Chapter Nineteen
Eramore was warm enough that day that Kyle could wear a t-shirt, as Spring had given way to Summer. Currently, Kyle and Sophie were on patrol, hunting for any signs of Serrex. Kyle was riding on Sophie's back, rifle slung across his back, his PDA displaying a map.
Let's see, we should be a little northwest of the house, Kyle mused as he looked at the map, and then around them. Sophie gave a soft grunt as she leaped over a fallen tree.
Yes. We've never been this way before, said Sophie, who was excited to be exploring, and also hunting. They had not detected any traces of Serrex, yet, but wanted to make sure. The slippery little devils were not easy to eradicate, as was easily seen on the rest of the planet. Kyle, there's a clearing up ahead, said Sophie as he looked up. He pulled his rifle up as she cautiously approached the treeline.
It was a small meadow, just a little smaller than the one where they parked the Talon. A very large spire of Coralyte and rock stood in the middle. The spire was easily the tallest they had seen in person yet. It was a good three-hundred feet tall or so.
"Wow," Kyle mused aloud. Sophie agreed. She extended her senses, but didn't sense anything. She smelled the air, and again, there was nothing but the scent of flowers, grass, trees and the ocean air. Kyle felt her give the mental all-clear, and slung the rifle as she slowly sauntered out into the meadow. Kyle glanced around as the soft breeze rustled his hair. They soon were at the foot of the massive spire. Sophie trilled curiously as she noted an opening in the spire. It wasn't as large as the one in the spire where they parked the Talon, but it could be opened up. She tested her claws and tail, and found they could carve it with little trouble, but, then again, the same was true of steel. Kyle knelt and felt the dirt, noting how damp it was. There likely was a spring close under the surface. He looked around, and felt a garden would do rather well there. Sophie crawled back out from her exploration inside the spire.
It's mostly hollow inside. If we ever needed, we could dig into it and have another space, said Sophie. Kyle felt her thinking of storage and sealing things away. Not a bad idea. Kyle got onto her back as she began to climb the spire. She was curious what the view was like from the top, and so was Kyle. Sophie scaled the spire in record time, reaching the top, where the breeze was a little stronger, but still nice. Kyle glanced around, and could quite clearly see their house to the east, as well as the clearing where they had the Talon, and even as far north as the river and the old mill. Looking west, he could just about see the area where Sophie had found that treehouse, where he had been attacked. He also could see a few other clearings or meadows further west.
Sophie extended her senses, looking for Serrex. She sensed the Balwar pair, flying and patrolling above, but they were the only things she sensed. She noted that, from where they were, Kyle would have a great vantage point to see and shoot Serrex for quite a long distance in any direction. Humans called them "sniper points". Kyle was amused.
"Sorry, Sophie. I'm not that good a shot. I'd need a sniper scope, and about ten years of practice." Sophie snickered.
Don't worry, Kyle. You'll get better. Kyle smiled and nodded. He glanced at the huge expanse of forest to the west. That was a lot of ground to cover. It would take them quite a while to patrol and clear it all.
"Why don't we call it a day for now?" Sophie looked up at him. "I doubt those little beasts will show themselves so easily after what we've done thus far, and that's if there's any on this side of the island anymore." Sophie felt his mind, looked at the large view, and agreed.
You're right. If we ever do, we should prepare for a long hunt. Kyle agreed as Sophie climbed back down the spire and headed back towards their house. Kyle grinned at her.
"Besides, if there are any around here, the Balwar will take care of them in short order," he reminded, and she smiled as she glanced up at the Balwar, circling and looking for prey. Kyle gently patted her dome, eliciting a deep purr from her as they headed home.
XXX
Kyle sat at the table, looking over a page about how to set up an aqua-farm, what equipment was needed and all that. Not surprisingly, there were tons of pages and whole books devoted to the subject. There was tons of recommendations on what to raise, how, with what gear, all that. Since most of the planet was ocean, it made perfect sense to raise fish and other aquatic creatures for food over things like cows, which took a lot of land. As well, the Zerichs II government had grants in place for people to start their own aqua-farms to be more self-sufficient. That made perfect sense.
Kyle wrote down some notes about what kind of creature required what kind of cage, rack or other things to farm, and wrote it all down in columns, so he could keep it all sorted. Kyle checked, and there was a large supplier in Zeraven of aqua-farming equipment, and, to make things even better, they delivered! That was nice. Kyle wrote down price estimates along with the gear.
After returning home, Sophie had set to sculpting, and Kyle had done a few watercolors. After that, Sophie decided to take a nap, while Kyle did a few things around the house. It also meant Josey was out of his hair, as Josey loved to nap with Sophie every chance she got. Taking a break from looking at aqua-farming gear, Kyle decided to bring up Reinhardt's files and have a look at what the not-so-good doctor had recorded about Sophie. There was tons and tons of data. Terabytes and then some, of every kind of data imaginable. Cell cultures, samples of all kinds, charts of every sort. It would take him several months to read it all. He looked at the beginning files, and noted the date. He read the date next to when they removed Sophie from him, and then looked at the current date in the bottom corner of the screen. He blinked, double-checked, and a grin came to his face.
