Hordika Under the Bed
Vakama chirped.
Mic gaped. The Hordika just... The odd pose he had taken on, accompanied with the sound he just made suddenly proved itself to be rather funny in her mind. A giggle sounded, before she quickly covered her mouth. Even Hordika seemed to know how much stepping on a lego would hurt it seemed to her.
Vakama glanced at Mic with one eye before returning his attention to what ever had caught it. He had a slightly funny high step as he moved into the room with her. Careful to keep his tail up but not swaying, the Hordika reached out to pick something up.
Mic followed his movements with her eyes, the traces of a smile starting to fade. "What are you doing...?"
The Hordika made that chirp again and balanced on three legs. Holding something doll sized, but colored gold and red. "Lhikan...?"
The smile vanished completely and Mic's mind raced to come up with an excuse... and none came. She closed her eyes with a silent sigh, knowing this would have happened sooner or later once Vakama had gotten inside. Wordlessly, she set the laptop down and quietly walked up in front of him, reaching out and laying a hand over the doll. "He's very respected here, Vakama. A figure most parents would like their children to know about. It's easier for them to understand with something like this..."
Okay, so SOME of it might be a bit stretched, but it could be accounted for as the truth in some cases, she was sure.
Vakama's claws were very carefully holding the figure of Lhikan, his eyes not exactly on it but more staring out in to space. Maybe back into memory. A whine came out of the Hordika as Vakama seemed to just then see his hand/paw and the arm, and his tail lowered.
Recognizing sadness when she saw it, the human paused for a moment before slowly reaching out and laying her hand on his mutated shoulder, meaning to be comforting to the Hordika. On doing so, she realized to herself that it was the first time she had ever dared touching him, other than pleading for him to let her go earlier.
It took a moment before Vakama tilted his heads and pushed it against the human, though he remained as balance as he could on his claws. Admirably, Vakama was tired, hungry (starved) and essentially torn away from his brother Toa and world... It wasn't a good month.
Mic used her other hand to gently stroke his distorted head. Right now she wasn't seeing a killing beast-like creature like before. This was someone who did have the ability to feel sorrow and pain. She removed her stroking hand and gently pried the Bionicle doll from him, "Come on let's see if I can find you something to eat, okay?"
Since her gentle tone was so different from what he was used to lately, Vakama gave another chirp and a soft grumbling in his throat. Once again using the high-step not to, well, step on anything as he followed her out of the room, and more than once his stomachs proclaimed they were starved.
She left the doll behind, and hopefully the bad memories with it for her unusual house guest, thankful that she was alone in the house for the rest of the night due to her family's current plans. Not that she minded, though it was now clear how much of a guard dog Abby had turned out to be...
"Mm," she hummed to herself with a frown as they came into the living room. "Wait here," she said to Vakama and entered the kitchen in search of whatever she had that could feed him. She settled with a few leftover hamburgers from a cookout, not bothering to remove them from the dish, Mic walked back to the Hordika and set it down before him. "I, uh, think these should be good."
Vakama sniffed at the bowl, licked almost daintily, and then snapped up the first when he realized it was meat. The mutated Toa half growled, half purred as he made short work of the offering and even licked the dish clean.
Vakama was definitely a carnivore.
Mic smiled, happy that he seemed to have enjoyed it, though she was also awed at the way he had munched the meat up so quickly, also having seen those ever-scary fangs he owned. Tipping her head she heard tiny paws clawing and remembered the little dog. "I'll be right back," she turned and headed for the bathroom and unknown dog.
The Hordika looked up from checking, 'just in case' he had missed something. But no, there was nothing left. Well, at least in was meat, and now Vakama took a more interested look around the living room area. In a few minutes he had somehow pulled out a Bohrok toy out from under the couch and made interested sounds that ranged from soft critters to that chirp again.
