Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"...and then I told her that she rocked my world," Lance chats from the corner, talking about everything under the stars. Pidge only listens a little bit, most of her attention on her screen, looking for evidence of her dad and brother being out there somewhere, alive. She has almost nothing to go on, but she was going to find them, "Get it? Because she's made of rocks?"

"I'm just glad you're not flirting with Shay," Hunk speaks up from the side before his expression goes sheepish, "Not that we're a couple or anything...she's just my friend."

"Number Two!" Coran says from his spot at the holographic table where he's been messing with some type of game for their "entertainment." Pidge highly doubts that it will be actually joyful for the humans in the room. Coran's definition tends to vary from most of their known ones. Like time measurements. She only knows them because they're somehow universally used so they all need to know them. Heck, their language learning game almost killed her! "It seems to me that you've been bitten by a yucatup bug."

"A what bug?" Lance asks incredulously. 

"I've been bitten!?" Hunk cries out, looking around in confusion, easily startled, "Oh man! I don't want to die! Coran! Is it going to kill me!"

"Don't be so dramatic! No worries!" Coran grins widely, "You're not dying. It's a phrase we use when someone has a crush, my boy! Why I remember when I was a much much younger man! One of my friends got bitten hard at first glance with another friend of mine! They even got married but that was before the war, obviously...not that war ever stops love, mind you."

"Oh, don't I know it!" Lance grins with that lovestruck look in his eye, sighing with his hand on his chin. He may or may not be thinking about Allura, and Pidge glances over to see that he is not looking at the princess at least. Good, "The ladies are all awesome. I'm totally going to find the one for me, no doubt. I'll woo her off her feet. I'll-hey, wait a tick...how many mice do you have?"

None of them hear him at first. They're all into their own things. In fact, Pidge notes that Shiro and Allura aren't listening at all, likely speaking to each other about the planet they have all recently freed. After all, they're trying to create a coalition. With Allura leading as the Black Paladin and Shiro as the Red Paladin, it makes sense (despite the colors not matching as Allura refuses to let Shiro wear the red armor. She's in pink armor, which is stupid because they should be color-coded but whatever).

"Uhhh...Allura?"

"Hmmm?" The woman asks absentmindedly before her blue eyes look over in confusion. Shiro gazes at him too, brow raised as his mechanical hand sits over a map, "What did you want, Lance?"

"I asked how many mice you got."

"Well, we have Platt, Chulatt, Plachu, and Chuchule," the Altean lists off on her fingers. Each mouse squeaks, using playful gestures, "So four mice. Why?"

"Well, we have five now."

Everyone stops what they are doing. Pidge looks at the couch, only seeing the four they all know.

"Are you counting wrong again?" She asks curiously, remembering a similar incident, "We all know math isn't your strongest point."

"Uhhh...yes, I'm absolutely sure!" Lance shouts before waving his arms, "The mouse is literally right here! See! One!"

Platt.

"Two!"

Chulatt.

"Three!"

Plachu.

"Four!"

Chuchule.

"Five!"

He's...right. There sits a fifth unknown mouse. It looks just like the others in shape. It's medium-sized, so not as big as Platt but bigger than Chulatt. But it's a very different color. It's a darker purple with red stripes along its cheeks and belly. Said mouse lies curled up in a ball, sleeping quietly in between the other two, slightly smaller than both. Said mice lie with the new mouse, ruffling thick fur comfortingly.

"It seems that you are correct!" Allura says in shock, practically flying over to the couch, looking down on the little creature. They all get up to inspect said rodent as she holds her hands together, "I wonder where this one came from? I have yet to see them in the castle."

The mice squeak excitedly but quietly, apparently telling the princess something that the rest of them can't understand.

"Oh, he is your friend?" She exclaims after a moment, "And he comes and goes. Why haven't we seen him before?"

More squeaks as Chulatt jumps behind Platt, pretending to hide while peeking around the bigger mouse, looking around a little bit nervously before hiding again as Chuchule strolls by dramatically, impersonating Lance perfectly, at least in Pidge's opinion. 

"Ah, I see. He's the shy type," she nods before grinning softly, "Some are."

"Awww, he's so cute!" Hunk whisper shouts, grinning widely, "But he's so skinny. Poor guy needs more food. I wonder what he likes to eat?"

The mice squeak again. Platt pretends to roar before the other smallest jumps at the biggest. Said mice collapse in a pile as Chulatt munches on Platt's belly hungrily. A second later, both get up, Platt standing tall as Chulatt jumps to pick something like collecting apples.

"He likes meat and plants?" Allura asks carefully before nodding, "That makes sense. You don't eat meat, but who knows how much your fellow mice have evolved since we went to sleep. He doesn't look like the mice from Altea to be honest though."

"In fact, he looks more like the mice you'd find from the Galran home planet of Daibazaal," Coran nods before frowning, "Not sure how he got here though…"

The mice squeak some more, Allura's eyes widening in surprise. 

"Huh? Really? That long? And he told you that?" The princess speaks with the mice, the rest of them only hearing one side of the conversation before she glances at them, "They say that he's been in the castle since before we woke up. That he got lost, hopped off a few ships, and ended up here a few times on accident where he found the castle and called it his unofficial home."

"That's cool and all, but how does he know where to find us?" Lance asks curiously, "I mean...we're literally out in space right now. If he comes and goes, he has to find us, right?"

The mice chatter again. 

"He's smart," Allura says, "Can sense where we're at."

"How does a mouse sense the castle?" Pidge wonders with her mind already racing, "I mean, unless Galran-based mice are sensitive to quintessence…"

"As far as I know, they are not," Coran shakes his head, rubbing his moustache thoughtfully, "And that would be the only way to track us like this, at least organically."

They don't get to say anything as said mouse wakes up with a small yawn, jaws fluttering to expose sharp teeth made for meat. A second later, the mouse curls up again, nuzzling into Plachu's side. He sighs softly before freezing, one dark eye wide open on them all.

"Hello there," Allura smiles softly, offering her hand. The mouse narrows his eyes before sniffing at the appendage, "I know you're scared. We won't hurt you here. You're safe here."

Said mouse looks around before getting up, shaking out before climbing into the princess's hand. A second later, he sniffs her again before glancing over all of them. With a huff, his eyes narrow on Shiro before he leaps from Allura's dress to the floor. They all shout in surprise before the other runs straight up Shiro's black clothes to his vest and on up white bangs.

"Hey, there, buddy," Shiro chuckles fondly before petting the mouse a bit on his fluffy head, "How's it going?"

Said mouse practically preens under the attention. 

"Wait!" Lance yelps, "You know him!?"

The rest of them join in as Shiro rubs his undercut sheepishly.

"Well, I didn't actually know that we had a stowaway, to be honest," he explains before looking up at the fifth mouse, "I used to think he was one of the others. It's normally dark in my room when he sneaks in. It's not often, maybe once every few weeks."

The mouse messes with his hair, making them all laugh as he buries himself in white strands.

"What is your name, little guy?" Hunk wonders softly, gazing at the mouse who tilts his tiny head, "I don't think I want to keep calling you 'Mouse' or something…"

The mouse shakes his head, tiny paws clinging into white bangs.

"It's okay if you're not ready to tell us," Shiro says softly before offering his hand up. The small rodent leaps into it, nuzzling against the metal fingers before glancing around. Making a bit of an annoyed sound, he peers at the map Shiro and Allura were using. With a leap, he jumps onto various objects to land on the tech, pointing at a symbol.

"What is it?" Lance peers around everyone as they gather around the mouse, "What is he pointing at?"

"A Galra symbol," Allura frowns in thought, "One of the alphabet letters."

"What!" Lance exclaims, "He can read Galra?"

"Well, Coran did say he probably is a Galra-based mouse," Shiro reasons, shrugging as they all look at him. Pidge turns to scan the letter to put it into their terms, "So it would make sense for him to read Galran. I mean, our mice read Altean, right?"

"Yes! Number One is absolutely correct!" Coran grins while nodding proudly, "The mice of both planets are very intelligent creatures! They're capable of learning languages like we do. While the Altean mice were cared for, I'd imagine that it is even more vital that a Galran mouse learns so they know what labels say to avoid poisonous foods they can't eat. They tend to be free-traveling beings who sneak aboard unsuspecting ships."

"Yep," Lance responds sarcastically, "Sounds like this mouse."

"Well, according to the symbol," Pidge interrupts, raising her brow, "His name is 'Kee?' Or at least, that's as close as this symbol comes to our own system."

The mouse nods before crossing his tiny arms, eyeing Chuchule who snickers. Kee rolls his eyes before shaking his head, back paw scratching at his ear before yawning again.

"Poor guy must be exhausted," Allura says softly, "You can stay, Kee. I'm sure the others will sleep too."

Kee agrees, crawling over to the four who curl around him. It's not long before they all go back to their regular activities.

~🐾~

Keith loves being an animal.

Space ones. Earth ones. The "fantasy" ones.

Any and all animals.

Dragons. Hippos. Revgivs. Pegasi. Snakes. Tessacos. Phoenixes. Ravens. Wessopocs. Kitsunes. Wolves. Kessosecs.

Lately, he's also been liking being a cat and space mouse.

Keith found the castle by accident the first few times. He had been experimenting with the new cloak gifted to him by a goddess. In doing so, he's hopped onto many ships in his animal forms, hitching a ride from here to there. It's not always Galra ships he boards. And one time, he ended up on Arus. He had no reason to go there, since it was just little Arusians who lived there. Even the Empire could not be bothered to enslave the planet. But he ended up subconsciously revisiting the place, feeling drawn into the place by a strong presence. After exploring, he found a giant white castle ship in a remote area of the planet, the Arusians whispering about it being there for thousands of years. In fact, they said that a lion goddess lived inside.

Keith was fairly sure there was no goddess. But he was curious. His family's creed has always been 'Knowledge or death' and he just had to take a look. He snuck his way in as a tiny bat, finding hidden cracks. There was nothing inside, but he liked the looks of it. So he kept coming back, guided by the big energy. He learned every nook and cranny, as his dad always says in his human expression, in the times where he wasn't training to become a Blade of Marmora. Just because he's lived with them from a baby doesn't mean he's automatically accepted into the field. And he passed his trials in record time, the youngest fighter and pilot of the base.

Being in the castle gave him a lot of time to mess around with the technology. It's even better than their own. He found the security system, figuring out where every camera is and where to go in order to avoid the videos if he needs to change into another animal or become Galra/human again. He's even snuck food goo out of the kitchen because he's still growing and being an animal doesn't negate the need for food. It's not bad, but nothing like their own food goo. Then again, Keith's taste buds probably pick up the spices in the Marmora dishes that aren't in the castle's.

And then one day, everything changes. The castle comes to life with people and animals. Keith's in one of the plain rooms, looking around at the room he has yet to figure out. He's messing around with his cloak again, too bored after doing nothing for a while. So he turns into a chameleon, a lizard animal that his pops says can blend in with their surroundings. And that's when four new humans come in. 

Four humans. In space. For the longest time, it's been just his dad and he who have been humans in space (really, a human and a half). So Keith was intrigued. Maybe he could learn more. His dad is great and all, but he doesn't know everything and he hasn't been back to Earth in roughly 17 years. Earth could have changed some. He tells him that Earth was different just decades before that.

So Keith stays perfectly still, barely breathing as he hears about the Alteans, the Lions of Voltron, and he books it for the Altean pod as they're about to leave, changing into his "human" form before hopping in as an animal they won't see. It's the tallest human and the smallest. They go through a portal to a jungle planet where the Green Lion is located. Keith follows them as a pokemon-looking creature, climbing in with them onto the boat the two and a giant sloth guy is on.

"Hey, there," the green-clad one grins, ruffling his head hair, "You're kind of cute. What are you doing on the boat?"

Keith peers around before mimicking the other yellow creatures. A second later, he drops the act, shivering slightly.

"They don't like you?" The younger asks curiously, "I get that. You do look different. My name's Pidge. And that guy is Shiro."

Keith peeks over at the man. He's clearly not that old. He can't be ten years older than Keith himself. But he's got white bangs, scars, and a mechanical arm. It's definitely an Empire model, and Keith can't see him helping them. So he must have been a prisoner, likely Champion.

"Hey," Shiro greets with a small smile, waving, "You're okay on this boat. We won't hurt you."

That's when Keith falls for the group. Especially Shiro. They fetch Green, her energy thrumming around him as he sneaks back into the pod, watching Shiro pilot the ship. The guy is great at piloting despite clearly not having lived around tech this good. He handles the machine just right, not even having trouble landing. Keith leaves the group, running off to his hidden ship as the Yellow and Blue Lions appear, taking off to tell his parents and Kolivan about the newest paladins.

The Blade of Marmora is his home. He knows everyone there and they know him. He's co-leader Krolia's son, which really means nothing except that he may have to take over for her one day. He's seen family and friends die in this war. But he's also seen his family and friends happy and safe, acting like any other would. Antok, Thace, Ulaz, Kolivan are all like uncles, Regris is his best friend/basically cousin or something, and everyone else is like extended family. They all love him, even though he's a "tiny brat" and "too stubborn for his own good," their own words.

They don't believe his news. Luckily, his mom and dad haven't ever doubted his word before. And his pack group knows he doesn't lie on such important matters. Kolivan orders that he go back and gather as much information as possible before they plan to negotiate an alliance. He also mentions Thace being undercover and Ulaz on the run.

