Page 21

Iris

Watching Kala leave is harder than I expect. I know I shouldn’t worry, but I can’t help it. In such a short time he’s already come to mean so much to me. It’s not quite love, but I care deeply.

“He will be well, Momo.”

I glance down at Sorin and hug him tightly against me, once again enjoying hearing him call me that. “I know, sweetie.”

Okay, no more moping. “How about you show me where all the supplies and medicine are stored?”

“We do not have much.”

Kala warned me the tribe is only surviving so I’m not surprised by the response. “That’s all right. We’ll take inventory and make a list of things that would help.”

Sorin and I walk outside and he leads me to a small tent not far from where the food stores tent sits.

He folds aside the door flap and I step inside the darkened interior.

My heart drops into my stomach at how right they both are.

There is hardly anything in here. A few wooden chests and that’s about it.

Sorin comes in a few seconds later holding what resembles a lit candle which helps.

I open the lid of the first chest, which contains maybe a dozen folded furs and hides. “Where are the dreri hides we skinned yesterday?”

“They were most likely given to the elders. While it is warm enough when the sun is out, it is still too cold once the moons rise for some of them. Gogo makes sure they get extra furs when he can.”

I make a mental note to check in with them and make sure they received the extras.

No one is going to go without blankets if I have anything to say about it.

We move to the next chest and inside it are clothes.

Pants, really, since that’s all the Krijese wear—even the few remaining females, which took me slightly off guard the first time.

Most of them appear new, but a few pieces look a bit tattered.

“What about these?”

Sorin glances over at the pair I hold up.

“After King Armik and the rest of the warlords attacked the Tavikhi and were killed, Gogo and I—along with a few other tribe brothers—returned to our old village and raided tents. We gathered as much stuff as we could carry and brought it back here. This is what remains.”

My god. I try to keep my expression neutral, but I’m not sure I succeed.

“Is there any medicine?”

Sorin shrugs, no doubt a gesture he picked up from the human women. Or perhaps Cecily and Carter. “We do not have much of that either. It is why Gogo had to take me to the Tavikhi village when I almost died even though he did not wish to. It is where I met Healer Sage. She saved my life.”

I gape at him. I knew Sage was his favorite, but I didn’t know why. “You almost died?”

What would this world be like without Sorin in it? I don’t want to imagine. He nods.

“Last cold season. She said I had a disease similar to what humans get. I do not remember what it is called though. It is a difficult word.”

“What were your symptoms?” Maybe that will narrow it down.

“I could not breathe, and there were crackling sounds in my chest. She made me drink some type of healing liquid to help my cough and she forced me to lean over a basin of boiling water with some herb that smelled bad. They placed a fur over my head to keep the heat within.”

Coughing and crackling chest sounds? “Did she call it pneumonia?”

Sorin perks up and bounces excitedly. “Yes, that is what I had. I was in their village for many turns before Gogo said we needed to return here.”

How terrifying that must have been for him and for Kala. He must have been desperate to take our son to the Tavikhi and ask for help. Will Sorin get that sick again this coming winter? My stomach aches thinking about it. Which means I need to learn all I can from Kyler.

“Let’s see what there is. Is it in here or stored elsewhere?” My old tent in the Tavikhi village housed all their herbs and medicines, which was a lot.

“What little we have is there.” Sorin points at another chest.

I open that one and the ache worsens. With the tiny bit of knowledge I learned from reading medical journals I managed to pilfer over the years, I can tell what’s in here isn’t sufficient.

I don’t even have to understand what the stuff does to know our supply needs to be replenished and stocked with a bigger variety of items.

“Why don’t you and I go to the Tavikhi village?” It couldn’t have been more than a thirty- or forty-minute walk if I remember correctly.

“You have not practiced your axe-throwing with Gogo, yet. Do you think we should wait until after?”

“We should be fine. How often have you two travelled back and forth between there without issue?”

Sorin tilts his head. “All the time.”

I shrug. “See?”

He hesitates still, which makes me hesitate as well. Should we wait until Kala gets back? Or at least another day or two? It’s not like anyone is going to get deathly ill between now and then. At least I hope not. Ashrif isn’t well, but he’s also not quite on death’s door yet.

“I’m new at being a mom, so I worry something is going to happen to you and I won’t be able to fix it.”

Sorin wraps his arm around my waist and nuzzles his face against my belly. “You are the best momo a kit could have. Nothing will happen that you cannot take care of.”

I laugh and hug him back. “You sure do have a lot of confidence in my skills.”

He glances up, but doesn’t release me. “A kit should always believe in his momo. She is the most important female in his life.”

“Even more than his mate?”

