What You Never Know (Won't Hurt You?)

Chapter 11


[Mya’s POV]

Leaving the smaller cruiser behind, as well as my blanket, I tried to keep pace with Tor’ac’s long stride as we moved to where the small gathering of Yautja stood. The high arbitrator was indeed among them, as well as three of the other four that had been with him in the warehouse. Tor’ac stopped and lowered his head to the high arbitrator, and I mimicked him, glancing up at the massive being again.

“Welcome, Meeya,” High Arbitrator Ga’av stated, his mandibles curling up just slightly before he looked at Tor’ac. “I trust you will prepare her before formally claiming her as your mate, Tor’ac.”

“Yes, High Arbitrator, we’re going to see La’rn now,” Tor’ac nodded, curling his arm around me. “Come, Meeya.”

“Wait, what about my things, Tor’ac?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at the cruiser, and then blinked. So’len jogged towards us, holding my small bag by the handles, and he cocked his head to the side when I held out my hand for it. “Thank you, So’len, I can take it.”

Pulling the bag behind him, So’len looked over me at Tor’ac before chirring, “You won’t need it where you’re going, Meeya. It’d be easier for me to take it to Tor’ac’s rooms.”

“But…” I didn’t get to finish as So’len strode swiftly down a corridor. “Tor’ac?”

“Since we’re going to see La’rn, I thought it best if So’len took your belongings ahead of us,” he purred, rubbing a warm hand along my arm.

Smiling at Tor’ac, I looked at the high arbitrator once more and bowed, saying, “Thank you for the welcome, High Arbitrator.”

High Arbitrator Ga’av nodded to me. “I shall see both of you at late repast.”

“He means ‘dinner’, right?” I whispered to Tor’ac as we continued on our trek through the hangar into a hallway to the right of the one So’len took.

Chuckling, Tor’ac nodded. “In space, it is rather…confusing calling eating times as morning, mid-day and evening meals, so it is easier calling it early, mid and late repast.”

“I can understand that, especially judging by the blackness outside the windows.” I smiled, glancing outside one of the glass panes at the stars. My eyes stopped on Jupiter, the massive planet being the only thing shielding the clan ship from Earth. It was still baffling to think it was what helped in shielding the clan ship from any detectors from Earth.

“Meeya?” Tor’ac asked as he stood beside me.

I looked back at him with another small smile. “Sorry, Tor’ac, I think I’m still stunned at being in space.”

His mandibles rose in a ‘smile’ as we continued walking. “You will get used to it, though I will admit that seeing some of the planets that I’ve seen before amazes me still. Urth is one of them and will remain a…planet of great astonishment to me.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“It is such a young planet…at least when compared with others I’ve seen, yet it has flourished at a rather rapid pace. Its inhabitants have managed to survive many different shifts in both climate and environment with a tenacity that is admirable. No wonder it is a planet we choose to visit as we do.”

Smiling, I took his hand in mine, knowing that one of the main reasons to visit Earth was to hunt. At the same time, I knew them to be honorable in the hunt, taking only the strongest and usually very few; it was something that humans of today could have learned from. Sighing softly, I asked, “Tell me about your sister. La’rn’s the youngest right?”

“La’rn is one of the most amicable Yautja you will ever meet, and I don’t say that simply because she is my sister.” Tor’ac’s mandibles rose more as he squeezed my hand. “She has this amazing ability to make others feel…much lighter than they had before.”

“She sounds like a real sweetheart,” I said, looking down the corridor. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“Swee-tart?” Tor’ac asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Basically she has a sweet heart…a, uh, caring heart.”

“That she does, Meeya, that she does. And I know she’ll like you.”

“Oh? What makes you think that?”

His eyes hooded to where I thought his mandibles were now raised in a grin. “Call it hunter’s intuition.”

“If you say so, Tor’ac,” I said, eying him carefully. Judging by the varied reactions of the Yautja I had…seen, not really met, it was odd to think that many would like me. So hearing that at least one could possibly like me right off the bat was a comforting thought.

