"There are four survey teams en route to LH387," Lor, head of the Graven Taskforce, stood in the middle of the senior operations conference room, pointing into a giant hologram hovering over the central ring. The eight-foot-tall Forged was predominantly navy blue with azalea pink claws and brilliant pink highlights. She was Oru's third and four months pregnant, with her muscular tummy beginning to plump. "Their mission is to collect samples and to perform comprehensive scans, all while minimizing contact with the planet's inhabitants."

She scrolled through a series of freeze-frame images of a black field plucked from the original recordings. The Graven matter was highly concerning, and I had even volunteered my services for dealing with the problem when the threat was first presented.

However, today I struggled to keep my eyes open.

"It's our intention to develop a viable detection algorithm that will integrate into our primary orbital and helmet scanners," Lor continued, standing amidst a compilation of technical diagrams and lines of code. Her silver waist armor jingled as her hips swayed. The light from the reflection hit my eyes and the flicker of Mourning Crow's wet iridescent skin slithered to the forefront of my mind.

The tips of my touch-quills grew warm on the side of my face and I immediately clenched my fists to ward off the insidious thoughts, only to be reminded of a more recent humiliation. I cut my hand on my axe this morning.

I'd never made such a youngblood mistake. I was performing my routine sharpening this morning and slashed open the inside of my palm. The pain was nominal and the wound was barely worthy of attention, but the personal shame continued to fester.

"We're also rebooting a previously abandoned personal shielding device, for emergency Graven protection only," Lor's holo-presentation illustrated a three-century-old blueprint of the scrapped mechanism designed to work in tandem with our armor's weapon recharging system. "Like U'la'ke DNA siphoning, Graven contamination cannot be permitted."

"It should be known," Lor turned sternly to her fellow council members, fully prepared to abate their justified objections. "This is a temporary, and mandatory directive from Medical Prime. This device can and will ONLY become active if a Zhaguai's helmet proximity scanners are triggered. Until we collect more data and develop an effective means of termination, there will be NO contact with the Graven beyond the purview of my taskforce. If you take issue, go and see how far your bitching takes you in Medical's chain of command."

Lor was always at her best when she was eviscerating insolence.

"Thankfully," Lor roamed the inner holo-circle, highlighting the video recordings of the battle collected in Eh'kt's helmet. "Our brother, Eh'kt, had the presence of mind to put his clan over his own glory. This sacrifice has provided us with a significant advantage and has enabled my taskforce to act with the utmost efficiency." Lor directed this very matriarchal statement to Oru. Her point had merit. Sadly, the majority of my brothers would have adhered to tradition and focused solely on completing the ritual.

"I will make a note of this in the next grand assembly," Oru nodded. "Eh'kt's loyalty will be rewarded appropriately."

How is it that a guy I never heard of before the Nexus Melee, is now hovering on everyone's lips almost hourly?

My ears burned with the echoes of his mate's lewd moans. The way she breathed while riding him, Eh'kt pinned on his back completely submissive and groaning like a female vau'puk in heat... the tremor in the Mourning Crow's legs. My brain flooded once again with that fucking image of her struggling and popping all the way down, landing on the bottom with a satisfied wiggle.

I dug my thumb claw into my palm, opening my wound again. It was the only way to mask my licentious scent.

When will this end?

I wiped a long blue blood smear across my thigh, intentionally sticking closer toward the inside. Then I made a small show to my curious neighbors seated beside me of being annoyed by the minor cut and returned to being ignored.

"Where do we stand on the location of Menthla?" Oru changed the subject upon the conclusion of Lor's presentation.

"Not well," Noug'uk, the Institute's chief inspector, stood up. He was six-and-half-foot-tall, burly, double-horned, and speckled in shades of green. "Our interrogations of the razkur have been productive and we've detected no indications of deception."

"But you've made no progress," Oru intoned.

"She omits unique details intentionally," Noug'uk elaborated. "But is upfront when she makes exclusions. We've cross-referenced all known star charts with the limited details collected, but the potential planetary matches are too extensive, even to attempt interplanetary surveys with multiple long-distant probes."

