Chapter Seventeen

It was sunny in the lagoon, a gentle wind blowing. A female Tropocos bird was out and about with her chicks, the little blue-green fuzzballs peeping as they ran about, pecking at various little bits and splashing in the small puddles of water. One little chick ventured further away from its mother, seeing some little bits of weeds and plants further away. As the chick pecked at the seaweed, something wrapped around it. The chick peeped in alarm as tendrils wrapped around it and squeezed, lifting it up. At the end of the tendrils, a Zerichs Sea Cone, an aquatic predator, slithered. It opened a gaping, toothless mouth as the chick peeped. Just as it was about to devour the little bird, something stabbed into the cone with a crunch. The tendrils went slack and the chick peeped and ran for its mother, who was running up.

Sophie lifted the cone up and growled at the weakly struggling predator. She opened her mouth and finished it off with her tongue. Disliking the taste, she tossed it as far as her tail could, which was quite far. She gave a growl as the body splashed into the ocean a good hundred feet out.

Nasty thing, Sophie mentally growled. She looked back at the Tropocos and her babies. They all were fine, and she gave a gentle purr. She watched as the mother herded her babies under her wings and took them further away from the water. Sophie looked at the lagoon, and at the entrance. We'll have to make something to protect the lagoon.

Good idea. Maybe a gate of some kind? We need to let the water flow in and out. Kyle gave her an image of something like a lattice or something like that. She liked the idea.

Today, they were working on cleaning up more of the lagoon. If they were going to make it into an aqua farm, they would need to keep unwanted guests out. They had cleaned out more rubbish and debris, and were pretty much ready to start setting things up, but things like the Sea Cones could easily come in and eat everything. Sophie grumbled and hissed as she rounded the Lagoon and met Kyle, who was on the other side. Kyle had his rifle slung across his back with a simple strap from a cargo container. Sophie hugged her beloved mate.

I think we're done with the lagoon for now. Kyle agreed.

Yeah, we will need to see what we need to get to start farming. What do you want to start with? Kyle asked.

Clams! Kyle smiled at her excited feelings and happy trills.

"Yeah, steamed clams would be good." Sophie nuzzled him as they headed back to their house for a break.

XXX

Back at their home, Kyle and Sophie snuggled on their bed with Josey. Kyle had some toast with peanut butter on it, while Sophie was partaking of some clams she had caught, and Josey had a plate of lettuce and some sliced carrots. Since the Serrek attack, they kept Josey inside, unless they were outside to watch her. But, the little bunny seemed perfectly happy to stay indoors and cuddle and snack.

Currently, Kyle was looking over the various channels of the Zerichs II Ethernet, and saw one that got both their attention: Everyday Heroes. Curious, and feeling Sophie's curiosity as well, he tapped it.

The video started black, soft piano music playing. Elegant, white lettering faded onto the screen. There is always danger in the world. They watched clips of a woman being robbed, a family trapped on a sinking ship in a storm. Sophie hissed when she saw a child attacked by a dog.

So, too, will there always be heroes . . . Kyle felt his heart leap when a bystander grabbed the robber, and threw him to the ground, where several others piled on him. Sophie trilled when they saw a Zerichs Ranger craft fly over the sinking ship, a Ranger in uniform and orange life-jacket dropped down on a rope ladder. As they watched a man grab a branch and beat the attacking dog senseless, the piano music got louder, and Kyle at last recognized it. It was the famous Superman Theme.

More clips showed everyday people doing kind things. A man ran into a road and grabbed up a toddler who had wandered out. Two boys helped an old lady who had slipped on ice. A Naltharian lady helped a man in a wheelchair and pushed him up a slope. A Shamolene gently pulled a pair of children from a high branch and set them down. More images of normal people doing kind acts, great and small. Last, was an image of Tobias himself.

We all can be heroes, if we try . . . Kyle smiled, a few tears in his eyes. Sophie purred, nuzzling him and agreeing.

What a wonderful message, said Kyle. Sophie agreed.

Yes. Heroes don't have to be police, or soldiers. Josey snuggled up against Sophie, who held her close.

