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Vrenner glances at me with understanding, before he shakes his head and quietly replies, “The second womb. The first womb is healthy and well to my knowledge. But this one? The backup power source has failed, and I need to fix it in case the primary power source fails, too.”
I feel my heart start beating again at his words, and I suddenly realize how much his answer mattered to me when it would not have before. I’ve barely given the wombs a second thought over the years, but now. . . Now, everything is different.
Vrenner turns back to his work and speaks without looking up. “Your request will have to wait until I am finished with this. Two days should be enough time for me to finish with this power source and repair a translator chip for you.”
My smile is laced with eager anticipation at his words. I notice Vrenner eyeing me with curiosity, but I don’t care. Just two more days and I will be able to understand my female. . . the females. Maybe then I can find out why they are on Laedirissae and why the alien named Hell-lii is never very far from my thoughts.
I bid my cousin farewell and head towards the door to leave. Just before going through it, I pause and turn back to him. “Thank you, cousin. Oh, and be sure to eat something and sleep. We cannot have our best tech growing sick on us.”
He rolls his eyes at me, but his lips twitch with a grin that reminds me so much of my brother’s. He and Vrenner were the same age and frequent playmates when they were younger. “I am the tribe’s only tech.”
“Exactly, but still the best.” I return his smile before heading back through his hut and outside.
I want to stop at my own hut for a while to rest and gather a few supplies, then I will make a quick excursion to the Tussoll’s territory to see if I can find more answers to my questions. Once that is done, I will travel back to the clearing to check on my fem – no, to check on the females – before returning to retrieve the translator chip from Vrenner.
Who are you trying to fool?
I want to return to check on Hell-lii who has drawn my attention like a magnet.
Like the other females, she is a strange creature with features unlike any I have ever seen, and yet, I cannot keep my thoughts from straying to her. I find myself wanting to know more about her apart from just why she is here on Laedirissae. I want to know where she is from, what her planet is like, her thoughts, and everything about her. There is an ache in my chest that urges me to return to her and a hollow feeling that has grown bigger since I left her.
Why does she make me feel this way and why is it only her and not the other two females who bring forth these feelings?
By the time I reach my hut, my stomach growls and reminds me that I have subsisted primarily on trail rations over the last few days. I check the cold storage beneath my hut and find meat and a few other things that I can make into a quick hearty meal. It is a few moments time before I have a fire roaring in the small hearth and a pot filled with the ingredients and simmering away.
Later that evening as the moons have made their appearance, I lay down in the pile of furs on my bed. I’ve already prepared a satchel with supplies – more trail rations, a full waterskin, a bedroll, and a freshly stocked medic kit – and it is waiting near the door for my departure a few hours from now. It has been a long day – a long few days, really – and it doesn’t take much time before my eyelids begin to grow heavy.
But try as I might, I cannot seem to fall asleep. My thoughts race as recent events fly through my mind, keeping me awake.
I think back to the Xeniiv and the death of their chief. The details Sevix related to me niggle at my mind, and I can’t quite figure out how the puzzle pieces fit together. Then, there is the starvation their tribe is enduring. I am suspicious about Sevvern’s sudden ascension to the role of chief, his accusations, and his relationship with the Tussoll tribe. I do not like to think the worst of anyone, but it is hard not to when it comes to Sevvern. My experiences with him have not given me a positive opinion of him.
My racing thoughts finally settle on the females, or one female.
Hell-lii, my lips form her name.
Somehow, I cannot picture a delicate being like her being a party to any sort of plot to hurt my people. Her smooth, unarmoured skin and bright, shining eyes. The laughter that tumbled from her mouth when she spoke with the other aliens. Doubts plague me about whether she is capable of any ulterior plans. My gut tells me she is innocent of any wrongdoing.
I am eager to return to her. To see her and to make sure she is safe. Finally, my eyes begin to grow heavy and exhaustion washes over me. My last thought before I slip into sleep is, ‘I never knew it was possible for a female to be so beautiful’.
****
When I awaken it is still dark. Light from the Sister Moons spills through the window bathing my hut in a blue glow. Though from the angle of the moonbeam, the Sisters appear to hang low in the sky. Sunrise will be here before long, and I hope to arrive on Tussoll territory by then. I quickly wash and dress before grabbing my supplies and weapons and leaving for my journey through the jungle.
I resist the urge to rush through the village. It would not do for anyone that might be awake to see me in such a hurry. They might ask questions, and I do not wish to answer them. Not yet. I am still unsettled by the doubts that plagued my mind before sleep. What if the aliens are here for an innocent reason that has nothing to do with the other tribes?
Vrenner cannot repair the translator chip soon enough for me. There are too many doubts and unanswered questions that need to be resolved.
Hours pass as I trek deeper into the jungle, but I make good time and manage to arrive at the outer edges of the Tussoll territory just before dawn. The moons set not long after I crossed the river that bisects our land and based on the graying sky that is barely visible past the treetops, the sun is on the verge of rising.
The night is the safest time to be in the deep parts of the jungle. Many of the most dangerous predators on Laedirissae sleep when the sun sets, but when the sun rises, they awaken and begin their hunt for prey. The bioluminescent leaves that have lighted my way have grown dim in the approaching dawn and for now, the shadows of the jungle seem even deeper than they did before. My eyes have adjusted to the low light, but still, a male should always be alert when traveling through the jungle.
In the distance, I hear the sharp crack of a stick breaking under the heavy foot of a creature. Something large is moving through the jungle and it seems to be headed in my direction. My ears swivel as they pick up the loud noises of the creature stumbling carelessly through the brush without any concern that it might alert others to its location.
It must be a juvenile magnis. The beasts are known for being foolish and convinced their sharp teeth and claws will be enough to deter any foe. I soundlessly pull my sword from its sheath and lightly step in the direction of the noisy beast. Young magnis are not as powerful as a fully grown adult, but they have the same teeth and claws and toxic saliva, and their unpredictability and unchecked confidence can sometimes make them even more treacherous.
Especially for a warrior who underestimates them. I am not that warrior.
Despite my size, I step lightly through the brush, my footsteps soundless. When I’m nearly within three swords-length of the interloper, I can finally see its rounded form in the shadows as it most likely searches for its next meal.
