Fire Planet Warrior's Captive (Science Fiction BBW/Alien Romance)

by Calista Skye

  They ate some meat and continued. Vrax'ton held on to Harper's hand and guided her in a straight line towards another line of trees beyond the grasslands.

  He kept turning his head and looking around and behind them, up in the air.

  “You expecting a rescue ship?” Harper asked casually.

  “Expecting something,” he said and kept walking. “Lands without trees are dangerous lands, especially when Fire approaches.”

  He took a long step over a sudden ditch in the ground, and Harper jumped across. As she landed, a red tentacle with nasty-looking barbs on it shot up from the ditch and flailed around in the air, as if searching for a victim. Harper yelped at the sight of it and grasped Vrax'ton's hand with both of hers.

  He glanced at the tentacle and continued on. “Very dangerous. Everything here can kill.”

  With her heart beating in her ears, Harper clung even closer to Vrax'ton. “So when your young men are tested here – how many make it to full warrior?”

  The barbarian alien picked up a blue thing that looked like a crab with two shells and hundreds of claws and threw it far away. “One in four is normal number. Other three die. Unless special year. Year of very big Fire. What is word in English?”

  Harper thought hard while keeping a very close eye on where she was placing her feet. “Uh ... blaze? Firestorm?”

  He shook his head. “Must be special word for big and intense fire. All languages have word. We call it Brahn Or. Everything burns much more than usual. Unholy fire. Hellish fire.”

  “Hellfire? Inferno?”

  “Ah. Inferno. In Inferno Years, one in twenty warriors survive. Are considered special, become holy men for the tribe.” He kicked a rock out of the way. As it rolled off, long shiny spikes shot out of it and made it look like a pincushion. It was clearly not a rock at all.

  Harper didn't like what she was hearing. “One in twenty? How often do those Inferno Years occur?”

  “Interval is uneven. Varies. Sometimes two years between, sometimes fifty years between. No one knows.”

  “But this is not an Inferno Year, right?”

  He looked behind them again, scanning the sky. “Not so far. Inferno starts in Ice Caves. Unknown to Vrax'ton where Caves are now. Planet changes after every Fire.”

  “Ice Caves? As in, not too hot?”

  “As in, it's joke. Caves moderately hot until Inferno Year. Then become hotter than anything on planet Bosh. Very funny joke.”

  “Um ... okay. But they are cold otherwise? If there's a normal fire?”

  “Are somewhat cold. Or so we think. Warriors are not killed by Fire, usually. But by things that travel in front of Fire. Boys don't try to find caves. Dangerous things in caves too.”

  “But we can try, maybe? I mean, if they're cold, perhaps we can stay there until the fire has passed. As a last resort.”

  Vrax'ton suddenly had his axe in his hand and threw it at something hidden in the grass. A herg, its mirrored facets suddenly sparkling like a disco ball in the sunlight, jumped up and ran away, whimpering. “As last resort. If can be found. And if not Inferno Year.”

  He retrieved his axe and Harper still clung to him. “Are there more of those animals around now than yesterday?”

  “Fire is getting closer. Chases animals in front of it.”

  They continued on, walking as fast as it was safe to do, so that Vrax'ton could chase away dangers in their path. The grass got longer, and they were drawing closer to the forest in front of them.

  “Rogneh trees,” Vrax'ton said and pointed. “Very good. Fire burns slower through them.”

  There was a sudden, thin scream in the air, and Vrax'ton whipped around. “But that very bad.”

  Harper didn't have time to see what he meant, because Vrax'ton got an extra good grip around her wrist and ran towards the trees with her in tow.

  They ran through the dense, green foliage, and Harper was vaguely aware that things hidden by the tall grass were snapping at her and stretching appendages out as if to grip her. Vrax'ton barged on, axe in hand.

  The thin screams were getting more intense. Or closer, Harper realized. She threw her head around once and nearly stumbled when she saw a pack of large birds pursuing them. Something snapped at her hair, and she panicked and slapped it away. It was something hard, and she ducked and yelped as they ran in among the trees.

