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F.S.S. DRACONUS ©

Day One

Part 2

Written and edited

by

superchook692005

and

mkewing2553.

Several hours later an exhausted Lieutenant Sundawn placed hir tricorder in its recharge dock in Stephillum's office before picked up hir saddle bags. It had been four hours since shi had arrived in the sickbay, and shi had spent all of those hours working hirself hard trying to keep all of hir patients alive. Steph and hir had worked themselves into the floor, and in the end their efforts had, in large part, been successful. They had lost one patient, a young Voxxan Vixen who had looked to be in her early twenties.

Both Sundawn and Stephillum hated to loss, but both of them had also learned long ago how do deal with the simple fact of life that people die, regardless of how hard the doctors work to keep them alive.

Dusk came over to Sundawn as shi put hir tools away and placed a hand on hir arm. "You did good Doc, you did good."

Sundawn turned to the head nurse and gave a tired smile. "I know... I just hate losing a patient."

"Every doctor hates losing patients, but its unfortunately part of the business." Dusk said softly, "now go have fun with your family, we're okay here now."

Sundawn nodded and headed out of the sickbay, almost running into hir Lifemate, Solarblaze. "Solar..." Shi yelped softly in surprise before hugging hir mate.

"Hi Sunny." Solarblaze said cheerfully, though from what Sundawn could feel of hir mate, the cheeriness was a façade meant to keep other people from asking uncomfortable questions.

"Afternoon Snugglepaws." Sundawn purred softly before taking hir mate's arm, walking with hir down the corridor. "What a damned day... my first day on this ship and I am thrown into the deep end."

"Damned straight hon." Solarblaze replied as the two chakats tiredly made their way towards their quarters.

"Solarblaze... I think your sister might have an admirer now... One of the victims of that mess down at the transport facility on Earth was a chakat cub, not even four years old."

"What does that have to do with Steph?"

"The cub seems to have attached hirself to your sister."

"Oh..." Solarblaze giggled softly. "That sounds interesting."

"I just hope that hir parents can be located."

Solarblaze shook hir head. "From the comm. traffic I can tell you know that Chakat Winterbreeze is alone... hir parents were killed in the explosion down there."

"Oh... poor baby... Shi doesn't look like shi's much older than Firespot. I can't imagine what it's like to have hir bonds with hir parents broken in such a terrible way." Sundawn pauses for a moment and then feels a pair of tears running down hir muzzle. "I have a slight knowledge though, because of what happened to my mother when I was a cub, but this is different."

Solarblaze nodded sympathetically to hir mate and hugged hir tightly. "Sunny... I remember too. Losing my mother..." Shi sobbed softly as a inconceivable amount of pain rose up and threatened hir state of mind.

Sensing hir mate's internal pain Sundawn projected hir love and support to hir mate while hugging hir. "Solar... Steph may have more of a challenge on hir paws than you might realize. If the cub is anything like I was when I was hir age... shi'll want some physical link with hir new adoptive mother... that will mean..."

"Just spit it out Sunny." Solarblaze said with a soft giggle, knowing hir mate often had a habit leaving a sentence hanging.

Sundawn chuckled and looked at hir mate. "As you wish honey... The cub may want to have some milk."

"Oh... well that will be something new for Steph."

"That's what I thought." Sundawn replied while twiddling with a lock of hir soft golden blond hair.

Just as they were about to reach their quarters a softly panting Tanya arrived beside them and listened for a moment before she softly added her own observations.

"From what I've seen, Stephillum doesn't seem like the kind of person that likes to be tied down by anybody, or anything for that matter."

Sundawn chuckled with a knowing laugh. "Is that how shi sees a family from your perspective?"

"I really don't know Sundawn, I haven't known hir as long as you have." Tanya replied as they reached the door to thier quarters.

"I just hope that Steph isn't afraid to come to us for help, and shi will need help with this, considering how rarely shi works with cubs."

"Yes... perhaps you should call hir Solarblaze, shi is your sister after all, and shi may find working with you easier than working with me under these circumstances."

