Skylars POV

Skylar watched the others peel off past the forest, their bodies morphing into the greenery and then nothing as they slunk away. She had known she needed to follow suit. The Chiva would not complete itself... no matter how much she wished it would. But she could not bring herself to move.

"Skylar?" Kweide placed a hand on her shoulder, simultaneously pushing her forward and asking her what was wrong. His hand didn't go away though and for that she felt grateful.

"I need a moment to remember how to cloak," she said once they reached the leaves. It was a lie but an obvious one. It was the first thing he had ingrained in her head. Her last line of defense was hiding. She turned her arm to get a better look at the gauntlet and hovered her hand over the buttons. It was simple, basic Yautja writing that she could read a bit better by now. Still she hesitated.

Kweide tilted his head before he reached for her wrist, gripping it delicately as he punched in the codes. She was invisible near instantly but she didn't dare to show her fear. The only one who needed to know was the Yautja feeling her pulse. His thumb stroked the back of her hand before he let go. An encouragement just for her.

When they reached the entrance to the cone shaped pyramid she felt her knees begin to tremble. They stared into the darkness awaiting her together. Her companion would be no more than an observer inside, unable to interfere unless dragged into the fray. An ally but not a savior. She pulled off her mask, holding her breath despite knowing the air was safe and stepped inside, waiting for Kweide to follow.

He did. His hands immediately went to her, attempting to recloak her by putting it back on. She shook her head, angling her mask's camera to the ground and motioned him to look ahead. When she was sure he had she leaned into him and pressed a soft kiss to his arm. A thank you and a final moment to steal comfort. She felt him react, a soft movement of the arm towards her, but he would not look at her she knew. If he did then the Yautja on the ship could see. It was unlikely since their feed was boring, but one could not be too safe.

Skylar put her mask back on, pulling her bow and walking down the slim entrance and out to the massive opening inside. The pyramid contained a massive jungle of its own, perfectly blocked off from the outside and lit by missing holes in the ceiling. This structure must have been older than Elder Luar'ke who was far older than she and yet barely middle aged for a Yautja. She glanced at Kweide, even he must have felt like an infant in comparison to the history in front of them.

The pair remained quiet and Skylar appreciated the silence as they walked. It was too hard to make herself speak when her blood was rushing so hard and her heart ached so much. She didn't want to die down there in the dark but somehow she didn't want to live either. God it would be so hard to go home when all she wanted was so close. Her father's watch rested heavy on her wrist.

She shook her head, focusing on the stairs she could see in infrared as they passed down the initial tunnel and into the open chamber. It was only seconds before the exit became blocked and a new path opened to them on the right. The chiva had begun and Skylar had no way out for at least ten minutes. That's what she reminded herself, count down to ten and then keep doing so until it was over. Until she had found and killed the odd parasite alien they kept mentioning to her.

As she stepped quietly across the old stone floors Kweide placed his hand out just barely and she stopped in her tracks. She looked at him and he pointed ahead, a small pink creature slithered along the grounds. It was a young Kiande Amedha, already free from some poor creature's chest cavity and molting like crazy to become the massive creature she would have to face. She tilted her head, should she kill it? She looked to Kweide but he said nothing and she remembered it was her chiva, she had to make her own decisions. She pulled a bolt from her back and locked it onto her bow, aiming without the laser sight and letting it fly quietly into the creature's throat. It thrashed for a moment but made no noise, its death was as quick as breathing. She lowered her bow and kept walking, knowing the young creature wasn't worth a trophy or even a blooding, it was practice at best to the Yautja. Still she couldn't help but feel proud of how accurate her aim had gotten over the time she had been training. Even before Kweide had made her pick a bow she had been pushed through a gauntlet of tests to improve it, now she knew why. A bow could be so quiet she noted as they passed the melting bolt and dead body.

