One.. Two.. Three (I wrote this and finger dancing as non-yiff for publication - but Chad is definate Yiff.. Enjoy the development of the characters) Savi watched as Lttr tried to teach his father numbers.. "Look.. One, Two, Three.. " Lttr scratched into the ground. Chad looked on with a puzzled expression and rumbled deep within his chest. "Now you try.. " Lttr took Chad's finger and traces the numbers again in the sand.. Chad chuffed in confusion. Intelligent he was but the concept of numbers was beyond him. Chara came over and hunkered down next to her mate, laying her tail across his. "Lttr.. its not fair.. Chad doesn't understand. Your just confusing him." "But why mother.. why do males loose the power of speech and reason when they grow up.." "I don't know Lttr.. It has always been that way with our Kind. Females grow up and talk, count, and do things.. Males grow up to mate and hunt. Go ask Savi - perhaps she might know.." Savi smiled and put down her work plate as the furry form padded over.. "Savi.. why...." "Truly Lttr I do not know Yet. We humans have visited many species - but yours is unusual in that regard. Nature thought that your males didn't need to talk and so when they come of age they lose it." "Will I stop talking when I grow up?" Sadly Savi nodded "Yes.. I believe you will.." The cub sniffed "But I love learning about numbers and how things work.." "Perhaps we will know why then.. and you won't have to stop learning." Time passed, and each day the cubs collected in anticipation for Savi to talk with them and show them things outside of their world. It was cooler under the reflective awning that hung from the side of the shuttle, and Savi could easily hook the projector to the shuttle's computer. "Now.. Who can tell me how many planets your sun has.." Several cubs eagerly put up their hands. Ltta - Lttr's older sister bounced on her hocks in excitement.. "Yes Ltta." "There are 8 planets and 24 moons around our sun!" she exclaimed proudly. Savi's husband Mike wandered up with Chad carrying samples behind him. Mike smiled at the cubs' eagerness to learn. It was only 18 months ago that they found this system and landed. To his and Savi's surprise they found a post-nomadic culture developing. It was not against EarthExp policy to give developing cultures a helping hand - so long as the knowledge was not used for warfare. The Chrrt looked like a upright wolf. Their society had passed the tribal warfare stage and seem to be developing a reasonable trading system of barter with the other local tribes. In his travels Mike had found some of the grown females of this tribe teaching the other tribes arithmetic and earth lingo.. knowledge was a barterable commodity. He turned and watched Chad looking at the projections. A puzzled expression on his muzzle as he tried to understand what was being said. Mike sighed.. a uniqueness of the Chrrt was the way puberty affected them. Unlike his and Savi's children who grew gracefully into adults - the Chrrt seemed to have an almost viral attack - and over a period of 2 to 3 weeks the secondary sexual characteristics developed. The females grew their manes, developed mammaries, and grew to their full height of 150cm - however they kept their slender form. The males bulked out - increased muscle tone and bone mass - and reached up to 200cm. Their manes filled out and they grew fearsome fangs and claws. The perfect hunter and protector. However the price for their maturity was a drastic drop in intellect - they lost the power of speech and reasoning, developing cunning and almost supernatural hunting instincts. Most of the time they were big gentle giants with an endless capacity of patience for the tribe's cubs and females, but if roused to anger they were dangerous indeed. Mike had once seen Chad cave in a Nrrte's skull with a single blow when the horned and armoured behemoth threatened to trample Mike. "Chad.. Over here.. Now Hup!!!" Chad padded over and effortlessly lifted Mike up to the shuttle's roof where he gathered the latest data from the helioscope. Jumping back down Chad caught Mike and lowered him onto the ground. Chara came over and wrapped an arm around her mate's waist. "Mike - I need Chad to help me move the milling wheel - if that ok.." Mike smiled as Chad rumbled and nuzzled his mates ear's "Sure Chara.. I've finished doing my work today.. Oh.. I have a tape on pottery firing if your interested." Chara nodded happily and led Chad over to the milling wheel where he used his strength and stamina to turn the disk. The females loved their males in their own way. Looking on them as perpetual children. When one of the females chose a mate - the bond was