Enthralled by Tiffany Roberts

Chapter 17

Ketahn swepthis gaze over the surrounding jungle, watching, as ever, for threats. Of course, his attention was split today—he had to watch the humans as closely as he watched the Tangle. Otherwise, all this served no purpose.

One and all, the humans were damp with sweat. A few had pulled down the upper portions of their jumpsuits to reveal the thinner white garments beneath, which were identical to what Ivy had been wearing when he first found her.

Cole had removed his shirt. The toned muscles of his torso were fascinating to Ketahn, vaguely reminiscent of vrix muscles but also utterly alien. They were also irritating; Ketahn couldn’t be certain, but he had the sense that there was something calculating about the human male removing his covering when the others seemed so insistent upon wearing clothing as often as possible.

Was Cole attempting to attract a mate?

Ketahn ground his teeth.

Though he had no problem with these humans mating amongst themselves, he would not tolerate anyone trying to take his mate—and Cole had certainly cast heavy glances at Ivy throughout the day.

Gnashing his mandible fangs and curling a hand into a useless fist, Ketahn looked at Ivy. She was walking along the jungle floor several segments below him as she told Diego about the time she’d eaten sweetfang root and fallen ill. They mentioned injek shuns having likely saved her. Ketahn bit back a resurgence of helplessness. He refused to fall into that torturous feeling again.

Today was not about helplessness. It was about discovering limits, teaching, and ensuring that everyone was prepared to face the many challenges that awaited—at least as prepared as they could possibly become in a few days’ time.

Ketahn’s eyes fell upon flecks of yellow against a dark tree trunk. “Ivy.”

She glanced up at him, following his gesture with her eyes as he pointed toward the yellow.

“Goldcrests,” he said. “Show the others.”

Lips curling into a smile, she nodded and called the other humans over to the cluster of goldcrests. Ahnset strode to join them and sank low to allow her rider down.

Ella slipped off Ahnset unsteadily. Callie caught one of her arms to provide her support, Ahnset the other.

There’d been some debate as to whether they should bring Ella along. Diego had gently explained that she needed rest more than anything. She’d shown impressive strength of will in her desire to come, but she’d admitted that Diego was right, and had said she didn’t want to slow everyone down.

Though Ahnset had been uncertain about doing so, she’d offered to carry Ella and ensure the human did not fall behind. Ketahn guessed it was the disparity in their sizes that caused his broodsister’s hesitance more than the strangeness of the humans; Ahnset would have to take great care in handling Ella to avoid doing her any harm.

But Ahnset had kept true to her word, demonstrating immense consideration and gentleness. More, Ella’s presence seemed to encourage the others—human and vrix alike. Ella had shown little unease around the vrix from the start. While traveling with Ahnset, she’d smiled often, and had even made clumsy but determined attempts to learn and pronounce vrix words.

Ahnset seemed just as taken by the human female. Their mutual curiosity was heartening to observe.

“Your thoughts?” Telok asked as he climbed onto the fallen tree upon which Ketahn was perched. He looked down at the humans, who were watching as Ivy gathered the goldcrests and passed them out.

“Stronger than I expected, as my mate said,” Ketahn replied. “But they are not yet fully recovered from their slumber.”

“They are loud.” Telok’s mandibles sagged and twitched back upward. “Small as they are, they make Ahnset and Urkot seem quiet in comparison.”

Ketahn released a thoughtful trill. “An impressive accomplishment.”

Telok chittered.

Ivy encouraged the other humans to taste the goldcrests. Beyond them, Urkot and Rekosh had taken elevated positions to scan the jungle—though Urkot cast the occasional longing glance back at the humans.

For all his complaints about being forced to eat only roots and mushrooms, Urkot had always been fond of both.

“They must learn to walk the Tangle before they can do so quietly,” said Ketahn.

Telok grunted, folded his upper arms across his chest, and glanced skyward. Late day sunlight streamed through gaps in the canopy, casting indistinct, dancing shadows on everything below.

“How long do you mean to keep them out here, Ketahn?”

“Until after dark.”

Telok thumped a leg on the log in a slow, soft beat. “Most of them will be exhausted well before sunfall.”

Below, Lacey gathered her red hair and lifted it away from her neck, twisting it into a crude bundle. The back of her neck glistened with sweat. Telok’s attention fell upon her and remained there.

“We must know,” Ketahn said.

Ivy divided the remaining goldcrests and passed them out to the others, leaving none for herself. Despite the tension that caused in Ketahn’s jaw, he continued.

