Wild Rides

Chapter 33- Matriarch

The moment I was spat out onto the teleportation receiving pad, bright lights above burning my eyes, I wheezed out a breath. Helios, and the bowling ball of solid mass that he had become, stood directly on my abdomen, the other two clinging to my clothes or hair. They seemed disoriented but unharmed by the rapid change.

Blinking away the spots, I realized that we were completely surrounded. They were shadowed, but the Gelvonian armor, height, and yumminess were obvious. They held their weapons, none pointed at us since we were no threat to them. I would not have even tried to fight them, too consumed by the beings that had waited for our arrival.

Two Rothulians were present, similar in size to Xoxo's bab(ies) daddy. One was a pale yellow-green with a cone-like twist of roots on their head and dandelion colored eyes, while the other was a deep brown with streaks of black and eyes that were so dark they looked like holes. Between them was a Rothulian, taller than and larger than even the Gelvonians. The being was bioluminescent pink and violet, all of the gorgeous shades of flowers on Earth mingled and shifting with the chromatophores lining its skin. Kek's skin looked like bark, but this one appeared to have the soft texture of a mushroom. I wanted to reach out and touch it.

Not an it. Her.

As I looked up and up at her elegant form, a true wood nymph come to life, I took in her crown of coral-like branches, growing from her temples and scalp into an elegant array of red and fuchsia.

Her eyes were further apart, no nose needed and no mouth apparent. Long fine strands dangled from her shoulders like a beautiful and shimmering cape. She was a living goddess, ethereal and awe inspiring. A role model.

I sat up as the babies hunkered closer, sensing that she was far stronger and superior to them, my arms pulling them close.

When she spoke the sound seemed to vibrate out of her skin, sending ripples of sparkling color through her body. I knew at once who she was, though she made it clear.

"I am Matriarch, Life of Rothul," she hummed, the sound quieting the chirping babies. "You are not the spore mother of these pinlings."

"No. I am not."

"Yet, they have bonded to you."

I swallowed, somewhat intimidated. There were too many hunky soldiers around us and the obvious soul of an entire planet. That was all beside the flaming protectiveness I felt at the fear that she might have come to take the slothlings from us and the fading battle of adrenaline. "I have been with them since they hatched. I would do anything for them."

"Hmm. That may be tested. I have questions for you. I believe you understand how important these pinlings are?"

"Yes." Squeezing them tighter, I felt like she prepared to convince me to part with them. They were gross and loud, a pain in my ass, and a bunch of eyeball-eaters, but they were our turds and I did not want them to be taken from us.

"Our numbers are failing and now there are miraculously new lives. No pairings were reported to Rothul. Was Kek the spore donor?"

"That is what we have been told. However, we were not conscious when the spore...implanting happened."

Giant violet eyes flared, rectangular octopus pupils growing and shrinking as her thin tendrils quivered. "Elaborate."

Should I cover the babies' ears? "The Caldum Kek and Meklan are associated with decided to implant Xoxo when we were both unconscious. It was the testing of a plan to keep women sedated or drugged to continuously implant and raise the sloth- the pinlings. I don't know what they had planned for them after they hatched, though." Why had I never thought about that? Kek probably had some deal to give powerful spores in exchange for Locknir's services or worse...Kek and Meklan wanted to create their own army.