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Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 01

By: RipperFish



Author's Note: This will probably be a novella length story. The sex is included as part of the overall story, not as its focus. If you're looking for a quick fix, I suggest looking elsewhere. If you like plot and character development with sex scenes as a bonus, this story might be to your liking.

Additionally, you could categorize this as a furry story, though I did not think of it that way when I started writing it. This is humans and aliens getting it on, not humans and animals.

Hope you enjoy the tale.




"So, we were all sitting at this table," George said, telling the same story he'd told three days ago, and nobody really cared. "This girl comes walking up and she taps Johnny on the shoulder and whispers something in his ear. Johnny grins like a monkey! We all knew what was going on. You know?"

The other marines sitting around the table all nodded and laughed, though, without enthusiasm. Since George had told them this story already, they actually did know.

"So Johnny, he gets up and takes the girl onto the dance floor," George went on after a sip of his beer. "And he's out there dancing and having a good time. Just being a young guy, right?"

Everyone nodded and exchanged grins. They were prepared to roll with the story. Hell, it was better than sitting around doing nothing. This far out there wasn't even a good channel with music for them to listen to.

"A few minutes later Benny comes back with the chick he'd been dancing with and she's giggling!" laughed George. "She speaks, like, a dozen words of English. I don't know for sure. But anyway, she says something to Benny and points at Johnny and the girl he's dancing with."

Everyone rolled their eyes and chuckled.

"I ask Benny what she said and he tells her to tell me," George laughed, hardly able to continue his tale. "She leans down and says, 'No girl.' I look at her and then out at Johnny and shake my head. I don't know what she means. 'No girl,' she says again, like that is gonna explain everything. I shake my head and she shoves her hand down the front of her skirt and say, 'No girl.' Then pokes her finger out under her skirt! Man, I about fell out of my chair!"

All the marines laughed damn near hysterically.

"Did you tell him?" Bob asked when he'd caught his breath, even though everyone knew the answer.

"Hell no!" George barked. "We took pictures! I mean EVERY one of us! The whole rest of the tour we were plastering those pictures of Johnny kissing and dancing with that no-girl all over the ship. They still pop up on some screens if you get into the old files. He never lived it down!"

"Yeah," agreed Todd. "Johnny was a good guy about it, though. He took the ribbing."

"He ever get you back?" Marty wanted to know. 

His question was never answered, though. The red battle light flashed on and the small transport cutter was plunged into the green-tinted emergency lighting of a combat situation. The marines shot glances about, listening for the update.

"All hands. All hands," squawked the intercom. "This is not a drill. Battle stations. All hands to battle stations. This is not a drill!"

As per their standing orders, the marines scrambled for the ready room. All their gear was stowed there and it was there they would wait for instructions. Sergeant Liam Carter was last through the door, though he had been the second marine to reach the ready room. His job was to make sure all the troops were accounted for and report any absent to the sergeant major. Consequently, he was the last to don his armor and draw his weapon. He would also be the first NCO to lead his team out if there was a need for marines to support the ship's crew in any capacity.

A few minutes after the troopers settled into their shock frames Lieutenant Ripley entered looking professional but worried.

"Listen up," Ripley said in his loud, commanding voice. The men's chatter stopped. "Transport is under attack. We've got jZav'Etch fighters all over us. Our fighters are giving them hell, but there are a shitload of bogeys. The cats already took out the lead transport. We're not sure how, but they got the drop on us and launched one of those damned Exeter missiles right into her bridge. We're making a run for cover. Looks like we might be going planet-side. I want you to get survival kit, rations and ammo. Remember, marines, it's our job to keep the spacies safe while we're on the ground."

"Hoorah!" the marines shouted their affirmation.

"Devil dogs!" shouted Ripley.

"Never quit!" the marines shouted back.

Ripley left the sergeants to equip the troopers and an instant later a rumbling sounded through the ship. They'd taken a serious hit somewhere. In his ear set, Carter heard the call for his team to report to companionway Baker. He grabbed his three man team and out the door they went, sealing their armored environment suits as they did.

"Is it a breach, Sergeant?" asked Truman, the youngest in the team.

"Probably," Carter responded. "We'll know when we get there."

Companionway Baker was filled with smoke when the lift door opened, so there was no chance it was a hull breach. Artificial gravity seemed in flux when they stepped out so everyone activated their boot clamps. Down the narrow corridor they found several dead bodies and a pair of damage control techs trying to put out a fire. The marines got to work with foam sprayers, but it was only a minute or so before there was another loud rumble.

"What the fuck was that?" one of the troopers asked in a scared voice.

"Oh shit," murmured one of the techs.

"That was an engine," said the other tech.

"Keep your head in the game!" Carter snapped. "We have work to do! Get this fire out. Let the engineers worry about that."

A little reluctantly the damage control techs and the marines fought the fire, putting out the burning control conduit and circuit panels. They were just tearing the old panels out when the general alarm sounded.

"All hands! All hands!" came the voice over the intercom and suit channel. "We are going down. Repeat. We are going down. Prepare to abandon ship. All hands to life pods. All hands to..."

The intercom went silent. For a long heartbeat no one did anything. Then all eyes turned to Sergeant Carter.

"You heard the man!" Carter said firmly. "Life pods! Now!"

The men dropped their foam sprayers and tools and all charged up companionway Backer toward the life pod station. Carter was bringing up the rear, making sure no man was left behind when the next explosion occurred. The local gravity failed completely as he was in the middle of a stride and the next thing Carter knew he was waking up floating near the ceiling. The main lights had gone out, leaving only red battle lamps to see by.

"Alpha team, this is six. Report," Carter said weakly. He could taste blood in his mouth and his tongue hurt. He must have bitten it when the gravity failed and the ship bucked him into the ceiling. He got no response on the main team channel. Switching to the alternate frequency he said again, "Alpha team, report."

Farther along the smoke-filled companionway he could make out a few bodies floating. Carter pushed off the ceiling and locked his boot clamps to the deck. Making his way to the nearest body he discovered one of the techs. The man was clearly dead. The next body was a marine, as were the next two. His team was dead. Carter switched to the command frequency, listening. No sound. The channel was live, but there was no one there to talk on it.

"This is Alpha six to anyone, over," he said into the dead air. "Any unit, respond. This is Alpha six, over."

No reply came back.

It would be fair, at this point, to say Sergeant Liam Carter was more than a little worried. The command frequency was never left active without chatter. There was always someone to give orders and pass on information. Always.

"Not if they're all dead," he murmured to himself. He tried all the other channels getting no one except the ship's computer and it wasn't making any sense. "Probably damaged in the attack."

Gritting his teeth and swallowing his fear along with the blood in his mouth, Carter made for the nearest life pod station, fifty meters ahead. Only one pod remained and it appeared to have a hole in it. He went to the station's panel and checked the status of all pods aboard ship. The only one remaining was the damaged one.

"Motherfucker," he swore softly. 

Checking the ship's general status revealed that most of the decks were exposed to vacuum. Lucky for him, Companionway Backer was in a section still sealed.

"It never rains unless it pours," Carter grumbled and took stock of his situation.

He knew there was near zero chance for him if he stayed with the transport. If he tried to use the escape pod the odds were even smaller. The pod had a transponder, but with the damage, he would have only his internal life support to rely on. Of course, the air in the ship was probably contaminated with fumes after the fires and her filtration system was offline, so again his internal life support was all he would have aboard her as well. Or was it?

It took him about twenty minutes to go over his three dead marines and the damage control tech. He knew he had limited time and forced himself to do it in cold blood. If there was time later he would raise a glass to their memory. Carter collected their atmosphere cylinders, sidearms, spare ammunition, med kits and food packs. It wasn't all that much, but he now had three or four times as much as he had carried alone. All his finds went into a musette bag clipped to his harness.

Just as he was adjusting the bag there came a long, ominous rumble from somewhere deep in the ship. Quickly he returned to the computer console and began flogging its damaged circuits to bring up readouts on the vessel's condition. The news was not good. Apparently the battle damage was severe enough for the ship to continue breaking up.

No choices left, Carter climbed into the damaged pod. Amazingly, in spite of the fist-sized hole punched straight through one side and out the other, the little pod still had power and full functionality, except for its atmosphere. These things were built tough. He'd heard of one that had survived a crash into a gas giant. The poor bastards in it had been crushed by the planet's enormous gravity, but the pod had been recovered intact and still operational.

"Alright," he said to himself, settling in front of the small nav computer on the bulkhead. "Let's see what we can see."

He punched up the local beacon frequency, but got very little. The ruptured drives of the transport were spilling out enough radiation to obscure or distort the signal. He found the last known location of the transport and scanned it for anything useful. He crosschecked the data with last known heading and velocity. A glimmer of hope flickered to life in his mind. Depending on how long he had been out, the ship might now be close enough for him to reach a class M world in a nearby system. Indications from the Conglomerated Planets survey were that the world was habitable, though no sentient life was apparent. Even better, the planet was not a "super earth" with the usual crushing gravity. It had a two percent larger diameter than Earth, which doesn't sound like much, but it meant literally billions of tons more rock, soil and water. The planet's gravity was, however, slightly less than Earth's, due to a dearth of heavy minerals present. All in all, the planet would be a much better place to wait for rescue than either the damaged transport or the holed life pod.

As the transport shook from another explosion somewhere in the engine compartment, Carter powered up the life pod and launched. He was clear of immediate calamity and had at least some hope of rescue. He was also aware there was at least as great a possibility of being captured by the enemy. Still, that might be preferable to being marooned on a backwater planet at the edge of a war zone.

Carter looked through one of the portholes in the side of his life pod to see how bad the damage to the transport was. He frowned, his spirits sinking. Though he had expected the ship to be in bad shape he had not expected to see the large debris field around her. Chunks of hull floated free like small fish around a whale in some deep ocean of ancient Earth. As he looked he noted that not all of the debris had come from the transport. Using the scope built into his helmet he picked out the remains of a number of fighter craft, both from the CP and the jZav'Etch. By his reckoning, there were no less than thirty enemy fighters mixed with the shattered remains of his own people's ships. He was no expert, but to him it looked as if the cats had taken almost as bad a beating as the CP forces had.

Static crackled in his headset, drawing his attention to the communications screen on the bulkhead. The pod was drifting clear of the debris and radiation making it possible for a signal to get through to him. He flicked a switch on the screen, extending the pod's antenna.

"Life po... *crackle* ...80, do *static* ...ead?" came a garbled voice through his headset. 

Carter tweaked the gain on his antenna and feathered the receiver to a tighter beam, homing in on the broadcast point. 

"Li *static* od 280, *crackle* you read?" came the voice again.

Carter refined his settings.

"Life pod 280, do you read?" this time the voice came through much clearer.

"This is life pod 280," Carter said a little breathlessly. "I read you. Signal is weak and intermittent. Over."

"Carter?" the voice asked, sounding surprised. "Is that you?"

"This is Carter," he confirmed. "Who's this?"

"Carter!" shouted the voice, clearly pleased to hear Liam was alive. "Holy shit! Man, we thought you'd bought it back there."

"I made it out," Liam said, grinning. "Who's this?"

"It's George, man," came the voice again, the signal growing weaker. "We just picked up your signal when your pod cleared the debris."

"George!" Liam shouted into his mic. "Listen to me. Your signal is getting weaker. Record this. My pod is damaged. I have no atmosphere. Stellar telemetry indicates there's an M class planet close enough for me to reach it. I'm going there. Got that?"

No reply.

"George?" Liam shouted into his mic. "George? Anyone? Respond! Oh holy shit! Respond! Please respond!"

He listened for minutes, but there was no reply. The pod had drifted too far from his friends for its little transceiver to pick up anything. Sergeant Liam Carter was alone again. He sat back, his energy flagging, and shook his head. After a short time he came to grips with his situation. He had been trained to survive and Carter was naturally tough-minded. His friends had heard him and the course of the ship was known. It might take some time, but eventually a rescue ship would come for him. It might be a month or it might be several years, but the CP would send a ship to pick him up. He just had to stay alive long enough.

A day after he launched the damaged life pod, Carter came into orbit around a blue, green and white globe. The pod's sensors would survey the surface for a few orbits and select the area most likely to support human life. It would then descend through the atmosphere and glide to the spot it picked out. A parachute would deploy and the pod would land. After that, it was all up to Carter.

Liam watched as the little pod went through its first orbit. He used his helmet scope to examine the planet, intending to gather as much information as he could. The pod circled in closer on the second pass and even closer on the third. The world looked so similar to Earth it was amazing. The continents were very different and the seas seemed to churn more violently, but the forests and planes looked home-like. Liam's mind was eased.

A warning light came on to tell him it was time to get into his acceleration couch. He pressed himself back into the padded frame on the bulkhead and drew the restraints over his bulky armor. The pod registered its only occupant was as secure as possible and began its descent.

Liam had chosen the couch across from one of the portholes so he might get a better idea of what to expect when he landed. The pod's flight over the sea showed him only open skies flecked with clouds, but when the parachute deployed and everything slowed down, Liam got a pretty good look at a very large island. It was covered in forest with a mountainous region on its eastern coast and what might be planes or marshes along a large river valley. It reminded him somewhat of England where he had been stationed the last time he had rotated to Earth. He remembered cool days and rainy nights and fields where sheep and cattle grazed. It had been a beautiful country. Perhaps this would not be so bad after all.

His pleasant musings were interrupted by the sight of a swathe of shattered trees that ran across a large portion of a forest. It looked as though something had crashed there. Something larger than a life pod.

"Fuck!" Liam barked. "Goddamnittohell! Fucking pod picked this place to land me? Shit!"

It was possible that the crashed vessel was one of the fighters that had defended the transports. Liam mentally crossed his fingers, hoping such was the case. Murphy's Law indicated, though, that this was absolutely, positively a jZav'Etch ship. And if Murphy, the eternal optimist, had any sway in the matter, the pilots would have survived.

As best he could, Liam marked the location on the pod's nav computer. It would account for drift and wind currents and give him a pretty good idea where the fighter was. Among Liam's first tasks would be finding the fighter and determining if there were hostiles around. If he were very lucky, the ship would prove to be a CP fighter and the pilot would not only be alive but a tall busty blonde or a leggy redhead. If he were very unlucky the jZav'Etch pilots would not only be alive but angry and starving. The cats did not play nice with humans.

Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 02



Author's Note: This will probably be a novella length story. The sex is included as part of the overall story, not as its focus. If you're looking for a quick fix, I suggest looking elsewhere. If you like plot and character development with sex scenes as a bonus, this story might be to your liking.

Additionally, you could categorize this as a furry story, though I did not think of it that way when I started writing it. This is humans and aliens getting it on, not humans and animals.

Hope you enjoy the tale.





As it turned out, the pod dropped heavily into the dense forest canopy, cracking its alloy hull into tree branches which rained down to the forest floor. It came to rest in the crook of a massive tree, wedging itself tightly against the trunk. Fortunately for Carter, the hatch faced outward.

"Shit," Liam breathed as he opened his eyes, the stress of the descent draining away with the realization he was still alive and in one piece. 

Liam opened the restraints of his acceleration couch and eased into a sitting position. First things first. He made sure the beacon was operating and entered his personal data transmitter code. If he were forced to completely abandon the pod any CP rescue vessel would now be able to locate him within a meter of his actual position, provided he remained on the near side of the horizon. Even if he crossed that line a rescue vessel would be able to upload his code and launch probes to locate him. In the end, as long as the pod had power to run the beacon, a rescue ship would be able to find him.

The pod was canted to one side, but with his boot clamps Liam was able to negotiate the inclined deck of the little craft easily enough. He checked his suit's readouts and was more than relieved to see that the planet's atmosphere was breathable. It had slightly more helium and nitrogen in it than Earth's, but nothing that would cause Liam discomfort or affect his lifespan. 

Liam wasn't wearing the battle armor he would normally have donned when venturing forth on an unexplored planet. He had been assisting with damage control aboard ship at the time of the battle and such heavy armor would have been impractical. His shipboard armor was tough enough to prevent most projectile and energy weapons from killing him, but it lacked the performance enhancing gear of the heavier armor. Nevertheless, Liam did not remove it.

He opened the pod's hatch and took a tentative look out at the forest. It was like something out of an old Earth Robin Hood movie. Large trees towered into the air with layers and layers of canopy above and thick, shade-loving foliage below. He calculated the distance from his pod to the ground was about twenty meters. He couldn't jump it, but he didn't need to. The pod was equipped with lifelines and slings. Liam would need only collect the survival gear and lower it to the ground, then follow it down. That could wait, though. His first order of business was to scout the area around the pod to be sure there were no hostiles or dangerous life forms.

The scouting mission took nearly two hours, with Liam carefully marching away from the base of the tree in a widening spiral pattern. He moved very quietly for a man in armor, his senses keen for anything alive or threatening. At the outer edge of what Liam considered a safe perimeter he came upon a large, slow moving creature with multiple eyes and a heavy, fur-covered hide. It was grazing among shrubs, obviously a plant eater. He skirted around it only to discover half a dozen man-sized animals edging towards the large beast. These creatures were wicked looking, with grey-green fur, long blade-like forelimbs and sleek bodies. Their jaws were equipped with several rows of teeth that looked as though they could cut through plate steel. Narrow, glassy eyes set in triple ranks upon their brows. These things were not creatures to be taken lightly.

Liam drew his pistol, keeping the motion slow and as quiet as possible. It was not an ideal weapon for this sort of thing, but it certainly was better than nothing. Shooting four millimeter slugs at twice the speed of sound out of a poly alloy, magnetically charged barrel, the EP 12 packed one hell of a punch at close range. The rounds fed into the barrel off a spool of wire which an internal mechanism cut to length before the mag-drive sent the slug down range. If fired at three meters the EP 12 could penetrate shoulder pauldrons and leg armor with ease. The predators crouching and slowly moving through the brush would have no chance against the weapon individually. Unfortunately, they were moving in a pack and Liam really did not want to tangle with them.

Suddenly the lead creature sniffed the air and all of them stopped in their tracks. Their body postures changed from cautious hunters to animals on their guard. The last in the pack turned quietly to face the rear, questing out with its nose. Hunters to either side of the pack also sniffed the air, scanning the undergrowth intently.

Liam didn't know if it was his scent they'd picked up or something more dangerous than the creatures themselves. He activated his suit's sensor array and examined the area with his HUD. Heat signatures bloomed all around him. Literally hundreds of creatures were within fifty meters of him and there were strong indications of more beyond that. Only the hunters and the large plant eater were big enough to worry him, though.

The leader of the pack shifted position, eyes narrowing in Liam's direction. It sniffed again. The animal's posture changed to one of uncertainty. It appeared more tentative than it had been a moment before. It clacked its jaws together several times, an action mimicked by the others in the pack. Suddenly they were all backing away from Liam's position, disappearing into the forest's shadows. He tracked their movement, increasing the gain on his sensors as they slipped further and further away.

"That was a close one," he sighed, holstering his pistol. Carefully Liam made his way back to the giant tree and his life pod. The tree itself would serve him as home for the time being. In the next few days he would locate a better place to make camp, somewhere to the east in the hills that he had observed during the pod's descent. For now, he would inventory the pod's contents and shut down any unnecessary systems in order to conserve power. The longer the beacon could remain active, the greater Liam's chance of rescue. Power drain wasn't something he was really worried about. The pod's core was likely to last for a decade, but there was no point in having equipment running if there was no need for it.

With the inventory complete and after a quick meal of navy rations, Liam felt he should not put off inspecting the downed ship any longer. He strapped on a second EP 12, checked to be sure he still had his combat knife and returned to the forest floor. A brief scan with his suit's sensors showed him there were no large animals nearby and he moved off through the dense wood quietly.

The crashed ship was several kilometers from his pod. It would take him hours to reach it and it would take hours to return to his pod. He needed to get the job done before nightfall, whenever that was. His suite was equipped with a number of sensors that would enable him to operate in pitch darkness almost as well as he could in full daylight, but when surveying a potentially hostile craft it was best to have every advantage available.

Hours later, tired and sweating in his armor, Liam found the path of destruction wrought by the ship. There was some smoke still drifting from places where fire had blackened the foliage, but no fire remained. He chose to skirt the edge of the path, following its course for more than a kilometer. Whatever the ship was, he realized it was not a fighter. There was simply too much damage and the path was far too wide.

That realization gave him pause. A jZav'Etch fighter would be crewed by a pilot and weapons operator. Odds were one or both would have been killed in the crash. Even if both survived, he felt fairly sure he could take them out before they could overmatch him. They'd be as lightly armed as he was and would have no armor. 

With a larger ship there was no telling how many jZav'Etch were aboard. He knew of bombers in the enemy's inventory that carried a dozen crew to man the weapons controls and maintain the engines. And there was always the chance the ship was something he had never heard of. With even greater caution Liam moved forward. He had to know what he was up against.

The first piece of wreckage he found looked like an antenna, ten meters long and as thick as his leg. After that he began spotting bits of hull plating mixed in with the crushed trees. A weapon's breach stuck up like a blackened tooth. A sensor dome, battered and cracked, reminded him of some massive egg about to hatch. And finally he found the ship itself. Buried under fallen trunks, covered in drooping vines and wilting foliage the ship looked like nothing he had been briefed on. jZav'Etch make for certain, but other than that, he had no idea what it was. Perhaps it was a new class? Or could it be one the jZav'Etch had succeed in keeping secret? Only one way he might find out. 

He moved closer, his sensors at full gain and maximum refinement. He was going to burn through his suit's reserve energy much quicker this way, but energy would do him no good if he were dead. Besides, he had the ability to recharge the capacitor simply by moving around. The kinetic energy he put out was translated through the joints of the suit to a collector and sent to the capacitor. He could also recharge the suit with a solar cell, though that would take a very long time to top it off. On his screen a large blip appeared to his right about thirty meters away. It was slightly smaller than he was, but that meant nothing. The jZav'Etch were a culture composed of diverse ethnic groups. Some were larger than humans by quite a bit while others were considerably smaller. All of them were potentially dangerous. Liam drew his pistol.

He listened intently, wishing he had taken the time to remove the collar and outer shell that sealed his helmet to his armor before setting out. He had kept it on in case a jZav'Etch sniper was lurking about. Now, though, the extra protection was hampering his ability to determine if there were more threats. He examined his HUD and found two more large blips, both bigger than the first. He chanced an active sweep and found yet another hanging back closer to the crashed ship.

The small blip was moving to his right, parallel to the path of destruction. The larger blips were coming straight at him more slowly. They were about ten meters apart and moving in concert.

"Clever," Liam breathed. "Think you'll pin me with the larger two and then the small one jumps me from behind."

Liam had to assume the jZav'Etch had technology equal to his own. So far the war had proven that there were many similarities between the enemy and the CP. Minor differences in philosophy created minor difference in technology. But the basics were shared.

Liam moved to his left, stopping a few meters from the edge of the destroyed trees. He noted that the smaller blip was still moving along the same course. The two larger ones, though, had stopped and drawn closer together. They were now about three meters apart. A flashing light on his HUD warned him an active sensor was sweeping his way. Liam, hoping to remain undetected, crashed his system. All his suit's sensors went down at once. He was left with Mark One eyeballs and Mark One ears. Now he really wished he had removed the collar. 

There were three enemy soldiers hemming Liam in. He was not in a good defensive position and soon his route of escape would be cut off. He had three choices. The first was to attack. He would charge the two large jZav'Etch in front of him and hope to kill them before the small one joined the fight. If he could remove their numeric advantage he was sure he would have better than even odds of escaping with his life. The second option was to wait and hope to take them out as they closed. That would be a very risky gambit. He didn't know if they had grenades and he had no idea what other weapons they might be carrying, but surely they would have three guns to his two. And they had three shooters to his one. Staying put was a really bad idea. The last option was quickly waning. If he retreated, he needed to do it right the hell now. It was a risk to run away from them, but it was probably the best he could hope for.

Careful to keep his head down and move silently, Liam back tracked his own trail. Without sensors he couldn't know where the small jZav'Etch was. He couldn't know where the larger two were either, but he was certain they were still nearer their downed ship than he was. Liam paused frequently to listen, hampered by the collar and helmet seal. As he moved he tried to think if there was a place nearby he might be able to defend. He had noted several spots along his trail leading to the crash site that would serve well enough in a pinch, but they were all deeper into the forest. The area near the path of destruction was choked with debris and would be more than difficult to move through. He doubted he could make an effective stand there.

A snapping branch alerted him to movement from his left just in time for Liam to start to turn. He was bowled over an instant later by a hissing ball of feline rage. Claws raked at his throat only to be defeated by the armored collar he had cursed a minute before. Liam rolled with the impact, throwing an elbow into the creature. The jZav'Etch yowled as it flew into a stand of brush that resembled bamboo. Liam came up on one knee aiming his EP 12. Before he could squeeze off a shot the small jZav'Etch soldier darted aside, bounced off a tree and sprang at his face. Fast and agile as the enemy was in the air it was subject to the same physics as a similarly sized sack of potatoes. Liam grinned savagely as he threw a hard punch right in the little cat's face. The jZav'Etch dropped to the forest mold unconscious. Liam was about to put a round through its head when he heard the two larger ones storming through the brush. They were only about twenty meters away and there was no time to hang around.

Through the undergrowth Liam charged. He smashed aside small plants and leapt dead logs. He was an experienced soldier with hundreds of hours in combat. More than that, he was fresh from rest aboard the transport. He could push his limbs to obey his will for hours if need be. His armor was light and he had not encumbered himself with supplies. Long strides and his natural agility took him well into the forest and away from the hunting jZav'Etch before he finally began to slow.

With his pistol at the ready, Liam paused. He listened, turning his whole body back and forth. Back along the track from which he had just come came a noise. It was not loud but he heard it. The jZav'Etch were tracking him. He decided to chance using his sensors and powered them on. Instantly his field of vision was overlaid with the HUD. Two figures stalked through the underbrush and shadow. They moved with purpose. He knew roughly where they were in relation to his position and if he'd had artillery support he could have called down a bolt from on high to eliminate the threat, but he was alone.

Liam calmed himself, easing his heart rate down until his hands were steady. He raised his pistol and fired off four rounds in a narrow fan. The four millimeter slugs tore through leaves and twigs and in his HUD he saw one figure drop while the other dove aside. He didn't wait to find out if he'd killed either of them. Liam turned and walked quietly away, trying to orient himself on the life pod. He was sure the jZav'Etch would be more careful tracking him now. His HUD told him they were both holding still where they'd taken cover.

"Probably trying to figure out if I'm waiting for them to pop up again," he murmured to himself, and then cursed as bolts from a jZav'Etch fero-plas rifle tore through the foliage around him. It was a weapon heavy enough to tear through certain parts of his armor, even at long range. Liam increased his pace, no longer worried about how much noise he made.

More enemy rounds smashed through the brush, shattering small trees and igniting patches of foliage. Liam lengthened his strides, zigzagging desperately to throw off the shooter's aim. He dove for cover behind the massive roots of a forest giant and looked up to see something he had been hoping to find. It was a fallen tree at least as large as the one he had taken cover behind. It looked as if it had been there for years. It was overgrown with vines, various plants and young trees had actually begun to sprout from its dead wood.

Liam altered his course so that he would pass by the tree about fifty meters down slope of it. He didn't want the jZav'Etch to know where he was going to be hiding until they were well in range of his weapons. By passing the tree by he was laying his scent and a clearly broken trail for them to follow. If he were successful the enemy wouldn't know he'd ambushed them until it was all over.

Reaching the tree he briefly surveyed it. He discovered the main trunk, some ten meters in diameter, was hollowed out in such a way as to resemble a cave or rough tunnel. At the root end there was a large opening and looking up the inclined trunk he could see daylight coming through a smaller one. Liam switched on his torch and panned it around. Rotted wood and old dead vines seemed to be the only features of note. The trunk smelled richly of decay and earth, but there was no strong scent of animals. He entered and quickly climbed to the upper opening. It came out in what had been a heavy branch that had formed V with the large branch still attached to the old ruin of the trunk. The loss of the one and the weight of the other had combined to topple the tree over.

Liam edged out of the entrance, staying low behind cover. From there he commanded a view of the path he had broken in the foliage below. The height of the fallen trunk also provided him a good view of the surrounding forest floor, so even if the jZav'Etch simply paralleled his course Liam could still make their approach hell. His only serious problem was that his EP 12s had very limited effective range. He settled in and waited.

Time passed and it seemed as though the cats had not pursued him as closely as he'd feared. He debated pressing on towards the pod. He had no intention of going into it if the jZav'Etch were still following him, though. He knew from battles on other worlds that the cats could smell him and they certainly would track him. If he returned to the pod before killing the soldiers he would just be inviting trouble. 

Something else was bothering Liam, though. It was the small jZav'Etch. There had been something strange about it and as he lay there, in his mind he went back over what he had seen. The uniform the creature had worn was standard issue for enemy flight crew, but it had been stripped to the waist. The jZav'Etch soldiers he'd encountered before had short, straight fur like that of a panther or maybe a house cat. The small one's fur was... fluffy? That wasn't quite right. It looked more like a winter coat than what he'd seen before. There was something else odd about that soldier, though, and that specifically was what bothered him.

"Tits?" he whispered, screwing up his mouth in a puzzled grimace. "A female?"

It seemed the correct answer, but it posed other questions. Female jZav'Etch were not entirely unknown in combat. Several had been taken prisoner by units Liam had served with, but he had never seen one that looked like the jZav'Etch that had attacked him today. They had uniformly been large jZav'Etch not much different from their male counterparts. In fact, Liam had never seen a jZav'Etch with that kind of fur.




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 02



Liam decided to chance one more active sensor sweep, finding nothing in range. He switched the sensors off and then activated his low light vision array. It was a passive sensor and nothing he knew of could detect it unless the jZav'Etch did a broad band energy sweep. That was possible, but unlikely. They were hunting him, after all, not an energy source. Given how dim things were in this area, the lowlight would provide him a better chance to spot movement and heat sources.

As it turned out he did not have to wait long after that. The small jZav'Etch loped up his back trail, pausing from time to time to sniff or scan the area. Liam zoomed in on the creature with his scope. He was surprised to find it weaponless. Why was it out here hunting him unarmed? He debated putting a round through it, but the jZav'Etch wasn't close enough for his liking. And if he were to be honest with himself, he didn't like the idea of ambushing an unarmed foe. He might regret it later, but Liam allowed the small cat to pass him by.

He continued to lay quietly, alert for any indication the small female was coming up behind him. Several minutes later a hissing scream issued from up the trail and the bush down his back trail exploded to life. One of the large jZav'Etch soldiers burst into the open and called in a similar, though throatier, voice. The larger one was at the extreme edge of Liam's EP 12s. He couldn't risk a shot. If he missed it would alert the enemy to his location. Instead he used his scope to zoom in on the new arrival. As he had suspected it was a large male. It wore the standard issue fatigues of a jZav'Etch marine and carried one of their bizarre ferro-plas rifles. A very cold knot resolved itself in Liam's stomach. He was way out gunned and outnumbered and now his enemies were positioned in such a way that they could close in on him from separate angles.

Suddenly there was another flurry of hissing calls between the two hunters and the large one turned and sprinted back the way he had come. Were they giving up the chase? Or had they realized what Liam had done? He dare not risk an active sweep as it would pinpoint his position if they had their sensors running. It would be very like the jZav'Etch to send out a pair of hunters to frighten him into using his equipment while the third scanned the area for its signature. 

Liam swallowed in a dry mouth and took out his second pistol. He scooted back into the trunk of the tree to shield himself from passive sensors and braced his back against the rotting wood. With the pistol in his right hand pointing at the upper opening and the one in his left pointing at the lower, Liam was as prepared for an attack as he could be. If he left the shelter of the trunk now he would only give himself away. He listened for any sound that might tell him what the jZav'Etch hunters were up to. The forest had gone eerily quiet. He swallowed again and went through the mental exercise taught to all marines that would calm him. He slowed his heart rate and focused his attention on his surroundings. Everything became much more clear, and then from the tail of his eye he saw movement at the lower end of the trunk. 

Liam snap fired with the pistol in his left hand. Two shots tore fist-sized chunks of rotted wood from the inside of the dead tree, spraying a cloud of debris over the smaller jZav'Etch. He was already rolling to a new position when the large one dropped into the opening and lunged for him. Liam turned both pistols on the creature, but before he could squeeze off a round the brute slapped the weapons aside and slammed his fist into Liam's ribs. The armored breastplate absorbed the blow, but the force of it threw Liam for a tumbling roll down the inside of the trunk. He'd lost his pistols but came up in a fighting crouch and met the next charge bare handed. 

The jZav'Etch was fast and strong, but Liam had fought them like this before. He dug his boot clamps into the rotting wood and caught the creature about the waist. The cat rained blows down on Liam's armored head and shoulders. Liam locked his arms around the creature's waist and drove forward like a linebacker pushing a tackle dummy. The jZav'Etch went over and onto his back with Liam on top of him. The marine let go, reared up and slammed his fist into his enemy's muzzle. A howl of anger and pain blasted from the cat's lungs and he threw Liam off with a mighty sweep of his arm.

Liam rolled and again came up in a fighting crouch to meet the onrushing creature. Instead of catching the cat this time Liam used an ancient judo move and flung the jZav'Etch three meters up the trunk. He'd bought himself just enough time to draw his knife before the furious cat was on him again. It hadn't seen Liam draw the blade, though. Cool under pressure, the sergeant of marines took the first blow on his upraised arm and drove in under the attack. He was close enough to smell the feted breath and the musky stink of its glands. His knife was long and sharp and he buried it to the hilt in the warrior's side. 

Surprised by the shocking pain the jZav'Etch leapt back but Liam was on the attack now. Though not as strong as a jZav'Etch he was in excellent condition and remained unwounded. Liam drove a fist at his enemy's face and slashed his blade across the creature's belly, opening a deep wound. Again the creature howled in outrage and pain, but Liam wasn't going to let up. He drove forward again, slamming his armored forehead into the cat's muzzle. A hard stomp on what would have been the instep of a human foot forced the creature to stumble. It raked at Liam's face with its claws, drawing blood with a couple of talons. 

Startled by the pain Liam missed his next stroke and the jZav'Etch lashed out with a vicious kick, throwing Liam back several paces. When he looked up Liam saw the jZav'Etch retreating toward the opening, clutching his side. It was now or never and Liam reacted on instinct. 

He took four lumbering strides and tackled his enemy, riding him out of the opening and into the leafy cover on top of the giant log. He struck the jZav'Etch again and again with his knife until the cat lay still and quiet. Instantly Liam was on his feet. He glanced around for any sign of the smaller one before dashing back into the trunk to find his pistols. Through his lowlight screen he saw them laying a few meters from where he and his attacker had struggled. He was about to lean down to pick them up when movement at the lower end of the trunk caught his eye. Without thought he dove and rolled, snatching the nearest EP 12 as he did.

There was a thunderous blast of energy that tore a gouge four meters long from the rotted wood of the floor. It missed Liam by no more than a hand's breadth, but this was not Liam's first shootout. He raised his pistol and sighted on the small enemy. In that instant he saw something he had not expected. The little cat dropped the barrel of the huge rifle to the floor, raised her chin and stuck out her chest, defiantly inviting the shot that would end her life. Liam held his fire, strangely reluctant to kill her. He didn't move, waiting for his enemy to break the stillness. She remained in her pose. It was as if she had accepted her fate.

"Ka' chasck!" Liam shouted at her. It was the jZav'Etch command to surrender. He didn't know what the literal translation was, but it was a phrase taught to all marines along with a few others. The little cat lowered her chin and stared at him, eyes narrowed. He shouted again, "Ka' chasck!"

She cocked her head as if she were puzzled by this command. He repeated the words firmly and she seemed to finally understand. She dropped the rifle, which was obviously too heavy for her to use properly, took two steps into the trunk and took off her fatigue trousers and the odd shorts she wore under them. She tossed them closer to Liam and then turned around raising her hands above her head, her stumpy little tail twitching from side to side.

Liam eased up out of his kneeling position and side stepped to his other pistol, picking it up. He licked his lips, still holding his weapon on her. What the hell was she doing? He'd never seen one of the enemy take off their clothes when surrendering. Slowly he crept to her clothes watching as her tail continued its twitching rhythm. He saw her glance over her shoulder at him and then quickly turn away. Her tail continued twitching.

Liam gathered her fatigues and shorts with his left hand. He flattened them on the floor and quickly searched the pockets. There were a few small items he stuffed into a cargo pocket on his armor, but there was nothing like a weapon. One item caught his attention, an electronic book or pad of some kind, its screen blank. He would examine it more carefully later. For now he had to deal with this jZav'Etch and decide what to do with her. His best option was probably to kill her while he had the chance. Two to one odds were far better than three to one and he felt confident that the male he had just killed had been the most dangerous of the four. The other large one that had gone down when he'd fired earlier might even be dead. Probably it was wounded as he had not been aiming to kill.

Liam tossed the bundle of clothes next to the little cat and stepped closer to her. She made a rumbling noise that sounded nearly identical to that of a house cat, though a little deeper. Her tail's twitching increased in speed and her fingers seemed to tremble in anticipation. He felt sure she was nervous. Liam had never been taken prisoner, but it was easy to imagine the kind of uncertainty that would run through his mind.

Coming up behind her he tapped the back of her knee with his boot hard enough to force her to drop down. She made a surprised sound and shot a look over her shoulder. When he did the same to her other knee she repeated the sound and went to all fours, thrusting her rump into the air. The rumbling noise increased in volume and her tail rose, exposing her sex. Liam blinked. jZav'Etch anatomy was not something he had studied in depth so it was surprising to see how similar to human females this little cat was. She looked over her shoulder again, giving her head a roll that seemed suggestive. Her claws raked lightly into the rotted wood of the floor.

Liam moved in closer and ran his fingers through the fur on her sides, back and belly, just in case she had something hidden. While he did this she leaned her weight into his gloved hand as though she enjoyed the contact. The rumbling sound increased in volume. She was definitely purring! When he stood and stepped away she dropped to her elbows and hung her head down, further exposing her sex to him.

"That's enough of that," he told her firmly. "Put your clothes on."

The purring noise stopped abruptly and she looked questioningly at him. He kicked her fatigues closer to her. She looked at them and frowned then stuck her rump back into the air raising her tail again.

"Quit that," he snapped. "Put your damn clothes on."

She looked at him uncertainly then slowly rose to a kneeling position. Her tail twitched a couple more times. When he nudged the fatigues with his boot she seemed to understand. With a very girlish huff she spun around to a sitting position and glared at him, seemingly disappointed. When Liam didn't move she took her clothes, pulled on the shorts and glanced up at him resentfully one more time before pulling the trousers on. She shot him a final look before fastening them and then just sat there as if she were sulking.

"Qui'muowl," Liam ordered her to get up.

She blinked and after a long pause she stood facing him. 

"What now?" he wondered aloud. He couldn't have her free to cause trouble so from his pack he took a pair of straps normally used to secure loose gear and slipped them around her wrists, fastening them behind her back. As he did this she began to relax and her purring started up again. Was that a mischievous gleam in her eyes? What was she thinking? 

Wait. 

She. 

A female prisoner. And he had just captured her and ordered her to surrender. Had she been thinking they were going to have sex? Her body posture and reaction to his touch during his search of her strongly suggested that was exactly what she had expected. 

Liam shook his head, amazed. Sure she was a pretty little thing, but a jZav'Etch and a Human having sex? It wasn't... What? It wasn't right? It wasn't natural? He knew of other races that had sex with humans and nobody made a big deal of it. 

Those thoughts stirred something in his loins and he smirked. It had been too many months since his last shore leave and he sure could use a quickie. Inwardly he mocked himself. This was a jZav'Etch, even if she was a small one. More than likely she would wait until he was really getting into the act and then tear his throat out. Besides, she was a jZav'Etch. It would be like... Like what? He stopped himself. There was no time for philosophic conjecture. He had a job to do if he were going to stay alive. 

Liam stepped away from the cat, lifted the alien weapon from the ground and holstered his pistol. The jZav'Etch rifle was larger than the equivalent marine weapon, but it fit his grip well. He knew these weapons as thoroughly as he knew anything in the CP inventory. Marines were trained to handle enemy equipment in case they had to resort to using it. He thumbed the safety on then gestured with the barrel indicating the cat should start walking. She frowned at him again, sighed and moved in the direction he'd indicated.

"Do you understand English?" he asked in a low voice.

"I... Learning," she said in a rippling accent. "Words. Few sentences."

"How many of your crew survived the crash?" he asked.

"Crash?" she asked, not understanding the word.

"How many jZav'Etch are on this planet?"

"Three," she said. Then thoughtfully asked, "You take me?"

"I am," he confirmed with a nod.

"Two jZav'Etch," she ammended.

"What?"

"Two Human," she replied. "Two jZav'Etch."

"You just said there were three jZav'Etch," he said confused and wondering if there was another survivor from the transports or perhaps it was one of the fighter pilots. He realized he was having a harder time making sense of things because his bell was still ringing from the beating the big male had given him.

"You take me," she said. "Two Human. Two jZav'Etch. You take me."

Holy shit. She thought he had claimed her or something. Did she really think she was now Human? Was that the way their minds worked? Or more accurately, was that how their culture worked? He put that aside for the moment.

"There are two with your ship?" he asked.

"Two," she said with a firm little nod.

"Wounded?" he asked.

She looked at him, puzzled.

"Injured?" he tried again. "I shot one of the large ones earlier when you were tracking me."

"Shot?" she said softly.

"With my weapon," he said patting his pistol. "I fired four rounds at the two large soldiers that were trying to close me in."

"Shot!" she said with a firm nod. "One shot."

She turned sideways in front of him and hopped on her right leg shaking her left limply.

"Shot," she said again.

"I hit him in the left leg?" Liam asked. That was good news but not as good as he had hoped.

"Him no," she said. "Him killed. Him at tree. Him killed."

"Him?" Liam breathed, trying to understand. "I killed the male at the tree. The one I shot is female?"

"Male? Female?" She shook her head.

"You are female," he said gesturing at her.

"Female?" she asked. "You female?"

"No," Liam said with a smirk.

"You him?" she asked more puzzled.

"Him is male," he said. "I am male."

She spun and glared at him. He raised the rifle but she ignored it.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Why what?"

"Ka' chasck!" she spat. "Male? Ka' chasck. Take now? You take me?"

"You're my prisoner," he said, not lowering the weapon.

"You male," she said. "Male take!"

With that she dropped to her knees and struggled to get her trousers open with her bound hands. She began forcing them down with the clasps and seals still fastened and it looked like she meant it. Liam smacked her lightly with the back of his hand to get her attention. She looked up startled.

"Stand up," he ordered. "On your feet. We're going to see about the other two."

"No!" she insisted. "You take! Male, take me! Male, take!"

"Not now!" he growled and hauled her up with one hand. She couldn't weigh more than forty kilos. She glowered at him, her eyes turning a deeper shade of grey like a gathering thunder cloud. He warned her, "Get moving or I'll bind your legs and leave you here."

"Male?" she asked softly, her eyes flickering with confusion. "No take?"

He spun her around more confused than he had been. It must be a cultural thing when female jZav'Etch surrendered. Maybe he would have to fuck her just to shut her up. Time to figure that out later. His head was starting to hurt and he really needed to deal with the other cats before it got dark. With one wounded and the other in unknown condition he had the advantage and he wasn't giving that up for a fling with a fuzzy strumpet.

It wasn't long before they found the place where Liam had shot the female soldier. A large spray of blood had attracted a cloud of some kind of winged bug and he steered clear of them. For all he knew they were dangerous to Humans and jZav'Etch alike. He had no trouble tracking the wounded soldier's progress back to the site of the crash. Apparently she had tried to stay on her feet for a short distance but had fallen and crawled from there.

He briefly looked over the enemy ship, noting its size and general construction. It strongly resemble one of the enemy's bombers with a large hump on its dorsal side. What looked like sensor pods were secured on the stern section in six nacelles, one of which was crushed beneath the fuselage and anther appeared to be completely missing except for a stump. Probably torn off during the crash and smashed into unrecognizable junk in the debris field.

"A survey ship?" Liam asked his prisoner.

"Ship," she nodded, recognizing one word at least. "jZav'Etch look at planets."

"A scout ship," he said with a nod. "How many crew?"

"Crew?" she asked, not understanding.

"How many jZav'Etch were on the ship?" he rephrased, speaking more slowly.

She started to reply and then screwed up her face in a frown. "Twe... Six and six?"

"Six and six?" he asked. Then guessed, "Twelve?"

"Twelve!" she said and smiled. "Twelve. Four after. One shot after. You shot one. Now two shot."

It didn't take much figuring to understand that she meant one had been injured during the crash and then he had wounded one when they had tried to capture him.

"Are they in the ship?" he asked pointing. "jZav'Etch there?"

She shook her head and looked to the right of the crash. That was the direction the wounded soldier seemed to have crawled. He gestured with the rifle and she set out ahead of him down the broken trail. They came to a narrow open space in the forest and she paused, kneeling behind a fallen log. Liam knelt next to her.

"There," she said.

In the shadow of a large tree was a sort of lean-to. Liam used his scope to zoom in and inspect the structure. There were two figures inside. One lay on the ground while the other seemed to be wrapping a bandage around her leg.

"What weapons do they have?" he asked indicating the rifle in his hands, knowing she could lie to him easily enough.

"Three qui'istle," she said nodding at the rifle. "Five deq'istle."

He considered his options. From this range the rifle could probably kill both of them with one shot. Again, though, his conscience pricked at him. Shooting injured enemies from concealment was not to his liking. It went strongly against his grain. It also bothered him that he might be stuck on this world alone for months or even years. Of course they might turn on him and then he would be dead. Or it might be a jZav'Etch ship that arrived first. In which case he would become their prisoner and he had no idea how the enemy would treat him. Nevertheless, he decided to give them a chance to surrender. 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 02



"You go up there and stop when you can call to them," he told his prisoner. "Tell them to throw their weapons out where I can see them and then they come out with their hands raised above their heads. I'll take them prisoner. If they resist, I'll kill you all. Understand?"

"You take them?" she asked uncertainly. "You take me. Male, take me. Take now?"

"If they surrender, I'll take you all," he told her, hoping she understood his meaning.

"All?" she said sounding impressed. "Male strong?"

"Strong enough," he growled. "Do you understand?"

"They no fight," she said. "You take all."

"That's right," he confirmed. "They no fight. I take all. Now go."

As the little cat moved towards the lean-to Liam rested the rifle across the log and sighted down its barrel. He would nail the ones in the shelter first and if the little one made any hostile moves he would shoot her as well.

When his prisoner got close enough to call to the wounded jZav'Etch she stopped and screeched something at them. The one that was laying down rose to an elbow and the one that had been tending to her leg pulled herself up, leaning heavily on one of the lean-to's poles. She called back to his prisoner and they exchanged several sentences before the injured jZav'Etch turned back to the soldier, apparently discussing something.

Liam switched the safety off, ready to blow them to hell and gone if he had to.

Finally the injured jZav'Etch called back to the little one and after a moment he saw the rifles and the pistols get tossed out of the shelter. The little one hopped up and down excitedly and turned to shout back to Liam. He didn't understand her words, but it sounded as if she were happy.

Cautiously, Liam rose from behind the log and edged towards the shelter. He did an active sensor sweep, finding that there were only three jZav'Etch in the area. He noted there were other large animal signatures nearby, but none seemed to be coming his way. The crash had likely disrupted the local wildlife enough to drive them off for days.

When he got to where the little cat was still standing he saw her face split into a pleased grin.

"Take now?" she asked.

"Later," he grumbled and pushed her ahead of him towards the lean-to. Under her trousers he could see her short tail twitching again and she had changed the way she walked, somehow making it more of a suggestive strut.

"You are the one who killed Am'a'all?" asked the injured jZav'Etch, still leaning against the pole. She spoke in near flawless English.

"If that was the name of the marine who came after me, yes," Liam told her, holding his weapon at the ready.

"I am M'pel E'kmel," she said. "You would call me a commander. I was in charge of the flight."

"I'm Sergeant Liam Carter," he replied. "I don't know the equivalent rank among your people."

"A sergeant?" she said, obviously dismayed. "A sergeant killed Am'a'all? Truly remarkable."

"It was a tough fight," Liam admitted. No harm in telling them the truth. Am'a'all had gone down hard and there was no shame in that.

"This one says you will take us," Commander M'pel E'kmel said, amusement suddenly twinkling in her eyes. "I think she may have misunderstood your intention."

"I think she has, too."

"She told me you said 'Ka' chasck' before taking her prisoner."

"That's what we were told to say if we were going to take prisoners."

"I see," the commander smirked. "Your pronunciation is off. Badly off."

"I don't know much of your language," he admitted.

"Ka' chasck means you claimed her," Commander M'pel E'kmel said with an easy smile. "It is a male's right to attempt to do so during war. If the female does not wish it she will continue to fight. This young one seems to have been impressed with you."

"Even though I'm a human?" he asked puzzled.

"As far as she is concerned, she is human now as well," Commander M'pel E'kmel said.

"What?" he asked.

From within the lean-to the other jZav'Etch asked something.

"Tem'Ma'tel wishes to know if you will allow her to recover before you take her," Commander M'pel E'kmel said, her smile sly. She was enjoying some joke Liam did not fully understand.

"I think I've had enough of your smirking, Commander," he said and raised the muzzle of the rifle to point at her belly.

"Forgive me, Sergeant," she replied instantly and dropped her head in a bow. "I was injured in the crash. I am on pain suppressors and not myself. Shall I explain?"

"Go on," he said evenly.

"Ka' chasck is very similar to Ka' a Chisq," she said, not looking up. "Ka' a Chisq means you are taking a military prisoner. One who will be treated as a soldier and imprisoned until the end of hostilities. It is not dishonorable for a soldier to accept such an offer. Ka' chask is as I explained. A male may attempt to claim a female in combat if he has the advantage. If the female accepts, she mates with him and becomes a member of his family. In your case, Klat' eil' Da is now a member of the Human clan as well as your mate. I believe she is very flattered you chose her. She saw you kill a powerful warrior, a captain among my people. She is small, even for one of her kind. She could not expect many interested mates. Few of those would have been acceptable to her family. But you are large and have proven yourself in combat. You would be very impressive to have as her mate."

"So she," he paused before he said something else stupid.

"She said you would not mate with her before coming here," Commander M'pel E'kmel said. "I told her you were wise to complete your mission and she forgives the insult."

"And what about the two of you?" Liam asked indicating the other jZav'Etch with a nod.

"I know more of your culture than either of them," she said. "Tem'Ma'tel would not accept being held prisoner in this situation. We outnumber you. She would try to kill you if you decide to not take her. I will not attempt to do so. It is better to have four to hunt and gather than three. I will not require you to take me."

"Commander," Liam said uncomfortably. "Even if I wanted to, I don't know if it's possible for me to do that with your kind."

She stifled a snicker and then went quiet, catching her breath. Finally she looked up and said, "It is possible. I know several females who have taken Humans as their bond servants. There are not many males who have taken Humans, though. I know of none that have taken them for that purpose."

Liam blinked at the revelation. He should just kill all three and be done with it, but now that they were his prisoners he was obligated to see to their safety. This was turning into a bigger mess than he had ever imagined. Wouldn't it have been better if he hadn't landed on this island? Or even if the male had simply killed him? What was he going to do with the three of them? This was a lousy place to stay even for one night. It looked as though the lean-to had been cobbled together only hours ago. Was it even finished yet?

"What will you do with us?" asked the commander.

"How badly injured are you?" he asked.

"I twisted my knee, several pulled muscles and many bruises," she replied. "Nothing that will not heal in time."

"And what about her?" he asked indicating Tem'Ma'tel.

"A clean wound," M'pel E'kmel replied. "I believe your doctors would call it a 'through and through'. Very painful. Much blood loss. She is strong, though and will likely be up in a week. I have done the best I can for her, but I am no medic."

"Alright, Commander," Liam said. "Go to the back of the shelter and sit facing the entrance. Take... uh... Klat' eil' Da with you. Tell Tem'... Tem'Ma'tel that I am going to have a look at her wound. I won't harm her further as long as she doesn't try anything."

The jZav'Etch followed his instructions. Tem'Ma'tel, having agreed to his inspection of her wound, watched Liam carefully as he knelt beside her and took out his medical kit. The seal on the leg of her trousers was opened from her ankle to her thigh exposing the odd combination of human and feline anatomy he had expected. What he hadn't expected was how human it actually looked. He'd seen dancers with less shapely legs.

Liam opened his medical scanner and passed it slowly over her wound. Commander M'pel E'kmel had been correct. It was a clean wound. The four millimeter slug had not struck bone and had not tumbled upon entry. The EP 12 had been set to defeat armor and there had been nothing to sufficiently resist the projectile. The entry and exit wounds were virtually the same size. The scanner suggested an antibacterial injection and a dose of pain killers in addition to what had already been done. Liam took a hypogun from his kit and was about to administer the injection when Tem'Ma'tel snatched his wrist in her six fingered hand and held it firmly. She frowned meeting his eyes unblinkingly.

"Medicine," Liam said but not in a threatening manner. He couldn't help but notice how striking the jZav'Etch soldier was. She had silky short fur and fiery golden eyes like none he had ever seen. Though not human looking, her face did not look precisely like that of a cat, of course. jZav'Etch were not related to cats, coming from a different planet than Earth. 

Very slowly she released his wrist and allowed him to inject the medicine. He produced two pills and opened his canteen. Miming opening his mouth, putting the pills in and drinking water he offered them to her. She frowned at him. He opened his mouth and pointed at her. Still frowning she opened her mouth, exposing the sizable teeth of her kind. Careful to not startle her, Liam placed the pills on her tongue and then handed her the canteen. She reluctantly swallowed the pills then handed the water back to him.

"She can't walk on this," he observed.

"No," replied Commander M'pel E'kmel.

"And you can't go far in your condition, either."

"I cannot," she said.

"And this is a shitty place to make camp," he observed and stood. "And my place is no better if I have to bring the three of you with me. I don't suppose we could shelter in your ship?"

"The power core is exposed. Radiation flooded the whole thing. We barely got out in time," Commander M'pel E'kmel told him. "These few things you see here are all we were able to salvage. What will you do?" 

In answer he took his pack off and removed a cloth tube. From this he produced a folded stretcher. He snapped the frame out and made sure the joints were set before laying it on the ground next to Tem'Ma'tel.

"Klat' eil' Da," he said and waved the small cat to him. She got up and stepped over. Liam turned her around and opened the fastenings of the cargo straps, letting her hands loose. She said something and M'pel E'kmel chuckled.

"What was that?" Liam asked.

"She said you could leave them on if you prefer her like that," the commander chuckled again, the pain medication still having its effect. "She is quite young and mischievous, even for her people. She is still waiting for you to seal the compact."

"She is going to be waiting a long time," Liam grumbled. "Tell her that she and I are going to lift you two on this stretcher. Tell Tem'Ma'tel to climb on and then you come over here and join her."

"You don't really think the two of you are strong enough to lift both of us at the same time?" the commander demanded suppressing her mirth.

"You'd be surprised at what we can do with the right motivation."

When Liam did not elaborate, Commander M'pel E'kmel crawled across the floor and sat on the stretcher, then told Tem'Ma'tel to do likewise. The soldier moved painfully into position so that the pair of them sat back to back with their feet pointing at opposite ends. Liam touched a button on the corner of the stretcher and it lifted a dozen centimeters off the ground. Anti-grav impulsers had been in broad use in the CP for several generations and the stretcher was among the most practical applications.

"Impressive," said M'pel E'kmel and chuckled for no reason.

"It's designed to carry a marine in full battle kit across most terrain," Liam told her. "The two of you together aren't much heavier. If we were in different country I'd just have Klat' eil Da pull you with a rope, but there are too many logs and rocks to get over. She'd dump you off for sure."

"And how will the difference in your heights affect the journey to wherever we are going?" asked Mpel E'kmel.

"When we start going uphill, I'll stay downslope from her." 

Liam motioned for the small cat to lift her end while he lifted his. When Klat' eil' Da held the stretcher at waist height he looped one of the cargo straps through the corners of the stretcher and adjusted his grip until the stretcher was level.

"Tell her we're going back to the place she and the male found me," Liam said. "It's easier to defend than this place and should give pretty good shelter if there is a storm or something."

"And the equipment we leave here?" the commander asked.

"We'll come back for it later, unless you have rations or water," he replied. "We can take those now."

After loading a small pack of food and two jugs of water on the stretcher they set out. Liam walked in the rear with the rifle over his shoulder. He was more worried about encountering more predators like the ones he'd seen near his pod than he was about keeping an eye on his prisoners. For the moment, he reckoned, they needed him enough to keep them from killing him. Like it or not, they were all in the same boat.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 03



Author's Note: This is the third installment of what I believe will be a novella length story. As I have said in previous notes, this is a story with plot and character development. If you are looking for a quick fix, I suggest looking elsewhere. 

In this chapter, Sergeant Liam Carter is faced with new challenges after his decisions in chapter two. Chief among them is what he will do about the predicament he unwittingly created when taking the three jZav'Etch prisoner. 

***** 

It was a struggle to get the stretcher to the hollow old tree and the struggle was not complete until Liam and Klat' eil' Da muscled it up to about the middle of the trunk. Once they were where Liam wanted it, they lowered the stretcher to the floor and powered off its impulsers. He took one of his pistols from its holster and held it out to Tem'Ma'tel. 

"Take this," he said when she only looked at him. "There are dangerous animals around and I need to take Klat' eil' Da with me to do a little work." 

M'pel E'kmel translated what he said. The two jZav'Etch exchanged an uncertain look before Tem'Ma'tel accepted the weapon with a bow of her head. If she was going to shoot him, Liam figured it would be as soon as she had the gun in her hand so he waited a couple of heartbeats before reaching out and switching the safety off. She frowned then smiled very slightly, acknowledging the test with good grace. 

"Klat' eil' Da," he said, rising and waved her to follow him. She did with a spring in her step. 

"Take now?" she asked happily. 

"Work," he said simply. 

She huffed out a breath and stumped along behind him. From up the tunnel he heard M'pel E'kmel laugh and say something to Tem'Ma'tel. Liam frowned, feeling he was the butt of a joke he didn't understand. 

Outside he located several bushes that would suit his needs and began chopping their branches off with clean swipes of his knife. He bundled them together and turned to Klat' eil' Da. 

"I am going to take these inside," he said slowly and tried to gesture in a way that would communicate his intent. 

"Take?" she asked eagerly and began to unfasten her fatigues. 

"No!" he snapped, closing his eyes. "Work. These. Inside. You use this knife to cut more." 

She frowned unhappily and accepted the knife. 

"More?" she asked. 

"More," he said. He indicated his eyes with two fingers and then turned them out to the forest. "Be careful. Watch for animals." 

"I smell," she said confidently. "Take later?" 

"Work," he said and stomped off with the branches before she could ask again. 

Inside he handed off the task of making sleeping mats to the two wounded jZav'Etch. They quickly understood his intention and set to work. 

"Commander," he said before going. "Is there a shorter version of your names I could use instead of saying the full things whenever I talk to you?" 

"A shorter version?" she mused. 

"For instance," he said. "My name is Liam Carter, but normally my friends and family just call me Liam. Other sergeants normally call me Carter. Other ranks call me Sergeant. Is there any way I could shorten your names without, you know, insulting or offending anyone?" 

"I understand," she said and considered. "If you take us, you may give us whatever names you please. Klat' eil' Da would likely accept any name you bestow on her now." 

"Commander, I don't know that I can even bring myself to do that," he said tiredly. 

"In the case of Tem'Ma'tel, Sergeant, you don't have much choice," she said seriously. "You must attempt Ka' chasck with her. You must make the demand. She will attempt to kill you as soon as she is healed if you do not." 

Liam glanced at Tem'Ma'tel. She had stopped work on the beds and was eyeing him suspiciously. Clearly she'd heard her name and the word Ka' chasck. Or was that a phrase? It didn't matter. Tem'Ma'tel did not look relaxed. She was anticipating something. She was tensed, as if readying for action. Liam looked away before his gaze could be interpreted as a threat. 

"And will you kill me, Commander?" he asked evenly. 

She smiled up at him speculatively, drawing out the moment. Was the atmosphere in the tree getting thick or was that just the tension on his nerves. 

"Poor form to inquire before making the demand," she said finally and smiled more broadly, her smoke colored eyes narrowing with amusement. "However, I do not find you objectionable. To learn more you will need to make the demand." 

"Wonderful," Liam grumbled, sounding not at all pleased. 

"You should also know," she went on, suddenly serious. "Klat' eil' Da may choose to kill you if you continue to put off the event. She has already forgiven you for your earlier insult, but that may not remain the case for much longer." 

Liam blinked at her. He turned away shaking his head. His world had gone insane! Insane! And yet... And yet, it could be much worse. Klat' eil' Da was strangely attractive. He had never really considered aliens in that way. Well, except for that one Vespan on Tempest he'd been interested in until he found out it was a male. That had been a long time ago, though, and Vespans, in general, were considered unusually attractive by Humans. There was almost no outward difference in the males and the females or the third sex of their kind, and it was often the case that Humans began relationships without knowing the Vespan's gender until they were in bed together. Rumor had it that no matter which you slept with, the experience was worth any embarrassment that might later arise. 

jZav'Etch were nothing like Vespans, but if he were honest with himself, Liam had to admit he found them attractive. Tem'Ma'tel's eyes were striking, almost to the point of being hypnotic. M'pel E'kmel seemed always ready to laugh or at the very least to be amused and he liked a girl with a sense of humor. Both had very feminine and shapely bodies under their fatigues, from what he could see. Tem'Ma'tel was more muscular while M'pel E'kmel had larger... 

"What the fuck are you thinking?" he demanded of himself angrily, coming to a stop at the lower opening. 

His mind was awhirl with mixed emotions. He wanted to live through the night and he wanted to live long enough to be rescued. And he did not want to live alone for all that time. That would probably make him nuts and he'd have to spend years in a mental ward if he ever got off this planet. But having sex with not one but three aliens? That was not something he had ever even considered. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath of pleasantly cool air. It was laden with strange scents he had not noticed before and he grew more calm, his muscles relaxing. 

Opening his eyes, Liam looked over to where Klat' eil' Da was continuing to cut branches. He noticed the shape of her hips under her fatigues and he noticed the sway of her small breasts, hardly concealed by her fur. She really had nice hips and her rump was appealingly round and firm, both features accented by the slimness of her waist. He thought back to the image of her standing naked and waiting and then he remembered how she had knelt, ready to accept him. Aside from the fur she was kind of sexy, really. 

And he caught himself again. He shook his head and looked at her seriously for a long minute, absently enjoying the scents on the air. It passed through his mind that she wouldn't look right without the fur. She was sexier with fur than most of the human women he had met in the last year or so. He looked over his shoulder at the two injured jZav'Etch as they sorted the branches and stretched to lay them over the floor of the tree trunk, their fatigues smoothing out over their taut bodies. Liam decided they wouldn't look right without fur, either. 

"Oh for fuck's sake!" he spat softly. He couldn't believe where his mind was going and he was irritated that he'd begun to get an erection. There was work to be finished before it got dark, for crying out loud! 

He stomped over to where the little cat was working and gathered up the branches she'd cut. She smiled up at him as he packed them tighter under his arm and he rather unexpectedly smiled down at her. He didn't even realize it until he was starting into the hollow again. 

An hour later and the beds had been made. Liam thought they looked more like nests, but the three jZav'Etch seemed fairly pleased with them. He lay down in his experimentally and decided it would do, though he didn't at first understand why it was nearly twice the size of the other three. He frowned when the reason dawned on him. 

"Commander," he said, getting to his feet having remembered something important. There was no other reason for him to get out of the nest. No other reason at all. "Is there some ceremony for your dead?" 

"There are rites, yes," she said. 

"I think it best if we perform those rites and get... I'm afraid I can't remember the name of the captain," he said a little uncomfortably. "There are large predators out there in the forest and if they haven't smelled him yet, I'm sure they soon will." 

"I see," she said a little down cast. "You're correct, of course. He died in battle. The proper thing is to burn him. Do you think that would be safe?" 

"There's a clearing about a hundred meters from here," Liam told her. "It isn't big, but there is a large stone, almost like a table. We could build a pyre on that. It will take time to collect the wood." 

"That would be the best," she said. "Forgive me. I did not think you would observe rites such as these for one of our people." 

"Normally it would be somebody else's job," Liam admitted. "Here there's only me and you. It's my duty to see to the needs of my prisoners, within reason." 

Even using the stretcher to gather the wood and move the captain's body, it took a couple of hours to complete the task. The sun was sitting at high noon by the time Liam and Klat' Eil' Da laid the fallen jZav'Etch on his pyre. The little cat said several prayers over the dead soldier and made a number of reverent gestures. Finally, she cast fragrant leaves over his face and then went to his big hands and pressed the pads of each of his fingers until the long claws extended. She lay them at his sides and then looked to Liam with a nod. 

Liam lifted the fero-plas rifle and sent a bolt into the kindling at the heart of the stacked wood. The fuel ignited almost instantly, fire spreading in jumps from one log to another. When it was well alight he stood to attention and gave a proper military salute. The captain had been one bad motherfucker who had simply lost the fight. No shame in that. 

When the two returned to the hollow tree they found both injured jZav'Etch asleep. Liam checked his chronometer and discovered that it was nearly 1800 hours. It was getting late in the day for him and the sun had not even begun to descend the sky yet. How long, he wondered, are the days on this world? 

He moved to his nest and settled down, tired from all his exertions. He drank from his canteen and was about to get out his ration pack when Klat' eil' Da settled in front of him, her movement causing the scent laden air to stir. 

"Tired?" she asked simply. 

"Yes," he said, glad she hadn't asked him to take her again. 

"Food?" she asked. 

"Here," he said, thinking she was asking for some. He fished an extra packet out of his musette bag and offered it to her. She smiled but pushed it back to him with a shake of her head. Then she produced a pack of her own. 

"Oh," he sighed and smiled at her. "You eat yours. I eat mine." 

Again she shook her head then tore the packet open. Whatever the ration was it smelled interesting. He eyed her as she stuck a two-pronged fork into the contents and came out with a lump of something covered in a dark purple sauce. She turned the fork to him, smiling. Liam hesitantly opened his mouth and she put the food in with great care. 

Holy shit! Talk about good! The food was savory like nothing he'd ever eaten. The flavors were too many to count just from a single bite. It reminded him of Texas barbeque and Planetia stir-fry mixed with his mom's old fashioned lasagna. Amazing!  

After he swallowed he looked down on Klat' eil' Da and saw her grinning her cat grin, obviously pleased with his reaction to the food. Her eyes dropped to his ration packet and she looked up at him expectantly. He gave her a wry look and then opened the packet. Chicken in white sauce was not his favorite, but it was actually edible. Of course it was all synthetic paste with flavorings added, but it was all he had. 

"I don't know if you'll like this," he said and scooped a spoonful of it out. He held it up so she could see it and give it a sniff, but she didn't hesitate. She engulfed the so called food and slurped it off the spoon happily. "Like it, eh?" 

Klat' eil' Da rolled the cold meat substitute and gravy around her mouth for several seconds before swallowing. She jammed her fork into her meal again and presented another lump of purple covered whatever it was. Liam chuckled and took it. Why not? She seemed happy enough to share and he was certainly hungry. They continued to feed each other until the meal packs were empty and then they shared his canteen. After that Klat' eil' Da edged closer to him until her head rested on his shoulder. He was feeling so relaxed that he didn't even notice until she began to purr. He frowned and looked down on the top of her head. 

"You don't know what you just did, do you, Sergeant?" asked Commander M'pel E'kmel from her nest. She sounded amused. 

"We ate," he said softly. "And we had some water." 

"That's funny," she said. "From here it looked like you accepted food from her and she accepted food from you." 

"Um... Yeah," he said, suddenly uneasy. "So?" 

"It's complicated," the commander said with a smile. "In simple terms, well, the two of you just went through a trust ritual. That's why she was so happy you liked the food and took it without much in the way of hesitation. The implement she used to feed you was sharp. She could have killed you with it and yet you trusted her not to. She accepted your food even though it doesn't smell particularly good, which is a sign that she accepts you even if you can't provide the best all of the time. I don't think I will be sampling any of that, by the way. You also used a blunt implement which could not kill her unless you jammed it down her throat or something. That demonstrated to her that you have no wish to bring her harm." 

"Okay," Liam said, trying to see where he had just landed himself. "So what does all that mean?" 

"It means, Sergeant, that you are accepting her into your family." 

"That doesn't sound too bad," he said brightening. 

"Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said chidingly. "I think you had better decide to either take her or kill her. If you don't do one or the other by the time the sun rises tomorrow morning she will certainly avenge the insult you offer by the time it goes down tomorrow evening." 

As the jZav'Etch commander lay back down in her nest Liam could only stare at the alien clutching at his breastplate. He could not stay on his guard forever. What the hell was he supposed to do? 

Sitting there in that warm wooden cave, Liam pondered his strange situation. Could he really have allowed himself to be so stupid? Of course there had been more to the meal than the simple act of eating. She had insisted on feeding him, for crying out loud! And now here she was curled up on his lap purring like a contented kitten, albeit a kitten that weighed almost half as much as he did. 

Could he really have sex with her? It was better than having her kill him, wasn't it? And he sure as hell was not going to put a gun to her head and pull the trigger. That was out of the question at this point. It wasn't going to happen. He couldn't do that. Not in a million years. But sex? With her? A jZav'Etch? 

From her nest across the tree Tem'Ma'tel lifted her head and blinked sleepily around before her gaze settled on him. She looked at the little jZav'Etch snuggled in close to him and purring. Tem'Ma'tel looked him in the eyes and gave a very slow nod then lifted herself gingerly from the nest and, taking the EP 12 he'd given her, she crawled to the upper opening and gazed out as if on guard. Commander M'pel E'kmel rose a moment later and took the long jZav'Etch rifle from where Liam had leaned it against the wall. He watched as she painfully limped to the lower opening, using the rifle as a crutch and also gazed out at the forest. They were giving him privacy. 

Klat' eil' Da stirred in his arms and purred softly as she felt over his armor. He heard a clasp open and she looked up into his eyes. 

"Take now?" she asked softly and continued to purr. 

With a sigh Liam made up his mind. 

"Take now," he said resignedly and hoped he could. 

With her help Liam got out of his armor. He removed the helmet and collar. She ran a finger softly over the deep cuts on his cheek where he had been injured during his fight with the male then licked them until they were clean. The breastplate came away, followed by the arms. He sat there with only his undershirt and leg armor on. Klat' eil' Da blinked at him and smiled. She reached out and pulled the hem of his shirt up, dragging it over his head. More snaps, seals and buckles gave way under her light touch and soon he was naked. She narrowed her eyes at his manhood and looked up uncertainly. 

"What?" he asked. He looked down and saw that in spite of his initial misgivings, he was erect. "Something wrong?" 

Klat' eil' Da looked back and forth between the two jZav'Etch sitting watch and seemed to hesitate. Finally, she rose and darted down to M'pel E'kmel. They spoke in rushed whispers for several moments before they both looked at him. The commander's eyes narrowed and she turned back to whisper something intently to the younger cat. Klat' eil' Da nodded and made a gesture with her hands. M'pel E'kmel put her hand to her mouth and gave Liam a long, appraising look. 

"Now what the hell is all that about?" he murmured out loud. 

He glanced up to where Tem'Ma'tel sat and found her staring wide eyed at him. She became aware he was looking at her and quickly turned back to look out at the forest, but her ears were twitching and her tail swished and flicked. Liam looked back to where his prospective date for the evening was still exchanging words with her officer and couldn't help but imagine all manner of bad end results. 

Now that he was out of his armor would they spring on him and tear him to pieces? Or would it be something worse than that? Had this all been some sort of ruse to put him in their power? He was armed, but he had targets to both sides and if he turned his weapon in one direction the shooter at the other end of the tree would have a clear target. What was he going to do? 

Suddenly there was a flurry of hisses, chirps and clucks from the pair of females. M'pel E'kmel said a few words in English and Klat' eil' Da repeated them, but Liam couldn't make out what those words were. The small cat said the phrase again and then somewhat reluctantly returned to him. 

"What was that about?" he asked when she got back to him. 

"Apologies," she said, pronouncing the word carefully and knelt in front of him in the nest. 

"What's going on?" he asked in a strained whisper. 

She swallowed and seemed to brace herself. 

"Big," she said and pointed to his groin. 

Liam blinked and looked down. Big? Well, not really. 

"jZav'Etch not like you," she said slowly. "Long. jZav'Etch long. Not like you. You big." 

He shook his head, not understanding. 

"You big," she said again and made a circle with the index finger and thumbs of one hand. "Big. Understand?" 

"Oh!" he almost chuckled at that. Of course there were anatomical differences between the species. That made perfect sense. There were plenty of similarities, which explained why the two races were competing for the same planets, but they had many differences and it seemed genitalia were one of them. 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 03



"Be care to not hurt me," Klat' eil' Da said slowly and carefully. That must have been the phrase M'pel E'kmel had told her to say. "Big. You not hurt me." 

"I will be careful," he said and felt himself grow stiff once more. 

The whole situation was ridiculous. He hadn't even wanted to do this and now found himself reassuring the persistent little monster that he wouldn't hurt her when they finally got to doing what he didn't want to do. 

She smiled and looked very relieved. For a moment more she just sat there as if still uncertain what to do. Finally, she shook herself out of it and opened the clasp on the back of her trousers. Liam intuited that he was supposed to help her undress the same way she had helped him, so he reached out and undid the snap on the front of her trousers then gently pulled them down her legs. Klat' eil' Da smiled happily as her feet slid clear of the garment and she shucked out of her shorts without help.  

Both were now naked and in as much privacy as they were likely to get for some time. The little cat edged closer to him and put her muzzle next to his ear, sending out a sub-audible purr that stirred the hair on his neck. She touched his waist and he placed an uncertain hand on her hip. Her purring increased and he slid his hand down to her rump. Again her purring increased. It was stranger than strange, but he was actually beginning to enjoy himself. In a way it reminded him of his first time with a girl he thought he had loved back in high school. Everything was so new and he was so nervous, not knowing what to do exactly. 

Liam's instinct kicked in and he turned his face to her neck and kissed her there. She stiffened briefly, but her purring never faltered. Liam kissed her again and this time she turned her mouth to his neck and pressed her lips softly to his flesh. Liam slid his left hand up her side to her small breast. Under the silky fur there he found her nipple and gently squeezed. She drew back startled and wide-eyed, but her purr was suddenly very loud in the quiet of the hollow tree. She smiled and surged into his arms, opening her mouth and taking hold of the side of his neck with her sharp teeth. He was afraid for several seconds that she would bite him in earnest, but she only pinched the skin. Her short legs scooted her forward into his lap so that she straddled his hips, his member pressing into her belly. 

Liam's need was increasing and he forgot all about how alien his lover was. It no longer mattered that she was a creature from an enemy nation. What mattered was that he had been afraid for days and without the touch of another being for months longer. His soul cried out for the reassurance of another heart beating next to his and arms to enfold him in a gentle embrace. 

Liam pulled her head back and very softly he placed his lips on hers. She didn't know what to do at first, but as he continued the contact she gradually returned the pressure until they both kissed. She seemed very pleased with that and when he broke away to take a breath she followed almost instantly and they kissed again. 

Klat' eil' Da pressed her body forward until her nipples touched the bare flesh of Liam's chest, soft points under softer fur. She felt him slide his hands down to her rump, cupping both firm cheeks. She rose a little, letting him get a feel of her and enjoying the exploring he was doing. It was nice. Much nicer than her mother had describe males being. jZav'Etch males were often rough in mating and took their own pleasure before allowing the female to take hers. It was not always the case, but from what she had heard it seemed to be the most common. This Human was very pleasantly different. She was only worried about one thing, though he had promised not to hurt her. She could feel it warm against her belly as they cuddled and nipped. She decided to test it and see just what his reaction would be. 

Liam felt her shift her hips so that her sex rubbed the base of his shaft. She seemed hesitant and yet something about her movements told him she was curious. He pulled her in tighter against his hips and let her grind herself on him. It felt wonderful and she seemed to like it very much. She nipped his neck again and then came up for another kiss which she held longer than he expected. All the while her hips slowly gyrated against him and he felt her wetness spread. 

