Walking away from his mate was one of the hardest things Verkiir had ever done.

With every step he took, his heart ached more. His body craved her, his soul needed her, but she did not understand. And that was his fault, not hers. He had become overeager and amorous when he should have merely spoken with her, as he had wished. Her scent--her very presence--was intoxicating, though, and he had allowed himself to be pulled in by it; by her.

He would not make that mistake again. It was very important that she understood what mating meant to a Karuvar. It was not simply lying with another. Verkiir had done that before. He had women he'd taken to his bed for pleasure. But a mate was different. A mate was forever.

As he walked away from the clinic, Verkiir considered his next course of action. He did not know what human males did to show their females they were committed, but he knew what Karuvar did. They were protectors. Providers. They put their mate's needs before their own. Verkiir would simply find a way to do those things.

It should not take more than a day. Perhaps two. He had not proven himself a worthy male at Waystation Helios, but he would now.

He took the human transportation back to the Waystation to check on his charge. Drol'gan had permitted him the week to convince his mate, for that was how long it would take for his implant to be repaired, but Verkiir did not need that long.

"Did you find her?" Adi'sun asked.

He had decided he could tolerate Adi'sun. She was helpful, and she seemed to understand things about Karuvar that Mei'gahn did not. The fact that she had provided him with the information about Mei'gahn's new employment had also helped her cause.

"I did," he said simply.

"And...?"

Verkiir blinked at the woman. What happened between he and his mate was personal. Private. But he supposed he did owe this woman, so he recounted the tale.

"I asked to speak with her, and she agreed. She led him outside, and I could sense how much she wanted me, as I wanted her. So I pressed my lips to her skin and--"

"Whoa, whoa!" She held up a hand, as if she was afraid he might strike her. Verkiir was confused. "Okay, I don't need to hear anymore."

"But you asked," he said, his brow ridge drawing inward. "Why ask what you do not wish to know?"

Adi'sun chuckled at that. Her cheeks were turning red just as Mei'gahn's had days ago. "I ask myself that same question all the time." She bit her lip, then appeared to regain her composure. "You must be looking for Drol'gan. I'll take you to him."

She did, and Verkiir walked with his head held high. He had not yet redeemed himself in his Pathfinder's eyes. He knew that. But he would, and he would hold himself as if he had.

The guards eyed him warily, but they let him pass. Drol'gan was standing by a star chart, Drann beside him. He pointed out systems to his son, and Verkiir waited near the far wall to be addressed.

"Did you succeed in mating your female?" Drol'gan finally asked.

Verkiir shook his head. "She does not understand as we do. I will show her."

Drol'gan looked at him over his shoulder. He smiled approvingly, then gave a single nod. "You will. You are a good Guardian, Verkiir. You will make a good mate."

Verkiir felt his chest swell, and for a moment he knew his eyes and his ears must convey every bit of pride he was feeling. Verkiir's own father had died many orbits before Verkiir came into his adulthood. The Pathfinder had been something of a father to him ever since.

"I thank you, Pathfinder," he said, bowing his head.

A few moments passed, but finally Drol'gan said, "Take Drann with you."

Drann's eyes widened, his ears perking up. Verkiir, too, was somewhat surprised by this. It was his duty to protect the youngling, but his father was Earthbound for the week. Surely Drann would be safe at his side.

"He must learn these things some day. I believe it would help for him to have a more current example than what I have told him of my time spent courting his mother."

Drann made a face at this, but Verkiir simply nodded. "Very well, Pathfinder. I am leaving now."

There was much work to do, and no time to waste.

* * *

It did not take much to convince Adi'sun to help him. She provided him with information about Mei'gahn's home, and he walked with Drann to reach the human settlement of Everton. There were no other Karuvar, and he assumed many of the humans had never seen his kind in person, for there were stares. He ignored them, yet Drann seemed overly-concerned.

"They are of no importance," he said to the youngling.

"No importance?" Drann asked. "Their engineers are the only reason we still have our implant."

Verkiir considered him for a moment. "Your father wished to broker a trade, instead of conquering. If he had not, our own engineers would serve the purpose the humans currently are."

"How can you say that? Your mate is a human."

Verkiir stopped, his body tensing. The youngling did not shrink away, despite the shift he could likely feel. He stood tall and looked Verkiir in the eyes. He would make a strong Pathfinder some day.

"Mei'gahn is not the average human."

And that was all he had to say on the matter. His mate was different because she was his mate. She was human, yes. And perhaps some humans were like Mei'gahn. But as a whole? No. Certainly not.

"I don't think Azh'lee is the average human, either," Drann said quietly.