I understood the necessity for gaining access to Menthla. The potential threat was obvious, not to mention the possibilities for Jahaa's honor. Mourning Crow made that evident when she called out the scars I've carried since my tail wagging days and how easily she disassembled Renas.

How many centuries have passed since our people faced a truly enigmatic challenge?

My thoughts converged on the moment when I first spotted the pair. The lagoon was empty, at least it appeared to be. I had completed negotiations with the docking administration early and all I craved was cool water and silence. Then I heard a sound like someone being injured only to discover those two hidden amongst the stones.

She wasn't aware of me...? No, I'm certain of it... She wouldn't have ignored me... and I was completely out of Eh'kt's vision.

If it were me mating with a woman, I would have roared off any intruder.

My face and quills became hot with embarrassment and doubt.

And what the fuck were they doing there, anyway?!!

It's not my lagoon, but no one ever goes there!

I sat with my arms crossed, grinding my fangs in incoherent ire.

Didn't the reports claim her people disdained being submerged in water?

No. She didn't hear me. I was right to stand still!

It must have been the collision between being submerged in cold water and the deafening sound coming off the waterfall. My heart raced at the notion of an entire world populated by a species with such keen senses that could only be negated by the exploitation of a singular and specific conjunction of circumstances. I commiserated with Oru's mission to locate Menthla, while simultaneously begging the universe that I might never cross paths with another razkur again.

"Why are we wasting time and resources playing games with this razkur?" Morv, one of the younger Forged warriors snarled over my shoulder. "You get ahead of yourself, Oru! We couldn't do anything worthwhile on Menthla, even if the razkur flew us to her homeworld personally tomorrow. Our efforts are better spent focused on the Graven threat until all the necessary upgrades are developed and distributed."

I snapped to attention, swinging my long quills wide and loud.

"Do you have soo little confidence in Jahaa and its leader?!" I lunged at him bellowing spittle. "Oru's first priority is the prosperity and protection of Jahaa. We're more than capable of performing two tasks at once!"

Oru eyed me silently.

This wasn't my first excessive outburst since that day by the waterfall. I broke the resistance lift yesterday at the fitness chamber in a futile attempt to sweat out unwanted thoughts.

I rubbed my cut again, this time to reinforce my disgrace. That day in the water was the first time I'd ever ran away from a confrontation and now, in front of Oru, I was shouting like a petulant pup.

Morv dropped his objection and leaned back in his chair.

"Right then," Oru kept her opinions to herself. "Speaking of upgrades." She opened the floor to the Institute technicians.

"Elder Oru," a lavender and yellow Zhaguai woman I didn't recognize by name, lowered her head respectfully. Several of her markings were pale and fresh, indicating she'd recently progressed through a number of promotions.

To be honest, I've never fully grasped the nuances of the scientific hierarchy. They engage in honorable challenges like all civilized Zhaguai, but not for trophies. Their quarry was new technology, resources, and information. They also held their own exhibitions separate from the general community. The Institute insisted on it. They refused the drudgery of explaining all the subtleties of their achievements to a room packed full of grunting, sharp-toothed males.

"Increased sound dampening is currently at sixty-eight percent," the lavender engineer explained. "We estimate the first mass circulation of upgrades will proceed within the next month."

"And the addition of echolocation into our helm optics?" Oru was particularly captivated by this enhancement. According to Mourning Crow, a prosthetic equivalent for this technology predated all other forms of recording on her homeworld as it was a necessity for deaf razkurs.

"Our progress is less than optimal, Elder," the lavender engineer lowered her head. "Our most recent prototype is less than twelve percent effective, with erratic returns over extended distances. There are also numerous errors presented when we attempt to translate the algorithm into our natural spectrums."

Oru tapped her claws in annoyance.

