Disclaimer: I don't own mass effect 2 nor do I profit from it.

-o-o-o-

"Watch your back." The Urdnot Warchief told Commander Shepard, a knowing gleam to the dark embers of his gaze.

Having just thanked the Krogan for the information, Shepard merely nodded in reply, though she felt hairs on the back of her neck raise slightly at his parting words. When the Normandy's Commander turned around, her eyes caught a flash of sapphire.

Grunt's eyes were the sharpest blue, and the only Krogan Shepard had ever seen with that shade of iris color. Interestingly enough, he was directly behind her as the Clan Leader had spoken, and Shepard wondered grimly if the Warchief was warning her about her newly acquired team member.

It had only been a few weeks since she had drained his tank, and oddly enough, that was the first and last time the Commander had feared for her safety around Grunt. He had barely taken his first breath of air before Shepard found herself thrown against the wall, a couple tons of pure Krogan muscle slowly crushing her. With a fond smile, she remembered how she had her fingers wrapped around her gun the moment she heard the slight shift of his breath, the telltale clank of his first heavy step on the floor. Even as he choked her, she had her gun pointed at his gut, ready to pull the trigger should she need to.

Grunt's slight frown made her realize she was staring, and she blinked, twisting her lips into a smirk as she headed past him down the rubble-strewn ramp. Perhaps the Urdnot Leader's makeshift throne lacked finesse, but it spoke volumes about the clan's values. Violence made the walls crumble around them, but strength built it back up again.

Their small ground team noticed the change in the clan's attitude immediately. Not only were the death glares fewer, but the Krogan were actually friendlier. Then again, friendly in Krogan standards was, on average, a grunt rather than a death threat. Nonetheless, the atmosphere was incredibly lighter and Krogan were actually approaching them to chat. Apparantly, killing the Thresher Maw not only boosted Grunt's status, but it also gained immediate respect for him and his Krantt. Shepard tossed the word around in her head, wondering what it meant, exactly. From the way they spoke about it, it sounded like she was his Captain. Not exactly a big change in her eyes, since he had agreed to join her team and let her lead him before they even set foot on Tuchanka.

She was just pondering over this when she nearly ran into a wall of steel, or rather, another Krogan.

About to give him a piece of her mind, Shepard was surprised when Grunt nearly shoved her aside just to confront the unmoving Krogan Warrior, "Do you call for your own death so soon? You can't expect to disrespect my Krantt lightly."

"O-of course not," The thick green-skinned Krogan stumbled over his first words, clearly taken aback at Grunt's sudden intrusion.

Commander Shepard was just as surprised as the other Krogan. Grunt had just been slapping the back of a fellow Krogan moments ago, jesting fondly as though they had known each other for centuries. How had he gotten over here so fast? And how had his mood changed so suddenly?

"I mean no disrespect," The green Krogan rumbled, gathering his wits about him, "I merely wished to speak with her."

At this point, he turned his armored head to look at Shepard with his black eyes. Curious, she stepped forward, placing a hand on Grunt's arm to calm him, "It's all right Grunt, I got this."

Urdnot Grunt gave her a hard look and snorted loudly, but otherwise said nothing. But he did at least take a step back, looking away as though to watch an ongoing pit fight off to the side.

Frowning slightly at her teammate's odd behavior, Shepard took another step forward to ask, "What is it you'd like to talk about?"

"I wish…" He paused to glance nervously at Grunt, who was still pretending he wasn't listening, before continuing, "… to invoke the Rite of Honor with you-"

Suddenly a loud, indistinguishable roar of fury sounded from beside her. Shepard had her gun out before she even realized what was going on. The green Krogan was suddenly a dozen yards away, plowed into the rubble. She felt the crackle of the fortification shield and the heavy breathing of the angered Krogan beside her before her mind pieced together what happened.

Lowering her gun slowly, Shepard blinked, looking up at her battle ready companion, "…Grunt…?"

The look he shot her was so intense, she was rendered speechless.

Garrus rushed up beside them, eyes flicking around them and sniper rifle at ready. He paused next to them, but maintained constant vigilance, sparing only a single glance towards Shepard as he asked, "What happened?"

Shepard couldn't break the gaze Grunt held her in, her lips parting to say something, but no words came out. There was something lurking in the shadow of those icy depths. Though she was not sure what it was, the Commander felt an uncontrolled shiver run down her spine. Finally, the Krogan ripped his gaze away and stalked off, the very pebbles around him shuddering with each angry stride.

"…Shepard?"

