Imperial Guard – 005 Ethos of Solbrecht

Chapter 3 The Hunt, Part II

Weyan, Thylun, Itan, Syrran, Trezka and Nami

"You think we've got enough?"

"Al… most."

A proven technique, spearfishing was utilized by many communities on both Solbrecht and Sogowa prime, with fish being an important source of protein for all members of their kind. With the spear once again in a firm grip, Syrran's characteristic blue green eyes tracked the larger fish in a patch of shallow water as they swirled around his and his partner's legs. Despite wearing all parts of their hunting gear as protection against the sun, which included the poetyo-like ear dress, his clothes were moist with sweat.

Itan's experience and survival skills gave the other Goureg the advantage, his fast and almost predictive reflexes granting him the greater part of their combined catch. But despite the occasional miss, Syrran didn't give up, each kill increasing the satisfaction he got from their current activity.

Their race had an affinity for the coastlines, large inland bodies of open water and larger rivers, with seafood, including shellfish and certain types of crustaceans being an important part of their diet. It had caused their muzzles to develop a hardened tip, more prominent in some individuals than others, to crack shells and get to the juicy inner parts.

The silvery scales of its skin glittered in the bright sunlight that penetrated the surface of the crystal clear water, the animal unaware of the sharp wooden tip hovering above its streamlined body, as it continued the search for its own food.

Until the fisherman struck with enough speed and determination to make the kill. The primitive spear went straight through the body, pinning it to the sandy bottom, a small red cloud dissolving as quickly as it erupted. Syrran's hearts jumped from excitement once again at this seemingly cruel display, knowing it was simply nature following its course.

Shifting his grip on the spear to lift the fish out of the water and take it back to the shore, he heard a splash as Itan struck his target. And with success, the other Goureg tossing him a grin over his broad shoulder as he retrieved his own kill.

"Yep. We've got enough." Trudging toward him, Itan held his catch next to his to compare, squinting his eyes as he bit the tip of his tongue. "All right. Yours is bigger. Not bad, Syrran. We should do this more often."

Giving him a rough pat on the shoulder he walked back to dry land, his massive feet splashing through the water, turning it into a swirling mud. Following Itan's thick sweeping tail, his gaze rested on the small pile of fresh fish with a watering mouth, forcing him to swallow. Raw or roasted, he liked it either way, and they didn't even have to choose between the two with the supply of dry wood they had found on the day before.

To keep the fish from spoiling in the hot sun, they used the large sturdy leaves of a species of plant commonly found in the region to wrap them and keep them out of the keen sight of aerial predators. Despite that, they had to be quick about it, the flesh being very prone to the process of decomposition under these circumstances.

"Leave the spears. We'll come back for 'em later." Sticking his own into the sand next to the wrapped fish, Itan removed his final catch from its tip. Doing the same, Syrran watched his companion lower himself on his legs, to wrap the fish into one of the remaining empty leaves and gestured for him to come closer. They had aimed for two fish each, and given the abundant population in the lake next to their camping spot, they had managed to catch a total of twelve in record time. "Arms up," Itan ordered, holding up the freshly wrapped fish. Collecting the packages, which were about half a step long into the crooks of his burly arms, Itan took the remaining four into his own before rising back on his legs. "Better clean and eat 'em fast, before they spoil."

"Oh, I'm not complaining." Following the other Goureg back to camp, Syrran studied the little darker blotches of pigment on his friend's slate-colored skin, in particular on his lower back between both parts of his poetyo-like hunting gear, and on the back of his legs. The pattern was unique for every member of their race, more prominent in some individuals, including the both of them.

From their current location they could keep an eye on their camp on the other bank of the lake, to which no one seemed to have returned yet. "Wonder what the others manage to bring back this time."

"There's something I gotta tell ya." A hint of concern slipped into his friend's voice. The first time since the start of their trip. "I'll bring it up to the group as soon as we're all back together again. Last night I think I heard something, or someone."

Increasing his pace, catching up to his friend, he found the same concern etching its lines around the corners of Itan's pale yellow beak.

"You think someone's been sniffing around our camp?"

