Special Thanks to San child of the wolves, Boho Junkie, Pidgefingergun, Hexenwerk, and SecretEnigma for your wonderful reviews! Thank you so much!

Takes place on the same day as Chapter 2

Chapter 3: Cubs, Part III

It was another round of late-night patrols through the halls. Kolivan sighed. The Farewell Rites had gone well (as well as any funeral went) and his Blades had long-since gone to bed, as had the whole castle.

Except for him.

And perhaps someone other than him. He was coming up on the training deck when he saw a light on in the room and heard voices.

One voice, actually. And it was angry.

"Stop! Just stop! You can't keep going like this! We need you! Voltron needs you!"

Kolivan's ears twitched, ever attuned to trouble and cubs in trouble. He leaned around the corner of the doorframe slowly, not drawing attention.

Pidge was here, as he had heard her yelling, and so was Keith. Dressed in what Kolivan recognised as Altean training gear (Why not his paladin armour? Kolivan wondered), Keith glared at Pidge as he swept his sword-bayard through another drone. There were scraps and bits of metal scattered all across the deck; Keith had been at this for a while now.

"Voltron!" he spat acidly. "Voltron is useless without him!"

"I know, but we can't lose you, too! We have to keep trying!" Pidge protested, her face twisting with heartache when Keith summoned two more drones.

Keith's eyes narrowed, ferocity and wildness burning in his eyes and pulling at his mouth. He gutted one drone, saying, "I am trying. I'm trying to find him."

"We all are! You're not alone in that! Dammit, Keith, look at me!" Pidge stepped between the drone and her teammate, and Kolivan's heart leaped into his mouth at the sight of a silver blade descending towards Pidge's head, the computer not recognising an innocent bystander.

Kolivan and Keith moved at the same time, but Kolivan was faster, even though he was farther away. He caught the drone's sword-arm in one hand and wrenched it back. "End simulation!" he commanded, looking down at two pairs of wide eyes.

Kolivan released the drone when it relaxed, and the floor swallowed it and the other pieces. The two cubs stared up at him, completely wordless. He loosed a held breath. "I think that's enough training for today. It is late, after all," he said.

"Kolivan!" Pidge squeaked, recovering and reddening. "What are you doing here?"

"I was taking a walk when I heard you shouting," Kolivan answered. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I think so. The drone didn't touch me." She looked down, dragging her booted toes across the floor. "Thanks."

"Of course. Your well-being is paramount." He turned his eyes to Keith who was unnaturally pale and shaking where he stood. "Keith?"

"Fine," he bit out, turning away.

"Keith…" Pidge began, but she trailed off when he ignored her. She rallied, her eyes narrowed and tear-filled behind her glasses. "You know what? Fine! You want to be alone? Be alone! It's not like we care! It's not like this hurts us, too!" Sarcasm dripped from her tongue as freely as the tears on her cheeks. "We miss him, too, you know!" With that, she stormed away, and Kolivan let her go.

Keith exhaled shakily and retreated to the far wall to the bench there, stripping off his gloves as he went.

Kolivan followed.

"What do you want?"

Kolivan was unperturbed by the acidic tone. "Have you finished training for the night?"

"Maybe. Why do you care?"

"Maybe because I'm well aware that running myself to physical exhaustion isn't the best way to assist my friends."

Keith whipped around, purple eyes thin slits, and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Kolivan readjusted his weight to one foot. "That is why you're training, yes? You want to help them. You don't want to lose anyone else."

Keith was silent, but the way his shoulders slumped and his forehead softened confirmed everything.

Kolivan took a single step forward, purposefully not getting too close. His voice was mild as he said, "Change into something comfortable and meet me in the kitchen." He turned away to leave but a whisper-quiet "Why?" made him look back.

Such sad eyes, he lamented. He had seen such a look in many a soldier's eyes, and in many a cub's. Again, the combination of soldier and cub struck him hard. "Hard training should end with a meal. Your body won't be able to handle the stress, otherwise."

He walked away at that, leaving Keith to make the decision to obey or not. And really, Kolivan thought to himself, it was more of a suggestion than an order.

Keith, dressed in his usual human clothing, walked into the kitchen ten minutes later, during which time Kolivan had procured a pan, a bowl, some knives, and several ingredients.

"Um, what is all this?"

Kolivan's smile was small as he said, "Cooking has multiple uses for our people, Keith. While its results nourish us and give us energy, it also benefits our minds. Balanced is the warrior who uses both his mind and his body."

"Oh."

"Do you know how to cook?"

Keith lifted a shoulder. "Yeah. I guess."

"You guess? You either do or you don't."

"I learned when I was a kid, okay? Some of the foster homes… they forgot to feed me. I had to figure it out on my own."

