Storm World Ch. 05

"By the Forger and the Builder, I have never felt such a wind!" swore M'peth qHo, whipping her drenched mane from her face with a toss of her head.

"The wind?" demanded Liat 'del Qha incredulously. It was an insubordinate tone, but she was frightened. "What about the quake?"

"Not as strong as several I have experienced," the commander replied, unruffled. "My home world is geologically quite active. More so than many I have visited."

"Your home world? I have never... How... What does this quake mean?" Liat 'del Qha asked, confusion and fear evident in her eyes. "Are we in danger?"

"No more than we were twelve taq'a ago. The quake merely confirms this island is volcanic, Pilot," M'peth qHo told her in a calm though somewhat strained voice. "We should get back to the others. Debris may have fallen from the roof of the cave. We must be sure none of them were injured."

"The cave?" Liat 'del Qha said, her fear rising. "What if it collapsed?"

"If it had we would have heard it," M'peth qHo said in the same even tone. "We would likely have felt it, also. Come. Let us fetch our uniforms and return."

*****

Surprised by Benjamin's sudden rush, Ima' Nef'Tn dodged back only to collide with the wall. She bounced off and spun to her right, but Benjamin was moving fast and caught her around the waist. Out came her claws. Benjamin ducked her first stroke even as he shoved her towards the entrance. She caught him in the hip with her second as she stumbled, shredding his shorts and cutting four deep furrows in his flesh. Benjamin cried out wordlessly in shock and pain. He shoved her back and instantly lunged again. Before Ima' Nef'Tn could react he threw his shoulder into her and wrapped his arms around her in a powerful hug. With her own arms pinned to her sides the jZav'Etch struggled to free herself. Adrenaline coursing, snarling with frustration, anger and fear Ima' Nef'Tn bared her fangs, ready to take a chunk out of Benjamin, but she was unable to bend sufficiently to sink her teeth in. With impressive power the Human hustled her to the entrance. She fought back. Her ear splitting roar rang off the walls of the cramped shower chamber and she threw a kick, but failed to connect. She tried to push him off, to get her feet under her. She failed. His grip was too strong and his momentum too great. And then she felt the floor trembling. There came a loud groaning and dust drifted in the air. Trickles of stone fell from joints in the walls. Ima' Nef'Tn stopped resisting, her eyes going wide with dread.

"What's happening?" she demanded in jZav, forgetting Benjamin spoke not a word of it.

"Quake!" he shouted over the rising noise.

Ima' Nef'Tn did not understand the English word, but the meaning was evident. The whole cave began to tremble, dislodging larger stones. They dropped and bounced along the floor, rolling here and there. Icey fingers wrapped around her heart as the reality of the situation crashed in on her mind. She was trapped below ground and there was nowhere to run!

Benjamin shoved her back against the wall in the opening that joined the shower chamber to the tunnel. He tried to force her to squat, but Ima' Nef'Tn resisted. Without hesitation he kicked her ankles out from under her and shoved her to the floor then crouched above her using his body as a shield. A stone the size of a melon fell from overhead, careened off the wall and struck Benjamin a glancing blow on the ribs. He grunted and his legs buckled, but he refused to collapse. He gritted his teeth, sucked in his breath and firmed his stance. More stones fell, bouncing around them. Fortunately no others struck either of them. After what seemed like forever the quake passed. Dust hung in the air. All was silent save for the sound of dripping water and settling rock.

"Are you alright?" Benjamin asked, straightening up painfully. He put a hand to his ribs where the stone had hit him and offered Ima' Nef'Tn his other hand.

"You did not need to kick me," she grumbled, eyeing him unhappily. She was irrationally embarrassed to have been handled in such a fashion. Embarrassed, too, for having slashed him even though it had been a perfectly reasonable reaction.

Benjamin frowned, uncomprehending. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He asked in Japanese, "Are you injured?"

Still embarrassed Ima' Nef'Tn glowered at him, but she did take his proffered hand, allowing Benjamin to help her to her feet.

"I am not injured," she replied, stepping away. Her ears lay out to the sides and her whiskers drooped, exaggerating her displeased frown. The tip of her tail flicked hard from side to side.

"Good," Benjamin said with a curt nod. He sucked in a pained breath and turned to look into the shower chamber. His hand was still pressed to his ribs, the flesh under it was already a dark red, rapidly turning blue. Blood flowed freely from the wound on his hip, but he didn't seem to notice it.

