Ever since they’d crashed on this godforsaken planet Kaylee had been having some very awkward conversations with River, and this had to be one of the weirdest. She’d had to explain the dynamics of possessiveness and jealousy in a relationship, and that, no, it wasn’t correct to kill the ‘competition’.

“But this is good,” she stressed, as the others huddled together, listening to Fry’s plan. “This shows that you’re developing normal adult feelings. I was a little worried when you weren’t jealous of my spending so much time with Simon---it would have been a normal reaction---and the fact that you want Riddick and are jealous because of Fry’s attention show that you’re undoing your programming.”

“So, the desire to hurt her with my brain is normal?” River asked, voice strained, obviously doing her best to speak plainly.

“Well, not with your brain---most people can’t do that---but to hurt or somehow cause pain to the other person involved is normal.”

“And this is because I want the darkness for my own?” She asked slowly once more.

“Yes.”

“And if the darkness coveted the stars, he too would feel this emotion if the stars twinkled at the moon?”

“No.” Kaylee couldn’t help but feel proud at how better she understood River now that they’d had to spend so much time together in such close contact. “Simon wouldn’t elicit that feeling in Riddick because Simon’s your brother, and Riddick would realize that he couldn’t steal you from him like that.”

“Oh.” River seemed to be thinking very seriously before looking up. “But any member of the male gender which does not carry my DNA code within him would elicit the response desired?”

“ In a nutshell.” Kaylee nodded.

River tapped her bottom lip with her finger for a moment. “So if this girl were to be close to a male not of her DNA and the wolf were to howl, it would mean he finds her shiny and wishes her for himself?”

Kaylee wondered about the light in River’s eyes, and then frowned when she saw the younger girl looking thoughtfully in Johns’ direction. “River, no.” She warned, not needing to be a psychic to know what was going through her friend’s head at the moment. “He’s dangerous. He knows you’re on the dodge.”

Maybe, if River realized Johns knew she was wanted by the police she would rethink her little plan.

“I know.” River announced before turning and heading towards Johns, who was off in a corner a little ways from Fry’s group, looking at his shotgun.

Kaylee noticed Riddick looking up and following River’s movements towards the blonde mercenary with a scowl on his face.

Well, if River had wanted Riddick to notice her she’d certainly gotten her way.

Hopefully Riddick didn’t kill Johns before her curiosity was sated.

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“I wondered about the silence,” River announced, watching with satisfaction as Johns looked up at her in surprise. Obviously he hadn’t heard her coming towards him and the revelation bothered him considerably.

“Silence, princess?” Johns asked, forcing a casual smirk on his face as he gave her a once over.

“In your brain.” River clarified, giving him a once over as well, deciding that he was aesthetically pleasing and that if she hadn’t known of Riddick she could have found herself attracted to him. “There is a silence there unlike the others. Their thoughts are loud and constant.”

He was silent for a moment before looking her over. “You know I know.”

She nodded, tilting her head to the side and once more trying to probe his mind, coming up with silence. “It’s the drugs.” She determined. “They keep you painless and your thoughts silent,” she couldn’t help but smile. “It is a rest for my brain.”

Realizing that she wasn’t being hostile with him, Johns suddenly smirked. “Glad to be of service.”

Wondering if he was like Riddick, silent in the brain yet communicating through touch, River surprised the blonde by placing her fingers on the side of his face and slowly lowering them down the curve of his jaw, not even blinking when the rapid images and feelings filled her.

His hand grasped her wrist and pulled her closer to him, jarring her out of the vision of herself.

River noted with scientific detachment that despite the fact that she found him visibly appealing, his touch did nothing to her. It was like Simon’s touch.

“Trying to say something, princess?” His voice was deeper, his temperature hotter, and his heartbeat had increased.

Going through the symptoms he was experiencing and a possible reason for this sudden change in his body, River blinked, suddenly stumbling upon the surprising answer. He was…attracted…to her.

