Seed

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

*We cannot colonize this planet, it has higher life forms.  They are primitive, but are sentient,* observed the Leader.

*Yes, I know, Leader,* said Second.  It regarded the group they were studying. *They bear a superficial resemblance to us,* it commented, *except in size.  They are small, but there are other similarities, and they are bipeds.*

*They are,* agreed the Leader, *but there, the resemblance ends.  They are mammals, we are not, and it only takes two of them to procreate.*

*Yes,* said Second, *and they are quite prolific in spite of this.*  It considered for a moment.  *I think we need to study them a little longer.  Perhaps we can learn from them just how they can be so fertile in the face of the adverse conditions under which they live*  Second watched as a very small, naked, dark brown child toddled towards the fire the adults kept going in the middle of their encampment.  An adult female rushed and snatched the child up before it could burn itself.  She was nearly as naked as the tiny male, wearing only a rough made garment covering her from waist to mid-thigh.  Her prominent breasts were bare.

  The presumed parent, the mother, held the little one in her arms, speaking to him and shaking her head at the fire.  No doubt warning the child not to go near the fire, though Second had the sound turned down, and could not hear her.  It could have read her thoughts, but chose not to, as that was considered an invasion of privacy.  The female carried the child into a tent-like structure made of woven grasses, still scolding him.

Second sighed.  It did not have children, and knew it was doomed to remain forever childless.  Not having been able to acquire any group-mates, it knew children would probably never happen.  Even when going to the luanna house to mate with the surrogates, a reluctance to mate on their part was detected, though they were required by law to do so.  They were always polite, even seemingly friendly, but there were always excuses for not being accommodating, and the few times they did provide service, Second suspected its sperm had been sealed off and rejected.  This, too, was against the law  except in cases of illness, but very hard to prove.  And even during the few times it had been able to mate, the surrogates had always had reasons to provide only a half-mating, so Second had never in its life received sperm.  It had been too embarrassed to tell anyone, or complain about this.  It was a very young Elvwist, but had already ceased hoping this would improve.

Second had been born with a singular birth-defect none of the Healers had been able to correct.  It had been born without the beautiful, feathery, foot high crest every other Elvwist had.  Instead, its head was covered in layers of multicolored, iridescent feathers that lay flat, no matter how it tried to get them to stand up.  Also, there were feathers that ran underneath its arms and down the sides, so that when stretched to the sides, they unfolded, resembling wings.  The Healers said they were a throw-back to when their species was mostly aquatic and swam to catch fish.  The arm feathers were less of a problem, though the condition was rare.

People were always polite, trying to pretend not to notice the lack of a crest, but, without fail, even when meeting someone with whom it might wish to just be friends, there was always an awkward pause, then the would-be friend would make up some type of excuse for leaving, and it would not see them again.  Second had never asked home by anyone to meet their parents and siblings. 

Even while a child, it had not been able to acquire any lasting friends, and after a while, had ceased trying.  Though Second knew its parents and siblings loved and valued it, they had their own lives, and it had always felt a deep void in its life.  It was, perhaps, the loneliest Elvwist in the universe.