Tentative Truce

It was a month before she found herself able to come within striking distance of him without having to worry about his suddenly deciding to end her in a random burst of spite. In that time, she'd established some rules for herself from observing his reactions to various approaches.

One: Never approach from behind. His tail struck at lightning speed with legendary precision. Ridley was skittish in his current state of helplessness, so approaching from behind was almost guaranteed impalement.

Two: Don't get in range of his claws. He would seize whatever did and attempt to crush it or rip it to shreds.

Three: Do not under any circumstances awaken him from slumber. She was likely to get fried to a crisp if she did, and if she had to wake him at all she was wise to do so from a distance in as nonthreatening a manner as possible.

Four: Do not try to take away food or drink until he'd had his fill.

Five: Approaching from the front, ironically enough, was best, because he could watch her every move. As long as he could see and predict exactly what she was doing, he didn't get antsy and agitated. At least not more so than he usually did in her presence.

He was wary of her, she knew. He didn't understand why she was feeding and watering him, nor did he trust it, but he didn't protest either. He sensed an ulterior motive, and he wasn't wrong. It was only a matter of time before she had to sit down and have a talk with him about what that motive was. Now was as good a time as ever. It might make him more cooperative besides. She approached him carefully. His eyes opened and he watched her cautiously. A low growl rumbled in his throat. It always did. His lungs rattled with the pain of his wounds. She glanced at his wings. The tattered one had regenerated. The broken one had set wrong and would need to be rebroken. She was not about to do that deed. She'd leave that option to him when the time came. She came around front of him as he watched her carefully, and tossed him the biggest slab of meat she'd been able to carry. He seized it in his claws and buried his face into it, starting to rip off large chunks and swallow them down. She observed bitterly. He probably loved being 'pampered' like this, and that she was doing anything at all for him that he might find pleasing annoyed her to no end. However, it would also work in her favor. At least if her experiment proved fruitful.

She sat down on the ground in front of him, just out of his reach. He paused in his eating to glare at her. There was silence between them a moment. Neither spoke and neither moved. Ridley's hand remained on top of his meat slab as he glared challengingly at her and began to rumble menacingly.

"You're nothing but an animal," she finally said. He glowered and hissed a bit. "A highly intelligent one, more brilliant than most people, but still just an animal." He screeched at her as if telling her to stop pestering him, then went back to plucking at his food. She let out a breath, bowing her head and shutting her eyes tight. "Why didn't I see it before?" she asked herself out loud. He paused, looking up, then smirked and turned back to his meal. She looked up at him again. "Cunning god of death… You don't even know what a god is, do you?" He frowned at her warily, tilting his head. "You know that when your prey hears that title, fear is stricken into their hearts. That fear makes them easier to hunt. You don't know what the pirates are or what they do either. Not really. You just know you like how they operate because of how much treasure and carrion they leave in their wake. Shiny things attract birds and beasts. They use them as decoration, but they don't know what those pretty shiny things really are or what they're worth to humans and humanoid-like cultures. They don't understand their importance. As for the carrion… They leave enough of it behind to feed you for days. You may have preferences, but in the end you're not picky because when all's said and done, that's really all it's about, isn't it? Survival. Your entire purpose in life is to eat, sleep, claim territory, and mate. There's nothing else, and you'll do it however you have to." He stared at her.

Samus looked away from him, staring up at the orange sky above. "Animals don't have consciences," she soon said. She looked back at him. "Not like humans and humanoids do, at least. When an animal is scolded, maybe they feel bad about being scolded and definitely they don't like the consequences, but they don't actually comprehend that it was wrong. They can't. They comprehend that it displeases others. Maybe they'll stop the behavior for fear of punishment, but if they think they can get away with it, they'll probably do it again. At the end of the day, it's just survival. Eat, sleep, protect your own, claim territory, mate. You think nothing of the people you kill or hurt along the way. It's inconsequential." Ridley glared at her icily before huffing and going back to his food. "When you killed my parents, did you even realize it was wrong? Did you even care about the pain left in the wake of the attack? Did you even realize you were making an enemy?" Ridley continued to eat, now ignoring her. "You didn't, did you? Because you can't comprehend right and wrong. You comprehend benefit and detriment." He screeched at her warningly again, looking up, then finished off the rest of his food and sucked the remnant off his claws somewhat pompously before yawning and laying his head down to rest, signaling he was bored of the conversation now. "It was nothing personal," she quietly said, staring tiredly at the ground. He opened an eye, warily watching her. "It was just survival." Her voice broke on the last word and she closed her eyes, sniffing. It was always painful when she talked about her parents, but she'd stopped weeping for them long ago. You learned how to hold back tears when pain and tragedy followed you wherever you went. "And it isn't pain you relish in seeing, is it? Because you don't understand grief or mourning. You just understand what makes your prey weak."

