"I've seen your pain. I can't say I understand the depth of your loss, but can you show me all of your memories? You've seen me, let me see you." Her mind flashed again. She was on a beach of the purest white sand. Ocean waves crashed against the shore as he stood. A figure took his hand, but the hand was much larger than his. He looked up to Tali, who was so much taller than him.
Tulari’s hand grasped one of Tali’s fingers. Tali bent down and picked Tulari up and held him up. A tall red Nulani stood next to them. It must have been his mother. She stood as tall the mighty Tali. Like all the other Nulani, she didn’t have any hair, but she had her womanly curves. She smiled out into the distance. What she saw next shook the foundations of what she thought she knew.
Three more Nulani ran along the beach in play. Their colors weren’t that of any Nulani she had ever seen. The first one who led the charge down across the sand was still an adolescent, but his skin wasn’t like anything she had seen before. It wasn’t blue, and it wasn’t red; it was the deepest, darkest black. An adolescent girl followed him. Her skin was emerald-green. The other was more familiar than the other two. The only difference was that his skin tone was a sky-blue. It was incredible. She had no idea what this meant. They were so carefree and having fun with each other. Tali’s smile beamed.
“I’ll miss these days,” he said. He smiled.
“Hush now, let the future wait. We must cherish these moments while we have them,” his female companion gently scolded. Her voice was so soft and kind. What did she mean by that? So many unanswered questions. The memory shifted to Tulari standing taller, but still not fully-grown next to his father on the same hill as in his last memory with his father. The three strange Nulani stood in a row. The emerald green female stepped forward.
“I don’t want to go,” she pleaded.
"We must be the paragons of our people, Lani, it is our duty," the dark-skinned one said. He was even taller and more muscular than Tali himself.
“We can still see each other, right?” The sky-blue one added. Before more of the conversation took place, the memory started to shift again, rapidly. She saw Tulari grow to the tall figure he was today. She saw the arguments with his father, the loving nature of his mother, and him walking through the busy streets of his city. Nulani, young and old, all greeted him as he walked down the street.
She saw the grim look on his father’s face, when he had to plan against the humans in their campaign to conquer their world. The memory shifted one last time. Tulari stood alone on the same beach as before, now in a somber silence. He watched the same waves crash against the shore. He had his spear in his hand and a net by his side. It was then that he heard gunshots in the distance. He dropped his net and ran off into the jungle, not knowing that he would be the one to save Jennifer.
"I see," Jennifer said as she released her grasp from him. They only just met, but after that, it felt as if they had known each other their whole lives. There were no secrets between them. They had truly understood each other. It wasn't just seeing their memories; it was living their memories. She threw her arms around him and pressed her head into his chest. He stifled back the tears, channeling his grief in any other way. If he could not cry, she would for them both. They both had lost family. They both were lost. She parted away from him and stared him intensely in the eyes.
"What will you do now?" He searched his mind, but he needed more than his mind for guidance. He searched both his mind and his heart to help dictate his next move. Those responsible had to answer for their transgressions, but he also had a responsibility. Without Tali, his people were leaderless. He needed to return home. He needed to assume the role of Prime Coordinate. He needed to unite his siblings again. He needed to defend his home, his entire home.
"What a leader must do." He said simply. With all the pain and grief that threatened to overtake him, he smiled at her. He rose and helped her reassemble her tent. Despite him choosing his tree to sleep by already, he curled up with her in the tent to keep her company. He told himself that she might need it, but in truth, they both did. Jennifer didn't think she would be able to sleep at all, but with him at her side, she smiled through the tears. As soon as she closed her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
Tulari’s eyes fluttered open as the birds and noises of the other creatures of the jungle woke him up. He found Jennifer was resting her head on his arm like a pillow. He smiled as he tugged his arm ever so gently so as not to wake her up. She didn’t seem to be disturbed at all as he removed his arm. He left the tent. The first order of business he decided was to throw dirt on the smoldering fire that wouldn’t be necessary any longer. He decided he would go get them some food. There should be something nearby. The leaves of the tent would conceal her from any wandering animals. Either way, he wouldn’t be gone long.
An hour later he came back to the campsite with an armful of the orange-skinned fruits she had eaten the previous day. He didn't know how many she needed, so he figured that more would be better. He could eat almost all the fruit in his hands so he would let her have the first claim to some. The sun was still rising, but he wouldn't be able to accurately tell the time, while the tree canopy blocked out most of the sun. As he set down the load of fruit in a neat pile, he stared around for Jennifer. Had she not woken up yet?
"Jennifer are you-" he stopped. She still lay motionless on the ground, where he had left her. He tore aside the branches and leaves of the tent and hurled them away. He turned her body toward him and took her hands into his, but they fell limply out of. He cradled her head in his hands and looked her for any problems. She was sweating profusely and breathing in short, shallow breaths.
