TirzahsAllure Read Online Free

tribes.”
    “If aliens have settled on this planet, there must be more beyond the forest.” She dared to speak now that Opek had spoken to her directly. “Surely the whole planet isn’t made up out of forests?”
    “Why are you so eager to leave? Are you that unhappy here? Our life is good.”
    “Our life might be good, in a sense. But I long for normality, for cities like the ones you’ve told us about, for clothing like I’ve seen in the pictures, for music, and lots of other things. So do many of my friends. We might be civilized, but our life is almost the same as the savages that occupy this planet. The only difference is we don’t eat human flesh.” How could she tell him she longed for a mate, but none of her friends were to her liking. Sure, some of the young men chased her, but she always rejected their advances. How was she ever to mate if she couldn’t find someone among her own people? It was as if he’d read her thoughts—and he probably had. She had such a bad habit of leaving her thoughts unguarded.
    “You won’t find another species like us on this planet. We’d have picked up their signature years ago. Yes, there are the black cats, but they’re merely cats. They don’t have the ability to shift. You have no choice but to find your mate here, among us,” Opek said, a stern expression on his face.
    Tirzah glanced at the faces of her people, young and older. Children played nearby, some of them her siblings. Her parents were more prolific than any other couple. Over the years, her mother and her two mates had produced eight litters. What had started out as a group of fifteen, had increased to fifty-six. Tirzah couldn’t even remember the names of her siblings at times. “Our numbers are increasing. Because of our lengthy life span, our village will soon be too small to house everyone. We don’t have the equipment to clear the forest, or materials to build more houses, so where is everyone supposed to live? I’m sorry, but when I find a mate, I don’t want to share a house with two or three dozen others.”
    A soft murmur of agreement came from some of her friends.
    “Tirzah, we will find a solution. And now, to other matters. The Festival of Light is approaching and…”
    Opek’s voice faded into the distance as Tirzah’s mind rebelled. She blocked her thoughts. If Opek or anyone else read her mind, they’d be shocked out of their wits. It was forbidden to venture beyond the boundaries. If she did, what would they do to her? What could they do? Disown her? Cast her out? What if you can never find your way back , a small voice in her mind nagged.
    The meeting was finally over and Tirzah wandered to the waterfall to freshen up, followed by her two closest friends, Senki and Taran. The three laughed and splashed while they stood under the cold water. When they were done, Tirzah walked to the side of the falls and sat on the rock plateau to dry off in the warm sunlight filtering through a small break in the mist bank, her legs dangling over the side. She gazed down at the water, at the small children at play on the banks, one of them sporting a large leaf with a pink flower on her head. Huge leaves with flowers on top of them floated on the still water. They never swam in the lake because there were predators, long scaly creatures that lived in the river but sometimes ventured into their territory.
    “Are you still thinking of leaving?” Senki asked as she sat next to Tirzah. Taran stood beside them, tossing pebbles into the water.
    “Yes. I think I’ll go tonight. I made up my mind during the meeting. You can come with me, if you want.”
    “No. I’m too scared,” Senki said, pulling a face.
    “I don’t dare,” Taran agreed. “Aren’t you scared?”
    “A little bit. I feel excited at the thought.”
    “It’s dangerous to go into the forest at night. If something happens to you, we’ll never know,” Senki said wistfully. “The elders will come after you in the morning