Danny watches his unmoving child with his heart in his throat.

After a tense meeting with Thace, his new brother in law, and his scary family of packmates who had apparently made him one of their pack, he and Keith had been escorted down to medical by Ulaz.

Thankfully besides the prosthetic leg and his malnutrition he was given an almost clean bill of health, his own wounds from previous fights were already healed and he hadn't required much work.

Keith was the opposite.

By the diagnosis scans done on him the poor kit hadn't experienced an ounce of care since they were separated, and the fact that he understood none of what was being said by the doctors around him had the kit curling in to a small shaking ball on Danny's lap.

Ulaz had taken one look at the scans and cursed under his breath, causing Danny's eyes to widen worriedly as he clutched his shivering son closer to his body heat.

"How bad is it?"

Ulaz looked up at him with a sombre expression.

"Bad. He's so underweight I'm surprised he's still breathing, and the fact that his tail has incorrectly set itself after being broken and that many of his superficial wound have not healed is not good. He's in bad pain," Ulaz murmured softly, aware of the ailing kit trying his best to squirm away from the medical staff.

"What's the next step Ulaz?" Danny asked anxiously, his calloused hands stroking Keith's fur to try and calm him.

"He's going to have to go under sedation Danny, the amount of pain he's in now and the rebreaking and stitching processes would be too much for the kit if he were to remain awake," Ulaz decided aloud, moving to fill up a long syringe that glinted in the light of the medical bay.

Danny grimaced at the sight of it, many bad memories having to be pressed to the back of his mind.

"He won't like that doc. I can try to explain it to him but I don't think he'll get the concept of what has to happen, he's too young," Danny murmured anxiously.

Ulaz's eyes softened as he gazed at the trembling kit before hardening again in determination.

"Then you better hope you can hold him still".

Danny's gladiator strength easily allowed him to tighten his grip on the shaking kit in his arms and Keith mewed in surprise at the strong grip, looking up at his father with questioning lilac eyes.

Smiling softly, Danny nuzzled his forehead against Keith's, causing his son to erupt in a rumbling purr that vibrated his body. Keith was blissfully unaware of Ulaz's approach until he shrieked in fright as a large needle was expertly slid in to his jugular, startling the kit badly.

Danny tightened his hold further as Keith squirmed wildly, mewing in terror of the stinging pain in his neck, tail lashing around wildly as he fought to scramble away. His slick fur made it hard for Danny to keep his hold and he grunted as a little foot caught him in the ribs.

"Sssh, Keith, you're okay, daddy's here, you're okay," Danny crooned, hoping to break through the panicked fog of Keith's mind.

Slowly the kit's struggles died down as the sedative made its way through his system and lilac eyes stared up at his father's with an adorably dopey expression, his limbs twitching as his eyelids slowly started to close.

"That's a good boy, have a little nap and when you wake up I'll be right here," He added softly as Keith's body slumped limp in his arms, panicked breaths evening out in slumber.

Ulaz moved forward to take the unconscious kit from his father's arms, carrying him over to the operating table where other medics came to hand him equipment.

"I'll make sure your son regains his health, Danny, but for now I believe Thace is waiting for you, he'll show you around the base. I'll send for you when I'm finished here," Ulaz murmured reassuringly.

Danny did not want to admit that he was slightly, scratch that, very scared of commander Thace who towered over him, muscles bulging with his crossed arms and amber eyes staring up at him with a decidedly unimpressed glare.

"Krolia spoke fondly of you, it seems you were very close…" Danny began awkwardly, having to hurry slightly to keep up with Thace's larger pace.

"My sister and I were inseparable, and I know her, she should never have gotten herself in to this mess in the first place. She was too young to understand love, especially to a human like you," Thace growled lowly.

Danny felt rage bubble in his blood, spilling over to spew from his lips in an angry tirade.

This…stupid Galra was one of those racist bastards and from what Krolia had told him of their upbringing he was a rich and influential idiot as well. Danny hadn't meant to meet Krolia but her crash had been an absolute freak accident, and yet their love and their child was not an accident. When she left him with their baby and he had hidden Keith away from the world, trying his hardest to raise him alone no one had cared, and when he had yelled and screamed murder at those who ripped his wailing kit from his arms and tortured him without mercy no one had cared.

No one had helped him when he was fighting in the ring, wading through blood to make sure his son lived and having his arm torn from his body while he wept for his mate and child. None of these high and mighty Galra rebels had ever shown up to help him until Ulaz, and Thace had the nerve to spit on his name as if he was some weak child who had shared puppy love for a pretty alien.

What he and Krolia had created was the only glimmer of joy in his life now and no racist brother in law was going to change that.

Rounding on Thace and summoning every ounce of courage he planted his feet, squared his shoulders and mustered Krolia's famous glare.

"Your sister was not some love struck teenager, she was my WIFE! We did not rush in to our relationship, she became my mate after I saved her life, and that injured kit in the medbay is your nephew and he needs a loving uncle who won't hold his father's DNA over him his entire life. I don't care how you treat me but if you ever want to honour your sister's memory you will choose your words and actions around my son and I wisely because like it or not I am a part of your pack and Keith is your blood," Danny snarled furiously, panting slightly as his fury washed away to a tide of panicked thoughts, primarily including 'oh god he's going to kill me!'

Thace stared at him with slightly wide eyes, blinking rapidly as though he could not believe what was happening before letting out a soft sigh moments later.

"Well…I can see why Krolia liked you, you're every bit as fiery and stubborn as she ever was".

Danny took that as a win and huffed slightly as he held out his prosthetic for a handshake.

"Can we maybe start this brother relationship again? I'm Daniel Kogane, but if you call me Daniel I'll knock your teeth out".

Their combined laughter would echo through the base for several minutes.

Kolivan had not seen a kit this small in many years.

Keith, as he was apparently known, was curled up on his side in the medbay, IV lines snaking out of his long forearms, providing him with nutrients and much needed pain relief, a stark white bandage lay across his throat where Ulaz had taken the opportunity to implant a translator. The kit was painfully thin, causing a growl to spring up in Kolivan's throat whenever he looked over the limp form under the sheets.

He certainly looked like Krolia in both fur and hair colour, his ears pointing out just like hers had. Kolivan could pick up traces of pack scent on the kit despite his las scenting by his mother having been so long ago, apparently Ulaz had saw fit to rub his own scent glands against the boy's to reintroduce the pack mentality.

Kolivan felt drawn to the young kit despite having not truly met him yet, simply by feeling the pack bonds that weakly ran between them, the emotions the kit would normally be projecting muted by the heavy sedative and hazy dreams.

Reaching out a gentle hand he brushed a midnight strand of hair out of the kit's eyes, purring softly at the closeness of one his mind recognised as his own.

He would help raise this kit and his father to become members of the blade, and as a pack they would band together in support of the motherless child in their care.

Young trainees were so hard to find, with the proper care and affection this waif beneath his hands would be a fine Blade, and an even finer son to them all.

"We'll take care of him Krolia, of both of them," Kolivan whispered softly, unaware of the pleased smile that adorned Ulaz's face as he listened with twitching ears from his office.

It seemed all would be well with their family after all.