Chapter 30 - Kweide

The ship was quiet on the way back. The two, both Yautja and Human, were exhausted to their core. Nearly dying can do that to you.

Kweide turned his tired gaze on the human sleeping closely to his side. She hadn't left his line of sight since the falls and he wasn't allowing her much space anytime soon. He'd had his wake up call, she was much stronger than he gave her credit for but she wasn't indestructible, the human could die easier than he could.

His fingers toyed with her wet hair, she'd need a warm bath to make sure she didn't catch an illness. Afterward, they could both see Lar'ja-thwei for a better inspection. For now, he just wanted to watch her breathing, that delicate up and down motion put him more at ease than anything else. Fondly, he allowed his fingers to ghost past her mouth. Old habits die hard.

"Kweide?" Skylar's voice was tired and groggy as she began to wake. Her round face turned up to look at him and he moved his hand placement to her barely noticeable cheekbone. It was odd that they were beginning to form, she'd lost much weight since joining the Yautja. With worry he glanced at her sides, maybe he needed to feed her more, then again, she seemed to be getting stronger despite that change. "Are we almost back?" She began to sit up and unwind herself from his side.

"Yes," He replied. 

"Good, I just wanna sleep in our bed." She murmured, her throat sounded raw as a raspy change began to overcome her usually soft tone.

Kweide paused, she had just taken partial claim to his bed. When he let that prance around his head he found that it wasn't exactly wrong. His bed had long been passed being his alone. He just hadn't acknowledged it before. "We will rest, but first we will get clean."

She nodded once and then leaned back against the wall. "Just one step at a time right?"

"Right." He said.

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When their little ship docked, both Skylar and Kweide began to gather their kills. He was grateful that despite the rapids the trophies had washed up on the shoreline for them to take. "I'll be right behind you, why don't you start out?" Skylar said, she was tying the big deer she killed to her back, she had wanted to show off just a little and he believed she had earned it.

Kweide merely nodded before leaving to the exit ramp and flipping the switch. To his surprise, the familiar hiss of the lowering door was not the only thing greeting them home. Waiting outside was a morose looking crew of Yautja. All of whom were looking directly at Kweide, two with accepting dread and a third with a hopeful gaze.

"The Ooman, where is she?" Ne'kai stepped forward, he seemed the most energized of the bunch. "I wish to congratulate her on her work."

"Ne'kai!" Elder Lar'ja growled at the young warrior. "You know what has happened."

"She would not die, Elder, I am sure of it." Ne'kai shook his head. "I do not mean to insult you but the Ooman said she wanted to go home, she is determined." He shook his head again and stared past Kweide in waiting.

Elder Lar'ja looked away, remorse flashing across his face before he spoke to Kweide. "I had hoped she was strong enough for this. I was wrong. This is my oversight, I will not condemn you for that Kweide. We will... rediscuss your punishment with R'kadekna."

"What do you mean punishment?" Skylar walked down the ramp with a confused look. Although she was dragging the deer behind her, the anger on her face made it clear she wasn't noticing the strain yet.

All the Yautja, minus Kweide, looked at her in surprise.

"When this-" Lar'ja-thwei gestured between them all before looking to Skylar, his look of indifference had replaced any solemness from before "- is handled, come to the medical bay. Both of you." He nodded once more before briskly turning and leaving.

"Skylar! You were fierce! Paya herself would be proud." Ne'kai stepped forward, oblivious to the tension in the room. He shook her shoulder in greeting while the muscles in his arms flexed from excitement. "You must train with me sometime. I would be most thrilled to show you a proper grip for prey." He looked at her expectantly and somehow it pulled her away from her inquiry.

"I'd love that Ne'kai. But maybe after I heal up a bit? I'm a little battered right now." Skylar winced as she moved her shoulders some.

"Of course, you must rest. Then we may train! I will show you how to lift things larger than yourself and slam them into the ground like Zabin!" Ne'kai nodded and clenched his fist. He had boundless energy and it could be shocking despite the fact that he was younger than all the other Yautja in the room. Ne'kai was often like a child, petulant and snappy when angry -which he often could be-, but exuberant when happy.

