Chapter 15
Katem
My focus has drifted throughout the entire training session back to Piper and the fact that she has most likely placed all her belongings in the chest I left empty.
When we leave the evening meal, it will be to retire in our tent.
Not only mine, but hers as well. A great pain lands in my side as Benham’s hit connects, and I groan at its sharpness.
“You are not paying attention,” he scolds.
“My mind is on my mate.”
He stands his wooden staff upright and leans into it.
“I understand this. My thoughts often drifted to Maeve when we were first mated. They still do, but I have been able to have two thoughts at once. One of fighting and one of my keeshla. I do not let myself get distracted by the second. Let us go again.”
Before I can get ready, Benham swings his staff at my head.
I manage to duck in time to avoid a direct hit, but still, he grazes me.
It serves as a reminder that were I fighting an enemy, he would not care if my mind drifts.
His only intent would be to kill. My tribe brother is stronger than me, but that does not mean he will defeat me if I am smart.
Benham and I trade blows, although his connect more often than mine.
But I do not give up. I remain patient and focused on our training battle.
Piper will be upset if I return to our tent with a broken bone or other serious injury.
Ah, perhaps this is what Benham means when he says he is able to have two thoughts at once.
I use my keeshla as an incentive to do better.
Will Piper be proud of me if I am able to defeat my tribe brother?
Will she reward me with mouth touching—or more—when I return to her victorious?
Both of these thoughts spur me on and I become more aggressive in my fighting.
I strike multiple times in a row before a final blow knocks Benham off his feet.
A cloud of dust kicks up from around his large frame that collides with the ground with a mighty thud.
My own pride swells with the knowledge that I was able to defeat him.
Benham is our best warrior as well as our strongest. He is not so easily taken down, and yet, I have done so.
“Well done,” he says.
I reach out for his hand and pull him to his feet.
“Your words honor me.”
“Were you thinking of your mate?” he asks.
“How could you tell?”
“Because your form improved and there was purpose to each move you made. It was as though you were being watched by someone you wanted to impress, but you could only do so if you won.”
I nod. “My thoughts were on whether my mate would be proud if I defeated you. I am certain she would be, so I knew I must.”
“Excellent. Then you understand what I meant by thoughts co-existing.”
“Aye.”
Benham claps me on the shoulder. “It was a victory well won. Now, I wish to spend time with my Maeve and our kit. Go find your keeshla and enjoy your time together.”
I fist my chest and do not hesitate to follow his command.
Once I stow away the practice staff, I nearly race up the slope that leads out of the training arena and into the main village.
My first stop is our tent, but if Piper is not there, then my second will be what she calls the potter’s tent since that is where she will most likely be if she is no longer with Maeve.
Our tent is empty, but her bag lies flat on top of the chest I left for her, which means she has placed her belongings inside.
My heart swells. I head toward the forge next.
The closer I get, the more I am able to hear pounding within the walls of it.
Since Benham has been with me, I must assume it is Zara who is working.
She was his apprentice for three seasons and has now become a fine weapon maker as well.
Her blades are almost as perfect as Benham’s, but we have all learned to steer clear of any arrows Zara may have crafted.
No matter how many arrowheads she has made over the many seasons, none of them are quite right.
Benham made us all vow we would not tell her, because it would hurt her soft human heart. He became far less harsh after Maeve.
The scent of fire is strong as I walk past the forge and into the potter’s tent.
However, it too, is empty. There is no sign that either Piper or Alesha has been here.
Worry settles in my gut. I swiftly exit and go in search of my mate.
Has she been struck ill again? My pace quickens to a run as I make my way to the healers’ tent.
I skid to a halt outside of it and throw open the door flap. Sage is the only one present.
“Katem, is everything okay?”
“I cannot find Piper. She was touring the village with Maeve, but she is neither in our tent or with Alesha working on her clay making.”
“She isn’t still with Maeve somewhere?”
Have I been worried for nothing? “I will continue my search. Please let her know I am seeking her out if you see her.”
“Of course.”
I nod. Some of the fear lessens. My stride is still long and my steps quick. Until this turn I never thought of the village as being that big, but it feels endless as I move about in all directions looking for Piper.
