Together

The entire square had gone absolutely silent. Captain Vir lay in the circle at the feet of General Cosma, who stood looming over him with her massive, war-staff in hand. Sunny stood just outside of the circle across from her mother. That vacant, cold expression that had dominated her demeanor not hours earlier had blossomed into an expression of proud defiance as she stood against the fiery gaze of her mother.


"Don't be a fool," The general snapped harshly as the light of the sun pulled behind a thick cloud of ash.


"No mother, I will not be ignored this time, not be brushed off. I WILL be taken seriously." She stepped forward, "My entire life, I have been degraded, brought down, and humiliated by your embarrassment, and all for what?! Because I'm not tall enough? Because I can't fight like you want me to? No matter what I did, I was never good enough. You ignored me until you NEEDED me, and like the narcissistic, hateful, thoughtless person you are, you thought I would run out to do your bidding like a good little soldier." She was closer now, almost within arm's reach, and she laughed in her mother's face, "I'm not your soldier. A general remains a general from the respect of their soldiers, and you lost my respect a long time ago."


General Cosma had turned her attention away from the fallen human completely and now loomed over Sunny like a merciless god. She had almost three feet on her daughter. Looking at it from any angle, there was truly no hope for Sunny to win this fight, there would never be.


Cosma's chest rose and fell with the heat of her anger. "Insolent whelp." Cosma hissed.


"Don't like that do you, don't like that I outsmarted you, General Cosma the great and wise, outstripped by her crippled, pathetic excuse for a daughter. I've been planning this since the beginning." She pointed to the glittering carapace of Vir's leg, "I retrieved that form the battlefield after the humans left, used my own body to modify it...." She paused, "I used some of father's armor too, I wanted to make it strong. A good gift."


Cosma snarled in rage.


"I planted those ideas in your head, made you think they were a product of your own brilliance.... That was the easy part. I wanted to get to the humans... and you know why, mother." When no answer came, Sunny took a step forward, "Because the humans beat you." The glee in Sunny's eyes flashed, "They beat you at your own game, and they beat you hard. They killed father, crippled your favorite son, and left your useless daughter unscathed, and they spared your unworthy life....." Her voice dropped low, "I knew, if anyone could teach me how to beat you, it was the humans... the same humans that spared my life."


Cosma was practically trembling with rage, "You are a traitor." She spat voice quavering, "A traitor to your own race. You are a disgrace to your entire species! AND YOU WILL DIE LIKE A TRAITOR. She lowered her voice dangerously just then, "And once you are dead, I will leave your body to dry under the heat of the sun, and your soul will never see the ascending fires."


A gasp rocked itself around the clearing.


Sunny glowered forward, "I would rather face the immortal abyss than meet you in the afterlife, besides." She taunted sarcastically, "Maybe the human gods will adopt me seeing as I have granted the favor in return."


The square went silent as if the entirety of life had held its collective breath. Even the wind refused to blow. The only sound was came from the distant, heaving breath of the mountain taking over respiration for the silent world around it. Sun broke through the cloud of ash, and as if by some divine providence illuminated the center of the square and the circle within. Light crossed in a diagonal across Sunny's carapace illuminating her like the brilliant blue of shallow ocean water.


General Cosma stood in the direct rays of light her dark purple carapace burning with dark cosmic light. Like staring into a deep space nebulae.


Neither of them moved.


Captain Vir had managed to wriggle out of the circle on his side like some distasteful sort of rock worm. And now sat with his back against the stone step staring at the scene in front of him in awe and disbelief. The tears from earlier had completely dried, leaving no sign of such recent despair all replaced with the dusty look of tensed confusion.


It was only Sunny and General Cosma now staring toe to toe, squared against each other, "Choose-your-weapon." Cosma snarled through her clenched teeth.


Sunny stared up at her mother with an expression of distaste though Vir swore he detected a hint of something in Sunny's eyes, something that was difficult to read, and as he looked around at the crowd and their wide eyes, he began to understand something.....


She didn't expect to win.


She didn't expect to make it out of this fight.


"No weapons." Sunny announced, and the entire square shifted with anticipation. "We do this how it was meant to be done." She whispered.


***


The war drums thrummed through the ground like the beating of a massive heart. The moss underfoot vibrated with each thud. Inside his chest, Vir's heart thudded fit to burst as he looked on in abject horror as the events unfolded around him (From the sidelines with the other Drev, untied, as was his right as part of the clan).


Sunny and General Cosma stood just outside the circle, one at the North and one at the South. Behind the clouds of Ash, the Sun hung directly overhead in the sky. Carapace glittered blue and purple against dim light, painted now, as was custom with circling lines and patters on white, chalky paint.


The war drums thudded in unison and then went silent. The two stepped forward into the circle pausing where they stood. Another loud cacophony of drums rent the air, and the two slowly sunk into position. Cosma lowered herself into a low crouch. Sunny shifted into a triangular stance raising her hands, in balled fists, to just under her chin.


