Wilderness Untamed

by Butler, J. M.

  Well, that was at least one advantage she would retain.

  "All mated Vawtrians strive to reach a point where they can maintain a shifted form even when their veskaro touches them because, well, in an attack or an emergency, it's remarkably inconvenient and unnerving to realize that most of your defenses don't work if your beloved is in contact with you. But that can take a long time. For you and Naatos, I'd guess perhaps even years."

  "Why's that?"

  "You have a powerful connection, but you are far from receptive. That's both good and bad. It's bad because it means Naatos won't reach that point easily. It's good because it means your connection will be significantly stronger and less susceptible to interference. It actually will make him significantly stronger overall. You as well. You will have quite the celebration when you reach that point."

  "The anniversary celebration."

  He picked up a rock and chucked it out across the cliff's edge. As it disappeared, he smiled. "Yes, you'll enjoy that. It's not uncommon in families or cadres for the other members to help look after and carry non-Vawtrian spouses during evacuations or escapes or just events. But there is something almost sacred about the first time a veskare can remain in his shifted form and carry his veskaro. And as the non-Vawtrian, you get to choose which of his forms he uses and whether it will be the Flight, the Run, or the Swim."

  "Something to look forward to I suppose." Not that she needed any more anticipation for anything else. Her body had had just about as much as it could take. Falling for almost an hour had at least cleared her mind and nerves somewhat. "So sex with Vawtrians is basically the same as Awdawms? I don't even know what to think about the Neyeb. There is basically nothing that helps me in those books so far as all this goes, so I'm going to assume it's mostly the same." She rubbed her forearm.

  "All eight races are compatible with one another. There is variety, culturally speaking, in kisses, foreplay, and positions. But at its heart, it's essentially the same. Well except the Tiablos. They can climax through consuming alcohol if they'd rather go about it that way. That's a significant distinction. Well, and Vawtrians can't self gratify. I suppose that's significant. Oh, and there's no refractory period. Some Shivennans require contact with their element to—"

  "Wait," Amelia said, holding up her hand. "What do you mean there's no refractory period?"

  He appeared confused. "There is no refractory period."

  "So you climax and what, just keep going?"

  "Vawtrians go until euphoria."

  "And how long is that?"

  He shrugged. "It depends."

  "So when he says all night, that's not colloquial."

  He shook his head. "Probably not. Chances are you will be exhausted long before he is. But you should tell him when you've had enough. He'll listen. Just don't be offended if he goes and does other things while you're resting. He might not. But just in case." He leaned back on his arms. "I didn't actually have a plan in place for this talk. Really though, I suppose that if I had one piece of advice to give you, I would tell you that this experience is supposed to be pleasurable for both of you, not just him. It will take you time to learn what you want and what you like. Some things won't work. Some things will. Some things will change. You've been forthright about most matters, and you haven't backed down from speaking your mind. That is something you should not change."

  "I'm sure he'll love that." She rubbed her temple once more, aware that something was making the headache worse. But what? The humming from her bracelet had become part of the background noise within her mind. This sound was more discordant. Harsh and low. Coming from? Could it come from everywhere? Like the stench of a skunk in a clearing? It reminded her of the headaches she got during a low pressure front, but there was something off about it as well.

  He chuckled. "Even when he does, keep doing it. It's the only way it works. Mara and I were blessed in that. Especially once we became more settled in our relationship. Sometimes it caused frustrations. But it was worth it. Everything was worth it for her. Naatos will feel the same for you."

  "Because of the locking? That's how you know?"

  He smiled at her, his expression soft and contemplative. "Because I know my brother. I know him better than he thinks. Perhaps better than himself. Sometimes I think that's how this family works. We all know one another better than we know ourselves. It's good though, dear heart. I promise."

  His expression darkened as his gaze shifted the horizon. He gestured toward her. "Get up. We need to go."

  "What's wrong?" She stood immediately and looked in the same direction. A soft red haze tinted the clouds, and the sun had a pale halo around it. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning was an old weather rhyme in Indiana, but did it apply out here? Besides this was a deeper yellow. Angry bird calls and reptilian squawks confirmed an increased agitation.

  "One of the early signs of the Grey Season. The countdown is starting." WroOth grabbed her by the hand. "Come on. We may have to fly, but I don't want to risk it if we can help it. We need to get back to camp fast."

  56

  Incoming Storm

  Amelia ran alongside WroOth. Though he kept it at a pace she could manage, he pushed her. They were only halfway to the camp when he halted as if he heard something.

  He pointed to the left. "They've already started out. We're going to meet them on the way."

  He led her on a rapid pace through the forest, skirting around the largest of the roots and boulders and avoiding open spaces that lacked cover. As they ran, he sent off signals on the whistle. Signals she couldn't hear. Apparently they responded because he adjusted their course.

  Before long, she recognized presences. Naatos first and foremost. He was worried. It projected out from him like a great storm cloud. And either his was stronger than all the rest or she was simply more attuned to him. Then she caught a glimpse of grey fur.

