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She was a bitch.

While she was stocked with education, she was starved of humility.

As Vrox carried her through the wilderness, she cried like the baby that he probably thought she was. She mourned the days she had a pure heart. The organ was now swarmed with maggots of arrogance and evil.

She had called her savior all sorts of things– brute, inferior, simple. There was no difference between herself and the European conquerors who undermined Native Americans for their cultural differences.

Vrox was no savage. He was a king on this planet, and she was a peasant seeking mercy. She allowed her hatred of men to dig its claws into her and juice out her humility.

She was fucked up, and she had been trying to pretend she was whole by taping herself together with strips of her university diploma.

He continued to carry her for what felt like miles, being too busy scanning their surroundings to focus on her. She cried silently as she hung from him, raining tears on his bare chest.

It was when they arrived at a clearing that their journey paused. She lifted her head from his shoulder, observing the lake that blocked their path.

Vrox walked to a flat rock that was oddly burgundy-colored and sat her on it. She was quick to pull her skirt down her thighs and wipe her face. Although her cheeks were dry, her sniffles continued.

Vrox was more interested in her physical injury than her emotional distress. He kneeled and lifted her foot to examine it. Realizing that he would want to cover the injury with medicine, she reached for her purse and offered him leaves.

He shook his head, rejecting her offer, and then began to comb through nearby shrubs. The sound of leaves rustling joined her sniffles as she waited for him.

Within minutes, he presented a handful of white hackberry leaves. A sharp gasp ripped out of her throat when she saw that his hands were scratched up as if they got chewed on by thorns. She reached for his wrists, which she couldn't help but notice were thicker than her ankles.

Vrox was taken off guard by the boy's grip. It was unusual– since Kira rarely made attempts to touch him.

Gently, he pulled away and began to crush the leaves. These were stronger than the ones he had been applying to Kira's slit, but they were rarer to find. They only grew beside lakes that didn't have fish in them.

Once he had a glob of the paste in his hands, Kira reached out and swiped a handful off.

"There is no need to rush. I will apply this to your foot, and–"

Vrox's words dried in his lips when Kira began to rub the paste on his hands. She was coating his scratches, apparently worried about the insignificant cuts

Laughter rumbled out of Vrox's chest. "Do no worry. It will take more than a few scratches to end me."

He pet the boy's hair to award him for being thoughtful, and then shifted his attention to his foot. The wound was deep and dirty. He'd need to coat it soon, or else it would get infected. There was no way that Kira's tiny body would be able to fight off a fever.

He started to tap medicine on the wound softly. He wished he had clean water to wash away the dirt, but the water of the lake was contaminated with bugs. It wouldn't be worth using it.

Kira clenched her fists and winced every few seconds, hating the sting that came from his care. She could tell that Vrox was trying to be as gentle as possible, but her foot could swear that he was trying to lodge the trunk of a tree into it.

A breath of relief left her when he finally released her, making sure that her foot rested on clean leaves.

He rose to his full height and began to leave her.

"Vrox?"

Pathetic is one of the many words that would describe her soft tone. There was a cliff at the end of her call as if she was on the verge of falling. She was afraid– not just of being left alone, but not being able to repay his kindness.

Vrox seemed to understand her unspoken question. He replied with a short sentence. She couldn't comprehend many of his words, but she did pick up cal. Cal meant eat, so he was probably on his way to hunt their lunch.

She nodded and then dropped her eyes to her lap. Hopefully, Vrox knew better than to venture far away. She would hate having to limp away from a predator. With her luck, she would probably end up tripping into a pool of quicksand.

Vrox came back within a minute. To her relief, there was no bleeding carcass in his hands, but a branch with orange grape-like fruits. He gave the entire branch to her and shook his head when she offered him some.

"I cannot eat that. I need meat to sustain my energy."

With a small shrug, she began to snack on the fruit. They tasted more like vegetables than fruit, completely devoid of sweetness.

Before her next thought could finish swalling another mouthful, Vrox lunged for her. She squealed her fear just as the sky roared, its breath creating what felt like a tornado.

The wood of nearby trees creaked with terror and leaves fluttered with warning. She closed her eyes and gripped onto Vrox's biceps for her dear life. Dirt flew into her nostrils, making her struggle to breathe. She furrowed her face into Vrox's neck, knowing that she didn't stand a chance against the wind that was screaming at them. His weight was crushing her, but she didn't mind it. He couldn't get close enough to her at that instant.

Coughs wreaked havoc in her chest. She was completely helpless against the dirt that was crawling into her lungs. She began to buzz with fear, convinced that she was suffocating.

Something heavy fell on her head, and she was sure it was debris. The pressure fell twice more before she finally recognized that it was Vrox's hand.

He was trying to calm her.

His caress continued until the wind stopped its tantrum. When he made a move to get off her, she snatched his shoulders and pulled him back down.

Was it over? Were they safe? What kind of crazy planet was this? What other surprises did it have to offer?

Vrox felt Kira's tiny hands fearfully grip onto him. He pushed himself off, not phased when the boy moved up and pressed his soft body against his own.

It was unusual for him to have so much physical contact with another person, but holding Kira in his arms didn't make him feel uncomfortable. He supposed it had to do something with Kira's young age. It was only natural for children to seek protection.

He stood up, placing Kira on his back again. Now that the forest was disturbed, many predators will be displaced, and weak trees will fall. It was safer for them to find shelter for at least a day until things were once again stable.

He hurried to nearby caves, knowing that predators will start appearing. With a scowl, he regretted not asking Draekon for one of his blades. Treading through the forest was always safer with a weapon.

He walked them into one of the smaller caves in the area. They were incredibly uncomfortable to sleep in since his massive body barely fit, but it would have to do.

As soon as he placed Kira down, he searched for visible injuries. She looked fine, other than the alert in her gaze and the clench in her fists.

Vrox let her be, focusing again on the trees in search of danger. By the time he looked back at Kira, she was fast asleep. Her hair was a dirty, ratty mess, making Vrox shake his head. He shifted closer and undid her braid, shaking the locks softly to get the dirt out of them. Then, as she remained asleep, he re-did the braid.

"Kira," he called out hours later.

Kira regained her consciousness, groaning at the dryness in her mouth.

Vrox was beside her, offering the shell of what she could only describe as a coconut. Inside was water. With a grateful smile, she started to sip, noticing that Vrox had given her his back.

Right... you can't face someone while they drink. What a strange custom.

She nibbled on the almond-like nuts that Vrox had collected in her sleep. They were on the bland side, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

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