PREDATORS
by Chimera Bloom
Part 19
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"I should have known it was you. You didn't key the right entry code. The entire system is going crazy." Orica snarled seeing the tired form of the familiar concubine make her way through the remaining security gate.
"Get off my back! If you all didn't insist on changing the codes every other day it wouldn't be so hard to keep them straight. Besides, I never got the last update packet. How was I supposed to know you changed the entry lock?" Zelsi screamed not caring who overheard her fight with the other woman.
The bitterness between them was old and tired. And it was no secret that they detested every single minute that they were forced to work together. But despite their callous indifference towards one another there was one common bond that they shared.
"It's not my fault you didn't get the new packet! You weren't at your checkpoint! I'm not your babysitter Zelsi." Orica yelled at the woman she hated being forced to work with.
"I couldn't make the drop-off! You know, maybe if you actually went above surface every once in a while you would remember what it's like up there in the real world. I was with a very important customer. I couldn't just leave." Zelsi answered not sure why she was even bothering to explain herself to this woman.
Orica never gave her the benefit of the doubt. The woman was unwilling and unable to ever see things from her point of view. And Zelsi had long since stopped caring.
"Don't presume to speak to me like that. I know all too well what the world above is like. I've lived on the surface a lot longer then you. That's why I'm down here. That's why I gave everything up. Do you think I enjoy living like a subterranean rat? I live down here so that I can make a difference." Orica answered clearly talking down to the concubine at her side.
"Don't preach to me! We've all made sacrifices!" Zelsi said pushing the woman out of her way.
The trip down was never an easy one. And there was always a certain element of danger to these little visits that Zelsi would much prefer to avoid. And Zelsi didn't risk her identity just have a tired argument with Orica. She had traveled to the Summit for a much greater purpose.
"This is new." Zelsi muttered stopping in front of an old-fashioned chain linked fence that blocked her entrance to the cavern beyond.
"Extra security measure…we're just trying to be cautious. You know, the time is growing near." Orica added watching as the concubine fingered the fence.
"This is worthless. Any hybrid could easily scale the top of this. And this material isn't very sturdy. Where did you even get it? I know half a dozen jungle cats that could snap this metal in half." Zelsi snarled trying to prove that all of Orica's hard work had been for nothing.
"You know, you just don't know anything about security do you?" Orica answered demonstrating the true purpose of the older chain links.
Zelsi watched as the cheetah reached her hand out and fingered the metal. She had done the same thing earlier, only with less force. But this time an alarmed sounded. The shrieking noise blistered her ears. And it seemed to take forever for Orica to reach out and key the deactivation sequence into the waiting key panel.
"It's just a sensor point. You don't really think we would trust our security to something as breakable as steel, do you?" Orica mocked flashing the stunned concubine a wide toothy grin.
Zelsi only stared at the smiling cheetah as Orica guided her through the new checkpoint. She was growing weary of these visits. And at times, Zelsi even questioned her motives for joining the others. But tonight, she couldn't let her personal dislike of Orica distract her from her true purpose.
"Take me to see the Dragon. I have news that can't wait." Zelsi snarled allowing the cheetah to lock her safely inside.
Orica looked her over as if questioning her sincerity. It certainly wasn't common practice to see the Dragon. Only the most trusted followers ever spoke directly with their leader. But tonight, Zelsi suspected that she would have the ear of the most revered hybrid in all the Summit.
Because she had information that no one else could possibly know. She brought news of Elila's death. And that was a small tidbit that was sure to earn Zelsi the respect and reward that she so richly deserved.
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She had watched her for what seemed like eternity. Elila was careless as she stood there. The heron was out in the wide open space of night with only her beauty as a shield.
So many times Pedryn had opened her mouth to alert the heron to her presence. She didn't want Elila to think that she was stalking her. After all, the heron was already being actively hunted. She didn't need anything else to worry about.
But no matter how hard she tried; Pedryn couldn't seem to find her voice. She watched her from a distance, allowing herself to study the naked emotions as they came playing across her features. It was clear that Elila was frightened.
And yet, it wasn't a debilitating type of fear. There was strength there too. And in some way, Pedryn found it terribly odd that a mere heron would possess such courage.
