Author's Note: ... Hey.

Previously: Lyra meets up with a mercenary named Aron Gray as a favor to Sung.

Threiseya

Pink and orange bled across the cloudy sky, the light slowly melting the frost-covered ground by the time Gabriel rose and ventured outside. He smelled traces of Mariana and her ranch hands as his footsteps crunched across the cold earth, but they were long gone, most likely driving the herd to better pasture. They'd allowed the remaining lonma access to the pen to stretch and exercise. Gabriel easily picked out Rasha, her sleek, large form standing a head above the others. He strode towards her, eager to see his mount after all these years.

The crackle of electricity brought him to a halt.

Crouched atop one of the fence posts like a predatory scarecrow, Okute's grinning face and thin, lanky figure melted into reality. Djesharu uncloaked next to him, straight-backed and arms crossed in either stern disapproval or respectful acknowledgment. It was a toss up really.

"What are you wearing?" growled Djesharu.

"He looks huunan," chirred Okute.

Gabriel ignored the question. "What are you two doing here?"

"You didn't answer our summons," said Djesharu.

Gabriel doubted that was the only reason. They were bored, so they'd used him as an excuse to get off the ship.

"We are forbidden from entering the huunan settlement, but not the rest of the moon," clicked Okute. The young yautja's eyes glittered with mischief and the knowledge that he knew that Gabriel knew that he was bending the rules that Ul'juska had set down. Human contact was forbidden unless authorized — Gabriel was the exception to the rule as the default liaison.

"If Ul'juska finds out—"

"He won't," growled Djesharu. "He's hunting on the twilight side of the planet."

"And H'darak?"

"He stays on the ship. Aishka and Kachente are doing their best to stay out of his way."

Ul'juska wouldn't do anything foolish, Gabriel was certain. He just hoped no one accidentally stumbled across him. He'd told Nova and the others that the yautja wouldn't leave their ship to keep them from panicking. If Mariana suddenly came back home and saw his two pack brothers though, he wasn't sure what would happen. "You should leave."

Neither moved, the stalemate lingering for several seconds.

Gabriel repeated the order, growling for emphasis. Again, neither were impressed.

Slightly miffed, Gabriel walked past them farther along the fence, ignoring his brothers and focusing instead on his lonma. Yellow slitted pupils watched his every move, the lonma's crests flaring atop their heads and back of their necks like red sails slowly being hoisted. Rasha pushed herself to the forefront of the small group, sniffing and huffing, her clawed toes stamping the ground in warning and agitation. The others responded with huffs and chirps of their own and Gabriel realized she'd taken over leadership, easily dominating the other lonma with her size and strength just as she had at the Ferguson's ranch. Gabriel called to her, a sharp, whistling click that echoed off the butte, then hopped over the fence.

Rasha took a few tentative steps forward, warbling with uncertainty as she sniffed the air. She was fully grown now, her bronze scales shimmering in the pale morning light. She pawed the earth and Gabriel braced himself. He whistled again and she broke into a trot, crowing and tossing her head back as she approached. Her foal danced to and from nervously behind his mother, his tail flicking back and forth in excitement and agitation. She sniffed his outstretched hand, warily eyeing the other yautja several yards away. With an excited warble, she shoved her head into his hand, then rubbed her neck along the side of his face. Gabriel stumbled back as her bulk slammed into his chest, unable to contain the wide grin pulling at his mandibles. She pranced like a juvenile for a few moments, crest flaring in excitement. She searched him treats, sharp teeth tearing at the pouch at his belt. The foal refused to come near him for more than a second, sniffing him and then bursting away to run laps around the pen.

The rest of the lonma continued to avoid him but were no longer agitated, preoccupied with vying for the best warming spots now that the sun was up.

Rasha nipped at him every so often, as if checking to make sure he was real before preening herself, stripping strands of dead skin off her scales and eating them. Lonma molted in fall, their skin turning stiff and yellowish, cracking and peeling away as the creatures rubbed themselves against trees or groomed each other to remove the itchy crusts. Gabriel scratched Rasha's back, peeling away the threads of faded scales she could not reach. She warbled with pleasure when he found a particularly irritating spot, Gabriel smoothing away stray flakes to reveal the shiny new scales. For a few brief hours, they would be as soft as velvet.

