Love Me, Love Me Not

Saile's mount stumbled at the pace. Reed closed the distance between them and grabbed her arm. She pulled away, spurring her mare. It stumbled again and Reed snatched her from the saddle. The ground blurred below them. Saile kicked, then clutched at Reed. She scrambled up, wrapped her arms around him and slipped her leg over the back of the saddle. Reed's horse snorted and paused when Saile's mount slowed; Reed spurred him to hold a steady pace and Saile's mount fell in behind.


#


Reed slowed as they approached a canyon. The lead damitt waited at the narrow entrance, blending with the reddish sandstone until he moved. He crouched low and skittered toward them, chattering and pointing to the left and right. Reed pulled his mount to a halt.


The damitt stood up on its hind legs, curled to the left and shifted the weight uncomfortably off the right. Its normally pointed snout twisted. It chattered to itself. Broken teeth sliced its lower lip and tongue as it licked its swollen lips. It pointed to the far right. " ... ingle onk, ingle onk, ingle onk." It punctuated each croak with a dip of its claw. It turned and snuffled, and repeated the information.


Reed's eyes darted to the wind-smoothed sand leading into the canyon and he took an uneasy breath. He turned his attention back to the damitt. "Teffen?"


The thing rocked back and forth and screeched. "Onk, onk, onk."


Reed reached his arm back and caught Saile's waist as she shifted to slip to the ground. "Don't," he said.


She hesitated but settled back behind the saddle. Reed's arm slid down her back and he rested his hand on her thigh. He half turned in the saddle to face her.


"Where are my llamas, Reed? Did your precocious little monsters eat the entire herd?"


Reed studied the broken damitt, then shook his head. "No," he said. "They won't cue on long-haired beasts. The llamas can't trigger an attack."


"They've killed over half the herds, before you stole the rest."


"They couldn't have, and I didn't steal them..."


Silence.


" ... from you. Teffen did."


"And you stole them from him."


Reed nodded.


"And you're proud of that?"


He shrugged. "It's a living."


"Not a very good one. You've done a lot of thieving to be standing here with nothing. The deed to the ranch is pointless without the llamas."


His cocky grin faded and he dipped his head in quick acknowledgement. "We're going to get them back, but this time we're going right to the source." He whistled and the rest of the pack of damitts trotted from the shadows of the canyon entrance.