"Not sure. I haven't seen anyone else around here during the day. I've been keeping an eye out because I expected we would've run into a few natives by now."

"So they might be keeping an eye on us as well."

"That's almost a certainty, even though we haven't seen them yet. It's a well-known fact that these forests have a lot of inhabitants. I'm not that worried though. We're Mantrins like them and we're just trying to have a good time."

Deciding to trust in Itan's intuition and judgement, Syrran shrugged off his own worries, distracted by the smell of the fresh fish he carried in his arms and the thought of what it would taste like. The large amount of edibles in their direct vicinity surprised him and with many flavors being completely new to his taste buds, his mind was set to enjoy all of it to the fullest.

"Weyan!"

Thylun heaved a sigh at his friend's sudden disappearance. With the two Gouregs gone fishing and the two women going out looking for something to shoot, they had decided to take on the task of gathering some more firewood as well as wild fruits and vegetables. Having brought the edibles back to camp, they headed out again to a particular fallen tree he and Trezka had discovered on the day before. That was until Weyan had decided to vanish into thin air, making him wonder how that was even possible.

The fallen tree was massive, uprooted like it had been plucked from its spot by some divine force, shearing off a number of branches from a neighboring tree on its way down to the ground. The enormous roots had been washed clean for the most part, the branches leafless, the wood dry and brittle, turning it into an excellent source of fuel for their campfires.

"Weyan!"

"I'm right here! Just gimme a moment."

His irritated voice came from behind the thick trunk of another tree at a slight distance from his current location, his friend's left foot the only part of his body that was visible from the current angle.

"You all right?"

Greeted by an unpleasant smell on approach, drifting in his direction on the mild breeze that brought little relief from the humid warmth, he halted on the spot.

"I had to take a dump. Now leave me to it!"

"Ugh, gross. Fine, I'll give us a head start."

Walking back to the fallen tree his gaze drifted over its long cracked trunk. The crevices in the wood, which had been bleached by seasons of intense sunlight, were now the home of many insects, scurrying around and looking for things to clean and collect. Moving over to what used to be the crown, he tore off one of the smaller branches, the dry wood cracking and splintering under a minimal amount of applied force.

Feeling confident that the Gouregs would come back with a nice catch and the two women would be able to shoot something, he began tearing off pieces of a length and weight that would be easy to carry, dropping them on the ground in a small pile.

Until he detected movement from the corner of his eye. A patch of brown and white between the green of the bushes to his right where the fallen tree had breached them apart. Tall and heavily muscled, his skin the color of what his own should have been without his albinism, the male Sogowan glared down his muzzle. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, the large elliptical ears flicked upward as he narrowed his copper-colored eyes to mere slits.

For a few ticks Thylun froze on the spot, apart from dropping the last branch he tore from the tree. Trying to assess if the man in front of him, dressed in the ubiquitous tan-colored poetyo, was one of the natives or a member of one of the rebel groups, he decided to follow the path of politeness.

"Uhreaht," he greeted him, his hearts having picked up the pace.

No response. At least not verbally. The Sogowan flared his nostrils, one ear swiveling in the direction of the sound of footsteps. Thylun wasn't quite sure how he did it. In the split tick in which he averted his gaze to see what he was looking at, discovering that it was Weyan who had finished relieving himself, he turned around to find nothing but bushes.

"Are you talking to yourself again?" his Sogowan-Logri friend joked, the corners of his beak curved upwards.

"No, he was right there. I…" Joining his side, Weyan flattened an ear as they stared at the thick wall of vegetation together. Grinding his teeth as his friend made a mocking sound with his lips, he feared he had become the target of his teasing once again. There was no way he had imagined what he saw. This was a real person playing tricks on him for reasons as of yet unknown. "Wey, I'm telling ya. He was right there."

Rolling his head in his direction, Weyan continued to display that annoying smile of his that made him want to smack it off his face.

"Are you trying to scare me? Let me tell ya, it's not working."

"Wey!"

"Okay, okay. There's no need to get all upset about it. I believe ya. But would it matter? We had expected to run into the natives a lot sooner."

"Natives, fine. But several tribes in this region are believed to have joined Wyr'Mo'Gwi's cause. What if they don't want us around here?"

