Page 12 of Dweller of the Mists

“You are drinking the water from the swamp?” His voice sounded hollow to his own ears, but he was shocked. While the water wasn’t harmful, most Bia preferred cleaner water sources that took less effort to purify.

“What else is there?” She laughed and shook her head as she began to unfold and assemble her equipment. “Granted, it has a strange pink luminosity to it, but it’s actually not bad. It has a pleasant fruity aftertaste which would actually be quite popular back on Earth if marketed and packaged well.”

Luminous. Pink. That suggested only one thing. Gwum studied her and just barely managed to hold in his laughter.

“Of course. The mystery reveals itself,” he observed quietly to himself.

What an entirely unexpected reaction. Bia biology depended on a diet rich of certain minerals in order to maintain a healthy bioluminescence, much of which was absorbed through their skin while they were in the water, but it seemed that humans, with their thinner skin, had the capacity to surpass them all in this regard. Now that he was looking closely at her, he realized that she looked healthier than she had before. She almost seemed to possess a pink luminosity to her skin and her flesh was smoother and more radiant. She was, in fact, glowing. It was barely noticeable with the sky darkening but he was certain that after prolonged exposure that her bioluminescence would become more pronounced.

The question remained as to whether that would attract predators to a greater degree or discourage them. He sincerely hoped that it would be the latter case as condensed saroong was often used to repel larger predators from the Shoowilp clan territory. Having so much luminous flesh could potentially pose a problem unless it also served to frighten them away by its alienness. Did that factor into the cazka detouring away from the human encampment? He doubted that it would keep it at bay for long, especially since the potency was minimal and likely just enough to confuse it for the time being. Once she left the swamps, it was quite likely that the effects would fade over time, but he could not help but think that her overall health would decline without the benefit of its nutrients.

His observation did not go missed by the human, however. Her head snapped toward him, and she frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“It is the water,” he cautiously explained. He did not wish to alarm her. “I did not even notice it at first until you mentioned it but it all fits. Do you recall the water saroong we just spoke of?”

Noelle nodded.

“It reproduces by spores. The swamps are full of them. It is an important nutritional source for Bia and many creatures that share the swamp, but it seems that humans ingesting the spores has a different effect.”

Her face paled, her luminosity noticeably fading. “I’ve ingested spores… like from a fungus? But that doesn’t make any sense. The filtration unit marked it as safe.”

Gwum nodded. “It is safe. Bia absorb it largely through our skin from swimming in the swamps and invariably ingesting small amounts of it. It clearly supplies important mineral benefits to your human physiology as well. It just has some unusual side effects that I failed to notice. Your skin has a faint glow to it, and,” he leaned forward and sniffed her, a hum of surprise escaping him, “you also smell strongly of saroong.”

Noelle’s mouth fell open for only a moment before it snapped shut with a low groan. “And that is why the nightglow insects are attracted to me. I smell like a giant saroong flower to them?”

He nodded, his lips twitching with his barely contained mirth.

A heavy sigh escaped her as she stared at the water in frustration. “Well, now what?”

“Gather your water since you have an easy way to purify it. This may actually work in our favor as the predators may be less likely to clearly scent you.”

She gave him a hopeful look. “Does that mean we can stay down here?”

Gwum chuckled and shook his head. “A worthy attempt to secure your comfort, but no. We will be vulnerable while wesleep. It is altogether a better idea to be above where the majority of predators hunt.”

She sighed again, somehow heavier, and nodded. “I figured you would say that. Very well—beam me up, Scotty.”

He paused, uncertain of what she expected. Some of her words were clearly in her native language, leaving him helpless to proceed. Her brow furrowed slightly when he failed to respond, but then a look of comprehension lit her eyes and she giggled.

“Oh! Sorry, Gwum. Don’t worry, most humans wouldn’t get the retro science fiction references either. It’s not considered a fashionable interest, though better received than those who closely follow classic horror. My crewmate, Samara, loves old horror movies, and there’s enough intersection between our preferred genres to give us a lot to talk about. Or at least she did—if she’s still alive. Anyway, I just meant that I’m ready to go up.”

Despite his hearts aching for Noelle’s uncertainty when it came to her companion, tension drained from Gwum, and he chuckled at the absurdity of the whole situation. Ah, stories. He understood this concept even if he did not understand the specific nuances of which she spoke. She appeared to understand that and made no further attempt to converse further on it once making her point. Instead, she waited patiently for him to pick her up, her arms out at her sides in invitation. Grinning, he nodded toward the water.

“Gather your water first,” he directed as he leaned casually against the massive base of the tree.

A reluctant look flitted across Noelle’s face but she nodded and slowly bent down to fill her filtration unit. Once it was full, a green light appeared on its side, and she stashed it back inside her bag before swinging it back onto her shoulders.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

Gwum did not reply but stepped toward her, his arms coming around his lush, fragrant little human. Her body fit against his, her softness yielding to him. Something deep within him responded and he nearly groaned with pleasure. Instead, he sank his teeth into his bottom lip and fought back the surge of desire hardening his cock for the first time in his life. Male Bia did not typically experience their first rush of need until they approached a potential mate and attempted to woo her. As he had never made any such attempts, his body had always remained blissfully silent… until now. Potent desire rushed through him with such strength that he nearly shook from it as her perfume filled his nose.

He crushed her against him as he fought against his base instinct. He wanted to turn her to the tree and mount her. He nearly trembled with the desire to do so. His teeth sank deeper into his lip as he held himself still, denying the demand of his body until the roar of need rushing through his blood gradually cooled and he was able to think again. He hissed quietly to himself but refocused as he tipped his head back to target the desired tree limb. Without warning, he leaped and then was nearly deafened by the shriek that came from the human in his arms. The sound was so unexpected that he nearly missed the branch. It was only by some divine grace that he was able to instinctively grab it on time to prevent disaster.

Digging his claws into the wood, he swung up onto the branch and anchored them in place while Noelle’s fear slowly subsided. At length she stirred, and her head began to swivel as she peered at the light purple foliage and numerous brilliant green little flowers that bloomed in the moss that hung from the branches above them. When he was certain that she was not going to panic at his smallest move, he gradually straightened, drawing her up with him until they were both standing together.

“Wow,” she whispered. “The fog is so much thinner up here. Forget what I said before about magic.Thisis magic.”

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