A Big Shiny Blue Marble Ch. 21

Betl'eth helped Yuan back to bed and after covering her, she asked, "When did you think to show this shape to him? I think that what we seek to do must be thought out well."

"He will not see me then," Yuan said, "unless it is in the large shape. I leave it up to you, my friend to choose the time."

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The valley looked quiet and deserted as Yuan's large shape passed over it once before coming around in her approach. Beyl'eth hung on to her friend's long neck, perched as she was there on Yuan's back just where that neck met her body. The ride had been breathtaking, and that was saying something, since Beyl'eth was easily capable of flight herself. Yuan could reach speeds in level flight that Beyl'eth could only manage in a steep dive, and with her large wingspan, each beat of those long wings seemed to pull them forward. To the demon, it felt a little like being pushed from behind over and over as the great wings beat.

The only problem lay in communication, since Yuan couldn't turn her head in flight to look back and speak with Beyl'eth. Her shape was so aerodynamically pure that turning her head would upset things quite a bit. The demon wondered why Yuan wasn't coming anywhere near a flare to land. Instead, she only levelled out at a fairly low height and looked at the ground for a moment before she began to climb again, out of the valley and gaining altitude in a hurry.

Billy had broken down early that morning and decided that he was hungry enough now to hunt. So he'd gotten a bit of gear together, pulled on his clothes, picked up his rifle and headed off, looking for sign of deer in this area which was new to him. He knew that deer are creatures of habit, and like to make certain stops during their day. As the new kid on the block, Billy didn't know where those places were yet and he had no idea what the schedule was.

The other thing that Billy didn't know was that about a half an hour after he'd gone, a grizzly, likely the only one for miles around who was very late in settling down to hibernate had walked up the valley, and decided that while he didn't know just exactly what had made the tracks in the snow, he was both curious and hungry enough to want to investigate, at least a little.

That was how it was that Billy's thoughts of hunting up a deer had flown from his mind as he stared at the bear, who was nearing his slightly slow decision that while the thing on two legs in front of him didn't look all that appetizing, it would be a likely quick and easy kill and food was food.

Billy wasn't all that worried, he was just at a slight loss as to how to handle this. He could likely take the animal bare-handed, but with some risk of injury, and most of all, he didn't want to risk any harm to his wings. The rifle in his hands was deadly to everything from gophers to humans and even elk, but Billy had read plenty of documented accounts where grizzly bears had charged over a hundred yards and attacked after having their hearts and lungs shot out. He didn't have thirty yards here to play with.

But he had a full magazine; twenty rounds locked and loaded and the red dot was already sitting dead center on the mental 'X' that Billy had drawn from each eye to the opposite ear. He though that, while he didn't want the meat of the bear, that hide would make a nice warm thing to sleep in on a cold night.

He was still reluctant. The way that he had it figured, if he fired now, he might be able to kill the thing, but once the bear moved, he'd likely not get a killing shot in and even though he was looking at a surly bear who would likely decide to kill him, Billy had no desire to have to track and kill a wounded bear, though he would to end its suffering.

The rifle that he and Hank had gotten out of the lockup wasn't the usual CAR-15 type. I had been selected as 'Evade and Escape' equipment and as such, could fire in fully automatic mode. Billy hated that too in this scenario. He'd want that to stop the bear, but that action was kissing the hide goodbye. So the whole thing was unattractive to him. He spread his wings, ready to just leave.

But a strange thing happened then. The Rohn female appeared a little in front of him and off to his left side after dropping out of the sky to stand with her hands out at her shoulder height and rising. The bear made up its mind then and began his charge -- at the female.

Beyl'eth threw her arms down to her sides and the bear fell over from the sudden seismic shockwave which radiated out from in front of her. But bears are not known for their ability to reason and this one just got to its feet again and --

Billy had just enough time to admire the Rohn's pretty shanks as he began to run forward, noticing that his mother's band was now around the witch's leg. He threw his arm around Beyl'eth and was headed backwards, the CAR-15 up and firing in what bursts he could manage one-handed and it wasn't easy, since the muzzle would begin to climb after the first two shots.

He knew that he was scoring hits, but he doubted that any of them would do much, so he was wasting ammunition and doing exactly what he hadn't wanted to do. He prepared to turn and fly off with the Rohn. Once he had some altitude he could warn her and she could fall free to spread her own wings. In the meantime, the witch was cursing and fuming at him.

Before he could turn, He felt another impact through his feet and it was almost as though they were in a low tent. Yuan had landed over them and lowered her head toward the bear.

A moment later and the bear was a smoking hulk lying on its back. From where he stood, Billy could see that there was a lot of the animal missing.

"Put me down!" Beyl'eth shouted and Billy set her down on her feet. He opened his mouth, but she held up her hand.

"Do not touch me," she said, "Never touch me!" She walked out from under the tent and he stared at her.

