Runner's Moon: Tiron

Five Years Ago

The hot summer storm left the air sticky. But it had provided the perfect cover for the spacecraft to land, silent and undetected amid the growl of rolling thunder and lightning. Deep within the heart of the forested area, the ship had grounded itself with a jarring thump. It had been on its last reserves, and powering down the engines would mean a complete shutdown of all systems. Permanently. Outside, the driving rain had pounded the outer hull of the craft like nails, frightening the thirty-one refugees huddled inside.

As the wind blew the black clouds to the south, the refugees exited to stand on solid ground for the first time in years. Some had to be helped out of the ship. Others stood on trembling legs and stared in amazement at this strange new place they would have to learn to adapt to. Learn to live in. Learn to survive.

Tiron Fesell Tarakon felt the cold water droplets fall onto her skin as the wind blew the rain off the towering plant life. This world would be her home now. Here she would live out the rest of her days. They all would. They had no choice.

The prospect didn’t frighten her. She had suffered too much at the hands of the Arra. She had been their experiment and their toy for too many years, subjected to more emotional torture than the physical kind. Physical she could handle. Every time they had pushed a male into her cell to join with her, she had beaten him off. Bloodied him. Sometimes disfigured him. Often killed him.

No creature would take her without her consent. No creature would join with her unless she so willed it. She was a Ruinos female. Fierce, strong...and unbonded.

To her left she saw two males talking as they drank in the night smells. A spark of regret briefly flared inside her chest before spiraling downward and dying. Ten years ago, Jebaral Gitall Morr had been shoved into her cell and forced to join with her. He had been fourteen and in early possession of his third man sac. He had been more than intimidated by her, by her strength and by the anger he had seen come over her time and again as she shredded any male set upon her. She was only two years his senior, but already she had gained the reputation of being a major disappointment to the Arra.

Still, she had felt something in his tentative approach. Deep inside, he was a gentle being. He wanted to hold her. To protect her from further cruelty. But more than that, he was not put off by her feral, threatening growls as he reached out to stroke her.

He knew of the emptiness inside her. Her need to be cared for gaped open like an ugly wound that would never heal. Not until she found that one person who bonded with her and made her complete.

She had let him join with her. The bonding, though, never happened.

Tiron lowered her face from the rays of the setting sun. Its orangish glow gave her skin an almost amethyst coloring.

She had cried when their blood lines had failed to appear. Even though neither of them had climaxed, she had continued to hope. He had been her only misgiving. That was ten years ago. She had not cried since.

Even so, she remained close to Jebaral and his brother Simolif. For some strange reason, the Arra never put Simolif in the cell with her to join. It wouldn’t have mattered if they had. Simolif was also a good man, equally as caring and protective as his taller, younger brother. But she felt no pull toward him either. Even if they had joined, Tiron knew there would have been no bonding.
The wind washed over her. She stood tall and stretched.

She was free. Gloriously free. Because of Jebaral and Simolif, they all were. The only uncertainty left for them was the future. Yet it was a future, nonetheless. One with hope and the possibility of security.

And maybe, after many, many prayers, one that would include the finding of a life mate.
“My friends, welcome to your home.”

Tiron jerked her head up to see the two brothers standing on a small, rocky abutment and looking down at them. For a brief second their eyes met, hers and Jebaral’s. Then he tore his gaze away to address them all.

“From here on, you are on your own. Scatter and find a place where you can finally be happy. We will survive and thrive here; I am certain of it.”

Survive. Yes. They would each have to go their own ways, each apart from the other. Otherwise, the chances were too great an Arran scout ship would discover that part of their precious cargo had landed here. When they did, the Arra would return in force to get them back.

The Arra would eventually come to this world. But if the ex-captives were lucky, and if they were scattered far enough apart, they would not be detected. It was a hope they all had.

“Good fortune, and have a long and happy life.” Jebaral gave them his blessing before he and Simolif stepped down to approach the ship. Behind her, Tiron could hear the others disperse, disappearing into the woods.

Vaguely, she wondered about the other three females who were unbonded just like she was. Karath. Avirokee. Challa. For all anyone knew, the future of their species rested with them.

The sun disappeared, and a silver disk rose to take its place. One moon. Tiron smiled. That was good. One moon on this world meant it would be easy to slip back into her own skin once the day was over.

Now it was only a matter of finding out what the inhabitants of this world looked like so she could imitate them.

She threaded her way through the thick brush on the forest floor, pausing every now and then to take a deep whiff of the strange new scents flowing over her. At some point, she heard the loud whuff and pop of a disintegration grenade going off. By morning, their ship would be nothing more than a few fine flakes of ash littering the grass until the next strong wind or heavy rain wiped them away.

Taking another deep breath to steady herself, Tiron pointed herself due north and began to run.