Their sinking continued, and it took Kira's nerves down with it, so she continued her useless rambling.

"I don't know about your species, but humans haven't evolved to breathe under quicksand. We still drink the milk of other animals and wear their carcass when it gets cold. Give me a break here, will you?"

Just as she was about to start crying, Vrox moved. She looked at his feet and found that the ground was hard again, like it hadn't tried to sink them to hell seconds ago.

When he returned her to the ground, she put multiple steps between his naked body and herself. The distance didn't do much. The rawness of his scent remained on her skin and the indentation of his cock against her thigh.

As usual, Vrox didn't notice the fluster that his presence induced on the female. He walked to the purse that she was so desperate to reach, plucked it between a thumb and index finger, and began to shake it.

"No!" she snatched the purse away from his big hand.

When his face crippled with a frown, worry dried her tempter. Those arms of his could hurt her just as easily as they saved her from flying predators and quicksand. Angering or insulting him was the least of her interests.

Once on her knees, she began to browse through her bag. Everything inside was still intact, but her phone refused to spit out a single bar of reception.

Vrox stared at her hand with obvious confusion, unable to recognize the device in her grasp.

She stored her cellphone away and shifted her attention to her translator. With loving fingers, she brushed the surface of the small device. It was her baby– the manifestation of her pride.

She powered it on and then whispered, "record the word gun as no."

The translator replied, "word saved," earning a smile from Kira and panic from Vrox. He gripped her shoulder, ready to separate her from the device. In response, she scrambled to her feet and clutched it.

"Gun!" she yelled.

Vrox frowned again, taking a second to scan the surroundings for predators. He then focused on the translator conflictedly. The device discomforted him. It was foreign, alien, unnatural.

"This will help us communicate," Kira explained while knowing fully well that he didn't understand a word.

With a deep inhale to settle her adrenaline, she pointed to herself.

"Kira."

She then pointed to him, "Vrox."

She picked up a stick and stared at him expectantly. His yellows flicked from her eyes to the stick repeatedly.

"Come on, Tarzan, you can do it," she encouraged.

"Nusu," he replied.

"Nu... su," she tried.

"Kira, Vrox, nusu?"

He gave her a strong nod, and she all but burst with excitement.

"Record the word nusu as stick." As soon as she issued the command, she muted the translator so its voice wouldn't freak Vrox out a second time.

They repeated the process for a few minutes. She pointed out a tree, a flower, their feet, hands, hair, and Vrox translated it all.

He frowned at the delivery of many of her words. She was sure that her accent was butchering his language, but she was trying.

She was about to point out another thing when a ruffle came from the far right. She sat up immediately, waiting for the next terrible creature to pop out and terrorize them.

Vrox wasn't so worried. He recognized the bright flash of colors of the animal between the bushes. Lunch had arrived.

He stood up, leaving Kira behind, and then walked to the shifting leaves. Before the poor beast knew what was coming, he snapped its neck. When he turned, holding a bloody leg that he had ripped from the animal, Kira's cheeks swelled with vomit.

He walked to her side and extended a leg, but his kind gesture was received by puke. Her reaction– like everything about her– confused him. Was it normal for children to vomit at the sight of meat? He and his brothers were able to digest raw meat just fine since the age of ten snowfalls. Why was this boy any different?

As he wondered if it was best to feed Kira fruits or cooked meat, he couldn't help but conclude that children were high maintenance.

He ate his lunch, keeping an eye on Kira, who kept her distance. Once he was full, he demanded her attention by cupping a shoulder. Kira looked up and was distressed to find a drop of blood on his beard.

With a jerk of his head, Vrox signaled that he wanted her to stand up. She zipped up her purse and then did as ordered. The carnivorous alien began to guide her through the trees. It took many twists and turns before her ears recognized the laughter of water.

Vrox dove into the lake and to her longing surprise, began to swim through the water just like a human would. Seeing that the water was safe, she scooped some into her hands and washed the taste of vomit from her mouth.

She placed a cool hand against her forehead, knowing that it was only a matter of time before she passed out from hunger. On a few bushes away hung mango-like fruits, but she knew better than to declare them food before asking Vrox. Since the mutated planet seemed to jump on all openings to kill her, it was likely that they weren't edible.

She plucked one, staring at its hue, and then glanced at her alien guide.

"Hey Vrox, will I die if I eat this?"

"Gun!"

That was the last word she heard before her body stiffened like concrete and neglected balance. She fell hard, hitting her head but managing to keep consciousness. Although she lost all control over her body, her emotions still had mobility. Fear and confusion ran fast, speeding up when Vrox's face came into her line of sight.

Vrox sighed with frustration. How could this boy not know which plants caused immobility? It was a lesson from childhood, a rite of passage that taught you just how dangerous playing in the jungle could be.

"It is alright," he assured as he flicked the guilty fruit away. "You will just be frozen for a few minutes."

He carried an immobilized Kira out of the water, staring at her wet clothes with interest. He wasn't sure if it would be safe to keep her in wet fabric since her skin bad proved itself to be weak.

Trigger warning: In this part, Vrox gets exploratory because he has never seen a woman before. However, non-consensual sexual activity does not take place, nor is it glorified.

Choosing to free her from her wet constraints, he began to pluck clothes away. Meanwhile, Kira mentally screamed for all she was worth. Uninvited air crawled up her thighs with every inch that her skirt revealed. She tried to kick out her legs, but they were dead to her brain.

Vrox focused on the boy's legs, pausing with uncertainty when he found a smaller bit of cloth. He reached for it, pulled it down, and revealed something strange. There was no normal male anatomy between Kira's thighs, but a fragile combination of pink and pale flesh.

The sight enraged him.

"Who did this to you?" he demanded.

Someone had cut off Kira's penis? What kind of monster would mutilate a young boy?

He vowed that he would find the culprit and feed him to squars.