Mic came out from the hall with the Chihuahua in her hands, quickly taking it to the front door to release it since it was crying and attacking her hands with nails and teeth in a frenzy, having obviously spotted Vakama. She hissed to herself and hastily put it outside, where it dashed off into the darkness.
The Hordika didn't notice his former prey, seemingly to be acting more like a determined cat...big, dark red, armored and scary cat... and by the time Mic had come back he had found a button, a broken pencil, a dog basic (that he ate) and some random shinny thing that turned out to be a key. Vakama sat, tail tip twitching as he regarded this strange treasure between his forepaws.
Hordika were sometimes easily entertained.
She stood behind the couch, one of her palms housing a band aid, and looked at all the things the Hordika had found while she was gone. She slightly rubbed her temple and walked over and near him, laptop under one arm.
Vakama looked up, tilting his head and sniffed again. Evidently Hordika relied more heavily on they sense of smell then one would think at first. "What is that?" He asked.
"This is a computer laptop. I can use it to access tons of information that's listed and posted on something known as the internet," Mic explained, sitting on the floor with her back to the couch, the laptop before her as she worked to turn it on.
Vakama murmured something in Bionicle as he abandoned most of his 'mini-horde,' holding the Bohrok toy in his left hand/paw as he moved over. He demonstrated the complete lack of Hordika personal space again as he...wiggled and almost but not exactly forcefully pushed his way between Mic and the couch. After much nervous squirming between the two Vakama was surprisingly comfortably curled snuggly close to Mic.
Despite it all, Hordika, Bionicle were very social creatures. More so the Toa who needed to protect like a craving. The Hordika basic instincts were to have a pack, even if it was temporary and just two. In other words, Vakama wasn't going to let go now, and his tail was almost possessively curled around Mic's waist and hips.
The human was beginning to get used to Vakama ignoring personal space, and as she waited for the computer to fully come online, she looked down at the Hordika's tail holding her, perplexed. The movies didn't show that either. Could there be more to the Bionicle than ever fully told in the books?
More curled around behind her so Mic was leaning against him instead of the couch, Vakama's head was resting on his tail and under her forearm. It might interfere a little with typing but it let Vakama see the laptop screen.
The screen grew brighter in the darkened room and Mic summoned up the internet. She glanced at Vakama's head and was grateful for the heat the Hordika gave off, especially with the tiled floor being so cold at night. "It's Mic," she murmured suddenly.
One eye looked up at her, up close the Hordika's odd yet eerily pretty eyes were more than two shades. The horizontal, pupils were lighter in the center instead of solid orange and the red backdrop was more mixed red shades. "...I'm sorry I almost..." Vakama stopped, wincing. He seemed to be getting his true mindset back.
Her mouth twitched in a small forgiving smile. "It's alright," Up close, his head was much larger then a human or big dog's head, and for a moment she just stared at his eye. Quickly she turned back to the computer screen. "Um... what would you like to see first?"
"You said there were vids?" Vakama asked, shifting his wedge shaped head a little, giving a deep rumble.
"Yes," she said, semi-reluctance in her voice. She still wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do... plus Mic was dreading certain reactions from the Hordika if he saw something that would upset him. 'Darn my big mouth.'
"Then start there." Vakama said after a moment, seeming to settle down more around Mic. It would be easier then straining to translate the strange written words of this world.
She made an 'okay' sounding noise and lifted her elbow from resting on his head to type. Youtube came up and she sighed, typing in Legends of Metru Nui. Somewhere outside, a car's brakes screeched loudly followed by male voices hooting in the distance.
Vakama's head came up, looking at where the sound outside had come from. The movement was quick and smooth and had Hordika had ears they would have been picked up. But Vakama's attention swung around back to the laptop when the opening of the move started.
The mutated Hordika made that grumbling sound again before it changed to an interesting chitter as he heard the 'Turaga Vakama's' voice start talking.
