Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

J ane watched sleepily as Tarax started a fire. Mr. Tiddles chittered amiably at her side, but she couldn't drag her eyes away from Tarax.

Night had fallen while they made love, but it didn't seem to bother him as he coaxed the wood to light. He was amazingly competent—there didn't seem to be anything he couldn't do, although she did wonder how he was going to create a boat without any tools. But if anyone could do it, he could.

The thought of crossing the river made her shiver, and it wasn't simply fear of the journey. Each day they were getting closer and closer to the location on the map, and presumably to the opportunity for her to return home. The possibility no longer seemed quite as desirable as it had originally. After all, what did she have to return to?

She made a decent salary, but she worked long hours and she had little opportunity to spend the money she made. Since her mother died, she had no close relatives. No really close friends either for that matter. One of the reasons she stayed with Amanda, even though she could afford her own place, was because it gave her contact with another person.

But Earth was her home, and even though Tarax did his best to make her comfortable, she didn't really want to spend the rest of her life in the jungle. Did she?

And what about him? Did he even have a home, she wondered as she watched him. He must have had a family at some point. Where were they now?

As if he felt her watching him, he looked up and their eyes met. There was a question in his eyes, but she didn't know what it meant. She simply returned his gaze solemnly.

He finally gave her a half smile, then rose to his feet and came to join her. The firelight gleamed on his strong, muscled body, and he looked like some primordial warrior.

My warrior, she thought with a sudden fierce possessiveness. At least for now.

With the wide expanse of the river in front of them, the night sky was clearly visible for the first time. Millions of stars glittered in the heavens and she wondered if one of them represented her own sun. It was both frightening and oddly freeing to be so far away from everything she had ever known.

Tarax laid back on the leaves and pulled her down next to him, but he seemed content simply to hold her and watch the stars. She remembered her earlier questions about his family.

"Do you have parents?" she asked.

He shook his head, and she patted his chest. "I'm sorry."

He gave a half-shrug that she couldn't interpret. "Yoo?" he asked.

"Not anymore. My father died when I was young. I barely remember him. After he died, my mother turned into this very… restricted person. She was always worrying about doing the right thing and what people thought of her, and of me." She sighed, looking up at the stars. "I don't know. Maybe she was always like that, but in my head it was because of my father dying. I think that's why I never really wanted a serious relationship."

She looked up and found him studying her intently. How much of what she said had he recognized, she wondered.

"Ie uhn-duh-stand," he said softly. "Mie pair-uhnts too klohz."

"Too close? Is that why they are both gone?"

He nodded, and she shook her head. "Aren't we a pair? Running away from happiness because we're afraid."

He growled and she nudged his ribs with her elbow. "You know what I mean. Brave in… battle, but not in love."

Not that she actually knew if he had been in battle, but she suspected he had fought before. He looked startled, but then he kissed her and that was the end of questions for the night.

The next morning, Jane woke up alone. At some point during the night Tarax must have carried her into the shelter, but he had already slipped away, leaving her to sleep. Looking at the sun through the gaps in the leaves, she realized that it was much later than usual. Mr. Tiddles poked his head through the opening of the shelter, and she smiled at him. He jumped into her arms, chattering excitedly.

"What's got you all excited?" she asked. "Have you and Tarax been having fun without me?"

An odd, dragging noise from outside seemed to answer her question. She pulled on her fur outfit and went to investigate.

His muscles rippling impressively with the effort, Tarax was pulling logs out of the jungle and lining them up next to each other on the beach. Mr. Tiddles immediately went to investigate the latest arrival, digging into the dead wood searching for his favorite insects. She shuddered. No wonder he had been so excited.

She followed him over to the beach, inspecting Tarax's work. Once she was close enough, she could see that he was using lengths of vine to lash the logs together. They made a somewhat uneven platform, but it would keep them up and out of the water.

"Oh, I see. You're making a raft."

"Raft," he repeated, nodding. "Laik?"

"Yes, I do like it." She looked from the unwieldy vessel to the water rushing by. "Do you think you'll be able to steer it?"

He frowned at her, and she used her hand to mimic a rudder. His face relaxed and he nodded, showing her yet another branch, this one with leaves lashed to it. Instead of the soft leaves they used for bedding, these were dark and stiff. The whole apparatus seemed rather flimsy to her, but she nodded approvingly.

"Do you think you'll finish it today?"

That odd expression crossed his face again, then he shook his head. Relief swept over her. They had more time together. She smiled at him and went to prepare breakfast.

The day passed peacefully. Tarax continued to work on the raft, several times discarding logs and replacing them with others that were more uniform. By the time the sun began to set, the platform looked surprisingly sturdy.

After dinner, they watched the stars again, but she didn't ask any more questions about his past. She wanted to think only of the present and enjoy every minute of their time together.

Taraxan woke before the sun came up and thought about the day ahead. His raft was as sturdy as he could make it—it was time to face the river. He usually enjoyed pitting his skills against nature, but he found he was not looking forward to this trial. It wasn't just the thought of exposing Jayn to danger. Once they reached the other side of the river, they would be that much closer to their destination, and that much closer to being parted.

As he slipped quietly out of bed and began gathering their few supplies, he returned to the possibility of persuading her to accompany him. While he was working the previous day, he had considered and discarded a number of options for his future career. He had finally decided that a homesteading planet might be the most suitable. It would take a great deal of work, of course, but he was not afraid of hard work, and he liked the idea that they could build a new life together.

