The History of Tomorrow

The History of Tomorrow

Contradictions

Authors note: I claim no ownership of the Predator franchise. Warning: Yautja/Ooman pairing, descriptions of sexual intercourse and murder/death, and bad language. I will be using some information previously stated in ‘The Ripple of a Stone’, if any questions, please email me. Pronunciations at bottom. Good reading!

E.M.

“How do you know it is her?” Elder Rhd questions his son.

“She bears the mark of the Protected. How many other Oomans have you given that mark?” Aja says sarcastically. Elder Rhd hisses angrily at his son but doesn’t answer. “She still lives! I told you that day to kill her. And now look what’s come of it!”

“I gave her that mark to protect her Aja. You know as well as I if she had gone with out it she would have been hunted seasons ago for fighting me like she did.” Elder Rhd couldn’t understand why it had taken her so long to be found. Surly an Ooman that bares any Yautja mark would stand out. But where had she been all these seasons? Before Aja could get another word in, his father raises his hand to silence him and he turns to the group of waiting Yautja. “The hunt will go as ordered. Ajas group will now be lead by Okie. Nth’ta and Bthm will accompany myself and Aja to converse with the Ooman office. Continue.” Elder Rhd swipes his hand at the group and in a moment all who were left was himself, his son and the two he requested.

“What are we doing father?” Aja asks as he and the others follow the Elder back down the entry way to the standing group of Oomans. But Elder Rhd does not answer. He just walks in silence until he is in front of the Oomans. They never once looked at the Elder or the others. They knew to never look up unless spoken to.

“Ooman Harper.” Elder Rhd says in Ooman. The man was Jonathon Harper, who is the governor of Acropolis and he slowly looks up to the eight foot tall Elder. “We have had a disturbance and we wish to find the female who had committed the offence.” Aja instantly knew that his father wasn’t going to do something rash. It was the Elder himself who marked the female so long ago. That day is still fresh in Ajas memory like it was yesterday. They had come in like every other time but an Ooman pup accidentally walked into his father. After she was knocked unconscious by the Elder, he marked her so she would be protected. She had fought him well and the Elder knew that a hunter or two would be waiting for her to age and then hunt her for what she had done. But what really got Aja mad was he was the one who his father sent to deliver her to the District Office. He felt just a tad odd carrying a small Ooman pup around like it was one of his own. Even he never held any of his own pups like that.

“I am sorry Elder, we did not see who it was.” Harper explains.

“I believe she will be easy to recognize. She bares a mark of the Yautja, on her brow. She is the only Ooman with it and I am sue you must know of her.”

“Oh…” Harper trails off. “You are talking of Kella Matthews.” Aja couldn’t help but repeat her name in his head. Kella. Kella. Such an odd name.

“Do you know her to speak too?” Elder Rhd was getting a little irritated about speaking to this Ooman for so long. While most Yautja can verbalize it and understand it, it is not comfortable for the Elder to speak it to this Ooman. He didn’t seem right.

“No, only to speak about.” Both the Elder and Aja growl at the Oomans disrespect to a female. Well, Aja was angrier about him talking about her rather then being rude about a female. “But yes, she is trouble. She causes my Office great headaches.”

“Bring us to her.” While the two attending Yautja knew not to question him, Aja was not to smart at that moment.

“Why are we going to see the Ooman female?” Aja growls in Yautja so the Oomans couldn’t understand. His father on the other hand pretended that he didn’t hear him and just stared at the Ooman trough his mask. The Oomans greasy black hair and dark beady eyes were sickening to Elder Rhd. He just couldn’t understand it but this Ooman made him angry.

“Kella lives in this district but I am unsure of where to be exact. I will have to go and look. If you will excuse me?” Elder Rhd grunts at him and the Ooman and his three followers run off and into the small District office on the side of the entry way.

“Are you going to answer my question father?” Aja growls again.

“I have yet to decide if I am going to or not. Perhaps I will know once we get to her dwelling.” Elder Rhd laughs. They remain silent until the Oomans came back. Harper tells them the location of her home and offers to accompany them. Elder Rhd says he may come if he wishes, and oh did Harper wish it. For too long he has been trying to get her. To feel her as any man would. No matter what he did she never gave him anything. Maybe now he can watcher her die by the hands of the Yautja. Maybe she will beg him to make them stop…

“KEN!” Kella screams as she runs into her home.

“Greeting Kella. How was your day?” He asks.

“Lockdown!” Without another word, Ken starts to automatically close off her most secret areas. She knew that she shouldn’t push out the possibility that the Yautja would find her and she will not allow her belongings to be taken. Her basement, which she dug and built herself after she moved into this house, was not seen by anyone but her own eyes. And she would be dammed if the Yautja saw what was in there. The door to her basement, which looked like a floor to ceiling mirror, would be joined together by other mirrors to make it look as if it belonged there. To hide if from prying eyes. Even if the Yautja go through the spectrums of their mask, they would be unable to the room under her house. There were no heat signatures, no light, nothing. They may see it if they scan it, but the odds of that happening is in her favor. They will probably just come to kill her. Other lockdown procedures were to activate motion detectors on all her windows and doors in case someone would enter she would know about it in a second. But she also knew not to go into ‘complete lockdown’, that would mean her house would become almost impenetrable, metal walls would fall from the ceiling and cover the inside of her house. Shielding her from those outside by blocking all doors and windows. But if she did that, they would know exactly where to look.

“Contact Shop.” Kella, once she slams her door shut, leans against it and slides down until she was sitting so she could call her Aunt to see if she is ok.

“Oh gods Kella. Where have you been? I have been calling and calling. What happened?” Her Aunt Ellen’s voice comes over the house COM.

“I got the bag back. But are you two alright?” Kella asks in a hard breath.

“We are fine honey. But where have you been?” She was quiet for a moment. She knew that her Aunt is going to go crazy when she tells her but she needs to know.

“Aunt Ellen…” Kella trails off.

“Oh no, what did you do?” Aunt Ellen asks in a grave tone.

“You know my access codes to the house.”

“What did you do?” She asks again.

“The shop records are in the spare room.”

“What did you do?” Her voice was becoming frantic.

“The kitchen was just restocked with food.”

“KELLA ELIZABETH MATTHEWS! WHAT DID YOU DO?” Her Aunt screams.

“They saw me.” Kella whispers.

“Who they?”

“Take one guess.” Kella spat.

“The Yautja are not due for weeks.”

“Tell that to group of fifty of them on the ‘M-di H'chak’.” Kella grunts in pain as she stands. Her back was still aching from the Yautja talons and her road burn was in serious need of healing gel. Her entire body needs it.

“What happened, Kella? Please tell me.”