With a small dinner with his mom and dad, he relaxes before slipping back out into the field. His cosmic wolf they found crashed on a dead planet whines at him, pushing his head into Keith's hand.

'Miss you,' he says softly before huffing, 'Gone too long.'

"I know, boy," Keith apologizes before sighing, rubbing his wolf's best spot behind his ear, "But the mission calls. Who knows? Maybe you can come with me when we join forces with Voltron."

'Will be there,' the blue lupine nods slightly, reassured and determined before chewing on a thick bone by their feet. Keith chuckles before ruffling the wolf's fur fondly.

"It's always amazing to see you communicating with animals," Heath, Keith's dad, says with a cheerful chuckle, "You're doing great, son. That goddess of yours really gave you quite the gift."

"I love it," Keith feels the cloak over his shoulders, noting the scales on it. He has no specific animal in mind, but the claws on the end along with the weird ears tells him he's subconsciously picked a dragon, "Sometimes it's easier to just be an animal."

"I bet so," his dad smiles, "Just keep your ma and me notified. We want to make sure you stay safe."

"I will, dad," Keith ducks his head before smiling, "I'll call as often as I can. Love you and mom."

"We love you too. If you're in trouble, just call. We'll come get you," his mom and then dad hugs him close before he boards his ship, shooting back to the castle on Arus. Keith hides his ride again, flying as a bird before sneaking into the castle as a mouse, not unlike those he saw before.

Only to stumble into said mice.

'Hey!' One squeaks in surprise as Keith bolts. The four chase after him from hall to hall. Luckily for Keith, he knows every single dip and hiding spot. Unfortunately, so do the mice chasing him. They go from floor to floor, up shoot after shoot, through room after room. Keith's always had good stamina, but so do the mice. And it's four vs one.

They have Keith cornered before he can do something. In fact, it seems to be in the Altean princess's room. And the mice know it, for the smallest mouse rushes over to the bed, about to wake her up. The rest surround him up on the countertop that houses a jewelry box and inactive holographic photo device.

Keith's entire mission is over if she finds out. From what little he did see, he knows she doesn't like the Galra. None of them probably do, for good reasons. And he has to gather info for this alliance. He has to. His family's lives depend on this. They need Voltron. And Voltron needs them. It's the only way. He can't lose more of them.

Normally, Keith fights. He fights and fights and fights more, even when the odds are way too big against him. He is Galra, and he fights like a Galra.

But this time, he doesn't.

He curls up into a ball. If being passive will help them all, he'll do it. He needs this. Everyone in the universe does.

He waits for someone to shout for help. But a paw lands on him instead, making him open his eyes. He peers at the four in shock, seeing one of the middle-sized ones sniffing him curiously.

Keith tilts his head, eyes flying to the sleeping Altean before taking off for a desolate area in the castle free of cameras or people. He sighs softly before relaxing, reverting to his original form. The mice squeak in protest, looking ready to bolt back for the princess. 

"Wait!" Keith yelps before wincing at the volume. The mice do, pausing with ears twitching, silent, "I'm not here to cause problems. I want to help. I'm not a spy. Or at least, I'm not a spy for the Empire. There's a group of Galra, like me, who are fighting against them. We want peace too."

'He doesn't smell that bad,' one reasons.

'I don't know,' another says softly, giving him a mistrustful look, 'He didn't deny being a Galra spy…'

'Yeah, but I think he's telling the truth,' another says optimistically, 'You know that no group is nice or bad. Back in the day, we had an fellow mouse who was...a bit crazy…'

'That's true!' The last nods their plump head, the biggest mouse of the bunch, 'He was mean! I guess there can be friendly Galra.'

"I don't know if I'm friendly, per se," Keith shrugs, "But I'm here to help. My family...they're hesitant to make an alliance. They're scared, really. I'm scared. But we have to do something. So I'm here…"

'See, I told you he's goo-' The smallest mouse freezes in shock, looking over at him, 'Did he...understand us?'

"Yeah," Keith nods before his thumb rubs against his fist nervously, "I can. I can talk to all animals. It's uhhh...a blessing I earned for…something…"

'That's quiznaking wacky!' Another chirps, the pinkish one, before running up his leg to his shoulder, peering at him from head-to-toe. The mouse turns to the other three, 'I like him! We're keeping him!'

'Don't mind Chuchule,' The biggest says with a small smile and wave, 'She's just excited. She practically adopts everyone into the family.'

"Uhhh...thanks?"

'I'm Platt,' the mouse goes on, green fur shaking a bit as he laughs a little, 'The smallest one is Chulatt. He's just a bit shy. The cynical one over there is Plachu.'

'I am not cynical,' the slimmest mouse, Plachu, huffs irritatedly before crossing his arms, 'I'm cautiously realistic.'

'Yeah, sure,' Chuchule chuckles before running up his back, crawling into his cloak's hood before squeaking, 'I really like him! He's a space heater!'

'Oh, I want to see!' Chulatt climbs up his pants, up the cloak, to his friend's side, 'I like him too!'

'You're all fools!' Plachu huffs before rolling his red eyes, 'You're asking to be eaten!'

"I don't eat mice," Keith chuckles softly, "Unless I'm super hungry and need to. But I won't eat you. I'm more interested in knowledge anyway. Got anything I should know about?"

'The princess is the only one who can understand us. We all shared a pod for 10,000 deca-phoebes,' Platt responds before rushing up Keith's body, curling up beside the other two, 'It's nice and cozy here, Plachu! Join?'

'No!'

'Why be on the cold floor when this guy has a warm neck?' Chuchule asks before flopping against Keith's cloak, 'I like it.'

"I! You!' The last mouse huffs before slowly climbing Keith's leg, not looking happy at all, 'You're all idiots...but I want to be warm too…'

Keith snickers before offering his hand. The blueish mouse glares at it before hopping on, jumping off onto Platt as soon as he possibly can.

"We can make a fair trade," Keith suggests, "Whenever you tell me something, I'll tell you something? If only the princess can understand you, everyone here can for me when I'm in animal form."

'That would be suspicious,' Chuchule says before blinking, 'That must be why you didn't talk when we were in Allura's room.'

Keith nods.

'Well, I like you,' Platt responds.

'Definitely!'

'Oh, yeah,' Chulatt agrees, 'I do too!'

Keith can practically feel them staring at their reluctant friend.

'...fine,' the last grumbles before huffing, 'If you can't beat them, join them, I guess.'

That's how Keith becomes good friends with the mice.

Chapter Text

Keith will learn a lot in the next couple of months.

The four mice are nosy as hell, but they're great friends. The smallest green paladin is named Pidge and she has missing family members out there somewhere. Lance is the youngest in his big family (Keith absolutely relates) and loves spa treatments (Keith doesn't relate to that). Hunk is an amazing chef who could rival Antok, and the mice sneak him meals to test sometimes. Coran is practically a walking encyclopedia of information regarding many subjects like Altean and Galran traditions. Allura is actually very kind, especially to the mice, and she's always willing to help those oppressed like the Balmerians. Shiro…

Shiro is only seven years older than Keith. He suffers from PTSD from his time in the pits. He's absolutely kind and friendly and apparently likes cats. Earth feline cats. He confesses one night when Keith crawls into his room as a mouse, smelling and hearing the human's distress in the night. It's early, a few nights after the humans first arrive. The man's in the middle of a massive nightmare, twisting and turning, begging under his breath to not be hurt.

Keith understands. His whole family has PTSD too. They've faced battles, explosions, heartbreak, lost loved ones, torture. Even Keith himself is not immune. He's got scars, physical and mental. He's practically been a warrior his whole life, knowing all of his family members could die in seconds. Being an animal isn't risk free either, especially when they're hunted for one reason or another.

So Keith does the only sensible thing. He wakes Shiro up. The man jolts upright, fist glowing. If Keith was in regular form, his head would be missing from his neck. As it is, he ducks before crawling up the man's blanket, tilting his head.

"Oh, so-sorry 'bout that," the older shivers slightly, sweaty enough to seem like he took a sprint through a dangerous jungle, "I didn't...see you there. I'm okay now. You can go back to 'llura now. Thanks."

Keith doesn't. He sits there as Shiro collects himself. After a few minutes, the older man lies down again, on his back this time. Keith waits for a moment before walking up to his chest, plopping down carefully.

"Oh, you're still here," Shiro says, more awake than before. A second later, one of his larger fingers comes up, brushing over Keith's head and back slowly. It feels good as Keith hums slightly, "You like that, huh? Sorry if I still don't have your names down. You're a lot softer than you look though."

Oh, he must think Keith's one of the others. And it makes sense. Shiro's bunk is fairly dark. Keith knows that Earth mice can't see very well, in blackness or otherwise. But these mice do. The mice breed he currently does too. Plachu said something about Galra mice, so Keith assumes that's why he's purple and such. But then again, the cloak changes the wearer's colors based on their inner soul or something. Keith doesn't say anything, letting the man decide what he wants to believe.

It's clear that Shiro desires his mind to be somewhere else. He talks to Keith. Not of anything important here in the castle, but rather far far away. On Earth. Keith listens eagerly as the older tells tales of hoverbikes, a place called the Galaxy Garrison, the desert, and cats.

"My grandpa took in a cat once," he confesses with a small chuckle, "It was the fiercest little thing. Would claw up everyone except him. The cat didn't like me at first. It's actually one of the times I remember crying. It was after the cat scratched me. Grandpa came up to me and told me I just had to be patient with the cat. So I did. And she was pretty nice after that."

Keith waits for a moment as Shiro pets him in thought.

"Her name was Aiko," he chuckles softly, sounding a bit sad, "That means 'little loved one' and she was."

Keith tilts his head, noting the tone and stuff. He gets to his feet, little paws holding onto the older's jaw. The man kind of reminds him of his dad, but where his dad has whiskers, Shiro is clean-shaven. The two are kind and funny and good people. But Shiro holds a sadness that Keith's own father doesn't have. He wonders why.

"I'm okay," Shiro looks at him, chuckling fondly at him, "I just miss her...them…Aiko passed away about ten years later. Peaceful death, I promise. Not sure if a mouse would care about a feline much, considering they tend to eat creatures like you. I think you do though. And then grandpa died around two years after that. Also old age. I guess I just miss cats. They're my favorite animals...no offense, you know...if they eat you and all."

Shiro sighs softly before gazing at the ceiling.

"We probably can't have one anyway, with all you mice and being so busy being Defenders of the Universe," Shiro shrugs before yawning deeply. They both peek over at the time, seeing it's early in the morning. Probably 3 or so.

"I should get back to sleep," Shiro smiles at him, "If I go back to sleep, maybe I can get an hour more than normal."

Keith huffs, knowing that means he probably only has gotten an hour or two as it is. As an insomniac, Keith completely understands though. He hops off of Shiro as the bigger rolls over. Then he crawls up next to the other, curling up to sleep by his arm, laying in the perfect curve of his armpit. Shiro snickers softly before falling asleep. Keith soon follows, waking up a little before Shiro. With a hesitant sniff, he bolts through the vents, pausing to watch the older who wakes. The other feels around for him, glancing around before sighing softly, shrugging before getting dressed in the armor.

'Looks like someone stayed with the Black-dressed one,' Chuchule teases him as they meet before breakfast. Hunk is up cooking, the amazing smell drifting through the vent. It makes Keith's stomach growl with a mighty need. He'll have to sneak some away, high metabolism and all.

'Oh, really?' Chulatt peers at him, blinking slyly for a moment before turning serious, 'He probably needs it, I think.'

'He's pretty nice,' Platt nods before shaking his body out, stretching the sleep away, 'But he needs a friend. Don't get me wrong. He's got friends here, but they don't get him. The princess and Coran are too...well, alien. And the youngest three are too young. Not in age but maturity. Not a whole lot in common with Shiro.'

'He can't understand us,' Plachu shrugs nonchalantly before itching his ear with his paw, 'And he's not going to want us around.'

'You're pretty negative sometimes,' Chuchule reprimands him with a head shake, looking disappointed, 'But you're probably right. He knows we're with the princess. He won't be comfortable with us, knowing we could go back to Allura to talk. Not that we would, of course.'

"Okay," Keith nods before licking his paw and cleaning his ear, a natural instinct he's gained from being an animal so long, "I have the perfect animal in mind."

He spends the rest of his day doing various tasks. First, he sneaks a whole plate and a half of the omelet sandwich Hunk made, devouring it like it may be his last meal. Second, he watches the team training, having an intense itch to join in, especially since he's trained so much all his life as a Blade. The team works okay in some areas. Allura and Shiro seem to know what they are doing the most. The colored armor is confusing though. Allura wears pink armor yet flies the Black Lion. Shiro wears black armor yet flies the Red Lion. It gives Keith a mini-migraine. Third, he sends a message to Kolivan with new info like the fact that Shiro seems to be the melee fighter of the group, something Keith deeply respects since he's the same. He talks with his mom and dad for a few minutes and even the wolf who practically whines, missing him. Fourth, he sneaks even more food out of the kitchen, since he can only survive on so much automatically-created food goo. And last, he sneaks into Shiro's room and turns into a cat.

He's never been an Earth cat. A space cat? Yeah. He's been the type of cat like Prince Lotor was once rumored to have. It's similar but different. He's seen photos and a few videos. He hopes he can act the part.

"Mreow?" He says softly, testing out the word. A moment later, he scratches on Shiro's blanket, wanting to get his attention. The other groans slightly before shifting, glancing over the edge of his bed. Keith blinks before tilting his head, "Mreow?"

