Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 3

Yield

A cloud passes over the sun.

My hands are warm against the rock. Looking down I watch as two drops of blood blossom on the stone wetting the dirt. I reach up and wipe my face.

My chest is heaving, I can barely breathe.

I am sure there was some point in my life where I experienced this kind of exhaustion , but none of those times come to mind.

I am on my hands and knees, which ache against the stone. I feel a line of sweat roll down my back.

I hurt all over.

My ribs, my stomach my chest, my fists, my arms.

Now I understand how Bruce Lee's punching bag must have felt.

I lift my head slowly, but even lifting my head Is difficult.

I am so tired.

Across the circle from me, Sunny lifts her head too.

We lock eyes.

She is on her hands and knees as well, air rushes in and out through the breathing holes at the base of her neck as she cradles one of her lower arms against her chest. Sunlight rolls over her body turning the electric blue of her carapace into a cool burn. It's the most beautiful color I have ever seen, it reminds me of the blue ring of earth's atmosphere as seen from space.

It reminds me of my first flight from earth, and all the joy and awe I felt then, which I now associate with her,

I hope she can understand how I feel because I can't articulate it.

Despite both of us, bloody, bruised and partially broken, I can see that she is smiling, not like humans smile of course, but in her eyes I can see it.

"Getting tired." She taunts

My arms are shaking from the effort of holding myself up, "no, not at all, just giving you a little time to recover because I'm nice like that."

She reaches up with one of her hands smearing a drop of blood across her cheek.

"When I get over there I'm going to kick your ass."

I laugh as I drop my head taking long deep breaths.

"Is that it? Well come on then, I don't have all day."

She slowly raises onto her knees, "got somewhere to be do you?'

I follow her example and lean back on my heels , "Yeah gonna hang my new armor up on my wall."

"Your new armor?" She's on one knee now.

"yeah, since I am going to beat you, that means I get your armor as a trophy, mount it on my wall like a deer head"

She doesn't raise any further, and her golden eyes sparkle "Hmm, interesting, I had similar plans, except I was going to use your limited addition, replica of Luke's light saber as a doorstop."

"You better take that back." I huff, though I don't get to my feet either.

"Or you'll what? Drown me in Star Trek Trivia."

I inch a bit closer eyeing her for an opening, "No, but I could always, but I could recite the whole of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to you, in Klingon."

"Mmmm oh yeah that's really doing it for me, you can talk dirty to me while you're at it."

And there goes all the blood to my face.

She cackles.

"Could I even do that?" I wonder to myself.... I don't know if I have the vocabulary for that.