The urge to ride her was irresistible and he hopped onto her back, steadying her with his legs. He clicked and she trotted forward, puffs of steam billowing around her nostrils as she snorted and shook her head. For a moment, Gabriel's sadness melted away and he felt like he could ride forever, right into the sunrise.

Djesharu and Okute stared at him, the former's head cocked in curiosity, the other grinning like a kid at the circus.

Gabriel brought Rasha to a halt and slid off, patting her neck appreciatively. Although he wanted to spend more time with her, he couldn't risk someone seeing his pack brothers. He hopped back over the fence, feeling better for the first time in a long while.

Okute clicked in astonishment. "Can I ride one?"

Gabriel chuffed. "They'd eat you."

"Can I have one of their tails then?"

"Yan, Okute." He punctuated the warning with a deep growl.

Djesharu huffed behind his mask. "How much longer are we stuck on this boring world? Do the hunaan elders send aid or not?"

"Saa, allies are on their way. But travel takes time."

"How much time?"

Gabriel thought a moment. "Three times slower."

Djesharu clicked in distaste. "This world is too peaceful. The predators are too easy to stalk and too small. And it's cold."

"Then leave," Gabriel growled. "Go back to the ship."

Okute could have cared less about the fight brewing between them, the young blood having just discovered a strange, furry lizard crawling up his arm. His enlarged pupils tracked the sluggish creature crawling up his arm with an obsessive intensity and every few seconds he would trill something unintelligible.

Djesharu growled. "We are. And you're coming with us."

"Why?"

"Because Arrakai H'darak will flay us if we don't. He's the one who told us to bring you back to the ship. You're lucky he isn't here right now."

Gabriel seethed but bit his tongue, knowing his blood brother was right. He had to prepare to face his avak'kara. Moping around Eladoro wasn't helping anyone. "Fine," he snapped, stalking back into the house to change. He returned wearing his armor and weapons, his human possessions stored away in the barn. H'darak would burn them if Gabriel brought them on board.

With a satisfied trill from Djesharu, the trio dissolved from sight in a fizzle of sparks and began the long march back to the ship, the rising red sun guiding their steps.

-\|/-

Several days later...

The world spun and Gabriel drooled blood onto the mat, unable to make his sluggish body dodge H'darak's next attack. The gut-jarring kick crushed his lungs and sent him flying across the room, Gabriel crashing to the ground in a wheezing heap. Dazed, he struggled to his knees only to be slammed to the floor, H'darak's heel digging into his spine.

"Worthless! Did Ul'juska teach you nothing?"

Crimson bled across Gabriel's eyes as he transformed his pain into rage. A searing second wind surged from his burning eye sockets to his arms and as soon as H'darak's foot released him he sprung off the floor. He whirled and twisted, his foot connecting with the back of H'darak's knee and sending him crumpling to the floor. Gabriel tackled him before he could get up, punching his ribs and face in a flurry of blows.

H'darak's fist connected with Gabriel's injured jaw, sending shards of pain up Gabriel's face and giving H'darak time to break free.

Gabriel wobbled to his feet, reeling from the well-placed hit and bracing himself for the next onslaught. H'darak's shin slammed into his raised arm, Gabriel ducking away as H'darak's fists slashed at his face with blinding speed. Gabriel threw his own, trying to knock the arbiter off balance again. But H'darak was a master and he wasn't cutting Gabriel any slack. They parried and countered, blow for blow, the rhythm of the fight sharp and furious. But for every hit Gabriel landed, H'darak landed two and it wasn't long before Gabriel woke up on the mat, dizzy with pain. Again.

This can't be good for my brain, he thought, groggily trying to recall the exact blow that had flattened him.

H'darak appeared above him, long dreadlocks swinging around his upside-down face, his scowl unchanged from the moment Gabriel had returned to the ship. "Do you know what your mistake was?"

Gabriel groaned. "I don't even remember what happened. Are you trying to kill me?"

H'darak's smirked. "It would certainly be a cleaner death."

Gabriel slowly rose to his feet, his entire body aching as if he'd fallen down a mountain and smacked into a few trees along the way.

"Rest. You'll need it," H'darak ordered. "I'm not going to go easy on you like Ul'juska. You are threita now."

