The Phoenix Colony

Fox nibbles on the leaves that were given to her by Kat. "They taste like a sugar substitute. Like splenda or sweet and low. These would be good to bring back to the tribe." says Fox. She pulls out one of the pinegrape's rhine and hands it to Kat. "Hey, climb back up there and fill this with those leaves." says Fox, "So the blue tree leaves taste like sugar, I wonder what the red tree leaves taste like."

Fox walks over to the nearby red tree. She climbs some of the lower branches and takes one of the red leaves. She goes back down to the ground and tastes the leaf. It was pretty spice. "These leaves taste like a spicy pepper. We should also bring some of them back to the tribe." says Fox.

 

Reva couldn't help a giggle at how Allen petted the snakey creature or the little animal's strange sounds of approval at the petting as it butted its head against his hand.

"Those would be questions for Cevin and his tribe. I didn't see it until a few minutes ago."

She walked off a few steps, holding Allen's arm, out of earshot of the others.

"Are you all right?"

 

Smith looked over nurviosly at Ray. His heart was beating quickly inside his chest, and he had no idea what to say. He guessed he should start by letting her back into his head. He would have given her a weak smile if his face would move. "Well, that was an interesting conversation with Fox." He said and sat down next to Ray.

 

Raylene heard Chad walking toward her and turned to give him a half-smile. She felt awkward and jittery. That's just silly, she told herself firmly as he sat down beside her. She glanced at the hardening plates that were taking over his skin. They glistened with moisture, a few beads of water running down between them on his arm.

"Well, that was an interesting conversation with Fox." He said.

"Was it?" Raylene was dismayed to feel a little jab of jealousy, "Trading secrets?" She tossed a nut shell into the river.

 

"Not quiet." He said and laided back on the ground looking towards the sky, knowing that getting this relaxed might not be a smart idea but he was sure he'd be ok. "You can stop blocking my thoughts now if you want." Smith offered, having had gotten used to talking to her through his thoughts. He hoped Kat, and Fox weren't to far.

 

"So what was so interesting about it?" Raylene asked, "And if you don't mind, could we talk? Reading your mind gives me a headache sometimes later."

She wrapped her arms around her legs and stared into the river.

 

Smith watched the clouds for a moment. "Mainly about her and Brit." He said and sat up. "And about this planet, and..." He paused awkwardly and then finished. "About us." He said hoping that she didn't mind him grouping them togeather, he wasn't even sure she felt anything about him.

 

When he said 'about us' Raylene felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips. She hadn't forgotten her horrible past experiences with men, they had marked her for life, yet Chad was different and not just because of his developing armor plating.

He was a boy and a man, a combination she found to be very appealing. But could she trust him?

"Is there an 'us'?" she asked, looking straight at him for the first time, arms still wrapped around her knees. Then she realized what she had just said and got scared at what he might say.

"Nevermind," she told him quickly, moving to get up, "Maybe we should be getting back."

 

Smith grabbed her arm gently as she moved to get up. His palms feeling her soft skin beneith his hand, a shiver running down his spine. "I want there to be an us." He said boldly and then looked away at the ground, glad that his transformation kept him from blushing. All of his insecurities came flooding back into his mind. She deserved better than a statue, better than a rock. He quickly let go of her arm. "I'm sorry, I think I over stepped my bounds." He said, a tear in his eye, it all depended on how she reacted now, he thought, how she felt.

 

"Yeah, I'm all right, why?"

Had she noticed that he hadn't been all there? Apparently she saw something to maker her suspicious. He reached down and grabbed some of the meat they had saved from the last kill and offered it to the snake thing. It eagerly took the morsel, and opened it's mouth for more.

 

Chad's hand on Raylene's arm was warm as a stone in the sun and though he could have hurt her badly all he did was gently get her attention.

"I want there to be an us." It was spoken with an assurance that was belied the next instant as he looked away.

He wanted her? Raylene had to concentrate to keep from gaping at him. She felt like a nothing every day of her life. Now she thought the group might ostracize her because of her mind reading abilities. He couldn't possibly. And yet...he felt unworthy, too, because of his changed appearance.

Maybe they were a perfect pair after all.

"I'm sorry, I think I overstepped my bounds," Chad mumbled and Raylene leaned in front of him watching a tear track down his cheek.

She touched the tear and wiped it away, shaking her head.

"I don't know if this will work," she told him, "but...I think I'm willing to try an 'us', too."

She didn't have the armor plating to hide the pink that tinged her cheeks.


"Yeah, I'm all right, why?" Allen wanted to know as he fed the greedy baby beast a piece of meat.

"I just haven't seen you for a few hours and when I did you looked a little disoriented."

 

.......“If that is true,” she said tightly, “then YOU are the reason I am here.”.....
Allen looked down at the ground, his head still spinning a little. His back stiffened up, but then he made it relax again, there was no point in getting tense.

"I, got lost."

The fuzzy snake grabbed his thumb with one of it's paws and started sucking on it.

