The Ripple of a Stone

The Ripple of a Stone

No More Chocolate

Authors Note: This story I have written may not be exact with the customs and culture founded by the Predator movies, comics or stories but I have tired to stay in the area of their beliefs and ways. I have brought in elements from each of the categories and have combined them into one. I do not own Predator. Updates will be regular and changes will be made if any suggestions are made for me. Pronunciations at bottom. Some of the mentioned items in the Yautja world are made up by me. Good Reading.


E.M.
“” “” “” “”

For days Nala stayed in Syas room, wasting her time away with sitting in front of windows, staring into space. She missed her nights with Dhm'Ni and spending time on deck ten, looking out from the observation into the colors and stars. But her anger has not gone away, feeling it brewing in her stomach. Some days she would refuse to talk to even Sya, him having a hard time walking through his own room without smelling her aggravation. At nights she would be different though, restless and even upset. Sya would get no sleep those nights, his worry for her health keeping him awake. When it came time for her to eat, she had decided to wait until the galley was completely empty before going in, that being in the middle of the night. She would go, intending on being alone only to find Ykas’e, Lord Khupiees helper, sitting to eat alone as well. So for the past few nights they would share a meal together, learning about one another and talking. But besides that, Nala did nothing with her new life, the depression of being in her situation nearly killing her. She would tell Sya not to worry, and that her feelings will pass in time, but he keeps an ever vigilant eye on her.

Dhm'Ni on the other hand can not convince Sya to let him in to see Nala, his own frustration at himself and the situation boiling over sometimes, even going so far as to injure a few Yautja in the process of dealing. Every now and then, Dhm'Ni would stop in the middle of a hallway, his nose picking up the faintest of her scents, his eyes closing and heart beating faster. But she was always two steps ahead of him, them never being in the same room let alone the same deck at one time. Dhm'Ni has had many talks with his father and teacher, not understanding why Nala refuses to speak with him. It took time, but slowly his ‘young mind’, in Syas words, ‘came around to the fact that Ooman females are offended for a male to say he would never mate with her’. And so Dhm'Ni took to replacing his time once dedicated to Nala, turning to other things, beating up Unbloods a big part of it.

Dhyot’te’ka would drop by every few days, he and Nala speaking only for a moment. Sya would be standing right behind her, arms crossed over his large chest while at the same time Nala would be distant, clearly tired of him pushing his invitation to mate on her. But he is Dhyot’te’ka, Nalas chocolate friend, it will take his death or her becoming attached to another male to stop him. However, when wind of his intentions and repeated attempts got to Thr'ik, he took it upon himself to tell her chocolate friend to back off, resulting in Nala spending time with Thr’ik in his ship, tending to a broken mandible for three days.

“” “” “” “”

When weeks past, the only thing Sya demanded of Nala was for her to get out and live, but still she refused, her time being spent on polishing and sharpening her Awu’asa and weapons. But on this day, Nala learned that Sya was to have a long meeting with the other Elders, a small problem within the clan needing to be dealt with. Nala had gone through her day alone, as usual. She woke frightened from her dream and dresses silently, ate the last bits of her meal she brought home from the nights dinner with Ykas’e, and then went to read the many books Sya held in his small library. By the time it was to sleep she was not very tired, but she had little else to do but lay down and look out the window, her life seemingly pointless now. She tosses for most of the night until her body would do no more then go limp, her hands feeling very heavy and legs stiff as stone. Within minutes she was asleep, but not minutes after that she was awoken by someone she never thought, nor wanted, to be in the same room with again.

“My son tells me you have been hiding here.” The Patriarch says, his raspy and ominous voice instantly making her sit up. Nala moves quickly and lifts up the blankets, hiding her body from him, only making him sigh. “This is not the way to live the life given to you, Nalani.” He says.

“I am living the life I was given.” She says back, her voice unfamiliar to her own ears at this point.

“You are given opportunity, and you stay here. Why?”

“I have no where else to go.” Nala tells and readjusts the blankets so she can sit comfortably with everything covered.

“There are ample accommodations on the other ship, in the morning you will move into your own suit on the Young Blood deck. That is final.” Ras’Lech barks and before she can even utter a syllable, he is gone.

