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It was never that easy

‘You …’ he whispered, his voice choked

‘Me,’ she replied She saw her canines reflected in his eyes She saw her own smile ‘Damn’

He didn’t seem to hear her, barely even seemed to see her His sole sense was touch, and he explored her with it She felt the ridges of his fingers, the calluses of his palers creased under her nose, traced the ridges of her lips She could feel her breath break upon his fingertips, feel its heat

He’s justlike a monkey He is a monkey, remember? He probably thinks he’s still asleep … or dead You can still run, or you can push hiain, she all but screamed at herself For Riffid’s sake, at least bite hi!

‘You’re real,’ he whispered

His hand slid farther up, plunging into her hair She felt the sweat of her scalp under it entle upon her

It’s not gentle, she reminded herself Remember how many people he’s killed Reentle Stop thinking he is

A sensation cold and hot at once, like a chill breeze on sweat-kissed skin, lanced through her body, causing it to shudder She drew in a sharp breath as his fingers found the notches in her right ear, tracing them carefully

Oh, you can’t be serious, she all but shrieked Those are your ears! Shict ears, stupid! He can’t touch those! They’re … they’re sacred! They’re precious … they’re … he …

‘You’re alive,’ he whispered His smile was easy, bereft of the malice and confusion she had seen in him before ‘You’re alive … you’re …’ She felt his hand stop suddenly, soainst his hand ‘Your feathers’ He blinked, as if re ‘You never leave your feathers behind’

‘Not usually, no,’ she replied It felt easy to tell hi froers wrap around her locks, pull hard She felt the sudden stab of pain as the shriek escaped her lips

It was easy to punch hiainst his jaw and sent his head snapping to the side

‘You stupid little kou’ru,’ she snarled, baring fangs ‘What the hell was that for?’

And when he brought his face back, rubbing his jaith the hand that was still slick with her sweat, it was easy to return the broad, stupid grin he gave to her

‘I had to know,’ he said, his laughter harsh and parched

‘You couldn’t have just asked?’

‘If you were a hallucination, you’d have said "yes"’ He looked thoughtful, his grin growing broader ‘Then again, if you were a hallucination you’d probably be …’ His eyes drifted loidening ‘U his throat ‘So, ah … not that I don’t have s to say, but I feel I er at her chest ‘Why are you wearing that?’

She followed his finger to the scanty garment of brown fur wrapped about her breasts From there, she followed his eyes down to her nakedoff her sand-covered, pale thighs

‘For the sa his bare, wiry chest, ‘you’re wearing that’

Up until that point, she never thought that hu such a shade of red He slapped at his body, naked but for a si if his clothes had perhaps seeped under his skin

The panic fled after a htfully at his new garb and the bandage wrapped tightly about his thigh

‘So …’ He looked fro fun?’

‘Well, the fun only started after you passed out frorunted, looking about ‘So, where arethe sandy floor intently ‘Where’s ht--’

‘It’s elsewhere,’ she replied, putting a hand on his shoulder ‘Calm down Your pants, what remained of them, were filthy and covered in piss’

Lenk blinked, turned a leery eye on her

‘Whose piss?’

‘Your piss’ She cringed a little at his visible relief ‘You may have been unconscious, but your other … parts were still working despite you The smell became unbearable after the third tiered his loincloth ‘But why did you dress yourself that way, too? And not that I don’t appreciate your enthusiasm for cleanliness, but couldn’t you have just cleaned my pants?’

‘You think I did this?’ She slapped her torso ‘Listen, you demented little shaven mole, if I wanted to see so much scrawny flesh I could have just plucked a chicken’ She sighed and leaned back on her hands ‘I passed out onon modesty here’

Lenk raised an eyebrow

‘They?’

‘They’ She gestured over his head with her chin ‘Specifically, him’

And it was at that point, as he turned his head to his other side, that she realised how high hu hi beside hi the moments she had experienced when she had awakened under their treer than overripe grapefruits and apparently desperate to escape the green, short-snouted skull they were ensconced in, were undoubtedly the first thing he noticed From there, he would see the creature’s squat and scaly body, the apparent horrific crossbreed of a gecko and an ale keg, with four stubby appendages ending in three pudgy digits

He would then find thefact that it wore clothes The creature absently scratched its furry loincloth and adjusted the round black hat, too se head One eye remained locked on Lenk while its other independently swivelled up over a pair of slass spectacles to look at Kataria

‘’S’the h to ain

‘Fever,’ Kataria replied ‘He’s just a little strange right now’

‘I’e?’ Lenk replied, voice hoarse with surprise

‘Oh, hey, ’s’not polite, cousin,’ the creature said, shaking its u alant politeness in Teji, y’know’