The sun rose the next morning, shining over the alien landscape and the small freshwater lake. Disoriented and with a small moan, Yuki slowly opened her eyes. She became aware of feeling strangely immobilized. Her brain desperately tried to process what had happened.
Yuki realized that she was held fast by the Kinetic dampening foam. Kinetic dampening foam is a yellow liquid, typically stored in high compression tubes located in every angle of a ship’s cockpit. If the ship suffers a sudden collision, the foam containers break on impact and immediately coat everything. The liquid becomes spongy once it is released and hardens more over time.
Yuki groaned, finding that she was encapsulated by foam. With a bitter sigh, she pulled her arms out of the crusty substance. She cleared off the main console and saw a mess of messages flickering across the cracked screen.
Steeling her nerves, she grabbed her survival kit and hit the explosive bolts on the escape hatch. The glass-like viewing window and console blasted away from her with a loud pop. She looked out toward the shore, grateful to see it was not very far. The shoreline and surrounding land appeared to be deserted, which gave her a small measure of hope. She took a deep breath and slung the survival kit over her shoulder. With a deep breath, Yuki dove out of the cockpit, causing the broken ship to bob up and down in the frigid water.
Yuki was on high alert for anything dangerous that could be lurking in the lake as she carefully swam the short distance to the narrow beach. Trying to move as stealthily as possible, she wrung her hair out as she half-waded and half-crawled from the water up onto the sand. She spread her large yellow wings out and back, stretching and then flapping them slowly, drying them off. The cold water beaded against her sunkissed feathers, spraying around her in a fine mist.
The sun shimmered off of Yuki’s sleek blue and silver accented flight suit. It was primarily blue, the trim on the arms, legs, shoulders, and the collar was a reflective silver fabric. The suit was fairly form-fitting, and for the most part, it acted as well as any other clothing. A helmet usually went on first and sealed to the suit as it zipped up. Yuki had not donned her helmet, which remained in the ship.
She looked down at her watch, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight with her hand. The sudden weight of normal gravity assaulted her every muscle as she barely stood upright. Her whole body ached.
Maintaining her balance was a struggle as she flexed her stiff leg muscles. They weren’t used to anything more than just operating the two directional pedals in her ship and her slow swim across the lake. The past seven months spent in low and zero gravity wasn’t helping her any as she tried to steady herself.
A strange bird called in the distance. Yuki’s gloved hands grasped the survival kit and fiddled with the lid to remove the waterproof seal. She reached into her kit and pulled out a pair of glasses sporting polarized lenses. She quickly slipped them on, allowing her to survey her surroundings more easily.
The trees nearby had green and orange fruit hanging from their branches. Yuki searched through the booklet, hoping it would confirm whether the alien fruit was edible. Scanning the images with green check marks first, she quickly identified a picture resembling the exotic fruit. It was a relief to see that in addition to what she had just found, there were also many more fruits, nuts and forage items that were safe to eat.
Yuki rushed to pluck a few of what seemed to be the best-looking orange pear-shaped fruit within her reach. She dropped them into a large canvas bag that she had unfolded from the kit. Wondering what to do next, she scanned the area again. She cursed silently upon realizing she was in the open and completely exposed.
Yuki contemplated what was best at the moment. Taking refuge in the nearby cover of the forest, or attempting to salvage more supplies from the floating ship before she could leave the crash site.
After stowing the survival kit under the fruit tree, she dashed back to the shore, cringing as another shrill bird call rang out. She steeled herself and made her decision. She dove into the lake and swam back to the wreckage.
She grabbed at the tethers that held the parachutes to the capsule and slowly tugged at them, pulling the capsule back to the beach behind her. Once she was on shore, she painstakingly pulled the parachutes from the lake, grunting and struggling as each was far heavier filled with water.
After considerable effort, she successfully salvaged both chutes from the water. She quickly pulled a small knife from her kit and worked about sawing through the thick cords attaching the chutes to her capsule. She did her best to wring any water from them before awkwardly rolling them up and tucking one under each arm.
