Page 11 of Wayfinder (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #5)
The shuttle moved during the night, leaving behind the lush green forests, and entering a barren desert landscape. Towering rock faces loomed in the distance, creating a rugged backdrop as the skiff glided along, a small speck against the vast expanse of desert soil.
“It looks like an ostrich with bigger wings and creepy tyrannosaur arms.” Pearl frowned at the screen.
“Struzzi are vicious creatures with razor-sharp beaks and claws,” I spoke from experience. I’d come across the beasts once before during my time studying to be a Wayfinder. “If we can find the nesting area, it will be easier to kill one.”
“Can they fly?” Pearl’s eyes drifted toward the heavens.
“Yes. But the struzzi cannot gain altitude due to its weight.” I gestured to the rock face on our starboard side. “They cannot fly much higher than the cliffs.”
Pearl considered the information with pursed lips, letting her gaze roam over the landscape. “I wonder why none of the other contestants came this way.”
“It is better if we find our own hunting ground,” I said without explaining that I had purposefully chosen a route away from the others, as always letting my inner compass choose the path. “Killing a struzzi will be hard enough without having to fight the others for it.”
I guided the skiff into a hidden alcove nestled within a dense copse of trees.
The perfect cover from prying eyes. We would need to traverse the few hundred meters to the rock face on foot.
I gathered up the protein bars pilfered from this morning’s breakfast and a couple of containers of water before exiting the skiff.
Pearl stood in a small patch of half dried grass, spinning as she took in our surroundings, her face awash with delight.
She wore her leathers again today. The supple fabric hugged her curves in all the right places, accentuating every step she took and transforming it into a graceful dance.
Last night, while she slept, I’d meticulously cleaned any remaining traces of gore left behind from the behia butchering session.
I wanted her to feel comfortable for today’s challenge.
As we made our way up a slight incline, the trees thinned out, revealing the towering rock face ahead. Its jagged edges jutted out like fangs, casting long shadows on the ground below.
“This reminds me of the hike when my friends and I got abducted.” Pearl stood, hands on hips, as she surveyed the escarpment, full lips drawn into a tight line. She worried for her friends, and suddenly, easing that worry became the most important thing in the universe.
“The other human females aboard the Bardaga are well and happy,” I insisted, enjoying the way the corners of her lips tilted upward.
What I didn’t mention was that part of their happiness stemmed from each taking one of my brethren as a mate.
I didn’t mention it because I didn’t know how I felt about it…
not yet. I didn’t understand why my heartbeat quickened when I considered Pearl and mating.
She was strong, opinionated, feisty, stubborn, and determined…
none of the qualities I’d ever regarded as attractive in a female.
Yet I couldn’t deny that I found Pearl beautiful and appealing.
Of course, unlike my sister, I was unwilling to settle.
If I mated, I wanted a true mating, like my parents.
A mating blessed by the goddess Valana. Something I could never experience with a human.
Still, it was impossible to stop from taking her arm as we walked along, nor could I quell the way my blood grew hotter when she turned to me and smiled.
“What exactly am I looking for?” Pearl asked, gazing upward. The craggy rock face stood tall and jagged, its rough surface covered in layers of weathered and worn stone. Sharp edges and steep crevices lined the face, giving the appearance of a menacingly fanged creature—much like the one we hunted.
“Dried grasses and other signs of nesting,” I told her, my gaze darting along the rocky surface.
“We’re going to have to climb, aren’t we?” Pearl asked with an aggravated huff.
“I could carry you,” I offered.
“Don’t offer unless you mean it,” she retorted, poking me in the side with her elbow.
Pearl’s bright blue gaze fixed on me, her lips curving into a smile that made me feel as though I basked in warm sunlight. But suddenly, her expression changed, eyes widening with fear, which caused a chill to shiver down my spine along with a flash of ire that something would dare frighten her.
A massive struzzi, its powerful wings flapping and black eyes blazing, burst from the tangled undergrowth. The ground shook beneath its stomping feet as it charged toward us, fierce and angry.
Very, very angry.
“Move!” I pushed Pearl out of the way, barely managing to draw my blades in time to deflect a swipe of the bird’s razor-sharp claws. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Pearl take cover behind a large boulder, momentarily out of danger.
