Page 20 of Wayfinder
“Move!” I pushed Pearl out of the way, barely managing to draw my blades in time to deflect a swipe of the bird’s razor-sharp claws. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Pearl take cover behind a large boulder, momentarily out of danger.
I lunged forward, my blades aimed at the bird swooping toward me. However, the agile creature proved to be too quick—diving, snapping, and slashing. I couldn’t help but wonder why the struzzi didn’t fly up the rock face and escape. But the creature fought like it had a personal vendetta to fulfill ratherthan simply trying to flee. Its sharp beak snapped, and its talons clawed with ferocious determination, each strike fueled by a deep-seated fury.
I lunged forward, blades slicing through the air, each strike aimed to be a killing blow. The creature responded in kind, its sharp beak and talons aimed at my vulnerable spots.
With each attack and retreat, our movements became faster and more fluid, a dance of predator and prey. I glanced back to check on Pearl. She crouched behind a bolder, watching, her bright blue eyes wide with fear.
It proved a costly mistake.
Taking my attention from the creature for that one moment gave the bird an opportunity to land a blow with its sharp talons. I felt my flesh rip as the claw sank deep into the muscle of my bicep, pain searing through my arm.I gritted my teeth and battled on. If the struzzi beat me, Pearl would be vulnerable, and I would not allow that. Blood dripped from the wound and mixed with sweat as it ran down my hand, making my blade harder to grip.
“Jutuk!”
This time, I didn’t let Pearl’s worried scream turn my attention from the creature. I couldn’t. Scenting my blood made the bird more vicious, and it attacked in a flurry of razor-sharp talons and pecking beak. More than once, the creature nearly landed what would have been a killing blow, but I managed to stay on my feet. The gash in my arm bled profusely, and I felt my strength wavering.
“Hey, birdbrain!”
Both the bird and I glanced around at the sound of Pearl’s voice, just in time to watch her run up and bash the struzzi in the head with a heavy club. The force of the blow made Pearl stagger and go to her knees while the bird stumbled. She’d dazed the struzzi, but it was quick to recover, shifting its attention towardits newest attacker. Thankfully, the bird’s slight hesitation gave me the opening I needed.
Bellowing the Vaktaire battle cry, I leaped upon the struzzi’s back, using my uninjured arm to reach around and draw my blade across the creature’s long neck.
Hot blood spurted over my hand, and the struzzi froze as if in shock over being defeated. We went down together in a crumble of flesh and feathers.
“Jutuk!”
Pearl leaped to my side, helping me move away from the dying struzzi. The bird’s sharp claws twitched and spasmed in its death throes, a reminder of the danger we had narrowly escaped. Wrapping her arms around my waist, Pearl steered me toward the rock face, coming to rest under an outcropping that provided shelter from the sun. The coolness of the rock against my skin provided some relief as I leaned back, feeling slightly woozy from blood loss.
Shit, that cut is bad!” Pearl grabbed my arm, fingertips lightly probing the gash that ran down the length of my left bicep. She wasn’t squeamish. I liked that about her.
“I’ll heal,” I grunted, trying to ignore the throb of pain.
“Before or after you bleed to death,” she snapped, fastening me with an icy blue stare.
I glanced down, noticing the steady stream of blood from the wound. The flow didn’t spurt, but still bled too much to ignore.
“There’s a medi-kit on the skiff,” I muttered, shifting to rise to my feet.
Pearl loosed a growl, more cute than formidable, and her small hands pressed against my shoulders, holding me still.
“Stay here, don’t move. Drink some water or something. I think that’s supposed to help,” she instructed, rising to her feet, and handing me a container of water from the pack.
I watched her retreating figure, the sunlight casting a warm glow on her skin. Normally, I would never allow her to venture off alone. But after the intense battle with the struzzi, I felt certain any other creature that might pose a threat had been frightened away. I allowed myself to relax against the cool stone, content to watch her move. Pearl’s long legs propelled her forward gracefully, and I couldn’t help but notice the subtle bounce of her breasts and the sway of her hips.
She had no trouble locating the medi-kit and hurried back to my side. Kneeling down, she unpacked the small pouch, her brows knitting together as she examined the contents. Taking out a soft cloth, she delicately cleaned my wound, her expression one of intense concentration and concern.
“Shit, Jutuk, this cut is nearly to the bone,” Pearl grumbled, tying the cloth around my arm to keep the blood from dripping into the dirt.
“The struzzi have sharp claws,” I murmured, watching her ministrations. She took great care not to hurt me. Her touch felt warm, comforting and just the tiniest bit electric.
“No shit!” Pearl barked as she sifted through the contents of the medi-kit. “This isn’t like an American Red Cross kit. What do I use?”
I made a mental note to ask what she meant byAmerican Red Crossas I let my gaze shift to the kit.
It was standard issue as medi-kits went, with instruments and medicines to treat basic wounds like cuts and broken bones.
“The antiseptic spray will disinfect the wound and stop the bleeding.” I nodded to the small aerosol container. I refrained from mentioning that it hurt like hell.
Pearl grabbed the container and studied it for a moment before taking hold of my arm. Her touch was gentle, if not the faintest bit electric, sending tingles along my skin. She drew a deep breath and sprayed the pale white liquid over the gash.
