Chapter 27
Mizail
Being split up into groups wouldn't have been so bad had it not been for my lorno doing everything possible to split me and Nuri up while trying to push Azora at me. Though my little mate agreed to go with him and his group of like-minded people, I was much more relieved when Adai volunteered as well. Her and Ahmaer were a blessing in disguise because during the entire separation, Adai made sure she told him everything that happened, and in turn, he told me.
"You're not even paying attention to me!" Azora whined as I was more focused on what Ahmaer was telling me.
"Adai said her and Nuri have been split off from the group. The rest are just watching as our mates take down those creatures." He explained as I struggled to reign in my wings. This was outrageous! Why were they so bent on making my mate suffer? Because she looks like a human? She was nothing like the humans who killed off waves of the inhabitants on this planet! She didn't deserve the hate she was receiving. "Nuri took down two Santers by herself while Adai took down a Gourit. She said there's only two Santers left."
"That's my girl. They make a good team." I beamed with pride as Ahmaer quietly shook his head with a laugh. I turned back to the several groups who had already hunted their prey and came back with it. Some had bundles of two, and some had one. They had all been checking their kills when one of the warriors pointed a talon off into the distance.
"What's that?" He asked as I turned to look in that direction. Thick fire curled up in the air before spreading its wings as it dropped down towards the sand. Not even a second later, sand and bits of creature flew into the air, spewing everywhere in that direction. It was too far to see what the fire had come into contact with, but I felt it in my bones. It had something to do with Nuri.
"Ahmaer, has Adai said anything to you? Was that them?" I questioned, panicking as his eyes glazed over for a few seconds before he came back with a surprised look on his face. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Adai said that was your mate. Two Santers had joined together, and Nuri disposed of it. Adai said she inspected Nuri for any signs of injuries but found none. Your lorno has appeared again, yelling as usual, but your mate isn't paying him any mind." Ahmaer chuckled at the last part as I puffed my chest with pride. My mate was as string as she said she was.
"Tell them to bring back their kills. We'll send somebody to run that back to the tribe." I commanded as Ahmaer nodded while I turned back to the crowd of warriors who awaited my answer. "That was your leader. She killed two conjoined Santers by herself." I boomed, too proud to care what her team had thought. "Adai has even taken down a Gourit by herself! Our tribe shall feast upon our return!" I smiled while clapping Ahmaer’s shoulder as Azora approached us.
"Do you really believe some mere human took down conjoined Santers without any help? I'm sure Adai helped her out." She sneered as I stared down at her with this overwhelming feeling of disgust.
"No, it was just Nuri." Ahmaer intervened while Azora ignored him.
"I'm sure your lorno and the others helped her, but your loyal dog keeps lying through his fangs. Nobody asked him to be in this conversation." She huffed while changing up her whole demeanor as I could smell my mate near. Her sweet yet warm scent surrounded me as I quickly brushed off Azora to go meet her. When I finally reached her, I swooped her off her feet while inspecting her. She was covered from head to toe in blood and guts, but she silenced my worries with a smile. Her kisses washed away my worries and anxiousness of her being away and grouped with the people who hated me the most. She didn't even let them bother our time together. It felt like it was just us, off in our own little world, swapping kisses and laughing. But, our time was cut short, and I knew it was time for her to go again.
Once I had placed her back on the sand and given her extra meat bars, she was off again with a smile on her face and a wave of her hand. No matter how short our meeting was, I could still feel her warmth lingering long after she disappeared. Sighing, I turned back to Ahmaer, who was looking over their bundles of kills they had brought back.
"Our mates are one of a kind. These three have been killed in a way that their blood didn't get everywhere." He explained while pointing to the two neatly wrapped Santers and the large Gourit. "But, this one," He pointed at Nuri's mess of conjoined Santers, "can be salvaged. A team should be here to collect all of the kill for today and take them back to be cleaned and distributed throughout the tribe before we get back." He explained the usual proceedings as I nodded. Since we were out hunting, they'd hold our share until we got back. Sighing, I looked off in the direction that Nuri had left. "Shall we hunt down tonight's meal and call it a day?"
"Yeah. The sooner we go to sleep, the sooner we'll be back with our mates." I grumbled as Ahmaer nodded with a soft laugh before turning back to the groups. I could hear him giving them commands while I thought about my little mate. "She's strong, and she has Adai. Nothing will happen to her." I told myself as I stared in the same direction once more before turning and joining my group. Maybe slumber will come quickly.
