His Redemption

|05|

Locanas

     These males dont care one bit about me as I'm tossed into the dirt, forced to watch on the sidelines as they unpack supplies and joke amongst themselves as if I am not even here to listen.

     "I wonder how long he's going to last out here."

     "My bet is less than one moon cycle."

     "You're on."

     I roll my eyes skyward. How delicate they must think I am to die so qucikly. It must be their way of goading me.

     My nostrils flare as they wrap up, dusting off their hnds and laughing eagerly as they prepare to depart for home. Carmen. I can smell her.

     My nose, my sense of smell, it has always rivalled other warriors. Knowing her fragrance, I can easily pick it out amongst the trees and dirt and mountain sides decorated in rocks and shards of clay. Her's is a wonderful smell. So purely feminine that my insides sting with the sweetness of it.

    She's already fled the ship. Sneaky little thing.

    "Alright Locanas, your supplies are here. Your only job here is to mine metals and survive." One of the males says, but I don't look at him or even acknowledge his presence, instead I am crafting a mental map of where Carmen has disappeared off to.

     She has no idea how dangerous this place is. I just find her before another beast does, something far worse than I.

     "Nothing to say before we leave you here to perish?" I don't respond, don't look up, even as chuckles roll out and a hand grips the back of my neck.

    My face is forced into the dirt below, my skin dragging across rough twigs as the planet fills my senses. I halt my breathing. My wrists still bound, my heart still heavy with guilt, I have no choice but to allow it to happen.

     "Rapist."

     "Monster."

     "Criminal."

     "Nothing."

     I deserve every insult and more.

    They all take their turns to spit on me and offer a few kicks to my side, the last chance they'll have to torment me. Then, the warriors charged with carrying out my sentence silently stalk back onto the ship before it's sealed up.

     I spend an excruciatingly long while laying in the dirt, pretending I am weak as the ship thrums with energy, the tiny tremblings vibrating beneath my chest.

     My body is still as an eternity later, the ship lifts from the ground at a drawn out pace. It's many moments before the sound of it is gone and I am left to my own wits and merit to survive here as a criminal.

    I stand swiftly, rolling my back to provide some release of tension. I waste no time in slicing open my restraints and stalking to the closest tinge of female odor I can find. Its a nearby tree, the bark of it drenched in her touch. She leaned against this tree, the back of it, her whole body had been pressed against it as she surveyed us from afar.

     Smart. She headed west, uphill to find water. This female was clever, but I already knew that. It was obvious enough in her cool gaze.

    I glance vehemently at the boxes of food and mining supplies. My head snaps back to the woods as I walk forward, drawn by the scent of her. She may be wise, this earth female, but she does not have any clue as to how to cover up her tracks.

    I kneel, brushing my fingers across the little footprints left behind in the dust by her boots. It'll be easy to find her. I'm likely close enough to hear her screams should she cry out from an attack.

    There's a tree nearby with deep gouges, a sure sign of the predators lurking in the shadows here. There is a reason why my kind have not settled on this cursed continent.

    I rise, following her trail slowly as I listen carefully for any threats, stepping into the role of protector despite that I am what she needs to be sheltered from.

But I am determined. I will find her, protect and provide for her the best that I can. And when I come up short, she will see that I am unfit to be a mate and that she must return to the palace if she wishes to thrive as a female should.