Klat' eil' Da thought she must be in paradise. This was wonderful! And it was decadent! Wickedly decadent. Her mother would never approve and that made the mating all the more pleasurable for her. She wanted to grind harder against his stiffness, but suddenly he was lifting her from his lap and laying her on her back. On her back? What strange custom was this? And then he was looming above her, a broad-chested male, proven in battle and bearing a wound fresh from the day. Along his chest and over his shoulders was a tracery of old scars. They excited her and she tried to pull him down, but he resisted. She mewled her protest and then she felt him at her opening and she went deathly silent. He would enter her while she was on her back and she would not be able to escape! But he didn't. He held himself there, keeping his promise to not hurt her. And then she felt herself lift her legs, wrap them around his thighs and pull him forward. 

Liam gave in to Klat' eil' Da's pressure, allowing her to draw him forward into her. Like no woman he had ever lain with she was intensely tight. He had to pause for a long moment to allow her to adjust and only when she began to pull him in again did he move forward. She opened to him gradually, little by little, until his manhood was as deep as he could go. The little cat panted with need and desire and he felt her claws pricking his shoulders as she hunched her pelvis against his. It felt absolutely amazing. 

"Mother would approve if she could feel this!" thought Klat' eil' Da, laying under the Human warrior. "Oh Great Maker would she ever approve!" 

Klat' eil' Da had never been with a male before, but she could not imagine anything comparing to what she felt at this moment. The Human had demanded and she had agreed and now he fulfilled his promise to the fullest extent she could have hoped for. She could never bare his young, but he had not asked for that. Besides, she could give him what every male wanted. And she would give it to him willingly whenever he wanted it! 

She broke from her reverie as he drew back, sending icy shivers through her whole body. She squirmed under him, purring out of control and his thickness stretched her open and she felt every throb and pulse of his heart. He was strong and he had taken her. She looked up at him through narrowed slits and was pleased to see passion on his face. 

Liam began moving in her as she purred louder and louder. Heat rolled off her fur in waves and he smelled a pleasant musk on the air. It mixed with the scent of the leaves and the earthy smell of the old dead tree and something inside him said this was right. It was something dark and primal and savage that roared defiance into the void and urged him on. Suddenly he found himself moving in her faster and she was grunting with every thrust, her breasts heaving and her talons piercing his skin. She pulled her legs against his thighs with more urgency and suddenly she began to yowl her pleasure in high, yipping breaths. 

"More!" Klat' eil' Da cried desperately, though he did not understand the word. "More!" 

She had forgotten about her earlier fear and now gave herself fully to her passion. She surrendered to the need within her. She wanted to feel him inside her. She wanted him to hurt her if that was what pleased him. But most of all she wanted the release he promised with every thrust of his hips and she began to meet him. The impact of his thrusts shook her tiny frame and she dragged at his shoulders and pulled at his hips, wanting more. And finally, when she thought he was nearly spent, she exploded! Waves of pleasure cascaded through her. It was like the thrill of battle and blasting down a mountainside on skis in winter when the snow was twice as deep as she was tall. Thunderous excitement shook her tiny frame and every muscle in her body clinched tight and suddenly she felt him shiver and slam one last time into her sex. 

Liam's back arched in ecstatic rigidity as he climaxed. The little cat beneath him had driven his desire over the edge and far beyond. When he felt her tighten around his shaft it was too much to hold back any longer. He wanted to, but simply no longer had control. His orgasm shook him so hard his teeth rattled and he nearly collapsed when the final waves subsided. He slumped tiredly down over her and placed a soft kiss on her mouth. She returned it and nipped his chin playfully, a broad smile spreading across her feline face. There was a very satisfied twinkle in her eyes and she ground her hips into him, her tightness encouraging him to try again. 

Klat' eil' Da was so happy with her mate. She felt the release her friends had told her would come from the first mating and she knew they had only mated with jZav'Etch. That was likely very good in itself, but to have a Human as your first was something more, she thought. She rotated her hips, hoping he would not pull away, and he didn't. He leaned down for another nip on the lips and she thought it was a fine thing and then she thought it was even finer because he moved inside of her again and the pleasure rose once more. He was going to do it again! Again? Without rest? Without food or water? She felt him slide into her again and she knew he would do it. 

They made love in the darkened tunnel of the old hollow tree for more than an hour. After their second time Liam had to stop for water and Klat' eil' Da was glad to fetch it for him. She sat in his lap rubbing her muzzle into his neck and purring like she had not done since she was a child. 

Their third time she climbed on top and he trusted her as she had trusted him. And she gave him deep pleasure. Both lost track of time and eventually their mating ended with them falling into sleep. Their deep breathing alerted the guards at either end of the chamber that there was no further need for privacy. 

"I think she enjoyed him, Commander," Tem'Ma'tel whispered, just loud enough to carry to her officer. 

"She did," agreed the commander. "And he enjoyed her. It is well for them both. Will you accept him?" 

"He is strong," said Tem'Ma'tel. "He seems to know what he is doing. And I have not taken a mate. I think I will allow him to try." 

"You have never had a mate?" M'pel E'kmel asked surprised. "You are my daughter's age." 

"I have found none I desired," Tem'Ma'tel said and twitched her ears in the gesture jZav'Etch used instead of shrugging. "Males are stupid about such things. This one does not seem as stupid." 

"He is not stupid," M'pel E'kmel agreed. "He is certainly strong. Did you see the marks upon his armor? On his left sleeve?" 

"I saw them," admitted Tem'Ma'tel. "I do not know what they mean." 

"Forty battles," M'pel E'kmel said. "He has survived forty battles. He has been wounded eleven times. How many of our own warriors have done either of those things? Only the most experienced or the elite." 

"There have not yet been forty battles in this war," Tem'Ma'tel said with a frown. "Could those marks be lies?" 

"Humans have fought others beside us," the commander explained. "Sometimes they even fight among themselves. It is why our ship was sent to survey the border." 

"I do not understand," Tem'Ma'tel said. 

"You need not," replied M'pel E'kmel. 

"Will you accept him?" asked Tem'Ma'tel after a thoughtful pause. 

"I will," said M'pel E'kmel, turning to look out into the trees. "I think he is too good an opportunity to miss. And I like him, I think. I worry that he may not wish to take me, though." 

Tem'Ma'tel turned back to watch the forest and tried to puzzle out what her commander meant by an opportunity. How could a lone Human be an opportunity? It did not matter. The jZav'Etch would not send a rescue ship for them until after the war ended, they weren't important enough. They might be stranded here for the rest of their lives. It was far better to have a male, even a Human male, than to not have one. She enjoyed laying with other females, but she had always hoped to find a male that was not stupid. A male that was not desperate to take her. And now she thought she might have found such a one, thanks to the little Pah'Tht who had never even been on a mission before. Ironic.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 04



Author's Note: I've received a few comments indicating this story is similar to Kita'thalla by Bowoodstock. Embarrassingly, I must agree, though I was not aware of that story until getting the reviews. I must say, after reading chapter one of Kita'thalla, it is well written. To avoid the possibility of influencing my plotline, I will read no more of that story until mine is complete. 

Also, I want to thank everyone for the reviews and the messages I have gotten encouraging me to continue. 

***** 

Liam woke to stillness. There was no sound except for the usual noises one could expect from an ancient forest, and even those sounds were muted inside the tree. In the nest, pressed up next to him, was Klat' eil' Da, breathing deeply in a contented sleep. He smiled at her for a moment, remembering their surprisingly enjoyable intimacy. His friends would never believe this. 

And then it hit him. The little cat was now effectively his wife, at least according to what little he had to go on from Commander M'pel E'kmel. He was sure the bureaucrats of the CP would have some forms to fill out or something like that, but thanks to a dozen or so laws passed in the previous century, it was perfectly legal for humans to marry other species and it was also legal for humans to have multiple spouses of either sex. All this made little difference. He was married to an enemy combatant. The realization filled Liam with mixed emotions and a heaping helping of uncertainty. 

"Well," he wryly murmured to himself. "At least she's good in bed." 

Very carefully he disengaged himself from Klat' eil' Da and rose. It was a matter of a few minutes for him to collect his armor and other gear before slipping out of the nest to put it on. He was just finishing fastening his boots when Commander M'pel E'kmel softly called to him. 

"Yes, Commander?" he asked, stepping to her side. 

"I want you to know that I think you made a wise choice," she said with a slight smile. 

"Um..." he said, unsure what was appropriate in this situation. 

"I am fully aware that you were not intending to follow through on what the young one thought you had promised," she went on. "Believe me when I say again, it would have cost you your life had you not done so. And know also, if you had been killed, it is likely that all of us would have died very shortly thereafter." 

"Well, Commander," Liam began and then paused before finishing a little lamely. "It wasn't as weird as I thought it was going to be." 

"Weird?" She mused on the word. "In what way did you think it would be weird?" 

"I've only had human... intimate relations," he said awkwardly. "I mean there was this one Vespan I was interested in on Tempest. That didn't happen, though." 

"Ah. I see," she said and smiled at him. "I have only had jZav'Etch intimate relations. The young one had never had any relations with a male before you." 

"She was a virgin?" Liam asked, surprised. 

"Virgin?" M'pel E'kmel asked. "I am not familiar with that term." 

"A virgin is ... Um... someone who has never had sex," he haltingly explain. 

"Do other females factor in that designation?" 

"Other females? I think they do. I'm not sure." 

"If they do, then she was not a virgin," said M'pel E'kmel with a mysterious smile. 

"Oh," Liam said a little surprised, wondering what that smile was about. "So I was her first man. Not her first... mate." 

"Just as I said," she confirmed. 

Liam looked back to where Klat' eil' Da lay asleep. If that was how a virgin screwed, he wondered what an experienced jZav'Etch would be like. Then he glanced at the commander and blushed when he saw her frank gaze on him. She smiled. 

"What do you think of this place?" she asked, unexpectedly changing the subject. 

"This place? It should be fine, temporarily." He had not meant to make this their permanent camp. "It's too close to game trails for my liking and we aren't sure if there are any other inhabitants of the planet. I think we need to move into the hills to the east." 

"I agree," she said with a nod. "There may be caves we could use. We might be better off building a shelter of some sort, though. And we'll want to be close to water." 

"I'm worried about food supplies," Liam said, hunkering down so they could speak on even terms. 

"I am also," she admitted. "We salvaged enough from our ship for fifty-six meals and we have a water purifier. We also took several tools in addition to our cache of weapons you left at our shelter." 

"I'm not sure how many tools are in my life pod, but there should be emergency rations for four," he said and considered the rest of his inventory. "I've got fourteen meals in my pack, too." 

"You had time to gather supplies before you escaped your ship?" she asked a little surprised. 

"I had to take them from other marines who got killed during your attack," he told her without accusation or blame. It was war and the jZav'Etch were doing their duty. It wasn't personal. "I have some additional weapons, too." 

"How near is your pod?" she asked. "We saw it come down and I was going to send my marines to scout it, but we detected your approach before they got going." 

"We could walk there in a few hours if everyone were healthy," Liam said. "I don't want to risk it while two of you are down. I saw a large herbivore and some large predators on my initial scouting of the area. The predators caught my scent and spooked." 

"Spooked?" M'pel E'kmel frowned. She had only heard that word used in one context. "They spied on you?" 

He laughed, "No. They were frightened off." 

"Ah. I understand." She frowned. English was such a strange language. "They could not be very large, then," she said. 

"About as big as I am," he told her. 

"A strange scent and an unknown quantity," she speculated with a nod. "Predators would not want to risk being injured and weakening their pack. You said it would take hours to get to your pod. Could you and Klat' eil' Da go there and retrieve your supplies?" 

"We could, Commander," he said narrowing his eyes in thought. "I think it would be better to leave that gear where it is for now, though." 

"Why?" 

"Because it's secured and the pod is stuck up in a tree at least as large as this one was before it fell," he explained. "Smarter to go after your gear. It's laying out where curious animals might rummage through it. And if there are sentient inhabitants they might steal everything." 

"From our survey we know there are intelligent natives on this world," she said. "They do not live on this island, though. That was our reason for directing the ship here. Less contact with them would preserve their culture." 

Liam blinked at her. jZav'Etch were not known for not interfering with native peoples. They had invaded systems and fought their own wars for centuries. 

"I think I know what is going through your mind, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said. "In the past our people did invade worlds to capture resources. That is in the past. We no longer attack inhabited planets unless they have advanced to a level where they could be dangerous to our colonies. We govern in much the same way as do the Conglomerated Planets." 

"I didn't know that," he admitted. 

"I think my people are as enlightened as your own," she said with a gentle smile. "We are fighting to establish a border that favors our needs. I suspect the Conglomeration is doing the same. Peace will come. An armistice will be agreed upon and one day our peoples will be allies. That time needs to come quickly." 

"Peace would be nice," he agreed and scratched his chin. He wondered why she felt that way. 

"Peace exists between you and us three, now," she observed, breaking into his thoughts. "We are cast upon a savage shore, as one of our ancient poets put it. We share a common cause of survival. Did you not notice how quickly you trusted us with weapons?" 

Liam hadn't noticed. He had simply done what was necessary to be safe. Mutual interest was the dynamic that was driving their cooperation. That and the nutty behavior of what was apparently a young, inexperienced jZav'Etch. He glanced over his shoulder and snorted at the thought. 

"She has played an important, if unwitting part in our alliance," M'pel E'kmel said, observing his glance. "Rely on the young to do the foolish things that bring people together or rip nations apart." 

"You keep calling her young," Liam said, still looking at Klat' eil' Da. "How old is she?" 

"By the reckoning of our traditional system she is only fourteen summers," the commander said. Then she laughed at the look Liam turned on her. "Do not distress yourself, Sergeant. In the reckoning of your calendar she would be nineteen or twenty years old. Very young, but not a child. You yourself are still very young, are you not?" 

"Fairly," he nodded and cast another uncertain look at the little cat. "I'm thirty-three." 

"And you have been in forty battles," she said, gesturing at the markings on his sleeve. 

"Forty-three," he corrected. "Three were unofficial. No record of my unit being involved." 

"Indeed?" she asked. This was news the jZav'Etch government would be interested in if she ever was rescued. 

"Border encroachments," Liam explained. "Strike teams to eliminate the need for embarrassing political situations. Destroy the enemy facilities and make it too costly for them to continue operations and suddenly there is no more encroachment. Keep it out of the media and there is no need for war." 

"My people would simply strike with everything we have and invade until the encroaching party was subjugated," she said. "It is too great an insult to our pride to allow such things." 

"And my people find it too costly to fight wars if we can find ways to end them before they start." There was nothing in his tone that indicated he was being judgmental or insulting and M'pel E'kmel took no offense. 

"Sergeant," she said speculatively, running a slim finger over the battle badges on his left pauldron. "You are a very interesting male. These young think males are stupid, but they are not. Males look at the universe in a very different way than the females of my kind do. Males see what they want or need to do and they will go after it. Females see what we have and will try to preserve it, even at the cost of our own lives. You are not like our males. You seem to strike a kind of balance that I have not been exposed to before." 

"Um..." Liam said uncertainly. 

"You are welcome," she said with another smile and grasped his arm in a friendly fashion. "What will you do now?" 

He frowned. There was something to that hand on his arm and something more to the way she continued to ask him what he would do. She had advised him to have sex with Klat' eil' Da in order to preserve his life. And she had admitted that had he been killed the rest of them would have died. She was a commander in the jZav'Etch forces and yet she was deferring to him, a humble sergeant. He had technically taken them prisoner, but that situation was rendered moot. They needed each other. Why was she not calling the shots? 

"I think getting the supplies we left at your camp and bringing them here would be the first priority," he said after a contemplative moment. "You and Tem'Ma'tel have to stay here until your injuries heal. I'll leave you with the two EP 12s and take the rifle when Klat' eil' Da and I go." 

"Wise, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said. "I think it would be wiser if you took one of the pistols, though." 

"Why?" 

"Because this rifle is far too large for Klat' eil' Da to use." 

He considered that. He had intended to carry the rifle, but if a situation arose where he was unable to fight, his life might well depend on the little cat being able to use the weapon and the events of his fight with the male clearly indicated Klat' eil' Da could not use the rifle effectively. He nodded in agreement. 

"You're right," he said. "And we'll be picking up the weapons you had to leave at the camp, anyway. Can Klat'..." He stopped and frowned. "I really would like to have shorter versions of your names. I'm not used to such a mouthful in conversation."  

"You now can give Klat' eil' Da any name you like," M'pel E'kmel said with a chuckle. "She will accept it and will probably be happy. I suggest you offer her several options. She would be happier with that." 

"Okay," he nodded. "I planned to ask her anyway. What about the two of you, though?" 

"For the time being you may call me Commander," she said with a slight bow of her head. "It is my rank and what others normally call me in conversation. Until you take Tem'Ma'tel I think it wise to address her by her proper name. Taking liberties until that time would be insulting." 

"Alright," Liam assented. "Klat' eil' Da can use the pistols at the camp, can't she?" 

"Yes," M'pel E'kmel said. "Her kind carry deq'istle as my kind carry qui'istle. There is an attachment I believe you would call a stock. There are several in an arms case in the shelter." 

"Good," Liam said and rose. "We'll get started in a few minutes. Is there anything you need before we go?" 

"Nothing I cannot attend to on my own. Thank you, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said with a polite bow of her head. 

+>0<+ 

Tem'Ma'tel heard the Human, SarJ'ant, and Klat' eil' Da making ready to leave and wondered about them. It was a strange pairing. SarJ'ant was not what she had come to expect of Humans. She had seen very few, in truth. Having been a ship's marine since joining the service, her view of the Humans had been through portholes or on view screens. Her knowledge of them came mostly from official reports and the regularly updated guidelines for dealing with Human war prisoners. None of that had prepared her for the reality. 

SarJ'ant seemed very cunning and resourceful. He also displayed courage, and she liked that in a male. Tem'Ma'tel was adult enough to admit she liked the way he looked and the way he moved, very much. The fresh scars upon his face were handsome and suited him. She knew he was little stronger than she was, but physical strength was not what made a true male, so said the Teachings. Tem'Ma'tel hoped SarJ'ant had the inner strength of a warrior. If he did, she would accept him. She really wanted to accept him after what she had heard Klat' eil' Da say. 

"Big?" she murmured and wondered how big. She smiled and purred, "Big." 

+>0<+ 

"Take?" Klat' eil' Da asked hopefully. She was sore but in a very good way. Her mother would be scandalized by such behavior, especially with a Human, but Klat' eil' Da did not care in the least. She had a worthy mate and she was now First. 

"Work," Liam said and smiled down on her. "We need to get the supplies from your old camp. Understand?" 

She nodded happily and said, "Commander, her tell." 

"Good," he said. 

"Get...su... supplies. Then take?" she asked. 

"Get supplies," Liam said with a roll of his eyes. "Then more work." 

"When take?" she demanded with a little displeased frown. 

"When it's safe," he said, hoping she would drop the subject. He had to wonder if all jZav'Etch were sex maniacs. This one seemed to have a one track mind. 

"When?" she demanded again. 

"When we aren't in danger of some predator finding us and eating us," he said, exasperated. 

"Eat?" Her eyes scanned the forest. 

"Do you know what the word predator means?" he asked. 

"Predator?" she asked and shook her head. 

"Predators are dangerous," he said. 

"Danger," she said and frowned. She knew what that meant. "Danger here? Danger forest?" 

"Yes," he said with a nod. 

"I..." She couldn't think of any English words that would convey what she wanted to tell her mate. Instead she used jZav'Etch. "I will safeguard you with my life." 

He looked down on her and smiled. The tone she'd used sounded as if she were trying to reassure him. It was very sweet of the little minx. Through all the banter and her demands for sex they had been carefully prowling through the bush as if they were on a hunt or a patrol. He admired the way she naturally carried herself. It seemed completely instinctual for her to be on her guard. 

"We need to take care of something," he said after a few minutes of silence. She looked up at him and then back out to the forest. "I want you to help with your name. Understand?" 

"Klat' eil' Da," she said. "You SarJ'ant." 

"Sergeant is my rank," he told her. "My name is Liam Carter." 

"Illium Car'ter," she said and smiled. 

"Liam." 

"Ilam." 

"Liam," he said more slowly. 

"Lee'am?" 

"Liam," he said again. 

She paused and looked at him. 

"Liam," he repeated. 

"Liam," she said and then smiled when he nodded. 

"Liam is what my friends and family call me," he explained. 

"Family," she said as they started walking again. "Klat' eil' Da is family." 

"I guess you are," he agreed. "What can I call you now that we... um... did what we did?" 

"Klat' eil' Da," she said and then seemed to understand what he was getting at. "Liam name me?" 

He shook his head and said, "We name you. You keep Klat' eil' Da, but I want to call you something I can pronounce without thinking about it." 

Klat' eil' Da had no idea what he was getting at now. She didn't understand his words and it seemed to her he should choose a name and be done with it. She just hoped he would pick something that wasn't embarrassing. Her name was a combination of three of her ancestors' names, which was very traditional among her people. Other cultures among the jZav'Etch used names that related to their appearance or to events, but the Pah'Tht had never done that. Ancestors were more relevant to the family and in her case she had one of the most relevant names her mother could have picked. Her name harkened back to two females and a male. All of them of note for one reason or another. 

"I could call you Elie," he suggested. "Or maybe Klatti?" 

She frowned furiously up at him. Those names were ridiculous. 

"Don't like them, eh?" Liam said and kept walking. 

She dropped her chin. It wasn't right for her to gainsay his choices. She was part of his family and a Human needed a Human name. She didn't like either one he had suggested, but it was his choice in the end. 

"Klatti," she said, though with no trace of enthusiasm. 

"You don't like that name," he observed. 

"Klatti," she said again. 

"Not Klatti," Liam told her. He was not going to saddle her with a name she didn't like. He really didn't like it either and wished she had chosen Elie. And then it hit him. "How about Clotilda?" 

Her head snapped up and her eyes went wide. Was he offering her another name? He was! It sounded very like the name her mother had given her. No one would laugh at that. 

"Clot'ilda!" she said grinning. 

"Clotilda it is," he said and patted her on the shoulder. She snatched his hand and rubbed her muzzle back and forth on it the way he had seen some house cats rub their scent on a favorite person. 

When they got to the lean-to near the wrecked ship there were clear signs that animals had been prowling about. The shelter itself was damaged and the supplies had been knocked around, though nothing seemed to have been broken into. Liam drew his pistol and carefully approached the lean-to. His sensors registered nothing inside, but it was just possible there might be an animal his sensors could not pick up until it moved. The shelter was clear, though, and he signaled Clotilda to approach. 

"Get one of your pistols," he told her, pointing to where the weapons had been tossed earlier. While she did that he unfolded the stretcher. He'd brought it to load what supplies he could on it. The stretcher would enable them to carry far more than they could pack on their backs. He took it into the shelter and began setting rations on it when suddenly he heard Clotilda hiss out a warning. Instantly he dove out the door to find her under attack from some winged horror that had dropped over her with spread legs, caging her in. Clotilda was rolling and squirming so much to avoid its jaws that he didn't have a clear shot so he charged the beast. 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 04



Moving fast, especially for a man his size, Liam barreled into the creature like a cannonball. It howled in surprise and beat at him with wings and legs as they rolled across the ground. The creature was nearly as tall as he was, but did not have his mass. Sharp talons raked over his armor and the nasty jaws snapped at him. He got an arm into its mouth and pushed it back as the teeth locked down on the poly alloy plate. It wrapped its legs around his waist and tried to rake out his guts, but his breastplate was designed to stop large caliber rounds. Suddenly there was a fierce little roar and Clotilda jumped on the animal's back, her claws tearing at its face. The creature screamed in pain as it lost an eye and suddenly it was flailing all its limbs, just trying to escape. 

Liam held onto it and drew his knife, plunging it into the body of the thing, eliciting another shriek of pain. Clotilda bit the creature on the neck, sinking her fangs deep and wrenched her clawed hands sideways, opening a terrible wound. It convulsed, a gout of red-orange blood spouted into the air and then it went limp. Its shrieking stopped as all three collapsed on the forest floor. Liam rolled free and pulled Clotilda out from under the animal. 

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking her over for wounds. 

She grinned up at him, blood dribbling down her chin and staining her fur. She didn't appear to be wounded. 

"Did it hurt you?" he asked, wanting to be sure. 

"Hurt?" she asked and then said, "No shot. Clot'ilda no shot." 

"Good," he breathed in relief. He threw his arms around her and kissed the top of her head before letting her go. 

"Liam shot?" she asked. 

"No," he said and lurched to his feet. "I'm fine." 

"Take?" she asked in a teasing tone. He laughed out loud, happy they were both alive. 

"Later," he chuckled. "You need to wash before I touch you like that again." 

She looked puzzled and he pointed to the blood matting her fur. She frowned and wiped ineffectually at it. Liam smirked and then turned to the dead animal. It was a predator and probably wouldn't taste good, but if any animals on this world were edible this would be their first chance to find out. He took his knife and flayed open the hide over its ribs. There would be large muscles there that should provide good meat. He cut away the muscles and wrapped the meat in a poncho from his pack. That was the best he could do for now, though he worried the scent of blood might attract more predators or scavengers. If they encountered something like this again it might turn out far worse. His work on the carcass complete, Liam stood and scanned the forest and the trees above. 

"Pre-da-tor?" Clotilda asked. 

Liam looked down to see she was pointing at the dead animal. He nodded. 

"Predator," she said, sounding pleased to have learned a new word. Then she brightened and pointed to herself. "Predator?" 

"Predator," Liam agreed. "You are definitely a predator, Clotilda." 

They finished loading the stretcher with all it could reasonably carry and then Liam strapped the rifles into a bundle he would carry on his back. He made sure Clotilda had a stock on her pistol and had to smile at the little jZav'Etch. She looked like some strange pirate with her blood stained fur and oversized pistol. On her back were two other pistols and a long machete-like blade she seemed familiar with. He did not want to burden her with too much as she would be providing most of the protection on their way back to the tree. It would be up to him to get the stretcher and its cargo over the rough places and make sure they didn't spill everything on the ground. 

By the time the pair of them returned to the camp in the hollow tree, evening was coming on. They called and waved to Tem'Ma'tel who still sat her watch at the upper opening. She waved back in greeting. At the lower entrance they found Commander M'pel E'kmel who blinked at the blood covered Clotilda. 

"I take it, all was not peaceful at the camp," the commander said. 

"An animal attacked Clotilda as soon as I went into the lean-to," Liam explained. 

"She is not harmed?" 

"She's fine as far as I can tell," Liam said and put his hand on the little Pah'Tht's shoulder affectionately. "I tackled it, but she was the one that tore its throat out." 

"Predator," Clotilda said proudly and pointed a pair of thumbs at her chest. "Commander, Liam is a fine male. He attacked the animal and would have killed it, but I could not leave him to face the creature alone. He is smart, but he should not have pounced like he did. He should have knocked it away and then we could have used our weapons." 

"I see," Commander M'pel E'kmel said with a nod. "And you are not injured?" 

"The animal dropped from the tree above me," Clotilda said. "I saw its shadow on the ground and rolled. It tried to bite me, but I was no easy target. Then Liam came and we killed it. Liam cut meat from the animal. We will build a fire and feast, Commander!" 

"Sergeant Carter," M'pel E'kmel said with a pleased expression. "She says you took meat from the animal. This was very wise." 

"I don't know if we can safely eat it, though," he told her. "I have something in my medical kit that should tell me if we can." 

"You are even wiser than I had thought," she replied with a satisfied smile. 

"You were going to suggest it, weren't you," he said, returning her smile. 

"I was also going to suggest you find a stream and wash," she said with an even wider smile. "We will need water, too. I have been listening to the forest while you were gone. I think if you climb that rise you will find a stream some distance beyond. It is getting close to night, however. You will need to be quick about it. Leave the supplies with me. I will be sure nothing disturbs them." 

Liam and Clotilda put down their burdens, retrieving the empty water jug and climbed the hill as the sun slowly dropped toward the horizon. The commander was right about the stream. It was nearly two hundred meters from where they were camped, but close enough. 

Liam stood guard over Clotilda as she stood waist deep in the water, naked. She scrubbed at the blood in her fur and washed her mouth and chin. Liam noticed large amounts of fur drifting on the water as she bathed and worried she was sick. Perhaps something in the animal's blood had poisoned her. 

"Is this normal?" he asked, holding up a tuft of her fur. 

"Summer," she said trying to explain. When he shook his head she pointed to a patch of short fur on her shoulder that was already dry and said, "Summer." 

"Summer?" he asked, wondering if she had understood his question. 

"Summer," she said again and then pointed to an area of fur that was longer and denser. "Winter." 

"Oh!" Liam said, finally comprehending her meaning. "This is your cold weather coat. Since it's hot here you're shedding it." 

"Summer, winter," she said pleased. 

Clotilda climbed out of the shallow water and shook herself off. Water glistened in the fading light and Liam thought she was a fine looking creature. The water pasted her fur close to her body and he became more aware of her feminine curves. For such a small female she was very well proportioned. 

"Liam, water," she said and picked up her pistol. She pointed to the water insistently. 

"Keep watch," he said and began stripping out of his armor. He couldn't help but notice that she was indeed keeping watch, but it was on him instead of the forest. She grinned unabashedly as his breastplate came off revealing his broad shoulders. He grinned back and wondered if she would ask him to take her again. 

Once he was nude he waded into the stream and scrubbed the days of sweat and dirt from his skin. Clotilda climbed on top of a large rock and scanned the forest seriously while he finished his bath. He rinsed out his under clothes and the socks and the fatigue trousers he wore under his armor. Though wet he put them back on and slung the armor over his shoulder before they started back for the tree. Clotilda, he noticed had not put her trousers or shorts back on. 

"Is it normal for your people to walk around naked?" he asked grinning. 

She didn't understand and twitched her ears. 

Liam decided he would figure out a way to ask the commander. He had noted that none of the jZav'Etch wore boots out here. He knew from prior experience they did wear boots on their cat-like feet in battle and while on ships. Perhaps they felt safe enough in the forest to go barefoot. If that were the case, why were they all wearing their fatigues? And if they normally wore clothing over their fur, why was it that Clotilda only wore her trousers? It was something he would discover over time, he decided. 

Commander M'pel E'kmel looked up to the top of the rise to see the pair of them returning and she sucked in a breath. The corporal was out of his armor. Broad shoulders and heavy muscle showed through his tight undershirt and she had to admire that. He was, for a human, very masculine. Her own species tended to have slightly less pronounced shoulders and their chests were shaped a little differently, but Humans were so very close to jZav'Etch anatomy some scientists wondered if they might have sprung from the same stock at a distant time in the past. She was still admiring Liam's physique when the two walked up to the entrance. 

"Everything okay?" Liam asked. 

"Oh! Yes!" M'pel E'kmel said in a startled rush. "Everything is fine, Sergeant. Just... Just fine." 

"He is good to look upon, isn't he Commander?" Clotilda asked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. 

"Mind your place, Specialist," warned M'pel E'kmel. "I am still your senior officer in spite of you being his First." 

Clotilda bowed her head and apologized. Liam did not miss the exchange. 

"What was that about?" he asked. 

"Discipline, Sergeant," the commander replied. "She is young and forgetful." 

Liam frowned down on Clotilda, irritated that she was showing disrespect to an officer. 

"She has already apologize, Sergeant!" the commander said urgently. There was something about her tense posture and the look in her eye that made him stop everything. 

"Is he angry with me, Commander?" Clotilda asked, not looking up. 

"I do not think so," M'pel E'kmel said warily. "I believe he is displeased at your disrespect to me. Humans are in some ways strange. This one is a low ranking officer. It is his duty to enforce discipline among soldiers. Keep this lesson in mind in the future." 

Clotilda looked up at Liam, careful to not look him directly in the eyes. 

"Pick up your gear and get it inside," Liam told her evenly. M'pel E'kmel translated and Clotilda jumped to the task. When she had gone up the tunnel a ways Liam asked, "Is this relationship going to cause problems for you, Commander?" 

"I will not allow it to," she said sedately. "Should you take me as mate, I will be less involved in the keeping of the home than Clot'ilda. I will retain my military rank and the respect due me by my age." 

"Commander," Liam began. He hesitated, thinking how to ask what he wanted to know. "Commander, I don't really get the gist of all this." 

"Gist?" she asked, shaking her head. 

"I screwed up by mispronouncing a couple of words," he said, feeling his way. "I screwed up by... well, when Clotilda and I exchanged food. I just don't have any kind of handle on what this all means to you and your people." 

"Of course," M'pel E'kmel said. "You are not jZav'Etch. You could not know." 

"Alright," he continued. "So what's next with me and Clotilda? Are there more ceremonies to go through? Am I going to accidentally cause insult to her? And just exactly why did you react so strongly a minute ago?" 

"There are things you will need to learn, Sergeant," she said slowly. "It is not fair of me to keep information from you. That was not my intent. I am in as unfamiliar a situation as you are. I have never needed to explain things of this nature to a male before." 

"Well, don't look at it as if you're explaining to a male," he said. "You're explaining things to an alien. I don't know much about your culture." 

"A very practical and correct assessment, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said with an approving smile. "I think it would be a very good thing if you were to attempt to teach your mate more of your language. You will be unable to pronounce many of our words. And I will warn you that there are many of your words that we will be unable to pronounce. I have had years of practice and am considered gifted where languages are concerned." 

"I guess I can do that," he said with a contemplative nod. 

"It would be easier if Clot'ilda still had her study guide," she said. 

"She lose it in the crash?" 

"No. I don't know what happened to it. Perhaps she lost it in the forest during the hunt. It was a small device, about the size of your hand." 

Liam set his armor down and fished through one of the pockets, coming out with the electronic device he'd taken from Clotilda earlier. 

"That's it!" M'pel E'kmel said, pleased. "It will make your life much easier." 

"Good," he said and examined the screen. "Now will you tell me why you looked so worried a moment ago?" 

"I thought you might... I thought you might kill her," she said seriously. 

"Kill her?" he demanded. 

"What she said to me could have caused your family shame," she told him. "Some males would kill their mate, especially a new mate, for a thing like that." 

"What? Like an honor killing or something?" 

"That sounds about right." 

"Does she think I'm going to kill her?" 

"No," she said and glanced up to where Clotilda was sorting through the gear they had recovered. "It appears, though, she is worried you may be angry with her. She is afraid." 

"How do I fix that?" he asked. 

"Easily," M'pel E'kmel said pleased with him. "If the meat you took is proven safe, cook it and place a piece between your teeth and feed it to her." 

"Really?" 

"It is an ancient custom," she told him with a smile. "It shows you wish to make her happy. Any time you desire to let her know she is cared for, perform this act. It will strengthen the bond you share. It must be a piece of meat or at least the flesh of an animal of some kind, though." 

"Okay," he said and took a step towards the entrance. "Thank you, Commander." 

She nodded and watched him march up the incline of the tree. He was a strange male, indeed. He cared that he had frightened Clot'ilda even though he had only met her today. Well, in his terms it was effectively yesterday. Fortune had certainly been on their side when he arrived. And it was fortunate for the jZav'Etch as well. This might be the best opportunity to end the fighting they had had yet.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 05



Author's note: First, let me thank everyone who has either sent me a message or left a comment. You've all been very supportive. I also want to let you all know there may be a delay for the next few chapters. Something has come up and I will be away for a time. I will update when I can. Never fear, I have several chapters already in draft and they will be posted. I will finish this story. 

Until I return, please enjoy chapter five. I especially enjoyed writing the last conversation. 

***** 

The fire was burning well and Liam's improvised spit was working perfectly. He had chosen to build the fire on the dead trunk of the tree rather than down on the ground where the smoke might have drifted into the hollow trunk and choked everyone. The height of the dead trunk would also provide some protection from predators that might wander by and attack while he was focused on cooking. It had been a bit of a chore to carry enough stones up to where he wanted to roast the meat, but once done is was worth the effort. A few minutes with his knife and some branches had produced serviceable cooking implements. Now he slowly rotated the savory smelling meat, watching to be sure it did not char. 

Tem'Ma'tel sat in the opening of the tree watching him tend the meat. He didn't know what to think of her. She was not so much friendly towards him as she seemed to be assessing him. He felt her eyes turn his way every few minutes, though every time he looked up she had already turned her head away. It was almost like a game. 

"It's been years since I cooked anything like this," he said to her, knowing she could not understand him. "Used to hunt with my brother and a cousin. We took bighorn sheep every winter. Place I grew up was terraformed. All the wildlife came from Earth. Cold where we lived." 

He glanced up and for a change she was looking his way. Her expression interested. 

"You don't speak any English, do you?" he asked. She frowned in reply, but continued to look at him. He pointed to the fire and said, "Fire." 

Tem'Ma'tel raised her eyebrows. 

"Fire," he said again, careful in his enunciation. "Fire." 

She looked away into the night and he shrugged. He was about to sprinkle more water on the meat when he heard her whisper something. He looked at her. 

"Ffhhire," she said loud enough for him to hear. 

"Fire," he said with a nod. 

"Fire," she said, more clearly this time. 

"That's right," he said with a smile. "I wish I could speak your language, but the last time I said anything in it I got engaged." 

She narrowed her eyes at him as if trying to puzzle out his words. He pointed to the meat and said slowly, "Meat." 

"Meeet?" she asked. 

"Meat," he replied as he would say it normally. 

"Meat," she said. "Fire. Meat." 

"Very good," he said and sprinkled water on the roast. 

"Coood," she said. 

"Good," he told her. "Gu...Good." 

"Cood," she said and looked at him for approval. 

"I should teach you German, instead," he told her with a smile. 

"Cood?" she asked. 

"Your accent is too strong," he told her. "I can understand you, though." 

"Cood?" she asked more insistently. 

"Good," he said, hoping she would be satisfied. 

"Good," she said after a long pause. Liam blinked at her and then resumed turning the spit. 

Tem'Ma'tel straightened her shoulders, pleased she had impressed the Human. His language was so strange she was not sure she would ever be able to learn it, but she was determined to learn at least enough to make herself understood and to understand SarJ'ant. If they were eventually mated, it would be important in order to express herself. She must be able to tell him when she was pleased and to ask if he was pleased. Her mother had taught her that such things could make a relationship strong. 

Her attention was drawn back to the Human when he drew his knife. Its edge glittered in the light of the fire and she watched curiously as he cut into the meat, examining the inside. She would have liked to test it herself, but she needed to rest and so she remained on watch. She grew even more curious when the Human sliced off a portion of the roast and popped the bit into his mouth. He seemed to be focusing on the flavor and then he smiled. 

"It's not bad," Liam said and stood up, taking the spit from above the flames. "A little tough and gamey, but not bad. Want some?" 

Tem'Ma'tel leaned in his direction and sniffed. The meat smelled satisfactory. It certainly was better than the rations they'd been eating. When the human cut another piece she waited for him to eat it, but he did not. He was bringing it to her! To her? They were not mated yet! What was he doing? 

"Here," he said, holding the small piece of meat out to her casually. "It's hot, so be careful." 

She hesitated, wondering if Klat' eil' Da would be offended if she accepted and then deciding it would be alright. It wasn't as if he'd put the meat in his teeth. This seemed more of a friendly gesture than a gifting and he had not put the meat on anything sharp. She accepted the small portion and carefully put it in her mouth. It was hot and very good, though tough. And real meat should help her leg wound heal much faster than the poor stuff they had in the rations. 

"You must give some of this to the others," she tried to tell him and then pointed down into the darkened hollow of the tree. 

He glanced the way she pointed, narrowing his eyes. 

"I upset her earlier," he said. "Klat' eil' Da. I offended her. Or hurt her feelings." 

"Klat' iel' Da?" Tem'Ma'tel said. "Her?" 

"I know you don't understand," he grumbled, still looking into the darkened interior of the tree. "It's just... Hell. It's not like I even know her. She was just being a smart-mouthed kid." 

"Gid?" Tem'Ma'tel asked. 

"Look, I'll cut you some meat and then take the rest down to the other two," he said, standing up and pulling his knife out again. "I'll come back up here and relieve you. I bet you want some sleep after sitting up here this whole time." 

She was amazed when the Human tried to give her a slice of the meat as big as her hand. She shook her head violently and pointed down into the tree. The Human looked confused again and tried to hand it to her, but she held up her palm in refusal.  

"Klat' eil' Da!" she said softly but urgently. "Klat' eil' Da!" 

He seemed to understand and nodded. 

Clot'ilda sat in the dimness of the tree, still sorting through the supplies they had hauled back from the shelter. She was also sorting through her feelings. It had pleased her greatly to have been mated with the Human, but his strange ways worried her. And she had to admit her ways must be strange to him. She had completed only two of the required cultural classes for her specialty before this mission to map this system had come up. Nothing she had learned in them had addressed Human interpersonal relations in depth. She did not know what they might consider offensive or how they might react. 

She looked up when she heard soft, rotted wood crunch under a boot heel. There he was coming straight to her, and he was carrying something that smelled wonderful! It was the meat they had taken from the predator. Her mouth began to water and she wondered if he would let her have any of it. 

Liam went to one knee a pace away from Clotilda and drew his knife. In the dimness, illuminated by a single hand lamp, he could make out that her eyes were on him and her posture suggested she was paying attention. With his knife he cut a sliver of meat as long as his finger and placed it between his teeth then carefully leaned closer to her. 

Clot'ilda hesitated, hardly believing her new mate was doing what he was doing. She had only ever seen older mates, mates that had been together for years and years, perform this ceremony. And yet, this Human was very strange. Clot'ilda's heart practically melted at the understanding that her mate valued her and wanted her to be happy. She leaned into him, opening her jaws and carefully took the meat from between his teeth. She sat back on her haunches and chewed, tears welling in her eyes. 

"I'm sorry I upset you," Liam said and placed his hand on her shoulder. He was startled when she grabbed his hand and began rubbing her face on it the way she had done earlier. After a very long moment of that she subsided and he placed the rest of the meat in her little palm. 

"Meat?" she asked, sounding confused. 

"That's right," he said. "That's yours. There's plenty for everyone and we need to eat it before it goes bad." 

"Your meat!" she said and thrust it back into his hands. "I... I cut meat. My meat. I cut meat. M'pel E'kmel meat. I cut meat. Tem'Ma'tel meat." 

"You're going to serve both of them?" he asked, thinking he understood. "Okay, here's the knife." 

She took the blade, still finding the handle oddly shaped but serviceable. Before she left to tend to the meat she leaned in and gave him a hug the way he had hugged her after the animal attack. He heard the purring she could not suppress and was glad for it. 

Clotilda was gone for only a few minutes before she trotted past him on her way to deliver the fresh cut roast to her commander. They exchanged a few friendly words and then Clotilda was back and gone up the tunnel once more. Again she was gone for only a few minutes and then she was sitting in front of him offering Liam his knife back. 

"I guess you meant what you said," Liam said as she sat down. "M'pel E'kmel gets the first serving and then Tem'Ma'tel." 

Clotilda made happy chewing noises, but said nothing. Liam had to work to tear mouthfuls from the roasted flesh, but it tasted better than any rations he'd had recently except for the one Clotilda had fed to him before they made love. He smiled at that memory and then chuckled at the happy sounds she was making. In some ways she was like a kid and in others she was like a boozed up prom queen. And then there were some ways she was like a deadly killer. The meat was proof enough for that. 

"I need to take over watch for Tem'Ma'tel," he said finishing his last bite of meat. "When you're done you should go down and relieve Commander M'pel E'kmel. They've both had a long day. And you should have this stuff back." 

He fished in his pocket and came out with her study guide and the other things he'd taken from her when they'd first met. She accepted them with a smile, purring happily. As Liam stood Clotilda suddenly surged into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. 

"Take later," she breathed into his ear and hunched her hips on his belly. A little off balanced he clutched her around her slim waist and held her close for a moment before leaning his head down and kissing her lips. She purred and returned the kiss. When he let her go Liam was expecting some reluctance, but there was none. She allowed him to set her down. 

"Later," he said softly. "Work first. We have to stand watch so they can sleep." 

She nodded her understanding and he went up to where Tem'Ma'tel sat watching the night. 

"I'll take the watch," Liam said to her as he came out of the hollow. "You need some sleep. Go rest." 

The jZav'Etch blinked up at him and then seemed to understand. She handed him the rifle he'd brought to her when he'd come to cook the meat then shifted around and crawled down the slope to her nest. 

Liam allowed the fire to die, munching on a piece of what remained of the roast. The cats had not left very much. He figured between the three of them they'd eaten about eight pounds of cooked meat. He'd had less than a pound and felt fairly full. And then he wondered why people still reckoned meat by the pound instead of by the kilo. It was an odd holdover. 

"Sergeant?" whispered Commander M'pel E'kmel from the darkness behind him. 

"Yes?" he said, turning. 

"May I speak to you for a moment?" she asked. 

"Sure, Commander." 

"I think when day comes again we should try to secure one end of this tree," she said, walking uncomfortably into the light of the dying fire, a hand on the wall to steady herself. "Keeping two of us on watch all day and all night is not efficient." 

"I agree," he said. "There just wasn't time to do anything about it today. How long was the day, anyway? Do you know?" 

"I'm not certain how to calculate it in your time," she admitted. "We keep our time in our ships based on the length of the days on jZav'. I think they are roughly twenty seven hours in your calculations." 

"I think that's right," he said. "Our fleet remains on Zulu time which is a holdover from ancient Earth. Our days are based on twenty four hours." 

"I would say the daylight lasted about that long," she said after a moment's contemplation. "We can expect the night to be proportionately as long." 

"My pod didn't have much data on this world," he told her. "Just its location and what sort of environment it has. That and a general survey it took while I orbited." 

"My ship was sent to scout the system and map the planets," she said. "All of that data is still in its memory banks." 

"We'll just need to see how things go, I suppose," Liam said and glanced around at the night shrouded forest. "Commander, I have some questions that I'm not sure how to ask. I don't want to be offensive, though." 

"My mother always told me the way to ask an offensive question is to ask it politely," she said with a slight smile and sank down on the tree near him. "I will not take offense. Please ask." 

"I will try to be polite," he said with another smile. "Why is it that you do not wear boots?" 

"I thought this was going to be a question about mating!" she said nearly choking with laughter. "We do not wear boots because they are uncomfortable. Our claws need the natural wear of everyday use and when we wear boots we have to maintain them. It is more to our liking to let nature take its course and simply touch things up during our grooming." 

"What about your clothing?" he asked. "I mean, jZav'Etch are covered in fur. I can't imagine clothing like your fatigues is comfortable." 

"Oh, but it is," she said. "If we were to try to wear fatigues like yours it would be quite a different matter. Ours are designed to be worn over fur and to allow us freedom of movement." 

"So why does Clotilda not wear her top?" 

"Because it is too warm for her here," she said. "She told me you asked about her shedding fur. Soon she will have a coat very like mine and Tem'Ma'tel's. Still, she will feel too warm. Her people come from one of the colder regions on jZav'. And she was raised on a planet with a very cold climate over most of its surface. Sheets of ice cover nearly a third of the land mass." 

"So why doesn't she shed her trousers and be more comfortable?" 

"Because you are a male and a female does not expose herself in that way, even to her mate," M'pel E'kmel said somewhat amused. "I know she did not put her trousers back on after her bath, but she was still soaking wet. It would have been even more uncomfortable for her." 

"She has shorts to wear," Liam observed. "Why doesn't she just go around in those?" 

"Because they are..." She paused as if the thought had never occurred to her. "You know, I'm not sure. Perhaps I should suggest it. It would be considerably more practical except she would have no pockets." 

"Maybe she could just cut the legs off her fatigue pants in that case," he suggested. 

"Maybe," she said and went quiet. 

"Did you want to ask me something?" Liam asked when she did not speak. 

"Do you like her?" she asked. 

"Clotilda? Yeah. She's funny and sweet and a little devil." 

"And what of Tem'Ma'tel?" 

"I don't know yet," he said honestly. "She seems a little standoffish. I can't really get a read on her. Do you think she would really try kill me if I don't mate with her?" 

"From what she has said," M'pel E'kmel said. "I believe she is favorably interested in you. However, that does not mean she would not choose to kill you if you do not make the demand of Ka' chasck, formally." 

"But you could order her not to," Liam said seriously. "You're still her commander." 

"I am. And I could," M'pel E'kmel said with a nod. "It would cost me a large portion of her respect, though. My authority would be undermined." 

"If Tem'Ma'tel kills me, Clotilda might try to kill her," he said, fishing for a way out of the potential confrontation. 

"She would not," the commander said, looking away from him. "Your death in a fight would prove you were not as worthy a mate as Clot'ilda believed. Your refusal to demand Ka' chasck would damage your standing with Clot'ilda, also." 

"Damned if I do. Damned if I don't," Liam grumbled. 

"Why are you so hesitant, Sergeant?" M'pel E'kmel asked, turning curious eyes on him. "Tem'Ma'tel is a true soldier. She was raised to the fight as my people would say. The fact that you have displayed your cunning and your strength has gone a long way towards attracting her." 

"Really?" Liam asked. "I was under the impression jZav'Etch thought Humans were cowards for wearing armor." 

"Our soldiers wear armor, also," she pointed out. "It is your lack of claws that convinced some of our soldiers that you were cowards. We've been at war with you for six years by your calendar. Our soldiers have learned you are not cowards." 

"We knew your people weren't cowards the first time we fought you," Liam said seriously. "Kicked our ass right off LV 427." 

"And then your fleet destroyed a dozen of our battleships at W01F 426," she countered. 

"You mean the Battle of Lhyme?" he asked. "That was a rough day for both sides." 

"As was LV 427," she told him seriously. "Since it is of no matter now, I will tell you, Sergeant, had your forces held out one more day we would have retreated. In that battle we took so many casualties as to make it nearly a defeat." 

"And we were so badly mauled the general staff almost ordered the sector abandoned," he said. 

"You did not answer my question," she persisted. "Why are you reluctant to take Tem'Ma'tel?" 

Liam shrugged uncomfortably. He wasn't sure himself. Finally he said, "I've never been all that good in relationships. Having a single woman to deal with and trying to figure out where I stand has always been tough. Aside from the fact the three of you are jZav'Etch, there are still THREE of you. Three times the complications. Three times the uncertainty." 

"I have another question for you, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said, switching gears. "This one is about sex, I'm afraid." 

"Um... Okay," Liam replied uncertainly. 

"When Clot'ilda came to me earlier, before you mated, she was frightened." 

"Yeah," he said and felt dramatically more uncomfortable. 

"She said you were not as long as a male of my species, but you were hugely thick," she went on carefully. "How exaggerated was her perception?" 

"I... Look, Commander, I have no idea how your males are put together. I don't know how to answer that." 

"Well," she said, considering how to put what she wanted to say. "Our males are about as long as this," she said and held her fingers about twenty centimeters apart. "And they are about as big around as my finger." 

Liam laughed, partly in relief and partly in embarrassment. 

"I'm not quite that long," he chuckled. "But I'm a hell of a lot thicker than your finger. About three times as big around." 

She sat there shocked at his answer. Was it possible the little Pah'Tht had been telling the truth? 

"I'm sorry, Sergeant," she said hesitantly. "Do you mean to tell me that you were able to put your... self into a Pah'Tht?" 

"A what?" he asked. 

"Clot'ilda is a Pah'Tht," she said. "Her people are jZav'Etch but her breed is Pah'Tht." 

"Oh. Um... Yeah. I was able to... do that." 

Her eyes went wide. She put her hand over her mouth and looked away from him trying to imagine what it must have been like. 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 05



"Are you alright, Commander? I didn't offend you, did I?" 

"I'm... I'm fine. Thank you, Sergeant," she said, still not looking at him. "Really? I mean you were able to fit?" 

"Uh..." 

"Because that's just amazing!" she went on. "I can't imagine it. Even Thahn 'Den have some difficulty mating with Pah'Tht and they aren't much larger than them. It's said dTel'Qohar could never do it! And you were able to..." 

Realizing she was blathering and making a fool of herself, Commander M'pel E'kmel shut her mouth. She sat there trying to compose herself. It was a very undignified thing for her to have done and she hoped she had not offended the Human with her incredulity. 

"I'm so sorry, Sergeant," she said after a moment. "Please do not mention this to the others. I would be shamed." 

"I don't think I would come out looking all that good either," he said with a chuckle. 

"On the contrary," she countered. "Let me just say, Sergeant, for a Human you are very attractive. And knowing about... other assets... does not make you less so. I will leave you now." 

"Commander," he said before she could get to her feet. "I... Well, you see... I just want to return the compliment. For a jZav'Etch, you are also very attractive. Before I met the three of you I didn't know how much like Humans jZav'Etch actually are." 

She paused and gave him a curious look. She settled back down and decided to ask a new question. 

"In what ways are we attractive?" 

Liam swallowed, sensing he had just opened a whole new can of worms. 

"Aside from your personalities, you mean?" he asked, buying time to think. 

"Yes," she said. "Are we physically attractive to you?" 

"Yes." 

She narrowed her eyes trying to understand why he was so reluctant to speak. 

"Please go on," she encouraged him. "It may be helpful in the days to come if I know why you are attracted to us. Perhaps tell me what it is about Clot'ilda that attracts you." 

After a very long, embarrassed silence Liam said, "She's good looking. She's nice to look at. I mean, Clotilda isn't attractive the way a human female is, but she's attractive." 

"I don't believe you understood my request, Sergeant," M'el E'kmel said, very amused by his attitude. It was obvious to her that he was uncomfortable and trying desperately to be discrete. That would not help her smooth his way over the next few days, nor would it help her towards her goal. She needed more specific information. 

"I told you what you wanted to know," he said a little lamely. 

"Let me give you an example of what I was hoping for," she replied with her cat's smile and twinkling eyes. "I like the way your shoulders and chest look when you aren't in your armor. The scars on your cheek are... I think the word is sexy. The hair on your face is very endearing and I believe it will be a great asset once it grows in more thickly. Your hands are quite nice, too and I really like the shape of your... Rump, is it? Without a tail it still manages to be nice to look upon. And... I am intrigued by the size of your... organ. Be that honest with me, Sergeant. That last was slightly difficult for me to say, yet I believe the information will help us both." 

"Okay," he sighed. He felt he should be more mature about this kind of thing, but he'd never discussed attractiveness with anyone except in a joking manner among other marines. "Clotilda is shorter than me, and that's a nice thing. She's pretty. She has pretty fur and I think she wouldn't look right without it. She'd just seem... I don't know. It wouldn't be right for her to be bare skinned. And then there's her figure. She's really well proportioned, especially for a small girl. I mean her legs look a little longer relative to her body than a human female's would, but our women wear high heels all the time and she sort of has the look they try for. You all do, actually." 

"So it is her height and proportions and her fur that attract you?" the commander asked seriously. 

"Yeah," he shrugged. "She's got a pretty nice butt too and a trim little waist. We normally use the term 'figure' to describe the combination of all her feminine qualities." 

"And are you attracted to Tem'Ma'tel for the same reasons?" she asked. 

"Tem'Ma'tel is a different story," Liam said with a shake of his head. "She's as tall as I am and built like a triathlete, only with bigger... breasts. I was really surprised when I examined her leg wound. I've never seen a jZav'Etch female's leg before. Tem'Ma'tell looks like she could be a dancer or a gymnast or something with those legs. She's two meters of spring steel and carbon fiber, as a friend of mine would say. There's not an ounce of waste on her. Could bounce a quarter off her ass and get change in return." 

M'pel E'kmel smiled at the expression. She didn't comprehend the meaning, but it seemed the sergeant was loosening up. 

"And what about me?" she asked. "What aspects do you like? Please be truthful." 

"You?" he asked, sounding much less comfortable than a moment before. 

"Me," she grinned with good humor. "Come now, Sergeant! Is it not fair?" 

"Fine," he grumbled hesitantly, but after her frankness he felt an odd desire to tell her the truth. "I think you have very attractive breasts. They're well shaped and large without being too large. I also like the way your hips fill out your fatigues, and from the few glimpses I've gotten of your rump, I'd say it ranks pretty high on my all-time list. You are a very attractive woman, Commander. I'd like to see you in a bikini, in fact. And I think if I spend much more time talking to you like this I'll put an inconvenient dent in my armor. Clotilda would get upset with me." 

M'pel E'kmel snickered. "She would not be upset with us just for discussing such things." 

"If we keep talking I don't know that I will be able to 'just' discuss such things," he said and gave her a meaningful look. 

She met his eyes, trying to comprehend that look in combination with what he had said. When she finally realized he was hinting that he was actually growing sexually excited her eyes sparkled and she covered her mouth in that gesture he had seen her make several times throughout the day. She cast her eyes down and laughed low and husky in her throat. When her laughter passed Liam could hear M'pel E'kmel purring in spite of her efforts to conceal it. 

They said nothing for a bit, with her looking at him and him looking at the remains of the fire. Eventually she pushed herself to her feet and he looked up at her to be sure she was alright. 

"Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said in a huskier voice than usual. "I am roughly ten years older than you are and would not blame you if you decide to not take me as a mate. However, the vigor of youth does not compare to the experience of age." 

Liam smiled as she turned away. 

"I'll bet it doesn't," he murmured appreciatively, watching her tail twitch rhythmically as she attempted to strut the way Clotilda had after he had first taken her prisoner. 

Before going to her nest M'pel E'kmel went to Clot'ilda and asked to borrow her language study guide. It was equipped with an encyclopedia of Human culture, including many image galleries. Most of the images were taken from personal effects captured from Humans during the war. She ran a search for the word 'bikini', having eventually to speak it into the machine because she did not know how to spell it. Her eyes widened at the images that accompanied the definition and known history of the so called garment. 

"He would like to see me in one of those?" she breathed and suppressed a snicker. "Why not just look at me naked? Males! Utterly ridiculous." 

She set the little computer down and settled into her nest, grinning with amusement. She lay there for only a moment before picking the device up once more and looking at the images again. She grinned, eyes sparkling in the glow from the screen. 

"A bikini," she purred to herself. "Where could a woman get such a thing out here?"



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 06



Author's note: I was able to finish editing this chapter tonight. I do not know when I will be able to post the next chapter, but it will not be too much of a delay. For those who have been wondering about the length of the story, requesting I not leave my readers hanging and worrying that I will not complete the story, I want to assure you all that there should be at least fifteen chapters total and I am currently in the rough draft of chapter ten. I hope that removes any concerns.

I will update again when I can. Thank you all for reading and commenting.





Liam checked his chronometer. He was tired, but not particularly sleepy. He'd spent time on a variety of worlds with different cycles. Some had short days and others had incredibly long ones. It always took time for him to adjust. His internal clock was telling him the night ought to be ending, but it clearly wasn't. The strange double moons hung in the sky and the forest sounds held steady.

It was more than strange to him that only a day ago he had been at war with the three beings he now depended on for survival. It was true that they also depended on him, but that made it no less strange. He'd gone from trying to kill them to actually having sex with one of them. And he had liked it! Actually liked it! He shook his head.

"And you were ready to fuck the commander a while ago, too," he murmured to himself. He snorted at his predicament and the bizarre thoughts going through his head. "What will your folks think? Hell, what will your friends think? Shit, mom and dad will probably get over the shock in a few years and your friends will all think you're the baddest motherfucker in the galaxy."

He was still chuckling at himself when a shadow lunged up onto the giant log they were calling home. Liam reacted instantly, bringing up the fero-plas rifle and rising to his knee in a single smooth motion, the reaction of a veteran. The creature, roughly the size of a very large dog, paid him no mind at all. Instead it sniffed around the dead fire until it came to the remains of the meat on the spit. In a quick motion it snapped up everything, meat sticks and all, swallowed it and then was off into the forest again.

Liam's heart was still thumping in his chest when a cry of alarm sounded from the lower entrance. A fero-plas pistol cracked. Clotilda was in danger!

Liam turned and sprinted through the darkness of the hollowed out tree. By the time he got to where the nests were laid the two females were wide awake with weapons in their hands.

"I'll go to her!" he shouted on his way through. "Watch the other end!"

He did not wait for them to reply. He leapt the bedding and landed nearly at the lower opening due mostly to the downhill slope of the tree. His boot clamps automatically activated and he nearly killed himself as he tumbled head first, the clamps tearing great patches of wood from the rotted surface. 

Liam tucked and rolled instinctively, ending his precipitous descent when he slammed into the flank of some kind of large animal. It snarled a startled protest, scrambled back to its feet and sprang away into the underbrush. A fero-plas pistol cracked menacingly nearby and another animal howled in pain. Liam came up into a fighting crouch and scanned about him in the darkness. Under the dense canopy of leaves there was not enough light for him to see and belatedly he thought to switch on his lowlight vision scope. It instantly revealed a scene from a nightmare. 

Clotilda stood with her back to the entrance, her pistol at the ready. In front of her lay a creature like a bizarre mix of hyena and frog, thrashing through its death throes. Three more of the deadly looking beasts circled warily close by. One had turned on Liam, apparently unsettled by his sudden appearance. Liam didn't hesitate. He leveled his rifle and let fly a deadly bolt of charged fero-plastic. The weapon bucked hard against his shoulder and the creature's head snapped back, a smoking crater where its face had been. Clotilda fired another round into the chest of one of the remaining animals and Liam was lining up his next shot when the animal turned and darted into the night. But the excitement wasn't over yet.

From inside the tree sounded the boom of another fero-plas rifle. Liam turned and charged back into the tree, his lowlight scope showing him the two injured jZav'Etch laying prone, aiming their weapons up at the top of the tunnel. There a large body lay, limbs thrashing as it died. More creatures were outside and it was obvious they wanted in. From above his head came a sound as of taloned feet rapidly swarming over the outer trunk.

"We will hold them here," Commander M'pel E'kmel said urgently. "Defend the lower entrance! Hurry!"

Liam bounded away once more. The two jZav'Etch were well placed to hold off any attack the creatures might make, but Clotilda was alone and exposed. Even as he came out of the tree he saw a blocky, fanged head dipping down, its nose questing for the unsuspecting Pah'Tht. Liam shouted a warning and jammed the muzzle of his rifle into the beast's throat then pulled the trigger. The top of the creature's head vaporized into a glowing mist and the lifeless body tumbled to the earth. Clotilda had spun at Liam's warning. She now raised her weapon and fired. Another creature dropped next to its fellow. More bestial screams shook the night and more shots rang from within the tree.

Without thinking, Liam grabbed a handhold and began hoisting himself up onto the dead trunk. He came face to face with one of the animals and both froze for an instant. It cost the creature its life as Liam let loose another shot from his rifle at point blank range. The recoil was enough to throw the weapon from his one-handed grip, but he didn't wait to recover it. Up onto the tree he climbed and drew his pistols, thumbing their selectors over to wadcutter. Boot clamps biting chunks from the long dead bark, Liam advanced on the pack of animals. His EP 12's barked and creatures died, their bones and flesh torn apart by flat-nosed rounds. By the time he reached the upper entrance those that remained fled into the night, frightened and defeated. The stink of blood and offal hung in the air and Liam roared defiance at the sky.

"That's right you sorry sons of bitches!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. "We ain't going down that easy! Come back for more! We'll be waiting! We'll be right here, motherfuckers!"

Behind him he heard Clotilda scream triumphantly in response to his words and from within the tree the wounded jZav'Etch added their voices. 

Liam stood atop the log, adrenaline still pumping in his veins. He surveyed the area with all his sensors for several minutes. Many animals crouched in the darkness and many seemed interested in the carcasses of the fallen, but they smelled him and his mates and would not risk encroaching on his territory. Food could be gotten elsewhere at a less costly price.

Finally, when he was sure no other animal would dare come for them, Liam climbed down from the trunk and found Clotilda just inside the tree with her pistol still held ready to defend them. She grinned a fierce grin and purred when she saw him.

"Take!" she cried and leaped into his arms, nipping at his chin and wrapping her legs around his waist. 

Liam staggered back a step and hugged her, glad to be alive and elated to be victorious. He kissed her fiercely, there was nothing like victory to inspirit a man and Liam desperately wanted to take Clotilda right there, but it was far too dangerous. He had to be sure they would all be safe throughout the night. Gently he pushed her back, set her on the ground and gave her another passion laden kiss.

"We can't," he said, breaking the kiss. "Dangerous."

Instantly she looked around and took hold of her weapon again.

"Predator," she said seriously and thumped her chest.

"Watch," he said and she nodded her assent.

Inside he found the two injured females laying where they had been and they grinned welcomingly as he approached. To his utter astonishment Tem'Ma'tel lay naked from the waist down and when he was nearer she rose onto her hands and knees, flicked her long tail up and said, "Take!"

Liam barked out a laugh and looked to M'pel E'kmel. She chuckled at him.

"Commander," he said, gesturing at Tem'Ma'tel. "It's too dangerous for me to do that."

"I know and so does she," M'pel E'kmel replied, still grinning. "She makes a traditional offer out of respect and... for other reasons. I would have also, but I am not so bound by my hormones."

He laughed at her boldness and shook his head. "Will she try to kill me if I don't accept?"

"Of course not," M'pel E'kmel said laughing. "Her offer is not meant to be taken seriously, Sergeant. Besides, she understands you must return to your watch. I think, though, you will find her more willing when the time is right."

"Damn," he said softly and grinned down on the still posing Tem'Ma'tel. His gaze lingered on her firm, round ass and he sighed, "I'm a lucky man."

"You know," M'pel E'kmel said teasingly. "If there were secure doors on this tree you could have whatever you liked."

"Doors?" he laughed. "Doors I will get to in the morning."

With that he leaned down and pinched Tem'Ma'tel on the rump causing her to yip, girlishly delighted. He felt her slap his butt as he strode purposefully to the upper opening. Once there he set about dragging the dead creatures out of his way, making their carcasses into a sort of barricade. If anything else came to attack them in the night, he would have some protection, at least.

Hours passed and nothing approached. Liam was still feeling good, but he was growing very tired from all his recent exertions. He was wondering how long it would be until dawn when Commander M'pel E'kmel joined him. She leaned heavily on the wall as she walked, but with his lowlight scope he could see that her leg was not troubling her nearly as much as it had been earlier. She was healing fast.

"Between that meat and the pain suppressors I am feeling much more myself, Sergeant," she said, stopping next to him. "Go and get some sleep. I will watch until you are ready to start working on the doors."

"Is that a hint, Commander?" he asked wryly.

"It is," she said, a merry gleam in her eyes. "It's also what I would council you to do."

"In that case," he said rising. "I will go and get some sleep."

"That's if Clot'ilda will let you," she said with a broad, knowing smile.

Liam left her the rifle and made his way down into the tree. At the lower opening he saw Clotilda and Tem'Ma'tel deep in conversation. They glanced his way and then turned back to each other. It sounded to Liam as though they were snickering.

He powered down his sensors, pulled off his armor and boots and lay down on the mat of leaves and twigs, sighing with relief. It had been too long of a day, and he was just as glad to have some peace and quiet. Only moments after he lay his head down he was fast asleep.





Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 06



Clotilda opened her mouth and took him in again, doing her best to return as much pleasure as she received. Liam felt her suck harder on his manhood and her little hand grasped the base gently but firmly as her mouth rose to the head. He slipped his finger deeper into her until his knuckles brushed her twitching tail and then he gently it inside of her. Clotilda instantly arched her back, rising from his stiffness and crying out with pleasure. Liam felt a splash of wetness over his face followed by a second and a third.

Clotilda, feeling a little weak, desperately turned so that she now straddled her mate's hips. She regretted that his finger left her, but there was something else she wanted now. She leaned down and nuzzled his neck, her tongue darting between her lips to taste the wetness she had sprayed there. Her hand reach down between her thighs to grasp his length, pulling hard as she struggled almost desperately to find her opening. Liam grasped her ass, kneading the cheeks and spreading her wide. The tip of his manhood touched her sex and Clotilda froze briefly, enjoying the anticipation before driving her hips down onto him. His stiffness filled her and she mewled her need into his ear.

Liam grasped her hips and pushed her down onto his shaft until he had no more to give her. Then very slowly he pulled her up before pushing her back down. Clotilda rode him like that, gradually increasing her tempo, their flesh coming together in ecstatic jolts of lust. He was feeling his orgasm building, but did not want their coupling to end. He rolled them in the nest and rose above her. His manhood had slipped free and it was with pleasure she spread her thighs to accept him again. He pressed forward, forcing open her lips. Clotilda grunted with the rushed effort, but she was glad for the discomfort for it contrasted sweetly with the pleasure when he began to draw out, and that was much to her liking. She locked her ankles around his waist, urging him to drive into her.

More! 

She wanted more! 

Needed more!

And he gave it to her.

When he felt Clotilda's muscles tighten around him Liam couldn't hold back. He plunged his full length into her and let go. He shook as the orgasm rampaged through his body. Clotilda pulled herself up tight to his sweating body, her arms barely able to get around the barrel of his ribs. She pressed her cheek to his chest, breathing in his masculine scent, reveling in the feel of him inside her and she climaxed a second time.

Panting, nearly out of breath, Liam eased himself down next to her, withdrawing as he did. Her purring was softer but no less persistent. She ran her fingers over his skin and nipped at his chin, her passion still much upon her. As he settled she rolled to face him and threw her left leg over his thigh, pulling herself close and trapping his member between them.

"Good," she panted and nipped his chin again. 

She hunched herself against his shaft and felt it stiffen. Liam leaned down and kissed her. He couldn't remember why he had been so reluctant to have sex with her. There was something primal about their joining, it was more intense than anything he had felt with women before. He kissed her deeply and laid his hand on her breast, feeling the nipple stiffen under his touch. He kissed her again and felt himself ready to resume. He kicked out of his fatigues and lay her on her back. 

Clotilda smiled playfully and hooked her knees over his hips, pulling him towards her. She wanted more. More of anything he would give to her. More of her mate and more of the pleasure and just more of anything they could share. More.

Liam entered her and they were gentler in their coupling this time. He took his pleasure in giving her pleasure and they reveled in it as children will revel in play. When they climaxed it was gentle and not rushed. Not the desperation of new lovers, but of those who know there is no longer a need to rush. It was like drinking heady wine, best enjoyed slowly and in good company. And it was wonderful. 

+>0<+

M'pel E'kmel listened as the two mates joined below. She could not help but hear the pleasurable sounds they made and she found herself stealing glances down through the dimness of the hollow tree to see them copulate. Though much older than either of her subordinates, she was no less interested in having a male. She felt herself becoming aroused by the scent as much as the sounds of their joining.

"You are no adolescent," she chided herself. And then with a twitch of her ears she murmured, "Nor are you dead."

She unfastened the front of her trousers and leaned back against the inner curve of the tree, resting her head against the rotted wood and sighed as her hand slipped under her shorts, her fingers finding the damp place of her sex. The one advantage of getting older was, she thought, the increased sensitivity to touch. She stroked the diamond shape protruding firmly from her slit and purred softly. The sounds of the lovers came to her and she imagined what Sergeant Liam Carter would be like.

"Big," she sighed. "Oh please be big."

Since having her third child she had found males less enjoyable. After her fifth she had broken from her bond with her longtime mate. They no longer had as much in common as once they had and he could not satisfy as he once did.

Her fingers flicked over her sex in a staccato rhythm that drove her pleasure slowly up. She breathed in deeply, the scent of the Human, his masculine scent, wafting up to her. It was nearly enough to push her over the edge on its own. She slowed her dancing fingers, wanting to prolong her pleasure.

"Forty battles," she sighed. "Those wonderful scars."

Her purring intensified, she began to pant. She remembered their conversations and her teasing. He was so much fun to play with. So naïve and yet so powerful. He had been a terror during the fight. Not content to defend, he had attacked! Now that was a male!

"A true male," she panted.

How she wished he would attack her in her nest. She imagined him coming to her, not cautiously but boldly. He would take her. The Human was not the sort to be afraid once his mind was made up. She had seen how he and the little one had mated that first time and she could hear how they mated now. Even roused from sleep he was not passive. Too many males were.

A cry from below made her look and she saw Sergeant Carter thrusting himself into Clot'ilda, the Pah'Tht's legs wrapped around his hips.

"Take her," M'pel E'kmel whispered. "And take me."

She saw him arch his back with a final thrust of his hips and throw his head back. His scent changed with his climax and it was too much for her. Her tail whipped violently and she squirmed as her own climax washed through her like a torrent.

M'pel E'kmel came back to herself, out of breath and purring, a moment later. She'd slipped sideways down the inner wall and lay in a tangle of limbs and clothes, her tail still twitching lazily, her shorts wet and her fingers still pressed to her sex. She withdrew her hand and licked the tips of her fingers, enjoying her own scent.

"Good," she whispered softly and smiled at a wicked thought. "Better than TaH 'eTh lon'. He could never bring me off like that."

+>0<+

When the lovers were spent, Clotilda curled up in Liam's arms until she was asleep. Liam held her like that for a time, making sure she was deep in slumber before disengaging himself. A little reluctantly he slipped from the nest and dressed, though he did not put on his armor.

"More work to do," he sighed, casting a fond glance down on his wife. "You're something else, girl."

At the upper opening he found Commander M'pel E'kmel kneeling over one of the carcasses with a long knife. She had already split the skin from the animal's throat to its crotch and was making another cut around the neck.

"Good morning, Commander," he said to get her attention. "I see you're already busy."

"Good morning, Sergeant," she replied pleasantly, flashing him a grin. "You have been busy also."

"Um... Yeah," he coughed and blushed. "Sorry if we disturbed you."

"Disturbed?" she chuckled. "What I felt was not disturbed. Believe me."

Liam, more embarrassed than usual, didn't know what to say to that, so said nothing.

"I am feeling strong enough to get around a bit better today," she said as if passing the time of day. "My muscles have reacted well to the meat you cooked last night. We jZav'Etch need meat in our diets to stay healthy and the fresher it is, the better we heal wounds."

"I see," Liam said, glad they were not going to talk about sex again. "So you're going to roast the meat from these animals too?"

"I thought I would try to smoke cure some of it, as well. It's much better than letting it rot here." She gestured at the other carcasses. "You slew many of them last night. Too much for us to eat, I'm afraid. The carcasses will certainly attract other predators and scavengers if we do not get rid of them."

"Too many to burn," he observed. 

"I agree," she said with a nod. "I think it would be best simply to move them down slope from us."

Liam considered for a moment then asked, "How far?"

"To the other side of that trail." The commander pointed down slope to a treeless patch of the forest. "I'm sorry to say, you're the only one among us able to accomplish the task. Clot'ilda is too small, and while I'm much better, I don't think my knee will hold up to that sort of labor."

"And the stretcher needs to recharge," Liam sighed, shaking his head.

"I am sorry, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said sincerely. "Perhaps we can make it up to you with a day of rest tomorrow."

"I'll be fine," he replied with a dismissive wave. "I'll show Tem'Ma'tel what I want to do about the lower entrance and then start moving the carcasses."

"And what kind of doors will you install?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

Liam blushed again at the hint, but he said, "Doors are too much work. I want to make and abatis."

"I don't know what that is," she confessed.

"A hedge of spikes," he told her. "Like an ancient passive denial system. We'll fasten it across the lower opening. It isn't a perfect answer to our needs, but it's the best idea I could think of. If we were going to be here longer I'd make something more permanent. I can't see putting a whole lot of effort into improving a temporary camp, though."

"That's reasonable," she agreed. "No. I wouldn't want to waste our energy on a project without a long term need. When Clot'ilda wakes, she can help Tem'Ma'tel. The two of them are getting along very well lately. Seems they are gossiping about you."

Liam saw the twitch of the commander's ears and what he took to be a playful twinkle in her eyes.

"So what have they been saying?" he asked warily.

"Oh, Sergeant!" she laughed. "That would be telling. Besides, if I told you what they've been saying, they would feel free to tell you what I've been saying."

Liam closed his eyes and grinned, blushing deeply. He was never going to get the better of M'pel E'kmel, but that didn't bother him. She seemed to enjoy teasing him more than anything else in her world. He gave her a direct look and smiled.

"What?" she asked.

"I was just imagining you in a bikini again," he said and then turned and marched down to the lower entrance leaving her standing there with her mouth open.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 07



Author's note: For those readers wondering who does my editing - Just me. This is a vanity project. My secret sin, if you will. I've chosen to share it here because I cannot bring myself to share it with my friends. This is mine and yours to enjoy. 

Thanks to everyone who has left a comment or sent a message. Both are very much appreciated. 

***** 

Boring, thought Tem'Ma'tel. Her tail twitched in irritation. This was unsatisfactory. Why had she been wounded? If they had been able to salvage her armor the bullet would have glanced off and she would have been with Captain Am'a'all when he fought the Human. If she had been there, though, the Human would likely be dead and that thought no longer pleased her. SarJ'ant, she reflected again, had proven to be very unlike she had anticipated. His lack of fur troubled her at first, but having been around him she felt he would not look right with fur. It was an odd realization. 

"You could not see his scars if he had fur," she said to herself, her tail twitching unconsciously. 

Something moved in the brush near one of the carcasses. Her eyes tracked it, but otherwise she stayed motionless. The creature was small and it seemed interested only in taking a bite of the dead flesh. She watched it passively, returning to her thoughts. 

