Page 39 of Stranded with the Alien

“It is no large matter, it is just the way Vraxians evolved. Serpetri are a defense mechanism.”

“Defense against what?”

Vahn hunched his shoulders.

“You will laugh.”

“No, I won’t. I promise.”

Now she was really curious. He studied the sky as if he would find clarity there.

“We evolved this way to protect our mates and our young.”

“I don’t understand.”

Vahn sighed.

“Vraxian females are ferociously strong. As strong as most males. However, when they are with child, they become vulnerable. So in more primitive times, females had to be protected against enemy tribes. Vraxians with the strongest serpetri could successfully defend their mates.”

“Okay. I get that. Vraxian cave-men had to be tough. But you don’t need to protect your womenfolk any more, do you?”

“No. But we still use our serpetri to protect our young.”

“How so?”

He looked away.

“Our young are not fully developed when they are born. They leave their mother’s womb still enclosed in a fibrous membrane. So Vraxian males carry them against their bodies until they are fully gestated.”

“Sorry, what?”

“We wrap our serpetri around them and hold them there for several weeks until they’re mature enough to emerge.”

Kara stared at him.

“Sort of like… seahorses?”

“I do not know of this analogy.”

“They’re an Earth animal. The female gives the male her eggs and he looks after them till they’re born. Hundreds of them, usually.”

Vahn gave a crooked smile.

“Then Vraxians are like seahorses. But only, and I cannot stress this enough, with one hatchling at a time.”

“Hatchling?”

“That is how we call our young.”

It was strange to be discussing this with a human. He fell silent, wondering why he’d told her such an intimate detail of Vraxian life.

Sensing his discomfort, Kara got to her feet and dusted off her trousers.

“I feel better now. Let’s go.”

He eyed her closely, then shook his head.

“I think we should camp here for the night. There is only an hour of daylight left. Let us rest.”

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