Scarlett teetered on unsteady legs, lurching from side to side as she tried to rise.
“Phrull,” Ransom muttered.“You should move.We can’t camp here, but we’ll find a spot and stop early for this cycle.Can you carry the kid?”He lifted the child off his shoulder and approached Scarlett.“Let’s see if he can cling to your back.”
To Scarlett’s surprise, the Trolleris child clung fast and didn’t wriggle or slide off.Now, if only she could walk straight and keep herself upright.
Ransom dressed and picked up the two packs, his gaze on Scarlett and the child.Her gait wobbled at first, but she seemed to regain her strength.Not that his worry ceased.He could love this woman with her sassy tongue and energetic viewpoints.Grata, he was halfway in love with her already, although they had no future.
A feline shifter.
That answered a few of his questions.
Prince Kalim had sensed Scarlett’s presence yet had failed to forge a mental connection.All of his feline shifter friends appeared immune to the resonance, which made sense since the prince’s experts had designed their systems to enable them to feed on the planet’s residents.The known ones.He wasn’t sure how long the prince had slumbered, but the resonance had been present since before Ransom’s birth.
Ransom watched Scarlett.She didn’t look great.Somehow, he had to hide this from the prince and focus on the route ahead of them.And, given Scarlett’s unsteadiness, they might require an extra cycle for her to recuperate.
“Keep going along this track,” he said.“I’ll consult the map and catch up to you.”His heart ached at the slow, careful way she stepped, and guilt slid through him.He hadn’t reacted fast enough.By the time he’d realized her intentions, she’d been too close to the Trolleris creatures for him to use his flames.
Ransom pulled the map from a side pocket of his pack.He spread it out and studied the surrounding terrain.They were closer to the volcano, although none of the landmarks matched the prince’s descriptions.Ransom sighed and shoved the map away.He shrugged into his pack, then picked up Scarlett’s and draped a strap over one shoulder.
He soon caught up with Scarlett.At least the next part of their journey was down then around the base of the volcano.From where they walked, Ransom caught glimpses of the valley below.There were a few gnarled trees and more greenery than in the valley where the Trolleris had built their village.
“Scarlett, can you make it under your own steam?”
She growled and kept trudging onward, so Ransom took that as a yes.Typically, by this time of the whitelight, he’d struggle and drag his feet.The Elevenoss potion and the prince backing off on feeding, plus his shift today, had left him stronger and more himself.This wouldn’t last.The princewouldfeed on him again and drain his energy reserves.
Ransom passed Scarlett with his longer strides.“Keep coming down the trail.I’ll find a campsite and return for you.You have to get better, Scarlett,” he added.“We’ll discuss lying and tricks played on innocent dragons.There might be spanking involved.”
She released a testy growl, and his grin grew wider once she couldn’t see his amusement.
The valley was green and peaceful, and even better, there was a hot pool, the water heated by the nearby volcano.He’d tested the temperature and found it safe for soaking tired, aching limbs.Ransom dropped the two packs in a sheltered clearing, set amongst trees.This blacklight, they’d have a fire since there was plentiful dried wood lying around.
Scarlett appeared just as he was about to go searching for her.That was one benefit of creatures who could shift.Their sense of smell was excellent, although his had failed him.He should’ve smelled Scarlett’s feline—her otherness—yet he hadn’t.A by-product of the prince’s feeding?He wasn’t certain, but it was an explanation.
“Let me take the kid.He’s probably hungry.”Ransom plucked the child off Scarlett.“It’s best if you remain in your feline form.There is a hot pool through the trees in that direction.It’s safe for you to bathe.Soak.I’ve heard the hot pools have healing powers.”
Scarlett grunted an acknowledgment.
“I’ll look at the bite once you shift.We have a basic first aid kit.”
She grunted again.
“Now, let’s find something for you to eat, little one,” he said.
Scarlett prowled toward him, her gait steadier than earlier, but her demeanor suggested the bite still bothered her.She rubbed her head against his legs.Unable to resist, Ransom trailed his fingers along her spine, testing the softness of her black fur.Silky.It reminded him of the drift of her hair across his skin.
Scarlett grunted for the third time and pulled from his touch.Like an elder, she dragged her body toward the pool.Ransom frowned, concerned at the careful placement of her feet and the faint limp.It was as if she had to concentrate on the mechanics of operating four legs.
Still grimacing, he opened his pack and rummaged through the contents.He found a tube of dry biscuits, opened it, and gave the child one.What type of food did the Trolleris species eat?Judging from the lack of vegetation in their valley, his best guess was meat.
The kid gripped the biscuit, and when Ransom mimed putting it in his mouth, the child followed suit.Ransom got a glimpse of sharp white teeth before he chomped down.He kept eating, so Ransom figured the biscuit worked.
Ransom picked up the little fellow, placed him on his shoulder, and started collecting wood.With the fire ready to light, Ransom gave the Trolleris another biscuit, and they both went to check on Scarlett.
He found her lolling in the water, still in her feline form.The Trolleris cooed and reached out his arms in clear demand.Ransom let the kid down, and the child scuttled into the water to get to Scarlett.
“He looks comfortable in the water.”Ransom sat on a rock and removed his footwear.He made quick work of his clothes, setting them in a neat pile by his boots.“We must give him a name.I’ve been calling him Kid.”
Ransom waded into the warm water and sat beside the child.“Is the bite still painful?”
