Chapter 46: Misunderstanding
She watched the two sleep at the base of the tree, Joseph laying on his back with his backpack behind his neck as a pillow and Tel curled half way into a ball at his side. Ever since she had fallen asleep on his lap, she had been joining him more regularly. Sahari wasn’t going to complain at the lack of over-watch from the female, the Human’s mood had improved drastically as he indulged in the closeness of another. She tried to give him some privacy by staying a distance away so as not to feel through her bond the conflicting emotions he had for the grey-furred Lilhun, though some things were more easily observed than experienced.
The oak stick she was warming her ration over stiffened to its maximum, causing her to quickly retrieve the meat lest it fall into the cinders that remained from the fire. Pleased with her reaction time, she tossed the jerky into her mouth and enjoyed the slightly fatty texture that remained.
A snap caused her to flinch, the stick having crossed its threshold and breaking violently from the heat. She glanced to her right where the pair had been resting.
Tel had jumped to a defensive posture over Joseph, her legs braced around his shoulders and a single paw held her weight while the other hooked a dagger. Her eyes flitted from point to point to identify whatever threatened their safety.
“Apologies, my negligence caused the disturbance.” Sahari assured the startled female, holding the broken remains of her cooking implement. Tel stared at her with narrowed eyes, her pupils slowly contracting back to an idle state as she confirmed there was nothing else in the area, her ears swivelling to catch any errant noises.
It was amusing to see her so worked up. In the few missions they had worked together had included multi-sun excursions far behind enemy lines, Tel had been known to be the lightest sleeper and the quickest to gain her bearings, saving their lives on one occasion where a local militia had wandered into their encampment while searching for a place to relieve themselves. Watching her fall back to base instincts after sleeping through both Mi’low and her guard having their meals and doing a wide patrol to confirm their heading was a surprising change of pace.
“The vixen and her thrall have left?” Tel asked hopefully, likely to detract from any comment Sahari would have on how soundly she had slept, though it would have showed on her muzzle as the smile widened.
“They are ensuring we are proceeding in the correct direction.”
“Good.” She commented, giving the area a cursory scan to ensure they were alone. Her claw released the loop of her knife as she took a deep breath. Sahari pursed her lips for a moment before deciding to bring up an issue the grey-furred female had overlooked.
“You may wish to distance yourself before he awakes, if only for my sake.”
Tel raised a brow, dropping her head to look under her. Her adopted position had left him with little space to raise his head before bringing up in the hindquarters of his guard. The female raised her gaze to meet Sahari’s, a crooked grin growing on her muzzle as she wiggled her rear. “Surely he would appreciate it.”
“I would rather not burn for another’s touch until he has had time to dismiss the thoughts you would impart upon him.” She replied dryly. It was something she had thankfully been avoiding by ensuring that her watch consisted of patrolling while he was awake. Tel having been occupied with her watch for most of the trip had helped considerably as well.
“Oh? Does he find me so fetching?” Tel prodded playfully, her tail swaying uncomfortably close to the Grand Hunter’s face. Sahari met the expectant stare with a placid one of her own. The female would not be using her to answer such queries.
The Human furrowed his brow as his breath stiffened, the fur from the passing appendage having disturbed him. He waved his paw forward to banish the intruding object, his palm landing squarely on the haunches of his impromptu shelter. The cook yelped, bolting to her feet off to the side and burning a hole into the ground with her flustered stare, her paws folded behind her back in an effort to seem as if she had been naturally standing there all along.
Joseph opened his eyes with an annoyed expression, his hand shaking to dissipate the slight sting. “The fuck did i hit?”
Sahari snorted, trying and failing to suppress the smirk as she stared smugly at the troublemaker. “Nothing of importance, worry not.”
“Oh.. Kay? I guess?” He stared at his paw for a long moment, clenching and releasing it during his examination. Sahari failed to reign in her laughter, much to the confusion of the male and the abashment of Tel. The female glowered at her with a mouthed promise of revenge, fuelling the amusement further.
“Were we not alone, i would assume our potential enemies would find us from your volume alone.” The voice of Mi’low reached them before the red-furred female broached the trees with her guard in tow.
“A shame they did not find you while we could still claim ignorance.” Tel responded coldly, a disapproving stare from Sahari going ignored.
