Chapter 2

Note: I have started using more Dizyntk terminology in regards to units of measure for things other than just the Cyanka. This mostly shows up in the dialogue. I have tried to use them throughout, but I may have missed a couple. For convenience I will put these units here along with how they equal to our units.

Time:

Vall/ Dizyntk minute Vallin/ Dizyntk hour = 60 Vall/ 65 minutes Tasin/ Dizyntk day = 24 Vallin/ 26 hours Haken/ Dizyntk week = 8 Tasin/ 8.5 days Cyan/ Dizyntk month = 4 Haken/ 32 Tasin/ 34 days Cyanka/ Dizyntk year = 16 Cyan/ 512 Tasin/ 544 days

Distance:

Ishalt = 1.2 Kilometers / .74 miles

Weight:

Rinak = .68 Kilograms / 1.5 pounds

It had been a long flight from the Halkant spaceport to the town of Ferlen on the central Salakina coast. Although the aircraft they were traveling on was capable of cruising at 2000 ishalt per vallin, they still had to cover a distance of 11,000 ishalt. Cynthia was curious as to why they could not have landed closer to their destination.

"Because my family likes the isolation that not having a starport nearby gives them." Virathea explained.

Carathaya laughed at this explanation. "Well, I suppose that is true, at least as far as it goes."

"Mother!" Vira said sharply, as if to remind her not to say something.

Carathaya softly batted her daughter's ear with her claws barely extended. When done harder, and with claws halfway or fully extended to draw blood, this action was a sign of displeasure that Dizyntk parents sometimes used with unruly children; a description that could fit most Dizyntk at some time in their childhoods. It was, in fact, a very unusual Dizyntk that did not have a few light scars on the back of their ears from this. It was the only form of physical punishment used on children by most Dizyntk. When done like Carathaya had just done however, it was more of a gentle and good natured reminder of who was the parent. This was especially true when done to one's adult children.

"She is now your bonded mate. That makes her family, my dearest." Carathaya said softly to her daughter.

Virathea rubbed the batted ear in mock pain and smiled. "Yes, mother."

"While it is true that we like our privacy, as Vira says, there is another reason as well. The fact is, Cynthia, that many in our family, particularly the older generation that are in charge, are suspicious of technology to one degree or another. They firmly believe that too much technology can make a warrior soft and we are a warrior family." Carathaya explained. "That is the main reason why we do not have a spaceport on our lands. In fact you will see that our towns are a generation or two behind in technology in general, although some houses use even less. As my generation and Velakari's come to be in charge this will possibly change, but for now it is what it is."

She then softly stroked Cynthia's cheek and continued, "We try not to talk about this to outsiders as it may color their opinions of the family as a whole. You, however, are now part of our family. That means I can tell you these somewhat embarrassing things about us, does it not?"

Cynthia smiled at Carathaya and nodded slightly. "Yes, it does."

During the rest of the flight, Carathaya took the opportunity to get to know her daughter's new mate. She also made sure to relate stories of Virathea when she had been much younger. While the first was something that Virathea was happy about, the second was something else entirely. She was blushing and complaining almost half the trip. Cynthia, on the other hand, was enjoying the talk she was having. While she was not completely fluent in Dizyntilin, she was good enough that Vira had to help her only occasionally. By the end of the flight, Carathaya felt that she knew Cynthia well enough to know that she and her daughter were well matched. Not that she really had any doubts about her daughter's judgment in such a thing, but it was comforting to confirm it for herself. The last two vallin of the flight was quiet as the three of them napped.

The jolt of the landing gear touching down on the runway was enough to wake all three of them from their light slumber. The aircraft's thrust reversers slowed it rapidly and it taxied to small hangar and came to a stop inside of it. As the three of them exited the plane, Cynthia could immediately tell the difference in climate from that of the spaceport they had left five and a half vallin earlier. It had been near the planet's equator and had been very warm and quite humid. This was much farther south and, while the humidity was still fairly high, the temperature was much cooler. As they walked out of the hangar, Cynthia could see that they were in the middle of a lush, green, temperate rainforest. To her left she could see a town nestled among the trees.

