34 BULLETS

Late into the night I woke up by the fire to see that Thann was sleeping close. A smile pierced my lips as I watched his sleeping form. He seemed so innocent. Like he was not the Dothraki dragon killer I first met him as. Now he was just a sweet sleeping boy, trying to stay warm next to the fire.

I stayed watching him a few moments and noticed his arm was reaching out toward me as he was using it for a pillow.

He had still been so standoffish about touching, even though he helped with the superb massage earlier. Anytime we were walking he would refuse my touch stating that Maza was Wokuduma's mate.

I think I was finally getting that Wokuduma was a pet name he'd given me. Much like I called him Dothraki.

I was very annoyed of Maza now.

But maybe in sleep Thann wouldn't refuse me.

I was on the fur blanket, so I scooted to my side and inched off of it, reaching for him. My fingers slid over his and gripped into his palm. Thann mumbled a content sigh in his sleep a moment before his fingers squeezed around mine.

A soft smile came to his face, extra handsome in the reflected glow of the fire.

If I didn't think he'd wake up, I'd scoot even closer and trace the shape of his face, but I figured I'd leave well enough alone.

I watched his soft face until my eyelids were hard to keep open and fell back asleep.

I did not get to sleep long.



Slight tickles ran across my face and arms and I flipped them away still half asleep.

The tickles continued.

"Stop it," I mumbled to my brother trying to play the shaving cream and feather prank.

"Hmm?" He said then yelled at me. "Ukufa kubhonga! Izimbungulu zokufa! EL!" Suddenly my face and arms were being swatted at.

"Stop it," I mumbled again and moved my arm to push him away.

It was not my brother's voice that chastised me. "EL! No sleep!"

He yanked me by my arm clear into the air and my eyes flew open.

Pain like someone scraping a scrub brush into my wounds dug deep into me. From my back, to my arms, to my cheeks, all were on fire.

I noticed Thann then, large hand, slapping off a full swipe of thick crusty roaches off my arm.

My top was covered in those same roaches that swelled around my roasted skunk.

I screamed.

The shriek rose clear to the mountain tops and I began slapping roaches away. "Thann!"

My feet were under me and Thann no longer had to hold me up, so in one of his flash movements he twisted around me and tore my shirt clear off, throwing the whole writhing mass to the last of the fire.

I was too busy hitting bugs off me to even care my shirt was gone, or the horrible high pitch sound of the roaches as they baked.

Thann raced around me picking off each insect and giving them a fiery grave until we both stood panting in the fire's glow.

I couldn't function.

What the eff was wrong with this world?

Gross!

My face buried in my hands to hide from everything, but the moment my cheeks touched skin I recoiled in pain. My fingers slipped over my cheeks and came away dotted with red. It was like a thousand papercuts had scratched into my flesh.

"Thann?" Big watery eyes looked his way.

He sighed his scare away and pulled me into his arms in an embrace. He palmed down my hair but avoided touching my back. "El safe."

I moved my arms to dig deeper into his hug, but instead he grabbed my wrists and slowly twisted me around to grab onto a large tree limb.

"Medicine. Stay."

Frowning, but resolved, I nodded and squeezed my fingers into the rough bark. I tried to concentrate on its scraping texture at my palms instead of the fire along my shoulders.

"Cold," he cautioned and then spread the paste over my shoulder and all along my back.

My teeth clenched to hold the sound in, even though he was trying to be delicate. Still I made mewling sounds as the medicine was spread.

Following the path of his working, I slowly turned to look over my shoulder to notice the roaches had put thousands of tiny slashes into my skin. Almost crying from pain and humiliation I asked Thann. "I guess they smelled the blood on me?"

I twisted a hand around and grabbed the loose bra strap.

"And they ate through my bra?"

I let the strap fall back and looked again forward.

Letting my face fall forward into the limb, I tried to ignore my pain. I was a mess.

Thann started rubbing the paste down my arms and eventually lifted my face to do my cheeks.

"Am I done?" I asked him dolefully.

He stepped away to his basket and brought out a handful of yellow.

My sight set back on the dark tree limb and I waited for the stretching of more stitches to be pulled against my back.

