Page 32 of Hunted By the Dragon Alien

Takkian nodded. “It’s not.” He glanced at Ulo, who let out a loud snore and shifted in his spot. “He’ll be waking up soon. So will Sevas. I’ll go to the cargo hold, see what supplies we have.”

Bruil cast a meaningful glance to his waist. “Find some pants, Takkian.”

Takkian smirked, unclipped and pushed off towards the back of the ship. He entered the tight cargo hold, hoping to find something useful. It was clear that this ship wasn’t a transport vessel, due to the size of the hold. Its main purpose had to be transportation. There was a small collection of metal containers of varying sizes held to the floor by magnetic latches. He moved alongside the packed crates and glanced over a few containers, checking their labels and contents. Some held food and medical supplies, which was a good thing. Even though the replicator produced enough to fill their nutritional needs, devices could break. It was good to know that there were backup supplies. He found a container full of garments and pulled that aside. He dug through it and, thankfully, found a pair of thick cloth pants that would suit him. They were short, but they fit, and therewas also a shirt made of stretchy material that he could alter to accommodate his wings. The footwear was all way too small. He put them on right there and then, stuffing the blanket inside an empty container. He never wanted to see it again.

He couldn’t choose Sevas’ clothing for her, but she needed something to wear other than the rags she’d been given at the arena. Bruil’s clothing was fine, for now—well-made leather and cloth that he’d gotten many cycles ago as rewards for winning matches. Ulo didn’t wear clothing over his rock-layered skin.

Then he spotted a crate tucked away. He pulled it free. It was marked with a faded emblem of some unknown species or organization. Opening the lid, he discovered a selection of weapons—a few blades of different lengths, a faze wand for disabling but not killing an enemy, and what looked like a small plasma gun. On the bottom was a sleek metal slingshot. He grinned and pulled back the stretchy sling and a precision digital aim display glowed in the air above it. A ball of blue plasma automatically formed in the sling. He let out a low whistle and gently released it, causing the plasma ball to disappear. He set that aside, too. Sevas would like it.

Takkian emerged from the cargo hold with his arms loaded with the supplies he’d found. He’d loaded everything that would be useful into one crate for easy moving in weightlessness. He floated into the main cabin, feeling a sense of accomplishment at the haul. The sight that met him was heartening—Sevas was awake, eating with Bruil. She had contained her golden hair and wrapped it in a strip of cloth. Ulo was awake, too. They all looked up as he entered.

“Look who’s back,” Bruil said, a smile curling the corners of his lips.

Sevas grinned, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand after taking a bite of food. “I saved you some,” she said, gesturing toward a fresh protein pellet. “Bruil said you haven’t eaten yet.”

Takkian chuckled softly and moved closer, balancing the crate in his arms. “I found some things that might come in handy. There’s food in here, clothes for you, a few weapons, and…” He paused, pulling out the slingshot. “This.”

“Nice!” Her eyes lit up as she reached for it. She ran her fingers over the sleek metal and stretched the rubber. Her eyes widened at the sight of the digital display. “I’ve never seen one like this.”

“I think this one is an actual weapon, rather than the thing thrown at you in the arena,” he said, clipping into the seat beside her and eating a protein pellet.

“Ah.” Bruil unbuckled and moved to the operator console as a signal popped up on the communications display. The screen flickered to life, a series of rotating colors framing the stark blackness of the transmission.

“What is it?” Takkian asked, a sense of urgency prickling his skin.

Bruil pushed himself off and moved to the console, leaning over the screen. “We have a reply from the Dokkol.”

Ulo’s head snapped up, eyes wide with hope. “We do?”

“They have received our distress signal and are confirming location and identity.” Bruil looked back with a smile. “Looks like you’re going home, lad.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Takkian said. “Make arrangements for a rendezvous, Bruil.”

Bruil nodded and bent over the console. “I’m doing so now.”

Ulo swallowed hard as he shifted closer to Bruil, his enormous frame threatening to overtake the small space of the operator area. Bruil glanced at him, eyebrows raised. “Transmission sent.”

Ulo took a steadying breath. “Thank you. I hope they respond soon.”

They did, with the communications screen lighting up moments later. “Ah,” Bruil said. “The Dokkol transport is arriving within fiftypiks. They say to standby and prepare for extraction.”

The screen went dark and silence swept through the cabin.

“I’m going to miss you, Ulo,” Sevas said, slapping a hand on Ulo’s shoulder. “But I’m relieved that you’re going home.”

He blinked down at her. “I wish you could come. All of you.”

“I kind of wish we could too,” she said with a smile. “But our path is different. And your family needs you.”

Fiftypiksslid by quickly enough with Bruil watching the display for incoming ships and Sevas poking through the crate of garments. Takkian enjoyed watching her evaluate them based on size, sturdiness, and how likely they were to allow her to move easily. She didnotseem to care what they looked like. When she emerged clean and fresh from the washroom wearing a pair of tight black pants that were clearly made for someone with a tail, and a low-cut shirt with an attached cloak, both in wildly different colors, he just blinked in surprise. She’d closed the tail hole by wrapping a band around her hips, but there wasn’t much she could do with the shirt’s gaping front, which exposed the full swell of her breasts.

“I don’t care what I look like.” Sevas raised her chin. “Nothing else fit. I don’t know who these people were, but they weren’t shaped like me.”

“Very few are shaped like you,” Takkian murmured, pulling her close. “I think you look…delicious.”

She raised one brow and slid a finger down this chest, making his body tighten. “Hmm. So do you.”

“Not now, you two,” Bruil grumbled. “The Dokkol ship has arrived.”

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