The Ripple of a Stone

The Ripple of a Stone

Occupied Pt. 1


“What happened?” Sya almost roars. Only Nala jumps at the sudden sound. She couldn’t understand him one bit and all she got from it was a very angry snarl.

“Nala rejected the translator.” Kh’Cho says nonchalantly. Sya was instantly at her side and stares into her eyes but Nala just smiles up at him like nothing was wrong. “I think now is the time for me to figure out just what needs to be done with her.”

“What happened to you?” Sya asks in Ooman.

“From when I woke until now or why I am in here?” Nala says sarcastically but when Sya growls at her, she knew not to mess around any longer. “Umm, I woke up and then I was really agitated so we sparred and then we went to eat and then I was challenged and then my head hurt and then that thing came out of my head and then I came here.” She says really fast. Dhm'Ni didn’t get half of what she said but he already knew what happened. Sya however caught everything and he slowly turns to Dhm'Ni with rage in his eyes.

“You took her sparring?” Sya hisses.

“Nala admitted that if she did not work out her anger she was going to do something stupid when she meets the Arbitrators, so we went there so she could get a release.” Dhm'Ni defends himself. He didn’t care if Sya was mad at him, he was worried about Nala. “She and I tired to talk but we ended up fighting.”

“As usual!” Sya barks.

“And then she became hungry. So Thr'ik and I went with her and took her to the galley where we ate. But Lidch was saying a few things that Nala seemed to have heard and confronted him about it. Resulting in him challenging her.”

“And you accepted?” Sya twists around back to Nala.

“Accepted?” Nala wasn’t really listening to Syas and Dhm’Nis conversation, like she could, but she really didn’t know what Sya meant by ‘you accepted’.

“You were challenged and you accepted.” Sya roars.

“Don’t get mad about it!” Nala lifts her legs from there hanging spot over the ledge and scoots back away from Sya. When ever he roars or growled, chills would run up Nala spine. “Besides, he was saying mean things and if I let him say it then soon everyone would be saying it.”

“What was he saying?” Sya asks a little calmer.

“Does it matter?” She says softly.

“I guess not, but…” Sya didn’t really know what to say now, Nala always had something to overturn what he says, always showing him that he’s not right but then again not showing that he’s wrong. But that wasn’t what was really bothering him. Dhm'Ni had said that they tired to speak but they couldn’t. What did they talk about that made them fight? Did Dhm'Ni make it even worse between them or better? “Dhm'Ni, can you and Thr’ik leave me and Nala to speak.”

“Thr’ik cannot understand Ooman.” Dhm'Ni says, a little to amused about it. Thr’ik was quick to hiss at him.

“I do not care of Thr'ik, I just wish to speak to Nala and not have you or him hear.” Sya lashes. Nala couldn’t understand a dam thing, Sya began speaking in clicks and growls some time ago so all she could do was sit. She was fine until her knee started to burn. It just suddenly began pulsing with each and every heart beat, like her blood was being pumped with lava.

“Why is my knee burning?” She asks with a lot of worry in her words. Sya simply swipes his hand at Dhm'Ni, ending their conversation and sending them away. Dhm'Ni groans out of pure frustration and leaves with Thr’ik on his tail.

“Kh’Cho, did you put gel on her knee?” Sya asks but doesn’t turn around. He gently touches her clearly swollen knee and feels a gel but Kh’Cho could have put any number of gels on her to help.

“I put healing gel for bruises on, yes.” Kh’Cho answers. He was a little preoccupied studying the scans on Nala neck he had taken before. He would have to do the surgery by hand due to the fact that the machines wouldn’t know what to do if something should go wrong. Well, he wouldn’t know what to do if something would go wrong but he could think faster on his feet.

“The gel that was put on your knee is for fast healing.” Sya says to her. Nala wasn’t really listening, it was hurting so bad! “Nala, what it does is accelerates the healing of the blood vessels that were broken when you were hit, making the bruise go through the process in a matter of hours rather then days or weeks. Nala. Nala are you listening?” She had started to rock back and forth as she tried to deal with the sting.

“It really hurts… It really hurts…” Nala keeps repeating over and over. Without warning Sya jumps up next to Nala on the white slab and pulls her so she was sitting on his lap. She ended up with her back against his front but the second it hit his muscle, Nala yelps and pulls away. “Dhm'Ni really got my back when we fought.” She gets out between her teeth. Without talking, Sya effortlessly picks her up and turns her so her right side was against him, caring her back from pain and he wraps his arms around her to help her feel better. Female Yautja would console their young like this, and from his study of Oomans, they act the same way. So Sya knew that this would help, and it did. But it did not dull the pain, it just…made her feel better to be held. To be safe.

After what felt like hours, which was only about ten minutes, the pain was gone. Sya had to explain what the gel did all over again but he didn’t mind. Nala just relaxed in his arms as he and Kh’Cho started clicking and chirping about what was going to happen to her. The sound coming from Sya reverberated from him and into Nala, making her calm down even more. She was about to fall asleep when Sya jostles her.

“You must not sleep yet. You have to tell me what happened.” He purrs to her. Sya was still angry that Dhm'Ni took her to spar, but he was glad that he and Nala spoke. However, it didn’t seem to help.

“Happened? About what?”

“First you will tell me why you went to spar and what happened there and then you will tell me of what you and Dhm'Ni spoke of because things do not seem better between you.”

“Well, I am not very nice if I don’t get all my sleep and I don’t want to have a short fuse when I meet everyone so I asked, begged actually, to go and Dhm'Ni and Thr’ik took me there. I kicked Thr’iks ass.” Nala laughs at the memory. ”And then I was about to spar with this male named Gik’ha but right when we were about to start Dhm'Ni said that he and I will fight. But when we started I told everyone to leave and that’s when Dhm'Ni and I started to talk…” Nala bites her lip and lowers her head as she tries to hold back her tears. She didn’t know what it was that made her so sad when she thought of her and Dhm'Ni. All she wants to do it talk to him, just have one conversation with him that doesn’t start or end with one of them in physical pain.

