BROOKE

It takes me a few hours to realize something’s a little fishy about all of this.

First of all, Taushen’s mood seems to improve the farther away we get from the ship. The angry set of his shoulders eases, his strides slow so I can keep up easily, and when I talk to him, he doesn’t snap at me. Progress. It makes the walking not so bad, and we’re able to have a few enjoyable conversations. I want to ask him about that night, get it all out in the open, but I also have to spend the entire day with the guy. I’ll bring it up on the way back, when the day is over.

Until then, I just enjoy the day. The suns are shining, the snow isn’t so slushy that it’s a chore to walk, and I’m out in the wild. I’m not much of a wilderness girl at heart. I’m more of a mall girl, but I have to admit there’s a strange, stark kind of beauty about this place. The snow is pristine and gorgeous, the distant mountains a stunning shade of purple capped with white, and the strange whippy pink trees flutter back and forth in the wind. When the bushes rustle with their frozen needle-like leaves, it almost sounds like music. I’ve never really had a chance to get out and explore much of this world, and it’s fascinating to see it out in the open like this. The world from the view of the little village in the canyon’s very different than up here in the sunlight and the open skies.

I kinda like it.

“Man, this walk sure is taking forever,” I admit to him as we slog along. My boots are soaked from the snow, and my toes are cold. “How much farther to the fruit cave?”

He hesitates, then shrugs his big shoulders. “Not far. Do you need to rest?”

“No, I’m good.” I rub my stomach. “I thought we’d be there before lunch, though. I’m starving. Feels like time’s passing so slow.”

“Hiking will make you hungry,” he says, pulling a pouch from his belt and offering it to me. “Eat.”

“Thanks,” I tell him, and when I open the pouch, I’m not entirely surprised to see the meaty granola stuff of the travel rations. It starts out in cakes, but I guess the longer it gets jostled on a hip, the more crumbled it becomes. This one’s just a big pile of crumbles, but I devour them anyhow. “You want some?”

He shakes his head, gaze on the horizon.

I chew happily as we walk. “So tell me a story while I eat,” I beg him. “Talk to me.”

Taushen glances over at me. “What kind of story?”

“Hmm. How about the biggest thing you’ve ever hunted?”

“That is easy. Sa-kohtsk.”

Oh. Yeah, I guess that was a no-brainer. “Other than that?”

He thinks for a moment. “A sky-claw. Many seasons ago, they were very plentiful. I saw it in the skies and it was flying toward the direction of the cave, so I followed it and used my sling to throw rocks at it until it flew down to attack me.” He gestures at a thin white line on his upper arm. “This is where its teeth grazed me.”

My eyes widen. “How big are they? These sky-claw things?”

“Haeden says Jo-see was nearly swallowed whole once.”

I sputter, choking on the trail rations. “There are birds that big here? Are you shitting me?”

He shakes his head. “I do not shit. They are very large. I do not know if they are birds or some other creature. They are dangerous, though.”

I scan the skies, moving a little closer to him. “Do we have to worry about them?”

“Not this far inland. They like the great salt lake and the mountains. They rarely come in this far.”

“But it has happened?”

“Yes, it has.”

I swallow hard, suddenly a lot less hungry. “But you can kill them, right?”

The look he gives me is arch, smug. “I will keep you safe, Buh-brukh.”

I elbow him. “You know my name, dickface.”

“And you know mine. It is not dickface.”

I sigh heavily. “Don’t be a dickface and I won’t call you one.”

We trudge along in silence for a while. I tuck the pouch closed again and offer it back to him.

He takes it, his fingers grazing mine, and replaces it back in his belt. After a moment, he asks, “What is the largest kill you have ever done?”

Is he trying to get to know me? Extending an olive branch? Whatever it is, it’s kind of sweet and I appreciate the gesture. “I think the biggest thing I’ve ever killed is a double meat bacon burger. I totally slaughtered that mofo. And now I’m wanting a burger.”

“Was it fierce?” He glances over at me.

