Page 7

SELENE

T he first kradax stalked from the undergrowth, its wedge-shaped head swinging side to side. Six legs carried its sinuous body forward with predatory grace, each limb tipped with hooked claws that could disembowel prey with a single swipe. Five more followed, their scales shifting like liquid shadows across their rippling bodies, blurring their edges and making their true size and position impossible to track. Their jaws opened to reveal not just one, but three rows of serrated teeth designed to shred and hold struggling prey.

My markings pulsed silver up my arms, sending unfamiliar danger signals through my skin. I didn't hesitate. My hand found the surgical blade in my pack, the metal cool against my fingers.

"Don't move," Kavan whispered, positioning himself slightly ahead of me. His tail had gone rigid—a warning sign I'd never seen from him before.

He spoke in quick, measured tones. "They hunt by movement patterns. Quick darting draws attack. They target weakness first." His golden eyes never left the approaching predators. "They're not just hunting us. They're herding us."

I followed his gaze and saw it too—more shapes moving through the trees to our left and right. The kradax weren't simply attacking; they were executing a coordinated strategy to drive us toward something worse.

"What's behind us?" I breathed, the translation stone at my throat warming with my whispered words.

"Their nest," Kavan replied grimly. "Where the juveniles wait to feed."

I nodded, calculating our options. "Vulnerabilities?"

"Sensory nodes behind skull plate. Sensitive to scents and vibrations." His voice dropped lower. "But they adapt quickly. If one approach fails, they'll change tactics."

Our eyes met, understanding passing between us without words. His tail flicked once—acknowledgment I'd learned to recognize during our time together.

"I'll draw them left," he murmured. "Circle right. Target the lead stalker's neck nodes."

"That might trigger the others to flee?"

"If we're fortunate."

The scalpel felt reassuring in my grip. "On your mark."

Kavan moved first, stepping with deliberate slowness before darting toward purple-leafed shrubs. The lead kradax swiveled instantly, its packmates following suit. The moment their attention fixed on him, I slipped around a boulder, my bare feet silent on the forest floor.

The plan should have worked. I closed half the distance to the lead stalker, scalpel ready to strike the vulnerable nerve cluster.

A branch snapped to my right.

I turned slowly toward the sound.

Three more kradax emerged from the forest—a second hunting party converging on us. Their scales rippled from forest shadows to dull greens, perfectly matching the undergrowth. The nearest one hissed, revealing rows of backward-curving teeth, saliva dripping from its jaws in viscous strands that sizzled when they hit the ground.

"!" Kavan shouted. "Behind you!"

I spun as a kradax from the first pack lunged. Its teeth missed my leg by inches, raking deep furrows in the earth where I'd stood a heartbeat before. I stumbled backward into a defensive stance.

Something transformed in Kavan. The careful healer vanished, replaced by something primal and lethal. He moved with fluid efficiency, his tail whipping out to strike the nearest predator's sensitive eye membranes. The creature shrieked—a sound that raised the hair on my neck—and recoiled. Without pausing, Kavan spun, caught another mid-leap and slammed it into the ground with enough force to shatter its armored scales.

The nearest kradax lunged, not at me but at Kavan, who had positioned himself protectively between me and the threat. Its jaws clamped onto his shoulder with sickening force before he could fully evade. Blue-black blood spilled as Kavan staggered, his face contorting in pain.

"Kavan!" I screamed, medical training and emotional response colliding in a surge of fear.

He wrenched himself free, leaving torn flesh in the creature's jaws, and still managed to strike a counterblow that sent the predator reeling. But the damage was done—the other kradax sensed blood, their hunting behaviors intensifying at the scent of wounded prey.

Two kradax circled me, wedge-shaped heads lowered, communicating through subtle shifts in posture. My medical knowledge served me now—I knew exactly where to strike for maximum effect. The surgical blade flashed across the sensitive nasal membrane of the closer beast.

It reared back, screeching. The pack hesitated.

The kradax adapted to our tactics with frightening speed. When we tried to use the medicinal herbs to repel them, two circled downwind while the others maintained pressure from the front. They were learning, communicating through subtle movements I couldn't interpret but Kavan clearly recognized.

"They're calling for the rest of the pack," he warned, blue blood still seeping from his shoulder wound. "These are just the scouts."

That's when I noticed something unexpected. The kradax nearest our fallen pack—where we'd spilled medicinal compound—kept backing away, shaking its head as if clearing its senses.

"Kavan! The medicine!" I called, my translation stone flaring with the urgency in my voice.

He glanced where I pointed, understanding dawning. "The smell disrupts their sensory perception!"

I reached into my pack for the cloth-wrapped bundle of herbs and fungi we'd collected. The pungent aroma that seemed pleasant to us clearly affected the predators differently. I unwrapped it, holding it toward the closest kradax.

It recoiled violently, its scales rippling with what looked like pain. The others shifted nervously, a high-pitched chittering sound passing between them.