“A shame indeed, they would have robbed you from the opportunity for a proper bathing.”
The ex-Grand Huntress perked her ears in the High Huntress’ direction. “You have found a suitable source?”
She nodded. “We have discovered a river not far from our location. The water is tepid and slow.”
Joseph raised a paw in an unenthusiastic flick of his wrist from his position on the ground. “Anyone wanna fill me in?”
Tel nudged him with her foot. “Get up, Mi’low found a river.”
“Can i get a wash?”
“Yes.”
Joseph raised his legs, dropping them and using the momentum to throw himself into sitting upright. “Alright. I’m up. Let’s go.” Tel helped him to his feet, the male quickly gathering their things in a rare display of energy that was not accompanied by his lamentation at the lack of caffeine. “Come on, i need to wipe off a week of grime. I can only expect mother nature to help me out so much.”
Sahari shrugged, picking up her own gear and gesturing for the High Huntress to lead the way once she had covered the remains of the fire.
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The river was cutting through the forest, the trees around it bending with the curvature to form something of a natural fence. There was a few large rocks nearby and some more within the worn edges of the water they could use to dry their clothes, allowing them to wash those as well.
“Ladies first.” Joseph spoke up, picking a spot without a line of sight for him to sit. “Me and Kelth will wait here.” He thumbed to Mi’low’s guard, causing the High Huntress to raise a brow.
Sahari offered a translation for him, returning the question that came with his announcement. “She is asking if you do not intend to bathe.”
He waved it off. “I’m not watching women while they wash themselves. There’s an expectation of privacy for these things.”
“You have already seen us bare.” Tel replied helpfully. He glared at her, trying his best to seem displeased with the comment.
“It’s a matter of principle. You guys didn’t have clothes then. Not much we could do about it.”
“I believe Pan mentioned that you had difficulty determining her sex until you touched her.”
A finger was pointed at her. “First contact with an alien race. I couldn’t assume anything, and that was an accident! We’re separating the baths.”
Sahari smirked at him. “Embarrassed to be without your garments?”
“I don’t have fur!” He threw his hands up. “I can’t just hide everything under a natural coat!”
Tel took the opportunity to approach him, swaying her hips as she leaned forward with a paw lightly tugging at her top. “I would be more than accommodating, if you wish.”
He bit back the urge to shy away from the advance, instead maintaining a flat expression and pointing towards the river. “Go wash up. I’ll go when you’re done.”
“There’s a smaller spot up the river, it seems.” Sahari offered once Mi’low was caught up on his dilemma. “You may wish to bathe there.”
He shook his head. “We shouldn’t split up too much.”
“Tel and myself will accompany you while Mi’low and her guard bathe here.” She countered, not conceding in the slightest. “We are too close to our destination to leave you unattended.”
“I’d have Kelth.” He pointed out, noticing the High Huntress and her guard walking towards the water. “Wait, we really should... and... they’re gone.” He trailed off as they ignored him.
“So, shall we?” Tel called with an amused lilt, Sahari sharing a smirk.
Joseph exhaled heavily, giving the grey-furred Lilhun a sideways stare. “You go first, I’ll keep watch. Then we switch. Deal?”
She smirked, rising to her relaxed height and nodding. “Deal.”
He shook his head, not trusting her in the least.
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Tel walked over to where he was sitting behind a tree, her fur damp, but clothing having mostly dried. Sahari had finished slightly before, a surprising accomplishment given that her fur was much more voluminous than the cook’s, but apparently there was a demand for swimming in the smaller pool that the black-furred of the two did not reciprocate. Tel’s pants were clinging to her more than normal, a feat he didn’t think was possible, and her lack of armour highlighted her subtle curves. He tore his eyes away and cursed himself for staring.
“I needed that.” She commented, grabbing her gear and donning it slowly.
“How is it?” He asked, lazily looking anywhere else.
“A little cold, but it works. It’s nice to relax in the water.”
He nodded, using his hands to push against his knees as he got to his feet. “Good enough. I’ll go take mine. You know what to do if things go tits up.”
She waved him off with a slight pout that he ignored as he walked past her, Sahari taking the time to stretch out as she dried in the sun.
