Page 15 of Heart's Keeper

When he touched once more on Xerus's arm, Xerus let out a violent snarl. Baring his teeth, eyes rolling back, he lunged at the young warrior and attacked so suddenly Lana hardly had time to register what happened.

Thankfully, Krel was quick enough to respond and shot back his hand and leaped away just as Xerus snapped at him. Unfortunately, Xerus continued for him, and Krel had no choice but to back away and take an offensive stance.

“Xerus, no!” Lana called. But he acted as if he hadn’t even heard her. Krel let out a nervous growl of his own before Xerus lunged for him again and swiped a hand across Krel’s chest, leaving a thin cut.

The two snapped and circled each other until the commotion of the fight brought others out. The sisters started forward first but paused, uncertain what to do. Gyrix came out next and was brave enough to get between them. He growled a low warning at Xerus, who didn’t so much as flinch.

“Xerus!” Lana cried again just as Xerus was about to strike at the two. He froze in his stance, breathing heavily, then lowered his arm. He backed away, shaking his head, hissing low as he turned and covered his eyes with his arm. Lana cautiously approached him, stopping a few feet away. "Xerus," she said softer, watching him nervously.

He dropped his arm and looked over at her. "Let's get going."

Before she could even say a word, he was heading toward the ship. The others watched him go, unmoving. He passed by Xilya at the entrance withouta glance, and her eyes turned to Lana with great concern. They stared at each other for a long moment before Xilya went back inside.

Lana looked around at the others and saw their eyes on her, waiting.

It was the first time in all their years of missions together that Lana had the great urge to call Xerus back and tell him he had to stay behind. She was sorely tempted, though she hated the idea of going without him.

Never had he acted up toward one of his own in such a way. Even from the expressions of the others, she could see they knew how incredibly wrong that whole encounter had been. She knew they would be very cautious of him now, and the last thing she needed was mistrust amongst the team. Or worse, disloyalty and fighting.

But for a queen to go anywhere, especially a distant mission, without her predomis was unheard of. The rumors she'd come back to would be unending, and the certainty of her right as queen would be questioned. If she were strong enough, she would say to tell hell with tradition, but in that moment, she couldn't bear to leave him behind and so she made up her mind and started for the ship.

"Let's go," she commanded. Without hesitation, the team followed her.

Chapter Six

Once they were outside the vrisha system, Xilya had activated her tracking program in case of any (albeit impossibly low) chance they should either encounter Xolis ships or humans on their way toward Earth's territory. She'd stuck to the callroom in case she heard anything from her friends, while the rest of the team kept to their personal quarters. The ship had a central chamber for gatherings but, with the incident before take-off, no one was in the mood to socialize. With tensions high, they remained apart save to talk to the crew. Though Xerus had calmed, Lana convinced him to take a rest in their room while she remained on deck with the crew. She doubted he would sleep but, thankfully, while flying, there wasn't much for him to do except wait and stay in his room to meditate.

Once the crew felt secure in their path, Lana left them alone and made visits to the others to make sure they had everything they needed. Though they were respectful in their answers, Lana could tell they were still on edge about Xerus. Though she wished she could tell them it was just a miss-reaction, she knew they wouldn't believe it. She had no explanation to give for his behavior, as he seemed oblivious that anything was wrong. She knew he would never lie to her, but his ignorance concerning his actions was troubling at best.

Not wanting to seem overbearing to the crew but too restless yet to return to her room, Lana headed for the callroom where she found Xilya sitting at the large u-shaped console, looking over files Lana didn't recognize. When the woman saw her enter, she bowed her head.

"How is he?" she asked as Lana sat beside her.

Lana let out a slow breath. "He's calm."

"Has this happened to him before?"

Lana shook her head. "No."

Xilya scratched at her jaw thoughtfully. "Very strange..."

Lana closed her eyes and rubbed them with her fingers. She wondered how much she should tell her. She didn't know Xilya very well still, and this was a private matter, but the only person she could talk to about it was Xini, and she was far away now. She thought it over for a moment and decided it was better to ask for any insight than to keep hidden what was no longer a secret.

"He's been acting odd ever since we left our last mission, and his behavior has gotten steadily worse since returning home," Lana confessed.

Xilya's eyes narrowed. "Odd as in acting violently?"

Lana dropped her hand from her eyes. "No, not exactly. Not like at the shipbed. That was the first time. Just acting off. Distant. Like something was distracting him." She looked over at Xilya. "He'd get irritable too but not violent. He's also had headaches." She looked around toward the door, nervously, but didn't expect Xerus to interrupt them. She leaned in and spoke a little lower regardless. "He told me he was feeling restless. That he was having urges but couldn’t explain toward what. Xini said she saw him standing by the gates one night, staring off into the jungle. She said he didn't seem himself, like he didn't recognize her or saw her as some sort of threat. The first couple nights after we returned, he would go off on a hunt, but..." Lana shook her head. "He'd be gone for hours and not even realize it. I had to...to wash the blood off him from whatever creature he tore apart."

Xilya listened very closely, her eyes locked with Lana's. She went still and very quiet as Lana spoke of Xerus' situation. When Lana was done, she glanced away and stared at the door in deep thought.

"When I was a fledgling," she said after a pause, "there was an elder within my household who some looked up to as a guardian. He was well-traveled and had won his share of battles, so he had many stories to tell. His mate was by his side for many of them as well. Their names were Slivi and Vresna. Vresna taught many of us how to fight and how to better hunt and survive on our own. He knew many things." Xilya shifted in her seat, tail curling around the end. "One day, however, when I was older but still in training, Vresna began to act differently. He began to spend more time alone, especially out hunting. He'd be gone for days, sometimes weeks. Slivi, his mate, would worry some, but she never went out looking, thinking he was just in a mood or that he missed his younger days and was trying to relive them in the jungle."

Lana listened closely, a chill running down her spine at the thought of Xerus disappearing for so long.

"When he was home, " Xilya continued, "he was much quieter. We saw him less and less. When we did see him on the rare occasion, he looked at us as if he didn't know us. Then he began to have violent outbursts." Xilya's expression darkened. "It was like he had lost himself or forgotten who he was. In the end, we never figured out what it was, but I know he left not long after and never returned."

Lana felt her heart slowly sinking to her stomach. "Like he disappeared for good?"

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