“What did you two say?” Sya purrs to her. He begins to purr consistently to soothe her and rubs her arms.

“He really doesn’t like me Sya. He really doesn’t.” She gets out between a sniff. “I said that he was ashamed of me and he didn’t say he wasn’t. All he said was that he felt vulnerable that he showed his face to me when we were on the island and he even said that he was humiliated that I was staying in his room…Oh I don’t know what to do.” She whispers.

“I don’t think Dhm'Ni is humiliated about you being in his room Nala. I think it is more that you and he have something between you that cannot be worked out that makes him feel strange.” Nala lifts her head at the word ‘strange’, Dhm'Ni used the same word. “It isn’t that he doesn’t want you in his room, he just doesn’t like what will and will not happened in that room. It will be so uncomfortable and straining that he may not be able to handle it. And you may not be able to handle it.”

“I don’t want it to be like this.” Nala sighs and arches her back.

“Kh’Cho,” Sya clicks to the healer. “Get me some more healing gel for her back.”

“But why would he feel so vulnerable about showing me his face?” Nala asks.

“First I need you to take off you sweater so I can put gel on you back, it will hurt for a little while but it is better then weeks of bruises. And secondly, the world the Yautja have is what you may see as violent, harsh, rash and even wrong. But it is those values we have come to have that make us Yautja. Our society is…is hard to explain. But it is not good that Dhm'Ni feels vulnerable. Even if you are safe, now I am using that word loosely, just feeling vulnerable can in fact make you vulnerable. And for Dhm'Ni, being exposed like that makes him feel vulnerable. He doesn’t like others knowing things about him, he is very open to those close to him, and I can see that he wishes to be close to you but there is something keeping you two from making such a bond. Sweater!” Sya barks. Reluctantly, Nala takes it off and watches with great apprehension as Kh’Cho hands over a big cup thing full of a bluish gel. Sya sets it to his side and gets a good glob on his fingers then begins to slowly and carefully smooth it to her back. Sya noted all the odd shaped scars on her, those whipping ones were very prominent but there was a circle on her back that he couldn’t think of what it was from. At first it was cool as Sya spread it from the base of her neck to the small of her back. It was refreshing, but still the thought that soon it was going to turn into liquid fire never left her.

“You should get my stomach while you’re doing it.” Nala says as she shakes her head. She shouldn’t have said anything…

“What happened to your stomach?” Sya purrs. He stops applying it to her back and Nala explains that Dhm’Ni got her stomach as well. Now Sya is mad. He shouldn’t have taken her there in the first place and what else does he do? He beats her! Literally. Sya was swift in applying the gel to her stomach and they both go silent in anticipation for her pain. Sya didn’t really understand why it hurt her so. While it kind of tickled when put on his skin, it never felt like it was burning. But from the soft whimpering sounds, and the hard faces Nala was making, he knew that it felt like that to her.

“Why did Sya wish us to leave?” Thr'ik badgers Dhm'Ni as they wait for the lift.

“He wants to speak with Nala alone.” He was quick to say. Dhm'Ni couldn’t even begin to think of what they are speaking of. And surly Sya is going to be mad when he comes from the healers. But he doesn’t regret taking Nala to the training deck, or to the galley. It made things between her a little better but not like he wants it to be.

“I do not know where you are going,” Thr’ik says as they step into he lift. “But I am going to the society room on deck twelve. I wish to see what Ymik said about Nala dancing with the Hard Meat. Do you wish to join me?” Dhm'Ni didn’t answer at first, he didn’t know where he was to go now. He could go to his room and wait, or even to the conference room and wait. But Dhm'Ni does not like waiting.

“Alright.” A few minutes later and the doors opened to a giant purple room. While this is only one of many society rooms on The Lijl, it is the most used. Almost a quarter of the deck was just this room, the entire thing had shades of purple to furnish it. From the walls to the floor boards, which we made from a large Dt, a tree, from the Homeworld. There were no chairs or tables, only pits that sank into the ground for a good five or six feet that were covered in pillows to rest on. It was here where the many Yautja would come to drink and tell stories of hunts, to listen to the current scandal raging through the times and right now, it was Nala. Dhm'Ni wasn’t really listening to all the questions that were being shot his way, he was just following Thr’ik to their spot which was smack dab in the middle of the room.

“Have they stopped showing the videos?” Thr’ik pleads to those already sitting in the pillow infested circle. Both he and Dhm'Ni were quick in sitting and getting comfortable, it was Thr’ik that wished to see it, Dhm'Ni had a great view the first time around.

“Definitely not.” A giant male answers. “We were only discussing what happened in the galley. But no one really knows.”

“First I wish to see what Ymik said, about Nala dancing with a Hard Meat.” Thr’ik almost demands. “And then I will tell you about the galley.”

“At what point did she fight the Warrior?” The giant male asks those in the circle.

“It was a Warrior?” Thr’ik barks in surprise.

“Yes it was, and it happened just after Nala broke my Fathers elbow.” Dhm'Ni tells them. One that was sitting close to the control panel starts to look for it but says it will take a few moments.

“So what happened in the galley?” The giant male demands.

“Nala was challenged by Lidch.” Thr'ik barks sarcastically, everyone but Dhm'Ni began to laugh.

“Lidch? He will not be able to even hit her!” Someone says.

“She moves to fast for such an Unblood.” Another barks.

“I got it ready.” The one looking for the footage barks. Instantly all in the circle hush and look down to a large round block and from it a tiny projection eye comes up. While this is not the same projector used while hunting, which is only displayed in red, this is used for entertainment and can have all colors. And because those sitting all around would not be able to watch the video if it was just one sided, the projections is shown from a square, four sides showing the same thing. Making it so everyone can watch.

