Red: A Dystopian World Alien Romance

by S. J. Sanders

  Arie sighed as she pressed into Kyx’s hard chest. Of the three, he seemed the most inclined to touch her regularly. Perhaps he needed the contact of another just as much as she did.

  “When is the snow going to let up? I don’t know how much longer we are going to last in here before tempers snap,” she said.

  Kyx chuckled at her observation.

  “Not too much longer. I wouldn’t be surprised if the snow died by nightfall. It is already slowing.”

  “That’s good” She sighed and snuggled into his fur. “I don’t think Warol is taking captivity too well.”

  He snorted. “Warol has never liked confined spaces. I suspect that is why our den is four times larger than the one I grew up in, and there were six of us rogs.”

  “You didn’t grow up together? I thought you were brothers.”

  “Not in the literal sense,” he said with a chuffing chuckle. The sound was warm, even if raspier than when it came from a human. Ragoru vocalizations were at once both strange and oddly beautiful to her. It had taken a couple days for her to be aware of their laughter for what it was just because it sounded so different from anything produced by a human.

  “Ragoru bond into triad groups of unrelated males, probably a good thing since we share a mate and sharing is a bit harder for siblings,” he admitted with a wry upturn of his mouth. “Not that there aren’t exceptions and you will find brothers in a triad, but it is rare.”

  “Hmm. I confess I am having a difficult time wrapping my mind around that one. Humans pair bond. One man to one woman.”

  Kyx drew back and looked at her with an expression she figured was somewhere between dismay and horror. “But why? Who hunts and protects the den while the young are being raised?”

  Now it was Arie’s turn to stare. “I beg your pardon?”

  “The lead always devotes himself to protecting the family. He is the most immediate present to protect the female and offspring. The rest of the triad help rear the young, but we spend much more time providing for the family. We hunt for our den and patrol our territory.”

  “Humans definitely don’t do that,” she said slowly. “Often one or both of the pair bond have duties in the community that they carry out in exchange for provisions. Sometimes one will only stay home with children when they are very young, but even then, some women will carry their small children with them as they attend to their tasks, especially if they lost their mate.”

  “That is so sad,” he said with such a look of sorrow that Arie couldn’t suppress a laugh. Humans pegged Ragoru as monsters; it was interesting to see the matter from the other perspective. She supposed that, coming from a strong family unit with three fathers, human pair-bonding would seem a bit lacking to them. Rager snorted his agreement from where he sat at the other side of the fire.

  “The skies are clear,” Warol reported as he sank down beside Rager. “We should be able to make our way out of here in the morning without any problem.”

  “Arie won’t be able to walk through all that snow. One of us will have to carry her again, at least until we come out of the mountains and the ground clears.”

  Rager turned his ears toward the male and flicked his tail in silent acknowledgment as he passed around more of the dried meat. She was gradually becoming used to their subtle body language. They didn’t often smile unless they found something truly amusing, although their brows often shifted to show signs of pleasure or happiness. Much of their emotion was relayed through body language that was still quite elusive to her.

  “I will carry her as before,” Rager said in a hushed voice.

  “It will be hard going before we reach the end of the valley,” Warol protested. “It would be more logical if we take turns.”

  The expression on his face said quite clearly that it was the last thing he wanted to do. No doubt he was perturbed they had to carry her at all. He made no secret of the fact that he wasn’t interested in escorting her through the woods, even if he participated in their illicit nocturnal activities.

  Arie bit her lip. She wanted to throw it back in his face and say that she was more than capable of walking the rest of the way. She had her pride after all, but she wasn’t stupid either. Her shoes wouldn’t be able to keep the deep snow from soaking her feet, and even with the fur wrapped around her she would soon become thoroughly sodden. That was too much like begging the gods to strike her with hypothermia.

  To her surprise, Kyx leaned forward into her field of vision and curled his lip at his brother.

  “Do not worry yourself, Warol. Rager and I can take turns carrying Arie. You don’t need to put yourself out carrying a human.”

  Warol froze and his ears turned back, and his brow fell with embarrassment.

  “I do not mind assisting,” he muttered, but Kyx only huffed out a breath in response.

  Rager sighed. “I will carry her to the mountain crossing. Kyx can carry her from there to the rock ledge point. Warol, you will carry her until we hit the big tree plateau. There we can rest for the night and get our bearings.”

  “Once we are clear of the deep snow, I am perfectly capable of walking,” Arie said.

  The lead male looked at her without a trace of mockery or derision. His brow furrowed only slightly with concern.

  “The area from the point to the plateau is hazardous and requires sure footing. Do you have skill climbing down rocky slopes?”

  “Uh, no,” she admitted, and his brow seemed to quiver with amusement.

  “Then Warol will carry you,” he stated firmly. Arie knew from his tone of voice that he would not bend even a little. It had not escaped her notice that Rager was the most intractable of the triad when he set his mind on something.

  Two muscled arms wrapped around her middle and Arie smiled and stroked her hands over Kyx’s softly furred forearms. A pair of strong hands stroked her from shoulder to elbow. Arie could have purred like a cat. There was certainly something to be said for an extra set of hands.

