by Zara Starr
Is this real? Could this actually be happening? I wondered as I relinquished my inhibitions and continued to slip my tongue past hers—deepening the kiss while I had my chance.
Fifteen
Ella
I broke away from Bahl’s kiss and sucked in a deep breath.
Had that just really happened? Had I actually just kissed a purple alien man with three fingers who didn’t even speak a lick of English?
I turned away from him quickly, my cheeks singing as they blushed. Not only had I kissed him, but I actually really enjoyed it!
I felt a sense of strangeness seeping into my chest as I considered how much I had enjoyed spending time with Dew—but he had never shown any romantic interest.
Was it even possible for me to find romance with these people?
I had begun developing a theory after pouring over the imagery I had seen in the tribal cave and it seemed to me that their kind worked in odd pairings—which seemed to be due to the lack of females.
What I wondered most though…Why was there was such a lack of females?
I also came to realize, that the main reason I had been doted on—why Arh had dumped meat at my feet and why Dew had brought me food I enjoyed—was because of the shortage of females.
Were women worshipped by them because of this?
I also wondered if the reason would explain why women were not allowed out of the cave systems that often. I already knew about the lake monster and had seen the glowing eyes of the strange serpentine creature that had been sneaking through Karr’s meadow.
I had so many questions and nobody to ask them—except Karr, who had drawn many pictograms with me for the past several nights.
It had been him who had helped to explain their culture to me—through his intricate drawings and pointing at things. If not for him, I was not sure I would have understood any of the things I did.
Dew was much better at copying English words that I taught him than Karr seemed to be. However, I realized I had yet to attempt to teach Karr my own words, as I had done with Dew.
I needed to know what they expected of me so that I could learn. And I needed to tell them about my own home—and explain how I desperately wanted to return to it.
I felt my heart flutter suddenly as Bahl walked up behind me and tenderly stroked the back of my hair. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the back of my head as he released me and I turned back around to face him as I tilted my head.
Admittedly, the kiss had been the best I had ever had. Though, if I was being honest, I didn’t have a lot of experience concerning things of an intimate nature.
Even at my age, I had abided by the morals my parents instilled in me and I wanted to be the good Catholic girl they had hoped to raise.
This, as well as my own commitment to my education and determination to become an independent woman, made it damn near impossible to deem anyone worthy of dating, let alone spreading my legs for.
This meant I was still a virgin, much to my own dismay.
Bahl started walking toward the mouth of the cave and I felt my heart stir with urgency, beating erratically as he drew closer to it. The last thing I wanted was for him to leave. I ran toward him, reaching for him as I shook my head in denial.
I had always heard that it didn’t matter what language one spoke, nor their size or shape, not when it came to love or the possibility of it. I wondered if it would be wrong to fall for one of the purple males or if fate had brought me to this point for a larger purpose than I could fathom.
The conflicting emotions had me reeling and I had to reiterate what I had been working on with my therapist for the last few months.
Not everything that happened was my fault. Not everything that happened could be contained or controlled. It could only be handled as it occurred. It was the mantra I had to follow to keep my sanity.
I had been working carefully to perfect the ability to exist in the present without becoming reactionary or tripping over the future. Or the past, for that matter. This was a skill I unfortunately still hadn’t conquered.
God, I wished I could actually speak to him like a normal person.
“Wait!” I cried, desperate to get his attention. I ran my hand over the dress as he looked back at me and forced a smile. Perhaps body language and facial expressions would be best for communication. “Thank you.”
He tilted his head slightly, his lips turned down in a shadow of a frown, and I wondered if his cheeks might have singed a deep scarlet red had his flesh not been so purple in color.
His eyes flickered toward the jungle anxiously and he started to walk toward it again, slowly this time.
I still didn’t want him to leave. As I drew closer to the outdoors, he seemed to hesitate, his attention grabbed by a rustling noise in the trees.
I paused to listen as well, standing at the mouth of the cave as I watched the trees closely.
What was out there?
Bahl now stood several feet away from me with his eyes affixed to the brush, his body still and hard as concrete.
Something whooshed past, flying quickly through the air, too close to us for comfort. I leaned forward slightly as I peered up at the sky, searching for the creature that had alarmed Bahl so.
His eyes flickered back toward me and I lowered my gaze to meet his as he nodded and pointed toward the cave.
He grunted with some insistence and strode directly toward me, sliding past me and into the cave again, sighing with what seemed like relief…if I interpreted the look on his face correctly.
I let out a deep breath of my own as he slid his satchel and belongings to the ground and walked toward me.
His eyes shone with a desire that needed no translating and as he pulled me into his embrace, my eyes fluttered closed.
I parted my mouth to receive his kiss once more.
Bahl
I didn’t know what had overtaken me. My intentions were not to take any action on my attraction to this female. But something about the way Ella looked at me sent my hormones into overdrive.
My natural instinct was to reach out and touch her. I wanted to feel the softness of her lips against my own.
