Page 57 of Riv's Sanctuary

Looking his way, she found the alien was still moving down the row, ignoring her.

"Uh, I think I found one?" Her voice waned and her smile fell.

She wasn’t getting through to him.

She could almost laugh at her circumstances.

First, she’d been stuck behind a glass barrier with no one to speak to.

Now, she was outside that barrier and she still had no one to speak to because the one being in her presence didn’t want her there.

Beside her, a loud boom vibrated through the air as Grot...barked? It was such a deep sound, she stared at the animal, unable to comprehend how that sound could come from a living thing.

Yea, this was no chihuahua.

But the sound caught the alien's attention.

With a grumble underneath his breath, he moved over to where she stood, his blue hand grasping the fruit she was holding, barely brushing over her fingers before she let go.

He paused as he squeezed the fruit before snapping it from the tree and walking away.

"Why, thank you, Lauren. You're welcome, sir," she murmured low as she followed him, but he continued on, either ignoring her or deciding not to respond.

She was pretty sure he heard her, even if he couldn’t understand what she’d said.

As they left the field, her bare feet treading in the path he made through the grass with his boots, the death-dog followed behind.

A yawn made her mouth spread wide.

She didn’t know how she was tired when she’d spent the day doing nothing.

She was more tired than she'd realized actually.

Maybe finally sleeping properly for two nights in a row had her body wanting to catch up on months of lost sleep.

Looking upward, the sun was still high in the sky, though.

Stifling back another yawn, she followed Riv.

He headed to the enclosure with the cow-hippos next, closing the gate behind him. When he turned to face her, his brows were still beneath his shades.

Lauren fought back a smile.

He was so grumpy. There was no reason to be irritable, especially in such good weather.

He had no idea how lucky he was, living out on such a beautiful farm, free from aliens who wanted to rape or eat him.

Compared to where she’d been, this was paradise.

Leaning against the enclosure fence, the death-dog settled by her and she watched Riv work.

He began shoveling uneaten hay and grain while the animals mostly ignored him.

He moved with the efficiency of someone who knew exactly what they were doing.

“So,” she said, “you do all this work alone? No one to help you?”

Riv paused and looked her way.

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