Page 11

Kala

Our trek home last evening had been as silent as the trek to the Tavikhi village and continues to be just as silent throughout this turn.

I was still upset with Sorin and his veiled comments to Iris.

It had become obvious to me and I am sure to her as well, what he had been doing, despite the many times I have told him that human females cannot be with Krijese males.

I did not understand how much affection he had developed for her in such a short amount of time.

I should have told her it is not a good idea for me to teach her to wield an axe, yet I find I could not.

Neither the elders nor our god need to tell me that continuing to be around her—and allowing Sorin to be around her—is a bad idea.

Many human females reside with the Tavikhi and I have spoken to nearly all of them at some point in time if only briefly.

None of them have affected me the way Iris does.

There is no explanation for it, either. Aside from the darkly colored patch on her face and the limb that has not fully formed, she does not appear any different from any of the Tavikhi mates.

They have all been just as kind as her and have treated Sorin and me with fairness.

We have been welcomed and are trusted allies.

Yet she is still different in ways I cannot name.

“Gogo, can I come with you to meet Iris?” These are the first words he has uttered to me since before we left the Tavikhi village.

“Only if you remember what we have spoken about countless times and do not suggest things to Iris that can never be.”

“I remember.”

“Be sure that you do or you will not be allowed to join us during any future lessons she and I might have.”

Sorin nods. “Yes, Gogo.”

“Then come.”

Katem had still been at his scouting post when we left the previous turn and agreed to escort Iris to the base of our hills.

I did not care for the idea of him performing this task, but he made it clear she is not his keeshla .

I wish it did not make me feel better, but it did.

Katem is a worthy male who is deserving of his own mate and I hope he is able to find her one turn.

Together, Sorin and I leave the village and travel down the worn path between the trees that are in full bloom.

Now that warm season has reached us, we will have pleasant turns until cold season returns and brings with it the cold dust. Voices reach me when we are nearly to the bottom.

I cannot make out their words, but already I recognize the gentle lilt of Iris’s.

We arrive at the break in the wall and despite knowing who is beyond it, I pause and sniff the air for danger.

I will never lose the instincts I have had since birth.

The same scents as always assault me, except this turn there is another one mixed with them.

Instantly I know it is Iris. It is the same fragrance I breathed in when I held her in my arms after her fall.

I do not have a name for it, but I will forever recognize it as hers no matter how long I live.

I step through the partially hidden opening and out into the bari field.

Not far from here are Iris and Katem. Neither has spotted us, but from the stiffening and then relaxing of the Tavikhi, he is aware of our presence.

He turns his head slightly in my direction and gives a short nod.

Iris continues speaking and I continue listening to the pleasant sound.

At last, she pauses and Katem breaks in.

“Kala has arrived.”

She swivels her head around until she spots me and our eyes lock onto one another’s.

Her mouth curls up and her lips part enough to bare her blunt human teeth.

Once again, my hearts skip a beat before they race.

My vision shifts as well, which has never happened until recently.

Not until I met Iris. I do not know what it means.

To my knowledge, none of the elders have ever spoken of such an occurrence.

Iris raises her arm and waves it. A gesture Sorin returns before he leaves my side and rushes over to throw himself against her.

She laughs and enfolds him into her embrace.

For only a brief moment, I am envious of my own kit and wonder what Iris’s arms would feel like wrapped around me.

I quickly dash the thought away, because it is an impossibility.

Hoping for a different outcome will bring nothing but heartsache to my kit.

And perhaps to you as well .

That too is a thought I push far, far down.

Iris thanks Katem for the escort, and I fist my chest to offer my own thanks as well. He returns the gesture and departs. With his hand clasped in hers, Sorin leads Iris over to where I wait.

“Katem says he will return to this spot after the evening meal to collect Iris,” he tells me.

“We will make sure you are here and ready for him.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you ready to start learning?” Sorin asks with a small bounce of excitement.

“I’m not sure if I’m ready or not, but I’m here so I guess I better be.” She chuckles.

“You can use my war axe until we can commission Benham to craft one of your own for you since Gogo’s is too big for either of us.”

Iris nudges Sorin lightly with her elbow. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I’ve only thrown the thing once and was less than stellar at it. After today, your dad might give up on me as a lost cause, which means there’s no need for me to have my own anything.”

Sorin shakes his head. “You will become the greatest hunter to use a war axe when Gogo has finished teaching you.”

The melodic sound erupts from Iris and she throws her arm around my kit’s shoulders and squeezes. “You’re sweet, but also a little delusional.”

