(From Ashes) Chapter 6

Pride: From Ashes

Chapter 6

Pull Back the Veil

We become Voltron.

We will remember.

Allura's mind was still racing, churning through the words and everything she'd learned over the last few hours. The world seemed to have turned upside-down—in a good way, she thought, but even so. Sitting on her bed, she felt her nerves finally starting to calm a little. Dinner would be soon—she had to be ready to guide the newcomers. To nudge them. To resist the urge to just tell them everything she knew, and—

"—Princess!"

The urgent voice shattered her concentration and she jumped, whirling towards the door. "What is it, Nanny?" The Drules? They couldn't be here, not now. Not so close! No, Nanny wouldn't be the one to bring her that news…

"What is going on!" the governess demanded, and Allura grimaced. "There are—there are strange men—there are alien men in the castle!"

"Yes… I'm aware." This was certainly not how she'd have chosen to have this conversation.

Nanny huffed; she'd rather been hoping that leather-clad hooligan had been lying. "They said they are your guests!"

That wasn't even a question; it was an objection in disguise. "I've foreseen their arrival," she said quietly. A slight overstatement, but the mysticism of the Crown was an ally here. "And I believe they will help to save Arus, so yes. They are my guests."

Blink. "Save…" Everything about it was absurd. "But Your Highness—offworlders? And such disrespectful offworlders?" She scoffed. "Alien hooligans are going to save us?"

Every so often, Allura had to remind herself that she truly did love her governess. Lady Hys meant well. She was just… rather… inflexible. "I'm sure their manners may not be what you prefer," she acknowledged. Really she'd not spent enough time with the Earthlings to have a read on their politeness, but their formality had certainly been lacking. It didn't bother her. "But I believe they may have helpful skills and knowledge for us."

Nanny opened her mouth to argue, then shut it again, sighing in frustration. It wasn't her place—she was a governess, what did she know about defending the planet? She could acknowledge that. "I'm certain you know best, of course, Your Highness. They simply…" She shuddered. To have to rely on people like that was just another shame Arus was forced to bear. On which subject, "They said they have a princess with them."

A princess? Allura's eyes widened. "So she's that high ranking? She did say…" She'd been sent to be wed to the Drules' Crown Prince. Of course she would be a princess. That could mean… oh, dear. Just how bad were things on Pollux?

Though she'd failed to really answer, what response she'd made had been enough. "…Surely they do not actually have a princess with them?" Nanny looked horror-stricken. "We must—we're in no shape for an audience with—we have to—"

"—I believe she'll be content to go without all the pomp and ceremony."

To actually interrupt Lady Hys of all people was a calculated risk, but she hadn't been at her most coherent right then. And her shock was great enough that she actually let it slide, still sputtering at the revelation. "But what of the name of Arus, if we can't properly receive nobility?"

Allura sighed. She was quite certain that Arus, in its current condition, didn't need to worry about that. Pointing it out was probably not useful. "Based on what she's told me, she has gone through a great ordeal before arriving here. I have the impression she'd prefer to simply be invisible for now."

That brought Nanny's better nature forward; she wrung her hands in her apron. A princess who'd been through a great ordeal? And no surprise, being with these Earthlings. "Is there anything I can offer to make her more comfortable? If that is your will, of course."

"Yes. I want no harm to come to her here… she is from Pollux. And if my suspicions are correct, based on what she's told me, they're in as much trouble as we are."

Nanny dropped her apron. "What." For the first time the princess allowed a bit of her annoyance to show; she offered her best you heard me look rather than a proper answer. The lack of decorum might have scandalized the governess more, but her protective instincts were overwhelming even propriety. "A Polluxian? Here, in the castle? And you believed her?!"

"Yes." Allura kept her tone cool and calm. "I felt no lie in her voice."

"But—a Polluxian! This is why Captain Sarial was called up from the shelters so swiftly? You have her under guard?"

Enough. Even if Romelle's intentions were malevolent—and Allura couldn't help but doubt they were—she was far from the greatest threat facing Arus right now. "Nanny, please. I sense no danger from her, and we do not need any more fights. I need you not to start one."

…There was that. She huffed, but bowed her head in acceptance. If I could handle Lady Larmina… sort of… I can handle this—these hooligans with a hooligan princess! "As you command, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Nanny." Allura smiled.

"I trust you will ask my assistance if the h—" she coughed and wrung her hands in her apron again, "—the guests require anything I can provide? Or perhaps you would prefer I mind the tunnels while you are busy?" It was very clear she'd prefer the latter.

Frankly, Allura would prefer the latter too. She was certainly not about to tell Nanny she was soon to join the newcomers for dinner. And she didn't intend to confront Romelle about being a princess there, either; there was surely a reason she hadn't said it. "Yes, keep things running smoothly in the tunnels, please. I will call upon you if I need you."

"I shall take my leave then, Highness." The governess hesitated a moment, giving her another look of worry. "Do be careful, please."

"I will, I promise. With all of the training you've given me." She watched as Nanny departed, and sighed. It was hard not to worry about that, but she had faith things would improve. Once the Great Lions awakened, the tensions would fade. She had to trust in that.

Knowing nothing about any Great Lions, Nanny could only invoke a different name as she headed back for the tunnels. "Aliens and Polluxians roaming the castle," she murmured, shaking her head in frustration and concern. "Honored Mother have mercy!"

*****

It had taken exactly three and a half seconds for Pidge to realize he'd made a mistake. He'd bolted from the castle… into the sunlight.

Not optimal.

Well he sure as hell wasn't going back into the castle after he'd just run away from it, so… looking around, he saw the forest to the west, and ran for it. It was relatively close, thankfully—it would've been closer, were it not for the Drules. He had to pick his way through a strip of charred wasteland before reaching the shelter of the trees.

Finally, slipping into the shadows, he breathed. It might have been for the first time since they'd reached Arus. It might have been for the first time since they'd left Earth. The surroundings were almost familiar, almost comfortable. How many times growing up had he escaped into the forest around Salithra, searching for solitude when everything seemed to be closing in around him?

Things weren't closing in here. They were almost too open. It wasn't really an improvement. At least the trees wouldn't judge him, or worse, abandon him. Probably. They might find a way, like everything else seemed to—

—Stop feeling sorry for yourself.

And what else do you have to do, exactly?

Scowling at his own thoughts, he leaned back against the nearest tree. He immediately regretted the move—the bark scraped through the cut in his suit, raking the sunburn, sending pain stabbing through him.

You deserve it.

It wasn't the pain, in itself. It was the reminder. Of exactly why he was so adrift here, the same reminder that Lance had stabbed right into his guts.

I told him not to do anything stupid. I told him to take care of himself!

