23. Thivoll

23

Thivoll

It's a long time before I'm able to sleep.

The events of the day and the remnants of my fear crowd my brain. I knew she was fragile, but the difference between raw knowledge and hard experience is stark.

That would have been a minor wound to my species, but I almost lost her today.

Terror spikes through me, trembling along my limbs, especially when I think about how determined she sounded to help find medical supplies.

I know I can't cage her in a tree. It would be just as sure of a death for her once she responded to the confinement.

I would never harm a woman. Especially not like that.

The stronger the personality, the quicker the confinement sickness sets in, and she is a formidable woman.

She is just as fierce as the best of our females.

Pride fills my chest when I think of how composed she was, especially considering she felt all the pain.

Could I have done the same?

I have no idea. I've had nanites in my system since before I was even born.

They never remove all pain, of course. That would be unwise, especially for the more adventurous kits like I was.

It means I don't know how she must have felt.

I take in a long breath. Mixed in with her exotic scent is the aroma of our blood. It sweeps away any remaining qualms I had about killing.

They will pay. All of them.

I growl, knowing just the sight of my sharp rows of black serrated teeth and extended dark claws will make most of the hunters quake in fear, regardless of how much training they bought before coming.

I'm not sure how concerned I should be that this is starting to sound like fun.

Then I imagine genali gray blood mixing with the ever-present pink mucus and a purr starts in the back of my throat.

Maybe it wasn't just my ancestors who were bloodthirsty.

Manticorids are adaptable.

Recently I was an air tech and acted like one. The genali put me on their hunting ground and gave me something to protect and so now they will become the hunted. That makes my lips rise and my teeth bare.

They will never take her from me.

Manticorid males are notorious for quickly identifying a suitable life mate. Though we all recognize there can be many good matches, we tend to pounce on the one in front of us.

There are no guarantees you'll come across another, after all.

As much as I've been trying to talk myself out of it, it explains my continual focused interest. She is just the type of woman I want.

As fierce as she is loyal, with a kind heart.

I never imagined my mate would be on a backward planet. Or that she would be from the more primitive species.

It doesn't matter.

Thela help anyone who tries to harm my little human ever again.

?

Raucous sounds from the trees around us wake me up.

I tense, expecting a hunter to have somehow slipped past my guard, then relax. The small creatures fighting over something nearby have confused whatever part of my brain that scans for threats in my sleep. It's merely a battle for food or nesting grounds.

Ancient instincts can't be right all the time, I suppose.

She must have either been exhausted or humans never move in their sleep, because she is exactly where she was the last time I pulled her close to me.

I look forward to finding out based on repeated exposure.

I'm not sure how much sleep humans need, though clearly more than I do since I remained awake for quite some time after her just listening to the forest and enjoying the sensation of her against me.

The small creatures bring their fight closer to us and it becomes more violent, or at least more vocal. She startles awake after a particularly obnoxious screech, her body instantly tense.

I stroke her hair.

"Do not fear. it's merely a disagreement among local fauna," I offer in reassurance.

She makes a humming sound in response and settles back against me. "What time is it? Nevermind, that's a dumb question. I'm still waking up, sorry."

I feel my whiskers lifting forward in amusement as she mutters and retracts her question a second time.

She must find waking up from her sleep as difficult as falling into it. It makes me want to cuddle her all the closer and be there for each transition to help ease it for her.

I don't tell her this, though. It's better to show than to tell, after all.

"When you're ready, we should discuss how to proceed."

I feel her nod. "To be honest, the only way I can likely help Silver is to stitch her wounds closed. Anything else would require equipment that wouldn't work here even if we found it."

"Hopefully that will be enough of a boost to her nanite healing so she is stable before her chamber stops functioning."

She grunts. "I assume that should be among any basic medical supplies a hunter would carry, right?"

I nod, the movement becoming more natural. "Yes. It's unfortunate the genali I killed yesterday didn't have basic kits on them. They were reckless in their attempts to recover you, it seems."

"From comments made on the ship I think losing my harem group will probably get them killed, Thivoll. I bet they were panicking, plus they probably thought they would just be dealing with a loose naked human or two. Not you."

She breaks off into a lower version of her trill, the spacing and tone suggesting a sort of dark humor I can certainly appreciate.

"Hunters won't be nearly as easy to kill," I warn her. "I behaved recklessly when I realized they were slavers. We will need to be more strategic. I cannot allow you to be hurt again."

"I know it would be safer for me to remain in a tree, Thivoll, but I would be completely trapped. That scares me more than being with you."

I growl, not liking the sound of her being in danger, but I do understand her point.

"I would never trap you. But I would feel more comfortable if you remained hidden. At least until we gather some tactical gear and weapons."

She trills. "Oh, I know I'm no fighter. I just don't want to be separated."

I feel something in my chest loosen to hear her say she doesn't plan to fight. "Let's climb down and get something to eat."

I pat her rear, and she moves away from me to give me room to rise. I shake out my mane, then grab her for a quick descent.

I don't bother hiding my marks on the tree.

There's no reason to return here and it will hopefully waste a hunter's time trying, and failing, to track us.