"Jennifer, wake up." He scanned his and her memories to see what could be the cause of this. Her memories yielded the wound on her side. He looked at the leaf and peeled it off. The injury was mostly closed, but dark veins flowed out of from the closed wound. He ripped part of the suit away to see how far it went, but this infection was already making its way up her body. He had glossed over that memory before and now felt foolish that he hadn't recognized it. There were no human medical facilities around, and the city was still too far away. He picked her up and held her close. He hadn't been there in years, but he knew where to go.
Faster than any human could ever run, he sprinted eastwards. He ducked under vines and masterfully dodged bushes as he raced towards his destination. After twenty minutes, he dashed through an opening into a clearing. He looked at her to check how she was doing. She wheezed as she coughed. She had left this untreated for too long; he didn't know if he would make it to his destination. He looked down past her to an old dirt path that was overgrown, on the jungle floor.
He sprinted down the path that wound up a hill toward a large almost mountainous rock that was also overgrown by the jungle flora. After another few minutes of running, and he stood in front of a wall of vines and leaves, but the path ended here. He set her down and grabbed onto the vines. He ripped off the vines to reveal a cave entrance as tall as himself, which descended down into darkness. He picked her up and took her down into the depths.
The occasional glowing cave moss illuminated his path down the winding stone staircase. The deeper he journeyed into the cave, the lower the temperature became. After a few minutes, he saw a growing light. He rushed through the entrance to a new cave room. As soon as he entered he stood still. The room itself was large with two sets of three ornate, square pillars the lined down the center of the room. Shallow water filled the cave room.
There were no torches or lights that lit up the room, but the water itself illuminated the chamber. He took a step into the crystal clear water. Despite the chamber’s being cool, the water itself was warm and tingled on his skin. He walked to the center of the room. He slowly descended to his knees. He unfastened the latches that kept her suit together.
With his memories of her, he knew how to remove her suit. First he removed the boots and threw them out of the cave room. He t
hen slid the suit pants off and threw those to join the boots. Lastly, he gently pushed the chest piece over her head and discarded that, too. With the heavy clothes removed, he let her float in the water in her shirt and underwear.
After a minute, she still lay unconscious, but her breathing began to normalize. He breathed a sigh of relief. He would give her time to heal within the waters. Hopefully they would cleanse the infection, but this would take time.
He rose and walked up the cave. It would be easier to keep watch at the entrance against any wandering creatures that might have followed them. He walked up the stone staircase again. He walked out of the cave. He could also have spent some time in the waters. Sprinting that far for that long had weighed heavily on him. He sat on the ground and pressed his face into his hands.
Tulari had sat there for two hours, before a click in front of him, caused him to prick up his ears - he would recognize that noise anywhere. He stood and slowly raised his hands to a visibly exhausted Darian. Cuts lined his suit and dirt caked onto the silver and blue colors. Darian’s visor lifted so he could see with his own eyes, to make sure he saw correctly. Tulari noticed the bags under his eyes and the sweat that dripped down his face.
“Hold it right there, Shifter.”
Tulari scowled at the mere mention of the word.
"Where's Jenny?"
Tulari reached out to Darian, but the man fired a few warning shots next to him. Tulari stepped back. Tulari knew communication would be difficult. Darian had evidently not slept or rested since the destruction of the base. He had one goal, and that was to find Jennifer.
“You mistake my intentions, Darian.” Darian stomped forward towards him, pointing the rifle.
“How do you know my name?” he yelled back. “Did you kill her?”
“She is alive. She was injured, and now she is healing.” Despite the gun being pointed at him, Tulari maintained a calm voice.
“Bull. You kidnapped her. You saw a hostage and someone you can use to infiltrate our base.”
Tulari opened his palm to him. “I can show you, just touch my hand and you can see the truth.”
Darian shook his head. “You monsters killed my parents, and now I’m going to kill all of you.”
“Is that what you see us as?” Tulari asked.
“What else would you be?”
“Your people invaded our world, how can you justify that?”
“I don’t ask questions, all I know is that I’ve already killed one of you, and now I’ll add another tally to my rifle.” Tulari pitied Darian more than anything else. Only hatred drove him. He wasn’t even sure of his feelings toward Jennifer based on her memories of him. Tulari bent down on one knee to Darian and opened his chest up to him with his hands to his sides.
"Do what you must." Darian's eyes darted around confused. He reaffirmed his aim at Tulari, but didn't fire. Tulari focused his gaze on Darian's face, not his rifle.
“What are you doing?” Darian sounded a little unsure.
“I just ask you one last request. Let me show you that I’m telling the truth.” Tulari moved his arms forward and opened his palms. Darian slowly approached but kept his aim fixed on Tulari. He only needed one shot to the head to end him. He stood only a few inches from him. He lowered his rifle to the ground.
“This isn’t a trick, right?” He asked.
Tulari shook his head. Darian slowly reached out his right hand toward Tulari.
