Chapter 3

The child had been on the ship for a long time, and Yelzin was beginning to worry.

His wings wrapped tightly around his body as he waited, unease growing in the pit of his stomach. He debated whether to go check on the alien, but wanted to give her time to mourn the loss of her ship. The wailing she emitted was horrible, but Yelzin could understand.

She almost did not survive, though luckily there had been just enough life left in her, enough for Yelzin to heal. She had black fur, darker than any he had ever seen, though for some reason it only grew on the top of her head. Her eyes were a deep brown, the color of his own fur, and the fur of many Strinee. They dazzled him, tiny flecks of gold dancing in the light of the waning sun as he had carried her through his territory. Her skin was pale, though tiny brown spots dotted across her cheeks.

The child was so small, and Yelzin wondered how in the world she could have gotten on a ship all by herself.

Anger pulsed through him, fury at the fact that this alien's parents had abandoned her. If she was anything like a Strinee, she would mature quickly, but it was ghastly to leave a child as small as her to fend for herself. Yelzin held back the waves of rage, knowing it would be of no use. He would do what he could in place of her parents, at least until she was able to go off on her own.

Seeing the child in pain had been daunting, but he had done his best to heal her. Once the initial danger of her injuries had passed, he had been eager to learn more about her species, about how she came to be on Strine.

A ship had crashed in his territory! That was not something that happened every day. Or ever. Though Yelzin appreciated his simple life, a little excitement was always welcome.

And now he knew the child could communicate, showing Yelzin with her hands what she wanted to say. He did not recognize the smooth and rapid noises that came from her mouth, but perhaps they could learn to understand each other.

Yelzin was considering going to check on her when she appeared from the wreckage and he let out a sigh of relief .

Her entire body slumped like a wilted shadblow flower as she walked up to him, brows furrowed in a look of sorrow. Dear child, she has been through so much. She fought valiantly to survive and Yelzin commended her for that. Too small to be out on her own, but she had made it.

The alien stopped in front of him, and she spoke, her voice soft and melodious, though Yelzin did not know what she was saying.

At least it was better than the screaming and wailing from before, much more pleasant than that. She let out a low growl, then reached towards Yelzin, placing a gentle hand on his cheek.

How sweet this alien was!

Yelzin nuzzled into her hand as she chattered at him. She motioned him closer and reached for his ear, then placed a small, cool orb into the canal. Yelzin wanted to shake his head, but the young one grabbed his face, holding him in place. Sweet and naughty. What was she doing to him?

Suddenly, Yelzin realized the indecipherable chattering turned into words. Words that he could understand. She was speaking to him!

"Can you understand me?" Irina asked, her hands pulling the alien's face close to hers. She thought she saw something in those ruby eyes, a glimmer of recognition? She could only hope.

Irina was grateful for anything she was able to collect from the wreckage, but finding the communicators still intact had made her cry actual tears of joy.

If she could speak with the alien, then maybe, just maybe , she could still get out of here before the Coalition found her.

"Little one! You speak!" Its voice was still quite high-pitched, though had that mechanical quality as it filtered through the communicator she wore in her ear.

Irina breathed a sigh of relief, releasing the alien's face.

"I gave you a piece of old Coalition tech. It's a communicator. It translates our words into each other's languages."

The alien nodded, its fanged mouth curled into what she thought could be a smile.

"You surprise me, child. So skilled and eloquent at so young an age."

This confirmed Irina's suspicions, and she wanted to set the record straight as quickly as possible.

"I'm not a child."

The alien cocked its head to the side, clearly confused.

"You… are not? But you are so tiny."

"I'm an adult human… from Earth. Have you heard of Earth? Our planet is a part of the Coalition. "

The alien hummed as if deep in thought.

"Coalition, yes. I have heard of it. Yes, I certainly have."

Now would be the time to ask if it was in contact with anyone from the government, but would that really be a wise decision? If the alien was, they would send shuttlejets to come retrieve her, and then she'd be right back where she started on the penal satellite.

