The Ripple of a Stone

The Ripple of a Stone

Understanding

“And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Nala yells. She dashes up the ramp to a sitting Lord Khupiee but stops when the flat top beings. “I am NOT going to be a captive!”
“I never said you were.” Lord Khupiee calmly says.
“Well, you better get to saying something more!” She yells and glares at Lord Khupiee. He was never one for giving anyone special treatment, not even his own son. And he was not going to let her disrespect him. Lord Khupiee menacingly rises from his chair to stand at his full height. And then little by little he glides his way to Nala, stopping just as his chest would meet hers, well…his chest never meet anything of hers but who’s measuring. Nala had to strain her neck to look into his eyes, but Lord Khupiee made it easy for her as he was looking straight down to her, making some of his white locks fall from his shoulders and shift by his movement. He thought it cheeky that she would stand her ground like this. She never flinched, never stiffened. She just held her glare.
“When one glares at a Yautja, they find it an insult, a challenge and disrespectful.” He hisses.
“Yeah well…Get me a stepladder and I will glare at you at eye level.” Suddenly Lord Khupiee burst out laughing and takes a large step back. He tries to steady his breath by taking a large inhale but at the sight of Nalas face, distorted in confusion, he started back up again. He held his stomach and fell back into his chair then started to rub his eyes with one of his hands. He had been up all night talking with a few Elders over the COM and barely got a wink of sleep. Nala gasped at the sight of glowing green trailing down his fingers and along his Awu’asa. At hearing that some Yautja were ‘conversing’ at the entrance to deck 1, Lord Khupiee adorned most of his Awu’asa and then beat, ahum…punished, those who were there. He may have caused a few to bleed but it was his duty to keep all on his ship and in his clan in order. “What happened to your hand?” She asks daintily and takes a step closer to Lord Khupiee.
“Some lessons are harder to learn then others.” He jokes then relaxes in his chair. He rested his hands on the arm rests and quietly welcomes the comfort. “When given an order, you are expected to perform that order. Particularly if it is to do nothing and when you do in fact do something, that was the exact opposite to what was first ordered, you deserve to be punished.”
“…Okay…” Nala squeaks.
“Nalani, There are a lot of things I wish to tell you.” He started truthfully. “But please, sit.” He motions to the ground before him. Nala didn’t know what to do. There was a 10 foot giant wall of muscle nicely asking her to sit down, who was entirely to giddy for her liking. But his gesture did not show any hidden intentions, he simply asked to her to sit. And so she unhurriedly falls to the ground while still keeping eye contact. But as she finally got to her bottom and crossed her legs, she was finding it extremely hard and daunting to look up to him.
“And this isn’t intimidating.” She says sarcastically. Lord Khupiee sighs and leans onto his hand, resting it just at his jaw while the other was stretched out to the other arm rest. The image before her made her see that Lord Khupiee had an immense but subtle power hidden in him. And he looked so…regal, so…radiant of authority and understanding. For a moment his eyes burned holes in hers. As if looking into her soul, reading it like a book but he had stolen it from the library and found it pleasing to read it under the covers of his bed with a tiny flash light. That twinkle of knowing that he had done something preserved as wrong showed in his eyes but he didn’t care. All he wanted to do was read his book and understand it. Just as he wished to understand her. A soft grunt came from him as he stood once more. He motions with one finger to tell her to wait a moment then swiftly walks to a corner of the flat top. He bends down and moves his hand over the side to a small, almost invisible, panel with the controls to the pyramid and pushes one button to lower his chair.
Nala gasps as an abrupt ‘whirring’ sound started and then without warning the chair in front of her started to fall into the pyramid. Leisurely sliding into the unknown and she couldn’t take her eyes off of it. Even as Lord Khupiee strolled back to her, she just stared onto to ever disappearing chair. When it was completely enveloped by the pyramid, and a thick sheet of metal covered the remaining hole, Lord Khupiee sat down.
“Still intimidating?” He asks.
“Uhh…yeah…No matter how far down you sit I am still going to have to look up to you.” Nala says with spite but with a smile. He was still scary in every sense. While he didn’t have on every single piece of armor, like his wrist blades or computer, he was still a sight to see.
“True. But I will never look down on you Nalani.” Lord Khupiee sincerely says. “I asked you here to tell you a lot of things. But I think the first thing I should say is that I am sorry.” Nala was stunned. She never expected this from him. He didn’t seem to care when everything happened and now all the sudden he feels guilty. “What I had done was a great dishonor to me. I did not aid one who gave me the same. But I will make up for it Nalani, I promise you that. But I have a fear that for what I had done…there is no forgiving.” Lord Khupiee eyes actually fell from hers as he spoke his words. Nala was more stunned by that then him apologizing. He didn’t even know why he broke contact with her. Perhaps it was her eyes, all he saw when he looked in them was Ni’Atni. Or maybe it was guilt and shame for what he had done and the fear that she wouldn’t forgive him. What if she never forgave him and every time she would see him she would be filled with anger and hate. What if she already hates him so much that no matter how much he would apologize or try to recompense she would never forgive him… Lord Khupiees eyes shot back to Nala when he felt something on his face but she wasn’t sitting where she was before. She had risen to her knees and came so close to him that she could reach out to him. And that’s what she did. She gently cupped his large face in her tiny hands and lifted it so his eyes meet with her again. She saw how true he was with his apology and she was actually hurt when he looked away form her. Like he didn’t expect her to forgive him.
