Work Text:
Launch sequence initiated.
Looking up, Dek’s eyes darted around worriedly as he tried to keep his feet planted on the ground as he felt the ship quiver and shake as it’s powerful engines fired up. Keeping a hand braced against the transparent barrier, he looked back at the scene before him, watching in horror as his father’s fist balled tightly into his brother’s tendrils, pulling his neck back tautly.
“Bring it home!” Dek heard his brother shout with a final burst of strength.
“Father! Spare him!” The young Yautja screamed, banging his fists against the door, watching helplessly as their father yanked his brother’s head to the side, positioning the red-hot blade against Kwei’s exposed neck, ready to deliver the fatal blow.
Only it never came.
Njhorr paused, stalling his blade. Lowering it slowly, he regarded his youngest, watching as the young one stared back at him pleadingly, panting in exertion. He then looked down at his fallen son, whose maw was hanging slack and eyes had rolled back in his head as the pain and blood loss from both his severed arm and gaping chest wound grew ever stronger.
Looking then back at Dek, the elder Yautja cocked his head, chuckling.
Yes,” his deep voice rumbled. “Bring it home. For his sake.” With those words, Dek could only watch as his father then drove the pommel of his sword into the back of Kwei’s head, sending the wounded Yautja crashing into the dust in an unconscious heap.
“Kwei!” Dek cried as his father bent down next to his brother’s prone form amidst the billowing dust, watching in horror as the elder Yautja gripped his son’s ankles, unceremoniously yanking them back to secure them to his only remaining arm, hog-tying him.
“Kwei!”
***
“I have my own clan,” Dek stated as his chest heaved, still recovering from the abuse his body had just endured. Not that it was ever a new experience for him when his father was concerned.
“You are pathetic,” the defeated, elderly Yautja snarled. “Just like Kwei.”
At the name, Dek’s eyes narrowed and his mandibles flared. “Where is he?”
His father didn’t respond, only laughed.
Growling, the younger Yautja quickly closed the gap between himself and the kneeling figure. Angrily, he fisted a clawed hand into the back of his father’s white tendrils, just as he had done to Kwei that day. Roughly yanking the older Yautja’s head back, he leered in. “Where. Is. Kwei?”
His father did not answer, instead spraying Dek’s face with saliva as the defeated leader spat in his face. “Half-blind runt.”
The growl caught in his throat, breath heaving in his chest. The heart that pumped the now searing blood through his veins fought to smash through his ribcage like a desperate prisoner. His skin was hot and his muscles taut to snapping as he twisted the old one’s head back, his blade pushing through the clenched jaws and mandibles, scraping and cracking to compensate for the resistance that would not give. Pain mixed with defiance turned to a final look of shock as the blade pushed up through the soft insides that gave and squelched like an overripened fruit. One final push sent the blade crunching through the back of his father’s skull.
Dek’s chest heaved as he breathed through the slow come-down as the angry mist began to clear. It was soon dispelled by the heavy nudge to the side of his head, the hot breath on his neck. He didn’t hear her approach.
Letting the blade fall from his grasp, Dek reached to stroke the coarse blue fur on the large, heavy head that nuzzled into his. His other, now free hand soon closing around a smaller one as he felt light, dainty fingers feather across the back of his hand.
Turning his head, he saw Thia offer him a gentle smile before giving his hand a determined squeeze. “Let’s go find your brother.”
***
Kwei coughed hoarsely. He had no notion as to the time of day. He’d long stopped keeping or attempting to keep track of the passage of days themselves. One evening meal to break up his time, nothing more. Now, hunkered down in the cramped, windowless room, Kwei gave little thought to anything. The chain around his neck kept him from lying down properly. That was his first obstacle to overcome; kept on a length just long enough to allow him to piss or shit in the nearest corner. Like everything else, he had long since given up trying to conceal or bury his waste. He coughed again. If he ever got this chain loose, he often mused, he’d snap his father’s neck with it.
There was a stir outside the door. Noise. Voices. Raised? He wasn’t sure. Didn’t care either. He just sat on the ground, his head resting into his chest, not even bothering to look up. It wasn’t unusual for there to be fights from time to time or even the occasional bang on the door, sometimes a taunt thrown at him by a brave few.
