Page 43 of Claimed By the Krijese

“Come, let us go see if they need help with the morning meal.” I stand and wait for Sorin to rise as well, which he quickly does. I help Iris to her feet next. “We will be at the main fire when you are finished.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She brushes her lips between my mouth claws and then does the same to the top of Sorin’s head.

I guide him out of the tent and give Iris the privacy she asked for. Together, he and I walk across the length of the village to the main fire where one of only three remaining females and an elder who shares a tent with Moshi and Ashrif ready the meal.

“Greetings. Can we assist you with anything?”

They nod at our arrival and the female shakes her head. “It is nearly ready.”

Since our help is not needed, Sorin and I sit near the fire.

“We should build seats like the Tavikhi have for Momo and the elders. It is getting more and more difficult for them—especially Ashrif—to get up off the ground,” he says.

Wood-crafting is not a skill any of the Krijese possess. Sorin knows this. “We have survived this long without them and we will continue to do so.”

“But we should not have to.”

“I understand you have learned of many things while spending time with the Tavikhi and I am glad for this. But we arenotTavikhi. We are Krijese. None of us know how to craft these seats you wish us to sit upon and there are none of us who have the time to learn. What we have time to do is hunt and make sure we have enough food to add to our stores so more of our people survive the cold season.”

“Is everything okay out here?” Iris approaches wearing fresh coverings instead of the ones she calls pajamas.

“All is well.” It is the first falsehood I have spoken.

She cocks her head. “Are you sure? Because it doesn’t actually appear that way. What are you two arguing about?”

“Sorin suggested we build seats similar to the Tavikhi. However, we do not possess these skills or do we have time to learn them. We have never needed to because we have always sat on the ground during meals. It is the Krijese way.”

“I see.” Iris glances between our kit and me. “Out of curiosity, would you be willing to change your ways if these seats were an option?”

“They are not.”

She narrows her gaze. “Humor me, please.Ifbenches were to become available, would you use them?”

“Yes.” I am not so opposed to changing our ways that I would punish those who would benefit greatly from an object that made their life easier.

Iris bends down and gives me a quick kiss. “Thank you, that’s all I needed to know. Now, no more arguing, please.”

“Yes, Momo.” Sorin ducks his head.

“Yes, sweeney.”

She grins and shakes her head and my hearts swell with emotion. When she lowers herself to sit next to us, I discover I do not like Iris placing herself on the ground. Her coverings are nice, but now they will be dirty. Perhaps there is something to what Sorin wishes for. That does not mean I suddenly have knowledge I did not previously possess or the time to gain it. Not with all the other ways in which I need to take care of my people.

“It looks like it’s going to be a nice, warm day.” Iris stares up. “That’s one thing I love about Tavikh—well one of the things really—and it’s the fact I can actually see the beautiful sky.”

“You could not on Earth?” I am not sure what I would do if I were unable to look up and see the sun and the moons above.

“Not clearly. At least not where I lived. There was always so much smoke and fog in the air from the factories that it was constantly overcast and gloomy. The colors on Tavikh are bright and happy, whereas Earth was gray and dull and depressing.”

“What is gray?” Sorin asks. “This is not a color name Talek has taught me. I know the fiku trees are black and their leaves are purple. The nenuphar bush is a dark purple, but the flowers thatbloom on it are called blue. The blooms on the trendafili bush are red. Bari is yellow. Gogo, I, and other Krijese are a mix of black and green while Tavikhi are purple with yellow hair.”

These are all the names of colors he has tried to teach me, but they do not stick. Except looking at Iris—who appears suitably impressed with Sorin’s knowledge—I find I would like to learn the names of her various colors.

“Wow, great job on remembering all those,” she praises him. “Gray is what you’d get if you mixed every color together, but it doesn’t make something pretty. It’s drab. Boring. It can even be a little depressing.”

“That does not sound like a place I would like to live,” Sorin announces with an exaggerated shudder. “Our sky is too beautiful and this gray color sounds awful.”

Iris huffs out a short amused sound. “There are shades of gray that are better than others, especially if they have a purple hue, but you’re right about Tavikh’s sky. It’s one of the most lovely things I have ever seen.”

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