Seventh Ring
Part 20: Threats
New Earth, 418 A.C. (After Contact)
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"I need you to do me a favor."

Two, who had been diligently polishing a set of dark brown shoes, paused long enough to stare at Seven with his large, round eyes. His normally criticizing expression faded to one of unamused curiosity as he waited for the Kazekian to speak.

"You going to Culler's today?" The older alien nodded. "I need you to buy something for me." He held his Credicard out to Two, who gave him a slightly suspicious look before slowly taking it.

In the last two months since Seven had arrived, he had never asked for anything from Culler's. The sudden request surprised Two, though it barely showed in his apathetic expression.

Two set his newly polished shoes upon the ground. Seven watched him carefully twist the small metal lid back onto his jar of polish, then fold the rag he had used to buff the shoes into some semblance of a shine. Seven had a feeling they were his only pair, as he took great care of them and tried to make them look newer than they actually were. But the worn soles and tattered laces could not be polished or forced to look like anything other than weathered and in need of replacement. That, and the alien was currently wearing only a pair of socks.

For a moment, Seven wondered if Two was willing to help him, as he seemed to be ignoring him. Just as he was prepared to walk away, Two reached into his inner coat pocket and removed a small piece of paper and an old pencil. He opened up the list and held the pencil expectantly. "What is it you want? I will do my best to find it."

“I need a plant.”

“A plant?”

“One that looks nice. With colors.”

Two just stared at him. Seven had never known an alien with such large eyes that required so few blinks. The looks he received always made him feel uncomfortable, so he nodded and quickly tried to explain further.

“You know, one that has flowers and things.”

“What you're asking for is going to be extremely expensive, assuming they even carry it at all. Flowers can't grow here due to the petal bugs. Even if I do find one, it will be difficult to keep alive.”

Seven sighed, feeling defensive about the whole situation. “Are you going to get it for me, or not? I didn't ask for a lecture. I asked for a plant.”

“If you're certain that's what you want, fine. I see no reason why you should listen to me. No one else in this wretched place seems to. Go ahead and blow all of your credits on a plant that's just going to be dead in a week's time.”

Two continued to carry on the conversation with himself all the way to Marge's stable, muttering and cursing at no one but himself. He was a miserable old alien, but strangely admirable. In a way, he reminded Seven of his father, though Two was far less clumsy and more snooty. Both were well-educated scholars and their intellectual arrogance quickly became clear to anyone interacting with them, though Two carried a much more obvious air of superiority. His father was much more relaxed about his intellectual prowess—he knew that he was intelligent, but if nothing else he had the decency not to flaunt it.



The sun had risen to its highest point by the time Two left for Culler's. Marge's hoofbeats clip-clopped upon the hard, red dirt of the farm's roads as she passed by Seven, pulling the wagon behind her. Two was seated atop the driver’s perch, the reins held loosely in his grasp. Seven shifted the weight of the large metal scrap he had been carrying and turned to watch as they neared the gate. He continued on his way only after the gates had closed. He had to wonder what made Two keep coming back. It could not be because he enjoyed his life on the farm, or because William treated him well. And if it was simply loyalty to his human captor, then Seven had to wonder what sort of loyalty he would have for his fellow drudges. Did Two keep tabs on the other aliens? Did he report their behavior to William? If given the chance, would he inform him about the strange request Seven had made? He decided he would need to play it safe if Two did manage to acquire the plant.

"Ah, good, that piece should work for what I need." Three was hunched over a broken down hunk of machinery, but glanced up at Seven as he approached. His forearm trembled as he strained to pull on what appeared to be a loose wire oozing a thick, black goo. Seven wrinkled his nose at the sight and set down the scrap piece he had hauled from Lucas' shop. He stepped up beside Three and grabbed the wire with his cybernetic arm. With a light tug, the wire gave way and slithered between his metal fingers covering them in the black ooze. Seven curled his lip in disgust.