Kavan retrieved his own portion of medicine, wincing as the movement pulled at his wounded shoulder. We moved in tandem, herding the creatures with the scent they found offensive. Two tried to circle behind us, but Kavan anticipated the maneuver, flinging a handful of crushed herbs directly into their sensory nodes.

The kradax writhed, snapping at the air, before finally breaking formation. The largest—clearly the pack leader—made one final lunge at Kavan, jaws snapping inches from his throat before my blade found the junction between its armor plates. The blade sank deep, severing connections to its central nervous system. It collapsed, twitching, as the others retreated into the undergrowth.

The forest fell silent except for our ragged breathing.

I turned to Kavan, triumph surging through me—and froze. The wound was worse than I'd first thought. Blood darkened the emerald skin of his shoulder and back, a deep laceration running from his collarbone to mid-spine. The kradax's teeth had torn through muscle, exposing the pulsing gold of his lifelines beneath.

"You're seriously injured." I moved toward him, my medical training taking over.

"It appears one of them was more determined than anticipated," he replied with remarkable composure considering the severity of the wound.

"Sit. Now." I guided him to a fallen log, assessing the damage. The bite had narrowly missed major vessels but had shredded tissue that would need immediate attention. "This needs treatment right away."

He nodded, sitting with his back to me, a tremor running through his powerful frame—the first sign that his calm demeanor masked significant pain.

"I believe I saw a stream nearby," he said, his voice steady despite everything. "Clean water would be beneficial."

I located the stream, filling the small container from my medical kit. Returning to Kavan, I cleaned the wound carefully, my fingers steady from years of surgical practice. The bite was deep, with jagged edges characteristic of predator attacks—designed to tear flesh rather than create clean cuts.

"This will need proper closure. I have sutures, but minimal anesthetic."

"Nyxari tolerate pain differently than humans," he assured me, though I noticed the tightness around his eyes. "And we heal rapidly with proper treatment."

I applied antiseptic compound from my kit, then prepared the suture needle. As I worked, something unexpected happened. My silver markings began to glow, faint at first, then brighter, particularly around my hands where they touched his wounded skin.

More surprising, his golden lifelines responded, pulsing beneath my fingers near the wound edges. Heat spread through my palms, a tingling sensation unlike anything I'd experienced before. The damaged tissues seemed to reach toward each other under my touch.

"What's happening?" I whispered, watching as the wound edges drew together more cleanly than my sutures alone could achieve.

"Your markings," Kavan murmured, his pain seemingly lessened. "They enhance healing. Combined with your medical technique..."

I continued stitching, amazed at how the tissue responded. The sutures guided the healing while energy flowed from my markings, accelerating the process. The bleeding stopped completely after the third stitch, and by the final suture, the wound's appearance had improved from potentially life-threatening to merely serious.

"This is remarkable," I said, my fingers lingering on his skin. "The combination of our methods is more effective than either alone."

Kavan turned slightly to meet my eyes, the golden color more vivid than usual against his paler-than-normal skin. "Perhaps this is why the ancients sent the markings. Not to replace, but to enhance."

My fingers traced the path of his lifelines where they branched across his shoulder, their golden glow pulsing beneath my touch. His skin felt warm, textured differently from human skin—smoother, with a faint luminescence in the fading light.

"Almost done," I murmured, though the wound needed little more attention. I applied a protective salve, then covered it with a light bandage.

"Thank you." Kavan's voice dropped lower, sending an unexpected shiver down my spine despite the danger we'd just faced.

I stepped back, suddenly aware of our proximity and the intensity of what we'd just survived together. "We should find a safe place to rest. You need time to let that wound heal properly."

He nodded, his golden eyes lingering on mine. "There is a clearing ahead where we can make camp for the night. The medicinal plants there will help strengthen the healing process."

"Can you travel?" I asked, my medical concern evident.

"The treatment you've provided has already accelerated healing," he said, rising with careful but deliberate movements. "Your methods complemented by my lifelines have accomplished what neither could achieve alone."

We gathered our supplies, leaving behind the site of our narrow escape. Kavan moved with determination despite his injury, leading us deeper into the forest. The light gradually softened as evening approached, casting long shadows through the trees.

The clearing, when we reached it, offered protection - ringed by ancient trees with dense canopies that would shield us from the elements. Kavan carefully arranged stones for a small fire pit while I unpacked our medical supplies, checking his wound once more before we settled for the night.

"I will meditate while you rest," he said, settling cross-legged on the forest floor. "Nyxari healing traditions include focusing energy toward injured areas."

I nodded, arranging my pack as a makeshift pillow. "Wake me in a few hours. We should change your bandage before morning."

The last thing I saw before closing my eyes was Kavan's imposing form, perfectly still in meditation, his lifelines glowing softly in the gathering darkness.

As sleep began to claim me, I couldn't help but wonder what other abilities—both his and mine—remained undiscovered between us, waiting just beneath the surface like the deadly predators we'd narrowly escaped.