"Too bad we can't petition one of our sister clans for access to the technology," I grumbled offhand. Despite my shitty day, I was second in command of Clan Jahaa and maintained the privilege of speaking my mind freely. "I'd make the challenge personally."

Oru's orange eyes went wide and glared at me.

Fuck. When will I learn to take the loss and walk away?

I wanted this entire day to come to an end, better yet, the whole damn week.

I was bored out of my mind before the Nexus and now I could barely sleep... in going on three days. Plus, my appetite was spotty. I'd get hungry but then two bites into any meal my stomach would get cringy. I glanced down at my waist. At least I hadn't had to readjust my belt size.

I tried to not doze off during the engineer's report.

With my current luck, I probably wind up snoring only to be awoken abruptly by another mortifying wet dream.

Another memory rolled in like an ominous tide. Eh'kt when he finished.

How could he have enjoyed that? Being laid out flat and dominated? And how was he not dead from that amount of fluid loss?

I shook my head in disgust.

"On to the event we've all been looking forward to," Oru perked up after dismissing the lavender engineer. "The Annual Convergence!"

"Like you all," Groon, Oru's fifth and Lead Administrator of The Convergence Committee, entered the central holo ring. "We are counting down the days!"

Groon was a brown and magenta streaked Elder with countless scars, a prosthetic eye, and possessed those telltale black and blue-tipped long tendrils that Zhaguai gain after a dozen centuries.

Oru surprised many when she invited him into her inner circle, due to his chipper nature and carefree attitude toward drinking, but I knew better. Groon trained me during my final cycle before my first Dread Rite. He knew how to appreciate the good times and celebrate in glory, but he was also a loyal warrior whom you never wanted to cross and get on his bad side.

"Attendance will be high," Groon flung up his roster on the oversized holo. "We've got our standard issue official delegates from Clans Celcho, Iquen, Ervo from Oja Crux. As well as a substantially larger troupe compared to last cycle, arriving from the all-female Clan Asepa of Tecu. Fair to say, we performed well above their high standards!"

Groon grinned while the room nodded in satisfaction. "And what would The Convergence be without Clan Vesu with their complement of hounds?" Groon gave time for jovial laughter to circulate throughout the room. "We expect their convoy from Komis to arrive one day early."

"Where do we stand on the auxiliary orbital docking capacity?" Oru direct at me.

"We're..." I failed to respond preemptively and scrambled through the menus on my wristcomm. "Well within clearance and fully prepared for the usual last-minute stragglers."

Even Groon was staring at me sideways.

"Lodging accommodations for all the delegates are already..." The words blundered out of my mouth. "Er... prearranged."

The universe did grant me one mercy today. At least I wasn't off-world propagating fear of the Nexus. I surely would have met my end.

"Glad to hear it," Groon smirked, still eyeing me quizzically. "I've heard rumors from Clan Yeros that a herd of freshly tailless males out of Otwat are aiming to make their debut into the eternal bloodline. Doubt they'll have the courtesy or attention span to apply for an official RSVP."

Groon dipped his head to Oru and the rest of the council and deactivated his holos.

"Meeting adjourned," Oru thumped her fist twice on the arm of her large black chair.

Finally, it was over.

I took my time standing up. It was lunchtime, but I wasn't hungry. Better to let the room clear out and exit quietly.

I took a long stretch and then fiddled with my wristcomm to confirm that there were no other meetings on my schedule for the remainder of the day. Nothing. Maybe a long workout followed by another attempt at a nap?

I shook my head and turned around, only to bump directly into Oru.

"Elder!" Fuck! I made sure I didn't nearly knock her down.

"No harm," Oru crinkled a slender smile. "Shale..."

I know, I know, you don't have to say it.

"I've never seen you so anxious in the lead-up to The Convergence," Oru stood at eye level with me, but in this moment she felt a thousand feet tall. "That extended Dread must have reinvigorated the fatigue in your blood. I'm pleased it worked out."

This was worse than when I was a pup getting scolded by my bearer. Oru wasn't mad, but I hated that my actions compelled her to comment on my behavior.

