Alien Tails Box Set

Chapter 4

Chapter 4Zenon grew dizzy from all the back and forth. One second the female was taking care of the male, the next the male was taking care of the female, and then they switched again. There were so many emotions, he grew confused.

“Ghurva, wash the male.”

Ghurva widened his eyes. “I don’t—”

“I don’t need anyone to wash me. Show me where the shower is, and I’ll be fine.”

“You’re not showering alone. What if you fall, get dizzy, vomit again? You can’t—”

Zenon held his breath for a second. “So, you’ll wash your mate.”

“No!”

“No!”

He looked at Ghurva. Mates didn’t wash each other? Zenon hadn’t had anyone wash him once he’d grown old enough to do it himself, but he figured mates did if there was a need for it. He’d always imagined showing a softer side to his mate if he ever found his. No one did anymore. He believed, maybe as they’d grown more emotionless, the ability to mate had been erased. It was as if they were unable to connect with another being.

An ache spread in his chest again. He must be ill, must have gotten something while on the strange planet.

“Trust me, he doesn’t want girl cooties.”

Zenon didn’t recognize the word, but it had to do with sickness, that much he understood. “Is it contagious?”

“Very.” The female…laughed? Zenon believed it was a laugh, but he’d never heard one other than from a sound file they’d been given before the mission.

“No.” The male shook his head, winced, and grew, if possible, paler. “Bucket?”

The female looked around, spotted the small laundry basket in the corner, and dived for it. Zenon didn’t stop her. He didn’t think she could hurt them with a basket.

She held it up in front of the male and he retched. Negudade didn’t retch, but he’d seen animals do it. The stench intensified again.

The male grimaced. “Oh, f**k me.” He scrunched his face, and the female gently guided him down on the cot.

“Be careful what you wish for. These guys look mighty frisky to me.”

“Do they? I didn’t notice.”

Zenon didn’t know what they were talking about. Judging by the information snippets the language chip provided him with, he guessed they were talking about copulation, but it seemed like a strange moment. Unless the female was in heat. He pulled in a deep breath, but all he could smell was the sour stench of sickness. Did Earthlings go into heat? Negudade didn’t, but some animals did.

“Rest.”

“I’d really like to wash up. And brush my teeth.”

The female caressed the male’s forehead and pain spread in Zenon’s chest when the male closed his eyes.

A few seconds later, the female stood and walked over to Ghurva. Zenon took a step forward. He didn’t think she’d attack, but better to be prepared.

“Look.” She spoke so low, he held his breath to hear better. “He has a concussion.”

“What is it?” Ghurva glanced at him, but Zenon didn’t move a muscle.

“When someone hit his head—” She gave them both a narrow-eyed stare, “—his brain was hurt, and now it’s swelling.”

“He’ll die?” The tightness around Zenon’s ribs was back. Had he killed the male? With one small slap? Were they that fragile?

“I don’t think so. It’s not too bad. But he’s had them before, and it gets more and more dangerous the more you have them.”

“He’s had them before?” Who had hit the male? Zenon’s claws dug into the palm of his hands as he curled his fingers into fists.

“Look. He needs a calm place to rest, preferably a dark place without any harsh lights.” She gestured at the spotlight in the ceiling. “He’ll be tired and will want to sleep, but someone needs to wake him up every hour to make sure he isn’t unconscious.”

“You’re his mate.” She should do all those things.

“We’re friends, yes. We grew up together, but Carlo is…He doesn’t want people taking care of him.”

“Carlo?” She’d mentioned it several times, but it didn’t translate into anything.

“Carlo.” She gestured at the male. “His name is Carlo.”

Oh…Part of him wanted to look away, but he changed nothing in his expression and didn’t move a muscle. He should’ve understood it was a name. “What’s your name?” He didn’t know if he’d be able to distinguish her from the other females. They all looked the same, but it would be good to know her name.

“Grace.”

Her name translated as elegance—a strange name. She was small, but all of them were, and she was thin and fine limbed, but, again, all of them were. “You’re Grace and…Carlo is your…brother?”

“No, not brother…okay, let’s say he’s my brother, it’s close enough.”

“You’re not mated?” Ghurva studied her with interest.

