Saelen woke up the next morning feeling much better. Apparently a good night’s sleep counted for much these days. He reached over and gave Pairdra a not-so-gentle tap on the head to wake him.

"Aww..." Pairdra whined, trying to get back to sleep before he woke up completely. It wasn’t to be however, because Saelen began to poke and shove him to one side. Realizing that he was lying partly on top of Saelen, Pairdra moved over, albeit reluctantly.

"Get up, Pai. We’ve been asleep long enough," Saelen said sharply. He wasn’t angry at his mate, but Pairdra could sleep until dark, if he was left alone. Ah, the curse of being an early riser--he had to continually fight to get Pairdra up in the mornings.

Pairdra groaned, but obeyed and rolled out of bed. "Y’re mean, Saelen. Is there’re reason why we’re up so early?"

Saelen rolled his eyes as he searched through a chest for something to wear. "The elders want to talk to us again, remember? Something about Xander."

"Oh, yeah." Pairdra shook the last vestiges of sleep from his eyes and joined Saelen in his search for clothing. Saelen grinned and pushed Pairdra towards a bench, indicating that he should eat. As groggy as his mate was, he’d end up wearing Saelen’s pants, which were several inches too short for him.

Half an hour later, the pair, now fed and dressed, clambered their way across Ieccra to the elder’s tree. They were early and so had plenty of time to catch up on the hold gossip. By the time the elders were ready for them, they’d learned all about what had gone on during the past couple of weeks.

The elders were more serious, however. The t’kth-vaali raid on Graigk, the human village, hadn’t been the first in the area. Reports had trickled in from all along the shared border that t’kth-vaali were increasing their attacks, both in number and severity.

Saelen and Pairdra described the attack in detail, describing how the t’kth-vaali slaughtered almost every human in the village. The method of the attack was unusual for t’kth-vaali, who tended to keep as many humans as possible alive. They stored longer that way. Yet these t’kth-vaali just killed indiscriminately. Only a few humans were taken alive, and to the best of Saelen’s knowledge, Xander was the only one not butchered immediately after arriving in the t’kth-vaali hold. Furthermore, while what had been done to Xander had been the beginning of a ritual; there was a distinct possibility that it was done purely for food purposes-- t’kth-vaali enjoyed the flavor of partially changed human flesh.

The elders were understandably concerned with what had happened. It reminded some of the older ones of the last time the t’kth-vaali had attempted to invade and conquer their own region. First, the t’kth-vaali had weakened the borders by destroying remote villages. Then, they built up huge armies and marched through the forest, killing everything they encountered, including the trees. It was a brutally effective method of overrunning a siv freehold; if the trees were taken down, the siv were at a disadvantage, being built for combat in the canopy.

"We must post more sentries along the border," one elder finally said, after considering the situation. "And advise any humans to move inward and south, toward the sea." The siv controlled most of the coastline, so the humans would be safer there.

Saelen and Pairdra nodded their agreement. They both suspected that they would be part of those patrols, being warriors. Thus, they were surprised when they were given their assignments.

"You two will care for Xander. He’s alone, and he knows you two better than anyone," the elder said, ignoring Pairdra’s dismayed look.

Saelen patted Pairdra, knowing that he wanted to go out on patrol. Honestly, so did he. Xander seemed like a nice enough guy, but what did they know about taking care of changing humans? Saelen knew the basics, but mostly what he knew was that changing humans should be taken to a healer. The elders looked pretty determined about it, though.

The elders were not going to budge on this issue, so Saelen and Pairdra left. There were things that had to be done if Xander was going to be under their care, so they had a lot to do very quickly. First on that list was a stop by Main’zen’s place. She would give them the information and supplies they needed.

"Saelen!" Main’zen said happily, seeing some of her favorite customers. "You’re here for Xander, yes?"

Pairdra rolled his eyes. "Not quite yet. First we need t’know exactly what we’re gettin’ into."

Main’zen smiled. "Not as much as y’think. Y’ll need to make a comfortable space for him, but other than that, I’ll provide y’ with what y’need. Then it’s just a matter of being good hosts."

Saelen grinned and nodded. "Fine. Just hand it all to Pairdra. He can carry it home while he’s sulking." Pairdra answered that with a glare.

The trio left their bickering to check on Xander. The human looked ill, his skin almost pasty. Sweat rolled off him as he tossed on the bed, obviously suffering. Pairdra noted that his hands were already changing, the fingers growing longer and more agile.

"When will he wake up next?" Saelen asked.

"Perhaps this evening. He won’t be awake much for the next week or so, but after that he should be ok, although in a lot of pain," Main’zen replied.