"Though I don't think I've ever witnessed you this cranky," my Supreme Elder and leader chittered to lighten the mood, but her criticism penetrated like searing knives. "I noticed you haven't yet signed up for any of The Convergence events."

Her razored gaze wandered up and down all over me, undoubtedly not missing a thing. "I know at this point it's more of an obligation, but it's good for the Clan to see at least one of the high council out on the arena battlefield tangibly contributing to Jahaa's future."

"I... uh," there was no excuse. The sign-up completely slipped my mind.

"I know this last cycle has been demanding on you," Oru's voice softened. "I'd ask one of the others, but Aubie is my voice on Oja Crux this cycle. Groon and his mate are focused on their newborn son and will be until the boy's Blood Oath. As for Lor, well, that'd be redundant and not safe at this stage."

"No, I understand," I lowered my head, feeling like a negligent asshole.

"I will speak to my mate, E'pire, about me subbing for you in the next cycle," Oru brightened her eyes and patted my shoulder. "She and I are long overdue for a new offspring! Take care, Shale."

Then she left me alone in the conference room.

That's true. The Convergence. I completely forgot.

Nothing rids the mind of clutter like screwing an ovulating Zhaguai!

My afternoon workout proved unproductive. I didn't break anything but I was fidgety and unable to settle my turbulent thoughts. Plus, there was one minor awkward encounter to break up my torment. I ran into my friend, Warha, the one I have a standing weekly afternoon sparring session with, but abruptly canceled first thing this morning because I didn't trust myself in the ring. The situation was smoothed over, I think. I'd make a point to let him beat the shit out of me in our session next week.

I entered my split-level bungalow's hygiene chamber and turned on the shower. The water felt good rolling down my back and dribbling over my face. My palm was nearly healed, at least that was one humiliation I would imminently be released.

The constant drone of the water put my nerves at ease.

The noise from the waterfall was plenty to conceal my presence... She didn't see me...

It was an empty reassurance, but repeating the mantra was my refuge from the tension.

I turned up the heat and water pressure while positioning my body in the center, then I shut off the heater and stood under the downpour of ice-cold water.

Yes. This is the best.

I loathed being hot. My best battles were when I was on my own, stalking the frozen tundra. But I also appreciated the shock of a sharp drop in temperature.

My hand wandered down to the three old scars slashed diagonally below my belly button.

"No doubt, wherever you are, Tharu," I spoke to my long-dead twin brother. "You're laughing your ass off."

I pressed my horns and forearms against the cool metal wall.

"The Convergence is less than a week and a half away," I imagined my brother smirking at me from the corner. "I just need to hold out until then."

I covered myself in soap and began scrubbing between my horns and long quills.

"I've endured my fair share of hormonal irritability, granted, that was centuries ago when I was a tail-wagging teenager. You missed out on that," I glanced at the empty shower corner. "Few Zhaguai milestones compare to the misery of being on the cusp of mating season."

Droplets echoed as they splashed near my feet.

That day in the shallows, I had nowhere to hide. I'd landed too close and it was pointless to shift my scale color in the water.

I grit my teeth and allowed those infernal memories to desecrate my thoughts once again.

Mourning Crow with her belly up and mounted on Eh'kt like a frog about to be dissected, but despite that, she was the one in control.

I could smell her, even with her body slick and dripping with water. Sweet like a flower, but mildly tart like a newly budded unripened fruit. Black ziote buds, that was the closest. A sugar-scented flower that bloomed on vines in the early spring.

Mourning Crow had her legs wide open, angled forward, and on full display to Eh'kt. Their juices were sticking between them as her glistening, muscled abdomen bounced and writhed in ecstasy. She'd contorted her body into an obscene mechanism purely to render pleasure to her mate.

That's not how Zhaguai women like to be taken. No, they make you earn the honor of access and demand their partner prove their dominance.

Mourning Crow only arched her head and spine back without concern or compunction. She gave Eh'kt everything and mandated nothing. Just quivering happily on each descent and stretching her lower lips to their limit in order to take in his full length.

