Authors: Jr H. Lee Morgan
“
FUCK, RENEE!!!” He
struggled to regain control of his anger as the pride were affected
from the bleed out. He shook, but growled through a locked jaw.
“You really think I’ll ever hit you. No matter how much you piss me
off will I ever strike you except when you like it when I slap your
ass every now and then.”
“
Oh my.” Jessica breathed in
whisper as her pale cheeks turned beet red after watching her
niece’s anger turn into a momentary wicked grin as he brought it
up. Jessica glanced at her wife to find Stephanie with a hand over
her mouth to not bubble out a laugh.
“
You wouldn’t hit me because
I can kick your ass now. You may have more power, but I’m faster
and more experienced with control.”
“
Stars! How much do I have
to keep fighting and show you how much…” He shook his head and
looked over his shoulder. “No, Nova… go ahead.”
“
Snowball, I’m fine.” Said
the fiery redhead.
“
Snowball?” Jessica
whispered, asking her breathtaking beloved.
“
Nova’s top female.” Said
the redheaded Hellcat.
“
You heard that?” Stephanie
asked as the two had leapt over thirty meters away using the
privately known splicing enhancements to increase speed to reach
some form of distance and safety.
With a finger to pull back crimson strands
Renee then pointed to her pointed ears. “These aren’t just for
decoration.” Softly glowing eyes turned upon her aunts. Returning
to the confrontation she got to her feet, tiny still in comparison
to her monumental lover, but her voice softened while the males
left to the bedroom where their new families awaited. “Listen,
Olly, I won’t apologize. I feel bad your nose is irritated…”
“
Irritated isn’t close.” He
interrupted.
She went on without pause. “but I’ll do it
again if you continue to be an overbearing moron. And I know all
you feel because I’m in your head all the fucking time. If I knew
you intended to strike me I’d kick your ass. Loosen up a little and
let me have girl’s time. I love you to death, but I won’t tolerate
you suffocating my limited social interaction. Yeah, yeah… don’t
even say it or I’ll pull Izzy out again as she peed a little on my
tit already.” She placed a hand over her breastplate. “And I know
the hell you, Nova, Fluffy and Flurry went through to keep us all
safe. Have you already forgotten I patched the neck wound you got
from a quill by that hidden Hedgehog Beast? I sure haven’t.
“
We’re out of danger from
Beasts now.” She lost the gauntlets to lay her soft hand against
his cheek. “No Beast here on Zerika can penetrate the reinforced
barrier around the ship. I love you to death, but back the fuck off
when I’m in need of my family or I swear I’ll synthesize Izzy’s
waste and use it when I need my space. Do as I ask and I’ll reward
you. Make me do it again and I’ll fry that damn nose of yours.
Count on it.”
The heated stare-down lasted tense minutes
till the larger and more deadly deflated using a long sigh. “You’re
right. Though you are often wrong and still somehow end up right is
confusing in the highest order, but I can’t fault the logic for
independence. Fine, but now I see why nurseries separated the men
from the young. It is so hard…”
The wicked grin was back in force as she
cupped his groin. “That’s what I usually say.”
“
Is it safe to come back
now?” Stephanie asked, hearing none of it except by body language.
She spoke quietly, not needing to shout with their heightened
hearing.
Two sets of glowing eyes as well as a pair of
reptilian turned on them. “You can come back.” Waved over the tall
redhead.
A few lithe hops and they warily back, but
not so close to interrupt their private space. To break the tension
Oliver was mildly displaying, the only blonde in the area asked
“You named the Ligers? Please tell me you didn’t name them as
childish as possible.”
“
You know I did.” She
smirked. “I got tired of it. They all may have some deep telepathic
connection that limits them as individuals, but it’s there and I
named them all. Even the cubs. It helps me identify them rather
than overgrown pussy two through twelve… excluding Nova as he has a
clear personality. He may be the king-bee, but they are still
somewhat individual. I’d take you in to tell you their names, but
with newborn cubs you won’t make it into the bedroom. Jess
thankfully remained by the doorframe. They won’t kill you, but they
will forcibly deter you to keep away. If I wasn’t Olly’s better
half they would kick me out with one hell of a back scratch
too.”
