Excruciating pain tore Zhu from the depths of her sleep.
"Ahh—" She panted, clutching her chest as she struggled to breathe. "You stinky bastard, why did you do that?!"
Zhu cursed Faral furiously in her head.
Unremorseful, his voice remained infuriatingly calm. "You have been asleep for almost two days—"
"So what?!" she snapped.
"—and you are in danger—"
"And what's new? Still not understanding why you had to rip my soul!"
"I apologise for the inconvenience and pain; however, my actions were unavoidable. The medicine is extremely potent, and your injuries were extensive. I was practically cut off from you."
Zhu thought for a few minutes. "Okay…"
"The scent of the Nyxari mother is about to wear off."
Zhu froze.
Alarm shot through her like lightning. That scent was the only thing keeping her and her newly acquired babies alive.
"Well, why didn't you just say that in the first place, Faral?!" she hissed, mind cleared off all sleep.
"I just did."
Zhu snorted and pushed herself up, only to pause when she noticed the two cubs curled up on her lap, warm and trusting.
"Aww…" she gushed softly, stroking their sleek fur. The moment her hand touched them, her racing heart began to calm.
"So, Faral… am I in immediate danger? Like, is a predator coming to eat me right now?"
"No."
"Alright then. I have time."
"Well, it would be best to start our journey—"
"Look," Zhu said, very deliberately, cutting him off. "There is a reason I was unconscious for almost two days. I went through a horrific, painful series of emotionally and, not to mention, physically traumatising events."
"I was there."
"Good. Then give me a damn minute to assess myself, get my bearings, and stop ripping my soul, you bastard! If we get attacked by another wend-"
"-I had no choice. I could not wake you."
Zhu sucked her teeth.
"If it is any consolation," Faral added, "it hurts me as well. I am a part of you now."
Zhu thought about that fact for a minute. "You know what," Zhu said after a beat, "that actually does make me feel better."
She smiled faintly as she tested her injured ankle. The swelling had gone down significantly, and the angry heat dulled to a manageable ache. There were also discolourations from bruises and injuries all over her body. But overall, her body felt… better. The healing paste might have put her into a mini coma, but its effects were nothing short of miraculous.
As she twisted her upper body side to side, working out stiffness, a thought struck her.
"Faral… What about the cubs?"
She looked down at the furry little shapes nearby. "Will they be in danger? Well, of course they will." Zhu answered herself immediately. "Better question: how are we going to protect them?"
Her anxiety spiked, words spilling out in a rush. "How are we even going to get them out of here? We can't leave them. I mean, it's destiny that we met at this critical junction in both our lives. Leaving them here to die would be going against destiny."
She finally paused to breathe.
"Calm down," Faral interjected. "You are being affected by the pheromones the cubs are emitting."
Zhu frowned. "Pheromones?"
"Yes. Although they are cubs, Nyxric are powerful creatures. Their young emit a bonding pheromone meant to anchor the mother to them. It is a survival adaptation. Adult Nyxric are vicious and highly territorial; they have been known to kill cubs that wander into their domain. The pheromone reduces the likelihood of attack from any adult they encounter."
Zhu nodded slowly. "Alright. Interesting. Interesting… still doesn't help me get out of here with them."
"I was getting to that. Patience needs to become one of your strong suits."
"Fuck off."
"And a cleaner vocabulary would help."
"I am going to kick you in the ass when I see you, stinky voice," Zhu muttered.
"Please feel free to do so," Faral replied, utterly nonchalant. "As I was saying, Nyxric possesses another trait they can demetabolize."
Zhu frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means they can alter their metabolism to— "
"Smaller words. Please."
"They are able to shift onto your skin. That is how a Nyxric mother carries her cubs safely."
"Then why didn't she do that this time?"
"I do not know. Perhaps we will find out as we go."
Zhu shrugged. "Whatever. Just tell me how to make them do the meta thingy."
"It would require you to share blood."
"What?" Zhu blurted. The word came out sharp, her stomach twisting. "No—absolutely not."
"Yes," Faral replied evenly. "Essentially, the bond will become part of you, but a bond requires a tether. For instance, in order for me to communicate with you and share my power, you had to grant me access, permission for me to take a fragment of your soul. This is similar."
Zhu stared at him in disbelief.
"In order to activate the metabolise skill," Faral continued, "the cubs require a connection. An anchor. Your blood provides that anchor."