“I tracked that one guy and he crossed the street. I didn’t even know where I was until it was too late and some chased me. I got away but I can’t be sure if something will happen. You know everything that needs to be done if something does.”

“Do you want me to come over?”

“NO!” Kella barks. “If they come they will come for me and I don’t want you to die because of what I did.”

“I guess Mercedes is going to win then?” Out of the blue, Kella keels over laughing. “You did make a bet with her you know. About whether she was going to mate with a Yautja first or you will die by the hands of a Yautja first.”

“Yeah, I think I am going to win. You tell her she will owe you the bottle of C’ntlip.” Kella laughs. “I should go. I love you Aunt Ellen. Tell Uncle Shane that I love him too, alright?”

“Alright sweetie. I love you too. And don’t do anything stupid! If they don’t come for you, promise me that you will stay hidden from now on when they come.”

“Aunt Ellen…”

“Promise me!”

“I promise.” Kella gives in. “I have to go.”

“Good bye Kella.” With her last words, Kella ends the COM and she starts for her room. She never realized until now, but her life was so full of people she loved, of things she loved and she just messed it all up like that. She is so stupid. How could she have done that? She is so stupid!

“Ken.” Kella says softly.

“Yes Kella.”

“Ready the shower, hot water.” She says as she steps into her room. With great pain, Kella rips off her cloths, throwing them into a corner to be thrown out later. Not only was her loincloth caked in blood, but the cuffs of her shirt were also stained from her hands. She steps into her bathroom, the hot steaming water was steaming up the entire room, and for a moment looks in the mirror. Well, what could be seen from the steam that was on there. Her neck shows a small red line from where her necklace had been torn off her. Her hands had so many tiny paper cut like wounds that she could barely move them and her back. Even as she tried to look at it she sinkers at the sight. Four scrapes about three or four inches long and right on the small of her back. She’s going to have scars from them. Even with the healing gel, that she illegally acquired from a dealer, wouldn’t keep it from scaring. But that’s alright. Right now she just needs to wash. To get the dirt and grim from her body and then she will wait for them. If they come, she will fight. If not…she’ll think of what to do when she gets there.

While the Oomans offered to transport the Yautja in one of their bytte, a car like vehicle, the Yautja declined. Walking would allow them to approach the house in silence, in case the female is in. But even if she was, they could get in without her knowing. The Yautja built the city, they know how to shutdown a house with ease. And that’s what they did.

Aja silently laughs to himself as they come within sight of her home. And of course, the female had to have it white. It was a stark contrast to the silver and black dwellings around her. But she had to be different. Kella. Elder Rhd was the first to walk up to the large front doors. While the Ooman Harper was behind him to access the house. He walks up to the key pad that all houses have for the owner to unlock it and punches in a code that disarms the houses system. And when the automated voices says that all systems are off, Harper steps to the side, after opening the door, and allows the four Yautja to enter first. Kella really likes white… Aja thinks to himself. They walk right into the house and into a living room all furnished in white. To the front of them was a set of stairs and to the other side was the kitchen. They also know there were rooms in the back of the house but Harper knew she wasn’t there.

“Are we sure this is the females dwelling?” Elder Rhd asks.

“Without a doubt.” Aja thrills in laugher. His father turns to him to find Aja pointing back to the doors they just came through and smeared down the back was Ooman blood.

“Miss. Matthews is in the shower at the time. I can hear the water running.” Harper says slyly. They are going to catch her naked…Perhaps when they take her head, he will take her body after…

“Then we will wait for her up there.” Elder Rhd points to the stairs and they quickly climb them to the only room at the top floor. “The female seems to have a fondness for the sacred color of Paya.” Elder Rhd says in Yautja.

“That she does.” Aja laughs. Her room, which was large even to him, was furnished with only a large bed that was right in the middle and that was it. There was one door to which the female could come and go from, and so the four large Yautja, who seemingly didn’t need to crouch to fit into her room, make a half circle around the door so she couldn’t escape. Again.

After Kella was pleased with her clean body, she turns the shower off and starts to dry herself off. But as she goes into the linen closet, she only finds a small head towel. She will have to go down to the laundry to get another towel but in the mean time, Kella picks up a round tub of healing gel and starts out of the bathroom. She places the towel over her face to get the water off and walks into her room.

But something was off.

Even with the towel on her face, she knew that someone is in her room. They found her. They are in her room. Kella stops in her tracks, drops the tub of gel to the ground and slowly takes the towel from her face. She didn’t dare open her eyes. She allows the towel to fall to the ground and she lowers her head.

“Do you think she knows we are here?” Nth’ta sarcastically asks and laughs. Ajas eyes go wide under his mask, she was dripping wet and naked from head to toe. Her eyes we closed, her head was down but she knew they were there. Kella. He couldn’t get her name out of his head. Kella. And he couldn’t keep his eyes from trailing down her Ooman body. It was so different from their females. She was small, supple. She even looked delicate but he knew other wise. Her breasts were immaculate, her perfectly round pink nipples were hardening from fear and from the coolness of the water. Her hairless junction between her legs looked rather strange to Aja. He knew that Oomans have patches of fur on them. But where was hers? No matter.

She’s beautiful…

“Kella Matthews.” Elder Rhd calls her and she flinches hard. Kella raises her head to look to where the voice came from, which was right in front of her. And she opens her eyes. Kella gasps out of pure fear when her eyes meet the mask of the high Elder, his long black cape giving away his identity. Elder Rhd smiles under his mask at her face again. It was the same on from when she was a pup. But in an instant, Kella rips her eyes away from his face and to his chest. She knows not to look into his face with out being talked too. “Is this the female who you chased?” Elder Rhd looks to his son and asks in Yautja.

“Definitely. I recognize the scent of her blood from here.” Aja hisses angrily. Something wasn’t right with him. He just caught himself staring at the females’ breasts and what made him even more furious with himself was that he wanted to keep looking. He wasn’t sure what he liked more, the fact that this female seemed to be unafraid of him as he chased her, or that at this very moment, she was naked in front of him.

“Do you intend on standing there all day?” Kella asks out of impatient to die. Elder Rhd immediately begins laughing at her and she smiles sheepishly. A sudden and unknown jerk of Ajas stomach hits him when he sees her smile for the first time. A real smile. Not the evil one she flashed him before. This one was different, this one was nice. Kella finally had the courage to look around the room. At first glance she saw four of them and one of them was the one that was chasing her earlier. But she didn’t care because at that moment, she saw Harper looking at her chest. “Get out of my house.” She growls. Harper knew she was talking to him, but he didn’t care.

“No.” Harper almost screams at her. But when he did, all four Yautja hiss at him and fiercely turn there heads to him.

