The Alliance - 8. The Daknar

Lian sat in his cage, shivering in the chillness of the station. It was hard to stay warm, and often he felt like just going to sleep in the cage. But his captors constantly shocked him awake. When he had been captured, he had entertained thoughts of using that damned remote of theirs on them, But he knew better now. There was no way to remove his collar and no way to steal the remote. A young Faro had taught him that, and it had cost the fox his life. There was no way Lian was making that mistake.

The Daknar rubbed the stone in his chest morosely. Everyone in his species had one of these stones embedded in them, ready to show the reptile their soul. But Lian’s was darkened on one side, a muted green that never seemed to fade completely.

He had considered himself lucky at one time. The Daknar had found part of his soul only five years after hatching. They had been childhood friends, and later lovers, partners in everything they did. But a year ago, his love had been taken from him, sold by the imperial tharow who owned Lian at the time.

He tried to fight for her of course, had begged for his master to be merciful. But one did not beg Arithan of Clan Usai for anything.

The Daknar had been tied up in the middle of the fields where he had worked for years, to die of thirst or be a meal for another Daknar desperate for food. But he had escaped in the middle of the first night, relying on a skill his beloved had taught him. Keep your wrists lengthwise if ever you are tied up.

Twisting his hands until they were together, Lian gained enough slack to pull his hands out of his bindings, freeing him to untie the rest of the rope holding him to a pole in the field. He had run after that, fleeing the only life he had ever known.

A tug on his chest drew Lian out of his memories, the stone in his chest pulling him toward the bars of his cage. The Daknar frowned, standing on weakened legs. The final part of his soul was near. His stone wanted him to walk, to find this person, but the bars of his cage prevented him from searching.

He scanned the beings around him, finding the usual guards. No one new was near, and gradually the tug faded to a faint pulsing as his soul grew further away.

The Daknar sat, staring down at his bare chest. His stone pulsed weakly, a faint brown just visible deep within it. Lian sighed, staring at the gem. Who would this brown-eyed mystery being be? Another Daknar? That was unlikely; Daknar were not a free species, and besides, if it had been a Daknar who had triggered his stone, they would have found their way closer to him, not further.

What would she look like, he wondered. Thaelin had been perfect for him in every way, the two complementing each other down to the way they thought. It was rare for a Daknar’s soul to be split three ways, but it was not unheard of, and Thaelin and Lian had often wondered who the third person in their life would be.

But that was before, and now Lian was alone.

He wrapped his wings around himself, curling inward as much as he could. It was no replacement for Thaelin’s embrace, but he felt less alone when he did this.

Electricity shot through the Daknar’s collar and he hissed, standing again. A crowd had gathered, and the reptile’s heart grew weary. There was going to be another auction, a chance for him to be taken from here forever. He couldn’t let that happen until he caught at least a glimpse of this other person.

As though in response to his thoughts, Lian’s chest was pulled again by his stone. There was a disturbance in the crowd, a figure moving through them. Lian’s stone pulsed brightly, pulling him toward the crowd until he reached the bars of his cage.

A creature stood before him, barely waist high and on all fours. Lian stared at the being in shock. This was the missing part of his soul? There had to be some kind of mistake.

The creature bared its teeth, a dangerous growl escaping its maw. The Daknar took a step back, fighting the pull of his stone. Soul mate or no, he didn’t want anywhere near those teeth.

His mate was one of the beasts who stole his home. Itumak didn’t know how to handle that information.

Not only that, but he was a slave, stuck in a tight cage where he barely had room to lay down.

“Ours…”

Itumak huffed angrily. How was he supposed to free the Daknar? Did he even want to free the Daknar?

A hand settled on the wolf’s withers, Aaron stepping up beside him. Itumak growled quietly, though the presence of his friend, his king, calmed him slightly.

“Let’s go,” Aaron said gently, guiding the wolf away from the cage.

Itumak let Aaron lead him into a small alley nearby, where he shifted. Mateio approached them nervously, handing the neko one of the outfits he had just purchased.

“Are you okay?” the Faro asked.

“No, I’m not okay,” the werewolf growled.

“What happened? Why did you bring us to one of those… those monsters?” Aaron said.

