Tribe Outsider, page 4
part #2 of Chosen Series
The giant birds flying overhead, that Arruk told her were called aviarr , were one of her favorites to watch—not just because seeing giant, dragon-sized birds was something out of a fairytale, but to make sure they didn't swoop down and try to eat her.
Damn things are the size of school buses!
They had two sets of massive wings, tail feathers that formed a blade shape in the back with a lone feather hanging down low, and were a brilliant neon blue. They would’ve been beautiful… if one hadn’t flown low enough fo r her to see that they didn’t have a beak like the birds she was used to back on Earth.
It had teeth. Sharp teeth. And a mouth like an alligator.
Had Tor not caught her staring leerily up at the flying dragon-birds and informed her that they preyed almost exclusively on pantari, she would be a lot more anxious about walking underneath them.
Reassured she wasn’t going to be eaten at any moment, she went back to searching for more alien critters to distract her, although she glanced up periodically, just to make sure one of the birds didn’t change their minds about their food preferences and suddenly feel a desire to sample an Earth woman.
Nice birdies. Don’t eat the human. I am not a burrito!
Shaking her head to clear it of the image of her wrapped up in a giant tortilla, she scanned her surroundings. To her right, farther up the mountain face, she spotted a goat-like thing standing on the edge of a rocky outcropping.
It was big, at least as tall as her at the shoulder, with spiraling black horns sprouting out of its head, big doe eyes, and a flowing tail of black… feelers? Tentacles? She didn’t know exactly what they were, but they moved like writhing snakes. The thin fur covering the rest of its body wa s the strangest shade of yellow, not sunshine yellow, but a muddy yellow like dirty gold.
What a weird animal. It looks like My Little Pony mated with a demonic sea-goat and turned into a nightmare.
She stopped gawking at the weird creature when Frrar came to a halt in front of her. Leaning to the side to look around his bulk, she saw that the flat ground they had been walking on had come to an end which meant it was time to be carried again. She sighed.
“Who’s turn is it to lug me around?” she asked with a wry smirk as she looked up at each guy in turn.
Tor stepped forward and snatched her up, lifting her clean off of her feet and bringing her to his chest, without waiting for anyone to answer, earning him a grumble from Arruk and put-upon sigh from Frrar. Tor didn’t seem to care a bit that he’d irritated the others, he was too busy gazing down at her with smug pride clear on his face.
“You’re a mess. An incorrigible, adorable mess,” she laughed, wrapping herself around him. “You’d think, after all this time, y’all would be sick of carrying me around like a helpless damsel, but nope. You’re still pleased as punch.”
She peeked over Tor’s shoulder at the sheer drop and the still soggy field so far below, then turned to eye the nearly vertical cliff they were about to scale. It looked like they would have to climb sideways for a while before they could descend to another semi flat stretch of mountain. As much as she disliked it, she knew they were traveling across the mountain to avoid the field below. As dangerous as it was to climb and jump across the craggy black and gold rocks, it was still safer than fighting off the pantari on the ground while traveling to safety.
“Alright, I guess we shouldn’t delay the inevitable. The faster we get to the tribe’s cave, the faster we can be finished with all this climbing, and my blood pressure can get back to normal,” she prattled, reluctant but resigned, as she nodded to let the guys know she was ready.
Burying her face in Tor’s neck, she tightened her hold on him and tried thinking happy thoughts to keep herself from imagining them falling to their deaths. She swallowed her whimper as she felt him wrap his lower arms around her and step off the solid ground below them, swinging out into open air with only his strength keeping them attached to the sheer cliff face.
Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts… Bunnies are happy! And adorable with their big floppy ears.
… Gladys and Seti had floppy ears.
Lily felt her throat tighten at the thought of her cow and her pet.
Well, shit. So much for happy thoughts .
Think about something else before you ugly cry all over Tor and distract him from keeping us alive.
Umm… owls in hats, kittens tackle-hugging other kittens, baby goats in PJs, Gram’s homemade cookies, pizza, waking up wrapped in velvety limbs with Frrar’s head between my…
Her thoughts scattered. She gasped sharply when she heard the roaring cry of the aviarr entirely too close for comfort.
It sounded like it was right next to them.
Jerking her head up she scanned the sky, expecting to see one of the enormous dragon-birds swooping in to eat her and Tor. Instead she saw one of them flapping its massive wings, rising from the ground with the struggling body of a pantari clasped in its talons.
Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. To see what she knew was a massive, fearsome predator appear so small and helpless as it thrashed ineffectually in the claws of the aviarr put into perspective just how big the birds were.
She grimaced as she stared at the pantari, torn between pity and sympathy for the poor animal and a fierce satisfaction that that one in particular wouldn’t be able to attack them or eat anyone else’s pet.
She watched the dragon-bird fly higher and higher until the glare of the orange sun forced her to look away .
Life on an alien planet had its benefits, namely Arruk, Frrar, and Tor, but she couldn’t let herself forget that it was still a primitive, extremely dangerous planet.
Life here would always be one misstep away from being fatal.
I’ve already lost one family. I refuse to lose another. If I have to fight every clawed, fanged beast on this fucking planet to keep my guys safe that’s exactly what I’ll do.