Thr’ik didn’t know whether to laugh or hiss when he sees Nala break Lord Khupiees arm almost in half. But he was soon given something else to think of. Thr’ik would have fallen off his chair if he was sitting on one, so all he could do was lean forwards to the image and gawk at Nala playing with the Hard Meat. While some were watching the videos as well, a lot were looking at Thr’iks odd expression. He was transfixed as he views Nala twist and turn, hop and jump. Easily keeping free of the Hard Meat tail or hands. He hisses is shock when Nala closes her eyes, and as her feet start to move so swiftly that he couldn’t keep up with where they had been or where they went.

“Whose view is this?” Dhm'Ni questions the giant male.

“I believe it is Lord Khupiees.” He answers while still keeping his eyes on the video. At last Dhm'Ni will be able to see what his father had when he simply pointed to Nala. Maybe now he can try to understand why he didn’t do anything. It wasn’t too long before Nalas face turned into ‘yeah right’, making those in the circle, including Dhm'Ni, to laugh at the gesture. Everyone fell into a quiet state as they watched Nala walk away from Lord Khupiee and to the Queen, it was coming. Dhm'Ni was specifically looking past what his father turned to and stares at the Queen as Nala knees down. And then there it was, a small tail of a Hard Meat flicks by one of the Queens legs. And then once more it flicks, how could he not have noticed it when he was there? How could only his father have seen it? After a few seconds, Lord Khupiees hand appears and points to Nala who had just turned around. Dhm'Ni couldn’t watch anymore, he had seen it first hand and didn’t want to see it again. But Thr’ik on the other hand was practically being pulled closer as he watches. Unintentionally, Thr’ik growls a very low and threatening tenor as the Hard Meat stalks behind her. He even twitches when its tail went through her shoulder. Thr'ik was amazed that Nala didn’t seem to scream, or cry in pain. She just stares at Lord Khupiee, her eyes looked as if she was staring at the watcher and not Lord Khupiee.

“That’s enough.” Dhm'Ni hisses. “Turn it off.” He orders. The projection was quickly shut down and that same eerie silence came back.

“And you just watched her get hit?” Thr'ik hisses to his best friend. Dhm'Ni snaps his head to him and trills in question. “All you guys did, eight Arbitrators, one Clan leader and you, was watch?”

“Only my father saw the Hard Meat coming.” Dhm'Ni says in a sad tone. He still felt responsible for what happened. “I would have done anything for her if I saw it coming. But I didn’t, no one but my father did.”

“She is safe now.” The giant male interrupts. “But tell us what else happened in the galley.”

“What else? Dhm'Ni questions. “Nothing else other then what Thr'ik has already said.”

“That is not what I heard. I heard that the female asked Dhyot’te’ka, the ruthless Ooman hunter Dhyot’te’ka, to say something to Lidch and then he and his brother fought, again.” He laughs.

“We had left the galley just after Nala could stand. She did run to Dhyot’te’kas side for a moment.” Thr'ik offers. “But we don’t know of what she said. But Dhyot’te’ka and his brother are at it again are they?”

“Those two will never get along.” Dhm'Ni barks. “Maybe they will soon fall from the top of the ‘those who are close yet fight like enemies’ list.” Everyone but Dhm'Ni laugh because they know he and Nala have a strained relationship.

“She isn’t so hard to get along with.” Thr’ik interjected. “It is only when you piss her off when get your ass kicked. And then she’s not so bad.” He purrs his last words.

“You have fought the female?” One in the circle asks.

“Twice. And I have to say…I find her erotic.” Thr’ik purrs.

“THR’IK!” Dhm'Ni barks at him.

“How can you find an Ooman attractive?” The giant male hisses. He was very unnerved about Thr’iks words, but nothing close to what Dhm'Ni was feeling.

“Nala is not like any female I have meet or fought.” Dhm'Ni knew what Thr'ik was going to say, and he didn’t have the chance to think of what to say to keep him from speaking. “She finds weapons arousing!” He nearly yells out, causing pure silence fro those in the circle and from those in surrounding pits. “Oh, what were her words Dhm'Ni?” Like he would answer… “Right, ‘There is nothing better then something lethal’” Thr’ik and a few others shiver in delight. But the giant male still didn’t find anything exciting about her.

“Mating is forbidden!” Dhm'Ni roars at the group.

“Only until she is seen by the Elders.” Someone points out. “Until then we will just have to be careful of our actions. I would hate to have Lord Khupiee kill me because I could not keep my hands off that foreign body.”

“Or have me kill you.” Dhm'Ni growls.

“Anyways!” Thr'ik barks to keep the tension from getting any thicker. “I was only told of how Nala killed the Queen, show me.”

Sya had left about ten minuets ago to tell Lord Khupiee about what has happened and ask if the meeting should still go on between her and the Arbitrators. But he had to leave Nala with Kh’Cho for observation until he came back. And she was so bored. Kh’Cho was busy with his Med Panel, and because he couldn’t really understand Ooman that well, they couldn’t really speak. So Nala had to find other ways of keeping herself occupied. After a while, she lies on her back and sticks her legs right up into the air to look at her knees. On one were tiny, fading, dots from Thr'ik head. Nala softly laughs at the memory and wonders where he and Dhm'Ni went. But the other knee, now a little less swollen, was not hurting like it was before. While it always hurt some way or another, it didn’t have the same sting from when Dhm'Ni hit her. Suddenly Nala starts to hum ‘what a wonderful world’ to herself. Kh’Cho didn’t mind the noise, it wasn’t bad or anything. It was kind of melodic to his ears. But because Nala was humming, she never heard to door to the healers open and Dhyot’te’ka step in.

From his fight with his brother, Dhyot’te’ka managed to get a lengthy cut on his back behind his right shoulder. He didn’t really need to come to the healers, and neither did his brother despite the injuries he caused him, but he knew that Nala would be here. He entered silently but immediately stopped when his eyes caught the sight of her legs raised high in the air. He couldn’t help but tail down her long, peach colored legs. All beautifully adorned with a number of scars from toe to hip. For a moment he stood there and listened to her, not really knowing what she was doing but he liked it. It was kind of soothing and yet it was stirring. Nala had to inhale before humming again but the soft and yummy scent of chocolate fills her.