Garrus's worried tone finally drew her out of her stupor, and she gulped in air as though she had gone through an airlock without a helmet. She managed to focus her eyes on the Vakarian, but could only mutter, "Huh…?"

"What happened." Garrus repeated, his tone hardening, making it more of a demand than a question.

Not intimidated at all by his stance, Shepard trailed her gaze after the retreating back of Urdnot Grunt. She knew Garrus worried about her. As he would anyone he brought close enough to rely on as a team. It was as if he protected them like family. Considering he practically grew up in C-Sec, with only his team to lean on, it didn't seem too far off. When she felt his eyes follow her gaze, she replied, "…You know Garrus, I honestly don't know…"

She turned back to the rubble only to realize that the other Krogan was nowhere to be found. Smarter than he looked, apparently.

-o-o-o-

Grunt found himself in a random, ruined part of the Krogan homeworld. He slammed his fist into a thick slab of wall, the resulting debris pelting his armor and thick hide. He barely felt any of it.

He had smelled the unworthy Krogan's musk a mile away. To think he had the nerve to ask his Krantt… HIS Krantt… for such an honor.

When he saw the other showing such disrespect, testing Shepard in such a transparent way, he could feel the blood boiling in his veins once more.

Urdnot Grunt could barely understand what his feelings were on the matter, he only knew that the other was unworthy. Unfit.

This led the question to be asked, as to WHO exactly Grunt believed would be worthy to have her. The answer, frustratingly enough, was nowhere to be found. All he knew was that he was sworn to serve, and he would not let such degrading filth even dream to touch the tips of her boots. Knowing they were to leave soon, having already satisfied Grunt's Krogan inquiries and Mordin's young and deluded compatriot, the newly initiated Krogan stormed off in the direction of the shuttle.

-o-o-o-

Garrus did little else than heft the barrel of his rifle comfortably against his hip when Grunt rejoined them.

Shepard herself was hardly surprised. Despite whatever tantrum he had had earlier, she was sure he wouldn't stoop as low as to coop them in this rock longer than they had to.

Grunt kept his own silence, unconsciously matching his large strides to the smaller female before him. He found himself studying her armor. The ebony sheen seemed to draw in all the light, the crimson splatters reminding him fondly of blood. It was a good choice, if he did say so himself, the armor so dark her black hair seemed to blend right in whenever it brushed her shoulders.

The Krogan felt a calculating gaze prickle across his side. Shooting a wary glance at the Vakarian beside him, Grunt caught the other's intelligent gaze.

Grunt had enough being stared at since he had been freed from the Glass Mother, so he barked, "What?"

Shrugging innocently, Garrus replied in his laid-back fashion, as though he were commenting on the weather, "…Nothing."

Grumbling to himself, the Krogan turned his eyes straight ahead once more, keeping it strictly away from the soft human walking smoothly ahead.

He heard the annoying whine of the A.I.'s voice chirp through his comm., and didn't put much stock in it. That is, until it started listing off several mating offers for Grunt since his Rite of Passage. The silver-skinned Krogan merely grunted in amusement.

'And one offer for Commander Shepard.' EDI added at the tail end of her report.

Urdnot Grunt's eye twitched. His fingers clenched around his gun so hard, he slightly felt the metal give way under his grip.

He felt that damn Turian's gaze on him again. Inattentively, he growled, though he wasn't paying much attention to the Vakarian.

Shepard had walked a couple paces before she came to a full stop, hearing Joker laughing in the background of the A.I.'s channel, "Wait, come again? I don't think I heard that right."

'It is not standard protocol to override my own channel, helmsman-' EDI started to say.

But her voice was abruptly cut off as Joker's sarcastic tone patched through, 'Yeah, yeah, EDI. I hear you. This'll just take a sec.'

"Joker?" Shepard used the tone that demanded an explanation, her arms crossed over her chest.

'What did you do, Commander? Bat your eyelashes, hit one of the Krogan over the head, and drag him off to a romantic starlit dinner in the bloodthirsty wasteland?'

"Don't even start, Joker." Shepard warned, "I don't even remember anything like-"

Suddenly her body grew rigid and the Commander turned to fix Grunt with an unbelieving stare, "Wait… Grunt, don't tell me that-"

"It is as you believe, Shepard." Urdnot Grunt replied shortly, not wishing to delve further into the matter. It was making him tense just referring to the previous Krogan.

"THAT's what the Rite of Honor means?" The Commander said aloud in disbelief.

"Commander, were you listening at all when the Shaman spoke to us?" Garrus asked incredulously.