You're definitely Josey's hero. Sophie gave a positive as she tenderly kissed his forehead.

And you're mine, she said sweetly and lovingly. Kyle leaned his head against her. These wonderful moments of perfect unity of thought, feeling and emotion were what he treasured so much. Sophie slid her arm and tail around him, cuddling him close, letting her mind enfold his in warmth and tenderness.

XXX

Later that day, Sophie and Kyle went out on patrol to the northern side of the island. Kyle was dressed in a rain jacket that was dark-green, and had his rifle.

It was raining softly that day, a fact that Sophie was glad of. She liked the rain, and she liked the moist air. She gave a soft purr as she trotted among the trees, admiring their home, but still being careful to smell the air for any hint of the scent of Serrex. Their distinctive, oily musk was impossible for her to miss, even in rain. Thankfully, the only things she smelled were the scent of the salty sea air, and the moist scent of the trees and plants surrounding her. Kyle rode on her back, rifle at the ready, round chambered.

They came to the cliffs of the north of Eramore Island in record time, staring out at the ocean as the waves gently broke against rocks and the cliffs. She sat and purred, her tail waving as she admired the view. She loved the sea, it made her feel at home. The fact Kyle had gone to so much trouble to travel to a planet where she would be comfortable and happy meant the world to her. She smiled softly, purring as her mind gently intertwined with Kyle's. She could feel Kyle's wonder and happiness as he looked out at the sea with her. They both were surprised when they heard a strange sound.

It was like a yip, or a yowl. Sophie stood up and looked around. She heard the sound again, and looked down the cliff at the sea. She could sense a creature in the sea. Curious, and cautious as well, she had Kyle get off her back, climbed down the cliff to investigate. As she got closer to the surf, she saw the source of the sound.

It was an animal, about the size of a medium dog. It had slick fur, rather like a seal, and most of the body had a similar shape. The head, though, more resembled a cat. The creature had a fish in its mouth, and was swimming around a particular spot. Every now and then, it would release the fish long enough to yip. It seemed distressed. Sophie was surprised when she heard a muffled reply to the yip of the creature. Sophie snorted with surprise. Sophie knelt on the cliff-side, and could vaguely hear the muffled yips. Sophie looked at the creature. A mother with babies, she realized. Sophie crawled down the cliff further, and saw that the creature was trying to get into a hole in the rocks. Some of the rocks had collapsed, almost blocking the hole. Kyle was watching carefully from up on the cliff, and their link.

Sophie, can you help her? he asked. Sophie snorted softly as she looked at the rocks. As she came closer, the creature growled and backed away. Sophie did her best not to get too close as she used her tail like a pry-bar. A few twists and shoves dislodged the rocks, making them crumble into the water and reopen the hole. Sophie backed away up the cliff. The creature yipped as it swam eagerly into the hole, still wary of Sophie. Sophie extended her senses, and could feel the babies in the cave, happy at the return of their mother, and the food she brought.

What interesting creatures, she mused. Kyle was amused as well as he read on the PDA.

That's a Sea-Lynx, Sophie, said Kyle as he read about them. Sophie purred as she climbed back up the cliff. She must have been competing with the Serrex for food. With how thin she looked, she must have been swimming further out to find food, Kyle mused as Sophie returned to the top of the cliff.

I'm glad she's still alive, and the babies. I think they're kind of cute. Kyle gave her warm feelings through their link as he got onto her back.

Sea-Lynx don't eat Serrex, but they do compete with them for food in shallow waters. That would explain why we never saw her before.

XXX

The woods were dark, but not like night. Small clouds of mist hung here and there. Sophie softly hissed as she stalked into the gloom, Kyle on her back, rifle tucked against his shoulder. Sophie smelled the musky scent of the Serrex. Kyle glanced around, eyes peeled for any movement. Since the Serrex had killed and eaten pretty much everything they could find, there was little chance of anything else out there. Still, Kyle knew better than to shoot at anything that moved.

