Another Fine Mess

Chapter 2 – The Rabbit Hole

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"Approaching designated coordinates...deactivate…"

Kh'aan finally shut off the droning announcement, his eyes unable to comprehend the sight directly before the ship. Growing larger as he approached was not the salvation that he sought, but a barren rock of a planet. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head hoping that his vision lied, but the lifeless brown sphere grew in the viewport against his will. This cannot be happening! Why would she send me to a dead planet? I knew that this was too good to be true. The hunter's mood sank back into despair at the realization that his companion was lost. With haunted eyes glued to the viewport, he reached forward to alter course for the unstable star that he'd recently passed - blade or no blade, it guaranteed instant results.

As the ship began to turn, the bleak surface of the planet suddenly rippled. Kh'aan flinched in his seat and immediately cut power to the engines, his eyes wide in disbelief. Following the ripple, what he could only describe as a 'wave of green' surged across the surface and immediately shrouded the planet like an unfurling cloak. The hunter glanced down to the sensors to see if he'd misread them, but the system still indicated a barren wasteland. I must be dead, or imagining things…what is this? Distracted, his fingers unconsciously danced across the console and brought the ship back on course. As he grew closer the view was unmistakable - an endless sea of trees now covered the planet, and even from a distance the foliage looked unnaturally full.

The hunter filled his mind with thoughts of the human to silence his growing disbelief, and once he reached minimum distance brought the ship to a halt. The once regal Firstborn, mightiest of hunters, most revered of Yautja, trembled in fear as he gazed at the mysterious and ancient planet. Kayla was dead, and his only hope of saving her hovered before him like a hallucination. Do I accept madness and look for a place to land, or give in to the nightmare and join her?

Instinct took over control from his indecisive mind and he settled the ship into a high orbit. He began scanning for a place to set down, but each pass revealed only endless trees. Kh'aan crossed every axis on repeated orbits, but the sea of green continued without a break - not even a body of water or indication of a river. The hunter's tusks tapped in agitation as his thoughts returned to the human, and he nearly missed a shimmer in the trees as his vessel passed. The sensors still indicated that the planet was dead, and he rushed to the side viewport to see if he'd been mistaken. Below and behind his ship a clearing appeared out of nowhere, and as he circled again he was shocked that he had completely missed it the first dozen times. A thousand questions surged through his mind, but logic finally made its voice known. Land first, wonder later. Kayla needs you.

Kh'aan snarled at the clearing and set a descent vector. The sooner he found the pool, the better everything would be. He made three more passes before he remembered that the navigational sensors were useless. With the system reading a bare rock it could not possibly find an adequate landing vector, and he quickly switched to manual just as the vessel grazed the treetops. The branches sounded entirely too thick scraping against the hull, and he banked into the atmosphere before circling the clearing again to make sure that he did not hit them a second time. Once positive that he was centered, he engaged the descent thrusters and activated the landing struts. His mind was acting on autopilot, having landed a vessel hundreds of times in the past, and so it took several minutes before he realized that he should have been on the ground already.

His eyes whipped up from the console and widened in awe. The crowns of the trees were at least twice the height of the ship, and as he watched they gave way to trunks so thick that he could only see one through the viewport. The vessel continued to descend, and the single trunk became a solid wall of dark wood. When the landing struts finally touched down, Kh'aan could not help but lean forward to look up at the trees. They ascended out of his range of sight, nearly blotting out the sky if not for the clearly defined opening through which he'd landed. He sat back and let out a sharp snort. Either I am dead and this is Cetanu's idea of a joke, or this planet is more than it seems and I am definitely not prepared for it.

Clarity briefly broke through the endless depression he'd been experiencing for ten days, and Kh'aan swiftly locked down the ship before heading to the infirmary for Kayla. He stared at her still form for several minutes, despair threatening to renew, when something snapped in his mind and he growled.

"Enough of this weakness. I will not stand here feeling sorry for myself when help is out there somewhere. A warrior does not hesitate."

