Barbarian's Prize(18)

Tee-fah-nee looks over at me and gives me a faint, tired smile. “Farli’s going to watch Chompy for me while we go herb gathering.”

“Are you well?” She does not look well.

“Just bad dreams, that’s all.” Her smile does not reach her eyes. “I’m fine.”

“Then I am eager to gather herbs with you,” I tell her slowly. The falsehood feels strange on my tongue, but if that is what she wants to call it, so be it.

Farli clasps her hands and looks back and forth at myself and Tee-fah-nee. “Are you going to capture more dvisti kits?”

“No,” I tell her gently. “We must see if this one survives before we claim more. Tee-fah-nee and I shall go gather herbs.”

Farli’s young face is full of confusion. “You will gather herbs? But you are a hunter.”

“Today I am an herb gatherer,” I tell her. “You will watch the creature for Tee-fah-nee?”

She nods happily. “He no longer bites me. It is a good sign.”

“What are you two saying?” Tee-fah-nee asks.

I switch to her language. “Farli wishes us well on our herb gathering and is excited to watch your creature.”

She smiles at Farli and moves to her cave. “Let me get my cloak.” She returns a moment later and is bundled from head to toe in warm furs. “I’m ready.”

“Let us go before the day gets too late.” I turn to look at Farli, but she’s frowning at us. “What is it?”

“Your herb baskets?” Farli asks. “Do you not need them?”

Ah. I turn to Tee-fah-nee. “Farli wants to know where your herb baskets are.”

“Oh!” Her face darkens in one of the charming human flushes and she flees back to her cave. A moment later, she comes out with two baskets and shoves one into my hands. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Do not be embarrassed,” I tell her. “Your mind is elsewhere.”

“You can say that again,” she mutters.

“Your mind is elsewhere,” I repeat dutifully.

She just sighs. “Figure of speech.”

The words make no sense to me. I give her a curious look and she waves a hand, indicating it was nothing. All right, then. Basket in hand, I head out of the cave with her.

It’s a short walk for a sa-khui to get to the cave I have in mind; our strides are long and we handle the snow very well. It takes longer for my human companion, though. Tee-fah-nee’s strides are short and she struggles with the deeper snow, sinking with each step. I slow my strides so she can keep up, but as I do, I worry this is a poor choice. Should I have picked someplace closer to the caves? I do not want her to be too exhausted to practice mouth-mating with me. But she does not complain about the walk, and I am pleased; she is stronger than she looks.

The cave mouth appears just ahead, and I gesture at it to Tee-fah-nee. “I brought furs yesterday afternoon so we will be comfortable. Let me go and make sure there are no scavengers waiting.”

“Scavengers?” she asks, her tone wary. She pulls her heavy fur cloak tighter around her body.

“Metlaks will sometimes hide in our hunting caves. They are dangerous when cornered.” Usually they destroy everything they find when they do, because they do not like the scent of the sa-khui. “Wait here.”

She nods and takes my basket from my hands. I unsheathe one of my bone knives and approach the cave. All is well inside, the furs I brought undisturbed, and I gesture her forward. Tee-fah-nee enters the cave, and she is small enough that she does not need to stoop to enter as I did. “It’s small,” she says, surprise in her voice.

I grunt agreement. “Too small to use as shelter for hunters, and too close to the main caves. But it is perfect for our needs.” Light filters in from the entrance, and provides enough to see by. I did not bring a candle or fire-making equipment, as we will not be here by night. The cave is not warm enough for such things and it is not safe for Tee-fah-nee.

She sets her baskets down by the entrance and does not move forward. She is nervous, then.

I must make her comfortable. I pull off my own cloak and toss it aside, too warm now that I am out of the wind. Then I spread the furs out to create a nice, cozy nest for her. I gesture at them. “Will you sit?”

Her eyes are wide, but she does. She clasps her small human hands in her lap and looks around, as if she wants to look anywhere but at me. She is nervous. I am, too. I want to do this right. I want to fill her with pleasure and take away her memories of those who hurt her.

“I am not familiar with human mating customs,” I tell her. I rub my chest, barely covered by my thin leather vest. “I did wash for you, though.”