Tarrin didn't feel like untying the rope. He sliced it off of him with a claw, then looked down at the pair calmly. The climb up was more strenuous than the climb down had been, and that coupled with the lack of sleep between going down and coming up had taken their toll on him. Now he was tired, but he wasn't about to show that particular weakness to those two. Sarraya picked herself out of his hair and moved to hover in front of him, her expression one of slight concern.

"Sarraya, keep watch on them while I go find a place to camp. We have to get a fire going before sunset, and I don't think camping right here is a good idea."

"You look tired, Tarrin," Sarraya protested. "You watch them, and I'll go find someplace suitable. After all, I didn't do any climbing."

He didn't feel much like arguing with her. "Go ahead, but make it fast. The first place you find will do. We don't have much time."

"Aye-aye, captain!" she said, throwing up a hand in salute like the sailors on the ships had done.

"Go," he said flatly.

She stuck her tongue out at him, then turned and buzzed off towards a rock spire that was about a longspan from the canyon.

She was nearly as bad as Denai.

"Well, it looks like I'll never settle my blood debt," Denai huffed. "Now I owe blood debt to you, Var. You stopped me when I fell."

"It's not important," Var panted in reply. "We wore the rope for mutual protection. That we had to use it isn't a matter of blood."

"So you say," she said stubbornly. "I feel I owe you blood debt. Do you want to fight about it once we recover?"

"You'll lose."

"Not this time I won't."

"And you'll dig yourself deeper with your loss."

"That's my problem, isn't it?"

Tarrin raised an eyebrow-and more to the point, he opened his nose. Tarrin's sense of smell was exceptionally acute, and he'd been around Selani long enough to understand how their scents related to their moods. Just like humans, Selani had specific textures in their scents that related to happiness, anger, fear, and other common emotions. Denai's scent carried a spicy texture to it that told him that she was starting to show interest in Var.

It was about time.

Tarrin realized that Denai had slipped on purpose. She did it to incur blood debt to Var, to give her a reason to stay with him. She couldn't settle her debt with Var until she finished settling it with Tarrin. It explained why she wasn't frightened or screaming when she fell. Anyone, even a Selani-even him -would have done more than give out that little cry when faced with falling so far that one would probably die of panic before hitting the ground. No wonder she wasn't hurt, or she wasn't all panicky after she reached the end of the rope. She had been ready for it.

He was right. Denai was crazy. She was totally fearless, probably too fearless for her own good. To risk her life just to give herself an excuse to catch herself a man! That was the craziest thing he'd ever seen!

She did more than risk her own life, she had put all three of them in danger!

The minute he realized that, he felt a surge of hostility towards the affable Selani girl, but it quickly died away. Were-cat females weren't exactly well known for their restraint. What Denai did wasn't much crazier as what Rahnee or Jesmind might do.

Jesmind. He wondered what she was doing, and if she was well. In a strange way, he still missed her, and missed her terribly. He wanted to kill her for abandoning him, but he still yearned for her in that peculiar way. Not just for her companionship, but for the sense of safety he had felt when he was around her.

But that was a cub's reaction to the big scary world, and he was too old for it now.

And he thought that the Selani were immune to acting like total idiots when it came to hormones. Denai was thinking with her glands, not her head. Then again, she was young. Allia certainly wouldn't be so foolish. If she wanted Var, she'd march right up to him and tell him in no uncertain terms exactly what her intentions were. It was Allia's way. But not every Selani was Allia. Just like humans, they were very different from one another, within certain cultural boundaries.

Tarrin tuned out their arguing long enough to not realize when they stopped. Sarraya came flitting back several moments later, a smile on her face. "There's a nice flat on the far side of that rock spire," she reported. "It's perfect for a campsite. I already conjured up all our camp gear, so it's waiting for you."

"Good. Get up," he called over his shoulder. "We have to be there by sunset, or we'll attract Sandmen."

They made it in plenty of time. Tarrin got the fire going as Var and Denai wearily went out and killed something to eat, then dragged themselves back. Tarrin watched as they broiled the catch, a fairly large umuni, on a stick Sarraya conjured up, and then took his portion and went to the far side of the fire. Var rolled himself up in his bedroll the instant he was done eating, and was asleep before he stopped moving.

Tarrin stood up as Denai spat out a bone from the lizard, and then she gave out a squeak when he hauled her up off the ground by the back of her shirt. He pulled her up and turned her so she was looking him right in the eyes, her feet dangling two spans off the ground, and his expression was enough to make her very, very frightened.

"If you ever do something as stupid as you did today, I'll make sure your father finds what's left of you scattered over three day's run from here to the Cloud Spire. Do you understand me?"

"I didn't-"

" Do you understand me?" he hissed savagely, his ears laying back and his eyes igniting from within with that unholy greenish radiance that clearly marked his anger. Sarraya had described all the warning signs to Denai, and the expression of sudden terror on her face made it clear to him that she understood that one.

"I-yes," she said in a fearful voice. "I understand. Can I get down now?"

Tarrin dropped her roughly, causing her to fall to her backside with her teeth clicking.

"Now go to sleep," he commanded harshly, "before I decide to make you sleep in the dark."

She didn't say a word. She just scrambled to her bedroll beside Var and rolled herself up in it, then rolled over so her back was to him.

Tarrin snorted, then went back to his side of the fire. That had been sufficient. She knew better now, or at least she'd better. Tarrin did not make idle threats. If she continued to be stupid, then he would kill her, if only to protect the rest of them from her.

The camp was quiet for a long time. Sarraya kept looking at him curiously, and when Denai's breathing slowed into the deep pattern of sleep, she roused herself from her seat near the fire. "What was that all about?" Sarraya whispered, flitting over and landing on his shoulder.

Tarrin blew out his breath, then told her. That made Sarraya blanch slightly, then chuckle. "She's got guts."

"It was stupid," he snarled. "She could have killed all three of us with that stunt."

"But she didn't. I'm not surprised she'd do something like that. Denai's kinda fearless, if you haven't noticed."

"It's called a lack of common sense," he grunted. "I should make Var marry her, if only to let his good sense keep her from getting killed."

"Var likes her. He told me so."

"Denai's scent tells me everything I need to know about how she feels," Tarrin replied. "She's young, but she's an adult. She may be coming in season, but I'm not sure yet."

"What?"

"Selani are like Were-cats, Sarraya. They're only fertile a few rides every six months, and that affects their behavior. Allia explained it to me. You haven't been with us long enough to see Allia in season, but I have. She gets very cranky. Almost like a human woman."

"What does that have to do with it?"