by Lily Thomas
Her lungs burned like there was a fire blazing away in them as she huffed and puffed.
She could hear forest debris crunching under the large cat’s paws as it chased after her. It was basically on top of her! Olivia’s foot caught on a branch, and she went down. The ground rushed up, and she barely managed to keep her nose from smashing into the unyielding ground.
As she flipped onto her back, she watched the black panther sail towards her. Its claws were stretched out, glinting every time sunlight managed to get through the thick foliage above them. Its jaws widened, and she saw her life flash before her eyes, and then the panther was gone.
Vlek reacted quickly when he saw the strange female go down. He wasn’t about to let her die when he could save her, even if she looked a bit odd for a Feosua.
He tackled the mira and then righted himself. The mira shook off the attack and righted itself as well. The spines running down the length of the mira’s back shot up, showing its anger at his rude interruption.
“I do not wish to kill you, but I will if you leave me no other option.” Vlek knew the mira couldn’t understand him, but he hoped the animal would recognize a formidable opponent when it saw one.
The mira eyed him with intelligent gold irises for a second, and then let out a rumbling growl, before leaping at him.
Vlek dodged but kept himself between the female and the predator. He hefted the spear in his hand.
“Do not make me kill you.” He begged.
The mira paced back and forth. Its muscles flowed under the tight black skin, as it measured up Vlek. The mira was about to give up and turn tail, but then a crashing sound behind them drew both of their attention.
The strange female had decided to get up and dart further into the rainforest! Was she stupid? She was inviting the mira to chase her down.
The black mira shot past him in the blink of an eye, and Vlek sprinted after. He dodged tree branches and thick brush, as he tried to catch up to the fast cat who was gaining on the female.
As he rounded the thick trunk of a tree, he caught up to the cat and leaped for it. Vlek stretched out a hand and managed to grab onto its long tail. The cat rounded with a pained roar.
Good. He had its full attention now. Razor sharp claws sailed over his head. Rolling over he grabbed onto his spear.
The mira lunged, its giant mouth aiming for Vlek’s jugular. He aimed his spear at the cat’s heart.
Olivia panted, as she rested her back against a tree. She’d just met an alien panther and one of the natives. Great. Now she just had to keep out of the native’s hands, or she might contaminate their natural development.
This assignment really was getting worse by the moment. It was so frustrating for her. All she’d wanted was to be the leader of a research team. She didn’t want to have so many lives relying on her to keep them safe.
But maybe it was too late to hope that she hadn’t done anything to their development. He’d seen her, and he would probably keep searching for her if his species was as curious as humans tended to be. She was something different, something to explore and understand. She prayed he wouldn’t search for her.
Now she just had to find her way back to her people, but she was a bit lost. She could try to find the river and see if anything looked familiar, but she doubted it would do her any good.
Yet it was the only option, or else she’d be wandering around aimlessly. And she wouldn’t be able to survive on her own, no matter how resourceful she thought she was.
Olivia held her breath and listened to the rainforest around her. Right under all the animal sounds, she was able to pick up the gurgling of water. It had to be the river.
Quickly, she pushed her way through the thick foliage of the rainforest and found the river.
“Thank you.” She whispered to the river and followed the river upstream. Once she hit the water bottles they’d left behind, she’d know she was on the right track.
The water rushing past her brought her some comfort and helped to calm her frayed nerves. She was shaken up about her encounter with the panther. Hopefully, the native was able to survive, but there wasn’t anything she could have done to help him with the overlarge cat.
An alien man walked out of the forest in front of her, with the dead black panther draped over his shoulders as casual as could be.
Olivia’s mouth dropped open, as she watched him stride towards her. His golden eyes were fixed on her, and she felt her muscles freeze, her foot stopped mid-step.
Move! She kept screaming, inside her head, at her body, but it didn’t even twitch in response.
“Cad mah?”
“I’m sorry, what?” Olivia took a small step backward finally able to get her body to move.
“Cad mah?” He spoke slower.
“I appreciate the try, but I have absolutely no idea what you’re saying. My translator must not be working, or it can’t translate your language.” She rubbed behind her ear, wishing the damn thing worked.
He stopped moving towards her.
Her gaze dipped to his well-chiseled chest which was exposed fully to her view. Black lines zig-zagged over his skin, and she was getting an up close and personal view of those black claws of theirs. She had definitely been wrong on his height. He had to be close to seven feet tall. The hologram had made him look a head shorter.
With the hand that was carrying his spear, he motioned her forward.
Olivia debated running, but what good would it do her? If she did lose this man, she might get herself extremely lost in the rainforest. Right now, she knew where she was and so did the other women. They might come back here to search for her with the help of Liam and his men.
Slowly, she walked forward, not knowing what the alien might do next. But he simply turned and had her continue to follow him. Then he stepped into the river and made his way to the other river bank.
She glanced over her shoulder at where the other women had disappeared. She shouldn’t leave with him, but he might not leave her a choice if she refused.
