The Old World is the New World

The Old World is the New World

Suuzo stood still in the shadow of a short but lushly spread tree, eyeing the sandy-hued arcs of massive structures half-hidden in the thick jungle. The breeze was cool, but it was yet quite early in the day; in a few hours the heat would become thick and wet. The smell of mouldering leaves and ripening fruit would permeate the undergrowth. She gripped her stick-cannon very tightly in both hands and gazed around, every sense reaching out to her surroundings; she was at the very edge of Nakanzege territory. In the distance she could just see a shimmering barrier defending two helical structures, nestled in a narrow valley. They were dizzyingly tall, pointing up towards the Nakanzege ships: two vast golden rings with glowing green markings, hovering serenely in the bright blue sky. Segments of the vessels were missing; Suuzo had been told that when the ships had first appeared, they had been complete spheres. Over the years, the Nakanzege had been dismantling their vessels, building their colony with a speed which had dismayed most humans.

She cast another quick, half-fearful look at the glittering Nakanzege settlement, her dark eyes wide in her angular face. Her hair, usually a mass of short, tight coils, was hidden under a scarf so that the ash-blonde curls wouldn't stand out in the leafy gloom. Her clothing was dyed in patches of muted greens and browns, the better to blend into the jungle: a short, sleeveless vest which barely covered her nearly flat chest, layered over a thin garment which wrapped around her torso and waist, and fell to the middle of her slender thighs. Her skin was the shade of deep, earthy tone which was similar to the turned over soil under her bare feet.

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. With noiseless, deliberate steps, she made her way towards the nearby structures. Her younger brothers, the twins Muha and Wuka, had asked her to fetch a particular component.

"It is a round thing. Flat," Muha said, his grey unseeing eyes locked right on her. He held his palms close together. "This big. It has small wiring on the face, about four strands. Like gold, only not as bright."

"You should find it in one of the sleeping compartments." Wuka had grinned, his tiny face swathed in cheer. He had a large portable in his truncated arms, and he tapped on the cracked, translucent screen. It flickered to brightness, and then an image sluggishly resolved. It seemed to be some kind of wiring outline, and Suuzo inspected it, even though she had no idea what anything on it meant. It just looked like a jumble of shapes and lines. A black circle flashed over a small section, and the view zoomed in to show a small triangle. "See that symbol? It's written right on it."

"It should be right on a panel over the bed," Muha said, his stare unwavering. "Be careful how you pry it off."

"What is it for?" Suuzo asked. Muha turned away from her without answering in his usual abrupt manner, going back to the pile of wiring on his long work-surface. Despite their age, they had an entire workshop for themselves. It was located below ground, unlike most of the other dwellings in their quiet town, and it was very cool and comfortable. Wuka displayed one of his sunny smiles once more.

"It'll work in this hub we're building," he told her. He had always been the more patient of the two. "It'll make parts communicate faster."

"Oh." Suuzo had sat back on her heels, crouched beside Wuka's chair; she didn't know that parts needed to communicate. On the other side of the work-surface, Muha's callused brown fingers stitched together the scavenged pieces of technology. Wuka had patted her cheek in a companionable manner and then went back to his own work.

She'd clambered the steep steps out of their workshop and into the main clearing of their compound, cascades of dust-speckled sunlight drenching the deep-green leaves. Her town was made up of very large, squat buildings arranged along wide, straight roads in a nearly circular layout; her father Ganka had once told her that it had been built to accommodate nearly two thousand people.

"Where has everyone else gone?" she asked, for there were so few of them at last count. She'd grown up in this place for seventeen years, and she'd never seen more than forty families or so. Ganka had simply shrugged.

"Don't know," he had answered. "But this is for sure: Tesuka will never leave."

Suuzo had left long before the sun rose and travelled past the brooding, empty homes of her birthplace, and through the tall wooden gates. She had thought about going towards the glass city to the east, but then thought that the egg-shaped structures would be a better choice. Now, she snuck towards the curved buildings. In the third one down the row, the entry portal was smashed in, and dried leaves littered the smooth floor. She sniffed at the air, but there didn't seem as if any animals had taken refuge inside. This unit appeared to have been designed for a family, for beyond the living area she could see four doorways. Lines of blue light flickered along a long wall to her left as she crept in, the unit's AI recognizing a potential user. The light was very faint, and quavered weakly. Wuka or Muha could probably fix it, but they were all forbidden to get so close to the Nakanzege colony. Suuzo was taking a massive risk at the moment. If her grand-uncle Tesuka found out how close she had been, he would probably try to whip her.

