Other Trails Chapter 18

[random_xtras]

"Mmmm," said Shade absently as she stood on Starfighter's bridge and looked through the view screen at the blue and white world below them.

"Trust me, you don't wanna eat that," quipped her cybernetic herd mate cheerfully.

"I'm talking about Joel's bread." Shade had another bite of the flat, very hard rectangle in her hand, then savoured the flavour of herbs and delicately flavoured old cheese. "S'good."

Mist nodded a fist in agreement, then quickly put her hands up to her mouth to save the piece of bread she was holding there.

"Yeesh. Crumbs much?" Starfighter made a tongue stuck out emoticon appear on the screen.

"Oh." Shade looked down to see if she'd gotten them on his console, but then laughed as she saw Mutt busily cleaning the floor under her and Mist.

The pudgy black security bat pup looked up at the laugh, then squeaked cheerfully and resumed vacuuming up crumbs.

"Told you having a pet wouldn't be so bad." Starfighter made the emoticon grin.

"Wait till she grows up and starts shedding." Joel spoke up for the first time from where he'd been standing and listening to his mother, siblings, and friends from Earth say goodbye via Starfighter's communicator.

"I think I can handle that." Starfighter razzed the human man, then twitched his wings and made the floor vibrate softly as he noticed Joel shutting off the comm. "You didn't say anything."

"I did. Joanne relayed it." The furry man turned away from the screen and looked down at Mutt, then whistled to her softly.

The bat pup looked up alertly, ready to comply with any request that she understood, but making it clear, freshly weaned baby that she was, that she belonged to Shade and answered to the black-furred girl first and foremost.

Shade chuckled and finished her bread, then bent her front legs so that she could kneel and pet the pup, who bore a white chest star not unlike the one she herself now had. "Captain TP seems to like giving gifts."

[Good gifts.] Mist gently poked her sunflower puppy, who was clinging to her chest and shoulders over her blue top, then gave it the last bite of her cheese bread. [Big blanket is the best, and baby bat is cute and will watch Sister's back.]

"And maybe keep up with her better than I and the rug can," said Starfighter. Then he made his avatar appear on the screen and look thoughtfully down at the three Protectorate ships and the General Roddy as they lay in orbit around Earth below him. "Why did we leave again? It's not like we can get back to the other galaxy on our own."

"I know," said Shade quietly. "But I really feel like I need to get back to Alia and let Dat and the rest of the herd know that Mist and I are alright. And bring them a few treats." She grinned slightly at the thought of what her baby siblings were going to think of Joel's hard bread. "Captain Johnson and Captain TP said we'd probably run into a trip drive equipped ship somewhere around here that would give us passage back."

[After we drop off supplies at the asteroid place,] said Mist.

"Yeah. After we drop off the supplies at Craeth Gulch Mining." Shade thought of the crates that jammed Starfighter's small hold and Joel's cabin. "That's a lot of bones and protein packs. Not to mention the jet fuel. What do they need jet fuel for if they don't use the high tech mining equipment?"

"No idea," said Starfighter. "Those protein packs are for grumposaurs, and I know those losers like the milder JD style spiced bones. But don't ask me about that other stuff. And nobody ask me to drink it."

"Don't worry, we won't," said Joel dryly as he turned and went to the back of the bridge.

"Yeah. We were paid to deliver it." Shade straightened and patted the console, then settled into her stanchion and commanded Mutt to go to the round seat.

[Should we starhop to the sector with the asteroids?] Mist looked up at Starfighter's avatar image on the screen.

"Sure, why not? I've got the energy, and the trip there will only take a few days." The steady throb of Starfighter's systems became deeper and faster as he routed more power to his engines. "Everybody to your safety stations."

"I'm going. Don't get your exhaust in a knot." Joel settled onto the jump seat and lowered the safety bar over his shoulders, then frowned absently and flexed his right hand before rubbing the finger that didn't bend.

"I'll exhaust you, rug." Starfighter strapped Mutt in, and then closed the thin webbing safety gates behind Mist and Shade.

[No farts,] Mist told him sternly, then rested her elbows on the console.

"Whatever," said the young convertor cheerfully. "Brace for acceleration!"