The water hole was a small outcropping from the main stream, it being only about twice as wide as he was tall, though deep enough to reach his stomach in the centre. He stripped off his armour, laying them in a pile next to a rock, followed by his clothing that he bundled under his arm to rinse out.
The temperature was just above what he would have second thoughts about, it being slightly too cold to simply jump in. He waded his way in slowly, inhaling sharply as the cool water reached his more sensitive anatomy. Bearing with it until he was at the deepest point, he took a breath and dunked himself under, enjoying the sensation that woke him up the rest of the way while also regretting it deeply.
He didn’t want to spend more time than he had to, so he made quick work of scrubbing himself off as best he could, moving to his clothes in short order. That task completed, he laid them out on a rock to dry as he gave himself a second pass to free himself of grime he might have missed.
It was a relaxing moment of respite, him having been forced to ignore his hygiene for most of the seven-day trip, save for the occasional rain in which he was able to lightly rinse himself off, so he found a spot in which he could sit for a moment to enjoy the water running past his body.
The area he found had a trunk of a tree growing almost completely submerged, offering a suitable back rest for him to lean against and close his eyes as the sensation immersed him in a level of relaxation that eased his weary body. They hadn’t been pushing themselves, the pace had been set to little more than a casual walk so that they could respond if something were to happen, but the constant movement had worn him down over time. The bright side was that they were closing in on their destination and should arrive either early afternoon or late evening tomorrow, assuming Mi’low’s information was correct.
He watched the branches and leaves sway in the light breeze, killing time until his clothes were dry enough to put back on, when he noticed a group of shadows moving through the forest on the other side some distance away. They were close enough to identify, but not so much that they would be easily able to spot him.
Lilhuns. Eight of them. Two seemed to be carrying a mono-deer... thing.
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He dunked himself up to just below his nose to hide most of his body and carefully switched to the closer side to hide behind the gentle embankment, keeping an eye on the group as he warily watched them walk by. Part way through their journey past, a few of them exchanged words, one pointing near where Joseph had taken refuge. He felt himself sweat despite the cool water.
Two of them perked up, sniffing the air as they got closer. Right. Emotion smell. They could practically taste him shitting bricks.
The two closed in, wary and holding onto their weapons, the proximity allowed him to see the glint of actual iron, one of them holding a short sword of all things while the other sported an axe. Not ideal for hunting animals, but he figured the rest had armaments more suitable. He wasn’t in a rush to find out.
Feeling that things were about to end up with him paying his parents a permanent visit, he slowly stood in the water and trying to display far more confidence than he felt in a vague attempt at taking refuge in audacity. He was supposed to be here. Nothing weird about it. He eyed his crossbow that was suddenly far too distant for comfort.
The two approaching him slowed in their advance, cautiously watching him as he tried to casually make his way to his gear.
He slowly walked to the other side towards his equipment, keeping an eye on the rest of the approaching pack as they gathered up and inspected him with hushed chatter. Feeling a little more brave now that they had stopped walking towards him, he raised a hand to wave.
The lead Lilhun looked to the rest, exchanging a few words before they all continued towards him with curiosity on their faces. Cool, slightly less terrifying. Not comforting, but less reason to piss himself.
As soon as he was about to reach his stuff, mostly to make an effort to show that he did not belong over the shoulder of someone as either a trophy or a corpse by making sure they knew he wasn’t some naked wild animal, his foot found a divot in the water, him crashing to the ground when the next step didn’t happen as it was supposed to.
The group laughed, the sword wielding one jogging up with an amused grin and lightly shaking his head. Welp, that’s one way to check if they were going to kill him. Seems as if they were friendlier than he feared.
The Lilhun got close, slowing his jog to a moderate walk until he reached the opposite side of the river and resting his weapon on his shoulder as he chuckled to himself. Joseph exhaled a breath of relief, pretty happy with not knowing how well the sword the male held would skewer him. He closed his eyes for a moment to ease his heart and shifted himself to raise a hand in greeting.
He heard the sound of iron clattering against stone, the mirthful voice of the new Lilhun was now choking out words of panic. Joseph opened his eyes to see a rope constricting the male’s throat while his allies, whom had gotten closer to the river, now all held their empty paws up, their weapons similarly discarded next to the deer they were carrying. The outraged barking of Sahari could he heard behind him as she levelled her own tool of death at the confined male’s head.
