Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 04

Moving fast, especially for a man his size, Liam barreled into the creature like a cannonball. It howled in surprise and beat at him with wings and legs as they rolled across the ground. The creature was nearly as tall as he was, but did not have his mass. Sharp talons raked over his armor and the nasty jaws snapped at him. He got an arm into its mouth and pushed it back as the teeth locked down on the poly alloy plate. It wrapped its legs around his waist and tried to rake out his guts, but his breastplate was designed to stop large caliber rounds. Suddenly there was a fierce little roar and Clotilda jumped on the animal's back, her claws tearing at its face. The creature screamed in pain as it lost an eye and suddenly it was flailing all its limbs, just trying to escape.

Liam held onto it and drew his knife, plunging it into the body of the thing, eliciting another shriek of pain. Clotilda bit the creature on the neck, sinking her fangs deep and wrenched her clawed hands sideways, opening a terrible wound. It convulsed, a gout of red-orange blood spouted into the air and then it went limp. Its shrieking stopped as all three collapsed on the forest floor. Liam rolled free and pulled Clotilda out from under the animal.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking her over for wounds.

She grinned up at him, blood dribbling down her chin and staining her fur. She didn't appear to be wounded.

"Did it hurt you?" he asked, wanting to be sure.

"Hurt?" she asked and then said, "No shot. Clot'ilda no shot."

"Good," he breathed in relief. He threw his arms around her and kissed the top of her head before letting her go.

"Liam shot?" she asked.

"No," he said and lurched to his feet. "I'm fine."

"Take?" she asked in a teasing tone. He laughed out loud, happy they were both alive.

"Later," he chuckled. "You need to wash before I touch you like that again."

She looked puzzled and he pointed to the blood matting her fur. She frowned and wiped ineffectually at it. Liam smirked and then turned to the dead animal. It was a predator and probably wouldn't taste good, but if any animals on this world were edible this would be their first chance to find out. He took his knife and flayed open the hide over its ribs. There would be large muscles there that should provide good meat. He cut away the muscles and wrapped the meat in a poncho from his pack. That was the best he could do for now, though he worried the scent of blood might attract more predators or scavengers. If they encountered something like this again it might turn out far worse. His work on the carcass complete, Liam stood and scanned the forest and the trees above.

"Pre-da-tor?" Clotilda asked.

Liam looked down to see she was pointing at the dead animal. He nodded.

"Predator," she said, sounding pleased to have learned a new word. Then she brightened and pointed to herself. "Predator?"

"Predator," Liam agreed. "You are definitely a predator, Clotilda."

They finished loading the stretcher with all it could reasonably carry and then Liam strapped the rifles into a bundle he would carry on his back. He made sure Clotilda had a stock on her pistol and had to smile at the little jZav'Etch. She looked like some strange pirate with her blood stained fur and oversized pistol. On her back were two other pistols and a long machete-like blade she seemed familiar with. He did not want to burden her with too much as she would be providing most of the protection on their way back to the tree. It would be up to him to get the stretcher and its cargo over the rough places and make sure they didn't spill everything on the ground.

By the time the pair of them returned to the camp in the hollow tree, evening was coming on. They called and waved to Tem'Ma'tel who still sat her watch at the upper opening. She waved back in greeting. At the lower entrance they found Commander M'pel E'kmel who blinked at the blood covered Clotilda.

"I take it, all was not peaceful at the camp," the commander said.

"An animal attacked Clotilda as soon as I went into the lean-to," Liam explained.

"She is not harmed?"

"She's fine as far as I can tell," Liam said and put his hand on the little Pah'Tht's shoulder affectionately. "I tackled it, but she was the one that tore its throat out."

"Predator," Clotilda said proudly and pointed a pair of thumbs at her chest. "Commander, Liam is a fine male. He attacked the animal and would have killed it, but I could not leave him to face the creature alone. He is smart, but he should not have pounced like he did. He should have knocked it away and then we could have used our weapons."

"I see," Commander M'pel E'kmel said with a nod. "And you are not injured?"