There were other things, trickling just beneath the surface of Elila's blue-tinged skin. The heron seemed worried, anxious, and perhaps even a bit helpless. But these were all things that Pedryn had expected to see. She was an accomplished hunter. She knew all too well the emotions that plagued the mind of a marked prey.
But there was something else that was intriguing the usually callous shark. It was this aura that kept her eyes rapt to Elila's form. And in brief fleeting moments of honesty, Pedryn realized that this strange blanket of feeling was what attracted her to Elila in the first place.
It was this thing that kept her fascinated by the heron and all she did. And as she looked at Elila recovering form, she realized that it was her will to live. The heron was certainly a survivor; Pedryn had intimate first-hand knowledge of that.
She saw a flash of color off in the distance. At this time of night Pedryn knew that there should be no motion. In fact, the Midali should be the only tribe on the entire grounds. Instantly, she moved towards the heron expecting the worst.
The Alpha shark reached Elila's side in a mere matter of seconds easily crossing the distance between them. Looking out in the spacious dark of the Gallion night, Pedryn could see that the movement had been from nothing more then a mere rat. Although unsettling, a rodent changeling was hardly cause for alarm.
"Are you done watching me?" Elila asked in a soft voice.
Pedryn was silent for a moment as she realized that the heron had addressed her. She just wasn't used to friendly chats with her former victim. And that's when Pedryn felt the air leave her body. She hated that word, 'victim.' It made things seem so final and ugly. Of course it had been ugly, very brutal and painful.
And for a brief moment Pedryn felt a meaningless apology lodge in her throat. But she couldn't say those things to Elila. She couldn't tell her what really happened. She couldn't tell her that there had been no other way.
"You knew I was out here?" Pedryn asked cautiously. If the heron had been alerted to presence, Pedryn didn't understand why Elila hadn't run back inside with others. Surely, the heron would have felt safer in the Midali hall then to be outside all alone with her.
If the shark wanted some form of verbal recognition, she didn't get one. Elila only mutely nodded her head letting the shark know that she had indeed been aware of her silent company. And that was a small fact that unnerved the normally fearless shark. She had been so very careful in her following of the heron. Elila, with only the senses of a heron, should never have been able to detect her presence. Actually, the very idea was repugnant to the accomplished shark. After all, Pedryn hated to think that her skills as hunter could be anything less then perfect.
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"How did you know?" Pedryn asked softly.
The hunter was most concerned with her prowess. Pedryn had made absolute certain that as she exited the banquet hall she hadn't made a sound. She had moved quickly and silently into the distance. Elila should never have even perceived her presence.
Elila looked at her, letting the flickering light from the building behind illuminate her features. To Pedryn, it seemed like Elila was trying to look right through her. She felt terribly naked and exposed. It was an odd sensation for the strong shark to feel so vulnerable under the mere gaze of a blue heron.
"I always know when you're around Pedryn. I could sense it." Elila answered seeing no reason not answer the shark truthfully.
It wasn't just Pedryn that she sensed. It was all sharks, even though Pedryn's presence did tend to stand out. She sensed the predator as all hyper alert prey might. Her stomach would knot and her blood would rush right through her veins. And Elila had to suppress her every natural instinct for flight.
But Pedryn didn't understand the sixth sense of marked victim. She had no reason to. The Alpha shark had only ever been on the rewarding side of the hunt.
To her, Elila's statement had been one of accusation. The heron was letting her know that she found her very presence so repugnant she could sense it from a distance. And Pedryn felt terribly ashamed. It was times like this that she missed the person that she used to be.
Before that night on the water, she had been a warrior of honor and respect. Now, she was only cold and dead. The only thing that even quickened her was the hunt.
But being with Elila did things to her. It made her want to reach inside her very chest and force her heart to beat. Ever since her first ill-fated encounter with the heron, she felt like a mere ghost of a former self. And normally, Pedryn had no trouble accepting the haunting presence of misery.
Yet, whenever she was with Elila she found herself wanting to voice her sorrow. Desperately, she wanted to feel again. She wanted to feel strong and worthy of the position bestowed on her. But more then that, she simply wanted to feel alive.
"I am sorry. I will leave you." Pedryn whispered feeling a cold knife plunge into her stomach.
For the briefest of seconds, she had forgotten that she was a monster. She forgot that Elila could never do anything but hate her. More then that, Pedryn simply forgot to be the heron's enemy.