I whimpered with every movement, even though the paste was now muting most of the pain.

How much was I supposed to deal with on this planet?

Was I supposed to learn something?

Learn that my emergency preparedness training was crap?

My head started to feel numb and my hands went cold. It was almost fever cold.

Whatever.

Thann stepped away and grabbed the blanket I was laying on from near the fire. He wrapped it strong around my shoulders, and I didn't resist. I just held it to me.

Thann then lifted me, nearly a balancing act with one arm around me and the other pulling us up the same tree. He found a branch that suited him and leaned back against the main trunk, holding me like a cuddled baby to his chest.

"El safe," he whispered husky into my hair, and nuzzled down.

There was no ounce of soul to complain in my body and I nearly collapsed into him. I was dying for his touch.

"Shhh... sleep."

I nodded into him and clung to his shoulders.

Even with the thousands of new scrapes, I was finally at ease like he was a balm to every pain.

"Night," his lips moved over my forehead, and I could almost imagine it as a good night kiss.

I was able to fall asleep buried in a soft smile and not pain.



I woke with the first rays of sun, and a twittering call of birds in a far-off tree. I breathed in a relaxed and refreshed breath.

Thann was still asleep but looked very locked against the large tree. Guess I never needed to be worried that we'd fall with him as my safety belt.

My arms were covered in the white paste, though it was dried now. Looked like old sunscreen. But at least it wasn't hurting. It was a wonderful number. I let a finger lift to my cheeks and the paste had dried there too. I hope he kept some of that. Seems like all I do is get hurt.

A noisy morning yawn came from me, and Thann's eyes opened slow and easy.

"Morning," I smiled.

His returning grin was one of pure warmth and his big hand wrapped around my face and brought me to his lips.

It was the first time he had kissed me since my back got hurt and I reveled in it. Every taste was drunk in like my favorite ice cream. My kiss to him became heated and a haze slipped over me. His tongue danced across mine. My hands pulled against his neck and I situated myself laying a straddle over his lap.

I moaned into his mouth and he grinned against my lips.

His hands held wide at my sides and a hand started roaming up my back. When his fingers brushed over a shut-up stitch leaf, I tensed at the strain.

Every movement of his froze under my touch.

He gripped my arms and pulled me back from him, eyes wide. "No! Owesifazane Wokuduma."

My heart dropped.

"No," I complained back. "No more Wokuduma. Kiss."

He turned from me and spoke flat. "Walk day. Wheelbarrow."

I deflated with a heavy sigh. "Okay I guess."

I started to get off of him to climb down myself, but he tightened a grip around my waist and carried me down instead.

"Thanks," I said weakly.

At least I could get my own feet on the ground.

I twisted around my shoulder and even with the gross bugs it felt better today than it had even with the fresh cover of white paste yesterday. Maybe I earned some of the freaky healing after all. Maybe it was just Thann's snuggle time.

I was feeling pretty good about it until I saw a dead roach from the night still by the fire.

It gave me the heebie-geebies and I shuddered feeling like they were crawling across me with their little digging legs right now.

I gave a small gag.

"El?" Thann dashed beside me.

I put my hands up. "I'm okay. Just bugs are gross." I kicked it into the blackened fire pit, though there were still about twenty dead bug carcasses scattered across the ground.

Grabbing my rifle from the ground, I couldn't believe I had just left it there, but then remembered first I was covered in biting insects, and then was covered in a handsome alien's arms. Guess it was very easy of me to forget.

I giggled.

When he was certain I wasn't going to fall over or barf or whatever he was worried about, he stepped to his basket and brought out the water pouch. He handed it to me. "Drink."

"Yep." I took it from him and after a large gulp, gave it back.

"Stay." "Stay."

We both said at the same time. I grinned at my mimic, knowing it was coming.

"Stay," he reiterated with a cheeky smile.

"Can I have a goodbye kiss first?" I lifted an eyebrow.

His face fell in a shake of no. "Kiss no."

I nodded and walked the steps to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and toying with the tips of his hair. "Kiss, yes."

"Wokuduma! No." He palmed my sides and pushed me a step away.

