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I figured they realized who the larger predator was.
I am. Not that I would hunt them for food. Their flesh tastes horrible because they will eat anything and everything.
Ewww!
When he realized that Lexi had almost reached the entrance, he turned his back on them and stalked up the slope behind her. Even with the delay, he came up on her before she made it to the the top. Picking her up by the scruff when she fell exhausted to the ground, he carried her and her prized box—which she wouldn't let go—back to me.
Silly female. But she says the box is important. Renth dropped Lexi like she was a puppy and then shook his whole body in disdain.
I knelt beside her, my fingers diving into the thick fur of her neck. “That was stupid, sis. You should have waited and let us plan its retrieval. But I guess now we know what we will come up against when we have to go meet with Stet at the gate.”
Lexi opened her mouth, letting the strap slip from her jaws, Since she had to carry the box in her mouth, she had no way to cool her body. Now her panting came hard and fast.
I picked up the box and handed it to Tamerin. Then I pulled my sister into my arms, lifting her weight with ease as I stood. She needed to cool off, and it had to be done now. I rushed to the stream in the back of the cave and eased her into it. The water didn't cover her body, even with her lying on her side, so I scoop some up to wet her fur all over.
She continued to hyperventilate, but it finally started to slow after several minutes as her body temperature dropped.
Once she felt better, she shifted, staying in the cool water. She now helped to scoop it over her reddened skin.
“Fuck! It’s an inferno out there!. The sun is hot, even this early in the morning. The sand was burning my paws off and the fucking wind was scalding. It is like hell incarnate!” She croaked out, rubbing the cold water over her arms.
Shanni handed me a shift, which I placed next to my sister.
“I can’t read this, Soren. Either you or Lexi will have to.” Tamerin stood in the middle of the cave, the box opened in one hand. The other contained a sheet of paper.
Since Lexi was now out of danger, I walked over to the older man and took the note from him, scanning it before returning to my sister.
Tamerin and Grulp followed behind me, moving slower. It wasn’t like they couldn’t have heard our conversation from anywhere in this small cave. But I think they wanted to be included in the excitement of the escape plan, even though the clan leader and his daughter would stay here, on their home planet.
“Stet says he will return at dusk. He will wait about thirty minutes and then he will close the gate again. He can’t afford to hold it open any more than that. I don’t think he wants to step through it unless we need his help.”
She nodded, standing and using the shift Shanni had brought over as a towel. The little girl scowled at her and she grinned back. “Rather wear my own clothes, Peanut.” She hung the cloth around her neck and strode over to her things, naked as the day she was born. My sister either didn’t care the men were staring at her or she was assuaging her ego after her almost disastrous retrieval attempt.
Tamerin didn’t gawk at her, now used to her doing things like this. Grulp tried not to, but I saw him shooting brief glances her way as she pulled a shirt over her head.
Who could blame him? She was magnificent, as a human and a wolf. Her muscles were strong and sleek, moving her body with ease. Her hair was a burnished copper and her eyes were a bright green. She was as beautiful as I expected Artemis to be, if the goddess was human.
Lexi finished getting dressed and turned, rubbing her hands together. “Okay, what do we need to do today before we go?”
I snorted. “Hope and pray no one will be upset we are bringing an entity from one planet and a beast from another?”
She giggled. “I doubt it would surprise them. I mean, it is us.” She frowned slightly when I raised one eyebrow. “Okay, it is me and something I would do. Except Renth is all on you.”
“Indeed.” I went over to my things and started repacking everything, checking to make sure I hadn’t forgotten something vital. There was little I wanted to take back with me. My magic book, my weapons I had brought here, and the sword my sister had made for me. Oh, and Renth. Those were the only things I would regret losing.
Glad I made the list.
The lecanifer’s voice was droll in my head, causing me to grin while I kept on packing the few clothes I had made as I grew. I found I hadn’t minded sewing as much as Lexi had. She often begged me to make her clothes for her, since I worked faster and my clothing lasted longer.
I slowed, before turning to sit down hard next to my pack, my eyes panning around the room. What was I doing? It was morning and Stet wouldn’t be here until dusk. What else could we do this last day on this planet?
Tamerin glanced at me. “What’s wrong?”
Lexi giggled. “He just realized we have hours until the gate opens.” She turned towards Shanni. “Which game do you want to play today?”
“Ball!” the little girl squealed.
Lexi pulled out a small deflated beach ball and started blowing it up. Within minutes, she was batting it up into the air towards Shanni, who jumped up to hit it towards her father. Grulp grinned and batted it back to her.
