“I think he likes it,” Gragrowl said. “And you should have told me he was your mate! That is amazing and wonderful! I would have only charged you four chits and 2 bits in honor of your mating.”
“I need to get him to understand,” I confided.
She snorted, moving her hips suggestively. “Some things you don’t need words for.”
“I wish him to understand what it would mean. That it’s not a dalliance.”
She nodded. “Fair point. Tell your mate I send greetings and congratulations on your new grandkit.”
“I will,” she promised.
I grasped Rah-bee’s elbow, and he let me guide him out of the shop.
“Whehr we goheng?”
I figured out easily enough that he wanted to know where I was taking us next.
“Chief Ghrisk,” I replied simply.
”Cheef Grehessk,” he parroted back.
“Yes,” I replied, nodding.
”Oh kay.” He trotted along happily at my side, his primer in one hand, his eyes darting about, drinking in the sights about us in obvious delight.
Now if only the chief proved to be as happy.
17
ROBBIE
Every time I thought I had a handle on this world and their civilization, something else surprised me. Given the medieval feel of the village, them having scrolls did not surprise me, not much anyway. But books? Perfectly bound, honest to god printed by some kind of press, books? Yeah, okay, that totally did. I mean, come on! Holy Gutenberg, Batman!
The book he’d obviously purchased and gifted to me was most definitely some kind of book for kids. It had pictures with words under them, after a two page spread of what must be their version of an alphabet. At least that's what I both hoped and feared it was. Hoped because if I could learn it, I could learn the names of the things in that book and really dig into being able to speak with Gree-Gree and even others. Feared because, yikes, there were way more than twenty-six. Easily double that, in fact, and they looked pretty complicated, unlike the Western alphabet and more like a cross between Japanese kanji and Korean Hangul. It was definitely going to take me a long while to get through those first two pages.
“Gree-Gree!” a voice boomed out.
Gree-Gree stopped in his tracks, pulling me towards him, tucking me in against his side as if protecting me from a threat.
A male even larger than Gree-Gree hurried over. He seemed almost familiar. Had I met him that first day? It was all hazy in my mind, everything from the moment we first arrived at the cave entrance onwards a blur except for Gree–Gree and the doctor and Gree-Gree’s house and falling asleep after that tasteless broth.
Gree-Gree and the newcomer spoke in urgent tones to each other. Other than pulling me against him, he wasn’t showing a defensive posture. Oh! Not to defend me, I realized. More like staking his territory. I leaned into him, sliding my arm around his waist.
Gree-Gree glanced down at me in surprise, a soft smile tugging his lips, before returning to his conversation with the other male, who looked at us speculatively. He tilted his head, eyes narrowed, then uttered something that sounded like a question.
Gree-Gree gave him a curt nod, then rattled off a bunch of words really fast.The other male, pursed his lips, then grinned, clapping Gree-Gree on his other shoulder before saying something else. Gree-Gree relaxed and nodded again, but before he could say anything else, the other male’s expression sobered and he said something else before departing. Gree-Gree sighed and placed a free hand at the small of my back, urging me to go wherever it was he was leading me now. I was hopelessly lost now anyway, with no idea how to get back to what I now thought of as our house. This wasn’t a small village by any means - it was much larger than I would have thought possible. Just how large was this mountain and how did such large hollows form within? Had someone made them? My mind reeled with all the questions I longed to ask but no way to get them across. We came to a stop and I blinked as my memory suddenly decided to play ball, telling me this was the clinic I was first brought to. Gree-Gree opened the door and led me inside.
Why was I here? Did that guy order him to bring me in for a check up or something? I felt absolutely fine. A bit hazy about the events after having walked in all that snow and all, but as just now proved, it was all in there. It just needed a reason to come on out. Besides, I remembered all the important stuff, which was all that mattered. Right? Most definitely, I reassured myself.
“Gree-Gree! Morhat narg hiltu,” the doc who’d treated me said, turning to greet us.
“Kargit Grishk naralharg,” Gree-Gree replied.
The doc smiled and made a beckoning gesture for us to follow him into a back room. I’d expected another examination room, but found a small ward instead with beds filled with some very familiar faces.
“Oh my God!” Beth shouted. “He made it! We thought you’d died!”
“Fuckin’ a, man, it’s great to see you. How come they’re not keeping you here?” Patrick exclaimed, staring at me in surprise.
