Hinekiri (17 page)

Hinekiri sauntered back outside loaded with five white boxes. “One each,” she said to the driver as he packed the boxes inside the Land Rover.

“You are only two people,” the driver said.

“I brought my pets with me. They are extremely well-behaved.” She fluttered her eyelashes at the driver and produced a fold of banknotes. “And one for you, of course.”

“That will be fine, madam.” The money disappeared into his pocket.

“Wonderful.” Hinekiri put her fingers to her lips and let out a piercing whistle. Killer and Harry bounded out of the darkness.

Samuel froze. “That is a hyena, madam.”

“Yes. And a dog,” Hinekiri said.

Richard strained to hear the driver’s reaction to a purple dog but was disappointed when the driver barely hesitated. He shut the door after Hinekiri, Killer and Harry before circling the vehicle to take his place behind the wheel.

“Purple dog.” The driver peered into the rear-vision mirror and blinked. “Too much drink.” He shook his head, seeming to pretend he was seeing things rather than accept visual evidence. The engine purred to life, he changed gears and they departed. “We’re going to follow the circular road around the interior of the park. We’ll stop at the river outlook. The rains started over a month ago but the wildebeest are still arriving. If we’re lucky, we will see them crossing the river.”

“I thought I’d timed it right.” Hinekiri leaned between the seats to speak to them.

“The rains came early this year,” the driver called above the clatter of the vehicle when they drove through a series of potholes. “Watch carefully. Even though it is still dark, the animals are starting to move about.”

Richard peered out the open window, scrutinizing every bush and behind each dark tree they passed. A piercing cry echoed in the trees.

Hinekiri’s head popped forward between the seats again. “What was that?”

“Vervet monkeys. There’s a colony in the trees near here. Normally they don’t make much noise but something has frightened them. Perhaps it is a leopard.” The driver slowed the Land Rover.

Richard scanned the area. “There’s something over there.”

“It looked like a person,” Hinekiri said.

“Not person. Rangers don’t come out in dark unless there are sightings of poachers. No poachers operating in this area.”

“I see person,” Killer growled in a low bark.

Richard heard the soft yips of the hyena.

“Harry say poachers hunt for animal skins most nights. His family think might move. They shoot all animal even hyena.”

Richard hurriedly asked the driver a question to distract him from the chattering animals. “How long before it gets light?” Even though he wouldn’t understand the animals, he’d think it weird when Hinekiri answered Killer. Hell, he’d thought it was peculiar before he’d understood.

“Killer, we’ll talk about it later,” Hinekiri said in a low growl.

“About half an hour or so,” Samuel said. “Something is in the bush. See the eyes glowing.”

“Down,” Killer barked.

Richard was aware of the muted communication going on in the backseat even as he heard the driver and scanned the bushes. The sky behind the trees was noticeably lighter. Richard picked out a pair of glowing eyes but couldn’t guess at the identity of the animal. “I see it. What do you think it is?”

“Could be a cat. A leopard.” The driver halted the vehicle in the middle of the road and switched off the engine. The sudden silence rippled with anticipation. “It’s a hyena,” the driver said finally. “They are usually found on the open plains. It’s possible a big cat has made a kill or their burrows may be in the area. I can’t see them anymore. We will drive on.”

The glow of the sun appeared on the horizon and slowly the fiery ball climbed upward. The darkness receded and Richard noticed storm clouds on the horizon, plump and full of rain. A flock of storks flew past and settled near a shallow pool. He wouldn’t mind more rain if it settled some of the dust.

“Giraffe,” the driver said, slowing the vehicle. He pointed over to his right and Richard finally picked out three giraffes amongst the acacia trees.

In the backseat, Hinekiri clicked away with her image machine while Richard concentrated on watching the gentle giants. They stretched their necks, stripping foliage from the trees. Richard caught a glimpse of their long, black tongues when they curled them around the branch tips.

A pride of lions caught their attention next. Most were sleeping but three of the younger lions played together in a mock battle with snarls, twitching tails and lots of teeth.

