Page 38 of Cozy Prisons (Human Pets of Talin: Origins #4)
“Shout if you need me to rescue you from dumb Talins,” Kamie said, then, with a last glare at Falkilm, she walked away. Kiran didn’t even say anything; he simply gave Falkilm the same look and followed Kamie.
“Wait, don’t leave,” Falkilm called out.
He started to follow, but realized he still had a length of bandage in his hand.
He quickly finished wrapping her foot before looking up at her face.
“Don’t walk for at least a full rotation before I get a chance to check on the healing progress. Come to me if there is pain.”
She didn’t get a chance to agree before he jogged off after Kamie and Kiran.
“I think he’s about to learn the same lesson I did,” Daxus said as they watched him disappear behind some trees.
“What lesson?” she asked.
“Not to underestimate humans. Your species can be just as proud as we are. You’re so willing to forgive that we forget that.”
“Maybe not all that forgiving,” Nataly warned him. “Some of us can hold a grudge, so watch out.”
“Do Kamie and Kiran have your gift for programming bots?” he asked, making her bark out a laugh.
“No, but those two have their own set of skills,” she said.
“I don’t doubt it.” Daxus went back to purring. “If you don’t mind waiting here, I can set up our temporary domicile, and then you can rest.”
Despite the fact that it was early yet, she was exhausted. “That sounds nice.”
After a quick trip to the area designated for food preparation and consumption to get her a drink and snack, Daxus disappeared into the small tent city that was rapidly forming from the supplies she’d brought.
While Falkilm had been treating her feet, every single Talin and human had come by to thank her.
Palathum had teased her that Nataly was the reason the supplies she ordered were always depleted faster than she expected.
Then the most powerful Talin among them told Nataly she’d be forever in her debt.
It made Nataly want to cry, but she was worried it would be too much for Daxus to handle.
With Daxus gone, she was alone for the first time in a while. Curling up on her side, she fluffed one of the pillows Falkilm had given her and tucked the blanket around her. It felt good to relax, especially now that she’d gotten to see everyone again.
She was just drifting off when a gentle hand touched her shoulder. “Nataly?”
She opened her eyes to see Grace’s face filling her vision. The woman looked concerned.
“What’s wrong?” Nataly asked, forcing herself to sit up.
“I’m sorry to bug you,” Grace said. “But Hale isn’t doing well.”
Nataly blinked, trying to get her brain fully online. “Hale?”
“Remember how I was when we first got to Dandilow II?” Grace waited until Nataly nodded before continuing. “Hale’s like that right now. They’re not eating or even responding to anyone. I thought maybe you could do the same thing for them as you did for me.”
Nataly wanted to help, but wasn’t sure she could. “I’m not sure it would work with Hale. We’ve been friends for a long time, and lying next to you and talking felt natural. What if I can’t think of anything to say to Hale?”
Grace gave a little shrug. “It couldn’t hurt, and you’re not going to bed any time soon. Daxus is currently arguing with Utharium about where to set up your guys' tent. He hasn’t even started yet.”
“What’s there to argue about? All he needs is a spot big enough and that’s it.”
“Daxus wanted to put you guys a little further into the woods so he could build a fire pit, but Utharium is refusing to allow it. He’s saying you guys have to be in a central spot. He thinks it's important you be close to him and Palathum. They are considering you as part of leadership now.”
Nataly grimaced. “I don’t want to be in leadership!”
Grace snorted. “Doesn’t matter what you want. The minute the ground started shaking, you went from another adorable human to someone in direct contact with their ancestors. That makes you holy and precious.”
“Then nobody better piss me off or I’ll tell the ancestors to smite them!”
Grace grinned. “I don’t think that’s how it works, but you could try. After talking to Hale, though.”
“Yeah, yeah.” While she’d been resting, the sun had set. It was starting to get chilly, but Grace handed her the omni she’d taken off while Falkilm took care of her feet.
Hanging her feet off the bed, she pulled the omni on. There were glow stones set up all over the place, so there was plenty of light to see the hard ground below. She really didn’t want to walk, but it was impossible to ignore Grace’s request.
Before she could slide off the table, Grace stopped her. “The mover is unloaded, and Merrick’s bringing it over.”
Nataly breathed a sigh of relief. “Great, I wasn’t looking forward to testing Falkilm’s patience by ignoring his orders.”
“Don’t worry, Kiran and Kamie are doing that for you. Not too long ago, the three of them had a lovely fight over on the other side of the pond. It’s amusing to watch a Talin try to be quiet when it’s obvious they want to rattle and roar.”
“Oh, I’ve got inside information on what caused the fight,” Nataly said.
“Tell!” Grace demanded, leaning closer.
By the time Nataly finished relaying the drama, Merrick showed up with the mover covered in pillows. It took some maneuvering, but they got it next to the table and low enough for Nataly to be able to slide over.
When the mover bot lifted up to start walking, Nataly felt like she was in a parade again, except this time it wasn’t fun. When people saw her, they waved and cheered, but had a different tone, like she was to be revered instead of simply friends being silly.
She could only hope this new phase didn’t last long, and she got to go back to being just Nataly soon.