The Hunter's Song

28: Asunder (Mourning Crow)

"I am expecting a daughter," Dr. Kazz'mon guided me to the examination table with her canary-yellow belly visibly occupied.

"How much longer?" I knew this appointment was about me and not her, but I couldn't stop myself from showering her with questions.

"Many months," Kazz'mon smiled and motioned permission for me to touch her small swollen tummy.

"And it stays inside you the entire time?" The notion was mind-boggling.

"Yes, Mourning Crow," Kazz'mon chittered. "I can send you some instructional documentaries about our reproduction process that we show to our emerging females. Though you might find the finale very disturbing."

"Maybe," I cringed my ears slightly. "Eh'kt tried to explain it to me once, but it got confusing. Like where do all your internal organs go?"

"The end results far exceed the chaos and carnage," Kazz'mon snickered and waved for me to lie down on the examination table. "I promise."

"Have you borne a youngling before this one?" I stretched my neck up to maintain eye contact with the doctor.

"Yes," Kazz'mon pulled a large metal scanner into place above. "Only one, many, many cycles ago. His name is Shar'koth. He's brought great honor to Jahaa."

"I bet he's easy to spot," I laid there grinning and wiggling my toes. "If he's got yellow quills like you."

"He is!" Kazz'mon's melodic laughter brought the room to an abrupt silence. "He's among Lor's task force. You can meet him. I anticipate his presence at his sister's birth."

"Does that mean?" My foot began to tap involuntarily. "I can be present as well?"

"Yes, of course," Kazz'mon held my foot still. "One moment. It's important that you remain motionless."

The scanner revved up with blinking lights and a soft humming sound, then Kazz'mon tapped on her black tablet.

"There, all done," the jade and yellow Zhaguai smiled. "You may sit up. Also, if you have time in the future, I would like to learn more about razkur naming methods."

"Happy to!" My ears shot up high. "The tricky part will be figuring out where to start."

"Probably best to start much later, on another day," a tall middle-aged male razkur strolled up to me with his own black glass tablet.

"Fair enough," I snickered to myself. "How's it looking? Did the migration go ok?"

"We'll know for sure in a few minutes. The results of your latest bloodwork and bio-scans are processing now," the razkur doctor flapped his ears forward taking a preliminary listen to my internal organs. "Oh, forgive me. My name is Clay Fox, and this is my associate, Sea Star." The male razkur doctor pointed to his female physician counterpart across the room finishing up collecting fresh anatomical scans of Eh'kt and Shale."

"Nice to meet you," I made a small bow with my head. "How are you liking Sahei?"

"The humidity is a little uncomfortable and the bathrooms in our lodging are downright terrifying," Clay Fox chuckled. "But the foliage is amazing! I've never seen so many flowers."

"Gotta get some thermo-bands," I tucked one of my fingers under one of the shiny synthetic bands wrapped over my collarbone. "It feels weird on your chest but it beats sweating on everything."

"Yes, that does seem a fair tradeoff," Dr. Clay Fox bobbed his head. "I'm beginning to regret our initial decision to turn them down when we arrived. I assumed we'd be indoors the majority of the time, but what's the point of visiting a new planet if you're too hot to explore during your off time?"