“Zebra.” Hinekiri flashed her image machine in the direction of the herd of black-and-white-striped animals. Something startled them and they galloped off with whistles of fright. The small fawn-and-white Thomson’s gazelles on the fringe of the herd of zebra jerked their heads up, snorting before running. Next, they stopped to watch a herd of wildebeest that stretched as far as the eye could see.

“Elephant,” Richard said. Three of the huge creatures were using their trunks to strip leaves off a tree.

“Eland,” the driver said, pointing at the large ox-sized antelope.

Richard sighted a soaring harrier gliding through the sky before three ugly warthogs fighting over positioning at a mud wallow snared his attention. Their squeals and posturing brought a grin. In the backseat, Hinekiri continued to capture images while he heard the low growls of conversation from Killer and Harry.

“A wild dog.” Samuel pointed and Richard saw the small dog-like creature slinking through the long grass.

“Hyenas,” Hinekiri chirped, pointed a forefinger in front of them. The beasts were crowded around a carcass, feasting on carrion, their blood-smeared faces contrasting starkly with the toothy grins.

Richard noticed whenever they saw a hyena Harry ducked out of sight. His female problem must be worse than they’d realized.

After studying the animals for half an hour, they drove down a side track to the river viewpoint. Despite the early hour, several white vans and around six Land Rovers had parked on the edge of the track. Samuel pulled up behind a van.

“You can get out here,” he said. “Continue walking to the top of the track past the rocks and you will come to the viewing point where you can look down on the river below in safety.”

Killer and Harry started a low, growling conversation. Killer nodded and nuzzled Harry’s shoulder. “We stay here. Tired. Have sleep.”

“Probably safer with the number of people about,” Richard said.

He and Hinekiri strolled hand in hand up the dusty track. The excited chatter of the other tourists filled the air while Richard heard the drivers hail each other in their local dialect as they settled to wait for their passengers. The track inclined sharply before flattening out to a plateau. The view across the river and savannah beyond was incredible. Richard saw the great herds of wildebeest that stretched for miles. Over to their right a herd of elephants played in the water and mud at the edge of the shallow riverbank.

A curious grunting call drew his attention to the middle of the river. Huge, rounded gray mounds bobbed up and down in the muddy-colored water. In some instances only the tips of their ears showed above water.

“Hippo,” Hinekiri said, instantly letting go of his hand and pointing her image machine in the direction of the river. Around them, the rest of the tourists were equally enthralled, faces glowing with excitement, cameras snapping.

Richard wrapped his arm around Hinekiri’s waist, content to watch both animals and humans while he waited for Hinekiri to complete her imaging. He didn’t notice the excitement exhibited by a group of Japanese tourists at first, but gradually, their chatter drew his attention.

A pack of hyena—a huge pack numbering about thirty—loped across the rocky terrain above the viewing spot. Richard’s eyes narrowed. They were organized. They were searching for something. Hunting? He cast his mind back through his memories before concluding he had no idea. His knowledge of hyena was scanty. Richard nudged Hinekiri with his elbow. “Hinekiri, hyena,” he said in a low voice. “What do you suppose they’re looking for?”

Hinekiri let her imaging machine fall against her chest, her violet eyes narrowing. They exchanged a glance full of meaning along with a couple of silent questions.

“I’d bet it’s something to do with Killer and Harry,” Richard said in a grim tone, voicing what they were both thinking. Wasn’t it bad enough that he harbored an alien? Harbored—hell, embraced fitted the scenario a little better. “I think Killer and Harry are hiding something.”

Hinekiri started back down the track. “Don’t worry,” she chirped. “I have ways of making creatures talk.”

Richard remained frozen for a bit longer, studying the feminine sway of her hips while replaying her words. Ways of making creatures talk. Shit, that didn’t sound good. Then he considered the idea again and figured Hinekiri needed some sort of protection when she traveled to uninhabited planets and explored unknown worlds. He scowled as he started after her. He hoped like hell that he never upset the beautiful alien. He’d hate to discover exactly what those methods of making creatures talk entailed.

The return journey to the Land Rover took half the amount of time since it was downhill and they didn’t stop to gawk. Puffs of red dust rose with every step. Richard sneezed and paused to wipe his face and eyes. He really hoped those rain clouds delivered. When he opened his eyes, Hinekiri was wrenching open the rear door of the Land Rover and growling at Killer and Harry.