Sophie hissed as she extended her tongue, smelling the air. The scent was faint, but was there. At least one had been through that area. With how dissipated the smell was, it was likely at least a day old. Sophie looked up and, giving Kyle a warning, leaped up to a tree. She leaped from tree to tree, carefully smelling and extending her senses. Kyle used his own eyes and ears to try and spot them. Sophie climbed up onto a large branch of a tree, about fifty feet off the ground, and stopped and looked around, linking her mind to Kyle.

The black, white, gray and pale blue images of Sophie's vision as his mind understood it, would make anything stand out. Sophie could see the electrical energy in the nerves of living things and wires as glowing. If something alive was out there, she would see it. She turned her long head slowly from left to right, surveying the forest. She did see a few, tiny flickers in the canopy. A few small birds. Sophie didn't pay them any mind, her head slowly turning like a radar dish.

Sophie. There, said Kyle. She looked where he mentally directed, and, sure enough, there was a Serrek hiding in a bush, about two-hundred feet from where they were. Kyle sighed. If he were a better marksman, he could shoot it from there, but he would far more likely miss and scare it off. Sophie had another plan, and silently leaped from tree to tree, carefully closing the distance. When she saw the Serrek stiffen, she laid down against the tree, Kyle laying against her back. They waited until it relaxed, and then moved. It was slow, but soon enough, they were on the tree directly above the Serrek. Sophie held Kyle around the waist with her tail as he pulled his rifle up.

Kyle's heart was beating fast, his hands shaking. He had never fired a gun at a living thing before, and he was nervous. Sophie calmed him as she carefully directed him to rest the rifle on the top of her dome, her tail tip very gently pushing the rifle a bit further up his shoulder. Their minds linked, Kyle saw the white outline of the Serrek, hidden in the leaves. They were about twenty feet above it when it stiffened and moved its head. Sophie's keen hearing heard it sniff. She knew it was going to bolt in less than a second. Kyle aimed for the head and fired.

The round hit the Serrek right through the top of the skull, but it had already been about to move, so the corpse clumsily leaped out of the bush, landed on the grass and twitched and thrashed. Kyle blinked and stared as his vision returned to normal. He watched the Serrek thrash in death throes. Sophie gave a deep purr.

Very good. A clean kill. Kyle looked at the dead body, now still. Some part of him felt bad for having to kill it, but after being attacked, and saving Josey, he more felt relief. Sophie felt his mind and gently comforted him. Kyle, that was an instant death. No pain, just lights out, as humans say. Kyle smiled at her.

Suddenly, Sophie's head snapped up with a snarl. Kyle felt her mind, and saw a few more Serrex about a hundred feet away. There were three, and one she was certain was a female. Kyle felt Sophie's anger and alarm.

We can't let her get away! After her! Sophie moved like a shot, leaping onto a tree and bounding after the fleeing female Serrek.

Kyle, use your rifle! Hit her if you can! Kyle leveled the rifle, but with how much they were moving, and the Serrek running so fast, he had a hard time even seeing the sights. He fired, and the shot went wild, hitting a branch. Kyle swore and chambered another round. He fired again, and once more, the round missed, kicking up leaves two feet from the Serrek. Sophie growled, not at Kyle, but the Serrek. Aim in front of it! Kyle aimed as Sophie paused. The round hit a dead log, kicking up bark and wood. The Serrek screeched as it stopped and turned back, just as Sophie leaped down on it. Sophie grabbed it by the neck and twisted, a sickening wet crunch filling the woods. Kyle was breathing hard. He wiped some sweat from his brow. That whole episode had taken less than thirty seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. Kyle looked back where they had come.

"Do you think you can find the other two?" Kyle asked. Sophie gave a snort as she stood up and looked around.

Positive. Kyle checked his rifle, and reloaded a few rounds.

"Then let's get 'em," he said as Sophie dropped to all fours, and they headed deeper into the Foggy Forest.

XXX

They returned home before dark, both tired and glad to be home. They both were hungry, and would be glad to take a nice, hot bath. It had been a hard hunt. All in all, they had killed five Serrex, and two were female. Kyle groaned softly as he set his rifle down, took off his rain jacket and shook it out. "I can't believe I actually hit that last one," Kyle mused as he ruffled his wet hair. Sophie gave a purr as she closed the door.