As sore as Gabriel felt, it felt good to be acknowledged by his mentor. He wasn't as strong as Taikonde or graceful like Kachande, his old packmates, but he was definitely better than when he'd first started training. He headed to his bunk, ready to pass out, too tired to even wash away the sweat and grime from his body.

He landed with a heavy thud, groaning as the cool leather soothed his aching muscles and hot skin.

Gabriel didn't remember falling asleep. One moment, everything was black. The next, a sharp pain to his leg jolted him awake. He cracked one eye open to see what had disturbed him. Djesharu sat across from him in another bunk, sharpening his spear, the blade singing with each forward stroke. Just as Gabriel was about to drift away, something nudged his leg.

"What?" Gabriel mumbled, losing the fight to keep his eyes open.

Djesharu kicked his shin again, the sharp pain enough to rouse Gabriel from his drowsiness.

"What?" he growled in annoyance.

"H'darak's ordered us to hunt."

"We have enough food to last a season."

"Your powers of observation are impressive. The arrakai must be going blind in his old age. Perhaps you should tell him of his error?"

Gabriel jerked his leg onto the bed before his blood brother could add another bruise. "Alright, alright. Just… give me a second to wake up." Under Djesharu's stoic gaze, he dragged himself upright, yawning as he waited for the locker built into the wall to slide open. He didn't bother putting on extra armor, mirroring his pack brother's spartan choice of mask, loin guard and sandaled boots. A long knife and quiver filled with a dozen arrows girded his hips before he finally grabbed his powered bow.

The cobwebs clouding his brain evaporated the instant they stepped outside and waded into the icy wind. As Gabriel's skin prickled in shock at the sudden change in temperature, he wondered whether H'darak had specified whether they couldn't wear their mesh. In fact, the number his fingers and toes got and the more miserable he became, the more he grew certain that Djesharu had taken the initiative, forcing Gabriel to follow along to avoid a litany of smug comments about his delicate skin and whether he should've stayed inside the warm ship.

"Thinking about shooting me in the back?" Djesharu rumbled over the howling wind.

"It's tempting," Gabriel growled. You dragged me out here, you lying bastard. "But I'm pretty sure my arrows would just bounce off your ugly hide."

Djesharu chirred. "Your insults are getting better, Gesh."

Gabriel smiled beneath his mask, letting his friend stew in embarrassment at accidentally using his unblooded name. If he was any other yautja he would've taken offense at such disrespect. "Who's 'Gesh'?"

"A stupid yautja who's always trying to be a hero," his friend growled back.

"Reminds me of someone I know." Gabriel stroked the chin of his mask. "Now, what was his name… Suka? Saja?"

"Shut up, Zaiyende."

Gabriel snapped his fingers. "Sana."

"Could we concentrate on hunting for a moment?"

"You think I actually believe H'darak ordered us to hunt? I'm not as naive as I used to be, Djesharu. You just wanted to get out of the ship."

His blood brother huffed and walked away, Gabriel following several paces behind, his brief triumph quickly smothered by the cold. The pair easily fell into the rhythm of tracking, catching the scent of muddy hoof prints or fur left behind in a thicket. But despite their best efforts, it was if all life had disappeared in the face of the storm. Thunder rolled across the swollen purple sky and droplets began to nip at their skin. As a wall of icy rain and hail bore down on them, the pair ducked under a giant flat-topped mushroom, hunkering within its multiple trunks and gilled underbelly as they waited for the storm to pass.

Gabriel leaned back against one of the curved pillars, crossing his arms to keep from shivering. Djesharu kept his distance from the fungus, his mask whirring as he scanned the roof of the mushroom. "Are you sure this thing isn't going to eat us?"

"Saa."

"It's breathing."

"They do that."

Still uncertain, Djesharu continued to crouch, arms resting on bent knees as he turned his attention to the rain washing over the plain. "So you were born here."

Gabriel tensed. He shouldn't know that. Nobody except H'darak, Ul'juska, and Okute knew that. Lightning cracked across the dark sky, illuminating the faraway bluffs and giant uwanu trees on the horizon.

"It's nothing like Dhazar'yin."

"Djesharu…"

"Hm?"

"How do you know that?"

"I overheard you telling Okute."