My desire kicked in instantly. I tried to flee as soon as the kiss was broken, knowing I had overstepped my boundaries.
I should never have given in to the impulse in the first place. And now the drive to go further would overwhelm me if I didn’t take action.
Ella had not even begun to understand the nature of a triad, and already I had touched her in an intimate way. Even worse, I was almost certain nobody else had touched her before.
The natural sway of her body as it fell into my embrace spoke volumes—as if she had been intoxicated by some of the dandelion wine that we so regularly enjoyed during the harvest festivities.
Soon enough, that day would come, and I imagined Ella would be encouraged to make her selections at the same time.
And yet, none of it truly mattered. The moment the looming shadow of the trueno had flown over and shown itself to me, I knew I had to stay with her. There was no way she could be left alone.
And while I didn’t want to admit it, the fire that had slowly ignited between my thighs was becoming excruciating. I needed her.
Thunder crashed, and the rolling sound cleared any doubts that lingered in my mind and heart, taking with it the fear of the creature that threatened so clearly above only moments ago. It wouldn’t be able to attack, only threaten, with the brewing storm limiting its abilities.
I walked up to Ella and reached out, pulling her into my embrace as my lips fell upon hers once again. I slid my tongue over the roof of her mouth, entering into a duel with hers as I held her close against me.
The quaking from the bird’s wings made the earth tremble slightly and I lost my balance, taking Ella to the ground with me, lost in the kiss.
Ella gasped as we tumbled, both of us being all but oblivious to the surroundings, and she broke the kiss as her eyes darted about. She suddenly reached
for a small branch which she held out to me.
“What was that?” she asked.
I took the stick and tilted my head, unsure of what to think or say.
After a moment, she lowered my hand to the dirt and began to move the stick in the thin layer, controlling my hand, to depict shapes.
It didn’t take me long to realize she wanted me to draw the thing we had both seen and heard.
I didn’t want to frighten her. I didn’t want to give her more worries. But she wouldn’t take no for an answer, I knew that instantly.
Reluctantly, I took my hand from hers and glanced up at her, sighing briefly as I started to draw the massive bird that had been known to swoop in and grab our kind, the victim never to be seen or heard from again.
First, I drew a man who resembled myself and above him added a likeness of the mountains of the landscape with a large and ominous clawed bird hovering just above. I pointed at it and parted my mouth as I looked back at her.
“Trueno,” I enunciated, flapping my arms. “Trueno,” I repeated.
Ella peered back at me and tilted her head curiously as she opened her mouth.
“Trueno?” she asked.
I smiled and nodded once. “Yes,” I said in her language, proud that we had crossed a threshold in communication.
Sweet giggling emitted from her, a sound that was joyous, as I said it. She nodded to me with a smile, eagerly. “Yes, trueno,” she muttered. “Bird,” she said louder, locking eyes with me.
I raised a brow and pointed at the trueno. “Bird?” I asked her.
She smiled and nodded, spreading her arms as she said, “Big! Big bird.”
I bit my lip, concerned she didn’t understand the danger. I pointed at her and said, “Meat for trueno.” I pointed at the picture of the ‘bird’ I had drawn and then hissed at her, teeth bared. I shook my head and pointed back at her. “Meat.”
I needed her to understand that the enormous bird presented a danger, that it was deadly and not a beautiful plaything or a pet.
“Great, giant eagles that consider me meat,” she muttered.
I didn’t understand a word of it, but her tone was clear. She didn’t like what she’d heard, which gave me some relief in the idea that she had understood what I was telling her. She pointed at herself and said: “No meat, no trueno.”
I smiled. She did understand. “Yes,” I confirmed.
Karr was right, I realized then. Ella was incredibly intelligent and certainly very resourceful, but she still couldn’t be left alone to fend for herself.
It was something I was intent on discussing with Karr as soon as he strode back through the mouth of the cave.
Dew
After having spent so much time with Ella, I had grown far too low on my own gathering and I knew that she would need more food, soon rather than later.
It was this sense of obligation that kept me away from her for the day, on a quest to collect the sustenance she would require. Though in my heart I wanted nothing more than to spend time with her.
I combed through the underbrush in search of Ella’s favorite vegetable, the carrosi, and more moon berries. The berries would soon be going out of season and would no longer available.
I wanted to make sure that Ella would have more than enough food and an abundance of her favorites, especially the berries. I had found a trove of carrosi growing just off the edge of Karr’s meadow, much to my delight, and I’d picked it clean.
But the happiness was dashed as a darkening shadow flew over my head. I ducked down into the underbrush as my eyes lifted to follow it. Thunder clapped and the evil cawing of the beast confirmed my fears.
“No,” I muttered, realizing quickly it was the trueno that often visited our tribe around the change of season.
With the arrival of all the storms, however, the creature seemed to have been delayed substantially, and I had almost forgotten about its existence until I felt the trembling of the earth beneath my feet and heard it crying across the valley skies.
