"It’s getting cold. Some wood for a fire would be nice, mate," I mused, my eyes trailing the scales on his tail, eating him up with my gaze, "It’s a good thing we’re mated, otherwise, I would have to make you my firewood, instead."
He flinched, actually flinched at my words.
"Don’t move," he grumbled, slithering away to find something to burn.
He barely moved from my line of sight, his upper body facing me the whole time. He didn’t trust me one bit. He used his tail to snap the twigs in half before coiling them up and dragging them back.
He piled them near the rock, then repeated the process a few more times.
"Good job, mate. I’ll be sure to reward you well later." I failed to make him leave me alone, so I made him build a shelter next.
Kurus didn’t like my compliments; his face scrunched up in disgust each time.
"I have seen females like you. They trick males into doing what they want, then dispose of them once they’re no longer useful," he said, while collecting palm leaves for a roof. "You are no better than them."
I kept my dagger close to my neck, making sure he saw it. "Complain all you want, mate. I’ll listen to your sweet ramblings all day if you keep doing a good job."
He didn’t reply, but his tail thumped on the ground in irritation. His movements were rougher after that, and he almost destroyed the structure he had built.
I had to step in and guide him, "Is it your first time building something?"
He turned his head away, refusing to answer. I was right. He was a virgin in more ways than one.
I used smaller sticks to show him what I wanted. Three vertical sticks tied together at the top, and the palm leaves layered on top. A simple tent.
He studied the prop structure, then mimicked it in a larger size.
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Once the tent was standing, I moved Nivi inside and hastily removed her wet clothes, replacing them with the dry T-Shirt and underwear from my backpack. I hoped to warm her up and bring her back to consciousness.
The clothes were a bit loose on her, but they would do for now. She was a head shorter than me and had a smaller build. My backpack also had a hoodie, which I pulled over her, to keep her from freezing. My pants were too long for her, so I just rolled them up and let her legs stick out.
I got out of the tent and looked up at Kurus, wondering why the dissatisfied look on his face.
He gestured towards the tent. "You reek of her. Did you claim her too?"
"Obviously. She’s mine. I claimed her long before you even existed."
His mouth hung open in disbelief. He probably never met anyone as territorial as him. The poor thing looked genuinely disturbed.
I was joking, of course. Nivi was my best friend, but it was fun to see my jokes landing the wrong way.
"But you are a female. Females are not supposed to claim other females," he argued, trying to find logic in this bizarre situation, "And you can’t mark more than one person."
"Who says I’m a female? Maybe I’m something else," I shrugged, grabbing the branches to build a small fire.
"A male?" he whispered, contemplating the possibility before looking at my chest and immediately denied it, then touched his bitten ear and nodded at his own conclusion, "A female beast."
I didn’t deny it, letting him believe what he wanted.
"Do you know how to start a fire?" I asked, after piling the branches in a small pyramid.
"Never needed one," he answered, his eyes fixed on the branches, as if willing them to burst into flames. It didn’t work, shocking.
I sighed, reaching into my backpack for the lighter, and flicked it on. The small flame ignited the dry wood, and soon the fire was crackling merrily.
Kurus tried to get inside the tent to check on Nivi, but I growled at him, "Don’t even think about it."
He hissed back, "I won’t touch her."
I patted the sand beside me, inviting him to my other side, with a dagger at my neck, obviously. "Come here and block the wind instead."
"..." He reluctantly moved to sit next to me, his tail coiling around himself. He kept stealing glances at the tent, probably thinking of ways to get rid of me and claim her for himself.
"What’s her name?" he asked after a long silence. His voice was soft, almost gentle.
"Why? Do you like her?"
"She’s quiet," he commented. "I hate loud females. This one looks better for breed—"
My machete sliced the air, cutting his hair, right where his neck was. It stopped a hair’s breadth away from his skin.
"Shut the hell up, if you don’t want to end up as my new boots." I pointed at my boots, imagining them covered in red scales.
He froze, his eyes wide as he caught the falling strands of hair. I let him sit with the reality of his possible death for a moment, before pulling the blade away.
I turned my gaze back to the fire, leaving him to process his fear.
"Why don’t you kill me?" It was his time to ask why I was keeping him alive this time.
I pointed at the sleeping beauty inside the tent. "I wouldn’t want to rob her of the experience of meeting a real beastman."
Kurus frowned. "Real beastman?"
The image of Nivi swooning over this red noodle flashed in my mind. She would definitely love to be his breeding stock. She had a thing for bad boys, especially the fictional kind. This one looked tamable, so I would let it slide and let her meet him.
I didn’t answer his question, letting him wonder for a bit longer. The ribs reminded me of their presence with a sharp pain, and I leaned back, trying to find a more comfortable position.
"Are you injured?" he asked, his eyes scanning my body.
"Are you offering to heal me?"
"No. I’m going to sleep," he said, turning his attention back to the fire while sliding his tail toward my legs. "I have to make sure you won’t run away."
My machete pressed against his tail, ready to slice it off if he tried to move any closer. "Do you really want to test me, noodle?"
"..." He looked around, searching for another option. His eyes landed on my backpack. "That," he pointed, "Give it to me."