VADNAR

"I'm the one asking questions, Dee from Milky Way. Here is the first: are you married?"

She looks shocked, or perhaps offended. I don't understand why. I'm only gauging if I should expect an angry male to march onto my land, demanding for his wife to be returned. I wish a bastard would.

Although if Trey is any indication, I won't have much to worry about. The males of this species are... feminine. Short, soft, and sheltered. Perhaps I'm judging them too early, and they have pleasant qualities I haven't discovered yet. Trey might be good at... massaging wood by cowering and trembling on the floor all day.

I look down at him and scowl.

"Marriage? Why is that important?" Dee asks.

Definitely not because I'm interested in claiming her. No. That would be madness. This is simply a tactical question to prepare for future arrivals at my territory. Yes. That's what this is.

"Because I want you," I say, because I'm an impulsive arrow. I want to see her reaction. I'm not lying to her. There is a true attraction that I'm curious about, but pursuing it would be reckless.

She's shocked, rendered speechless. Maybe she hates the idea of being claimed by me. Interesting.

"Will your husband come looking for you or not? And does he also look like an adolescent?"

She lowers her head, almost in embarrassment. "I have no husband." Her voice is small and sweet. It will take me a while to get used to it.

"It's just you and Trey, then?"

She nods, still avoiding my gaze. "Where exactly are we?"

"Depends who you ask. War is everywhere, but last I heard, this land is called Zolan."

Her big, wondrous eyes seem to be worlds in of themselves. "Have you ever seen someone like me? A human? Maybe more of us got teleported. Maybe we can come together, maybe..." she stops, seeming disappointed to have slipped into desperation.

I reach for her, touching her chin and tipping her head up.The color of my skin is stark against hers. "I have never seen a female like you, Dee of Earth."

I would remember such beauty.

I hear movement behind me, but I don't look back. That is how little I think of this Trey male. He doesn't intimidate me.

Dee steps away from my touch and steps outside. I follow her, and we stand beside each other as she glances around.

It all looks like home to me, but who knows what she sees through her gaze.

"So you really don't know a way back? You don't know how to help me?"

"No," I answer truthfully. Not even the witch would know what to make of this. Humans are unheard of, more mind twisting than the epidemic of Masters.

Slavers would love to get their grimy hands on Dee and Trey.

I look down when I feel pain, and realize I've dug my nails into my palms.

"Where are your animals? This is a lonely farm." Dee asks, but I can tell that her mind is planets away.

"I set them free."

I had a few domestic beasts on the farm when I first purchased it. But then they began to follow me around, call for me, nudge me in almost a playful manner, and the idea of slaughtering them for my dinner table became discomforting. So I let them go, and that's one of the few reminders that I'm not a monster.

That although I'm built like one, and slavers want to toss me into a cage, I have a heart. Although it might be a bit broken, because it beats far too quickly whenever I catch glimpses of this female.

"And your crops?" Dee asks.

That's a different story. I can't seem to grow anything on this rotten land. I either water crops too much, or forget about them altogether. I am the worst farmer on this side of Zolan, but I'm so stubborn nothing will lead me away.

So I will keep killing my plants, hunting, and risking heart failure by staring at this female.

"There are no crops, either. Not much of a farm, I suppose."

"I'm sorry I used your things. I was trying to fix a device so I could speak with you, but then you gave me that pill. By the way, should I expect more side effects? Or for more farmers to gather with pitchforks and torches? What the fuck is happening?"

She falls to her knees and covers her face, her shoulders heaving as she sobs. Finally, reality has caught up with her. She is lost on a new land and practically alone, because the Trey male is more baggage than company.

I take a step away from her, uncomfortable by the display of emotion. How do I fix this? My fists usually mold the world how I want it to be, but being a brute will not help me in this situation.

"Would you like a...fire?" I grumble. She always seems to enjoy my fireplace.

She only sobs louder, and the unfamiliar desperation in my chest festers. What on this rotten farm can I offer her to make her feel better? Trey's head on a platter? I don't think she would like that as much as I would.

I look down at my fists. For the first time in life, they are useless.

My eyes move back to her. Maybe these hands aren't so useless, after all.

I close the distance between us and I sweep her into my arms. Her sob becomes a gasp, and she scrambled in my embrace as I carry her.

"What are you doing?" She rasps.

"I cannot offer you a portal back to your home, but perhaps for a few moments, I can't give you peace."

She's silent for a while, stiff in my hold until squeaking out that I'm probably too heavy to carry her.

My laugh booms through the wilderness. She thinks she is too heavy for me? These humans are very amusing.

It takes some time to reach the lake. It's hidden, one of the main reasons why I chose this run-down farm. I wanted to disappear off the radar, to sink under the surface. This place was perfect.

I set her down on the grass.

"The water will be cool. It will soothe you." I clear my throat. It is... strange, having her here. I haven't brought any female to my farm, much less to this special lake.

I take my tunic off, and then pull at my trews.

"Hey!" Comes Dee's panicked voice. "Why are you taking those off?"

"To swim," I answer.

"But you can't... you're naked under there."

"Yes, but you have already seen both of my cocks. What does it matter now?"

She shakes her head. "That doesn't matter! Please keep your pants on."

Hmm... these humans are as confusing as they are amusing.

She keeps her head low, but her eyes keep jumping to me. I examine my naked chest, but there is nothing offensive on it save for old scars and stubborn muscle. Perhaps her people find male nipples offensive?

I curve my thoughts quickly. The last thing I need to do is think about this female's breasts.

"Should I wear my tunic as well?" I offer.

She looks away and blurts, "It's fine."

She's looking at the lake now, her lips pursed. I scratch my abdomen, trying to see what to make of her.

She sits on a log and dips her bare feet into the water. I sit on the other edge and do the same.

"I was lost once, too. Ran too far into the forest when I was younger. I felt alone, and wanted to return to my parents."

"How did you make it back?" She whispers.

"I waited for my parents to find me. You don't have to turn every stone looking for a way back. Sometimes it's alright to sit and wait."

This story, of course, is completely fictitious. I was an orphan. No parents were searching for me. I realized with time that I can move forward and find peace in solitude.

I don't want Dee to obsess over returning home, hurting and disappointing herself in the process. Something tells me there is no way back. So at least for now, she can be at peace and wait the storm out.

I ignore the deeply-rooted satisfaction of knowing that for now, she will ride it out with me. I absolutely can't keep her. So one day, I will have to set her free much like my livestock.