VEXAROKI ran, leapt, and climbed my way through the jungle until my body was abze. It was not the same pleasant fire that had filled me upon first scenting the omega. This was overexertion. Even so, I did not stop. I had a destination in mind, and we were nearly there. I just had to push a little farther, a little harder.

  I could do it if it meant he would be safe.

  A part of me thrilled at that.

  For long years, I had thought I was the only gakh left. That the dakmu had destroyed every cn, and none but myself remained. That seeming certainty had caused me no ck of pain. But this lone omega had survived, and he had escaped. He had returned to the jungles. He was home, where he belonged.

  In the distance, I spotted what I had been seeking. A tree stood proudly against a tall cliffside, its trunks a wide tangle and its branches a weave of mossy green. I made a line for it, adjusting the omega on my shoulder once more. I needed to ensure he was secure as I propelled myself forward. We sailed from one tree and into the branches of our sanctuary. I cwed my way up, higher and higher, until we reached midway into the canopy. I found the necessary branch and strode across it.

  Admittedly, I was not accustomed to the burden of another gakh, but my tail served as a perfect counterweight. I easily maintained my bance despite carrying him.

  Behind me, I could hear the omega making a choked sound.

  Without a tail and cws, this climb would have been impossible for him. Did he fear falling? I swept him off my shoulder and back into my arms, where he croaked in arm. Concern knitted my brow, seeing the way he still trembled, his eyes pinched tightly shut.

  "We are here," I told him softly.

  I had to remove one hand from the omega, sweeping aside the heavy tangle of vines and leaves. In the next breath, I stepped from the branch and into a hollow within the cliff wall, far from the reach of the dakmu and hidden from their sight.

  The hollow was cramped and one I only used occasionally. Within, there were few comforts. The only thing of note was a rge fur spread near the far wall; something I had hunted moons ago. Atop the spotted fur, I had thrown a woven bnket. Both it and the fur were musty from disuse, but I doubted the omega would mind overly much.

  Carefully, I set him on the makeshift bed, relief rushing through me at the sight.

  With the omega secure, I squatted across from him in the dirt of the hollow.

  "You are safe now, omega. The dakmu will never reach you here. They are not good climbers, their tails small and useless, and their bodies too bulky for the high branches."

  He did not seem to hear my words. Not at first. It took him a long moment to catch his own breath, his small chest heaving as if he had been the one racing through the jungle. I watched the rise and fall. The way his dark hair clung damply to his slender neck and shoulders. How he sat on his knees, his trousers caked in mud and strange coverings on his feet. Had he a tail, I suspected it would have been wrapped about him in defense.

  At the thought, guilt coiled in my stomach. I was reminded of the torment he had obviously suffered. The omega was so soft, so delicate. It pained me to imagine what tortures he had endured while in the hands of the dakmu.

  I dropped onto my own backside, my tail wrapping about my legs to take up less space. The hollow was small when I stayed alone, but now the omega shared it with me.

  I preferred that.

  "Omega?" He still did not look at me, though his breathing was more even now. "We will stay here for a few days. You can rest, regain your strength. When the daystar rises, I will find food for you. Would you like that? Are you hungry?"

  The omega did not answer. Then he spared me a gnce. His expression was difficult to read, and I cocked my head to one side.

  Still he said nothing.

  Rocking a little, I shifted my weight so I could reach for a pouch at my belt. I pulled it loose, untying the string that kept it from spilling its contents. From within, I drew a piece of dried fruit and held it out for him to take. "Have some oolma."

  The omega did not move. He simply looked between me and the fruit.

  A frown pulled the corners of my lips, and my ears fell. "Do you dislike oolma?"

  To show him it was good, I pced the piece onto my own tongue. I chewed it quickly, swallowed, and then reached for another. This new oolma, I offered to him.

  Still he hesitated but very slowly raised a delicate hand and took the fruit. He did not eat it. Instead, he held it up, trying to examine it in the shadows of the hollow. The only light was what came from the twin moons, filtered through the vines.

  I ate another piece and then a third.

  Our flight from the dakmu had been long and hard, and my muscles ached. My tail uncurled, and I stretched up then out, covering nearly the full length of the hollow. My feet were only a hair away from the exit, and my back brushed the edge of the fur upon which the omega sat. I stared at him from my sprawled position in the dirt, admiring the way the moonlight pyed across his skin and dark hair.

  Another oolma passed my lips before I took the piece back from the omega and pressed it to his mouth. "Eat. You will like it."

  A range of unfamiliar emotions swept across the omega's pretty features. I could not tell if he liked or hated it. So I offered him another, which the omega accepted more readily.

  What had the dakmu fed him all this time? Clearly not oolma. Perhaps no fruits at all. The dakmu were only known to consume flesh, be it gakh or beast.

  That was as far as I allowed my thoughts to venture, shaking my head to drive them away.

  "When you are recovered," I said, pcing the pouch of oolma beside his knee, "we will return to my vilge. The dakmu destroyed parts, but much yet stands. It is a good pce."

  The omega remained silent, but his eyes were searching. I stared, waiting.

  When finally he opened his mouth and spoke, I blinked.

  He spoke again, his own head tilting to one side.

  I could not make sense of the sounds he produced. They were soft, airy, as if lifting from his lips and taking flight like a hargol. His words were not gakh, but neither were they the grating bellows of the dakmu. It was some third thing I did not know.

  I rolled over and levered myself up. "You do not understand me?"

  The omega simply watched, his expression tight.

  "What is your name?"

  Still he did not answer.

  He genuinely did not understand the words I spoke.

  "It is alright." I reached out a hand to reassure the omega. This time, he flinched, but did not rear back as he had done in the den. My palm pressed against the side of his cheek, and I smoothed my thumb over his tender skin. Some of the warmth was returning to him. My fingers slid lower, along his throat, where I could feel the beat of his pulse. It still raced wild, but I could no longer smell the bitter fear from before.

  I decided it did not matter that he could not speak gakh. I would simply have to teach him.

  My hand fell away, but the heat from his flesh remained with me. I curled my fingers and made a fist, pressing it against my chest.

  "Vexarok," I said slowly. "That is my name."

  The omega did not react immediately. So I repeated again, both in action and name.

  After the third time, he slowly nodded his head. "Vexarok..."

  My name sounded pleasing coming from his lips. I could not help the wide tug of my mouth or the whipping of my tail.

  The omega made another sound, this one light and fluttery in his chest; a ugh. In the next moment, his little fist was balled and pressed against his thin breast. "Rolec."

  I brightened in the dark. "Your name is Rolec?"

  This too was delightful to my ears. I closed my eyes, rolling it around in my head. "Rolec," I repeated, savoring it on my tongue. "Omega Rolec."