Cosmic Bounty by Unknown Page B

should have realized the atmospheric drop would be hard on you.”
    “I’m okay. I’m just glad I had you to hold on to.” She smiled at Hul .
    “Katrina, welcome to Galafrax .” Gol took her hand and led her out of the shuttle. A gust of warm wind hit her face, making her hair whip around. She inhaled the air; her mind struggled to find similes to compare the scents to. On one hand, it felt tropical, a slightly fruity tang with a hint of spice. The color of the sky was tinged purple red and they felt the heat of the large, red sun shining down on them.
    Glancing around, she realized the shuttle had landed on a high building. She walked forward, gazing for the first time over the vast, alien city.
    Kat stared in amazement. Streets were lined with earth shades of red and brown; the houses and buildings were a mix of different sized, pyramid structures. The streets were positioned uniformly, one after the other and stretched on for miles, all surrounding one central pyramid. Kat was sure it would be five times bigger than the pyramids of Giza in Egypt .
    “We have those kind of buildings on Earth.”
    “ Qyi -buildings?” Hul questioned.
    “On Earth, we call them pyramids, built by an ancient civilization called the Egyptians. I think there were a few Qyi -Buildings, built by other cultures on various parts of the planet, as well. But that was long ago. Humans don’t build pyramids like this anymore.”
    Ric took her hand, leading her away from the edge of the building, towards a large entrance other Demos quads vanished into.
    “Where are we going, now?”
    “We wish to get the adoption process underway promptly,” Ric stated. “The sooner it is done, the sooner we can formally court you and claim you.”
     

Chapter Eleven
     
    Kat forced a smile and tried not to gape at her new ‘adopted family’, P’Tala . She would be known as Katrina P’Tala . It didn’t sound too weird.
    “Katrina, this is Tev , Yuv , Riv , Oul , and their sheraz Sarrbeem , your new fathers and mother.”
    “Um, lovely to meet you and thank you for doing this for us,” Kat said politely.
    This was Kat’s first proper look at a Demos woman. She was almost as tall as the men, heavy set with a flat chest. It wasn’t a wonder her men were so taken with her breasts, now that she thought about it. Her black hair was tinged with shades of grey, the same as the older men who flanked her. Apart from the body shape, her features were more delicate and feminine. Her eyes were a lighter gold, almost light yellow in color, as she gazed coolly down on Kat.
    “It is our pleasure, little human.” Tev spoke first.
    Kat remembered it was usually always the oldest who was the spokesperson.
    “She speaks very softly,” Sarrbeem stated boldly with a frown, critically glancing over her, making Kat feel self-conscious, almost like a bug on display. “And very pale. I did not expect her to be so pale; she looks frail. Are you sure she is suitable to be a sheraz ?” She addressed Gol and Hul .
    “Very suitable. We would have not asked this of you if she was not,” Gol defended, looking more than annoyed.
    “Oh, very well, as long as she does not get in my way,” the woman said, rather rudely. She then swiveled on her heel and walked away. The door opened and slid shut behind her.
    None of her ‘husbands’ were bothered by her behavior.
    This time Kat did gape. “Are you sure this is alright? I don’t want to be the cause of any trouble.”
    Her soon to be ‘adopted’ fathers all stared at her in astonishment, but quickly recovered.
    “We are honored to have a daughter,” Yul said with a smile. “It is rare to find a female so … polite.”
    “Rare?” Kat blinked in confusion. “I’m sorry, but I am finding your world and customs confusing. On my planet, it is common courtesy to be nice to one another, no matter the gender.”
    “You have been lacking in educating your human, Gol ,” Tev said, before again addressing her.