Chapter 94: Packing
"A show?" I asked, not too sure what he was referring to. There was a grunt, and all of a sudden, I was being picked up, fur and all, and brought toward the clearing I had created with the Doomsday device.
"Show," came a growl, and I could feel myself being shifted until I was held with only one hand under my ass. Tucked between a rock-hard chest and something that I could only think to be a helmet-clad chin, I had absolutely no fear of falling.
An armor-clad hand gently gripped my chin like I was the most precious thing in the universe, and my head was tilted back until I was looking up at the night sky. What I saw absolutely blew my mind.
A moon or a planet hung so close to us that I could have sworn that if I had just reached out my hand, I could have touched it. In the distance, two smaller moons shone ever so dimly in the darkness of space. But even that was not able to hold my attention for long.
Between the low-hung planet and the two moons was a cluster of stars that looked similar to pictures of the milky way. Streaking through that were countless shooting stars. "We have a belief on Earth that if you wish upon a shooting star, then it will come true. Should I try it?" I whispered as I continued to stare off into space.
I had never felt so alone and yet so connected in my life. Maybe people were right when they talked about fate and destiny. On Earth, I was like a fish out of water, always trying to fit in but never succeeding. Here, here I felt like I had finally found where I was meant to be.
"Make wish," growled a low voice beside my ear. "I make true." I laughed softly under my breath, not wanting to hurt his feelings.
"If I tell you my wish, it won’t come true. It is one of the downsides to making a wish," I explained right before I closed my eyes and made a wish. But as to what exactly it was, well, that was between me and the universe. I watched the meteor shower until my eyes started to close. It had been a really long day, and tonight, I would sleep under the stars for the last time.
Tomorrow, I would be amongst them. And without my guardian angel.
I relaxed into the warm embrace, enjoying the softness of the furs, and let my breathing even out. I would worry about my unusual behavior later when I was all alone. For now, I allowed myself to sleep, knowing that there was no safer place to be.
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Au’dtair felt his pet start relaxing in his embrace as her breathing evened out as she fell into a deep sleep. He was surprised that she was able to do that. The amount of trust it would take to feel comfortable in the arms of someone she had never seen humbled him.
Maybe he proved to her that he knew how to take care of her. He provided her with warmth and food. Fuck, he forgot to hydrate her. But he was pretty sure that he did well with the physical contact that pets needed to feel safe and secure.
He was happy with his performance, and based on her reactions, he had a right to be.
However, he needed a way to get her all of the furs that she desired. He had hundreds on Vraev’ox’s ship, but he was not willing to take the risk of going to get them. He had a few at the camp here, mostly from prey that he had found on the planet, but he also had some from the ship in his tent.
Maybe those offerings would be enough until he had the ability to go out and hunt for more. But he also faced the problem that he didn’t want to go out and hunt, leaving his pet alone. That idea left his stomach in knots.
No, he would quickly go back to the camp, grab his stuff, and head back before the morning light came. And, if the Gods were on his side, Vraev’ox, Cruz’uts, and Tha’juen would be long gone.
He quickly went up into the tree and gently deposited his bundle into her sleeping cloth. He would have to find a different way for her to sleep at night. There was no way that something like this was safe for... her species. Whatever that happened to be.
Once he was assured that she would not go over the edge, he quickly ran back to his old camp to gather his supplies and kills. The others would know better than to touch them, that was for sure.
The Gods were not on his side. All three males were waiting for him in their camp when he arrived.
"You have returned," said Vraev’ox as he came closer to him. "And you have changed." Au’dtair only grunted, not bothering to reply.
"What is that scent?" demanded Tha’juen as he approached Au’dtair. "It smells..."
"Like nothing I had ever smelled before. Where is the prey? We will help you kill it," added Cruz’uts.
"You will do no such thing!" snarled Au’dtair as he spun on the other two males and grabbed them by their throats. "My prey!"
"Calm down, Au’dtair. Come back to the ship. It is clear that The Madness has a firm grip on you," said Vraev’ox, and Au’dtair flung the two other males away. Any other time, there would be no way that he would be able to do something like that, the three of them being on very much the same level when it came to strength.
But now, now he was angry. No one would touch his pet, let alone call her prey.
"I am fine," answered Au’dtair. "I have spoken to Ye’tab and have been brought up to date on the hunt. Once I am done with this, I will join you." He entered his tent and started packing all of his supplies, taking special care of the furs. If his pet wanted them, he would give her the best quality ones.
