Vurhg looked to me sharply. “NO!” he burst out.
“Candy-ass trick Vurhg,” Berkr taunted from his prone position on the ground. He must have woken up at some point and chose to continue tormenting Vurhg.
“No!” Vurhg insisted.
Berkr sat up, refusing any help. His smile was mean, all teeth as he met Vurhg’s gaze. “Candy-ass leave Vurhg. Go home back on Urf. Find Purred-roo males, but maybe she stay…?”
“No.” Vurhg shook his head as he began to back up, out of the circle of males surrounding them. “No. Berkr no tell truth. Berkr bad male. Berkr lie.”
“When Berkr lie?” Berkr shot back.
Baring his teeth at Berkr with a snarl Vurhg accused, “When Berkr kiss Canny but tell her not mates!”
Berkr blanched as if Vurhg had just smacked him upside the head with the heavy wok that was still in my hand.
Kehls’ hand came down to close over my fingers on the handle of the wok like he was worried I might decide it was bashing time again.
“Berkr lies!” Vurhg’s voice sounded funny, like his words were garbled out between the beginning of tears. Before I could inspect the male’s face for tell-tale tear tracks, he took off.
Celuk groaned, scrubbing at his eyes.
“We have to search for them,” I muttered. I was already coming up with a plan. Celuk could draw maps out and-
“Not Purr-roo,” Celuk rumbled.
“Why the fuck not?” I growled, which made Celuk grin. It was no surprise there— his Joanie was the sass queen supreme. He enjoyed the company of feisty women.
Sobering, he rumbled out softly with a look between Kehl and me. “Purr-roo has babies. Not safe. Dang’rous.”
He had a point but UGH.
“It’s my fault she’s out there,” I burst out.
Celuk shook his head. “Dace choose go. Dace choice. Like Buu say, Dace stronger than think.”
“But she could die!” I was not happy about this, about any of it.
“Kehl help look,” my mate-husband offered.
And lose him too?!
Celuk must have easily read the panic on my face and shook his head. “Kehl go Celuk. Hunters go, look for Dace and Maroumak. We bring back, all safe.”
Holding my pinky finger out, I glared at the male. “Swear it.”
Celuk gamely shook pinkies on it with me, and then the real planning began.
Before next light, plans were all set. Everyone pitched in gathering emergency supplies for this unplanned expedition. If all went well, they’d be ready to go by tomorrow.
Kehl’s place had enough space we offered it up to store supplies in one central area. Kehl’s looms were all pushed to one wall, the open space full of everything from water to dried meat anyone had to spare.
“Vurhg leave!” Berkr burst into our place yet again.
Celuk glanced up sharply from the map he was going over with Jehkal. “Leave where?”
“Where think?” Berkr snapped.
Celuk growled a string of words in growl-speak under his breath that I understood so little of I took to be obscenities. I’d have to ask Kehl about it later.
