Chapter 20

Serval

Serval always dreaded going home, until he arrived and remembered all the reasons he loved being there in the first place. And it was even better now that he brought his mate with him. Something about having her beside him on the bridge as he entered into orbit and put in his request for landing permission with the planetary government just made the occasion special.

And he also got to experience his planet for the first time again through her eyes as she stared in wide mouthed wonder at the camera display he had opened for her – his ship didn't have windows, but he could emulate it through the outer cameras.

"It's purple!" Sophie declared, laughing in delight.

Serval chuckled, finishing the landing request before turning to admire Wav'aii beside her.

The terrestrial part of his planet was, indeed, purple. A deep, rich color, almost magenta in some areas, spread across the surface of the planet like a latticework of lace. The bright, near turquoise blue of the water covered everything else as bright, white clouds swirled over the surface.

"Wav'aii is a water world," Serval explained to her. "The land you're seeing isn't really land. Our planet has very little soil and very shallow seas. The purple you're seeing isn't dirt, it's a specific species of petrified coral that was pushed up from the shallowest parts of the ocean floor."

"Wow!" Sophie laughed, excited. "That's incredible! It's beautiful!"

Serval held his head up proudly as clearance for landing came through. He then put in a request for a landing shuttle. They both had packed bags that were sitting by the docking door already, and his family was waiting for them below.

He had time to explain to his mate more about his planet, surprising himself with how nostalgic and proud he felt about this place he only visited, very reluctantly, once a year.

"Our planet doesn't really have countries, but people are very territorial over their commu – the place where their nesting pools are. Some commus have only one family living around them, while most supply multiple families, like mine. The nesting pools are extremely protected, and no one will destroy or build over a nesting pool. As a result, the terrestrial part of the planet is very undeveloped. I can think of only one or two urban places on the ground. There are a few floating cities though, and a lot of sunken cities. All of our industry and agriculture is done underwater. So, from the surface, the planet looks rather primitive and uninhabited."

Sophie let out a breath of wonder. "It's amazing, Serval."

He put his arms around her waist, holding her close as he looked over his planet. "Yes, it really is. Our weather is mild, except at the poles, and because the planet doesn't tilt at the axis, we don't really experience seasons like others. We do have a storm spot though. See there?"

He gestured with his chin to the horizon they could see where a collection of clouds had formed a large, permanent storm.

"That's Haka Mai'ra – the spirit of Wav'aii. In ancient times, my people believed the storm was a powerful and mysterious ocean spirit struggling to break free from the waves. It's a permanent storm that is constantly moving over the surface. It doesn't move very fast, so when it hits, you know you'll experience harsh rains and powerful winds for a few tendays. Apparently, it's over my sister's academy right now, so they're all on break and she's home with the rest of the family."

"Do we have to worry about it hitting us?" Sophie asked, frowning. "I've never been in anything like a hurricane before."

"No. It's far from my commu. And because it is so slow moving, it's easy to track where it's going and predict where it will go. Besides," he brushed her hair back, "our homes are both above and below the waves, and Haka Mai'ra, though he churns up the surface, doesn't affect the water below. We will be perfectly safe, lov'alel."

She leaned her head onto his chest, still staring at the planet, a smile teasing at the corners of her lips.

"Tell me about your family," she said.

"They're cloying and overbearing," he grumbled immediately. "But they do love me. They're good people, just obnoxious. My mother and my aunt rule the commu. Not like, literally. Technically, my uncle is the leader of our commu, but you'd never know it."

Sophie was smothering her laughter with a hand. The look she gave him was filled with amusement and understanding. "Sounds just like my family. My abuelo likes to pretend he's king of the castle, while my mom and abuela rule the roost and pretend to indulge him."

"My mother and aunt take care of the nesting pools and the family. My father took over my mother's family business. My family has an ovili farm. An ovili is this little shelled creature. Tastes absolutely divine, but they're very difficult to breed and so they're a rare delicacy. My sister, Valorei, is in academy studying business so she can take over one day. She's also on the speed swim team. She's a great athlete, and super smart. And my cousins…"

His voice trailed off as he caught sight of the way she was smiling at him. So tender and sweet, it struck him in the chest as he suddenly felt self-conscious.

"What?" He asked, defensive.

She chuckled. "You sound like you really love them."

He grumbled for a moment before admitting, reluctantly, "I do love them. I just… don't want to stay on the planet for the rest of my life. Never going anywhere. Never seeing anything. It's… suffocating. I want to be out here. Chasing stories. Seeing the universe. My family… they just don't understand why someone wouldn't be content with their simple kind of life."

Sophie turned, wrapping her arms around him, resting her arms on his chest with a smile. "My family doesn't really understand me either. They try. They're supportive. Whenever I go home, they ask about my channel and ask how things are going, but you can just tell that they really don't understand how what I'm doing could be considered a successful career.

"They're always asking when I'm going to move back to Mexico. I mean, after I told them I was mating an alien, I think they finally understood that I'm not coming back. Not permanently anyway. But they just couldn't grasp why I wouldn't be happy in their small town, living the same, simple life my sisters did. Not that I'm saying my life is better than my sisters! They're happy. They're living the life they always dreamed, and I am too. It's just so different from what makes them happy, they don't know how anyone could want to do this."

"That's exactly how my family thinks," Serval said, stunned that her life, her family, sounded exactly like his. "How did you convince them that you weren't coming back? I mean, besides literally leaving your homeworld. Before mating me."

Sophie shrugged. "Truth is… I never did. They were always asking me to come home. And when things got tough or when I got lonely, that's where I always wanted to go. Even now, I wish I could bring you home to them like you're doing for me. I think some part of me will always consider that place home. No matter how far I go. And that's not a bad thing."

"You don't feel trapped by it?"

"No!" She said quickly, beaming. "Home isn't a trap. It's a guiding light. It's a roost to rest in when your wings are tired. It's the point of the compass, the warmth of a familiar bed, it's a line always pulling you back to a place of safety. And I guess, to some, that line feels like a leash, keeping you from escaping, but it's not. There's no limit to how far that line can reach. And if it's really home, there's no distance you can create that will ever sever that connection."

Serval had never thought about it that way before.

To him, home had always been the place he had been desperate to flee. Eager to leave. A place that stifled him until he felt so trapped it felt hard to breathe. He had to return to Wav'aii once a year to restore his wii, but most times he would only stay long enough to bathe in the nesting pools before leaving again.

But those times he stayed…

He would never admit it, but he kind of enjoyed the way his mother would cook and fuss over him as his aunt told him he needed to stop staying away for so long. His father wouldn't say anything, he wasn't a confrontational man, but he'd always harvest a bit more ovili to cook him a nice dinner while he was there. And his sister…

When was the last time he'd even seen his sister? The times he returned, she was either out at a competition or at academy. He didn't even know what was happening in her life because he didn't comm back often enough to get an update.

"Starcraft ID Ha Valol-4047-5843, landing shuttle en route to your location. Your ship is cleared for stable orbit in the civilian ring while you're planetside."

Sophie beamed, excited. "Is it time?"

He grunted in confirmation. "Yes. Shall we?"

She took his hand, holding it firmly as she pulled him along towards the hall. He followed, not feeling the usual trepidation that came over him when it came time to return home.