Why did she have the misfortune of getting lamed? She had tried to put weight on her injured leg, but that had caused her wound to start bleeding again. The pain she could endure, but if the wound broke open she would not heal properly. The commander had put a stint in place with their medical kit to facilitate proper and speedy healing, but Tem'Ma'tel was impatient. To always be on sentry was not at all to her liking. She had never been one to enjoy the long watches. She was restless and wanting something useful to do. 

Hearing SarJ'ant coming down the trunk towards her, she turned. He paused and she thought he might be stopping by his nest where Clot'ilda lay, but then she heard him rummage among the gear they'd salvaged. A moment later he emerged into the light of the forest. Tem'Ma'tel caught her breath and quickly schooled her expression, forcibly stilling the urge to twitch her tail. SarJ'ant was shirtless and wore no armor. 

"I have a job for you," he said approaching, holding out the machete, hilt towards her. 

Tem'Ma'tel didn't know what his words meant, but he was offering her the tool and his tone indicated there was something needing to be done. 

"I'll be back in a minute," he told her and she watched the muscles in his back ripple as he went around gathering long branches from the brush. Some he chopped with his knife and it made his muscles ripple even more enticingly. He returned with a bundle of straight branches under his arm. She narrowed her eyes, wondering what they were for. 

"Sharpen these," he said and used his knife to cut a point on the end of one of the thick branches. "I'll get some more for you. Then I have to move these carcasses away from the camp." 

Tem'Ma'tel was very pleased to have a task she could do that was useful, even if she didn't know what these crude spears were for. She began sharpening the branches, careful to put as fine a point on them as SarJ'and had. She found her eyes wandering to him every few minutes and shook her head. He was not yet her mate and he had not yet made Ka' chasck. Until then she should not look upon him in that way. And yet, why not? He was a good looking, battle scarred male, though Human. She smiled to herself and continued her work. 

After bringing her several more loads of branches, SarJ'ant dragged a few logs over to her. He paused a moment to catch his breath, gave her an approving nod and then set about dragging one of the carcasses away down the slope. She watched him until his glistening skin could not be seen among the leaves. A smile spread over her face. 

"I like the way the sweat coats his skin," she murmured, unaware she said it aloud. 

+>0<+ 

From atop the giant log M'pel E'kmel also watched Liam drag the carcass through the underbrush. She was not so much admiring him as watching to be sure no animal attacked him unobserved. The fero-plas rifle had more than enough range to deal a killing blow through armor at two kilometers, and its sights were accurate out to nearly twice that range. If she saw something dangerous coming, she could put a stop to it before Sergeant Carter was in any danger. 

It took him several minutes to drag the dead animal to the spot they had chosen and then several more minutes to climb back up the slope. He would be nearly exhausted after the work was done. 

"We have to conserve his strength," she said to no one. 

If there were another attack such as the one last night, they would need his mobility to counter it. He had risked much in going to the top of the log to engage the animals the way he had, but she reckoned the result spoke for itself. In his armor Sergeant Carter had been in little danger from the creature's fangs and claws. 

"What would we do without him?" she wondered. It troubled her that the three females were so dependent upon him. Yes, he was a male, but that didn't mean he was indestructible. They must not let him wear himself out in their defense. And she and Tem'Ma'tel had to take care of their injuries so that they would heal as quickly as possible. 

"We need to get out of here," she said and then called down into the tree. "Clot'ilda. Wake up!" 

The little Pah'Tht scampered into the open a moment later, still fastening her trousers and blinking against the sunlight. She appeared wide awake and perky, though she moved with a stiffness M'pel E'kmel had to smile at. A mate as large as the sergeant might be enjoyable, but there was a drawback for a female as small as Clot'ilda. 

"I am here, Commander," Clot'ilda said with a bow of her head. 

"When you went to our camp, did you recover my satchel?" M'pel E'kmel asked. 

"It is with the arms case, Commander," Clot'ilda told her. 

"Fetch it for me." 

Clotilda returned quickly with the satchel and M'pel E'kmel began searching through it immediately. 

"Take a deq'istle and go to your mate," she ordered Clot'ilda. "He must be protected. I have work to do here." 

Clot'ilda nodded happily and scampered off, her stiffness already abating. M'pel E'kmel smirked at her and then dug into her satchel again, coming out with a cylinder as long as her hand. She touched a switch on one end and then pulled a screen from a slot that ran the length of the cylinder. The screen, no thicker than a sheet of good quality paper, fluttered in the breeze briefly and then went rigid. On it was displayed an orbital image they had taken shortly before the attack on the CP transports. She scrolled through the image until she found the island and then expanded the view until the area of the crash site was clear. Of course there were only trees to be seen, since their ship had taken the image, but she recognized the location from several terrain features. 

M'pel E'kmel ran her finger along the line of the valley, north and east towards the hills and low mountains near the coast. She was looking for small rivers or sizable streams, bodies of water that would not go dry in a drought or rise dangerously in flood. If they were able to locate their next camp near one of these then food and water would be readily available. They could focus their efforts on establishing a secure home. Someplace that would be easily defended from animals or curious natives, should those primitive people come looking for them. 

"And there is that other threat," she grumbled, casting her eyes up at the clear patch of sky visible through the forest canopy. 

+>0<+ 

Tem'Ma'tel looked up at the soft hiss from Clot'ilda. She found her friend grinning devilishly and pointing at SarJ'ant as he bent to loop a strap around the hind legs of another of the dead animals. His fatigue trousers were stretched smooth over his well-shaped buttocks, sharply accented by the double gun belt he wore and he was oblivious to the two females. Tem'Ma'tel grinned appreciatively and twitched her ears to Clot'ilda in the jZav'Etch version of a wink. Clot'ilda stifled a laugh and pretended to pinch SarJ'ant on the right cheek. Tem'Ma'tel covered her mouth and snorted. SarJ'ant glanced over his shoulder, throwing a questioning look her way, but she raised her eyebrows as if to ask, "What? Something wrong?" He went back to work. 

Tem'Ma'tel felt that Clot'ilda would make a refreshing change to the Firsts she had known in the past. Usually a First of Household was a stodgy, older female who took herself and her position far too seriously. Or they were young, jealous females who also took themselves too seriously, preening and strutting as if they were as important as the male who actually defended the house's honor. She generally liked the Firsts of single mate homes, but those who had even one Second were somewhat snobby in her experience. Clot'ilda would not be that way. And Clot'ilda, Tem'Ma'tel knew, was fun to lay with. 

Aboard the scout vessel Clot'ilda had been the most popular among the largely female crew. She had even shared the commander's bunk several times. Fun, energetic and always considerate, Clot'ilda was a guaranteed good time. 

Tem'Ma'tel's memories of her encounters with the Pah'Tht made her tail twitch and she cast a glance at Clot'ilda, catching her eye. She raised an eyebrow and twitched her tail again and Clot'ilda smiled, giving her a nod. They would take time for themselves when SarJ'ant and the commander stood watch. It was good to have another female close to one's own age. And Clot'ilda was better company than most. 

+>0<+ 

Hours of work and a dozen trips up and down the slope later Liam returned to the lower entrance of the tree. Nearly worn out he half sat, half collapsed on the ground next to where Tem'Ma'tel had been working. Clotilda trotted into the tree and came back with one of the water jugs. He accepted it and drank thirstily. 

"Fuuuuuck," he groaned and handed the jug back to her. "I'm beat." 

"Beat?" Clotilda asked, frowning with concern. 

"Tired, Honey," he said, giving her a pat on the leg. "I'm tired. I'll be okay. I just need to rest." 

"Food?" Tem'Ma'tel asked them. 

Liam looked at her, thinking he might have misheard. Clotilda said something in jZav'Etch and Te'Ma'tel nodded, pointing to the entrance of the tree. 

"Liam," Clotilda said to him. "I cut meat. You... wait." 

He gave her a nod and off she went. Liam looked at the work Tem'Ma'tel had done and was impressed with how far along she had gotten. She was using a strange tool to pierce the heavier logs he had dragged over. It looked like some kind of drill with a long, tubular bit. Its motor did not spin fast, but it was cutting cleanly through the wood. As he watched, Tem'Ma'tel bored her last hole and set the drill aside. She selected one of the sharpened branches and forced it into the hole. She fit three more branches the same way, ending up with an X at either end of the trunk to form legs. 

"Let me give you a hand with that," he said when she stooped to stand the log on its legs. She declined a little forcefully, shoving him back to the ground before he could rise. 

"SarJ'ant, wait," she said with a hard look. 

"Fine," he grumbled. "I'm too tired to argue. Just don't hurt yourself." 

She lifted the log, all six meters of it, with a grunt and set it on its legs. It rocked a bit and then settled. She then hobbled around, fitting more stakes into the abatis, starting from the middle and working her way to the ends. Now and then she had to shave a stake down to fit it properly, but Liam could see she was doing a good job of it. Of course, this was only the first part of the barrier. They would need more branches and maybe another log to make the abatis strong enough to deter another pack of whatever those things had been. 

Clotilda returned carrying what looked like a scrawny ham on a rough cut plank. It was a shank of one of the animals they'd killed, roasted and still steaming. It smelled okay, but not as good as the roasted meat from the flying creature. Clotilda set the shank next to Liam and he took out his knife. Before he could cut the meat Clotilda took the knife. 

"I guess I'm not going to do anything for a bit," he said with a shake of his head. 

"I cut meat," Clotilda said and kissed the top of his head. 

The first serving went to Liam and the second she gave to Tem'Ma'tel. As First of the Household it was Clot'ilda's duty and honor to serve the meal, or see that it was served if there were Seconds to help her. The three sat and ate the stringy meat quietly. None seemed to particularly care for the taste, but it was better than rations. At least it was better than CP rations, Liam thought. 

"He has worked very hard today," Tem'Ma'tel said to Clot'ilda. "He will need sleep." 

"Sleep after a bath," the Pah'Tht agreed. 

"I like his scent," Tem'Ma'tel said honestly. 

"It's very agreeable, but a bath will do his muscles good," replied Clot'ilda. 

"I wish I could bathe properly," Tem'Ma'tel said and patted her leg over the bandage. "I cannot get this wet. Very frustrating. I wish I had not been shot." 

"You must rest as well as you can," Clotilda told her. "The commander has located a place she wishes to move to. She used the orbital survey we took of this world. She thinks if we leave here at dawn we might make the journey before the sun sets." 

"Do we go tomorrow?" 

Shaking her head Clot'ilda said, "Not until you are both healed. She wishes to consult with Liam, also." 

"I wonder how we will carry everything," Tem'Ma'tel said, gesturing towards the stack of salvaged equipment. "And there is more that you had to leave at the first camp. Not necessary, perhaps, but it would be better to have it if we could get it." 

"You are right," Clotilda said, chewing her meat contemplatively. "Several trips may be needed. Will you mention this to the commander? It is not my place." 

"I will." 

They fell silent, watching the forest, both wondered about their future. This was a large, dangerous world with only the four of them to rely upon. It was better there were four than three, and Tem'Ma'tel was glad the commander had not allowed her to kill SarJ'ant when he had come to take them on that first day. 

+>0<+ 

Liam listened to the buzzing chitters of the two jZav'Etch, feeling a little left out. It was no one's fault he did not speak their language, and neither of them spoke enough English to carry on a conversation. That didn't mean he liked being the odd man out, though. He sighed, ate the last bite of the unsavory meat and lay back, thinking he would need to take his medical analyzer and find some vegetables and fruit he could eat. All this meat filled him up and the supplements from his ration packets would prevent malnutrition, but he would need natural fiber in his diet. 

The sun warmed him and his aching muscles gradually relaxed. Before long he was dozing. He drifted on the edge of sleep, unaware the females were whispering until Clot'ilda shook his shoulder. He blinked his eyes open to find her smiling down on him. 

"Tem'Ma'tel water, Liam," she said. 

"What?" 

"Tem'Ma'tel water," she repeated. "Liam water. Tem'Ma'tel water. I watch." 

Liam sat up discovering that his muscles were stiffer than they had been in a very long time. He would need to start stretching and going through his workouts again soon. Tem'Ma'tel was already on her feet with a crutch she had carved propped under her left shoulder. She looked expectantly at him. 

"I watch," Clotilda said and showed him her pistol. "Tem'Ma'tel water, Liam." 

"She wants a bath?" he asked creakily. "Okay. I'll take her to the... Wait. Is she going to get naked?" 

The jZave'Etch blinked uncomprehendingly at him. Of course they didn't understand. He groaned as he got to his feet. He really didn't have the energy to care right now. If Tem'Ma'tel wanted a bath and she took her clothes off, so what? He wasn't going to do anything about it. Right? 

"Liam water," Clotilda said. 

"I said I would take her," he grumbled and rubbed his eyes. Clotilda poked him in the side a couple of times. He looked grumpily down. 

"Liam water," she said forcefully then pinched her nose. "Understand? Liam water." 

"What? I don't smell good?" he snorted. "Okay. Fine! I'll bathe. Come on Tem'Ma'tel. Let's go splash around and risk our necks because my wife doesn't like the way I smell." 

As grumpy as he felt, Liam was considerate enough to help Tem'Ma'tel up the hill and down the far slope. It was her first time visiting the stream and she had considerable difficulty negotiating the terrain. Nevertheless, she handled it with dignity. 

"Let me see if I can find a spot you can get in the water without falling in," he said, motioning her to stand where she was. A few meters from his previous bathing spot he found a half sunken boulder with a couple of ridges that led into the water like steps. He had to pull a small bush out of the ground to clear the way, but the current carried the muddy water downstream quickly. 

Tem'Ma'tel joined him and considered the boulder. It would do for her needs. She took off her fatigues and laid them on the top of the boulder before carefully stepping into the shallow water. It was cold and the stone was slippery, but no catastrophe befell her. She sat down, careful to keep her bandage out of the stream. It wasn't precisely comfortable sitting like that and she wished she could just wade into the water, but such was her life for the moment. 

"I'll be over here," SarJ'ant said and stepped away a few paces, turning his back. 

That was very considerate of him, but not what Clot'ilda had in mind. Tem'Ma'tel had reluctantly agreed to teasing SarJ'ant. She had never been skilled in that art and felt quite foolish. Males were stupid and... Wait. SarJ'ant was being genuinely considerate. He was not peeking as she had expected him to do. He was looking around for threats. She blinked. What to do? 

Her shorts were already soaked and the bottom of her undershirt was wet too, but there was no reason they wouldn't dry before they returned to the camp. There was no reason for her to be uncomfortable the rest of the day. And this was a better chance at a bath than she had had since being wounded. With a determined little smirk she pulled her underclothes off and laid them flat next to her fatigues where the sun warmed the rock. A glance told her SarJ'ant had not noticed. Good. 

Liam heard Tem'Ma'tel splashing water over herself and sighed. At least this spot was cool. Between the overhanging canopy and the running water the air here was always cooler than around their camp. Thankfully the hollow tree had enough thickness left to its trunk to insulate against the heat. It was almost as cool as if it had been a cave of stone. He wondered if they would be able to find a cave that was not occupied by some enormous beast armed with giant fangs and razor-like claws. Probably Commander M'pel E'kmel was right. They might be better off building a shelter. His uncle had taught him how to build dry stone walls over a few summers. He was sure he could remember the technique. All they would need... 

"SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel interrupted his musings. 

"Are you ready to come ou... " He stopped speaking as soon as he turned around. She'd gotten naked. And she had done it really, really well. 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 07



Tem'Ma'tel was instantly gratified by the look on the male's face. She knew she was not a particularly desirable female, having more muscle than was considered attractive among her kind, but the look on SarJ'ant's face made her feel... Sexy? Was this what Im'Ma'qLi, her sister, felt when males looked at her? 

Their mother had encouraged Tem'Ma'tel to follow her father into the service in large part to find a mate. Soldiers, seeing the prowess of a female, often overlooked their lack of physical beauty. Her sister, on the other hand, had been encouraged to learn dance. It was a skill in which Im'Ma'qLi had much natural talent. 

It took a great deal of self-discipline for Tem'Ma'tell not to purr. She schooled her expression to stay neutral the way she would if addressed by an angry superior. She sat outwardly cool and collected, though her heart raced with the thrill of SarJ'ant's gaze. She saw the front of his trousers move and push out. Was he... He WAS! SarJ'ant was growing excited! Just from looking at her! A short purr escaped her throat and she turned it into a cough before he could notice, but it took every ounce of her will not to offer Chisq' Kah' right there and then. He had not sufficiently proven himself and she was wounded. She could not offer Chisq' Kah'. Not yet. 

Tem'Ma'tel sat there in the water staring at him and Liam, as tired as he was, couldn't think for a moment. Her taut muscles, trim waist and shapely hips, not to mention her firm breasts, had taken him completely by surprise. She'd ambushed him! Or had she? She looked the same as she always did. Well, she was a lot more naked than usual, but her expression was the same. She was cool and reserved and... Was that a Purr? Nope. A cough. Of course she wasn't hitting on him. This was the alien that was going to try to kill him as soon as she was healthy enough to get the job done. At least she would if he didn't formally demand she have sex with him. Suddenly that prospect didn't seem so daunting. He cleared his throat and took a couple of steps closer to her. 

Tem'Ma'tel saw SarJ'ant struggle to put his mind back together after the shock she had given him. It was like watching a child who had tumbled down a hill try to get his bearings before standing. How cute. And then he was all attention, pretending she were not naked. Inwardly she smiled then raised her hand to accept his help in standing. He averted his eyes and his skin, which had darkened by several shades during the morning, now turned darker still. 

"SarJ'ant," she said evenly, fighting the twitching of her tail. "Water." 

"Yeah," he said in a hoarse voice. "I think I could use a good cold dunking about now." 

Liam helped her to sit on the top of the boulder and gave her his pistols before stepping behind a bush on the stream bank to take off his clothes. No way did he want her seeing how turned on he was. She might just tear his throat out for insulting her or something. 

Tem'Ma'tel ran her fingers lazily through her wet fur and watched the Human as he tried to hide himself from her. She was amused. Powerful and courageous in a fight, SarJ'ant was so unsure of himself in the presence of a female. Still, that was better than the foolish males she normally encountered. Mostly they tried to impress her with their strength or agility and ended up in the infirmary for their trouble. And none of them was actually interested in more than getting her to offer Chisq' Kah'. Their hard luck, really. 

When SarJ'ant finally slipped into the water she caught a glimpse of him and froze. She would not let herself react, but she could not move for a moment. She had been admiring his battle scars and muscles throughout the morning, and they were very nice, but she'd just seen his member. His very rigid member. It had been for no more than an instant, but it was enough. She now understood why Clot'ilda liked it. 

"Smooth," Tem'Ma'tel said under her breath and was suddenly in control of herself again. 

She looked directly at him while he was scrubbing at his skin. Through the water she could see his hardness and she smiled before looking away. He was excited because he had seen her! Did her leg really hurt so badly? What would be the harm? No. She couldn't risk it. They were too far from help if an animal crept up on them. Too dangerous. There was nothing for it. It was just too dangerous here. Still... 

She glanced back at him and grinned. His scars really were impressive, especially across his chest and that large one on his shoulder was the grandest she had ever seen. 

"Heal, leg," she growled softly. "Heal or I shall cut you off and find another." 

+>0<+ 

Clot'ilda looked to the top of the rise when she saw movement there. Even from this distance she could see the swish of Tem'Ma'tel's tail. Something had happened. She smiled and waited for her mate and her friend to come closer. She hoped Liam would find something to do and leave the two of them to speak. 

"I need a nap," he said, stopping only long enough to plant a kiss between her ears. He stepped around the abatis and disappeared into the tree. 

Clot'ilda exchanged a look with Tem'Ma'tel and both began to giggle. 

"You did as I suggested," Clotilda said as soon as she could catch her breath. 

"It wasn't proper and I was not going to at first," Tem'Ma'tel told her and then went on to describe the whole event. She spared only a few minor details, females kept secrets, even from other females at times. 

Clot'ilda sighed happily, glad her friend had enjoyed the teasing. She asked, "Will you offer Chisq' Kah' now?" 

"No," Tem'Ma'tel replied with a meaningful look at her Pah'Tht friend. "I think I would prefer to be a Second in your household." 

Clot'ilda sprang to her feet, laughing happily. This was wonderful news! She would have a sister as well as a friend. It would be much better for them all. And it meant she need not worry for Liam any longer. At least not where Tem'Ma'tel was concerned. 

"Shall I make a formal proposal to my mate?" she asked, grasping Tem'Ma'tel by both hands. "I will tell him he must offer you Chaq' Ka' shisk." 

"No," the dTel'Qohar said politely but firmly. "He shot me through the leg. I feel there should be some balance before we join. He will need to demand Ka' chasck. Then there can be true peace among us." 

"You are so stodgy, Tem'Ma'tel," scolded Clot'ilda. "But I am so very glad you will accept." 

They chatted for a few minutes more and then Clot'ilda went up to relieve the commander who had been on watch and quite busy with other things since before the sun rose. It wouldn't do to leave her without rest. Besides, if both the commander and Liam slept, they would relieve her and Tem'Ma'tel in a few hours. And then the two females could have some privacy.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 08



Author's note: Thanks to everyone leaving encouraging comments and messages. Very much appreciated. 

Things are getting busy for me again and I may be away for a time. However, I have another chapter almost ready to be posted and several more that need editing. Currently working on chapter 13. Looks like there might be 20 chapters total. 

***** 

Liam rolled to his side feeling every cramped muscle and stiff joint in his body. He was sure that if he tried to move too quickly he'd hear tendons snapping so he very slowly worked himself into a sitting position. 

"Damn," he swore softly. "Mom said there would be days like this." 

"Did she really?" a soft voice inquired from the nest across from him. M'pel E'kmel pushed herself up onto her elbow and smiled. Her smoke-colored eyes were only half open, still filled with sleep and in the fading light of the late afternoon her golden fur looked more dusky than usual. He smiled back and shook his head. 

"It's just an expression," he said. "I had a sergeant in advanced gunnery who would say that to us on maneuvers. He was one of the best instructors I ever had." 

"Ah. I wondered how your mother would know one day you would be cast away upon a remote world with three soldiers of an enemy nation," she laughed playfully. "Are you rested, Sergeant?" 

"I'm better than I was a while ago," he conceded. "Give me a minute. I need to check something." 

She waited patiently and watched with interest as he took his medical kit from his pack. Placing it on his broad chest he tapped a button and waited until the device chimed. Holding it in front of his face he read something from the little screen. 

"And what does it say?" she asked mildly but with a hint of concern. 

"Well," he said, screwing up his face. "My nutritional balance for the day is a little too heavy on proteins and too light on carbohydrates. Nothing serious. I'm well within the norm for hydration. That's good. And it looks like my vitamin D and my iron are a bit low, but again, nothing serious. Everything else checks out. The machine does recommend more sleep, though." 

"Then lay back down," she advised. 

"I'm already awake and I should relieve Tem'Ma'tel on watch. She's been out there all day." 

"And you have been extremely active for the past two days," M'pel E'kmel said reasonably. "You should sleep a little while longer. Lay down and I will sing you a lullaby. One my mother used to sing to me." 

He looked at her with a soft smile and said, "Now that would be worth hearing. You have a very nice voice, Commander. I think it's best if I go relieve Tem'Ma'tel, though. Sing your lullaby to her." 

She was going to speak but paused when Liam reached into his pack and came out with one of his ration packets. He tore the end open and drew out a disc about the size of his palm. 

"What's that?" she asked. 

For answer he gave her a glance and then winked. Holding the disc with the fingers of one hand he placed the fingers of the other over it and pulled them apart. The disc opened up into a cylinder and he twisted the top off. He stuffed that into his pack and took out his canteen, pouring a measure of water into the open end of the cylinder. Steam wafted up from it and a pleasant scent filled the old tree. He handed the cylinder to M'pel E'kmel. 

"It smells wonderful," she said after waving the drink under her nose. 

"The drink of the gods," he said in a mock serious tone. "And the life's blood of marines and college students everywhere." 

"Indeed?" she said in an appropriately grave tone. "What's it called?" 

"That, my dear Commander, is coffee. At least it's a pretty close approximation of the stuff." 

"This?" M'pel E'kmel said, genuinely impressed. She had heard of coffee but had never had an opportunity to try any. She reached to hand it back, but Liam held up a palm and pulled a second disc from the ration packet. 

"Go ahead and drink it," he said, repeating the preparations for the second cup. "Just don't waste it. There are thirsty marines who would push their sainted grandmothers down a flight of stairs to get some." 

She laughed, her eyes dancing, and took a sip of the hot liquid. M'pel E'kmel held the cup several centimeters in front of her eyes and stared at it. Her ears twitched and her whiskers vibrated. She took a larger sip and shot Liam a surprised and very pleased look. 

"I guess you like it," he said with a grin and sipped from his own cup. 

"This is wonderful!" she proclaimed and sat up, careful of her cup. "If your people sent our general staff a case of this the war would end tomorrow! You say this is only an approximation of the drink?" 

"I've had the real stuff plenty of times," he told her. "I had Kona coffee every day when I was stationed in Honolulu and I had Indian coffee while on maneuvers in the Punjab. The Pliskan blend from Adder is really good, all original beans transported there about a hundred years ago from Columbia. I have it wherever I go. This stuff is coffee mostly in name alone. It tastes better with sugar and cream if you want to try some of that." 

"No thank you," she said and sipped again. "My people do not process sugar very well. We can't even taste it. And the cream I am leery of. I do not wish to ruin a good thing." 

Liam snorted at that and drank his coffee. It perked him up considerably and soon he was feeling more ready to face a long watch. He collapsed his empty cup and pushed it back into the ration packet then stood and collected his armor. 

"Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said, watching him pull the sleeves up his arms. "How long will it take to recharge the stretcher?" 

"Oh, if we could keep it in direct sunlight, about six hours," he told her. "With all this shade, call it twelve or fourteen." 

"And how long would the charge last?" she asked. 

"You mean if we loaded all of our gear on it?" 

She nodded. 

"That's a lot of weight for it to hold up," he said, fastening the pauldrons on his shoulders. "That's why it ran down so fast. I guess it would carry that load for about six or seven hours. Thinking about taking it somewhere?" 

"I found a place on one of our orbital survey maps," she said. "I think we could reach it in a single day if we started at dawn." 

"Dangerous," he observed. "We figured daylight lasts about twenty-four hours here. You want to march straight through?" 

"I had thought we might try it," she admitted and sipped more of her coffee. "If the stretcher runs down so quickly we would certainly be forced to stop." 

"How about making the trip in stages?" he asked and fastened his gun belt. 

"I suppose we must." 

"If you can use your map to find some places on the way where we could hole up and recharge the stretcher, we could make a couple of short journeys in a day," he said and picked up his helmet. "Might be able to reach the place you found in as little as two days. Probably more like three, since we won't know the terrain until we're actually walking through it." 

"Yes," she said with a nod. "You are wise, Sergeant. And you are more accustomed to marching than I am. That's one reason I'm very glad to have you with us. The terrain, I suspect will be no worse than it is here, though it will gradually climb as we near the hills." 

"Stands to reason," he said with a nod. "If we can get to some good, defensible ground before nightfall, I think we'd be fine." 

"I'll go over the map tonight," she said and finished her coffee. "Let us take a look at it in the morning. We can work out more details once I have a better idea of what we're facing and what course we can take." 

+>0<+ 

Tem'Ma'tel crawled into her nest, tired but filled with anticipation. Clot'ilda was coming down from the upper entrance and already was unfastening the catches on her trousers. The scent of the little Pah'Tht preceded her and told Tem'Ma'tel how excited she was. Clot'ilda playfully sprang naked into the nest from several paces away, landing lightly next to Tem'Ma'tel and delivering a quick nip to the side of the dTel'Qohar's neck. Tem'Ma'tel giggled at the antics of her friend and both began purring. 

"This must come off!" whispered Clot'ilda, her fingers tugging at the seal on Tem'Ma'tel's jacket. 

"Please do not rush," whispered Tem'Ma'tel. "Too long for me. I have waited too long and your mating with SarJ'ant, the scent, nearly drove me mad." 

"I will drive you mad tonight," Clot'ilda said and pressed her lips to the larger female's. 

Tem'Ma'tel blinked in surprise, but was not displeased. 

"SarJ'ant taught that to me," whispered Clot'ilda with a grin. "Is it not nice?" 

"I... It is different," Tem'Ma'tel said and pulled the Pah'Tht down to press their lips together again. "Nice. Yes, I like that." 

They kissed again. Clotil'da slowly laid down on Tem'Ma'tel's chest, their breasts pressing together through the thin material of the dTel'Qohar's undershirt. She could feel Clot'ilda's nipples, hard and firm. Their purring became rhythmic, one complimenting the other as if they sang a duet. Tem'Ma'tel ran her claws lightly down Clot'ilda's back and the little Pah'Tht arched up, breaking their kiss, her purring becoming louder. 

Desperately Clot'ilda returned to pull her friend's jacket off, wanting to get to the soft fur underneath. Tem'Ma'tel made no protest and as they worked together they nipped and kissed and their scents mingled. 

It was the space of only a moment before both lay naked, their hands exploring the softness of each other's bodies. Clot'ilda nipped her way down Tem'Ma'tel's neck and over the contours of her chest, finally finding the large, swollen nipple of the left breast. She paused only briefly before taking it gently between her teeth. Tem'Ma'tel arched her back, sighing with pleasure and ran her hand down to the base of Clot'ilda's tail. She raked her claws lightly over the skin at the small of her back and felt Clot'ilda's purr thrum against her breast. 

Fingers sought soft wetness and lips found delicate flesh and the two writhed in the throes of lovers. Tem'Ma'tel lifted Clot'ilda and sat her astride her mouth. She raised her head and licked the tangy slit of the little Pah'Tht and found the engorged diamond of her sex. Clot'ilda squeaked with uncontrollable delight and her mouth dove down to return the pleasure she had been given. Wetness and pleasure flowed from one to the other as they joined in the happy union of sisters to be. 

As Tem'Ma'tel felt her climax rapidly building she lay her hand on the back of Clot'ilda's head and gently urged her on. Clot'ilda redoubled her efforts, slipping a finger into the soft slit below the diamond, spreading her friend's sex, exposing the livid pink within. Tem'Ma'tel pressed her friend's mouth more firmly against herself, no longer able to hold back. She abandoned her ministrations, forgetting all but the wave of climax that demanded release. And then she shook and bucked, crying out for the first time, not caring that others would hear. Her friend had driven her over the edge and rather than falling, she soared on a current of ecstasy. When she came back to herself she found Clot'ilda had slipped off her and was now crouching between her thighs, purring and grinning that devilish grin of hers. 

"Thank you," breathed Tem'Ma'tel and made to sit up, but Clot'ilda gently pushed her back down. Tem'Ma'tel was vastly stronger than any Pah'Tht, but she submitted to the one who had taken charge of their lovemaking. She lay back, a smile on her lips, and watched as her friend dipped her mouth down to lick at her diamond. Tem'Ma'tel sighed, the sensation once more muted, brought her a gentle pleasure without urgency. 

Clot'ilda plied her tongue to the sodden slit of her friend, thinking it was a fine thing to be able to bring so much pleasure. Her mother had many times preached against frivolous joinings, but Clot'ilda had not cared. She found these joinings to be anything but frivolous. To give and to receive pleasure was among the grandest things in life, and when one was a soldier pleasure was hard to come by. Each time with a lover might be the last and a wise Teacher had said the last should be enjoyed as much as the first. 

She delved her tongue more deeply into Tem'Ma'tel's slit, tasting the spicy mix of tang and bitter, feeling her friend shudder as the tip of her tongue rolled over the firmness of the diamond. Tem'Ma'tel's tail twitched and thrashed as she arched her back, trying to press her sex into the loving caress of Clot'ilda's tongue and lips. And then Clot'ilda did something she had never done with Tem'Ma'tel. She pushed her finger deep into her friend's sex and slowly drew it out, certain it was well coated. Continuing to lick, nip and kiss the wetness, Clot'ilda used her other hand to spread the powerful muscles of Tem'Ma'tel's buttocks and firmly pressed her slick finger into the other place of pleasure. 

Coughing with surprise, Tem'Ma'tel raised her head and shoulders to look with wide eyes at her friend. The powerful jolt of sensation had run through her like an electric current, stunning her and taking her breath away. Contrasting feelings of discomfort and pleasure warred for a moment until Clot'ilda, eyes twinkling in the failing light, crooked her finger and sent joy through Tem'Ma'tel's whole body. Unable to give voice to her emotions Tem'Ma'tel dropped back to the leaves of the nest, gasping. She coughed and moaned and suddenly her purr reverberated from the walls like a living thing come upon them. She exploded with another wave of ecstasy, her elation flushing out of her to spray over Clot'ilda as she continued to flex her finger and lick.  

When Tem'Ma'tel woke she found Clot'ilda, the devilish little Pah'Tht curled next to her in the nest. The scent of their lovemaking thick in the air of the old dead tree, mingling with the smell of earth and wood. It seemed right. More right than anything ever could be. Tem'Ma'tel placed her arm around her sleeping friend and drew her nearer. She rested her chin on top of Clot'ilda's head and returned to sleep. 

+>0<+ 

Liam stood inside the lower entrance just behind the abatis looking out into the darkening forest. The coffee had done wonders to revive him. The coffee in CP military rations was fortified with stimulants other than caffeine, though none of them were actually addictive. Couldn't have soldiers running around needing to get a fix, after all. 

He contemplated the situation and worried about the journey ahead. Commander M'pel E'kmel had found a place she thought would serve for a long term camp, and he was glad for that, but to carry all their gear through heavy terrain in a single day made no sense. She was obviously a senior officer among the jZav'Etch, but it was equally obvious that she had little or no training in infantry operations. 

A scent wafted gently by him, interrupting his thoughts and he turned, expecting to find Clotilda close by. Except she wasn't. He shrugged, thinking it must be a trick of the wind and went back to his contemplations. 

He remembered seeing an old movie from a time when Earth had just begun sending Humans into space. It was about a group of people who had crash landed an aircraft in a remote desert. To expand their reach they had filled ostrich eggs with water then marched out until half the water was consumed and buried the rest. Each time they did this they were able to get a little further. In this climate water wouldn't be an issue, nor would food. They had plenty of rations left and they could hunt game. If they carried only what they absolutely needed they probably could reach the new camp in a day and a half. Taking everything just made the whole venture too difficult. 

The scent suddenly came to him much stronger than before and he knew Clotilda had to be right behind him. She was probably trying to sneak up on him like a kitten playing a stalking game. He spun with a smile on his face, ready to grab her, but again she wasn't there. Liam frowned. He hadn't imagined her scent. Was it on his armor? He sniffed. No, that wasn't it. And then he heard a soft noise come from up the slope of the tree. 

"What the hell?" he murmured. 

He squinted against the darkness, finally resorting to switching on his lowlight scope. As the face shield came down Clot'ilda and Tem'Ma'tel came into view. 

"Holy shit," he breathed and a perplexed smile spread across his face. 

Clotilda and Tem'Ma'tel were locked in a sixty-nine position, obviously naked and obviously enjoying themselves. His thermal indicators showed waves of heat rising in eddies from their entwined bodies and his external mics were picking up purring and... other noises. 

Liam felt himself getting hard and was tempted to continue watching, but that was a dangerous thing to do while on guard. He swallowed hard, torn between desire and duty. He lingered for only a moment longer and then went to the end of the abatis, levered it out of his way and stepped into the coming night. Outside the scent of sex would be less pervasive and he could think. 

"Right," he said quietly, shuffling his feet. "Right. The journey. Road march. I need to think about that. Not really a road march, though, is it." 

He cleared his throat and took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh evening air and driving out the heady mix of scent from the two entwined jZav'Etch. He could still picture Tem'Ma'tel's long, shapely leg quivering, toes pointing to the ceiling as she pressed Clotilda's face into her crotch, but he was going to think about the trip ahead. That was important. The trip that they would take to get to a place where they would be safer than here. The log. The place where he had first had sex with a Pah'Tht. The Pah'Tht who was currently going down on a dTel'Qohar who might want to kill him if he didn't demand to have sex with her. A dTel'Qohar who had the best pair of legs he had ever seen and an ass that wouldn't quit. 

"Mind on the job, Marine!" he snapped at himself and took a pair of steps away from the abatis. "Get yourself and everyone else killed thinking like that. Then you won't be able to have sex at all!" 

The air away from the opening was fresher and his desire lessened. He felt his heart still thumping and blood racing so he began the mental discipline he had used so many times in combat to calm himself. As he did Liam realized there was something to the scent of the jZav'Etch females. On that first day he had noticed a strong, spicy tang in the air of the hollow tree after he had brought the three of them here as prisoners. It had been there whenever M'pel E'kmel spoke to him about mating. Out in the open the scent had not lingered, but inside the tree it had pervaded everything. 

"Fuck," he hissed. "Pheromones. Shit! Of course it was pheromones. You dumbass!" 

For a moment he was angry with the commander and then he was angry with himself for being a fool. He shook his head and threw a furious look at the opening. 

"Motherfucker!" he said aloud. "They got me. They fucking got me and I didn't even know it." 

He fumed about the deception and paced, kicking small stones and sticks, angry with himself for not seeing it sooner. And then he stopped and considered what had happened. Was it intentional on their part? Lots of animals used scent to attract mates. And if he were influenced by the zJav'Etch pheromones, what was to say they were not influenced by his? Humans didn't even notice their own pheromones and yet they were influenced by them. Women wore perfume to get the attention of men and men regularly wore the musk of various animals to attract women. 

"And do you really regret taking Clotilda?" he asked himself. The answer, pretty obviously, was no. He liked her a lot. So far, out of all the girlfriends he'd had, she was the easiest to read. Easy to get along with. She didn't try to hide her emotions or manipulate him into doing anything. If she wanted sex (which seemed to be every few minutes) she asked. She was funny and fierce and he enjoyed their time together. "And she likes sex with other women. Can't really complain about that, can you?"  




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 08



Liam shook his head and let his anger drain away. Even if they were influencing him intentionally he needed them and they needed him. Survival was the top priority and interpersonal relations could take a back seat or a flying leap. There was work to be done. He set his mind to the details of how to get from where they were now to where they wanted to be. And Liam was very good at that sort of thing. 

+>0<+ 

Commander M'pel E'kmel raised her arms gracefully above her head. She was going through an ancient routine of stretching and muscle contortion to work the kinks out of her joints. It had been several days since the last time she had performed this exercise and it felt more than good to feel the free motion of her limbs and body moving to their inner music once more. Her knee pained her terribly at times, but these stretches were doing wonders for her bruised and battered muscles. The pull she'd suffered in her back ached with a deep burn as she folded smoothly forward. When her palms lay flat upon the worn bark of the dead tree, though, there came a cool sensation and her pains eased. 

She was getting back to herself. That was a very good thing. Here on this remote world, away from all the technology and artificial environments critical to military operations, she was returning to nature. Her ancestors had hunted in forests much like this one, bringing down game with spears and arrows. She felt more strongly connected to them now than she had felt since her last hunting trip with her aunt many years ago. Life coursed through her body and spirit the way it was meant to in a jZav'Etch and... 

"What is that scent?" she wondered aloud. Straightening from her pose she gingerly stepped nearer the upper entrance and sniffed. "Ah. I see. Young ones, enjoy it while you may. A long road is ahead." 

She smiled and returned to her spot, taking a new stance and leaning cautiously into her next stretch. She found her tail twitching and it became difficult for her to push the world away. Her senses of smell and hearing had been focused on the night to guard her against the approach of danger, but now they were overcome by the two lovers below. Her concentration for the exercise was broken and she sighed, straightening again. There was little point in continuing. She would start from the beginning after the young ones fell asleep. 

M'pel E'kmel found the comfortable place at the corner of the opening and settled down, enjoying the evening air. She smiled at the sounds of wild things and the smell of the forest. And then she smiled more broadly as a cry of pleasure came to her from within the hollow tree. Well she remembered Clot'ilda's talents and part of her envied Tem'Ma'tel this evening. It was a good thing to be young and have young friends. 

"Of course," she murmured, glancing down into the darkness. "It's not bad to be old and have young friends." 

She relaxed, her eyes scanning the night and wondered what Sergeant Carter would make of the pair below. He surely was getting as much scent as she was. Though there was a light current of air rising to carry the delicate smells up to her, she knew that the scent was a heavy one and much of it would travel down. 

"He's probably blushing and squirming by now," she chuckled and imagined him practically wriggling with discomfort. "So much like an adolescent." 

And she felt the sergeant really was. In spite of his massive physique and obvious prowess in battle, Sergeant Carter had never anticipated what he was now going through. In some ways she felt sorry for him and would have had pity on the poor man, but he was so much fun to tease. He reacted so well to the slightest hint or innuendo, she just could not resist. 

"Do Human females never tease their mates?" she wondered. A moan from Tem'Ma'tel seemed to come in answer to her. "Perhaps they do not do it properly. Poor Sergeant Carter. You've missed out on all the fun." 

At least up till now he had, she thought. He was too good to waste. She decided she would make a real effort to charm him and make his days enjoyable. It would be her pleasure to seduce him and should he demand Ka' chasck, she would accept, but she hoped he would not. She wanted to offer Chaq' Ka' shisk and become a proper Second in his household. She did not desire to be First in any household ever again. It was too much responsibility. 

"Of course there will be no children with him, will there," she murmured and frowned. It was too bad. Sergeant Carter would be a very good father. She knew he would not kill any of the babes born to him, no matter how weak they might be. There would never be tears of regret for his mates who bore such into the world. Though she had to admit her first mate had shed his own tears when their third child proved too feeble to thrive. He had been gentle in the taking of that life and had stayed away for three entire days, morning the girl who had never had a name. They had mated in their grief upon his return and their fourth child had come into the world squalling and vigorous. A happy child and a happy young female, now with young of her own and a very good mate. 

A powerful wash of scent billowed from within the hollow tree and Tem'Ma'tel cried out, her purr rolling over M'pel E'kmel's ears, driving away the solemn mood that had come upon her. 

"Oh, Clot'ilda, you are one to carry us forward," she said, pleased she had selected the Pah'Tht from among all the potential candidates for this mission. Even more pleased that Clot'ilda had survived the crash. There had been two others in the crew that might have done as well as the Pah'Tht, but Clot'ilda was the best of the lot. 

Of course the whole plan had been a serious gamble. They might all have been killed. No one had anticipated the size of the fighter force escorting the CP transports. The plan had nearly gone completely awry. It was only Sergeant Carter who had made it to this world and thank the Forger and Builder he was such an open minded and resourceful Human. What if he had been female? That might have spelled disaster. And what if Captain Am'a'all had killed him? Disaster again. Naturally, this was not the only mission of its kind. One did not put all the bait on a single hook, after all. 

"How will Liam feel when he learns the truth?" she wondered. "Betrayed? Likely. Yes, he will feel betrayed. I should tell him. I really should. But the young ones do not know what we really came here for. And we may not be rescued for years." 

So much depended on this mission. She and the other commanders sent out in this manner had to prove Admiral Aka'Tem'al was right. It was their best chance to end the war quickly and bring Humans and their allies onto the side of the jZav'Etch. It was in everyone's best interest. And was it not true that two warriors who fought to a standstill often became closer than brothers? The Humans had demonstrated their capacity to do so at the end of their war with the Vespans. The jZav'Etch did not have two decades to squander. The threat was far too great. 

"If I tell Liam," she murmured in thought. "The experiment will be invalid." 

And so it would be. He had to prove his ability to not only live with but join in mutual support with the jZav'Etch females. If he knew of the experiment he might throw it all away out of anger or spite or just as bad, cooperate only to gain the desired result. Such was unacceptable. She must keep her secret. 

"I am so sorry, Sergeant," she said and cast a remorseful look down through the darkness to where the male she was so fond of paced. 

+++++ 

Author's Note: If you are about to post a comment indicating dissatisfaction with the length of this chapter, please don't. It will not in any way affect the story or how I write it. My story. My choices. Chapter length is dictated by the events in the story. For additional insight on my opinion on this subject, please go to my profile and read the points I make regarding comments, reviews and writing.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 09



Author's note: Here's chapter nine. I rushed this one a little, but since I'll be gone for a time I thought I would go ahead and post it. I'll try to get more up as soon as I can. However, it may be a week before I am able to do anymore with the story. It is possible that I will not be able to post again before the first week of August.

To everyone leaving comments or sending messages – Many thanks. To a particular "Old Fart" Marine – For your service and for your encouraging words: Thank you, Sir. 






"Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said, stepping around the abatis with a deq'istle slung on her shoulder. The brightening grey sky to the east announced the coming dawn and the two younger jZav'Etch were awake. She and Liam were off watch. "I need a bath. Will you accompany me? We can speak of the route and the camps we will need to make while I get clean."

"So you're going to ask me to talk business while you splash around naked," he said flatly and sighed. "Don't even try to make it easy on a guy, do you?"

"I am merely trying to make the best use of our time," she said, sounding perfectly reasonable. "I can't help it if your mind is always preoccupied with sex, can I?"

"I'll give you another cup of coffee if you take Clotilda with you instead of me," he said, only half serious.

"A good offer," M'pel E'kmel replied with a smirk and that ever-ready twinkle in her eyes. "Very tempting. Unfortunately..."

"I'll make it two coffees and throw in one of my tuna salad meals," he pressed, trying to keep from smiling.

M'pel E'kmel debated in earnest for a couple of heartbeats. She could accept, benefitting at least as far as getting the coffee. She did not know what tuna salad was, but it sounded dreadful. If he had offered some sort of fish she might have actually accepted, but there was real business to take care of, even if she was planning to tease the hell out of him.

"I'm sorry, Sergeant," she said finally. "We really do need to discuss this and there is much work to do before either of us can get to sleep. If it makes you less uncomfortable you may turn your back while I bathe. I will also promise to remain up to my neck in the water until I am done."

"Didn't think you'd go for it," he grumbled good-naturedly and picked up the fero-plas rifle.

M'pel E'kmel had only minor difficulty climbing the hill. Her stretching routine had done much to remedy the aches and pains of her body and she felt very refreshed. The early morning air was so clean, lacking the humidity that would come with mid-morning, it made her wish she was up to taking a run.

"This is my first visit to the stream," she said by way of making conversation. "So difficult to wash properly with only the water from the jugs. Sitting there in the sunlight, letting the water splash down over my bosom and shoulders, it's so wasteful, don't you agree? And I am sure you and Clot'ilda will be glad to make fewer trips to collect water for us."

"Yeah, we've been running our legs off," he said and glanced at her. "Commander, I know you're going to tease me and make a lot of innocent innuendos. Is it still going to be fun for you?"

"You are such a water blanket," she snorted.

"I think you mean wet blanket," he chuckled.

"Oh?" she asked. "Are they not the same thing?"

"No," he chuckled again. "A water blanket is what we call a fire suppressing liquid shield built into an ammunition storage bay. A wet blank is slang for a person that takes the fun out of a joke or a good time."

"Not so very different when it comes down to it," she observed. Liam eyed her quizzically. "Face it, Sergeant, both make an interesting situation less spectacular."

He snorted and gave her a wry smirk. She smiled back and suddenly they were both laughing.

"So are you still going to tease me?" he asked as they crested the hill.

"Every chance I get," she purred and started down the slope towards the stream, her tail twitching.

Liam followed her, switching his passive sensors to active and inspecting the area around their bathing spot. He picked up a large number of small animals nearby, but nothing that worried him. Off some hundred meters to the west was a very large creature, hidden from view by the undergrowth.

"You might like to try entering the water from over here by this boulder," he suggested, leading the commander to the same stone on which Tem'Ma'tel had posed like a pinup model for him the previous day.

"Thank you, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said and accepted his hand when she stepped onto the boulder. "I am going to take my clothes off now. I thought you might like to know that before I begin."

Liam laughed with her as he turned his back. He switched his sensors back to passive and set them to give an audible alarm if they picked up anything larger than a house cat. He heard the commander enter the water a moment later and she hummed happily until she squeaked in surprised alarm. Instinctively he spun to see if she was alright, only to discover her standing on one foot, shivering theatrically. Her back was to him and as she had announced, she had taken her clothes off. Shapely curves and golden fur did not at all detract from the splendor of the primeval forest around them. Liam swallowed, ground his teeth and turned his back once more.

"The water is quite cold," she said louder than necessary. He could hear the smile in her voice. "Do not turn around yet. I'm not submerged."

"I won't, Commander," he replied woodenly. "I wouldn't turn around for all the tea in China."

"Wouldn't want you being embarrassed or uncomfortable, would we?" she asked innocently. He heard her settle into the chilly stream and then she said, "You may turn around now if you like, Sergeant. All submerged and hidden from view."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't think I could bear to see any exposed dainties so early in the morning."

"Quite sure," she replied and there was a ring of mirth in voice.

Liam turned around, half expecting her to be standing on top of the boulder, bent over with her tail in the air. She wasn't. M'pel E'kmel was in the stream with only her shoulders and head above water. The stream was so clear, though, he could see her breasts with only the slightest distortion. Liam averted his eyes, uncomfortable in spite of himself. In part he did it because he knew the commander wanted him to, though.

"So," she began and ran a wet hand over her head, plastering the fur between her ears down. "I found a number of places along our route that should serve our defensive needs well. Terrain contours should be in our favor. Clear lanes of fire and all the other details a soldier likes to have on his side. The first of these will require a four to five hour walk."

"Hours?" he asked.

"I felt it best to discuss this in units you understand," she said and scooped up water in both hands, leaning back her head and letting it pour down over her throat. The motion pushed her breasts together, accenting the depth of her cleavage to great advantage. Liam tore his eyes away before she looked at him again.

"That's a very good thing," he said, forcing his mind to focus on the discussion. "I've been doing some thinking on the logistics of the move."

"Logistics?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Go on."

"I left my pod with only the gear on my back," he said. "I took a spare weapon and ammunition, but that was pretty much it. The rest was what I normally carry during shipboard operations."

"I understand," she said and rubbed at the fur on the sides of her head the way a woman might do when using shampoo. The water rippled with the motion of her large, well-shaped bosom. Liam averted his eyes again.

"The life pod, Commander," he said, clearing his throat, "has two more stretchers, emergency rations, a water purifier and storage bladders, four medical kits, tools and a number of other things we could use. It even has four radios."

"Excellent," she said, suddenly more serious. "And it is only a short distance from here."

"Yeah," he said squinting. "Up the valley to the north west about two, maybe two and a half hours. More if we're packing everything."

"We could make it our first stop," she said. "Is the area around it defensible? Would it suit our needs?"

"Not really," he said, scratching his stubble covered chin. "I told you, the pod is wedged in a tree. The terrain around it is a lot like this only without a convenient hill or large hollow log."

"How long would it take to get everything out of the pod?" she asked, absently scrubbing her fur below the water.

"Half an hour to forty-five minutes," he shrugged. "Getting it out will be easy enough. I can send it all down on a line."

"Getting it rigged on the stretchers will take some time, though," she mused.

"Shouldn't need to put it on the stretchers," he told her. "It's all designed to be carried in packs. There are four of those in the pod, too. Clot'ilda might be a little small to carry one. I don't know that she would really need to, though."

"It sounds like a great deal of baggage to pack around on our backs," M'pel E'kmel said dubiously.

"It's all really compact stuff," Liam explained. "It isn't meant to be field equipment. It's just emergency stuff. Things that are useful to survive, but not intended for regular operations. Almost none of it requires even a small power cell. Even the lights are chemical. The tents are pretty old-fashioned. You just stretch them over a frame and crawl inside like at summer camp."

"I see," she said, rising and stepping out of the water. Her mind was so focused on the conversation and the description Liam was giving her that she was not aware of her nakedness until Liam spun around. "Oh. Sorry, Sergeant. That was completely unintentional. Not even fun for me, I'm afraid."

"I could turn back and gawk at you for a minute if you like," he grumbled.

"Give me a moment to get some of this water out of my fur," she said, her voice melodious with laughter. He heard her humming and the light patter of water drops hitting the boulder for a few minutes and then came the rustle of cloth.

"You may turn around now," she said. "Nothing dainty is exposed."

Not trusting her, Liam slowly turned. She had, it seemed, been telling the truth. M'pel E'kmel stood on the ledge of the boulder in her underclothes which were plastered to her body like she was in a wet T-shirt contest at a resort. Liam blinked. She would probably be the winner. He hadn't expected her nipples to protrude quite so far nor had he expected them to be as large as they were. He averted his eyes before she caught him looking.

"Go ahead and take your bath now, Sergeant," she said, folding her fatigues into a little stack. "I will turn my back and be the soul of discretion."

"No," Liam said with a shake of his head. "I can wait."

"Sergeant, don't be tedious. Take your bath. You are quite safe from me for the moment."

He eyed her until she flashed him an impatient look. Liam sighed. She was going to have her way and if he didn't take a bath now he knew she would find some way to put the screws to him later that would be even worse than this. And was it really so bad? She liked him and he liked her and his wife obviously didn't have a problem with it. Clot'ilda had actively encouraged this same sort of situation yesterday with him and Tem'Ma'tel.

"Fine," he said mildly. "Turn your back and I'll hop in and give you a show."

"Wet blank," she accused.

"Flirt," he shot back, deadpan.

Once the commander was facing away Liam removed his armor and clothes and slipped into the water. It was chilly, but it was also refreshing. He scrubbed at his skin, washing away the sweat and dirt of the previous day. He felt he needed a shave and soon he would need a haircut, too. Those were luxuries on a world like this. There would be no shaves, no haircuts and no hot showers until he was rescued.

That thought made him frown. When would he be rescued? And when he was rescued, what would happen to the women? He couldn't see them going to an internment camp until the end of the war. They were his friends. Hell, by the time a rescue ship showed up, they might all three be his wives. Putting them in an internment camp would be completely wrong. It wouldn't be at all fair. Not even to him. He couldn't let that happen.

"Sergeant?" M'pel E'kmel asked, concern thick in her voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, but his tone was heavy and his expression downcast.

"Come now," she said, sounding like a school counselor. "Something is troubling you. Is it the relocation?"

He remained silent for a long moment, finally looking up at her with a bitter grimace, "If I get rescued, they'll take the three of you and put you in an internment camp until the end of the war. I'll get sent back into the line as soon as I'm rated as fit for duty. Chances are good that I'll never see the three of you again."

"Yes," she said seriously. "That is not a satisfactory outcome."

"I might be able to pull some strings to get you all placed on a colony world," he said not sounding hopeful of it. "You'd be free to live and work among other jZav'Etch."

"Mostly males, I expect," she said. "That would not be to my liking. I'm sure there would be demands made upon us that I would not surrender to."

"Demands?" he asked, not liking the sound of it.

"Not all of our males are honorable," she said. "Especially the largest of them. They tend to use force to make their arguments. And they aren't generally good... Well. You know what I mean."

"I guess..." he began and then was cut off by the alarm from his helmet speaker. The passive sensors had picked up something moving close by. Liam froze and looked to M'pel E'kmel. She looked down at him in the water. He was naked and without a weapon. Her deq'istle was in her hand in a flash and her eyes scanned the surrounding brush.

"Behind you," he said softly and edged closer to the bank, rising out of the water.

Slowly she turned around. There, not more than ten meters away, was a large, wicked looking animal with grey-green fur, long blade-like forelimbs and a sleek hunter's body. Sharp spike teeth showed in its open jaws and its multiple eyes glinted in the rising sun. M'pel E'kmel's stomach knotted with fear. 

More creatures moved in the foliage behind the first. They slunk quietly through the underbrush, seeming to hardly move more than a leaf would in a light breeze and yet they advanced steadily. Their strange coats of fur blended near perfectly with the leaves and it was hard to see them even at so short a distance.

"Do not come out, Sergeant," she whispered. "Get to the far side of the stream. I will protect you."

"Fuck that, Commander," he replied harshly. "I am not leaving you alone."

"You are unarmed," she argued desperately. "You cannot possibly reach your weapons before they are upon us."

"I'm not leaving you alone," he said again and took another step forward. His eyes were locked on the advancing animals and in him burned a savagery as fierce as their own.

"Sergeant," she growled.

The animal snarled at her tone and took a quick couple of steps forward, its teeth clashing together. The thing's eyes flashed towards Liam in the water, its posture changed and its jaws parted emitting a high pitched hiss. Other creatures behind it replied in kind, their jaws clacking and several of them moved forward. 

Time seemed to slow and a number of things happened all at once. The lead creature sprang forward, jaws wide, bladed forelimbs spread, ready to cut M'pel E'kmel in half. She raised her weapon and fired, tearing its head off. The animals behind it charged, undaunted by the death of their leader and Marine Sergeant Liam Carter surged onto the bank, roaring at the top of his lungs and hurled a fist-sized stone that smashed the teeth from one creature's mouth. M'pel E'kmel fired again, bringing another down and to her utter amazement, Liam charged them stark naked, swinging a club.

The beasts checked their attack. In confusion several backpedaled into their fellows behind, further confusing the group. They looked wildly about as if fearing a horde of naked Humans would pour from the forest and then Liam was upon them. He slammed his club into one's face and spun to swing at another. Chaos exploded in their midst. Animals sprang away from the naked man, desperate to escape his mad rush. Some snapped at their pack mates and others cowered before Liam's wrath, rolling on the ground and keening in fear. Other animals began squealing and coughing out warning barks. Before M'pel E'kmel could get off another shot the entire pack broke and bolted into the underbrush. Their cries of alarm fading as they ran, abandoning the hunt.

"Get the fuck out of here!" Sergeant Carter bellowed after them and threw his club at their retreating backs. "Motherfuckers got no stomach for a fight! No fucking balls! Pussies! My grandmother could kick your asses, you dickless wonders!"

M'pel E'kmel watched as the enraged marine bent, gathered another stone and hurled it at the distant cries.

"Next time I'll kill every fucking one of you!" Liam's voice echoed through the trees and the forest went deathly quiet. He turned around and stalked back to the bank of the stream where his armor lay, useless throughout the brief encounter. "Mo-ther-FUCK-ers." He snarled and snatched up his helmet, looking inside.

"Are you alright, Sergeant?" M'pel E'kmel asked quietly.

"Goddamn sensors should have warned us they were coming," he growled and punched a finger at something in the helmet. "Power cell is fine. What the fuck?"

"I only ask because you're not quite yourself," she said, amusement coloring her tone.

He looked up at her with narrowed, dangerous eyes.

"It just seems that perhaps Clot'ilda was exaggerating after all," she said, working hard not to crack a smile. Her eyes danced and her ears flicked. 

Suddenly Liam realized he was standing less than a meter away from her, completely naked and dripping wet. He looked down.

"The water was cold!" he snapped indignantly.

"Yes it was," she said, a laugh bubbling up from her throat.

"Commander," he coughed, his skin darkening several shades as embarrassment superseded his rage. "Human males..."

"Yes, Sergeant?" she said when he sputtered out. "You were saying something about Human males?"

"We..." He threw the helmet down and snatched his shorts from among the pile of clothes and armor.

"You...?" she prompted. Her smile was wide and filled with a near mad joy at his stammering, clumsy, boyish, utterly delightful and utterly endearing embarrassment.

"We experience... shrinkage," he finally grated out as he jammed his feet through the leg holes of his shorts. "When we get cold... down there... things just... sort of... draw up."

"So I see," she laughed, going weak in the knees.

"Oh for Christ's sake!" he snapped, frustrated. "It's natural! It happens!"

"I see that as well, Sergeant," she laughed louder and put her hand on his shoulder. And very suddenly they were face to face, looking into each other's eyes and closer than they had been since they'd met. Her laughter and his embarrassment vanished. M'pel E'kmel's tail twitched. Liam gulped. 

"Sergeant," she said very softly.

"Commander," he said equally soft. Heat rolled from her body and her scent filled the air.

She swallowed and said, "That was the bravest and most insane thing I have ever witnessed."

Before he could reply Clotilda came crashing down the slope like a small, furry tornado. She had her weapon at the ready and was scanning the forest for signs of an enemy, but there were only the dead upon the ground. She paused long enough to look at them and then leapt into Liam's arms, anxiety-filled whines and chirps spilling from her as she hugged him. He held her tight for a long a moment, murmuring soothing words into her ear until she was calm. He set her down and looked at her with a gentle, very fond smile.




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 09



"I'm alright," he said. "I'm fine. Liam no shot."

M'pel E'kmel spoke to her for a moment, Clotilda's expression changing from concern to amazement and finally to disbelieving anger. She whirled on Liam and slapped him across the face, then leapt back into his arms.

"I believe she does not approve of you taking such risks," the commander said seriously, but her tail and ears were twitching in amusement.

"Seems like," Liam said, with a roll of his eyes. He rubbed his cheek. Blood leaked from the wounds that had nearly closed and he wiped it away before his mate could see what she had done. The day had been stressful enough.

When they all returned to the camp Tem'Ma'tel was standing behind the abatis with her rifle and a very worried look on her face. She asked what had happened and M'pel E'kmel told her the story, leaving out no detail except the effects of cold water on Human males and Liam's extraordinary level of embarrassment.

+>0

Just inside the lower entrance Liam sat with his helmet in his lap, examining the diagnostics readout. He could not understand how the blade-beasts had snuck up on them without the sensors detecting their approach. Nothing was wrong with his electronics. The sensors had been set to detect very small animals and they were working perfectly now, as far as he could tell.

"Liam angry?" Clotilda asked concerned. She had refused to leave his side since they'd returned. Tem'Ma'tel had willingly limped up to the top of the tree, trading her lookout post with the diminutive Pah'Tht.

"I'm fine, Babe," he said, patting her on the butt reassuringly. "I'm just frustrated."

"Clot'ilda look?" she asked.

"You?" Liam raised his eyebrows. Because of her size and her limited English, he had never considered that she might be very intelligent and skilled with electronics. She had been serving on a scout ship packed with all manner of sensory equipment. While the technology of the two races was different, there were only so many ways a sensor could be built. The CP had captured plenty of jZav'Etch equipment and there was no doubt the jZav'Etch had plenty of theirs. Perhaps she would have some insight that escaped him. In fact, given that he was trained only to make field repairs on his equipment, Clotilda might be more qualified to read the diagnostics than he was.

Clotilda smiled happily when he handed her the helmet. She took out her language guide and used it to read the text scrolling over the helmet's faceplate. She frowned and slowed the scroll to a crawl. It took her several minutes to makes sense of what the readouts said and when she was done she looked as puzzled as Liam felt.

"Not..." Clotilda pressed her lips together in thought, finally pushing out the words. "Not broken. Sensor work. Not broken."

"Yeah," Liam said and accepted the helmet when she handed it back to him. "It didn't detect the animals, though."

"Predators," she said. There was something in her tone that made him look at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Wear," she said and lifted the helmet out of his hands, raising it above his head. He took hold of it and slipped it on. "Liam watch Clot'ilda?"

"Okay." 

He switched the sensors over from diagnostic to passive, feathering the gain to alert on anything as small as a house cat, the same as they had been at the creek earlier. Clotilda slipped out beyond the abatis and stepped into the undergrowth. The sensors tracked her movements until she stopped. She remained still for several minutes and then her signature faded from the screen. 

The sensors had, of course, recorded where she had stopped, but since she wasn't moving they were no longer displaying her presence. The instant Clotilda did anything more than breathe she would pop up on the screen again. Or Liam could switch over to active sensors and find her no matter how still she was. 

Minutes passed and Clotilda stayed hidden in the brush. Liam was about to call out to her to come back when his sensors flashed an emergency alarm and Clotilda stepped from the undergrowth several meters from where she had last been recorded. He pulled his helmet off and frowned his confusion at her.

"Predator," she said proudly and thumped her chest with her knuckles.

"No kidding," he said and smiled. "How?"

She grinned and stepped away from the abatis, only this time she did not disappear into the brush. She stayed close to the opening in plain sight. Liam put his helmet back on and watched as seconds ticked by and her signature once again faded. A minute or so later Clotilda began to very slowly move. The sensors did not pick her up. She edge, millimeter by millimeter, straight at him and the sensors had no clue she was there. It took her several minutes to cover less than half the distance to Liam, but she remained undetected and that was at much closer range than the blade-beasts had been. He pulled the helmet off and sat frowning in thought. Clotilda came and stood next to Liam, putting an arm over his shoulder and waiting quietly.

"Damn," he swore softly. "I'm going to have to set this thing to do active sweeps every minute or so."

It would be a larger drain on the power cell, but it seemed that would be the price of their safety. The sensors were not designed to pick up targets that moved as slow as Clotilda had. But the blade-beasts hadn't been moving that slow. Something else was up with them.

"Commander, are you still awake?" Liam called.

"Yes," M'pel E'kmel replied and sat up in her nest. "I was just going over the survey map. I think I found a place near your pod that we could use as a camp."

"Oh. Good," he said with an approving nod. "Would you mind relieving Clotilda from her watch for a bit? I want to take her over the hill with me."

"If you need privacy, Sergeant, I can sit outside the tree until you are finished," M'pel E'kmel offered with a sly smile.

Liam gave her a reproachful look and said, "Thanks for the offer, but I want to try an experiment with my sensors."

"Sounds decadent," the commander purred, amused.

"Yes," he sighed. "It's the kinkiest thing I have ever done. We'll be back in a while."

Clotilda followed Liam over the hill, alert for any sign of danger. They came to a stop about twenty meters from the carcasses. Small scavengers had been tearing at the dead bodies already, but they scattered as soon as the pair came in sight. Liam did an active sensor sweep and instantly picked up the dead blade-beasts as well as all the small creatures around them. The large animal on the far side of the stream had moved, but was still about a hundred meters away.

"Okay," he said, taking his helmet off. "Picked them up with no trouble and they are not moving. That's some good news."

He switched the sensors to passive scanning then carefully put the helmet on Clotilda's head. She looked confused and not entirely comfortable with the oversized thing squashing her ears down to her scalp. Actually, it looked cute on her, like a child trying on her father's hat or a kitten stuck in a fishbowl. She grimaced at him and seemed about to pull it off when he shook his head.

"Watch," he said and went to the nearest carcass. He grabbed it by the back legs, stood still until he was sure his image had faded from the screen and then slowly dragged the body across the ground. "Anything?"

Clotilda shook her head, intuiting what his question was rather than understanding the word. Liam nodded, having anticipated that result. He next took out three of his cargo straps and looped one around the beast's legs and attached the other two, making a longer strap of them. Again he waited long enough to fade from the screen and then pulled the carcass a little faster. Clotilda shook her head again. Liam repositioned and repeated the experiment, pulling faster this time. It took two more tries before the carcass tripped the sensors. Liam had pulled it at about a walking speed and that told him something about the animals they'd killed. He just wasn't sure what.

"Okay, Sweetie," he said and took the helmet from Clotilda's head. He gestured to his eyes and then out at the forest. "Watch."

Clotilda gave him a serious look and brought her fero-plas pistol up to port arms, looking about sharply. Liam drew his knife and spent half an hour skinning the blade-beast. When he was done he laid the sleek coat of fur flat on the ground and looped his strap around the carcass' legs again. Clotilda donned the helmet and Liam pulled the creature slowly across the ground. This time the sensors alerted as soon as the thing moved.

"I don't believe it," he said, going back to Clotilda. "Their fur is some sort of natural stealth material. I don't believe it."

+>0

"Was your experiment a success?" M'pel E'kmel asked when they returned. "And what have you there?"

"Yes, and these are the pelts from the blade-beasts," Liam told her. He was carrying both hides in one hand, holding them away from his body to keep blood from dripping all over him.

"I see," the commander said and then raised her eyebrows. "Why did you bring them? Not trophies, are they?"

"Nope," he said, then explained the results of his experiment.

"Naturally occurring stealth material?" M'pel E'kmel wondered. "I've only ever heard of one other creature like that. It's a kind of... What do your people call those legless creatures that slither around on Earth?"

"Snakes?"

"Snakes, yes, but what is their scientific classification?"

"Reptiles?"

"That's it." She snapped her fingers and nodded. "The creature I speak of is a reptile, more or less."

"These things might be, too," Liam said and slung the skins over the spikes of the abatis. "That isn't fur. It's more like feathers or frilly scales. That's why it looks the way it does. I think they flex the feathers to absorb light and maybe sound. It stands to reason the feathers might also deflect or absorb other forms of radiation."

"So if they move slowly enough your passive sensors can't see them," M'pel E'kmel said.

"I've already set them to do an active sweep every sixty seconds. Anything gets within fifty meters of us and the sensors will sound an alert."

"That means you'll have to leave your helmet where we can all hear the alert."

"It does, Commander." Liam rubbed his jaw. "One of those things gets close enough to charge, whoever's on guard may not have time to get a shot off."

"We will strengthen the abatis," the commander said decisively. "Seal this end of the tree. Those creatures will have much more difficulty coming at us from the upper opening. We can create a barrier across the top of the trunk as well."

"That's a lot of work," Liam observed.

"No help for it," she replied. "Tem'Ma'tel cannot walk and I am not ready to make any sort of long journey, either. We're stranded here for the time being."

+>0

Hours later M'pel E'kmel was leaning over the jZav'Etch medical kit she had personally salvaged from her bunk aboard the scout ship. It was not the standard issue kit normally carried by jZav'Etch forces, though it did contain everything a standard kit would. It had several other specialized instruments in it and it was one of these she was employing to inspect samples from the hides of the blade-beasts, as Sergeant Carter called them.

The sergeant and Clot'ilda were currently on the top of the log using the core sample drill to bore sockets for more sharpened stakes. They were creating a barrier to deter any encroachment that might come. Tem'Ma'tel was spending her time on watch adding another row of sharpened stakes to the abatis at the lower end of the tree. She had not yet finished, but the obstacle was already far more formidable than it had been.

"Please be a negative. Please be a negative," chanted M'pel E'kmel in a low, worried tone when the medical kit began to display the results of the comparison she had just run. And then, as the data unspool across the screen, she breathed in relief, "Oh thank the Forger and Builder. Not here. Not yet, at least."

She ran the test again, though she already knew what the result would be. Had the first sequence registered as a match for the data stored in the medical kit, she would have been forced to tell Sergeant Carter and the young females what her special mission was. It would have invalidated the experiment, but she was not so dedicated to that endeavor as to allow them to go to their deaths uninformed. The kit chimed again and displayed the data, confirming the previous comparison. In spite of anticipating the answer, M'Pel E'kmel breathed another sigh of relief.

She folded up the kit and destroyed the samples. Though the results had been a relief there was still a worry about the creatures. The work the other three were doing had to be completed before nightfall. M'pel E'kmel went to lend a hand.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 10



Author's note: Back again. Finished editing this chapter and thought you all would be happy to read on. This is a transitional chapter and is not as long as you might hope. I think you will find a few things about it to like, though.

As ever, I thank everyone for their words of encouragement. Please be assured that if I am not writing out every detail in full in every single chapter, there is a reason for it. And do keep in mind that this is a vanity project for me. I'm not looking to write a Pulitzer Prize winning story. I'm just having a bit of fun. 

Chapter 10

"Sergeant."

Liam felt someone shake him by the shoulder. He snorted and grumbled, wishing whoever it was would go away.

"Sergeant, are you awake?"

He recognized that voice. He couldn't place it, but he knew that voice.

"Mom?" Liam asked groggily, not yet awake. "What time is it?"

"Sergeant." The voice sounded amused. "I'm sorry to say, it's your watch."

His watch? What the fuck? What watch? Where...? Oh yeah.

"Shit," he grumbled and rolled into a sitting position. "My watch already?"

"You've been asleep for nearly twelve hours," M'pel E'kmel said, squatting in front of him she held out a cup of tea brewed from one of the roots she had discovered a few days ago.

"Twelve hours? Really?"

"After all the work you did over the last week are you really surprised?" She waved the tea in front of his nose and smiled to see his eyelids slowly rise as if their batteries were low. "I'm going to borrow your helmet. We want to go to the stream to wash."

"Okay," he sighed and yawned expansively.

"Will you please take this tea?" she demanded. "You know how it perks you up."

"Fine," he grumbled. "What the hell's that?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"That stick you're holding." He gestured at her right hand. "What is it?"

"The fish spear I was working on last night," she said and presented it to him, seeming rather pleased with the weapon. "I finished it. I thought I would try it out today. Tem'Ma'tel and Clot'ilda are going with me. I thought you might enjoy some time alone. I have found that males sometimes do."

"Yeah," he sighed and took a sip from the tea. It tasted like honeysuckle and ginger. "Some alone time might be nice. You three be careful."

"We haven't seen any sign of the blade-beasts for days," she replied.

"Something ate the ones you killed," he reminded her.

"Something needed to," she smirked. "The tracks around the carcasses looked like the... What did you call them?"

"Hyena-frogs," he said, nodding. "Those things are dangerous, too. Be careful."

+>0<+

Approaching the creek the three jZav'Etch females spread into a skirmish line. Commander M'pel E'kmel, positioned in the middle, scanned to their front. Her knee had healed well and she moved with the grace and smooth stride of a prowling leopard. Clot'ilda, small and dangerous, stalked through the underbrush on the right, making not a sound. And Tem'Ma'tel, her leg well enough to support her weight, limped quietly on the left, alert for danger.

They came out into the clearing they had cut, finding no threats in evidence. M'pel E'kmel went straight to the tall post they'd mounted near the stream and placed the helmet with its sensors on the top. If anything lurked in the forest the jZav'Etch would have ample warning. And three jZav'Etch, forewarned and prepared, were very dangerous to encounter even for the predators of this primeval world.

In the past week they had all been busy making their temporary camp safer. The abatis had been strengthened and spikes had been mounted to the top and sides of the tree. Even the upper opening now had defensive spikes and clear lanes of fire, should they be needed. The bathing spot had also been improved, not only by clearing the brush on both banks but by leveling a space of the creek bed around the large boulder upon which a sentry would always stand while others of the party washed. Today Clot'ilda took first watch and scanned the brush alertly while the larger females slipped into the cool stream.

M'pel E'kmel sighed as the water soaked her fur, washing it clean of debris. Grooming was always a pleasure and to be away from a male, even one so delightful and masculine as Sergeant Carter, was a relief. Females had an instinct to be on their guard around males, even their own children. It was something millennia of evolution had not taken from them. Only in the company of other females could they ever truly relax. She settled deeper into the stream, enjoying the feel of the flowing water as it touched her like an all-encompassing lover. And then she felt Tem'Ma'tel move up close behind her.

"Would you like me to wash your back, Commander?" Tem'Ma'tel asked. A very slight tremor in her voice and the closeness of her body told M'pel E'kmel the deferential offer was more than the words suggested.

"Thank you, Tem'Ma'tel," she purred, leaning her head forward, exposing the nape of her neck to receive the traditional caress.

Tem'Ma'tel, large and powerful as she was, had hands as gentle as a summer breeze when she groomed another. Her nails ran through M'pel E'kmel's fur, very lightly touching the skin beneath. The tips of her claws sent shivers through the older jZav'Etch's body.

"Commander," Tem'Ma'tel whispered, not wanting to disturb the quiet of the clearing. "Will there be a stream at the new camp?"

"Yes. There will be a stream," M'pel E'kmel assured her. "We may also have a pool. We cannot yet be sure. I think you will like it, though."

"And will SarJ'ant like it, do you think?"

"I think he will like it more than our current camp," M'pel E'kmel said. "He approved the new location."

Tem'Ma'tel laid her hands against M'pel E'kmel's back and began to knead the long muscles. The older jZav'Etch purred, taking pleasure in the gentle contact. She leaned forward, her breasts dipping into the water, allowing Tem'Ma'tel to massage the muscles in her lower back, strong fingers found their way to the base of her tail. Light touches of claw tips pricked the skin there and M'pel E'kmel raised her head and squirmed rhythmically as the fingers danced. Tem'Ma'tel slid her hands up M'pel E'kmel's sides, over her ribs and around to the large breasts, cupping them and giving them a firm caress. She found the firm nipples and purred into her commander's ear. Beneath the water their tails swished and twined, a pleasure unto itself.

M'pel E'kmel eased back against the younger female, slipping deeper into the water until she sat between Tem'Ma'tel's knees and rested her head against the strong, flat muscles of her abdomen. Tem'Ma'tel continued to caress the large breasts and pinched the erect nipples between finger and thumbs, eliciting a moan of desire and gratitude. M'pel E'kmel stretched up and nipped the younger female's chin, her purr growing louder. She enjoyed the ministrations for a while, then rose away from Tem'Ma'tel and turned to lean in again and nip her neck, putting her hands on the firm, small breasts of the marine. They lay back against the sandy bank in the shallow water and caressed each other, lost in the act of lovers.

