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The truth of that thought stunned me. It baffled me how fast I was falling for my little human. Communicating with her was so easy, even when I found her ways utterly confusing. Her presence soothed me more than I would have thought possible, especially under the circumstances. As the Thesh of our tribe, I should be the one reassuring her that all would be well. But she was the one giving me hope that it would indeed be the case.

We flew for a little over an hour, pausing halfway through on a small island so that Semius could rest and for us to stretch our legs. Throughout the trip, my mate and I discussed her life in the stars, although she would always revert to my own life on Mazeria. She wasn’t being evasive about her past, but her hunger to learn more about this planet was insatiable. I found it both amusing and endearing. I could only hope her love of this world would not grow stale once it no longer held any mystery for her.

My mate was particularly fascinated by the way I used my echolocation to stay the course. She also better understood how the giant statues provided the landmarks that further guided us to our destination. It made me hope she would also develop that ability in the future once we bonded. But if not, I would make sure our people agreed to let her use her technology to achieve the same goal.

As we approached our second and final flight stop, I began emitting ultrasonic calls to an Elijinn. It shot out of the water a long distance ahead, spinning in the air before splashing back down into the water.

“Holy shit!” Mirella exclaimed.

“Holy shit?!” I repeated, stunned. “Isn’t shit a vulgar term for feces?”

She snorted and looked at me over her shoulder with a mischievous grin even as she nodded.

“Yes, it is.”

“How can feces be holy?!” I asked, baffled.

“It’s a human expression that makes no rational sense, but that simply expresses shock and wonder,” she replied with a chuckle. “And I’m definitely feeling both shock and wonder at the creature that just jumped out of the water.”

I shook my head as I looked with affection and amusement at my female.

“You humans are truly strange. But yes, Elijinns are wonderful creatures. Their appearance may be scary at first, but they’re very sweet and protective,” I explained. “Normally, I would just jump into the water from Semius and go to the Elijinn. Today, we will land on this island over there so that we can give the creature a chance to familiarize itself with you before we continue our journey.”

“Are you worried it might attack me?” Mirella asked with a sliver of worry.

I shook my head reassuringly.

“It won’t, at least so long as you do not act in a threatening fashion towards it. But it may refuse to give you a ride if you’re not properly introduced,” I explained.

“Oh, okay,” she replied, seeming a bit nervous.

I sent out another ultrasonic call as we began our descent then landed on the island. After petting Semius and thanking him for his services, I turned to look at the Elijinn who was swimming quickly towards us. While most species might not notice its approach as it was swimming underwater, a discreet line showed its path. As it closed the distance with us, it occasionally poked its head to the surface as if to tease us.

“Wait for me here, and only approach once I call you,” I said gently to my mate.

She nodded and watched me enter the water to meet the creature a short distance from the shore. After petting it, I intertwined my veris with it to let it know I needed a ride for my companion and me. The Elijinn lifted its head above water to peer at my mate.

Although she was a bit too far for me to read her expression, the way she hugged her waist hinted that she felt intimidated. I couldn’t blame her. The spikes around the Elijinn’s mouth could gut any predator foolish enough to attack it. Its dorsal fin, which ran from the tip of its tail, the length of its spine, and over its head ended in a sharp spear on its forehead. More of those beautiful translucent fins extended around its front flippers with sharp claws on the underside.

I waved for Mirella to approach. To my pleasant surprise, she didn’t hesitate, despite being clearly intimidated by the creature. Only then did I realize that I had never seen her swimming before. To my utter relief, she appeared quite comfortable doing so as she approached us. She threaded water a short distance from us. I extended a hand towards her, which she took.

I gently tugged her forward and made her caress the top part of the Elijinn’s head.

“Hello, beautiful,” she whispered while carefully petting it.

The Elijinn sang a long note that constituted a greeting. Although it didn’t have the capacity to recognize words—least of all spoken in Universal—it understood she was paying her respect.

“He looked green from the shore, but now I see it’s a beautiful bluish silver,” Mirella said wistfully.

“This is the most common color,” I replied, happy at how easily the Elijinn welcomed her. “But they come in various other shades. Come, let’s get on its back.”

“Okay,” she said nervously.

The Elijinn lowered its left flipper, which was wide enough to allow two adult Syllen to lie on it, side by side. We climbed on top before settling at the first recessed crease of its long body, right below the nape. The creature immediately flattened its dorsal fin to make it more comfortable for us to ride it.

“Grab its antennas,” I said, pointing at the two long appendages that protruded from its forehead. “We use them to stir the Elijinn and to avoid falling off.”

“You want me to steer?!” she exclaimed, horrified.