"The animal dropped from the tree above me," Clotilda said. "I saw its shadow on the ground and rolled. It tried to bite me, but I was no easy target. Then Liam came and we killed it. Liam cut meat from the animal. We will build a fire and feast, Commander!"

"Sergeant Carter," M'pel E'kmel said with a pleased expression. "She says you took meat from the animal. This was very wise."

"I don't know if we can safely eat it, though," he told her. "I have something in my medical kit that should tell me if we can."

"You are even wiser than I had thought," she replied with a satisfied smile.

"You were going to suggest it, weren't you," he said, returning her smile.

"I was also going to suggest you find a stream and wash," she said with an even wider smile. "We will need water, too. I have been listening to the forest while you were gone. I think if you climb that rise you will find a stream some distance beyond. It is getting close to night, however. You will need to be quick about it. Leave the supplies with me. I will be sure nothing disturbs them."

Liam and Clotilda put down their burdens, retrieving the empty water jug and climbed the hill as the sun slowly dropped toward the horizon. The commander was right about the stream. It was nearly two hundred meters from where they were camped, but close enough.

Liam stood guard over Clotilda as she stood waist deep in the water, naked. She scrubbed at the blood in her fur and washed her mouth and chin. Liam noticed large amounts of fur drifting on the water as she bathed and worried she was sick. Perhaps something in the animal's blood had poisoned her.

"Is this normal?" he asked, holding up a tuft of her fur.

"Summer," she said trying to explain. When he shook his head she pointed to a patch of short fur on her shoulder that was already dry and said, "Summer."

"Summer?" he asked, wondering if she had understood his question.

"Summer," she said again and then pointed to an area of fur that was longer and denser. "Winter."

"Oh!" Liam said, finally comprehending her meaning. "This is your cold weather coat. Since it's hot here you're shedding it."

"Summer, winter," she said pleased.

Clotilda climbed out of the shallow water and shook herself off. Water glistened in the fading light and Liam thought she was a fine looking creature. The water pasted her fur close to her body and he became more aware of her feminine curves. For such a small female she was very well proportioned.

"Liam, water," she said and picked up her pistol. She pointed to the water insistently.

"Keep watch," he said and began stripping out of his armor. He couldn't help but notice that she was indeed keeping watch, but it was on him instead of the forest. She grinned unabashedly as his breastplate came off revealing his broad shoulders. He grinned back and wondered if she would ask him to take her again.

Once he was nude he waded into the stream and scrubbed the days of sweat and dirt from his skin. Clotilda climbed on top of a large rock and scanned the forest seriously while he finished his bath. He rinsed out his under clothes and the socks and the fatigue trousers he wore under his armor. Though wet he put them back on and slung the armor over his shoulder before they started back for the tree. Clotilda, he noticed had not put her trousers or shorts back on.

"Is it normal for your people to walk around naked?" he asked grinning.

She didn't understand and twitched her ears.

Liam decided he would figure out a way to ask the commander. He had noted that none of the jZav'Etch wore boots out here. He knew from prior experience they did wear boots on their cat-like feet in battle and while on ships. Perhaps they felt safe enough in the forest to go barefoot. If that were the case, why were they all wearing their fatigues? And if they normally wore clothing over their fur, why was it that Clotilda only wore her trousers? It was something he would discover over time, he decided.

Commander M'pel E'kmel looked up to the top of the rise to see the pair of them returning and she sucked in a breath. The corporal was out of his armor. Broad shoulders and heavy muscle showed through his tight undershirt and she had to admire that. He was, for a human, very masculine. Her own species tended to have slightly less pronounced shoulders and their chests were shaped a little differently, but Humans were so very close to jZav'Etch anatomy some scientists wondered if they might have sprung from the same stock at a distant time in the past. She was still admiring Liam's physique when the two walked up to the entrance.

"Everything okay?" Liam asked.

"Oh! Yes!" M'pel E'kmel said in a startled rush. "Everything is fine, Sergeant. Just... Just fine."

"He is good to look upon, isn't he Commander?" Clotilda asked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Mind your place, Specialist," warned M'pel E'kmel. "I am still your senior officer in spite of you being his First."

