Page 2 of Yasmin and the Yeti
Kra’caow nodded slowly, and she was sure she could see a flicker of pity in its eyes.
“But why? Why would they take me?”
Kra’caow hesitated, clearly reluctant to answer her.
“Please? I’d rather know.”
With another one of those oddly human shrugs, it held up one hand, curving the claws of its thumb and finger together to make a circle. Then it used a finger from its other hand to plunge in and out of the circle. The meaning of the crude gesture was horribly, sickeningly clear.
“Sex?” she whispered. “They want me for sex?”
It nodded sadly.
“And you? Is that why you’re here?”
The sound Kra’caow made was clearly a laugh as it shook its head. Lifting its hands again, it began jabbing the claws of each hand at the other in a series of rapid strikes.
“Fighting? They want you to fight?”
Kra’caow nodded. With those wicked claws and that predatory beak, she could imagine it would make a deadly opponent.
“Do… Do you want to fight?”
It shook its head, looking away from her, and she sighed.
“I don’t want to have sex either.”
A melancholy silence fell, but curiosity eventually compelled her to break it.
“I hope I’m not insulting you, but are you male or female?”
It gave that harsh laugh again, then extended the feathers around its head and shoulders in a magnificent, colorful display.
“Male,” she said, and he nodded.
Before she could ask any more questions, the sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor. A shiver ran down her spine as she recognized them—the same heavy tread that had been behind her in the fog.
Kra’caow made a low, urgent noise and when she looked at him, he wrapped both hands around his beak.
“You’re telling me to be quiet,” she half-whispered.
He gave an abrupt nod and retreated to the rear of his cell as she backed away from the bars.
A moment later, two figures appeared in front of her cell. At first glance, they looked almost human, except they had heavy, overhanging brows and pronounced jaws, more like Neanderthals than modern men. But there were other subtle differences in their facial structure and their eyes—differences that were decidedly not human.
The two of them stared at her as they began talking in a strange, guttural language. She couldn’t understand them, of course, but given the way their eyes traveled over her body and the way they leered at her, she was just as glad she couldn’t.
One of them barked something at her, but she had no idea what he was saying and remembering Kra’caow’s warning, she kept her mouth shut and gave him a blank look. He pulled something small and shiny out of his pocket, but the other guard grabbed his arm. The two of them argued for a few moments before stomping away, and she gave a sigh of relief.
She looked over at Kra’caow, who had returned to the front of his cell. “Do you know what they wanted to give me?”
He nodded and tapped his ear.
“A translator?”
He nodded again.
“I wonder why the other one wouldn’t let him. I can’t answer them if I don’t understand the question.”
