Chapter 18 – Maria in the PFMs den
Maria watched the frantic activity as Lah-Shah and his honour guard arrived at the den.
“Come on Mrrh-waa, we’d better go and rescue him from your family.” Xe waited while the tablet translated for Mrrh-waa.
Mrrh-waa chattered and screamed. The tablet spoke.
“Prrt won’t upset your friend. Should I get Dr Suah Painen?”
The Etta-Koiran geologist unrolled from her nap in the tent entrance. Her flexible shell concertinaed like an armadillo. Her two pairs of legs and two pairs of legs stretching out.
“I’m fighting my nature to be awake don’t expect coherent conversation.”
She rolled back up, tucking both pairs of arms and legs inside. Her hair puffed out, so she looked like a giant hairball.
“Alright then. Come on Mrrh.” Maria stood.
“At last!” Lah-Shah called as he turned to xyr, nictitating membranes flicking over his eyes.
“Uh-oh, he’s pissed with me.” Maria muttered to Mrrh-waa.
“Maria, you’re safe!”
Maria thought Lah-Shah sounded relieved and angry at the same time, although his colours said he was irritated.
“Why haven’t you answered my messages?”
Maria thought through all the transmissions Lah-Shah had sent. Sahrai had dealt with them all, as far as xe was aware. Maria looked over xyr shoulder at Sahrai. Before xe could ask the other dragon, Lah-Shah followed up with his question about Prrt-hai.
Prrt-hai jumped down from Lah-Shah’s back, screaming. Prrt-hai was a grouch in Maria’s opinion and wouldn’t be nearly so helpful without the bribery of a tablet and Mrrh-waa’s encouragement. Mrrh-waa bounced towards Prrt-hai, screaming in return.
Maria shuddered; the language of the Auroxian sentients was loud, high-pitched, and long-winded. It hurt xyr sensitive hearing at a bone deep level, causing stabs of pain in xyr teeth. The air started to shiver. Maria turned away, recognising the signs of a shift. Lah-Shah roared. The locals went silent. There were sticky sounds and then a ‘pop’. Maria turned back to xyr supervisor.
Lah-Shah, in his basilisk form, turned his roar into a shout of frustration at the Auroxians screaming at him.
“Really Lah-Shah, Elder Pjang would be embarrassed by your lack of control.”
Maria jumped, turning, surprised by Sahrai walking up behind xyr.
“Ah Sahrai, you’re looking…well!” Lah-Shah seemed hesitant as he looked over the spy.
“Well enough, considering all that happened to get us here.” Sahrai said, her skin flashing sardonically.
Maria looked between the two star-dragons. Their skins were flashing through the rainbow sending messages Maria couldn’t read. The investigator and the spy knew each other, xe was certain of that, but how well was a mystery to xyr. The air felt thick and damp; they were sending scent messages in the air.
Maria saw from the corner of xyr eye that Dr Suah Painen had unrolled slightly to look at the dragons. Dr Painen’s hair had flattened against her skin. Dr Painen finished unrolling and pushed herself up on all eight limbs to stretch. Standing on her four legs and lifting her upper body off the ground, she walked towards the other aliens.
“Maria, best get the PFMs away.” Dr Painen stood up and pointed at Prrt-hai and Mrrh-wah. Between the clicks and whistles between the human words.
“Ah, yes.” Maria was jolted from xyr considerations on the complexities of non-verbal communication, “Come on, time for food.”
Xe waved Mrrh-waa and Prrt-hai towards the fire. The Auroxians watched their tablets for the translation. They started chattering to each other, looking at Maria and the fires, before fluttering over the pool to a cave in the cliff.
“Oh, they’re going home.” Dr Painen smiled, snout wrinkling.
“It’s been a busy day.”
Everything Is Better With Dragons 