Bay's Mercenary [Unearthly World Book 1] (4 page)

“I was giving
positive reinforcement and she fell asleep while I was holding her. I didn’t
have the heart to move her and she really weighs nothing—although, I think now
my
arm’s
asleep, so really, Bay wasn’t in the way.”

“Bay?”

“It’s the funniest
noise she makes, kind of like a
booer
bird. When they
make noise, it sounds like ‘
booer
’ so that’s where
they get their name. She makes a noise that sounds like ‘Bay,’ so it just sort
of fit.”

“Well, my shift is
done; has it eaten or should I take more baby food with me?”

“I think maybe
she
should stay here tonight. She’s eating
but not much; I’m worried about her throat. When she moves, she’s stiff; I wish
I could give her something for pain, but I don’t want to kill her by accident.”
Finn shifted her in his arms and settled her onto the couch; he ran his hand
down her hair in a gentle manner.
Blu
widened his
eyes. “The floor may be too hard even with the sheets. She doesn’t shed
either—obviously.”

“Do not get
attached,”
Blu
warned. “
She’s
a pet for Zane.”

Finn looked
annoyed.
“Fine.
But if Zane won’t keep her, I want
her. You don’t have time for a pet, and I can take her wherever I go.”

“Thought
you needed a sterile environment.”

Blu
picked her up into his arms. He
felt Bay was a good enough name as any, and Bay felt warm; her body seemed to
curl against him, her cheek pressed to his chest.
Blu
had to admit he could see why the doctor liked this thing. It was a lot cuter
than a
toffling
, a lot lighter and a great deal more
affectionate and sweet—when it/she wasn’t making noise.
Blu
gave his head a shake, finally wrapping his head around the fact he was indeed
holding a she/her/female creature pet.

“She’s not
diseased and she’s housebroken; she really is intelligent. You only have to
show her something once and she picks it up. That odd sound her belly made
seems to happen when she’s hungry, so it’s not hard to determine when to feed
her. She’s not growling at you—she appears to have no control over it.”

“Well, if Zane
doesn’t want her, you can have her. It’s cute, but I have no time for a pet
with my lifestyle. You’re right, it—
she
,”
he corrected when Zane scowled, “needs commitment. I’ll drop her off first
thing tomorrow. I’m sorry but I won’t have time to wash her.”

“I can.”

“Well, she hates
cold water; it needs to be warm, and I’ll bring a brush with her, but you have
to watch her with it. This creature plays fetch, but expects
you
to retrieve the item. And don’t put
her in the shower stall; the blast will tear the flesh from her bones. And
please no
vida
bugs—the damned things eat
her
. Her blood is red—what the hell
kinda
thing has red blood?”

“Warm water? How
warm is warm?”

“Well, not hot or
you may cook her. I had her in cool water and it was still too cold, so maybe
try tepid. And you have to talk to her while you wash her, or she splashes everywhere.
She’s pretty playful when she gets to know you, but her bare skin is the devil
to hang onto when she’s slippery. And try not to scare her, it triggers her
alarm; she has no off switch. It’s brutal.”

“This pet of yours
certainly is unique.”

“Tell me about it.
Half the warriors on the ship want one now and have been asking all day where I
got it and if there are more. She didn’t come from a litter; she was the only
one.”

Blu
shook his head at the idea of
Zargonnii
males owning female pets, as he strode from the
room. Male toffs were the only pets
Zargonnii
warriors knew about. They were the only male creature
Blu
knew of that gave birth to more male toffs. The male
tofflings
were taken from their parent, as grown male toffs ate their young. It was known
when the toffs were ready to give birth and they were turned off. Once the
switch was pushed, the toffs entered into a deep sleep while giving birth. The
tofflings
were boxed and cost a great deal of exchange to
purchase—they were rare enough and found only on the planet Toho.

This female Earth
creature was new and helpless and surprisingly had no off switch, though it did
seem to sleep a great deal. Toffs were rough, loyal, fierce—and huge. This
little creature was small, vulnerable and cute. Imagine, a female that was
helpless; it was laughable. Maybe that was what the hype was about.
Zargonnii
females were larger than the warrior males and
sometimes nasty. The warriors gave them a wide berth and didn’t enter their
domain.

Their kind bred
once a year, every other year or more; sometimes the male was killed in the
female’s enthusiasm, though it was rare and
Blu
understood the female was remorseful.
Blu
didn’t think
the females killed on purpose; they were just so much larger and more powerful.
And because there were more females than males, the females tried their best to
be gentle, but it was difficult for them. Their species accepted one another as
useful and necessary, but they lived separate lives, spoke separate languages.
Except for breeding, they had nothing in common.

Blu
had never felt the urge to mate.
Zane had, but Zane was older and had hit his cycle;
Draven
was the result.
Blu
had yet to enter into his cycle.
He preferred not to and knew of many
Zargonnii
warriors who preferred to get off on their own. Mating a female was dangerous;
they were high-strung, intent on only their own satisfaction and domination.
Blu
knew a few of the larger warriors wanted to go out in
search of a female just to appease their curiosity. And some, like Zane, had
wanted a son.

Zane had said he
enjoyed the mating except it was brutal, and he didn’t want to leave
Draven
an orphan if his next encounter was with a younger
female—who had less control than the older ones. After mating, the females went
back to their area, well away from the males they were no longer interested in,
as their blood time had stopped.