The corridor they walked down was silent until the pyramid began shifting again. Kweide gave a startled click as the flooring started to rise but he ran without hesitance and Skylar followed. It was almost comical how his massive stature got closer and closer to the ceiling until he had to stoop and she realized they were both in danger of being crushed. She pushed to the front when he was folded near in half and began pulling him along, her adrenaline didn't want her to think, just move, but she slowed her thoughts as best she could, desperately curving down a side passage in hopes it wouldn't get them killed. There was an opening ahead that they could run to, something bigger ahead.

"Skylar?" He sounded in slight pain as he crouched behind her while she got as close into herself as she could.

She opened her mouth to reply but her words caught in her throat as they reached the end, it was a drop off into a pool of water, about fifteen feet down. There was no turning back, this was their choice. Be crushed or take the leap. Skylar let out a cry of fear before diving over the edge, praying Kweide had followed suit. She curled into a ball, arms over her head before she plunged beneath the water, down, down, down from the force until both the current and her buoyant body started rising her back up. Every Bath with Kweide had led her to this moment. This moment where she could finally hold her breath so long that she wasn't afraid of how long it would take to reach the surface. This moment where she wasn't scared of the warm liquid surrounding her. All because she knew somewhere around her was Kweide and just as he had not for the past several months, he would still never let her drown again. She hung loose before kicking for the surface where her body wanted to go, refusing to open her eyes until she felt the air hit her skin. She breathed deep, no sharp gasps, just deep even breathes as she treaded water.

The moment Kweide broke through the surface she swam to him, to her anchor, "are you alright?" she looked him over, pressing and prodding to look for anything wrong. 

"I am fine Skylar, Yautja are not weak". He reminded her, his voice was a little stiff but he tenderly ran a hand over her as well and did not stop her tending to him. 

"I doubt anyone would consider getting an injury from being crushed to be weak, what could you do? Punch the stone?" When she felt satisfied he was not hurt she pulled back from him. She was still aware so many eyes could be watching her at this moment, could be watching them both. 

He didn't answer her although his hand brushed hers under the water before he started for the stone wall that was the closest thing they had to a shore. The cavern they were in was dark except for the vision from their masks and she had to remember to take calming breaths as they left the water and climbed the stairs into the one exit out of there that wasn't following the river down into darkness unknown.

Their walk was tense, whatever survival sense she had kept her focused on every step and breath. Quiet! Quiet! It demanded of her. Don't let anything know you're there first. The silence was broken by a roar of agony coming from somewhere nearby. She looked at Kweide but he still walked at an even pace. The roars sounded again, this time followed by a high keening screech that echoed down her spine. She looked at him again but he paid her no attention. He wasn't going to make decisions for her down here, in fact he really shouldn't have been hunting with her like an equal at all. Her brows furrowed as she pulled an arrow into her bow and took off towards the noise. If Skylar had to make her own choices down here then she was going to make this one right now.

Upon entering the room covered in both glowing and steaming blood she let her knocked arrow fly without thinking into the skull of a Kiande Amedha positioned on the wall. Its coiled tendons loosened as it fell ten feet straight down. The Yautja grappling with the one in front of it paid no attention to her as he finally sliced off its head with his wrist blades. Blood flooded from every jagged hole in his body but he still had the strength to roar a victory as he stood to his feet. He just didn't have the sense to stay alert. A spear sharp tail ripped through his neck, changing his roar into gurgles before flicking up and out, removing his head like a child opens a Christmas present.

Skylar took a step back immediately. Her mind emptied, the blood in her body running cold. To see a Yautja die like that, young or not, was horrifying. Yautja were so much stronger than her, so impenetrable and undefeatable. But one of the teens of their kind lay dead after a hard fought battle. Winning did not promise them safety. Winning would not save her either.

With a misstep she slipped on the gooey ground of the nest and went tumbling down, missing having her skull pierced like a hole puncher by the alien that had snuck up behind her. She flailed in surprise and rolled from its sharp tail, smacking it across the face with her bow. It did little more to it than piss it off but the anger prevented it from seeing the spear coming for it until it was already bolted down and dying.

