Chapter Two
Aykeetan
Sleep alluded me last night. Every time I closed my eyes and my mind was about to drift off into slumber, I would jolt awake feeling restless and off. I wasn't exactly sure what was throwing me out of balance, but I knew it couldn’t be my kavesta. It’s much too late for that.
My species, Kea’Terrans, tend to go through their kavesta shortly after becoming an adult. Despite reaching full maturity over ten solar cycles ago, mine has yet to make an appearance.
I have given up, resigned to live a life without a mate. It’s clear the gods have other plans for me. My hearts explode with desolation. If I had a kavesta, I would have a family, and could teach my sons and daughters about our way of life just as my sire has for me. Unfortunately, without one, you can never find your true mate.
I place these thoughts in the back of my mind, the distractions are deadly out in the Deep. I can’t afford to be thinking about personal matters when I’m working. One wrong decision could cost my sire his life, or mine. I need to stay focused.
“We have three orders of graykling, two taykadas, and one shaykset. This is going to be a long day, but if we track well, we can hunt these beasts down in no time,” my sire exhaled, closing his eyes. “I’d like to make it home early tonight. Your mother is preparing smoked wither beast and tave cake as we speak.”
Of course. Nothing stands in my sire’s way of his food. My mother is an excellent cook despite the fact she wasn’t born on Ay’Kea’Terra. She honed her craft of creating delicious meals that any natural born Kea’Terran would kill for, and my sire is one of them.
We leave our territorial grounds where my family has lived for generations. My family descends from a long line of ancestors who truly believed in the power of living among nature. Our lineage dictates we must hunt our own food, breed our own livestock and build our own homes. We also craft, forge and sew.
If there’s something we can’t make, we trade with others in neighboring territories. What separates my lineage from many others of my kind is the lack of advanced technology we own, with the exception of communication devices. It isn’t used in our territory, not that it’s forbidden, it's just not part of our way of life.
Today we’re heading into what we call the Deep. No one dares to live there, so it's unclaimed land, and rightfully so. The beasts that make a home there are incredibly dangerous, killing many of those who dare to encroach in their domain.
My sire and I are exceptionally skilled hunters. This is our lively-hood. We trade for goods we need, provide for our family and protect the ones we love. Being a hunter has been ingrained from the start of my life and of those who came before me. It’s in our ancestral blood.
As we enter the Deep, a sensation I can’t describe crawls its way into my body and mind. It’s so gradual, that if I wasn’t so focused on the tight control I need to have in my current surroundings, I would have missed it. I have a feeling that something isn’t right.
I look to my sire, and he eyes me curiously.
“Something isn’t right,” I whisper. The tiny hairs that cover my entire body stand up and my fangs pulse.
Something definitely isn’t right.
A guttural growl resonates behind our position. I inch my head slightly to the side. It’s a shaykset. Rare, vicious and deadly, but also on today’s order.
The beast is formidable. Eight feet tall and four feet wide. Four sets of deadly eyes, a large mouth with serrated teeth used for shredding its prey into a blood bath. If that wasn’t enough, they also have venomous, bulbous barbs on their tail. If you get hit by one of those you become paralyzed for several hours, and if you're lucky, killed and consumed before the effects wear off.
Between the two of us, we can handle this beast. It’s what we do for a living. We both dash forward with a burst of speed honed by years of training, careful to avoid the shaykset’s deadly tail. As I near, I’m fanned with a foul stench and I cease breathing for a moment. Pulling out my dagger, I slash the beast’s underbelly, while my sire gets the beasts throat.
The shaykset gurgles out its last sound in defeat. Just when I think it’s dead, I’m whipped across my back with tremendous force. I smash onto the ground.
Groaning, I try to get up, but my body refuses to move. terrible realization hits my mind. I’ve been paralyzed by the dead beast’s tail.
Vrakk.
Darkness encroaches upon me and I hear my sire Shout,
“By the gods! Just hold on, my son!”
I COME TO AND MY EYES are blasted by light. I’m surprised to see I’m in my parent’s home, in the old room that was mine when I was just a youngling.
My body feels incredibly weak. “What’s happening to me? Where’s my sire?” my voice barely croaks out, sounding like death and dehydration.
Appearing beside me with a smile on her face, my mother cleanses my brow with a damp cloth. I can’t possibly see what’s so great about being bested by a beast from the Deep.
“Darling, I’m so glad you’ve came to. Your sire is fine, he’s resting. He’s obviously tired from the ordeal. He carried you all the way back here from the Deep. My mate never fails to impress me. But let's not worry about that, we have great news to share with you.” Her smile spreads from one ear to the other.
We? I don’t want to ruin the moment by explaining to her that the order isn’t complete. I know how much she despises when we leave for the Deep, while the orders tend to be small, we still risk our hides every time we go that far out.
“I feel like death. If I don’t die now, that would be great news.”
Her scold is light, the gentle lines of her smile still shine through. She’s clearly excited about something and it draws my attention
“It could have been worse,” someone speaks.
I glance into the direction of the unknown voice.