“Dhyot’te’ka!” She drops her legs, to his displeasure, and sits up to look at him. “I knew I smelt you.” Nala says with a smile.

“How are you feeling?” Dhyot’te’ka asks as he walks up to her. Kh’Cho was already getting the supplies to suture his back that he had seen when he walked in.

“I’m alright. Bored out of my mind, but alright.” Kh’Cho set down a small box beside Nala and starts to huff about having to fix up Dhyot’te’ka when he had more important things to do. “What’s he all mad about?” Nala questions.

“He does not wish to heal me when he has other things to do.” Dhyot’te’ka was quick to answer back.

“You’re hurt?” She squeals. Dhyot’te’ka simply nods and turns around so she could see his back. Nala was instantly up off her butt and moved to sit on her knees. But even with the added height her head only came to Dhyot’te’kas shoulder. “What happened?”

“My brother and I do not get along.”

“I could sew you up you know. You can tell Kh’Cho that I can do it.” Nala offers. Dhyot’te’ka was swift in telling the healer who did nothing but walk away from them. Nala pulls over the box and looks in to find a few things he could use. A rounded sewing needle, like the one she used on Dhm'Ni, some odd colored thread and some others things that she had no clue of. She hastily cleaned his wound with a small cloth Kh’Cho had brought over, threads the needle and starts to sew him together. Nala continued humming her song as she starts on his cut, it wasn’t deep or long or anything but it would be best if it was sewn. Dhyot’te’ka was relatively quite as she healed him, he didn’t want to seem weak to Nala as she stuck the needle into his skin over and over again. It didn’t hurt like it could have though. Dhyot’te’ka has had many injuries like this before and they always hurt more when Kh’Cho healed him. He was a lot rougher and always wanted to get things done. But Nala, her small and soft hands were gentle, and caring. Careful not hurt him more then he already was, making sure he was comfortable. She even asked him if he wished to move around because he seemed to be tense. But it was not from her healing him that made him anxious.

Once Nala was done, Dhyot’te’ka told her that there was a small tub of blue gel, that she was all too familiar with, and that she should put some on the wound. So with her pinky finger, she gets a good drop and softly rubs it along the sewn cut. She quickly rubs the excess back into the bottle and places back into the box, but when she looks back up, Dhyot’te’ka was turned around was as stares into her with an expressionless face. Nala leans back a little, not sure what to make of him. But she gives him an unenthusiastic smile and a tilt of her head.

“Thanks you.” He suddenly says.

“Its just thank you, if you don’t want to have the ‘you’ part you can just say thanks.” Nala laughs. “So your brother did that?” He just nods ‘yes’ in silence. “Why would he do that?”

“We are rivals.” He states bluntly. “And he did not like that you and I were speaking but it is not his place to say who I can or can not speak with.” He says softly.

“Well, I am happy that you can even speak with me. I don’t really know what’s going to happen now that I can’t speak to all of you.”

“They will think of something, they always do. Don’t worry.” Dhyot’te’ka gently strokes her check with the back of a few fingers. “Everything will be ok.”

“I know that. But, I just don’t like being here.” Nala sighs. “I don’t like being in this room alone.”

“You are not alone. Before I came you had Kh’Cho.”

“He cannot speak Ooman.” Nala says displeased. “And all he has been doing is looking over stuff. But you are here now.”

“Yes I am…” Dhyot’te’ka suddenly starts to make an odd face, like he was thinking about something but wasn’t to sure about it. “Do you wish to leave?” He asks coolly, he knew that Nala did not want to be here. So maybe he can steel her away for a little training. She did have to fight Lidch, which she could do in a flash, but she needs to know the rules. And since Sya is not here and Dhm'Ni will most likely not care, he thought that he could do it. But he would need Nala to ask to leave. If he just took her then they would be very mad.

“Oh please!” Nala jolts towards him and puts her hands on both shoulders to lift herself up to his eyes level. “I can’t stand being in her anymore! I have spent more time in here they any where else. It’s not right!” She shakes his shoulders with her hold. Dhyot’te’ka takes a quick glance behind him to Kh’Cho, who had is head down looking over images, and then looks back to Nala with a giant smile. With one arm, he wraps around Nalas waist and hoists her in the air. With out a word, she holds onto him as he dashes out of the healers with her in his arms.

“Where do you wish to go?” Dhyot’te’ka asks as he sets her down but he decided not to take his arm away from her just yet and rests his hand on her lower back.

“Well…” Nala didn’t really know where to go. She had never really had free reign to go any where. “I have to fight that male right?”

“Lidch, yes. Do you wish for me to tell you of what is going to happen? We can go to the Kehrite deck and…”

“DEFINITELY!” Nala cut in before he could say anything. “Come on!” She says as she pulls Dhyot’te’ka by the hand that was once on her back towards the lift. “Before Kh’Cho sees I am gone!”

“There is no where for me to go Dhm’Ni. There is no way for me to get off. Now get going.” Nalas voice echoes in the vast room that Lord Khupiee still sat in. He hadn’t left when he sent the others away or after Sya left. Lord Khupiee was re-listening to the recording from Dhm’Nis wrist computer and what he was hearing disturbed him greatly. “WHAT?” He hears his sons’ voice. Lord Khupiee couldn’t understand everything his son had just done. Showing his face to Nala? Granted her little ‘gorgeous’ comment was absolutely comical, he never thought Dhm'Ni was one to be so open to her like that. But where did that openness go? “What the hell do you want Dhm’Ni huh? I can’t go, there is no where for me to go! I DON’T HAVE A WAY TO SAVE MYSELF DHM’NI! IM TRAPPED OK! IM HERE UNTIL THEY BLOW ME UP! I’m going to die here.” Lord Khupiee sighs to himself at her words. How could the Oomans abandon her too blatantly? Nala is like nothing he had ever seen and they can just leave her. No matter. She was with the Yautja now. Nala is in a place that she can properly be respected as the warrior she is. “I’m not leaving you behind.” Dhm'Ni purrs through the recording.