Vir could hear General Cosma Goading her daughter from across the ring. The drums began to beat faster, faster, faster, faster, until it was one continual wall of white noise. And then stopped... General Cosma charged across the ring right towards Sunny.


***


General Cosma roared forwards with all the power of her anger, towards the small, inconsequential shape in front of her, intending to rip her apart with all her ferocity. But, like a flash of light, Sunny was gone, and General Cosma struggled to find her.


Light on her feet like a skyrunner, Sunny had darted to the side already set for another engagement, general Cosma had never seen anything so fast, nothing that had ever flanked her so quickly. She snarled down the anger at the insolence of her daughter, trying to run away like a coward and swiped at her with an open palm. The sharp tips of her nails glittered in the ambient light, but they cut through air, just air overbalancing her with nothing to resist. Sunny had rocked back on her feet, avoiding Cosma by inches, and for a moment, Cosma locked eyes with her daughter.


Her gaze was absolutely still, completely locked on Cosma like a weaponized targeting system, a stare that was horribly intense and predatory. The gaze seemed to look past her hands, terminating on her trunk and her throat, as if Sunny was looking to rip her throat from her neck, and then she snapped forward, a single hand darting out and past Cosma's defenses. Pain blossomed through her side from the strike, powerful enough to knock the breath and wind from her, staggering her a little to the side.


Outside the ring, the crowd, hissed and roared with the glee of first contact.... First contact not attributed to General Cosma.


How could this be? Anger built up inside her like a corked bottle, and General Cosma snarled through her gritted teeth, "Stop Running, Coward!"


Sunny moved in again, and General Cosma launched herself into a set of furious attacks designed specifically to take advantage of her superior reach over Sunny, and to her frustration the other just kept blocking them. IT WAS INFURIATING. This wasn't how Drev were supposed to fight. Drev were aggressors, not defenders. Sunny was doing this ALL WRONG... as was per usual. In her anger, she moved faster, hammering against Sunny willing her to break, willing her to snap in half and give in to the greater power.


She watched the eyes, as Sunny kept eyes locked on her middle, never moving, as if she could somehow predict Cosma's next move, and then, the eyes flicked suddenly down. Cosma barely had time to react, and even as she did, she realized the attack was not coming from the expected place. Sunny's hands were still raised to her face, they hadn't moved. Something, slammed itself against the side of her knee. She screamed as her leg buckled, throwing her to one knee, and then Sunny was there teeth barred against her as a predator. With all four of her hands, Sunny grabbed Cosma with an Iron grip, and then drove her knee forward, once, twice, three times into Cosma's belly.


The pain was horrible, radiating, debilitating. She couldn't even scream. This wasn't right, you didn't use your feet to fight...


Cosma spurred her anger forward rising to both knees with a swift push flinging Sunny to the ground feet away in the circle. Sunny landed on her side, and then rolled, skidding to her feet against the dirt before charging in again giving Cosma no time to regain her breath.


Cosma tensed her body for an impact, and was again caught off guard, as the girl leaped into the air, and came down on her shoulders. She bucked like a wild beast, but Sunny had her tight. Legs wrapped around Cosma's neck one ankle crossed over the other as sunny jerked her body to the side throwing Cosma and herself to the ground. Cosma found herself on her hands and knees as the breath was choked out of her by Sunny, who slowly constricted to crush the life out of her.


Outside the ring, the Drev howled. They had never seen such fighting.


Vir was on his feet now, screaming instructions at Sunny as he watched.


Cosma struggled against the incoming darkness fighting it back with her anger. She wasn't done yet.


And with that thought, she reached up and grabbed Sunny by the leg, digging her sharp nails into the skin as hard as she could, puncturing through skin, and towards bone. Sunny screamed, but didn't let go, though she stopped constricting.


General Cosma began kneading her fingers back and forth grating against the bone. Warm blood ran down her hand in orange rivulets. Sunny screamed even louder, and was loosened.


Cosma took that moment rearing backwards and slamming Sunny against the ground with all her weight. Sunny's grip broke like a brittle bone as she went skidding across the circle. Cosma rolled to her feet and so did Sunny, though she was limping and shedding drops of blood behind her on the dirt.


This time, Cosma didn't engage so quickly, and the two circled each other, a predator against a warrior.


They exchanged blows in the middle a few times. Sunny cut Cosma Across the throat with a shallow gash that had the other Drev howling for blood. Cosma snarled her anger and lunged for Sunny. Instead of stepping away like she had expected, Sunny darted inwards grabbing Cosma by the arm, pivoting on the spot so her back was against her larger opponent, and then pitching forward.


