Page 12 of Mates for the Raskarrans #1-6

She is not raskarran, and she is not from this place. I have always known this in some way, but it strikes me hard now. Perhaps she does not even understand the dreamspace.

The thought is like a physical blow to my heartspace. That she might not have understood what we shared there… I am a bad male, and a bad mate. I do not deserve her.

But I am also selfish. I want her and will not stop trying to make this right.

“ Urenosupposetabereal.” Words leave her perfect lips and I don’t understand them. By Lina, I wish I could just lie down now and sleep. Speak to her properly. But the day is yet young and we are not safe here, so exposed beneath the branches of trees I do not know.

I point in the direction of the beach. “Back,” I say. “Go back?”

She watches me, shaking her head. I do not think it is because she understands my words.

Then my Liv turns and cups her hands in front of her mouth, screaming, “ Ellie!”

I leap forward, closing the gap between us, and put my hand over her mouth.

She shoves at me, fighting against my grip.

I only hold her tighter, afraid that if I release her, she will scream again and draw all manner of creatures and other raskarrans down on our location.

Those merka beasts were starving. The hunting must not be good here.

I do not wish to find out what else is struggling to survive at the edges of the sands.

I rumble deep in my throat, trying to soothe her.

She is breathing hard, and though she has mostly stopped fighting against me, every so often she struggles, as if to test whether I have loosed my grip.

I watch the trees, listening for sounds of approaching animals.

The air is heavy with the weight of the trees overhead, but it is quiet.

I relax my hold on my Liv. She is still breathing hard, but she does not try to fight free of my arms. I turn her in my arms, taking my hand from her mouth, pressing a finger to her lips. Our eyes lock together and she nods her head.

“ Ilbequiet,” she says, voice low.

I do not understand her words, but her volume says she understands me.

I take my hand back, though I am reluctant to.

Holding her against me, even to restrain her, was a reminder of her soft body, how good it feels pressed up against mine.

My heartspace aches with need, my cock stiffening.

But my linasha’s needs come first, and right now she needs her mate’s patience and understanding, not his physical urges.

“We need to go back to the sands,” I say, keeping my voice low, gentle. “See to your people. Anghar will find the other female.”

I point in the direction of the sands. My Liv looks over her shoulder, and I can see the torment in her expression.

She does not want to leave her friend, but she knows her other people need her, too.

My heartspace swells with pride. I knew her fierceness would make her a strong leader, but her compassion will make her a great one.

She is truly the perfect female for me. Lina has blessed me beyond measure.

“ Kay, ” she says, with a short nod. “ Willgoback.”

She trudges past me, her whole body tight with frustration. I wish I had words to soothe her, to let her know that Anghar would never let harm come to his female. That he is the best hunter in my tribe and if he cannot find her, then no one can.

Instead, I follow behind her. My tail twitches as I fight the urge to loop it around her leg, to touch her, claim her in some small way.

Patience, I remind myself as my feet sink in to the sand. Patience.

Ahead, Vantos stands guard at the edge of my linasha’s encampment, his face even more stern and serious than usual.

Shemza sits with two females, tending to the arm of one of them.

She has tears in her eyes - from fear or pain, I cannot say.

Even Maldek and Rardek look solemn, the two of them stood by what must be the remains of the egg Anghar saw.

It is cracked wide open, half buried at points in the sand.

The rest of the females cluster together by the fire.

There are seven of them. The only things they have are a couple of badly put together spears, and some sheets of material - one of which has been wrapped around the body of the female that did not survive the merka beast attack.

I see my Liv’s chest hitch as she notices, but she squares her shoulders and goes straight for the brown-skinned warrior female.

“ Everythinokay ?” she says, her words incomprehensible, but her tone even calm.

I want to stay by her side, but shadowing her will not do anyone any good. I will not pine at her heels when there is work to be done.

I go to Shemza first, crouching beside him.

He is wrapping the injured female’s arm, splinting it to keep it straight.

I look at how pale she is, how grey her skin.

It is the pallor of the deathly ill - even raskarran skin turns that shade when Lina is close to taking their spirits.