After retrieving the supplies, Yuki trudged back to the tree line, anxiously casting glances in every direction. Next, the search for a suitable place to make a shelter began as she studied her survival book again. After the “NITE DRAGONS” section she found the “TERRAIN” section.
The Niten terrain is very much livable if you stay out of sight. If you familiarize yourself with the area quickly and follow this guide carefully, you will likely survive until rescue can make it to your location. Below is a list of landscape types you may encounter. Please turn to the page that has the type you are in now, and review the others later.
Yuki looked over the sections and found the page that reads “FOREST”
The forest is a very good place to be, as long as you avoid clearings at all times. Clearings are where the Nite Dragons go hunting, making these areas extremely hazardous. Nite Dragons are known to dive down into forest clearings, enabling them to locate and then pursue their prey by chasing after them in flight. Niten Dragons are built to fly and hunt. Despite their undomesticated and crazed behavior, they are highly capable of tracking. Once they zero in on prey on the ground, they can pursue very efficiently. Your best option is to duck into a forest, run amongst the trees, and hope to escape their reach. DO NOT STOP RUNNING. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO HIDE.
Yuki trembled as she absorbed this information. Yuki understood the instructions, but the warnings did not sit well with her.
“Absolutely no clearings, and run, run, run,” Yuki said to herself as she cast a glance behind her, her wings shifting slightly to allow her to see over them. Her feathers ruffled as she looked back to the book.
Build a shelter that will efficiently protect you from being initially spotted by Dragons. Pick a spot deep in the woods. The higher the tree density the better. Aim for clusters of large trees only two to three feet apart if possible. This will make it unlikely that a Niten Dragon will discover you, as well as prevent them from landing in your area. Your shelter should be built with the intention to conceal you from an aerial sighting. Covering the top with the leaves of a low-level bush like this (The guide showed a picture of a blue pine-like bush with long and outreaching branches) will keep you inconspicuous.
Yuki looked around and was relieved to spot the exact bush not too far from her. She knew what she had to do: cut it down and escape as far into the forest as she could. This lake seemed to be a prime water source, so it was unlikely to remain unpopulated for much longer.
The two Nite Dragons swooped down and circled above a large newly-formed crater in the forest. The meteor they had been searching for lay in the center of a circle of pulverized trees. They both frowned at it as they landed.
The blue Nite Dragon picked it up and roared in pain, dropping the still hot chunk of metal.
The red one gave him a light smack on the back of the head with her tail. “You dolt!” she shouted, admonishing him. With the Blue Nite now whimpering in pain, she sniffed the air. “If this was the meteorite, then the only other scent similar,” she pointed.
The blue Nite frowned at her, “So that means?”
The red Nite Dragon’s expression grew exasperated, “The ship is this way,” she announced, pointing toward the nearby lake.
The pair swiftly took flight, hot on Yuki’s trail.
An hour or so after selecting a suitable spot, Yuki had made decent progress on a frame for her shelter. Feeling hungry, she looked into the bag, grabbed some fruit, and took a bite. It was surprisingly bland.
She decided to take inventory on every item in the kit, as there were a few pouches she hadn’t yet opened. There could be something to aid in the construction of her shelter. She found a lighter, plastic bags, some matches, a blanket, a plastic tarp, and a small multi-tool device with a small knife, file, pliers, and assorted other tiny tools. In addition, Yuki found a solar-powered electric lamp and a small firearm. Yuki inspected the weapon and frowned. Upon peering through a hole in the magazine, she saw only one bullet. “What good is one…” Her heart sank. “…my Guardian, I pray I don’t need to use this.”
Yuki looked around at the immediate area, taking in the strange beauty of the uncanny landscape. Off in the distance, she heard the caws of strange birds, chirping of small creatures scurrying through the trees, and the occasional buzzing of insects.
As Yuki took in the sights, however, everything seemed to fall still.
