Partner

Bit more up to par. Still not a hundred percent and working this weekend. Sequel might get updated tonight, or it might not. Depends on how tired I am when I get home.

I like the new 'place' for the Sidhe. Although, I'd like to see them in their natural habitat, it's like a century away though, so it kind of sucks, but oh well.

Read, Review and Enjoy.





The drive to the apartment was one of awkward silence. Mik knew he was in trouble and knew that he likely faced discipline. Tribe was a big thing, not just something that got set on the backburner when a job came up.

Obviously tribe wasn’t like family, like he had assumed. Family could be set on the backburner, family could understand when someone had to do something. Tribe didn’t. Or if they did, it had to be important, like Paw’s Whisper business. Not ambassador to between the people and the Sidhe when he’s not even speaking to the Sidhe.

Idiot.

Mik winced at calling himself a name as they pulled into the underground parking lot. A lot of careful planning had gone into keeping the building complex’s location a secret. While they all knew and understood that one day the location would be compromised, the government had already started planning alternate locations for the Sidhe. If they were discovered, the next stop, as of the moment, was an old closed down zoo that was overrun with plants and vegetation.

The program was waiting until spring weather came about, before they introduced the Sidhe to their next possible home. It was also a step of easing them back into nature. There were buildings for shelter, running water and working toilets, that kind of thing, but there were also large areas created for the animals that needed more room, where the Sidhe could work and play. Slowly, the program would rehabilitate Sidhe to living in the wild.

It was necessary, if the Sidhe culture was to survive indefinitely. They couldn’t rely on people all the time.

As if they did.

One of the other males, whose names escaped Mik, caught a rat in the hallway. A rat, not even a small one, a large one, the size of a house cat almost, and killed it. And then butchered and ate it. After boiling it for several days to get ride of the garbage taste, he said. He was the new hero of the tribe. Shared his food amongst everybody, called a hunter and congratulated.

Mik had had to talk to the Sidhe about not eating cats or dogs. To which Souse had laughed and informed Mik that only people on other lands with not enough food ate cats or dogs and why did he think that was? Mik had no answer and the Sidhe finally told him that cats and dogs have a bad taste. Guilt and shame went all through the flesh when one of these animals was killed.

Right. Guilt and shame.

Thank goodness Mik couldn’t taste emotion, was all he could say.

Up the elevator, Souse completely ignored him. Which was bad, the Sidhe equivalent of a tongue lashing was complete silence. Mik kept his eyes on the floor and tried to show physically that he understood he was in trouble. Words, verbalization would only make it worse at this point.

The elevator dinged and they entered the so called unfinished floor. Since it had been discovered that the Sidhe had been playing here, plants of all kinds and sizes had been moved into it. The windows were curtained but there were UV lights all across the floor’s ceiling instead of regular lights.

The Sidhe had requested some odds and ends of wood and tools. None of those tools included nails and hammers so the people had provided them. As of yet nothing distinct had arisen from the pile. A few of the older Sidhe were sitting by the pile, cross legged, with a few youngers sitting around them. There were bits of discarded wood, problem woods that didn’t work quite the way the older ones thought they would.

Essuan had arranged a herbal area, any and every plant she asked for, she was given without question and the plants filled up one corner of the floor. She and Lillow tended the plants with the mesas in tow at all times. The little ones were encouraged to eat everything, to teach them the different flavours of the plants.

In another corner a huge tub had been installed with a waterfall like shower. From there the Sidhe took fresh water for the plants and to drink. A smaller pool to the side could be filled to wash hands and face. Several areas had been ‘curtained’ off for couples. After the creation of this place, Sidhe interaction went up tenfold. The Side were pairing off faster, from two pairs and a maybe to nearly everyone paired.

Violet and Lillow were even, as far as the program was concerned, paired off. Violet to her broken armed friend from her original tribe and Lillow to Hohi. Neither of those pairs were allowed privacy and neither of them tried for privacy but for once. Violet and her male had tried to sneak off for private time only to start a fight between Violet and Souse that had become violent.

In another corner… Nests were starting to arise, almost by magic. The Sidhe were slowly drifting to this new area.

Which made the zoo idea all the more logical. Wide open spaces and a large domed building meant for making presentations. Sidhe were communal animals. In a place like this, they accepted the partners onto the floor and there were even times when the Sidhe still sought out their private rooms. Partners were still necessary, still needed to make their paperwork and keep notes on Sidhe health.

Some were more solitary than others. Souse, still without a new partner, spent a great deal of time by himself. Seemingly thinking.

This day, this hour, the entire tribe was there.

Paw sat atop a large, overly stuffed pillow with his back to a pillar. His eyes were closed and breathing was slow and shallow. The other Sidhe would walk past him, as if wanting to know what was going on, and then skirt out and around Paw as if… there was something there.

The Elders of the tribe, though they were moving about the room like the others, avoided the area around Paw altogether. Those with power knew already what Paw was doing. Those without weren’t certain and found out the hard way, like a cold dash in the face.

Paw’s eyes fluttered open, he turned his head and looked at Souse. He sighed heavily.

“I had to tell him four times before he came with me.”

“Paw not feel like this,” Paw muttered, “can’t find others.”

“Takes time,” Violet murmured, finally approaching Paw. She patted the older Sidhe on the head as if he were a child who had tried his best and failed.

“He said meeting more important than Paw…” Souse responded before stepping away from Mik. Not ahead of Mik, but far off to the side.

Paw had Mik slammed into the doors of the elevator in an instant, “what?”

Fear spread its cold tendrils through Mik. Obviously not the best time in the world to be saying anything even similar to that. Any words Mik had to defend himself failed him terribly. He had said that the tribe could wait, but he had also told Paw that he would be Paw’s tribe and to denounce tribe would be to denounce Paw.

“I lost sight…”

“Of me?” Paw smacked his hand against the elevator doors. Not hard, but the shaft behind them was hollow and the sound echoed back, rattling Mik’s bones.

“W-with… well…”

“Well what?”

“I forgot that you don’t need me to protect you.”

“Eh?” Paw looked utterly confused.

“I just. Kept thinking. If I don’t go to this or that meeting, the Sidhe won’t be protected, that the people will hurt you somehow so I have to go to protect you.”

“Stupidest thing Paw ever hearded.”

“I know…”

“Mik stupid again.”

“I know…”

Paw sighed.

“Means Paw’s smarter one of pair,” Souse chimed in.

Mik and Paw both frowned at Souse. Souse found his fingernails very interesting as he walked away. Mik tried to figure it out.

As he was thinking, the elevator dinged and the doors opened up, causing him to fall backwards and land flat on his back, forcing the air from his lungs. Unfortunately there was a skirt. Wern. Literally wearing a skirt.

Mik screamed.

She screamed.

Galt laughed his fucking ass off.


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