Kweide's aim was impeccable. He charged into the room with all the grace and ferocity a seasoned hunter could wield. His every movement was smooth as he pulled out his chain whip, lashing the air in figure eights until the pressure behind his swing was great enough to decapitate one of the drones stationed in front of her.

She chose to react then, pulling an arrow into position before letting it fly into a drone charging from down an adjacent hallway. It dodged left and she gritted her teeth as she ran the length of the room. It stopped its odd gait for a moment, tilting its head in confusion before chasing after her. She'd gone from threat to prey in the matter of a moment. That made it reckless. It leaped for her, exposing its underbelly just long enough for her to turn around and let her arrow sink into the weaker flesh.

The drone thrashed and flailed, blood spraying out and gurgling down its body in waves of sizzling green. It did not stop running though. Dragging that arrow pierced stomach across the ground as she attempted to flee. Her options were limited. Kweide's whip lashed around the room in giant arcs, holding off more of the drones and slicing those who were too slow.

"Skylar Focus!" Kweide yelled as the drone behind her swept her legs out from beneath her with its whip-like tail. A scream ripped from her lungs as she fell down onto the hard concrete and it lunged for her. She held up her bow between them, keeping its mouth from being able to bite her. Its tail stabbed repeatedly at her, sharp point clanging against the concrete, deepening a dent bit by bit. She rolled from side to side despite the claws digging into her skin. They ripped at the metal armor covering her stomach. Had she worn her leathers she would have been gutted open like a fish.

"Skylar!!"

"I'm okay!" She looked back, arching her body momentarily to get a glance of him. She didn't dare ask for help. Not on this hunt and more importantly because she saw the tip of a drone's tail spear into the gap of his armor on his shoulder blade. Her breathing stopped for a moment and she glared at the alien on top of her. She could sit down and die while Kweide needed her or she could get herself up to help him. She raised her head forward and slammed into its dome skull repeatedly, the pain was unbearable and she knew she was hurting herself more than anything but it was annoying enough that it dropped her bow from its jaws. There was just enough time to grab an arrow from her holster and jab it into its mouth, sealing it closed as she took another arrow and jammed it diagonally through the brain. The creature dropped.

Skylar rolled it off her, grabbed her bow and turned back to the fray. Of the seven that had come in one was dead at her feet and three lay dead at Kweide's. Another was already dying in his arms as he shoved his wrist blades into its stomach and split it open. For a brief moment a sense of satisfaction and relief ran through her. They could do this. Kweide had things under control and she was barely harmed, there was enough strength in her bones to help him finish this fight and then head back for the surface. But then the pyramid began its shift and all the courage she had dropped out of her body.

Standing behind Kweide was a type of Kiande Amedha she had never seen before. It stood a foot taller than the ones they faced and its body was some horrible morph between the drones they were trained to fight and the queen they were to avoid. What the heck was it? Her legs trembled as she knocked an arrow and sent it flying at the bipedal creature to get its attention. It struck into the creature's shoulder and its scream alerted Kweide to its presence as the drones he was fighting slunk away.

"Move Skylar!" Kweide charged for her, the stiff determined set of his shoulders gave her little room to argue as he lifted her up and then sent her rolling through the doorway behind her. "And do not stop!" She skidded across the floor, bouncing from the impact once or twice before she hit the wall. The air was gone from her lungs and her head spun as she looked around the darkness. Kweide had abandoned the fight. Kweide had abandoned the fight for her. She breathed in deeply for a moment, completely prepared to ask him what the heck that creature was, and how many more aliens it would take for his people to forgive him. But his sudden intense roar of pain pulled her attention back to reality. Her hands already gripped her bow as she rolled herself up to help him. Only, the doorway was closed.

