44. Drasuk

44

Drasuk

Fortunately, it doesn't take long for me to smell a cave, and it's a quick run after I convince Kira to let me carry her.

Now we are sitting side by side in it as she eats a ration cube. She offered me one, but I lied about my hunger. I'll need to hunt soon, though cooking is much more of a risk now than it was before.

Something raw would suffice, but I'm not sure her species is robust enough to do that. I'll have to ask her when the storm passes.

I move my body closer to her to provide some warmth as we watch the storm from the entrance of the cave.

Judging by the tremors wracking her body, and how she keeps rubbing herself with her arms, Kira is suffering from the sudden drop in temperature.

If she asks, I'll pull her close to me, but I don't have enough space in my mind to make sense of any insults right now. Better to not risk her ire.

She leans a little closer to me and clears her throat. "Well, your one item plan is foobahr, Drasuk."

"What?"

"Your 'look for them first' one-step plan."

"I remember it, Kira, just not what your human word foobahr has to do with it. When will you figure out how to simply state what you mean?"

"It's a fornicating acronym , Drasuk."

"You are making even less sense than normal."

"Fornicate. An acronym is the first letter of the words in a saying. In this case, 'fornicate ascended beyond all recognition.' Excrement."

She makes a deep groan and then continues, this time speaking her own language. " Fucked up ..."

She mumbles some more sounds with space in between, then lets out a growl. I assume one of frustration, since it's her usual state.

"Forget it. The letters and sounds don't line up. All I'm trying to say is your plan failed terribly."

"So why not just say that? You spent a small lifetime explaining something simple."

She holds her middle digit up at me with a look of murder on her face. As if her tiny pink claw could do anything against me. Plus, murder takes more energy than what she has right now, which she proves by how fast the expression drops from her features.

"If I knew what that meant, it might be one of the few instances of you using quick, effective communication."

"It means fornicate with you... except it doesn't."

"You are the most confounding being I have ever met. Let me see if I understand this. It's an invitation, but not an invitation? An insult."

"Yes. Exactly."

"Well, what if you need to actually extend that invitation, but now it's an insult?"

"You wish, lizard breath."

"Wish for which, though? Hold. Disregard that inquiry. I've had enough of Kira loops of insanity. We need a better plan."

"That's what I just said, hole in rear."

"No. All you communicated is how delusional you are and how very little you know about communicating that you're in heat."

"What the fornicate? I'm not a dog ."

Next, she'll be explaining what that is, probably in ways that bring up more questions and confusion. "I don't need to know, Kira."

"It's a— "

"Hold."

" —four-legged, furry— "

"Enough."

" —animal with— "

I finally reach my limit and pounce, covering her ceaselessly flapping, incredibly confusing mouth with its useless teeth.

The fact that she's currently trying, and failing, to penetrate the much thinner skin of my hand with them as she flails in my grip is further evidence, not that I needed it. Considering how loose my hold is, since I don't want to hurt her ribs, she is well past the end of her energy.

I let out a huff and loosen my grip even more, since I suppose I do like speaking with her, even when she is confounding.

I'd also prefer not to be stabbed in my sleep, although that doesn't stop me from taking advantage of my current hold on her to move us farther back into the cave. It is just deep enough to provide protection from the howling wind.

Judging by the cracking and groaning sounds outside, there will be a lot of downed trees once it passes.

Kira continues to bite me as I walk her back, but I can tell she isn't putting much energy into it, otherwise she'd be trying to stab me with that sword. In fact, she doesn't even start cursing me when I let her mouth go.

Instead, she turns her body into my embrace and even makes a contented sigh when I situate her so she is tucked up against me, my limbs and tail ensuring she isn't laying on the cold ground.

The smell of her heat surges, and I take in a long breath of it. It feels like more of an invitation than it ever has now that she's communicating her intent with more than just her scent.

The time is not right, though, and something tells me that she wouldn't be interested in a drakonid version of ending a heat, that she wouldn't just be content with continuing her line and waving me away.

The idea of that both terrifies and thrills me, then I remind myself that I can't have the sort of deep bonds manticorids and humans have.

This moment will just have to be enough.

I'm content to have her against me, where I can stroke her fur and the spines on her neck and back. I'll simply let my warmth seep into her and let her presence soothe away some of the remembered horror from coming across Xar'Ar'ax again.

Once we've rested, I'll have to follow through with my promise to tell her more, but I don't want to think about it now. I just focus on the feel of her, pleased when her body stops quaking from the cold.

She pats the smoother skin of my chest, then speaks. "Nothing will be moving around in that storm, Drasuk," she tells me, her rough voice reflecting her exhaustion.

"I agree. This is our best opportunity to get some rest. We might not get another chance for quite some time."

She falls asleep quickly after that, but I stay awake for some time, my mind continuing to provide memories I had long since buried. None of them are pleasant, but some of their edges are blunted now.

Not just from time, but because of Kira, too. Because I know that, regardless of how much time we spend teasing each other, she will listen and understand.

That pleasant thought helps me settle into a deep-level sleep. My awareness surges back after one sleep cycle, but the storm still rages. I move into a mid-level sleep with the command for my mind to listen for any changes.