A loud cackle echoed down from above. The sunlight that streamed through the trees vanished as a massive brown creature flew overhead, blocking the view of the sky. Its wingspan looked to be nearly 20 meters. She gasped at the size of the flying monster.
“I need to finish this shelter…” Yuki said out loud to no one in particular.
As the evening wore on, Yuki had finally set about making a decent enough shelter. Her efforts were hampered by a painful stomach ache that seemed to strike out of nowhere, but she had soldiered on. Using sticks and some of the parachute cords cut to specific lengths, she had managed to arrange one of the chutes as a good waterproof roof. The walls along the edges were logs and sticks propped up along a few suspended chute cords. The inner walls were lined with the second chute, which also stretched out to cover the majority of the floor. She layered the tarp over the chute on the ground to fully cover everything, and finally sat down in her newly-minted temporary home.
She kicked her boots off and set them in the corner to dry. She peeled off of her flight suit and then lit the small lantern from the kit. The sun had long since begun its descent into the distance and she was exhausted. She laid down along the edge of one of the walls in her rounded hut-like shelter. She closed her eyes, hearing the odd noises of the night not too far away. She was too anxious to fall asleep quickly. I need to get a fire in here… she looked up at the center of the parachute roof, wondering if the vents in the center were good enough to allow some air to pass through. I should make it inside… in the morning… just to make sure I have something to cook with. She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. The first evening on Nite… here’s praying I wake up in the morning.
Sitting behind a small desk wearing a small earpiece and smart-looking glasses sat an attractive dark-haired Angel with large blue wings. The sound of her fingers tapping and dancing across a keyboard could be heard as her manicured nails clashed against the plastic. Her desk sat adjacent to a large expensive wooden door with matching ornate gold hinges, knob and lock with a classic-looking keyhole. A solid gold nameplate read simply, “Erik Sorjoy, CEO.”
She heard the phone ring and quickly placed her finger on a button, speaking with a soft sing-song voice, but looking as though she’d rather be somewhere else.
“Fondsworth Inc, Mr. Sorjoy’s office, how can I help you?” There was silence as she rolled her eyes, “Mr. Sorjoy doesn’t speak to reporters one-on-one…. I can’t…” Another awkward silence ensued. “You need his statement regarding the mining accident right this second? Okay. Here’s his statement.” She cleared her throat. “No comment.” She released the button, then pressed another button next to the one she had before. “Mr. Sorjoy, the press is demanding a statement.”
A calm and bored voice came over the other end into the woman’s ears. “Tell them that we are deeply troubled over the family’s loss and we hope to-“
“It’s Yuki Karkade,” she interjected. She was met with stony silence, “Um…Mr. Sorjoy?”
“Did I ask you what her name was?” he barked.
The woman rolled her eyes, “No sir.”
“As I was saying… We pray that she is alive, but the chances are slim. Tell one of the PR boys to stage a press conference on it and stress that we cannot risk more loss of life by sending rescuers down to Nite.”
“Yes sir, I’ll have them redact the ‘No comment’.” She released the button.
Sorjoy immediately stormed out of his office, glaring at the young lady behind the desk. “Excuse me!?”
Sorjoy’s piercing green eyes bored into the woman. His stern face affixed the woman in fear as his anger projected towards her. Fiery red hair was well combed on his head, his athletic frame adorned in an outrageously expensive designer suit. Sorjoy stood 190cm tall, His red wings were immaculate, despite the feathers at the top ruffling slightly in anger as his gaze bore into his assistant.
The assistant was startled, to say the least. Her boss almost never spoke to her face-to-face. “I… well, when they kept calling, and I didn’t know what to tell them…you hadn’t responded to me and I ended up telling them that ‘No Comment’ was the statement.”
“Are you the legal department?” Sorjoy said flatly, his feathers smoothing on their own as he strode directly to the front of her desk.
“Uh… well, it’s standard boilerplate to say-”
“Rebecca,” Soryjoy started slowly, “What is your title here?”
