Page 112 of Citrine

He doesn't let go. "¡Basta! ¡Diablos! Just let me talk to them!"

He finally stops, but I can tell by his grip on me he is angry. I can't see his face or I might be punching it right now, so that makes two of us.

"Do. Not. Take me away," I tell him in a voice that brooks no argument.

From the way his grip ever so slightly loosens, I can tell he has conceded. "Good. Now I won't have to beat at your stupid skull with my 'endless words' until it rattles."

The shiver that passes through him at the threat makes me grin. I turn back to the woman and cat person in the tree, sloughing off my anger so I can embrace the veritable geyser of excitement wanting to pour out of me.

I can barely see her. I can only make out hints of her black suit. She's clinging to the cat person. Mostly I just see a giant amount of fur, most of it orange, but some light green swirling through it. It is puffed out like an electrocuted lion, except it's far too large and alien to be one.

Not to mention the colors are wrong. And, you know, it speaks.

I push the thought aside. I am far more interested in the woman.

I hear her speak again, her voice muffled. "It's alright, Thivoll. I'm alright. Can you take us down again so I can talk?"

"You can talk from here," comes the hissing reply.

The woman grunts in annoyance. I'm pretty sure her cat friend is male, judging by the depth of his voice.

My throat hurts and then I'm no longer making whale calls, but instead sound like I've been smoking for a few decades.

"Hello! Are you human? Sorry, that sounds rude. I don't exactly look human anymore either. Ack! I'm sorry. Let me start over. I'm so excited to see another person! I'm Eli, who are you?"

"Seriously, Fluff Brain. I want to at least see her. Move."

I can already tell I'm going to like this woman. The cat man… Thivoll doesn't come down from the tree, but he does reposition them on the trunk so she can peek out from over his fluffy shoulder.

Her eyes don't have any white left, just like mine, except hers are a beautiful blue. She's crying, clearly excited.

"Hello, Eli. I only knew you as Citrine, and it is so good to see you again."

"Again?

She shakes her head, like she's trying to clear her thoughts. "Yes, sorry, I'm not making much sense. I'm just as excited as you are."

My smile is hurting my face by this point. "That's alright."

"My name's Ree. You were with me on a spaceship, but you were in a cryogenic chamber that kept you in stasis. We were abducted by the genali, pretty much gray blobs with elephant legs. There are other hunters here, too, lots of them, despite our efforts to kill them, like the little green men from movies."

"Oh, I just saw one of those."

Ree looks alarmed and her giant cat pulls in a deep, whistling breath.

"I don't hear or smell anything, sweet one."

I shouldn't be shocked he's speaking. He already has a few times, but I've only just gotten used to the idea of having my own alien.

"Uh. Hi! I'm Eli. It was dead. Sorry, I should have said that, too."

"Greetings Eli, my name is Thivoll. I am very glad to meet you."

I whip my head over to Ree. "Your alien is so polite! Mine just wants to kill everything."

"Oh, well, mine does too," she quips back.

When we both start cracking up, I know I've officially lost my mind on this insane planet.

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