Episode Twenty Nine - Mother

Chapter Song Suggestion "Everything A Reason by Richard Luke"

*note : all dialogues like so {example} are spoken from the predator's perspective

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THE PAST | Eira

"What are you doing out here all alone?" Freya, her instructor joined her on the rooftop.

Eira's smile spoke of deep-seated sadness. "Today is the anniversary of my parents' death."

"Ah," Freya nodded sympathetically. She was the only one whom Eira had willingly opened up and explained her side of the story. They both looked out into the open desert — an endless ocean of sand. "Do you still blame yourself for their deaths?"

"I'll never stop even if you tell me a hundred times that it wasn't my fault," Eira remarked fiercely. "Even if I didn't kill them with my own hands, the fact that I disobeyed them and went out hunting on my own...," she trailed off, letting the sentence speak for itself.

"And you believe that killing the clawtail will absolve you of your guilt?"

"I'm aware that killing it won't bring back the past — my parents, my brother and my tribe — they are all lost to me now," Eira said pensively. "But I do believe that killing the clawtail will give me some measure of peace. It has tormented my soul for years. All I want is peace."

"Answer me honestly, does your hatred extend solely to that clawtail responsible or do you hate its entire species?"

Eira cast Freya a nonsensical look. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Just answer the question, Eira."

She wasn't certain why her answer seemed so important judging by the severe line of Freya's lips. The woman was always full of smiles. Digging deep, Eira answered carefully. "I would be lying if I said I have the heart of an angel to forgive and forget. This burning hatred inside me...it's something I've been carrying for years. I can't just throw it away. A person can't change hatred to love or love to hatred overnight. Time is needed for everything."

"That's true," Freya conceded. "Then I suppose if you are to heal from within, perhaps a touch of innocence is needed to mend a broken heart."

"You say the strangest things, Freya," Eira chuckled earnestly. She admitted, talking with Freya always made her heart feel lighter.

"You'll know what I mean when it happens to you. There is a saying, to fight fire one must also use fire. But I think it's that's the stupidest advice that only leads to more pain and tragedy. Sometimes, all you need is a single touch of tenderness to conquer the world."

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PRESENT DAY

It took four days for Eira to recover.

Lars had been drifting in and out of sleep when he felt a piercing stare on his face. Glancing through one half-mast eye, he found sparkling emerald eyes watching him. He jerked awake, sending her tumbling out of his arms. "Ack!" Eira yelped.

"Eira! You're awake!"

She released a soft groan, still sore and aching as Lars quickly righted her position, his hand ghosting over her forehead, sweeping aside her – very red, not pink – hair and feeling her pulse. At this point, Lars couldn't explain what was going on with her body. He was only grateful she was alive and lucid. "How are you feeling?"

Dryness scraped along her throat as if she had swallowed sawdust and her mouth was cottony. Testing her jaws, she uttered the first question that came to mind. "Why are…you here?"

She stiffened perceptibly when his eyes hardened to amber coals. "You were lucky that I found you in time," he said a little harsher than he intended. "What were you thinking to hunt the clawtail on your own! Do you not care for your life at all?"

"I-I…," Eira was unable to answer in the face of his wrath. She swallowed hard, instinctively knowing it was better to keep quiet for now. Lars was absolutely furious. It was the first time she had been subjected to his unknown temper.

"We'll discuss this later when we return to base," he remarked curtly – his words cold but, his actions spoke otherwise. He fussed over her, wrapped her in his coat and checked her overall condition. "Tell me honestly, how do you feel?"

"There are slight pains here and there but, otherwise I think I feel…fine?"

He released a heavy sigh. "You're not sure?"

"Maybe I do feel a little numb," she admitted meekly.

Lars grabbed the water can at his side, uncapping the lid and holding it to her lips. "Take small sips. You haven't had anything in the last four days."

"Four days?" she murmured, aghast. Throat bobbing, she drank until he was satisfied.

"Eira, there's something I need to ask." A seriousness gripped his voice, and she couldn't resist meeting his gaze. "What happened that night? I could have sworn you were dead."

Had she truly died? Eira raked her memories, the battle with the two clawtails returning to her. She had defeated them at the cost of her arm, and possibly her life. But why wasn't she in more pain? For a person who had miraculously regained a second chance at life, should she be feeling this hale and hearty?

"Am I right?" he pressed, watching a frown played across her features.