“Uh. Executive Assistant?” Rebecca started shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
Sorjoy slammed both his hands on her desk, causing the shoulder pads on his black suit jacket to bunch up. His red tie was held to his white shirt by a golden pin that resembled a small scale. “So, is it your job to say anything to the press besides ‘He isn’t taking any calls at this time’?”
Rebecca swallowed hard and nodded. “No sir… I’ll make sure that going forward…”
“You’ll make sure going forward, in your next position, you will not be so careless!”
Rebecca frowned, looking up at the stern face of the executive towering over her. “Y-You mean…”
“Get. Out,” Sorjoy’s voice was firm on the matter, his green eyes never leaving Rebecca’s.
Rebecca silently gathered her possessions and rushed to an elevator across the room, a large formal reception area that was outside Sorjoy’s massive office.
Sorjoy picked up the phone as Rebecca slunk into the elevator. “HR? Yes. Hello Susan. Another incompetent. Yes. Gave a press statement without my authority! I want accreditations this time, someone with business sense…” Sorjoy smirked a bit to himself, “Maybe a blonde.”
Light streamed in from the vent holes at the top of Yuki’s shelter. She jolted awake and listened carefully for several seconds. Not sensing any immediate danger, she stretched, spreading her wings as well. With a groan, Yuki looked around; a few black beetles had wandered inside and were crawling a little too close for comfort to her resting space. She quickly shook her flight suit out before sliding it back on. “Wish I had a change of clothing…” she slid the wet boots on and grumbled a bit at the discomfort. “Need to get a fire going…”
Many long hours later, Yuki had finished a small fire pit inside her shelter. Inspired by her fireplace back home, she had designed an apparatus from a few lashed-together branches and some thread that moved the tarp-cover away from the vent or back onto it, depending on how she pushed or pulled the branch near the floor. This allowed her both a vent for smoke and a way to close off the opened vents if she needed, in the event of rain or for more protection from those beetles and other bugs as she slept.
She flicked the lighter, and after a few tries, she managed to get a fire going. She quickly pulled her boots off and placed them near the fire to dry out. She sighed, flexing her toes in the newfound heat. She repeated the action with her flight suit. There was nothing more for her to do, so she relaxed near the fire and enjoyed the feeling of the sweat of the day evaporating from her body. Her feet still seemed badly waterlogged and she hoped she wasn’t going to end up with some sort of alien fungus on top of her other problems.
Later in the afternoon, while lightly dozing off, she heard more distant chirping and sat up. She felt her stomach grumble. It still felt a bit queasy, but she couldn’t ignore her growing hunger. She pulled out a few freeze-dried food rations from her survival kit.
Egg Hash-Butter Flavoring was the most edible option she found.
“Breakfast of champions,” She chomped on the rations and combed through the kit, noting she only had four remaining packs, and two of those were alarmingly labeled Diced Meat Product. “Ugh. I thought I had more.” she sighed, dreading the idea of leaving her sanctuary.
She stood up and put on her newly dry suit and boots. As she dressed, she heard the chirping again, seemingly directly outside her shelter now. It sounded like a small animal. Could she kill it for food, perhaps? With trepidation, she fished the knife out of her bag. Yuki hesitated for a moment and picked up the firearm too, just in case.
As Yuki tiptoed out of the shelter, she was expecting to find a small furry mammal comparable to a rabbit or large squirrel judging by the somewhat cute chirping noise it made. Fear coursed through her and she froze in her tracks instantly. Outside her shelter, no more than 10 meters away, stood a group of three large and very dangerous-looking feathered beasts. All of them were curiously sniffing around her campsite. Luckily, they hadn’t noticed her appearance in the doorway. She held her breath and didn’t move a muscle, praying they would simply move on.