“” “” “” “”

It feels extremely strange to walk the stairs after weeks of only being in Syas room, Nala covertly going back to Dhm’Nis room to gather her things. Behind her is what she calls her shadow, a small Yautja that goes by the name of Kig whose only task is to make sure she moves to the other ship ‘nicely’. Nala had tried to talk to him, using the small amount of conversation she still had in her mind, but he is almost deathly quiet. As they turn onto the Young Blood deck, Nala is met with a few familiar faces, from Nder to Dyne, but all of them staring at her as if they had never seen her before. Nala looks into Nders eyes, him giving her an almost unnoticeable nod of greeting. She enters the room without speaking a single word to the others and makes a quick task in taking all of her things. When she finally leaves, her hands are filled with the clothing made for her, even the old backpack full of memories hanging to one side. In silence she came, and in silence she left, as if she had never been there.

It took too little time for Nala to get to her new room, the Young Blood beck of the Patriarchs ship empty of life when she arrived. The room itself is just like Dhm’Nis, but lifeless. She says a small thank you to Kig, only for him to softly grunt at her and leave. She spends a long time looking over her trophies, having to place her own on her new wall, taking a moment with each one to remember how she got it, or what it did to her and what ghastly scars came from it. After she was unloaded, she simply sat on her bed until the middle of the night, not wanting to deal with anyone anymore.

But the very moment she could leave without being seen, Nala was gone out of her room to dine with Ykas’e. She was of course late as the other males on her new deck would stay out and talk with one another long past when the other males did, her overhearing more then one conversation about her, their words cutting her as deeply as if they had thrust a blade in her side. As she gets into galley though, she sees a sight she thought she had stopped. Sitting at their table, Ykas’e drinks the very alcoholic drink of C’ntlip alone, Nala trying to get him to stop drinking since she caught him the first time. She strolls up to the table and places her hands on either side of her hips, giving him a disapproving face.

“I thought we agreed that you would not come down here and binge of C’ntlip?” She says, her friend a little flustered at being caught. He must have thought she was not going to come down that night, thinking he had time to drink without her knowing.

“You want some?” He asks and slides over a small, empty glass.

“Yeah.” Nala sighs and drinks a little too, having to mix it with some water so she didn’t keel over dead.

After their meal of Pakana meat and strange white vegetables was finished, Nala decides to look at the training deck of the ship, never being in it before. But to say the other deck was smaller would be an understatement. It is not that the other ship is tiny compared, but that the training deck on this ship is three levels high with bars crisscrossing everywhere, Nala knowing that it is meant for someone to increase their mobility. And for most of the night, Nala spent her time playing with the bars, joking to herself that they are monkey-bars done Yautja style. But after her body became tired and weak, she sits against a wall and goes into the full lotus position, intending on meditation for only a few moments, but she soon fell into her long lost trances of her mind essentially leaving her body.

“” “” “” “”

As her senses begin to return, Nala slowly starts to feel her body again, her finger tips tingling and lungs feeling as though she had not been breathing for a very long time. She takes deep, long breathes again, blood rushing all over her body as it reawakens. Cracking her neck a few times, she stretches her body to get rid of the stiffness, her wondering how long she had been there. And then Nala figures that she must have been in the training deck for a long time, making her body freeze in dread. Slowly she opens her eyes, only to see someone in front of her.

“Hello.” She says quietly to the same Yautja she had seen in the galley many days ago. Sitting in the same position as her, the ivory skinned and red stripped male is staring blankly at her, his head tilted to one side.

“Hello.” He barks back, though she can hear a very amused tone in it. For a moment, Nala just looks over his skin, remarking that it looks as if he has made a suit of pearl and red, her eyes trailing over nearly every inch. But just as she takes a breath to ask him a question, she realizes that she cannot smell him.

“You do not have a scent.” She gasps, baffled.

“No, I do not.” He laughs, the sound echoing in the large and almost empty room, their two bodies the only exception.

“Are you real?” Nala asks, tilting her head to one side also.

“You can hear me. You can see me. And you can feel me, right?” He slowly sticks out a white hand, letting it float in the air between them. Nala ferrous her brow and stares at the claws, trying to decide what to do. But she doesn’t know if he is real, how can he be? She had seen him only once, and now she is close to him, but cannot smell him. If she touched him, would that prove him to be real? Taking a dive, Nala grabs his large hand in both of hers, touching his rippled skin gently for a moment. It feels like every other Yautja she has felt, but something is very different. Nala takes her hands back, but when his whole hand is revealed again, his skin has changed colors. What was once red and white is now the dark peach color of her skin, his hand momentarily matching hers, but with giant claws at the end.

