Lord Celex looked out over his new domain. The Celex flag flying by his side whipping and whistling in a light wind. He had designed the flag himself after the manner of humans, he liked the idea, of being able to claim something with your symbol so no one could deny your ownership. He had claimed a lot of things in his life, some of those things he had graciously let the GA think was theirs.
He was generous and magnanimous like that.
Generous
Magnanimous
Honorable
Brave
A survivor.
He was the only one of his litter that had survived until adulthood considering his mother had a higher than average rate of eating her own children. He didn't much like his mother, she still concerned him at times.
He could see the hunger in her eyes.
He hopped on his feet and turned to look up at his flag.
Yes another planet claimed for the mighty nation of the Celzex. This was, of course, why he was king. He had brought much conquest to his people over the past few years and made important allies, humans and Drev being two of them. It was good to meet nations who were just as honorable and warlike as his own. There were, of course, things he didn't like about both sides, the Drev's misguided belief in technology being somehow sacrilegious seemed backwards and rather primitive to him, while humans lacked the codes of honor that made good warrior species.
Or at least some humans did.
Humans were one of two things.
Soft and useless.
Or unstoppable warriors.
He looked down to see where one of his lieutenants was struggling to climb the hill. Taking two steps up only to skid three steps back. Lord Celex averted his eyes.
Did the Celzex know that they were short?
Yes.
Yes they were well aware.
And they hated it.
Lord Celex tried to think about the hill itself on which he was standing. A hill that probably would have taken a human about ten steps to climb up, but had taken them a good twenty minutes of work. Of course he had been the first to reach the top, as he was their greatest and most talented warrior.
"My Lord."
He jumped turning and nearly rolling back down the hill as he found Lady Notrix standing behind him, as silent as a ghost. She was like that, a skilled assassin and one of his right hand lieutenants. She was the only Celzex he had known to have fur that color, blue so dark it was almost midnight, some thought that she dyed it with naturally occurring patterns, but he knew for a fact it was real.
"Lady Notrix." He said nodding in the way he had seen humans do
He liked the way humans moved, it made him feel powerful.
It looked rather goofy from an outside perspective, though he had no way of knowing that.
To most other species the Celzex DID look pretty goofy.
He knew that as well, though he made sure everyone was constantly reminded who had the most powerful weapons in the galaxy
No one would be calling him goofy when he atomized their planet.
The thought made him smile.
The GA didn't know this, but he HAD atomized a planet once. It had been previously colonized by one of his greatest rivals and one of the most powerful war-lords in the history f his nation. This particular warlord had been visiting to take a look at his holding.
Lord Celex had threatened to atomize him before, but no one thought he would actually do it, after all he was only the second most powerful warlord that had ever existed, and the grand tradition of the Celzex had mostly involved a lot of posturing and threats thought it had never actually escalated into planetary violence.
He had gotten tired of his critics testing his honor, so he had taken his ship out and blown up the planet.
There was now a micro black hole in its place.
Sometimes he liked to look at it when he was feeling sad and remind himself of his past conquest.
Lord Celex lay off his thoughts of conquest for a moment and turned to lady Notrix, "What news?" He asked.
Someone would be monitoring the communications on his ship, just to make sure the GA hadn't called. He thought the GA was fun, he might have destroyed them if it wasn't for his great interest in their pursuits. Life was so much more interesting when he was working with them.
Also he liked Admiral Vir and his entourage, so he would never blow up anything they cared about, though that didn't mean he didn't like thinking about it.
Her voice was smooth and silky. She was beautiful in a creepy sort of way, and so was her voice.
"We are receiving strange reports of a forming weather formation in the east. It appears to be coming this way.
"Rain or Snow." He wondered. Both of those things were equally as damming to the celze. Rain because flooding could easily drown them, they could not swim and floating only lasted as long as the fur wasn't completely saturated. Once that was done, it was all over. Snow because the Celzex had no natural protection against the cold.
Their planet was rather tropical, and they didn't often experience the cold.
The fur actually helped to keep them cool more than it did to warm them up. It was strange like that, and clothing wasn't really an option. Adding any padding decreased the already limited mobility that they relied on.
"We are not sure yet, though we are sensing an area of low pressure. My prediction is rain, though snow is always an option."
He nodded his head slowly, "Very well , we will return to the ship until this blows over, and then continue our search of the planet."
Her Ears twitched in agreement.
"WE MARCH OUT!" He called, and his second lieutenant, who had just reached the top of the hill, gave a long suffering sort of huff before rolling into a ball to go tumbling down the hill. Lord Celex followed after tucking his feet up against his fur and pitching forward to go rolling down the hill. They may not have been very good when it came to going up, but they were very proficient at making their way down.
He came out of his roll in a graceful walk, and turned his head to the east where he could see dark grey storm clouds gathering. It seemed as if they were moving rather quickly, though he was sure they would have plenty of time to get back to the ship.
They walked in a fast march towards the ship, sometimes rolling, sometimes walking, and sometimes switching off between the two.
