Page 56 of Tharn's Hunt
Rok and Jus-teen.
Relief floods through me, so powerful it nearly brings me to my knees. They are here. Help is here. Jah-kee will be saved. Somehow.
I draw breath to extend my mindspeak, to alert them to our presence, but something stops me. A sudden, visceral reluctance that makes no sense in the face of Jah-kee's dire condition.
I do not want to give her back.
The thought rises again, unbidden and unwelcome. Selfish. Dangerous.Wrong.
Jah-kee stirs in my arms, a small whimper escaping her parched lips. Her skin burns against mine, her breathing shallow and rapid. She needs help. Now.
I force the selfish thought away and push my mind across the dust.
Rok's head snaps up immediately, his body tensing as he scans the ridgeline. When he spots me, he gestures urgently to Jus-teen, pointing in my direction.
They begin running toward us, Rok easily outpacing the smaller human despite his obvious effort to match her stride.
I start down the ridge, moving as quickly as I dare with Jah-kee's fragile form in my arms. The mindspace between us has gone silent, her presence faded to the barest whisper. Fear tightens my chest, makes my steps clumsy with haste.
"Jacqui!" Jus-teen's voice carries across the distance, high and desperate. "Oh my God, Jacqui!"
The female reaches us first, her water-blue eyes—so like Jah-kee's—wide with shock and fear as she takes in her sister's condition.
"What happened?" Her vocal screech would have once hurt my ears. It does not now. “Tharn,” she mindspeaks, her hands reaching for Jah-kee even as I instinctively tighten my hold. "Is she?—"
"Fire," I project. "Under her skin. Help."
Rok’s golden eyes assess the situation quickly. "Brother," he greets me, his gaze moving from my face to Jah-kee's still form. "You found her."
I tilt my head in affirmation, unable to form more complex communication in the mindspace. Every fiber of my being is focused on Jah-kee, on the weak pulse of her life against my arms.
Jus-teen's hands hover over Jah-kee, trembling. "We need to get her to the shelter," she projects, her mental voice steadiernow, though fear erupts from her into the mindspace. "Hurry, Tharn."
My grip tightens slightly. The thought of relinquishing Jah-kee, even to her sister-female, sends a wave of resistance through me.
Rok's gaze shifts to the glow beneath my skin, understanding dawning in his eyes. "Follow us, brother," he projects quietly. "It is not far."
Jus-teen leads the way, frequently glancing back at her sister's limp form in my arms, her pace urgent. Rok walks beside me, his protective stance mirroring my own as we approach a small cave entrance partially hidden in the rock.
Inside, the air is cooler. Jus-teen moves quickly, dusting sand from a flat surface.
"Here," she vocalizes, gesturing to the area. "Set her down. I need to examine her."
But I am already there, standing over the area where she wants me to put Jah-kee down. And…I hesitate, my arms tightening around her. The thought of letting her go claws at me, but I force myself to lower her onto the prepared bed.
The moment our bodies separate, the pain in my chest flares.
Jus-teen immediately kneels beside her sister. "Rok, the firebloom.” There’s a ripping sound as she tears hide from her already torn hide coverings. “And water. We need more water.”
Rok dips his chin to his chest, moving quickly to retrieve what she needs. I stand motionless, suddenly adrift without Jah-kee's weight in my arms. My body feels numb with exhaustion now that the desperate drive to reach help has been fulfilled.
I watch as Jus-teen tends to her sister, as Rok assists with quiet efficiency, their movements synchronized like hunters who have tracked together for many seasons.
I remain at the edge of the small cave, my purpose fulfilled yet feeling strangely incomplete. The relief of finding help wars with a hollow ache, the pain, in my chest.
I have done my duty. The hunt is over.
There should be satisfaction. Pride.