“Of course two freaks would come together.” Suddenly someone yells out, making Nala turn to the entrance, finding a small group of Yautja she has never seen. “The Ooman and the Changer, what a perfect match.” He laughs. Nala shakes her head and looks back to the Yautja sitting in front of her, only finding him gone and walking to the back of the training deck where the stairs are. She stands up and watches him leave, their eyes connecting for a moment before he disappears.

“” “” “” “”

“That is a very rude question Nala, ‘what is he?’?” Sya scolds and sits down with her on her new bed.

“Well…What is he?” She asks again, referring to the male she had ‘met’.

“Just like the Ooman species, the Yautja have races, colors and creeds. I am from the lowlands, which is mostly jungle and thick bush. Hence my skin color being striped so I can blend in.” Sya starts to tell.

“But why would that Yautja have skin that can change color? And have the name ‘the Changer’?” She asks as she turns onto her back, letting her head rest on Syas knee.

“He is from the caves, an old Yautja bloodline that evolved cut off from the rest, trapped in caves and under the ground for thousands of years before the world knew of them. Their race evolved with little or no light, their skin becoming thick, porous and with a strange adaptation to living in a world with no color.”

“Their skin changes color so they can hide in the caves?” She asks, making Sya grunt at her for interrupting him.

“Exactly, their skin has small pockets of color that can change to mimic whatever they may be touching. Some Yautja who are from the caves can control when they change, some not. I am guessing he wished to show you his talents, because I personally know he can control himself.”
“You personally know?” Nala asks, sitting up and looking into his eyes.

“Nalani, I have trained more then half the population on this ship alone. I know many people.”

“Yeah, I can tell.” She laughs and lays back down. “So…does he glow or something?” Sya simply grunts at her question.

“” “” “” “”

When news came to Nala that both ships will be stopping over to a very well known planet to hunt, she became more active. She would train at nights by herself, gaining more muscle with having to hold her own body weight on the ‘monkey-bars’. Sometimes Sya would drop by her room to find her staring at her body in the mirror, touching her scars and muscle, him knowing her mind is drifting further and further into a horrible self image. She would quickly cover herself though, not wanting even him to see her body any longer, even going so far as to get clothes made just so everything is hidden. But the moment the idea of hunting was back in her mind she was extra energetic, begging Sya to spar with her sometimes. But when they did, they would quickly gain an audience of the new ships passengers, making her feel even more left out and more of an oddity.

By the time the day of the hunt rolled around, Nala is giddy with excitement, that is until she gets on the small DropShip to get to the planet. She finds few friends on board, Dhm'Ni and Thr’ik on their own and Dhyot’te’ka the only one who smiles at her. With her helmet underarm, she walks down the isles of seats, the Yautja all staring at her in silence. Her eyes roam the faces, most if not all blank and emotionless, even Dhm’Ni. But when her sight reaches the back corner, white and red make her feel strangely calm, just the thought that she and ‘the Changer’ are on the same DropShip making her a tad more comfortable. Nala takes a seat in the back, making sure she is alone, not wanting to cause anything on the verge of going on a hunt. For days she had been studying the planets game, their prey a beast that looks more like a giant snake, an anaconda of sorts, with venom that can kill in mere moments if not treated. But not only is the prey hazardous, but the planet itself is as well. It is plagued with tremors, the plates of the surface constantly moving and changing, making the grounds very unstable.

“Nalani, it is good to see you.” Someone says, Nala expecting it to be Dhm'Ni or Dhyot’te’ka. But to her surprise she looks up to see Ojhm, the pilot, standing at the front of the DropShip. “Come keep me company.” He waves her in, Nala sighing at her fortune. For the length of the trip she sits beside Ojhm, their conversations never about her or where she had been. Nala knew she liked Ojhm from the start, he has a certain softness about him, and yet a part of him that forces her to acknowledge he can kill with unbelievable accuracy. He always speaks gently, seemingly afraid that if he is too loud his voice may disappear.

By the time they landed, Nala had her mask on and was nearly jumping with joy. She wanted nothing more then to move and work and kill. When the back hatch opens to let the hunters out, she cringes at the sound of the door hitting and cracking a thick but dead tree to the ground, the sounds reminding her of what she heard when her own bones broke. Every so often Nala could feel the metal in her back, making it crack when stretching. But she has yet to conquer her own hand, the metal fingers scratching her parts of her body sometimes. As the rest of the Yautja leave on their own, she watches Dhm'Ni go, his cloaked form disappearing in the brush with all the others. Nala soon walks out slowly with Ojhm by her side but just as she is about to leave, something comes to her mind, the poor broken tree having a new use. After a few minutes of convincing, she gets Ojhm to pull the thick tree trunk into the bowels of the DropShip where he can hold it for when he flies back to pick up more hunters. After that she was off, the feeling of cool air and wind on her skin extremely refreshing.

