Chapter 13 - Prax
Neela’s been gone a while. I’m not exactly thrilled knowing she’s out there in this weather. I’m not trying to deny her independence or anything—she’s free to go where she wants—but seriously, the thought of her walking around out there in these conditions is driving me nuts.
“Crhhh… Good evening, Neela. Esteban here. Got it—I’ll take care of it.”
“Anyone else?” my Human prompts.
“Crhhh… Evening, Neela, Viktor here. Count me in, too.”
“Then we’re all set. See you tomorrow at the Cydonia medical unit.”
“Good night, Neela. Don’t take too long, the weather’s getting worse and it’s getting late!”
One glance out the window confirms it: total whiteout. No way she’s making it back easily.
I don’t even hesitate—ten seconds and I’m suited up.
I pull on my thermoregulating Confed suit, lace up my boots, and top it off with that waterproof jacket Neela made me from my sleeping cocoon fabric.
The moment I’m out, I bolt. I don’t know the path, but my nose does—her scent still clings faintly to the trail here and there.
I run, leap, hurdle snowdrifts without slowing down. I’m not quite as fast in all this gear as I would be barefoot, but over the long haul, I’ll be glad I dressed for the occasion.
Then I hear it—yelps and snarls in the distance. Predators. And they’re on a hunt. I don’t know what they’re chasing, but I can hear the thrill in their voices.
My heart’s pounding. I push faster. I feel it in my gut—something’s happened to her.
I can’t even pick up her scent anymore. It’s been drowned out by the stench of the three canines stalking her.
I’m getting close. Thankfully, I don’t catch the sharp coppery tang of blood.
If they’ve harmed her… they’ll learn the hard way who they just messed with.
I finally burst into a small clearing. Three wolves—at least, that’s what I think they are based on Neela’s earlier holoprojection—are circling her collapsed body. The moment they sense me, they whip around and bare their fangs, growling for good measure.
I answer with a roar loud enough to shake bark off trees. Two of them falter, but their leader steps up, snapping his jaws in challenge. Oh no, doggy. You’ve got the wrong prey. This Human is mine.
Emboldened by their alpha’s confidence, the other two close in. Really? You want to do this? Fine. I unsheathe my claws, full length, and let out a low, rumbling growl straight from my core. Not to brag, but I could teach them a thing or two about intimidation.
One of them hesitates again. I take advantage of a brief distraction and lunge, raking my claws across the alpha’s snout.
I avoid the eyes—could’ve ended it right there, but Neela wouldn’t have approved.
I’m not here to maim—just to drive them off.
Unfortunately, they’re not backing down.
In fact, now I’ve got three ticked-off mutts to deal with.
The leader clamps down on my left arm while another sinks his teeth into my leg.
Alright, enough. I dig my right-hand claws deep into the alpha’s side.
He yelps and releases me instantly. I actually feel bad for the poor beast—he chose the wrong meal and paid the price.
That seems to break their morale. They bolt.
As soon as they disappear, I rush to Neela. Big bump on her forehead, but she’s alive. I can hear her pulse, though it’s weaker than normal. Not dangerously low, but definitely not the way it beats when she kisses me…
I pull off my coat and wrap her in it. Then I lift her up and start running back toward the house. It’s tougher this time around—colder, and I have precious cargo. But my muscles haven’t had time to atrophy since I arrived here. With Mars’ lower gravity, I’m still crazy strong and fast.
Back home, I head straight for the shower.
I’m glad I disabled the time limit earlier—it’s going to take a long one to warm us up.
I get us both undressed quickly and step under the lukewarm spray.
If I can feel the burn through my thick fur, I can only imagine what it’s doing to her tender skin. She stirs almost immediately.
“Stop… it’s too hot…” she groans.
“Right now it feels lukewarm to me. Even if you feel like you’re boiling, hold on—you’re hypothermic. So quit squirming and grit your teeth.”
“But you’re naked!” she protests.
“We both are. It’s the most effective way to share heat.”
To avoid looking at me—or maybe to avoid me looking at her—she presses her body against mine. I’m okay with that.
Time passes. Her shivers stop, and I nudge the water a little hotter and start rubbing her down gently.
“What happened?” I ask softly.
“My snowmobile hit a drift and wouldn’t start again. Did you get it running?”
“I didn’t even see it. Just you, and three wolves thinking you were dinner.”
“Wolves? I didn’t see them.”
“You were unconscious. Took a fall.”
“I remember that part… ugh, my head hurts.” She touches her forehead and winces.
“That bump proves it. But you’re alive. That’s what matters.”
“We’ve been in here a while,” she murmurs.
“We have. And it probably saved your life. At the very least, it saved you from a nasty cold.”
“Prax?”
“Yes, Purrsong?”
“If the snowmobile’s still where it dumped me, how did you bring me back?”
“I carried you, of course.”
That shuts her up for a while. She seems lost in thought, replaying the whole night in her head.
But while she replays that disastrous evening in her mind, I’m slowly waking up to the exquisite sensation of having her in my arms. She’s smaller than me, more delicate. But it’s not weakness that defines her—it’s her softness and grace.
Unfortunately, my body reacts to her closeness all on its own. She looks up at me, clearly unsettled. Yeah, Purrsong, that’s what you do to me. If you’re not into it, you can back away now… But she doesn’t.
My mind flashes back to that conversation with Kiran. I couldn’t care less about his ban. Not even a little.
But I do remember what led us into that discussion—that old Earth movie with ropes and that infamous spanking scene. And I had made a mental note of the… let’s say particular preferences some Human females seem to enjoy.
So I raise my hand—and land a sharp smack right on her lovely backside.
She freezes. Looks at me, stunned.