"Oh, hey there," Shiro yawns before blinking, rubbing one eye. When he sees that Keith hasn't disappeared, he laughs a little. The older gently offers his hand, "Where'd you come from?"

"Mreow," he sniffs Shiro's fingers before licking the appendage a little. A second later, he jumps up onto the bed, sitting before Shiro who raises a brow.

"You sure are a pretty kitty," he cooes before petting Keith's head, "Must be calico. I didn't even know cats existed in space. But then again, we've met some pretty crazy stuff out here the last few days. Arusians throwing themselves into fires, some type of robot beast I've faced before as a gladiator, and somewhat sentient lion ships. Heck, until a year ago, I didn't even know aliens existed…"

The older breaks away from his thoughts, grey eyes on Keith.

"So, want to stay with me?" He says softly, patting his stomach, "It's cozy. I might have to get up at any time though. Just warning you."

Keith sits right where Shiro invites him, feeling toned pecs under his tiny paws and the clothes the older wears. Whenever he's an animal, some of their natural instincts come to him. Right now, he feels comfortable enough that his paws automatically squish back and forth, kneading the spot as a small purr kicks up in his chest.

"I take it back," Shiro chuckles fondly before rubbing his head, "You're not just pretty. You're adorable."

Keith blushes slightly, glad his fur hides it. His purr automatically kicks up as he makes a small noise. Wiggling slightly against the bigger, Keith sniffs along his collarbone before lying down.

"Thanks," Shiro grins softly, petting his back, "Thank you."

It's not long before he slips to sleep. Keith follows after a minute, watching the other until he falls asleep.

~🐾~

Keith's outside on the night of the festivities. The Alteans are hosting a party in the castle, and Keith feels more comfortable outside. He's never been one for crowds, and animals tend to be nabbed up into random people's arms. It's much safer.

He's flying as a hessissec, a type of bird with super thin wings, scales of crystal rock. The red scales vibrate slightly as he shifts, flying in a fast yet graceful curve. He can see the castle from here, soaring over the trees. Sighing softly, he blinks as something catches his eye. Swooping closer, he tenses as he sees a sentry bot. Readying himself to attack in his regular form, he pauses when he sees no movement. Flames burst forward, but Keith's attention whips up to the castle before he flies as fast as he can. As he's flying, he sees a purple shield approaching the ground. With a small shout, he slides under the barrier just in time, skidding to a stop on his side. Luckily, his crystal scales save him from injury as he jumps back into the air. Twisting to fly into a narrow gap, he notes Allura banging desperately on the shield.

As soon as he's inside, he transforms to his normal form, sprinting down hall after hall. He sees Pidge disappear into the core generator room, wondering why she's entering there. He quickly shadows her, crouching just outside the hall. Looking in, he hisses as Pidge jumps onto her reprogrammed (Rover) bot. Electricity arches through the walls and air as a Galra collapses against the floor. Keith narrows his eyes as the man gets up, knowing exactly who it is. He's faced the man before as an animal.

He knows what he's afraid of.

Keith blinks as Pidge lunges at the man bravely. They fight for a few moments before Keith sees his opportunity, running in. He quickly transforms into a thether snake, slithering forward before secreting natural slime, rolling in a quick patch by Haxus's feet before latching onto his foot with a fierce hiss.

"Now what trick do you have, chil-" the man snarks at Pidge who is getting up, rubbing her head. The jerk looks down, face paling so quickly he almost goes as white as Ulaz. Keith clings tighter to the armor. The Galra man yelps like a little girl, kicking at Keith, "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! I SHOULD SLA-"

The man doesn't get to finish his statement as he hits the slippery slime. With a shout, he goes flying. Keith leaps from the man's foot before slithering away as an explosion rips through the air, a column of fire going upward. The sickly smell of burning flesh clouds his scent glands, telling him that Haxus is out of commission permanently. Pidge looks around in confusion before shrugging, rushing away.

Keith waits a minute before transforming, cloak sitting against his shoulders. He's about to dash into the fight he knows they'll have with Sendak (for where Haxus is, the Commander is too) when his Marmora communicator lights up with rapid blinking and silent vibrating in his pouch. Distress code.

Keith sends a frustrated growl over his shoulder before he bolts. He's pretty sure that they can handle Sendak. He runs out of the castle, getting ready to tunnel under the shield when it flickers out of existence. Keith grins before dashing to his ship, taking off as fast as possible.

When he's done with helping his family in the nearest sector where the distress signal came from, he goes back home. He has supper with his dad, since his mom and wolf are out on their own mission. The rest of his pack soon joins them, even Kolivan who looks him over worriedly before nodding approvingly. Antok slides more food to him as Keith's dad chuckles fondly.

"What?" Keith asks with a full mouth.

"I think Antok is telling you that you're too tiny."

"Puny," Antok rubs the salt in the wound with a laugh.

"Hey!" Keith blushes before rolling his eyes, "Everyone is puny next to you. Even Uncle Koli is. It's not my fault I'm small."

"I don't know…" Regris teases him with a playful nudge, "Your parents are both pretty tall and stuff. You look like you got the short end of the stick, Keefy."

"Very funny," Keith chuckles before quickly transforming, growing until he's well above them all, "Now who's short?"

"Keith," his dad huffs goodnaturedly before shaking his head, "I don't think your lion goddess had this in mind when she offered you that cloak. But good job on becoming a giraffe."

"Sorry," Keith grins back before going human/Galra again.

"I thought it was neat," his best friend compliments him, "You sure looked weird though…"

"Me?" Keith snickers, "You look weird too. You have a tail."

"Hey! Don't insult my tail! It's sensitive!" Regris holds his tail close to his chest, "Besides, many hybrids have tails of some sort! Look at Antok!"

"Why would you be looking at me?" Antok asks curiously from his discussion with Kolivan who raises a brow.

"No reason really," Keith says before getting up, "I'd love to stay and chat but I'm going to bust if I don't train soon."

That's what he does for about three hours before he takes a shower and passes out in his parent's apartment space, which he technically also lives in too, just in a more separate area. When he awakes, his mom and wolf are still gone so he leaves them all a little message before sneaking off back to Arus.

Only to find the castle is gone.

The beams, bridges, and cliffs are still there. But the entire white castle he's called his home-away-from-home is gone.

"Fuck," Keith growls in Galran before gripping his ship's yokes. How was he going to find them? He could search the universe his entire lifetime and never meet them again. Keith's traveled enough to know just how big the universe is. How is he going to locate a moving castle ship, five lion ships, and six people along with four animals? By the time the Blade gets wind of their location, they'll be long gone. It'll be a game of cat-and-mouse as his dad says.

He scowls, closing his eyes to get a grip on his temper. He definitely got that from his mom, not his dad. He sighs when it barely helps. Instead, he thinks back to what he remembers when he first arrived years ago. He had to have found his way here on purpose somehow, considering he kept coming to the same place.

It takes a moment to notice that he feels...emptiness before him. It's as though something important is currently gone. He waits, tuning into the feeling before something nudges him towards the sky, out to his left side. He opens his eyes, knowing it's definitely the castle. He knows it is.

He takes off to locate them all again.

Chapter Text

Keith finds them fairly easy. He just catches the tail end of the battle, which is epic with lots of fighting and a massive flash of light. Keith feels it gathering before the flash even goes off. He also understands that the Balmera is dying…

Or rather, was dying. Apparently, Allura fixes it with the flash of light, along with the help of the native Balmerans. Keith can practically feel the entire living planet thriving with a hum. He can also understand it, but it doesn't quite speak like normal animals do, being petrified and all. Keith can feel its happiness and contentment through his own self.

Knowing that they'll be okay, he sneaks his way down the tunnels before pausing. He recognizes these. There's many Balmeras in the universe (although far less now that the Empire harms them into collapsing), but Keith's been to this specific one.

While Keith doesn't take undercover missions, for fear of discovery on the main fleets and central command, he does take scouting and information gathering ones. Just like how he tails the Paladins of Voltron now, he's been to a few planets to further the Blade's knowledge of where and how far the Empire has spread. He had been sent to see if they could sabotage the crystals, knowing it's one big source of the Empire's energy. Crystals hold quintessence and quintessence runs ships. Sadly, he had learned that the place could not be interfered with, not unless they all wanted to face heavy consequences. And the Blade didn't have enough people to give their quintessence to grab all the crystals, and that would only be a temporary solution...

Last time he was here, he met a Balmeran who seemed really friendly. Shay, might have been her name. He chuckles fondly as he strolls through carved hall after hall. She seemed amazed when she found him, since his accidentally chosen form is apparently revered among her people for some reason. She was pretty nice, talking to him like a friend.

He ducks into the center of the living planet. Every Balmera has a core, Keith knows that. It's where the most life is, a mini-ecosystem in itself. One doesn't even need light inside there, for they are bright enough to make it feel like outside came underground. Some of the life inside even creates natural heat and light.

Or so Shay and the textbooks say.

He slips into the cave, eyes widening in shock.

It's beautiful. What the Balmerans and princess did must have really restored the large cavern. A giant fiery orange-red mushroom stands regal in the very center of the room, glowing with warmth. Blue round crystals erupt from its flesh, white and purple painting the gills on the underside. A big mound of brown dirt holds it up, the roots sinking into the planet. From there, blue crystals sprout up almost like bushes, concentrated in patches. They spread out throughout the cave, casting a blue glow everywhere. Bugs and small creatures fly and crawl around, some that the Balmerans eat themselves. Keith blinks, feeling the massive amount of energy there. Strangely, it's not giving him a headache or anything.

It's actually peaceful.

He spends a few minutes there before making his way to the castle. The others are celebrating their victory, but Keith strolls through the castle as a mouse, keeping an eye out for any danger like last time. Thank Marmora that they're smart enough to not open the castle to the public, instead celebrating outside nearby. He sees Sendak trapped in machine pod thing. He notes that some supplies are gone from one of the storage hangars, a few tools in a messy pile. He also runs across the mice who let him know that Allura is resting after giving so much of her life force. He hears that they'll be staying long enough for her to recover her strength.

That night, he jumps into Shiro's bed as a Earth cat again. The older tells him about the day, about how they were down Voltron without Allura and that he's not sure how they'll deal with that in the future. He's clearly worried about his crew, which is understandable. But he gets stuck on it. So Keith quickly distracts him with a small meow and scenting along his jaw, tail flicking across his face. It cheers the man up before they both go to sleep.

Two days later, Allura is back on her feet. They're supposed to leave that night after helping make sure everyone is okay. The Balmerans are in destitute conditions, but seem fairly optimistic. Keith remembers that they value family above all else. They should be able to fend for themselves. 

So Keith isn't sure what attracts him back to the core. Maybe it's the fact that he might not see the sight again. Or that he wants to look something over. Or even something else. Either way, when he arrives, he's shocked that the room is occupied by Empire soldiers. They're clearly a ragtag group, those left of the initial attack. They must not have any working ships to leave on.

There's five living soldiers. They stand in various areas, messing with gadgets. Thick wires are attached to the mushroom, leading to who knows where. Keith hisses softly before ducking behind the wall, counting under his breath. When his heartbeat slows down, he listens.

"We got the whole place set up, Commander," one of them says, probably saluting, "What do you want us to do?"

"Start it. Destroy this place," the soldier growls angrily, "If we can't bring victory to Lord Zarkon personally, we'll take out the whole thing. If we're lucky, we'll take out Voltron too. Vrepit sa."

"Vrepit sa."

Keith curses inside at the words. All these people are in serious danger. The Balmerans. The animals. Voltron. The paladins. The Alteans. Shiro.

He can't let that happen. He wants to march inside and attack them right now. Surprise would be great help. He could probably down at least two of them before they know what hits them. He's always been the stubborn, hotheaded one in the family.

But he knows he can't do that here. The Balmera is a living creature with the ability to get hurt. He won't take all five out before they activate the homemade bomb they've set up. So he reluctantly waits a minute. And by some luck, one soldier comes out. Keith keeps his eyes on the man before ambushing him silently, slicing through his throat with his blade. He picks up the communicator before sending out a signal he knows means that he needs assistance but it's not urgent.

After a few minutes, another soldier comes out into the hall. Keith strikes before he has a moment to take in the dead teammate. The other crumbles to the ground as Keith quickly transforms into the first animal with sharp teeth and claws he can think of, running into the cave. Without being noticed, he gnaws through as many cables as he can, spitting out the metal and electronics. As soon as he knows the bomb won't be able to go off, he turns back into person form, leaping at the closest soldier. The woman yelps in surprise, going down as easily as her fellow crewmates.

The last two scramble, activating the bomb. When nothing happens, they turn to attack him with angry looks. Keith slams into the first, knocking him to the ground. They roll over and over, fighting to gain control of Keith's blade. As they roll, Keith sees the Commander getting ready to fire his gun at them. With a grunt, Keith twists. His knife goes flying, stabbing into the nearby wall.

The Balmera wails in pain as the laser gun goes off, striking the Galra Empire soldier multiple times in the back. The man arches in shock, eyes wide before he falls over. Keith moves before the leader has the time to shoot more. Grabbing a loose piece of crystal, he flings it without any aim, hoping it strikes somewhere as he dives. The blasts break a few more crystals off before Keith looks.

The Commander's got a battle ax in his hand now. His gun rests many feet away.

"Sabotaging my mission, half-breed?" He snarls before stalking closer, ax waving around, "Then again, I'm shocked someone as small as you got this far. The others were incompetent dolts though. I'm going to enjoy slaying you where you stand, traitor. You do not fight in the name of our people."