inseparable. It was not uncommon for a male to pine to death if his mate died before him. However nature usually didn't let the males live longer than the females. Thus the council of elders comprised almost totally of widowed females. Night fell and the glow lamps were lit. Savi and Mike joined the council to discuss the day's events and the up-coming lessons for the cubs. In the background the males rested - their dim forms adding a protective comfort against the dark of night. Savi spoke to the council. "I'd like to find out what makes your males lose their ability to speak and reason. I'd also like to try if possible to see if I can help the next male cub who Trills talk as an adult." Wrrte one of the elders scoffed "Talking Males.. that all we need.." But Chara spoke back "I have watched Mike and Savi since they came among us. Mike is male - and it would be helpful for a male to tell you what is needed instead of grunts and signing." The debate went on and progressed into other area of mutual discussion. Sometimes spirited, sometimes contemplative. But progress and understanding was always the outcome. Several weeks passed and lessons continued as usual. But one day Savi noticed that Lttr seemed listless in the afternoon. "Lttr come here.. Are you alright.." "I'm don't know Savi.. I feel hot and tired.. and.." suddenly he collapsed and convulsed on the ground. "Chara.. Lttr is ill... " Savi shouted. Chara raced over with Chad in tow. She felt the cub's brow and Chad sniffed the form - seeming unconcerned at the spasm's and twitches.. "It's the Trill.. His time has come.." Savi looked down and felt a deep sadness. Lttr was one of the most promising students, and now in a flurry of hormonal change all of that would be lost. Chara gathered the cub in her arms and carried him back to the cave. Savi followed with her medikit, but was unsure if anything would help. Inside the cave Lttr was laid on his bed and cool poultices placed on his brow. Savi could hear him crying softly.. "One.. Two.. Three.." Chara looked at Savi.. "What you told the council. You think he could speak as an adult?" "I don't know - I cannot promise you anything Chara.. but if you are willing I can try." Days passed. Lttr changed - sometimes it seemed that his growth spurt could be seen. Warm broth was forced between his chattering teeth. His mutterings changed to whines as his voice deepened. The darker mane of an adult male worked its way through his sandy head fur, and his shoulders spread. Savi spent long hours with the MediComp, Looking at the scans of Lttr's brain and comparing them agains previous scans. Fortunately for her Chara had no problems with humans medical technologies - and often helped Savi's research by laying on the MediScan. Ltta and Lttr were also no problems, but Chad.. Savi smiled remembering Chad squeezing his bulk onto the Mediscan - rumbling and chuffing in confusion with Chara holding his hand and trying to calm him. For all his size and fearsome appearance Chad was really a big softy and willingly let Mike and Savi drag him around for odd tasks and experiments.. In someways Chad was one of the to first accept both the humans into the tribe - and on more than one of Mike's trips into the wilderness had protected him from injury or worse. Sighing she put down the work tables and smiled as Mike wandered in - resting his hand on her shoulder.. "Any progress love?" "I don't know.. Chad has the same brain structure as Chara - except the language and comprehension centres seem to be damaged. Whether its chemical or not I don't know.. And we have so little time. He's growing each day - and each day I fear that the Lttr we knew will be lost. His mutterings are beginning to sound slurred and disjointed as it is.." "I know you'll find a way love. - Look - perhaps I can modify the spare portable MediScan unit so it can keep a constant watch on him. That way you could tie it into the MediComp and see if the combined readings can show anything. I know that it was designed for humans but I'm sure I can adapt it for a Chrrt's skull shape." Tapping a few keys Mike called up the specifications of the portable MediScan. Obligingly the comp displayed it in three-dimensional and rotated it in front of them. "Well " Savi spoke. "The speech centres are here, here, and here. Memory seems to be centred here with that area doing the short to long memory chain translations" "Ok.. I can move that sensor down and across - and put the neutrino emitter over there - that would allow any changes to be picked up here.." Mike tapped the screen with a finger. "Great " Savi felt her confidence returning "We can also map the side cognitive areas and see what