That wasn't right. It didn't make sense. He should have followed. He should have been on the other side with her. She shook her head, glancing to the left and then right. The hallway held not a soul, neither human nor Yautja nor alien. Just her and a thousand pound stone slab. "KWEIDE! KWEIDE CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Her fists beat at the door, pushing as best she could. His roars were guttural, angry, and pained. "KWEIDE????" She dropped to her knees, gripping the underside of the door and pulling between the cracks. It hurt but she held in any sounds of pain while her nails scraped the ground for purchase. It remained unmovable even as blood oozed from her fingertips. The stone slab grew slick as she listened to him fight. He was losing and there was nothing she could do to help him. Her fingers uselessly ached and bled as she pulled at the bottom.

It was all so useless. She couldn't lift it at all, she could only hope and pray he'd manage to turn the fight around on his own. She pressed her forehead to the door, crying as she waited. But his roars never ended; they only...grew fainter. Fainter as if he were being carried away. She screamed for him again as the sound of his roars faded off to the left. Skylar knew it was a long shot but she could follow it. It did not matter that she only had four arrows left. It did not matter that she had to be bleeding from multiple places on her body and her legs felt like jelly. She sucked in a deep breath, repeating Kweide's tips in her mind for calming her breathing. She couldn't break down yet. Not yet. Not until she found him and they could protect each other. Like they always did from everything.

Kweide was coming home with her, she had to make sure of it. He had always saved her, he was always there when she needed him most. Even when he hadn't liked her, he'd tried his best to take care of her.

She turned right as often as she could. The map on her wrist gauntlet led her deeper into the pyramid, further down into the abyss. To the nest. That's where Kweide had to be. If they didn't kill him. She stumbled at the thought but shook her head and continued running. If the "not a drone not a queen" had to show up to fight just her and kweide, the hive must be in shambles, besides, knowing the Kiande Amedha ...they would have killed him instantly if they hadn't a dire need for him. She had to hope she wasn't wrong.

Skylar grimaced as she crossed over the slimy covering around her, the walls and floors were coated in a goop she didn't want to begin to understand. It smelled wet and musty down there, the scent practically choking her from the humidity inside. She slowed her pace. Her eyes roamed every direction, looking to her wrist as she snuck around the bowels of her enemies home. Her lips moved silently as she sent out a prayer to God. Please don't let me die without seeing him again. Please.

To her horror and relief the egg chamber came into view not much later. It was eerily unguarded. Half the eggs were split open from use and the rest lay still. She counted at least twenty eggs still remaining. From a nest amount she found that to be awfully small for what she knew.

Hissssss

Skylar froze, eyes widening as she stared at the largest creature she'd ever seen in person. It laid curled around the remaining eggs, laboriously breathing out puffs of mist as its crested skull raised to stare at her. It was a queen. A twenty foot highly intelligent queen who should have killed her before she could even get close. Instead it didn't move, it merely hissed and lashed its tail back and forth as it crawled closer to its brood. Her thick brows crowded together as she looked around again. The floor was littered with more than goo. Dead pink hatchlings lay scattered. A blue foam pooled around their heads, the same foam coming from the queen's mouth. Now Skylar understood everything.

The hive was facing the one thing not even a queen could kill. Infection. Something in the planet's natural biodiversity must have been messing with their systems and she watched as the queen weakly rested her head on her eggs. Skylar kept wary but approached nearer in her search for Kweide. "SkYlAr" a raspy voice called for her and she snapped her head back to the queen. Kweide was strapped to the ground in front of it. Glued to an open egg.

Skylar nearly vomited as she stared at his cracked face mask. Half of it was on the floor in shattered pieces and the rest merely covered his eyes and skull. His mouth tusks were cracked, one broken off completely. He groaned her name again.

In that moment Skylar felt something within herself snap. Like a rubber band that had just been pulled too many times she split apart. Agony and rage became her only feelings as she lifted an arrow from her back and stabbed into the nearest egg she could reach. Whatever was on the other end wiggled and then stilled as she moved onto the next. She ignored the queen's cries of rage. Let her rage. Skylar was angry too and she could still do something about it.

Her foot smashed into another egg, tipping it over and pouring out the dead face hugger that wasn't ever going to infect anything either way. Skylar was going to make the queen watch as every one of its last chances at a legacy were destroyed or proven already dead. For the first instance in her life she hated something. And she was going to make it suffer.