Here in the stream the two were no longer commander and marine. They were just females, one older, one younger, and the concerns of their lives were not as important as taking pleasure and giving it. Tem'Ma'tel leaned her head back arching so that her breasts pressed against M'pel E'kmel's hands more firmly. The commander was very experienced. She knew well how to take her time, how to build to the climax, how to make love to another female. Clot'ilda was sweet and energetic and always fun, but sometimes the slow approach was better.

M'pel E'kmel nipped her way down Tem'Ma'tel's neck, over the slight swell of breast to the large nipple and she licked it gently before taking it between her teeth. She worked her jaws softly on the tender flesh, gratified when the younger jZav'Etch moaned through her purrs. It was time to give her more. M'pel E'kmel slipped her hand up Tem'Ma'tel's thigh and found the swollen diamond at the top of her sex. In spite of the cool water the protrusion of flesh was warm and at her touch Tem'Ma'tel moaned again, thrusting her hips forward in reaction.

Tem'Ma'tel gently pushed M'pel E'kmel back and nipped her cheek, then kissed her lips. M'pel E'kmel stopped, confused by the strange gesture of affection. But it was nice. She relaxed again and allowed the younger female to turn her, laying her back against the bank so that Tem'Ma'tel was now on top. Tem'Ma'tel pressed her breasts into M'pel E'kmel's, their nipples rubbing together and gave the commander another kiss. Carefully she slid her thigh between the commander's until her sex rested on the commander's thigh and the commander's sex pressed against hers. Tem'Ma'tel began a slow, rhythmic undulation, stimulating both as she did. M'pel E'kmel responded immediately, placing her hands on Tem'Ma'tel's hips, regulating the pace, keeping the younger female from moving faster. The pleasure should be enjoyed, not rushed.

Tem'Ma'tel broke their kiss, sighing and glad for the control of the older jZav'Etch. It was good to have an experienced lover. She sighed again and leaned down to place her teeth softly on M'pel E'kmel's nipple. It was large and swollen and the commander's purr was loud and pleased. Tem'Ma'tel suckled like a babe for a long moment then gently pinched the nipple in her teeth and drew back, releasing the firm flesh before the pleasurable sensation could turn to pain.

M'pel E'kmel pushed Tem'Ma'tel back and rose, pulling the young female up onto the dry ledge of the boulder with her. Above them Clot'ilda looked down, admiring the contrast in the two larger females. One older, more shapely with large breasts and wide hips. The other closer to her own age, muscular and sleek, a battle scar upon her thigh, noticeable only by the lighter tone of the copper-colored fur. They looked like the legendary seductresses of N'har'an who had lured the ten thousand warriors of Kic't Lii to their destruction on the spears of Al'La'cab's three hundred.

M'pel E'kmel guided Tem'Ma'tel down onto the stone, nipping her reassuringly before she straddled her face and bent to nip the large diamond at the top of Tem'Ma'tel's slit. She had found female soldiers tended to have pronounced diamonds and she liked that. Tem'Ma'tel's was considerably larger than her own. It would be more sensitive than other females' of Tem'Ma'tel's age. She plied her tongue over the hot flesh, enjoying the flavor and scent. Now that they were out of the water, their scents could mix and drive their passions higher.

Tem'Ma'tel squirmed under the commander. She was always sensitive to the touch of a tongue on her sex, but the commander seemed to know exactly where to lick. Tem'Ma'tel tried to return the pleasure, knowing her lack of experience would betray her. And then she decided to surprise her lover.

M'pel E'kmel was truly enjoying making the young one squirm and thrust, watching her tail thrash, when suddenly she felt pressure on her other sensitive opening. The young one was clever. Tem'Ma'tel's finger slipped inside the tight opening, gradually easing in, knuckle by knuckle. M'pel E'kmel was ready for what would happen next and schooled herself to accept the pleasure without giving into it. Tem'Ma'tel crooked her finger, doing it properly, and the wave rebelled at the restraint M'pel E'kmel imposed. She shuddered and moaned into Tem'Ma'tels sex, but she did not climax. It was not yet time for that. Instead she lowered herself more firmly onto the younger female's mouth and ground her hips.

Tem'Ma'tel felt the commander shudder and then her mouth was covered by the scent and flesh of the commander's sex. She was not used to being the one on the bottom, but there was something very nice about not needing to be in control. It got even nicer when M'pel E'kmel nipped her on the diamond and plunged her tongue into Tem'Ma'tel's slit, sending an electric jolt of intense pleasure through her whole body. But the commander didn't stop there. She ran her teeth over the swollen diamond. Tem'Ma'tel's cry of pleasure was muffled by the commander's sex, but the commander heard it and delved her tongue deep into Tem'Ma'tel again. In response the young female twisted her finger inside M'pel E'kmel and crooked it again. This time she had taken the commander completely off her guard and the spray of fluid was matched by M'pel E'kmel's shuddering.

The commander slumped down onto her lover, glad and regretful at the same time. She panted her hot breath over the younger female's sex and nipped it gently before lashing it with her tongue. Tem'Ma'tel reacted instantly, arching her back and crying her gratitude into the morning air. Tem'Ma'tel's tail lashed the stone harder and M'pel E'kmel did not relent. Her tongue drove over the sensitive, swollen flesh and down into the scarlet slit, lapping the juices that flowed from it with relish. Suddenly Tem'Ma'tel bucked, forcing her sex onto M'pel E'kmel's mouth and a geyser of thick fluid sprayed hot over the commander's muzzle. Tem'Ma'tel thrashed under her and M'pel E'kmel pressed her tongue deeper. More spray coated her face and she reveled in the taste, the scent and the feel of it. Such was the way an experienced lover gave pleasure.

When they were spent the two parted and lay on the bank panting and caressing each other. Clot'ilda looked down on them and smiled. She anticipated Tem'Ma'tel's next visit to her nest, pleased to know another way to give and receive pleasure.

The large females finished bathing, washing all signs of their lovemaking from each other's fur and then Tem'Ma'tel took up sentry while Clot'ilda bathed. M'pel E'kmel waded into the stream with her spear and hunted the large, silver fish in the shallows downstream.

+>0<+

Once the women were gone Liam took his armor to the upper opening and began cleaning it. It smelled too much of his sweat for him not to wrinkle his nose whenever he put it on. He sponged it out and set the individual pieces to dry in the sun filtering down through the canopy high above. Once the breastplate was clean he opened the front, exposing the solar cell there and laid it in the middle of the largest sunbeam. The power cell wasn't depleted yet, it hadn't even dropped to half charge, but there was no sense letting it get any lower.

He took the back plate and examined it for wear. Nothing showed on the surface other than a few nicks so he opened the outer shell and examined the inner works. Everything was in order, apparently functioning properly. He removed the purge kit, the device that would be used to clean radioactive residue from the armor if he were ever exposed to a dangerous level, and almost cast it into the thicket below the tree. It was just extra weight to carry around and not essential to keep the suit operating. But he reconsidered. The kit didn't draw any power until it was activated and who knew what strange things they might encounter in the time to come? Perhaps they would run into some animal that used radiation to defend itself. He slipped the kit back in place and resealed the back plate before cleaning the rest of the suit.

His boots were next on the cleaning list. Tougher than nails and nearly as invulnerable as his armor, these had seen harder use than the suit. He removed the liners and washed them thoroughly with the disinfectant soap from one of his ration kits. That would prevent him from developing jungle rot, at least. The outer shells of the boots were in rough shape. He scrubbed away the layer of dirt and grit they'd accumulated and then set about inspecting the joints and fastenings, giving some attention to the various components that might work loose, as unlikely as that event might be. Once done, the boots looked much better. Good enough to pass inspection, even.

The EP 12s were broken down and cleaned next. Their magazines were depleted but he had thirty rounds in one and twenty-seven in the other, plus the spare magazines on his belt. He wondered how much ammo they had for the fero-plas weapons and decided to ask M'pel E'kmel if she had done an inspection of them. It wasn't as though they had fired them very often, but there was some sense in knowing what you had available and knowing the limits you could push to.

When the women called to him before climbing up the ladder they had made, Liam was sharpening his knife to a good working edge. He had been tempted to make it razor sharp so that he could shave, but that was pointless. In normal use a razor edge was a mistake. Razor sharp knives blunted to uselessness if they encountered anything as hard as the metal. A working edge was always better. Even blunted, a working edge could still cut and maim and restoring the edge took only a few strokes on his stone.

Reaching the top of the ladder Clotilda said in her improved English, "Commander has fish, Liam!"

She was grinning happily and leaned down to kiss him on the lips before going down into the tree. She had been on watch before he'd taken over and she needed sleep. Tem'Ma'tel was next up the ladder and she greeted him with her customary, "Hello, SarJ'ant. How are you today?"

"Doing just fine, Marine," Liam replied like he always did. She was still learning English and seemed proud of her few words. He had noted early on that she took great care with pronunciation, working hard, repeating a word over and over until it sounded exactly as the language guide said it should.

Liam noticed there was a distinct spring to her limping step. Something had happened at the stream to put her in a good mood. He glanced searchingly at M'pel E'kmel when she stepped onto the tree trunk with her fish over her shoulder and her spear in her hand. She too seemed invigorated and he suspected it wasn't just because she'd speared so many tasty looking fish.

"You enjoyed fishing, I see," Liam said with a knowing smile.

"I enjoyed the entire visit, Sergeant," she said, grinning unabashedly at his suggestive tone. "Did you enjoy your time alone?"

Liam considered that for half a second, realizing he had indeed enjoyed the simple task of cleaning and maintaining his equipment.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "It was good to unwind without worrying if the world was going to start falling apart around me."

"Your armor smells much better," she observed.

"Cleaned it," he replied, nodding.

"Your boots seem to be less attractive to insects now."

"And they will feel much better on my feet," he grinned.

"Would you mind getting a fire going?" she asked, dropping the fish on the bark of the tree. "Best if I get these gutted and cleaned before they attract the insects your boots have shunned for the moment."

As they worked they spoke of the coming move. Their plans were more or less as complete as could be, but Liam wanted to make one more trip back to the old camp by the scout ship to gather up what scraps of metal they could and to recover the few items such as lengths of rope and shovels he and Clot'ilda had not taken the first time.

"Why do you wish to gather the scraps of metal?" M'pel E'kmel asked, cutting the head off another fish.

"Not much metal on this world and none of it is going to be processed," he said. "Never know when something like that could be needed. Even soft copper is handy to have. I'm also going to strip my life pod. Anything we could make use of should go with us."

"Just don't stray too close to the wreck," she advised. "The hull was intact and the reactor chamber sealed, but with the leak the whole thing might be dangerous."

"No worries," he replied blowing on the kindling as it began to smolder. "Most of what I want will be scattered around the debris field the ship cut when it hit the trees."




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 10



"I was slammed out of my acceleration couch when we hit the big one," she said in a subdued tone. "Killed both pilots. I was lucky."

Liam looked at her. She'd stopped working on the fish, just staring down at the blood and severed heads.

"I think I was pretty lucky you survived, too, Commander," he said sincerely.

M'pel E'kmel shook herself and turned a grateful smile on him. Her good humor returned almost instantly and she resumed processing the fish.

"These would taste so much better if I only had some tHi'qel root."

"Tickle root?" he snorted. "Sounds funny."

"No!" she laughed, missing his pun. "You really have no ear for our language, do you?"

"Apparently not." He added some thin sticks to the growing flames and went on, "I speak German and Spanish fluently. Both were common where I grew up. And I speak some Vespan. Enough to order dinner or ask where the lavatory is."

"Two of the most important things in life," she sniped. "When I first began learning English I thought the language sounded like drowning qW'ogs in boiling oil."

"And now?"

"A different story, completely," she said. "It is quite a nuanced language, full of surprises and a wonderful array of descriptive words."

"Lots of those are barrowed from French, German, Spanish and a bunch of other languages."

"And that's another thing I like about it," she said and split another fish open. "English is so adaptive. Your people see a good thing and incorporate it into their language instead of trying to force English to describe new things. How many Vespan words do you now use?"

"Not very many," he told her. "Most of them refer only to things from the Vespan culture. I think a lot of them are used in the art field. We've covered pretty much everything else. I guess we'll incorporate more the longer we're in contact with the Vespans."

"A handsome race, I think," she said, glancing over her shoulder to see his reaction. "You were interested in one, didn't you say?"

"Oh, yeah. I was," he chuckled at the memory. "Turned out it was a guy."

"Really?" she grinned.

"Not my thing," he said and shook his head.

"I suspected not. What if it had been their other sex? The one that isn't male or female."

"Don't know," Liam admitted. "Probably would have felt the same."

"But it doesn't offend you that we female jZav'Etch enjoy each other's intimate company?"

"Doesn't bother me at all," he admitted. "Doesn't bother me if Human females do that, either."

"And what of Human males?"

"Doesn't bother me as long as they don't try to convince me I should participate," he said, his voice a little stiff. "Some of the marines I've known were gay. Some liked both boys and girls. Just not my thing."

"jZav'Etch males do not couple with other males," she said. "They are geared to procreate, not to enjoy the union. And there are fewer males than females by a sizable margin."

"Why aren't there more females on the front lines, then?"

"I told you, did I not?" she asked and glanced at him. He was adding thicker pieces of wood to the growing fire. "Males are aggressive. They see what needs to be done and go after it. Females preserve what we have. Most of the females in the military are in garrisons or in technical positions. Males are much better at assault than we are. It's in their nature."

"Huh. I guess that makes sense," Liam said. Then changing the subject, "What's this tickle root like?"

"tHi'qel root!" she laughed. "Really, Sergeant. You are hopeless."

They continued to banter about nothing, enjoying each other's company until M'pel E'kmel had the fish wrapped in leaves and coated with a thick layer of mud. Liam helped her lay them in the coals of the fire and then they set about pealing some roots Liam had found that tasted like potatoes. These he roasted on a spit when the fish were close to being cooked.

Through the meal Tem'Ma'tel and Clot'ilda practiced their English, asking many questions about Liam's home world and his time in the service. As usual, Clot'ilda especially wanted to know about relationships he'd had, but he successfully put her off.

As was typical the three cats put away more than twice as much food as Liam did. Their metabolisms were geared to process large amounts of meat and the fish was especially appealing to them as a change in their diet. Liam ate most of the roots, thinking it was a fine thing to have vegetables on the menu.

After dinner, Liam took Clotilda back to the old camp. There was little evidence intelligent beings had ever been there aside from the scout ship, now overgrown with vines. He was able to collect several small pieces of metal and these were loaded on the stretcher with the ropes, shovels and other items they wanted to bring along.

Before they left the camp for the last time Clotilda shot a winged creature like the one that had attacked her. Liam suspected it was more out of spite than a desire to have more of its tasty meat. Clotilda tended to take things like almost being eaten personal.

That evening he and Tem'Ma'tel broke down and cleaned the fero-plas weapons. They were sitting across from each other by the campfire and staying focused on the task when she unexpectedly shrugged out of her fatigue jacket. She didn't make a production of it, but the rhythmic twitching of her tail caught his attention. He looked up. Tem'Ma'tel glanced at him with only the slightest of smirks and wriggled her shoulders, making the cloth of her undershirt stretch tighter over her breasts. Her tail twitched a few more times and then she ignored him.

Yep. I'm going to have to do something about that pretty soon, he thought. The notion was no longer objectionable to him the way it had been a week ago. Clot'ilda seemed intent on him taking Tem'Ma'tel as soon as possible. She had cautioned him to be careful, though she would not say why. She made no hints or suggestions when it came to M'pel E'kmel, though. He wasn't sure why, but he suspected it had something to do with the commander's rank and age.

For the moment, Liam shrugged off such thoughts. Preparing for the move was the most important thing. Tem'Ma'tel was nearly ready to travel and the sooner they could get away from this spot to someplace they wouldn't need to stand watch night and day, the better.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 11



Author's note: I just started writing chapter 16 and it looks as though my second estimate of the total length of the story was still a little short. Now it's beginning to look like there might be as many as 25 chapters. Probably not quite that many, but it will be close.

This chapter marks the beginning of the second act of the story in which our intrepid heroes leave the relative safety of the tree in quest of a better, more permanent home.

Thanks to everyone leaving comments and sending me emails. They are all very much appreciated.





Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 11



Liam was glad for the break. He wasn't out of shape, but the long days of short hikes had lessened his stamina for road marches. He could see how tired the jZav'Etch were and he thought it was just as well that they need not light a fire to cook on. Rather than suffer through any more of the hyena-frog meat he distributed cuts of the flying creature's breast meat. It tasted far better and the cats liked it as much as he did, if not more.

While they ate, the stretchers charged. Tomorrow would be another long day and he had no idea how much sunlight would come through the trees. That was one of the key reasons he and the commander had selected this knoll. There were few trees growing from its rocky soil and the steep cliff prevented any at all growing on the western side. The afternoon sun poured down, rapidly recharging the power cells. Likely, they would have three fully charged stretchers when they set out in the morning.

Liam took the first watch, sitting behind a low boulder at the edge of the camp. He could look down the slope from there and his suit's sensors would warn him of anything moving in the shadows of the trees. Everyone was tired, Tem'Ma'tel most of all. Her leg wound had sidelined her for so long that she simply didn't have the stamina the others did. As soon as she'd eaten she had found a soft, mossy spot and curled up to sleep. The others soon followed her example and Liam was left in the quiet of the forest to watch over them.

"Isn't that what big, powerful male lions do?" he murmured with an ironic smirk. "Protect the pride? Keep everyone safe?"

And it really was. He hadn't looked at himself in that light before, but now that he did Liam rather liked the notion. He glanced at the sleeping females and smiled. jZav'Etch were not lions any more than he was, but the two dTel'Qohar could have been mistaken for them just now, especially M'pel E'kmel with her golden fur. Tem'Ma'tel's fur was more of a ruddy copper and Liam wondered if that was due to the difference in age or perhaps it was more along the lines of Human women having dark or light hair. 

A warning chirp from his sensors drew his attention back to the forest below. Something large was moving around down there out of his line of sight. It was some distance off, so no immediate threat, but he monitored it just to be safe.

Hours passed and the sun slowly sank in the west. It was twilight before M'pel E'kmel came to him and settled in the grass behind the boulder.

"You should sleep now, Sergeant," she said, laying a hand on the fero-plas rifle. "I'll take this watch."

"It's only been six hours," he said.

"And a very long day before that," she replied easily. "I could not say so in front of the others, but I was as frightened as they during the incident at the pod."

He removed his helmet and set it on the boulder. With a lopsided smile he said, "Well, to tell the truth, Commander, I was a little scared, too. Never liked bugs. Didn't want to fall either."

"Then it is well that you did not," she said and moved her hand to his arm. 

He couldn't feel it through the armor, but he knew her hand was there and she was so close. At that moment, with the two younger females asleep, Liam was very tempted to kiss her. M'pel E'kmel was watching his eyes and there was no sign she would object. And then her eyes went wide, flashing up to the twilit sky. Alarmed, Liam spun and looked up. A thin streak of white shone high in the atmosphere.

"Is it a ship?" she asked breathlessly.

He jammed his helmet back on and tracked the smoky streamer as it slowly flowed to the east. His scopes were good, but whatever it was, was too high for him to make much of it. As far as he could tell, though, it was not under power.

"I don't think it is," he said after a while. "It's too big to be a meteorite. Probably some of the debris from the battle. It's been a while since the fight. A lot of that stuff was drifting this way. Planet's gravity probably just pulled it in."

"Oh," she sighed, sounding relieved. "Well, Sergeant, I think it is best if you get some sleep, don't you?"

He glanced back at her. M'pel E'kmel's hand was still on his arm, but the look in her eyes had changed. She was thinking about business now, not romance. Liam smiled, a little disappointed. He removed his helmet for her to use and rose to find a spot near Clot'ilda to lay down. Soon he was asleep, dreaming of home.

A pleasurable sensation woke him. Warm lips and a deft tongue played over his manhood and he raised his head, unable to see much by only the moonlight. Clot'ilda had unfastened his leg armor and opened his fatigues to get at his crotch. Her head rose and fell slowly as she sucked on his length. Realizing he had awakened she paused with just the tip in her mouth and gave him a smile, her eyes twinkling mischievously like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She plunged down again, engulfing his full length, sending shivers of hot delight through his body.

Liam glanced to see that Tem'Ma'tel was on watch and M'pel E'kmel lay not more than a meter away, sleeping soundly.

"You are a naughty girl," he whispered to Clot'ilda. She rose off his hardness and gave him a wicked grin before plunging back down, never breaking eye contact. Her little hand gripped the base of his shaft firmly, the way she knew he liked and she sucked hard before pulling away to catch her breath. She was really good at this part and Liam lay his head back to enjoy it.

Clot'ilda had been practicing her technique for a couple of weeks now and she knew just how to bring her mate to the edge before letting him down again. She began by drawing his full length into her mouth and throat and slowly pulling away, her lips pressed tight to his shaft. She felt him shudder the way he always did. Her next move was to take only the rounded head between her lips, playing her tongue over it and around the sensitive rim. When she tasted the salty tang of his fluid she knew it was time to swallow him again. 

Over and over she repeated the technique, bringing him to the edge and sending him gently back, prolonging his pleasure. Finally, when she felt he could hold back no more she began running her hand up and down the shaft, enjoying the contrast of the soft skin and the surprising hardness. Her mate had to better than any jZav'Etch could hope to be.

Her hand moved faster, up and down, and her lips closed over the head. She heard his breath coming in faster gasps and just for one more teasing moment before he climaxed she brushed the sensitive head with her teeth. Instantly her mouth filled with the hot, sharp tang of his seed. Salty and wonderful it washed over her tongue and she swallowed, delighted she had brought pleasure to her mate. She knew he would not be able to pleasure her this night, but she had gotten her reward. More of his seed sprayed into her mouth and she pumped his shaft, wanting to capture every last drop. When his shudders ended and there was no more seed for her swallow, Clot'ilda kissed the head then settled in to lick the shaft clean. Her mate was satisfied.

+>0

Laying in the grass near Sergeant Carter, M'pel E'kmel heard Clot'ilda rise quietly and go to him. She heard the little Pah'Tht work the fastenings loose and the rustle of cloth when his trousers were pulled aside. M'pel E'kmel smiled at the scent in the air. She knew what the little devil was doing.

The first sounds of Clot'ilda's ministrations were pleased purrs and those were soon followed by the snort of the sergeant waking. She had done it right, then. M'pel E'kmel pictured the look on his face and remembered his naked body before the attack at the stream. The heat in her loins grew, but she did not reach down to satisfy herself. That might disturb the pleasures of the lovers. She instead listened to every sound, every gasp and purr and every noise of tongue on flesh.

One day, Sergeant, it will be my tongue you will gasp at, she thought. One day I will come to you alone in the night and make you howl with pleasure the like of which is told only in stories of ancient lovers. 

M'pel E'kmel sighed and listened, enjoying the sounds and scents until she fell back to sleep.

+>0

Tem'Ma'tel, sitting behind the boulder, also heard the lovers as Clot'ilda pleasured her mate. She was not as philosophical as the commander, but she enjoyed the sounds and scents all the same. Out here in this wilderness the scent of SarJ'ant seemed perfectly natural. His ancestors were creatures of the forest and he was at home in a sense. It was right that he should be hear with his mate, doing what they were doing.

I will give you your chance to proclaim Ka' chasck, SarJ'ant, she thought. And when you do I will accept and then we shall see who can make you cry out with pleasure the loudest. And we shall see who will take the most pleasure from you.

Tem'Ma'tel's smile was not broad but her eyes smoldered as she looked into the night-shrouded forest below. She wanted to be the one who brought SarJ'ant to his knees, shuddering in the throes of pleasure. And she wanted to be the one he brought to her knees gasping with desire and wanting more.

"And his scars are so handsome," she murmured softly to the night.

+>0

Before dawn they reloaded all of the supplies and made ready to continue their march. It would be another long day and likely they would still not reach the place Liam and M'pel E'kmel has selected for their new home. Even when they got there their trek would not be complete. The area would need to be searched and properly scouted. They couldn't just drop their gear and put up a tent. They wanted the best situation they could get, so another temporary camp would be established while they searched and surveyed. More days of work were ahead of them, but at the end, if they did everything right, they would have a home they would not need to abandon.

As the sun rose over the horizon the castaways descended the rocky knoll and trekked north and east. Tem'Ma'tel had to hack a path through vines and thorn bushes several times until they could pick up another game trail that would take them more or less where they wanted to go. Time and again they paused to consult the survey map and reorient their route.

By mid-morning they were all tired and glad to stop by another stream, this one with a fast current and deep bottom. M'pel E'kmel and Clot'ilda knelt upon rocks at the edge of the water and snatched half a dozen fish for their morning meal. Liam declined to eat the things raw and made do with a couple slices of hyena-frog, still not caring much for the flavor.

"How do you know you do not like something if you do not try it?" M'pel E'kmel asked with a smile.

"I've eaten sushi," he said. "No thank you."

The females laughed at the face he made and enjoyed their meal. Later, as they were getting their packs on, the sensors chimed an alert. Liam checked his scope and found several large animals about a hundred meters down their back trail.

"What do you think, Sergeant?" the commander asked softly.

"I think one of these things was near our camp last night," he replied feathering the gain on his active sensors. "And I think they are blade-beasts. They got way closer than they should have with the passive sensors. It was an active sweep that picked them up."

"Are they hunting us?"

"Might be," he said and drew one of his EP 12s. "The three of you move on up the valley about a hundred meters. I'm going to wait here and give them something to think about."

"We should all stay," the commander argued.

"I stay," said Clot'ilda firmly, taking her deq'istle from her shoulder.

"Tem'Ma'tel stay," said the jZav'Etch Marine, closing ranks with the little Pah'Tht.

Liam considered them, seeing he would not be able to dissuade the females from backing him up. Finally he gave a nod.

"Alright," he said. "Get the gear down the trail, out of sight. I don't want them knowing we're here until it's too late."

Tem'Ma'tel and Clot'ilda moved the stretcher as he instructed and returned looking anxious. 

"You all can climb a lot better than I can," Liam said. "Can you get up those trees and work your way back in this direction without touching the ground?"

The cats looked to where he pointed. Several large trees grew near the bank of the stream, their bows overhanging other trees that were progressively smaller as they grew farther from the water. M'pel E'kmel nodded in answer.

"Good," Liam said. "I'm going to hide in that brush. You will overlook the trail. When I pop up and start shooting, take out the ones in the rear first and work your way through the pack towards me. I'll bottleneck them on the trail."

"Should we not simply try to run them off?" M'pel E'kmel asked.

"I don't want these fuckers coming after us again, Commander," he said in a hard voice.

They dispersed, getting into their positions. Liam figured he had done as much as he could to protect the women since they were adamant about protecting him. He settled in behind the roots of a tree and set his sensors to active sweeps. Gradually, the hunting pack crept up to the area of the stream their noses low to the ground and eyes wary. Liam focused on calming himself the way he always did before a fight.

The leader of the pack was no more than ten meters from him when he rolled up to a knee and put a wadcutter round through its forehead. The beast didn't even have a chance to call a warning to its pack mates before Liam shot the next one. Then all hell broke loose as the jZav'Etch rained fired down from above.

The blade-beasts screamed and bellowed their confusion as their pack was annihilated. Blasts of livid purple struck their backs, blowing holes through them and the deathly specter in charcoal and black that spat pain held its ground, blocking their path. There was no escape and fear drove them desperately on.

The jZav'Etch, fearing for the life of their Human male, had no mercy. Liam found himself grinning grimly as he put shot after lethal shot into sleek, black-feathered bodies. He felt nothing but satisfaction at the destruction of the creatures as the females' fire advanced towards him like a rolling barrage. The last of the creatures died two meters in front him with a four millimeter hole in its forehead and a gapping crater at the back of its skull. Wadcutter ammunition didn't leave a margin for flesh wounds.

The females swarmed down from their perches in the trees with hunting cries bursting from their throats. They charged Liam and smothered him in hugs, nips and kisses, each cheering and making the offer of 'Take!', even M'pel E'kmel.

Laughing and glad the ambush had worked so well, Liam hugged them back. He stopped Tem'Ma'tel from dropping her trousers and had to restrain the affectionate Clot'ilda from trying to do more, but he was gratified nonetheless.

"Alright, ladies!" he said through his laughter. "Well done! Very well done. We need to get on our..."

Liam was cut off by a thunderous bellow from the far side of the deep stream and suddenly his sensors shrieked a warning of an active search. He checked his scope instantly and found a massive animal coming their way fast. No time to hide. No time to run. They all turned their weapons on the new threat, their victory forgotten.

On the far bank a stand of saplings thrashed and toppled as a giant animal smashed through them and charged to the edge of the stream, scattering debris into the water. It had multiple eyes and a heavy, fur covered hide. The beast stamped and bellowed again, triggering Liam's sensors into another alert. The great beast swung its massive head from side to side, slamming ivory tusks into thick trees, gouging chunks from their bark and snapping branches. Its feet tore at the stream's bank like trench diggers and its bellow deafened the four of them. When it finally calmed, its dark eyes glared a warning at the puny interlopers. 

"Did anyone piss themselves?" Liam asked, chuckling nervously.

"I thought about it," M'pel E'kmel breathed.

"Felt tickle, SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel said quietly. "Tickle. Head, arms, chest all tickle."

"Yeah," he said, giving her a pat on the arm without taking his eyes from the elephantine creature. "It triggered my sensors when it roared."

The beast swayed from side to side and pawed the ground at its feet again. Very slowly it turned back into the forest, sending another wave of whatever it was at them, triggering the sensors again.

"Tickle," said Clot'ilda.

"Presumably, this creature explains the nature of the blade-beast's coats," M'pel E'kmel said. "We should leave before we do something that might bring it back."

"I'm with you on that one, Commander," Liam agreed emphatically and they gathered up their gear and marched on.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 12



Author's Note 8/6/2014: Just finished editing this chapter and since I'm in the middle of the rough draft of chapter 18 I figured it would be safe to post it. This one is considerably longer than most of the previous chapters. I'm sure there are many who will be pleased with that. I make no promises regarding the length of any future chapters, though.

The reason I am posting only after I have five or more chapters written is simply to avoid plot holes. I have come to points several times during the writing of this story where I realized I needed to make a major change in an earlier chapter in order to make the story flow better. Many times I have needed to change names or words to improve the tale. Little things can make all the difference.

As always, many thanks to those leaving comments or sending messages. I'll try to have the next chapter up before the weekend.

Slight edit on a couple of typos. Thanks to the anonymous folks who pointed them out.

Chapter 12

Two days after ambushing the pack of blade-beasts the castaways stumbled to a stop on the crest of a low, stony hillock. It was a good place to make camp until they decided on a permanent location. To the south a broad, shallow creek ran musically over small rocks and around large boulders, tumbled there ages ago. East of the hill, more hills rose until they merged with the low mountains, beyond which lay the sea. North and west the forest stretched beyond sight. They could still see the huge wound where the jZav'Etch scout ship had torn its path through the trees. Mist lay over the forest, and in the distance low clouds sailed like a fleet of ancient warships marshalling to attack. The castaways would be struck by a storm before morning.

"Tired, Liam," Clot'ilda said. Her tone underscored her words.

"We're all tired, Babydoll," he said and patted her back. "Drop your pack. We'll get the tents set up and then I'll take first watch. You all need some sleep."

"I should take first watch, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said. "You took two watches last night. We cannot expect you to do more than we do."

"Commander, technically you're all still my prisoners," he told her with a wink. "I'm supposed to look after your needs."

"Within reason," she countered. "Very well, Sergeant. Take the first watch. However, since I clearly out rank you, your watch will be a short one. I'll relieve you in four hours."

It took very little time to pitch the tents and get them staked down securely. Liam walked the perimeter, taking note of any feature that might provide concealment for an approaching enemy. They hadn't seen any more blade-beasts or hyena-frogs, but that didn't mean other, equally dangerous animals weren't lurking out in the wilderness.

Tem'Ma'tel got a fire going and boiled some water for tea. Clot'ilda put some of the smoked meat on a stick close to the flames, warming it before they ate. Liam was so hungry even the hyena-frog tasted good, though it was getting a bit more gamey. It wasn't long after that he was left alone on the hilltop with only his cup of hot tea for company. Sounds of sleeping jZav'Etch emanated from the tents and he smiled. This was what life was about. His purpose had been clear these past few days and he embraced it. These were his people now. This was his world for the moment. And in this life, the moment you have is all that you can expect.

The sun dipped behind the clouds and the world was shrouded in gloom. In the distance forks of lightning split the sky. Thunder rolled over the forest a moment later and Liam smiled. It hadn't rained since he'd landed and it had been ages since he'd seen a genuine storm.

On the hillside below him a shape moved. Liam switched to lowlight on his scope, picking out the features of a large animal. It was low-slung with a shock of quills covering its back and neck. The creature resembled an aardvark in the broadest terms. A long, narrow head with a questing nose moved from side to side as it trundled along, oblivious to the Human. When the next roll of thunder came the beast paused to look out over the forest, then moved on, unhurried.

"Tough guy, eh?" Liam snorted.

Movement in the rolling fields far to the south caught his eye and he zoomed in on it. A herd of lithe-limbed animals sprinted smoothly over the broken terrain, making for a dense thicket. They reminded him of African antelope or the roe deer of Europe, fleet of foot and easily spooked. He watched them until they were hidden among the low trees.

The wind suddenly picked up and just as suddenly died back to a stiff breeze. He turned to face into it. The clouds were advancing rapidly now and another wind came, stronger than the first. Liam went and double checked the anchors of the tents. They were as secure as they were going to get. There were no overhanging branches or tall trees that could fall on them, so Liam relaxed as much as he could. It looked as though they would be in for a wild night.

+>0<+

Thunder and a driving wind against the walls of the tent woke Commander M'pel E'kmel. Tem'Ma'tel lay on her back on the other side of the tent, her eyes open, wincing with every clap of thunder or flash of lightning.

"A storm," M'pel E'kmel said quietly.

"Yes, Commander," Tem'Ma'tel said woodenly. It was obvious the marine didn't care for the foul weather.

"I must relieve the Sergeant."

"Yes, Commander," Tem'Ma'tel said again.

"Will you be alright?"

"I have been through worse, Commander."

"If you need anything, I will be outside," M'pel E'kmel said, opening the collar of her fatigue jacket and pulling out the hood that had been rolled up and stuffed inside. Fighting the wind and spraying rain, she pushed out of the tent, pulling the hood tight over her head. Just as she cleared the flap she looked up and was suddenly blinded and struck deaf by a bolt of lightning. Feeling the blast of heat, she fell back blinking vivid blue and white blotches from her eyes with her ears ringing. It took her a moment to realize what had just happened. In the afterimage she saw Sergeant Carter standing at the edge of the hill as the enormous electric blast slammed down upon him from the clouds. She came back to her senses with Tem'Ma'tel shaking her shoulders.

"Commander!" Tem'Ma'tel shouted into her ear. "Commander, are you alright?"

"Yes!" she shouted back, pushing the younger female off of her. "The sergeant! Liam was hit by the lightning! Help me!"

They both emerged from the tent at the same moment Clot'ilda burst from hers. The three of them stared in stunned disbelief. Sergeant Liam Carter, veteran of forty-three battles and slayer of beasts stood looking up into the falling rain, apparently unharmed. They rushed to him, demanding to know if he was okay, wondering what had happened and why the hell had he not taken cover?

"I'm fine," he shouted over the roaring storm. "I'm okay! Don't panic. I'm fine."

"But I saw it hit you!" M'pel E'kmel shouted. "It hit you and it threw me back into the tent! What do you mean you're fine?"

"Let's just say my suit is fully charged now and the reserve capacitor is topped off," he laughed as giddy as a schoolboy.

"Your armor can do that?" she demanded.

"Why do you think the Vespans stopped using directed energy weapons on us?" he laughed. "I've gone through a lot worse than a lightning strike in my time, Commander. All of you, just go back in the tents. It's not safe for you out here."

"You should take shelter!" M'pel E'kmel insisted, not quite believing he had really been unharmed by the lightning. "No beast would hunt in this weather."

"We don't know that," he countered. "Go back in the tent. I'll be fine until the storm passes. Don't worry. If I need you, I'll get you."

"Liam, no!" Clot'ilda begged, pulling franticly on his arm. "Liam come in. Liam, come with me. Come in!"

"You go with the Commander, Babydoll," he told her, his hand gentle on her shoulder. "Don't worry. God loves me. You go on in and get dry. I'll come when the storm passes."

Unwillingly the three soaked jZav'Etch retreated to their tent. Clot'ilda shivered and fretted while they sat dripping wet, huddled together for warmth, their clothes laid to the side to dry. The storm raged outside and they could hear Liam laugh now and then. Tem'Ma'tel thought he was mad and Clot'ilda didn't know what to think. M'pel E'kmel kept her peace, but secretly she believed he was enjoying himself out there with the wild wind and torrential rain. Eventually they fell asleep in each other's arms.

After the storm died to a steady drizzle, Liam opened the tent flap and looked in. He grinned, wishing he had a camera when he saw the three of them. Damp fur, tangle limbs and plenty of luscious curves would fuel his dreams for weeks. It would be a shame to disturb them so he closed the flap again and keyed his suit to administer a stim to its internal atmosphere. Breathing in the drug he was instantly more awake and ready to do at least twelve more hours of sentry. Liam paced the perimeter, his sensors pulsing an active sweep every sixty seconds and his mind lingering on the three naked jZav'Etch cuddled up together in the tent.

+>0<+

Warm. Warm and only a little stiff. That's how Tem'Ma'tel woke. She breathed in deeply, a little purr burbling in her chest, glad for the warmth after the soaking she'd gotten. And then she realized someone was cupping her breast. And then she realized someone else was laying in her lap, purring.

She looked down finding the commander's arms wrapped about her. M'pel E'kmel's right hand cupped Tem'Ma'tel's left breast in a pleasant manner, both thumbs gently pressing on her nipple as the commander slept. Clot'ilda lay with her head and shoulders on Tem'Ma'tel's thighs, very like a child in slumber.

Outside the rain had nearly ended and the sun seemed to be rising. SarJ'ant had been out there all night! She had failed in her duty!

Careful to wake neither of the sleeping jZav'Etch, Tem'Ma'tel disengaged herself from them. Clot'ilda roused from sleep, but quickly dropped off again when Tem'Ma'tel laid her in the commander's lap. She scrabbled through the discarded clothes until she found her trousers and jacket, unable to determine which shorts and undershirt were hers. She struggled into her damp clothes and opened the tent flap. Outside Liam was huddled over a low, smoky fire, adding more sticks to build it up.

"Good morning, SarJ'ant," she said softly as she crouched down next to him. "How are you today?"

"I'm doing well, Marine," he replied in his customary fashion. "This fire doesn't seem to want to burn, though."

"Wet," she said, pointing to the stack of branches and sticks.

"Yep," he agreed. "After last night I doubt we could find anything dry."

"Storm," she said and looked to the south where the clouds still brooded, now nuzzling against the mountains like a babe to a mother's tit. "Bad storm."

"Bad as I've seen." Liam nodded and blew on the smoldering fire, encouraging a tongue of flame to rise and dance for a moment before it dipped back down and writhed along several sticks. "That's a little better. Are you cold?"

"Cold," she said and nodded. "You tired now. I take watch. You... You sleep."

"I'll be alright for a bit." He reached over and dragged his musette bag from the stacked supplies. From it he took a poncho and draped it around her. "That should keep the wind off you. It'll help."

"Thank you, SarJ'ant," she said and pulled the voluminous garment tighter. "Tea?"

"No," he said and rummaged in his cargo pocket for a minute. "Coffee."

His hand came out with two discs of the precious stuff and he went through the routine of preparing them. She tried to refuse the cup he offered, but he pressed it into her hand and motioned for her to drink. Tem'Ma'tel sipped the hot, brown liquid, liking the smell but wondering what it was, and then she didn't care. It was AMAZING! She took a larger sip, burning her lip, but she didn't care about that either.

"Good!" she said, her eyes wide with wonder. "You... Food?"

"I could eat," he said smiling, pleased she liked the coffee.

Tem'Ma'tel went to her pack and returned with one of the jZav'etch rations. Liam frowned, worried she would try to feed him. There was still a whole lot of work to get done before he could think about taking another wife.

He needn't have worried, though. Tem'Ma'tel merely handed him the packet, letting him do with it as he would. If nothing else, she was very proper about social forms. He had given her the coffee and she had responded in kind with a meal she knew he liked.

Liam sat in the soaking wet grass and mud of the hilltop with a former enemy, enjoying a meal and coffee as if he were on a camping trip in the mountains of his home world. The meat and purple sauce were every bit as good as they had been the first time. A smile spread across his face as he forked chunks of wonderfully spiced meat into his mouth. This move was maybe the best idea they'd had.

"SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel said to get his attention. She pointed to a shape moving at the edge of the camp under a storm-battered sapling. Liam looked and chuckled. She asked, "What that?"

"I don't know, but he was around last evening," he told her around a mouthful of food. "Doesn't seem interested in us at all. Didn't even look at me. He wasn't impressed by the storm either."

"Danger?" she asked.

"Not sure," Liam admitted. "I don't think it's a predator. Big claws on it, but they look more like they're for digging than killing. And those quills on his back are defensive. Seems more like something to leave alone rather than something to be afraid of."

"Tem'Ma'tel no afraid," she said sternly.

"Neither am I," he chuckled, "but I ain't going over there to pet it."

"Pet?" she asked. She was still learning English and had made impressive progress, but many words and their meanings were still unfamiliar.

"Stroke it in a friendly way," he said as much like a dictionary definition as he could.

"Stroke?" she murmured. "Friendee?"

"Never mind," he said and waved it away. "Not important right now."

She wasn't satisfied, but decided to look up the words when Clot'ilda was awake. Tem'Ma'tel had been borrowing the language guide to pass her time constructively while on watch. She had learned most of her English late in the evenings when no one could hear her making mistakes. A girl had her pride, after all.

"When the others are awake I want to reconnoiter that hill back over there," Liam said, pointing his fork at a rise half a kilometer away. "That's the place the commander and I picked out on the map. I checked it out with my scopes last night during the storm and I think there is a lot of potential in the way it's formed. On the map it looks like that waterfall comes down right onto it from that cliff above. The water comes out under that big rock on the southern corner there and flows down this way."

Tem'Ma'tel looked at the hill, not understanding all of what SarJ'ant said, but she did not disagree that it looked promising. She had seen the map image and knew there was a fair sized pool up on top. There were few trees visible on the crest and few grew on the northern and western slopes, though there was a dense grove on the southern slope before it plunged steeply into the valley. Several large outcrops of stone thrust from the green grass, reminding her of a crown or an ancient fortress. The hill was close enough to the forest for them to go hunting and close enough to the stream to go fishing if there were no fish in the pool on top. There might be enough soil to actually grow some of the edible plants they'd discovered, too.

"I go," she said and sipped more coffee, casting a wary eye on the large, long-faced beast that was poking its nose under a rock on the other side of the camp. "You sleep, SarJ'ant. You tired."

"I told you, I'm fine," he replied, shaking his head. "Couldn't sleep now if I wanted to."

"SarJ'ant no good marine," she said with a disapproving frown.

"I guess that's why they made me a sergeant," he chuckled and finished his coffee.

The sound of a tumbling stone and a loud grunt made them both turn. The aardvark thing was digging rapidly into the sodden soil of the hill and thrusting its nose into the hole. Liam stood and stepped closer to it, Tem'Ma'tel followed close behind. The thing tore at the ground with its great claws, digging faster than three men with shovels could have. As the dirt settled it jammed its nose into the hole again and almost instantly yanked its head back, dragging a pale yellow grub the size of a rugby ball with it. The grub squirmed for a few seconds before the aardvark thing chomped down with blade-like teeth and began shredding it.

"No good eat," Tem'Ma'tel said.

Liam looked at her with a grin. "How do you know you don't like something if you never try it?"

"SarJ'ant eat?" she demanded, her mouth crooked into a disgusted, lopsided grimace.

"You're right," he replied looking back at the creature as it moved on to find another meal. "No good eat."

+>0<+

The hike from their temporary camp across the shallow valley to the stony hill took just over half an hour. By the time Liam and Tem'Ma'tel passed through the sparse trees and shrubs on the north slope and reached the top, wary but intent on investigating their prospective new home, both were tired. Their energy came back to them as they neared what could only be the archway of a gate. The stones rising to either side of it had not come there by any natural process of erosion. On the western side of the gate the structure they had originally taken as a large, weather-beaten spur of rock was actually some sort of large weather-beaten gatehouse. It now stood in ruin, its roof ages gone, but its walls stood thick and resolute against the advance of time and the elements.

"House?" Tem'Ma'tel asked quietly, wonder lacing her tone.

"Yeah," Liam said. He looked around at the outer wall and drew his EP 12. "Let's not take any chances."

Tem'Ma'tel raised her fero-plas rifle and thumbed off the safety. The pair of them entered the ruin cautiously, senses alert. Liam's HUD displayed only the stones and plants around them. Very small creatures skittered out of sight as they crossed into a broad, overgrown plaza the size of a soccer field. On the far side of the plaza, opposite the gate, a stunted grove of trees grew. To the east was the waterfall they had seen from their temporary camp. Between them and the waterfall rose a stone platform with a dozen pillars, two of which had fallen. And to their immediate left was a row of low buildings forming the northern wall of the compound. Along the western wall what looked like workshops or perhaps some sort of stable sat in disrepair.

"Rooms first," Liam said, gesturing to their left.

They took very little time to scout the place out, it was well and truly deserted, but when they got to the stunted trees Tem'Ma'tel called out. Liam looked to her and she held out a golden fruit of some kind. On the tree behind her were many more. There were other trees of the same sort and still others with red or green fruit. It seemed they had found an orchard.

"Commander, how do you read? Over," Liam said into his suit com.

"I read you loud and clear, Sergeant," came M'pel E'kmel's response. "What does it look like? Over."

"Hard for me to describe it, Commander," he said. "Your map didn't do this place justice. It's not a natural formation. Somebody built this place. Over."

M'pel E'kmel looked down on Clot'ilda as if trying to confirm what Liam had just said. She and the little Pah'Tht had remained with their gear and both held hand radios taken from the life pod.




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 12



"Describe it for us, Sergeant. Over," the commander said.

"There are buildings here, Commander," Liam told her. "They're made with local stone so they blend right in. Some are still in good shape. One isn't. The waterfall drops into what looks like a swimming pool. I think some of the central plaza, or whatever you'd call it, was a garden. That odd formation we spotted next to the pool looks like a small temple or theatre stage. In that grove on the southern slope Tem'Ma'tel found fruit trees. They've gone wild and there are a bunch of other trees mixed in with them, but it's pretty obviously an old orchard. Reminds me of an ancient Roman villa. It's amazing. Nothing like what we were expecting. Over."

"Is there any sign of inhabitants? Over," she asked. Her mouth was spread into a disbelieving smile as the image of a sanctuary blossomed in her mind's eye.

"There's nothing we've found that indicates anyone has been here in I don't know how many years. It's empty, Commander. Completely deserted. Over."

"Shall we ready the stretcher to move? Over," she asked, her tone light and eager.

"Absolutely. We'll head back now. Be there as soon as we can. Out."

"We'll be waiting, Sergeant, and well done to you both. Out."

Half an hour later when Liam and Tem'Ma'tel returned to the temporary camp they found all the gear ready to go, but there was at first no sign of the two females. Then they heard laughter from over the lip of the hill.

"I can't believe he likes that." They heard M'pel E'kmel chortle.

The marines exchanged puzzled looks and approached the source. The top of the commander's head was the first thing they saw. As the hill dropped away before them they saw more of the commander and then Clot'ilda came in view and then a sight that surprised both marines. The large aardvark thing lay on its side, a great, massively clawed paw in the air and its head lolling back and forth on the wet grass as the little Pah'Tht scratched it under the jaw. Her fingers came away from its furry hide and the creature turned to shoot out a broad tongue to lick them.

"What the hell?" Liam wondered aloud.

Clot'ilda and M'pel E'kmel turned at the sound of his voice. Clot'ilda sprang to her feet and ran to him. Clutching his hand she turned back, dragging him after. The aardvark thing rolled to its belly, eyeing big Human warily, but the commander put a hand to its neck, her fingers questing among the long quills and it settled, even rolling its shoulders into her hand as if it were a gigantic dog.

"It seems Clot'ilda has made a new friend, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel announced. "As we finished packing the tents this fellow trundled up and sniffed about the earth where we had pulled up the stakes. Clot'ilda tried shooing him away and then he licked her. The rest is history."

"We can't keep a dog," Liam grumbled like a father from an old-time family sitcom.

"Liam look!" Clot'ilda giggled and knelt in front of the creature. She put her hand under its jaw and scratched for a few seconds before pulling it out and showing it to her mate. Small green bulbs with tiny legs rolled about her palm and the aardvark stretched his neck to get his head around her shoulder before shooting out his tongue and licking the parasites away.

Liam looked to Te'Ma'tel and said sourly, "No good eat."

"Seems he is plagued by these things," M'pel E'kmel said with a smile. "More intelligent than he looks, I think."

"We can't keep him," Liam stated again.

The aardvark looked away from Liam and pressed his head into Clot'ilda's chest with a guttural moan and a snort. She began happily scratching away at its jaw once more.

"Commander," Liam protested. "Come on. Back me up on this one. We've got enough to worry about."

"Sergeant," she chided. "I doubt he will want to join our collective. He's a beast of the wild, after all. It does no harm to let your mate have a few moments of enjoyment."

Liam looked down on Clot'ilda and had to crack a smile. She really was having fun with the monster. And whatever it was, the thing didn't seem interested in hurting or eating any of them. In fact, judging by the sound it was making, it might have just gone to sleep.

"Yeah," he sighed. "She's enjoying herself. Commander, we really need to get going. It's not a far hike, but we still need to scout the area thoroughly and see about securing our gear and getting things ready for the night. We've got a lot of work still to do."

M'pel E'kmel sighed and nodded. She patted Clot'ilda on the side and rose. Reluctantly Clot'ilda also rose and with one last scratch on the aardvark thing's head, she turned and went with them to the top of the hill.

+>0<+

"I must say, Sergeant, this is better than anything I had hoped or even dreamed of," M'pel E'kmel said once they'd set their burdens down.

"Pretty snazzy if I do say so," Liam replied, smiling. "We didn't see anything dangerous on our first look, but now that you two are here I think we'd better go as a group and inspect every corner of this place, just to be sure."

"That is wise, Sergeant," she said approvingly. "You have not slept in almost thirty hours, though. We should secure one room and let you rest properly."

"No rest for the wicked," he responded flatly. "Let's get this done and then I'll sleep as long as you like or maybe longer."

She looked at Liam, noting the dark blotches under his red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes. He was in no fit state, but it seemed unlikely that there would be any danger here he would need to face. And from the set of his jaw and the stern look in his eyes, it seemed unlikely she would be able to dissuade him. Finally M'pel E'kmel nodded and their inspection of the ruins began.

They discovered that the oddly shaped pool at the bottom of the waterfall was quite large and it formed the headwater of the stream that wound its way through the valley to the south. From the pool the water followed in a wide, shallow, stone lined channel cut into the hilltop that passed out through the western wall below a broad platform overlooking the southern and western valleys. Its water spilled down the hillside in another falls, collecting in a large natural pool among massive boulders before winding away between the grassy knolls.

"Let's see what's in the workshops," Liam said. His fatigue was clearly getting the better of him, but he soldiered on, intent on getting the job done.

Using hand lamps they examined the small rooms. The first was empty except for some collapsed wooden shelves and broken pottery.

"A sort of storeroom, do you think?" M'pel E'kmel wondered.

"Looks like," Liam nodded. He knelt to pick up a piece of pottery only to have it crumble in his fingers. "This hasn't been fired."

"This one has, but there is no glaze on it," she said, holding up half of a small jar. "Perhaps this is where they dried and cooled the pieces."

"Yeah," Liam agreed. "Maybe. Let's look in the next room."

Entering it their hand lamps revealed a kiln large enough to fire several pots at once, more collapsed shelves and a large mound of clay. Nothing more was to be made of that room so they moved on to the next. Here the floor was covered in bits of sharp stone.

"It looks like flint," Liam said.

"SarJ'ant. Commander," Tem'Ma'tel said, holding up a piece of stone shaped to a point. "It looks like a blade of some kind, Commander."

"The point of a projectile," M'pel E'kmel said, shining her light on the dark grey object. "Looks well made, does it not, Sergeant?"

"There are nodules of stone here, Commander," Clot'ilda announced. She stood near the back corner of the room, shinning her lamp on a small pile of dark grey stones.

"We can experiment with making things like this when we have some spare time," said Liam. "Might be useful."

The next two rooms were empty, but in the room closest to the gate they found a stone oven and the remains of a pile of wood, dried, cracked and turning to dust after so many years unattended. They dubbed this the bakery and moved on to explore the rooms along the northern wall. These appeared to have been where the inhabitants had lived. There were rooms that could have housed twenty or thirty people and others where no more than two could have lived. The one closest to the cliff was not really a room at all. It was more like a large pantry. Along one wall were more collapsed shelves and at the back of the room they discovered a ramp leading down into the hill.

"Looks as though they took advantage of a natural incline," M'pel E'kmel observed. "Shall we go down?"

"Yeah," said Liam tiredly.

"SarJ'ant, sleep," Tem'Ma'tel suggested.

"Not yet," he sighed. "I'll be okay for a bit longer."

When Liam tried to go down the steps she put out a hand and stopped him, saying, "Tem'Ma'tel, Clot'ilda see."

Liam frowned at her but nodded. The two younger jZav'Etch went down the ramp with their weapons at the ready. If anything dangerous lurked in the darkness below, they would be ready for it. Liam and M'pel E'kmel followed a few paces behind.

The ramp gave onto a small room with a low ceiling. Their lamps revealed niches cut into the walls, blackened with soot. Some kind of lamp must have been placed in those. An arch wide enough for two to walk abreast and have plenty of shoulder room led to another chamber, larger than the first. Here along the wall were a number of stoneware jars a meter high and half a meter in diameter. These were empty save for some kernels of grain at their very bottoms.

"Do you think the grain could still be viable?" M'pel E'kmel asked.

"Take some," Liam said. "Maybe our med kits can tell us. If we can get some of it to grow we could bake bread or something."

Deeper into the hill another arch led. From this came the sound of trickling water. They entered, shining their lights around.

"It's cold in here," M'pel E'kmel said.

"Commander, what is this channel in the floor?" Tem'Ma'tel asked.

"I do not know," the older dTel'Qohar replied. The channel was narrow and very shallow. In it ran a trickling stream of clear water that came out of a crack near the base of the wall. It flowed around the room and out through another crack.

"I think this is a cold room," Liam said. He was looking at a series of holes drilled into the walls all at about the same height near the ceiling. "I saw something like this back on Earth. In Canada, I think. These holes would have had some kind of hook or peg mounted in them. The water running in the trench keeps the place cooler than it would naturally be. Helps to keep meat fresh."

"Excellent," M'pel E'kmel said. "We can make use of this when we bring down game."

The last building they checked was the ruined gatehouse. Its roof and upper floor had collapsed, though, whether from age or violence, they could not tell. In it they found only the remnants of the roof and upper floor and a scattering of bones from long dead animals.

They returned to the main plaza, satisfied nothing was going to spring out on them to challenge battle. All in all the castaways could hardly have asked for better.

"I think we are now quite safe," M'pel E'kmel said sententiously, eyeing Liam.

"Liam, come," Clot'ilda urged, pulling him by the arm.

"We still need to unpack," he protested, sounding not unlike a young child too tired and grumpy to want sleep.

"SarJ'ant, sleep," insisted Tem'Ma'tel, pushing him from behind. "Tired. SarJ'ant, sleep."

With the stims and coffee long gone from his system, Liam really did not have the energy to argue. According to his internal clock almost a day and a half had gone by since he'd last slept, and as much as he wanted to get things done, he simply didn't have the energy. He allowed Clot'ilda to pull him into one of the buildings where she unfolded and activated a stretcher for him to lay on. He let her pull his armor off and then he fell flat on his back, asleep before his head touched the cloth of the stretcher.

+>0<+

The sun had barely risen above the low peaks of the mountains to the east, but thanks to the recent rains the air was unusually humid. The bizarrely carved pillars cast long shadows across the stone stage, the leaping waterfall poured its trickling stream into the large pool and small creatures that passed for birds circled the low peak above the castaway's new home. Below them Sergeant Liam Carter practiced forms upon the level surface of the stage.

He had awakened before dawn and come out to the plaza to enjoy the early morning, but his muscles felt wrecked. It was a natural thing for him to begin stretching and before long he had begun moving through an old routine, focusing his faculties and putting his mental house in order.

He had learned Krav Maga from a master of the centuries old art before he'd entered the Marine Corps. It was a technique that had served him well and he had built on it every chance he'd gotten. Actually, some of his best moves he'd learned from gutter rats who grew up in industrial complexes and asteroid mining facilities where crime and poverty were the status quo and technique was of no value unless it put your opponent in the hospital or morgue.

Liam worked through a series of kicks, jabs and blocks, the sweat flying from his limbs with each studied movement, spattering the thirsty stones. His bare feet left streaks in the dust as his shadow danced, accompanying him in his ritual of disciplined violence. He came to the end of his kata and breathed in deeply, tasting the sweet tang of the fruit trees in the orchard. A slight noise caught his attention, breaking into the peace he had created in his mind while he practiced for war.

Tem'Ma'tel, clad only in her shorts and undershirt, stepped up onto the stone platform. She moved casually, with no sign of the limp that had plagued her since their first encounter. Liam watched her approach, wary in spite of how well they had been getting along lately. It had been a matter of necessity for them to cooperate fully while there was a chance of danger to the group. Now, though, the group was as safe as they were likely to get. Tem'Ma'tel might just decide she had given him all the time he needed to make his formal demand of Ka' chasck.

"Good morning, SarJ'ant," she said in her customary, precisely enunciated greeting.

"Good morning, Marine," Liam replied as he always did.

"You..." she paused in thought, framing the question carefully in her mind before continuing. "You practice?"

"Yes. Haven't had a chance to for a while now."

"Practice with me?" she asked, her tail suddenly flicking enticingly to one side.

"Sure. Go ahead and warm up. I need a minute to get my breath back."

"Warm up?" she asked. The phrase was strange to her, but she had a flash of insight. "Stretch? Flex?"

"That's right. Go ahead," he said, stepping back to give her as much room as she wanted. He took a drink from his canteen and watched as the jZav'Etch Marine began her exercises. He reflected again that she had the best legs he'd ever seen. For all the time she had been sidelined there was no evidence of any loss of muscle tone. No sign she had gotten soft. Tem'Ma'tel was still two meters of spring steel and carbon fiber. And none of that changed the fact that he had not yet made the required demand.

Tem'Ma'tel could smell SarJ'ant's uncertainty. She could sense his interest, his excitement, but there was no fear. Good. She had smelled fear on him before they had ambushed the blade-beasts at the creek and when the giant animal had crashed through the underbrush afterward. It was a natural reaction in those circumstances. SarJ'ant had controlled his fear then, but she had still been able to smell it. This was different. This was not an overwhelming confrontation and he was not yet sure of her intentions. She smiled inwardly, going through her stretches. Soon enough, he would be enlightened.

"Ready, SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel said, straightening and squaring off to face him.

"Alright," Liam replied as casually as he could. Something about her stance and body language told him all was not as she was presenting it. The flicking of her tail and the twitching of her ears were nervous. She had something in mind. That might not be a bad thing, but it might be that she was about to try to kill him, and he was completely unarmed. Hell, he wasn't even wearing his boots.

He'd never faced a jZav'Etch like this before. Their natural abilities, speed, strength and agility, not to mention their fucking claws, gave them all kinds of advantages over a Human. He had a slight advantage in strength and weight, but Tem'Ma'tel, though a touch shorter than he, had a slightly longer reach. And with her legs she had a considerable reach on him. The one thing she did not have and would be hard pressed to match was his years of experience. Liam had been fighting and killing since he was seventeen years old.

A flutter ran through Tem'Ma'tel's stomach when she saw SarJ'ant assume his fighting stance. She had to control her body language to not give away how afraid she was. Against another jZav'Etch of equal experience she would not have been afraid. Rather, she would have been confident of winning. Against almost any Human she knew she was more than a match. She had seen SarJ'ant in action, though. She had seen him fight against beasts that were many times her strength and speed. M'pel E'kmel had told her how SarJ'ant had charged the blade-beasts with nothing but a rock and a club. And he had done that naked!

Perhaps this was a mistake. Perhaps she should have followed Clot'ilda's example and gone to him with food. It wasn't too late. She could pretend all she wanted was practice. She could do that.

And then he took off his shirt, exposing his scars. The scars of a veteran of forty-three battles. The scars of a slayer of beasts. A warrior in the mold of heroes past. Human and alien, it was true, but so masculine it almost hurt to see him standing there, sweat glistening in the morning sun. Such a male would not respect her if she went to him meekly. She did not wish to be as Clot'ilda was, a favored and loved mate. She wanted to be seen as one who would stand by him and defend the Household. She wanted him to know she would not back down when he needed her the most. Tem'Ma'tel made her choice and steeled her nerve to face off against one of the most dangerous foes she would ever challenge.

Liam instantly knew he was not as fast as Tem'Ma'tel. She struck with a blinding combination of kicks and punches and he had no hope of blocking all of them. He knew it, so covered himself as best he could, accepting the punishment she was dealing. He struck hard, not pulling the punch at all, the instant he saw an opening and drove her back two steps. She gave him a quick, surprised glance and leapt in again.

He's bleeding, Tem'Ma'tel thought. Is he angry? He didn't follow up after that punch. What is he doing?

She tried a sweeping kick at his head, realizing in the instant that SarJ'ant was not as slow as she had thought. He dropped and swept her leg out from under her and as she came down on the stone he dropped his heel in a chopping kick right into her abdomen, knocking the air from her lungs. But he did not close with her. Instead he rolled away and sprang to his feet, resuming his fighting stance, waiting for her.

Jesus she's fast! Liam thought. His mind raced. How was he going to avoid getting the ever living shit kicked out of him? His eye was already swelling, his vision blurring and blood trickled down his cheek. At least the swelling wouldn't be too bad. He'd patch himself up later if he survived. She rolled to her feet sooner than he would have guessed and she went on the attack again.

A sweep at SarJ'ant's legs forced him to step back, but it did not cause the opening she had hoped for. Her punch deflected off his arm and he jabbed a hard fist into her ribs, rocking her back and throwing off her tempo. And unlike any jZav'Etch she had fought, SarJ'ant stepped in close and followed up with an elbow to her chin. Tem'Ma'tel stumbled over her own feet as the force of the blow shook her. She had to tuck and roll to get away from the stomp of his powerful leg and only just made it to her feet in time to throw an off balance punch at his head.




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 12



Fuck! That was close, Liam thought. He bobbed away from another punch and felt a kick hit him in the ribs hard enough to bruise them for sure. Suddenly, breathing was more difficult and he had to cover himself against half a dozen blows in rapid succession. He took them mostly on his arms but he was unable to answer them until she got cocky and tried for a roundhouse kick. Liam used his experience and cheated.

Tem'Ma'tel spun away from SarJ'ant, howling in pain. She brought herself back under control, covering her ribs, blocking a kick that staggered her several paces back, but her thigh throbbed and her leg nearly buckled under her. She had not expected the blow nor could she have anticipated how much pain it would cause. SarJ'ant had struck her on her recently healed wound. He could have more easily struck her abdomen. Of course, had he done so, she would have shrugged off the attack and finished her combination. SarJ'ant had more experience in fighting than she did and he had just taught her a lesson.

"Veteran of forty-three battles," she growled to herself, limping backward to gain some time.

She wasn't expecting that, Liam thought. Won't let her guard down again. She's still got the reach on you. She'll get most of her speed back soon, too. Get inside her kicks. Knock the breath out of her. Can't fight if she can't breathe.

Tem'Ma'tel launched her next attack with her fists, knowing SarJ'ant was slower. She caught him in the brow with her first punch and in the mouth with her second, but as she swung the third time he drove a sledgehammer into her ribs and bashed her in the muzzle with his forehead, stunning her long enough to escape beyond her reach and deliver a kick of his own, putting her on her ass.

Got to counter her speed, he thought. Too fucking fast to dance with.

His right eyebrow was split open, swelling and adding more blood to what already trickled from his cheek. His nose was bleeding too, he could taste it in his mouth, but she hadn't broken his nose. He could still breathe. He didn't think that would last long if he didn't end this quick, though.

Tem'Ma'tel's next attack came fast, a technique he had seen during a boarding action. She leapt past him, arm extended, hand aimed at his throat. He dropped his chin, feeling his lower lip split under the impact, but he did something she wasn't expecting. He grabbed her wrist. jZav'Etch didn't use grappling in their martial arts. With their claws and teeth, grappling was more dangerous for the one executing a hold than it was for the one being held. Humans had to muscle their way out of an opponent's grip. jZav'Etch just had to use their claws.

Tem'Ma'tel knew she had made a serious mistake the instant she felt SarJ'ant's hands close around her wrist. Her attack, predicated on first stunning and then throwing him to the ground, now was being reversed. Before she could counter him she felt herself yanked backward over his hip and then the ground came up to meet her, knocking the air from her lungs again. SarJ'ant dropped on her back, forcing an arm under her left shoulder and clasping his hand on the back of her neck. Her right wrist was still in his powerful grip and he was wrenching it up behind her back. She struggled but he increased the pressure.

"Enough!" growled Liam, panting, his heart racing. He was scared now. If he lost his grip on her arm she could twist out of the half nelson and then he would be trapped on the ground with her and all her goddamned claws. "Tem'Ma'tel, enough!"

She struggled again and SarJ'ant pushed her arm higher, her fingers almost touching the nape of her neck. The pain was excruciating, but he had not yet...

"Ka' chasck!" Liam shouted into her ear. It was all he could think of to keep from getting flayed by those claws of hers. He had been planning to make the formal demand anyway, he just hadn't figured out when or how. "Ka' chasck, Tem'Ma'tel. Ka' chasck."

"Yes, SarJ'ant," she panted, letting her whole body go limp. "SarJ'ant, I accept. Tem'Ma'tel accept."

Liam blew out a breath and released her, rolling away and standing. He dropped back into his fighting stance as she dragged herself to her feet. She looked almost as rough as he felt. She turned tired, pleased eyes on him and smiled.

"Here, SarJ'ant?" she asked and reached for the waistband of her shorts.

"No," he said and took two quick steps to her, scooping her into his arms.

She didn't know what to think at first and then SarJ'ant threw her in the air. She flailed her arms, legs and tail, instinctively trying to right herself and then she plunged into the chill water of the pool under the waterfall. As she fought her way to the surface, gasping for air, SarJ'ant plunged in almost on top of her. He came up and grabbed her around the waist, looking her in the eyes. She stared back at him, not knowing what to do next.

"You know," he panted in a husky voice. "You are one hell of a fighter, Tem'Ma'tel."

"I am Marine, SarJ'ant," she said simply.

"You sure are," he agreed and kissed her on the lips. For only a second she hesitated and then kissed him back. His lower lip ached and dripped blood down his chin, but he really didn't have even one fuck left to give, so he held her and kissed her in that damned cold pool of water.

Tem'Ma'tel felt joy. That was all she knew to call it. She had lost the fight, lost it to a mere, unarmed Human. But she had won her mate! And that mate held her in his arms, pressing his lips to hers in the alien way Humans nipped. Her purr was loud and she did not try to hide it from him this time. It grew as they kissed until the water around her rippled from the vibration.

Liam felt Tem'Ma'tel's tail lash gently against his calves and then her leg was wrapped around his thigh and she was pulling him to her, gently but firmly. He ran his hands down her ribs, feeling her wince as he brushed one that had been bruised in their fight. She didn't pull away, though. Instead, she kissed him harder. Her fingers tangled in his hair, her purr dropped to a low thrumming, deep in her chest.

The hands on her waist gathered her undershirt and lifted it. Tem'Ma'tel did not want to break the kiss, but her mate wanted the shirt off. As soon as it cleared her upraised arms she latched onto him again and buried her muzzle against his neck, rubbing her scent into him, licking and nipping, reveling in his scent as she did. His hands found her breasts and his fingers her nipples. Gentle at first, slowly his movements became more insistent. His hands massaged her breasts, his fingers kneading the soft flesh, driving her passion higher.

Liam bent his head down to Tem'Ma'tel's neck and bit her softly, tasting the wild scent of this warrior who had fought so well. Even in the cold water he was hard and he wanted her to feel him. She gave ground as he pushed her back to the side of the pool, the water bearing most of her weight until he pressed her into the old stones. She sighed, throwing back her head as his manhood touched her for the first time.

There it was! Yes! Right there. She loved the feel of him. His thickness. His heat. She half opened her eyes and looked upon his many scars and ground her pelvis against him, feeling the length of his manhood against her sex. Tem'Ma'tel dropped her hands from his shoulders and sought the fastenings of SarJ'ant's fatigues. She wanted more than just the feel of him through cloth. She needed more than just the feel of him. She needed him. Needed him now!

Warm hands wrapped around his shaft as Tem'Ma'tel kissed him again, her tongue darting out for a brief second to play over his lips. Liam felt her pull on his shaft firmly, encouraging him to do more than kiss. He pushed her back and pulled her shorts down. Her legs kicked under the water for a moment and then the garment floated to the surface. He smiled and leaned into her, his hand questing for the warmth of her sex.

It was all Tem'Ma'tel could do to not take a bite out of SarJ'ant when his fingers touched her diamond. In spite of the cold water it was swollen and firm and so sensitive she could hardly breathe. His fingers caressed her and spread her open and she began pulling him closer. She had to have him inside her. She had to!

But he was too thick!

Tem'Ma'tel suddenly came rushing back to herself. Warrior and marine though she was, suddenly she was afraid. SarJ'ant was too thick! How would he ever fit?

"No!" she cried in fear. "Big! SarJ'ant, big!"

Liam stopped, though everything in him roared that he must go on. She was warm! She was ready! But she was afraid. He would not force her, no matter what his body was demanding.

"I won't hurt you," he said softly, looking her in the eyes. She looked back at him with those beautiful eyes that looked like drops of molten gold. Those eyes that had been so fierce and bold only moments ago were now filled with fear. He would be the first male she had ever had and he did not want to hurt her. He couldn't let himself do that.

Slowly, hesitantly she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. All the while she continued to look him in the eyes as if she were reading his very soul. He felt her leg around his thighs again, pulling him into her. Her hand found his member and guided it to her sex. And suddenly, Liam was entering her. He did not rush it, remembering his first time with Clot'ilda. He allowed Tem'Ma'tel to dictate the pace and it was good. She was so tight and so warm. She drove the chill from him as he pushed deeper and she kissed him harder, her desire seeming to increase with every heartbeat. And then he was all the way in. Their bodies pressed against each other as if they were two halves of one being. And it all felt right.

Her breath came in gasps as SarJ'ant moved inside of her. Tem'Ma'tel had never felt anything like this. It was better than victory in battle or the taste of hot blood from a fresh kill. Better than anything her sister had ever described in the darkness of their room. Tem'Ma'tel threw her other leg around her mate, forcing him to plunge deeper into her. She arched her back, crying out with the wonderful mixture of pain and lust and passion and... LOVE! That was what she suddenly felt and she knew it for what it was.

Liam lunged deeper into Tem'Ma'tel, driving his shaft as far as it would go before drawing out again. The heat of her body seeped into him, making all his limbs light and filling him with new energy. He fed off her passion and his own built until he was driving into her at a frantic pace, his caution forgotten. This was as right as anything he had ever done and he would drink his fill of her.

Tem'Ma'tel hunched her hips, opening herself up to receive her lover and growling deep in her throat. He was the warrior she was meant to be with. She claimed him now as her mate even as he claimed her. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, feeling the sudden onrush of her climax building too quickly to be stopped or diverted. Her fierce, joyous cry rang off the ancient stones of the cliff and winged creatures fled into the sky at sound of it.

Liam was forced back half a step as Tem'Ma'tel bucked into him. Her climax thundered through her limbs and her sex clinched tighter around him. He had been in the throes of his passion, driving faster and faster into her and now he could hardly move for the convulsion she induced. He exploded with a fierce need and waves of ecstasy nearly hammered him flat as he climaxed.

The lovers clutched each other, holding on tenderly after their primal needs had been appeased. Tem'Ma'tel nuzzled into Liam's neck and he kissed her upon the ear. There in the cold pool on the hilltop above the broad valleys they kissed again. They touched gently. They looked into each other's eyes and both knew they were never again to be parted willing. She was his and he was hers. Warriors bound by far more than blood.

Tem'Ma'tel smiled a confident and smoldering smile. She still had her legs wrapped around him and she leaned back, her strong hands finding traction upon the ancient stones. She drew herself out of the water and perforce he came with her, helping her to pull them out of the chill pool. Somehow he never left her and when they lay on the sun-warmed stones he pressed into her again. She began to purr fiercely, her claws lightly pricking his scarred shoulders and she met his every thrust.

He was hers and she was his and never would their fierce hearts be apart.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 13



Author's note 8-12-14: Sorry I didn't post this sooner. I had a lot of trouble with chapter 18 and did not want to commit to anything until I was sure I had the problem resolved.

This is a transitional chapter, setting up the events to follow, so no sex or combat.

I have received a couple of messages indicating there is some issue or other with these chapters appearing on Iphones. I have no idea what the fix for that issue could be. If you are reading on your phone, please do not give me a bad rating if the story is cut off for some reason. It isn't my fault.

Also, I wanted to let the readers know that it takes a considerable amount of time for corrections to be made once a story is actually posted on the site. I caught the typos in the last chapter and did the edit, but as of this posting they still have not gone through.

Thanks to everyone leaving comments or sending messages. Very much appreciated.

*****

"Now that you are a Second, there should be a name for the Household," Clot'ilda observed, administering a local anesthetic to Tem'Ma'tel's swollen chin.

"A name?" Tem'Ma'tel said a little unclearly. The swelling where her teeth had cut the inside of her lower lip made it hard to enunciate properly. It hadn't occurred to her, but her new sister was right. There was a difficulty, though. "There has never been a Human Household."

"Humans have Households," Clot'ilda said. She pulled Tem'Ma'tel's lip down to run a medical scanner over the small wound. "They have a husband and a wife. I showed you the words in the guide. They must have Households."

Tem'Ma'tel pushed the Pah'Tht's hand away and argued, "There has never been a Household among the jZav'Etch with a Human male as Guardian and Defender." 

"That is true," Clot'ilda said with a little frown. From the medical kit she took a small piece of white plastic. This she placed on the inside of her new sister's lip and held it for a five count, sealing the small wound. 

"What are they talking about?" Liam asked M'pel E'kmel.

"It is a sisterly discussion, Sergeant," she said with a smile. "They speak of what to call your Household. Now, do hold still and try not to speak for a moment."

Liam held his peace while the commander stapled the cut on his cheek closed. The one on his eyebrow she had sealed with surgical adhesive. His swelling was already going down as the meds from his kit took effect.

"Now raise your arms," M'pel E'kmel instructed. "I'm afraid this is going to hurt quite a bit."

"What do you... Aaarrgh! Damn it, woman!" Liam snapped. "That's fucking tender! Take it easy."

"I don't think they are broken," she said, keeping the smile off her face, but unable to stop her tail from flicking.

"That's what the scanner is for," he grumbled.

"Well," she said primly. "Let us see what it can tell us. I do think it is wise to practice these things while we still have the use of the scanners. Their power cells won't last forever, you know."

"The ribs are bruised, not broken," he growled through his teeth. "What did you mean by a name for my Household?"

"Every Household has a name attached to it," she explained, examining the scanner. "You are correct. Your ribs are not broken. I wish the two of you had not been so... fervent in your courtship."

"Courtship," Liam snorted and instantly wished he hadn't. Tem'Ma'tel's kick had left him in no fit state to do rash things like laugh, snort or breathe deeply. If it hadn't been for the shock and adrenaline he wouldn't have been able to make good on his Ka' chasck.

"The kit suggests a local anesthetic and bed rest for twenty-four hours. We both know that won't happen." She took the hypo and injected Liam before he realized she'd even taken the thing from its case. "You should be able to breathe without pain now."

"That does feel better," Tem'Ma'tel said, rubbing her chin. "What name do you think we should choose?"

"A Human name would be appropriate, but it would not be proper," Clot'ilda said, running the scanner over her sister's shoulder. "We must choose a good one."

"You are right, of course," Tem'Ma'tel agreed. "No jZav'etch would ever recognize Household Liam or Household Carter."

"The Household cannot be named for one of us," Clot'ilda said, shaking her head. "Your shoulder is swollen, but it is not badly injured. Try not to use it more than you need to until the swelling goes away. Why did you fight him so hard?"