Mic was about to turn her full attention to the movie when she realized her cell phone had gone missing from her pocket. Thinking it had fallen when she was in the backyard, she began wiggle herself away from Vakama, alerting that she wanted him to let go, saying, "I'll be right back, I uh forgot something,"
It took a few moments before the human could fully disentangle herself from Vakama, who oddly didn't seem to want her to go. The image of Lhikan on the computer though drew all his attention until it was riveted on the screen. Slowly edging closer and tilted his head.
It was noticeable, every time something to do with Lhikan came up, Vakama reacted. Though never a bad reaction if one thought about, maybe the relationship he had with the once sol protector had been greater than the movie suggested. Not in the romantic sense of course but something was there.
While Vakama was watching the screen of the laptop, Mic found her phone in the ground behind the flowerpot, and just in time too, for more clouds had set in and rain began to drizzle. She hurried inside and shut the door, locking it out of habit and checked her messages as she made her way back to the Hordika. Mic's ears picked up the sound of Lhikan's voice during the scene when the six Matoran were about to turn into Toa and she cringed, knowing it must be hard for Vakama.
She saw him staring intently at the screen and quietly moved closer before crouching across from his head. "If it upsets you, Vakama, you don't have to watch it..."
"No..." Vakama muttered in his throat with a little shake of his head. "He said more than that." He added, tail twitching.
The human blinked, puzzled, and leaned closer to face the screen. "Really?"
The Hordika shifted, and it was clear he hadn't really sat or laid back down since Mic had left, and he was balanced on his paws awkwardly. "We listened to him several times...more after we were bitten." Vakama's gazed glanced down to his visible left hip and the rather nasty looking bite mark that was barely scabbed over and looking like it had been torn open a few times.
On following his gaze and her eyes widened at the wound, more in surprise that she never noticed it before. Tentatively, she touched just along the outline of it with concern in her dark eyes as she examined it, completely forgetting the movie. "Does it hurt? It's so nasty."
Vakama muttered in Bionicle, the words audible though alien yet had an agreeing edge to them. The bite mark, that took up almost all of Vakama's thigh was dark in color, just slightly darker then the armor, and that's why it had escaped notice thus far. That and his teeth and claws had been more of a priority to keep an eye on mostly. Upon a closer look Mic would fine that the bite mark, what had to be where the Visorak had gotten Vakama, was stained a purple shade.
Forgetting her usual squeamishness about ugly wounds, Mic firmly set her jaw, suddenly determined. "There's no way that'll heal properly unless it's covered." She backed up and got to her feet, thinking of the first aid kit in the bathroom that she could use. "Wait here, 'kay?"
The mutated Toa peered after Mic with a confused chirp, glancing back to the laptop in time to see the Toa Matau body-plant against the chute tube and snorted in amusement. Fangs bared in a wide grin, he hadn't known about that. Soft sounds of chirps and a little trill came from the Hordika, almost like he was talking to himself without realizing.
Mic came back with a roll of white elastic-like wrap and a few cotton bandage pads. Seeing the Hordika engrossed in the movie, she knelt next to the wound and pressed the cotton onto it, applying more and more until the entire bite was covered. She peeked at Vakama while she worked to see that he had glanced back before turning to the screen, continuing to make his strange animalistic noises.
Now came the tougher part. The girl started to unroll the wrap while wondering if it would be long enough to hold the cotton tightly. She flung the wrap over his thigh and had to climb over him to reach the other end and continue to wrap it. She tugged at it once reaching the end and knotted it off. Still in the odd position, she nodded approvingly. "There. That should do it."
It was only after she was done that Mic would realize that Vakama hadn't been oblivious as she worked. He had shifted a little bit at a time until his leg had been in the perfect position. Vakama had one careful and leery eye on what Mic was doing, as if half expecting to be hurt.
What had he gone through?
She pulled herself away and into a sitting position a few inches from him, seeing that he was watching her and wondering if helping him had somehow offended him. It was expressed in Bionicle 3 that the mutated Toa severely wanted to do things on his own after all. Then again she could never be sure about the Hordika anymore, not after tonight. "Are... are you alright?" she asked carefully.