“” “” “” “”

Nala shifts on her spot in the trees, her mind running a mile a minute. Already having three skulls hanging off her hip, her trophies ready to be cleaned and mounted, she couldn’t help but feel something was wrong. The planet has a strange orange glow to it, the sky a mixture of colors she never thought a sky could be. She stares at the small waves coming from a far off lake, her ears hearing the sound of it hitting the shore. Nala bites her lip in nervousness, though she does not know why. Her stomach would jump and turn every time the ground shook, the first one giving her the strange thought that something is going bad, that something is not right. She climbs up higher into the tree, the thickness of it astounding. As she settles herself into another position to look out to the world, the most violent and rough quake happens, her nearly falling off the limb to the ground more then one hundred meters down. After more then ten seconds of the world shaking, it stops. Nala pants loudly, her eyes wide in fear and hand shaking, It takes a little effort, but she gets back to her perch, only to have her wrist computer go berserk, saying all hunters need to get to the pick up point now. She knew something was wrong. She swiftly makes her way down to the ground again and then back to the pick up point, only to find most of the hunters there, but not all of them. She hangs back on her own again, leaning against one tree for some time until the saddest sight in her life comes limping over a small hill.

Instantly Nala starts running for Dhyot’te’ka, a large gash on his left leg dripping in his green blood and a thick yellow liquid, her knowing from her studies that it is the venom of the snake like prey. She gets to his side, but he refuses to let her help him, not wanting to seem weak for needing any kind of help. Scared and worried, Nala can only watch as he gets to the base of a large tree and slides to the ground. She follows him along, a hand on his shoulder and heart breaking.

“Is there anything I can do?” She asks, tears falling behind her mask. She knows that without treatment he will die, and the injections are on the DropShip Ojhm is piloting back down to the planet, but it is some time away.

“We have given him eso root, that will slow the spread of the poison.” Dhm'Ni says as he walks to be in front of the pair. But Nala only looks at him for a moment, their masked faces cold to each other. She just nods in understanding and tries to clean up her chocolate friends wound, washing away the blood and even placing more of the eso root in the wound, soon wrapping it all in a thin cloth. Dhm'Ni stands there for a moment longer, almost wishing he was Dhyot’te’ka so he could touch her again. But shaking his head, he leaves them to do whatever they wish, it doesn’t concern him any longer.

“The last ground tremor caused many land slides.” Dhyot’te’ka starts, his voice strong and proud. “I and a few others were caught in a nest of the prey, only I was bitten.”

“I don’t…I can’t…” Nala starts, her emotions taking hold of her. But he shushes softly, rubbing her arm gently.

“Ojhm will get here in time, don’t worry Little One.” He comforts. But Nala feels nothing but guilt, her mind breaking down. She bends over and covers the back of her head with her hands, wanting to just disappear. “Oh Nala…” Dhyot’te’ka scolds and the next thing she knows, she is being pulled onto his lap. Straddling him now, her legs on either side of him, she just stares at his mask. “If I did not have a strict code of honor, I would take advantage of this situation…erotically speaking.” He jokes, actually making Nala laugh.

“What can I do?” She whispers.

“Do you remember a long time ago, when you and I met and were in the galley.”

“Yeah, Lidch and not being able to understand…what of it?” Nala sniffs.

“I came to see you when you were with Kh’Cho. But when I came in, you were making a humming sound, make it again for me.” He purrs and rubs her back. It took no more then a minute for Nala to choose a soft song as she leans into his body and wraps her arms around his neck, his scent of chocolate calming her for as long as she lets it.

“” “” “” “”

Dhm'Ni stands to one side of Thr'ik, their thoughts and prayers with their friend. He had left Nala with Dhyot’te’ka, his want to comfort her nearly overwhelming him now. He shifts in his spot, the conversation going on between the large group of Yautja around him nothing more then background sound. He looks over to Nala and to find her on a males lap makes his blood feel like it is fire. But Dhm'Ni forces himself to look away, his mind chiding him that Nala does not want him to have a part in her life after he had insulted her so harshly, and so he tries to get into the discussion.

