“I agree,” Fatima added. “Our eyes might be purple but so is everything else on this planet and everything is thriving.”
“My veins are purple too!” Ashley exclaimed.
We all rushed over to her outstretched arm and, sure enough, the prominent veins below her wrists were purple instead of blue.
“Interesting,” Anusha said to herself.
A roar in the distance pulled my attention away from Ashley’s wrist. “We should drink some more water and then head back to the den.”
The sun was starting to set, and it would be safer to theorize about the strange water and its effects in the safety of the den then out here in the open.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Julie said as she panned our surroundings.
We drank more of the purple water and headed back.
Chapter 5
Tarak
Night had fallen and neither Orsu or I had found the females we scented or the object that made that mysterious burning smell. Both scents had grown stronger though so we must be getting close.
Orsu rubbed a fist over his chest and I knew why. That same hollow sensation I’d felt earlier had grown stronger. The feeling that I’d lost something important had grown so intense that I was afraid I might go crazy if I focused on it too much.
“This way,” Orsu growled. It was strange to see the jovial hunter act so serious. It wasn’t like him at all.
We veered in the direction he indicated and Orsu took off in a run.
“Orsu! We must be quiet and cautious,” I warned him and he slowed down to a jog. His back shivered in irritation as if he were fighting his beast for control.
We continued our slow jog under the light of the big moon that would be full in a few rotations.
I thought Orsu had taken control over his beast but then he unexpectedly and without warning took off in a sprint.
“Orsu! Slow down!” I commanded.
“No!” He bared his teeth at me as he growled the word.
“Orsu!” I yelled, but the male continued onward. He dropped onto all fours, making it impossible for me to keep up with him.
“I’m close now. I can feel it!” he called out over his shoulder.
“Close to what?” Did he have an explanation for this mysterious feeling that we’d been afflicted with?
“I don’t know, I just know I have to find it, whatever it is.” That was the last thing he said before he became a speck in the distance. I fought to catch up to him. Whatever it was, I would not let him face it alone.
Gabby
We arrived back at the den to find it was still empty. A part of me was relieved that we still had the den to ourselves, but another part of me feared that we’d only delayed the inevitable. Sooner or later the owner of this den was going to come back and they were either going to be pissed to find us here, or be hospitable and treat us as guests in their home. I hated not knowing which it would be.
“This is so strange. I still feel more energized than I normally do,” Hai remarked as she looked over her arms and legs as if she had taken over a stranger’s body. “Usually after this much exertion I’d need to lay in bed for days.”
“It is strange, but at least all the side effects from the water have been positive so far,” Anusha commented.
I looked around the cool dark room at all eleven women, including myself. Why had we been chosen? What made us a better target than the billions of other women on earth? Were we all from the same city? Was there some other commonality among us? Come to think of it, we haven’t had any official introductions yet. Maybe learning more information about each other would shed some light on our mysterious abduction.
“I think we should do a round of introductions before we fall asleep for the night,” I announced.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Fatima agreed.