He watched her in vague annoyance and finally lifted his head, considering her words. "Even animals know grief, Samus. Not in the same way, but they know grief," he answered.

Samus looked quickly up at him, eyes wide. It was exceedingly rare that he spoke. For the most part he thought it beneath him. She wondered if he even truly knew what he was saying, or if it was simply sound associated with action. Something like how a talking bird learned to speak and learned that certain words it said netted it certain rewards or responses. Something like how a pet could learn to recognize its name and various commands and their meanings. Maybe for Ridley it a mix of the two.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"When a beast loses something vital to its survival, something important such as bonded mate or sibling or group, they will grieve. They will go through mourning. If separated from it before death, they will seek it until they learn or accept it is gone. Beasts are not like humans, who may grieve forever after. Life moves on. If we do not move with it, we die. We wither away in grief. We are killed. We are left behind. Humans are not like us in that. For animals with poor memories, memory of their bonded friend or mate will fade soon enough. They must survive. They must keep going. All focus must turn to that. For those with better memories the recollection may remain, but once replacements are found, focus will shift to those instead. Then the memories of what once was will disappear or be shoved so far to the back of the mind they are no longer relevant," he said. "Perhaps a beast will act out in retribution, but after the threat is dealt with, they will move on. I never understood why humans couldn't just let go and move on. I never understood lust for revenge."

"You've never understood lust for revenge because you've never lost anything you had to avenge!" she snapped at him.

"I have," he said.

She started, tensing up a bit, and frowned, tilting her head at him warily. "What have you had to grieve, Ridley?" she coldly asked.

He shrugged casually. "A hen and hatchlings. The entirety of my murder… I never understood lust for revenge. I understand a grudge. I understand instant retribution. Retribution was served that day, then life moved on because it had to. You move with it or you die."

She was quiet, watching him. "If revenge means nothing to you, why do you still hunt me down with hatred that only seems to increase each time we fight?" she soon asked.

"Because once an animal has perceived an enemy, once mistrust has been formed or wounds have been received that give rise to fear and spark the instinct for survival, then the thing that caused those feelings to surface – be it a competing predator, something higher on the food chain, or a hunter – is regarded as a threat to survival forevermore. They must be avoided or swiftly dealt with. They are a threat. They are a rival. They are an enemy!"

With a screech he snapped violently at her. She rolled nimbly back just to be safe, and it was good she did because the power with which he'd lunged shifted the thing impaling him just enough that he would have been able to reach her. He gnashed his teeth at her and screeched again. She rose slowly, staring at him. He growled at her and hissed, opening his mouth wide in an intimidating manner.

After a moment of staring him down, she looked down and to the side, closing her eyes. "I'm as much a threat to you as you are to me… I think I understand better now. Apex predator versus apex predator…" she finally said.

Had he ever been the one to seek her out for a fight, she wondered to herself? Time and longstanding bias had skewered memories and blurred perception. Time and time again she had crossed him and they had fought, but neither of them, as far as she could remember, had actively sought one another out. Fate, it seemed, was always what drew them together. Or maybe she had hunted him after all… Like he had hunted her as a child. She thought for the longest time that his purpose for hunting her down was to save face with the pirates. Was it really, though? Or was it simply because he was a predator trying to pick off the young and the weak? The prey that put up the least fight. The quickest meal. Baiting, luring, and causing prey to let their guard down was typical of predators.

She'd never wondered before, she noted, why Ridley lashed out at her the way he did. She'd never asked. She never would, because she wasn't sure if the answer was something she wanted to face. Each time he saw her, he went berserk. Had she ever been any better, though? Not that it would have mattered, she knew. If she was already perceived as a threat, she would be treated as one whether she put down her weapons or not. He was an animal, but he was a hyperintelligent one. When he had learned who she was, the child that had survived, he had sensed her fear. Her anger and hostility also. He had known she was a threat and that she had become an enemy he was not quite so inclined to face as he had been before, when she was a child. Wolves didn't actively seek out full-grown, healthy, large prey if it could be helped.

