“Well then, here you go.” Winters unholstered his pistol and racked the slide, chambering a round. He then extended the weapon to Xan. Io shot him a look that would have melted hull armor, her green eyes brimming with sudden fury.

‘Bist du verrückt geworden?! He just said he wants to die!’ She shrieked. Winters shook his head slowly. She’d not quite gotten it on the mark.

“One way ticket to Kel, Xan. You can figure out how it works I’m sure,” Winters said with steel in his voice. “I’ve seen worse, no need to wait on my account.” The young Cauthan stared at him like he’d grown another head, the handle of the sidearm a couple feet from his face.

“I…what in the name of the gods is wrong with you?” Xan whispered.

“Nothing. You said you wished you’d died in the raid. There are plenty of people who died before their time that night, a few of your comrades. Should be a whole crew full of young humans in their prime waiting for you on the other side, too. None of them ever had a choice in the matter. You’re lucky. I’m giving you a choice. No need to hesitate, Xan.” Winters ground out, feeling unreasonable anger surge through him more and more by the second. “What are you waiting for, Xan? Why don’t you fucking kill yourself then?!”

“Because I don’t want to die you fucking asshole!” Xan yelled right back, his scales practically rattling against one another.

‘Would you put the bloody gun away, Lieutenant?!’ Io joined in, raising the volume level in the temple to a dull roar. She’d even donned an officer’s uniform for added gravitas.

“I will not!” Winters yelled back. “There are too many good people who died for no reason on that ship. There are too many Cauthan that died this winter for this little shit to sit around wishing he were dead! If life is so fucking tough then end it, Xan! I’m offering you the easiest, most painless way out. You won’t have to starve, or get eaten, or bleed out, or anything.”

“And I already told you I don’t want to die!”

“But you wish you were dead? How fucking cowardly can you be?!” Winters thundered, finally bringing silence to the temple.

“What the hell would you know about it?” Xan whispered, looking away from him. Winters holstered his weapon, jumped off the table, and knelt so he could look Xan dead in the eyes. “At least as much as you, and probably a hell of a lot more. You can still walk. You can still think. You can still see. You can still mate. I know your junk is fine because we didn’t have to sew it up that night. Yeah, losing all my friends was shit. And the few moments that suicide crossed my mind are the moments I regret most since then. You think your dead friends want you to join them? You think the people you leave behind will be happy for you? What is the god damned problem, Xan?”

“Nothing when you put it that way!” Xan spat. “But it’s really rich coming from you who gets armor and weapons and a spirit to protect him and a mate who wants to fuck your brains out and you just do whatever you please. What do I get? What’s left for me?”

“Life, you fucking twit!” Winters roared, now equally upset at the reduction of Veera to a one-dimensional sex maniac.

“What sort of life is this?!”

“One week and you’ve given up already?”

“What’s one cycle versus a thousand when I’m just going to die alone?” Xan shouted, raising his arms high and breaking his cane over Winters’ shoulder. The human didn’t flinch. Io’s eyes widened as she suddenly put it all together.

‘You are a dangerous son of a bitch, Lieutenant. Never do that again,’ she ordered him in something between a bedroom voice and the voice of impending murder.

“Leave my mother out of this, Io.”

‘It was never about her. Just stop giving me these heart attacks.’

“You’ll be fine.”

‘Yes, sir. Now fix your mess.’

“Gladly. Feeling better now that you’ve broken something, Xan? Your arms seem to be working just fine.” Winters asked, a hint of kindness creeping into his still stern voice. Xan was still glaring at him.

“No.”

“You’re not dying alone, kid. You’ve got friends, family, and a female who seems to care very much for you. That’s a lot more than most can say,” Winters explained. Xan scoffed at him.

“She’s just doing that because she pities me. I can’t fight. I can’t do work. I can’t…I probably can’t even mate with her. I can barely walk. And I’m only even talking about these things because you’re being a persistent ass about it. She doesn’t see me that way. I’m something she needs to take care of and then she’ll move on to a real male.”

