Fools Errand

Chapter 6

Ghoti

Day 7

Warmth
You're with your mate again.
You nestled comfortably in her lap, her on the lap of a huge ethereal daxy four times her size.
Nothing is said but you feel an out flowing of pride from the other two.
From the great daxy, pride for the blue one, and from the blue one pride in you.
You stay there for a while but the dreamscape is never a permanent home.
Eventually you drift from there into the waking world feeling surprisingly refreshed after the lack of rest and hard marching in the last 24 hours.
The night was mild and the tent held up.
You leave the tent behind. Whatever happens, you won't be needing it again.
You stopped an hour away from the courthouse yesterday to keep yourself away from anyone who might go for a stroll through the woods looking for you.
You begin your short journey through the woods towards your final destination.
It's hard to keep the fear at bay.
Axia never told you that she would honor your plan.
After what happened at the cabin shes right to not trust you.
It's over either way at this point.
The tent is irreparable.
No castle to retreat to.
No rebel band to link up with.
Daxy at your front, and behind you is only snow, miles of trees, and eventually mountains.
You keep on trudging.
The thrum of engines is over heard eventually.
you duck under an evergreen until two transports fly overhead and are clear of you.
It would really suck to get caught now, assuming Axia will trust you.
The trees begin to break for the end of the forest.
You wander around a bit and find a suitable tree to climb.
After finding one you hid your bag under another and make your way up.
From your vantage point you can see the courthouse.
A hundred yards of snow blanketing grass, much of it near the building churned up into a muddy slurry from foot traffic and the transport ships landing and taking off.
The back door is clearly visible from where you are. You'll know whether you've been had or not by the number of daxy that will come out.
It's time.

"Axia."

"I'm here Daniel."

"I hope you've had enough time to think because I'm ready."

"Alright. I think we are ready too."
We?
Your heart sinks.

"That's your decision then?"

"Wh- oh, no! No I don't mean it like that. James wanted to find you first."
You let out a long breath and almost laugh with relief.

"Okay, whew, I was scared there for a minute."

"Where you at bud?"
True to her word James is calling for you.

"Treeline, northwest of the courthouse across from the back."
"Alright, I'm gonna start heading that way."

Silence falls for a few moments while you wait.
He doesn't come out of the building.
"If you shoot I'm gonna be real pissed by the way! I vouched for you."

"Where are you?"

"Lookin' for you of course."

"I didn't see you leave."

"I was already out here. I wanted to see if I could find you first just in case you wanted to do something else stupid."

"I don't have my gun with me."

"Yeah you said so but being careful is the only way I could get my way."

"Meaning?"

"You think my mate would just let me waltz out here knowing you could be setting a trap?"

"Why on earth would I shoot you?"

"That's exactly what I said!"
You think you heard the shout with and without the radio.

"You're getting close."

You hear him shout without the use of the radio this time. "AY DANNY WHERE YOU AT?"

"Yeah you're coming my way"

Eventually between the trees you hear the crunching of two pairs of feet in the snow and see James with a Daxy nearby both scanning the trees.
Is that Axia?
You try to hide your sudden anxiety by being casual.

"Sup James!"

The daxy jumps in front of James, legs slightly bent like a coil ready to spring. One hand hovering near a pistol on her hip like she's ready for a western shootout.
James walks around her and taps her lovingly on her gun hand. "Oh don't be like that. He ain't got his gun."

"Axia?"

"No, I'm James' mate Saxis."
You squint at her.

"Daxy can't claim more than one mate right?"

She's still not relaxed. "No, come down form there so I know you're not going to cause trouble."
You start to climb out of the tree.
James giggles and says "Man that would be so weird having to share you with her. How would the bed situation even work?"

"I'm not even thinking about that."

Your feet hit the ground and you turn around to be startled by Saxis now much closer and towering over you.
The smell reminds you of the same bitter citrus, emphasis on bitter.
Hopefully not all daxy smell like this, or at least hopefully you can get used to the smell.
She gives you a stern once over then finally relaxes with an exhale.
She presses a button on her suit. "You're clear Axia."
She puts a claw on your shoulder and gently but firmly directs you towards the field, and beyond that your final surrender. "C'mon, lets go before someone else finds you."
"What I can't have a moment with my bud?"
James grabs you in a hug. You note the hard material of a ballistic vest under his coat. "It's great to know you're safe, man. You made the right decision."
His hug makes you aware of just how tense you are. You've been out here for more than half a month and for nearly a full week you've been alone and constantly evading the enemy.
Yet here is a daxy right before you. They're much larger in person.
You stiffly return the hug and try to bring some levity for your own sanity.

