by Melanie Ray
"Yes," The translator continued and helped him back up. "We thought all you had gone, but we found out about your travel." He tisked them. "We found out about Muinela. The girl that got away. Very sexy."
"Sexy?" Wye couldn't seem to imagine it. M-Win? "My sister’s not sexy. Are we having translation difficulties here?"
The translator grew red. "Ooohh, is she ever sexy." He batted his hands together, seeming to regain his composure. "Enemy found out and took her away. Sorry."
"What? Hold up, taken away?" Wye shouted as he struggled in his chains. "Why I oughtta-"
"Calm down you two!"
Wye turned around and saw an old lady approaching. Oh great, now what. "Who are you?"
"I'm the great, great, great, great, great-," she sighed, "I'm Muinela's very old grandmother, Fornotia. You may refer to me as Grammy Fornot." She cracked a smile toward X. "I'm your 59th grandmother."
"Wow, you're old." X had to comment as he struggled with his cuffs again.
"Tell me about it," The King mumbled in the background.
The old lady pointed at the King. "Mind yourself, you should set an example." She took a large staff she was carrying and waved it around her head in a brutal fashion, like an adult about to discipline a child. She lowered it back to her side. "Kids," the woman shouted in exhaustion. "A hundred and fifty years old and they think they know everything." She looked at Wye and X. "Don't worry, she is fine right now, but they will probably try to hurt her soon. You have to go without our kingdom's support to go get her if you want Muinela, or as you know her, 'M-Win', back home."
Wye and X looked at her as if she was the one who belonged in an institution.
"We have to go get M-Win back ourselves?" X said as he fell again. He kicked his legs, trying to get out. "We don't know anything about this world."
"Not to mention it's not our fault you went and stole her away," Wye added as he popped his shoulder just right to slip out of his back cuffs. It hurt like hell, but he dropped to the ground and popped it back into place. A part of him was ready to show all these aliens who they were messing with. Why, he didn’t know. Wye had never fought anyone in his life. Well, that he remembered.
"We can't help," The King butted in, still unaware that Wye’s hands were free. "If we do, they said they'd kill her. Pinks are serious, their threats are turned into facts with a snap of a finger."
"If they think its courage instead of stupidity, they might not hurt you as bad." The translator smiled at Wye and X. "That's good news, right?"
Wye got fed up. He flipped himself up to his feet and flung the cuffs away. “Hold it," he pointed towards the King. "I want to know everything that's going on right now, and no sugar coating!"
Well, that was easier said than done.
"HERE, HAVE SOME OF my tea," the old lady said sweetly to Wye and X. She had taken them back to her place to explain the situation. Her attitude was no longer disciplinary, but more that of a dear grandmother talking to her grandchildren. "Grammy Fornot’s tea is one of the best things to calm you down."
Wye watched her set the tea down. From handcuffed and dragged away, to sharing tea with some old woman. "We don't really drink tea."
"Oh pish posh," she said as she poured him some tea. "You're more than four and a half centuries old, I'm sure your tastebuds have matured for some of my tea."
Wye shrugged his shoulders. He took a sniff and noticed it smelled like battery acid brewed in pine tree needles. "I'm not that thirsty."
She humphed, then looked over at X. "Well I'm sure my grandson will like my tea."
X seemed unsure as he watched her pour the tea. "I’m allergic?"
The old lady threw her hands in the air and laughed. "Okay maybe another fifty years," she chuckled. "Now, let's see, you wanted the entire story. Where should I begin?" She yanked out an old picture from behind her and looked at X tenderly. "This is your exceedingly great, great, great, great...
Wye tried to concentrate. This is important. This isn't a guard bugging me. Come on. Nevertheless, Wye heard chirping birds outside, conversations nearby the house, too far to hear except basic whispers, he watched the old lady stir her tea, over and over, while the birds and soft talking continued, including X's sighs. He shook his head and focused again.
"- typically live a long time. There's no way of knowing the limit," The old lady smiled with pride. "Because of this, warnos are particularly immature for about two hundred years. They became more tolerable around three hundred, considered grown up. Now the enemy kings..."