"Don't be fooled, my pure ones. They may look human...but they're not like us!" Tesuka liked to scream in weekly gatherings out in the central meeting place of their district. "They steal our girls, and kill them! Eat them!" The congregation would mutter and shudder in fright, grasping frantically at their remaining girls. Suuzo was uncomfortable under their attention, especially when their neighbours mournfully mentioned Imbeki, who had once been considered the village's most beautiful woman. As dark as polished wood, Imbeki had been taken by the Nakanzege about nine years ago, a little after the birth of the twins. Yet, she could clearly imagine Wuka's delighted expression when she returned with the component. It would be worth it...and no-one would need to know.

The first sleeping compartment she tried was dark. The big, curved window on the other side of the room was completely covered by the huge, curling leaves of creeping vines. Over a long, low frame which had once been a bed, Suuzo spotted a control panel...and yes, there was the circular part the twins had requested. It did indeed have the triangular symbol printed on its flat face and the four metallic wires. Warm with excitement, Suuzo pulled a slender knife out of a vest-pocket, and very carefully pried at the seam between the component and the panel. It came away fairly easily, and for a moment she blinked at the four fine filaments which stretched from the back of the little part and dove into the depths of the control panel. After a moment's consideration, she used her knife to snip the filaments, barely visible, as close to the frame as possible.

Suuzo slipped the component into another pocket of her vest and stepped out of the room; she froze, her heart thudding wildly against the wall of her chest. A Nakanzege stood right within the main entry, staring at her with a wary yet curious air. It was in its animal form, and she knew it for what it was because of the silver bracers just above its furry wrists. It was a very large animal: muscular and sturdy, with longer forelegs than hind. One of its short, round ears twitched at her, and it considered her with deep-set, dark eyes. Suuzo activated her stick-cannon almost reflexively, twisting its rotating center with a sharp crack. The hollow end of the lightweight weapon glowed a sickly green, the smooth sides humming against her palms as she pointed it to the large hyena blocking her way.

The Nakanzege's transformation was rapidly fluid: limbs lengthening, shoulders widening; spotted sandy fur receding to reveal warm-hued skin, rich brown-red like tree sap. It was on its feet in a moment and it touched the silver bracers on its wrists together, creating a high bell-like sound: ting! Two orbs of electric light materialised around its hands with a heavy, buzzing sound. It took up a defensive stance: one leg stepped back, arms raised. Long black hair spilled over over its shoulders, all the way to its buttocks; a messy fringe hung right above a pair of beautifully brown eyes, tilted upwards at the outer edges. It looked so human, and even as Suuzo trembled, she couldn't help but stare at its nude form.

It was nearly a whole head taller than her, and seemed far more athletic, long lean muscles tense in its waiting stance; the ladder of its abdominal muscles rippled as it breathed. Light brown eyes were fixed on Suuzo with the same fixed intensity as Muha. There was something about its narrow chin and wide brow which made it seem to be about Suuzo's age, despite the big breasts. A female, then?...but there was a long penis dangling between its legs, darkly hued, thick veins snaking up and down the shaft. Suuzo felt her head spin; she needed to get out of here, or this Nakanzege might kill her.

Her grand-uncle's voice reverberated in her head: and EAT you!

She twisted the center of the stick-cannon and felt it cycle up, vibrating even more. The Nakanzege did not shift. She simply inhaled slowly, narrowed those lovely eyes at Suuzo and clenched her big fists even tighter as she exhaled. The electric orbs snapped and buzzed. Suuzo desperately weighed her options, beads of sweat gathering on her brow. She couldn't run; the shapeshifter was in her way and even if Suuzo managed to get past, the Nakanzege had long legs: she could overtake Suuzo easily. She wasn't sure if the stick-cannon was any match for the electrical orbs. Possibly, the Nakanzege could use them to block the energy surge and Suuzo had to wait at least five seconds for the cannon to recharge.