“Mated as in…married? No, Carlo is gay. You people are okay with queers, right? Or maybe you’d want to turn around and drop us off on Earth?” The look she gave them was hopeful.

Zenon didn’t know what gay or queer was, but they weren’t turning back.

* * * *

Carlo squinted at the massive black creature bending over him. His heart sped up, and he looked around for Grace. Had he fallen asleep? His head hurt, and he was so tired he had a hard time staying awake.

“Come with me.”

The alien hadn’t said those words, and yet it was what he heard. Maybe he was dreaming. He tried to sit, but the room spun around him.

“Easy.” Grace was by his side, hooking her arm in his. “Are you dizzy?”

He wanted to nod since he was too tired to speak, but it hurt too much to move his head.

“Perhaps you should carry him.”

Carlo tried to figure out who he was to carry. He didn’t think he could carry anyone right now.

Strong black arms lifted him from the cot, bridal style.

“No.” Carlo wanted to struggle, but every motion caused a wave of nausea, and he didn’t want to throw up again. The warmth seeping into him as the alien cradled him against his chest had him groaning—hopefully, they’d think it was from pain and not the warmth.

“Be careful.”

Carlo wanted to tell Grace he was, but then the alien grunted, and he realized she wasn’t talking to him. The harsh light piercing his eyes disappeared as the alien moved. A tail swished by, and Carlo closed his eyes. This couldn’t be real.

“Who hit you?”

The gruff voice didn’t speak words, but he still somehow understood the sounds flowing in the dark.

“I don’t know. A big, black guy with a tail and claws.”

The alien grunted.

“Before. Who hit you before?”

Carlo grimaced. “What did Grace tell you?”

“That you’ve had this before.”

“Mhm.” He rested his cheek against the alien’s chest. So warm.

“Who hit you?” The voice was growlier.

“Lots of people. I can’t remember them all. I’m a foster kid, I’m a fag, and I was plenty annoying as a teen.”

Carlo wanted to look at the alien, but the corridor they were in was too dark, and his eyes wanted to close despite him fighting them.

“I think I’m falling asleep. Sorry.”

“I’m taking you to wash up.”

In Carlo’s mind, he nodded, but his head didn’t move. “You’re warm.”

The alien didn’t reply.

“What’s your name?”

“Zenon Scoreceds Qhainqons.”

“Your parents must be cruel bastards.”

No reply came and Carlo wished he had the energy to open his eyes to see if he’d offended the big brute. “Do you have something shorter people call you?”

“Zenon.”

“Okay, Zen. I’m sure your parents are awesome…” Cat aliens? No, he didn’t look like a cat, but the tail was confusing. His nose was flat and his cheekbones high. The teeth. Whenever Carlo tried to remember what he looked like, all he pictured was teeth, claws, and a tail.

“I didn’t know them.”

“Aww poor baby, are you a foster kid too?”

The silence following made him squint at Zen. The light ahead was dim, but it wasn’t dark anymore.

“This is my cabin. I’m the captain, so I have the biggest space.”

“Good for you.” Carlo didn’t move. He could’ve stayed in Zen’s arms for a long time. It was warm, and while there he didn’t have to think about what he was to do. He was on a spaceship with aliens, and he had no idea where they were going or why they’d taken him. Maybe they would eat him. “Do you eat humans?”

“I’ve never tried it.”

“Ha!” Pain shot through his brain and he winced. “f**k, that hurt.”

* * * *

Zenon watched Carlo as he scrunched his face up and slowly lowered him, feet first, to the floor. As he let go, Carlo rested a hand on his arm for balance. Zenon didn’t know what to do about the swaying.

He opened the door and gestured for Carlo to enter. “In here.”

When Carlo didn’t move, he grabbed his arm and guided him in through the door and toward the washroom. He hit the lights and gestured at the corner with the water drizzle. “There is a water purification system on the ship, but don’t let it run for too long. It takes time before the water is available again.”

Carlo widened his eyes. “You’re drinking the water I shower in?” He looked as if he was about to retch again, and Zenon searched for a bucket.

“No. We have drink packs.”

“Oh.”