"You talk too much," Keith snaps before rushing for his blade. The Commander does the same, swinging his weapon. Keith ducks, jumping around to avoid the thing. He makes sure to move in ways that don't cause him to hit the Balmera. Every swing and miss leads them closer to the blade. Unfortunately, he's just got his fingers on the hilt when the other gets a hit.

Keith screams as pain flashes through his entire right side. He slides away from his blade, feeling as the Balmera screeches in anger. Before any of them can move, a giant rock falls from overhead. Both of them glance up, Keith barely jumping out of the way reflexively, snatching up his weapon on the roll away. A massive boom echoes over him as the wind hits him, bits of crystal flying everywhere as the Galra shouts in pain.

It takes a whole moment for Keith to reorient himself. When he stumbles to his feet, he sees that the rock has crushed his opponent, his hand sticking out of the boulder. The Balmera is fairly quiet, although it seems a bit apologetic.

"It's okay," Keith reassures before putting his uninjured hand against the beast's wall, hoping it understands him, "Thanks. I'm just...Need to get to my...first aid kit on my ship…"

He glares at the ax which is still buried into the meat of his shoulder. His cloak had moved just enough to allow the weapon to strike his armor. It hurts really badly, likely cutting into bone. He's having a hard time even moving his arm. If he pulls it out, he'll likely bleed out in minutes. If he leaves it in, it'll just hurt him more until he has to get his arm amputated with enough damage.

The red blood that is so unlike most Galra's leaks from the site even as he debates what to do. He could become an animal after he yanks it out. The universe is filled with mind-blowing creatures, some of which can hold off death for a while with their natural abilities. Or he could hightail it to his ship, avoid any patrols of Balmerans or paladins, and book it to the base.

He makes up his mind the moment he hears someone coming into the cave. Putting his blade between his teeth, he pulls the ax from his shoulder with a broken cry, tossing it to the ground. Turning into that animal he had been about two years ago, he slips out to a cluster of crystals, hoping to blend in.

His right pincer won't even work as he scurries on eight legs to an okay perching spot, unsure who may show up. Not-quite blood drips down over a cluster of his eyes on the lower right side of his head, obscuring part of his vision. Regardless, his beady eyes pick up motion coming for him from his front. His crystalline body goes absolutely still as he hides in plain sight, hoping whoever it is leaves soon.

~🐾~

Hunk sighs contentedly as he watches Shay watching the sunrise. Turns out that the Balmera moves a lot, so it sees different suns, so different times for sunsets and sunrises altogether. It's weird, but Hunk is happy as long as Shay is.

She deserves a lot, especially for having to live with Zarkon's tyranny and colonization of her home. To think that she's never even seen a sunrise until the last few days! It breaks his heart. But he's extremely happy he got to show her it all. If he weren't a paladin, he'd show her other places too, maybe even Earth.

"It is most beautiful here," Shay says sweetly, yellow eyes staring out into the sky, "I still am not used to such a sight. You see such a sight every day on your home planet?"

"Oh, yeah," Hunk nods before shrugging, "Some people treasure it back some. I think Shiro, our Red Paladin, he likes them too. They're something peaceful. Hope for another day."

"I like that much," Shay smiles softly, looking away from him with a small blush. Hunk does the same as they stare at the golden light for a moment. He's just about to ask her something when she tenses, hand lighting up with blue light. She gasps, "Oh, no!"

"What's wrong?" He demands right away as they jump up. He runs after Shay who looks absolutely frightened, rushing into an underground tunnel.

"The Balmera. It is communicating with me!" She calls out before rushing faster. It takes everything in him to keep his pace up, "It's under attack again! It is in grave danger! We all are!"

Hunk doesn't argue with her. A) he needs his breath to run, B) she knows her home much better than he does, and C) Shay would never lead him into a trap. He knows it instinctively. Shay is super kind and she has proven herself a great friend time and time again, even when Hunk dragged her into trouble with the Galra.

He gasps in shock when they round the corner to the Balmera core where they rescued Shay before. Two Galra lay dead at their feet. One's throat is sliced, the other's head is cut. Purple blood paints the wall as they hurry by. Inside, there's two other Galra clearly stabbed to death. Hunk gazes around as fast as he can before seeing another Galra under a rock, only their hand left.

"Did the...did the Balmera take them out?" Hunk asks curiously, feeling a bit queasy at all the blood. He's getting a lot better at coping with all this...graphic violence, but it still makes him feel awful.

"I fear not," Shay shakes her head before pressing a hand over the wall, her hand briefly glowing, "The Balmera cannot defend itself against attacks well. It must have been saving whomever was saving it."

"It looks like they got hurt too," Hunk exclaims as he inspects the battle ax painted in blood. More specifically, red blood, "Hey, Shay. Does anyone you know have red blood?"

"Not that I know," Shay walks to his side, gazing at the small puddle of blood with worried eyes, "We Balmerans do not bleed red nor do the Galra."

"Humans do though," Hunk frowns before putting his helmet on, extremely glad he hasn't changed into his civvies yet today. He quickly calls all his teammates up, asking if everyone is okay. They all are, so he tells them of the thwarted attack at the center.

"Look this way, Hunk!" Shay pulls his attention to the side. He ends the call before peering at the sight. It's cables running around. They're all slashed by what looks to be animal teeth. Hunk doesn't have to be an engineer (he is though, at least partially) to know that the Galra were making a giant bomb to blow up the place before the person came in to save the cave.

"We should get back to the others," Hunk frowns, calling for his bayard just in case, "We don't know if there are more Galra here or not…"

Shay nods before they start out. Something shiny catches Hunk's eye though as he crouches down to inspect it. It looks almost like the red blood from before. But it's more oily with a rainbow red hue not unlike vehicle oil. He touches it, surprised when it fades away from his glove. A small trail of the stuff leads upward to a cluster of crystals by his head. They're all bright blue. He blinks in confusion before coming closer. When he's just a foot away from it, one of the crystals springs up, jumping his way.

He yelps in fright, leaping away from it. Watching it closely, he sees an animal that looks almost like a scorpion. Only this one seems to be made out of crystals it's all sharp edges with sharp fangs and a sharp stinger and oh gods what should he do-

"Do not harm him!" Shay calls out, grabbing Hunk's arm with her strong hand, "He is a friend!"

"A friend?" Hunk asks before nodding, "Okay. Okay...it's just...on Earth, we have a similar animal. Those ones sting and kill people with poison."

"He will not attack!" Shay says before grinning at the...bug? arthropod? Whatever it is, "I have met this one before, nearing two years ago. He was most kind. It is considered great fortune to meet one, after all! So few of them exist."

She gasps.

"He is injured!"

And he is. Hunk looks at the wound on his shoulder. The same oily red liquid leaks from what looks like a cracked hole in his pincer arm. Where the crystal scorpion was all once blue, it is now red on the inner insides, like a strange glass cup of cherry kool-aid. Said animal is weary of them, but it clearly feels a bit weak. His left pincer clasps a bit back and forth yet his right lies sluggishly on the ground. His blood curls over the dots on his lower right side. The guy's biggish eyes close, yet he nearly jumps in fright when they come closer, twisting towards his right more.

Huh, all those dark shiny dots must be eyes too. A stunning 14 of them including the two big ones.

"Oh no! What can we do!" Shay demands before hurrying to pick the creature up. Said animal makes a weird sound, not unlike when a glass cup lid is rubbed, sounding eerie as his stinger flexes, "We will not hurt you, my friend! You are safe!"

The crystal scorpion pauses, making more noise. It takes Hunk a minute to realize it is from his crystalline body parts sliding against each other as he moves, almost like what a cricket does when moving its wings. In a way, it's kind of elegant like a wind chime in sound. The poor guy opens the two big eyes, peering up at the both of them with hazy dark pupils. His dark grey-purple eyes focus on Hunk and then the Balmeran before crawling into Shay's hand.

"What's he bleeding?" Hunk asks curiously, gently rubbing his finger against the scorpion's head, avoiding the eyes. This time, he doesn't hiss. Like before, the liquid disappears like invisible ink.

"He is made from the crystal of the Balmera!" Shay says in thought, softly petting his crystal back, getting a pleased but pained rattle as a few legs move in a more flexible than they should. Little hooks on the feet stick to Shay, letting the legs bend at a disturbing angle upright, "No one really knows how they gain such sentience. They are more alive than the Balmera. While the Balmera grows the crystals, these ones have a unique quintessence in them, giving them life. I'm quite surprised he is still around, considering how wounded the Balmera was before we healed it. The Balmera tends to reabsorb the life it gives in extreme times."

"Wait…" Hunk frowns in thought before pointing at her and the scorpion, "He's leaking this quintessence stuff, right?"

"Yes?" Shay and the scorpion both tilt their heads in confusion. Hunk wishes he could take a quick pic of it because it's kind of funny and cute.

"And the Balmera needed this quintessence stuff?"

"Yes?" This time, the scorpion rattles in agreement too.

"And Allura helped with that," Hunk goes on, "So we take him to Allura. She should be able to help, right?"

"You are most wise!" Shay exclaims before hugging him, being careful to not harm the arthropod in her hand, "Surely the princess can help! She is very kind!"

"Yeah, she is," Hunk nods before peeking at the third one in their party, sending him a reassuring smile, "We'll get you patched up in no time."

The scorpion rattles again, two of his legs reaching out. Hunk chuckles before offering his hand, not as fearful as before as sharp hooks stick to his gloves. He watches as he notes a line of red all the way up into the animal's feet. It looks almost like a big vein of juice.

"Let's get you patched up."

The crystal scorpion agrees with a few shakes.

Chapter Text

"What do you have here?"

Keith wakes from his nap, not knowing that he had even fallen asleep. He blinks exhaustedly before peering around with his many eyes. It's a little disorienting, having this much vision. He can see pretty much everywhere except underneath himself, almost like a camera system. It's not built for detail (thank Marmora, he'd have very intense sensory overload) but rather for movement. So he knows exactly where he is.

He's by the castle, but they're still outside on the Balmera. Shay holds him in her hand, Hunk is off to her side. A few Balmerans and the other paladins stand in the background more. Allura is in front of him. It's Coran who talked, looking him over from the princess's side. Keith moves his legs on his left side, each making a weird glass sound.

"Oh! It's a," Keith can't understand the next string of words the oldest man uses. Must be ancient Altean. Neither does anyone else in the groups, since the orange-haired guy explains, "Us Alteans have always been explorers and diplomats from our very first days. We've traveled all over the universe before the war. And in those travels, we've documented the animals we've run across. In fact, I've even seen a few creatures like this once before!"

"I don't know," Lance says from the side, his finger reaching out to poke Keith. Keith rattles his tail in warning before glaring at the Blue Paladin with his normal eyes, the other 12 making sure no one else comes at him. The guy yelps in surprise before backing up a bit, "Seems strange to me."

"That's because he's not living flesh like us!" Keith snorts quietly at how wrong Coran is unknowingly as the man goes on, "He's made from crystals that come from the Balmera. The last ones I saw had all kinds of colored quintessence inside of them. A whole field of them! They're all unique."

"But there are so few now," Shay frowns in concern, "They are a legend among my people. To see one is great fortune. My people have inhabited this Balmera for over 10,000 years and we have not seen any for many of those years."

"That is a problem," Coran joins in with the frowning, "The Balmera was definitely in a bad spot. But hopefully with the regrowth, new ones will be born! You'll have that core crawling with them soon, especially if the Balmera stays healthy and happy."

"Poor guy's hurt though," Allura responds before peering at him, "His shoulder is bleeding."

Keith rattles his tail again before sagging. The leaking quintessence is actually draining him. It's going slower than bleeding out in his regular form though, so that's good.

"We're going to need some more crystal to patch up the hole," the princess goes on, "Especially one the exact shape. Then I can heal him with my alchemy so the quintessence stops leaking out."

A small noise stops her as something erupts from the dirt. Keith can't quite see it but he has an idea of what it is when the Balmera whistles in appreciation and peace.

"The Balmera has aided him!" Shay says happily.

"It would seem so," Coran nods enthusiastically before picking up the crystal, "I believe you need this, princess."

"Thank you," she grins before picking the crystal up, turning to him, "I won't hurt you. I want to heal you. Is that okay?"

Keith blinks, surprised she's even asking. Feeling warmth bloom in his heart, he presses his legs to her hand in reassurance, closing his eyes. All 14 of them.

A sign of trust.

"Thank you," she says softly before placing the crystal carefully. It's snug but not uncomfortable as it slides into place, "Here we go."

Keith feels energy gather around him as her hands hover over his head. He's pretty sure that if he opened his eyes, he would be blinded by the light, not unlike a few days ago. He also feels five deeper presences in the very background, one of them burning brightly, proudly, stubbornly. It practically calls to him like the crackling of flames, like a campfire, like a homecoming.

"You are destined for great things, my little one," the voice drifts over him, a memory from the day he got his cloak and blessing from the Lion Goddess for completing his tasks, "It is in your blood, in your heart, and in your soul. You will change this war, in some ways that no one will ever see coming. Follow your calling, my little Lionheart. Fight and thrive."

And then he's all healed.

~🐾~

Shiro watches the groups.

Pidge and he had just come from a talk about Matt, recalling the funny memories of when the other was goofy. It seemed to cheer the younger, something Shiro is grateful for. She needs it especially since she misses her whole family, mom back on Earth. They're all she's got right now.

When they get back, the Balmerans gather around, looking uneasy and anxious. Both Shiro and Pidge share confused looks before racing forward to them.