So she acted mostly on instinct and deactivated the stick-cannon. The Nakanzege's eyes were wide as Suuzo slowly knelt down, placing her weapon on the ground before pushing it away. The stick-cannon rolled, ending up beneath a low ledge. Suuzo placed her palms flat on the cool floor, noting almost abstractedly that there were straight lines in the black surface, dividing it into large squares. She waited, her breath rushing in and out from between trembling lips. Her pulse clamoured in her ears, but she heard the moment when the dangerous drone of the orbs cut out.

She kept her head down, and started a little when two feet appeared in her line of vision. The second toes of those bare feet were almost as long as the big ones. Part of Suuzo's mind was intent on that fact, and there was another section which trembled in a dark corner, anticipating a deathly blow. So she jumped when the Nakanzege touched her shoulder, the hand sliding forward to tip up her face.

The Nakanzege hunkered down, fingers still under Suuzo's chin. Her amber gaze tracked over Suuzo's face, and there was an unusual expression on her face: it seemed very soft and open. With her free hand, she pressed a thumb right between her own breasts.

"Nesniuta Ayla," the Nakanzege enunciated, forming the syllables very clearly. She nodded, and said: "Ayla."

Suuzo just blinked. The Nakanzege raised her thick brows in response and smiled. That smile didn't seem too dangerous. It was teasing and...heated. Her gaze was still very direct, and Suuzo licked her lips. She felt a twisting coil of want deep in her loins.

"Suuzo," she whispered in response and Ayla nodded, apparently very pleased. She grasped Suuzo's arms and stood, coaxing the shorter girl to her feet. Ayla's hands slid up and down Suuzo's arms, from wrist to shoulder and back again. She spoke in her own language, a rippling river of sound; now and again, Suzoo heard her name used in a comforting croon.

When her hands pulled open the short vest, Suuzo thought she should have jumped back and gripped the material over her chest; but, she stood there and let Ayla's gaze flow over her small tits; her areolae were small and dark, and her nipples were very hard. She could feel the lips of her pussy getting damp. This was a Nakanzege, but her hands were big and warm against the skin of Suuzo's neck and chest, her reddish-brown skin contrasting against Suuzo's darker tone.

Ayla bent forward and suckled on one of Suuzo's stiff nipples, and Suuzo cried out in surprise and arousal. Ayla's tongue flickered against Suuzo's nub and her teeth worried at it. When she moved to the other one, Suuzo was in a caught up in a clamouring haze of lust. One of her hands found its way to Ayla's hair and plunged into the long, dark mass. The strands felt slippery under Suuzo's palm. Ayla suckled hard, and Suuzo released a trembling moan.

This feels so good...what is happening, Suuzo thought as Ayla's fingers worked at the knots of her thin dress, unraveling the layers. The cloth whispered down to the ground and Ayla knelt in front of Suuzo, stroking the mound of her pussy. What is she doing, Suuzo wondered. Why-- Most of her thought flitted away as Ayla leaned forward and ran the tip of her tongue up the slit. Goosebumps raced up and down Suuzo's skin. She quaked as Ayla's tongue worked deeper inside, grazing around the eagerly emerging clit.

Suuzo hissed at the onslaught of sensation. Ayla gripped her hips, her face mashed against Suuzo's crotch, eating her pussy eagerly. They'll eat you, she mused and a mindless giggle mixed with another moan escaped her lips.

Another set of thoughts coalesced indolently in Suuzo's mind. She was ready to fight me if I attacked...until I yielded. Was it because I gave up? Or...or how I surrendered?

Ayla moaned and the sensation echoed through Suuzo's cunny; she gripped the strong shoulder of the Nakanzege kneeling in front of her and shuddered, mouth open in a silent sob. Her mind felt wiped clean, and her knees buckled from the sheer pleasure cascading through her slim body. She stumbled back, falling on her ass with her skinny legs splayed wide; her nipples felt as hard and long as spikes. Ayla laughed a little breathlessly, even though her cheeks were flushed. Her lips seemed very plump and red, as if she'd been eating sour apples. Suuzo glanced down between Ayla's legs; a thin stream of thick-looking jizz dribbled from the slit of her erect cock.