You were careless and arrogant, as usual. You should've been protecting him.

Pidge closed his eyes and shook his head violently, trying to silence the recriminations. Voices that were his own in his head weren't always that much better than voices that weren't.

What would Flynn say if he could see him now? He wouldn't be impressed, that was for damn sure. He would demand to know why he was abandoning the others. Wouldn't he?

…No. He'd do worse.

He would ask what you're afraid of.

At that thought, he could hear it. That infuriating question. And he…

"I was afraid of this!" he screamed into the silence of the forest, hearing a startled flutter of wings somewhere overhead. "I was afraid of exactly this, goddamn you! I was afraid of failing again! Like always!" He slammed his fists back into the tree, barely noticing the blood as the bark ripped his knuckles open. "And where the hell did believing in me get you, you idiot?!"

The ice hit his stomach almost the moment he finished screaming. He'd been pressing forward on rage, and releasing it left him with… what? The one human he'd understood was gone, and his attempts to cling to duty to recover just felt…

Hollow. Yes, that was the word.

Pidge slid down the tree trunk, drawing his knees to his chest and burying his head in his arms. It didn't matter anymore. He was spent. For the first time since the arena he surrendered to the churning in his guts, dissolving into tears. May as well succumb to it.

Eventually, he drifted into sleep.

*****

Hunk felt certain—reasonably certain, anyway—that Explorer Teams did not usually have meals with princesses. Of course they'd gotten used to that on the Falcon, but now they were in an actual castle, and that was a whole 'nother level of not in Kansas anymore.

Showing up empty-handed would be rude, no question… so he'd fried up the last of their fauxtatoes. Nothing said diplomacy like waffle fries, one of humanity's finest achievements! Pity he didn't have the supplies for pizzadillas, they'd have this thing locked down.

The team was grouped in the entryway at the foot of the huge staircase, waiting. The presence of waffle fries had several stomachs growling, though a few of their thoughts were elsewhere entirely. Daniel was sulking about yet another failed lizard hunt—these things were mocking him, weren't they? Vince was just hoping this dinner wouldn't involve ghosts. And Lance…

Well…

"Where's Pidge?" Keith asked, sweeping his gaze over the team.

It said something about Pidge's usual habits that hardly anyone had even noticed—or, more to the point, they would've sworn he was standing right there until Keith spoke up to ask about it. But he was certainly not standing either right there or anywhere else; Hunk blinked. "Ninja?" He gave a low whistle. "Here ninja!" Like that was going to work.

There was a distinct lack of Pidge popping up to snarl at him, and Lance grimaced. "Fuck…"

"What'd you do?" Daniel asked immediately.

"I didn't—I mean, not really."

The kid just stared at him, lifting his eyebrows slightly. "That's what I say when I've definitely done something."

Groaning, their pilot took a step back and shrugged helplessly. "Pidge and I might have had a bit of an… altercation?" Okay, it was flat out a Dumb Fucking Something.

Hunk gave a small frown, then matched his shrug. "Someone that wasn't me this time, cool." Next to him, Vince wondered if an 'altercation' was like a 'misunderstanding'. It sounded more serious.

Maybe that was why they didn't have a ninja right now.

"What kind of altercation?" Keith asked with a resigned sigh. I'd really hoped we were past altercations.

"We, well, uh…" Lance really didn't want to answer that. Mostly he didn't want to bring up what they'd been talking about, but he didn't have much choice. "I brought up Flynn, and he said something and I got angry and he ran off."

Truthfully he hadn't expected the running off to be a long-term thing. What the hell?

Though they may have been lacking a ninja, the team did have some unseen company. Namely, Larmina, who had also been invited to dinner and was watching from another ruined alcove. She couldn't follow the entire conversation, but she'd successfully gathered that the aliens were missing someone, and didn't even know how it had happened.

Oh, yeah, they're gonna save the planet.

Daniel knew he shouldn't say what he wanted to say, but he could only behave for so long. "Does this mean I get to lecture you on thinking before you speak?" It got him a glare, but nothing else; Lance was feeling too guilty to actually object.

"Damn it." Wincing, Keith shook his head and turned to the doors. This was not what they needed. "We need to go find him."

"How? He's a ninja?"

"You ever tried lookin' for him, boss?" Hunk paused as he said it; the growl welled up in the back of his mind, and it felt somehow comforting. Which was a first. You people abductin' ninjas now?

"You cubs possess much stubbornness."

…That wasn't a no!

Sven heard his own growl too, and sighed; it felt reassuring, but he'd also been enjoying having silence in his own head. "They're right. We're not going to find him unless he wants to be found."

"Yeah… I thought he'd be around by now… we should find him." Lance shook his head in frustration, and the voice murmured in his mind.

"Too much grief."

Shut up.

Keith looked around, frowning. The strange, purring growl was running through him. "It may not be easy, but he's honest to a fault. If we get in hearing distance I'm sure he'd come to us…"

Nobody else was nearly so sure. But the conversation was silenced as Princess Allura and Coran arrived.

Hunk was the first to see them; he was facing the doorway they'd used. "Heya, Your Princessness! And uhh, Your Advisorness!" Was it possible to hear a mysterious growl in your head do a facepalm? Because his had definitely done so.

Still crouched in the shadows, Larmina found herself appreciating the… rotund one? Not that she was about to admit it. She still didn't trust these things.

Lance appreciated it too, and nodded to the Arusians. "Princess. Mustache Dude."

Keith really did facepalm. Sven winced, though he was amused; all he did was nod a greeting. What was the point in being formal now?

As if on cue, Daniel flashed a peace sign. "Yo." He appreciated the distraction; he'd been feeling a little guilty for poking at Lance like that, but apologies weren't his strong point.

"Hello." Vince felt incredibly boring and couldn't have been happier about it.

Allura chuckled—now extremely glad she hadn't told Nanny about this plan—and a mildly bewildered Coran smiled but said nothing. Maybe he spoke the language, but a great many of Common's nuances were lost on him. He was best leaving this to the Princess, who at least had some idea what she was hoping to gain from these strangers…

"Forgive us, Princess." Keith fought down the reflex to salute, giving a formal bow instead. "We… have a missing crewmate." Yeah, sure. That's why your team is weird. "We should go and find him before—"

"—Again," Lance interrupted, "I raise, how?" Because I would love to, but…

The Princess didn't seem concerned by that, just cocking her head curiously… Keith blinked, feeling the static dart through him. Then she gave a small nod. "There's no need for concern, there are eyes on him. He seems to have wandered… but if there is any worry, I'll know."

That shut everyone up. The team stared at her in confusion, and finally Hunk ventured, "Ninja ain't nothin' but worry, Princess." Vince nodded emphatically.