"I really hope they have real food in there. If I have to eat any more fake egg MREs with fake bacon I'd rather just starve."

James laughs. "They've got their own preserved food they use for us. It's ain't mom's cookin' but it's pretty good."
The two of you disengage and at Saxis' behest you start moving towards the court house.
She walks between the two of you with one arm wrapped lovingly around James and the other possessively on your shoulder.
The silence is uncomfortable.

"What happened to the daxy from the cabin?"

Maybe not the best topic to bring up with those claws digging into you shoulder.
Saxis responds flatly, not hiding her distaste for what you did to her comrade. "She's not critical as of this morning. Her leg will heal but her intestines are going to be a lot shorter after what you did. She'll be discharged from duty."

"It was a split second decision. If it means anything, I'm sorry."

Saxis sighs. "You humans want the glory of dying in combat right?"
You don't like what she is insinuating.

"Some of us, not me personally."

"Daxy want the glory of taking a mate by conquest. She wont get that."
You're momentarily at a loss for words.

"It wont happen from me again. That's the best I can do."

"Of course it wont happen. You're about to be claimed."
James saves the moment. "Hey cut him a break. This is a war, war sucks. It could have gone a lot worse but she's still alive at least."
The recent revelation from Saxis and the anxiety of surrender is catching up to you again. You feel rather small.

"Thank you for treating me better."

"Better than what?"

"Better than we would have treated you. Better than I treated her."

The back door of the courthouse opens and a lone daxy walks out towards you. The three of you are still at least a hundred yards off.
"There she is." James is almost whispering but his tone conveys his excitement for you.
You certainly don't feel excited. Fear grips your stomach and heart.
With every step closer to your doom you feel you heart rate increase.
You close the distance and try to control your breathing.
When the distance closes to only 20 yards you can make her out more clearly.
She's not as tall as Saxis.
Under her armor; pale blue scales.
You slow down as you recognize her but Saxis pushes you along. "Don't get cold feet now."
The four of you stop with only a few yards between.
Saxis pushes you ahead towards your imminent captor.
She mirrors the motion.
She's smiling.
Her eyes are only on you, evaluating her conquest.
The recent dreams rush through your head.
A blue lizard tearing your heart out of your chest.
Then embracing you.
Singing for you on your honeymoon.
Your wife, no, mate.

"Axia?"
"Yes, finally"

Axia closes the gap and tenderly but excitedly leans down and reaches under your arms to pull you into a hug.
She smells much sweeter than Saxis, like limes.
Immediately your heart rate lowers and the tightness in your stomach subsides.
She murmurs into your ear "I'm so glad you're finally safe."

"I've... seen you before."

"Let's get out of the cold first, Alright?" She suddenly stands up, picking you up effortlessly in the process.
You wrap your arms around her neck for support.
You're pressed against the chest plate on her suit which holds a heater unit, but that isn't why you feel warm again.
It's the same feeling from the gas at the camp site. The same feeling every time you spoke to her.
You should have been startled by her action but you only feel happy and lethargic.
She swings around and walks towards the courthouse with Saxis and James in tow.
She enters and navigates a few hallways until she is in the front reception of the buidling and takes a seat at a desk with you sitting across her lap.
"Just give me a moment." She has a cheshire's grin stretched across her face.
She reaches past you and presses a button on a console at the desk. "All units return to base. The male has been captured. Mission success."
Some cheering starts to flow out of the speakers at the console but she quickly mutes it.
"Now, what were you say-"
A door bangs open behind you and Axia swivels around. Another daxy steps through the door wearing more ornate armor than Axia or Saxis. "Ho-lee shit, what did he just give up and walk in?"
Saxis responds with a shit eating grin. "No Captain. Axia captured him."
The captain squints at Axia for a moment while putting the pieces together but resumes her smile. "You know what? I don't care. You're our ticket out of hell, humie."
She struts off down a hallway shouting "Time to pack up for real this time girls!"
You feel Axia let out a silent breath she had been holding.
She squeezes you tighter and nuzzles her cheek against yours "Okay, tell me now what you wanted to say."

"About my dreams?"

"You said you had seen me before."

"I dreamed of you every night."

"It just means we were meant to be together."

"But how? if I've never seen you in person before how would I see you in my dreams? First it was a lizard but with your colors. It tore me open and ate my heart out. Then in the next dream it cuddled me."