“We must find their limits and push beyond them. The Claws, for all their cowardice, will not rest as they search.”

“It will help us little if these hyu-nins cannot even remain upright by the time we return.” Telok turned his head to look at Ketahn. “We brought them out here to teach them.”

“And to learn, my friend.” Ketahn met Telok’s gaze. “We have as much to learn as they do.”

Once the last piece of goldcrest had been handed out—to Ella, who closed a shaky hand around it—Ketahn called for them to continue. He and Telok remained high, covering the flanks. Rekosh and Urkot returned to the ground, the former taking up the formation’s rear, the latter its head. Ahnset, with Ella back in place on her hindquarters, strode at the center, the towering heart of the group.

Such had been a standard arrangement for vrix hunting parties for generations. The lead tracker out front, all angles watched, all sides protected.

Of course, all the members of a vrix hunting party carried spears, and these humans were armed only with the small metal knives they’d found in the ship except for Ivy, who carried the spear she’d crafted. That would have to be remedied soon. Fortunately, Urkot had brought some chunks of blackrock that would work well as spear heads.

The lessons continued as they had all morning—both the vrix and Ivy pointing out notable plants, animal tracks, and hazards, and the group stopping occasionally so Ketahn could show them things with greater detail.

When he brought them to a grub infested tree, indicated the signs of the infestation, and demonstrated how to pry up the bark to get at the plump grubs beneath, a few of the humans paled.

Ketahn plucked out a squirming grub, tossed it into his mouth, and bit down. There was an audible pop as it burst between his teeth.

Most of the humans looked ill after that.

“Somehow that’s worse to watch the second time around,” Ivy muttered, turning away.

Ketahn wasn’t surprised by her reaction, and thus he was not surprised that the others reacted similarly. But he was caught off guard when both Lacey and Will stepped forward and said they would taste the grubs. Cole volunteered immediately after Will, again giving Ketahn the impression of some underlying mating ritual—as though Cole thought himself in competition with the other males.

All three humans made uncertain faces as they slipped wriggling grubs into their mouths—lips downturned, brows creased, and noses scrunched.

Ketahn didn’t miss the oddly prideful gleam in Telok’s eyes, which were again fixed upon Lacey.

“Oh, God, that’s weird,” Lacey said after she’d chewed and swallowed. A shudder wracked her. “Ugh, why did I do that?”

“Yeah.” Will drank from one of the waterskins, doing that strange human thing in which he swished the liquid around in his mouth, making his cheeks puff out from side to side, before spitting it onto the ground. “That taste just doesn’t fit with the texture.”

Cole swallowed, and the corners of his mouth peeled back, making the cords of his neck stand out briefly. He released a harsh breath and shook his head. “Not bad.”

Lacey stuck out her tongue and scrunched her nose. “It’s like nuts and wood ground into a squishy pulp.”

Will nodded, staring at Cole from the corner of his eye before taking another long drink of water.

No one else wanted to try a grub despite Ketahn’s coaxing.

Ivy chuckled and bumped Ketahn’s leg with her hip. “See? It’s not just me.”

Ketahn chittered, and the group resumed their journey. Though the humans were displaying signs of tiredness, he pushed them a little faster, guiding them up a broad root that led higher into the trees. They fared about as well traveling such paths as he’d expected—poorly.

Ivy managed all right, though her pace was slower than normal, but the others were unsteady and even slower than her.

Telok and Ketahn glanced at each other as the humans were attempting to cross from the root to a low branch.

Understanding passed between the two vrix. Their real journey, their flight from Takarahl, would be slow, difficult, and extremely dangerous—especially because they’d have to make it almost entirely on the ground.

And yet, Ketahn was encouraged. The humans had offered little complaint despite their obvious discomfort. They’d been attentive, and he’d seen them helping one another in small ways throughout the day. They were far from experienced, and it would be a while before they worked together like it was instinctual, but there was potential.

As the first orange hints of approaching sunfall crept into the sky, Urkot happened across a nurunal, which he killed with a throw of his spear. While Urkot collected the lean, furred animal and slung it over his shoulder, still impaled on the spear, Telok guided the group to a nearby clearing.

Ahmya, who’d been so quiet thus far that it would’ve been easy to forget the little human was even there, sucked in a sharp breath.

Ketahn tensed, raised his spear, and spun toward her; such a sound surely meant danger. At the edge of his vision, Rekosh was already moving toward the female, who’d gone to the edge of the clearing. She stood in front of a plant with broad leaves and long-stemmed flowers.