"So," Zhu said slowly, pinching the bridge of her nose, "to activate their skill… they need my blood."
"Yes," Faral confirmed. "And if you wish to strengthen the bond further, you may also introduce their blood into your system."
"What?!" Zhu nearly shouted. "Absolutely not, nope, no thank you, that's insane."
"It is not a requirement," Faral added quickly. "Merely an option."
"Oh." Zhu exhaled hard, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "Okay. Still horrifying, but… okay."
The cubs lay beside her, small bodies pressed into the cave's cool stone, having been jostled aside earlier by her frantic inspection. Zhu reached out and gently stroked one, then the other. They responded by bumping their heads against her hand, soft and trusting.
To them, she was simply warm.
She smelled like earth and berries, forestdew jelly and ginseng root. Like soil and shelter. Not their mother, but safe. Because of her, the gnawing edge of hunger had dulled. Because of her, the world felt less dangerous.
They chose her.
Zhu felt it then, the subtle hum in the air, the pheromones the cubs released unconsciously. Her skin prickled, her heartbeat stuttered, a strange pull settling deep in her chest.
She swallowed.
"Alright," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "Let's… do this."
Her hand trembled slightly as she held it out toward them, not in fear, but in acceptance.
"Wonderful," Faral praised. "The first stage is complete."
"What?" Zhu blurted. She was starting to feel ridiculous saying that word for the third time in such a short span. "How?"
"They already ingested your blood the first night," Faral explained calmly. "When they licked your wounds."
Zhu stared at the cubs.
"…Oh." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Then why didn't you just say that?"
"Because," Faral replied evenly, "you insist on having all the information."
Zhu blinked. Was that sarcasm?
"Well, you still failed," she shot back. "You didn't tell me they'd already bonded to me by drinking my blood."
"I believed that detail would have been highly disturbing to you at the time."
Zhu sucked her teeth, irritation flaring because, annoyingly, he was right. Rather than continue the argument, she waved a hand. "Whatever. Just tell me how to start the… dematerialise thingy."
"Focus your intent," Faral said. "They will sense it and begin the process."
Begrudgingly, Zhu closed her eyes and did as instructed.
Come to me, she thought, feeling faintly foolish. Babies.
The response was immediate.
The cubs shifted, bodies lowering into a crouch. Their movements slowed, deliberate and synchronised. Shadows clung to them, then peeled away as their sleek forms began to shimmer. Midnight fur threaded with silver fractured into motes of light, indigo sparks drifting upward like embers in reverse.
Zhu's eyes flew open.
The cubs were dissolving, no, becoming their shapes, collapsing into flowing patterns of light that arced gently toward her outstretched hand.
"Woah… what—what's happening?" she muttered, instinctively raising her hands for a closer look.
Faral's calm voice explained, "They are dematerialising. Do not resist, girl. They will imprint onto you."
Her breath caught as the first thread of indigo touched her skin.
The cubs' light drifted toward her, twisting and coiling in the air like smoke made of stars. Zhu froze as a tiny tendril of glowing indigo brushed against her wrist. A shiver ran down her spine, electric and strange, and a warmth spread across her skin, crawling like soft fire.
One by one, the cubs' forms melded with her. Their essence brushed over her arms, her shoulders, her chest, leaving a faint, tingling trace, like the memory of a touch long remembered. She could feel them nestling against her skin, imprinting, bonding. It was intimate and otherworldly, a weightless presence that pressed against her soul, claiming her as theirs as much as she claimed them.
"They're… on me," Zhu whispered, awe and anxiety threading her voice. "I can feel them… everywhere."
"Yes," Faral said. "The imprint will keep them safe. Your aura now carries them. They are connected to you as strongly as you are connected to me. They will sense your guidance, your danger, your presence."
Zhu closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. The warmth of the imprint spread into her muscles, into her blood, almost like a heartbeat against her own. This was a great level of responsibility. She had become their sanctuary. Their lives were now entwined with hers.
"And… if I move?" she asked, half-frightened.
"They move with you. They are tethered to your skin and spirit," Faral said. "Trust them, and they will trust you."
Zhu opened her eyes. The faint shimmer of indigo sparks lingered along her arms, a soft glow against her dirt-smeared skin. Her lips curved into a weary smile. "Alright, little ones," she whispered. "We're in this together."
A tiny purr-like vibration tickled her shoulder, and Zhu couldn't help but laugh softly. The days ahead were scary and very uncertain, but she wasn't alone anymore.