The esteemed hunter pushed the whimpering Firstborn out of the picture and studied the human carefully. He was unsure what surprises might lurk in the mysterious forest outside, and knew that keeping his hands free would be the best course of action…but how to carry her and have freedom of movement? With his tusks tapping rapidly, he picked up the female and the thermal skin covering her, settling to the floor with her in his lap. He re-wrapped the thermal skin around her body and pulled the ends behind his back as far as they could reach. He struggled to tie a knot the ends, and then held it in one hand while rising to his feet. The hunter rummaged through the stash of thermal skins until he found one long enough, and then wrapped it around the female again. He pulled the skin tight until he could feel the pressure on his own circulation, and the ends were long enough to cross his back and tie securely across his stomach. I will not lose you…if you fall, we fall together.

Kh'aan made his way down the access stairs, but paused by the door to the cell block. Kh'val had confiscated his weapons when they first came on board, and an itch made him want to retrieve them. As he reached for the access panel another thought crossed his mind, and after a short internal debate he backed away. I feel like I did on my Chiva...as though someone were testing me. Wasting time searching for weapons does not help Kayla! I am certainly capable of defending us without them. Then stop thinking and get going!

The hunter snuffed out a breath and marched through engineering to the airlock. As the ramp hissed open he was hit by a blast of warm moist air, nothing like the barren rock indicated by the sensors. He inhaled deeply and felt a small measure of his resolve returning in the rejuvenating air. After securing the ship and re-engaging the cloak, Kh'aan turned to survey his surroundings.

The clearing was barely large enough to hold the ship, and it was ringed on all sides by enormous tree trunks that seemed to grow together as they emerged from the ground. His gaze travelled up, following the wall of wood until it began to separate into individual trunks. Once past that point the trees were lost to his gaze in the sky's bright glare, and again he wondered if he was dreaming. The warrior snarled and brought his attention back to the task at hand. Find the pool. Ask questions later.

The hunter hooked one arm around the human and tucked his thumb into the knot at his waist. He circled the clearing looking for some sort of route through the trees, but the trunks were an endless impenetrable wall. By the time he returned to the airlock he was seething, and nearly missed the stone path that appeared directly across from the ramp. Kh'aan turned slowly, afraid that his eyes were playing more tricks, but the path remained. This was not here before. Nothing about this planet makes any sense. Move.

Kh'aan stepped into the trees, every nerve in his body humming with apprehension. He felt like he was walking between wooden mountains, and tried to keep his eyes straight ahead even as they fought to look up at the odd surroundings. The path he followed was strange enough; not only had it appeared out of nowhere, but the precise placement of square white stones - each as wide as his hand and equally spaced in rows of four - made the hunter wonder what sort of magic was at work.

Thoroughly unsettled but determined, Kh'aan hurried through the trees as quickly as caution would allow. His senses were on high alert to any danger, but with no space between the trunks around him it seemed unlikely that anything would be able to launch an attack in such an enclosed space. The path continued in a straight line, its end lost in the gloom ahead, and he began to lose track of time on his unending march. The weight of Kayla across his torso pushed him to keep moving, but sadness continually dogged his steps, tripping the former Firstborn when he lost his concentration.

After what seemed like hours the path abruptly ended, blocked by boulders twice his height. Kh'aan growled at the obstacle before securing the knot at his waist. At least some of my wits are still with me. He rolled his neck and stretched thick arms and legs before backing up several paces from the boulder. He took a running leap at the stone, aiming for the edge closest to the trees. The instant he felt the hard surface beneath his feet, he gouged his talons into the tree trunk for purchase. He took a moment to stabilize before bending his knees and leaping again, surmounting the rock with only a slight wobble in his weakened state. Before him the boulders continued on into the distance, and his previous thought to a test returned.

The warrior bounded across the stones as quickly as he could, a voice in his mind reminding him that the modules could only heal up to one day after death. He tried not to listen, but in the throes of such depression he had become a slave to the thought of losing Kayla, and the distracting voice of reason threatened to destroy what hope he had left. The modules are manufactured machines. If they took the fluid from this place then who knows what other properties this 'pool' may have. How long was I unconscious? It has been too long already! Nothing is certain here. Perhaps it will heal her anyway.