"He was pretty upset," Lance said hesitantly. "Are you sure?"

Allura nodded, and he found himself swayed by her confidence—no, it wasn't just confidence. Serenity. She knew something. "He is safe, I promise you."

Any further discussion on the topic—such as Hunk badly wanting to ask about that abduction that the rocky voice had not denied—was cut off as Daniel looked around the room. He'd been trying to get a grasp of everyone else's reactions to whatever wiggy thing the princess was doing. But instead he found himself staring at Larmina, who'd stepped out of her hiding place when the others arrived and was standing behind the group looking grumpy.

"It's the mean one," he whispered to Vince, who followed his gaze and blinked.

Huh. So it was… "Be nice," he whispered. This didn't seem like the time or place for a scene.

That was his opinion. His opinion was about to not matter at all. Because Romelle noticed the two of them, and turned to see who was standing behind her, and Larmina narrowed her eyes in distrust at the female Earthling—

—Wait, that's not an Earthling!

"What are you supposed to be?" she blurted in Arusian to the not-exactly-not-Arusian in front of her.

Romelle startled a little, then her eyes narrowed. "A person. Like you?"

"I don't think so." Whatever she was, like you wasn't part of the equation. Larmina had been through too much over the last few months—never mind the rest of her life—to be interested in that sort of platitude.

"Be careful, Romelle." Daniel couldn't understand the conversation being held, but the expressions and the tone told him enough. "Apparently she likes to break arms."

Vince made a face and shook his head. She really is the Arusian Pidge.

Noting the warning, Romelle looked over the young Arusian more carefully. Much as she'd have liked to snarl back, she was acutely aware of her position here… but she also noticed the redhead sweeping a glare around the entire room. "My name is Romelle. And you are?"

Allura sighed and decided she ought to step in. In Common, since the Earthlings were thoroughly confused by now. "She is my niece, Lady Larmina Elena Altair of the Seven Isles." At least she could take some solace in the original question; clearly Larmina didn't know about Pollux. This wouldn't be a repeat of Nanny, just her being her usual open and friendly self. "I am glad you could join us, Larmina."

"I'm not," she muttered.

Redheads, always feisty, Lance mused with a small chuckle, and immediately regretted it. Don't think about him.

"And yet you do."

I said shut up. The guilt from the last time he had was still going nowhere.

Looking between the Princess and the… Lady…? Vince almost had to fight down a laugh. Of course she was. Of course she was.

Daniel's thoughts were obviously going the same direction, based on his expression of horror. "Oh great, she's royal," he whispered. "They're gonna expect me to be nice to her." Vince patted his shoulder in sympathy.

Romelle frowned more deeply, stepping back and turning away. There was no point pressing this issue. Before anyone else could try, Hunk jumped in.

"So hey, uh, dinner? Wanna try some waffle fries?" He gave his biggest grin and held out the plate he'd brought.

Both Larmina and Allura eyed him; even Coran tilted his head in some interest. They looked good and smelled good… "No," Larmina said flatly.

"They do look interesting," Allura countered. "I, for one, look forward to trying them. Come, while we may not have much to offer, I hope it will also be to your liking."

She led them past the staircase through one of the side doors, into what had once been a dining room for the castle staff. In better days receiving guests there would have been scandalous, but it was the most intact of any such room in the castle. A small but respectable selection of preserved meat, cave-grown vegetables, and what was known by the refugees as 'tunnel wine'—fruit juice that had slightly fermented in the supply caches—had been laid out. In the old days, this would hardly have qualified as a snack, let alone a diplomatic dinner, either. But now it was what they had…

The group spread out and picked their seats, with Romelle staying as far from the Arusians as she possibly could without actually leaving the room. Daniel sat across from her; he also wanted to keep his distance from the angry royal chick who liked breaking arms. On the flip side, Keith took a seat near their hosts, and Hunk tugged Vince over to sit next to him—no ninja to keep an eye on. He set the plate of waffle fries down between something meat-looking and something green and fluffy.

"Thank you, Princess." Keith was impressed by the spread they'd managed to put out, though he could tell just from the size of the table that it was sparse by pre-Drule standards. "I know you probably don't have much… we appreciate it."

She nodded in acknowledgment. "We have learned to get by." Especially now that spring was bringing game animals back from their dens, nobody in the castle shelter was in immediate danger of starvation. But it was day to day, and nothing was promised. "Please, enjoy."

Enjoyment under the circumstances felt almost laughable, but it was food and they were all hungry. And it wasn't half bad, for a planet half in ruins—Vince for one had been afraid there might be mushrooms. Anything but mushrooms.

Allura found herself amused and impressed by the waffle fries. These are a lot better than I thought they could be. Coran seemed to appreciate them as well, and she even caught Larmina sneaking one. Maybe the Earthlings could offer them more than just military assistance.

Still feeling guilty, especially now that he could look around the whole table and easily take note of their missing ninja, Lance decided to try getting a rise out of Daniel. He was fumbling a bit with his utensils—Arusian dinnerware was easily recognizable in function, but it wasn't quite the same as Earth. "Hey, hey. Attempt table manners."

Glare. I was being so well behaved! He hadn't flipped off the angry royal chick again or anything! "I've never wanted to start a food fight more in my life."

"Please don't start a fight with it." Vince was doing his best not to eat too fast, because manners were important, but having real food was just so exciting. "I want to eat it."

"Yes, please," Sven agreed, then looked to Allura and Coran. "This is wonderful."

Though the navigator's admonishment only counted so much in Daniel's mind, Vince got a bit more consideration. "Fine." Snort. "Manners."

And now he sounded exactly like Pidge, and now Lance's guilt surged right back. But that wasn't lost on the gunner either… he was proud to say his Lance-reading skills were improving, thank you very much. And the whole utensil issue offered a good distraction. "Hey," he gave the pilot a poke, "my arm's been killing me since we got here. We have any more wraps on the ship?"

Admitting pain was not his favorite thing, but if it worked…

It totally worked. "What? Yeah, I think so. We can check it out after we eat, I mean…" The conversation had gotten Allura's attention. "Princess, do you have any doctors or anything around here?"

Doctors they had, but looking at the younger Earthling, Allura wondered if she might be able to fix it on her own. It would certainly not be proper to leave a guest in pain while he ate… among plenty of other reasons. "Let me have a look. What's the matter?"