He could hear Tel’s ferocious additions being belted at a volume he didn’t think she even knew existed from the back of the hostage Lilhun, what little he could see suggested she had looped her roped dagger around his neck from behind and was using the height disparity as leverage to pin him to her back while she held a free knife to his spine, blood-lust clear as her voice begged for them to take even one step closer.
“Guys! It’s fine, he wasn’t doing anything hostile!” Joseph called out, promptly being ignored by the incensed females in favour of more aggressive threats.
Mi’low and her guard rushed to the scene from the left, the two of them only passably decent as they looked to have been in the process of putting their armour on when they heard the noise. The High Huntress quickly surveyed the situation, smiling as she noticed the standstill that had settled. She adopted an aloof posture and idly swayed herself to her newest target of interest, standing in front of the sword-less male and speaking in a controlled tone, a stark difference to the hostile cadence of his own pack.
Sahari strafed over to him, her weapon never leaving the target as she offered a paw to help him to his feet while Mi’low interrogated the hostage. “Are you harmed?”
He accepted the help, more worried about this situation turning violent than the dull pain in his ass from landing on it. “I’m fine, they startled me but didn’t do anything besides laugh when i tripped. What’s going on?”
She exhaled as she replied, taking a moment to listen to the frantic speech coming from the male. “It appears they were curious about you. The male was about to offer you assistance in returning to your feet when we arrived.”
He sighed, thankful that this was looking less and less like a situation that would require an apology note to Pan for failing to return, but now he needed to sort this out so that they didn’t end up pissing off whoever these guys were friends with. “Great. Just great. Tel and Mi’low?”
“Our cook is doing exactly what you can see.” She replied dryly, fixing her grip on her weapon as her eyes flicked to him, the action repeated with a surprised expression a moment after but quickly had them settle on her potential target. He raised a brow, curious as to why she looked like someone who had finally resolved a small curiosity, but dismissed the concern for when there wasn’t threats of violence.
“Promising to kill him if they even so much as breathe wrong?” He guessed, pretty confident in his assumption.
She allowed a mirthless chuckle. “Not in so few words, but you are correct. Were they not to lower their arms, i believe we would be of corpses to dispose of.”
“Fantastic. Let’s threaten the surprisingly friendly people we just met. What about Mi’low?”
“I know not of what she speaks, though one might assume she is utilizing the skills of her previous occupation.”
“Look, as long as no one bleeds out in a river, I’m happy.” He opined, watching Tel release the male with a final threat. She refused to keep a paw off her daggers or retract the line, her gaze burrowing into the hunting party in case any of them decided to change their mind on not stabbing someone.
The red-furred female turned around with a smile, her conversation completed and a fearful male left behind, when she went wide eyed as soon as she looked at him, the expression of shock quickly being replaced by one he saw on Tel quite often. Sahari nudged him and gave a polite cough.
“You may wish to use this opportunity to assess your state of dress, Grand Hunter.”
“My state of... Ah.” He looked down to see the only thing being obscured by the water was his toes. He didn’t even feel embarrassed, just defeated. He gathered his clothes together and donned his armour with a small frown while Sahari and Tel lowered their weapons, Mi’low’s guard going to talk to the rest of the hunting group about something. More exceedingly obvious attempts to seem non-threatening were displayed by the observers as the guard relayed whatever message Mi’low had given the first. He decided to count his blessings and started with the fact that at least one of his group hadn’t just seen him in his birthday suit, though it didn’t make the rest of them seeing it any better.
Now decent, he waved the High Huntress closer. “Looks like no one is killing anyone today... yet. Assuming Tel doesn’t blow a gasket, anyway.” He winced when she brandished her blade at another Lilhun attempted to join the sword-less, the hunter backing off with a bow of apology.
“It would seem as if they are deeply regretful of the misunderstanding and have offered us an escort to their settlement to prove their intentions. They are offering us accommodations as a show of good faith.” Sahari translated for the actress, though the brevity suggested she was cutting off some self-congratulatory fluff or the like.
He didn’t need to think about it. “After we just drew weapons on them? Sounds like a good way to get ambushed or poisoned.”
