“I do not know why my body reacted as it did. It certainly was not at my bidding or interest, so you have nothing to fear on that end Rager. I was merely attempting to keep the female warm,” Warol clarified, his eyes never straying from the red form of their third. His patience snapped.
“Get off the female, Kyx. It is no longer cool enough to make her uncomfortable as she sleeps. There is no reason any of us should provide her with more than what is most necessary. Kyx’s jaw dropped open with a silent laugh.
“Maybe I enjoy being pressed up against the female,” he replied in turn.
Warol bristled and began to stalk toward him when Rager raised his voice.
“Enough posturing. Warol, step back, and Kyx, release Arie and step back. Your aid is not necessary at this time. We will wake her and then be on our way.”
A loud sigh came from the red male, but he got to his feet and gently nudged Arie until she woke. Warol could hear the soft murmur of their voices but tuned it out. He made himself busy banking the coals and piling the furs once more as he prepared the cave for their absence.
Before long, the female was standing at the male’s side, her bag thrown over her shoulder and the glory of her red mane flowing wildly down her back. His fingers itched to touch it, but he swung away to scout the opening of the cave for any sign of other triads coming near their resting place. To his relief, there were none, nor did he detect any scent of approaching humans in search of Arie.
It seemed odd that there wasn’t any sign of humans searching for the lone female. Ragoru were pack-oriented among their triad, sometimes in rare known cases with extended family members if they managed to survive the huntsmen, but humans were far more clannish. It was not uncommon for humans to track missing members through hostile territories. Why was no one coming for their female?
He shook his head aggressively in reprimand. He shouldn’t be thinking of Arie as theirs; she did not belong to them. She was not Ragoru, and she was not their mate. She was merely a lost, vulnerable stranger. He should be happy for any sign of humans to foist her onto. That would have been the first thing he would have done. His triad would be able to escape easily while the humans ran their hands all over the female to verify her condition. His hackles raised as he imagined human males touching Arie’s body, stroking her. A low growl raised in his throat and he abruptly cut it off, his eyes darting around to make certain he hadn’t been heard.
There was no reason to worry Rager. Warol was not getting possessive over a human. He was certain that he felt nothing at all except the pressing need to deposit her safely with her family and run as fast as he could in the other direction. He ignored the painful pinch in his gut.
Yes, the sooner they could be rid of her safely among other trusted females, the better.
He would not trust a male enough to surrender her into his custody, but an elder female? That would be no problem. Above all, he did not want to keep the human.
Rager took the lead, once again carrying Arie pressed against him, much to Warol’s annoyance. The male had scolded him for laying with her while he pressed against her so familiarly. Jealousy gnawed at him despite his determination to ignore it. Warol likewise tried to ignore Kyx’s knowing look as the male paced beside him.
6
Rager held the small female to his chest as he hopped over a fallen tree with ease. The tree line was starting to thin as they moved into higher elevations, but as of yet the woods were still thick. He spared a longing glance at the valley below, but resisted. The valley was a dangerous place, even for a triad of healthy males. Thick with giant carnivorous plants, it would be suicidal to trek through it rather than take the mountain route.
It would be even more dangerous for a creature as vulnerable as Arie.
Fine hairs from her curly red mane tickled his nose as he pressed into his chest. He took a minute to take pleasure from the feeling. Ragoru females did not cling to males; they were as strong and aggressive as their male counterparts. His own mother had been a rarity, a soft-spoken female cherished by his father until the day she had fallen ill and died. His fathers had not survived the passing of his mother, but Rager had known even as a young male that he wanted that sort of mating. This summer had been a brutal eye-opener for him.
Although he was as disappointed as the rest of his triad that they had been unable to attract a mate, he was also relieved. Not one of those females had been one that he genuinely wanted to pass his life with. Oh, he would have joined their triad with a female out of duty to his family if one had showed interest, but he would have had to regularly swallow his own bitter disappointment.
He wanted a mate that needed him more than just as protector of their den, or because he was judged on the merit of whether he would produce fine, strong sons. In many ways, whether a female ever accepted his triad rested heavily on him. Due to the nature of the Ragoru, not only was the lead the largest and strongest among his brothers, he was also the only one who produced viable seed upon establishing the triad.
Rager was a large male, but he wasn’t considered attractive. His features were broad and blunt, and his dark fur was considered undesirable whereas red was prized as the color of the sacred blood and fire. Even silvers were valued for their luminous coloring not unlike the winter moon. A female with options rarely chose a stud of his coloring and risked breeding it to her rogs.
Because a lead’s value was only in their ability to breed and protect, his triad had been dismissed by every unmated female in favor of other triads with more desirable leads. Other than the bite of shame he felt from failing his triad, Rager couldn’t be sorry for that. He didn’t want his life to be forever bound to a female who would never truly need him. His vain hope of finding a special female who would see them as males of worth that she could depend on and care for her withered as the summer passed. The whole season had been a complete disaster and left his brothers demoralized.
