“So what does this mean?” I ask, trying not to sound excited.
“It means you will be out hunting more than you will be here in the caves,” Vektal says.
“Really? Both of us hunting?”
Vektal nods. “You say you wish to hunt? We shall treat you like a hunter. We will do the same for any other woman that wishes to contribute. Georgie and I have discussed many things this afternoon. Just because it is the sa-khui way does not mean that it is necessarily the human way, and we cannot force you to be sa-khui women.”
Georgie has a pleased smile on her face.
“We will work hard to feed the tribe,” Raahosh says in a hushed voice. “Thank you again, my friend.”
Vektal nods, and the stern chief expression leaves his face. He moves forward and clasps Raahosh in a hug that surprises my mate. “Welcome back, my friend,” he murmurs. Then, he smacks Raahosh on the back with a staggering bro-hit and both are grinning. “You have tonight to prepare. Tomorrow you and your mate begin your work!”
“So we’re good?” I ask. I hold my breath again, just in case I’m misinterpreting this. I get my man. I get to hunt. I get out of these crowded caves and we get to be us again. I mean, it’ll be a lot of work, but I like hunting.
“We are good,” Vektal says.
This is…awesome. I squeal and jump into Raahosh’s arms again.
• • •
“All right,” Georgie says as we survey the storage area in the back of one of the new dens. This is Ariana’s cave that she shares with Zolaya, and it used to be storage. Unfortunately for poor Ariana, there’s still a lot of storage around the walls of the cave. “Let’s get you prepped for hunting so you can be on your way in the morning.”
At our side, Kira makes a soft sound. “I’ll be sad to see you go, Liz. I liked having you back.”
“I’ll be back again soon enough,” I tell her. Truth is, I’m excited. I’m ready to be out with Raahosh again, in the snow and sun, hunting and loving and exploring and…well, just enjoying life. I survey the piles of furs, the baskets of dried leathers, bones, and anything else that might be deemed useful. My mind isn’t on hunting at all. It’s on Raahosh. I just feel so…happy. My mate is talking with Vektal in the chief’s den, and I’m getting geared up.
Tonight, we sleep in the hunter’s cave along with all the other hunters.
In the morning? We take off.
This feels like Christmas.
And I suspect I have Georgie to thank for all of this. She had to have softened up Vektal for me. So instead of grabbing gear, I turn to my fellow human and fling my arms around her in a hug.
She laughs and pats my back. “What was that for?”
“That was a thank you for fixing things.”
“I didn’t do anything special,” she demurrs. “You forget, Raahosh is his friend, too. I just reminded him of how different our societies are.”
Uh huh. Well, if she doesn’t want to admit to some persuasive lovin’, I’m not going to force her to. I give her one last happy squeeze then hug Kira, whose sad face is smiling for a change. I feel suspiciously weepy. Happy, but weepy. I turn to the pile of storage. “What do you think I need?”
“One of everything warm?” Georgie pulls out a basket of old leathers and starts to dig through it. “Where do you think you guys will go first? Any ideas? Vektal says that there’s tons of hunter caves scattered for miles around. They have a system and since the hunters stay out in the field a lot, they’re all set up like mini-houses with firewood and blankets and stuff.”
I consider for a moment. “If it’s up to me, I want to go to the old ship – the one that their people came from. I’d like the language dump, I think.” I’m tired of everyone talking around me. I want to be part of things.
“I like that idea,” Kira says. “I might see if I can head there myself at some point.”
“Oh?” I turn to her. “What about the ear piece?”
She touches it with a grimace. “I hate it. I want it gone. Plus, I worry that they’ll come back for it if they find it still active.”
Kira has a point. I know she can’t remove it – they’d surgically attached it to her ear. I didn’t realize how much it bothers her, though.
We continue to chat as we prepare a pack for me full of essentials – a sewing kit, some extra cord, dried soaps, warm boots and leather cloaks, and then there’s nothing left to do but say goodbye to my friends.
Kira’s expression is sad. “I wish I had some sort of newlywed advice to give,” Kira says. “I feel like it’d be appropriate.”