‘Oh mein gott, this child. Time to matchmake again?’ Io asked Winters thanks to the privacy afforded to her by his equipment. The human shook his head and replied for her alone.

“This has nothing to do with that. We’ll talk later,” he insisted tersely as Xan cocked his head at them.

‘As you say, sir.’

“Xan…I’m sorry,” Winters said softly.

“Oh, now you pity me too?” The former guard asked, shifting in his chair agitatedly. “I wish I could get up so I could punch you.”

“Yeah, you probably do. But I’m not sorry because you feel like you lost your balls. That’s hyrven shit. I’m sorry for telling you to kill yourself,” Winters clarified.

“You’d make an awful priest of Kel,” Xan agreed, hooking a smile in spite of himself. Winters laughed.

“I’ll stick to being the avatar then, yeah?” The human joked. Xan rolled his eyes.

“You made your point well enough, Winters. Like everything else you do it was fair and brutal. And I’m sorry about what happened to your comrades. That doesn’t make it any easier though.”

“I know,” Winters clapped Xan on the shoulder. “And as long as you have the will to live I’ll be here for you, soldier. No one ever said life was easy, but it’s a hell of a lot better than being dead. Ask Veera if you don’t believe me. Now buck up and teach me some runes, would you? It’s about time I started learning Cauthan.”

‘Ah…mein liebenswerter barbar. I still have much to learn it seems,’ Io said sweetly. Xan laughed at her mannerisms as the strange language graced his ears. Winters looked at Io, trying to convey something he didn’t even know the name of with his eyes.

“You and me both, Io,” Xan agreed. “But I think we can teach this metal head something, can’t we?”

‘You have no idea how accurate that statement is, Xan. I have attempted to understand your written language since being introduced to your village. Perhaps I may be of assistance,’ Io offered, projecting a series of runes via the B-MASS as Winters pulled up a chair.

“Misery loves company, right Xan?” Winters joked.

“You’re damn right, Winters. Runes are nothing but misery.”

‘Your disdain for literacy is a blight upon your species,’ Io muttered to herself before gesturing to get her pupils’ attention. ‘Now then, to my understanding this rune means summer, yes?’

-----

The system of Cauthan runes was no match for Io, even down a CPU. By the time Thantis returned from his rounds in the afternoon he was treated to the sight of his pupil gazing in awe at some sort of light-based runic script emanating from the human’s armor. The leather and hide scrolls lay on the floor long forgotten as word after word played before their eyes and the human tried his best to understand both syntax and pronunciation all at once. If anything, Xan had become something of a novice instructor, helping Winters with his attempts to speak Cauthan as he learned his own species’ written language.

“Ah, to teach is also to learn,” Thantis mused happily, walking over to the two of them and bending over to gather the scrolls. Winters beat him to it.

“Let me, Thantis. No need to strain yourself,” Winters insisted.

“Thank you, young one. Will you tell me what this marvelous device is that has my apprentice so captivated?” Thantis asked, peering intently at the orange-tinted runes hovering above Winters’ wrist.

“The best way I can describe it is that it’s exactly what you see before you, a way of representing images. I asked Xan to look at those scrolls and my armor copied the shapes. It can rearrange them at will in this format, see?” At Winters’ indication Io silently dissolved the current sentence and projected a new one: From death, new life springs forth. Thantis gasped delightedly, almost dropping the scrolls he’d been holding.

“Truly these wonders never cease, Winters. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have never seen such a thing, nor have I ever seen Xan so engaged. I’m not sure which the greater miracle is!”

“Hey!” Xan protested lightly, knowing it was the truth. Thantis smiled at him.

“Continue teaching the human our ways, Xan. You will learn best this way. When you are confident I want you to begin writing as well. My hope is that by the next harvest festival you will find yourself able to read and write fluently.”

“I think you can pull it off, Xan,” Winters encouraged the lad. “Maybe write a little something for Eris?”

“Now now,” Thantis admonished Winters as Xan’s face darkened. “Given that Xan seems to have broken one cane already today I’d advise you not aggravate him further, yes?”

