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A day or two?
They didn’t have that much time, Serenity thought. There was the impending nith invasion. They had to get back to the canyon to warn the others.
But healing Hruk came first. She would wait until the brave ukkur had been taken care of, then she would explain the situation to Jagga and Grodd.
Jagga stood up, and Serenity felt Grodd’s big hands on her waist as he prepared to lift her up again.
“Wait,” Jagga said to his companion.
Grodd gave an inquisitive grunt.
“It’s my turn to carry the human,” Jagga said. “You carry the ukkur.”
Serenity thought she saw the shadow of a smirk at the corner of Jagga’s attractive mouth.
Grodd grunted, this time in displeasure, but he did as Jagga said.
CHAPTER 26: SERENITY
Jagga and Grodd’s campsite was situated in a small glade in the forest, not very far from the net trap where Serenity had been caught. The camp consisted of a central firepit circled with smooth river stones, a few moss-covered logs for sitting, and a pair of animal-hide tents. But the tents were not like the ones back in the canyon, which were pointy and reminded Serenity of native American tipis. Jagga and Grodd’s tents were much smaller and dome-shaped, with a structure of thin flexible sticks for support. They actually reminded Serenity of the nylon camping tents that had once been popular back on Earth, back when there were still places to go camping.
Had Jagga designed those tents himself? If so, Serenity was impressed. His appearance was primitive, just like every other ukkur. But between the ingenious net trap and these cleverly designed tents, it was clear Jagga had a sharp mind.
And now he was applying that mind to helping Hruk.
After lugging him back to camp, Grodd had deposited Hruk’s unconscious body inside one of the two tents. Meanwhile, Jagga had rummaged through some animal skin packs, digging out pouches containing various herbs and roots. Using a primitive stone mortar and pestle, he had ground up some of these materials, mashing them together with some spit to make a gluey poultice, which he applied to the wound on Hruk’s ankle.
“This will help draw the poison out,” he informed Serenity, who was watching intently from the entrance of the tent.
Next, using a simple wooden bowl, he set to work mixing up a concoction of ksh juice and a pinch of brownish powder. To Serenity, it looked and smelled like chocolate milk.
“This will bring his strength back,” Jagga said. “Come here.”
He gestured for Serenity to come inside, and she obeyed. With two ukkur and a human inside, the tent was cramped, but there was room enough for Serenity to kneel at Hruk’s side.
“You feed it to him,” Jagga ordered. “Not too fast. A little at a time, like this.”
He demonstrated by pouring a small amount of the brownish fluid into Hruk’s open mouth. Although he was still very much unconscious, his lips and tongue moved automatically, and his Adam’s apple shifted as he swallowed the small dose of healing fluid.
“See?” Jagga said. “If you go too fast, he’ll choke. Just a little at a time.”
Serenity nodded that she understood, and Jagga handed her the bowl.
“Good,” he said. “I’m going to prepare a fire. The sun will start going down before too long. I’ll check back to make sure everything is okay. Remember, just a little at a time.”
Serenity nodded again.
“Thank you,” she said, using the ukkur language.
Jagga hesitated a moment. Their eyes locked in the darkness of the tent, and Serenity felt that same electric buzz she felt the first time she’d looked into those intelligent turquoise eyes. Something in those eyes told her she could trust the young ukkur completely. That was the reason she had decided to lower her weapon earlier when they had first met.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was handsome too. So goddamned handsome it was unfair.
That sexy smirk tinged his lips again. Then he darted out of the tent, calling to Grodd to give him a hand preparing a fire for the coming evening. He hadn’t left a moment too soon, either. Serenity felt herself growing wet between her legs. In the enclosed space of the tent, his strong ukkur nose would have no doubt smelled her arousal.
She flushed with private shame. What the hell was wrong with her?
Serenity leaned over Hruk and fed the ksh broth into his lips a little at a time, just as Jagga had shown her. Each time she waited for the unconscious ukkur to swallow, and then she waited a few seconds more before feeding him a few more drops. It was a slow process, but after several minutes, Serenity noticed a change in his breathing—it grew deeper and stronger, gusting in and out with powerful breaths—and she could see his eyes rolling beneath the lids as if he were dreaming.