"Nonsense Sundawn!" Solarblaze exclaimed. "Shi should be comfortable with you my love as shi is with me, after all shi's known you since you were ten years old."

Sundawn nodded at that simple fact as Solarblaze opened the door to their quarters. Shi had barely stepped in the door when shi was mobbed by three little furballs, hugging and kisslicking hir all over.

With a giggle shi returned the eager affection of the cubs with hugs and kisslicks of hir own.

Giggles stepped forwards and smiled softly. "If this is any indication Commander they've been missing you terribly. All your daughters could talk about this afternoon that they would be seeing you after you got off shift." Hy told Solarblaze with a soft giggle.

"Hey Giggles, so, how're the terrible trio?" Sundawn replied picking up hir daughters, Dawnlight and Firespot.

"A handful..." The skunktaur replied with hys arms crossed.

Firetail butted hir little head against hir step-father and mewled hungrily wanting to be fed.

"Okay Firetail give me a moment... I know you're hungry." Solarblaze said to the kitten as shi placed both Firespot and Dawnlight back down on the floor before removing hir uniform top and hir nursing bra. With that done shi picked up the kitten and gently guided hir towards one of hir lactating breasts.

All four of the adults chuckled as Firetail instantly glommed onto the nipple and began nursing noisily before Solarblaze settled down on the floor with the cub in hir arms and looked to Giggles. "When did shi begin to get hungry?"

"Well... it was around 16:00 when shi began mewling for a feed, that was also about the same time as your two terrors decided that they were also hungry."

Sundawn laughed softly as Firespot held hir arms up to hir father and gave a soft mewl. "Looks like Firetail isn't the only one who wants some milk." Shi stated before walking over and picking up hir daughter.

Firespot looked up to hir mother and gave a soft mewl.

"Okay kitten you can have some too." Sundawn replied to her cub as she removed hir top and freed one of hir breasts so that hir daughter could have some milk.

Firespot purred happily as shi latched on and quickly began to nurse, and soon hir purrs were joined by those of hir mother as they renewed their empathic bonds of mother and child.

Almost as soon as shi began nursing from hir mother there was a slight breeze as Stephillum teleported into the room with a four year old chakat cub clinging tightly to hir. "Hiya all, may we join ya?" Steph asked without preamble as shi settled down and gently petted Winterbreeze's lower back.

Solarblaze looked up from Firetail and smiled, "Sure sis, I see you've got your own cub to take care of now."

Sundawn nodded and smiled softly to the little cub in Steph's arms. "Poor little dear, shi's lost everything."

"Yeah, shi doesn't want to be left alone either, and right now shi's also hungry." Steph replied scratching the cub behind hir ears, making hir purr softly in pleasure.

Sundawn nodded and then softly began petting the cute little cub, "Sweetie what do you want to eat for dinner?"

Winterbreeze looked nervously at Sundawn before shi softly said, "I want... mommy."

Sundawn nodded sadly and looked at hir sister in law. "This is a very hard time for hir Steph... I think right now it may actually be healthy for hir to take some milk... from either me or Solarblaze. Shi doesn't need it for nutrition as much as shi needs the close physical connection to you."

"Sunny as much as I love you and my sister, it may actually be better if I am the one who provides hir with milk, after-all as you pointed out shi needs the bonds."

Solarblaze nodded at that moment before shi interjected. "Sunny that would be better for hir."

Tanya chose that moment to speak up as shi came through the doors into the apartment, "Sunny listen to your lifemate, shi probably knows what shi's talking about. Hell you told me yourself that nursing beyond the age of two really isn't all that harmful to cubs after all that is why we're still breastfeeding Firetail most of the time instead of making hir wean before shi is ready for it."

"Yes I guess you're right."

"I know I am right Sunny. After all your father and step-mother nursed you all the way till you began going through puberty."

Sundawn looked down at the floor ear-blushing brightly. "Yeah... well it made me feel good, and it helped me deal with some situations that I really wasn't ready to deal with. Like the first time I met Solarblaze and found how shi was on the inside."