  “Keep going,” Vrax'ton said, his voice tight. “Firebirds don't like rogneh trees, but flesh-eating plants have Harper's scent now.”

  “Firebirds?”

  He didn't reply, just pulled her further in among the trees. It was darker and much hotter here, and Harper felt the sweat running down her forehead when finally Vrax'ton stopped. He peered around them in all directions. “Yes, firebirds. Predators. Stay in front of Fire and eat animals that are running. Only see movement, not something standing still. Because anything standing still when Fire gets close is not alive and not of interest. When Vrax'ton here for Warrior Trials, one boy ripped apart by pack of firebirds. Unlucky and blinked at wrong moment, while rest of us forced ourselves to not move any muscle. Firebirds saw him and not us, although only short distance away.”

  Harper hadn't run so long and so fast for ... well, ever. She panted and bent over to support her hands on her knees. “Firebirds, huh? Is there any danger this planet doesn't have?”

  Vrax'ton pondered for a moment. “Difficult to freeze to death on Bosh. Except in Ice Caves. Possibly.”

  “Of course. And these birds – do they eat people?”

  Vrax'ton signaled to her to lower her voice. “Firebirds eat anything,” he said softly. “Harper very tempting meal for everything on Bosh. Especially firebirds.”

  Harper straightened up and caught her bearings, making sure to not make much noise. It was more a jungle than a regular forest. The trees were slender and not very tall, but their crowns completely blocked out the sunlight. The ground felt soft and swampy, and vines hung down among the tree trunks.

  The air was stuffy and felt damp, reeking of all kinds of organic decay. In the distance there were banks of white mist hovering over the bushes. There wasn't any trace of a breeze.

  Harper touched her head where the firebird had almost caught her. There was no bleeding. “Is this a safer place than out there?”

  A black, flying insect-like being came humming loudly out from the dense trees and right at Vrax'ton's face. In a split second he had his axe up and chopped the insect in half along its length right before it hit him. Harper reflexively squatted down and saw that the insect had a long spear jutting out in front of it that was dripping with a pink liquid that had to be venom.

  Vrax'ton calmly replaced the axe in his belt. “Safer from birds. Less safe from other things.”

  Harper zipped her jumpsuit up as far as the zipper would go. There had to be smaller insects in this jungle as well.

  No, this was a little too much. She stayed down and put her hands to her face, feeling hopeless and panicked tears well up. “Everything here is trying to kill us!”

  “Harper is smart, at last sees things that are obvious to all. But,” Vrax'ton said and picked something off a nearby bush, “the rogneh trees keep flesh eating plants away. And Vrax'ton notices herlee berries have been found. Warriors from tribe consider it good sign. Lucky omen on sacred Bosh. Not many bushes like that on planet.”

  He held out a dark purple berry the size of an M&Ms. Harper gingerly accepted it. It looked innocuous enough.

  Vrax'ton poured a handful of them into his mouth and chewed cheerfully. “Give energy and keep bad thoughts away without making crazy. Harper feed.” He poured more of them into Harper's hand.

  She carefully tasted one. It was sweet and tart, but it had no hint of alcohol like the fruits they had eaten. “Blackberries,” she said. “At least the flavor is similar. Pretty good.”

  She gobbled up the rest of them. They left a fresh taste in her mouth, and her mood was already picking up. She looked around to check if it was safe, then s
tood up. “Actually, pretty damn good. Delicious.”

  Vrax'ton came in close and placed a hand behind her neck. “Bosh is dangerous planet. But not hopeless. Vrax'ton survive once. Will make sure Harper also survive. Young warriors who come here not told about anything they might encounter. Must discover all dangers on their own. But Vrax'ton here before, know many of terrible dangers. Harper and Vrax'ton overcome them. Together.”

  She looked up at his face. He was so sincere and so confident that she could only nod. Her hope was returning. There were still many ways they could escape the fire and get off the planet.

  Vrax'ton took her hand and led her through the jungle, picking insects off branches, scaring off giant millipedes and going in wide circles around parts of the ground that looked just a little too inviting.

  “Do these trees burn, too? When the Fire comes?”