“It gave me fierce heartburn, but it was worth it. Also, you are hard to tease.” I grin at him. “Mostly because you don’t know what I’m talking about. Okay, so, a burger is a sandwich we have back on Earth. I guess you don’t know what a sandwich is, either…” I gesture with my hands. “It’s this round bread and you put things between it to make your meal. There are all kinds, and…”

We talk about food. I talk about the food we eat on Earth, and he is both amazed at how creative we are and a little grossed out at some of the things we eat, like eggs. I always forget that these people think eggs are nasty. He tells me about his favorite —fresh scythe-beak organs. Eww. From there, the conversation veers all over the place. I tell him about my home back in New Orleans, and how the floods from hurricanes can make a real mess of people’s houses. I tell him about the swamps, the ocean, Mardi Gras, and how my granny’s old house was haunted. I tell him about graveyard tours, and he thinks they are sad instead of morbid, and then we talk about how the sa-khui handle death, and how they mark up their horns and pour snow over their faces as they grieve, but nothing special is done with the body. It is left where it lies for nature to take care of. That’s a little weird to me, but I roll with it.

Mostly, we’re just having great conversation, and I’m learning so much about him and his people and getting to talk about myself and what I miss. It’s hard to talk about Earth stuff with the other humans because you never know how they’ll react. We’re all from there, of course, but some miss it too much and avoid speaking about it. Some prefer not to think about it at all, and some just want to think about the future here, so we don’t talk about it. But it matters to me, and it’s good to get it all out in the open. It feels cathartic to talk about Earth, because the thought of never seeing home again doesn’t ache quite so much anymore. Maybe I’m getting used to the thought of being here.

We’re so lost in conversation that I don’t even notice that my feet are cold until my entire body starts to shiver. I glance up, realizing that it’s getting colder…and the now-cloudy skies are curiously dark. “Is it going to storm?”

“No. The suns are setting. Come, we are almost to shelter.” He gestures at a hill in the distance. “Just beyond there, against the canyon wall.”

“It’s the fruit cave?”

“It is our destination,” he agrees.

“Are we going to get in trouble that we got lost?” I ask him, weary. The day of walking is catching up to me. I’m hungry again, and exhausted. I can’t believe time went by so fast. “I don’t think the others expected us to take this long to get here. I didn’t even bring an overnight bag.”

“I will take care of your needs,” he tells me simply, and then reaches out to pat my shoulder. “It is not much farther. Come.”

I nod and follow him along, holding my fur wraps closer to my body. It’s strange…I’m exhausted and I know we’re probably going to get yelled at by the chief for getting lost and mucking things up and not making it back tonight, but I actually had a really nice day today. I’ve missed having long conversations with someone, and Taushen is surprisingly easy to talk to. I liked the scenery. I liked the company. Never thought I’d say that, but who knew.

And it feels important to tell him this, too. “I had a really nice time today,” I say to Taushen as we crest the hill. “And I’m glad I came here with you.”

He glances over at me, eyes narrowed, and searches my face as if looking for something. After a moment, a slow, almost hesitant smile crosses his face, making his sulky features inhumanly beautiful. “I am glad to be here with you, as well.”

That reluctant, slow smile makes me realize just how little Taushen smiles. What a shame. He’s really gorgeous when he does. It lights his whole face up, and I find myself smiling back at him.

A stiff wind rips through the valley we’re walking in and I shiver. With the twin suns going down it’s growing darker and colder—not that they exactly flood the place with light. My human body can’t stand the chill.

Taushen pulls me against him, wrapping a warm arm around my shoulders as if he can lend me his body heat. “Almost there.”

We make it to the walls of the valley, and I’m surprised to see the cave mouth is small and situated on the ground. For some reason, I thought Summer had mentioned climbing. Maybe she was talking about the journey here, I tell myself. It certainly was hilly enough.

Taushen puts a hand out, indicating I should stop. “Wait here.”

“Is everything all right?” I ask, squinting at the cave opening.

He nods and strides forward, into the darkness of the cave. I wait outside as long minutes seem to tick past. Something that looks like a spark flutters inside, and then there’s a bit of light. How strange, I realize. He’s building a fire. Why do we need a fire if this is the ultra-warm, humid fruit cave, though? Does he think I need that to roast my dinner?

A moment later, Taushen jogs out and extends his hand to me. “Come inside. It is warm.”

Mystified, I put my hand in his and follow him into the dark cave. As I do, I can’t help but notice how warm and strong his callused hand is, how his fingers feel enveloping mine. I feel a wistful pang. Wish someone would hold my hand for me because they wanted to.

I’m so focused on hands that it takes me a moment to realize that there is, in fact, a fire.

And it’s cold inside the cave. And dark.

And I don’t see any fruit at all.