Carathaya motioned towards the town and began walking in its direction. Virathea followed as a matter of course but Cynthia, while she did follow, was a bit more confused. She was not sure if Virathea should be walking very far quite yet.

"Carathaya, are you sure that... ?" Cynthia started to ask.

Carathaya cut her off however. "The town is lovely as you will see. It is not too far a walk to my house from here; only about two ishalt."

Cynthia saw that Carathaya gave her daughter a bit of a look as she said this, but then turned and continued to walk. She understood then that while Carathaya probably thought that Virathea would not be able to walk the entire distance as she was now, she would not suggest that they call for a ride unless Virathea herself asked for it. She thought it was just another facet of Virathea's pride as a warrior that Cynthia would have to get used to. She then saw Carathaya give her a look out of the corner of her eye and Cynthia realized that the situation was not what she thought it was and she considered this as they walked.

They walked for about two minutes before it suddenly dawned on Cynthia as to why Carathaya had not suggested they get a ride and why she had looked at her after the point where she should have done so. It had nothing to do with Virathea at all, at least not completely. Virathea would not admit to needing a ride until she literally dropped in her tracks; this much Cynthia was well aware of. The reason why Carathaya had not suggested it herself was because it was no longer her place to do so. That was why she had cut off Cynthia asking her when she did. Cynthia closed her eyes and shook her head with a smile. The Dizyntk were sticklers about propriety and since she was now Virathea's bonded mate, it was now her place to make sure that Virathea did not over exhaust herself, not Carathaya's.

Cynthia gently took Virathea's hand in hers as they walked and she leaned in and whispered into her mate's ear. "How far do you think you can walk before we need a ride?"

Virathea responded without even thinking about it. "I can make it the whole way."

Cynthia then growled low in her throat. This was something that she had learned how to do since she had begun her relationship with Virathea. It served as a fine way to express displeasure without being too loud.

Virathea looked at Cynthia trying to understand her mate's anger at her. Cynthia stopped and slapped the back of Virathea's ear and said, "After you are fully healed you will be able to, my love, but you will be honest with yourself about your condition now or I will not allow you to take another step."

Virathea looked at her mother but Carathaya was purposely looking at everything around her except the two of them. Virathea looked down and thought about it for a moment before responding to her mate in a contrite tone. "Maybe halfway, my love."

Cynthia thought it over and nodded curtly. "Very good. But if you feel you need to stop before then, you WILL tell me or I will be very upset with you." She then leaned in and gave Vira a gentle kiss on the lips.

Cynthia turned to ask Carathaya to arrange for a ride to meet them halfway to the house, but she saw that Carathaya was already calling someone to do just that. Carathaya was now even more satisfied that Cynthia had the temperament to be her daughter's bonded mate.

As they continued their stroll along the sidewalk Carathaya was assuming the role of tour guide for Cynthia. "As you will notice, nearly all of the public walkways in town are covered. This is due to the high frequency of rain. This allows one to take a walk around town without fear of getting too wet."

Indeed, Cynthia had noticed the cover over them as they had begun walking on the sidewalk. She knew that they would not do much good during a storm but during normal rain or drizzle, such as was falling right now, the cover was a very useful structure.

Carathaya continued to point out certain shops and other buildings as well as giving a brief history of the town. Cynthia noticed that all of the Dizyntk that they passed were giving either her or Virathea very long looks. She could understand the looks in her direction. How many of these Dizyntk had ever seen a human after all. She thought that maybe the looks at Virathea were due to her missing arm, but that had not drawn any such long stares on Sapphire or Ashal-Kendant. She asked Virathea about this as she was somewhat concerned about it.

"Do not worry, my love. They are looking at my decorations." Virathea responded with a mixture of embarrassment and pride.

Carathaya nodded at this and added, "Not to mention that my daughter is something of a celebrity here now, what with the grand reception planned in a couple of hakin."

Virathea gave her mother a hard look. "What!? I do not need such a thing for simply doing my job."

