#but the lime on the fur didn’t stand out well against the white stripes

[zippityzap]

Bramble the Okapi: she runs a nightclub and has telepathic abilities!

[dailybeastarsthings]

Chapter 7 - Lunch Date With My Victim 7.2. The Beginning Of A Bittersweet Friendship

‘Ah, finally!’ Kibi thought after slamming the door at Legoshi’s face, leaving him behind to get the roses for the Drama Club’s New Student Welcome Event. ‘I want to be as far from her as possible…’

As he was walking down the stairs, Kibi was thinking about the chat earlier that day between him and his two friends, Oryx, an antelope student, and Makoto, Mizuchi’s boyfriend.

‘Hey, Makoto, you’ve got some white fur on you’ Oryx said.

‘Really!? Where?’ Makoto asked.

‘Right here on your vest… and some here, too’ Oryx replied while taking small strings of fur off of the other’s vest.

‘Oh well… you see… the thing is… I had a date with this really cute dwarf rabbit’ Makoto said while giggling. He was kind of embarrassed after being caught red-handed, but he was still proud. Typical male behavior.

‘What?’ Kibi yelled in frustration. ‘Don’t you have a girlfriend?’

‘Yeah… So tell me, how are you the “best rare species couple” again?’ Oryx added.

‘You’re only saying that because you don’t know her! She’s really cute and she’s fun to talk to. She’s super refreshing and really sexy, too!’ Makoto replied to the attacks.

‘Now hold on a minute…’ Oryx said with a mysterious look on his face. ‘Is she in the Gardening Club?’

‘Well… I think so.’

‘Her body is pure white. Not a single stripe or mark.’

‘Umm… How do you know this?’ Makoto’s frustration started to grow.

‘She has a bad sleeping posture and when she’s done she makes sure to clean up the room before getting out.’

‘WHAT!? Did you sleep with her, too?’ Makoto felt his heart sink. He thought that he could finally find someone to spend quality time with just to get his hopes trampled on by someone else. And maybe not just one candidate…

‘Wow, so that makes sense. I bet she doesn’t care whether her targets are single or taken…’

‘You mean… she’s using other males as fodder, too? No wonder she seemed so experienced…’

The topic of the conversation made Kibi uncomfortable. He believed that such private matters are not to be discussed with others, even if those others are friends or family. He just wanted to leave but Oryx’s description of the rabbit girl stuck with him…

‘Fodder? Come on, she’s just a bunny’ he said.

‘Nope. That’s a good word. Once she catches you, she’ll swallow you whole and spit your bones out. You better watch yourself. Females like her are more savage than any carnivore could ever be.’

Those words resonated in Kibi’s head for a long time.

‘Well… I don’t think she’ll do any of that to a wolf. Especially not Legoshi…’ And with that, Kibi left the Gardening Club behind for good.

***

The cafeteria was packed with animals of all sizes. During afternoon hours, the cafeteria served as gathering and meeting point for students, enjoying cakes, coffee and other desserts, which were served. These items were not part of the daily menu but they were always available.

As Legoshi and Haru were standing in the line, they felt the many looks on them from others. It made them feel quite uncomfortable. They didn’t say a word to each other or others. The silence was almost deafening. It was Haru, who finally began to break down the wall between them.

‘So, what are you getting? Personally, I was thinking about getting a raspberry shake with some sweet berry and yogurt parfait.’ she said.

Legoshi looked at her kind of awkwardly. He felt uncomfortable by the looks around him. He didn’t quite know how to answer such a question. What should he ask for? Something he would like or something more preferable by herbivores to avoid scaring her? He looked at the menu again and carefully read it through.

‘What should I get? Cherry pies are too sticky for me and I’d just make a mess of myself… I don’t really like parfaits… Coffee makes my breath smell bad… Caramel-apple pies are too sweet… Key lime pies are kinda good, but this kitchen lady always burns the bottom of it… wait… They have egg sandwiches! Jackpot! And perhaps a glass of red berry juice!’