“There is always room for forgiveness in me.” She whispers. Lord Khupiee remained silent, he just looked into her eyes and felt her touch on his face. “What is done is done. And you healed me Lord Khupiee. You saved me… From the island, from Ooman stupidity and from this.” She takes her right hand and places it over her new scar on her left shoulder. “That is all the ‘making up’ you need to do for me.”
“I don’t find that sufficient.” Nala asked what he meant by that as she sat back on her legs and stared up to him. “The Yautja are a species that pride themselves on their honor. Honor is earned in many ways and can be taken in many ways. What I did by not helping you was the greatest dishonor I have ever committed. And not only does that burden to make up for it fall on me, but it also falls on my family. My sons. Even my clan. What you did for us, by warning us. What you did to the Queen,”
“Queen?” Nala spat.
“The large Hard Meat you killed. Right before I gave you the mark of my clan.” Nala mouthed her understanding, seeing that the mother was called a Queen to them but either way she was still a bitch. “And after that when you killed the warrior that would have killed me…I feel that I can never repay you for what you have done but I would hope that what I am going to do will help. But first…What do you know of us?”
“Nothing really…Sya said that you guys hunt Hard Meat as game.” She shrugs her shoulders.
“Was that all?” Nala nods to him. She didn’t know where he was going with this. Why should she know about them? “We are a species whose entire lives revolve around the hunt. We travel everywhere we can to find new and better pray. And we also hunt…Oomans…” Lord Khupiee didn’t know what to expect from her. She just blinked hard and held her breathe. “When we hunt, we take trophies. The heads of our pray and,” He didn’t get to finish when Nalas face showed pure horror and then she jumped up from her seat and took a huge step back.
“There was an incident about 16 years ago on the coast of Japan. An army base was infiltrated and when re-enforcements finally got in there, everyone was dead. Skinned and hung by their feet and with marks on their arm. Some even had…their heads cut off. Was that you?” Nala was shaking in her skin. And was wondering how long she was still going to be in it!
“Not me personally.” Lord Khupiee jokes. “But yes, that is how we hunt.” He had a hunch as to who it was but didn’t want to scare her even more. Nala was obviously terrified. Her eyes were bulging as her breathing was erratic.
“Oh my god…” She gasps. Nala runs her hands through her half wet half dry hair and pulls in into a hand held ponytail. “Oh my god…I’m a rabbit hiding in a fox hole!” She whispers to herself.
“No you are not. You will not be hunted as Ooman pray.” Lord Khupiee reassures her but like it would really help. She didn’t know that she was here to stay or that the ‘foxes’ wouldn’t dare hurt her. They would like to fight her to see just what she is like but not kill her and a few would like to mate with her but nothing of that sort was going to happen. He wouldn’t let it. Sya wouldn’t let it.
“How do you know that?” She screams. She felt so unsafe. She was in danger and all she wants to do is get out of here but where can she go…she has no where to go.
“Because I ordered it.”
“Right, and everyone’s gonna listen to you!”
“Yes they will. I am clan leader. They will listen to me or face the consequences.” Lord Khupiee says with pride.
“Clan leader?” She asks shakily.
“Each Yautja clan has a…”
“I know how the clan mentality works. But you are the clan leader?”
“I am. And I will not allow any to harm you.”
“You can do that by letting me go home.” Nala had started to pace up and down the ramp. It was actually making Lord Khupiee a little lightheaded to watch her.
“That planet is no longer your home.” Nala froze. “That is another thing I wished to tell you. Nalani, I gave you the mark of my clan on your cheek as a tribute to what you had done that day but now it means more. When all was said and done, I brought you in my clan, you are in my clan now. Your home is here now, with us. Sya told me that you were abandoned by your own people. They left you there to die and I thought, ‘if they cannot appreciate such a warrior as you, they do not deserve you.’ And you do not deserve to waste away with them, you deserve to be here and here you will be respected for your honor.”
“Wha…What exactly are you saying?” Nala started up the ramp in tiny, little steps, slowly making her way back to the top, and then she stops in front of Lord Khupiee. Even at her full height, Lord Khupiees head was just at her chest.
“I am saying that you are apart of our world. Not with the Oomans anymore, but with the Yautja. You cannot be properly respected there but here you already have some holding you in the highest position. As an Ooman you are extraordinary and so I attained you,”
“Attained me? You can’t do that! I mean…I have a life and…and…” Nala trailed off into her thoughts. She didn’t have family there. She didn’t have anything there.
“And what?” Lord Khupiee gently asks. He knew that she would have something that she feels she needs there but he thought that with her own leaving her and her mate gone that she would want to start anew.
“And…I need a minute.” Nala walks back down the ramp but didn’t go all the way. She hops off the ramp onto the large step that was right in the middle. Lord Khupiee just nodded to her. He would allow her to think, to see just how good being here was and to understand what’s going on.