Then the human dropped into their lives, and she brought something new with her. For once, he had a female who didn’t look at him critically. Yes, Arie was fearful around them much of the time, but she also looked to him to take care of her and protect her on their journey. It was a new and exhilarating feeling. She didn’t look at him and see a breeder—of course not—but she did look at him and see a male of worth.
And she needed him. He would never admit it aloud, but he enjoyed the feeling of being needed.
There was no protest when he lifted her up, all four arms banding around her in a close, intimate embrace. Instead, she’d leaned against him, her face against his neck. Her fingers sank deep into the heavy fur of his scruff and along his shoulders, gripping him tightly. It stung a little, but not unpleasantly. Instead, it roused every protective instinct.
He suspected much of his instinct to guard her came from the fact that she was small and helpless like a rog. Like Warol, he didn’t look upon Arie and see a desirable female. Her features were strange to him. When he first saw her hairless body, he’d felt a wave of disgust at having to touch it, uncertain of whether it would be slimy like a toad. He’d been pleasantly surprised that her skin was soft and warm, but he hadn’t yet become accustomed to her strange form or her odd flat face.
Not that he would have much time to become too familiar before they arrived at the human settlement.
When he’d cautioned Warol and (mostly) Kyx against becoming attached, he spoke the truth. Although their journey would take many weeks, none of them could risk bonding to her only to have her leave them in favor of her family. He’d only seen the Citadel once, at a distance, and while it had seemed claustrophobic to him—the way all the humans lived clustered together there—he imagined that would be exactly what Arie needed. Until that time, he could enjoy the small comforts of caring for her needs where he could.
Warol slid up beside him, his lip curled back from his teeth as he scented the air. Arie stilled in his embrace as his brother closed in, and Rager repressed a growl. It was illogical to make a show
of dominance when Warol wasn’t doing anything wrong aside from unintentionally scaring her. The male flicked an ear toward the female, aware of her fear, but ignored it and addressed him.
“An early snow is coming,” Warol said, his face lifted into the breeze.
Rager grumbled in agreement. An unseasonable snow couldn’t have come at a worse time. The mountains were a bad place to be during a snowstorm. It fell heavier there than anywhere else, often in near blizzard conditions. Although he knew of some cave systems where they could wait out a storm, he dreaded the idea of being stuck in a small cave with Warol for days on end with no relief. He wondered if he should foolishly hold onto hope that they could outrun it, but decided against it. There was no point in gambling with their lives just to avoid a bit of unpleasantness.
Rager inclined his head toward a familiar rocky slope cresting ahead of them. “We will wait out the storm there.”
Warol’s brow drew down in a frown but he nodded reluctantly. Despite loathing small spaces, Warol had clearly brought the snow to his attention just in time, obviously with the same destination in mind. The male let loose a deep howl to call to Kyx, who was scouting some distance ahead. A melodious howl responded within minutes.
Although smaller, Kyx was quicker and far nimbler. He often went far ahead to watch for signs of trouble. When their triad had been new, it concerned Rager when the male would disappear for large spans of time, but he soon saw the value in it. Thanks to Kyx, his triad as a whole was able to avoid dangers that were often detrimental to others. They had forewarning of signs of giant predators as well as prey, movement of humans and other triads, unstable ground and barriers, and areas where sudden growths of predatory plants had appeared. After a while, Rager had ceased to object. Kyx was far ahead but he knew now where to rejoin them.
The first few flakes of snow hit his dark fur and Arie’s cheek where it was nestled against him, accompanied by a cold gust. The female shivered despite being cocooned in his warmth, the red strands of her mane blowing in the wind. Rager mentally cursed Warol for his lack of foresight. He understood his brother’s frustration at the way she’d hid herself within the folds of the material as if to make it a barrier against them, but now the female was suffering from the lack of covering.
As if drawn to her in her suffering, Warol glanced down at Arie, and a flash of guilt appeared on his face. Rager scowled at him, making his displeasure known before letting the matter drop. There was little that could be done about it now other than to try to find something suitable to replace it. It would be illogical to castigate him further when the male was already feeling guilty. Rager tried to recall if there were any larger pelts in the small cavern they were heading toward that might make a suitable covering. Perhaps he would task Warol with finding something appropriate.
If they had been in their home territory, near the comfort of their den, it would have been an easy matter. They wouldn’t be sleeping on piles of musty furs on the hard floors of the caves. Arie would have every comfort. There was a hearth for cold winter nights that would warm her, plenty of food stored from what they had gathered and hunted, clean furs for her to sleep on as well as fabrics pillaged from an abandoned merchant’s cart that Kyx had found during one of his numerous explorations around the perimeter of their territory.
The unbidden image of Arie in their home rose in his mind, and warmth filled him. It was a ridiculous fantasy, of course. Even if they had been close enough to take shelter in their den, it would be disastrous for them when they finally found a mate. A female would have smelled the traces of Arie and would have been insulted, no matter how innocent the human’s presence would have been. Ragoru mated for life, and only the least among them would cavort with other females who were not their mate.
Once again, as it had many times over the course of the day as they’d traveled, Kyx’s sly suggestion that they keep the human whispered through his mind. She’d be able to ease their loneliness, and they would protect and provide for her. No one need know of it.