Well that hadn't been what Daniel was planning on at all. He shrank back a little as she approached; princess or not, he wasn't real convinced he wanted to just let some rando look at his arm. It wasn't that bad! He'd just been trying to—

"—Let her look," Lance told him, and wondered why he'd said it. Maybe it was the warmth that curled around him again… "Uh, it got fractured awhile ago. Drule medics set it, but…"

Nodding, Allura studied the arm as Daniel reluctantly held it out. It just looked swollen… she touched his shoulder and his elbow, trying to sense what she could. She'd never actually attempted to use her abilities on a non-Arusian like this. Yet it seemed to be working. "Mmm… it is healing, but you must have aggravated it somewhat."

All attention was on her now, but only Lance and Daniel really had an angle to see exactly what was going on… which was that the golden markings on the princess' cheeks had taken on a faint glow, and blue sparks had appeared deep within her pupils—or had those blue patches always been there? They might have been. Either way, they sure as hell hadn't been glowing before now. "Uh…"

"I wonder…" It would be nice to actually be able to help someone, even in a small way. Even in the tunnels, she'd largely been limited to diagnosing, and sneaking in what small relief she could. Concentrating now, she focused on the aura of pain surrounding the Earthling's injury, and willed it to disperse.

Daniel's eyes widened as the pain just seemed to… recede. As best he could tell, the swelling wasn't going down, but it didn't hurt anymore. It took all he has not to yank his arm back—that would be stupid, he wanted to feel better, but what the fuck—

"Uh." Lance's eyes were just as wide. "It helping?" He didn't receive an answer. The kid was just sitting there with his mouth open, trying his very best to process glowy eyes and magic healing as things he now needed to deal with.

As if she'd done nothing strange at all, the princess stepped back. "I hope that helped… if not, I can see about finding someone else to do better. My abilities have their limits, I fear."

Limits! To glowy-eyed healing magic? "My, uh, my arm doesn't hurt anymore," Daniel finally managed to stammer. "My brain does, though."

Lance snorted. "There's a big difference there, kid. Thank you, Princess." I should be way more freaked out by that level of WEIRD, but…

"Strong instincts. Will bring you far."

My acceptance of weirdness is an instinct now?

"You're welcome," Allura said with a smile, returning to her seat. She was pretty certain the comment about his brain hurting wasn't something she could remedy.

The others were still gawking… well, mostly. Romelle was accustomed to small displays of mysticism, and Vince was resolutely ignoring any more freaky magic until his stomach was full. Sven finally looked away and shook it off; if he could handle a voice in his head, he could handle a princess with healing powers.

"Of course you can," the voice agreed, and he barely suppressed rolling his eyes.

Hunk had paused halfway through a bite of green-fuzzy-whatever and was not recovering. Was the food some kind of crazy drug? That was the only explanation for—

"—You have seen powers you do not comprehend before. Why do you still disbelieve?"

Are you gonna tell me you're friends with sandstone bats now, too?

"The earth spans many realms."

Oh, no. Absolutely not. He was not even asking what that meant.

Keith had watched carefully, and now glanced over at Coran and Larmina. Neither of them looked at all surprised, though the young redhead seemed annoyed… well, more annoyed. He considered that for a minute, then nodded. It was still his duty to look after his team, as best he could. And that demonstration gave credibility to what the princess had said earlier.

"So, Princess. You said you had eyes on our missing crewmate?"

Allura nodded.

"…How?" Hunk asked, getting a look of agreement from Lance. "He's a ninja?"

"He's not in any danger, is he? Or injured?"

"No, not at all. He seems quite well taken care of."

That sounds like she can see him. Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly. He was still wigged out by the healing—after magic bats, robeasts, ghosts, and voices, it was the magic healing that had finally snapped him—and this was not okay. "So wait, you can heal people and you've got the ability to magically see ninjas?" Nope. He wasn't buying it. Too much weird.

So much for manners… "Kid has a point," Lance agreed, and Hunk nodded. Even Sven was watching with calculated interest now.

Larmina knew about half of the words being thrown around; Allura knew most of them, though the one she was unclear on seemed important. "I, myself, cannot see… whatever a 'ninja' is. But," she smiled reassuringly and gave her ears a little wiggle, "I can hear those who know where your friend is."

Now she had Vince's attention too. Did her ears just wiggle. That was way more interesting than yet another round of weird. Actually Vince was just about the only one who was paying attention to that; Romelle was resolutely ignoring everything, Daniel was still trying to process, and the others…

She's talkin' about you, isn't she? Hunk demanded. ISN'T SHE?! He'd have thought that was obvious enough to finally get a straight answer, just one, but the only response was an infuriating purr.

Would the Princess be referring to you? Sven's significantly more polite question did not get any more of an answer, only a growling chuckle. He was really over that sound.

You? Lance had nearly choked on a waffle fry, and all the damn voice in his head responded with was amusement. He rolled his eyes.

"Of course," Daniel muttered under his breath, looking around at the others. It didn't take much to guess what was going on there. "All the new weird ties into the old weird. Too many weirds connecting to other weirds."

"Think I'm just as happy if all the weird is part of the same weird… probably."

"A narrow field of weird beats a big field of weird."

"This whole place is weird."

As the Earthlings reeled, Allura happily bit into a waffle fry. They really were good.

That was it. Sven was over all of this. "Princess, you said this place was called the Castle of Lions? It's an interesting name, where did it come from?" Romelle shot him a sullen look at that, one he couldn't completely read. It probably didn't matter, though—they needed information. "The faster we find them, the faster we can leave," he hissed under his breath; she blushed and nodded, returning her attention to her plate.

Others were more approving. "Good Viking," Lance whispered, while Hunk gave a small chuckle.

Jace would totally be proud.

"Ah." Allura fought not to show her eagerness. Now they might be getting somewhere. "An old tale, or several. It was said, long ago, that the Great Lions would meet in the field near the castle to discuss their adventures, and to relay word of any problems that may have crossed their paths."

Now they were getting somewhere. "The Great Lions?"

"There were five of them," the princess explained, leaning forward in her seat and focusing on the tale. "The noble Lion of Storms, the fierce Lion of Flame, the daring Lion of Wind, the graceful Lion of Water, and the mighty Lion of Earth."

"Storms," Keith whispered, feeling the static dance over his skin.

Don't even dare say the Lion of Flame isn't YOU, Lance accused the voice in his mind, and it burst into laughter as warmth flooded through him.

Now she's definitely talkin' about you, Hunk thought, and was greeted with similar laughter. He was pretty over this, too. Don't let it go to your head, yeah? Or at least keep it out of mine.

Lion of Water. That would be you, wouldn't it? Sven didn't really need an answer; it felt too right not to be. Please no more chuckling. It did not chuckle, exactly… it did growl in amusement, which wasn't much better. You are an infuriating being.

The annoyance of several of the Earthlings was mirrored in one Arusian—Larmina understood, in theory, why these strangers were so readily being told things she'd only just learned. It didn't make it sting less. Really, Auntie? As if sensing her discomfort, Allura turned and gave her a small, reassuring nod before continuing.

