Chapter Text
The Hero of the Red War had a dog.
A puppy really, barely over an Earth-year old. It had a small body with disproportionately long legs, a scruffy face and large eyes, and it was the single ugliest thing Mithrax had ever seen.
He didn’t mention that to the Guardian though. He had seen her coo over the small, fluffy creature with great appreciation and he didn’t wish to insult her or the animal. The Kell simply assumed the appeal had something to do with being human and was therefore lost on an Eliksni. He didn’t let it bother him as cultural misunderstandings were bound to happen and if he expected humanity to be tolerant of his House, he could be tolerant of this one human and her ugly, smelly dog.
The problem, however, was that the animal practically lived on the Guardian’s ship. The same ship that Mithrax accompanied his ally in to and from their Vex excursions. It made more sense than piloting his own Ketch from planet to planet almost every week and the Guardian was happy to have him. Unfortunately, Mithrax’s job was to manage the comms onboard as the Guardian transmatted from her ship in orbit to the battlefield, which constantly left the Kell alone with her excitable creature.
The Guardian had called it an opportunity for them to “bond” and Mithrax would’ve been more accepting of that if it hadn’t been said with amusement in her voice and an instant before she vanished from the ship to the planet below.
At first, Mithrax had simply ignored the little thing, the battlefield below and through the Vex network easily taking all his focus. Then the scratching came, tiny, clawed feet scraping over the metal floor like Eliksni hatchlings searching for warmth. Mithrax looked down from his Splicer gauntlet, eyes meeting the wide gaze of the dog. The creature yipped when their eyes met, standing on its back appendages as its two front appendages clawed at the chair the Kell sat in.
He watched it yowl in his face for a few moments before turning back to the comms. “Guardian.”
A grunt of acknowledgement came through, almost drowned out by the sound of gunfire and Vex twittering.
“Your small creature is making noise. Is it dying?” He hoped it wasn’t. Mithrax may not like the little animal, but it was not evil. It deserved life just as much as humanity and the Eliksni. Not to mention the fact that his Guardian and her fireteam were perplexingly fond of it. Its death might not shatter the mutual trust they were building between their peoples, but he would rather not risk it.
“You mean Mushu? Probably not, he’s just loud.” The Guardian’s Ghost answered for her, fond exasperation bleeding through his tone. “Just pet him a few times and he’ll quiet down. Probably.”
Pet? Mithrax had no idea what that was. What was the action of petting? Was he supposed to roll the creature up in eggshell wrappings for warmth? Did it need to be held up to let its limbs stretch out fully? Held to his cape to inhale his scent? Did he just need to poke it until it left him alone?
The dog continued its open-mouthed yowling as the Kell’s own frustration and confusion mounted, but it was not the time to ask for more detailed instructions. “It will be done.” He answered solemnly, hoping he wasn’t about to condemn both the animal and their alliance to ashes. “As you were, Guardian.”
After ending the transmission, Mithrax spent a few more minutes – with the creature’s cries in the background – making sure the battle and the splice into the Vex network would be stable without his immediate supervision, before fully turning to face the dog. Its head perked up at his gaze, and it seemed to understand it had the Kell’s full attention now. They stared each other down in silence for a total of thirty seconds before the dog backed up to stand on all four appendages and let lose another yelp, launching itself at the surprised Eliksni.
Mithrax barely had time to lift his arms before the dog’s small frame collided with his upper torso, its hairy face launching at the Kell’s mask and enthusiastically licking every inch it could reach. The smell was even worse this close and Mithrax recoiled backwards, his normally sharp mind taking several seconds to decide if he was under attack and needed to quickly retaliate or not. Undeterred, the creature slithered its muzzle forward to reach the Eliksni’s face, tongue darting in and out of its mouth resembling the reptilian serpentine animals Mithrax had come across once or twice in the Earthen soil. The Kell would have been fascinated if he wasn’t so startled, upper limbs instinctively plucking the furry creature off of his face and holding it away as far as his limbs would allow.
The dog did not seem bothered in the slightest by this new development, wagging its strange little tail back and forth and yipping excitedly at Mithrax. The Eliksni stared at the animal with such exasperated confusion, unsure how to proceed and very hesitant to release his hold. He did not want the tiny creature so close to his face again, but the dog’s squeals were growing louder and higher and it squirmed in his fingers with a clumsy grace not unlike Eido in her post-hatching days. The similarity struck the Kell in a vulnerable part of his heart, inviting him to study the creature with different eyes.
He had already asked the Guardian if the dog was her offspring of some kind, and over the rolling laughter of her entire fireteam, she had assured him that the creature wasn’t a human child or considered her progeny. This came as a relief to Mithrax who hadn’t wished to add another detail to his already long list of things he didn’t understand about humanity, though it was quickly overshadowed by the Guardian’s sister remarking that the dog was, at times, as their child in terms of its actions or their love towards it. The Kell hadn’t understood but had decided against further questioning as it would have no doubt confused him even more.
But now, observing the Earth creature and its pitiful eagerness to come closer to Mithrax with all its might, he could almost see the likeness of an infant desperately yearning for the familiarity of a parent and the comfort of proximity. Eido was similar in those early days, though much more cautious in who she gave her trust to. This little being had obviously never been hurt or alone enough to develop that kind of restraint and for that Mithrax was strangely grateful. There was enough hurt and loneliness in the universe already without adding more to it and the fact that the Guardian and those close to her took the time to nurture and care for the thing that wasn’t even their species… the Kell felt his chest nearly burst in warmth and appreciation that the human had made the same allowance for him and his House.
Cautiously, Mithrax set the dog lightly down on his lap and waited. The puppy had quieted down and was watching him with big brown eyes, shaking itself once it was released. It looked up at him for a moment longer before pawing at his lap and then situating itself into a small, almost circular roll with its muzzle on its paws and its eyes closed. The Kell felt more than heard the dog let out a deep breath of air and lay still, having apparently fallen asleep. Mithrax watched it doze for another few fascinated moments before the distant chirp of the comms broke through his thoughts and he returned his attention to the battle below.
How one of his lower hands found its way to stroking the dog’s soft fur, Mithrax wouldn’t be able to say, but by the time the fighting was complete, and the Guardian and her Ghost returned via transmat to her ship, it was to the sight of an Eliksni Kell sitting in one of her chairs with a tiny dog curled up on his lap, both quietly resting.
The Guardian’s small smile was revealed as she removed her helmet, fetching a blanket from the ship’s storage to cover them both against the chill of space. Once situated, she gave her beloved Mushu a few quick pets on the head for a job well done.