Wye scratched his head wanting to whimper as he heard creaks in the old house and alien insects buzzing around nearby, the constant stir, X's strained expression-was he having problems too trying to-constant stirring, the birds outside, the whispering, soft, low speaking...
"They hurt our King, they hurt our young, and all warno males in their prime were hurt. All females in their prime were either hurt or taken." The old lady looked Wye and X straight in the eye. Were the words over? “I had felt the trouble coming. On that day, I took a risk and unveiled something truly special to your mother, X. You see, our enemies were extremely advanced...."
Chirping, buzzing, too soft of a voice, too many gestures, stop moving the damn hands, the chair is squeaking, someone's laughing outside. Wye closed his eyes, he had to concentrate.
"- I lost communication with your mother after that, X." She looked sadly at the ground. "I shouldn't have been surprised that you lost your memories, but you must have all known the risk of leaving our planet."
She set her tea down as she had finished her cup and looking at Wye and X, pointed at her head. "I assume you were given a slip of paper each. With your race down on one side and your names on the other? I am not quite sure, it's just a planetary standard. Had this Earth not been isolated, you could have been found and taken care of." She stood up and looked out of the windowless hole in her house. "Not long after that, our race was almost wiped out. There are only about three hundred warnos left." She sighed. "Only the elderly and the too immature remain. Even most of our Dens were demolished...."
Concentrate. Wye grabbed the side of the table as he heard constant squeaks and mutterings in the background. What he wouldn't give right now for some quiet time in a padded room.
"-Rings, Furries, Sleeks and Pinks are the appropriate words that should be used. I don’t care, warno is what I am!" The old woman declared. "Warno is the word I will always use. In my day there were thousands of children bouncing up and down uncontrollably off of everything in the Dens." The old lady looked back toward Wye and X. "Well, I believe that's everything without being sugar coated. Is there anything I missed?"
Wye and X just looked at each other.
"I don't suppose you took notes?" X asked.
Wye looked at the old lady. "So, what we basically have to do old woman is get through a warlike race, find M-Win somehow, and then get her back?"
"Almost." She wore a strange, nervous smile. "And it's Grammy Fornot, remember? Now just a couple more things to add to that."
X and Wye both let their heads hit the table.
"The transporter you used was more reliable," she went on, "but it doesn't have enough to go on another trip so you can't go back to your planet.” She looked at Wye strangely. "As for, well, you'll remember. Then we'll talk."
"Remember?" Wye dwelled on the last thing she said until he realized what was more important. The first thing she said. "Wait, hang on, back this trailer up!" Wye demanded. "What are you saying? We can't ever go back home?"
“Please calm down,” she said in disgust, “that is inappropriate for someone of your stature.”
X grabbed his head. "I can't believe this happened. If they would have kept us in Texas, none of this would have happened."
"Everything's changed so much." She began again. "Why, the King Regwallis himself is only one hundred forty nine. If we were back in our safer times, he would barely be leaving the safety of the Dens. But now, he's the only one left w
ith any regality. After him, there are no more." She shook her head sadly. "We could have left you in your Earth Texas world, but I had a feeling if you had to choose between saving 'M-Win', and living-"
"Of course we'd pick M-Win!" X interrupted. "I just wish that none of us were sent away. I miss Dallas already."
Wye crossed his arms. "This is stupid. How are we supposed to be able to get M-Win back? Maybe if we at least had some memories."
"They will come," she said softly, "now that you're actually here I'm sure you'll start to remember soon. Most likely your real names."
“My name is X,” X crossed his arms. “I am X! Or X I am, I forget.”
“Not X I am, it’s pronounced ‘zeeum’.” She smiled. “Your full first name is Xiamipoc.”
“Ziamiwhat?” X turned his head to hear her reiterate it again. “Xiamipoc?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Just X is better.”
“Do you know your real name, Wye?” She seemed intrigued. “Why did you choose Wye?”
Wye laughed. “Why not use Wye, Wye is why.” He sniffed.
“Huh?” The old lady didn't seem to understand. Maybe the joke didn't translate over to their language. “Protector Yeducavich is your true addressal.”