But she didn’t know what was going on. She just walked all the way around the pyramid until she reached the ramp again then turned and walked the other way. She was staring into nothing and was walking like a zombie. But somehow she was thinking, some how she was grasping just was happened…
Home…is Earth even home anymore. Not because he says it isn’t but by…by my own mind is it? What do I have left there? I have no family, no husband, and no life. Am I even left there? Do I have any part of my life there? If I don’t…does that mean I have to restart? And restart here? Where the fuck is here anyways? Who are these people to take me like this? They don’t even like me…Dhm’Ni hates me and all the others just look at me like…THAT’S WHY THEY WERE STARING AT ME LIKE THAT! Those guys from when we stopped on the lift…that’s why they looked at me so strangely. I don’t understand. They hunt Oomans…I’m not safe. But…I’m never safe. I have never felt safe. Not there, not anywhere. This place could never give me that, knowing that when ever someone looks at me they would be wondering what my head would look like. Wondering why I was here…Do I want to be here? I don’t want to be there anymore. Listen to me, I am calling it there and not home. But it’s not home. Not without Allen it isn’t. Nothing is right without him. Nevertheless I promised to live on but here? Even Sya…SYA!
“He knew!” Nala yells, startling Lord Khupiee.
“Who knew?”
“Sya! He knew…and didn’t tell me! That’s why he asked if I truly wanted to go home and I did but now…I have nothing left there.”
“Sya asked that, did he?” Lord Khupiee hisses. He told ALL not to say anything to her about staying here.
“You can’t be mad at him! I am mad at him!” She yells from the stairs. “He lied to me! He made me feel like I was going to go home when he knew that I wouldn’t be! AND DHM’NI! Your son hates me! I’m not safe here. Those on deck one looked at me like fresh meat!” She starts to cry, covering her mouth with her hands.
“I would NEVER allow that to happen.” Lord Khupiee says again.
“You can never say that!” She whimpers. Nala stepped back onto the flat top and sat back in front of Lord Khupiee. “You can never say that I will be safe here… I wasn’t safe there. I don’t understand…” She whimpers.
“What can you not understand? You deserve to be here Nalani. Your old peoples didn’t see you as we see you. You have an honor and an ability never seen in a pray species but now you are not pray. You are one of us, apart of our world. What do you not understand?” There was only silence after his question. Nala hadn’t looked up to Lord Khupiee since she sat down, she really didn’t have the strength or the will. She just sat there and softly shed tears. Lord Khupiee didn’t want her to cry, he wanted her to be happy. He slowly extended his hand and lifted her face as she did to him, “You deserve more then what the Oomans could give you. I am not simply doing this to ‘make up’. I want you here with me, with us. You have no idea the world the Yautja can offer you. There you cannot be who you are truly meant to be, but here…you can raise to your true respect and here you CAN be safe. Most on this ship either think you are remarkable for what you had done by killing Hard Meat, or completely crazy for fighting me. Some even…” Lord Khupiee held his words, he didn’t want tell her of the males interest with her. He didn’t want to scare her with that either. “A lot see you to be worthy of this clan. I do, Sya does and somewhere deep down I think Dhm’Ni does to.” He jests and smiles even bigger when Nala laughs to. Lord Khupiee runs his hand through her hair and rests it on her shoulder. “Do you now understand?”
“Clan leader, huh?” She asks. Lord Khupiee takes back his hand and sets it on his knee. Somehow his words melted into her. He was right, come what may…he was right. The Oomans had nothing for her anymore. She didn’t have anything on that planet. But maybe here she might…she just might.
“Yes…” Lord Khupiee answers suspiciously.
“Seems I have a knack for pissing off my superiors.” She starts laughing. “So what is the name of your…m…my clan?” She asks and finally looks up to Lord Khupiee, only to find him beaming. “Are you smiling?” Nala didn’t know what to make of his face, or any of their faces for that matter. Lord Khupiee just nodded to her. He had never smiled so large in seasons.
“The name of our clan is the Ehre Clan.”
“It’s beautiful.” She says with a smile. Lord Khupiee just grunts. “You and your son are one and the same. All you do is grunt. But I have a question…Sya, who I am still mad at, told me that Dhm’Ni was really young and that you were really…”
“Old?” Nala just nods her head, she didn’t know if she would insult him by commenting him on his age. “You see, when I became clan leader the laws were different. It used to be that I could not mate until I was clan leader. But after some unfortunate happenings, I changed the laws.”
“What did you change it too?”
“Now that you will learn in your studies.” Nala could feel a yawn coming and covered her mouth for when it came. But as she lifted her left hand Lord Khupiee seized it and gazed at her engagement ring. “What is this?” He asks. Nala had to use her other hand to yawn before she could answer. She was so tired right now that she could just fall asleep right here.
“It is an engagement ring, a symbol of marriage.”
“Marriage? But your mate is gone.” Lord Khupiee says gently.
“I haven’t had a moment to take it off.”
“We do not have such luxuries as to take off a symbol like that. We have something similar to marriage, it is called being a lifemate. And when you become a lifemate you are marked like this,” Lord Khupiee grabs the choler of this chest plate and shifts it until it lowers a few inches and then leans down for Nala could see. What she saw was a three inch long, vertical box imprinted into his skin, that had two separate symbols in the same markings she’s seen all over this place. But one thing caught her eye, it was a strange red color.
“Is it meant to be red?” Lord Khupiee straitened up again and shook his head ‘no’.
“When first given the mark, it is the color blue. But if one of the lifemates should die…then it would be colored red.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Losing a mate is unbearable.” She sighs.