“I’ll get it replaced, you can be sure of that,” Winters promised. “Actually I think I should head on over to Zolta’s temple when I’m done here. Any requests for the carvings, Xan?” The Cauthan scratched his feathers and tilted his head, considering his options. When he looked back at Winters he seemed a bit hesitant.

“Do not be embarrassed child,” Thantis urged.

“Alright, alright. No need to push, Thantis. I just…do you think you could carve it with your own runes?” Xan requested. Winters felt his eyebrows touch his hair. Io swooned.

‘That black-furred girl is dead if she breaks his heart,’ she insisted.

Winters didn’t bother correcting her. “Yeah, I can do that Xan. Thantis, do you have a small scroll I could use? I’ll have to draw it out so that the craftsmen know what to do.”

“Of course, Winters,” Thantis replied, heading to the back to replace exchange the scrolls he’d retrieved for a small roll of chesko leather. He returned and laid it on the table along with a bone-hewed stylus and charcoal-based ink. Winters stood before glancing back at Xan.

“Uh…what did you want it to say?” He asked. Xan shrugged.

“I don’t know.” For a moment the three men stood around looking at once another. Winters rubbed his neck through his armor.

“I guess it doesn’t have to be right now. I’ll give it some thought, alright Xan?”

‘Sir?’ Io called for Winters’ attention and made a suggestion, a projection on his visor. Winters nodded his head in interest.

“Hey, Thantis. Did you ever decide if Kel is prideful?” Winters asked curiously. Thantis chuckled.

“I did not, Winters. Though I believe my student has the right of it. Pride is the domain of Seil, to be sure. Kel is Seil’s antithesis. Perhaps that is as close to proof as I will come,” the old one mused, stroking the fur of his chin. Io grinned triumphantly.

“I’ve got an idea, Xan. I think you’ll like it,” Winters informed him happily. Xan sat upright in his chair.

“What is it?” He asked eagerly. Winter wagged a finger at him.

“You’ll see when it’s done, promise. For now let’s keep going with runes. I was getting the hang of your compound words I think. Do you mind, Thantis?” Winters requested, unsure if the elder had other plans for the day.

“Of course I don’t mind, Winters. As I said before, to teach is to learn. I believe I shall visit the temple of Meylith and acquire a few more herbs and plants for medicine. Our stores are sufficient but running low. Xan?”

“It’s fine, master. Go ahead,” Xan replied. As the elder grabbed his cloak again and prepared to leave Winters followed him.

“I’ll be right back Xan, just going to grab some food. You feel like anything in particular?”

“Chesko!”

“As you wish, kid. See you in a few and we’ll continue our lessons, alright?”

“I suppose there are worse fates,” Xan agreed. Thantis grinned a small smile to himself before sweeping out of the temple with Winters close behind. The human waved over his shoulder.

“You’re damn right there are.”

-----

“I should have liked very much to see this monster alive,” Staroth admitted in amazement as the hunting party finally arrived at the clearing where Winters had engaged the ursae after three days of travel. The journey had been blessedly uneventful, though the same could not be said for the hunters who had been left to continue processing the carcass. As soon as they arrived, one of them found his way to Ratha.

“What’s the situation?” She demanded.

“You arrived just in time, Huntress. Scouts from the pack have been slinking around for a couple days now,” he supplied quickly, looking around nervously as he spoke as though his head had been on a swivel for days. Ratha figured that wasn’t too far off.

“You got a pretty good amount of work done for men under constant threat of being eaten alive. Take a rest, all of you. Staroth, your men wanted to be useful? Get the rest of this thing carved and loaded. Looks like we can be off by nightfall,” the Huntress ordered. Staroth and Veera looked at one another, the two of them standing in front of the guard force that had gathered in a group upon arrival. An unspoken it’s not worth it passed between them as Staroth accepted a large carving knife from one of the now off-duty hunters.

“As you wish, your majesty,” Staroth drawled, emphasizing the epithet. “C’mon then you lot, faster we get this done the faster we can go home and figure out which of us is capable of kicking Veera’s substantial ass!”