Rumor has it, they can't even breed yet.

I recalled Mourning Crow's final plunge, her knees wobbling when she squeezed all the way down, and then Eh'kt...

I've cum many times inside women, but never anywhere near that amount.

Maybe she was too tight to hold all of him in?

"Uuuhhhggg..!!" My dick went rock hard.

I double over from the searing ache. The surge shot up into my gut and straight down through my thighs.

I growled with a thump of my fist on the metal wall and took hold of my painful hard-on. In seconds, I was lost. My sense of self devolved into a flurry of heated breaths and the churn of rushing blood.

Dammit, I could hear my own pulse ricochet off the black metal walls.

Needed to make it stop. Needed... to...

The emergency communication buzzer on my wristcomm went off.

I pulled myself up, wiped my hand off, and went to respond.

"Come, Come!" Oru waved me into her office.

What fresh bonfires did she need me to snuff out now, and why was she soo damned excited?

"I know how to gain access to Menthla!" Oru's orange eyes flickered and crackled like lightning. "I've already begun preliminary back-channels with the Supreme Nexus Matriarchy."

"What!" My mouth dropped open. Was she insane? "Why? What the hell happened? I've only been gone for a few hours."

I knew Oru was passionate about the project, but leapfrogging the Council of Ancients and going straight to the tippy-top overseeing matriarchs was beyond reckless! Had I any inkling that her fixation was this severe, I would have intervened sooner. As her Adjutant, it was my duty to ensure Oru's persistence didn't tread into suicidal obsession.

"This was all a byproduct of your effortless genius!" Oru darted back and forth between several holo screens, pulling up all manner of archaic legal legislations.

"What? How?" I threw my hands up in denial. "I didn't do-"

Oru slapped the sides of my arms emphatically. "Even on your worst day, you're at your best!"

"Thank you...?" Whatever lunacy this was, I was in it neck deep. First, they'd hack off Oru's head, followed by mine rolling across the chopping block immediately after.

"I need you to get on the line with your closest clan counterparts and put out a few feelers," Oru sent out a priority request to her aides for the retrieval of specific ancient text from the Jahaa's Central Archives. "No details! The vaguer the better."

"And what exactly am I being vague about?"

"Oh! I left out the good part," Oru stopped moving and laughed. Then she turned to me and flashing her fangs into a menacing smile. "We're going to formally invite Menthla into the Eternal Nexus."

Nope. I stand corrected. Oru was insane and not for overexerting her privilege.

"It's like you said this morning," Oru jaunted back to her desk.

Please don't make me read back the transcript.

"Why can't we petition for civil combat to claim access to our sister clan's technology?"

"Many human corporations possess technology that we lack," I stepped forward. "Zhaguai do not ask permission from weaker species."

"Of course not," Oru agreed.

"You think razkurs are equals?" I clenched my jaw. Our clan was notoriously faithless, but this conversation was edging on blasphemous.

"I think their adaptability is equal to ours. I think their pups could eat us for breakfast. I think it's unprecedented that not only did they achieve artificial intelligence but have also peacefully incorporated the synthetic race into their own society seamlessly," Oru straightened her spine and stared at me seriously. "And I think the adult we saw in the grand hall, while she is clearly a highly skilled anomaly, demonstrates their vast potential. We have a choice. We can sit on our asses, waiting countless unknown cycles for a slim shot at combating their kind one-on-one and risk the very strong possibility they will rise to the challenge and expand into an even greater threat to our dominion."

Oru raised her hand before I could point out her lack of trust in Zhaguai might.

"I know we would overcome," Oru continued. "But is it worth it? There are honorable justifications for war, even when there is little remaining in the aftermath. Do you believe our cause would be righteous in instigating one under these circumstances?"

It's difficult arguing with matriarch logic. They're cursed with visions of the big picture. The fallout, the gains, the unintentional pitfalls, and in this case, the ever-encroaching struggle with entropy that every culture entrenched in ancient traditions was susceptible to.