Each had brilliant white and yellow feathers with red trim. Their build showed that they clearly walked on two feet lizard-like feet. Grey scaly flesh covered a large claw-bearing toe. The feathers covered a set of powerful-looking legs. A massive tail stuck out stiffly from behind the creature, extending over two meters. They sported two short arms, feathers making them almost wing-like. Moving up along their narrow but barreled chests. Their heads were massive and clearly predatory, razor-sharp teeth filling their hungry maws, with their yellow eyes set in the front and two ridges of feathers running along the front to the back.
Yuki was so terrified that she tried to silently retreat back into her shelter. The moment she took a delicate step back, one of the creatures swiveled its head and looked directly at her. The other two followed suit, and they started their chirping noises again. This time, the chirps were punctuated with low growls as they fanned into a formation clearly meant to block her escape. All three of them began to slowly advance. Yuki spread her wings as wide as she could, dropped the knife, and drew her pistol, aiming at the center creature, the largest of the trio.
The three creatures stopped in their tracks, taken aback by Yuki’s apparent sudden increased size.
Yuki’s heart was racing, throbbing in her chest and her ears. She heard her father’s voice echo in her mind. That time he took her to a shooting range as a teenager…
“Shoot for center mass…you’re most likely to hit something,” his voice reminded her.
Yuki took a solid and steady breath as she trained her weapon on the center creature. She had only one shot to take, and they would be on top of her within seconds. Her only hope was that killing the center one would cause the other two to flee. They don’t know I only have one bullet… I just have to make this shot. She took careful aim and squeezed the trigger. A bang rang out in Yuki’s ears and the gun kicked back slightly in her hands.
The largest creature let out a bellowing roar of pain and collapsed to the ground. The other two creatures on either side let out distressed cries of their own. They nudged the fallen creature on the ground with their noses. They chirped at each other before running off into the forest, not giving Yuki a second glance.
Yuki’s pulse raced as she examined the massive dead animal in front of her. Blood began to pool around its body. Her ears were still ringing and she relaxed her wings, wincing at their sudden stretching.
She fell to her knees and dropped the weapon. “Shit… shit!” She picked up the gun and then checked the magazine, confirming that it was now empty. “SHIT!” Yuki yelled to no one in particular. She got up, dusted herself off, and picked up the heavy knife she had brought outside. “Okay… one problem at a time,” Yuki said out loud. She decided that since food was a major concern, she would have to use whatever she could get her hands on. While it wasn’t what she had expected, she would use what she could from the creature she killed, for as long as she could.
With one mighty swing after another, Yuki made several attempts to remove the head of the large creature. It was messy work. She grimaced as sweat poured down her face and blood splashed onto her skin. After the fourth swing, the gruesome head finally gave way. Yuki, operating on primal instinct, found a sturdy stick and whittled two ends into spikes. She rammed one end in the ground and mounted the creature’s head on the top. If more come back, they’ll see I killed the big one… was this their mother maybe? As Yuki moved to the body, she picked the large knife back up and readied herself for the task ahead.
The two Nite Dragons flew over the lake and descended near the shoreline. Both took some water from the lake and drank. The female Nite, Lazzerlth, turned to her companion. “Fezzick, you need to start scouting the area for that ship, okay? The Angel is going to be running around the woods, and we’ve lost too much time already. We need to find it as quickly as possible.”
Fezzick, the blue male, nodded. “Look for the ship. Got it.” He didn’t move and just grinned widely. Lazzerlth gave Fezzick an exasperated stare, “Well?”
Fezzick pointed to the far side of the lake. “Found it.” He laughed and shoved his partner playfully.
Lazzerlth turned around and chuckled, “Oh, aren’t you clever…”
Yuki finished skinning and gutting the beast. She put the edible meat (or what she considered likely edible) inside a few small plastic bags. Most of the bones and organs were disposed of into a murky pond a safe distance away from her camp.
She tied up the three bags of meat to a parachute cord and threw the other line over a large tree branch, hoisting the bags into the air.
Using water she collected earlier, she set to washing herself clean. “One and a half days down… rest of my life to go…” she sighed. She entered her shelter to sit down and rest. She rekindled the fire, and then began to inspect her radio. It was probably a useless hope, but still, it would be crazy not to at least try.