Weyan shrugged his broad shoulders. Irritated because his friend either couldn't or didn't want to see the dangerous aspect of the situation, he added a derisive snort.

"You're worrying too much. If they don't want us to celebrate our vacation around here they can come and tell us and then we'll leave. I haven't seen them doing that. But I believe you. We should tell the others."

"All right. I've already got some wood. Shall we carry that back to camp first?"

"I'm right behind ya."

"So how would everyone like their fish? One raw, one roasted?"

"Fine with me," Trezka agreed.

"I like 'em hot," Thylun answered. "Two roasted for me."

After everyone made his choice, Itan ended up with eight fish at the end of a sharpened wooden stick, with Syrran distributing the remaining four over those who liked it raw after cleaning, including himself. Handing everyone their primitive skewers for roasting, they dug the other end into the soft soil around the small firepit to let the flames do their job.

Biting into the soft flesh of the native freshwater fish, Itan treated his taste buds with its subtle untainted flavor. Thylun and Nami were the only ones who had requested two sticks to roast while the others enjoyed the first half of the delicacy uncooked.

"It's good," Trezka remarked after swallowing her second mouthful.

"It's not bad," he agreed. "Could use a little salt."

"So how was the hunt?" Weyan asked the women.

Trezka chuckled.

"Nami, it was an honor to handle your longbow, but I think I'll stick with my guns. So no, we didn't catch anything."

"That's okay," Nami said. "It's not like I did much better myself during my first lessons. We'll give it another shot."

Itan watched his companions perk their ears as his own did the same by instinct. What began as a distant buzz continued to build, turning into deep low hum. Turning their gazes up at the sky at the sound that continued to swell, he didn't know what to expect.

Until the huge, low flying, aerial cruise ship threw its shadow over their camping spot, sending small flocks of birds up into the sky around its bow. Its streamlined blimp-like shape gave the white airship the appearance of a giant flying whale, pushed in the direction of what had to be Faeyra-Estaria by a series of ducted propellers attached to its flanks and rear.

"Solbrecht Sky Cruises," Trezka read the text on the ship's belly, which was written in both English and Preidogian. "Wonder what that would cost for a few days."

"A solar cycle's worth of pay at least," Syrran guessed.

"What a machine," Weyan expressed his admiration, as they watched it disappear behind the canopy of the trees on the other side of the lake.

The drone of its engines carried far and wide and it took a while before they were no longer able to perceive it. As the birds resettled the branches of the trees around them and continued their daytime orchestral performance, Thylun retrieved one of his sticks, impatiently turning the fish around in the flames to speed up the process.

"Guys listen. I think… No, I did see someone while Weyan and I were gathering wood from that fallen tree. Big guy. Sogowan race. I greeted him, but I might as well have been talking to a spirit. I feel like I looked away for a split tick and gone he was."

Although he didn't want to sow fear, Itan figured it was time to share his own experience. It would be naive to think they had gone unnoticed until now. Thylun's encounter did not reveal any clues about their level of tolerance toward them being here.

"They are keeping an eye on us," he added in a calm tone of voice. "We just need to make sure that we treat their territory and Solbrecht itself with respect. Only take what we need."

"Which is as it should be," Nami said steadfastly. "If they ask us to leave, we'll leave."

"Right," Itan agreed.

"All right, just so you all know," Thylun said with a shrug, removing his food from the flames as it had reached the desired color. Blowing over the piece of roasted fish, a wispy curl of smoke rising from its lightly charred skin, he touched it to his lips before taking a bite. "Aw, it's good."

"Shall we go for a swim afterwards?" Weyan suggested.

"I'm in," Syrran agreed.

He was joined by most of the others, except for Itan himself. He had wanted to get something off his chest, but hadn't seized an opportunity yet. It began to look like he had to take the initiative.

"Ehm, Trezka?" Her response was a soft grunt as she bit into an orange-like fruit, looking at him from under her eye ridges, while trying to estimate if she liked the color of her roasted fish enough by turning the skewer around with her other hand. "Can I… talk to you for a moment? In private?"