Olivia put a cautious foot into the fast-flowing water. There was a strong current, but she was sure she’d be fine. She placed another foot in the river and then teetered a bit on her feet. The rocks were slippery with the algae that was growing over them.
She put her hands out to help her balance.
“Grun.”
Looking up she saw the native watching her from the other side. He motioned for her to come to him. He thought she was slow. She could see it in his eyes, but if she moved any faster, she feared she might take a dunk in the river.
“I’m coming as fast as humanly possible.” She grumbled.
Chapter 5
Vlek wasn’t sure what to make of this female. Was she a Feosua? She had none of the black markings on her skin. Maybe she was an albino? But that didn’t make much sense either. Her skin was tanned by the sun, so she couldn’t be an albino.
It wasn’t just her skin that was different though. She was a lot shorter than any Feosua he’d seen. She also had brown eyes and hair, which was different. Every Feosua had black hair and golden eyes.
He felt like she was mesmerizing him with her differences. He couldn’t stop staring at her as he attempted to figure her out. If his hands weren’t full of the dead mira and his spear, he would’ve loved to reach out and feel the silky strands of her bewildering hair color.
“Hurry.” He told her.
She looked up and said something in her own language. “Em cumming a zast a umanli pozable.”
He couldn’t decipher what she was trying to say, but she was still making her way across the river. Slowly… but she was tiptoeing her way over the rocks under the water. Vlek hefted the mira on his back and turned away to glance at the forest around them.
A splash drew his attention back to the river, but the strange female was gone. It was as though she’d disappeared into thin air.
Where was the strange female? He glanced around.
Then her head popped up
further down the river. He dropped the mira and leaped into action. His legs pumped under him, as the river continued to carry her faster than he could sprint.
He was never going to catch her!
“To the side! Try to move to the side!” He yelled at her, even though he knew she couldn’t understand what he was saying. He just hoped the meaning would be conveyed as he waved his hand at her.
The river pushed her under again, and Olivia didn’t have time to suck in any precious air. When it finally let her back up to the surface, she sputtered, coughing up some river water. What she needed was to catch a branch or root to stop her progress. The river had been deceptive in depth and current.
Glancing around she saw a thick tree branch coming up. She was determined to reach it. Going under the water her feet touched the rocky bottom, and then she launched herself through the water.
Reaching out a hand she felt victory race through her as her hand clasped onto the overhanging branch. Her other hand quickly found purchase on the branch as well. She hauled herself along the branch, and then looked up to find a hand tipped in black claws held out to her.
She smiled and clasped the welcome assistance with her hand.
He dragged her out of the water and onto her feet. It felt good to have solid ground underneath her until his hands started running all over her body. When his hands skimmed a little too close to her breasts, she decided enough was enough.
“Woah, there! Buy me a drink first.” Olivia backed out of range of his roaming hands. She knew he was just checking her for injuries, but she was fine. Her self-esteem may have taken a hit, but physically she had no injuries.
He raised an ebony eyebrow, and her skin prickled as his golden eyes skimmed over her. She could tell he wasn’t convinced, but the less interaction they had, the better for him.
“I’m fine.” She waved him away.
He grabbed her arm and led her back to where he’d dropped the panther on the river bank.
“Guess that will be dinner, eh?” Olivia said, not knowing what to say when the man near her couldn’t understand her.
He turned to face her, and his head cocked to the side. “Cwad?”
Olivia shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea what he was saying, and she was sure he couldn’t understand her any better.
The alien man hefted the large panther over his shoulder so he could hold his spear in his other hand, and then took her hand into his once more, as he tugged her along behind him.
“Wait.” Olivia dug in her heels. “We’re going the wrong way. I have to get back to my people.”
But he didn’t yield. He just kept dragging her along. Olivia gave up and decided she’d come back once she could, but right now she had no option but to go with him unless she wanted to rip her hand off. He had a firm grip on her, and he wasn’t about to let go.
As she walked alongside him, she was able to observe him up close.
There wasn’t an inch of fat on him, or at least not that she could tell. He appeared to be carved from lean muscle. The bi-tone of his skin was definitely interesting. She’d never met a species with such a distinct difference in their skin tone. He was like a marbled cake, and she definitely wouldn’t mind a slice. If only he weren’t a native on this planet because she’d have to do her best to keep distance between them. There’d be no slices of cake for her.
Vlek felt her eyes roam over him, and he liked the appreciative gazes she kept giving his chest and arms. He was in shape and unmated, so she was free to gaze at him for as long as she wished.
In return, he watched her from the corner of his own eyes. She was dainty, but she was full in her hips and breasts. Her hips were birthing hips, nice and wide ready to deliver her lucky mate a lot of chubby-faced babies.
She had a sweet scent to her as well, even when she was drenched in river water. It wrapped its delicate tendrils around him. It was like a sweet flower tempting him.
