Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 71832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
I consider this. It's just past midday and I'm sure we could make it back to the beach in plenty of time before the twin suns go down. But we'd be going back to...what? More gigantic shells on the beach? Crushed huts? People squeezed into the caves that we keep supplies in while we wait for the damage to be done? "Do you think anyone's going to worry about us? I don't want them to think we're in danger and come looking."
Valmir's tail gives a hard thump on the snow. He shoots me a skeptical look. "April. We're a couple that's been resonating for a while now. We've disappeared off into the mountains for the day and if we don't come back tonight, 'danger' isn't the first thing they're going to imagine."
I laugh, because he's right. They're going to assume we're fucking like bunnies.
"I wouldn't mind a little privacy tonight," I admit. Curling up in the furs with Valmir? Alone? So much better than squeezing into an overcrowded cave with one of the many families on the beach.
The heat in his gaze tells me he wouldn't mind a little privacy, either.
CHAPTER 16
APRIL
When Valmir said we could go to the "nearest hunter cave," I'd assumed it was, you know, nearby. Nope. It's at least two more hours of walking and we're nowhere close.
When I point this out to him, he gives me a sly, challenging smile. "Too long a walk for you? Do I need to carry you?"
"Nice try, pussycat. Rage isn't going to fuel me for the rest of the walk."
"Isn't it?" He swats me with his tail.
Okay, maybe it is. Because I walk faster, and I don't complain, and we're there before I know it. I hate that I'm so obvious.
The scenery this far away from the beach is breathtaking. I've journeyed farther into the mountains a handful of times and every day, there feels like more untamed beauty to appreciate. Is it desolate-looking at first? Yes, absolutely. The world is an endless rocky crag of gray and white at first glance. But the snow on the ground is pristine. The cliffs are covered in vines and small plants that squeeze their way to the surface. Icicles drip from overhangs. The air is pure and crisp and all of it feels a bit like the most hardcore version of winter. It's very different from where I grew up, and my memories bloom with greenery and flowers and warm, sandy beaches. It's the opposite of what I'm used to, but it's nature and it's magnificent all in its own way.
Valmir heads towards a jagged outcropping of rock and disappears into the shadows. I'm surprised to realize it's the entrance to a cave. I wouldn't have seen it if I'd been on my own. I follow him into the shadows and immediately run into his back, his tail wiggling and trapped between us. "Wait outside," he says. "It's dark. I'll make a fire."
"Can you see enough to make a fire?" I ask, my hand on Makana's sling.
"That's why I said to wait outside." He guides me back out into the dim afternoon sunlight and slings the pack from his shoulder. "Did you bring fire-making supplies?"
"Of course."
"Nice." It's a small bit of praise, but it's pleasant to be complimented by someone as prickly as him. He makes another pleased sound when he pulls out the fire-making kit I've packed away — a couple of strikers wrapped in leather, a bundle of dried dvisti wool to act as tinder, and a pouch of Makana's dried pellets, which act as fuel. With a few strikes, he's able to get a spark, and he blows on it atop the wool with enough skill and ease that I'm impressed.
A chore as simple as fire making should not be as sexy as he just made it. But it's the ease in which he carries himself, the utter confidence that he can handle this without me stepping in. All of it tells me that if I need to rely on him, I can.
That, and he's got a really nice pair of corded forearms. His fingers are long and graceful, his claws retracted as he works, adding bits to make the tiny flame bigger. When it's large enough, he takes the entire bundle and heads back into the cave.
A few moments later, the firepit flickers and the light in the cave begins to grow. Valmir's face is illuminated in orange firelight, his eyes shimmering with the blue of his khui. I step inside, joining him. With a little bit of light to see by, the interior of the cave is crowded. Some of the hunter caves are spacious despite all the supplies hoarded into them. This one in particular is not. It's not much bigger than a bedroom, and it's crammed full of supplies. A few baskets are stacked atop one another in a corner, a pile of unprocessed hides rolled up nearby. There are several furs that look soft and inviting in another stack, and hanging from a rocky outcropping near the back of the cave is a bone hook holding what looks like bags of dried meat. Each hunter cave is designed to be a small haven for those hunting out in the wild. If a snowstorm catches you by surprise, you have a safe, well-supplied spot to retreat to, and the rule is that you leave it as well supplied as you found it. It's an honor system that works, in my opinion, because no one wants to be responsible for the death of a cousin or friend. The population here on the planet is so small that everyone knows everyone. In a few generations, it might not be the same.