The kit spent a couple of nons sleeping before waking again. She seemed ashamed over her earlier bout of tears but the scent was faded, like it was only a distant emotion. Sho'ta watched as Z'shi managed to coax her into eating her full portion, although it took nearly a full non with how slowly she was eating, seeming to get lost in her thoughts repeatedly until Z'shi would gently nudge her to get her attention again.

Z'shi kept giving him worried glances and Sho'ta wished that he could banish his mate's concern. But neither of them were familiar with Terrans, so they didn't know if her behavior was normal or not. Z'shi's fingers tightened uncomfortably around the handle of the eating utensil after the kit accepted the last bite, as if he was trying to figure out what to do next to help the kit.

Sho'ta reached over and carefully ran a hand over her hair, relaxing a little when she leaned absently into the touch, not even seeming to fully register what she was doing. He murmured to Z'shi, even as he gently urged her to rest up against the wall, "I think she's just worn out, Z'shi. With her injury, she clearly hasn't been eating much. And I doubt that she's been sleeping much, alone in these cold cells with no kin to guard her back. Not to mention her large release of emotions. She doesn't smell upset or frightened or in pain. She just smells tired."

Z'shi moved over and sat next to her, making sure to leave enough space that she wouldn't feel crowded, but hopefully close enough that she could feel his warmth. "Maybe she's like Pantera kits, needs more sleep? And now that she has safe adults to be around, she's returning to her natural patterns?"

Sho'ta sat on her other side, a little closer than Z'shi was, but with still a hands' width of space between them. "It could be biology. But I think it's just exhaustion. I think this poor kit has been tired for a long time and she's finally hit her limit."

His hands curled into fists briefly and he bit back a growl, not wanting to startle the kit where her eyes were just starting to droop. Even though he was fairly certain that she couldn't understand Common, he kept his voice low. "I think, if we hadn't ended up in her cell, she might've just ended up going to sleep and not waking up. I think, as much as it kills me, but I think that she's had to be strong for a very long time now."

Z'shi looked horrified, his scent sharp and acrid to Sho'ta's sensitive nose. He breathed, "No."

Sho'ta scooted a little bit closer to the kit, reaching across the kit with his tail to gently tap Z'shi's hand before pulling back. "It's okay, we have her now. And if she needs to sleep more, we'll make sure that she has the most comfortable nest to curl up and sleep in. Whatever she needs, we'll provide."

Z'shi tried to offer him a small smile, but it fell almost as soon as it formed. "I thought we were only taking her if she didn't have anyone else?"

Sho'ta snorted, rolling his eyes. "As if. She's ours now. I'd be willing to relocate her kin to our planet and co-parent if necessary, with the majority of custody being ours. As far as I'm concerned, finder's keepers. If they wanted to keep the kit, they should've kept a better eye on her."

Sho'ta knew that he was deep in his instincts at this point, imprinting hard on the kit. However, he didn't care. He always knew that the stars would bring them their perfect kit, although he hadn't quite expected to meet their kit in a cell in the middle of a mission. However, he'd never been clear on how the initial meeting would happen anyway, so there was no disappointment about it. And honestly, wasn't it better to provide a home for a kit who needed all the love and care they could provide? Z'shi had enough love for ten kits, he'd have more than enough for one lost little Terran kit.

Z'shi's gaze turned predatory, his eyes pinning briefly as he watched the kit who was absently studying Sho'ta's tail. "I think co-parenting is overly generous. I'm thinking the occasional visit for a day or two, a couple of cities over, is the amount they should get."

Sho'ta grinned, suddenly wanting fiercely to kiss his mate, only the tired kit between them keeping him from doing so. He didn't want to startle or upset the kit until she was settled into their clan, after all, they had no idea what the norm for affection was for Terrans. Still, seeing his mate being a protective parent added a layer of attractiveness that he hadn't expected. He made a mental note to revisit the thought later, once they were safely back home.

He reluctantly pulled his tail back, seeing a hint of interest spark to life in the kit's eyes. However, the spark died just as quickly, a small yawn escaping her, her eyes half-closing. He was going to let her fall completely asleep before rearranging her into a more comfortable sleeping position. However, to his surprise, she scooted slowly closer to him until there was only a tiny space left between them. He expected her to stay there, but she slowly pitched sideways until her head was resting on his shoulder, her eyes fluttering completely closed.

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Sho'ta held his breath, scared that she would pull away if he moved even the slightest bit. However, she just gave a quiet contented hum, her breathing evening out as she fell completely asleep. Sho'ta looked over at Z'shi to see if he was seeing the same thing as well or if Sho'ta was hallucinating this.

