Today’s story is the second and final part of “Speak to Me of Summer” by Harry, who writes and publishes under a few different names, but you can find most of his stories on SoFurry.

Last time, Wolverine made it back to his homeworld, and found that things were not the same as they were when he left...

Read for you by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.

You’re listening to The Voice of

Dog. I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,

and Today’s story

is the first of two parts of

“Speak to Me of Summer”

by Harry, who writes and publishes under a few different names,

but you can find most of his stories

on SoFurry. Last time,

Wolverine made it back to his homeworld,

and found that things were not the same as they were when he left...

Please enjoy “Speak to Me of Summer”

by Harry, Part 2 of 2

I hadn't wanted to land right in the city in the first place,

but I needed to find out what had happened.

So HotSauce and I set down

right in the summer festival green, now brown and dry.

It was in front of the Ulka Clanhall,

its tiered conical roof

towering above the other above-ground buildings in the city.

HotSauce somehow beat me climbing down to the ground

with our engines still powering down with a trailing whine.

Neither of us had bothered with the post-flight checklist this time.

He was staring towards the bottom of the Clanhall

when my feet hit the ground.

There was a reception coming to meet us.

Four Lrrkh'ul. The first I had seen

in more than 12 of my years.

I watched them walk;

they were hurrying but not running,

but they still walked so different than humans.

There's an undulating rhythm to it.

The sight was almost hypnotic,

even if they reminded me of how my father would march towards me with menace

after I had done something wrong.

"I hope you know these guys," said HotSauce as he came over to stand with me at the base of my ladder.

"Yeah, same," I said,

keeping my eyes on them.

He squared up next to me as they got to us,

their breath fogging in the air from the little jog they had just done.

I tried to get their measure quick,

as I wasn't sure what was going on.

They were all wearing some kind of uniform I had never seen before--

Black longcoats with dark green

crossed strips from shoulder to knee,

like a big human letter X.

And they were armed.

Not with the projectile rifles we used to have for hunting wild meat.

These looked like anti-personnel energy weapons,

like the human security forces carried on the rougher worlds.

I couldn't tell if they were Alliance-make or not from where I stood.

We were unarmed, because why would we ever need a sidearm as a fighter pilot?

It's not like the Gestalt had ground troops.

Didn't matter anyway, there were four of them, two of us.

And one of us was a skinny furless idiot.

Fighting would be pointless.

So I raised my hands and spread my fingers,

claws forward, in greeting. L’ghurrr’q Qul shakesharril

"" I said. ""

I heard HotSauce snort before he could stop himself.

The last bit was for him.

One of the four started to raise his hands in response to my greeting

but the one next to him smacked him in the shoulder

and he dropped his arms back to his sides.

The one in front said to me,

"

If you try to get back into your space ships we will be forced to shoot you.>" "

Whose strength commands yours and where are they?

I want to hear what they have to say.>"

"" he promised.

He had an accent I couldn't place.

Not Ulka, or any of the nearby clans I remember. "

And what I really want to know

is where she and the rest of my clan is.>"

I noted that one of them tilted his head and pricked his ears when I told them my name.

The one who had almost returned my greeting.

The leader curled his lip

and showed a few of his sharp teeth on one side

in a malicious sort of half-smile.

"

Or clan Surka. Or clan Serlekh.

Or any clan besides Lrrkh.>"

He had the annoying confidence of a true believer.

In what, I wasn't sure.

But I got the meaning.

No clan but Lrrkh.

Things had changed while I was away.

Someone must have managed to unite the planet into one clan.

Though if they had to walk around with guns I wondered how united it really was.

I lowered my hands and gruffed.

"

Wouldn't want to keep whoever is forcing you to shoot us waiting.

Lead the way. My friend here doesn't like our weather much.>"

He narrowed his eyes when I called him 'chief'.

He didn't rate that and I knew it,

and he knew that I knew it and--

anyway I was being kind of a jerk and I was disappointed that HotSauce couldn't understand it.

Poor guy was just standing there wondering what was going on.

The leader turned his back on me

and started walking back to the Clanhall.

Or whatever it was now that there was apparently no clan.

The other three waited for us to follow

and then fell in behind us when we did.

Hotsauce murmured to me in English,

"Everything all right?"

"Not sure. I assume they're taking us to someone in charge.

