Relief filled Z'shi at the sight of Ryou and Ka'ya. He had known that they would be on the rescue mission since he'd made sure to memorize everyone involved in order to keep from accidentally hurting anyone on their side. However, they were usually second-liners instead of being in the midst of the fighting, keeping captives from being recaptured and calming them until medics could tend to any wounds they might have.

Still, that didn't mean that they weren't ferocious fighters in their own rights. There was no one else that he would trust to have his back other than these two, besides his mate, of course.

Sho'ta gave the three-toned whistle they used amongst themselves to identify a comrade and Z'shi took the opportunity to sneak a quick glance over his shoulder to check on the chick. He just wanted to make sure that she hadn't been startled by the commotion. Although he wouldn't blame her for lashing out in fear, everything had to be so overwhelming for her where she was injured and couldn't speak Common, but they really couldn't afford to be injured when they didn't know the current situation.

To his relief, she seemed to be taking her cues from him and Sho'ta, her eyes darting back and forth as she tried to take everything in. She had shifted behind his spread wings, crouching down a little so that she wouldn't be as easily visible but still straight enough that she could see over his shoulders. It only reinforced his opinion of how smart she must be.

It had worried him dreadfully when she had barely seemed conscious of her surroundings for the past solar cycle, fearful that she was fading right before them and there was nothing they could do to help her. They could've always tried to implore a guard for help since they wouldn't want to lose an important asset. But that course of action risked being separated from her or the guards deciding to dispose of her because she was a drain on assets. It had just been too big of a risk.

But seeing how bright and alert her eyes currently were, it was as if the vacant spells had never happened. Still, now wasn't the time to worry about it, they were in an active situation and he needed to keep his head in the game to keep his mate and kit safe.

He turned his attention back to the front of the cell right as Sho'ta demanded, "What's going on? Who's in charge of the ship?"

Ka'ya stomped over to the cell bars, her face twisted in frustration and poorly hidden concern, "Why the drekk are you two here banished to the very end of the ship? The plan was for you two to keep your heads low and stay out of trouble. You were supposed to be in the middle of everything so that we could have accurate intel. Instead, we were starting to think you weren't even on this ship or were corpses stored in cargo, although why they wouldn't jettison your useless corpses, I have no idea."

Ryou gave an amused growl. "That is Ka'ya's way of saying that we're glad you're not dead. And the Peacekeepers are in control of the ship, we're just wrapping up cleanup of a few pockets of resistance. However, no one had seen or heard of you, so we volunteered to search you out and see if you were all right. Tell me, what are you doing here so far away from the main cells?"

Sho'ta shrugged, his ear flicking irritably as he watched the downed guard for any sign of movement. "Everywhere else was full, it was a miracle we weren't shoved into cargo. They were greedy and definitely kept more prisoners than they could reasonably house."

Z'shi shrugged, "It was fate that we ended up here."

Ryou suddenly stiffened, inhaling deeply as he straightened to his full, intimidating height, trying to get a look behind Z'shi. "Who is in the cell with you? Why are you shielding them? Why aren't they showing themselves?"

The alien from the cell opposite suddenly found their voice, even as they clung tightly to the bars. "It's a monster!"

Ka'ya glanced at them before turning to the other cell and drawling, "A monster? They're Peacekeepers, they're usually pretty good at being able to tell who is a monster and who isn't."

Although the alien was clearly terrified, they doubled down, "It's a killer, they killed that Cresica without a shred of remorse. You can never trust a Terran."

Fury filling him, Z'shi spat out, "She's a kit. A terrified kit who was just trying to protect herself. It was self-defense, her injuries are horrific. How dare you call her a monster?!"

Ryou suddenly deflated a little, surprise and distress clear on his face. "Another Terran pup? How many children did they steal?"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Z'shi felt the same emotions collide in his gut, making him feel nauseous. They hadn't heard or seen any other younglings during their transportation to this cell, but they hadn't thought that their kit was a kit either, until they'd had a moment to observe her. He forced out, "There are more young?"

Ryou slumped further, trying to appear non-threatening, something that Z'shi found himself appreciating.

"At least half a dozen if not more. It seems to be mostly Terran young, from what we can tell, although there were a couple of sprites clinging together in one cell. They seem to have fared the best, their cellmates taking care of them and protecting them. What a mess!"