"Thanks, that little bugger's been jamming up this bot's system for weeks. Had to take the whole damn engine apart to get it out of there. It ate holes through this entire side, see that?" Three's head disappeared beneath the hood of the machine as he pointed. Seven did not follow him in and was too distracted with trying to keep what he thought had been a wire from escaping his grasp.

"What the hell is this thing and what do I do with it?" He did not want to touch it with his other hand, but his attempts at restraining the creature were becoming more and more futile. Its body seemed to be growing longer the more it struggled. It flopped this way and that, the tail of it—was it even a tail?—wrapping about itself and squirming over his arm.

"It's a fuel leech. Little parasitic cyberworm, pretty much. Feeds off of robots and machines and eats through metal. If I were you, I wouldn't hold it with that hand." Three seemed amused by Seven's disgust and let out a laugh when the leech's tail slapped him right across the muzzle. "Take it to Lucas, he'll know what to do with it."

Three's laughter followed Seven as he hurried back down the road and headed straight for Lucas' shop. The leech still seemed to be growing longer and continued to coil and squelch its way through Seven's fingers in an attempt to slip free. He held his arm straight out in an attempt to keep the oozing cyber beast away from his face.

"Lucas!" Seven called out before he had even stepped foot into the shop. "Come here and take this thing!" He was grateful the human was inside the workshop. Lucas turned, startled by the urgency and distress of his tone, and then grinned.

"Oh wow, is that the leech Three's been after the past couple weeks? Holy wow, that's the biggest one I've ever seen!" He stood quickly and approached Seven, but was careful to avoid the whipping of the leech's tail. Each flick threw sticky droplets of oil all around the disorganized workshop.

"Where do I put this thing?"

"I don't think I've ever seen you so freaked out before. It's actually pretty funny." Before Lucas could finish his first laugh, Seven bunched up what he could of the creature in two hands and threw the length of it right at the human's chest. Lucas squealed and slapped it away from him, but the leech adhered to his shirt and began to coil around his torso. After being removed from the field bot by Seven, it had easily grown to over a meter long. Lucas' flailing was not calming it down.

"Gross, get it off! Get it off!" Seven tried to stifle a laugh and realized now why Three had been so amused. Seeing Lucas frantically trying to remove the leech while squealing like a child was enough to get a couple of good laughs out of him.

"What do we do with it?"

"There! That big glass container! Bring it here!"

Seven quickly retrieved the jar from atop a high shelf and brought it over to where the scuffle was occurring. As soon as he had unscrewed the plastic lid, Lucas unraveled the leech and shoved the length of its body down into the belly of the glass. After he had cleared his fingers, Seven quickly screwed the lid back on and set it onto the nearby workbench. Both of them watched as the leech circled around the container and tried to find a way out.

"Not cool, man. Not cool." As soon as he was sure the leech was not going to escape, Lucas looked up at Seven disapprovingly. He picked up a dirty cloth from the bench and began to wipe futilely at the oily brown residue left behind where the leach had touched.

"You're right, that wasn't cool at all. It was hilarious." Seven grinned as Lucas narrowed his eyes.

A bright expression suddenly flashed across Lucas’ face. "Where's Ari? We need to get her with this thing!"





Seven opted out of tormenting Ari with the fuel leech. He was already in trouble for the comment he had made three nights ago after his last fight in the Ring. They had not seen much of each other since, and Seven assumed it was because she had been avoiding him. All of his breakfasts had been delivered by Six and she had been absent from their dinners. He decided not to blame himself entirely for her introversion, as he was certain her confrontation with both Lydia and William that night had taken its toll on her. He just could not understand what kept her here, though he dared not question it or risk injuring what he hesitantly considered their friendship any further.

As he left Lucas' shop, Seven could hear Three trying to start the engine of the machine they had just saved from the fuel leech. Before he could begin the walk back, his eyes found the shifter, Four, walking quickly towards the animal stables with a bundle of what appeared to be linens in his arms. Curious, he decided to postpone his reunion with Three and investigate.