For some reason he didn't understand, Allen had told her the truth, not the whole truth, but he hadn't lied. It would have been better if he lied.

Wait, it was sucking? A thought that had been poking around in the back of his head pushed it's way forward. These animals nursed their young. That meant that they protect their young.

Grateful for something to change the subject to he pointed at the snake, "You see that?"

 

.......“If that is true,” she said tightly, “then YOU are the reason I am here.”.....
Allen looked down at the ground, his head still spinning a little. His back stiffened up, but then he made it relax again, there was no point in getting tense.

"I, got lost."

The fuzzy snake grabbed his thumb with one of it's paws and started sucking on it.

For some reason he didn't understand, Allen had told her the truth, not the whole truth, but he hadn't lied. It would have been better if he lied.

Wait, it was sucking? A thought that had been poking around in the back of his head pushed it's way forward. These animals nursed their young. That meant that they raised their young, and animals that raise their young also protect their young.

Grateful for something to change the subject to he pointed at the snake, "You see that?"

 

CHrys returns with the leaves just in time to hear Fox's comment about the red leaves, "So, we've found spices. Yay us." She smiles and shrugs. "Now, to get back to the cave."

 

"I see that," Reva was distracted from his explanation as she watched the baby snake beast try to wheedle milk out of Allen's thumb. She needed to ask Cevin what he knew about the baby beast but he had moved off somewhere and she couldn't see him.

"What I want to know is how much danger this thing poses to us while we have it. And," she grinned as the little thing gave a muffled mew of frustration, "how we might be able to feed it."

 

"Yeah, that's pretty cool. Spices will come in handy." says Fox. Pasha comes walking up to the two of them. "Um...hi there. I'm suprised to see you two this far from the cave." says Pasha. Fox says "Perfect timing." as she hands him a rhine full off red leaves, "Come on guys, lets get back to the camp."

 

"Alright, if you know how to get there. I sure as heck don't." Chrys follows behind the two of them wondering why she's always the "little Sister," no matter where she goes.

 

Smith would have smiled if he hadn't transformed into a bolder. He looked into her eyes, drawing his strength from her, he reached up and gently brushed some hair out of her face. He didn't know what to say, or do for a long moment so he just looked into her beautiful eyes. His new hands felt clumsy and awkward, as he laid it on her face. This touch one of the last sensations that his body was aloud to feel. "Us." Was all he was able to say happily. His worries, and insecurities temperarily pushed from his mind.

He took a deep breath and leaned over to her and placed a kiss on her forehead, his lips numb to the sensation, his one worry that he might accidently hurt her if he had tried for a real kiss.

 

Raylene smiled, feeling tears prickle her eyelids as she leaned into the kiss on her forehead. Then she drew back and placed a hand on either side of Smith's face and placed a kiss of her own on his mouth adding another on his cheek.

"We should get back to camp," she told him with a mischevious smile, "they'll wonder where we've got to."

 

"What I want to know is how much danger this thing poses to us while we have it. And," she grinned as the little thing gave a muffled mew of frustration, "how we might be able to feed it."

"It's very dangerous. Anything that nurses it's young puts a lot of time and energy into raising them, and protecting them. They have relativly few offspring, and don't let them leave until they are ready to live on their own. The mother might not be attached to it's young strongly enough to go and look for one if it went missing, but if it heard it or smelled it, it would at least come and look. Chances are it would be very angry."

Allen fed it another piece of meat. He didn't want it biting off his thumb when it got a little more frustrated.

"She looks like she's at least partially weaned though."

 

Reva's lips quirked into yet another grin as she watched Allen with the hatchling.

"Why Allen, I had no idea that you had such a maternal instinct." She turned, looking for Cevin, leaving Tatee in Allen's care.

 

Fox and the others walk around the woods for about ten minutes and come upon the blue and red trees again. "Please don't tell me we went in a circle!" says Fox in an obviously frustraded voice.

 

"Ya, Chrys and Fox probably headed home on their own." He felt wierd calling it home, but he looked over at Ray and thought that home could be were ever they where togeather. He stood up and dressed pulling the shirt over his shoulders but not buttoning it, it wouldn't have worked anyways. The pants slipped on over his boxers no where near as loose as they had once been. He looked up to see if Ray was ready to go now.

 

Pasha just shook his head, holding the spears, and his bludgeon stick close to him. Yuri and his mother were once again at it, quarreling over his situation with Viva. They both had different opinions and were strong-headed. He growled under his breath, looking at Fox with annoyed eyes. His hand slipped from the stick, sending the raw wood against his burnt hand. He yelled out in pain, and wrapped his arm around the stick. He nursed his hand, placing it against the material on his shirt in a soothing motion.

“Well. We can try another direction then.” He suggested.

 

Chrys eyed Pasha's hand, "Um, Big Burly, is the inside of your hand burnt too?" An idea sparked in her head, "Oooh, I wonder if these spice leaves have any antiseptic powers?"

She grabbed one of each leaf and shredded them, them pounded them in her hand untill they became a paste, "Can I like, apply this to your palm?"