"It's a promise then." Skylar smiled at him and he slapped her shoulder.

It took everything in Kweide to not growl at the young blooded warrior. But N'kai was new, fresh and unaware, Kweide chose to leave him be.

"Congratulations to you Skylar. You have earned it." Ne'kai nodded to both her and Kweide as he left. His excited demeanor changed for a moment as he snarled at an unblooded in his way. His nasty temper was known for a reason.

Skylar chuckled slightly, her weariness settling back onto her like a second skin. Kweide could tell she was beyond tired. The bags under her eyes seemed near-permanent with their darkness.

"Skylar..."

She turned her tired blue eyes onto Kweide.

"I'll take everything and then come back for you." He looked to Elder Lar'ja, aware that it was better to leave him to explain everything.

She nodded and handed him the chains tying her kill to her body. "Be safe," Her voice faded as he nodded and walked away. Kweide looked back only once as the Elder and Skylar began to talk, there was anger beginning to simmer in her eyes, a wave of anger he hoped he wouldn't have to face. 

The walk was the opposite of what Kweide wanted. He just wanted time to think, time to plan, but the others on the ship were insistent on knowing what happened to him and what happened to Skylar.

Regardless of their admiration, Kweide just wanted to be left alone.

When he shuffled past another group of Yautja he slid inside his quarters and locked the door. There were no sounds now behind that silencing slab of metal.

Kweide let out a tension-filled hiss as he dropped the kills in the corner of the room. He and Skylar could deal with them later, what was more important was getting Skylar and getting themselves clean.

Both their bodies had been slathered by mud and leaves and Paya only knew what else back on that planet. They'd both been given a quick sterilizing spray when they'd gotten on the ship to return, but the muck needed off their bodies and wounds before something bad had the chance to happen.

Kweide plucked a stick out of his dreadlocks and tossed it aside. He probably looked a mess just as much as Skylar had.

Thinking of Skylar, he left the room and hurried for the ship bay. He needed to see her soon, make sure she was holding it together.

She had held strong so far, that didn't mean it would last.

When Kweide arrived back at the ship he and Skylar had taken, he heard the muffled sounds of crying coming from inside. Its door was now lowered and open with the Elder nowhere to be seen.

Without precaution, Kweide sped up the ramp and towards the pilot's chairs. He could see Skylar's hunched over form moving rapidly. "Skylar..." He said her name as soft as he could despite the vocal difficulty.

She looked up at him and cried harder, "Go away!"

"Skylar," Kweide kneeled in front of her as she ducked her head in between her knees. He tapped her knee with his claw until she looked up at him.

"Go away... I don't want to see you right now. I'm too angry, I won't be nice. I can't be." Skylar's face hardened some, but that lower lip's quiver showed how hard it was for her to hold back any of her tears.

"You don't have to be nice. You can be angry. It is alright." Kweide nodded with a solemness. He understood, she knew now that she was taken as his punishment. She was stolen because of him, because of his mistakes.

Being picked made sense now, everything made sense now and Kweide stoically kneeled in front of her, eye to eye. "You may hit me." He had grown to realize what he had taken from Skylar when he and H'chakde grabbed her and Kayla. There were things she had faced and seen now that would change her. He had taken things that could not be given back.

Her hand rose and he lowered his head as he prepared for the strike. It was odd for someone so proud and powerful to feel so humbled by her anger, but Kweide could think of nothing else to do except accepting the only punishment a Yautja knew.

That hand never hit him. Instead, he watched as Skylar's hands lowered and rested on each side of his face mask.

He looked up, confused by the gentle action and the tears running down her cheeks. "Just because I'm hurting doesn't mean it's right to hurt you Kweide. I am angry, I really, really am."

He stared at her in silence.

Skylar's fingers softly brushed against the mask and he wondered what they would actually feel like against his skin. "Let's get clean and then you tell me everything that happened. Okay? I need an explanation. Please."