He heard the happy giggle of a familiar human girl echo through the dusty stable as he silently slipped through the still cracked door. Warm streams of sunlight danced off of him as he cautiously walked across the threshold in search of the owner of the voice. Her soft, barely audible laugh led him towards a stall at the end of the row. Its gate was open and the disturbed dust of the floor that floated about suggested that someone had recently passed through it.

Each step fell softly upon the ground. Despite Seven's towering height, he was capable of surprising stealth, thanks to the squishy pads of his toes silencing the sounds of his footfalls. This ability allowed him to sneak quietly through the stall far enough to see through the small, open door at the end of it. Ari was seated upon a square bale of hay with her back to him. Seven prepared to make his presence known so as not to startle her, but he backed up into the shadows when he realized Four was seated beside her.

"I brought some towels to clean them up after their feeding. Their mother was in labor all night and could use the rest. We had no idea she was due to have twins." Four's voice was much friendlier than the threatening tone Seven had grown accustomed to hearing from him.

"I still can't believe how quickly they’re on their feet and walking around. This little guy is so hungry. Look at him go!" Four smiled as he watched Ari hold the glass bottle above the hungry newborn skaapi fawn, a fuzzy sheep-like creature with a fluffy tail and scaly legs. The fawn had four large, brown eyes, one set above the other, and a thick layer of gray fuzzy newborn fur all over its body. Milk dribbled down its velvety muzzle as it held on tightly to the rubber end of the bottle, slurping and sucking impatiently, while resting in Ari's lap.

"Looks like his sister already fell asleep," Four said quietly as his hand stroked the soft fluff that sprouted on top of the sleeping fawn's head. She was curled up comfortably in his lap, belly round and full after her feeding session with Ari. The two shared a smile as they enjoyed the warmth of the sun and each other's company.

"I was worried you'd be gone when these two were born. It's good you were here to look after them for the birth." Ari tried to slow the male fawn's suckling by lifting the bottle a little higher, but it seemed he was determined to drain all of its contents before he would stop. "I'm glad you made it home safely."

Four continued to pet along the back of the fuzzy skaapi in his lap. He seemed to be silently considering Ari’s words, and his subsequent response. "I would always make it back to you, Ms. Ari."

Seven's lip twitched as his muzzle wrinkled. He curled the fingers of his cybernetic hand into a tight ball before taking a step back. He could feel his adrenaline rising and the Vesuleum activating the longer he stood behind them. It was difficult for him to stifle a growl.

"You're a sweet friend, Four. I always enjoy spending time with you and the animals and I know they love you." Even lacking in understanding of human emotion and the subtleties of their ways of communication, it was clear to Seven that Ari was not reciprocating Four’s advances. His arm relaxed as silence fell over the pair and he felt their conversation had ended. Hopefully, Four had understood what she had meant, but Seven decided he would not linger. Instead, he turned to walk back through the musty stable, his mind racing with concern.

It had been several years since he had experienced such feelings. So long, in fact, that he had not recognized its calling until the Vesuleum in his arm gave him the same rush he felt in the Ring while staring down his next opponent. He had thought at first that it was just the sight of Four, a shifter, that had put him on edge, as his race often was capable of doing. But these feelings were not anger. They were more instinctual and savage. Jealousy. He viewed Four not as a threat to his safety or well-being, but to the female he was interested in.

Seven knew why his adrenaline was pumping, his anger rising. The normal course of action, were he on his home planet, would be to fight his rival for the attention of a female. Males would often court for months, sometimes years. And if another male attempted to court the same female, they would organize a fight to see who was stronger, and thus more attractive, in the eyes of their desired mate. Of course, winning did not necessarily mean he would be chosen by the woman—it wasn’t as if they did not have autonomy, and getting into a brawl was also a common means of settling a dispute, or just entertaining themselves. Fights were more a matter of status and reputation than vying for an entitlement. Winning fights sent out a message that you were not to be underestimated. It had been difficult for Seven to win fights initially, and even when he had, no Kazekian woman had ever been interested in partnering with him. His admission to Ari some months back about not being an ideal specimen in the eyes of the females of his race was not an exaggeration.