“You’re going to be in the ground, Staroth!” Veera yelled as her comrades laughed and patted her on the back. The touches were technically inappropriate, but Veera imagined that if she were a male it would have been common course. None strayed below her shoulder blades and Ratha herself seemed most peeved at the attention being showered on the ‘mutt’. She approached the Huntress.

“What of the head?” Veera asked neutrally. Ratha flared her feathers quickly.

“We cannot carry it back with us and I have no intention of leaving any of my men here with a hungry pack of hyrven closing in just to guard a trophy. You lot can stay if you wish but I’m not coming back for it,” she declared. Veera shook her feathers in reply.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“You know, if you weren’t so damned spiky I’d agree with you more often.”

“Won’t your human be so sad he doesn’t have something to brag about?” Ratha taunted. Veera just smirked, baring her fangs to the Huntress.

“You think he cares about some skull?” She asked off-handedly, not bothering to elaborate on Winters’ technology to Ratha. “It’s the wall of your temple that will go barren, not ours. Besides,” Veera looked her rival dead in the eye and flourished her cloak, showing off a tease of the assets that had so captivated Gael and Rakis during the trip. “He already has plenty to brag about.”

“You’re utterly insufferable, maybe more than he is,” Ratha spat. Veera gave a non-committal signal with her feathers.

“Not my problem. We’ll be ready to move at your order,” Veera finished, giving Ratha no opening for a comeback. The Huntress glared daggers at her back but said nothing, tearing her eyes away from the visible curve of Veera’s hindquarters, distinguished even under her cloak. Ratha had never felt a lack of confidence regarding her body before. She hated it, perhaps more than Veera’s ghost of a father. Reaching into a small pouch on her belt and withdrawing a piece of dried meat, she turned swiftly and made for her own guild mates, inwardly relieved to find all of them alive and more or less how she’d left them. She didn’t tell them so. They knew.

-----

“I wish those furry bastards would hurry up and attack us already. My danger sense has been nagging me since we got here,” Staroth grumbled, loading slabs of meat onto a sled while making sure to keep his spear close at hand. Veera followed his gaze through the trees, her visibility increased thanks to the wide distances between trunks. Sure enough, at any given moment she could catch the twin tails or grey fur of a hyrven slinking about at a good distance. The hunters didn’t seem as concerned, but Veera figured they were just better at hiding it. Gael and Rakis were looking over their shoulders every few seconds.

“I have an idea…if you’re in the mood for a little chaos,” Veera whispered conspiratorially. Staroth glanced at her with anticipation.

“You’ve known me for a few days, Veera. Pray tell, what do you think my answer would be to such a proposition?” He asked cheerfully. Veera smiled.

“I wouldn’t normally do this but given that Winters has already killed a few of them, I think this will work,” she said, depositing a slab of ursae meat on a sled before cleaning her hands in the snow and heading to her pack which she’d laid nearby. A few moments later she was kneeling in the snow and trying to sight a target, bringing an utter standstill to the work of the others. After ensuring that the safety was off and the weapon set to single fire, Veera steadied her breathing, flattened her ears against her head, and pressed her shoulder into the stock.

“What in Valta’s name are you-” Ratha’s protests were cut off as Veera pulled the trigger and a deafening crack ricocheted through the trees. Guards and hunters alike jumped with shock as the hyrven that Veera had been aiming at yelped and scattered as the tree next to it exploded, slivers of bark and wood flying from the impact site. A great chorus of howling rose from around them.

“Spears, back to back now!” Staroth roared, throwing down his tools and grabbing his weapon as his fellows rushed to join him and form a pointy circle. It proved unnecessary. Ratha watched tensely as a couple other scouts slunk through the trees and began moving away from them, joining the one hyrven that had taken off at a full dash after having been targeted. Veera grinned triumphantly, having remained in a kneeling position in case another shot was necessary. She turned to Staroth.

“I don’t think they’ll be bothering us any longer,” she declared.

