Page 16

16

Kroaicho

I wake slowly, the tightness in my limbs easing as I become aware of my body, no longer wracked with pain but sluggish with exhaustion. The familiar cold dampness of the soil surrounds me, cradling me like the deep cave system has done many times before. I flex each of my limbs, one by one, testing my strength. To my relief, my wounds have closed up. The ache is still there, a lingering reminder of the battle, but my body has done what it does best. Heal.

Faster than normal, judging by my lack of hunger, which is odd, but I don’t linger on the thought.

I push myself up, the soil sliding from my back and limbs as I rise out of the small pit I had dug. The crystals, my treasure, remain beside me, gleaming faintly in the dim light. I gather them, all four of my arms working methodically, gently brushing dirt from their surfaces before clutching them close. My hoard is safe, and I'm alive. A small, fleeting satisfaction flickers through me, but it's dulled by the nagging awareness gnawing at the edges of my thoughts.

Olivia .

The name surfaces in my mind unbidden, and immediately my skin flushes a deep, irritated violet. I know I've overslept. I know. I should have returned earlier. But my injuries… I needed time. Still, I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. It crawls up my spine as I shove the last crystal into my arms and begin the journey back, my pace quickening with every thudding step against the stone.

The cave is familiar, but I choose the shortcuts this time, the narrow tunnels that twist and turn but cut the distance down. My claws scrape against the jagged walls as I maneuver through the tight spaces, cursing under my breath. How long has it been? Did zha stay put? Probably not. Foolish, reckless human.

I push myself harder, my heart thudding in my chest. The air in these tunnels is damp, thick with the mineral staleness that clings to the back of my throat. But even that doesn't calm the irritation bubbling up within me. Why do I care? She's not my responsibility. The thought is ridiculous, and yet it's there, pulsing, undeniable.

When I finally emerge from the tunnels into the main cave, my arms full of treasure, my breathing ragged from the hurried pace, the first thing I notice is the emptiness. The silence. My eyes scan the cavern floor, the dim light making it hard to see at first. But then it hits me.

She's gone.

I feel a surge of frustration, so powerful it nearly makes my tusks ache. I toss the crystals to the ground in a fit of rage, the clattering noise echoing off the cave walls as they scatter wildly across the floor. I've never done that before. Not once have I treated my hoard with such carelessness, but right now I can hardly bring myself to care. I stalk across the cave, muttering curses in my native tongue, the sound low and sharp, but they do nothing to ease the storm inside me.

"How—how did I ever let zha into my life?" I snarl, the words hissing through my clenched teeth. My skin flares purple, then deepens into a dark, bruised shade as the frustration coils tighter in my chest.

This is why I shouldn't care. This is why. I lean against the stone wall, taking deep breaths to steady myself. After a long moment, I force myself to calm down, force my limbs to be still and push the rage back. It doesn't do me any good, not now.

With a resigned sigh, I move to gather the crystals again, handling them with more care this time. Piece by piece, I place them in my corner, where they belong. Normally, this would fill me with pride—admiring the shiny rocks, adding to my collection. But now, all I can think about is the human. The irritating, illogical human. Olivia.

My attention drifts to the empty space again. I know I won't be able to sit here for long. How can I enjoy my collection when the centerpiece is missing?

With a frustrated huff, I rise to my feet. Fine. If zha won't stay put, then I'll find zha. Again. My tusks press against my lips as I let out a sharp breath, focusing on the task at hand. I trace the ground carefully, searching for any sign of zha’s passage. The soft dirt and stone floor show little, but I find the faintest of footprints after a few agonizing minutes. They're fresh, leading deeper into the tunnels.

I follow them, my pace quicker than before, irritation spurring me on. My heart pounds as the trail grows faint in places, almost disappearing entirely, and for a moment I feel panic rising. What if I can't find her? What if something's already happened? My skin flickers violently purple at the thought, but I push it down. I won't lose zha. Not yet. No… never.