You're getting better, Kyle. But, those sights on the rifle are a bit small, and hard to see in the dark. Kyle nodded.

"I know you can get different sights for guns. I'll have to see what Russ has," he said as he took off his boots and walked into the living room.

Josey came bounding up and leaped into Sophie's arms. Sophie purred and petted her little rabbit friend. Kyle smiled and set to fixing supper for his family.

After a nice supper of clams with butter, melted cheese on fresh bread and a small salad, they took a nice, warm bath before turning in for the night. Sophie wrapped her arms lovingly around Kyle, cuddling him close in their bed, Josey snuggled against her hip. Kyle turned his head and shared a soft kiss on the lips with the love of his life. He snuggled down into her embrace as they drifted to sleep in their little place of safety, Sophie using her tail to pull the curtains around the bed before she curled around Kyle and Josey and went to sleep.

The next day, Kyle and Sophie headed to Zeraven. Kyle needed to get some new sights for his rifle, and he needed a few new tubes of paint. Likewise, Sophie needed some more clay. Russ and Telena had the perfect set of ghost ring night sights, that would help a lot, and were far easier to see in low light. Next, they dropped by the art supply store. Kyle bought several more tubes of black, gray and blue oil paint, while Sophie got a large block of clay.

On their way back to their ship, Kyle stopped and remembered they needed some more bread. Sophie explored a bit while Kyle was inside the shop. This time, she walked on the sidewalks, her burnoose covering her form as she looked at the society around her. As she rounded a corner, she saw something that got her attention. She saw someone pulled around a corner by several other people. Her instincts snapped to attention. She quickly walked closer, and climbed up the building and looked down on the other side.

"Gimme your damn money!" shouted a younger human. She guessed he was in his early teenage years. Two other human boys were helping him hold a younger human boy, who was visibly younger than them. Then, all the breath in her body left when she saw the largest boy punch their victim in the face and wrestle him to the ground. Sophie screeched as loud as she could, leaping down and running at them. The boys looked up, startled.

"It's one of the yetis! Run!" The bullies ran for all they were worth. They were so panicked, they dropped the money in their flight. Sophie snarled as she ran up, then stooped and helped the boy up. She was shocked when she smelled blood. A Hatchling's blood. She whined sadly. That was when Kyle arrived, rounding the corner and panting.

"I'm okay," said the boy as he wiped his bleeding nose. Sophie was very upset, gently wiping the boy's face with her burnoose, cooing and making other sounds, all of distress.

"Here. Lean against the wall. Hold on," said Kyle as he fished out a tissue from his pocket. "Here, put this in your nose," he said as the boy took the tissue. Sophie was just a few steps shy of a freakout. All her maternal instincts were going crazy.

"Thanks," said the boy. Kyle watched him for a few seconds, thinking how familiar this felt.

"What's your name?" Kyle asked as Sophie continued to dote on the boy.

"Henry," he replied. Kyle frowned and looked where the bullies had gone.

"Lemme guess, this isn't the first time they've done this?" Henry was quiet, looking ashamed. Kyle knelt and smiled softly. "Hey, it's not your fault. I know what it's like to be picked on. I really do." Sophie whined sadly as she saw some of his memories of being bullied. Sophie gently touched Henry's hair in comfort with her long fingers. She noticed someone walking, and when she looked, her mind lit up. Kyle turned, and was a bit surprised to see Constable Hamish.

"Ya okay there?" he asked. Kyle looked at Sophie, touching minds with her as he stood and turned to him.

"Actually, this poor kid got jumped by some toughs." Hamish blinked, and looked at Henry, whose nose was visibly bloody. Hamish smiled gently and walked up and looked down at Henry.

"Don't ya worry, lad. Look up there," he said, pointing. Kyle looked up, and there was a camera on the side of the other building, small and almost invisible. Hamish brought up his PDA, tapped, and in a few seconds, displayed the video feed, and poor Henry being beaten by the bullies. "Ach, Jeffrey Klack. Should'a known." He smiled at Henry as Kyle knelt and picked up his dropped money and gave it back to him.