"Each of the Great Lions had their own home, but this is where they would gather to speak and sometimes play. Save for the Lion of Storms, who always stood guard."

"Play?" Lance echoed. He couldn't imagine the gruff, fiery voice in his head playing. It felt too ancient, too powerful.

"Sounds right," Hunk grumbled. The earth lion—because it was sure as hell the earth lion—was sure as hell playing with him.

Sven leaned forward himself, glancing at Keith for approval. Not that disapproval would stop him right now, but it was good for one's commander to have one's back. "That's an interesting tale. Is there any truth to it?"

The princess nodded. "There are many forms of these tales. Many children's tales, others not. The Great Lions were thought to be the defenders of Arus once… but most tales end with them fast asleep. Or occasionally there are more grim endings, but the Castle of Lions stands in their honor nonetheless."

"Asleep?" Lance repeated, feeling his own intuition sparking. That feels true.

"Quite."

…Was that an answer?! But the voice, the Lion of Flame, said nothing else.

Sven frowned. Sleep felt correct to him too, but they needed every bit of information he could get. They'd gotten very far on myth and rumor during this search for Voltron, and he wasn't about to leave anything unasked now. And his lion—HIS lion? It felt right—seemed to approve of his questioning. "How do the other versions end?"

Larmina laughed harshly, getting a slightly reproachful look from Allura. It didn't stop her from speaking. "Sacrificed to Golden Gods."

Pain shot through Hunk's skull; he lurched forward with a gasp. The damn lion had roared. Loudly. Too loud even for him, which he wouldn't have thought possible. CAN YOU NOT?!

"That name…" The words faded in a fog of confusion and rage.

Angry growls filled the minds of the others as well, though their voices—their lions—showed a bit more restraint. Sven managed a polite smile. "I think I prefer the other version."

Shrugging, Larmina snorted derisively and looked away. She preferred a lot of things that weren't true, too.

Lance felt unsettled, and he couldn't actually tell if it was his own instincts or the voice. It was like they were coming together, meeting in a way that felt right and all wrong at the same time…

"You okay?" Daniel poked him.

"…Not even close."

The kid had seen that answer coming; he tossed a waffle fry at him. "Better?"

Smirking, Lance caught the fry and ate it, though he made a point of not saying it was better. He wasn't sure what would qualify as better at this point. Instead he turned back to Allura, frowning slightly. "Sacrificed?"

The princess sighed heavily. "While I have heard that version, I've never cared for it. I prefer tales with some hope for a happy ending…"

"Hope is good," Hunk agreed, perhaps a little too quickly. "I like hope." Hope aside, he felt like they could be pretty damn sure the lions had not been sacrificed to anyone, but it felt like he shouldn't say so out loud.

Romelle and Larmina both snorted; Larmina immediately sat back and pretended she hadn't when she realized Romelle had done so, and Romelle rolled her eyes in response.

"Hope is a double-edged sword," Sven mused, then smiled faintly. "I don't like swords, but thankfully our leader does." Keith blushed and glanced at Coran, who looked amused.

"Hope is stupid," Daniel mumbled under his breath. Lance nudged him, but didn't say anything; he was usually all for hope, but he was way too off balance right now.

What he was certain about—what they were all certain about—was that as soon as dinner was over, they were going to need a serious talk.

*****

There was a certain irony to gathering on the Falcon to be sure they weren't being watched. Pidge was the one who'd first brought that up, and here they were with no Pidge. Lance was attempting to pace off his guilt, which—

"—Yo! Han Solo! Keith is the one who's supposed to pace around with a look of constipation on his face, not you."

He turned to Daniel, who was flopped on the floor with a couch cushion, and gave a weak smile. "So I'm doing a good impression?"

As if on cue, Keith walked in, shaking his head slightly as he saw Lance doing his pacing for him. "Alright. So… any sign of Pidge when you all came in?"

"No."

"Nothing."

Great. "Well, he's capable of taking care of himself; we have to trust in his abilities. I want your thoughts on our new… acquaintances."

Lance frowned at that, but couldn't argue the truth of it; he stopped pacing and went to lean against the wall next to Sven. He had thoughts, alright, but putting them into words was going to be easier said than done. Romelle, leaning against the opposite wall, snorted derisively. She had thoughts too, but they weren't what Keith was asking about.

"The Princess seems nice," Vince offered into the sudden awkward silence.

"Everything's weird and redhead's a bitch," Daniel declared.

"Redhead—I mean—Lady Larmina did see us wandering around her crypts."

"You wh…" Hunk trailed off. "Of course you did." Poor Vince seemed to get dragged into an awful lot of bad ideas lately, even for an Explorer Team.

Lance gave a long-suffering sigh. "I knew I was lying to that Nandara person."

"Wait, what?" Keith looked between them and wondered if he actually wanted to know.

Daniel wasn't listening, because he wasn't done. "Lady my ass. She admitted to enjoying breaking people's arms. I even tried being nice! I was polite and everything!" He poked Vince's leg; the engineer was sitting on the arm of the nearest couch. "You saw! I tried!"

"He did try to be nice. You know, for him…" Daniel eyed him and felt like he probably should be insulted, but he wasn't.

"Excellent, kid." Lance wondered if it had gone as well as his own Arusian encounter. He'd nearly forgotten, given what had come after. "I met a Lady Nandara Hys. She thinks I'm a hooligan. Which, fair, except that this isn't Earth and it's not the 1950s, hooligan?"

Hunk burst out laughing.

"Oh boy." Keith rubbed the bridge of his nose and wondered, yet again, how they'd ended up in this mess. This entire mess. "Alright, we can't worry about that right now." Nothing to be done for Lance's hooliganism, that was for sure. "I think Coran knows we're soldiers."

That sent a wave of worry around the room. "Why is that?"

"And how?" Especially in their current state, it seemed far from obvious.

The commander shook his head. "When you were bringing in the ship, he let me test out his sword. I asked if he had anything better than this," he held up the ceremonial Drule sword with a look of disdain, "and he said he'd try to find me one… would hate to see a fellow soldier without a preferred weapon."

Oh. Daniel smirked. "That sounds like he made you as a soldier."

"He is the most obvious."

"You do seem kinda soldier-y, boss."

…All of that was true. "Damn me for being Commander Crystal Spur, huh?" he grumbled under his breath.

"If this was a police procedural we'd never send you undercover." Lance grinned. "But I knew Mustache Dude seemed sharp."

"He is," Sven agreed, "and if he knows Keith is a soldier, he's sure to try to discern if the rest of us are as well."

