O'Rrin The Protector, page 13
part #1 of Thoherian Barbarians Series
“You will live to regret this,” Yrrix hissed next to me. It had been his spear Dana had taken, which was good because it was actually close to her size and not ridiculously overweight for her. I’d tried to lift O’Rrin’s spear and I honestly wasn’t sure I could, which did not make for ease of fighting.
“People are people,” I said fiercely, puffing myself up to seem taller and more intimidating. It didn’t really work, since he had at least a foot of height on me, but I felt better and less scared when he glared at me again. Ignoring him, since he seemed like all bark and no bite, I turned my attention back to the fight.
I was more than a little grateful I hadn’t been given a weapon, because even I knew it went past brave and into ‘stupid’ territory to charge into a four-person fight with innocents when I didn’t know what I was doing. O’Rrin had easily dispatched the Caterri that had been holding down the Setti female, leaving just two Caterri clicking their mandibles and glaring at them with surprisingly humanoid eyes. I shuddered. Talk about something that would star in my nightmares, that was for sure.
There was a standoff for a few long moments, O’Rrin and N’Ashtar holding the Caterri’s gaze for far too long. Then O’Rrin yelled, a blade piercing his thigh. A fifth Caterri had appeared out of nowhere, apparently camouflaged in the ground and awaiting the right time to emerge.
O’Rrin took him down with his spear before falling to his knees, Dana and Jackie dispatching one and N’Ashtar dispatching the last. I barely noticed, my attention on O’Rrin. Before I even realized it, I was running down the hill, noting absently that the Setti seemed unharmed, N’Ashtar talking to them patiently as they huddled together in a group. I could tell even from this far away they didn’t smell the most fragrant, but that didn’t matter.
I stumbled and fell to my feet in front of O’Rrin, but I spared a glance for the Setti one more time to make sure they were safe. They were flicking their three-fingered hands, touching some together and looking at each other. Strange. Could that be a form of communication? O’Rrin had said they weren’t advanced enough for such a thing.
“Hetta,” O’Rrin murmured, his attention on field dressing the wound on his thigh with a piece of leather torn from his vest. “Do not worry.”
“Worry?” My voice hit pitches I hadn’t known it was capable of. Then I burst into tears and threw my arms around his neck, ignoring that I was probably making things worse. The wound was still bleeding, and I didn’t want to lose him. “I’m going to kill you when you get better.”
O’Rrin had enough energy to give me a puzzled look, clearly not understanding, but then he wrapped an arm around my waist. “It will be okay.”
I wiped my tears as best I could on his shoulders, trying to relax at the words. It would be okay.
It had to be.
14
O’Rrin
I hissed as the steel bit into my thigh from behind. Of course there had been a Caterri in hiding, and since we had been so concerned with showing off for the females, we hadn’t checked for any of the usual tells. In their world of deceit, they often targeted each other, so back-up plans such as assassins were not unheard of. It was unusual for one to be out on a trip such as this, which made me wonder what, exactly, the Caterri had been out to do in the first place.
I felt a flash of satisfaction as I took down the one that had maimed me because he was distracted by the success of cutting me. Then we quickly took down the others, Dana and Jackie taking down one between them in a series of moves that impressed even me.
Before I could fully assess what was going on, a small body slammed into me like a rock down a hill, making pain shoot through me and blackness to touch at the edge of my vision. I gritted my teeth, barely able to stay conscious, but then my arms were full of a weeping Hetta and I had far better things to think of.
“It will be okay,” I told her firmly, even though I had no idea if it would be. The wound was deep and still bleeding, and while N’Akron healed quickly, I would need some sort of treatment. In my haste, I had grabbed a wide strap of leather from a dead Caterri and tied it roughly around my leg, but it wouldn’t do much, not for very long.
Instead of thinking about that, I focused on her in my arms, the way she smelled and tasted on my tongue. The part of me that was not dealing with the pain wanted to slide my hand down to her sweetness and find that button that made everything so good for her, but I knew she did not like mating in public. Our people were not shy about such things, but Hetta was different and I would honor that. She was more than worth it.