“Ojhm is more then a quarter hour away, even with the root he will not survive.” Someone puts in their opinion.

“With Nalani by him, we will have no way of knowing if he is alive or dead.” Thr’ik adds.

“No, we will know.” Dhm'Ni tells gruffly. “We will hear her sorrow when he is taken by Cetanu.”

“” “” “” “”

Lub Dub Lub Dub Lub Dub

Lub Dub Lub Dub Lub Dub

She can hear it loudly in her ear, Nala listening to the sounds of Dhyot’te’kas heart as it beats. He had long ago lost conciseness, his head falling forward and breathing deep but labored.

Lub Dub Lub Dub

Lub Dub Lub Dub

Slower it goes, every few minutes the sounds disappearing.

Lub Dub

Lub Dub

Lub Dub

Still she hears it less, her heart hurting every time his would pause.

Lub

And then it stops.

“” “” “” “”

Dhm'Ni was just getting into interesting talk when the miserable cry of Nala sounds in the air, making his skin crawl. Every Yautja waiting for the small DropShip goes quiet and turns to her, finding Dhyot’te’kas hands once around her waist, on the ground limp. And with their masks they see his heart unmoving, but Nalas beating in despair. Dhm'Ni clenches his fists in an tempt to keep himself away from her, wanting nothing more then to go to her and comfort her. But when Nala covers the front of her mask where her mouth would be and cries out, his body jolts forwards and he finds himself soon at her side.

“Nala…” He purrs and touches her side gently. In an instant Nala is in his arms, crying into his neck. Dhm'Ni lifts her up effortlessly and carries her to the other side of the tree, rubbing what skin he could get to on her back, trying to calm her at least a little. But after only a mere minute, Nala takes a deep breath and his scent of vanilla and fresh rain make her look up to him, her going silent. His breathing stops in anticipation of what she may do, his heart wishing she will stay with him. But to his sadness, she pushes off him and goes back to sit beside her once chocolate friend, grabbing his hand and stroking it until Ojhm came with the ship.

“” “” “” “”

Nala throws her mask onto her seat, tear stains down her cheek. Breathing hard, she leans forwards to try and gain back her wind, not able to take a true breath since she lost one of her only friends. For too long she questions why she had been distant to him and not given him more attention and time. She should have known not to think the Yautja in her life will be there forever, that kind of thinking is never good. Nala swipes the sweat from her lip only to see blood from Dhyot’te’ka on her hand, the green dripping down her arm to her Awu’asa. With a horrified sigh, she turns so she can get it cleaned off, not wanting to cleanse it with the Usipa water, that being rude to the dead to wash their blood with that of prey. But as Nala slowly walks down the rows of seats to the front where the water room is, her eyes don’t get caught, she doesn’t notice the brightness of white and red, she doesn’t see ‘the Changer’.

“Where is he?” Nala yells out, pointing to where he had sat before.

“He was with Dhyot’te’ka and a few others in the landslide, the last we saw of him was broken bones and blood.” A male tells, him being the appointed leader of this hunting party.

“He is dead too?” Nala asks, shaking.

“No.” He answers like it was clearly known.

“He is not dead, but you left him?” She huffs out, taking a giant step towards him. With in a second, the whole inhabitants of the ship could smell her utter and complete anger, the smell so thick and potent that a Hard Meat Queen would sniff twice to be sure it was coming from an Ooman.

“It is how it is done.” He growls back, not wanting to seem subservient to her, an Ooman. Nala on the other hand can’t help but feel helpless, losing two Yautja in one trip. This can’t be happening. She runs her hands through her hair in an attempt to calm herself, but it does not work.

“I thought you said you believed in leaving those who lag behind?” Dhm'Ni asks and approaches her side.

“That was when I was with the Oomans, and I am not with the Oomans, am I?” She nearly hisses and turns away from him to walk back to her seat.

Dhm'Ni shakes his head in defeat, not knowing what else to do. Just as he lifts his head to speak to the appointed leader about the body of Dhyot’te’ka, the back hatch starts to open, causing the air to quickly leave. Every Yautja instantly has their mask on, that now being an instinct for them. When the air settles, Dhm'Ni feels his stomach drop when he sees Nala standing at the back of the ship, her feet half off the fully open ramp.