Both the remaining 'kids' snorted. "Well he won't make me. The whole reason I'm here is that I'm not soldier-y enough."

"He won't figure me out."

Lance snickered. "Yeah, let's throw him Vince and Daniel, that'll really confuse him."

Don't think throwing anyone at the dude is gonna help. Hunk decided not to say that out loud, in favor of something slightly more useful. "Maybe it won't matter, yeah? I told Captain Sarial my job's to blow things up, she seemed okay with it."

"She did?"

"She took it very well," Sven confirmed, and Lance couldn't help a small grin.

"These Arusians seem alright."

"They're weird," Daniel grumbled. "And mean."

Keith cleared his throat. "There's another issue here. If he's made us all, or really any of us as soldiers… we know the Drules are going to come back. If they ask us to help them fight?"

"Then we fight, Keith." Lance gave Commander Crystal Spur a look of disbelief. "We help them fight, how is that even a question?"

Though he didn't necessarily like it, Daniel found himself in agreement. "They're weird, but we can't just say no if they actually ask for help, can we?"

"No, we can't." Sven heard the growl in his mind and didn't object; at least it wasn't chuckling at him this time.

Hunk looked around at the others and shook his head slightly. He wasn't sure helping fight, themselves, was the real issue. "Maybe we oughta find 'em these lions… and go home without 'em." A disapproving growl filled his head, and he shook it off. I didn't ask your opinion.

Lance looked over at him. Now that was a question… a pretty damn good one.

"Would you truly leave?"

…Huh? He frowned at the voice. That wasn't the issue, of course they would be leaving here sooner or later. It was just a matter of what they left with, and what shape they left the planet in. Wasn't it?

Wouldn't they…?

Though it had been his suggestion, Hunk was also aware of the problem with it. A problem they had whether or not they planned to take Voltron away, really. "There's five lions, though." He paused, making a face. "And mine is totally the earth one, and he's a jerk."

"You know I can hear you."

"Yeah," Lance agreed as Hunk rolled his eyes. "Five… mine is fire, I kind of like him."

"Storm," Keith said quietly. "The one that growls at me is storm."

"Mine is water," Sven chimed in.

That left wind. Nobody spoke for a moment, then Romelle exhaled slowly. "It honestly seems like you all know more about Voltron than they do."

"The Princess seemed to know something."

Something, perhaps. "Fairy tales. They've forgotten most…" They've even forgotten the damned name! She still wasn't sure where multiple lions played into this, but it wasn't her chief priority.

Lance looked away, trying to make it all make sense. Fairy tales? Allura had said many of the tales were children's stories. She'd spoken of hope, assured them Pidge was… in sight? They knew where he was? But did that mean…?

Before he could finish putting that together, Hunk asked quietly, "Think the princess talks to the wind lion? Cuz…"

…That would make sense. Way more sense than his own half-formed thought. "Yeah, could be." Yet it didn't feel like the right path to pursue. "Romelle, what do you mean they've forgotten?"

"It's not encouraging, whatever it means," Daniel muttered. That wasn't wrong.

Romelle sighed; she didn't really have an answer for that question. "They're missing something. She asked if I had brought something to help them. Of course I didn't bring anything except what I had with me when we escaped."

"Huh? Well, she's a bit nuts too, but what's new with that around here…"

"We're all a bit nuts," Sven said mildly.

Truth. Vince frowned. "Missing something she thought you'd have from what, your home?"

She nodded. "I don't know what she'd expect me to have. They hid it. We were long gone by the time it was actually done." Bitterness dripped from her voice. "Like I said, I only brought with me my gaive'llar and what I was wearing…"

"Yeah, same as us."

"I got to bring my awesome sense of humor with me too." Daniel smirked. "Can't say the same for the rest of ya."

"Hey!" Hunk pouted.

"Oh sure, just really hit the big guy where it hurts, kid."

Oops. "It's okay, big guy, your personality makes up for any awesome humor you're lacking."

Romelle had still been thinking on the previous statement. "…And you," she said suddenly, quietly. "I brought all of you here."

"Ha! That means you brought my awesome humor and Hunk's personality! You win."

"And the waffle fries!"

Lance stared at Romelle and felt something else trying to put itself together in his head. "Wasn't the Princess kind of acting like… she was expecting us?"

"She was." Sven nodded. "It was odd."

"And then four of us start hearing voices. Lions."

"But there's five lions." Keith grimaced. They were back where they'd started, now. "Alright. Moment of truth. Who here is hearing voices, or growls? If you haven't said so before…"

Hunk raised his hand silently. That's not an invitation! The growl answered with what felt amazingly like a smirk.

Lance nodded. "Me."

"I am." Sven frowned. "More frequently, the longer I stay here."

"You find me soothing."

I do not.

"I'm in your head."

He attempted to glare at the lion through his mind; it wasn't the most satisfying of endeavors.

"And I am too." Keith looked around at the others, specifically the others who hadn't spoken. He hadn't really expected it, but…

"Just ghosts," Vince confirmed with a grumble.

"Yes, I've only spoken to the ghosts in the village… I'm sorry."

"I'm not hearing anything. Like I'd be able to keep that to myself."

Wasn't that the truth. And that left them with… "Four of us."

"So either the Princess talks to the wind lion," Hunk said quietly, "or we just…" He shook his head. For a moment he could see Jace standing by him in the temple again, and it was impossible to keep the thought down. "We didn't bring the right person…?" No, he did not like how that came out at all.

"Fuck." Lance flashed back to Flynn with the statue, the green one?, in his hands. Are we missing someone important?

"There are many ways to answer that."

Yet you won't answer at all. Again Lance's mind went to the other possibility. The person they were missing in a more immediate sense. But he couldn't quite bring himself to voice it. Pidge was honest to a fault, he'd have mentioned if he were mentally sparring with another mysterious growl, surely.

"…It can't have been that," Hunk said quietly. "I mean it doesn't make sense that they'd just be waitin' for us, yeah? This is an ancient superweapon and we're aliens from the entire Interior Expanse away…"

"What we require is complicated. The Earth is patient."

"No, you're right. That wouldn't be… logical."

Daniel shrugged. "Maybe it's some other Arusian we haven't met? I mean, there's a whole planet of them."

"It's Lady Larmina," Vince snickered, drawing a groan from the gunner.

"Great. That's just what we need, Her Royal Bitchiness having a lion." He was cut off by Lance reaching down and ruffling his hair, which was already a mess since he'd gone so long without a haircut. "Dude, whyyyyy?"

"'Cause you're a brat."

"…Point."

At least he had Daniel to make sense. Nothing else was doing much of it. "Hunk's right, it doesn't make sense. Why would they need humans?" Yet he felt the warmth, and wasn't sure it was agreement with that idea but it definitely wasn't a contradiction.