“Where did that sentiment go I wonder?” Sya says softly. Lord Khupiee slowly looks to his friend while shutting off the recording. He motions for Sya to sit next to him he does so gracefully. “I have news.”

“And I have questions. Who first?” Lord Khupiee jests with a smile.

“Clan Leader first.” Sya says in a very low, mocking tone.

“You heard it at as well as I did Sya. Nalani, she…Do you see her to be stable?”

“Stable?”

“Do you think she will be able to withstand our world?”

“I believe so.” Sya shifts in his chair to get more comfortable. This was usually Dhm’Nis seat so it wasn’t to his liking. “She already has her first challenge.” He says with pride.

“How can she have gotten her first challenge yet?” Lord Khupiee barks.

“Your questions first, my news later. And from what I had seen in the past few days that I had known her I think she is strong enough. Mentally and physically.”

“Even with her,” Lord Khupiee didn’t get to finish as Sya held up his had, passively, to keep him from going on.

“She has had a lot of things happen to her and you know as well as I do that loss of any kind, whether it be her mate or her old life, takes time. But she seems to be adjusting well. Now do you wish to hear my news?” Lord Khupiee silently gestures for him to continue. “When Dhm'Ni woke her, she became Ch'hkt-a, just energetic and hyper. So, after she meet Thr'ik, he and Dhm'Ni took her sparring and then to eat. While there she confronted Lidch, the Unblood, about some of his words and he challenged her. After she accepted, the translator that Kh’Cho planted in her head came out.”

“It came out?” Lord Khupiee repeated in disbelieve.

“It just came out. But she is in with Kh’Cho now. He will have to alter her surgically for her to talk and hear Yautja. But I was debating whether to have her meet the others.”

“I think we should. Nala may not be able to speak or hear but we can. So we shall go on with the meeting.” Lord Khupiee suddenly went quiet as he wondered as to how he was going to ask his next question. “Were, were you pure with me when saying you felt Nala as a daughter?”

“I don’t know how to explain it Khupiee. She is just… Everything I feel in me, tells me that she is an extension of me. As a daughter would be.”

“But would you know if,”

“We don’t need to say it!” Sya barks at his friend. “I told you my secret once and only once. I do not want it to be repeated or ever voiced.” He hisses. Sya had ever only told Lord Khupiee about the truth of himself once. And from then on they never really spoke of it again. Only once did it ever come up, but Lord Khupiee was soon silenced after Sya gave him a swift hit to the face before he could spill. Lord Khupiee can not hold his C’ntlip. “Call the others and I will go retrieve Nala.” Sya says with a smile. He seemed to never remain angry with Lord Khupiee for a long period of time. It’s hard to hate someone who you’ve known ever since you were in the nurseries. They were quick in their goodbyes and Sya left Lord Khupiee to go over the recordings once more.

“Nala, it is time that we shou…” Sya stops mid-sentence as he strides into the healers, but he couldn’t see Nala. He does a fast search for her, in the bathroom and such but she was no where to be found. “So Kh’Cho, how has Nala been?” He asks with a nice tone.

“Oh she has been very quiet.” Kh’Cho says while still keeping his eyes on his work.

“I would guess so. She is not here.” Sya roars. Kh’Cho jolts at the sudden burst but sees that she is definitely not with them. “You have NO luck when it comes to that female.” Before Kh’Cho could say a word, Sya was out of the room. He stomps onto the lift with worry and anger mixed in him. Where could she have gone? She wouldn’t have gone anywhere alone, that’s for sure. She cannot speak with anyone so she wouldn’t go out without an escort. Dhm'Ni! He is the only one she would have left with. Sya calls for the lift to take him back to deck one so he can locate Dhm'Ni.

“Sya.” Ykas’e nods a greeting to him.

“I need to see where Dhm'Ni is. He has Nala with him.” Sya was forward with his needs when he had to be. And when he was like this, Ykas’e knew not to question him. Ykas’e personally goes down to the sensors sect. and finds his signature. Each Yautja is given individual implants for the Awu’asa to attach too, but those also have a specific and personal signature to them that if one particular Yautja was being looked for, they can be found easily. While this may work on a ship, and it is also used when tracking hunts, it cannot be used to find just anyone. Nala, for example, does not have the implants and therefore she cannot be found by herself alone.

“He is in the society room on deck twelve.” Sya thanks him with a shoulder shake and heads to Dhm'Ni.

When Sya enters the large purple room, he knew exactly where to go. Dhm'Ni was a creature of habit. He does not like to stray from his routine and especially when something is bothering him, he needs that structure. Dhm'Ni was always like that, even as a pup when Sya was training him. If Sya had to leave for a matter that needed an Arbitrators attention, Dhm'Ni would become anxious and irritated at the change in schedule. So Sya knew that he would be in one particular pit, and there he was. But Nala was not with him.

“Dhm'Ni, we have a problem.” Sya interrupts the current conversation, but Dhm'Ni didn’t mind. They were talking of Nalas aggression to the Queen, of how she begged to kill her. It was beautiful. But Dhm'Ni stood tall when he heard Sya. He just knew that it was about Nala. “She’s missing. Again.”

“C’jit. Why is that female everywhere but where she should be!” Dhm'Ni growls. He shouldn’t have left her with Sya. He should have at least stood by the door so she couldn’t have left. But where could she be now?

“Considering you were one who took her to place where she shouldn’t have been, I was thinking you would know where she is.” Sya scolds him.

“She is to fight someone, yes?” The giant male stands up at walks to Dhm’Nis side. “Then perhaps she is gone to train.” Both Dhm'Ni and Sya grunt in response, of course Nala would have gone there. She knew how to get there from before and she is clearly someone that does not like to stay in one spot for too long.

“Then we go to the training deck.” Thr'ik announces. “I would like to see who she is beating now.”

There was an unnatural silence as the three Yautja waited for the lift to take them to the training deck. Dhm'Ni knew that Sya was angry with him, for more then one reason. Dhm'Ni knew that Sya didn’t like him taking Nala to train or to the galley, that anger was definite but there had to be something else. Something that is making Sya so angry that he cannot even speak.