  As she and WroOth reached them though, relief flashed through Naatos's eyes. For only a moment. Then it was swept back behind that neutral mask. AaQar's response was subtler still, a slight relaxing of his shoulders. QueQoa bellowed and seized them both in a great bear hug as he dragged them back to the main group.

  "What's going on?" Amelia asked, tugging free. "What's happening with the Grey Season?"

  "We're walking and talking right now." WroOth caught hold of her elbow and guided her along. "Time is very important if we're going to make it. This is not something you want to be outside for."

  Proteus had already been loaded. Her satchel and the bag with Tacky and his security blanket had been placed on Proteus's side as well.

  "What does it mean?" Amelia asked again. The wind had picked up. They weren't running or even jogging, but this brisk walking pace was a fair bit faster than usual. Her calf muscles protested a little. An odd scent, rather tangy and sharp, drifted through the breeze.

  "There's an aura storm coming in," AaQar said. "We have until the sky goes dark red to get to shelter."

  "So where are we going? Should we start building here?"

  "We need granite or stronger. The mountains there should be enough. We'll increase the pace but avoid running unless it becomes absolutely necessary," WroOth explained.

  "If we use the rels can we run?" she asked. They'd warned her about the risks of flat-out running through territory you didn't know well. Too many risks of getting mobbed by predators or running into some phenomenon none of them were ready for. Not to be done unless there was no other choice.

  AaQar shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the sky as they kept walking. "If it becomes essential yes, but using rels while moving results in them being consumed significantly faster. We'd go through far too many over the range we have to cover. And without them, we risk a hunting frenzy."

  "Without the increased ilzinium, we'd have sixteen days," Naatos said. "The sky would get darker and darker, the sun would get an increasingly large halo that in the final stage would expand fast enough to see with plain eyes. With the increased i
lzinium—"

  "Five days at most." AaQar rested his staff against his shoulder. "And we'll need at least one to prepare. This could go even faster. Keep an eye on the sky. Most of the warning signs will be more rapid now."

  "It should be rain only first," QueQoa said. Frustration lined his features and knotted in his muscles. "And we haven't missed any rainstorms. Aura storms aren't first in the cycle."

  "The cycle must have changed." AaQar spoke calmly, but an uneasiness lined his voice. "It's coming whether we like it or not. Stay on guard. There will be more attacks than usual."

  "The rels Amelia and I used will be good for a little while longer. We could risk a run. For a bit," WroOth said. "I wouldn't risk the skies after that though. There's too many of us to avoid drawing attention."

  Naatos drew in a deep breath, then nodded. "Maybe a half hour. We might as well make the most of the rels that remain."

  With that, they were jogging again, running for Amelia. Proteus loped along at a steady rate, releasing regular complaints about the weather in sounds that sounded at times like an enormous sheep, other times an angry bull, and at others a wailing baritone elephant.

  The air tightened and tightened around them as they kept going. It felt like those late summer days when the sky hung taut. She'd run beneath heavy skies and had lost herself in the steps and the music. There had been something exhilarating out there under the Indiana clouds, but the worst she'd had to worry about was a distracted driver or a wild dog. Out here, with her head pounding as much as her feet on the packed soil, she couldn't risk getting lost.

  Sweat soaked her hair. Her left foot ached more and more. But she pressed on.

  None too soon, AaQar waved them to a stop and Naatos went even more guarded. He adjusted his spear to a fanned quin-blade. "Something is coming." He turned his gaze up into the sky.

  The sky was an angry putrid yellow, the clouds red hazed, livid in the scraps of open air between the tree branches. Panting, Amelia peered up as well. The wind rushed again. Except—it wasn't the wind.

  Alarm sliced through the group. WroOth shoved her to the ground. "Get down!"

  She struck the packed soil hard as a strange shrieking and calling spiraled out of the sky. A flurry of winged serpents, all striped turquoise, yellow, and red, swept down and attacked, dozens and dozens. They attacked as a mass as each of the four brothers shifted into dragon forms and responded in kind.

  Covering her head, Amelia cringed, half expecting one of them to step on her. A dead winged serpent fell on her head as Proteus bellowed and started devouring the serpents like candy. The winged serpents bounced off the brothers' tightly woven scales. Then, all at once, they swept back up into the sky, shrieking and screaming.

  Amelia's head and heart thundered with equal fury as she lowered her hands and pushed herself up to her knees. "What on earth…"

  "Serpent cyclone," Naatos said as he dropped from the black dragon form to his state of rest. "They're angry, and they're early. This isn't a good sign."

  The others resumed their states of rest as well, the blue spiked dragon, red fire dragon, and iron dragon forms falling aside with ease. "No," AaQar agreed.

  "Are they going to come back?" Amelia asked.

  "Yes. They'll go after whatever is tallest first," WroOth said, shaking out his hair. Grimacing, he removed a wing and cast it aside. "But in the middle of a serpent cyclone, they'll bite and claw whatever gets near enough. Were you bit?"

  "Nothing serious." She crouched, her headache briefly forgotten as she examined one of the dead creatures. It was over a foot long with thin collapsible wings, almost batlike except that the wings were lined with tiny razor teeth half the size as the ones in the wings. "Just a few scratches. They're a lot more dangerous than they look, aren't they?"