I wasn't wearing a shirt, just a half-shouldered bra, and when he realized he felt skin, his hands shot back to his own side.

Making my eye roll a wide and generous show, I grumbled.

"Stay," he pointed to the big boulder I sat against yesterday and ran for the trees near the other side of the clearing.

I leaned against the boulder for a second like a good little girl and let him get off on his escapade, then decided it was best to play my own little hike.

The clearing was down in a slight ravine, so I climbed to the top to find the wheelbarrow peak and pointed myself that way.

I was getting more bold about walking through the land. Heck I was covered in roaches last night, a speeding panda didn't seem too bad anymore.

When I had guessed I had hiked about a mile away from camp, I came upon a patch of the same potato plants that were around my truck.

"Hello friends," I told the tubers and dusted a few off. I stashed two into my skunky pouch and ate another while I walked.

I kept my mind vigilant as I listened for Thann to come up on me. Well, either him, or some other spooky creature.

Another mile and my breakfast eaten, I came to the crest of a hill where I could see over the treetops below.

It was a gorgeous view. The greens of the trees so saturated, I've never imagined a color like it on Earth. Pinks, teals, and purples where also spotted throughout and a large lake to the far east was a burnt orange color. It almost made me pause and want to walk to it instead. What would make a lake orange? Or is that just a natural color that happens to be water on this planet? Even on Earth some places you could find pink lakes.

I sat down to let Thann catch up, and couldn't help but smile at the tantrum he'd have as soon as he knew I wasn't where he'd left me.

How's it feel to be abandoned there Thanny-boy?

I snickered and then saw a large leaf holding tight to a branch on a nearby tree that was faced right for me. It was a teardrop shape and had yellow veining like any basic leaf at home, waving in the breeze.

Twisting the rifle from my back, I pointed and aimed at it.

My aim did feel off as my shoulder didn't want to keep my usual stillness.

I sighed and put the rifle down to my lap.

Desperately, I wanted to take a few practice shots and earn my aim again. But I only had nine more bullets with me. Back in my supplies I had another twenty or so, but that wouldn't do me much good. Really, what was thirty in the grand scheme of things?

Maybe it was time to learn the bow and arrow.

But before I could start a search for bow materials, a long howl vibrated into the air from a few miles away.

It caused me to snicker out loud and then dash up the nearest tree as far as I could go.

Twenty seconds later Thann came trotting up to my tree in human form.

He looked irate as he scaled the branches and sat in front of me.

I just grinned. "Hi."

"No stay," he growled.

Taking a deep fake thoughtful breath in, I agreed. "Yeah, I didn't feel like it. No stay."

"No stay, not safe! Thann Wokuduma safe!"

"Yeah yeah yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Woku Woku."

"El not safe no Thann!"

I breathed out and twisted my torso away. "I think El is just fine without Thann."

He grabbed my arm roughly and pulled me towards him.

"Ow!" I complained and shuffled to keep my balance in the tree. I slapped his grip off me. "Too hard Rambo."

His voice was clear. "El stay Thann. Safe. Kumele ngikubuyisele enkosini Maza ngokuphepha. Yimisson yami."

"Maza?" I groaned at the only word I understood.

"Wokuduma mate Maza." He repeated strong in my face.

"Forget it," I spat back. "I don't care about some stupid Maza guy!" And I leaned forward and kissed him.

He pulled clear away. "No! Maza mate!"

"No. You liked it this morning. You kissed me. You want to kiss me. You just keep stopping because of the stupid other guy!"

"No kiss," he threatened, eyes slitting.

"Yes kiss." My eyes slit right back.

He growled and just started down the tree.

"Thann like kiss El!" I yelled at his retreating form.

He didn't comment, he just leapt to the ground and held his form tall and towering, waiting for me to come down.

Jerk.

When I made it down beside him, he left me to grab his basket and I stood in place.

"Come," he commanded and pointed beside him. He was aimed back to the way we'd came. I was not going to Maza.

"No." I crossed my arms and held my ground.

"Wokuduma!"

"Ha. I'm not answering to that Dothraki. Admit it. Thann likes kissing El."

His fist clenched, though he was still turned away.

"See? Come kiss me then."

