Chapter 4
Four
Cairn
A dog barked close by. I knew all about these creatures.
They'd existed when I'd crashed and still followed humans around like they had nothing better to do.
I didn't like them. Not since one had peed on my leg, just before I'd been raised onto the wall of the castle.
This forest seemed to be full of them. This one was the third we'd had to evade.
Walking hurt, but I was getting steadier on my feet with every step.
“She should be here any minute now,” the female said from in front of me.
A tree stood between her and me, but I could have pointed to where she was with my eyes closed.
I felt her presence inside my chest, an invisible band tying me to her.
It was thin and weak, but it was there. Once we completed the bond, it would become stronger.
I'd have to broach that subject with her soon. But first, we had to get to safety.
She still hadn't told me her name, but I'd heard her friend say it.
Georgie. It was alien and strange and beautiful.
I couldn't wait until she introduced herself to me properly, telling me about her heritage and family.
As much as I'd watched her kind from afar, I had very little experience interacting with them. I would learn so much from her.
A rushing sound heralded the arrival of a vehicle. I was rather excited to finally enter one of them after wondering just what that would feel like for so many rotations. Cars, they called them. A short, strange word that felt unfinished.
“Is that her?” I asked, coming to a stop behind my mate.
“I hope so. You stay here while I make sure it's her car. I want to give her some warning before you appear.”
I inclined my head as the humans liked to do. It felt weird. I had observed their gestures, but had no experience in emulating them.
Georgie laughed. “You don't have to move your chin all the way to your chest. Just a simple up and down movement will do.”
“Ah. Thank you. I have much to learn.”
“I suppose so. Stay here.”
I watched her squeeze through a gap in the trees, her legs brushing a bush.
The belt highlighted her wide hips that swayed as she moved.
Among gharrgoils, that was a mark of beauty.
I wasn't sure if humans saw it the same way.
I would make sure to tell her. The longer I spent with her, the more beautiful she appeared to me in her exotic, alien way.
I was desperate to feel her skin again, so very soft and warm, and feel her hair against my face.
I wanted to see what she looked like beneath those bulky garments, stroke her, worship her.
She was my mate, my salvation, my everything. If only she knew.
“Cairn! It's safe to come out!” she shouted.
I hurried towards her as fast as my aching body allowed. The tips of my wings brushed against branches. Give me a rocky mountainside over forest any day.
The vehicle was round, bright green and seemed way too small for even an adolescent gharrgoil. In the front seat sat a female of about Georgie's age, with long sleek hair the colour of onyx. She had lowered the window and was now staring at me through the opening.
“Don't be afraid,” Georgie said, leaning against the vehicle.
The female didn't take her eyes off me. “I'm not. I'm fascinated. We've not come across his kind before.”
“His kind? You mean-”
“That I've met aliens before? Hell yes. I'm not usually allowed to talk about it, but since you've met your very own alien... We're going to have a long chat.”
“I am Cairn of the Grey Warrior Caste from the planet Spiris. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, female. I am grateful for your help.”
Georgie stared at me. “You can be polite after all!” She turned to her friend. “He grabbed me without a single word. Never introduced himself as eloquently either. I guess he likes you more.”
Fury rose in me. I grabbed her shoulders, turned her to face me, and stared into her wide eyes.
“I. Do. Not. Like. Anyone. More.” I took a deep breath to calm myself. “I cannot. You are my mate.”
Georgie's eyes were wide, her lips parted slightly. She kept staring at me. I wished I could have read her thoughts. Her expression gave little away.
The other female laughed in the background, but I didn't move.
“George, you've got yourself an alien mate and you didn't even need our agency. Well done!” She giggled. “Cairn, word of advice. Human women like to take it slow. They also don't want you to be this intense. Most, anyway. Georgie doesn't seem to mind.”
Something passed between us. My mate closed her lips and something new sparked in her eyes, strong and fierce.
“Take your hands off me, Cairn.”
Not what I'd expected her to say.
What was I doing wrong? How did I keep getting it wrong?