Shade checked her sister and Joel and got two nods, then glanced at Mutt and saw that the bat pup was sound asleep in her nest of furry seat and webbing safety net. "Ready."

Starfighter shot forward, laughing at Shade's gleeful shout and Mist's excited signing as he hurtled toward a quick swing around the sun that would give him trip speed for a short time. "And engage!"


* * *


"Trunkhoppers are so strange." Shade watched the view screen, waiting for Starfighter to call up data on the interesting individuals she and her crew had just met at the little rough and tumble mining camp that consisted of a few modified shipping bins floating among the rocks and dust of the asteroid belt. "They look like carbon based organic people, but their mother is a mountain and they're actually living rocks."

"That drink jet fuel. Aha!" Starfighter filled the screen with files to choose from. "Looks like they're pretty well documented. Not big on the civilized sectors."

"They like the rim of this galaxy, and the spaces where most other people can't or don't want to go," added Shade as she read the nearest file. "They keep the name and location of their homeworld a secret, and all of them identify themselves as male, but show no interest in anything to do with romantic relationships."

"And they look like a fifteen foot tall mixture of kangaroo and elephant." Joel looked at the pictures thoughtfully.

"'Elephant' is like a mammoth, right?" Shade looked at the furry man as he leaned his hands on the console. "But what's 'kangaroo'?"

"Do you have any pictures, rust bucket?" Joel poked the screen to make one trunkhopper image bigger.

"Watch it, rug. Let's see what's on the info net. Yeah. There. Any of them look like what you're thinking of?" Starfighter filled the centre of the screen with pictures of animals from various worlds.

"They look the right shape." The human man nodded slowly, his blue eyes going rapidly from image to image. "All I've ever seen are line drawings in the books about the times before the Nuke. These have pouches on their bellies?"

"Hmmm. Yeah, the females do," said Starfighter, sounding intrigued.

Shade and Mist studied the images too, and then Shade returned her attention to the trunkhopper file she'd been reading.

[Animals are different on Earth now,] said Mist.

"Yeah. In the badlands anyway." Joel shrugged one shoulder. "We've got rollers, snake cats, hell hounds, vampire thrushes and some other birds, blood deer, mist horses, pucca, and a few rumblers."

"The files say pucca is an ancient Earth word for a shape changing creature that lured travelers into the water and drowned them." Starfighter's voice was puzzled. "They weren't real."

"These ****s are," said Joel grimly. "They're big dogs that look almost like horses. And they live in the water holes and pull things under when they come to drink. Hard as **** to see at night when they come out to go prowling."

"...Nice." Starfighter's voice was dry. "Do I wanna know what a rumbler or a roller are?"

"Rollers aren't that bad." Joel smiled slightly. "A few of the old tribes used to ride them. They're big hairy things that walk on the knuckles of their front paws because the claws are too long for them to walk any other way."

"Anything like any of these?" Starfighter showed pictures.

"Yeah. That's a roller." Joel tapped an image that was labeled "giant ground sloth". "Only they come in all kinds of colours. They don't seem to absorb heavy metals and rad heat like other animals."

"Whoa." Starfighter found a carefully sketched image from Earth that showed a smooth-skinned young woman with long hair blowing in the wind as she sat astride one of the beasts in question.

Joel perked and chuckled. "My brother drew that after Joanne got Taps."

"She's pretty," said Shade, studying the face of the girl in the image. "She's got a softer version of your nose."

"Softer and unbroken." Joel grinned. "That's Dad's nose." Then he looked up. "Do you have any more pictures from Earth? Joseph fed a lot to our local net."

"Yeah." Starfighter made a tiny icon appear in the row along the bottom of the view screen. "They're in there. Now what the heck is this about rumblers? Living machines?"

"Yeah." Joel's face darkened. "Great big piles of crawling, radioactive garbage that eat anything that doesn't get out of the way fast enough. And blowing the ****s up just makes new ones."

[Scared now,] said Mist, her fur standing up.

"Yeah..." said Shade, stamping a front hoof and hugging herself.

"You're safe." Starfighter made their stanchions gently press against their chests in reassurance.