He added the last part quickly before she could respond. The silence that followed made his hearts beat faster. Feeling his ears glow, he hoped they hadn't developed too much of a blush. Shifting her position, her left ear lowered ever so slightly, until she responded with a nod.

He didn't have to wait long after they had finished eating to get his wish granted. Leaving Nami behind with the other boys as they took off their hunting gear and prepared to go for a swim, Trezka took the initiative, looking over her shoulder once as she began walking toward the small patch of forest from where they had been spying on the two women earlier that morning. Cursing himself for it, considering how easily she agreed on a moment alone, he now struggled with how to address the issue of his feelings for her.

It didn't take long for them to reach the cover of the forest, the only witnesses being its inhabitants in the form of birds, small animals and insects. Smacking one as it landed on his forearm, he stood in front of the woman who eyed him with a questioning, yet irritated look on her face. Spreading her feet as she balanced on her strong legs, her fists planted into her sides, she heaved a derisive sigh.

"First of all," she began, which surprised him. "I do not appreciate what you and the boys did this morning when Nami and I were bathing."

Grinding his teeth, feeling his cheeks and ears glow in a moment of shame, he scratched at the back of his neck while averting his gaze. Even though he was taller than she was, though not by much, she made him feel rather small with her harsh tone of voice.

"Yeah, I… I know and I'm sorry about that." He swallowed, listening to her continued heavy breathing through her nostrils. Fearing he had ruined his chances due to a lack of self-control, he picked himself up and looked her straight in the eyes. "Truth is I… I kinda like you. A lot I mean."

For a few ticks she stared at him, her mouth slightly agape, astonishment as well as what he deciphered as indignation drawing additional lines on her scarred face. Not the reaction he expected. All the clues he had dropped so far had been mostly ignored, to the point of making him feel like he was invisible to her. Maybe she wasn't interested, though he suspected a strong woman like her would've told him by now if that were the case.

He only realized he was smiling as the thought crossed his mind, at the exact moment that Trezka pulled back her hand and smacked him right across his muzzle, her claws still retracted.

"Aow!" The sore spot continued to sting as he rubbed it with his fingertips, though it was nothing compared to her eyes that burned into his with the intensity of laser beams. Her teeth bared as she pulled with her upper lip, her expression softened as he looked down at her feet. "What did you do that for?"

She wasn't quite sure what it was. What made her so angry in that split moment that she lashed out without thinking. And even after the act she continued to feel her hearts beat at a faster pace, her breath coming in short bursts, as she bit her teeth, the ignited flame in her chest burning like a torch.

"Don't look at me like that unless you mean it!"

Until her Goureg crewmate looked down at her feet with a dismayed look on his face as he continued to rub his sore muzzle, making her realize the real pain would be on the inside. He had just gone through the struggle of laying his cards on the table about his feelings, only to be punished for it.

"I do mean it," Itan muttered under his breath. "I really do like you."

Dropping her shoulders, her ears lowering as guilt started to gnaw at her, she sighed.

"It's just… I'm not really used to this. It's a little unexpected, to be honest. I just thought you wanted to apologize."

"That too. I mean, I did, right?"

Dropping the hand he used to rub his muzzle with, he hid his arms behind his back. Digging her toe claws into the soft soil, she snorted. What the heck is he thinking? I'm not the type of woman to get into a relationship anymore. Not now. Not ever. The only thing that withheld her from telling him that was his seriousness. He seemed to have genuine feelings for her.

"So you're serious about this?"

"Wasn't it obvious? The gentle teases? The little flirts?"

He kind of had a point. She had thought of it as nothing more than annoying and by ignoring him she thought it would stop. Except it didn't. If she had given it a little more thought. Paid a little more attention to what he was doing. Was I really that blind?

Not sure how to respond, her thoughts began to shift to her own feelings. The last time she had allowed someone to get close to her, it hurt. Badly. She had no intention of going through something like that again. Itan did not know this. In fact, she couldn't remember telling him or anyone else about her past. Except for Jetreycka, whom she shared quarters with. But she was a woman, always there to lend a listening ear without passing judgment. It was an entirely different kind of relationship.