She pressed the call button on the radio, “Hello. This is Yuki, in the blind, anyone hear me? I am stranded on Nite. I am in a forest within walking distance of the crash site. Requesting immediate assistance.” She waited but received no response.
Lazzerlth was circling around the lake and surrounding forest for some time. Fezzick flew close alongside her. “If we want to find the Dei we’re going to have to camp out and wait for it to return to the ship,” he remarked. “We won’t be able to see it from up here if it’s hiding.”
Lazzerlth growled in frustration, “Then get some hammocks up in the trees… someplace where we can see the ship, but the Dei won’t notice us.” Fezzick nodded and landed along the tree line, unpacking some gear.
Yuki sat in her shelter gazing out the hole in the parachute-ceiling. Smoke from the fire rose through it, lazily winding up into the sky as she chewed on a chunk of charred meat from her kill. She had the field guide in one hand and read up on the beastie as she ate. “Up to 2 meters tall… hunts in packs… Rippers? Named for the large toe-claw on their hind legs. Wonderful… if the Dragons don’t eat me, these rippers will.”
Yuki set the field guide down and leaned back, taking another bite out of the ripper meat. She clicked the radio again.
“Hello? Hello!! If this thing is designed to communicate from Nite, then why the hell aren’t you guys answering?” Her demands were met by nothing but static. “Someone answer me! I’m going to die here!” Yuki shouted. She closed her eyes, turning the radio off. “I’m going to die here…” she repeated, as a few tears ran down her face. She turned to her side, looking at the door of her shelter. “I’m going to die, and I’ll never see my family again… not Geoffrey… not Aphod. Oh, Guardian.” Yuki rolled onto her back and stared at the hole in her ceiling. She thought back to her wedding to her husband Aphod.
Several years earlier, a younger Yuki stood in front of a mirror. A slightly older woman tugged on her bodice, cinching the waist of her elaborate white dress. “Oof! Mom… too much!” Yuki whined.
“Nonsense. You’re supposed to make it tight so he’s turned on as you walk down the aisle.” She whispered into her ear, “And keep him roiling throughout the reception. Trust me, it will be great.”
Yuki raised an eyebrow at her mother, “Hmm, not really sure I should take advice from a divorced woman…”
Yuki’s mother laughed, “Oh please dear!” The woman laughed. She was about Yuki’s height, with dark black hair and tan wings. She had ice-blue eyes that mirrored Yuki’s own. “Aphod’s a lovely boy, smart, knows how to treat a woman, and most importantly an honest man!” She beamed, “You did well. Better than I did.”
A gruff male voice permeated the room, “Is that so, Ceilia? On our wedding night, you seemed to have a much different opinion.”
“Oh, Cedrick. You do always know how to ruin a moment.” Ceilia replied jokingly. She turned Yuki around to face her father. “Well? What do you think?”
Cedrick smiled, “Stunning. Aphod’s a lucky man.” Cedrick hugged Yuki and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Speaking of which, the boy looks absolutely terrified standing up there… I’m thinking of letting him stew for a bit longer.” He grinned, “Or you and I could just head on out of here and leave him at the altar.”
Yuki rolled her eyes, “Daddy, I love him.”
Cedrick sighed, “Well then, I guess we’ll just have to make it down the aisle.” He coughed a bit, rubbing his shoulder.
“Daddy, are you okay?” Yuki asked.
“Fine, just fine,” Cedrick reassured her, taking a pill with a swig of bottled water. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Ceilia looked at Cedrick oddly, “Ced?”
“Come along Ceilia, you have to take your place,” he said swiftly.
Moments later Yuki was walking down the aisle with her father, arm in arm. Yuki looked at Aphod and smiled broadly at her handsome husband-to-be.
