30

"It was a vessel. Yes. It was a spaceship, coming fast with the suns blocked by it's hull. It came at breakneck speed, then stopped within a mile to open and dispense those from within it's bowels."

"ewwww" Owen grimaced "You make them sound like shit demons."

"They sort of… were. Draxors. A breed that is large, smelly and slimy… think the green ghost of Ghostbusters in a shit brown. They moved like snails, slithering across the ground and leaving a putrid stain on the earth. Also … the size of a bloody bus. We were so small, so frail before them." Ianto sighed.

"What did they want you for?" Gwen asked clutching at Rhys who was still with fear, his mouth open slightly as he stared at Ianto.

"To eat" Owen said with horror and Ianto rolled his eyes as he looked at the silly man.

"We were the size of rats to them… to eat? Come now" he laughed as he waved a hand at Owen "No. They wanted our pelts. The fur. They came once a millennia and tried to scoop up as many kits as they could before the suns move and it is too hot for them, retreating to the cooler space between suns and dirt. They then orbit at the most safest distance from the three suns and wait while they at first tried to breed what they don't kill and try to create more. Of course it never works. Kits taken too young simply die. Their pelts become dull and less pretty so it goes without saying that over time they stopped that, then only taking the youngest kits to kill and skin, some there right there on the planet leaving the carcasses for their mothers to scoop up in the light once more and scream over."

"Shit"

"Yes. They came and it was terrifying, the adults yelling at us to run, queens holding as many of their kits as they could, having to leave behind one or two to hopefully be scooped up by the Toms running after them as their last line of defence. We are told when we reach adulthood, of the true reason for the eclipse so we might fight, as kits we are told nothing in the hopes that we never see it come to pass. Of course… it always does." Ianto stopped and rubbed his face.

"And you?" Jack pressed.

"We ran and I realised mama had dropped the runt of the litter, turning to scoop her up and getting caught in the Toms that were turning to defend as a line of spitting anger. I ran a little more with the other Toms, turning to see the first wave get swallowed, rolled over and the sounds of their deaths was … I ran. I cuddled Vixen to me and ran like my life depended on it… well… it did. I was a youth, no longer a kit so my pelt was not as prized and I knew I had to protect my little sister. They would kill me to get her. We were herded, corralled and eventually got to the safety of the caverns were the crystals glow brightly ..running in to find those things could not follow."

"So it was OK" Owen flopped back.

"My father was not there, I knew looking around that he was not, finding my mother with some other queens huddled in a corner weeping as they counted kits and she snatched Vixen from me, sobbing with shame that she had dropped her. I looked and could not find him, ws afraid. I went back out into the darkness, calling out to him even as I knew it was foolish."

"Oh my god… they got you!"

"No. I found him. Slumped over two little kits with his throat still pulsating blood as he contorted and twisted in death throes, one of those things standing there with a hook of some sort it had used to kill him. We didn't have weapons, didn't fight back. Scaredey cats, running and crying as they killed and stole. No. I stood and looked at my dig father, the two kits in his arms that the thing was reaching for and I lost it. I lost it and I remember the sound I made as I rushed at it, snatching up the hook from by my father's body and driving it into the thing's eye socket as hard as I could, it's scream weirdly high pitched as it thrashed about trying to get me off it." Ianto stopped and considered "I started a chain reaction that had more Toms fighting as well, by the time the first tendrils of light were appearing they were retreating…. there were eight of them dead and we counted crow… I can tell you now… we counted crow!"

"Why you were sent here… why you were deemed worthy to come all this way" Jack said softly "My Tiger. Still a kit but so powerful."

"Yes. I am here today because I bucked the system and did the unthinkable" Ianto nodded, "I broke the rules. And they learned a lesson that they never forgot. They never returned."

"Really?" Owen asked with amusement "The worm turned huh."

"Yes. Why I am not afraid now … we might be here until Her Majesty gets control of the handful of dickheads up there but rest assured I am not afraid. And they do not know that. They think they have the upper hand but if they box me in, push me into a corner I will react as I did then because I learned that you can only win a fight if you take part in it." Ianto nodded. "Bullies are weaker than they seem."

"Fierce" Owen said with pride like Ianto was his brother and Ianto smiled back.

"Yes Owen. We are."