"Did you ever question why I kept feeding and watering you, I wonder? You were wary, I know that, but did you ever wonder about the actual 'why'? Did you ever wonder why I didn't hurt you? Why I kept you alive?" He growled. She shook her head. "You didn't, did you? A bird being fed breadcrumbs or seeds doesn't wonder why. They just know it's a food source. At the same time, though, they're wary, because they perceive a potential threat. They perceive potential danger. They perceive a potential trap or lure. Trust is never easily won… Unless the food comes from the same source over and over again, and over and over again that source proves they mean the bird no harm. Then trust develops." She turned her back on him and walked to the edge of the plateau. He growled at her. "You're just an animal…" She turned to him, eyes narrowed. "And an animal can be tamed."

A dark smirk spread across his face and he began to chuckle. Or make sounds that sounded like a chuckle, rather. "Go ahead, Samus. Try to tame me," he challenged.

"Maybe I should be more specific," she said, turning around with hands on her hips. "A domesticated animal can be tamed. An animal raised in captivity or at the hands of humans can be trained. Animals raised in captivity though, if they aren't domestic, can never really be fully trusted. Wild beasts can't be tamed, but you can build enough trust and understanding with them that they'll tolerate you or even become your tentative ally." Ridley, tail swishing, glared at her with eyes narrowed. "Neither of us are getting off this planet without the other, Ridley. You can't free yourself or heal your own wounds. Every breath you take is agony. I hear it in your rattling chest. You're going to die here. If you don't starve or die of thirst, you'll die of infection or trauma. What if this planet is inhabited and the inhabitants aren't hospitable? What if they're carnivorous? They might finish you themselves. In my case, well, I can't just fly off. My ship is in ruins, my suit's thrusters, even if I could get them working, wouldn't take me far enough to matter… We're going to die here, you and I. Unless we can come to an arrangement."

He seemed to huff 'chuckle' again as if the notion was inconceivable to him. She frowned. "So what? You're just going to resign yourself to death? Somehow I doubt that. If you think you can escape on your own, you're only kidding yourself. Let me help," she said, stepping towards him and reaching out. He screeched at her furiously and fired plasma. She was quick to get out of the way. Frowning, she turned back to him. He'd settled his head down again, but was watching her warily. It seemed that was another rule to add to her list of rules.

Six: Don't approach him quickly. Approach him like you'd approach a skittish animal, because that was what he was.

"You're nothing but an animal," she finally said, frowning. "And an animal can be wrangled."

Turning, she walked away. For all her words, she wasn't disillusioned about what she was taking on. An animal though he may be, he was still the cunning god of death. Few beings, human or otherwise, could boast his levels of intelligence. He knew exactly what he was doing when he did it. He knew exactly how to get from point A to point B in a plot. The thing was animals had a different sort of intelligence than people did. They didn't comprehend things the same way. Ridley didn't comprehend things the same way. That would be her greatest advantage. She couldn't tame him, nor could she force him into submission, but she could win him if she played her cards right. She just had to be very, very careful about how she handled it from here on.

Metroid

Ridley stared at the the tether Samus was showing him in open disgust. "I want to do this the least painful and most peaceful way possible. Reject it and my methods will become harsh," Samus warned. Come to think of it, given how violent and brutal he was, harsher and more painful might actually be what his species responded to. It might even be the ideal way to deal with one of his kind. Whatever that kind was. No one knew. At least as far as she understood. What Ridley was, was a mystery. She personally stood by reject pterodactyl.

Inwardly she smiled a bit. Adam had given her a look of such disgust the first time she'd called Ridley that in his presence… Her heart felt heavy. She missed him. "Would you prefer something harsher and more painful? Because I've managed to put together and or repair both a plasma whip and an electrical prod," she challenged. He just screeched at her, probably either not processing the question or not caring. "Just cooperate," she hissed. Pleading for a wild beast to cooperate, though, was about as pointless as trying to teach a sea creature how to walk on land. He doubtless understood her words, but his animal instinct would keep him good and ornery for a long time yet. Animals could not be reasoned with. Ridley was no exception. You couldn't bargain with him, you couldn't make treaties with him, you probably couldn't talk common sense into him, at least not human common sense, and she needed to remember all of that. If she didn't keep reminding herself what he was at all times, this wasn't going to work. He wasn't human, nor was he the sort of animal you needed to coddle. If reward-based training didn't work, punishment based would.

