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Birth of a Covenant Legend: CHAPTER 4
Posted By: Ryst Airasee<RystAirasee0208@AOL.com>
Date: 29 January 2005, 5:09 PM
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CHAPTER 4
'Lihamee stirred quietly, her eyes opening to thin slits. Soft morning light filtered in through the window and glanced off the golden armor of 'Iskramee, splaying across her bed. Her mandibles opened, stretching as far as they could, the Sangheili equivalent of a yawn.
She felt energetic, and cast a look out the window. The fattest of the twin suns was just barely poking up above a far-off mountain range. That meant that it was early, very early, and she had some time before her soulmate and the Rejuvenator awakened.
Standing up, 'Lihamee clutched her robes and gave her legs an experimental stretch. They didn't ache or protest, and she smiled at the thought of some much needed exercise. She opened the door and slid out.
The interior of the building was intricate; there were many floors, each with long hallways. The walls were pale purple in color with smooth gray floors. Enclosed gravity lifts connected each floor. Each door was fairly large and consisted of a sliding metal part that opened by parting with the wall and closed by meeting it. Thankfully they made no sound as they opened or closed, otherwise she never would have made it beyond her room.
'Lihamee didn't intend to go very far; she just wanted to stretch her legs. She swiped her hand over the panel in front of the lift doors, which slid open in response. Once she was inside, she pressed her claw into a holopanel and swiped it downwards. Five holographic blocks sprang up, following her hand.
The lift clanked once before starting its rapid decent. In a matter of minutes, she was at ground floor. Exiting the lift, she made her way across the luxurious lobby and went outside. She shivered exultantly as the blast of cool morning air hit her.
A sparkling metal platform jutted out from the front of the building; below that was a valley of dark green grass and tall, leathery-skinned trees. She squinted, and could make out the shoreline where the grass faded into sand. Waves lapped peacefully against the pale grains.
Then she turned to face the building and backed up until she could see the peaks of the mountains behind it. The largest of the twin suns was now half-risen, casting its glorious light across the landscape.
'Lihamee gauged her time left; she had at least an hour before both suns were fully in the sky. 'Iskramee awoke some time before that, so she planned to head up in forty minutes.
She took off, her feet slamming against the metal, and as she leaped off the platform and landed in the soft grass, she felt happier than she had in a long time. She stretched her claws, scratching at the tough bark on one of the trees, to make sure they hadn't lost their edge. Then she headed out into the ocean, hanging her robes on a tree branch beside her so she wouldn't get them wet. 'Lihamee loved the feeling of the cool water splashing against her.
Still, she left on time, sighing. She rolled in the grass to dry off before getting back into her robes and entering the building. The lift brought her back up to her floor, and she quietly entered her room, slipping under the covers and shutting her eyes.
* * *
'Iskramee stirred and was surprised to see that the Rejuvenator was already wake; he sat in a chair to the left of 'Lihamee's bed, his eyes scanning over a text recording.
'Lihamee herself was still asleep, and he took that for a good thing. Suddenly, as if hearing his footsteps was enough, she woke up and yawned.
"Good rising to both of you," 'Gehumee said in a pleasant voice.
"Good rising," they both responded.
"This turn, the egg should hatch. I have know way of knowing exactly what time, though, but don't worry," the Rejuvenator told them.
As it turned out, it was quite a while before the egg hatched. 'Lihamee found that she might have dozed off once or twice, and her soulmate was staring absently at his armor, as if there was a stray speck of filth on it. As far as she knew, 'Gehumee had stayed in the same place, looking over the text recording.
"What are you reading?" she asked.
'Gehumee looked at her as if surprised before answering, "It's a recording of the Taming of the Hunters. It follows the first ages, a very bloody time..."
He was cut off in mid-sentence by a sudden scratching sound. All three occupants swung their heads to the egg, which was shaking. A sudden knock against its inside caused it to roll over, teetering precariously on the edge... then fell.
'Gehumee was up in an instant, leaping forward. He slid on one knee, catching the precious egg at the last second. Unfortunately he was not balanced; his leg slid out from beneath him, and he fell, falling on his right hip and banging his head on the leg of 'Lihamee's bed. Still his grip on the egg remained, and he stood up shakily.
As he rose, a tiny head burst out of the shell. Shards of shell, stuck together by the thick webbing, fell to the floor. The baby cried frustratedly as it tried to tear off he webbing that was plastered to its face.
The Rejuvenator gasped, his mandibles snapping open. The baby's scales were not the typical pale green or dark green of an Sangheili; no, they were pitch black, gleaming in the morning light. Silver markings branched off from each eye and ran down the body in a flowing pattern. It was if liquid silver was contained in them; the markings were not solid silver, but contained something that was flowing within them.
"Energy, maybe," the Rejuvenator whispered to himself.
The baby growled again, swiveling its head. Its eyes had not opened, but they would soon. Then the hatchling began clawing at the inside of the shell; it broke through in a matter of seconds, nearly falling out of 'Gehumee's grasp. The Rejuvenator caught the baby Sangheili before it could fall and handed it to 'Lihamee.
'Gehumee forced his voice to remain normal, despite the excitement that was surging through him. "He is a fine, healthy young male..."
The baby interrupted by shrieking again, swinging his head, trying to discover the other creatures in this room. Slowly, the hatchling opened its eyes, and another difference was apparent: the hatchling did not have the common black eyes, or the rare green or orange eyes. No, he had icy blue eyes that seemed to drown out everything.
Now that it could see, the baby Sangheili immediately recognized his mother, and crawled over to her. It was a comical sight, as the feet looked too big for its tiny body.
"With the noble Prophet of Truth's blessing, he should become one of the finest warriors in the Covenant. In any case, he will grow fast. In a succession, he should be quite independent. Speech will be picked up in a matter of cycles. He will be ready for his first duties in six successions. It would do him well if you would offer him training and guidance before then," 'Gehumee paused, then continued, "I am afraid I must leave. I have many other duties to attend to."
'Iskramee got up, and clasped hands with the Rejuvenator. "You have been a great help. All the joy we feel now would not have been possible without you. Thank you, and may the Prophets be with you."
With that, the Rejuvenator left. 'Isrkamee turned to his soulmate, who was letting their newborn "chew" on her finger. It didn't hurt; the baby wasn't born with teeth.
"He must be hungry," he said. "I'll go get us all some provisions."
The baby looked up from its mother's finger to grunt, as if in response.
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