Faune purred, chin resting on her paws and tail curling and uncurling. Her paladin rested against her, fast asleep with her laptop sliding off her lap. Pidge muttered in her sleep, shifting slightly. Faune caught the laptop in her paw so it wouldn't clatter on the metal flooring and wake the paladin she had tried so hard to get to sleep.

"Faune..."

Said lion looked up and purred. "Spirit. Lay with me."

Spirit sighed, sitting in front of her. "This paladin is not a cub. She's nearly full grown and is not a lion."

Faune's ears flicked back and her eyes widened cutely. "But she's so little and acts just like a cub!" She curled tighter around her paladin. "She's much more like a cub then Lurane."

Spirit hummed. "Your last paladin. She was more serious and mature."

"Battle-worn." Faune raised her head. "She lost her innocence and childish curiosity after just a few battles. Granted, they were awful battles, but Pidge is very strong and is still so playful and kind, even after loosing her father and brother and being torn from home by Cloade-"

"I heard that!"

"Good. I just want to protect her." Faune rubbed her nose into Pidge's hair. "I miss having my own cub, so I suppose I'm just..."

"Putting all that motherly affection on your paladin." Spirit mused and curled around his mate and her paladin. Faune purred, her emerald eyes sparkling at him. "Faune... You know you're healed now..."

She immediately saddened looked down. "We can't try for another of our own, Spirit. You should know that. We have a duty to our paladins to always be prepared for battle. A cub will prevent that... Even if we really want one."

Spirit rested his chin on her shoulders and rubbed his head against her cheek as she leaned back. "I know. I shouldn't have suggested."

"Paladins!" Adaoe gleefully shouted, pouncing to his paws and bounding over to the opening hangar door.

Faune whined as her paladin jolted awake. She meowed, trying to pull Pidge back.

"Oh, geez." Pidge stumbled to her feet, gently pushing Faune's paws away. "Sorry, Faune. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Faune fell over, defeated. Spirit purred, watching in amusement.

Shiro stepped forward, closer to Pidge. "We need to get the lions back, uhm... in the lions." Pidge tilted her head and the five lions looked towards the black paladin. "A Galra ship set their tracker to us."

~

Faune hated this more than anything. Fighting. She hated it. Fighting was the only thing she hated about being a Lion of Voltron. But she still guided her paladin as best as she could through the fight as well as staying as close as possible to her pride.

Keith and Pelae were, of course, barreling head-on into the Galra ships and drones while Cloade and Lance froze them. Hunk and Adaoe crushed as many Galra as they could while Spirit and Shiro sliced with their jaw blade.

Faune and Pidge blasted away, covering their teammate's backs.

However, they weren't expecting a blast from below. Faune roared, the blast physically hurting her. Pidge screamed, being tossed out of her seat and onto the control panel.

"Katie!" Shiro shouted, pulling Spirit back. "Katie, what's going on!?"

"W-we were hit! We'll be fine- I think..." The small paladin pushed herself up and bak into her seat, hand over her abdomen. "Ow, ow..."

"Hunk, cover Pidge!" Keith shouted. "She got more coming up under her!"

Hunk grunted and dove Adaoe down. "Got it! I'm comin', Pidge!"

"Imma need it. Thanks, Hunk." Pidge reached for her controls, then blinked. "Uhm, guys... Faune's not speaking to me..."

"What?" Lance pulled down and around some drones, blasting them into ice. "What do you mean?"

Pidge grunted as she shifted the lever. "She's not responding! My lion isn't responding!"

"Shit!" Keith pulled back. "Shiro! I'll get Pidge and Faune back to the castle! Hold them and I'll be right back!"

"Hurry, Keith! We'll cover you!" Shiro blocked blasts aimed at Keith and Pidge.

Pidge grunted as another blast shook her lion. "Shit, guys... I think something's happened to her actual body."

Keith eased both their lions back into the hangars. Pidge hurried out of her lion and out to open the pod designed to keep the actual lions safe.

"Oh no!"

Coran dashed into the hanger. "What is it!? Don't tell me the pod was penetrated!"

Pidge tried pulling Faune out, but ended up needing Keith and Coran's help.

A sharp sharp of metal was embedded into Faune's abdomen.

"Quiznak," Coran cursed. "Keith, tell everyone to keep fighting, and that you're not going back out."

"What!?" Keith jerked back. "Why!?"

Coran pointed at Faune. She was unconscious and her breathing was shallow and ragged. "She needs one of her own to comfort her right now, even if it's Pelae. She can't have just number five and I fixing this, she needs one of her own."

Keith grit his teeth, but quickly nodded. "Guys, I can't come back out. Faune's seriously injured and she apparently needs another lion with her, so I'm getting Pelae out."

Pidge took off her helmet, so she didn't hear the other's responses as Keith went to get Pelae. Coran held out a white cloth. "Keep pressure around the metal, but don't take it out. I'll do that, but I need to go get everything else for the wound."

"Why can't we put her in a pod?" Pidge did as asked, gently pressing down with the cloth around the wound.

Coran sighed. "The pods in the castle won't be able to hold her and the pods in the other lions were designed to each lion. Her pod is damaged, so she'll have to heal the old fashioned way until we can repair her pod."

Pidge gulped. "And so the green lion won't be able to fly until then..."

"Correct. Now, I will go get everything we need." As Coran rushed out, Pelae bounded over.

The red lion meowed as she curled around Faune. She tucked her front leg under Faune's head and licked between her ears. Faune whined, her eyes cracking open. She meowed in return to Pelae. Pelae's ears flattened and she rubbed their cheeks together.

"Another way you and your lion are different." Pidge looked up at Keith. "Pelae's more affectionate."

Keith huffed and crossed his arms, pouting as he looked away.