I let go of her shoulders and stepped back, my wings drooping, my tail flopping down. I clearly wasn't any good at this mating thing. I thought I'd been prepared after my sire had given me the talk, but maybe it was because I'd been petrified for so long. Maybe I was broken.
“Now you've made him sad,” the other female said to Georgie. “I was going to drive you back to yours, but I think it might help you to meet some friends of mine. They've been through the same thing.”
“I doubt that,” Georgie muttered. “Or have they been kidnapped by a gargoyle that randomly came to life and has no sense of personal space?”
“I respect your personal space,” I protested. “Otherwise you would be in my arms, wings wrapped around you, safe from all that might harm you.”
“And who would harm me?” she shot back. “Other than you?”
That stung.
And she was right. I'd endangered her. Nobody else. It was me she needed protecting from.
I stepped back, spread my wings and launched myself into the air.
“Cairn!”
I ignored her shout. Until I got full control over myself, I had to be away from her. Even if that meant I got spotted by other humans. I didn't care.
Branches tore at my wings and skin. Taking off in a forest was my least favourite way to fly.
To my left, the crowned tower reached through the trees.
A few humans stood at the top, looking out into the distance.
Only a matter of time until they spotted me.
Beyond this small hill lay larger mountains.
I had seen them from my perch, green in the hot season, covered in snow in the cold.
They had been rounded by the passing of time, very unlike the tall peaks of my home world that seemed to pierce the sky itself.
Yet I was drawn to these mountains. Maybe I could find a cave to hide from the humans and recover my strength. And to think.
Yes, I had a whole lot of thinking to do.
And only once I was sure I was not a threat to my mate, I would find her again.
Even now, as I was flying away from her, I could feel the small, weak link inside my chest. I would be able to follow it once I was ready.
My right wing stiffened.
I tried to stretch it, expecting another cramp. Cold had settled inside the joint, spreading along the struts towards the thin membrane. The edges darkened as I watched. They were hardening.
Cloch.
I knew that numbness. I had felt it creep through my body after the crash, stealing one limb at a time until I could no longer move. I had spent hundreds of rotations waiting for it to release me.
My tail became heavy. The tip no longer moved with the air currents. I twisted to look at it and lost height.
No. No, no, no.
I beat my wings, but the right one barely moved.
Air rushed past me as I dropped towards the forest. Branches struck my legs.
I folded my left wing to protect it and crashed through the top of a tree, grabbing at anything within reach.
My hand closed around a branch. It bent beneath my weight, then snapped.
I hit the ground on my side.
The earth was soft from rain, but the impact still drove the air from my lungs. For a while, I could do nothing but lie there. An avian chirped above me. I breathed in deep, then focused on my muscles, trying to get control of my body again.
My fingers wouldn't bend. Grey stone had spread over them, forming a hard shell all the way to my wrist.
Georgie was leaving.
The link inside my chest had become thin enough to hurt. I felt its direction, pulling me back towards the road. Back towards her.
Of course. Her touch had woken me. Her presence had restored my strength. Now that she was moving away, the petrification had returned.
I pushed myself up with my left hand. My right arm was useless, but my legs still worked. Mostly. I stumbled through the trees, following the bond.
Her voice drifted through my memory.
Take your hands off me, Cairn.
I had frightened her. Grabbed her. Carried her through the sky without permission and almost killed her in the process. Then, when she'd been angry with me for very good reasons, I had made it all about my feelings.
Bad gharrgoil.
The bond tightened. Warmth returned to my fingertips, followed by an unpleasant prickling as the stone retreated. Georgie had stopped moving away.
I squeezed through the trees and reached the edge of the road. The bright green vehicle was still there. Georgie stood beside it, talking to the dark-haired female through the open door.
Relief weakened my legs. She hadn't left yet.
I could walk over to her. Explain what had happened. Tell her that I needed to stay close.
She had asked me to let go of her, and I had done that. Turning up at her side a few moments later might make her think I hadn't listened at all.
The vehicle began to move.
Cloch.
I spread my wings and took off after it.