Sahari shook her head. “They are now aware of your status, and your claim of them lacking hostilities aligns with their own. It would be suicide to harm you now.”
He raised a brow, confusion taking over his wariness in combination to the ‘offending’ group looking like they had threatened a royal unwittingly. “Wouldn’t that incentivize it? I mean, I’d be pretty pissed if i almost got murdered for saying ‘hello’.”
“They are a vassal of a Grand Hunter under the treaty. With Mi’low to legitimize your claim, they can not afford to incite a war between packs over such a minor altercation. As soon as word reaches the others of their action, many would leap at the chance to destabilize the territory. It is a death sentence for all of their kin and they dare not bade it upon themselves. Though our High Huntress may have embellished to discourage them further.” She copied his ease, though opting to maintain a readied weapon as she tilted her head at the female and asked a question. She chuckled once she received a quiet answer and a wink. “It seems we are many times stronger than we thought, according to the words she has imparted upon them. That explains why they are so amicable to this arrangement.”
“So... She just bullshitted her way into getting us free food and a place to spend the night?”
“As well as an escort to Trill’s personal settlement on the morrow. It seems they were to send taxation and are willing to act as such.”
Joseph finished gathering his weapons, clipping the crossbow to his armour and ensuring it would be only a sharp pull from being ready as a deep sigh escaping his lips. “Death and taxes. It’s always fucking death and taxes.”
She holstered her own as she nudged him playfully, the hunting party falling in with their weapons low and spoils back in hand now that no one was aiming at them, though they took care to keep anything pointy or sharp well away from the group in response to Tel glowering at them. “Perhaps we should be grateful on this occasion, our heading seemed to be slightly off course.”
“I guess.” He droned, the rush leaving him fully as Tel didn’t behead the sword-Lilhun for retrieving his namesake from the ground with a few jovial words. She glared at him coldly before joining Joseph and Sahari.
“Please tell me to kill him.” The grey-furred female pleaded flatly. Joseph furrowed his brow.
“I’d rather you didn’t.” He deadpanned, his expression matching hers until he gave up with a slump of his shoulders. “I’ll admit that me sitting on my ass unarmed across from someone fully geared up and a sword in their hand looked bad though. Good job not dropping him.”
She flicked an ear. “I figured you wouldn’t want to kill all of them when they tried to avenge their friend.”
He bobbed his head to the side to agree. She was right, he wanted to avoid drawing too much negative attention to himself if he could help it, especially from those who were nice enough to not point a weapon at him, though he probably wouldn’t lose much sleep if they tried anything. “So why are you asking now?”
Her ears flattened slightly as she spoke. “He offered to share his bed.”
The Grand Hunter scowled. He took a breath to get rid of the expression and rolled his eyes. “I’m not letting you kill someone for asking if you’d be interested.”
She brightened up somewhat, cupping his chin in her paw and leaning in close to whisper into his ear with an amused lilt. “And if i accepted?”
He pushed her away gently, but the sour tinge remained longer than it should have. “Then that would be your decision. Anyway. Are we okay with going into someone’s house? I’m open to opinions. Personally, it sounds like a good way to cut this whole trip short, but I’m not good with politics.”
Sahari shrugged, not concerned one way or the other, which was reassuring in a way. Mi’low and her guard seemed to be in favour, though if it was for the food variation or a roof to sleep under that swayed them, he couldn’t say. A small part of him hoped that Mi’low was more interested in trying to seduce him than let him get taken out.
Tel seemed more firm on her decision, her voice brokering no argument despite the pout at his dismissal. “I’m keeping you in claw’s reach from now on. Friendly or not, we can’t have you being caught alone out here.”
“Normally I’d say that was excessive, but for some reason, I’m going to agree to it.” He allowed, eyeing the group as they waited for them to finish their discussion. The sword guy seemed to be somewhat apologetic, offering him a weak wave that he returned. The others in the group seemed confused more than anything, but each gave their own polite greeting that was rife with embarrassment, each relaxing as he nodded to them.
Tel ushered him forward, seeing that everyone had more-or-less agreed to accompanying them. “You will want someone nearby to deny the servants.”