Ketahn’s fine hairs stood on end. His eyes raked the jungle growth around Ahmya, and he drew in a deep breath through his nostrils, seeking any signs of nearby predators.

“What is it, Ahmya?” asked Ivy, taking a step toward the dark-haired human.

Ketahn hurried to place himself between Ivy and Ahmya. If there was an unseen threat, he would not leave his mate exposed to it.

“These flowers,” Ahmya replied, shaking her head slowly. “They’re amazing.”

“Scaring everyone because you saw some damned flowers? What the hell?” Cole grumbled.

“How many species of alien flowers have you seen?” Ahmya replied distractedly. She reached toward the nearest blossom.

Its petals were long and thin, flaring out and tapering sharply at their ends. They were deep, vibrant blue—though with a turn of one’s head, they could just as easily look purple—with crimson streaks leading toward their centers. The long tendrils that grew from those centers had small red clusters on their ends.

Ahmya’s hand stopped in midair. She glanced at Ketahn and Ivy over her shoulder. “Are they safe to touch?”

Ketahn nodded. Ahmya grinned and returned her attention to the flower. With unimaginable delicacy, she brushed her fingertips over a petal. The slight movement caused by her touch made the petal shimmer between blue and purple.

“Do I get to stand around and smell the rohzez, too?” Cole asked.

“Go make fire,” Ketahn said in English. “There is meat to tend.”

Cole made a sound that was equally bitter and amused and walked away.

Ketahn didn’t look at the human male; he was too interest in what was going on ahead of him.

Rekosh approached Ahmya slowly, head tilted and eyes intent upon her. “They are called spearblossoms.”

Ahmya started, her attention snapping toward Rekosh. “I, uh… I…”

“Do you find them beautiful?” Rekosh asked gently.

“He says they are spearblossoms,” Ketahn said in English, “and asks if they are beautiful.”

The small woman’s expression eased, leaving only a joyous light in her eyes. She smiled at Rekosh and nodded. “Some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.”

After Ketahn translated her words, Rekosh purred. He glanced at the flowers briefly. “For the vrix, they are signs of remembrance. The petals are spears of hunters, of warriors, and the red is the blood that has been shed to allow our kind to survive. Spearblossoms are memories of all those who have been lost… But they are a hope for the future, also. They mean suffering and pain, but they also mean life.”

Ivy had stepped up beside Ketahn as Rekosh spoke. She caught hold of Ketahn’s fingers and gave them an affectionate squeeze. He gently closed his hand around hers and relayed Rekosh’s words to Ahmya.

Ahmya’s smile softened, as did something in her gaze.

Leaving the two to their flowers, Ketahn and Ivy turned back to the rest of the group. The humans had a small fire already burning. Ketahn felt a small pang of regret at that; he was fascinated by the little tool they used to light the kindling. It was faster and more efficient than even the best methods practiced by the vrix, and he wanted to see it in use again.

Once the fire was built up more, Rekosh, Urkot, and Telok formed a loose ring around the group. Ketahn and Ivy joined the humans and his sister near the fire, and he explained how to skin the nurunal, which Will said looked a bit like something called a poss-uhm. He was surprised again when Ella asked to try. Despite her illness, she kept her hand steady, and used her knife with familiarity and confidence.

She required little instruction to skin the animal, though Cole did help her move the carcass and peel back the skin when it proved too much for her diminished strength.

Ella let Cole finish removing the creature’s hide and sat back, cleaning her knife with a leaf. “Used to have to do that on the farm sometimes,” she said, offering a smile as Ivy uncorked a waterskin and rinsed Ella’s hands. “I didn’t care for it much at first, but after a while, you just…get used to it.”

“It’s just meat, right?” asked Will, voice a little unsteady.

“We’re all just meat,” Cole said.

Ketahn nearly chittered at that; he’d said the same to Ahnset not long ago. He dipped his chin toward Cole. “A good lesson. There is always something more big in the Tangle that thinks we are food.”

“I never thought we’d be shoved down to the bottom of the food chain,” said Callie.

Cole drew his own knife, poising it over the skinned nurunal. “Just going to have to claw our way back up.”

Ketahn showed him how to carve the animal, and they soon had meat roasting over the flames. The savory aroma filled the air, sparking hungry gleams in the humans’ eyes, and the group settled around the fire, finally letting themselves rest.