He turned and stepped the purposeful steps toward me. My heart started racing thinking maybe he understood and was coming to kiss me, when his thick hand grabbed around my upper arm and started tugging me.

His strength pulled me from my feet and I had to shuffle to keep myself upright.

He kept pulling and started taking us the way I'd just walked. "Hey! No!" I started complaining. "Wheelbarrow!"

"No. Maza."

I recoiled. "You said yes wheelbarrow!"

"Maza. Wokuduma no safe."

"I'm just fine Dothraki!"

He kept dragging and I started to pull on him to escape his hold. I tugged and leaned, but he was solid and taking my running feet with him.

"Stop!" I yelled.

"No. El. Go."

"No you brute!" With another fifteen seconds of fighting, I was getting nowhere.

"Fine. If you want me to go to Maza so bad, you'll just have to carry me." I crossed my arms and stopped my feet.

Bracing for my face to meet the ground, I stilled hoping Thann would use his freaky fastness and hold me up.

He did.

Thank goodness.

Though I didn't show it. Hopefully I had his stoic mask on.

He lifted me to my feet, but I curled the toes of my boots inward so that he had nowhere to set me. "El! Walk!"

"Walk wheelbarrow. Thann baby carry to Maza."

He stilled for a moment trying to process my words and looked back. "No! El walk!"

I stuck my tongue out at him and then went limp in his grasp. "You could drag me too."

He growled and set me down on the ground. His hands dug in his hair in anger.

I held my arms out, invitingly. "Do you want to carry me to Maza, Dothraki?"

He growled again and folded his arms. I knew he was trying not to touch me. Carrying me would surely war his conscious.

I laid back into the grass, bandage covered wound digging in the dirt. "Guess then I better get some roaches to eat El. Goodbye."

"El!" He cried and picked me back up and in the fast movement, I automatically put my feet to standing. He pointed angrily. "Walk El!"

"No." I stood back on my heels. "Kiss me."

He palmed over his face, and then all anger fell. His words were finally soft. He exhaled. "No. Thann no kiss El. No safe. Maza El mate."

"I don't care," I grumbled back, letting my own anger fall. "I'm not going."

"Maza Go."

"Maza No. Wheelbarrow." I pointed back.

"Maza Go."

"No! No Maza. I'm going to my wheelbarrow." And I just turned and started walking the way to the peak.

He sneered and suddenly I was tossed over a shoulder on top of the fur; like he still didn't want me touching him though his grip on my thigh was very handsy.

"Let me go!" I hit on his back.

He began traipsing through the woods. "Yes. El go. Maza mate Wokuduma."

There would be no getting out of his hold. And while he was carrying me, I wanted bridal hold not toss you over my shoulder because you're a brat hold.

Fine, well if I'm a brat, I'll earn it.

I put my fingers to my lips and curled my tongue, doing the loudest farm whistle I could manage with my air getting knocked from my lungs on every step.

I did Thann's two note exclamation twice before he stopped, pulled me off, and held me tight against him, a hand blocking my mouth.

"Uyahlanya? Yonke impisi esemamayela izokuzwa!" He cried and then showed his teeth in a feral act. His voice was a forced whisper. "Werewolf hear El!"

I just lowered my brows and glared at him. What do you think I was trying to do Dothraki? I signed. Wheelbarrow. Walk.

"No. Maza."

Starting up the best screamy throat noise I could do with his hand on my face, I stared him dead on. Wheelbarrow!

We glared.

Eyes met in some extreme standoff.

He glared back for only a minute before he burst out in the loudest guffawing laugh I'd ever heard him make. His hand came away from my face. "Unenkani. Ungumlingani wenkosi."

But being laughed at in the middle of a fight, I bristled. "What are you laughing at, Dothraki?"

He signaled to walk on the way of the peak, back to my wheelbarrow. "Qhubeka."

"Don't make me whistle again!" I put my fingers to my mouth.

He chuckled. "Shayela. Ngingasebenzisa usizo oluthile ukubuyisa umlingani wenkosi."

I still sneered at him.

When he stared expectantly with his stupid grin. I went ahead and whistled again.

He nodded like he was impressed.