The world tilted around Cosma in a streak of light, as her feet were thrown over her head, and she flipped landing on her back with a terrible CRACK. The stone underneath them had split with the power of it. The wind was nocked from Cosma's body and she gasped for air. But, somewhere, Sunny still had hold of her arm, and sliding forward, she threw her legs over Coma's larger chest and face pinning her arms and capturing the hand and the wrist against her body.


Cosma pitched and struggled, but Sunny snarled leaned back and arched her back throwing her hips upwards against the joint of the elbow.


The sound of her joint snapping filled the clearing. Cosma let off a howl of pain that could have cracked stone and all at once, Sunny was thrown off by the power of sheer anger and pain. The surprise was clear on Sunny's face as she skidded into the ground. She tried to regain her feet before Cosma, but the other had been a warrior for far longer, and made it to her feet, one arm dangling listlessly at her side. Her eyes now glittered with the fire of her hatred as she charged forward.


The ash above had thinned out, but now enough to allow the sun to break through. Instead, the scene was bathed in bloody red light. Sunny scrambled to her feet, just in time to lift her eyes upwards, and see the descending hand aimed directly at her face.


***


The blow was terrible, blood sprayed into the air in a glittering arc as Sunny was knocked across the circle to come face down against the stone. She lay there writhing in her agony, hand over one side of her face. She couldn't see, could barely think through the pain where she lay. Blood pooled on the rocks below her. Behind, the Drev were silent, wilted.... They should have known all along, General Cosma was their greatest warrior after all. Even with her fancy tricks and underhanded tactics, Sunny still stood no chance.


General Cosma let off a rasping chuckle as she walked forward flicking blood from the tips of her fingers, and onto the stone, "I'm surprised at you Sunny, you fought well, ALMOST well enough to call you MY daughter. But alas, not good enough."


Wind brushed past her skin


"Come on SUNNY, shake it off, you only need ONE eye, Promise I'll get you another one." The voice was out of place in this landscape, oddly out of place against the red sky. It was too friendly for this scene, too encouraging. A dark shadow cut over her rimmed in red light.


"Come ON, SUNNY!"


General Cosma reached down to her fallen opponent, very much intending to choke the life from her, and received a double-kick directly to the face, she reeled back blood welling from her mouth, stumbling against stone. Her vision flashed black and red, and as she regained her sight, she looked up to find Sunny stumbling to her feet. Blood drenched her front, from her eye and the scratches on her face all the way down her front to spill onto the ground.


"Don't worry mother, Sunny whispered, they can just.... Put me back together."


General Cosma stepped back in horror, as the thing walked towards her, moving with a limp and an unnatural jerk unseeing from one eye, and she remembered the battlefield that day, the air thick with ash, and those unholy creatures walking form the darkness their eyes glowing with a false light, their bodies moving on false limbs. Alive like it was unnatural to be.


"You know mother, I realized something." Sunny said, her voice distant, "You are no Drev, No general. Everyone knows that war is impersonal, and yet. Here you are, seeking revenge. Father died in battle against a strong opponent, and your pride cannot accept that, because that means you aren't as strong as you thought you were, that father wasn't the perfect mate." Feet scuffed against the ground, "You are afraid because everything you know is crumbling, you can't hold onto your past, or your pride." She took another step forward, "I saw father die, and I was.... Saddened. If it weren't for you, I think he could have been proud of me, WAS proud, though he couldn't say it."


She screamed and ran forward again.


The fight was desperate this time, Sunny's strength flagged, her blood spilled upon the ground, but still she took pieces of her mother away with her. There was no more cheering now, no more noise as slowly, Sunny could no longer hold herself, her hands fell and she stepped back with each blow. A blow to the stomach, a claw to the neck. Sunny fell to her knees.


Cosma kicked her over with contempt panting and bleeding, her blood mixing with the blood of Sunny on the ground all around them. They were both breathing heavily, "Would your father be proud now." Cosma hissed as she leaned down grabbing Sunny by the throat and slowly squeezing." Overhead there came the distant roaring of an engine. Or at least, to Sunny, that's how it seemed."


She looked up to the sky, vision from one eye fading in and out. The sun was hidden behind a layer of ash. It wouldn't show itself, not even one last time as she died. That was a pity, a real pity too that she would never see Earth again, never see the warm blue sky overhead, with the sun on her skin and the smells of a forest. Then she paused.


"I know why you lost." The sound of the shuttle grew engines roaring.


Cosma snarled, but did not tighten her grip.


"Because....."


General Cosma waited, waited for the idiotic piece of wisdom her daughter was so desperate to share, she did not feel the shadow steel over her back.


"Because... humans work together."


Cosma jumped in surprise. That wasn't Sunny's voice. She turned her head eyes widening. A pair of pearly white K-9 teeth glittered at her in a sinister smile a single green eye was locked on her face black pupil nearly engulfing the green of the Iris and the world erupted into pain, red turned to black, and then..... she was gone.


The last thing she heard was a stone clattering to the ground before darkness enveloped her.

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