Carathaya smiled at her daughter. "Do not complain to me, my dearest. It was the Matriarch's doing, not mine."

Virathea shrank back a bit and said quietly, "The Matriarch?"

Carathaya nodded. "Of course. You did not think that you could be decorated by the Queen herself for protecting the entire Royal Family and not have the Matriarch welcome you home personally, did you?"

Virathea looked nervously at both her mate and mother as she replied. "I suppose not, but what about..." She trailed off while looking at Cynthia.

Carathaya smiled gently and nodded in understanding of her daughter's concern. "You are a decorated warrior who bears the crest of House Zerleen presented to you by Queen Kiasyphia herself. When you return to Sapphire you will be serving the Queen in an even higher capacity than you have done. I do not think that the Matriarch will say anything about your mate, despite what her race may be. It would be dishonorable of her to do so."

Cynthia carefully injected herself into the conversation. "Vira has said that some of her family will not be happy with me because I am human. Is this Matriarch one of these?"

Carathaya stopped and turned to face Cynthia. "Yes, she is. Since our race and yours have been at war, more or less, for over fifty cyankas, you would be regarded as an enemy until proven otherwise by any of the warrior houses. They have born the brunt of the losses suffered in battle with your race after all. Ours is one of those warrior houses and have suffered those losses as well. It is only natural that our Matriarch would be less than pleased with Virathea's choice of you as her bonded mate."

She stepped closer to Cynthia. "Truthfully, I was less than pleased when she first sent me word of her relationship with you, less still when I learned that she was bonding with you."

She then smiled slightly. "But I love my daughter and she had never given me reason to doubt her sanity or judgment before this. Therefore I discussed you with my mating group after I received the message that the two of you were to be bonded. It took almost a week of sometimes unpleasant discussions before we agreed that if Virathea was in love with you then we would consent to give her our leave to do as she wished."

Virathea looked very uncomfortable at this news. "Mother, you never said anything."

"Would it have changed your feelings for her if I had?" Carathaya asked.

"No, but I thought you did not care that she was human. You should have said something." Virathea answered.

Carathaya looked around and noticed that there several others looking in their direction. "Let us continue this when we get home, my dearest. We should not be discussing such things in public."

Virathea looked around and realized that her mother was correct. "Yes, Mother. This is not the place for such things."

The three of them continued walking, although now in silence. The light mood that Carathaya had been trying to cultivate was completely gone. Cynthia could only walk alongside Virathea and wonder if this trip had been such a good idea after all. Virathea could feel her mate's discomfort and gently squeezed her hand to try and comfort her. Virathea loved Cynthia dearly and while her Mother's revelation of her family's unhappiness about Cynthia was unsettling to Virathea, it would do nothing to change how she felt about her.

The vehicle had been waiting for them at the halfway point and Virathea was glad for it, not that she would have admitted that to anyone. She was truly looking forward to being back in the physical shape she was accustomed to. She was looking forward to being home somewhat less. That thought trailed off, however, as they stopped in front of the home she had been raised in. There, waiting in front of the house, was her father. Finisalen Drestk was a bit on the short side for a Dizyntk male at only four eleven. He had fairly long hair that was the same blonde color as his fur. His eyes were a darker green than his daughter's and although the color of his fur had faded with age from the golden color it once had; his eyes were still clear and sharp. He walked briskly to the vehicle and wrapped his arms around Virathea before she could even stand up fully. He then lifted her slightly and twirled her around.

"Welcome home, Vira!" He said exuberantly.

Virathea laughed in spite of herself. Her father had not done this since she was shorter than he was and that had been some time ago. He set her down and she hugged him. "I am happy to see you as well, father."

She had winced slightly as she hugged him and he noticed her pain. "I take it you have injuries other than your arm."

Virathea nodded and described the full extent of the damage. Her father just shook his head in disbelief that she had survived at all.

"Well. I suppose that it is a good thing that Rardenalan is waiting for us inside." He said.

Carathaya kissed her mate lightly. "My brother is already here? Well I suppose that we might as well get the remaining unpleasantries out of the way." She then proceeded to walk inside.

