Hello hello! I'm back with another chapter!
It's a bit wonky, perhaps, but I should probably not that interactions between Cross and I isn't quite forgiveness. More like testing the water. Anywho.

And yeah, I changed the original mountain to a volcano in the middle of the book. Oop.

Also! Check my tumblr, I posted a sneak peak at the new Trust Shattered yesterday for Halloween!

Commenter Time!

Abi-Chan Fanfiction Fan: Emotions abound! XD And I really do have the zoomies as of late! You're right about Cross, it's gonna take bits and pieces to build it back up. At least they have a while to do so! Wrecker really is a cinnamon roll and I love him for it XD. Aye, she's had a bit of rough times. WELP ITS BEEN FOUR DAYS. CLOSE ENOUGH XD. A sacrificial leaf will honestly do it pfft XD Thanks for the encouragement! (And gotta love that XD)

Content Warnings: Talk of blood extraction.

An hour and a half.

It had been nearly an hour and a half since Shadow said anything apart from brief, one word answers and the occasional species introduction when Tech asked. And while the smell of cortisol had subsided, Hunter was starting to get worried. He knew the signs of self-destruction all too well, and prolonged silence was a big one. Especially when someone like Shadow was usually so talkative.

They had nearly reached the top of the mountain, which would be as good a place to stop as any. He could send Crosshair to scout along the ridge, which may get Shadow talking again.

"We'll stop briefly at the ridgetop," he announced.

"Good, I gotta piss," Wrecker announced.

Tech groaned. "Thank you for sharing."

"My bladder hurts!"

Crosshair meanwhile muttered, "Do we need a news flash every time your body does something?"

Hunter looked towards Shadow for a reaction, but the woman had picked up her pace and was heading up the trail.

Sithspit, Crosshair really did a number on her. Hunter jogged after her. "Hey, Ice."

She didn't say anything but let Hunter catch up to her.

Coming alongside her, he lowered his voice, "How're you doing?"

"Tired."

More short worded answers, spoken through gritted teeth.

"Can I talk to you when we get to the top?" He lowered his voice. "Alone?"

"Guess so."

Concern for her gnawed at him, and, to his own surprise, he let it.

Of course he was concerned for her. She'd proven a good ally and even a friend to him and most of his team. But even then Hunter was aware that his concern and care for her had begun to run deeper.

Problematic of course, but this was one problem he didn't mind.

As they reached the crest of the hill, Wrecker peeled off and dashed into the trees. Hunter ordered Crosshair on recon and sent Tech to follow him for extra protection, leaving him alone with Shadow.

The woman climbed up onto a large boulder and gazed out across the valley below her, tail slowly swishing side to side. Climbing up as well and standing beside her, Hunter prepared to speak but Shadow beat him to it.

"You didn't tell Crosshair to tell me thank you, did you?"

Hunter stared at her in surprise. "What?"

Shadow didn't turn her gaze from the valley. "Crosshair. Told me thanks for draggin' him out of the stream."

He did? Tech must have made him feel guilty enough… but wait, she thinks I told him to say thank you?

Crosshair mentioned over their private comms she wouldn't allow him to talk, and Hunter now knew why.

"No," he said softly, pulling off his helmet. "I didn't tell him to say thank you."

Her ears flattened. "Shoulda figured that. Cross ain't the type to just apologize unless he really feels compelled to," she mumbled, crossing her arms.

Hunter hesitantly patted her shoulder before letting his hand rest there. Giving what he hoped was a comforting squeeze, he said, "That why you've been quiet? Been thinkin'?"

"That and it was just way too awkward." She shook her head. "And I can't function in awkward." She paused, looking away. "Maybe this was a bad idea…"

"What is?"

"You sure you want me as your guide?" Shadow asked, ears shifting backwards. Her tail twitched. "There's gotta be someone-"

"No, we want you," Hunter immediately replied.

"Why?" Shadow groaned, brushing his hand off. "Sarge, I'm clearly a volatile individual. What use do you have for a guide with faulty neurons?"

"Shadow," Hunter began, stepping closer. "Everybody has faulty neurons. Just because we hit a snag doesn't mean we lost all faith in you. If you got along with us at every turn no matter what, then I'd be concerned."

Shadow looked over at him and held his gaze for a moment. The faintest hint of a smile made her mouth twitch. "Got a point there, Sarge. Least you know I'm sincere."

One of the things I like about you. "I know you can still get us there," Hunter continued. "You're strong, you can recover."

"I appreciate the faith." She looked back out over the valley, closing her eyes and breathing deeply as a gust of wind swept up the mountainside. "I'd just split my skull and yeet my grey matter across the valley here if I could."

"That would be a sight," Hunter commented dryly.

She snorted. "Wouldn't it? Probably give Tech a heart attack."

"I think the sight of someone opening their head and throwing their brain would give anyone a heart attack."

"Oh, you think so?" she commented sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at him.

A wry smile accompanied Hunter's own sarcastic response. "I do indeed, Icy."

Test the waters. Where did he stand? Was she truly recovering?

