Tah'kath was told as a pup that the eyes were a doorway leading to the soul. While responding to a kiande-amedha (xenomorph) attack on a human farming settlement, Tah'kath finds a surviving child whose eyes seem to hold the stars themselves. Against...
After her run-in with Jason of Loriette, Dahdtoudi had made her way to the ship and more or less demanded an audience with the Elder. He had obliged his daughter at first, but quickly grew annoyed with her angry tirade. She insisted that they return to their home planet immediately, but would give no reason as to why. "I have heard enough. I do not know what has gotten into you, Dahdtoudi, but you have never been this brazen when speaking to me..! You are nearing a fine line, and you will not enjoy what happens if you cross it, young blood."
A rage filled her grey eyes like none he'd seen in the girl before, and for a moment he was taken aback. Before he could say more, the young woman stormed out of the ship as quickly as she had come. Perhaps she is in her fertility cycle again, he thought. It seemed the only logical explanation, as that was the only time she ever seemed to come close to challenging his authority...but he'd smelled no blood. ———————————————————————— That night Dahdtoudi slept close to her brother as he lay awake speaking softly with Aichu and T'ahrou about their trapping session that afternoon. Zaiyu had noticed that she seemed restless through the night, frequently tossing, turning, and even speaking in the human language from time to time. "Maybe she's having a mental breakdown...maybe all of this is too much for her to handle all at once." Zaiyu thought on Aichu's words for several minutes as he watched his adoptive sister tugging at the blanket on top of her until she was wrapped in a makeshift cocoon.
"Tomorrow we will remain cloaked and follow her...I want to find out exactly what's going with Dahdtoudi."
The two young bloods agreed to his plan, and they lay in silence for several minutes as they listened to the small human speaking in foreign words beside them. ————————————————————————
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Dahdtoudi awoke to an empty room and reasoned that the others had gone hunting for small game again. She dressed in a loose-fitting grey sweater and black tights that she'd acquired from Toree the night before. She rubbed nervously at her forearm; she'd forced herself to leave the gauntlet with the rest of her gear the previous day, but it made her feel so exposed. She would wear it today, just under the sleeve of her shirt. She pulled on her boots as she always did and walked out of the room, her hair swaying loosely as she moved.
Once she was downstairs, Melanie's mother handed her a plate of fried eggs, bacon, and fruit which Dahdtoudi graciously accepted. She went outside to eat as the gathering area was still quite full with men and children, Jason and Melanie included. They hadn't noticed her though, so it was rather simple for her to slip out to the morning air.
She gobbled down the fruit and wasn't sure what to think of the eggs and bacon. It was better than fish, of that much she was certain. "Sarah," she turned at the mention of her human name, and she met the gaze of Malcom, "I heard about what happened with Jason...I can't apologize enough for his behavior."
"He is disrespectful, and a heathen." Malcom frowned at her statement but didn't argue. He knew his son had his shortcomings, but that didn't mean he liked to have them thrown in his face.
"Yes well, as a means of getting onto a better foot with one another, I would like to extend an invitation to a ceremony this evening. I wanted to welcome back the long lost daughter of Loriette properly." She didn't respond to his offer at first, and he gave a soft smile. "Sarah, your mother and father were both very proud of you...you were their world. They would want you to have fun...to be happy...to be worshipped among our people." Despite an unsettling feeling churning in her stomach, Dahdtoudi finally nodded in agreement. "Excellent! Everyone will be gathering near the fire pit at sundown. I look forward to seeing you there..!" The human leader reached out and squeezed her shoulder slightly as he smiled down at the female. Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as a chill ran along her spine, but she didn't object to the touch.
This "Preacher Malcom", as Melanie had called him, was a leader and should be shown respect. She forced herself to hold her tongue. At last the grey-haired man released his grip on her arm and he turned to walk back toward the group home. Dahdtoudi couldn't help but notice how Malcom's stride was identical to Jason's, his shoulders haunched slightly as he kept his hands in his pockets. An uncomfortable shiver spread through her body at the thought, and she forced the feeling aside. ———————————————————————— Dahdtoudi spent the next few hours exploring the surrounding areas of the human settlement, making a point to avoid any traps set by Aichu and the others as she did so. She didn't find anything unusual in her ventures, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about this place.
"You're being paranoid," she told herself harshly, "you're not even giving this place a chance. You're just looking for reasons not to like these people." She let out a trill of irritated clicks as she moved back toward the group home where Toree was waiting for her.
"Oh, there you are, dear! I heard that you'll be at the celebration this evening! Come with me, we need to get you ready..!"
"Ready?" Dahdtoudi tilted her head to the side. "I am already dressed."
"Yes, but you need something nicer than a sweater and tights! It's a joyous occasion!" Despite her protests, Toree took her by the wrist and lead her to her room to pick a new outfit. Toree laid out a black mesh bralette with a dark grey shimmering dress that was handmade from some kind of thin, rough fabric that Dahdtoudi didn't recognize. "Here, put these on and go sit on the bed. I'm going to make sure you've got all the bases covered for tonight..!" The girl did as she was told, and removed her sweater, tights, her strapless undergarment, and pulled on the clothes that were chosen for her.
Even with the bralette, the dress was revealing. It had thin straps over the shoulders and the top plunged over her chest revealing several inches of cleavage. The hem of the dress reached halfway down her thighs, and was rather loose fitting as it swayed when she moved. She went to sit on the bed and step back into her boots, but Toree stopped her. "Sarah, what do you think you're doing? You can't wear underwear with this dress, you'll have a panty line showing!"
"Then I would like to wear something that will not show a line." Toree shook her head as she gathered various colored liquids and powders from a box on her desk, along with a strange wand-shaped device attached to a cord.
"Sweetie, I don't have any dresses like that. Clothing that hides the body is clothing that hides the soul." Dahdtoudi furrowed a brow at the woman's statement, and Toree moved to look down on her. "To hides the works of the gods is to do the works of the devils. The great gods of the stars took you in and gave you life when you would have died with the rest of your town...do you wish to repay their kindness by hiding your body from the world?" After a long moment, Dahdtoudi did as she was told and slipped the black underwear down over her knees and let them fall to the floor. "Good, good...now look up so I can do your makeup, dear. You're the guest of honor and we have to have you looking the part..!"
As the woman applied light coats of powder to her eyes and cheekbones, she glanced down at the silver gauntlet adorning Dahdtoudi's forearm. "It is a gift from my...from the gods. I wear it everywhere..." Toree nodded, approving of her statement as she continued her work. A moment later the woman put swipes of black liquid on her eyelids, and then a light pink colored liquid on her lips. The finishing touch was using the metallic wand to curl her hair, but they didn't hold properly. The seamstress noted it was likely due to the humidity from the shoreline.
"There! Now you look like a true princess of Loriette..!"