After an eternity of leaping from rock to rock Kh'aan skidded to a stop on the last boulder, nearly toppling forward into what appeared to be a bottomless chasm. He frantically clutched the human to his chest and took a hesitant step back, but as his foot reached for the previous boulder he instead felt a wall. The hunter whirled around to see an enormous tree where the path used to be, as though there had never been a path there in the first place. Frustration finally won the battle and Kh'aan roared at the infuriating trees.

"What madness is this? I did not come here to play games!"

"Then I suggest you stop wasting time."

Kh'aan turned with a snarl, but all fight left him when he spotted a strange looking figure on the other side of the gorge. His head cocked to the side in curiosity, but the figure waved a staff at him and beckoned the hunter forward.

"Come, come. We do not have all day."

The hunter faltered. "How? How do I cross this ravine?"

The being appeared to laugh. "Walk of course. Come now, do not dawdle."

The figure turned and disappeared into the shadow of more enormous trees. Kh'aan's growled in disbelief and more than a little frustration. He scanned the ridge but saw no indication of a path or bridge. Walk? Walk on what? He slid down the boulder and stood at the edge of the ravine. A stone crumbled from the edge beneath his feet and though he listened for it to hit the bottom, no sound echoed up from the depths. The hunter's arms unconsciously wrapped around Kayla's body and a nervous chitter escaped his throat.

"What do I have to lose? Either there is a path that I cannot see, or the fall will reunite us." He rubbed her shoulder through the skins and took a deep breath. "Wait for me."

Kh'aan closed his eyes, held the human close, and stepped off of the ridge. He thoroughly expected to fall to his death, and so when his foot met something solid he briefly lost his balance. He hazarded a glance at his feet and was surprised to see an ancient rope and wood bridge beneath them. It spanned the chasm as though it had always been there, and the hunter finally relinquished all doubt. "We are being tested. I should have known that this would not be easy."

The affirmation that nothing was what it seemed served to strengthen Kh'aan's spirit. He marched confidently across the rope bridge without a second thought, and once on the other side he did not look back. He scanned the path ahead, identical to the one on the other side of the ravine, but found no sign of the creature that had spoken to him. It was yet another oddity to this strange planet and he shook off the curiosity, his task too important to waste time in speculation.

Kh'aan marched for two more hours before his strength began to wane, the stress and neglect inflicted on his body finally making itself known. He shuffled to a stop against a tree and slid to the ground, unconsciously stroking Kayla's back while struggling to catch his breath. I may have walked around the entire planet by now, my friend. Where did that strange being disappear to?

"Nowhere of importance." Kh'aan nearly leapt out of his skin when the same creature appeared, not on the path, but in front of another tree that had not been behind him before. "No time to rest. Up! Up!"

The hunter blinked rapidly, his gaze racing from the being to the tree and back again. It - he - appeared very old, perhaps older than Mr'aal, but his age was not the most startling characteristic. He had all of the features of the Yautja save for one - his face was unmistakably human. Thick white tresses fell from a wide crest and aged tusks surrounded his mouth, but the being had very green, very human eyes, complete with the patch of fur above each. Beneath them was an unmistakable nose, more pointed than Kayla's but a nose all the same. Behind his mandibles Kh'aan spotted a very human mouth - thin lips, blunt teeth, and small pink tongue that appeared when he spoke. The exhausted warrior completely forgot his manners in an instant.

"What are you?"

The being chuckled. "Do you want answers, or your mate?"

Kh'aan's eyes widened until they nearly burst from his skull. To hear Kayla referred to in that way sparked an inferno of denial in the hunter that nearly vocalized, but it was just as quickly silenced by the overwhelming agreement of his heart. His gaze fell to her still form against his chest, and he purred in spite of himself before rising to his feet. When he answered his voice was firm.

"My mate."

The old one seemed to smirk before he turned down the path. "Then do not stand there gaping. This way."