“The female told you to get out of her home. Either you go on your own accord or I throw you out of the window.” Elder Rhd hisses. He will never understand the way Oomans treat their females. But that just shows how stupid their males are. Particularly this Harper. Yelling at a female who clearly detested him and yet he was so belligerent to her. But Harper knew not to question the Elder so he and his followers quickly leave the house running.

“Thank you.” Kella whispers and lowers her head again.

“Now are you going to tell me why we had to see the female?” Aja ask his father.

“I am curious of your life Kella Matthews.” Alright, Aja got his answer and Kella got the shock of her life.

“My life…” She stumbles.

“I find it strange that it has taken so long for my eyes to see you again. What I had given you, I knew that you would be safe from Yautja hands but from Oomans…”

“What you gave me?” Kella blurts before she could stop herself.

“Your mark.” Elder Rhd raises his hand to touch her face but Kella instinctively bats it away. All three of the Other Yautja hiss at her but the Elder just laughs.

“I think we know what happens when you extend your hand at me.” Kella says in a shaking voice.

“That we do. But the mark on your brow, that is the mark of the Protected.” Her mouth drops and her breath catches in her throat. “Didn’t you find it odd that an Ooman like you, so strong and worthy of being taken as a trophy, had gone unharmed for all these seasons?”

“Well, I… My father forced me to hide when ever you guys came back here…” Kella couldn’t help but start shaking in fear that maybe she did something wrong and what the hell he meant by her being protected?

“And what made you come out now?” Elder Rhd takes one small step closer to Kella but she stands her ground.

“I didn’t know you were going to be here. You weren’t meant to be back on ground for weeks. But even then I wouldn’t have hid any longer. My father past four years ago and I haven’t hid since.”

“You heart is racing. What are you so afraid of?” Elder Rhd asks out of the blue. Kella didn’t really know how to answer that at first.

“I have four Yautja in my bedroom.” She says strong and then all four Yautja laugh at her. “I have just been told by one, the one that I gave a scar to, that he gave me a mark to protect me and now he is asking why I am afraid.”

“We cannot hunt you Kella Matthews.”

“Please, just call me Kella.” She bows her head respectively.

“Kella.” Elder Rhd responds. “I gave you that mark because the day we fought, some hunters thought you to be worthy and I knew they would wait for you to come of age and then they would hunt you. I couldn’t have that. I wouldn’t allow such a brave little pup like you die because of a mistake. A mistake that you have repeated.” He laughs.

“It was not my intention of crossing that street again.” She tries to defend herself.

“Then why were you on it?” Elder Rhd barks.

“The male I was chasing stool goods from my family store. I wouldn’t let him get away and I was too preoccupied with my task that I had not seen where I was going.” Kella pauses for a moment, she knew she had something else to say to the high Elder but she just couldn’t get it out. “Elder…I apologize for being so rude to you that day.” Kella lowers her head to bow again and Elder Rhd snorts at her.

“Raise you head Kella.” She does so with great difficulty. “I accept your apology. I still wish to speak with you however.”

“May I dress first?” Kella pleads. “I’m feeling a breeze.” She laughs. Aja was mesmerized by her. Even as she stood there, she was so strong. He could hear her heart beat wildly out of fear and panic. While his beat madly out of something he wouldn’t acknowledge.

“If you wish.” Elder Rhd nods to her and Kella quickly grabs the fallen bottle of gel, her towel and runs into the bathroom. She gently closes the door and sighs as she rests against it.

“Holy C’jit.” She says softly, but those on the other side of the door heard her just fine and quietly laugh.

“Do you hate her that much Aja?” Elder Rhd asks his son in Yautja. But Aja doesn’t answer. “I can hear your heart beat out of anger for losing her. It must be tearing you to look at her, knowing you will never have her.” His laughs. But again, Aja doesn’t answer. While he knew what his father was saying, that he wouldn’t be able to have her head. But he was thinking something else. Something he knew he could never have. Kella…

After five minutes, the Elder was getting restless and tells Aja to go into the room to get her. And after another five minutes of arguing, Aja walks to the door and carefully opens it. Kella, dressed in a white knee length loincloth and a white top that left her entire back exposed, was standing with her bask to a long mirror. But when Aja came bursting in, she yelps in surprise to see him in her bathroom.

“Why do you take so long?” Aja growls at her. Kella quickly hides the bottle of gel, which she was attempting to use on her back scratches but was having a hard time, behind her back and Aja saw her move. “What are you hiding?” He walks closer to her.

“Nothing…” Kella whispers. The Yautja stood at least eight feet tall and he was terrifying. Aja knew she was lying. He could see the reflection of a bottle behind her back from the mirror and he softly laughs at her.

“Do you really think you are hiding it?” He says and points behind her. Kella slowly looks to see the reflection, then looks back at him and smiles knowing she just got caught. Aja had to smirk at her bashful smile. Kella shows him the gel and he asks what she was doing with it.

“Trying to heal this.” Kella turns around and shows her back to him. Well, he was looking at her bottom when she was showing her wounds. “It’s kind of hard to get them because of the spot.” Aja knew all to well about trying to heal a wound on his back. He has too many to count on him. Before Kella could protest, Aja grabs the open bottle of gel and shoves her against the wall. “What the hell?” She spits. But Aja didn’t care what she said. He dips his finger in the blue gel and caringly smears it on each of the four scrapes. And as he was doing so, he couldn’t help but look over her back. Her peach skin was glowing from the sun that was given away from the large window. He couldn’t help but trace his eyes up and down her spine as it was indented on her body. Every time his rough finger would touch her cut skin, she would moan in pain and arch her back against the offending finger. And every time he heard her, Aja had to shake his head of his thought. But her back, as marked as it was…She is so beautiful. “Ouch.” Kella seethes as one of Ajas talons hits her wounds roughly. He swiftly took his hand back and turns her around to face him.

“You can do that rest by yourself out there. My father withes to speak with you.”

“You father?” Kella asks stunned. “You mean, the Elder?” Aja simply nods to her and leaves the room with her right behind him. When they walk out, the other three had kneeled on the ground and were clicking away.

“I apologize for taking so long. I am healing some wounds.”

“I saw them.” Elder Rhd laughs. “Aja got you well didn’t he?” Kella looks over to Aja, who just sat down, and relishes in the idea of knowing his name. Aja…

“Not only him.” Kella laughs and sits on her knees as well and starts to spread the gel on her road rashes and hands. The odd group of four Yautja and one Ooman ended sitting in a circle with Kella sitting in between the two she had never seen before. “What is it you would like to speak about Elder?”

“Please call me Elder Rhd. And I don’t really know what I wish to speak to you about.” Kella tilts her head on confusion and they all laugh at her. “You are the one and only Ooman ever given the mark of Protection. And I wish to know what you have done with your life. You are strong, agile, but what do you do with your abilities?”