The Nakanzege knelt between her legs, moving with a quick grace. She pulled at the wrapping on Suuzo's head, tugging on one frizzy coil as soon as her hair was revealed. Her big tits, surprisingly soft, rubbed against Suuzo's erect nipples. Suuzo went up on her elbows, her face closed to Ayla's, smelling the slightly sweet scent which came from her skin.

Suuzo kissed her, a clumsy move which had no thought at all behind it, except that she really wanted to do it. Ayla's breath puffed against her lips in surprise before she opened her own mouth. The sharp flavour of her own cunt was in Ayla's mouth, and Suuzo whimpered, arching up wantonly. She stilled when she felt the fat head of Ayla's cock rub against the lips of her cunt, spreading them wide. Ayla pulled away, murmuring encouragement as her shaft delved into the wet, clenching chute. It felt hot and thick inside Suuzo, and she imagined she could feel the bulging veins along its length.

"Ahh," Suuzo breathed as Ayla pulled out and pushed in again. It felt so good, and she gripped at Ayla's strong arms as the shapeshifter thrust into her over and over again. Ayla's body was hot and sweaty against hers, and the floor was chilly against her back even though she still wore her vest. All she knew was the throbbing dick pistoning in and out of her pussy, the strange forbidden excitement of being fucked by a Nakanzege on the floor of an abandoned family unit. Their gasps mingled as their bodies writhed together; sweat traced a damp line from Ayla's collarbone to between her breasts. Suuzo pressed her mouth against the curve where Ayla's neck met her shoulder, biting down on the strong muscle there.

Ayla panted in her ear, her hands scrambling at the back of Suuzo's thighs, gripping them to push them up and tilting back Suuzo's hips. They both groaned as the new angle made the head of that fuckpole ram against some sensitive spot deep inside her, and the walls of Suuzo's slithery passage clenched the shaft in uncontrollable clenches. Suuzo screamed in a bliss so acute that it felt close to pain, and she clawed at Ayla's strong back as her consciousness whited out.

She came back to a foggy awareness a few moments later in time to feel Ayla's cock swell a little more and her strokes become wild, stuttered. She cried out in a hoarse voice as her load flooded Suuzo's insides in quite a few long spurts, and then some shorter ones. Suuzo groaned at how slick and creamy that cum felt as it rushed into her spasming depths.

Ayla's mouth found hers again, and Suuzo whimpered as the softened cock slipped out and a runnel of splooge dribbled out from her ravaged cunt. Suuzo lay there, her hands smoothing through Ayla's long hair as their tongues stroked against each other's. Ayla broke their kiss and sat back on her heels, looking down on Suuzo's trembling body with her eyes half-lidded.

She helped Suuzo to her feet, ripping a piece of the discarded garment to wipe the insides of Suuzo's thighs. Then, she watched as Suuzo rewrapped her dress and scarf, then retrieve her stick-cannon. Ayla held up two fingers and then pointed to the floor. Her thick black eyebrows were raised in a query.

Two days. Return here? Suuzo could manage that. She nodded and Ayla nodded as well, stepping back and transforming into the shaggy beast between one breath and another. Ayla sat at the door of the abandoned living unit and watched as Suuzo scrambled back into the jungle, her thighs still trembling from excitement and exhaustion. Now and again she had to stop and wipe between her legs, for Ayla's cum still dripped out of her. She wondered if Ayla had followed her at all, for she thought she heard a few rustles behind her as she headed towards her village; but when she turned around, she saw nothing.

---

There was a large stone wall around her village, and Suuzo had grown up seeing it every day of her life. It was meant to hold out any Nakanzege and she had always believed that it was the only thing that protected humans from the aliens, according to Tesuka. Yet, Ayla had carried technology on her wrists which could rip these barriers to pieces. So why hadn't the Nakanzege ever attacked them? Why had they never stormed the village and taken all they wanted?

"Where have you been?" her grand-uncle Tesuka demanded as she trudged into the family compound. His white hair was like soft down on his head, and his watery eyes locked on her with suspicion. Suuzo's father Ganka, a wiry man from whom she'd inherited her slight build, looked up from where he was skinning a brace of large rodents. His small face bore a welcoming but tired smile under his intricately decorated head-wrappings. Beside him on an large solar-powered kiln, a pot sat bubbling. A peppery, savoury smell filled the air.