He decided that she didn't know a few things here -- such as how close she'd come to getting blown away by accident or how fast a bear that size could really run if he wanted to. Then she was back, and looking as though she was trying really hard to control her temper while dealing with a dawdling child.

"You have to move," she said, "She cannot take off if you stand there."

He blinked at her, "Who? What are you talking about?"

"Just come here," she said with rising impatience.

He ducked a little lower and went to her. When he looked back, his jaw fell open. The beast lifted the sides of the tent and he saw that he'd been standing under and mostly surrounded by 'her'. The wings unfolded and 'she' was rising quickly. He turned to where the Rohn stood, but she was gone as well, climbing to join the large bird -- or whatever that had been.

He watched them for a minute until they were out of sight before he checked his pack and changed magazines before he walked off. He'd need to go far now to even catch a sniff of anything to hunt, after all of the gunfire.

He sighed to himself before he began to speak to no one in particular, doing a comical impersonation of the Rohn's voice. "You have to move. She cannot take off if you stand there."

He switched back to his normal voice and spoke in English, "Well, she can fuck off and you with her," he said, "Oh, and Honey? Don't you worry yourself about me touching you again, just saying is all."

He slung the rifle over his muscled shoulder and switched back to his mother tongue as he walked. "I wouldn't touch you if you were the last female on this world. I'd rather try to fuck a hornet's nest. It would likely hurt a lot less, and I wouldn't have to listen to your foul little mouth while you curse me out for doing something nice for you."

He was coming to understand a little of what his mother had told him in the dream. But just because he understood it didn't mean that he had to be pleased. Even though he'd been here since he was just a boy, he knew a fair bit about the Rohn. Whatever else she had in the way of ability and witchery, he knew that she absolutely excelled at one thing.

That girl could piss him off like nobody that he'd ever met in his life.

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"Why did you do that?" Yuan asked, as she worked at the evening meal, "I have thought about it. I do not think that he needed or wanted for us to be there. The only time that he looked worried was as I same around to land. He was just starting to run to pull you away then."

Beyl'eth didn't answer for a moment, but then she looked up. "I was upset. He picked me up as though I was a child, and that weapon and its noise... I didn't think.

I am a little upset now. Ayt'han is not like most Tarkroth males, but I see it now and hope that it is not too late to mend this. He grew up far from where he was born and does not have all of the culture. Only some."

She looked down for a moment and toyed with her hair as she thought. "Also, I have grown used to being a little hard in my outlook. I think that it comes from being in a prison. One does not speak meekly there to anyone." She snorted quietly and it turned into a chuckle as she shook her head a little sadly.

When she looked up, Yuan saw her smile, "Add my proud nature to all of it, and one may see that poor Ayt'han had no chance."

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Later that evening, long after dark, Beyl'eth looked at Yuan and smiled, "You do not fool me, I know of how you can sleep and yet watch now. Keep my place warm. I go to send things to Ayt'han if I can -- that is, if he will accept anything from me at all."

She saw the barest nod returned to her as she got up to go outside.

The night was still and cold, the moonlight sparkling from the snow. It was the sort of night to make a Tarkroth girl feel good to be alive. She had some warm food in her, a place to live and her wonderful friend. All that was missing now was the male.

She thought of him, remembering the shock of seeing him from the air during their hurried approach to help, thinking that he was in danger from the large creature. He looked so fine then, standing there as he did, his weight on one leg and his wings not quite ready to lift him from the scene.

She wondered why she hadn't seen that at the time. Yuan was right, he wasn't afraid. She wondered why she'd been so upset to be picked up the way that he'd seized her. It hadn't been done as though she was a child. She was smaller than he was, that was all, and in other circumstances, she'd have liked that, though not the necessary roughness of it. He'd been trying to get her away from the danger that he'd seen her in. It was a natural reaction -- if a male such as he was cared.

She smiled at the thought. She didn't know that it was so, but it was pleasant to hold in her mind.

The smiled stayed on her lips as she walked along the ledge a little way. She thought about her circumstances here. Where she's been spawned, a girl such as she was, with the gifts that had been given her naturally, well, back there, a girl like her was a force of nature for the things that she could do.

She didn't know if much of that applied in this place, since she didn't know or really understand the nature of the, ... well, of what nature was here, for lack of a better way to think of it. It suddenly came to her as a shock that what she'd done, throwing the shockwave at the animal has been a reflex, and one that she'd just assumed would work here. She hadn't thought about it.

And if it hadn't worked, then she'd have been close to being in a spot herself, needing her wings to get away, and that thing had come at her a lot quicker than she'd have ever thought possible for something so large and slow-looking.

She sank to a squat, reaching back to lift her mane for a moment and wrap her wings around herself before she rearranged her hair to give the best warmth. It was time to get acquainted with nature here.