"Yeah. There aren't any here," said Joel. "And TP said he was going to get a n'roo to look into them."

"What's a n'roo?" asked Starfighter before Mist could.

"He said they're sentient computer viruses that infect electronic junk." Joel frowned at something on the screen. "What's that?"

"Uh." Starfighter made a little sound to show that he was scanning, then made his avatar image blink. "A life sign reading."

"I saw that, kid. What kind of life sign?"

"Um." Starfighter scanned again, and then again. "A tree? That can't rusting be right."

"You just got overhauled. You can't be tripping out already." Joel leaned forward and frowned at the screen more closely, then glanced at Shade.

"Right, that convertor medic from Captain TP's ship said she had you running factory mint again," said the black-furred girl, also frowning. "Can you read anything dangerous about it?"

"No. But now I'm picking up other life signs, and I know what they are. But how are rabbits, birds, deer, and all kinds of other cute little forest animals living on a rusting giant tree out in the middle of space?" Starfighter made a bibblebibblebibble sound, absently accompanied by the appropriate avatar actions for Mist's benefit and amusement.

Shade frowned and considered for several minutes, then glanced over at Mist and Joel and saw them looking back at her. "Let's go see."

"You got it, Cap." Starfighter engaged his engines and headed toward the anomaly.

As they drew nearer Shade's eyes went wide as she realized the full size of the huge hunk of vegetation, which bore several crowns of massive leaves. In one of these crowns she clearly made out the form of a large comet with root-like branches growing through it. "It's as big as a world!"

"Yggdrasil," said Starfighter quietly, sounding awed.

"What?" Joel tore his eyes away from the tree to frown at the avatar image.

"The world tree. It's a really old Earth story." Starfighter searched as he flew between two crowns and startled a flock of birds into the air. "But all I can find right now is the names."

[Can we land here?] asked Mist, her head high with curiosity. [I want to walk on that and look at it. Look look! Other plants are growing on it!]

"Yeah. It's got dirt on it," said Starfighter, continuing to scan. "I think it's safe. I'm not picking up anything dangerous."

"Alright." Shade nodded. "But we better not take Mutt out. She's too young."

"She'll be alright with me." Starfighter's avatar image looked toward the sleeping bat pup, then turned his attention back to the leafy green world that he was gently settling into. "Heh. I'm out on a limb!"

"You're a dork," Shade told him.

"Hey! Rug, you better stop teaching these guys bad words."

"Why? Do you have a copyright on it?" Joel smirked slightly as he turned to head for the door.


* * *


Joel said that the gravity on the tree was the same as that of Earth. Shade liked how her muscles responded to the slightly heavy feeling, and felt that she'd like to come back to Earth and run around a bit some day when she'd found a hazard suit that would fit on her.

Mist and Starfighter were more interested in trying to say hello to every animal or bird that walked up to them or sat on them. Since Starfighter was in his bipedal mode, he had plenty of room for birds to roost.

"They're all sayin' hi, even though they're not sentient." He turned his head from side to side to look at the creatures sitting on his wings and sharing his shoulders with Mist, a grin of wonder on his face.

"No one's ever tried to hurt or hunt any of them," said Shade, looking up as a graceful black bird swept past over her head with a call like a soft bugle.

"And no one ever will."

The unexpected voice caused the black-furred girl to rear as Starfighter crouched and Joel scowled and moved closer to her. "Whoa! Who said that? Where are you?"

"I spoke," said the voice as a tall woman stepped out from behind one of the massive leaves of the tree. "I, Skuld, keeper of the rainbow bridge. You are trespassing."

"You never answered any of my hails," said Starfighter indignantly as he complied with Mist's request to set her on the ground. "I even yelled out loud before I let the others out. It's not trespassing if nobody told me to get lost."

[What are you?] asked Mist, her hand movements soft and small to show that she was speaking quietly.

Skuld stared at her, furred ears going back as her dark eyes scowled beneath her short brown hair. "You are impudent."

[Whoa! Head talk!] Mist put her hands to her head, eyes wide with shock as she stamped one front hoof.