“You were there, at the Maidenhead.” She told him, remembering having seen herself after being triggered by the commercial, fighting all the large, sweaty, armed men in the Maidenhead until Simon had appeared, called out her name, and untriggered her into sleep with the phrase taught him by those who’d helped him rescue her from the Academy.

Intrigued by this revelation, River forgot the reason of this experiment.

“Yeah,” Johns nodded, not letting go of her wrist or letting her pull away. “Watched you from the moment you came in, and before I could get up and ask ya if ya wanted a drink, you started beatin’ the ruttin’ hell outta all the men around you.”

He chuckled. “Made me reconsider askin’ ya if you wanted the drink—but just a little. Later saw the waves looking for Simon and River Tam, but I hadn’t put it all together until you went all warrior princess again with the boomerang.” With his other hand he trailed a finger up her long neck, once again invoking nothing, not even a little tremble. “You had that same emptiness in your eyes.”

She nodded. Whenever she fought there was an emotional detachment as her feelings and every that made her human were pushed back and the weapon took over.

“You know,” his hand went to her hair much like the creature had. “I’m more interested in you joinin’ my crew than turnin’ ya in.”

River tilted her head to the side, examining him, realizing he was telling the truth.

“Easier to catch the hun dans if I have a gorram reader working with me.” He went on to explain, as if she hadn’t guessed the reason why he wanted her working for him.

A shadow fell over them and Johns jerked to see Fry and Riddick standing over them, one looking smug and the other looking deadly.

River wasn’t surprised, she’d sensed them coming.

“Let’s go do this?” Fry asked, smirk on her face as she looked at how close Johns had River to him. “Or are you two busy?”

“Sarcasm doesn’t suit you.” Johns informed her before giving Riddick a smirk and making show of letting go of River’s arm and hair.

River tried to appear uncaring, yet when Riddick’s arm shot up and his fingers curled brutishly around her upper arm, jerking her back with him as he stalked away she couldn’t help but stifle a giggle. Even with his mental block he was pissed enough to let a few words (…fucker…mine…gonna ruttin’ KILL the bastard…) slip through.

She sought Kaylee’s eyes and gave her a quick, triumphant grin, letting the other girl know that the mission had been a redundant success.

Kaylee smiled and shook her head at her childlike glee.

“The darkness thinks the stars are shiny.” River told Riddick confidently as he continued to drag her away from the mercenary.

Riddick’s grip on her tightened painfully. “The darkness will throw the ruttin’ stars over its knee and slap the gou shi outta them the next time they let that hun dan touch them.” He promised her darkly in a deep whisper.

“The canary placed her claws on the darkness, and the darkness remained silent. When the fox hunted, hungry with bloodlust, the darkness covered the canary, hiding and protecting it from its doom.” River pointed out, trying not to let her resentment at the memory show.

“Canary?” He stopped and looked at her with a frown before turning to look behind them at Fry and snorted in amusement. “I see.”

She didn’t like the shift in his mood. All of a sudden he’d become horribly smug.

“Canaries have no place in the dark of the night.” Riddick slanted a gaze at her, smirk in the place. “They only sing in the day.”

River blinked, looking up at him in surprise. He was speaking her language!

Shaking his head, Riddick chuckled deep within his throat and let go of her, walking towards the others.

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The Cargo Hold’s doors opened.

Mixed for maximum light, the cutting torch was pushed outside and swept around to ward off any creature that might be hanging around, waiting for them to appear. Riddick, Fry and the rest stepped out into the night and slowly made their way through the darkness, most trying to ignore the primal sounds coming from just outside the circle of light.

They soon reached the darkened Main Cabin.

“Riddick.” Fry ordered.

The murderer felt Johns’ anxiety behind him, his fear of the darkness and all that was behind him, and while Riddick realized that he couldn’t kill him now for touching what Riddick had decided was his, that didn’t mean he had to save the mercenary if something decided to eat him.