"I do not know," Tem'Ma'tel said, reluctant to tell her sister the truth.

"Was it just because he shot you?"

"I think in part it was," the dTel'Qohar said. "My thigh hurts."

"You over did it," Clot'ilda said with a disapproving flick of her ears. "Your leg only just healed."

"He punched me there."

"He what?" Real concern tempered with anger flashed through the Pah'Tht.

"He was right to do so," Tem'Ma'tel replied quickly in defense of their mate. "I would have struck him a serious blow had he not."

"Why you could not simply accept a formal proposal of Chaq' Ka' shisk I will never understand," Clot'ilda grumbled, running the scanner over the injured limb. "No real damage was done, thankfully. Swelling of the new tissue. It has aggravated the injury. The kit suggests stretching and plenty of water. I will have to wrap it with a support bandage."

"Again?"

"You should not have let him punch you," Clot'ilda observed sagely as she opened the seal on the trouser leg.

"I told you why I could not propose Chaq' Ka' shisk," Tem'Ma'tel said softly.

"The score you felt you must settle between you?" Clot'ilda snorted disapprovingly. "He would have taken you. I would have seen to that. And if you had made the proposal, you would not have gotten injured."

"It was worth it," Tem'Ma'tel said with a bashful smile. "You were right about him."

"He is wonderful, is he not?" chuckled Clot'ilda.

"Smooth and thick," purred Tem'Ma'tel.

"And no points!" Clot'ilda giggled.

"Clot'ilda!" Tem'Ma'tel said, a notion suddenly popping into her head. "What do you think of Household SarJ'ant?"

Clot'ilda considered for a long moment and then slowly she began to nod her head. It was not a proper name among the jZav'Etch, but it was a rough phonetic translation of Liam's rank. jZav'Etch had no sergeants in their military, only low ranking officers. It would do. It would do very well.

"Household SarJ'ant," Clot'ilda murmured approvingly. "Let it be so. You and I. We are now sisters in Household SarJ'ant."

"And let no warrior malign the name," Tem'Ma'tel said formally, according to the ancient customs of their people.

"There, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said with a satisfied sigh. "All finished. And you may be gratified to know, your mates have chosen a name for your Household."

"Yeah?" he asked, pulling his shirt on gingerly. "What is it?"

"They will tell you. It is not my place," she said and closed the medical kit. "Now, there is work for us to do. I believe you are well enough to begin on the gate. Mind those ribs, though. Clot'ilda and I will set about felling some trees and we shall find something for Tem'Ma'tel to do that will not further aggravate her injuries."

+>0

Even with the pain suppressors Liam hurt all over. The sun was high and the humidity was up since the morning. He desperately wanted to find a cool place to lay down for a few hours. Even better would be another dip in the pool, especially if Clot'ilda or Tem'Ma'tel joined him.

"Or both." He grinned at the thought. "Now you've got two. How the hell are you going to balance this one?"

He was just turning the remains of one of the ancient wooden hinges on its pin when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Instinctively he ducked behind the wall, only realizing afterward that he recognized the creature. Liam stepped out to have a look and see what it was up to.

About fifty meters down the overgrown rut of a path leading to the gates of the hilltop villa the aardvark thing trundled along in his unhurried way. He seemed to be sniffing the air as he went and when he finally caught sight of Liam he paused and looked warily at the Human.

"Moring, tough guy. Come looking for another scratch under the chin?" asked Liam lightly. For no particular reason it was good to see the creature. Perhaps it was because the beast didn't seem to want to kill any of them. Perhaps it was because Clot'ilda had enjoyed scratching it under the chin as much as the beast had enjoyed being scratched.

The aardvark thing swayed back and forth, rattling its long quills uncertainly. It hesitated and sniffed the air again. Then with a snort it trundled forward, right up to the gate and examined Liam closely. Its nostrils flared and it emitted a noise somewhere between a squeal and a grunt. Liam put out his hand, letting the animal decide what to do next. It sniffed again and then raised its chin expectantly. Liam scratched, coming away with a few of the parasites. The aardvark licked them off and raised his chin again. Liam resumed his scratching.

"Didn't recognize me without my armor, did you?" asked Liam. He withdrew his hand and the beast licked away the bugs. "Clot'ilda is in the orchard with the other two. She'd be glad to see you if you want to visit. I have work to do."

As Liam resumed his examination of the hinges, trying to understand how they had been put together and mounted, the aardvark sat down in a patch of sun, enjoying the heat and the warm stones. It soothed the itching.

"They might have just built the hinges into the wall when they laid the stones," Liam muttered to himself. He glanced at the animal as it watched him. "Doesn't really make sense, though, does it? They'd have had to tear down the wall if they ever needed to replace one."

The animal snorted and stuck his nose in one of the other slots. His tongue flicked out and Liam heard the hinge pin rattle.

"What did you just do?" he asked and looked closely as the beast licked the pin again. The thick wooden dowel rose up into the heavy stone in which it was mounted. "That's fucking brilliant!"

With a little more enthusiasm than he'd had a moment ago, Liam reached into the slot and lifted the weathered hinge pin straight up. With a little fiddling he discovered that not only would the pin rise enough to admit the socket of the hinge, it was also possible to lean the pin back into the wall to remove it.

"Nice work, Sherlock," Liam said and gave the monster another scratch under its jaw. The beast leaned into his fingers and closed its eyes appreciatively. When the Human withdrew his hand it licked away the bulbous green bugs. Grimacing, Liam wiped the sticky saliva from his fingers and said, "Thanks... I guess."

The creature snorted again and rose ponderously to its feet, sniffing the air in the direction of the orchard.

"Go on," Liam told it, smiling. "She's back there. Go ahead and see her."

The animal swayed from side to side and then snorted again before trundling off across the plaza, sniffing the sir as it went.

"I guess we've got a dog after all," Liam murmured to himself, not actually as disappointed as he thought he was. Clot'ilda would be happy and that was not a bad thing.

+>0

The females had been cutting down several of the wild trees that had taken root in the orchard among the fruit trees. Some of them had grown quite stout and since there was no overhanging canopy to fight through, they'd also grown straight. Tem'Ma'tel, though battered and sore from her experience of the morning, wielded the axe taken from the life pod. Using it did not require her to walk much, so little stress was put on her wounded leg. Even one handed she had proven to be quite adept with the axe and already three trees had been felled. Clot'ilda, using a short saw, cut the limbs off neatly and M'pel E'kmel dragged them away to the corner of the plaza near the workshops where she used the machete to trim them down even further. What they could not use for the gate would be fuel for the fire when it cured.

With the axe raised to make another strike, Tem'Ma'tel froze. A large animal was approaching across the plaza, pushing aside tall plants and tangled shrubs. Her stance shifted, the axe coming down to a guard position as she hissed a warning to the other females. Cloat'ilda straightened from her work, laying her hand on the EP 12 at her hip. Liam had given it to her since it was smaller than a deq'istle and wouldn't be in her way while she worked. M'pel E'kmel moved closer to the younger females, her machete in her hand. Together they awaited the creature, ready to give battle.

When the aardvark thing broke cover Clot'ilda grinned and trotted to meet it. The beast snorted and swayed side to side, its long head rising and falling. Clot'ilda leapt the stream and stopped, laughing, happy to see it again. When it lowered its head and moved closer she reached out a hand and scratched it under the chin. A groan of pleasure escaped the beast and very slowly it sank to its knees and then rolled onto its side.

"It seems Sergeant Carter allowed this animal through the gate," M'pel E'kmel said smiling. "Apparently we now have a dog."

"What is a dog, Commander?" Tem'Ma'tel wondered as they moved closer to where Clot'ilda knelt, lavishing attention on the monster.

"It is an animal native to Earth," M'pel E'kmel. "Legend has it that dogs are Human's best friend and their history would indicate that statement is not far from the truth. Dogs have accompanied them wherever they have traveled. They have fought in wars alongside Humans for centuries and shared their homes, many becoming as important as members of the family."

"Does this creature resemble a dog?"

"Only in the vaguest terms," M'pel E'kmel said, amused. "It does seem to have similar habits, though."

"He is funny," Clot'ilda laughed, very pleased with the beast. "Do you think he will stay? Do you think Liam will keep him?"

"I do not know, First of Household," M'pel E'kmel said, emphasizing the Pah'Tht's social rank. "It is not for me to decide in any event. That is between you and Sergeant Carter."

"But you are the commander," Clot'ilda said, puzzled.

"In matters of the Household, Clot'ilda, you are in charge. I am a military commander, only."

Of course, that was true. Clot'ilda simply had not fully comprehended the change in her status. She now frowned, the responsibility of her position did not please her as much as the idea of her position had. She was little more than a girl, full of life and lacking experience. She was not ready to be a First. Her downcast expression drew M'pel E'kmel to her. The commander knelt at her side, placing a reassuring hand on her small shoulder.

"I will help you wherever I am able," M'pel E'kmel said gently. "I have been a First."

"I wish you would become one of Liam's Seconds," Clot'ilda said, her eyes flickering up to the older jZav'Etch's hopefully.

"The time is not right," the commander replied.

"When will it be right?" asked Clot'ilda.

"I do not know. Soon, I think," M'pel E'kmel assured her. "Perhaps very soon. But you would not wish me to miss out on the teasing yet to be had, would you?"

Clot'ilda smiled and then laughed. And then Tem'Ma'tel laughed and the three of them crowded around the prostrate beast, all finding good places to give him a thorough scratching.

+>0

"Got to give him a name," Liam said to Clot'ilda. She had ostensibly come to help him with the gate. Her real reason, of course, was to ask if the aardvark thing could stay with them.

"You... He stays?" she asked. Her English had improved greatly, but she still had difficulty with phrases.

"Only if he wants to," Liam said, casting a meaningful eye on her. "He's a wild animal, Babe. We don't know if he's dangerous to us. We don't know what he normally does. For all we know he just strolled in here because he was curious or maybe he just wanted some water or something."

"He digs," she said and pointed to where the beast was rooting out another massive grub in the overgrown fallow field of the plaza.

"Yeah. Like a fucking roto-tiller." Liam shook his head. He did note, though, that the soil the animal was casting up was dark and rich-looking. Good soil.

"He sleeps," Clot'ilda continued. "Eats... bugs."

"He can have as many of those as he wants," said Liam with another shake of his head and got back to carving on the trunk he was going to use for one of the gate timbers. "Think you could maybe teach him to help out around here?"

"Teach?" she asked brightly. "Tricks?"

"That would be a start," he said and shaved another long curl from the face of the trunk with his knife. "Hand me that bar, there."

Clot'ilda reached out and picked up the heavy piece of steel. Liam had salvaged it from the wreck of the scout ship because it was straight and as long as his arm. He took it from her, realizing again that for her petite build she was pretty strong. He laid the bar lengthwise on the face of the trunk where he had been carving and gave a satisfied nod.

"Give him a name and make sure he learns it," he told her. "If he can learn his name, he can stay. We aren't going to keep him locked up, though. Wild things should live free. And that big boy is about as wild as they come."

"What name?" Clot'ilda asked. She felt it was not her place to give the animal a name. That was the privilege of the Guardian and Defender of the Household. "What name for dog? What Human call dog?"

"Dogs?" Liam considered a second, smiling. "Fido and Rex are really traditional. Pluto was popular for a long time. People give all kinds of names to dogs. Some get named for the color of their fur. Others get cutesy names like Precious or Punkin. I had a dog named Marley when I was a kid. He doesn't look like a Marley, though."

"What he look like?" asked Clot'ilda.

"How about Rover?"

"Rover?" she asked doubtfully.

"Sure," he said with a nod. "Wanders around from one place to another, just digging in the dirt and eating those things, then moves on to another place. He roves, so - Rover. It's what he does."

Clot'ilda thought about that. It seemed a fitting name for her new friend. Many jZav'Etch had names that described their occupation, and if her mate was telling the truth about the meaning of the word, (And why wouldn't he?) then the name fit.

"Rover," she said with a nod and smiled.

"Rover it is," he said and kissed her between the ears. "Now go on back and help the ladies. We need more wood here. You can scratch Rover to your heart's content later."

Clot'ilda fairly skipped as she crossed the plaza, stopping to scratch Rover on his neck for a moment and whisper something to him. The beast never stopped his digging, but she seemed girlishly pleased. Liam felt good, seeing her happy. She was such a kid in so many ways.

+>0

"What do you think of our new friend?" M'pel E'kmel asked Liam when they stopped work for a meal. They were all sitting in the shade of the orchard, enjoying the cool breeze wafting up from the valley.

"I think the three of you like him and I think he doesn't eat any of the food we do," Liam said with a shrug. "As long as he doesn't try to hurt anyone, he'll be fine."

"Does it not seem strange to you that he has taken so readily to our company?" she asked.

"It does," admitted Liam and gave her a searching looked. "Seems like he's been around people before."

"I think so, too," she said.

"Why?" asked Tem'Ma'tel. She did not understand all of the words, but the conversation was not difficult for her to follow.

"He wasn't afraid of me on that first evening before the storm," Liam told her. "And he didn't have a problem with Clot'ilda touching him. Wild animals usually don't trust people, even the ones that are social creatures. I mean, you couldn't walk up to a gazelle."

Tem'Ma'tel frowned in concentration, piecing together what she had understood and then asked, "What is gazelle?"




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 13



Sitting up Liam turned to look out over the southern valley. There he saw one of the small herds of antelope grazing in the high grass.

"See those creatures?" he asked, pointing. "Those are like gazelle. Herd beasts, light and fast."

Tem'Ma'tel stared at the creatures for a moment and then her tail twitched. "Good to food. No! Good to eat."

Liam smiled at her. "Probably."

"We hunt?" she asked.

"A good question, Sergeant," M'pel Ekmel said. "Our stock of smoked meat is depleted, and what is left is going to spoil soon."

"Yeah," Liam nodded, forgetting their conversation about Rover for the moment. "And we have a place to store the stuff now."

"We take... four," Clot'ilda said slowly, forming her sentence carefully. "We put in cold room. We eat good for days."

"And we would be able to harvest their hides," M'pel E'kmel observed. She had learned a great deal from processing the hyena-frog and fish skins and her efforts on the blade-beast hides had shown her progress. 

"We need weapons to hunt with," Liam said, stroking his ragged beard.

"Qui'istle," Tem'Ma'tel said.

"No. I don't want to use up the ammo for those." Liam shook his head, frowning in thought. "I don't suppose any of you know how to make a bow or arrows."

"I have used a bow, but I do not know how to make one," M'pel E'kmel said. "We could easily make spears. I have been hunting with my aunt many, many times. I dare say, all jZav'Etch have hunted at some point. We know how to track and stalk."

"Tough to get close enough to use spears on them," Liam muttered. Something tickled at the back of his mind, drifting away like a leaf on the ripples of a pond. A pond. Of course! "Back on Earth I watched a demonstration some of the locals put on at a history museum. They were using spears to hunt fish, like you did back at the other camp."

"Such spears would be of little use in hunting these animals," M'pel E'kmel said. "Three prongs would simply stick and then fall out."

"I know," Liam said, his enthusiasm for the idea growing. "But you had to be almost right on top of the fish before you could use your spear. These locals were throwing their spears from on top of rocks and at a pretty long distance. They had throwing sticks to help add range and power to their throws. One guy even demonstrated how the throwing stick, he called it an... Oh come on. What did he call it? An... atlatl! Anyway, this guy showed us how it more than doubled the range he could throw a spear. At closer range, one would give us more penetration."

"SarJ'ant have good penetration," Tem'Ma'tel said with a broad grin.

Clot'ilda and M'pel E'kmel snickered and Liam didn't know what to say for a moment. Tem'Ma'tel had never made a joke or teased him before. The look on his face made all three females break out in laughter.

"Good one," he said finally and laughed himself. "I guess you would know."

+>0

After the meal they returned to work. M'pel E'kmel divided her time between dragging the larger branches to the workshops and chopping the small branches from them. She had quite a pile and was about to return for another load when Rover appeared, dragging a branch in his jaws. He let it drop at her feet and snorted. His large brown eyes considered her and he snorted again.

"I thought you were intelligent," she murmured and hunkered down to be on his eye level. "And you've been around people before, haven't you?"

The big beast sat down and raised his chin, pushing his wet nose into M'pel E'kmel's chest. She laughed and scratched him under the chin for a moment, letting him lick the parasites off her fingers. It had occurred to her in the temporary camp that this animal was unable to deal with the pests on his own and perhaps that indicated something about his species. Could it be that they normally traveled in groups? Was he an outcast? For the moment she put aside her speculation, thinking it might be a good idea to see what could be done to remedy his discomfort.

"Come with me, Rover," she said, rising.

The big beast followed her to the room where the castaways had stored their supplies. She took her medical kit from the stack and opened it, bringing up the diagnostic sensors and screen. Rover stood just inside the doorway, swaying back and forth. Apparently he was not entirely comfortable indoors.

"Now, just hold still a moment," she said and ran the scanner over him. "They're all over you. You poor thing."

Rover grunted as if to say, "No kidding."

She ran an analysis of the parasites, finding that the tiny pests were eating Rover's dead skin cells, leaving his live skin exposed and irritated.

"This is going to sting," she said. "Sorry. I'm only trying to help."

Rover watched her closely as she pressed a needle into his thick hide. He grunted and cast a baleful look on her, as though he was insulted, but he did not otherwise react. The needle she placed into her analyzer. Moments passed and Rover flopped onto the floor, sounding like a load of bricks hitting a mattress. The machine chimed, displaying the results of the sample. A few more tests of the sample indicated an injection was needed and recommended a bath for the creature with a particular soap.

"Medic," she said into the machine's mic. "No such soap available. Alternatives from locally available materials needed."

The machine displayed a number of queries about the materials available, then ran another analysis, finally suggesting ashes from wood with a high acid level would be her next best alternative.

"Well, at least we have plenty of that," she sighed. The kit produced the appropriate injection and she administered the shot to Rover's neck, receiving another baleful look.

+>0

"We need to attend to his condition before the parasites spread to us," M'pel E'kmel told Liam. She had gone straight to him after injecting Rover. The big beast already seemed more comfortable.

"How much wood are you going to have to burn to get enough ash to cover him?" Liam asked, frowning at the beast. "He's the size of a small car, for crying out loud."

"He is not that big," she snorted. "Half the size of such a vehicle, I would say."

"Still!" Liam threw up a hand in a frustrated gesture. "It might be better just to send him on his way."

"I think he will prove to be an asset," she said and then told him of Rover dragging the branch to her.

"So we were right," said Liam. His shoulders slumped. He actually liked the big beasty and if a fire was all they needed to get rid of the pests that wasn't so much to ask. "Fine. Just one thing, though."

"What's that?" she asked warily.

"One big fire is wasteful. Make a dozen small fires and burn the green branches. They'll have more sap in them. That'll make the ash a little more acidic."

"How do you know these things?" M'pel E'kmel asked.

"I spent summers with my Uncle Gav every year when I was a kid. He owned a farm and we did a lot of work clearing brush. He used the ashes to sweeten the soil around some of his fruit trees."

"We need to dispose of the branches, anyway." She flicked her ears in the jZav'Etch shrug and smiled at Rover. "And he seems to like us. He is at least as smart as I thought he was, too."

"Maybe we should have named him Lad," Liam grunted. M'pel E'kmel didn't understand his reference, but kept silent. "Look, I've got one timber done and another is about half way there. We'll get to Rover's problem as soon as we have the work done for the day. Try to avoid becoming food for whatever those things are until we do. Okay?"

With Clotilda's help, M'pel E'kmel made a harness from rope for Rover and he earned his place among them by dragging large loads of branches to the workshops the rest of the day. His powerful legs had no difficulty hauling five or six times the load M'pel E'kmel had been able to and soon there were no more trees to fell. The three females set about lopping the small branches from the large ones and Liam used Rover to haul the logs they'd cut from the orchard to the gate. Rover was even helpful in stacking them, his big claws working like a forklift to put one atop another.

"Well," Liam confided to the beast, scratching it under the jaw. "I guess we can get rid of these damned things for you. Let me get this harness off and you can go dig for grubs or whatever."

Rover was patient while Liam removed the ropes. He snorted and nudged Liam with his snout before lumbering off to see what he could dig up.

That evening and on through the night whoever was on watch tended the small fires and collected the ashes when one burned down to coals. First thing in the morning all four castaways worked to dust the pony-sized Rover with the ashes. He objected to the unwanted dust-bath at first, but soon realized his itching hide was no longer itching quite as much. Rover seemed to clue into what the ashes were for and when the bipeds finished their work, he rolled on the ground in what was left of the fires. By the time he was through, his dun-colored fur looked grey and chalky. He wasn't itching anymore, though.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 14



Author's Note 8/15/14: Just about done with the rough draft of chapter 19. I figure it's safe to post this one a little ahead of schedule. I'm also trying a different scene-break in hopes that it will resolve the issues with Iphones and the like. Several people who know more about tech than I do have suggested a number of fixes and I think this is the easiest. We'll see how well it works.

Thanks to everyone leaving comments and sending messages. When I started this story I had no idea it would generate the following it has.




With the sun well up, its heat baking the grassland, the antelope wandered in their herd. Pointed ears flicked and long, supple tails lashed, striking at insects on their sides and flanks. Now and then the scouts would raise their heads at a sound or a movement that might be a threat, but this day seemed peaceful. The only large animal to be seen was no threat to them. It roved across the field, stopping here or there to dig out a large grub before continuing its roving. All was well. All was safe. All was...

Chaos.

A small tan and brown furred creature dropped from the branches of one of the few large trees that grew at the edge of a thicket. It fell upon a young buck who had strayed too near, bearing him down to the ground. The buck's hooves thrashed and he bellowed a short cry of alarm before he went silent and still. The herd broke away from the predator, desperate to put as much distance as they could between themselves and whatever had just taken their fellow.

Suddenly, one of the scouts darted at a right angle from the chosen route, it stumbled and disappeared into the tall, lush grass. The herd turned from this threat and was instantly faced by another. Large and menacing, a figure rose into view. Another herd member jerked and collapsed, her bleating calls warning the rest of the deadly peril. Again the herd broke away. In their confusion the antelope had turned back towards the tree and the brown and tan creature. More bleating rang over the grassland as another member of the herd fell and then they were in full flight, hooves churning the grass and earth as they made for open country. Two more fell before they escaped the terrible things that killed. Kilometers away they finally stopped, snorting and spent. As there were no threats here they returned to their feeding, their terror already nearly forgotten.

"Six!" Tem'Ma'tel cheered, waving her atlatl victoriously above her head.

"Six!" Liam called back and pulled the long dart from his kill's side. The crude stone point lashed to it with dental floss was now loose, but it had held well enough to do what it was meant for.

"I had no idea these would be so effective," M'pel E'kmel called from her position, her eyes wide, a grin across her face. "Impressive for such a crude weapon."

"After only three days of practice, too," Liam called back to her. "Just think how good we'll be in a few months."

"Two!" Clot'ilda called to them from beneath the tree. "Two! Need help."

Liam took his antelope by the ankles and dragged it over the grass to where his First stood proudly over her own kills.

"I thought I told you not to drop from the tree like that," he scolded her as he came up.

"Predator," she sniped back at him and thumped her chest. "I kill two, Liam. Liam kill one."

"Killing wasn't my job," he said, though he was not displeased with her teasing or her success. "My job was to turn them back onto you three when they bolted. I did my job the way I was supposed to. What if something had happened to you?"

"I am not hurt, Liam," she said dismissively. "I know... I know... how... to hunt."

"Yes you do, my little predator," he said and snatched Clot'ilda under the arms, lifting her up to kiss her on the lips before setting her back on her feet. "Your English is improving, too. Just be careful. We need you, Baby doll."

"Okay, Liam," she said and stretched up to nip his beard fondly, pleased that he was pleased.

Tem'Ma'tel came up to them, carrying her kill over her shoulder. She smiled and kissed him on the mouth.

"Good hunt," she purred and kissed him again.

"Sergeant," panted M'pel E'kmel as she dragged her two kills to the trio. "Are you quite sure you do not wish to gut them here? It would make our load lighter."

"They're only about forty or forty-five kilos each," he said, shaking his head. "Once we have them on the travois, we'll be able to move easily enough. You'll see."

While Liam and Tem'Ma'tel cut saplings and branches to make the travois, Clot'ilda and M'pel E'kmel stood watch over the kills, holding their fero-plas pistols casually. It wasn't long before Liam returned and began assembling the frame. He had the main struts fastened together and was lashing on some stout branches when Tem'Ma'tel strode back to the party with several more. She was in no particular hurry and she seemed relaxed, but there was something about her body language that told Liam something was up.

"What is wrong?" M'pel E'kmel asked as soon as the younger jZav'Etch was close enough to hear her.

"I see tracks with trees," Tem'Ma'tel said. She did not look at any of them, only handed her branches to Liam.

"What kind of tracks?" Liam asked. Following her example, he continued to work but was no longer paying much attention.

"Commander, I do not know how to explain in English," Tem'Ma'tel said. She looked frustrated with herself. "The tracks are like those we found next to the stream on the first day of our journey here. The ones by the campfire."

After M'pel E'kmel translated what she'd said, Liam asked, "How many?"

"Three," Tem'Ma'tel said confidently. "I smell three. I see tracks of three. Three."

"How old are the tracks?" Liam asked. He drew a knot tight and moved to the next branch.

"Fresh," Tem'Ma'tel said. "They see hunt."

"That's pretty fresh, alright," he grumbled. "Damn it. Could you tell where they had gone?"

"South." She twitched her ears in the jZav'Etch version of a shrug. "Not... Not sure, SarJ'ant."

"Well, Commander, what do you think?" Liam asked.

"We must assume they are intelligent and I think it would be wise if we assume they are still watching," she said. "I'm afraid you and Tem'Ma'tel are more expert than I am in this kind of... warfare."

"Warfare?" Liam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"When in doubt it is best to assume the worst and hope for the best," she replied evenly.

"True enough," Liam agreed. "Seems to me, if they're hunters, no matter how careful we are it won't take them much effort to figure out where we're living."

"We no move, Liam," Clot'ilda said firmly. "Our home. We stay."

"Damn straight, Babe," he said. "We aren't giving that place up. It's too good of a location."

"So what do you suggest?" asked M'pel E'kmel.

"I suggest we try to talk to them," he replied standing up. "They won't have clue one what I'm saying, but talking might be the only way to avoid getting anybody killed."

"Yes," she said, uncomfortably. "We should not meddle with them, if we can avoid it. I wish you had brought your helmet."

"I do too." Liam shook his head. "My fault. I figured Rover would alert us if he noticed anything. Besides, you three have some pretty sharp senses. I didn't think anything would be able to sneak up on us out here."

"Your eyesight is better than ours in broad daylight, Sergeant," the commander said absently. "That is no matter now. Nor is your helmet. We must see if we can find them."

 "Nah," he said lightly, hoping his casually confident attitude would ease the stress of the jZav'Etch. "We'll let them come to us. We go in that thicket again, we might not come out. No telling how they're armed. Might not hear them coming."

"Liam no go." Clot'ilda looked worried.

"I'm not going anywhere, Babe," he assured her. "The three of you spread out to either side of me. Get good lanes of fire and stay alert."

"We must not fire on them if it can be helped, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said firmly. "This is almost certainly the first contact these people have had with either of our races. It should be as peaceful an encounter as we can make it."

"There is an ancient hero of Old Earth, Commander. He said, 'Speak softly and carry a big stick.'" Liam patted his EP 12 meaningfully. "I'll do the soft speaking. You three do the big stick part. Now go on and spread out. Let's not make it easy on them."

Outwardly confident, Liam turned to face into the thicket as the females did as he instructed. He wasn't sure what to say, but now that he had committed himself, there really wasn't much choice. He squared his shoulders, threw his chest out and raised his chin, half expecting an arrow in the heart any second.

"Hey!" he yelled. "You in there. We know you're watching us. Come on out and we can talk. If you were hunting, we killed extra. You can have one."

Liam waited, listening and scanning the thicket for any sign of the creatures. Nothing moved except for the small winged creatures that looked more like bats than birds.

"Come out," he called again. "We won't hurt you. We just want to meet you."

Liam went quiet, letting the silence stretch, patiently waiting for their unseen observers to make the next move. Just about the time he decided to give up and go back to the villa, Clot'ilda perked up her ears and her alert stance shifted slightly. A moment later a slim creature immerged from the thicket. The jZav'Etch all eased into more defensive postures, their weapons tracking the alien and their eyes on the thicket.

The creature was a strange looking being. It moved with a rolling gate that reminded Liam of a man walking with scuba flippers on his feet. Slim and no taller than Clot'ilda, it was humanoid with longish arms and an ovoid head. Its face was comprised of large eyes, a small T-shaped nose, short horns similar to those of an Earthly goat and long, floppy ears that reminded Liam of his sister's pet rabbit. A light colored coat of fine fur covered the creature from head to... hooves.

"It's kind of like a satyr or a faun," Liam said softly, not wanting to startle the creature into flight.

The creature took a few more steps towards Liam and he saw that it did not stand on its hooves. Instead it walked on the lowest portion of its legs, what in horses or deer would be called the pastern. It rested on the fetlock as a human would on their heel.

"I see no weapons on him," M'pel E'kmel said quietly.

"How do you know it's a he?"

"Your eyesight might be better, but I am not blind," she replied evenly. "I don't know for certain, but just look between his legs."

"Yeah, I guess," Liam sighed. "I was looking at his feet."

"They are strange," she observed. "Only has two toes. Not enough stability to walk upright any other way, I suppose."

The creature looked back and forth between the two of them and then raised his hands palms outward. He spoke in a series of whistles and hoots with a few keening sounds mixed in. The creature went silent and seemed to be waiting for some kind of reply.

Liam raised his hands palms out and said, "We don't speak your language. We mean you no harm. We just want to live here for a while. We're willing to share our meat with you, if that's what you came for."

The creature blinked its huge eyes at Liam, cocking its head as if trying to make sense of his words. Slowly Liam stepped back to where the carcasses of the antelope lay next to the travois. The creature hunched forward, ready to run, watching his movements intently. Liam bent down and took one of the antelope by its hind legs. He carefully lifted it onto his shoulder and turned back to the creature.

"I'll give you this one," Liam said and walked towards the alien slowly. "You're welcome to it. It's a gift. We mean you no harm. Just leave us be and we'll leave you be."

The creature shifted nervously, but Liam's slow, nonthreatening movements and soothing tone were enough to keep it from bolting. Liam stopped about three meters from the alien and carefully lowered the antelope to the ground, then backed off a few paces.

"That's yours," he said, gesturing at the carcass. "Go ahead and take it. We've got plenty."

The creature said something, making hand gestures that seemed to indicate it was asking a question about the antelope. When Liam only frowned, trying to make sense of the gestures and words, the creature repeated itself.

"It's yours," said Liam, pointing at the carcass and then to the creature. "It's a gift. Take it. It's yours."

The creature chirped inquiringly and pointed to the dead antelope and then to itself.

"Yes," Liam said, nodding emphatically. "You take it. I am giving it to you. It is yours."

The creature seemed finally to understand. Glancing furtively at the jZav'Etch it stepped cautiously forward until it was able to get a hand on the carcass. It said a few more words to Liam and then took the carcass by the hind legs and dashed back into the thicket, dragging the dead antelope behind. As it ran, it rose up on its hooves and moving at impressive speed over the short distance, disappeared into the trees.

"That went well," M'pel E'kmel said with a relieved sigh.

"Let's get the fuck out of here before they change their minds," Liam said, hurrying to load the antelope onto the travois.

"Five," Clot'ilda said, sounding as though she disapproved of Liam giving away one of their kills.

"Five is better than none," Liam said with a shrug. "Better than having those people think we're unfriendly. Tem'Ma'tel, help me with this thing. You two watch our backs. I don't want any surprises on the way up to the villa."

"They have impressive speed, don't you think, Sergeant?" M'pel E'kmel said looking at the thicket. "Walk similar to Humans. Run as jZav'Etch do."

"They're faster than you," he said. "They don't look like they're all that strong, though."

"I wonder why they eat meat," said M'pel E'kmel.

"Same reason I do," he said, tossing the last antelope on the travois. "Same reason you eat fruit and vegetables, too, I'd guess."

"I suppose so," she agreed. "Sometimes there is nothing else to eat. I wonder how old that one was."

"Don't guess there's any way to know right now." Liam grunted as he and Tem'Ma'tel lifted the poles of the travois and began to drag it toward the slope leading up to the villa.

"I wonder how much of them we shall be seeing in the future," the commander mused. "I wonder, also, what they made of us."

"Hopefully they saw people who aren't a threat to them," Liam said, still grunting as he pulled beside Tem'Ma'tel. "Next time we bring one of the stretchers. Why'd you let me talk you into using a travois?"

"You simply said you had it under control, Sergeant," she snorted. "I assumed you had it under control."

***********

Rover had watched the encounter between the bipeds. He had smelled the uncertainty on the air and had chosen to remain aloof. Biped business was for bipeds. There were no real threats out here and there were a lot of grubs to eat. When the long-legs hid in the trees he had been tempted to visit them, but he remembered how they had driven him away from his females. They had forced him into the fields and thrown stones at him until he was far away. It hadn't been painful, but it had been very insulting. His new bipeds were much better. Though they had no females for him, he preferred their company. After all, they had stopped his itching.

***********

"Liam... swim now?" Clot'ilda asked as soon as the castaways passed through the gates of the villa.

"We have work to do," he said. He and Tem'Ma'tel were still pulling the travois and his legs were really burning. "Need to hang these antelope. Got to drain the blood."

"Blood?" Clot'ilda made a face.

"Blood good eat," Tem'Ma'tel said with a grunt of her own. 

"I don't drink blood, but blood sausage is good," he agreed.

"Your people eat blood sausage?" M'pel E'kmel asked.

"Not as many of us as used to," said Liam as he and Tem'Ma'tel came to a stop by the workshops. "Most Humans eat processed stuff. It's okay, but I like real food. My Uncle Gav taught me how to make blood sausage when we took wild boar. I don't know if we could do it with these animals, though. Where's Rover?"

"He is still coming up the hill," M'pel E'kmel said. "So other than the blood, what do we need to make the sausage?"

"We need casings," Liam said, stretching his legs and flexing his hands to get the circulation back into them. "We've got to use the stretcher next time. Don't let me do something that dumb again."

"Tell your mates," the commander smirked. "We can use the digestive tracts of these animals for casings, can we not?"

"If their intestines are like the ones from animals I'm used to." He stretched his shoulders and walked to the gate, watching as Rover trundled up the path. "I wonder why he didn't let us know those creatures were around."

"He may simply have not considered them a threat," M'pel E'kmel said.

"Liam," Clot'ilda said. "Rover was... Pet?"

"Pet. That's right. He's our pet," Liam said.

"No." Clot'ilda shook her head. "Their pet. People we met. Rover was their pet."

"You think he used to belong to them?" he asked.

"Yes. Rover blong with us," she said. "Rover blong with them before."

"Belong, Baby doll," he corrected her absently. "But you might be right."

"It would explain why he did not consider them a threat," M'pel E'kmel said. "Perhaps he wandered off from their camp or something such thing."

"I wonder why he didn't go back to them, then," said Liam.

"Rover think..." Tem'Ma'tel began and had to stop to consider her words. She tapped her temple with a finger and went on, "Rover think we family. Rover's family."

"Yes," Clot'ilda said. "We help Rover with... with... ashes. Make scratch go away."

"Maybe," Liam conceded. "And if he belonged to them, it would explain why he accepted us so quickly. Probably missed having company."

"I will wait for Rover, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said. "Why don't you begin processing the antelope?"

"Alright," he agreed. "I think we need to keep watch the rest of the day and especially tonight. Just in case our new neighbors come around for a closer look at us. Tem'Ma'tel, Clot'ilda, the two of you hang the carcasses by their hind legs. I'm going to take my helmet and have a look at the valley. Maybe I can see them."

The females set about their tasks and Liam took his helmet to the southern end of the wall where a round platform had been constructed. The builders of this place had obviously used it to look out over the valley, as it provided an unobstructed view for many kilometers. His sensors were not powerful enough to pick up anything so small as a human at this range, but the scopes built into the helmet allowed him to do a detailed visual scan. About two and a half kilometers from the villa he spotted a small camp hidden under some trees next to a stream. He had been specifically looking for it otherwise he would not have seen it. The beings, whatever they were called, had been very careful to conceal themselves. It was a thin feather of smoke rising from their fire that alerted him to their presence.

"Find anything?" M'pel E'kmel asked, coming onto the platform.

"Yeah," he said, taking off his helmet and offering it to her. "Look out there about two kilometers. By the stream under that clump of trees."

She took the helmet and placed the uncomfortable thing on her head. Instantly she was reminded of the major differences between jZav'Etch and Human anatomy. Her ears were plastered to her skull and her nose was almost bumping the faceplate. However, the scope Liam had been using was excellent. She was pleasantly surprised when it automatically adjusted to accommodate the differences in her eyes from those of Humans.




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 14



"I see them," she said after finding the smoke and following it down to the fire. "Looks as though they are already roasting the meat you gave them. I count... six in their party."

"I counted five," Liam said. Something about the hunters was bothering him. "Do you see any females in the group?"

"I can't be certain, but no. There do not appear to be any."

"I didn't think so either," he said. "Isn't that odd?"

"Odd," she agreed, taking off the helmet. "Why is it that your helmet adjusted to my eyes so readily?"

"Hhmm? Oh. Um... The scopes are designed so that Vespans can use them, too. Their heads are more or less the same shape as Humans, but their eyes are more like yours."

"I see," she said and wondered how much technology the two races now shared. "They had been allies for only a short time and yet they had proved how effectively they could work together. Vespans had held off encroachment by the jZav'Etch along their border and had operated in joint task forces with Humans many times since war was declared between the CP and the jZav'Etch Hegemony.

"From what I remember about primitive cultures," Liam mused. "They normally would have mixed groups of males and females. It seems a universal aspect of life."

"Yes," M'pel E'kmel said. "Where there is more than one sex needed for procreation, they tend to band together in family groups of one kind or another."

"And I haven't seen any other animals like Rover," he observed.

"Also true," she agreed. "Odd that he should be the only one in this area."

"What if he isn't from this area?"

"Go on," M'pel E'kmel encouraged.

"Nomads," Liam said. "Nomads might send a hunting party ahead of them to make sure there were no serious threats where they were planning to go."

"That might explain why there are only these six here," she nodded. "It might also explain why the camp in the forest was abandoned after they spent only a short time there. Perhaps that is as far as they ranged. The stream they are currently camped on could well be the same as the one we found the tracks by."

"And there was no sign they had gone any deeper into the forest." Liam scratched in his beard. There are all kinds of places for a larger group to set up camp down there in the grasslands."

"Let's take a look at the survey map," she said. "It might show some signs of the people we are speculating about."

***********

"I don't think you should try it," Tem'Ma'tel told Clot'ilda. "He's too thick. You'll get hurt. I had a friend that tried it with a young male and she got hurt. She had to see her physician."

"I would never try it with a jZav'Etch male," Clot'ilda said dismissively. "Liam isn't like them, though. You know that as well as I do."

"He's still thick!" Tem'Ma'tel argued. "Why do you want to try it?"

"Do you not like it when I put my finger in yours?" Clot'ilda asked, laying her hand on the larger female's rump and kneading the toned flesh through her trousers.

"You know I do," the dTel'Qohar said. "And stop that. We have work to do. What makes you think he would want to, anyway?"

"He went right for mine during our first mating," Clot'ilda giggled. "I wasn't expecting it."

"He didn't do that with me," Tem'Ma'tel said with a little frown. "Perhaps he does not like mine."

"The two of you began in the water," observed Clot'ilda. "And you did not take the pleasure of the tongues. Perhaps he was too battered after your contest."

"Why would that matter?" demanded Tem'Ma'tel. She was concerned that SarJ'ant might not care for her the way he seemed to care for Clot'ilda. He had given Clot'ilda a new name and seemed intent on changing it every other time he spoke to her. Why call her Babydoll or Honey? It made no sense to Tem'Ma'tel.

"You had already built his passions during the fight," Clot'ilda mused. "When he did it to me, we were still building our passions. That might be the reason."

"He has not given me a new name," Tem'Ma'tel grumbled, not convinced her mate was interested in the other pleasure place.

"I do not think he will," Clot'ilda said gently. "I asked him about that."

"What did he say?" Tem'Ma'tel looked at her sister, concerned.

"He told me he had grown accustomed to your name," the Pah'Tht explained. "I could not understand all he said, but he does pronounce your name and the commander's much more clearly than when we first met him. Perhaps he will change my name back to Klat' eil' Da. I do not know."

"What does Babydoll mean?" asked Tem'Ma'tel.

"I looked it up in the guide," Clot'ilda told her. "It is a kind of toy given to young Human females. It is a representation of a Human child, no different from the dolls we have of offspring when learning to care for children. And the guide said it was a common name of endearment between males and females in the Human culture. Babe and Honey are also names of endearment."

"Why does he not have such names for me?"

"Because he likes you," Clot'ilda said with a broad smile. "He feels he must protect me. He feels you can protect yourself. He likes you, sister. Very much."

"This is why he always calls me Marine?"

"It is," Clot'ilda said and squeezed her sister's arm in a companionable fashion.

Tem'Ma'tel smiled, pleased to know she had impressed her mate. SarJ'ant gave names of endearment to one he felt he must protect. He gave a name of respect to her. That was a very good thing in Tem'Ma'tel's mind. She looked up to where her mate and her commander stood looking out over the valley. They were standing close, the commander wearing SarJ'ant's helmet. She smiled at that. SarJ'ant liked the commander.

"Will he give the commander a name of endearment?" she asked Clot'ilda.

"I do not know," said the little Pah'Tht. "I think he may always call her Commander. I think he likes that name for her."

"Why does she not offer Chaq' Ka' shisk? They like each other."

"She has told me the time is not right," Clot'ilda said, frowning. "She will not explain further."

"But he has proven himself worthy, even of her," Tem'Ma'tel said. "Perhaps she does not feel worthy of him. She is older than he. That should make no difference with a Human mate, though. We cannot bear his children."

"I do not understand it myself," Clot'ilda said, agreeing with her sister. The commander was still very attractive. She was still strong and fit. M'pel E'kmel was descended of a good Household. There were no reasons not to join with Liam. "She says she wishes to tease him more."

"Perhaps," Tem'Ma'tel said, though she was not convinced. "We must finish this work, Clot'ilda. Think how the meat will taste!"

They set about hanging the last carcass and then began bleeding them into one of the water bladders from the life pod. Even if SarJ'ant did not use the blood for his sausages they could make a good sauce to spread over meat or some of the roots SarJ'ant liked. Those were nearly tasteless to the jZav'Etch, but a good sauce would make all the difference.

M'pel E'kmel came down from the wall a while later, looking concerned. She said very little about what she and SarJ'ant had been doing, but she did tell them they would be keeping watches throughout the night. Until they knew more about the hunters and their people, SarJ'ant did not want to take chances.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 15



Author's note 8/24/2014: I made the necessary edits to the chapters and have completed the first draft of chapter 20. Sorry for the delay but I had to fill in several plot holes and fix a few other things. Chapter 20 now makes a lot more sense and actually moves the story forward instead of bogging it down. 

As always, thanks to those readers leaving comments or sending messages. Thanks also to Payenbrant for helping with a particular issue. 

***** 

"Three days since our hunt," M'pel E'kmel said, coming onto the platform at the south western corner of the villa. She was bringing Liam a fresh cup of hot morning tea. Her hood was up and she had her hand over the cup, guarding against the light rain that had earlier been a downpour. "Anything new?" 

"Still no sign of any nomads. I did see more space junk last night before the rain started, though. Seems to be a lot of that lately," Liam said tiredly, accepting the proffered tea. It was just past dawn and he had been on watch for eight hours already. To pass the time he'd cleaned the spare EP 12s while sitting under a canopy he had constructed from some branches and a poncho out of the life pod's survival gear. Water trickled off the lower edge of the poncho in a steady stream. "Think we might be wrong about them?" 

"I think it is too soon to know," she replied, taking the fero-plas rifle from where it leaned against the low parapet. She adjusted the sights for maximum magnification and looked through its scope at the distant camp. There smoke mixed with rain, obscuring much of what little activity was to be seen. 

"I just have this feeling they're going to come over that southern horizon, out of the plains and march right up to our doorstep," Liam grumbled. "We'll be hip deep in Fauns, or whatever you want to call them." 

"A little dramatic," she said dryly, still looking through the scope. "We are keeping watch. They will not go unseen. What are Fauns?" 

"Mythical beings from ancient Rome, or maybe it was Greece. I can't remember right now," he said and took a drink of his morning tea, glad for its warmth on this damp and dreary day. "And I'm not worried about unseen. I'm worried about them setting up for the rest of the season or maybe longer. There's enough game for us to live pretty good. Lots of roots and fruits to eat. If a bunch of natives move in, though, there might not be for very long." 

"What do you suggest we do if these Fauns do come and camp on our doorstep?" she asked. She had already been thinking along these lines and had come up with several possible answers, but Sergeant Carter had been more than clever about fortifying their camp in the tree. He was very resourceful and likely had some solid ideas of his own. 

"We need to start packing away food." Liam stood and put his helmet on, using the scope to look around the valley. "If we could find a salt lick, we could preserve some fish and meat. How's your new smoker coming along, by the way?" 

"It's nearly complete. The clay is drying, or at least is was. I think it might be ready for a trial run tomorrow depending on how well the clay sets. Thanks to your stonework, this one is not so crude as the one at the tree." M'pel E'kmel turned to face him, propping her rump on the wall only to instantly change her mind and stand. The seat of her trousers was now wet. "Speaking of fish, Tem'Ma'tel and I would like to go down to the pool at the bottom of the hill. We feel... I think your phrase is 'cooped up'. We want to get out for a while." 

"In this weather?" he asked with a puzzled grimace. 

"It is sometimes better to fish in the rain," she said. "I think we will have more luck as the fish will be out and feeding." 

Liam considered for a long moment before answering, "Take weapons. Don't take chances. Take a radio for each of you. And be careful." 

"No argument?" she asked, surprised. 

"Three days and we haven't seen any sign of the hunters around here," he said with a shrug. "The closest they've come is the place we met them the day of the hunt. They got a pair of antelope yesterday. Pretty good with their bows. One of them was using bolas. Pretty good with that, too. Knocked an antelope down in full stride. I'm thinking I might make one." 

"What are bolas?" she asked. Obscure words had not been taught in her language course. 

"A weapon for hunting. It's made with three balls on the ends of ropes attached at a center point," he told her. "You hold one rope near the ball and whirl it over your head to get the momentum going. When you're lined up on your target, you throw it. The balls give it weight and stability and when it strikes the target, the ropes wrap around the animal's legs or the neck. If you're trying to capture an animal rather than kill it, they can be pretty handy." 

"And why do you wish to make one?" she asked. 

"I was thinking we could explore the hills and those mountains a bit. I'd like to know more about the hunters and their habits before I do, though," he said. "We might be able to find something like goats. If we could capture a handful of them, we could keep them in a pen. Raise a few for meat. Keep them alive until we need them. Maybe we could explore the plains and find something like rabbits or even pigs. Might be easier to raise. Either way, it would be better than needing to go hunting every week." 

"But we like hunting," she said with a frown. 

"I do too," he said. "But what if we get stuck up here without food?" 

"You can't believe the Fauns will lay siege to this place." 

"Not really, but I do believe they could," he said. Taking off his helmet, he paced back and forth a few times, the rain causing his hair to lay close on his head. "I don't like being cooped up here, either, but I've got a responsibility now. I have two wives to look out for, plus you. I know the three of you can take care of yourselves, but I still feel like I need to look to next week and next month and next season and next year." 

"I see," she said approvingly and stepped into his shelter to get out of the rain. "You are the Guardian and Defender of Household SarJ'ant. It is your place to think of these things. I think, though, that there might be an easier solution to keeping a stock of food." 

"Okay," he said and joined her out of the rain. "Let's hear it." 

"Fish," M'pel E'kmel said simply. Liam frowned at her and she explained, "We could put fish in the pool. It occurred to me last evening while I was bathing that the only reason there are no fish there now is the elevation. They can't swim up the waterfall that runs out under this platform. It's far too steep." 

"That's our drinking water," Liam argued. "I know we've got the purifiers, but their filters won't last forever." 

"We also bathe in it. And we collect our drinking water from the little pool that feeds the larger one. If nothing else we can always boil the water and I'm sure there are simple ways to filter out any sort of debris. We can fill our jugs from the waterfall itself if it comes to that." 

"Yeah. Maybe," Liam murmured. He turned to her, eyes narrowed and lips pursed as if he were about to speak. He hesitated so long M'pel E'kmel was about to prompt him, but he spoke before she did. "If we put fish in the pool we'll have to add cover and who knows what else. But if we dig out a pool next to the stream, maybe just make it wider and deeper right there where it curves, then we could leave that tree and some of those bushes where they are." 

"Yes," she agreed. "We could also bring some of the plants from the lower stream up here. Surely the fish would find something from them edible." 

"We'll need to figure out a way to keep the fish in the pool," Liam went on. 

"So that they do not swim out and down the falls," she finished for him. 

"Exactly!" He nodded. "I'll take a look at the ground later. No sense trying it if it's too rocky to dig." 

"While Tem'Ma'tel and I are fishing, I will see what sort of cover the fish like, what they eat and whatever else I can learn about them." 

"Sounds good," Liam said, his mind already working through the new project. "While you're at it, why don't you take one of the medical kits and see if there are any plants around the pool that we can eat? If we can grow them up here it would add to the variety and stretch our resources. I know you don't care much for those potato things I found." 

"A lot of work ahead of us," she said with a shake of her head. 

"Yep," he said. "All because some locals had to camp in our yard." 

"Yes. And because of them, we now have to stand guard night and day again," she grumbled. 

"That can't be helped either," Liam said. 

"I wish we had salvaged a ground sensor kit. We could have strung it around the villa and then we'd be ready if someone approached," she said. "There just wasn't time. We thought the scuttling charge was going to detonate and there was the radiation pouring out of the engineering compartment. Lucky we got as much as we did, I suppose." 

"I'd say you did pretty well," he said. "With what you salvaged and the stuff from my life pod we're doing alright." 

"And this villa, as deteriorated as it is, is far better than living inside a dead tree," she replied with a smile. "It keeps the rain off our heads, anyway." 

"The air mattresses are nice, too," chuckled Liam. "At least we aren't sleeping on leaves and twigs anymore." 

"Fortunate your pod had four of them," she agreed, her eyes sparkling. "They aren't big enough to sleep two, though I note you and your mates do not sleep when sharing one." 

"You can hear that?" he asked, turning a little pink. 

"While we each have our own room," she said smiling, "there are no doors yet." 

"Right," said Liam, easing back onto the stump he used as a stool. "Sorry about that. I'll try to be quieter." 

"Sergeant," she laughed. "The sounds do not disturb me. I was once First of Household. My mate had two Seconds and they were never as quiet as you. Do not disconcert yourself." 

"Still," he said with an uncomfortable grimace. 

"Besides, your encounters provide a welcome... distraction... late in the night." Her tail flicked like the snapping of a whip and the look she gave him smoldered with meaning. 

"I... Um... I don't think I'm going to ask," he said, blushing more furiously. 

"Too bad, but just as well. I think it is time for me to go fishing, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said, laughing again. As she sauntered away her tail flicked and she strutted in a very suggestive manner. Liam watched her go, admiring what the water had done to accent her butt and the way her hips wiggled. She might be ten years older than him, but she still packed a lot of sexual firepower. With an ass like that, Liam thought, the commander would be turning heads for years to come. 

*********** 

"It feels good to be out in the open again," M'pel E'kmel said as the two dTel'Qohar carefully made their way over the wet and slick stones on the edge of the deep pool. The water, though rippling from the rain, was clear and there were many fish in evidence. "Aboard a ship there is no temptation to go outside, but here there is always the fresh air and usually there is sunshine. So many smells to tempt me. Being closeted away in the villa is disagreeable." 

"Yes, Commander," Tem'Ma'tel agreed. "Much better to get out for a time. The orchard is nice to lay in when the sun is high, but it is not the same as a forest. The pool is good to swim in, but not the same as this pool. Sometimes I wonder why our people ever left the forests of our home world." 

"Males are curious," said M'pel E'kmel lightly. She stepped into the shelter of a large boulder and motioned for Tem'Ma'tel to join her. "And we like males, so we went with them." 

"Our male does not seem so curious now," the younger female said, sounding not very pleased. She eased in next to M'pel E'kmel and looked about at their surroundings, noting how this pool's level had risen. "He sits and watches the hunter's camp all through the day. He hardly does anything else." 

"He is worried." 

"The hunters cannot do anything to us without being observed." Tem'Ma'tel shook her head. "They could not hope to win a fight against us. Why does SarJ'ant worry?" 

"He feels he must guard us," the commander said. "He is our Guardian and Defender, after all. It is what he is meant to do." 

"He is meant for more than that," the marine argued. 

"He works in the plaza and the orchard as much as we do," M'pel E'kmel said, though she knew what Tem'Ma'tel meant. "Has he not attended your desires of late?" 

Tem'Ma'tel's tail twitched and her ears lay to the sides in the bashful expression jZav'Etch had instead of blushing. She smiled sheepishly at her commander and then looked away. 

"You like him," M'pel E'kmel said with a grin. "Speak to me as a female. Tell me of him." 

"I do not know where to begin, Commander." 

"For the moment, pretend I am not your commander," M'pel E'kmel insisted and sat upon a stone facing the younger jZav'Etch. "Speak to me of your mate. Tell me what you would tell a friend." 

Tem'Ma'tel hesitated but then sat down, leaning forward as if eager to share her secrets. 

"He likes the pleasures of the tongue and mouth," she said with a low laugh. "He likes them very, very much. I have never known a male before, only females, but I have heard from my sister and mother that males do not like to give the pleasure of the tongue as females do." 

"My mates did not care for it," M'pel E'kmel admitted with a regretful expression. "And I never cared for giving the pleasure of the mouth. Our males... Well, it is not as good for us as it is for them." 

"I like SarJ'ant's phallus! It is smooth and very stiff. It slides into my mouth nicely, and feels wonderful on my tongue. His seed tastes good, too. It is salty and creamy. Do our males taste like that?" 

"I do not know," M'pel E'kmel told her. "My mates never climaxed in my mouth. I do not think I would have wanted them to do so, anyway. My first mate, TaH 'eTh lon', had five points. They would always jab my tongue or the back of my throat. I did not like that. If he had climaxed in my mouth he would have hurt me." 

"Five points?" Tem'Ma'tel asked, impressed. Few jZav'Etch males had more than three points and five was considered extremely virile. The more points on a male's penis, the more likely a female was to bear a child by him. 

"He was very well endowed," M'pel E'kmel said. "We had five children, though only four live now." 

"Five points? Why did you ever break the union?" 

"We got older," M'pel E'kmel twitched her ears. "Time makes you see things differently. He and I did not enjoy our time together as much as we did when our parents arranged our Chaq' Ka' shisk. He was a very good mate. We had our children. He could still have more with other females and I wished to progress in my career." 

"He could have taken a Second," Tem'Ma'tel said. 

"There were Seconds in my Household." 

"Then why break the union?" 

M'pel E'kmel smiled and her ears laid out to the sides bashfully. 

"He could no longer satisfy me," she admitted. "He was well endowed, but after my third child he was not enough. I had to stimulate myself during our lovemaking. It was good for a time, but not good enough." 

"Ah. His points became dull for you," Tem'Ma'tel said in understanding. "My mother has told me of this. My father's points also became dull. She did not break from him, though. He went off to war for two seasons and when he came back she felt his sharpness had returned." 

"Time apart can be a very good thing," M'pel E'kmel said, smiling. "But I wish to know more of your time together with your mate." 

"You have seen how thick he is," Tem'Ma'tel said with a little, pleased smile. "It was painful at first, but SarJ'ant was gentle and the pain was... a good pain. I do not know how to describe it. It was like the way my muscles feel when I have pushed myself further than usual in an exercise. A good pain like that. I was sore the next day, but it was nice." 

"I see," said M'pel E'kmel. Her smile broadened. "And did he get deep enough?" 

"Not deep enough to stimulate my womb, but deep enough to satisfy," Tem'Ma'tel admitted with a grin. "It is not important with him. We cannot make babies, after all. Every time we partake of pleasure together it is like the first time. I am sore in a good way afterwards." 

"And what does he like to do?" 

"He likes to kiss, Commander!" laughed the younger female delightedly and very much out of character for her. "It is a Human nip, like I shared with you on the stream at the old camp. He likes to kiss my lips and he likes to kiss my diamond before he gives me the pleasure of the tongue. And his teeth on my diamond stimulate without hurting! You must try it with him. He would take you if you would offer. I know he would." 

"I am not ready to offer," M'pel E'kmel said sedately. "I want to teach him all the things Human females do not know about teasing. The time will come when I have no more to teach him. I am nearly ready for that. I plan to surprise him with something he desires." 

"What is this thing?" Tem'Ma'tel asked eagerly, leaning forward as young females will do when exchanging secrets. 

M'pel E'kmel bit her lip, tempted to tell all, but it was not right that another should know before Liam saw her surprise. She shook her head, eyes twinkling mischievously. 

"Oh, Commander!" Tem'Ma'tel laughed. "Please tell me." 

"I will say only that it is something he desired to see," laughed M'pel E'kmel girlishly. It was as if speaking to this young female had returned her to her days of youth. Her heart was suddenly lighter than it had been in years. "I am very pleased you have changed, Tem'Ma'tel." 

"Changed?" the marine asked, confused. 

"Aboard the ship you were always so serious," M'pel E'kmel told her. "After we crashed here you were even more serious and guarded. These past two weeks I have seen you relax. I think the prospect of a mate and then winning him has changed you for the better." 

"Oh," Tem'Ma'tel said, looking introspective for a moment. Her eyes flicked back to her commander and her mouth spread into a smile. "It was something I feared would never happen. Our males were always so stupid. The young ones always showed off, hoping I would offer Chisq' Kah'. The older males were no better. They seemed to think I would offer Chisq' Kah' if they walked by." 

"A female in the Marines is a rare thing," the commander said in understanding. "Marines take their pleasure when they can get it. You know better than most females why that is so." 

"It is a hard life," Tem'Ma'tel said. "It does not mean that they should expect such things of me, though. I had proven my worth many times. They could not see it." 

"Perhaps," the commander said with a smile. "But Sergeant Carter has seen your worth. He respects and desires you. I have seen his eyes when you walk by." 

"When I walk by?" Tem'Ma'tel said, her ears pricked forward inquisitively. 

"He watches your hips and rump," M'pel E'kmel told her. "And when you wear only your shorts and undershirt to exercise, his eyes linger on your legs. He has told me he likes them. When we spoke of such things one evening at the tree, SarJ'ant told me what he liked about you and Clot'ilda. I think you might underestimate your appeal." 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 15



"What things does he like about me?" asked Tem'Ma'tel, eager to take advantage of anything that might favorably impress her mate. 

"Your athletic physique appeals greatly to him," replied M'pel E'kmel. "Obviously your legs and rump attract him." 

"He has never said these things to me," Tem'Ma'tel said, frowning in thought. "Perhaps I should display them more. Clot'ilda does not wear her undershirt or jacket." 

"If you will take the advice of one who was a First of Household, I suggest you do not follow her example." 

"Why, Commander?" 

"Because what you have been doing teases him," M'pel E'kmel said. "His interest is piqued when you hint or suggest. Is this not what you did when he escorted you to the stream the first time?" 

"At first, yes," Tem'Ma'tel admitted. "I have never been adept at teasing. My mother spent much time teaching my sister the art, but she felt I was not suited to it. After SarJ'ant turned to watch for danger I realized he was in earnest about his duties. I thought it would be good to tempt him with my nakedness. That was not teasing as my mother would have defined it." 

"But SarJ'ant did not allow himself to make an advance," observed M'pel E'kmel. 

"No. He looked away and the tone of his skin changed," snickered Tem'Ma'tel. "It was enjoyable. No male has ever looked at me the way he did then." 

"And now that he would not feel restrained in taking you, the effect will be muted should you display yourself in that manner again." M'pel E'kmel leaned forward, once more, feeling young. "These things are useful to keep a mate interested and to keep a union fresh." 

"So I should continue to clothe myself the way I always have?" 

"Of course. It would be impractical to do otherwise, Tem'Ma'tel. And it will make your private time with him more enjoyable for you both. A female must continue to tease her mate or his interest will dwindle." 

"Commander, how should I proceed?" 

"Human males are stimulated by what they see," M'pel E'kmel said. "Sometimes they are stimulated even more by what they think they see. Study the information about them in the language guide. Their females often wear garments to enhance their appearance. You took the parachute from the life pod. Perhaps you could use the material to make some such thing." 

"I will, Commander. Thank you." 

"It is time we were about our fishing," M'pel E'kmel said. With a pleased smile she took up her spear and rose. 

*********** 

The room was lit only by the wan sunlight coming through the door and the slit window next to it when Liam went there after his watch. The commander and Tem'Ma'tel had returned with fish for lunch and Liam wanted to get a nap before he did anything else. He shook the water from his poncho as he pulled it off. A soft purr alerted him to the presence of Clot'ilda. He reached down and switched on the hand lamp at the base of the wall. 

"Hi," Clot'ilda said with a warm smile. She was laying naked on the air mattress in the back corner, propped up on an elbow with one leg crossed over the other. 

"Hi, Babe," Liam replied, returning her smile. He could feel himself already getting aroused. "I thought you were sleeping in your room." 

"No," she said and gave him a suggestive look. "No sleep here. Liam here now. Come, my mate. Come." 

Liam dropped his weapon belt and stripped out of his clothes. He was fully erect before he finished and Clot'ilda was gratified by his response to her suggestion. She rolled to her knees before he crossed the room and she placed her hands on his hips to stop him in front of her. With a demure glance up at his eyes she opened her mouth and licked the swollen head of his manhood. Slowly she traced a warm, wet line down its length to the base where her tongue flicked over the sensitive skin that encased his seed. His scent there was strong and she nuzzled him for a moment before returning to her ministrations. Clot'ilda licked her way back to the head, then kissed it softly before slipping it between her lips. She felt the warmth of his manhood slide over her tongue, tasting the salty fluid that told her he was excited. The head touched the back of her throat and she turned her head slightly to take the last of him in, spreading her jaws so that his length passed into her throat and her tongue played over his testicles. 

"God, you're good at that," Liam sighed, placing his hand on the back of her head. 

Clot'ilda shivered at his words of praise and withdrew very slowly until only the head rested on her tongue. Taking a deep breath she pushed back down his shaft, turning her head the other way when he entered her throat. Again her tongue slid over his sensitive skin, sending a reflexive shiver through him. Her hands went to his rump. Grasping both cheeks, she pulled him to her, pressing his length deeper into her throat. Liam moaned with pleasure and she held him there, swallowing to send another jolt of pleasure through him. Almost reluctantly Clot'ilda pulled away, easing him out of her mouth and kissing the head as it slipped past her lips. 

"Liam, lay down," she whispered. "Lay down. Clot'ilda have surprise. 

"Alright," he said, a little breathlessly. "What surprise?" 

"Lay down," she whispered, smiling. "I show you." 

When he was on his back she straddled his thighs, his manhood standing proud just in front of her sex. From under the mattress she drew a small, white tube. He frowned, not understanding what it was even when she opened it and began spreading the slick fluid over his length. The sensation was tantalizing, but he didn't know where she was going with this. Not until she set the tube aside and rose to reposition herself did he clue into her plan. 

"Wait!" He half sat up, taking her by the shoulders. "You might hurt yourself." 

She kissed him and pushed him gently but firmly back to the mattress. 

"I no hurt myself," she said confidently. "You relax, Liam. I am on top. I want." 

"Babe, you don't have to do..." Liam shut up as she took him into her little hand and found her opening with the tip. Clot'ilda smiled that devilish smile of her as she eased back and down, pressing the head into her waiting opening. She was warm and unbelievably tight. Liam gasped as the head slipped inside and she paused. It was amazing seeing her there with her eyes half closed and her breasts rising with each deep breath. 

Clot'ilda had known how difficult this was going to be, but she had not fully realized just how large Liam would feel entering her other place of pleasure. She had to breathe deeply a dozen times before she felt confident she could continue. Slowly she let herself slide down onto him. There was pain now, but not the shocking pain her friends at the academy had warned her about. This was better than she'd hoped for. He was so smooth. She felt she had the best mate ever. 

Liam was practically holding his breath as he watched Clot'ilda take his full length. She did it slowly, but never paused until her rump rested on his hips. Her eyes fluttered open and she took in a deep breath and released it with an I-told-you-so smile. Then she settled all her weight on him and grinned. 

"Fits," she laughed softly. 

"Yeah," he said. "I guess it does." 

"Liam, be quiet now," she whispered. "Liam relax and... enjoy. Clot'ilda on top. Clot'ilda do this." 

She leaned back, supporting herself with one hand and spreading her thighs to display her sex to him. He watched as Clot'ilda placed one finger at the bottom of her slit and ran it up to the diamond shaped flesh that gave her so much pleasure. Her finger flicked it lightly and then ran back down, spreading her wetness. She ground her rump harder on his hips as her finger sank between her livid pink folds up to her knuckle. 

"Good," she moaned. "Liam is good." 

Clot'ilda rose on his shaft, shuddering with the feel of him. There was less pain now and far more pleasure. She paused before the head could slip out of her and then slid slowly back down. She wanted to take her time. She wanted her mate to enjoy this as much as she did. Good things should not be rushed. As she settled on his hips she breathed out a long, pleased sigh and began to rise again. Her finger stroked her sex and her thumbs pinched her diamond, driving her passion higher as she gradually increased her speed. 

Liam watched Clot'ilda rise and fall on his shaft, amazed by her wantonness. He'd only had one girlfriend that enjoyed Greek style and for her it was a very rare thing. Honestly, Liam had never felt any great desire for it, but the way Clot'ilda had just come right out and taken charge was a major turn-on for him. Her desire was more important than what she was actually doing. It was just such a decadent act. 

Clot'ilda gave up fingering herself, wanting to increase her speed. She supported her weight with both arms and legs and began to drive herself onto Liam's shaft harder. It was so smooth and felt so good sliding into her, she never wanted to stop. She heard him gasp with each bump and grind, encouraging her in panting breaths. Her purr was loud and happy, thrumming in her chest even as she moaned out her desire for more. 

Suddenly Liam was grunting, his hands locked on her thighs trying to restrain her, but Clot'ilda would not be restrained. She screamed out her triumph and drove down on him harder still. She gasped when she felt the first of her mate's seed spray inside of her and in mid motion she changed her position, leaning forward over his chest. His manhood ground over the sensitive place and she screamed in ecstasy, her juices spraying over him as she dropped again and again, pounding her ass into his hips with renewed energy. And then her climax passed and she woke, woozy and confused, laying across her mate's chest as he panted, trying to catch his breath. 

"Wow," Liam grunted. "Are you okay, Babe?" 

Clot'ilda felt his hand stroke over her cheek and she gave him a bleary, slack-jawed smile. 

"Good," she huffed. "Liam feel good. Want more?" 

He laughed and pulled her mouth to his. They kissed deeply and then he held her, his manhood still deep inside. She made no attempt to remove it and he felt himself growing hard again. More? Why the hell not? He ground his hips into her tight butt and felt her responding with a grind of her own. This time they took it slower. 

*********** 

"SarJ'ant!" 

Liam rolled to his side, reaching for his pistols and finding Clot'ilda's waist instead. Reality crashed back into his sleep dulled brain and he looked up. In the doorway Tem'Ma'tel stood, her posture filled with tension. Her tone urgent. 

"What is it?" Liam asked, disoriented but awake. Next to him Clot'ilda raised her head. 

"They come!" Tem'Ma'tel said, pointing to the western wall. "They come! Commander say SarJ'ant must see. They come!" 

"Are they attacking?" he demanded, climbing over Clot'ilda. 

"No," said Tem'Ma'tel, shaking her head. "They come." 

"I'll be right there!" 

Liam crossed the room to his gear, snatching up his clothes while Tem'Ma'tel ran back to the southern platform through the rain. 

"I come too," Clot'ilda said, pulling her trousers on, wincing with a sudden soreness. "What we do?" 

"We look," Liam told her, sealing his fly. "Are you okay?" 

"Okay," she nodded and gave him a naughty grin. "No hurt next time, Liam." 

"Next time?" he snorted. "Okay. Next time I'm on top, though." 

"Maybe," she said and her grin went from naughty to wicked. 

Up on the platform they found Commander M'pel E'kmel and Tem'Ma'tel looking through the sights of their fero-plas rifles. In the distance to the southwest the haze of the rain and mist was darkened by a smear on the grassy plain. Liam snatched up his helmet and slipped it on, focusing his scope on the advancing nomads. 

"It appears company has finally arrived," said M'pel E'kmel. 

That was only a bit of an understatement. The horde Liam had feared was more like a crowd. His worries had revolved primarily around how many Fauns would take up residence in the grassland, but it looked like maybe a hundred adults with forty or fifty children of various ages. Some adults walked next to large, humpbacked pack animals with long legs and necks. Others rode similar animals built on a lighter frame. These reminded Liam of moose he had seen in nature preserves, only these animals had coats of brindled grey and green and their snouts ended in short trunks. Scattered among them, seeming to roam at random were creatures like Rover. Some of the largest of these dragged travois, guided by what Liam assumed were young members of the tribe. Most nosed the ground and dug out grubs as they advanced. 

"Looks like Rover will have a chance to find a girlfriend," Liam observed. 

"They are a handsome people," M'pel E'kmel said as she continued to study them. "No wonder we did not find evidence of their camps. Even on the move they do not particularly stand out from their surroundings." 

"I have a feeling there aren't all that many of them on this island," he replied. "No telling how far they roam. I would guess they follow game as it moves around. Maybe they're here for the summer months. When autumn comes, they might move off south again." 

"Children, Liam," Clot'ilda said next to him. Her tone sounded wistful. 

"Yeah, I see them," he said and glanced down at her. Was she regretting that she had mated with a Human? Did she want children? A family was something he could never give her. 

"They turn," Tem'Ma'tel said, interrupting his thoughts. 

Liam looked. The nomads were changing course in a ragged sort of fashion. While the head of their caravan followed the stream, pack animals and some of the aardvark things continued to wander north into the grassland. Riders broke from the main group to round up the pack animals and turn them back to the caravan. The aardvark things they let roam. 

"Interesting," M'pel E'kmel said. "They do not appear to be concerned about Rover's kin. At least not the ones without packs or travois. And look there. One bears three children upon his back." 

"If he comes to a sudden stop, they'll be speared on his quills," Liam said with a frown. 

"I do not think he will come to a sudden stop," said M'pel E'kmel. "Have you ever seen Rover do anything suddenly?" 

"Yeah," Liam snorted. "Eat." 

"That is true," she chuckled. 

They stood upon the wall watching the troupe of Fauns make their way up the valley towards the hunter's camp. When the community came to an open space on a low rise the leaders hauled on their reins, bringing their animals to a stop. One brought a long, tapering tube to his lips and seemed to blow into it. Heads turned, eyes fixing on the lead riders and the troupe began to spread out. Some made for the top of the rise while others guided the pack animals off to either side. The children were herded to the middle and adults set them to work with tools of some kind, hacking at bushes and clumps of tall grass. One group of riders broke off and began stringing a rope from one large tree to another until they had encircled an area some twenty meters in diameter. Into this the pack animals were led after their burdens were removed. 

"I guess we know where they'll be living, now," sighed Liam. 

"I wonder what they will do when their hunters tell them of us," M'pel E'kmel said, echoing Liam's thoughts. 

"They come here, Commander?" Tem'Ma'tel asked. 

"We cannot be sure," replied M'pel E'kmel said and looked to Liam. "What do you think we should do now that they have finally arrived, Sergeant?" 

"For now, leave them be," he said. "Keep an eye on them. If they move this way in a large group, we get ready for a fight. If they come in twos or threes, we let them come close enough to talk. Maybe they're peaceful. I don't know." 

"The position they have taken up seems defensive," M'pel E'kmel said. "That rise is the highest ground in that area. The stream is much broader and deeper there, and it curves around roughly one third of the rise. The children appear to be making an obstacle similar to your abatis." 

"Look, SarJ'ant," said Tem'Ma'tel, pointing. 

The small party of hunters they'd encountered three days prior had come from their camp by the stream to join the larger group. They were greeted by half a dozen riders led by a male wearing a pelt of blade-beast hide over his shoulders like a cape. The castaways watched as the two groups exchanged words, the hunters bowing their heads to the one in the cape. After a few minutes of talk the leader gestured the hunters to the new camp where they joined in the preparations of its defenses. 

Hours passed and the camp grew into something resembling a primitive village. Tents or huts made of hide were erected in a circle just below the crest of the rise. One longer than the others was set up on the western side and into this the male with the cape went. A small party bearing spears and bows marched out into the grass and scattered trees of the valley, perhaps to reconnoiter or on a hunting mission. Children and females gathered wood while a group of males went down to the stream with two of the aardvark things dragging travois. A while later the males returned. On the travois were stacked stones and it wasn't long before they had a large fire ring in place at the center of the camp. After that, things settled down to what must have been the normal routine of these people. 

"Very efficient and organized," M'pel E'kmel remarked, taking the scope from her eye. "It seems to me they are settling in for some rest." 

"Seems like," Liam agreed. "I think we can relax for now. Whose watch is it?" 

"My watch," Tem'Ma'tel said. 

"Keep an eye on those hunters, Marine," he said, pointing to the party of nomads that had left the camp. "I think it's time for you to rest, Babydoll. Commander, you and me are on kitchen duty. Let's get your fish cooked." 

"Very well," said M'pel E'kmel. "While we do that I can tell you what I observed of the fish we did not spear." 

When they entered the kitchen M'pel E'kmel turned to regard Liam in an assessing manner. 

"What?" he asked after a minute. 

"None of us were fooled by your casual, back-to-business manner, Sergeant," she said. "I can smell the tension on you. Your mates can surely smell it. They've shared your bed, after all." 

"Okay," he said going to the crude table he and Clot'ilda had built. The fish lay there with the knife M'pel E'kmel had been using to process them. "Should I have broken down, crying my eyes out?" 

"Naturally not," she said derisively. "I only wish you to know we are aware of your mood." 

"Should I not be tense, Commander?" he demanded. "We just had better than a hundred individuals make camp three klicks down the valley. They're going to be roaming around hunting and gathering until they leave. We have no idea what they might decide to do about us. We've probably got enough firepower to send them packing, but we don't have unlimited ammo. And we still need to get out to hunt and gather for our own food. I'm stressed out about that. I've been stressed out about that since we ran into the hunters." 

"Sergeant, I completely understand your position and concerns," M'pel E'kmel said soothingly. "I share them. We all do. Your mates will hold their peace, but I will not. We need to make some plan of action. We need to consider what the Fauns might do and then work out a response." 

"And I thought we were going to talk about fish." Liam picked up the knife, split one of the fish open and raked out the innards. "If they come looking for a fight, we give it to them. That's plan one." 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 15



"Agreed," she said and took the knife from him. "I'll use this one. You have your own." 

"Alright," he replied, eyeing her. There had been something in the way she had said that and the way she had removed the knife from his fingers. "Is that a hint about how I'm handling the situation?" 

"You are beginning to pick up on my subtleties," she smirked. "Yes, it was a hint." 

"Do me a favor and talk straight," he grumbled, taking out his combat knife. 

"You have expressed a serious concern over what the Fauns might do to us, directly or inadvertently." She cut the fins and head off the fish he had gutted. "What if we take the initiative?" 

"Keep talking until I understand," he said, cutting open another fish. 

"Instead of waiting here for them to make the next move," she went on, "let's go down there and introduce ourselves." 

"We're outnumber by about thirty to one, Commander," he said dubiously. "Those are not good odds, in case you were wondering." 

"Would it not be better than sitting here in doubt?" she asked. 

"I'm trying to look at this from your perspective," said Liam. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think you suggested it because you've seen me in action. You know I like to take the fight to the enemy." 

"That is part of it," she admitted. "Another part is that the longer you brood over the uncertainty, the more restless your mates will become. They are sensitive to your moods. They look to you as their Guardian and Defender in a very literal sense." 

"So their morale will go to crap if I don't do something," he said. 

"I'm saying it will go to... crap... if you don't begin acting as you did before we came here," she said. "Tem'Ma'tel has already expressed dissatisfaction with your behavior since the day of the hunt. I did not press her for particulars, but something she said told me all I needed to know. When was the last time you lay with her?" 

