Growth and Lust Ch. 05 - Hurt

"SILENCE!" Tentyur boomed, the shuttle finally falling still of the apparitions who plagued it.

He looked back to the warrior who had just departed, the final exit of the small battlefield that had landed. His trained fingers broken, talented hands cut and torn, one missing completely. Tentyur could see the diving marks in the mans upper arms, the dance of the hallowed ground making its self apparent. Spikes of bone torn through the flesh of his leg, his torso open with its contents dotted across the hull. Tentyur wasn't sure of the battle, but his admiration was undoubtable, this was a warrior of honor and conviction.

"The yellow one." A tiny voice spoke.

Tentyur had almost forgotten there was another, turning to look over his shoulder at the small being that sat atop her mound of linens.

"He was a good man."

Tentyur rose to his feet, stepping towards them as he looked down, he didn't dare travel in this ones mind. With just a glance he caught fire, scorn that would turn the heavens to ash had it been able to reach them. He could see shaking pale hands, one still clutching a knife that was coated in a trophy of its own. Blonde hair cascading down, splattered and matted with the blood of another.

"The night is cold, but I shall share my hearth." she said. "That's what he told me."

Tentyur nodded, Mohrebs had names, but the creed of their home was how they identified their lineage. The phrase that followed it was not one to be taken lightly, when uttered it was a contract of the soul.

"In trust, you sleep in my care tonight." Her voice waivered, "Why would he say that?"

Tentyur listened, this contract meant they would fight to the death for the person in need. Nothing expected in return, nothing ever taken, the honor alone was the cloak of victory for the proud people. But Tentyur didn't feel the need to vocalize this for her, he could see the shape of what was in the linens. He could piece together this scene with all the clues scattered about.

Kneeling and coming to rest next to her, "This ones song was cut short," Tentyur said while looking at the linens, "had he not intervened, would you have made it this far?"

Samarans lips twisted as the permeating stench of death stung her nose, looking down at Deshers corpse. Fist clenched in hatred of the entire damned galaxy, stealing him from her and taking her heart with him. "They- They wanted to take his..."

Tentyur watched as the woman touched the covered face of the dead Tallhee, knowing she meant his horns. They wanted to steal his crown for profit, but the Mohreb had ensured that didn't happen. A cursory glance had told Tentyur it was a ten person crew, rifles and blades dotting the area. He had kept her and his corpse safe during the trip, figuring they must have caught on when the planet was coming into view. Finding out it was the Tallhee home world, they must have been all too eager to try and claim a prize, claiming death instead.

"My-my-" She snarled and choked on her words, glaring at Tentyur, she couldn't bring herself to say it. Only remembering the earth shaking boom of the cannon.

"If I had been faster." She whimpered.

She remembered the way his body twisted in front of her, how he lifted a chunk of steel and flung it like a child's frisbee. So easily dispatching the last one, but the cracking explosion that had already been released. The final attack that he could have easily avoided.

"I was too- too sl-"

Samaran felt the memory burned into her mind, branded to the front of her psyche so she saw it every time she closed her eyes.

Deshers handsome face, the way he looked mixed with joy and sorrow. Happy to lay himself in harms way for her, but sad that their time would be cut to an end.

The thundering heartbeat, that powerful pulse of Tallhee vigor that made her sleep soundly at night. Laying her head on his chest while he slept, staring at his face and listening to the song of life. Decades of bliss, gone, no more.

No more.

Cut away.

Taken.

Stolen.

Looking into those black pools with fired rings, the way they dwindled so slowly in front of her as she held his face. She didn't dare beg him to stay, to give him one final task that she knew he could never complete. Instead, promising, 'Soon. I promise. Soon.'

She glared, no more tears to fall, no more scorn to feel. Her soul burned and left as ash in the wind.

~ 'Goodnight, my angel, time to close your eyes,' ~ the song flowing from her mind, the old words no longer able to warm her heart. ~ 'And save these questions for another day.' ~

~ 'I promised I would never leave you,' ~

Tentyur could see the bond they shared, understanding the Mohreb stepped in a short time later, offering help with travel. Putting himself in the grave but ensuring he was returned, and she could go with him. He could hear her thoughts, a song of pain feeling like rain on their two souls.

~ 'Then you should always know,' ~

"He told me," Samaran spoke again, "You'll give him final rights, the waterfall coven will?"