It was then the door opened wide. Still, he didn’t look up.
What did hit him though was the sudden onslaught of new air that began to circulate around the tiny cell, rekindling the bitter, putrid smells that he had taken so long to get used to. Now, he felt his stomach churn, whatever meagre contents he had in it were now threatening to come up his throat.
“Just kill me already,” Kwei rasped, his throat dry from disuse. He still did not look up. “Get it over with.”
He heard them come closer until they were inches from him. Suddenly, a metallic object clanked heavily against the ground, reverberating throughout the cell, causing the captive Yautja to startle. Glancing quickly at the source of the noise, Kwei’s eyes widened. Lying in a cloud of still settling dust was his father’s horned biomask.
“You don’t die today, brother.” A familiar voice simply stated. A voice Kewi would know anywhere. Instantly he looked up to see his little brother standing before him.
Kwei’s eyes shone. “Dek.”
“We need to go,” Dek said, pulling the chain taut, readying his blade. On shaky legs, Kwei stood, staggering a little before a small hand was placed on his chest. He looked down at her. Doll-like with pale skin, bright eyes and yellow hair. She looked up at him and while curious, there was a hint of concern also.
“Lean on me if you need to,” the doll-like one urged, voice soft yet still somehow firm. “Can you walk? I’ll help you if you can’t.”
“Human?” Kwei cocked his head, glancing over his shoulder at his younger brother. “Where did she come from? She knows our language?”
“She’s not human,” Dek answered, winding his weapon arm back.
“What?” Kwei asked, his only response was the clattering smash and ringing of the chain’s loops firing against the back wall and floor.
“Tell you later,” the younger Yautja said, looping Kwei’s arm around his neck before looking to his companion. “Let’s go.”
If he had no recollection of just how long he had been chained in that cell, he now had an idea by how weak his legs were and how, after a few steps, they had began to burn. Pain was radiating up the back of his deteriorated calves and thighs causing him to wince and groan the longer he walked.
He felt the slender arm tighten around his waist as he lumbered forward, one of them on each side of him. “I wish we could stop,” she said, “even just for a minute. He needs proper rest.”
“No time,” Dek responded. “The longer we stay, more of a chance we don’t leave.”
“He’s right,” Kwei agreed, letting out a tired breath. It felt strange talking to this human shaped non-human. “Leave now. Rest later. I’m fine.”
When they’d finally, painstakingly, breached the entrance, the light outside was blinding to Kwei. He threw a hand up to shield his eyes, his vision blurred as he tried to adjust to the long unseen suns. His head pounded.
Groaning, he clenched his eyes shut as the pounding intensified, trying to find some reprieve. He then felt an odorous air against his skin. Like a hot gust of air only in the one place that blew in spurts.
Taking his arm away from his eyes, he slowly cracked them open. As his vision began to clear a huge, round pair of eyes became visible, staring right at him. It’s large, flat-faced maw and slitted nostrils blowing more hot hair at him as it sniffed.
Kwei let out panicked yelp as he pushed himself back, gripping his brother’s shoulder in an attempt to propel himself backwards to create distance between himself and the creature. Dek held fast to his older brother. “Kwei!” He shouted, working to keep his feet planted on the ground as he held his brother tightly in place.
“It’s okay!” The doll-like one reassured and Kwei could detect there was almost the sound of a laugh in her voice. “You’re okay! She’s with us, she’s a friend!”
He stilled for a moment, looking from the creature to the doll-like one before looking back warily at the blue, bristled creature.
“Friend?” Kwei asked, a hint of skepticism in his tone.
Dek’s companion nodded, smiling brightly. “You can pet her, go on.”
Kwei looked back to the creature who was still regarding him with clear, bright blue eyes. Her stance, while firm, also indicated a playful one, judging by how she bounced lightly back and forth. “No.”
“Look!” Kwei then heard his brother shout, pointing up at the sky. Following his finger, he saw it too. Against a setting golden sun, the silhouette of a familiar ship approached, growing larger as it did.
The brothers looked at each other worriedly.
“More friends of yours?” Dek’s companion asked, also looking up at the imposing craft.
“No,” Dek began.
“It’s our mother,” Kwei finished.