“The rest of the team is eager to make your acquaintance,” Doom continued. “But do not feel pressured. Seeing so many people around you may be overwhelming after all this time in seclusion. If you ever need space, do not hesitate to speak your mind freely. We want you to feel happy and at ease with us, okay?”
I instantly liked him. As he was speaking, I also realized he was one of the Xian Warriors my parents had worked on. Which meant, assuming he had been among one of the first genetically engineered Warriors successfully created, he would be around sixty-four or sixty-five years old.
“Okay,” I said with a grateful smile, reassured by his welcoming stance.
That didn’t prevent me from heavily leaning against Reaper, who didn’t seem to mind in the least.
“They just finished clearing the entrance to the base,” Reaper said. “Let’s go get your friends out of that wretched place.”
“Yes, please,” I replied, my heart soaring.
8
Janelle
It had felt odd not having the constant presence of Brees by my side. Ever since I’d been born, she’d been glued to me. The prospect of her going to live with the other Creckels on Dreija gnawed at me. It was apparently too far away from Khepri to be able to frequently visit her. But what kind of life would there be for me in the wild world of Dreija if I chose to go with her instead? But even as that thought crossed my mind, the face of Reaper floated before my mind’s eye, and I instinctively tightened my hold around his arm. He gave me a sideways glance then placed a hand over mine clinging to his arm, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
When we stepped out of the vessel and walked down the ramp, the beauty of the outside world took my breath away. I didn’t care that we were standing in a mostly barren area with a few patches of grass and a few scattered low bushes. The colors were still off, but at least there were now colors and fairly defined shapes instead of the grey blotches and very rough outlines that I’d been reduced to seeing before this.
I lifted my face to the sun, soaking in its warmth as we advanced towards the entrance of the cave where the rest of his crew, including Stran, had gathered. I almost stumbled in my distraction. But Reaper, ever attentive, held me up. My face heated with embarrassment as everyone stared at us approaching. Thankfully, after making quick introductions, they didn’t dally further. The female called Madeline activated the hovering platform over the opening. It descended with a slight hum into the bowels of the base.
The male called Reklig unnerved me. There was something beautifully scary about his appearance. I didn’t know what species he was, but he clearly was the result of an experiment involving some insect species. Some kind of giant black scorpion had fused with his spine, its pincers and clawed legs embedded in Reklig’s neck and the base of his skull. However, his obvious friendship with the other members of the team, and especially the gentle, affectionate way he interacted with Madeline reassured me that I had nothing to fear, despite his intimidating appearance.
But any thoughts about that male vanished from my mind as Stran became agitated, hopping on his paws, his broad, flat tail tapping the ground with impatience. My own heartbeat picked up the pace with the growing humming of the platform coming back to the surface. The tips of the horns of my modified Creckel friend appeared first before the rest of Brees’s body came into view. My breath caught in my throat seeing the dark, reddish-brown color of her scales. It had been so long I had forgotten how beautiful they’d been before I’d lost my eyesight.
Stran emitted a long, heart-wrenching howl as Brees stepped off the platform onto the landing. She responded with a more timid one that I recognized as a sign she was overwhelmed with emotions. Brees took a few steps forward, her claws digging into the packed dirt in front of the entrance and rubbing the pad of her paws onto its rough texture, as if to make sure it was real. She lifted her face to the sun’s rays, the wide nostrils of her snout flaring as she breathed in the fresh air and soaked in the sun rays she had only experienced once before. Like all of the surviving modified Creckels, Brees had been born in captivity.
And then, she suddenly darted forward towards Stran. For half a beat, I thought she was going to crash into him, but she folded into her ball form and he did the same before they spun around each other. A joyful sob escaped me. I realized then that my cheeks were soaked with happy tears I hadn’t noticed spilling out. No wonder my vision had blurred even more. With this dance, Stran and Brees had claimed each other as kin, as the same people. I had feared my companions might be rejected because they were modified.
After a dozen or so spins, both Creckels unfolded and stood face to face. They rubbed snouts and cheeks in greeting.
“I wonder what they are discussing,” Reaper suddenly said while observing the two creatures. “The psychic energy around them is intense,” he further explained before my confused expression.
“The others aren’t coming,” Madeline said to Doom with a frown.
I realized then that, although the platform had lowered, it hadn’t come back up yet. Brees’s head jerked towards Reklig’s mate, then she quickly ran to the entrance of the cave. She emitted a sharp, short growl that I recognized as the call she always used to tell the others to gather around. Of course, as the leader and protector of the pack, she would have come scouting first to make sure it was safe for the others.
Turning back around, she finally seemed to notice me and came running. I fell to my knees and hugged her, laughing and crying as she bombarded me with too many joyous images for me to process them all. She then bumped Reaper with such affectionate enthusiasm, she almost knocked him on his behind. He laughed and drew me against his side when Brees folded into a ball again and started spinning around the two of us, completing three rotations before stopping.
I squirmed and cast a nervous glance at Reaper who continued to smile at my childhood friend. He didn’t seem to know that when a Creckel circled a potential couple three times, it actually was their way of branding said couple as a mated pair. To my complete shock, Stran rolled over and repeated the motion, earning us a knowing grin from Doom who clearly understood what had just happened. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. But instead of pulling away from Reaper, I instinctively pressed myself even more tightly against him.
To my relief, Grol coming out of the base drew the attention away from Reaper and me. One by one, fourteen of the nineteen mature Creckels came out, before they finally sent out the young, three at a time on the platform. Although it might have looked as if they had wanted enough adults to defend the young in case of foul play, it quickly became clear it was, in fact, to control the little brats.
Trug, reckless and impulsive as ever, ran around like he’d lost his mind, rolling, jumping, growling, and hooting as if he was possessed. It was not only hilarious, but also contagious. In no time, the other young were imitating him, while the adults struggled to contain their own joy. Watching Stran roll onto his back, his belly exposed in a Creckel’s most vulnerable position while the young climbed all over him, brought another wave of tears to my eyes.
The Creckels eventually all started running in circles around the ship on an increasingly wide radius, Stran amongst them. They had needed the exercise. They were wild creatures that needed to roam free.