The nearly white ink in particular was supposed to be extremely powerful. That the Oraku had supplied him with any at all for a newcomer’s designs was almost unheard of. But Darla had the pale ink interwoven all over the runes on her body, accenting them and increasing their power.

At least, that was what it was supposed to do in theory. In practice on a new species, there really was no telling exactly what the end result would be.

In any case, it was warm out and she was thirsty, so any qualms she had about drinking from the stream quickly evaporated with her first sip. They filled their water skins and kept hiking, making as good progress as could be expected as the terrain grew more uneven.

And now as the sun began to lower and dusk fell over the land, they finally reached the crest of yet another exhausting climb. Even with the help of her strange new runes adding to her strength, Darla’s legs and feet were aching.

Heydar gazed at the sky a moment, then pointed off in the distance. “There.”

Darla squinted and followed where he was directing her. “What?”

“Your vision runes have not yet formed completely. There is a gap in the trees, and not a natural one. A section of the Raxxians’ ship landed there, and seemingly intact judging by the lack of burning trees.”

She squinted and looked harder but still couldn’t see a thing. And did he just say the runes were somehow going to enhance her vision? But he hadn’t marked anywhere on her face or head. The only rune there was the one the Raxxians had placed behind her ear. He had touched that up a bit, but other than that there was nothing above her collarbones.

I guess I’ll find out, she mused.

One thing she had learned as they trekked across the wildly varying landscape was not to doubt Heydar’s eyes. Or his ears. Or any of his senses for that matter. He had exceptional situational awareness, and if he said he saw what looked like part of the downed ship, then that was what was most likely what it was.

He looked at his human companion, sizing her up. She had managed to keep up, which he had not expected. More surprising, she had also handled herself well in the face of danger. She had done well today.

“Come,” he said. “It will be dark soon. There is not much in the way of shelter, but we have our bearings now. We will head lower to a less exposed location and set up camp for the night.”

He began trekking down the slope, but now at a more casual pace. He was looking for a good spot to settle in, not trying to cover as much ground as possible. He picked up some small sticks on the way, bundling them under his massive arm as they walked.

“Here will suffice,” he said twenty minutes later, dropping the wood atop a mostly flat stone in a level patch of relatively open ground.

The area was a mix of reddish dirt, lush trees, and rocks ranging in size from small to large, the latter providing shielding from wind and creating a little pocket of safety for them to have a small fire. In addition, the rock would absorb heat, ideally giving some back as it cooled overnight.

Heydar dropped his pack and animal skins and began setting up the wood, arranging it with the smallest kindling at the bottom to help ignite the larger pieces above. He then snapped the lone long branch lying nearby into manageable lengths with his bare hands, making it look easy.

“Hey, if you want to give me the matches, I can get the fire started if you want to look for some thicker wood.”

“What are matches?” he asked, crouching before the pile and adding a few more pieces.

“What are matches? You know, to make a fire.”

Heydar looked up at her, amusement sparkling in his gold-rimmed eyes. He held up his hand, pointing to a small rune tattooed on the underside of his wrist just below his palm.

“What’s that?”

“Watch,” he replied, holding his hand over the kindling. A second later the small shavings began to smoke, bursting into flames a moment later.

“Holy shit! You can make fire with your hands?” she blurted, looking at the small tattoo inked on her own wrist. It was nowhere near as complex as Heydar’s, but the location was the same.

“Among other things,” he said, blowing the small fire until it surged into a full blaze. “This particular rune channels a few types of power. It takes time for the pigment to develop and grow into the full design. Yours is just the starting point we all begin with, but in time it will grow stronger.”

“And I’ll be able to start fires?”

“Among other things, as I said.”

Darla looked at her wrist, studying the rune and the faint lines traveling from it up her forearm, connecting to the patterns highlighting the natural curves and muscles of her body. She had felt stronger, sure, and she could understand alien languages. But this? Making fire out of thin air? It made it all seem more real. More tangible and not just some abstract concept.

Heydar rose and walked over to the bundled furs, unwrapping them and removing two disjointed legs from the animals they’d fought. He took two lengths of wood and drove them through lengthwise then set them up to roast over the flames.

The smell was amazing, and Darla found her stomach grumbling with hunger. It seemed she was going to be surviving on a meat eater’s diet for the near future, though she preferred plant-based most of the time. But in a survival situation she’d take whatever she could get. And these things had tried to eat her, so it really was only fair the tables be turned.

Heydar let them roast a long time, rotating the meat periodically but letting the outside burn a bit, ensuring the internal temperature was enough to cook all the way to the bone. Char could always be cut away, but an unexpected bite of raw meat could spoil an otherwise tasty meal.

While he tended the fire, Darla sat atop a pile of leaves she’d gathered to use as cushioning and leaned against a sloping rock, letting her aching feet relax, savoring every minute of it. When Heydar finally rose from the cooking flames at least half of the stress in her body had ebbed away and Darla couldn’t help but wonder if it was at least partly the itchy new tattoos working their magic.

“Here,” Heydar said, handing her a whole leg.

Darla accepted it, and it was at that moment that she realized he had skinned the leg but the clawed foot at the end of it still remained. The sight of it reminded her why she tried to avoid meat, but her body needed nutrition and she’d just have to make do.

“How pleasant,” she said. “With presentation like this, it’s no wonder you don’t have a mate.”

A glare of anger flashed across his face, gone as quickly as it had arrived. He turned and walked away to eat on a small boulder across the fire.

Aww, shit. That didn’t play out right. “Hey, look, I’m just tired and talking shit, okay?”

The alien turned and stared at her a moment. “Talk shit? I have no desire to discuss your toileting functions.” He climbed up onto the rock and sat down, crossing his legs comfortably and tucking in to his meal with gusto.

Okay, I guess that bit didn’t quite translate, she realized. “What I mean is, I’m sorry. I sometimes let my mouth run when I’m cranky. But we’re eating now, and the food’s really helping, even with a foot still on it, so thank you.”

He stared quietly, assessing her with that piercing gaze. “You meant no harm, and this has been a stressful experience, I understand,” he finally said. “I do not hold your comment against you.”

“Thanks. I didn’t mean to be a dick.”

“Hmm,” he mumbled, pulling free a mouthful of meat with his teeth.

The two ate quietly for a few minutes, but as their initial hunger was sated, conversation began to flow. It seemed to Darla that Heydar wasn’t quite the strong and silent brute that he came off as. And to his surprise, the alien had found his human companion was far more capable than he’d initially given her credit for.