"What's going on?" He demands, gazing over the crowd. Allura and Coran stand in the center of the groups, seeming just as confused as they are. Lance and Hunk…wait, "Where's Hunk?"

"I assume he is with my granddaughter," an elderly woman speaks up, staying calm even though she too acts a little scared too, "The Balmera has a connection with her. My Shay, she is a very good listener. She feels the slightest vibrations. We don't catch quite all she does."

"But we know enough," Rax, Shay's brother says seriously, "Our home is in trouble again."

"What!" Lance yelps in shock, "I thought we got rid of all the Galra! We took out the fleets! We took down the robot beast monster thing! How the quiznak!"

Shiro's helmet crackles with communication links coming up.

"I don't know, but Hunk might," he holds up his hand, silently willing Pidge with his eyes to make her helmet louder for all to hear in the clearing, "Hunk, what's wrong? We've heard that the Balmera is in danger."

"It was but not now," Hunk speaks up, worry flaring in his voice, "Are all of you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're good," Pidge raises a brow, "The Balmerans and the rest of us are here."

"For sure that none of us humans came down here?"

"Uhhh...why?" Lance questions.

"I...well, Shay and I found a battle scene," Hunk explains, "Five Galra almost blew up the core. Someone stopped them but they also got hurt. There's an ax soaked with blood. Red blood."

"That is rather strange," Allura says from the side, "Us Alteans have blue blood and I know the Balmerans don't have red blood nor do the Galra."

"A few other species have red blood like you earthlings," Coran rubs his mustache, "But I must admit that as far as I'm aware, they're all far away from here. Most of them aren't space-travelers or anything."

"Whoever it was, the Balmera helped them defeat the last Galra," Hunk says, "He's currently uhhh...crushed...we're coming out there to you guys."

"Alright," Allura nods, "Stay safe, Hunk and Shay. We'll see you shortly."

The helmet clicks off as they wait, some more patiently than others. Shiro sees the princess pacing around as the minutes pass by.

"Shay has been gone far too long," Rax hisses in frustration and fright, "My sister may be in trouble again. We should go down to locate her."

"No, wait," Pidge says from the side, glancing back, "They're coming."

Sure enough, Hunk and Shay appear from the tunnels. Neither look hurt, but Shay carries what looks like a piece of crystal. They all crowd around in curiosity as the two step up by the Alteans.

"What do you have here?"

Shiro peers at the crystal in her hand. Before he can blink, the blue rock turns red, looking a lot like a scorpion. Said scorpion opens its eyes, likely 14 of them as it peers around. 

Then comes a lot of explanations. And then the animal needs to be healed. Allura accomplishes that without breaking a sweat. Said creature looks almost brand new as Shiro walks up towards it. But he notes some rough scratches on it. The spot where he was hurt is also left with shallow cuts.

It's almost like scars.

Before long, they return the guy back to his home in the core. Shiro goes with to scope out the scene. Sure enough, there are five dead Galra and drying red blood on the ground. The cables are chewed straight through. He can't understand how their savior got away without leaving a trail or even why they'd leave without their aid. Surely an enemy of the Galra is a friend of theirs?

Shiro looks at the beauty of the place, knowing that's what he's always wanted to see. He never signed up for a war or being a prisoner. He just wanted to explore the universe. Still wants to if he makes it out of the war alive. Hell, he doesn't know if his disease is even cured even though he's had no muscle pains since losing his own arm.

A noise startles him as he looks around, tensing while readying himself for a fight. But no one is around, not even those he came with. Glancing down, he blinks as he sees the crystal scorpion crawling next to his side, rattling his tail before moving his legs up. Shiro blinks before holding his hand out. The other latches onto the appendage, little hooked feet hanging on strongly.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Shiro laughs softly before eyeing the animal's stinger, "Well, can't hurt. My arm is metal so…"

The scorpion rattles his tail, almost playfully, before striking blank air, hopping around. Shiro watches, forgetting all about his woes.

"I wonder if you use your tail for mating rituals," Shiro ponders curiously, enjoying the display, "Like...a dance or something. Spiders back home do that to get their mate's attention. Or maybe you don't mate since you're born from the Balmera…"

The scorpion tilts his head, wiggling his pincers. He does a few more rattling and leaps before grabbing his hand again, blinking at him.

"I can't believe I'm saying that a scorpion is adorable," Shiro says in shock, never having imagined himself here, "I mean, back on Earth, our scorpions sting and kill us if we get this close. Animal life seems a lot smarter out here. Then again, the people out here are much smarter too...unless you're Pidge. Pidge can definitely kick your butt with her brain."

The scorpion rattles again before his legs work in sync, looking like a wave. A moment later, he does it at a slower rate, sounding like a wind chime.

"You definitely have her out beat in the music department," Shiro teases before tapping the other's head, avoiding his eyes. He swipes down his back which gets an interesting reaction. The arachnid's back plates shake and shift before it goes out to the ends of all eight legs. Everything rattles and moves until the poor guy flips onto his side, going still.

"I didn't...kill you, right?" Shiro questions as he starts to sweat nervously. How was he supposed to know that the spot there was vulnerable, "Oh no."

The crystal scorpion moves his legs a bit on the side to the air, as if to reassure him.

"Wait, does that feel...good?" Shiro asks curiously before raising his brows, "Like an erogenous zone of some sort? Huh...weird. That probably does mean you can reproduce."

The scorpion doesn't respond, merely blinking in a daze. Shiro glances at the scorpion's belly, wondering what he'll see. It's mostly flat, looking like the rest of the arachnid. But the inside of the guy pulses a bit, flaring a deeper red like a rapid heartbeat. A moment later, a bit of liquid comes from two spots, one lower down the bottom of the tail and the other near the tip. It doesn't look unlike the quintessence he had been bleeding either, melting into the dirt as soon as it lands.

Shiro blinks, blushing up a storm as he finally gets exactly what happened. He knows enough about Earth scorpion anatomy to get it, even though this one is an alien and not quite the same.

"Whoops, sorry," Shiro laughs nervously before hurrying to tip the scorpion back on his belly. Said animal rattles in confusion and what seems to be disappointment, "Well, I guess I figured out how you mate. I'm also guessing that you're not like most of your kind."

As in he's intersex. But then again, maybe they're all that way. What does he know? He really doesn't know much. He's never really been one for understanding animals or people. Space has always been his true love so…

"Sorry about that," he rubs his undercut sheepishly, "I'll just...leave you be. Stay safe, okay? I think I'm going to visit Red."

And hopefully wipe that from his memory forever with the rest of the locked memories of the past year of capture. So embarrassing but he's starting to understand how the crystal scorpions can make a baby together with their quintessence. Getting aroused makes their quintessence spike, that quintessence combines, and the joined quintessence grows into a new crystal scorpion. Now it's anyone's guess as to whether the quintessence just joins together on the ground or if both scorpions join together to find a hollow crystal to put it in. That would be pretty cool if that's how it happened, like a mating ritual. Maybe even the Balmera takes place in it.

Shiro glances at the scorpion one last time before leaving. He probably won't see him again since they're taking off as promised to go to other parts of the universe to continue the fight.

He goes to Red, hearing her rumbling as if laughing at him. He enters her cockpit, rolling his eyes playfully before plopping into the pilot seat.

"Yeah, yeah," he chuckles, "Laugh it up. How was I to know stroking his back would make him do that?"

She practically rolls her own eyes before rumbling again. A quick series of pictures flies through his head, making him blush again. It's one of his and Adam's more...intimate times before they broke up.

"Hey, in my defense, those spots are different for everyone," he shakes his head, "Are you going to just grill me this whole time?"

Red gives him a mental shrug before growing curious.

"What?"

He gets images of a fight between a mysterious figure and some generic Galra. He sees red blood flying through the air, a pained cry coming out. He also feels her heat and fire flaring more as the scene replays of Allura healing the crystal scorpion. 

"What are you saying?"

Red huffs in frustration. She shows the clips again before growling slightly. Shiro still doesn't really understand where she's going.

"You're worried about the person who saved the core?"

Red growls in agreement before rumbling deeper. Shiro sighs in his own frustration. Despite what Allura said at the beginning, Shiro hasn't quite clicked with Red. And as much as she likes to deny it, Black isn't working out quite as smoothly as they had hoped with the princess either. Allura would be in Red if not for the fact that Red didn't accept. Red almost didn't accept Shiro either.

Red grumbles louder.

"I'm sorry, Red, but I can't quite understand you," Shiro hopes it comes out nicer than it sounds to him. He's growing annoyed too, at himself for not matching her as well as he can. Maybe it's the perfectionist in him. Or the fact that he wants to do his best, "Sometimes, I just think we're not paladin and lion…"

The lion flashes the fight again with the mystery person.

"You want the mysterious person to be your paladin?" He wonders. This gets an enthusiastic response before Red purrs apologetically, "I get it, Red. I'm not mad. I just...I don't know what else to be if I can't do this. All I want to be is a paladin."

Another rumble echoes through his mind. But what surprises him is that it's not Red. It's…

"Black?" He asks. Said lion rumbles deeply before encompassing him in a way Red never does. It's empowering and safe and freeing. Shiro gasps in shock before responding breathlessly, "Whoa. Is that why you guys are letting us pilot you? Because Red's pilot is out there somewhere and I'm supposed to be in Black?"

Both lions rumble in agreement.

"Whoa," Shiro says again before blinking, "I'm...going to need time to think about this…"

So he does, going to his room as they leave the Balmera. He lies in bed, in thought for probably an hour or so when his feline friend shows again, hopping onto his lap with a raspy yet beautiful meow. His silky fur brushes Shiro's stomach as dark eyes watch him.

"Oh, hey there," Shiro smiles before petting him, "I'm super glad to see you. There was a lot of action today. You wouldn't believe me even if I told yo-"

Shiro pauses, feeling something on the cat's right shoulder. Tracing the pattern of slightly raised flesh, he frowns. It feels like what the crystal scorpion had after the healing. A strange sharp scatter of a line in a broken diamond shape. Almost like shattered glass with no inside. Another slightly bigger scar sits just to the side of that, reminding him of the one he saw on the arachnid. He blinks in surprise before calming down.

It can't be the same animal. It's just coincidence that two completely different creatures would have the same scars. For all he knows, they could be a marking of some type. Like an animal trafficking system that scars them to identify them or something. Doesn't mean they're the same...right?

"Mreow?" The cat tilts his head, coming closer before rubbing his face all over Shiro's jaw. Shiro chuckles fondly before picking the smaller calico up above his head. Blinking, he accidentally gets a glimpse of the cat's rear end. Intersex, "Huh…"

That's double weird. Shiro knows it's uncommon for people to intersex, although it happens more often than he's probably aware of. Yet animals are probably even more unlikely to have both reproductive systems. 

"Mreow?" The cat peers at his face, clearly worried about him.

He brings the feline down, rubbing his ears as he goes.

"I'm okay," Shiro grins, "Just in thought. How about you sleep in here again tonight. You can curl up under my blanket with me."

Said feline does, snuggling up to his chest. Shiro feels a soft warmth flowing through his body as he relaxes slightly. Even if they're the same animals, he's not worried. He knows this one wouldn't hurt him or the others.

Chapter Text

Over the next few days, Keith stays in the castle.

Growing restless without sparring against someone in his person form, he starts training against an invisible enemy in a spot that isn't on camera. He jumps and twists, kicking out as if he's facing an actual opponent, his blade slashing and swinging through the air. The mice even sometimes watch him, cheering him on as they stare in awe.

He also sneaks into Shiro's room as a mouse once, and the man still thinks he's one of the four Alteans. He returns as a cat the rest of the time, with the excuse to himself that Shiro's room is comfortable and warm unlike anywhere else Keith could hide in, less likely to be walked in on and discovered. Shiro tells him more about Earth, fascinating him with tales of scorpions and jumping cliffs with hoverbikes and eating junk food and watching the Milky Way. Keith knows of all of this from his dad, but he hangs onto every word from Shiro's mouth. If he wanted to visit before, now he really wants to go to Earth.

And Keith's mind can't help but go other places during that time. Keith's never really felt this way about anyone before. He's had momentarily flings before like with Regris (they're not actually related and the feelings turned more familial in the end, no hard feelings between them at all) and a crush or two. But his whole body feels better around Shiro, wanting to soak up his warmth, keep him safe, provide for him and be provided for by him, get to know him and tell him about himself, and…

This must be what his mom feels for his dad. What Kolivan and Antok feel, Ulaz and Thace, and every other mated Galra pairing (even if it's only one of them who is Galra or half-Galra). They unconsciously choose their mates from the few first interactions. And Shiro is definitely hitting all the marks.

Kind, caring, protective, strong. A peaceful warrior. The scars he has (of which Keith hasn't seen yet but is sure is there if his status as past Champion says anything) only make him more desirable, a sign of a survivor. But Shiro doesn't seem to think of it that way. Keith knows it's a spacies/race thing. His pops has told him that some people think of scars as weaknesses or just trauma from the past or a visual reminder of what they've lost. To the Galra, scars are something to wear with pride. It means another day to live, a fight won, a struggle overcome. Whether those scars are by enemy, ally, or self. It's all a story in flesh.

That and humans seem to be shy about sex, which is weird. The Galra aren't, as they're willing to be affectionate in public with each other, but usually in quiet ways. Some of them do like being pretty open with their mates, sometimes doing naughty things right where anyone can see them. Every one of them is taught about their bodies and others and healthy sex since a young age, Keith included. Sex jokes and acts are pretty commonplace among that half of his people. 