“Yes it can be.” A moment of silence came, and they welcomed it without fear. It wasn’t an awkward silence because they knew the other was thinking of their mate. Lord Khupiee was remembering how Ni’Atni would crave the meat of a beast that roamed the homeworld when she was pregnant. She always had odd craving like that. Always wanting one thing or another. Nala was just trying to remember Allens scent. Sunflowers and old spice.
Exhaustion crept its way into Lord Khupiee and he suddenly yawned one of the biggest, loudest and most gratifying yawns he had ever had. But as he was doing so, he roared with all he had and his mandibles spread wide. Nala was torn from her memory and just gazed at him.
“And just what was that?” She asks seriously.
“I apologize.” Lord Khupiee shook his head, trying to get the tiredness to go away. But the worst thing about it was it wasn’t even midday yet. Just watching Nala took up most of the morning and now he was tired beyond anything he has ever felt. But he was clan leader, he can sleep when he wishes. “I had little if any sleep last night and am exhausted.”
“You think you are tired?” Nala laughs. “I have yet to sleep for four days. And for some reason I was never really tired until I went to Kh’Chos…And that was fun.” She says sarcastically. “But I am barely able to hold my head.”
“As can I. But to the point of you sleeping and as to where you would be sleeping…” Lord Khupiee didn’t know how to say this now. She had shown…dislike for Dhm’Ni but she could go to no one else. There are laws stating Arbitrators cannot have one share their room for safety reasons, and Lord Khupiee himself couldn’t take her, so all who was left was Dhm’Ni.
“What about it?” Nala was a little worried that they would make her stay somewhere unpleasant. Like that weird room she was in before.
“Do you truly dislike my son?” He asked, Nala thought he was changing subject, but she was wrong.
“Not as mush as he dislikes me. But really…I don’t feel a thing for him.” She jokes. She couldn’t give a rats ass about him right now. But why would Lord Khupiee care about her feelings to his son. Why would it matter how she felt of one person.
“Good. Then you two will have to trouble.”
“Us two? Us two what?” Suddenly it clicked, ‘as to where you’re sleeping,’ and ‘Do you truly dislike my son?’ were not on a different subject. “…no…” She says in a grave voice.
“He is the only one that can house you. You will learn later as to why, I couldn’t possibly explain it to you in the time we have. But I think you do need to sleep. And myself. I do not think a ship of Yautja will like having a tired clan leader and a tired female on board.”
“Are you kidding?” Nala asks in a stoic tone. Lord Khupiee just laughs.
“Dhm’Ni asked the exact same thing and I will answer the same, I am not!” Lord Khupiee stands up and lends a hand to Nala as she to stands. “But before you do go sleep, you must to back to Kh’Cho. I am sure he has even more questions for you now after you know.”
“Dhm’Ni knew, didn’t he?” Nala asks as the two start down the ramp.
“About you staying, yes.”
“No, of me staying in his room.”
“Yes he did.”
“No wonder why he was being so mean!” Nala exclaims as the reach the ground. Lord Khupiee laughs and escorts her to the door. Sya and Dhm’Ni were waiting outside for her. And Lord Khupiee wishes to see what she will say to them.
“He is just a little annoyed. He does not want to seem weak to the other males. Having you in his room is a way to keep you safe. I do not wish to have you alone at nighttime. Until everything has cooled down and those on this ship get to know your winning personality, I think being with him is best.” Just then the door to hall way opened. Sya was standing with his arms folded while Dhm’Ni was leaning against a wall with one foot stamped against it. They had been silent the whole time they waited, Sya didn’t want to talk, he was thinking about what Nala would say and do. He was worried that she would do something drastic like attack Lord Khupiee again and then they would have to kill her. Or worse, keep her locked up in the observation rooms. But as Nala exited, her face turned from serene to livid. The sight of Sya made her so angry. He lied to her, kept the information that she was in the Ehre Clan and she felt so hurt and betrayed. She thought that Sya was one she could really trust but after this…she didn’t really know.
“Nalani!” Sya barks happily.
“Don’t you dare!” Nala yells at him. Sya was shocked at her words. What had he done? “I know my way to Kh’Chos. I don’t need a fucking escort.” With that Nala started down the hall. She knew from walking with Sya and Dhm’Ni that Kh’Chos was the one door that didn’t have a panel on it and that it was to the right of the door she just left. Lord Khupiee grabbed Syas arm just as he was about to go after her and held him there.
“I would not talk to her if I were you.” Lord Khupiee hisses. Dhm’Ni bounds from the wall to his fathers side. Not knowing what to make of what just happened.
“What are you talking about?” Sya hisses back and pulls his arm away.
“For one thing you asked Nala if she truly wanted to go home. But it is not that that makes her so livid with you. It makes me angry with you but not her and it is her that you justly need to worry of. She is hurt that you would lie to her. Make her feel like we were sending her home when you knew otherwise.”
“Why would she be so mad at us for that?” Dhm’Ni asks.
“Not you Dhm’Ni.” Lord Khupiee barks. “Only Sya. She couldn’t care less of what you say to her, Dhm’Ni. But she feels betrayed to by you, Sya. She was angrier at you keeping it a secret then anything.”
“All the more reason for me to speak with her.” Sya hisses back. He never expected her to be angry with him. He needs to go and make things right with her. He would hate to have her mad at him.
“Why would she not care about what I say?” Dhm’Ni asks out of the blue.