"It's possible," she answered uncertainly. "I remember killing them and when I planted that grenade inside the female clawtail, I was blown away too. I heard something before she died…something about…her cub...,"

Awareness entered his eyes. He knew something she didn't.

She cut him a blank stare. "What is it, Lars?"

"I'm beginning to understand what is happening." He grabbed a corner of the coat shielding her torso. "Don't be alarmed but, I think you saved that clawtail's cub."

Russet brows furrowed and her gaze searched the cave. "But I don't see it anywhere."

Shards of sunlight streamed in from the cave's mouth, portraying nothing but sandy ground, their extinguished campfire and moss veiled walls.

"That's because you've been carrying it or rather, it was latching onto you this whole time," Lars declared, flipping aside the coat to expose her healing arm.

Eira gasped and jerked back at the warm, pink bundle on her chest. "What the hell is this thing!"

"Calm down." He grabbed her shoulders. "I was more shocked than you are when I saved you with this thing attached to your body."

"What do you mean attached?" Eira didn't like how faint and hysterical she sounded. "Am I going to be like this forever?"

"I don't know." His tone edged with parallel frustration. "Four days ago, this cub was nothing but a mass of glowing gelation," he explained, then pointed at her slightly pink arm. "And four days ago, that was a stump."

That, she believed. An urge to scream lodged in her throat but she forced it down. It was hard enough not to panic. Closing her eyes, she focused on Lars's voice – the only thing that helped to calm her nerves. Take deep breaths in, she told herself.

"Whatever this organism is, it's unmistakably the clawtail's cub. And while healing you, it has developed from a fetus into a cub."

It was difficult to pretend she wasn't grossed out by the fact that this thing had been 'feeding' off on her. "Why didn't you kill it?"

"Because if I did, it would have killed you too." He observed dryly. "Do you truly hate all clawtails because one of it killed your parents?"

Eira blinked at him, unable to answer because she was feeling conflicted. A long time ago, Freya Aridottir had posed her a similar question.

Somehow, Lars understood her inner struggle and didn't push for more. "If you're feeling fine then we need to leave. It's been four days, and everyone is waiting for us back at the base. Anaelle is extremely worried about you." His words weren't meant to hurt but, it felt like needles stabbing her wounded flesh at the thought of how she had abandoned everyone. By now, they knew what she had done.

Would they look at her the same way or with contempt? Pure, honest guilt ate her from the inside out. "Why did you save me?" she blurted angrily, lashing out before he could condemn her. "Shouldn't you be happy if I die? I betrayed you! You should be mad at me, not treating me like this. I don't deserve your kindness."

Lars trapped her face in his hand, forcing her chin up as her teary eyes aligned with his. "Listen carefully, Eira. Yes, I was hurt and upset when I found out that you left just like that. Not only did you betray me, but you also betrayed the entire unit. You put everyone at risk with your selfish recklessness."

Shame filled her.

"But you are still the woman I love, and I promised to protect you. No matter what happens, I will always protect you." He released her, rising to his feet with her in his arms. "My love isn't cheap but don't assume you're forgiven. I am still very angry with you."

She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly, a strange fluttering tickled her chest and she giggled, only to turn pale at the involuntary action. What the hell was that!

"What's wrong?" Lars demanded, sensing her increasing anxiety.

Fingers trembling, Eira wondered if she was doing the right thing. She had to know what this cub was. How attached was it to her body? She touched its soft, smooth back – like warm velvet. Her hand pulled back when it twitched. A soft squeak startled them both.

She shared a curious look with Lars before touching it again and this time, she connected with it. Behind the pale pink lids, its eyeballs shifted around before they opened and stared into her own.

{Mommy.}

"Oh, fuck me." Eira fainted for the first time in twenty-five years.

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"Hurry Captain – it's this way," Koga urged anxiously, leading them into an abandoned sewage beneath Ataxia. It was dark and cold; the dilapidated moss-covered bricks mirrored its age. "I discovered this place by accident once, and it leads directly to the underground labs. No one uses it anymore except homeless individuals."

The sound of trickling water and scampering rodent feet failed to register on Lars's mind, his only focus was to get Eira inside, where it was safe and hidden. When she had blacked out, he immediately put her on Aeolus's back and returned to Ataxia after collecting a bottle of sea water to douse the cub every other hour.

"Anaelle has prepared everything in the basement. Everyone else has gone to attend the opening parade, so we don't have to worry about prying eyes."

They crossed a decrepit bridge and reached a small tunnel whereby Lars was forced to contort into a tight and uncomfortable space — half-crawling and half-sliding to get through.