“Let me show you.” Tulari repeated.
Darian placed his gloved hand into Tulari’s; a smile curled on tha man’s lips. "You must think I'm stupid," he said.
With his free hand, he drew his sidearm and shot Tulari's right arm. The sound echoed into the trees. Tulari roared in pain as he recoiled back. The rifle would have been too quick, and Darian wanted to savor this. Tulari slid back across the ground towards the cave’s entrance. Darian aimed down and shot his leg. Tulari’s blue blood poured out of the two bullet holes. Darian felt pleasure in the pain he inflicted on Tulari. He shot his other arm.
Tulari dug his hands into the dirt as he retreated toward the cave. Darian ran to his side and kicked him over. Tulari stared at the sky breathing heavily. Even if he died now, Jennifer would be saved. Even though she was human, she would live. A shadow fell over his body as Darian stood over him, with his sidearm pointed at his head.
“Take one last look at your home, Shifter. Soon this whole world will belong to us.” His voice had a triumphal ring to it.
Tulari rested his head back on the ground and shut his eyes. I hope one day we can walk this field as friends Jennifer Raynor, his father’s voice echoed in his mind. The memory of Jennifer and his father in the field played again. The name’s Jennifer Raynor, nice to meet you, her voice said in his head now. He couldn’t give up. He wouldn’t be killed here. His people needed him. Jennifer needed him as much as he needed her. Their fates were intertwined now. Anger bubbled within him.
"Don't want to look? Fine." Darian said.
Tulari dug his fist into the ground again. He clutched a fistful of dirt into a ball. Before Darian could take the shot, he threw the ball at Darian. The ball slammed against his face. Darian recoiled and fired several times, each shot hitting the ground next to him and the wall of the cave entrance. Tulari pushed him away and rose, grunting in pain.
Darian fired rapidly until his clip emptied. Tulari dodged most of the shots, but some connected to parts of his body. Despite being hit, they didn't put him down. Darian pulled out his knife. They charged at each other, with only one looking to end the other. With no effort, Tulari hit the knife out of his hand and grabbed him by the collar. He lifted him into the air.
Darian struggled and flailed around, but he couldn’t break Tulari’s grip. He pounded away at his arms, but nothing he did could save him. With his free hand, Tulari clasped onto Darian’s helmet. He ripped the helmet off to expose the frightened man who had been so confident just seconds before. He approached his forehead with one finger pointed out toward him. Darian flailed around even more now. He kicked and yelled at Tulari, but he didn’t stop.
"Don't! Don't!" Darian cried out. He didn't want his form taken and discarded. Tulari finally touched Darian's forehead. Tulari wanted to understand. Darian's mind flashed. Tulari felt the pain of the news of his parents passing. He understood that feeling. He also recognized the seed of hate that was planted inside of him that day. His memories flashed until the moment of Tali's demise. He felt Darian take the shot as if Tulari had taken the shot that ended his father's life. He immediately stopped the memory share. His ordinarily stoic face turned to absolute rage.
He let go of his collar and gripped Darian’s throat. He hadn’t wanted to kill him before, but that feeling quickly changed. Darian gasped in vain, as no air entered his lungs. He scratched futilely at Tulari’s skin to make him stop. In mere moments, Darian stopped breathing. Tulari dropped the lifeless corpse. He had avenged his father’s killer, but there were still more of them out there. Lives would continue to be lost because of this war. More women, children would die. His siblings might die. Jennifer might be killed unless he stopped it. But first, he needed to make sure she was all right.
He limped toward the cave entrance. His body pushed out the first three bullets that had entered his arms and leg as he entered the cave. The wounds sealed, but he still felt the pain of them. He fell against the wall of the wave. He pushed off of it, to continue to walk down the staircase, leaving a handprint of his blue blood behind.
By the time he finished descending the winding staircase, his body had pushed out the remainder of the bullets, and his wounds had sealed themselves. He thought himself fortunate that Darian's sidearm was weaker than the rifle. He entered the cave’s chamber again.
Chapter Fourteen
Jennifer sat in the center of the room, as she had at the fire the night before. Her legs pressed up against her chest with her arms wrapped around and her face buried within. The shallow water itself was only a foot deep
, so only a small portion of her body was submerged. The water still tingled whatever skin touched it. She hummed a song from her childhood. The tune that carried in the air made him smile. She would be okay. He stepped into the water, his feet planting in the soil. His toes curled into the mud. He stood there, admiring her. She perked her head up, noticing him enter the pool and stopped humming.
"Please, continue," he said tenderly.
She loosed one of her arms and traced one finger along the surface of the water in a sort of dance, humming again. He slowly waded through the pool toward her. He knelt down behind her entranced by her song. He reached for her but stopped before he touched her. He wanted to feel her skin though. He wanted to feel her. He wanted her.
Adored by Tulari Page 7