Itumak knew the elf was trying to hold back his anger. The neko’s tail flicked behind him, Itumak trying to figure out how to explain himself.

“He… He’s my mate,” he spat.

There was a long silence, as the trio tried to wrap their heads around the news.

“No.”

Aaron shook his head finally.

“No. I don’t believe you.”

The elf turned away as Itumak finally dressed himself.

“They steal our home and now you want to fuck one of them?!”

“No! I don’t!” Itumak snapped. “I want nothing to do with him!”

“You have to deny your wolf.”

Itumak sat against the wall, putting his head in his knees.

“I can’t,” he whispered. “I can’t fight my wolf. He’s too determined. I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

“It’s like he belongs to you. You would do anything to keep him safe…”

Itumak nodded.

“Why me? Why an alien?” he shuddered. “Why?!”

Aaron sighed quietly, turning to Mateio.

“Can you do me a favour?” he asked quietly.

“I’ll buy him. I don’t like the idea of buying someone, but I know not to go against the universe.”

Mateio let out a deep breath.

“Blue fox forgive me for what I’m about to do.”

Itumak stood up, balling his fists. He didn’t want to do this. He shouldn’t have to do this. But his wolf would not be held back any more.

The trio returned to the Daknar’s cage, Mateio motioning to a Xanar. The alien approached with a slight swagger, frowning at the stature of their potential customer.

“Bug off little guy. I have business to deal with,” the Xanar said sharply.

“I’m sure you do. I want to buy this Daknar,” Mateio replied.

The Xanar growled at the Faro.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes,” they snapped.

“Good. Neither am I.”

The alien bent over the fox, staring down at him.

“Do you know what will happen as soon as he’s on your ship? He will tear you to tiny pieces and eat your organs.”

Mateio shrugged nonchalantly.

“It’s a good thing I have some friends to watch my back then.”

The Xanar snarled, cracking the knuckles on their middle hands.

“Fine. It’s your funeral,” they said.

Digging through a pocket, the Xanar pulled out a remote, hitting a button. The Daknar let out a hiss, dropping to his knees, and the Xanar nodded to themself.

“Ten thousand with the collar,” they said.

“Done,” Mateio said instantly.

Itumak was grateful for the Faro’s quickness. He wanted to get this over with and leave this place far behind him. Looking back at the Daknar, the neko noticed a stone seemingly embedded in his chest. Half of it was nearly black. The other half pulsed rapidly with a light brown colour, almost like a topaz. It was a nice effect against the reptile’s light red scales, mesmerizing the neko as it flashed.

“Itumak.”

The werewolf startled, looking over at Mateio.

“You are taking him. I will not own a slave,” the Faro said.

Nodding, Itumak stepped toward the gate of the cage holding the winged being. The Xanar handed Itumak the remote and opened the cage. The neko watched the Daknar shuffle backwards, hiding his body with his wings.

Itumak took a deep breath, tail twitching nervously. How does one own another being? He could see the intelligence in the Daknar’s eyes, the reptile watching his new owner.

“Is there a pair of pants he can wear?” the neko asked.

Mateio repeated Itumak’s question for the Xanar, who shrugged. Whistling sharply, the alien summoned another alien wearing a collar.

“Fetch a cloth to cover the Daknar,” they ordered.

Bowing, the alien scurried away. The Xanar stepped into the cage, grabbing the collar around the Daknar’s neck.

“Come here,” they said roughly, and Itumak approached the two.

The alien took Itumak’s thumb, shoving it against the collar as their other thumb unlocked the collar with a beep. With another beep, Itumak felt a slight hiccough in his heart.

“Your bodies are connected now. If anything happens to you, the collar will react,” Mateio said quietly, staring at the device in disgust. “Violently.”

Itumak gulped. That was wrong. The Daknar was his; he had just stolen nearly all free will the alien might have had. It just didn’t sit right with him.

“What can you tell me about him?” he asked the Xanar, Mateio translating for him.

The alien shrugged, his top arms moving.

“He was an escapee from his planet. Caught by an Alfin while trying to steal a ship. The Alfin suspects he murdered his owner. They don’t have this level of tech on their planet.”

Itumak looked at the Daknar suspiciously. Mate or not, there was a very real chance this alien would try to kill him.