Even if my leg did hurt.
“We can’t stay.” N’Ashtar picked Hetta up and moved her, even though she scowled at him. A wave of affection flooded me, because my Hetta was fierce, even if her timing was not always good.
“He needs—”
N’Ashtar shut her up with a look, which made my hackles rise. No one spoke to my mate that way, not even my best friend.
“If you can carry him, then you can interfere.” His words were short and no-nonsense even as he slid an arm over my shoulders to try to help me up. Anxiety flashed over Hetta’s face as she quickly went to my uninjured side, trying to help as best she could. It was sweet, although she was so small, she couldn’t do much. Either way, we were eventually standing, and I was putting as little weight as possible on my bad leg.
“Stop swearing and help,” N’Ashtar said fiercely.
My lids blinked, then I registered Yrrix swearing to himself as he stripped the dead Caterri of any identifiable clothing or regalia, tucking it into a pile to be burned. It was standard protocol on the rare event we had to fight them, because it would hopefully make it more difficult for them to track us.
Hopefully.
“I’ll head back to camp and let them know.” Jackie sounded grim as she started trotting up the hill, Dana not far behind her. Both still had their spears firmly clutched in their hands. N’Ashtar shot Dana’s backside a look and then sighed with a flick of his tongue, clearly giving in to whatever craziness Dana had decided.
Even though Hetta couldn’t help much, she stayed by my side, and her presence and scent were comforting. It gave me a reason for each step I took, for every time I moved my leg, pain radiated through my body. N’Ashtar was strong and steady, his support the only reason I could walk.
By the time we got back to camp, it was already packed up and the strange thing that had previously supported Erica was now sitting out for me. I snarled at it, not wanting to be an invalid. “I can walk.”
“You can, brother,” N’Ashtar said patiently as we headed towards it, “but it will make it easier for all of us if we temporarily use this until we reach a new campground and you can heal.”
I snarled again, although I understood his reasoning. I just didn’t like it. Then I looked at Hetta, who was watching me with worried eyes, and gave in. I didn’t want my precious Hetta to worry over me. Because that’s what she was, I’d decided. She was mine, and I was hers. No matter what, I would protect her and make her happy.
“We’re close enough to Kohta that we should find a cave,” N’Ashtar said quietly, helping me get settled.
“Will you walk beside me?” I asked Hetta, my attention mostly on her, even as I acknowledged N’Ashtar’s words with a faint hiss.
The look Hetta gave me was startled, like she hadn’t imagined doing anything else. “Of course.” She squeezed my hand before letting go, fussing over me on the travois. It was used to carry large game if there were not enough of us, or to carry an injured warrior who could not walk. I had made several and used them in the past. I just had never been the injured party, and I did not like it.
“I found a cave,” R’Asha said, his tone unusually grim. He had come up behind us all, apparently returning from a scouting trip. “It is big enough for all of us and far enough away that their scouts will not discover us, as long as we are quiet.”
I glanced at N’Ashtar, then at Yrrix, whose tongue was flicking in and out sharply, showing his anger. The faster a N’Akron’s tongue tasted the air, the angrier or more aroused they were, and it definitely wasn’t the second. Still, I would have to spare thoughts for him later. Our safety and security had to be my first priority. “Let us go, then,” I said, glancing at Hetta to make sure she was safe.
My Hetta was standing next to me, a pack made of some human material on her back. A rush of warmth swept through me, a pleasant contrast to the burning in my thigh. She was a strong female, a strong human, even though her form was small and her stature slight. Instead of a strong body, she had a fierce spirit, one that would suit her well in my life.
As long as she stayed.
I ignored the thought because I did not have time or energy for it, my tongue lashing out in irritation as the travois started to move. N’Ashtar was pulling it with V’Annor, and the humans were walking around us, even Dana. While she often sounded like she wanted to strangle N’Ashtar instead of talking to him, her eyes did not seem to match her words. Instead, she watched him with a hunger that was similar to mine for Hetta.
