Page 25 of Theirs to Crave
When Revik stepped back I was shaky with relief. Perversely, I also wanted to grab him and ask him to never stop doing whatever that had been. That purr was like one of those mall massage chairs, but for my heart.
Litha bowed, hand on her chest, in the now recognizable gratitude gesture. “Relyat,” she said, and I understood. But why was Revik thanking me?
“Het...” I said, repeating the word and gesture together. Then I shrugged and held my hands up, trying to portray confusion. “But why...?”
“Svixa,” was all Revik said.
I didn’t know what to say to that. On the one hand, gratitude from the only people we knew on this planet was good, right? But I didn’t feel like I’d done that much. We’dallfought. They’dkilled the bugs. I’d mostly been a distraction, really.
Besides, what was I supposed to do? Just watch as a child was hurt?
I looked around at the others, uncomfortable with being the center of the Teterayuh’s attention. No one came to my rescue. Mariano coughed something into his hand I ignored with the ease of long practice, and Shane circled his hand gracefully, encouraging me to continue.
Wasn’t that always the way?
“Svixa...vay-lesh-uh,” I tried to explain. “Humans, Quoosalk...icks vay-lesh-uh.” I shrugged uncomfortably and muttered, “Of course we tried to help.”
Revik’s eyes warmed. “Hellt?” he attempted.
He didn’t quite get the “P” sound, but I nodded anyway. They seemed to have trouble with “M” as well, but then, I probably sounded like a toddler to them. Understanding each other was the important part right now.
He grunted, satisfied. “Hyunan, Kyusalk, hellt Svixa.” He cupped my shoulders again, leaning down until his breath was warm on the rain-slicked skin of my face. “Teterayuh hellt Hyunan, Kyusalk.K’kheer sal.”
Litha let out a chuffing warble I couldn’t identify. Laughter? Horror? But Revik ignored it, inhaling and exhaling in a slow, even rhythm.
My breaths automatically shifted to sync with his, and he straightened, looking satisfied. When he looked to Litha, though, his ears pinned back. Was that...embarrassment?
I tried to wrangle my fuzzy brain into cooperation.Ka kheer sol, I repeated silently. Revik had stomped back to Svixa and the pale-furred one, Zafett, a clear indication that he wasn’t interested in answering questions, but I’d remember.Ka kheer sol. It felt important.
Zafett called for Litha, and with a look that swept over all of us, she turned and loped back to the others.
“Guess we know who their favorite is,” Ria said, winking at me.
“Estrella y los extraterrestres sentados en un árbol, b-e-s-á-n-d-o-s-e!” Mariano sang. He was just as cheerfully annoying as ever, but something was off.
“Shut up,” I muttered, watching him with narrowed eyes.
The rain chose that moment to start up again. Yin tilted xyr head back, eyes closed, and basked. A low, happy hum came from Therry and Salat as they did the same.
The bugs hadn’t liked this planet with its high humidity and heat, but the Quoosalk were thriving. I knew they’d been uncomfortable on the ship, but I hadn’t realized how much the cold, dry conditions affected them. Now, even with the loss of Ilya weighing on them, they moved with an effortless quickness that sometimes had me blinking, trying to keep up.
Svixa waved at us from a carrier strapped to Revik’s broad back as he disappeared into the trees. I waved back, unable to not smile at her adorable, pitiful face. She looked like a drowned kitten.
Litha and Zaffet returned to our group. Taller than Revik but shorter than Litha, Zaffet was built more like a swimmer than a gym god. His pale fur was long and darkened at the tips like a Siamese cat. His body stood out in the darkness, and yeah. He might be built like an anime heartthrob, but some parts of his body wouldn’t have been out of place on Revik’s massive frame. The white, slicked down fur really...highlighted things.
“It’s like a wet t-shirt contest,” Ria whispered.
I bit my lips, trying not to laugh. Wicked woman.
He stepped forward, curiosity burning in his eyes. He practically vibrated as he took in every detail of our bedraggled appearances. We were just as strange to them as they were to us, I figured. If not more, since we’d had time to get used to the idea of aliens.
“Relyat,” he said, addressing all of us to my relief. When he bowed, the graceful sway of that long body was poetry. “Hyunan, Kyusalk,eh a’shalaytuh aratal tch rai?” He gestured as he spoke, his hands spreading to indicate the eight of us, then to his chest and back towards the ship, and finally encompassing himself and Litha. He paused, clearly awaiting a response.
I spoke without turning my head, afraid to give any impression of rejection. “Thoughts on what he said?”
There were a few opinions, but Yin silenced everyone with xyr pronouncement.
“No matter,” xe said, stepping forward and nodding to Zaffet and Litha. “Take what offered. Be grateful.”