Chapter 21- Kweide

The human's friend leaving alongside Lar'ja-thwei had an odd effect on the tension in the room. It was complete uneasiness for both of us, and if my assumptions were correct, she was as reluctant to be beside me like this as I was to her.

After several minutes of unbroken silence and unease I turned my head to speak to her but to my surprise she was already fast asleep against my side.

The interaction with her human friend must have tired her out more than she let on, her breathing was slightly labored but ultimately not too different from her sickened sleeping patterns. 

Studying her was my only option in my boredom. As much as I was repelled by the human, my curiosity was somehow equal.She was ugly, humans were such an unappealing kind with their scent glands stretched out so oddly. And yet these very same horrifying attachments were useless  compared to my own sense of smell. 

Hesitant, but ultimately too bored and pulled by curiosity, I reached a hand out to touch her facial appendage. It was smooth and had the faintest curves to follow as I ran a clawed finger across.

It twitched as her face crinkled in her sleep so I pulled my hand back and focused on other features. Human's had something we did not around our mouths, some out sticking lumps that gave them a more ranged option of expression and the ability to speak their language easier. With amusement I probed them, they were squishy and plump, so unlike anything I had felt before. What were these called again? She had told me once...lips, these were human lips.

I pulled them and let go, they popped back to her mouth and I repeated the process a few more times. It was amusing to mess with such a moldable creature, one who was thankfully fully asleep in exhaustion.

Now bored of the lips I went to poking at her so called cheeks, why were human's so stretchy? Why were they so soft? I could not answer these questions yet and I refused to ask them but perhaps one day I would. 

Placing my hand across her face I laid it down on her skin, she was oily -perhaps from the fever or other human things- but she was soft, little to no bumps, mostly just smooth suppleness. Such a foreign feeling, one I surprisingly liked.

Her breath rolled across my palm, warm as her mouth lay slightly open. Fascinated with her different features I gently pried it open further, careful to make sure she was still passed out. "So odd..." I spoke quietly, if I woke her now I would have no explanations for myself or my actions. 

The inside of her mouth was dark and generated heat from what the tip of my finger could gauge. It was humid with moisture, like an inner jungle environment. This was how she sucked in cold air and spewed it out lukewarm. They must be naturally warm creatures. It made sense now that her core temperature was a big problem. It was not used to up and downs, it was a stable heat that kept her and her organs at a consistent temperature.

I had learned something I hadn't originally planned to, but perhaps Lar'ja-thwei would find it to be of interest. Taking my hand back and gently closing her small mouth I waited a few moments before disturbing her again.

With my hand splayed open I encircled the crown of her head, this was hard in comparison to the rest of her but then again it was where her skull laid. My fingers naturally curled around her head and buried themselves into her thick tendrils. 

These were soft but not squishy, they were nothing like my own. These brown growths were more like fur than a body part and they were long and matted from tangles. It was remarkably lengthy for the humans young age as well, but perhaps their tresses grew at a different rate than our own. Some of us never grew long tendrils at all.

I pulled my hand up very slowly and softly, my claws were dangerous but when they lightly scratched her head she let loose a happy sound. I froze and leaned over to check the human's face. Still asleep.

Relieved I repeated the action and she responded again in kind. Was this a pleasing feeling to them? Just to be sure I repeated it again and again until I was certain the human enjoyed it. I would remember that.

Praise training this human might be the better path, she seemed to respond well to gentler behavior so it needed to be used to my advantage. Now focused on her tendrils I noted the band holding them all together;I looked to my own metal ones and back to hers. They were completely different in texture but served a similar purpose it seemed. 

I'd have to inquire about that later. For now I laid back completely and finally considered letting my eyes close for rest. In her state she was in no position to harm me, and in truth she did not seem to be of a dangerous disposition. Perhaps that was too arrogant a thought. Only time would tell.

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Sometime later I woke up to a weighted feeling. Glancing down I gawked at the position I was now in. The human was curled around my side and tucked close against my chest, her leg was wrapped around mine and somehow in my slumber I had instinctively snaked my arm across her waist.