The astonished look on the driver’s face told Richard that he’d better run interference.

“Hi, Samuel,” Richard said, breathing heavily because of the rapid sprint across the last few meters of track. “Where are we going next?”

“We can eat or go back to the lodge,” Samuel said. “The sun is higher now. Most animals are active at sunrise and sundown.”

“Lodge,” Hinekiri snapped, breaking off her spate of growling and barking for an instant.

Richard heard the odd barked word here and there but didn’t get the full picture. He rounded the Land Rover and opened the door. The stench made him stagger back a couple of steps in desperate need of fresh air. He took a deep breath and stepped closer. The smell was incredible—a mixture of putrid dead-animal and wet animal fur with a touch of sulfur.

“Killer and Harry were hungry. They ate breakfast without us.”

The whistle of air followed by a whiff of sulfur made Richard’s eyes water. What the hell was the driver going to think?

Hinekiri pushed Killer across the backseat and climbed inside. She wound down the window and stared straight ahead, waves of palpable anger pouring off her.

“What’s going on?” Richard whispered.

“Tell later,” Killer barked an instant before the driver climbed inside. His nose twitched and he cast a startled, wide-eyed look over his shoulder before winding down his window.

“The animals went swimming,” Hinekiri explained, her voice charming and totally different from the tone she’d used only minutes before.

The driver nodded and started the Land Rover. They bounced down the dusty track, gears grinding and a plume of dust billowing behind to mark their departure.

Richard hoped the journey back to the lodge would be a bit quicker than the outward one. He breathed through his mouth in an attempt to avoid the stench coming from the rear.

“We will help you clean the interior of the vehicle,” Hinekiri said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Samuel said. “I will clean. It is my job.”

Richard scowled in Killer’s direction. If the dog had been capable, Richard would have demanded the creature help Samuel clean the mud and stench along with the trail of broken eggshells. It appeared their breakfast boxes had included a hard-boiled egg. Another whistling fart signaled the arrival of a sulfurous cloud. Richard gagged. Bloody hell. The terrible twosome had some explaining to do.

Samuel pulled up in the car park instead of in front of reception. Richard didn’t blame him in the slightest.

He climbed from the passenger seat and gulped in a huge lungful of clean air. His gaze met Hinekiri’s over the top of the vehicle. “I’ll go and help Samuel.”

“Thanks,” Hinekiri said. “I’ll interrogate these two.”

It was an hour later that Richard entered their cabin. “Hinekiri, I’m back.” He could smell the stench wafting from him and he unbuttoned his khaki-colored shirt as he moved to the bedroom. He dropped his jacket on the tiled floor and added his shirt to the pile. His trousers followed next then his underwear. Naked, he crossed the bedroom and entered the en suite. “Hinekiri,” he called.

When there was no answer, he opened the shower door, flipped on the water and stepped inside. Hinekiri’s collection of girly soaps sat on the ledge inside the shower. Richard grabbed one and lathered, uncaring if he smelled like flowers for the rest of the day. Anything was better than the stench of the river mud. He washed his hair, face and body until the water ran clean. He had no idea how two small animals had created so much mess in the back of the Land Rover. Thank goodness he’d stayed around to help Samuel. A good bloke.

Samuel had regaled him with legends told to him during his childhood of hyena men, clever elephants and shy giraffes. Despite the hard work involved with cleaning, Richard wouldn’t have missed the experience for the world.

He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and wiped the droplets of water from his body. “Hinekiri?”

No reply. Shrugging, Richard padded through to the bedroom and pulled out a clean pair of shorts and a shirt. After pulling on underwear, he hurriedly dressed and headed out to the verandah to see if Hinekiri and the animals were out there.

“Hinekiri? Where are you?”

“Out here, Richard.”

The careful, almost strained note in Hinekiri’s voice brought a note of alarm. Richard slowed and stopped at the double sliding doors leading out to the verandah. Hinekiri, Killer and Harry stood in the middle of a ring of grinning hyenas. Hell! What did he do now? They didn’t have a weapon, not that he could do much with a gun. By the time he shot one or two, the others would be on the attack.