“Ah, here we are,” Tor’ac said, stopping next to a set of doors. There was a console to the right of the doors, and he pressed in one of the keys. A low sound hummed in my ears as it slowly grew in decibel until the doors hissed open. ‘An elevator,’ I thought. ‘Makes sense with a ship this huge.’

Stepping into the elevator next to Tor’ac, I watched as he pressed in another key to the right of the doors after they had closed, and the car hummed to life once more as we rose in the shaft. The symbols lit up and then dimmed as we passed floors on our way up, and I asked, “Is La’rn on the same level as your rooms, Tor’ac?”

“No, she is several levels below Arbitrator levels, and her level might be rather busy since there are more Yautja living there,” Tor’ac replied, looking at me and rubbing my arm. “She actually has one of the largest quarters on that level because her trade requires much room.”

“Oh? What’s her trade?” I asked, tilting my head to the side curiously.

“A necessary, yet also ornate one especially when it comes to La’rn’s work,” he told me, raising his mandibles and giving me what I could have sworn was an impish look. “You will see soon, Meeya.”

The elevator gradually slowed down until it came to a stop at the level we needed, and Tor’ac moved through the sliding doors; I followed right after him. He curled his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him, and I pressed against his warm side as we walked. Several Yautja were walking towards us, and all of them stopped and either looked directly at me or opened their mandibles. I wasn’t sure whether it was in shock or agitation and I didn’t really have time to ponder it as we kept moving.

Looking up at Tor’ac, I whispered, “Were they…okay?”

“Those three we just passed?” he asked, turning his head to face me but also glancing out of the corner of his eye back the way we had come. When I nodded, Tor’ac clicked, “They were probably surprised to see an ooman aboard the clan ship. You are the only one who has ever been on this ship.”

“I see…so they weren’t…irritated by me? Like that one officer?”

Shaking his head, Tor’ac lifted his mandibles in a ‘smile’ while directing me down one corridor to the right. “Not likely, at least they didn’t feel irritated, just shocked. Meeya, with most Yaujta, it won’t take long to notice the differences between ‘shock’ and ‘irritation.’ You have a…an ability to notice behaviors in others as you did with me, and I do not believe my mannerisms are…how do oomans say it? ‘Worn on my shoulder guard’?”

I giggled softly at his use of a human idiom, or at least his take on it, and I nodded. “Yours are a bit more subtle, but that’s what happens when you live with someone.”

“Indeed, my Meeya,” he purred deeply, leaning close and gently rubbing his mandibles against my hair. I felt my cheeks flush a little, and I blinked as he stopped in front of a large door. “Here we are, La’rn’s quarters.”

A breath left my lips as I saw the ornate carvings within the door in front of us. Delicate colored stones were set deep within the long curves carved inside the metal door. Turning my head to the side as I looked at the door, I saw the image of a Yautja sitting at some sort of table; what I found strange was that there were lines along the table and also connecting the table to a beam above it. As Tor’ac pressed his hand against a panel to the side of the door, I wondered what the image could represent.

Slowly, the door slid open and Tor’ac led me inside a large room filled with what looked like bolts of cloth. Each bolt was organized by color type, a pile of blue hues next to the door, a pile of red hues near another door along the left side of the room, and still more piles were placed about the room. Looking at Tor’ac, I asked, “She’s a seamstress?”

“I prefer to be called an artist or a creator,” a female voice came from behind a rather tall pile of purple hued bolts. Then, a form appeared from behind the bolts as she rose to her full height, which looked almost as tall if not a little taller than Tor’ac. Her skin was a lighter shade of green than Tor’ac’s, but the darker mottled spots along her arms and legs were a pattern similar to his. She did not have a tall crest like Tor’ac or Ka’jai, so I thought perhaps the crest was a masculine trait. Her locks were bound behind her head which she tilted curiously at me before she chirred happily when her eyes moved to Tor’ac. “Brother! Oh, thank Paya you’re back!”

Tor’ac lifted his mandibles in a smile, and his arm released me long enough to hug the approaching female. “La’rn, you would think I had been gone for longer than a month’s time with the way you’re behaving.”

“Well, can you blame me?” she asked, poking his side and making Tor’ac jump and move away. That action took me by surprise, and I decided to store that piece of information away for later. “When my elder brother is sent on a mission after my eldest brother how do you expect me to behave? But since you’ve returned, does that mean…?”

