Chapter 22
“What do you mean they can’t find her?” I blurted. My eyes bugged as I stared at Celuk.
My worry turned into Kehl worrying. Berkr wasn’t wrong. Dace wasn’t ignoring him. She wasn’t even here.
“Where the hell could she have gone?” The big trip to the banished lands was quite a ways off. She wouldn’t just go out there on her own. It would be suicide and she knew it. It would also be pointless. But then it hit me. “Oh… no.”
“What oh the noes?” Berkr grumbled as he glanced my way sharply.
“Is everyone accounted for?” I wondered aloud. My gaze darted around. “Every beast, are they accounted for?” I stressed.
“Why need beast count?” Kehl asked.
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I told him, “Dace had mentioned looking for a beast willing to be her guide. I mean, at first it was all about getting to the banished lands, the dumping grounds for the Unwanteds, but she also brought up some being familiar with the area to search out portals…”
“Where Maroumak?” Celuk bit out sharply.
“Candy-ass not go off with Maroumak. Him hate all the huedmans,” Berkr grumbled.
“Maroumak know ways ‘round Celuk not even know,” Joanie’s boss daddy mate, or so she addresses him, rumbled out.
“You mean, he might know where other portals are,” I croaked out.
Celuk nodded grimly.
“Him not dummy head ‘nough, take my- take Candy-ass,” Berkr grumbled.
Vurhg came rushing up to our little search party, looking winded. “Find this, Canny things!”
The second I spied my name on it, I snatched it out of his hands. “I looked all over her place,” I grumbled as I tore the letter open. “Where the hell did you find this?”
Pru,
If you’ve found this, you’ve either torn my place apart and found my secret cubby, or Snoopy Sally has sussed it out.
Either way, I’ll start off with an apology for misleading you, but I had my reasons.
You’ve done so much for me. I can’t thank you enough. Your friendship means so much to me. I just want you to be as happy, and I know that’s not possible with two thirds of your heart back on Earth.
A beast that said not to name him has agreed to help me to a portal. He swears I’m on my own after that but I’m pretty confident I can find my way back.
Please don’t worry.
I’ve gone to look for the Tree family, your Cypress and Elm, for you.
I wrote down everything you’ve ever told me about them, about where you used to live. I’m going to use it all to find them and bring them back to you if it’s the last thing I do!
Please don’t be mad at me.
Look out for Buu for me. He’ll be upset but he’ll understand.
See you when I return.
Dace
PS Please, please, please don’t be mad at me, though I’ll understand if you are.
Scouring over it several times before reading it aloud, I’d barely finished it when Berkr scoffed and leaned in closer to read over my shoulder.
“Where it say Berkr,” he grumbled. “Pfft. No say Berkr no wheres!”
“I thought you guys weren’t talking to each other,” I murmured.
“Candy-ass no talk Berkr!” Berkr exploded.
With a snarl, he stepped off to the side, where he then began pacing.
“She no want talk Berkr, then come to Berkr say crazies things, want Berkr take Candy-ass to portal! Berkr say no, she broke in head think Berkr say yes! Too manied bad things out there, eat little Candy-ass up, tiny pink painted feets first!”
“How Berkr know Canny tootsies wootsied painted pinks?” Vurhg grumbled at Berkr.
Berkr turned on the male, teeth bared, a growl in his throat. “Think Berkr no know, Vurhg has the sleeps over my Candy-ass?! Berkr knowed!”
“Vurhg no know what Berkr talks about.” Vurhg gave a sniff. It was all very well practiced but total bullshit. It was also way off topic.
“Can we get back to Dace rushing off to the wilds of woollydom to play Journey Back to Earth?!” I growled out.
“No make my Purr-roo ‘set. She has babies,” Kehl snarled at the pair.
Vurhg’s snarl dropped immediately. “Your Purr-roo has babies? Canny know?” Vurhg asked curiously.
“She does,” I muttered.
Vurhg let out a knowing grunt. “Canny want Purr-roo fam’ly ‘gether. Canny have bad fam’ly, not goot to Canny. Say Purr-roo goot. ‘Serve all mates.”
“Not Vurhg. Vurhg bad. Vurhg Sued-snee,” Berkr sneered.
“Vurhg no want be Purr-roo male no mores,” Vurhg muttered his way.
“Want my Candy-ass,” Berkr accused.
“Last I checked, she’s not your anything. You’re awfully possessive of someone you were openly pretending didn’t exist,” I pointed out.
Instead of turning his wrath on me, Berkr launched himself at Vurhg with a snarl.
Kehl had me scooped up and out of the way, snarling at the pair to take it elsewhere, before the first slash of claws.
Fingers wrapped tightly around Vurhg’s throat, Berkr shook him like a ragdoll, snarling between shakes, “No ‘serve. She no want. No have. MINE!”
Every beast surrounding them seemed content to let them duke it out.
Well, I wasn’t.
