This book completes the trilogy about Chakona, its inhabitants, the interaction of the chakats with some humans, skunktaurs and other races, such as the renzar and the rakshanis. All framed within the universe created by  Goldfur It's been almost two years of continuous work and it's fair to mention such important people  sethtriggs  Marksan  Wolfbane115 and all the people from Tales de Chakona Discord for fans.
The drawings, as always belong to my talented friend  sethtriggs
I hope you enjoy.

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CHAPTER 37

After the conversation with Carla Markhams, Jhonny and Vera decided to go out and tour the city of New New York. Jhonny knew it very little, so Vera took it upon herself to show him the most attractive parts of her place. Walking hand in hand through the parks and avenues, the couple felt in their hearts the joy of being together again. From time to time, they would stop at a corner and perform a romantic ritual of kissing and caressing.

On the sidewalk of a busy street in the city, a band of chakats played a beautiful romantic melody, with electronic piano, violin and classical guitar. The couple stopped to listen to them for a long time, while the soft breeze swayed the nearby trees.

"Come Jhonny... Do you want to dance?" Vera said suddenly excited.

"Here now?"

"Yeah!" Answered the morph laughing, while she took the boy by the hands and moved to the rhythm of the music. They both began to dance, very close to each other. The musicians, seeing them, played their instruments with more enthusiasm, perceiving the beautiful emotions of the couple. For Jhonny and Vera, time seemed to stop in that place. Nothing else mattered, neither the people around, nor the stubborn Tiber, nor the rest of the universe. Just the two of them, there together, and those beautiful melodies that permeated the atmosphere and filled their hearts with joy.

***

In Amistad, Regthar and Esteban quickly arrived at the city's general hospital. Upon arrival, they immediately asked for Jospeh and the Chakat lobby receptionist told them that he was admitted to the critical patient unit, on the top floor of the building. Esteban's heart was beating a thousand times. The echo of the last conversation he had with him, in building 111, when the old man went looking for him to talk, resounded in his head. It was inevitable that a feeling of guilt arose inside him. For his part, Regthar thought that perhaps it would have been better to have told Esteban about Joseph's arrival the same day he arrived. Thus, perhaps both of them would have had more time to talk.

Finally, the elevator reached the fifth floor of the hospital. Esteban and Regthar rushed to the sideboard of the sector.

"Excuse me. We would like to know about the health status of a patient. Joseph Melinao” Esteban asked the Chakat nurse who was in the place. Shi with a serene voice, asked.

"Are you... friends of Mr. Melinao?"

"He is his son" Regthar replied hastily. The nurse paused. Shi checked on hys terminal screen and then got up from hys seat. Shi slowly approached Esteban and said.

"You are not aware, are you?"


“Understood? what, nurse?
"I'm so sorry. We thought all of his family knew. Your father… passed away 12 hours ago. His body was very deteriorated. The medical treatments were not enough… I'm sorry.”

"What?.. Passed away?" Said Esteban shocked.

“Please take it easy… I'll call the head doctor of the unit. Shi will be able to provide you with more details.”

After saying those words, the nurse went into an interior corridor. Regthar held his head, puzzled.

"By Grom... I didn't think he was that sick," he commented. Then, he looked at Esteban and pounced on him, giving him a tight hug.

"Forgive me Esteban... I should have warned you from the beginning that your father was in Chakona" Renzar lamented. But Esteban was still confused. He rested his head on Regthar's uniform without saying anything.

"I'm really sorry, son"

“No… This is not your fault, Regt. Nothing would have changed. I was the one who didn't want to see him or talk to him. I was the one who was slow to react to my own feelings” The human replied.

"Anyway..." Regthar was going to say when at that moment, the chakat nurse returned.

"Please follow me. The doctor in charge will receive you now” shi declared before leading them to a small office. Upon entering, the Chakat doctor, dressed in white, was talking to a human woman whose light brown hair reached her waist. When Esteban and Regthar entered, they both turned to see them. The chakat approached the engineer and said.

“I am Chakat Valez, emergency doctor”

"I am Esteban and he is Regthar" answered the boy.