‘So?’ Haru asked with a curious look on her face, trying to figure out the thoughts of the wolf, who both seemed confused and annoyed at the same time.

‘Oh, sorry!’ Legoshi replied. ‘I totally zoned out. But I think I’ll get an egg sandwich and a glass of red berry juice. I hope me eating an egg sandwich in front of you isn’t offensive or anything to you.’

‘Don’t worry about that, I don’t mind carnivores eating foods like that. Plus, you need eggs for cakes and such, so…’ Haru said.

When it was their turn, Haru asked for their meals. The kitchen lady served them without a word but even she couldn’t help herself and send a judging look towards them.

‘I guess it’s unusual for others to see a large carnivore and a small herbivore having snacks together?’ Legoshi thought. They searched for a seat and then finally sat down near one of the giant oaks in the hall. With each passing student, they were disgusted expressions, or being gossiped about. It started to become frustrating for both of them…

‘Why don’t we get to know each other a little better to deter our minds from what others might be thinking about this whole situation of us eating together?’ Haru suggested.

‘That would be amazing’ Legoshi replied. He felt kind of nervous though. He had no idea how to have a proper conversation with others.

‘Awesome, you go first!’ Haru said.

Legoshi took a deep breath and began.

‘My name is Legoshi. I’m a grey wolf, as you can see, and I’m a second year student. I’m a stagehand in the Drama Club. I like…’

‘Wait!’ Haru interrupted. ‘This is not some sort of job interview or speed dating, take your time and don’t just throw information at me. Why don’t we take turns?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Let me make an example. I’m Haru. I’m a third year Netherland dwarf rabbit and I’m the only member of the Gardening Club. I like taking care of plants and listening to music. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?’

‘Well… I don’t really know to be honest. I like bugs and reading weather reports. I’m really happy when they report about the possibility of rain.’

‘I see. And what do you like about insects?’

‘That they can’t hurt me like others. Most of them seem to like me because I’m trying to be as gentle to them as possible.’

‘I understand you. Sometimes others just hurt you or spread rumors about you just because you’re different from them.’

‘What kind of rumors are they spreading about you?’

‘It always changes. Gossip spreads among small animals like wildfires. But it doesn’t really bother me anymore. The latest is that I prey on male students to spend my nights with. I guess that’s a pretty good explanation as to why others are looking at us like that.’

‘I’m sorry about that. I can just go if this makes you uncomfortable…’

‘You don’t have to. I don’t care what they think about me. But enough of that. What do you do as a stage hand?’

‘Well, I take care of the lights and help out the costumes department. I also run errands the leaders ask me to do, like getting supplies, asking for help and such. I also do the cleaning most of the time since wolves’ vision is pretty good in the dark, so we can save money on the electric bill.’

‘That’s awesome. How does your night vision work? I’m usually blind in the dark.’

‘Well, I mostly see stuff as I see them in the light but they are a bit darker in color. I think that’s the easiest way to describe it.’

The conversation went on for a good few hours. Legoshi and Haru ended up having dinner together, too. They talked about school issues, common interests, likes and dislikes. They enjoyed their time together with quite a lot of laughing included. It was almost 8 pm when they realized how much they kept talking.

‘Goodness, look at the time!’ Haru said. ‘I honestly can’t remember when was the last time, I enjoyed myself with someone this much.’

‘Me too. It was nice getting to know you. But I have to run now. I have some homework to take care of. See you around’ Legoshi said while waving goodbye.

‘Bye, Legoshi’ Haru said with a smile. After a long time, she felt like she met a genuinely nice character. ‘There is still some good in this world. Don’t lose your light, Legoshi.’ she thought.

As Legoshi was leaving the cafeteria, he bumped into Kibi. He was still kind of frustrated after he used his excuse against him but he still felt a bit thankful so he could at least have a nice afternoon.