“I’m Healer Kayven. Your sire contacted me as soon as you were hauled back here. I’m surprised you’re even alive. The combination of the shaykset’s poison and your kavesta nearly caused your death. I had to keep you sedated during the course of your transition, but I’m happy to announce that you should be feeling yourself again within the next day or two. Congratulations are in order, Aykeetan.” The male has a smug look on his face, as if saving me was a miracle.
I scoff. I’m a strong male of course I would have survived...wait a minute. What? Did he just say what I thought he just said? “
My kavesta?” Surely, they are jesting with me.
No. My mother would never trick me with such things. That would be cruel, and she is far from that. My body ignores my request to sit up, apparently too weak to comply. Hunting with my sire is still clear in my mind, but I don’t recall any physical changes to my body. I need to know for certain if what they say is true.
My mother learns over my sleeping platform, holding a mirror so I can see for myself.
“By the Gods!” I say with extreme awe. My appearance has changed and looks much different than before.
Despite what your parents look like, all Kea’Terrans are born with gray skin with gray downy fur that covers our entire bodies, black eyes and fangs.
Now I have light blue skin and no more downy fur. I’m naked and it’s a strange sensation. I look more like my mother, human, but I’ve kept my fangs. My eyes are now hazel, and the contrast between my skin and my eyes is striking. I’m relieved that my sight hasn’t changed.
Excitement, happiness and hope burst through my body. Ignoring the pain, I jolt upwards to a sitting position. I try to process what this means for me. A mate, a family, younglings of my own. Everything I’ve ever wanted in one go. It’s as if the gods pitied me and took it upon themselves to set things right.
“I look almost human, but I didn’t think they came in this color.”
“We don’t darling. I’m not sure why you are that color, but healer Kayven took a blood sample. Your mate is human, it's confirmed.” The joy on my mother’s face is infectious. It warms
me and causes me to grin.
Over the next few days I focus on regaining my health, placing all other duties on hold. Mating is the highest on my list of priorities, and my family agrees. They want grand-younglings and to see me finally mated to a lovely female.
My sire has agreed to take on only simple orders and promised to refuse any requests that require a trip into the Deep. My mother was all the happier for it.
My mother took the liberties to acquire a tavayk seedling on my behalf while I was ill. They are sacred plants that play a vital role in mating and bonding in our society. And now that I’ve completed my kavesta, which I’m still struggling to believe has happened I can search for my mate.
I grow my seedling and sacrifice my blood as nutrients until my tavayk blood bonds me. It too will go through a kavesta and take on a form from my mate’s planet, which my mother claims to be a daisy.
The entire process takes several weeks, but it grants me the ability to fully connect with my mate once we finalize our bond. But more importantly, it allows me to sense my mate, so I can find her.
Sometimes we don’t understand the will of the gods, but I never doubt that they listen to our pleas and provide us with the means we require.
WITH A BLOOD-BOND WITH my tavayk complete, I reach out to the Vo’Sharitah. They’re a friendly alien race that my people trade with to travel off world. It saves us from developing the technology and it provides work for them.
Rasheed, the Captain of a massive starship called the Silent Stalker, agrees to take me to Earth in exchange for many pelts and meat from our most exotic beasts. With a promise to my family to work diligently when I get back to replenish our stores, they see me off, knowing that when I come back, our lives are going to change forever.
It takes several weeks to reach Earth. Rasheed explains that it’s a relatively lonely planet in a backwater galaxy. I take slight offense to his words. My face hardens and the captain apologizes. I accept without question this time, because I can’t make enemies with this man when he’s here to help.
Since my mate is from Earth, it only makes sense to learn more about humans. How they live and what they like to eat. I’m grateful when one of the crew members, Vashawn, agrees to modify the replicators by adding several human dishes for me to sample. When my mate comes home to Kea’Terra, she will be able to combine these options while she transitions to the foods from my home world.
Using my tavayk, we’re able to pinpoint a precise location of my mate. She’s located deep in the countryside, and that’s exactly where I get dropped off.
I’m given a communication device to use when my mate and I need to be picked up. They are heading a few galaxies away for other business, and unfortunately, cannot stay in the planet’s orbit.
It’s currently the middle of the night, and I sneak up to my future mate’s home. She’s probably asleep right now, so I use this time to plant the tavayk from a pot into the ground. I’m not allowed to look at her or approach her until she makes contact with my tavayk. It’s considered the first gift, and she must accept it before we can proceed with our mating. Until then I must stay out of sight. I dare not anger the gods, for their wrath can strike one down when they are displeased.
Chapter Three
Jane
My stomach churns and grumbles loudly. I realize I haven’t eaten breakfast yet. Whoops. I should have eaten something when I took my medication earlier. I rub my stomach and head back inside, grabbing a banana from the counter to chow down on, which eases my upset stomach.
Glancing at the clock, it’s still early morning. I could get a head start on lunch, so I pull out my recipe box and flit through it.
Ah! My grandmother’s crock pot stew is a personal favorite. Hearty, healthy and scrumptious.
I wash my hands and sift through the cupboards. A spider lands on my arm and I shriek, trying to bat it away. This damn house is littered with these guys, and it never fails that they always seem to get me when I least expect it.