"You are hurt!" she said, concern replacing embarrassment. She stepped to him quickly and pulled his hand out of the way. The flesh was abraded, small streaks of blood oozed and began to run down his side. "Hold still."

She took the scanner from her medical kit and ran it over Benjamin's wounds.

"I'll be alright," he grumbled, stepping away from her irritably. "We need to get topside and check the rest of the crew. Grace is probably loving this shit. Doc Saito is probably curled up in a corner with his helmet pulled down around his ankles. Christ that was a big one. Fuck!" He jumped and spun, glaring at her accusingly. "What are you doing, woman?"

"Hold still and speak Japanese," she snapped, turning him forcibly around. "I am trying to apply a topical pain reliever. My kit says your ribs are not broken. They appear to be..." She hesitated, looking for the right word. "Bruised? Yes. Your ribs are bruised. These cuts are deep, though. I am sorry. Why did you not call a warning?"

"There was no time," he said. "How did I get cut?"

"Take your shorts off," she ordered, ignoring his question.

Benjamin frowned sourly but did as she told. Ima' Nef'Tn frowned, too. There was a lot of blood. She used a sterile towel from her kit to wipe away most of it and then used the coagulant spray to stop the flow. The blood in the wounds thickened and no longer dripped freely. She knelt, wiped the area of the wound clean and applied a temporary dressing. It was barely large enough to cover all four cuts, but it would do until they could be seen to properly. Over the large bruise on Benjamin's ribs she applied a topical pain reliever patch and for good measure she pressed her hypo-spray to Benjamin's rump, injecting him with antibiotics to guard against infection.

"Damnit! Fuck! That hurt!" he cursed. "Are you done?"

"Yes, Ben 'Jamin," she said, rising.

Her tail lashed and flicked in her agitation. She could not even take pleasure in the discomfort of this male at the moment. It was not fair, she thought. He should have warned her. Instead, he had simply acted. Acted to protect her as if she were of his household.

That thought jerked her jumbled emotions up short. With narrowed, assessing eyes she observed him as he twisted almost comically, trying to get a look at the bandages. His muscles flexed and rippled under the skin as he turned back and forth, unable to see what she had done. Her ears twitched in mild amusement. Males were so foolish. But Benjamin had been strong. Though lean, his power was obvious and he had not complained of his wounds. She had forced him to acknowledge them. Her ears rose up and her expression relaxed as she considered this Human in a new light. While she did her tail stopped lashing. Only the tip moved in little snapping jerks. Why does he smell so good? She wondered inanely and then shook herself out of this reverie. They did need to get up to the main chamber.

"We should go," she said and clipped the medical kit to her belt. "Put your shorts back on."

"What?" Benjamin blinked at her for an instant before he dragged his torn shorts up his muscular legs and fastened them, saying, "Right! Captain will be wondering where we are. Come on. We'll come back and clean this place up later."

"Speak Japanese, Ben 'Jamin," she grumbled, following him to the low tunnel that led to the chimney that would take them up to the main chamber.

*****

Out! Out! Panicked thought raged through TaH 'Kiy mTh's mind. The living stone around them thundered and shook as if angered. The Thahn 'Den engineer scrambled for the tunnel entrance, his eyes wide and the fur all down his spine on end.

"No!" roared Chep 'Urt vEss. He lunged, trying to catch hold of the smaller male, but missed.

"Out!" TaH 'Kiy mTh all but screeched, dropping to all fours to bound away up the tunnel towards the main chamber.

"No!" Chep 'Urt vEss roared again. He sprang after the Thahn 'Den. The floor jolted from side to side and threw him down. He shot a glance overhead and surged after his companion. Stones were falling, though the walls and hanging rock seemed solid enough.

"Out!" screeched TaH 'Kiy mTh, still making for the entrance.

Chep 'Urt vEss gathered his legs under him and lunged. His powerful muscles launched his massive frame through the dust and falling stones. He landed and pounced again. He missed his first grab at TaH 'Kiy mTh's collar but his left hand snatched the smaller jZav'Etch by the tail and hauled him to a stop. Slashing claws flashed at the gunner's face, but he batted them aside and threw the engineer against the wall. TaH 'Kiy mTh tried to turn on him again, fangs bared and claws out. Chep 'Urt vEss hammered a fist into the engineer's belly, doubling him up and then spun him around and pressed him to the wall, almost smothering the smaller male with the bulk of his body.