‘Hey, Legoshi!’ Kibi said. ‘I’m sorry I left you there. I was waiting for you to come back.’

‘Kibi… Why did you leave me there?’ Legoshi replied.

‘Before that, did anything happen?’

‘No, not really.’

‘Really? That’s good. So… The reason I was running down the stairs four steps at a time was because I was afraid of running into trouble.’

‘Well, there wasn’t any trouble, so what were you afraid of?’

‘Well, there’s this bunny who’s pretty famous around the herbivores. Apparently, she seduced many males and she’s really dangerous to be around… Basically, she’s a slut’ Kibi sighed. ‘Hard to believe, right? She looks so quiet, too… But hey, she wouldn’t try to make a move on a wolf, right? Did she say anything to you?’

Legoshi couldn’t believe what he just heard from Kibi. His words tasted like lead and were just as toxic. He couldn’t believe others would spread such rumors just because of someone being different. After a moment of thinking, he answered.

‘She did. She told me that she really cares about her flowers… She treats them like her own children. I want to talk to the stage crew to suggest getting the flowers from some place else. I think she has some issues, but she is a nice girl if you get to know her a little more. But I have to go now. Bye!’

With that, Legoshi left Kibi behind, who just couldn’t quite process Legoshi’s words. He couldn’t believe how mature he acted despite his young age. He stared after him as the wolf was slownly disappearing in the crowd.

[ghosthouses27]

Hot Damn

Summary: George fucking dies and Phil takes him to Hell Court™

(i had so many options for puns for the title-)

(warning: swearing, mentions of death)

  ~*~

George jolted awake, eyes wide with panic and shaking slightly. A black void surrounded him and whatever flooring was beneath felt cold, almost like water.

"W-what the hell?!" he stammered, his words echoing and bouncing around the... room? He didn't know where he was, in fact he didn't even remembered how he got here! All he remembered was sitting in his friend's speeding car, the sirens behind, and then-

"Hello." A calm voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked around. A man with pale blond hair and green-and-white striped hat was stood behind him, black robes covering his body. George was quick to notice to gleaming scythe in his hand that was just taller than the man himself.

"H-hi?" George replied, putting on a nervous smile. "Uh, where am I?"

"The afterlife."

George felt dread pool in his stomach. "O-oh... So I did get shot..."

The man nodded, a sad smile on his face. "Yes, you did," he said with a nod. "I understand if you need to mourn but I will also need you to follow me."

George nodded and stood up to follow him, feeling slightly intimidated by the giant scythe hovering its blade over his head. As they walked, George noticed the large black wings on the man's back but decided not to question it.

"Hey uh, actually where are we going?" George asked, the shock of suddenly being in the afterlife finally wearing off. "I thought you said this was the afterlife? Seems pretty boring... Also uh, who are you?"

The man chuckled with a surprisingly warm smile on his face. "I'm usually known amongst mortals as the Grim Reaper, but since you're dead now you can just call me Phil. I'm taking you to the Court of Souls, where you'll be put on trial to see whether you go to heaven or hell."

"Oh, I thought you just automatically go to one or the other?" George asked, tilting his head.

"Well for most it is," Phil explained. "But for some people, like you, it's harder to decide what your moral compass is. Small white crimes usually just go to heaven, terrorists go to hell, but a hacking into and robbing a bank takes some more thought."

George was about to ask how he knew about that when Phil put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from nearly crashing into a ridiculously tall door. He gazed up at what looked like a cream colored palace with gold accents and a red carpet peeking out from under the door.

Phil glanced at him and smirked. "Hope you're ready."

The doors burst open dramatically and George was met with a large throne room and 7 people, all of which seemed to be arguing with each other.

"We really couldn't have done this at Pride's place?" a tan man complained, slumping in his golden throne. "It's so much nicer there, this place is shit."

"Language!" a man with strawberry blond hair yelped, eyeing the raven-haired. "There's children here!"

"For the last time I'M NOT A FUCKING CHILD!" a blond yelled from the other side of the line of seats.

