Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Margot had a decent ear for Earth languages. She'd studied several in high school and university, but this was something quite different. Alien, in the most literal sense, and as a result she was learning the language slowly, akin to a baby taking its first steps.

Sure, they'd only been at it a few hours, and Braxxos had to keep his lessons constrained to the simplest of things for now, but at least there was a little progress. Her tutor stuck to simple things. Nouns, for the most part. Names of things he could point to rather than complex ideas.

Water, tree, sky, these were just a few of the first alien words in Margot's tiny vocabulary. She still had no idea what fraghazi meant, but the glimmer of amusement in his eyes whenever she asked gave her a pretty good inkling he was taking the piss.

Let him enjoy himself , she reasoned. He did save your ass, after all.

Not only that, but he'd gone above and beyond, feeding her well and treating her as though his home was hers. Except for his few precious things in his little storage compartment, that is. But she kind of understood how it must be living alone like this. It was a simple life, and the few treasures he had must have had some kind of significance for him to keep them when they served no utilitarian purpose. The rest of his possessions were functional. Only those few bits of shiny were not.

Braxxos spent a short time teaching her the names of things in his hidden treehouse, and Margot was actually picking up words pretty quickly.

"I've always been good with languages," she said with a grin, enjoying his surprise at how fast she was able to learn his alien tongue. "My Spanish is solid, though it's mostly swearing from my first job in a restaurant. I've got a few others rattling around in the old noggin as well, though I have to admit, I didn't have alien on my language bingo card."

He looked at her with a perplexed expression, tapping his ear.

"Yeah, that probably wouldn't translate. Bingo is a game, and I'd be really surprised if you had the same thing out here. Though, that would be a total mind-fuck if you did. Like, blue-haired grandmas across the galaxy all love bingo. That would be a trip."

Braxxos's look of confusion deepened, his fingers pointing to his hair with a shrug.

"Oh, the blue hair bit? It's just a figure of speech. No one actually has blue hair on my planet. I mean, they do, but it's not natural. People color their hair all sorts of colors. But the joke is, old people would use a blue dye to try to tone down their gray hair and it would sometimes come out with a really blue tint after the rinse by accident."

The man chuckled and shook his head. She could almost hear his expression. Your people are weird, was the most likely one on her list, though. And you thought my world was strange, was a close second.

Whatever was running through his head, Braxxos had apparently decided they'd had enough of the naming things game. At least, inside his treehouse. He moved to the sturdy door and unfastened it, sliding it open. Margot noted that there was a very robust set of branches used to lock it. If he wanted security, that would do the trick. No one would get through that door without a lot of effort. But then, that was partly why she'd slept so well. It felt safe in here.

He scrambled out, dropping his rolled ladder as he moved, then gestured for her to follow.

"Guess we're going for a walk," she mused, following him to the ground.

As soon as her feet touched soil, Margot felt her adrenaline surge, the memory of yesterday flashing hot in her mind's eye. She listened intently, only a little relieved that the woods around them were still full of the sounds of nature.

He noted her expression and stopped walking, looking at her with a concerned look in his eyes. She couldn't understand his words, as was par for the course, but she was getting pretty good at figuring out his intent. And in this case it was kind of obvious.

"I'm just a little freaked out, is all," she told him. "I mean, is it safe out here?"

He nodded, relaxed.

"Are you sure? That monster… that thing … it tore those Raxxians apart. It was horrifying."

He processed her words, mulling them over a moment, then shook his head, gesturing that it was okay. She didn't know why, but he was such a calming presence, and he'd already saved her once, taking her in at her lowest point, that she decided to trust his instincts.

"Okay. But if it pops up and eats us, I'll never forgive you."

Her tiny grin informed him of the sarcastic nature of her comment and the little upward curve of his lips showed that he was amused by it. Apparently, a little bit of well-placed snark was universal regardless of the language.

Margot's vocabulary grew exponentially as they walked, Braxxos taking his time, strolling at a leisurely pace, pointing out myriad plants as they made their way through the lush woods. It was a magical sort of environment, full of colors and patterns the likes of which she had never fathomed belonging to plants. The burgundy leaves, the purple vines, the turquoise shrubbery branches, all were amazing to her virgin eyes. It was unlike anything back home. And it was fantastic.

Braxxos made a point to identify the edible things first and foremost, picking berries for her to eat and showing her which parts of the plants that weren't fruit-bearing were safe for consumption. At one point, however, he did stop, a serious look on his face, holding up his hand and shaking his head vigorously as he then pointed to a small plant with waxy white flowers.

"I take it those are poison?" she asked, already surmising the truth.