Steph looked at hir sister than hir sister's lifemate and nodded softly, shi had more understanding about hir sister's mental issues than Tanya did, but then again shi also recognized that Sundawn had hir own issues dealing with a volatile temper. "Now how are we going to get this little cub something to eat this time?"

Sundawn looked first at Winterbreeze than at hir new adoptive mother. "Well that depends, will shi let go of you for as long as is needed for hir to nurse?"

The cub shook hir head softly holding onto Steph even more tightly whimpering softly.

"Okay... how about you come closer to me and let hir reach me from your arms?"

"That could work." Steph admitted before moving over until hir body touched that of hir sister-in-law, holding Winterbreeze in such a way as to make it easy for the cub to access the breast that Firespot wasn't nursing on.

"Come on sweetie you can have some milk if you want." Sundawn told the cub gently while softly stroking hir backs.

The cub nodded hir head while clutching at Steph's top and shivering soflty.

"I won't hurt you baby, but you are hungry aren't you?" Sundawn asked as shi pushed hir limited natural empathic abilities to their limits projecting a sense of calm to the cub.

Winterbreeze nods hir head slightly, hir ears twitching slightly, meeping.

"Can you tell me your name sweetie?" Sundawn asked the cub, although shi already knew the cub's name. Shi wanted to hear it from the cub, as well as make hir a little less nervous.

The cub looked up at Steph then at Tanya and Solarblaze before shi softly whispered. "I'm Winterbreeze. Mommy was Crystalsun an' daddy was Dawnbreeze." As soon as shi said that shi began crying brokenly hir entire body transmitting hir misery as hir feelings of loss overwhelmed hir being.

Steph hugged the cub tightly and rocked hir gently. "Shi's been doing a lot of crying in the past few hours, and shi's never once tried to let go of me."

"Steph shi's dealing with grief in hir own fashion but shi needs something to help hir deal with this. My step-mother's seen this hundreds of times at hir practise on Chakona."

"What would shi do in this case?"

"Shi would say to you to follow you instincts. Moreover you aren't completely without resources, because you have both Solarblaze and I who can give you help and advice since we are already experienced parents."

Stephillum nodded as shi encouraged hir crying cub to latch on and nurse from hir sister-in-law. "That is a fact that I am profoundly relieved of. I really don't have any training on how to be a parent."

At that statement both Sundawn, Solarblaze, and Tanya all began laughing before a half-choking Solarblaze said, between giggles. "Steph cubs don't come with instructions. Parenting is a learn as you go experience. You think it's been easy for me and Sunny, having cubs so young?"

The herm foxtaur looked at the two chakats for a moment. Both chakats hadn't yet reached their 23rdyear and they both borne one cub already. After a moment considering hir sister and sister-in-law Stephillum shook hir head. "I guess it hasn't been easy, but you seem to be thriving." Shi gestured to both of them. "Looking at you here now... together with you daughters, I can understand why mom and dad gave you their blessing when you were 14." Steph didn't say anything more, because shi knew that for hir sister that hir childhood was still a touchy subject. They'd both experienced more pain in their short lives than anyone really had a right to.

After a moment of introspection Steph began to feel a sense of pleasure and the decrease in hunger pangs that were plaguing hir and shi looked down to see that Winterbreeze had latched onto Sundawn's nipple and was suckling strongly.

"Steph... right now Winterbreeze needs you to be there for hir more than anything else in the universe. Shi may even want to nurse for a few weeks, or months. Not really for the nutrition, though it will be good for hir, but for the closeness and bonding that it provides."

"Sure sis." Steph smiled, sitting right next to Sundawn, close enough so that Winterbreeze didn't have to break contact with hir while shi nursed from Sundawn.

As the cub nursed hir anxiety and nervousness began to ease. Soon all of the empaths in the room could sense the feelings of contentment and happiness coming from the cub.

"Now Steph, since shi physically has no real need for nursing, you could give hir your own milk without any ill side effects."

"Yes... I think I'll do that." The herm vixen replied while gently petting hir new cub's back causing the cub, who was still nursing, to purr softly. "Are you going to be joining the Captain for dinner tonight?" Shi asked switching the subjects of the conversations as smoothly as shi could.

