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Gutting, skinning, and quartering her game took Addie the rest of the day. She arranged rocks to form a bowl and carefully tucked slices of meat in there, layering them with herbs and berries to marinate, making sure they were raised from the ground. Because maggots.
Life was so full of unexpected twists and turns. She, Addie Rye, just killed an animal with a stone axe. Just hacked it to death while it screeched, and held it to the ground until it breathed its last breath. And then she took a dull stone knife and cut its throat to bleed it before she skinned and quartered it. It was difficult and gruesome, and she did a poor job of it, but she did it.
Looking down, she saw how dirty she’d made her dress in the process. The entire front was red and sticky. Her broken fingernails had blood caked underneath. She probably had gore in her hair.
Unable to stand the grime, she hobbled toward the area with Jat sand. She should have pitched her tent next to it so she’d have her bath whenever she liked it, but the idea hadn’t occurred to her at the time.
“Live and learn, Addie. Live and learn.”
Walking for about a mile, she reached Jat sand and picked the largest “puddle.” Washing her dress and booties, she was relieved to see that the blood came out with little effort. Truly, Jat sand was magic.
Naked, she sank into the “bath” with a satisfied sigh. Raising her face to the sky, she let her body relax and held still. It was nice out, with the Ehr sun beginning its descent, its warmth mild and caressing. The clear skies were almost transparent. It was quiet but not still. This planet was alive with creatures teeming all around her. The sunlight, the rugged terrain, the smells, and sounds - all of it was becoming familiar.
For the first time, Addie felt almost… peaceful.
She raised her knees, and Jat sand trickled down her legs, tickling the insides of her thighs. It felt pleasant in an erotic way. Startled, Addie touched her legs where the sand agitated them, fondling her flesh. The touch sent a whisper of sensations across her body.
She was alive, and it felt strange, the feelings long-forgotten. She hadn’t had sex since before she boarded the doomed cruiser. In the six months that she’d spent in space, her job kept her mind off physically missing her husband. And after the crash, well, sex had become something to avoid, a dirty, disgusting act performed on the For animals.
Laying in the pool of sand, Addie kept touching her legs, her stomach. She cupped and squeezed her breasts. It felt… nice. She didn’t feel numb any longer.
Rising to her knees, she shook her head to let the sand out of her hair, and threw her head back, letting the long curls trail down her bare back, enjoying the swish of it. She skimmed her hands down her sides, closing her eyes.
Her body showed mild signs of arousal, but they were muted as if coming from afar. The thought of bringing herself to completion didn’t hold appeal. Her body might be ready but her brain wasn’t. For now, she was content to explore her own shape, as if discovering it for the first time. She wasn’t dead. There was hope for the future.
The feeling of being watched returned.
Addie scanned her surroundings and could find nothing amiss, but her peaceful solitude was ruined.
She quickly finished her bath and got dressed. Walking home, she hummed an upbeat song. Thoughts about the jerky further lifted her mood - not because she missed eating meat so much, but because she’d successfully killed the Tek. It was an accomplishment that grounded her independence. She proved to herself that she had a chance of survival.
Chapter 8
Waking up late the next morning, Addie made a beeline to the stone pit, ignoring her Yuux and confusing them by overthrowing their morning training - and their morning treats - to check on her marinating meat. The project had become a matter of principle for her. She felt one hundred percent invested, and she would be damned if some night critter robbed her of the meat while she slept.
She lifted the top rocks serving both as press and cover and flipped the meat chunks over inside her makeshift stone pit, making sure the herbs and berries were releasing their juices uniformly. Satisfied with the progress, she wedged the top rocks back onto the meat and picked up her light, short spear. She’d made it herself, and it brought her another powerful sense of accomplishment. It was comforting to hold it now. She was, again, on edge.
Ears wide open, she listened for unusual sounds, a shuffle, a rustling of tall dry grasses, but heard no telltale sign of a hidden presence nearby. Berating herself for being a scaredy-cat, Addie slowly rose to her full height and turned around. And nearly screamed.
Melmie was standing at the edge of the clearing.
“Melmie!” Addie put her hand over her wildly beating heart.
“Addie!” Melmie smiled, a wide beaming smile. She looked young and radiant, and a little expectant, like she wasn’t sure what reception to expect from Addie.
“I… You came! I am glad,” Addie managed to produce in For.
“Yes,” Melmie came closer, babbling excitedly, and Addie understood that she was out foraging, and decided to come this way to see Addie. And she had companions. She pointed to the thicket from which she had emerged.
The underbrush parted and Oh’na appeared, followed by two For women with soft woven baskets. They came out and stopped, regarding Addie warily.
The younger of the women was past her first youth but not yet middle-aged. She had a narrow unsmiling face with large eyes, and her green irises were the color of summer leaves. Her long hair was wound around her head and tied off with a knit string.
The other woman was much older, with a wrinkled face and short upturned tigerish nose that must have looked adorable when she was a child, but now lent her an air of superiority. Her dark hair, clearly not susceptible to the gray of advanced age, was tied in two braids. Both women wore the same olive knit dresses as Melmie that came to their knees and tall leather boots.
Where their clothes lacked flare, their boots more than compensated in the fashion department with intricate stitched patterns in bright colors and soft fur trim.