He nodded, clearly glad she'd picked up on that so quickly. It was all fun and games until someone went and ate a toxic plant. That could turn a pleasant outing into a deadly one, and fast.

They trekked for a while longer, a weaving, winding path that she'd have been hard-pressed to retrace on her own. But her guide moved with smooth confidence, his lithe musculature flowing easily under his ratty clothes.

She smelled the water from a distance, and the faint sound of rushing water soon joined her senses.

"Is that a river?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"But it sounds like running water."

Braxxos just gave her a little "come on" nod and continued on. It was only a few minutes later when she saw the source of the noise. He was right, it wasn't a river, but rather a small stream. Far too small for the sound it produced. The waterfall they soon arrived at, however, was another story.

It was a relatively small pool, perhaps three times the size of what you'd find in a backyard. The rocks formed a crescent, the fall's origin rising up as high as a house in a sprawling hilltop. It was a slick and dangerous climb up, and she wasn't so sure she could make it without falling. Braxxos saw her looking up and laughed, shaking his head. He gestured for her to follow, then waded into the water up to his knees, sticking to the edges as he made his way to the waterfall.

"Oh, a natural shower," she realized, enjoying the cool water. "Sounds like a plan."

But Braxxos didn't stop when he reached the cascade. He walked up to the stone wall at the edge and slid behind it. A moment later his large hand reached back out, gesturing for her to follow.

"No way. No freaking way. A cave behind a waterfall? That's totally a beast's lair if I've ever heard of one," she said, a little surge of fear forcing its way into her gut.

Her newfound alien friend poked his head back out, waving her to follow, leaving his hand extended for her, waiting.

Well, I guess if he didn't get eaten…

She took a deep breath and followed him, taking his warm hand in hers. He pulled gently, guiding her through the blinding flow of water. This wasn't like a movie where you just stepped through into a cave. They had to walk for several steps pressed against the stone as the water crashed down over them.

Then, as quickly as it had started, the bombardment stopped. Margot wiped her eyes with her free hand as Braxxos guided her into the dark. But it wasn't totally dark. Not entirely. In fact, just a few steps in she could see this wasn't a cave but rather a passageway worn through the rocks by thousands of years of waterflow. Streaks of bright moss clung to the ceiling and walls, the ground at their feet smooth and easy to walk, a path formed by a steady stream over the millennia.

They rounded a corner, the sudden brightness shocking her eyes just as they were becoming accustomed to the dim light. They adjusted quickly, and what she saw took her breath away.

"Oh my God," she gasped, nearly at a loss for words.

Braxxos smiled wide, pleased at her reaction. He released her hand and waded ahead.

"This is incredible," she marveled, following him, spinning around in awe.

It wasn't a cave, but rather a cenote, though she didn't yet know what it was called in the alien language. The space was perhaps twenty meters across and almost perfectly round in shape, the walls rising up high then curving to make a partial dome. But rather than a cave roof, the center was open, peering up through some branches to the sky, the sun's light pouring in, reflecting off the crystal-clear pool of water, the illumination from the turquoise rocks on the bottom bouncing back up, making the whole place almost glow with a magical light.

The water flowed gently in this hidden wonderland, fed not by the waterfall outside, but by a hidden spring at the far wall. She could tell by the way the water moved, constantly refreshing itself and heading out the way they came in to join the main body of the stream.

Braxxos stepped into a deeper spot and cupped his hands, nodding to Margot.

"Oblioso," he said, taking a deep drink.

"Oblioso," she replied. "Safe. Got it." She followed suit, drinking a handful of the clear water. It was actually warmer in here, not as cool as the stream. It wasn't a hot spring, but it was quite pleasant on her skin. And the taste was better than any spring water she'd ever had back on Earth.

She noted that there were woven blankets and towel-looking items neatly hanging from pegs embedded in the far wall. This place was her host's private spa, it seemed. And she loved it.

He pulled a tightly woven basket from a longer peg on which it was hanging to keep it dry and placed it on a flat rock close to the edge where the water was shallower. The slab was far enough out of the water to remain dry and easy to access, and it made for a perfect table. He opened the basket and called for her to join him. She looked inside and was pleased to find a small but lovely selection of many of the edible items he'd pointed out on the way.

"A picnic?"

He nodded, a happy grin on his face.

"I'd be delighted."

They sat and ate in silence, comfortable just being. It was refreshing after Margot's usual experiences back home. People's need to always fill the space with idle chatter. So many men's inability to simply be in the moment. But here, with this most unusual alien, it all just fell into place. It felt comfortable. Crazy as it sounded when the thought crossed her mind, this kind of felt like home.