Tentyur nodded, "He is home, he will be given the rights of the revered."

Samaran looked down at the linen covered face, "By- burning correct?"

~ 'Wherever you may go, no matter where you are,' ~

He closed his eyes as he felt pain seething out of her, such a strong companionship between two so different. She would be accepted into the coven, he would ensure it. "Yes, he-"

"Cast me into the fire with him."

~ 'I never will be far away.' ~

Tentyur froze, the conviction in her soul stabbing him, to speak such a thing was one thing. But he could see that she didn't falter to the weight of her request, she truly felt no reason to not follow him. This wasn't simple partners traversing the stars, these two were tied in body and soul. Such a fragile thing from some dark corner of the galaxy, being taken in by one of his own with a love that couldn't be snuffed out by the cold grasp of death. He found his voice once more, "No, you-"

'He gave me his love, I will not see this life without it.' She said in her mind. Gripping the handle of her blade and letting the muscles in her arm contract.

Tentyur watched the point of the knife sail through the stagnant air of the shuttle, his eyes wide as he saw her target. The center point of her own neck, her eyes calm as she knew she would hit her mark and see her lover soon.

Tentyur let his own muscles come to life before the final moment.

Roke winced as he yanked himself out of the memory, looking at Tentyur again who was watching him calmly. He was worried for only a split second before feeling pain in his leg, searing pain that would have crippled him, but he refused to let it do so.

'Her story did not end there.' Tentyur said.

Roke began to remember, visions of the one called Samaran watching the fire. Her eyes filled with pain as she watched the man inside be reduced to ash. Seeing blood on her neck, but the wound not deep enough to join him.

'I could not let her song end there, I felt we needed a being like her.'

Roke nodded, 'She lived in the coven, even helped raise the children, she was accepted as one of th[OUR]e own.' He winced as his mind fought over the two words, morphing and writhing inside of him. 'What is this, what's happening?!'

'It will hurt.'

Why did he remember Samaran, why did he know her story already? 'I've never met her, Desher didn't even find earth, earth wasn't even in the light of the gala-' Roke twisted, he shouldn't know these things, but they filled his mind. 'Samaran- Samaran, she-'

"But you don't have fang or claw, you aren't dangerous!" a child's voice said.

"Oh Fenrar, I don't need to be too dangerous to beat you. Ginrar don't you agree?" Samaran said in a soft tone.

Her face smiling but so much older now, a glaring Tallhee boy with a laughing sister. These memories, filling and swimming inside of his minds eye. 'Fenrar.' Roke said as he thought of the brutal father.

"No, you couldn't dare to keep up with a Tallhee." Fenrar snapped back.

"Oh no? Well I like to thin-" Samarans eyes went wide and she gasped, "Fenrar, look out!" she wailed in terror as she pointed behind him.

Fenrar spun around to see the oncoming danger, his being telling him to protect as he readied for war.

His sister Ginrar cocked an eyebrow as she watched Samaran stick her pointer finger in her mouth and swirl it around. Quickly yanking it back out and shoving it in the young boys ear before wriggling it with a cackling giggle.

Fenrar screamed in confused anger as he felt the slimy intruder probing his ear with little care for his own hearing. Jumping away and coddling the orifice as he glared at Samaran, "What was that!?" he boomed.

"Wet willy." Samaran chided back as she wagged her finger.

Roke smiled for a moment before screaming in pain again, squeezing his head as his eyes felt like they were on fire. His whole body felt like it was being licked by the flames of some demonic dimension with little care of his own wellbeing. 'FUCK!' he yelled, clenching his teeth and glaring back at Tentyur.

'I told you it will hurt.'

'Samaran, whys she her, why was she with Ginrar?!' Roke yelled with haste as he tried to force the pain down.

'Samaran, a guide, I brought her with. To ensure Ginrar did not doubt what she needed to do.'

'Guide?' Roke thought as he remembered his own guide through past memories. Fenrar wearing a look of true remorse as he showed his past.

"Do I decide-" Samaran speaking with a chastising tone as she stared into the eyes of a sobbing Tallhee.

Roke watched from behind the red woman, seeing her freeze in fear as she hung on every word. His own hand on her back and pushing her towards Samaran.

"-Your child's fate?"

Roke felt his being lose all semblance of up or down, floating and burning as a realization kicked him in between the eyes. He felt crimson heat splattering from his lips as he coughed and slammed his fist into something hard.