Gabriel sat up, tension replacing the cold.

Djesharu rolled his eyes. "Everyone knows."

"What do you mean 'everyone'?"

"I mean before our chiva everybody knew everything about everyone." He smirked. "Except for you, of course."

"What don't I know?"

"You missed out on a lot while training with Ul'juska."

Gabriel relaxed slightly, surprised at how little his background seemed to bother his gruff friend. Of course, he shouldn't be. Ul'juska attracted the sort of students nobody wanted or cared about. Orphans, thieves, bastards born from unsanctioned breeding pairs. "I guess I just assumed nobody knew since H'darak ordered it to be kept a secret."

Djesharu barked sharply in amusement. "And you told the biggest mouth on the ship? Okute's mandibles never stop moving."

Gabriel glared at his friend, even though he had a point. "Well, we made a deal."

"I know. You would tell him why you can't live without your rebreather and he would tell you why he was afraid of the kaide sjei'adha."

"Wait, how long were you watching us?"

Djesharu scratched his shoulder in a vain attempt to hide a shudder as a gust of cold wind filled their mushroom hut. "Okute had come flying into the bunk room, grabbed something from under your bed and then ran off without a word. I thought it strange, even for him, so I followed. And there you were, drowning for air and him shoving that thing he'd taken onto your face. I watched you both for a while."

"So you know everything, then."

He nodded.

"What—"

A shrill cry jolted them into action. Djesharu's head smashed into the spongy roof of the giant mushroom as he tried to stand, while Gabriel instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword. Okute's twisted mask swung into view, his crooked tendrils swinging from his upside down head. "Oh, there you are."

"Gods damn you, Okute!" snarled Djesharu, bits of fungus stuck to the top of his mask and dreadlocks. The giant mushroom seemed to shiver in pain, but Gabriel couldn't be sure.

"Next time he sneaks up on me, I swear I'm going to kill him," growled Djesharu for the hundredth time as he hastily wiped himself off.

Okute slid under the mushroom, heat radiating off of his mesh and extra padding. He glanced between them, chirring. "Aren't you cold?"

"Yan."

"Yan."

The wind took that moment to pick up speed, spraying icy rain inside their fungal shelter. It would have been funny if Gabriel hadn't been too cold to laugh. His skin was starting to harden and crack, his tendrils swelling with heat to keep from going numb.

Okute chirred. "Oh? Then I guess I shouldn't have brought these." He produced a tangle of mesh netting, holding it between them with a smug grin. "Guess, I'll just go back—"

Gabriel snatched at the netting before he had a chance to look Djesharu in the eye and let his pride get in the way. "Yan, I don't want you touching my stuff."

"Saa," Djesharu chimed in. "Give us back our gear, thief."

Neither acknowledged each other while they lashed the mesh to their bodies. As soon as Gabriel secured the connections, he cranked up the temperature setting on his wrist computer, suppressing a purr as warmth melted over his skin. No longer distracted by the cold, Gabriel turned his attention back to Djesharu. Why had he brought the two of them out here in the first place?

"Threiseya."

"What?"

"Why did you bring us here?"

His packmate didn't answer for a long time but Gabriel didn't push him. He'd been backhanded enough times by H'darak to know it was rude to speak after asking a question.

A rumble rolled up Djesharu's chest. "I have words we must share. Alone." He stared pointedly at Okute, who didn't appear to get the hint.

The jittery yautja glanced between them, grinning expectantly.

Gabriel sighed and finally broke the silence. "Okute."

"Saa?"

"You need to leave."

Okute whined and wrung his hands.

"I'll give you a share of my food." Food was Okute's weakness and Gabriel often bribed his friend to help calm him down whenever he began to annoy other members of the pack.

This time, it didn't seem to be enough.

"Yan, yan. No fair!"

A deep snarl and a shove from Djesharu silenced Okute and at last he crept away, disappearing into the rain with shoulders slumped.

The storm raged on around them, rain thumping against the giant mushrooms. A curtain of water dripped from their edges, while furred lizards burrowed inside the exposed gills. Gabriel shifted, waiting for his blood brother to speak. Djesharu kept quiet though and when the thunderstorm had moved on, he left their shelter. Gabriel followed, curious about his friend's strange behavior.