Kweide nodded, he owed her the story at least. He rose to his feet, watching her hands fall to her lap and waiting quietly for her to slide off the chair and stand beside him.

He couldn't really process what had just occurred. It was a moment he would never tell another soul. For a Yautja to be humbled before a human was... unusual. Unheard of. But there were many things wrong with Kweide weren't there?

He kept his gaze ahead as he led her to the baths, he did not want to look into her eyes. She could render him immobile with those blue colored spheres.

They reached the female baths in silence. Kweide moved to leave, unaware that his job was not yet done.

Skylar's hand gripped his arm tightly, it wasn't painful but it was urgent enough for him to look down at her. "Kweide... please don't... I," She paused her speaking as she shook her head and inhaled deeply.

She looked up at him, fear lingering in her posture and eyes, "Stay with me?"

Kweide froze. What had she said?

He looked down at her and tilted his head in question, "repeat." He spoke in her human language to be clear with her.

Skylar let his arm go and folded her arms across her chest, "I asked you... if you could stay with me." She glanced up at him as she continued, "I don't want to go in there alone right now. Can you understand that ?"

There was a tense moment of silence between the two. One embarrassed but admitting she needed a comforting presence at the moment, and the other a little confused as he debated what she was saying.

The female baths were off-limits to a male unless- he paused his thoughts as he moved his eyes to the doorway. Skylar had asked him. She was no longer a servant and she had invited him into the baths. There was really nothing that could get him in trouble.

He nodded and motioned for her to go first, better safe than sorry. If a female Yautja was angered by his presence, Kweide's only hope was Skylar.

The bathroom was empty upon entering. Only the steam from the warm waters greeted them and Kweide felt relieved as he turned his back to the pool to give Skylar privacy. Not dealing with a massive, more violent female meant that he could stay in peace.

Skylar stared at the water, arms crossed. It was this stillness that brought his attention back to her. From the corner of his eye, Kweide watched as she tried to dip her toes in and slowly sink down. It was going well until she hit halfway up her calf, panic crossed her face as she gripped onto his thermal netting and pulled herself up in a scramble. "Maybe we should do this another time... " She said, she bit her lip and fell silent.

Realization crept in as he looked down at the bathing pool. She had drowned, it was obvious she was going to be afraid of the water. He could offer the showers but it was likely that she needed something warmer and more relaxing. Kweide's thoughts were dragged down as he felt Skyalr's hand rest on his arm. He looked and a moment of understanding passed between them.

If you questioned him, Kweide would be unable to explain the phenomena that happened when their eyes met. He had not been so sure himself as to why he knew what she was asking. He just knew.

With a nod he undid his sandals, then his armor, all were placed on the side of the pool before he sunk down into the warm waters. He shivered from delight, the aches in his body were soothed by the light warmth.

Kweide looked up at Skylar as she peeled off her own armor, beneath it was the soft human armor she had once called a 'tank top'. He wasn't quite sure what it meant, but she seemed comfortable in it as she peeled off the thermal netting at her hips. There was difficulty getting the netting off over her short human leg coverings that fell to her mid-thigh.

Kweide shook his head and chittered in amusement, humans were so odd. What was the point of wearing such weak armor? Were they truly so unchallenged on earth? Yautja did not overdo their own armor but it was strong.

"Don't laugh, it's stuck- wait, I got it." Skylar triumphantly kicked off the netting and sat by the edge of the pool. As she had to confront actually getting in, her face turned turbulent. "I'm gonna take this slowly... okay?" He nodded and moved back to offer her space to get in.

After several minutes of her struggling to find the best way, or at least the least scary, Kweide waded over and held out his arms. "Come," he motioned her forward.

She stared at him and then at the grime on her body before nodding. "Okay, just don't panic," Skylar mumbled. Kweide wasn't sure if it was meant for herself or him as he gently lifted her in the air.

Just as he moved to lower her, her legs wound around him in a vice grip, "I can't, I can't do this. Don't put me down just get me out!" She clung to him so she remained halfway above the water. He didn't move her though, instead, he used his arms to support her in his hold.