“I am the Caretaker of my district.” Kella says sternly.

“Why is that?” Elder Rhd barks in uncertainty. “The Ooman Harper is the one who cares for this City.” Kella accidentally scoffs at his words and her face shows her anger toward the Ooman. “You do not like him?” He laughs.

“Did you see the way he looked at me? Disgusting. And he is anything but a protector of Acropolis. If I were not here, this District would be covered in prostitutes, drugs and warfare. Why do you think there are so many families in this District and not in any other?” Elder Rhd was speechless for a moment. He didn’t think she was doing what she was. But he was impressed. As well as Aja. His heart had, up till now, stayed at its uncontrollable pace. But as he sat down and began to really look her over, his heart slowed to a pace that he knew no one could over hear. He chocked it up to being further away from her. But he knew it was because he could watch her and not seem as though he was stealing a look.

“Are there more of you? More of these caretakers?” Kella softly laughs and shakes her head ‘no’.

“One of a kind. My parents trained me to protect myself against the Yautja. They knew that someday I would be hunted. I guess they were wrong.” Kella warmly laughs at her memories. “Can I get you anything?” Kella blurts, a sudden urge of being a hostess to four full grown male Yautja showing through.

“What would you be able to offer us?” Bthm laughs.

“I have aged C’ntlip that I was saving for a special occasion. I think this occasion calls for me to open it for all of you.” The three hunters look to the Elder almost pleadingly and he nods gratefully at getting his first taste of C’ntlip in the season.

“One question before we go however.” The Elder interrupts as they start to stand. “Just how is it that you have come by all these Yautja items?” Kella freezes mid way up off the ground and looks at him like a deer in head lights.

“I think I will need C’ntlip to tell you.” She laughs and leads them down the stairs to the society room. The room, white of course, was covered in pillows of all sizes and in the middle was a low table meant for serving. Kella asks them to sit while she gets the drink for them. But in her kitchen, Kella had to lean over the counter so not to fall over. She had Yautja in her house. YAUTJA IN HER HOUSE! How could this have happened? She thought today was going to be a good day. Well, she isn’t to sure if that statement will be true or not because today has yet to end.

Kella swiftly grabs the bottle of C’ntlip with its accompanying shot glasses. The small crescent moon shaped glasses were always a favorite of Kellas. They were beautiful and when she was a child, she would place colored water in a bunch of them then rest the glasses on her windowsill to watch the sun cast the colors into her room. But today she was serving Yautja. And she needed some C’ntlip herself so before she left the kitchen with the items on a platter, Kella pours a small glass of orange juice for her to mix with her own. Just as she was about to exit the kitchen Kella stops as breathes deeply before she walks the hallway into the society room.

Kella enters the room, ready to set the platter down but when she looks to the four Yautja, she finds them all without their masks and she stops dead in her track to stare at them. The four stop their current conversation, which was about an incident that occurred that included C’ntlip and a few to many Unbloods, but when they saw Kella enter, and freeze, they all burst out laughing at her.

“Still so wary of our faces, Kella?” Elder Rhd thrills in laugher.

“Well, uhh…” Kella stagers to the table to shakily place the tray down and sit next to Elder Rhd because it was the only open spot. “I think I am improving. Considering the first time I ever saw you I literally fell over.” Only the Elder, Aja and Kella laugh because the other two hadn’t been there that day.

“I do not understand.” Nth’ta says in utter confusion. Before the Elder explained, he introduces the unnamed Hunter to Kella, and she bows her head to say hello.

“When Kella was a pup,” Elder Rhd began to talk, but he stops when he sees Kella start to pour the C’ntlip into the glasses. “What are you doing Kella?” He asks firmly, causing Kella to stop instantly and look back to him.

“Serving you drinks.” She says warily.

“Females do not serve males.” Aja blurts before anyone.

“I think you four have forgotten what planet you are one. And it would be my honor to serve you.” She looks appealingly to Elder Rhd who reluctantly nods to allow her to finish. Kella into four of the glasses and begins to give them to each hunter.

“When she was a pup, she ran into me on the entry way and she thought I was going to kill her for being on there. But she didn’t even know where she was for a moment, but when she looked up at me, she fell over. Oh, what were your words Kella?” Elder Rhd was finding it amazingly easy to speak with her. Quite unlike that Ooman Harper.

“’ You should take my life quick, end my family line just as you started to’. I truly thought I was going to die there.” Kella, once finished pouring the amber colored liquid in each glass, hands one to each Yautja. Serving Elder Rhd first of course, Kella made note of their Bloodining mark. A simply horizontal line about two inches long and in the middle was a half circle. It looked almost like a sun setting on a horizon. But as she leans over the table to place Ajas in front of him, he eagerly grabs hold of the glass, with a few fingers of Kellas hand still linked to it. She looks up to him for the first time and his eyes wee staring hard at her. Kella couldn’t help but acknowledge the strange electric jolt slowly running down her spine and then back up. Her body felt like Aja was digging into her soul, mercilessly seeing everything she is just by looking at her. So not to seem like he meant to do it, Aja allows her fingers go and Elder Rhd continues talking.

“She then brandished a long knife that was about the size of her arms length at the time and managed to cut me quite well.” Even though she was not looking at Aja any longer, Kella still saw his face trough her eyes. He rather striking, three long scars on the right side of his face were very prominent with one of the one his brow and down his cheek but luckily for him, it didn’t seem to have hit his eye. She instantly knew it was a Hard Meat that caused him such scars and couldn’t help but think he was incredible just from that sight of them. Kella begins to pour a small amount of C’ntlip into her own glass then adds the orange juice.

“What are you doing?” Bthm questions her.

“I am Ooman, and if I have more then one small glass of C’ntlip, I will die of alcohol poisoning.” Kella smiles at him.

“Why would you say to the Elder to end your family line like he started to?” Bthm asks again.

“Her grandfather was the Ooman who spat in my face all those seasons ago.” Almost instantaneously, the other two Yautja burst laughing at the memory. Kella softly sips her glass while the others down their own. The Elder groans in satisfaction of such a wonderful C’ntlip. “How old did you say this was Kella?” Elder Rhd asks.

“Well, over my lifetime, over my mothers’ lifetime. Ironically it was given to my grandfather, he past it down to his child saying that it should only be opened on a joyous occasion.” Kellas eyes suddenly flick to Aja, who was staring at his hand holding the drink but she soon changed her view to the Elder and smiles. “My grandfather didn’t think it to be such a nice gift, considering he was not very accepting of the take over, but nonetheless, a friend of his gave him the bottle as congratulations on the new baby, my mother. But I thought that now was the best time to open it.”

“Now that you have your drink, perhaps you will tell me the answer to my question.” Elder Rhd says sternly.

