by Ruby Dixon
“Oh.” Her moan fills the cave as I taste her. “Oh…”
My mate, I think with fierce, possessive joy as her flavor dances on my tongue. My perfect mate.
Her hands fist in the furs beside her thighs, and I feel her entire body quiver when I drag my tongue over her slick folds. She is hot, sweet, and wet here, and I explore her with my mouth, seeing which flicks of my tongue make her cry out, and which make her suck in a breath.
Li-lah’s hips rise to meet my mouth, and I put a hand on her thigh to hold her still, so I may lap at her cunt over and over again.
“Oh, wait,” she breathes.
I raise my head, curious. Did I do something wrong?
“No,” she cries out a moment later. Her hand goes back to the top of my head and she pushes me back down. “I didn’t mean it. You’re doing great.” Her head flops back onto the furs. “Thumbs up.”
I chuckle and go back to my task. My tongue circles around the small bud of her third nipple. It seems to be the most sensitive, so I focus on it. Her aching whimpers fuel me, and I eagerly lick her until she’s crying out my name, her entire body shuddering in response to my tongue.
Perfect.
Everything about my mate is perfect. This moment? Her taste on my lips? Her soft thighs pressing against my ears as she comes?
Perfect.
I wake my Li-lah up in the morning with a kiss to her brow, and then many kisses to her cunt. Her soft squeals and moans from last night haunt my dreams, and I must have my fill of her before I can travel. Once I have made her cry out twice, she releases the double-handfuls she has of my hair and uses her hand on my cock so I may come, too.
I think we shall wake like this from now on, every morning. It is a very pleasant way to greet the day.
We bathe, eat, and then bundle our furs. I pack our things while Li-lah braids her hair and sips at the tea I push on her. It will be several days walk to the Elders’ Cave, going slow so I do not exhaust my Li-lah. Sky-claws do not hunt this far away from the mountains, so we can take our time and enjoy the journey.
We will go even slower than usual, as well, because I must start teaching Li-lah. Even as she has taught me her hand-words, I must now teach her to care for herself, like she has suggested. She knows less about how to survive than my youngest brother, Sessah, who is not yet two hands of age.
I will give her the same lessons that patient, quiet Warrek gave to me, lessons that he gives to my younger brother even now. I must do them all with hand-speak and with her fingers touching my mouth if that does not work. It is important that she learn.
So I take one of the furs we have on the bed and set it on the ground. She looks over at me, sipping her tea, and her eyebrows go up when I gesture that she should come sit by me. A bright flush touches her cheeks and she begins to breathe heavy, and I feel my cock surge in response. Does she think I will taste her, even now?
Of course, I like that idea, but I shake my head. I must focus on other things. I pat the fur. It is one of the thicker hides, and not waterproof like mine, but it will do for now. I flip it over to the leather side, and then gesture at my bag.
Her brows wrinkle and she puts aside her tea. “Bed?” she asks, making a hand-talk.
I shake my head and point at my pack, and say the word. Then I pull out several leather cords and pack a few things into the center of the fur - rations, an extra skin for water, the empty stew pouch. I put them in the center, then swiftly roll the bundle and tie it on each end. I loop the straps in the knots that will allow me to create a shoulder harness. It is not the same as my own pack, but an easy-to-make carry-all that young kits are shown when they are not strong enough to carry a regular pack.
Her eyes widen with recognition. “You made me a backpack?”
I unroll it immediately and then offer her the straps.
“Oh. I guess I’m making the bag, right?”
I nod.
“All right, show me how to start? Where does this strap go?” Her eyes light up with enthusiasm and she smiles at me. “Don’t go easy on me, either.”
It takes some time and much patience, but I show her how to make the bundle, to form the knots that create shoulder straps, how to cinch it when it is on her shoulders so it does not dig. She looks pleased with her creation and even more pleased when I hand her one of the spears. If she is to be a hunter, we cannot hold hands as we walk. She must be ready to look for tracks, to flush out game, to be on alert for predators.