Verkiir looked over at the youngling, his gaze narrowed. "You are fond of this Azh'lee, my mate's kin."

Drann turned away. His scale plates shimmered, a certain sign that he was embarrassed. "I like talking to her."

"But she is not your mate. Your implants did not match."

Drann said nothing to this, and so they walked on until they approached what Verkiir thought was his mate's home. It could not be, though. It was made out of such... primitive materials. Wood. Flimsy metal. Glass. A growl rumbled in Verkiir's throat. This was unacceptable.

He reached for the door and it opened easily. Did human homes not even have locking mechanisms? Agitation surged through him, and he stormed into the house.

"Jesus fuck!" he heard someone yelp. He found Azh'lee draped over a chair. "Knock much?"

"Verkiir would apologize," Drann said, "but he's Verkiir."

He glared at the youngling. This was not the time for jest. There was nothing funny about this situation.

"How do you and Mei'gahn protect yourselves?" he asked.

Azh'lee righted herself and put down the book she had been reading. "Uh... with a baseball bat and pepper spray, like everybody else?"

"How do you fortify your home?" he asked impatiently.

She stared at him as if what he said made no sense. Verkiir growled and moved to check the windows. Unlocked. Unsecured. Easily breakable. The other door was just as flimsy as the one through which he had come in. The walls were not reinforced, but just to check, he pulled his halberd from his back.

"What the hell are you doing, man?" Azh'lee asked.

He did not listen. With a roar, Verkiir struck at the wall. It gave easily, his halberd sticking in the crumbling wall, then pulling a larger chunk back out.

"Pathetic," he said, his voice low. "How can you live in a home that is so weak?"

"Yeah, well, we don't have a lot of psychos swinging their weapons around in here."

Verkiir ignored her. There was too much to do and not enough time to do it. He walked the perimeter of Mei’gahn’s home, inside and out, with Azh’lee and Drann both following him. He tried to make a mental list of everything that needed to be done, but in truth, the entire structure needed to simply be demolished and built anew. Stronger. Better. More secure.

It angered him that his mate had been without proper protection for so long, but he reminded himself it would not matter soon. He would take her aboard the Zavellan, and she would never have to worry about anything ever again.

Still, he needed a way to prove he was a capable male here, on Earth.

“Where can I find human building materials?” he finally asked.

“…There’s a lumberyard a half mile from here,” Azh’lee said, glancing at Drann. “Why do you need 'human building materials'?”

“I am going to improve this home,” he said, staring at Azh’lee.

Surely she would understand. But again, she looked at Drann.

“Karuvar have to prove they are good providers,” Drann said. “He wants your sister to be safe.”

“That’s… sweet, I guess. In a crazy kind of way. But we are safe here. We haven’t…” Her gaze narrowed at him. “Wait. You want to build shit. And tear shit down.”

Verkiir let out an exasperated sigh. Humans. “I do not know what shit is, but I—”

“It’s what you’re doing. What you’re doing right now is complete shit. It’s insane. This is our home. Our parents raised us here. You aren’t touching this place.”

Verkiir growled at the girl, but one look from Drann made him cease. It was not worth displeasing the Pathfinder’s son.

Even if she was wrong.

“I must prove I can protect Mei’gahn and her kin,” he insisted.

“We don’t need protection, so you can just—”

“Maybe there is something that needs to be fixed?” Drann asked.

Azh’lee stared at him, looking him straight in the eyes. She was much shorter than he, but she considered him as if he were the lesser. When he looked at her, he saw shades of a Karuvar warrior. It was no wonder Drann was fond of her.

She sighed, though, and looked away from him. Verkiir saw her nod toward the window.

“See that fence out there? It’s falling apart. We don't have the money to fix it. But if you want to… knock yourself out.”

Verkiir did not know what this human turn of phrase meant, either, but he left the inside of the home—a place that was only making him angry—to survey this supposed fence. He had not noticed it upon entering, because it was practically non-existent.

“This is what protects your home from outside forces?” he asked, absolutely aghast.

It was… nothing. Wooden posts held together by wooden boards and small bolts of metal. It was rotten, barely able to stand on its own. One storm would likely bring it to the ground.

“Yep,” Azh’lee said. “Have at it, Mr. Provider-man. I might even help.”

Verkiir was tempted to say he did not need help. He could complete this task before Mei’gahn returned home. But perhaps it would be best to show he could do something positive with her kin. Perhaps this could be a form of human bonding.

He did not know, but with Azh’lee’s assistance, he made his way toward this “lumberyard” to find the means to build something that was not utterly shameful.