“Most of the items I have were gifts from others. The healing gel, for example, was from a healer who had accidentally had some delivered to him.”

“And the weapons…” Aja softly points out. Kella goes quiet and slowly looks to him again. His golden eyes were so unfeeling to her, they were stark of emotion as he looks at her. But she was so wrong. Aja was trying his hardest not to smile as her eyes feel on him. Her amazing blue eyes were more beautiful than any water, even the Ooman sky would be envious of the color.

“Some were past down to me by my grandfather. He was not a very nice man. He would raid Yautja ships that would come down to the planet during the last years of the take over. He would take anything he wished and then hid them away. He never even told my grandmother of what he was doing. It was only when she died and I cleaned their old home did I find everything.”

“And why did you not bring them back to us?” Elder Rhd didn’t really mind that she had them because she was doing well with them, but he still had a job to do.

“I found a better use for them.” Kella lowers her head in shame for having their weapons.

“I agree with you and that is why I am not going to force you to give them back.” Kella snaps her head at Elder Rhd with a giant smile that completely melted Aja. He had to get out of there. What was he thinking? She’s Ooman. For Payas sake, she IS Ooman. He shouldn’t be entranced by her smile, her stunning eyes, her strange yet beautiful body, her laugh…He needs to get out of there.

“Father,” Aja starts in Yautja. “Perhaps we should get back to the hunt.” He suggests. Elder Rhd sadly nods to him, knowing that he should and knowing that he was going to leave an excellent C’ntlip unfinished, but he needed to go.

“I am afraid our time has ended Kella, for now. We must leave to finish a hunt.” All of them stand from the table and Kella escorts them to the door. She opens the large door, seemingly coated in her blood, for them. Once outside, they turn to her and bow in appreciation for her kindness of serving drinks. Kella was stunned to say the least but she wished to show how she was honored in her deed and bows to them as well.

“Perhaps another time we can finish the bottle. I would hate finish it with any other then who I started it with.” Kella smiles warmly at Elder Rhd.

“Another time.” He laughs.

“Why are they staring at us?” Nth’ta, unnerved by all the stares he was getting, points out that her neighbors her looking at them through their windows.

“They are already suspicious of me, and now I have had four Yautja in my house. I will bet you a whole bottle of C’ntlip that by the end of this cycle, they will all have moved away.” She laughs.

“That only makes me wish to come back even more.” Elder Rhd, along with the others, give her one last bow before turning and leaving. Kella slowly closes the door and curses herself for having blood on her wall. But she could clean it later. She had to put the C’ntlip away so it would keep. She swiftly gets back into the society room and starts to clean the glasses, but she notices that Aja didn’t drink his at all. But why would he have so roughly grabbed that glass before if he didn’t intend of drinking it.

Aja…

It’s a beautiful name…

Aja…

Kella shivers as she recalls how he looked at her so ruthlessly. He must loath her for getting away from him. But why should he care anyways? She is protected by the Elder. She can’t be hunted. While normally in this world knowing that you are safe from Yautja hands would be a god send, but not to Kella. She still has things to do that she knew she had to and that they might get her killed. But no matter what the Elder had given her can protect her completely and she should never expect it to be like that. This world, this world is not a place to feel like you are safe because odds are, you either have a Yautja on your back or an Ooman to your front.

Once outside, the four Yautja instantly cloak and silently cross to a neighboring building to call the leaders of each group on the Bad Blood hunt. When Elder Rhd was done with each group leader, he signals for Both Nth’ta and Bthm to go into their previous groups to make for the lost hunter. While he and Aja were to go alone.

“Why were you in such a hurry to leave her dwelling Aja? Fearful you might lunge across the table and take her head?” Hi father laughs at him while they still sit on the rooftop.

“Something like that…” Aja trails off. He would have lunged across the table but not to take her head. “I am distressed of the fact we have yet to find the Bad Blood.”

“As am I.” Elder Rhd hisses. “But I shall go on my own to track him. The group led by Hyol confirms that the male hunted an Ooman male last nightfall. I will go join their group to get information then go out on my own.”

“I think I will go on my own as well father. I have a few ideas.” Aja thrills. Elder Rhd shakes his sons shoulder before jumping off the rooftop and heading, thinking that his son would do that same.

But he was wrong.

Aja didn’t move from his perch on top the roof and he knew he wasn’t going to leave it. Even as his mind kept yelling to leave, ‘go hunt. You should not be here, she is Ooman, OOMAN!’ but he wouldn’t listen to it. He wants to watch Kella. He wants to just see her again. Aja was now regretting asking his father to leave her home. Something in him was screaming to go back into the house. To say something like ‘I think I may have left my mask in your society room.’ But that wouldn’t work, he had his mask on, that would just be stupid. He could go back to see how she is healing. He did injure her so it does give him a way in. but then again, he did heal them for her. He touched her skin…Her smooth, silky, flawless skin…

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

Aja shakes his head hard of his thoughts, his could not and WOULD not allow the sight of Kellas naked leave his mind. But no matter how he wished to go back into her house, he would not. But he could sit and watch her. Just to see her form through the window, or her red figure with one of his sights…

Kella…

Once Kella had put everything back to its rightful place and cleaned the bloody wall, she didn’t know what else to do. She really didn’t feel like going to se this ‘White Dragon’ guy and she sure as hell didn’t feel like going to a club with Mercedes. What would she think about this when she tells her? Mercedes would probably wish to know what they looked like so she could have someone knew to picture when she and her boyfriend mate. She should call her aunt though. But what would she tell her? Because the Yautja did come to her. Elder Rhd came to her and told her of what the sign meant and Aja…

Aja…

She didn’t know why, but Kella suddenly smiles. He was impressive. Strong. Masculine. But he seemed to detest her. He only ever talked with her or came into contact with her out of need or accident. He only healed her because she was taking so long and he by mistake touched her hand while reaching for his glass. But he didn’t drink it. So why was he so instant on getting it? What if he wanted to touch her? What if he meant to grab her fingers like that?

Out of now where, Kellas entire body shivers.

Why would want to? She’s Ooman, he would never wish anything more then her skull but now she was questioning that. Aja knew that she cannot be hunted, so why was he so keen on taking the glass so swiftly… Kella just pushes the thoughts away and goes to clean her room. Her bloody cloths were still on her floor. But before she should do anything, she should call her Aunt. Kella calls out for Ken, after she reactivated him, to contact the Shop and sure enough, her Aunt was irate.

“So they just came in and talked to you?” Her Aunts voice seemingly sounding unbelieving.

“I swear to you Aunt Ellen. The Elder just wished to talk to me, he even told me about my sign.”

“Just because he says you are protected does not mean you are safe.” She points out and Kella sighs heavily.