He shrieked at her. "Fine. Not ready for this step yet? So be it," she said, tucking the tether away. "Are you hungry?" He glared at her, refusing to answer. Then she heard his stomach growl and frowned at him. He glared as his torso in annoyance, then back at her. He snarled, lowering his head onto his talons. "Fine. When you're hungry, screech," she replied. He screeched at her in annoyance then started, blinking. He grimaced upon realizing what he'd just done and bared his teeth. She just smirked victoriously and went down to get him something to eat. He screeched furiously after her just out of spite.

Soon she returned with a whole, and large, lake creature. She threw it at him and he snatched it from the air, gulping it down in one go. He licked his chops, almost seemed to purr, and lay his head down again. Those, she had discovered, were his favorite. She could only imagine why. They were predatory, so perhaps along with their own natural taste, he could taste a medley of everything they had eaten as well. She grimaced a bit when she realized she knew what his favorite lake creature was. She frowned, considering her options, and carefully approached him. He opened an eye, watching her and growling. "I have no tether," she reassured. I just want to get a look at your situation. See what can be done about it. Ridley hissed and she paused, frowning. "Hmm. Maybe I should do it in my suit. Just in case you get any ideas." He scoffed as if to tell her he couldn't be bothered, and lay his head down again. She frowned, determining whether to take the chance or not. Well, she supposed trust had to start somewhere. Slowly she approached him. He didn't open an eye. "I'm going to climb up on your back," she said. He growled at her. "I need to get a look at how badly you're impaled," she said in a measure of frustration. He made a hissing sound in his throat then sighed, settling again. It was progress at least.

Samus climbed onto his back, keeping a wary eye on his tail and healed wing, and approached the point of entry. She knelt, examining it, and frowned. "This is bad, Ridley. Really, really bad," she said. "You've been agitating it." She reached out, prodding around the wound, and was startled to hear him sort of whine and shudder, shifting. "Stop moving," she commanded. He screeched in despair as if to tell her he didn't want to stop moving. He probably just wanted off this thing. "If might be all that's keeping you alive," she said.

Suddenly Ridley screeched and fired plasma somewhere. She gasped, following the trajectory. It was aimed at the top of the hill. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw creatures scampering away. Not small ones either. They were large and fast, and from the glimpse she'd caught, they looked far from friendly. There was silence. Soon she looked at Ridley. "How long have they been showing up?" she asked seriously, frowning.

He glared back at her, then up at the cliff again. "Days," he answered. "They know we are here."

"They know you're here," she said.

"You as well," he said. He looked towards the other entrance to her cave. "They try sneaking in. They want to find you. They want to kill and eat you."

She was quiet. "You protect me," she finally said.

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you," he answered, laying his head down again.

Samus was quiet. She was his link to survival, so she must be protected. In turn, he knew that she would protect him because he was her link to survival too. They had reached an understanding. As much of one as Ridley could reach. She had built up enough trust with him, now, that at least he would entertain the possibility of a team-up to escape. "We have to get off this planet. More will keep coming, and if there are many, their numbers will overwhelm us. We have to escape."

"I'm ready. You're the one who isn't," he replied. "You know the moment I'm free, you'll have no control over me. Your desire is to establish control so I don't leave you behind or kill you in the air. You desire this because when all is said and done, it's you, Samus, who is at the disadvantage. Not me."

She sat back on her heels in frustration. He was right, she knew. She hated that he was. She looked around and spotted the creatures at the top of the cliff again, peering down. She frowned and pulled out a spotting scope. She placed it to her eye to observe them. Whatever they were, they weren't small and they definitely weren't herbivores. Nor did they look easy to kill. Their whole bodies seemed to be made of natural armor. Much like Ridley's. She lowered the scope. "What have you observed?" she asked her nemesis.

"They are animals," he said simply. "Do not expect mercy from them anymore than you expect it from me."

"And they're massing together," she said. "Do you think they're going to attack?"

"Look at my size. I may not have much meat, but what little I have plus the marrow in my bones will be enough to satisfy them some time," he answered.