Pulling up his goggles he took a step into the darkness and looked around the inside of the Main Cabin. While there was a lot of wreckage, he couldn’t see anything but…ah…there was a young predator near the entrance.

He paused, feeling Johns growing more and more fidgety with each second, a smirk appearing on his face as he pulled back on his goggles and turned to the others.

“Looks clear.”

Behaving as Riddick had guessed, no sooner had the news escaped his lips did Johns shoulder passed him rapidly towards the entrance, Fry and the others following rapidly behind.

Just as Johns entered the Main Cabin, the predator, sensing the light, buzzsawed over his head and, fleeing the cabin, took off into the night outside.

Riddick was somewhat disappointed that the creature hadn’t taken the mercenary’s head with him.

“Fuck me.” Johns cursed, and turned an accusing glare at Riddick. “You said it was ‘clear!’”

“Said ‘looks clear’.” Riddick replied truthfully, keeping his face straight and emotionless despite the smirk that wanted to curl his lips.

“Well, what does it look like now?” Johns growled out, exasperation and suspicion dark in his voice.

Pulling off his goggles once more, Riddick rechecked before giving the blonde a blank look. “Looks clear.”

Johns narrowed his eyes at him.

Fry sighed in disgust from somewhere behind them. “Just get the gorram lights on!”

River made passed them and entered the darkened cabin, the others scrambling in quickly after her, Johns following once he realized that light was leaving them behind.

Smirking at the blonde’s back, Riddick tongue-clicked just for the heck of it, and from the tensing of the other man’s back, the murderer confirmed it’d fooled him for a moment.

Snorting, Riddick pushed passed him into the Main Cabin.

Fry and Johns were just too easy to manipulate sometimes.

With River holding the cutting torch in the middle of the room to keep away the creatures of the, boomerang fastened to her belt, everyone got to work powering up the cabin’s lights.

When that was accomplished, Riddick watched River turn off the cutting torch to save its light and help Shazza and Kaylee threading nylon through Paris’ misting umbrellas, filling the reservoirs with high-octane liquor, and swapping out O-2 containers. They also got another cutting torch and found a supply of hand-lights.

Riddick and Johns yanked out four power cells from the batter bay and left them by the door so that when they were finished they’d be able to grab them quickly. The one cell left in the battery bay gave them dim light, yet it was enough to keep them safe for now.

Realizing that Johns and Fry weren’t there with them, Riddick wondered where they were. He didn’t like leaving them together because there was always the chance that considering the fact that they would most probably die here, and knowing how sentimental Fry seemed to be, she’d probably want to make peace with the mercenary before they started the journey.

It wasn’t that he cared if they were friends. Usually he wouldn’t have given it a bat of an eyelash, but they were the power-duo of the group, the leaders, and together they were strong and stupid. He needed to keep them clashing if he wanted a chance of getting off this planet.

He snorted, turning his goggles in the direction of River, his favorite scenery of late.

It was amusing to think that she been jealous of Fry.

Sure, he’d stepped in and saved the blonde’s life, but it wasn’t because he gave a shit about what happened to her.

No.

Riddick was a smart person, he knew that with Fry gone Johns would automatically assume the role of leader of the group, and things would go to hell fast for Riddick if Johns became El Gran Jefe. So while he needed to keep Fry and Johns fighting, he needed to make sure the woman was alive as well---at least until they’d made it back to the skiff.

Johns on the other hand, would be getting no help from Riddick. Not only was the hun dan planning on betraying him, but he’d dared put his hands on River, and Riddick wasn’t about to forget that.

“It’s time.” Fry announced, arriving with a scowling Johns behind her.

Riddick smirk.

Peace had yet to be achieved.

Good.

Very good.

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River watched as the light died, then suddenly there was the light of a burning wick. Alcohol mist shot across the flame to create a fireball. The two two umbrella torches were held by Shazza and Kaylee. The fabric already burnt away, they belched out fireballs into the night. By the light provided by that, the hand-lights Jack and the two young disciples of Iman were using, and the cutting torches in Fry’s and River’s hands, she could see Iman chained into the first harness of the drag-sled they’d brought with them.