"I don’t care," Wye whined. "Seriously, are we supposed to knock on your enemy’s door and ask for M-Win back? It sounds real simple. Not."
"Now, now." The old woman frowned. "Calm down, that's no way for a Protector to act."
"And what do you mean by that?" Wye asked.
"You’re a Protector," The old lady groaned. “Don't you remember, I just finished telling you about that. You are Protector Yeducavich.”
Wye gestured his hands in frustration. "What does that mean old lady?"
"Oh." The old woman placed her fingers to her lips. "I don't think your language has a word for it. Koko's going to have to help with this. Koko!" Koko was hanging around outside but came in. She pointed toward Koko. "Koko's great, great, really old grandfather also had a transporter, a superb one. It was one of the first ones to be destroyed by the waryes'. Oh, he was amazing and made considerable use of it. He actually went to other worlds to learn the languages, and he even passed down some of our most fundamental concepts and..."
Wye looked at Koko, then at the old lady's mouth flapping back and forth, then at X who was looking out the window.
"-and no one foreign ever visits and we have these little things we put in our ears now, old technology from the enemy again." The old lady pointed to her own transears. "We've got thousands of these things, they never cared to take them back."
"You talk up a storm," Koko complained as he folded his arms. "What do you want?"
"I'm old, and I talk a lot!" She snapped at him. "Besides, you young ones don't seem to say that much of anything to them. They don't remember anything, they need more than a five minute explanation." Koko just shrugged. "Now, Wye wants to know what a Protector is. Can you explain it to him, please?" She asked sharply as she gestured toward Wye.
"Oh." Koko looked at Wye. "You protect, kind of." Koko scratched his head. "Your language doesn't have a word. How say," He rubbed his chin. "Ah!" He stuck his finger in the air. "Protect. Police." He said, grinning. "You police."
Wye looked at him strangely. "I police?" He looked over at X. "Did you get that?"
"Are you not explaining it right?" She accused Koko.
"I am." Koko leaned against the doorway. "I try again. Okay Wye. Women are naturally hot." He held his finger up in the air. "Guys we all love women, you know." He pointed at him. "Except our women have strong scents. Uhhh...” He snapped his finger. "What is that word? Aha! Pheromones. You protect females from guys who go nuts."
Wye groaned and leaned back in his seat. "How'd I end up with that lousy job?" She stared at him in disbelief. "What?"
"End up?" The old woman looked at Koko again. "Are you sure you are explaining right?"
Koko groaned. "I did." He looked at Wye again. "Alright, 'beddy? Boody? Buddy? Uh, listen. You study years, okay, to be a Protector. You're not given job. You spent years studying and training to be a Protector."
Wye's jaw fell down in disbelief as his eyebrow cocked up. "You mean, I did that on purpose? I willingly studied and stuff? For years?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Nuh uh, you have me confused with someone else. I don’t roll like that."
"How can you-?" The old lady shook her head. "Oh goodness." She looked at Koko again. "Are you positively sure you are explaining right?"
Koko groaned and scratched his head in frustration. "The guy gets it, he does, he just doesn't understand why he did it." Koko seemed to be in deep thought. "Another Protector could genuinely help out. Are there any old time Protectors left?"
"Goodness," The old lady appeared to be thinking hard. "No, no all of them were loyal until the end. I don't think there's one left."
Koko whined. "Alright, let me give it another shot." Koko scratched the side of his face as he began to speak. "Alright. Wye. Protectors aren't unnormal. They are rare. Extreme. You earn right to be a Protector." Koko stopped speaking in English. "That's still not it." He looked over at Grammy Fornot. "Are you sure there are absolutely no old Protectors left? Any? 'Cause I never understood it." Koko laughed at Wye. "Why the heck anyone would ever waste their time-"
"You are badmouthing his profession!" The old lady scolded Koko.
Koko just stuck his tongue out at her. "Well, why would anyone care in the first place to protect girls? I mean, come on. Studying for years wasted on protecting girls? That doesn't-"
"You're young!" She snapped as she went over to him. "And you just don't get it! Forget it, you will not be able to explain it. You don't even know about females."