Kyle was busy on the PDA when Sophie came downstairs, Josey in her arms. She felt refreshed after a nap. While her kind were naturally nocturnal, they were perfectly capable of functioning in the day. That being said, she did like now and then to have a nap, especially when it was bright or hot out. Hey, beautiful, Kyle greeted. Sophie purred as she hugged him, her mind connecting with his, tender and warm thoughts flowing into his mind. "Been productive today. I got a hold of someone in Zeraven, and they sell all the gear we need for the aqua-farm. And their prices aren't too bad, either." Sophie trilled at this.
That's good. We will need cages and racks and things for prawns and clams. Kyle gave a positive.
"So, I thought we'd go into town and get some of the beginning gear, so we can get a start on it." Sophie gave a positive, grabbing her burnoose and some greens for Josey.
XXX
The weather was nice in Zeraven when they got there. There was a lovely breeze from the west, which cooled things off nicely. Also, being near the ocean, it made it even nicer. Fluffy clouds drifted, and there was a hint of the smell of rain in the air, carried on the winds.
The aqua-farming shop was well-stocked with everything they needed, and the staff were very polite and helpful. A kind Naltharian helped them pick out some nice clam racks and cages for prawns that not only were affordable, but folded up for easy transport. Kyle thought it was best to start off small with smaller cages and things until they got the hang of it and the lagoon fully set up. Sophie agreed. As they were leaving the shop, Kyle looked at his list and turned to her. "Sophie, I have some things I need to pick up. You go back to the ship with the gear. I'll meet you there." Sophie was surprised.
Now, with the Bond, it was nearly impossible to truly hide things or keep secrets, but she felt Kyle's mind, and he had something good in mind, and wanted to surprise her. Knowing this, she gave a positive and left it at that.
Just stay safe and come back as soon as you can, she replied. Kyle hugged her and set off for a certain shop.
Kyle returned a while later with two packages wrapped up. His mind was filled with mirth. Sophie knew she would like whatever he had planned, so focused on getting things ready for when they got home. Once back at their island, Kyle parked the Talon inside the spire, and Sophie helped him carry the racks and cages down to the lagoon and set them up. Since they just unfolded and snapped into place, it was very easy, and with Sophie's strength, they didn't need to make more than three trips to the ship. In pretty much no time, they had the cages unfolded and ready to be loaded. They left them on the lagoon shore for now. Same with the clam racks. The pens for the Albarr needed to be set into the sand in the bottom of the lagoon, so those had to wait until they really were ready. With that all done, they headed back to their house for a break, and a nice lunch.
XXX
Back at home, Kyle set to cooking while Sophie fed Josey and did a few other things. When he was sure she was in their room, he ran to get his surprises, giggling. When Sophie returned, she was surprised when Kyle had not only a nice, big pot of his bisque she loved, he had a cake with a candle on it. "Happy Birthday, Sophie!" Sophie trilled and tilted her head.
"Birthday"? she asked. Kyle grinned as he showed her it was a day to celebrate the day a person was born.
"This is the day, one year ago, that you were removed from me, so it's your birthday!" Kyle directed her to sit down, and showed her the human tradition of blowing out a candle to make a wish. Sophie purred, amused as she blew the single candle out. "Yay! Sophie gets her wish, Josey!" The rabbit was wearing a small party hat, and looked like she wanted to murder Kyle on the spot.
The bisque was wonderful. After that, the cake was delightful. A lemon cake with lemon jelly in the middle, and it was delicious. Shiloh had really outdone herself with it. Last, but far from least, was her present. Kyle grinned as he handed it to her. Sophie purred as she carefully pulled the ribbon and opened the box.
Oh, Kyle. It's beautiful . . . Inside was a lantern, but not any normal kind.
The shade and sides were stained glass, but the "glass" was amber and blue scent stones. Sophie was amused when she saw they depicted rabbits. Kyle brought out a match and lit the oil wick. The lovely floral scent soon filled their living room, and it was lovely. Sophie purred as she hugged him. Kyle, thank you so much. It's lovely. Kyle hugged her back, kissing her on the cheek.
"I'm glad, Sophie. You're the most important person in my life. I love you with every fiber of my being." She purred as she cuddled him, her happiness freely flowing into his mind like warm water.
And I love you, Kyle. I am so glad you are my Bonded One.
"So am I, Sophie." She began to thrum as she rocked him in her arms. Kyle felt her thoughts and feelings become warmer and sultry as she pulled back and kissed him on the lips. Sophie stood up, arms and tail wrapped around Kyle as the headed for the bedroom.
XXX
That evening, Sophie sat up in their bed, reading some files on the PDA as Kyle peacefully slumbered next to her. She softly ran her fingers over his soft hair, purring as she felt his sleeping mind. A soft breeze blew from their window, caressing his hair and gently blowing the silk curtains for their bed.
Sophie was looking at the human celebrations of birthdays. Such a strange, but nice celebration. To her, it was celebrating the existence of a loved one, a way of saying "I cherish the day you entered the world". She smiled and purred. She would have to do the same for Kyle when his birthday came. She turned the PDA off, snuggled down and kissed Kyle on the cheek as he snuggled close, his bare skin pressed against hers. Her strong, dark arms enfolded him in her loving embrace, her tail laying over his shoulder and caressing him. Her mind connected with his, drifting off to sleep with him safe in her arms, both physical and mental.
Author's note: Today marks seven years since I first published Astral Link. I can hardly believe it's been that long! I also realized this would be Sophie's birthday! So, I wrote this up for Kyle's special lady.
June 16th makes her a Gemini, on the cusp of Cancer. How very fitting.
As always read, review and enjoy!