Phil fake-coughed in an attempt to get their attention and the pink-haired one in the middle turned to him. He quickly straightened up and snapped his fingers a few times. The rest of the group looked over and seemed to notice George and Phil standing there.

"Oh, hey there," a man with curly brown hair said, waving at the two from where he was laying down. "Nice to meet ya."

The blond next to him gave him a harsh shove with a disgusted look. "Ew, don't hit on him, you're like a hundred years older than him."

The brunette rolled his eyes. "Who gives a shit, we're dead," he scoffed. "Plus, I'm not gay, I'm just being nice."

"Well you make so many jokes about it I can't tell anymore-!"

"Shut up you two," the pink-haired snapped, giving them both a harsh glare. He glanced back at Phil and George, staring at both of them with a withering glare. "So this is who we have to trial?"

"Yup, George Nolfund," Phil said with a smile that seemed too bright for the situation they were in. "He's come down here because he was out robbing a bank with some friends."

He turned to the brunette next to him who was staring at the rag-tag group with pure bewilderment. "George, this is the 7 Deadly Sins of Hell," he explained, gesturing to them.

"Pride-"

The pink haired one in the middle glared at him with scarlet red eyes. He was sat on a golden throne with ruby colored cushioning, and adorned in a dark red cape with a fur trim. A diamond sword leaned against his throne, gleaming dangerously, and a shining golden crown sat on his head.

"Envy-"

The raven-haired with tan skin was sat in an identical golden throne, one leg propped up on the velvet seat. He wore a bright cyan beanie and matching t-shirt hoodie, black irises glaring at George with a scowl on his face.

"Greed-"

A dirty blond man in a lime-green hoodie was sitting in a similar throne, although his was lavished with even more riches and spoils. A strange white mask covered his eyes and a silver sword was at his hip, shining as brightly as the snarky grin on his face.

"Lust-"

The brunette laying on a victorian-style chaise lounge flashed him a smile, adjusting his black beanie slightly. He had a black jacket over a white collared shirt, the top few buttons undone, and a slick guitar was strapped over his back.

"Wrath-"

The blond in a red and white shirt bared his teeth in a glower, crossing his arms. He was sitting on a generic stool that looked to shiny to be real wood, not to mention the various chunks taken out of it.

"Gluttony-"

The strawberry blond look up from his muffin and waved, sat on a throne that looked to be made of various sweets and deserts. A dark gray cloak covered him and he had on a checkered gray sweater underneath, with little devil horns on the top of his hood that George couldn't tell if they were real or not.

"And Sloth."

A man with black hair was slouched on a beanbag, looking up at George sleepily from under a white headband. He was wearing a black turtleneck with a white t-shirt thrown on top, the flame design on the front crumpled and folded like it'd never seen an iron in its life.

"You will be judged by them to see if you go to Hell or Heaven," Phil said. "So I suggest you be on your best behavior," he added with a smirk.

"So what's the crime?" Greed asked, leaning forward in his chair.

Phil snapped his fingers and a scroll appeared in his hands. "Well, George here is from a rather well-off family but ended up being disowned by his parents and turned to a life of crime, working as a hacker for a group of well-known robbers in the city."

George shifted slightly, feeling uncomfortable at how much the man knew.

"Well G-"

"Well George," Pride interrupted, glaring at Greed. "That certainly doesn't sound like heaven material." He glanced over at his partners then back at George. "I say we just send him down. Greed you can take him, he seems boring."

Greed clapped his hands together happily. "Wonderful!"

"I- whoa, hold on!" Gluttony cut in, nearly choking on his mouthful of muffin. "We need to talk more! He's here on trial for a reaso-"

"I say send him down," Lust said, grinning slyly at the brunette before him. "I'll take him in if he seems like a bother, the more the merrier as they say."

"Guys we need to talk-"

"Actually, I'll be taking him, thank you very much," Envy hissed, shooting a glare at him.

