20 Venus

The building was grand enough to be a King's capital castle. With only the first two floors being enclosed. The rest of the floors were open. Beautiful pillars held the ceilings from the floors instead of walls. The entire thing from the third floor up looked like balconies. The pillars were lit up from within showing beautiful engravings of feathers on each one. I soon realized why they were lit up as shadowed forms flew to and from the upper floors. It also explained the sheer height of each ceiling. The two bottom floors were clearly centered around other worldly visitors. There was gentle lighting in the halls that only lit up as we moved. Automatic lighting.

The Prince walked beside us. His eyes wated me as I looked around. Without thinking I reached towards my ear again as blood once again trickled out. I licked the fresh blood from my fingers. I couldn't afford to waste blood. Not when I was already so low on iron. It would make my stomach turn after a certain amount but it was still blood. Many cultures around the would drank and ate fresh or packaged blood to supplement their diets. Admittedly pig, sheep, and rabbit blood was more common but as far as I knew I was the only red blooded creature on the entire planet. I scoffed. Forced to cannibalize myself to survive. How low I had truly fallen.

The medbay of the Nephit people was much the same as the one on the ship. Only differences was the lettering on the keyboard and wall, and the fact the bed was much wider to accommodate their wings. Sorrel laid me down on the bed and stepped away. There was another small bird here. Perhaps it was a trait that smaller bird people became Medics. I closed my eyes and waited for the bad news to hit me. Choosing instead to think of all the beauty I had seen on the walk here. The Prince among them. I had always loved birds. It was one of the reasons I had been overjoyed when Mira had hatched.

The Prince had white feathers on his face with brown feathers started what would have been a hair line. Those feathers got longer as they went down the back of his head. His wings were brown and white. I wondered if females were brighter colored here. Then again male birds were the ones that stood out on Earth and this male stood out from his environment. From what I had seen this world was filled with bioluminescence. None of it brown. The tress had been a white while the leaves had been purple, blue, and green. Or maybe it was something his people could turn off and on. Maybe the white bands on his wings could change. I had no way of knowing. I might never know.

I looked at him again now and once again found him looking at me. Why? His eyes were a brilliant gold. Looking at him like this I realized he was more human than I originally thought. He still had the beak but a noticed that at the end he there was skin. That the feathers on his torso followed the same lines of a lean athlete or dancer. The way they flowed over the muscle implied a very human shape underneath. His legs were cover with a pair of pants but that still left his feet bare. While his arms had hands. His legs ended with the same landing gear of any bird. Three forward toes all tipped with talons and on back talon. I realized he must be meant for day time hunting. He had grasping talons. Looking at his wings again I realized the pattern was very similar to a hawk but the shape of the wings was like a falcon. Then it hit me. "Osprey," I heard myself say.

He tilted his head and clicked at me. So I decided to have fun with it and click back. Mine was lower pitched so I tried again. The other bird people in the room tilted their heads at me. The new Medic who was definitely a pigeon made a coo click. So I returned it. One of them squawked in what I assumed was shock so with an eye roll. I began proving that humans were capable of a great many sounds. From chirps and squawks, to growls and purrs all in a variety of pitched and tones.

'Are you okay Princess?' Dimatri asked me.

I shrugged, 'Humans have an extremely wide vocal range. So I figured I would have some fun and mimic then instead of sit here bored.' He seemed to relay the information to the shock of a stunned room. The Prince seemed to say something to Dimatri.

'He wants to know if you find this amusing?'

'Yes and no. On Earth we practice mimicking the calls of the wildlife. With enough practice we can normally match their voice so to speak. When I was a kid I did it for fun with the dragonlings. So much so a few Dragon females believe I am their youngling.'

He once again relayed the information. Once again words were exchanged. 'He wants to know why you mimicked him. And what a dragon is.'

I turned to him and began a dragons call. The clicking roar underlined with his. Few people picked up the even lower bass the was off the typical sound range of a human. I follow it with a more drawn moanful sound that whistled and purred in my chest. The last one I did was a high pitch reverse whistle. It required on to breathe in while vibrating the vocal cords at an annoying high pitch. It was a youngling call. I plea for food from their mother. I half expected to hear the sound of any one of my Dragon surrogate mothers outside. They were planets away though.

'Dragons are incredibly smart creatures that are normally solitary although some form groups. They are massive scale covered creatures that help those they choose and allow only a select few to ride them when it is time for war.

As for why would I mimic him. Why not? He was the first one to say something to me directly.'

Dimatri relayed once more and the Medic said something. The Prince also said something.

'The Medic once you to speak in your language. He believes that may be what caused the problem with the placement of you communicator.'

"Hello. My name is Princess Venus Crimson Best," the sound of my voice jolted most of the bird people. I saw them move as one. Apparently surprised by what my people considered language.

'What did the Prince say?'

'He would like to speak with you more.' Dimatri's voice sounded tight.

"I do believe speech with you is a bit hard at the moment Prince," I said while gesturing to my ear.

The Medic said something and Kylian stepped in. 'Princess do you know which organs or parts are responsible for your ability to communicate?'

'Lips, tongue, vocal cords, diaphragm, wind pipe and larynx. Basically alot.'

'And what controls that?' he probed.

'The frontal lobe.' I lifted my hands and encased my forehead along with part of my hair. Then I returned my hands to my lap.

Kylian and the Medic spoke a bit. The Prince stared at me as they did so. "Stareing is considered rude," I said. Although I smiled. It reminded me of when I had just met the Leoc'ain. They too had stared. To think that was only two? Three days ago. So much had changed already.

'Princess how can we reach your frontal lobe?' questioned Kylian.

'You can not. Not without putting me through a lot of pain and putting me even closer to death.'

'Why not?'

'I am a royal Kylian. My skull is meant to protect my brain. The only way to a royal brain it through the nervous system or through the skull. Which incase you missed it on your scans the skull is made up of bone. Bone is connected to the nervous system. So the short answer is you do not reach the frontal lobe. If you do I will have a huge problem later.

Besides I think you are all way too worried about me understand you and you understanding me. Considering I am laying here bleeding from my ear which may or may not kill me. I can only hope whatever the bird did to my ear will heal so I can hear out of it!'

'It will be okay Princess-'

'Will it? If it does not kill me everything will be fine? I do not suppose you think it would be good for one to hunt with only one ear? Or perhaps I should simply wait for a predator to to kill and eat me.'

Kylian seemed to realize then what this could mean for me. Even if I lived from this accident I may very well be on borrowed time. I would become a useless royal. Many of my people already wanted me dead. How was I, an unwanted royal, to stay alive if I could not even hear my enemies coming? The little bit of joy I had found soured in my mouth.

The Prince and Medic started yelling at Kylian. Clearly my face told them enough to know I was once again upset. I do not know what he told them but the Medic went back to the keyboard and screens.