He hesitated and then admitted, "Four days ago. The night before the hunt." 

"And did you initiate the... encounter?" she asked. 

Liam did not say anything, only split open another fish. 

"Have you initiated any of the encounters with either of your mates?" 

Liam cut the head off the fish, refusing to look at her. 

"That is another reason their morale is suffering," she said and took another fish from the pile. 

"Both of them?" he asked. 

"Less so with Clot'ilda," M'pel E'kmel said. "She does not laugh as much as she did except when Rover is with her. Is this normal for Human males?" 

"Is what normal?" he asked. 

"Waiting passively for the female to make the approach." 

Liam frowned and sliced the fins off his fish. 

"No," he admitted. "No it's not. Normally men have to pursue women for weeks or months before we get anywhere with them. Sometimes, when both know it isn't anything serious, it just takes a few drinks and a couple of dances, and then it's off to the races." 

"Humans have some very strange expressions," she said, shaking her head. "If that is the case, Sergeant, why have you not initiated sex with your mates?" 

Liam shrugged. He felt her gaze on him and sighed. 

"I don't know," he said, finally. "There's been a lot to do. Hell, up until the other day, Tem'Ma'tel was more of a threat than a potential partner. My ribs are still sore from the thumping she gave me." 

"You thumped her fairly hard, as well," M'pel E'kmel pointed out. "You won her respect. Do you wish to lose it?" 

He gave her a hard look. 

"You must not remain passive," she said earnestly. 

"Wait a second," he said, raising a hand. "What's this got to do with the Fauns?" 

"Nothing and everything," she said. "In both cases, you must decide on a course of action. In both cases, passivity will result in a loss of respect for you." 

Liam frowned at that. He could see what she meant. The truth of it was that he did want to go out there and take the bull by the horns with the nomads. The only reason he did not was his responsibility to his wives and M'pel E'kmel. From what the commander was saying, from their perspective he needed to go out there and take the bull by the horns. And apparently he needed to stop being so lazy when it came to having sex with his wives. That was good to know. Up until now, he hadn't been sure how things were supposed to work in his relationships. Or was there just one relationship? He shrugged that thought away for future consideration. 

"All of us going out there is too dangerous," he said finally. 

"We will all stay behind these walls where it is safe, then?" she asked. Her tone was mild enough, but clearly she did not agree. 

"I'll take Tem'Ma'tel with me," he said tightly, biting down on a harsher reply. "You and Clot'ilda can cover us with the rifles from the wall. Those things could land shots inside their encampment from here." 

"They can," she said with an approving nod. "It would be sheer chance if we were to hit what we aimed at. Their camp is beyond the accurate range of a qui'istle." 

"We'll go down to the place we first met the hunters the next time we see them out there." He scraped the mess of fish parts onto a board and set it by the door. "We'll wait in the open. I'll wear my armor. If the shit hits the fan, Tem'Ma'tel can run for the gate while I cover her. I doubt the nomads can do much to me in my suit." 

"And if we were to fire a few rounds at them, I think they would take you for some sort of supernatural being," M'pel E'kmel said evenly. "A good plan. At least a good starting point of one. Will you go tomorrow?" 

"Probably," he said and gave her a look. "We need to work out some more details before we try it, though." 

"Then I suggest we eat dinner on the parapet," she said and peeled the skin off one of the gutted fish. "All four of us can discuss it while keeping watch. And after dinner, Sergeant, you should take Tem'Ma'tel. If you are up to it, that is." 

"If I'm up to it?" 

"You were with Clot'ilda when the nomads arrived," she said, her ears flicked and her eyes twinkled. 

"You heard us," he said with an ironic smirk. 

"I think every living thing in the valleys heard Clot'ilda," she replied, her mouth spread into a wicked smile and her tail flicked like a whip. When he blushed she broke out in a full-throated belly laugh.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 16



Author's Note: Chapter 21 is nearly written so I thought I would go ahead and submit 16. Hopefully this one will not take as long to be approved as 15 did. If you ever want to know what progress I am making, just look on my profile. I've begun posting updates there. Please be assured, I am going to finish this story. I have the plot worked out and I know how I will be wrapping it up at the end. It's the last few chapters that are giving me trouble. I have to tie everything together and have it all make sense. Often I write half a dozen paragraphs and realize they don't serve the story and end up deleting them. It takes time to get things right. I have no wish to just throw words on the page and let it go. Rambling stories irritate me and I will not write one. I could easily update faster, but I don't think people would enjoy reading this tale if I did.

Many thanks to those readers who have left comments or sent messages. Those sending messages, though, should understand that this is a story with a plot. I'm not going to put in more sex scenes just because you tell me I should. As I have stated several times: If you want that kind of story, either look elsewhere or write your own.

Again, thanks for all the comments and messages. They do keep me motivated to finish this tale.





Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 16



"I want nothing," he snarled and turned his back on her.

"What vexes you, Huntsman?" she asked innocently. "The hunt was successful. I saw the antelope. We will eat well this night and there will be one more antelope to add to our winter stores."

"Yes the hunt was successful!" Stilmnah hissed. His ears flapped irritably against his neck. "It would have been more successful had I not sent for Seschiqal. I should have killed the thing and brought it back as a trophy."

"What thing, Huntsman?" she asked.

"The thing Stolk told of when we first arrived," he said. "It stood atop the hill above the vale and watched our hunt."

"Did it frighten the antelope?" she asked. "Is that why you are vexed?"

"No!" he snapped. "It stood and watched. I sent for Seschiqal to show him the thing. I should have guessed he would approach it. When I wanted to kill it, he refused. Now he says there will be peace between us and the thing."

"Surely, peace is preferable to killing," she observed.

"I am Huntsman," he said slowly and turned furious eyes upon the small female. "Killing is what my purpose is."

"I meant no insult," she said and bowed.

"Get out!" he snapped and kicked dirt on her. "Have food prepared when I return. I go to butcher the kills."

With those words he stormed out of his hut and across the kraal.

"Mother?"

Sscuha blinked the dirt from her eyes and brushed it off her face before looking up into her son's concerned eyes. She had left him standing around the corner of the hut so as not to anger Stilmnah excessively.

"He is insufferable," the youth said, acid in his tone.

"He provides for us, Chhal," she said simply. "It is what must be for now."

"When I am of age, I will teach him there are consequences for his rashness," Chhal said quietly.

"Perhaps someone else will teach him that lesson before you," she said and rose, dusting the rest of the dirt from her fur. "Come. We will have water and food ready for him."

"Why do you jump to do his bidding so readily, mother?" the boy asked.

"Because it vexes him that he has nothing to be vexed about," she replied with what might have been sweetness had she not kicked a little clod of dirt in front of her. "And his vexation pleases me."

"It will please me if no one teaches Stilmnah manners before I do," Chhal grumbled and followed her.

***********

"Cousin, Stilmnah is growing worse," Sneisqlik said sourly, watching the huntsman's hut. 

"He is," agreed Seschiqal. "I sometimes wish the tribe had chosen him to lead instead of me."

They sat just inside the chief's hut, Seschiqal examining the god tear given him by the creature on the hillock. He wondered how such a god tear had come to be. It was smooth and flat and colored with shades and tints of purple and blue. What he would do with it, he did not know, but it was a very fine gift and he did not at all regret gifting the knife to the creature on the hilltop, though it had been made by the best knapper in the village and was as fine a blade as he had ever seen.

"There he is again," grumbled Sneisqlik. "He abuses that poor girl."

"He does not beat her," Seschiqal said, still looking at his god tear. "We can do nothing about the rest."

"Perhaps we should call a meeting of the tribe," suggested Sneisqlik. "Ask them to consider banishing Stilmnah."

"He is our best hunter," Seschiqal replied. "He is huntsman and he has those who would support him. If he were cast out they might even choose to take their families and go with him. Then we would have a new tribe on the grasslands. A tribe that we would not have peace with."

"I yield to your judgment," said Sneisqlik, though he was not happy with it. "What of the creature on the hill?"

"We have peace with him," Seschiqal said and flapped his ears absently.

"I have never seen a creature so strange," Sneisqlik said scratching his chin. "None of the Tales speak of a creature like that. Stolk said it went up to the Old Place. It is difficult to believe."

"As you said, Stolk is young but he does not lie," observed Seschiqal.

"But the Old Place has been abandoned since before the time of our great-great grandfather," Sneisqlik said, leaning forward. "Now this creature lives there. Times change."

"You are frightening yourself," Seschiqal said and snorted dismissively.

"How many feathers of smoke have we seen in the sky over the past days?" Seisqlik asked, pressing his point. "Times have already begun to change. A great winter may come as in the oldest Tales. Perhaps we should consider going as far south as we can at the end of summer."

"Would you have us abandon our lands, Sneisqlik?" Seschiqal lifted his gaze from the god tear and looked his cousin and most favored councilor in the eyes. "We have seen feathers of smoke in the sky before. We have even found god tears before. And there was the great fire in the sky only a short time ago. How many of our people thought it was the Last Day? And then when the Last Day did not come we got back to our normal life and journeyed here."

"But there are too many things this time," argued Sneisqlik.

"No there are not," Seschiqal said, raising his voice. "There is one thing. There is the thing on the hill. The thing that lives in the Old Place. The thing we have made peace with. The thing that wished to make peace with us. Is this not a good thing? Is this a thing to be frightened of?"

Sneisqlik frowned. His cousin spoke truly. There was only the one thing that was strange and new. But the Old Place had been abandoned a very long time. One Tale recounted how the tribe that had lived there had not wandered. They had stayed in the Old Place all their days and traded with the wandering tribes. Among his few possessions he carried a disk of stone that was not stone. It came down to him from his mother's mother who had said it came down to her through the long years from the people of the Old Place. Perhaps there would be a new tribe that did not wander. Perhaps the smoke feathers in the sky were a sign of better times ahead.

"It may be that you speak the truth," he said after long consideration. "It may be that the creature on the hill will remain at peace with us. It seems to have no tribe, though."

"That is no bad thing," Seschiqal said with a smile and raised his ears above his head. "If there was another tribe, food would be scarce. We would not have peace for long."

"That is true," Sneisqlick agreed. "I fear Stilmnah will not let the peace stand, though."

"If he breaks the peace we will put it to the tribe," Seschiqal said grimly, his ears dropping and his eyes narrowing. "If he breaks the peace I will demand the tribe allow me to fight him."

"If you do, cousin, he may win," cautioned Sneisqlik. "You are a great fighter, but he is also. And he would not stop until you lay in the grass among the antelope."

"If the tribe allows me to fight him, I will not stop until he lays in the grass among the antelope, cousin. Let him beware. And remember how the thing on the hill did not back away from Stilmnah. It does not fear him. Stilmnah, if he breaks the peace, will have made a great enemy, I think."

"Let us hope he does not make a great enemy for the tribe," said Sneisqlik seriously.

***********

"Have you shaken the dirt from your fur, Stilmnah?" laughed Qlikchissal when the huntsman finally joined the other hunters at the slaughter place.

"There was little enough to shake off," Stilmnah hissed back. "Perhaps you would like some to shake from yours?"

"Peace, Qlikchissal," said Ssteilssniq, second among the hunters. "Mind your manners. Such things should be left in the past. And left between those concerned."

"Perhaps," Qlikchissal snorted. "The chief was not pleased with you, though, Stilmnah. Will you make a demand of him?"

"No," Stilmnah replied and took out his knife to begin skinning one of the hanging carcasses.

"What then?" Qlikchissal wondered, unwilling to leave well enough alone. Such things were water and grass to him. He was well known for making mischief.

"There is work to do, Qlikchissal," warned Ssteilssniq. "Attend to yours."

"I am," replied the younger hunter with an amused flap of his long ears. "I only want to know what to be watching for. Tell me, Stilmnah, what will you do?"

"The chief has made peace," Ssteilssniq said firmly and glared at the troublemaker.

"The chief has, but Stilmnah has not," Qlikchissal replied slyly. "I think the huntsman will decide for himself whether to keep peace with the thing on the hill. There is only one and it is slow."

"There are its pets, also," put in Stolk. He was red to his elbows after eviscerating the antelope he was dressing.

"The pets that hide from us?" Qlikchissal snorted. "I would not fear one of them. They must be cowardly. And the thing on the hill must be cowardly, too. It offered peace without a challenge first."

"Why is that cowardly?" asked Stolk. He had no experience in such matters.

"Because there is no testing of strength in such peace," Ssteilssniq told him patiently. "Some think only the weak offer peace without a test of strength to prove their worth as a friend."

"I saw them hunt," Stolk said. "They did well, though they had no bows or bolas. They threw spears at great range. They threw them as far as our bows shoot arrows. We were amazed by their skill."

"That does not mean they are not cowards," Qlikchissal scoffed.

"The one on the hill stood calmly in the path of the herd when it panicked," Stolk argued. "That was a brave thing."

"Foolish," said Ssteilssniq. "Only a fool stands in the path of a panicked herd. They will trample you."

"The herd did not trample him," Stolk said. "He cast a spear and killed an antelope. The herd turned away, back into the other hunters. They took six that day and gave me one."

"We have heard this story already," snarled Stilmnah. "I have heard it enough. Be silent and finish skinning that carcass."

"What will you do, Stilmnah?" Qlikchissal asked again. "Will you hunt the thing on the hill?"

"That would be against the chief's decree," said Ssteilssniq. "That is not a good thing."

"The chief's decree is not a good thing," hissed Stilmnah. "We could have killed it and had no competition on the grassland. We come here for summer in order to stock up on meat for the winter. Why allow a single creature to take what has always been ours."

"Not always," Ssteilssniq said with a shake of his head. "The Tales say there was a tribe that did not wander. They lived in the Old Place."

"I do not believe the Tales tell all the truth," Stilmnah said. "They are for old women and children to believe. Not for hunters."

"My kill is processed," Ssteilssniq said coolly. "I go to wash."

"He does not approve of your words," murmured Qlikchissal when the older hunter had gone off. "So, will you keep the peace Seschiqal has made?"

Stilmnah looked at the younger hunter and then spilled the guts of his antelope on the ground. Blood mixed with the grass and soil at his feet and insects buzzed, swarming to the hot offal.

"I will hunt again tomorrow," Stilmnah said finally. "Will you hunt with me?"



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 17



Author's note 9-1-2014: Chapter 22 is well underway and I feel like I'm on a downhill run for the finish line. Feeling good about my progress in last two days, I decided to submit this chapter a little ahead of schedule since the events contained in it will not affect any of the chapters I still have to write. 

To anyone sending me emails or commenting anonymously, please be sure you include your Literotica penname if you want me to read something of yours or give you advice. Anonymous means anonymous on this site. I do not reply via email to any messages sent. I reply only through the contact function of Literotica. Call me paranoid, but that's how I roll. 

Thanks again to everyone leaving comments or sending messages. Thanks in particular to the anonymous reader who alerted me to the issue with chapter 16. I've sent a message to LE admin and hopefully things will be straightened out soon. 

***** 

"Why do you wish me to do this?" M'pel E'kmel asked. Liam was seated on a stump under a tree in the orchard and she was standing behind him with the flint knife the chief of the nomads had given him the day before. 

"Because it's been too long since I had a haircut or a shave," he said simply. "Just look at this mess. I'm a Marine. We have to maintain our grooming. And I would like to get this done before the girls get back from fishing, so please just get on with it." 

"I think the beard suits you, Sergeant," she replied. "And there is nothing wrong with your hair except that it could use a good combing." 

"I haven't had hair this long since I was in grade school," he moaned. "And I never liked beards. Mustaches either. Not my kind of thing." 

"I strongly disagree," she said in a chiding tone. "You look vastly more handsome with both." 

"Says the woman with a coat of fur," he sniped. 

"You once told me you liked my fur," she said in a theatrically sulky voice. "Shall I shave it all off?" 

"Oh come on," he sighed. "No. Don't shave your fur. Shave mine." 

"Allow me a free hand for the moment and if you do not care for the results we can always shave you the way you prefer." 

"A free hand?" he snorted. "You?" 

"I must remind you that I have never shaved even the least bit of fur," she replied. "Do you really want me running such a fine edge over your flesh?" 

Liam hadn't really thought about that. Likely, very few jZav'Etch had ever shaved anything. Maybe surgeons or nurses would have some experience, but the average jZav'Etch? 

"Fine," he sighed. "Just... don't make me look, you know, stupid." 

With a pleased purr and a flick of her tail, M'pel E'kmel began. She raked her claws lightly through Liam's hair until it lay smooth and neat. Then she used the stone blade to nick the ends off the longest and most straggly patches, giving shape and order to his hair. It did not look like the fur of a jZav'Etch by any stretch of the imagination, but it was now more presentable and suited the shape of his face. She hoped she could convince him to grow it out longer. There were male Thahn 'Den from a large island in the southern hemisphere of jZav that wore manes of wonderful, lush fur and Liam would look very attractive with his hair in that fashion. 

His beard was much easier for her to attend to. It was stiffer than his hair and held its shape better. The stone blade had no difficulty making quick work of it. She brushed away the trimmings, humming happily. She had not groomed a male in many years and this was all the more enjoyable for the discomfort she had just put Sergeant Carter through. 

"There," she said with a last rake of her claws through his beard, sprinkling a few more loose whiskers on the ground. "Done. Now, if your mates do not care for that, they have no taste in males." 

"You didn't shave anything," Liam grumbled. 

"I shaved the back of your neck and portions of your cheeks," she said sedately. "This is a very fine little knife. Nice of the chief to give it to you." 

"I wanted a shave," Liam said. He was about to go on when the radio on M'pel E'kmel's hip beeped loudly and a panting squall of jZav'Etch came over it. 

"What was that?" Liam demanded, forgetting his beard and haircut. 

"Clot'ilda," M'pel E'kmel said and snatched the radio from her belt. "What is wrong? Are you injured?" 

"Atttacked!" Clot'ilda said. "I'm hurt! Tem'Ma'tel is gone!" 

"Where are you?" the commander asked. At her tone, Liam surged to his feet and she pulled him towards their stacked weapons. 

"On the path," Clot'ilda gasped. "I can see the gate. Rover is carrying me." 

"Are you pursued?" M'pel E'kmel asked, changing course for the gate. 

"No. They took Tem'Ma'tel. I couldn't stop them." 

"What the hell is going on?" Liam demanded as they got to the gate. 

"She's injured," M'pel E'kmel said, hauling the heavy timber panels open in time to let Rover barrel through in a ground-eating lope. Nestled among his quills, Clot'ilda held on for dear life. The big creature slid to a stop, his claws scraping over the pavers of the plaza, and lay down rolling his shoulders to deposit the little Pah'Tht gently on the ground. 

"Fuck!" Liam cursed dropping to his knees next to her. "Get a med kit! Now!" 

Clot'ilda had a knot on the side of her head the size of a chicken's egg. Her eyes were open but glassy and there was a bolas wrapped around her shoulders and neck. 

"Babydoll? Clot'ilda, can you hear me?" Liam asked desperately, unwinding the bolas. 

"Liam," she said weakly and patted his thigh. "Tem'Ma'tel gone." 

"Who did this?" he asked, though he was sure he already knew. 

"They did," she said and pointed vaguely to the west. 

"How is she?" M'pel E'kmel asked urgently, dropping to her knees next to him. She opened her medical kit and began examining the Pah'Tht's wound. Her ears suddenly laid back as if she were getting ready for a fight. A clear sign things were not well. 

"Not good." Liam rose, checking his gun belt to be sure both EP 12s were in their holsters, and turned for the gate. "Take care of her. I'll be back as soon as I deal with this." 

The commander rushed to cut him off, placing a strong hand on his chest. 

"Sergeant! You can't kill them!" she said intently. 

"The hell I can't," he growled. "I'll settle this, Commander. Get out of my way." 

"You can't go alone," M'pel E'kmel said desperately. "There are too many of them. At least put on your armor." 

"No time. They might already be torturing Tem'Ma'tel." Liam stepped forward, throwing off her hand and pushing her aside. He was forced to stop again when Rover cut him off. Liam was about to kick him, but Rover flexed the muscles in his back and the long quills on his shoulders spread. Rover snorted and looked at Liam. 

"Get Clot'ilda patched up and lock this fucking gate," Liam said, straddling the big beast the way he would a horse. "We'll be back soon." 

"Take a rifle!" M'pel E'kmel yelled after him, but he ignored her as Rover broke into a run. 

*********** 

"What is happening?" demanded Seschiqal, coming out of his hut. "Why are the people shouting like this?" 

"I don't know," said Sneisqlik, coming from his own hut. "Someone has just come into the kraal. Riders." 

"It is Stilmnah," Seschiqal spat. He reached inside his hut and came out with his spear and club. "He has done something unwise." 

"What do you mean?" asked Sneisqlik, but then he understood what his cousin meant. The huntsman and one of his hunters bore between them a ruddy furred creature like the one he had seen in the grass with the being on top of the hill. "He has broken the peace." 

"I will break his head!" snarled Seschiqal. "Curse his horns! I will break every bone in his body." 

"Cousin!" Sneisqlik said desperately, reaching out a restraining hand. "Think first. He challenges your decree. You may not simply attack him." 

"The tribe will not object!" the chief snapped and tore away from his cousin. 

"They might," Sneisqlik said rushing after him. "Look at how he encourages their spirit. He has brought in a thing unlike any they have ever seen. They will want to see it. They will think he is a great hunter for bringing it here. You must make plain to them why this is a bad thing!" 

"I'll do that after I lay Stilmnah in the dirt." 

"No, cousin! You must not. Heed me. The tribe will throw you down if you do this thing. Counter Stilmnah's challenge with words and then demand the tribe allow you to fight him. Kill him if you must, but only after the tribe agrees." 

Seschiqal stopped in his tracks, breathing deeply. He wanted blood. His peace was broken. It was broken because a fool was offended by the creature on the hill. And as chief he must either restore the peace or abdicate to a more worthy leader. 

"I will convince them, cousin," Seschiqal agreed. "I will teach them all a lesson. After I kill Stilmnah, you and I must repair the peace. If the thing on the hill comes to fight, we may all live to regret Stilmnah's foolishness." 

*********** 

"What is it, mother?" Chhal asked. 

"I do not know." Sscuha had never seen such an animal. In fact, she was not sure it was an animal. It appeared to be wearing clothing like the High Grass folk wore when the snows came. She thought it had breasts and the wide hips suggested it was female, but she could not be sure. What was plain was that the captive was dazed from a blow to its head. It could barely stand and its eyes could not focus on anything. "Where did it come from?" 

"The Old Place," said a youthful voice behind her, hardly audible over the hoots and cheers of the rest of the tribe now gathered around Stilmnah, Qlikchissal and their captive. 

"From the Old Place?" she asked, turning to find the young hunter, Stolk, looking worried, his ears laid behind his head and his lips popping nervously. 

"Stilmnah has broken the peace the chief made with the thing on the hill," Stolk said, unable to tear his eyes from the spectacle. "This will be bad luck for the tribe." 

Sscuha looked back to see that the huntsman was tying the dazed creature to the village hitching post. As soon as its hands were secured it slumped to the ground, blinking uncomprehendingly at the crowd. Instantly, children stepped forward and began jabbing it with sticks. Jeers and hoots of laughter rang out from the gathered crowd. Someone threw a stone, striking the poor thing in the chest. A foolish youth whirled and struck it with the butt end of a spear, then pranced away, strutting as if he had just slain a mighty beast. People hooted and whistled merrily at his antics. 

"This is terrible," Sscuha said and took hold of her son, intending to leave these fools to their sport. 

"I want to stay and watch, mother," Chhal protested. 

"This is no thing for decent folk to watch," she scolded. "The chief comes in wrath. See him there?" 

Chhal looked to where his mother pointed and indeed Seschiqal was striding through the crowd with his spear and club, his arms upraised. 

"I should like to see the chief put Stilmnah in his place," Chhal said. "May we not stay?" 

Sscuha hesitated, thinking her son had a point. Before she could decide, though, her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a strange creature striding into the kraal with a very large plainswalker at his side. She had never seen such a being before, but one thing seemed clear: It was angry. 

*********** 

Liam strode into the crowd of Fauns as if he owned the ground on which they stood, Rover close on his heels. Several Fauns sprang away from him, alarmed at his sheer size compared to their slight frames. Others he pushed aside, knocking them to the ground or into their fellows, he didn't care. Rover snorted and used his long head to shove more nomads out of their way. When the two broke into the center where the hunters had tied Tem'Ma'tel to a post, Liam almost drew his pistols, but these were not evil people. They just needed an education in who not to fuck with. 

Several adults snatched their children from the group poking Tem'Ma'tel with sticks and other kids had the good sense to flee at sight of the big creature and the plainswalker, but the youth who had pranced around after hitting Tem'Ma'tel with his spear decided to give Liam a shot, too. The marine caught the spear as it descended and yanked it from the boy's hands. Too surprised to react, the youth screamed when Liam grabbed him by a horn, spun him around and laid three quick blows across his back with the haft of the spear. 

"I don't play that shit, boy," Liam growled then kicked the kid in the ass, sending him tumbling into the crowd. 

By the time the youth scrambled to his hooves rubbing his injured backside, the crowd had backed off, leaving Liam and Rover at the center of a wide circle. The chief approached, placing himself between them and the hunters who had abducted Tem'Ma'tel. The chief evidently wanted to avoid trouble, but Liam didn't care. The hunters were responsible for this situation and if the chief couldn't control his people, Liam damn sure would. 

"Tell them to let her go," Liam said grimly and pointed at his wife. 

The chief looked at Tem'Ma'tel and then said something to the hunters. In their turn the hunters hooted and gestured at Liam, shaking their spears. 

"Get out of my way, Chief," Liam said in a hard voice. "I don't want to hurt you. Just them." 

The chief looked at him and then at the hunters. He snorted and flapped his long ears, stepping aside. The hunters frowned at that, but they brought up their spears, ready for a fight. 

"Last chance, Elmer," Liam grated out. "You and Wile E there, step aside and nobody has to die." 

The hunters shook their spears and chattered in response, apparently refusing to give up their captive. The expression that crossed Liam's face as he stepped forward could not accurately be called a smile. The hunter on the right, the one he'd dubbed Wile E, sprang at him, driving his spear at Liam's midsection. Liam slapped the thrust aside with the haft of his appropriated spear, stepped inside Wile E's guard and hammered a fist into his jaw. Wile E collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut and Liam turned to face Elmer who blinked at him incredulously. 

Before the Faun could shake out of his surprise, Liam thrust his spear in a feint and closed the distance, but Elmer was quick on his feet. The hunter dodged back and sidestepped. Liam recovered his spear to guard in time to block Elmer's thrust, but took a kick to the ribs. He shrugged it off and reposted, jabbing at Elmer's face. Again the Faun was too quick, dodging to the side and following up with a jab of his own. Liam felt the flint tip pierce his side and turned out of the thrust, swinging the butt of his spear in a short, chopping arc, catching Elmer in the jaw. 

As the Faun stumbled away, Liam glanced down at his side. Blood trickled out, soaking his shirt. It wasn't bad. He could patch it up when the fight was done. 

Elmer came in again with a thrust at Liam's face this time, following up with a kick at his belly, but Liam was on to him now. He ducked his head to the side and brought his knee up to intercept the kick, then threw the butt of his spear into an upward arc that clipped Elmer on the chin, sending the hunter back a couple of steps. Liam recovered and drove in with a classic bayonet thrust only to have Elmer hop aside just in time. The Faun reversed his spear and came down with the point, meaning to skewer Liam through the neck. The hot sting of the flint point gouging his shoulder made Liam hiss as he evaded the worst of the strike. He flicked a backhand stroke of his spear at Elmer, but the hunter countered with another kick, splitting Liam's mouth open. More kicks, jabs and punches followed. The two exchanged a pair of spear thrusts, both drawing blood, but neither scoring a crippling wound. Elmer leapt into the air, kicking at Liam's head with both hooves and Liam barely avoided them, countering with a thrust of his spear that failed to sink home as Elmer twisted away. 

Panting from all his exertions Elmer pressed his attack and made another thrust for Liam's chest. The marine turned it aside with his spear, but Elmer kicked him again. Before Liam could respond the Faun jabbed at his belly, forcing Liam to give ground. He stepped back, making space to recover his weapon and change his tactics. The Faun was too good at this sort of spear play to risk fighting on his terms. As the Faun came in again Liam ducked his head aside letting Elmer's point go by and brought up his knee to block another kick aimed at his groin. Liam crosschecked him with the haft of his spear, throwing the much lighter combatant backward into the crowd. 

As Elmer scrambled to his hooves Liam spun, extending his spear and whipping it through a long arc that ended on the side of Elmer's head. The Faun bleated in surprise and pain as his cheek split open, but he didn't hesitate to attack. Liam dodged a flurry of jabs and thrusts, giving ground, waiting for the right opportunity. When he saw his opening he accepted a kick to his face in trade for a thrust of his spear, catching Elmer a grazing cut across the ribs. The Faun jumped back a full two meters and looked to his wound. That was what Liam had been hoping for. He dropped his spear and closed the distance, grabbing the hunter by his horns, yanking him forward and kicking him in the belly hard enough to break a board. Elmer folded in half. Liam slammed his knee into Elmer's face, two quick shots, and then threw him across the open space. Even as Elmer was struggling to get up, Liam grabbed his ankles. He hauled the hunter up and over his shoulder then with everything he had, Liam slammed him into the hard packed dirt. Like a three year old in a pillow fight, Liam whipped him back into the air and down again. Bones broke with every impact. Finally, when the hunter stopped bleating, Liam slammed him into the ground one last time, knelt on his chest and grabbed him by the horns. 

"Did you think you'd get away with it?" Liam snarled, bloody spittle dribbling from his split lip to stain the Faun's fur. "Did you think I'd let it go? That I wouldn't do anything? You attacked my wives! You fucking piece of shit! Did you think I wouldn't kill you?" 

The crack of Elmer's neck as Liam twisted his head over his shoulder sounded like the breaking of a thick branch in a storm. The tribe all stood silent and fearful. Hunters pushed the females and children behind them, holding their spears ready to defend their families as he rose to his full height and glared at them. Liam snorted back and spat blood and snot on the dead huntsman before going to Tem'Ma'tel. With a stroke of his long knife he parted the ropes holding her. Gently he lifted her chin, examining the lump on the side of her head. It wasn't as bad as Clot'ilda's, but it wasn't good. There was a second lump on the back of her head and Liam ground his teeth. 

"Rover," he said. "Come here, boy. I need your help." 

The big animal cast a warning look about the crowd of nomads and ambled across the open space to his friends. He flexed his quills out of the way, allowing the male to lay the big female on his back. To keep her from sliding off Rover flexed his quills tight around her and made to leave, but the male wasn't ready to go yet. 

"Chief," Liam said in a thick voice, turning to the elder. "I don't think you meant for this to happen. If someone else comes looking for trouble, though, I'll burn your village down around your ears and kill everyone here. You, your women, all your animals. I'll kill every fucking thing that walks or crawls and I'll piss on your ashes. You understand? No more of this shit. I ain't playing." 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 17



Seschiqal did not understand the words the creature used, but he knew what they meant. 

"None will molest you or your mates again," Seschiqal said loudly and cast a warning glance at his hunters. He lifted his spear above his head, showing it to the tribe, then broke its haft across his knee. "Take this as a sign of my pledge. Let us live in peace, mighty one." 

Liam took the broken spear and looked the chief in the eyes for a long, hard minute. The chief did not look away and Liam nodded. He saw Wile E stir and sit up. Liam spit on him and kicked him in the face, laying him out again. 

The tribespeople gave Liam and Rover a wide berth as they left the kraal. It wasn't until he had passed out of their sight that Liam clutched the wound in his side, staunching the flow of blood. He took the radio from Tem'Ma'tel's belt and clicked the transmit button twice. 

"Commander, are you there? Over," he said into the mic. 

"I'm here, Sergeant. You're injured," she replied. 

"Bastard caught me in the side," he said. "I don't think it's too bad. Tem'Ma'tel took two shots to the head. She's not really conscious. Not responsive. I'm going to see how fast I can get her back to you. How's Clot'ilda? Over." 

"Better," M'pel E'kmel said. "A small fracture of her skull and much swelling, but the drugs are already taking effect. My medical kit is healing the fracture and eliminating the swelling as we speak. I suspect she will be back to her old self in a day or two. Over." 

"Thank God," Liam breathed. "We'll be there as soon as possible. Over." 

"I will meet you on the plain," she said. "The sooner we treat Tem'Ma'tel's wounds the better. Out." 

"Understood. Out." Liam clipped the radio to his belt and patted Rover on the side of his thick neck. "You did real good, boy. Saved Clot'ilda. You'll always have a place with us. Always." 

Rover snorted and nudged Liam with his head, then broke into a trot, going as fast as he could without spilling the female from his back. Liam followed, trotting as well as he was able while keeping his hand pressed to his side. The wound was bad, but not the worst he'd ever had. He could get the med kit to stitch him up. He was just worried about Tem'Ma'tel. 

*********** 

"What are we to do with Stilmnah, now?" Sneisqlik asked. He and Seschiqal stood over the body of the dead huntsman, looking down on the broken, bloody form with a small measure of satisfaction. Stilmnah had gotten no more than he deserved. 

"He shamed the tribe by breaking my peace," Seschiqal said evenly. He turned to the still shocked tribespeople. "What would you have done with Stilmnah's body? He who broke the peace. He who challenged my decree. He who brought this death upon himself." 

Looks were exchanged among the people, but none spoke. They knew their own actions were nothing to be proud of. A few minutes ago they had all been pleased with Stilmnah and the prize he had brought to the kraal in defiance of the chief's decree. Now they saw the consequences of his actions and many felt shame for their part in what had happened. 

"We must decide what to do with him," Sneisqlik said to the crowd. "Will none speak? Will the people leave this choice to the chief?" 

"Take him across the stream to the edge of the forest," a young female said from the back of the crowd. 

"Who speaks?" Seschiqal asked. 

"Sscuha, mother of Chhal speaks," said the young female. "I was ward of Stilmnah. I say he deserves no better than that. His death was earned many times." 

"He was huntsman of the tribe!" objected a young hunter. 

"He was cruel and stupid," Sscuha said frankly. "My husband died because Stilmnah was stupid. From the time I became his ward until today I and my son have had to endure his cruelty. Ever he spoke to us as if we were the dirt of a path. He provided no more than what was necessary, even when he had plenty. My son has no bow such as his father would have made for him. My son has no knife. He has no spear. What other ward has done with so little as my son?" 

"Sscuha speaks true," Ssteilssniq the hunter said, stepping from the crowd. "Stilmnah had two bows. He had many knives. He could have made a spear for the boy. I have seen Stilmnah kick dirt upon Sscuha when there was no cause for it. I have seen him push the boy from his hut, forcing him to feed his landstriders when Stilmnah could not be troubled to do so himself. These were not acts of a good steward. I have taught the boy what I could, as his father would have done. The huntsman would not stir himself to such tasks. He wished for no son and knew nothing of raising one. Take Stilmnah's body across the stream to the edge of the forest. Let the carrion beasts have him if they will." 

"Two speak of the same mind," Sneisqlik said. "Do others say differently of Stilmnah's body?" 

Again the people looked from one to the other, but none spoke. 

"Let it be so, then," Seschiqal declared. "Hunters, take him away and be quick, lest his ill luck infect the tribe further." 

"We must decide what is to be done with Qlikchissal, cousin," said Sneisqlik as the hunters gathered up Stilmnah's corpse. "He also broke the peace. He must be dealt with." 

"Take his name away," the chief said without hesitation. "He will be known as Qlik until he earns a new name. Let none harbor him. He must earn his place again. He will live among the youths. He will have no landstrider. He will keep only a bow, bolas and spear. No more than the youths." 

"It is just," Sneisqlik said with a nod of his head. 

"Send for our wives. We must consider what to do about Sscuha," Seschiqal said. "She cannot remain without a steward. It is not right." 

Hours later, when the sun was halfway down the sky, Sscuha was summoned to the long hut. She expected to wait until called in, but the chief's wife, Qlikssuqss, met her outside and placed her arm over Sscuha's shoulders in a motherly fashion. Inside the long hut Chief Seschiqal, Keeper of Wisdom Sneisqlik and Sneisqlik's wife, Ssusstilha all sat waiting around the low fire near the back of the hut. 

"Come child," Qlikssuqss said gently. "There are choices to be made. Things you must consider. Much has changed this day." 

*********** 

"How could you be this stupid?" demanded M'pel E'kmel examining Liam's side. He was pale and shaking from loss of blood. "Are all males fools no matter the species? Sit down!" 

"It's not bad," Liam slurred in protest. He felt fine, didn't he? "Let's get Tem... Tem..." 

"Oh shut up and quit moving!" M'pel E'kmel snapped. She shoved him down, none to gently, and pulled his shirt up. Blood dribbled steadily from the wound just above his hip and she shook her head. "Just as well I brought two stretchers. Let me get this in place and then you can lay down, Sergeant. Rover, keep watch." 

Rover blinked at her. Couldn't she see he was already keeping watch? He huffed out a breath and stood up, taking a few paces back towards the kraal and sitting down again. Maybe that would satisfy her. 

"For the love of the Forger and Builder," M'pel E'kmel hissed, packing gauze into Liam's wound. "You would have bled out before reaching the gate if you'd kept on." 

"I would have made it," Liam mumbled. "We need to get... get... somewhere." 

"Sergeant, as a commander I am ordering you to be silent," she said. The blood had more or less stopped flowing, but the gauze was already soaked through. She wrapped a bandage around his waist with quick, sure hands. Liam's trouser leg was soaked through all the way down to his knee. She pulled a hypo from the med kit and injected him with a light sedative to keep him calm. Covering him with one of the thermal blankets from the kit she said, "You're in shock, Liam. Lay still. I'll get you back to the villa and patch you up properly. Just lay still." 

She helped him lay back on the stretcher and then had to fumble with the controls, smearing them with blood as she tried to remember how to activate the impulsers. Finally the stretcher rose on its gravitics, rocking to an even keel as it adjusted to the weight distribution. 

"Tem'Ma'tel, can you hear me?" the commander said into her marine's ear. She used a thumb to open Tem'Ma'tel's eyes and check for dilation. Nothing out of the ordinary. That was something, at least. M'pel E'kmel set the med kit on Tem'Ma'tel's chest and applied a sensor to her temple to monitor brain activity. Readings indicated nothing too severe had occurred, but she couldn't waste time out in the middle of the grassland to find out more. They were far too vulnerable here. 

"Rover, come on," M'pel E'kmel called to the beast as she activated Tem'Ma'tel's stretcher and pulled it alongside Liam's. "We have to get going." 

Rover rose and walked beside her as she struggled to push both stretchers at the same time. Finally she gave up and moved to the uphill ends of them, dragging them as she should have done in the first place. 

"If any of them die, Rover, what will I do?" she worried. The thought of losing even one of her companions terrified her. What would they do? What could she do but try to save them? 

Thunder rumbled in the distance and a light rain began to fall again. The journey back to the villa was the longest M'pel E'kmel had ever undertaken, followed by the longest night of her life.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 18



Author's note 9/13/2014: This is another transitional chapter and there is very little going on, but it does set the stage for what comes next in the story. Consider this the end of the second act.

Thanks to everyone sending messages or leaving comments. I'll try to have the next chapter ready by the middle of the week, but I can make no promises.








Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 18



"They frighten me," Chhal said and popped his lips. His ears flapped against his neck and he leaned on his mother's shoulder. "I do not like it here."

"We will learn their ways and you will see they are not so frightening," she said, placing her arm around him. "Think on this. The warrior could have killed many in the kraal yesterday. He chose not to. He punished those who offended him. The two who had stolen his mate. He killed only one. He is just and wise. His mate that came down to us in the morning could have slain all of us, and yet she took my hand gently. I know she smelled of death and ashes, but she was kind. Even the black pelt upon her shoulders spoke of her power, yet she restrained that power. She chose to speak and listen. This was wise and we will not be harmed by them."

"Mother, one comes!" Chhal said, taking his head from her shoulder.

Sscuha looked up and saw the small female crossing the plaza from one of the doorways. She carried a cloth in her hands filled with colorful round things. Sscuha sniffed deeply of the air and smiled.

"Fruit," she said to Chhal. "She brings fruit. Be polite. Eat even if you do not care for it."

"Yes, mother," Chhal said and straightened a little. "I will not offend."

***********

When Liam and M'pel E'kmel crossed through the scrubby growth of the plaza to the stream they found the two Fauns and Clot'ilda in the shade of one of the few fruit trees growing on the nearside of the channel. Clot'ilda was offering different fruits to the mother and child and eating one or two herself.

"Someone is making progress, at least," the commander said with a slight smile.

"She's got a good heart," Liam said.

"She is a good First," M'pel E'kmel said and gave Liam a meaningful look.

"I got lucky," Liam nodded.

"Lucky?" she smiled and there was something that flickered behind her eyes, but her smile was genuine. "Yes. Lucky."

Liam wondered about that look in the commander's eyes as they crossed the remaining space and stopped a few meters from the trio sitting in the shade. Clot'ilda paused in mid-bite and looked up to see her mate on his feet. For a heartbeat she could do nothing and then she bounced to her feet and threw herself into his arms the way she so often had. Liam caught her, stumbling back a couple of steps, wincing with the sudden pain in his side. He held her tight as she purred and wept into his shoulder.

"Liam okay," Clot'ilda whispered. "Liam okay."

"I'm alright," he assured her gently. "Are you alright, Babydoll? Where's Tem'Ma'tel? Is she alright?"

Even as he asked there came a rushing through the scrub and Tem'Ma'tel burst onto the scene, throwing her arms around both of them. She too purred and rubbed her muzzle on Liam's neck, but Tem'Ma'tel did not cry or whimper. She only held them in her arms for a moment and then let them go, resuming her usual stoic demeanor. Liam shot a warm, affectionate look at her and reached an arm out, gathering Tem'Ma'tel back into the embrace.

"I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost either of you," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Don't scare me like that again."

"You see how he cares for them?" Sscuha asked her son. "We will be well treated here. They are not so different from the High Grass folk."

Commander M'pel E'kmel was not merely pleased to see all three on their feet again. She was nearly joyous. Her fatigue and all her toils throughout the night in trying to save them and safeguard them as they recovered were well worth this one moment. And yet the commander felt a little left out. At least she did until Liam reached out and pulled her into the embrace as well.

When Liam could no longer support Clot'ilda's weight he somewhat reluctantly released the three females and eased his First back to the ground. He was sweating and his head felt light, but the hug had been good for his spirits.

"Commander," he said and his voice was thick with emotion again. "Thank you for saving us. Without you I don't know that any one of us would have survived the night. I owe you a big one."

"Sergeant, I am glad you all are recovering," she said in a steady tone, but her ears were laid straight back and her tail drooped to rest its tip on the ground. "You, any one of you, would have done the same for me. I know you would have. You are welcome."

"I don't know how I can repay you," Liam said, more himself than a moment before.

"I believe, on this world, you will have many opportunities," M'pel E'kmel said with a smile. "I also believe it is time you greeted our new residents and tried to learn their names, at the least."

Several frustrating minutes of failed conversation followed. Liam could make nothing of the speech of the Fauns and they could making nothing of his. Finally the female held up a hand with an expression that looked suspiciously like resignation. Liam furrowed his brow feeling much the same emotion. He listened as the Fauns exchanged a few words and then the female looked at him and waved her hand, indicating he should follow her.

Across the plaza, near the back corner where the villa butted up to the cliff, she stopped. Here were the four animals the villagers had sent with the mother and son. All the goods they had carried were sitting on the stone pavers next to the wall and the animals browsed the grass and shrubs, their short trunks tearing foliage and stuffing it in their mouths at a sedate pace. It was as though they ate out of boredom rather than hunger.

"All these things are yours," Sscuha said with a theatrical sweep of her arm.

"Any idea what she just said?" Liam asked the females behind him.

"I think she is presenting you with these goods," M'pel E'kmel said uncertainly.

"Yes," agreed Clot'ilda.

"Maybe," Liam said. "Let's make her work for it, though."

"What do you mean?" the commander asked.

"If she thinks we didn't understand, she'll try harder to get her point across," he explained. "It's what I had to do with Clot'ilda at first. When she didn't understand, I had to simplify my instructions to single words."

Sscuha frowned at the strange beings as they spoke. Could they really not understand what she was saying? Well, she didn't understand them, so it was likely. She went to the stacked goods and took the two bows and a pair of spears then returned to the group. Stepping up to the big male with a respectful ducking of her head, Sscuha held out one of the bows to him.

"Yours," she said. She moved to the older female with the streaks of soot on her face and repeated the gesture. She gave a spear to each of the others saying, "Yours." with every gift.

"Now we're getting somewhere," said Liam with a smile.

"I feel so much more enlightened," M'pel E'kmel said dryly.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step," he quoted.

"Where did you hear that?" M'pel E'kmel asked. "It's a rough translation of one of our ancient Teachers."

"It's a rough translation of one of ours, too," Liam said absently. He squatted down so as not to loom over the little Faun. He pointed to the bow and said, "Bow."

"It is yours," Sccuha said, pushing the bow gently towards him.

"Bow," Liam repeated and turned his head as if listening carefully.

"Mother," Chhal said, stepping up next to her. "He wishes to know what it is called."

Sccuha frowned and popped her lips in frustration.

"Bow," Liam said again. "What do you call it?"

"Bow," Chhal said, before his mother could speak.

Liam went back and forth with the boy a couple of times until he was pretty sure he could remember the whistle and pop that translated to bow. Then he turned to M'pel E'kmel and held out his hand. She passed him her bow and he held it in front of the boy.

"Bow," Chhal said with a pleased flap of his ears.

"Well, Sergeant, it's a start," M'pel E'kmel said. He could hear the smile in her voice. "I think this would be a good occupation for you while you rest."

"Yeah, but we all need to learn as much as we can," he said, rising a little creakily to his full height. "And they'll need to learn as much English as possible. This only works if both sides of the conversation can be understood."

"Of course," the commander agreed.

Liam suddenly felt a soft hand on his arm and he looked to find Tem'Ma'tel standing close to him. She handed the spear to the young Faun and then said, "SarJ'ant, come."

Liam frowned, confused.

"SarJ'ant come," she said again. "I wash. Come."

"Do I smell that bad?" he asked, following as she pulled him gently towards the stream. Her only answer was a flick of her tail and a sly smile. She led him over the stones that crossed the stream to the orchard, and then to a cluster of bushes on the paved bank. Here she pulled him up short and turned him to face her. They were close enough for Liam to smell her feral scent.

"Take off," she whispered in a husky voice, taking the waistband of his trousers between fingers and thumbs. "I wash."

Liam smiled and let her open the clasp and undo his fly.

"As much as I appreciate this, I don't think I'm up to much," he said softly, feeling aroused in spite of his injuries.

Tem'Ma'tel ignored him and slid his trousers down to his knees before unclasping his boots and helping him out of them. It took some small effort, but in a minute Liam was standing in the bushes naked and wondering exactly what his mate had in mind. She dragged one of the hyena-frog hides from under a bush and helped him to sit down on it. Then she produced a bundle of food wrapped in plastic packing material from one of the survival packs and his canteen.

"Eat, SarJ'ant. Drink," she said. "Make SarJ'ant strong. Eat."

Liam frowned, opening the bundle. In it was a couple of antelope steaks, some of the potato-roots and one of the red spotted green fruits he liked. Apparently she wasn't thinking what he had thought she was thinking. Or maybe she was.

Tem'Ma'tel began undressing as he sorted through the contents of the bundle. Liam lost interest in the food immediately and watched as she slowly removed her jacket, letting it fall to the ground with a little shake of her shoulders that caused her small breasts to jiggle enticingly behind the fabric of her undershirt. Her nipples rose at the light friction of the cloth. Her eyes gleamed wickedly and her whiskers vibrated as she watched her mate watching her.

"Come here," he whispered, reaching out a hand, his wounds forgotten.

Tem'Ma'tel took his hand and knelt in front of him, purring softly. She eased close to his face, her whiskers touching his cheeks just before she kissed him. He was already reaching to pull her into an embrace when she jerked away. Liam's eyes snapped open in his confusion, but he saw the satisfied smile on her face.

"SarJ'ant, eat," she purred. "SarJ'ant grow strong. I wash."

With those words she pushed him gently back and rose to her feet again. Liam narrowed his eyes on her, being reminded of a time he and his platoon went to a strip club in Athena, back on Provence. Tem'Ma'tel swished her tail lazily, her hips swayed and she slowly peeled out of her trousers, running them down her shapely legs and then daintily stepping out of them. She flicked her trousers aside and gathered up his bloodied clothes, casting a sly glance at him before slipping into the stream up to her waist.

"Um..." Liam began. He forgot what he was going to ask as soon as she plunged the fatigues into the stream, splashing water on herself, soaking her undershirt. The cold water made her nipples stand out like bullets under the gray cloth now plastered to her breasts. As she sloshed the trousers around in the stream her breasts swayed, now pressed together between her arms, now swaying free. Her shirt plastered itself over her figure and then peeled away loosely to hide her delights once more.

Tem'Ma'tel smiled at her mate, pleased to see him aroused even if he were not yet strong enough to lay with her. She had other plans for later. He would need all his strength for that. For now, though, she was taking M'pel E'kmel's advice about teasing. And the commander's advice had been good.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 19



Author's note 9/15/2014: Chapter 22's rough draft is completed and the events of this chapter are set. Since I won't need to make any changes to 19 for the following events, I'm posting this now. 

I want to thank everyone who stepped up and explained all of the possible reasons Liam might have had for not using his guns in chapter 17. Had I realized when I wrote it how many people would not understand, I would have written the chapter much differently. Still and all, I guess I did pretty well since for every person who questioned Liam's actions there was someone else who explained them. 

I will try to have chapter 20 ready by the middle of the week. The story is rapidly coming to a close and I think it will be completed (barring unforeseen delays) by the end of next week. 

***** 

"Show me how you did that," M'pel E'kmel said to Sscuha. They were in the empty workshop next to the kitchen where the commander normally worked on the hides. Sscuha had just demonstrated how to split a length of sinew with a flint blade. She blinked at the commander, trying to understand her words. M'pel E'kmel sighed and said, "Again." 

"Again?" Sscuha asked. She found it difficult to believe such intelligent people could not perform some of the simplest tasks. She laid the sinew over her stick again and used the flint blade. Carefully she pierced the sinew and pulled it, splitting the end about a finger's length down. Then she gripped the fiber in both hands and pulled it in two. 

"And that's all there is to it?" M'pel E'kmel said, bemused. "I would have thought it was more complex." 

Sscuha watched as her new friend took her own stick and laid a strip of sinew over it the way she had been shown. Sscuha was about to hand her the piece of flint, but M'pel E'kmel simply extended the claw on one of her thumbs and used it to pierce the sinew and strip it the way Sscuha had with the flint. She pulled the fibers apart and laughed. Sscuha smiled at her. How clever and how convenient to have such claws. The High Grass folk had only tough nails like miniature hooves on the tips of their fingers. Sscuha watched as M'pel E'kmel split more sinew, each time she did it a little faster. Soon the large piece was many narrower strands. 

"Good," Sscuha said and patted M'pel E'kmel on the arm. "Now we finish these others. Then I show you how to stitch hides." 

"Hides?" the commander asked. She and the other castaways had been working hard to learn the native language for the past four days, but progress was slow. A few words were easy to remember, but there were many in the native tongue. Perhaps too many to easily distinguish one from another. 

"Not now," Sscuha said and patted M'pel E'kmel's arm again. "Sinew. Split." 

"Sinew. Split." The commander nodded her understanding and took another piece from the small pile next to her. 

From the plaza came the sounds of target practice as Chhal taught Clot'ilda to shoot a bow. She was the only castaway small enough to effectively use one of the native weapons and, as with Liam's atlatl, Clot'ilda seemed to have a natural aptitude for it. These quiet pastimes were suddenly interrupted by a call of alarm from Tem'Ma'tel on the wall. M'pel E'kmel dropped the sinew and rushed outside with Sscuha on her heels. 

"What's happened?" she demanded as soon as she entered the plaza. 

"A rider, Commander. Coming fast!" Tem'Ma'tel pointed out over the valley. "Something has happened at the village. I saw a party go out to the stream with water skins and there was some disturbance. When they rushed back to the village, one was being carried." 

"What's going on?" demanded Liam, coming from his rooms. He was buckling on his gun belt, though he looked bleary eyed and tousled from sleep. 

"We don't know, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said. "Come and help me with the gate." 

All the castaways and the two Fauns gathered at the open gate waiting for what news the rider would bring. They did not have to wait long. Up the path thundered the young hunter they had first encountered, his beast wild-eyed and blowing. He hauled back on the reins and brought his mount to a stop just outside the gate. 

"Sscuha there is an emergency!" Stolk said urgently. "Ssuqlik, the daughter of the Keeper of Wisdom, has been attacked by something like a fanglog! Another was killed." 

"What can I do?" Sscuha asked, bewildered. She was no shaman, no healer. 

"Sneisqlik asks that you beg these people to come. Perhaps they have medicine that can save her." 

"I will try," Sscuha replied. She knew Ssuqlik, they were of an age, and she knew Stolk wished to court the girl, though he had not enough name. Turning to the big male and the older female she tried to think of what words they might understand. "Warrior, Oldwife, help." 

"Help?" Liam asked. "Help with what?" 

Sscuha frowned in concentration. She simply didn't have enough knowledge to explain. She reached out and touched Warrior on his side where Stilmnah's spear had pierced him, saying "Wound." 

"Clearly someone has been injured," M'pel E'kmel said, her expression tense. "Some accident must have occurred at the stream." 

"Charlie, saddle," Liam ordered, pointing to the browsing animals. Chhal looked at him, then at the animals and rushed off. "Tem'Ma'tel, help him. Clot'ilda, get a couple of med kits. Quick. Commander, see what you can learn. I'm going to get my armor on." 

"Armor? Why?" she asked. 

"It could be a trap and I'm not going unprepared this time." Liam rushed off to his room. 

Turning back to Sscuha, M'pel E'kmel said, "Speak." 

"A young female is wounded," Sscuha said and then shook her head, realizing Oldwife would not understand. She pointed to herself. "Female." 

"Female. I understand," the commander said with a nod. 

"Wounded," said the Faun. She then held her hands up, wrists together with her fingers crooked and scissored them, clearly imitating the jaws of a predator. 

"A female was attacked by an animal?" M'pel E'kmel asked. She nodded and asked, "Where?" 

Sscuha shook her head unable to recall what that word meant. 

"Sue, where?" M'pel E'kmel repeated and began pointing to various parts of her body. 

"I think she wants to know where Ssuqlik is wounded," Sscuha said to Stolk. 

"Her legs," the young hunter responded instantly. "Both legs. Please hurry. She's bleeding!" 

Sscuha turned back to Oldwife and pointing to her legs she said, "Wounded." 

"I understand," M'pel E'kmel said with an exaggerated nod. 

Liam and Clot'ilda emerged from the apartments at the same time Tem'Ma'tel and Chhal brought up the saddled animals. 

"Alright, Commander, you've ridden animals before, haven't you?" Liam asked, still pulling on his sleeves as Clot'ilda snapped fastenings closed on his breastplate. 

"Yes, but not like these," she said. 

"Still, you've got some experience," he said and clapped his helmet on then began closing the clasps on his leg armor. "You'll ride one, Tem'Ma'tel will ride with Charlie. I'll ride the bull and Clot'ilda will ride with Sue." 

"I ride Rover, Liam," Clot'ilda said firmly. 

"Rover won't be able to keep up, Babydoll," he said taking the reins of the bull. 

"I. Ride. Rover," Clot'ilda replied. She had absolutely no wish to ride such a large beast as one of these things. A fall from one would surely kill her. She was convinced of it. 

"Fine. Give me the med kits." He reached out and took them and then mounted the bull. "Call Rover and when you get there wait with Tem'Ma'tel outside the village." 

"Outside?" Tem'Ma'tel asked frowning. 

"Outside," he confirmed. "In case we need a rescue." 

"You can't believe this is a trap," M'pel E'kmel said as she climbed into the saddle. It was too small for her and had no stirrups, but the high pommel and cantle made for a tight if uncomfortable fit and she had no fear of falling off. 

"No, but I ain't taking any chances." Liam tucked the med kits into his cargo pockets and said, "Tem'Ma'tel, get some weapons. Fast." 

The jZav'Etch Marine returned a minute later and handed deq'istles to the commander and Clot'ilda who was now sitting astride Rover. The big beast looked confused, but he made no protest at her slight weight. Once everyone was mounted Liam motioned the young hunter to lead the way and they were off at a punishing gallop. 

Liam had ridden horses often on his uncle's farm and once on Earth he had ridden a camel. He found these native beasts had a gate somewhere between the two. It was easy for him to adapt his seat and he saw that once underway M'pel E'kmel adapted quickly also. Tem'Ma'tel, who had never ridden any animal, held onto the saddle with a death grip while Charlie sat confidently, head high, almost smiling at the excitement of storming over the grassland. Sue rode as well as her son and they soon outpaced Clot'ilda on Rover, though the plainswalker was moving faster than they had seen him run except on the day he brought the wounded Pah'Tht back to the villa. 

Ten minutes of hard riding brought them to the village where they were greeted by a subdued and worried looking community. The Fauns cleared a path straight to a hut near the long one where the chief lived. Outside, the chief and the ambassador stood, the latter ringing his hands and pacing. A pair of hunters took the leads of the mounts as Liam and M'pel E'kmel dismounted. Sue leapt down from her animal and went straight to the ambassador, taking his hands and asking questions. 

Liam watched as the two exchanged a few rushed words and then the ambassador waved them into his hut. The interior was lit by a number of tallow dips in large mollusk shells, sending thin wisps of soot into the air. On a pad of hides lay an unconscious young female, her legs bloodied below the knees and a large wound in one thigh. An older female knelt next to her holding her hand. 

"Here," Liam said, handing one of the med kits to M'pel E'kmel as he removed his helmet. They moved to the wounded female. 

"This leg is broken," the commander said. "Lacerations and punctures. Not good, but I don't think these wounds are life threatening." 

"She's losing a lot of blood from this wound," Liam said intently. There was a tourniquet wrapped around the girl's thigh, but blood was still seeping from the punctures. He took a probe and slipped the tip into one of them. His kit ticked and then chimed, flashing data onto its screen. "Man, there's all kinds of information, but the kit doesn't know the anatomy." 

"This one does," M'pel E'kmel said. "I did those scans of our friends when they first joined us, remember?" 

She moved to Liam's side and looked at the screen before taking a lead and plugging it into the port on his machine. Instantly the data spooled and both machines began analyzing the female's wounds. 

"Infection is already setting in?" Liam wondered aloud. 

"Must be some kind of toxin in the creature's bite," she replied. "A simple antibiotic may solve that. Her femur is broken, too. This poor girl won't be walking any time soon." 

"Whatever did this must be pretty powerful," Liam said absently as he took a hypo from his kit and loaded it with antibiotics. He was about to inject the female, but the older Faun grabbed his wrist, frowning at him. "It's medicine. I won't harm her." 

The old female shook her head firmly and pushed his hand back. 

"Give it to me," M'pel E'kmel said, taking the hypo from his fingers. "She may not trust you after the last time you were here." 

Liam grunted and ran his scanner over the patient's abdomen and chest while the commander administered the shot without interference. The scanner indicated the female had multiple bruises, muscle strains and internal contusions. 

"I think she got bounced around pretty hard," he told M'pel E'kmel as she began cleaning the wounds with disinfectant. "A couple of cracked ribs to go with everything else." 

"Whatever this animal was, it was large," she said. "The bite is wider than my hand is long." 

"A hyena-frog?" 

"They were by the water when she was attacked," she replied, packing gauze into one of the punctures. "And as powerful as hyena-frogs are, I doubt one would have done this kind of damage. Besides, they travel in packs and would surely have been seen before the attack." 

"Damned big, no matter what it is." 

"Yes." She paused to read her kit and then said, "Sergeant, perhaps you should take this opportunity to mend some fences." 

"We are," he said and checked the patient's eyes. "Both eyes are responsive." 

"Good. What I mean is that you could send Clot'ilda in to me and take Tem'Ma'tel with that young hunter and see if you could find and kill the beast that attacked this poor girl. The villagers may already have sent a party to deal with it, but that may not have occurred to them." 

"Right," Liam said, grabbing his helmet. "I'll send in Clot'ilda if she's here. Good luck, Commander." 

"Luck to you, also," she said as he left the hut. 

Liam pushed between the chief and the ambassador, taking the chief by the arm as he did. 

"Chief, I want to try to kill the animal that did this," Liam said making gestures in an effort to convey his meaning. 

"Sscuha, what does he say?" Seschiqal asked. 

"He speaks of an animal," she replied, concentrating on Warrior's words. 

"Sue, I want to hunt the animal that attacked the girl," said Liam, again making gestures indicating the wounded female in the hut and then gesturing out at the stream. 

"Animal?" Sscuha asked. At Liam's nod she turned to Seschiqal and said, "I think he wishes to know what attacked Ssuqlik." 

"We think it was a fanglog," Seschiqal said frowning. 

"Stolk," Liam whistled and clicked the hunter's name to catch his attention. "Come with me." 

The chief and Sscuha followed the pair as Liam led them towards the entrance of the kraal. 

"We hunt," Liam said carefully, hoping Sue would understand his meaning. 

"Hunt?" she asked, wide eyed. No one hunted the fanglog. They were far too dangerous. Faster than any hunter could be and lying in wait below the water until an unsuspecting victim was near. Too dangerous. It would kill Warrior. It would kill any who tried to hunt it. 

"Hunt," Liam said firmly. 

"Chief, he wishes to hunt the fanglog," Sscuha said. 

"No one hunts fanglogs," Seschiqal replied, astonished. 

"He is Warrior," she said simply. "He is strong. He will hunt it if he can." 

"I will hunt with him," Stolk said, a fire in his eyes. 

"I will go also," Seschiqal said, being decided by the young hunter's zeal. "If the mighty one goes, I will go. We will kill this fanglog and others will fear us." 

"Or it will kill all of you," Sscuha argued. "Do not do this thing, my chief." 

"I must. After what Stilmnah did, I must," he said and pulled Liam to a stop outside the kraal. "Wait here. We go for weapons." 

Liam looked to Sue and she pushed her hands down in the gesture he knew meant wait. He gave her a nod and watched as the chief and Stolk ran off. 

"What happens, SarJ'ant?" Tem'Ma'tel asked. Clot'ilda and Rover were with her while Charlie held the reins of the riding beast. 

"Clot'ilda, I need you to go in and help M'pel E'kmel treat the girl," he said and pointed to the hut where everyone was gathered. Clot'ilda nodded without question and trotted off. "Tem'Ma'tel, you and me are going to try to find and kill the animal that attacked the girl." 

"Animal?" Tem'Ma'tel asked. 

"Something big grabbed her," he explained. "It might still be around and from the looks I got when the Fauns realized what I wanted to do, it has to be pretty dangerous. You up for it?" 

For answer she unslung her weapon and unfolded its stock, checking to be sure the safety was off. 

"That's my Marine," said Liam, grinning and patted her on the rump. 

When the young hunter returned he was carrying a pair of flint tipped spears and his bow with a quiver full of arrows. The chief arrived a minute later with a small leather shield on his arm, a long spear and a thick club hanging from a strap at his hip. 

"His female goes with him," Sscuha told the males. "They will hunt together, I think." 

"Are you sure it is a female?" asked Stolk, remembering his first impression that this was the male of the three furred strangers. Sscuha smacked him lightly on the side of the head. He dodged back, protesting, "I did not know!"  

"Strongwife is kind, though fearsome," Sscuha said. "They are all good to me and my son." 

"Enough," Seschiqal said sternly. "We go to hunt that which the High Grass folk do not hunt. A female such as this is welcome." 

Sscuha and Chhal followed at a little distance accompanied by Rover who was curious to see what was happening. Stolk led the way down to where the folk collected their water. It was near the spot he and his party of scouts had used as a camp. Immediately he saw that the stream had risen considerably due to all the rain. Much deeper than before, it was now a place where the fanglog could easily hide in wait without being discovered. The females had been too incautious. This was the bad luck Stilmnah had brought on the village. 

"Tracks, SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel said, pointing to deep prints in the mud at the edge of the water. She had not approached the stream, knowing danger lurked below its surface. 

"A lot of them," Liam observed. "Either there was more than one of these things or it has a lot of legs." 

"SarJ'ant, look," she said. There was blood among the tracks, mixed into the mud a few meters away. 

"Four toes. Big claws. Maybe it's something like a crocodile or a swamp lion," he said, noting how the tracks indicated the creature had pulled its victim back into the stream. There was no sign its belly had touched the bank, meaning it had fully supported its weigh on its feet during the attack. 

"Four toes?" Stolk said to Seschiqal. "I thought fanglogs had six." 

"These are not the tracks of a fanglog," Seschiqal said with a frown. 

"What could it be, Chief Seschiqal?" Sscuha asked, worried. 

"I do not know," he said and stepped over to Warrior. "Mighty one, this is not the animal we thought it was." 

Liam frowned down on the chief, not understanding his meaning. Seschiqal pointed to one of the clearest tracks and motioned for Liam to kneel. 

"A fanglog's track looks like this," Seschiqal said and pressed his fingers into the mud next to the clear track. With a few quick motions he sculpted the track of a fanglog, including the marks made by its short claws. "That is fanglog. I do not know what this other is." 

"What he mean, SarJ'ant?" Tem'Ma'tel wondered. 

"Not sure," replied Liam, getting to his feet. He stared at the impression the chief had made and then at the print the creature had left. "It might be that these tracks are from something the chief hasn't seen before. He keeps using the same word over and over and he pointed to the impression he just made when he said it." 

Liam looked up at a whistle from Stolk. He saw the young Faun pointing up stream to a spot about twenty meters away near an undercut in the opposite bank. Liam powered on his sensors and immediately picked up a heat signature below the surface. 

"That is one big son of a bitch." 

"SarJ'ant?" asked Tem'Ma'tel coming to his side. 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 19



"That undercut," he replied, pointing. 

Tem'Ma'tel flipped a switch on the side of her weapon and brought the scope to her eye. The scope was not as versatile or sensitive as Liam's sensors, but it did have a heat sensing mode. The shape of the thing under the water was distorted and the signature muted, but she could see it was large. And then she saw its head break the surface and took the scope from her eye to stare at it. 

"Damn," Liam swore softly. He'd been expecting something fearsome, scaled and horned. This thing was slick, with oddly textured scales. Even as he stared at it the animal seemed to flicker and fade into the background. It didn't disappear, it just became difficult to see. Large, opaque black eyes blinked at them and then it submerged again. The chief and Stolk moved back further from the water's edge and watched the slight wake the animal made as it swam under the surface towards them, stopping a few meters away. 

"What do you think?" Liam asked his mate. 

"Shoot no good," she said. 

"Yeah, the water would dissipate your rounds before they could do any damage." He took one of his EP 12s from its holster and contemplated putting a round into the water to see if he could get any penetration. Likely, though, even an armor piercing round would slow too much to hurt the creature. 

"Warrior," Charlie said, coming up to Liam. He held a large stone and bounced it in his palm. "Throw rocks at it. Make it angry." 

"Chhal! Leave them to their hunt!" Sscuha said urgently. She took her son's arm and drew him back even further from the water, but Warrior turned to consider the boy's suggestion. 

"I think I see what he means," Liam said and took the stone from the boy. 

"The young one is right," Chief Seschiqal said and picked a fist sized stone from the ground. "Stolk, gather more stones. We may need many to bring it up." 

"Throwing the rocks might just drive it off," Liam said, still holding the rock. 

"How we shoot animal, SarJ'ant?" Tem'Ma'tel asked. 

"We need some rope," he said and turned to Chhal. "Charlie. Rope." 

"Rope?" Chhal asked, confused by the sudden change in plan. 

"Fetch a rope," Sscuha said. "Make it a long one." 

As the boy ran off Liam went to a thick sapling nearby. 

"Tem'Ma'tel, give me a hand with this," he said. When she joined him they both pulled on the sapling, gradually bending it over until its roots tore from the soft soil. 

The Fauns paused in their collection of stones to watch what the stranger would do next. Liam used his knife to chop several small branches off the trunk before hacking at the trunk itself. He continued to work on the part he had cut away until he was left with a stout wooden grapnel. 

"His blade did not break," said Stolk in amazement. 

"It is made from a god tear," Seschiqal said almost reverently. He had seen such a blade many seasons ago and now wondered if he could make one from the god tear Warrior had given him. 

Chhal returned at a run with a cord as big around as Liam's thumb. Liam took the rope and tried to fasten a large stone to the grapnel, but the rope was too thick to hold it securely. 

"Here, take this," Seschiqal said, unwinding the thong from his war club. 

"Thanks, Chief," said Liam, accepting the long strip of leather. In a minute Liam had the stone lashed to the wood and had the rope tied to the grapnel. Liam rose, swinging his creation lightly. Moving closer to the water he said, "Weapons ready." 

Tem'Ma'tel brought her deq'istle up to her shoulder and watched as Liam whirled the weighted grapnel over his head. He looked into the water and with his scope found the long form of the predator below the surface. 

"Alright," he said. "I'm going to try to hook it and drag it to the surface. It may not come up. It might just charge us. I don't know. Everyone be ready. Sue and Charlie, you two get back up the slope a little further. I don't want you getting hurt." 

At the gesture from Warrior, Sscuha took Chhal by the arm and pulled him away. Rover wandered a little closer, curious as to what the bipeds were doing. He'd never seen them act like this before and was concerned that they were going to make the creature in the water angry. That would not be a good thing. He'd had his own encounter with it before his new bipeds had come here, though that had been farther downstream. 

"Chief Seschiqal, what does he do?" Stolk asked, putting an arrow to his bowstring. 

"I think he plans to cast the hook into the water," Seschiqal replied, readying his spear. "Why he baited it with the stone, I do not know." 

"It's moving again. Get ready!" Liam barked and threw the grapnel so that the rope would cross over the animal's back. It fell near the beast's hind quarters and Liam hauled back hard, feeling the long hooks take hold. Instantly there was a thrashing below the surface as the beast rolled and Liam was dragged a couple of paces towards the stream, fighting and slipping in the mud. His boot clamps snapped out, but there was nothing for them to bite on. His feet slid out from under him and he went to his ass. Though jolted by the fall Liam kept pulling on the line, watching as the animal continued to roll under the water, churning the surface as its tail lashed. 

"SarJ'ant!" Tem'Ma'tel cried in alarm at the vulnerable position her mate was now in. 

Liam ignored her and pulled with everything he had, his boots sinking deeper in the mud. Suddenly the chief laid hands to the line and dragged with him, his hooves sinking into the mud alongside Liam's. The chief was larger than the average Faun and his slim frame had more strength than one might have guessed. Between the two they began to pull the monster to shore. It struggled for a moment more and then abruptly reversed itself, surging towards the source of its torment. 

Tem'Ma'tel and Stolk both shot as the creature, all churning legs and wide spread mouth, lunged up from the deep water. Tem'Ma'tel's blast caught it a grazing shot across its back. Stolk's arrow struck in the shoulder, but bounced off uselessly. And then the animal was on top of Liam. Four meters of muscle and teeth lunged at him and Liam only just got his arms up in time to take the impact. 

Out of nowhere Rover appeared and clamped down on one of its powerful forelegs, drawing blood and a hiss of anger. The beast turned on him, snapping at Rover's back, but got a mouthful of quills for his trouble. It hissed again and tried to free its leg, only dragging Rover closer. 

Seschiqal, unable to use his spear at this range, beat at the creature with his club to no effect. It lunged at him, biting the top edge of his shield. With a powerful convulsion it tore the leather and wood from the chief's arm, flinging it into the stream. Tem'Ma'tel fired another bolt, blasting a hole in the beast's side. It screamed in agony and tried to spin away, but Rover still had its leg and his massive claws dug deep into the muddy bank. Liam got hold of the rope again and pulled, tangling four or five of the animal's legs. Stolk shot another arrow and then took one of his spears to stab at its eyes. 

The animal, in rage and pain, thrashed, driving Liam deeper into the soft bank, knocking the chief away with its massive head. Finally it tore its leg from Rover's teeth, though it opened a deep wound, crippling the leg. Stolk's spear found one of the dark eyes and the animal screamed again in agony. As it reared up Tem'Ma'tel put a bolt through its head and it fell limp, legs and tail twitching as it died. Everyone went silent, panting with the abrupt end to the battle. From up the bank came cheers and whistles. A small group of villagers had gathered to watch the hunt, coming in time to witness the battle. 

"Well, it's dead," Liam panted. "Could someone get it off of me now?" 

Tem'Ma'tel rushed to him and tried to lift the dead beast off, but it was far too heavy, perhaps three hundred kilos. She began scrabbling at the mud and soil of the bank, trying to dig Liam out. Rover came to her side and seeing what she was doing he applied his claws, moving huge mounds of sodden soil with each stroke. Tem'Ma'tel wrapped her strong fingers around Liam's arm and pulled with all her might, sliding him free of the enormous weight. 

Immediately they were surrounded by cheering, whistling Fauns. Liam was hoisted to his feet and the chief was lifted from the mud to stand next to him. Tem'Ma'tel rose and threw her arms around her mate with an offer of 'Take!' bursting from her as she did. 

"Not right now, Marine," he said, opening his visor. "You're all muddy." 

She kissed him and hugged harder, almost lifting him from the ground in her exuberance after surviving another battle. 

Rover moved away from the crowd of cheering bipeds and sat down in the grass to let the mud on his fur and quills dry. So much noise over something like this made no sense to him. They killed it. Now what? 

"Well done, Mighty One!" Seschiqal shouted and clapped Liam across his armored shoulders. "None has ever slain a beast such as this! We will feast. You shall have its heart!" 

He stepped to Tem'Ma'tel and placed his hand on her shoulder. 

"You are as mighty as your mate!" he shouted so that all could hear. "We will make a necklace of the beast's teeth and all will know you slew it with your magic. You will be honored among our people in the Tales. And you, Stolk, will from this day be known as Stolkchiq. I give you part of my name in honor of the deed you have done. Let all hear me, I have spoken!" 

The chief lifted his club into the air like a baton and led the way back to the kraal while the gathered folk continued to whistle and cheer. Some clapped Liam on the back and a few even patted Tem'Ma'tel on the shoulders. More villagers were gathered near the entrance, all staring in wonder at the mud covered hunters and cheering folk. Word spread and soon the whole community knew what had passed at the stream bank. A score of the males were sent out by Chief Seschiqal and other folk were ordered to prepare food. There would be a celebration of the victory and the vengeance they had wreaked upon the monster. There was good news for the hunters as well. The young female was no longer in danger of dying. 

"We were able to stop the bleeding," M'pel E'kmel told Liam as soon as he and Tem'Ma'tel came up to the hut where the girl lay. "She'll need to remain in bed for a few days, or weeks. I don't know. But she will recover. We can keep an eye on her. Monitor her progress." 

"That's good," Liam said, a little out of breath. 

"Are you injured?" the commander asked, concern clouding her face. 

"My side hurts," he explained. "Suit says I'm not bleeding, though. Just the strain of the fight, I think. I'll be fine in a bit." 

"We should examine your wound," she said and reached for the seal on the side of his breastplate. 

"Just give me the scanner," Liam replied. She frowned, but did as he asked. He took the lead from the med kit, plugged it into a port on his breastplate and showed her the screen. 

"It says the new tissue is swollen and recommends an anti-inflammatory," she told him. "Also, you need to take a vitamin C capsule and should consume more fiber." 

"It always says that," he grumbled and unplugged the lead. 

They were interrupted when the ambassador stepped up and placed his hand on M'pel E'kmel's shoulder. He spoke a few words and then unexpectedly embraced her warmly. His daughter had been saved. The older female who had been sitting with the girl earlier came up and also embraced M'pel E'kmel, then stepped back. She took a string of polished stones from her neck and hung it about the commander's, embracing her again. 

"I'm thinking they're the parents," Liam said softly. 

"You are most welcome," M'pel E'kmel said to the couple and hugged them both again before they ducked into the hut where their daughter lay. Her ears flicked and she sighed, pleased to see the couple's relief, but when she spoke her voice was tinged with something sad. "I wonder how the other family is dealing with the loss of their child." 

Soon after that the Fauns carried the massive form of the predator into the kraal. They'd tied its eight legs to a series of logs and several of them bore each log on their shoulders. The chief made some sort of speech and then amidst cheers and whistles from the gathered villagers, they carried the thing down to where they slaughtered their kills. 