It had been a long while since Ketahn had joined a hunting party. His treks through the Tangle had mostly been made in solitude until he found Ivy, and her companionship was so natural, so effortless, that nothing felt right without her. It would take time to adjust to this, but it felt good to have his friends with him again. It felt good to have a group formed around him and Ivy. To have…a tribe.

He lowered himself to the ground a couple segments away from the fire, and Ivy sat in the cradle of his forelegs, her shoulder against his chest.

“Are we heading back after this?” she asked.

Ketahn glanced skyward. “Yes, but we will follow a different path. There is far more to show and too little time for it.” When he lowered his gaze, he found Ivy idly toying with the material of her jumpsuit with restless fingers, head bowed.

“This has been good, right?” she asked in a small, soft voice. “I…I’m trying to help, but there is still so much I don’t know, and I…”

Cupping the underside of her jaw, Ketahn tilted Ivy’s chin up, forcing her to look at him. The uncertainty in her eyes, even if it was but a hint, tore at his heartsthread.

He bent down until his face was close to hers. “You did well, my Ivy. As always, you have made my chest swell.”

She stared up at him for several heartbeats, searching for something, before a light sparked in her eyes. Throwing an arm around his neck, she pulled him down the rest of the way, pressed those soft, soft lips to his mouth, and delicately flicked her tongue against his. With a purr, Ketahn slipped his fingers into her hair to cradle the back of her head and wrapped his lower arms around her, wanting—needing—more of her.

A blissful eternity later, she withdrew. Her eyes were bright with passion, her cheeks were stained pink, and her lips were slanted in a smirk. “I bet that is not the only thing I can make swell,” she whispered.

The sound that rumbled in Ketahn’s chest was half growl, half trill, wholly primal. “Ah, my heartsthread… My sweet little nyleea…” His claspers extended to lock around her hips.

The heat of the jungle air was nothing compared to the heat she awoke under his hide.

Ivy chuckled with delightful wickedness and caught hold of his bound hair. “But not now, spider man.”

Ketahn grunted. “Not even if I pretend you did not call me that?”

“We’re right fucking here,” Cole said. “The rest of us don’t need to see that lovey-dovey shit.”

The heat within Ketahn shifted from passion to rage that quickly. His muscles tensed, his fingers curled, and his mandibles opened. But that fury was halted when Ivy twirled his hair around her fingers and stretched her smirk into a grin; she gave no other acknowledgement to Cole.

“Wouldn’t hurt you to get in touch with your more sensitive side for once, man,” Diego said in a calm, easy tone. “Not doing you any favors being so high strung all the time.”

He and Will were sitting near Ella, who was leaning against Ahnset’s hindquarters with her eyes closed.

“Yeah, well…stress builds strength,” Cole replied. “That’s human ehvo looshun.”

“To some duhgree,” Callie said. “We’re wyurd to deal with certain levels of stress as a survival mekuh nizm, but…”

Ivy turned her head to look at the others, and Ketahn lowered his hand from her chin, wrapping that arm around her.

“Constant stress is detruh men tull to your health,” Diego finished.

“I just…” Cole sighed heavily and ran his gaze over the group, his expression difficult to read. “Don’t need everyone ganging up on me all the time, you know?”

“We’re not,” Ivy said gently.

Will stretched his legs out in front of him and brushed some dirt off the leg of his jumpsuit. “Everyone is coping in their own way, but we’re all in this together. We just…just need to cut each other some slack, yeah?”

Cole nodded and combed his fingers through his hair, settling his eyes on Ivy. “Yeah. Yeah, I get it.”

Ivy’s smile was genuine and soft; Ketahn nearly growled at seeing her gift it to Cole. She was Ketahn’s mate, and only Ketahn should have received such looks from her. His hold on her grew more possessive, and he narrowed his eyes at Cole.

“What are they saying, Ketahn?” Ahnset asked.

She’d been surrounded by beings she could not understand all day. Ketahn was familiar with such frustration. He’d had enough trouble when it was just Ivy talking to him in a language of which he couldn’t make sense.

Ketahn stomped down his ire and gave himself a few moments to craft a response. “These humans are not bound by blood, and they did not know one another before waking from their sleep. They are still building bonds with one another. Weaving the threads between them.”

“Things will be hard, but we are in this together,” Callie said. “We’re all important.”

Ketahn’s claspers squeezed Ivy’s hips, and in a low, rumbling voice—and his native tongue—he said, “None as much as you, my nyleea.”

She nestled against him, nuzzling his chest with her cheek.

“Cole especially,” Will said. “Don’t see how we’re going to make a new home here without an awesome dek to louwnge on.”