We leave a short time later, after I show her how to put the cave back in order for the next visitor. It has snowed overnight, and Li-lah’s steps are plodding over the drifts. It will be a slow journey today, but that means we can make camp and go to our furs that much sooner.
I am…very eager for that.
As a hunter alone, I could make the journey to the Elders’ Cave in a day or so. With Li-lah at my side, it takes five days in total. Every step of every day is spent teaching her. I show her how to hold her knife, and how to throw a spear. I point out tracks to her as we walk, and describe the animals they belong to. We gather soapberries and fire fuel as we travel. I show her what to look for in our surroundings - signs of danger, changes in the weather, places where the snow drifts hide caches of stored meat. I show her how to approach the hot streams and to chase away the face-eaters that dwell on the shores, waiting to prey on anything that moves near. There is no time to stop and show her how to build snares, or traps, but I manage to hunt fresh meat every day and every night, after she builds a fire, I show her how to cut it open without spilling the innards and spoiling the meat.
It is a lot for her to learn, and by the time we stop for the day at a hunter cave, she is exhausted, her strength ebbing. But she must learn, so I insist she build a fire when every instinct in my body urges me to take care of her and to do it for her. I show her how to melt the snow when all I want to do is hold her and let her relax against me. I show her how to slice up a fresh kill and how to scrape the hide for curing.
She falls into the furs each night, exhausted. There is very little kissing these nights, and she falls asleep in my arms and slumbers until dawn. I tell myself I am patient, but my body craves more of hers. I want the taste of her cunt on my tongue. She is a craving, and I need more of her. My khui’s song grows stronger in its distress, and I wonder that Li-lah does not feel the same aching need I do.
Perhaps when she truly knows what resonance is, she will understand. Then we will come together as we should. Until then, I will teach her how to survive, just as she asks.
And though I am aching with need, I enjoy having Li-lah at my side. Every moment with her is such intense pleasure that I feel full of joy and wonder at the world. Every smile makes me smile. Every hand-talk sign I learn brings me that much closer to being able to truly speak. Every brush of her hand over mine reminds me that she is my mate, and she is everything I have ever wanted.
It is early on the fifth day of our journey when the Elders’ Cave comes into view in the distance. I recognize the large, smooth, snow-covered mound, so out of place amongst the jagged stone cliffs. It is here that the walls talk and will teach me how to speak to my Li-lah.
I point it out to her, eager to begin.
LILA
Maybe it’s that I’m tired, or maybe it’s that I’m not really expecting to see another spaceship, but I don’t recognize the big, snow-covered dome for what it is until we get to the entrance and I realize it’s not a cave, but a spacecraft. The door is rounded, a metal ramp leading up out of the snow and into what looks like an opening.
I retreat a few steps, clutching my spear, and look over at Rokan.
He’s giving me a boyish grin of excitement.
Okay, he doesn’t look freaked out. Me, I’m still trying to wrap my head around what this means. “This is a spaceship?”
His brows go down, a close, alien-approximation of a frown of concentration, and then he makes the cave gesture.
I want to point out that this is most
definitely not a cave, but maybe there’s no word for spaceship in his language. The man wears fur pants and carries a spear, so I’m guessing that there’s not a ton of technology in his culture. Plus he’s been heading us in this direction because he said something would help us learn to speak to each other. I haven’t been able to figure out what he meant by that.
I never really thought it would be a spaceship. And I don’t know how that’s going to help, but I’m worried.
I pull my spear a little tighter to my body, feeling more comfortable with it in my grip. I point at the open entrance. “Are we going in there?”
Rokan nods.
“Whose ship is that?” I ask. Is there another group of aliens I’m unaware of? Is there more going on? I rub my forehead, frustrated at the gaping holes in my communication. For all I know, he’s been leading me back to the bad guys and I’d have no clue.
But as soon as that idea crosses my head, I dismiss it. Rokan wouldn’t do that. I trust him. He’s good to me, and sweet. That isn’t it. I’m still confused, though.
Rokan thinks for a moment, and then makes a few gestures that I don’t follow. He signs people, but I don’t know what people he’s referring to.
