The Hunter's Song

Chapter 17: Drone (Shale)

"What was it like to seed the razkur?" A newly-blooded security guard leaned in before waving me through the entrance to the Vault.

"Exactly like participating with all my other Joust partners," I grumbled. "None of your business."

"Oh," the guard backed off and straightened up. "Of course."

I pushed past him and didn't bother giving him time to follow up with any excuses. Today was Mourning Crow's sparring match with the kiande amedha drone and I just want to be done with it.

In the hallway, I could hear the echoes of whispering chitters spreading rubbish about my pairing in the arena. It'd been a week but it was all anyone could talk about every day since the Convergence.

The first day was incredible. I hadn't slept that soundly since I shared a bed with my brother Tharu. The only thing that could have made it better was waking up on a mountainside and stepping out into a fresh layer of snow.

And then the questions came. My friends, my sparring mates, my fellow council members, and randos coming up to me in the street. They even came at me during my regular quarterly sister clan check-ins.

I swear the next person to confront me on this is going to get slit from crotch to throat.

I managed to claim an empty express-lift only to find myself trapped inside a tiny compartment thick with Mourning Crow's sweet scent.

After the Joust, I came home glazed in her fragrance. It clung to my bed for two and a half days and I think it played a role in my brief contentment.

I took a long slow inhale and the sensation put my short quills on end.

This is why I avoided visiting Mourning Crow's and E'pire's training sessions in person.

It's bad enough I'd taken to peeking in on my holo-comm and snagging short recordings for my own personal viewing but having her see and hear my unfiltered physical responses was an experience I was dreading.

Per Oru's orders, there was no evading today's assembly. I'd traveled to the opposite side of Sahei and was halfway down into the bowels of the Vault, our primary high-security stronghold for stabling lethal quarry. Like it or not, there was no turning back.

BUZZ

Level -107 lit up in bright red dashes over the doors of the express-lift. I tracked the razkur's scent lingering in the hallway and it made me ache for a fresh hunt. Though for the life of me, I couldn't picture any manner of trophy spectacular enough to satiate my craving.

A flash of prickly cold pulsed through my veins when a dissident thought popped into my head.

What if she's pregnant?

I've sired dozens of offspring and the prospect had never phased me. I knew a few of their names and paid respects when they presented their honor to Oru...

Why was this different?

My thoughts zagged to that moment in Joust when I licked her. I've never done that with any of my partners, never had the chance, never was compelled to. The way she rode me, the way it felt to be inside her. I had to taste her. It was my only chance. Then she pulled me to her. What's wrong with me?

I arrived at the observation chamber overlooking the main combat proving grounds and found Eh'kt and Mourning Crow chatting by the window. The black-scaled yautja was pointing out structures and suggesting various tactics.

Eh'kt's black claws affectionately grazed his mate's stomach as I quickly walked past them. Mourning Crow was smiling and the two completely ignored my presence. Then I caught Eh'kt uttering a phrase I've never heard spoken in public... "love you".