Page 32 of Mates for the Raskarrans #1-6

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Gregar

T ravel is slow with the two younglings and the one Sally yet carries inside her. This is Jassal’s ninth rainy season, but her legs are smaller than I would expect of a raskarran youngling. It is her mother’s blood in her, I think, making her smaller. Softer.

Two fierce urges war in me. To protect the little female. To carry her in my arms and snarl at any who would approach us. And the other - to abandon the entire family and take my linasha off into the trees and mate her until I have seeded a youngling of my own.

I do neither, walking beside Jassal as she chatters to my Liv in their words, keeping an eye on the tree branches.

Jaskry carries Ahnjas on his shoulders, half an eye on his mate, the other half on the path ahead of us.

Every so often, he passes Ahnjas to my Liv to carry, and scouts ahead of us, searching for any dangers that may lurk in wait.

But we are lucky. Every time he returns he has no warnings to give.

He was wary of my offer for his family to join my tribe.

I do not blame him. While our linashas talked, he told me of his tribe.

How his brother Sarkry demanded that Jaskry hand Sally over to him for the whole tribe to use.

It is abhorrent. To go against Lina’s blessing that way, to defile the sacred bond of mates.

It makes me sick just to think of it. What would such males have done to a youngling like Jassal?

I cannot even let my headspace go down that path.

None of my tribe brothers would dream of doing anything to hurt a female or a youngling.

They are good males. But Jaskry only has my word for that, and my linasha’s.

He watched her closely, watched our interactions as we ate breakfast. I fed my linasha well at my expense.

I would have done this anyway - she has hungered for several days and needs to recover her strength more than I need to maintain mine - but it was also a show for Jaskry.

See how well I care for my female? See how happy she is with me?

I wanted him to choose to join me. Because it would be better for him and his family, it would keep his younglings safe. But also, because it would make my linasha happy to have her sister with her. Above all else, I want my linasha to be happy.

So I am glad Jaskry decided to join his family with my tribe.

He tells me of his home as we walk, how he built a hut for his family near to the great river.

I think it is not far from our territory - in one of the between places, claimed by no tribe.

He is a clever male, I think, and will be a good addition to our tribe.

When I tell him such, he gives me a strange look.

“In my tribe, I was the burden,” he says. “The runt.”

“Then Sarkry is more fool than I thought him to be,” I say.

He walks a little taller after that, and I think that it has been difficult for his linasha, living alone, but it has been difficult for him also. Raskarrans are not meant to be solitary. We need our tribe around us.

And my tribe has more than doubled in size with all the new additions.

I hope there are many more mates found for my brothers amongst the females.

I hope by next rainy season there are many more younglings taking their first steps across the forest floors.

My heartspace fills at the thought, and I cannot help smiling broadly as we walk.

We walk until Jassal tires. Then I carry her, her little body curled in my arms, and we walk some more.

I meant to keep no more than half a day’s walk from the human camp on the sands, but that was not accounting for the slow pace of a female carrying a youngling.

Sally does not complain or ask for rest, but I know she must be struggling, for Jaskry watches her closely, touching a hand to her at every opportunity.

Then little Ahnjas starts to fuss, and we are forced to stop, rest, feed the younglings and the females.

Jaskry heads off to scout the area, returning a short while later.

“We’re not far from the encampment,” he says. “I can see it from the treetops.”

“Does everything look well?” I ask.

He nods. “The humans look relaxed. Your brothers are vigilant in their watch. We’ll reach them before evening falls.”

“Good,” I say. “I am eager to be away from the sands and the great salt waters.”

“It will be tomorrow morning now, I think,” he says, glancing at his linasha where she rests next to mine.

There is caution in his tone as he says this, as if he expects me to overrule him. I expect his brother would have, but I am not a fool. A good chief cares for all his tribe, and Sally is my tribe now. I will not push her harder than she is able to bear.

“It will probably help the other females to rest another day,” I say. “We will leave at first light. Our food supplies are too limited to wait a day longer, and I still fear other tribes arriving with ill intent.”

“My brother should have learned not to mess with things that fall from the sky,” Jaskry says. “But ten rainy seasons is a long time to forget good sense.”

“And his is not the only tribe likely to have seen it.”

“No,” Jaskry says. “It left quite a scar in the sky. I am surprised no others have arrived yet.”

“We travelled fast and with little caution,” I say. “We have been lucky that this granted us a head start. But I do not expect it will last much longer. I am grateful to have an extra pair of eyes and ears for the watch tonight.”

Shortly after we set off again, we emerge from the jungle on to the sands.

It is easier going, walking along the edge of the great salt waters, the wet sand firmer beneath our feet, and the space around us open, no predators or hunters hiding from our view.

The younglings are delighted by the salt waters, little Jassal splashing through the waves with her brother, who chases after her on his unsteady legs, tripping often.

And then, we are close to the human camp. Vantos spots us first and comes over, his spear raised at first. He lowers it when I hail him, confusion in his expression as he takes in our group.

“I thought these days could not get any stranger,” he says, looking with wide eyes at the two younglings. “Anghar?”

I shake my head. “We must leave him to find his linasha. If he has not returned by the morning, we will leave without him. He will know to return to the village if he is gone for many sunrises.”

My Liv goes with her sister and the younglings to the human females. There is much surprise and discussion, but I notice many of the females cooing over the younglings, and I hope it opens their hearts to the idea of raskarran mates. That they desire younglings like Jassal and Ahnjas of their own.

I wonder if my Liv desires them, if she looks at them and feels the same hunger to be filled with young as I am to fill her.

Heat burns in my loins and I wish I could throw her over my shoulder, carry her off in to the woods to find a private space to mate.

I will not drag her away from her tribe, though. My needs will have to wait.

Jaskry joins Rardek on his hunt, and the two return a short while later with a fat ensouka calf.

“A bit of luck, brother,” Rardek says, grinning. “This little one had strayed far from his mother’s herd. It was being stalked by a merka beast not quite full grown. The merka beast decided it would rather not take on two fine raskarran males, so the ensouka can fill our bellies instead.”

He slaps Jaskry on the shoulder. The smaller hunter is quiet, still wary, I think. But he will not last long against Rardek. He and his brother will have Jaskry laughing and joining in before the sun goes down.

While they prep the ensouka for eating, Maldek and Vantos return from their latest scouting with nothing to report. I am pleased. Lina protects us, but she can only do so much to protect fools. It would not be wise for us to linger here any longer than we must.

“We will be away from here at first light,” I say. “Ensure everything that can be packed up ready is.”