Work Text:
"Rescuing Matt"
Matt tried to lay down but his left knee still hurt from Shiro's attack. He had never heard of Shiro going insane, let alone witness it. It scared him until he heard Shiro say "take care of your father" before he was hauled off to the arena. He realized that Shiro saved him from having to fight in the arena. He just hoped his friend would survive.
Suddenly, the ship rocked as though a bomb had gone off, and the subsequent rocking of the ship threw Matt off his feet, causing him to slam into the floor and hit his knee. He cried out in pain and grabbed at it. He tried to stifle his cries of pain, but they still escaped him as whimpers.
After awhile, the sounds of blaster fire ceased, and the door to his cell opened. A large, masked being entered his cell, causing Matt to whimper even more. The being looked down and said, "Shh. Quiet, kit. I will get you out of here and get that knee tended to."
Matt supposed that anywhere was better than Galra prison and tried to stand, which was painful. He let out a yelp when he felt himself being picked up. It reminded him of when his Dad had picked him up when he fell on the playground in preschool. He was being gently cuddled and carried securely.
%%%
Thace couldn't believe his luck. On this transport ship, there was an injured alien; a young alien who resembled their kit slightly. He had to rescue the alien kit. The Blades had a rule: If you encounter a kit while on a mission, rescue the kit and forgo the mission. The rule came into effect when they Blades received Intel that the Empire considered kits expendable. It was incomprehensible! As a race, Galra prized kits immensely.
He carried the injured kit to his pod and disengaged from the ship. He piloted the pod to headquarters, sending a message to Ulaz that he was bringing in an injured alien kit and to the rest of his pack to meet him in the med bay. He carried the kit to the med bay, rumbling to him as he was sure the kit was scared.
Matt found the strange vibrations from the stranger soothing in a way, but once he got a good look at the other beings walking around, he was scared. He was among Galra again. He cowered in his apparent rescuer's arms. He didn't want to be among Galra. He wanted to go home.
Once Thace laid the kit down, Ulaz came over. When the kit saw Ulaz, he scooted away. "No! Stay away!"
Thace took his mask off, inadvertently scaring the kit even more. "What's wrong, kit?"
The rest of the pack came in at that moment. Thace walked over to them and addressed his kit. "Keith, we need your help. If you shift to full human, you might be able to persuade the kit to let Ulaz treat him."
"He's hurt?"
"Yes. I found him on a transport ship heading away from the arena and towards a work camp."
Keith nodded. He found he could shift forms when he turned two. When it started, he couldn't control it and just shifted at random. Now, at a mere age of eighteen, he could decide when he shifted and what he shifted to. He could look fully human, half Galra, or somewhere in between. He usually chose in between. His hair was still black, but he had purple fluffy ears nestled in his hair. His eyes were purple with white sclera, he had fangs, purple cheek stripes, and a long, thin, purple tail.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on looking human. His Galran features disappeared and were replaced with human features. He opened his eyes and felt his mom nuzzle his neck. He couldn't help but purr at the affection. He stepped away and towards the human.
Matt was keeping an eye on the pale Galra but noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. It was another human! He looked to be a bit taller than Matt with purple eyes and black hair. He was wearing a plain black shirt and black pants. "Hi. I'm Keith."
"Hi. My name's Matt."
"Matt, why won't you let Ulaz treat you?"
"He's Galra."
"He is, but everyone here is against the Empire. They will take care of your knee, and then we can talk if you're up for it."
"He won't hurt me?"
Keith looked appalled. "Of course not! He's a doctor! Do doctors hurt people on your planet?"
"No, they-wait a minute. You said your planet. Isn't it our planet?"
Keith paled slightly. "I didn't grow up on Earth. I was born there, but my Dad died and my mom had to take me with her."
"But why couldn't she stay?"
"I can answer more questions later if you let Ulaz fix your knee."
"Will you stay with me?"
"Sure." Keith motioned for Ulaz to come over. "He says he will let you treat him."
Ulaz nuzzled Keith's hair. "Thank you, kit."
Matt watched Keith's interaction with Ulaz and couldn't help asking another question. "Kit? What's a kit?"
"A valid question but one that will be answered after your knee is fixed." Keith gently grasped his shoulders and laid him down. "Relax, and it'll be okay."
Matt reached up and held onto Keith's hand as Ulaz approached. Ulaz quickly and efficiently fixed up his knee. "He needs to rest and not put any undue stress on injury until it heals completely. You can take him to a spare room and answer all of his questions."
"Hear that, Matt? You can get all of your questions answered." Keith carefully scooped up the other kit and carried him to a spare room. He set him down on the bed and sunk down in a chair. "So, ask a question and then I will answer it and we'll go back and forth, so I don't miss any questions."
"Where are we?"
"This is the headquarters for The Blade of Marmora. They are part of a rebel faction of Galra that oppose the Empire. The Empire are the ones who kidnap and conquer planets and force people to fight in the arena for their amusement."
"Why are these Galra nice?"
"The Blades are the complete opposite of the Empire. Everyone here is nice and will treat you like a kit like they do with me."
"What's a kit?"
"A kit is a term for a Galran child. Galra live longer than humans, so they see us as children."
"Why couldn't your mom stay on Earth?"
Keith hesitated. "She's half Galra and, therefore, doesn't look human."
"If your mom's half Galra and your dad was human, then you're part Galra. Why do you look human?"
"I'm actually able to change my looks. It's called shifting. I can look anywhere between completely human to half Galra."
"What do you normally look like?"
Keith grinned. "Do you want to see?"
Matt nodded, and Keith closed his eyes. His fluffy Galran ears replaced his round, human ears. Purple stripes appeared on his cheeks. A long, thin, purple tail appeared behind him. Keith opened his eyes and grinned.
Matt looked at Keith's 'new' appearance. His hair was still black, but he had purple fluffy ears nestled in his hair. His eyes were still purple with white sclera, and he had fangs, purple cheek stripes, and a long, thin, purple tail.
Keith studied Matt, waiting for his reaction. He was relieved when he caught sight of a grin forming on the other's face. "I like it."
%%%
Matt had been living in The Blade of Marmora headquarters for a few movements but still flinched when any of the Blades touched him, even something as simple as a pat on the back. The only ones he was comfortable around were Keith, Regris, and Krolia, even though he wasn't that comfortable around Keith's mom. The other two were another thing altogether, which was what brought Matt to the training hall, play fighting with Keith and Regris.
When he had first seen Keith and Regris play fighting, he was concerned. It looked like a serious fight, and no one was breaking them up, not even Krolia, who was supervising the kits. She had taken the time to explain to him that they were playing and that he was welcome to join them. He was spared from having to choose when Keith and Regris pulled him onto the mat.
Now, Matt joined them on his own. Krolia watched over the three kits on the base she considered hers. They were cute, play fighting. The human could now keep up with his brothers with minimal effort. She just hoped he would get more comfortable around the rest of the Blades as Keith and Regris constantly asked if he could join their pack.
Fin