"No! I need to speak with you." Elila said quickly wanting the shark to remain by her side.
And it was quite clear that Pedryn was uncomfortable with the situation. She returned to the heron with an awkward walk that seemed almost comical on the usually graceful shark. Elila had never seen Pedryn nervous. She didn't even know the shark was capable of such a trivial emotion.
Elila didn't really understand why Pedryn had tried to scurry away so quickly. She hadn't meant to say anything offensive. The heron just didn't understand the mind of a hunter.
To Elila, the situation was quite obvious. She had perceived Pedryn's location so quickly because her senses were virtually reeling. When one is hunted, the mind goes into overdrive in a desperate attempt to protect the body. And ever since Elila had woken to find her skin a dark shade of steel blue, her need to stay alert had been one of primary importance.
Pedryn stood mutely next to the heron wondering what it was that Elila wanted to say to her. Her body stiffened in anticipation of anything. She braced herself for anything from a physical assault to a verbal litany. She certainly wouldn't blame Elila for doing either. And the shark was more then certain that she wouldn't even try to defend herself.
But at the moment, Elila was far too concerned with their location for an open and honest discussion. They were standing only yards from the Midali Hall. The large doors would open and shut in a periodic fashion revealing the drunk and excited celebrators searching for more fun. And even though the patio they were standing on was currently otherwise unoccupied, Elila just didn't feel comfortable. After the incident that had occurred before, the heron wasn't certain that she wanted any other shark to overhear their words.
"Can we walk?" Elila asked gesturing towards the waiting woods to their side. The heron knew a shark's senses were sharp. But she really had no idea how much space she needed to achieve before her words would only fall on intended ears.
Pedryn only shrugged in response. She had no idea why it was that Elila wanted to walk off into a wooded thicket all alone. Staying at the Midali Hall would be much safer, for both of them.
The shark had no doubt of her abilities to singularly defend against a cobra. But she would rather not have to. Although she did enjoy solitary hunting, when it came to Elila she would rather error on the side of caution.
But it wasn't her physical safety that worried Pedryn. It was everything else. As she followed Elila out in the solitary darkness of the woods, she knew her cousin would literally lose her mind. Carielle didn't want her anywhere near Elila, certainly not unsupervised.
Though her cousin had far from admitted it, Pedryn knew that Carielle had her suspicions. Her cousin had seen the way that she stared at Elila. Carielle was worried that she was harboring some sort of inappropriate attraction to the heron. But the scariest thought for Pedryn was that her cousin was absolutely right.
And yet she wasn't merely attracted to Elila, though the heron was certainly beautiful. The small heron enraptured her. There was just something about Elila that made her very blood boil.
"Are we alone?" Elila asked the shark knowing that Pedryn's senses were surely more keen then her own.
Pedryn only nodded, momentarily thankful for the bright light of the moon. It would be much easier to spot movement in the distance. Not that the shark didn't have absolute faith in her night vision, she wanted to have the earliest warning when dealing with a cobra.
"Do you think that it's just some sort of weird coincidence that I crossed paths with the cobra? At first, I did. When I ran into her in the night club…I just thought the whole thing was a horrible accident." Elila said in a tired and fragile tone.
"But now you're not so sure?" Pedryn asked already having had the same exact thoughts.
"This just doesn't seem like a simple case of a cobra trying to score a venom high. She obviously followed me back to the Lodge. I just can't figure out how I swallowed the venom. How did she get to me? I was surrounded by jungle cats." Elila said feeling her body crawl with an all too familiar fear.
"Do you know her name?" Pedryn asked wondering if the cobra had the fortitude to tell Elila her true identity.
"She said her name was Licara…Licara from the Greenery Basin." Elila answered remembering all too clearly her sudden moment of clarity.
For Elila, there had been a horrific moment of lucidity. The evening had been going so well. She had had no idea the type of danger that she was in. But now, Elila realized that one ill-fated meeting with Licara seemed to have changed the entire course of her very life.
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"You know of her?" Elila asked easily seeing the recognition pass across the shark's features.
"I've heard the name. I've never met her though." Pedryn answered knowing Licara by reputation alone.
"What is it?" Elila demanded wanting to know more about the snake that threatened her very life.
