22. Ree

22

Ree

I have little to occupy my time aside from worrying, so for a distraction I focus on my breathing and keeping my heart rate as low as possible.

Unfortunately, eventually I can't focus on anything else but the increasingly insistent demands of my bladder.

Just when I'm desperate enough that I'm trying to figure out how to climb out on a limb for a makeshift mile high bathroom Thivoll returns.

"I—" he begins but I interrupt him.

"Is it safe?"

"Yes," he says in a confused drawl, his whiskers drooping.

"I need out of this tree," I say in a rush. "Now!"

To his credit he simply blinks at me, then grabs me and we scramble down at a dizzying speed. Once we reach the ground, I push away from him and start trotting away,

"Stay there," I order as I all but dive into a nearby bush.

Thankfully, the increase in my heart rate only results in a moderate responding increase in pain.

I try to pull my pants down with my good arm, but instead of hooking into a band, my thumbs slide off the fabric.

"Argh!"

"Are you alright?" Thivoll asks in a concerned voice.

"Yes!"

I realize my error and instead picture my pants disappearing and the weird black fabric recedes.

The relief is instant.

"Ah," Thivoll says, with a knowing tone. "Yikes!"

I smile at his not quite accurate use of the term, but one that completely fits with the definition I gave him.

"I'm not doing well at thinking of your needs."

"No, you're fine," I tell him. "I'm an adult and should think of these things myself. I'm usually very organized and cool under pressure, but it's been a hard day."

That's a serious understatement, but I don't want to sound like I'm angling for pity.

Instead, I just finish my business, wish I had access to modern amenities and so many other things I took for granted, and step back out.

I cringe when I see the damage to the tree. "I guess we'll need to move again? Sorry."

"There are thousands of trees," he says, his whiskers quivering.

It's getting dark and I would feel a lot better in a safer spot. "I'm sorry I interrupted. Let's go find a tree so we can talk."

He nods, crouches down, and just like that, we are back to running through the thick forest.

Thivoll slows down soon after and makes a whistling sound. His ears are swiveling wildly.

"What is it?" I whisper to him, leaning forward to get close.

"Something caustic on the wind. Something living." He takes another long breath. "Diseased."

That doesn't sound good. I stay still and quiet so I don't distract him.

"I don't—"

Luckily I still have a good hold on his mane because he whips around all of a sudden. I only get a glimpse of what alarmed him, but it's enough to send a spike of terror through me.

It's about the size of a bear, with leathery looking dark-red skin with black blotches. It doesn't have eyes and its head seems to mostly be composed of a large gaping maw of maroon-colored teeth. Yellow drool is dripping from it.

Then it's running on its six legs, using its pincher-type hands to dig into the forest floor to gain speed quickly.

"We aren't the enemy," I yell at it, but it just keeps charging at us.

Then there's no time to do anything but hold on as Thivoll tries to keep it at bay, twisting around in a way that is clearly meant to keep it away from me. From the way it tries to dart around him, I'm the prize snack in this raid.

I grit my teeth and squeeze as tight as I can with my legs.

Thivoll's tail whistles through the air several times as he spins us, but the creature keeps dodging out of the way, using its smaller size to its advantage. Thivoll slashes out with a hand and rakes his claws across its back.

It lets out a screech that makes my ears ring and seems to move even faster.

It darts in for its own revenge, catching Thivoll's side and my left leg with an extended pincher hand, a burning pain sparking up on the side of my knee and up onto my outer thigh.

I let out a yelp as Thivoll roars his rage and strikes back, but it darts out of the way again.

"It's too fast. Run!" I urge Thivoll.

He lets out a roar of frustration but must agree because when it comes back in to try to rip me off Thivoll's back he whips his body around, using his greater size to send it rolling into a nearby bush.

I almost slip off his back, my heart in my throat, when he starts bounding away.

I glance back when I hear another ear-piercing cry, the sight of it tearing toward us making my heart skip a beat. It launches itself toward me in a powerful leap and I scream in terror as it opens its disgusting mouth in preparation to eviscerate me.

Thivoll twists himself in the air mid stride and the thing bites into his flank instead of ripping into me. Thivoll lets out a groan of pain as the thing latches on.

His tail whips around, but it seems to be too essential in keeping our balance to be used as a weapon.

After a moment of panic, I notice the drum-like membranes on the side of the creature's head and take a risk. I let go with one hand, twist my body around and punch the one closest to me as hard as I can.

The thing lets out another scream, but also releases its hold on Thivoll.

As it falls, Thivoll kicks out with his injured back leg, sending the thing into another roll.

This time we're close enough to a tree and Thivoll bounds up just as I get my grip back on his mane. It's a blur of tree jumping after that point.

Soon after he gets us settled into the crotch of a tree as he swivels his ears and pulls in whistling breaths to test the air in between taking panting breaths.

I take a quick glance at my leg, relieved to see the blood flow is sluggish. I take a moment to order the fabric to mend, then turn my mind back to another pressing issue.

"Did it follow?"

"I don't think it can climb and I don't smell it anymore."

I let out a shuddering breath. "How's your wounds?"

"Mostly surface, but it has a diseased mouth. Nothing my biology and nanites can't handle, but we should make sure it doesn't bite you."

I let out a dark chuckle. No sense in pointing out to him that I wouldn't survive the initial chomp.

"I should have taken us straight into the trees when I smelled it. I've never heard of anything like that being here. Or anything that fast."

"Was it sapient, you think? It didn't respond to what I said and my translator didn't kick in when it screamed."

"No. Just sentient. It would have been introduced as part of the experience. When they terraformed this planet they eradicated the existing species."