"If you didn't notice, my head was still throbbing from colliding with that other Krogan from before…" Shepard said in her defense, wincing as she rubbed the ghost of pain her forehead still remembered.

'Aww, that's so sweet. And then did he buy you flowers? A rose, perhaps?' Joker added glibly from the safe end of the line.

"Keep it up, Joker. All that's separating us is a few miles, an atmosphere, and a thick hull." The Commander threatened, holding back from shaking her fist in the air.

The helmsman merely laughed. Shepard may put up a tough front, but she had a soft spot for the pilot, and Joker exploited this weakness whenever he could, 'Sure, Commander. Just haul your ass up here so I could get us out of this dustball's orbit. No offense, Grunt.'

The Krogan merely grunted. He had thought the same himself, mere hours ago, before he realized Tuchanka had an iron will that crushed those too weak to resist. It mattered not what the pilot, or anyone else for that matter, thought.

They had just reached the doors to the docking bay, which consisted of a long vertical stretch of tube and, surprise, more rocks, when a Krogan stepped in their path. Everyone tensed, though Grunt moreso than anyone else. He had a feeling he would not like what they were about to hear.

"What's up?" Shepard questioned, not backing down even when the other stepped clearly within her space.

It was the same 'friendly' greeter who told then where to go when they landed. His eyes were half-lidded, adding to the bored air he carried maddeningly around his shoulders, "I'm afraid you cannot reach your transport. There is a storm topside."

"I don't understand." Shepard frowned.

Garrus added in, "There was a storm when we flew in."

"That was nothing, Turian." The large, brown Krogan growled, "A mere whisper to the shit storm ravaging the land above us right now."

"Great," The Vakarian hefted his rifle once more, continuing dryly, "just what I wanted. To be buried in this tomb up to my eyeballs with Krogan."

"Watch your mouth, filthy Turian!" The brown Krogan snarled, apparently still harboring the ingrained Krogan disgust for offworlders.

"Hey, back off." Shepard snapped, stepping between the two, "He didn't mean anything by it."

"Shepard…" Garrus sighed softly, "It's no big deal. I don't care-"

"Well I do, Garrus." The Commander replied harshly, though her anger was aimed at the muscled Krogan standing before them, "He can't just-"

The other Krogan took advantage of Shepard's distraction to snag the Commander's arm, intent on tossing her over the cavern's ravine like a ragdoll.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Grunt's whispered snarl held the promise of a broken limb, his grip on the brown Krogan's arm tightening every second like a vice.

The Krogan was surprised. He hadn't even heard Urdnot Grunt move. It must be true what he had heard, then. The tank-bred and his human Krantt had defeated the Thresher Maw. Grunt was keeping the brown Krogan's arm still with, seemingly, no effort at all. The brown Krogan Warrior had seen many seasons. Had many mating offers, and had bred many fine sons. For Urdnot Grunt to keep him immobile with a single hand was no easy feat.

For what seemed like an eternity, the two Krogan stared the other down. Shepard was sure her arm had lost all feeling entirely by the time the older Krogan released her. She resisted the urge to rub feeling back into it, though Garrus did have enough sense to step beside her and drag her a couple feet back.

A few, tense and silent breaths later, Grunt finally let go of the older Krogan's arm.

With a grunt of approval, what seemed to be a small grin finally broke through the old Krogan's weathered features, "Welcome to Clan Urdnot, Grunt."

Glancing at Shepard from the corner of his eye, Grunt nodded in reply, a growl in his throat.

"If you require sleeping arrangements for the night, I suggest you speak to the Shaman. He is known to be most accommodating." The brown Krogan suggested.

Garrus wisely kept his mouth shut, rubbing his scar instead as he gazed longingly at the doors leading to their shuttle.

Grunt finally turned to fully face Shepard, inquiring, "What is your decision, Krantt?"

Shrugging, the Commander merely said, "Let's go for it. Seems we have little choice in the matter."

As they turned and headed back the way they came, Grunt caught the appreciative gaze of a few of the Krogan looking over the Commander's form, now that she was turned away, of course.

Grunt growled. Loudly.

A few instantly tore their eyes away. A few others, however, held Urdnot Grunts icy gaze with a deadpan stare. Not entirely intimidated, but smart enough not to provoke him either.

For the first time, Grunt found himself mulling over how damned inconvenient it was that the Krogan female populace was separated from every Krogan clan. It was to protect the lifeblood of the Clan, opposing ones knowing to target the females and children to wipe out their enemies. Clan Urdnot was no exception.

Gripping his weapon tighter, Grunt trailed closer behind the Commander than usual.