I’d thought we were already in her cave, but Cherie’s cave was actually way in from the entrance, completely out of the sunlight. We climbed up a steep tunnel—all straight, perfect lines again—for several long minutes.

Twice, Cherie needed to stop so she could catch her breath.

She smiled while she leaned against the wall, but wouldn’t quite look in my eyes.

“Sorry I’m so slow,” she panted. “I used to climb these ][[[][] so easily.”

In my head, I translated ][[[][] to {steep tunnels}. I didn’t know why she was embarrassed. Her breasts looked beautiful heaving like that, and the red spots on her pale cheeks were pretty.

“How far up is it?” I asked, but she was puffing too hard to answer right away. “Why don’t you just fly?”

“Fly?” Even out of breath, she sounded like she didn’t understand the word. Like how I would if I tried to say ][[[][].

I opened my wings and flapped up a few tunnels, then glided back down.

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I started to say, “Like that,” but when I got back to her, her eyes were full of tears. Her harsh panting broke for a second while she swallowed, then started up again.

“What’s wrong?”

Her hand shook as she reached up and scrubbed her eyes with her wrist. “It… You’re just… When you did that, it was so beautiful. You’re so beautiful.”

I laughed. “A guy can’t be beautiful. Girls are beautiful. Rain flashes are beautiful. Pretty-berries are beautiful, if you hold them up to the sun. Not guys.”

“You were.” One more tear dripped from her white eyelashes. She craned her neck to look up the steep tunnel to where I’d flown. “What you did was looked so perfect and right.” She pressed a hand to her soft belly. “I could feel it inside of me. Can you do it again?”

I looked up the tunnel. “Sure.”

I picked her up with my arms around her waist and wrapped her legs around my hips. That pushed back the skirt of her sundress, showing off pale pink thighs like early morning clouds.

“Hang on.” I jumped and really stretched out my wings, slamming the air with everything I had.

Cherie yelped and smashed her face against my neck. I grinned. She was heavier than a log or a stone or Moonie, but she wasn’t sharp or rough or awkward to carry. Cherie fitted perfectly against me, her softness squishing in all the right places.

I flew us up until the steep tunnels ended.

Realizing we’d stopped, she raised her head and looked around.

“Oh. My {cave} is down there.” She pointed. “You missed by three {steep tunnels}.”

“That’s all right, we’re not done yet,” I said. “Gliding is the best part.”

I angled my wings and jumped out into open air. She screamed.