  “I am going outside to get a look at the conditions out there,” Warol muttered around a gravelly growl as he pushed himself to his feet and stomped toward the entrance. Arie stared after him. She would have thought he seemed jealous if it weren’t for the fact that she knew he didn’t like her.

  She didn’t take it personally since she knew that he hated humans in general, and so disliked her on principle. That he didn’t try to kill her and was no longer tormenting her was almost flattering.

  “Don’t mind him,” Rager said, glancing up. “You are not what we expected and Warol doesn’t know how to feel about it. His entire family was killed by humans and all he has known for revolutions is hatred.”

  Arie’s lips parted in surprise and she felt a swell of pity for the gruff male. No wonder he was so surly. If it were her, she didn’t think she could bear to be around a species that had slaughtered her family.

  “Don’t waste your sorrow on him either,” Rager continued, correctly reading the emotions that she was sure were flitting across her face. “Warol has been harboring hate for too long. He rests the blame of a few on all humans collectively. While the Ragoru have been wrong, we are not entirely blameless, and not all of your race deserves a share of our hatred. I believe he is just discovering this. Warol will work it out in his own mind and heart.”

  Arie observed Rager as she turned that over in her mind. Everyone in her village had been quick to suspect and blame Ragoru for everything. Any mischance was because of a Ragoru. Rumors spread like wildfire if a few hens were killed, or a goat disappeared. Anything that went missing fed the rumor mills. Suddenly, everyone was claiming to have sighted a lone Ragoru sneaking around the village barrier in the night. She’d always dismissed it as farfetched, but now she understood just how absurd such claims were.

  As far as she could tell, not one of these males was the sort to skulk around the walls of a settlement looking for easy prey or to steal human goods. With their internal sexual organs and heavy pelts, it was unlikely they would
have any use for clothing. Nor, as superior hunters, did they need to steal livestock. Everything around her had been provided by their hunt. Not only in terms of food, but everything that allowed them to live comfortably, if not simply. In both caves, there had been plenty of tanned hides, tasty preserved meat, and even woven baskets for storage. By all appearances, they didn’t seem to be the brutish animals people imagined the Ragoru were.

  “We have plenty of faults,” she said as a cold blast of air signaled Warol’s return. “Truthfully, I do not blame anyone for hating us. Especially not someone who has suffered at human hands. Humanity has a tendency to be cruel even to its own species.”

  Kyx nuzzled her gently. “Don’t be sad,” he rumbled against her ear. “Who was cruel to you, Arie?”

  She swallowed and took a deep breath as she combed through her hair with her fingers. Within seconds, Kyx swatted her hand aside and began to untangle the knots with his fingers in such a gentle manner that she barely felt the pull of his claws through her curls. She folded her hands in her lap and stared down at her hands.

  “I wasn’t entirely truthful when we met,” she admitted. “I had to flee from my village. People are terrified of the Ragoru, so much so that anything bright is banned because people fear it will bring your attention to us. It fed into a superstition that anyone born with red hair is cursed by the mother. No one will suffer a redhead to live among them, and many will not give a person with my coloring the opportunity to taint the village from their contact with it. Had I stayed, there was a good chance the people would have eventually descended upon me and killed me to wash my curse from the village. The Citadel is more… clear-thinking. That is why I was traveling to find my grandmother. I can have a future there.”

  She felt Kyx still behind her as she confessed, and only then did she dare to glance at the other two males. Rager’s brow was pulled down and his ears flattened in an unheard-of show of temper, while Warol seemed at a complete loss. His face crumpled with sorrow and he slid next to her, nudging her with his muzzle as he pulled her from a protesting Kyx and enfolded her in his arms. He set his jaw against the top of her head with a deep sigh.

  “I am sorry, little one,” Warol whispered. “I swear we will protect you until you can rejoin your family. You will suffer no harm from the hands of your people or from any among ours.”

  Rager and Kyx uttered their agreements and oaths in steely voiced growls. Arie shivered, the flesh on her arms goose-pimpled at the weight of their commitment. She settled against Warol’s chest, wrapping her arms around him and allowing herself to enjoy their moment of mutual comfort. She suspected it was something they both needed.

  Before long, Kyx and Rager crowded in behind her, each stroking her, crooning comforting words and nuzzling her with affection. For the first time since her mother died, Arie felt like someone cared. Dare she say that she almost felt cherished and loved?

  9

  Arie’s stomach lurched as Warol skidded, loose rocks sliding under his feet. Now she knew exactly why Rager had been so concerned. One would have to be a goat or a very determined Ragoru to brave the descent.

  While they’d left the snow behind, and the forest was looming closer, the sheer rock made her heart race with fear. Three of Warol’s arms held her tight against his hard body, the fourth outstretched to aid in his balance, but it didn’t comfort her. Especially not when the rock seemed determined to crumble from under his feet within seconds of touching down on it.

  Rager and Kyx paced at alert nearby as they practically slid down the slope. Kyx had tried to buoy her spirits when he handed her off to Warol and she got her first good look at the cliffside. He’d assured her that they made this trip many times without incident, so she had nothing to worry about.

