It’s nice flooring—shiny like polished marble. The kitchen that I’ve walked into is remarkably clean and in decent condition. There’s a hole over the island with roots creeping across the ceiling, and the chandelier that had once been there is lying across the island and surrounding floor, shattered. Otherwise, the room is largely intact.
Weird, though. Wouldn’t animals have scavenged the cabinets and fridge for food once the humans left? There’s no sign of that at all.
I turn toward the window and look outside. I can’t see Rainer, which makes me uncomfortable. This house is giving off some strange signs. Instead of exploring the inside further, I hurry back out to find my human.
He’s right where I left him, sitting in front of a fire that he’s built with Kaida at his side. Rainer’s arm is wrapped around her, the other rubbing his ankle. Yep, we’re stopping at Base 6.
Rainer looks up as I approach. “What did you find?”
I glance back with a frown. “I’m not sure.” He gives me an amused expression. “Besides the flora overtaking the house, it’s strangely clean and solid. There’s no sign of scavengers or even squatters.”
“You think we should go somewhere else?” he asks.
Kaida looks up at me with her bright blue eyes, and I shake my head. “She’s completely relaxed,” I say, gesturing to her. “If there was something here we should be concerned with, Kaida wouldn’t be comfortably sitting here.”
I take a seat on Rainer’s other side and admire the fire he’s built. It’s not cold by any means, but fires are another line of protection. Not many beasts or animals will willingly approach one.
“Maybe we’ll stay here for a day or two,” I say, glancing at Rainer to gauge his reaction. “Then stop at Base 6 to have your ankle looked at.”
His hand immediately comes off his ankle. “I’m fine.”
“Are you on a deadline to reach the pod?”
He rolls his eyes, but I don’t miss the hint of a smile on his lips. “No. I’m just saying that we don’t need to go out of the way. I really am fine.”
I’m not going to argue about him being fine. I’ll choose to skip that for now. “We’re not on a set path. For now, we’re heading north, though we might want to reconsider this venture and hold off until the spring. It’s going to start getting nasty the further north we head.”
Rainer shrugs. “I’ve lived through the icy winters for years. It’s fine.”
“But I enjoy the sun,” I say. “I’m also going to point out that humans are at a disadvantage in the winter because they aren’t built for that weather. Monsters, for the most part, are pretty immune to temperatures.”
“You’re able to thermoregulate like reptiles?”
I huff. “No.” I don’t expand on that because I’m unsure of the reason temperatures don’t readily affect monsters like they do humans. “I don’t have an explanation as to why. We’re going to have to call it monster magic.”
He snorts.
Leaning forward, I look at Kaida. “Want to see if we can learn something new about you?” I ask the lut.
There’s no doubt that she knows exactly what I’m saying. Her head tilts as she considers me before she gets up and sits in front of me, looking up expectantly.
“I’m not promising anything,” I tell her, “but I have a feeling you’re capable of things that you don’t know how to access.”
She opens her mouth and sticks her tongue out, choosing to breathe like that in answer. Beside me, Rainer laughs quietly.
I hold my hand out. “Can I touch you, Kaida?”
She inclines her head, though her eyes remain locked on mine.
Scooching myself forward, I feel around her neck. Sure enough, there are interesting folds and ridges that follow its length. “Feel this?” I ask her, receiving no answer. “I think these are for display. You can probably fan them out.”
I bring my hands toward my neck then flare them outward.
“What’s the point of that?” Rainer asks.
“Intimidation tactic. Animals with fans like that use them to look bigger than they are as a deterrent for larger animals who think they’re prey.”
“Huh.”