It was an intoxicating temptation.
No, it was a good thing that they were not in their home territory. He’d likely yield to the temptation if they had been. Arie was not theirs to keep. She had family waiting for her, and he needed to remember that. He shifted the female in his arms and bent lower over her to give her what little protection he could against the snow.
The snow fell faster as they arrived at the crevice marking the narrow opening to the small cavern. Warol groaned as he looked at it, but pushed himself inside to root out any unwelcome creatures hiding in there. Within minutes, Rager clearly heard his muffled shout.
“All clear.”
Adjusting his grip on Arie so her tender skin wouldn’t scrape on any of the rocks, Rager slid inside. Warol had already set the human’s pack down and had pulled out the flint and steel to make a fire from the emergency supply of wood and tinder they’d stashed in each of their claimed caves for situations such as this.
Once he had the fire burning steadily, Warol looted through storage baskets for dried provisions while Rager gently set the human in front of the flames. Her pale skin was nearly white with the cold, but she sighed gratefully and scooted closer, holding her hands out toward the warmth.
“Look and see if there are any large pelts that we can wrap around her,” he said as he settled behind her slowly, trying not to frighten her.
She froze for a moment, her eyes darting to his face as she watched him lower himself to the ground, but she did not protest or attempt to move away from him. A day of carrying her through the woods had built some small foundation of trust, although she was still understandably wary. He opened his four arms, and with one hand patted the fur of his chest as he spoke to her in her language.
“Come, lean against me. It will help warm you.”
He watched her suck her full pink bottom lip between her teeth as she regarded him, her blue eyes appearing like fathomless pools in the dim light from the fire. A sharp wind made its way into the crevice, and her decision was made quickly. She scampered against him, turning her back against his belly as she returned to warming her hands. He wound his arms around her and carefully slid them closer to the fire so that she could better enjoy the heat. With the bitter cold, the fire felt good to him as well.
A skin bag full of meat was thrust in front of his face and Rager happily accepted it from his irate brother. In Warol’s other hand was a large white fur from a greater mountain sheep they had killed two revolutions back. He grunted his thanks and accepted it with another hand, leaving Warol to settle just feet away with a glower on his face. Rager cocked a brow at his brother, and the other male turned his face away in obvious embarrassment.
He wrapped the fur around the small female. She jumped when he pulled away and lay the fur on her, but then sighed with pleasure as he bundled her up and drew her against his chest once more. He handed her a bit of meat, which she gnawed on with obvious hunger, and set the pouch beside them.
“Did you secure the leather flap over the entrance?” he queried.
Warol looked toward the entrance and nodded, his muzzle wrinkling, showing the tips of his long canines. “Yes, the wind has already picked up. This storm is going to be a bad one, I think.”
Rager shifted uneasily. “We are fortunate to have been close to shelter before the storm hit. While we may have had a chance out there for a few hours before we succumbed, I don’t think Arie would have lasted long.”
Warol’s expression became solemn as he noticeably absorbed the full impact of what could have happened. The little human could easily have died had they been less fortunate. If they hadn’t found her, there was a good chance she would never have survived. To Rager, it seemed as if the benevolent hand of the Mother had overseen matters and placed Arie in their path. She had clearly saved Arie in her mercy, but what were her plans for their triad?
Drowsily chewing on a chunk of meat from where he crouched behind the female, Rager remained alert while
he waited for Kyx to reappear. The storm was progressing enough that he doubted they would have trouble with anyone or anything else trying to enter until it abated. Once the last of his triad was safely inside, he would allow himself to sleep.
Arie began to lean against his thigh as she settled into the crook of his left arms. She’d eaten the meat he gave her and yawned before nestling more comfortably against him. He watched in fascination as the firelight played off the red strands of her mane, making them shiny. Even her face seemed luminous in the glow. It was strange and yet oddly endearing, like she was not a human but something otherworldly in their company for a brief time.
He crooned a melody his mother once sang when he was a rog. Arie opened one sleepy eye and looked up at him, her lips curving into a small smile before she drifted off to sleep. Warol snorted from where he was lying off to the side, but refrained from commenting. Rager paid him no mind.
He shifted so he could lie more comfortably curled around Arie, his head facing the entrance while he waited and watched.
Kyx cursed himself for wandering so far from his brothers as the snow pelted down around him in thick billows. The wind had picked up quickly, whiting out the world in front of him. As the snow on his fur began to seep through, he shivered. He knew he was close to the cave but was completely disoriented. Fear hammered in his heart as he dismally wondered if he would find the entrance before he froze to the death.
He was close to the cave; he was sure of it. He called out to his brothers, but the wind scattered his voice and threw it back at him. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He knew he should have joined his brothers again as soon as he caught the scent of snow on the wind, but he’d been distracted by what looked like a human camp in the distance from his higher elevation. He’d been able to see the smoke billowing up from the forest nearby where they’d found Arie. Was someone looking for her? He’d briefly entertained the idea of backtracking to investigate when he’d heard Warol’s deep howl. Now he was paying the price for his curiosity.
Red: A Dystopian World Alien Romance Page 5