After what feels like an eternity of tracking zha by scent, I spot something—signs of a struggle. The ground is disturbed and scuffed in a way that sends a chill down my spine. My muscles tense as I hurry forward, my senses straining. And then I see it. The faint blue glow of bioluminescent mushrooms ahead, casting their eerie light on the tunnel walls.

There, in the faint glow, sits Olivia. She's resting against the tunnel wall, zha's head tilted upward, eyes closed. Relief floods through me, but it's quickly followed by annoyance. Zha doesn't look hurt, not even slightly. If anything, zha looks irritated.

I approach cautiously, but before I can say anything, Olivia's eyes flick open, and Zha gives me a flat, unimpressed look that freezes me in my tracks. Zha's voice cuts through the air, dry and sharp.

"You took your sweet time getting back, didn't you?"

The accusation hits me square in the chest. I snap back, unable to hold back the frustration any longer. "I had to fight off aggressors! Do you think I was just lounging around?"

She doesn't flinch, doesn't even blink at my words. Instead, Zha sucks zha's teeth, an imperious look crossing zha’s features as zha rolls zha’s eyes making me flinch.

“You should know better than to leave me alone in this cave, unsupervised, Kroaicho. What did you think would happen?"

My skin flashes deep purple with anger, tusks pressing hard against the inside of my lips. "You shouldn't be wandering around like a fool, human. You know how dangerous it is."

Her response is immediate, dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was supposed to be remain still while you ran off to do whatever it is you do. Next time, try not to leave a lady by her lonesome, hm?" Zha stands, brushing off the dirt from zha's clothes as though it's the least of zha’s concerns. "And for the record, I wouldn't be so annoyed if I wasn't so hungry."

I stare at Zha incredulously, the cave lighting blue broadcasting my emotions. I’m still processing zha’s words when zha gestures lazily toward a dark shape lying not too far away. My eyes focus on it, and I realize it's the carcass of one of the creatures I fought earlier, its body limp, fur slick with its own blood.

"Carry that, will you?" zha says, zha’s voice casual as if zha is giving a mundane request. "We're heading back to the cave. I plan to make a meal out of it."

Without waiting for a response, zha picks up a makeshift torch made from one of the glowing mushrooms and starts walking back toward the cave. I stand there, momentarily dumbfounded, the audacity of this human leaving me at a loss for words.

"Unbelievable," I mutter under my breath, a string of unflattering complaints slipping out. But despite my irritation, I move toward the carcass and lift it with one of my larger arms.

Of course. Of course, she's the one giving orders now.

I follow after her, the weight of the creature barely registering compared to the weight of my growing annoyance. As we walk back toward the cave, zha’s form illuminated by the faint glow of the mushrooms, I can't help but think that this human is more trouble than zha’s worth.

And yet, I can't seem to leave zha alone. Instead, I follow, skin flashing my jumble of thoughts. Blue, purple, orange… when will I return to a steady white?

***

As I follow Olivia back through the winding tunnels, the creature's carcass slung over one of my larger arms, I can't help but glance at zha. Zha’s steps are light, though zha is clearly tired, the glowing mushroom zha uses as a torch casting a pale blue light across zha’s features. I clench my jaw and grind my tusks, irritation still simmering beneath the surface.

I have so many questions, so much I want to say, but I hold back for now. The silence stretches between us, punctuated only by the rhythmic clack of my claws on stone.

Finally, after a few minutes, I can't help myself.

"How did you kill this thing?" I ask, my voice a low rumble. "With your—" I hesitate, searching for the right word, "—constitution?"

The question is genuine, but the moment it leaves my mouth, I see Olivia's shoulders stiffen, and I know I've struck a nerve. Zha whips around, glaring at me over zha’s shoulder, eyes narrowing.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" zha snaps, voice sharp and cutting. "You think just because I'm human, I'm weak?"

I hold zha’s gaze, trying to suppress the flare of white amusement that wants to light up my skin. "Well, you are human, and you haven’t demonstrated any noticeable strength or endurance."