Looks like things have changed since--"

"

Stay silent or we will separate you.>"

said one of the ones behind us.

I snorted and explained,

"

I will have to translate, unless one of you speaks English.>"

They didn't answer,

and we walked the rest of the way to the huge wooden doors of the Clanhall

in silence. ***** They ended up separating us anyway, which I sort of expected.

I sat in silence in the little room they put me in for a good ten minutes

before I used my minicomp to send a buzz to HotSauce's.

If he was stuck in a similar little room with no one keeping a close eye on him,

we might still be able to talk.

But no answer came,

so they must be more suspicious of him than they were of me.

At least he had company.

So I sat and waited,

and paced, and sat again.

I thought about trying to escape.

The room wasn't built like a prison,

though I was sure a couple of the guys from our little walk were just outside the

door. Bad odds. Waste of energy.

And I wouldn't get any answers, even if I did manage to get out.

I kept checking the minicomp for messages,

but also to check the time.

It was passing, but slow enough to start making me restless

and more angry after the first hour or so.

To distract myself,

I started one-sided conversations with the guards.

"

I could go for some of those,

with the rakeleaf sauce.

Like six of them.

Can you guys put in an order for me?

I'm good for it. I got an Alliance navy pension.

Well, as long as they take EtherCredit,>"

I perked my ears for reaction.

No response, of course.

"

When do you guys get off?

You seem all right to me. We could have a few drinks, catch up on the news.

Oh, can you make sure my human friend is all right?

He's probably cold and scared and hungry.

And he bruises easily. So be gentle with him."

I scratched the bridge of my muzzle and chuckled.

HotSauce would be so mad if he heard me talking about him like a lost pet.

"

I haven't seen another Lrrkh'un in years.

Ooh, hey, that reminds me,

do either of you have a sister you could introduce me to?>"

I thought, for a second, that I got a reaction.

But the door remained closed.

So I got up again from the bench which was the only furniture in the room, and paced.

And paced. And checked the minicomp. And paced some more.

I was almost at the point of pounding on the door and making actual trouble when finally,

it swung open. I stopped pacing.

Mr. Forced-to-shoot-me was there,

flanked by the guards who I was having drinks with after work.

He said, ""

Except when he said 'governor'

it was like a mangled version of the English word, probably because the position didn't exist on Lrrkh.

Or didn't until recently.

I said, "

Thanks for fetching him for me, chief.>"

I could see from his ears he wanted to start something.

Well, finish it anyway.

But he couldn't. Not without wrecking his status.

Despite whatever had changed on Lrrkh,

we Lrrkh'un at least were still the same.

I gave him a toothy grin

and he snorted and turned.

I followed, grateful to get out of the room.

I didn't know if they made me stew in there on purpose to rattle me

or if the governor was just far away.

I half-closed my eyes as we walked the halls

and climbed up stairs.

I tried to remember the old stuff they taught me when I was young about

letting go of anger.

Seeking the path

past the fallen tree, as the teachers used to say.

I was still me, I was still

a vaguely famous person in the Alliance with some amount of influence there.

I would find my family and make sure they were safe.

Past that I wasn't sure where the path led.

Short term, my path led to the governor's office,

which I think was once some kind of audience chamber for the clan elders.

It was still decorated with historic relics

and the wide reed-woven seats that the elders would sit in.

They were pushed against the walls,

empty. In the middle was a wooden desk, pretty ordinary by itself, but looked so out of place that it drew the eye.

Standing behind the desk

was my uncle. I knew him immediately, despite the years.

And he knew me too.

He raised his hands,

claws spread in greeting,

and so did I. Then he was coming around the desk and embracing me.

It felt nice, I have to say.

I was disappointed when he let me go. "

I didn't know what to think when they told me.>"

He looked over my shoulder at my escort.

""

I wanted to turn and give the one guy a smug look,

but I resisted the urge and waited until I heard them close the door behind them.

I started in as soon as we were alone.

"

What is going on here?

Where is my mother?

Can you get them to let my human friend out?>"

"

I will get you a drink.>"

He headed back towards the desk.

There were seats in front of it.

I didn't sit. He busied himself with a bottle of rekhik,

and did not sit either.

""

"

So please, sister-son,

be calm and have a drink with me.

Your first in a long time, yes?>"

I nodded, and took the ornate carved

wooden cup he offered. ""

""