Page 79 of Ruby
For someone meticulous about her appearance, it is an uncharacteristically careless sprawl.
“The main force will adjust,” I say. “We rest briefly. Then relocate.”
Azoeul nods. “I will scout for food.” He vanishes again.
Ani pushes herself upright suddenly, squeezes her eyes shut, and shakes her head. She turns to the side and spits a thick glob of venom into the dirt.
“Damn,” she mutters, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “That was hard.”
Despite everything, I feel a flicker of pride.
She is learning quickly. “You are in control now. What changed?” I ask, curious.
“I do not know myself. It just… closed up. I can spit it on command now. See…”
She spits at a pile of grass and they melt instantly. She grins and leaps into my arms, going in for akissthis time in a more thrilling spot next to my lips. I accept it gratefully, knowing it is not enough.
Azoeul returns, arms full of fruit and nuts, which he drops when Ani turns to him to start talking.
We both laugh as he dances away, expecting venom to be riding his steps. When he looks back to see she has control, he joins us with an odd, toneless laugh of his own.
Once we are done replenishing our energy, we prepare for another attack.
Azoeul sharpens the sticks for the stakes while I dig the hole. Ani gathers what we can use as projectiles, putting them in a pile where I can easily reach. We make quick work of our tasks and soon, it is time for Ani to bait again.
Azoeul dashes out to gather information on another group while Ani and I tail behind him. Holding Ani to my chest, I make several leaps, running over logs as Azoeul darts back our way.
“They found our first trap and have a tracker,” he reports. “There are too many and they are following Szhe’ka’s trail.”
I let out a long note of chagrin. I wasn’t made for the ground and I know I’m leaving a mess of broken grass and sticks behind me, not to mention talon marks.
“We need to run,” Ani urges.
“I haven’t properly scouted,” Azoeul protests.
“No time. We need to head toward the others,” she responds.
“I don’t think we are on the right path for that,” I point out.
“Are we going in the general direction?” Ani asks.
“We are.”
“Then that will have to be good enough. Let’s go,” Ani urges. “Put me down and I’ll run.”
I do as she tells me, then we set off, Azoeul darting ahead and then back to us repeatedly, all of my limbs aching from the awkward, sustained pace.
“Water ahead,” he tells us after an eternity of agony, slowing his pace to match ours.
Not long after, the trees part to reveal a large lake, well below us.
Under us are jagged rocks waiting to impale anyone who slips. We cannot possibly survive a drop like that. However, the descent is steep and even with careful steps, we cannot run to the bottom.
Azoeul picks up a log and throws it down. It shatters on impact against one of the jagged rocks, splitting into several pieces.
He turns to us. “We have to chance it.”
“Make a better plan,” she demands. “Szhe’ka’s might be handling trees just fine, but our bodies weren’t made for scrambling down cliffs.”