Ratha scoffed. “That’s no excuse to lower your guard. Let’s get this done and get out of here. If that thing fires…whatever it does, it will run out eventually.” The Cauthan collectively breathed a sigh of relief and returned to work, but were still unable to get the remaining meat and pelts all processed before nightfall. Given that they’d had an established presence near the corpse for many nights, Ratha decided they would stay there and head out at first dawn. There was some grumbling from the guards but Veera was not among them. As far as she was concerned the hyrven would either attack them or not, it didn’t matter when or where. Their party would be easy to track. Watch shifts were doubled that night, with Veera taking Winters’ rifle along when it was her turn, joined by a hunter and two other guards. As she stood beneath the moons and scanned the trees for movement she silently prayed to see Seil, and her human, again. Though the howling of discontented hyrven was a near constant throughout, the night passed without further incident.

-----

“Well I don’t think I’ve ever slept worse. Do those damned beasts ever shut up?” Staroth wondered through a yawn as he emerged from the guards’ tent and made ready for departure, gathering up his weapon and finding his sled. “Up and at ‘em lads, let’s go home already!” Soon enough the party was ready to leave, and with a few grunts and growls the sleds laden with lifesaving meat and fur began to move through the snow, most of them pulled by two or more Cauthan.

Veera found herself pulling a sled along with one of the hunters. He seemed to prefer not to speak and she found that agreeable, focusing on her breathing and keeping firm claw-holds in the crusted snow beneath her feet. Her muscles burned and her breaths came heavy to fog the air in front of her, but Winters’ training had more than readied her for such exertion. Io had always drilled them particularly hard for endurance and for the second time in that cycle Veera truly understood the wonder of having a body capable of responding to the desires of her mind. Calm winds and clear skies eased the journey, as though Kel himself were keeping the snows at bay. Her partner stayed strong throughout the day, speaking only when Ratha called for them to make camp as the skies darkened and the moons rose.

“You keep a good pace. I will see you tomorrow,” he waved in parting. Veera removed her hood and raised her crest at him.

“Selah. You as well.” The hunter nodded and proceeded to the side of the clearing that his fellows had ‘claimed’ while the guards re-established their communal tent. Veera headed over and joined them, finding a seat next to Staroth as the fire was lit and others were sent out to collect fuel. He nudged her with a shoulder and smiled.

“Tonight’s my lucky night then, is it?”

“Keep pushing your luck and I’ll go get cozy with Rakis instead,” Veera snapped playfully, being sure to sit with both legs under her so no one was encouraged to take a look under her dress. Staroth laughed and leaned away from her.

“Your sharp replies are exactly why I push my luck, Veera. How was the trip? Can’t say I envy you.”

“It was more than fine, Staroth. Sometimes silence is a blessing,” Veera insisted. He nodded.

“Well I guess we can’t rag on the hunters every night. Uthos knows I do enjoy the occasional chesko flank. But Veera, if we aren’t going to talk about them or your feminine charms, all that leaves is who those two are going to go after next harvest!” Staroth joked, gesturing at Gael and Rakis.

“Rakis still needs an alternate plan,” Veera joked back, getting more than a few chuckles. She did feel bad for the two young ones though, the constant butt of many a joke. True they could be immature at times, but she remembered being their age. “Though if the two of you ever wanted to know about females, now’s the time,” Veera challenged, drawing sounds of interest from Staroth and the others.

“Maybe I’ll take you up on that-”

“Not you, you lug!” Veera laughed, punching Staroth in the arm. “You’ve already sewn your seeds. It’s these two that need help.”

“I never said anything of the sort!” Rakis protested. Veera held her hands up and shook her feathers in indifference.

“Not my problem. Gael?”

“Well, there is Eris…” he began tentatively, looking at Veera for confirmation that what he was saying was alright. Her frowning features tied his stomach in knots. “What did I say?”

“That’s the girl Xan is interested in, right?” Veera asked pointedly, looking around at the others. More than a few guards nodded. Gael had the common sense to look embarrassed. “Look, Gael. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be interested in some girl just because some other guy is too, but you might want to sit this one out.”

“But I already didn’t find a mate this year. I’ve only got a couple more shots before…well…”

“Buck up, kid. Veera’s not saying stay home,” Staroth interjected. “But if Xan has eyes for her then take a look elsewhere, lad. Plenty of lasses to choose from…especially given the casualties from our side. Hey, what did I say?!”