And what about Itan? He was kind of good-looking. A well-muscled physique. Those blue green Goureg eyes. A kind face, matching his character and warm bassy voice. And then there was his strong independence and resourcefulness when the situation called for it, as well as being a team player because he liked doing things with others, hence his being here with them.

"I'm sorry I hit you."

"That's okay. I kinda deserved it after what I pulled this morning."

Leaning back against the tree behind him, he absent-mindedly dug his claws into its bark behind his back, a glimpse of a smile returning to his lips. That faint discoloration was still present on his cheeks and ears.

"You're kinda cute when you look like that," she admitted.

Flicking his small ears, he averted his gaze with a slight chuckle, the touch of red added to his slate-colored skin intensifying. When she took a step toward him, her knees close to touching his thighs, she heard him gasp. Those blue green eyes now stared straight into hers, his straight teeth showing as he flashed her a shy smile.

Watching him raise his hand to her face, she closed her eyes and savored the gentle touch of his fingers to her cheek with a soft purring. Allowing herself to move closer, she couldn't stop her body from responding naturally to his leathery scent, further increasing the speed at which she drew breath. The hint of sweat mixed in was unavoidable in the humid climate, and even that smelled good to her. Like the faint sweetness that teased her into leaning into his broad chest, covered by the thin layer of synthetic fabric that formed the top part of his hunting gear.

Listening to his deep purring, she felt a single hand moving over her back with very gentle strokes. The additional warmth of his body could've been discomforting with the current weather, but the effect was the opposite. She felt safe. Never since that moment long ago, had she allowed herself to get this close to another man. How he did it was beyond her current level of understanding. Right now she did not care one bit.

"Listen boys, I know you like me. A lot. But the sad truth is, I've got someone waiting for me back home." It might very well be that they had been too obvious about it. If Nami felt the need to express herself so openly, Weyan figured he and Thylun were to blame. The Fjetanha girl flashed them a sharp-toothed grin, teasing them even more by removing the top part of her hunting gear for their swim. He would never take advantage of a woman like that, and neither would his friend, no matter the circumstances. Not that Nami would let him or anyone, without bloody consequences.

She knew that, proving it by showing even the more private parts of her body without fear, getting rid of the two parts of her outfit like the men. Removing the elastic that kept her long jet black hair bound into the thick braid running down the center of her back, the long voluminous strands fell around her well-defined shoulders like a curtain. She laughed. "You can close your mouth."

Realizing only then that his lower jaw was hanging at the height of his belly, Weyan did as instructed, closing his beak with a snap while averting his gaze. He was not going to lie to himself or anyone else. Nami was a beautiful woman. Her two-tone rock gray skin color contrasted wonderfully with her signature Fjetanha traits, her black beak and hair, juxtaposed with the white plume at the tip of her long prehensile tail. Her small, firm round breasts. The strong-willed character and occasional hot-temperedness. He had to put in some effort to control his feelings.

"And don't get any ideas. The same thing holds true for Moa."

"Aww," Thylun expressed his disappointment. "Why are Fjet girls always married off?"

Nami chuckled.

"Actually, it's the other way around, don't you remember? It's tradition. Nothing personal, so don't feel too bad about it."

Still, Weyan couldn't help being disappointed, even though deep down he knew he didn't stand a chance, which had nothing to do with his looks or personality. Her race strictly mated amongst their own kind. It kept the bloodlines pure. Prevented their unique features from being diluted. As far as he knew, it was an absolute sin to mate with someone from another race in all Fjetanha communities. Offenders were subject to punishment or even banishment. And banishment meant being expelled from the family, a fate some considered worse than death.

As he, Thylun and Syrran took off their own clothing, he watched their remaining female companion enter the water on her own until only her head was still visible, her dark hair floating just below the surface like a giant fan until she fully submerged. Staying under for a couple of ticks, she eventually resurfaced with a splash. Throwing the thick wet strands back over her shoulders, she rubbed the water out of her eyes and laughed.

"C'mon in guys. It feels great."