"Sorry about that, Captain," Koga chuckled lightly. "It's the only way to the secret entrance." They descended a small flight of steps and came before a rusted hatch door. Grabbing onto its wheel, Koga twisted it and was pleased to hear the beautiful crank of the lock releasing.

It was a short walk to the basement room where Anaelle helped to set Eira down on a rudimentary bed. "How is her condition?" She began checking Eira's pulse and peeled back her eyelids to examine her pupils' reflexes. Anaelle made a mental note to dwell on the fact that Eira's hair was no longer pink, but full-fledged shades of burnished red and gold.

"She's recovering. Fast." Lars unstrapped his backpack, handing it to Anaelle. "The cub's in here. It detached itself after Eira connected with it." He grimaced. "I need answers to what is happening, Anaelle. And until we know for sure if this clawtail is dangerous or otherwise, the two of them will stay out of sight."

"Don't worry, I'm on it." Anaelle nodded, noticing he was leaving. "But Captain, where are you off to?"

"I need to get changed. I still owe the Colonel an explanation. I can't delay it much longer."

Koga made a noise. "We heard that the Lieutenant General was very vocal about your absence. In the end, Florian apologized to the Colonel and attended the meeting in your stead. He's even attending the opening parade as we speak."

That was news. Lars hadn't expected Florian to voluntarily shoulder his burden. Then again, it was his responsibility as Vice-Captain.

"No one forced him to do it," Anaelle was quick to add, having caught his apparent surprise. "Amongst the three of us, I think Florian felt more frustrated than we did. He wanted to help in any way that he could, Captain."

The corners of his mouth relaxed. "Then it seems I owe him a big favour."

"Leave Eira to me." Anaelle started setting up the heart rate monitor and IV fluids. "You do what you have to do, Captain."

"Thank you, Anaelle."

"Come on, Captain," Koga said. "I'll show you another way up to the dormitory."

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Beep. Beep.

She woke up to the sound of her heartbeat, lashes fluttering as her consciousness returned.

"How are you feeling?"

She twisted her head to see Anaelle bent over her dissecting table, engrossed in something. "Anaelle?"

"Do you have any headaches? Nausea? Lingering pains?"

"Umm, vi, no." She shifted on the bed, glancing around. Where was she? "I feel fine."

"You know, I'm mad about what you did." As always, Anaelle got to the heart of the matter, her words packing a punch. "But, until you're feeling more like yourself, I won't bring up the issue. Right now, I have something more important to work on, for example" — she removed the syringe of blood she had extracted from the clawtail cub — "this amazing specimen that you found."

Eira shot out of bed, recalling the events of the past twenty-four hours. "The cub!" She glanced down at her empty chest. "Where is it?"

"It's over here." Anaelle pointed to the tiny bundle on her worktable.

Skepticism laced Eira's words. "You didn't kill it, did you?"

"Of course not. A dead specimen is useless to me."

"It's a clawtail cub."

"I know."

"It…It bonded with me."

Anaelle finally lifted her gaze. "What do you mean? Bonded as in how you can communicate with –"

"It thinks I'm it's mother," Eira blurted, still reeling over it. She felt much too young to be a mother, let alone a predator's parent.

Anaelle stared at her, before dropping her gaze to the cub. "How interesting. It's capable of imprinting."

Eira's brows slanted in bafflement. "What does that mean?"

"Imprinting is a form of learning mostly studied in birds before predation. It's when a hatchling identifies with the first living thing or object that it sees, adopting it as its role model to learn how to navigate its overwhelming new world and to provide protection. In most cases, it's known as filial imprinting." For the first time in days, Anaelle beamed. "Congratulations, Eira. You are now a mother to this clawtail cub."

"What does that mean?" Eira repeated her question dumbly.

"It means that you are now responsible for this precious life." Anaelle scooped the blanketed cub and held a bottle of milk to its open mouth. "Surprisingly, its behaviour and diet are quite like an old era cat. While you were unconscious, I ran some tests and found the most bizarre connection between the two of you."

Eira waited with bated breath.

"For some reason, the both of you share the same blood."

The blood in question drained from Eira's face. "That's impossible!"

"But it's a fact." Anaelle was unwilling to argue about this. "I'll know more after I run further tests. Now that you're awake, I need another batch of blood samples from you. For me to uncover your biological connection — no pun intended — with this cub, I need you to tell me everything."