Then—SMACK—she slaps me hard across the face and storms out of the shower like a thundercloud on legs.
I stay there, alone, looking like a total idiot, trying to process what just happened.
She had been in my arms, shivering not from the cold anymore, but from something else. She was into it. She was present. And then—bam!—one spank later, and I get nothing but outrage and disappointment.
Did Kiran lie to me? Or is that old Earth movie just a load of misleading nonsense?
Next chance I get, I’ll rewatch that “Fifty Shades of Grey” thing—with way more attention this time.
If I want any hope of understanding Human mating customs, I’d better do my homework...
Or I might just screw up whatever is going on between Neela and me.
***
Last night didn’t end on a high note. Neela, instead of talking things out, wrapped herself in offended dignity and went to bed after a bowl of hot soup.
I took the opportunity to watch that movie again—the one that got me into this mess.
Apparently, some Humans enjoy certain… particular activities. But most don’t.
Still, I did identify with the male character—especially his urge to control every detail of his partner’s life. If Neela were mine, I never would’ve let her go out last night. Nobody risks their life for a sprained ankle. Not on my watch.
So this morning, I turned off her alarm, blacked out the windows, and let her sleep as long as she needed.
It’s the first day of the weekend anyway—she’s earned some rest. I even disabled her CCC after two calls came through asking where she was.
What was I supposed to do—wake her? Answer and reveal myself?
No thanks. I expect someone to come knocking soon, but at least she’ll have had some peace and quiet.
Sure enough, my ears swivel at the sound of the front door opening. I wait a moment—yep, it’s Kiran. I know his scent anywhere.
He walks in, looking worried. I raise a finger to my lips and gesture toward the bedroom. Then I lead him into the greenhouse. His eyes narrow with suspicion.
“What did you do to my sister?” he demands.
“Neela’s sleeping off an exhausting night,” I reply with a smug little smile.
He lunges at me. Punches flying.
“Again? You sure love putting your hands on me. I thought your thing was spanking, not face-slapping.”
“Damn furball! Don’t mess with me. Stay away from my sister!”
“Relax, Human. She got in an accident. Her snowmobile crashed into a drift, and she got lost. I found her unconscious. She’s resting now. If you wake her, she’ll insist on going to the med unit to check on her patient instead of taking care of herself.”
“She’s hurt?”
“She’ll be fine. Just a bump and a bad case of hypothermia. Let her rest.”
I see tears welling in his eyes. Huh. Didn’t expect that. She’s safe—why’s he getting all emotional?
“You saved her life,” he breathes.
That’s true. And judging by his reaction, I’m not mentioning the wolves. No need to send him into full meltdown.
“She’s fine. That’s what matters,” I shrug.
“You don’t get it… That’s how we lost our mom. She was a doctor too. Neela followed in her footsteps. ‘Neela’ means ‘moonlight’ in Mauritian—our ancestral land. You saved her!”
“Apparently. Maybe keep that in mind next time you feel like taking a swing at me. Though I get the impression you enjoy touching me…”
“Stupid cat!” he snaps.
Thank the stars—we’re out of the awkward emotional part.
“Actually,” he adds with a smirk, “maybe you deserve a reward. What would you like? A scratching post? A litter box? Ooh, I know—a ball on a string!”
Tempted as I am to smack him, I let it slide. We’ve got work to do.
“Instead of mouthing off, how about you help me retrieve her snowmobile?”
Kiran’s grin fades.
“Yeah, you’re right. First I’ll leave a message on the CCC—let them know Neela’s resting today. Another doctor will cover for her and take care of Youssef. That should keep people from coming here to check on her.”
Half an hour later, we’re standing by her snowmobile—half-buried in a snowbank. Together, we tug it free and drag it back onto the path. Not far away, I spot the place where I found her.
Kiran follows my gaze and stiffens.
“There’s blood,” he says sharply. “You said she was fine.”
“I said she’d be okay—she’s got a bump on the head.”
“But the blood…?”
“…isn’t hers. It’s from one of the wolves who found her before I did.”
Yeah, I knew this delicate Human heart would start hammering at that one. But we’re safe. The wolves are long gone.
“By Ares… you really did save her life.”
“You’re repeating yourself. Let’s go. She won’t be thrilled about this forced day off. You take your snowmobile—I’ll drive hers.”
“Want me to show you how it works?”
“Sure… if it’s more complicated than a Confed starship. Otherwise, I think I’ll manage.”
He doesn’t disappoint.
“Just try not to sink this one to the bottom of a lake.”
I don’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction. We ride back single file—the path’s too narrow to race.
When we get home, Neela’s in the kitchen making some kind of herbal tea. The bump’s not too bad—maybe the snow helped.
“I’m late!” she says. “I’m supposed to be at the medical unit. Who messed with my alarm and let me oversleep?”
Kiran and I exchange a guilty look.
“You’re not going anywhere today,” her brother declares. “I told them you’re resting.”
“But—”
“No buts. Furball told me everything. You took stupid risks. You almost died. Today, you rest.”
She turns to me, glaring.
“Why’d you have to involve my brother? This whole thing was nothing.”
“Someone had to retrieve your snowmobile.”
I cock an ear toward the door. Something’s coming. I recognize the woodsy scent—Esteban.
He bursts in a second later, looking pale and shaken.
“Esteban?” Neela asks. “You okay?”
He barely notices me, trembling with anxiety. What the hell happened?
“As promised, I went to Youssef’s place this morning. Viktor was already there. We carried him on a stretcher behind the snowmobile, got him to the medical unit.”
“Thank you. Is he worse? Did something happen?”
“No… no, that’s not it,” Esteban stammers.
“Then what? Spit it out!”
“I think Marjorie killed him.”