Outside air caressed their skin as Johns, who stood next to Iman, fumbled with the second harness until Riddick helped him into the chains. Mercenary and fugitive shared a look between them, and River couldn’t help but see the irony of the prisoner helping his captor into chains.

Fry, ever the leader, turned to the others, ignoring the sounds of the creatures around them. “Keep the light going.” She gave them all a long stare. “That’s all we have to do to get out of this alive. Just keep your lights burning.”

Riddick looped a hand-light around his neck, placing it to shine light on his back; a beacon to the others so they would always know his location while he was ahead of them.

“Be runnin’ ‘bout 10 paces ahead.” He informed their blonde leader, goggles pulled up and silver eyes on the darkness around them. “I want the light on my back---but not in my eyes. And check your cuts,” he announced as an afterthought. “These things know our blood now.”

“Don’t worry,” Kaylee whispered, and River turned to see her brother’s love smiling down at Jack, who’d gone completely pale. “You’re going to be safe.”

River narrowed her eyes and focused on the child, ignoring the others’ thoughts until she only heard the young girl’s. When she heard the fears in the child’s head her eyes widened and she involuntarily took a head back.

The child was beginning her menstruation!

“Kaylee,” She spoke so that only her friend could hear her. “Keep Jack closer to the light. The smell will tempt them yet they will stay back if he remains closer to the light.”

Kaylee obviously didn’t understand what smell River was talking about, but instinctively moved the young girl in drag towards the light, closer to the sled as well.

Jack looked back at River, mentally asking herself if River knew.

The elder girl nodded.

Jack’s eyes widened.

Having missed the exchange between Fry and Riddick, River looked up when the drag-sled began to move.

They began to run, Riddick the eyes, was in front, with Fry behind him with a cutting torch, and Johns and Iman pulling the sled with the four power cells and eight bottles of booze from in front. Iman’s two disciples, Hasan and Sulieman, pushed it from behind, handlights shining light on their backs much like Riddick, so nothing would come at them from behind.

Shazza and Kaylee each held an umbrella torch, fireballs blazing, while Jack was situated between Kaylee and the sled, holding a handlight.

Paris and River, each holding an umbrella torch and cutting torch respectively, came up in the back despite Johns’ insistence on River and Fry switching places.

River sensed the creatures gliding in the air above them, and lurking in the darkness around them, waiting for their opportunity, yet she decided not to mention it because Pairs was stumbling in fear enough as it was, sweeping his umbrella torch back and forth, every shadow a threat.

She was also sure that she smelt urine on him, yet ignored the stench, eyes on the creatures she knew were hiding around her, clicking, following them from behind, and sniffing her scent.

This reminded her too much of the encounter she’d just had with those two creatures when she’d gone looking for Riddick. While she’d know that he was in trouble and that if she didn’t go there and shoot the creatures they’d eat him, she couldn’t understand what’d happened to her once she’d laid eyes on them up close.

It was as if there’d been instant recognition.

Shivering, River looked behind her once more, seeing a shadow swerve just beyond the reach of the light.

The creatures hadn’t descended upon her with fury as they had when they’d attacked Ali and Shazza. They’d crept up onto her, circling her, and then they’d slowly begun slicing her skin and placing their mouth to her cuts, leisurely feeding from her, taking their time. They hadn’t consumed her in a flurry, tearing her skin from her body and dislocating bones.

The difference in the feeding disturbed her.

As had how she’d gone cold and paralyzed with fear and another unmentionable emotion the those creatures.

“Riddick. Riddick.” Fry was heard right before the sled stopped. They all hustled closer to said object and into the stronger beams of light.

“Where are the sand tracks?” Fry asked, sounding irritated and nervous. “Why aren’t we following the tracks of the sand-cat anymore?”