I almost moved to throw her off me from my own shock, but a look at her resting face reminded me I could not. Her being close was necessary for her health...then again perhaps being wrapped around me was not. I could pry her off but it would wake her and I knew very little about how human's worked though it seemed rest helped them. She had improved noticeably on her breathing from back when she had her fevered slumbers. I would not wake her.

Decision made I settled in my place and made minor adjustments to my position. It was simply to keep her from rolling off and losing heat that I kept my arm around her. I would only wait so long though, if she did not wake on her own soon then I would have to wake her myself. She needed sustenance and so would I.

Sitting in silence I glanced down again in boredom. Seeing my arm made me think of the sensations it was perceiving without the ability to go back to not noticing them.

Giving up trying to ignore them I just let my sense of touch analyze where it laid on her waist. She seemed to be made of softness as long as it wasn't her head. Were all humans so plush?

I did not squeeze or move my hand, I had my own bodily boundaries and could respect hers. Too lost in my own thoughts I registered her waking later than I normally would. That was unacceptable for myself.

"Kweide?" She lifted her head in confusion from my chest and looked at me with her odd large human eyes.

"Yes ooman?" Much to my surprise her eyes widened further as she promptly rolled off of me and almost plummeted to the floor. I caught her arm and issued a growl. Why was she behaving so foolishly? "Ooman!"

"Sorry, I was just surprised...I thought you'd be mad for that." I tilted my head to show her I wanted further details. "Well, do you remember weeks back when I tried to touch you and you got upset? It was a lot less close than this so I assumed this would be...even worse." She looked away from me as I held her over the edge of the bed. I remembered, quite well actually, and perhaps she was right. Maybe I should be more upset about the closeness regardless of the situation, but would that only make me petulant?

Who would be so consumed by pettiness that they could not push aside their pride for the sake of their duty? Many Yautja came to mind, but I was never meant to be one of them. I was supposed to have learned from their arrogance, not copied it. "No mad."

Garbled human speak would have to do, I simply could not be bothered to use my mask right now even though I was still wearing it. And we both needed to practice each other's language anyway. "Oh...okay..." She seemed hesitant as if she did not believe me but she still began to pull herself up.

A devilishly pup like idea crept into my mind, it would be wrong to be so playful, oh but it would be fun. With a tilt of my mask I reached out my other arm as if to help pull her up by her leg.

The human raised a brow but began to pull herself up a little more even though her body was severely underused and weak. "Thank y-" I did not let her finish, with a quick movement I unhinged her leg from the bedside -as the human would call it- and let go of her arm to watch her shocked face plummet all of an arm length to the lifted ground.

My quiet trill of laughter echoed through the room as she laid on the floor with a foolish look on her face. I laughed more as she began to scowl from the ground, the normally obedient and subjective human was clearly irritated.

After a moment though I sighed and pushed myself over to the side where she had been before standing. With a quick movement I scooped her up from the floor only to nearly drop her again as she let out a soft bubbling sound. Looking down at her with surprise I tilted my head at her wide eyed look and the hands covering her mouth.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to giggle, it was just the quick movement and the gush of air. It's always made me laugh since I was a kid, it's why when I swing on the swings I have to swing low or else i'll be in a fit of giggles." She seemed apologetic by her ramble but I was curious of these giggles.

I could feel my frustration heighten as I tried to speak to her. "What...what giggles for?" I felt like an idiot, why was her language so tedious? My kind was not meant for this speaking, she needed to learn our language and she needed to learn it quick. I didn't like the feeling of sounding like an human suckling.

She seemed puzzled by my curiosity but answered my question obediently. "Well, they're like small laughter and happen from reactions I guess. For instance...being tickled, or being made to laugh quietly." Her shoulders bunched together after she finished talking.

Satisfied from her answer I decided to shelve any other questions away. It was time for food. "It is time to eat" I set her down on her own two wobbly legs and went to retrieve my tossed aside chest plate.

"Kweide, do Yautja have vegetables?" She asked as she began to try and walk towards the door, within seconds she went sprawling forward toward the floor.

