Disclaimers: I do not own Star Trek, it's characters, or any other references made.

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Chapter 5: Discovery, Death, Demand, and Demerit

McCoy looked up at the sky in a daze. Stars may not be positioned in places he was familiar with, but the sight was nonetheless lovely. He leaned his head against the bobbing body of the running mammal. Sure, he was internally panicking, but he simply had little to no energy to make a scene or comment. It was getting dark and the heat was still as suffocating. He was low on water and on his last few bars. Honestly, if this bear wasn't taking him to food, he didn't know how he would be surviving for the next day. As they traveled through the desert, the soft dunes became rough and rocky. Leonard looked around and wondered if he would even be able to tread on such uneven terrains as swiftly as the bear he was on was. The creature was massive, but he seemed to smoothly maneuver and place his footing on just the right placed. He was also moving at around a 30 mph pace. Perhaps this was the reason the bear wanted him to ride him? This creature seemed pretty people friendly for a wild animal. Or was it that even the creatures on this planet lived through logic?

McCoy raised his head and looked ahead of the path the bear was running. "Is that-?" squinting his eyes, McCoy could see that there was a settlement further down the terrain. Excited, he looked down at the head of the creature and then back at the small village.

"That looks like civilization!" Leonard cried out. He would pet the creature, but honestly he needed both hands to grip on the food and the bear. The excitement, however, began to die out as they neared the place. It was a village, yes, but it seemed to be abandoned. The bear began to slow down into a gentle stop and knelt onto the ground to allow McCoy to get off.

"It's abandoned," he muttered numbly, walking around. He looked up at the sky. At this point, the only light was from stars and moons in the sky. He glanced back at the bear, who stood back up and began to tread inside the village. He was upset, sure, but in all honestly the animal could have very well believed that McCoy lived in this kind of setting, it wasn't like a huge bear could waltz inside a normal settlement either. This was probably the closest thing to a home the bear could have taken him to. But that thought really didn't make him feel any better. He followed the bear, pulling out his communicator, which, of all luck, was still not working. He hit it with his palm a couple of times, but nothing worked.

"Damn it!" He uttered, completely frustrated, and making a halt. He stared at the communicator hopelessly. He should be grateful it has only been roughly a day, but considering food and water...

Leonard shook his head, "this place will have to do," he stated out loud, interrupted his own thoughts. He reached into his black shirt got a granola, slowly chewing on it. He also pulled out another water bottle and looked around for the bear, who was a good ten feet ahead of him, "Hey, big guy, drink some water; I know I would want a sip if I ran the trek you did."

The bear, it seemed, didn't pay any notice of him. The doctor shrugged and allowed him to walk. He made his way deeper in the settlement as well. It looked ancient. There were structures that seemed to have merged with the land. Like adobe, and considering the lack of rain on this planet, he wondered if they had been preserved for years. There were no doors in the small homes, and one could easily walk inside. For a moment, Leonard wondered if there were people just sleeping inside, but the though was dismissed as the place had nothing to offer. It was simply ruins.

The bear didn't really choose the right place, but it was definitely better than sleeping on the rocky terrain they passed through. Or the sandy dunes of hell further back. He frowned "is this your home?" McCoy wondered, glancing at the bear. He jogged over the catch up to it, and walked next to it, "Where are you going?" he asked it. He chuckled nervously to himself, "Look, if you don't give me at least a grunt, I may go mad and start talking to myself."

The large mammal kept walking until he reached an open courtyard within the small assortment of houses. In the middle of it, there seemed to be a well. The bear approached and swiped a wooden plank covering the top of it. Finally, he turned to McCoy, who stared at the well flabbergasted.

"A well?" he rushed over to peer the edge of it, "…and there's still water in it!" He scratched the bear on the chin, "You ARE a genius, you smart bear!" He searched around and found the pulley system he needed.

"You want some water?" he called back to the animal, laughing and he manipulated the rope to retrieve water, "because you are about to receive a bucket load!" he pulled up the bucket and allowed the bear to drink out of it, "That's right, fella, and you earned it, too!"

Once the bear drunk the bucket clean McCoy grabbed his water bottle and drank the whole bottle and sighed, "thought I'd be a goner, honestly," he muttered as he replenished his bottle with the well. He pulled out a second bucket of water for the bear to make sure he was hydrated. After he had his own fill, the large creature walked off and into one of the small homes. Leonard walked and hovered hesitantly near the entrance.

