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Chapter three
Rael followed the tracks, moving silently across the sand. The human had been moving quickly at first, as if fleeing from the crash. But as Rael had suspected, the tracks soon showed that the survivor had been moving more and more slowly, the staggering footprints growing closer and closer together.
The tracks led away from the crash site, across the plain and to where the forest began. Rael followed the tracks, his senses on high alert.
The human might be a survivor, but he was also a prey animal, wounded and alone in the wilderness. He might be desperate enough to attack anyone that he came across, or he might be crafty enough to set a trap. Rael would have to be on his guard.
The woods were empty and silent. The crash had sent the beasts of the woods scattering, and for now, the normally fierce fauna of Vasz were subdued. There was no sign of movement, no other tracks besides the human's.
Rael followed the human's trail, his instincts shining. He was a hunter, and this was his quarry.
Finally, he found what he was looking for. There was a particular scent on the wind, something that he could just barely sense underneath the lingering stench of a burning ship.
And there, when he followed it to its souce, it was. Between two rocks, was a flash of white clothing and a small, huddled creature..
The human was squeezed into a rocky outcrop, silhouetted against the setting suns of Vasz.
But there was something wrong with the scene. The figure seemed too slender, too delicate to be one of the brutish soldiers that Rael associated with the enemy species.
He crept closer.
The human was indeed slight of frame. Despite the thickening gloom, he could see that for certain. Unruly curls framed a face that could only be described as pretty, with high cheekbones, full lips, and large eyes that were currently shut, lashes splayed across its cheekbones. Its hands were white-knuckled as it hugged its knees to its chest, tense.
Something jolted in Rael's gut — a purely physical reaction that both surprised and disgusted him.
This was a human, one of the pestilent vermin that had brought war and suffering to his kind…
And yet, some primal part of him couldn't help but be captivated by the exquisite fragility of this particular specimen.
Rael pushed down the unwelcome stirrings with a mental snarl. He was Borraq, a proud warrior bred for strength and honor. To feel attraction to such a weak, insignificant creature was an insult to everything he stood for. This human was nothing but a bounty to be claimed, a means to an end. Rael would not sully himself by even acknowledging the fleeting stirring of his instincts.
Refocusing on his mission, the seasoned hunter evaluated the situation with cold calculation. The human seemed to be alone, with no signs of weaponry or backup. It would be almost insultingly easy to overpower and subdue him.
As Rael drew nearer, he could make out more details of this strange, delicate creature. The human — male, Rael could now see — was painfully slender in comparison to a Borraq frame, almost fragile. He shivered violently, his slim arms wrapped tightly around his body as if trying to contain what little warmth he could. He was wearing only thin clothing, nothing that would protect him from the harsh wilds of Vasz and its unpredictable storms.
What kind of soldier was this, to be so unprepared?
Rael's lips curled in a silent snarl of disgust as he watched the pathetic display. This was what passed for an warrior among the humans? This frail, shivering thing that couldn't even withstand the mild chill of a Vasz evening? The very idea that such a weak, insignificant creature could pose any threat to the mighty Borraq race was almost insulting.
It didn't matter. This human was nothing but a means to an end, a bounty to be collected. The hefty sum attached to his capture would secure Worrak's future, would provide for the clan in a way that Rael's duty demanded.
That was all that mattered.
And yet… a small voice in the back of Rael's mind whispered of honor, of the core values that had been drilled into him since birth. The humans were the aggressors in this conflict, true, but this one seemed utterly helpless. Capturing him in such a weakened state, when he posed no real threat… was that not a violation of the warrior's code?
Rael shook his head minutely, shoving aside the traitorous thoughts. Survival was what mattered here, the survival and prosperity of his clan. If capturing this human was what it took to achieve that, then so be it. He would not be swayed by misplaced sentimentality.
Rael moved with the fluid grace of a predator, his powerful muscles rippling beneath sleek golden skin as he closed in on his unsuspecting prey. The human remained oblivious, huddled in misery — until it was too late.
The human looked up, blue eyes wide.
In one fluid motion, Rael pounced.
"Shit—!" The human's startled shout was cut off as the Borraq warrior's weight slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. They tumbled together, Rael's superior strength and mass easily pinning the human beneath him.
"Get off me!" The human thrashed wildly, eyes wide with terror as he stared up at his attacker. "Let me go, you monster!"
Rael didn't respond, his expression as impassive as carved stone. With cold efficiency, he seized the human's slender wrists in one massive hand, pinning them above his head. His free hand snaked around the human's throat, not squeezing but holding him firmly in place.