An hour later, Beyl'eth was smiling to herself a little. This world answered her thoughts almost as her home world had. Her light eyes flicked to a white hare which moved in a cautious series of slow hops across the snow.

She wasn't aware of the lynx which tailed her cautiously. Beyl'eth knew it in her mind. She also knew that the hare was pregnant, though not very far along yet. A thought to the cat following her told her that he was quite successful for his kind, and was far from really hungry. There was a space of twenty yards or so between them. She watched as he began to close the gap easily. In another few seconds, he'd run her down and she'd be dying.

Her thoughts sent a small and intense puff of wind across the surface of the stream which ran between Beyl'eth and the little hunting scene out there and it was enough to pick up a handful of the cold water -- which she flung into the face of the lynx. When it reached him, it was already freezing and he jumped almost straight up in shocked surprise and ran the other way, his hunt disturbed and abandoned for the night. The hare heard the commotion and froze into place, her ears seeking information and her nose sniffing.

"Too much light for you to be out trying to fatten up, young mother-to-be," the Rohn witch whispered.

Three minutes later, it was overcast and snowing a little in the small valley.

Under the mane and the cover of the wings, Beyl'eth's hands worked to bring herself a little pleasure as she squatted, pleased that she could be a part of the nature of this place. It felt good to gain the sense of belonging that was offered. To the minds of the Tarkroth, there were spirits which must be met and joined with in every part of nature. It was their view, and it worked for them. Her lips opened a little as she sighed in happiness and pleasure. When she quivered a little a few moments later, she turned her heightened thoughts to the male that she knew lay out there, miles away.

She sent him warm thoughts, knowing that he slept. If she knew him better, and it they were a pair who had been intimate and loved each other, she could have sent part of her spirit to him to leave soft kisses upon his handsome lips and make certain that he was warm and comfortable.

But they weren't those things between them. She smiled anyway as she rose to stand and look out, her snow ghost's eyes surveying the landscape. She ran her hands over her haunches to get a little warmth into her cheeks from her warm hands as her wild mane fell over her backside. The act carried a couple of connotations, normally.

If she were alone here, all alone, she wouldn't do it at all, since besides warming her bottom a little, she was applying her gentle scent to her cheeks. But if she had a male who loved her, or wanted to, and she knew that he was nearby, it signalled that it would be fine with her if he wanted to mate.

Since there was only Yuan, Beyl'eth did it for herself, feeling a little sexy to do it, that was all.

As Rohn went, she was a proud beauty and she knew it. But then she tempered her thoughts, knowing that they wouldn't do her the least bit of good. There were no other Rohn, other than the dragon girl who was now the only other hopeful member of their little tribe of two. Beyl'eth smiled anyway; thinking that even though they loved each other as close friends and as lovely was Yuan was as a female, she'd make a slightly odd-looking Rohn back home. A sweet, sexy thing who would attract many males back home without a doubt, just a little different-looking.

But then there was no home, was there? This was home, and Beyl'eth was happy with her friend and what they were trying to build. In a place like this, you needed a tribe, and not ever having had the kind of closeness that one offered, Yuan sought to immerse herself in what it was to be a Rohn tribeswoman. A little funny considering that it was an endangered classification at present.

Now all that they needed was their Ch'arnn male, and it would be the smallest, barest beginnings of a tribe and a clan.

And if their wishes and hopes could only come to fruition, they might become the root and basis of any clan, a family, or at least a close group.

She heard a quiet shuffle and when she turned, she saw Yuan come out onto the ledge. She looked a little farther than half asleep and she yawned for a moment, but she looked no more awake after it than she had the instant before it.

"Is the world correct tonight?" she asked sleepily.

"Correct?" Beyl'eth asked, "I don't know what you mean."

"Is every little flake of snow in its proper place? You take so long and it is snowing a little. If it weren't for that, I 'd think that you must need to see about each star as well."

The demon understood and grinned. She walked over and they walked down the corridor. "You got out of the warm bedding to ask me that?" Beyl'eth asked.

"No," came the sleepy reply, "I had to pee and on the way back, I saw you."

Beyl'eth smirked at the way that Yuan resembled a sleepy child more than a dragon or a Tarkroth. She waited until Yuan was lying down to situate herself and cover them. Yuan looked happy in her sleepy, rumpled way.

Beyl'eth hugged her close and closed her eyes as Yuan fidgeted and moved her head, wanting the top edge of the sleeping bag just so, but not wanting to invest the energy to move it with anything other than her nose. Beyl'eth moved it for her and closed her eyes again. "Better now?" she asked, "Go to sleep, Yuan."

The dragon sighed, "Ok."

Beyl'leth opened her eyes and blinked, "What did you say?"

"I said ok," Yuan sighed.

"What does that mean?"

Yuan pulled Bey'leth's head under her own chin so that she'd know that she didn't want to talk. She wanted to sleep.

"It means, ... ok."