Visions kept popping into her head despite her best efforts to banish them; a broken body at the bottom of a ravine. A small, sodden bundle on a river bank. A forlorn figure, face-down in a clearing.
Lex shuddered.
"She's been gone for hours. What if it isn't a game this time? She's only four years old, she's still a baby!"
She forced herself back to her feet and went on; fighting through the unforgiving jungle, knowing the path would allow her to circle back to where their shuttle was.
Her tired feet wanted to drag but she wouldn't let them, knowing the crunching of underfoot leaves would give her away. Instead she walked silently up the hill to the plateaued summit where the shuttle rested
As she moved up the hill, she realised the song of beasts and insects around her had ceased – had that only just happened or had anxiety made her inattentive? Slowly and silently, she slipped her plasma cannon from its holster.
Suddenly, a shape exploded from the undergrowth, barrelling into her from behind. She turned, the plasma gun swinging round to cover her attacker- and managed to stop herself in time.
"Spyro!" Lex seized the girl before she could disappear again. Then she pulled her daughter into a tight embrace, hugging her with relief. Finally, Spyro struggled free. "Hello Mei'Varsi." The child addressed her - as always - in yautja.
"Where have you been?!" Lex demanded.
"Tracking you." The girl said proudly.
"Spyro, I have been searching for you all day."
"I know," Her daughter spread her jaws – a smaller copy of her Father's evil grin "I knew you would not see me."
She didn't look at all distressed. Her jet-black eyes were alive, sparkling with excitement. Lex felt her temper rising: didn't the child have any sense of the danger of running off alone? She drew in a deep breath, trying to draw in her patience along with it "Spyro, you must not run off like that," She said "What if something happened to you?"
"Nothing could happen to me," The girl flipped her talons, a set of miniature razors "Mei'Varsi. I am skilled; a natural hunter. Mei'Savir said so."
Lex's temper was getting the better of her again "Spyro, listen to me;" She switched to English, trying to make her voice calm "No matter how good a hunter or tracker you are, you're too small and too young to be roaming around the jungle on your own. Something could go wrong."
"But Mei'Savir said – "
"Sweetheart, what if you fell and got hurt? Or what if you ran into enemies?"
"Mei'Savir says attack is the best form of defence."
"Your Father," Lex set her teeth "Would never want you to go off alone, putting yourself in danger."
"I was not in danger." Spyro's brow drew down, dark clouds before a storm "And anyway, I would not need to go on my own if you took me hunting!"
Lex recoiled, hurt by the untrue accusation "Spyro, we go hunting nearly every day!"
"Small creatures," Spyro spat, shifting into her Father's language again, another sign of a gathering temper tantrum "Not a true hunt! Why do you not take me to do real hunting ever?"
"Spyro – " Lex tried to interrupt.
"Mei'Savir used to take me on real hunting trips," Said the child, bringing out her second most common complaint. Then she remembered her number one grievance, as Lex had known she would "When can you take me to Mei'Savir? When can I see him? I want to see him!"
"We cannot see him right now." Lex spoke the words in English, while inside she was cringing ("Because I don't know where he is." she thought).
"Because he is busy," she said aloud.
Spyro glowered at her "Because you do not want me to see him." She muttered.
"That is not true," Lex wanted to hug the girl, though the words cut her. She wanted nothing more than to gather her daughter in her arms and kiss her pinched-up, scowling face, but she knew Spyro would not allow herself to be soothed that way. She would resent it. Instead she said "Let us go home and I promise we will hunt tomorrow."
"You swear?" The child subjected her to a suspicious black gaze.
"I swear." Lex gripped her shoulders "But in return, you must swear that you will not run off alone again."
"Yes Mother." Her daughter replied, with an ill grace.
"Yes what?"
"I will not run off."
"You swear on your honour?" Lex insisted "Your yautja honour?" She wanted the girl to say it in the hunter's language, to make her promise in a way that meant something to her.
The black eyes were steady "On my yautja honour."
"Thank you, you are a good girl." Lex pulled Spyro close and squeezed her tight again, luxuriating in the sheer, blessed relief of having her daughter safe as breathed in her childish, outdoor smell. Spyro tolerated the embrace for a few moments before irritably shrugging off her mother's hungry arms and stalking off towards their ship, the beaten-up shuttle that Lex had named 'The Dragonfly'.
Lex watched her go "Come back Spyro, please..."
Selim sat on his bed looking at his mask. He was in the sleeping pod he shared with his twin, on board the Chameleon. Ever since the Avissa knocked his mask off, the internal display had stopped functioning properly. He had tried his best to fix it, but without success. Scar had left hours ago, hunting as usual.
Isaac threw his own mask down on the bed but, instead of sitting down himself, he began to pace restlessly. Selim waited, he knew it wouldn't take long before his brother's simmering temper boiled over. He watched as his twin ranged up and down the room, like a caged animal in the cramped space.
Finally Isaac turned to him "He's getting worse." He said.
Selim sighed. He didn't want to have this conversation tonight but he knew Isaac wouldn't allow him to avoid it. When he did not reply, his twin grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around "You know I'm right."
"I do not." Selim said calmly.
His brother gave him an acid look "Do not tell me you think what he did was ok?"
"Isaac, what did you expect?" Selim said "You attacked him."
"Dammit, Selim!" Isaac thumped the thin mattress furiously "When are you going to wake up and see him for what he is?"
"He is our father"
"He's an evil bully!"
Selim felt unable to let this pass "Isaac, he saved your life today."
"Only so he can chew me out! He doesn't care if I die!"
"You were unconscious, you did not see what happened."
"What, did he cry?" Isaac laughed bitterly "Did he say he couldn't go on living without me?"
"He was worried." Selim stood up as Isaac turned away, shaking his head in disbelief "He was! Ize, he was desperate to bring you back. He saved you when I could not!"
Isaac scoffed "He's a monster! Have you forgotten how he took us away from our Mother?" Selim was horrified to see tears in his twin's eyes now "Selim, I miss Mom. I even miss Spyro," Isaac gave a disbelieving laugh "She's a pain in the ass, but I miss her! Don't you?"
Selim nodded, unable to trust his voice.
"Then why don't we go?"
In answer his brother could do no more than shake his head.
"Why the hell not?" Isaac demanded "He's out there hunting right now and we both know he won't come back tonight, so let's take the shuttle and go find them!"
"Steal it?" Selim was genuinely shocked "Without his permission?"
"Did he ask?" Isaac shot to his feet "Did he ask our permission before dragging us to every monster infested shithole in the galaxy!?"
"We would leave him stranded here."
"I think he can take care of himself." Said Isaac darkly.
Selim stared at the ground and did not answer, avoiding his brother's eyes.
"Sel, let's go!" Isaac gripped his shoulder excitedly "Come with me!"
The look Selim turned to him was wretched "Brother…" he said "I cannot."
Isaac looked at him for a long moment and then he deflated, sitting down on the bunk next to his twin.
"I know." He said, without rancour.
"But I... I would not stand in your way."
After a moment, Isaac nodded toward Selim's mask which he still held in his claws "Were you trying to fix it?" He said.
Selim nodded, relieved at the change of subject.
Isaac took the mask from his brother's talons and inspected it, then he pulled from his belt the toolkit he always carried with him. Selim watched in silence while his twin worked on the mask, wielding the tools as deftly as any weapon.
After a few minutes Isaac handed the mask back. Selim took it. It was working perfectly.
"You have always had a gift, brother." He said.
Isaac was silent for a moment, then he reached out and put an arm around his brother's shoulder.
"Selim," He said "I can't go without you."