Aliens: Finding Void

Chapter Thirteen

Daeus' POV

Time felt like it had frozen and for a moment my mind felt like it was falling, slipping from my own body into something that wasn't me, but more me than I'd ever been. The wild eyes of the lead Yukor bore into me as he lunged for his daughter, but, like watching as if I was not in my own body, my front paws struck out at him, slicing across his chest without hesitation. Foul-smelling blood sprayed from the wounds and onto me, but I didn't flinch.

He stumbled back, grasping onto his chest, staring at me with eyes that knew they were defeated and time sped back up. The feelings coursing through my body hit me like a giant boulder ramming into a small animal and crushing it under the weight of it's momentum. The sounds that had once bombarded me fell away until only the whistling of the wind remained.

"Bring out the two Vrox and bring out a Stardec ship." The leader announced, his voice raised above the wind. He didn't hold my gaze for long and dropped his head, defeated. The scent of his blood and the blood of his daughter was sour in my nose, but I couldn't regret my actions now. If I hadn't hurt them, they wouldn't have let us go.

We stood in silence for a long time until four Yukor were ushering Vrillyn and Vri up through a door and out into the harsh environment. Vri's fur was stained in his own blood and for a moment I didn't care of anything more, half tempted to take the life of every Yukor here for hurting him, but the look in his eyes told me to stand down. The bandage across his chest was darkened by his own blood, but even with that, he was still smirking, walking towards us like he owned the place. Vrillyn exuded the same air of confidence as Vri, striding behind him unharmed, her eyes narrowed at the Yukor in defiance.

"Now the ship." I demanded, turning back to the lead Yukor. I flashed my fangs at him, growling lowly. His daughter had become nothing more than a weightless, fearful child, clinging onto me as she tried to ignore her pain. My claws weren't too deep and the sound of her heart beating strongly was the only thing that assured me she would be okay, but the fear in her father's eyes was enough to let me know he wouldn't risk her life to kill us and I wouldn't have to kill her to make him listen.

Almost as if my words had summoned it, the ship materialized behind him, Yukor scattering out of the way of the large vessel. "The best we have," he told me as he stepped aside. The bridge slowly opened and lowered, shaking the ground below my feet as it thudded down. "Highly advanced camouflage and weaponry. Fastest available on the market, never flown outside of testing. It is yours if you release my daughter."

He had his hear bowed and he arms out to the ship, almost like he was offering this to me in a simple negotiation. "I will release your daughter when me and my friends aboard the vessel. Disband your men to whatever hole they came from and release these collars from our necks."

The withering stare he gave me would be enough to kill me if only that was a thing. He motioned for his Yukor to release the collars and when they did, I felt exhilarated. "Come, Vrillyn, Vri," I ordered, ignoring the lead Yukor until my feet were firmly placed on the ship and I had my friends behind me. The girl was silent in my arms, her eyes staring in panic as the door started to close.

"My daughter!" The leader shouted, no longer bowing as he rushed the ship. "You said you'd give her back!"

I hated the sickly gratifying feeling that I felt watching him panic. After all he had put me through I wanted nothing more than to take the girl and leave his heart shattered. His species did not deserve to live on, but . . .

This wasn't me.

After the ship had lifted into the air, I finally released the girl. She ran from me without a look back and launched herself off of the bridge. I watched as the lead Yukor caught her and then the door closed and we were shrouded in darkness.