"Mr. Esteban. Mr. Melinao arrived here in very bad shape. I understand that he already had a delicate health condition before coming to Chakona. Terra's doctors advised him not to travel, since the life support equipment he was traveling with would not ensure the stability his body needed. I'm really sorry"

“Okay, thanks Shir Valez”

"And are you a friend of the family?" asked the doctor back.

"He was his father, Shir," Regthar replied. At that instant, the woman and the chakat looked at each other. She approached Esteban curiously."

"Excuse me, was Joseph your father?" She asked her in a calm voice.

"Yes, my biological father"

"Oh... So, are you really Esteban Melinao?"

"Yeah. I am” replied the engineer with surprise.

"It's... It's all so sudden and confusing for me... So, Joseph left Terra to talk to you... I... That is, his family, we never knew of your existence, until now" The woman said sobbing. Esteban did not come out of his astonishment. He was looking at the woman, curiously. After taking a deep breath, she added.

"Excuse me. I have not submitted. My name is Angela Melinao. Joseph was also my father."

"What!..." The surprised boy exclaimed. Rightar gaped in shock. The Chakat doctor, understanding what was happening, declared.

“I think you guys have a lot to talk about. You can stay here in my office if you want. I retire. And once again, my deepest condolences to both of you” Then, shi left through a side door. Angela was as tall as Esteban, and they both had the same hair color.

"Well... I'm sorry we met under such sad circumstances, brother" she said, hugging Esteban. The engineer's head was a whirlwind of mixed emotions. Finding out so suddenly that he had a sister on Terra was something he didn't expect to deal with today.

***

“I'm sorry that Natany is going through a bad time. Losing a co-worker in these circumstances must be hard, even for a cop like her.” Avik said as he continued to play with Hajo in his arms.

"Yeah. Me too… Dad… Tell me… When will you return to Grom?” Sorah asked calmer now.

“I think in a week or two. The Planetary Delegate and the diplomatic corps wish to stay a while longer in Chakona. They want to travel the planet, visit other cities, learn about technology and facilities. Also the Space Station.”

"I see…"

“Sorah… I… Your son. That Esteban, how is he?

"Eh? Esteban? He must be working, I guess"

"How... How did you meet him and why did you adopt him?"

"Do you really want to know dad?"

"I'm just curious"

“He had come all the way from Terra, to study for a postgraduate degree at Dewclaw. Regthar took him to the hotel and invited him to the Khudok tournament, as he does with everyone he knows. And when I saw him in the stadium, riding on Regt's back, it made me very tender. He looked so frail and small next to us. I don't know how to explain it, but I felt the need to protect him. Then I invited him home, we fed him and he slept with us. Somehow, he reminded me a lot of Tanyio, dad."

"I see. So, you say that that boy awakened in you a maternal love, perhaps, filling the void left by Tanyio."

"I suppose. It was me who asked Regt to legally adopt him."

“Hmm… And how has he behaved like a son? Has he honored the honor you gave him by making him a part of this family?” asked old Renzar. Sorah stood up and declared.

“He has proven himself a worthy son of Grom. He is a noble boy, with good feelings. He has suffered a lot since he was a child. And here, in Chakona, bad things have also happened to him. But he feels that all the love we have given him, he has repaid more than enough. His presence gave me back the joy of living. Also Regthar. And thanks to that, I was able to get pregnant again and give birth to Hajo.”

"By Grom..." Renzar said while thinking about the conversation he had with the boy in the hotel.

“Esteban is a fighter, resilient, like any son of Grom. That's why Regthar loves him so much. He reminds him a lot of himself… Dad… If you knew him better… Maybe”

“Sorah… You don't need to say it… I… I've already got an idea of who the person you adopted is. He cares a lot about you and Regthar."

Sorah, puzzled, frowned. "Have you already talked to him?"

“Yes… He came to see me at my hotel the other day… He made a good impression on me”

"Are you serious dad?"

"Yes... Tell me, daughter... Did you initiate him like every other son of Grom?"

“Of course! I did heh heh"

"Ah... Do you remember your initiation daughter?"

"Yes dad... Of course I do..." The female answered wistfully. They both looked at each other and with a smile, Sorah walked over to him and sat next to him. She rested her head on his chest, like so many times in the past.

