Ever since they’d crashed on this godforsaken planet Kaylee had been having some very awkward conversations with River, and this had to be one of the weirdest. She’d had to explain the dynamics of possessiveness and jealousy in a relationship, and that, no, it wasn’t correct to kill the ‘competition’.

“But this is good,” she stressed, as the others huddled together, listening to Fry’s plan. “This shows that you’re developing normal adult feelings. I was a little worried when you weren’t jealous of my spending so much time with Simon---it would have been a normal reaction---and the fact that you want Riddick and are jealous because of Fry’s attention show that you’re undoing your programming.”

“So, the desire to hurt her with my brain is normal?” River asked, voice strained, obviously doing her best to speak plainly.

“Well, not with your brain---most people can’t do that---but to hurt or somehow cause pain to the other person involved is normal.”

“And this is because I want the darkness for my own?” She asked slowly once more.

“Yes.”

“And if the darkness coveted the stars, he too would feel this emotion if the stars twinkled at the moon?”

“No.” Kaylee couldn’t help but feel proud at how better she understood River now that they’d had to spend so much time together in such close contact. “Simon wouldn’t elicit that feeling in Riddick because Simon’s your brother, and Riddick would realize that he couldn’t steal you from him like that.”

“Oh.” River seemed to be thinking very seriously before looking up. “But any member of the male gender which does not carry my DNA code within him would elicit the response desired?”

“ In a nutshell.” Kaylee nodded.

River tapped her bottom lip with her finger for a moment. “So if this girl were to be close to a male not of her DNA and the wolf were to howl, it would mean he finds her shiny and wishes her for himself?”

Kaylee wondered about the light in River’s eyes, and then frowned when she saw the younger girl looking thoughtfully in Johns’ directio