  “Of course,” Vrax'ton said softly without turning around. “Burn slowly.”

  “But they stay on fire for a good while?”

  “Harper perceptive. Yes. Even after Fire has long since passed, rogneh trees can be seen to burn. Hard wood in trees.”

  Harper nodded to herself. Maybe it was the berries, or maybe it was impossible. But the seed of an idea had taken hold in her mind.

  10

  - Vrax'ton -

  The herlee berries worked just the way he remembered it. Any hopelessness just evaporated, and he was able to evaluate their situation with a cool head without letting the fear for Harper take charge.

  Of course their chances were not great. But they did exist. As long as they could stay ahead of the Fire.

  His thoughts turned to her, as they always did now. In this silent jungle, he could hear her breathing and her footsteps on the spongy ground. He could sense her scent, too – a sweet, spicy female scent that kept his arousal just a heartbeat away. At every moment, he was just one decision away from having her soft, luxurious, delectable body around his hardness again. The thought was enough for his pants to feel decidedly tight.

  He'd had many women before, like any vital warrior would. But with her, everything was special. Even walking through the lethal woods on the planet that young, pre-Trial men just called Death took on a new feeling when she was near him. As if the day had silver around the edges. Or gold.

  He had picked their heading so that they would slowly be going outwards in the direction of the Outer Ocean. They would still stay ahead of the fire, and they would be moving in the direction of relative safety. He had no faith in the possibility that there could be Acerex warriors here, young men who would at some time be rescued by their own after they had survived the Fire for long enough. Even if they were here, the chances of stumbling on them were miniscule.

  If they could survive this first Fire, then they had over a year to come up with some solution for getting off the planet. These trees would slow the fire down and give them more time.

  He absentmindedly took a large reptile by the neck and flung it into the jungle and away from Harper. The Warrior Trials were not focused on completely escaping the Fire. It was a test of how well a young warrior could handle himself in front of it, where the wildlife was wilder and more feverish than anywhere in the galaxy. No one had thought too hard about how to somehow let it pass by without being scorched to a crisp. It had never been necessary. But now it probably was.

  He cast a glance behind him. Harper was trundling on still, her feminine shape calling to him at every instant. When she noticed he was looking, she gave him a radiant, hopeful smile that warmed his heart. Such a woman!

  He had let her hand go. It was better for him to have both arms free if something were to happen. And she stayed at the right distance to him – not too far away, not too close. That warmed his heart, too.

  She was getting used to this planet, going through much of the same process that young warriors did when they came here the first time. Still she was his captive. The Code demanded it. She was his for life. Even if for some reason she rejected the Fated Mate idea, she was his.

  He stopped and listened, looking all around them to check for hergs or any other danger.

  Harper looked at him with her large, warm eyes. “Trouble?” she whispered.

  He shook his head. Not yet. It was just good practice to sometimes stop and listen and look behind them. Some of the animals here were expert stalkers.

  He heard no panicked animal run away or soft footsteps continuing after a few seconds, so he assumed they weren't being followed yet.

  Just as he was about to walk on, Harper placed a hand on his arm. “I think I hear running water.”

  He frowned and listened. Ah. There was a faint tinkling sound. Very faint. He would have missed that.

  “Which direction?” he whispered.

  Harper stood still for a moment, just listening. Then she pointed, and he went in that direction.

  They passed a dense clutch of trees, and beyond it was a clearing as pleasant as any meadow Vrax'ton had ever seen. There were colorful flowers around the edge of it, and herlee bushes and small fruit trees spread out here and there were bearing ample fruit. The grass was so short as if it had been carefully mowed. In the middle of the clearing ran a little creek with water that looked crystal clear.

  Vrax'ton stopped in his tracks. That was a little too good to be true. Too inviting.

  He reached his arm out behind him to take hold of Harper before she stepped into the clearing, but his hand only met thin air.

  He whipped around.

  The jungle was as dark and stale and quiet as ever.

  But Harper was gone.

