Page 31 of Asmodel

“Hey, Talonar.” One of the soldiers approached him with a hissing whisper. “You feeling alright? Your voice sounds funny and you’re standing strange.”

Damn observant scikvak. Before he responded, another guard piped in.

“I bet the kid got caught by surprise and won’t admit it!”

This one was thicker in body and neck than the others and had a long scar sideswiping his face from the top of his right eye to the tip of his chin. His jowls jiggled as he hissed with laughter.

“Leave the kid alone, Varex.” The first guard responded. “As I remember, you got that scar from a skalderbeast on your first assignment, didn’t you?”

“Shut up, Sylas.” The larger scikvak grumbled.

“Time to go.” Commander Jaltaar rejoined the group. “We’re to take this human back to the regent for questioning.”

“Aren’t we supposed to be looking for a human female?” Varex questioned, his tail swishing back and forth on the moist ground.

“They’ve sent the drone patrol out to look for any other heat signatures.” Jaltaar responded. He glanced at the scarred guard with a brief nod. “Sylas, activate the bridge.”

“Yes, sir!” Sylas snapped to attention before pulling out a handheld device that fit in his large paw. The alloy covering the device had intricate etchings that swirled and coalesced at a random pace. With a click of one claw, a holographic picture of a luminescent bridge appeared. With another quick touch, the same bridge solidified between the cliff where they stood and ended at a large building on the opposing cliff face.

“Alright, troop. Let’s head home.” Jaltaar led the way.

For the first time, Asmodel noticed the bow slung across his back and a gripper holding a quiver of arrows. With a grimace, he met Raxx’s gaze before they followed the others across the rainbow-hued bridge.

“Talira.” A young female pardalion rushed toward them, out of breath. She grasped Talira by her upper arm, licking her whiskers. The pretty orange stripes on the dark-blue fur between her eyes and down her snout were messy, as if she’d swiped her paw across it one too many times. Her golden eyes were wide and dilated as she panted.

Izzy stared at the youngster who had to be in her formative pubescent years.

“Calm down, Zolune.” Talira stroked the smaller female on her snout and smoothed the ruffled fur. “Why are you so jumpy?”

“The elders have the chancellor of the Federation Consortium on the vid, and he’s asking foryou!” Her last word came out in an excited whisper.

Talira’s thin black lips lifted across her delicate snout into an indulgent smile. She patted the young female on her shoulder. “That’s good, Zolune. Nothing to worry about. It’s going to save me time since I planned on talking to him, anyway.”

“Really?” the youngling gushed. “Can I watch?”

Talira nodded. “Of course.” She wagged a finger at her. “But you must observe only. No talking or you’ll have to leave.”

“Oh, I promise!” Zolune vowed with a lifted paw. “Thank you, Talira.”

Talira glanced over her shoulder at Izzy before turning back to the young female. “This is Izzy, our guest. Would you make sure she doesn’t get lost? I can’t tell you how much that would be a big help.”

Zolune’s chest puffed with pride. “I’d be honored to!” Her golden eyes focused on Izzy. “I’ve never seen a human before.” Her head tilted. “Oh, wow. You don’t have any fur. Aren’t you cold all the time?”

Izzy grinned. “I guess I am.” She waved her hand over her torso. “That’s why we wear clothes and don’t run around naked.” She pretended to shiver. “Every day we have to be plan what to wear so we don’t find ourselves exposed to the harsh elements and get sick.”

Zolune’s snout scrunched as she glanced down at the one-piece jumper she had on. “I don’t know what I’d do if I had to think about what I wore all the time. But don’t you worry. Stick with me and I’ll make sure you don’t go someplace where you’d get hurt.”

Izzy nodded. “I really appreciate it.” She smiled and looked at Talira’s retreating figure. “I guess we’d better catch up before she starts without us.”

“Come on!” Zolune waved for Izzy to follow. “It’s not far.” She pointed one of her stubby paw forefingers at a large opening on the opposite end. “If we’re lucky, they’ll be serving something to eat!”

With any luck, Zolune was right that it wasn’t far. If she had to keep this fast pace for long, she’d pass out. Didn’t matter if it happened because of the lack of exercise or food. Face-planting in a strange place among aliens was never a good look.

Izzy trailed behind Talira, tired and hungry. With weary eyes, she watched Zolune skip beside her. The child pointed out places and people of interest, and the vibrant life pulsating within the cave village of Nekojin was impressive.

Looming ahead was a vast, illuminated cavern. The sheer width and breadth of it made it feel like she was about to step into the heart of CeluriaVO itself. Swirling bioluminescent fungi cast a soft glow and bathed the natural stone amphitheater in an ethereal light. The air was a mix of earthen musk and the sharp tang of electric machinery humming in the background. Even though she walked within a natural cave, the advanced technology around her was a stark reminder of the scikvak who created a harmonious blend of nature and advanced technology.

Around her, the cavern was alive with activity, buzzing with the indistinct murmurs of the scikvak as they moved about, their striped fur shifting like shadows under the luminous light.

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