Chapter 23 #2
Myrum sounded a rumble of agreement. “Yes. I’d found a keratin supplement made of bugs on the ship, but I didn’t have much left.”
Amina made an aww sound. “You look all big and tough, but you have a gooey-soft center.”
Myrum sounded a confused rumble. “Aren’t we all soft inside? That’s where our organs are located.”
For some reason, Amina found this funny.
As she laughed, Ruby finished her frantic feeding and settled down, fat and relaxed on Amina’s head.
When he reached up to pluck her off, the lizard clumsily moved away from his hand.
She dropped onto Amina’s shoulder then crawled around to the front of Amina’s robe and disappeared back inside.
“Ah, okay. I know which pocket she’s in,” she said, tugging the lapel of the robe back in place from where Ruby had disturbed it.
Myrum looked at Gis. “We didn’t pack any food for her.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to bring plenty of bugs from here back up to the outpost,” Gis said, then looked worried. “You must promise me not to let any of them loose.”
“Never,” Myrum assured him as Amina giggled again. He was happy to see her in such a good mood after such an uncomfortable night.
Gis went still for a moment. “It seems that Lorse is struggling over what to say to his parent. He’s going to leave, but Myrum isn’t to worry because he promises to return promptly.”
No sooner did Gis say that than the sound of a shuttle launching hit Myrum’s earholes. They all looked up to see the shuttle disappear into the sky.
Amina’s mouth dropped open. “He left us down here? I mean, I understand that he doesn’t care about the two of us, but what about Myrum?”
“I’m something he wants to possess,” Myrum said. “He would discard me without a second thought.”
Amina rubbed a hand up and down his upper arm. “I guess that gives us plenty of time to catch bugs!”
He sounded an amused rumble. “Leave it to you to find something positive.”
“It’s not a big deal as long as he comes back for us,” Amina said.
Something occurred to Myrum. “Could Helmen pick us up from the planet? If we could find a sink hole or deep body of water, then we could leave remnants of clothes there and he would think we died.”
“That’s a great idea, but our ship isn’t made to enter an atmosphere this thick,” Amina said.
“You’ve given me an idea,” Gis said.
“Yeah?” Amina said. “Tell me!”
Gis and Amina went over various plans using the second shuttle on the outpost. They kept running into the same issue, getting Myrum away from Lorse and the guards.
Since Lorse had left the planet, Myrum thought it was safe to pull her into his arms.
“Ruby’s right here,” Amina said, pointing to a spot on the front of her robe.
“Noted,” he said, making sure not to accidentally crush Ruby. Amina relaxed into his embrace as she and Gis continued to talk.
He was amazed Ruby hadn’t been hurt before, but then again, the robe was well padded and Amina hadn’t done anything dangerous or strenuous.
He rubbed his scent glands into her hair as he listened to them come up with and discard plan after plan.
The sound of something singing in the distance made Amina stop talking. Moving out of his arms, she stepped up on the platform and looked around.
“What was that?”
“I don’t know,” Gis said. “Lorse isn’t that interested in the wildlife here. Nashie would know. She wanted to be a biologist but hasn’t been born into the right family to go into academia yet.”
“That’s such bullshit,” Amina said under her breath. Then she spoke up. “We don’t know how long it’ll be before Lorse gets back, so we should go for a walk. I want to see what’s making the singing sound.”
“You can if you like. I’ll stay here,” Gis agreed and pointed to a path behind the platform. There’s a pretty lagoon not far from here. As long as you stay on the paths Nashie made, you won’t get lost. They all extend out from here in a spoke pattern.”
“Great,” Amina said. First she pulled off a small bag he hadn’t noticed slung across her torso and set it on the platform. Once that was done, she tugged at the closure of her robe and shrugged it off.
Laying it carefully on the stage, she opened it up to reveal the pocket Ruby was in, then pulled the edge of the pocket back until Ruby’s head was visible.
“Do you want to go on a hike or stay here?” she asked the lizard. “We’ll be back. All you have to do is stay with my robe.”
“I know she’s smart, but I don’t think she understands you,” Myrum said with an amused rumble.
Ruby blinked sleepily then burrowed deeper into the pocket.
“She understands,” Amina said with absolute confidence. She let go of the pocket and looked at Gis. “Keep track of her for me?”
Gis gave the pocket an affectionate look. “Yes. And I’ll make sure to catch plenty of food while you two walk to the lagoon. She’s a sweet little creature, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” Amina said. “And I know she has a soul. Got it?”
Gis’s eyes went a little wide. “Of course! There are many of us that think everything that moves through the multiverse has a soul. That’s one of the things the Annexers are fighting for.”
Amina gave him a wide smile. “Sorry, I should’ve known better. You’ve proven yourself to me. Thanks for everything, Gis.”
Gis gave a little bow of acknowledgment. “If you hear the shuttle, please hurry back. I don’t want to deal with Lorse’s displeasure if he gets here to find you gone.”
“I promise,” she said, then took Myrum’s hand in hers. “Let’s see if we can find the singing rodent.”