"Out!" squeaked the engineer weakly.

"Safer here, you fool!" snarled the gunner. "Calm yourself!"

The tunnel shook and jolted again and then the tremor passed. Dust hung in the air and there came a faint sound of settling stone. The males waited for several long heartbeats before Chep 'Urt vEss eased away from the smaller jZav'Etch. TaH 'Kiy mTh shivered, looking up at the ceiling with wide, fearful eyes.

"Stop acting like a child," snarled the gunner, brushing dirt and pebbles from his fur. He sneezed and spat gritty mucus from his mouth. "A tremor. Nothing more. We were safer here than the main chamber."

"Safer?" asked Tah 'Kiy mTh in a small voice.

"The roof of this tunnel is not as high as out there." Chep 'Urt vEss gestured up the tunnel to the main chamber. "Either way we are under stone, but out there stones could fall with enough force to crush your head. You must learn to control your fear. I will say nothing of this to the females."

TaH 'Kiy mTh swallowed hard and grimaced at the flavor of dirt. He bowed his head, ears out to the side and eyes down cast.

"Thank you, Gunner," he said.

"We are males," Chep 'Urt vEss said offhandedly and then straightened, throwing out his chin, assuming an authoritative posture. "We must see to our companions. They may need help. Come."

Clapping TaH 'Kiy mTh on the shoulder he strode back towards the main chamber. TaH 'Kiy mTh followed, shaking off his panic.

Having finished investigating the walled enclosures the two had chosen a tunnel more or less at random. It had been lit by only a few dim patches of glowing moss, but jZav'Etch don't need much light. Their exploration had hardly begun before the quake hit.

Emerging into the living area they discovered a couple of the enclosures had collapsed and there was a lot of dust hanging in the air, but the current from the entrance was already clearing it. Outside the storm continued to rage, distant thunder rolling like an echo of the quake. The fire was still burning low, casting an eerie gold light on the vaulting walls. Stray stones fallen from the darkness above lay scattered about. There was no sign of their companions, though.

"Tem l'eth tong?" shouted Chep 'Urt vEss. "Ima' Nef'Tn?"

"Where are they?" TaH 'Kiy mTh wondered, squinting through the dust. "The commander and pilot have not returned, either."

"We will find them," Chep 'Urt vEss said confidently.

"What of the Human?"

"What of him?" Chep 'Urt vEss asked mildly, as if he did not care.

Before TaH 'Kiy mTh could respond a figure appeared from a narrow tunnel across the chamber. Tem l'eth tong waved to get their attention and began to painfully hobble their way. The males met her next to the fire.

"I dragged Ty'em P'tral to safety in there," she said, sounding pained and out of breath. "She is still unconscious. Otherwise, she is no worse off than before. The medical kit indicates she is healing."

"And how is your wound?" asked the gunner.

"Bleeding," said TaH 'Kiy mTh and dropped to a knee to have a look at the female's wound.

"It pains me," she admitted and hissed as the engineer removed the dressing.

"Some of the adhesive parted," he pronounced. He had to push aside the fur around her wound to get a clear look and was relieved to see that only a finger's breadth of the adhesive holding the gash closed had given way. "It is not bad. A moment and I will put it right." He took the kit Chep 'Urt vEss offered and attended the wound.

"Where is Ima' Nef'Tn and the Human?" Tem l'eth tong asked, looking around at the aftermath.

"They were in his enclosure when last I saw them," the gunner said sourly. "I will investigate. The two of you should go to Ty'em P'tral and remain with her. There may be an aftershock."

Chep 'Urt vEss strode to the Human's enclosure, discovering it empty.

*****

Ima' Nef'Tn crawled out of the low tube into the cramped space at the bottom of the chimney. She straightened and stepped aside to give Benjamin room to join her. Gazing up she could see the dim light at the top and motes of dust drifting through it. She was not particularly claustrophobic but she was weary of these close spaces and greatly desired to be out of them. Being outside would please her more. That was not going to happen while the storm continued, though.