"HE IS MINE!" Ginrars voice boomed across Rokes skull, flailing his body as concrete chipped and red spattered the walls.

'It will hurt.'

"I AM HIS!" it tore through his chest as he felt a writhing monster in his maw, flailing without care as fangs covered in blood caught the burning lights of the room.

"THIS CHILD IS OURS!" Rokes eyes finally opened as he cried out into the lit room, his eyesight blurring and focusing with precision never used before. Turning as his senses screamed of a viewer, someone watching, someone plotting, someone unaware.

Unaware of death.

Flying through the stars.

Fingers trained for war.

An army of red.

He looked at the camara, seeing its lens twist and focus, his eyes of black pools with blue rings staring at the observer.

Pitying them.

......

Perta finished tying his shoes, heading to the open door of the bunk room and looking outside of it. Seeing the Tallhee man named Gresh sitting in a chair and reading, he didn't want to stare, but that same odd shape was behind him. It looked like heat waves radiating off of a hot pan, but it was in the shape of an oval, meshing into the floorboards of the ship. He shook his head and tried not to read too much into it, in his time being raised by the mountain he had seen things like this before. Reminding himself that it would go away in a short time.

He walked into the main cabin area, looking around and seeing a pot of a hot black liquid on the kitchenettes counter. "Is that coffee?"

Teloo was coming back from the cargo hold, hearing his question and answering, "Yes, I made it a short time ago. Please help yourself, there are mugs in the cupboard just above it." She stopped in front of the bunk room for Ginrar, holding a bag of salt.

Perta smiled, "Thank you." He opened the cupboard door and looked inside, seeing mugs all sitting in foam holders. He reached in and took one, the smell of the brew along with the simple set up reminded him of his own home. He thought of Roke and remembered how they would share a quiet morning like this. Not in a shuttle sailing across the galaxy in preparation for a fight, but quiet and lazy for the moment. He began to hum a tune as he grabbed the pot, picking it up and aiming it for his cup.

Gresh heard it, remembering how Ginrar explained humans and music he couldn't help but ask. "Perta, is that a human song?"

Perta cocked an eyebrow, turning to the odd question, "Yeah, a human wrote it, so I guess it is."

"May I ask what it is about?"

Perta found a thing of sugar and opened it, then began his search for a spoon. "Huuuh, what was it, an old Johnny Cash song we used to listen to."

Gresh cocked an eyebrow, getting more intrigued as he now turned in his seat to watch Perta.

"There's a man goin round taken names." Perta said as he found the spoons.

"And he decides who to free, and who to blame." He scooped a helping of the sweet white bliss into the smoldering black coffee.

"Everybody won't be treated, all the same."

Gresh thought it was strange, Ginrars memory had shown him that humans songs carried a tune. But Perta was just speaking casually, "That is an odd song, was that the vocalists intention?"

Perta nodded, seeing creamer and being surprised they would indulge in the silky joy it added to coffee. "Yes, it's based off of some old text from our original world."

Gresh leaned towards him, becoming engrossed in the conversation that was different from his book or the dreary atmosphere that had engulfed the trip. Then hearing the hiss of hydraulics, it took him a moment to realize it was a door opening.

"Fuck, what was the whole thing?" Perta said under his breath.

'I know you wish to consume,' Teloo thought, 'I do not intend to stop you, start now.'

Gresh looked down the corridor, feeling cold hatred rolling out of it as he heard Teloos thoughts. He watched as red fingers tipped with deadly weapons grabbed the door jamb. Teloo standing in front of it and offering the bag with her head down.

Perta remembered the verse, "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and the name that sat on him was Death-"

It came slowly, Ginrars somber visage that oozed the caustic plague of vengeance.

"-and Hell followed with him."

......

-To be Continued-

Music:

Billy Joel- Lullabye

Halestorm- I like it heavy

Tyler Childers- Nose on the grindstone (ourvinyl sessions)

John Cash- The man comes around

And if i'm mentioning music, Don Broco- Technology, it wasn't mentioned in the story. But its a song that I know would be on their playlist. If you're listening to the others, it's worth it as well. Its hard to describe, it makes you want to roll on the throttle. The turbo whistle as it spools up, a clapped out old tech diesel engine climbing RPMs, its goes so well together. And please, give them a listen, if you only pick one though, Nose on the grindstone. I've been reduced to tears by that song.