"I was out getting something for the twins," Suuzo said and tried not to appear as if she was hiding something when Tesuka glared at her; she hoped Ayla hadn't left any bruises on her skin.

"Where did you go? Where exactly?" Tesuka demanded. He was a withered little man who seemed so frail but spoke powerfully. Suuzo swallowed and looked at him. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but the words froze in her throat.

Ganka said in his mild manner, "Wherever she went, she's back now. Go call the boys for dinner, Suuzo."

Suuzo ducked her head away from Tesuka's thunderous countenance, and went down into the workshop to fetch her brothers. She handed over the little round element which had thankfully not fallen from her vest pocket as she'd screwed on a floor with a Nakanzege. Wuka gave her a sweet kiss on her cheek in thanks, but they'd both complained as she cajoled them from their wires and electronics. She carried Wuka in her arms and guided Muha upstairs with his little hand resting in the crook of her elbow.

As they ate the spicy stewed meat with slices of boiled purple-hued tubers, her mind wandered to the memory of Ayla's mouth hanging slack as she shot her creamy load deep into Suuzo.

---

Two days later, she managed to evade Tesuka's increasing scrutiny and made her way back to the deserted structures. The door to their unit had been repaired and reinstalled, but it slid open when she stood on the threshold. When she stepped inside, the control system lit up like a lantern celebration and welcomed her in a dialect which sounded close to her own, but mostly incomprehensible; she picked up the words home and good, but that was all she could understand. The dry leaves had been cleaned out, and the floor gleamed under a layer of new polish. She set her stick-cannon against a sloping wall, and detached the small portable that the twins had given her from her arm. She checked it for any missive from Wuka before placing it on an empty shelf.

Ayla padded out of the middle sleeping room in her animal form. Suuzo licked her lips, feeling her stomach clench in want as they stared into each other's eyes. Suuzo felt helpless as she reached between her legs and rubbed at the pouting lips of her pussy. Her skin felt slick with her juices as she stroked the trembling flesh. Ayla's gaze locked onto the movement of Suuzo's fingers, a pink tongue hanging out one side of her open snout as she panted. Her bushy tail brushed on the floor as it swished slowly from side to side.

A high yip shook Suuzo out of her gasping rise to release by her own fingers. She padded over to Ayla, wondering why she hadn't changed to her human form as yet. In the sleeping room, a new thick pallet had been placed atop the wide frame. Ayla nudged at Suuzo, pressing her damp nose against the side of Suuzo's right thigh...then, boldly, shoved that large furry head under her dress and snuffling at her crotch, lapping at the slit with a rough tongue. Suuzo was so aroused that her skin felt as if it was on fire, and her breath punched out of her in hot little bursts. She'd always been quietly dependable in her family, shielding her brothers from Tesuka's scorn over their disabilities. She felt quite unlike herself at the moment because she climbed onto the edge of the bed and pulled up her dress, presenting her pussy. Ayla slobbered and whined, worming her tongue into Suuzo's gash. Her tongue in its animal form felt so much longer than that of her human shape, and the thick muscle crammed into Suuzo mercilessly.

"Ah! Ah!" Suuzo whimpered, ass up in the air and face pressed into the soft surface of the pallet; Ayla's drool slathered all over her cunt. When Ayla pulled back, Suuzo actually groaned in complaint at the cold air which tickled her skin.

Ayla scrambled atop Suuzo's back; forelegs planted just above her shoulders, the silver bracers brushing against her skin. Suuzo was caught up in a state of carnal shock, mouth formed into a quivering 'o' as Ayla's wide hyena prick gouged her tender flesh, splitting her wide open for a hard ramming. She was a willing hole, mounted by an alien Nakanzege in its beastly state, fucked mindless. Above her, Ayla's powerful body assailed hers with brusque strokes.

