Rosebushes grew to left and to the right side of the gravel way. Surely, they were not entirely authentic roses, for such would dry out quickly in Eridani's light. Instead, Amanda had planted plants whose genes were mixed from earth's roses and the Ucalix desert flower. Although they looked fairly similar to the original, there were some light changes, most prominent the blue color of the petals, a trait inherited from the Ucalix. It was early in the morning when Amanda left the house through the glass door in the living room. She wanted to water her flowers before the sun's ray would be magnified by the water drops and burn her greenery. This was all before she saw the le'matya of course.
For an uncountable amount of time, she could not move any muscle. How could the giant animal even get through the small and now opened door at the backside of the garden with its three stone walls? The le'matya had smelled her and turned its giant head with the mortal fangs. Amanda, now freed from her trance, turned on the heel and almost jumped inside again, closing the door behind her. Her heart beat in an almost Vulcan manner.
"Amanda!", somebody called out. Speaking of Vulcans. Her husband first inspected her for injuries, when he found none he turned his attention to the garden. For a moment they just stood next to the glass front, side by side, and watched the intruder. "What do we do about that?", Amanda finally asked. "There are specialized personnel for such occasions.", Sarek said absently. He watched as the le'matya hurled itself over a low wall and underneath a little roof, which provided a shadowy seating area. It knocked over several plants in the process and broke the table which had been part of the seating area. Now it curled up, its tail slung around its face. "The le'matya appears to be in some kind of distress.", Sarek noted coldly. "I always imagined them to be bigger." "This one might not be an adult individual. It appears a little small to me as well." They watched the beast for a little longer.
"If this is a kid, where is its mother then?", Amanda asked. Before Sarek even had the chance to answer, Michael and Spock came running down the stairs. "Be it a successful day", they said simultaneously and in Vulcan. Almost out of reflex, Sarek closed the curtains so the children would not see the le'matya in their garden. Then he turned to them. "Good morning.", he answered in English. Amanda took a moment to look completely dumbstruck at the wine-red piece of cloth which was now hanging directly in front of her face. Slowly, she turned to the table where the children were already sitting and served them some to'mek. Sybok came down and sat himself next to Spock, making his little brother squirm in remembrance of last week's incidence.
Amanda let out one of those secret sighs. For now, she would play along with Sarek. The mentioned leaned on the kitchen counter and tapped something on a PADD. He appeared (in a very Vulcan fashion) nervous. Just because of a little le'matya? He could face a board of federation officials and ask for a tax reduction on Vulcan's dilithium exports but not stand an undomesticated animal in his garden? That seemed unlikely, to say the least.
As their children were ready to leave for school, an unusual sound emerged from the curtained windows. Flop. Flop. Flop. Spock, as the most curious of the three, pushed the curtain aside and looked outside. His eyes widened and one could hear his breath hitch.
What he saw was surely worth of such a reaction. A helicopter stood still in the air over the garden. From it hung on steel cables a giant transportation aid and a man holding a phaser. To make the scene even more unlikely, a le'matya was standing in his mother's roses. The animal was immediately stunned by the man's phaser, crashing on the roses. The man was let down a little more and slung the transportation aid around the beast's body. He was pulled up again. The helicopter lifted itself up in the sky, taking the le'matya with it. It was heading to the Llagoon montains, the probable point of origin for the animal.
After they had managed to calm down Spock and most prominently Michael, they sent them to school together with Sybok. After Sarek had closed the door, Amanda almost exploded. "Why didn't you tell them away from the beginning?", Sarek didn't react. "I don't believe they would have been overly scared. As they weren't when they finally found out." "It was for my own sake. To close the curtains made it easier to ignore what was behind." Now Amanda understood. "You are scared of le'matyas?", she asked. Sarek was now very interested in the weaving pattern of the carpet, a clear 'Yes'. He even turned a little green, something Amanda hadn't seen in quite a while.
She chuckled. "Oh Sarek!", she exclaimed, "Everyone is afraid of something. I bet you know that." Out of the blue, Sarek suddenly began to babble, something very uncharacteristically for him. "I was a child, wandering the desert on my own. I… I did not pay attention. A le'matya stung me. I survived with the help of the antidote, but the poison's residue induced a two-week long period of nightmares. Before that point, I had never dreamt before, Amanda." "And yet you have grown up to be yourself." She came nearer, laid her arms around his neck and tiptoed. "Even if it came out that you are a giant pussy, I would love you anyways.", she whispered in his ear. Sarek now flushed completely green, but the cause stayed somewhat unclear.