Leila of the Predators [Book Two]

Fruit

  "We get back to Earth, I'm eating my weight in cheeseburgers." I sighed while looking down at the alien carcass before pulling the arrow from its side. Some of the critters that got sent to the preserve came with weapons, and I had scavenged a bow-like weapon from one of them. It functioned like a normal bow and arrow for the most part, except it never missed the target.

  I believed it may have some sort of heat-seeking technology in the arrows, but I wasn't sure and just knew it was cool as Hell.

  "Well, we'll need a ship to do that." Isabelle popped off, wiping the sweat from her brow. The jungle was still just as hot and humid, and I missed not being in a near-constant sweaty state.

  "Hey, maybe we'll find one soon. If that's where he's taking us." I raised my voice while pointedly looking at Spike as he slung the deer-like alien over his shoulder and seemed to have no problem carrying it.

  "It would be easier if we could communicate." The woman in front of me placed her hands on her hips while watching the bigger male walk away.

  "Maybe then we could learn about his people, their culture, even. Hell, his damn name." Wiping the arrow clean off onto my pant leg, I dropped it back into the quiver and turned to follow the alien.

  "How do you know he's not just leading us around until his friends come and get him?" She questioned.

  "Wouldn't he have just killed us then? And it's been weeks. Months, Isabelle." She looked at me and I raised a brow. "And I've been popping off with the most ridiculous things this entire time to try and get a rise out of him, but he's just sitting there while I do it and could easily pop my head off like a bottle cap."

~

  Poking a stick into the dying flickers of the dinner fire, embers flew up into the air, and I sighed through my nose. Royce and Isabelle were asleep under a tarp tied to a few trees while Spike was lounging among the roots of another tree a distance away.

  Looking up to the sky, I fell back to lay flat on the ground. The stars visible were so different from the ones that showed back home. I didn't really have anyone waiting for me back there, but I still missed it and not having to fight for my own survival to such a degree like we had to here.

  Rubbing the scar on my cheek, I then hopped to my feet and walked away from camp, passing right by Spike as I grabbed my bow and quiver. My knives were already strapped to me, so I didn't have to pick those up. The alien stirred and looked at me as I passed, and I waved a hand over my shoulder.

  "Going for a walk." I told him without pausing, and I heard him chitter as if in reply. Being careful to not get lost, I just wanted a moment to myself away from the others. It was difficult enough to be on an alien planet surrounded by things that were trying to kill us, and I didn't want my moment of depression to affect the others. Walking over the dead leaves on the ground, I listened to the night while keeping my eyes peeled for any movement.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I couldn't see the light from the dying fire at all and took a seat on a fallen tree covered in moss. The jungle was far from silent with the sounds of what I assumed were nocturnal birds and insects, but there was a stillness to the atmosphere as I took a deep breath of the earthy air. And seconds passed into minutes as I just sat there with my thoughts.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin, however, when something plopped down onto the log next to me. I hadn't even heard him, but Spike was now sitting next to me and looked at me while one of his mandibles twitched. His gaze didn't move from me as he raised his hand and dropped something into my lap. Looking down, it was hard to see clearly in the dark, but I could see enough and picked up one of the round fruits. It looked like a plum but was furry like a peach and had red streaks like a ripening apple.

  We had found these before, so I knew they were safe to eat and cleaned it off on my shirt.

  "Thanks." I told him before taking a bite from the crisp fruit that had a flavor that closely resembled a cherry. Spike picked one up and began to eat as well. His sharp teeth may not have been the best suited for consuming plants, but he was capable of doing so by simply shredding whatever he put into his mouth with his fangs.

  He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees while we ate in silence. Pulling out the pit of the fruit, I tossed it deeper into the jungle. That, Royce had learned the hard way, was not safe to have in your mouth. The man had accidentally bitten into one and ended up with diarrhea that lasted for hours, which Spike had found hilarious and laughed in his own way by clicking his tusks together.

  "You know, I just realized something." I spoke up, my voice low as I placed a hand on the log and leaned on it while looking out into the trees. "You guys don't have lips, so I just assumed you couldn't talk like us, but I just remembered that we were nearly lured into a trap by one of those bigger guys mimicking that old guy's voice. Are you some sort of mute? You clearly understand English to a degree."

  The alien seemed to pause for a second before taking another bite of the fruit in his hand. I made a face while turning my head fully to look at him.

  "Bitch, you can talk?" He just kept eating, and I leaned forward. "Oh, you can! Why have you been acting like you can't this entire time? Say something." Spike slightly leaned away from me, still not looking at me as I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you shy? Wait....do you even know what 'shy' is? Hold on, how much English do you know?"

  A large hand covered my face before pushing me out of his personal space.

  "Stop." I paused at hearing his guttural voice which was low and more like a growl. Pulling his hand from my face, I looked at him.

  "Okay, fine, you don't want to answer that, but I am curious." I calmly said before dropping my gaze to the large hand in mine. "It's like a snake...." I mumbled, feeling the small, smooth scales on his skin. Flipping his hand over, he finally looked at me as I stared at his palm. I compared it to my own and saw that they were fairly similar other than the size, texture, and a few other variations.

  Running my fingers over his palm, his fingers twitched and I turned my attention to the short claws he had. They were rather blunt, but I knew they could still do damage if necessary. Out of curiosity, I pressed two of my fingers to his wrist to feel for a pulse. Could I feel it there like on a human?

  I could.

  It seemed to beat steadily beneath my fingertips, I glanced up at Spike as he was silently watching me.

  "Can I touch your face?" I asked, and his mandibles moved a bit. He slightly tilted his head as if to ask why, and I half-shrugged. "Humans like to touch things out of curiosity. It's a way we learn." Spike just looked at me for a few seconds, but eventually dropped his head to where I could easily reach it, and I took that as him giving me permission.

  Running my hands over his reptilian skin, I tilted my head at its strangeness and felt the spines on his brow. Closer around his eyes and mouth felt more like human skin a bit with how small and soft his scales got, and it was quiet as my hands explored his face. It was rougher where he had scars, and his mandibles twitched when I touched them. Grabbing the sides of his face, I thought of a way to pay him back for making us think he couldn't talk this entire time.

  Headbutting him, he hardly seemed phased by the action while I, on the other hand, flew back and held my forehead while cringing and hissing in pain. I felt as if I had hit a tree or wall, and Spike burst into laughter, even smacking his hand against his knee as he did so.