Ka'ya moved closer to the cell, the ends of her green hair seeming to be blowing in an invisible breeze. She was pissed then. "Curse them to the stars, how dare they touch saplings? They will burn for this, rightfully so. You can tell them that they're safe now, that was the last guard that Ryou hit with his hammer. You know no one gets up after a hit from that."

She shifted to the side, trying to get a look at the kit, freezing when Sho'ta let out a growl that nearly rattled the bars. She looked at him, incredulous, and Sho'ta quickly tried to cover his tracks. "She doesn't speak Common and I don't want you startling her. Although we seem to have reached a non-aggression truce, we don't know how she'll react to strangers barging into a cell, especially ones that just fought a guard."

Although his words were reasonable, Z'shi wasn't buying them for a second. Not with the way his ears were tilted back aggressively and his tail lashing. Also, the way his wings were fully extended and fluffed when they should've been neatly tucked away as soon as he recognized his friends was probably a dead giveaway. He just hoped their friends wouldn't realize exactly how compromised they were.

That hope was immediately shattered when Ka'ya groaned, "Please, please tell me that you both did not imprint upon an aggressive, potentially feral Terran sapling who can't speak Common. Tell me that you didn't do this in the middle of an incredibly delicate infiltration mission to shut down a slaving ring. I must've hit my head in a fight and have a concussion, right, Ryou?"

She looked at her partner hopefully but he shook his head. Neither Sho'ta nor Z'shi spoke up, since they couldn't deny that that was exactly what had happened. But it was a lot more complicated than Ka'ya had made it sound. After all, it wasn't like they had gone in search of the nestling. It had been fate that had placed them all in the same cell, could've been nothing less than fate.

Ryou huffed a quiet laugh. "I don't think they can, it seems like that is exactly what happened."

Ka'ya whirled back to face them, a finger pointed at them accusingly. "This is why you can't go anywhere on your own. I thought that the adopting everything you tripped over thing was limited to maus. You can't just claim a whole Terran sapling. They undoubtedly have kin waiting back on Terra for them. As it is, I can't imagine how we're going to manage it but I'm sure Dzu will have it all figured out before we dock back on planet." She held out her hands imploringly, "We have to finish this mission, you can't have imprinted."

Sho'ta cleared his throat, looking away and down at the floor in a move that shocked Z'shi. It was as submissive as his mate would ever manage, as much as he could force himself to back down, and it showed once again how deeply the Pantera cared for his friends.

His voice was gravelly but understandable when he spoke. "We're not being controlled by our instincts, we can still finish this mission. However, she needs us, Ka'ya. She's hurt and vulnerable and has no one." His voice dropped an octave, "She needs us."

Ryou reared back like he'd been slapped. "You can't mean..."

Z'shi gave a sharp nod, seeing that Sho'ta was beyond words at the moment. "Sho said that she has no kin scent. Did you see the other Terran chicks? Did they have kin scent? Maybe the slavers did something to remove kin scent to keep them from tracking the young down?"

Ryou shook his head heavily. "No, all of them bore kin scent. This is troubling indeed if you speak the truth. There is no reason that a pup should not bear kin scent. You are certain that this is a pup? That they're not a mimic of some sort? Although it is rare, there have been cases of scent mimics before."

Anger sparked to life, although Z'shi knew that these were things that Ryou had to ask. That the other Peacekeeper didn't think that he and Sho'ta were liars, but it was just so rare for a nestling to bear no scent markers at all. Especially to a race like Lupines. Much like Panteras, they were a scent-based society, accounting for a least fifty percent of their communication and culture.

However, even with this understanding, the threat to their nestling was setting Z'shi on edge. How were they supposed to keep her safe if they didn't even know what to protect her from or how to deal with an entirely unknown in their corner of the galaxy race? He flicked his wings a couple of times, trying to dispel the negative energy. This wasn't their friends' fault, the blame laid squarely on the slavers who had dared to touch young. But at the same time, if they hadn't, they might never have met their nestling. It was making his head spin with how complicated everything had gotten.

They all just stood there for a long moment, uncertain how to move forward with this new development.

The only warning he got was the slightest sound of movement behind him, followed by twin gasps from Ka'ya and Ryou. He looked over at them, only to find them staring wide-eyed behind him.

Turning his head so he could see behind him, he saw that the nestling had taken matters into her own hands and poked out her head just enough so she could see the strangers to her outside the cage.

As the nestling stared warily at their friends, Z'shi prayed fervently, hoping that this whole situation was not about to go royally sideways.