Page 18 of Ragoru

“It just feels wrong. There is no game. The animals hide or have left. There is something wrong with this place that makes my fur stand on end. It’s not safe and best to travel through quickly as Vrishna and I did. We didn’t like it,” he reiterated.

Evie nibbled at her lip as she peered down at her map for a long moment before glancing to the side at Vrishna where he crouched at her other side for affirmation. When he gave her a solemn nod and her eyes rose again to meet Thral’s gaze, she gave him an understanding look.

“Okay,” she said slowly as she let out a long breath. “Here’s what we will do. I have to go into the mining village alone anyway, since you guys will likely scare the shit out of them and only cause a huge ruckus. I won’t be long. Then we can head here.” She tapped the screen just outside the small area cut off by the mountains. “I take a quick look around to see if there is anything that needs to be reported and then return to the mining camp to send my report. And then I will be done, and we can leave.”

He liked all of that even less but wisely held his tongue. He understood that she was trying to compromise and take his feelings and words into account. And he reminded himself yet again that he still didn’t have full authority over their family. Vrishna and Sabol accepted him as their lead, but Evie would always have the final say with them unless she accepted him as her mate and his authority over her wellbeing. He had little choice but to take what she offered.

“We will remain outside the village of the miners,” he grumbled, still unclear of what exactly that was other than a human dwelling area. “And we will wait for you until the sun sinks in the sky. If you don’t return to us safely by then, we will go in and retrieve you.” He narrowed his eyes. He hadn’t been tracking time when he had fled with Vrishna and they had been running at a ground-eating lope. “How long until we reach that area?”

She shrugged and put her device back in her bag. “A couple of weeks, it looks like. Don’t worry. We get to enjoy each other’s company a bit longer before I have to deal with the miners.”

Vrishna’s arms curled around her, but none of his tension drained as it usually did when she relaxed and snuggled into his embrace. Instead, he stared into the northwest with a baleful look that Thral felt down to his bones. He could feel the weight of Sabol’s eyes on him, but the male would understand soon enough. Thral only hoped that they could get Evie in and out of that territory quickly before whatever was there took notice of them. There was something there—he was certain. As reasonable as Evie’s explanation was, he could not ignore what he had felt. He would guard Evie as she did what she felt she needed to do, and then he was taking her out of there as fast as he could run.

That was his compromise.

CHAPTER16

“We are going to have to cross here,” Evie pointed out.

Sabol stared at her and then the churning river and tried to mask his horror. The water’s current was not like the gently flowing streams that they had crossed and dragged the swimmers Evie called fish from. This river sprayed up where it rolled off the rocks jutting up from it. Everywhere else it swirled menacingly as if it were inhabited by something that waited in the water to attack them.

“Here? Are you certain?”

Her lips thinned as she looked peered up and then down the river, her expression growing grimmer by the moment, and his heart dropped.

“I’m afraid so. How did you get across?” she asked, glancing over at Vrishna.

The male squinted to the north. “We had to go high into the mountains to reach a place where the river disappeared under stone. But it is a long way away and very difficult.”

Thral shook his head. “We could not take you there. We were barely able to keep ourselves upright on the high rocks. They are sheer, and they crumbled easily under our hands and paws. We wouldn’t be able to carry you and navigate them. We were fortunate to make it across the first time. It will have to be here if you wish to cross,” he grumbled unhappily.

She bit her lip and nodded. “I do. There used to be a bridge here. This is one of the posts that connected it to this side of its banks,” she pointed out, kicking said post with her foot. “My guess is that this was the safest point on the river over which to build it without risking it washing away. The river seems to only get worse from here in either direction.”

Thral shifted forward and gave the post an expectant look, then stared across the river. “If the bridge was built here because it would be safer here… then where is it?”

Evie hummed thoughtfully to herself as she squinted into the water. “Oh, it probably washed away.” At their dismayed looks, she smiled reassuringly. “Not from the river, not unless there was a bad storm that caused the river to swell and flood its banks—which is possible. If it’s on this map, it’s probably because it stood there quite a while. The attempts to settle this part of the northern continent, and anything erected here, was quite long ago. And yet it managed to last long enough to be captured in our satellite imagery before that went out. No, it’s more likely that the weather and constant spray from the river just rotted the wood enough that it finally fell apart.”

“I see,” Thral rumbled as his eyes moved over the water thoughtfully. “And there is no other route?”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately not. This river completely bisects this part of the landmass. It’s the largest river of our continent, actually, and it’s entirely unnavigable thanks to the rapids further up and downstream as well as the Kopiar Falls down here,” she said, her finger sliding downward over the image of the river on the device she held. “This is the only known crossing point that was ever safely established. They tried closer to the habitable zone, but there was a significant loss of life and supplies.” She tapped her chin with her finger. “Really, it’s a shame we don’t have some good rope and planks. The posts on both sides are good. It wouldn’t take much to put up a simple rope bridge. I don’t suppose anyone knows how to make rope from plant fibers?”

Vrishna peered around and shook his head. “Not from these plants,” he admitted. “It would take time to experiment and see which will work.”

A disappointed look crossed Evie’s face. “Oh, well. It was a shot in the dark. But it’s encouraging that you do know how to do it. That means that your species does have at least some kind of tools and technology—of a fashion.”

Sabol had no idea what she meant. He exchanged a look with the other two males, but they returned his regard blankly and flicked their ears.

“There are items that we make to assist our everyday life and the hunt, especially if we are providing for a mate and rogs,” Sabol offered. “We cure hides for our bedding, make cushions, bags, and pillows. We twist fiber into ropes and thread. Bone is fashioned into tools.”

She blinked at him in surprise, and Sabol could see that the bridge itself was suddenly forgotten as she looked over them incredulously.

“But no one thought to fashion clothes?” she asked as she plucked at her coverings.

Vrishna chuffed in amusement, Thral coughed in attempt to his cover his laugh, and Sabol didn’t bother to hide his grin.

“What do we need with coverings?” he teased. “We have thick fur that keeps us warm.”

She pinkened and gestured to his sheath. “You know… to cover your dick up.”

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