The Ripple of a Stone

The Ripple of a Stone

Sent.

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 tried 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.

“” “” “” “”

“This is exactly what I feared would happen!” The Matriarch hisses, throwing down a hand onto a table. Nala flinches and against her best interest cowers behind Syas giant body. “Ferca is climbing the ladder of the most respected females of this clan, the only thing she would need to do to guarantee an Honored Huntress status is go through her Chiva. And now she challenged Nalani in a fight for mating rights, what next?” She rises her hands up in defeat while lowering her head, growling to no one.

“Nalani and I have not covered that area of study, I had concentrated on the hunting and male side of our world, not the intricacies of the female world.” Sya offers smoothly.

“Do not put the blame for this on your shoulders.” Nala steps out from behind him. “I pushed back before I thought about the consequences.”

“Stupid Ooman!” Ferca hisses from the other side of the room, her father Elder Dh’Kn holding her by an arm, tightly.

“Take a lesson from that Ooman, pup, have modesty and see that you have caused a problem and the solutions are few and far between!” The Matriarch roars in Fercas direction. “I understand that you wish to mate with the Clan Leaders son, but you must practice discretion. Dhm’Ni tells me this is not the first time you have broken into his room.”

“No Matriarch.” Ferca lowers her head submissively. “I have once before.” Slowly, Zanjui shakes her head and then to every ones shock, apologizes to Nala.

“I apologize that you have encountered such females without any level of self control.” She says.

“I have met you, Matriarch, so I know how great Yautja females can be.” If Nala didn’t know better, her words made her blush, a green glow barely showing through.

“What will happen now is Ferca can rescind her challenge and there will be no fight, or she doesn’t and there will be one.” The Patriarch chimes in. In the small meeting room there are few people. But outside everyone waits for what will be said about the fight. Nala knows Dhm’Ni is pacing back and forth by the door, needing to be the first to know what will happen.

“I will do no such thing!” Ferca says. “I challenged the Ooman and I will kill her.” Completely disregarding her words, Ras’Lech shakes his head.

“But even in the middle of the fight a female can change it from a fight for mating rights to a regular one. One that does not have to end in death.” He adds.

“Which I will not do!” She screams.

“Quiet Ferca!” Elder Dh’Kn scolds his daughter. “Do not make this worse for yourself.”

“The challenge stands then.” The Matriarch walks out of the room without looking at anyone, her shoulders so tight in stress that no one dares to say anything to her. Sya ushers Nala out of the room before any other confrontations begins, and she is fine with that. Outside Thr’ik runs up to them like she had just dragged in a bag full of bones.

“Are you really going to fight her so you can mate with Dhm’Ni?” He asks, eyes wide in shock.

“Nala is not going to mate with Dhm’Ni.” Sya says with a half growl under his breath. The group goes into an awkward silence, Nala unable to look into anyone faces. She can’t bear to talk to Dhm’Ni. After she quietly excuses herself, the tension in the air making her head hurt, she can’t ignore the urge to do something. Her fight with Ferca is a few hours away, and she hadn’t really trained in days. It feels amazing as she gets her Awu’asa on, each piece feeling like a missing part of her body had been put back. With her heavy mask in hand, she picks the training deck on the upper most part of her globe. She is escorted the entire way with stares and whispers, but turning a blind eye is the best and only way to deal with them. Nala slips into the colossal training room and her mouth drops. From the delicious scent of the males sparing, the sounds of weapons smashing together and the sight of the large transparent roof showing an uncountable number of stars in the sky, she nearly falls over.

“I thought you would never find this place.” The familiar voice of Nder causes her to giggle, the sight of his light brown body spotted in red and black makes her smile.

“Why hadn’t you told me about it in the first place?” She raises an eyebrow at him.

“Do I have to point everything out for you?” He laughs, clattering his mandibles. “Spar with me.”

“I only came here to work out, not spar Nder.”

“Then let’s work.” Nder claps his hands together and for a moment, just a moment, Nala is a little afraid of what is going through his mind. “I will imitate, and beat you at whatever it is you are doing!”

“Oh yeah! ’Anything you can do I can do better. I can do anything better than you’” She sings.