Finisalen sighed and then looked at Cynthia. "My apologies if my mate said anything unkind to you. I argued long with her that you should be judged as an individual and not just as a human. While she may have accepted my point of view as correct, she is not necessarily happy about it."

Virathea hugged her father once more. "Thank you, Father."

"No need for thanks, my child. I was under similar suspicion when I bonded with your mother." He saw the questioning look on Cynthia's face and explained. "I am from a warrior house that has had a long history of conflict with House Tzilank. I brought this up when we had our ... discussion about you. She finally let it go with that. Well, let's get inside, it is not polite to keep your uncle waiting."

The house was fairly large structure with two levels. Even so, it was designed to blend into its surroundings and was constructed of native wood and rock. One would be hard pressed to tell how large it was until up close. The three of them walked through the double doors and into the large living area. Carathaya was already talking to her older brother who was sitting on the floor at a low table and drinking something warm judging by the steam rising from his cup.

Rardenalan was 38 cyankas old. As he stood, Cynthia could tell that he had seen battle at some time in his past. He had what could only be old plasma burns on his right arm. The fur had not regrown over the burn scars. This was in addition to the wound she had noticed as soon as he had looked in her direction. This was a diagonal scar running from the center of his forehead, across what used to be his right eye and ending just above his lower jaw. His fur was still mostly brown, with a bit of grey mixed in, but his hair was mostly grey now although cut short. His remaining eye was deep red and intense with an average amount of flecking. He stood just over five feet, making him of average height for a Dizyntk. Cynthia got the impression that his height was probably the only thing average about him. He even had a similar golden star hanging from his right ear that Virathea did.

Rardenalan walked slowly over to his former pupil and looked her over carefully. Virathea came to attention as if she was being inspected by a superior officer. Rardenalan smiled at this and let out a sharp laugh.

"You are no longer my student, Virathea. In fact, you have surpassed me." He then bowed his head to her.

Virathea quickly returned the bow and responded, "Not at all, Uncle. You are still my teacher."

He chuckled a bit at her reply. "I think not, my girl. You were accepted into the Royal Guard, something that I never accomplished." He then tapped the decoration on the tip of her ear. "Moreover, you have been given the award of honor by the Queen herself. Stand proudly for your accomplishments, Vira."

She raised her head and looked him in the eye. "I will, Uncle." She then got to the point of her visit. "I am here to put myself back into your care, Uncle."

He nodded at her statement. "I noticed your unsteady movements as you walked in. Damage to your back and pelvis, I assume, by the way you walked."

Virathea nodded and added, "Also I need to relearn some of my fighting technique due to my missing arm. It will be easier to learn that with your assistance, Uncle."

He nodded to her and then looked directly at Cynthia for the first time. "So, you are my niece's bonded mate. Please take care of her." He looked to his sister briefly and continued, "And try to ignore any unnecessary comments from any of my family."

"They were not unnecessary, Rarden. She will hear far worse from others." Carathaya said.

"Do any of them have any greater reason than I to have problems with humans?" Rardenalan asked. "I think not. These scars on my body were the result of the ship I was serving on getting into a battle with a Protectorate vessel. Does that mean I should blame all humans? By that logic I should hate all Dizyntk as well. Vira's wounds were received fighting Dizyntk after all. We also lost three warriors of our House in the recent coup attempt. Engage your brain before you talk, sister. Unless you can show me that this human actually killed a member of our house then I see no problem with her being here."

Carathaya looked at her daughter's missing arm once more and thought on her brother's words. "You may be right, Rarden, but that does not mean that others will think that way."

"No it does not." He agreed. "But that does not mean we should treat her that way. I trust you at least welcomed her to our family?"

"Of course I did. She is my daughter's mate after all." Carathaya replied.

"Good." He said as he once again looked to Cynthia, who was clearly uncomfortable with being the current topic of discussion. "What my sister says is true, Cynthia. There are Dizyntk here who will bear you ill will, but you are now part of our family. Ours is one of the more respected families in our House so that will afford you some protection."

