Lost

Lecturing on Fatherhood

"Ilk-smeet!"

"Ilkieeee!"

"Raaaaaaaawwr!"

At first, it wasn't that hard to follow her track, they just had to follow her footprints, but it seemed she had caught on and the trail ended a few meters ahead. So now the trio resorted to calling out. It was cold and dark out there, so they better find her fast before anything else did.

"Okay, if I were an emotionally wrecked smeetager* where would I go?" Zim asked no one in particular. He was just thinking out loud. Again.

"How about under her bed?" GIR suggested. Zim noted he wasn't acting erratically for once, though the suggestion was stupid, and he wasn't even in duty mode. Guess he really was concerned about Ilk.

Fury was holding up his head and looking around. "What's up, Fury-beast?" Zim asked him. Judging by how he was tilting his head to the sides, he guessed the indokuro had heard something and tried to see where it was coming from. "Did you find Ilk-smeet? Take us to her at once!" He didn't even need to ask for permission to get unto Fury's back, dragging GIR along just as Fury darted off through the trees until he came into a clearing with a particular rock formation.

Ilk had curled up under it, hugging her knees and hiding her face in her arms. "Ilk-smeet, there you are!" Zim cried, hopping off Fury.

"If you're going to defend him... or try to justify what he did, save it." Ilk muttered hoarsely before he could get any closer. "I don't want to hear it."

Zim was speechless. She hadn't called the Tallest 'dad'. It was even worse than he thought. "Aww, don't be sad, Ilkie." GIR was the first to go close and give Ilk a hug. She didn't push him away, prompting Fury to approach and rub his head against her body, purring. Zim wanted to go close, but he wasn't sure if she'd want him to touch her.

Zim was aware of his... egomaniac tendencies. He was Zim, after greatest Invader the Empire ever had, of course, he'd be proud of all his achievements and rub it into everyone's faces. Nobody could ever hope to beat him. The Almighty Tallest themselves had sent him on a secret mission because of this.

None of his fellow Irkens seemed to notice, though. He was always left out of big events, tossed aside while they did everything they could to embarrass him in front of his Tallest, particularly Larb. Damn you, Larb! Then there were the others who avoided him and tried to pretend he didn't exist at all, feeling threatened and overshadow by Zim's awesomeness. Irk, even the Sobr-beasts, one of the Empire's most notable enemies, were more aware of Zim's incredible skill and talent and treated him with the admiration and respect he deserved.

Ilk was a different matter. She was nice, she looked up to him and she stood up for him in front of his leaders. Zim seldom cared about anyone, Invaders needed no one, after all, but Ilk (and begrudgingly, GIR and Minimoose) held a special place in his squeedly-spooch for being the only true friend he had amongst his own kind. So naturally, he hated whenever she was sad.

"I'm not going to defend what Tallest Red did, Ilk-smeet," Zim spoke with an uncharacteristic seriousness and lack of reverence as he spoke of the Tallest. "Even if I actually wanted to, there's just nothing I can say that will justify it."

"How could he...?" Ilk's voice became shaky again. Zim noted she was trembling. "I never thought he'd... All because I wouldn't...! He said I was a disappointment, it's just like I imagined it...!"

Zim contained the urge to point out his Tallest hadn't meant it. Ilk just said she didn't want to hear any words that defended him. "You're not a disappointment, Ilk. You don't want to be an Invader, so what? You'll be the best at anything else!"