Humans were fascinating.
It was a short trip to the cave we were to stay in, one I recognized from prior trips. It wasn’t the first time we had made the trip to Kohta, as much as I despised it. I did what I had to do to keep my tribe safe. Yet I had now compromised that safety because a female told me to. I struggled with that.
The Setti were sentient and aware, to an extent, but nowhere near a N’Akron or a Caterri. Their domination by the Caterri had just been one more example of their ruthless reign. But Hetta had pointed out that we were making the decision as to who was deserving of saving and who wasn’t, and shame had lanced at me like a boil leaking fluid. To keep to her reasoning, what if we had a N’Akron youngling who was slow of learning? Were they not worth saving from the Caterri?
The thought made me sick. I couldn’t guarantee that we could save every Setti out there, but I would do my best to keep both them and my tribe safe.
“Here, I got your sack set up and everything.” Hetta fussed by my side without the usual giggle she had whenever she mentioned the sleep sack. Humans found strange things funny, but I didn’t want to laugh at her and tell her such. I liked her smiles too much. “But first we need to treat you.”
“It should be healing.” N’Ashtar frowned down at my thigh, crouching in front of me in his loincloth and vest. I watched as the human Dana’s eyes went straight to his backside, for whatever reason. Was that an attractive area to humans? I made a mental note to ask Hetta later, and not when I was in the middle of bleeding everywhere. Instead, I turned my attention to my leg, lifting the leather.
Instead of starting to seal, it was still leaking blood, some of which had started to dry on my leg. I grimaced. “It should have at least stopped bleeding.” I wanted to reach down and touch it, see if it was still sensitive, but I didn’t. I had no desire to pass out in front of Hetta.
“What do you mean, starting to heal?” Hetta asked, crossing her arms over her enlarged teats. “It just happened.”
N’Ashtar stared at her blankly. “You do not heal that quickly?” I asked, fighting a wince as I teased at the edges of the wound with my finger. It was as sensitive as I thought, although I smelled nothing abnormal in the blood.
Hetta gave me a strange look. “No, of course not. That sort of thing would require stitches and probably a few weeks.”
N’Ashtar looked almost queasy at the idea, and I couldn’t blame him. Their word ‘weeks’ were our menlin, which were two hands’ of days. To have a hunter, an able male, out that long was not good for the health of the tribe. We all had to work together, to look out for each other.
“I should be able to walk by now.” I scowled at my thigh like it was purposefully doing such a thing.
“I can’t believe you guys heal so fast.” Hetta sank to her knees next to me, her attention on the cut.
“It is because of our scales,” I explained. “They are thick, so most of the cut is not to anything needed. The outer tissues heal quicker. It is the inside that can cause the problem, but even this should be healing more than it is.” Hetta just frowned and hummed, bending down so she could look closer at the cut as if that would change something.
Then she got up and stormed over to N’Ashtar, her determination clear in the clench of her hands. It warmed me, seeing her fire. She was a strong female, no matter what the others thought. “I want to go look for herbs for him.”
N’Ashtar flicked his tongue at her, then at me. He looked at our supplies. “We have some.”
“Are they the right ones?” Hetta did not move, her voice still calm. “O’Rrin showed me the ones that can be used for healing, and I think I can find them.”
N’Ashtar’s eyes lingered on me, then back on the supplies, clearly torn. It set uneasiness deep in my chest. If he truly was concerned, it meant our supplies of herbs were not nearly as much as I had thought. In that case, were the storages back in N’Akkar low, too, and it just had not been made known? Surely the healers would have said something. Right?
“Take R’Asha and L’Anna,” N’Ashtar said finally. “Females are a precious commodity, and you are not familiar with this area. They can keep you safe.”
Hetta scowled. “I don’t need a guy—”
“Please.” I spoke before she could finish, using the word humans seemed so fond of. “For me.”