With a nod, Tor’ac placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, “I did find Ka’jai, and he is…safe.”

“In the holding cell, right?” La’arn asked softly, her voice sounding strained as she sighed heavily.

“You know it’s the safest place for him right now.” Tor’ac shook her shoulder, then looked at me with a determined stare. “Besides, we’ll make sure that he won’t stay there long.”

La’arn blinked and then finally looked at me once more; I couldn’t blame her for almost ignoring me since she was so concerned for her brothers. If I had been in her situation, I can’t say that I would pay much attention to others around me either. She raised her mandibles a bit, angling her head towards me. “And who might you be?”

“I…I’m ‘Mya’…” It was almost difficult to talk since the two had completely switched the topic of conversation to me, and I felt warmth bloom on my cheeks as I looked at Tor’ac. He gave me a heated gaze before stepping closer and pulling me against his side, rubbing his mandibles against my hair. “Tor’ac…”

“Forgive me, Meeya, when your face colors like that…” He cleared his throat, then looked at La’rn as she gave us what looked like a knowing look, and her mandibles rose even more. “La’rn, Meeya is my mate.”

“Praise to Paya, you’ve finally chosen a mate!” she chirred, clapping her hands and sweeping me up into a tight hug, and I blinked in shock. “Welcome to our family, Meeya. Please forgive my elation but if there was one thing that could describe Tor’ac, it would be particular. And trust me, he is rather particular when it comes to others.”

“La’rn,” Tor’ac growled almost warningly, but she waved a hand dismissively, making him sigh and shake his head. “We came so that I could introduce you to her but also to ask if you would please give Meeya proper clothing for late repast.”

Blinking, I looked over at Tor’ac, asking, “Is something wrong with my clothes?”

La’rn answered before Tor’ac had the chance as she looked over me with a critical eye. “No, this will not do, not for you to be formally named Tor’ac’s mate, Meeya. You need something that will really make you stand out…well, besides the simple fact of you being ooman.”

My mouth twisted to the side, concerned about the fact of standing out even more than I already did, then thinking, ‘Well, if I’m in their clothing, I might not stand out as much…maybe.’ Feeling a tug on my arm, I focused once more on La’rn as she dragged me past each pile of colored bolts. “Are you sure you have time…La’rn?”

“Of course! I have all the time I need for my brother’s mate!” La’rn chirred happily as she looked over each pile as though trying to find just the right color that would call out to her. “Hmmm, no, no…no, I don’t like that red for this occasion. Tor’ac, what do you know about your mate?”

“La’rn, what are you…?” I was silenced when she held up a hand and raised her mandibles in a smile, her green eyes bright with what I thought was curiosity as they moved to Tor’ac.

Tilting his head to the side, Tor’ac rumbled, “Meeya is very much a sol’rach, La’rn…always thinking, reading, learning. She also has a kind and strong heart…a warrior when the need arises and a loyal friend at all other times. But she always has a hunter’s fire in her eyes.”

I felt my cheeks burning with warmth as he said this, describing all the traits he really liked about me, and I bit my lower lip in slight embarrassment. Turning to look at one of the piles, I heard La’rn purr happily, “I know just the thing. Let’s go! Besides we must have a talk you and I, female to female.