“I sincerely hope you will not leave me behind.” She says, Dhm'Ni knowing she is smiling under her mask. When Nala starts to fall backwards, he jolts forwards but he is at the front, while she is at the back. When her body disappears, another Yautja closes the door, all of them groaning and growing at the developments.

“” “” “” “”

The orange clouds pass by Nala as she falls through the air, even her not knowing what is going to happen. If she left the ship too late then she is past the tree line and will have no way to properly slow down before landing, but if she thinks she is in the right spot, she should be ok. And after a few seconds of not knowing, Nala sees trees beneath her. She quickly takes out long blades in each hand, needing to catch the trees to slow down. If you must fall, it is best to fall in stages. As Nala hits the canopy of the tree, she is momentarily stunned at the leaves hitting her, but she quickly moves her arms to cut the branches in her way, making sure they do not cut into her. She trusts one blade into the trunk, her body slowing down but not fast enough. Even after adding her other blade, Nala slams into the ground and is winded for a moment. She turns onto her stomach through the pain, needing every second she can spare. Getting to her feet, Nala tries to contact her friend through the COM, but gets only static as a response. His COM system must have been damaged, making him unable to talk. But she can hear static, so it works somehow.

“I can’t hear you, but I can here something. I need to find you.” She says and before she can say another word, she hears the loudest and fiercest roar she has heard in her life and its coming from her left. Nala starts running as fast as she can until her breathing goes back to normal, her legs soon moving so fast the wind can barely keep up. After she goes so far, she stops and gets him to signal again, his roars soon leading her to find him at the base of a tree no more then fifty feet from where the landslide is.

“Why are you here?” He asks, Nala not answering. She is soon at his side, looking at the broken bones sticking out his side, three ribs broken out and more still inside him shattered. Without speaking to each other, Nala helps him up and he lets her, both knowing that their silence is the only thing keeping them both sane.

“” “” “” “”

Dhm'Ni nearly roars in Nalas face when he sees her again, Ojhm letting the small ship land for a minute to get her and ‘the Changer’ onboard. He walks in on his own, his side leaking blood badly. Once he seats himself in a close chair, he beings to tend to his wounds, Nala simply walking by him.

“You should not have done that for me.” He growls, grabbing her arm. Nala twists out of it, still angry and upset.

“For you? I did not do that for you! I did it for selfish reasons. I did not want my first official hunt with the Yautja to be a complete disaster. I lost a friend today, and I am not going to lose a potential one as well!” She screams and starts to her own chair. In a huff, she strips herself of her Awu’asa, letting her armor simply fall onto the chair until she has only the bare minimum of clothing on. Just when Dhm'Ni thinks he can approach, Nala walks right past him and into the room just to his side, this room intended to hold those who lost their lives during the hunt. Nala closes the door behind her harshly, and is soon standing above Dhyot’te’kas body crying again.

“” “” “” “”

Sya and Lord Khupiee nearly run into the small DropShip, Dhm'Ni, Thr'ik and Ojhm waiting for them. When news came to Sya that Dhyot’te’ka had died during the hunt, he knew Nala would have a very hard time with it. And to add that he died in her arms, he just knows she is too upset for just anyone to go get her. After a quiet discussion, they agree that not only should Sya go in alone, but that the rest of them should leave and retrieve Dhyot’te’kas body later. Dhm'Ni knows that he should leave no matter what, Nala not being too happy with him at the moment. And so he and the rest left Sya to do what he could, though when he went in, he could do little else but sigh. Nala is sitting on the thick table with her chocolate friend, stroking his face softly.

“I don’t understand why things like this happen.” Nala says to no one.

“Do not worry of those in your past, there is a reason they are not in your future.” Sya advises, making her only scoff.

“Unlike you Yautja, Oomans think that the past impacts the future. So the past, no matter how far away, will always be with you.”

“Perhaps.” He sighs, defeated.

“What happens now?” Nala asks as she touches one of his mandibles, the soft almost ivory texture making her finger tip tingle.

“Things you cannot be involved in.” Sya drops his head, ready for what is coming.

“What?” Nala screams, standing up and staring at him fiercely.

“As I said before, you cannot know certain things about the Yautja until you are technically ten seasons old. Those things impact what will happen with Dhyot’te’ka.”

“NO! No I want to be involved! I want to be there when whatever happens happens!” She cries and pushes Syas stomach, her emotions causing her mind to momentarily go away. But Sya knows she does not mean her challenge, only wanting to do something.

