Page 49 of Wild Life
Soft clicking disrupted the dreamlike haze that I was experiencing watching him.
“What’s that sound?” Aleki asked.
“A bat!” I whispered. “Stay here.” The incidence of rabies in bats was low, but we weren’t in an ideal setting for a person to be infected. My rabies vaccinations were up-to-date, so I was in the clear. However, Aleki risked exposure if he wasn’t careful.
I ran over and saw a furry little dark-brown mass wiggling against the strings of the net. It didn’t hurt them, but he was anxious to be on his way to find food.
I worked quickly, slipping on my rubber gloves and grabbing a twist tie. I gingerly removed him, his little heart beating furiously under my fingers. Most people were scared of bats, but I knew the importance of this little guy, and that made him precious to me.
Wrapping the tie around his foot, I carefully tucked in the sharp edges so he couldn’t hurt himself. I had trimmed the ties considerably, but some of the wire still protruded.
Keeping any prodding to a minimum, I quickly checked him over to make sure he appeared healthy and strong. Then I walked to the other side of the net, where his friends had flown off to, and released him.
“Happy hunting, little one,” I whispered, watching him disappear into the distance.
I slipped off my gloves and dropped them onto the ground, careful not to touch the exterior of the rubber.
“What does the tie do?” Aleki asked.
He had vacated his spot on the ground and stood tall against a tree.
“It lets me know that I’ve already seen this guy. If I cross paths with him again, I can make note of the locations he frequents. Usually, the tag would be linked to a radar and carry a chip so I could follow him using research software. Out here, I’ll have to use my memory to record his sightings.”
“How will you d-differ-entiate bats if you’re using the same c-color tie for each one?”
“I couldn’t find anything with various colors.” I was working at a disadvantage here without all of my tools from the university.
“I think I may have some c-colored rubber b-bands back at the hut. Remind me to find them for you,” he said.
I clapped excitedly. “Oh, that’d be perfect! I can assign each bat a different color.”
“And before I forget…” Aleki disappeared behind the tree and came back with something in his grasp. “You probably could use this to record your in-for-ma-tion.”
He handed me a spiral notebook with a pen. I opened it and could barely make out the cursive handwriting on the yellowing paper.
“It’s only on the first few p-pages. The rest of them are blank.”
I marveled at the journal. “Where did you get this?”
“Dad’s trunk. I figured you could use it for your r-research.”
“Don’t you want to keep it? I mean, it has your dad’s writing. You should save it.”
Aleki chuckled. “I saved it for over t-two decades. It’s t-time to put it to use.”
“This will certainly be helpful. Thank you. For all of this.” I waved my hand at the net, my throat tight with emotion. “This was amazing.” I launched myself at him, squeezing his torso. His arms wrapped tightly around my body, returning my affection. With my ear to his chest, I heard the steady drumming inside that my own heartbeats fell in sync to.
He shifted and I lifted my attention to his warm gaze. He towered over me, but the distance between us was closed easily enough by attraction. Our lips met. He was warm, and his beard tickled my skin. I turned my head to the side and slowly opened my mouth, inviting him in as I slid my fingers up to grip his hair.
Then his tongue slipped into my mouth, and I eagerly met it with mine. His kiss robbed me of my breath.
Fuck, he’s a good kisser.
I broke our bond, gasping for air.
“Cosmo?” I asked.
He grinned, only one corner of his mouth rising. “‘Ten Tips for Kissing Like a God-dess.’”
