Star Side

Chapter 68

I asked for weights.

Gilrack's father stared, his confusion obvious even if he kept his mind waves carefully tucked away.

Gilrack, bless his soul, just nodded.

"Shall I bring them here or take you to the training grounds with me when I train?"

Was that just me or did I hear a mite of hope.

Horack slid a glance towards his son, long ears rising curiously.

"What about the eggs?" I asked, starting to tense up just thinking about it.

"Father can watch them."

"But they'll hatch in a month, right?"

"We will be here for the last week. I can still bring weights up here."

I once more questioned my request for weights. I could always Uncle Iroh it and just work out with my own body, which is what I had been doing. But Uncle Iroh had had bars in his prison cell and rafters to hang from to do his upside down crunches and pull ups. I had nothing but smooth stone, and my anxiety wanted to speed along the swol.

So, thus, it was really just a weighing of which anxiety was stronger: leaving my eggs alone for maybe an hour a day while I go have a day date with Gilrack to the training grounds, or not being strong enough in the possible chance I get cornered by some idiot male alien without Gilrack and Co. around to kill them.

"Won't there be others at the training ground?" I asked.

"I hide you," he said, puffing up and stretching his wings to their full expanse, which nearly made the entire length of the nest.

Even I could see the amusement in the way his father looked at him.

"Then you won't be training," said Horack. "We can set a time in the training room for her. Your other fathers can guard her."

Gilrack deflated and brought in his wings sheepishly.

I didn't know what the word for 'training' was at first, but I learned it then and got just a little bit excited.

"You guys have a dojo?" All sorts of images of aliens doing kung fu played out in my head.

Of course, they had no idea what I was talking about, so I guess seeing was just believing.

So, I went with the hour from the nest to get swol. It helped calm my anxiety a lot that I'd be homebound for the last week of their incubation anyways.

Course, when Shahtit heard of our plans, inevitably because, well, she was chief and her first mate was essentially the general of all their forces and a squealer, she blew in during dinner to announce that she would be incubating the eggs while we were gone. Gilrack got all puffed up, ready to fight, but she wouldn't have it. She practically begged, ears fluttering like a second pair of wings and short tail wagging like a dog. It was a strange way to be seeing the regal chieftess. I gave Gilrack a look and he wilted.

"She's not going to hurt them," I said.

"And it will mean your father can guard Jolene," she added, only to still. "You thought I'd hurt them!?!"

No, he just didn't like his mom, which I was starting to get tired of, probably because I'd heard her side of the story with how he was raised. I liked her plenty. She was pretty great as far as mother-in-laws go. Not to mention her excitement at just the thought of getting to hug eggs again was adorable.

Gilrack finally gave in, though he was still brooding about it when we went to bed that night.

"You know, your mother does care about you in her own way. She was hard on you because she wanted you to grow up right."