Page 32 of Ruby
We continue down the trail in silence and trek into a clearing. I have half the mind to end our journey here and just settle in on the soft grass underfoot but I remember that there are other predators besides the hunters to watch for and I had made the promise to Ree to get her sister to safety.
It was short sighted to think I could get her there before nightfall. And now how will I protect her?
I am far too injured to fight properly and I don’t think Red has any weapons or enough physical strength to survive on her own, talk less of fighting something dangerous, so we keep walking.
When she starts to complain that her legs hurt, her head hurts, and she is tired of walking, I offer to carry her.
Although she had been almost stuck to my side, she nearly hurls herself at a nearby tree, trying to get away from me. Surely she cannot still mistrust me? My actions so far have been as honorable as possible. I have only tried to help to the best of my ability and keep her safe.
Still, I must reassure her.
I sing, letting her know that I won’t touch her without her consent. “I do not jest,” I tell her. “I will carry, only if you ask.”
Her relief is visible and she relaxes.
It starts to become clear to me, the damage visited upon the minds of these fragile beings by their captors. They took them from their homes and brought them here against their wishes. I can sympathize with what that must feel like; the thought makes the space where my wings used to be ache with memory.
I want to tell her that I have also been taken from my home and placed on this strange planet, just like her but I do not feel the need to. She must not know I am injured too or she might just leave like she has threatened.
I have been preoccupied with survival and have been content with that being my form of revenge, but that is not enough, not after how badly the hunters treated these dainty beings. The thought of it enrages me more than I expect it to and when I look down at Red, I decide that she has walked enough for the night.
We have both had a long, exhausting and painful day. As I’m consumed by thoughts of vengeance and righteous anger, I notice we have made our way into a thicket of thorns, and I decide that we will rest there.
It is the only part of the forest where I can lay down to rest and be sure of still being alive by morning.
13
Szhe’ka
I turn to Red and place a hand on her shoulder. “Wait here.”
I don’t know whether I should be touching her or not so I take it off just as quickly.
She looks up at me, first confused, then worried but she moves her head up and down with an affirmative hum and bends down to hide behind a bush. I’m grateful she doesn’t argue this time, though I suspect it’s from lack of energy.
“You leave?” she asks, her harmony low and uneasy.
She is scared and I do not want to startle her any further but I must have a look around to make sure we are the only ones in the area. I have only been grounded for a few sunrises and as much as I hate it, at least I am good at finding places to hide.
It would be far easier for one such as her to stay hidden if not for her bright threads. My feathers blend into the night.
I walk away from her to survey the area properly and I only let myself take a breath of relief when I am completely sure there is nothing in our immediate surroundings that will harm us.
I announce my presence and Red gets up from behind the leaves, dusting off the broken bits that had gotten attached to her threads.
“We safe.”
As she stands there, dusting herself off, I settle down on the ground and wince at how uncomfortable it is against my body and wing stumps. As I am adjusting myself, I feel Red’s eyes on me, and I look up to find her staring. The color of her eyes makes her gaze even more stern most of the time, but now it has shifted from angry judgment to something entirely different.
She looks around us and then looks at me questioningly. “Wet ground. We sleep here?”
The distaste is thick in her voice. I don’t want to disappoint her but I am afraid it is all we have access to at the moment. We just need a place to rest till the sun comes up again and we can continue our journey to safety.
Her safety.
“My regrets. Safest wait,” I sing back, my song ending with a yawn.
It is infectious enough to catch Red and she only hesitates for a short time before settling on the ground a little distance away from me.
