Page 72 of Sohut's Protection

The last time he’d had someone touch him…care about him like that…he couldn’t remember when that was.

Watching her pet the slizz, an unsettling feeling developed at the pit of his stomach.

Sohut blinked and turned away to look out the cave hole.

He wasn’t…jealous, was he? Of a slizz? Impossible.

Yet, when he glanced behind him to look at them once more, the little beast was giving him a look as if it owned the female and that thought…unnerved him a little.

“I smelled his scent marking before I came up the mountain,” he said, still looking out the cave entrance.

“His what?” He could hear her bare feet pad against the grass on the floor as she approached him.

“Your slizz created a warning around this mountain, to warn the spined creatures off.”

There was silence and when he turned to look at her, Clee-yo was looking at the slizz confused.

“He what?”

“He’s been protecting you.” He eyed the creature. “It…likes you.”

He still couldn’t believe it. To his knowledge, slizz only had the propensity to hate and kill.

Clee-yo hugged the animal to her chest and he tried to keep his alarm at bay.

“You did that?” she cooed at it. “You’ve been protecting me?”

The slizz shot him a hateful glance before snuggling against her.

Fine. He didn’t want to be friends with it either.

“We have to go,” he said and that caught her attention.

“Go?” There was panic in her eyes.

“We can’t stay here. We have to go farther into the jungle, head to the Torian camp there, and then from there to the Sanctuary. The Gori will be wondering why I haven’t contacted them to pick you up yet. They will send someone to check.”

He could almost see the alarm travel through Clee-yo’s frame.

“Sanctuary?” she asked.

He nodded. “My home.”

That made her eyes widen. “You’re taking me to your home? Why?”

He found himself smiling. “Where else would I take you?”

Clee-yo’s mouth opened and closed.

“Get ready. Let’s go.”

* * *

They had to be quick.

With most of his sluu dough lost when he fell, he’d have to hunt on the way to the Torian camp. If not, they would starve if they didn’t find anything to eat.

Sohut watched as Clee-yo put a few things into a large slemma leaf and strapped it to herself, ready to go. He had everything he needed in his satchel…what was left of his gadgets, that is.

---