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"Survival"
Shiro couldn't believe it. The lions crashed landed on an Earth-like planet. It wasn't the lions crashing he couldn't believe...no, that was a lie. The lions had never crashed before, but Pidge and Hunk were trying to figure out what happened. It was more the finding of the Earth-like planet that caught Shiro by surprise. When the lions had been doing a fly by, Shiro noticed the different regions. There were obvious deserts, massive blue oceans, large green (with some browns) land masses, white poles, and white clouds. Lance had begged Shiro to land, much to his embarrassment. If it had just been the team, he probably would have brushed it off with a stern "Lance." As it was, it wasn't just the team. Kolivan, Antok, Ulaz, and Thace had accompanied them. Antok was in Red Lion with Keith, Thace was in Blue Lion with Lance, Ulaz was in Green Lion with Pidge, and Kolivan was in Black Lion with him.
When the lions crashed, several trees were broken, and the Blades had gripped the backs of the pilot seats to avoid being thrown around the cockpit. Fortunately, they didn't leave claw marks in the seats. Once the lions had stopped moving, Kolivan turned to Shiro. "Are you all right?"
"I'm okay." Shiro could hear his teammates echoing his answer.
"I'm all right," Hunk said.
"I'm fine," Keith stated.
"I'm good," Pidge added.
"I'm cool," Lance voiced. Keith groaned at the pun.
At least Shiro had seen the data they collected in the fly by and knew the planet was uninhabited and had a breathable atmosphere. Everyone exited the lions and gathered together.
"Since we don't know how long we will be stranded here, we should make sure we have the basic necessities." At the Garrison Trio's dismayed looks, Shiro added, "We're prepared for this. Just remember the survival training at the Garrison. First, we need a shelter."
Lance, Hunk, and Pidge continued to look dismayed. Shiro resisted the urge to facepalm. "You don't remember any of it, do you?" Lance opened his mouth, but Shiro cut him off. "That was rhetorical, Lance."
"Take it easy, Shiro. The Garrison only taught the very basics in the first year. Only the higher ups got more specific training," Keith replied. He was absentmindedly collecting smooth stones, using his helmet as a container. Once his helmet was full, he dumped them into a pile near the shade of some trees and continued collecting stones. He muttered, "Now, we need some wood and palm leaves."
Keith didn't realize he was speaking loud enough for the Paladins to hear him. The team simply followed Keith's indirect orders. The Blades smiled at their kit's actions, but they were concerned how he knew how to survive in the wilderness if their school only taught them the basics.
Soon enough, the Paladins had collected wood, large palm leaves, and vines. Keith expertly built a large shelter with Shiro's help. Lance was able to build a fire due to him going camping with his family. Hunk and Pidge worked on the lions, trying to get them online. The Blades busied themselves purifying water for everyone to use and were surprised to see their kit helping them without them telling him the steps. Lance tended the fire while Keith wove traps from vines to use to collect fish from the nearby river. Shiro set up a sentry schedule, so while some slept, at least one being was watching over the camp. To Shiro's surprise, Keith had managed to build stands in the tree line. To Shiro, they looked like deer stands. He really had to ask Keith how he knew how to do this stuff; he didn't miss how he did all of the stuff without anyone telling him how it was done. It sent a shiver down his spine at the possible implications.
They had caught plenty of fish for dinner. To Shiro's immense surprise and dismay, Keith had showed up with some mushrooms and other vegetation he assured them was safe for consumption. He and the Blades made shish kabobs (or the alien equivalent of them).
After dinner, Thace pulled Keith close to him and started grooming him, soothing him. The Blades learned that their kit was much less guarded in his answers while he was receiving affection at the same time.
"Kit, you have such good survival skills. How did you learn so much?" Ulaz asked.
Keith's purr could be heard in his voice. "Sometimes, foster families weren't kind to the children in their care. I had been in those types of families many times. I ran away most of those times and lived in the woods, hiding from CPS and the current foster parents."
"CPS?" Kolivan repeated.
"Child protective services. They are the ones in charge of placing orphans with foster families and will often be called if there is an issue with the safety of any children, even ones who are not in foster care," Shiro supplied the answer.
Keith suddenly whined and started to pull away from Thace. He stopped grooming his hair and rumbled to him. "Be still, kit. No more questions. I promise."
Keith looked at Thace before returning to his previous position of leaning against Thace.
Shiro stood up and stretched. "I think it's time to retire for the night. I am taking the first watch."
The rest of the team and Keith's pack entered the large shelter Keith and Shiro had built. The night passed without incident with Pidge switching with Shiro halfway through the night.
The next morning, the Blades and Paladins took short dips in the rivers (Pidge alone, but with Hunk keeping guard nearby). The rest of the day, Keith stayed with his pack, receiving affection as if to apologize for the line of questioning the previous night. They had various dishes involving fish and other vegetation for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, courtesy of the Blades (and Keith). The night watch was covered by Kolivan and Ulaz, respectively.
The next day, Pidge and Hunk worked more on the lions and got them working after dinner. Relieved to not have to spend another night on the planet, they flew to the castle. However, none of the Paladins were looking forward to dealing with the worried Alteans they hadn't been able to contact due to the lions being offline.
Fin