it had been some time since she had eaten. “Do you have food?”
Phillip cocked his head and then slipped off into another room of the cave. He moved so quickly that she had trouble keeping track of him. It had only been in her canis form that she was truly able to maintain the pace set by her host. When he returned, he held a couple of things in his hands. One was a round orange orb and the other was a gray, shiny cylinder that had some sort of label on it. Alika was not able to read the language printed on the label. He offered her the orange sphere. She took it and sniffed it. The food smelled similar to the Baliz fruit she had longed for. Alika took a large bite and was surprised at the thickness of the skin and the juiciness of the flesh inside of it. The sweetness made her smile. Phillip pushed his nails through the shiny container and pulled back the top, fished something out of it, and slurped it down. She made a face at how he let the contents slide down his throat. He offered the contents to her. Alika forced a smile and then plucked one out delicately, trying not to touch the slimy slices. She wasn’t sure what kind of food it was, but it had a sweet aroma, almost too sweet for her palate. She took a tentative bite and found it was appetizing. Alika ate the rest of her slice and then took another. She focused on eating the first object until there was nothing left. Phillip had finished the can and then used the pool to wipe the remnants from his chin.
“Thank you,” she said.
He barked something, his lips pulling back over his sharp teeth. Alika figured that he was trying to smile for her. The silence between them was annoying. There was so much she yearned to ask him about, and it just was not possible to communicate. She had had more interaction with others when she was alone in her ship.
“Can you speak at all?”
He gazed at her with those deep brown eyes, and she knew that there was intelligence behind them. Phillip nodded and cleared the dirt floor. He drew a crude figure of himself with the sun next to him, then him being the creature with the moon in the sky. He pointed toward the man image and then his throat.
Alika studied the drawings and realized what he was trying to convey. He was a man by day and the creature before her at night. “So you can only speak when you’re a man?”
He nodded.
“Well, you make yourself easily understood.” Alika glanced at the pile of metal on the bed and saw the other translator. Maybe it would work. She picked up one of the pieces and broke the end off. She pressed the middle of the circular piece, and a button popped up. When she pushed it, a purple light shot up and illuminated the ceiling. Alika poked the center, and the small circle had four legs. It was the translator’s core.
“I might have a solution, but I don’t know if it will work. Would you be willing to try?”
His hairy face scrunched up and then relaxed while he thought it over. After a moment, he nodded.
“Could you kneel, please? It will make this easier.”
Phillip got onto his knees and looked at her. Alika smoothed the hair where she was going to place the device.
“I’m sorry. This might hurt.”
He grunted and looked toward the ground. She placed the gadget in the center of his forehead. The legs pushed into his flesh. Phillip made another sound of pain. His facial muscles twitched. Alika touched the center of the translator, and it wormed its way into his flesh. A howl tore out of his throat. She winced at the sound, but pressed the button again. Its glow softened. Sweat glistened along his top lip where the hair was thin. Soon the device was firmly embedded underneath his skin and not noticeable. Alika ran her hands over his forehead, amazed that the hair was fine, to be sure that the translator was not going to pop out. She trailed her fingers down his cheeks, feeling the strong bone structure underneath. Something about him made her skin tingle, but not in a bad way.
Phillip cocked his head and then slipped off into another room of the cave. He moved so quickly that she had trouble keeping track of him. It had only been in her canis form that she was truly able to maintain the pace set by her host. When he returned, he held a couple of things in his hands. One was a round orange orb and the other was a gray, shiny cylinder that had some sort of label on it. Alika was not able to read the language printed on the label. He offered her the orange sphere. She took it and sniffed it. The food smelled similar to the Baliz fruit she had longed for. Alika took a large bite and was surprised at the thickness of the skin and the juiciness of the flesh inside of it. The sweetness made her smile. Phillip pushed his nails through the shiny container and pulled back the top, fished something out of it, and slurped it down. She made a face at how he let the contents slide down his throat. He offered the contents to her. Alika forced a smile and then plucked one out delicately, trying not to touch the slimy slices. She wasn’t sure what kind of food it was, but it had a sweet aroma, almost too sweet for her palate. She took a tentative bite and found it was appetizing. Alika ate the rest of her slice and then took another. She focused on eating the first object until there was nothing left. Phillip had finished the can and then used the pool to wipe the remnants from his chin.
“Thank you,” she said.
He barked something, his lips pulling back over his sharp teeth. Alika figured that he was trying to smile for her. The silence between them was annoying. There was so much she yearned to ask him about, and it just was not possible to communicate. She had had more interaction with others when she was alone in her ship.
“Can you speak at all?”
He gazed at her with those deep brown eyes, and she knew that there was intelligence behind them. Phillip nodded and cleared the dirt floor. He drew a crude figure of himself with the sun next to him, then him being the creature with the moon in the sky. He pointed toward the man image and then his throat.
Alika studied the drawings and realized what he was trying to convey. He was a man by day and the creature before her at night. “So you can only speak when you’re a man?”
He nodded.
“Well, you make yourself easily understood.” Alika glanced at the pile of metal on the bed and saw the other translator. Maybe it would work. She picked up one of the pieces and broke the end off. She pressed the middle of the circular piece, and a button popped up. When she pushed it, a purple light shot up and illuminated the ceiling. Alika poked the center, and the small circle had four legs. It was the translator’s core.
“I might have a solution, but I don’t know if it will work. Would you be willing to try?”
His hairy face scrunched up and then relaxed while he thought it over. After a moment, he nodded.
“Could you kneel, please? It will make this easier.”
Phillip got onto his knees and looked at her. Alika smoothed the hair where she was going to place the device.
“I’m sorry. This might hurt.”
He grunted and looked toward the ground. She placed the gadget in the center of his forehead. The legs pushed into his flesh. Phillip made another sound of pain. His facial muscles twitched. Alika touched the center of the translator, and it wormed its way into his flesh. A howl tore out of his throat. She winced at the sound, but pressed the button again. Its glow softened. Sweat glistened along his top lip where the hair was thin. Soon the device was firmly embedded underneath his skin and not noticeable. Alika ran her hands over his forehead, amazed that the hair was fine, to be sure that the translator was not going to pop out. She trailed her fingers down his cheeks, feeling the strong bone structure underneath. Something about him made her skin tingle, but not in a bad way.
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