Pedryn looked the heron over with a careful eye. There was much she could tell Elila. There was much that she had heard. But most of it was all rumors and fabricated lies.
Warriors had a habit of telling exaggerated stories of battles long since past. She had heard much of Licara. Pedryn had heard that the woman was everything from a savage murderer to a disloyal sentry.
It was common fact that the cobra in question had lost her posting in the tribal army. And it was also well known that the Ahloria tribe was currently without home. Pedryn really had no idea what any of that could possibly have to do with Elila. But she certainly wasn't going to speculate, not in front of the heron. Elila already had enough to worry about.
"She has a reputation for being blood thirsty. Although, I'm sure you're already aware of that." Pedryn answered glancing at Elila bluish skin.
As far as her medical training could tell, the heron was doing much better. Her skin was a much lighter shade of blue. And the girl seemed to be getting her strength back. But Pedryn didn't want to push things. She knew that Elila hadn't slept in nearly two days. She had every intention of getting her back to the Fluid for some much needed rest.
"Is it Thash? Does this have something to do with my alpha?" Elila asked in a small but honest voice.
And for a moment, Pedryn felt her blood run cold. This was the real reason Elila had dragged her away from the others. Thash was the primary target of unbridled rage from nearly every Midali on land. And it was a testament to Elila's diplomacy that she had managed to come this far without causing some sort of political incident.
The heron certainly couldn't have discussed the Fasara Alpha freely, not in front of the others. Pedryn remembered all too clearly the incident that had nearly taken place over the banquet. But thinking about it now, she felt a surge of pride well within her. Her tribe mates had handled Elila's presence very well.
Despite the heron's rather amicable disposition she was still the daughter of the their most hated enemy. And no one had said one ill thing towards the heron. In fact it seemed to Pedryn that everyone had done their best to make sure that Elila felt welcome, after the initial dust had settled of course.
"I am unsure, however it is possible. Thash has many enemies, as I am sure that you are well aware of. I once heard tales of some sort of bitter blood between Thash and the Ahloria Alpha. I think her name is Anzari. But no one has seen her in ages…not since the cobras lost the Greenery Basin." Pedryn explained trying her best not to frighten Elila.
But she knew that no matter how she explained the events the news would never come across in a pleasant manner. Such a thing was surely impossible. After all, Elila was trapped in a rather terrifying circumstance.
"I've never even heard the name. You think I would of…" Elila muttered letting her body softly fall to the ground below.
Pedryn could see how tired the heron was coming. She knew that it was well past time for Elila to rest and recover from her recent trauma. But tradition dictated that she stay, until the very end of the banquet. And although she trusted Carielle and Zeranna with the heron's safety, she wasn't certain that Elila was quite up for the long trip back to the Fluid.
"Your alpha discusses the affairs of the kingdom with you?" Pedryn gently prodded.
For some reason the shark really couldn't see Thash sitting down and explaining matters of politics to her young daughter. In fact, Pedryn had a hard time seeing any resemblance between them at all. And it wasn't just the physical differences that stood out.
Thash was cruel, without mercy, and continually hungry for wealth. No matter how many riches the tribal Alpha collected, it was never enough for the ruling jungle cat. She always wanted more. And Thash never seemed to care who got hurt in the process.
But Elila was soft, gentle, and kind. She was nice to everyone, even to those that had hurt her. And the more Pedryn knew of her, the more she wondered how it could ever be possible for Thash to have created someone as good-hearted as her daughter.
"No, my alpha would never speak to me of such things. Actually, my alpha rarely speaks to me at all." Elila muttered letting her voice betray a pain that she rarely liked to acknowledge.
Pedryn wasn't really sure what she was expected to say. If she didn't know better, she would think that they were having a real conversation. But the shark knew they couldn't do that. Despite the recently signed treaty, they were still very much enemies.
But even more then that, there were vast oceans of personal conflict between them. She was the last person that Elila should be speaking to. She was the last person that should be listening to the heron's tired words of honesty. And she was the very last person in the entire Kingdom that should be trying to help the heron. But despite all the reasons not to, Pedryn knew she would do whatever it took to keep the heron safe. Since she had taken so very much from Elila, she owed her no less.
