Seasons

The moment she came back to consciousness her eyes widened in absolute terror. She was laying propped up against something, a cool mist clinging to the floor around her. Her eyes became impossibly wide and she raised a brow, brain finally making the connection that a masked creature that looked a lot like K'tch was wrapping something around her arm. Unable to connect anything in her current milieu, she consequently panicked.

Seconds later, a very loud and annoying scream pierced the air. The predator at the door turned quickly, long hair-like tendrils whipping around him.

What the... He thought K'tch had this thing under control...

Almost immediately the hunter at the door opened his pincher-like mandibles and spoke in a language she did not understand, gesturing angrily at someone behind her. She froze in shock as she stared at the unmasked warrior at the door. He seemed taller than K'tch, longer whip-like hair, and the skin around his mandibles and calves was spinier and more mottled with a dark stripe-like pattern.

Sharon trembled as claws tightened around her torso and she almost forgot to breathe. Where was she? Who was restraining her?

"S-stop it... Let me go...! Kuh-cha!" she cried out disoriented struggling in the grasp.

There was a soft purr from directly behind her as well as words she could understand, and in a familar voice. "Hold.. still..."

She shifted, realizing she was lying back against the creature. She shook her head as her vision focussed. Her muscles relaxed with some sort of relief as she recognized the familiar gaze.

"Kuh-cha?"

He nodded slowly, biting back agitation.

He could be elsewhere right now.. like catching up on some much-needed rest or making new weapons to replace the set he'd blown to ashes back at the lab.

Instead, he was summoned to the infirmary to help calm the human female in the instance she awoke. Regardless of the fact that he'd been holding her for a good half hour, it still didn't prevent her from screaming her little head off upon awakening. She sat up slowly, whimpering at the pain in her arm. The warrior beside her nursing her wound suddenly reached back and pulled a syringe forward. She swallowed.

Oh hell no.. that horse needle wasn't comin' anywhere near her.

God only knew what that clear liquid inside was.

She reached over with her left arm, and grabbed the wrist of her right arm, sliding it carefully away, one eye squeezed shut at the pain, other fixed cautiously on the masked hunter.

"No..." she managed through clenched teeth. "I never saw your medical license... and my insurance probably won't compensate you so I'd appreciate it if you just kept that mystery liquid shit to yourself..."

The smaller warrior looked up at K'tch who made a funny noise and shook his head.

Oh well... she'd be fine without it. Lucky they'd already administered a pain-blocker ointment around the wound before she'd awakened or she might very well be still damaging everyone's hearing. Seeing the syringe as optional, the other warrior put it away and stood. The taller warrior at the door was still glaring, face unmasked, eyes dark.

Sharon tore her gaze away from him, left hand falling to her side, and landing on flesh that was not her own. She frowned, soft fingers entwining themselves under the net to investigate. Her eyes followed the leg up. She looked to her other side, recognizing the left. She cleared her throat, realizing she was sitting between K'tchs legs.

She turned back slowly to look at him as his knees came up slowly and large claw-like hands slipped beneath her arms. She felt herself pushed forward and lifted before she pulled herself away.

"Let go, I can get up myself..." she frowned, sliding her legs over the slab she was sitting on and rising to her feet. K'tch rose soon after and turned to look at her, making sure she was truly alright.

Satisfied, he turned to leave, the smaller warrior who had been tending to her walking around the slab and following behind him. She shook her head.

"Hey! Wait! Kuh-cha!" she cried out. He stopped, shoulders sagging visibly before he turned to face her in a frighteningly human gesture of annoyance.

He didn't have to tell her he was angry. She was already aware of his short patience. For once, she just didn't care.

She cocked her head.

"You wont introduce me to your friends?" His upper mandibles twitched and clicked twice as he simply stared at her eyes darkening.

"... who are they?" she gestured toward them. "Names?"

A light bulb went off in his brain before he lifted his right hand and pointed, first to the warrior standing guard by the door, then to the smaller one who was standing beside him.

"Arug'rak ... Tzukra." He then waited for her to say something else. She walked up to him sowly and looked past him at the taller, very aggressive-looking warrior by the door who was sporting too many skulls and little bones to make her want to get any closer.

Her brows drew down.

"Arug'rak?" she questioned. He scoffed, making a particularly nasty and aggressive sound and she sighed. "Fine... be that way..." she then looked over at the shorter warrior whose masked gaze was still upon her. "...and you're Tzukra?" she asked cautiously.

He nodded. She reached forward slowly with her right hand to grasp his left in a gesture of formalities. She wasn't quite sure why she'd done it. Perhaps it was her need to preserve some human manners as she found herself stranded in utterly alien surroundings. "I'm Sharon. Sharon Weyland..." she spoke kindly as her left hand gently closed around his.

He made no motion to return the grip, but she shook his hand regardless. "...nice to meet you, Tzukra..." She suddenly raised a brow, cocking her head to meet Arugurak's severe gaze.

At least someone was being nice to her...

Tzukra waited a moment before bowing slightly.

What a funny creature the human female was. Was this a custom? He looked to K'tch who was simply silent and just a little...angry.

Hell, she'd never shared that custom with him. He sneered, turning just a little too quickly and leaving an amused Tzukra to ponder the motion as Sharon released him.

Now why was Tzukra here? He had to remind himself. Ah yes... Because part of his training was to observe how to handle a small hunting ship, so Arug'rak had welcomed him. It's not that he didn't like Tzukra, its just that Tzukra had a very bad habit of bonding with potential prey.

Stupid... Stupid young hunter.
He was probably going to die before he hit his ideal season.

A pleasant feeling washed over the older warrior from the thought and he grunted.

Speaking of hunting, it was about time he polished his Jones skull.

________


Gary was positively fuming as he wrapped another layer of gauze over the bleeding knuckles of his right hand.

The news that Jones hadn't made it out of harms way before the explosion was still fresh in his mind.

He had never been a favorite character among his co-workers, but he'd known him longer than anyone else in the vicinity.

How many times had he and the agent exchanged jokes over a coffee at the bagel shop?

How many tips had Jones given him regarding his most prized cases that eventually led to his promotion?

They may not have been friends forever, but they got along pretty well, and had continued to for the past 12 years.

His gaze darkened, thoughts drifting over to Sharon and to the creature that Jones's men had captured. If either of them was still alive, he'd already made up his mind that he was going to change that...