Kh'aan followed the being's brisk pace in a daze, his mind trying to wrap around what he'd just admitted. I claimed her as my mate. Is that truly how I feel? Would she agree?Of course not…she is ooman! But…she cares for me, and I care for her. She will never provide pups like a proper mate. But I do not care about that…I have never thought of her as anything other than my friend and ally. Then she is not worthy to be claimed as a mate. Kh'aan snarled at the internal argument, the sound drawing the gaze of the old one several paces ahead. Kh'aan looked away, but the appearance of the being did lend credence to the argument. Anything seems possible these days. Besides, Kayla is a warrior first, and more worthy of my respect than anyone I have ever known. She is honorable, caring, intelligent, strong, fearless…

"Then why argue with yourself?"

His eyes snapped up to meet the laughing gaze of the old one, and his color deepened when he remembered that this being seemed capable of reading his mind. After a moment's consideration he came to a decision, one that he might never share with Kayla, but rang true from the second it entered his thoughts.

"'Mate' is insufficient. She means more to me than that."

"Obviously," the old one chittered. "Or you would not be willing to take your own life for her."

Kh'aan's color darkened again, and he nodded but said nothing. Everything he'd ever learned – about his status in the clans, about humans, even the brief talks with his sire on their seasonal hunts – seemed to sputter and die in the face of his declaration. This single, seemingly insignificant human had changed everything. Though he was beginning to realize just how naive he was, he felt no doubt when it came to this particular creature. I will not live without her. All of the rest is inconsequential…Kayla is all that matters to me.

A snort from the path ahead brought his gaze up just in time to nearly collide with the old one. Kh'aan stopped short unconsciously clutching the human, and once again found himself awestruck. Before them the trees abruptly ended, giving way to an enormous circular valley that spread out before them like a giant stone bowl. Tiered stairs ringed the valley, cascading down into a mist that obscured the bottom. The hunter was certain that he had not passed this structure while orbiting the planet, it would have been impossible to miss. As he stood at the rim completely astonished, a voice echoed up from the mist.

"What are you waiting for? This way."

Kh'aan started down the stone tiers as carefully as possible wondering how the being managed to get so far ahead of him. Every tenth step opened out to a wide ledge forming a path around the valley, and to the left and right he saw shadowed openings in the stone. This is a city! My ancestors actually lived here! His curiosity nearly made him stop to inspect the passages, but the human across his torso pushed him onward. After the fifth flat path he was enshrouded in mist, and slowed his pace when the steps beneath his feet disappeared.

The hunter felt as though he'd been descending for hours, the all-encompassing mist making everything seem ethereal in the bright daylight. By the tenth level his legs began to protest further movement, and no matter how hard he tried he could not maintain his balance any longer. A short bark echoed across the stone valley as he toppled forward, and Kh'aan only had enough time to cradle Kayla's head before he was tumbling down the stairs. The stone bit into his body as he rolled haphazardly down the levels, and then his skull smacked into the rough surface and everything went black.

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The former Firstborn came to feeling something poking his side, and cracked his eyes open to see the old one prodding him with the end of an old bone staff.

"There you are. Go on then. In with her. No time."

Kh'aan winced, blinking to restore some sort of equilibrium to his aching body. The old one gestured to something behind him, and the hunter turned to see a stone wall behind his head. He eased to a sitting position and peered over the wall into an enormous dry fountain. From the condition of the stones and the amount of moss growing along the base, he assumed that it had not been functional for a long time, and his eyes turned back to question the being.

"We do not have all day. Into the pool."

Kh'aan's delirium faded when he heard the word 'pool'. Is this it? Have I found it? He struggled to his knees, his skull pounding in protest, and carefully untied the skins from around his torso. He gazed on Kayla's face and whined involuntarily at the lifelessness in her features, but a sharp prod from the staff snapped him to attention. He carefully lowered her into the dry fountain wondering how an empty pool was going to save his companion. Despair settled over him the moment he released her and he sat back wearily on the ground, his eyes imploring the old one to help her. The being smiled at him, and then Kh'aan heard a strange rumbling in the ground. He peered across the fountain warily, flinching in surprise when a spout of water erupted from the center. The pool filled rapidly, and the hunter lunged forward when he realized that the human could drown without a mask, but the old one smacked the staff firmly across his chest.