Her clothing was definitely nothing he’d ever glimpsed before. His tan pants had come from the hide of a trike, but he had no idea where her clothing could have possibly come from. Her shirt was a green color like the plants around them, and her pants were blue, of all things. He knew of no animals with those colors, birds and reptiles, but her clothing didn’t have scales or feathers.
Strange yes, but there was something about her that drew him in. He couldn’t place his finger on it quite yet, but he knew he wasn’t willing to let her out of his sight. Not until he knew why he was drawn to her.
They entered a small clearing where his men had made camp for their hunting expedition.
The female froze as her brown eyes widened. She glanced around at all the formidable warriors in the clearing, and he saw her take a step back.
“They will not hurt you.” He attempted to reassure her.
Her face turned to look up at him, but he knew she couldn’t understand what he was saying. For some reason, their languages were too different. He’d have to figure out a way to communicate with her if he wanted to learn who she was and where she’d come from.
“Vlek!” Kriiv stepped forward, and then stopped short as his eyes fell on the female beside him. “What is this?” He sounded bewildered by the sight of her and her strange clothing.
“A female.”
“I can tell that much. Where did you find her?” Kriiv’s eyes roamed up and down her body. “I’ve never seen anything so strange.” He reached out a hand, and the female flinched.
Vlek smacked Kriiv’s hand away. “Neither have I. Here, take this mira from me and take care of its break down. I don’t want it to go to waste.” He hadn’t wanted to kill the creature, but since he had, he was going to put it to good use. It would help feed his village in a time when more food was necessary.
Kriiv stepped forward, took the mira, and with one last look at the female at Vlek’s side, he walked away.
The rest of the men looked up and watched as Vlek gave her a seat near himself.
“Who is she?” One of the men leaned over and asked, his eyes glued to the sight of her.
Vlek shrugged. “I have no idea. She doesn’t speak anything I understand. All I know is that I found her wandering around the forest on her own.”
“Why is she here?” Zro’eq asked from across the camp a scowl forever ruining his face. “The males of her kind might want her back.”
“I didn’t see anyone else around when I came across her.” She’d been alone and unprepared for the mira.
“It doesn’t mean that they won’t miss her.” Zro’eq’s face scrunched up a bit as he eyed the strange looking female.
“You assume there are any males of her kind looking for her.” Vlek reasoned.
“And you assume there aren’t.” Zro’eq shot back.
For some strange reason, Vlek felt himself bristle a little at Zro’eq’s tone. He enjoyed the company of this female, and for some reason, he felt compelled to keep her by his side. Something about her appealed to him, but he still wasn’t able to place it.
“Drop it.” He warned Zro’eq. “She stays with us.”
“It’ll doom us all,” Zro’eq warned in a foreboding tone.
Vlek rolled his eyes. She couldn’t even take on a mira, so he doubted she was anything to worry about. And if her males were anything like herself than he doubted there was any reason for concern.
All he knew right now was that he wasn’t willing to let her go.
Olivia heaved a heavy sigh. It was probably inevitable that they’d run into the natives. To be honest, it wasn’t a horrible situation. This would allow them a chance to study these people up close, and if a rescue team took a while, these people could help teach them about the planet and how to survive. They might accidentally ruin these peoples’ natural development, but there was nothing she could do about it. They were stranded.
Time to get on a first name basis with her half-naked alien.
“Hello?” She glanced over at him and tried to see if she could finally get him to u
nderstand what she was saying, or at least her need to get back to her people before they thought the panther had dragged her off.
He looked over at her. His golden eyes mesmerized her for a second, but she shook her head to gain back her sanity.
Olivia pointed to her chest. “Olivia.” She pointed to his chest.
He stared at her blankly those golden orbs watching her every moment.
She pointed to her chest. “Olivia.” And then pointed again at his chest.
“Vlek.” He pointed to his chest.
She smiled. Smart man. “Nice to meet you, Vlek.” She sent him a half wave.
“Olivia.” He smiled at her, showing off those curved upper canines of his.
She returned the smile, even though he still came off as intimidating with a smile on his lips. He could very well be snarling at her, and she still wouldn’t know the difference. It was amazing how such an impressive set of canines could make a man look terrifying, even if appealing.
Then he waved a hand at the other men and himself before saying, “Feosua.”
She continued to smile as she nodded her head. It had to be the name of his people.
He eyed her but when she said nothing more he turned back to a conversation with another of the alien men when she didn’t say anything more to him.
Actually… she glanced over at her alien man. Vlek might be able to help Chloe with that horrendous bug bite. She just had to get him back to the rest of the group. She’d already made contact… this could be a chance to save Chloe, but would more contact be more harmful?
Yes, it could be, but they might stumble onto the group anyways, and if she could save Chloe… It was a tough decision. Hope they could save Chloe or hope not to contaminate their culture even more. She hadn’t been trained for this. She could only do her best.
“Hey.” His head swiveled in her direction, and she sent him another smile. “Let’s go back.” Olivia stood and motioned back in the direction they’d come from. He eyed her and then eyed the rainforest around them.