He was not going to let her say that again. What little clothing he wore felt damp, despite the heat dissipation qualities of the special fabric and he could feel the occasional drop of sweat crawl over various places on his body. With the sun at its highest point, temperatures had reached sweltering levels, which in combination with the high humidity had turned him into a mouth breather, glad he wasn't a full-blooded Logri. His dark spotted skin still didn't help matters, though the larger ears of his Sogowan half allowed him to lose heat better than if he were. The others seemed to have less trouble with it. Then again they didn't have his belly fat, which despite being thin, still made him more vulnerable in this weather type.

As his legs carried him to the live-saving resource, he did not expect the water to be as warm as it was, as it swallowed his feet first. He could've sworn he just entered a heated pool instead of the lake that it was, though this changed as he went in deeper, the water steadily getting cooler as it enveloped his body. Taking a couple of loud breaths, he tried to find out if he could float like Nami did, as she bobbed around him in the water with seemingly little effort.

Taking in as much air as possible, he let himself fall on his back in the water, only to have his head disappear below the surface soon thereafter. Blowing bubbles as he exhaled while being submerged, he resurfaced with a loud snort, blowing out the water that had entered his nostrils. Dropping his enormous legs back underneath his body, he looked at Nami and shrugged.

"How do you do that?"

He did notice that she had to use her arms and swim to stay afloat, but she didn't sink like the rock that he appeared to be.

"Too much muscle," she answered, dropping her own legs to stand on the bottom, her thick hair draped over her shoulders. "You have to swim. Most of us won't float on our own. You would've had more chance if you were a full Logri."

"Yeah, well I'm glad I'm not with these temperatures. I'm fortunate to have my kharii's ears."

Looking up at the loud splashing near them, they watched Syrran propel his body toward the center of the lake with powerful strokes from his muscular arms. Of all the different races of Mantrin, Gouregs were the most adept at swimming. Their tall bodies, strong arms and nictitating membranes over their eyes were evolved traits, inseparably linked to their coastal domain.

Having reached the center, they watched their crewmate dive by flipping his weight, his feet and legs lashing out against the air before disappearing underwater. It was a good thirty ticks later before he broke through the surface with a loud splash a mere three steps from their location, spraying droplets all over them, his slate-colored skin glittering in the bright sun. Brushing his small ears back he raised himself up on his legs to walk over the bottom toward them, taking deep breaths, baring his flat even teeth in a grin.

"That felt great."

"Do you think Itan and Trezka are okay?" Thylun asked.

Seizing his own attempts to float he stood on the bottom, shaking the water from his large ears. Syrran chuckled.

"I know Itan. I think they're doing just fine or they would've been back by now."

Their time in the water lasted for a while, with the idea of getting out not popping up in anyone's mind in the searing heat, especially not in Weyan's own. It was like Solbrecht's sun was trying to roast him alive, though his dark skin offered the most protection compared to his companions. And in all that time, Trezka and Itan did not return. It was when the skin on his fingertips started to shrivel from having absorbed enough water that he finally decided it was time to head out.

"I've had enough guys," he called over his shoulder, being the first to head back to the shore.

His mighty legs sloshed through the shallower water close to the shore as they dragged him back on dry land, his massive feet exchanging the squishy, muddy bottom for crisp dry grass. Lashing the water off his thick tail, his body dripping wet, the heat enveloped him like a suffocating blanket. Tuning into his senses, the tingling sensation in his worked up muscles, the smells and sounds of the forest around him, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to let his lungs once again adjust to the humid climate, without the refreshing coolness of the water around him.

It was when he heard the splashing of the others getting out of the water that he opened them, noticing only then the small rectangular piece of tan-colored cloth next to their backpacks, tethered to the ground by a small rock placed on one of the corners. Flattening an ear at what was unmistakably writing in red symbols, he moved in closer, lifting the rock and retrieving it.

"What is it Weyan?" his best friend asked as moved to join his side.

"Did… did any of you see anything, or anyone?"

"I dunno. I wasn't paying attention," Syrran admitted.

He recognized the cloth as poetyo fabric, the frayed edges on one side making it appear as if someone had torn it off his or her piece of clothing. But it were the Preidogian symbols written on it in their spiraling arrangement that reminded him of Thylun's sighting earlier that morning. All of a sudden he was struck by an unnerving feeling. So far they hadn't received a signal that the indigenous did not appreciate their presence in their territory. This would be the first.