“I know that. But you should have been here!” Kella plops down onto a long couch and grabs a pillow to hug. “There were four of them. FOUR! But one didn’t seem to like me...”

“And you care if a Yautja likes you because?” Kella goes quiet for a second.

“Well, his name is Aja. And he was the one chasing me before. I served drinks to a Yautja that wished to kill me. He was sitting right across from me and I could almost feel the disgust radiate off him.”

Outside on the roof Aja, who had used his mask to pick up the sounds in her house, was listening in on her conversation. He knew it was wrong. But her voice…

“So he hates you? So what?”

“I don’t think he hates me Aunt Ellen. But I don’t know what he thinks of me. And I don’t know why I care. Perhaps it is because he is the Elders son.”

“I think there is an unwritten law somewhere that says ‘Kella must piss off the members of this one family so she dies’.” Together the two laugh at her words. Kella did have a tendency to anger groups of people at a time. And it just so happens that right now, that was a group of Yautja.

“I think it is time for me to go Aunt Ellen. I have had a weird day and my pillow is calling to me.” Kella laughs. The two were quick to say their goodbyes but Kella didn’t go to sleep, she heated up some hot chocolate and grabs her current book and sits down on her big comfy couch to read.

By night fall, Kella had all but finished her book. She only had about twenty pages left and she was taking her time to read it. Sometimes she would force herself to go faster but then she would miss things here and there, so she made herself slow down. Aja didn’t mind her that she was so still, the giant windows to her house made it easy for him to look in and he hadn’t taken his eyes off her since she sat down. She seemed to be engrossed in the reading material she had. He wondered what it was about that made it so enticing. But what made Ajas mind go wild, was that Kella said she cared what he thought of her. She didn’t know why but she did. But she did…

Kella was right in the middle of a sentence when there was a soft sound of something falling. It may have been one of the neighbors cats jumping off the fence into her yard again, but it also could have been someone. What if the Yautja are back? What if Aja is back?

Kella heart starts racing uncontrollably at her thought.

What if it is Aja? What if he is here to kill her? But he wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t. And besides, a Yautja would never allow themselves to be heard like that. Someone was at her house. And her bet is it was someone from this ‘White Dragon’.

She heard it again.

That same thump. Kella now knew for sure that someone was at her house and she just knew it wasn’t the paper boy. She jumps up from her couch and dashes into her basement. Aja jerks at her sudden movement and changes his mask to show thermal readings just in time to watch Kella run into the ground. Literally. Her signature just runs into a room that he couldn’t see, but the second Kella turns on the light, he saw everything. The room was the entire size of her main floor but as to what was in it, he had no clue. Kella on the other hand began to attach every useful item she could think of. Hanging string, blades, knives, shurikens, strapping on holsters for even more weapons on her legs and arms. But the one thing she didn’t forget was her thermal eyes pieces. These were small eyes attachments that would suck onto the skin around her eyes and from them, she would be able to see thermals. She was ready for what ever or who ever was at her house. She climbs the stairs silently, not knowing yet if they were in her house yet.

Aja couldn’t think of what she was doing, he pans out to see the whole house and he just about roars in surprise to see four Ooman signatures skulking around her home. But before he did something stupid, Aja stops himself because Kella seemed to already know. Why else would she be so elusive in her own home.

Kella softly tells Ken to turn off the lights, making those outside think she went to sleep already. She creeps through an open window and stars to circle her home. The front was expectably bare of life, but as she turns the corner, two very bright red figures are seen looking in a window.

“Do you think the bitch is asleep?” One of them whispers.

“The lights are off. She must just be getting into bed…” A very disgusting laugh comes from him after his words and Kella was quick to end their thoughts with her favorite shuriken. Instead of keeping with her path, Kella backtracks to the other side of her house, leaving her backyard to last. And sure enough, there was one large male attempting to get into her house by the side door to her kitchen. As she slowly approaches behind him, she can hear him huffing and groaning to himself.

“This bitch had better be worth what the White Dragon says.” He grunts.

“Doubt it.” Kella laughs. The male turns around fast only to get a blade through his throat before he can scream. His dead and bloodied body slums to her feet and she gingerly walks away to creep around the corner to her back yard. Kella decides to walk around the large buses that fence her yard so she can go around if there is more then one gang member left. As she makes it to a far bushel of tree, Kella pokes her head through to find only one of them, standing alone.

And he was young.

Thirteen. Fourteen at most. But he was clearly not meant to be here. While petit, the kid was built. His muscle mass made up for his lagging height that, to Kella, guesses had yet to finish. This kids balls probably haven’t dropped yet. But she could tell that he was scared, his blue eyes were wide in fear and his blonde head was searching this way at that.

What was she waiting for? Aja thought. She took out the other three and now only has one left. But she has gone to the back. I should move to get a better view. Aja, with all the grace his Yautja form had trained with, skillfully jumps from one roof top to another until he had a clear view of Kella crouching in trees while looking at the male. And then Aja saw why she waited. The male was in his adolescence. His size was a clear indication of that. But what was she going to do with him…

Once the kid turns so his back was to her, Kella charges at him with punches the back of his head with all she had. Instantly knocked out, the blonde falls face first to the grass. Kella swiftly but carefully ties the kids hands together and slings the hanging rope over one of the large wooden beams to her garden tress and lifts him so his toes were barely touching the ground but he was still out cold. Taking her time, Kella does one last sweep of her house and gets Ken to turn on all her lights. Before she heads back to the kid, Kella fills a cup of freezing cold water and walks out only to throw it into his face. Gasping and cringing from both the pain of the cold water and the hit, the kid jerks awake.

“Morning sunshine.” Kella laughs. The kid was silent as can be and scowls at her. But that’s alright that he was quiet. It won’t stay like that for long. To use the peaceful time she had, Kella starts to take off every bit a piece of her armor and weaponry to gently set them on the patio table, allowing the kid to see each piece she had on to her scare him. Once her eyes pieces were off, she turns back and walks right up to his face. “What’s your name kid?” His blue eyes squint at her in defiance. “Yautja got you tongue?” Kella sighs with a heavy heart and grasps a very threatening knife from the table. She makes her way back to him and she loves the look of pure fear in his eyes, but she wasn’t going to do anything like that to him. Kella swiftly cuts away his leather vest, conveniently with the white dragon on the back, then cuts off his black shirt to reveal an already badly bruised body. “What’s your name kid?” She repeats but still gets nothing back. “I can see that you already have been beaten, but I am warning you now, I have ways of making you scream like you have never in your life and I wont leave a mark. What’s your name?”

“Aaron.” He whispers.