"Ah, ah! Do not touch."

"But she cannot breathe! She will drown!"

"She is already dead, remember?"

Kh'aan's heart fell and he scrambled back from the pool until he hit the stone steps. A tremor shook the warrior's broken frame while his insides tied in knots. To have come so far just to lose her anyway was more than he could bear to think about, and he unconsciously drew the thin blade and sharpening stone while his eyes remained locked on the human in the pool. After a few minutes, impatience and concern made him turn to the ancient being.

"Will it heal her?"

The old one shrugged. "If she is worthy."

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Kayla's eyes opened to a bright light. It seemed to come from every direction, even beneath her floating feet. Where am I? Where is Kh'aan? She took a hesitant step, wary of falling into the expansive nothingness. Though she felt no surface to walk on, the marine found herself gliding forward through the ether. As she took in the misty surroundings she was suddenly deafened by an echoing howl. She spun in place but saw nothing, and moments later heard Kh'aan's voice like a whisper through her mind. "Wait for me, I will find you."

"Kh'aan!" Kayla's voice cracked with the strain. "I'm here! Kh'aan?"

"He cannot hear you, child."

The human turned in the direction of the voice and saw what could only be described as a pillar of light. It held no human shape, seeming more like an undulating column, and she felt a sharp twinge of fear course through her frame.

"What…who are you?"

The ethereal being's lilting voice laughed. "You know who I am, child. You are home now."

A pit formed in Kayla's stomach as the reality of the situation sank in. "No…oh no, am I…oh god no!" She fell to her knees as tears formed in her eyes. "I'm dead?"

The being glided forward and she felt a wave of compassion flow over her like a warm breeze. "You have led a true life, my dear. Welcome ho…"

Suddenly a dark shadow materialized next to the pillar of light, and another voice boomed through the mist that sent a chill down her spine. "This one is mine!"

The shadow was much larger than the pillar, and the comparison immediately reminded Kayla of her companion. Thoughts of the hunter sent a heavy lump plummeting down her throat, and the marine wrapped her arms around her waist in an effort to keep her emotions from exploding. Kh'aan…forgive me. I couldn't…I wasn't…I'm so sorry.

The pillar of light seemed to turn to the dark shadow. "She is not of your world. It is her place to join her family."

The shadow snarled. "This warrior has been chosen, and when it is time she and her mate will take their rightful place by my side."

"This is most unusual," muttered the light. "You know as well as I that there are rules that are not meant to be broken."

Kayla's eyes flicked back and forth between the two forms, her confusion growing to frenzied proportions. Both entities seemed to ignore her as their discussion grew more heated.

"Your rules mean nothing to me. I have made my decision. She has proven her honor, and as such will be rewarded."

The light flared as though angry. "We have maintained this balance for eons. Why would you disrupt it?"

The shadow began to fade. "This discussion is over. Even now her mate calls." It turned glowing eyes to the frightened human. "We will meet again, young one, and I will welcome you both." With those words the shadow disappeared, leaving Kayla dumbfounded in the presence of the pillar of light. She turned wary eyes to the figure and once again felt compassion fill her soul.

"What is happening?"

The pillar flared brightly for a moment. "Something unprecedented, child. He is right - you have earned your reward - I simply did not expect him to claim you."

Kayla's simple human mind struggled to make sense of the monumental events unfolding, but all she could focus on was the possibility of returning to Kh'aan. The ethereal brightness around her began to fade and the marine struggled to keep her eyes focused on the being. "What will happen to me? What about my…my friend?"

"I suspect that you will find out soon enough, my dear. Your life has been quite an adventure already, has it not?" The light dimmed. "Return to your chosen. He need not mourn you now."

Before she could inquire further, the invisible surface supporting her feet vanished and she fell.

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Kh'aan was beside himself with worry. He'd paced a path in the moss around the pool while waiting for Kayla to awaken, but hours later she remained submerged in the fountain. He wondered if perhaps she had been found unworthy, but the concept was difficult to believe. If she is not worthy, what creature in the universe ever was or ever will be? He breezed past the old one for the tenth time and heard the being snort. Stop reading my mind!

