Chapter 5

Dawn, as normal, served as my unofficial alarm clock. I was tempted to grumble a bit about my internal clock. I could have used some more sleep. At least I didn't have to deal with a hangover, as most of the natives would be doing. I winced at that thought, remembering how much alcohol everyone had been drinking.

I looked down at Enyi, who was still sleeping. Her angelic face was peaceful in sleep. Her head was resting on my shoulder. Her unkempt hair was a mess from last night's activities. Having a body sleeping next to mine, particularly one I cared for, was a soothing balm for my frustrated soul. I had seen far too much unhappiness in the past year or so. It had left me admittedly cynical. For the first time in a long while, I felt truly at peace.

For all that this culture was forced into a shallow and desperate fight for survival against nature itself, the fact that Enyi shared the ceremony and now slept beside me meant a lot to me. Even in this culture, a woman wouldn't have done that if she didn't feel something towards me. It might be a shallow relationship for now, but it was a foundation I could build into something to treasure.

The same went for the camp. It might be a grudging acceptance for now, but it was a start that could be built on. I could help them as much, or as little, as I liked. It was a position that allowed me to get what I wanted, without having to deal with responsibilities I would rather avoid. A rugged life, perhaps, but fulfilling in its own way.

I still didn't have a good grasp on the politics of the natives. Enyi probably figured into the local politics more than I would like, if for no other reason than because she was the leader's daughter.

Regardless, things would come as they would come. I wasn't worried about being able to force the outcome into something I could live with. Though I was an outsider, I had significant advantages. Not only from the advanced technology I had, but from the knowledge that I possessed.

Enyi's breathing interrupted my thoughts, as she slowly roused from her sleep. I absently stroked her back with the arm that was trapped underneath her. It took her a few moments, but her eyes eventually opened.

"Good morning," I whispered to her.

I followed it with a gentle kiss to her forehead. She groaned as she forced herself up to a sitting position. Then she yawned, drowsily.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked, peering at me through sleepy eyes.

"Long enough to appreciate the view," I teased.

I pointedly leered down towards her more interesting attributes. She looked at me in surprise for a second, and then her expression changed into a naughty grin.

"Everything you see is yours," she moaned, as she leaned in to kiss me.

I returned the kiss passionately, as my hands started to explore and massage.

We crawled out of the tent a while later, a bit the worse for wear. It was well into the morning, at this point. Despite our late start, there wasn't a lot of activity around the camp.

Most of the women were moving around, but there were very few men in sight. The few men I saw definitely looked the worse for being up. Even most of the people owning the foreign tents hadn't taken them down yet.

We followed the smells towards the campfire at the center of the camp, where we found food. It was being cooked by women that seemed to be having a little too much fun, at the expense of those who had partaken in the celebration last night. I seemed to disappoint more than a few when they realized I wasn't suffering from a massive hangover.

Enyi prepared a plate for me, before getting one for herself. We sat and ate next to each other, just enjoying the closeness. It was interesting watching the recovery of the camp. The men, one by one, forced themselves to brave the unkind daylight in search of food and drink.

Eventually, Ghan made his way to the campfire. He was swarmed almost immediately, by people looking for his help. As I watched his interaction, I began to suspect that he was having more fun than the women at this. I was willing to bet he had delayed coming out to prolong the discomfort of the more enthusiastic of the former partiers. The louder-than-necessary voice, as well as the smirk he was trying unsuccessfully to hide, convinced me he was enjoying this more than he let on.

If he was trying to make a point with them, it was most likely lost. Not even one of the lot looked like they could catch a blunt rebuke, much less a subtle lesson. It seemed that most of the men headed back to their tents after eating.

Enyi and I had long since finished eating, but we sat near the campfire enjoying the warmth as we observed the sporadic activity around the camp. Neither of us were particularly inclined to get up and start doing anything. Enyi was leaning her head against my shoulder, and seemed tired enough to be close to falling asleep against me.

"I would ask if you had a good night, but most of us heard the kind of night you had," Ghan said teasingly, startling us out of reverie.

Enyi proceeded to turn a bright red as she realized how loud she must have been. I honestly hadn't noticed in the flurry of sex and debauchery. Even if I had noticed, it wouldn't have bothered me. What we were going to be doing last night hadn't exactly been a secret.

"I am so glad we could amuse you," I chuckled. He gave me a disappointed look.

"I can see I'm not going to get any entertainment out of teasing you," he grumbled.

I gave him a cheerful smile.

"Try as much as you want," I said smugly. "If you want a front row seat next time, just let me know. Remember, though, you'll never to do more than see what you can't have. I don't share well."

