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No matter. I had precious few options, and since I had yet to encounter a wild cow to slaughter, this deer would have to suffice.
Its ears swiveled and rotated towards me as I crept closer, so I took greater care in the placement of my steps to lessen the noise. I ducked behind a leafless tree as the deer turned to investigate my footsteps. It chewed on some snow-buried plant material for a few moments, then went back to its foraging, seemingly unconcerned. Good. I had not startled it. I was not sure I could have caught it had it opted to run. I was fast, but those legs could have propelled it much faster than mine if it exerted itself. Stealth and surprise would be my best bet against this beast if I were to catch and kill it without the aid of projectile weapons.
Despite the softness of the white fluff surrounding me, the snow was surprisingly loud. With each step it crunched beneath my feet, and I cringed at the sound. Crouching low, I maneuvered closer to my target, weaving between the trees and bushes to remain as hidden as possible. This method proved achingly slow, and I worried I would not return to Amber fast enough at this rate.
I was just a scant few yards away when fortune smiled on me.
I spied the predator before the deer seemed to notice it, stalking from across the clearing where the deer fed. The much smaller animal had a thicker coat than the deer, a longer tail, and an elongated snout lined with vicious teeth. I recognized it as a hunter from its front-facing eyes and coiled stance, its every muscle poised for attack.
The deer almost spotted the predator—a wolf, my nanites explained—too late. The wolf pounced, but the deer bounded off before it could land a bite, jumping away from the snarling canine …
… directly into my path.
I certainly could not have caught the deer on foot. Its speed and dexterity were sure signs that I would have failed had I attacked it alone. If the wolf had not scared it towards me, I might have gone back to Amber empty-handed. Thanks to my fellow hunter, however, I was able to surge forward and meet the deer mid-leap, catching its head and using my weight and momentum to twist its neck, breaking its spine in one swift motion. The beast fell limp, and I roared my success into the chill air. The wolf growled at me but did not challenge my right to the kill. It turned on its heel and trotted off, defeated.
Victorious, I lifted the deer onto my shoulders and headed back to the cave to present my mate with the bounty. The thrill of the hunt, the excitement of the kill, was enough to make myn’rilswell with pride—and desire. On Xalan, it was common to engage in mating practices after a successful hunt or battle. I tried to contain my delight, for I knew Amber needed this food to regain her strength first. Myn’rilwould have to wait until she had fed.
I returned to the cave to find Amber huddled in front of the fading fire, her arms crossed over her chest, a slight shiver to her slender frame. My happiness at providing a meal for her vanished as I saw how close I had come to being gone too long. I hurriedly set down the deer carcass and rushed to stoke the flames.
“I am sorry, Amber! I had thought the fire would last longer than that.” I averted my eyes, fearful of what I’d see in her expression when I looked. Surely, she must hate me for being so foolish.
“It’s okay,” she said through chattering teeth. She scooted closer and leaned against me. I pulled her to my chest, hoping to transfer some of my warmth to her. After a brief rest, her shiver subsided, and she relaxed in my arms. “I can’t believe you caught a fucking deer. I was thinking maybe you’d find, like, a rabbit or a squirrel or something, but a whole deer? How are we going to cook this? It’s huge!”
I shrugged and nuzzled her cheek with mine. “I will figure something out. The important thing is that you will not starve.”
She stared quietly at the crackling flames for a moment. “Did you see any sign of the AARO? Any men in the woods, any helicopters overhead?”
I had to give the nanites time to translate the new, unfamiliar word. “No. No flying rotary machines. No men. Just the deer and a wolf.”
“A wolf? You weren’t hurt, were you?”
I brushed off her unnecessary concern with a wave of my hand. “I am fine. It did not even get close to me. Now, let me figure out how to cook this beast for you. The easiest thing would be to remove a leg and roast it on the fire, but I have no means to remove the skin or butcher it properly.”
Amber’s stomach made that sound again. “Honestly, at this point I don’t even care if it’s still got the fur on it. Just rip one off and cook it. I’ll pick around the skin.” She grinned. “It’ll be kind of like eating a turkey leg at the Renn Faire.”
More time passed while I let the nanites explain. It was frustrating, because once I had the context, her joke was amusing. By the time I figured it out, however, it was too late to laugh.
While the first leg cooked on the fire, Amber and I sat together against the cave wall, sharing each other’s warmth. She tried to offer to return the stiff clothing I had wrapped her in, but I refused. I would rather risk my own wellbeing if it meant she was warmer. Besides, what concern did I have with nudity? There was no one around to see me besides Amber, and she was already familiar with my body. If anything, Iwantedher to see me naked. I wanted her to be proud of my hunting prowess, to desire to mate once she’d been fed. I had discovered that humans relied heavily on visual stimulation, so the more of me she saw, the better.
We shared the leg, taking turns biting into the juicy meat. Since my scales protected my fingers, I pulled the hot skin off the still-steaming meat so Amber would not burn her hands on it. Amber ate several bites before declaring herself sated, though I still hungered. I ate my fill, finishing off the leg, leaving only bones.
“Wow! Q’on, why didn’t you say you were really hungry, too?”
“Your hunger was more important. I did not want you to worry about me when you were suffering.”
She cupped my face in her hands. “Hey, we’re a team. If one of us is suffering, then we’re going to both suffer. That’s part of being a couple. Part of being mates, as you call it.” Amber shifted until she was straddling my bare lap. I bit my lip to try to control myn’rilas her face became flushed and her lids hooded her dark eyes. “Speaking of mating … Now that I’m warm and fed, I think it’s time to focus on other needs.”
Her lips met mine with near crushing force, emphasizing her desires. Her needs, as she put it. I held her to me and returned the kiss in kind, sliding my tongue into her mouth and delighting in her taste. Amber’s slender fingers wrapped around my lowern’rilas we kissed, slowly stroking it, and I slid my own hand under her shirt to caress her glorious breasts. She sighed into me, melting beneath my touch.
I wished to mate as we had our first night together, but I knew the hard stone floor of the cave would damage her delicate body. Rather than risk harming her, I held her hips firm against mine, keeping her on top of me. My skin was tough; I could handle it.
She started to pull away, and I frowned, confused. “You do not wish to mate?”
Amber giggled. “I have to get out of these pants, silly. They’re kind of in the way.”
I stroked the fabric between her legs, applying pressure to herkashthrough the thin material. She gasped and ground her hips into my hand.
“Do not leave me for that,” I said, before catching her mouth with mine and drawing her back to me. While we kissed, I gripped the fabric with both hands and ripped it at the seam, exposing her beautiful wet pussy. I wasted no time before delving in with my fingers, stroking and probing and coaxing the most melodious sounds from her. She seemed to enjoy the manual pleasure almost as much as pleasure from myn’ril, and I lavished it on her until she shuddered and screamed. Her entire body shook as her walls pulsated around my fingers, and the hand around myn’rilquickened its pace.