“Saw something I didn’t like,” was Riddick’s vague answer.

“Such as…” Johns prompted.

“Hard to tell, even for me.” Riddick admitted in a slow, thoughtful voice. “But it looked like a bunch of those big boys chewin’ each other’s gonards off.” He paused to let that sink in. “Thought we’d swing wide. Okay by you?”

That brought the confrontation to a halt.

Paris gulped and looked behind him into the darkness, as if trying to find the scene Riddick had just depicted. Nearby clicking caused him to cry out and jump.

“Let’s move.” Fry ordered before turning to Jack with a reassuring smile. “Just a detour. He’ll get us there.”

More clicking sounded closer to River than she remembered the creatures being brave enough to venture.

Paris noticed this as well and twirled around to look at Fry. “Can we switch?”

“What,” Fry asked, looking confused. “Switch what?”

“ I think I twisted my ankle running backwards like that. And I am not sure I…” Seeing the disbelieving stares he was receiving from the other, he took in a deep breath and tried once again. “Okay, that’s a lie. I just don’t want to be in the back here anymore. If you could just give me a few minutes up there in front---.”

“Don’t be such a fuckin’ coward man!” Shazza snapped, sick of all of his groaning and complaining, of his acting as if every one of them weren’t in the same danger. “Look at River, she was attacked by those gorram creatures and she’s there in da back with you and she ain’t complainin’!”

Paris bristled, squaring his shoulders. “I think River’s proven to be a little warrior princess and with that little boomerang she has a better chance at surviving this!” He stomped his foot. “It is my booze and my umbrellas that are allowing us to get this far and I demand that I get to switch places with the captain up front!”

“She’s the pilot,” Johns, surprisingly enough, stuck up for Fry. “She should stay close to the cells.”

“Oh, so we’re all dispensable then?” Paris snapped, face coloring in his righteous indignation. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“I’ll switch with you.” Kaylee offered, pushing Jack to the other side of the sled to stand next to Shazza, and made her way back to where Paris was hurriedly and happily making his way further up to in front.

“You should have stayed up there in the front.” River told her softly as they began walking once more. “It’s more dangerous back here.”

“Yes, well, you’re bleedin’ and injured and someone should be here keepin’ an eye on you.” Kaylee sniffed, yet there was a slight mischievous expression on her face.

River looked at her sideways. “Your aura is mixed up. What do you know?”

“Can’t you read my mind, Mei-Mei?” Kaylee quipped, smiling fully and lowering her voice softly so that no one else could hear their conversation.

“Too many voices, everyone thinking.” River shook her head. “Confusing, can’t make out only one.”

Nodding in understanding, Kaylee huddled a little closer to River, lowering her voice. “I forgot to tell you earlier that before you and Zeke were attacked I activated the tracking device Simon gave us.”

River’s eyes widened, she’d forgotten all about her tracking device. Anyway, it was in the sole of her boots---and she’d left her boots behind a long time ago.

“And right before we left the Main Cabin, I checked on it.” Kaylee whispered, eyes sparkling despite their life-threatening situation. “The light had turned yellow!”

“Mother is near.” River whispered, letting herself have yet another reason to hope to survive this now that she knew that Serenity was near.

Kaylee smiled beautifully. “They’re fine. They’re coming for us.” She reached out and clasped River’s hand, squeezing it happily. “We’re going to be saved.”

“Light, please light here.” Paris’ voice is heard asking somewhat frantically at his new position as side-guard.

Still moving, Shazza trained her light on Paris while he refueled, and for a brief moment, Jack was left in the shadows.

Suddenly River felt it.

Death.

Feeling one of the creatures above leave its group and descend upon the earth at a break-neck speed, River looked up at the darkness. “Above! Above!” She screamed.

Everyone looked up, yet no one could see what River was screaming about, no one could see the creature dive-bombing for Jack, clicking at a high-velocity like an incoming missile.