The pair walked in silence until Djesharu stopped at the top of a high hill. To Gabriel's left, the storm continued to drift southwest. It left behind a soggy, bleak landscape painted in shades of purple and grey. Giant sky rays glided north, slowly flapping their clear, membranous wings

Djesharu had his back to Gabriel. The posture made him pause. It was incredibly vulnerable. Purposeful. The young warrior stopped, questions burning his tongue. Yautja emphasized speaking only when one must or when one's thoughts were worthy of being spoken. This avoided speaking out of turn or insulting someone. Gabriel had a feeling Djesharu was being very open with him and blurting out his thoughts would sour the moment.

At last, he finally turned, gesturing for Gabriel to approach.

"I hated you."

Gabriel blinked. A confession? Was he challenging him? He kept his posture neutral, hands loose at his side.

"When you reached for me during the chiva, I had to make a choice: take your hand or die with honor." He paused, searching for the right words. "My clan elders were furious at me. It didn't matter that we'd faced down a horde of kaide sjei'adha. I had shamed myself by accepting help from another. It only proved to them that I was weak and unworthy. They hinted that it would be better if I ended my life."

The young warrior flashed Gabriel a grim smile, fangs bared. "I told those suyet'de sekfet to go fuck themselves."

Gabriel blinked in surprise. Djesharu… left his clan? "So that's why you're here. Wait, you can't just leave your clan… can you?"

His blood brother shrugged. "It's not a crime to leave your clan. Just stupid. Besides, I'm joining a new clan."

"Which one?"

Djesharu hesitated. "Yours."

"Mine? You mean the Thunder Fists?"

His blood brother rolled his eyes. "Gods, you're so dense sometimes, Zaiyende. Saa, the Thunder Fists! The Howling Skulls can go to hell for all I care. They never wanted me anyway."

A strange warmth filled Gabriel's chest. Knowing Djesharu would be by his side if they all survived the coming hunt made him feel a little bit better. They clasped arms, Gabriel shaking his blood brother's shoulder. It was a promise sealed. Not by blood but something much deeper. Gabriel would make sure his clan recognized his friend. He would need to talk to H'darak and Ul'juska on the proper channels they needed to go through.

As they stepped back, Gabriel said, "I'm glad you're joining my clan. I don't understand why they hate you. You're as good a hunter as anyone else."

Djesharu's smile faded. Gabriel instantly regretted his words.

"I suppose it's only fair I tell you the truth."

"I didn't mean to offend —"

Djesharu flared his mandibles and growled.

Gabriel shut up.

The young warrior smirked before becoming serious once more. "Remember the feyari hunt on that world with the strange rocks and singing flowers? You asked me how I came to be a student under Ul'juska."

"You said 'I was born.'"

Djesharu nodded, brows narrowing in anger. "My...h'seiya—" he spat the word out of his mouth, "—was obsessed with his lineage and genetics. Like any male, he bred during the mating season. But that wasn't enough for him. He wanted to see whether or not offspring produced during the breeding season were truly superior."

Rage flushed Djesharu skin. Gabriel could feel his own skin prickling in response to the scent of aggression.

"He raped slaves in the off-season and hid them away in a private compound. That's where I was born. It was just me and my bastard brothers growing up. He'd sold the females away and killed our mothers. Then the training started. Day after day, we beat each other bloody. Fought for scraps. Those too weak died from either hunger or the beatings. And all the while he'd mock us, telling us how unworthy we were. Only his true sons would walk beneath the sun. For years, we did everything he told us, desperate for an ounce of recognition, a taste of freedom. We hated and loved each other. We hurt each other, healed each other, whispered in the dark when the slave guards weren't listening. Then… then came the day when he told us that one of us would finally be brought before the elders. He tossed a knife in the middle of the room and shut the doors behind him."

"We all stood there for a moment. Stunned. Then… then…"

Gabriel gently laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. The act startled him and he flinched. The pair locked eyes and for the first time, Gabriel could see the pain Djesharu had been carrying for so long. Why he always seemed so distant. Why he always tried to go it alone. Why his two best friends in the entire galaxy were because they were just as screwed up as him.

Djesharu let out a shuddering breath.