"Then stop thinking so loud, warrior."

Kh'aan snarled and stopped his pacing to stand before the old one, his hands clenched into fists against the desire to pummel the strange being. "Why is this taking so long? Either she is worthy or she is not! What is the point to all of this waiting?"

The old being squinted at the warrior with his strangely human eyes. "Are you that eager to join her in death?"

At the end of his wits, Kh'aan did not pause to think about the odd question or his answer. "Of course, you fool! If the pool will not heal her, I am wasting time..."

Suddenly the human shot out of the water, sputtering to catch a breath while frantically scrambling over the stone rim. She landed on the ground with a wet splat and scooted away while her eyes darted around warily. Before either male could step forward, the human threw her head back and screamed.

"KH'AAN!"

All of the hunter's weariness faded in an instant, and he scooped the human into his arms the moment he hit the ground beside her. "I am here, Kayla! We are safe. I am right here!" He purred uncontrollably, the vibration rumbling through the stone around them, and could not seem to hold her tight enough. Never again! I will go mad! I cannot lose you!

Kayla thrashed for a brief moment as thick arms wrapped around her shoulders, but Kh'aan's voice and scent immediately stifled her fear. A shudder shook the marine against her will, and trembling arms gripped the hunter's waist as she turned into his embrace. Am I alive? Is this real? Please don't be a dream!

The old being watched them with pained but laughing eyes; it took quite an effort to block their screaming thoughts from his mind. After a few more minutes he poked the male with the end of his staff. "Go on then, in with you."

Human and hunter jumped apart, having forgotten about their audience, and Kh'aan chittered warily. "Me? Why?"

"Do you think that infection will cure itself? You are lucky it has not killed you already." The staff wacked him in the stomach and Kh'aan winced, suddenly remembering that he had not paid much attention to his own injuries. He glanced at Kayla, but the old one grasped his arm and pulled him to the pool before he could explain. The hunter eased down into the water with his eyes locked to the human's worried gaze, and finally submerged after another prod from the staff.

Kayla scrambled toward the fountain, worried that he couldn't breathe beneath the water, but her way was blocked by the staff. Her gaze rose to the strange old creature and his odd green eyes twinkled.

"He does not need to breathe."

Her eyes shot up in surprise. When he'd spoken to Kh'aan she'd heard the strange chirps and clicks of the hunter's language, but now this being addressed her in relatively clear English. Her obedient military control snapped and the marine surged from the ground to storm into the old one's personal space.

"Alright, start talking! What the hell is going on around here? What the hell is this place? And WHO the hell are YOU?"

The ancient being seemed ignorant to the human's breaking point, and idly plucked a tiny leaf from his robes before meeting her steel gaze. He watched the female twitch for another punishing minute and then smirked.

"Do you want answers, or your mate?"

Kayla's righteous indignation fizzled out in a shuddering heartbeat, and she took a hesitant step back toward the fountain. "Why does everyone keep saying that? What is it with you people?"

Her hands shook into fists against the urge to spike a further retort. She turned her back and dropped to the ground in a huff, her eyes trained on Kh'aan's face beneath the water. Her frown softened slightly and the marine let out a defiant chuckle. Besides, how I feel about him is none of your goddamn business.

The old one winced at the images that pummeled him from the human's mind – all testimony to her willingness to die for the hunter – and a smirk formed behind his tusks. His eyes remained trained on the female, and after a short while she turned to frown at him as anticipated.

"So, since you seem to know so much...will it heal him?"

The being shrugged. "If he is worthy."

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AN: Wow! You guys rock with your awesome reviews and drooling eager faces! Teehee! Yes, drooling! It's so beautiful that it brings a proud tear to my eye…someone pass me a tissue! Anyway…more to come! Thanks for sticking with me (and K&K!).

-Cap'n Razz

p.s. Three Cheers for GrayHuntress! Welcome to the clan, hon! Can't wait to read more!