The Urbem (Completed)

Chapter Fifteen: Look Into My Eyes

 (Nephele)

I spun the little rusty ring in my fingers, and, trying not to make it obvious, I tried to read what was faintly inscribed on the inside. I had to rub away at the browning metal to get a clear look but, when I did I managed to read, 'To My Wife, Forever Yours, Mark x.' I scoffed weakly and tried to ignore the doubt I had creeping into my mind about the evils of man. 

'I wonder why you Bonded with me,' I mused to Imara. 'I thought you could only Bond with people who were ready to accept and embrace change with an open mind.'

'Well, I was wondering that myself, but I see different in you. For example, you are the only Uxor to have Bonded, the only Uxor I’ve ever known to even acknowledge a man let alone talk to one, and however much you may deny it, you are the only Uxor that sees wrong in your past.'  I gave a small laugh and Lyra looked over at me, raising her eyebrow.

'You clearly see me better than I see myself then, da?' 

'That I do, human.'

The rest of the walk was quiet for Imara and I; only Twelve and Lyra spoke on the way home, although their distance from the liger and I was too great to actually hear what they were saying, but I did note at how they acted around each other. It was an odd thing to see and rather than anger me, it instead intrigued me. Twelve was smiling and joking with her, his stride confident, his face happy, and his eyes making direct contact with hers. Lyra was acting in much the same way, laughing freely at his attempts at humour, stealing glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking, keeping good eye contact, and at one point she even touched his shoulder. 

'That’s called attraction,' stated Imara, who had clearly been listening in on my thoughts. 

'Attraction?' I thought back; that word was foreign to me. Well...I had heard it before, but only in story books. 

'Yes, Nephele,' he laughed, ‘its when a male and female feel a pull towards each other, whether this be through physical appearance or personality, although often it’s both.' 

'That’s not how things work back home. I can’t imagine being that close with a man, it scares me enough to even look at one, let alone touch one.'  I couldn't pull my eyes away from their interactions with each other. Although I didn't like Lyra much, she had guts to be so careless around males, especially the ones she rescues; for all she knows they may be murderers. 

'How can things work like that?' questioned Imara. 'How do your females bare children?' 

'It’s simple, really. When the healthiest men reach their most virile stage, they are taken to hospital where they leave their reproductive fluid. When they leave, the tube is injected into the woman and she becomes pregnant.'  Imara almost choked from shock.

'That’s so...' he tried to find the right words. 'That’s so artificial.'

'Its most natural way I know.' Imara's thoughts lingered on the edge of mine, like he was going to say something but he held it back, which only spiked my curiosity. 'Something to say, Imara?'

'Perhaps another time, Nephele,’ he said, secrecy hinting in his tone, 'but we're back at camp now.' I did want to press the matter, but Imara was right, we had reached camp and, as usual, my eyes dropped to the floor, just to make sure I would not make eye contact with any males. I was hoping Lyra would now leave me alone for the rest of the day, but she did not; instead she walked over to Imara and I. 

"Would you mind getting off your Animus?" she said, almost without demand. I sat up straight.

"Why?"