"How's she holding up?" A gruff voice asked, causing Nix to wake up slowly. And look around. She found herself in a wooden room that seemed rather archaic compared to what she was used to waking up in. The wooden walls barely had anything on them, save for a sewn design covering the wall above her head.
"Her wounds are healed now, all we have to do is wait for her to wake up." A female voice could be heard responding to the other, the familiarity making Nix's ear twitch. She went to get up, but found her body to heavy to move. Sighing, she turned her head on the pelt pillow it rested in. She found her helmet resting on a wooden table across the room, her rifle leaned against it. The glass if the helmet had been destroyed from the battle, making her sigh and look up at the ceiling.
"What about the kid? She hasn't left her side since you brought her back."
"Sheeva is fine now. I've managed to get her to eat promising to let her feed Nix."
She realized the voices came from the next room, seeming close to the door as the two talked. Eventually she recognized the voices belonged to Vern and Vela. Wanting to call then in, she tried to move her hands to lift herself. Suddenly, she felt a tiny, fuzzy hand clutching hers, followed by a tiny groan.
She tilted her head once again to look at the bedside, finding the Fox-Kin child holding her hand as she slept. She was sitting in a chair as her head rested next to her arm, the tiny hand holding hers like she was scared Nix was gonna disappear. Looking closer now, she realized the Fox-Kin resembled an arctic fox from her world. Her pure white fur glistened in the candle light from the table, black slits showing where her eyes were and a black nose at the end of her tiny maw.
Nix found Sheeva pretty endearing as she slept, wondering what brought the youngling to hold her hand as she slept. Suddenly, the conversation in the other room ended as the door opened a little to show Vela peeking through. Giving a soft smile, Nix brought her free hand up to press her finger on her lips.
Vela gave a warm smile back, nodding a bit and closing the door with a silent click. The conversation on the other end fell to silent whispers before slowly fading away as they left.
Silence fell upon the room then, the only thing accompanying it was the sounds of Sheeva's sleeping breaths and the drumming in Nix's ears. By now she recognized that her armor had long been taken off, and the wounds she'd received left her bandaged. Reaching up, she gently touched the fading wound over the bandage that wrapped her head. She was lucky that she'd dodged that club in time, almost losing an eye to just the glass shards alone as her helmet finally gave in to its scars.
Just the thought of her losing her AI almost brought tears to her eyes, making her take a deep breath and let out a long sigh. She must have moved to much, seeing the Fox-Kin had shifted awake and looked up at her with sleepy eyes. "Mmm, Nix?"
Nix could only chuckle softly at the matted fur on the side of Sheeva's face, making her groan and curl up a bit. She hadn't realized the blow to her chest from the same club had caused her to bruise, though the worry mainly came from Sheeva as she jumped up suddenly and kicked the chair away.
"Are you still hurt? Hold on, I'll-"
"Child, please. It's just a bruise, nothing to worry about." Nix spoke softly over Sheeva's shouting. As she spoke, she lifted her hand to rest it on the Fox-Kins head to soothe her. Nix always had a weakness for children. She'd been an orphan herself, as well as seen many children fight and die in battles that never should have happened.
Sheeva immediately gave her a small smile and dropped her head a little, accepting Nix's hand and she looked down. "Th-thank you. Not only did you save us from those soldiers, you helped me get revenge for Mommy and Daddy." Sheeva began to cry as she spoke, collapsing onto her knees and resting her face on the bed.
The sight caused Nix's heart to hurt a little. Letting out a soft sigh, she gently grabbed Sheeva's arm and tugged a little. "Come here, how old are you now?"
"Uhm...s-seven cycles." Sheeva sniffled as she climbed up onto the bed, laying next to Nix. The older woman wrapped her arms around the Fox-Kin, rubbing her back while the other hand gently held the back of her head to hold her close.
"Child, your parents fought bravely to defend this village. Though they have fallen, I believe Mother Moon will take them into her loving embrace to guide them to a better place." Nix whispered soothingly to the cub, resting her head on the pelt and closing her eyes.
"M-Mother Moon?" Sheeva asked as she looked up to Nix's face. Nix hadn't realized till now, but Sheeva also had a tail, which gently patted the bed as she sniffled.
"Yes, Mother Moon is the one that brought me here. She is the Goddess that rules over the night, guiding lost souls among the stars and helping hunters track in the night. She's both life and death, giver and taker to all life under her gaze."
"S-so Mother Moon isn't evil?"
"Dear child, there are no good or evil Dieties, just those that have found Godhood through their beliefs, and those that have been led astray from their beliefs."
"That sounds...complicated..." Sheeva muttered as she nuzzled into Nix, slowly falling asleep once again. "But if she can help Mommy and Daddy...then I will....thank...." The cub finally drifted to sleep in some more silent snoring, causing Nix to smile warmly and sigh a bit.
Drevid, the Chief of the village, had heard the whole conversation from the other side of the door. He'd wanted to walk in when the timing was right, but missed his chance upon hearing of Mother Moon. At this name, all he could do was smile softly and close his eyes, leaning gently against the wall next to the door.
"To think that old name would be spoken by an Other-Worlder. Fate is truly strange, indeed." He whispered softly. After pushing himself off the wall, he slowly walked out of the house to not make any sudden noise. Now that he had this information, he finally understood why he felt hope in Nix that day. With this, he finally understood who the items he had found truly belonged to.