The humans laughed, and the vrix exchanged confused glances with each other. Ketahn didn’t bother explaining; he wasn’t sure what Will meant either.

Fortunately, the laughter seemed to break the tension. Telok, Urkot, and Rekosh drifted closer, and the humans and vrix were soon trying to teach each other words in their respective languages. Ivy translated, smiling and laughing along with everyone else as they stumbled over pronunciations—or as Rekosh, with exaggerated seriousness, struggled to produce the human mmm sound. Though Rekosh didn’t explain why he was so determined, Ketahn could guess his friend’s reason.

Ahmya’s name had that sound in it.

Ketahn remained largely quiet; he was content to simply enjoy his mate’s nearness.

So much had happened over the last several days, and he’d lost so much time with Ivy. At least he would face the days to come with her by his side. That meant everything, no matter what challenges awaited.

“They are like broodlings,” Ahnset said, calling Ketahn’s attention to her. She was in a lowered position, forelegs bent and tucked partially beneath her, staring at Ella. She’d planted her war spear in the ground beside her; its shaft towered high over everyone present.

“But they are not broodlings,” Ketahn replied gently, “and we cannot treat them as such.”

“I know, broodbrother.” Ahnset lifted a hand, fingers splayed, and gestured to her face. “It is in their eyes. They are lost, confused, afraid, sorrowful…but they are not broodlings. There is a fire in their eyes.”

“Yes,” Rekosh said with a click of his mandibles. He was turned away from the group, watching the jungle. “After all, what broodlings could have created a means to travel between the stars and sleep for hundreds of years without dying?”

“We are not broodlings,” Ivy said with a smirk, carefully pronouncing the vrix words, “but for all the wonders we have made, we often act like children.”

At Ahnset’s questioning glance, Ketahn explained the meaning of the human word children. She grunted, settled her lower hands on her forelegs, and returned her attention to Ella.

Ahnset had always been a protector, even before she’d become a Fang. She had taken on Ella as her charge, at least for now—and no one, human or vrix, could ask for a more capable protector than Ahnset tes Ishuun’ani Ir’okari.

He wished they did not have to part in a few short days; he’d miss his broodsister immensely.

Telok tended the roasting meat while Urkot and Rekosh kept close to the group, both standing upright to keep watch—though their attention often turned toward to the humans.

This had been a good day of teaching and learning, of coming together despite differences in appearance and language. But the day was not done. If they took a meandering path on their return journey, they’d near the pit around nightfall, just as Ketahn planned—he wanted them to have a taste of the Tangle in the dark.

Unfortunately, the jungle—much like Queen Zurvashi—cared nothing for Ketahn’s plans.

A roar echoed through the boughs, guttural and undulating.

Ketahn’s hearts quickened, and his fine hairs bristled as he turned his head toward the roar. Everyone else had done the same.

“What was that?” Ahmya whispered.

“The bass terd child of a lyun and a wolruss,” Cole replied without a hint of unsteadiness in his voice.

“Yatin,” Ketahn said, standing up and helping Ivy to her feet.

“Three hundred segments,” Telok rasped, “perhaps a little more.”

Urkot thumped a leg on the ground. “Or a little less.”

“I take it that sound is bad?” asked Will.

A second roar sounded from a different direction, deeper and rougher than the first and only slightly farther away.

“Everyone up,” Ketahn said in English, snatching the pair of spears off the ground. He handed Ivy her weapon. “Gather all things. Fast.”

“Are there more than one of those things?” Lacey asked as she collected the waterskins that had been set out for the meal.

“Two males.” Ketahn strode to Ahnset and Ella, picked up the sickly human, and placed her atop his broodsister’s hindquarters. “They make challenge to each other, to win this ground.”

“A terih toree ul dizpute?” Diego swung a bag over his shoulder as he rose. “Can’t we just let them fight it out?”

Ketahn helped Ahnset and Ella fasten their torsos together with a rope and shook his head. Rekosh, Urkot, and Telok had already taken positions around the group, their spears at the ready, and Ahnset had plucked her mighty war spear from the ground.

Extending an arm, Ketahn pointed in the direction of the pit even as he furiously kicked damp dirt over the fire. “Fast.”

Somewhere distant, wood cracked like a peal of thunder. Whether it had just been branches or an entire tree, it meant one of the yatins was on the move.

“Now,” Ketahn snarled at the wide-eyed humans.

The group set into motion. Ivy, carrying her little spear in one clenched fist, was at their rear, just ahead of Ketahn—who’d placed himself in the back deliberately. He’d led this journey. He would be the first shield between his companions and any threat.

