*Zax*
"Yes, I am female."
My eyes widened even as I tried to steel my expression from giving any emotions away, I could not let this creature have any sort of advantage over me or Zion.
My cousin was too naive to the ways of the world and the foreign creatures that inhabited many of the planets out in the vast array of galaxies, he was too kind to many of the deadly predators out there and if it wasn't for me, he would have died a long time ago out here in the wilderness.
But it had been his decision to join me when I had been dethroned and cast aside as if I had not meant a single thing other than a means to an end to my father, the rightful ruler of Zubine even as the torch had been passed onto my brother, Zephyr.
Though he would never admit it, my father would miss ruling over his kingdom and land, he would miss the power trip that it gave him, the luxury of ordering servants around, of swiftly moving through the crowds of commoners who gasped and were shoved away for daring to look in the direction of the king.
No, he would not verbally admit it but his demeanor would speak for ages to come and from miles away, one could tell that he would be miserable in the life of retirement that he chose for himself.
But he made that decision, that sacrifice for his kingdom, to step down from the throne and to pass the treasured legacy onto my less grateful and equally as fortunate brother of mine.
Zephyr did not care for the kingdom or its people, he could barely care for himself as it was!
Zephyr could barely remember to dress himself in a proper manner, how ever was he to care for an entire kingdom, the finances with costs for products in our land rising with every dry and barely flourishing sowing season that passed, or the millions of creatures that inhabited our overpopulating land, let one the laws that should have been passed ages ago for the rights of our people?
I used to think that Zephyr simply didn't care to understand why we did certain things the way that we did them, or maybe he thought he was too high above those to be tricked into caring for others outside of his innermost circles.
But now I was beginning to understand that it wasn't a matter of arrogance or ignorance, it was a matter of education as well.
See, Zephyr wasn't exactly the brightest out of the bunch but he had a temper that got him far in life, further in life then my own temperance had gotten me, that is.
And when Zephyr wanted something his way, he then got it his way.
If I wasn't more annoyed with his ways, I might have been jealous in my youth; Growing up as the eldest child, having to care for my brother and cousin in more caring ways than my father ever displayed as our mother was nowhere to be found after our planet was wiped of the female species long ago.
But seeing as it were, I was not jealous nor envious of my brother.
I was, quite literally speaking, fed up with his bothersome, dramatic antics.
Quite alike to how I was getting fed up with this creature's antics as well.
Why was this female acting so dramatic about her woes in life?
First she tried to escape from us earlier before I hauled her back to our campsite, second she may have tried to attack me when she first arrived on our home planet and third…Well, I couldn't exactly think of a third reason but my points were valid and that was all that mattered right now.
However, as annoyed as I may be, I was still astonished to find out that this creature, this sentinel being that I thought was male in a very late youthful stage, was indeed female instead and I could feel a darkening frown creasing the lines on my forehead.
Could I actually be referring to this thing as a female?
Was it even female to begin with?
"Are you absolutely sure that you are female?"
As naively dumb as those words sounded coming out of my mouth, I had to make sure that this thing was female after all.
I couldn't trust it right now, not when I didn't know it from a hole in the ground.
And I expected the creature to become angered by my suggestion that it was anything less than female but the creature's pale complexion only flushed a bright red as the fingers upon its body fiddled with one another as it shifted around nervously.
The creature averted its gaze from meeting my own as it nodded in agreement with their previously spoken words, the fire colored hair upon its head shaking with the slightest of movements.
The color was almost hypnotic, in a sense, it was captivating with the strangest and brightest of colors reflecting the depths of tone and my eyes were so entranced by the movement that I almost didn't catch the creature's next words.
"Um…Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I'm female. I mean, did you want to check my body for proof or something?"
Her tone was almost sarcastic as I raised an eyebrow up at the delicate sound, the faintest hint of a smile wanting to peek out at the fiery demeanor she was displaying.
"Perhaps, I shall. Would you consent to be undressed by myself or Zion? Or would you rather undo your fastenings yourself to examine your flesh?"
I was merely lightening the mood with a little something that many of my kind were not familiar with.
Humor.
But the female did not seem too confident in my ability to be humorous as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open, a noise between half a scoff and a gasping choke escaping her mouth as she quickly shook her head in disagreement this time now.
"God, n-no! That's not fucking happening at all!"
She exclaimed and I chuckled as I crossed my arms over my chest,
"I was merely being humorous, little female creature. You have no need nor reason to unclothe yourself, unless it is your absolute desire to."
