"Drasuk, I know you don't want to talk about it, but I need to know. What else happened between you and him? Because I can't help but feel this goes beyond what you've mentioned. Help me understand. If we are going to continue traveling together, I don't want there to be any secrets between us."
I pause for effect. "I need answers," I push.
He sighs and looks away from me. I hear a few clicks leave him before he slowly turns his gaze back to me. "Alright, I'll tell you. But not here. We're out in the open. You may not have noticed, but I have. There is a severe storm coming. And judging by how fast it's moving, it will be over us very soon."
He stands up and reaches down with an offered hand. I grab it, and he helps me off the wet, gravelly ground as I brace myself for a lot of pain. Instead, there is just a dull ache. Odd, but I'll take it.
I guess when I think about it, there's been a repeated pattern of my pain levels diminishing when I calm down.
Should have learned more yoga, I guess.
I look up and around and notice dark clouds upriver. We leave the banks, picking our way through the boulders and slippery rocks, and back into the foliage.
A gust of wind blows, making me shiver and I ponder the possibility of snuggling up for warmth to stave off the cold.
Best not to ask until he offers, I guess, but I admit that the thought of his hands on me is not the least bit repellant.
In fact, there's a pain in my chest that lets me know I don't just want it, but I need it. Fuck.
Whatever.
I suppose I should be irritated that I want to ask for reassurance at all, let alone anything more, but I'm over all the angst.
Everyone needs comfort sometimes and now I know laying against him is surprisingly pleasant.
44
Drasuk
Fortunately, it doesn't take long for me to smell a cave, and it's a quick run after I convince Kira to let me carry her.
Now we are sitting side by side in it as she eats a ration cube. She offered me one, but I lied about my hunger. I'll need to hunt soon, though cooking is much more of a risk now than it was before.
Something raw would suffice, but I'm not sure her species is robust enough to do that. I'll have to ask her when the storm passes.
I move my body closer to her to provide some warmth as we watch the storm from the entrance of the cave.
Judging by the tremors wracking her body, and how she keeps rubbing herself with her arms, Kira is suffering from the sudden drop in temperature.
If she asks, I'll pull her close to me, but I don't have enough space in my mind to make sense of any insults right now. Better to not risk her ire.
She leans a little closer to me and clears her throat. "Well, your one item plan isfoobahr,Drasuk."
"What?"
"Your 'look for them first' one-step plan."
"I remember it, Kira, just not what your human wordfoobahrhas to do with it. When will you figure out how to simply state what you mean?"
"It's a fornicatingacronym, Drasuk."
"You are making even less sense than normal."
"Fornicate. Anacronymis the first letter of the words in a saying. In this case, 'fornicate ascended beyond all recognition.' Excrement."
She makes a deep groan and then continues, this time speaking her own language. "Fucked up..."
She mumbles some more sounds with space in between, then lets out a growl. I assume one of frustration, since it's her usual state.