"Have they tried to finish you off?" she asked.

"They will. My plasma, my tail, my wings, and my talons keep them at bay for now, but as you say. Numbers overwhelm," he answered. "Then they will seek you out. I think you'll hardly even be an appetizer. You would hardly make a snack, but human meat is fatty. Not to my taste, but I doubt they're picky."

"For something that's not to your taste, you've certainly devoured enough of them," she darkly said to him.

"Given an option of prey, they would be among my last choices," he said. "If I must, I will devour them by the score. But only if I must."

"Like to heal your injuries," she said. "But then any great amount of food matter will allow that." She thought a moment. "Your healing factor… It seems it works unusually slow on this planet," she said. He growled. "That worries me, because it means that if I get you off this spike, I may end up killing my only way off of this hell-scape. If your wounds can't regenerate quickly enough… Well, you get the picture."

"I will take the risk to stop the pain," he said. "When the only other option is slow death, you do what will give you the best chance at survival. You do whatever will be the least agonizing demise."

"What about dying with dignity?" she asked.

"Only humans care for such mundane things," he replied. "What do the dead care what happens to their bodies?" He lapsed into silence again, leaving her to consider her options. Frowning, she narrowed her eyes. She had no choice. Doing nothing wasn't in the cards. Doing nothing would lead to death. Of course, doing something might also lead there, but at least it was a small chance as opposed to no chance.

"I'll be back," she said, sliding off his back and making her way back to her cave. He watched warily after her but didn't question it. Just lay his head back down and closed his eyes.

Metroid

Samus got together everything she would be able to transport when they got out of this place. She put on her power suit, whose weapons were now functioning finally, but kept her helmet under her arm. She took a mental checklist. Her plasma whip would be the most important tool she had in her arsenal. If Ridley began to act out as they flew, it would help keep him in check. She picked up the electric prod she'd managed to piece together from scraps and tested it. This would also help to keep him under control if he began to get any nasty ideas.

She gathered up her communications and looked around at her location ruefully. What was she going to do once they were off this planet? Sighing, she resigned herself to flying by the seat of her pants and put on her helmet. Now to free Ridley. His wounds wouldn't heal immediately, she knew. That would be to her advantage. On top of that, he wouldn't be able to hunt for himself or fly for a while. Still, better safe than sorry.

Suddenly she heard him screech from above, sounding furious and somewhat alarmed. Gasping, she turned to the entrance of the cave and raced out. Quickly she climbed up to the plateau and her eyes widened in horror. A mass of the creatures she had earlier seen were swarming over him! He was massacring them in droves, of course, but their numbers were large, and he was fast being overwhelmed. His inability to move much wasn't helping him.

"Ridley!" she exclaimed, racing towards the fight and prepping her arm cannon. Immediately she began to fire on the creatures with extreme prejudice, scowling. Rapidly they began to retreat, snarling and bellowing at her in rage. Samus aimed at the spike impaling Ridley and fired, breaking it right near the base so that, if he so wished, he could lift himself right off. In a desperate attempt at survival, he did so and screeched in agony, throwing his head back as blood began to pour from the wound unchecked. She caught her breath and ran towards the creatures that seemed to become frenzied at the scent of his blood. Ignoring the severe wound, Ridley began to decimate the entities and devour them as quickly as he could in an attempt to speed up his regeneration and save his own life.

Quickly the creatures realized they had bitten off more than they could chew—judging by the bite marks on Ridley quite literally at that—and began to mass retreat back up the hostile cliffs while Ridley and Samus finished off the stragglers. Ridley devoured the bodies left behind and screeched to the skies. He attempted to take off, clearly forgetting about his broken wing, and made a sound of pain as he fell to the ground again.

Samus frowned, crossing her arms. "You're not going anywhere on that broken wing, and you're not going anywhere with that wound as bad as it it," she said. He screeched at her in defiance. "You know I'm right!" she said. "Your wing set wrong. You're going to have to rebreak it. I'm not doing it for you. You'd probably swallow me whole trying to defend yourself from what was helping you. He screeched at her again and began to storm over towards her. She pulled out her plasma whip and lashed out at him, striking his face. Startled, he recoiled and winkled his snout, not hurt but certainly a little taken aback by the sudden zap of pain. He looked at her and growled. "You can't hunt on your own until the wing and the wound are healed, and right now you're bleeding, Ridley. Really badly. You need to have that injury tended to. Maybe the things you devoured will help keep you alive, but it's not healing the outside of your body. It might not for a while yet. Let me dress the injury." She didn't have much for fabric aboard her ship, but she had enough that she could form a crude dressing probably. If it wasn't enough, she could use the skins of the creatures she'd been catching. No guarantee they'd be healthy for him, but you did what you had to do.