"When it was all over… it was just me. Standing in a pool of blood. Knife in hand. My brothers' bodies fading to black with each passing second as their life leeched onto the floor. The doors opened and my father stood there. Proud. Vindicated. He brought me, still covered in blood, before the elders, proclaiming his success. They were, unsurprisingly, horrified. The rituals and traditions were in place for a reason. And he had violated nearly all of them. Even as they summoned the arbiters, he brought out his eldest son, several years older and a head taller than me, to fight against me. I killed him, much to the horror of the elders. My father was elated. It proved off-season pups were just as viable as those produced during the breeding season. This was unacceptable to the arbiters. The social order had to be preserved. They killed him quickly. Far too quickly."

"But they let you live?"

Djesharu chuckled. "They didn't have a choice. The arbiter in charge forced them to raise me as full-member of the clan and firstborn of my father's line. He even made me take the nickname of the firstborn I had killed because I didn't have one. You might be familiar with this particular arbiter."

Shock coursed through Gabriel. "H'darak?!"

His blood brother nodded.

The news sent Gabriel reeling. He would need to re-evaluate the arbiter. Was he softer than he always made himself out to be? What else had H'darak done to flaunt clan authority?

"I can't believe it."

Djesharu snorted. "Which part?"

Gabriel shook his head. "I… what I meant is… thank you. For telling me."

The other yautja shuffled awkwardly. "Shut up, Zaiyen—"

Gabriel grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug.

Djesharu was too shocked to react. "Zaiyende… what… what the c'jit are you doing?"

Just as Gabriel was about to pull away, the two were struck by something wet and bony. Okute chirred happily as he held onto them, Gabriel and Djesharu yelling and cursing in surprise.

"Get off me! Both of you!"

"Okute, why are you soaking wet?!"

"Next time you sneak up on me, I'm going to kill you!"

The lanky yautja grinned even as they shoved him away, sending him tumbling down the hill. They liked his hugs. They just didn't want to admit it.

-\|/-

Nova rushed out the elevator, engineers and systems specialists stumbling out of her way. The command center sat atop one of the major buttes northwest of Eladoro, its wide glass panels overlooking the landing zones at its base. A couple of traffic controllers and atmo monitors sat at their desks, but she ignored them, focusing on the gentleman standing at the center.

"Sheriff." He nodded, wisps of pepper-white hair falling around his forehead.

"Director. I heard you have some good news for me."

"If you can call a mercenary vessel 'good news,'" the man said. Voyd was steady, in Nova's opinion. The world could be on fire and yet she knew he'd be at his post, clear-spoken and calm as a breeze.

She smirked. "Can you hail them?"

"Sure thing."

She grabbed a seat, trying to keep her heel from tapping as they waited for the giant satellites sitting atop the butte to talk to the communication probes strategically placed in each solar system. They made small talk while they waited. Security concerns. Grandkids. Aliens.

Finally, their hails were answered.

"Navarra, this is the Pellucidar." The sharp voice rang clear. Were they close?

"Pellucidar, this is Eladoro Control," answered Voyd as he glanced at Nova. "Our sheriff would like to have a word with you."

"Sheriff. Nova. Brady." The man carefully considered each word. "I know who she is."

"Then you know I don't like to waste time. To whom am I speaking?"

"This is Captain William Henders."

"I heard you were close. Can you give us an estimate on when you'll be arriving?"

"Saturnia's already docked us."

"Wait, what?"

Voyd and Nova shared a look before the director grabbed the attention of his bored monitors. Nova headed for the window. "I'll be damned," she breathed.

Sitting on one of the landing zones was one of the jankiest vessels she ever seen, cobbled together from several different ships. Portions of the ship still glistened with shield webbing as the camouflage disappeared. She couldn't see any guns but she bet it was armed to teeth with all manner of weaponry, most it custom-made.

Nova walked back to the console, suddenly feeling better about their odds.

Voyd was perturbed that their systems had been bypassed so thoroughly. They'd need to talk to the powers that be about getting some upgraded equipment during the next trade stop.

"Captain Henders?"

"Sheriff Brady?"

"I look forward to meeting you and your crew."

"Likewise. Now, before I set foot on your world, I want to know. My first mate, Gray, told me extraterrestrials are involved in this quest for revenge." He paused. "Is it true?"

Nova's grim smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "You might could say that."