Not so among humans. Keith remembers the embarrassed blush Shiro had when he realized just what he had done to Keith in his Balmera crystal form. In all honesty, Keith hadn't known that he would be that sensitive to the older's touch in that form. Hunk practically did the same thing and Keith hadn't felt that good as when Shiro did it. He's done stuff on his own because he's got a healthy sex drive. But none of it quite compared to that.

Keith peers at Shiro who blinks at him, gently rubbing his head and that favorite spot just behind his left ear that he likes even in person form. Keith purrs happily before kneading against black clothes, feeling the warmth through them. He could stay here forever, the war forgotten.

"I don't know who you are," Shiro says softly before snickering fondly, "But I like you."

Keith sighs silently, wishing he could tell him. But it's probably not a good idea. It's one thing to know the cat in your room may be a shapeshifter of some sort, but it's a completely different thing to know that said shapeshifter is actually a Galra. Yes, Shiro is strong and respectful and Keith may have the instinct to mate with him but it doesn't mean he will accept someone who shares blood and looks with the people who tortured him.

Keith looks away, feeling like a jerk. Here he is, taking advantage of Shiro's kindness. He's not the enemy, but it feels like he is. He's heard so much from Shiro, how could he not.

"Hey, it's okay," Shiro speaks up, pulling him from his thoughts. Grey eyes watch him with more understanding than he deserves, "Everyone has secrets. As long as you're not out to hurt any of us, I think you belong here. And I really doubt you are out to get us or something would have happened by now."

Keith glances over the other. He could speak to Shiro right now. Sure, normal cats on Earth don't, but they're in space. Shiro probably won't be surprised. Keith could explain himself without having to expose his heritage, at least until he's ready. He could still easily spy, especially if only Shiro knows.

But he can't compromise his position. His family needs him too much.

He looks away, staying silent as ever.

"It's okay if you don't feel comfortable with it yet," Shiro laughs softly, rubbing that sweet spot, "I'm not giving up on you. Take your time, buddy."

Keith falls for him even more.

~🐾~

Keith sighs as he strolls the castle. The place is so big that you can walk it from top to bottom and it take at least a full day if you have no specific area in mind. There's hundreds, if not thousands of rooms, all different sizes. The lions are bigger than most ships (and he has seen them in action especially the last few days as they train) and they have their own hangars. There's a few kitchens, a ballroom, bedrooms, a training deck, a pool and hot tub room, and just about anything else one can imagine. Heck, it's almost as expansive as the Blade home base, yet looks so much smaller on the outside.

Keith can wander for hours without walking across another living soul. It's peaceful the same as it's bothersome. No one around to chat his ears off, but also no one around to talk to. Alone.

And Keith is absolutely bored. They had all started out by watching Sendak, trying to get information from him. But as the minutes trickled by without anything happening, everyone else left. Pidge was going to mess with the Galra crystal left behind, Hunk wanted to go cook, Allura was going to take a nap, and Coran roped Lance into cleaning. Keith had stayed behind to make sure Shiro was okay before leaving too. There wasn't anything happening except for the older human glaring at the bigger man with an angry and distressed look on his face. Probably...most likely one of his abusers as the Champion.

So here he is, strolling through the halls in his regular form, making sure to stay out of the cameras' views. It's not actually that hard as long as you study the camera system long enough. Keith would absolutely be in the training deck right now if not for the fact that the room is filled with multiple cameras. The Galra aren't violent people, not deep down, but they are drawn to action like running, sparring, and fighting. And Keith didn't exactly escape that urge when being a hybrid. It's gotten him into some trouble throughout the years, but more importantly, helped him bond with his family and pack.

So lost in thought, he's not prepared for the swipe that smacks him in the back of the head from nowhere. Hissing in shock and pain, he quickly twists, his blade lengthening just in time to block the next blow.

It's an Altean gladiator. The robot's sensing "eye" is red, not its normal blue. Keith has no idea what it's doing outside of the training deck. No one was even in the place, so it went rogue.

"What the-"

Keith jumps back as the bot slashes at his head. The blade trims some of the pink-tipped hair off his head as he growls, kicking out at the machine. Said bot skids back a little before rushing forward, so it must be at a higher level than any of the paladins ever use, even Allura. Good thing Keith has been training for this his whole life.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean he can easily overtake the bot. He dives under the robot, swinging his weapon at its leg. The machine's leg snaps in half, the bot going down with a screech. Keith hurries to stand, breathing heavily before backing up as the thing gets up, the leg somehow healing up.

Keith runs away from it, knowing that he can't take it out head on. If it keeps healing, he'll eventually wear out. Speeding down hall after hall, he yelps as a pole almost smacks into his temple. Ducking, he slashes out with his weapon, hitting the opponent's chest. His sword bounces off with sparks as the bot rushes right back at him, swinging. Keith growls in frustration before running a few feet to the side, feet gripping the smooth wall just long enough to jump over the machine, bringing the back of his blade down on that "eye." It shatters as Keith calls upon his cloak to turn him into a speedy bird, flying through hall after hall.

He has no clue what is happening. But it can't be anything good if the gladiator is trying to kill him. If they knew he was here, they'd have faced him head on or sent Rover or something.

How was he going to take out the gladiator which seems to be on one of the highest levels and indestructible?

He doesn't get time to think as something proceeds to hit him again. With a surprised cry, Keith crashes into the ground, bouncing and rolling a lot of times before turning back into his person form. Getting to his feet, he glares at the bot. The machine's "eye" is healed again, only a slight crack on it.

"Will you just die already!" Keith screams before fighting it with all of his strength. He's taken on waves of Galra Empire sentries on his own. He's even faced living soldiers without the aid of his cloak. But this is not working. Whatever is going on with the machine is making it impossible to wound for long enough to formulate a plan. So Keith goes all out, giving into his instincts as he slashes, parries, trips, and hits the bot as much as possible. By the time he comes back to himself, the bot is practically a pile of rubble at his feet as he huffs and puffs. He feels so sweaty and sore that he wants to go take a shower and sleep, the others be damned. 

"Marmora," he curses as the pile of junk starts to resemble itself again, "Of fucking course."

He runs again, getting the best head start he can. It won't be long.

"I can't count on numbers and the others will be taken out just as easily," Keith reasons as he bolts, "Nor can I take it on alone. I can't hide because it can lock onto my form, no matter if I'm a person or not. Replication won't help. Gonna have to incinerate it or get it out of the castle…"

"HELP!"

Keith blinks as his sensitive ears pick up a cry for help. If he's not wrong, it sounds like Lance. And as much as he's sure that the Blue Paladin would pull a prank like this, his voice sounds frightened for real.

Keith pivots on his heel, hurrying down the left hall. It's not long before he comes to an airlock, the inside door shut tight. Numbers count down in a different voice as someone bangs repeatedly on the door.

"HELP!" Lance screams in fear, slamming against the glass, "GET ME OUT OF HERE! IT'S GOING TO OPEN! CORAN! ALLURA! PIDGE! SHIRO! HUNK! SOMEBODY! HELP!"

Keith sees the pole coming for his head as he ducks. He doesn't see the metal arm that smashes straight into his stomach, punching the air out of his chest as he slams into the door. Lance bangs against it behind him as he tries to catch his winded breath. He sees the numbers counting down in the corner of his eye as he avoids the next few strikes.

Well, it's too late to turn into an animal.

And the airlock is a great place to dump this asshole. The bot doesn't have a jetpack. And if it crashes into enough space debris, it'll be too injured to reanimate itself.

Keith swings, opening the door just as the outer door opens. Lance yelps in fear before Keith grunts, throwing the bot outside of it. Said machine goes flying out, sucked by the air. That out of the way, Keith runs over to help the Blue Paladin back into the castle before he suffocates to death.

His leader is not going to be happy with this development…

~🐾~

Lance was having a great day before all this quiznaking stuff happened!

He had been relaxing, sleeping in on a training-free day. He loves his beauty sleep. Then Hunk made food that was absolutely delicious, like cheese pockets. He had about three handfuls and the mice even shared one among them and dragged another four away comically with their small bodies. Then they had decided what to do with Sendak, who they apparently captured when Lance was knocked out in the crystal bombing.

It quickly went downhill from there. They waited a long time before Lance was going to relax with some leftover kool-aid drink stuff and maybe a spa day. He was starting to get more pimples from the stress and lower hygiene. But no, Coran just had to put him to work cleaning the quiznaking castle!

The quiznaking castle that's been trying to kill him!

The pod freaking froze him inside it! That's exactly how the aliens on board skipped 10,000 years! Lance didn't want to skip even 1 day! Because what if he never saw his family again! Or got a date! Or just…

And if that's not bad enough, he thought he heard a voice calling for help in the airlock. But when he arrived, the door was locked on him, a timer counting down to open up to his death sentence outside. He doesn't have a helmet on! And his lion can't rescue him because the castle's haunted! Holy crows! He's gonna die at the ripe age of 17! He doesn't even have his driver's license yet (he can totally drive, he just never really bothered to get the actual card)! He hasn't done much with his life yet! He would take anyone right now if it meant getting out of the airlock!

"HELP!"

He bangs on the glass, frantically cursing in Spanish in his head. If his mama heard his thoughts, she'd be washing his mouth out with soap for the next decade. As it is, the slamming does absolutely nothing to help his situation.

And then someone slams into the door, on the other side. Lance cheers up, expecting to see Hunk or Shiro or Allura or Coran or even Pidge. Heck! Maybe the mice can help!

What he gets is a Galra. He can tell from the pink mullet and sharp purple ears. The guy is fighting one of the gladiators with a glowing purple-and-grey sword, dodging the strikes against him. He's wearing a short dark red furry yet scaly cape with other armor on, not looking like the normal Galra armor.

And then the door is bursting open. Lance grabs onto the ledge, holding on as best he can with most of his breath leaving him. The Galra swings out, opening the inside door as the robot shoots out past Lance.

"Grab my hand!" The other shouts, offering his clawed fingers.

Lance scowls. It's probably a trap. Grab him and then knock him out so he can take over the castle like Sendak apparently did. But as much as he wants to, he has to take his hand. It's the only way he'll survive right now.

He pushes himself forward as hard as he can. The alien dude does the same, their hands brushing before the man clings to him, yanking him up to the first door. As soon as he's on the right side of the door, the Galra slams his elbow down on the button, shutting the door down as they both collapse in a sweaty mess right there, trying to catch their breaths.

"Oh...my...quiznak!" Lance pants unevenly before sitting on his butt, not looking away for even a millisecond. He could really use his bayard right now, "What are...what are you doing...in the castle!"

"Saving your ass," the guy hisses before holding his head momentarily, looking a bit pained. He's got purple stripes on his cheeks, black hair fading to that atrocious pink mullet, a sharp nose, and...white eyes with greyish irises.

"Whoa, you look-"

"Yeah?" The guy snaps back before glaring at him irritatedly. 

"Galra," Lance settles on before glaring too, remembering his situation, "Are you the one messing up the castle! It's tried to kill me like twice now!"

"I didn't do anything to it," the purple guy rolls his eyes before shaking his head, "The bot almost killed me too. It's something to do with the crystal you guys are studying."

"Wait, how do you know that!" Lance shouts before getting to his feet, "I never said anything about a crystal!"

"It's not that hard to tell," the guy snaps back before sighing, "I heard Sendak took over some time back, which means he had to have brought in an Empire crystal. Said crystal is probably corrupting the castle's systems. They tend to do that if you leave them on a power line."

"And what do you know about that!" Lance interrogates before really wishing he had his armor and bayard. He'll never admit it, but this guy clearly can kick his ass, the same ass he apparently saved. Gah, so confusing!

"I just told you?" The Galra tilts his head in confusion. It only works to highlight the developing bruise on his right brow. Huh, maybe he got hit by the gladiator. Lance doesn't know how to feel about that, "Sendak-"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time," Lance frowns before crossing his arms, staring at the other mistrustfully, "But you made it sound personal, like you've seen it before."

"Who hasn't?" The guy asks incredulously, blinking, "The Empire tends to do that. They don't understand stuff."

"Okay…" Lance raises a brow before scowling, "Hey, why are you talking like that? The 'Empire'? You're Galra too!"

The guy narrows his eyes, looking ready to open his mouth when he grits his teeth, clenching his fists instead. His ears shift a little before he bolts.

"Hey! Get back here!" Lance yelps before chasing after him. He can't lose him, not if he knows about the crystal corruption. The Galra is extremely fast though, but Lance grew up with a big energetic family and a niece and nephew who love to run. They twist hall after hall, "I'm not done with you!"

The Galra looks back at him with his darker eyes before rounding a corner. Lance grins, remembering that this turn is a dead end. He's not good with the layout, that's Pidge's area of expertise. But he's stumbled upon this spot time after time. He's got the Galra trapped...which is not as encouraging as one would think because again, the guy can probably kick his ass. Not that he will ever admit it.

But when he rounds the corner, there's no one in sight. It is a dead end, just as he knew it would be. But there's no Galra or person in sight. Lance blinks before glancing behind him. Nothing. No air vents to climb through that quickly and even if, it's way too small for anyone to fit through, even Pidge if she were here.

"Of course," Lance slumps in disappointment, "Great job, Lance. You let a Galra get away on the ship. Allura's not going to be happy with that."

He mourns for another second before hurrying to leave as an idea strikes. If he got attacked by the castle, the others probably did too. He's gotta check on them!