When Irina didn't speak, the alien continued.

"I have heard talk of your Coalition through my information channels. We share news across the planet. The plasma storms have blocked communication for weeks, but they should pass soon."

Irina nodded, keeping that in the back of her mind. It was possible she could get a message out to someone in Athea, though perhaps she should be grateful that the plasma storms were blocking transmissions for now. If her tracker's signal was jammed, that meant more time to figure out a plan.

There was still money tucked away in some of her secret accounts, ones she had set up before they locked her in Oblivion. She could pay for safe passage off this planet. But maybe things wouldn't have to be that difficult.

"Do you have a ship? One that can travel off world?"

The alien snorted. "Little one, I am afraid ships are rare on this planet. You won't see them outside of the cities. "

Little one ? Irina groaned, trying to ignore the fluttering in her chest. "So there's no way off this planet?"

"Not without many days of travel and an exorbitant amount of money." The alien narrowed its eyes at Irina, taking a step closer. "Are you certain you are not a child? You are so small and weak. I thought you were dead when I first found you."

Irina supposed she was just about there when it picked her up. She still needed to figure out how she had been healed so rapidly, but that was something to worry about later. She heaved a long sigh, taking one last look at her destroyed shuttle.

"I'm certain I'm not a child."

Certainly not at forty-two years old, at least according to the Earth Standard calendar.

She turned back to the alien. "What is your name? Where the hell am I?"

It cocked its head as if the answer were obvious. "You are on Strine. I am called Yelzin."

"Yelzin," Irina murmured, sizing the alien up. "I'm Irina."

She outstretched her hand towards it. Yelzin cocked its head again, then reached a clawed hand for her. Its large one enveloped hers, the brush of tawny fur warming her palm. Yelzin took a step closer, not letting Irina go as she tried to pull away. Now that she was standing face to face with it, she realized it easily crested six feet, even with it hunching over her .

"There is nothing to be done at the moment, Irina. Let us return to my home before darkness arrives."

Fuck. She supposed it was right, but she would hardly call the thatched hut a ‘home'.

Where would she sleep? Curled up with Yelzin in its nest? It wasn't the worst idea. She'd definitely had worse ideas. Like the one that got her in this mess in the first place.

And the one that put her on Oblivion.

"Fine," she agreed, taking one last sad look at the decimated craft.

Yelzin refused to drop her hand as it pulled her back towards the woods and scooped her up in one swift motion.

"Put me down!" Irina yelled, flailing against its powerful snare.

"Irina! I will carry you. You are small and I do not wish you to tire yourself. You are still weak from your injuries."

"I can walk, Yelzin."

Not this again. There was no way she felt anything other than annoyance from this alien's tenderness, nope, no chance. The lump in her throat and fluttering in her chest was just frustration.

She wrapped her arms around its furry neck, pulling herself up to face it. "Please, put me down."

Yelzin let out a disgruntled hum that rumbled through its entire body, but set her lightly on the soft ground.

"If you become tired again and wish for me to carry you, I will. "

With a final brush of a clawed hand through her hair, the alien said no more, trundling into the woods as Irina hurried to keep up.

After a few minutes of tense haste, Yelzin slowed its pace, clearly realizing Irina was having a difficult time following over the rough terrain. Yes, her arm was no longer fractured, her bruises were gone, but she still felt weak. She observed it as they walked, taking in the details she had missed in the hut's dimness.

Its front limbs were actually wings, thin membranes of skin compressed tightly against its slender arms as it walked on all fours.

When they had stopped for a break, Irina winded from the challenging hike, Yelzin had stretched its wings out fully, fluttering them in the waning light of the day. They were brown, slightly lighter than the tawny fur that covered its body, and so thin she could see the light through them.

Yelzin's wingspan was impressive, and it towered over her as it stood on its hind legs, easily over seven feet tall. The alien was utterly terrifying, and yet something about it put her at ease.

