Chapter 26
Tuvo
Belmira led the way into her village. After a few days walking through the forest – first along the road and then down the small footpath – they finally arrived.
He was grateful. Hattie was clearly getting tired.
Things had been hard on her since she had been taken and he wanted to give her a proper chance to rest.
But he was concerned about the reaction they would elicit from these people. He kept one hand on Hattie’s lower back, ready to grab her and run if necessary.
However, he wasn’t even the first one the people noticed.
A woman was walking down a dirt road, carrying a basket in her arms, yawning as though bored, when she caught sight of them. Of Belmira. She screamed, dropping her load and running to her, skirt flying, arms open.
Belmira returned her cry and rushed to hug her in turn while Tuvo, Hattie, and Keith hung back.
The initial scream had alerted others in the village.
Their heads poked out of doors and windows of wooden, thatched roof homes built up on stilts.
More cries rang out. In moments, Belmira was surrounded by people all rushing to hug and touch and kiss her.
As she was being mobbed, someone finally noticed the three of them. Him, more specifically. The young male’s eyes widened as he stepped back. He frantically got the attention of the female beside him without looking away.
Slowly, as people had their attention drawn his way, more and more eyes turned to stare – wide and pale and shocked.
Belmira was finally made aware of everyone’s surprise. She pulled herself free from the arms of the older female who held her and walked back to them. He heard her saying each of their names, introducing them to her village.
They just continued to stare.
Belmira continued. Speaking fervently.
“She’s telling them we mean no harm,” Hattie translated for him. “That you saved her life. And that you’re one of the aliens and our jet crashed in the woods. And that we saved her.”
From the awestruck crowd, two people emerged. Tuvo didn’t need to be told that Belmira was related to them – their daughter, if he had to guess by their ages.
The male shared Belmira’s dark hair and skin. But his was weathered and leathery with deep set wrinkles from the scowl that was no doubt permanently on his face. His clothes were old and well worn, a hat on his head shielding his eyes from the sun.
The female’s hair was also dark, but it was streaked with gray.
She shared the same face shape and features with Belmira, but they were older and weathered with a few darkened spots along her cheek that didn’t really resemble Hattie’s freckles – they were bigger and more irregular.
She didn’t have the same scowl lines as her mate, but her eyes had lines at the corners that no doubt formed from years of narrowing them like she did towards him now.
Hattie touched his arm, bringing his attention to her, but she wasn’t looking at him. Belmira was saying something, pointing to the older couple.
“This is Inacio and Marica,” Hattie said, gesturing to the male then the female. “This village is called Brilhar. They’re Belmira’s parents.”
“You saved my daughter?” The male asked through Hattie’s translation.
Tuvo inclined his head forward in a brief, human yes.
The couple continued to look at him. As though not quite sure what to believe. Belmira said something, nodding her head.
The female’s expression relaxed, and the male’s head tilted back, observing him from a new angle that did nothing to soften his features but did open them.
“You’re welcome here,” Hattie translated for Inacio. “Come and be safe.”
Tuvo checked with Hattie. Making sure it was all right with her. She nodded, smiling. He turned back to the couple and nodded once.
That seemed to break some sort of barrier. Immediately, they were swarmed by the people. All of them now smiling, chattering in their lyrical human language. They pushed the three of them forward, guiding them into the village.
From every side, Tuvo felt hands touching him. Males and females, young and old, all of them brushing their hands against him. Like they were fascinated with his skin. He couldn’t blame them since it was so different. So long as Hattie was okay with it, they didn’t bother him.
And his female certainly didn’t seem to mind. She beamed around at all the people, basking in their attention. Glowing in their joy. Keith kept trying to dodge the males, though he did puff his chest out for the females.
They were separated as they reached the first house. Hattie and Belmira went off with the other females as Tuvo and a suddenly dejected looking Keith went along with the males.
It became apparent why very soon after. The two of them were brought to a shallow stream and offered supplies to bathe.
Some of the other males got in the water and showed them how to do it.
Tuvo nodded his gratitude as he clawed off his jean shorts.
They were well and truly useless at this point.
Filthy, flimsy, with a hole right in the ass where a bullet had caught him.
He tossed the fabric onto the shore and got to work washing.
He had just crouched with the bucket he had been given to fill and began splashing it over his head and body, trying to get the majority of the grime off him before he tried to use soap, when he caught sight of Keith.
The male was staring at him. Wide eyed. Disbelieving. His own water bucket in hand.
Tuvo stared back.
Keith’s eyes darted up, caught his gaze, then quickly turned away. Mumbling something as he suddenly started standing strangely. Like he was trying to hide. Though why he was suddenly stricken with modesty when none of the other males were was beyond Tuvo.
Ignoring him, he returned to washing.
It took multiple rounds for him to get fully clean. He had some help from Inacio getting the last of the blood off his back and another male took the opportunity to rinse his hair as he was crouched down.
Working together, they got him clean so that when he finally stepped from the stream, he felt less like a wild man and more like a proper person. He was offered a towel that he took gratefully, running it over his body as Keith followed after him. Still standing oddly.
Why was he doing that? What was he doing with his hand?
Tuvo rubbed the towel over his hair, drying off the strands, as he tried to figure it out. It took until someone approached him with clothes to realize what he was doing.
He was hiding his cock. Refusing to look at Tuvo after having been caught staring at him in shocked amazement.
He was feeling inadequate.
Tuvo couldn’t help but smirk. The size of his cock was a detriment when it came to Hattie, but he couldn’t deny a petty amount of pleasure at knowing he made Keith feel lesser. Worthless male didn’t deserve Hattie.
The clothing that was brought to him was a simple piece of fabric. The other humans were wearing shirts and jeans and sandals, but he understood without needing the apologetic look from Inacio as he offered the wrap to know that they had nothing that would fit him.
He took the wrap with a grunt of thanks and fastened it around his waist using a pin Inacio offered.
Keith, on the other hand, was offered proper clothes. They were a bit big on him but, like Tuvo, he just appeared relieved to be clean and not wearing the same rags they had for days.
The two of them were led back into the village proper by the other males, all of them still chatting around him, seemingly unconcerned that he couldn’t understand.
Brilhar wasn’t the smallest village Tuvo had seen in his career.
There were two layers of houses built in a circle around a central area, the dirt clear and beaten down by generations of feet having walked and lived in this place.
The homes were simple – wood with tiny netting in the windows instead of glass and a thatch roof.
They were built on stilts, keeping them off the ground up to about his waist with a short staircase leading into them.
The central area was already full of people.
The older and youngest females had gathered, and they were cooking together out in the circle.
One of them had gotten ahold of their bag of supplies and she had pulled out the jaguar skin and everyone was mumbling over it before it disappeared into the crowd.
Tuvo looked over their heads, searching for Hattie or Belmira – the latter more likely to spot since his female was so tiny.
But she wasn’t there. He didn’t worry, but he did keep a lookout as he and Keith were brought over to a rug laid out over the dirt and offered a seat. Inacio crossed his legs beside them and said something to Tuvo in his deep, gravelly voice.
Tuvo didn’t understand his words, but he did understand his meaning.
Hattie was safe. They were going to wait for her here.