Chapter Text

"You did what."

Keith shrugs sheepishly as he glances around, making sure no one has overheard his conversation with Kolivan. The older Galra man stares at him with an irritated look from his communicator screen. Granted, anyone who saw it would assume he was being stoic and unmoving. He hadn't even yelled.

But Keith knows his uncle. The man has slightly different reactions to everything. And he's never been too mad at Keith in his 18 years of life, 17 of which he's been part of. He's irritated but not angry. Sometimes it's a good thing. He's had fellow Blades tease him about being their leader's weak spot. How he just had to give him puppy eyes long enough, be a tiny bit defiant, maybe act a little like his mom, and the other would give in. And it's true, but it doesn't allow Keith to get away with much.

"I might have accidentally saved Lance in this form?" Keith wheezes before frowning. Kolivan stares at him, the very corner of his lip going down. Irritation spikes through Keith's chest as he more or less explodes at the man's disappointment, "What did you want me to do! Let the Blue Paladin die! In case you've forgotten, he's part of Voltron! We need Voltron!"

"And we also need an agent who can keep a clear head," Kolivan responds, not at all happy with him before he sighs, softening, "Look, kit, I understand-"

"You don't understand!" Keith hisses before gripping his fists, taking a few shaky breaths and turning more quiet, "I miss the action, okay? I'm not really good at spying. I'm bad at lying. I miss training and fighting and…"

He deflates, his anger disappearing as fast as it blew up.

"You guys," he goes on, voice creeping with sadness. His eyes burn, but he refuses to acknowledge that. There's many worse situations he could be in, some people are even at the moment. 

"I forgot that you are barely more than a child yourself," Kolivan frowns softly, an understanding look, "I am sorry, kit. Sometimes I forget you're not a seasoned agent who is used to months away from home. And you are not completely Galra. I am not angry. Frustrated. Yes. But not mad or disappointed, kit."

"I know," Keith nods, ears shifting around nervously, betraying his true feelings. He turns sheepish at the older's flat look, "I just...miss you guys. Pack piles, hugs, pranks, even debriefings."

"Whoa, did I hear that right?" Another very familiar voice joins in as Kolivan looks annoyed. If he had irises, he'd be rolling them. Keith's dad steps into the camera, chuckling while easily holding a crate the size of his chest,  "My son? Missing debriefings? Who are ya and what did ya do to my hotshot?"

"For your information," Kolivan responds back a little sternly. They both know he's just irritated, "Your son is the one who said it without my influence. And where have you been? Discipline your child."

"I was just getting the generator fixed," Keith's dad chuckles before placing the box down, patting it. He's in his Blade outfit, "The one that needed to be repaired, oh…'bout a good week ago."

"And it wasn't fixed?" Kolivan hisses quietly before muttering curses in Galran. Keith recognizes every one of them, but he doesn't let either know that. His mom wasn't scared of teaching him things, and he's always been a sneaky person, even long before the cloak, "Avak is going to get an earful."

"Avak's been out sick for the last week, sir," Keith's dad teases the address, getting a huff from the oldest. His eyes go to Keith instead, "So what did I say about the sneaking?"

"I have to think ahead," Keith looks at the floor in slight shame, ears twitching.

"Exactly. But I know ya won't," he chuckles as Keith's eyes widen, looking up at him. The man's face softens before he grins cheekily, "You're your mother's boy. You got her spirit through and through. All wildfires burning as bright as possible. So what was his reaction? The Blue Paladin."

"He didn't know what to say," Keith chuckles back before remembering the other human's expression, "I think he was torn between gratitude for saving him, attacking me for being a Galra, and confusion for...some reason."

"That's my boy!" Keith's dad winks proudly, puffing his chest out, "See? Told ya he has it under control, Kol."

"You were supposed to scold him," the leader reprimands with a frown, "Not praising his reckless behavior."

"Yeah, that doesn't work very well," he shrugs, "Who do ya think raised him? Sure weren't Krolia."

"Dear Marmora," Kolivan mutters before gripping his nose in frustration. Keith blinks, remembering for some reason that the gesture is also favored by a certain white-and-black-haired man on the ship. Must be a leader type of thing, "Why do I put up with your entire family? All of you are the same, I swear. Troublemakers."

"Hey, Kosmo is a fine wolf-" His dad starts, only for Kolivan to glare.

"I am never forgetting what he did. He's just as bad as you three. Maybe all of you put together."

"Ahhh, it wasn't that bad-"

"He stole Antok and my clothing," the man hisses before clenching his fists, "All of them. And trapped us in the same room."

"Hey, he helped you finally get your shit together," Keith's dad shrugs, "Don't seem that bad. Bet you had a good time togethe-"

"Aren't you supposed to be getting the flaxrifter fixed?" Kolivan frowns in irritation. 

"Ah, nope," the other snickers, "Got that done too."

"Dear Marmora," Kolivan rubs hard enough to leave imprints. Keith chuckles under his breath, knowing his dad just naturally gets under the serious man's skin. No one bothers his uncle like his dad...unless one of the Blades is about to be hurt that is, "Dump all four of you...far away...where you'll never find us...depower the wolf…"

"Well, I'm going to go," Keith laughs, "I love you, dad. You too, Uncle Koli."

"Love you too, Keith," his dad grins, waving, "You stay safe."

"I will," he nods at Kolivan who nods at him too, a silent agreement that the older does love him too. He clicks the screen off, smiling fondly.

~🐾~

"So we need to collect some items!"

Keith listens to the group from the vent above them in mouse form. Hunk is busy cleaning food goo from the dispenser pipes that apparently also got hijacked during the crystal corruption (some of which Keith has cleaned up himself in bug form because...high metabolism and he's not picky). Pidge is typing on her computer, pausing to frown at the oldest man in frustration. Lance sits looking a little bit in thought. Allura stands by Coran, listening. Shiro does the same from the counter. Coran himself is checking over a long list.

"Thanks to the crystal corrupting our system, we need some more supplies," the orange-haired Altean frowns in thought. Keith is situated in the perfect spot to see the list, but it's in ancient Altean so he can't read it anyway, not without a translator and time, "I'm fairly certain that all of our items can be found on the nearby planet over there. We'll have to split up to get them all. I'll send each of you two or three things to collect and then we'll meet back up."

"'We'?" Pidge raises her brow, "Wait, you're coming with?"

"Good catch there, Number Four," the man nods, "I am! Each of you will have to pilot yourselves to the right area. I'll be in the underground cave system to collect clearing crystals and some unique spices. We'll meet back in...4 vargas?"

"Alright, Coran," Allura nods before pulling her helmet over her head, pink standing out among white walls, "Come on, let's get those supplies. Pidge, you may need to translate those for the rest of the team."

"Already done!" The shortest smirks devilishly, "Way ahead of you."

"Great job, Pidge," Shiro smiles at her before looking at his wrist hologram, "Everyone stay safe, but stay in contact. If anyone is in trouble, call us right away. We'll be there as soon as we can."

They all agree as they start on their missions. Keith debates who to follow since he can't actually clone himself to be six places at once. His replication abilities only go for defense and attack, not stalking others. He quickly decides that the oldest of the group needs him. Everyone else will be above ground.

He follows the man to his room, watching as he grabs a large bag and communicator device. Before too long, they both leave the castle. The other five are gone their separate ways, the lions all shooting away. Luckily, the cave system is close to the castle. Keith chases after the man, turning into an animal who can see in the dark as Coran strolls into the cave entrance. The older turns on his light before wandering around. Keith scuttles behind, trying to be quiet enough to not raise attention. It's not that much of a problem because the man talks to himself for part of the time and seems in deep thought other times. About half an hour in, the man stops to scrape on the wall, eating whatever is there. Keith blinks before climbing up the bumping walls, licking it too.

Salt of some sort. It's got a sweet tang to it. Smells like cinnamon? Or at least the closest thing to cinnamon his dad has apparently found out here? Weird?

Coran hums happily, collecting a whole baggie full. After he's done, he goes on his way, chuckling fondly. The process is repeated in another half an hour, but with some type of...slime stuff. Thankfully, the man doesn't taste it, instantly putting it in another baggie. Then he tells a crazy tale of him and his friends getting it stuck in their hair and styling it. Apparently, the slime is water-resistant and lasts for a long time, a good lubricant for the ship's parts.

The group checks in with the man before they wander further. Once again, the man pauses to grab something. They do this a few more times before they come to a small cave. Inside are small brittle crystals everywhere, practically radiating purity and warmth (but a safe warmth, not fiery warmth).

"Ah ha!" Coran grins before grabbing a bit of the crystals between his gloved fingers. Keith tilts his head, sitting on his butt as the crystals crush into a fine powder, "This will cleanse the castle of whatever is left from the crystal Sendak put in!"

He takes out his smallest baggie, filling it up before putting it with the rest in his largest bag. The thing is pretty full, kind of reminding Keith of an older tradition his pops tells him about sometimes. Something about an old man in a red-and-white suit? He apparently fills a magical bag full of toys and presents. 

Keith suddenly feels something like vibrations shaking through the walls. It starts so small that he thinks he's imagining it. But it quickly grows from the tunnel they had come through.

He changes his form quickly, slamming straight into the man who yelps as they fly back. His flashlight goes flying in his surprise, skidding across the ground only to get crushed as rocks crash near where Coran would have strolled by. Darkness falls on them as dust flies, causing Coran to cough. Keith doesn't have that problem since his animal form is weird. No need for external air, no regular eyes, and basically invisible to all.

He's been in the form a few times, always best in the dark. While his actual form can't be seen, his soul projections can be. And this form is extremely sensitive to light. Even the crystals beneath them shine in his senses like a lamplight. The tunnel to the left is dark and cold. But the one in the middle must lead to the surface, because it glows brightly even in the distance.

Keith steadies himself, casting his projection.

Hopefully the Altean follows.

~🐾~

Coran sighs into the darkness. He can't see a single thing.

But that won't stop him. He has all of his items collected, so he just needs to find a new way out. Sadly, his light was also his communication device...but he is sure the paladins will rescue him if he's late. As much as he likes to tease them about their primitive synopses and strange behaviors, he knows they're capable warriors.

Yes, they aren't even close to what the previous paladins were in caliber, but he also realizes that they are young and inexperienced. Four of the five had no previous knowledge of the war or other life forms until at most a deca-phoebe and a half ago. They haven't fought very many battles together. And the ones they have, they are growing to win more and more.

Oh there's lots of problems, of course. Lance flirts a lot and has a lot of pride, but he's a cheery person under it all. Pidge misses her family so much that Coran has found her many a time fallen asleep on her computer searching for them. Hunk is easily frightened and gets queasy quite easily, especially for a pilot. Shiro is still fresh off a deca-phoebe of torture Coran can't even begin to fathom, affected badly enough to have flashbacks and panic attacks in the middle of battle. And Allura…

There's lots bothering her. How friends could betray them in such a way. How the Black Lion isn't working out as she hoped it would, although she'll never admit it. How she's hurting from the Red Lion's rejection, wanting to pilot the ship her father had. How she's missing what she used to know and love - her family, her people, her home - just as Coran himself is. How she too hurt to see that there are likely good Galra out there, somewhere.

"Well, I think it's time to get back somehow," he whispers to himself before blinking despite the darkness. Someone or something saved him, pushed him out of the way of the collapsing rocks. He gets a little louder, "Thank you, whoever you are!"

No one responds. He doesn't expect them to. If they were going to, they would have already. He gets to his feet, feeling the crystals that cling to his clothes when he had hit them, creating a tiny bit of a peaceful cleanser over him. He squints in the dark, trying to discern his routes. Looks like three. The far right is blocked. The other two are open.

Which way should he go?

He gets an answer when something flickers in the corner of his eye. He twirls to face the middle tunnel, gasping in shock. Inside the path is a soft light of scarlet and ebony, tipped with amethyst sparks. It dances in place, like a tiny fire. Yet it's alive, in the shape of some type of small animal that Coran can't recognize. Two bright dots sit in the flames, almost like eyes but he remembers that they aren't. 

It's a Whispering Wesp.

Very good news! A creature of legend! It's said that Whispering Wesps are flaming animals, cool to the touch that will lead one out of trouble if they see them. They make a crackling moaning noise like a mourning campfire. And boy does he need the help.

"Hello?" Coran calls out. The flaming being tilts its head, letting out a raspy groan, hopping to the side, disappearing before reappearing a few paces back inside the tunnel. It waits for a few ticks before jumping back into its original spot, "Are you here to guide me back out?"

The wesp makes another sound before jumping in place, doing a reassuring flip before flickering to the second spot. The purple flames pulse as the animal orb waits energetically.

"Thank you!" Coran grins widely, grabbing up his fallen bag of supplies, slinging it back over his shoulder. He secures it to leave his hands empty. He hurries forward a few paces before pausing, "You are a very gracious friend! I appreciate this very much! You're also very adorable, if I do say so myself!"

The wesp makes another sound, like an aggressive cracking hiss before disappearing to the next step, making even more noise almost like mindless chatter of embarrassment and annoyance. Coran chuckles as he follows at a normal pace. Every time he gets a few steps from the flames, they go another spot forward. The wesp keeps making intriguing sounds, not quite talking but more like instinctual ones.

As Coran strolls through the darkness, extra careful not to trip over the rocky ground, he notes that the Whispering Wesp has a tail of flame that flicks around. The animal is small enough to fit in his palm, but its tail is easy to make out. It's much more black and purple than the rest of the creature. It has four feet, flamy ears, and can jump pretty high.