Slowly, the Hordika reached over and moved closer. It was a surprisingly gentle move what happened as Mic was pulled over and Vakama pushed his head under the humans chin and a deep vibrating purr came out of the Hordika. It was like and unlike a cat, or tiger more like it, but had several layers in the sound.
The action managed to catch her slightly off guard, and because of it she fell back a bit before supporting herself with her arm behind her. The amazingly deep vibrations of the Hordika's purrs racked her neck gently, while her pulse was noticeably beating faintly against it. Mic blinked and unconsciously brought her hand up and stroked the ridge above one of his eyes. "You're welcome,"
Impossibly, Vakama's purr seemed to deepen at her touch and he leaned more against Mic, shifting in an attempt to get closer without braking contact. The Hordika's clawed paws twitched along with his tail before he slowly started to relax for the first time. All the time he was purring, in both the exhale and inhale of breath.
The human raised her eyebrows before a soft grin split her face. 'Must have found a Spot I guess.' She glanced at the computer to see that the ten-minute part of the movie had ended, and the next part had yet to be clicked on. At the moment, she was trying very hard not to fall over completely. Vakama was obviously VERY relaxed, and she was grateful for that, but he seemed to have forgotten how heavy and large he was compared to Mic. The arm supporting her was shaking now at the strain. 'Oh boy...'
Mic didn't have to worry long for Vakama slid down, more to the side and thumped down after a few more moments. He grunted 'hitting' the floor, instead of strapping out of it, the Hordika continued to purr.
...was he hypnotized?
She tipped her head at him. "Um...?" Mic opened her mouth while reaching toward him, but it closed and she drew her hand back. Now was one of the times where she had a perfect view of the powerful Rhotuka spinner on his back, and she stared in awe at it for a very long moment. The details and reality of Vakama's true being... she doubted she would ever not be surprised at it.
However the Hordika's thud on the floor beside her and the fact he was not moving and kept purring had her slightly worried... but it was still rather funny. And she wasn't even stroking his spot anymore.
Vakama blinked first his inner and then outer lids slowly at empty space, his forepaws kneaded at nothing. Then he blinked again, sniffed and half rolled on his right side, not quite on his back and peered up at the human from his new possession. He purred in a lighter tone but didn't say anything, and despite it all he seemed cute now, if you ignored the teeth and the claws.
Mic gave him a cheeky grin. He was like a giant cat... Emphasis on giant. His form took up a good size of the floor. Hard to think this was the same being that had seemed like he was going to eat her nearly forty-or-so minutes ago. "You know something, the books and movies never showed you like this," she blurted, cheeks oddly growing hot.
The Hordika blinked again, tilted his head so it was almost upside down. He licked his muzzle and curled his tail around so the last half wrapped loosely around Mic. "Stories and legions don't tell all of the truth or details." Vakama said as he yawned widely, his odd position giving the human an unexpectedly good view of the inside of his mouth, including how those killing fangs folded up into the roof as well as the venom glands under the red/purple tinted skin.
"Yeah no kidding," Mic's eyes were fixed on the fangs and venom glands, nervously tensing. When he shut his mouth turned her attention to his tail. "There was nothing about that," she pointed at it.
"Try walking without it as a Hordika." Vakama sighed deeply, remembering all too clearly what it was like before the tail had grown fully. Neither he nor the other mutated Toa could take more than two steps upright before falling over until they had their tails proper.
Mic cringed at the thought of having a tail and leaned away, causing his own to drop unintentionally from her as she reached for the keyboard of the computer, or rather the touch mouse. She brought up the next part of the movie and paused it since it was taking it's time loading. "I can't imagine having a tail... it'd be weird."
"It's not hard," Vakama said, twisting to look at the laptop screen, the end of his tail tapping against Mic's leg, but in a way that he probably didn't know.