Aphod was tall, a trait she liked, and had dark brown wings to match his brown eyes. He beamed at Yuki and she smiled back through her veil. He looked sharp in a well-tailored suit with. As she approached, she happily noticed how many friends and family surrounded her. She smiled at all of them as she walked slowly past the rows of people. She was doing her best to keep a good posture, despite the agonizingly high heels and the need to keep her wings drawn up and held back as she walked. She halted momentarily as she spotted an empty seat in front next to her mother. She glared, whispering, “I knew it…”
Cedrick tightened his grip on her arm and tugged her forward slightly.
Yuki tried to forget the empty seat near the front as she turned to smile at Aphod.
Cedrick turned to his daughter and grinned, lifted her veil, and planted a kiss on her cheek. He whispered to her, “I’m proud of you.” He moved to sit down next to Ceilia, patting his forehead with a handkerchief.
Later on, in the banquet hall, Yuki and Aphod were laughing, celebrating with champagne and enjoying their day when Ceilia came up to them, smiling at the happy couple.
“You having fun with your wife, dear?” Ceilia sang out, smiling at Aphod.
Aphod smiled warmly and gazed at Yuki, “Yes,” he replied emphatically.
Yuki laughed, “I just can’t get used to being called that.”
“You will…” Ceilia smiled distractedly and her gaze darted around the room, surveying the guests. “Don’t be mad hun… but your father and I are going to cut out a little early, okay?”
Aphod frowned a bit, “Everything okay?”
Ceilia clasped each of their hands with both of hers and squeezed tightly, “Oh we’re fine… maybe a bit better than fine…” she winked, “Anyway, you two make sure to enjoy your party and have a wonderful wedding night.”
Yuki smiled, picking up what she thought to be a hint that her parents wanted some alone time, and hugged her mother tightly, “Goodbye! Love you, Mom.”
“I love you too baby.” Ceilia rushed off quickly. Yuki would find out the next day that her father was suffering from a heart attack for most of the wedding and the beginning of the reception.
Yuki paced around the hospital room as Cedrick lay resting, anxiously fussing over all the IVs and monitoring equipment connected to him. She whined in frustration, “I cannot believe you, Daddy!”
Cedrick chuckled to himself and shushed her. “I didn’t want to ruin your special day, sweetie. You’ll only get one wedding, after all.” Cedrick frowned, “At long as Aphod minds himself.” He seemed to want to say more but abruptly began to cough.
Yuki studied the label on one of the IV medicine bags. “The doctor said you’re lucky to be alive.”
Cedrick nodded, “Lucky… maybe. Dialing my cardiologist before I started down the aisle with you and asking your mother to quietly take me to the hospital during the reception made it a bit more likely.”
Yuki sighed, “You always have everything planned. How can you schedule a heart attack?” Cedrick laughed, then suffered another coughing fit.
Yuki tensed, feeling a small wave of fear wash over her. She loved her father so much, maybe even more than anyone else in the world. Seeing him in this frail state was deeply upsetting. The wedding ceremony meant nothing in comparison to her father’s life. “Daddy…” she whimpered, “I will never forgive myself if you don’t recover from this. It’s because of me that you’re here.” A tear ran down her cheek.
“I’ll be fine…it was my choice, and I don’t regret it. It was a beautiful wedding. Besides, I’m not going anywhere until you give me a grandchild.”
Yuki looked away, “Well, I guess someone has to.”
“Save the venom toward your brother for something else. He had other obligations. Please understand that.”
Yuki grumbled, “Okay, so his only sister is getting married and there’s something more important than that?”
Cedrick sighed and looked at the heart monitor, “Someday you will see… or maybe you won’t…”
Yuki frowned, “Dad, are you having a stroke? That didn’t make any sense.”
Cedrick smiled, “You have a honeymoon to get to, don’t you dear?” Yuki stood up and kissed him on the forehead.
“Call me if anything happens, Daddy.” Cedrick closed his eyes to rest more as she reluctantly took her to leave.
Yuki rolled over in her shelter and groaned. “…Dad. Am I going to see you soon?”