Kolivan frowned, both at the unknown term and this cub's hardships. But he let it slide for now. "Then you should be proficient enough for this task. Here. Can you slice these? Thinly, please. They're already washed."

Keith took the proffered vegetables and took up position at the island. He was silent as he wielded the knife, but Kolivan knew his silence wouldn't last.

"What are you making?"

"We," he added a slight emphasis on the word, "are making aiyuoprat. It's a traditional dish among our people. I was amazed to find some aiyuoper in your stocks."

"Is that what this is?" Keith nodded to the white vegetable. "Hunk said it was some kind of root."

"Hunk is correct, but that's skjugue. It's flavourless but it adds a crispy texture when fried. Aiyuoper is this." He held up an air-tight package of what looked like ham. "It's meat from the aiy-aiy, a four-legged animal that's known for its speed and agility. They're hard to catch, but the meat is lean and flavourful."

"Huh. You know, we have an animal called an aye-aye on Earth."

"Do you now?" Kolivan smiled wider as he prepped the skjugue pan on the stove.

"Yeah. It's kind of small, but it's nocturnal so it has these massive eyes." He paused and added, "Kind of ugly, too."

"Our aiy-aiy is not a beauty either."

Keith nodded, his mouth twitching a fraction, and resumed his work. Kolivan allowed the silence because such was the way with cubs. He couldn't force Keith to talk. He would not force him. Koratin's words echoed in his ears: They must see you not only as an ally but as a support, a direly-needed friend. His sister was much wiser than he was, so he would do his best to follow her counsel.

"Done." The announcement was far too quiet, and Kolivan, keen-eared though he was, almost missed it over the chop-chop of his knife.

"Good. The pan's ready, so just toss it all in."

While Keith did that, Kolivan finished with the meat and moved onto the sauce. "Here, measure two cups of this and stir slowly as I crack this in."

Keith measured the milk, dumped it into a bowl, and took up a whisk, stirring while Kolivan cracked a large egg into the bowl. He added some flour, too, for good measure.

"Did you know we have a cow?" Keith ventured as Kolivan tossed the shells into the compost.

"A what?" Kolivan blinked, caught off guard.

Keith's hand never stopped stirring. "A cow. That's where we get the milk from. We got her at a mall a couple months ago."

Kolivan had seen a bovine creature in a room that Lance and Hunk frequented. He hadn't known the species, but he had recognised the milk for what it was. As Galra were mammals, the females of his kind lactated for newborns. He had tasted the cow milk just yesterday and found it thinner than some of the other milks anyone could purchase at a store or find on a farm. (Hence, the flour.)

"I didn't know that was what she was," he said. "Does she have a name?"

Now it was Keith's turn to blink, but he answered, "Lance named her Kaltenecker."

"Does Lance possess an affinity for naming things?"

That was definitely a smile threatening a corner of Keith's mouth, but he was stubborn and held onto his slight scowl. "I guess. Maybe. Kaltenecker's the only thing he's named, so I don't know."

"Hm. Little though I know of Lance, I infer that Kaltenecker won't be the last creature to gain residence here.

"We can add the meat to the pan now," he added, "and I think you've stirred enough."

Nevertheless, Keith offered him the bowl to inspect, but Kolivan only glanced at it and nodded his satisfaction.

"Set it off to the side. The meat will fry quickly so it needs to be watched."

"Do we need to add any spices?"

"You can if you want. Aiyuoper is quite flavourful on its own."

They worked in silence once more, and Kolivan didn't fail to notice that Keith was within reaching distance. He was careful not to touch him, though, not wanting to spook him. He did, however, have to admire the cub's ability in the kitchen as he scattered a pinch of salt and some herb after a quick sniff over the pan.

"I'm surprised you don't assist Hunk with the meals," Kolivan observed idly.

A shrug was his response.

"I'm sure he'd be delighted. You're certainly knowledgeable."

"He doesn't need much help, and Pidge and Lance are better helpers anyway."

Kolivan glanced at him sidelong as he turned the meat. "You know, there is one other use for cooking that I neglected to mention."

Keith's eyes flicked up to his and then back down.

"It brings family and friends together. It's a community affair. No single person is ever in the kitchen. For us, if someone is in the kitchen, there are at least two others."

"Many hands make light work," Keith muttered.

"Exactly. It builds relationships, as well as a knowledge base. Cubs learn how to cook at their parents' side."

If Kolivan hadn't been watching him, he would have missed the tightening in Keith's eyes and mouth, and the slight flinch of his shoulders. "Keith?" He made sure to soften his tone. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Lies are unbecoming of a Defender of the Universe. What's the matter?"

"It's just…family's always been a sore spot for me."

"I see." He didn't. Not at all. But then he remembered something. "Does this have to do with the 'foster homes' you mentioned?"

Now Keith looked up at him. "Do you know what they are?"