“She thinks you hate her Dhm’Ni. Funny thing though, she asked the exact same thing you did when I told you she was to house with you. ‘Are you kidding?’” Lord Khupiee says in a joking tone. But when he turned to talk with Sya again…he was gone.
Nala entered Kh’Chos in a huff. She couldn’t believe that Sya just stood there like he had done nothing wrong. He just looked down to her thinking all was going to be okay! YEAH RIGHT! Kh’Cho raises his head from looking over the results of the tests and watches Nala, seemingly in a bad mood after speaking with Lord Khupiee, trump over to the white table, hop up on to it and then cross her arms. Maybe she is in a really bad mood.
“I see that you spoke to Lord Khupiee.” Kh’Cho states and walks to her.
“You knew too?” Nala shrieks.
“Of course. The entire ship knew.” With a hard groan Nala falls to her back on the slab and covers her face.
“So what…It was a conspiracy for everyone to lie to me?” She says behind her hands.
“No conspiracy. We were all ordered to keep quiet so that Lord Khupiee could tell you himself. He wanted no other to tell you.” Just then the doors open and Sya stomps in. Nala quickly uncovers her eyes to look to see who it was but even quicker she covered them again.
“Go away.” She says sadly. She didn’t want to talk to him, she just wanted to go to sleep but not with Dhm’Ni. How the hell is that going to work? Maybe the Yautja sleep differently and they would never be in that same room together…or maybe not?
“No.” Sya bluntly barks and walks until he is in front of Nala. “Why are you angry with me?” Sya knew why but he wanted to hear from her so they could make things okay between them. If he was going to be her teacher, then she would have to be all right with him. But Nala just shook her head. She had no intention of talking to him. He can talk and she may listen but she will not talk back. “Nala?” He said but still got nothing. Syas patience was running thin for this female, no matter how he may feel of her, she should respond to him as her teacher and as her elder. He walks right up to her, rests his hands at either side of her legs and leans down. “NALA!” He roars. Nala was scared to the core by his sound, it sent shivers of fear down her spine and she instantly bolted up to a sitting position. But as she sat, Sya had to pull his head back so not to hit her face with his.
“What?” She hisses through her teeth. She gives a defiant stare to Sya like she did to Lord Khupiee…But Sya was just like Lord Khupiee. Never giving anyone an inch. He glares back at her and growls low.
“Never glare at a Yautja.”
“Yeah I know, ‘never glare at a Yautja, they find it an insult, a challenge and disrespectful.’ Lord Khupiee said the same when I stared at him.” Syas face softened.
“You glared at Lord Khupiee?” He asks oddly, she silently nods to him. “And you still have all you limbs?” Nala childishly looks at her hands and feet.
“I do believe I do.”
“Lord Khupiee is truly fond of you then. But why are you mad at me?” He asks again.
“You lied to me.”
“I did no such thing.”
“You made me think that you were just sending me home when this was all done. But you knew that I wasn’t going to be.”
“I never said ‘we will send you home’ when you were on this ship. I had no idea as to Lord Khupiees plans until you were already in with Kh’Cho. I just didn’t tell you of his plans.”
“Tell me the difference between telling a lie and not telling the truth?” Sya was silent for a minute. He didn’t know what to say to that because it was true, there wasn’t a difference.
“There is a very thin like between the two. And I am afraid that I straddled it when it came to you. And I am sorry for making you feel as if I lied to you, but I have a loyalty to Lord Khupiee and I will do anything he asks of me. I am his second in command but I am still under him when he makes an order.”
“Okay but…don’t do it again. But you have to listen to Lord Khupiee right? And yet you asked me if I truly wanted to go home.” She jokes. “Lord Khupiee did say something to the affect of ‘those who go against me will pay’. And I think that is why he is looking fiercely at the back of your head.” Sya jumped up and looked to the door where Dhm’Ni and Lord Khupiee had been standing. Lord Khupiee and Sya were staring eye to eye and then suddenly Syas mandibles gave way to a smirk.
“Tell me again why I keep you around?” Lord Khupiee asks.
“Because I am all that is left between you and nothing.” Unexpectedly the two start thrilling in pure laugher. It was the strangest sound to Nalas ears, a harsh mix between a roar and a cat screaming. “And you know I was never one to listen to you completely.” Sya jokes.
Dhm’Ni never looked up to Nala when he entered. He just kept his eyes looking at this and that and Nala did the same. She couldn’t help but feel awkward. Obviously Dhm’Ni knew that she was going to be in his room and was mad about it but now that she knew…He didn’t know what to do. They hardly ever said anything nice to one another. They were never really civil or decent. They meet…they fought. That’s all there was and Dhm’Ni believes that’s all their will be. His father said that Nala thought he hated her, but he didn’t. Dhm’Ni thought she hated him.
“I feel I must report that you are one of healthiest beings I have ever had in here.” Kh’Cho finally said.
“Kudos on the ‘beings’ word”. Nala laughed. “I told you I was not sick.”
“That you did. But now I have to do one last check up on your healing.” Kh’Cho walked up to Nala who was still sitting on the white slab and moved away her hair from her neck. “I must check your neck from the Hard Meat blood. You have no idea how lucky you were. One more second and you would have died.”
“Yeah, Dhm'Ni told me that.” With her words, both Dhm'Ni and Nala flick their eyes at each other and their eyes connect. But a single second later, they ripped their eyes away. Sya noted their strange behavior. Nala was never so quiet to him. She was usually insulting him or playing with him, this was just awkward.
