Page 96 of Sohut's Protection

Free.

Laughter filled her throat.

This was not what she had been expecting at all.

It was a funny sight—a crowd of green aliens dancing in the dim light, their bubble heads pulsing as they did, their eyes hooded with sleep.

As she watched Sohut, who was now across from her as the circle of dancers moved, she smiled.

He was staring at her and the light, the ambiance, the music…it all made her feel young again.

She was exhausted from their trek through the jungle, but she didn’t want to take a seat on the raised surface within the circle, lest she offend her hosts.

So when the dancing finally died down and they began to sit, she was somewhat relieved.

Making her way back towards Sohut, she didn’t get far when she was pulled to sit between two of the aliens.

“You are missing limbs, but you dance well,” one of the aliens said and she realized it was one of the guards who’d met them by the jungle edge. “I am Krior.”

“Nice to meet you, Krior.” Cleo smiled.

“Don’t offend the female,” said the alien on her other side. His eyes darted to Wawa before he continued. “Some beings don’t like it when you mention their deformities.” His eyes lingered on her arms. “I’m Nupak,” he finally said.

Cleo opened her mouth to correct them on the fact that having four arms would be a deformity where she came from, but she didn’t bother.

That was a conversation that wouldn’t lead anywhere good.

“Nice to meet you, Nupak.”

“Here.” Krior pushed something toward her. It looked like a piece of sugarcane.

“It’s fermented rai,” said Nupak. “It’s delicious.”

She had no idea if it was poisonous or not.

Searching for Sohut, she found his green gaze on her, as if it never left. He nodded and she took a bite of the food, not expecting much.

As she chewed, Cleo paused. It tasted like a salt and vinegar rice cake.

“Thank you,” she mumbled as she took another bite and both aliens beside her smiled.

Around the circle, chatter ensued as if nothing had changed and it didn’t take Cleo long to relax.

Between the rice cakes she was fed and the water to wash it down, she filled her belly while she watched the aliens inhale a strange-looking smoke from glass vases.

“Woogli smoke,” Krior mentioned. “Do you wish to try it?”

As he asked this, she noticed Sohut was being offered some as well, which he promptly refused.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Cleo said.

That didn’t stop the two aliens from indulging themselves and soon the clearing was so thick with the smoke, she might as well have been smoking it herself.

For the next few hours, she watched the aliens smoke, drink, and tell stories and she found herself relaxing as she listened to them.

It felt strange being in society again, even if it was one as strange as this, and it made her wonder about life after they left the jungle.

Would it be like this?

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