Cynthia understood and bowed her head. "Thank you, Rardenalan. I am aware of the potential threat and can protect myself to some degree, but I am more concerned with Virathea's well being."

Virathea's eyes widened in surprise and she looked sharply at her mate. "WHAT!? Are you saying that I cannot defend myself?"

Cynthia swung quickly at Virathea. Virathea instinctively blocked the blow but winced as pain shot through her back. She barely had time to see Cynthia's other hand come around to grab her throat, much less do anything about it.

Cynthia squeezed just hard enough to make it hard for Vira to breath. "Normally you would be able to take anyone who challenged you, my love. As you are right now you are vulnerable." She then released her hold and kissed Virathea gently on the lips.

There was little Virathea could say in argument to her mate. While she was a highly trained and skilled warrior, she was still hobbled by her injuries. As she hung her head in embarrassment at being unable to stop Cynthia's simple attack, she felt Cynthia wrap her arms around her. "This is why we are here though. I will do everything I can to help you recover." Cynthia whispered into her ear.

Rardenalan watched this and turned to give his sister a smile. Carathaya knew what her brother meant by it and could only agree with him. She had concluded earlier that Cynthia was mentally well matched for her daughter. She had the right combination of firmness and affection to keep control of Virathea. More importantly, she seemed to know when to apply them both.

Rardenalan cleared his throat to get the attention of Cynthia and Virathea again. The two of them started at the sound and smiled at each other before turning back to Virathea's uncle. He sized the two of them up, particularly Cynthia as she was a new factor. He could tell that she had training from the quick, though mock, attack she had made on Virathea. He decided quickly how to go about Virathea's retraining and recuperation.

"I suppose that my sister has insisted that you stay at her house despite her misgivings about your mate's race?" He asked his niece.

Virathea nodded. "Yes she has, Uncle Rarden."

He closed his eyes and nodded thoughtfully. "I guess there is no helping that. I will be able to do your training here in spite of the facilities."

He could hear Carathaya growl slightly at the last part of the comment. The training facilities at her home were as good as any in the entire House and better than most. Her brother was well aware of this and laughed when she growled at him.

"I need to retrieve some things from my home. I will be back after dinner." Rardenalan said. Then he addressed Virathea and Cynthia. "The two of you get settled and make sure you sleep well tonight. Your training will begin tomorrow at dawn."

Shortly after Rardenalan left, the other two members of Carathaya and Finisalen's mating group came home from shopping. Jilafena and Teranrilin were as happy to see Virathea as her real parents were. This was understandable since Dizyntk treated all the children in their mating group as their own no matter which were the actual parents. The two of them were pleasant to Cynthia as well, but it was hard for her to tell how sincere they were. In the two hours before dinner, the family enjoyed the holorecording of the bonding ceremony that Virathea had brought with her.

Rardenalan returned after dinner as promised and set up in a spare room. He went to bed not thirty minutes after he arrived. At the same time, Virathea took Cynthia to her room. It was the same room that she had grown up in. This included the bed in the room that was similar to the one that most Dizyntk received on their tenth birthday. It was large enough to sleep three Dizyntk comfortably. Cynthia walked over and sat down on it as she looked around the room. It was arranged and decorated in a similar style and color to her quarters on Sapphire. This was not unusual as most Dizyntk developed their tastes in such things early in life and these tastes rarely changed much after about the age of fourteen or fifteen cyankas, if they ever did.

Virathea walked over to her mate, slowly removing her clothing as she did so. Cynthia watched her with a smile slowly spreading across her lips. "Aren't we supposed to get plenty of sleep tonight? Something about hard and rigorous training tomorrow?" she asked as Virathea, now completely naked, stopped right before her.

Vira stroked her mate's cheek. "Very hard and rigorous, if I know my uncle. But I would really like to have you tonight."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow and asked her mate, "Equally hard and rigorous?"

Vira chuckled at this and kissed Cynthia softly on the lips. "Maybe more sweet and gently, given my current condition." She whispered to her.

Cynthia took Vira's hand and gently pulled her onto the bed next to her. "Virathea Tzilank admitting to a weakness? The stars must be preparing to extinguish themselves." Cynthia said with a smile.

