Page 22 of His to Worship

“Kuvier, old friend! It is something special to be meeting you out here, in the middle of nowhere,” Enikk says cheerfully, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

I let out a grunt, my tense muscles relaxing slightly, relieved only that he is a being with far less claws and teeth than a zuhvit. “Enikk, what are you doing?”

Enikk shrugs nonchalantly. “You said you did not wish to tell me what or who you have found. But, as a good clansman, I could not let you go off on your own, could I? You should not face any danger by yourself. No, I decided instead to allow you to show me, and to ensure your safety while I do so.”

“You forget who taught you, kit. I do not need your protection.” I am growing furious. Enikk now poses a threat to my mate and is keeping me from reaching her faster.

“Well, regardless, I want to know what you are doing.”

I narrow my eyes, wary of his intentions. “I am not doing anything, Enikk. I have told you this.”

“True, you have said that you are not. Yet you speak of someone that you have found, and you bring enough supplies for many scores of blinks. Your words and your actions do not align, my good male.”

“It is not for you to determine what aligns or does not.”

Enikk gives an answer in easy agreement. “This is true. It is for the atan to decide. But it does not seem that you wish for him to be the decider, no?” I say nothing, and Enikk’s grin widens in triumph. “Lead the way.”

“I will say this only once, Enikk. Should you pose a threat to what belongs to me or try to take it, you will regret it.” Enikk is taken aback by my harsh words. His eyes peer over me, the tense hold of my shoulders and the irritated flick of my tail, and I see the moment that he determines I am serious.

“You have my word, Kuvier. I will harm nothing and take nothing which is yours.” With a firm nod, I turn from him, grab my packs, and continue on my way.

We continue our journey in silence, the tension between us palpable. Enikk tries to engage me in conversation several times, but I remain steadfast in my refusal to divulge any information.

With two people and two packs each, it takes us some time, but when the second eye is slowly rising in the sky, the destruction of the isolated cave comes into view. I hear the breath catch in Enikk’s throat when he sees the sight before him. It was overwhelming to me as well when I first saw the pieces of shiny black stone scattered across the valley.

The snow in the valley has become much thicker by the time we finally get to the site. I surge forward, feeling as if a string draws me back to my Sedona, and Enikk keeps pace with me. The excitement in me rises and my tail thrashes back and forth as I move. It occurs to me that I should warn the females of our arrival, especially considering I am not returning alone.

“Oy! Sedona!” I call out, my voice being swallowed by the storm and powder snow. But, when I see the strange cloth Sedona gave me to make a flap begin to move, I know I am heard. Sedona and her companion emerge from the cave, slowing when they note that there are two of us. I discard my pack as I bound toward her, the smile etched into my face. Scooping her up in my arms, I give her a fierce hug, burying my head in her hair. From behind me, I hear a choked sound and then Enikk speaks with whispered fervor.

“By the Great Mother,” he murmurs, his voice filled with wonder. “Are those…females?”

FOURTEEN

- sedona -

The relief I feel when Kuvier finally comes back is ridiculous.

When he had disappeared, I anticipated him being gone for several minutes, maybe an hour or two at most, but he was gone the whole rest of yesterday and into what counts as night in this place. Though I’d kept my cool, as Renata and I tended to the fire, ate the rations, and discussed when or if we should wake the others, I was scrambling on the inside.

Renata and I had reworked my bedding to accommodate two, but I barely slept, still feeling alone and unsafe. I was just finally drifting off, when I heard him call for me. I am a little embarrassed to admit I woke right up. In fact, I threw my furs off of me and bounded out of the crate wearing no additional layers, not worrying if a groggy Renata followed behind me or not.

It briefly surprises me to see that he’s brought someone else with him, but I am more focused on Kuvier. When he grabs me in his arms in a big bear hug, the feel of Kuvier’s strong body pressed against mine is the only thing I can really think about. After several moments of him squeezing me and nuzzling into my hair, I become aware of other eyes and squirm, trying to get down.

“Too cold,” he responds, gripping me tighter. I groan internally as I make eye contact with Renata over his shoulder. God, this is embarrassing.

“Please?” I plead lowly, so only he can hear me. I’m not sure if he’s learned the word yet, but he recognizes the tone. He observes me for a heartbeat, before he lets my body slide down his in a way that burns at the tip of my ears for a reason outside of embarrassment.

I step away and turn around to face his new companion, but Kuvier pulls me back until I’m standing on top of his feet, my shoes no longer touching the snow. He wraps his arm around me so I’m mostly sheltered from the cold by his body. This is far less embarrassing, so I let it happen.

I get the chance to take in the newcomer. This one is much smaller than Kuvier, though that is relative because he still appears to be over six feet and built. Their colorings are different as well. Where Kuvier has chocolate fur with small areas of white, this one is all white fur with small areas of gray mixed in. Their horns also differ. Kuvier has one pair of thick, curling horns close to his face and smaller ones sticking up like long spindles on the top of his head, but the new guy’s horns are thinner, both sets sharp and upright.

I also note immediately that there is an odd tension between the two. Kuvier’s posture is stiff, and he keeps glancing at his companion with what seems like a mix of irritation and caution, his arm tightening around my shoulder. The new goatman, on the other hand, appears to be more nonchalant, but the tense set to his shoulders communicates otherwise.

The next thing I notice is that they are both laden down with supplies. The new one has two packs strapped to his front and back. So did Kuvier, but he’d discarded his packs in the snow in favor of holding me. Each of the packs are stuffed with scores of supplies, hanging from the outside and shoved inside. I am not a survivalist, but the amount they brought seems like it would be enough to last us a long ass time.

A fact I am glad of because the snow has only gotten worse since he left, and I have a feeling there’s an even bigger storm brewing. What started as just cracks of thunder and flashes of lighting, has given way to a fresh powdery layer of snow outside. The weight of the fresh snow had even pulled down the blanket and fur that Kuvier had used to mend the ceiling. That had dumped snow inside that we’d had to shovel out with our hands before it melted and ruined our supplies. Now, it’s just a gaping hole, and it’s cold all over again.

The new guy says a string of words in his language. I recognize some, but not enough to actually understand what he’s saying. Whatever it is, it pulls a warning rumble from Kuvier’s chest. I tilt my head back and see that his eyes are set on the other dude, his teeth bared in a warning. Okay, so he’s clearly not a fan of this dude.

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