Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 14

"I see them," she said after finding the smoke and following it down to the fire. "Looks as though they are already roasting the meat you gave them. I count... six in their party."

"I counted five," Liam said. Something about the hunters was bothering him. "Do you see any females in the group?"

"I can't be certain, but no. There do not appear to be any."

"I didn't think so either," he said. "Isn't that odd?"

"Odd," she agreed, taking off the helmet. "Why is it that your helmet adjusted to my eyes so readily?"

"Hhmm? Oh. Um... The scopes are designed so that Vespans can use them, too. Their heads are more or less the same shape as Humans, but their eyes are more like yours."

"I see," she said and wondered how much technology the two races now shared. "They had been allies for only a short time and yet they had proved how effectively they could work together. Vespans had held off encroachment by the jZav'Etch along their border and had operated in joint task forces with Humans many times since war was declared between the CP and the jZav'Etch Hegemony.

"From what I remember about primitive cultures," Liam mused. "They normally would have mixed groups of males and females. It seems a universal aspect of life."

"Yes," M'pel E'kmel said. "Where there is more than one sex needed for procreation, they tend to band together in family groups of one kind or another."

"And I haven't seen any other animals like Rover," he observed.

"Also true," she agreed. "Odd that he should be the only one in this area."

"What if he isn't from this area?"

"Go on," M'pel E'kmel encouraged.

"Nomads," Liam said. "Nomads might send a hunting party ahead of them to make sure there were no serious threats where they were planning to go."

"That might explain why there are only these six here," she nodded. "It might also explain why the camp in the forest was abandoned after they spent only a short time there. Perhaps that is as far as they ranged. The stream they are currently camped on could well be the same as the one we found the tracks by."

"And there was no sign they had gone any deeper into the forest." Liam scratched in his beard. There are all kinds of places for a larger group to set up camp down there in the grasslands."

"Let's take a look at the survey map," she said. "It might show some signs of the people we are speculating about."

***********

"I don't think you should try it," Tem'Ma'tel told Clot'ilda. "He's too thick. You'll get hurt. I had a friend that tried it with a young male and she got hurt. She had to see her physician."

"I would never try it with a jZav'Etch male," Clot'ilda said dismissively. "Liam isn't like them, though. You know that as well as I do."

"He's still thick!" Tem'Ma'tel argued. "Why do you want to try it?"

"Do you not like it when I put my finger in yours?" Clot'ilda asked, laying her hand on the larger female's rump and kneading the toned flesh through her trousers.

"You know I do," the dTel'Qohar said. "And stop that. We have work to do. What makes you think he would want to, anyway?"

"He went right for mine during our first mating," Clot'ilda giggled. "I wasn't expecting it."

"He didn't do that with me," Tem'Ma'tel said with a little frown. "Perhaps he does not like mine."

"The two of you began in the water," observed Clot'ilda. "And you did not take the pleasure of the tongues. Perhaps he was too battered after your contest."

"Why would that matter?" demanded Tem'Ma'tel. She was concerned that SarJ'ant might not care for her the way he seemed to care for Clot'ilda. He had given Clot'ilda a new name and seemed intent on changing it every other time he spoke to her. Why call her Babydoll or Honey? It made no sense to Tem'Ma'tel.

"You had already built his passions during the fight," Clot'ilda mused. "When he did it to me, we were still building our passions. That might be the reason."

"He has not given me a new name," Tem'Ma'tel grumbled, not convinced her mate was interested in the other pleasure place.

"I do not think he will," Clot'ilda said gently. "I asked him about that."

"What did he say?" Tem'Ma'tel looked at her sister, concerned.

"He told me he had grown accustomed to your name," the Pah'Tht explained. "I could not understand all he said, but he does pronounce your name and the commander's much more clearly than when we first met him. Perhaps he will change my name back to Klat' eil' Da. I do not know."

"What does Babydoll mean?" asked Tem'Ma'tel.

"I looked it up in the guide," Clot'ilda told her. "It is a kind of toy given to young Human females. It is a representation of a Human child, no different from the dolls we have of offspring when learning to care for children. And the guide said it was a common name of endearment between males and females in the Human culture. Babe and Honey are also names of endearment."

"Why does he not have such names for me?"

"Because he likes you," Clot'ilda said with a broad smile. "He feels he must protect me. He feels you can protect yourself. He likes you, sister. Very much."

"This is why he always calls me Marine?"

"It is," Clot'ilda said and squeezed her sister's arm in a companionable fashion.

Tem'Ma'tel smiled, pleased to know she had impressed her mate. SarJ'ant gave names of endearment to one he felt he must protect. He gave a name of respect to her. That was a very good thing in Tem'Ma'tel's mind. She looked up to where her mate and her commander stood looking out over the valley. They were standing close, the commander wearing SarJ'ant's helmet. She smiled at that. SarJ'ant liked the commander.

"Will he give the commander a name of endearment?" she asked Clot'ilda.

"I do not know," said the little Pah'Tht. "I think he may always call her Commander. I think he likes that name for her."

"Why does she not offer Chaq' Ka' shisk? They like each other."

"She has told me the time is not right," Clot'ilda said, frowning. "She will not explain further."

"But he has proven himself worthy, even of her," Tem'Ma'tel said. "Perhaps she does not feel worthy of him. She is older than he. That should make no difference with a Human mate, though. We cannot bear his children."

"I do not understand it myself," Clot'ilda said, agreeing with her sister. The commander was still very attractive. She was still strong and fit. M'pel E'kmel was descended of a good Household. There were no reasons not to join with Liam. "She says she wishes to tease him more."

"Perhaps," Tem'Ma'tel said, though she was not convinced. "We must finish this work, Clot'ilda. Think how the meat will taste!"

They set about hanging the last carcass and then began bleeding them into one of the water bladders from the life pod. Even if SarJ'ant did not use the blood for his sausages they could make a good sauce to spread over meat or some of the roots SarJ'ant liked. Those were nearly tasteless to the jZav'Etch, but a good sauce would make all the difference.

M'pel E'kmel came down from the wall a while later, looking concerned. She said very little about what she and SarJ'ant had been doing, but she did tell them they would be keeping watches throughout the night. Until they knew more about the hunters and their people, SarJ'ant did not want to take chances.