Page 26

26

Kroaicho

When I finally tunnel my way through into the valley I hope they took her to, I draw in a relieved breath when I smell overlapping alien scents and hear the odd sounds.

My skin——which has been lit red ever since I realized that not a single thing in that hoard was as precious as the one that walked away——transitions back to pink. I follow zha’s scent, which smells strangely like… zhasie now.

And a lot of other scents. And… blood? My skin lights up red again and I increase my pace.

I don’t bother to hide my presence. I can’t live with this constant pinkness and from the smell, Olivia might be in danger. The risk is worth taking. Then I consider how stupid that is and start moving toward the nearest cliff side as I try to gauge how to tunnel close to the scent.

A metallic clicking sound stops me. I turn to see the pink-haired human. All the human colors lie and I know this one is one moment away from doing something painful.

Zha lowers the weapon, surprising a blue flash across my skin.

“Are you here to talk with Olivia?” the human says in my language.

“Yes,” I chitter back.

Zha points in the direction of Olivia’s scent. “Fix what damage you caused or next time I won’t miss, fucker .”

My skin pulses to purple, but the anger is only directed at myself. Hopefully zha realizes that or zha might shoot me in my upper segment as I walk away.

Yes. Zha might take that shot, but I don’t turn around once I walk past zha or look back. My eyes are trained on the shallow cave I can see now.

When I get close, I see that Olivia is laying prone, with zha’s small arms raised, poking zha’s fingers at the patches of…

I stop in my tracks, my back limbs tripping over my middle limbs.

Beautiful.

Zha is glowing and a thrill passes through me. But then I take note of the color. Pink.

Just like me. It gives me hope and gets my limbs moving again. Zha lifts zha’s head as I get close and there is a bright flash of orange on zha’s new patches and an answering flash on my own when I see it.

Joy. Zha feels joy when zha sees me.

“You left the hoard?” zha asks in the human language, tone incredulous.

“I... well… yes. I did,” I admit, though my skin is twitching to get back to it and make sure it's still intact.

Add to it. Fluff it. The desire ripples along my segments, but I don’t give in.

I resist, eyes roving over zha’s skin as the orange glows even brighter, then I suddenly realize there is something else new about zha.

“Your eyes…” I trail off, somehow more stunned to see zhasie eyes than the patches of orange.

“Right,” zha says briskly. “Well, thanks to them I have a newfound appreciation for what you see in the hoard, but I still want to leave it.”

I grind my tusks. “Why, again? I am not saying no… but why? We have a hoard. It could just be two of us. I was taught that one is better than two, and you are no zhannel to make up the exception to that… but we could be two, regardless. You could help add to the hoard, even.”

Zha’s skin flashes pink again. “It’s funny, actually. Not that long ago I would have agreed with you. I would have reveled in the idea of hiding myself away, though not to gather treasures, that still makes no sense… but to just… it doesn’t matter, actually. You taught me that I couldn’t hide away anymore. That I do, in fact, need people. Even if they are confusing and I don’t think I’ll ever fit in. I need more than just one. More than two, even, Kroaicho.”

I’m not sure how to respond and the silence stretches on.

The tension between us is thick, but I have grown accustomed to it, grown accustomed to zha. For a species so small and fragile, zha is resilient, determined even, despite my constant objections. But what I feel now… this new emotion stirring within me is not something I'm familiar with.

A glance down and I see the orange and pink mixing with green and I know how to identify it.

When I look back to zha, Olivia is signaling again… but not with just the green hair or eyes. Zha’s skin is glowing that unmistakable green. And I feel my own spikes twitch, a response to something deep within me, something primal.

I narrow my eyes, studying the soft green flicker playing along zha’s skin. It's more vibrant now, almost as though zha's emotions—whatever they are—are strengthening with each passing second.

"I thought it was just another way we miscommunicate," I say, my voice lower than I intend, deep in thought. "But you are signaling again."

Olivia startles, blinking up at me. A soft blue now mingles with zha’s green, a blend of curiosity and bewilderment. "Signaling what?"

My spikes stiffen as I search for the correct way to explain it, but the direct path seems the most honest. "You want to mate."

Zha's face flushes a bright red—an odd contrast to the green that still glows faintly. I tilt my head slightly, noticing how zha breathing picks up, zha's heart rate quickening. Zhasie species have many ways of expressing emotions, but red mixed with green? Fascinating.

My spikes twitch, and I blink at Olivia. "You are red," I observe, feeling the shift of blue creeping into my own glow. "Have I frightened you?"

"No, no." Zha rubs the back of zha's neck. "I'm just… human skin turns red when we're embarrassed. Anger, too, but I'm not angry. Just…" zha trails off with cheeks darkening even more.

I narrow my eyes. "That is inconveniently contradictory."

A soft laugh escapes zha, the tension breaking slightly. "Yes. Tell me about it."

Yet, despite zha's oddly red embarrassment, the green glow remains, pulsing softly in rhythm with zha’s emotions. There's a deep hum resonating through me now, and my own body reacts instinctively. The soft, internal heat I've been ignoring flares, and I notice a strange sensation creeping across my own skin—something unexpected, something familiar.

I blink and glance down at my arms. Definitely green. The same green that pulses from zha’s skin still blooms across mine, steadily becoming stronger.

"You want a mate too?" Olivia asks with a quiet voice, almost teasing, but I hear the undercurrent of genuine curiosity.

I stiffen, unsure how to respond. This… this was not something I had anticipated. Zha’s tone, the way zha is laying there, staring up at me with that strange color mixture of confusion and interest—it stirs something in me that feels entirely unfamiliar, yet undeniable.

"It is not something I am opposed to," I murmur, feeling the weight of my own words, surprised I utter them.

I do not understand how this has escalated so quickly, how zha’s presence has stirred a reaction in me that I've never experienced before. Zha is fascinating in ways I hadn't fully acknowledged until now.

Zha’s lips quirk and the green on zha’s skin seems to brighten as zha gets up and steps closer. "You don't seem too shocked by it, though."

"No," I admit it without hesitation, though I am unsure of what to do with this new information. My glow deepens, and I catch a flicker of something else across zha’s face—something playful. The interaction is strange, the energy between us shifting into something almost… charged.

We remain in silence for a few more moments, but there's an odd tension now. Zha keeps glancing at me, zha’s expression curious, as though she's trying to read something off my skin, but my glow remains a steady green. It's distracting. I don't fully understand what's happening, but I cannot deny the pull I feel toward zha.

"Are you… well?" I ask, feeling unsure of how to approach this. “Is that blood I smell?”

Zha looks down. “Yes, but not mine. It’s for… I don’t know how to explain it, but apparently you’ll see tomorrow.”

I blink a few times, thoroughly confused, then shake off those thoughts and narrow back to what’s important right now. “What are we going to do?”

Olivia doesn't answer immediately. Instead, zha gets up and takes a step toward me, zha’s expression unreadable. I watch zha closely, my body tensing as zha gets closer and closer. Something in zha's eyes has changed—a new intensity that sends a strange jolt through me.

I don't fully understand what's happening, but I know one thing for certain: I do not want it to stop.

By the demiurge, I do not want it to stop.