The queen strained to its feet and tumbled down again, watching as Skylar made her way closer. Its tail whipped forward, trying to stab Skylar but the movements were slow despite the strength behind them shattering the ground. Skylar ignored everything. Her foot came down on the most recent poured out face hugger over and over until it stopped moving. She hated it. Hated every one of them. She came closer to the queen and when she raised herself up again Skylar shot her last two arrows in quick succession to the queen's tail and shoulder. She hated her most of all.

The queen screeched in pain and crowded closer to Kweide, hissing as she flung her bloody tail out, the acidic blood went flying and Skylar fell behind an egg just in time. She watched as the sizzles of the queen's blood fizzled out. The protective goo. She'd almost forgotten. Sucking in a deep breath she scooped some of it from the floor and covered her face and exposed areas before she launched herself back up to her feet. The queen and her were staring each other down. Killing the other was the only thing on their mind until the arrival of an unexpected addition.

"Skylar?" Kayla, who looked worse for wear with the cuts and gashes that adorned her exposed skin, stood behind her. Eyes wide as she surveyed the room and the eggs that had been smashed. She was hunched, a little plasma caster raised and her knife held tightly in her hand.

Skylar's reckless anger simmered as she spotted her friend. "I need your help!" She ran for her, leaving the strike zone of the queen's tail. "Do you think you've got anything left in you?" If she didn't then they were both in serious trouble. No one would think to come find them down here and the other observer sent on the hunt was likely too far away. They had to fight or they would all die down here. 

Kayla looked back at the queen before her gaze returned to Skylar. Taking a deep breath she straightened her back as best she could. "I've got a whole lot Sky, what do you need?"

"Everything," Skylar raised her bow into her grip, wielding it like a bat. "Give her all you've got and play distraction near her  long enough for me to get to her skull. I just need to get to the top of her head. That's it". Whatever happened after didn't matter. Not anymore. She had already lost everything.

"I can do that, don't you get yourself killed though." Kayla gave her a look as she hesitantly approached the queen. Assessing for only a moment before springing into action doing exactly as Skylar instructed.

Skylar didn't reply. She wasn't going to make any promises she had no room to try to keep. Instead she shoved another egg over, repeating the smashing process as an illusion to her plan until she was sure the Queen's hate filled cries were too focused on Kayla. She snuck around the last group of eggs, careful to remain quiet until she saw Kweide. She stopped, heart burning as she watched him tilt his head her way. He said nothing and the hope in her eyes became swallowed by the rage blazing in her gut.

Hate. Hate. Hate. It boiled in her as she ran forward and leapt for the queen. With a quick scramble she reached for the three spines along its back, dodging the tail and holding on for dear life as the queen used what strength it had to roll side to side. Kayla launched another attack of plasma bolts forcing the queen to focus its tail on Kayla. It bucked but Skylar remained in place, her blood pooled over her hands from the strength of her grip.

The Queen moved to its feet, its cries turned to shrieks as it shook from pain. Skylar felt just about the same as it did. An agony was tearing at her heart beneath the rage. An agony she could ignore as long as she kept going. She clambered to the top of the queen's domed skull. Its crest was nearly as big as she was with very little grip but she dropped to its face anyway. At least the fall would kill her if the queen didn't.

She reared her left arm back and flicked out her wrist blade. The squelch that followed was so loud it made her sick as it sank deep into the queen's head, deep enough her arm began to smoke from the acid flowing over her hive goo covered skin. The queen's brain was somewhere inside.

It reared back and stumbled into a wall. The accompanied jolt sent Skylar sliding until her body dangled from her left arm. She was practically hanging from a cliff except this cliff had murderous intent that wouldn't just die. The queen's two sets of arms reached for her, followed by the sound of clicking iron like jaws. All she could do was pull herself up as far as she could and kick at the queen's massive face. She pulled her leg back once again and shoved it forward, in less than a second the sound of her right shin shattering at top speed cracked through her whole body.