Swallowing carefully, I nodded as the female gently tugged me behind a pair of dark curtains to what I thought was a dressing room for some ‘girl talk’.

~~~

“So you decided to leave your life on Urth behind, Meeya?” La’rn asked as she lifted my arms, wrapping a long sash around my waist. “All to be with Tor’ac…how very loyal and brave. You must really care about my brother.”

Holding my arms outstretched, I smiled and nodded. “He is a very…remarkable male. I hope I don’t cause him trouble though.”

La’rn trilled softly as I felt her fingers tying off the sash behind my back, making a few adjustments to fit to my measurements. “You won’t, Meeya. I can already tell that you are very intelligent and compassionate towards others, and once other Yautja see that, they can hold no fault with you.”

“Are you sure about that?” I asked, turned to look over my shoulder at La’rn kneeling down to fix the length of the dress. “I am human…and I wouldn’t think that’s a common thing to allow here.”

“I know of other clanships that have males with ooman females as their mates, and even females from other species. You aren’t the first and I doubt you’ll be the last ooman brought aboard a Yautja clanship,” she answered without even looking up at me. Then, with a clip of what looked like a pair of scissors, La’rn stood up and moved in front of me, giving me a final examination. “Yes, that is much better. A female should really wear a dress during formal claiming.”

When she gestured towards a mirror along the wall to the right, I stood in front of it and blinked in surprise at the person staring back at me. Looking in the mirror, I saw the dress was fitted exactly to my measurements; with the short amount of time that La’rn had spent on that, I didn’t think she would get it just right. It was a shade of blue that reminded me of the deep end of the ocean with a hint of green mixed in with the coloring. The skirt almost reached down to the floor, and when I looked down, I could just see my toes peeking out from beneath the cloth. She had also given me a pair of sandals to wear even though my feet were still rather chilled from the cold.

As I looked back up, I was amazed that the “bra” La’rn had given me was not uncomfortable despite it being only a three-inch black strap that hooked in the back. With the dress being sleeveless, it made sense to have such a “bra” even if it didn’t look like much of one. Turning around to look at the sides and back, I stared in amazement at La’rn’s fast work; within the amount of time we had our ‘girl talk’, she had measured, created and fitted a new dress for me.

“What do you think?” La’rn trilled, her eyes showing the eager anticipation of hearing my opinion of her work.

“It’s beautiful…and it fits like a gem too,” I stated, smiling at her. “How do you do it? You worked so fast, it didn’t seem like it took you much time, but the dress looks wonderful.”

“Comes with the territory of my work,” she answered, clapping her hands together and nodding in what I took to be thanks. “One never knows when a female or male might need a dress or cloak or other piece of clothing within a short amount of time. I’ve spent years honing my skills, which is why this entire unit is for me.”

“I can definitely see why. And you deserve it and more.” Smiling at her, I did a little twirl that made the dress fan out before coming to rest around my legs. “Do you think Tor’ac will like it?”

Trilling and chirring with laughter, La’rn gave me a knowing look that confirmed he would, but she said, “Why don’t we go find out?”


[Tor’ac’s POV]

Tapping a claw against the wall I leaned against, I began to wonder what in Paya’s name they were talking about for so long. I knew La’rn would want to talk with Meeya the moment they were introduced but there was time enough for talking later. Right now, I wanted to present Meeya before the whole of the clanship and claim her as mine; I inhaled slowly, closing my eyes as my mind nudged me about something that I was slightly concerned. ‘She is new…you don’t want to frighten her when you claim her. Go at her pace, always at her pace…’

It was advice that my father had told both Ka’jai and me before the Ceremony of Hunters, a time of rejoicing and free-mating. During this ceremony, unmated males and females were allowed the action of mating without necessarily claiming them as a mate. It was a way to increase the clan’s populace and also a celebration to a successful hunt and future hunts.

Shaking my head, I annoyingly had to agree that La’rn was correct when she told Meeya I was…‘particular’ when it came to others. In all the times I had participated in free-mating, not once had I ever found a female I’d wanted to claim as my mate. No female had made my body burn with heated desire to mate, not until I had met Meeya. She was my true mate, and I knew this for certain; it had just taken the pursuit of my brother for me to find her.

‘Ka’jai…’ I thought, recalling my brother’s face as he was led away in restraints by So’len. Knowing he was being kept as a prisoner in the holding cells was enough to partially cool my heated blood. He had saved the life of my mate, and if he were not my brother that alone would warrant my assistance. I promised myself that I would visit Ka’jai tomorrow if only to encourage him. ‘We’ll find a way to clear your name, Brother. With Meeya’s help, I’m sure of it.’