"What does that say?" Nami asked.

Turning around to face everyone, he looked at the piece of cloth, to convince himself once more that he read it correctly. The red symbols formed a mere two words. Words that everyone on Solbrecht was all too familiar with.

"Remember Uhna'hir."

Itan knew very well that everyone had a sensitive side, no matter how tough their exterior, though his imagination always had trouble envisioning what it would look like for the woman sharing the water of the lake with him. At first sight, Trezka's appeared to encompass her own body and her hesitation to show it to anyone. Standing in front of him, the water reaching to just above her waistline, she had kept both parts of her hunting gear on, as opposed to his bare nakedness. And even then she held her well-built arms close together so they squeezed her breasts into meeting each other in the middle.

Staring into his chest, she flashed him a smile so awkward that he didn't know what to say or do, her thick tail continuing to swim in place with calm strokes. She had allowed herself to be in close proximity to him. Had allowed him to touch her, though he had stayed far away from the sensitive spots on purpose, letting her determine the pace. He was astonished by her ability to make herself look so vulnerable in his presence.

"It's all right," he tried to break the ice. "If you're uncomfortable, we can go back."

"No. No, I'm okay."

Lowering herself on her legs, she slowly blew out her breath through pursed lips, the water rising to above her shoulders as she spread her arms. Doing the same, he reached forward with his own hands, until they met hers below the water surface. Until she grabbed hold of his hands and squeezed. Returning her smile as she looked at him, he caught a glimpse of the true feelings that she always managed to cover up so masterfully. He almost praised himself for being able to make that sparkle appear.

"I really think you're beautiful."

She bit her lip, her gaze returning to the water surface again as she let go of his hands.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, sounding irritated all of a sudden.

It shocked him to the point where he wanted to apologize for his remark, confused by her sharp response. Eventually he did, not knowing what else to do.

"Uiisa. I didn't mean to upset you." She snorted, the burst of air blowing out of her nostrils stirring the water in front of her, her ears lowering. Whatever he did or said to warrant such a reaction, he was sorry about it, yet she left him clueless as to what it was. "I… I just want to get to know you better."

With a growl she raised herself out of the water again, her eyes narrowed to slits. Her impressive biceps bulged as she balled her hands to fists, she hit the water with such ferocity that the droplets spattered into his face.

"If all you wanna do is fuck me, then fuck me and be done with it!"

Baffled by her outburst, he felt his jaw slacken in astonishment. Taking growling breaths with her teeth bared, she made him want to step back, which he did as his shoulders dropped in defeat. Instead of calming down she trudged back to the shore. Keeping some distance between them, he followed her, racking his brains to figure out how to make up for whatever he did to make her feel this way.

"Why are you like this? I'm only trying to make you feel comfortable."

"Let's just forget about it, okay?" she grunted without looking back

Her tail lashed furiously behind her back, hitting the water with the occasional splash. Her sparse clothes dripping with water, she walked back to camp, her feet clawing the ground with loud thumps. Grabbing his own clothes, he sloppily applied the bottom part so he was at least covered, then hurried after her with the other part dripping wet in hand.

"Trezka, please! If I offended you somehow, then at least tell me, so I can apologize." His small ears sagging in disappointment, his tail dragged over the ground when he had caught up with her at a safe distance from her swishing tail. Panting lightly in the humid warmth, he followed her through the small patch of forest to the other side where their camp was. "Trezka!"

The silent treatment. Not sure if she was even angry at him or more at herself, he stopped calling after her when he noticed the rest of their group was no longer in the water, and were instead having some kind of argument amongst themselves. It seemed to revolve around a rectangular piece of cloth in Weyan's hand with what looked like writing on it in red symbols.

"We're back. What's going on?" Trezka asked, her voice not having lost its grouchy undertone.

The distressed look on their faces sent a shiver up Itan's spine. The one who answered her question was Thylun, his voice having a slight tremble.

"We might wanna leave first thing tomorrow morning, if not right away."