I'm content to have her against me, where I can stroke her fur and the spines on her neck and back. I'll simply let my warmth seep into her and let her presence soothe away some of the remembered horror from coming across Xar'Ar'ax again.
Once we've rested, I'll have to follow through with my promise to tell her more, but I don't want to think about it now. I just focus on the feel of her, pleased when her body stops quaking from the cold.
She pats the smoother skin of my chest, then speaks. "Nothing will be moving around in that storm, Drasuk," she tells me, her rough voice reflecting her exhaustion.
"I agree. This is our best opportunity to get some rest. We might not get another chance for quite some time."
She falls asleep quickly after that, but I stay awake for some time, my mind continuing to provide memories I had long since buried. None of them are pleasant, but some of their edges are blunted now.
Not just from time, but because of Kira, too. Because I know that, regardless of how much time we spend teasing each other, she will listen and understand.
That pleasant thought helps me settle into a deep-level sleep. My awareness surges back after one sleep cycle, but the storm still rages. I move into a mid-level sleep with the command for my mind to listen for any changes.
45
Kira
When I wake up, I'm deliciously warm and feel much better. It hadn't actually been very long since we woke up in the other cave and fell asleep in this one, but sleep has been hard to come by on this stupid planet. Apparently, it takes a giant wind storm to get us some rest.
I take a deep breath in and wiggle to check how far along my healing has progressed. Not bad, just a dull ache from my ribs now.
After a nice stretch, I open my eyes. And then scramble away as fast as possible.
"Drasuk."
He startles awake, instantly ready to kill whatever threat is in the cave.
"You're shimmering."
I look down at myself and let out a yelp. "I am too. What the fornicate?"
He lets out a breath and thumps down on the ground again. "We aren't shimmering. Let me see your eyes, Kira."
I look up and he grunts. "As I suspected. Did you see Mar'cte's eyes?"
"Yeah. They were super weird and gross looking. Oh, wait... Seriously? Fornicate! Swirling yellow on molten silver isn't an improvement over pink."
"How they function is the improvement, if they are, in fact, xarxisi eyes. Remember I told you there was a species that tried to replace the manticorids?"
"Yes. You said they were extinct, though."
"They are, but from what I've heard, they could detect living creatures, even through barriers, and they described it as a shimmer."
"Isn't there pretty much a living creature everywhere I look? Why wouldn't the whole cave be lit up with it? Instead, all I see is sunlight hitting the walls."
"I don't know. But you aren't seeing the sun. It's very dark in here, Kira."
My eyebrows raise. I can see everything in here. No problem. No weird green night-vision goggle issues, though I suppose now I'm stuck with staring at Glitter Lizard.
He looks pretty cute, actually.
"Alright, I'm picking up what you are putting down about these eyes being great."
He lets out one of his annoyed grumbles to let me know what I said didn't translate well, but I'm too busy looking around in wonder to restate it.
"Am I going to be blind outside in bright sun now?"
"No. I don't know all the details, but I don't think xarxisi were light sensitive."
