Page 2 of Orange Lake
“He looks a bit like Coone. Though his coloring is more washed out than his,” Jigen’s voice was cautious. His head’s red mane is cut short. No doubt he lost another bet considering it is nearing the cold season in this sector. He was the voice of reason, second to Roqs. Though without the latter’s humor. Still, I can hear him laughing at my expense.
What a bunch ofqhudril!
Reluctantly, I sat down in one of the cushioned chairs near Brin. For some reason, and I know Roqs is wondering why I am not declaring to the world that this creature is a female specie.
As soon as I sat down, I saw them relaxed visibly. I chose the luxurious chair near the bed. Crix lounges at a nearby table. It was a desk study actually. This is one of the spare rooms he uses for important meetings. One of the biggest rooms in the house. It is currently designed to fit a hospital suite complete with medical monitoring equipment and life support.
Crix is an exiled royal member of the Purple Tribe but he is still entitled to his luxuries. I do not know what drove me to go straight here instead of the other rooms in the house. I am surprised Crix let me get away with it by insisting we use this room for Brin. One of the reasons why Crix was exiled, he liked giving away things to other people. Even if those things do not belong to him.
“Has anyone seen Coone?” I asked. I felt my tail crept up on its own underneath the bed sheet and coiled around Brin’s wrist so I could feel her pulse. I thought I was being discreet but I can see from their expressions that I was not fooling them with my relaxed stance. Especially Roqs with his eyebrows high up on his forehead. He is looking at me like a giant puzzle to be solved. Yet, even now, I can still feel the terror when she ran out of that table. She doesn’t know but I had to suffer some cuts and bruises to reach the male who was about to shoot her.
“No,” Jigen said, shaking his head. He is the only known mixed white and purple tribe manasty that I met. We think he is probably the only manasty with a white tribe blood in him. Most manasties think he is from the Red Tribe because of his coloring. “You are early, though not that early. Coone is due to arrive in three days’ time. By your standards, you should have been here a week ago.”
Then they all briefly glanced at Brin before turning their heads away. Yes, they knew what distracted me. And they are all burning to know the story.
“I saw Brin about five impes from Contrero. But before that, let me tell you that my mission was a failure. There was no remaining mrog in that area.”
We all knew that even if it was a failure, we still have other sources to check out. We need that mrog so we can finally put a stop to Shura. The scholars of the Purple Tribe and the Council of Tribes agreed that having five mrogs can counter the effects of the Shura. Even if they do not know yet how to make it work before a Shura is activated, they are confident that it will negate the effects once activated.
However, Roqs knew before we came here that I came to Contrero for a different matter that concerned the Elders.
Now there is a new concern. How come Brin was not affected? I made a gamble that she is not a spy sent by the enemies. I remembered the precise moment Roqs silently asked me through his stare if we can trust her with our secrets. Using the four sals we bought from that town, we can power up our vehicle and go to far distances. Even faster than the magclav used to power up a Winox.
Right now, we have five gangs, also known as the Five Hordes, who have a Shura. The creator of the Shura and the top wanted criminal in the land was assassinated by his five generals, each forming a gang of outlaws. Now those five are roaming the planet, coveting anything they like. One would think they will go off the planet. But a manasty has a strong loyalty to their home planet. Like me, I cannot stay away too long from this planet. Now, all the tribes and the council are united in stopping the gangs.
“He probably came from another world,” I said. I did not miss the way Roqs’ eyes sharpened at me when I referred to Brin ashe. I feel now is not the time to explain to our friends about Brin’s gender. They will know soon enough. My friends are not just doctors, they are scientists. Their obsession in finding the “miracle” mate is what keeps them outside the Council of Tribes problems. We all think it’s a losing battle to find an alien species that can match our genes and produce more children.
I clared my throat, my inner beast settled feeling the heartbeat from the female beside me. “I saw the remains of a life capsule. It was badly burned but he looked well enough to follow me around. Then we ended up at the Old Man’s Hix’s hut.”
“Where you had sex,” Roqs offered to the group.
I scowled at him, making the rest of them laugh. For some reason, that made them at ease. So, I like sex more than anyone in this room. Except maybe Coone. But they know I am very particular with my bed partners. Roqs probably could smell the sex, my scent and her that is why he took her. He couldn’t pass out the chance totrymy sexual partners. He was always that curious. That is why I find it strange that he did not try to coax her to have sex while they were travelling.
“Then what happened?” Jigen was curious as usual.
“I left him,” I said simply.
That made them pause. Even Roqs. I knew what they are thinking. With the way I am acting rightnow, it seems impossible I will leave her behind. Possessive to the point of being obsessive towards Brin. Even now, my beast and I felt reassured tofeelthe steady pulse in her wrist. She is still sleeping. It is strange that her kind has a pulse in her wrist. For us, our pulse can be felt solely in our neck and chest near our heart.
“You left him?”
That was Volks. We all looked at him. It was not only strange, but also surprising that he spoke up. He is the quietest and steady among us. He doesn't care much for information. He waits for it to be handed to him. His eyes are bi-colored, one is green, the other is blue. His parents came from the green and blue tribe.
He is one of the few people who I can trust to watch my back in a fight. It seems he too is curious about Brin. Which for some reason, I do not like. Good thing they are my brothers in arms, otherwise I will not answer their question at all.
“Volks, is that you? Or is it just the wind howling?” Crix asked because he can’t help himself.
Volks just scowled at us and folded his arms in front of him making him look bigger. He is the muscle man among his mates.
“So you were saying Zirc?” Roqs diverted the attention to me. Roqs is fond of Volks, almost like he has a soft spot for him, who he says reminds him of me. Yet, I do not see any similarities between me and Volks. He is a mix from the Blue and Green tribe who are enemies. The Blue tribe had tried to get rid of the Green tribe since the dawn of ages. His fathers are still mated to each other though, a very rare thing to happen. Crix welcomed them, fathers and son, to his home. His home is a massive portion of the mountainside and the lakes surrounding them. This house that is more like a mansion with several floors, is located beside the biggest lake, at the back is a mountain where more precious crystals can be found.
“I left him.” Then I looked at Roqs. “You know what happened next. You picked him up and carried him all the way to the South Sector.”
Roqs had the gall to grin at me. “Why not? I could smell you all overhim. In fact, I was less than a hundred feet away when I smelled you so I changed direction. I was on my way to the South Sector myself because I had business there.”
What bollocks. He and I had a rendezvous with Coone in this place. I wonder why the secrecy. He read my thoughts.
He continued. “I thought I was going to surprise you. Imagine my surprise when I sawhim.” He was about to say something but he stopped. He had a hard frown on his face, thinking. I could read him. He wanted to ask me why I marked the perimeter of the hut, as if to warn anyone, beasts included, to get off my property. Even mates do not do this.
