Chapter 290: Aw, Raku

Chapter 290: Chapter 290: Aw, Raku

A few seconds passed.

Its limbs slowly folded again.

Raku exhaled.

"Vibrations."

Mora looked toward him.

"What?"

"They’re responding to vibrations."

The guard swallowed.

"So if we don’t move..."

"They may leave us alone."

Mora slowly nodded.

Then noticed something beneath the stream.

A cluster of pale roots.

They were moving against the current.

Not being carried by the water.

Moving.

She lowered her voice.

"Raku."

He followed her gaze.

The roots shifted again.

Then a fourth pale shape became visible beneath the water.

Much larger than the others.

Raku’s jaw tightened.

"We leave. Slowly."

He began directing the guards backward.

One careful step.

Then another.

The younger guard nearest the bank was trembling.

His injured ankle had not fully recovered from the previous attack.

He tried moving.

His foot slipped.

"AH!"

He fell backward.

His spear struck the stones.

CLANG!

Every pale creature moved.

At once.

Their limbs unfolded.

Their narrow mouths opened.

And a horrible scraping sound rose from beneath their bodies.

"MOVE!" Raku roared.

The first creature sprang.

Its six limbs struck the bank with terrifying speed.

The injured guard tried crawling backward.

Too slow.

A pale claw reached toward his throat.

Mora moved.

She caught the guard by his collar and threw him toward Raku.

Then stepped directly into the creature’s path.

Her enormous bear claws flashed.

CRACK!

She struck its head sideways.

The creature slammed against a tree.

But it didn’t stay down.

Its limbs twisted.

Too many joints.

Too quickly.

One claw caught Mora’s upper arm.

Blood sprayed across the stones.

She snarled.

"BASTARD!"

Raku’s eyes changed.

"MORA!"

He caught the injured guard with one arm and shoved him toward the second warrior.

"GET HIM OUT!"

Then he charged.

His crocodile tail struck the ground.

The nearest creature lunged toward the vibration.

Exactly as Raku intended.

He twisted.

Caught it by the neck.

And slammed it against the stone bank.

BOOM!

The creature’s head cracked.

But another was already moving.

Raku saw it turn toward Mora.

His jaw opened.

A deep reptilian growl tore from his chest.

"DON’T TOUCH HER!"

Mora turned.

"RAKU!"

The second creature leaped.

Raku threw himself between them.

His armored tail caught its limbs and knocked it sideways.

Then he seized Mora around the waist.

"WE’RE LEAVING!"

She struggled.

"The guards!"

"ALREADY MOVING!"

A third creature scrambled toward them.

Mora grabbed a loose stone.

Raku immediately caught her wrist.

"No!"

She stared.

"WHAT?"

"THE SOUND!"

Mora understood.

Her expression changed.

Then she looked toward the old stone culvert.

A narrow drainage opening ran beneath the opposite bank.

She pointed.

"There!"

Raku followed her gaze.

Then nodded.

He pulled a metal hook from his belt.

Aimed.

And threw it across the channel.

The hook struck the culvert.

CLANG!

The creatures turned.

All three.

Their pale heads snapped toward the sound.

The nearest one lunged after it.

Then another.

Mora stared.

Raku seized her hand.

"NOW!"

They ran.

Behind them, claws scraped against stone.

The creatures struck the culvert again and again, drawn toward the ringing metal.

Raku didn’t stop until they reached the raised guard platform.

He shoved the gate closed.

Mora slammed the wooden bar into place.

The two guards were already inside.

One was shaking.

The injured one was bleeding from his ankle.

But alive.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Mora looked down at her arm.

Blood was running along her fingers.

"Oh."

Raku turned.

His eyes widened.

Then narrowed dangerously.

"Mora."

She looked up.

"What?"

"You’re bleeding."

She examined the wound.

Three deep claw marks ran across her upper arm.

The bleeding was steady, but she could still move her fingers.

She shrugged.

"I’ve had worse."

Raku stared.

Then grabbed her uninjured wrist.

"Sit."

Mora blinked.

"What?"

"Sit down."

"Raku..."

"NOW."

She raised both eyebrows.

"Oh, somebody’s angry."

He turned toward the guards.

"Get Nahla. Tell Soren what we found. Nobody approaches that channel."

The guards hurried away.

Mora watched them go.

Then looked back at Raku.

"You know, you could try saying please."

He ignored her.

He opened the emergency medicine chest beside the platform.