Z'shi had his hand clamped tightly over his mouth, his eyes wide with surprise and happiness. So it really had happened. Sho'ta whispered roughly, "Is she asleep?"

Z'shi scooted closer, carefully leaning forward and observing the Terran. He let out a soft coo, settling in closely on her other side and carefully spreading a wing over her so that she was covered in feathers, which would hopefully keep her warm. "She's out like a light. She's adorable, Sho. The Stars couldn't have brought us a more adorable nestling. Not only that, but she trusts you, Sho!"

The last came out as a soft squeal and Sho'ta shushed him, letting out a rumbling purr to keep the kit from waking. However, her breathing didn't hitch and she didn't stir, so it seemed like she truly was exhausted. Although his heart was a pile of warm mush, he warned Z'shi, "She may trust me or she may just be completely exhausted. We'll have to wait and see when she wakes up."

Z'shi leaned over and gently nuzzled his temple. "I know that you're just trying to keep me from getting my hopes up. But trust me, the kit trusts you. I don't know what that amulet means to her, but it's obviously very important to her. The fact that we didn't take it built a small thread of trust between us. We just have to keep nourishing it, but the seeds are there. She felt safe enough to fall asleep on you, Sho. The nestling sees you as safe, Sho, and nothing you say will convince me otherwise."

Sho'ta grumbled quietly, closing his eyes in order to avoid Z'shi's knowing gaze. It was better for them all to get what rest they could while they could.

Still, he only allowed himself to settle into a half-doze. He had a family to protect, after all.

X

Sho'ta found himself growing increasingly restless as the nons passed and nothing happened. The kit had spent most of the solar cycle napping, waking up just long enough for Z'shi to feed her the evening rations before passing back out, against Z'shi this time.

It was all he could do to keep his mate from bursting out into happy song, only his fiercest glare reminding Z'shi that he shouldn't disturb the kit. Z'shi managed to keep silent, but Sho'ta took the opportunity to engrave the soft look Z'shi wore as he watched the kit sleep on his mind.

When the lights went off, they settled the kit between them, making sure that she was warm and protected on all sides. Sho'ta had argued about the need for dark watches but Z'shi dismissed, knowing that neither of them would sleep deeply while in captivity. Sho'ta had grumbled but reluctantly agreed.

To his relief, the night passed without note, all of the other captives settling down to rest silently as well.

However, he was concerned when the kit remained drowsy the next solar cycle as well. They did manage to teach her the sign for eat and more, but it took her several tries to master them compared to how quickly she had picked up the initial signs. However, the bruising did seem slightly faded and she ate her entire morning ration in about half the time it had taken the last two meals, so he unhappily settled in to wait out whatever this.

He and Z'shi had overheard the morning guards speaking about how they had a meeting by the end of the cycle, so he knew that they only had to wait just a little longer. However, he wished they had a medic available now, to check out the kit. Although he'd scented her repeatedly throughout the cycle, he couldn't find any trace of illness. Even the pain scent had faded considerably and she didn't seem to be having any problems swallowing. But that still didn't explain why the kit seemed to be drowsing and sleeping more than anything.

It made him very uneasy and add in the fact that there was going to be a raid soon, well, he was practically bursting with nervous energy. Normally, he would exercise or spar to burn off the energy or if he was trying to conserve energy, he would spend time going over the intelligence again. However, neither was a viable option. He had no intel to go over and he found himself very loathe to move more than a few steps away from the pair, his instincts roaring at him to protect them from all threats.

It irritated him to be so torn on a delicate mission but he had dealt with instincts in the field before and he would manage this time as well. There was too much at stake to be distracted by base instincts. He managed to reach a compromise by doing frequent laps of the cell to check for threats before settling back beside the kit and Z'shi.

He and Z'shi occasionally chatted lightly about inconsequential things, but the conversation always faded quickly and the kit didn't even appear to be interested in what they were talking about. Which reignited the whole cycle again.

However, time passed and it was getting closer to the evening rations than the morning rations when Sho'ta felt the telltale slowing of the ship. He waited for several ticks to make sure that it wasn't just his wishful thinking. But then Z'shi gave a soft whistle, a prearranged signal, and Sho'ta knew that it was time.

Taking a deep breath as he exchanged fierce looks with his mate, he bit down on the tooth containing the distress signal, breaking the tooth and activating it. Once he was certain that it was fully activated, he set about stretching to loosen up his muscles for the coming fight.

Time to extract some vengeance and catch some scum.