I gesture toward the creature's body hanging over my arm. "This creature is twice your size. So yes, I'm curious. How did you manage it?"

Olivia's face flushes with the red that is not fear, zha’s lips pulling down at the edges. Zha turns fully to face me now, planting zha’s hands on zha’s hips. "I'm sorry, do you think I need brute strength to handle myself out here? Is that it? Maybe you're forgetting I've survived just fine on my own before you showed up."

I snort, tilting my head. "Survived, yes. Thrived? That's another matter."

Zha’s eyes flare with annoyance, and I can see zha clenching zha’s teeth. "You know, you have a lot of nerve. I may not have your giant monkey caterpillar arms, but I've gotten pretty good at using what I've got." Zha's voice is steady but heated, and there's a flash of pride there that surprises me.

I expect zha to be glowing yellow at this point and it’s ridiculous. False yellow is the worst.

But what do I know?

"And what exactly did you use?" I ask, more curious than condescending this time. "Your wit? Charm? I'm sure that's what really won the beast over."

Zha scoffs, rolling zha’s eyes dramatically, and the way zha’s lips purse makes my tusks clack in amusement. "Very funny, Kroaicho. But no, it wasn't my 'charm,' as you call it. I used a trap. Dug a pit, lured it in, and let gravity do the work. Not everything has to be solved with brute force."

I pause at that, genuinely impressed despite myself. Zha's voice is still biting, but there's a fierce intelligence behind it. I hadn't considered that zha would use strategy over direct confrontation. "Interesting," I mutter, the sound grudging. "That's… not bad. Resourceful."

Olivia raises an eye fur at me, zha’s lips twitching. "What's this? A compliment? From you? Should I be honored?"

I huff, attempting to imitate zha’s eye-rolling and cringing as a result. "Don't get used to it. Just because you managed one clever trick doesn't make you invincible."

Zha laughs, but it's a dry, humorless sound. "Yeah, no joke. Look, I don't need your approval, okay? I'm not out here trying to impress you." Zha turns back around and starts walking again, the mushroom light bobbing ahead of zha. "I'm just trying to survive. Same as you."

I take a step, then a thought occurs to me. “How did you get it out of the trap? Where is the trap?”

Zha doesn’t answer, just keeps stomping off ahead of me. The cave walls light up purple again, but it quickly dies back.

I take another long look at the creature and recognize the wounds as coming from my own claws.

My mouth opens to confront zha about the lie, but then I clack it closed. Suddenly, I find it amusing again.

I watch zha for a moment, my annoyance fading slightly into something more complicated. The back and forth with Olivia… it's always like this. A constant push and pull, each of us batting at the other. And yet, there's something almost enjoyable about it, as much as I hate to admit it.

Zha doesn't back down and doesn't turn away from a challenge. In some strange way, it's… refreshing.

But still, I can't let go of the irritation entirely. The fact that zha wandered off alone grates on me. I shake my head, clicking low under my breath as I trudge after zha, the weight of the carcass shifting slightly in my grip.

We continue in silence for a while longer, the winding tunnels becoming more familiar as we near the main cave. My mind drifts to my crystals, my hoard. The thought of returning to them, admiring the new additions, brings a flicker of orange contentment. But it's fleeting. I can't enjoy my treasure properly while Olivia's reckless actions still linger in the back of my mind like a thorn.

By the time we reach the cave, the air has cooled significantly, and the dim light from the bioluminescent mushrooms fades as we enter the open space. I toss the carcass onto the ground with a dull thud, not caring where it lands. Olivia, clearly exhausted, barely spares it a glance before slumping down onto a nearby rock, zha’s head resting in zha’s hands.

My eyes flick to zha for a moment, but then I turn my attention to my hoard. The crystals I gathered earlier are still scattered across the ground where I'd tossed them in my earlier fit of rage. I kneel down, carefully gathering them one by one, dusting off the dirt, and arranging them with the precision and care they deserve.