"SHUT UP I WANNA HEAR GLUTTONY!" Wrath yelled, making Lust who was sitting next to him nearly fall off his chair.

Gluttony sighed, taking another bite of his muffin. "As I was saying," he began again, giving a pointed look to Envy who turned away sourly. "Whilst I do agree he doesn't seem like heaven material, we need to actually agree what faction he'll go to. No just calling dibs Greed."

Pride huffed, rolling his eyes. "Well I'm not taking him," he grumbled. "He doesn't even seem proud of his sins, hell he seems remorseful." He made a fake gagging noise which made Lust giggle.

"I don't think he fits Lust either," Lust commented, rolling onto his back to look at George upside down. "Robbing a bank isn't very sexy."

"Not Gluttony either," Gluttony added, voice muffled from a mouthful of muffin. "Least he didn't burn down a house trying to make a cake! Actually, 3 houses," he added with a giggle.

George winced slightly, imagining the flames consuming the building all for the sake of a measly pastry.

"Yup, definitely not Gluttony," the strawberry blond said, seeing his reaction. He glanced over at Sloth who seemed to have fallen asleep. "Got anything to say Sloth?"

The raven-haired jolted awake, spluttering for words and trying to grasp reality for a moment. "Uh- I- yeah, did you say something?" he asked, grinning slightly.

Gluttony huffed in frustration. "We're trying to figure out what faction to put uh..."

"George."

"Right. What faction to put George in. You got anything to say?"

Sloth shrugged, resting his head in his arms. "I dunno. Didn't you say he like, robbed a bank? Probably not fit for Sloth then."

"Geez you actually have something to contribute," Wrath muttered.

"Well do you have anything to add dipshit?" Sloth shot back, smirking.

Wrath bristled, gripping the edge of his stool tightly. "You're the dipshit, dipshit!" he retorted, before glaring over at George and making the brunette flinch. "He's too nice, acts like one of Lust's bitches."

"I don't want him either," Envy quickly added, looking away. "He looks... dumb..."

"Then I do get him!" Greed exclaimed, grinning. "Hell yeah!"

Phil smiled that all-too-friendly smile again. "Alright then! Trial over! You guys can get back to whatever and I'll take this one down on under!"

Sloth was gone before he even finished speaking, and Pride quickly followed in suit. Lust waved goodbye before vanishing as well. Gluttony sent him one last smile before disappearing and Envy sent him a glare before following.

"Bye bitch boy," Wrath sneered before leaving.

Greed gave him a final smile and a wave. "It was great to meet you George!" he exclaimed with a smile that seemed almost fake. "See you in Hell."

[writesandramblings]

The Captain’s Secret - p.21

“Tree’s Company”

A/N: I swear there aren’t any more pun titles for the next few chapters!

Full Chapter List Part 1 - Objects in Motion << 20 - Gorn with the Wind 22 - Umale >>

Morita pulled Lorca free from the pond and dragged him away from the water, which was no easy feat given that he weighed about fifty pounds more than her and was soaking wet. She let him cough up water and checked his pulse. Serot stood nearby on top of the moss as if it were perfectly solid and rinsed the blood from her spear.

"Gone," he coughed. "Lalana."

"In the water?" said Morita, looking back at the field of moss and the gaping holes in the surface. She pressed her hand onto Lorca's shoulder in reassurance. "I'll get her."

"No!" Lorca pulled himself upright, water dripping down his nose. "She was—in there—now—" He shook his head. "I don't know what happened."

Serot strode across the moss towards them. "I saved your life. I believe you owe me an explanation."

"The transponder," said Lorca, ignoring the request. He stumbled to his feet and set off in the direction Zark had thrown him, Morita and Serot following.

The big green corpse was still there, its silver eyes staring lifelessly skyward. Morita carefully took in the sight of the wide, red stain of blood across the ground.