"I take it this kid is trouble?" Kyle asked. Hamish closed his eyes and nodded.

"Not the first time the little shite has been in trouble. This time, though, it merits more than a talking-to." He tapped his PDA a few times, which beeped. "I called for another car. This time, he's going to face serious punishment, I tell ya that!" Kyle smiled and Sophie purred. Kyle looked at Henry, who was shaking a tiny bit.

"You okay to walk home?" Kyle asked. Henry looked up at him. Sophie purred gently as she reached down and very gently held Henry's hand. Hamish smiled.

"We'll take the lad home. Don't ya worry. No trouble for you. Klack, though, is in serious manure, though." Kyle saw the worry on Henry's face.

"Hamish is right. You're not the one in trouble. But, if you ever need . . . do you know who Granny Rose is?" Kyle asked. Henry looked surprised.

"Of course. Everybody does." Kyle smiled and felt Sophie do the same.

"Then, if you ever need, go to her and Gur. I'm sure they will help you. Gur would probably skin them." Henry began to smile. Just then, the police cruiser arrived, blue lights flashing. Kyle looked up, and noticed the female Naltharian who got out, dressed in the same blue Constable uniform.

She was reptile-like, with smooth, glossy green scales so fine, they were hardly visible. She moved with a graceful gait, her long tail swaying as she moved.

"Hey, Evra. Poor lad had a spat with Jeff Klack," said Hamish. The Naltharian, Evra, huffed and rolled her golden eyes.

"Not surprised. Well, this time he's not slithering away." She looked at Henry, and smiled softly. "Don't you worry, honey. He's not gonna hurt you again. We're gonna make sure of that." Evra offered her hand, and, with a gentle push from Sophie, Henry took her hand and walked to the cruiser.

"Thank ya both for the help. Sad thing to see," said Hamish. Kyle nodded and Sophie whined as she watched Evra talk with Henry.

"So, this Jeffrey Klack and his pals. I hope this will stick." Hamish nodded.

"We don't put up with that here. They'll be doing community service for a long while. Say, three years?" Kyle grinned and Sophie purred, nodding. Hamish grinned and nodded. "Well, that covers it, then. We'll take the lad home, then Klack and his cronies are in for a visit." With a tip of his beret, Hamish went to the cruiser, got in, and they drove off,

Kyle hugged Sophie. Thanks, Sophie. You did a wonderful thing. Sophie hugged him back as they headed back to their ship.

I wasn't going to stand by and let that poor little Hatchling be beaten up. Those others were a lot bigger! She growled. Kyle hugged her tighter to him.

You're right, Sophie. That's one of the bad things about us humans. Sophie gave a positive.

Since each human mind was separate, they could not feel the feelings and minds of others. As a result, they could not feel when they inflicted pain to others, be it physical or mental. When she had first learned this from Kyle's mind, she was shocked beyond recall. It was so strange, so foreign. So Alien.

But, there are plenty of good humans, she said, images of Granny Rose, Hamish, Dan'l, Brother Shaun, and, of course, Tobias, came to her mind, sharing them with Kyle, and he smiled.

"Right. As long as there are people who care, there's still hope." Sophie gave a positive as she wrapped an arm around him as they walked back to their ship to head home.

XXX

That night, Sophie sat up while Kyle and Josey were asleep, snuggled against her. She was holding the PDA and looking at files about human culture. She thought back on Henry, that poor little Hatchling. How it distressed her to smell his blood, and see him being hurt. She recalled, when she held his small hand in hers, how soft and tiny it felt. How something warm went through her very being, from head to tail. Holding this memory close, she cooed softly, tilting her head, and she wondered, even if in passing, what it would be like to be mother to a human Hatchling. She gave a pleased coo, switching off the PDA and snuggled down against Kyle to sleep.

Author's note:

I wanted to thank my kind readers for their input, support and patience.

I also wanted to let you know, if you want to help support me, so I can keep writing, I am now selling my copperwork through my DeviantArt account.

Thank you for reading, and be sure to leave a review and have a nice day!