Behind Yellow Eyes: Chapter 7
Chapter 7.
We're at the starship landing field, and The Hahkota is a hundred meters from The Jefferson. I'm surprised to see that my ship is actually a little bit bigger on the outside. I know from memory that_The Hahkota_ is much larger on the inside, though. The majority of my ship is the engine, the technology differs by centuries. Rhenthar designed The Hahkota, humans designed my ship. Then I went and redesigned my ship, at least the parts that I could. Very apropos.
Only Zach has emerged from The Hahkota. We haven't yet figured out what the story will be. Who is Sinclair? Why am I emotionally attached to him? Why is my fur black? A growing terror is building up in my mind, as I worry that Sin's going to get on The Hahkota, I'm going to board The Jefferson. And then I'll never see him again.
"Long time, no see," I tell him.
Zach is looking at me with intense scrutiny, he hugs me and snorts long drags from my fur, completely ignoring my greeting. The wheels in his head are turning, he stares at the 'site calmer ring around the base of my sheath.
"This very strange look for you, Keman. How are you? Feeling ok?"
So he knows something's up. I catch his eyes, they're cold and blue and all-seeing. They're the brightest blue, the color the clear sky would look like at noon, after hiding in a pitch-black cave for a week.
"I'm... ok. Just. A lot has happened, Zach."
He looks at Sin, clearly expecting the real answers to come from him, as usual. I note that Zach is standing between the two of us. And rather than feel threatened by that, I find comfort. I know my wolf pack instincts are freshly to blame.
"Mist is back," Sin says. Zach blinks a few times, glancing at me, and then looking back at Sinclair. I see his gaze center on the collar around his neck, he leans forward to look a little closer.
"But I thought," Zach says. "Your message. He's not dead, then?" He glances at the ground, then back up into Sin's eyes. "Who's collar?"
He glances at me once more, but now I'm avoiding his gaze. There's growing alarm, I catch traces of it as the wind shifts direction around us. It's actually a nice day, warm and sunny, probably in the eighties. Not a cloud in sight, which is rare for Trinity. We're not far from the coast, and the ocean often brings a lot of inclement weather here.
"It's his. We've definitely got some problems." Sin, sounding wary.
"His?" Zach points at me; his eyes go wider when Sin shakes his head no. "Well, who put it on you?" He says it whip-crack fast, intense.
"I did." My eyes meet his, but I don't look away, because I am to blame. I don't precisely understand why I did it, but I'll take what's coming.
Zach keeps glancing at my eyes and then looking away. "He didn't know, Zach," Sin says behind him. "It was supposed to be a joke." Zach begins staring intensely at my eyes, now, and I'm frozen in them. His eyes have turned even brighter.
He takes two quick steps toward me, putting his muzzle right below mine, he shoves both of his paws into my fur and makes to pull me down to his height. "You put Mist's collar on Sinclair? What, fuck," he gibbers for a moment, lips moving but no voice comes out. "What you thinking?"
His claws have drawn blood, and if I didn't feel so guilty, I'd bite the hell out of him. But instead, I only stand there and take it. I deserve so much worse. "I don't know."
"What you mean. Don't know! Need, know," he lets go, twitching, staring at his claw tips, which are coated with my blood, then at the punctures he's left below my pecs, in my ribs. He looks back up at me. "I need to know. What. He did to you, Keman."
Sin interrupts. "He doesn't know anything beyond what I've already told you, Zach. You were there, you saw the times we had his collar watching. Mist probably put the idea in his head at the end. There's no way to know for sure, because we didn't control his collar at that point."
Zach lets out a growl, it's harsh and high-pitched. "He's watching us right now. What have you done, Keman?"
I shut my eyes and sink down onto my haunches, ears sideways. My arms don't feel like they can hold me up, so I drop to the ground and put my muzzle on top of them. I stare at The Jefferson, and my tears are back.
"What, done. Keman!" He yells my name, holding a paw against his muzzle. "This... beyond bad. What done!" His muzzle gets near mine, and he's growling the last words. He crouches to scream at me. I'm digging my blunt claws into my palm pads, wishing they were sharp so I could really hurt myself.
"Worked so hard!" Zach yells. "Everything fine , what you think, put Mist's collar on Sinclair? You think funny?" His words are incredibly loud in my ears, but the last few are whispered. "I show you what funny." My body tenses, ready for the hurt to come.
I hear a quiet snarl, Zach shouting "no!" and claws ripping through fur. I open my eyes and see that Sin has Zach by the throat in both of his massive paws.
"I will fuck you up, little man..." I'm seeing, but not believing. Sin shakes him like a rag doll. "Listen to me." He shows his teeth. "He. Did. Not. Know. Get it?"
Zach's tail comes up between his legs, covering his sheath. The fight has left him like a glass of milk tipped over. He's giving little nods to each syllable.
Sin's eyes are like fire. "You will not threaten my mate , or I will threaten your life. Agreed?"
More nods from Zach.
Sin lets go, and I watch Zach land back on his feet, I hadn't realized he was hanging in the air.
"Course. Not mean," he's massaging his neck, "threaten you, or mate. Oh, Sin. I'm sorry."
"I'm not the one you need to apologize to, Zach."
He glances at me, and I shut my eyes. I hear footsteps approach, loose gravel crunching near my muzzle. Warmth surrounds me, Zach is hugging me. I feel stupid, useless, and terrible. I'm painfully aware that my ship is close, and I want to run to it. If they weren't here, I would. Fuck the laws, I'd fly over the sea and hit fusion mode, flying straight up. Let steam from a cubic mile of ocean cook me alive. I'm shaking, my useless tears are back, and I just wish I was a wolf again, because wolves don't cry.
"We fix this, Keman. We fix. It be ok, not your fault. Been through so much. We fix."
I have trouble believing him, but there is still hope.
Always hope.