“Can you understand me?” he asked.

The reptile stared at him in confusion.

“Does he have a translator in him?” Mateio questioned.

“It is unlikely. His kind are best used as menial labour. They only need simple commands.”

“Is there a place where we can get him a translator?”

Mateio nodded slowly.

“The scholars should be able to help with that if they aren’t too busy. But materials for the ship might be a little tight for a while. We’ll need to go to Oyhaf before we can do anything.”

An alien stepped up to the cage with a strip of clothing in his hands. He bowed, handing the strip to the Xanar.

“Not me you moron. Him,” the Xanar snapped, pushing the slave at Itumak.

Itumak accepted the strip from the alien, turning back to the Daknar.

“Cover yourself,” he said, handing the clothing to the reptile.

The Daknar reached for the cloth slowly. Their hands brushed lightly, and the reptile’s chest flashed brightly, the stone in his chest taking on the brown colour more firmly.

Itumak stared at the stone in shock. That brown… it was the same brown found in his eyes. Was the Daknar a mated being too?

The Daknar wrapped the cloth around his lower regions, covering himself from the eyes of the universe. Fashioning a simple loincloth, he looked at Itumak for further instruction.

“Come on, I don’t have all day,” the Xanar snapped.

Stepping out of the cage, Itumak motioned for the Daknar to follow.

“Enjoy your purchase,” the Xanar said, before walking away.

Itumak slid the remote into a pocket in his shirt, looking at Mateio.

“Okay, what now?”

“Of course we can help,” Fontar said.

Mateio let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t know why he was worried; they weren’t doing anything illegal.

“I’d never want someone to go through life unable to communicate. Follow me.”

The group followed the fox through the station, stopping in the examination room. An Alfin stood nearby, scanning a tablet. Its insect head turned nearly one hundred eighty degrees, observing the group quietly.

“Scholar Isan, we need a translator chip for this Daknar,” Fontar said.

The alien nodded once, turning toward a table. After a minute, he turned back with a long needle in his hand. Motioning for the Daknar to turn around, the insect injected the needle into the upper back of the Daknar’s neck, between two scales. The reptile sucked in a breath but made no other noise.

“It will take a day or two for the translator to settle and start working.”

“How much will it cost?”

“Free. Consider it a gift.”

Fontar nodded to Mateio as the fox turned to leave.

“I hope to see you again sometime arnai.”

Mateio nodded politely, not quite sure what the fox was saying.

“Thank you for your help,” he said.

“Anytime.”

They left the room, Aaron remaining next to Mateio.

“Thank you,” he said quietly as they walked.

“For what? Buying someone?” Mateio muttered.

“For helping my friend. I don’t know what we’re going to do with the Daknar, but there’s no denying he is Itumak’s mate.”

“What exactly does that mean? You claimed me in front of your council and I assume that means I’m your mate too, but I don’t know what that is.”

Aaron let out a sigh as they entered the station’s dock. Mateio opened the ship and the four climbed on board before the elf replied to the question.

“I don’t know how to explain it. It means you are my mate, the one best suited for me, who I can’t live without. But I can live without you. It’s been done before, but often trying to fight your wolf like that will drive a werewolf insane.”

“Bonded without being together…” Mateio said quietly.

He shook his head.

“What if the mate decides he can’t be with the wolf?”

“It depends on the wolf. Most people will accept that choice and try to find someone else they can at least have a hint of happiness with. And werewolves don’t always find their mates.”

“But you found me. Or I found you. And we like each other.”

It all came back to one thing. Aaron’s responsibilities as king of his people. And right now the elf had to free his planet.

“I’m sorry,” the Faro sighed. “I keep pushing this.”

He turned away, moving toward the cockpit of the ship. They needed to get moving so they could reach Asla as soon as possible. There they could get out word of the Imperial attack on Astara.

“Mateio, wait,” Aaron said.

Turning, the fox faced the elf.

“I do like you, and I want to be with you. We can find a way to make this work. I promise I will do everything in my power to stay with you.”

Mateio smiled bitterly.

“You can’t. You have a world counting on you, Lord Aaron.”

Turning away, the Faro entered the cockpit, preparing to take flight.