Proquess was starting to think that Shishayair provoked far too many emotions in her. Now, she was angry, protective, possessive, pleased, and secretly relieved. Before she'd bonded to him, her emotions had been simple, understandable, and comprehensible. Now everything was just muddy.

Shishayair didn't return to her immediately after being chased off by the multiheaded catdragon, though he did send her a terse warning against taking retaliation against Dread Corollary for the insult and near-injury. Since a small part of her wanted to thank the cat-dragon for putting off the decision of what to really feel about Shishayair and the whole mating flight thing, she promised that she would not make her pay for threatening him. If it had not been for that small part, however, she might not have listened: after all, a larger part of her wanted to shred the catdragon.

He returned to her after flying around the deck several times. Proquess knew him well enough by now to know he was flying off his own anger-- why he bothered, she didn't know, but she knew that's what he did. For some reason, he didn't like being angry, preferring to be controlled and calm. When he alighted on the launching platform beside her, he was as cool and collected as always, and Proquess had calmed down some, herself. The small biped who had stood beside her during the preflight and the attack-- who had called herself the catdragon's mother and assured her that no harm had nor would come to her bond-- was long gone, choosing a different spot to watch what happened after Shishayair was chased away.

::Come along, my dear,:: he told her simply, starting off down the hall again. She trotted along behind him obediently, and finally acknowledged the pleasure she felt because Shishayair had not won. One of his minor heads turned to look at her, over his shoulder, and she could have sworn that its expression was amused. Proquess bared her teeth at it, and it turned around again, looking even more amused.

Proquess was not amused.

Two weeks later, on their next trip to Star City, Shishayair returned from a brief meander around one of the decks carrying something in one of his minor heads' mouths, and with another something in a satchel around his main head's neck. The former turned out to be, he said, a kind of substance called "paper", and it contained a message. Proquess couldn't read it-- ink on paper wasn't something that her eye-less senses could discern-- but he told her what it said.

::Apparently that catdragon's mother likes you, Proquess,:: he said, amused. ::Either that or she feels oddly guilty for Dread Corollary rejecting me so spectacularly. We've both been invited to the hatching on the Abstract Destiny.::

As he paused, Proquess asked the expected question: ::Where is that?::

::It is a space ship, docked here for as long as there are eggs to hatch in its own bays. Dread Corollary is laying her eggs there as soon as one opens up for her. I believe we should go,:: he added thoughtfully.

::Why?:: Proquess asked, making an effort not to blurt or sputter the word. She was really quite content never to see the multiheaded catdragon ever again.

::Because it seems like a good thing to do,:: Shishayair answered patiently. ::Perhaps, if we are lucky, there will be a hatchling or two willing to join us.::

This time Proquess did "sputter". ::J-join us? Why? Why would anyone want to-- why would we want anyone to?::

Shishayair turned a strangely sympathetic expression on her. ::I know that your people like to be surrounded by family-- hive, you call it, yes? I am only one. That is hardly a "hive". I thought you might like to expand, make a new family for yourself.::

That wasn't the answer Proquess had expected. It was, in fact, far kinder an answer than she had expected. She ducked her head, thoughts spinning a little. Yes, she did feel lonely, sometimes. For all he had four heads, Shishayair was not four creatures, with four minds. She was used to having a comforting riot in her head, the voices and thoughts of an entire hive, families upon families. Shishayair did not quite make up for that-- and that made her feel obscurely guilty. That Shishayair knew it, and was prepared to act on it on her behalf, was a kindness she had not expected of him. 

::All right,:: she agreed, her mind-voice very small and unsure. ::We can go... Dread's... "mother"... seemed nice, anyway.:: Though why that should matter, Proquess didn't know. She just found, when she looked back on that meeting, that she had a positive sense of that part of her memories. Her people didn't usually care about "nice", but then, Proquess had always been the lowest of the low, and "nice" usually meant "no senseless hurting".

::Good,:: Shishayair nodded firmly, main head still serious, but two of his minor heads letting their tongues loll, doglike and pleased. Proquess thought that, if she could actually see the expression, it might actually be amusing.

That was when she remembered the other thing he'd returned with, and proceeded to ask about it. His answer was cryptic, and he brushed the satchel with one forepaw, claws held back. ::This? Oh, this is a gift. From Dread Corollary's mother. You'll see what it bears soon enough....::

With that answer, Proquess wasn't entirely certain she wanted to know. It sounded suspicious, and Shishayair sounded entirely too pleased with himself. So, she didn't press him further, merely turning her senses briefly and warily on it before letting the subject drop.

She found out not much later. They stayed on Star City for two more days, or so, before returning to Cy. They'd only been there a few hours, in fact, when she found out. The thing was an egg. And the egg quite promptly hatched. Proquess didn't much like the creature that came out-- Uecoss, half of her kind, and half... something else. Uecoss, for all she was just hatched, didn't seem to much like Proquess, either.

::The first new member of your hive, Proquess,:: Shishayair said proudly after they'd fed and cleaned the hatching together.

He, at least, seemed very pleased with the silver-furred, ram-horned, gold-carapiced creature. When the first thing the hatchling did, after stuffing her face and splashing around in the basin they prepared for her, was to swat and growl at Proquess, Proquess decided to reserve judgment. Shishayair was certainly quick to reprimand Uecoss and assert that Proquess was of higher rank than she, and Proquess wasn't sure whether to be pleased or embarrassed. Even the hour since hatching had proved that Uecoss had the potential to be mid-rank or higher, and being told that she, lowly and submissive drone that she was, supposedly held higher rank in this new hive was a little embarrassing. At the same time, however, she had to admit that she didn't like the prospect of being growled at, hit, and chased around all the time, just because she was of low rank. She had changed so much since she'd left her hive, and not always in ways she liked. It was confusing, having conflicting emotions all the time....

It was about to get even worse, too.

::Proquess, we have a few months, now, until Dread Corollary's hatching, do we not?::

It had been a full month since Uecoss's hatching, and the little creature wasn't much improved in her attitude towards Proquess, who slunk around warily whenever the mixed-species hatchling turned her eyeless attention on her. Whenever Shishayair was present, Uecoss was disgustingly polite, even servile, but without him present, Proquess watched her step. Uecoss resented being forced to a lowly rank within the tiny hive, and Proquess feared what might happen when she grew up.

In response to her bond's question, Proquess looked up from the herdbeast bone she'd been gnawing-- she'd cut a good groove on one side, and was actually loathe to break it open all the way, as it was such a perfect groove. She had found, in the past years, that she liked perfect things, and had worked hard at making their rooms look as ascetically pleasing as possible. In fact, she was still working on it. ::A few, yes.... Why?::

He gave Uecoss a swat, sending her tumbling across the floor, and she came scampering back gleefully to get swatted away, again. ::Because I had thought we might find something to... occupy us, in the meantime.::

Given the nature of things Shishayair had been "occupying" himself with, as of late, Proquess was wary. ::Occupy us? What do you have in mind?::

::There is a kind of mock-battle-- called a Rage-- at a place called the Citadel of Shadows I would like to participate in.::

Well, that sounded better than his various "flights"! Proquess nodded enthusiastically. ::All right. When is it?::

::Soon. So you would accompany me, with Uecoss?:: He gave the hatchling another swat, and she squealed happily.

::I would love to watch you fight,:: Proquess answered, much relieved that she wouldn't be confronted with more of that "mating" thing again so soon. Oh, how little she knew....

The Rage - Chapter Six

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