Honestly, that’s the thing Wayne and I liked best about this spot. While it’s still within the boundaries of a national park, it’s at the edge, and most people rarely make the hours-long drive on the rough two-lane“road”out to this remote camping area.
Glancing around, I force myself to pay attention to my surroundings. Wayne made me promise to live life to the fullest and not retreat like the introvert that I am. So, I’m here, in the great outdoors, living life. Even though it hurts to be here alone.
Sunlight filters through the trees, casting a dappled pattern across the forest floor as it dances through the leaves. A gentlebreeze tugs at the loose curls that have escaped my braid, and I tuck them behind my ear without thinking. I make it all the way to the berry patch without that familiar, hair-raising sensation—much to my relief.
Smiling at the full bushes scattered around me, it doesn’t take long to fill my basket to the brim with ripe berries, snacking on a few here and there as I work. Stepping back, I make my way around the bountiful plants towards a meadow I noticed as I entered the area. It lies past the berry bushes at the edge of the forest, and there should still be some wildflowers left. I’ve always been a sucker for freshly picked flowers, and Wayne spoiled me from our first date until he got too weak to pick them himself. At the end, his best friend did it for him, so I had fresh flowers every few days. It’s thelittle thingsin life that make it worth living, and I refuse to let something so precious go.
A riot of colors explodes across the open expanse in front of me, the flatness is only broken by a small rise to my left, the curve of the land seamlessly sliding into the tree line. Surveying the area, I decided that the best selection of flowers is at the crest of the little knoll to my left, and I head that direction, stopping periodically to pick some of the more vibrant flowers along the way. Humming softly to myself, I reach the top of the grassy knoll and freeze as trepidation slides down my spine. My body heats like fire is licking my skin, before going cold as ice—my gaze landing on what the hill hid from my initial line of sight.
Glancing over my shoulder, I realize that in my distraction, I’ve strayed entirely too far from where I entered the meadow. I must be at least three-quarters of the way across it. Turning my head back to face the threat in front of me, not daring to breathe, I take a hesitant step back from the massive boar grizzly feasting on a fresh elk carcass. Thankfully, the bear’s rump is to me, and I’m downwind, so he’s yet to notice my presence. My hands are shaking with nerves as I slowly take another step backwards. I’mgrateful the soft ground and vegetation are masking the sounds of my boots landing against the earth.
The top of my head is almost out of view when a soft breeze picks up, the air current shifting where it’s pushing my scent straight to the bear in front of me. My heart sinks when the boar pauses in his feast and his head lifts, scenting the air. Grizzlies have one of the most sensitive senses of smell in the entire animal kingdom, and they’re also extremely territorial over their kills. His head jerks to the side, his nose quivering in the air, its semi-prehensile lips peel back from an impressive set of teeth, as a terrifying snarl rumbles from his chest, and his head turns. Golden eyes land on me, and he shifts his impressive bulk around before standing on his hind feet in an impressive display of dominance—an ear-shattering roar piercing the quiet of the meadow.
My hand drops to the loaded Smith & Wesson Model 500 at my belt. Even with what is essentially a hand cannon, I’m not sure I have enough gun to make it through this little“too stupid to live moment.”Regretfully, the lack of bear signs has made me slightly complacent, and my mace is back at camp. Cursing my idiocy, I take another cautious step away from the boar, hoping he’ll see me leaving and decide that his elk isn’t worth abandoning to attack me. That hope is dashed when he lands on all fours with a thunderous boom and picks up a lope, headed directly at me. Terror slices through me, and I freeze. I know I can’t outrun a bear, so I drop my basket, the berries spilling across the ground in front of me as I draw my pistol from my side.
My life flashes before my eyes as I take aim and brace myself for what’s about to happen.
I’m sorry, Wayne.
Chapter 4
Aercek
Growling in frustration, I glare over at Ahstahl, where he runs next to me. Both of us are desperately scenting the air, trying to locate our mate. To date, she hasn’t left her campsite this early in the day, so we were under the impression we had time to go back to the ship to cleanse ourselves. One cannot make a good first impression if one has a foul odor lingering about, and after several days of sleeping in the woods, both of us were ripe. Just because we look like beasts compared to some of the other species we ally with, doesn’t mean we behave like them.
There is no way we took longer than a span to run there, perform our ablutions, and run back. Ahstahl and I both thoroughly scouted the area before leaving, ensuring Keelie would be safe during our absence. Ahstahl declared this morning that today was the day we were to introduce ourselves to her, most likely a decision he made in response to my growing impatience.
