Page 43 of Sohut's Protection

An alien creature lost in the Koznia Jungle.

It was amazing she’d survived.

“Just how did you survive this long?” There was annoyance in his tone, lingering from his thoughts, and he tried to keep it at bay. “This world is…new to you. Dangerous.”

She didn’t respond but her eyes darted to his.

She wasn’t smiling, wasn’t snarling…nothing. She seemed alert, guarded, as if she was waiting on him to make some mistake so she could escape.

“Tell me,” he took a step forward and crossed his arms. “How did you survive?”

“Yoo cahnt uhn-der-stahnd mee enny-way.” She met his gaze. “Ai dohnt noh wat yoo wahnt.”

There was strength in her eyes.

Despite her circumstances, she was looking at him as if she wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

He respected that.

“Iht dohzn maht-er wat ai tehl yoo.”

Her language was enticing. So many soft syllables. It made it difficult to determine if she was saying she wanted to cut his gonads off or if she wanted to give him an embrace.

Moving to his satchel, he took out the language up loader he’d bought so he could understand Larn.

He’d gotten the three most popular languages mined from data retrieved from Larn’s planet. He’d have to install each separately and hope that the female in his midst spoke at least one of them.

Popping out the device, Sohut eyed the female as he selected the first language file.

It was the most popular language on her planet. Something called Shai-neez.

She was looking at the device as if it was some weapon to use against her.

Pointing the device at the back of his ear, he depressed the button and what felt like an electric shock passed through his brain. He had to squeeze his eyes shut for a few moments.

“—Dah hell iz he doowin…” he heard the female whisper.

Nope, not her language.

Sighing, he selected the second most popular language.

Spah-neesh.

The second upload made him feel like he was going to pass out.

It wasn’t usual to upload so much data in such short intervals. It was like smoking a whole carton of woogli smoke in one hour—completely unhealthy.

But he didn’t have time to wait the recommended intervals.

It took him a little longer to recover from the second upload and when he opened his eyes to look at the female, her widened gray pools were staring at him with a mixture of confusion and wariness.

“Yoor doowin sum-thin reely freeki uhnd ai dohnt laik freeki raiht nohw.”

Phek.

Not her language.

He closed his eyes again.

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