Liam noticed an odd, concerned look in M'pel E'kmel's eyes. She was focused wholly on the carcass as the natives carried it away. 

"What's wrong?" he asked. 

She shook herself and said, "That is a huge animal." 

"It looks bigger when it's laying on top of you," Liam chuckled. 

"Liam okay?" Clot'ilda asked, coming from the hut where the wounded girl lay quietly. About her neck was a necklace of shining shells. Some were long and thin. Others were oval. All sparkled in the sunlight, winking in blues and pinks. 

"I'm fine," he said and bent down to kiss her. Before he could draw away she nipped his beard and smiled. "Tem'Ma'tel is fine, too. She's the one that actually killed the monster. Put a round right through its head." 

"Rover helped," Tem'Ma'tel added, coming up to them with the big plainswalker at her hip. "Rover brave. Strong." 

"Sure is," Liam agreed and patted the beast on his neck. 

"Good Rover," Clot'ilda said and squatted in front of him to scratch under his jaw. Rover moaned and pressed his snout into Clot'ilda's belly, closing his eyes. There were no parasites these days, but he still liked the attention. 

"It's quite late. Before we return to the villa I would like to get a sample of the animal's saliva and examine it," M'pel E'kmel said. 

"Why?" asked Liam. 

"There might be toxins or venom that the kits missed," she replied a little too easily. 

Liam frowned at her. 

"I'm curious, Sergeant," she said a little sheepishly. "Had I not gone into the military, I would have made a career of biology. I find it fascinating." 

"Alright, but don't take too long," he agreed. "I'm tired and sore. I'd like to get some food into me and then some sleep." 

While the commander was away Liam and his mates rested in the shade and watched as the villagers built a fire. Meat on spits was hung over the flames and several females cut long tubers of some sort, dropping them into a stone bowl filled with water. Others folded large green leaves over some kind of grain and shoved the bundles under coals at the edge of the fire. Everyone seemed animated and a general air of good cheer filled the Fauns. 

"I suppose it is time for us to return to the villa," the commander observed when she returned, slinging the med kit over her shoulder on its strap. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have had quite enough excitement." 

"Yeah," Liam agreed. "Let them celebrate. It's been a long day in just the last couple of hours." 

Before they made it more than a few steps, though, they were grabbed by a dozen female Fauns and led back to the chief's hut. Inside they found the chief who was still covered in mud and beside him were Sue and Charlie. The chief greeted them with a large smile and open arms, waving them to mats of antelope hide stuffed with grass laid along the walls. Small tallow lamps were brought in and then the females who had stopped them from leaving reentered carrying wooden trays and baskets of food. 

The chief kept the castaways for three more hours, talking nearly nonstop the whole time. Finally, when they were allowed to leave, one of the hunters came and presented a necklace of shining white teeth to Tem'Ma'tel and another to Liam. The largest of the teeth were as long as a man's index finger. Liam's necklace fit snuggly around the collar of his armor, but Tem'Ma'tel's hung on a loose thong with the longest teeth pointing straight into her cleavage. She looked down at it and then up into Liam's eyes with a wicked smile that he could not miss. 

They left as the sun was beginning to set and took their time about crossing the valley. There was no need to rush. Besides, their bellies were too full of good food to warrant any haste. 

*********** 

"Liam awake?" Clot'ilda's voice came from the doorway. She poked her head around the frame and smiled at him. Her fur was damp from the bath she had taken as soon as they had the animals and gear stowed. 

"I'm awake," he replied. Liam had just been knocking the worst of the dried mud off his armor, thinking it was impossible to keep it clean for more than a day around this place. His boots sat to one side, caked in the stuff. "Enjoy your bath, Babydoll?" 

"Yes!" she hissed happily. "Tem'Ma'tel enjoy, too." 

"Oh?" he asked with a broad smile. "The two of you bathed together and didn't call me?" 

"Yes," she said and reached around the door frame to pull the larger jZav'Etch into the room after her. Both were naked except for the necklaces they had been given. Tem'Ma'tel's necklace of teeth shone ivory white against her red-gold fur while the silver opalescent shells of Clot'ilda's winked and glittered in the light of the hand lamp hung on the wall. 

Liam smiled, taking in the display of lush curves and dancing eyes. The two females reminded him of mischievous schoolgirls out of a movie he had seen many years ago. They pranced lightly across the room to him, both jiggling enticingly. The tall, powerful Tem'Ma'tel a sharp contrast to the petite Clot'ilda. Liam could already feel himself becoming aroused before they kissed him. 

"Take, SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel purred into his ear. "No mud. Clean." 

Their scent filled the room and it was all he could do not to tear his clothes off. Damp and warm they pressed themselves to him and Clot'ilda giggled as she stretched up to nip at his beard. Liam forgot his sore muscles and the pounding he had taken when fighting the eight legged monster in the stream. He drew them in tighter against his sides, feeling their warm curves and ran his hands down until he cupped one firm ass cheek in each. Clot'ilda pressed her face into his chest and Tem'Ma'tel nuzzled his neck, nipping lightly. 

"So why did the two of you come in here?" he asked teasingly. 

Clot'ilda answered by opening the clasp on his fatigues. At the same time Tem'Ma'tel began pulling his shirt up. She slipped her hand under the material and ran her fingers over his broad chest, feeling the scars almost as if she were reading them the way a blind person might read Braille. Both cats purred, the humming vibrations filled the room as thoroughly as their scent. Liam squeezed their pliable flesh in his fingers, enjoying the sensation of their fur. Clot'ilda's was longer than Tem'Ma'tel's, but both were silky soft, even damp. 

The females turned their mate and eased him back towards his air mattress. Liam allowed them to maneuver him, stepping carefully over the hard packed earth of the floor. As Clot'ilda began pulling his trousers down, Tem'Ma'tel took him by the arms and eased him down onto the mattress catching the cuffs of his sleeves when he was seated. She pulled his shirt off in one smooth motion and then they were on him. Tem'Ma'tel found his mouth with hers and Clot'ilda found his manhood. Liam took in a sharp breath at the combined sensations even as Tem'Ma'tel pinched one of his nipples between her thumbs. 

Liam kissed Tem'Ma'tel harder, his hand at the nape of her neck, and put his other hand on the back of Clot'ilda's head, gently encouraging her to continue her ministrations. She ran her tongue down the length of his engorged member and then back up, laughing when she felt it twitch under the light pressure. She kissed the head before slipping it between her lips. Slowly she slid the head to the back of her throat and then in, taking his full length. 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 19



Tem'Ma'tel broke their kiss and looked to see what her sister was doing. She smiled and eased along Liam's body, kissing and nipping as she went. Clot'ilda came up for air and the two females were face to face. They kissed long and deep, and then Clot'ilda leaned Liam's manhood towards Tem'Ma'tel's mouth. With a smile the larger female licked the head then suckled the tip before taking more. She felt Liam's breaths coming faster and the hand on the back of her neck pressed firmly, his desire mounting. Her tail lashed in delight and she lowered her mouth over the shaft. Warm and pulsing, it slid on her tongue leaving the salty tang of him for her to savor. 

"Damn!" Liam gasped. He ran his hand down Tem'Ma'tel's back, feeling the supple curve of her hip and then her round ass slide under his palm. His fingers found the warmth of her sex and he pressed lightly, eliciting a deep moaning purr that resonated off the walls. Her tail flicked hard and froze in the air, clearing his path to her pleasure. His fingers sank in and her purr thrummed in his ears. Her mouth dove back down his shaft, engulfing him. Clot'ilda leaned in and licked the sensitive skin where his seed was kept and then took it in her mouth, gently rolling her tongue over the soft flesh. 

Taking her mouth from their lover, Clot'ilda asked, "Are you ready, sister?" 

Tem'Ma'tel rose almost reluctantly from Liam's shaft, licked her lips and nodded. 

Liam had no idea what his First had said and was confused when the two changed positions. Tem'Ma'tel straddled his hips, pushing him back onto the mattress with a gentle but firm hand and a seductive smile. He suddenly felt Clot'ilda's hand running over his manhood, a slippery feeling spreading on its length. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. Tem'Ma'tel had never seemed interested in this sort of thing. 

"He is ready," Clot'ilda whispered and grasped Tem'Ma'tel's tail in one hand and Liam's shaft in the other. She drew her Second down and back until the head of their mate's manhood was at Tem'Ma'tel's other place of pleasure. "Carefully, sister." 

Tem'Ma'tel, nervous and excited, eased back, feeling the unfamiliar pressure. It hurt a little and she paused to allow her muscles to relax before continuing. With Clot'ilda guiding her Liam's manhood spread and opened Tem'Ma'tel until the head slid in. There was a sudden, uncomfortable pain that caused her to rise off again, but Clot'ilda gently eased her back down and the second time the head slipped in more easily. Tem'Ma'tel sighed and let her weight begin to slowly settle on Liam's hips, his shaft gradually penetrating her. 

Liam watched in fascination. Tem'Ma'tel, so strong and beautiful, looked so nervous and yet determined. He smiled at her when her rump rested on his hips. She arched her back and leaned her head back, thrusting out her breasts and Liam reached for them, kneading the small mounds and caressing the nipples. She moaned and shivered under his touch, her tail flicking violently from side to side. 

"Good," Tem'Ma'tel breathed into the air. "So good. Thank you, sister." 

Clot'ilda rose up and lightly bit her Second on the neck, their purring unified. She ran her hands around to the larger female's breasts. Finding Liam was already caressing them, she pressed his hands harder onto the soft mounds. Tem'Ma'tel shuddered again and reached back to pull Clot'ilda into her, feeling her sister's breasts press into her back. 

Clot'ilda enjoyed the contact for a moment and then she moved around to straddle Liam's face. His tongue found her sex as she leaned forward to lick and suckle Tem'Ma'tel's nipples. This was good. It felt right to be here with the two she loved, to have them touch her without restraint and to touch them in kind. Liam's tongue flicked over the diamond of her sex, sending a wave of pleasure up through her. She nipped Tem'Ma'tel, making her gasp. This was all very, very good. 

Tem'Ma'tel began to ride Liam's hardness, feeling the head slide over the pleasure spot within her. Even Clot'ilda had not stimulated her so much. She could hardly restrain her movements, but she wanted this to last. If she could live the rest of her life feeling as she did now, she would. And then Clot'ilda nipped her again and Tem'Ma'tel felt the warmth inside her spreading. The tingling she had fought to restrain began to intensify and she could not hold herself back. She began to rise and fall on his shaft with increasing urgency. 

Liam felt Tem'Ma'tel begin to pound onto his hips and knew she would soon reach her climax. He flicked his tongue over Clot'ilda's sex and slid his finger deep inside her warmth. She shivered and moaned at his touch, grinding herself onto his mouth, her little tail flicking side to side. He slid his finger from her and pressed it to her other opening. Clot'ilda rose slightly and arched her back to accept it. Careful not to rush, he pressed the tip in and then slowly followed it first one knuckle and then the next. Clot'ilda's purr was a living thing of its own as she arched her back, pushing his finger deeper. 

"Yes!" Clot'ilda shouted and thrust her hips back hard against his hand. "There!" 

Hearing her sister's cry of delight Tem'Ma'tel slammed her hips down and suddenly there was no holding back. A flood of heat blasted through her and then she was shaking all over in the grip of the most powerful climax she had yet experienced. She cried out to the ceiling, nearly roaring with the release of her desire. 

Liam felt the spray of Tem'Ma'tel's orgasm an instant before she roared. Clot'ilda shook and yowled as if she were encouraging her and then she too climaxed, sending her own spray of joy over him. Liam couldn't hold back anymore. With a muffled grunt he let go, arching his back to press himself as deeply into his mate as he could go. 

Moments later the three separated. Liam gasped, laughing with the release and pleasure of sharing them. The two jZav'Etch kissed and nipped as they rose from their mate and then lay one on either side of him, the air mattress hardly large enough for all three. They pressed close and kissed and cuddled, a family. 

*********** 

"What was that?" Sscuha asked, jumping to her feet and looking around, frightened by the sudden roar. 

"Don't be afraid," M'pel E'kmel said soothingly, putting out a hand to gently touch the Faun. "Tem'Ma'tel and Clot'ilda are spending the night with Sergeant Carter. It's nothing to worry about." 

Sscuha didn't know what Oldwife had just said, but the large female did not seem frightened. She frowned and looked out into the plaza, now draped in evening shadows. Chhal was looking about as afraid as she. 

"It's alright," she called to her son. "Oldwife is not frightened. Do not worry. Finish your work and then get off to sleep. I will be there in a little while." 

Chhal didn't look convinced, but he waved to her and went back to grooming the landstriders. 

Sscuha returned to sit in front of Oldwife and looked curiously at the image on the magic box. It showed a female more similar to Warrior than to Oldwife, Strongwife or Kindwife. The female in the image had a long, pale mane sprouting from her head and smooth skin. She was naked except for strange triangular patches of cloth or hide that covered her breasts and her sex. Why would any female wear something so ridiculous? Sscuha looked up questioningly at Oldwife. 

"Sergeant Carter likes these things," Oldewife said with a smile. "Let me give you a better look at the silly thing." 

She turned and pulled a small, shiny bag from under her sleeping mat. Sscuha wondered what creature could have skin that shimmered the way the bag did. From the bag Oldwife took what looked like a scroll and somehow attached it to the magic box. There was a soft click when the two joined and then the image on the magic box flickered. From the side of the scroll Oldwife pulled a clear sheet of something the like of which Sscuha had never seen. She watched in amazement as the image on the magic box flickered and resolved itself on the sheet. Oldwife placed the fingers and thumbs of one hand on the sheet and spread them. The image spread too, until only the torso of the female showed on the sheet. 

"That should give you a better idea of how it's made," said Oldwife. She handed the magic thing to Sscuha who took it reluctantly. Then Oldwife reached into the shiny bag again. This time she came out with fish skins. "I have cut these to fit and I was able to sew them, but the stitches broke. The plant fiber I used dried out. I thought it would, but I had nothing else to work with." 

Sscuha took the fish skins from Oldwife and examined them with a critical eye. They did look like the triangular patches on the female in the image, but the stitches had been done with grass. Not a suitable substitute for proper thread. Reverently setting aside the magic thing she pulled the few bits of broken grass thread from the holes with a dismissive shake of her head and rose, making the gesture for Oldwife to remain where she was. A minute or two later Sscuha returned with her pouch of sewing stuff. She plopped down on the floor of Oldwife's room and rummaged in the pouch. Finally she came out with a ball of spun antelope mane and another of spun landstrider hair. The antelope mane was finer, but she presented both to Oldwife. 

"I see," M'pel E'kmel said appreciatively. "Much better than what I've come up with so far. I had thought I might need to resort to stitching them with threads from my uniform. That wouldn't do, though." 

As usual Sscuha had no notion of what Oldwife's words meant, but she liked the tone her new friend was using. And she liked her smile. From her pouch she took a flap of leather through which were thrust her bone needles. She also pulled out a stitching awl made from antler. 

"No, no," M'pel E'kmel said with a gentle smile. "Those are not fine enough for this work. I took these from one of Sergeant Carter's medical kits." 

Sscuha blinked at the strange box Oldwife took from the shiny bag. It looked as though it were made from ivory, only she had never seen ivory as white as the box. Inside were needles finer than she could possibly make, and they were made of... god tears! Oldwife had needles made from god tears! How was this possible? She knew there were magicians on the big land to the east that worked in fire and stone who could make things from god tears, but nothing they produced was as fine as these needles. She watched as Oldwife selected a needle and pushed a thread through its eye and then cut the thread with a strange tool that worked like the beak of a tiny ripclaw. Sscuha looked closer at the tool and realized with further amazement that it was also made from a god tear. 

"Here," M'pel E'kmel said, handing the needle and thread to Sscuha. "Don't be afraid. It's not dangerous." 

Sscuha blinked doubtfully at Oldwife and then carefully took the needle from her. She had never touched a god tear before. She didn't know what to expect, but it turned out that the needle felt like nothing more than a very fine needle. She blinked and smiled. It was a very strange thing to sit among these people who took such magic for granted. 

In the dimness of M'pel E'kmel's room they sewed until the pieces of fish skin were in the shape the commander desired. She smiled and removed her undershirt, exposing her large breasts. Sscuha admired and envied them. It seemed every male in her tribe had wanted the females with the largest breasts and if she had a pair like Oldwife's, Sscuha would have had no end of suitors. Perhaps she could one day have been wife to a chief. 

"Let's take a look at how they fit," M'pel E'kmel said conspiratorially and placed a triangle of the blue and silver striped skin on each breast. She adjusted them until they lay just right, holding them in place and looking questioningly at her new friend. 

Sscuha frowned and then picked up the magic thing, holding it up so that she could look back and forth between the image and Oldwife. She frowned again and reached out to take one of the skins. Setting aside the magic thing she folded the edges of the skin and placed it back on Oldwife's breast, eyeing it for a long moment before nodding. 

"That small?" M'pel E'kmel wondered and picked up the language guide. She considered the picture of the Human female and then the skin Sue had folded. "You're right. It is that small. I still don't understand the attraction these things have for males. Perhaps this is how Human females tease their mates." 

They spent a little more time sewing the hems of the skins before M'pel E'kmel was too tired to continue. It had been a long day for everyone and Sscuha was just as glad to go off to the room she shared with her son. As she passed the room in which Warrior normally slept she smelled Strongwife and Kindwife inside. She paused and glanced in, seeing the three tangled together. Her eyes widened upon realizing what the roar earlier had signified. She smiled as she saw Warrior taking Kindwife from behind while Strongwife lay under her. It was exciting, but Sscuha quickly left them, fearing she might offend if they were to notice her. These people were not her own and she had no idea if they would object. Females among her people, especially the young ones, were permitted to witness the mating of others in order to learn. These folk, though, might have no such tradition. She could not understand why Strongwife was doing what she was doing to Kindwife. It did not matter. She did not need to know. 

Commander M'pel E'kmel waited until Sue was in her room before pulling out the medical kit she had used to examine the carcass of the animal Sergeant Carter and Tem'Ma'tel had slain. The samples she had gathered were in small ampoules and she withdrew these from the case with great care. She was not afraid of breaking them. Rather, she was afraid of what they might contain. Concentrating on her task, M'pel E'kmel placed them one at a time into her medical kit with its extra diagnostic tools. The CP kits were fine for collecting samples, but her kit was geared towards analysis as much as diagnosis. Late into the night she worked, hoping she was wrong.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 20



Author's note 9/20/2014: I'm at a stage where I am editing and wrapping things up. The plot is set and no major changes will be taking place, so it is safe for me to post this chapter and keep my readers satisfied.

One comment and a couple of messages on the last chapter have confused me somewhat. They referred to "novel length" or 'novel length stories". I would like to clear that up. Modern novels fall into the 100,000 word range for a first time novelist. I exceeded that between chapters 17 and 18. Currently 'Upon a Savage Shore' is over 140,000 words and may exceed 175,000 words before it is complete. Novel length - Not only have I been there and done that, I have the T-shirt on order. ;)

Thanks to everyone for their encouragement. Very much appreciated, I assure you.





Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 20



"Hush, little coward," Tem'Ma'tel purred mockingly and stroked his forehead. Her tail swished lazily in the air and her ears perked forward attentively. "Hush. I will not kill you. My mate said I must not and I will comply with his wish. At least, this time I will."

Qlik did not understand her words, but her tone was relaxed and soothing and Qlik dared to hope she would let him live. He blinked at her, so frightened his teeth clicked uncontrollably.

"I will not kill you this time," Tem'Ma'tel purred again, leaning down so her fangs were closer to his face. "If ever you hunt me or my family again, though, little coward, I will hang you from a tree and open your belly with my claws. I will rake out your entrails and watch as carrion eaters fight over your guts while you yet live. And in the end, when you are no more than the wretched piece of filthy meat I know you to be, I will laugh and piss on your corpse, marking you as unworthy to be eaten. Your flesh will rot and your soul will be forever damned. And I will think on you in the chill nights and be warmed by the memory of your death."

Tem'Ma'tel surged up from Qlik's shaking body and lashed him across the face with her claws, leaving bloody tracks where they raked his cheek. Then, spitting a curse on him, she turned and stalked back to where her mate and Sue stood guard over the other two Fauns who were hardly more than children.

"You enjoyed that," Liam said, seeing his wife come through the trees.

"Yes," she said and picked up her bag full of roots. She pause, regarding her mate for a moment then smiled and kissed him. "He no dead, SarJ'ant."

"Do you feel better?" Liam asked, understanding why she had done what she had done.

"Yes," she purred and her tail lashed the air gently. "Better."

***********

Commander M'pel E'kmel examined the carcass of the huge reptilian water predator as the hunters of the village continued to flay its hide off. They'd hung it the previous evening, but due to the festivities they'd waited until this morning to dress it. She and Clot'ilda had already looked in on the wounded female, finding her in better condition than either would have guessed given the crude care available. The young hunter that had accompanied Sergeant Carter and Tem'Ma'tel during the hunt had also been there, holding the girl's hand while the mother looked on unobtrusively. Clot'ilda had remained to change the bandages while M'pel E'kmel excused herself to have a look at this beast.

Seeing nothing particularly irregular in the animal's external anatomy, M'pel E'kmel turned her attention to the pile of innards the hunters had removed. Using the knife she had brought from the kitchen she began sorting through the constituent organs. Heart, lungs, something like a kidney and everything except the stomach was there. Guessing the reason for that organ's absence, she ignored it. There remained several organs she could not identify, though. They didn't seem to belong to any particular category. She poked the largest of these with her blade and felt a severe shock of electric current run through her arm. She jerked away violently, dropping the knife and blinking in pain.

"Well, that's unusual," she panted softly and looked to see if the hunters had noticed what had happened. They hadn't. 

Flexing her tingling fingers she picked up a short stick and more carefully probed the strange organ. It seemed denser than most, not made of muscle or filter but some other tissue. She sniffed it, finding an acidic coppery odor under the scent of blood. Very strange, indeed. Still using the stick she moved the other offal away from the strange organ, tracing its connective tissue to an even stranger organ that looked like a coiled spring. This one was equally unrecognizable in function.

"Let's see what the scanner can tell me," she murmured to herself.

Picking up her medical kit, she ran the sensor slowly over the two organs. Readings like nothing she had ever seen scrolled across her screen. Very strange. Very, very strange. It was as if they were not true organs at all. With a thoughtful frown she called up all the data available on the species on her medical kit. Data scrolled across the screen until she finally came to the internal organs.

"I should have guessed that," she said to herself. "And now I know our intelligence is right."

Quickly she closed up her kit, tucking the knife in along with everything else. As she made her way back to the hut where Clot'ilda was still tending to the injured Faun she hardly noticed her surroundings. What was she going to tell Sergeant Carter? He had to know about this. They had to prepare for what was coming. Her greatest fear had come to pass. They were here. They were on the island. What would she do? How would Liam react?

Her contemplations were interrupted by a chirp from her radio.

***********

Liam had sent the young Fauns and the one he had dubbed Wile E back to the village with Sue, depending on her to tell the chief what had happened. There wasn't much chance the chief would have believed Wile E, but he would believe Sue for certain. She had scolded Wile E while Liam tied the bastard's hands behind his back. Wile E had not resisted, looking shaken and sending fearful glances at Tem'Ma'tel until the Fauns set out for the edge of the forest.

"Well that's over with," Liam sighed and returned to where Charlie was still grazing on the leafy plant they had been investigating before the excitement. "You can harvest a bushel of that stuff if you want. We can't eat it, though."

Charlie blinked at him, his cheek bulging as if he were chewing a quid of tobacco. Liam chuckled at the boy and pulled out one of the collection bags.

"Go on, fill this up," he told the young Faun who blinked at him again. "Like this."

Liam began plucking the leaves from the plant and stuffing them into the bag. He demonstrated the action a few times then handed the bag to Charlie. The Faun considered the bag for a second and then jumped to his work. He happily plucked handfuls of the leaves and packed them into the bag until there were no more to be plucked. Liam watched as the boy moved to another bush and began pulling leaves from it. The bag was already looking like an overstuffed pillow.

"How you doing, Marine?" Liam asked, kneeling next to Tem'Ma'tel who had gone back to digging out roots.

"Good," she purred. She seemed all too pleased with herself and very content after hunting Wile E. She asked quietly, "Take?"

Liam kissed her on the back of the neck and laughed, "Not with Charlie around. I wouldn't want to scare him."

"SarJ'ant good mate," Tem'Ma'tel said softly. "SarJ'ant smart. You no stop me from hunt."

"I wanted to kick Wile E's ass as much as you did," he said and rubbed her back. "I just couldn't let you kill him."

"No," she said. "Better Wyl'Ee live now."

"The chief might just kill him for what he tried to do," said Liam thoughtfully. "Maybe they'll just kick him out of the tribe. No way to know, really."

Suddenly Charlie called to them in an excited series of whistles and clicks. They both looked to see him standing waist deep among a cluster of shrubs waving his arms.

"What now?" Liam grumbled and rose. Tem'Ma'tel followed him over to where the Faun stood. Neither had known what to expect, but what Charlie had found took them completely aback. Laying in a fold of ground and covered by vines and low branches was a heat blackened cigar-shaped object roughly three meters long. Liam instantly pushed Tem'Ma'tel behind himself and snapped his visor down, bringing up his sensors on a quick boot. His HUD flashed on as the scanners completed their work. The device, whatever it was, had no power readings and no indication there was radiation higher than background levels.

"What this, SarJ'ant?" Tem'Ma'tel, asked peering over his pauldron.

"I don't know, babe, but it's inert." Liam stepped forward and tore some of the vines off the thing.

"Bomb?" Tem'Ma'tel wondered, walking around the object carefully.

"If it is, it's a dumb bomb," Liam said and pulled more vines off of it. Charlie got the idea and started tearing the undergrowth away from the object. "Like I said, there aren't any power readings. It's cold. No radiation."

"SarJ'ant," she said and pointed at the end of the thing. "Open."

Liam stepped to her side and looked down. The end of the thing was open, the lid laying in the dirt. He knelt down and looked inside with his scope, finding nothing but a smooth walled tube with some kind of residue on the bottom.

"Warrior," Charlie said and held up a bundle of fine cords.

Liam stood and went to examine them. They were dark green and he at first took them for more vines, but when he gave them a tug he discovered they were attached to a spread of dark green and black cloth. He hauled it into the open, quickly realizing it was a parachute.

"Tem'Ma'tel, call the commander," he said and continued to pull the parachute out of the undergrowth. "Ask her to come here as soon as she can. This is somebody's supply pod."

"Commander, this is Tem'Ma'tel," she said into her radio. "We found something SarJ'ant would like you to have a look at. Over."

"What is it? Over," M'pel E'kmel asked from her end.

"SarJ'ant said it is a supply pod, but I do not think it is from the CP and it is definitely not one of ours. Over."

"I'll come right away," M'pel E'kmel replied. "Meet me at the edge of the forest. I have something I must tell Sergeant Carter, as well. Over."

***********

M'pel E'kmel stopped in to let Clot'ilda know where she was going and told her to return to the villa when she was done changing the wounded Faun's bandages. She then mounted her landstrider and rode out across the plain to rendezvous with Tem'Ma'tel. Crossing the grassland she saw Sue and three Fauns she did not recognize headed for the kraal. She was curious to know why Sue was with them, but decided questions could wait until later. She had more pressing things on her mind.

"How will he react?" M'pel E'kmel wondered aloud. "He and the girls need to know what I have found. Tem'Ma'tel and Clot'ilda will accept my reasons for keeping it from them, but Liam is not one of my marines. He is not jZav'Etch."

She continued to worry all the way to the forest. Even when Tem'Ma'tel met her, M'pel E'kmel felt no relief. She had to school her expression and body language to give nothing away. Climbing down from her mount the commander followed the younger dTel'Qohar through the trees to the place where Sergeant Carter and Charlie were still pulling vines and branches away from the supply pod.

"There you are, Commander," Liam said seeing the jZav'Etch coming through the underbrush. "We got most of it cleared. I don't think this has been here very long. It's not one of ours. Tem'Ma'tel says it's not one of yours, either. You ever seen one like this? Maybe a civilian model?"

M'pel E'kmel looked at the pod, noting the odd markings on its side and the blackening of its hull.

"Is this thing made of steel?" she asked, puzzled. Most supply pods were constructed of carbon fiber sheathed in a composite ceramic skin to resist the extremes of entering an atmosphere.

"Best I can tell, the outer layer or heat shield jettisoned after it passed through the stratosphere." He kicked a panel at the closed end of the pod. "This is where the parachute was stored. Pretty crude deployment device. Looks like explosive bolts with a pressure trigger. The CP hasn't used anything like that for about two hundred years. We've gone over to mag locks. More reliable and less likely to get damaged."

"jZav'Etch do not use explosive bolts for such things, either," she said and went to look inside the tube. "What is this residue? Were your scopes able to tell you?"

"The only thing they could tell me was that the residue is there," he snorted. "My sensors aren't designed for that kind of detailed analysis."

"Sergeant, I have something I must tell you," she said uncomfortably.

"Okay, but could you get a sample of that stuff and run it through your kit?" he asked, missing the implication of her tone. "If we can figure out what it is, maybe we can figure out what was in the pod. Might even be able to tell us where it came from."

"I can do that, Sergeant, but you need to hear what I have to say," M'pel E'kmel insisted.

"Fine. Tell me after you've got the analysis."

"Sergeant, I know where the pod came from," she blurted out.

Liam and Tem'Ma'tel both stared at her.

"I know, also, what the pod contained," she continued in a subdued tone.

Liam stood looking at her with narrowed, assessing eyes for several heartbeats. Finally he said, "It was that thing we killed, wasn't it?"

"Yes," she admitted.

"I figured you were hiding something." Liam leaned on the pod. His hands pressed flat over its mottled surface. "Go on. Tell us."

"There is much to tell," M'pel E'kmel said, reluctant even at this hour to tell all. She drew in a deep breath, made her decision and went on, "My people have been at war with another race for more than a year."

"Did you say another race, Commander?" Tem'Ma'tel asked. She had never heard this before.

"Yes," M'pel E'kmel sighed. "The information has been a closely guarded secret. The High Command and the General Staff felt it was necessary to keep it so. If the soldiers in the field discovered we were now fighting on two fronts they might become demoralized. More importantly, the General Staff believed if the information leaked to the Conglomerated Planets through one of our troops who was captured they might increase the pressure all along the front in order to force us to cede territory and end the war in a manner that would favor the CP. The High Command refused to risk it. We've been fighting this new threat with a very small portion of our fleet. The last information I had was that our forces were holding their own, but the battles were costing us greatly. Two protectorate worlds have fallen to this new enemy and they have been pushing along our frontier, apparently seeking a weak point in our defenses."

"Pretty standard tactics," Liam nodded. "Who are they?"

"We don't know their name," the commander said. "I can tell you very little about the enemy. I was given limited information on them before I was sent on my mission."

Liam narrowed his eyes again and cocked his head in thought. "You aren't talking about your mission to map this system, are you?"

"I am not," she said, but she had to force it out, so full of dread was her heart. "I never meant for you to learn this. It would not have been necessary had this creature not been here."

Liam stepped around the pod, his face clouding with confusion and a touch of anger.

"I think you better come out with it, Commander," he growled. "All of it."

"I will, Sergeant, but you must know I never intended to harm you," she tried to explain. "I was under orders. I couldn't tell you."

"You couldn't tell me what?" he demanded. His mouth was pressed into a line, his brow furrowed.

"I and a number of other officers were sent out with the express purpose of making contact with Humans," she said. Her chest hurt from the tension and she could not bring herself to look into Liam's eyes. She felt if she did that, she would not be able to finish. "Admiral Aka'Tem'al persuaded the General Staff to petition the High Command to go before the Senate with a request for them to propose an armistice with the CP. The High Command refused on the grounds that we could not trust Humans. They believed the risk that the CP would increase the pressure along our mutual boarder or in some other way take advantage of our situation was too great."

"Couldn't trust us?" Liam asked, his frown deepening. "You couldn't trust me?"

"I do trust you, but I couldn't tell you, Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel said, almost pleadingly. "I couldn't tell you."

"Why not?" Liam growled. His confusion warred with feelings of betrayal and anger.

"I was under orders," M'pel E'kmel said, finally raising her eyes to his. "Admiral Aka'Tem'al developed a plan to show the High Command that we could trust your people and that in time our races could become allies. The Vespans joined the Conglomerated Planets after your war with them, after all. He had fought at W01F 426. He knew your admirals and captains were honorable. He witnessed your ships taking jZav'Etch life pods on board during lulls in the fighting. After the battle, when our side requested to know what had become of our crews, the admiral learned they were being treated in accordance with your Rules of War."

"Sure they were!" Liam said caustically. "We don't execute prisoners. We don't throw them out airlocks."

"I know," she said in a reasonable tone. "But my people have fought other races that did just that sort of thing. The Galvascians made peace with us and on the day the treaty was signed they sent an invasion fleet to capture six of our systems. That war lasted fifteen of your years, costing many brave jZav'Etch their lives."

"And your people practically exterminated them," he said in a hard voice.

"And what would you have done?" she chellenged. When he only looked away she went on, "That your people would rescue ours and treat them decently was enough to convince Admiral Aka'Tem'al an experiment was worth trying."

"What kind of experiment?"

"Five hundred officers of the intelligence branch were assigned to make direct contact with Humans," she told him. "We were not to risk ourselves or our crews unduly. Our crews were vetted for certain traits that our analysts had determined were the most appealing to Human males. Since virtually no jZav'Etch males are physically appealing to Humans, the crews were almost entirely female. They were chosen for their personalities and physical appearance."

"So, what? You were supposed to cruise up to one of our ships, knock on the hatch and ask if you could barrow a cup of sugar?"

"We were to take advantage of special circumstances."

"Like what?"

"Circumstances such as being marooned on a planet with Humans," she said, louder than she had intended. "Circumstances where jZav'Etch and Humans had to rely upon one another to survive. Circumstances that might lead to a joining of the two races in common cause."

Liam just looked at her for a very long moment. Finally he growled, "You manipulated me."

"No," said M'pel E'kmel, shaking her head.

"You withheld information from me," he said.

"I was under orders," she said.

"You lied to me!" he snapped.

"My orders, Sergeant!" she turned away, unable to face the accusation in his eyes. "I had my orders."

"You pimped out your crew to get me to cooperate with you, Commander!" he shouted at her back. "You lied! You lied to me. Did you tell Clot'ilda and Tem'Ma'tel to sleep with me? Was it so I would roll over and sit up whenever you wanted me to? You manipulated me into going along with this fucking experiment. I deserve to know!"

"They knew nothing of it!" she said, turning burning golden eyes on him. "They knew no more than you did. It would have invalidated the results if they had. Clot'ilda and Tem'Ma'tel acted as their natures dictated. They love you, Sergeant. I may have concealed the truth from you, but their emotions and their actions have been genuine. Surely, you must know that."

Liam went quiet again, but he looked over his shoulder at Tem'Ma'tel. Her expression was as confused as his own. Her ears laid out to the sides, showing how uncomfortable she was. She met his eyes, swallowed hard and nodded, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder.

"So you kept all of us in the dark," he said in a thick voice. "What if I had killed you that first day? They would have died for nothing."




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 20



"Not for nothing," M'pel E'kmel said, her voice was low but there was steel in her words.

"Bullshit, Commander!" he growled. "If you cared about them, you would have told them the truth. You would have told me the truth. We should have known what was going on!"

"I was not allowed to tell you!" she said, her tail flicked in frustration. "I was supposed to observe your interaction with the other females. When rescued, I would report my findings. You weren't ever to know about the experiment. None of you. Not until peace was made. And then, if the experiment were successful, you would all have been hailed as heroes. Your actions would have ended the war and laid grounds for a great alliance. Not for nothing!"

"Experiment," he said disgustedly. "If I had known... If you had told me, I would have gone along with whatever you needed me to do. To end the war, the killing, I would have done that."

"And that would have invalidated the experiment!" she said, throwing up her hands. "We had to test our own people as much as yours. If you had knowingly cooperated it would have skewed the results. It would have given a false positive. I love you, Liam, but you're still the enemy! What if the admiral was wrong? You have to understand! My people, my race must come first!"

Liam and Tem'Ma'tel were both struck silent. They stared at her, amazed. For his part, Charlie had understood none of this and decided now was a good time to slip away in case something bad should happen.

"I followed my orders, knowing you would be angered if you ever learned of the reason behind all my actions," M'pel E'kmel went on with passion. "And I would do it all again if it meant my people were saved from defeat and dishonor. Even now this new enemy may be encroaching on our territory. Perhaps they have launched an assault on jZav itself! My people, Liam. What would you have done in my place? I never meant to hurt you, but I was left with no choice."

Very quietly Tem'Ma'tel looked back and forth between them. She had never seen M'pel E'kmel in this state, so vulnerable. As unobtrusively as she could, she joined Charlie in his retreat to give the commander and the sergeant some privacy.

"Are you going to say anything, Sergeant?" M'pel E'kmel asked softly.

"You love me?" Liam asked.

She blinked at him, confused for an instant and then the realization of what she had said crashed in on her.

"I..." she said, but choked on the words. "I was not... supposed to get close to you. I was not supposed to become attached to you."

"But you did," he said. 

"Yes." Her voice was small. She sounded much younger than she was and did not at that moment look like an experienced officer.

"Why?" he asked.

"I... I liked you," she replied and turned away from him again. "I didn't want to at first. I didn't want to dislike you, either. I had a job to do and needed to be on good terms. But then you were..."

Liam frowned as he tried to understand what had motivated her.

"You were so much fun," she said finally, sounding frustrated and confused. "You weren't what I expected. I became interested. That night, when the hyena-frogs attacked, you were everywhere at once. You defended us. I had never seen a Human in close combat before then. You killed them and didn't stop until the whole pack was driven off. And then the day at the stream, you charged those blade-beasts stark naked with nothing but a rock and a club."

"You never said you loved me before now," he said into the silence.

"Where did you get that club, anyway?" she asked softly.

"It was under the water. I found it when I was scrabbling around looking for a rock," said Liam and stepped around the pod to be closer to her. "So you love me?"

"Yes." Her voice was small again and more uncertain. She turned and looked up into his eyes.

"I love you too," he said and took her in his arms. There in the forest, next to the alien pod that might signal the end of their world, they kissed and for that moment it was all that mattered.



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 21



Author's Note 9/27/2014: I have to do an extensive rewrite of chapter 22 and chapter 23 is just barely roughed out, but nothing in this chapter can be affected by subsequent events. I'm posting this because I don't know when I'll be done with the other chapters and I don't want to leave you hanging too long. 

For those who have suggested this would make a good movie, I thank you, but I think it would work much better as a graphic novel or a serial in a magazine like 'Heavy Metal'. 

As ever, thanks to everyone leaving comments or sending messages. They have been great to read. Some have been quite entertaining. Others have been very informative, letting me know which devices worked best. 

I think there will be three more chapters. Be patient, I have a major project unrelated to writing to complete, but I will update as soon as I am able. 

***** 

Chapter 21 

The quiet moment of confession and tenderness was sundered by a warning cry from Tem'Ma'tel. Liam and M'pel E'kmel blinked uncomprehendingly and then the pair charged through the woods to find the jZav'Etch Marine, a strained expression on her face, her body tense. She gestured urgently for them to follow her and turned to run for the edge of the forest. Breaking through the trees into the sunlight they saw smoke rising from the village. Flames were consuming the flimsy abatis near the stream. Several of the huts were afire. Very distantly they could hear the electric crack of weapons fire followed by faint cries of Fauns. Large, dark shapes strode among the huts, discharging weapons as they moved. 

"What is it?" demanded M'pel E'kmel, her earlier fears replaced by a new one. 

Liam brought up his scope and zeroed in on the shapes. 

"I don't know," he said. "Some kind of robot or something. They're attacking the village. Looks like they're using projected energy weapons. Whatever they are, they're big and the Fauns don't stand a chance." 

"Clot'ilda!" Tem'Ma'tel cried. 

"She was still with the wounded girl when I left!" the commander breathed in a weighted voice. 

"Fuck!" Liam shouted and made for the landstrider where it was tethered to a tree. 

"You can't!" protested M'pel E'kmel. 

"The hell I can't!" he snapped and leapt into the saddle. Tem'Ma'tel mounted behind him and Liam hauled cruelly on the reins, spinning the beast around. "Got to save her!" 

Impotently, M'pel E'kmel watched as the two thundered off across the plain. In the distance another hut burst into flame sending a cloud of smoke into the clear sky. Why had the village been attacked? 

*********** 

At the first sounds of combat Clot'ilda looked up from her task of wrapping the last fresh bandage on the wounded Faun's leg. The girl had lain quietly throughout the process, accepting the discomfort, but now she sat up in alarm. The young hunter who had tenderly held her hand surged to his feet and leapt to the door. He spun back with terror in his eyes. 

"Something comes from the water!" Stolkchiq shouted. "It kills our hunters!" 

Clot'ilda was on her feet even as the old female sprang to the wounded girl's side and embraced her protectively. Clot'ilda took one glance out the door, saw the huge armored things moving through the village to where the Fauns slaughtered their kills and turned back to the three in the hut. 

"Take her out of here!" Clot'ilda said urgently, pointing to the entrance of the kraal. "Carry her away!" 

Stolkchiq looked to Ssusstilha where she clutched her daughter. It took no great leap of intellect to know what Kindwife was saying. He bent and collected Ssuqlik in his arms, being careful of her injuries and dashed out into the kraal. As he ran for the open plain Ssusstilha followed, frantic to keep her daughter safe. 

Clot'ilda didn't hesitate once they were gone. She took her deq'istle, snapped out the stock and charged into the chaos in the slaughter yard. Four of the massive machines were swatting aside the hunters who came to attack them. Another was raking the guts of the dead monster into a container. 

Clot'ilda knew she didn't stand a chance, but she had better odds than the Fauns with their stone tipped weapons. Ducking behind a jumble of sticks and scorched hides that had been a hut she took aim at the nearest of the things and let fly with her weapon on full auto at less than fifteen meters. One after another her rounds impacted the armored skin, stitching a series of tiny craters across one of its four legs and up into the torso. The thing spun to face her and she changed her point of aim, firing into what she took to be its faceplate. Pieces of crystal flew from the impacts of her rounds and a trickle of water seeped down its massive chest. Throwing up an armored tentacle to protect itself the thing staggered back. Clot'ilda kept firing, her mouth spread into a feral snarl. She had hurt it and she would not allow it to escape. Again and again she fired at its most vulnerable places. Her rounds struck the joints between the armored plates. Water spurted from a few impacts where her rounds penetrated, only to be instantly cut off as the armor sealed itself. 

Clot'ilda moved from behind her cover, pressing her attack. She dodged behind the hanging carcass of the water monster and fired another burst. Suddenly her weapon went dead, its magazine empty. Frantically, she reached to her belt for the spare, but as she did one of the other attackers turned its weapon on her and fired. 

*********** 

Liam and Tem'Ma'tel were passing fleeing villagers as they finally reached the kraal. Fires yet burned and many cries of grief and pain emanated from the village, but the enemy had gone. The marines had watched in impotent rage and dread as the armored forms had calmly turned and slipped into the stream, disappearing under the fast flowing current. 

Liam reined in at the entrance and leapt to the ground alongside Tem'Ma'tel. Both had their weapons at the ready, but there was nothing left for them to fight. Without hesitation they ran for the hut where they knew Clot'ilda had been, only to find it empty. Liam slammed his fist into the wooden frame and spat a curse, but Tem'Ma'tel looked to the ground. 

"SarJ'ant, tracks!" she said, pointing at the dirt. Liam saw the distinct prints of Clot'ilda's small feet mixed with the hoof prints of the Fauns. He nodded and they followed them to the slaughter yard where the fight had been fierce. Wounded and dead Fauns lay on the ground. Some moaned and others lay still. Arrows and spears lay in the dirt with their tips shattered and their shafts broken. Still clutching his club and with a shield on his arm, the chief lay with a broken neck, one of his horns snapped off from the blow that had killed him. 

"Christ on his cross!" Liam swore. "Where is she?" 

"Here, SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel said and held up a deq'istle, its magazine ejected. 

"Stupid kid," he growled. "She should have run with the rest." 

"Clot'ilda First of Household SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel said seriously. "She no run. I no run." 

Liam nodded somberly. Anger, frustration and fear for his wife all warred for dominance and clouded his thoughts. There had to be something he could do. Some way he could save her. 

"Her radio!" he said the instant he thought of it. "Do you see her radio anywhere?" 

They scanned the ground urgently, hope rising with the thin thread of possibility. 

"No radio, SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel said. "Hut! I look." 

"Go on," he said and activated his suit com. "Clot'ilda, are you there, Babydoll?" 

The channel was live, but only silence answered him. He ran a scan for the radio's signature and found it, though the signal was weak as if it were shielded by something. He turned up the gain on the transceiver and called up his locator. The radio was already three kilometers away to the southwest and moving away fast. 

"No radio," Tem'Ma'tel reported when she returned. 

"I know," he replied. "I think she still has it, but the signal is weak and she didn't respond when I called." 

"She no dead, SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel stated firmly as though it were an incontrovertible fact. 

"No. She isn't dead," he agreed. "We need weapons. Come on." 

"Sergeant Carter, are you there? Over," M'pel E'kmel called over her radio. 

"I'm here," he said. "Clot'ilda is gone. I think they took her." 

"What were they?" she asked intently. "Did you get a look at them? Over." 

"Something big," he told her. "Five of them. They were three meters tall, armored, four legs. One arm was like a tentacle and the other had some kind of weapon. I think they're using projected energy guns. They killed the chief and a bunch of the other Fauns. Looks like most of the villagers escaped, though. Over." 

"I can see that," the commander said. "I'm halfway to the village with Charlie. I will join you shortly." 

"We're headed back to the villa," said Liam. "We're going for weapons and then we're going after them. Join us there. We're going to need every shooter we can get." 

"Sergeant, you can't do that." 

"The hell I can't, Commander!" Liam snapped. "She's alive. I'm getting her back and you are going to help." 

"I have more information on these things, if you will listen to me," she said, desperate to stop him from getting killed. 

"Good," he said mounting the landstrider. "Anything that can help me kill them, I'll take. Out." 

M'pel E'kmel looked at her radio. Liam had cut the transmission before she could say more. Turning to Charlie she stopped and said, "Charlie, go. Help." 

Chhal blinked frightened eyes at Oldwife and nodded. He was about to run to the village, but she put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. 

"Charlie, be careful," she said gently, then hugged him. 

Chhal was confused for a heartbeat, but he returned the hug. Oldwife was afraid for him and right then it seemed she needed a hug as much as he did. She patted his back softly and then let him go. Chhal went off at a run and M'pel E'kmel turned her steps towards the villa. 

She found the plaza empty when she came through its gates. She had to lean on the post to catch her breath before continuing inside. M'pel E'kmel knew where her companions would be and made for the armory. Inside Liam and Tem'Ma'tel were field stripping the fero-plas rifles and slapping them back together. Tem'Ma'tel was wearing Liam's spare EP 12's on her hips and had a deq'istle slung across her back. 

"Good," Liam said as soon as he saw M'pel E'kmel come through the door. "Take this and one of the pistols. And get a couple of magazines from the box." 

She accepted the big rifle and slung it over her shoulder even as he turned away to finish reassembling the rifle he'd been working on. 

"Liam, listen to me," M'pel E'kmel said in a steady voice. Her breathing was returning to normal, but she still felt overwhelmed. Things had gone to hell so fast. "You can't beat them like this." 

"We will," he insisted. "We'll beat them and get her back." 

"How do you know she is even alive?" she demanded. 

"She's alive," Liam insisted. 

"Clot'ilda is alive, Commander," Tem'Ma'tel snarled. She had never been insubordinate to a superior in her entire life, but with the cold fury running through her veins, she didn't care. Someone had taken her sister from her and she was going to get Clot'ilda back. 

"Both of you listen to me for a moment!" M'pel E'kmel said desperately. "You said there were five of them. Our intelligence says that's an infiltration team. They'll have a ship. It will have weapons. Most likely Clot'ilda is being taken to it. You don't know where it is." 

"Somewhere to the southwest," Liam said and finished putting the rifle back together. He snapped a magazine into it and stood to face her. "That's where we are going right the fuck now, Commander. Let's get the animals saddled and get a move on."  

"Stop!" she pleaded. "Please listen. They are too powerful. Even in your armor, with these weapons, you don't stand a chance." 

"We don't have time to fuck around," he growled and pushed past her. "Come on, Tem'Ma'tel." 

"You do have time!" M'pel E'kmel said and grabbed his arm, forcing him to face her. "You do have time. We have had people taken prisoner before. We were able to rescue a few of them, it took an entire special operations team. Even with air support and tactical artillery." 

"What else?" Liam asked, his anger burning hot in his eyes. "What else can you tell me? Where are they weak? Tell me how we can hurt them." 

"You can't win!" M'pel E'kmel said, desperate to stop him from getting killed. 

"Tell me how I can hurt them!" he snapped and stepped in close so that they were no more than a hand's breadth apart. "Tell me how to kill them, Commander." 

"You can't," she said, not backing down. "They will kill you! And then we'll be alone." 

"Clot'ilda is alone right now," he snarled. "She's out there. A prisoner in their hands. I'm not going to let her die without at least trying to save her!" 

"Why are males always so foolish?" M'pel E'kmel demanded of the universe. "You can't help her. They are too powerful! They'll see you coming and cut you down before you even get close." 

"Not if I kill them first," he said, iron ringing in his words. "I'm going whether or not you help." 

"You're not even sure where she is!" she all but yelled. 

"Twelve kilometers to the southwest and moving away fast," he said. "We can catch them if we get moving right now." 

"You won't catch them before they get to their ship," she argued. "Once there, they'll put Clot'ilda inside and you won't be able to get to her. They'll just close their hatches and sit tight." 

"I'll blow the hatch off and find her," Liam said, simply. 

"Their ship is filled with water," she told him. "They live in water and they fill their vessels with it. Their suits are filled with it. Clot'ilda will be in some kind of cell to keep her alive, if she is still alive." 

"Why would they take her if she were already dead?" demanded Tem'Ma'tel. Her nature allowed her to remain calmer than Liam and she was thinking through the problem. "You said they have been attacking us for a year, Commander. They will have no need for bodies to study. If Clot'ilda were dead, they would have left her in the village." 

"If she is alive they will be questioning her," M'pel E'kmel said in English so that both would understand. "Soon they will know we are here, also. More than likely, they already know we are here. They must have seen our ship from orbit. They couldn't miss it even if they were only doing a flyby." 

"Why would they do a flyby?" Liam asked, suppressing his passion and forcing himself to think. Going off halfcocked wouldn't do Clot'ilda any good. 

"I told you. They've been progressing along our borders, probing for weaknesses in our defenses," she explained. "If they detected the wreckage from the battle, they would have come to investigate this planet because it is the closest one that could support our kind of life." 

"You said they live in water," he said, rubbing his chin in thought out of habit. 

"Yes. They won't be far from it," she replied. 

"Let's have a look at your map," he said and turned for the door. 

"What do you hope to find on it?" M'pel E'kmel demanded, following him. 

Liam didn't answer as they went into her room, leaving Tem'Ma'tel in the armory. He went to M'pel E'kmel's things and rifled through them until he found the map cylinder. Rising, he turned and handed it to her. 

"Find your ship's crash site on that," he said insistently. 

She glowered at him, but did as he wished. With a flick of her thumbs she zoomed in on the grid where her vessel had gone down. 

"We crashed here," she said. "Your pod should be in this area with the denser canopy." 

Liam examined the map for a minute before putting his finger on a spot not far from the crash site. 

"Take a look at this area, Commander," he said, pointing to a place to the south of the crash site and handed the map back to her. 

"It's outside the forest," she said, not understanding what he was getting at. 

"They live in water," he said. "That's a marsh. It's to our southwest. The stream the village sits next to runs into it. It looks pretty deep and those things were moving fast. On land they seemed kind of slow to me, so I figure they're in the water. If the stream is deep enough, there's no reason they couldn't take it all the way down to the marsh." 

"But their ship would be heavy," she argued. "They couldn't land it there." 

"If they live in water, I'm willing to bet their ships are designed specifically to land in water," he countered. "We land on solid ground because we live on solid ground. They'll be in that marsh." 

"Even if they are, and even if you find them, you still can't approach without them detecting you," she said. "And if, somehow, you get to their ship, you still have no way of getting inside. It will be sealed. Our weapons are not powerful enough to blow the hatch off of a spacecraft." 

"Grenades," Tem'Ma'tel said from the doorway. "We need grenades, Commander." 

"Those are still on our ship," M'pel E'kmel said shaking her head. "We can't get to them. The radiation has contaminated the entire vessel by now. And grenades aren't powerful enough to blast a hatch off." 

"How are your grenades stored?" Liam asked. 

"They're in a case," M'pel E'kmel said. "It's about half the size of the one with the spare magazines. But you can't get to the case. The entire ship is contaminated. Don't you understand?" 

"The ammo case is hardened against radiation," he said. "I saw the symbol on the inside of the lid." 

"That doesn't matter. You can't go inside the ship without dying," she argued. 

"Sure I can," snorted Liam. "My suite is designed to resist a reactor breach. I've fought pitched battles in one of these aboard destroyers and carriers with breached cores. Just six months ago I was in a boarding action on one of your cruisers with both of its reactors cracked wide open. I'm still here." 

"And what happens when you come out?" she demanded. "Your armor will be irradiated. If you take it off you'll be exposed! You'll get sick or maybe even die." 

"No I won't." Liam's mouth spread into a grim smile. "The suit has a purge system built into it. I almost threw the kit away to save weight. Glad I didn't." 

"And what about the case?" she asked evenly. "The contents will be safe, but the case's exterior will be contaminated." 

"I can leave it behind," he said. "I'll pull the grenades out and toss them away from the ship. They won't be exposed for long and whatever they do get exposed to will only be residual radiation. They'll be safe to carry for as long as we need them. Hell, we can put them inside the ammo crate until we get to the enemy ship, if you want. That'll protect us from anything that might be clinging to them." 

"But the grenades won't be enough to get inside," she insisted, her resistance beginning to wear down. 

"What about the scuttling charge, Commander?" Tem'Ma'tel asked. "It never went off. We could pull it out of the engineering compartment and configure one of our radios into a remote detonator." 

"What was that?" Liam asked, seeing how Tem'Ma'tel's words had made M'pel E'kmel pause in thought. The commander explained the idea to him and he nodded, his grim smile returning. "That might work. How powerful is the charge?" 

"Not very," M'pel E'kmel told him. "It only needs to be strong enough to cause the crystal to burst. The energy released from the drive is what actually destroys the ship." 

"Any idea why the charge didn't go off?" he asked. 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 21



"I disabled the control when I took command of the scout ship," she admitted. "It was part of Admiral Aka'Tem'al's orders. If the ship blew up and killed everyone on board, there would be no hope for the experiment to yield any results." 

"So the scuttling charge is in working order. There's nothing wrong with the device itself?" 

"It should be completely intact," she told him. "It is housed in a radiation shielded box on the top of the reactor, above the crystal. But it won't be enough to get inside their ship." 

"Why not?" he demanded, getting impatient with all of her objections. 

"There will be more than one door to blow," she said. "We have airlocks. They will have a similar arrangement. They would not want their internal atmosphere contaminated any more than we would." 

"Their inner door won't be hardened like their outer one," he said confidently. "Grenades might blow it." 

"You can't actually believe that," she said. 

"We're going to find out," he told her. 

"Fine!" she snapped, throwing up her hands, her tail slicing through the air in her aggravation. "You still haven't come up with a way to get to their ship. How are you going to get past their sensors? Their equipment is about a hundred years behind our own, but it's still good enough to pick you out in that suit of yours. They'll see you coming. You won't get close, Liam! They will kill you." 

Before Liam could respond, Tem'Ma'tel tossed the pair of blade-beast hides on the floor between them. M'pel E'kmel looked down and rocked back a little. Liam looked at Tem'Ma'tel with an approving smile and gave her a nod of thanks. 

"There are five of them with weapons against three of us," M'pel E'kmel said in a steady but strained voice. "They will have ship's guns to back them up. You're the only one with armor, Sergeant, and we have only two skins to cover ourselves." 

"The chief had another one," he reminded her. "And we might be able to get some of the Fauns to pitch in and help with the fight." 

"With their spears and arrows?" she scoffed. "I think you'll be sending them to get killed." 

"We have extra weapons," he replied. "Are there any more in your ship?" 

"One case deq'istle. Two case ammunition, SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel said. "One case grenades." 

"You're really going to do this, aren't you," M'pel E'kmel said. 

"She'd do it for me," he replied. 

M'pel E'kmel looked up into his eyes. They were earnest and searching. Her shoulders slumped a little and her tail sagged to the floor. She nodded. 

"I would too, in case you are wondering. I just... don't want to lose all of you," she said and put her hand on his arm resignedly. "Let's go and get her." 

*********** 

Chhal found his mother near the entrance to the Kraal with the two boys who had accompanied Qlik. Qlik was nowhere to be seen. Sscuha was kneeling beside a wounded female who had been burned. The smell of smoke and scorched fur drifted from the village even as the folk worked to extinguish the fires. 

"Mother, are you alright?" he asked, coming up next to her. Sscuha turned and seeing her son she embraced him, weeping into his chest. He held her for a moment, but she pushed him back, getting control of herself. 

"I am not injured, Chhal," she said and turned back to comforting the burned female. "I need water. We must cool these wounds. See if there is any in one of the huts. Do not go near the flames, though." 

"Are the monsters still inside?" he asked before he moved. 

"They have gone," she assured him. "Hurry." 

Chhal did as she instructed and soon returned with a large water skin. Carefully Sscuha poured water over the blackened places on the female, eliciting a moan of pain mixed with relief. The female, one Chhal did not know by name, thanked Sscuha and then fainted. 

"Help me to move her into the shade of that tree," Sscuha said. 

Several injured villagers already lay under the spreading branches. A few females moved among them, bringing relief where they could and comforting those few who were beyond help. Laying in the trampled grass was Ssuqlik, the daughter of the Keeper of Wisdom. Her mother, Ssusstilha, knelt beside her. 

"Ssusstilha," Sscuha said, placing her hand on the older female's shoulder. "What happened?" 

"I do not know," Ssusstilha said. "We were in our hut. The little stranger was putting new bandages on Ssuqlik's legs. Stolk... I mean Stolkchiq was there to help. There was a noise in the slaughter yard. Males were shouting. They called for hunters. And then there was a great crash like the sound of lightning on the plains. We ran." 

"Where is Kindwife?" Sscuha asked, worried about her friend who had been so welcoming to her and her son. 

"She stayed at the hut," Ssusstilha told her. "She had her magic weapon. I do not know where she is." 

"And what of Stolkchiq?" asked Sscuha. 

"He has gone to help fight the fires." Ssusstilha pointed into the kraal. "He is well. A brave young male. He left us here and then returned to do battle with the monsters. I have seen him with the other hunters. They are putting out the fires. I know no more." 

"Come with me, Chhal," Sscuha said. "We must help where we can. We will gather what children we find and bring them out here. They must be made safe." 

Into the kraal they went. All around smoke swirled and there was confusion everywhere. Sscuha went to one hut after another. Where there were people hiding, she told them to leave. She told them to gather water and food and go to the tree outside the kraal. Where there were children, she took them in charge, walking them out to the tree and making sure they were attended to before she and her son went back for more. 

Finally the flames were put out and the smoke cleared. Near the entrance to the kraal the remaining hunters gathered around Sneisqlik, the Keeper of Wisdom. He sat on the ground, his left hoof wrapped in bandages and Sccuha trickling water over a burn on his arm. 

"Thank you, Sscuha," he said and turned his attention back to the hunters. "Ssteilssniq, you are huntsman for the High Grass folk now. We need a new chief. Will you take charge until we can decide on who it should be?" 

Ssteilssniq looked down on his injured friend and slowly nodded. "I will take charge, Sneisqlik, but you are Keeper of Wisdom. Your words will guide us until there is a new chief." 

"What has happened to Seschiqal?" Sscuha asked. 

"He was slain by the monsters," Sneisqlik told her sadly. "My cousin lays in the long grass and will hunt no more." 

"He died bravely, Sneisqlik," Ssteilssniq said. "He died as a chief should, defending his tribe." 

"Better than Stilmnah would have done," said one of the hunters from the group. 

"This is Stilmnah's fault," hissed another. 

"He brought bad luck upon us," agreed a third. 

"Stilmnah lays upon the dirt for the carrion eaters," Sneiqlik said, cutting off their curses. "We must remake the kraal. We must make our women and children safe." 

"The mighty one comes," Stolkchiq said, pointing across the grassland at three mounted figures. "He comes, I think, to find his mate." 

The group of hunters went silent as Warrior and his remaining mates reined in and dismounted. Their fourth landstrider bore a bundle upon its saddle, wrapped in the hides of blade-beasts. Warrior strode to them, his face cast into a grim visage. All the hunters nodded to him gravely respectful. 

"Ambassador, we're going after my wife," Liam said without preamble. "I want some of your hunters to come with me." 

"What does he say, Sscuha?" Sneisqlik asked. 

"He says something about a hunt or hunters," she replied. "Perhaps he wishes to hunt the monsters." 

"Sue," Liam said drawing her attention. "We hunt." 

"Hunt. He says hunt," she told the Keeper of Wisdom. Turning back to Liam she asked, "Hunt?" 

"That's right. Hunt." He took one of the fero-plas pistols from Tem'Ma'tel and held it up. Pointing first to the weapon and then to the hunters, he went on, "I will give your hunters weapons to fight with." 

"What does this mean?" asked Ssteilssniq. 

"I think he wishes hunters to go with him," Sscuha said. "He offers to arm you with his magic weapons." 

"A mighty gift," one hunter murmured and stepped forward, holding out a hand. 

"Back!" Ssteilssniq snapped and pushed the hunter away. "We have made no bargain. How can Warrior hunt the monsters? They have gone into the stream. They leave no scent to follow. We cannot hunt them." 

"Warrior hunted the scaled fanglog with Seschiqal," Stolkchiq said. "I will hunt if Warrior hunts. Seschiqal gave me part of his name when we killed the scaled fanglog. I will avenge his death if I can." 

"You are young and foolish," Ssteilssniq said. "These are not fanglogs. They are giants. They have magic weapons as the Old Tales tell of." 

"Kindwife, Warrior's mate, was not afraid," Stolkchiq countered. "She fought them. She defended the kraal, though she failed." 

"If we hunt these giants, we will all fail," Ssteilssniq argued. 

"Sneisqlik," said a female's voice from within the kraal. The hunters turned to see Qlikssuqss, the dead chief's wife, standing there. Her fur was smudged with soot, her expression sad, but her back was straight and her chin held high. "The small stranger fought for our kraal even after what Stilmnah and Qlik did to her and the other. It is right that we help if we can." 

"We must keep our children and females safe," Ssteilsniq insisted. "If our hunters go off with Warrior and get killed, who will protect the kraal? Who will hunt?" 

"If the giants return, who will defend us?" Qlikssuqss replied evenly. "My husband fought bravely, but his weapons were not enough to kill even one of the giants. He died beside his hunters." 

"The small stranger's magic weapon was of no greater use than our spears and arrows," argued Ssteilsniq. 

"That is not true," Kenchisqee, one of the older hunters in the group, said. "I was there when they took her. Her weapon made their skin spout water like blood. She frightened one. It backed away from her and I believe she would have killed it if one of its mates had not shot lightning at her." 

"I will go if no other does," Qlikssuqss said. "I will carry my husband's weapons." 

"Ssteilsniq, you say I am young and foolish," Stolkchiq said. "Perhaps I am. Tell me in your wisdom, is it better to wait here with the women and hope we might be able to defend ourselves or go out and hunt the giants when they are not expecting us to do so?" 

"Stolkchiq speaks as I would if my leg were sound," Sneisqlik said, looking up at his friend. "We cannot leave our women undefended. You are right in that, Ssteilsniq. If we do not help Warrior and his mates, though, they may be killed and then there will be none who might stand against these giants. It is better to attack them when they are flush with confidence the way Cheqeskuulhoim did in the Old Tale of the 'Beast of the High Rocks'. But which hunters will go willingly? I will not order it." 

Three young hunters stepped up next to Stolkchiq instantly and several others, both old and young, followed. 

"Too many," Ssteilssniq said and looked them over. "Kenchisqee, you will stay and lead the hunt until I return." 

The hunter frowned, but accepted his duty. Ssteilssniq picked five of those who remained, including Stolkchiq. The young hunter had repeatedly proven he had the strength and will to take on a task such as was required of them. 

"You who go with Warrior, fetch food, water and all of your weapons," Sneisqlik ordered. "Ready your landstriders. Remember your way back to us. Go now. We who remain will keep your families safe." 

"I and my son will go as well," Sscuha said. 

"A hunt is no place for you," Ssteilssniq told her. 

"Chhal and I know some of their words, though we have been among them only a short time," she replied. "You and the other hunters know nothing of their tongue. It is better to know a little. We will not fight the monsters, but we will do what we can." 

"She speaks truly, Ssteilsniq," Sneisqlik said. "She and her son may ride my landstriders. Chhal, go and prepare them. Take both of my bulls. They are strong and fleet. And Ssteilssniq, Seschiqal's landstriders should be given to the younger hunters who go with you. His were the best in the tribe. It is right they should be used to hunt those that killed him." 

"Sue," Liam said seeing the hunters going off on their errands. He held up one of the blade-beast hides and said, "The chief had one of these. We need it." 

"Chief?" Sue asked. 

"Chief. Hide," Liam said clearly and shook the hide for emphasis. 

"Hide?" she asked, wondering if Warrior wanted to skin Seschiqal for some reason. 

"If he wants my husband's blade-beast cape, he can have it," Qlikssuqss said. "I will bring it." 

Though he begrudged every second's delay, Liam waited until the hunters were ready, even holding his peace while they said goodbye to their loved ones. Once mounted, though, they were off at a canter, the long legs of the landstriders carrying them along at a ground eating pace. 

The nomads, who had traveled the plains all their lives, knew well how to keep their animals moving. For hours they kept to the canter and then slowed to a walking pace for a time, allowing the landstriders to renew their strength. They never stopped until late in the afternoon and then only for a few minutes to water the beasts and take food for themselves. On into the late evening they rode, ever to the south and west until the sun was nearly set. Finally, when it was almost too dark to see, they came to the edge of the forest not far from where the scout ship had crashed. 

Tired and sore Liam dismounted. He went and helped the miserable Tem'Ma'tel from her beast. She had never felt so sore in her legs and thighs, not to mention the small of her back. She could barely stand, but after a few stretches, her rubbery legs held her weight. 

"Me and M'pel E'kmel are going to the ship," Liam told her. "I want you to stay here and teach these guys how to use the deq'istle. They don't need to be marksmen. Just make sure they know how to handle the weapons safely and point them in the right direction." 

"I understand, SerJ'ant," she said. "Come back to me." 

"I will," he said and gave her a deep kiss. "Don't worry, Marine. I'll be back before you know it." 

She pulled him into another kiss that lasted much longer and then she let him go. They held each other's gaze for a heartbeat before Liam took the commander and ventured into the trees. 

"I wish I had night vision goggles," M'pel E'kmel grumbled as she worked to keep up with Liam. 

"I thought you could see better in the dark than I can," he replied and ducked a branch. 

"Better, yes," she said and then hissed as she smacked her forehead. "I still need light to see by, though." 

"Have you got any on your ship?" he asked. 

"No," she said and tripped over a root. "Will you please slow down before I break a leg?" 

"Sorry," he said and waited for her to catch up. "I'm worried about Clot'ilda." 

"I understand," she said, rejoining him. "I know I protested when you said you were going to go after her, Sergeant, but I am worried also. I simply did not wish to risk losing you and Tem'Ma'tel." 

"jZav'Etch females try to maintain what they have," he replied. "I remember. I was angry at you, but... Yeah... I understand. Let's just get this done so we can get her back. When this is over we can go sit quietly for a while. Just sit and relax. Drink some tea. Eat some good home cooking." 

"And have sex," she said matter-of-factly. 

Liam tripped and fell on his face. In spite of all the danger and stress, M'pel E'kmel laughed at him in her musical way. He got back to his feet and shot her a surprised look. 

"I have been in space or on this planet for over three months, Sergeant," she chuckled. "In all that time I have not been with a male. It gets tiresome." 

"Oh... Right," he said. 

"We shall worry about it when the time comes," M'pel E'kmel assured him. "We will do things properly, you and I. Best we were on our way, though, don't you agree?" 

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Maybe you should use the light on your weapon so you can see." 

"That might attract predators," she said. "The last thing we want is to be delayed by a pack of hyena-frogs." 

"We still have to cover about three klicks, Commander," he replied. "I think we should risk it. I have my sensors on an active sweep and the suit has plenty of power. Nothing is going to sneak up on us." 

Following the compass in his HUD, Liam led the way through the forest to the broken trees and debris field left by the scout ship. Though no new trees had grown up yet, the area looked entirely different from the last time he had seen the place. Vines and small plants had covered the ship itself and there was little sign anything had been there since the day of the crash. Liam moved cautiously toward the ship until his radiation alarm chirped in his helmet. 

"That's as close you get, Commander," he said. "Radiation isn't concentrated enough to hurt you, but there's no sense in you getting any closer." 

"Very well," she said and looked around before dousing her light. "Is there anything dangerous lurking out there in the night?" 

"No," he said. "Nothing within three hundred meters. I think there's one of those big things with the tusks over to the east." 

"A sensor-beast like the one we encountered at that stream?" she asked. 

"Yeah." 

"Then I am content to remain here until you return. Though..." she faltered. 

"What is it?" he asked. 

"I was just thinking, it really should be me that goes in," she said. "I know my way around the ship and I know where everything is stored." 

"I'd let you, but my suit won't fit a jZav'Etch," he told her. "Boots are all wrong for your feet and my helmet would crush your ears." 

"Yes," she said softly. "I suppose you are right. Listen to me, though, Sergeant. The scuttling charge is located in a box about twice the size of your helmet. The box is mounted on the back of the main drive, above the crystal. You will find an adjustable wrench in a tool locker just inside the engineering room door. The door is sealed. Take this." 

Liam took the palm-sized plastic card she held out to him and looked at it. 

"It's the pass key. Don't ask why I held onto it all this time. It was simply in one of my pockets and I never threw it away," she explained. "Take the wrench from the tool locker and remove the four large bolts holding the box in place. There are four smaller ones holding the two halves of the box together. Leave those in place until you have the box outside of the ship." 

"Okay," Liam said with a nod of understanding. "You're sure the charge has been shielded from radiation?" 

"Yes," she replied. "Our drives are very efficient. They do not have leaks, but if there were an accident, the radiation might scramble the signal to the charge and detonate it before a repair crew could fix the drive." 

"Okay," he said. "Where are the weapons?" 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 21



"An arms locker just outside of the crew bunks," she said. "As you enter through the starboard side airlock it will be on your right. It will be open already. We were in a rush when departing, as I'm sure you can imagine. The grenades will be in a case in the bottom of the locker. The deq'istles will be in a similar case just above them. Ammunition will be stored on the top shelf above the qui'istle rack." 

"Is there anything else in there we might want?" he asked. "I only have one purge kit. We won't be going back." 

"If you have time, there are additional medical kits in a locker on the opposite side of the ship. I suppose you could also get the other crate of emergency rations from the galley. We only had time to take the one, you see." 

"Anything else?" 

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "Everything else will be contaminated. Useless now." 

"Will there be any power?" he asked. 

"Perhaps. Likely it will be minimal. You will have to open the hatch manually," she said. "When you get to it, I will explain the procedure." 

"Alright," he said. "Wish me luck." 

Before he could close his visor M'pel E'kmel grabbed him and planted a kiss on his mouth. What she lacked in practice she made up for with intent. Liam kissed her back, savoring the strong, wild scent of her. 

"For luck," she said and nipped the tip of his nose. 

It took only a few minutes for him to cross the debris field to the starboard side airlock. On the keypad entrance plate a warning light flashed dimly. He couldn't read it, but there was little doubt the message was a warning to any who might want to open the hatch. 

"Alright, Commander. I'm here. My rad counter reads high but non-lethal levels," he said into his suit mic. Liam stripped all of his extraneous gear - gun belt, musette bag, cargo pockets and the like - dropping it in a neat pile a few meters from the ship. "I think someone would have to stand here a day or two to absorb enough to hurt them. Over," 

"That's good. The hull integrity isn't as badly compromised as I feared. Can you see the keypad to the right of the hatch? Over," she replied. 

"Yes. It's flashing a warning. Over." 

"Good," she said. "That means there is still internal power. The ship's capacitors have not yet been depleted. Insert the card into the slot on the keypad. Below the entry plate you will find a handle. It should come out when you press the blue button on the pad." 

Liam did as she instructed and waited. Nothing happened. He told her so and she frowned before repeating her instructions. 

"Nothing happened again," he said. "What now?" 

"It must be jammed," she said. "Is there some way you could pry it out?" 

"Hang on a second," he said over the radio and from all the way across the field of shattered stumps M'pel E'kmel heard a loud bang. 

"What was that?" she asked. 

"I kicked it," he said. "Handle's out now. What's next?" 

"You will have to pump it up and down until you have enough room to get through the hatch." 

"Got it. Give me a minute." 

Liam pumped the lever like an old fashioned jack handle. Gradually the hatch swung back on its hinges until he had enough room to pass. He paused to catch his breath and then asked what to do next. 

"Inside the airlock you will find a similar lever," she said. "It's the same process. Once you get the lever out, though, you will need to close the outer hatch to keep from contaminating the area. You should be able to push it shut. It's designed to close manually with little effort." 

"I understand," he said. "Will I be able to receive your signal when I close the hatch?" 

"I don't know," she said. "I never used one of these handsets until I came here." 

"Alright," said Liam resignedly. "Commander, look, if for some reason I can't get out of this ship, I want you to go and recue Clot'ilda. Tell her..." 

"You will tell her yourself," M'pel E'kmel said sharply. "I did not come all this way on one of those damned, uncomfortable beasts, wearing the fur off the insides of my thighs just for you to get stuck inside a derelict scout ship and leave me to clean up your mess, Sergeant. Now quit wasting time." 

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a chuckle and went into the airlock. He repeated the procedure and this time the lever popped out as if it were spring loaded. Liam closed the outer hatch and began opening the inner one. 

"Can you hear me, Commander?" he panted into his mic. 

"I read you," she said through crackling static. "Signal is strong and clear. Over." 

"Your signal is weak and broken, but I can still hear you. I'm almost through the door," he said. "I'll contact you as soon as I get to engineering." 

"Understood. Out," she said and began to pray to the Forger and Builder. 

Liam got the inner hatch open and was greeted by dim, green light. His rad counter spiked and a warning barked in his ear, but he had expected that. The ship itself seemed all too still and silent. Nothing moved. No sounds came to him. It was like walking into a tomb. He found the arms locker right where M'pel E'kmel had said it would be. It was standing open, the door half ripped off its hinges with what looked like claw marks in the paint. Those were probably put there by the captain he had killed on his first day. Strange now, he couldn't remember the captain's name. He made a mental note to ask one of the females when this was all over. The captain had been a tough bastard and he deserved to be remembered. 

Liam ignored the remaining fero-plas rifles and snatched up the spare ammunition, the grenades and the extra case of pistols, stacking them in the airlock. He moved quickly to the opposite side of the ship and found the case of medical kits, adding that to the stack. Entering the crew berths, Lam found the first bodies. Two petite Pah'Thts, one laying in the other's arms, silent and still. Because of their fur, they did not look as though they had been dead for more than a month to his eyes. It so shocked him to see them like that he almost couldn't breathe for a moment. Carefully he stepped around them, wondering if they had been friends of Clot'ilda and wondering if they had guessed what plans their government had made for them. Further along in the next crew compartment was another body. This one was a male dTel'Qohar. He looked young, with his slim frame. Liam could see it hadn't been the radiation that had killed him. His fatigues were scorched and his head rested at an odd angle. Killed in the crash or perhaps the battle. From the galley Liam could see into the electronic warfare compartment. There two more females sagged in their crash frames, killed during the fight. They looked like younger versions of M'pel E'kmel and could have been twins. Was it possible these two were her daughters? 

As he was pulling the crate of rations from under the sink in the galley his radiation alarm chirped, reminding him that there was a limit to the amount of radiation his purge kit could neutralize. He had been telling the truth about how he had fought boarding actions on ships with leaking reactors, but what he hadn't told M'pel E'kmel was that he had been decontaminated by shipboard facilities. If he stayed in the scout ship too long, he would have to discard his armor. 

