The Autobiography Of An Alien

Chapter 5 - Education

Bhrak had parked some length away from the building - to avoid the other parents, he had explained gruffly, unasked - but Rulshkka still found himself noticed by others as soon as he stepped out of the vehicle.

"O Vokkra," a slim, light orange Vokkrus called out, bowing at the waist. "How pleasant to see you on this glorious day!"

"Vokkra!" someone else exclaimed, a deep-hued purple coloring their skin. More heads swiveled toward his direction.

Rulshkka hid the grimace that wanted to make its way on his face. Thankfully, no one touched him. He had gotten quite used to the deference that his people bestowed on him, especially after his recent achievements - hosting a new sapient species is bound to bring acclaim to their planet and thus open frivolous amounts of trade from the Alliance.

Still, as much as his people noticed his presence and exclaimed their delight upon seeing him - which wasn't terrible, he supposed, there were just some days where he wished for the anonymity of a civilian - he knew that it wasn't as bad as when he had first become Vokkra. Everyone on the planet seemed to know when he had left the mansion, intent on speaking with him and offering their congratulations and asking him questions he had no answers to. It had been exhausting, but he knew that if he retreated into the hermit Bffgraah had been, he'd never be able to rest.

So, he had gone out frequently. His staff had been appalled the first time he had came back to the estate with bags in his hands - he had never had this much expendable wealth, and he had found it ridiculously easy to spend - but they had quickly gotten used to it. There was no way they could stop him, after all, short of locking him up. And even then, he would've gotten out.

His people had gotten used to seeing him in different places. But he supposed that a school was far too out of the ordinary to be ignored.

Mercifully, Nohkka had seen him coming. She started rushing toward him. Unfortunately, she brought all of her friends with her, and then some.

A gaggle of hatchlings, both older and younger than his niece, crowded around him. He crouched; he could scarcely hear all the young ones' chattering when he towered above them.

"Hello, Nohkka," he said, holding out his arms. She collided with his chest, and he pressed his forehead against hers fondly. She pulled away rather swiftly, and Rulshkka simply dreaded the time when she would not be so open with her affections. "How was your day, today?"

"Good!" she chirped. "Where's Momma?"

"She's at a meeting," he explained, looking at the group of hatchlings behind her. They were staring at him with wide, curious eyes. He smiled at them, and a few of them smiled back, far more practiced than his. He wondered how many of them had had a human. "So, I'm here to pick you instead. Is that okay?"

"Yeah!" she cheered. "I wanna go see Uncle Thruul."

Thruul had been utterly flummoxed and beyond thrilled the first time she had called him such. Rulshkka had been half-afraid that the Vokkrus would start wailing. "Not your Uncle Rul?" he asked, teasing. She gave him a deadpan look.

"No, you're boring," she told him. He huffed out a little laugh.

"Hey!" one of the children finally piped up. "You can't say that to him, Nohkka. He's the Vokkra."

"He's my uncle first," she said haughtily, reminding him of his mother.

The little one, some adorably squishy Vokkrus who couldn't be more than 50 years old, pouted but couldn't fault Nohkka's logic enough to come up with a rebuttal. Thankfully, before an argument could start - Nohkka was looking like she was gearing up for a fight - another hatchling spoke up.