Chapter Three

Companionship

E'Rok

The first revolution of my existence was filled with endless games. Following the birthday of myself and my fellow Chee there were endless celebrations. I made many new friends over the next few weeks. None, however, were as close as Siran. He was my first companion, and we remained close as time went on.

"Where are we going today, Siran?" I asked. Siran and I were walking through the forest together, admiring the trees. The top branches looked even pinker than normal and glistened in the sunlight.

"Tirah's." Siran said, grinning broadly, "She and Peskar have a new game they want to teach us! Then Layet wants to see us later today."

"Why?" I asked, curious. I was still fairly new to this world, and the need for knowledge not offered by my program was constant.

"He has a new upgrade, I think," Siran said, and I wagged my holographic tail at this news. Upgrades almost always meant something fun and exciting! The hologram which surrounded me now was one of the most entertaining upgrades. It allowed me to take on the appearance of any object or creature I imagined, with just a simple thought. This made us Chee quite good at games that involved hiding.

As we approached the bit of land where Tirah lived with her family I could sense Sirans growing excitement. His tail was wagging ferociously and I could tell that it required all of his restraint not to bound forward in a full-out run.

We followed the gentle downward slope of the forest as it thinned. The trees were giving away to large dirah's, mushroom shaped plants which gathered in clusters. Tirah lived in one of the most beautiful locations I had seen since my birth. The trees gave away completely to lush, blue grass and the occasional clump of dirah's, in various shades of yellow and red and orange. A stream bubbled and rolled through the field, chuckling as it went. In the distance, beyond Tirah's land, the dirah began to increase until all you could see were the rubbery, round mushroom heads spreading outward to the horizon.

"Hello Siran!" Tirah was coming up the hill to greet us, a wide smile on her face. She glanced at me, "Is that you, Chee-E'rok? You changed your hologram again."

I wagged my tail in response, "I decided that I wanted a Pemalite image. There is no greater form than that of your master."

"Well spoken," Peskar said with a laugh. I hadn't noticed him coming up behind Tirah with two Chee. Both of these Chee were in their natural form. Not all of my kind had become accustomed to hologram use yet.

"Chee-Loros, Chee-Reyna." I said with a grin, "How are you?"

"Wonderful." Loros replied. If she had had a hologram up, she would be grinning. It was just one of the benefits of projecting your image. "Tirah has a new game for us. I think you will like it."

"Come on!" Tirah cried, grabbing Siran by the paw and pulling him down the remainder of the hill. They broke into a run, dropping to all four paws. I glanced at Peskar, waiting for his response. He laughed and beckoned for us to follow.

So we did – three Pemalite master's and three Chee children. We ran purely for the joy of feeling the wind against our faces – or sensors, in my case. Siran and Tirah stopped at the stream for a drink, allowing us to catch up.

"So what is this new game?" Siran asked, panting. Tirah laughed giddily and began to explain. It was a fairly simple game, involving jumping and running and the general aspects of any Pemalite game. Once Tirah had explained the rules to us we began to play. For hours we played, laughing and enjoying ourselves. As we did so I began to notice something. Tirah and Siran never strayed far from one another. Whenever they had the opportunity, it seems that they would brush paws. I checked my programming to see what this meant, but found no explanation.

"Peskar," I asked, as soon as the opportunity arose, "Why do Siran and Tirah insist on staying close? Are they worried about something?"

"What?" Peskar asked, looking confused.

"They are constantly near each other, and brush paws as if to calm one another. What are they concerned for?"

Peskar glanced back at Siran and Tirah, who were whispering to one another secretively, and then looked back at me. Suddenly he burst out laughing, "Worried!? Do they look worried?"

"Well, no…but, then what –"

"Chee-E'rok, they are courting!" Peskar said proudly, as if it were the most wonderful thing in the world.

"Courting?" I searched my program for this word and the answer made itself known to me. They were charming one another, entering in the first stages of those games made only for a male and a female Pemalite to share together.

"This courtship..." I said hesitantly, for my programming told me that it was a very personal thing, "It is good?"

"It is," Peskar said with a nod and a wag, "It is wonderful."

"Oh good!" I said, feeling relieved. I watched the two of them for a moment more. They seemed to have forgotten our game, and were wrapped up in laughing amongst each other. I felt a strange bubble of joy well up from my emotional matrix. Even if it meant that my closest friend would have less time for me, companionship was an amazing thing, and how could I be anything but happy for Siran?

My programming wouldn't allow for anything different.


A/N: I'm putting the author's note at the end because I wanted you to read the chapter before I made my public plea. I'm having some difficulty with this story and was hoping that you could provide any constructive criticism. I would like to know if I'm capturing the Chee and the Pemalite mentality accurately or not. Believe it or not, an eternally happy race is difficult to emulate! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The winds of change are beginning to blow, so don't go anywhere!