“Did you tell Nala she is staying with Dhm'Ni?” Sya whispered to Lord Khupiee who nods ‘yes’ to him. Now he understood.
“I just need to check for infection…” Kh’Cho trailed off. He needs to see how the rim of the wound was healing, it wasn’t scared like the rest and would need some ointment. But the very moment Kh’Cho accidentally ran a finger against her scar, Nala screamed at a deafening pitch. Kh’Cho didn’t even get a chance to move when Nala grabs his hand from her neck and then kicks him in his chest, sending him flying backwards. Only stopping when he hit his Med Panel. She couldn’t even contemplate how much pain just jolted through her body. Nala began to sweat immensely and was heaving in harsh breaths.
“Holy shit.” Nala covers her neck properly to guard it Kh’Cho touching it again. Only then did she see Kh’Cho sprawled out on the ground. “Uh-oh!” She says as she jumps from the table. Nala ran to Kh’Cho side and helped him up. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Kh’Cho just smiles at her.
“Why do you think I wear armor? For fun?” He jokes. “I am used to being hit, but not like that! Females are females everywhere I guess. But I am also sorry. I was careless and hit your scar. Which needs to have a gel put on the rim once a day to stave off infection.”
“How would I do that without it hurting?” Nala asks but when Dhm'Ni stars laughing, she turns her attention to him.
“You can’t do it without it hurting.” Dhm'Ni answers her.
“And just how do you know that?” Nala asks with nastiness. She didn’t like him laughing at her. If he is going to be like this for her time with him, he wasn’t going to last very long.
“Because I have never been able to apply it with out pain.” Nala just tilts her head in puzzlement. Dhm'Ni groans and turns around so his back was to her and then moves over some of his tresses to reveal his tear scar to her.
“Hmm, at least we have one thing in common.” Dhm'Ni just turns around without another word. The two just look into the other in silence, Nala didn’t want to know what he was thinking. For one thing she was dreading walking into his room, knowing that it was HIS room. Where was she going to sleep? In his bed? Were there two beds? Because she doesn’t want to kick him out of his, it’s his bed! What if he makes her sleep on the floor? No way is THAT going to happen. Nala would kill anyone for their bed right now and Dhm'Ni wasn’t any different.
“Sit.” Kh’Cho orders, Nala turns away from Dhm'Ni and sits back onto the table, thinking that she would rather sleep here then with him. “I have once last question and then you can go do what ever you want to.”
“Sleep.” Nala says. Her eye lids were already heavy as bricks and she was constantly holding back a yawn. “But what’s your question.”
“Earlier you said you hadn’t had something called a ‘period’ in a while. What is it because I need to know.” Everyone in the room was stunned when Nalas face turned blood red. Nala didn’t mind if Kh’Cho and Sya were her when she explained it but with Lord Khupiee and Dhm'Ni…
“Do you really need to know…right now?” Nala whines.
“You are here now. I will have to know everything about Ooman biology soon enough and now is the best time to get my first lesson.” Nala lowers her head in defeat and sighs.
“Do you want the full blown biology lesson or just the run around to know? I can tell you everything later because there is a lot to tell about periods.” Kh’Cho says she can tell him a little now. “Okay. A period is something that happens every once and a while to an Ooman female where blood that was stored, for when a baby is conceived, is removed from her body. And when this happens there is immense pain and suffering on her part! Now, there is something called PMS. Do NOT come near me when this happens because I will be the meanest bitch around. Everything and everyone will annoy me to death. But not my death…”
“And…” Kh’Cho was a little afraid of her words. He had never heard of such a thing. “And you don’t know when this will happen?” He asks carefully.
“Nope.” Nala says with a smile and a laugh. The three others were worried as well. Their females to not go through something like that. They could barely deal with their own females, how would they deal with Nala?
“Alright, you can go.” Kh’Cho waves a hand to her and walks behind his Med Panel. But before Nala could move she yawned again.
“Dam it.” She says while blinking away the yawn tears. Sya walks back to her and stops at her side.
“You must be tired little one…” Nala just nods to Sya. She wasn’t just tired, she was exhausted. Lord Khupiee silently walks to Kh’Cho and whispers that he will tell the Arbitrators everything he has learnt already, while Dhm'Ni stood at the door. He kept thinking of walking her to his room and being stared at by all the males of the deck. And what if Dyne is there? Inadvertently Dhm'Ni growls to him self, but Nala thought he was doing it to her.
“See Sya, he doesn’t like me.” She whispers, but of course Dhm'Ni heard and barked at her statement. Sya motions with his head for Dhm'Ni to come talk with her and he does so with great hesitancy.
“You promised, Dhm'Ni.” Sya said slyly. Dhm'Ni had promised to talk with Nala. And now was the best time for a talk in Syas eyes. He moved away from them to let Dhm'Ni and her talk and walks Lord Khupiee. But they didn’t talk at all for a while. Dhm'Ni stared into her and she into him.
“I don’t hate you.” Dhm'Ni hisses.
“I don’t hate you.” Nala says in return.
“Is that good enough?” Dhm'Ni asks Sya while turning around to face him.
“Please tell me that was enough.” Nala begs from behind Dhm'Ni. “A conversation with a carrot is better then one with him.”