Ridley looked at his wing tentatively. "You know what has to be done. The sooner you get it over with, the sooner the pain stops and the sooner it heals properly. Think about it. Meanwhile, I'm going down to get you some more food and make a dressing for your injury in case you decide to be cooperative." Turning, she left to go to her cave. He screeched after her, but didn't follow.

Metroid

Samus was almost finished the dressing when she heard the anguished shriek from the dragon above. She winced. He had done it. He must have. Sighing, she finished up the dressing and rose, hauling it with her as she made her way back up to the plateau. She paused when she saw him, huddled in on himself and making pained sounds and wheezes as he nursed his wing, teeth clenched. Her eyes softened sympathetically. Sympathy… That was the last thing she ever expected to feel regarding Ridley. He screeched at her in anguish. She set the dressing down on the ground then went back down to get him food. Soon she returned with three of his favorite food items and slowly approached.

"Here," she said, kneeling near to him and sliding one of the creatures over to him. He looked at it, sniffing, then lowered his head on his talons, turning it away. She let out a breath. She couldn't imagine the kind of pain he was in if he was rejecting his favorite meal. "It'll help you feel better," she said. He responded with a pathetic sounding groan that was half a whimper. "It'll help you recover," she said.

He turned his head to the food, sniffing it. Soon he tentatively began to pluck at it until soon he began to eat a bit quicker with more confidence. She came closer and offered him the next piece, about to lay it down. To her surprise, though, he took it right from her hands and swallowed it down. She blinked at him and smirked ever so slightly before resting the last one on the ground and backing away from him before he got cocky. He ate up the last morsel and sniffed in her direction for more.

"I'll get you water," she said, leaving to fetch some. Eventually she returned and set the basin down. Ridley began to drink. She watched him for a moment, until he seemed comfortable with her presence. "Will you let me dress your wound?" she asked. He growled but didn't stop drinking, so she assumed that was a go-ahead. She returned to the dressing and walked back to him, laying it over his back. He paused, looking warily back at her, growled again, then went back to lapping at the water. He lifted himself up a bit so she could wrap the dressing around him, and she continued to do so until it was firmly in place, staunching the blood as much as it could be staunched. He settled back down. "We need to get out of here, Ridley," she said with a sigh, patting his nose. He lifted his head quickly and curiously, giving her a wary and somewhat puzzled look, then shrugged it off and went back to lapping at his water. She sat a fair distance from him by a rock and leaned back against it, closing her eyes to sleep.

Metroid

She was jolted awake by a screech and a searing hot beam of plasma shooting right passed her, striking something behind. She gasped, turning, and saw creatures falling back squealing as they were consumed by the attack. She looked quickly to Ridley, who was snarling and looking all around them. He spotted something and went at it with a shriek, biting at it. Samus leapt up quickly and prepared to face off the hoards again, should they decide to try and attack a second time.

Then they heard a large and loud sound from above and both looked quickly up. Samus's eyes widened. Ridley sneered and roared. It was a rare sound. She'd only heard it maybe once or twice before, more a roar than a screech. High up on the cliffs were far bigger opponents than the ones they'd been seeing so far. They had a hierarchy, she suspected. Something like insects did maybe. One where there were workers who scouted and built and whatnot, then bigger creatures called Majors, depending on what insects you were discussing. They were powerful, massive, and dangerous. Ridley began to rise, growling, and stood on his hind legs, revealing his full height as an intimidation tactic and spreading his wings wide. As if to assert his dominance even further, he snarled and breathed plasma at the 'Majors', who quickly backed away from the edge.