The queen's small jaw retracted. It shot out twice more into the wound it had already created as Skylar began screaming. It ripped through her throat as she threw her head back in pain and shook out her right arm's wrist blades. The side of the Queen's dome was vulnerable and despite the blur skittering the edge of her vision she slammed the blades into the Queen's face. Once, twice, three times she pulled her arm out and shoved it back in. She kept carving her way in until she was certain she had destroyed whatever brain the creature had. It teetered, swaying before it fell and took Skylar with it.

Darkness overwhelmed her and for a moment she was completely still. Despite that, she surfaced again, agony rolling over her as spots danced across her eyes. She heard a distant purr. A purr that had lulled her to sleep and soothed her on more than one occasion. "Kweide..." her voice was soft at first, breathless from the pain and disorientation. Then as she began to feel the searing of her flesh it became louder. "Kweide!" She pulled back her arms, not caring about the destroyed blades as she fell into the goo and rolled where the acid was burning through her flesh. "Kayla!" she called for her first. Tears streamed down the side of her face.

Kayla pushed herself up from the spot she had fallen in. Limping, she rushed over to Skylar as best she could. When she spotted Skylar, her hands went for the skirt at her waist. Fingers fumbled with the bone buckle until it fell to the floor. "I'm here, I'm here."

"We have to help Kweide, we have to help him!" She sobbed and groaned as she slathered on as much of the alien muck onto herself as she could. It burned but she couldn't afford to stop. There would be parts of her body forever scarred that not even the best skin grafts could fix. But she had to believe this goo would keep protecting the wounds until they could get back to the ship. 

"Lets wrap your leg first." Kayla dropped down beside her and began wrapping a tourniquet around Skylar's injured leg. "I'll help you walk alright but we gotta be careful."

Skylar retched to the side, her arms shook from the effort it took to keep from going sprawling into it. "Okay," she panted slightly and positioned her leg in the right position for Kayla to work. She didn't want to think about what it would take to get Kweide out but she'd drag him and herself if she had to.

Kayla worked quickly, finishing wrapping the cloth and then pulling tightly. Once it was secured she held her hand out to Skylar offering her help up. "Come on Sky, you're not allowed to go here it's too fucking filthy."

"I don't plan on any of us dying here," she replied as she took Kayla's hand, lifting her shattered leg, and hobbling forward. Kweide was not too far from them. Maybe fifteen feet or so. She could make that distance. She'd make it further too. She hadn't cared if she died a moment ago but now that she realized they were all still here and her adrenaline was crashing down she wanted so badly to try and fix the situation. There had to be something she could do. After all she had survived and won... loss seemed so unfeasible.

"Come on, don't tell me I'll have to carry both of you," Kayla grunted as she drew closer to where Kweide was. Skylar was enough for her, especially with the sharp pain that kept shooting up her left ankle. She held her breath and continued through the pain until she was at his side.

"Kweide!" Skylar fell forward, careful with her leg as she aimed for the goo. It didn't have as much give as she wanted but it worked well enough that she barely gasped in pain. "Kweide we're here, we're going to get you out of this stuff okay?" She crawled closer to him, pulling at the hardened nesting material he was cocooned in.

His head turned to her slowly, "skylar... no"

"No?" She stopped, staring at him for a moment before she shook her head. "Come on, it won't be that hard, you're not that heavy". He was heavy. He was easily seven foot and several hundred pounds. But they could make a slide or they could find help. Skylar looked to Kayla, "Lala help me get this stuff off, please?"

Kweide shook his head while Skylar dug at the goo. He remained quiet but the moment she freed his arms he grabbed her hand.

Kayla remained still, a sense of understanding pulling over her face. She looked to Kweide but more so to the thing at his feet then back to Skylar. "Sky, I-"

She tugged her hand back and started pulling at the goo on his chest. "We're going to bring you home. And we'll get you patched up and the medics can... the medics can cut it out or something." Her hands trembled and her wounded fingers bled anew. Were they ever going to heal? She wasn't sure. But she dug at the goo anyway, its strength a combination of laffy-taffy and a crunchy shell.