I eventually sighed. "Many will view the inclusion of an off-world species as a concession of weakness."

"I recall hearing those same arguments when DNA manipulation first came into play," Oru retorted slyly.

Was this really an initiative I was willing to stake my life on?

"According to the razkur," I tried scouring all the angles, knowing full well Oru had already ticked all the checkboxes. I needed her to bring me up to speed. "Menthla isn't controlled by a cohesive government."

"Neither is the Nexus," Oru pointed out. "Clan Usag still resents Jahaa for our lack of faith. Clans Oshee and Hiqua are still locked in their blood feud. And we needn't bring up the banishment of Clan Ungri. It would be no different with the factions and city-states of Menthla."

"At the minimum," I couldn't believe I was actually warming up to this absurdity. "It would only be a formal introduction. Menthla may outright reject our invite. Or our offer may only be of interest to one or two of their factions."

"Either way," Oru swayed her hips proudly. "We will gain unlimited access to the razkurs along with options for attaining their technology."

"This doesn't guarantee Mourning Crow will consent." I hated playing the role of the wet blanket, but I am my Elder's Adjutant.

"True," Oru's chest thrummed pensively. "I still require leverage to secure her approval. But one problem at a time. Negotiations with Mourning Crow are irrelevant without the blessings of our superiors."

Perhaps Eh'kt was the key to persuading the razkur? He was the last Zhaguai I wished to speak to, but I would summon the nerve for Oru.

"Even with the council and the matriarch's approval," as her Adjutant, I was obligated to highlight our largest hurdle. "We'll be on our own. The Nexus won't offer any assistance."

"Then Jahaa will lead," Oru laid her hand on my shoulder, smiling wide with conviction. "As it always does."

"What precisely do you require from my counterparts?" There was no point in opposing her momentum. Oru was my Supreme Elder, I would serve her leadership into the death.

"Two things to start," Oru swished up her primary strategy for her political attack onto the main holo. "First, legal precedent. I need accurate wording, I don't care how old or antiquated. Second, and this one will be dicey. Support. But no personnel or equipment. No other clan puts claws on the ground before Jahaa! What we need are more voices whispering in our favor."

"Vague. No details," I confirmed. "I will regard our objective as classified."

Oru supplied me with a compilation of documents and we brainstormed over a few mutually agreed upon obfuscating vocabulary for my cross-clan friendly check-ins. I refrained from offering my insights on Eh'kt's potential utility for dealing with Mourning Crow. It was a topic best left untouched until after The Convergence.

"Shale," Oru called out to me before I departed her office. "When this happens, and it will. You will be my voice on Menthla. Be sure to review the razkur's recordings and documents thoroughly. The honor of Jahaa demands that you possess intimate knowledge of Menthla and its people."

My chest stiffened and the edges of my vision started to grey out.

Oru tapped open the menu on her wristcomm. "I tasked E'pire with overseeing Mourning Crow's training for the Dread Rite, with an emphasis on principles and combat customs. I'll forward you their schedule. Stop by, observe, insert yourself into her training, and lay bare any of the razkur's weaknesses. It's imperative that she cooperates when we're ready."

"Yes, my Elder," Fuuuuuuck...

"E'pire's got her running non-stop ambiguous scenario simulations, it's the perfect time to familiarize yourself with Mourning Crow's psyche and get to know her inside and out."

.

.

.

TRANSLATIONS:

U'la'ke = alien cat species that are mortal enemies of the Zhaguai that have stinger tails with paralytic venom. Known as "The Felija" to humans. They live in large Prides. The Lieges are the biggest, are both sexes, have large manes, and thirteen tails.

Vau'puk = large wild cat-like creature  

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading.

If you're enjoying please remember to click the ⭐star⭐to vote and help others discover this book. Wattpad counts votes for each chapter. 

And as always, comments are most appreciated.

~A. E. Shelly (a.k.a. Oloo)