup for the female but I waited until Arh disappeared to take it in to her. My eyes focused on the interior as I quietly strode in. I only hoped my endeavors wouldn’t blow up in my face as had happened with Arh in the case of Ella.
As I walked forward a sense of confidence washed over me. This was my chance to court a female and I needed to seize it for all it was—no matter what it took.
Five
Mikaela
I awoke the next day with a dull headache. The rest of my body felt like I had been beaten with a bag of bricks and then some. I glanced around, hoping that maybe the night before had just been a terrible dream. But from the way I felt, that seemed like a long shot.
I coughed to clear my throat and noticed Tremor’s familiar shaking alongside my thigh as I lifted the animal pelt blanket from my legs.
“Hey, Trem.” I smiled as my dog peeked his head out from under it and came closer to my face—instinctively lapping at my chin as I reached to lift him up.
My eyes dashed around my surroundings as a dank scent suddenly hit my nostrils. I squinched my nose and frowned. Whatever it was smelled like mildew. This was not a place I’d want to stay in for too long—of that much I was certain.
Motion to the left of me drew my eyes away from the darkness and I noticed a shadow nearing. I turned to look up into the face of yet another purple man who looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. He too had dreadlocks interwoven with native styled feathers and clay beads.
The look sort of reminded me of something from Hawaii but had an almost African tribal quality to it at the same time. This made it really hard for me to place where I had ended up, and never in my life had I ever imagined there would actually be a place where purple people existed!
“Itchitis no glockti,” the person muttered, kneeling down.
It took me a moment to catch on, but I finally realized that the person was a female—older than me, but I couldn’t tell by how much.
She held out a cup toward me and I perked a brow as I took it and inhaled the scent. It smelled pretty much like slightly spiced water—nothing too decadent or ridiculous—so I figured it would be decent enough to drink.
I slowly brought it to my lips and sipped at it lightly, relishing the way it seemed to soothe the thirst I hadn’t even realized I had.
“Wow, that’s pretty refreshing. Better than any lemonade I’ve had!”
The woman smiled at me and stood up, placing the back of her palm to my forehead. It suddenly dawned on me that she must have been a healer of some sort. She had already bandaged the strange bite I’d somehow gotten during the fight to protect Tremor from The Brute purple man who I had first encountered.
I finished off the drink, or tea—whatever it was—and held the cup back out to the woman. She nodded at me as she took it away and I attempted to stand up.
“Victi!” she exclaimed, shaking her head and pointing back down at the fur mat she had created for me.
I frowned and slowly sat back down. I wasn’t about to challenge a foreign healer lady. I’d seen enough tribal films to know better, and there was no way in hell I wanted to be on the receiving end of a fiery tongue lashing—especially if I couldn’t understand a word of it! That was more terrifying than actually knowing what was being said—at least in my humble opinion.
Another shadow passed through from the entrance—what seemed to be the only source of light within the dark cave I presumed was their home. My eyes lifted to pass over a very handsome purple male, with dreadlocks that went well past his shoulder blades.
I pursed my lips, tilting my head as I scanned his jawline. It was sculpted and strong, and shockingly perfect. Unlike anything I had ever seen before in my life! Maybe, the drink the healer woman had given me wasn’t just some tea but laced alcohol or an elixir that was far stronger than I had given it credit for!
What the male did next was what really puzzled me, as he too knelt down just as the female had and held out another wooden cup. This one, I noted, smelled terrible and I felt a wave of disgust overtake me as I sniffed it.
“Ugh, yeah—I don’t think so!” I muttered, pushing the cup away. There was no way I could voluntarily drink that crap of my own free will. I just wasn’t doing it!
The elder female, however, looked down at me and grunted as she took the cup from the male and pushed it toward my lips.
“Duri ti!” she said forcefully.
Again, I found myself highly disturbed by the woman’s tone and reluctantly took the cup from her hands, lifting it to my lips as I inhaled a deep breath and forced the strange foul-smelling fluid down.
It took everything in me to keep from throwing it all back up in her face, but I could see the happiness overtake her face as soon as I held the cup—empty—out to her.
“Okay. I hope this crap does better for me than it tasted to me,” I said, coughing as I tried to get rid of the taste.