"No, I don't."

"It's a government-run system for orphans. Orphaned kids are placed in homes with people who are supposed to care about you, feed you, clothe you, and raise you."

Kolivan felt his stomach bottom out and his heart fall into the newly-made abyss. "Supposed to…"

"It doesn't always happen." Keith looked away.

"You're an orphan."

"…Yeah."

"And your government regularly fails the most precious and vulnerable which are their children."

"Yeah. Well, I mean, some homes are okay. Sometimes foster parents adopt the kid or kids or whatever. Some kids are just lucky."

"But you were not so lucky."

Keith's shoulders hunched. "Not really, no."

Kolivan closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe through his nose. What was wrong with the universe that cubs with stolen families or no families at all were walking around and trying to be brave as they defended the very universe that had wronged them and continued to wrong them? He had heard cubs shriek over how life was unfair, but this was as unfair as it got.

These cubs didn't need a friend. They needed a parent! They needed a support-system that outweighed that of a friend or a general ally.

And the Alteans were clearly not fulfilling this role because how would they know to deal with children? How could they ease back on commanding the universe's only hope when the need for that hope was so great?

Oh, he was going to have words with Princess Allura, and definitely Coran, too. These cubs might be child-soldiers but child came first and foremost in that sequence, and he would be damned if he neglected that imperative aspect.

"-ivan? I think the meat's done?"

Kolivan came back to himself with a jerk and nearly upended the pan whose contents were definitely cooked thoroughly. "Thank you, Keith. I apologise. I was lost in thought."

Keith was watching him warily. "Are you, um, okay?"

Kolivan took another breath. This cub had no family, had had the only brother he knew taken from him, and he was asking him if he was okay?

"I admit that you have presented me with critical information," he said. "It's…a lot to take in."

Keith's eyes widened slightly. "All I told you was that I don't have parents. How's that critical?"

Kolivan first turned off the stove and set the pan aside to cool. Then he turned to Keith full-on. "Keith, family is part of Galra culture – our culture. It's a foundational key of who we are and how we interact with others. It's our safety net when everything falls apart." He ducked his head a little to better look him in the eyes. "And you have just informed me that you had no such foundation. Tell me, how old were you when your parents died?"

"I dunno. I was seven when I lost Dad. I never knew my mom since Dad told me she died when I was born."

Kolivan nodded, that abyss in his gut swallowing his heart. "For the majority of your life, you were neglected and cast aside. By your own admission, some of these foster homes forgot to feed you. You had to learn from an early age to depend on yourself and only yourself, and that is not okay, Keith. It's not."

"I did what I could…"

"My point is that you should not have had to. You should have been taken care of and loved, as every child in the universe should be."

Kolivan raised a hand to rest on Keith's shoulder, but he hesitated. Of all the paladins, Keith was the most distant, the most wary and leery of physical interaction. He had the nasty suspicion that Keith had suffered more than a lack of food at the hands of these so-called parents in the foster homes. He let his hand drop back down, and watched as Keith's eyes followed the movement.

"We cannot change the past," he said at last. "But tell me something. Do you honestly think that your friends don't love and care for you? I know what Shiro meant to you –" he ignored Keith's flinch – "but the rest of your team is here for you, and as a newfound legacy to the Blade of Marmora, we are, too."

"I just… I just don't want to lose anybody else…"

Spoken like the cub he was but with the heartache that he knew it was impossible.

Kolivan didn't hesitate this time. He lifted his arm and gently invited, "Here."

Keith took the two steps that would bring him close enough, and Kolivan rested his hand gently on that thin shoulder, not daring to embrace him - hide him where the cruel universe couldn't get to him. Keith didn't cry like Pidge did, but he sniffed and his breathing shook.

"Let us rally around you, Keith. We are family and we can help you, but only if you let us."

Keith nodded but didn't step away. "Okay."

"Okay?" Kolivan wanted to make sure.

He nodded again, and that was definitely a smile on his face.

-:-:-:-

When Hunk arrived in the kitchen the next morning to get breakfast started, he was surprised to find mysterious plates of food, carefully covered, on the island, along with bowls of fruits and enough plates, cups and cutlery for everyone in the castle. That might have been the end of his surprise, but then his eyes caught a familiar splash of colour in the dining hall. Looking in, he found Keith slumped in his chair at the table and sound asleep. A plate with a few crumbs on it and the remains of a sauce sat at his elbow.

Hunk was thinking about whether or not to wake him when a shadow peeled away from the shadows on his right. He jumped and only just caught himself before shouting, but it was only Kolivan.

He moved forward silently and gestured for Hunk to turn around. "Let him sleep," he whispered as he drew level.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Hunk asked just as quietly, re-entering the kitchen.

Kolivan closed the door behind them and said, "Yes, I think he will be."

-:-

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