I gently kissed Enyi's forehead.

Ghan looked at me in shock for a moment, before starting to laugh uncontrollably.

"What's so funny, that you feel like torturing me?" a pained-looking Roud asked, as he walked up gently rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers.

"Din was just proving that he isn't a good person to try teasing," Ghan said, still chuckling.

"I'd guess not," Roud said, with a pained grin. "I've more or less decided he isn't a good person to screw with, in general."

"I try," I said immodestly, which returned more laughs from the pair, albeit pretty weak laughs from Roud.

"Do you have any of your magic powder?" Roud asked.

"Surely, as great a hunter as yourself doesn't need help overcoming a hangover," Ghan said in sarcastic disbelief.

Roud gave him withering glare, which caused Ghan to chuckle, again.

More of the camp had finally come out of their tents, as the day belatedly got started. Very few of the men looked happy about it, but that didn't stop them from doing what needed to be done. I decided that it was about time to get cleaned up, so that I could take Enyi back and introduce her to her new home.

"Enyi and I are going to go down to the stream for a bit," I announced to the two men, as I stood up with Enyi. "After we get cleaned up, I think we are going to head back home. I want to get there before it is too late in the afternoon."

"I'll let Hegen know, and we'll see you when you get back," the shaman responded.

We lackadaisically walked to the stream near camp, in no particular hurry to get there, or anywhere else for that matter. We held hands and enjoyed each other's company as we walked, with Enyi leading the way since she was more familiar with the area.

When we got there, we quickly undressed near each other, leaving two piles of clothes on the bank of the stream near the wood-line. The water was briskly cold, but not dangerously so. We came together in the water, and used the task of cleaning each other as an opportunity to further explore each other's bodies.

As I was washing Enyi's back, for the third time, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, figuratively. I wasn't sure what triggered it; but suddenly, all my subconscious warning signals were screaming 'red alert!' I started looking around, trying to figure out what I hadn't seen.

"What's wrong?" Enyi asked as I suddenly stopped washing her.

She was looking at me with concerned eyes.

"I'm not really sure," I said absently.

I continued to scan the shore. Her eyes shifted to the bank to try and identify what I was looking for, but I doubted she would have much luck, if I couldn't find it. My enhanced eyes should have been able to see what was bothering me. The fact that I couldn't find any disturbance should have reassured me, but it didn't.

"I don't understand," Enyi said in a confused voice, her concerned eyes centered on me again.

"Neither do I, but something is wrong," I said in an unfocused voice. "Let's get back to camp." I lead the way back to the bank of the stream, as she held on to my arm. I knew that I was worrying her, and probably unnecessarily, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

We reached our piles of clothing, and started to dress. I grabbed my pants, and started to pull them on.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Enyi screamed, instantly catching my full intention.

I felt a blunt pain in my abdomen, as though someone had hit me with a sledgehammer in the stomach. I turned see Troublemaker about fifteen feet away, beside a tree, finishing a throwing movement. I looked down in muted shock, to see the shaft of a spear protruding from my pierced stomach.

I dropped to my knees, as the strength left my legs. My hands, suddenly weak and clammy, jumped to my bloody stomach, to stop the spear from moving and sending any more shockwaves of pain through me.

The GUI of my PAD was lit up, and warnings from the nanos were screaming at me in bright red. The world became a whirlwind as the pain and shock overwhelmed me.

I felt Enyi running up to me, and crouching by my side. I looked at her and saw a look of horror on her tear-stained face as she looked at the wound. I wanted to say something to comfort her, but the world was spinning too fast for me to concentrate.

Suddenly, Enyi was ripped from my side as Troublemaker yanked her to her feet. She screamed in frustration as she struggled to get back to me, but Troublemaker held on to her tightly.

"You're mine!" he told her. She didn't seem to really hear him, but just struggled more furiously against him as she looked at me with desperation in her eyes.

I felt adrenaline rushing into my blood, mixing with the painkillers into a dangerous soup that saturated my system.

My thoughts were unusually foggy and unfocused when I woke up. The comforting warmth of Enyi snuggled against my side. I groggily yawned and flinched in surprise as the mild pain flashed from my stomach. My hand immediately changed its destination from my mouth to my lower abdomen, where it felt the bandages.

The last things I could remember suddenly flashed through my mind, which immediately swept the grogginess from my mind. My memories stopped with Enyi struggling to get away from her captor, and the only hint of what happened was that I seemed to be alive and Enyi was with me.