"Nhhgh!! Yes! Yes!" Suuzo gripped at the rumpled material of the pallet as Ayla rammed particularly deep. Her tits, small as they were, actually jiggled under the force of the thrust. She tensed as hot thick cream flooded inside her, squelching between the engorged flesh of Ayla's pole and her engorged pussy. Her belly distended with the sheer quantity of cum. Ayla's still-rigid prick pulled out of her cunt, and even more jizz splattered in thick globules onto Suuzo's back and buttocks, dripping down her crack and coating her clenching shithole.

That sensation, and the feeling of Ayla's gooey jizz sloshing in her belly and streaming down her thighs made her climax rip through her body. She thought she pissed herself as her own juices expelled forcefully. It couldn't have been piss...at least she hoped so, for Ayla scrambled down to the floor again, greedily slurping the mingled nectar on Suuzo's skin and on the soaked pallet.

Suuzo felt warm and awkward when Ayla transformed into her human shape, her body pleasantly weary. All of what had just happened, she'd never would have dreamed it, but Ayla seemed deeply content. The reactivated air exchange system hissed very softly overhead, efficiently scrubbing out the scent of sex. Suuzo lay on her back, buzzing with pleasure. Ayla lay on her side, the side of her head propped up with one hand. Her fingers lightly tickled down Suuzo's belly and then reached down further, stroking the ooze of cum still trickling out from between the lips of her cunt.

I might be carrying a Nakanzege in me now, Suuzo thought and bit the inside of her lip. Ayla sat up, and Suuzo was admiring the lush fall of her hair as she turned away and retrieved a small round capsule which had been placed on a smooth ledge just beneath the window. She turned back to Suuzo, and slid open the top of the capsule with a flick of her thumb. A sliver of metal nestled within folds of blue soft-looking material. Ayla touched a finger to the sliver, and it stuck to her skin. She held it out to Suuzo, saying something in her own speech. Suuzo shook her head, not understanding.

Ayla pointed to her own temple and then to Suuzo's, speaking once more. Suuzo nodded hesitantly, and tensed when Ayla pressed the flake to the skin on the side of her forehead. An odd sensation, like rapid flickering of long fingers, bloomed through Suuzo's head. She clutched at the cloth wrapped around her short hair. Heat drained into her mind. Ayla pulled away the flake and Suuzo stared as she pressed it to her own temple. Ayla's eyelids fluttered, and a frown creased the skin between her thick eyebrows. Then, she let her hand fall and looked right into Suuzo's face.

"Hello, Suuko," she said, her speech perfectly comprehensible. Suuzo felt her mouth fall open. Ayla laughed a little, ferally. "You should see your face."

---

Some weeks later, Ganka woke Suuzo in the middle of the night.

"Susu," he said, singing her childhood name softly. "Susu." His gentle song continued as she rose to consciousness like a kite floating towards the sun. Suuzo squinted at him in the gloom, bewildered. He squatted beside the raised platform of her bed, dressed in a long nightshirt; his long, thick hair was unbounded, and it tumbled in thick platinum locks to the middle of his back. A lamp bloomed soft yellow light in the middle of his palm. She sat up, knuckling one eye.

"What's happened?" Suuzo whispered. The reedy sounds of the night insects flowed through the window. "Is it Muha and Wuka? Are they sick again?"

He shook his head, then hesitated. "...not yet," he finally admitted. Suuzo had long given up wondering how her father knew such things. The twins had recently begun to suffer from from episodes of violent convulsions. One twin would start and it would set off the other, both of them twitching helplessly. Ganka nearly always sensed it coming on even before they knew themselves. He would make his preparations: a piece of carved stick for each of them to bite down on as they quaked. Clean soft bedding and a soothing drink for after they recovered. That was the best he could do.

"This time...this time might be their last time." Ganka let out a long sigh and closed his eyes briefly. He looked almost as old as Tesuka in that moment, before he opened his eyes again. "Carry them to the Nakanzege. Ask them for their help."

Suuzo opened her mouth to ask why he would think that she could be able to do such a thing, but he simply bestowed his knowing smile at her. She wondered how long Ganka had known.

"You must leave quickly," he said, getting to his feet. "They'll be stricken soon."

She reached out and took his free hand, squeezing tightly. "Come with us," she said, even though she was already sure of his answer. He shook his head.

