Chapter 2

I stepped from the small cave I had been sheltering in for the last few nights with a yawn. My tail flicked lazily behind me, lightly brushing the ground.

That cave had been a lucky find. The weather had been fine the last few days, yet it wouldn't have taken much for rain to crash down. I'd rather not have had my supplies soaked through. Plus, the nights still held a light chill, and being in a cave with a roaring fire had a nice appeal to it.

Life was perfect. Almost. I had my health, my tribe, and now that the bitter season had passed, I would have plenty of game to hunt. All that was missing was someone to spend it with. There weren't many tribe members my age, and the warm seasons were lonely with all of us off on our own hunting and gathering food for the next bitter season. It would have been a dream to have a friend to sit with at night in front of the fire, talking until the embers burned down.

I walked down the mountain with only a small bag slung over my shoulder and my spear held loosely in the wrap of my tail. A good hunter didn't use blunt strength on his spear to lean on while he walked, just in case it became stuck in the mud. With my tail, I could quickly have my weapon in my hands if I needed it. My senses were constantly scanning the surroundings, so I might have looked at ease. I was listening to the wildlife around me for any hints of prey or threat. The first thing our elders had taught us as younglings was that this world wasn't friendly to the weak.

I had seen plenty of tracks of smaller prey, but I was looking for something larger. Something worth my skill of hunting, worthy of carrying home to my village. Many beasts had been driven to the area since the bitter weather had released its clutches upon the land. After the long bitter winter, our village stores of food were running dangerously low and needed restocking as soon as possible.

I was nearing the large river when the surrounding wildlife went quiet. The birds stopped tweeting, and the insects landed and ceased their buzzing. A hum filled the air. At first, it was low, like a bug flying near your ear, but soon it became almost painfully loud. The sky brightened, yet it was far too early for either of the suns to be casting their rays on this side of the mountain. I pushed through the trees, rushing to see what could cause such a glow.

As I broke through the tree line, my feet stumbled beneath me. There, in the air, was an object. It emerged through the clouds, fire spewing from the white object's bottom and spraying towards the ground. Instead of falling like a rock spewed from the fiery mountains, it floated towards the ground with control. It hovered in the air like an insect before its feet landed on the ground with a crunch.

I knew what this thing was, even if I had never seen one before with my own eyes. I had heard tales of it plenty of times from my elders. A spaceship. An object designed to travel through the skies, even to other planets. It all seemed so impossible, so unbelievable to me. But it was impossible to deny when I saw the proof with my own eyes.

The spaceship made a metallic clank. One side of the spaceship lifted away, tilting towards the ground. A door-shaped space appeared on the exposed surface.

I was frozen solid, my heart racing. The elders' warnings echoed through my head, a pressure that had me ducking behind the closest foliage to watch. Still, I couldn't leave like they would want me to.

Beings emerged from within the spaceship. I was absolutely captivated. They looked just like me. Sort of. Two arms, two legs, one head. They notably lacked tails.

Unlike my deep green skin, theirs was the color of snow, or as dark as the earth itself. They wore their head fur long, sweeping down their backs, or shaved close to their skulls. Just like my people. It was hard to tell at the distance I was standing, but they seemed smaller than me; both in height and lacking the physical muscles I had.

Were they from another tribe, one I'd never heard of? It was entirely possible. I'd climbed the tall mountains here, and the horizon went far into the distance. Much farther than anyone in my tribe had ever traveled. How had this tribe mastered the power of flight without wings of their own? The spaceship and themselves were too heavy for the air.

Soon, several of these strange beings split off from the group, traveling in random directions. They shouted out to each other as they separated. My heart sank when I realized I couldn't understand their words.

One of the strangers walked toward me, and I did my best to step back into the trees and hide myself from view.

I stood quietly as the stranger passed my hiding spot. The figure seemed oblivious to me, unable to hear the rapid beating of my two hearts. I calmed myself as I watched closely.

A female.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. She was undeniably female. Her body was curvy, with prominent hips and teats. She looked soft. Delicate.