"Ooman, enough." I crouched in front of her and gestured to the room. "Stay. Walk again." I would not coddle her every move, at some point she'd have to stand on her own again.

She looked around and then back to the floor before beginning to push herself to her feet slowly. "Yeah, it's probably for the best I stay here and try to walk. But when you go can you get me some vegetables? I miss lettuce and cucumber so much." She got to her feet and stood before me with a unstable stance.

What were vegetables? "Egdge ta ells?" I did not have lips and this was not a word I had practice via my natural mimicry enough. "Again ooman" I pointed to her to speak again.

"Vegetables." She looked at me with the same excitement I had seen back when she first tried to teach me her language. Somehow this made me want to speak correctly all the more.

"Vegetables" This time my mimicry was clear as I repeated the word until it settled into my natural tone. She clapped her hands as she looked at me with awe.

"Brilliant Kweide, absolutely brilliant." She seemed to look around for something only to freeze. "Oh... right." She straightened herself and smiled at me but something was distant about it.

"What look for?" My arms folded naturally, avoiding the emotion of the human could lead to another of their stress fevers. And I was not going to be made a fool by my Elder yet again.

"Well, I really wanted to write your progress down and take notes on your vocal capabilities." She bunched her shoulders up again and looked at the ground.

"... Record?" I had to process what she said for a moment before I could find it in me to pick a solution. With ease I went with the simplest and probably more rewarding path, give the human what she wanted. "Have" I tossed her a small tech piece for her to mess with. If she could figure it out she could use it however she pleased, it was only basics for recording information and foreign data. There was no danger in it.

"Are you serious? I can have this?" The disbelief radiated off her like heat from a sun. I nodded and watched her gently lower herself onto the bed to fiddle with it.

"Ooman," I grabbed her attention again as quick as I could, we could not spare every moment being lost to curiosity. "What Vegetables?"

"Oh! Well, they're sometimes leafy and green but they come in a variety of different types. They're basically edible plants." She tilted her head, "I've never seen you eat anything besides meat though... do you not eat plants?"

"We eat both plants and meat but our food choice is not leafy, we prefer roots."At the confused look on her face I translated as best I could. "We eat vegetables. Not leafy. Stay. Will return." I held up my palm and left the room to the cafeteria. As Yautja we preferred raw meat most of all but we were able to eat what she defined as a vegetables and ate them when there was little else or we had a taste for it.

I received a few odd looks as I took two of the meats and roots and promptly left but it wasn't too unusual for myself. I did not partake in social bonding as much as others did so I didn't dwell on their stares.

Within minutes I had returned to the room and opened the door only to be surprised with how far the human had got in figuring out the device. She was not to the point of unlocking it yet but she was quickly figuring out it's normal positioning and the response keys. "Food." I plopped the cooked meat and root onto her lap and stood to consume my own. She dropped her new toy and watched me make quick work of the flesh in my hand before turning to rip apart the root.

"Your mandibles are so strong..." She noted before taking a bite of her own meat. She ate inefficiently and the way her jaw moved seemed like she was struggling to consume it at all.

"Yes, your fangs weak." I mused as I tapped her jaw with a clawed finger. Some appetite must have returned to her as she began to eat with more fervor. She was such a messy eater and the juice ran lines down her chin that she wiped away quickly.

"My teeth are not meant for ripping and tearing on a large scale, just for consuming." She raised a brow and tried to bite into the root. Keen emphasis on tried. "Ow!" She held her jaw and looked at it as if it betrayed her. "I can't eat this root. It's too hard for my teeth like this."

"Constant weakness with you ooman's." With a huff I moved closer to her when I spotted a chill begin to work across her skin. It seemed she was still vulnerable to being without a heat source for too long but perhaps she needed a vegetable for her delicate health as well.

Left with little to no choice I tucked her into my fur's and left to request a small amount of time to collect her necessity's from the nearby planet. I could wager her friend's health as well for leverage if need be. But only if it came to it.

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Success! The Elder was going to watch over my human and let me grab the food her and her friend required in the process. It would be simple, it would be quick, a planet rotation at most, and I would have to be above all else efficient. They required softer foods than us and foliage like substances from her descriptions so I would have to keep that in mind while gathering.

