You Don't Belong Here

Chapter Eighty

T'ahrou entered the dwelling to find Dhadtoudi strewn out atop the lounge with the pup nestled against her torso. The male was silent as he approached the two, careful as to not wake the female lest he suffer through another frenzied gripe session caused from insufficient sleep.

When he rounded the corner of the furniture and began to head for their room, the pup began to fuss as he tracked his father's movements with grey eyes that served as proof of his human lineage.

T'ahrou let loose a trill of soothing clicks to ease the pups growing temper, but he began to thrash and reach for the sire. Instinctively Dhadtoudi cradled him closer to her chest and a tired attempt of a hummed lullaby escaped her throat. T'ahrou waited for his mate to fall silent once more before crossing the distance of the room and carefully scooped the pup into his hands before cradling him in his dominant hand. The pup began to click and coo as he reached for his fathers familiar face but T'ahrou waited until they were nestled away in the privacy of the bedroom.

When the door sealed shut behind him, T'ahrou adjusted the pup in his grip once more, this time holding him with both hands beneath the pups arms, and his own arms outstretched in front.

"Zahn'tha, have you been causing your mother grief again?" As if to answer his question the pup erupted into a fit of amused clicks and thrashed excitedly. T'ahrou grinned with pride. "Good. We need to keep her on her toes."

The two moved to the center of the room before T'ahrou placed his offspring on the floor and sat cross-legged in front of the youth. Again Zahn'tha cried out joyously and began to slap his palms against the metal floor. Without a second thought, the larger of the two activated his plasma canon and honed the red triangle sights on the floor near Zahn'tha's hands. The child chirped with excitement and slapped one of his tiny hands against the red light, but it moved just out of reach.

Zahn'tha seemed confused for a moment but quickly lashed out with his other hand. Again the light moved. He voiced a sound that somewhat resembled a human giggle and again tried to catch his glowing prey. This time T'ahrou moved it furthur out of his reach, and the pup toppled to his side when he reached out for it. The sound was soft when he plopped down, and an audible "oomph" followed soon after.

T'ahrou's head instinctively cocked to the side as he waited for the child's reaction. Zahn'tha struggled for a moment before rocking back and forth until he was flat on his stomach, and a moment later he was pushing himself onto his hands and knees as he again tried to trap the targeting marker. After several failed attempts and further antagonization from the light, slowly but surely the pup began to shuffle across the floor. T'ahrou chirped with anticipation as he watched his spawn slowly - and less than gracefully - crawl around him in an attempt to capture the illusive glowing shape.

He wasn't sure how long they kept up this form of training (though Dhadtoudi often referred to it as a game), but both sire and pup turned their attention to the doorway when it slid open to reveal the short, tanned being with fierce grey eyes standing before them.

Her expression was one of drowsy confusion, and then aggravation. "What are you doing?"

"Training. Why are you not asleep?"

"Because I do not need to."

T'ahrou scoffed, not even attempting to hide his disbelief. "Your snoring says otherwise."

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "I do not snore."

"Not often," he agreed, "but you do. It happens when you have been deprived of proper rest."

Dhadtoudi rolled her eyes and stepped toward the two males. The corners of her mouth began to curve upward when the pup plopped back onto his rear and raised his arms in the air to repeatedly grab at the air toward his mother. She hoisted the youngling from the ground and placed Zahn'tha on her hip.

He traced his tiny fingers along Dhadtoudi's smooth face and she placed her forehead affectionately against his own. "He looks just like you, T'ahrou...it's almost a shame." T'ahrou growled at the remark but she ignored the sound. After so much trouble during the pregnancy, what with the nausea and frequent false labor pains, Dhadtoudi had hoped the child would have taken after her more than he had. Yet she cherished him just as he was.

She never had been able to fully comprehend how such a small, pudgy creature so full of joy could mature and grow to be one of the great Yautja warriors she had come to recognize. Yet she always loved to watch over pups of her father's comrades when she herself was a child. It had been the closest she would have come to being a mother, and it brought both joy and sorrow to her soul.

T'ahrou watched his mates expression carefully. He features suggested she was happy, but her eyes glistened with sadness. He could only imagine what elicited such a reaction in this moment.

"Tah'kath would be proud of you." He grey eyes looked to him in confusion. "You have come a long way. You are a renowned warrior. You are a mother by blood. You honor his memory, Dhadtoudi."

She gave a sad smile as she returned her focus to the child in her arms. "And you sired a strong pup. He would be just as pleased with you."

T'ahrou leaned down until his mandibles were able to brush against her forehead, and his clawed fingertips traced the area of her clan marking. After a moment she leaned her body against his own and they stood in silence as the pup began to give in to the weight of sleep.

Sleep well my little warrior...