An Alien Love Bk. 02 Ch. 13

Hi all,

For those of you just joining me... thanks for checking this out. If you are following me or liked my stuff before, you're my kind of people!

I worked on a few chapters in between some Ice Era Chronicle stories... And I thought I'd get them up so you had something to glance at this weekend.

Thanks again for reading,

Be Well,

~M. From C.M. Moore

***

*Chapter 13*

Sloan's first fight.

Sloan stood in the center of the arena. His blood pumped with excitement. Octnavin said that on the other side of the mirrors there were tons of alien's watching and betting. Sloan wished he could see the cheering crowd.

~No, you do not. A cheering crowd would distract you. Focus.~ Octnavin snapped in this head.

Sloan bounced up and down. He stretched his shoulders. He could do this.

Another platform rose and a human-sized hamster charged him. What the hell was that thing?

~Assess your opponent.~ Octnavin admonished. ~What are you doing?~

Sloan had no fucking idea what he was doing. Razor teeth went for his jugular. Narrowly, Sloan escaped as he rolled to the side. Blood washed down the front of his chest. The teeth had got him. Only his adrenaline shielded him from the pain. The hamster swiped at his back. The bottom of his band shirt shredded with his skin. That hit burned all the way down to his toes. He screamed. He sooooo couldn't do this. Sloan bolted to the other side of the arena and hit the glass. He bounced off the mirrors and fell backward. The walls were like a giant trampoline.

"Fuck. You could've told me that."

~Focus.~ Octnavin snapped in his mind again. ~That is the Melzian. It is mostly harmless.~

~Harmless?~ Jumping up, Sloan ran again. ~It's got teeth!~

~You have teeth and you are mostly harmless.~

"Dick," Sloan said out loud. He hit the ground face first when the hamster dug its fangs into his left calf. He kicked the rodent in the nose with his right heel. The alien hamster screeched like a bird and let go. Sloan got up as Octnavin fed him information on the weakest points of a Melzian. The hamster alien was mostly teeth and four paws. He had the claws though. Those curved nails fucking hurt.

The hamster dove for him and got Sloan's ankle. There was a crunch of bones. Sloan was drug across the mud. He flipped over onto his back as the hamster went for his neck again. Punching the creature, Sloan aimed for the eyes. He got in one good swing before he scrambled to his feet. He got into a fighting stance. Again, those paws with claws swiped at him. His stomach was ripped open.

Sloan wrapped an arm around his middle. The agony and the blood loss had him dizzy. The hamster went for Sloan's throat again. For the second time, the Melzian got his fangs into Sloan's neck. Sloan gurgled on his blood. The hamster was shredding him. Even if he knew that he could be restored, he didn't know that for sure. His vision narrowed as he fought to stay alive. Wildly, he swung. The hamster had him pinned in the center of the arena. His body was covered in the grim and blood. Gushing red fluid sprayed the hamster's face.

~Did I make it more than ten seconds?~

~Twelve.~

Sloan's vision blurred and tears filled his eyes. His body seized. Pain flooded him. This was more agony then he'd ever felt in his life. Claws dug into his chest like the hamster was ripping out his heart. What if the Folantos couldn't put him back together? What if he died for good? Maybe the Folantos wouldn't bring him back. His life flashed before his eyes. His mom never loved him. His dad used him. He was so alone. He'd always been that way.

~Octnavin?~ Sloan reached for the calm that the alien always offered. Octnavin opened his mind like a warm soothing shelter from the torment.

~Peace, little pebble. Peace. I am here.~ Octnavin's thoughts were a warm hug.

Sloan closed his eyes. ~Thank you for being here with me.~

When Sloan took his next breath, he sucked in water. His eyes popped open. He was back in the revival tube. Sloan didn't remember anything about how he got here. He supposed he died.

~What happened?~ Sloan hooked to Octnavin's brain immediately.

~You amused the crowd greatly.~ came the alien's reply.

"Fuck that." He swore out a few colorful sentences.

~Tell me if you see JP.~

Sloan pushed on the frosted glass. The water began to drain exactly like before. He fumed about his death all the time the cylinder lifted off him. When he was free to stand in the Folanto's bring-back-the-loser's room, he spotted JP. The Dagerstanteen tended to another alien on the counter who looked like he'd been sliced in half. JP's red hair had been cut off. The hair tubes looked like a buzz cut and showed off JP's elf shaped ears.

JP glanced at him but then returned to another fighting failure. On the opposite table, Sloan spotted the hamster. As Sloan pulled on his muddy jeans, he shook his head at the Malzian. The alien was no longer the ferocious competitor Sloan lost too. Now the hamster appeared as dead as Sloan was not too long ago. The hamster's body was a mangled mess. Apparently, he went onto the next round. That was a sobering thought. Sloan couldn't survive a human-sized hamster and that alien couldn't survive whatever was next.

JP crossed the room and handed Sloan his torn, shredded, and now bloody, band shirt. He wanted to cry at its sad condition.

"Any luck connecting?" Sloan whispered as he pulled on the garment. The Folanto, that was probably waiting to take him back to his cell, stood in the hall talking to another snake teenager. Sloan gave fugitive glances at the exit all the time he talked to JP.

"I got to Rhylent. Our family knows we are missing but I was caught before I could give details." JP gestured to his newly shaved head.

~I tried to touch on Keltrix's mind.~ Octnavin shared with Sloan his connection to his sibling. ~The tie was not strong enough to give out a whole message.~

Sloan repeated the sentence.

"We will keep trying." JP nodded. The alien then turned to the dead hamster. JP pushed Sloan toward the door as the Folanto walked in with the iron rod. This time Sloan followed quickly to not be struck. He was going to get back to Octnavin and start training again. Twelve minutes was laughable. He had to get better.

~You must get better.~ Octnavin agreed as Sloan started down the mud hall. ~You will amuse them, but only to a certain point. After about three or four deaths, the Folantos get tired of your silliness and they will not bother to reanimate you.~

Sloan wasn't sure what was worse, dying and being restored, or trying to live longer while a hamster ripped him apart. Both sucked. The only thing he knew for sure was that he didn't want to leave Octnavin. The alien was all he had.