With hurried steps I entered the room and slid my chest plate back off. My Elder would arrive to release me from watching her but there would be some time before he had completed his duties. The best I could do for then was pick her exhausted form off the ground and slide back onto the bed for rest and reheating. I could feel myself itching for freedom already, but waiting brought good things.

A sigh reached my ears, the human was stirring some from her sleep, I did have to wonder why she chose the floor as a resting place before I got back. "Ooman, why did you rest on the floor?" Her face immediately soured where she lay.

"It wasn't by choice..." A tap on her shoulder was my signal for her to continue so she did, albeit reluctantly. "I overexerted myself, I passed out." Now I was completely frustrated, had she injured herself further? A quick inspection told me that she hadn't. But she could have, and how would I explain that to the Elder?

"Learn Patience." I poked her chest with my claw, she was being too risky, this was not behavior I expected from her. She was a weaker cautionary creature. Why was she being so determined now?

"I am patient, but you know Yautja will not tolerate weakness. I have to be able to walk on my own when I eventually leave this room again." She looked up at me and I could not disagree.

"Even still, you need to be aware of your actions. Pushing yourself past the limit will only be a hindrance and slow your healing." Realizing i'd have to translate that, I spoke again. "Rest, you lengthen injury. You become burden." She looked crestfallen after my words and quietly sank back down by my side. I had a feeling if it were not for her needing heat, she would have been as far away from me as possible.

And then, softer than a breeze, her dejected voice spoke up. "I am trying not to be a burden...to anyone. But it's not easy..." I could feel the sullenness radiating off of her.

"Contrary to what you may believe, I am not trying to offend you ooman. The struggle to not burden others and to be strong...it is shared by many. You must face your weakness, see it, accept it. And then tear it apart. A warrior knows his weaknesses and overcomes them and a smarter warrior knows how to use them. " Looking down at her wide eyes I continued. "Use your weakness for it may very well become a strength."

This was not a shared philosophy among many Yautja clans, then again those Yautja clans rarely survived their own arrogance. If one could not be blunt with their own self then they would surely die out on a hunt. And what good were you if you were uselessly killed?

"I never...I never really thought about it like that." She seemed thoughtful and with that change I knew she would do well. The Elder's words from the past were not forgotten. Only I could decide if she were useful or not, it was high time I let her realize her own potential so that she could improve.

It was quiet for a moment until the door slid open and the Elder arrived. "Kweide, you are free to leave now." His towering presence waltzed into the room and gestured to the doorway.

With a nod I removed myself from my necessary position by her side and re attached my chest plate.I gathered all my items and left the room silently. Nothing else needed to be said between me and the human. I did not look back.

Head held high I picked a small ship in the docking bay for my journey and proceeded to fill the storage room with several cases and containers for storing food for the humans. A large screen for communication with the mother ship was dead center at the small cross way of the ship. Each branching hall leading to either the exit, the storage, the two sleeping quarters or the control room.

"Kweide are you aboard?" Out of the silence Lar'ja-thwei's voice echoed from the front of the ship. I was right in front of the screen but it was not alight. Perhaps a malfunction? It had to be that. Yes there was no other reason. At least I hoped so.

"Kweide?" His voice echoed again and I felt the tension in my shoulders double. Swiftly, I headed towards his voice and felt the urge to growl when I entered the control room. He was on this journey with me it seemed.

"I am surprised to see you Lar'ja-thwei." With a tense movement I sat down in the pilot's chair and faced him.

"And I am surprised you did not assume I would be here. It is only logical a medic would come since this is a health focused journey." He did not look up from his holographs that he was shifting through with interest.

I could not retort, he was indeed correct that it made sense so I went back to readying the ship for take off. This was going to be the most tedious journey of my life, the human better be grateful for this. If not, i'd let her go on a mission with lar'ja-thwei and see how she felt after it. 

Although in some ways I found myself thankful it was only him. At least he knew how to be quiet. Ours was a silence never broken unless absolutely needed.