"These," I say, holding up one particularly beautiful shard, its surface glimmering faintly in the low light, "are the finest I've found in weeks."

I glance over at Olivia, expecting some kind of response, maybe a snide comment, or at least a flicker of interest. But zha is just staring at the ground, eyes half-lidded, looking utterly uninterested. A wave of irritation pulses through me.

"You could at least pretend to care," I mutter, holding the crystal up a little higher. "This is rare material, even by my standards."

Olivia doesn't even look up. Zha just waves a hand dismissively, still slouched on the rock. "Yeah, that's nice, Kroaicho. Really. I'm sure your shiny rocks are very impressive."

My skin flashes dark purple in annoyance. "They're not just 'shiny rocks’, human. They're—"

"I’ve been pretending my whole life, Kroaicho,“ Olivia interrupts, cutting me off mid-sentence, zha’s voice edged with exhaustion. "Surely here in this stupid cave I can let all of that go? I'm hungry. And tired. I don't really care about materialism , alright?"

I open my mouth to snap back at zha, to ask what that word means, but then I catch myself. Zha sounds genuinely worn out. The sharpness in zha’s tone is more from fatigue than actual malice, and I suddenly feel a pang of guilt. I sigh, turning back to my crystals and setting the last one down with more care than I did earlier.

"Well, if you're so hungry," I grumble, "you could've just said so."

Olivia shoots me a flat look, but doesn’t respond. Zha just slumps further, looking more miserable by the second. I glance over at the carcass, knowing it will take a while to prepare. Too long, especially with Olivia in this state.

With a resigned sigh, I rummage through one of the small alcoves in the cave, pulling out a handful of dried lichen. It's not the best of meals, all things considered, but it'll have to do for now.

"Here," I say, tossing the bundle of lichen toward Olivia. "Eat this. It will satisfy you until you can eat the creature."

Olivia catches the lichen, staring at it like I've just handed zha something rancid. "You can't be serious."

"Do I look like I'm joking?" I snap, crossing my arms over my chest. "It's edible. Stop complaining."

Zha eyes me skeptically before taking a tentative bite. The moment zha starts chewing, zha’s face contorts in disgust, and zha begins to cough and gag, struggling to swallow. I can't help but signal my amusement.

"Tastes as bad as it looks," I supply with no small amount of vindication.

Olivia glares at me, still coughing. "What… the hell … is this?" zha wheezes between gasps.

"Lichen," I reply matter-of-factly, my skin lighting a brighter white. "Good for you. Plenty of nutrients."

Zha groans, forcing down another bite, and I can see the revulsion in zha’s eyes. But zha keeps eating it, desperate enough to endure the taste. I lean back against the cave wall, watching zha with a mixture of amusement and sympathy. I didn't expect zha to actually eat it.

"Keep in mind," I say after a moment, "if you'd waited a bit longer, I could've made something a little more… palatable."

Olivia shoots me another death glare but says nothing, too busy trying to choke down the lichen. I let out a quiet chitter, my skin briefly flashing a brighter white. Zha’s stubbornness is almost admirable. Almost.

When zha finally finishes the bundle, zha sits back with a groan, rubbing zha’s stomach as if zha just endured some great trial. "That… was awful."

“Was it really, now?" I quip. "You ate the whole thing."

"Because I was starving," zha mutters, shooting me one last withering look before leaning back against the rock, zha’s eyes fluttering closed.

I watch zha for a moment, the cave falling into an uneasy silence once again. Olivia's breathing steadies and I can see the exhaustion weighing heavily on zha. Zha is not as indestructible as zha pretends to be, not even close. I know that, but I also know that I can't help but be… concerned. As much as I hate to admit it.

I push the thought aside, returning my attention to my hoard, but the satisfaction I usually feel when admiring my collection is muted. My mind keeps drifting back to the human, to zha’s fragile, infuriating form slumped against the rock.

Annoying little thing.