I looked around cautiously, trying not to do too much to antagonize the still painful wound in my stomach. I was lying on furs in the tent that Enyi and I had shared on the night of the mating ceremony. The tent was virtually empty, except for a pile of my belongings in one corner. I could see from the cracks in the bottom of the door flap that it was daylight outside.

Enyi was lying against my uninjured side, resting her head on my shoulder. The strain from my ordeal was plainly written on her face, even in her sleep. She wore bags under her eyes, and I could see her flinching from time to time, presumably from nightmares.

I accessed my nanos through the PAD, and received a report on my condition. I had been unconscious for almost eighty hours, while the nanos had been hard at work. The spear had sliced through my intestines. This had contaminated my entire abdomen with waste and bacteria.

The nanos had been hard pressed to repair the damage to the intestines, eliminate the mess of waste and bacteria, and avoid the very real possibility of infection. For the most part, the act of stabilizing me had repaired most of the internal damage. The outer wound itself was still being healed.

I wanted a look at the wound, so I tried to move the bandages out of the way without disturbing my mate. Unfortunately, her sleep was lighter than I had thought and the movement (or more likely my flinch as I touched the painful area around the wound more firmly than intended) startled her awake.

She looked around for a moment, as she woke and her head cleared. When she saw me, her eyes widened. Her mouth opened as if she was going to say something, but no sound came out.

"You're awake!" she finally managed.

She suddenly squealed in joy, and threw herself at me to hug me. The shock of her landing on the ground against me sent a wave of pain radiating from the wound. When she saw the pain flash across my face, she regained control of herself. She jerked herself back, to avoid hurting me more.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed.

She looked about ready to break down crying because she had hurt me, but I put my hand on her arm. I nodded it off, unconcerned.

"What happened?" I asked a few moments later, when we had gained control of ourselves.

"Several of the hunters were nearby," she said. "They came when they heard my scream, and helped take you back to camp. We did everything we could to help, but a wound like that..." A small sob interrupted her, her emotions obviously starting to overwhelm her despite her attempts to control them.

"I'll be all right," I told her comfortingly, in a soothing voice. "I'm mostly healed now. In a couple of days, I'll be as good as new." She nodded her head in understanding, and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"What about Troublemaker?" Things like what had happened can't end up well, so I knew my voice was cold.

Enyi gave me a curious look with her tear-filled eyes.

"Relg? You don't remember?" She asked in a surprised voice.

I shook my head negatively. "I don't remember anything after he pulled you away from me. I guess that is when I passed out."

"Relg had dismissed you as dead," she said in a distant voice. Her eyes misted over, and I realized that she must be reliving those moments in her memories. "I remember screaming out in frustration because he wouldn't let me go to you."

"Relg chose for you the most painful and horrible way for someone to die. I couldn't believe it as I watched you stand up. Your eyes were filled with anger and rage when you ripped out the spear. There was blood everywhere, but all I can remember is the look on your face. I could see the pain in your eyes, but you ignored it."

Her eyes focused back on me, and in them I saw awe along with the tears.

"Relg was shocked when you stood up, I felt him jump when he saw you. Relg must have realized that he was doomed when you pulled the spear out. He started praying for the ancients to save him, but anyone who saw your face would have known that was futile. The spear hit him in the chest, with enough force to knock him off his feet, and he pulled me to the ground with him. Even as I fell, I saw you collapse." Tears were streaming down her face at this point. I tried to pull her close to comfort her, but she wouldn't allow it.

"You were pale and cold, and there was blood covering everything. When the hunters Roud sent found us, they wanted to finish you. They said that you wouldn't survive, and this would spare you the pain. I told them I would castrate anyone who hurt you. Everyone told me to let you go and save you the pain. But I knew, from the moment that you stood up and saved me, that you wouldn't let this kill you."

This finished the last of her resolve, and she collapsed against my shoulder openly weeping. All the worry, doubt, and grief that she had been holding onto for days were finally released in a torrent of tears and sobbing. I let her cry herself out against my shoulder, while I whispered soothing words in her ear.

Eventually, the weeping combined with her exhaustion. She drifted off into a light sleep. I had seen on her face how badly she needed it, so I let her rest, while I held her. I wasn't ready to pit myself against the pain I was going to experience when moving around, anyway.

I moved the bandages to the side and looked at the wound, which wasn't a pretty sight. It was still partially open and seeping, while the nanos continued to finish cleaning it. Despite how bad it looked, the wound itself was almost fully healed. There was quite a bit of torn muscle and skin that would be extremely painful, but it was stable, so moving around wouldn't cause much additional damage unless I overdid it.