In retrospection, he blamed the brambles that forced them to take the long way around. Their fur would never allow them to go through such an annoying arrangement of flora, and by the time they had gone around, the wind was beginning to pick up. It was only a light breeze at first, tossing his fur and tousling his ears, but it escalated quickly into a full blown gale that swept them all to the side with a massive gust of wind.
He felt his feet leave the ground for a brief moment and then he was rolling across the open plane bouncing and careening wildly with the wind. With all his force of will, he caught one of the rocks with his feet gripping tightly as the others went rolling past screaming in surprise. He held on heroically tight with his head down against the wind which whipped at his face and ears.
Lord Celex waited for the wind to abate, but it never did, it grew stronger, and stronger.
The clouds were moving in faster than he might have thought possible, and with it came chilled and freezing air which bit into his body and the fur atop his head. His ears immediately began to throb with the cold, as did his face and Toes.
They went numb almost immediately, stiff and bloodless. He clenched on for dear life but his stiff fingers were not strong enough to hold him, and he went rolling back over the stone. This could have gone on forever if it were not for the rocky cliff face which he was slammed into pressed up against the stone just like the others as the wind howled down at them. He tried struggling to his feet, but the wind kept him pinned back.
Lord Celex did not scare easily. In fact he only really saw the wind as a minor inconvenience It would probably rain, they would get wet, but there was no chance of flooding so near an open plane like this.
"SOMEONE CALL BACK TO THE SHIP." He roared over the wind, "TELL THEM WE NEED ASSISTANCE."
The Celzex next to him yelled back , his voice almost drowned out by the howling Gale, "THEY CAN'T SIR, THE SOWSTORM...."
Lord Celex felt his blood run cold.
Snowstorm?
Now that was a real problem.
He tried to keep his composure ordering his men and women to start rolling up the side of the wall. They could still make it if they tried hard enough. And together they all began to roll forward slowly, pressed hard against the wall to their left.
They did not make it.
The snow made sure of that.
He had never experienced anything like it. Granted he had never really experienced snow in the first place, but as far as he knew snow generally began rather gradually and then built up over time. Not this, one moment there was only the wind and the cold, and the next moment, snowflakes almost as big as him were crashing into them with a bone chilling cold so unbelievable it took his breath away. He heard the others cry out in fear,. He struggled forward trying to order them all back to him.
They would need body heat to survive.
But his voice was drowned out.
Up ahead he saw the others vanish into the snow.
He did his best to follow after but the snow was building up fast. His ears and nose were freezing. His feet hurt so bad he was sure they were going to fall right off.
Lord Celex didn't scare easily.
But he was scared now.
The snow was building up so quickly that, in what seemed like moments, there were drifts piled over his head pressing his face int the snow. He scrambled against it trying to break the surface feeling like he couldn't breathe, and all the while his body was so stiff and numb that he could barely move despite wanting too.
At one point he sipped and rolled to the side as the wall to his left disappeared. He was pushed over top of the snow for a moment before skidding onto the cold stone floor of a cave covered by snow. He wobbled to his feet looking around in confusion as snow blasted him in the back. There were at least five other of his soldiers there huddled in the back of the cave. He paused, not sure if he should join them, feeling his pride stop him, but a gust of wind made up his mind, pushing him forward and into his men.
Collectively their warmth was almost enough. Two and then three more of his soldiers came tumbling into the cave, and he watched the entrance waiting for more.... But none came.
The snow began to build up even more outside and the temperatures plunged. His body was going ino shock. All around him the others cried out in pain and cold and fear.
His lieutenant. Lady Notrix, both of them missing.
His brain moved rather sluggishly as the snow continued and the cold began to seep in again.
Throughout the night Slowly, one by one the cries of the others went quiet and their bodies grew still until lord Celex himself was the last one left.
He lay there in a slowly chilling pile of bodies knowing that he was dying.
It was so cold. He could not longer feel his nose, or his ears, or his feet. And what he could still feel hurt enough to make him wish he couldn't. The cold wind raged outside and the snow crept into the cave frost appearing on the edges of his fur and the tips of his ears.
Still dying.
He tried to stay awake, fought harder than he had ever fought in his entire life, knowing that if he slept, he would be sure to die. Lord Celex was not simply a warlord for no reason. He had an iron will and a steel constitution. He had survived horrors in the past.
It seemed unfair that it would be the snow to take his life. Lying in a cave.
The bodies beside him were no better than ice cubes.
His eyes were have lidded.
He was fighting hard but fading quickly.
And that's when he thought he heard something.
He couldn't have been sure if it was a hallucination or not, bu when pale grey light broke through the pile of snow in the cave he was able to open his eyes enough to see a shadow at the cave entrance. The creature was huge and furry with sharp K-9 teeth.
This was it, this was the end.
The creature moved towards him snuffling at the pile of bodies before poking him with it's freezing cold snout
At least being eaten was better than expiring in the snow.
"Good Girl Waffles! Good girl!