Veera scowled at Staroth, having dug a claw into his upper arm. “I have no objections to the second part; you have the right of that bit. But Xan doesn’t have a claim to any female. His interest isn’t why Gael should look elsewhere,” she insisted angrily. Staroth’s expression shifted curiously.

“Sounds like you know something we don’t, Veera,” he offered. Veera gave another non-committal signal with her feathers.

“It’s not that I do or don’t know, Staroth. But Gael, Eris has been asking after Xan since the raid. She was there with him the night he was injured, after we treated him. I don’t think Xan’s interest is one sided. But if you want to get some practice in and work up your courage then talk to her when we get back, ask her if she has interest in you or would be open to courtship. If not then you have plenty of time to think about the other females in the village and you’ll have gotten over the worst of your nerves somewhere other than the festival, right?” Gael looked dejected at Veera’s words but he nodded all the same.

“I suppose I can’t begrudge Xan at this point. It was all good-natured fun at the festival but I somehow doubt that’ll be the case next year. I’ll think on what you said, Veera. I suppose if Eris is interested in him I’m better off finding a female that’s interested in me?” He asked nervously.

“Ha that’s the spirit, lad! Damn good to have some female input around the fire. What do you say boys?” Staroth cheered. Murmurs of assent rose from the assembled. Veera felt her feathers flutter.

“Is all you think about males and females?” She asked hotly. Staroth looked at her as though she’d asked if there were in fact two moons.

“Of course! What else is there to talk about?!”

“How about the fact that a hyrven pack has been following us despite making no attempts to be stealthy about it and they’re constantly barking and howling?” Veera shot back, narrowing her eyes as another sound from the forest proved her point. Staroth shrugged.

“Life-threatening, boring, and something I cannot change no matter what I say. Talking of the fairer sex, however, passes the time quite nicely,” Staroth argued calmly. Veera huffed in frustration but conceded the point, throwing a glare at Rakis as his eyes raked over her exposed lower thighs.

“Rakis, if you wander around the next festival drooling over the females like you are now you’ll be alone forever,” Veera told him, smirking as his eyes jumped back up to her face. “Bit of unsolicited advice.”

Staroth nodded sagely as the fire hissed and crackled. “Mmm, much more interesting than hyrven.”

-----

That night the hunting party found sleep even more elusive than the prior evening. Veera was on watch when the occasional howl or bark suddenly escalated into a cacophony of snarls, yelps, and other primal howls that roused many a hunter and guard from their tents. It took about an hour but eventually the conflict died down, the results hidden by the darkness. When the dawn came and Veera rose to meet it, silence permeated the glades. Taking a walk to relieve herself, Veera was about to head back when a pathetic cry reached her ears. Glancing back to the camp she saw most of the party still packing their things. Curiosity overflowing and the comfort of Winters’ rifle bolstering her courage, Veera walked further from the camp and followed the noise, slowing a couple minutes later as she came upon a shallow, snowy ravine.

“Oh gods, so that’s what happened,” she whispered. The snows around her were disturbed and bloody. Chunks of fur and flesh lay on the ground along with a couple of mangled hyrven corpses. Peering over the ledge of the sinkhole, Veera saw another body, likely a female, along with the source of the noise. A small, white-furred cub was shivering against the corpse, seemingly torn between howling for help and remaining silent for fear of predators like Veera. It fell silent and tried to hide itself under its mother’s fur when it realized it was being watched. Something heavy and primal pulled at Veera’s heartstrings. She took off running.

“Veera, where have you been we were just about to leave and-” Staroth called out to her, falling silent as she completely ignored him, gathering her blanket from her bag and a casting her eyes about for a thin strip of leather.

“What the hell are you doing, Veera? We’re leaving now,” Ratha insisted.

“Then go! I have something I need to do,” Veera snarled at her, gathering what she needed and sprinting into the woods again. Staroth didn’t hesitate.

“Hold down the fort, lads. I’m going after her.”

