I don't know what she yells to him, her voice sounding like an odd mix of breathy whistles across the roof of her mouth and intermittent deep clicks.
Like most languages, it has its own beauty.
Here it could prove to be a deadly call and so I cage her against the trunk of the tree and tuck in all of my more vulnerable parts.
She grunts and tries to push me away, but I don't move.
I avoid speaking with her so she won't be tempted to switch between languages, but a low growl lets her know anything that needs to be said.
She snaps her teeth at me, but stops trying to wriggle out.
The forest is completely silent.
Ree waits a few more moments and then calls out again, this time speaking for much longer.
While she does, I consider how short-sighted it was for me to never get my own translation nanites. Aside from there being no reason to, of course, since I never joined the Thorisian Sentinels.
It doesn't surprise me when we eventually hear a muted response, though from a different location. I adjust my body to compensate for the different angle.
My Ree could probably talk anyone into anything. I move a hand to pat her hip, hopefully communicating some of my pride.
They speak back and forth for several long minutes, then she talks with me again.
"His name is Kuret. He agreed we could come closer, but not too close. And if we try anything he said he'll kill us."
"Let's just leave. Or you can speak to him from here."
"I need to see him and interact for a while, Thivoll. I can't just tell him about the other women without at least checking if he will be civil with us."
"He just said he'd kill us."
"Wouldn't you say the same thing?"
I growl at her and her Thela-cursed point. "Alright, but you stay behind me. Will you do that?"
Her lips twitch to the side.
It's nothing like hersmile, so I don't know what it means.
Who knew lips could move so many directions and communicate so many things? It would be far more interesting if we were settled at a resort with a giant nest and all the time we wanted to figure out what every twitch meant.
Right now it just heightens my anxiety wondering if it means she is about to do something inadvisable.
"I'll stay behind you."
Some of the tension eases.
"At least until it seems safe."
And comes right back.
I'm growling as we descend and make our way closer, but I do as I'm asked. The male . . . Kuret, rather, has some fear mixed in with his caustic anger. That alone makes me feel better.
Whatever she told him it was more than verbalteddy bearing.
I glance back to ensure the bulk of my body blocks her and pad closer to where he is crouched behind the trunk of a tree, just the crown of his head and one eye peeking out. It's bright green and currently narrowed to a small slit.
Long black braids of coarse mane dangle down from a broad skull and I can make out one vaguely humanlike ear, but with three sharp points rising in an arc along the top and back of it.
