Chapter 5

For a hot minute neither of them moved.

The shock of near-death and saved by a stranger whom they didn't know was friend or foe, stilled them.

Until, the stranger spoke. "You're welcome, ladies." His voice was smooth, calm, deep, like an ocean at rest but with a world underneath.

"Oh thank God," Elle muttered from behind Anara and literally collapsed on her back, eyes closed, breathing deep in relief, hair scattered around her head in the forest dirt.

Anara, on the other hand, did not have the luxury of instant relief or instant trust. Her eyes narrowed at him as she stood up, not lowering her knife that she had originally taken out for the slain beast, "Take off your hood," She ordered, a cop's command.

"Sheesh, officer, let's have a date first," He answered as he swung his sword, a splatter of beast's aubergine residue off the weapon. His tone too playful for her current mood in their current situation. It made him suspicious not charming to her.

"I won't repeat myself," She warned as she glanced at her fallen gun, not too far away from them.

He took his time, cleaning his weapon then placing it in its holder behind his back.

"Thank you, sir!" Elle called from behind her. Anara resisted an eyeroll, this kid has no sense of self preservation.

"At least, one of you has manners," He said, as he finally went to remove his hood, so dramatically slow, that it made Anara want to march up and yank it off herself. She knew he was doing it to piss her off.

But, all her impatience and paranoia vanished under disbelief the moment his hood lifted to reveal his face.

"What the-?" escaped her lips baffled as her eyes trained on him.

"I know, I know, take it all in, I don't charge," He smirks, knowing why she is staring and it has nothing to do with how handsome he is.

"Oh, why are you blue?!" Elle exclaimed from where she was sitting on the floor, asking the question that was on the tip of Anara's tongue, along with the, "Are your eyes yellow?!" This kid really needs to learn to read the room.

But, the stranger with blue skin and yellow eyes, on his otherwise sharp human features, didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to be enejoying their reactions, "What? Don't tell me you've never met a Kryll from Zoran of Northern star range before," His yellow eyes almost sparkle at the way Anara was staring unsure if she was dreaming, hallucinating, or straight up gone crazy.

"You're, an, alien." Anara finally muttered, connecting the dots between his words, his looks, and the announcement that had commenced earlier.

"Well, technically, you an alien for me." He smirked, like he hadn't heard the whole survival of the fittest announcement or been the one who made it. Either way he took one step closer to Anara, "Which planet cluster are you from?" He asked like asking which neighbourhood do you come from?

"What?" The bizarreness of his actions, words, and appearance, made her paranoia and suspicion sit in the back of her head for moment.

He looked her head to toe, as if checking her out, gaze staying on her chest one second too long in appreciation before going down slowly and then up. Using her bewilderment, he added, "Fair skin, red blood, 5 foot what? 3? 4? I'd say, terran. Am I right? Milky way? Solar system around star Sun. We have documentaries about your species," Then, took another step toward her, "They didn't mention you look prettier in person than on screen," It was evident, he was trying to get under skin.

And it worked.

Because it broke the bubble of disbelief she was in. Raised her knife again, sharper, and spoke firmer, "Who are you?" Then, added the question that had been bothering her the moment he had slain the beast, "And where the hell did you come from?"

"Ooh," He glanced at Elle as if they were allies now before looking at Anara, "So, bossy, I like it."

"I swear, if you don't start answering-" She began to warn, her patience running low. He raised his hand with a deep rumbling laugh, taking a step towards the dead beast now instead of her, indincating that he was done joking. His smirk dimmed, but didn't vanish entirely as if part of his permanent facial expressions.

"Alright, Alright, Kizha," He gave half a laugh, in surrender but added, "That means tigress in Zorkis, our language, by the way," then, had the audacity to wink at her afterward.

That was the last straw, but she didn't have time to explode because he started talking.

"I am Prince Dravian Kryll, son of Xareath Kryll the third, ruler of Zoran, the biggest warrior planet in the Northern Star constellation." He did not sound proud of his ancestry to Anara. Even though the tone was right, it didn't reach his eyes. But she didn't assume anything because she was not familiar with Zoran, Zorish, Zorain? whatever. She was not familair with expression of aliens.

"I woke up in these woods yesterday after some stupid UFO grabbed me. Been wandering since then, thankfully, had my trusted Voltar, or you two wouldn't be alive," His annoying smirk was back as he turned to face Anara after having checked something on the slain beast's beheaded body.

"So, you were taken, conveniently had your weapon, and found us right after the announcement to 'save the day' before we could die?" Anara used air quotes to express her mistrust of his story.

"What?" He nearly laughed thinking she was joking, "You think I'd make this up?" But then, saw how serious she was, and added realizing, "You think I made this up."

"Why not?" She challenged.

That did not sit well with him as his eyes narrowed at her. Smirk gone completely for the first time, which took away his playfulness and replaced it with a sense of danger that wasn't there before.

Then, he did what a guy like him would do in such a situation, "Well, in that case, have fun figuring it all out on your own with kid who can't even walk," He challenged right back and turned to leave, putting his hood right back on as he had come, without waiting for more mistrust or commands or challenges from Anara while poor Elle sat on the ground with her eyes glued between the two strangers who had saved her in one day and had just argued like an old married couple.

Dravian disappeared back into the woods with his hood and leather trenchcoat without looking back, leaving the girls staring after him with more questions than before. And somehow, that bothered Anara more than it should have.