Ratha growled and shook her head furiously, throwing down her pack and unshouldering her bow. “If I’m not back soon, just go,” she ordered. Her men nodded solemnly as she took off after the two guards.

-----

“So they had a little fight,” Ratha muttered, kneeling in the snow and looking closely at some of the remains of hyrven strewn about. “That’s a new one. Usually it’s just the younger males that get run out. This looks like a mutiny…assuming those beasts even have such concepts. What’s wrong with you?” Ratha demanded, wondering why in the blazes the mutt would be cooing into a ravine. Staroth seemed just as confused, standing next to Veera and trying to convince her not to descend. Ratha joined them. “Well well, now there’s a pelt I can actually use. And what do you know, that little one might make a good belt or a place to rest my head.” The Huntress growled viciously and drew her knife. Veera looked at her in horror.

“Don’t you touch it!” She yelped.

“Don’t worry, I’ll kill him first. Make sure he doesn’t have to watch me skin his mother,” Ratha declared, her years of expertise allowing her to identify the sex of the hyrven cub that had now taken shelter on the other side of his mother’s body. Staroth tried to intervene but it was too late. The moment Ratha drew her dagger Veera yelled furiously and pushed her to the snow before leaping into the ravine, jumping from side to side as she stalled her fall with powerful legs and landed heavily but safely in the snowdrift at the bottom, using her legs and one of her arms to steady herself as snow rained down on either side of her.

“Damnit Veera, are you alright?!” Staroth yelled from about fifteen feet above her.

“I’m fine! Just keep that murderous bitch away from here!” Veera shouted back, knowing it was an order he couldn’t follow. She turned her attention to the cub that had scampered away to the back of the ravine, leaving a trail of yellow snow in his wake. Veera wanted to cry. “It’s alright,” she said softly as she approached him. “I know I yelled and screamed but it wasn’t your fault. I know this sounds ridiculous but if you want to live you need to trust me, little guy. There’s a lot more to life than being killed by Ratha, but she’s already on her way down here.” Veera kept talking as she paced slowly closer. Her heart broke at the fear in the creature’s eyes, his ears flat against his head and his tails shaking. As Veera reached for him with the blanket he tried to bolt but the Cauthan was more than ready, snatching him up with the chesko fur as he yelped bloody murder, trying to snap and bite at her now that evasion was no longer a solution. With ease Veera secured him in the blanket and wrapped the leather around his muzzle, finally leaving a hand free to begin soothing the little cub. Mimicking one of her favorite activities with Winters, Veera scratched the little hyrven between the ears as Ratha finally landed, having scaled the cliff side the more natural way.

“You’re insane, do you know that? Risking your life for something that’ll grow up to kill you,” Ratha admonished her, wasting no time in skinning the dead hyrven.

“I will prove you wrong,” Veera asserted fiercely, hugging the little bundle close to her chest. It was just larger than Laran had been when he was born. Ratha waved her feathers in disinterest.

“Whatever you say. I’ll be happy to have another pelt when you fail.”

“Fuck you.”

“Never,” Ratha shot back casually, not bothering to look up from the carcass.

“Yeah, for once we agree on something. Isn’t that right? Who would want to fuck her?” Veera asked sweetly of the hyrven cub as Ratha rolled her eyes and continued her work. It remained silent and still, perhaps thinking she would leave him if she thought him dead. With care Veera began climbing, making sure her claws were secure in stone, earth, or snow before moving. Her little bundle remained blessedly still and a few minutes later she was accepting Staroth’s hand, the guard hoisting her the final couple feet out of the ravine.

“I don’t enjoy agreeing with Ratha, Veera. But you may very well be insane,” Staroth told her, looking at the shock of white fur poking out of the chesko blanket bundle. Veera glared daggers at him and he took a step back, waving his hands in front of him. “Don’t get me wrong! If your intentions are what I think they are…” he leaned in close and whispered to her. “We will do everything in our power to keep that thing alive and taunt Ratha’s crew with it.” Veera turned away from him, protectively cradling the hyrven against her chest.

“You will do no such thing! He is not your pawn!”