“A carrot?” Dhm'Ni barks and twists back around to Nala.
“What? You don’t even know what a carrot is, so don’t worry.” A low growl comes from Dhm'Ni, he didn’t like being compared to a carrot, even if he didn’t have the slightest idea as to what it was. “Can you move out of the way so I can get down?” Nala meanly asks.
“Not with that attitude, Ooman.” That’s it! Dhm'Ni went from Nala, to Nalani and now Ooman. His disrespect in calling her Ooman was the last straw. Nalas face showed all the anger that was raging in her and Dhm'Ni knew that she was about to blow. But just as Nala opened her mouth, and her lips curled into her first word, which was going to be ‘asshole’ by the way, Dhm'Ni rapidly covered her mouth with one of his hands because he knew she was going to say something stupid. But even with her mouth covered, Nala still went off.
“fhewasholewikewinalmeatingitaweyiwthit!” Dhm'Ni wouldn’t move his hand until he knew she was done. But the muffed sound of Nala yelling made Lord Khupiee and Sya walk to them and what they saw was Dhm'Ni covering her mouth.
“What are you doing?” Lord Khupiee barks.
“ooyoahenyideowensutneyfndetoealldooman?” Nala kept yelling. She didn’t give a shit that they couldn’t understand her.
“Nala told me to cover her mouth if I ever thought she would say something stupid. And I thought she would, so I did.” Dhm'Ni answered. He never broke eye contact with Nala since he covered her, he would wait until forever for her little tantrum to fade.
“I do remember her saying that.” Sya laughs. Finally Nala stops yelling and takes a large breath in with her nose. Dhm'Ni carefully takes his hand away and rests it back at his side. “Feeling better?” Sya asks between thrills of laughter.
“Much. Now, please excuse me. I need to get my bag before I go.” Nala said pleasantly. The three Yautja move away from her and she swiftly makes her way to her pack that she left on the floor here before. Once she knelt down, she brought her right hand to her left, to takeoff her rings but she just couldn’t. Nala began twisting it around her finger, trying to tell herself to take it off but her inner battle made her sit there for a moment, just to wonder and remember.
“Dhm'Ni, after you put her to bed, come to the conference room.” Lord Khupiee tells his son. “And then after that I believe I will put myself to bed.” He jokes. Dhm'Ni wasn’t amused one bit. Him, putting her to bed! What is he a pup watcher? Did it look like he was in a nursery? But he couldn’t say no to his father, he had to bring her to his room to sleep.
Nala sighed when she decided to take off her ring. It represented everything old, her old life with her friends and family, with Allen, with everyone. Her old life with the Oomans. She was with the Yautja now, she didn’t really know what to make of that statement, but she was. Once she placed the ring in a front pocket of the pack, she stands with it in hand walks towards Dhm'Ni with her head down. She still felt every bit as uncomfortable as before.
“Are you ready to go little one?” Sya asks. Nala just nods silently to him. Sya didn’t know what to make of her shyness, perhaps hers and Dhm’Nis little talk really wasn’t enough. But sooner or later the two will talk more. They will get to know one another and see that they really don’t dislike each other like they think. He hoped.
“Come with me.” Dhm'Ni said harshly and starts for the door. Nala wordlessly fallows him but before she walked passed the door, she turns her head and looks pleadingly to Sya, who could only look back to her. He couldn’t do anything for her. He knew that she must feel so strange right now but she will get used to it. The door closes with a ‘swoosh’ and she was gone.
“I hope they don’t kill each other.” Lord Khupiee jokes.
“I don’t think we should joke about that.” Sya says seriously. “There is so much tension between them. I hope that they can get rid of it before it become more.”
Nala stood quietly behind Dhm'Ni as they waited for the lift. She didn’t like the silence that had somehow made its way between them. Even with telling each other they didn’t hate the other doesn’t mean they like each other enough to talk. Maybe be a little nicer, or even civil but anything more…Nala feared it would never happen. Dhm'Ni couldn’t care less. Talking wasn’t one of the best parts of his personality. He was like this to everyone when he first meets them, almost every Yautja is. But after a while he usually isn’t too harsh and cold…usually. Together they walk into the lift, with Nala moving behind Dhm'Ni again, and he calls for it to go to his deck. But as Dhm'Ni saw her move behind him, submissively, he felt weird. Like she was afraid of him or something. He couldn’t have her afraid of him, they were living in the same room and he would hate to have a passive little Ooman in his room.
“Why do you do that?” Dhm'Ni asks softly.
“Do what?” Nala responded. She didn’t know what to make of him talking.
“Why do you move behind me?”
“I don’t know.” She says sadly. Suddenly there was a familiar pain in her throat and a few tears were welling in her eyes but she would never cry before him again. She did it in the hospital and she wouldn’t to that to him again. But Nala didn’t know why she wanted to cry right now. She was hurt that Dhm'Ni was being so cold to her. She would like to be his friend but not like this. Not forced or pretended to make Lord Khupiee or Sya happy. The only reason Dhm'Ni even talked to her before was because of Sya. Maybe that was it…Maybe it was the realization that they were never going to be friends, only a pair of acquaintances. Nothing more. Nala sighed aloud and ran her free hand through her hair to calm herself. She didn’t want Dhm'Ni to know how she was feeling but he already did. He could smell the salt in her tears and the very moment he caught that scent he actually felt pain in his stomach. Had he made her cry? Why does he keep making her cry…
The door opened prematurely and with a defensive growl Dhm'Ni greeted Dyne and a few of his followers, making Nala look up from her inspection of the floor. There was one Yautja who was ahead of all the others and he looked weird. He was a lot smaller then Dhm'Ni, maybe 7’5 or lower. His skin was an icky brown with yellow and black in places, his eyes looked wicked because they had a tint of red in them. But what sent shivers through Nalas entire body was the look he gave her. Unexpectedly Dhm'Ni took a large step to the right, blocking Dynes view of Nala, and growls.