"Yes... As soon as we get the cubs settled and fed for the evening." Sundawn answered with a soft affectionate chuckle as shi released Firespot from hir depleted breast .

The kitten licked hir lips and burped softly before looking up at hir mother, "Tank you mommy. You tasty."

Sundawn smiled and replied softly, "You're very welcome kitten."

The cub purred softly basking in the feeling of unconditional love that shi was getting from hir mother.

Solarblaze smiled as shi watched hir mate interact with hir youngest daughter before shi softly asked, "Now what are we going to do about these four little furballs?"

"Well we're going to have to find someone to take care of them, otherwise we would have to either bring them with us, or decline the invitation." Sundawn said firmly leaving no real room for debate when it came to the safety of hir children.

"Yes, I can understand that Sundawn." Steph said softly before shi got up, with Winterbreeze still in hir arms, and headed over to the replicator slot. "PAL, can you please supply me with herbal tea supplement 15."

The replicator slot hummed softly and a steaming mug of tea appeared in the slot as the computer replied. [Yes Commander.]

With the mug in hir hand, Stephillum returned to the place where shi had been lying down, next to Sundawn.

"How long will that take to work Steph?" Sundawn asked as shi gently rocked Firespot in hir arms.

"Mmmm, maybe 2 hours or so, though it will take longer till I actually have any appreciable amount of milk in my breasts." Turning hir head and looking up slightly shi asked, "PAL; what's the estimated time until I start to produce milk?"

The computer's voice quickly spoke up and stated. [1 hour 59 minutes and 57 seconds... now 1 hour 59 minutes and 55 seconds... now 1 hour...]

"ENOUGH PAL!" Steph growled, startling Winterbreeze who yelped and gripped at hir new adoptive mother reflexively with hir claws.

"Ouch!" the foxtaur yelped looking down at the cub who'd folded hir ears back. "Sweetie please don't do that it hurts."

The cub looked down and cried softly, "Sowwy." Shi said through hir tears.

"Its okay Winter, it just hurts when you flex you claws." Steph said as shi rubbed the cub's back to settle hir down again. "Well Blazer it looks like our zany family just got one more addition eh?"

"I'd say your right sis." Solarblaze replied, the tip of hir tail wiggling slightly in amusement.

Just the door to the family's quarters opened and a very tired looking tigertaur dragged herself into the room. She nodded to the group before stopping when she saw the new cub curled up in Stephillum's arms. "Picking up strays are we now?" She asked indicating the cub with a nod of her head.

"Well Steph is... How are you Snowy?" Sundawn asked hir second co-mate.

"Exhausted, I just want to curl up and sleep for a few hours. Been a hectic day, after losing so many close friends..." She turned to Stephillum, "How is Stardoom doing?"

"She's doing ok, the prosthetics are working fine, so she'll be up and about soon." The foxtaur replied, being serious for a moment.

"It was touch and go for a few moments... I hate explosive trauma injuries." Sundawn replied with a soft growl and hir ears folded back against hir head.

Snowdrift nodded before tiredly walking over to Solarblaze and whispering quietly into hir mate's ear.

Solarblaze's eyes widened and shi looked at Snowdrift. "Are you sure?"

Snowdrift nodded slightly before Solarblaze hugged tightly and gave the white tigertaur a passionate kiss. "Yes, I think it's time. We've waited long enough."

"Okay, I'll be there after dinner, are you sure you don't want to come along?"

"No, the Captain has excused me for the next two days." She replied, winking and wiggling hir rump at Solarblaze before disappearing into the bedroom.

Tanya gave a throaty chuckle, "Those two..."

Steph gave a knowing glance at hir sister and Snowdrift.

"I guess they want to try again." Sundawn replied to Tanya's comment.

"Well her cycle does start tomorrow morning." Stephillum said, murring softly.

"yes it does... I guess they want to get some practice in tonight though. Then again I love practicing with hir too." Sundawn replied with a slightly naughty wink.

"It's been hard, I think she's ready now, five years have passed since that attack." Solarblaze commented from where she was sitting.

"I know hon... you two deserve a cub... after all I also have Tanya and our daughter Firetail."

