Page 44 of Caveman Alien's Bride

“Many. Very big.”

“What’s your tribe?”

“The Yuneytid Staits.”

“Is it big?”

Bryar smiles. “Is a big tribe, Korr'ax. It has as many tribeswomen and tribesmen as the sand on the bottom of the Pond.”

I look down at the sand, the idea making me dizzy. “That’s a very big tribe. I will not want war with them.”

“Be nice to me, and no war.”

“Why did they send you to Xren?”

“That not tribe. Other come, small men, gray. Took me and Piper and carried us from Earth to planet Xren. Put in jungle.”

I frown. “The Plood?”

“Thejungle,” she corrects.

“I mean, those small men. Were they aliens? The Plood aliens?”

“I not know what name they. Very bad aliens. Give help?”

I grab under her arms and lift her so she can sit on the bank. Then I help scrubbing her legs, enjoying the feel of her skin and her thin limbs. “The Plood are very bad. They work for the Darkness. Why did they take you?”

“I not know. Piper not know. We talk about it, but not know.”

I don’t want to think about the Plood right now, so I get out of the water and drag Bryar up, too. She squeals and then laughs as I whirl her around in a circle as fast as I can.

“Must dry the water off you,” I tell her as I speed up and she stands straight out from me as I keep turning.

“Not let gooooo!” Bryar yells.

I slow down and let her get firm ground under her feet, then pull her close so she can ride out the dizziness in my arms. “I will never let go of you,” I tell her.

She looks up at me with swimming eyes. “Never.”

I bend down to kiss her wet lips. Her long hair is cold against my hands, and I want her dry and warm.

Enjoying the sensation of lips against lips, I see her eyes widen as she stiffens. She tries to get away from me, but I think it’s another test.

Then she starts really fighting me and I let go. “I just want to—”

Bryar throws herself on the ground. “Look!” She’s staring past me.

I throw myself to the ground at the same time, not waiting to see what she’s warning me against.

The talons pass by my head with a softwhoosh, and then the irox screeches from anger as it’s cheated out of its prey at the last moment.

I pounce on my scabbard and draw the sword out in one move. There’s only the one irox, but that’s bad enough. I grab Bryar and pull her behind me. “Stay there. I will handle this.”

The irox dives again. This is a young one, but it’s also big. Its wings are long and its talons sharp. Bright yellow in the sun, it wears its deadly nature on the outside.

It dives again, talons coming towards me. They are long and sharp, but I know that the beak is the worst part.

It’s coming down fast, with the sun right behind it. I’m blinded and have trouble seeing it, and I have to wave my sword wildly to fend it off. The irox screeches as it passes by right overhead, but this time the screech is more mocking than angry. It knows it has the upper hand. As if to prove it, one talon runs across my head, just ruffling my hair.

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