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Chapter Two

Zark

Ipicked up my satchel from the ground and pulled out a canteen. While taking sips of water, I stood on the edge of the cliff and looked up into the sky, which was a radiant orange with streaks of gray clouds floating across the distant horizon. Soon, it would be night and it was time to make my way back home.

Zunatorian lands were wide and vast. We were a small nation and so, we only utilized about half of the colony for settling. The other half of the land was left uncharted to preserve natural resources, some that had been multiplying since our ancestors found Planet Zuna thousands of years ago. But we were different from our ancestors. We had evolved. We were hybrids. Technically tri-brids. Man, beast, and alien.

I’d been one of the firsts to learn that our King planned to chart out some new landscapes for settlement. He expected a small increase in the population since a temporary solution was introduced to help our reproduction problem.

An ailment had reached Zuna some time ago that rendered our Zunatorian females unable to bear offspring. Recently, warriors had been sent to Earth to bring back human females of breeding age to help us with our problem. And fortunately…the first group of females brought to our planet were able to conceive and all would be expected to give birth in a matter of months. So, like all the other times we had turned to the Earthlings for help, they proved to be a viable solution yet again.

Our doctors were close to curing our women. Some Zunatorian males were bound to wait either by prior arrangements or other promises. Others would leap at the chance to secure a human mate. And a small percentage, like me, didn’t want the encumbrances that came with having a mate, human or otherwise.

I was supposed to have gone on the last mission—to that dreadful place they called Earth, but it seemed that no one could locate me when the spaceship was ready to take off. I was more than ready to face my punishment when King Crencik learned that I had ditched my post. However, I hadn’t heard a word from the King about the consequences. He’d sent one messenger to give me another mission and that was it. I would do anything for my King, but to take a weak human…? No, I would not. I would face certain death before I did that.

And so it was…certain death was putting myself in danger every night scouting these rogue Barbs sniffing around our borders. Certain death was tracking down a killer or a crazed Zunatorian who needed to be put down. But I was made for such missions. I was the lone wolf who my people had dubbed a destroyer a long time ago.

So, this night, scouting was my mission. Not just scouting for Barbs, but scouting for the best habitable grounds for our people.

Our neighbors—the Barbs—had shown us in the past that they were notorious for seizing lands they had no rights to, especially for their hunting purposes. Over the past few full moons, I’d come across many of their dens. Some of which I had evacuated myself, while others, I was forced to go back to the village to seek out reinforcements.

The Barbs were our cousins—we shared the same blood. But they were also our enemies—they were mindless and sought destruction more than anything else. They multiplied like wildfire, and when left to their own devices, they could bring devastation to a colony in a matter of days. Although they were a nuisance, we had learned to live with them on this planet.

Seeing that it was past time for me to return back to my podhouse, I packed the rest of my supplies and headed back to the village.

The last person I expected to see was the King’s son, Prince Anik, at my doorstep. But there he was, sitting on a block, slicing pieces off an angelfruit with a blade and devouring it.

I looked around for other warriors thinking maybe they had finally come to lock me up, but saw none. I grunted.

Then again, Anik was probably here because King Crencik had decided what my punishment would be for delaying take-off of a ship and going AWOL before a mission. How long did I actually think I could outrun the inevitable?

I greeted him by bowing my head slightly. “Niluvǔ.” Prince. Anik was my prince, but soon, he would be King, just like his father.

He stood. “Kʼap.” Brother.

He’d always called me that and I considered him as the same. I met him when I was young. He and I and his late older brother played together all the time. We had practiced combat with the same seasoned warriors and even fought side by side on the battlefield. Even back then, Anik had already figured out that I never liked being confined. There had been times during our raids when I ventured off alone and was considered dead because I didn’t report in time, only to appear at the ninth hour with more spoils than my brethren—only because I dared to go further than anyone else, pushing my limits.

It didn’t take long for word to get to the King that I worked better alone than with a group. Hence, these days, I tracked and assassinated more than I went to battle alongside the other warriors.

“You’ve got quite a catch there, Hvit’zark,” Anik exclaimed, referring to several fishes hanging from a string. “The outer lands you were sent to search are rich, then?”

“Yes. Very. I caught these in less than a minute. Undoubtedly this is why the Barbs are still lurking. Food is easier to come by,” I said.

The Prince shook his head. “The Barbs must find their own lands. They cannot stay here.”

“Of course.” I hung the fish up on a rack, intent on cleaning them right away to enjoy later. “Stay for dinner, if you like.”

“I would, but Ryleigh would be jealous.” He grinned.

“I’ve heard some news about your mate. She is with child.” I thought about how happy his father must have been to know that their lineage would continue. Anik’s family had been in leadership for years. No other Zunatorian would challenge them since they had ruled so well and could not be easily removed with the way their family had become so close-knit over the decades.

“It is true.” Anik nodded without me voicing my thoughts. Anik and his father were telepathic. They were able to intercept and read the thoughts of many. They didn’t have to worry about me though. I had nothing to hide.

“She is very pregnant. Very.” Anik added.

I turned around and looked at him. “Very? Does that mean…?”

“With twins, yes, but multiples run in our bloodline. My father wasn’t surprised. Neither was my mother.”