“She thinks I ‘do not give a C’jit’ about her. What does that mean?” Dhm'Ni asks softly, breaking the unbearable silence.

“She thinks you do not care for her. And frankly I don’t know whether to defend you any longer.” Sya was blunt with his words. “She wants nothing more then to talk to you as she does to everyone else but what do you do? You make her believe that you are ashamed of her, humiliated that she is in your room. She is not like our females Dhm'Ni. She cannot be as distant to males as Yautja females are. Oomans create connections between both sexes as if there was no difference. And she wishes to have one with you but both of you are to stupid to see what the other wants, so you go on pretending, imagining that there is something between you, keeping you from coming together but there is nothing. I have yet to see or hear or view anything that is keeping you two from truly talking. And yet, here you are. And there she is. Both thinking the other harbors ill feelings, when it is the complete opposite!”

Before Dhm'Ni could even think of what to say, the lift doors open, allowing an ear shattering roar from a male burst into them. They immediately jump off the lift and into the training room, but they could not see her. However, they didn’t need to know where she was because a very large group of gawking Yautja was crowded around one square. They were casually walking to the group when they hear Nala scream in pain. At once they pummel through the watching males but stop at the scene. She was fighting Dhyot’te’ka and he had her pinned down by way of his staff trapping the hood on her sweater to the ground. At first Dhm'Ni thought it was funny, Nala was ensnared, stuck to the ground but then he thought of what Dhyot’te’ka might do to her. He was about to run in to stop the fight but Sya held him back.

“Let them finish.” Sya orders. Dhm'Ni didn’t want to make him even angrier so he steps back a little.

“You’re stuck now Nala. What are you going to do?” Dhyot’te’ka flaunts his apparent win but when Nala didn’t answer, he became suspicious. Without blinking, Nala unzips her sweater, releasing her from her position. Within seconds, Nala was up on her feet and had pulled the staff from the ground for her own personal use. But as she fell into her stance, Dhyot’te’ka goes wide eyed at her body. He had never seen her like this before. Her scars were stunning, and unbelievably erotic to him. The three on her stomach, one of which he couldn’t help but wonder what it looked like as it extended into her shorts, were almost glowing, just as all the others. The black Alsn she used to secure her breasts kept him from suitably getting a good look, but it was enough for him.

“Now that you have told me about the challenge fight, what about we fight my way?” Nala starts to circle around him, slowly and calculatingly.

“Your way? And what way would that be?” Dhyot’te’ka asks while playfully walking around with her.

“No-holds-bar. Anything and everything.” She answers.

“Alright.” Suddenly, Dhyot’te’ka charges and she wasn’t ready. Nala flies back from the hit and slides all the way to another side of the large square. Dhyot’te’ka explained that a challenge such as the one she has, would be fought in here, in the largest square. But Dhyot’te’ka laughed when she told him she had already fought in the square with Dhm'Ni.

“What is going on?” Thr’ik asks Dhm'Ni. He couldn’t understand what was being said between them so Dhm'Ni had to translate.

“Nala challenged him to friendly fight of no rules.” Sya answered for him, he thought that Dhm'Ni might not know what no-holds-bar meant.

Before Nala could even stand, Dhyot’te’ka runs at her with all his strength. But her instincts kicked in just as she heard his heavy foot steps start pounding the ground and the she started to run away from him. He didn’t know what else to do so he continued after her.

“Bad move.” Dhm'Ni barks softly. He knew exactly what Nala was going to do.

Dhyot’te’ka wasn’t having trouble keeping up with her as she ran straight at a wall. But what he didn’t know what that Nala had to slow down for him, at first she just wished to see how fast he could run but after, she saw that she had to run slower then she wished. But it didn’t matter, she didn’t need a lot of speed for what she was about to do. As she got closer and closer to the wall, and Dhyot’te’ka didn’t relent in her chase, she runs up the wall as far as she could go. Just as she did with Dhm'Ni and it worked just the same. Nala pumps herself off the wall and twists her body as she lands right behind him. And with a deliberate ‘miss’ Nala slams the staff into his side. Dhyot’te’ka recoils from the sudden hit and stumbles a few steps. He didn’t get to regain his footing as Nala began to strike his thighs and gut with the blunt side of the staff. Dhyot’te’ka did the only thing he could think of and lunges at Nala with his hand extended to her throat. He grasps her tiny neck in his large hands and lifts her effortless in the air.

“Bad move.” Dhm'Ni says again with a laugh.

“Why do you keep talking?” A Yautja beside Dhm'Ni comments.

“Because she used the same moves on me, and he will lose.” Dhm'Ni hisses in delight.

While still holding onto the staff, Nala had to think fast. Dhyot’te’ka was snarling at her as he held her. His eyes were glazed over in what she thought was rage but it was something completely different. He had never, ever, been taken like this by a female. He had, unfortunately, been stupid enough to anger a female here and there and he has the scars to prove it. But never once had one got him as Nala has. From the moment they stepped in this room he and Nala hadn’t stopped. But right now, he had her at the end of his arm and his eyes were full of desire as he looks into her blue eyes. Although Dhyot’te’ka had watched Nala brake Lord Khupiees arm the same way, he was still cautious of her legs. So when Nala heaves both of them up, he tried to take his hand back but at the same time, he didn’t want to so it stayed holding her. Nala plants one foot on his chest and with the other she kicks his face. Now he drops her to the ground, and before Nala could think, Dhyot’te’ka knees her right in the gut. As she bends from the hit, Nala grabs the staff in both hands to keep his foot away as it came in for another kick. She swats his leg away but for some reason, she couldn’t stand back up. Nevertheless she didn’t need to do it on her on, Dhyot’te’ka grabs the staff in her hands and shoves her hard into the wall. With his indisputable strength, he lifts the staff above her head, with her hands still tightly gripped to them, and lifts her until she is at his eyes level.