is happening there also.. " Savi watched as Mike tapped and moved the sections around on the screen and started to doze. Mike felt her rest against him and smiled gently - they made a good team, and being life-bonded helped too. EarthExp often remarked that the two of them seem to work as one. Complementing each others skills as well as raising two children was not always easy. But in return - they were one of the few Shuttled teams who could be dropped into a low-impact observation area and produce results. Mike finished the designs and carefully eased himself away from Savi. Picking her up he carried her into the sleeping area and tucked her in.. "Sleep well love" he whispered and kissed her. Savi slept until late morning - rising and realising how much time had passed she leapt into the shower, dressed and hurried into the work area. On the workbench there sat a helmet like contraption that looked the offspring between junkyard and a electronics warehouse. A thick cable was looped on the floor and wormed its way into several loose panels on the MediComp. Mike sat at the table - his head on his arms and snored loudly.. Later that day Savi carried the helmet up to Chara's cave with Mike unwinding the cable behind them. Other Chrrt's watched this strange parade and muttered. There was still some resentment from the elders about this - but the younger females had seen Mike and Savi work together, and could see the benefit of a equal partner. Placing the helmet on Lttr's head Savi powered it up. Listening to the whines and growls that now issued from the clenched jaw she desperately hoped that they were not too late.. Chara nodded to Savi.. "I'll watch him. You do what you need back at the shuttle" Savi touched knuckles with Chara and left.. "Fare well sister in spirit" Chara whispered as the human headed back down the ridge. Mike sipped his coffee and watched over Savi's shoulder. "It looks like there is definitely a decrease in blood flow there and there. Look the temporal artery is almost closed, and the post-anterior vein is diverting the flow from there." Mike hummed.. "dilation.. isn't that something like a migraine - vessels dilate and overload the brain with too much blood" "Yes.. but I need both a vascular constrictor AND a dilator at the same time... " "Look at his temperature, its up two degree's from yesterday. That would cause his cells to try and metabolise faster.." "Cooling" "Yes.. reduce his core temperature" "The brain wouldn't need so much blood to function with" "They used that in late 20th century - cryosurgery they called it" "Ok.. Ok.. " Mike paced around "We can strip out some of the Peltier devices from the spacesuit, hook it up to one of the batteries.." "We've got some perfusion membranes from the water condenser. We take a vascular bypass from here and here.. " "Chill his blood - run it back into him.." "And it might work.. Look Chad's vascular supplies in those area's are normal. It MUST be during and only during the Trill that the damage takes place..." Chara watched as Savi and Mike dragged a boxy frame up to the cave, and looked on with trepidation as Savi cut and inserted thick tubes into Lttr's shivering body. Even worst was when she saw her son's lifeblood pump through this thing and felt the waves of heat pouring off metal fin's. "Chara.. I think I know what happens during Trill. The brain becomes damaged because there is something that cuts off the blood. We are trying to help his body... survive that time.. I hope we are not too late..." "Savi.. all you have done is with good in your heart.. what happens.. will not reflect on your worth." Settling down next to Lttr - Savi, Mike, and Chara prepared to wait.. and see if nature could be persuaded to look kindly on the cub. The days passed.. Each day Lttr changed some more - but he seemed less agitated in his sleep. From beneath his lips the male canines peeked, his baby claws lengthened and hardened, and his mane filled out over his ears and under his muzzle. His bed was no-longer long enought for him so Savi and Chara moved him onto the floor. Chara started to get worried.. this trill was taking much longer than normal - but Savi reassured her that this might be the case, slowing down the trill so that the brain would not be damaged. Finally there was a day where Lttr slept peacefully. Where once a slim sandy-colored cub lay now rested a handsome adult male. Savi dozed next to the sleeping form.. when a whine roused her to wakefulness.. Lttr looked at her. A strange light shone in his eyes.. Raising a shaking hand he lifted a finger... then a second.. and a third.. "rrrrrhhhhhOOONNnnene... ttrrWWWOoo... TtthhhHHHHhrrrrreeeeeeeeee"