I know this is a short chapter, but it has been a struggle to get this one written.
24 September 2006
Thoughts of an Unnamed Earth Explorer
by Zuzanny
lionette AT mailcity DOT com
part 13
..........
Consciousness was a slow thing for me, flowing and swirling around with voices and sensations that were frustrating because on some level I knew I was trying to wake up and just... couldn't quite DO it.
And amongst this, there was an urgency that had the heart monitor beeping quickly and annoyingly in my ears. I knew something horrible had happened and it was all around Harry. Just... IF THEY WOULD STOP DRUGGING ME AND LET ME WAKE UP DAMMIT!!!!!
.........
I was drifting again, this time I felt more... there. I could feel the warmth of the blankets around me, their gentle weight. The scent of disinfectant as well as that annoying but slower beep. I didn't feel so panicked now, but I guess that was because of the familiar warm weight that was against my side. Where it should be.
............
Voices. Familiar ones, but not the ones I really wanted to hear. The weight was gone.
I sat up with a gasp, memories of panic flooding my mind, making that stupid machine go psycho. I ripped the monitor off my pulse and the iv lines from my wrists, not caring if Iris got pissed at me. I flung the blankets from my legs only to pause.
Ford was standing at the end of my bed, watching me. His hands were once more folded in his green sleeves, and his eyes were wide with a sort of controled panic. I settled enough to grind out, "Where is he?"
Ford relaxed slightly then. "Resting." He replied. " back in your claimed and marked den."
I blinked, his manner of speaking had... sort of confused me. "My... den?" I echoed trying to figure out what he was meaning. "My room?" Ford inclined his head yes, then looked to the door as Iris came charging in calling me all sorts of nasty-yet-affectionate things for ripping out her life saving equipment. I felt she was lucky I didn't smash the stuff, it bugged me so.
"When can I get out of here?" I cut into her flow of words. At that she turned all professional and checked my reflexes etc...
"You find life when others would have perished." Ford continued while Iris did her medical stuff. "The Creator has blessed this life you live."
"You know what, Ford?" I said with annoyance dripping. "Unless you can tell me what is going on, I really don't want to hear your voice." I wanted Harry. MY Harry.
Ford sighed deeply, long suffering, searching the roof for guidance. Iris was looking back and forth between the two of us her own eyes wide. Finally Ford looked back at me. "You have been gifted with the knowledge of our kind. Child-of-the-forest-who-is-ever-wondering should not have given you this gift, but it is now done. What happened after is more for Child-of-the-forest-who-is-ever-wondering to tell. However, my understanding of the matter is that Flower-of-the-sunshine came to claim Child-of-the-forest-who-is-ever-wondering as life-long mate, attempting to murder you to do so, and was defeated. You are very Creator blessed. Child-of-the-forest-who-is-ever-wondering could have easily allowed Flower-of-the-sunshine to have claimed him, yet CHOSE to stay with you. You, a creature of a completely different life-stream to ours, as a life-long mate." Then Ford bowed deeply, which had me stunned. "Your children will shine as bright lights both sun shining and not. Their beauty will be spoken of for all future generations." Then he walked out.
I stared at him wondering WHAT THE HELL he was jabbering on about, and WHAT HAD HE BEEN DRINKING?!?!?
Iris was staring at me, wearing the same sort of expression, then it turned guarded and calculated at the same time. "What was that about?"
"I dunno. I think it was something to do with Harry, coz he called himself 'a child of the forest' before. But I dunno who 'Flower-of -the-sunshine' is." I looked up at her. "What happened. Really. In English."
She gave me a slight smile at that. "In English? Well, lets see... It was your day off. Around 2pm your distress signal went off, and we were able to track it through the jungle to a waterfall and pool next to which you were lying unconscious and naked." Her lip twitched again at that. "Harry was crouched over you like... well, like a wild dog really. He growled as us like one when we came near. It took us a while of coax him enough to let us check the two of you out. He was covered in cuts, bruises upon his arms in a distinct hand print, like he had been forcefully held down, and had blood all over his face and mouth. We thought he had ripped your throat out, the way it was dripping from his mouth, only you had no visible injuries. The other Iniri... THAT was a different matter."
"The other Iniri?" I echoed, watching as she moved from one side of my bed to another.
"Yes. He was quite dead." A pause. "Harry had torn HIS throat out with his teeth." Another pause. "So, you understood what Ford was saying before?"
I nodded with a shrug. "Pretty much. He was talking kind of strange though, don't you think? I mean that whole 'Child-of-the-forest-who-is-ever-wondering' thing was a bit much."