“You are good.” Dhyot’te’ka purrs. Nala was breathing hard as she glares at him, and then she unexpectedly smells a very musky scent. Had Dhyot’te’ka been sweating that much for it to be so strong? It was so thick that Nala had to stop breathing through her nose. But it was an excellent aroma to say the least. It still smelt of him, a delicious mixture of chocolate and something else. It was strong, and masculine. But even with Nala not breathing through her nose, she could almost taste it as Dhyot’te’ka inches closer to her until his chest was pushed right against hers. No matter how hard he tired, Dhyot’te’ka couldn’t hold back his musk as he came closer to her. Her scent was so strong from her sweat. It was like nothing he had ever held. It was intoxicating, so feminine and yet powerful. He couldn’t stop himself as he purrs sensually at her as he brings his face centimeters close to hers.

“Thank you.” Nala says between breaths. When suddenly she takes in a deep inhale, and blows a hard burst of air right into his eyes. Dhyot’te’ka pulls back away from her, allowing her to fall back to her feet. He was still holding onto the staff when Nala pivots her body with all the force she couldn’t muster. Dhyot’te’ka was pulled by her movements, and he ended up with his back slammed against the wall. He unintentionally lets go of the staff as he tried to blink away the dryness caused by her, so he didn’t see what happened when Nala stabs the staff at him. All he heard was her grunt as she lunges and then the strange sound of metal on metal.

“You’re stuck now Dhyot’te’ka. What are you going to do?” Nala playfully asks and backs away to look at her work. Dhyot’te’ka quickly opens his eyes and looks down. He yelps in surprise at he sees the staff that Nala once held, rammed between his legs. At first he thought that Nala may have hit something vital but upon closer feeling for pain, he knew that she didn’t hit him. So Dhyot’te’ka tries to walk from the wall, but he was stuck. He bows low and hisses in shock as he sees that Nala had stabbed through his metal loincloth and right into the wall. He was stuck! Dhyot’te’ka once again tried to pull himself away from to no avail. So he tries to pull the staff out, he tugs and heaves but it doesn’t budge.

“Nala.” Sya barks. She twists around to see him, Dhm'Ni and Thr’ik staring at her.

“Busted!” Nala says in a childish tone. She pulls her hands behind her back and lowers her head submissively and the three walk to her.

“What are you doing here?” Sya asks very displeased.

“I’m sorry. I was in Kh’Chos when Dhyot’te’ka came in to get a cut healed. And after that we came here so he could explain about the challenge.” Nala smiles up at him.

“I would have told you everything you needed to know. You should not have come here with him!” Sya practically roars. Nala didn’t know why he was so mad about her training. But Sya was not mad that she was here. He knew exactly what Dhyot’te’ka was doing and what that strange smell Nala held was. But Dhm'Ni was even irate then him. He stalks up to the confined Yautja and quietly growls a warning at him.

“Do not touch her.” Dhm'Ni hisses, but Dhyot’te’ka just laughs at him.

“You will have to be more specific on ‘touch’, for I have already touched her. She and I have fought like you and her have. Now I see why you wish to keep her safe. She is one I will fight any for. Even you. ” Dhyot’te’ka hisses back. Dhm'Ni silently shakes his head and walks away, leaving him stuck to the wall.

“I came back for you at Kh’Chos and you were not there. Never do that again, do you understand?” Sya scolds her.

“I do. And I promise not to do it again.” Sya just sighs but smiles at her.

“Come, they are waiting.” Nala runs to her sweater, which now had a giant hole on the hood, and waves goodbye to all those who were watching. Dhm'Ni and Thr’ik already had a lift waiting and Sya was ushering for her to hurry. But as Nala runs to them, she stops at looks at Dhyot’te’ka who was still stuck to he wall.

“Having trouble?” She asks smugly.

“You are just going to leave me here, joined with the wall?” Dhyot’te’ka barks back.

“Umm…” Nala squints here eyes at him and smiles. “Yeah!” She turns her back to him and starts to walk away. Dhyot’te’ka was about to roar at her to get this off but his knees went weak when Nala suddenly giggles. He had to use the wall as support, he couldn’t understand it. Just the smell of her, just a simple giggle and he was hers. Dhyot’te’ka was speechless as he watches her gracefully stride away, her strange and curvy body swaying from her movement. He almost groans in displeasure when Nala puts her sweater back on, hiding her striking scars from him. But that’s ok. He would see her scars again. “Bye Dhyot’te’ka.” Nala giggles again as she steps onto the lift. Once the doors were closed, Dhyot’te’ka tries again to pull himself free from the staff that was stabbed through his loincloth but he couldn’t get out. And so, in a huff, he presses the two latches that rested on either side of his hips, causing his loincloth to fall from his waist. He slowly steps over the staff and walks around to the front and in one pull, the staff was free from the wall and his loincloth falls to the ground. Dhyot’te’ka unhurriedly places it back on, while the thought of Nalas body and scent threaten to take him over completely.

“You smell nervous.” Sya says calmly to Nala. She had cooled down from her fight with Dhyot’te’ka pretty fast but then she realized she was about to go meet everyone important.

“A little.” She responds. “Who exactly are going to be there?”

“All of the Arbitrators. There are seven of them in all, not including me. And also Lord Khupiee and Dhm'Ni.” Sya tells her.

“So why am I meeting them anyways?”

“Well, you have already met them. They were all present when Dhm'Ni and I brought you to the DropShip.”

“Oh them…uh oh.” Now she was nervous.

“What’s wrong?” Sya puts a hand on her back, he could suddenly tell she had become even more worried.

“I didn’t exactly have a good first meeting. I mean, one of them really doesn’t like me. Then the one that gave me his weapons…I can tell this is not going to go well.” Sya just sighs at her. She was so afraid of meeting them and yet she could do so many other things with out a hint of fear. Strange, very strange.

“Here we are.” Sya says happily. The lift doors open and Nala had to drop her mouth in astonishment. The same black and red striped walls were everywhere. But right in front of her was what she came to know as the Bridge. It was gigantic. All she could really see was Lord Khupiees chair, he seemed to really like big red chairs, and the tops of some Yautja heads and then the large screens at the far end of the room.