“
Even wearing that armor?”
Jessica inquired.
“
The way it is now coupled
with my power, no, they can’t pierce it by claws. Teeth? Hell yeah.
But only because we aren’t immune to heavy blows. Nothing short of
Olly’s sword can cut through these.” She flicked the spiky shoulder
pauldrons. “Inside it fits as comfortably as a second skin. Cutting
and piercing don’t work…”
“
And crushing will.”
Stephanie nodded sagely. “Just like medieval knights of old. They
deflected most attacks, but a war hammer did the most damage. Your
suits don’t have weakness at the joints, but the concept of armor
hasn’t really changed. Technology to decrease the chance of fatal
injury.”
“
Speaking of… Any new finds
about the lost and forgotten city?”
Wondered Rose.
Stephanie shook her head. “Not much more than
we found back before we left the city.” She indicated herself and
Jessica. “The city of earth merely has a different artistry and
women both I and Andrea concluded that though the men were the
backbone of Solarian society in terms of tactical and logical
stability, women were the guides and artisans. Both sexes were able
to be warriors. Yet the pieces I examined here on Zerika tends to
lean that those of earth were dominantly a warrior caste whereas
the wind on Drakken Prime were of exploration. Makes sense since
law…”
“
Seventy two stated to be a
warrior one must be solid as firm ground and mountains.” Oliver
finished in a stuffy way. Jessica and Stephanie unconsciously took
a half step back and his stiffened posture eased ever so slightly.
His next words were slightly smoother. “And here I was thinking the
Queen of fire had monopoly of the warriors.”
“
Going over footage from
that ass of an AI several times I don’t think so.” Jessica piped
up. “I think the Solarian system was interchangeable, but the
Queens had a specific goal on how to run their let’s say…
Queendoms. If Andrea, my brother and Steph are right about the
caste division. Wind are for those who seek out new frontiers.
Earth are warriors who defend the home. Water are those who nurture
life. And Fire is likely for judgment or creation via
destruction.”
“
But what about Ice?” Renee
asked with a furrowed brow.
“
Too early to assume.”
Stephanie said as she sat down. “Jess slowed down the recordings of
the AI when he looked in on the other castles. Judging by the
artistry styles unique to each city we inferred how the society was
run. We need more information, but it is a safe assumption. It is
rather fascinating.”
“
But we wanted to come home
and see the baby.” Jessica crooned.
It made Renee feel extremely happy to hear
the love and affection of her aunt. It joined another thought that
had her slap her own forehead. “Damn. Forgot to tell Papa we’re
here already.”
Jessica lilted a hearty laugh. “He’s going to
be mad he didn’t know, but happy you got home safe and sound with
his granddaughter.”
“
Is Papa still mad you
tranqed him?”
“
An understatement of the
highest order till I shot him again with another dose and another
till he got the picture.” Jessica giggled and it also put the first
smile in awhile on Oliver’s countenance. “He was a good boy though
after hearing he was finally a grandfather after a millennia. You
go call him.”
Renee tapped her ear and was telling her
father how they got back to the ship so quick when Jessica snapped
her fingers as a memory flashed by. “Oliver, almost forgot myself
to tell you than an Elder Hunter by the name of Scimitar wants to
see you. He said to come by as soon as possible.”
“
Papa, hold on for a few
seconds.” Said Renee as she turned to gaze into the miniature suns.
“You better go on down there. You’re still an Elder Hunter
too.”
“
I’m not…”
“
Just leave the Pride here
with me. I’m going to show off our little girl to all my friends.
Chloe especially has been eager by the number of messages she left
that I couldn’t answer.”