He points at the entrance and then makes the talk sign.
“Are there people in there?” I rest my spear on my shoulder and make the people sign. “Other aliens? Other humans?” Is that who is going to teach him sign language? Are we going to go talk to them?
He shrugs, and I’m just more confused. So we didn’t come here looking for people? What did we come looking for?
My worry must show on my face. He moves toward me and takes my hand in his, then squeezes it. He’s asking me to trust him. I gaze up into his alien face, with its ridged brows, fangs, big curling horns, and glowing blue eyes. If I can trust a guy that looks like a demon to save me from car-sized man-eating pterodactyls, I guess I can trust him a few more steps into a spaceship, right?
I put my hand in his and nod. “Lead on.”
We take a few steps inside the ship and, well, I’m not really sure what to think. The first room we enter is immense, and reminds me a bit of a warehouse or a large garage. The walls are dark and covered in ice in some parts, but the center of the floor has a few logs, sitting stones, and pillows gathered around a burned-out fire pit. There are rolls of blankets and woven baskets tucked into one corner, and spears resting against a wall with flickering, lighted panels. It kinda reminds me of one of the hunter caves. Which is also strange. “Does someone live here?”
He makes a yes gesture, and then a moment later shakes his head and gestures back out of the cave. So someone does live here, but maybe not right now? Or used to live here and doesn’t anymore?
There’s a set of double-doors off to the far side of the broken-down hangar, and another large door that’s permanently jammed half-open. Rokan is watching me, so I pull off my snowshoes, shake off my boots, and look around.
Wires hang from the ceiling, and the floor seems like lightweight metal. As I walk across, it feels a bit uneven in some spots, and there’s a long hairline crack running from one wall all the way down the middle of the floor. Several of the panels aren’t lit, and it’s clear that whoever’s spaceship this is, it hasn’t been very functional for a long time. I glance back at Rokan and he’s got his spear put aside and is crouching near the fire pit, sweeping out ash and prepping a new fire. We must be safe, then. If I was in any sort of danger, he’d be shadowing me, weapon in hand.
I relax a little and head for the propped-open door, peering inside. It leads down a long hall filled with many doors. The debris is bad here, wall-panels crumpled and the ceiling half collapsed. Living quarters of the old space-ship, maybe? The only thing I know about spaceships comes from television, so I’m just guessing. There’s a lot of dust and broken bits, though, so it’s clear to me that this area isn’t seeing much use from whoever lives here. I step over the crate-sized rounded boulder that’s holding the door open and head into the hall, but turn back after a few steps. If the floor felt uneven in the big room, it feels shaky in this area, and every door that’s open looks like it leads to more wreckage. It’s disappointing. I head back into the main hangar and over to the double doors. They slide open as I approach, like department-store doors. Kinda a neat trick. Here, the hallway is clean of debris and well-lit, and looks less derelict than the other end. These are the current living quarters, I’m guessing. While the place is empty and gives me a bit of the creeps, it’s at least seemingly in order. There are several doors along the hall and I move to the first one, trying to figure it out. There’s no door handle, and it doesn’t open for me when I approach. Curious, I move down to the next one, but get the same response. Huh. Maybe someone locked up? I head back to the main portion of the hangar.
Rokan gets to his feet, a broad smile on his face as he approaches me.
It’s hard not to feel warm and pleased at the sight of his happiness, and I smile back, though I’m confused. I gesture at the fire. Me fire?
14
ROKAN
The smile my mate is giving me is sweet but bewildered. She does not know what this place is. I am a little disappointed, because I thought she would be like Har-loh. Har-loh is very comfortable here in the strangeness of the Elders’ Cave. She takes apart the walls and makes them talk to her. Even Shorshie and the other humans can make the walls talk. My Li-lah just looks at me, then moves to the fire and waits, expecting another lesson.
Perhaps they do not have caves like this where she comes from? Is her tribe very different than Shorshie’s tribe?
I need to talk to her desperately. I feel the ache rising in my chest. I need to be able to speak to her like I need air. I rub my jaw and return to the fire as she sets up the tripod and looks at me, a question in her eyes.