Seven walked briskly back to his stable room in the drudge's barn, the sun beating down on his bare shoulders. Three and the bot he had been working on were nowhere in sight, which suggested he had successfully started the engine and headed back out into the fields. Seven was relieved that he could spend some time alone to sort his thoughts and cool his agitation.

As he entered the barn, he listened for any sign of Six in the rafters. The Iboa had recently relocated his nest high above their stable rooms and had an obnoxious habit of eavesdropping should one forget that fact. Seven could not hear or smell him, so he assumed it was safe to seek the solitude of his room.

He settled onto the stiff mattress on the floor, his eyes naturally lifting up to the wooden paneling of the ceiling. There, he examined the human girl's gift of vibrant colors and strokes of paint meant to remind him of home. It seemed like such a personal gesture to him. He wondered: did she care more for him than he had initially thought? Or was it common for human women to create such gifts for men that were not their mates? That seemed possible, but what of their meals together each day and her concern for his well-being during his fights? What of their close encounter by the river?

Seven was admittedly more accustomed to less subtle cues from women who seemed interested in him for a physical relationship. Ari’s small gestures were so easy for him to initially overlook, but as he began to assemble all the pieces together, the puzzle became much larger than he thought.

Considering his own feelings towards Ari worried him, however. When he arrived on Earth, he could think of nothing but how he could escape. He risked his life to do so by following the Cerasaur through the forest and sneaking under the fence. All he could think of was his own freedom and how badly he wanted to return home. Now he found his mind distracted with thoughts and feelings he would have never expected to experience during his subjugation. It frustrated him, as he knew that, were he to allow himself to care about Ari, it would make his eventual escape that much more difficult. He had come to enjoy his sparring sessions and budding friendship with Six, but he had not allowed him get too close for that same reason. He consciously refused to let anyone break down his walls – including Ari.

With a sigh, Seven sat up and looked out of his window, watching as puffy white clouds drifted lazily across the sky. The sun had left its position high above the farm and had begun its descent towards the horizon. Seven was surprised that Two had not yet returned; it was unusual for him to take quite so long for his trips to the market. He wondered if Two had been successful in finding the plant, though he was wary about the idea of giving it to Ari. What message would that really send? He remembered seeing how happy Gabby had been when Lucas presented her with the flowers he had bought. Were Lucas' intentions romantic, or was he just trying to make her happy by giving her something he knew she would enjoy? More importantly, Seven began to ask himself this same question about his intentions, and the answer filled his heart with both warmth and fear.

Seven heard the familiar crunching of the crushed gravel, the telltale sound of a carriage making its way down the distant drive. He stood to look through the window of his stable room. Two had finally returned, and the sight of the carriage making its way down the road filled him with anxiety. If he had managed to find the plant, Seven would not have much of a choice but to present it to Ari, and thus take responsibility for her reaction. Otherwise, he would have a very expensive piece of decoration for his small, cramped stable room—and good luck explaining that to the others. Seven left his decision to fate and Two's ability to acquire the rare item. If the plant was not on the carriage, then he would ask for his Credicard back and end Two's search for the item.

Seven left the drudge's barn and made his way over to the carriage. He had expected it would be a bit closer to the house, as that was where Two normally parked it when he returned from Culler's. He always needed help unloading the items he had purchased, but something was different this time. Two had not left his seat and remained motionless atop the carriage. Seven's eyes narrowed as he got closer. Something was wrong.

Both Six and Three approached with lighthearted jokes about how long it had taken Two to return. Seven could see Three's expression shift quickly from one of happiness to one of concern. Six hopped up on the cart just as Seven's pace quickened. Suddenly, Three yelled for help.

