Paz gasped. “KOOKEE!”
He ran toward his pet, throwing himself into its fur. I noticed that Paz was smaller than the other two humans, Levi and Jaeyoung, but still had more meat on his bones than Assistant 23. I tightened my grip on the human in my arms.
Patience.
Kur’tok ran toward us while carrying his youngling. My red sibling glanced at his pet, then back at me. “Farr’vye… Didyoufind Kookee?”
I was not surprised by the confusion in his voice. Although he had not yet been born when I committed my wrongdoings, he had no doubt heard the story from others. Killing a creature for any purpose other than self-defense meant instant notoriety in our society.
Before meeting Paz, Kur’tok was a meat-eating pariah. He and I were not so different. But while he was manipulated into his actions, I was not. I pursued them out of my own curiosity.
“Yes. Assistant 23 and I found Kookee together,” I explained. “We were forced to stay the night outside the village, but Kookee fared just fine.”
Kur’tok’s feelers lifted in gratitude. “I see. Thank you.”
My comment did not elude Paz. He grinned, eyeing Assistant 23 in my arms.
“You were forced to stay the night outside together, huh? Any reason why?” Paz teased.
Assistant 23 did not turn to face Paz as he stiffly replied, “No.”
“Aw, c’mon. You can tell me.”
“N-no, thanks.”
Paz pouted. “Please?”
As Paz continued to tease him, I rested my tentacle on Assistant 23’s back. A reminder of my presence—and my silent encouragement to assert his boundaries with others.
Assistant 23 huffed against my chest. “No, Paz. It’s private.”
Paz blinked, then smiled. “I get it. My bad for bugging you.”
“Thanks… Um, by the way. Do you know if Linn’ar has more of those fluffy coverall things?”
“Yeah, he has a bunch! Why, do you want one?”
“If it’s not too much trouble…”
“Not at all,” Paz agreed. “Kur’tok and Chey’ish were gonna brush Kookee together, so I don’t mind swinging by Jae’s place.”
I smiled at the perky human. “Paz. It would be wonderful if you could leave the covering outside Assistant 23’s hut later today. We will be inside, so a knock will suffice.”
Paz wore a knowing grin but said nothing. “Sure. See you later.”
When he bounded away, I felt Assistant 23 relax in my grip. He clearly enjoyed the other human’s company, but I suspected he found him a bit much. Personally, I preferred Assistant 23’s subdued yet frantic energy. A nervous pet to tame.
“By the way, did you get in a fight?” Kur’tok asked gruffly, glancing at the crisscrossed markings all over my body.
“Nothing that exciting.” I smiled. “I fell into the thorn bushes.”
“You fell,” Kur’tok repeated.
“Yes.”
He snorted yet sounded amused. “Okay.”
I carried Assistant 23 back to his hut. When we were alone and the door was shut behind us, he let out a huge breath. The warmth of it tingled across my scales.
