7. Kuret

7

Kuret

Ree's brow furrows in confusion, the odd patch of fur above her eyes shifting as she scratches the top of her head. Her scaly arms caught my attention. "He is my, uh… donor? But no honor has been wounded," she assures me, her eyes shifting to my injury. "How about we take care of that one in your stomach? I will show you how to use the genali tools so you can heal any later wounds yourself."

I nod, lowering myself against the tree with care. Pain radiates through my body but I hold back a grunt.

Ree comes closer to me, dropping to her knees. Her attention is fixed on my hands as I start to undo the front part of my armor, revealing the shirt underneath. I bite my tongue to keep from making a sound.

"May I help?"

The question stops me; I glare at her, my brows drawing low in affront. Thivoll puffs out his chest and takes a step toward us, but he stands in place when I do not move.

"Is that a violent question?" she asks, her voice quiet, almost unsure.

"It is an insult."

A soft gasp escapes her, and she lowers her head. "My honor is diminished. I am a healer. I meant no offense."

"As you said, no honor is lost." I reply, softening. "You are different, but you are not offering violence. You may help."

A smile brightens her face at my words, and I offer a small one in return.

Her eyes lingers on me, traveling from my face to the point of injury, while her hands continue to help me undo my breastplate.

Once the armor is removed, I lift my shirt, exposing the bleeding wound. Ree leans in, assessing it closely. "I'll grab a tool," she announces, reaching for a pouch like the one I stole from the hunter and tears into it, pulling out a small, silver tool. I recognize it, but I don't know how it works.

Thankfully, Ree explains it to me. "This will tie your wound together. The ties will melt when your body no longer needs them. It will hurt when I use it," she warns, looking up at me through her dark lashes. "Did you get one from the other genali?"

"I did, but I left it under a bush," I admit.

"That is good." She nods her head. "Watch how I use it and ask questions as needed. May I touch you?"

"You may touch me."

"Okay. This will hurt," she says and I smile at her, watching as she returns a quick one before focusing on closing my injury. She assesses it. "Did it hit anything vital? Can I close it up?"

"It is only on the surface," I respond, amusement threading my voice as I observe the fuss she is putting up. Healers on my planet are vastly different, elderly males who are thorough to a fault. They ask no questions, yet their methods can bring even the strongest of protectors to whimper.

"Good," Ree says, digging into her pouch. "I am grabbing another thing."

I smile again, a stiff laugh following because I do not want to offend her, but she looks up and grins back at me before speaking again.

"This will clean your wounds," she announces as she sprays a liquid onto the wound. It burns slightly, but the pain fades quickly, turning into a prickling sensation as the clipping sound of the instrument echoes through the trees .

When she finishes closing the wound, she leans back on her knees, carefully inspecting her work. Her companion growls something in his gravelly language, and she turns to smile at him.

It discomforts me how little I know about her and her manticorid companion. My honor will not allow me to leave a vulnerable woman at the mercy of a creature she clearly can't defend herself against, especially not after her aid. At the very last, I must ask if she needs help.

"You look too young for a donor," I remark as I adjust my clothes. "Your teeth are worn. Are you actually old?"

"No. Humans just don't have that many natural defenses." She laughs and I cannot mask the shock.

She is a human; I remember her saying that before. How many other races are out among the stars?

"No natural defenses?" My eyes travel to the black scales on her arm, and I click my tongue in disbelief.

"But those black scales look thick."

They seem sturdy, capable of shielding her from many weapons. Ree touches the scales, rubbing them thoughtfully.

I don't know how or why it took me such a long time to realize, but she has four fingers instead of three. Odd, but they are small and nimble.

"Those are new. I got them from Thivoll," she says proudly and my eyes travel from her to the manticorid and then back to her.

Have I been wrong about her all along? Could she be the one dominating the manticorid, harvesting parts of him for herself? My hand moves slowly toward my weapon, but her wide-eyes reaction halts me.

"Wait!" she hisses out. "I didn't take them. I was captured by the same aliens you killed. It is because of them that I can look more like him."

Horror grips me as the implication sinks in. The genali's depravity seems to know no bounds, each revelation darker than the last.

"Why would they do that?" I ask, voice low.

"I was supposed to be a pleasure slave," she admits, her tone heavy with sorrow.

Rage floods my veins, both hearts poundings faster. Such a fate would be forced upon her without her consent, a death sentence for any male who dares to touch her.

"They truly have no honor, then," I conclude, and she lets out a disbelieving sound.

"No, I don't think they do."

"Then they will get no mercy."

She seems to like that, though something about her face lets me know she isn't used to violence.

"Would you join us? We can be stronger together."

She asks it quickly, nearly stumbling over her words, like she has been waiting to ask.