  "Pains at the best of times," QueQoa agreed.

  "Is Proteus all right?" Red streaked his fur. Amelia went to his head though. The blood on his face wasn't his. He nudged her and then snapped up one of the fallen winged serpents. It was turned to dust in less than a breath.

  "His fur is thick enough they won't get to him easily. Except for the eyes, and they have an instinctive urge to protect those," AaQar said. "He's fine. As long as we can all make forms bigger than him when the attacks happen, he'll get only marginal damage. The same is true for you."

  Tacky was all right as well though he chittered angrily within the bag. Even scratching his favorite spot on his back did little to console him.

  "We need to move out before they come again," Naatos said. "They're agitated with this storm coming in."

  "No more running for now," AaQar said. "Keep alert, everyone."

  They started off again.

  As warned though, the animal attacks intensified. Increasingly perturbed, Proteus attacked in a far more sporadic manner. He lowed and complained far more than usual, his hackles in a constant ready position. Whenever the ambushes came, he ate twice as much, sometimes not even finishing one corpse before moving to the next.

  Despite the fact that they were all walking briskly, she had to jog to keep up. The more frequent animal attacks became an excuse for rest. Her dull headache stabbed with sharp needles by midday.

  "The aura storm is progressing faster than expected." Naatos came alongside her. "How are you enduring?"

  She finished a long drink from her canteen. "One step at a time." At least the sunlight was dimmer.

  "Your eyes are glassy."

  "Headache."

  "Hm. It's probably going to get worse. These aura storms can be rough for any of the mind-based races. If you can stay on your feet, it's for the best."

  "I intend to."

  "If you need us to carry you—"

  She held up her hand. "No. That was uncomfortable enough without a headache. And I get it. Any other pose reduces your ability to respond. Keeps you from holding your weapons. And being up higher puts me at more risk for being mobbed by predators. I get it. And I'm fine. I am."

  He gave her a look that suggested he wasn't fully convinced. "Good. Because we will have words later."

  "Oh will we?" She frowned. Oh yes. Hah. She pointed at him. "I won. I get the week."

  "Not fairly."

  "I think you were the one who said it was never fair between us. And it's not my fault you're tall. If I am going to whisper anything in your ear and make sure you hear me, my breasts are probably going to graze your shoulder."

  "First, that was not a graze. Second, it was intentional. Third, if you do that again, I will be forced to examine whatever you press against me. Fourth, I will be getting even with you."

  She gave him a flat smile. "Yay, something for me to dread."

  He chuckled. "I would tell you what I have planned so that you wouldn't worry about it, but you don't want your blood raging. I suppose it's for the best if mine isn't either. Yes, I will get even with you. Yes, you will like it."

  "If it's you flying in with extra strength painkillers, then I bless you."

  "If only." He gave her a smile that was intended to soothe but which could not hide his own concerns. "If it's any consolation, this won't kill you though."

  "Hmm. I mean, migraines generally don't kill people unless it's a migrainous infarction. Or something like that. But here on Ecekom, I appreciate the clarification." She took another drink, then sighed. "And now I have a classic reason for us to not sleep together. I have a headache, darling. And let me just say, it works wonders for suppressing the libido. Right now, even the thought of sex makes me want to vomit."

  "Thank you for brightening my day, veskaro."

  "Happy to help." She lifted the canteen as if in a toast, then drained it. As long as they could joke or tease, things were probably fine. It even seemed to comfort him a little.

  The heat of the afternoon made the brisk pace even rougher. That and two more cyclones of winged serpents. One got stuck in her hair and clawed her badly. Two nipped her before she could get them off and snap their necks. QueQoa dragged one out of
her hair and WroOth swatted more than a few away from her. How he managed to do that with dragon claws without cutting her deeper, she didn't know.

  By the end of it, she didn't care.

  They pressed on beyond their usual stopping time. Kept going until the sun with its growing halo was nearly to the horizon.

  Everything in her hurt. As she went to unpack the supplies to make camp for the night, AaQar waved her away. "Don't bother setting up. We may not be staying the whole night."

  Proteus drank deeply from the shallow pool QueQoa had finished digging out of the river. The bavril harrumphed and twitched his ears as if to say he disagreed with more running or walking.

  "We're going to keep going?" Amelia asked, weaker than she intended.

  "Possibly," AaQar said. "Drink. Eat if you can."

  She was going to eat, but not food. After refilling her canteen, she crossed to the nearest willow tree and began cutting down branches. She gathered several and returned to the edge of the circle where the family discussed the plans.

  Always before they had refrained from traveling at night. The arrival of the dolmaths provided unparalleled protection and allowed them to use far fewer rels (though when she had been managing the camp on her own, they had had her use the standard quantity regardless, just to ensure nothing slipped through).

  The thought of running once more with so little rest wearied her almost to tears. Especially if this headache was only going to get worse. She stripped the bark from the branch and some of the twigs and separated out the leaves. After she had a few strips of inner bark, she began to eat it. Maybe this would put the brakes on her headache.