First and foremost, I needed to do whatever she asked of me to help clear up any confusion she had. If it meant searching every blade of grass and under every leaf, I would gladly do it without complaint.
Fortunately, I was able to enlist the help of my hometree and our surrounding plants. If there was something foreign on our land, they would know and would tell me without hesitation.
A low rumble rolled from deep within Viola’s chest, vibrating my vines.
My ears perked up in alarm, tilting toward the source, and I quickly retracted my vines from the noise. She took her hand off my communicator and creased her brow as she looked at the space between us.
“I’m sorry,” I spluttered as I placed her gently on the floor and backed away from her, hands and vines raised in surrender. “I had no intention of upsetting you in any way.”
“What are you talking about?” She clutched the edges of her leafy robe, which I’d craftedto cover her fleshy mounds. She swiftly tied the twisted vine rope, securing it in place. “You haven’t done anything wrong,apart fromyour vines may be a little too handsy.”
“Handsy?” I shifted my gaze to my hands and flipped them, unable to determine how they compared to my vines. “You aren’t upset with me?”
“It means touchy-feely. In other words, they were a little friendlier than I’m used to for just meeting someone.” She folded her arms in front of her waist, holding her stomach as she stared at me, her face flushed with confusion. “But that doesn’t explain why I would beangry with you.”
“You growled at me.” I lowered my hands and tilted my head,studyingher. “Regardless of our species’ differences, I know that when a female is angry, I must stop or else face their wrath.”
“I didn’t growl at you,” she insisted, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s my body telling me I’m out of food... I’m hungry.”
“Your body has a natural instinct to express its anger?”
My vines sprang into action, forming an arch with their tips on display for ourluwaerito pick. My fists tightened at the thought of having failed her basic needs and that her body had to express its displeasure with its treatment.
“You can say that…” She bit her bottom lip, her worried gaze darting between my vine display. “I assumed it was something every living creature did.”
“Not mine,” I grumbled, shaking my head and taking a step closer. “If you require sustenance, I can provide you with whatever you require. You only need to choose one of my feeder vines to feed from.”
Her head snapped in my direction. “What do you mean?”
“You’re myluwaeri.”
“I believe we’ve established that.”
“It is my responsibility to care for you.” I studied her reaction as I explained the significance of the fact. “My body was developed to provide you with everything you need. That means I can provide you with all of the nutrients you require by feeding you nectar from my four feeder vines from the comfort of your own bed.”
“Are you saying you want me to feed from you—to drink from you?” Her face darkened once more, like the first morning sky, as she covered her mouth with her hand. “Is this some kind of sex joke?”
“Procreation is never a laughing matter.” I frowned, puzzled as to why she was reacting so strongly to something that happens naturally. “Even though it is not uncommon for mates to feed each other nectar whenever their partner requires an energy boost during their long sessions.”
“You’re not serious.” Her darkened gaze locked onto my four feeding tips as they approached her face, willingly offering themselves to her. “How am I supposed to do this? Am I supposed to eat them?”
“That’s absolutely absurd.” I flinched at the prospect of being chewed to death by her bluntteeth, hoping she was joking. “You’re supposed to bring its endto your mouth and drink my nutritional nectar straight from the source.”
“Are you saying I can drink from any—and all—of your vines with bell-shaped ends?” She grimaced and reached for the nearest vine, pausing for a moment before gently wrapping her hand around it. “Do I simply put it over my mouth?”
“If you had vines, you could use your suckers or dippers to harvest as much nectar as you need from my feeders,” I explained, closing my eyes and clenching my fists to keep my body from shivering from the soft feeling of her palm wrapped around the stalk of my vine. “I promise you, my body has never betrayed me and it will not now. Whatever I’ve produced is for your body and yours only, until we havetserwa.”
“It’s not like I have any other options right now,” she sighed, her tone almost defeated, as she tightened her grip on her chosen stalk and pulled it closer. “I doubt you kill anything to eat, and it doesn’t sound like you gather fruits, nuts, and vegetables from everything you’ve described. Your species appears to be practicing an extreme form of veganism.”
“We have no need for meat,” I corrected, opening my eyes to discover Viola’s mouth hovering and her hands almost touching the tip of the vine. “That is, our bodies are capable of digesting it, but the amount of time and energy required to do so is not beneficial. We leave everything grown by our land’s plants to forge, only intervening to prevent a specific species from becoming extinct.
“Our bodies are still self-sufficient, and we can gather energy from the sun through photosynthesis, which is why those who have traveled off planet can adapt on their own.
“As a result, we are the ideal guardians for our hometrees and the land they cover. They provide our bodies with anything we may lack as part of our unique bond with them in exchange for our care and protection.”
“That sounds extremely convenient. Not having to consume any substance in order to survive.” Viola held the feeder up to her nose and looked at me skeptically. “Are you saying that the only thing you have for me to drink is nectar from your...”
“Feeder,” I replied, nodding. “That is, until I am able to gather edibles deemed fit for yourconsumption by our hometree. Our hometree will be able to store and retrieve information for you from its matrix.”