I remember the females of the village, each going that shade as the sickness ravaged through them.

My heartspace pounds. It is not a colour I wanted to see on one so young ever again.

“It is a nasty break,” Shemza says, keeping his voice steady and calm, his expression soft and kind. “Made worse because it has not been tended to properly. She has been allowed to sicken, to grow weak with fever. They do not know about the djenti berries.”

“Will she be okay?” I ask.

“I think so. The break will be slow to heal, but she will recover in time.” He gives the female a smile.

She responds with one of her own, but it is hesitant, uncertain.

The other female beside her watches Shemza’s hands with suspicion, but does not intervene or speak.

“The fever is already receding. She will need much rest this day before she has the strength to travel, though. Possibly tomorrow as well.”

I am not keen on the idea of waiting here any longer, but if the female requires rest before she can travel, then we shall have to.

“Is moving her a greater risk than waiting here?” I ask.

Shemza looks uncomfortable at the question.

“If we wait here an extra day or two, another tribe may not yet reach us before we leave. If they do reach us, they may be well intentioned. These are two good outcomes out of three possible ones. If we move her there are two possible outcomes - she suffers greatly and lives, or suffers greatly and dies. Neither of these are outcomes I would choose for her, but she is but one of her tribe. If a tribe like Sarkry’s arrived, many other lives would be at risk. ”

I feel a swelling of pride in my heartspace.

Shemza was barely walking when the females died.

He has been raised by what was left of our tribe after his mother passed.

Though I was only a few rainy seasons older than him, I count myself among his parents.

It pleases me greatly that he has become such a thoughtful, clever male.

“I thank you for your thoughts,” I say. “I will think on this myself. Keep doing what you can to speed her recovery along.”

I leave him to it. Healing is a skill I have much respect for, but little understanding of. Shemza is young, but he is well trained. He does not need his chief watching over his shoulder.

Instead, I head to Maldek, who is examining the strange structure that must be what remains of the egg.

“I have never seen anything like this,” Maldek says, stooping to look inside the crack in the egg’s shell. “I think they must have lived inside it. Look.”

I follow him inside the strange structure. He gestures up at the walls, where there are a number of seats that must be fixed to the floor, for they jut out sideways, not falling.

“It has landed on its side,” I say, tilting my head.

“What strange tribe lives in an egg in the sky?” Maldek says. “And there are no pelts for sleeping in. Do they sleep sitting up?”

He looks to me for answers and I have none.

I think of my linasha writhing beneath me, my tongue flicking through the folds of her cunt.

Then I think of her flinching away from me in the forest, of her living in this strange structure, and I feel so distant from her, as if there is a gulf between us.

“What is this even made of?” Maldek says, poking the seat of one of the chairs with a finger.

“We will have answers,” I say. “Lina would not have led us to these females without a plan.”

“She would not have blessed you with a linasha,” Maldek says, a hint of envy in his voice. “Which one is she? I would like to meet my new chieftess.”

He gives me a grin. I appreciate his immediate acceptance of my Liv, how he does not question the bond, despite all the strangeness of the situation.

“She is... overwhelmed,” I say. “This is much for her to take in as well.”

“You mean you wish to keep her for yourself a little while longer?” Maldek grins. “I cannot blame you, brother.”

He claps my shoulder, then heads back towards the opening.

“Rardek and I will see about raising some shelters for the females. I think we will be resting here a night at least?”

“At least,” I say, thinking of Anghar and the female he pursues through the trees.

“I will help you with the shelters. Vantos can scout the area, check for any dangers and signs of others approaching. I would like to be prepared if any other raskarrans decided as we did to investigate. Let Rardek put his skills with food to good use. A good meal will help soothe the worries of the females.”

“And the aches in our own bellies,” Maldek says, then shoots me a mischievous smile. “Though I doubt it will do much for the other aches these females inspire.”

“No one touches any of the females,” I say, but I put no heat in it. I know that none of my brothers would ever do anything to harm or frighten a female. Fight for them, die to defend them. But never harm them. These females are the future. Not just for us, but for the whole raskarran race.

Nothing is more important to us than them.