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“Kyth?”
“Moden.”
“Ah.” They are rather large. Even the moden here is a splice and the breadth of him is still twice as large as the human male. I eye the splice. “You?”
He taps his chest. “Silence.”
I nod. “Anyone at all?”
“Not yet. Perhaps the resonance is waiting for something.” He shrugs. “They say it is best that way, to give the females time to accustom themselves to the idea. I say, best for who?”
I step closer to the fire, my hands now warm, and turn sideways so my heavy tail can benefit from the heat of the flame. As I do so, I think. I eye the splice. “You are…Chath?”
“Chalath,” he corrects. “Skarr, yes?” He studies me. “Ssethri and mesakkah?”
I nod. It’s a mix that allows me to excel…unless the entire keffing planet is ice, that is. “Did you spar with anyone today, Chalath?”
He shakes his head. “I hunted some, but we have been told over and over not to spar. Not to battle one another. That it is not wanted here.”
“And we have been told it is good that the females do not resonate yet, yes?” I stroke my chin, the puzzle pieces of the day teasing themselves together. “What if the two are tied? What if a good, fierce battle to show our skills will cause us to resonate?”
Chalath perks, his triangular ears flicking. “What’s that now?”
“I am simply thinking.” I prowl around the fire, circling to make sure that the bossy human female Flor and her strange not-mesakkah mate are not around, since they seem to be in charge. “How will the females’ khuis know if we are excellent warriors if we do not display our skills?”
He frowns suspiciously. “You have a point. They told us not to battle one another, and we have not. And at the same time, no one has resonated.”
“Exactly my thought. If the two are connected, perhaps they are telling us to wait because they want what is best for the females…but I am interested in what is best for Skarr. Just as you are wanting what is best for Chalath, mm?”
The splice gets to his feet and crosses his arms. “I want what is best for my female, too—”
“Hsst!” I cut him off before he can argue more. “You think this is not good for the females? Were we not told resonance is good? That we will all enjoy it? Why would we deprive them of such a thing?”
“You…may have a point.”
“I know I do.” I tap the side of my temple viciously. “They think they canoutsmartme, but I am smart. I am clever. I hear what they are not saying to me, and I tell you this. I want a female of my own. I want this resonance.” I cut a hand through the air. “I do not want to wait until it is right for them. I want it to be right forme.”
Chalath’s newly blue eyes flare with excitement. “And you think if we spar this will be the answer?”
I spread my arms wide. “How else do you show a female you are the strongest? The best? By sitting here by the fire with your claw up your keffing rear?”
His expression darkens and I can see his jaw clench with anger. Good.
I pound my chest again. “Fight me. Let us test our new khuis that should help with healing. Let our blood heat with battle. Let us show these females what strong, fierce mates we will make.” I give him a determined look. “They willallresonate to us.”
Chalath grins with excitement, showing wickedly sharp teeth. “Pick the place, then. Let us fight.”
I cast a look around the encampment, trying to determine the best place to have our battle. Not near the fire— much as I enjoy its warmth, I have suffered burns in the past—I think—and it is a painful recovery. I would prefer to avoid that. Too far away from the camp, though, and no one will get to see our display. As I watch, two females start to set up another one of the strange tents a short distance away. There is a clear spot next to them, large enough that we can brawl.
And both nosy Flor and her mate are on the very far side of the encampment. Good.
A light snow is falling, and the mossy carpet has been covered with a thin layer of white powder. I gesture for Chalath to follow me and we move near the females. The two women give us uneasy looks but continue with their task, ignoring us.
They will not ignore us for long. I drag the leather heel of my new boot on the ground, marking a circle. “We will fight inside this circle,” I whisper to Chalath. “Whoever steps out of the circle first loses, or whoever draws first blood. Nothing lethal—just enough to display to the females our skills.”
He nods slowly. “I like this. You are wise.”
“I know.” I step inside the circle and pull my new heavy tunic off. It is warm and feels good against my scales, but it is also bulky and lined with fur and will not help in battle. I will need quick movements, fast movements, because splices are deadly and their reflexes are enhanced. I am a splice, too, but Chalath could have abilities I am unaware of because he could be any mixture of things. Best to be cautious at first.