"Now, I better hope you aren't trespassing," he shook a finger at the bear, "because if I wake up to find a Vulcan family calling the Vulcan authorities over our presence here then I will be very upset with you." He finally stepped inside, looking around only to see an empty home. The bear had snuggled into a corner of the home and let out a long sigh.

"This your home?" McCoy asked again, settling next to it, "It's a nice place," he muttered sarcastically, dragging his finger across one of the walls. There was sand everywhere. The bear quickly drifted back to sleep, but McCoy found himself restless. He made sure the bear was completely asleep before he stepped out of the small house to wander.

"I wonder where the real civilization is," he muttered, walking around and peeking into the empty homes. Many of them were simply a type of adobe, completely empty, but some of them had dusty artifacts, like ceramic bowls or worn out furniture. He paused as he saw a fabric on the ground in one of the homes. He walked over to it and lifted it up. They were clothes. He rummaged through the dusty pile, wondering if there truly were people still living here, but the amount of sand and dust piled on everything had him doubting it. These clothes didn't look like they were here for a week or so, they looked like they had been here for years. Regardless, it didn't seem to be enough shelter to cover from storms. He brushed off the sand on one particular set of blue clothes and looked it over. They seemed to be around his size. He cocked his head and looked at it a little more closely.

"I could use this to shield myself from the rough sands…" He contemplated. He looked at his arms and torso. The shirt had shielded him from a lot of the sun, but honestly, he was expecting to be peeling in the morning. His sunburn was massive. The only reason he wasn't in major pain was because he was a fairly tanned person. He was also accustomed to working in the sunlight from his days in Georgia. But this is hotter than hell Vulcan. He grabbed the pile of clothes and went over to the well. He pulled off the blue shirt and began to wash off his chest from all the sand was stuck to him. He scrubbed his face and felt the stubble on his face scratch at his palms. He washed off the rest of his body and began to wash over the new set of clothes. He hung the clothes on the edge of the well and reluctantly placed his underwear back on. There was no way he was going to have sand stuck in places he didn't let even his personal physician near. He shook his head and tried to shake off the water from his body. If he didn't dry soon, any sand he touched would get stuck on him. His eyes darted toward the house where the fluffy mammal was sleeping, but he quickly dropped that notion as fast as it popped in his head.

"I could just lay next to him," the doctor muttered, "But then he'd bite my face off for using him as a bath towel." He decided to just sit on the edge of the well. Being covered by a wooden plank meant not a lot of sand had covered it. He just hoped he didn't fall in the well.

It took a few hours (he supposed it did, it's not like he could keep track of time), but thankfully, the clothes were able to dry fairly quickly, as the heat was enough to have the water evaporate into the atmosphere. When he donned them, he couldn't deny that he felt a strong sense of health surge through him. Placebo, of course, but he wasn't about to disagree with the happy emotions. The clothes seemed to filter air a lot better than his Starfleet uniform, and he was sure that they would be able to shield better than his weak Starfleet uniform.

"Gotta say, blue is my color," McCoy smirked to himself. He folded his uniform and began to search for his ration bag when he heard the heavy snort of the bear. The doctor flinched, not expecting the bear to be up, and hoped that the thing didn't get cranky over abandonment of bed partners... Huh, could've phrased that a little better. He turned around, and saw the bear glaring up at him with its bright hazel eyes.

"Uh, sorry pal," he began, "I didn't…" his voice wavered as he realized something. The bear he was with had brown eyes, not hazel ones. And although this lighting was pretty weak, he could tell that this bear was significantly darker. It had torn tatters of his black shirt uniform in its mouth and its teeth completely bare at him, drool spilling from the corners of its mouth and the tips of its stained fangs.

Ah, hell.

Spock had arrived to one of the small domestic villages. It was one that lived in the life of logic, but had pursued a sort of rural-like atmosphere. The homes were small and scattered. And any sort of food was grown all locally. He he approached the eldest in the area, *Mitrani. She was a fairly old Vulcan that he had come across in his youth when traveling. She never questioned where he came from, and once he informed her he had no need to give his name, she had simply taken a liking to call him *Awidat.

Throughout the years he'd known her, the elder Vulcan never seemed to rest. She would still be up at late hours, as she would simply spend most of her days sitting in a chair outside her house, staring out into the deserts in front of her home. She had a small market in connected to her home that used to purchase goods from. His hope was that she may have perhaps seen I-Chaya.