"Can we take him like that?" Pairdra asked, eager to get this part over with.

Main’zen shrugged. "I don’t see why not, if y’re careful."

Pairdra gingerly picked up Xander, cradling him like a baby. For all his protestations, he took this job very seriously. The healers must not have been too worried about him, or they wouldn’t let him out of their sight. Caring for a human changing into a siv was a rare experience.

Saelen gathered the supplies Main’zen felt they needed and they returned to their home. He already had plans about where to put Xander; there was a nice corner of their front room that would make an ideal resting place. If only he could convince Pairdra to part with the spare bed...

Pairdra didn’t mind, so Saelen carried the bed into the front room and made it up. His mate then put Xander on it, careful to place him gently so as not to wake him. Saelen busied himself organizing the supplies Main’zen had sent, which consisted mostly of bandages, herbs, and instructions for making food.

Not long after they’d arrived home, Xander stirred. "What?" He said groggily, looking around in confusion. Once again, his environment had changed.

"You’re ok, Xander. We just moved you somewhere more quiet," Saelen said. Xander nodded weakly. The healer’s place hadn’t been quiet by any stretch of the imagination, so this place, whatever it was, was better. Plus, it had Saelen and Pairdra. Their presence made him feel safer. Xander fell asleep again soon thereafter.

Pairdra watched Saelen watching Xander and shook his head. His mate had far too much empathy for his own good, and it was obvious that Saelen was worried sick about Xander. This was probably for the best, since if they’d gone out on patrol, he would have just worried more about him out there.

A bit tired, and mostly bored, Pairdra walked over to Saelen and picked him up. Saelen squeaked, and then laughed as Pairdra carried him into their bedroom and dropped him on the soft bed. Pairdra fell down after him, ticking Saelen all the while. They remembered their guest’s condition and kept as quiet as they could, muffling their laughter in the bedding.

•••

Xander woke to the sound of birds chirping. He looked around, taking in more of his surroundings. He remembered being moved some time before, and vaguely recalled seeing Saelen and Pairdra. Try as he might, though, he couldn’t recall where he was, or how long he’d been there. The need to relieve himself was great, however, so he made himself get out of bed to find some sort of facility.

Saelen found Xander lurching around in the front room, walking like a drunkard. "And where do you think you’re going?" He said lightly, catching Xander before he could fall.

"Bathroom," Xander replied tiredly.

Saelen frowned. "You don’t need to take a bath, Xander."

Xander shook his head. "Not for that, for the other." He blushed at the topic of conversation. Crawling under a rock seemed like such a good idea right now.

The reference confused Saelen, so he thought about what Xander might actually need instead. It didn’t take long for the siv to realize that Xander might need to relieve himself. "I think I’ve got it. You talk funny, though."

Xander frowned, and would have responded, but he found himself in a bathroom just a moment later. At least, he was pretty sure that was what it was. Saelen left him alone there, but was waiting when he exited.

"Better?" Xander nodded and Saelen helped him back to bed. "You need to eat before you fall asleep. I’ll be back with something in a moment."

Xander managed to stay awake while Saelen pounded some fruit into mash, stirring in water to thin it down where Xander could drink it. The stuff looked a bit unappetizing, but Xander drank it anyway. Actually, it didn’t taste that bad at all, once he got over the whole baby-food aspect of it.

Saelen picked some fruit to eat while Xander was finishing his meal. "Pairdra and I are taking care of you for now. This is our place."

Xander looked around. "Both of you live here?" He asked, curious.

Saelen nodded. "Yes. When we’re here at all, that is. We patrol a lot, so the place stays empty unless we lend it out to someone."

"You’re sentries?" Xander asked, following the conversation with little difficulty. As long as they spoke slowly, Xander could follow others’ speech fairly well. His mind just wasn’t processing very fast right now.

"Warriors, yes. We patrol for the region, instead of the freehold. That means we go out further, and come back less often," Saelen explained. He, too, was curious. Where was Xander from? "So, what region are you from, Xander?"

The question made Xander’s head hurt. "California. Pacific Ocean. Sunnydale," he said, watching as comprehension failed to dawn on Saelen’s face. "I don’t think it’s anywhere near here. Like, another planet far away," He added. It was a safe bet that he wasn’t in his home dimension anymore, either.

"Oh. How’d you get here?" Saelen asked slowly. He could see that Xander was getting tired again.

"I had a fight with my fiancé. I think she did it. She used to be a demon," Xander said, yawning. If only he could hold more than five minutes worth of conversation at once. He tried to say something to that effect, but sleep caught him and little but a snore came out.