Virathea let out a growl at this, but it was a good natured one. She then closed her eyes and turned her face away from Cynthia. "If you are going to make fun of me, then perhaps I am not in the mood after all."

Cynthia leaned forward and whispered in Vira's ear, "Not even if I do this?"

Vira felt the tip of her mate's tongue touch the base of her left ear. It then licked upwards very slowly until it reached the tip of the ear. Cynthia then bit down lightly on the tip, causing Vira to gasp. She gently tugged Vira by the ear to lie next to her as she lay back onto the bed. Vira growled in arousal as Cynthia did this.

"Or perhaps this?" Cynthia asked as she began to lick and nip at Vira's neck. One hand slid down Vira's body at the same time and the fingers softly stroked at Vira's pussy.

Virathea moaned as her lover's fingers played up and down her slit. "I forgive you, my love." She said before gasping as Cynthia pinched a nipple with her other hand.

Cynthia rolled on top of Vira and kissed her hard as she slipped her fingers inside Vira. Vira wrapped her arm around Cynthia and pulled her tightly to her, her hips rising up to encourage her lover to push her fingers in deeper. She brought her tail up to stroke at Cynthia's clit and pussy. She growled softly in frustration as she realized that Cynthia still had clothes on, which prevented her from touching her there.

Cynthia pulled back slightly from their kiss. "Do not worry, my love. You will get to do whatever you wish to me."

She then began kissing and nipping at Vira's neck. "But only after..."

Then slowly down to her breasts. "I finish making you..."

Taking her left nipple between her teeth, she pulled on it with them. "Scream my name."

She then proceeded to kiss and bite and lick every part of Vira's body. Virathea lost count of the number of times her mate brought her to orgasm before Cynthia finally allowed her to pleasure her. Virathea was almost too tired to do so by then; almost.

True to his word, Rardenalan woke the two of them before daybreak so that the training could begin at dawn. He began to complain about them not being ready, then he made a strange face and sniffed the air a couple of times. He smiled at the two of them groggily sitting up in bed and told them they had ten vall to get ready. Vira thanked her uncle for the extra time. Cynthia blushed deeply and nodded. She knew perfectly well what the scent in the air of the bedroom had told Vira's uncle about how much sleep the two of them had not gotten the night before.

The rest of the morning was spent in calisthenics. Partly this was to start getting Virathea back into shape after spending so much time recovering from her wounds. It was also a way for Rardenalan to get a measure of how physically fit Cynthia was. By midday he was satisfied with the human's level of fitness. He also had a good grasp of how much work, and what type, would be needed to rehabilitate Virathea's body. He called a lunch break and the three of them went to the kitchen where they found that Carathaya had prepared a meal for them. It was a typical Dizyntk meal, a large serving of meat with a single vegetable and bread. Virathea noticed quickly that her mother had, however, prepared another vegetable item for Cynthia. Virathea knew better than to say anything about this small gesture by her mother and just smiled to herself. She had told her mother that humans needed more plant material in their diet than Dizyntk. The fact that she had prepared Cynthia's meal in this way was an indication that she was accepting her, even if she would not say it yet.

Over the next two weeks Rardenalan was as good as his word and worked Cynthia and Virathea to exhaustion every day. By the end of this time Virathea was almost back into the shape she was used to. Her uncle had also begun to teach her a modified version of his combat technique that took her lost arm into account. Cynthia, who had thought she was in good shape before, was dumbfounded by Rardenalan's ability to keep up without even breaking a sweat. She said as much to Vira at the end of the two weeks.

"That old guy is not human ... err ... Dizyntk." she said as she flopped down onto a soft patch of grass under one of the large trees at the edge of the clearing that they had been running in. She was breathing quite hard as she said this.

Vira lay down next to her mate and laughed at the comment. She too was breathing hard. "Uncle Rarden has been doing this almost every day for thirty cyankas." She then closed her eyes and concentrated on calming her breathing. "Although I will agree that it is amazing that one of his age can make the two of us look so out of shape."