"She's not impudent." Shade stepped forward protectively, her own ears twitching with anger. "We've never seen anyone like you before. It's polite to ask what someone is."

"Easy." Joel put a hand on her shoulder, but he was tense and watchful himself.

Skuld folded her arms across her chest, the fine brown fur on them rippling softly as she curled a tufted tail around her bare, human shaped feet and frowned at the crew members.

"Fine. We're going. Sorry for trespassing." Shade made a hand sign to Mist and Joel to tell them to board Starfighter.

"No." Golden brown light suddenly sparkled overhead, forming a force field over Starfighter. "You are not free to go till the price of your trespassing has been paid."

"Price?" Shade jerked her eyes from the force field back to the woman.

"Yes. The payment for trespassing on the rainbow bridge is a life." Skuld's eyes seemed to bore into hers, bringing the feeling of implacable will and remorseless demand.

"Who are you to demand someone's life?" Shade reared slightly, her hands balling into fists as she snorted.

"I am Skuld," said the woman, meeting the black-furred girl's fury with a dispassionate gaze. "Half breed daughter of Urd. Born when the Guardians left this reality, that the bridge might never be without a Protector."

[Guardians?] asked Mist, her head tilted slightly as her cheek fur fluffed out in sympathy at the thought of anyone being left behind alone.

"Guardian Fae," murmured Starfighter quietly. "Oh rust. But they're supposed to be the good guys. The protectors. Not jerks who get all rusty and start demanding lives when people land on a place that wasn't posted as off limits."

"Silence, poisonous and pointless creature." Skuld gave him an impatient look.

"Bite me. You probably can't even touch me, because of what I'm made from." He scowled back.

"Maybe. But nothing stops me from touching these." She gestured to the girls and Joel. "And I will, unless you hold your vile tongue."

"You're not killing any of my herd!" Shade stepped forward, only to grunt as she seemed to slam into an invisible wall.

"Careful." Joel caught her as she stumbled and gasped for breath, then glanced with narrowed eyes toward Skuld.

"Ugh, she's looking in my head." The dark-furred girl snorted and scowled.

"She's looking in mine too," said the human man quietly. Then he looked down at her. "I'll go."

"No!" Shade wrenched away from him and glowered, her legs braced and her fists clenched. "I won't let you die!"

Joel shook his head. "Smarten up, Shade. She's not asking for a death. She's asking for a life. I owe you mine. Give it to her."

"But... No!" She angrily smoothed her cheeks. "I can't give you, like a... a blanket or something! You're a person, and you're free!"

"Then I go freely." Joel turned and walked to Skuld, then stopped in front of her and lifted his eyebrows quizzically. "Alright. You've got your life. What are you going to do with it?"

"No!" Shade kicked at Starfighter's hand as he snatched her away. "Put me down!"

"Not a rusting chance. Ouch!"

Skuld seemed unaware of the altercation as she scowled emotionlessly at the man in front of her, but then, slowly, her expression began to change to confused wonder.

Joel nodded.

"I mean what I say," he said, his deep voice quiet. "I'll stay with you."

"For a few years," said Skuld, softly and bitterly. "Till your puny mortal life is ended and the Starsinger frees you."

The furry man shook his head. "I've met a Guardian Fae before, can you give me a wish?"

Her forehead furrowed, and she actually glanced toward the angrily glowering girl above her before turning back to him. "I... can. Perhaps."

Joel nodded and put his hands on her shoulders, his fingers slightly bunching the fabric of her plain brown tunic dress. "I wish to be Guardian Fae."

Skuld gasped, her surprise causing both sisters to snort and stamp. Then she stared at Joel almost wildly.

"Well?" He shook her very slightly. "Am I too furry for you or something?"

"N... no..." She slowly lifted her hands and grasped his arms, her expression still showing her disbelief and fear to hope. "You're the first being I've seen that has ever appeared truly beautiful to me."

"Then give me my wish." He smiled just slightly, and Shade, looking down at him, could see the twinkling challenge in his bright blue eyes.

"You are bound to these three by ties of love and duty," said Skuld softly. "Becoming a Changeling will not sever that bond."

"No. But the bond won't keep me from forming another bond with you." The slight smile grew.

