Page 17 of Vexing Valmir
This female is nonsensical. "Why did you ask me to do it if you were going to feel guilty about it?"
"I didn't know I was going to feel guilty!" She dashes her hand across her eyes, wiping away tears. "Mari mentioned she'd make me a fur hat if I had an extra fur and I thought a hat sounded nice. I didn't realize I'd feel like the worst person alive demanding you go out and kill something on my behalf. Hunting animals doesn't bother everyone else, so I don't know why it's bothering me. It goes against mykuleana."
"What does that mean? My translator doesn't know the word."
"I don’t know!" She presses her hands to her forehead, upset. "It's a language I don't know how I know! But I can tell you that it means that it feels wrong for me to kill animals for fun."
I eye her, trying to determine if she is mocking me, or if this is an attempt to get out of our deal. When she sniffles again and hugs her torso, I decide that she is serious. Ridiculous, but serious. With a heavy sigh, I head for the door. "I'll be back soon."
CHAPTER 7
APRIL
I feel like an idiot.
Blowing my nose into a scrap of leather, I toss the snotty bit into the fire and try not to think about what a jackass I just made of myself. How embarrassing to break down crying in front of Valmir, of all people. Not just crying, too. Full on weeping over the thought of some nameless creature I've asked him to murder on my behalf.
It's just...I haven't been able to stop thinking about the poor animal ever since I blurted out my request.
It feels…all wrong. Like I'm not being a good steward to the animals that live here if I'm careless with their deaths. The land will provide for the people as long as we respect it, but me demanding a fur feels like the worst kind of selfishness. I desperately want to take it back but I worry I'm too late.
Valmir doesn't return, and my khui is silent. I wait around for a bit, unsure what to do with myself, then head to the community fire to eat and spend time with the others. The evening groupings feel comfortable and familiar, like a piece of home. I look forward to them each night. I sit with Sabrina, Jason, and Yasmin as stew is shared and Tal'nef gets to his feetto tell a story about his people, with Noj'me at his side and interpreting. I should probably pay attention, but my mind keeps drifting to Valmir. He's not near the fire, and when Skarr and Chalath bring more fish for the stew, I don't see him with them, either.
Where the heck did that jerk run off to?
When it grows late, I get up and head for home. I look for my roomie, but Dawn is occupied, chatting with Steph and Penny. I go back to the hut without her, picking across the beach and lost in my thoughts.
"There you are," Valmir says, getting up from the platform in front of my hut. He unfurls his long legs. In the starlight, his fur looks paler than ever, his eyes a more vivid khui blue. The sight of him fills me with relief.
I immediately squash that feeling, because ugh. I still don't like the guy and now he knows I'm a big crybaby. I put on a tough smile, ignoring the fact that my khui is singing like a canary. "Are you stalking me? Because I swear you turn up more than a bad penny. Now, get out of my way. I want to go to bed."
He doesn't move from his spot standing directly in front of my hut. The cocky look is back on his face. "Don't you want to see what I've brought you?"
My stomach immediately turns into a pit. Oh god, he's brought a dead animal, and it's all my fault. Me and my big mouth. I fight the urge to burst into tears again and manage to keep the smile on my face. "Not really, no?"
"A perfect skin of a plump two-fang, just as you asked." He reaches into a bag he's got slung across his front and pulls out a rounded ball of fur.
It isn't until the thing moves that I realize it's still alive. It twitches, extending one long, rabbit-like leg, and goes still.
"What the fuck?" I hiss at him as he holds it out to me. "This — you — what the fuck?!"
Valmir moves another step closer, and this time he dumps the creature into my arms. "Take it. I probably smell more like a predator than you do."
I hold the animal close to my chest. It's shivering and reminds me of a pet rabbit in size. His face is long like a possum's, with big, doe-like eyes, and he's got teeth like a beaver. The two-fang burrows against me as I cradle it, and I automatically stroke the soft fur that would have made an excellent hat if I wasn't such a weenie.
I'm so, so glad it's alive. I want to weep all over again, this time with relief.
"As for why 'the fuck' I did this," he bites out, gesturing at me. "I did it for you. You asked for a pelt. I set up traps, and then you cried."
His nostrils flare, as if he's completely incensed at the thought of my tears. "Sorry."
Valmir's catlike mouth flattens into a displeased line. "I have no wish to see more tears, so I went back to where I had laid my traps, and this fool was caught in one. He was supposed to put his head through the noose and get caught, and instead it was his leg. It might be broken."
I hold it as loosely as I can, not wanting to harm the creature more than it has already been. It shivers and presses itself against me, as if comforted by the endless humming of my khui, and my heart squeezes painfully at how fragile this creature is. It's just a baby, I realize. Just a baby caught in a trap. Of all the things I expected Valmir to bring back, this isn't it. "What am I supposed to do with this little guy?"
The cat man eyes me as if I've just asked something stupid. "Heal it and release it. Cook it and turn it into a pelt. I don'tcare. My part was to bring it to you. Here it is, now you get to feed me dinner."
He'd initially trapped this creature because I wanted a pelt. Went out into the hills at night to pull up his traps once he realized I was upset about my own stupid request and brought this one back to me instead of killing it anyhow, which would have been the easiest thing to do.