Nova’s enormous head appeared before his body
silently followed. Icy blue eyes were lock on amber. “Don’t lose
her from your sight for even a second. Any danger comes to her or
my daughter and you know what to do.” There was a pleasurable purr
as the king of the pride came over to lay down beside Renee to
watch her and nothing she could say or do would change his master’s
clear orders. The way he licked his pink snout said he hoped there
was a small chance that danger was around the next corner.
Unfortunately none knew that was exactly what
was coming.
Chapter 13
Difficult was the lightest definition of a
word for Oliver as he jumped over the ledge to plummet towards the
flourishing canyon ravine before adding a little levitation for a
semblance of flight. Painful would be a better word for the
separation. His seemingly scalded sense of smell was a physical
reference he understood that was comparable to the emotion of
separating from his woman and newborn daughter who were the only
reason to continue living. The cooled air of the Dorgenox was
ripped away by the midday humid heat of Zerika and her near endless
jungle. He angled under the ship to fly over to the rather limited
space the village had as a docking area. On the way to it he tapped
his ear saying “Elder Scimitar, it is…”
“
Brother. How good it is to
hear from you.” Came a soft-spoken male voice that held the tone of
a gentle soul forged from countless combat and personal trials. “I
take it my request to Mrs. Menann got to you.”
“
Yes, but you could have
contacted me.”
“
I could have, Brother, but
you had other issues and I felt it prudent to let you enjoy hunting
to your heart’s content and starting a family. I simply wish to
speak and see how far you have come. I’m over…”
“
My neural chip has a lock
on your com. I take it you are the temporary Elder of the village
while Scythe is over at the city?”
“
Quite so. I will meet you
at the waterfall. I’m walking…”
“
Down the steps carved
through the cliff. I see you.”
“
Ah, and I see you as well.
You have come
very
far since last we met.” The enhanced vision the chip grants
showed the armored Elder lifting a hand to wave. Like nearly all
Hunters, they were large of body and muscular through vigorous
exercise and no stranger to life and death confrontations whether
from Beast, human or Keptl. Sheathed at either hip was the namesake
he chose the day he gave up his given name when he reached the age
of three hundred to become an Elder. Two curved scimitars hung at
his hip. Tip to pommel was half his own considerable height, but he
was easily a head shorter than Oliver. Rare is it Hunters reach
even that age as they live for life and death combat. It was almost
a religion. Just because they liked to relax often didn’t mean they
were any less lethal.
Oliver landed on the platform, touching
lightly, the hard soles of the boots making almost no sound even
with his own heightened hearing. Off to the side of his
consciousness he watched through Nova’s ever alert gaze of Renee
speaking with her aunts as well as a few others who came to finally
see the newest member to the Dorgenox family. With her safe in his
claws and loyal vigil, Oliver relaxed ever so slightly. He would
not go completely till they were alone and together. Focusing one
foot in front of the other was possible, even being strained not to
turn around and go back.
Being inside the village barrier, many opted
to forgo their armor. Especially bikini clad women and topless men
who watched over more than three hundred children ranging from
three to ten years old. The older children were in training up
behind the Elder’s Lodge working on honing their Psionic talents.
Some adults were playing in the river too that cut through the
center of the village to keep cool.
Wearing the fearsome Solarian armor and
bright amber gaze drew the attention of all when glimpsed, but
these battle tempered people weren’t struck by fear like most.
Instead they cheerfully waved him and called greetings as he
returned. Some wanted to come over and introduce themselves
officially, but he was currently walking where there was only open
grass and well worn dirt trails. Mud clung to his boots as Zerika
rarely went three weeks without a storm throughout the long year. A
Zerika’s year was two hundred days and an additional two hours in
each day compared to Earth Standard. Seeing his approach towards
the other temporary Elder though made the majority of onyx skinned
villagers postpone going over.
Spray from the waterfall was cooling in the
overhead star and a little loud, but since both men had stronger
hearing and training to discard other sounds to focus on another.
Elder Scimitar smiled kindly, his inky skin-tone a stark contrast
to the pearly straight smile behind the lips. “It is good to see
you well after all that has gone on since we last spoke.”