"I meant it seems like I would have heard of Anzari while I was in the swamp. We get a lot of cobras traveling through there. I'm just surprised I never heard anything." Elila answered gently running her fingers through the blades of grass beneath her.
She supposed that on any other day this position might bother her. She was on the ground with barely enough strength to stay up right. And there was Pedryn, looming above like some sort of towering doom. But tonight, she had no fear. She was far too tired for such things. Besides, in a strange way she felt like she was almost connecting with the shark.
"Elila? Can I ask you something?" Pedryn asked in a softer voice then usual.
She wasn't certain what level of communication was acceptable between them. So far, Elila had initiated all of their discussion. And Pedryn certainly didn't want to intrude where her comments weren't wanted.
"Sure…" Elila muttered wondering what it was that was bothering the shark.
"What were you doing at that place? I saw you there dancing…you were alone. Did anyone know you were going to be there?" Pedryn asked trying desperately to keep the accusation from her tone.
But it was a difficult task for the shark. She firmly believed that if Elila's caretaker had only paid her more attention, none of this would have happened. The heron should never have been alone, left to wander the dark streets of the Gallion Village. It just wasn't safe.
And Elila, an unmarried woman surely had someone in the tribe that was supposed to look after her. Pedryn knew Thash well enough to know that the Alpha would have placed her daughter's care into someone's hands. And Pedryn was beginning to think that whoever that someone was bore the sole responsibility for nearly getting Elila killed.
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"I guess I was homesick." Elila answered knowing that her response was far from adequate.
"Homesick?" The shark asked staring down at the heron in utter disbelief.
"Yeah, for the swamp. I didn't know that I was in a cobra nest." Elila answered a bit ashamed by her own lack of perception.
Pedryn could hear the self-recrimination in her voice and knew that Elila was indeed ashamed. The girl felt solely responsible for everything that had happened. And the shark found herself wanting to somehow sooth the girl. She wanted to tell Elila that her birthright was anger. There would always be those who wished to hurt her. There was nothing that the heron could ever do to stop that. Thash was her alpha. And poor Elila had inherited a legacy of bloodshed.
"If it makes you feel better, I didn't know either. Carielle and I sat in that place for hours. We had no idea that we were surrounded by cobras." Pedryn sighed unsure as to what the girl needed to hear.
Despite all the violence looming between, there was another far more natural reason for Pedryn's discomfort. The shark knew all too well that speaking with women wasn't her strong suit. The Alpha shark preferred to stay only in the company of warriors. The fairer and gentler females of the tribe were a puzzling mystery to her.
It wasn't even that she was particularly shy, Pedryn just never knew what to say to them. Her conversations usually consisted of battle techniques and hunting maneauvars. She never knew what was appropriate discussion for a woman. And she certainly didn't know what to say to Elila.
"Was there someone who was supposed to be caring for you? I can't imagine Thash just let you come all the way out here to the Gallion on your own." Pedryn said hedging her voice with soft careful tones.
Since Elila was still unmarried it would only stand to reason that Thash would turn her daughter's care over to someone suitable. For the life of her, Pedryn couldn't figure out why Elila remained unattached. Someone in Elila's position should have been married long ago. The heron was several years over the normal age for union.
Although, Pedryn found it terribly ironic that she would find Elila's single status odd. Elila was only a few short years away from the normal age of tribal marriage. Pedryn was over a decade from that requirement.
Before, her alpha had been relentless in her attempts to find Pedryn an acceptable mate. But all that had ended in a terrible bloody error. She was too violent for a woman. She hurt them, even when she didn't mean to. And despite her best efforts Pedryn had yet to learn how to control her own strength.
Even if she could control the steel strength in her body, Pedryn doubted that the blood lust would ever leave her. It was her greatest assest on the field of battle. But in the bedroom, it had nearly destroyed a young woman's life. And Pedryn wouldn't risk hurting anyone else. The price was just too high.
Pedryn knew that one day she would inherit the Midali throne. And at one time, it was a thought that had delighted her. But now, it was a responsibility she didn't want and a position she didn't deserve. After Elila, no matter what the true circumstance, she didn't deserve such a position of respect and power.
But her alpha refused to hear her pleas. No one in the tribe really knew what happened on the water. No one knew the kind of monster that she had been forced to turn into. And so their silence had to be kept. The very tribe depended on it.