Lorca picked up the transponder. The chassis was bent almost to a 130-degree angle. He handed it to Morita for inspection. "I don't think I can fix it," she said after a minute. "Do you think the Triton got the signal?"

"We're in the Briar Patch," drawled Lorca. "I wouldn't count on it."

Serot pointed her spear back in the direction of the pond. "Look!"

Something was rising from the water. It shook off the brown moss with a familiar vibrating motion, revealing a coat of purest white beneath. Giant green eyes stared at them. For a moment, Lorca's breath caught in his throat, but something told him that was not Lalana. Serot let out a small cry of alarm and drew Lorca's attention back to the clearing. The Shkef was looking up this time.

The trees around them were alive with movement. Bark slid and shifted, branches bent, and shapes emerged from the camouflage. Colors shifted from natural tones and textures to the bizarre. Bright crimson, orange, yellow, lime green with stripes of black, pale gold. The translator came alive with dozens of overlapping whispers, snippets of words and phrases emerging from the many voices:

"Unusual—water—the merciful one—human scum—looks like—not going—"

The white lului from the pond was still approaching, its strides long and graceful, torso swinging back and forth as its tail waved in sync. "Be wary," it said, "the merciful one is not to be trusted." It came to a stop a few meters away and sat back on its haunches, regarding them.

Lorca raised a hand slowly in greeting. "I'm Captain Lorca, of the—"

As the translator put this into lului, the response from the trees was immediate. All the myriad shades vanished in the blink of an eye and suddenly the clearing seemed totally abandoned. It was possibly to make out shapes, if you knew exactly where to look, but hard to tell where those shapes began and ended.

The only lului who did not react was the white one. "I know who you are," it said. "Lalana provided much information about you. It is not a threat, lului."

The shades of color returned. Most of the lului had not moved very far, they had simply matched themselves well enough to appear as branches, leaves, and bark.

Lorca's eyes widened. "Then, she's—"

"In my pond," said the white lului.

"She didn't drown?" Relief flooded his face.

"Drown?" repeated the white lului, as if not understanding. It was not that the translator had failed them. Kerrigan and Lalana had perfectly translated the term, as they had every term and phrase needed, no matter how alien to the lului. It was simply that some lului were more willfully obstinate about foreign concepts than others. "How can a lului die in water? What a strange thought."

The bright orange lului who had ventured further down than the others said, "Air-breathers. Air-breathers drown in water."

"Breathing," said a lului with purple fur perched in a high branch, "is such a strangely inefficient method of respiration. All species should use their skin. This willful obstinance..."

All the lului suddenly seemed to start talking at once, their voices overlapping one another, and the translator produced nonsense until the white lului's voice gradually rose from the din and the others fell silent one by one.

"...generations of star-travelers, that we may endure in the manner which we have chosen and return to more pristine days." A ripple passed across the white lului's surface from head to tail.

"But they are with the merciful one," said a brown lului the color of mud.

Lorca realized the merciful one didn't refer to him, flattering as that would have been, it referred to Serot. "Serot won't hurt you," he informed them, glancing at her and finally registering the full breadth of her unclothed form. She had the same sort of slender athleticism as Billingsley. "Will you?"

"I only kill, I do not hurt," said Serot, as if this were a point of pride. Morita looked confused. She had seen Serot spear and drop Lualel from several hundred feet up.

"Serot can't hurt us," said the orange lului, and finally hopped down to the ground so it was standing not far from Lorca. Its tongue clicked in amusement.

"When will your ship arrive?" asked the white lului. "You will take the hunters with you? All of the hunters? How will you prevent more from coming? There are many hunters."

Lorca thought about how to break the news to the lului that the transponder was broken and he had no way of knowing if, in fact, the Triton was coming at all, but then another plan surfaced in his mind. "About that..."

The lului heard him out, to their credit, but when he was done proposing what amounted to a massive battle to overwhelm the merchants and steal their ship, the orange lului smacked its tail against the ground and said, "Absolutely not!" The other lului smacked their tails as well. "As if we would ever do that, or even touch filthy weapons to give to you."