I lunged forward, my blades aimed at the bird swooping toward me.
However, the agile creature proved to be too quick—diving, snapping, and slashing.
I couldn’t help but wonder why the struzzi didn’t fly up the rock face and escape.
But the creature fought like it had a personal vendetta to fulfill rather than simply trying to flee.
Its sharp beak snapped, and its talons clawed with ferocious determination, each strike fueled by a deep-seated fury.
I lunged forward, blades slicing through the air, each strike aimed to be a killing blow. The creature responded in kind, its sharp beak and talons aimed at my vulnerable spots.
With each attack and retreat, our movements became faster and more fluid, a dance of predator and prey. I glanced back to check on Pearl. She crouched behind a bolder, watching, her bright blue eyes wide with fear.
It proved a costly mistake.
Taking my attention from the creature for that one moment gave the bird an opportunity to land a blow with its sharp talons.
I felt my flesh rip as the claw sank deep into the muscle of my bicep, pain searing through my arm.
I gritted my teeth and battled on. If the struzzi beat me, Pearl would be vulnerable, and I would not allow that.
Blood dripped from the wound and mixed with sweat as it ran down my hand, making my blade harder to grip.
“Jutuk!”
This time, I didn’t let Pearl’s worried scream turn my attention from the creature.
I couldn’t. Scenting my blood made the bird more vicious, and it attacked in a flurry of razor-sharp talons and pecking beak.
More than once, the creature nearly landed what would have been a killing blow, but I managed to stay on my feet.
The gash in my arm bled profusely, and I felt my strength wavering.
“Hey, birdbrain!”
Both the bird and I glanced around at the sound of Pearl’s voice, just in time to watch her run up and bash the struzzi in the head with a heavy club.
The force of the blow made Pearl stagger and go to her knees while the bird stumbled.
She’d dazed the struzzi, but it was quick to recover, shifting its attention toward its newest attacker.
Thankfully, the bird’s slight hesitation gave me the opening I needed.
Bellowing the Vaktaire battle cry, I leaped upon the struzzi’s back, using my uninjured arm to reach around and draw my blade across the creature’s long neck.
Hot blood spurted over my hand, and the struzzi froze as if in shock over being defeated. We went down together in a crumble of flesh and feathers.
“Jutuk!”
Pearl leaped to my side, helping me move away from the dying struzzi.
The bird’s sharp claws twitched and spasmed in its death throes, a reminder of the danger we had narrowly escaped.
Wrapping her arms around my waist, Pearl steered me toward the rock face, coming to rest under an outcropping that provided shelter from the sun.
The coolness of the rock against my skin provided some relief as I leaned back, feeling slightly woozy from blood loss.
Shit, that cut is bad!” Pearl grabbed my arm, fingertips lightly probing the gash that ran down the length of my left bicep. She wasn’t squeamish. I liked that about her.
“I’ll heal,” I grunted, trying to ignore the throb of pain.
“Before or after you bleed to death,” she snapped, fastening me with an icy blue stare.
I glanced down, noticing the steady stream of blood from the wound. The flow didn’t spurt, but still bled too much to ignore.
“There’s a medi-kit on the skiff,” I muttered, shifting to rise to my feet.
Pearl loosed a growl, more cute than formidable, and her small hands pressed against my shoulders, holding me still.
“Stay here, don’t move. Drink some water or something. I think that’s supposed to help,” she instructed, rising to her feet, and handing me a container of water from the pack.
I watched her retreating figure, the sunlight casting a warm glow on her skin.
Normally, I would never allow her to venture off alone.
But after the intense battle with the struzzi, I felt certain any other creature that might pose a threat had been frightened away.
I allowed myself to relax against the cool stone, content to watch her move.
Pearl’s long legs propelled her forward gracefully, and I couldn’t help but notice the subtle bounce of her breasts and the sway of her hips.
She had no trouble locating the medi-kit and hurried back to my side. Kneeling down, she unpacked the small pouch, her brows knitting together as she examined the contents. Taking out a soft cloth, she delicately cleaned my wound, her expression one of intense concentration and concern.
“Shit, Jutuk, this cut is nearly to the bone,” Pearl grumbled, tying the cloth around my arm to keep the blood from dripping into the dirt.