I can’t lose them.
Chapter 5
A fter at least half an hour of climbing, Tor finally landed on the section of mountain with flat ground where she could walk again. When he set her down, Lily shook her arms, tilting her head side to side to stretch the sore muscles in her neck before adjusting the straps of her little leaf backpack.
It’s hard work clinging to someone like a koala.
Lifting her gaze to take in their surroundings while they waited on Arruk and Frrar to join them, she found yet another alien animal she hadn’t seen before, nibbling on the leaves of a scraggly white bush about ten yards away.
“Oh my gosh, it’s so cute!” she breathed, instantly enchanted with the adorable critter .
It looked like a cross between a fennec fox, with its absolutely giant ears, long fluffy tail, and white fur, and a deer with long delicate legs, but like all the animals on this planet, it was big—about the size of a small horse.
“Hey buddy,” she cooed softly, moving to take a step in the animal’s direction, but before she could, Frrar and Arruk landed next to her with a thump.
Frrar immediately tried to steer her away while Tor and Arruk moved in front of her, so her view of the creature was blocked.
“Wha… I was just going to see if it would let me pet it a little bit. It’s not like I wasn’t going to be careful!” Lily complained, a little taken aback at their reactions to what looked about as dangerous as a llama.
She had seen that it had the flat teeth of an herbivore when it was chewing, so unless it spit venom or something equally as unlikely, she didn’t understand why the guys were having a fit. Still, she trusted them so she didn’t resist when Frrar prompted her to continue moving forward.
They must know something I don’t. Alien animal, remember?
Still, it’s so fluffy… one more peek can’t hurt.
She leaned around Arruk, whose head was bowed, eyes fixed firmly on the ground and arms held out in a non-threatening pose, to look at the animal again. But as she did, the fox-horse, who had been staring warily at Arruk’s downcast face, met her eyes.
As soon as they made eye contact, the animal’s demeanor changed drastically. It stiffened and a roll of fur around its neck, what she had thought was just an extra fluffy section, unfurled into a wide, circular, bone-tipped collar. It trilled a high-pitched, yet unmistakably threatening trumpet, rattled its collar, and curled its fluffy tail up until it arched over its back, exposing a wicked-looking stinger on the end, dripping a viscous, brown liquid from the tip.
“Ok! Not cute! Not fucking cute at all!” Lily immediately dropped her gaze and began pushing the guys forward, angling them all away from the formerly cute beast.
Tor snorted when they were a safe distance away and she turned to face him, narrowing her eyes in warning.
“Don’t you dare laugh, you big brat! That damn thing was scary! How was I supposed to know the pretty fox-pony would turn into a monster if I looked it in the eyes?” Lily huffed indignantly, peeking over her shoulder to make sure said monster wasn’t sneaking up behind her to stab her with that stinger.
Thankfully, it was trotting off in the opposite direction, collar curled back up and tail lowered.
Note to self; don’t look the animals in the eyes !
On Earth, predators almost always had a fixed stare on their prey, so the fact that her making eye contact with it set off the animal’s defensive reaction made sense, but she hadn’t been expecting anything so abrupt or violent.
When she turned back around, Tor was smirking at her but when she growled at him, he started purring and twined his tail up her arm. She stuck her tongue out just in time for Frrar to glance back and see her, earning her a wry head shake and making her snicker. She kissed Tor’s bicep before stealthily moving up closer to Frrar. She reached out and lightly pinched his butt, surprising him so badly he stumbled.
I really shouldn’t like surprising him as much as I do!
She laughed and didn’t see Frrar reaching out until he snatched her off of her feet and brought her up against his chest, never even breaking stride as he continued to walk along the mountain face.
Lily looked up at him as she looped her arms around his neck and coiled her legs around his waist, her eyes still shining with amusement, and bit her lip coyly when he narrowed his eyes at her. His gaze fell to her mouth and a groan vibrated his chest and hers.
“Lily,” he growled, his voice conveying a warning for her to behave, but his lust was obvious.
Just as her lips curled in a triumphant smile, pleased at the effect she had on him, he swooped in and kissed her. He didn't wait for her to open for him, he pushed his tongue past the barrier of her lips and licked into her mouth. He knew how much his little shows of assertiveness turned her on, and she couldn’t stop a hungry moan from escaping. As soon as she melted into the kiss, opening wider for him, he pulled back, stopping just as suddenly as he had started.
“Uhn… ”
When she pried her eyes open, she saw Frrar smirking down at her, mirroring her earlier triumph.
She gasped, half-irritated he one-upped her and half-delighted he joined in her little game. “Tease!”
She stretched up and nipped his chin in retaliation but couldn’t resist going for another kiss since she was so close to his lips. They were both smiling when she pulled away. She nuzzled her nose to his before wiggling slightly, signalling that he could set her down, but Frrar just shook his head and tightened his hold on her.
“Oh yeah?” she asked with a cocked eyebrow, amused all over again at how much they genuinely seemed to enjoy carrying her.
“Ess ,” he responded with a firm nod of his head.