Clotilda bowed her head and apologized. Liam did not miss the exchange.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Discipline, Sergeant," the commander replied. "She is young and forgetful."

Liam frowned down on Clotilda, irritated that she was showing disrespect to an officer.

"She has already apologize, Sergeant!" the commander said urgently. There was something about her tense posture and the look in her eye that made him stop everything.

"Is he angry with me, Commander?" Clotilda asked, not looking up.

"I do not think so," M'pel E'kmel said warily. "I believe he is displeased at your disrespect to me. Humans are in some ways strange. This one is a low ranking officer. It is his duty to enforce discipline among soldiers. Keep this lesson in mind in the future."

Clotilda looked up at Liam, careful to not look him directly in the eyes.

"Pick up your gear and get it inside," Liam told her evenly. M'pel E'kmel translated and Clotilda jumped to the task. When she had gone up the tunnel a ways Liam asked, "Is this relationship going to cause problems for you, Commander?"

"I will not allow it to," she said sedately. "Should you take me as mate, I will be less involved in the keeping of the home than Clot'ilda. I will retain my military rank and the respect due me by my age."

"Commander," Liam began. He hesitated, thinking how to ask what he wanted to know. "Commander, I don't really get the gist of all this."

"Gist?" she asked, shaking her head.

"I screwed up by mispronouncing a couple of words," he said, feeling his way. "I screwed up by... well, when Clotilda and I exchanged food. I just don't have any kind of handle on what this all means to you and your people."

"Of course," M'pel E'kmel said. "You are not jZav'Etch. You could not know."

"Alright," he continued. "So what's next with me and Clotilda? Are there more ceremonies to go through? Am I going to accidentally cause insult to her? And just exactly why did you react so strongly a minute ago?"

"There are things you will need to learn, Sergeant," she said slowly. "It is not fair of me to keep information from you. That was not my intent. I am in as unfamiliar a situation as you are. I have never needed to explain things of this nature to a male before."

"Well, don't look at it as if you're explaining to a male," he said. "You're explaining things to an alien. I don't know much about your culture."

"A very practical and correct assessment, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said with an approving smile. "I think it would be a very good thing if you were to attempt to teach your mate more of your language. You will be unable to pronounce many of our words. And I will warn you that there are many of your words that we will be unable to pronounce. I have had years of practice and am considered gifted where languages are concerned."

"I guess I can do that," he said with a contemplative nod.

"It would be easier if Clot'ilda still had her study guide," she said.

"She lose it in the crash?"

"No. I don't know what happened to it. Perhaps she lost it in the forest during the hunt. It was a small device, about the size of your hand."

Liam set his armor down and fished through one of the pockets, coming out with the electronic device he'd taken from Clotilda earlier.

"That's it!" M'pel E'kmel said, pleased. "It will make your life much easier."

"Good," he said and examined the screen. "Now will you tell me why you looked so worried a moment ago?"

"I thought you might... I thought you might kill her," she said seriously.

"Kill her?" he demanded.

"What she said to me could have caused your family shame," she told him. "Some males would kill their mate, especially a new mate, for a thing like that."

"What? Like an honor killing or something?"

"That sounds about right."

"Does she think I'm going to kill her?"

"No," she said and glanced up to where Clotilda was sorting through the gear they had recovered. "It appears, though, she is worried you may be angry with her. She is afraid."

"How do I fix that?" he asked.

"Easily," M'pel E'kmel said pleased with him. "If the meat you took is proven safe, cook it and place a piece between your teeth and feed it to her."

"Really?"

"It is an ancient custom," she told him with a smile. "It shows you wish to make her happy. Any time you desire to let her know she is cared for, perform this act. It will strengthen the bond you share. It must be a piece of meat or at least the flesh of an animal of some kind, though."

"Okay," he said and took a step towards the entrance. "Thank you, Commander."

She nodded and watched him march up the incline of the tree. He was a strange male, indeed. He cared that he had frightened Clot'ilda even though he had only met her today. Well, in his terms it was effectively yesterday. Fortune had certainly been on their side when he arrived. And it was fortunate for the jZav'Etch as well. This might be the best opportunity to end the fighting they had had yet.