And there was a distant sadness to all of it that touched Pedryn when the nights were dark and quiet. It was a sorrow the cut even deeper then her violent acts towards Elila. She knew that without question, she would always be alone. Her nights would forever be filled with the icy echoes of her past sins and crimes. Pedryn knew that guilt would be her only true companion. And at times, it was a revelation she made her weep.
"Uhm, my alpha sent me here with a warrior from our tribe named Kellis." Elila finally answered letting her voice convey a deep sense of dissaproval.
"Kellis…she's an accomplished warrior." Pedryn commented very familiar with her enemy's premier champion.
"Is she your intended?" Pedryn asked wondering if her question wasn't stepping over some sort of silent line between them.
"No!" Elila gasped out rather quickly.
Pedryn was instantly curious. Despite everything that Elila had been through and every reason the heron had to hate her, Pedryn had never once heard the girl use a sharp tone. But discussing Kellis apparently upset her. And Pedryn couldn't help but wonder why.
"Do you mind if I ask who then?" Pedryn asked keeping her arms firmly behind locked behind her back.
This conversation with Elila was making her nervous. Her stomach was fluttering and her heart was hammering in her chest. She didn't understand her own anxiety, and in fact, she didn't want to. Pedryn didn't want to admit that the mere thought of Elila getting married was driving her insane. Her possessive streak towards Elila was certainly cause for alarm.
Pedryn knew that she had no claim on the small frail girl. But more then anything she wanted to. And despite all the many reasons why such a union could never happened, the shark found herself entertaining the delecious fantasy.
"Who what?" Elila asked leaning back onto the grass. She let her body lie prone on the ground. She found herself having to squint to even see the taller woman standing above.
"Who…who you are going to marry?" Pedryn asked finally deciding to take a seat. She put several healthy arm lengths between her body and Elila's. And she was a bit shocked and surprised to find that Elila didn't seem to mind their new proximity.
"As far as I know, no one." Elila answered wishing that for once she could have a different answer to that question.
Everyone she met eventually got around to the subject of marriage. And in many ways, Elila supposed that it was only natural. According to most tribes in the Kingdom, a woman of her age should be married.
But in the swamp, her single status was certainly status quo. Marriage was a fleeting entity out in the boggy marshes of Black Moon. Most people simply chose not to bother with such a tired and old tradition. And those who did, often left their union 'open' for distractions and other playthings.
And now, Elila was in the rather traditional world of the jungle cats. She was expected to play by their rules. But she didn't want to. She didn't grow up with them. She wasn't raised by their values.
More then anything, she was tired of explaining her circumstance to others. Even those in her tribe were a bit startled by her unwed status. Thash had disapointed them again. But Elila knew the truth. This time, it wasn't her alpha's fault. It was her own. The heron knew that she simply wasn't acceptable, not by jungle cat standards.
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And the very last person that she wanted to discuss this with was Pedryn. Marriage just seemed like a terribly foreign concept to discuss with one's former attacker. But as the shark sat there, mere inches from her body Elila had difficult time seeing Pedryn as she once had.
The shark was far from anything that she remembered. If anything, Pedryn had shown no signs of anything but kindness, courtesy, and concern. And the more Elila knew of her, the more suspicious the heron became.
And it wasn't just Pedryn. Carielle wasn't at all the monster that Yamina thought she was. Elila knew what had happened to her that night on the water. She and Yamina both still carried the deep emotional scars of terrorized victims.
But Pedryn and Carielle weren't fulfilling their roles as violent offenders. And Elila knew that she wasn't seeing some sort of facade or masquerade for political benefit. They weren't trying to be charming or win her over with a false display of caddy kindness.
If anything, the heron had seen genuine remorse in everything that they did. Of course, neither of them had said anything to her. And Elila wouldn't want them to. She wasn't ready to talk about that night.
But there was genuine sorrow in the way that they moved around her. Their apologies were silent but still very loud to Elila's perceptive ears. She could hear it in the careful way that Carielle spoke to her. She could see it when Pedryn thought her stare had gone unnoticed. More then that, she could feel it.
Even though Pedryn's body was a considerable distance from her own, Elila could practically feel her breath. There was something there in the air between them. It was thick, heavy, and extremely coarse. And without question Elila knew that the silent unspoken substance between them was Pedryn's own burdensome guilt.