I do not care for this planet at all.
Once we returned to her camp, we instantly discovered her absence. However, it’s hard to know which direction shewent since her scent permeates the area, a result of her many meandering strolls through the forest.
Foolish female.
She has no idea how many bears and wolves Aercek and I have had to chase off—drawn in by the tempting scents of her cooking and the vulnerable warmth of her presence drifting through the forest. The inviting curve of her bountiful behind is going to meet with the flat of my hand when I finally get my claws on her. A piercing roar sounds in the distance, closely followed by the report of a weapon.
Leaves and dirt fly into the air when my talons grab hold of the ground, and I skid to a halt. Looking over at Ahstahl, I see his face is full of the same concern I feel. Somehow, we both know that our mate has managed to find a predator, which means she’s outside her normal roaming area. Jolting into motion, we race towards the sound. The surrounding trees are a blur as we push ourselves. Terror lashes me with every beat of my hearts.
I’ve yet to even meet my mate. Surely the gods wouldn’t be so cruel as to take her from us before we even get the chance to introduce ourselves.
Please don’t do this to me again. I won’t survive it.
Dissatisfied with my speed on two legs, I dropped to all fours, using my wings to propel myself forward at a dangerous clip, blatantly ignoring Ahstahl’s cautionary chuff. One slight miscalculation would hang a wing on a tree and break it. Without the advanced med-i-pod on the ship, my wing would heal poorly, and I would have to suffer through the re-breaking process. To our surprise, our fellow hunters told us they wouldn’t leave without us, not on this backwater planet, even though Ahstahl and I both expected them to depart for home as soon as the cryofreezer was full. Thankfully, we’ve only been here a short time, and the icy storage room still has plenty of space to fill before it’s at capacity.
However, none of these thoughts concerns me right now.
What is a wing if I lost the being the gods had created just for me? I would rather be crippled and have her whole instead of being hale, yet alone for the rest of my days.
Following the series of disturbing sounds, I burst from the tree line, entering an open expanse of land covered in a riot of brilliantly colored flowers. Pausing for a moment, I allow my eyes to adjust from the gloom of the canopy cover to the brightness of the open area we’ve entered. My eyes dart around desperately, looking for the source of the heinous sounds Ahstahl and I can hear echoing off the mountains. Both of us have our noses lifted and tongues out, using every sense we have to locate our mate. Just then, movement across the meadow catches my attention as a pale form flies through the air.
KEELIE!
Her small body lands on the ground in a heap, closely followed by a dark, lumbering shape. Lunging forward, I cross the clearing in an instant, barreling towards the enraged animal toying with my mate. What can only be abearhas slapped my mate around several times in the moments it's taken me to get to her. Large claws swipe at her, narrowly avoiding her blue trousers as she yanks her leg to the side, the bear roaring with bloodstained, razor-sharp teeth.
Terror flays me when I realize how close Ahstahl and I have come to losing her. Extending my talons, I sink them into the large hump on the bear’s back and use my momentum to yank it away from her. A pained bellow escapes the beast, and it flings me off its back with a powerful shrug. Out of the corner of my eye, I see myfrater vinculumscoop our shell-shocked female off the group and carry her a safe distance away, leaving me to deal with the threat as I see fit. Focusing on the bear, I roar a challenge. Raising on its hind legs, the bear accepts, with a bellow of its own. It won’t tolerate another dominant creaturethat it perceives as a rival within its territory. Wincing internally, I realize that on its hind legs, the bear is just as tall as I am, but far wider.
Almost in unison, the bear and I launch towards one another. The sound of our bodies colliding resonates across the clearing, causing birds to take flight from their perches on nearby trees. Every fighting technique I’ve honed over the seasons as a warrior flees from my mind as my baser nature takes over. Keeping my wings next to my body to keep them safe, the bear and I trade blow after blow. Its thick fur protects it from the worst of my slashing talons and razor-sharp teeth, whereas my scales, even the ones under the furred places of my hide, protect me from its deadly six-inch claws.
The bear and I seem evenly matched, and neither of us will win at this rate. With a heave, I shoved the beast off of me and click the firestone at the back of my throat. Taking a deep breath, I open my mouth and allow a small, but blistering stream of fire to lash across the broadside of the bear before me. Setting the forest on fire isn’t something I want to risk, so I can’t let a full conflagration out. Howling in pain, the bear spins in circles, biting at its singed side. Its cry is music to my ears, but my tactic seems to have had the opposite effect. If anything, the beast is more enraged now than it was previously. Instead of fleeing, it doubles down on attacking me.
