Page 45 of Twin Warriors

Emi turned her head to look at Iron, “We were trapped in the cave for years. Tope and I fell in there as young cubs, playing in the sand. Before… Before the Korok poisoned the rest of our kind. We were spared because Kisma and Maku bonded to us. They kept us alive, as we kept them alive. But we were still missing something. Still missing a vital part that would set us free. Then, after many years of being alone, a tiny, strange female fell into our lair. She was very weak, and so near death that I could scent it on her flesh. But Kisma refused to give up. She worked for days to save Amy’s life, knowing that we would not get another chance to leave the cave if she perished.”

“When I woke up, I was lying much like I am now, curled up to a huge night beast that only days ago I had seen tear apart every living thing in the convoy. You can imagine my terror when I saw her.”

Cane pulled her closer, pushing back the anger at what his mate had to go through. He would never let that happen to her again. He wasn’t sure how, but he would make sure she was always safe.

“What is Kisma and Maku?” Iron asked.

“I’m not sure. Emi said they are symbiotic organisms that need a living host to thrive. I know they are old, though. Very old.”

“Do they hurt you?” Cane asked, glancing down at her.

She smiled up at him, “No. Not at all. In fact, they keep me healthy, give me energy and protect me.”

Iron let out a sigh, “Amy, all symbiotic organisms need to feed. One way or another, they feed on something. What do these feed on?”

She frowned, “I don’t know. They’ve never mentioned feeding, and I’ve never seen them eat anything.”

“Do you feel different? From how you used to feel before?”

She nodded, “Yeah, but that's to be expected. I can feel the bond between me and the others. I can feel Kisma and Maku always present with me. It's like they are a part of me, like… It’s hard to explain.”

“Try. Please.”

“Okay… I feel… connected. I never feel alone. My thoughts are still my own, and I still have full control over my body, but it's like I have another part of myself that I can turn to if I need it. I don’t feel weak, or sick, or tired, so I doubt they are feeding off me. Like I said, I really don’t know much about them. Just that they saved my life in the desert and have been there for me, no matter what, every moment since. They don’t say much, so it’s hard to learn about them. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard Maku say anything.”

Cane could see the questions building inside Iron. he got this intense look when he was trying to figure something out, and now, that look was a thousand times harder.

“What happened after that?”

“Well, we stayed in the cave for a few days. Emi tried to explain it all to me. I was lost for a while, pestering her with a million questions. But soon we decided that we couldn’t stay in that cave anymore. I had no food; no clothes and it was freezing in there. So, we made our way through the desert and found the forest. Emi found us the cave you found me in, and we’ve been living there ever since. That was about a month ago, more or less.”

“How did you get into the compound without anyone knowing?”

Amy smiled, raising her hand. A stream of thick black liquid flowed from around Emi’s neck, wrapping around Amy’s arm. A moment later, her whole arm vanished from sight.

“What the Trak!” Iron breathed, standing to get a better look. He reached out, gripping her invisible arm and shook his head.

“But we have sensors all over the walls. Hundreds of warriors with powerful senses of their own. How did you manage to get past all of that?”

She waited until Iron was seated again before she continued.

“I didn’t go there often. I only went when I needed something Tope and Emi couldn’t either hunt or drag back to the cave for me. The first time I went, there was something going on in the front of the compound. You were all focused there, so I snuck in and grabbed what I needed. When I was leaving, I saw the attack that happened. Then, the next two times I went you guys were under attack again. I knew that stealing from you while you were fighting for your lives was wrong, but I needed supplies. I’m sorry, Iron. I will return everything I took.”

Iron raised his hand and shook his head, “There is no need. What you took had minor value and is given freely to all those that seek shelter in the Iron compound. My only concern is if you were able to sneak in, will others be able to do the same?”

“I don’t think so. Not unless they have a symbiote like I do. I might not know much about them, but I do know that they are very rare. In fact, I think Kisma and Maku are the only two on this planet.”

“We will need to study them when we return. I will make sure no harm comes to them, but we need to understand what they are and how to protect ourselves from more if the need ever arose.”

Cane felt Amy tense in his arms.

He bent to whisper in her ear, “I will never let anyone harm you, Amy. If they are a part of you then I will protect them as well. I give my word, no one will do anything to knowingly hurt them.”

She looked up at him, her eyes dark and worried.

“Cane?”

“Yes, Sila?”