"Well, call in the dogs and put out the fire! Hunter's opinion is in, everybody else can go home," she exclaimed in mock euphoria.

Hunter laughed. There's the Shadow I'm used to.

A small smile remained on her face even as she pointed an accusatory finger at him. "I know what you're doin'."

"What I'm doing?"

"You're tryin' to distract me and get my mind off it."

That hadn't really been his goal, but if this had helped her feel better he certainly wasn't going to deny it. "Am I?"

"Yes, you are, Shaggy," Shadow retorted, giving him a small shove.

Shifting back to keep his balance, Hunter swatted at her hand. "Hey, tryin' to push me off into a bramble patch?"

"Nah, you're prickly enough."

"Me?" he exclaimed in mock hurt, placing a hand to his chest. "You wound me."

"Aw, poor baby."

She's going to be just fine, Hunter thought, flashing a small smirk her way.

"I'm back!" Wrecker announced, much to Hunter's chagrin.

He wanted more time alone with Shadow.

Wrecker climbed up beside them. The demolition expert, helmet carried under his arm, grinned and nudged Shadow. "Hey, Squeak. Good to see you smilin' again!"

"Good to crack a smile again, Wreck," she remarked, a characteristic smirk revealing her teeth.

Wrecker looked from her to Hunter, then back to her. "Can I tell him? What you said? Just about me?"

As Hunter raised an eyebrow, Shadow twitched her ears. "Only concernin' you, sure."

What could they have discussed after I left them? "What did I miss-"

"Shadow likes me back, Sarge!"

Shadow winced and clamped her hands over her ears. "Oof, easy big fella."

What?! Hunter had figured that, but hearing it… Pain briefly stabbed his chest and he fought to push it down.

Cut that out. Shadow's happy. That's the main thing.

"Sorry, Squeak," Wrecker chuckled nervously. "I just got excited!"

"Well, at least the birds in the hollar know now," Shadow remarked with a snort, rubbing her ears. She looked back at Hunter and a small frown appeared. "Look kinda disappointed there, Sarge."

Was he that obvious? "No, just… surprised."

Please let this woman not catch that obvious lie.

Shadow looked him up and down suspiciously. "I ain't gonna distract him, and I ain't gonna hurt him."

No, you'd never do that. "It's… no it's not that. I trust you not to do that."

"What is it?"

"Er, nothin'."

"Whatever you say, mate." Shadow started past him back towards the path, when her heart rate suddenly jumped. "You know, Sarge." Her tail brushed his hand as she passed. "It is possible to have a crush on more than one person."

With that she was gone off the rocks, leaving Hunter to stare after her, almost daring to hope that meant what he thought it meant. He glanced at Wrecker, but his brother merely grinned at him.

She likes me. Shadow likes me!

Well that was stupid. My cheeks burned and I was fairly certain I was redder than a tomato. But honestly, the last few hours had been rife with emotional shenanigans and chaos, so maybe that's why my sense of logic was nonexistent.

First the disaster with Crosshair going swimming, then the other mess, then me nearly taking out poor Tech's head, then Wrecker confronting me on the crush, then Crosshair apologizing of all things, then I basically let slip I liked Hunter...

"Should have stayed in my room," I groaned, shaking my head.

"But it is healthy to have occasional exposure to the sun."

Ears swiveling in the direction of Tech's voice, I braced myself but Crosshair wasn't with him. Worried, I asked, "Where's Cross?"

Tech's brows furrowed. "I thought you would be happy to not see him?"

"I'm honestly not sure what emotion his existence or non-existence results in, Tech," I groaned.

"I see. It is understandable your emotions are in disarray." Tech paused. "Are you feeling better?"

Hunter's encouragement flashed through my mind. "Yeah. Just feelin' tired."

"I disrupted your normal sleep pattern last night by keeping you up, didn't I?" Tech asked, a guilty expression spreading across his face.

"No, Tech. I've just never slept well. Can't remember last time I slept the entire night."

"Perhaps your species does not have a single continuous sleep cycle a night?" Tech asked.

"Maybe," I mused. My ears snapped forwards as movement caught my eye and I looked up to see Crosshair coming back to our resting place.

Should I say something? No, he'd snap at me. Luckily I was spared by Hunter jumping down to us, followed by Wrecker.

"See anything, Cross?" Hunter asked.

"Nothin'," the sniper replied.

Hunter turned to me. "Alright, Ice. How much longer until we reach the Vault?"

"Ain't reachin' it today, Shaggy," I corrected. "Got a day or two of journey still."

"It's a mountain, right?" Tech asked.

"In a mountain, yeah-"

An explosion of bright orange molten rock burst before my eyes. Reeling back, slamming into someone whose arms wrapped around me to catch me, I grabbed my head at the sudden influx of information.

It changed.

The damn thing changed.

I could no longer see the entrance to a mineshaft. At least not one framed by hardwoods and shrubs.