It had been, of course, many years since he had last come to the village. Once his face started getting more familiar due to growing older and more involved with his father's affairs, it seemed that he could no longer enter villages without being recognized anymore.

As he approached her home, it was clear that even after all these years, she still sat in her typical seat.

"Awidat," the elderly Vulcan stated as she slowly rose from her seat. She gave the Vulcan salute.

Spock nodded to the elderly woman, returning the gesture, "Mitrani," he replied as he approached near her home, stopping in front of it. As the old Vulcan climbed down the steps of her porch, she cocked her head, "It has been approximately 10.563 years since I have seen your face. It is also very late. What is the reason for your visit?"

Spock shifted his bag to the side, "I am looking for my sehlat. He had veered off from my home and I am curious to know if he has passed in this town. I also wish to replenish my rations, as my journey may take longer than I had anticipated."

Mitrani connected the tips of her fingers in thought, "I understand. I have seen two sehlats throughout the day, but I cannot say if either was your sehlat. One followed into the sandstorm that had passed by earlier today," she looked up at the darkening sky, "the other had appeared later in the day, approximately 3.561 hours after the first had entered the storm," she turned to look back at him, "I would like to state that this second sehlat did not seem passive. It ran quickly and erratically; wasting precious energy. It would not be a safe travel to approach it. You are welcome to stay the night, if you so choose."

Spock made one shake of his head, "Negative, I must not delay in my travels; my sehlat awaits me. I simply need to purchase food and water."

The elder woman looked back into the dark desert, "If this may not convince you, then I will not attempt to persuade you to stay any longer. The food you require, is it the same as the usual you used to get?"

Spock looked into the eyes of the elder Vulcan, "Affirmative, but I would like to include meat for a sehlat."

As the Vulcan woman went inside her house to retrieve the goods, Spock looked out into the distance. I-Chaya could very well require his assistance, and if he was to get to his sehlat on time, he would need to travel without sleeping. Considering the direction the wind was carrying the storm, Spock could take a guess at which check point his sehlat may have taken. It was an old abandoned village he used to spend countless hours exploring in. There was a source of water there. The problem now lay in the time. It would take him until morning to arrive to the destination he only theorized his sehlat to be at. This would mean that the two sehlats may come across each other before he would arrive. And if the second sehlat was a wild one, as Mitrani predicted, then I-Chaya would have to fend for himself.

Spock's mind ran back into his statistics, and they did not seem to veer to an ideal outcome. The moment he finished his purchase with Mitrani, he quickly made haste to his destination.

Flight or fright, flight or fright. And McCoy had to be stuck with fright. His whole body was paralyzed as he stared wide eyed at the bear. It was massive, just like the other bear, but this one meant business. Everything he feared the other guy would do was void compared to this one. This thing was really going to kill him.

It growled at him, and Bones fell backwards, his eyes wide and his eyebrows furrowed, "I-I mean no harm," he whispered as the large creature rose to its feet. He reached where his phaser usually was, and for the first time in this entire trip, he realized that he had never attached it to his holster. This wasn't anything near the treatment that the other bear gave him. This massive bear looked like a giant; towering over him, making him feel like he'd suddenly eaten something from Alice in wonderland and shrunk down five sizes.

McCoy curled up and covered himself for the impact, but it never came. Instead, he heard the low pitched screech. It sounded like something from the Jurassic period. When he peeked from the security of his arms (as much security as a hay house was to a piglet), and saw that the bear he was with had jumped over to attack the other new one.

The enemy was slightly smaller than the light bear, but it was a lot leaner. The bears tossed around in the sand, emitting noises that pierced through the silence of the night and vibrated through McCoy's skull. It was clear who was winning, and it wasn't the good bear. McCoy looked around, and saw the communicator in his hand. He grimaced and ran toward the fighting bears, keeping a reasonable distance from the sharp talons and fangs. The dark bear had his friend in a choke hold with his jaws.

"That bear owes me favors, you!" McCoy called out as he threw the communicator directly at its face. The bear blinked, growling, and its light eyes swiftly directed itself at him. The other bear groaned, but was too sore to move from its spot. The darker bear rose slowly and began to go toward the doctor.

"I mean, if you'd like to discuss any trade, I got rations, if you'd like," McCoy uttered, stepping back, "…or not. Because you ate them all, but hey, you let me, live, and, uh," he turned and dashing toward one of the homes, "I WON'T HOLD IT AGAINST YOU!"

