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It was one of the better days on New Altea. Nadia laughing as her uncle chased her around the field, Hunk and Pidge hunched over a picnic basket fighting over who got the last apple juice, Shiro and Curtis sitting side-by-side on the porch and gazing out across at all the Junniberries blooming. Keith could hear the distant echoes of Mrs. McClain humming to a Spanish song off the radio and Coran telling Sylvio of tales of when he was still a boy. He watched from beside the large tree up on the hill as the people he has come to love so much, smiled and laughed with each other. The stress of war and pain of loss vanishing from their shoulders as they spent time together.
He found himself comfortable with the large crowd. The many people working through the fields. The fresh scent of Junniberries in the breeze. Finally, the peace has come and the strife was gone. Everything they worked so hard to achieve right before him.
He absent-mindedly played with the Junniberry tucked behind his ear. He had to sit through a minute of Veronica pulling his hair to get it braided through his hair. He wasn't sure why he allowed her to do it, why he felt okay with the contact. But one look at the people hurrying around one another, the friendly faces of people Keith could call family, he knew that it was trained into him from years of good memories.
But old habits died hard, and the noise of laughter and talking soon became overwhelming. He pushed himself from the tree and went to the one secluded part of Lance's farm. Sneaking past the barn doors, Keith walked up to one of the farthest stalls. He pulled up a stool and looked up at Kaltenecker. They've gotten her so long ago that she became one of their roots. A happy memory living right before them.
"Hey, Kaltenecker," Keith spoke in a hushed tone. Kaltenecker stayed quiet, chewing on the stack of grass in front of her. Something in the barn smelled... off. Keith excused it as just being a barn smell before running his fingers gently against the back of Kaltenecker's ear. "You enjoying yourself, girl?"
Usually, Kaltenecker would reply with a broody 'moo'. She always had a bored expression on her face. One Keith came to love. He still remembered sitting by her in the Castle of Lions and recounting some of his Blade missions to her. As a stress reliever. What seemed to be a temporary passenger has become a life-long friend and no one has ever objected to her stay.
But today was different. She was quiet. Her blinking was slow and tired. And that smell was still prodding at his nose. "Are you okay, girl?" Keith asked, running his fingers through her fur. "You're a little quiet."
She looked up at him as if just noticing he was there. Her ear twitched and she looked back down. The scent was distracting, to say the least. He let out a sigh before trying to identify what it was. Maybe some old food that Lance has forgotten to clean out, or a dirty stall. But his eyes flew open as his senses became acutely aware of the scent.
Living on Daibazaal had its ups and downs. Now that he was among other galra almost twenty-four-seven, his senses became much stronger. Smelling things almost seemed to pick apart the smallest details and it has come in handy to traitors trying to poison him countless times. But the scent he recognized wasn't one that put his mind at ease. Looking down at the elderly cow, he couldn't help but remember lost blade members. Walking through an alien hospital with a sour scent hanging in the air.
Death.
That's what it was.
He stared into Kaltenecker's tired eyes as she slowly chewed the grass before her. Her jaw seemingly not working like it used to. He got up from the stool and leaned over the gate, brushing his palm against his cheek. "It's time, isn't it?"
An exhausted 'moo' silently rung in his ears as Kaltenecker closed her eyes. Seemingly pushing into the touch. "It's okay. I get it. You're old now, girl." He blinked quickly as he felt the tell-tale prick of tears in the corners of his eyes. He brushed his thumb over one of her ears, studying her greying fur around her snout. "We love you, Kaltenecker."
Kaltenecker let out a small huff of acknowledgment. Her bleary eyes meeting his.
Hurried footsteps grabbed Keith's attention and he glanced over to the barn doors. "Man, that little girl can run," Lance laughed as he stepped into the barn. He jumped slightly when he noticed Keith standing there. "Oh, hey, Keith. What are you doing here?"
Keith turned back to look down at Kaltenecker, but not before Lance noticed the shining of his eyes. The glistening tears he was fighting hard to keep back. And just like that, it was no longer one of the better days on New Altea.
