The First She ✓

9 : acht

Vrox continued his work. He folded leaves into themselves and then wrapped a strand around them. Kira plopped the candies into her mouth and observed him weave the leaves through his fingers. The leaves were fragile, while Vrox's fingers were far from soft. She expected his scarred, clawed, brutish hands rip through the velvety green, but she stood corrected when the polar duo cooperated just fine.

Without asking permission, she reached out and grabbed a leaf. Vrox eyed her as if expecting her to do something stupid like trying to eat it.

She looked at one of the folded leaves and mimicked the design. She wanted to start pulling her own weight around. She couldn't hunt, identify deadly plants, or fight off animals, but that wouldn't stop her from trying to learn.

She took a strand and wrapped it around the folded leaf. It came together nicely, and she extended it to Vrox with pride. Never in her adult life had she thought she'd seek praise for folding a leaf.

Vrox's cheeks shifted aside to reveal what she could only describe as an alien smile. His razor-sharp canines peeked out, making him look deadly even in the midst of kindness. His hand pet her hair in a brotherly manner. She was nearly convinced that he saw a child within her soft hourglass figure, plump ass, breasts, and short height. His confusion kept him in the dark, but she preferred the darkness of ignorance over the blaze of lust.

Vrox took her wrapped leaf and stacked it on top of others. He then stood up and began walking away from the shore.

A sharp giggle made its way out of her when she noticed his sandy buttcheeks. The alien stopped, surprised by the fluttery sound, and turned to face her.

She covered her mouth with both hands and stared at him guiltily.

After Vrox gathered a few more leaves, she picked up her shirt and dusted it as best as she could before sliding it on. It wasn't wise to keep wet clothes on, but she didn't want to risk exposing her skin to the planet.

They walked into the wilderness, and Kira resumed trying to learn his vocabulary. She had learned most of the body parts, a few colors, and environmental elements like water and plants.

"Kira brown hair," she told him in cavemanese.

She was trying to fish out the word "I." She didn't know if they had one or if they spoke in third person all the time, but it was important that she found out.

Vrox shook his head and grasped her wrist. He directed her hand to her stomach and pressed lightly. "Et dun lay," he instructed.

Kira recognized the words brown and hair, but not the first one.

"Et dun lay," she repeated, earning herself a nod from Vrox.

Was this it? Had she found the word for I?

She smiled with contentment and then tried to piece a new sentence together.

"I small. Vrox big," she said in cavemanese.

Vrox nodded with agreement. "I big. Kira small."

She clapped with thrill. She was building short sentences with an alien, bridging two species together.

"If Cherry was here, she would–"

Sadness soured her happiness. Cherry wasn't here. Kira was alone, and she would do good by remembering that this situation wasn't one to get excited over. She should be trembling in her bare feet because the planet under them had made it clear that she wasn't welcomed. It was only a matter of time before her immune system became plagued by a raging disease, or her body was shred by a wild animal.