They come to a block in the path as the wesp appears on top of the chest-high rock block in the way. It leaves a narrow gap that Coran can definitely not crawl through. Good news is that he can see a bit of light pouring through it. The flames disappear into the other side, getting even louder as it wails in encouragement, reappearing before him with a tilting head.

"No problem, nothing Coran the mechanic can't fix!" The Altean nods before gripping the rock, "Just heave and ho!"

He digs deep into his strength. Alteans are all naturally strong, so it's not long before the mass moves with a screech of rock grinding on rock. He slips through as the wesp yewls in excitement, leaping into the air before continuing on its journey. Coran laughs cheerfully at the display before marching on. Each step leads into more sunlight. In doboshes, the entrance of it is exposed to the outside world. The castle is in a different position, without any of the lions parked outside, so he knows he's on the other side of where he started out.

"Thank you," he grins at the wesp, "For aiding my way out. You did great."

The wesp chatters in embarrassment and happiness before doing a flip and appearing right by his feet. The older man chuckles before kneeling down. 

"May I?"

The wesp tilts its head before wagging its tail, making a small noise. Coran places his hand over the tiny creature's head, his hand slipping through the form slightly. It's almost like placing his hand into a dense jar of liquid jelly gas. The creature lights up with more red this time, bits of orange slipping into the flames as it shivers in pleasure. The wesp tilts its head, almost purring with its whole body. A moment of this and then it breaks away with a yearning cry before jumping a few paces behind him, peering back at him. A tick later, it skips away into the cave again, disappearing into a small flash of light. 

Coran lets out a relaxed breath, waiting for a moment before walking out to the castle.

Chapter Text

Sendak's memories lead them all to a hidden base.

It's a transport hub for ships to dock and exchange goods. Keith's seen many of them from his travels, has even been inside some. But he has never felt one so heavy before. It's like when the princess healed the Balmera. Strong, powerful, energized. He feels it from the castle itself.

He has to go in. He remembers how the Blade has always wanted information on where the quintessence was coming from, how they've been collecting it so quickly, how they refined it, and more. This is the perfect opportunity to find out. None of the Blades have known about this location, not even Thace. He can get the information for his family.

He hops into the Green Lion with everyone. Apparently, she has cloaking devices now thanks to Pidge, so definitely the best for stealth. They run out to one of the control towers, taking out the robotic guard inside before the smallest paladin hacks into the system easily. Keith watches in horror and amazement, knowing Regris would adore her if he saw her work, as he does the same on their team.

And then Allura shapeshifts into a much taller Galra, making all of them stare in shock. Nobody told Keith that the Alteans can fucking SHAPESHIFT! Like...super strength? Yeah. Long life? Yeah, they tend to live around a millennia without aid. Alchemists? Yeah, it was said that they could control magic like Allura has.

But shapeshifting is a new one. Thank Marmora he doesn't change forms based on emotions, or he'd be super fucking revealed at that moment. Why the fuck didn't she use it more? Could Coran do that too? Could they morph into other people? Could they turn into animals too?

Keith ignores the growing headache before watching Allura and Shiro leaving to check out a ship that arrives. Keith waits with the youngest three for about ten minutes before he spots giant purple containers being transferred to a ship. The standard foot soldiers help guide them to the right spot, but the figure in the middle catches Keith's eye.

A druid.

More specifically, a high druid within Haggar's inner circle. If Keith remembers correctly from Thace's info, this one is the second-in-command, Macidus. Keith watches the man out of the window before marching out, slinking after the guy as he leads them to a room. Jars of yellow quintessence sit along shelves, a conveyor belt bringing it to the middle of the room. The druid steps up to the spot next to a dropping tank, his lightning slams into it, making it glow brightly. Keith has to look away, the energy going crazy against his senses. A moment later, that energy shrinks slightly, so he looks at it. It's purple and in a few much smaller containers this time. The druid places them on a tray which floats out of the room.

Keith glances at the man who continues his work before rushing to grab up one of the jars. He quickly transforms into his most instinctive animal, leaping for the thing. He gets it into his mouth, running the opposite way to bring it back. His jaw grips the smooth surface as he hurries.

A disturbance in the air is all the warning he gets as he jolts back. With a dark flash, the druid appears in front of him. Keith yelps in surprise, dropping the container. The druid picks it up calmly, placing it on the tray before attacking him with a bolt of lightning. Keith growls before diving out of the way, jumping into the air. His wings carry him many feet up into the air as he streaks for the man, avoiding hits. Just within arms reach, the man disappears as Keith snaps his powerful jaws at him. Feeling the energy shift behind him, he snarls before changing course, flying at the reappearing enemy. The man sends bolt after bolt as Keith dodges, sometimes by hairs-lengths only away. Keith howls in rage as he nears the man, feeling heat grow in his very flesh. With a louder cry, he bursts into an inferno, throwing a bolt of red, purple, and black flames straight at the druid who seems a bit surprised. The man barely reacts in time, teleporting just in time as the fire rolls by, shattering rows upon rows of quintessence, yellow liquid splashing to the ground. Keith doesn't feel the energy reappear in time as a string of lightning strikes him head on across the right eye, flinging him back many feet as he yelps in pain and surprise.

It feels like his right side of his face is melting off, not like fire or ice but something...dark, almost poisonous. He understands it's like the wounds his fellow Blades sometimes get, the ones that glow ominously and kill slower and more often than fatal physical wounds do. But he doesn't feel what everyone else has ever described either. As soon as the pain hits, it goes away. Keith lies on his left side, trying to get his feet beneath himself, claws digging into the metal below him. He heaves and struggles to get up, knowing an attack is inevitable.

The druid rushes for him, a maniacal cackle on his lips behind his mask. His hand lights up with dark electricity as he throws himself forward. Keith waits to snap at the other, knowing he's going to get hurt but not backing down from the fight. Maybe he'll hit him with his horns.

"Hey, asshole!" A new voice yells from the side, "Stop it with the animal abuse, you jerk!"

Green light slams into the druid, knocking his lightning off course. Keith watches as if in slow motion as the man flies back, arching with electricity in payback. The green weapon attached to him strings off to the side, connected to the Green Paladin who looks very angry. Pidge flies up to them with her jetpack. She stands in front of Keith, her taser held firmly as she glares at the man. Said druid hisses before disappearing. Keith hops to his feet, waiting for the reappearance. When none happens, he sighs in relief and discomfort.

"I don't think that jerk is coming back," Pidge glances around before her bayard turns into its dormant form and disappears. The girl looks him over before brushing her fingers over the fur on his face, "Oh no, you got hit."

Keith huffs before watching her.

"Stupid guy, hurting you," she hisses before peering over him, "I like dogs. I have one back home named Bae Bae, you know...although he's not a...what are you? A dragon wolf?"

Keith blinks at her before folding his wings against his back, claws scratching the floor. He likes this form. It's probably one of his favorites. His family has said it matches him so well, fierce and loyal and fiery.

"Yeah, definitely just a regular dog," she points out before frowning, "Why were you facing him?"

Keith makes a small noise, like the ones he's heard Kosmo make. The 'I had to do it' ones that he always uses when he gets into trouble with them. He shakes his body out, eyeing the fur on his right side. It's hard to see from his view, but he can see the fur isn't burned. But it is a completely different color. Where he's red and purple with black claws, teeth and horns, here is white as snow. He doesn't know if it curls up to his horns or not. It's definitely never looked that way. Keith slaps the floor with his sharp tail in frustration, wondering what to do.

"As long as you're safe, I guess," Pidge frowns in thought before straightening up, "You should probably come back with me though. We can get you somewhere safe. Would you like that?"

Keith flicks his ears, tilting his head before licking her hand, earning a pleased chuckle from her.

"You're a big softie!" She ruffles his fur before pausing, feeling his skin harder. It feels very good as he leans into the feeling, "I guess you are part dragon. There's scales underneath all this fur, isn't there? That's awesome but I wonder how that works! Does your fur grow in through follicles lined along the scale plates? What happens if some fall out? Do you shed them naturally? And why are you-"

Shiro's call saves them both from more rambling curiosity as Pidge goes quiet, Keith's ears perking up, able to hear everything perfectly.

"Pidge! We need you!" The older one calls out before noise is heard in the background. Allura curses in Altean before a few more sounds fill the air, "Pick us up in your lion ASAP! We need an evacuation now!"

"On my way!" Pidge shouts back before readying her jetpack to leap off. Keith grabs onto her belt, tugging her back. He looks over his shoulder, which earns her frustration, "Hey! I gotta get to my team! What are you-"

He does it again. He may look pretty small, but he's carried many of his family members on his back in this form, all of which weigh a lot more than he does.

"Oh!" Pidge nods before leaping onto his back, gripping his fur carefully before petting his head, "Good idea! You're definitely way faster than I'll be! Let's go help my friends!"

Keith jumps off of the platform, diving for the doorway. He swoops through it, soaking by and out in no time. Pidge yelps in surprise before clinging tightly to him as he flies through hall after hall. It's not long before they're at the lion, the girl rushing to the cockpit. Lance and Hunk greet them at the spot, asking a ton of questions. The youngest says a few things while flipping her things on, the lion flying out in a rush. They dive for a launched pod, catching it in the Green Lion's mouth.

Shiro's the only one inside.

~🐾~

Pidge investigates. The base has no records on her family. No traces of her dad or Matt. So she wonders what this quintessence stuff is about. Like sure, the bot told them it's from living things but that doesn't exactly explain anything at all. Does everyone have quintessence? How does it power ships? Apparently the lions also have it, since Green tells her through her pictures. So she follows where all the stuff is coming from while Hunk and Lance run back to guard her lion.

It takes her a while to get there, but when she does, she sees a battle already commencing. There's a shady person in purple robes and a mask, throwing lightning at someone. Or rather, some animal. Said animal is beautiful. It looks like a wolf mixed with a dragon. The fur is red with streaks of purple. The purple grows thicker at each paw and tail with wickedly thick, sharp claws black as midnight. Horns of the same color rest on its head. The lupine holds its own for a moment, bursting into a streak of fire with colors to match its fur, except a few strings of white in it before it gets hit.

She gets angry very fast, smacking the asshole and scaring him off. The wolf seems okay, except for the patch of white around his right eye and that the horns on that side are bright red, curling over his ear and a bit back.

She wishes she had more time to talk with him, but she has to rescue her friends. Unfortunately, she doesn't get there in time. Only Shiro comes out as they land in the castle.

"You're back!" Coran calls out to them from the doorway, "Good, now we can wormhole out of here an-wait, where is the princess?"

"She sacrificed herself to make sure I got out," Shiro says in shock, probably still processing that he was so close to recapture and also having to leave his leader and friend behind, "They took her."

"They did what!" The oldest yelps before clenching his fists, "We have to get her back! Without Allura, the castle can't wormhole! She's the only family I have left!"

"We're going to get her back," Shiro reassures him before glaring at the door, "We'll need to work as a team. Everyone in?"

"Yeah."

"Duh."

"Save the princess?" Lance nods with a grin, "Definitely! We got this!"

"Let's take them down!"

The dragon wolf howls in agreement, snapping at the air. A bit of fire crackles in the air before he huffs agitatedly and sits on his haunches.

"Uhhh...Pidge, I don't want to scare you but…" Hunk points behind her with a scared expression, "There's a wolf thing behind you…"

"Oh, yeah, I know," Pidge nods before patting the dragon-wolf's head, "I found the poor boy fighting one of the bad guys. I think he can help us."

"I don't know, Pidge," Shiro frowns in concern, looking from her to the lupine, "It's not safe for him. I don't want to throw him into a fight he doesn't want to be in."

The dragon-wolf clearly thinks otherwise, as he marches up to the man, flaring his furry wings out. It's not an aggressive display, but one showing that he's capable of fighting and protecting himself. His tail lashes around as the wolf's feet start on fire. The dragon-wolf snarls with gleaming obsidian fangs before perking up adorably.

"I...fine, okay," Shiro nods before rubbing the other's fur, earning a tail wag, "As long as no one gets hurt. That includes you guys too, and you, Coran. We'll figure out a plan to rescue Allura. We have to be careful and quick."

"Yeah," Pidge nods before typing on her wrist hologram, "We have to hit before they can be prepared. Someone has to sneak in while the rest of us distract the ships outside."

"I will," Shiro speaks up, clenching his mechanical fist, "It's my fault for not stopping Allura from getting on that ship. She saved me, now I owe her one."

"You don't owe her anything," Hunk starts, "Because we're all friends. That's what we do, protect each other. Got it, man?"

"Yeah!" Lance agrees excitedly, "We're buddies here! And I definitely think we're starting to become a family."

The wolf huffs softly before standing by the oldest human's side. A moment later, he bunts his head against Shiro's leg, mindful of the black and red horns on his head.

"I think he's going with you," Pidge laughs as said dragon-wolf (dragolf? wolgon? what could he even be called?) literally rolls his dark eyes, "And I don't think you'll change his mind."

"Okay, okay," Shiro nods before petting the guy on the head before turning to all of them, "Coran, wormhole us to Central Command. Pidge, Lance, and Hunk, once we're there, distract them. We'll sneak in and free the princess."

"I'll download the blueprints so I can tell you where to find her," Pidge speaks up, already typing.

"And remember!" Coran yelps, "We only have enough power stored from Allura for one jump! After that, we have no way of getting out quickly without her!"

"We're getting her back," Shiro stares at each of them as they nod back in determination, "Let's do this."