I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to feel this small being in my arms, to hold her safely and securely. My palms itched to run over her curves, to feel her flesh beneath mine, to hold her in place as I…

I shook my head and took a deep breath to clear my thoughts. Her scent filled me. I had to bite back my moan, my eyes rolling into the back of my head. She smelled like nothing I had ever smelled before, yet with one sniff, I knew I needed more. I needed to be close to her like nothing I had ever needed in my life.

Did these strangers not know that other tribes would try to steal her from them? The few females on Atraxis were highly coveted. Their tribes guarded them religiously. I had only ever seen a few elderly females who lived in my village, all of whom were quite ancient now.

With my curiosity piqued, I followed her up the mountainside towards an unknown destination.

* * *

Several days had passed, and I had barely taken any breaks from watching the strange female. I had followed her relentlessly up the mountainside, as if dragged behind her like a rope tied between us. It had felt nearly impossible to put any kind of distance between us. I had tried to convince myself to leave. She had come close to noticing me several times, but I had continued to trail after her.

I couldn't get thoughts of this female out of my mind, and just having her out of my sight made my stomach hurt.

Watching her struggle up the mountainside, barely able to carry her load, had been just as painful. So many times she had slipped, my heart skipping beats each time she had precariously wobbled. By her labored breathing, it had been easy to tell that this being was not accustomed to walking through the wilderness.

Even more worrying had been her lack of concern for the dangers that surrounded her. She had paid no heed to the tracks of predators that she crossed. She had never thought to tiptoe through the environment to avoid attracting their attention.

I had watched as the female set camp. She had miraculously produced a tent far bigger than I had thought possible from her supplies. It had unfolded itself in moments with a display of technology that had left me in awe. If only my own camps had been as effortless to establish.

As the day came to a close, the second sun sinking below the horizon, the female had become increasingly twitchy. She had no longer looked at her surroundings with pleasure and curiosity but with hints of fear. Some of my concerns for her had abated; at least she had had the intelligence to fear what she couldn't see.

It had done nothing for the monsters that patrolled the nearby area. Unless her species possessed some unique skill that I hadn't seen, she would have made easy prey.

Knowing she was vulnerable sleeping in her tent, I would not let this female come to any harm.

With quick steps, I had begun scouting the surrounding area, making mental maps of the nests of prey and beast alike. The more I had explored, the more I had believed the female was incredibly lucky. She had inadvertently found a perfect location for a village. A bubbling stream nearby could provide a freshwater source. Small caves littered the surrounding cliff walls, some large enough to provide shelter for even families. In one of these caves, I had stashed my excess gear, taking with me only the necessities for travel.

Now, several days after she had first settled in the area, I felt absolutely exhausted. I spent half my nights scouting and chasing off any creature away from the area. Then I spent my days staring obsessively at this female. I told myself I was simply observing, but I feared I was at the point of stalking her.

My life was no longer my own. My very being burned for this female. It didn't matter that I was pushing myself beyond my limits. If she was at risk, I would always fight for her.

The movement from her tent caught my attention. I was lounging against a tree trunk, just beyond the line of trees that surrounded the grassy plain she had settled in. She had looked my way several times, yet her eyes always seemed to glaze over me without recognition. Did her species not have good eyesight?

The female emerged gracefully from her tent. She raised her hands above her head and stretched, the movement pulling the shirt tightly over her breasts. My own pants tightened in reaction. I snorted at myself in derision, knowing there was very little I could do about it at that point. I had taken myself in hand far too many times over the last few days, and nothing satisfied the desire to be closer to her.

I looked at my arms longingly. None of the males of my generation had found their mates. Given how strongly I reacted to this female, I sighed. There were no new marks, no itching or tingles or anything that might suggest she was my mate. Nothing.

As usual each morning, the female pulled out her meal. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked at the trail ration with dejection. I chuckled at her expression, my heart softening towards her. It seemed she did not know how to forage or hunt for herself. Seeing her look so miserable as she ate broke my two hearts. A female like her should have the freshest meat, the crispiest vegetables, and the juiciest fruit.

A plan formed in my mind—a risky one. My tribe brothers would call me mad for even considering it. All I knew was that if nothing changed, I would definitely go insane.