Suddenly she had a strange feeling. A feeling she had not often had since she grew to adulthood. Someone was looking at her. Slowly she turned around to discover Benjamin behind her, his eyes angled down. She blinked and looked at the floor and then shot a questioning look at the Human. Benjamin seemed to jolt back to himself and he gave her a warm smile.

"Your ass is awesome," he said in an almost reverent tone.

She frowned. "Japanese, Ben 'Jamin."

"What?" Benjamin's eyes refocused and his mouth dropped open as if he just realized something. "Nothing! It's nothing."

"What did you say?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing. She faced him more squarely, her expression curious. Benjamin's scent had changed and his voice sounded considerably different.

"Nothing," he repeated.

She edged a little closer. Close enough to feel his warmth. "What did you say?"

Benjamin pressed his lips together and his gaze dropped to her chest. He spoke reluctantly. "I said you have a nice butt."

Surprised, Ima' Nef'Tn blinked.

"It's nice to look at, I mean," he stammered. "Sorry. I could not help but to notice it when I followed you through the tube. And I guess I should not have said that. I mean, I was thinking it and..."

He petered out. Unable to make sense of his thoughts or express his reasoning. Ima' Nef'Tn smiled softly. She briefly considered making the traditional offer of 'Take', but the moment had passed and they had not battled an enemy or a beast. Benjamin would not have understood the offer, anyway. Instead she reached out gently and lightly took him by the back of the neck. Leaning in she parted her teeth and nipped his beard, tugging softly. When he did not react she took a larger bite of his beard and pulled more firmly then released, rocking back just enough to look warmly into his eyes. Benjamin blinked, smiled and leaned in. Ima' Nef'Tn's breath caught and her heart thumped. Benjamin pressed his lips to hers and she savored the feeling. It was her first kiss. She had read about the Human custom and had long wondered what it would be like. She tried to return the kiss the way the heroines in the romances did. Benjamin put a hand to the back of her neck and one on her hip, pressing his lips more firmly to hers.

Oh! This is nice! she thought. Strange, but nice.

Finally he drew back, licking his lips and smiling, a gleam in his eyes. She returned his smile and was about to kiss him again. He released her, though, and gently pulled back. She frowned a question at him.

"We need to get up top," he said, his voice husky. "I would like to do this, but we have to see how everyone else is doing. Captain will be worried. Grace might want to go and check the sensors. We have to go."

Ima' Nef'Tn's smile broadened and her eyes smoldered. She understood the need, but for this one moment did not care. She leaned in quickly and kissed him again before slipping her hand from the back of Benjamin's neck and turning to climb up the chimney. All the way up she purred softly to herself and flicked her tail as enticingly as she knew how. When would she propose Chisq' Kah'?***

*****

Chep 'Urt vEss was puzzled by the empty sleeping enclosure. A few stones had fallen from the wall, but otherwise it was intact. There was no sign of a struggle or anything else that might explain the absence of the Human and Ima' Nef'Tn. He scanned the small enclosure more closely, sniffing to see if there were a scent he might identify, but the place smelled too strongly of unwashed Human. His attention was suddenly arrested by the long weapon leaning in the corner next to the open chest.

"What is this?" he rumbled, pleased.

Stepping closer he reached out and grasped the fore-stock of the gun, lifting it easily in competent hands. It had a good weight and the grip was not too small for him. He liked the shape of the stock as he snugged it into his shoulder, resting his cheek against it while he looked through the site. It was apparently made to be used only in the right hand grip, but that was not much of a limitation. This was clearly a hunting weapon, not meant for combat. He took it from his shoulder and held it at arm's length in admiration.

"So, Humans can do something right," he purred with a smile. His tail slowly sliced the air and his ears turned forward.

Somewhat reluctantly Chep 'Urt vEss returned the weapon to where it had been leaning. He desired the gun, but he was no thief. Not unless true need were to drive him. He looked around to see if there were any clue he might have missed and then stepped outside the enclosure. Dust still hung in the air. Through it, though, he caught a very faint scent. His whiskers vibrated, bringing more of the scent to his nose. It was coming from somewhere nearby. It had to be. The breeze, as light as it was, pushed the air from the mouth of the cave to the back into the darkness. He glanced over his shoulder and the scent lessened. It had to be coming from somewhere in the darkness. Perhaps Ima' Nef'Tn and the Human had sought shelter there.