Perhaps it was the gentle way Yelzin had brushed her hair and carried her, the sweet coos it whispered to her back at its nest. But now, she had told it she was no child, and could only hope its nature would remain benevolent.

"Do you have children?" Irina asked during one of their rests, curiosity getting the better of her.

Yelzin looked at her, not quite with suspicion, but close to it, glowing red eyes narrowed to hers .

"I do. I have many children."

Of course it did. Why else would it have cared for her so tenderly?

"Do any of them still live with you?"

Yelzin shook its head. "Oh, no. No. Strinee offspring mature quickly. They do not require parental care beyond the first six months of their lives."

Wow, full adulthood at six months. Yelzin must have thought that she was an actual infant if it believed she couldn't fend for herself.

"You must have been a good mother," Irina mused and Yelzin barked, closing its eyes and grasping at its chest.

It was barking at her, though she slowly realized that it wasn't a bark.

It was a laugh.

"I am a male Strinee, so no, I was not a good mother. But I suppose my mates would agree that I was a competent parent."

Mates? Plural ?

Irina looked Yelzin up and down, trying and failing to direct her eyes away from his crotch. Nothing obvious there, but of course that didn't mean he didn't have one. He must have something if he was reproducing with mates. Why did that thought cause a shiver to run down her spine?

A shiver that turned to icy fear as she realized she knew next to nothing about this species. What would he do to her now that he knew she wasn't a child ?

"Do you take… lots of mates?" Irina tried to act casual, like the answer wasn't of much interest to her.

Yelzin barked again.

"Oh, no, well, not relatively. Adult Strinee feel the mating urge every year, but we need not heed it. It has been many cycles since I last sought a mate and raised a child."

Irina tried to remain calm. Yelzin had done nothing but show her kindness, saved her life, in fact.

"Is this mating urge coming along anytime soon?"

She wanted to be as far away as possible whenever that happened.

Yelzin smiled at her, vicious fangs a reminder of his power. "Oh, little one, I will not leave you, even if the mating urge comes upon me. I will not leave you until you can survive on your own… or find a way back to your home. The forests of Strine are beautiful, but can be treacherous."

Irina just nodded and smiled awkwardly. Wonderful. Yelzin wouldn't abandon her, even if his mating urge struck him. How much control did a Strinee have over it? Surely he wouldn't keep her around if he thought he'd ravage her in a fit of passion. Right?

There was an uncomfortable silence, well, uncomfortable for Irina. Yelzin did not seem to notice as he took her hand lightly, pulling her once more in the direction of his home.

"Do you wish for me to carry you? "

Irina was exhausted, the hike stealing every bit of her energy. The thought of curling up against Yelzin's furry chest wasn't… unpleasant. But no. She would walk.

"I'm fine, Yelzin. Thank you."

They traveled in silence, the hooting of some faraway bird the only noise accompanying the crunching of the ground beneath their feet. Yelzin walked on his hind legs now, still clutching her hand tightly in his clawed one. It would be sweet if he weren't a huge bat-like alien with razor-sharp claws and fangs.

And a potential mating urge that would do who knows what to his self control.

It could certainly be worse. She could have died in the crash. There was no sign that the Coalition knew she was here, but of course, that would likely not last long.

Despite the whirling thoughts, her lids drooped, the fatigue of the day coming over her quickly. Yelzin stopped, turning to look at her, their hands still clasped together.

"Let me carry you, little one. You are weary. My home is not far, but we will not make it before dark at this pace."

Irina had to admit that it was getting pretty difficult to see, the thick foliage blocking out what little sunlight remained. She considered it, scrutinizing Yelzin and trying to understand his angle.

People always had an angle .

Still, falling and hurting herself would do her no good. She needed to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

"Fine," Irina grumbled, and Yelzin scooped her up, pressing her tightly to his furry chest.

It was comforting, in a strange way. How long had it been since she experienced a compassionate touch, one without expectation attached? Quite a long time. Irina's eyelids were drooping and before she knew it, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.