A/N: Here is a chapter from Lil's POV. Why is the word limit so short? I had to split this into 2 parts again. I hope you like it! I loved writing it ❤️

Story facts:

- Lil is a Sanalon and they don't technically have a gender. But to avoid any confusion (and because his genitalia vaguely resembles a penis) I'm referring to him as a 'he'.

- Sanalons refer to years as 'cycles'.

- A Talo knife is a blade that burns when it touches skin.

Please comment and 💜

Chapter 1.

Liliyanen stared intently at the pale blue screen playing a sequence of symbols in an alien language over and over. But his eyes kept drifting to the oval window beside him.

He admired the luminous threads of a pink and green nebula and thought longingly of his future host.

His pouch was full of eggs, ready to find a home in a warm body where they would remain for five cycles. In the end only one or two would develop, but on rare occasions some couples hatched three littlings and Lil prayed he would be so lucky.

He forced himself to focus back on the lesson, and repeated the words diligently.

It was a difficult language and Lil wished again that he was authorized a translation chip; he had to focus the sound in the front of his throat, rather than the back (like he was used to) and the 'r's were almost too harsh to pronounce. But it was vital that he could communicate with his host.

He'd only ever seen a Human on screen. They were a newly discovered species and their sexual compatibility with a Sanalon wasn't certain. But his race was dwindling and the possibility was worth exploring.

They hadn't been granted permission by the multi-galactic embassy to leave - so they'd taken a long detour, and a small imitari craft, in the hopes of avoiding detection.

Most planets were hostile towards Sanalons. They were one of the few races that had to crossbreed to reproduce and many considered them parasites.

Lil hoped his host wouldn't be disgusted by their coupling. Once the eggs were transferred there was no going back.

The individual would have to be healthy, young and strong. Choices were limited and that was a Sanalon's only criteria.

But Lil was a romantic at heart and he secretly hoped his host would be kind. Intelligent. Someone he could talk to.

Maybe they would fall in love, the way his parents had.

"Are you even listening?"

Lil jumped in his seat and tapped the lens by his eye to end the session.

Velar, his cousin, grinned down at him. His grey hair was braided over his shoulder and his blue and black skin was bright with fertility.

"I don't blame you. This ship is taking so long, you'd think we were flying backwards. My pouch is so tight!" Velar gripped the skin above his eggs obscenely and Lil grimaced.

Laughter rang out from across the hall where two grown Sanalons were conversing.

"Don't let your host see that or you'll be blue and black for the rest of the season." Velar's father, Jien, warned and his son groaned.

"I don't think I can take another hour!" Velar exclaimed and flopped down on a seat, cradling his belly.

Lil attempted to return to his lesson, but his attention drifted to his pink and purple arms. He'd never been this dark before and he was very proud of it; he looked healthy and hopefully his host would agree.

———————————————-

That evening Lil dined with six other youngsters, including Velar. It was tense. They were all of age and feeling the urgency to mate, before their eggs dissolved, or they'd have to wait another three cycles.

Lil downed two glasses of Dapo fruit juice, sighing when the moisture moved to the surface of his skin and made it soft. But he was too restless to finish his meal and retired early.

He lay in his sleeping pod and dreamt of his home; full of water, luscious plants and orange stone. Merry laughter sounded from one of the reservoirs, but whenever Lil thought he was close to finding its source, it would sound from a different direction.

———————————————-

A week and a half later they reached their destination and Lil could barely contain his excitement.

"This is an uncharted planet." The captain announced, face stern as he observed the youngsters lined up. "We'll have to be careful. Move only in groups and don't approach anyone, until we've examined them. Is that clear?"

"It is!" Lil barked along with everyone else and stretched his spine as far as it would go. He was the smallest in the group, but hopefully his colors would declare him virile enough to attend the first search, along with three hunters.

In the end the captain chose Velar and another large youngster. Lil hunched in disappointment and a green nailed hand clasped his shoulder.

"Don't fret." Lil's uncle smiled down at him. He was a hunter and entrusted with Lil and Velar's care. "They might be fast and it could be your turn tomorrow."

But that night the two youngsters returned empty handed. They would keep searching for another three days and then Lil might get his turn.

He understood that it was a natural precaution. Foreign worlds were dangerous and they couldn't afford to lose anymore youngsters.

———————————————

On the third night Lil woke up to his heart racing. His pouch was sore, stretched to the limit, and he knew his eggs would dissolve soon.

He snuck out of the youngsters room and slipped into his uncle's chamber. The male was sleeping soundly in his translucent pod and it was easy for Lil to swipe the badge from his desk.

He slinked quietly into the corridor and put on an imitari suit that suctioned to his body, like a glove. He then strapped a Talo knife to his hip and stepped into a pair of heat lined foot soles. Finally, he ran the badge over the lock on the door.

The door lifted and a blast of icy air made Lil shudder. The suit heated and he hurriedly scanned the card to lock the door behind him.

He had seen the Earth forest from the windows of the ship and read the temperature on screen. But nothing could prepare him for the cold or the intense air pollution.

He shivered and ran silently through the trees. Outside of water Sanalons weren't known for their strength, but they were fast and their senses were extremely sharp.

Lil could smell civilization close by, but he had to wonder at the intelligence of a race who poisoned their air. Hopefully his host wasn't too badly damaged.

He reached the outskirts of the forest and ran over a field of hard earth and green grass.

A few primitive and foul smelling vehicles moved past him, but the lights didn't touch him and his suit blended with his surroundings.

It wasn't long before he heard voices and his blood sang with excitement. There were some Humans standing around the back of a large building made in sharp asymmetrical lines.