I do not visit the Elders’ Cave much. Though I am friendly with Har-loh and Rukh, our paths do not cross much. I have no human mate before now and received the human words when the others did. I do not know how to make the walls obey. I do not know what Har-loh says to the walls to make them do things.
I tilt my head back and pause, then try talking to the Elders. “I wish to speak to my mate.”
Silence. The walls do not answer.
I scratch my chin and think. The voice in the walls has a name. I have heard Har-loh say it before. I struggle to remember it. Cu-hor? No, wait. Pew-hor? It sounds right. “Pew-hor, speak to me.”
Pew-hor does not respond.
Li-lah tilts her head at me. “Who are you talking to?”
I gesture at the cave and say the name again.
She watches my lips move, her brows furrowing. “Pu-hur? Wait, computer? There is a computer here?” She makes an unfamiliar gesture.
I repeat it. That does not wake the walls, either, so I try her name for it. “Com-pew-hor, I wish to speak to my mate.”
“I do not understand your question,” the walls call out in sa-khui. “Please re-state your question.”
“I wish to speak to my mate,” I tell it again, eager. It is talking to me now.
“Who are you talking to?” Li-lah asks, a wary look on her face. She glances behind her. “Is someone else here?”
I take her hand and squeeze it in mine. I do not know the words yet. But I shall very soon, and then I will explain it all to her. I kiss her knuckles, and then speak to the com-pew-hor again. “Com-pew-hor, I wish to learn my mate’s language.”
“Assisting with languages is one of the many functions of this unit. Do you know the name of the language you wish to study?”
“Hand-speak,” I say proudly, and kiss my mate’s knuckles again.
There is a quiet pause, and then the walls speak again. “This system does not recognize that language. Please specify: what is the planet of origin for the language you wish to learn?”
I frown, rubbing my mate’s knuckles. Plah-net? Or-gen? “I wish to learn hand-speak,” I say again. “I do not know what else to call it.”
“Tell me what’s going on,” Li-lah says, worry on her face as she stares up at me. “This is freaking me out. If you’re not talking to me, who are you talking to?”
I make a frustrated sound and stare at the walls. “I wish to learn hand-speak. My mate cannot hear sounds and I wish to speak to her.”
The smooth voice speaks again. “I am hearing two languages. Would you like for this computer to switch to Human English for the default language?”
“Yes? I want to learn hand-speak. My mate cannot hear mouth-speak. She does not hear sounds.”
There is another pause. “Is one in your party hearing dis-ay-buhld?”
I try not to snarl, because it will alarm Li-lah. “I do not know this word.”
“I am sorry, but I do not understand your response.”
I make a strangled sound of frustration.
“I am sorry, but I do not understand your response,” the walls repeat. “Please be more specific.”
“My mate cannot hear you,” I grit out. “I need to learn her hand-talk.”
“Is one in your party hearing dis-ay-buhld?” It asks again.
“She is not hearing,” I agree, uncertain if that is what it is asking. Why does it not talk with normal sa-khui words?
“Would you like a vis-yoo-all ter-muh-nal for in-puht of commands?” It asks.
I do not understand. But telling it this again will get me nowhere. “Yes?” I say again, warily. I worry I will have to return to the home cave and retrieve Har-loh and her mate to make the walls talk properly.
Off to the side, a portion of the cave wall flickers. Scribbles of light appear and wiggle across the stone. It means nothing to me, but Li-lah makes a strangled sound and jumps to her feet, ripping her hands out of mine.
Curious, I follow her.
LILA
There’s a computer here.
I mean, of course there’s a computer here. This is a spaceship, right? There’s lights in the walls and technological looking stuff, so it makes sense that there’s a computer system running things. The words scrolling across the wall look a lot like a command prompt if a girl ever saw one, but it’s not in a language I recognize. Is this who Rokan’s been talking to for the last few minutes? I’ve been racking my brain, trying to understand if he was talking to someone through an intercom, or to me, or what it was.