“He’s a wild animal, Veera! You know that, right?”

“Of course I know that, but so were the shen at one point! Just…let me do this, Staroth.”

The older guard scratched his head, waving his short feathers in confusion. “I couldn’t stop you even if I wanted to. Doesn’t mean I’m not worried,” he added as Ratha reappeared, a bundle of hyrven pelt tucked under her arm. She didn’t even spare the two of them a glance as she proceeded back to the main group. Staroth and Veera followed her. “Your mate is going to have himself a shen.”

“If my understanding of his species’ history is correct, he may know what to do more than any of us,” Veera said confidently, tenderly stroking the back of the tiny thing that had captured her heart.

-----

“Is there a reason you’re looking the other way?” Winters asked Antoth as the two waited at the gates of the village. Seven days after the departure of the hunting party the horn had sounded yet again. Winters sprinted from his home, not even bothering to throw on his cloak. He stood there shivering slightly in shirt, pants, and boots as Io shook her head in disbelief. The guard captain jerked his head at Winters.

“None of your business, human. Just tell me if she’s there.”

“You affectionate lug,” Winters laughed, grabbing Antoth and turning him forcefully around as the gates opened fully. “Look, she’s just fine.”

“Are you trying to fuck with me, Winters?” Antoth demanded slowly, seeing something that set him very ill at ease.

“What?” The human asked, looking over the hunting party and counting just as many Cauthan as had departed. “You hit your head or something?”

“Does that look like the face of a female that is ‘just fine’ to you?!” Antoth whispered in a rage, noticing his mate looked ready to skin a chesko alive. Most of the guards looked triumphant and relieved to be home, for which Antoth was indeed grateful. Many of the villagers around him were already cheering or running out to meet the party. The hunters for their part looked indifferent, though Winters thought he saw some relief on their faces too. The two individuals that held his attention were at the very front. Ratha looked as though she’d swallowed something unpleasant whereas Veera looked to be a bundle of nerves, radiant and happy, but thoroughly anxious. Winters glanced at Io.

“Any ideas?” He asked. She made a scene of peering at Veera.

‘Sir, what is that she’s holding?’ Io asked, highlighting a lumpy bundle of something in Veera’s arms, concealed by his familiar chesko blanket and the folds of her cloak. Winters finally met Veera’s eyes and smiled broadly. She glanced away for a moment and halted, but then met his smile with her own and strode forward. A few of the guards behind her had knowing looks on their faces. Winters shrugged and walked out to meet her, cocking a brow as she stopped just shy of hugging distance.

“I missed you,” he said earnestly as well as he could in Cauthan. Her feathers shook furiously and she looked at him like she’d been away for years.

“You’ve been learning? Russell…I missed you too, love.” Veera shifted her weight once or twice before swallowing hard. “But I may have uh…done something a little impulsive.”

‘Oh yes. Oh yes yes yes,’ Io chanted happily. ‘Watching you learn Cauthan and tending to Xan’s stitches has been the most boring part of my existence since keeping watch over your sleeping body in the forest. What is it? What did you bring me, Veera? Tell me!’ The Cauthan couldn’t help but laugh at Io’s antics, fed to her via the translator. At the noise, the bundle in her arms shifted and moved as a curious, fluffy head popped out of it and looked up at her before turning around and freezing stiff, faced with a mostly hairless being and a very serious expression.

“Veera, is that…what I think it is?” Winters demanded slowly, wondering if he was more curious or horrified.

“Ah, yes…it probably is? Assuming what you’re thinking is…uh…baby hyrven?” Veera offered apologetically, her amber eyes sparkling at him in a silent prayer as her torso rocked slowly back and forth in an attempt to soothe the cub. Winters ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. Io had ceased to be visible in his visor, having literally fallen to the ground in a fit of laughter, her hand occasionally waving from the bottom of his visor as she clutched her side.

‘Oh mein gott! The look on your face, sir! Oh Veera, never change you wonderful, impulsive Cauthan!’

Winters let out a long breath and closed his eyes as Ratha marched past them with a silent glare. “Well…this should be fun.”