Author's Note: Nei'hin is the twin brother of Setg'Thwei from the story "Hard & Fast". This begins from where Nei'hin chooses to leave his brother.
Nei'hin watched as the door slid closed. He stood back taking in what had just happened. His brother Setg had chosen his mate over him. His twin brother…. For a ooman mate… He felt a pain well up within him… he had always shared everything with his twin… including mates… hell even his own offspring he wasn't sure if it was his or his brother's… but that did not matter…. Now he was shunned… The Elders would not be pleased with Setg newly chosen life partner nor Nei'hin's greedy attempt. Stalking through the corridors, he made his way to the observatory. It would be empty this time of night and he wanted to be alone with his thoughts and try to make reason of what just happened.
The observatory was empty as expected and Nei'hin could see the stars fly past as he watched out into space as the ship hurtled through, he felt the coolness of space call to him and finally let out a sigh of release…. A large moon with swirling ice clouds came into view and he marvelled at its beauty. Setg be dammed! He clenched his fist and slammed it hard onto the chair. Someone approached him from behind and Nei'hin tuned to face the intruder of his thoughts, about to let loose a flurry of insults before freezing immediately and bowing low before the elderly figure.
"Father, I did not realise it was you." Nei'hin was surprised. His father rarely ventured onto the lower decks, let alone be so close to his son. Straightening up, Nei'hin's eyes widened with wonderment as he looked upon the pale and terrifying face of his father that towered over him. A legend in the clan and a giant amongst most males, Ramses was ancient and proud. The pale white skull marking on his face against the contrast of his pitch black skin, his eyes blazing red gave him a demonic appearance… Nei'hin respectfully lowered his eyes again and watched his feet instead.
"Hmmpf, your bow is a mockery of my position" growled his father. Nei'hin bowed his head lower… His father cast his eyes carefully over his son thinking if he should punish him but instead looked out the window, and paused.
"Anyway I came to see what my sons where doing as of late and I find one in the embrace of an ooman and pauking away his future and the other…. " He turned and his baleful red eyes glaring into Nei'hin as he stood quietly waiting for what may come next.
"So here I am in a predicament you see… Setg was the eldest and now has fallen in love with a…. ooman… I cannot let the only sons of my blood line be seen as…. " pausing before whispering the words, "Weak..." The last words hung in the air, Ramses eyed his son, sizing him up before walking back towards the window and looking out at the icy planet as it appeared in full view of the window like a pearl against the black of space.
Nei'hin walked to his father's side. Mustering his courage, "What will you have me do?"
"I need to send you away… for a period of time…. You must regain honour once more; we cannot afford to lose face". His father's word was short but it cut deeply.
Nei'hin growled, "I am not some whelp who has no honour…I have nothing to prove… I am the best…. I… I - " Nei'hin blurted out before catching his own words. A mistake… his words proving that he might as well be a whelp, a tantrum in front of an Elder, the act immediately shamed him.
Ramses turned to face him and this time Nei'hin looked him in the eyes but regretted ever doing so. Those red eyes bore into him and felt an unsettling feeling grow within him… judgement… Nei'hin glared back, " I don't care wh -" . His father shifted his weight and with a mere casual push to Nei'hin's face, sent him flying mid-sentence. Nei'hin hit the ground hard and coughed in surprise, his pride hurting the most. Why do I keep acting like this…shijt!
Ramses casually walked up to him and lifted him up with one arm before pressing him against the wall. "Do you see me mating with every female that begs for my seed? Do I want to litter the galaxy with a bunch of … weaklings? You'll be dead before you know it. Your head mounted on some traitor's wall… and what will become of me? Shamed for only having two sons, one a pussy whipped ooman pauker and the other one dead!" He released his hold of his son's neck, letting him drop to the ground.
Coughing and rubbing his throat from his father's crushing grip "So what do you want me do?" croaking back at his father…. "And why did you only have 2 sons?". Nei'hin gulped in fear, realising he just asked an Elder about his mating life after being thrashed…Stupidity indeed.
Ramses actually smiled this time, those red eyes softening its intense glare. "I'm going to send you… home... you will be separated from others and until such time you have redeemed yourself…. and as for sons…. I only ever met one female worth mating with and she gave me twins… More than I could ever ask for." Nei'hin was shocked, his father rarely spoke to him about anything besides honour and becoming the next leader and now he felt like a door had opened. But that door shut as soon as it opened he realised. He was going to be redeemed.
Redeemed… meaning being exiled without losing too much face….Most likely one of the nearby moons where it was a never ending nightmare of survival. Nei'hin suddenly wished he had been shot but given he was an Elder's progeny he was going to be given this… privilege….a chance to redeem himself…
Nei'hin saw that his father could tell what he was thinking… Ramses smiled, "A fresh start…. A chance to find your own path, get away from this… nonsense" with that he strode to the door, turning to look at Nei'hin one last time. Nei'hin bowed deeply as his father departed, his father nodded curtly in return and walked away.
Nei'hin remembered a time when he was barely out of his suckling years and begging his father to train him. His father knelt before him and placed one hand on his shoulder, "One must walk the path of the warrior with honour. It is a difficult path but it's the only way. One day, I will show you". Straightening his shoulders, Nei'hin knew it was this day.
"I will show you, you old bastard." Nei'hin whispered.
Upon his return home, Nei'hin met with the clan council. His father, Ramses, had given them instructions beforehand…As soon as Nei'hin presented himself; he was taken to the planet's frozen moon and stripped of his armour and weapons. Kneeling naked in front of the Elder on the ice, the Elder began to shave his head with a ceremonial knife. Nei'hin watched sadly as his hair fell to the snow; the symbol of his adulthood. Before the last elder left, he looked at Nei'hin and growled…."Survive"…. and threw the blade next to him on the snow. The clan entered into the spacecraft and ascended into the sky.
Nei'hin stood alone in the icy breeze and watched the ship fly away…tightening his grip on the knife handle… Anger built up inside him and he howled until his voice rasped. Bald and naked on the frozen planet, Nei'hin walked into the swirling ice storm to find shelter.