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No other creature has ever stirred such an endless stream of irritation in me. Zha is like a constant storm, always shifting, always pushing against me.

Red fear thrums again and I take a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. To realize that this isn’t really about zha, but far more to do with how few items I was able to carry here. I place the precious treasures gently on the ground, then turn back around.

I let out a long breath, but then think back to what Ree said at the facility. My stories, my knowledge, has value to them. Zha called me treasure… does that make me part of Ree’s hoard? Can that happen simultaneously?

For a moment my skin whirls in shades of blue, but then orange replaces it. That feels… very satisfying. I have value to others and they have value to me. I will have to think on this more as I shift what a hoard means or how I could be part of one that is bigger than I am, while also claiming it as my own.

I look down at the items.

The impulse to find more is still there and I still embrace it, but I can feel it shifting back in priority. I can do more than gather items. There is a more important goal, with far richer, if sometimes very confusing, stories.

It makes my middle segment feel warm.

This shift of thinking is new, but there is one thing I know for sure. Olivia has the most value. Zha will always be the most important part of my hoard. I will always follow, or how will I know zha is safe?

My red glow dims slightly as I step back outside, scanning the area for any sign of zha’s tracks. It doesn't take long to spot them—depressions in the grass, leading away from the cave and toward the cliffs beyond. Zha’s confusing, multi-species scent wafting toward me from the same direction.

With a sigh, I follow the tracks, moving faster now, my spikes twitching with each step. Why does zha always do this? Why can't zha just stay where it's safe?

The terrain is rougher as I approach the portion of the valley that tapers off into cliffs, the wind biting at my skin. I push forward, determined to find zha and bring zha back. As I round a corner, I see zha in the distance, staring up at the sharply rising cliff face.

For a moment, I just watch. Zha's colors are different now, shimmering in the light. Zha glows brighter, not the dull, pale pink of before as I walked away, finally giving in to the need to check the hoard, but something more vibrant. Something beautiful.

I blink, momentarily caught off guard. I've never seen zha like this before. There's a lightness to zha, a glow that's mesmerizing. My own body reacts without thinking, the usual confusion returning as my skin flickers to blue.

The purple hide underlying it all fits zha. Simmering anger, regardless of what other colors zha might show, it’s right there, waiting to jump out.

I move closer, my eyes locked on zha. Zha is beautiful. More than I've ever noticed. The way zha’s light flickers across zha’s skin, the way the colors of purple hide, yellow tail, green hair blend together… It's captivating.

I catch myself staring, and I quickly look away, my spikes twitching with discomfort. No. I can't let myself be distracted. I need to get zha back to the cave. That's all that matters.

But when I look again, I can't help but think that no other treasure I've ever found—no gem, no piece of rare metal, no artifact—could ever compare to the sight before me. Even all of my treasures together would not match the way zha shines.

Why do I have to keep reminding myself of this?

As I draw closer, zha turns, noticing me. A soft, high-pitched sound escapes zha’s mouth, and I feel a strange sensation rise up from deep within me—a rumble, a vibration that echoes through my chest.

I blink in surprise, watching as zha lets out another sound, this time louder, and my body reacts again, the blue light shifting, flashing orange as joy sparks in my chest.

Zha looks over at me, and the moment our eyes meet, I see it—a flash of orange on zha's skin, matching my own. It's brief, barely there, but I see it. And for some reason, it makes my middle segment tingle with a sensation I've never felt before.

I move closer, standing beside zha now, but I don't speak.

Zha doesn't say anything either, but I can feel zha’s presence next to me, warm and glowing. For a long time, we just stand there, side by side, watching the valley.

The thought lingers in the back of my mind as we stand there in silence again.

"We should return. Predators will soon be up and about. We should rest before it is night."

Zha hums lowly in the back of zha’s throat and I resist the urge to shiver.

"I doubt they would live long, but alright,” zha concedes.

We don’t talk after that, both lost in thoughts, both exhausted by the day’s events, but the orange glow as we settle into the cave communicates everything that needs to be said.

***

“No one is carrying rocks for you, Kroaicho,” Ree tells me again. “And we don’t have time to go into your cave even if we had space for your… treasure.”