“Now we are getting some where!” Kella says happy and places her knife back down. “Tell me Aaron, what are you doing at my home?” But he was quiet. “Alright, lets’ start with something easer. How many are here?”

“F four…” Aaron stutters.

“Well, only one now. I got your friends.” She says gravely. “Why are you at my house?”

“We were sent to kill you.”

“By…” Aaron lowers his head, ripping his eyes from hers. “Who sent you?” Kella asks as she steps closer to lift his head to hers. But he was still defiant. “Who sent you?” She asks again while at the same time, Kella places a hand just below his right elbow, but stops abruptly when she feels track marks. “Do you do it on your own, or are you forced to stay in the gang to get your fix?”

“They…they make me…” Aaron gets out between shivering breathes.

“Tell me who sent you.” Kella asks harder. But Aaron was still silent. Kella sighs and gently starts to push in where her fingers laid and began to put even more force on a pressure point on his arm. Aaron tries to keep the pain away but clinching his teeth and grunting but it wouldn’t help. And within seconds, he screams out of agony. “Tell me who sent you. And this can end before it really starts.”

“The White Dragon.” Aaron screams.

“Well, I know it’s the White Dragon, but what’s his name?” She puts even more weight into her fingers and Aaron starts to wriggle around to get away but Kella pulls his body close to her with her other arm to keep him steady and to have his eyes inline with her. ”What’s his name?” She whispers.

“I don’t know.” Aaron, now crying giant salty tears, screams. Within a second, Kella steps away from him, giving him time to recover.

“I can understand that you do not know you gang leaders name. Where is your gang stationed? What District?”

“Beta.” Aaron gasps. “On Edom Road. It’s the only warehouse. He’s always there.”

“You wouldn’t lie to me now would you Aaron?” Kella walks closer and the kid tried to back away but he was tied with is hands up in the air and he had no where to go. “Would you Aaron?” Kella walks behind the kid and places her fingers at another point that she knew would cause an insurmountable amount of pain. “Would you Aaron?” She whispers into his ear while putting weight into her fingers. Aaron shrieks in suffering, his cries so loud that she knew it would wake the neighbors. But they are used to it. She would do this every once and awhile to people at her house. They were also accustomed to her screaming as well, but those are sinful screams…

“Alright!” The kid cries out and Kella lightly relieves the pressure but still not taking her hand away from him. “It’s the house that’s right next to it. He makes us tell people that it’s the warehouse so they can be ambushed.” Kella releases him completely and Aaron groans in appreciation.

“How long have you been in the gang Aaron?” Kella asks as she walks to be in front of him again.

“A few weeks.”

“Why? Why did you join it?”

“My parents kick me out and I had no where else to go. They were druggies and when I asked them not to bring it in to the house, my moms’ boyfriend bet me. But you can see what came of it.”

“So you went to the White Dragon gang and they got you hocked on what?”

“C’ntlip.” Kella heave a great sigh. While the old drugs were still used widely, Oomans found a way to turn C’ntlip into something you can inject and it soon became the biggest and deadliest thing. It can takes months to come off the withdrawals and it really messes everything about a person.

“How much have they got you on?”

“Two Tear Drop.” Meaning two large drops from an eye dropper.

“C’jit. Then it’s going to take a few months for you to get clean.” Aaron’s eyes suddenly look to her but she couldn’t make if it was fear or excitement. “What?”

“They won’t let me. As much as I want to, they won’t let me. The White Dragon won’t let me.”

“You will not have to worry about him for to much longer Aaron. If you told me the truth…” Aaron quickly and agreeably nods his head ‘yes’. “Then tonight is the White Dragons last night to breath and your last night to suffer.” With her words, Kella right hooks the kid, sending his head backwards and he was out cold. She unties him from her porch and lets him rest on the ground for a moment while she goes inside to call her friends at the local detox centre and her cleanup crew. When those deeds were done, Kella effortlessly slings the young kid over her shoulder and wait for his pick up.

“What do we got here?” Andrew, the man from the detox center, asks as he gets out of his bytte.

“Gang kid. Young. And tonight his gang is going to disappear so he will need a place to cleanse.”

“So what’s he worth to you?” Andrew asks while grabbing the limp body from Kella.

“Let’s say, two hunting sheers?” The only way for some of the kids who she sent to him were able to say was because she would trade their time for her goods. Kella extends her hand, palm up, to wait for Andrew to counter offer.

“Three hunting sheers and a skinning blade.” He says and slaps Kella hand lightly. “I just got some new poultry in and don’t have a blade to skin them nicely.” He smiles.

“Two hunting sheers and a skinning blade.” Kella then slaps his hand for her offer. In silence, Andrew nods and shakes her hand to seal the deal.

Just as Andrew was pulling away with Aaron as a new member of his house, Kellas clean up craw pull in front of her house. The bytte they were traveling in was larger then Andrews because of the equipment stored. And of course Keenan, her friend, scolds her for making such a mess. She just shrugs it of and leads his five man team to the back while letting a few stop to clean up the one guy she killed.

“There are two more on the other side,” Kella says casually as she starts to put on all of her weapons again.

“You can’t keep doing this.” Keenan says to her. “I can’t even count how many times I have been here or how many bodies I carry out.”

“I can’t control who comes into my house.” Kella snaps. Keenan puts his hands up to tell her he was done disciplining her.

“So who you going after?”

“This White Dragon guy.” Keenan gasps. “Don’t you dare tell me to be afraid or be careful. This guy left me a message saying I was to bend to his rules. Pauk that! He is going to die tonight.” Without another word, Kella turns away from her friend, yells a quick goodbye, and disappear behind a house to get to the White Dragon.

For a moment, Aja sits still on his post. He couldn’t even think at this point. He didn’t know how to process what he had just witnessed. Kella tortured another Ooman to get information and then she helped him. Buying his way to ‘get clean’ as she said it. Why would she do that? Why would she care? She did say that she was the Caretaker of the Alpha District, but to actually forfeit her own goods to help another…

She is so beautiful…

With out another thought, Aja starts to follow Kella as she runs between house after house. She kept a slow pace, so not to exert herself to soon. So Aja didn’t have any trouble with keeping up with her. Gods she is amazing. How could I have not seen it before? Kella…Kella is absolutely perfect. Despite the fact she is not eight feet tall with a beautiful set of mandibles. She has her rose lips, her peach skin…Her laugh, her smile. Kella…

Kella soon stops on a long street that she knew the White Dragon was on. She spots the warehouse and the house next to it which clearly had people inside. She could see a large group of over twenty in one room and then groups of three or four around the house. The run down to place was dilapidated, so old that you wouldn’t just think no one lived in it, you hoped no one lived in it. But she had to go in and find this White Dragon and then kill all in his gang that would retaliate. Without another thought, Kella sneaks into the house by way of the back door and makes a quick death of two gang members that were standing guard because the back yard was light with giant spot lights. Once inside, which was just as filthy as the outside, Kella begins stalking all of the smaller groups of two or three, quietly ending their lives before they could alarm anyone else. Once she was done with the roaming groups, leaving only the large gathering left, Kella starts for it and sees two large males guarding the door. The White Dragon must be in there. Kella takes a deep breath and charges the males with a shuriken in one hand and a knife in the other. She runs as fast as she could at them and jumps when she was close enough. Before they could do a dam thing, Kella swipes her shuriken across the first ones throat, slicing his head almost clean off. While her other hand jabs her knife right into the others head.