The bear cried out and began to dash after him. Leonard skid against the well, grabbed the wooden lid covering it, and threw it against the bear. It hit him directly in the face again. He then ran around the well toward one of the adobe homes. The large dark creature stood up, scrubbing its face with a whine, and crawled over the well. Leonard tried to take refuge in one of the small adobe homes, and found a narrow staircase hall. The enraged bear couldn't quite reach him, but desperately tried to squeeze through. After some aggressive shoving, it simply got jammed. Breathing heavily, Leonard wiped sweat from his forehead, "Can't reach me now, can you, you big oaf?!"

The large creature then cried out in pain, causing Leonard to flinch. The bear he'd been with seemed to have momentarily recovered and was clawing at the backside of the darker bear. McCoy watched in horror as the bear that attempted to eat him tried to wrestle out of the position he was in, but could not. It thrashed in agony, snipping at McCoy, but not able to do anything over the violent onslaught it was receiving from its former opponent.

The creature finally slumped over, and McCoy simply stared at the dead animal in shock. His attention snapped back up as he saw his friend stagger back. He quickly climbed over the corpse and rushed toward his friend, "Are you okay, buddy?" he whispered to it as stroked its fur. There was dried blood covering it, and the creature was breathing heavily. Whether due to exhaustion or blood loss, McCoy wasn't sure. He looked outside to see sun rising, and guided the bear outside.

"Let's take a look at you, shall we?" McCoy whispered gently as the bear groaned. It hobbled outside with him and the doctor took note of the wounds. Minor scratches, but those were not the big issue, as they had stopped bleeding already. The neck wounds seemed pretty deep, and that needed immediate treatment. He ran over to his uniform and grabbed the science blue shirt and pants. He then placed pressure on the wound with the blue shirt, "thank you, big guy. I mean, you ate all my rations, and I'm still resentful about that, but you saved me, and well, I guess maybe I'll give you a twenty percent discount for that," he grimaced, "but the catch is that you have to stay alive, you hear?"

The doctor began to worry. He wasn't able to tie the fabric onto the bear, as it was just too large. There was also the fact that there was just so much blood, that he wasn't sure he would be able soak it all up with the little clean clothes he had. He kept his body pressed against the bear until the blood stained the blue shirt too much. He them moved on the the uniform pants that he had and applied pressure to the jagged cuz on the mammal's neck. He stroked its head until, hearing the whimpering of the bear.

"Shhh, shhh," McCoy whispered, leaning his head against its fur, "It's gunna be alright, we just need to stop this bleeding. Hang in there."

He watched the fur of the bear begin to light up as the sun began to rise, but his priority was to apply pressure on the bear rather than turn around and watch the sunrise. He shut his eyes, hearing the heartbeat of the bear against his ears and matching the long deep breaths.

In... out... in... out... in... out-

"What have you done to my sehlat?" a voice behind him demanded coolly.

"What-?" McCoy turned sharply to the source and saw a live, breathing Vulcan with a large sack looming right behind him. Before he could do anything else, the being reach over to his neck, pinched it, and everything went black.

[message sent]

Subj: Demerit!

Hi there Bones,

Okay, so you forgot to message me yesterday. It's fine, no big deal. Just be sure to send a quick "I'm busy" if you really can't send a long answer. I'll let it slide this time, doc, but make sure it doesn't happen again! Captain's orders! And don't grouse me about being petty because YOU were the one who made that promise.

You'll probably grouse me anyway.

Anyhow, today is a new day and I'm hoping to hear some fun stories from your end. ENTERTAIN ME, BONES!

This is your future Captain speaking,

-James

p.s. I figure you probably knocked out that virus after an all-nighter. Make sure to get some rest and keep me updated!

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GEEZ what a cliffhanger, right? What does Spock think of finding his sehlat bleeding at the hands of the blue-eyed mysterious being? And what will become of McCoy after he wakes up?!

*Mitrani: A Vulcan name that means 'busy mother'. Not really a deep analysis.
*Awidat: 'bold yet prepared.'
-Spock most likely earned this nickname from Mitrani due to the fact that he was a very young Vulcan who seemed to know his way around the desert at a young age. I really don't know the gender of this name, so uh, sorry about that if it's female...?

I hope it wasn't too fast paced for you guys, I know I felt like it kind of was. Not my best chapter, I suppose? To clarify, Spock probably left that village the same time McCoy arrived the abandoned one. So it was pretty much a whole night. But I hope it was still enjoyable!