"What about you? Are you intended to someone?" Elila asked wondering if the tall blonde shark had found someone to spend eternity with.
But the shark only snorted at her question. It was quite clear that Pedryn found her question humorous to say the least. And Elila really couldn't understand why. After all given her position in the tribe and her prowess as a warrior, Elila had a hard time believing that women weren't waiting in line to get a chance with her.
"No, I'm not. I don't think that I ever will marry." Pedryn answered wondering why the heron had even bothered to ask.
There was a part of the shark's mind that was demanding her silence. Pedryn hated to discuss such personal matters and she knew that Elila was the last person she should be speaking to at all. Besides, Pedryn knew that they had much more important matters to speak of. There was still a very pressing problem with a rogue cobra. And not to mention the small fact that Elila's tribe probably thought that the heron was dead.
That was something that neither Pedryn nor Carielle had voiced to Elila. The girl had enough on her mind without having to deal with that as well. The last time another Fasara tribe mate had seen Elila; she had been in the apparent bloodthirsty clutches of Carielle. Pedryn knew that most likely, they all assumed Elila's death had been fast, furious, and bloody.
"Really?" Elila asked genuinely surprised. She supposed that Pedryn's rather silent nature dictated her life. It was probable that the shark simply didn't want the company of a woman.
"Yes, I prefer a solitary existence." Pedryn said choosing her words carefully.
She certainly couldn't tell the heron the truth. She couldn't tell Elila that she was desperately lonely and in wanton need of a soft touch. And she certainly couldn't tell Elila, that more then anything she wanted to fill her nights with the heron's soft words.
"Oh…my parents are really disappointed in me. How about yours?" Elila asked finding it odd that she and Pedryn should have anything in common.
The shark laughed, surprised that Elila had been so forthright and honest. Even though Pedryn didn't doubt Elila's sincerity, she had a hard time believing it. She couldn't believe that the small courageous heron could be a disappointment to anyone.
"Yes, I believe my alpha is deeply disappointed with me." Pedryn answered with complete honesty. She owed the heron no less.
Elila didn't know quite what to say to continue their dialogue. She didn't mind the silence that settled between them. It was comfortable enough.
"So, what about Kellis? I've heard that she's unmarried. Are your parents negotiating a marriage contract with her?" Pedryn asked unable to let the question rest.
The shark just couldn't help it. She wanted to know what the heron's future held. Truly, she did want Elila to be happy. She felt that the heron deserved it, especially after everything that she had been through. But despite everything, Pedryn just couldn't seem to let her go.
"I'm sure that they would like to. But, I don't think that marriage to Kellis is exactly in the cards." Elila answered unable to keep the hurt and pain out of her voice.
Pedryn was silent as she absorbed the heron's words. It was quite clear that Elila was unhappy with this warrior. And Pedryn found herself wishing that she had met Kellis. She would love to know what it was that Elila found so very troubling.
"Oh? Why is that?" Pedryn asked hoping that Elila would elaborate.
The heron looked over confused to find that the shark's eyes seemed soft and vulnerable. Elila had dreamt of those eyes. But in her nightmares, they were always icy and the color of burnt steel. Yet tonight they seemed gentle, like the rolling waves of calm sea.
"My parents really like Kellis. She is the premier warrior of the tribe. If she married me it would certainly help Thash solidify the family's royal position in the tribe." Elila answered thinking that even to Pedryn, it must be rather obvious why her parents were interested in acquiring Kellis as family.
"No. I meant why don't you think such a union would ever occur?" Pedryn asked softly.
Elila watched as the shark hugged her long legs to her chest. Pedryn looked small then, almost fragile. It was clear that the conversation was upsetting Pedryn in some way. Although Elila had no idea why. After all, she was the one with the bleak future.
"Have you ever met Kellis?" Elila asked quite certain that the golden warrior and the Alpha shark had in fact, never crossed paths.
Pedryn didn't answer. She only shook her head allowing her yellow cream locks to fall freely around her shoulders. And that's when the most horrifying thought occurred to the young heron. Under the bright light of the moon, with her features soft and her strength invisible, Pedryn actually seemed to be a thing of beauty.
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CONTINUED...