Ferns and lush vegetation clustered around the yawning entrance to a lava tube, thick tendrils of ivy partially obscuring it. Steam curling up from fractures scouring through dark obsidian rock. A raging inferno deep within the mountain… no.

"Shadow, are you alright?"

My ear immediately twitched as Hunter's voice sounded right next to it. That action was followed by a sneeze as my ear smacked Hunter in the nose.

"Oops, sorry, Shaggy," I groaned, trying to roll out of his arms.

A faceplant resulted from that action, but when Tech scrambled to set me upright I groaned, "No no, let me lie here for a minute. Dirt is cool."

Hunter rested a hand on my back. "Sithspit, another information flash?"

"Ya," I mumbled. "Whoever is pokin' my tail, cease."

"Sorry," Wrecker mumbled. "It was hittin' me."

I flopped it to the other side.

Tech tried to roll me over. "Your heart rate drastically deviated from the usual course!"

He launched into some far more complicated medical jargon and I waited until he paused to take a breath. "Basic, Tech."

"It's not good!" Tech continued to grab at my shoulder. "At least let me measure your blood pressure!"

I almost said no but relented and held up my arm. Least I could do after I nearly took out the nerd.

"I personally believe you should also let me examine your shoulder ligaments," Tech added, rattling around in his pack for something.

"She isn't a lab rat, Four Eyes."

My ears flicked up at Crosshair's voice. "Thanks, Twiggs," I mumbled and hesitated before I reached in his direction with my free hand until I found what I assumed to be his foot. I poked it. "That you?"

Crosshair was silent before the armor shifted under my hand and fingers brushed mine. "Yeah."

I tapped against his knuckle guard before letting my hand flop back to the dirt. "Thanks."

"No problem…" He paused. "Sweetheart."

I flicked my ears as Tech fitted what I assumed to be the Star Wars equivalent of a blood pressure cuff around my arm.

"Shadow, you need to sit up for this," Tech said.

"Fine," I grumbled, hauling myself up. "Hunter, hold still I'm usin' you as a leanin' post."

"Um, alright," Hunter said as I leaned against his side.

Once Tech had done his measurement, the nerd frowned. "It's perfectly fine!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," I snickered.

"Well, it makes no sense. There's something that happens to you when that occurs! Your vitals basically disappear when that happens!"

"What a mystery this is."

"Are you certain I cannot have one tiny blood sample?" Tech asked.

"More certain than I have been about almost anything," I afrimed, shuffling back into Hunter as my tail bristled.

"Tech," Hunter warned as he rested a hand on my shoulder. "May be wise to drop that."

Tech pouted. "But Hunter, she can give up a simple vial!"

"Are you insinuatin' that I'm bein' greedy with my own blood?" I exclaimed.

Color spread across his cheeks. "It.. It's just I really could learn a lot about your physiology with it."

"Denied," I growled. "My blood is my own blood. It ain't up for grabs. If I get a nasty cut and am already bleedin' your welcome to yoink some then, but no way in hell am I lettin' you poke me with a needle."

"But when you get cut I can have some?"

"I said if, you persistent little vampire."

Tech mumbled under his breath but removed the cuff from my arm and stored it back in his pack. Wait… why did he even have that?

Don't ask questions. Go with it.

Fair enough.

"Can you walk, Shadow?" Hunter asked as I shuffled away from him.

"Lemme see." I slowly stood, the men eyeing me warily with Wrecker moving to catch me in case I fell. Luckily I didn't. "Yeah, just can't go fast."

"Why did you have one of those episodes, Squeak?" Wrecker asked, grabbing my pack off the ground and handing it to me.

Slipping it back on, I replied, "Y'all ain't gonna believe me, but deadass. It ain't a mountain anymore. Not a regular one. It's a volcano."

"Are you saying an entire mountain changed form?" Hunter exclaimed, getting to his feet.

"The Vault is magic. If it's the same type of magic found on Keluisa, and it most likely is considering I came through a portal, the scenery can… shift."

No the fuck it can't. This some other nonsense. Like a writer changing their mind on the plot a third of the way into the damn book.

"Shadow, if I may ask, why is it necessary to get to the Vault? Shouldn't any normal weapon work?" Tech asked, getting to his feet.

"Ain't that simple. Long story short, Alphians' creator actually engineered Alphians with very few weaknesses. A warrior species unmatched on the battlefield. Of those, the most lethal and effective is the Kelusyte crystal which is only found on Kelusia."

I didn't tell them that that was at impossible depths in deep magmatic chambers that had long since emptied, and the only way to get at it was to risk going through the planet's core, but that could wait.

"Could you tell the long story while we hike?" Tech asked, slipping his helmet back on. "So I could record it for my database?"

"You don't publish that do you?" I asked uncertainly. "Don't want the entire galaxy learnin' how to fuck my species over."

"No no, it is only for me." He paused. "Or at least I will keep your recording a secret."

"I find out different, you'll regret it," I grumbled.

Tech audibly swallowed. "I understand."

"She'll carry that out," Crosshair remarked.

I glanced at him before taking a deep breath. "Alrighty, boys. Story time."