Saelen smiled at the human and picked up the discarded bowls. It was pretty obvious that Xander wasn’t from the region, or any region nearby. That or he was seriously deluded from the change. He didn’t understand a word of siv or t’kth-vaali, and most people at least knew standard greetings. Xander was lucky that he and Pairdra spoke the human tongue; not all siv did, and he would find communication almost impossible were the pair not with him. That may have been a deciding factor in moving Xander to their care. Main’zen had too much work to do to take care of a changing human, and they were two siv who spoke the language, and that Xander trusted.

Pairdra walked in the door to find Saelen resting against Xander’s bed, both of them asleep. He studied the pair, thinking that they were kind of cute like that, looking as though both had passed out while talking.

"I know y’re here, Pairdra," Saelen said. He’d heard his mate come in and stop to watch them.

"How’s the patient?" he asked, ignoring the jibe.

"Fine. Still a bit off, but better than before," Saelen responded, standing up. "He ate well, though."

"Good." Pairdra pulled Saelen into a hug, watching the human over his shoulder. "There’s more news about the t’kth-vaali."

Saelen pulled away. "What?"

Pairdra led him into their bedroom, so that they wouldn’t disturb the sleeping human. "They’re starting to raid villages further in, not just ones on the border. Most of the humans have gotten the idea and have moved, but that seems to have just made the t’kth-vaali move faster."

"Y’still wish y’ were out there, don’t y’?" Saelen said softly, smiling. "So do I, Pairdra. But we’ve got work here," He said, gesturing towards the front room. "And, we just got out of a t’kth-vaali hold. I think we both deserve a bit of a break, no?"

"Y’re right, Sae, but I don’t like it," Pairdra whined.

The smaller siv laughed and lay back on the bed. "As y'wish, Pai."

Pairdra joined him on the bed for a nap. They could both use the rest, for that matter.

•••

Pairdra woke before Saelen and ventured into the front room to check on Xander. The human was twitching on the bed, his hands clenching and unclenching rhythmically. Main’zen had warned that that might occur as the muscles altered their form. It was nearly dark out, so he lit a lamp and settled down at the table to mash up more of Xander’s food. He grimaced at the sight of fruit pulp made runny with water. It just looked foul.

A yawn caught his attention and he turned to find Xander staring at him. "Awake again? Must be some sort of record."

Xander smirked. "I aim to impress. More baby food?"

"Hmm? This?" Pairdra held up the bowl. "I’m certainly not eating it. Ugh."

Xander accepted the bowl from Pairdra and slurped it down. "It’s not bad, once you get over the whole ‘liquid diet’ thing."

"I’ll take your word for it," Pairdra said, grimacing. "How do you feel?"

"Like I’ve been drug through seven hells," Xander replied grimly. He hadn’t had much time to think about what was happening to him, but it bothered him nevertheless. "This whole ‘changing’ thing bothers me. I like being human."

Pairdra sat down on a bench near the bed. "I wish I could make it go away, but I can’t."

Xander turned a little to look at him. "Don’t think I’m not grateful you saved me--I am! But, at least where I come from, most people are human. This is just weird."

Pairdra nodded silently. What could he say? Get over it?

"Where’s Saelen?" Xander asked, looking around.

Pairdra pointed at the bedroom. "He’s still asleep."

"Oh," Xander said. "So, where do you stay? I got the impression from Saelen that both of you lived here."

Pairdra just pointed back at the bedroom. "There, unless Saelen gets mad at me. Then I sleep out here."

Xander blinked. Oh. "You’re...together?" He squeaked.

Pairdra nodded, wondering why that came as a shock to the human. After all, didn’t Saelen tell him they lived here? Odd.

Xander smiled weakly and set his now-empty bowl down. Well. He had no idea he was shacking up with the alternative-lifestyle monkey boys. Suddenly he was very tired again. The siv left him shortly thereafter, figuring he was about to fall asleep, which he did. Pairdra returned to the bedroom, finding Saelen just waking up.

"How’s Xander?" Saelen asked, yawning.

"Fine, but confused. He didn’t understand that we’re mated," Pairdra said.

Saelen quirked an eyebrow. "Odd. Maybe it’s the changeover messing up his mind again."

"Probably," Pairdra replied. "He’s asleep again. We need to practice, y’know. We won’t be taking care of him forever."

"Y’re right. He’ll be fine for now," Saelen agreed, collecting the weaponry they’d stashed in a chest near the bed. Getting caught in the raid had been a bit embarrassing for them both. But then again, it had been a surprise, and they’d not been able to get to the trees before being attacked.