My jaw drops open. "That's . . . I don't even have words."

"Yes, I agree. It's horrific." He huffs out a breath. "I'll remember the smell. It won't catch us off guard again. Let's move again."

I wrap myself around him in my monkey grip so he can keep moving us through the canopy.

By the time Thivoll stops it has long since been dark. He must have night vision because I would have careened right into a tree many times.

Not to mention the whole falling to my death thing.

"How is your wound?" I ask him. "Mine is just aching now."

"It's healing, but my body is having to fight the infection. That is one disgusting mouth on that thing."

When Thivoll has us settled again, he speaks. "I moved your Silver. She would have been safest in a tree, but I didn't want her to be stranded or accidentally fall if she comes out of cryo before we return. I put her in a deep thicket instead, but we should look for a better hiding place."

"How long does she have until her chamber stops working?"

"It depends on the person and relative processing efficiency. I don't have enough data on Silver to predict."

I open my mouth to ask what he means, but realize it doesn't really matter. "How did she look?"

"Her nanites should be able to heal her if she stays in stasis. It'll help remove additional stressors. If you can stabilize some of her wounds, I think it would be wise, though, since we don't know how much time we have until she wakes up."

"I wanted to before I put her back in cryo, but I can't without supplies," I say, my voice full of guilt and regret.

He wraps an arm around me. The feel of his scales sliding against the thin fabric of my odd black jumpsuit makes me shiver.

"We could get supplies from hunters," I say, the idea popping into my head and then out of my mouth before I have time to think it over.

I remember a beat later that he already came up with that plan and we discussed it, then feel stupid.

My brain needs to catch up already.

"I agree. It's the best plan overall," he says. "We can start tomorrow, but for now we should rest so we can heal."

Him saying it makes me realize just how exhausted I am.

It's just as cold as the night before, but the difference between shivering on a cold floor and lying circled by a furred body is stark.

"May I lean against you, Thivoll? My back is killing me from sitting like this."

"Of course, please do what you need in order to be comfortable."

I lean back, and the relief is instant.

As a bonus, I'm even warmer. I can't help myself from letting my hands sink into his soft fur and I enjoy the feeling of the smooth scales in between the many tufts of soft orange hair.

"How's your arm?"

"It's not bad, actually."

His purr picks up again and with the pain and adrenaline diminished, I'm even more aware of my body's reaction to him. It reminds me I need to talk to him about how my nanites are affecting him. I think of several ways to start the conversation, then shut them down.

While he continues to purr, I get more and more self-conscious and anxious.

"Is something wrong?" he asks, and I realize I'm clutching his fur, my neck is tense, and my breathing has turned shallow.

I just make myself blurt it out. "If you happen to maybe possibly be attracted to me it's because of what they did to me."

My face is on fire and my heart hurts for some inexplicable reason, but at least it's said.

Maybe not using the best grammar, but it's out there.

"Ree," he says, then starts chuffing.

Luckily he doesn't make me wait long to say what's funny. "They would never work on me, or at least only for a short time. I am attracted to you, but because of who you are, not because of the pheromone cocktail your body has been producing."

"Really?"

I'm relieved, but also embarrassed. Pleased, and also terrified of the idea of talking about attraction after just meeting. Just meeting an alien no less.

"Yes, really," he assures me. "I won't deny that the program has done an admirable job of creating an appropriate mix for my species, but it just makes you smell better, nothing more."

My body melts in relief, then I realize I haven't reciprocated and figure I might as well just get the embarrassing statements out of the way.

"I'm attracted to you, too," I say, then keep talking faster, "and not just because of this stupid nanite lust, but also because you are beautiful and funny and smart and . . ." I trail off, not because I don't have more to add, but because I sound like an idiot.

"Sorry," I say, once again mortified.

"No need to be," he purrs, "I like these words you say."

To underline his point, he runs a hand through my hair, then I feel his tail wrapping around me.

Once it's tightly around me he pulls me closer to him. "How do humans position themselves for sleep?"

"Ideally laying down, but we can sleep sitting up if we have too. It just usually means pain in the morning."

He responds by moving me again, this time with my back tight up against his chest and belly. I pull my knees up as I move so I don't invade his space.

When I'm fully laid out I feel his tail tighten more and then it rocks me for a moment before it stops moving.

"What was that?" I ask him, since I can't see anything in the deep cover of the leaves where moonlight can't enter.

"I wrapped my tail around a branch so you will be secure."

I get a warm feeling in my chest and it's a testament to just how upsetting things have been lately that such a minor act brings tears to my eyes.

"Oh, that's so thoughtful. I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep thinking of the height, but that makes me feel better."

He responds by pulling me closer to him, wrapping both of his arms around me.

"My limbs hold whatever position I go to sleep in. A remnant of our arboreal past," he explains.

"That's really cool."

"What part of you needs covering?"

The question confuses me, then I realize my error. "I'm very warm, thank you. That was just something lost in translation."

After that, our conversation dies out.

I have a million unanswered questions, but no energy left to ask them.

I reach one of my hands up to stroke the fur of the arm crossing my chest, especially enjoying the feel of where the fur recedes, and it's just his smooth black scales.

I love the transition of textures.

His purr deepens, and he moves one arm so he can stroke the long fall of hair draped over my hip. He reaches up and strokes the length of it in a soothing repetitive motion.

It helps lull me and I feel myself getting heavier and heavier.

I lose track of time, but then I startle back awake, convinced I'm falling, but Thivoll just squeezes me a little tighter, pats my butt, and makes a soothing sound.

I grip the arm he has around me with one hand and his tail with the other, and then drift back to sleep.