As quickly as he could manage, Liam set the ration case on the deck inside the airlock and moved to the engineering compartment's door. He examined the entry plate and slid the plastic card into the slot below the keypad. Instantly the door jumped in its frame. Liam put a hand on it and pushed. It swung open on smooth hinges. 

"I'm in the engineering compartment now, Commander," he said into his mic as he opened the tool locker. "I found the wrench and I'm going for the scuttling charge." 

"Und...od...areful... Re...er the ca...les need t... detached fir..." she replied. 

"You're breaking up badly," he said as he rounded the back of the small but powerful drive. "I'll call you as soon as I'm out of the ship. Over." 

Liam stepped over the remains of a jZav'Etch engineer. She had probably been attractive when alive. Her long mane and slight frame was that of a Thahn 'Den, only a few of which had Liam ever encountered. He stepped up onto a built in ladder and mounted to the top of the drive. Right in front of him was a large box that fit the description M'pel E'kmel had given of the scuttling charge. It took little effort to get the cables off and remove the bolts. He almost forgot to bring the wrench with him when he got the box down to the deck, but remembered before he left the compartment, shoving the wrench into one of his cargo pockets. 

With all of his loot stacked in the airlock, Liam squeezed in and closed the inner hatch. His suit chirped again, indicating it had absorbed fifty percent of the purge kit's capacity. The outer door was easier to open from inside and he quickly emptied the cases of their contents. The scuttling charge was another matter. The wrench wanted to slip off the bolt heads, but he persisted until all six were out. The actual bomb was a stout thing that reminded him of an old fashioned cinder block with red plastic filling the cavities. He hefted it out of the case and set it in the grass and foliage next to the ship. After that Liam had to spend a minute throwing the contaminated cases back into the airlock and then sealing the ship again. 

"Okay, Commander," he said into his mic. "I'm clear of the ship and about to do the purge. This is your last chance to get anything from inside if you want it." 

"I can think of nothing except the things we discussed," she replied and her voice came through more or less clearly. 

"Purging now," Liam said and breathed a sigh of relief as the suite dispensed foam from tiny nozzles all over its surface. The foam oozed and slithered almost lovingly, coating every millimeter of armor and equipment in a fluffy white froth. Liam watched his HUD and tried to remain perfectly still through the process. Once fully dispensed the foam began to change color. It solidified and expanded, even lifting him slightly off the ground from the coating on the soles of his boots. Eventually it became brittle. Sound from outside the suit was damped down to almost nothing and then Liam heard crackling. Pieces of the purge foam fell away from him, tinkling like broken glass as they hit the ground. He checked his readings, finding that the armor had been completely cleaned of any residual contamination. 

"It's done, Commander," he said in a more relaxed tone. "I'm clean." 

"Thanks be to the Forger and Builder," she said reverently over the radio. "Hurry back, Sergeant."



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 22



Author's Note: Getting very close to the end. This is not the last chapter. There will be at least one more, perhaps two. However, this is a good long one and should satisfy the cravings of those wanting "moar".

As for a sequel or another story in this particular universe, I am undecided. I have two other projects I need to devote some serious time to and there are the usual concerns of real life I must attend to. This was fun and surprisingly rewarding, but making a living does come first (as do some home repairs).

Thanks to everyone who left comments and sent messages. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I will post the next when I have finished my real life tasks and have more time to edit.





Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 22



"I hope not," he replied. "They volunteered to come, though. They've got a lot to lose if we fail."

"Perhaps," she said.

"You said your people already lost worlds to these things," he pointed out. "If we can stomp this scout ship flat, maybe they won't send any more. Maybe we can make it too expensive for them to try taking this place. There isn't much in the way of resources here. It's not in a strategically valuable system. If it were, our races would be fighting over it right now."

M'pel E'kmel considered his argument and had to agree, though she did so reluctantly.

"We will need to disable their communications in the first strike," she said after a moment. "If they get a message off to their carrier, we can expect a rescue mission to be sent to recover them. I can reset a rifle to send a more powerful bolt. It won't have as high a rate of fire, but it will be very destructive."

"Good enough. We'll wreck the ship. Make it a big enough mess that they won't bother to land," he said. "First things first, though. Let's get Clot'ilda out of there. We'll worry about repelling an invasion after that."

"Very well," she said. "How?"

***********

As the sky turned grey in the predawn Ssteilssniq lay in the thick, reedy grass a hundred long strides from the hump Warrior said was an enemy hut. The thing looked like the largest god tear any of the hunters of the High Grass folk had ever seen. A mound of smooth stone, perhaps. Only the strange trees growing from the top broke its surface. From his place in the marsh he could see nothing of the bizarre creature Warrior had shown him from the hilltop. He knew roughly where it would be. The thing had crawled into a shallow pool not far from the giant that stood by the enemy's hut. Warrior had said the creature rode inside of the giant as the hunters rode on the backs of their landstriders. Ssteilssniq reckoned the giants must be like the beetle costume Warrior wore. He had seen how powerful the giants were. Spears and arrows had bounced off their hides or shattered. Ssteilssniq gripped the magic weapon Warrior had given him and hoped he could remember how to use it properly and worried his hunters would not remember what to do with the weapons. Stolkchiq was smart and had done well with the instructions, but some of the others had not done as well.

A bright flash from the hilltop and a sound like smashing stone tore Ssteilssniq out of his thoughts. The attack had begun! Ssteilssniq rose up to one knee and put the weapon to his shoulder as a second flash of light came from the hilltop. He pressed the thing that would send out the bright light from his weapon and felt it buck lightly into his shoulder. This surprised him, as the weapon had not done so when Strongwife had given them instruction.

Flashes of light blossomed on the side of the enemy's hut as more of the hunters began sending their magic at the thing. From the top of the hut a great head rose and turned to look at them. Lightning flared from a long tube and one of his hunters caught at the end of the bolt screamed in agony. The hunter went on screaming even as a second bolt flared across the marsh. Ssteilssniq shouted a warning to the other folk and sprinted forward the way Warrior had told them to do. They darted left and right, stopping for a heartbeat before darting off again. It seemed chaotic and random, but the hunters knew how prey often broke to confuse the aim of those who shot arrows or threw spears. The next bolt from the tube struck only the sodden earth, throwing up a cloud of steam. The hunters pressed onward, closing the distance.

***********

Along the stream Liam and Tem'Ma'tel had crept, cloaked under the blade-beast hides. Liam had to wear two to cover his armor, but he was not greatly encumbered. They'd squelched their way along the bank, his boots getting stuck in the cloying mud more than a few times. Finally they were within striking distance. Liam risked a look over the lip of the low bank through the reeds. The near side of the ship showed no sign of sensors or even a porthole. Nothing indicated either he or his mate had been spotted.

"Looks quiet," he whispered to Tem'Ma'tel who crouched next to him pressed into the soft bank.

"What next?" she asked.

"We wait," he said and checked his chronometer. "Should be any second n..."

The shot from on top of the hillock and the explosion that followed drowned out his words. Tem'Ma'tel did not wait for Liam's order to spring over the lip of the bank and begin running for the ship, throwing off her blade-beast cloak as she did. Liam was right behind her, grinding his teeth in frustration. She was supposed to follow him, not take the lead.

Suddenly Tem'Ma'tel pitched forward, landing in a tumble of writhing limbs. She gurgled out a strangled cry and thrashed spastically in the wet grass and mud. Liam sprang to her, fearing his mate had been shot. Something whipped up from the ground and wrapped around his leg and another wrapped around his arm. His suit registered an electric pulse, but its insulation defeated the weapon. Liam saw that the fine tentacles of the perimeter system were the source of the currents and that Tem'Ma'tel had tripped them in her unthinking rush.

"Fuck this!" he snarled and unsheathed his knife. The thick blade sliced through the tentacles on his arm and leg, but more whipped at him. Liam growled and grabbed hold of a couple. He hauled back hard, pulling the creature from the grass. More tentacles wrapped around him and Liam stabbed his knife through the center of the thing. It looked like a cross between a jellyfish and a starfish. His first thrust did not kill it so Liam began slashing the tentacles off. Tem'Ma'tel stopped jerking and lay panting in the grass.

"Are you okay?" he asked pulling her into a sitting position.

"Fuck!" she cursed and grabbed her rifle.

"Let me lead," he said. There was no time to berate her for her impetuousness. They had to get to the sensor array.

When the turret appeared on top of the ship he noted it with surprise, though he did not break stride. The weapon swung out to fire on the Fauns and Liam instantly changed his point of attack.

"This way!" he shouted and waved Tem'Ma'tel to follow. 

Even in the muddy ground she outpaced him, reaching the ship first, but she waited until he got to her before trying to climb the smooth surface. Her claws found no purchase, though. She could not scale the slope.

"I'll take out the turret," Liam said in a rush. "When I blow it you go around and cover the fauns."

She wanted to argue, but there was no time. Liam was already climbing the side of the ship, his boot clamps digging shallow gouges into the surface. He made it to the top just as one of the armored forms of the enemy came through the hatch. For a heartbeat it seemed as though the attack was over before it could truly begin, but the creature did not see Liam and strode down the far side of the ship to engage the darting Fauns. Another blast from the ship's cannon drew Liam onward. He had the scuttling charge in his hand as he reached it. The top of the turret was fairly flat and presumably thick with armor so Liam jammed the charge into an angle next to the gun. He connected the leads from one of their radios to it, jumped on top of the turret and lay flat before sending the signal that would trigger the device. The whole turret jumped when the charge detonated, rolling Liam off the far side. A second later there was a high pitched whine and then the weapon's capacitor exploded, sending shrapnel slicing through the air.

Liam looked up to find the gun tube had slid down the side of the hull, smoke pouring from its shattered breach end. He crawled around to peer into the hole, hoping it was large enough for him to squeeze through, but there was too much wreckage in his way. He shoved a hand grenade into the mess and ducked back. The grenade boomed, tearing more of the metal and cabling apart. Another look revealed more mess, but no greater hole. Frustrated, Liam was about use another grenade, but the hatch slid open and another of the armored enemy rose from the water within the ship. This one came up looking in Liam's direction and instantly it brought its directed energy weapon to bear.

Liam dove behind the wrecked turret just as the enemy fired. The blast caught him, but his suit absorbed the bolt of bright electric blue, sending it to replenish his capacitors. Liam came up and laid his fero-plas rifle across the top of the turret, pulling the trigger as his sights lined up on the thing's faceplate. The armored giant staggered back, water mixed with blood poured from the shattered plate, but the thing wasn't dead. It brought up another weapon and fired a burst. Liam's sensors screamed a warning even as the projectiles struck. He knew he was dead as he fell back behind the turret. But then he wasn't. Surprised, Liam blinked. His armor was intact. No damage done. He didn't even feel like he'd been so much as punched. What the hell? There was an object sticking in the plastron of his left shoulder. A finger long dart had buried its tip in the secondary plate, but had not penetrated.

Thumping sounded from the far side of the turret and Liam rolled up to a knee, bringing his rifle to his shoulder in one smooth motion. His sites lined up again and he pumped three quick shots into the faceplate and chest. More blood tinged water spouted from the holes and the creature staggered, slumping to one side. Sparks erupted from one of the holes and then a shot from on top of the hill slammed into its back, toppling it over the side of the ship.

Thankful to be alive, Liam waved to M'pel E'kmel in her sniper's post before casting about for some way into the ship. He couldn't open the hatch. The hole in the turret was too small to let him in and his grenades were not powerful enough to blast another hole. Out in the marshland the Fauns were playing merry hell with the enemy soldier. With the turret out of action they were able to dart and dodge freely. The armored giant was firing with multiple weapons. The projected energy gun was powerful, but seemed to have very limited range. The dart gun was inaccurate at the range of the engagement and the alien only threw a few bursts to keep the Fauns back. The other weapon had a much longer reach and fired in five round bursts, leaving streamers of white vapor behind each projectile. Liam frowned at them. His scope indicated these were not bullets in the traditional sense.

"Fucking gyro-jet guns?" he breathed in understanding. It made perfect sense. A gyro-jet could be used with great effect under water or in space where conventional weapons were limited. The CP had used them in the early days, but when man-pack rail guns had been perfected they'd abandoned gyro-jets. They were notoriously inaccurate unless equipped with a guidance system. These seemed to have one, though it was apparently very limited. As Liam watched, another Faun went down when one of the projectiles exploded in the air next to him.

Liam was about to put a round into the enemy's head when the hatch opened in front of him. He didn't hesitate. As the next giant rose out of the ship, Liam dove in head first. The enemy had no time to stop him as Liam shot by, slipping off the side of the lift and into the compartment below the water. The hatch sealed shut above him and Liam looked around. A circular door stood off to one side. The rest of the walls were lined with racks, one of which still held an armored suit. This was the alien's version of a ready room and airlock. He swam to the closed door and examined it. The water made it tough to move around since Liam's suit was not neutrally buoyant. He floated at an odd angle and could do nothing about it.

The door was sealed, but there was a simple wheel and dog configuration holding it shut. The damned thing was mechanical! Made of steel alloys, ceramics and carbon fiber, this ship was about as primitive as you could get and still get it into space. He put the muzzle of his rifle to one of the dogs and pulled the trigger. A flash of light and a muted explosion pushed him back, but the dog held. It was dented and scarred, but not otherwise damaged.

A sound from above made Liam turn. The hatch was cycling again. He cast about for the control mechanism. If he got trapped in this airlock with one of the things it could probably rip him apart, even with his armor. The thing's feet were showing already. Liam switched his sensors on, looking for power readings, hoping they would lead him to the controls. Cables running along the wall indicated they were charged, but there were no controls. No panels. Nothing.

"Gotta be in the suits," growled Liam as he held onto the wall and fired a burst of fero-plastic point blank into the cables. The insulation disintegrated under the impact sending bubbles of steam up to the ceiling. Another burst parted the cables and the lift shuddered to a stop. For a confused moment nothing happened and then the armored giant jammed his gyro-jet gun through the gap between ceiling and lift, firing off a short volley. Even as Liam dodged aside the projectiles homed in on him. Panicked and irrational he swiped at them with his hand, knocking two aside. The other three thumped into his shoulder pauldron and breastplate, but did not detonate. The range was too close. The projectiles had to have distance to accelerate and arm. They were not designed for this kind of close quarters combat!

Liam swam clear of the still active projectiles and sprayed a burst of nearly useless fero-plas rounds at his attacker. The water dispersed their energy and slowed the bullets to such a degree that they simply bounced off the thick armor of his enemy's suit. The giant launched half a dozen more gyro-jet rounds at him, none of which had any greater effect than the first volley. It shot a long burst of darts, some of which struck home only to bounce off. 

Liam snarled in frustration. His enemy couldn't hurt him, but he didn't have anything that could hurt his enemy either. He was about to use another of his grenades when the giant was rocked by something from above. 

***********

Tem'Ma'tel, her fingers and toes still tingling from the electric charge she had sustained, waited only long enough to be sure Liam had succeeded in detonating the scuttling charge. As the cloud of debris washed over the side of the ship she sprinted around the nose, rifle at the ready. Clearing the angle of the ship she saw that the Fauns had closed in on the perimeter and were throwing fero-plas rounds in wild sprays. As distractions went, that was a pretty good one. It was both wildly chaotic and dangerous. The enemy crew had no choice but to engage the sprinting Fauns even though they had little chance of hitting them.

The alien they had seen repairing its suit and checking the perimeter was sheltering in one of the larger pools of water. It would raise itself onto the bank and fire off a few shots from what looked like a rocket gun and then duck back down as the Fauns fired a scattered fusillade at it. The creature had very little chance of hitting anything because it lacked even the most rudimentary of skeletons. It was forced to prop its weapon on top of several of its tentacles to get any elevation. There was no way it could aim at the Fauns and so it used the classic method of spray and pray.

The other enemy stood a few paces from the ship and launched volleys of the small rockets at the fleet footed nomads. One tracked on a Faun and exploded just as the lithe creature was turning to dart away. The Faun fell and lay silent in the tall grass. Few of the rockets were able to track the nomads who seemed to have boundless reserves of energy. Tem'Ma'tel knew it couldn't last, though. Even the fittest warrior would eventually grow tired. She knew sooner or later these allies would fall to the weapons of their enemy.

Tem'Ma'tel had no idea where the most vital spot on the armored giant was, but if she didn't take some action the Fauns would continue to die. Therefore she sighted on the thing's weapon. It was a stub-barreled box of a cannon held by a cluster of short tentacles on the right side of the armor. She took in a breath and let half out to steady her aim and then squeezed the trigger. Her round struck home in the magazine and the weapon detonated with a resounding blast that sent metal tentacles flying and toppled the armored giant sideways. Even as it fell the enemy was turning to face her. Tem'Ma'tel saw its other weapon coming up to bear and she fired again, aiming for the faceplate. Her round struck the coaming at the top of the clear crystal and sent a crack straight down the middle, splitting the faceplate in two. As the giant hit the ground its weapon discharged. A viridian bolt of energy sizzled past Tem'Ma'tel, the static charge setting her fur on end. She fired off half a dozen bolts, stitching a line of holes across its armored shoulders and gouging scars down its back. Pieces of the dark plating flew off in jagged little chunks. Water poured out of the armor and the suit could not seal all of the holes.

The giant wasn't done, though. It pushed itself up, rising ponderously to its four knees. A bolt of fero-plastic flashed over Tem'Ma'tel's shoulder and struck the already damaged faceplate. Commander M'pel E'kmel was still on the hill in her sniper's nest and had not given up the fight. More rounds flashed through the air, slamming into the armored form as it rocked under the impacts which left glowing craters in the breast plate and shoulders. Tem'Ma'tel brought her rifle back to her shoulder and began firing steady, aimed shots, gouging more chunks from the enemy's breastplate and torso armor. Between the two jZav'Etch they fired more than forty rounds into it before the armored giant collapsed and lay still.

As soon as the giant was down, Tem'Ma'tel charge forward dodging the stray fero-plas bolts from the Fauns. Pulling a grenade off her belt she pressed the arming cap and tossed it into the empty suit as she tucked and rolled to get clear of the blast. 

WHUUMP! 

The grenade detonated. The suit rocked backward, black smoke and charred bits flying from the open torso. Tem'Ma'tel spun back to the downed giant she and the commander had shot. From two meters away she fired a dozen more rounds into its back, shattering the armor and shredding its inner workings. Red tinged water flowed out of the many holes. She had no time to celebrate, though. The thing in the pool had finally noticed her, and she had to drop to the ground to get under its arc of fire.

Suddenly there was a loud whistle from out in the marsh and the surviving Fauns charged in, howling a blood curdling war cry. The thing in the pool slopped back into the water as they surrounded it and began pouring fire into the water. It took them several seconds to see their weapons were having no effect. They stopped firing long enough to rearm themselves with bows. The creature under the water surged up as the first arrow penetrated the water and lodged in its hide. It lashed out with its tentacles, knocking one Faun into the reeds several meters away. The others dodged and taunted the alien, stabbing it with spears or shooting it with arrows. The thing was bleeding from dozens of wounds and writhing in pain, but they had not killed it. Tem'Ma'tel was lining up her sights to deal it a death wound when her radio beeped at her. She blinked, irritated by the distraction.

"Tem'Ma'tel!" M'pel E'kmel shouted over the radio. "Liam needs you! Turn around!"

Without answering the commander, Tem'Ma'tel spun to face the ship. A fourth alien was crouching on top of the vessel, apparently firing into the ship through the hatch. Black specks of fero-plastic leapt up from within the ship, but lacked the energy to go more than a meter or two. M'pel E'kmel fired from the hilltop, striking one of the massive pauldrons and rocking the giant sideways. Tem'Ma'tel took aim at the same point and fired. Again and again they shot at the creature, driving it away from the hatch and forcing it to face them rather than attack Liam.




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 22



As much damage as they were doing it was taking too long and the armored giant was moving to take cover behind the heavily damaged gun turret. Spitting a curse, Tem'Me'tel took out another grenade and charged. The thing in the armor turned its projected energy weapon on her and fired just as she let fly with her grenade. The blast was rushed and poorly aimed, but Tem'Ma'tel was caught by the edge of the electric bolt. For the second time in less than five minutes she went down hard in the mud. Her vision swam, the clouds in the sky grew less clear and then everything went grey and faded to black.

***********

Whatever had happened outside the ship the alien was gone. No more gyro-jet rounds splashed into the water and Liam moved for the door. He felt as much as heard another explosion from above. Someone had used a grenade. Liam's com beeped and suddenly M'pel E'kmel was speaking in his ear.

"Sergeant, are you there?" she asked urgently.

"I'm here, Commander," Liam replied and tried turning the handle in the middle of the door again. It still didn't budge. "What's going on out there?"

"Three enemy are down and the Fauns are dealing with the fourth," she said. "Tem'Ma'tel was shot. I'm coming down now."

"Is she alive?" Liam demanded, forgetting the door in his need to know the condition of his wife.

"I don't know," M'pel E'kmel said honestly. "She was still moving after the blast. I'll see to her. Worry about getting Clot'ilda out of that ship. There is nothing you can do for Tem'Ma'tel at the moment. I'll take care of her. I swear it."

Briefly torn between his conflicting desires, Liam ground his teeth and turned his attention back to the door. He only had two grenades left and they were unlikely to open it. His rifle had already proven insufficient to the task. What did he have left? He cast about for a control panel or anything that might help him. That's when he saw a cluster of the spent gyro-jet rounds laying on the floor of the chamber. They hadn't detonated, but that didn't mean they were duds. They just hadn't had enough range to arm. Quickly he gathered them up and jammed one behind the already damaged dog on the door. What he was about to do was dangerous, but he didn't see any other option. Liam flattened himself against the bulkhead, extending the rifle so that its muzzle was right on the small warhead of the gyro-jet round. He grimaced and pulled the trigger. 

Bang.

The explosion was muted due to the water, but the little warhead had bent the dog enough to dislodge it from the socket in which it normally locked home. A fierce grin spread across Liam's face as he jammed another gyro-jet round behind the next dog and repeated his procedure. One after another the little rockets exploded and tore the dogs free. He had to use two rockets on a couple of them, but the alien had been generous in his fusillade. Plenty of gyro-jet rounds lay on the floor of the chamber. Finally the last dog was blown from its socket and Liam braced his shoulder on the huge door. He shoved hard, swinging it out into the next compartment. He had not known what to expect, but there was nothing waiting on the other side. He keyed his sensors to an active scan and found the compartment empty. 

Carefully Liam crossed into it, his lowlight scope picking out the details of the room. This seemed like the place the crew slept or maybe ate their meals. Maybe it was both. The room had an elliptical cross section, following the shape of the hull. Containers similar in shape to brandy snifters, but the size of small cars, lined the walls. In the center of the room was a mushroom shaped piece of furniture with multiple openings and a strange control panel in the middle. A thick ring encircled its edge. Perhaps this is what the crew held onto while they operated the strange device. 

Liam pushed off the wall and swam awkwardly across the room to another round door on the far side. With a feeling of dread he saw it too had an arrangement of dogs in sockets to hold it closed. His dread eased when he tried the wheel in the center of the door and it turned. Two quick spins and the dogs pulled out of their sockets. This door swung open more easily than the first. Again he scanned the compartment, but the readings were ambiguous. There was too much the sensors could not identify, but there were no life signs. Strange shapes loomed in the dimness as he eased past the coaming. 

Liam moved on to the far side of the chamber where a third door sat partly open. Feeling the acute need to find Clot'ilda he nevertheless cautioned himself. What were the odds the enemy had accidentally left this door ajar? He swam up to it and sent an active scan into the next compartment. This time the sensors registered something alive. Liam frowned and pushed the door open. 

Clot'ilda! She was alive! His heart leapt into his throat at sight of his wife in a clear capsule hardly large enough to contain her. She had been stripped naked but she was alive and awake, her little hands pressed to the clear plastic of the capsule. She shouted something he could not hear and pounded her fist on the plastic, gesturing to the right of the door.

In the instant the meaning of Clot'ilda's urgent gestures registered a pair of tentacles shot through the water and wrapped around Liam's arm and tore the rifle from his grasp. Liam's other hand went to his holster and came out with an EP 12. He pushed the muzzle against the tentacle and pulled the trigger, sending three armor piercing slugs through the rubbery flesh of his enemy. That tentacle let loose only to be replaced by three more. One wrapped around his gun hand, forcing the weapon away, and the other two wrapped around his waist and chest. His suit registered an increase in pressure, but the armor held.

Liam reached for his other weapon, but more tentacles came through the doorway and dragged him into the compartment. He was slammed into a bulkhead and then flung across the room. He looked up in time to see the many tentacled thing aim a strange weapon at him. Liam didn't wait around to find out what it was. He pushed off the bulkhead towards Clot'ilda just in time. A half meter long dart powered through the water, slammed into the bulkhead and exploded, tearing a hole through the thick metal into the forward compartment. The alien reloaded the weapon as Liam sought for the release mechanism of Clot'ilda's capsule. If he could get it off the bulkhead he could get her to the external hatch and free her.

Clot'ilda hammered her fist on the plastic again and pointed urgently behind him. Liam dodged aside, not bothering to look at what was about to happen. Another dart smashed the support he had been bracing against and Clot'ilda's capsule jumped out of one of its brackets as the metal deformed. The capsule sagged, slipping out of its other bracket and then rose gently to the curved ceiling, hanging there centimeters from the metal hull. 

Liam was too occupied to rejoice at this turn of fortune. The alien was already reloading and Liam's weapons were of little use at anything but point blank range in this water. He pushed off the bulkhead, intending to jam his pistol into one of the thing's eyes. Halfway to his enemy, though, tentacles shot out and wrapped around him. They pulled his arms out away from his body, forcing his pistol to point towards the ceiling. Alarms sounded in his ears as the stresses on his suit increased towards breach levels.

Struggle as he might, Liam was nowhere near strong enough to fight this creature in hand to hand. He felt increasing pressure on his torso as more tentacles wrapped around him. More warning alarms hummed in his ears. Liam fought harder, wriggling in its grasp, but could make no headway. Suddenly he realized the thing had dropped its weapon and was pulling him towards itself. Liam watched for an instant in stunned realization. The alien was dragging him into its maw! At the center of its tentacles was a large, hooked beak of black ivory or chitin. Desperately he fought, wrenching his arms back and forth. He arched his back, straining every muscle to break free. It was no use. The creature had him and he was about to be eaten feet first.

Feet first?

Liam grinned inside his faceplate. He continued to struggle, but there was a method to his movements now. The alien opened its beak and was pulling him in for the first bite when the marine levered himself towards the open mouth. His boots struck the solid material and their clamps snapped out, shattering the beak into fragments. Instantly he was thrown across the compartment as the alien shot away in horrendous pain trailing streamers of blood and a cloud of blue-black ink. Liam bounced off the bulkhead again, stunned, but he had the wherewithal to look for his enemy. Through the murk he saw it was gathering itself for a fresh attack and Liam was too disoriented to draw his remaining pistol. 

Things were looking bad when an explosion sounded. The alien froze in place and seemed to look around. Liam rolled into a more upright position and glanced at the ceiling. Was the water level dropping? Another explosion sounded and suddenly Liam could hear a rushing noise. The water was definitely flowing out of the ship! The alien abandoned any pretense of another attack and shot through the open door into the adjoining compartment, sealing the door behind itself.

***********

Clot'ilda struggled inside her capsule, kicking at the sealed end. She was tiny, but the capsule was free of its restraining brackets, there was nothing but water pressure to keep it closed now. Another kick and another finally forced the lid to move. Franticly she kicked again and again, driving the lid off the end of the clear tube. Water poured in, the capsule began to sink, but Clot'ilda had anticipated that. She slid her legs out and hung onto the hoses that had supplied the air. The capsule bobbed in the water, trapping a large pocket of air around the Pah'Tht's head and shoulders. She kicked her legs and spun the capsule so that she could see what was happening.

"No!" she cried in horror at sight of her beloved mate being dragged into the alien's mouth. She had to do something! Liam was going to be killed! What to do? She was trapped without air other than the pocket in her little prison. And then she saw the enemy's discarded weapon.

Clot'ilda dropped from her capsule and swam towards the floor. She hadn't taken a deep breath before leaving the capsule and almost instantly her lungs began burning, wanting to take in the water around her, but she forced herself to swim harder. She reached the weapon and tried to lift it. She had to kill the thing before it killed Liam, but she was too small. Even with the buoyancy the water gave it, the weapon was too heavy for her to handle.

A violent current in the water made her turn and look to where the alien and her mate struggled. She saw the thing hurl Liam across the compartment into a bulkhead and the alien dart away, trailing blood and a dark cloud. Clot'ilda grinned fiercely. She hauled the muzzle of the weapon up onto a piece of machinery and then pointed it at the hull. It took both her hands to work the lever, but she let loose with a bolt. It sliced cleanly through the water and she felt the shockwave when the projectile struck the hull, blasting a hole clean through.

Her ears ringing, Clot'ilda swam up to the ceiling. Finding an air pocket she gulped in a lungful of air and dove back down, paying no heed to the monster in the corner. Another bolt slid home and locked into the gun. Again she pointed the weapon at the hull and again she shot. More water poured out of the ship and she could feel the current as it passed.

*********** 

M'pel E'kmel leapt into the saddle of her landstrider and slammed back her heels, startling the creature into a canter. Rover rose and followed swiftly as Sscuha and Chhal looked on confused. The commander hauled on the reins turning the beast up the lowest hill and over its top. Down the other side she thundered, the animal picking up speed as she hammered her heels into its flanks. She had to get to Tem'Ma'tel as quickly as possible. The marshland flashed by her as she steered between pools and clumps of low brush. The battle around the pool was still going, but the Fauns seemed to be handling the alien well enough. She crossed the open marsh without challenge or a shot being fired at her. The enemy must be contained. M'pel E'kmel didn't wait for her mount to come to a stop before she leapt off, landing beside her downed marine.

"Tem'Ma'tel!" she barked urgently when the younger dTel'Qohar did not react to her presence. "Don't do this to us, Tem'Ma'tel! You have to be alive!"

M'pel E'kmel tore the medical kit from her belt and opened it, running the scanner over Tem'Ma'tel's chest and head. She wasn't breathing and her heart had stopped. Instantly the commander pulled a hypo from her kit and injected an adrenaline cocktail right into Tem'Ma'tel's heart. She dropped the medical kit and placed her palm over the injection sight then slammed her fist into the back of her hand. M'pel E'kmel checked the scanner again and repeated the procedure, then began to pump on the younger jZav'Etch's chest, desperate to get her heart pumping. Finally, Tem'Ma'tel coughed. The scanner indicated her heart was beating and her breathing was shallow, but she was alive. 

"Oh thank you Forger and Builder!" M'pel E'kmel cried to the heavens. "Thank you!"

She proceeded to examine Tem'Ma'tel and treat her injuries, mostly minor burns. No significant internal injuries showed in any of the scans, but the young female would certainly suffer from shock.

Behind M'pel E'kmel the Fauns were taunting the alien in the pool, shooting arrows and thrusting spears into its tentacles whenever it rose to attack them. Rover paced warily at the edge of the fight, waiting for the moment he could strike. When it came he moved like lightning, snatching a whipping tentacle as it lashed towards Stolkchiq. The big plainswalker dug his long claws into the marshy ground and hauled back with every muscle in his body. The alien struggled, using its tentacles and its weight to counter the unbelievable strength of the plainswalker.

Rover was being dragged towards the pool, leaving deep furrows in the soft ground, but he would not let go of the tentacle. Suddenly the alien surged up onto the more solid ground at the edge of the water and whipped its tentacles at Rover. The big plainswalker met them with his quills. The creature writhed in surprised pain as the long quills pierced its tentacles and trapped it in the open.

"Kill it now!" Ssteilssniq shouted and aimed his magic weapon at the slimy mass of the monster's body. He pulled the trigger and loosed sparkling blast after sparkling blast into the wet, leathery hide. Chunks of smoking flesh flew, staining the water red. The other Fauns turned their magic weapons on the thing and soon it stopped moving, deep crimson gore flooded from the many holes they'd punched in its hide and they cheered. But their cheering was cut short. A loud bang sounded from inside the huge enemy hut and water began pouring from a hole in its side. An instant later another bang sounded and more water poured out. Warrior was still inside fighting for his mate and his life.

***********

Liam felt himself being pulled upright. He looked and saw that Clot'ilda had somehow freed herself from the capsule. Using handholds on the bulkhead she was pulling him up to the surface of the rapidly dropping water. Liam opened his faceplate as soon as he was in the clear.

"Are you okay, Babydoll?" he gasped and grabbed her shoulders.

"I am okay," she said happily.

"What happened to the water?" he asked.

"I shoot ship," she said with a broad grin. "Could not lift gun. Could not shoot monster. I shoot ship."

Liam's feet touched the decking as the water continued to drain and he wrapped his arms around Clot'ilda pulling her into a hug, kissing her. He broke the kiss and with a grin he said, "Take!"

She laughed and hugged him tight, nipping his beard and nuzzling his armored shoulder.

"We have to get out of here, Babydoll," he said coming back to the moment. "We have to kill that thing and get clear of this ship."

"Okay," she said.

"Find my guns first," Liam told her. 

They spent a frantic minute locating the weapons before Clot'ilda spotted one.

"Pistol," Clot'ilda said and showed him the weapon.

"Rifle," he responded and slung the qui'istle over his shoulder. "And whatever this is."

Liam picked up the big alien weapon and examined it. The butt end was a cylindrical affair with a lever instead of a trigger. It was ungainly, but he could operate it well enough. Clot'ilda grabbed a large satchel and dragged it across the floor to him. He took the strap and Clot'ilda opened the satchel, revealing several long projectiles inside. She took one and shoved it into the muzzle of the gun until it clicked, then stepped back. Liam hefted the thing up, pointing it at the door.

WHHAAAMM!!

The door buckled and water poured through a hole as big around as Liam's thigh near the central wheel. Clot'ilda reloaded the gun and Liam took more careful aim.

WHHAAAMM!!

The wheel disintegrated. Shattered metal fell to the decking and a couple of the dogs slid from their sockets. More water poured into their compartment as Liam went to the door and tore the remaining dogs clear. When the last dog was freed the door was pushed open by the water beyond. Clot'ilda fired a burst from her EP 12 through the opening on sheer instinct, but there was nothing there to shoot. Her rounds bounced around the empty compartment, tearing into control panels and ricocheting off the bulkheads. One bounced off Liam's breastplate and he looked down on his wife.

"Be careful of what you shoot," Liam told her seriously. "Some things in here don't react well to bullets. Like me."

Clot'ilda gave him a nod and then they reloaded his appropriated gun. With the satchel slung on his shoulder and Clot'ilda sloshing along behind him Liam crossed into the next compartment. This door had also been closed, but its dogs were on the other side of it. Liam couldn't just shoot the central wheel to dislodge them.

"Get behind me, Babe," he said brining the weapon up. "I don't want you getting hit by any fragments."

"Liam shoot door?" she asked, ducking back.

"Liam shoot door," he confirmed. "Shoot door a lot."

"Why?"

"Gotta get it open somehow," he said and was about to discharge the weapon.

"Use panel," Clot'ilda said, pulling on his arm.

He frowned down on her and she sloshed through the knee-deep water (Which was actually above her knees.) to a control panel on the bulkhead. Clot'ilda had to jump to slap the button, but she got it on the first try and the wheel spun, pulling the dogs from their sockets.

"How did you know about that?" he asked as more water poured in through the opening door.

"I watch when brought here," she said and turned her weapon on the opening.

Liam snorted, amused by her matter of fact attitude. She was a smart one for sure.

The dining/sleeping compartment was empty and the door to the hatch compartment beyond stood open, its bent dogs gleaming wetly in the wan light. Liam stepped through, skirting around the mushroom shaped machine in the middle. He edged up to the door, peering into the battered hatch compartment. A volley of gyro-jet rounds smashed into the door and its coaming. Liam jumped back, bringing his weapon up, loosing the explosive dart in the general direction from which the rounds had come. The dart exploded, sending a shower of sparks and fragments shrieking through the air. Clot'ild leaned around Liam's leg and fired a short burst of armor piercing rounds into the compartment for good measure as he reloaded.




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 22



"Watch yourself!" he snapped, reloading his weapon. "He's got more than one gun in there."

Clot'ilda ignored his advice and fired three more rounds. These were answered by another volley of gyro-jet rounds that bounced and careened off the bulkheads and ceiling. One finally exploded, sending shrapnel slicing into Clot'ilda's legs and rump. She yelped in surprise and pain, dropping into the water.

"Babydoll!" Liam shouted, turning to help her.

"Not bad!" she barked and waved him off. "Go! Kill it!"

Liam gritted his teeth. He knew if he paused long enough to help his wife they might both get killed, but damn it! He hadn't come this far just to have her bleed out while he fought the monster.

"Kill it, SarJ'ant of Household SarJ'ant!" she said fiercely and began dragging herself away from the door. "Kill it, my mate. Kill it."

"I love you," said Liam and gave her a firm nod. Turning to the door he took the last grenades from his harness. He activated them and tossed both through the door, relying on his armor to protect him. The grenades detonated and Liam leapt through the opening, the alien weapon at the ready. 

Against the side of the compartment was the alien in its armor. It brought up its projected energy gun and blasted him, sending enough energy to fully charge his depleted power supply and top off his secondary capacitors. Another such blast would overload his capacitors, triggering an auto shunt which would discharge the excess energy into the surrounding area. This would have no effect on Liam and under normal circumstances he wouldn't worry about it. These were not normal circumstances, though. Clot'ilda was in the next compartment laying in the knee deep water. If his suit shunted the energy now, his wife would die.

Gritting his teeth in a feral snarl, Liam let fly with the alien weapon and dropped it. The long dart smashed the energy projector showering him with searing hot blue sparks and staggering the giant in its armor. The alien didn't hesitate. It knew as well as Liam did that this was a fight to the death and it surged forward, bringing its dart gun up, spraying a cloud of the little projectiles as it closed. Liam drew his remaining EP 12 and dove aside, splashing in the water as he rolled. Darts clattered off his visor and breastplate. He ignored them and drew a bead on the monster as it lurched, clumsy in the confined quarters. Liam sent a volley of armor piercing rounds into the magazine of the gyro-jet gun. The magazine ruptured and several rounds burst sending a blast of propellant out of the holes, but they did not detonate. The EP 12's rounds were not charged and could not ignite the small warheads. The thing in the suit whipped a long mechanical tentacle at his head, flattening Liam against the far bulkhead. The marine rolled, getting his feet under him and pulled his rifle around. He fired a quick, un-aimed blast and rolled aside to avoid a second swipe of the long tentacle. He came to his feet behind the monster and jammed the barrel of his rifle into one of the hip joints, pulling the trigger as the muzzle made contact. A blast of bloody water sprayed out the other side of the leg and the armored giant staggered and nearly fell. It saved itself by grabbing hold of a support on the ceiling with its tentacle. By the time it got turned around Liam had reloaded the huge dart cannon. The alien just stared at him through its faceplate.

"You should have left us alone," Liam said almost calmly. 

In reply the creature fired another useless spray of darts at him and Liam let fly with the explosive bolt from the alien weapon in his grip. The thick breastplate of the creature shattered under the impact. A blast of gore and metal splattered the hull behind it and the four legs buckled. It hung from its tentacle, still latched to the ceiling support, a macabre sculpture of death. Blood stained the water around Liam's knees, slowly flowing towards the door. Liam dropped his weapon, breathing a sigh of relief. 

"I fucking hate sushi," he said and went to Clot'ilda, his medical kit in his hand. 



Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 23



Author's note 10/15/2014: So here is the last chapter. I said from the beginning that I would finish the story and not leave my readers hanging. I stuck to that. I'm not sure that everyone will be satisfied, but I am. 

Thanks for all the encouragement over the past couple of months. It made finishing the story much easier knowing there were people who wanted to read it. I hope you all enjoy this last installment. 

***** 

Chapter 23 

The late afternoon sun was coming through the narrow window of Liam's room, accenting the warmth of the late summer day. He turned to look at his sleeping wives, reflecting once more on how beautiful they were. It had been a close thing. He might have lost them both. 

After killing the last of the enemy Liam had returned to Clot'ilda who had somehow hoisted herself into one of the strange, brandy glass shaped containers. She had been unable to stop the bleeding from her wounds and the water in the bottom of the container had been stained red. Her reason for climbing into it had simply been to hide and have a good position from which to attack the enemy if it should survive Liam's wrath. Liam had helped her out of the thing and then patched her up, stopping the bleeding until they could get outside where M'pel E'kmel had been attending to the other wounded, including Tem'Ma'tel. 

Sue and Charlie had brought the landstriders around and the Fauns saw to constructing travois to transport the wounded. Sue helped M'pel E'kmel with one Faun who had taken several fragments from an exploding gyro-jet round. Two others had been beyond help. 

M'pel E'kmel had assured Liam that Tem'Ma'tel would live, though the wounded jZav'Etch Marine lay unconscious under a thermal blanket. Clot'ilda's wounds were painful and had needed better care than Liam had been able to give inside the ship, but in short order she was bandaged and dosed with pain killers. The fragments in her rump and legs had to wait until they returned to the villa before M'pel E'kmel would remove them. 

A long journey with an overnight stop on the plain was undertaken. Though all were eager to get home, none of them, especially their landstriders, had been in any condition to complete the journey the day of the battle. After stopping at the village long enough to express their thanks and say their goodbyes, the castaways and Rover had climbed the long slope of the hill and entered the villa near sundown. 

Tem'Ma'tel remained sedated, her condition being monitored by a medical kit. Clot'ilda had grumbled about her wounds throughout the whole operation to remove the fragments. Her greatest concern was that Liam would no longer find her attractive, though, it was most likely the anesthetic talking. He'd laughed at her and ended her concerns with a kiss and a nightlong vigil. The commander had dropped in to check on them shortly after dawn, reading the medical kit's data on Tem'Ma'tel and speaking softly with Clot'ilda whose mood turned from sulky to satisfied as they spoke. 

"Liam?" Clot'ilda murmured sleepily, rousing him from his memories. 

"I'm right here, Babydoll," he said and leaned down so they could look into each other's eyes. She was laying on her belly because of the location of her wounds. 

"Liam take?" she asked with a little smile. 

"Not right now," he chuckled. "Your wounds need a few days, you horny little minx." 

She snorted unhappily and pouted. 

"That won't work this time," he said and kissed her affectionately. "We'd bust your stitches for sure if we tried it. Besides, you need rest. You lost a lot of blood before I got you out of there." 

Her little tail flicked from side to side and her ears twitched, expressing her dissatisfaction more eloquently than words. He kissed her again then reached across her to check on Tem'Ma'tel's condition. 

"Crap," he cursed softly. 

"What?" Clot'ilda asked, slightly alarmed. Had something happened to her sister? 

"I can't read jZav'Etch." He showed her the med kit. 

"Normal," she said after looking at the small screen. "Sleeping. Medicine make her sleep, Liam. Medicine." 

"Yeah," he sighed. "She damned near got herself killed." 

"For me," Clot'ilda said, sounding guilty. 

"For you," he agreed. "But not just for you, Babydoll. We're family now. You, Tem'Ma'tel and me are family. One for all and all for one. Just like the Musketeers." 

"Musk tears?" she asked with a little frown. 

"I'll tell you that story when you're feeling better," he said and kissed her between the ears." 

"Liam, go eat," Clot'ilda said. 

"I'm fine," he said. 

"No," she replied, eying him. "Your stomach noisy. You hungry. Go eat." 

"I'll be fine," he insisted. 

"Eat," she said, sternly and poked him in the stomach with a finger. "Take bath. Wash clothes. Come back later. I watch Tem'Ma'tel." 

"Alright," he said after considering. It was time he got up and moving. Probably, Clot'ilda wanted some time to herself. "I'll come back and check on you in a while." 

"Eat," she insisted. 

"I love you, Babydoll," he said and kissed her again before getting to his feet. 

In the kitchen Liam found several fresh caught fish that M'pel E'kmel had brought in that morning after checking the wounded girls. They were good sized and would make a good meal, but he really wasn't interested in them right now. He was tempted to break out one of the survival meals, but winter was on its way, even if there were months of autumn to look forward to first. He scrounged around and found some dried berries and a couple of slightly over ripe fruit from the orchard. As he ate them he became aware of the reason Clot'ilda had told him to bathe. His last bath had been two days and a lot of kilometers of hard riding ago. With the fruit in his hands he wandered out into the plaza, wondering where Sue, Charlie and the commander had got off to. It didn't really matter. He was just going for a bath. 

The water of the pool was as cold as ever and Liam reflected that he was getting tired of cold baths. 

"I'll knock together some sort of shower or a heated tub," he said as he scrubbed his hair. It was getting longer and he felt he needed a shave, but the commander had been right about how his mates would like his beard. "The king of beasts needs a mane, I guess." 

Liam was finishing his bath and was about to climb out of the pool when he noticed M'pel E'kmel standing on the stone stage above him. 

"Hi there," he said a little embarrassed. "Spying on me?" 

"Naturally," she replied with a smirk and a mischievous glint in her eye. 

"Been there long?" he asked. 

"Oh yes," she purred. 

"I... um... see," he replied, wondering what was on her mind. She wasn't acting as coy as she usually did. 

"Sergeant, do you remember our conversation?" M'pel E'kmel asked with a sultry smile that made even the very cold pool feel warmer. 

"Conversation?" he asked and then flashed her a quizzical look. "You mean the one in the forest when we were going to your ship? The one about having sex?" 

"That one too," she said with a grin. "I was thinking of the one we had that night at the tree, though. The night the hyena-frogs attacked." 

Liam frowned. 

"I remember you asking me what I found attractive about the three of you," he said. "A lot's happened since. It's all a little hazy" 

"Much, indeed, has happened," she purred and began opening her jacket. "That night you said you would like to see me in a certain garment." 

Liam blinked in wonder. M'pel E'kmel normally wore an undershirt, but today she appeared to have not bothered. Her fatigue jacket slipped down her shoulders revealing a slim, white cord tied behind her neck. 

"Do you recall what garment you wanted to see me in?" she asked, giving him a direct look. 

"Um... Not really," he replied, confused. 

"I am so disappointed," she teased and let the jacket slip to the stone of the stage. 

Liam's eyes went wide at sight of M'pel E'kmel's large, firm breasts barely concealed and yet lifted up to great advantage by what could only be a bikini top. The cups were made of shimmering silver fish skin, striped with navy blue. 

"Wow..." Liam breathed, hardly able to form a coherent thought. 

"If you like that," M'pel E'kmel said in a throaty purr, "you'll like this better." 

Liam could only stare as she slipped her fatigue trousers over her shapely hips and slid them slowly down her legs. She rose to her full height and struck a pose like a classic movie star, with one foot slightly forward, her shoulders back and her hands on her hips. 

"Wow," Liam breathed again. 

"A most gratifying reaction," she chuckled. "I can see you like it." 

The jZav'Etch commander stood there in the sun, her golden fur gleaming, wearing only three triangles (small triangles) of silver and blue fish skin. The bikini served well to accent her lush figure and draw his attention to her most enticing aspects. Liam swallowed hard. 

"Where..." he began but trailed off, still too surprised to think properly. 

"It took me ever so much effort to complete this," she said, suddenly casual. "Sue helped quite a lot. I'm afraid I had to pilfer one of your medical kits for needles. I apologize for that." 

"Yeah," he breathed trying to take in everything about her and failing. He just couldn't concentrate long enough. And then she laughed and dove gracefully from the stage into the deep water. 

Liam tracked her course as she remained submerged and swam towards him. When she surfaced she was only an arm's length away. Her eyes sparkled as they met his and their gazes locked. 

"Sergeant Liam Carter, SarJ'ant of Household SarJ'ant," she breathed huskily and moved closer, never breaking the gaze. "Chaq' Ka' shisk. Will you have me? Chaq' Ka' shisk, Liam. Will you have me?" 

Liam gulped, not certain what to say. He wanted her. He wanted her so much it almost hurt. 

"Liam?" she asked a little less certainly. Had she miscalculated? Would he now refuse, even after they had professed their love in the forest? Was he still angry over her deception? "Liam?" 

"Yes!" he said and grabbed her, pulling her into a hard kiss, pressing her breasts to his chest and her hips to his. 

Startled, pleased and relieved by his sudden action, M'pel E'kmel felt his hardness and was surprised in spite of herself. She had known how thick his member was, but to feel it pressed against her flesh was another matter. She had lain with several males in her lifetime, but none had been so thick as this. She now fully understood Clot'ilda's initial fears, but M'pel E'kmel was an experienced female. She knew what she wanted and did not fear this male who kissed her so fiercely. 

Liam felt M'pel E'kmel wrap her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips, supporting herself in the water. She kissed him back and then pulled away with a broad smile before nipping his beard and giving it a pull. She dove back into their kiss and her tongue was hot on his. M'pel E'kmel pressed her sex hard against his shaft, the slick fish skin as smooth as liquid as it slid across his length. And then she broke the kiss again, looking him in the eyes. 

"I love you, Liam," she breathed. "But this water is just too damned cold." 

He laughed and turned, boosting her out of the pool then followed. They rejoined their embrace briefly before she took him by the hand and trotted over the stones in the stream to the orchard and a cluster of bushes. Behind this natural screen M'pel E'kmel had prepared a bed of antelope hides on top of bailed grass. It was soft, warm and welcoming as they lowered themselves onto it, side by side. They kissed tenderly and then fiercely and M'pel E'kmel's purr rose in her chest as her passion ignited and bloomed. Liam felt his need pounding in his chest and loins and he wanted her, but he restrained himself. Their first time should not be rushed. 

M'pel E'kmel ran her hand down Liam's back to his rump, grasping the solid muscle. She pulled him firmly into her, pressing his member against her belly. It was wonderful. She had not desired a male this much for many years and this was a real male, not some pale and fawning creature fit only for a night of wantonness. 

Liam's hand went to her breast, finding her swollen nipple through the thin layer of silver and blue leather. He felt the heat rolling off of her and M'pel E'kmel's scent filled the air to mix with the wild scent of the orchard's trees. Their tongues rolled in urgent need to take in what the other was offering. Liam began to lay a line of kisses down her throat and she arched her head back to expose herself to him, trusting him not to harm her. She yielded to his gentle pressure and laid on her back as he slipped the cup off her right breast, exposing the large nipple before his mouth closed over it. 

M'pel E'kmel hissed with pleasure at the sensation coursing through her body. She arched her back and with her hand pulled Liam more firmly onto her breast. His tongue played over the swollen flesh and his teeth teased her, pulling on her nipple only to release it before there was pain. M'pel E'kmel's purr thrummed in the air as her hands glided over her mate's scarred, muscular back until she found his buttocks. She grasped both cheeks, kneading them in strong fingers, urging Liam on. Her thighs spread, her legs wrapping around his hips again, increasing the pressure on his member, pressing it into her belly. Suddenly she pushed him up, releasing his hips. Liam was confused for a moment, but she rolled him onto his side and then his back. M'pel E'kmel spun so that she lay on her belly, her mouth above the head of his shaft. She breathed in his scent for the first time, enjoying the strangeness of it, and then she licked the head. 

Liam groaned and had to restrain himself. It was far too soon to let go. He would hold back as long as he was able. And then he felt her lips gliding over the head of his shaft and he wondered how long he could hold back. 

M'pel E'kmel liked the way her mate tasted. His skin here was soft, though his shaft was anything but. She tried to remember all that Tem'Ma'tel and Clot'ilda had told her about what Liam liked, but she was too caught up in the moment for that. Her passion and desire guided her actions far more than conscious thought. Slowly she ran her tongue down his shaft to the soft hair at the base and just as slowly she retraced her track to the tip. A girlish giggle escaped her when it jumped at the brush of her whiskers and suddenly she dove onto it, sucking the length into her mouth. 

Liam grunted in pleased surprise, closing his eyes and enjoying his new wife's ministrations for an endless moment. She was just coming back up when he reached out and drew her across himself so that one thigh was to either side of his head. Her tail waved languidly in the air and she glanced over her shoulder with a wicked smile, anticipating his next move. Liam's fingers pulled her bikini bottom aside, exposing the heated, livid pink folds of her sex. Her scent was much stronger now and drove his desire on remorselessly. 

Liam's tongue found M'pel E'kmel's sex and she growled her pleasure. He kissed her diamond, eliciting another growl. M'pel E'kmel had never had a male attend to her the way Liam was doing. She found it at least as good as any female she had lain with, though it was quite different. Her fingers ran up and down his manhood and she smiled, suddenly wishing to taste him again. Her lips parted and slowly descended, engulfing him centimeter by centimeter. When he reached the back of her throat, his hot flesh pulsing against her tongue, she withdrew all the way back to the tip and then dropped over him again. Faster and faster she did this, loving the sensation of his skin on her tongue as much as she loved the sensation of his tongue on her swollen flesh. Suddenly Liam grunted, his muscles knotting in a convulsion and liquid heat splashed into M'pel E'kmel's mouth. She was startled but instantly understood. Her lips pressed tight around his thickness as more of his seed sprayed into her mouth and her purr rose in volume. 

Under her, Liam gasped and bucked, not believing how utterly fantastic it felt to be with M'pel E'kmel. He slowly came back to himself, realizing she had rolled off of him and was now again laying at his side propped on her elbows and licking her lips. 

"Tem'Ma'tel was right," she murmured with a smile and a wicked glint in her eyes. 

"About... what?" he asked, out of breath. 

"You taste good, my Sergeant," she said and leaned in for a kiss. 

He gave it to her and with a smile of his own asked, "Are you going to keep calling me that?" 

"Yes," she replied and kissed him again. "Are you going to continue calling me Commander?" 

"Probably," he admitted with a chuckle. 

"Hmmm... Mother would not approve," she said in a teasing and musing tone. "She'll get over it." 

They kissed again and she crawled on top of him, but Liam rolled and M'pel E'kmel ended up on her back with his broad chest across hers. Her tail lashed over the antelope hides and she hooked her leg behind his knee, encouraging him to mount her. Liam eased on top as she spread her thighs to accept him. Her hand found his length, guiding the head to her opening, pulling him forward until the tip pressed into her. She gazed up into his eyes as slowly, gently he eased forward and her lips spread to receive him. 

M'pel E'kmel smiled, feeling his girth open her in the most pleasurable of ways. She expected pain and there was some, but it was far outweighed by her desire, her need. She growled with satisfaction as he slid slowly into her, knowing that her mate would please her as he pleased himself. She let go of his manhood and slid her hands around to his hips, the better to feel his rhythm. Finally, when his shaft was as deep as it would go, she sighed and locked her legs around his thighs, gazing up into his eyes, not allowing him to move. 

"I think I'm going to be sore in the morning," M'pel E'kmel purred. 

"We can stop," Liam offered, though he clearly wasn't serious. 

"I shall tear out your throat and eat your liver if you attempt to do so, Human," she growled playfully. "I am jZav'Etch. We do not begin that which we will not finish." 

Liam felt her claws prick his backside and saw her smoldering smile. 

"Now, Sergeant," she said throatily. "Attack!" 

And Liam did. He drew all of the way back and slid in with a smooth, strong thrust of his hips. M'pel E'kmel grunted with the impact and bucked into him, forcing his member deeper. He drew out again and plunged in again. Her breath came in huffs and gasps as her big mate increased his tempo, driving deep and spreading her wide. M'pel E'kmel felt as she had the very first time she had taken a male. It was painful, uncomfortable and utterly wonderful all at the same time. And for the first time in many years she felt satisfied. She raised her hips to give him greater access and Liam paused in his motion long enough to move her ankles up to his shoulders and then he hammered into her, pistoning in and out. M'pel E'kmel had never had a male do that. She surrendered to her lust, pinching her nipples and growling deep in her chest as her climax built. 

Liam Felt her muscles clinching around his shaft and knew what was coming, but he didn't stop, even when she bucked under him, rolling her head from side to side. She whipped her legs out wide and rose to meet him on the down stroke, latching her hands behind his neck and dragging herself up to plant a kiss firmly on his lips. Her arms slipped down to wrap around his chest and she pressed her whole body to him, her legs locked behind his back and then she threw back her head, roaring into the sky before pulling him tight against her again. 





Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 23



"More!" she panted into his ear. "Oh please! More!" 

Liam thrust again and again, nearly lifting his love from the ground with each stroke and she called for more with every breath until he felt her clinching tight again. M'pel E'kmel held on, forcing her sex down tight onto her mate. She buried her face into his neck, rubbing her scent on him in desperate need of release and then it washed through her. Her desire burst from her throat in another, earsplitting roar. Liam was hauled down with her to the furs on which they made love. Her legs squeezed tight and her arms held him like bands of gold. Heat washed off of her in rippling waves and suddenly, the sheer desire she exerted caused Liam to tip over the edge. He bucked in the first convulsion of climax and she bit his neck, urging him onward. He exploded inside her and for a very long, nearly infinite moment, they were one being with one desire. And then the wave passed from them, draining away in a rush and the two collapsed in each other's' arms. She released him, though her hands remained clasped behind his neck. He kissed her softly between panting breaths. When he began to withdraw, she instinctively crossed a leg over his thighs and looked at him. Liam raised his brows questioningly and then she blinked and her ears lay out to the sides, showing embarrassment. 

"I suppose I can actually let you go, can't I," she laughed softly. She flexed her leg, pushing him back into her briefly and then let him go. "We aren't done, though." 

"Give me a minute," he laughed and gave her a kiss. "I'm thirsty." 

"Here," she said and reached under a bush to retrieve his canteen. "Tea, my husband. I have fruit as well. And there is meat, if you wish it." 

"Tea's fine," Liam said laying down next to her and drank. "You know what I really miss, though? Beer." 

"We will remedy that if the grain can be induced to grow," she said, rolling to her side. "Until then, I will endeavored to make you forget beer." 

"Yeah?" he chuckled. "How?" 

She pushed him onto his back and slowly crawled the length of his body until they were nose to nose and her large breasts lightly touched the scars on his chest. 

"I will give you so much pleasure, Sergeant, that you will hardly be able to remember your name, much less beer," she whispered and kissed him. Her hands found the knots that fatened her bikini and soon the ridiculous Human affectation was hanging in a bush. 

Liam looked a little disappointed, but M'pel E'kmel made him forget the bikini by pressing her hard nipples into his chest and her mouth onto his lips. His hands roamed over her curves and his member grew rigid once more. She kissed and nipped him, licking and nuzzling as he found her softest flesh and caressed her. 

"I know this is our first time, Sergeant," she whispered in his ear. "But would you think it too forward of me to try something I have been wanting to try for years?" 

"I love you," he said and kissed her. 

"I suppose that means you would not." She eased away. Her fingers quested under the corner of one of the hides and came out with Clot'ilda's little tube of lubricant. "You know, she actually used my medical kit to make this. I had a devil of a time figuring out the code she used." 

Liam watched as M'pel E'kmel rose up enough to slide her hand down between her thighs and then he felt her hand spreading the lubricant over his shaft. He smiled at her, anticipating her reaction to what was about to happen. 

"Frankly," M'pel E'kmel said, positioning the head of his manhood at her other opening. "I'm a bit concerned." 

"Then don't do it," Liam said gently. 

"I'm just too curious not to, darling," she breathed and pressed back, wincing as she was opened wider than expected. She paused, easing off to catch her breath before trying again. Slowly she increased the pressure until the head slipped in. Having made it that far she flicked her ears in indecision. If she continued it would hurt. If she continued through the pain, she would feel extremely good. She continued. 

Liam felt heat spread across him, rippling out from his groin to his extremities. M'pel E'kmel was so tight he couldn't believe it. And she was moving with slow, sure purpose. She wanted this and he wanted her. Slowly she sank down his shaft until her well rounded rump rested on him. She sighed and her eyes slowly opened to stare into his. A cat's smile spread across her face, her fangs actually showing as her smoke colored eyes gleamed. 

"To use one of your phrases: Wow!" she said merrily. "It's not as bad as I thought. Feels quite wonderful now that you are all of the way in. What happens if I do this?" 

Liam felt her weight shift and she seemed to lock down on the full length of his manhood all at once. He grunted and she laughed and began shifting her hips. Suddenly she stopped and got her knees under her, raising herself up slowly and then sliding down again. 

"Good," she breathed through her teeth. "Oh, very good." 

Liam put his hands on her hips and guided her up and down as she rode him. At first she was like a kitten at play, laughing and changing pace to see what felt good. After a while, she began to focus more on her desire as her passion rose. Liam felt the change in her as she centered over him and slid down with purpose. Her tempo was steady and her breathing even, but gradually she was increasing her speed. Up and down she went, over and over again. Her pace grew more urgent and she leaned forward so that she supported her weight on her arms more than her legs. She grinned into Liam's face and he smiled back, enjoying every movement. Her breasts swayed enticingly and he took them in his hands, kneading them in time to her rhythm. Wanting more, Liam raised his head and took one of her fat nipples between his lips, suckling it hard. 

M'pel E'kmel slammed down on him, grinding her hips and suddenly there was a change in her movement. Her tempo increased but her rhythm was spastic. She coughed out a purring grunt and then drove herself with a will into Liam's hip. She slammed down and cried out with every movement harder and more desperate than the last. Liam had to let go of her nipple, his desire and passion building rapidly towards climax again. He gritted his teeth and knew he would explode any second, but he wanted to hold off until... 

M'pel E'kmel screamed with another orgasm wracking her frame. Her body twisted and convulsed as her orgasm blasted through her. She arched her back and moaned at the first feeling of Liam's seed spraying inside her. He cried out hoarsely, clutching at her hips in a vain attempt to bring her under control. When they returned to themselves, M'pel E'kmel lay across his chest panting. Liam was still inside of her, but neither had the strength to disengage. Nor did they have the desire. He kissed her softly and she buried her face in his neck, purring in his ear. 

"Good," he whispered. 

"Good," she agreed and they chuckled softly. She said, "Wait until you have all three of us." 

Liam stopped breathing and just blinked at the sky. Then he began to laugh and held her against him, tenderly stroking her back. After all these days of stress and fear he felt safe and sure. They were in a place he could call home, with three women he loved. How strange it all was and how wonderful. M'pel E'kmel nipped his ear softly and ground her hips into him a little before pulling her mouth away. 

"If you are this good after seeing me in a bikini," she mused. "What other garments should we make?" 

Liam couldn't help it. He laughed and kissed her and she punched him lightly in the chest. They drank tea and ate fruit and meat and after a time they again made love. They were home and safe and that was all that was needed. They were, after all, a family. 

*********** 

Epilogue 

This is a good world, Captain Mem'et'Khal thought as he climbed the long slope up to the stone structure on the hilltop. His claws bit lightly into the soil and he smiled to himself. It felt good to be on real ground again with real grass and the wild smell of the plains to the south and west. He longed to explore the forest to the north, but he had work to do. The jZav'Etch High Command had given him a mission and he must see it through. 

Ahead the path curved around a low mound covered in scrubby bushes. He and his escort didn't fear ambush. Their sensors had picked up no sign of active enemy forces in the system and they were well equipped to fend off any wild beast that might spring upon them. He actually hoped one would. It had been a very long time since he'd had a good hunt. 

"Movement south!" the point scout barked over the squad net. 

Everyone turned, bringing up their weapons. Captain Mem'et'Khal frowned and then smiled at the pair of beasts. They were large with long, narrow heads and quills sprouting from their necks and backs. The larger of the two creatures looked at them for a long moment and then snorted, going back to its own business. Long claws tore a scoop of soil from the hillside and a moment later the thing dragged a large, squirming grub from the hole. It shared this meal with the smaller one and then they moved off along the slope, their noses questing for more of whatever those squirming things were. 

"Move on," the captain ordered. These beasts were no threat to them, though they looked as if they could be, if so inclined. 

The point scout rounded the brush covered mound and instantly dropped to a knee with his weapon to his shoulder. 

"Contact front! Contact front!" the scout bawled as proximity alarms chimed in all of their helmets. 

"Where in the Ten Fires did that come from?" Captain Mem'et'Khal wondered, pulling his sidearm from its holster. He glanced around to be sure there were no other threats and then strode past his troopers to come up next to his scout. 

Up the path in the lee of the mound stood a Human. And what a Human he was. Mem'et'Khal had never seen one such as this. He looked more savage and dangerous than most jZav'Etch. The Human stood confidently blocking the path. A thick beard sprouted from his scarred, sun darkened face and he wore battered CP Marine armor with a broad, feathery black cape across his shoulders and a pair of EP 12s on his hips. Hanging about his armored throat was a necklace of ivory white teeth with the black beak of one of the enemy in the middle like a gorget. Held casually in his gauntleted hands was a jZav'Etch qui'istle, its muzzle discolored from heavy use. 

"That's as far as you go until you state your business, mister," the Human said firmly. "Tell your trooper, there, to lower that weapon before you have to send him home in a bag." 

"Who are you to threaten us?" growled Mem'et'Khal in English. 

"He is SarJ'ant of Household SarJ'ant," purred a silky voice from the left. 

Mem'et'Khal looked and discovered a small form covered in another black feathered cloak laying prone behind a large stone and aiming a deq'istle at him. 

"Tread carefully around his name," purred another voice from the right of the trail. 

Mem'et'Khal turned and saw yet another black cloaked form among the bushes. This one aimed a qui'istle at his head. At this close range, a round from that weapon would tear his head clean off. Brave and bold as he was, the captain swallowed nervously. 

"He does not stand alone," a third voice said and from the tall grass on the Human's right rose a fourth cloaked figure. She threw off the cloak, revealing a shapely jZav'Etch female with golden fur wearing the threadbare fatigues of an intelligence officer. On her shoulder she bore the insignia of a commander. 

Captain Mem'et'Khal glanced around again and was bewildered when four more figures rose up, all shrouded in the feathered black cloaks. These last were much slighter of build than the others, but all aimed deq'istles at the captain and his troopers. 

"Lieutenant," Mem'et'Khal said over his shoulder. "Now would be the time for you to explain things." 

From down the path a young Human in the field uniform of a Conglomerated Planets intelligence officer trotted up to the head of the squad. He looked quickly around and grinned. 

"You'd be Sergeant Carter, then," the young officer said in a smooth baritone. 

"I am, Lieutenant," Liam replied sedately and completely unmoved by the man's grin. 

"I'm Lieutenant Walker," the intelligence officer replied, his grin not faltering. "We've been sent to... Well, we were sent to rescue you." 

"That trooper still hasn't lowered his weapon, Lieutenant," Liam said evenly. 

"Weapons down!" snapped Captain Mem'et'Khal and holstered his pistol. 

"Satisfied, Sergeant?" Walker asked with another grin. 

Liam gestured with his hand and the cloaked figures lowered their weapons. 

"You've been out here for about eight months, Sergeant," the lieutenant went on. "We're here to take you home." 

"We are home," Liam snorted. 

Walker glanced up at the stone walls of the villa and nodded slowly. 

"In that case," he said. "I have orders for you." 

"What orders?" Liam growled, his hands flexing on the grips of the fero-plas rifle. 

"By order of the Commissioner of Colonies you are now promoted to military governor of this system. You'll be officially headquartered on this planet." The lieutenant drew a sheaf of documents from his breast pocket and waved them in the air. "As per the treaty agreed upon by the jZav'Etch Hegemony and the Conglomerated Planets, you are now the official representative of both governments with all privileges and responsibilities of your new rank and position." 

Liam squinted down at the young officer and his escort as if he were trying to decide whether or not to open fire. M'pel E'kmel put a hand to his arm and drew his attention to her. 

"It would be polite to invite our guests to the villa, my husband," she said softly in jZav'. 

Liam looked over to where Clot'ilda lay under her cloak and raised a questioning eyebrow. The little Pah'Tht gave a nod and Liam turned back to the lieutenant. 

"Why don't you, the captain and his troopers come on up to the house?" he said. "We'll have some beer and talk things over. When was the last time your troopers had fresh meat roasted over a real fire, Captain? I think they'll like my wives' cooking." 

*********** 

Epilogue 

"And that's how we put their ship out of action," Liam told Walker and Mem'et'Khal. The three were sitting in the shade of the orchard near the stream with the smell of tilled earth floating lightly from the garden in the plaza. The jZav'Etch Marines that had comprised the officers' escort had eaten three roasted antelope, a bushel of dried fruit and drunk six or eight liters of tea. Mem'et'Khal had not wanted them having beer, saying it was likely to lead to fights. After the meal the marines had graciously thanked their host and saluted his wives in proper jZav'Etch fashion before marching down the hill to their shuttle. 

"Most impressive," Captain Mem'et'Khal said. "They were foolish to have such a small perimeter, though. You were... Lucky. I think that's the word." 

"We were lucky and they were stupid," Liam agreed. 

"Still, you're the only one that had to deal with the enemy on your own like that," Walker said and drank another swallow of the beer. 

"The only one?" Liam asked and refilled the Captain's stoneware mug from a large jug. 

"Twenty-two other groups of castaways like yours have been rescued or contacted by us since the armistice was signed last month," Walker told him. "You're the first to have three wives, but all the others have pretty much done what you and your ladies did. Most were on worlds like this one. A few were trapped on hulks too far from an outpost to be rescued during hostilities." 

"So the experiment was a success," Liam grunted. 

"It was," Mem'et'Khal replied. "Before the armistice was signed, we recovered six parties like yours. It was a small sample, but the High Command took the data to the Senate. The war against the new enemy had picked up, you see. We'd lost an asteroid mining colony and another protectorate world to them and rumors were spreading through our forces. Since all six cases proved Humans and jZav'Etch could work together, a diplomatic mission was dispatched to investigate the possibility of peace with the CP." 

"By the time the jZav'Etch came to us the enemy had attacked several of our long range patrols," Walker told Liam. "They destroyed a forward supply base and assaulted one of our outposts. The only reason they didn't overrun it was because a carrier group showed up like the cavalry in an old western. We lost a carrier, a cruiser and three destroyers, but beat them up enough to force them into a retreat. Cut off their ground forces and had to kill every last one of them. Lost a lot of troops doing it, too. They've probed along our border all the way to Vespan territory. The Vespans have had their hands full for the past two or three months. Apparently their worlds are even more appealing than ours or the jZav'etch's." 

"There technology is a hundred years behind ours," said Liam, puzzled. 

"It is, but there are a lot of them," Walker explained. "Sometimes we're at a twenty to one disadvantage. And their weapons may not be advanced, but they do have mass drivers. On top of that, they're adapting our tech as quick as they can." 

"Since we joined forces, though, the enemy hasn't taken a single world from either of our countries," Mem'et'Khal said with a pleased smile, his eyes glinting. 

"So where does all this leave me and my family?" Liam wanted to know. 

"My government recognizes you as the military governor here," the captain said. "We will provide whatever support we can offer." 

"And the CP has raised your rank to brigadier general with all due compensation," Walker said. "Between that and your political rank you should be pretty well fixed. We'll send out a staff and anything else you'll need." 

"Brigadier?" Liam breathed, stunned. 

"A sergeant can't be a military governor," Walker chuckled. "Officially it's a reserve rank, but it's still your new rank, General." 

"What about my wives?" the newly minted general asked, almost excitedly. 

"They are your mates, are they not?" said Mem'et'Khal with a dismissive flick of his ears. "Your Household will be added to the lists on jZav' and will be recognized as such if ever you visit one of our worlds. You will be accorded diplomatic status, as well, Governor." 

Liam leaned back in his chair and swallowed a large mouthful of beer. His eyes were focused somewhere on the mountainside above his home. 

"The first thing I want is a year's supply of coffee," he said and swallowed more beer. "The real stuff, not the concentrate from meal packs. Get some of the Pliskan blend or maybe Kona, if you can." 

"Coffee," grinned Mem'et'Khal with relish. "Proof that the Forger and Builder wishes us to be happy." 

"And I want the jZav'Etch scout ship removed before it contaminates any more of the forest," Liam said, his thoughts racing. 

"We're already seeing to that," Walker told him. 

"Full honors for the crew," Liam said. 

"Naturally," agreed Mem'et'Khal. 

"And the remains of Captain Am'a'all," Liam said, remembering the soldier he had killed on that first day. "He died well and deserves better than to lay where he is." 

"And where is that?" the big jZav'Etch officer asked, concerned. 

"In the forest. We cremated him," Liam told him somberly. 

"Then let him lay in honor there," Mem'et'Khal said. "It is well. A wild land for a warrior is as good as a tomb." 

"Alright," Liam nodded. He frowned in thought for a moment and the two officers exchanged an amused glance, wondering what else the new governor would think of. "We'll need a full kitchen, a medical bay, a power plant to run them and... a Mary Wyda catalogue." 




Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 23



"Mary Wyda?" Lieutenant Walker wondered. 

"For my wives," Liam said offhand. "They've been pestering me about... things." 

"What is this Mary Wyda?" Mem'et'Khal asked. 

"It's... um... Hard to explain," Walker said, a little uncomfortably, wondering if the well-known company would make lingerie in sizes that would fit jZav'Etch. "I'll show you when we get back to the ship." 

"I also want..." Liam was adding, but Walker cut him off. 

"General, we'll supply you with whatever you need," he said. "We'll make a list. Whatever you want. I'm sure we can handle it." 

*********** 

Epilogue 

"So, how did you get the natives to join your group?" Walker asked. He and Liam had moved to the southwestern platform and were looking out over the valleys. Far below, the rise where the High Grass folk had built their kraal was empty, awaiting their seasonal return. On the hill where Liam had met Seschiqal and the white staff had been set, a large jZav'etch shuttle had just landed. 

"After the attack on the enemy scout ship, the nomads rebuilt their village and had funerals for their dead," Liam told him. "But Stolkchiq and Ssuqlik, the young couple, stayed on with us when the tribe went to their winter camp. She couldn't walk right and I think he felt he owed us something for helping her. Sscuha and her son, Chhal, were planning to stay with us until Chhal was old enough to have a hut of his own." 

"Interesting," Walker mused. He was impressed that General Carter could pronounce the natives' names. "You're the only one that has gotten the locals to do more than trade goods. You even learned their language. That's impressive." 

"They learned English, too, but we can't really speak each other's languages," Liam said. "We just learned to understand what sounds mean. It's not exactly easy. What's with the new shuttle?" 

"It has to do with part of the treaty, Governor," Walker told him with a knowing smile. 

Both men turned at the sound of running feet coming up the ramp. All three jZav'Etch females swarmed onto the platform and to the wall to look out into the valley. They were followed by the four Fauns and bringing up the rear was Captain Mem'et'Khal with a pleased smile on his face, his long tail flicking in amusement. 

"What's going on?" Liam asked. 

"Look, Liam!" Clot'ilda said, yanking on his arm as if she were trying to dislocate it. 

Liam looked to where she was pointing and squinted in confusion. A party of jZav'Etch and Humans were coming down the shuttle's ramp leading several small figures. 

"Children!" Clot'ilda cried happily. "Children, Liam!" 

"Is it not wonderful, my husband?" M'pel E'kmel said, smiling broadly. 

"Children," purred Tem'Ma'tel. 

"What..." Liam said, confused. 

"A Household cannot be a Household without children, or at least the possibility of children, General," Mem'et'Khal chuckled. 

"Part of the treaty expressly states that your Household must have children to be recognized by the jZav'Etch," Walker explained. "We can't interbreed. Our biology isn't compatible. This is the solution." 

"Who are they?" asked Liam with growing comprehension. 

"War orphans," Mem'et'Khal said. "The jZav'Etch are all from the colonies overrun by the enemy. They have no close relatives among our people." 

"The Humans are from all over the place," Walker told Liam. "Mining colonies and frontier worlds, mostly. All of them have been screened psychologically for life on planets like this. They'll do fine with you." 

"But..." Liam began. 

"Our children," Clot'ilda said, pulling on his arm again. "Our children, Liam." 

"But..." Liam said again. 

"We can raise them," Tem'Ma'tel said with a confident grin. "They will grow up to be strong and brave." 

"But..." 

"Sergeant," M'pel E'kmel cut him off. "You will make a fine father. We three will see to the rest. And, I might add, we will all three continue trying to make our own babies. If anyone can accomplish that, I'm sure it is you." 

The look in his wives' sparkling eyes told Liam he would be very happy for the foreseeable future. 

The End 

End Note: I want to again thank everyone who left comments or sent messages. For the most part, they were encouraging and fun to read. 

This is the last chapter of this story and I do not currently have plans to revisit these characters. However, I try to never say never again when it comes to storytelling. I have several projects that need to be seen to and there are many things that occupy my time. This may be the only story I post on this site. Please do not ask if I am writing elsewhere. You may safely assume I am. I will not disclose where my other stories are. RipperFish is the pen name I use here and nowhere else. 

So long for now.