Neena and Kai bedded down under the alcove, on a flat place in the large rock, where the stone was mercifully smooth. Neena was grateful for the shelter, even if it didn't have the full protection of a cave. Despite the open areas behind them, and an overhang that only jutted about fifteen feet over the front edge of the rock, the hard, stone floor spanned a much wider area than where they'd stayed the night before.
It was certainly better than sleeping in the desert.
Looking around, Neena saw a few piles of scattered ashes, and some dried bloodstains, probably from a hunter dressing his kill. On a normal trip, the smoke from her fires would drive away the more curious animals, but of course, they weren't lighting one now.
Handing a blanket to Kai, she asked, "How's your wrist?"
"It's fine," he said.
She inspected his arm in the dying light. Blood had soaked through most of the bandage. It seemed as if the wound was worse than he let on.
"We should clean it again," she told him. "When we get back to Red Rock, our healers can look at it."
Kai winced as he took a seat on his blanket, and Neena huddled next to him, slicing off a piece of the blanket's end so she could use it as fresh gauze. In the last of the sunlight, she treated it again.
"I can't believe how close we are to your colony," Kai said, keeping a brave face as she cleaned off the raw, red skin.
"It seems strange to me, too," Neena said. "It is always an adjustment getting back to my colony, after a while in the desert."
"And it will be even stranger now." Changing to a subject that weighed on both their minds, Kai said, "I wonder how your people will react to me, when we arrive."
"Our story—and your existence—will surprise them," Neena said, drying the wound.
"Just as your existence surprised me."
Neena thought on it. "I'm sure the leaders of Red Rock will have many questions for you, as I have had. Maybe our people can benefit each other."
Kai agreed. It was a hope as much as a question.
Finished cleaning the wound, Neena tied a new bandage over it. The upcoming meeting remained on her mind. She looked over at Kai in the dying sunlight, recalling the time they'd first met. The marks on his head would surely intrigue others, too. She studied the lines that went from his hairline to his temples, which differentiated him from anyone she'd met.
"I don't think I've asked about the marks on your forehead," she said.
"A mark of the heavens," Kai explained, with a smile. "They guide our ascension, after our passing."
"I figured they had meaning," Neena said.
"We get them when we turn of age," he continued. "Our people believe something similar about the heavens as you believe. Although it seems you don't wear the same marks. It is nice to think the pain of this life will mean something, in the end."
"That is a nice thought," Neena agreed.
She smiled. Over the course of the journey, Neena had developed a surprising concern for Kai. She had acclimated to traveling with him, but she also grew to appreciate his companionship. Hopefully, her people would see through their caution and listen to what he—to what they—had to say.
They had positioned so they had a full view of the desert to the south, and also a healthy view to the north, through the rock's round opening. Soon, darkness settled, revealing a sky spackled with stars. They settled back on their blankets, but kept vigilant.
Looking up at those lights, Kai sighed and said, "When I was younger, I used to study the stars and wonder if one of them was Earth."
Neena smiled, feeling a hint of nostalgia. "I used to do the same thing."
"They said the giant, metal objects called ships were probably the size of this rock, or bigger. They said they could travel far greater distances than we can imagine. I always had trouble envisioning them."
Neena smiled. "My brothers used to ask me whether we would ever see one of those strange, metal devices. I told them one day they'd come down, bringing us to a place where we never worried about empty stomachs." She paused as a humorous memory came back to her. "But then I told them, 'If we never had to worry about food, what would we do with our time?'"
Kai laughed softly. "At the very least, we wouldn't have to worry about any monsters like the Abomination," he said.
"Who knows?" Neena shrugged. "Maybe there are worse monsters on other planets."
They stretched their stiff necks and arms, as the night grew colder. Neena pulled out some wolf meat. Together, they shared the gamey, stringy food, which tasted worse than the fawn, but was still edible. Soon, sleep tugged on their weary eyelids.
"We should take shifts watching," Neena suggested. "A better night's rest will serve us well for the remainder of the journey."
"That's a good idea," Kai said. "Why don't you sleep first? If I hear anything, I'll wake you."
Neena looked over at his silhouette in the moonlight. If this had been their first night together, she might've refused, but with some meat in her stomach, enough water, and a warm blanket, Neena felt more secure than she had in days.
She trusted Kai.
She blinked several times, checking the desert and watching his shadow shift as he watched over her. For a moment, she had a fleeting memory of her father, and then she was on the road to sleep.
Her last conscious thought was that they'd reach Red Rock in the morning.