  11

  - Harper -

  First she thought the ground opened under her feet, but then she was yanked up in the air by her waist. She wanted to scream, but all she could manage was a muted umpf as the air was forced out of her lungs. She was seeing Vrax'ton from above, but he was concentrating on something else and hadn't turned around. Before Harper knew it, she was above the treetops.

  Vrax'ton! she thought, but she had no air in her lungs to call to him.

  It had all happened so fast her mind was reeling, and only then did she look at her own waist to see what had a hold on her.

  Those were claws. Very definitely claws.

  They were red and pointy, and she got the impression that if she so much as coughed they would pierce her. The pressure around her waist was powerful.

  She braced herself for what she might see and looked up.

  Shit. That had to be a firebird.

  She only saw the underside of it. It was red and scaly, and its stubby wings beat very fast. A long, slender neck led forward to a sleek head with a long muzzle.

  Her jaw dropped. That ... that wasn't a bird at all. That was a dragon. Totally a reptile of some kind, at least.

  It was not a large dragon, Harper realized. It wasn't much larger than she was, and it was obvious that it was struggling to gain height with her in its claws.

  And it was losing the struggle. It beat its wings harder and faster, but it was obvious that they were descending back down to the treetops.

  Harper quickly grabbed onto the dragon's leg that ended in a claw. If this thing decided to drop her, it was still a pretty long fall. The dragon's skin felt warm and smooth, and some primitive part of her brain told her that this was a young animal. It would explain why it had bitten off more than it could chew by grabbing her.

  She gulped in a huge breath of air as the dragon loosened its grip on her and she was only hanging from its leg by her hands. It had let go of her, but she had a good grip on it and didn't fall.

  Immediately the dragon curled up in mid-air and suddenly Harper was looking into a huge, yellow eye with a star-shaped pupil from very close up.

  She stared right back into the dragon's eye. “Yeah, I'm not letting go before you put me down. You overestimated your strength. I'm guessing you're male? It happens, don't worry about it. Just put me back where you found me and we'll forget the whole thing. I can hold o
n forever, pretty much.”

  She could, too. The dragon's scales gave her good purchase, and the advanced fibers in her jumpsuit helped alleviate the pressure on her fingers and forearms. She wasn't the lightest girl in the universe, but if this dragon thought it could just drop her from this height, it had another thing coming.

  A part of her mind marveled that she wasn't panicking. How the hell was she able to keep calm and even talk to a damn dragon-like flying lizard that had her by the waist? Probably those berries Vrax'ton had given her were helping her out with controlling her own emotions.

  The dragon straightened its long body and went into a steep dive down towards the treetops. Harper hung on, got a deep breath and yelled “Vrax'toooon! Up heeeeere! Dragoooooon!”

  She had no idea if he'd heard, but she was pretty sure this small dragon hadn't taken her too far away from where it had picked her up.

  It kept beating its wings fast, but it was losing the battle with gravity. When it straightened its wings and tried to swoop up again right before they hit the treetops, it failed miserably and continued to fall before it hit a tree trunk with its head, hard.

  The two-legged dragon just about had enough presence to cling to the tree trunk with the other claws that Harper hadn't taken possession of, but with her hanging from the other leg the claws couldn't hold it up. The dragon and Harper slid fast down the tree trunk while the claws gouged deep tracks in the tree's bark.

  Harper still clung to the dragon and looked down. They would soon be on the ground. The dragon was maybe not that big, but still she would prefer not to be under it when it landed.

  As soon as her feet touched the ground, she bounced away from the dragon, drew her useless little gardening trowel from her utility belt and held it up in front of her as if it were a weapon.

  The red dragon landed on the ground with an undignified splat and shook its head as if to clear its mind.

  Harper backed away from it and tried to put another tree between her and it. Now she could get a good look at it, too. It was very elegant and even beautiful with its red scales and yellow eyes. It did look pretty similar to the lizards she had seen on Earth, but it also looked a lot like the dragons from the old fairy tales. It couldn't actually be one, of course. The wings were wrong, and looked more like bird's wings with scales instead of feathers. It only had two legs, too, while the mythical dragons usually had four. This was just a reptile. But calling it a firebird wasn't really right, either.