His ears perked only slightly, "Was that..... a voice.... It wasn't a Celzex voice, too powerful, too loud. Not speaking right."
The creature came into focus, a long snout, two bright brown eyes, large brown ears, and bright orange socks on it's feet and a bright red vest.
"What"
Another shadow darkened him, and he looked up to see something else crawling it's way into the cave.
Two arms, two legs, and also covered in fur, though when it lifted its head, he could see a face covered in cloth, and large goggles around the eyes.
The human crawled forward towards the pile.
Behind him another figure crawled in, smaller and thinner, with a higher voice.
"Aw Shit!, we're too late." The human's voice actually sounded.... Upset. He was still fading but he felt himself well with slight gratitude. It was, pleasing to know that the humans would mourn his death. The smaller human pushed the bodies aside, Pulling them away from him one by one, and then he was lifted from the ground.
"Wait no! I have one."
The other human leaned in, "It's Lord Celex!"
"How do you know?"
"Recognize that coloring anywhere. What do we do?'
"He needs heat, and he needs it fast."
"And the others."
She shook her head, "Already gone I am afraid."
There was a pause, "Hold on." He was jostled to the side, "Forgive me lord Celex, but it's to save your life."
He could hardly argue, not like he had the energy. The human unzipped the front of his coat and Suddenly lord Celex was pressed up against the human's torso, inside the fur lining of his coat. The jacket was zipped back up and he found himself in darkness huddled against the human. The warmth was immediate. The human radiated it like a furnace, and the inside of the jacket was already warm.
He couldn't have known that the jacket was rated for temperatures -30 degrees Fahrenheit. He couldn't have known but wouldn't have cared.
The human let off ambient heat that melted the frost on his body. 99 degrees, as Admiral Vir ran hot, When he could move, he pressed himself closer to the human not caring about his honor or about his image.
All of his men were dead.
He was the only one left.
There was no one to see, and even if they did what would it matter?
He was so cold.
Thy began to move, he could feel the human's arms wrapped around him, and the jacket only grew warmer as the human's exertion caused his heart to beat faster. He could hear it thudding away like the pounding of an engine.
As he grew warmer, his ears nose and feet began to thaw out, and he was hit with pain, throbbing agony that had him almost detached from reality.
The human clutched him even closer.
He barely heard the yelling of voices, r the roaring of an engine or even the sudden increase in heat as they stepped inside the shuttle.
He could hear nothing, and he could see nothing.
He was in pain.
***
Admiral Vir and the others rushed into the cargo bay shedding snow and water onto the deck. Waffles raced after them shaking herself once before running to catch up. Admiral Vir Held onto Lord Celex inside his jacket hugging the tiny creature to his chest willing himself to get warmer. The coat he was wearing was stiflingly hot, he felt like he was suffocating in it, but he kept it on knowing every ounce of warmth would count.
Lord Avex waited in the cargo bay catching onto Waffles' harness as she ran past, "What news!"
"Everyone dead, accept for your father.'
"Will he live?"
"I don't know."
Any other time admiral Vir would have been smug about being the first human to ever actually cuddle a Celzex like they had all always wanted to, but somehow, this felt like a bitter victory. They hurried him up the deck and to the medical bay where Krill was waiting. Katie tore off her coat.
Adam unzipped his jacket Still holding onto Lord Celex as Krill scuttled over.
Lord Celex was still alive, but he was lethargic and unresponsive. His hair was matted with water, and his ears and feet still felt like ice. Half of one ear had gone black.
"Frostbite, bad frostbite. He's going to lose the ear."
Katie ordered the others to turn up the heat in the room.
"Keep hold of him Adam."
Adam didn't argue doing his best to think warm thoughts. He held the Celzex like a baby in his arms though pressed much tighter against his torso where it was warmest. Space heaters were brought in, turned towards them and then blasted. Warm compresses were wrapped around his body and then unwrapped again, all the while Admiral Vir kept hold of him.
Eventually it was determined that Lord Celex would live as his body was back up to temperature. He would need surgery in the morning though for now he would be kept as he was so the shock would wear off. Admiral Vir offered to stay the night to monitor the machines, though everyone knew his real motivation. No one could begrudge him though, he was trying to do a good thing, and he was, after all, a licensed cuddle therapist, so one could argue it was a medical procedure, and so they let him, and he curled up around the Celzex like a wolf around it's cubs.
***
Lord Celex woke to the warmth. His ears and toes still hurt but it was bearable. He was ore than a little groggy, but opening one eye he could see around the room and he could hear the thrumming of the engine in the distance. It was as powerful as a Celzex engine, though it wasn't one of his ships, so he knew it to be the Omen. He turned his eyes upward finding the sleeping human above him. He was enveloped in warmth all around the human donating his own body heat as he had done before.
He wondered mildly for a moment if he should care.
If he should find his honor wounded?
No
No he couldn't
He just couldn't find it in himself to care and so pressed closer to the human closing his eyes again and falling asleep.