I heard the curtain being pulled back and turned to watch La’rn come out of the dressing area, and then I stopped and blinked. As my sister moved, I saw the vision of my mate slowly walking out of the dressing area, her hands clasped in front of her. Moving away from the wall, I strode towards her; I’d never seen her wear anything beyond the “jeens” of her people, but, by the gods, she looked astonishing in a dress.

“Meeya,” I clicked, feeling my hot blood rushing through my limbs as I stared at her.

She swallowed carefully and looked down at the floor, perhaps trying to hide the color that flushed along her face. I shook my head and stood before Meeya, gently bringing my knuckle under her chin to coax her to look up at me. Her eyes had a hint of gold mixed in with the green, and I rumbled low in my chest, leaning down to brush my mandibles against her brow.

Wrapping my arms around her shoulders, I brushed my claws through her hair, then remembered what I had asked So’len to do. The original clip was still in my belt, and I held her shoulders, pushing Meeya back a little to fully look at her once more. “By Paya, you look…amazing. Soft and feminine yet with a sense of power as well.”
“Tor’ac, I don’t know what you mean by that,” she said, looking away. “There’s no way I could be as powerful as you…”

“Perhaps not…but I know you have skill and the ability to use what tools you have, Meeya,” I chirred, pulling out the clip. “Do you remember this?”

Meeya’s eyes flicked towards me and then grew wide as she saw her clip in my hand. Then, she looked up at me. “Where did you find that, Tor’ac?”

“On the night that I…came to you,” I answered hesitantly, knowing she didn’t want to even think about that night. Handing her the clip, I proudly rumbled, “Keep this or the others like it with you at all times, my Meeya. Although I didn’t see you using it, I know you do know how to protect yourself with it. Until I can show you more techniques to use, make sure to have one or two of them with you.”

“Tor’ac, you’re frightening her!” La’rn hissed at me, her lower mandibles spreading in a frown as she no doubt heard Meeya’s heart pounding hard and loud just as I did.

Narrowing my gaze on my sister, I growled, “I am only trying to prepare Meeya so that she will not be caught off-guard here. Life on the clanship is different from life on Urth, and I will not have my mate ignorant of that fact.”

“But…”

“No, La’rn, he’s right,” Meeya said, holding up a hand. She took the clip and, twisting her long mane up, placed it near the top of her head, draping her hair over it and nearly hiding the makeshift weapon. Then, she grasped my hand and raised her lips in a smile. “Thank you, Tor’ac, I know you’re worried about me, and I’d rather be somewhat prepared than not know what to expect at all.”

Chrrrring happily, I lifted her hand up and nuzzled the back of her palm with my mandibles. “I’ll see to it that you’re prepared in other ways too, Meeya. Right now, though, we must get to late repast, so that I might show off my mate and claim her before the clan.” Then, I pulled her against me with a rumbling purr, staring into her eyes as her heart beat fast again though for an entirely different reason.

“I’ll join you both,” La’rn clicked, moving next to us and placing a hand on Meeya’s shoulder and then mine. “Besides, I’ll want to make sure that my new sister is welcomed properly. And I also need to introduce you to my mate, Duk’ar!”

“Let’s be off then,” I purred, wrapping my arm around Meeya’s shoulders and directing her to the door with La’rn following just behind us.


TBC

A/N: Long time coming, but I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. The next one will hopefully come sooner rather than later and will hopefully be something we’ve all been waiting for. Many thanks to all of my readers especially: prairiefire (Yes, and I’m STILL WAITING for that new post! J/k XD), Ar’Shiya (I’m keeping at it, and hopefully the next chapter will come soon), Shadow (Hearing that this chapter was able to make you smile makes me smile too, and I hope you enjoy this one too), anna (Done =D), kayla (Many thanks and I hope you still enjoy the story), grimmster (It’s all good, I sometimes forget to review too, so no worries, just keep enjoying the story), Vyperbites (Glad to hear it!), Death God Dist (Well, I hope that this chapter is pleasant as well as warm. Now if they would just stay on track…), SnowFlight (Working on it!), Cycho (Many thanks for your compliments as well as your patience, and I hope it hasn’t worn too thin), bloodravyn (Working on it!), Death_Angel (Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too! ^w^), Mandy (lol I am working on it, no matter how slow it might be in coming ^^; ). With my finally getting a full-time job, life’s just been a bit of a whirlwind, but hopefully I can get the characters (and myself) back on track. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for reading!