Then returned with clean water, cloth, and bandages.

Mora stared.

"Are you going to treat me yourself?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Raku looked at her.

"Because you’re injured."

She smiled.

"Aw."

His eyes narrowed.

"Don’t."

"Aw, Raku."

"Mora."

"You were worried about me."

He paused.

Then answered flatly:

"You nearly got yourself killed."

She shrugged.

"Wouldn’t be the first time."

His jaw tightened.

"Stop saying that."

Mora blinked.

Something in his voice had changed.

He wasn’t shouting anymore.

But he sounded genuinely upset.

She looked at him.

"Raku?"

He gently lifted her injured arm.

Then began cleaning the wound.

Mora hissed.

"Ow!"

"Hold still."

"You’re hurting me!"

"Then stop moving."

"You’re terrible at this."

"Would you prefer Nahla’s stick?"

Mora opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

"...No."

Raku continued cleaning the claw marks.

His movements became unexpectedly careful.

He supported her elbow with one broad hand and wiped the blood away with the other.

Mora watched him.

The crocodile commander’s face was usually impossible to read.

He rarely smiled.

Rarely joked.

And generally looked as though everyone around him was one stupid decision away from receiving a very unpleasant lecture.

But right now?

His eyes were fixed on her wound.

His jaw was tight.

And his hands were being so gentle that Mora suddenly didn’t know what to do with herself.

She cleared her throat.

"You know..."

Raku didn’t look up.

"What?"

"You could have just let me handle that creature."

His hands stopped.

Then he slowly looked at her.

"You were bleeding."

"So?"

"It was going to strike again."

"I saw it."

"You were standing directly in its path."

Mora smiled.

"You sound worried."

Raku stared.

Then said:

"You’re an idiot."

She laughed.

"Aw. That’s practically a love confession coming from you."

Silence.

Raku froze.

Mora blinked.

Then laughed harder.

"Oh, don’t look at me like that! I’m joking!"

Raku lowered his eyes.

His ears had gone slightly warm.

Mora noticed.

Her smile widened.

"Wait."

He continued bandaging.

"Don’t."

"Raku."

"No."

"Are you blushing?"

"I am a crocodile."

Mora burst out laughing.

"THAT DOESN’T ANSWER MY QUESTION!"

Raku tightened the bandage.

Not painfully.

Just firmly.

"Done."

Mora looked down.

The dressing was neat.

Careful.

He had even secured it so she could still move her shoulder without pulling the cloth.

She blinked.

Then looked at him.

"Thank you."

Raku was already closing the medicine chest.

He stopped.

Then nodded.

"Don’t lift anything heavy until Nahla examines you."

Mora smiled.

"Yes, Commander."

"And don’t return to the water channel."

"Of course, Commander."

"And stop throwing yourself in front of claws."

She tilted her head.

"What if they’re going for you?"

Raku turned.

Mora was smiling.

But her brown eyes were serious.

For a moment, he couldn’t answer.

He remembered how she had moved.

How she had grabbed the injured guard.

How she had stepped into the creature’s path without hesitating.

And how the blood had struck the stones.

His chest tightened.

He didn’t like that feeling.

Not at all.

"You’re still an idiot," he muttered.

Mora laughed softly.

Then reached over and straightened the collar of his torn vest.

"There."

Raku froze.

Her hand rested against his chest for one brief second.

Then she withdrew it.

"Now you look less like you got dragged through a swamp."

He stared at her.

Mora smiled.

A warm, slightly crooked smile.

Her brown bear ears lifted.

"Thanks for saving me, crocodile."

Then she stood.

Walked toward the shelter.

And left him sitting beside the medicine chest.

Raku watched her go.

For several seconds, he didn’t move.

Then his eyes lowered toward the bandage cloth in his hands.

He frowned.

What was wrong with him?

She was loud.

Stubborn.

Reckless.

She never listened.

She argued over everything.

And somehow...

Somehow, when she smiled at him like that...

He found himself wanting to see it again.

Raku immediately shook his head.

"Ridiculous."

He stood.

Grabbed his spear.

Then headed toward Soren’s command shelter.

There were pale creatures sleeping beside Ironwood’s water supply.

Patients were getting sick again.

Someone had been moving warning markers toward forbidden passages.

And the Veskari were still waiting outside the boundary.

He had far more important things to worry about than a female bear’s smile.

Unfortunately, he could still remember exactly how she looked.

And that annoyed him more than anything else.