Sunny's heart hammered in her chest, the world around her seemed to spin in tight concentric circles. Moss stood before her head proudly raised against the darkening sky. When she didn't answer immediately, he moved forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. The gesture was surprisingly human, but most of the Drev had been affected to some degree by living with their human counterparts.

"You have proven yourself to be a commanding warrior, more honorable than your mother, and more rational than your father. You led our species into a new era, and you deserve everything that comes with that, a battle partner equal to your skill, a large brood, which is an offering that I gladly give you now. Allow me to prove myself in combat against you." A beam of light cut through the volcanic smoke and glittered across his perfect green carapace.

That green had mesmerized her younger self. She had always admired it, found it entrancing. Moss himself, other than being a worthy mate in his level of attractiveness, was an impressive warrior in his own right. She had doubts that she would be able to beat him in open combat.

From somewhere deep inside her, she felt an up-welling of shame and embarrassment.

"Is everything alright?"

Sunny turned her head to find Commander Vir standing at her side looking up with concern. HIs bright green eye brimmed with worry for her. A hand rested on her arm, and she couldn't tell if the gesture was supposed to be comforting..... Or protective.

"This does not concern you, human." Moss said stiffly not taking his eyes from Sunny.

Commander Vir pursed his lips into a thin line, "To the contrary, 'Moss', it would be my business considering I am your Commanding officer, not only aboard the ship but also by the traditions of your people."

The two stared at each other for a long moment, but then Moss shrugged, "You do not have to worry, Commander. I am simply and humbly offer myself to Sunny as a proper and respectable battle partner." He glanced towards Sunny, "An offer I hope you accept." He turned to walk away, but then paused at the edge of the rock outcropping, "I will be at the furthest circle to the north at dawn. I hope to see you there."

***

Sunny stood watching as The tiny green spec vanished into the distance with Commander Vir standing still beside her. She glanced towards him from the corner of her eye trying to gage his reaction, though she still wasn't sure about her own feelings on the subject. He was hard to read, very still, unmoving staring off into the distance. His face was completely neutral.... But the eyes, what was that she saw.

He turned towards her cleared his throat and then ... smiled, "He's... a good guy, you know, smart and..... And a good warrior of course, can't forget that. Um..."

"Are you ok?"

He waved a hand, "Not important. I should be asking you the same question."

Sunny paused, distant laughter echoed in her head, "Um.... I'm not sure yet. I mean.... He is a good warrior..."

"And that carapace.... Green's your favorite color isn't it?" She watched as he glanced towards the vacant suit of Armor, which glittered a green not dissimilar to Moss's armor. The human shuffled his feet awkwardly as he looked away, "Well I, should let you prepare. I mean this is a big deal, he practically proposed, so don't let me get in your way." He gave her a smile that definitely seemed genuine, though there was something about it she couldn't place, and turned to walk away passing by the armor without so much as looking at it.

That left her alone atop the hill staring down at her own feet.

She had been honest earlier, she didn't know what she was supposed to feel, didn't know what she ACTUALLY felt about any of this. She turned in a tight circle before sighing and taking a seat on a moss-covered rock. Ever since she was young, she had longed for a true battle partner, someone who would be able to match her skill and capabilities, someone who would always have her back, but lately she realized that she hadn't thought much about that longing. Perhaps she just assumed that it would never happen, and as what Moss said about a large brood...

Did she really want that?
Tradition and everything she had been taught since she was a child told her that she SHOULD want a large brood with many kits raised as great warriors, but that had never been something that caught her fancy. Kits were.... A handful, and she wasn't well equipped to deal with them, so she had never really desired that part of things.

But did she really want this at all, or was that just her upbringing talking. Her mother's teachings worming their way into her head. She sighed and looked down at her feet.

Shouldn't she be happy about this, shouldn't she be ecstatic that someone would be interested in her. She who was short, a slow learner, and only capable of winning battles by fighting like a human. This was likely her only change, and with someone she had admired since she was a child.

She sighed in frustration at her own thoughts and looked up. The sun was coming up, and as it did, the light was captured and then reflected by the green armor of the exo-suit. She stood and walked over to the armor in frustration, "What is wrong with me."

The empty shell stared back at her without expression. It was just an empty, heartless thing. Nothing without the person that belonged inside of it, and even then it was just... wrong.

