Movement at his feet snapped him out of his fantasy and he looked down. The young mogha was sitting on his haunches, the molk perched upon his head, the feathered creature standing beside him.
Grin widening, he knew the mogha couldn’t resist.
The avian clucked, its head jerking sideways, almost mirroring the tilt of the mogha’s head.
“You are a peculiar mogha,” K’vyn said.
The pup jumped to his feet, yapping, tail wagging, antennae twirling.
K’vyn wished he knew what the mogha was saying. C’hase clearly needed a guide, a tutor to let him know the only biped he could communicate with was his alpha. In the absence of parents, the alpha could take on that role, but an ignorant Invader would be no help at all.
Maybe he could find a guide for the pup on Mogha.
Ear comm emitting a loud squelch, he winced. That was why he always conveniently forgot the damn thing. L’iza would not have chosen him as a pilot if he were a cyborg, but cyborg components would have had their advantages, like a direct comm link with his ship instead of an earpiece.
“Since it’s not possible for the human to be your mate,” L’iza’s voice sounded in the comm. “You could grab the mogha now and we can leave.”
Her tone suggested sarcasm with her first statement, but she was serious about the mogha.
K’vyn replied with a retort. “I thought you didn’t want the molk.”
“Oh, I don’t,” she said without hesitation. “We’re leaving that pest here.”
The mogha held the molk in an extended paw, antennae caressing it. He blinked as the molk brushed C’hase’s snout with the feathers on the end of his scaley tail.
“I don’t think the mogha will part with it without a scene,” K’vyn said.
“Chuck that creature off his head and let’s go. Oh, and get rid of the avian too.”
K’vyn looked at the dilapidated freighter, the yearning in his heart intensifying with the thought of leaving Dani behind.
Impatience wound its way through the weak connection he had with his ship.
“Grab the puppy and let’s get out of here,” she said.
Heaviness rested on K’vyn’s shoulders.
“You know I can’t,” he said, turning his attention back to roasting the lizard-beast. “The human is his Alpha.”
Could he convince the human to go with him?
L’iza imitated letting out a breath. “I know. The mogha doesn’t deserve the pain of separation.”
Sand squelched beneath booted feet and he raised his head, heart skipping at the sight of Dani walking towards him through bright orange popsies.
The fire lit her face, her hair shining with the blaze, mirroring the blaze itself. Her stunning beauty ignited a blaze in his soul, directly affecting his lower anatomy. He leaned forward, bending at the hips to hide a growing erection.
“The meal will be ready soon,” he said, nodding at the roasting beast.
Lip curling as she eyed the spick, she said, “I’m only here to get C’hase.”
She rubbed behind the mogha’s ear and C’hase leaned into the touch, antennae caressing her forearm. K’vyn longed for a mogha companion such as this.
“Come, C’hase,” she said.
The mogha barked, watching the beast with hunger in his eyes, licking his chips. He would not go with her.
“I do believe your companion is hungry,” K’vyn said with a smile.
The grin on the Korthan’s face was maddeningly triumphant. C’hase would not leave the fire.
Just a taste, he said, the aroma too enticing.
Glaring at the grinning Korthan, Dani sat on a log he apparently dragged out from the tree line.
Hedge jumped from C’hase’s head, scurrying up her arm to perch on her shoulder. Musing that it was probably a better vantage point for the small creature, K’vyn’s voice interrupted her thought.
“You shouldn’t keep a molk,” he said, and she blinked, brow furrowing.
What was a molk?
K’vyn pointed at her shoulder, Hedge letting out a squeak, the Korthan’s measuring gaze intensifying.
“I can eat what Hedge eats,” Dani said. There were some issues with the little creature, but he was great to have around, from a survival standpoint.
“You can eat what I eat,” K’vyn was indignant. “That Korthan-food-is-poison line is propaganda designed to divide our peoples. Those things will crash a ship.” His lip curled. “They’re vermin.”
Dani stiffened, mouth falling open.
“Stars, it did crash your ship,” he said with wide eyes.
Snapping her jaw shut, Dani said, “Shooting at me didn’t help.”
“You were trespassing.”
“Trespassing?” Dani’s voice elevated. “This is neutral territory.”
Hedge jumped from her shoulder to C’hase’s head, then to the ground and K’vyn scooted backwards, raising a leg.
Relieved for the distraction, she couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face at the big bad warrior scared of such a tiny creature.
“That ‘vermin’ brings us food,” she said, then gestured at the roasting lizard. “He provided this meal.”
The Korthan barked a laugh.
“He didn’t provide this meal. He wanted something shiny.” He pointed a booted toe at several iridescent disks laying on the ground. “Probably these scales.”
As if to prove his point, Hedge grabbed a scale right at that moment and disappeared into the flower stalks with it.
“It just so happens that a lot of ‘food’ has something shiny on it,” he said, that damnable triumphant grin returned.
“He killed the hellbats,” Dani said next.
The Korthan worked his jaw, silent.
“Ha, don’t have a comeback for that one, do you?”
But there was an element to his knowledge of this creature that unnerved her. The hellhound was a Korthan creature. Was Hedge a Korthan creature too? What were the scientists doing with them in that lab?
If K’vyn’s reactions were anything to go by, there was no love lost for the space rat. But the mogha— The reverence shown to C’hase was humbling.
The stalks rustled as Hedge reappeared, taking his place atop C’hase’s head. He no longer had the scale.
“Hedge belongs to C’hase,” she said. “Remember that next time you call him ‘vermin.’”
“And a molk will crash a ship,” he said again, “Remember that the next time you see one on a space-faring vessel.”
Making her way to the bridge of her freighter, Dani checked the comms again. Still no answer.
Hearing C’hase’s voice outside, her brow furrowed. That was the first time she heard his voice outside of her mind. Was he talking to her?
Maybe we can make her an honorary Korthan, his voice was saying. Stars, was he talking to the Korthan?
Stomach somersaulting, Dani rushed from the bridge, the mogha’s voice carrying through the air.
I know she’s a human and all, but if you don’t look at her, she doesn’t seem like a human.
Dani ran across the cargo bay to the ramp. C’hase sat next to K’vyn at the ever-present fire, yapping away. Could the Korthan understand what the mogha was saying?