It was not the reaction I wanted.

I did it again.

He cupped around his mouth and hollered his notes to the air too.

"Fine!" I yelled then I cupped my own mouth. "Werewolf come eat El!"

He just chuckled and shouldered his basket. "Bye. Wheelbarrow."

And started walking to the wheelbarrow way.

Really fast.

I was left puzzling his mood swings, before he was clear out of sight, and I jumped to scramble after him. "Hey! Wait up!"

Every step of mine put him five in front of me and even running, I wasn't catching up.

A growl again came from my throat and I slowed to a walk, my lungs on fire and my chest huffing oxygen in. "Okay... you... win." I couldn't run anymore, the heavied breathing hurt my shoulder too much.

I sighed and just kept walking forward, now completely lost without him.

He moved like a ghost. The trees were too thick to see him ahead and he walked silently. There weren't even any prints in the ground cover to track.

So I just picked a way and went.

I walked alone for twenty minutes figuring Thann was just going ahead and would make camp eventually.

When I came upon a small flowing stream and extremely thirsty, I yelled into the air. "Thann! Can I drink this?"

I waited for his returning call but heard nothing.

"Did you really abandon me? Ugh. You suck." I shook my head and bent for a drink.

A golden fish swam away from my fingers and I jumped clear back a foot.

"Good grief you stupid stinkin' fish! You scared me."

But when I saw his fishy friend against a rock, I was reminded of Thann catching similar golden fish with his bare hands. I wanted to try.

I was sure any human would have exactly zero luck against Dothraki fishing pole fingers, but I was really needing to learn other ways to feed myself that didn't include guns.

Laying down at the bank of the stream, I pushed my long hair back and placed my hands in the cool water, right at the overflow of a rock where the water could be deeper.

When the fingers of my left hand grazed the bottom, I shrieked like a shark bit me.

Then I had to laugh and remind myself I didn't need to be a girl in this situation. I could touch a fish. In fact, I was going to grab it and eat it as sushi. So yes. No to being a girl.

Laying very still, I sat for a solid ten minutes before a fish swam up to the spot my hands were. My lip got bitten into big time when that darn thing touched me at first!

I was not going to scream!

Three...

Two...

One...

I closed my hands as fast as I could, but water just swished between my grasp.

A silent curse spat from my mouth.

But I wouldn't be discouraged.

I put my hands in and tried four more times in the next hour.

When the fifth dinner swam away, I yelled at the water. "Darnit Dothraki! This shouldn't be this hard!"

Taking another drink, I sat up and stretched. But I was persistent. I was getting that fish.

Really, by this time Thann was surely so far away, I'd have no chance to catch up. He'd have to find me anyway.

And I didn't have any reservations that he wouldn't.

...Okay.

Maybe I did.

My eyes searched the trees, hoping to get a glimpse of him.

Jerk better come get me. He'd been missing for over an hour now.

"Thann?" I called loud to the treetops.

When only a batfrog called back, I did the two-note whistle.

Nothing.

"Okay, well you better get me before a sabretooth does."

And went back to my fishing.

I was getting better as the next hour went by. I had caught a particular fish six times. Once even clear out of the water before the flapping tail spooked me and it fell back in.

And it was the same fish still swimming around now. I was beginning to think he was a dummy and wanted to get caught.

Maybe fish were smarter here and he was playing.

I put my hands in again and within minutes he was back between my grasp.

"Gotcha!" I lifted him out of the air and basked in the brilliance of gold.

But then it flapped and, like a girl, I again threw it back in with a squeal.

In an instant I was hauled to my feet and a blanket was thrown around my shirtless shoulders.

I couldn't even catch up with the motion before Thann was in front of me, standing in a fighting stance. Eyes strong and threatening at an evergreen tree.

"What..." I tried to start.

Quiet! He signed to me, but still staring at the spot. His shoulders tensed and fingers turned to wolfen claws.

"Thann?" I asked, now nervous, staring between the tree and the points at his fingers.

Quiet!

Clutching the blanket around my shirtless top, I huddled low behind him. If he was on edge, I was too.

A peek between his chest and elbow showed a grey blur running into our space.

Another werewolf had appeared.