She sighed again in frustration and turned away.

***

Commander Vir accompanied her to the circle. Walking with him, she couldn't read what he was thinking, and still wondered why she even cared. But of course she did, he was her friend, her best friend, and he had helped her through everything. He had accepted her before anyone else had, before even her own kind. Despite what she had done to him so long ago, he had been the first person to trust her, the first person to think she was something more than the tribe screw-up, and she felt that she owed pretty much everything to him.

"Nervous ?" He wondered flashing her another one of his unreadable smiles.

Gah! She wished humans were easier to read, she felt that she had gotten the hang of it, but the sheer control they had over their facial muscles was unreal. They paused together at the crest of a hill looking down at the northern circles. Moss was already there preparing, she could see his green carapace glittering in the sun as he danced about twirling his spear this way and that. His form was good...

Ad he looked good doing it. He was strong and precise.

A hand rested on her arm.

She looked down to find the human looking up at her large green eyes focused intently on her pupils wide black holes in the sea of green, "Look, Sunny, I.... I just want you to know that. No matter what, and no matter what you choose to do that, well, I am here to support your decision, and if this means that you are going to stay here with-with Moss and raise tons of tiny Drev babies than, well then I reserve the right to visit.... Also you have to name your first born after me, that's non negotiable.... And if you guys decide to stay on the ship, than .... I hope that we can still be friends." he ran a hand through his spiky blond hair, and scratched absently at the eye patch.

He cleared his throat again.

She looked down at the circle, "Thanks Ada- Commander."

She thought she saw the man grow stiff, but as soon as it had come it had gone. The smile he gave her was just as warm as before, but more wooden, "Good Luck." When she turned back, it wasn't her friend standing atop the apex of the hill, but Fleet commander of the UNSC, and representative of the GA. His chin was raised high, his body at parade rest at-ease with his feet at shoulder width and his hands clasped loosely behind his back.

Moss looked up as she entered the circle, and spectators began to gather at its edges. A reconciler pushed his way through the throng and set himself up at the edge of the circle. With a loud clatter, he slammed his staff against the hard packed ground silencing the crowd. The reconciler was an old one, well past his prime with a deep black carapace that shimmered a deep and distinguished blue in the sunlight. The black and red cloak he wore fluttered in the volcanic breeze, and the staff he held in one hand was run through with strips of blue power fro the internal charging mechanism.

"Let it be made official that on this day the 50th under Teroc, our first moon, that Moss Volcanson challenges Sunny Lumnusdaughter to trial by combat as an offering to become a mated battle pair. As Blackrock Reconciler of Moss and Sunny's original tribe, I hereby oversee this match as official and, in accordance with our traditions and laws I see the ring has been measured to approximate fighting length. Fighting may not leave the circle for a more than unreasonable time, determined by the laws set down by our ancestors. The match will be conducted to failure, unconsciousness, surrender, stalemate, or until one of you can o longer fight either by way of incapacitation or death." He pointed one long talon at Sunny, "Choose your weapon."

She didn't skip a beat, "I choose hand to hand combat."

Moss's weapon was confiscated, handed to the side to be guarded over by a younger Drev assistant.

"Very well." He slammed his staff against the ground with a thundering crack, "Do not hold back, do not show mercy, for you will only know if you are matched with each other if you cannot beat one another, or if the prospect is very difficult."
Sunny could still see Adam standing atop the hill watching. One green eye flashed with the light of the rising su.

The reconciler raised his staff, and Sunny was struck by another cloudy memory, one of a similar circle, Moss's voice, the warmth of the stone under feet.

Stay down Sunny, before you embarrass yourself.

Laughter

The Staff slammed against the ground, and Moss lunged. Sunny dodged to the side faster than thinking intending to punch him in the side as he came, but he knew the human tricks and quickly swerved away

There is still time to forfeit.

She lunged forward catching him on the side of the head with a strike before dodging under another. He caught her with one of his lower arms, but it was smaller, and weaker, and better than getting caught by the larger arm. She grabbed him around the knees, lifted and fell backwards.

He hit the stone hard with a grunt , and she rolled to the side lunging for his neck very much intending to choke him.

Stay down, Sunny, before you embarrass yourself.