“Something like that.” He laughs, waving her to move to a more open area.

“I tell you what, whoever wins must hands over a skull. Deal?” All she gets is a nod, that’s all she needs. For hours they don’t speak another word, Nala would do one movement, Nder would match it. From jumps and rolls, running from end to end over and over, even when she takes a break, he imitates her perfectly. It is not until they begin to do push-ups that he opens his mouth.

“You know,” He pauses as he drops to the ground once more to push himself up. “It is not that I am pushing myself up,” He pauses again. “As much as it is that I am pushing the globe down!” Nala lost. She falls to the ground laughing so hard her stomach begins to hurt. Nder lays on his stomach to watch the hilarity and sighs when he sees tears coming from her eyes.

“You cheated!” She says.

“Did not.” Nala simples shakes her head, there is no point in arguing. “Do you think you can win?” He asks suddenly. She stares at him with a blank face, not knowing how to answer the question.

“I think so.”

“Nalani I have seen both you and Ferca fight, do you want my honest opinion?” Without giving an answer, Nala sits up straight and gives Nder her full and complete attention. “You must be careful of her tactics, she is a tricky fighter. I have seen her pull weapons from her tresses, choke another huntress with her feet and break her neck. I worry that you underestimate just how powerful a Yautja female is.”

“No need to worry.” They turn their head to the voice and see Sya walking towards them. “It’s time Nala.” With that she stands and as she walks by Nder she lets a hand rake across one of his shoulders in farewell. If she is to die then she dies, and this is their last meeting.

“Oh Nala!” Nder calls just as she is about to turn the corner out of the training room. “You still owe me a skull!”

“I know.” She pauses, thinking about her next question. “Will you be coming to watch?”

“No.” His answer is more than stunning. “But I will see you tonight for dinner, yes?” He smiles smugly, giving her a needed laugh before finally leaving.

“” “” “” “”

Her mask is heavy, every piece of her armor is, the weight adding to surreal effect of each hit her body takes. Nala is sure that a few ribs are broken, and she had long ago tasted the blood in her mouth. Ferca, though, is no better off. Her body is revenged with the marks of blades, green radiant blood seeping out of the wounds. The fight had started with a bow, while Nala had respectfully gone low, her opponent did not. She struck the first blow to the back of Fercas head, and since that point the Yautja has been furious. Many times she has tried to get to Nalas neck, specifically to her scar which is thankfully guarded by her metal plate. But it will do little to keep the pain away if it is hit. And each time Nala must move to keep her neck safe, her patience lessens.

But with a skilled pivot and a punch, Ferca slams her fist into Nalas neck, sending her sprawling to the floor screaming in agony. She thrashes on the ground, grasping at her throbbing scar in hopes that the pain will go away before Ferca approaches. And it seems in a fit of egotistical pleasure, Ferca raises her hands up in a taunt to the giant crowd, gaining a roaring response. The room itself is small compared to some of the other rooms Nalas has fought in, but the number of bodies in it has never been larger. So many Yautja are there that the air is thick and hot, the scent of excitement had nearly stung her nose when first entering. Her neck throbs for what seems like an eternity, the heat from it making it feel like it is going to burn through her body. Nala closes her eyes to concentrate, to get past the pain. But the only thing, the only person that she can think of is Dhm’Ni. At the thought of him his sweet scent of vanilla and rain wafts into her senses and she takes a deep, calming breath. Slowly the pain lessens to bearable, her eyes red with the sting of tears when she finally opens them. Far away from her, still with her attention to the crowd, Ferca is proving to be too cocky for her own good. Turning onto her stomach, Nala drags her legs beneath her and lifts her body up. Getting to her feet, she takes even more time to breath, to allow the pain to really go away. At her side, her hands move on their own, grabbing her long spool of hanging rope. She lets a long length free and holds it in tight line between her hands. Finally noticing, Ferca flinches at seeing her opponent up and growls in annoyance. Nala gradually turns to be face to face, but in that moment Ferca changes, trying to land another blow to the neck. But with her giant hand outstretched, Nala entangles it in the line and pulls Fercas body off balance, soon taking the other hand as well. Using her feet, she trips Ferca, her body slamming to the ground painfully. With the small time she has, Nala hog ties the Yautja so tightly that blood seeps from around her wrists and ankles. Backing away, she takes a deep breath and looks at what she has; Ferca immobile. Now Nala must be smart, she has already killed a female, and she does not want to do it again. But she cannot leave this fight without killing her. The only other option at this point is to get this fight from one about mating right, to a simple challenge. That in itself is a great challenge.

