Giselle found herself lowered down from the impossible height next to one of the manx hiding somewhere in the dense brush. Her stomach roiled, she couldn't keep it together any longer.
Kagan quo Rordan
Kagan was almost giddy as he raced towards Idris, his striped mount, waiting in the brush. Everyone else had already loaded up the Toufik and started heading to intercept the others then beat feet back to Vidya Cadi.
It had taken Kagan longer to work his way over to the little pet's cage since it sat in the midst of the guards. Kagan had to keep a watchful eye on Madhava, Vigdis' lieutenant. The warrior was no slouch. More than once Kagan had come up against the male in battle. He was probably the only reason Vigdis didn't crash and burn on the battlefield.
The little pet was feather light. Her wide eyes stared at him in shock as he set her down by Idris. He thought for sure she was about to cry out when her mouth opened. But to his surprise she bent over and emptied her stomach on the ground, trembling the entire time.
"That son of metcor gave her too much vinum." Kagan scowled. Too much brew could make something so small seriously ill.
Kagan needed to get going fast, so he jumped onto Idris the moment she stopped retching. He pulled the little pet into his lap, gripped Idris' mane and took off as fast as his manx could carry them.
He caught up with the others and they continued on to rendezvous with Dagaa's party. They would travel through the night and into the next day. If they made good time, maybe they could stop the following night.
Giselle
Everything was a blur. At some point Giselle roused as water was placed at her lips only to pass out again.
Bright light from the sun made it impossible to sleep. Her head was still spinning but for once Giselle was warm. She didn't want to wake up then she realized something was very different. Her nude body was pressed against a muscular bare chest. She was afraid to open her eyes for fear that Vigdis would do something to her. Except the chest she felt was somehow different, broader harder.
The fleeting memory of being abducted surfaced in Giselle's hung-over mind. Her eyes flew open to see who her new abductor was. Giselle looked from the planes of the well-defined chest, absent of nipples, to the ripped abs her hands currently rested against. Giselle slowly pulled her fingers back. The man's chest was strapped with a pair of criss-crossing leather bandoliers holding two utilitarian blades each. The black ink tattoos on both of his pecs extended up and over his shoulders beneath the cloak. The tight swirling ebony lines formed an intricate design changing from one inch to the next.
The warrior's chin had a bit of stubble, a few days beard, not much different from men of earth. It was jet black just like the male's shoulder length hair. Giselle noted his hair lacked the teeth woven into the braids at his temples. Just then the warrior looked down to see her staring at him.
"So you have awoken pet." He spoke with a deep husky voice holding a hint of a smile.
Giselle stared into his black eyes. They didn't look cruel. Giselle didn't know if she should reply or not so she blinked in acknowledgement. The male's jaw was firm, and his lips full as his smile spread. The long white canines made Giselle start. Their teeth still disconcerted her.
"Easy little pet." The male pulled her closer and rubbed her bare back. The added warmth made her shiver. "Ah, you are cold." The male pulled more of his cloak around her.
Giselle was enveloped by not just warmth but the scent of the man. He seemed to bathe more than the last men she'd had the displeasure of smelling. Vigdis must've had an aversion to soap and water that was clearly not shared by this male. Giselle didn't mind the natural earthy scent of the man. Between that and the warm hand moving over her back Giselle relaxed a fraction despite her uncertainty.
"So pet do you need some water?"
Giselle nodded. The male pulled a pouch out from behind him and tipped it to her lips. The cool water was refreshing.
On first impressions the hulking male wasn't a complete bastard like Vigdis. He wasn't rough with her, even considerate of her needs. But Giselle wasn't ready to amend her opinion of the Cadi quite yet. A handful of minutes didn't wipe away the harrowing events of the last few days.
But resist as she might Giselle found her hands pressed against the male's chest as she cradled her aching head. She felt like crap. Sleep was more tempting than worrying about what would happen to her next. Soon she drifted off again ensconced in the cloak next to the warm man.
Kagan quo Rordan
Kagan held his new sleeping pet. Her tiny fingers fluttered against his chest, her long golden locks tickling his skin. Her hair was silken not as coarse as his own. On first impressions she seemed shockingly similar to the Cadi and yet different in various ways. Nothing like her kind had ever set foot on Cadi and Kagan wondered where in the universe her unique species hailed from.