[~~~]
How wrong I was about slumber coming. I spent most of the night tossing and turning until it was time for us to get up and hunt. The morning fog was thick in the air as we hunted a few easy prey but by the time the largest star was up in the sky, I didn't see any signs of my mate on the horizon. I put it off as them being a little late, so I went about keeping myself busy as the big star began to disappear behind the sand dunes. As time shifted more into the late afternoon, I made my way over to Ahmaer, whose usual calm stature was now filled with aggravation and agitation. His tail angrily flicked sand around him as smoke bellowed from his nostrils.
"What is the matter? Is it our mates?" I asked as he came back to the present while taking a step back from me. He angrily flapped his wings before composing himself, though his tail was still flicking sand around.
"Your lorno is getting on my last nerve. He wants to hold our mates off to test them for a few more days." Ahmaer huffed while throwing more sand away from me as I frowned at him. "They will not be back today. Adai even said they haven't been able to sleep properly either."
"That's it, I'm going to find and hurt him." I growled as beeping rung out between us, momentarily confusing us before Ahmaer pointed to my telecommunicator. Cautiously lifting up my wrist, I clicked on the three dots as Nuri's beautiful face popped into view on the small holographic screen. She was no longer covered in Santer blood and guts, but her hair was tied up in a ball on the top of her head instead of her usual braid. "My heart!"
"Hello, Mizail!" She cheerfully replied back as I was taken aback by her demeanor. For somebody who did not get proper sleep, she was oddly happy. "I'm guessing Adai told Ahmaer or you what's our current situation?" She hummed in questioning as I nodded, frowning.
"Nur—"
"Mizail." She interrupted in the softest voice I've ever heard as I stared back at her. "It's okay. We are okay." She slowly spoke each word as I took a deep breath. "Good boy. Everything will be okay. I keep forgetting that I have a way to talk to you since I can't talk through your collective thoughts." She explained as I looked at her in surprise before she answered my unspoken question. "Adai explained it after going back and forth with Ahmaer on updates of our adventure." She pursed her lips together as I softly shook my head.
"I'm sorry, my heart. I planned on telling you about that when we finally had some peaceful alone time." I apologized as she smiled.
"It's okay, but no more secrets, Mizail."
"No more secrets, my heart." I smiled, wishing that I could kiss her right now.
"We'll be back in a few days, but I'll call you again once we're settled in a cave or something. Be safe." She smiled back with a wave as I sighed.
"I'll be awaiting your call, my heart. And I'll be as safe as you are." I chuckled as she laughed before the call ended. My heart swelled with warmth as I thought about my mate.
With every passing second, I awaited her call. I busied myself with cleaning and cooking my portion of our kill before finding a warm corner of our cave to sit down and eat. All attempts that Azora made to talk to me fell on deaf ears as I plastered my eyes to my telecommunicator while I choked down my meal. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but I wanted to be clean and prepared to answer Nuri's call. As I stood and gathered the bones to dispose of them, my telecommunicator beeped. Hurrying out of the cave, I walked past a few of the warriors before answering.
"Nuri?"
"Hello, Mizail. How was the hunt today?" Her lovely voice answered back as I frowned when I couldn't see her face.
"Why can I not see your face? Is there something wrong with this thing?" I asked while switching the bones to the other hand before inspecting the telecommunicator. Nuri’s quiet yet sleepy laughter filled the air as I relished in it. "What's so funny, my heart?" I hummed in questioning.
"You are, Mizail. Kaisen seemed to have made the telecommunicators function just like the phones at home. Phones were our source of communicating back on Earth, and they had screens. But, what I mean is that there's an option to call you through voice or video." She explained as I tried to understand, but I couldn't quite wrap my head around it.
"Do you not wish to 'video' call with me?" I asked, unsure if that was the right way to word it. Was something wrong?
"It's not that. I'm just really exhausted after today's hunt that I can barely move." She groaned into my end as I felt bad that she had to go through this. My lorno was being a thorn in our sides since the very moment Nuri stepped foot into the house. "I wanted you to know that I cherish you and your gentleness. And your patience as I know I haven't been easy to get along with." She mumbled, trying her best to stay awake.
"Nuri, I cherished you the day you stepped into my life, covered in sand and sweat. It's like the Goddesses and Gods finally heard me. If you say the word now, I'll come and take you away from my lorno's tyranny." I confessed as Nuri's end went silent before she sighed, quiet sniffles filled the air between us.
"As much as I would love that, I can't. I really miss you, but I'm determined not to let him have his way. I'll be okay, babe." She took a deep breath. "When we meet up again, let's talk. I'll call you tomorrow night. Goodnight." And with that, her call ended as soon as it had started.