“What is delushal?”

She snorts. “Delusional. It means you’re mistaken.”

“I do not believe so.”

Iris presses her mouth to the top of his head. “Thank you for the confidence you have in me.”

I have often seen the human females touch their mouths with their Tavikhi mate’s mouths, but I have never asked the meaning of this.

It did not feel appropriate, no matter how much I wished to know.

Since I struck a deal with Iris that I would be allowed to ask questions and gain knowledge, she is the best person to answer.

“What is this mouth touching thing you humans do?”

She jerks and glances up at me, almost as though she forgot I stood nearby. Once again the pale side of her face darkens to match the color of the other side. This has happened many times since meeting her and its reason is yet another piece of information I wish to collect.

“It’s called a kiss.” There is a note in her voice that causes my head to tilt.

“A kiss.” It is a difficult word for my mouth to form so it does not sound exactly the same as when she said it. “What is its meaning?”

Iris shifts her weight and breaks the eye contact she had with me. “Um, it’s a sign of affection.”

A sign of affection? How does pressing one’s mouth to a place on another being display affection?

“Can I give this ‘kiss’ to you?” Sorin tugs on her hand.

There is a look of uncertainty that crosses Iris’s face as she studies my kit.

His mouth does not form a smile in the same way a human’s or Tavikhi’s does and we both struggled forming the word.

How is a…kiss even possible for Krijese?

It is clear he is eager to try, but it is equally clear how unsure she is.

“You should not ask Iris for this thing Krijese do not do.”

Sorin turns his head to me. “But Gogo, we have never tried. The Tavikhi do it with their human mates. Talek said that when he grows he is going to try this mouth touching with Cecily if she will let him. I would like to show Iris my affection for her.”

“It’s okay with me if he tries as long as you’re okay with it as well.”

“I promise to be gentle so I do not hurt her.”

With both of them staring at me in this way, I cannot say no.

I jerk my head in a short nod. Sorin’s excitement is nearly tangible as he pivots toward the female.

Slowly, she leans down and presents him with her pale cheek.

He takes a step closer so to be almost touching her and as he does against my chest, rubs his mouth across her skin.

Or at least attempts to do so, except his small mouth claws are in the way.

Sorin draws back and disappointment is evident in his slumped shoulders. “I did not do it right, I do not think. It did not feel the same as when you did it to me.”

“I think you did it just fine.” Iris smiles. “Besides, it won’t feel exactly the same since our faces and mouths are shaped differently.”

He sighs. “I wish they were not different.”

Before I can speak, she squats down to be eye-level with Sorin and palms his jaw.

“You are perfect exactly the way you are, because this is what you’re supposed to look like.

Just like this is how I’m supposed to look.

Like how your gogo is supposed to look. Please don’t ever wish to look like anyone other than who you are.

You wouldn’t be the Sorin that we all know and love if you looked like someone else. ”

His eyes widen. “You love me?”

“Of course I do.”

Yet again, he throws himself into Iris’s arms nearly knocking her over in the process.

Until this moment, I do not know if I realized the depth of his need for a female in his life.

Sorin has always appeared content with the affection he receives from the Tavikhi mates, but he only sees them on the occasions we visit the village.

Now that they are having their own kits, their time will be spent attending to them.

Once again, my kit will most likely miss out.

Finally, they separate and I am surprised to discover her eyes shimmer with wetness. Iris swipes across them and it is wiped away. I will ask her later what it means.

“Come, we should get started.”

As though he cannot stand being apart from her any longer than necessary, Sorin takes her hand.

They follow me onto the path that begins at the break in the hillside wall and we walk up the winding path through the trees.

I set up a target not far from our village, so we will be close enough if anyone needs me.

Ashrif had shown increased signs of pain at the morning meal.

He had tried to hide it, but it was obvious to anyone who paid attention.

“We are near our home. Perhaps you can come visit when we are finished training and I can introduce you to our tribespeople,” Sorin tells her.

“I am sure Iris will be anxious to return to the Tavikhi village when we are done.” I glance back over my shoulder and narrow my gaze at him.

“Why don’t we see how late it is when we’re finished? You might be so frustrated with me by then you’ll be glad to see the backside of me.”

Sorin shakes his head, his unbound floks twirling through the air. “I only ever wish to see the front side of you.”

Iris produces her sweet sound that is a delightful melody. “Thank you.”

We continue along the ascending path, the silence broken by my kit’s constant chatter. It is a good thing we are not hunting at the moment or he would scare away all the prey.