Falling to their knees, then to their faces, the two guards were down and now all she had to do was enter the room. She takes another deep breath and slowly turns knob and dashes in. At first all she can process are muffled gasps and a few screams. Kella looks around to not find any other grown Oomans, but her heart falls when she finds twenty four young Oomans. All cowering in a group, huddled together for safety. Kella double checks for another gang member before closing the door behind her and turning back to the group.

“Why are all of you here?” She whispers but loud enough for them to hear.

“We just joined the White Dragons gang.” A female stutters.

“Let me guess, he had you all put on C’ntlip too?” They all nod to her collectively and Kella shakes her had in disgust. She knew what she had to do but pauk, its going to be expensive. “I am going to ask one simple question and if you say yes, I will give you everything you need. Do you want to get out of this gang and get clean?”

“YES!” They all nearly scream.

“Then I want every single one of you to go to the detox centre on Point West Avenue. Come on, get up.” She ushers them up. “I want all of you to go and ask for Andrew and tell him the Kella says ‘anything he wishes’. You got me?” They all nod to her.

“But we can’t afford to go to detox. We can’t afford anything. That’s why we are hear, we have no where else to go.” A larger male kid speaks quietly.

“You do until you get clean.” Kella growls. “And I WILL check and see if all of you go there and if any of you don’t, I will hunt you down and end your life before you do yourself. You got me?” They all say yes quietly and Kella starts to herd them out the back door.

Aja didn’t know what to make of what his thermals were showing him. Kella killed at least fifteen Oomans and then now she is moving even more out. He couldn’t understand what was going on, until they started to come out of the house. They were all pups. Every last one of them.

“RUN! REMEMBER MY WORDS!” Kella screams. She was the last out of the house and they were met with about nine large gang members who were clearly coming back from a raid of some store. And there in the middle of the group was a skinny little male, hair colored stark white with white clothing. Once the kids scattered, a few of the gang members tried to get them back but Kella throws her shuriken and takes out the two who went for them.

“So this is the Caretaker Kella.” A hollow voice echoes from the White Dragon. Kella, who was being surrounded by the seven remaining males, was ready for anything as she crouches in a fighting position. “I will love seeing you die like this…”

Aja had to hold himself back at seeing Kella being surrounded. He had to keep telling himself that he shouldn’t even be here, he shouldn’t have been watching her and he shouldn’t feel what he feels. But he can’t deny where he his, he can’t deny what he did and he can’t deny what he feels.

“You will be surprised to find me hard to kill.” Kella yells as she charges the White Dragon. One of his guards jumps in front of her but she simply rushes him until he was on the ground. Kella quickly stabs him with her knife, right into his heart but before she could do another move, he was hit on the side by some ones foot. Kella tumbles on the ground and only stops when one of his guys hops into her back. He lifts her head by hear hair and leans down to whisper into her ear.

“I’m going to love hearing you scream as I rape you little girl.” He pauses to lick Kella ear lobe and she groans in revulsion. “I can’t wait until I,“ He didn’t get another word in when he was suddenly impaled with Ajas two wrist blades. He couldn’t just sit there any longer, he had to do something and hearing the Ooman male, made him go insane with anger. He lifts the Ooman off Kella, who was instantly on her feet and after the closet guy, and Aja throws the body against a wall. Knowing that he was cloaked, Aja reveals himself and they all, except the one Kella just killed, gasp. One of them suddenly had the balls to attack Aja and he slashes his arm but only enough to make him bleed, not to really injure. And with the same hand, Aja grabs the Oomans neck only to crush it with his strength.

Kella runs at the White Dragon again and is met with his other guard. He slams into her hard and they end up with Kella on top of him with her shuriken slitting his throat gracefully. But she wasn’t watching her back and she was punished for it. The White Dragon jumps on her sitting form, brandishing a small knife and stabs Kella in the back behind her right shoulder. Screaming from the sudden sting, she elbows the White Dragon, sending him flying off of her but leaving the knife in her back. Kella was quick to her feet and she starts too slowly stock the White Dragon and he slithers away on his back.

“P...please…please don’t kill me…” He stutters.

“To late to ask for favors.” Kella pounces on him and starts to punch him face with blow after blow. All the male could do was try and hold her hands away, but it was no use. Kella wouldn’t relent until he was dead. Not because he had threatened her but because of what he was doing to children. His face was slowly becoming unrecognizable, blood was oozing from his nose, mouth and even eyes. Kella pauses for a moment, only to lean back and pull out the knife in her back to yield it in front of the White Dragons face. “I am Caretaker Kella, and you are no longer anything but another notch on my armor.” She laughs and then without another thought, slowly and agonizingly slots his neck. His blood spurts out of the new gash and onto Kellas hands and body. With one last tug, Kella rips her knife right through him, and the White Dragon falls still and limp in her hands. In one last impertinent move, she kicks his body away from her as she stands straight. She closes her eyes and begins to inhale deep, deliberate breaths to calm herself. But a deafening roar from her side makes Kella whip around in time to see a Yautja.

Aja was exhilarated. One after the other he slaughtered them all. Wrist blades through the gut, a hit to the back to shatter their spine, a hard squeeze with his hand to break a neck. And now, there was only one left. He was large for a male Ooman, well over six feet tall and he was aggressive. Aja roars as he charges, fully extending his blades, he snaps the in coming arm with ease before he stabs his blades into the Oomans gut. The only sounds made from the male now were gurgles from the blood in his throat. Aja swiftly throws the body off his wrist blades and retracts them to look at his kills. He stands straight and nods at the scene.

“Aja…” Kella calls softly and he slowly turns to her to find her staring at him with her beautiful blue eyes.

“Kella…”

Authors Note: A special thanks to…

On ff .net: shade, and ben revell

On aff .net: shortest_warrior, Prairiefire (you kind of scared me for a moment there…), Sin, Narranasa, chancelor22, Cara, Li na, angelpred, Tasha, and Bee.

Pronunciations (previous on chapters 1 &2)


Nth’ta Nigh Tha
Bthm Bath Him
Hyol He Oul
Edom Ee Dom