Or would she prefer a city? He could probably make a decent living teaching martial arts in one of the larger systems. In the worst case scenario, he could become a gladiator. He had the skills and it paid well, but he was no fan of fighting for the sake of fighting. Still, if that was what it took to provide for her, then he would not hesitate.

Misstuh Tiduhlz joined him as Taraxan finished lashing their supplies to the raft. After devouring one of the shiny, pink beetles he favored, he leapt up into Taraxan's arms and climbed onto his shoulder.

"I hope you're ready for this," Taraxan murmured. Misstuh Tiduhlz hadn't even joined them in the jungle pool. Taraxan suspected he was not going to enjoy the river crossing, but he didn't even consider leaving the small animal behind. He was part of their… family.

The thought made him smile, and he was still smiling when Jayn emerged from their shelter. Her hair was tousled, her eyes still heavy with sleep, and she looked adorable. How could he ever let her go? Whatever job he had to take in order to provide for her, it would be worth it.

She wandered over and snuggled against his side, yawning sleepily. "I guess today is the big day?"

The words weren't entirely clear, but he understood her general meaning.

"Tuh-day," he agreed.

She made a noncommittal noise, then nestled closer. They stood in silence until she finally straightened and smiled up at him.

"Then let's get going."

The trust in her eyes made his heart skip a beat. He bent his head and kissed her. As always, the kiss quickly turned passionate, but he reluctantly forced himself to lift his head. This was not the time.

A short while later, they were ready to depart. Misstuh Tiduhlz had settled in Jayn's arms, and Taraxan used a length of vine to secure him in place. The little creature grumbled but didn't fight him. Taraxan also used a length of vine to create a harness for Jayn. He didn't want to take any chance on her being swept overboard.

He had pushed the raft down the beach until it was close to the water's edge, and now he pushed it the final few feet. As soon as the front end reached the water, he could feel the current pulling at it. He gave a last hard shove, and barely managed to leap aboard before the water swept them away.

He immediately realized that he had underestimated the power of the current. Despite the relatively placid surface, the water raced between the banks of the river. Jayn looked terrified, but she hugged Misstuh Tiduhlz close, murmuring to him in a reassuring voice as he shivered.

Taraxan grabbed his makeshift rudder and did his best to guide the raft to the opposite shore. It was an uphill battle. The rushing water soon tore away most of the leaves from the branch, but he managed to steer them towards the center of the river.

Then disaster struck.

The raft scraped against a rock hidden beneath the surface and two of his logs came loose. The rest held together but the surface area had diminished considerably.

Jayn looked back at him, her face pale and frightened, and he did his best to give her a confident smile.

The current carried them onwards, but he continued to try and guide the raft towards the opposite shore. They hit another rock and lost another log. If they lost many more, Jayn and Misstuh Tiduhlz would be next.

He looked at the diminishing raft and then at the riverbank, closer now but still a long distance away. He had to get them there before the raft disintegrated. His rudder was basically useless and he could only think of one alternative.

Tossing the branch aside, he bent down next to Jayn.

"Haf tuh swim," he said slowly.

Her eyes widened and she shook her head frantically. "No! I can't."

"Naht yoo. Mee. Push." He cursed his limited vocabulary as he tried to explain.

"You've got to be kidding. If you can't steer from up here, what makes you think you'd be able to direct the raft from the water?"

Even as she spoke, the raft slammed into another rock and a log rolled away, taking half of their supplies with it.

"Noh chois. Fien," he assured her.

Without waiting for her response, he tied his last section of vine around the log on which she sat and fastened the other end around his waist. As soon as it was secure, he lowered himself into the water.

The surging current tore at his body, trying to pull him away from the raft, but he held on with grim determination. The water was surprisingly cold, and he wondered if it had come directly from the distant mountains.

The raft was traveling parallel to the shore and he didn't try to turn it. Instead, he allowed the current to carry them along as he started to kick, trying to angle them slowly towards the opposite side. At first it seemed to make little difference, but he refused to give in and slowly, so slowly, they began to move in the right direction.

Time passed with interminable slowness. His arms ached from holding onto the raft, and his legs felt like lead weights, but he would not give up, paddling with dogged determination. He was so focused on kicking that the feel of sand beneath his feet caught him by surprise. They had made it!

He could still feel the current tugging at him, but it was much weaker now as he pushed the remains of the raft towards the shore. Just as the front of the raft touched the beach, a shooting pain went through his calf. He looked down in time to see a long, dark reptile swimming away.

"Dam-uht," he muttered as pain radiated out from the bite.

"What's wrong?" Jayn peered back at him anxiously. "Do you want me to get out and help you push?"

"Noh!" he said quickly. He couldn't stand the thought of the reptile's sharp teeth penetrating her delicate flesh.

Pushing the raft further up the sand with the last of his strength, he finally decided that it was safe from the current. As he unfastened Jayn and Misstuh Tiduhlz, Misstuh Tiduhlz chittered angrily at him before disappearing towards the trees. Jayn shook her head, and then smiled up at Taraxan.

"Poor Mr. Tiddles. I don't think he enjoyed his first boat ride one little bit. I can't say I was a fan myself, but we made it." She put her arms around his waist, then shivered. "Brr. I had no idea the water was that cold. You must be frozen."

"Fien," he managed to say, but his teeth were chattering.

"You're not fine. We need to get a fire started so you can get dry and warm up."

Her voice sounded odd, as if it were far away, but her words gradually penetrated and he nodded. As he headed for the jungle to gather firewood, pain streaked up his leg with every step, but he refused to give into it. He had to take care of Jayn.