"Sorah... Tell me... Are you happy?"

"Yes dad... But I would be much more so if you and Regthar..."

"Wait!... I know what you're going to say... But don't push me" Said old Renzar standing up. Returning Hajo to his mother, Avik headed for the door.

“It's time to go. I have a meeting at the Capitol. It was good to see you, Sorah."

“For me it was also dad. And for Hajo too” The female replied with a smile.

"I'll see you later. Goodbye daughter" Said the Renzar before leaving the house. Sorah, with Hajo in her arms, was left with a pleasant feeling in her heart. She felt that her father somehow had a different attitude. She wondered what he and Esteban had talked about on that occasion.

***

Several hours had passed. Regthar decided not to return to the spaceport and to stay with Esteban. He was still stunned by the news of Joseph's death and by meeting his half-sister.

“Dad was sick a long time ago. Everything got worse since mom died a few years ago. I have my own family on Terra, husband and children. And dad practically lived alone. When he mentioned that he wanted to take a trip, I never imagined that this trip consists of coming as far as Chakona.

"You'll see, Esteban. Dad never told us that before he met mom, he had another child, that is, you. And now I think I understand why he hid that part of his life from us. The way he treated you and your mother was certainly damnable. With my mother, surely he wanted to start a new life. I do not complain. He was a good father to me. I'm not in a position to judge him."

"I know Angela. I am not asking you to judge. Just that you understand why I came to hate him so much... But here, in Chakona, I met people who helped me hate less and love more. Little by little... Until finally, I understood that the grudge against my father only harmed myself. At first, I refused to listen to him. But now, recently, I got up the courage to forgive… But I was too late.

"No, I don't think so... If you forgave him in your heart... I'm sure he knows... Somehow" Angela said taking his hands. Regthar, sitting a few meters away, listened in silence. The renzar thought about his own conflicts with Sorah's father, Avik.

Then, Angela took out of her bag, a small envelope whose surface said "for Esteban".

“Here… This must be yours. It was among the belongings that dad brought with him to the hospital.” The engineer took it and opened it. It was a small holographic device.

"Surely it's a message for you" Angela said.

"Thank you... And tell me... what will you do now?" Esteban asked.

“I will take Daddy's body to Terra, and bury him next to Mommy. I think that's right."

"You're right. Thanks for everything Angela. Now that I know you, I don't want to lose contact with you."

Thanks to you, Esteban. Of course. It's not every day that you find out that you have a half-brother, in the other corner of the universe."

“Heh, that's right. Now I'm going with my adoptive father… Take care of yourself Angela”

"You too, Esteban. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Regthar.”

"Oh, the pleasure was mine, little one," the Renzar said, giving her a warm hug. Esteban and Regthar left the unit and went down to the first floor via the elevator. As they walked towards the PTV, the Grom-born declared:

“Esteban, I… I was selfish with you. I was afraid of losing you. And that's why I didn't tell you anything about Joseph's coming… I'm sorry son… Forgive me”

“Hey dad… We already talked about this. You have nothing to do with what happened… Probably I, in your place, would have acted in the same way. You only protected me from a bad moment… And I was the one who took a long time to realize everything”

"But Esteban..."

“Don't say anything dad… I thank you for staying with me. Thank you for being here” Said the human, hugging him once more.

***

That night, Gerak-Nee decided to visit Natany. He wasn't entirely sure this was a good time, but he felt the need to be with her and make himself available to her, as any decent Rakshani would. After using public transportation, he was finally able to reach the renzar's home. He was about to turn around and leave. He didn't remember a female ever causing him so much nervousness. However, he finally knocked on the door.

After a few seconds, the slender figure of Natany appeared. Her face showed the signs of sadness and her reddened eyes were a true testimony of the pain she still felt from the loss of Tagle.

“Natany!… I… I just wanted to come to give you my condolences for the departure of your police colleague. I'm really sorry” The engineer hastened to say. But Natany remained silent. With a slight smile, she approached the Rakshani and gave him a warm hug. Gerak was surprised by the female's sensitivity. He closed both arms, the normal one and his mechanical one responding to her.

"Thank you very much Gerak... Thank you for coming" The female said with a soft whisper in the Rakshani's ears.