She gulped as she shook her head once more and I wanted to laugh again but I held it back, the female was going to give herself a head injury if she kept up that frantic motion.
"No…I am fine with my current attire. Thank you for the offer, I suppose."
She murmured before she extended her hand, the pale fingers upon her hand trembling with the slightest of shaky movements as her eyes remained locked on my exposed chest and tautly muscled arms.
I couldn't tell from her expression what she was thinking, perhaps it was fear that flickered inside her eyes or maybe it was intimidation.
Perhaps she feared that her size wasn't nearly as intimidating as my own, a thought that I preferred to flatter myself with for the moment, but nonetheless I pushed all meaningless thoughts aside so I could focus on the matter at hand.
Understanding where she came from and why she decided to land on our planet in the first place.
"I'm Mabel but you already know that since I just told you it but you can just call me Mae, everybody does. Though I suppose I shouldn't say everybody because you probably don't know who I'm talking about and now I'm just rambling about nonsense so I'm sorry for that too–"
I cut off her neverending ranting as I slipped my own hand inside hers, the sudden warmth of her bare flesh sending a jolt of shock throughout my nervous system, Mabel's pink lips parting with the barest, almost inaudible gasp that could barely be heard over the sound of the buzzing of the lively woodlands and the sound of my own heart pounding in my chest.
And it was almost like I was locked in a trance, I could barely speak with the same strength that I previously projected outwards from my chest earlier.
It was as if my voice was stolen from me amidst our formal introduction, a strange irony that would not dawn on me until much later after our introduction. I wonder why that is.
"There is no need to apologize, Mabel. I am called Zaxton and as I'm sure you're well aware by now, that male over there is my cousin, Zion."
Mabel's eyes jerked over to Zion and her shoulders, as tense as they were before, seemed to loosen up at the sight of my cousin.
Jealousy suddenly raged inside my body, did she feel more comfortable around him even as we were an entirely different species altogether?
"Yes, we have met before."
She turned her gaze back to mine and the flash of a tiny smile made its fleeting appearance upon her bright face,
"He's not nearly as grumpy or as demanding as you are though."
At those words, I couldn't help but chuckle as her cheeks burned red before she pulled her hand out of my grasp abruptly, clearing her throat whilst she went back to crossing her arms over her chest in an almost protective manner.
A ping of sympathy shot through my chest, I wondered if she had always been this cautious and weary of others before or if it was because of the circumstances.
That is alright, little creature.
I shall change those ways of yours in no time.
Such strange thoughts accompanied the ruminating wonders floating around inside my brain, why was I thinking of this creature in such a way that could only be described as possessive?
This creature, even as it was female in nature, did not belong to me. Just like the kingdom that Zephyr overruled did not belong to me.
And I was beginning to think that my own life did not belong to me as well.
Shaking my head as I brushed my hands down the loincloth that protected my naked lower half from prying eyes, mainly Mabel's eyes, I cocked my head towards the treeline of the forest that lay beyond us.
Though she couldn't say it with her dimmed vision that was not nearly as corrective or as strong as mine, what lay just beyond the treeline was the city that had once been mine to behold and cherish for as long as I lived.
The city that no longer wanted me in it.
The city that I was banished from.
The same city that I now had to sneak back into in order to get back to the palace at the center of the kingdom.
Which was a much needed task that had to be done if I wanted to help this little female creature get off of our planet as quickly as possible.
"Your craft seems to have sustained much damage in the re-entry of our planet's atmosphere but the people of our land could fix it up. We would need to get you into the city, if you would be so kind as to follow us there, that is."
Mabel contemplated her options for a moment or so, which seemed a bit redundant to my own mind but I knew nothing of how her species worked or what their decision making process consisted of, before she made a hum of acknowledgement.
"Alright, then. I suppose this is the part where I say, ‘‘Take me to your leader.’’"
She joked with a brighter smile upon her face as she stifled a chuckle but I was confused by the laughter, was this another round of humor that her species invented which I did not understand?
Zion seemed to take the statement too seriously, apparently, as he frowned deeply whilst tilting his head to the side as if turning it would make him understand the little female better.
"Why in the Fates would you say such a thing? Zaxton was our leader for a long time–"
Zion began to say before I silenced him with a hardened glare, no need to tell the little female too much information right away.
Who knows what she could do with such powerful knowledge and no conclusive reason to trust us.
Oh, Zion.
You harebrained fool.
You have surely done it now, my cousin.
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-Ro♥️