"Tesuka will not leave," he told her. "And I must stay with him, since I was the one who gave his favourite away to the Nakanzege." He still had a small smile on his face, and it seemed to gain a bereaved air as Suuzo gazed up at him, pieces of a long-pondered puzzle falling into place in her mind. Imbeki, mother of Suuko and the twins, spouse of Ganka; the beauty of their town, but her allure had faded after the birth of the twins as if they had bled the life from her. She had gotten sicker and sicker, and then disappeared one day like she'd finally been reduced to smoke and frittered away by a cold wind. Tesuka had been caught between rigid fear of the aliens, and a frothing rage, telling everyone that the Nakanzege had stolen her away. Ganka had also been fairly disconsolate. His mourning was very brief, however, and he simply threw himself into the care of his children and the uncle of his wife.

"They are like us," Ganka said now, pulling his hand out of Suuko's grip and resting it on her shoulders. "In a way, they are us. Do you know?"

Suuzo nodded; a few weeks ago, hidden away in their living unit, Ayla had told her that the Nakanzege were from this very planet.

"Some of our scientists think that we branched off from a common ancestor," Ayla had said in a lecturing tone. Suuzo, who had her eyes closed, could almost imagine the mocking, sexy grin on Ayla's face. "And yet some others--the radicals, you know--they think that your people created mine. Isn't that interesting?"

Drowsy from their drawn out fucking, Suuzo had hummed in response. Yes, yes; very interesting.

"We left, but many of our archives were lost. We don't know why we left." Ayla lay with her head on Suuzo's stomach, long strands of her hair trailing in the little puddles of sticky jizz she had just shot onto Suuzo's skin. "We lived in the stars for so long...and then some of us wanted to come Home." Ayla was quiet for a long time, and when she spoke again, her voice was low: "Home wasn't how we'd left it. The few records we have...this wasn't how it was."

"Well, it's how it is now," Suuzo had said, and for some reason that very practical statement had amused Ayla; she burst out laughing, the peals of sound echoing against the curved walls. The vibrations of her amusement had rippled against Suuzo's belly.

"I'll carry them," Suuzo promised Ganka, and he patted her shoulder. Hot tears stung at the corners of her eyes, and she tried to blink their surprising suddenness away. "I will see Imbeki and I'll tell her you're still taking care of Tesuka."

"Thank you, my Susu," he said, and left her room as quietly as he had entered it.

They departed late one night, Wuka strapped to her back, Muha's hand warm on her arm as she led him with great care into the jungle. The twins were very quiet; none of them had said goodbye to their father. Walking with the confidence of one who is without fear, Suuzo disappeared with her brothers into the dark.

The Nakanzege settlement was exceedingly massive when seen close up; she imagined she could feel the subsonic pulse of the ships high overhead, falling like invisible rain. The barrier was so very tall, and beyond it, the two main helical structures curled up towards the ships. However, there were so many other smaller buildings, incorporated into the muted green spaces of the jungle so neatly that they were almost invisible. Suuzo had not expected that.

By this point, she carried both Muha and Wuka, and they felt as light as leaves on her back and in her arms, breathing in the unconcerned manner of the young. The morning sunlight landed on the shimmering barrier in a way that reminded Suuzo of Ayla's electric orbs; she laughed a little internally at the memory of how she unknowingly offered her body to Ayla in the Nakanzege way: a sign of willing submission.

Suuzo peered at the barrier, wondering how she should alert them to her presence. Then she saw a small crowd of individuals on the other side, hurrying in her direction. Some of them were in their animal forms, loping or slithering or crawling along; some were in their human state, their strides long and rapid. Suuzo only had eyes for Ayla, who was near the head of the pack, hyena in this leap and human in the next. A small, rectangular section of the barrier sizzled and then disappeared, and Ayla shouted at the others in her own language, practically barking at them. The rest of them stopped short, and Ayla stepped through the opening, her eyes wide with excitement and wonder.

"Hello," Suuzo told her with a tired smile. "You should see your face."

The End

Other Notes: I hoped you enjoyed! I like reading comments/questions/critiques, so please consider leaving one. The original summary for this was: Spacefaring werehyena/shapeshifters once resided on Earth, but they've now returned to a depopulated, post-apocalyptic planet.

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