I propelled myself off the ground by extending my vines and gripping the dangling branch of the tree where the pafeldae carcass was still stuck. As I swung to the next one, I couldn’t help but smile. If I hadn’t been on this rescue mission, I would have spent my time scouting my land from above.
With each swing, we rose higher and higher until we could coast along the very bottom of the canopy. My rainbow-haired warrior would rub their face against my chest, their hands digging into my skin, breathing in my scent every time I reached for another swing and made the connection with the new branch.
It was as if they were subconsciously seeking comfort from me while deep in their slumber. Something I hadn’t had the opportunity to experience since I was younger, living within my origin’s hometree.
Knowing that seeking their bedmate for comfort was a common occurrence among many IPA species—done instinctually in their sleep——somehow made that deep inside feeling grow.
The only reason I hadn’t become concerned about what was going on—and whether my passenger was waking up—was that their breathing hadn’t changed since it stabilized.
This wasn’t the time to reflect on how this being was affecting me. It could have been because it was spring and my body craved another—to finally be complete. It was starting to show signs that it was time for us to look for a mate again.
Hopefully, this year, we wouldn’t fail.
A soft growl of frustration bubbled deep within my throat as I pressed my lips together to avoid startling my guest awake. I despised the way my body reacted this time of year, even though I was happy for my neighbors and the rest of the world to have found their other half—their fated mate, theirluwaeri.
Many others, however, were not so fortunate. They had given up on finding their cosmic gift from the Mother Tree, establishing the tradition of females choosing those who could provide for them and future families over those who were made for them.
It was the memory of being rejected by the unmated females repeatedly over the years that caused me to have doubts. It was a painful truth to accept: not only couldn’t I find myluwaeri, but I wasn’t good enough for a female to take a chance on me.
Would there ever be a female out there who thought my hometree was worthy of their touch and wanted to form an unbreakable bond with me?
I was starting to lose faith.
It was no surprise that disgruntled male Calyzis were abandoning their hometrees in search of a better life elsewhere. I couldn’t blame them. Every day, waking up in the hometree you’d spent your entire prime adult life perfecting, hoping that one spring, a female would accept it as their own and bond with you.
Who would want to be constantly reminded of their failures, especially when a male had reached the end of his prime years, for the rest of their lives?
Despite this, I refused to give up and believed that the Mother Tree would provide me with the perfect match.
As we neared the trunk of my hometree, my chest swelled with pride at its appearance. It took many years to carefully train the tree’s flora to be ready to put on display for eligible females looking to settle. Every year, I made it better than the last, hoping I was that much closer to finally being good enough.
The intruder’s rainbow strands of hair danced in the breeze, tickling my nose and teasing me with its distinct floral scent. They were clearly not from this planet, but something about them rekindled that feeling.
“At least I won’t have to explain myself to anyone when we get there,” I grumbled as I looked down at the rainbow-haired being in my arms. “I can’t wait to find out why you’re here.”
As we slowly descended toward the ground balcony, circling around my hometree’s trunk, I scanned the surrounding area for any predators, satisfied that none were seen. The local plants were quiet, which meant only one thing: nothing out of the ordinary was going on. They would have told me if there was, which meant we weren’t being followed, regardless of the trail of blood scent we’d left behind.
“Hold on tight.” I chuckled softly, knowing my words had reached slumbering ears. “I can do this in my sleep.”
My vine wrapped around the familiar hook on the branch directly above the balcony, securing us for the final swing, and glided toward the wooden platform.
My feet made contact, instinctively slowing down our momentum.
I pushed away the disappointment that I couldn’t have an excuse to smell their hair, knowing that it was irresponsible of me to become attached to this being from another world. I’d get them to tell me why they were here and how they got here after I installed a universal communicator behind their ear and the hometree healed them. Once I knew what they were up to, I’d decide what to do with them and whether I should turn them over to theEkoiskra.
Allow our planet’s warriors to deal with the intruder.
I sighed as my vines uncoiled around my spear and set it next to my weapons rack, turning my head away. I’d come back later, once everything was settled, to clean and polish it before storing it. There was no need to disrespect the kill or the weapon by putting it away so quickly.
Neither deserved to be forgotten, despite the fact that I had only arrived to deliver the killing blow.
Giving into my vines’ desires, I allowed them to wrap themselves around our rainbow-haired warrior so I could use my hands to merge with the hometree to allow us to enter and use the Giving Pool. My vines slowly traced along the top of my shoulders, using them as a way to hold the body close to mine.
I closed my eyes and pressed my hand against the bark beside the balcony’s entry, sending a telepathic greeting to my hometree. It welcomed me home, thanking me for investigating the intruder and protecting its land from the pafeldae.
“The intruder is the one responsible for slaying the pafeldae. I only arrived in time to finish it off. Unfortunately, they were injured in the process.”
“My child, bring them to my Giving Pool, and I’ll repay them.”
