AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We’re going to visit a friend of mine. It’s a surprise, and I promise you’re going to love it.”
I pull a heat-conserving coat from my travel bag and hand it to her.
“Oh, and you’re gonna need that. We’re heading north.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
MAK
Tevi has landed a cargo hold at the bend of river that cuts through the tundra. The water reflects the perfectly clear sky, looking deceivingly inviting. It must be ice cold to touch. I bring the speeder down a short walk from the humble outpost. Once the vehicle is turned off, the bubble of heat protecting us from the weather dissipates, revealing just how cold the pretty landscape feels. The winds slap at us, cutting across my cheeks with unyielding sharpness.
I hop off the speeder and offer Frankie my elbow.
“Cold, huh?” I state the obvious.
Pink in the face, Frankie nods in agreement. She’s tucking a couple escaped hairs into her hood.
“Colder than a witch’s tit!”
I snort. “Human phrases are always so charming,” I say, words laden with sarcasm.
“Who’s out here?” she asks me, pointing to the cargo hold.
“An old friend of mine. Come; I’ll introduce you. Let’s get inside quickly.”
Frankie follows me to Tevi’s place, distracted by our surroundings. She cranes her head around, trying to capture every detail of the scrub-scattered tundra without losing her footing. No matter how she tries to control it, more strands of dark brown hair catch the wind and start whipping around her face.
I throw open the door and hold it for her as she jogs to the warmth.
We are greeted by three massive kaia bounding toward us with enough enthusiasm to knock us flat. Frankie laughs as I lurch forward to keep her from being bowled over. We dole out as many pets and scratches of greeting as we can manage.
One whistle is enough to make all three kaia pause and arrange themselves into polite seated positions.
I know the mistress of this pack runs a tight ship. She appears in the frame of the door opposite us, a middle-aged female with neatly cropped black hair and a quizzical expression. When she sees me, the confusion turns to a beaming smile.
“Ah, we’re in the presence of the chosen,” she jokes. “No wonder they’re making a racket.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” I say. “You said to come any time.”
“Yes! Come in, come in. Introduce me to your guest.”
Frankie’s become shy, edging into the living space with tentative steps. The furnishings are spartan, as this is a makeshift home with only the necessities on hand. The kaia follow us as we remove our coats and hang them on the hooks that line one wall.
“This is Tevi.” The temptation to guide my mate by a touch on the back turns into an awkward flourish. “Tevi has been running the kennels on Makiva’s Revenge for longer than I’ve been alive. She requested to travel here with the advance crew so that she could set up this little research hub to check the health of the native kaia population. Tevi, this is Francesca, my mate.”
“Rut me sideways. What an honor,” Tevi says, tapping her fist against her chest in greeting.
“It’s an honor to meet you too,” my mate replies. “What a beautiful spot you have here.”
“The only ugliness you’ll encounter on this planet are those monstrosities that the Deadhead called cities,” she comments. “Anywhere else you go; you can’t trip over a rock that’s not beautiful.”
“Today might be my first day on planet, but I’d have to agree with you based on what I’ve seen so far,” Frankie says. I can tell Tevi is already charmed by her from the way the older female nods in approval.
We receive a quick tour of her set-up, but it’s short due to the tight space Tevi’s working with. She has ambitious plans for a one-person operation, but she’s managed to tag a few of the wild kaia to track their movements, health, and pack dynamics.
“So, how are my babies doing?” she asks with bright eyes after she’s run out of scientific updates to drop on us.
“Very happy. You left them in competent hands,” I assure her. She has three assistants that she personally trained that have taken over the care of the kaia.