“Come in here and I promise you, you will regret it.” Dhm'Ni warns. Dyne wasn’t stupid to start a fight with Dhm'Ni like this so he takes a step back. But just as the door to the lift started to close, Dyne lowered his head, purred, and smiled.
“What was that about?” Nala questions. Dhm'Ni turns around and grabs her by the shoulders, making her finch from his touch.
“Did you see that Yautja standing at the door?” Nala just stood still and didn’t answer. “DID YOU SEE HIM?” He roars. Instantly Nala lowered her gaze from him back to he floor and nods ‘yes’. “If you do anything to keep yourself safe here, you must stay away from him. Do you understand me?” Again Nala nods but that Dhm'Ni enough for him. “ANSWER ME!”
“Okay.” Nala squeaks. She had to bit her lips to keep her from crying. With his answer Dhm'Ni turns back to face the door. Nala took in a quick breath and used the sleeve of her shirt to rid her eyes of her tears. Why was it only Dhm'Ni to make her so afraid. Lord Khupiee never made her feel like this. Another moment later and the door opened to Dhm’Nis deck. When he stepped out, he looked to the left and right to see if any Yautja were still around but it was bare of life. It was just time for the midday meal and everyone would flock to the galley. Nala followed him off and walked behind him until he reached his door. It wasn’t shaped like the door in the healers’ deck. The ones here were like any other door and to the right side was a large panel hat Nala assumed was for palm prints. But Dhm'Ni didn’t open the door right away. He was fiddling around with some buttons on his panel. He planted his hand down once and then told Nala to do the same.
“Now you can come and go. Just put your hand here and the door will open.” Nala placed her hand down and a red light scanned it. When it was done she took her hand away and Dhm'Ni opened the door. She followed him in and heard him call for the lights but didn’t really catch the word used. But instantly the lights were one, reveling a large room…at least to her it was large. Nala stops after a few steps. She didn’t know where she could go and where she couldn’t. Dhm'Ni told her to wait here and she did so, until she saw the bed. It was gigantic! Well, it would have to be for him but still!
As if being controlled by some unknown force Nala dropped her bag. She looked around the room once and saw that Dhm'Ni went into a different room. Nala started to strip off. First her shoes, one after the other, then she slid off her shorts and dropped them to the ground. She then unzipped her jacked and let that fall too. She did all this as she was making her way to the bed and she was leaving a very messy trail of her cloths but she didn’t care about the mess. She would clean it later. All she wanted was that bed. The covers were obviously mad of fur, it was a beautiful pelt of brown, white and black and at the top of the bed was one long pillow that was the entire length of the bed.
Nala glides her hands under the cover, noting that it kind of felt like puppy fur…
“Please don’t be puppy…please.” She whispers low. Nala lifts the covers until she could slide under them and once it was high enough, she dove in. Everything was so unbelievably soft, the sheets, the cover everything. As Nala got her entire body in, she flung the covers back to its rightful spot and started to crawl up to the pillow. But as she was mid way there she stops. Oh she tried, she really did try to get to the pillow but she couldn’t make it. Nala ended up a large bump in the middle of Dhm’Nis bed.
After he asked her to wait, Dhm'Ni left her and went to his bathroom to get clean linens. But as he exited and looked back to where she was standing, all that was there was her pack. Dhm'Ni followed the trail of shoes and clothes until his eyes caught sight of a lump in his bed. He didn’t know what to do. Here he was, standing with a fresh set bed linins and she was already asleep in his bed…In his bed. Who would have thought that the first female he would have in his bed, granted this wasn’t his usual bed, was Nalani? Dhm'Ni can’t even start to think of the jokes that will come of this. And truthfully he didn’t want to think of them. Dhm'Ni quickly placed the fresh linens back into the closet and then walks back into the room. He had to shake his head in disappointment as he looked down to the trail of cloths.
“Messy Ooman.” He says as he starts to pick up her stuff. He places it all in a neat pile, after folding her short and jackets, and puts them at the end of his bed for her to find when she wakes up. Just then Dhm'Ni remembered that his father asked him to the conference room when he was done and so he quickly turned off the lights and made his way out of his room. But after the door closed, Dhm'Ni programmed the door to his room to lock, only his hand, Nalas hand and his fathers hand can open it. Nala can open it form the inside but now matter, he would be back in a little while. And so Dhm'Ni left Nala asleep in his room, asleep in his bed.

Authors Note: Did anyone see the reference to Aliens in chapter 13??? No…Okay I’ll tell you, “How do I get out of this chicken shit outfit?” Anyone see it? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Never mind… And if not a lot of people got the ‘Faris Bueller's day off’ part…I think you guys need to be introduced to the world BEFORE Celine Dion. You really do…