He gained his own footing as the hunting party lead the way, their course being corrected north by a fair margin. Tel stuck close to his right while Mi’low hung to his left, her guard taking the forward position. “Deny them of what?”
Sahari chuckled behind him, patting his shoulder with a paw. “They will want to gain favour with the newest Grand Hunter in order to receive praise from theirs. They had almost signed their own warrants, Joseph, albeit through a misunderstanding. It would do them well to shower us with extravagance to sweep the issue aside and earn our approval.”
He closed an eye in a grimace as he tried to parse the insinuation. “So they would send them to...”
“Bed you to leave a favourable impression.” Tel finished for him, her voice clipped. She absently loosened some slack from her dagger. “I’m assuming you don’t want that.”
“Yeah, I’ll pass.” He confirmed with little enthusiasm. He was more than happy to let Tel act as a bouncer.
Although he was more than a little nervous about going with the people who were just threatened by his pack, he held onto the last shred of optimism he had in him and chose to believe that it was something they were willing to overlook. The darker part of him was suddenly very thankful for Tel’s willingness to do whatever needed to be done. Had it been a situation where the sword was pointed at him instead of the sky, she likely wouldn’t have stopped with yelling.
He felt her lightly bump into him, drawing his attention to her for a moment. She walked tall and proud, a slightly threatening aura oozed off her as her controlled stare flickered between male and weapon to catch even the smallest twitch that might prove compromising.
He reached for her paw, holding it firmly in his hand. The tension abated somewhat, but the strong focus on their escorts remained. Her tail wrapped around his wrist as her free paw shifted its tight grip on her dagger to a looser one.
Yeah, he felt safer with her around. It made him feel somewhat guilty for relying on her to be at ease, but this was far from a situation where he could do anything by himself. He took a breath to still his own nerves.
Straight into the unknown with a woman who would kill if he so much as asked for it. Would he really be able to deal with the guilt of tossing it all onto her shoulders? Could he ignore his own place in that chain of events?
No. He knew he wouldn’t be able to simply sit back and let her dirty her paws just because he was too morally incompatible with their situation.
He made a silent promise to himself as he watched her from the corner of his eye.
If she needed to draw blood, so would he. They would take out whatever needed to be, and he would make sure she wouldn’t be the only one doing it. She might be able to live with it, but he couldn’t. Not alone.
They followed their escorts, the Human readying himself mentally in case he needed to ensure one less threat to his pack. Tel would throw herself in front of a superior force without hesitation. She would draw a blade at the slightest menace. He recalled the threat he levelled against Mi’low’s pack when one of them got jumpy with Violet, feeling every bit that she had taken the message to heart.
He smiled bitterly. The damn temptress was stealing his bit. It was doing more for him than he wanted to admit.
It was time to be ready to wield bone if need be, though he hoped he wouldn’t need to.
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“Hey Rob!” Harrow exclaimed as her music was paused to answer the call from Joe’s brother. She dropped her feet from the table and sat upright. The Human on the screen seemed a bit tired, though the amused expression that followed the raised brow suggested it was simply early for him.
“Rob?” He asked playfully. Harrow grinned back at the male.
“Joe lets me shorten his name, i figured that gave me a pass for you too.” Robert laughed lightly as he shook his head.
“I guess I’ll let it slide.” He smirked at her as he relaxed in his chair, the leather groaning as his weight shifted. “So, he’s been gone a week, yeah?”
Her expression dropped a bit, but she maintained a polite smile. “Yeah, it’s a bit weird without him around.”
“How’s everything going?”
She exhaled as she crossed one leg over the other, stretching back and placing both paws behind her head. “Good enough, i guess. We have one den completed, another is having the foundation placed. Joe asked us to set up a water tower to collect rain so that the rest of the pack can have access to it, though I’m currently working out a basic filtration system for it while Nalah works out the plumbing. It should be finished in a sun or so with Mama’s help. I got bows and ammo for pretty much everyone and Jax has worked it into the mandatory training for the settlement.”
Rob nodded, a flash of annoyance crossed his face as she mentioned her mate, but she was aware of the distaste he held for the one who attacked his blood-kin. “How’s Pan holding up?”
