Page 7 of Rhaz's Redemption
“Not on this,” she shook her head. “What if they don’t keep a tight schedule? What if someone doesn’t have enough clothes to keep them warm? No,” she sighed. “Maybe some other time, but not today.”
I nodded my head. This was not an argument I was going to win.
I eyed my friend as she left the storage cavern and began to wonder if luminescence would be enough to wrestle her need for control out of her hands. It would take a strong willed and considerate male to accomplish such a feat and I couldn’t envision any of our guys accomplishing that. She would have to learn how to let others take the lead on her own and from what I could tell that wasn’t a lesson she was prepared to learn.
I was running out of room on the dried leaf I was writing on and went to grab another, and sighed when I realized there were only three leaves left. They didn’t have paper here so I had to settle for large leaves that had enough moisture content that when they were dried out they wouldn’t crack. This comingspring I planned to investigate what other plants might be useful as paper, but racka leaves would do for now.
I needed more though. I let out a long-suffering sigh when I realized I’d have to go out into the cold and gather more leaves myself. It wasn’t exactly my favorite thing to do, but it needed to be done.
I donned my winter gear and headed out past the clearing to a small area between the trees to the left of the mountain that I knew would have some racka plants. I was nearly there when I tripped over a rock that had been hidden under some moss. A pained yelp escaped my lips as I fell flat on my back.
I let myself lay there for a few moments to catch my breath, and that’s when I heard a menacing growl.
Chapter 5
Rhaz
Is fifteen leaves enough?I wondered to myself. I’d noticed earlier that Beatrice was running low on the racka leaves she used to write things down on. My people remember our history through stories that we pass down from generation to generation, but it seems her people write their stories down. I’ve gone into the female’s cavern when they weren’t there once to see what her stories looked like, but the scribbles on the dried leaves were too unfamiliar for me to read. If I were a different male, one who was not cursed by his father’s blood, I would have asked her to teach me to read her stories or to have her read them to me. It would have been a good excuse to spend time with her and I would have cherished every word she spoke. But I am a cursed male, and she should stay far away from me. So instead, I gather leaves and placed them on a shelf in the storage room when no one is watching.
“AH!” A scream echoed through the woods and my blood ran cold. That sounded like Beatrice.
I shifted into my badger form and ran as fast as my legs would take me, but I stopped short when I heard a familiargrowl. Beyond the brush I could see the thick tendrils that made up the jagwa’s fur. I tracked it’s movements and nearly stopped breathing when I saw Beatrice laying on the ground. She tried to get up but cried out and fell back to the ground the moment she put any weight on her right foot.
I didn’t let the beast get a step closer to my ma-...my Beatrice. I left from my hiding spot and landed in front of the jagwa that threatened the one person I held most dear.
It growled and attempted to slash me with it’s claw tipped paws, but I was too fast. I dodged the blow and struck the under belly of the beast. It howled and knocked me off my feet with it’s tail. I rolled along the ground to dodge it’s next blow than sprang to my feet in time to hit the beast again.
I dug my claws into the beast’s neck. It struck my back with claws of its own leaving a gash I would have to tend to later. I was not the fastest shifter in my dekes, nor was I the fiercest, but I was unkillable which was a blessing and a curse all on its own.
I shrugged off the fading pain and checked that my kill was no longer breathing. Satisfied that it was truly dead, I made my way to Beatrice.
She was clinging to a tree trunk in order to remain upright.
“What happened? Why are you out here?”
All my fear shifted into a familiar rage. She was injured. She could have died.
“I tripped over a rock,” Beatrice gently touched her ankle and hissed at the pain. “I think its sprained or maybe even broken.”
“This should not have happened,” I growled. “You are not allowed past the clearing.”
Beatrice lifted her chin in a show of defiance that I found entirely too arousing.
“Not allowed? I am an adult with free will. I am allowed to do as I please.”
Unfortunately, I could not argue with that.
“It would certainly please me if you never left the clearing again,” I replied as I picked Beatrice up before she could argue. Her weight in my arms was a pleasant feeling. She was not as light as some of the other females and for that I was grateful. Her curves were pleasant to look at and even nicer to touch. I did my best to push those thoughts aside as I carried my luminescence mate back to the mountain. I did not want her to know how much I truly desired her.
“Hey!” She yelled and squirmed in my arms. “I’m sure I can walk with some assistance. You don’t have to carry me.”
“I have no desire to see you exposed to the cold or the wild beasts of the forest any longer. I will carry you and you will stop squirming.”
Beatrice relented and held herself stiffly as I walked.
“If you need to…take a break I’d understand.” She spoke so softly that if I didn’t have advanced hearing I might not of heard her at all. Did she doubt my ability to carry her? Did she see me as a weak male? I did not want her to find me attractive, but I could not allow her to believe I was weak. She felt perfect in my arms, and she had a pleasant weight to her. I could hold her all day.
“I am a strong hunter. I do not need a break.” I emphasized my point by holding her higher up on my body. My injured back protested, but I ignored the pain.