When Carlo didn’t vomit and didn’t move, Zenon studied him. “Undress.”

“You just want to see me naked.” Carlo squeezed his eyes shut. “It’s so damn bright in here.”

Zenon turned off the light.

“f**k, now it’s too dark. I can’t see shit.”

He was talking about copulation a lot. Zenon had been with a female once, but he preferred to pleasure himself—but he seldom did. He’d heard the other males talk about females several times and knew he was alone in his thinking, so maybe it wasn’t uncommon to be thinking about copulation often.

“Do you want a female?” Maybe Earthlings had s****l relations often. The tales about Negudade in the olden days told of much more physical affection and closeness than they practiced now.

“I want to be clean, but I’m too dizzy to move. I fear I’ll fall.”

Zenon stepped closer and carefully tugged at the fabric of Carlo’s shirt. Underneath, his pale skin was covered in intricate patterns. “What’s on your skin?”

“You can see in the dark?”

“Some.” He didn’t see as well as in light, but he could see there were patterns.

“Tattoos.”

There must be something wrong with the translation because it came across as tapping, which didn’t fit. “I don’t know what it means.” He held his breath. Never would he have admitted his ignorance if there had been a Negudade around.

“Like permanent paintings in the skin.”

Zenon didn’t reply. They had paintings, old paintings, back at Negudade, but no one painted anymore. It was a lost art form.

He unbuttoned Carlo’s pants and refrain from commenting on having a pair of pants underneath the pants. They were of a softer material and were without pant legs. Strange. He grabbed the elastic and pulled them down.

For several seconds, he looked at Carlo’s s*x. It was smaller than his own but similar. He didn’t have any hair though, but Carlo did. There was some hair on his chest, a string of it from his navel down to his s*x. Darker than on his head and almost curly. Zenon wanted to touch it.

“Have you seen enough?”

No. “Of?”

Carlo snorted. “Help me into the shower, and you can ogle me while I wash up. Pervert.”

Zenon didn’t know how to interpret the statement, and he wasn’t sure he should ask about it either. “Walk into the corner. The water comes from above.”

“I figured.” Carlo took a step, then swayed and grabbed Zenon’s arm. “f**k, I’m worse off than I believed.”

There he went, talking about copulation again. “Why do you talk about reproduction all the time?”

For a few seconds, everything was quiet, then a low, soft laugh filled the bathroom. Zenon was stunned and hoped Carlo couldn’t see his face in the dark. He stared in wonder as warmth wrapped around him and filled his chest. He’d never heard a sound like it, and he never wanted it to end, but it did.

“It’s a swear word. You use it to intensify what you’re saying. f*****g good is better than just good.”

Zenon went through what he’d said before he’d asked—he was worse off—so worse than worse? “I’m not sure it translates correctly.”

“You thought I wanted to jump your bones?”

Why would anyone want to jump on someone’s bones? “What would you do with my bones?”

The sound was back, but this time it was cut off by a hiss. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts my head.”

Zenon turned on the water, and Carlo howled, or maybe howled was the wrong word. He made a lot of strange noises.

“f**k, that’s cold.” His teeth made noises now.

“It’s water. Of course, it’s cold.”

“W-What?”

“Water is cold.”

“No.” Carlo stepped right into him. His wet, naked body was flush against Zenon’s, and heat bubbled from inside. His s*x grew hard and his skin tingled. Maybe Carlo was poisonous after all. His skin wasn’t numb like most poisons made it, but oversensitive.

“Please tell me you have warm water wherever we’re going.”

“Negudade. The water bodies are warm during the heat waves.”

“No, no, that’s not what I want to hear. I want you to tell me you’re taking me somewhere where the men are easy, the drinks are free, and the showers are steaming.”

“I don’t know what you mean with easy, but you can drink the water in your well for free, and if you boil it, there will be steam.”

Carlo swayed again, and Zenon wrapped an arm around him, not realizing what he’d done until his hand touched wet, cool skin. If he was poisonous, he’d get it on him now. He held his breath, observant of any reactions, but nothing happened.

“I’m sorry, but I think I have to lie down. The room is spinning.”

Zenon bent and lifted him much like he had before. It only took him a few steps before he was by his bed.