I quickly pulled the last of the carrosi from the bush beside me, stuffing it into my satchel as I hurried back toward the clearing.
The gigantic bird swooped forth and flew over the hillside, disappearing into the clouds as its cries echoed menacingly in the distance.
I ran toward the mouth of the cave and paused mid-step as my eyes fell upon Bahl, Ella wrapped in his arms and his lips moving against hers.
Stunned beyond words, I tiptoed silently up to the side of the cave and watched for a moment before the two of them finally ceased the kiss and Ella reached for her drawing stick.
Wow, does she like him over me now?
As she moved, I noticed the soft, stag-skin dress that had been made for her and the intricacy of the beadwork that Bahl had handsewn into the gown.
Feeling defeated by the possibility of losing her affection to Bahl, I didn’t know if I should approach just yet and I considered my next actions carefully.
Ella didn’t belong to me; I had to remember this. But seeing her kissing Bahl and dressed in the skin that Arh had presented for her, I was now fearful of my importance.
Karr and Arh were both skilled hunters, and both of them had more clout over me when it came to matters of provision and survival.
I scowled and sighed, then sucked in a breath as I came to terms with the fact that there was competition. I had to have the courage to stand up and keep trying. Ella did love the food I brought her and that was a more than a justifiable reason to call upon her.
With this in mind, I finally turned toward the mouth of the cave and walked toward the two of them.
Just be calm. Just be yourself.
I gave myself a pep talk the whole time, knowing that Ella enjoyed her time with me. This was what I needed to focus most on, especially for the time being.
“Hello,” I called as I drew closer, determined to announce myself.
I didn’t want Ella to feel as though I was spying on her and I certainly didn’t want to embarrass her in an intimate moment.
Bahl tilted his head and pointed at the drawings in the dirt, excited. “Look, I’ve just taught her about the trueno.”
My focus sharpened, and as I approached, I looked down at the giant bird drawn into the earth.
“Can she say it?” I asked, curiously. He began nodding instantly.
“Yes, watch,” he said as he looked to her “Ella,” he said and pointed at the trueno.
She looked at me and back to him before saying, “Trueno.”
I smiled, reaching into my satchel and holding out the moon berries I had successfully procured. She smiled as she looked back and forth between us and reached for the stick. I watched as she drew a small female figure and pointed at it.
“Ella,” she said as she pointed back at herself and murmured, “Me. Ella.”
She started drawing two other figures, both male, much more frantically and with increasing excitement. She pointed at one that vaguely resembled me and exclaimed, “You, Dew.” Then she pointed at Bahl and said, “You, Bahl.”
Bahl glanced at me and scowled, looking a bit confused.
“What is she doing?” he asked me.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Watch,” I said.
As I watched, Ella drew yet another man, this one standing atop what appeared to be a raft in the water. She pointed at it and said, “Karr.”
I nodded. It was starting to make sense.
“What about Karr?” I asked her.
She glanced back at Bahl, a line creasing her brow as she seemed to put together my question, and then she drew a large circle around the three of us.
“Family?” she asked.
I pressed my lips together, feeling truly lost by what her words meant and unsure what I could do to interpret them correctly.
Turning to Bahl, she repeated the strange word, again as a question. “Family?”
I knew she was frustrated, but when neither of us spoke up, she remained calm, which I found impressive.
This was certainly irritating for me.
Wiping across the sand, she began drawing again; three males and one female with the female holding a small child.
She said quietly, “Family.”
I sighed with relief and a bit of wonderment as I finally began to understand what she meant and locked my eyes with Bahl’s.
“Do you think she’s asking about the mating triad?” I asked him.
Bahl’s gaze fell downward, not meeting mine, but his silence was all too revealing.
I glanced back at Ella before I continued to speak. “I saw your kiss, Bahl. I think you’ve been the first to truly win her favor.”
I continued to look at him, though he never turned back toward me, wondering if this was the end of my value to the mysterious and alluring creature that was Ella.
But then again… She had drawn me as well.
Ella
When Bahl arrived with the dress and kissed me, it was truly breathtaking and I was elated. But by the time Dew strode into the cave I was still very confused about how I was supposed to behave.
I needed to know for sure that I understood correctly and that these beings operated by mating in groups—three males to one female—before I could truly involve myself with them.
I had been mostly in contact with Dew, Bahl, and Karr. Were they trying to mate with me?
Bahl’s intentions at least were clear by now, I thought as I blushed. But then there was also the male who looked like Karr, and the scary one… I didn’t know what it all meant, and I wanted to make sure.
A pang of guilt hit me in the chest when Dew slowly entered the cave and walked toward us, and I wondered if he had seen the second kiss I had shared with Bahl.
I decided it was best to act completely normal; hopefully, earning their trust and faith would allow me a little opportunity to spend outdoors.
Staying in the cave had really begun to take a toll on me. I needed light, fresh air, and more exercise than I could get in here.