Sven had been mentally arguing with his voice more than he'd been listening—not exactly in words, he was still trying to find a way to mind-glare and she was finding it infuriatingly funny. Then Keith said something that commanded his full attention, and everyone else's.

"They're expecting the Drules to be back any day."

"…Any day?"

"What?"

"Uh, what exactly d'you mean by any day, boss?"

"Any chance they're wrong?"

"Their lunar cycle was the deadline. The governor who was here, who died, was supposed to answer a contact by then… and the cycle ended a couple of days ago."

"…Fuzzmuffins."

"Fuck." Lance and Sven had both said that at the same time; Lance shot him a smirk. He couldn't resist. "Aw, we're fuck buddies."

Sven glared, then it slowly shifted into a smirk. He knew how Jace would've dealt with that; he had a better version. "I'm out of your league."

God, I miss Jace… but the Viking's not half bad. "Might be, but I love challenges."

Staring between them in disbelief, Daniel lost his grip on his temper. How the hell were they bickering like things were normal when—"This was stupid! I told you this was stupid!" His prior thought that they couldn't just abandon Arus seemed to evaporate in a wave of visceral fear.

Keith put a hand up to silence him. "I offered to evac as many as we could. Was told no." Romelle snorted at that; of course Arusians wouldn't do something that prudent.

Lance understood. "They've fought for their home this long. They aren't going to stop."

"What does it matter if they fought for their home? Most of them are dead!" Daniel was seething now. This had been a bad idea. He'd told them this was a bad idea.

"We have to find these lions." Sven pinched the bridge of his nose.

Keith nodded. "Unless we do, there's a good chance that they're all going to die."

"So will we!"

"They ain't exactly actin' like they wanna be found…" You hear him? Knock off the riddles!

"It is not so simple. You are not searching the right places."

That only annoyed Hunk more.

Where are you? Lance tried. May as well take the direct shot.

"Somewhere quite hot."

Would a straight answer kill you? These people, the Arusians, they need you! In response, a wave of sadness flooded over him and he froze, eyes wide. That was new.

We need to find you. Sven's annoyance had become urgency. Or we're all going to die.

"You will know where."

What? But there was no answer. As if that had been an answer! "Mine just told me that I would know where, but then went silent."

"I… mine is sad? I'm confused."

"Mine is cryptic."

Vince looked between Daniel and Romelle, recognizing the others were off in the land of weird voices. Daniel himself was in the land of anger, partly to cover the fear. But then, the fear made him angry. He was angry at how much the Drules scared him, and he wanted them all dead, and—it was all just a lot of negative emotions. Looking back at Vince he shook his head and shrugged. I don't know what to fucking do. This is stupid!

Vince caught his expression and just nodded. He couldn't disagree at this point.

Looking around at the others himself, Keith was suddenly struck by the deep, distant thunder of the storm lion in his mind. "We are where we are felt."

"…What the hell does that mean?" he blurted before he could stop himself; the others looked over at him in surprise. "Mine just said… 'we are where we are felt'."

"And that's gotta be as cryptic as Hunk's."

We are where we are felt… for some reason, Sven didn't think it was that cryptic. Or it was, but there was a logic to it, just a logic he couldn't quite grasp. "I feel as if we're missing something obvious."

"Yeah well, that happens when they won't fuzzin' tell us anything."

"The answers are waiting. You must have faith."

Faith?! Hunk couldn't even put together a coherent answer to that, though no doubt his mental sputtering got across. Nothing about this situation invited faith.

"Fire… water… earth… storm…" Keith started pacing. Daniel didn't even say anything about him finally filling his own role, mostly because he didn't have enough calm to put it together… but he was thinking it. "Alright." Only one idea was coming to mind. "Let's listen to what they're telling us. See if we can figure this out. I don't see any other path forward but to just… try to feel, I guess."

A glare from their gunner followed that, mirroring skeptical looks from Vince and Romelle. They let Daniel do the talking; he was the one that was angry. "And what are the rest of us supposed to do? Run around hoping you guys find the voices in your heads before we all die?"

"Probably?" Hunk didn't care much for this 'plan' either, but it wasn't like he had a better one.

Keith sighed. "Keep your eyes and ears open for any information or hints. And keep a lookout for Pidge."

Pidge would totally be agreeing with Daniel if he were here, Vince mused. He wondered if he should back him up in his absence, but wasn't sure what to say that Daniel hadn't yelled already.

"So… what I said. Wander around and hope you find Voltron."

"You could help me," Lance suggested. "Got a feeling I'm gonna need the moral support."

Moral support? "You—okay listen, you all agreed, no dying!"

Lance nodded. "No dying."

…Well, as long as they remembered. Daniel sighed, knowing perfectly well this wasn't an argument he could win. "Okay." If the old man needed his backup, he supposed he'd have to give it. Maybe it would help them all not die.

"Dying is not an option here," Keith said firmly. Then he shook his head. It was late, and it had been a damn long day. "Okay. Everyone get some rest, for now."

Rest? The group scattered to their rooms, but not without every one of them casting their commander a doubtful look. Rest did not sound likely any time soon.

Arguing with lion voices or stewing in their own feelings, though… that they would probably manage.

*****

When Pidge woke up, he wasn't alone. There was a huge black and gray wolf curled up in the underbrush only a few feet away, golden eyes fixed directly on his.

"Komora sa kye?!"

Maybe he shouldn't do anything to startle it, but…

The wolf didn't actually seem at all startled. It stretched its front paws out and got to its feet, approaching slowly. Pidge recoiled. The beast was enormous, graceful, and every bit a predator; he'd rather have faced down a dozen Drules or Galra than such a perfect killing machine. But this was where he was.

Cautiously he started to reach for his knife, keeping his eyes on the wolf. Show no fear. "Back off."

It paused, snuffling in what sounded an awful lot like confusion. Then it padded forward again. The movements didn't seem aggressive, but he didn't dare risk it—he tried to push back and stand, only to hit the tree behind him.

Mijtairra…

As he was trying to recover and get to his feet, the wolf reached him and licked the hand he'd been edging towards his knife.

…Komora?

Did wolves taste test their food? It didn't seem threatening at all… it licked again and nuzzled his hand, snuffling softly.

"Um." He blinked, flailing for what he might be missing. The wolf's nose was warm and leathery, a contrast to the soft fur that covered its snout. He took in the sensations for a moment then sank back; that only earned him another sloppy lick.

Okay, defensiveness isn't working. What do you do when defensiveness doesn't work? You attempt manners. He wasn't sure that lesson really applied to this, but what else did he have?

"Nice to meet you?"

