Eachtrannach

Fifteen

    Two months. Two months successfully hiding from the general he sought to claim me. During my time alone I had learned two very important things. There was a lot of things the general didn't tell me but these two were the most important.

   The first was claiming lasts for days. So officially I was not Draconian's claimed and he was not mine. Perfect. That made distancing myself much easier. The second? Females were treated as royalty here.

Everywhere I went I was given free utilities and food. I didn't have to worry about farming the frozen soil or getting a job to earn money. Other creatures who thought they could breed me or abuse me were met with my boot up their asses.

It didn't matter how much I despised draconian right now, I was still grateful for him demanding me to learn how to defend myself. I wouldn't have survived a second without knowing how to protect myself.

I mostly stayed in my little cottage away from prying eyes and those who mean to harm me or sell me. It was peaceful. I finally had time to process everything that had happened in the past four months.

But this also meant I had time to think of my momma. I didn't know if she was alive or dead. The thought of it terrified me. I wanted so desperately to track her down to make sure she's ok but I knew if I did draconian would follow me. He might use her against me. To lure me back into his pretty cage.

That thought terrified me even more. One day, when I was free... truly free. I'd see her again. And she'd be proud of the woman i would become.

   But for now, I would walk around my warm little cottage drinking extremely rich hot alien chocolate and watching the gigantic snowflakes fall outside. It reminded me of Christmas and then I started wandering if aliens had Christmas or something like it?

   Someone should defiantly tell the aliens to do Christmas. Not me, but somebody.

   Despite being content, I was starting to feel lonely. Deprived of interaction with a friend. Or someone who at least understood the need for one.

   As soon as the thought popped into my head my door was being banged on. I thought it was odd especially at night and in the cold. I was 100% suspicious of the person on the other side.

   I peak through the little peep hole in the door and see two frigid looking women.

  "Oh my god!" I had thought of friends and here they are.

   I looked at my kitchen cabinets for a minute before opening to not see the snickers bar I was mentally ordering. Damn.

   I let the poor women in and their eyes watered with relief as they recognized me as another human.

   "Oh thank god!" The tall one with black hair cried.

  Tears of relief flowing down her cheeks. The second one and slightly smaller had dyed green hair that was brown at the roots. She was smiling as she tried hard to blink away her tears.

   "What the hell were you too trying to do? Freeze to death?" I looked on at them in shock.

  They must be crazy trying to walk through the snow here at night. I had learned two valuable lessons during my two months in the town. One was that it snows heavily at night and two to just stay inside and avoid it if you could.

   I ran the hot water in my tub and made the two girls strip their feet and hands to put into the warm water. They immediately relaxed but their faces held the sort of anxiety I'm all too familiar with.

  "You were running too huh?" I wondered with a small smile.

  They tensed at first before the green haired girl nodded her head quietly.

   "Well... you'll have nothing to fear here. My names Ana." I smiled at the two hoping to relive their stress.

   The taller one visibly relaxed and smiled tiredly, "I'm Joan, this is Ellie."

   Ellie waved and smiled.

  Joan had short black straight hair that was cut into a bob. She was at least 5'11 bordering 6 ft. She was very tall compared to me. Ellie was still taller than me by an inch 5'9but she was obviously younger than Joan.

   Joan looked to be about 29 or 30 while Ellie looked mid twenties.

  "God, you look so young." Ellie mumbled staring at me with worry.

  "I am but I've learned to survive here."

  Joan looked interested, "how? I was taken about a month ago by some creep of an alien who just locked me in his house and left me there. When I got out I found Ellie."

   She looked at Ellie and she nodded, "I was a little worse for wear when she found me" Ellie laughed softly, "I was taken a few weeks ago. My alien was insistent that we be claimed but he wouldn't force me. He left one day to meet a general he's under and I just did the first thing that came to mind. I ran." Ellie said

  I bit my lip harshly, "I've been here four almost five months. I got away from my alien awhile ago."

  "Your alien?" Joan raised an eyebrow.

  I chuckled, "He was a general. Tall and handsome, don't get me wrong he kidnapped me as well but, I grew to care for him. It was stupid of me but... I thought that I-" I inhaled quickly cutting my next words off.

   Ellie nodded understandably as Joan patted my shoulder.

  "Anyways, he thought it would be best to teach me to fight. So, that I could protect myself. I don't think either of us at the time realized how much of an advantage he gave me until I was gone." I smiled looked down at the floor.

   "He sounds nice... why did you leave?" Ellie's big round chocolate eyes were eating my story up, like it was a bed time story she was entranced in.

  "Well..." I bit my lip again, "he feeds off of pheromones and when you become claimed you start to adapt like your male. Well mine has that rare ability so I developed fit as well. It turns out I wasn't the only woman he was feeding from though..." I trailed off as Joan's eyes widened at my confession.

  Ellie hissed as her angry eyes looked at the floor.

Joan scoffed, "Men. The same even if you go to a different planet."

  I nodded my head in agreement but the truth was she was wrong. Draconian isn't the same. God I don't think he could be if he tried. I hate myself for missing him but it's impossible not to. He threw my world upside down.

   "D-did you say he was a general?" Ellie wondered her voice suddenly frightened.

  Joan and I looked at her questioningly, "Yes?"

  Ellie looked as though she was about to pass out, "The alien who had me said he had to go to his general to help find the generals claimed. That she had ran from him. That he's the most powerful alien on this planet and that he'll stop at nothing!" By the time she finished Joan looked white as a ghost too.

   The information about Ellie's alien was surprising, but I wasn't shocked. I knew exactly what would happen when I left him. Draconian was catching up.

  "Sounds about right." They looked affronted.

  "How are you not panicking right now!" Joan all but yelled in my ear.

  I stood up from my place on the floor and dusted off my pants.

  "I told you already. He taught me how to survive and I will. He won't find me. As long as I keep running he'll never find me." I said it with such determination that I almost believed it myself.

   "This does mean we'll have to leave. That is if you want to come with me."

  I smiled warmly at the possible two new friends I might have just made. Ellie gave an immediate nod of excitement and relief. Joan took a little long but then agreed her chances would be better off with me.

   The two girls helped me pack up what we needed as we made an exit strategy for leaving this city and heading on to the next.

   As we left the cottage I couldn't help but feel a large weight lift off of my chest.

  I am not alone.