"Stop yelling," Koko whined. "Alright, I don't understand. Yada yada, I'll ask around for an old Protector."
The old lady pointed at Koko as he left. "He's only a hundred and twenty. Like I said, in my day he would be in the children's Den for another thirty years."
Wye just waved it off. "Whatever, I still think you're nuts, not me. You should be in Aryu.”
She sighed. "I know it doesn't make any sense, but I'm not nuts. You were an excellent Protector. I wish you could remember.” She walked over to her window and looked out. "Everyone here today, like Koko, doesn't understand. They're too young and don't even shown you proper respect."
"Proper respect?" Wye raised his eyebrow and scoffed.
"What do you mean proper respect?" X looked over at Wye. "Why are you supposed to get proper respect, Wye?"
Wye shrugged his shoulders. This was all news to him. Before, in Dallas, he had thought X’s third personality called him a drunk. Now, he's some Protector? Was he a drunk or a woman saver? Or both? Well, that would be a convenient way to get women.
"You should never speak to a Protector by their first name alone, unless you have their permission," the old lady prattled on. "Everyone should be referring to you as Protector, not Wye. At the very least your full first name Yeducavich. My goodness, if everyone was still around, they would be so appalled at their children."
"What?" Wye groaned. "Old lady, I still say you have me mistaken for the wrong guy."
X nodded his head. "I agree. That Protector thing doesn't sound like you, Wye."
"True." Wye agreed. "Although, it sounds better than the drunk thing." He held his fingers together with a small space between. "Well, by a bit."
Wye watched the old woman move over to a corner where a desk was kept. She opened it up and took a piece of paper out. She blew on it and years of dust scattered away. She went over to Wye and X and showed them the picture. "Is that you?"
Wye looked at the picture. Clear as day, Wye, X, and M-Win were taking a casual picture outside. Wye stood up a little straighter than normal, X was slouched down in an old red shirt, a bit different than his shirt now but his wild violet hair was still the same. M-Win had the same sunshine hair color, but she was wearing a purple skirt with outrageous metallic shoes. All of them had bla
ck furry tails. "That's us."
"Are you sure?" The old woman pressed. "That is no one else? You are absolutely positive it's you with Xiam and Muin?"
"Yeah," Wye said confidently as he studied the picture. "Yeah, except for the tail, that's definitely me.”
"Well, that's the Protector." The old woman grinned in triumph like she won an award.
Wye passed the picture to X. "Nah, I probably just hung out with X."
The old woman pointed to Wye’s shirt in the picture. "That weird symbol on the right of your shirt, on your pocket? That is the Protector symbol. That shirt you often wore when you meant business."
Wye took another look at the picture. There was a weird symbol on his shirt. "That could be anything, old lady. You can't make it out. Could be a spaghetti stain."
"Oh..." She slowly took the picture back from X. "For the final time, It's Grammy Fornot, not old lady. Oh, one of the best and you'll never remember. All those years, it's so sad."
Wye shrugged his shoulders. "Look, the more I learn the less I want to remember anyhow." He looked over at Grammy Forgot. "We need to think how to get to M-Win. Where are these waryes guys at Forgot?"
"Fornot," The old woman corrected him. "It's Fornot, and this will be a tough job. You need to let your memories return before you try anything."
"Hey Ancient," Koko yelled as he came to the door with an old man with a tail. "Syo was actually a Protector in his early years. Told you that I'd find one, told you that I'd find one, told you-"
"Shutup," Syo answered as he looked at Wye. "So, Protector Yeducavich you did get away." He stood up straight. "I once was a Protector. Once I got married, those days were over." He nodded his head. "Proud days back then." He looked over at Fornot. "None of these kids understand." He looked over at Wye. "Protector, you don't remember anything. Is this correct?"
"Protector?" Wye frowned. "Yeah, I don't remember but don't call me Protector. Name’s Wye."
"I'm sorry, where are my manners?" The old man laughed, then coughed. "Sorry about that. What is it that you would like to be referred to, Protector?"