Lily laughed at the seriousness in his tone and wiggled again, this time to settle herself in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, absently stroking her fingers along the back of his neck while she watched Tor sidestep them, taking the lead while Arruk brought up the rear.
She didn’t know if they were even aware that they did it, but it always made her feel warm and protected when they automatically positioned themselves so that she was surrounded by them.
She smiled softly when she felt what she knew to be Tor’s tail reach out and wrap itself around the long braid hanging over her woven backpack at the same time that Arruk looped his tail around her boot covered ankles locked at the small of Frrar’s back.
Even with the anxiety she was feeling at having to travel through the wilds of the planet again—and her uncertain welcome by the guys’ tribe—when they were all touching her like that, she felt like everything would turn out okay. As long as they were all together, she would be happy.
Frrar had been keeping an eye out for a cave for them to sleep in for the night. They hadn’t found anything big enough for the four of them, yet, and the sun had already sunk behind the trees, leaving the barest amount of light for them to see by.
He had put Lily down earlier but lifted her into his arms again, without waiting for her to prompt him, after she had stumbled over a rock. He knew her sight wasn’t very good at night. He had no desire to see his Pasha hurt when he was perfectly capable of carrying her. He missed having her in his arms anyway.
Frrar didn’t know if the need to keep Lily as close as possible was due to the stressful uncertainty of their future or the unexplained, yet persistent, flicker of dread in the back of his mind that wouldn’t leave him no matter how much he tried to reason it away. He was just glad he could hold her without fear of censure. A shevari female would only let her males carry her if she were gravely wounded and even then would never put up with them doing so without her express permission.
The changes she had aroused within him, within all of them, shocked him sometimes. No longer did he feel like he needed to constantly temper himself for fear of overstepping his place. He knew his place now, was sure of Lily’s love for him, and knew that she wanted them as equals instead of subservient to her.
Watching his friends and harem brothers become more confident, feeling that same change within himself, made him even more grateful than he already was that they had found their Lily.
Now, they just needed to keep her safe while they made their way to the tribe’s cave, then their territory, as well as figure out a way to push her to take more mates—the right mates—without angering her.
His Pasha was very forgiving and patient with them, but Frrar had a feeling trying to pick males for her, something that would get him immediately Unchosen by any other Pasha, would be past even her ability to tolerate.
“Frrar,” Arruk rumbled from behind him, breaking him out of his thoughts.
He turned to glance at the other male and saw that Arruk was gesturing to a dark opening in the mountain. It was a cave that Frrar should have spotted but hadn’t, distracted by his worries as he was. He would have to do better if he was going to keep his Lily safe.
“Thank you, Arruk. I should have been paying better attention.” Frrar sighed, grateful his harem brother caught what he had missed but irritated with himself, just the same.
“We are all worried about what will happen when we join the tribe, but there is nothing we can do about that now.” Arruk put a comforting hand on his shoulder, speaking in his usual quiet, insightful way. “Focus on now, my friend, on taking care of our Pasha and keeping her safe, and worry about the rest when it comes.”
Arruk gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before moving away toward the cave to make sure it was unoccupied and large enough for all of them .
Frrar wished he could dismiss the uneasiness plaguing him as easily as Arruk suggested, but it lingered. Even as Arruk signaled that the cave was sufficient, even as they gathered and arranged fronds into a sleeping nest, as they all laid down for the night with Lily’s hand over his heart, he still couldn’t banish it.
Chapter 6
L ily could tell the guys were nervous about something. They had been unusually quiet since waking, even Tor who was normally chipper and talkative in the mornings. She gave them about an hour after leaving their cave before she questioned them, thinking something had changed while she was sleeping, but Arruk informed her that they were very close to the tribe’s cave.
After that news, she joined in their reticence.
At midday, she could tell they were nearly there because the guys exchanged looks and almost simultaneously took bracing breaths before moving closer to the cliff edge by which they were standing.
Arruk moved toward her with his hands out, ready to pick her up, but Lily was suddenly overcome with the need to spruce up a bit. They had been traveling for three days and the closest she had gotten to a bath was a quick wipe down. She was sure she looked like a mess.
“Wait,” she stalled, holding up a hand to halt his advance.
Slipping the straps of her backpack down her arms, she squatted so she could dig through it, looking for the brush ball Arruk had made her what seemed like so long ago. Finding it, she undid her frayed braid, quickly brushed and re-braided it, then set to taking a quick bird bath.
When she felt more presentable, she packed everything away, pulled her pack back on, and stood.
“Really wishing I still had pants right about now. Nobody wants to meet their alien in-laws half naked,” she muttered to herself, taking a deep breath to try to calm her nerves.
When she glanced up at the guys, they were all staring at her with varying expressions. Tor looked nervous and impatient, as if he just wanted to get it over with, Arruk was smiling softly at her as if to reassure her that everything would be okay, and Frrar appeared tense and worried which oddly made her feel better.
Glad I’m not the only one internally freaking out .
Lily nodded to signal that she was ready, mentally pulling on her brave pants, and moved to Arruk. Tor and Frrar had both carried her the day before and she liked to keep things fair, but more than that, she needed Arruk’s calming presence right then.
