"Why so glum?" I greeted the grumbling crimson Forged warrior.

Shale sat hunched on a metal bench scrolling through a holoscreen filled with a stream of back-and-forth messages. I spotted Mourning Crow's name among the senders seconds before Shale deactivated the glowing blue letters.

Five cycles ago, I never would have dared to strike up such an informal conversation with the High Council Member, but bonding with his lifemates had made Shale much more approachable.

"Not glum, just deliberating an insoluble dilemma," Shale leaned forward to pet my hound, Dox, when she trotted up to lick his hand.

He scooted over and let me sit next to him on the bench. Like me, the Forged awaited his offspring to be released from their daily communal education.

"Though," Shale raised his brow. "Perhaps I should be the one offering sympathy after your spectacular defeat in the commissary."

"You saw?" I couldn't help but chuckle.

I'd been mindful these last five cycles to withhold my courtship overtures during the integration of Menthla into the Nexus. Lost Coyote was tasked with supervising the transition and I didn't dare interfere with her efforts.

However, all of that changed today.

She was taking on a new vocation and officially transferring to Sahei.

Now was my chance!

Mourning Crow and her sons aided me in composing a bonding song for Lost Coyote these last few months. They offered to mask my natural Zhaguai voice with backup vocals and music, but according to razkur tradition, such an intimate song must be sung solo and a cappella.

I made my first declaration this morning, decked out in my finest jewelry to present Lost Coyote with a large puugo skull for her daily morning meal. It was a known delicacy on Menthla.

As expected, this being my first attempt at a female far above my rank and station, Lost Coyote refused it.

"No," Shale shook his long quills with a laugh. "But I doubt anyone in the crowd will ever forget witnessing the spectacle of an Forged offspring of Oru screech his heart out to the female he desires. I'm told the recordings are making the rounds across all of Sahei."

"For our lifemates," I chittered with a wide grin. "We must go above and beyond."

"Hmmm," Shale agreed. "I take it Kazz'mon has extended your access to the pup."

The red-scaled Forged was kind enough to shift the subject away from my humbling performance.

"Yes," I nodded brightly. "The Doctor granted me temporary guardianship of the Blood Weaver this week while she is on Menthla training razkur doctors on Zhaguai triage techniques. I'm teaching the pup the basics of commanding hounds."

"Ah," Shale smiled. "I understand the pups had a flight test today. It is good your offspring was present to take the exam. Raven Tide speaks highly of her special awareness."

"According to Blood Weaver," I added. "Crazy Wolf excels in coding and mathematics and Raven Tide has an aptitude for defensive maneuvers."

"They should perform well today," Shale folded his arm proudly over his chest. "The boys were enthusiastic in their studies and trained extensively in the simulator."

It wasn't surprising that the twins were formidable students and displayed the makings of superior warriors. They were lankier than males their age but possessed the strength of females twice their age. According to Mourning Crow, Shale had taken the lead in mentoring their combat training. Their high scores and physical advantages would be invaluable for keeping Blood Weaver competitive throughout her standard education.

"How are you enjoying your position on my Adjutant's staff and splitting your time between Sahei and Menthla?" Shale fidgeted with his wristcomm.

"The station suits me well!" I nodded and puffed my chest. "Eh'kt is most pleased and often allows me solo assignments with razkur delegates. He claims the razkurs enjoy my presence and that I have a knack for communicating nuances of our culture in a manner they can quickly comprehend without any hint of condescension. Apparently, that was a problem with my predecessor."

"I initially accepted the job to gain more opportunity to be around Lost Coyote," I expounded. "Though, I worry with the two of them splitting off to supervise the breeding an U'la'ke strain that the razkurs can fight, the commute may work against me while I'm courting."

"I doubt their side project will interfere too much," Shale scoffed off the monumental assignment change.

"Umm... are you sure about that?" I craned my head sideways and curled my eyebrow at him. "That's not how Lost Coyote speaks of it."

Strange...

How is he unaware that Eh'kt, his own lifemate, is concluding his term as Adjutant and moving on to his own Primary position?

It's difficult to know the internal workings between another's pairing, or in this case, triad.

I could only hope and strive tirelessly for the day when I could finally share my entire world with Lost Coyote.

These last five cycles were agony, compounded by being trapped on the sidelines, watching her status soared far above mine.

When Eh'kt requested that I join his inner diplomatic circle, I leaped at the chance.

Anything to remain close to Lost Coyote!

"Claiming the razkur will not be easy," Shale regarded my situation. "I imagine it will take a great deal more than the traditional rounds of displays of strength and trophy offerings. It's good you chose to honor her people's customs and made an effort to show off your scars."

"I contemplated my tactics thoroughly," I dipped my chin in sharp satisfaction.

In truth, Lost Coyote had consumed my thoughts every night and morning.

Her scent... a tantalizing flavor of wild berries in summer. Her long shimmering hair that she wore in a high ponytail braid. The way her ears curled ever so slightly when she laughed. The delicate taps of her slender claws typing across her wristcomm. And when she fought, her muscles flexed like those big cats her people rode on Menthla.

Everything about her was sharp and observant.

Lost Coyote wasn't as tall as most female razkurs, but it was plain to see she was strong and clever, far above her counterparts.