"You mean you actually saw me? not just dreamed of my voice?"
"Yes."
She runs her claws through your hair. Between her svelte voice, the soothing touches, and her calming scent you can feel weeks of stress and effort slowly uncoiling from your muscles. You don't say anything for a while.
You've been so afraid of what was to come. You've been bone tired from evading the daxy. You've been freezing.
Now you are warm, more comfortable than you've ever been. Despite running from you dreams they have literally come true.
The decompression egged on by the wonderful smell of her pheromones causes a lump to well up in your throat. You squeeze your eyes shut as they begin to sting with excess moisture.
She begins to rock in the chair and whispers "Shhh, you're safe now. You're safe with me."
You don't think at all about James or Saxis seeing you. You don't even know or care if they are still there.

"We were in a cabin, in the woods. It was just you and I watching the sun set. It was beautiful and warm. It felt like nothing bad could ever happen."

She moves her hand from your head to your chin and compels you to look at her. "I'm going to do my best to make sure you feel that way every day."
You can't stand to be any farther away from her and press you head into her chest. When your face mashes into the hard plating of her chest rig she grunts and pulls you away for a moment to unclip the upper portion of her chest armor and strip it off.
You take the moment to pull off your gloves and coat.
She pulls you back into her and now with only a thin thermal covering you can smell her so much stronger.

"Last night, before I came in..."

"Hmm?"
You have to swallow the lump in your throat.

"You were there again. It was like we are now, but with you sitting on the legs of a huge daxy."

This seems to catch her attention. "What did she look like?"

"I don't know. Like space dust sorta?"

She humms happily. "Let't not worry about that now. We should wait until we have that conversation later."
She starts to lazily hum a daxy lullaby and and you sink into her for what could have been a moment or hours.
You are brought out of your stupor when the sound of multiple boots emerges into the room.
One of the pairs of boots stop, others keep shuffing around.
"Are you fucking kidding me!?"
You turn your head to look at the cause of commotion.
Most of the daxy are packing up equipment that was strewn around the room.
A dark scaled daxy in fancy armor is staring down Axia.
"You can't claim a male that's surrendered pale scale, You know that!"
Axia responds evenly. "I captured him. He's mine by right."
Embarrassing as it is, it feels good to hear that.
"Bullshit, How?"
"I went out and took him. How else would I?"
"You're not even supposed to leave your desk!"
"Axilis gave him to me."
You can see her spooling up for another outburst but before that happens the ornately armored commander from before walks in. Her tone is one of exasperation. "Tassis what is it now?"
Tassis points at Axia. "Commander, Officer Axia has abandoned her post to poach a male. She must be court martialed."
The commander rolls her eyes. "That's not how I see it. She finished the mission and claimed the last humie. I really don't care as long as we are leaving for somewhere warm, and we are."
Tassis is almost whining at this point. "He is not hers to take!"
"Listen, he's not yours to take either, Huntress. Who cares! I'm not going to soothe your wounded ego because you don't get to notch your belt with him."
With that she steps back into her office and slams the door.
Axia whispers "Let's go somewhere quieter".
With that she hooks an arm under your legs and carries you off to an empty room hastily converted into a bunk.
She lays you down on your back on a bed and lays on her side next to you with her upper body propped up with an arm.
her head hangs over yours for a moment while she looks down appreciatively.
She kisses you on the forehead.
Her pheromones are so much stronger now.
Your whole body feels incredibly relaxed, but is also buzzing at the same time.
"I'm so glad I have you."
It was foolish to think you could ever escape this.
Why would you have even wanted to?
She kisses you on the cheek.
The rush of dopamine is so much more than what you got from the gas or from the radio calls when talking to her.
You were glad for what you did though. It means you get her, not anyone else.
It means she gets you.

"It was worth it."

She plants her lips on your and you are startled for a moment. Despite looking rough they are soft.
The taste is amazing.
Fresh lime, with only a hint of sour.
You grab lovingly on the sides of her head and pull her in.
She feels your need and opens her mouth to deepen the kiss.
Her long tongue spreads her saliva throughout your mouth.
Somehow she knows when to stop just short of choking you with it, but it feels like she's reaching halfway down your throat.
She hums appreciatively at your enthusiasm.
The pheromones from her saliva are far more concentrated that anything you've felt so far.
The head rush comes in like a flash flood slackening every muscled in your body.
Your arms fall away from her head and she giggles into your mouth while continuing to do her best to coat your whole mouth and throat with her taste.
She's almost drooling into you.
Your muscles fade and the buzzing increases.
You do your best to drink her in but even your tongue goes limp.
Shortly after you fade in to the warm embrace of soft static and lime.