Her eagerness amuses me, though speaking so freely with a female still feels strange. "You seem like you have honor," I say, watching her face turn a deeper shade of pink. Her gaze darts everywhere but my face.

"Well, yes," she says and then hesitates, like she wants to take her statement back, "but maybe not like you think of it. I need to find other females like me and protect them."

Her response intrigues me. Protecting others has been my purpose since I was a youngling, It is one of the most honorable things to do as a male. Ree's tenderness, her resolve, draws me in. My ears twitch with interest as I lean closer.

"Where?"

Her eyes widen, surprise flickering across her face at my intensity. "We don't know. Well, except for one. Maybe two. We met another person—Szhe'ka… he looks like a very large bird man, except they cut off his wings—who is going to protect the one he saw. There are six more out there," she rambles, excited about my help.

"They would be found faster if I searched where you did not," I reply, lifting my face up to look around me.

Everything is a blur of green, purple, and brown but I am confident I can find my way back. Back home, the desert sand erases your tracks; you must know your way or risk being lost.

Many children and even some adults have vanished, unable to find their way back home. Some never return.

She lets out a sigh of relief and leans forward. "That's true, but we are safer together. This will be a risk for you."

Her concern nearly draws a laugh from me, but I suppress it.

I killed three genali with a single dagger and a hastily made wooden spear. I have nothing else to lose, and every moment of our being alive is a risk. "Danger is where the greatest honor lies"

Ree shoots me a joyful smile, and I cannot help but reply with one of my own.

There is something genuine in her gaze, like a brother's camaraderie. Her sincerity makes me want to stay and keep talking. It is no surprise a creature as mighty as Thivoll chose to be her donor.

She reaches behind her black clothing and pulls out something, revealing her hair. It is long, shining, and straight, even longer than my own, which I have never cut as a mark of my honor. Strands of orange streak through it, matching Thivoll.

I think it looks beautiful, so I tell her.

"Thank you."

Her face starts to turn pink again. "I hate it… but that doesn't matter. Each of us has different colored long hair like this. It isn't normal for us, so if you find them outside of a cryogenic chamber, they might have cut it off." She hesitates, glancing at me with a frustrated sigh, as if to articulate herself.

I wait for her in silence as she pushes out another laborious breath and continues speaking.

"I mean… they might be in a silver container, or maybe they are already out of it. It would be best if they stayed in it, and you carried them back to where we could protect them."

The red color on her face deepens and I almost laugh again. She is having a hard time saying the words and I do not want her to have more reasons to be… embarrassed?

Yes, I think that is what it means when her face changes color. Odd that it would be a redness, rather than the normal flickering of green.

"Does that make sense?" she asks.

"Yes," I answer. "I will start looking."

A grin spreads across my face, easing the lingering guilt over failing to protect my people. It also dulls the ache in my hearts urging me to stay with Ree and Thivoll instead of venturing alone. To not go out on my own and away from such allies.

But having a purpose, even a difficult one, is better than aimlessness. The thought of hunting genali fills me with renewed resolve. They will rue the day they attacked my home.

I fasten my breastplate, and gather all the supplies from the dead hunter's pack and stuffing them into mine. It's clear I'll need a bigger one soon.

Ree stands beside Thivoll as he combs through his bright orange fur and I watch as he is even more visibly relaxed now, muttering to her. It is odd to have a male here and to be talking to a female instead.

"What is he saying?" I ask Ree, breaking the silence.

Ree makes a trilling sound. "He appreciates your help."

Her face contorts into pain before she switches to Thivoll's language to ask him a question, and I squint. I saw her do that before and realize now that changing languages hurts her.

Of course, the genali would give something as precious as a nanite translator, but make it hurt. Ree and Thivoll continue in hushed tones, their exchange easy and genuine despite moments of disagreement. It fascinates me.

She turns back to me. "Thivoll says there is a ridgeline in that direction you could look for us at. Or we could meet back here."

She points toward the area where I killed the first three hunters. It seems like a stronghold for a rescue effort. I'm sure that I can keep it safe from the hunters once there is something to protect. "I know where he means. That is a better place than this."

Pushing myself off the ground, pain stabs through my body, but I mask it. "I hope to see you again soon, Ree."

She looks genuinely worried. "I hope so too. Please be careful."

"There is very little fun in that," I joke, and her lips press into a thin line, and her eyebrows furrow together.

These human expressions are surprisingly similar to my own. I let out a laugh and reassure her. "I will be careful with your females if I find them."

"Thank you."

I rub my arm to signal my departure, flick my head in silent acknowledgement to Thivoll, and turn to leave. I don't give my body time to adjust to the pain, breaking into a jog as I leave the area behind.