Kweide purred softly for a few moments, hoping the gentle sounds would soothe her emotions as they had once soothed him, long, long ago. Faint memories of his mother purring to him as a nearly newborn pup ran through his mind while he continued his process. It wasn't long before Skylar's breathing was normal and her hold had loosened considerably. "Together, no panic," He said.

Slowly as possible, he lowered himself until the water covered both their chests in soothing waves. It was peaceful as she stared at him. "Thank you, I'm sorry for freaking out..."

Kweide looked at her and shook his head, "You're Ooman and you nearly passed into the black warrior's hands. It is reasonable."

It took several more moments but he heard her heartbeat lower itself down into a steady pace. Those ever blue eyes were boring into him as she tilted her head. "Kweide, What do you look like? Beneath that mask I mean."

When he looked away he tried to decide what to tell her. Only three Yautja knew of his condition, and if others were to find out? He'd be castrated immediately to prevent reproduction. Having young was banned for him regardless, but the shame of castration was what he wanted to avoid most.

Kweide shook his head, ignoring her attempts to look him in the eye.

"If you're hiding something, that's okay. I just..." Her hand softly touched his shoulder, "I want you to know you can trust me. I would never tell anyone anything you didn't want me too. If it's this important, I wouldn't even tell Kayla."

He looked at Skylar then, taking in every detail on her face for a hint of dishonesty. But she wasn't lying, and her heartbeat was as tranquil as the water they were in.

Despite himself, Kweide nodded. He had come to respect Skylar, to trust in Skylar, she wasn't deceptive and she had traded her life for his back on that planet. He should show her he trusted her, he could do that.

With careful movements he unhooked the tubes of his mask, letting the hiss of air fill the silence between them to stall.

She looked at him expectantly.

Kweide turned his head to the right, exposing only his undamaged side to her as he took the mask off and closed his eyes. He knew she knew what a Yautja looked like, and as she delicately tilted his head to face her he could ignore the little gasp of surprise at his scars. Many Yautja had scars, perhaps not so bad as the burn marks on his face, but it was normal.

What Kweide didn't want to do was open his eyes. That was his last secret, the one he was hiding most behind the mask.

"Kweide, it's okay. You can look at me." Skylar's voice was like a gentle nudge to him and he slowly, ever so slowly, lifted his eyelids.

He couldn't read her without the helmet's human vision mode, but he felt her stiffen in surprise. That brought one thought to his mind that fell to a stream of others. Judgment, she saw his affliction and knew he was an abomination. Doomed to die.

Before he could react poorly however, her hands moved to either side of his tense face."Your eyes... do they mean what I think they mean? Are you... Kweide are you going blind?"

He wanted to cover his face but he could not hide from the years of carrying that burden alone. It felt dangerous and oddly relieving to have another he could possibly trust know about it. Only the Elder, previous medic, and his mother had known.

It was his mother, or rather, his adoptive mother, that had deemed him fit to live after his birth mother tried to toss him into a fire. And it was his adoptive mother that had defended his right to go uncastrated as long as he never bred and the other clan members did not find out of his genetic blemish.

Kweide had been going blind since he was a pup, and although it was a slow process, he was cursed to die much younger than the others. The day his eyes stopped seeing would be the day he stopped breathing. He'd attempt to die with some dignity, perhaps a final hunt or be killed by the Elder. There was nothing else he could do.

Finally answering her question he nodded, waiting for a possible backlash.

In truth, he had no idea how humans felt about his biological defect but as he registered the feel of her fingers softly brushing the skin under his eyes, he couldn't imagine that Skylar would judge him as a Yautja would. He hoped.

She remained silent. Then, with a soft nod, she pulled a leaf from his tendrils, cleaning out the muck with empathetic tenderness. "I think they're beautiful."

At that moment, Kweide did not hold back his surprised click. She admired his cursed eyes, and surprisingly, as she continued to lightly clean his tendrils, he realized it brought him a sense of peace.

Skylar would keep his secret, Skylar accepted his eyes... she had become important to him somehow, now more than ever.