That seemed to work, because her shoulders sagged, and she nodded sharply. “Fine.” She moved closer to me, her small human fingers touching my jaw before she headed towards the back of the cave to get her wraps so she would be warm while gathering herbs. I had no idea what she would find, because I didn’t know exactly what was local where we were. Sending R’Asha and L’Anna with her as guards was a good idea.
It was also an excuse to get them out of the cave.
Hetta fussed over me once more before she left, apparently not caring that everyone could see. It made a certain warmth settle in my cock, and its threatening to grow erect was a problem, given how serious N’Ashtar looked. When he settled next to me, the arousal disappeared. I knew what he was going to talk about before he even said anything.
Then Yrrix slopped down on the ground next to us, the bitterness written clear on his face. V’Annor moved much more gracefully, but his face was also dark.
“We cannot go to Kohta now, can we?” V’Annor’s words were grim.
“Most likely not,” N’Ashtar said. He glanced at me, at my thigh, and his eyes shrouded. “But returning home is not an option, not when he is not healing.”
“No one saw us,” Yrrix argued. “We could go quickly, give the tribute, and then flee.”
N’Ashtar shook his head at the same time I did. “That is not an option,” he said. “The moment they discover the dead Caterri, they will be looking for some N’Akron to blame.”
“The emperor has to make sure someone is punished.” My words were quiet but final. That was how their culture worked. If it wasn’t traced back to us, it would be traced back to whoever displeased him that week, and they and their tribe would be punished.
More innocent lives on our shoulders. I did not think Hetta would approve of us condemning another tribe because of our actions.
“Why does that matter?” Yrrix looked frustrated.
“Because we are looking to unite the tribes,” I said grimly. “That was the real purpose of this trip. If it gets out that we are behind whichever tribe is punished, it would ruin that.”
Yrrix blanched, fury wiping his face clean of all expression for a brief moment. “Do you seriously mean that?”
“To unite the tribes?” N’Ashtar kept his expression calm and didn’t flinch. “Yes. I think it is time we do something about the Caterri for good.”
“You’ve shed your skin,” Yrrix said, standing and starting to pace. His words and movements were quick and agitated, his eyes flashing red. “All this stunt will do is break the peace we have established with the Caterri, and we will end up punished. All because you followed your cock and listened to some boring little female.”
I snarled at him, hating my thigh more than anything at the moment. I wanted to rip his throat out, throw him to the ground, make him regret saying bad things about my woman. But I couldn’t.
“We should go to Kohta, give L’Anna as a tribute and offer someone to blame.” Yrrix didn’t say my name, but it was clear that he looked at me when he spoke. I was the obvious choice, given I was both injured and one of the actual culprits. “That way we can save peace with the Caterri and keep our tribe safe.”
N’Ashtar took a deep breath, his claws darting out even as his eyes turned the dark crimson of the truly raged. “Keep the peace? Do you joke?” His words were clipped, and Yrrix took a startled step back. Then N’Ashtar was standing, moving forward with purposeful steps as he backed Yrrix into a corner. “There is no peace to be found under the foot of another,” N’Ashtar said. He spoke the venomous tone of one who could sound calm but was anything but. “It is time we end the rule the Caterri have over us and become our own people.”
Yrrix’s hands clenched into fists, a drop of blood oozing out of his grasp because his claws dug into his scales too deep. It wasn’t the first time one of the warriors had done that when angry. “Fine.” He hissed, eyes flaring again. “But I will not be part of your stupidity. When the Caterri catch you, I will be able to say I had nothing to do with it.”
N’Ashtar looked at me and I looked at him, hissing a sigh. He wasn’t much older than his brother, but sometimes, the way the two acted made them seem suns apart. I watched my friend rub his brow ridges, his gaze the distant stress of a leader. I was proud of him, really. While I had known of the plan for many moons, this was the first time it had been talked about more publicly. Was Yrrix, perhaps, the right N’Akron to tell? Mayhaps not. But it was done, because he needed to know how serious it was.