Where the heck is this crock pot? Ah, yes. Last time I used it, I placed it back in the cupboard above the fridge, the land of barely used equipment.
Grabbing the meat and vegetables out of the fridge, I prepare them the way my grandmother had taught me. Mincing, dicing and chopping the ingredients takes no time at all as I add a few final touches with my go-to spices.
Satisfied with the result, I set the timer and let it stew. Puns away! With food cooking in the house, I’d rather stay close by and not risk burning the house down. I’ve always heard that crock pots are safe, but I love my home and I’m not willing for it to burn.
I bust open my package and sift through my new art supplies. There’s so much excitement thrumming through my body right now that I’m almost shaking. What to choose?
I settle on some new paint brushes, acrylic and water-color paints, designer tools and a fresh canvas. This is going to be awesome.
I bring them to the porch outside and settle myself into a chair and sketch out the landscape with incredible detail. Deciding to rebel against my fate, I paint my future with a family of my own. A loving husband, a few children, everyone smiling and enjoying themselves. Fascinated by the thought, I get creative and add otherworldly plants and wildlife into the scene. It’s my art, so I can make it what I want.
I wish I had more time. Even if I lived a longer life, I find it hard to let others in, because the fear of losing them runs deep. I don’t have many friends, and I never had boyfriend because I didn’t want somebody that I loved to be torn out of my life like how my family has.
My poor grandfather. My heart wretched for him. How can someone live without their lover? I don’t think I would have the strength. I would die of heartache. I guess my life is better this way, never having to face that reality.
As I finish my landscape portrait, I realize that I painted my fictional husband in gentle tones of light blue. How strange, yet erotic and alien. I giggle as I imagine hanging this next to the portrait in my bedroom. What would my family say if they were here to see? Oh well, blue is my favorite color, and even if I could open my heart to someone, I doubt having blue skin would get in the way.
A strong aroma settles deeply on my nose and I find myself wandering back into the kitchen. Grandmas crock pot stew is finished. Grabbing a bowl and spoon, I pour myself a healthy amount of food, and bring the food back outside with me so I can continue admiring my own work.
Every time I make this recipe, I’m not disappointed. It brings back great memories, and it tastes just how I remember it. Strong beefy flavors with rich vegetables and bold spices.
Upon inspection of my painting, I decide to add some flowers to my work. I’m not satisfied until I paint one final blue Gerbera in my hand. There, now it looks and feels complete.
Feeling a little impatient, I run inside and hit the warm button on the crockpot, it’s almost done now anyways. I’m comfortable leaving the house on this setting, and I won’t be gone long.
I dash out the front door and roam towards the grassy fields where I spot some wildflowers. Instead of taking my shoes off at the beach, I do it now. What can I say? I was born and raised in the country, and a little bit of dirt doesn’t scare me. I love the feeling of being completely immersed outdoors, and I crave it. It helps me to understand the beauty in the world, which makes it easier for me to paint.
Long blades of grass reach up my calves and tickle me, as if they are on a strict mission to tickle me. I overhear a buzzing sound coming from a bee that whizzes past me and lands on a daisy.
Well, that’s strange. It’s not just any daisy, it’s a blue Gerbera like in my painting. How is this possible? They don’t grow out here, and I’ve certainly never seen one in the wild before.
A strange feeling washes over me and I’m overwhelmed with a need to touch the flower before me. Lowering myself to the ground, I get on my hands and knees, patting the grass flat for a good spot to sit on. As I’m getting comfortable my eyes keep turning to the daisy and my
urge to touch it increases. It’s the most ethereal blue I’ve ever seen, standing tall among the green and yellow grass. I slowly reach out, hesitantly, as if my body is aware of something I’m not. My fingers lightly glide over the stem of the plant, upwards, past the soft leaves heading towards the more delicate of petals. Something about this flower feels natural, and the pull towards it is incredibly strong.
I lean in, unable to help myself, and breath in the most intricate musky, but floral scent that has ever graced my senses. There’s even a hint of lemongrass hidden in the aroma as well. I get lost in my appreciation.
Suddenly, I become aware of a large hand touching my shoulder and I freeze. Who the heck is out here with me? Slowly, I turn my head to look at the intruder and my jaw falls open. There's a large, naked blue man standing there, staring intently at me as if he’s never seen anyone else in the universe before. I’m lost for words. He looks human, but not. Almost alien.
“Wha...”
My mind must be playing tricks on me, because he looks just like the man I’ve just painted.
It’s as if he’s lost his footing or something because he’s falling towards me. Panic stricken, I quickly dash towards the forest in my bare feet, too afraid to grab my shoes.
I cry out as I step on something sharp jutting out from the ground, but I keep running because I can’t tell if that was real or a hallucination. Either way I don’t care, I just keep running, never turning to look back.
Maybe it was the shock of being intruded upon in the middle of nowhere, or the sight of something I don’t recognize. Either way, I’m anxious and frightened.
At some point I stop running, and I realize that I’ve traveled out much further than I’ve ever been before. I don’t even begin to think how I’ll find my way back. The day is still young with plenty of sunlight to find my way home.
Aykeetan Page 2
