At last, he looks up at me. “What do you mean?”
“She is not a member of our tribe. Merely a stranger we happened upon. Granted, she was injured, but before we discovered her and took her to the Tavikhi village, she was entirely unknown to us. She was not even alert for the majority of time we were with her. Yet, you are extremely angry about leaving without speaking to her again. I am trying to understand why.”
He does the human shrugging. “It did not seem right. We found her. Saved her. She had no fear of us. She was…kind. She liked us.”
How Gannen determined that in the short amount of time Elodie was awake in his presence I am uncertain. They spoke very little.
“Is that all there is to it?”
He shrugs again, and I release a heavy breath. “Perhaps we can return to the Tavikhi village in a few turns to make sure Elodie is healing well. We will give her some time to rest and recover first.”
His head jerks up and his eyes widen. “Really?”
“Aye.”
Gannen jumps to his feet and bounces. “Thank you, Gogo.”
I gesture for him to calm himself. “Finish your meal and wash your dish so Moshi does not have to do twice the work. Then we will head out into the forest once more where I will show you a few more ways to track.”
He shoves the last two bites into his mouth, grabs my empty bowl from my hand, and races toward the small river that runs along the outskirts of our village. I head toward Kala’s tent to let him know we have returned but will be heading out again. He and Sorin may be out hunting already, but I will stop there regardless.
Voices come from inside the tent, but they are not the sounds of mating. I cannot make out who they belong to though. I smack the hide door.
“It is Ortak.”
Shuffling sounds greet my ears and the flap swings aside. Kala steps out.
“Welcome back,” he greets me. “How are our Tavikhi brothers?”
“They are well. Zander sends his regards as does Healer Sage.”
“Sorin has been mentioning taking a trip to their village to see the healer and her kit now that the warm season is upon us. The cold season was far too long for him to go without checking in on them.”
It is no secret that Kala’s kit is fascinated with the halfling. He is extremely protective of Makahla and dotes on her endlessly. She loves every moment of it as well. It is clear there is a deep affection between them. “Perhaps when Gannen and I go back ina few turns to check on the injured female, Sorin can accompany us.”
Kala cants his head. “You are returning to the Tavikhi village?”
“It would appear so. My kit is quite taken with Elodie. Possibly in a way that will end up with him being hurt.”
“You think she will be cruel to him?”
I shake my head. “My fear is his affection will be that of a kit to his momo and she will not return that affection. At least not to the same degree. Gannen has not ever spoken to me of his wish for a female in his life, but that does not mean he does not want it. She was kind to him, but what if she cannot—will not—give that to him, if that is what he is looking for?”
Kala is silent, but I can tell he is thinking. Finally, he asks what has been on his mind. “What about your wishes? You say Gannen has not spoken of his need of a momo, but you also have not spoken of your wish for a mate. Are you hopeful of having that, one turn? Would this be a female you would consider for a mate if you were both open to the idea? Perhaps she is like Iris in that she too would like a family to care for.”
I know nothing of Elodie. Not of her past. Not even of her present. Is she the type of female I would consider for a mate? I do not have an answer to that question. Despite not being Krijese, her face and form are attractive. Even given that fact, physical traits are not the most important part in choosing a mate.
Kala claps me on the shoulder. “There is no need to decide this exact moment. Continue thinking, and if you would like to see this female again—get to know her and have her know you—my family clan will accompany you. I am certain Iris would enjoyvisiting with her friends and showing off how much Jiasha has grown.”
He steps back inside his tent and I am left standing there with no more answers to my questions than when I sought our tribe leader out. Pounding footsteps approach, and I turn their direction. Gannen races toward me and comes to a skidding halt when he nearly collides with me.
“I am ready, Gogo.”
His enthusiasm is evident. It would appear mine is as well, because I am suddenly looking forward to teaching him all the things I know. I am not as good of a hunter as Kala, but there are still many things I can pass on to my kit.
“Come then. Let us see what beasts we might be able to track and hunt this turn.”
Chapter 6
