Chapter 5

Julie

I smiled to myself as I woke up on a soft, warm chest. I could get used to this. The air was cool against my face, but smelled fresh like only a forest could.

I looked up and immediately grew tense when I caught Orsu frowning at the ground below us.

"What is it?"

"Jagwas, they have surrounded our tree."

My heart rate quickened and my palms grew sweaty. We're going to die in this tree. We're never getting out of here. My thoughts immediately started to spiral and I quickly lost control over my breath that was coming in short rapid pants.

"Julie," Orsu"s voice was filled with concern as he uttered my name. "Come, let us breathe together."

Orsu sat up and pressed my back to his chest. He placed a comforting hand over my heart and slowly breathed in and out.

"Breathe with me, Julie. All will be well. You will see."

I highly doubted that, but I still did my best to breathe deep with Orsu instead of hyperventilate on my own.

He took my hand in his and rubbed his thumb along my skin. Up and down, up and down. I focused on that small movement and let the rest of the world fade away.

Slowly my breathing started to calm and all that was left in my head were thoughts of Orsu's thumb on my hand and the heat radiating from his chest to my back.

"Well done, Julie. Now we will walk among the trees."

"Among the trees?" I squeaked in disbelief.

"We certainly can't walk on the ground with the jagwas." Orsu flashed me a teasing grin. "These tree branches are thick," he continued. "We can walk along them until the beasts tire of following us. I'll go first and you will follow in my footsteps. If a branch can hold my weight it will most certainly can hold yours."

I nodded my head but was unsure if I would be able to do what Orsu was asking of me.

He walked out onto the edge of the branch we had slept on. It dipped under his considerable weight, but held firm. These trees weren't like Earth trees. They were wider at the base and the branches were thicker.

Orsu stepped off one branch and onto another. He kept walking until he reached the trunk of the tree and beckoned me to follow.

I took a small step and sighed with relief when the branch didn't bow under my weight. Then I took another step and froze when the branch wobbled.

"You are brave Julie, you can do this," Orsu encouraged.

"I'm not brave," I confessed. "I'm afraid of everything."

"You are scared and yet you persevere. I've only just met you, and I already know you are the bravest person I know."

His words brought me some courage and I straightened my spine and took another shaky step. I felt my courage grow within me with each step that I took. By the time I reached the next tree trunk, Orsu was ready for me with his hand extended.

"You did it, Julie! I knew you could!" His words weren't patronizing; instead he seemed to glow with pride as if my accomplishment were his own.

It got easier from there. We pressed on, walking from tree to tree and taking short breaks to eat and relieve ourselves, which was easier said than done from the top of a tree. But eventually, just as Orsu predicted, the Jagwas lost interest in us and left.

It wasn't long after that Orsu spotted our destination.

"I see the den!" Orsu and I took off in a sprint for the hobbit hole-looking structure. I could hardly contain my excitement at seeing the women again. I had lost everything when I was abducted. Those women were all I had left and even though we'd just met, they meant so much to me already.

Orsu went in first and I followed after him.

"Stay behind me, just in case."

I nodded my head and moved to his back.

The door creaked open, but no one was at the entrance. That's alright, I told myself. It was a small space up here. If anyone was here, they'd be downstairs.

I held my breath as we descended the stairs and crossed my fingers that I might see Gabby again. But to my great disappointment, the room was empty.

"Why would they leave?" I turned to Orsu, whose nostrils flared as he sniffed the air.

"Drovo and Lumod were here. I do not see any signs of a struggle so I do not think they were attacked."

"Do Drovo and Lumod come here often?"

Orsu shook his head. "I don't know why they'd be here. Perhaps Tarak found the females and went back for the rest of the hunters to make sure they'd make it to the mountain safely."

"How long does it take to get to the mountain from here? Maybe we can catch up with them."

"Perhaps." Orsu looked around the surrounding forest. "It depends on when they left and how long it takes us to travel along the trail."

He looked down at me with his soft violet eyes and smiled. "How do you feel about me carrying you again?"