The other one chuckled slightly and held out another vessel. I sniffed it and found it was sweeter than the first, but all these weird tonic-elixirs were starting to make me suspect the worst.
What the hell had bitten me and why did it seem like I was going through a battery of medical supplements meant to purge me of some weird disease, or worse yet, poison?
The woman waved at the male and he suddenly nodded at me as he retrieved the final cup—empty as the others had been. I was surprised upon noticing that it was actually just as sweet tasting as it had smelled and it quickly washed away the terrible taste of the second tonic.
As I drank the liquid, Tremor seemed to grow restless and started sniffing at the empty cups.
Great, he’s thirsty!
My mind raced, wondering what to do in order to keep my dog well taken care of. These people didn’t seem to like him, that much I had observed with ease.
It seemed his barking unnerved them and from the looks of their very primitive surroundings, I was positive if I let him out of my sight I probably wouldn’t see him again.
Considering the situation though, something had happened to me and I needed to get the care I was receiving.
How could I get one of those two to bring me extra water for my dog?
The dilemma had me perplexed and I pursed my lips in dismay as I tried to figure out different ways to convey the message.
Could I just go outside and find their water source?
Maybe it would require some crazy trek through a nasty rainforest that was both foreboding and already shown to be deadly to me.
I wasn’t so sure that was the best idea, but I honestly didn’t know what else to come up with. I couldn’t just let Tremor suffer—that much I knew.
Scar
I brought the stew I’d been preparing for the female, whom Dey and Veruka had notified me was called Mikaela—a name that I felt had a lovely ring on the lips as I worked to make her food. I stepped inside, brushing past Dey as he strode out of the home cave with Veruka in tow.
“Hello,” I said.
“Where is Arh?” Veruka asked curiously.
“He went to visit Karr’s cave if he has any sense,” I said matter-of-factly.
“Why would he do that after being rejected by Ella?” Veruka asked.
“Likely to see if Ella can communicate with Mikaela,” Dey announced, following my pattern of thought.
“I see. Do you think this will help us learn about the creature she refuses to let go of?” Veruka asked.
“From her behavior, I would say it is a companion of some sort. She seems to sleep with it in intimate places,” Dey observed.
“Perhaps, it protects her?” I asked, continuing past them. “I must give her food now. I am sure Arh will be along soon and then all of our questions, well at least some of them, will be answered,” I said.
Arh
Visiting Karr’s home cave caused a strange sensation to stir in my chest. I still felt rejected and scorned after having gone above all the others she had chosen to win her favor. But I had to make up for my transgressions against
the female—or as Scar had corrected me upon learning her name—Mikaela.
“What do you want?” Karr asked as I walked into his workspace.
I could sense his dislike already clouding up the air between us. It was the same sort of sensation I felt whenever I felt challenged. I sensed that Karr suspected I was there to cause trouble.
“Stop and listen,” I said, holding up my hand flat before me—a sign to our people that no ill will is brought, but instead an opportunity to counsel with each other.
“Very well,” Karr said, straightening his back as he began to wipe his hands clean of the monlas he had been working on when I happened upon him.
“I need you to bring Ella to my mother’s home cave. I haven’t much time to explain why,” I said.
Karr perked a brow.
“You understand that I am apprehensive about trusting you, do you not?” Karr asked.
“I haven’t come on my own behalf.” I sighed, glancing around the clearing to see if any of the others were present.
I needed to keep what was going on at my mother’s with Mikaela as quiet as possible until she was well enough to be presented to the council. As Karr had done with Ella.
“Then on whose behalf do you come, Arh? It isn’t like you to do much save hunt for anyone else,” Karr said.
I straightened my head, lifting my jaw as I looked him directly in the eye.
“You’re right, I am selfish and conceited—but with good reason. However, it seems even I can rectify my mistakes. Doesn’t Lìkìso say we all can? Isn’t that the Eilahasan rule?” Arh asked.
“Aye, and I respect our culture. Spit out what it is you truly want, Arh,” Karr said.
“You may accompany her if you are so afraid, Karr. I am not out to harm your mate. I assure you, I have no need.”
“Then, surely you understand why I say speak up now. Aye?” Karr asked.