"True..." She moved her hands toward her shoulders, covering Joel's, bowing her head as she did so.

And then Shade gasped as she saw her human herd mate surrounded by the golden brown sparkles.

"Chill..." Starfighter held her close, his own eyes wide as he watched the proceedings down near his feet.

The light lingered for a moment more, and then faded away. Joel stepped back from Skuld and looked down at his hands, then folded two perfect fists with no fingers sticking out.

Shade gasped again, her hands going to her mouth.

[Finger is repaired,] said Mist.

Joel looked up at her, and the light in his eyes, which had before been only a trick of the imagination, now shone softly in truth. [Yes. Finger is repaired. Should I fix Mist's ears?]

The white-furred girl blinked at him, then touched her ears before signing her reply. [Ears not broken.]

[No.] He nodded, grinning his slight grin. [Ears not broken. And neither is the crew/herd. Anywhere you go, any of you, if you ever need me just call and I'll be there.]

"You can do that?" asked Shade softly, her hands echoing the words.

"Yes." He held out a hand as Starfighter set her down. "You three and the land where I used to live are my Holding. I can feel and hear everything that goes on with you."

"That could be embarrassing." Starfighter scratched the back of his head.

"I'm not going to look at the embarrassing stuff, rust bucket." Joel snorted at him.

"Whatever. So, are you marrying this lady? Because you've got three witnesses here." Starfighter pointed from himself to the girls. "I know you just met, but..."

[Steal her to keep!] Mist laughed.

"That was the idea." Joel scratched the side of his nose as he looked quizzically at Skuld.

The brown-furred woman lowered her eyes, plainly blushing underneath her fur as her ears flattened bashfully. "Yes. I accept you as my other half. I'll stand by you till the worlds end."

Joel reached out, and she came and stood beside him in the circle of his arm, all her proud and dangerous haughtiness replaced with soft wonder, hope, and friendship as she looked around at the sisters and Starfighter.

"I witness. They're married," said the young convertor cheerfully. Mist nodded enthusiastic agreement.

Shade hesitated. "You're sure? I know it's normal for my people to be married to a complete stranger as soon as a man steals a woman, but your people do things differently."

"We're not strangers anymore. We have seen each others' hearts and minds," said Skuld softly. Joel nodded agreement, those shining eyes still on Shade's face.

"Then I witness too," said the black-furred girl quietly. "You're married. And Skuld is part of my herd."

The Guardian startled, but then hugged Shade and squeaked as Mist came to join the embrace.

"Thank you," she said, wiping at her eyes as the sisters let her go. Then she smiled. "You want to go back to the world where you were born."

Shade and Mist nodded, heads lifting curiously.

"There is a lake in the centre of the tree. That is the bridge, and it will take you anywhere you want to go. Because you're my family the power of the water will not fade away, no matter how many worlds you visit."

"Whoa, did you just give me some kind of uber trip drive?" asked Starfighter, peering through the leaves toward the lake.

"I did." Skuld laughed.

"Sweet! So what're we waiting for?" He converted and popped his door.

Shade laughed too, and then hurried to join Mist in hugging Joel. "I'll see you again soon."

"Sure you will." He kissed each girl on the forehead, then stepped back and handed Shade a small golden ring and Mist his Christmas book. "Keep an eye on that rust bucket."

"Heh. Guess you finally found somebody to act like a monkey for." Starfighter razzed him cheerfully.

The girls laughed and gave Joel a last hug, and then gave Skuld another too. Then they turned and trotted into Starfighter. Their last glimpse of the furry man as Starfighter lifted off and nosedived into the lake was of him standing with an arm around Skuld's waist as he waved with the other hand.

And then they were circling a familiar world and looking down at a tiny, forgotten space port.

"Uh, hey," said Starfighter suddenly. "If you stole me, does that mean..."

"In your dreams, rust bucket." Shade laughed and smacked him gently on the console.

"Good. I thought not." He turned scanners toward the planet below.

"Rusted scrap, that's a lot of trees!"



(all characters and text copyrighted to Tammy Elaine Mahan. No copying in any way whatsoever except for brief quotes for review purposes without written permission of the author.)