If a female
Zargonnii
gave birth to a male, she would leave it near the
male warrior’s area after it had been weaned at a month old. Though the females
wanted nothing to do with males, the mother would, nevertheless, watch her male
infant until he was found by a warrior male—normally, he was left near his
sire’s home.
Blu
had never seen a female
Zargonnii
infant or child. Their mothers were possessive to
the point of being deadly when encountered if they had their female offspring
with them.

Blu
entered his room and stood
holding his pet female; he looked for a place to set her down. He was tired.
The limp pet in his arms shivered, and
Blu
took her
to his sleeping quarters.
Blu
placed her at the foot
of his bed. He stripped, turned down the lights and settled under his covers.
He curled his arms back behind his head and gazed for a moment out his window
into the dark galaxy sky. The little female stirred and looked disorientated
for a few moments before crawling closer to him. She cuddled up next to his
waist and settled.
Blu
let her stay where she was. It
must be frightening for such a tiny thing to be all alone and cold in a new
place. Hopefully, she felt a little safer with him than the damned
Tonan
.
Blu
pulled the blankets
around her and crooned a soft noise male
Zargonnii
normally used on babes.

For a moment, he
reached down and stroked her hair. She was so soft under his hard skin.
Blu
had the most entertaining idea. Wouldn’t it be
wonderful if females were weaker and needed protection in the hard world? What
an interesting concept—and laughable. Bay was a pet, of course she needed him.
Real females were vicious; they had to be because they protected their young.
Blu
was grateful females were powerful and possessive—he
would be dead if it wasn’t for his mother. She had kept him safe from the unearthly
creatures of his planet until his father had found him.

The thought made
Blu
wonder. Zane would have to protect this female from the
creatures of his world; it was a good thing his home had a penned in area. If
not, then Finn would take her. It was a relief knowing he wouldn’t be saddled
with such a big responsibility.
Blu
closed his eyes;
the female was warm, her tiny hand had worked its way into the fur on his chest
and she rubbed him. It felt nice. She smelled much better;
Blu
was happy he had saved her.

Chapter 4

Bay watched from a
corner as
Blu
and another male creature argued. She
had been plopped onto a massive black padding when they had entered into the
home. They had landed on a planet hours earlier, departing the space vessel
after Bay had wept a tearful goodbye to Finn. The doctor had been kind to her
over the last three days. He had taken care of her and made her feel safe. He
seemed to understand her need for clothes and had fashioned a workable wrap
from an old blanket. It covered just above her breasts and just below her
behind. Bay wondered if the good doctor thought he was making the equivalent of
a ‘doggy coat’ just to aid in keeping her warm. The ship was very cool, but
both Finn and
Blu
had turned up the heat in their
quarters for her when they noted her odd goose bumps disappeared when she was
warmer.

Though Bay still
couldn’t speak actual words, she was learning more of their language and she
realized Finn had grown fond of her—even if he still thought of her as a pet.
Bay had known he wanted her to stay with him. Bay had found herself curling up
to both males when she was feeling distressed, or just for the security they
offered.

Now
Blu
and another creature were yelling at one another. Bay
didn’t care; with
Blu
nearby, she knew she was in no
danger. She caught a few words here and there; Finn and the ship were mentioned
often. She didn’t know enough to understand what was happening, but enough to
know
Blu
would return her to the ship and Finn.

The world she had
been taken to looked a little unearthly. There was some sun, but gnarled dark
brown roots of trees and thick greenish vegetation made where
Blu
had taken her look like a dismal jungle. Fog rolled
from the ground in a surreal fashion, swirling at her feet like a horror story
effect, as she had walked pressed close to
Blu’s
side. Strange noises emanated from all around, grunts and growls; at one time
there was a high pitched scream. The air seemed thicker, heavy and cool but not
too cold. The ground beneath her feet was black dirt, rich soil, it explained
the heavy foliage.

Massive boulders
and rock formations were covered in heavy moss in some places; others were
brown, bare, slippery-moist, smooth looking. Vulture-like birds, two feet high,
sat poised on thick gangly branches, watching her with dark black eyes; their
inky black feathers lay flat. Yellow talons curled around the branches, sinking
into the bark. Sharp beaks followed her, heads turning as she walked by,
causing goose bumps to rise on every part of her partially-covered flesh. The
birds were eerily silent; lips at the base of their beaks rose in a sinister
smile.

Every so often, a
wind rustled her hair, making an odd moaning noise as though it were alive. The
breeze came from all different directions bringing strange scents, some
pleasant, others not so much. Long vines hung over branches and Bay was certain
they moved, slithering along like snakes with no beginning or end. A few of the
trees sported leaves that looked like accordions. One moment, they were
squished together—seconds later, they unfolded quickly, exposing sharp,
deadly-looking points.

Ponds were covered
in a green scum; the scum lifted up off the water as Bay and
Blu
continued on. Like a blanket, or carpet, the rolling
substance rippled as though tiny waves made love to the stagnant contents. A
small creature approached the water’s edge and was immediately enveloped in the
pond scum, sucked under. Bay shuddered as seconds later, bones spilled back up
onto the pond’s edge; they lay white and shiny like a gruesome game of pickup
sticks.
Blu
seemed unconcerned; Bay was certain she
was close to a nervous breakdown.

When she caught
glimpses of the elusive sky, Bay had seen colors, not clouds. Green shining
streaks alight with shades of oranges and blues, reds and purples. The heavens
were like a rainbow run amok, aurora borealis meets pastels. Three foggy round
lights hung in the air, one encircled by a black ring, and she wasn’t certain
if they were moons or suns. Patches of inky black rolled within the disarray of
the sky; surreal pools of skyward tar moved as though the blackness ate the color
and spit it out behind.