"They won't stay away forever," she said, looking at Ridley. "If they possess a hive mind, we're in bigger trouble than we know." Ridley, growling, scanned their surroundings and shrieked again at a perceived threat, lunging at it and grabbing it. He dragged it across the ground before tossing it over the edge. "I don't know how much longer we can hold out, now that they know where we are," she said to the dragon. "The sooner you're healed the better." She would get him more food, but the thing was that now she didn't want to let him out of her sight. Now that he was free, he could easily just take off and leave her here. Ridley tested his wing and screeched in pain. He whimpered and stroked it in regret and dismay. Frowning, he huffed and sat down, folding his arms as if pouting. "Don't worry. It won't stay broken forever," she said. "Not at the rate you're devouring these things." She gestured to a charred body next to her, grimaced, then picked it up and tossed it towards the space dragon. He snatched it quickly and ripped it apart before taking big bites.

Samus sighed. Likely her enemy wouldn't be able to fly for a few more days, but could they last that long? And what if he healed faster than she thought and took off without her while she was sleeping? There was no doubt that he would. She couldn't stay awake for days on end, though. That would just make her less equipped to deal with Ridley when the time came that they could make their escape. She sighed. It was a chance either way, but her best bet was to stay well rested and at the top of her game until he could fly again. If she thought for a second a tether would hold him, she would leash him down, but she was certain no rope would keep him contained if he wanted to be free badly enough, so she was left with guesswork. At last she relented and went down to her cave to find him something of more substance.

Metroid

Coming on day five, she helped him stretch out his broken wing a bit. She'd started a wing rehabilitation therapy on him about a day after they'd been attacked by the creatures, because for a second time she'd been awakened by a screech and come up to find them trying to take him apart. This time they'd brought some Majors, and those were just big and armored enough that Ridley couldn't one-shot them in his current state. They'd been too annoying a fight for her to feel comfortable with, and had done some measure of damage to him, so she knew time was running out. She'd gone to his wing immediately after and started helping him stretch it out. He'd of course screeched at her and lashed out in self-defense, but she'd zapped him good and hard with the electrical prod and warned him sharply off. She had explained what she was doing, he had still attempted to lash out a few more times, but eventually he'd realized it was helping him and began to allow it.

He watched her curiously now as she pulled at his wing carefully. "Flap it," she said. He did so and winced a bit in pain, but it didn't seem agonizing for him and that was a good sign. She examined the break location carefully and gently prodded around it. He growled lowly but didn't lash out. She prodded a little harder and he screeched in warning. She frowned back at him and stopped. "How much longer do you think it'll take?" she asked. He looked at his wings and tested them out, flapping them a few times. He managed to get off the ground and she prepared to lasso him with her plasma whip if he tried anything. He hovered a few seconds before grimacing and settling once more, tending to the broken wing with another semi-whimper. "You got off the ground. That's a good sign," she said to him. "Keep trying. Think you could fly on it in case of an emergency? Even if just long enough to escape danger?"

Ridley considered the question and looked at his wing again, sniffing at it for whatever reason. He began flapping them again, grimaced in pain, but tanked it out. "Hey, hey! Don't hurt yourself. Strain it before it's ready and you might end up damaging it. We might have to start all over again," she warned. He settled and let it rest. He made a pouty sort of growl, sulkily lowering his head onto his talons. "Hey, you're almost there. Don't worry, okay? Soon you'll be flying again." Ridley looked up at the skies longingly. She watched him quietly. "You really like flying, huh? Guess it's your primary source of movement after all. Can't imaging being without my legs for as long as you've been without your wings now. He screeched at her in annoyance. "If you're blaming me for this, don't. If you hadn't attacked, we wouldn't have crashed." He snapped warningly at her with his jaws, but purposely missed. She was mildly surprised, but didn't question it.

Sighing, she patted his beak. He made a sound of confusion, wrinkling it. She smirked to herself and sat on the ground against his body. She'd taken to calling his muzzle a beak because it seemed to make more sense given what he was. It flowed better too. "Beak, right?" she asked, pointing at his face. "Beak and snout?" He huffed, turning away from her. He looked up and growled. She turned too and frowned. The Majors were creeping down the cliffs, watching them carefully. "We're running out of time, Ridley," Samus solemnly said. He screeched and breathed plasma at the Majors. They scrambled quickly out of the way before peering over the cliff again. Ridley growled, baring his teeth, then settled once more. Samus sighed. The sooner he could fly, at least well enough to get out of this canyon, the better.

A/N: For the voice I envision for Ridley, check out Vs. Ridley by Man on the Internet on YouTube. Intense song, but he really captures the essence of the character well.