Asha ran with labored breaths but on she pushed watching for purchases as she hop-skipped across the terrain to the cave, babies, home, to Talas. She notices that the landscape is getting lighter, with fewer shadows. The back of her body chitin and most hind appendages were warming. NOT time, the star not time to rise! Asha’s mind screamed.

 Talas looked out into the bloody glow just at the horizon. I haven’t seen a sunrise here. Asha always hides away in the day. What passes as day here. Talas muses as he scans the forming shadows across the land like growing gnashes and wounds bleeding out.

 Asha stumbled from the glare forming as the early red dawn began warming the landscape. Closing her emitter eyes Asha carried on now pushing hard as the back caprice began warming up to much. There! I see the cave, no Talas, get inside!” That last thought she projected to Talas as hard as she could. “AHHHH!”

 Asha fell flat on the ground feeling a surge of heat across her body and a bright searing red light flashed across the sky.

 Talas felt Asha see him Asha, what?! Asha’s warning hit him just as he watched a huge angry bloody red solar flare fill the sky. Blinded and pulling up his arms extinctive he felt Asha’s pain and mental push to get inside. On the ground he crawled towards what he remembered was the entrance. Ow, there’s a rock there, ok, more left, it’s getting hot.
 Talas reached out with his thoughts; Asha, are you ok, can you get here, I am blind but inside.

Asha, ok, I will be there soon, we must get into the water pool at back of cave. Star angry. Never seen it this angry. I see you, Talas. Asha grabbed Talas with ease in one smooth movement and continued to run to the back of the cave. Babies, mommy is home. Will feed you tomorrow, eat your dead sisters. There, there I know my babies, mommy loves you.

 Talas’s thoughts were gently invaded by this mother children exchange. He kept his thoughts deep to himself. As suddenly as she had picked him up they were suddenly in cool water. Catching his breath before he went under.

Talas, under water with Asha and babies. Star angry. Hide under water. With those thoughts Asha pulled Talas further under the water to the bottom of the pool. She had grabbed one of the egg sacks. It would have a third of her total children, the others would cook in the bright solar flare reaching around the large gas giant to touch the outermost atmosphere of the moon. The entire cave lit up and Talas could feel the water warm by several degrees. His flash blindness was subsiding as the light was fading above them on the surface of the water.

 Talas started feeling the need for air. Struggling against Asha’s grip he tried to break free. Asha! I need air! Solar flare is over.

No, not over Star is mad it will as you say ‘flare’ again,

I need air! With that forced thought at Asha he did his best to break out here grip, he could not it was useless. Asha please…

Come here, turn face me.

He rolled in her arms as she would let him. He gazed into the face that terrified him. The water and flash blindness blurred her so he could only make out shapes, not as bad. With that thought he was pulled closer and felt something forced into his mouth tube like, further till it sealed gently in his mouth like a rebreather mask would. I can breathe!

Yes, Talas. Asha hold you so we both can breathe. I can stay underwater for a long time. You breathe my air. Take a big breath and hold, Asha needs to take off armor.

 With no more discussion she began to release Talas, trusting him to stay with her. Just as in the cave under the ancient city Asha popped open her chest plate and wiggled out leaving the same two appendages behind as before.

Talas watched Asha shed her chitin armor like he did his power armor. Obscured through the water Talas could make out her vibrant blue skin color. She reached out and pulled Talas close to her again. Wrapping her self around Talas and what Talas thought strangely as a kiss she started breathing for them both. He lived through her.

They both sunk to the bottom intertwined. Talas felt the contours of her warm soft body against his now. Their thoughts mingled.

Talas, what is ‘kiss’? You kiss Asha? She held him gently but tight as a lover. Not understanding what she did nor feel, she let it flow.

Ah, well, I guess this is the ‘kiss’ of life, that is what I meant. Not a ‘kiss, kiss’ you know. Again staringly Talas did not quite believe his  own words and knew as soon as he thought them she would know. Asha, lets just rest. Please, I could not sleep while you were gone. I need to sleep. With these last thoughts of finality for a conversation Talas found himself curling into Asha’s body and letting go of thought and the now.

 With those last thoughts from Talas; Asha knew something was different. Talas not repulsed by Asha now. Talas kiss Asha, Talas Love Asah now. These thoughts not only echoed around in Asha’s own mind but gently caressed Talas’s as they both drifted in a pool of water entangled through deep shared dreams.

(continued)

-d²