"I don't know what to tell you," said Lorca. "Transponder's broken. We don’t know if our ship can even find us."

From high up, the purple lului called out, "Umale!" The other lului began to chorus it in response. "Umale! Umale!"

"Umale," said the orange lului.

"Umale," said the white one, and the chorus died down.

"What does that mean?" asked Lorca.

Now it was his turn to be ignored. "We will stay around you, so the hunters cannot find you on their scanners." Apparently they understood the mechanism that kept them hidden from scanners well enough to know that if they encircled the humans and the Shkef, it would provide the same effect over the area.

Lorca tried a different question. "What about Lalana?"

"What about Lalana?"

"We want to see her," said Morita.

"Linali, come and assist me merge-heal with Lalana," said the white lului to the orange one. "And you, Lelala." The bright green lului with the black stripes hopped down. Three lului. Finally. They departed for the pond.

"What now?" asked Morita.

"I guess we wait," sighed Lorca, using a tree to help himself down to the ground with a grimace. Everything hurt. He hadn't just gone all-out killing Zark and trying to find Lalana in the pond. He'd completely overdone it. Morita crouched down next to him and Serot took up a position in front of them, folding her legs into a pretzel. Lorca raised an eyebrow and smirked in appreciation.

"I knew you two were not married," said Serot.

Morita elbowed the captain, which only widened the grin on his face, and said, "How could you tell?" She thought they'd done an excellent job at the charade. There wasn't anything in her mind they had said or done that would have tipped anyone off.

"Your scents don't match. On your clothing. Married people have the same scent on their clothes. You clearly don't live together."

Lorca smacked his lips. "Didn't think of that one."

"Unbelievable," said Morita, shaking her head.

The lului in the trees around them ignored them entirely, preferring to keep their own company. Lorca noticed how they tended to sit together in groups of two or three, pressing up against one another, their filaments mingled together. Physical contact seemed to be an important part of their social interaction. Helped explain why Lalana sometimes seemed to get so "handsy" with her tail.

He could feel stiffness setting into his joints and lifted up his shirt to admire the spread of purpling skin across his side. It looked he could expect a bruise like no other. Amazingly, none of his bones had broken, but he had torn some of the cartilage along his ribcage and every breath was excruciating now that the adrenaline had worn off.

"Captain." Morita scrambled to her feet. Lorca looked over at the pond. Shapes were emerging: orange, white, green, and a familiar blue-grey color. He gasped and tried to get to his feet despite the pain, but only managed to get one knee up.

"Gabriel!" She would have run, if she could, but apparently she was still wobbly, leaning on Linali for support. She half-dragged Linali forward until she was close enough to hop the remaining distance and almost threw herself against his chest. He bit his teeth through the pain and wrapped his arms around her. Linali and the white lului sat and watched them. The green lului, Lelala, returned to the lului in the trees.

Lorca pressed his cheek against the top of her head. "I thought you were dead!"

"I am so sorry, Gabriel. I did not mean to lelulallen and cause you this much trouble. I was supposed to help you on the planet and instead I destroyed your plan."

Morita touched a hand to Lorca's shoulder and asked, "What happened?"

Lorca released Lalana from the hug and she sat back on her haunches and explained. For the majority of the time inside the crate, everything had been fine, but when the crate was moved into the shuttle, it had gotten jostled. The transponder piece on the right side of her neck had slid out of place, shifting her brainstem—one of the few specialized internal structures she had. "It was like I was no longer there," she said. "There was no inner me. But, when you picked me up, I could sense you. My outer me could still sense you."

"Outer you?" said Serot, listening in.

"All lului are of two selves," said Linali. "Our inner-self is who we are. Our outer-self is the rest of our awareness."

"Because all your cells function like brain cells," said Lorca. Linali's hands spun.