“Wow.” Nala quips. She was quickly ushered to the right where she walks down a long hallway. Dhm'Ni had been strangely quite as he walks behind them, Nala even looked back at him a few times but each time his head was looking down. Nala could see two guards at the front of very large doors, and as she got closer, they were staring at her with awestruck faces. They didn’t forget to open the doors though, and the only reason Nala kept walking was because Sya had his hand on her back. She would have stopped right then and there because the room was amazing. She didn’t really notice that all sitting at the table stood tall when she entered, she was looking around the room then at them. “Wow.” She repeats.

“I heard you have had a busy afternoon.” Lord Khupiee spoke first.

“That I did.” Nala whispers. They suddenly come to a stop and she finally looks around the group. Dhm'Ni had leaves her side and walks to his chair, but stands as the rest do. It took a moment for Nala to really look at them all, none of them were shorter then eight feet. But all were enormous and packed full of muscle. “Hello.” Nala at last got out. Everyone at the table nods to her and sits down. Nala didn’t really know what to do because there were wasn’t a seat for her but Sya pulls her to him as he sits. She quickly take a seat on his lap as she did when they were in the healers, but she found that she had enough room on him to sit cross legged.

“Time for introductions, I suppose.” Lord Khupiee begins to name off all of the attending, and when he got to Rathe, Nala quickly said ‘thank you’ again for his weapons. “Now, you will not be possible for you to understand what we are saying but I thought it important that you b hear anyways. It will be easier for us to speak Yautja because not all here can speak Ooman.”

“That’s okay, I am currently occupied.” Nala laughs.

“Occupied?” Sya asks before any other.

“I have never seen a room like this before. Who are they?” Nala motions to the many hanging tapestries of Yautja in fighting stances.

“That one there,” Lord Khupiee points to the one to his left. “If my father. And the one next to that, his father. And so on and so on. Soon I will up there, and Dhm'Ni will sit here.” Nala didn’t know that, she didn’t think that Dhm'Ni was going to be Clan Leader some day.

“There beautiful. But please, go on with your meeting.” She halfheartedly smiles to them. And in one second, the conversation went into a bunch click, chirps, growls and hisses. Somehow she knew that some were mad, but about what, she had no clue.

“Does she even know what this challenge means?” Dh’Kn bursts.

“She has yet to learn about the rules and such, so the mandatory three days will be used for her to learn.” Lord Khupiee answers. “Sya, what have you told her yet?”

“Nothing at all.” He didn’t wish to say that Dhyot’te’ka had taught her some things, it was his duty to teach her. “But as soon as this meeting is over, I will tell her all she needs to know for now.” Sya was actually nervous about tell Nala what the smell from Dhyot’te’ka meant. Or about her mating and even about the judgment. He was in mid thought when he felt his lower left mandibles being pulled gently. Sya slowly looks down to find Nala staring at his face while holding onto one mandible. “Having fun?” He asks in Ooman.

“Oh, sorry.” Nala sheepishly takes her hand back and blushes.

“Its alright, you can look if you like.” Sya smiles at her when she takes his mandible back in her hand. Nala gently pulls it until it couldn’t go any further and makes funny ‘oo’s and ‘aw’s sounds as she inspects his face.

“You allow her to touch you like she is your pup.” Pakka bursts.

“I know.” Was all Sya says in return. All of those sitting at the table make a strange face, he feels Nala to be one of his own…

“What happened to her face?” Inkle, who sits to Syas right, asks.

“When she feels embarrassed about something, blood rushes to her face.” Sya answers.

“What are you embarrassed about?” Lord Khupiee asks her in Ooman.

“I was touching his face without asking.” She quietly responds.

“The red blood in your body makes you face turn colors.” He laughs at her.

“I have blue blood in my body.” Nala laughs.

“What?” Sya barks.

“You have red blood, we know.” Lord Khupiee chuckles.

“Blue.”

“Red.”

“Blue!”

“Red! If this is what you meant by you ‘having a knack for pissing off superiors’, I have to say you are very good at it!”

“Well, hell. If you think this is me pissing you off I think we are going to have a lot of trouble. Considering the last superior I pissed off beat me within an inch of my life, I don’t think I am going to last long in a room with you.” She says very sternly.

“Why would you have been beaten?” Bakkub asks her.

“I refused to follow orders. Orders saying I had to go in with a small unit of Oomans and eliminate all in this tiny village. Men, women, children. When I refused to do it, he beat me like I had never been beaten. It took me three months to learn how to walk again.”

“Is that how you broke your left leg?” Bakkub was the only one composed enough to ask her, Sya couldn’t believe what was coming from her. And Lord Khupiee had to hold himself down to keep himself from ordering the DropShip back so he could kill this person.

“How…” Nala gasps.

“Kh’Cho was in here not to long ago, he scanned your body and we know of a lot of injuries you have.” Bakkub was quick to her answer. But Nala went silent in thought.

“So that’s how you knew of my knee?” Nala looks to Dhm'Ni with an emotionless face. “But he got what was coming to him. The unit sent in was bombed right after they finished and the general, the one who ordered me to go, kind of…died mysteriously…” Nala laughs.

“You killed him.” Sya bursts. “Didn’t you?”

“Maybe…” She says with a giant smile.

“Why would you kill him?” Lord Khupiee questions. “Revenge for hurting you?”

“I killed him as punishment for slaughtering an entire village.” Nala practically yells. Sya places his hand on her shoulder to calm her and Nala takes a deep breathe. “But he got enough pain for all those he ordered killed.”

“What did you do to him?” Sya asks. He knew from what Nala said she would have done to the male that abandoned her, it was going to be something horrific, and yet wonderful. Nala coolly takes Syas hand and opens it wide in front of her.

“I started to cut him apart, piece by piece. First each digit.” Nala softly touches Syas top digit on a finger. “Then each knuckle, then wrists. And then I started on his feet, toes, ankles. And then elbows and knees. He died when I stared on his hips. You should have heard him scream…” She whispers. Everyone a little more then silent.