Kemli’s mate Borran takes one look at the growing pile atop the sled and laughs until his entire body shakes. I do not care. I will be prepared for every situation.
My Kira says nothing about my enthusiastic packing. She just smiles at me and rubs a hand over her small belly, a sweet expression on her face.
It takes me two handfuls of days before I feel we are ready to go. I can think of nothing else to add to the sled, now bulging with its contents. I head out into the driving snow and practice pulling it, re-balancing things to ensure that the sled will not tip with my precious mate sitting atop it.
And then, finally, a day comes when the skies dawn clear and snow is not angrily flooding from the skies.
It is time to begin our journey.
“Today?” my Kira asks as she wakes up.
“Today,” I agree, and my belly is filled with dread and determination both. More than anything, I want to take my Kira to see the healer, to reassure us that all is well…but I hope this is not foolish. I hope this is not a mistake. I frown, thinking of the bags I have packed. “Perhaps I should get one more pouch of trail rations before we go.”
“How many do you have?” Kira asks, yawning as she crawls from the furs and begins to straighten things.
I think for a moment. “Eight.”
She sputters, turning to look at me with wide eyes. “We can eat off of just one bag for a week. Eight seems excessive.”
“I want to be prepared,” I tell her with a grin, and decide to quietly add one more bag. Just in case. “Now, come. I have extra furs for you to wear while we travel.”
“Oh no.”
“Oh yes.” I cup her cheek and smile down at her skeptical little face. “I will take good care of you, never fear.”
“Oh boy. Should I put my boots on?”
“I have boots for you.”
“Oh boy,” she says again. But Kira puts her hand in mine and lets me lead her out of the cave.
I have our sled and supplies waiting at the entrance to the cave, so I begin bundling my mate after she says a quick goodbye to the tribe, most of whom are watching us prepare to leave. I layer one set of leathers on my mate, and then another, and another, belting them to keep the clothing tight against her body so no wind can cut through and chill her. After a few more layers, someone snickers quietly nearby.
I study my mate, and then add another heavy fur vest, one of mine that hangs to her knees on her and nearly wraps around her twice. I belt it tight and then start to add another layer, just in case.
Kira sputters. “Aehako, how many layers do I need?”
“All of them,” I tell her cheerfully.
She giggles and when I pick up a cloak, she touches my hand. “Enough, love. I can barely walk in this.”
“You do not need to walk at all. You are going to be on a sled.”
She shakes her head, bouncing her arms against her well-padded sides. “I look like a snowman.”
I have seen the rounded figures the humans sometimes make out of snow at the cave entrance and…she is not wrong. It is adorable, though. I lean in and give her small nose a kiss on the tip. “I bundle you because you will be sitting instead of walking. Trust me when I say you will be cold enough to be grateful for all these layers.”
Kira gives me a skeptical look, but nods. “All right, then. You’re the expert.”
I get her seated on the packed sled, then pile furs atop her and swaddle her like a kit, until she’s laughing at my protectiveness. Perhaps I am overdoing it a little, but I do not care. She is more than precious to me, my mate, and I do not mind looking foolish if it saves her a moment of discomfort. When I am convinced she will be warm enough, I toss on my own wraps and loop the strap for the sled around my waist, harnessing it to my body. Even if I should drop the leather ropes, she will not slide away from me.
With a cheerful wave goodbye, I haul the sled out into the cold. The day is mostly clear, a thick cloud-cover hiding the suns from sight and keeping the temperature icy. The wind is high, biting at my exposed skin, so I tug a wrap higher around my nose and make sure that Kira’s covers most of her face, and then set off.
We set a good pace, the snow thick on the ground, and I choose a path that will stay close to the cliffs but will not entail dragging the sled up the steep slopes of the nearby rocky surfaces. The farther we get away from the South Cave, the more concerned I am that it is perhaps far too cold for Kira. Her human skin cannot take the cold like mine can. She is sitting, which is bound to make her colder, and the clouds look as if they are growing thicker by the moment.