Harrow dropped her paws, one landing on her lap while the other played with the choker she got from Joseph. “Pan is sleeping with the Atmo when she rests. She’s keeping herself busy with sewing new clothes for him and working with the pack a bit more than she should, but i think it’s just to distract from him being gone. None of us has said anything about it.”
“Any problems with the new guys? Joe mentioned something about a medical condition having a stigma around it.”
“Her defect, yeah. We’re used to it now, but she’s impossible to get a read on when you meet her. It would be like if someone wore a mask and used a voice changer whenever you talked to them and they never emoted. It’s a bit creepy. Add that to her being unable to read social cues through scent, and you have someone that’s disquieting to be around.” She lowered her paw from the ironwood around her neck and used it to hold herself as she tucked a leg underneath her. “From what we hear, she’s been nothing but polite, even when they get a little less than friendly with her, but I’m a little worried that she’s seeking it out in an attempt to find normalcy.”
The Human on the screen cracked a can of some carbonated beverage and took a sip. “You think she’s trying to get treated like dirt just because it’s something she’s used to?”
Harrow shrugged. “Maybe. Her bond hasn’t been around for a while. When Jax is away for most of the sun, i start getting a little... How did Joseph phrase it... ‘Burned out’? Like everything takes a little more effort? I don’t know how bad it would get with him being away for as long as Joe has, and will be, but I’d imagine that she’s feeling it.” She ended the sentence with a tint of melancholy, pity playing at her words.
He nodded, a complicated expression worn. “It’s not going to cause issues is it?”
“Well,” She inhaled sharply to focus back on the conversation instead of picturing what would happen if Jax had gone with them. “The war-games have earned her a bit of respect. I’d say only two or three of the new group would even acknowledge her existence when Joseph left, but it looks like everyone has gotten used to her. We don’t catch any comments about her anymore, at least. A few even actively seek her out for things that don’t include mediating disagreements, so that’s been good for her.”
“How’s the Atmo?”
“Good!” She perked up, happy to move on from lingering thoughts. “It’s starting to get warm enough that Mama can stay outside for a few hours each day with her winter gear on, so she’s been helping speed up construction along side her work with Atrox. Violet is keeping herself busy sparring with Pan and processing the pelts we get in. Looks like it’s still a little too cold for her to go out quite yet, but we figure it wouldn’t take much for that to change. She seems excited to go around and interact with everyone.”
Robert chuckled as he took another drink. “Don’t tell Joe I’m drinking this. I don’t want to listen to him try to convince me to send energy drinks through the comms console, no matter how impossible it is.”
She laughed, knowing full well how often the male complained about it.
“I have the documents for metalwork compiled and ready to send. Anything else you need?”
Harrow placed a fist to her lips as she thought. “No, not right now. We need a source of heat high enough to process the iron we gathered, but until we send out a party for clay, there’s not much we can do.”
Rob raised a brow. “Why not just use the pod’s thruster system? It uses an electrolysis engine to burn hydrogen. Just add water and hook it into the outpost’s electrical grid. Should burn hot enough to deal with anything shy of tungsten. We use it in a few foundries because of its efficiency. Supplement the rain with the recycler and you should be able to run it just fine.”
Harrow nearly bounced out of her chair in excitement. “Joe said that we can’t push the grid too hard though.”
“Turn off the atmospheric regulator once temperature get comfortable and use the juice to power the engine?” He offered with a shrug.
Harrow almost vibrated off her chair, energy bursting at the seams as she realized that she would get to play with new technology. “Rob, were i not a mated female i would offer myself to you in a heart beat.”
He furrowed his brow in a way that conflicted with his smile. “Don’t you do that to Joe?”
She waved a paw, itching to share her enthusiasm with the pack. “Two different things. I need to talk to Jax about setting up an excursion. Do you have blueprints that you could send with the documents? Something i could use without reading?”
Robert blinked, checking his terminal for a moment before cautiously nodding. “Yeah, there’s English all over it, but it seems clear enough. Should have both to you tomorrow.”
“PERFECT!” She yelled to the empty air, bolting from her seat and hovering a pad over the icon to end the call. “I need to go, thank you, I’ll say hi to Pan for you. BYE!”
He laughed, a mild amusement matching his confusion. “Alright, lat-”
She ran out of the room with enough bounce in her step to leave her airborne between strides.