“You can’t.” He tries again, only to get a rather hard punch to the gut. He grabs her fists before they come at him again and twists her body around, hugging her from behind. Nala tries to fight, trying to pull her hands free but as she realizes she cannot get away, her body looses all its fight and she buries her face into his arms, crying so hard Sya thinks she will have no more tears left for the rest of her life.

“” “” “” “”

For the next few weeks, Nala refused to speak to Sya. And even refusing to speak with Lord Khupiee and the others. Her fury over not being involved with Dhyot’te’ka and whatever had been done making her so angry that someone saying hello would get the brunt of her rage. Strangely though, Nala would go to the training deck alone and end up fighting whom ever came in first, leaving both their bodies bleeding and broken. Seems there is nothing more bonding between people like breaking each other, then healing with each other. By no means has Nala gained friends, she has only gotten acquaintances, knowledge of names and faces. Nothing more. Sometimes she would cross to the other ship, but only for a few moments, never able to stand the smells of not only the chocolate now gone, but the vanilla and rain of Dhm'Ni. At nights she would wake up with the old usual dream, body tense and soaked in sweat, her dream back as strong as ever. She would remain awake after that, thinking of mostly Dhm'Ni and hoping he was not having such a hard time as she, but deep down she knows he is. Her silence was broken between her and Sya when she woke up with him in bed with her, whispering an apology into her ear and saying it pained him to keep her from her friend. It was the best apology she has ever had.

Dhm'Ni on the other hand made things much, much worse before they got better.

“” “” “” “”

Thr’ik had personally gone to Nala when he decided to get her and Dhm'Ni back together, if only to start a dialogue between them again. It took a lot of convincing on his part, having to bring up his still infamous butt-scar into the mix. When she finally agreed, Thr'ik picked her up and twirled around with her, thrilling in her ear so loud she said she was surprised she isn’t deaf. The little get-together is hidden beneath the masquerade of a party in the purple society room, Nala not being in that room since Dhm'Ni had last said he finds it appalling to mate with her. She of course had her reservations about it, but when Thr'ik makes his best puppy face, she cannot say no. A Yautja pout is a strange thing indeed.

Nala dresses in a teal ensemble, the long skirt going to her ankles and her top covered with the matching Alsn wrap. She still feels as bad about her body as ever, not wanting anyone to see her scars any longer. The walk to her original DropShip was quite eventful, the Yautja on her new ship staring at her in awe as they have never seen her like this before. So Nala was appreciative when the lift doors closed to take her to the purple room. On the way, it picked up some Yautja also going to the society room, one actually asking if she was heading that way, Nala only able to nod her head. She has to wonder where she has disappeared to, where her flamboyant and open personality went. And then she remembers that it left the moment she realized her ‘friends’ would go away at the drop of a hat. Just when her mind is yelling at her, saying she is stupid to have gone to the society room, the lift doors open. To say that it was full would make it seem like it was full to capacity, but it is beyond that. There are Yautja from both ships, even Elders in their own pit drinking C’ntlip and telling stories. She nervously pulls the sleeves of her shirt down and wraps it around her hands, her eyes darting around for someone she wants to talk to, hearing Thr’iks one-of-a-kind laugh somewhere in the crowd.

“What are you doing here?” A familiar voice asks, Nala turning around to see Dhm'Ni standing there is all his magnificent glory. He has never been so put together, his loincloth and small chest plate perfectly placed to make his green toned body look twice as large. But the look on his face is one she never wanted to see again, his eyes filled with a strange desire to ‘shut her up’ as he said so long ago.

“I invited her.” Thr'ik says as he walks up behind her. But in silence they stand a few feet apart, both subtly taking in the others scent and both nearly collapsing from their knees giving out. But still, her anger brews up and Nala snaps.

“If you didn’t want me here, why didn’t you just say so?” She yells and starts off towards the lift.

“No you will stay.” Dhm'Ni growls and grabs her hand just as she walks past him. Nala twists and pulls her arm back, growling at him loudly. “You owe me.” He growls back, his chest filling with his own strange anger.

“I owe you?” Nala asks, her eyes almost glowing.

“I took you off that doomed planet and this is how you thank me?” He starts, only making it worse. “By locking yourself away in a room, not speaking to me because of a mistake. I saved your life!”

