Disclaimer: The movie and its characters don't belong to me. Neither does the inspiring song. I don't own them. They belong to their rightful owners and I'm just borrowing them for this one-shot.
A/N: This is a story based on the song 'I know I'm a wolf' by The Young Heretics. I heard it once again these days and couldn't help but think of Khan and Scotty… Enjoy!
{Dear Rabbit}
He couldn't tell anymore how he had ended up on this godforsaken ice planet. All he could remember… was his family.
Creatures like him. Beings trying to conquer worlds. Beings who fought, enslaved, killed.
The thought of it was making him ill. Had he actually taken lives? Lives of weaker people?
Why? Why had he been able to bring such harm to other creatures?
Maybe that was the reason why he had to suffer the coldness of this abandoned planet now. Well… it wasn't completely abandoned. Every now and then one could meet a few inhabitant monsters, trying to devour one another, destroying each other.
He, however, kept himself away, hidden in a cave he called his own.
Every day he hoped to get to know more about his past. He hoped to meet beings who could help him. Wasn't there anyone out there who held some answers for him?
And then, when his day finally came, he felt so relieved.
When the huge flying object landed, merely a few miles away from his home, he heard it instantly.
He ran. Ran to see these beings who had found their way to this planet. Beings who would save him.
He recognized them from afar. Humans! Something told him that these were humans. They were red dots in the distance but the closer he got the better he made out their figures.
He wanted to say something. Anything. But he had lost his voice months ago.
Even before he could reach the small group, he came to a halt.
Weapons!
The human beings held weapons in their hands! They… pointed them at him.
Why? What had he done?
Rage was forming inside of his body. He clenched his hands to fists, gritting his teeth.
"Stay where you are!"
He barely heard the order. And when a shot rang through the air, he couldn't hold himself back any longer. He attacked the humans, tore their weapons away. They tried to defend themselves, however, he was stronger. They wouldn't get the chance to hurt him!
A voice called him back to reality. He stared at the ground.
Dead. All of them.
He had killed them.
But… they had started it! They had threatened him, had shot at him!
That voice…. Where did it come from?
He turned around and… there. Yet another human. He had probably been still inside the flying object during the attack.
What had he said?
"Khan."
Khan. Was that… his name? Did this human know him? A strange familiar feeling filled him as he eyes the human from head to toe.
Brown hair, a red uniform, huge blue-ish eyes.
He knew him. Khan knew that human!
Quickly, he passed the few feet separating them and grabbed the being's arm.
The human stared at him, fear written all over his face.
Khan - oh, it was great to finally have a name! - wouldn't hurt him. This human had helped him. And… maybe he knew even more about him!
At first, the human didn't dare to move, his eyes wandering over to his dead companions.
Khan's grip around the soft arm tightened. These humans were bad! They didn't deserve it any other way!
He recognized the pain-distorted face of the human in front of him too late.
Instantly, he pulled his hand back. No! No, no, no. He hadn't meant to hurt him.
The human used the chance and started to run. He ran into the cold empty tundra.
And Khan looked after him. Where did he plan to run to? There was nothing here.
He let his eyes wander over the dead men in red one last time. The monsters would take care of them.
He, Khan, only had one destination. So he started moving, ran as fast as his feet were taking him.
He found his target quite quickly. A flashy red dot which was running single-mindedly through the snow fields. It seemed as if he knew this place.
Khan caught up with him with ease. He was faster, stronger, better. When he tackled the man to the floor a feeling of triumph washed over him.
The human was squirming beneath his body, fearful, breathing heavily and ragged. He… was scared.
But… there was nothing to fear. Khan only wanted his help.
He allowed for the human to turn onto his back so that he could look into the widened eyes.
They were… beautiful. That human had gorgeous eyes. They stood out in the pale face. The body was trembling. Out of fear? Not only. The human was freezing.
Khan would keep him warm. He would do anything for the human who gave him his name back.
So, he wrapped his arms around the man and held him close. He would protect him. He would help him. And in return, he would get to know more about himself.
And… for real! The breathing of the human calmed down. Their breaths found a shared rhythm.
Yes. That was good. It was good to smell the familiar scent. It was good to hold the human's body. He could trust him. Khan wouldn't hurt him.
Out of nowhere, a memory crossed his mind.
The human. The same human he was holding in his arms… shot at him.
What? That was… impossible! He was so… small and helpless. There was no way that he could have hurt Khan! This memory was… wrong!
His heart was racing. Why? Why should this being have hurt him?
He barely heard the choked breaths, didn't feel the bones cracking beneath his arms. Tears filled his eyes as the memory played out in front of his eyes over and over again.
Wait! There had been someone else! A man in yellow. He… he had given the human the order to shoot at him!
Thank goodness!
It hadn't been his fault. The man in red hadn't shot him on purpose. He… had been following orders.
Slowly Khan let go of him… and froze.
The human's eyes… were empty. They just stared at the grey horizon above them, no light reflecting inside of them.
He was… dead.
Khan shook his head violently. No… no! He didn't mean for this to happen. He rocked the body in his arms softly, hoping for a sign of life.
Maybe… it was just too cold for the human. Maybe his body had turned to ice!
Khan slowly got to his feet, scooping up the human in his arms. He would get him somewhere safe. A warm shielded place.
His cave.
The way wasn't long. When they reached their destination he placed the body on the ground, next to the fire. Yes, the flames would warm the body. And when the morning came, then the human would talk to him again. He would tell him more. About his past… and his life.
Khan lay down beside him, carefully wrapped his arms around the motionless body.
Morning came… but the human stayed still.