At the last nanosecond Suleiman must have noticed the shift in the shadows because he threw himself at Jack and flattened the girl to the sand. The scythe-like blades swing at the Arabic boy protecting Jack with his own body yet miss by inches, soaring up into the air with a screech of pain as Shazza quickly twirled around and aimed her umbrella torch at it.

The confusion had jostled everyone around, as everyone had ducked and taken cover.

Yet the predator wasn’t returning…

…so why didn’t Grim go away?

“Suleiman!” Iman called out in fear. “Are you well? Have you been cut?” There was silence. “Someone, please tell me if he’s been cut!”

Keeping her umbrella torch in front of her, Shazza pulled up the terrified, yet untouched children up to their feet and back into the circle of protective light. “They’s fine. Young Suleiman saved our lil’ Jack.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a brave, good man, son, riskin’ yer life like that.”

The young Chrislam blushed at her praise.

Kaylee hurried over to Jack and, passing her umbrella torch to Suleiman, hugged the young girl to her heart. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”

“I—I’m fine.” Jack’s voice trembled.

River ignored them, looking around, eyes narrowed.

Grim was near.

It wasn’t over yet.

“I dropped and broke my light.” Iman said in a soft voice.

“We’ll just get Paris to walk closer to you.” Fry announced and then turned to order the small man to do so.

That’s when everyone noticed what River had moments ago.

Paris wasn’t there, his umbrella torch dropped on the ground.

River looked deep within the shadows, where she could feel creatures congregating. “He’s back there.” She whispered to herself.

Somehow, amidst the confusion, Paris must have run away to get away from the flyer, yet he’d dropped his umbrella torch in his haste to get away.

His terror as he realizes his condition shoots into her, and River screamed as she was forced to feel what he felt, her psychic powers picking up his extreme terror. She felt the sprain he’d gotten when running away, felt the fear as he tried to get back to them, felt when he was slashed from behind.

“River!” Kaylee was at her side once more, bending next to her, keeping the light around her. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

It was as if the night had claws.

“Oh, sweet Jesus…” His voice carried to her as he fell to his knees in the sand once more.

Blood flew from the wound in his back, the wound that burnt River as if it were her own.

The clicking stopped.

“Oh, sweet Jesus, WILL YOU GET ME SOME LIGHT OVER HERE?” Paris screamed, helping the others, who’d been searching the darkness everywhere around them, to find his location.

Faces whipped around, but before their lights could save him, Paris was gone, snatched away but a swooping blur.

Light-beams jump fitfully in the air, vainly searching for the creature that’d taken Paris from them.

River felt when the creature drove its scythe-like blades through Paris’ back, and she bent over, coughing up blood.

Suddenly, Paris’ fear and pain disappeared, as did River’s morbid connection to him, and she sensed the Grim leave, sated…for now.

A hand gripped River’s upper arm and pulled her up. She looked dazedly into Riddick’s goggles, which he’d obviously put back on before returning to the light---and her.

The murderer looked at her silently before raising a hand and wiping at the small stream of blood running down the side of her mouth, rubbing the drops between the pads of his thumb and finger.

Putting a supportive arm around her small frame, realizing that she was still suffering the aftermaths of the psychic connection with the deceased, Riddick turned and pulled off his goggles now that his back was to the light again, and looked out into the darkness.

With Riddick touching her, River felt her night-sight improving so that she could make out what it was he watched so intently.

He was watching the predators feasting upon Paris’ dead body.

Carrying a youngling on her back, a female predator arrived late and couldn’t make it through the tight huddled predators tearing at whatever flesh they could come into contact with. With shocking apathy the female whipped the youngling from her back and began devouring it, hunger defeating motherly instincts without much of a fight.

Other predators started in-fights, killing each other for the food that the planet obviously lacked and couldn’t give them.

“What do you see?” Fry asked from Riddick’s other side. “Riddick?”

“Hunger.” He replied in a flat voice, gaze never having left the predators feasting. “60 years of hunger.”