Kweide placed his hand over hers, pressing it closer to himself. "Kayla...I would like to speak to Skylar alone, please".

Kayla looked at him, her face grim as she nodded. Sparing one look at Skylar, she turned and hobbled to the other side of the queen. Giving them space and occupying herself by making sure none of the eggs were left behind.

Skylar watched her friend leave, shaking her head as her eyes watered. She wanted to scream for Kayla to come back, to beg her not to give up like this. But one look at Kweide had her shattered. She trembled as he pulled her closer, he laid her against his chest and for half a moment he purred until the gesture caused him to cough from pain. She wrapped her arms around him gently. "Kweide what have they done to you?" Her voice cracked as she reached up to stroke the side of his face. His mask was barely lit, covering just the top part of his face, and she traced over his scars delicately. He had fought the face hugger, his bruised throat and broken mandibles were proof of that. He fought so hard to live all the time. Like he had to earn it.

He did not reply as he reached up, fingers bent as he wiped away each of her tears as they fell. "Don't cry for me Skylar," his thumb brushed gently over her lips almost like a kiss, "you are Yautja now. A warrior."

She sobbed against him, she'd be a coward if it meant she could save him. If she could spare him the hurt. If she could keep him. "I don't, I don't-" she gasped for air through her tears. She shook her head violently as he unclasped the necklace from his neck. The necklace of a Yautja mandible he always wore no matter what. The only fellow warrior he had ever killed had become the trophy he cherished most. Proof he deserved the right to live. He slid it around her neck and clicked it closed.

"They will all be proud of you, as I have been proud of you." He rubbed his hand down her back. "Such a mighty warrior-" he pulled her closer, his muscles trembling as he bent his head to hers, "- in the most unexpected ways". He moved her hand to his chest. "And you will be strong enough to put an end to my misery today."

She shook her head. But he offered her his wrist blade anyway. Even as his body jerked and he growled from pain he did not drop his arm. Her stomach churned but there was nothing left of her to come out as she unclasped the weapon from him. Skylar gripped his hand tightly before she readied the blades to his chest where one of the last live aliens of this hive lived. Where his lungs were and so close to his heart. The heart that had become her white noise every night. The lungs that promised her everything. Her arm dropped, "Kweide I don't think I can". Tears poured down her face until she could barely see him.

He took off the top half of his mask, setting it away from them. His large hand enveloped her arm, aiming it at his chest, while his thumb hovered over the side. "Come," His voice was gentle and raspy. "Come here Skylar, it will be alright." He had been soft with her. Gentle. But this was too much. He shook, pressing his face to her chest and she clutched him closer. "Tell me what we will do when we go home". He panted from the movement as he pressed the side button. The two steel blades pierced his chest instantly. He groaned from agony but he did not let her go.

She sobbed, inhaling several shaken breathes before she spoke, "We're going to take a bath. And eat. And then we'll talk and I'll tell you I'm staying. I'll tell you I want to live with you Kweide, I want us to be together." She kissed his forehead and then his brow fervently. Her hands cupped his face tenderly, "and you will have to listen to me plan our future, our children's names". 

He tilted his face upwards, milky eyes focused on her completely, "how many?". His voice was warmer than she'd ever heard him speak outside their room.

"As many as we could have. You're never going to have a peaceful moment again."

"I should have known." His tone was amused and weak even as his hand fell to the ground. "So beautiful, my family will all be so beautiful, like my mighty Skylar" His weight dropped against her.

A deep, guttural wail ripped its way through her throat. Tearing apart her vocal cords as her fingers clutched him to her. Those beautiful milky eyes were empty. His body was empty too. Moaning in pain she gripped him like she could pull him back to life. As if she could force herself into his skin and be with him. Surely her chest had caved in and she'd be split open from throat to navel. Surely she was dying too. What else could hurt so much?