Orsu

It wasn't long into our walk home before I noticed a lot of movement in the forest heading north to the mountain. I wasn't sure what caused so many animals to head that way, but I thought it'd be best to avoid them, and once again we were forced to take the long path.

I picked up my pace as night fell. We were close enough to home that we wouldn't have to camp out again if I ran.

"Is that it? Is that your mountain?" Julie pointed a finger toward my home and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, we've made it."

I ran to the base of the stone and set Julie down.

"How do we get in?" Julie looked around and pressed on different rocks.

"Here." I pressed my shoulder to the boulder blocking the entrance and gave it a shove. The stone moved away and Julie's eyes grew wide with amazement.

I offered her my hand and revelled in her soft warmth as she placed her hand in mine.

"You ready?"

She looked apprehensive but nodded her head. I patted the top of her hand and led her down the corridor to the main cavern.

"Orsu!" Lumod, the shifter who gained gills and a tail every time he entered the water, greeted me.

"Where have you-" his words cut off at the sight of Julie at my side.

"Is this the missing hu-man?" Drovo asked.

"This is Julie." I gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand. She tucked her hair behind her ear and introduced herself.

"Yep, I'm Julie. If I'm the missing human does that mean the rest of the women are here?"

Suddenly there was a loud commotion coming from the storage cavern, and soon a group of hu-man females came rushing into the room.

"Julie!" A female with dark skin and curly hair ran up to Julie and gave her a tight hug.

"Gabby!" Julie threw her arms around the other female. They both wiped away happy tears and I was glad to have brought them back together, and ashamed that I had let my beast take over and tear them apart in the first place.

Many other females surrounded the two friends and Tarak stood proudly behind Gabby. I nearly fell over when he placed a hand on her shoulder. I was willing to take the blame for touching a female, but I was not going to be so bold to do so in front of the entire dekes. Did Tarak know something I did not? Would there be no consequences for touching the hu-mans?

The idea of being able to touch Julie freely made my heart sing. That was, if she'd want me to. I did take her from her people, and although we got along on the journey, would things change now that we were back with the others?

Gabby turned to smile at Tarak and everyone gasped as her skin started to glow. Lines of purple light spread across her veins. My heart squeezed for Tarak. He had found his luminescence, his kira-si. You could only glow for one person so once you did, you were bonded for life. It was a union blessed by the goddess herself.

But would Gabby accept this union? I did not know her and I had no idea how she felt for Tarak. Would she reject the bond? Did she see him as an abomination like the other dekes did? Would I be spending the rest of the night consoling my friend over the mate he'd never have?

My fears were quickly relieved when Tarak scooped Gabby into his arms and she pressed her mouth to his. This mouth pressing must be a hu-man custom, but it looked like a custom filled with love and joy. I took it as a sign that she had accepted him as her mate.

Never had such joy filled my soul than to see my Savrix and friend mated with his luminescence. I glanced over at Julie, who was staring at them wide-eyed, and I wondered what she thought about all this. Was she repulsed to see her friend mated to a Sirret shifter? Was she happy for Gabby?

Tarak carried his mate off to somewhere more private and the rest of the females turned their attention to Julie.

"I'm so glad you're back," one female exclaimed.

"Are you hurt?"

"Did he treat you well?" a stern female with long black hair and tan skin asked as she stared pointedly at me.

"Orsu treated me very well. He kept me safe and led me to the mountain after we saw that you all had left the den."

Julie looked up at me and gave me a shy smile.

The other female did not seem convinced. She led Julie away from the main cavern and down the corridor that led to the storage cavern.

My heart ached as I watched her walk away. We'd been together for two days. I had protected and provided for her and I had received the privilege of listening to her stories and hearing her laugh. I didn't want that to end. It felt wrong to be separated from her. The beast within me cried out for me to chase her, to hold her, do anything but let her walk away. But I couldn't. She was safe now, with her people. If she wanted to be with me it would because she wanted to and not out of a need for protection.

She spared me one last look over her shoulder as the group of females led her away. A hesitant smile crossed her face. Then she turned the corner and was gone.