The shiny flecks of silver in Sorin’s eyes dim slightly. “Gogo does not think I will ever have a mate because there are no Krijese left after Gannen and me.”

How dare Kala tell our son he’ll never find a mate.

But then I think about the story he told me regarding the stolen human females who the Krijese forced themselves on and who all died.

In his mind, there are no options for Sorin.

What about a Tavikhi female though? There are a few female children I saw running around during my time there.

Then there’s the new Tavikhi-human hybrids.

Could they possibly be mates to Sorin and Gannen?

I squat down to eye-level with him. “Your planet is changing. While I don’t want to offer you false hope, I also don’t want you to give it up completely.

Your gogo thought he would never have another mate after your momo, I suspect.

And look at him now. He has me, and so do you.

I guess what I’m saying is you never know what life will bring you so keep your mind and your heart open to all possibilities, okay? ”

“Yes, Momo.”

“Good.” I kiss Sorin’s forehead and draw him in for a big hug. “We’ll wait another day or two before we go the the Tavikhi village. Once I’ve had a few axe-throwing lessons.”

“I think that is a wise choice.”

I snort and straighten. “Let’s go check on the elders and see how they’re doing.”

He takes my hand and tugs me out of the storage tent. On the way, he douses the candle and drops it in a small cup-like vessel on the ground right outside the door.

“How are those things made?”

“Animal fat,” Sorin replies.

My stomach turns a little. Last night I’d almost lost my dinner skinning and butchering the dreri, but I swallowed down the impulse. If I’m going to survive in this village, then I’m going to end up doing repulsive things like yanking the guts out of an alien deer. I’m nothing if not a survivor.

We approach the first tent. Seated on the ground outside are Moshi and another elder whose name I believe is Vora. Between the two of them they have a large tub of water and a smattering of bones of various shapes and sizes.

“Greetings,” Sorin calls out.

The two males glance up and Moshi dips his head. “Greetings to you and your momo.”

“Sorin and I stopped by to say hello and see if there is anything we can do to assist you. Although truthfully, I also came by to see if you had any tips or tricks or advice for me that will help me to become a better tribe sister.” I’ve learned people like feeling useful, not useless.

“Birth new kits,” Vora says without any hesitation.

My face heats and I choke a little. “I’ll see what I can do.”

He nods and returns to his task—whatever it is. Moshi glances at him and his tusks twitch, but I don’t think in amusement. Not with the way he glares. He turns to me.

“Continue being a good mate to Kala and Momo to Sorin and keep peace in our village. That is the best thing we can ask of you.”

“Now that I can definitely do.” I study the way he shapes the bone which I find fascinating. “Are you making something specific?”

“A bone blade.”

“Like a knife?”

“Aye.”

“Would you teach Sorin and me?” I glance over at him. “Then again, he probably already knows how so just me?”

Sorin straightens. “I do know how, but it has been many moons since I have made one and it is always good to practice skills that have not been used in recent turns.”

“Perfect. Would you mind or would it be a bother?”

Moshi rattles his head. “I do not mind. Making weapons for hunting or defense is never a bother. It is an important skill for all Krijese to have.”

Technically, I’m not Krijese, but I’m not going to say that out loud.

Instead, I offer my thanks as the elder male passes Sorin and me a medium-sized bone and gives us instructions.

As with all new things that two-handed people can perform with more ease, I struggle at first. But with every challenge I’m presented, I do what I always do and that’s become stubborn.

I’m not one to give up easily and although it almost always takes me a lot longer to accomplish a task and I make more mistakes, I stick with it. The end results aren’t perfect and I have admitted defeat before, but no one can ever say I didn’t try my absolute best.

Time passes and we take a break for the afternoon meal, with Moshi assisting Ashrif out of their tent, but then return to our blade-making after we’re finished eating.

Before I realize it, Moshi stands. I glance up at him and discover the first moon has almost broken past the horizon.

Which means it is almost time for the evening meal and for Kala to return.

I’m nearly finished with my current blade anyway.

“Thank you for teaching me and for spending your day with us.” It has been a great day actually. I love hearing the stories Moshi and Vora told of their lives. It gives me a greater insight into Kala and why he and the rest of the others crave peace.

“It is my honor, Iris. You are welcome at our tent any time.”

“Do you mind if I take these to show Kala? I’ll return them, I promise.” I gesture toward the few blades I made that still need to be attached to their wooden handles.

“Your mate will be proud of your work.”

“Thank you.”

Sorin helps me gather the things up and we head for our tent to wait for Kala’s arrival. Now that my mind isn’t occupied with another task, the anticipation and impatience accelerates.