nothing but my words belong to me, everything else is gene roddenberry's, bless him.
A/N: combination of two separate pieces folks. anything's wack let me know
_unbeta'd
_all vulcan and related vulcan stuff is from memoryalpha or VLD
Spock moves away from M'Bones, getting a better view of his face. M'Bones face is gaunt in the shifting light, and the bloodlessness of his skin is more evident in the heightened light than it was in the crevice. Spock focuses on M'Bones, glancing from his moving lips to his outstretched arm, and shakes his head. He cannot hear what M'Bones is trying to say as the gusts of sand wind slap around them. M'Bones glares at him for a moment and then shifts closer again, leaning on the rock. Spock shifts away again and this earns another glare. M'Bones is quicker the third time and shoves his face onto Spock's left shoulder.
"Meld with me" he shouts over the viscous sand-wind. Spock leans away, with a shake of his head.
He will not meld with complete stranger, who has not given him a reason to trust, other than to tell him to. "Negative."
Their stares lock each other down and they stand there for one point oh three minutes, the stubbornness unrepentant in M'Bones eyes. M'Bones coughs, hand leaving the rock to cover it, and his brows furrow. He takes a step into Spock's space and glares at him as he leans into him.
"… need to…ver t… ow mounta… to th… north," he takes a harsh breath against Spock's shoulder and Spock looks to north to see the indistinct shade of a low hill. For M'Bones to know of it must be a constant feature and not of impermanent sand dunes. Spock nods, "…o the l… t ther… a… …aves."
His voice chokes at the end as he slips on the rock, shoulder hitting the hard surface. Spock reaches out by reflex, before he pulls back and watches M'Bones right himself and raise his lowered head to squint at him through the sand wind. Spock answers with an exaggerated nod and motions for M'Bones to begin walking. M'Bones frowns at him but slides off the rock wall and takes unsteady limps northward, strides becoming more confident the longer he walks. The first time he looks back over Spock's shoulder, Spock turns as well expecting the le'matya to have come down upon them, and there is nothing there. Spock turns back to him, but M'Bones has already turned away, head bent to the sand wind. Their pace is slow and not always steady, the dust-storm varying in degrees of brutality every half yard, but they are leaving the steep rock face behind. When Spock turns to look back he does not see it, even as a shade of the storm.
Spock is following not close behind M'Bones, eyes downcast to prevent overt irritation of the eye when M'Bones again stops and looks back, his bare feet scratched by sand. The scratches are carrying clusters of wet sand that have adhered to the weeping blood.
Spock continues to walk towards his still feet, knowing that he will soon turn around. He does not expect the feet to sprint towards him, strong on the shifting sand dunes. He looks up, into the wide eyes of M'Bones— who is shouting into the wind. Spock stops walking forwards, stalled as he stares uncomprehending at M'Bones, who is still shouting silently in the dust storm. Spock begins turning to look back, as finally M'Bones raises an arm and— doesn't point. He is on Spock like wild sehlat, pushing him down and sideways. Spock careens out, flying on low born winds, before he crashes down. Already he is up, eyes never having left M'Bones heady run. Nothing can be done, as he watches M'Bones running parallel to a sleek le'matya, sling slapping in the sand wind. The le'matya circles with M'Bones for half a second, and it is on him, yowling over the sand wind. Then it falls back, jaw lagging open, towards the dusty figure of M'Bones; then it is gone.
Spock stands in the whip lashing wind, conscious of his dislocated shoulder, as he tries to hold his arm firmly to his side. The hazy silhouette of M'Bones is no longer against the vague horizon and Spock gives more weight to holding a weapon than to holding his arm. He clumsy reaches for his dagger with his left hand, and trudges through the dust-storm. He tries to hold his arm close, and a spike in the constant pain makes him stop. He paces slowly towards where he has last seen M'Bones and circles around it, eying the area. The la'metya is no longer near him, but he does not want to stay out in the open any longer. He spirals in to M'Bones, who is lying on his side and not moving. Spock kneels next to him, and sheathes his dagger, rather than lose it in the sand, to turn him over.
"Ne ki'ne," gasps M'Bones, hands grabbing at Spock's face. Spock shuts down his shields, stiffening with the fast humming of a mind so close. His words are Vulcan; flat and monotone, in complete opposition to when the ragged words of standard slip through. The utter differentiation of the two languages spoken in tune with one another is unsettling and Spock shifts his left hand to pry M'Bones off.
He pushes down M'Bones' straining arms, and holds them there, "M'Bones."
His try is rewarded only M'Bones trying to free himself, skin scratching against leather.
"M'Bones." he says again, right shoulder tousled by M'Bones struggling. "M'Bones you must cease struggling. I do not wish to harm you."
M'Bones does not. Given he had no knowledge of what M'Bones had done; it was unlikely that the la'metya would return. However unlikely it also was that a la'metya would have left an already attained meal to hunt two humanoids down. He presses M'Bones into the sand and quickly adjusts his left hand at meld points, before he can be pushed off. The ritual words are spoken and the heavily shielded mind of M'Bones enters Spock's mind. Even in delirium, his shields are held tight, and Spock can only venture so far with pressure before a mind will break. To be able to exchange information at this point was impossible, and that was the intended purpose of this.
Spock's body leans back as he is in the meld, sand scrapping his exposed skin. This would be easier if M'Bones and he were more familiar with each other's mind, but he should not waste time on the fact they were not. M'Bones first word to him in delirium had been 'ne ki'ne'. Had M'Bones recognized him as another? Spock leans forward, reaching out with that one word of familiarity. The body below him slacks, arms crumbling down, and Spock opens his eyes. Pupil blown eyes stare up at him through the sand wind and Spock breaks his fingers away.
M'Bones licks his lips with a dry tongue and gives a bleary smile, "hi…"
He stops, "I don't know your—"
"M'Bones, how close are we to the caves."
"—aves?" M'Bones rolls his shoulders and looks away, "Close. We were close."
"Are you able to walk." says Spock, watching M'Bones slowly blink and wince as sand irritates his eyes. "M'Bones!"
M'Bones twitches at the forceful tone and finally looks back up, "I don't— yeah?"
M'Bones' trembling hand reaches up towards his head, before falling back. Spock reaches out and quickly runs his fingers over M'Bones head and there is a sizable lump there, he lets the bangs fall back.
A/N:
_ne ki'ne= 'shield partner/wingman the person a warrior could trust most in the heat of battle; a trusted friend and skilled warrior', courtesy of VLD