"My brainstem was no longer signaling the rest of me like it should have. Without the feedback and control it gives the rest of me, my cells were confused and no longer understood their place in the whole." Which was why she had seemed like a crumpled pile of laundry. "But what happened to you? You look terrible!"

He laughed, wincing in pain as he did. "I feel terrible!" He relayed the details of his adventure.

Lalana looked over at Zark's corpse. "I can't believe you killed the Gorn!"

Lorca's eyes went wide. "That's the Gorn!?" he said, incredulous. He had written it into his initial Starfleet report, but like the Ferengi and so many of the other species Lalana had mentioned, he'd had no idea what it actually was until this moment. Lalana clicked her tongue.

"You did not know that was a Gorn?" said Serot. "No wonder you were brave enough to fight it."

The white lului spoke. "It was very surprising when you fell into my pond. In all three cycles of hunting, no one has ever found me in there."

"I was beginning to think you had been hunted yourself," said Linali. "Your presence in the air was missed, Lalaila." They pressed their sides together, mingling their skin filaments.

Morita remembered Lualel's recognition of Lalana. "Do all lului know each other? How many of you are there?"

"At present? Four hundred eighty-seven million, six hundred and sixty-three thousand, five-hundred and ninety-one," said Linali.

"Do you not know all of your species?" asked Lalaila.

"Humans only live about a cycle," said Lalana. "And there are billions of them. They do not live long enough to meet each other, and they do not merge."

"Well obviously they don't merge," said Linali. "They have genders! Why do they seem to think you are a female?"

"Oh, their translation machine mistook present and past pronouns as male and female when I came aboard their ship. I decided to keep it. It made things easier for them, linguistically."

Lorca stared at Lalana. "You're not... This whole time?"

"What sort of primitives do you think we are!" objected Linali. "You're the primitive species."

Lalana pressed her tail over Lorca's hand. "I like being female. Please continue to think of me as such."

Linali trilled his tongue. "You are still like a tree in a grassland, Lalana."

"Better a grassland than a forest, Linali."

"But trees belong in the forest!" wailed Lalaila, covering her eyes with her tail.

The three lului descended into bickering about what it was like to be a tree and whether or not a tree belonged in a grassland. Finally Linali and Lalaila withdrew, the argument far from settled. Lalana scooted herself over besides Lorca and pressed against his arm. "I am very sorry my people are so rooted." Lorca wondered if the pun was intentional or just idiomatic given the significance of trees. "Also, I must thank you, you have saved me again."

Lorca winced, this time not from the physical pain. "I almost killed you."

"Yes, but if you and Reiko had not insisted on seeing me, they would not have restored me, they would have left me in that state until the next cycle."

"Explain."

"Absent my motor control, I would have had no choice but to undergo a Great Merge when the comet arrived."

Lorca shuddered. Even if he did not completely understand, he understood enough to register a sense of dread, especially in light of Lualel's attempt to do something with Lalana back in the tent. He quickly changed the subject. "Do you know what we're waiting for? They said something. Oo-ma-lay?"

"Umale is the oldest lului, the preserver of our legacy." So it wasn't a term, but a name.

"How old is..." Lorca almost said "he," but now knew that to be entirely wrong. "It?"

"Eight hundred and fourteen cycles."

Lorca swore in amazement. "Anything else I should know?"

"Nn, the other lului wish you would remove your clothes like the Shkef, and eat the Gorn. They are very upset about that."

Linali's overt superiority complex had ticked Lorca off. So had Lualel's attitude, and the jury was still out on Lalaila, especially in light of the fact they would have left Lalana a vegetable for twenty-five years to force her to merge against her will. He no longer cared what the lului at large thought. "And what do you think we should do?"

"Whatever the Hell you want!"

"Ha!—Ow! God damn it."

"Please do not laugh, Gabriel!" said Lalana, tongue clicking.

"Then stop being funny!" He grinned through the pain and put his arm around her. She spun her hands in happiness and did not tell any more jokes for at least ten minutes.

Part 22