Grabbing the nearest thing closest to me as Kehl set me back on my feet, I rushed up behind Berkr with the large outdoor cooking wok and bopped him over the head with it.
Berkr let out a grunting noise and then slithered down atop Vurhg, his grip suddenly limp.
“No one help Vurhg?” Vurhg choked out between gasps for air. “Leave to Kehl’ Purr-roo save Vurhg?”
“Sorry, Suzy, I was saving him from himself more than anything.” And from Dace’s wrath later, if there was anything going on between her and Vurhg.
The fact they both knew what color her toes were painted spoke volumes.
She was cold easily and rarely seen without something on her feet.
I got the impression they knew her well enough alright.
Enough to be fighting over her like Elm and Cy had me.
“No thanks lots,” Vurhg grumbled.
“Do you know where they’re going?” I grumbled.
“Why ask Sued-zee,” Vurhg muttered as he rolled Berkr’s prone form off of him and stood. “Why think Vurhg know any the thing.”
“You know something,” I surmised. I didn’t know how I knew that I knew he knew but I did.
Vurhg sent a scowl my way that sent Kehl snarling at him but otherwise ignored my comment.
“What know?” Celuk rumbled.
Vurhg squirmed in place and his gaze dropped to his feet, but shockingly the easily intimidated male didn’t budge.
Studying him, I surmised. “She made you pinky promise and then told you that if you go back on it your junk will turn funny colors and fall off, didn’t she?” It was a known, running inside giggle amongst the women here that their mates believed that nonsense.
“Canny promedthis beed safe,” Vurhg grumbled churlishly. “Canny promedthis with pinkies too.”
“I thought it only worked on males,” I muttered. I phrased it in a way that was sort of a question as much as a statement. So, not quite a lie.
Vurhg looked to me sharply. “NO!” he burst out.
“Candy-ass trick Vurhg,” Berkr taunted from his prone position on the ground. He must have woken up at some point and chose to continue tormenting Vurhg.
“No!” Vurhg insisted.
Berkr sat up, refusing any help. His smile was mean, all teeth as he met Vurhg’s gaze. “Candy-ass leave Vurhg. Go home back on Urf. Find Purred-roo males, but maybe she stay…?”
“No.” Vurhg shook his head as he began to back up, out of the circle of males surrounding them. “No. Berkr no tell truth. Berkr bad male. Berkr lie.”
“When Berkr lie?” Berkr shot back.
Baring his teeth at Berkr with a snarl Vurhg accused, “When Berkr kiss Canny but tell her not mates!”
Berkr blanched as if Vurhg had just smacked him upside the head with the heavy wok that was still in my hand.
Kehls’ hand came down to close over my fingers on the handle of the wok like he was worried I might decide it was bashing time again.
“Berkr lies!” Vurhg’s voice sounded funny, like his words were garbled out between the beginning of tears. Before I could inspect the male’s face for tell-tale tear tracks, he took off.
Celuk groaned, scrubbing at his eyes.
“We have to search for them,” I muttered. I was already coming up with a plan. Celuk could draw maps out and-
“Not Purr-roo,” Celuk rumbled.
“Why the fuck not?” I growled, which made Celuk grin. It was no surprise there— his Joanie was the sass queen supreme. He enjoyed the company of feisty women.
Sobering, he rumbled out softly with a look between Kehl and me. “Purr-roo has babies. Not safe. Dang’rous.”
He had a point but UGH.
“It’s my fault she’s out there,” I burst out.
Celuk shook his head. “Dace choose go. Dace choice. Like Buu say, Dace stronger than think.”
“But she could die!” I was not happy about this, about any of it.
“Kehl help look,” my mate-husband offered.
And lose him too?!
Celuk must have easily read the panic on my face and shook his head. “Kehl go Celuk. Hunters go, look for Dace and Maroumak. We bring back, all safe.”
Holding my pinky finger out, I glared at the male. “Swear it.”
Celuk gamely shook pinkies on it with me, and then the real planning began.
Before next light, plans were all set. Everyone pitched in gathering emergency supplies for this unplanned expedition. If all went well, they’d be ready to go by tomorrow.
Kehl’s place had enough space we offered it up to store supplies in one central area. Kehl’s looms were all pushed to one wall, the open space full of everything from water to dried meat anyone had to spare.
“Vurhg leave!” Berkr burst into our place yet again.
Celuk glanced up sharply from the map he was going over with Jehkal. “Leave where?”
“Where think?” Berkr snapped.
Celuk growled a string of words in growl-speak under his breath that I understood so little of I took to be obscenities. I’d have to ask Kehl about it later.
“He went after Dace and Maroumak by himself,” I hazarded a guess.
“Heard there was a search party.” Sorak stood in the doorway, dipping his head so his horn would fit through the doorway.
“No play no know Candy-ass go off, look for Purr-roo mates in huedman’s wor-eld.”
“She what?!” Sorak bellowed.
Before Berkr could say another word Sorak was scrambling from our hut like a shot.