Hybrid: The Awakening

Chapter 12-Tesha

I pushed the dead rabbit into Asher's arms and stood up.

"Ew," he said to himself. He looked at me with pleading eyes. "Can I put it down now?"

I chuckled and pointed to one of the dirt benches. "You can place it there."

"Thank you." Asher walked over and put it down, shaking his hands that were now also covered in blood.

A moment later, Tristen entered the room from a side tunnel with Zogi. His eyes widened as he saw us and turned around, bending over. Zogi rolled his eyes.

"About time you two got back," he stated in a bored tone. "This kid has been bombarding me with questions." He glared at Tristen.

"And he hasn't answered a single one of them," Tristen grumbled, color returning to his face. "You two gonna, uh, clean up?" he asked.

Tristen let out a high pitched scream as Asher walked over and wiped his hands on his arms.

"Asher!" he screeched. Asher bent over, laughing hysterically.

"I didn't think it was possible for you to scream so high!" He wiped tears from his eyes.

Tristen then said something I was told was not appropriate to write.

"Zogi, is there a place we can wash off?" I intervened before a fight could break out.

He sighed. "Follow me. And bring the rabbit with you so you can clean it too."

Zogi took them down the main tunnel to a hole filled with water. Above was a small opening through which moonlight shone through.

"One of the reasons I chose to make my burrow here is because of the network of underground rivers," Zogi explained. "New water constantly filters out the old water. Meaning I don't have to clean my bath."

He started to walk away. "Have fun bathing in blood," he called out.

Tristen groaned. "Just had to say that, didn't he?"

Asher smirked and pulled his shirt over his head. Tristen copied him, throwing his shirt to the side.

I watched awkwardly as they started to pull down their pants. Tristen nudged Asher before he could take it all the way off.

Asher turned to me with an awkward smile. "Oh, um..." his cheeks reddened and he chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll just, uh, bathe in my underwear."

Feeling my cheeks warm as well, I turned my back towards them, stripping down my armor until I was only wearing my undergarments.

For the first time since the crash, I could see my injuries. Across the side of my midline was a large bruise. I ran my fingers along it and flinched at contact. There were also a number of smaller cuts that had formed scabs.

I joined Tristen and Asher in the water, sighing quietly as the cold water hit my wounds. I swam deeper into the water. One of the things I missed on Nibura were the beautiful pink oceans. Every few days, Lyzel and I would sneak away to swim at the beach. We would stay there for hours until our faces peeled from the Great Star.

Closing my eyes, I could almost picture myself among the waves, floating while creatures swam below.

I snapped myself back to reality. getting out of the hole, I picked up the dead rabbit and dunked it under the water.

The water and blood started to blend, giving it a reddish tint.

Asher and Tristen immediately got out of the water, gasping.

"Maybe a little warning next time?" Tristen said.

My face heated up once again. "Sorry."

I finished washing it off and placed it on the rocky ground. Taking out my dagger, I shaved off the fur until only the skin showed. When I was done, I placed the rabbit down on a slab of rock and got up.