"What do you mean Solarblaze?" Tanya asked softly.

Solarblaze let out a heavy sigh and gathered seven year old Dawnlight into hir arms before looking at the Foxtaur. "About five years ago, while you were still on earth, Snowdrift was involved in one of the sneak attacks by Humans First on Chakona. Have you ever noticed the two scars on her body?"

Tanya nodded softly, Yeah... I saw them on her... when we all sleep together."

"They were caused by two large shards of window glass that came down on her after she crashed through a shop window, one nearly cleaved her right breast off..."

"Oh..." Tanya turned to Steph, "Did you help Steph, or was it Sunny?"

Steph, Sundawn, and Solarblaze all shook their heads before Solarblaze continued, "Neither, it was Illuminati, Steph's mother, who saved Snowdrift's life, but not before she lost our unborn cub that she was carrying... My third child, and her first..."

"Oh dear, how awful, how did she lose the cub?" Tanya asked with a quiver in her voice.

"Apparently, the second shard of glass pierced her abdomen... and sliced the cub in two, shi died on impact. We almost lost Snowy for a time... and that... was when I went totally off the rails..." Shi replied shuddering from the memory of that dark and terrible time in hir life.

"Off the rails?" Tanya asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Solar fidgeted for a moment before looking the foxtaur in the eyes again with a pained expression on hir face. "Ok, you know of my ability to burn thing?"

"Yeah... I am not completely clueless Solar." She said looking directly at the chakat.

"Ok, do you know what the E-rating is?"

"Yeah, it's the level of psychic abilities that a person possesses."

"Well apparently, when mine went off after that, the FCT E scanners rated me as an 8."

"Wow! That's even stronger than my father." Sundawn stated softly.

"Yes, but, where shi can control hir's, Sunny, I was under the influence of another entity entirely... My Mother." Solarblaze grimaced.

"Your mother? Isn't shi dead?" Tanya asked, confused and slightly scared of what Solarblaze was saying.

"Yes, in body and spirit, but hir consciousness was in my mind, it happened when shi died." Solarblaze replied to Tanya. Taking a deep breath shi looked at hir soulmate before carrying on, "Well... in the past shi had total control of my abilities..."

"And shi could... take over?" The foxtaur asked, totally floored by the revelation about hir co-mate.

Solarblaze nodded, then looking over at hir lifemate, with a glance, hir eyes brimming with tears.

"Yes honey?" Sundawn replied to the silent words hir mate was projecting. Shi didn't wait more than a second before shi moved over to hug hir hurting mate.

"I'm so sorry hun, sorry for keeping this a secret, but, it's been tearing me up for so long, and it's time that you learned the whole truth..." She sobbed, hir shoulders shaking.

Sundawn hugged Solarblaze tightly, careful not to disturb their daughter while stroking hir mate's back with the tip of hir tail.

Calming down a bit in the arms of hir mate, Solarblaze continued, "You know how I told you that mother took hold of me again, and that when I awoke, I was back as a cub once more?"

"Yes hun... I remember." The cheetah-patterned chakat replied rubbing Solarblaze's shoulders.

"Well, that's not the truth, I was wide awake, and in total control, in fact, mother and I... we were one, one mind, one soul, and one body. I had total conscious control over my actions... I only recalled what had happened, after all the memories came back..."

"Why... why did you let hir?" Sundawn asked pulling away for a mere second. It hurt hir very core being lied to by hir lifemate. However, even though shi was hurt by this revelation, shi knew that hir love for Solarblaze could survive this.

"Revenge!! And the scariest thing was, I enjoyed it, the killing, the hurting, inflicting pain on those H1 bastards, seeing them cry, laughing as they begged and burned in my fire before dying..." Shi wailed, as the pain and torment in hir heart wracked hir body.

"But, I could pick and choose, the taurs who were prisoners, were spared, they saw me as a deliverer, a saviour... an angel of mercy... but, now... Karma has come back and kicked me in the ass..." Then shi broke down and started crying heavily, hir tears and coughing sobs covered by Sundawn's shoulders as shi wept like a child.

To Be Continued....