Pairdra and Saelen ran to the closest practice area. It was full dark, which would provide an additional challenge for them. Soon the pair were swooping and dashing around, avoiding each other’s daggers and staffs. It was exhilarating stuff. By the time they were finished, both siv were sweaty and sore. They stopped by a bath house on the way back, leaving off their sweat-soaked shirts for the climb home. When they got there, they found an awake Xander staring at them.

"Um, hi," Xander said sheepishly.

"Hi," Saelen replied, sailing into the bedroom. Pairdra followed him, and they both emerged moments later in clean clothing.

"We had to practice. It’s not good to get out of shape," Pairdra said, stacking their weapons up from where they’d discarded them on the table. He stored them in the bedroom, and then emerged once more.

"Hungry?" Saelen asked Xander.

"Yeah, even for the fruit paste stuff," Xander replied.

Pairdra attacked a large, yellow fruit, mashing the flesh into a syrupy mess. Xander took it reluctantly, wondering if there was a spoon or something. The stuff looked sticky. Just as he was about to give up and use his fingers, a spoon appeared next to him. Looking up at Pairdra, he smiled gratefully. The fruit turned out to taste like a cross between bananas and blueberries--not a combination Xander would have expected to like, but it wasn’t bad.

"Do you all eat anything besides fruit?" Xander asked between bites.

Saelen and Pairdra looked quizzically at each other. What kind of a question was that? Saelen recalled some of the things Xander had said. Maybe he really didn’t know much about their species.

"Xander, siv pretty much stick to fruit, and the occasional vegetable," Saelen said slowly.

Xander set the half-empty bowl down in his lap. "Ever? Um...can you, you know, eat other stuff? I mean..."

"We’re not omnivorous like humans, Xander. We can’t eat the stuff," Pairdra said. They’d not thought about that. Poor Xander. Humans didn’t eat like siv did, not at all. He was going to suffer until he got used to eating raw fruit all the time.

Xander finished off the mash in silence. Once he was done, he broached the topic again. "So, is it some sort of vegetarian good-guys versus man-eating bad guys around here, or what?"

Saelen laughed at the line. "I don’t think so. You’re really not from here, are you?"

Xander peered around. "Nope, I think we can safely say I’m not from around these parts."

Pairdra thought about it for a moment. "There are nine species here: humans, siv, pakra, dalhari, orth, maith, t’kth-vaali, f’lh and gupwur."

Xander’s eyes widened as the list grew. "Shit, that’s a lot. Which one is, you know, in charge?"

Saelen picked up the conversation. "Depends on where you are. Here, it’s siv. Where you were before, t’kth-vaali. In other places, its other species. We’re all pretty evenly distributed."

"Oh," Xander said.

"As for the whole food thing, well, not everyone is ‘vegetarian’, if that means what I think it does, nor does everyone eat humans. Dalhari and siv don’t ever eat flesh. It makes them ill. Orth and pakra do, but not human. F’lh rarely touch humans unless they're starving, while t’kth-vaali, maith, and gupwurs do."

Xander took a moment to absorb the information. "Um...damn. I sort of wish I’d run into some orth or pakra, then. I’m gonna miss hamburgers."

Paidra and Saelen shrugged. They had no idea what hamburgers were, but they figured it had to do with meat. "Sorry, Xander."

Xander accepted a glass of water from Saelen and sat back to think about things. He seemed to be able to stay awake a little longer now, as much as fifteen minutes if he didn’t try to talk too much. He, all-American boy, was now officially a vegetarian. And yes, he knew what that meant. He felt like he’d just fallen asleep and woken up in the middle of Moosewood.

"You should rest, Xander," Saelen said, taking the water glass from him. Xander agreed and laid back. He watched the two siv clean up and mess around the room, noticing how they worked well together. He was getting used to the idea of them being an ‘item,’ After all, wasn’t Willow with Tara? Still, the idea of warriors being...well, it was odd.

Saelen and Pairdra retired a few minutes later, after Xander had fallen asleep. "What do y’think?" Saelen asked.

Pairdra frowned. "I’m not sure. I can’t tell if it’s that he’s just suffering in the change, or if he really doesn’t know any of this. If he doesn’t, the next few months will be difficult."

Saelen quietly agreed. Once the change was complete, Xander would have to actually learn how to be siv. They had learned how to move around in the trees from shortly after birth, and had been doing it for more than two hundred years. Xander, on the other hand, was a young human. He didn’t have that kind of experience.

"It’ll be fine, y’ll see," Pairdra said, trying to reassure his worrisome mate.