  It hadn’t helped.

  Her stomach still managed to twist with nerves from the moment Warol began their descent.

  Then it happened—he set his foot down and the entire ledge broke free from under him. It seemed to happen in slow motion. Warol desperately tried to backpedal, and the other two males attempted to converge on them in time to save them. Even then, she knew they wouldn’t make it in time. She barely heard the concerned shouts from the other males before they were pitched over the side, Warol’s claws scraping against her as he attempted, in vain, to retain his grip as they hit the ground rolling.

  Ultimately, gravity did its job. Her clothing ripped and he roared with dismay as her body took flight and was flung far from him. It seemed like she was floating weightlessly for a moment until she hit the ground. The world continued to spin around her as her body rolled at rapid speed. Rocks bit into her skin and branches whipped past her, scratching her face and every bit of exposed skin. Her hands scrambled for purchase, to no avail.

  Arie had no idea just how long she rolled in her unchecked descent. It felt like an eternity, and yet also as if it all occurred in the space of a breath. It was only by some miracle that her hand hit a tree branch and her fingers reflexively gripped it, halting her trajectory. Her arm wrenched miserably, but Arie didn’t care. As long as she was not falling, she would endure it.

  She risked glancing down and her stomach hit her toes. The trees growing out of the slope mingled with a huge patch of thorns, and several carnivorous plants were furled amid them, their magenta fronds and giant deep purple flowers an attractive lure. She knew that beyond the enticing display was a serrated pitcher-like sack into which the plant would drag its prey once it envenomated and tightened its fronds around it. She thanked the Blessed Mother and let her head hang back against her shoulder momentarily as she was overcome with relief. Once she felt able to move, she swung her right arm up to join her left hand, gripping the branch and solidifying her grasp.

  With a painful groan, she pulled herself up until her chest rested against the trunk of the tree. Only then did she dare glance around further in attempt to get her bearings. Her eyes widened and she took in what seemed to be an endless stretch of trees. Nothing looked even remotely familiar.

  Fear skittered through her. She had no idea where she was now in relation to where she had been with the guys. Worse, she saw no sign of any of them—not even Warol. She didn’t think Rager and Kyx had been close enough to fall, so they could be out there looking for them, but she must have been flung quite far from Warol for there to be no sign of him.

  If she could maneuver along the nearest trees, there was a good chance of making it to level ground and avoiding falling into the deathtrap waiting just below her. Digging the toes of her shoes into the dirt and keeping her weight supported by her hold on the trees, Arie inched her way over the uneven ground until she was able to swing herself over and scramble up a rocky ledge.

  Once she was certain that the ground under her feet wasn’t going anywhere, she flopped gratefully onto the firm earth. There she lay for a long time, panting as she stared up at the canopy of trees. Every now and then a small flock of birds would pass from one tree to another.

  A significant part of her did not want to move. It was instinctual after being taught all her life not to move if she were lost. She could almost hear her mother lecturing her that movement hindered the efforts of those who’d be searching. Yet, she knew night was coming soon, and she did not relish the idea of sitting out in the open on the off chance that the guys might find her. That seemed to border on insane to her.

  Arie rolled to her knees and pushed herself up. She wobbled with exhaustion and looked around the forest that stretched out in front of her. One thing was certain: she couldn’t go back up. The sheer mountainside above was impassable for her. With a muttered oath, she closed her eyes and turned herself around several times to the count of twenty, upon which she stopped and raised a hand to point in the direction she would move. Chance determined she’d continue down the gentle slope proceeding from where she stood.

  She squinted at the dim light of the forest with trepidation. All it seemed to be lacking were signs declaring “beware” and “do not enter.” S
he could faintly make out a game trail, so her choice didn’t seem as bleak as it had seemed at first glance. It couldn’t be all bad if other living creatures habitually went in that direction. Warol was larger and may have fallen further before he managed to halt his descent. It seemed more likely than half of the scenarios she’d conjured.

  Still, it didn’t hurt to see if perhaps anyone was within shouting range.

  “Hello! Warol? Kyx? Rager? Can anyone hear me?”

  The birds fell silent at her shout, but the chirp and hum of bugs were an endless cacophony in a sea of what was otherwise silence. After several minutes the birds resumed their familiar warbling. Well, that answered that question. Arie had no doubt she would have been able to at least hear a howl if someone was close enough.

  Steeling her nerves, Arie began her gradual descent. To her dismay, despite the clear trail, it was cut narrowly through the forest which increasingly became thicker. More than once she cursed when she became caught on low growing brambles. The only thing that made it better was finding clusters of late-season blackberries growing thickly on the bushes. She grazed, eating handfuls at a time, as she passed. After all the meat she’d eaten over the last several days, her stomach was grateful for the change.

  Every so often she would stop to call out again, hoping that maybe someone would be close enough to hear her by then. Each time she felt her heart sink with disappointment, and fear slowly began to churn in her gut. She was beginning to regret leaving her small ledge when she heard a rustle in the bushes just ahead of her to the right. She paused, her skin prickling.