“Ms. Ari! Ms. Ari, come quick! Two's been injured!”

Seven scaled the head of the carriage as Three secured Marge and kept her from running off. Two looked as though he had passed out in his seat. His hand held his side and concealed a bloody wound. Seven gingerly scooped him up in his arms and stepped off of the carriage. Four and Ari hurried from the barn and raced to Two's side.

Ari approached and immediately looked him over. “Two, can you hear me?” Ari scanned his bruised face and heard no response. Two's gangly limbs were limp in Seven's arms. She quickly checked his pulse. “He's still alive. Take him inside,” Ari commanded, taking confident control of the situation.

“Does anyone know what happened? Who could have done this?” Ari questioned Three as she retrieved Two's medical bag from the entryway hutch. Three shook his head in response to Ari's interrogation, helping her gather the towels and bandages. Ari lead Seven into the kitchen, where she quickly began clearing off the countertop in the center of the room with Six's help. Seven carefully set Two down upon the counter in the make-shift emergency room, then backed away so Ari could assess his wounds.

Ari pulled Two's well-pressed jacket away from his body to get a better look. She inspected the wound closely. “It doesn't look like he was shot, so it must be--”

“It's a stab wound,” Two said, cutting her off and startling everyone in the room. “But not very deep.” He slowly opened his eyes and tried to sit up.

“Let me dress it for you. Stay down.” She pushed against his shoulder until he relented. Ari could hardly control the elation she felt that he was not mortally injured, and she smiled sweetly at him, though the worry still did not completely leave her face. “What happened? Did you get in a fight?”

“Don't be silly, I'm not the type. That sort of brutish behavior is best left to those who know how to engage in such activities. I was jumped on my way home from Culler's. A group of men came out of the forest and attacked Marge and I.”

Lucas appeared at the screen door just behind them. He caught the end of Two's story and shared a glance with Four who stood at his side. “We checked the gate after we heard what happened. Everything looks secure, so I don't think they followed you. How far down the road did it happen? We may have caught them on the security cameras.”

“Don't count on it. They wore masks. I saw them disappear into the woods after I was able to get away.” He paused a moment, flinching at the pressure Ari was putting against his wound. “I believe they were sending a warning to William. They mentioned his name and knew I worked on his property.” Ari paused her ministrations and looked up at Lucas. Neither of them spoke their thoughts.

Seven noted the silence that fell over the group. He stayed out of Ari's way and looked over at Lucas, who had nothing to say. It was then that he noticed Four had disappeared. All the better, or so he thought.

“I need you three to unload the carriage for me. There are perishables in the coach.” Two gestured weakly at Seven, Six, and Three. They all nodded and slowly left the kitchen through the back door.

“If you need anything, Ms. Ari, just let us know.” Three's voice was filled with concern. It was not that long ago that Two had tended to his own wounds after the Cerasaur attack, no doubt saving not only his arm, but his life. Seven rested a hand on Three's stocky shoulder to let him know he understood his concern.

“I'll get the stuff on top!” said Six as he bounded up the side of the carriage and loaded his arms with bags. He began to pass them down to Three as Seven approached the door of the coach. With a gentle pull, he opened the door and saw something he did not expect.

A plant.

---

ARTIST NOTES:

I can't believe how long this chapter took me to write, but with as much as I want to apologize for the delay, I won't. Because the time taken to figure out where I want to take this story and how I plan to get to the end of it was necessary to think about for these past six months. If I had rushed through it, I fear I would have steered it in the wrong direction. So the wait was necessary, I promise!

I have the next SIX chapters outlined and waiting to be written, so I do not anticipate such a lengthy wait for chapter 21. Things get good and intense from here on out, so I hope you guys will continue to hang in there with me and let me know what you think of the story! I do appreciate everyone's patience and feedback. c:

Special thanks to jakejynx again for helping me think this chapter through and doing a marvelous editing job for me. <3

Artwork, Characters, and Story © Quaylak