Snuffle-lick. He'd take that as reciprocation.

A wind whispered through the trees, and Pidge closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of the forest. He didn't understand what was going on, but he supposed there were worse situations to be in…

Something echoed on the winds. A soft growl that was definitely not a wolf. His eyes flashed open and he dropped into a guard stance, looking for the source of the sound; the wolf whimpered and nuzzled his side.

"Friend of yours?" he asked quietly.

With a growl of its own the wolf turned, stepping forward. It still didn't seem aggressive—its tail was swishing cheerfully as it raised its head, sniffing the air. Then it yipped, turned to look at him, and padded ahead.

Is it…

"You've got to be kidding," Pidge muttered.

The wind rose again, the growl louder this time. He knew that sound; he'd been trying to avoid it. But hesitation only got him an insistent yip. Okay, fine. If the monster wolf wanted him to follow it he supposed he'd better follow.

They walked deeper into the forest. The canopy was becoming thick, leaving the ground in shadow pierced by whatever few beams of moonlight could find their way through. Everything was in bloom now… his focus on the wolf drifted very quickly as he tried to take everything in. This was nothing like the forests of Balto, integrated seamlessly into civilization, each branch pressed into some precise purpose. This was fully wild, untamed.

It was beautiful…

He lost track of time, fascinated by the forest, but they'd been walking for at least twenty minutes when something loomed up ahead. For another minute it was just an indistinct mass of darkness, which was irritating. Darkness hid nothing from a shinori. But as they came closer, he finally realized why he couldn't make out any real features: there weren't any.

That… is a tree stump.

That is one hell of a tree stump.

The stump was enormous. If it were just a little larger, its ragged top edge would have broken through the canopy of the forest entirely. As he approached Pidge tried to imagine what the tree must have been like intact; it would surely have rivaled Balto's olkari trees, and there certainly wasn't anything else like it in this forest. He moved closer, resting a hand on the bark and finding it rock hard beneath his fingertips.

Petrified…?

The wolf yipped for his attention and started making its way around the stump. Well, they'd gotten this far. He followed, noting patches of moss on the petrified bark, cool and feathery when he touched it.

Suddenly, shadow took the place of the bark. A huge hole opened up in the stump, overgrown with thick vines like a curtain. There was darkness beyond it, and depth; the whole stump might well be hollow. With the vines in the way he couldn't make out much more.

The wind rose again, and several of the smaller vines rippled. Then the strange, musical growl.

It was close.

It was here.

Pidge whirled on the wolf. "What the hell is in there?" he demanded, for a moment actually expecting an answer. He did get one, in a sense. The wolf dropped to its belly and whimpered, facing the opening with its tail lashing. And then the damn thing jerked its head forward in what could only be a command.

Is it frightened? Wolf body language wasn't an area of expertise, exactly, but fear was his best guess for the moment. What could frighten such a majestic predator? And what did it think he could do about it?

"Don't tell me you want me to go in there."

Yip.

"No."

Snuffle-yip.

"I said no! I'm curious, not crazy. Besides, whatever's in there, I'm pretty sure you're better equipped to deal with it than I am." He turned away. "I've got to go… somewhere."

Somewhere. Not that he had a lot of options. But surely anywhere was better than—

The wind howled. And suddenly he and the wolf were not alone. Golden eyes glinted all around him, a dozen more wolves padding silently from the underbrush, surrounding him with soft snarls.

Mijtairra sa kye.

"…Okay, and you and all your monster wolf friends haven't got this because…?"

A black wolf with a single gray paw—smallest of the newcomers, still bigger than it had any need to be—prowled forward, snarling. The new ones weren't nearly as friendly, apparently. It bared its fangs until he stepped back closer to the opening, then led the others in closing in.

Why the hell not? What pressing business do you have with your life, now or in the foreseeable future?

May as well get ripped apart by wolves then.

True, but that sounds unpleasant.

Pidge sighed and turned to the curtain of vines, drawing his knife. "Fine. I'm going. Under duress. A lot of duress."

The vines were thick and sturdy, and resisted just being pushed aside. He paced in front of the opening until he found a gap he could duck through. Functioning stealth mode would really have been nice right now. Bracing himself, he dropped into a crouch and sprang forward—darting through the opening, feinting left then lurching right, finding a rough alcove in the petrified wood where he could take up a defensive position.

Nothing happened.

…That was anticlimactic.

The huge hollow was empty. But that made no sense. The growl had come from in here… he narrowed his eyes, searching more closely. The ground was covered in thick moss, with only a few patches of bare dirt visible, and several large roots poked out of the ground around the edges. No apparent hiding places, not for anything that could've been making that sound.

"I don't like this," he muttered, almost inviting it to answer. And as if in response, the growl came again.

It was loud, and it was overwhelming, washing over and through him like a gale. There was no true sense of threat in it, but its power was threat enough. Pidge shivered—or maybe that was just the resonance—and flailed for what he could possibly be missing.

Cloaking.

Well that was ridiculous. Nothing could possibly be cloaked in here. It was a giant tree stump deep within a forest on a dead planet. And yet, better ideas were in short supply.

Okay. We'll go with that. If something was cloaked in here, there should be some sign in the moss—it would still have physical presence. He forced himself to move forward, startling as another growl echoed. This one was lower and longer, almost a purr…

He felt it before he saw it. A sudden sense of being penned in despite the openness of the hollow. He froze, clutching his knife tighter, looking around for the source of the sensation. And then the air began to ripple.

A moment later, in a wash of light and shadow, he found himself surrounded by metal.

"Komora sa kye?!"

Pidge scrambled backwards, the one place that wasn't cut off, losing his footing and falling back into the moss. It was as soft as it looked, at least. Looking up he saw the metal walls that had surrounded him were smooth and curved at both the top and the bottom, tapering to sharp points that rested lightly in two small patches of dirt. They looked almost like…

Claws…

Slowly, Pidge looked up. And up. The claws and the metal block they were attached to gave way to a long, sleek limb, a metal joint, a complex-looking mechanism sheathed in armor more brilliant green than the moss. The green continued to the side where the joint had attached, but he wasn't looking at that anymore. He was looking further up.

Two shining golden eyes were staring right back at him.

This… is this… this doesn't make sense, it can't possibly be…

The machine was a cat. An enormous green and silver cat, with some dark cabling visible. Its face wore a sharp, challenging expression despite being made of metal, and the eyes glowed faintly in the darkness of the hollow.

Well his knife wasn't going to do anything with this, so manners somehow slipped out instead. "Um… hello?"

"Greetings, cub." His eyes widened as the bell-like voice rang out in his mind, sharp and clear as a morning wind. "I trust my messengers were not too impolite?"