I was powerless to hide my musk whenever she came near.

Lost Coyote's eyes were mostly white with sky-blue rings at the edges and whenever they rested in my direction, I was compelled to stare directly at them.

My only respite was when I laid out under the stars and indulged in what it would feel like to finally hold her and call her mine.

I must prove worthy.

My pride and the judgment of others were irrelevant. Lost Coyote was the one who mattered.

This is my greatest battle!

"I doubt I will ever approach Lost Coyote's achievements," I lamented.

Shale grunted in agreement.

"But there are many other methods for proving that I will be an exemplary mate."

"That is true," Shale flashed me a wistful smile, then his gaze drifted to his wristcomm.

"Has Oru had any interaction with Blood Weaver?" Shale made an odd divergence in the subjects. He was listening and fully attentive to my struggle, but his red eyes were preoccupied.

Perhaps something to do with what he was reading earlier?

"Yes," I sat up with a bounce. "The two get along quite well and we plan to visit one of the novice wilderness planets together after Oru returns from her Dread."

"I..." Shale's long quills hovered uncharacteristically in tiny twisting knots for a moment. "I have been considering inviting my bearer to meet my offspring."

She hasn't met them yet?

"An ancient forebearer," I chittered and bobbed my head. "I bet she'll bring insight galore!"

"There has been some discord among my mates over the decision," Shale confided.

"My forebearer is the only reason I survived my Dread," I admitted bluntly.

Shale went silent.

"I was E'pire's and Oru's fifth and youngest offspring, all males," I elaborated. "E'pire claimed I was the most trying."

Shale listened intently.

"I'd get cocky and take on too many targets at once with tactics far too complicated for a single pup wielding only novice weapons. But it was Hemall, my forebearer, who spotted my knack for fighting with hounds."

I thrummed and patted my leg, summing Dox's up on my knee to better rub her scaled jowls.

Shale scowled while eyeing the beautiful beast.

"According to my brothers," I did my best to recall the gathering when my older brothers pulled me aside and clued me in on the events that transpired long before I existed. "There was a rift between her and Oru, due to Hemall's religious beliefs, but the two set all that aside when it came to me and my brother's training."

"I'm nowhere near the level of Clan Vesu's warriors," I flexed a modest shrug. "But Hemall's the one who got my tactics straight. She trained me to simplify when I'm solo because I'm inclined to operate within a team. Hemall taught me balance. She gave me an outlet for stalking in the manner that came innately. From there, I learned to split my time, what battles are best faced alone, and what opponents to take on with my pack."

The crimson Forged grumbled beneath his breath, as my words weighed on him heavily.

"I assume I came out alright," I nudged his elbow, trying to lighten the mood.

"Dran!" A fluttering little voice came up fast beside me.

It was Blood Weaver.

I raised my offspring high and spun her around.

She had my long blue tiger stripes running along her back paired with Kazz'mon's striking tall slender horns, canary yellow undertones, and willowy quills tipped in electric jade.

"Did you succeed?" My pup curled into my arms.

I shook my head. "She did not yet deem me worthy."

"But you worked really hard," Blood Weaver crisscrossed her longest quills in disappointment.

"Such is the natural order when aiming for a mate who far exceeds your rank," I chittered and set her down. "But it was not a defeat. The trial is not yet completed."

"Did you get a recording," Blood Weaver looked up at me.

"Many did," Shale knelt to hug his sons when they ran up to him. "Be warned, you might never be able to unhear it."

Reluctantly, I opened up a view screen and let the pups circle around to observe my preserved humiliation.

The twin's pale ears shriveled under their quills the second my holographic fanged mouth spread wide.

"She looks terrified," Blood Weaver squinted and zoomed in on Lost Coyote's pale face.

"I didn't know razkurs could turn that pink," Raven Tide chimed in.

"That's a really big crowd," Crazy Wolf pointed to the stunned onlookers gawking behind Lost Coyote.

"This is what Mom would call bombing," Raven Tide exclaimed to his brother.

"Come now," Shale eased his offspring away before the pups could dish out any more devastating observations. "You must hunt your mid-day meal today before we begin training."

"Can I use a sword?" Raven Tide reached up to his sire.

"No," Shale took his hand.

"Can I try Dad's razor-discus today?" Crazy Wolf claimed his sire's other hand.

"No," the Forged sighed.

"Goodbye!" Blood Weaver waved at the three as they prepared to depart while nuzzling her yellow and blue-striped face into Dox's lapping maw.

"Be well, young Blood Weaver," Shale boomed down to her, and then he turned to me. "Good mating to you, my brother. Stay true to your path. Your mate will see you when she is ready."

TRANSLATIONS:

U'la'ke/Abura = alien cat species that are mortal enemies of the Zhaguai. Have stinger tails with paralytic venom. Known as "The Felija" to humans. They live in large Prides. Lieges are the biggest, are both sexes, have large manes, and thirteen tails. AlSO: a sacred predatory species that shares a symbiotic relationship with the Razkurs.

Abura = a sacred alien cat species that is a specific strain of U'la'ke born on Menthla that shares a symbiotic relationship with the Razkurs.

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