“Congratulations Dhm'Ni!” She cries out, the whole deck now silent and watching. “You saved a life that didn’t want to be saved. And now you think that life owe you something? Well you know what Dhm'Ni, pauk you!” Before anyone can blink, Dhm'Ni raises his hand and brings is down across her face, slapping her with the back of his hand. Nalas body flies to one side, twisting in the air before landing face down onto the ground. Dhm'Ni, despite what he had just done, turns around as if nothing happened, intending on going to get a drink. But when he looks into the eyes of his best friend, his stomach drops in pure horror at the realization that he had just hit Nala. He quickly turns around to face her, only to find air where she once laid, and blood where her face was broken apart.
“Did I just…” He asks no one.

“Hit her, yes you did.” Someone says calmly and a little to rational for Dhm’Nis liking. When he turns around to find ‘the Changer’ there, he understands his voice.

“Can I make this worse?” He asks.

“Yes, by not going after her.” He tells and in an instant Dhm'Ni is off to the stairs, her scent leading him down. He jumps three stares at a time, soon going to four and then so many he cannot count. But still her scent is strong where ever he goes, her blood and scent of blossoms haunting him now. He stops at the training deck, expecting to find her beating up any Yautja to step up, but he only sees a few lone Unbloods knocking around their heads. He sighs heavily and cracks his knuckles, a strange wetness in his right hand. And to his alarm, he finds Nalas blood and skin caught between the ribs of his skin, her constant and strong scent now clear to him. Knowing that he needs to get her blood off him so he can track her correctly, he walks up the stares with a gloomy tone, his feet and legs moving only because they must, not because they wish to.

Dhm'Ni turns onto his deck and nods to a few who are telling stories of their hunts, him almost to saddened to look up. Placing a hand on the reader, he looks at the remaining print of her red blood, wishing beyond anything to find her after he washes. As he gets in and the door closes behind him, he can’t help but stare at his bed for the umpteenth time since Nala had left it, the blankets and bed so empty and barren. For the first few nights, Dhm'Ni had simply lain awake thinking about how he could rectify the situation, but as of yet he has not found an answer. Even the bathroom where she would take long baths seems pointless, Dhm'Ni once sitting in the middle of the bath and smelling the ruminants of her. But now all he can smell is her blood and skin as he washes it off in the sink, the chunks and redness flowing away. After drying his hands, he exits his bathroom to see a very thankful and yet scary sight. Sitting on his bed, Nala stares at him with tears streaming down her face.

“You hit me.” She whispers, her voice cracking.

“I…” Dhm'Ni tries, but he can think of nothing.

“You…You hit me Dhm'Ni!” Nala cries out, having to place a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.

“I have hit you before.” He notes, though he does not know why.

“This is different.” She points to the cut on her cheek, the blood and bits of skin still there.

“It is not different. I have hit you many times before.” He says again, taking a small step towards her. “We were fighting, we tend to cause bodily pain to one another when we fight.”

“We were not having a fight in the galley Dhm'Ni, we wee having an argument. They are very different and you should have never hit me. I should have never said what I said and I am sorry that I did, but that does not condone what you did.” Nala looks away from him, her sadness making her throat tickle with need to cry out. Her heart wrenches in a desire to go hug him, to feel his skin on hers again, to have his scent take her over and to feel that same safety she hasn’t felt in too many weeks. But the shaking of her hands tells her that she is too angry to go to him, and the bizarre numbness in her legs says she cannot move if she wants too. Suddenly though, Nala feels a gentle hand under her chin, her eyes going up to find Dhm’Nis blue ringed ones.

“Talk to me.” He purrs, her lungs resonating with him. At first Nala does not know what to think, her mind miserable with what has happened between them. But unknown to her until she feels the skin of his forehead on hers, she leans forwards to touch him. Nala stares into his eyes with such need for his protectiveness, to hear him and to have him. “I am sorry Nala. For everything.” He purrs, wrapping his arms around her waste, pulling her into his body. “Please forgive me.” He says as he lifts her up, soon crawling up it to lay her down.

“I forgive you.” Nala cries, her arms encasing his neck so their foreheads keep touching. “Fall asleep with me.” She whispers, getting a deep purr from him. Using his leg, Dhm'Ni pushes down the fur, soon bringing it up to their shoulders. But just when she thinks they will simply fall asleep, he does a very strange but welcome thing. Dhm'Ni trusts his leg between hers in a show of possessiveness, Nala smiling and hocking one of her feet around his leg. Dhm'Ni nestles his head in her neck, and for the first time ever, he says their nightly routine.

“Goodnight.” He purrs, Nala giggling and grunting at him.

“” “” “” “”