9. Kuret

9

Kuret

The walk feels endless , each step stretching time . As I move forward, a flash of silver catches my eye, a reflection, faint but unremarkable. My heart quickens. Certain it's part of something, I duck behind a tree, my movements deliberate and watchful.

Curiosity overpowers caution, and I dash toward the source, fully exposing myself to any lurking enemies. Laying in the grass before me is a flattened lump of gray and pink slime. A genali. Relief washes over me at the sight, though a small part of me is disappointed, I didn't get the satisfaction of killing it myself.

A gaping hole runs from its head to the end of its body, a familiar sight. It reminds me of the first weapon I found when I woke up on this strange planet. Nearby, I spot a container small enough to hold a youngling, matching Ree's description of the cryo chamber . I hurry to it, but my hope dims as I peer inside; it's empty.

I search for any signs of life, but only find more dead and crumpled up genali and nothing else. My search widens, moving in careful circles, my eyes fixed on the ground for any traces.

A soft grunt escapes me when I spot a print—three divots that look somewhat fresh.

My pulse quickens as my mind pieces together what might have happened. Ree had said the female in need of rescue was inside the cryo chamber . Does this mean she was taken?

Did the creature that left these tracks capture her? I follow the path, studying the ground for more clues. Relief flickers through me when I find another set of prints; smaller, faint but familiar. They match the shape of Ree's feet, which I was careful to memorize in case I needed to track her kind.

The realization strikes; the female must have been rescued by some other brave male, as Ree did mention that she had asked the same favor of others.

A sense of gratitude wells up in me. That's one less human female in danger, so I can scour this planet to find others who need help.

Yet, as I study the prints further, unease creeps in. The larger creature's feet are disturbingly large, indicating that he is tall. Even taller than I am. I look closer at the difference between him and the female and it is quite vast.

Something stirs within me—a pull to follow the trail, to ensure that Ree's friend is safe. But a larger part of me advises me to continue on my journey. If these women are such an important commodity among the hunters, other creatures will find them interesting as well.

The longer I stay without deciding, the more my conscience tugs on me until I turn on my boots and begin trailing the prints.

I justify my decision; I'll simply ensure there's no trouble ahead, leave the female a weapon, and perhaps warn them about the dangerously obvious trail they're leaving behind. I don't like it and I'm not sure if I should leave this human with such a reckless, stupid male.

I have to remind myself that I am only following to make sure there is no trouble ahead and hand them weapons if they need any. Even a large, stupid male is better protection than other females might have.

It doesn't take long to catch up. Their voices reach me first, faint but unmistakable. It seems like they are in a cart, from the tracks, but when I come to them, they are out of it. Facing each other and talking.

I stay crouched behind a tree, watching the human woman and the shiny male with her through a sliver between two leaves. Flashes of white from the woman's hair catch my eye as she moves around the bed of a stream. The parts of her body that come into my view are covered in the same black cloth that Ree was covered in.

I long to keep looking at her, to get more than a quick glimpse of her features, but it wouldn't be wise to linger.

There's no cart in sight, but they seem settled, and the male is certainly big enough to provide her protection.

I can't understand the language, though its cascade is soothing as they talk back and forth. It strikes me that this is the second pair of male and female I have seen interacting so closely.

From what I have observed, the male is lean and tall with skin of bright silver and green hair. With her shocking white hair and black body covering, it is almost as though he compliments her. A fitting donor, though not for one so young.

He looks at ease, a feeling I could never muster. The realization sits heavy in my stomach. Where would I even find such courage, and to what purpose? Still, seeing males and females interacting so comfortably shocks me, leading me to question whether I am the odd one.

On my planet, a male would need to be a female's donor to be so close to her, and their focus wouldn't be on conversation. That wasn't the case with Ree and Thivoll, nor does it seem to be here with Ree's friend and this shiny male.

In fact, the human females seem to adapt to their rescuers quickly. Is that a natural human trait, or something caused by the genali?

My eyes drift back to her. Those white eyes with the dark fur above them, that long cascade of pale hair, so unlike my own. Her brown skin, the way her lips move, it's all captivating.

A quick flash of her hair laying across my darker skin in lovely contrast makes my hearts race.

My body shudders, and anger flares at myself for being so focused on her. She's safe and seems comfortable with the male. His sparkling skin complements her brilliant features far better than I ever could.

My hand goes up to touch my skin and I feel the familiar ripple of my skin flickering. Parts of me are just as bright, aren't they?

I snort softly, my braids clacking against my face. This is ridiculous.

It is what Samke would call pathetic. I usually would not care for his opinion, but knowing I will never see him again makes me strangely nostalgic for the things I once ignored.

I need to go tell them about Ree, but it feels like I would be intruding. Yet, something about their interaction seems off.

Ree's body was always relaxed around her donor, and their interaction seemed easy and natural. These two are different, though I cannot be sure. I know little about females, not nearly enough to walk up and speak to one. What would I know about the intricacies of their donor picking?

But the way his face looks… he is far too interested in her. He shouldn't look at her like that. No one should.

The pair moves again, and I creep closer, weighing how to approach provoking the male to attack. The human and her protector are situated in a hollowed-out rock now.

The surrounding trees are strategically placed to conceal the cave, but an orange glow betrays the presence of a fire.

I watch the silver male walk off, leaving her alone, and frown at his carelessness. Lighting a fire at night in a forest crawling with hunters is reckless enough. Leaving the woman you're meant to protect? Foolish.

I keep my eye on her until he storms back in after a few moments. Their interaction is incomprehensible to me, but their body language is clear. The human is rigid, her hand raised in a gesture that seems to warn him away. I begin to wonder, are they arguing, or is it simply how they communicate?

From where I lay, I see the male straighten, appearing even taller than he formerly was as he takes slow steps toward the human.