Iris shrugged. "I wouldn't know." She gave me a pointed look. "He was speaking Iniri."
.............
My mind was a blur or questions as I stalked back to my quarters. I knew Harry would be there, and the instinct to make sure he was okay, that our child was still okay, was almost worse than my demand for answers.
Georges and Peterson were standing guard outside my room, or just standing really.
"We had to turn the lights off to calm him down." Peterson explained as I keyed my pass in. "He was really agitated. Worse than the little guy with Elfondso." I frowned and walked in with my two ship mates following me. "We thought it would be best to wait for you to wake up for questioning. Harry was... well, hysterical."
Georges agreed with him. "He couldn't seem to recognize us. Just about broke my heart out the way he was screaming when he was separated from you."
Harry was lying in the bed looking almost relaxed in the small splinters of light coming in through the blinds, arms resting by his head and shoulder. However his eyes moved as in REM sleep, and he made small distressed noises every few seconds like he was having a nightmare. The hand lying near his face twitched, claw-like. There was no blood visible, and he was dressed in one of my shirts, making me wonder if he had cleaned himself or if he had been "helped". His cheeks still had that tell-tale redness to them, which made me release the breath I had been holding. But I still didn't know if...
I flicked the blinds open and immediately his eyes shot open, wide, wild and bloodshot. He surged up with a cry, then gasped when he saw I was beside him. He flung his arms around my neck and clung tight, franticly rubbing his forehead against my face , and sobbing loudly. Tears streamed from his eyes and smeared all over my face. I held him and ran my hand in circles over his back to try and calm him. Eventually he calmed enough to rest his head against my chest and shudder, tears still dripping. Georges handed me a tissue which I used to wipe Harry's face down with..
"Are you okay?" I asked hesitantly. Harry slowly shook his head no.
"He was supposed to be my friend." It was barely a whisper, and an echo of Ford's conversation that flashed through my mind.
"Did he hurt you?"
"He tried to." That was bitterly said, then he fell quiet.
"Harry," I nudged him gently. "Tell me. Please." So Harry did.
Apparently Harry discovered I had been stung by one of their wasp-like cridders, and set off my alarm. Only that was not the only problem. His former best friend Theoryn/ Flower-of-the-Sunshine (I was getting a double hit of meanings while he spoke), had been watching us together in secret and decided that Harry really should be with one of his own kind. Instead of going through the proper rituals such as openly challenging me for Harry's ownership, he decided to just kill me. The bug was what had knocked me out, but he was wanting to crush my skull with a rock.. I was very lucky that Harry was not inclined to see me dead.
"He said he wanted to purge you completely from my body!" Harry cried out, hands protectively low over his belly. "The things he said! There was no way I was going to let him do that! So when he tried to... When he tried to..." Harry's eyes changed with an expression that... frightened me. "I killed him!" It was growled out. "I tore his throat out! I have rid the world of a voice that would spread his lies! A voice that spewed forth putrid soul poison like a dying nettle-rose! He dared defy the sanctity of of our joining, and with out validity to justify, chose to desecrate us!" Harry was getting worked up, and I was kind of freaked out by the whole thing. I'd never seen him behave this way. His whole body was tense, like wire about to snap, and there was that ferocity in his eyes, the snarl in his voice...
"But he didn't do that, right?" I tried to sooth him. "You managed to stop him in time." I nuzzled the side of his neck, and slid my hands low to where our child was just beginning and whispered in his ear "You saved us both." Instantly Harry relaxed against me. I looked back at Georges and Peterson, letting them know they could go now, which I was thankful they did.
I had Harry lie back as I unbuttoned the shirt he wore, sliding it away from his skin. He shifted enough to help me undress him, but I think mostly he was exhausted, so was not as enthusiastic about getting naked as he usually was. But I was fine with that. I ran my fingers over his chest and arms, stroking and massaging, kissing the places where there were still slight scratches and bruising. Harry made soft noises of appreciation when I started kissing my way down his centerline. I left his slacks on, riding very low on his hips, so low that I could see the tops of his pubic hair, and ran my hands over the silky skin of his sides. I kissed him right on that spot that makes him twitch and he moaned loudly as he did so. I settled myself comfortably between his legs, using his belly as a pillow, and listened to the soothing sounds of his stomach gurgling. His fingers lightly stoked my hair for a while as we lay like that, before his hand went slack and he really was asleep.
I began to wonder if maybe we could take a holiday.
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