Despite their weariness, the humans traveled at a decent pace, helping each other navigate the unavoidable obstacles strewn about the jungle floor.

“Are those things karnih vorz or errbih vorz?” Callie asked breathlessly.

Ketahn glanced at Ivy’s back; anticipating his lack of understanding, she provided a simple translation. Had the situation not been so dire, he would have asked why humans needed such odd words to say if animals at meats or plants.

“Yatins eat plants,” he said.

The first yatin called again, from much closer than before.

“Shaper, unmake me,” Urkot grumbled.

“Protector, shield us,” Ahnset intoned.

“What the hell does it matter what they eat?” demanded Cole. He held his metal knife in one hand, blade angled down. The weapon would pierce a yatin’s hide, but it was unlikely to inflict significant wounds on such a beast.

“It does not matter,” said Ketahn, watching Ivy’s golden hair bounce and sway with her every step.

“I just wanted to know if we’re about to be trampled or eaten,” Callie said.

The second yatin made its call of challenge; it too was uncomfortably closer.

“They must have our scent,” Telok said over his shoulder.

“We need to get off the ground,” Ahnset said.

“We cannot move all the humans fast enough. Two of them on your back would impede even you as you climbed, Ahnset,” said Rekosh.

Ketahn growled, fighting the urge to close the distance between himself and Ivy so he could scoop her up and race to safety. “The thorn snarl we passed earlier. That is our aim, Telok.”

Urkot snapped his mandibles. “Will that be enough?”

“It must be.” Ketahn’s fine hairs were still standing on end, and his hearts beat rapidly. Heat skittered just beneath his hide. He knew this feeling, recognized it; these were the moments before battle, when everything took on stunning, cold clarity.

The humans were breathing heavily, several of them sweating more than before, but none flagged or fell behind. Ivy had given Ketahn a glimpse of human willpower; perhaps it was even stronger than he’d guessed.

“Why are they chasing us?” Lacey asked between panting breaths.

“Yatin can smell from far,” Ketahn replied. “And they smell us on their ground.”

“They sound huge.” Will glanced over his shoulder, nearly tripping on an exposed root when a yatin roared again. “Why would they treat us as a threat?”

“They smell vrix and know we are hunters.” Ketahn adjusted his hold on his spear and readied the coil of silk rope attached to it. Through his legs, he felt the vibrations of the yatins plodding ever nearer. “They smell humans, and do not know you at all. Both are threats.”

“Fuck,” Cole spat.

Despite everything, Ketahn couldn’t help but admire the versatility of that word.

“There,” Telok called.

The thorn snarl came into Ketahn’s view as he crossed over a hollowed, rotting log, having helped Ivy over a moment before—not because she couldn’t do so on her own, but because the yatins were so close that he could hear their furious, snorting breaths.

Tangled vines, some as thick as tree roots, rose from the jungle floor ahead, creating an expanse of dense, thorny growth fraught with knifevines and grappler plants. In the failing sunlight, the shadows amidst the thorn snarl were deeper and fuller than those anywhere else.

“Is that where we’re going?” Diego asked in disbelief.

“Go,” Ketahn growled. He’d only made it twenty segments away from the log when it shattered with a bone-rattling crunch behind him.

The humans gasped and screamed, looking over their shoulders in terror—and some of them stumbled or slowed their paces in doing so.

Ketahn might’ve roared himself, but he could not afford to waste the time and effort it would’ve required. He’d wanted the humans to learn how dangerous the Tangle could be. Well, this was a perfect demonstration—male yatins battling over territory was amongst the most frightening, violent sights to behold beneath the jungle canopy.

The vrix hunted yatins, yes, but always in large groups and always from above.

“Urkot, Ahnset,” Ketahn shouted over the thunder of hooves, “take the humans in!”

Without missing a stride, Urkot waved the humans on and raced for the snarl. Telok and Rekosh fell back to join Ketahn, taking the silk ropes tied to theirs spears in hand. Ahnset clacked her mandible fangs and hurried along with the humans.

Ivy glanced back as she neared the opening at the edge of the snarl, brow creased, blue eyes gleaming with worry. Those eyes rounded as she glanced past Ketahn; in her time here, she’d seen many creatures, but yatins were new to her.

Ketahn hoped his eyes conveyed the message thrumming along his heartsthread when he met his mate’s gaze.

He would be with her soon.

Raising his spear, he spun to face the charging yatin.