He rolled onto his back and kicked her in the chest violently. She hit the dirt, but quickly leaped to her feet even as he did. Together they charged across the circle making contact over and over and over again. She dodged a punch and caught him in the jaw with a bone crushing uppercut. Then she slammed her foot into the top of his and kneed him aggressively as he doubled over. He grunted and stumbled backwards falling over himself, but not completely.

He caught her next kick and dragged her to the ground trying to gain control that way, but she caught him in the face with a foot, and again they were both on their feet. What followed was a flurry of hands and claws blocking, swiping, punching. Sunny ducked under a punch, sidestepped a kick, then with a quick thought, she kicked a loose piece of porous stone into the air, caught it by one hand, and slammed it hard into the side of Moss's head.

There was a clatter of stone underneath him as he staggered horribly. The crowd roared, but since the reconciler didn't call her out, she kept going.

As she approached again, Moss turned to look at her. In his eyes..... She saw....

Surprise.

He hadn't expected her to be this good.

There is still time to forfeit.

Honestly Sunny, what were you thinking. Moss is one of our best soldiers, and you... well...

She roared and slammed her elbow into his jaw.

He slammed to the ground hard, but she didn't stop. She tackled him sending them both spinning across the stone with a clatter. They struggled for a long time neither of them able to gain the upper hand.

Stay down, Sunny, before you embarrass yourself.

She had been here before, in the circle with Moss. She had tried to forget it for years, tried to bite down the horrible embarrassment and inadequacy that she felt as her mother dragged her out of the circle, and Moss looked at her with pity. He hadn't wanted her because she was short, and worse at fighting, but he hadn't just beaten her like he should have. He went easy, he refused to fight her, he insulted her.

With a great heave, she grabbed him around the neck, and locked her legs around his waist.

He seemed surprised at her ferocity, but she didn't let go.

He bucked and turned, but she just gripped harder.

The circle was loud with cheering and howling, so no one heard the whispering, "You bastard." She muttered softly, "I looked up to you once, I wanted you, but I wasn't good enough."

Moss choked and gagged, "You ... weren't... as... good."

"I know that." She hissed, "But you refused to fight me, you insulted my honor greater than death, and now you expect me to come running back to you now that I can fight. You weren't attracted to me then so you aren't now. The only thing that has changed is my power and status." She gripped tighter, and he choked, "I NEVER recovered from that. They laughed at me, my parents almost disowned me. How dare you assume I would want YOU after your disrespect for me."

He gagged.

"Look at me, and tell me you liked me then?"

He choked some more, "I don't know... you weren't.... Tall eno-"

That was it. She crushed harder, he opened and closed his mouth like a fish, "Wrong answer."

She felt nothing but anger as he struggled to breathe. How dare he think he could just crawl into her life like this, like she would pick him up because he was the first person to show interest in her because he was wrong. She had more self respect than that, she deserved more than that.

She deserves someone who respected her, who treated her as an equal, who, if not liking her from the beginning, could see past the ONE physical deficiency, someone who didn't care about her power or lineage.

She deserved someone she could trust, who wouldn't insult her, and didn't ignore her because it was convenient. If he truly cared about her, he would have been with her through her hardest times even if she didn't want it.

This was taking too long. with one hand, she drew back and cracked him over the head. The blow was so powerful that he went limp in her arms twitching slightly. The group around her was silent as she slowly stood dappled with blood.

"I win the duel, and I reject his offering."

A stunned silence grew up around her as she stepped from the circle and onto the stone. A group of human marines gaped at her with open mouths as she walked past and out onto the open plane, alone.

She walked for a few minutes before she heard it.

The soft pattering of feet, and the sudden weight at her back. He didn't say anything but rested his hands on her shoulders as she continued over the stone. The ground rolled by below her feet covered in a colorful array of plantflie. Adam's breath was soft and rhythmic as she carried the two of them over the stone The weight was comforting, but the silence heavy.

"Wanna hear a joke?"

"My life." She muttered

There was a pause, "Well actually, I was going to say your face, but I suppose your life works just as well."

Silence.

And then she burst into a fit of laughter, which he joined in on. Together their voices rattled across the ground bouncing over stone and rippling outwards.

She wouldn't mourn what she lost in Moss

After all she'd rather have dignity than company.