Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 71832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Valmir doesn't seem offended by my retort. He just gives me a slow smile, as if he doesn't believe me. I'm not sure I'd believe me either, as my khui is currently singing like a bird. "So tomorrow, we eat."
"Bring something for my new pet, too," I say, gesturing at the creature I'm holding.
"Of course. I feed those who belong to me."
I want to make a smartass comment about that, but him understanding that I'm squeamish and not judging me for it feels like too much of a relief. I decide to let it slide, stroking the soft fur of my new friend, my creature that he gave me as a haphazard courting gift. I keep petting the thing, and Valmir's gaze goes to my hand, then back to my eyes.
Is he imagining me petting him?
I wonder if his fur will be as soft as the rabbit-like creature in my hands...
My breath quickens, and his gaze focuses on my mouth as my khui grows louder. He's going to be able to smell me again, I know it. Why does that turn me on?
The entrance flap pulls back, and Dawn pushes her way inside, clearly unaware that Valmir and I are having a moment. She freezes the instant she sees him, her gaze flicking over to me.
The only sound in the tent is the constant hum of our resonating khuis.
With a fluid motion, Valmir rises and slips out of the hut, leaving me alone with Dawn and the two-fang. I'd swear the song of my khui turns mournful as I watch him go.
Dawn hesitates, glancing back as Valmir disappears out of sight. "Did I interrupt something?"
"No. He brought me a pelt, like I asked. It's just attached." I show her the creature in my hands.
"Please tell me that's not dinner."
I hold the fluffy thing closer to my chest, letting it snuggle in between my breasts. "It's not. It's injured and I'm going to heal it up and release it back into the wild."
"So it can become dinner later," Dawn says, ever practical.
All right then, maybe not. Maybe it'll be my pet forever after all. I don't know how his leg is going to heal up, and I wouldn't send him back out into the snow if he wasn't able to handle it. "We'll see. What do you think I should ask for next?"
Dawn heads to her bed, pulling off the outer layer of her boots as she moves. "Nothing living."
Maybe not. Even so, I can't be upset that I have this little friend in my arms. I pet its pointy little face and I'm glad he's alive. I want to respect this land and the creatures that live here.
It's what my ancestors would do. It's the spirit of mālama pono. Of being a good shepherd to the land and not being wasteful.
The word makes me pause, and I say it aloud. "Mālama pono." The translator doesn't come up with an answer, but I know what it means just the same. Maybe the translator isn't bugging out. Maybe there's a language in my head it doesn't have? But what language?
Dawn looks up from unlacing her boot wraps. "You say something?"
"Me? No, just thinking aloud about what to call this little guy." I pet him again and wonder at who I was before I was cloned. Who was April back home before she was stolen by aliens and cut into pieces to make copies of? I hold my new pet close to my cheek, cradling it and whispering, "Cloning people is definitely not practicing mālama pono."
The two-fang fits perfectly in the basket, and to my relief, he doesn't struggle or try to escape. He burrows deeper into the furs at the bottom of the basket as if trying to hide. I decide to name him Makana. It means "gift from the gods" in the unknown language that drifts through my mind now and again. I look at my little furball and want to remind myself that I'm taking care of him only until he's healthy once more. He's my gift from the land, reminding me to honor all the creatures here. The word Makana drifted in immediately, and I'm excited. I wonder if more of this language is going to filter in, and if so, if I'll end up learning a lot more about who April was back on Earth.
Makana is a good guest, too. He nibbles on all the things I bring him — dried seaweed, seeds, bits of leaves I was saving for tea, and the shrimp shells everyone here uses for a caffeine hit. He eats all of it, lifting the food to his mouth with two tiny paws and going around his long, sharp front teeth. I give him meltwater in a shallow bowl to drink. I stay in the hut, watching him as he moves around. He definitely favors his leg, and I want to wrap it up but I'm also afraid of getting bitten if I hurt him. I decide to wait for Valmir to come around, because I know he's going to.