“Sage said you are looking for your mate.” Alanda approaches from the direction of the healer’s tent.
“Have you seen her?”
“Aye. She is down by the river in the place where the shefir teaches the kits the human letters.”
“You have my thanks.”
My racing heart slows, as do my steps, until I return to a normal walk as I get close enough to the river that the sound of its running water reaches me.
Within only a few more paces, the top of Piper’s head becomes visible and then the rest of her as I draw nearer.
She must be lost in thought, because she does not appear to hear me.
Not even when I come to a stop just behind the bench where she rests.
“Piper.” It is nothing more than a whisper for I have no wish to startle her.
She turns and the bright smile she gives me does not detract from the dark smudges that are heavy beneath her eyes. “Hi. Come, sit.”
I lower myself in the space she creates for me next to her and take her hand. It is cold within mine and her fingers are thin and bony. “Have you been waiting long?”
“Not really. Maeve and I finished up our tour and she went back to her tent. I’ve always found the water to be really peaceful so I came back down here.” Piper leans her head on my shoulder. Her breaths release with a shallow wheezing sound.
The fact that she feels so at ease that she will use me to rest upon makes my chest swell with pride. This is the kind of closeness and connection I have yearned for since I was a kit.
“I do not know that I have ever taken the time to merely sit at the water’s edge and enjoy the quiet.
Most of my time is spent hunting or scouting.
When I return from either of them it is with a hunger for food.
Once the evening meal is over, I will often join the elders at their fire and listen to them tell the stories of our ancestors. ”
“That must be fascinating, though. To be able to learn all about those who have lived here before you.”
“It is said that at one time our people numbered in the thousands. However, with changes in the weather and the loss of food supplies, they were forced to migrate to a different area of the planet. The tribe split into several and each one went in a separate direction. Those of us in this village are all that is left of one such tribe.”
Piper glances at me. “Has anyone ever tried to looking for others?”
“A few of the elders did, once, but not in many, many seasons.” While I can understand the desire to find more of our people, they are strangers. The people here in this village are family. “What about you? Do you know of your ancestors back on Earth?”
She shakes her head. “No. My parents never really talked about their family when I was growing up. Hell, they barely talked to each other unless it was to yell. They hated one another, and the only reason they didn’t get divorced is because the government stipend—credits—that was given to all families was more for family units than single people.
I spent most of my time at the factory where I worked just so I could get away from all the screaming. ”
I squeeze Piper’s hand. “I am sorry you lived in a home that was so filled with conflict. You have my word that I will never raise my voice to you or any kits we might have, if we are so blessed.”
Her withdrawal is immediate. Not physically, as she still rests her head on my shoulder and her fingers are still gently clasped within mine, but her emotions are withdrawn.
I can feel it as if they were a part of me.
I shift and pivot so we are facing each other and she must raise her head and meet my gaze.
“If you do not want kits, you only need to tell me. I will not be upset or disappointed. Well, perhaps, I will be a little disappointed, but that does not mean I am unhappy with you or that I do not wish for you to be my mate.”
The sun shines on the wetness that sparkles in the depths of her beautiful brown eyes I have come to love so much.
“It’s not that I don’t want them,” Piper says.
I caress her cheek. “Then what is it?”
She is silent for so long that I do not think she will answer, until finally, her shoulders sag. “I don’t think it’s safe for me to get pregnant.”
“Then we will make sure you do not.” I would never do anything that would put my keeshla in danger.
She chuckles. “I don’t know that it’s quite that easy.”
“We will speak with Kyler and Sage. They will know if there is a medicine one of us can take that will prevent my seed from taking root inside you.”
Piper’s cheeks darken. “You’d be willing to do that?”
“Of course. Never would I want you to be in danger. Not if there is something I can do to prevent it.”
She scans my face and throws her arms around my neck. “You’re incredible. Do you know that?”
I embrace her as well and nuzzle her neck. “I did not until you spoke it. We will have to make sure that others in our tribe know this as well.”
Her arms tighten and remain that way. I will hold Piper for as long as she will let me.