Child of the Xenomorph

10

J'Khati-

I couldn't believe it. We had won.

My Hive swarmed into my new chamber, cheering and whooping. Of course there would have to be maintenance, because of all the corpses, but that could wait.

Joy filled my heart. I whipped my tail back and forth in excitement and love for my Hive.

But there was sadness too. Below the surface joy that I felt now there was a deep and penetrative sorrow. My mother had died. She died for what she believed was right, but the humans had turned dark. There would be a mourning ceremony, of course. And the Hive would take the customary three days of weeping for our lost Queen.

There was also the condition of the Xenomorphs themselves. Their exoskeleton hung from their flesh, and they all made creaking noises when they walked, a clear sign of extreme starvation. The familiar rage rose within me. Those disgusting creatures that did this would pay. I know they were still alive, waiting, planning. We had to strike first, or we would all suffer once more.

My darling daughter, Ember, shoved through the thick crowd of partying Xenos.

"Excuse me!" Her shrill voice pierced through the deeper voices. Once she hiked her way past the jungle of bodies, she bounded over to me. That was the thing with my daughter. She never just walked. Every movement she did was in a leap or a bound. Oh, how she reminded me of Fecta.

"We won, mommy! We won!" She yelped excitedly, darting in and out from around my hind legs, her neck craning to look up at my towering form.

My rage diminished, love and adoration overcoming it. I swooped her into my arms, lifting her up to my head. We bumped domes, and I blew on her head. She giggled, her tiny white fangs flashing.

"That we did, baby," I cooed. "That we did."

That's when Tsalken's voice pierced my mind. 'Shaniya has been badly injured,' he said. 'I'm taking her to the kinder human colony, to see if they will help her.'

'They'll kill you,' I said, worry overcoming me. I set Ember down gently before I could drop her. She ran off to play with the other hatchlings.

'I have to try,' he said grimly. 'I love her, J'Khati.'

I wasn't remotely surprised. I had been so amused by all of the glances he stole at her when she wasn't looking. 'I wish you a safe travel,' I said sadly. 'Take care of my sister, Tsalken.'

Tsalken-

I ran for a day straight. I was amazed at how Shaniya managed to stay alive. My arms screamed in pain from carrying her for so long, but I pushed past it. It was a small pain in comparison to the amount I would feel if I failed my mission.

At last, the human village rose from the shrublands. I thought it would never come. I had only assumed where it was, based on where the girl I rescued had been. By some miracle, I had guessed right. For once, fortune was smiling upon me.

The village was surrounded by a forbidding wooden wall. There was a gate, with two human guards standing on either side of it. At the sight of me, they shouted, and rose their deadly weapons.

"Please," I pleaded, forgetting it would mean nothing but a trill to them. I held up the dying form of Shaniya in my arms. The blood had scabbed, but that didn't make her body any less bad looking.

The humans shouted among one another, until they walked up to me. They still had their guns out, which made me nervous, and I started to shake.

I have to be brave, I thought. For Shaniya.