Every being has its breaking point, a point where they cannot withstand a pain or even a pleasure. Nala kneels beside Ferca, not even hearing the nasty words spilling from her mouth, and places two tiny fingers between the mesh and begins to press down on the muscle just to the left of the spine. At first, of course, there is no other feeling but pressure. But soon the whole room is silent, everyone listening to torturing sounds coming from one of their own. Ferca begins to thrash about, trying to get away from the pain, but all it takes is placing another few fingers behind a shoulder blade and her muscles relax, becoming useless. Slowly Nala moves her fingers to Ferca neck, placing three fingers in the right place and applying the appropriate pressure. Her head falls back in near ecstasy, the sounds of the screams revoltingly pleasurable to her ears. Taking her hands back, she allows a moment of rest before leaning down to whisper into an ear.

“Demote this to a mere challenge, not one for mating rights, and this will end.” Nala says.

“Never, you disgusting, pathetic Ooman. You think Dhm’Ni would ever mate with you?” She hisses back.

“No, I don’t.” She says frankly, truly feeling disgusting in that moment. How could she not? “Pain is all you will feel for hours until you give me what I want Ferca. I can go for days doing this, but can you?” Gaining only a growl as a response, Nala puts both hands at the choler bone and pushes in, once again filling the quiet room with screams. Nala does not want to go to using weapons, she has only used one this fight and would hate to have to clean more when she is done. But if she must, she will.

Thankfully though, when her body is covered in too many bruises to count and her throat is dry and bloody from screaming, Ferca rests her head on the floor when Nala gives her a break. While some may find it odd that she is allowing a break, it is quite detrimental to anticipate pain, almost more so than the pain itself. As Nala goes to take off Fercas mask, intending to now use the muscles along the face for her plight, she finally gives in.

“I rescind my challenge!” Ferca roars, hiding her bare face from attack.

“Do you also give up?” She asks, resting back on her heels, waiting. It takes more than a moment, but she admits defeat. Nala quickly cuts all the line around Ferca, letting her limp body slump mercifully to the group in a heap. She stands up and looks towards the Matriarch and Patriarch. Their faces are as she had expected, as long as everyone else’s; stunned and horrified. Blinking, suddenly realizing that the fight was over, Zanjui announces the winner and Nala bows her head in thanks. In habit, she walks back to Ferca and takes one of the metal rings from a tress, its addition to her wall will be welcome.

Walking away slowly, Nalas eyes are half closed. Whispers and talk begin to evade her ears and she wishes that she had moved faster to leave. But when the crowd gasps and once again so silent, she knows something is wrong. She turns around just in time to see a half sitting Ferca throw a short knife in her direction. Nala tries to twist away from its path, but it slices into her skin just at her left shoulder blade. She rips it from her body to see no more than two inches had gone in, Fercas weak body saved her from a bad injury. But that does not matter. What matters is that she had attacked her after giving up the fight, and such a thing should not go unpunished. The look in Fercas eyes as Nala stalks back to her is only seen in prey as a hunter approaches it. Her wide orbs wordlessly beg for forgiveness, but that is rarely given. Nala kicks her onto her stomach once more, it being easy as Ferca body is still relatively useless. She sits down on the broad Yautjas back, grabs a handful of black tresses and pulls her head back. Using the same knife, Nala slices the bare neck in one swoop, green blood pouring out like water from a glass. Fercas mandibles spread in a silent scream, her voice box cut through, no sound will come from her again. She waits until she can’t hear her heart anymore and then drops her body. She dips a hand into the giant glowing pool and wipes it over her chest plate to displaying her kills’ blood on her body as a last statement. She stands without a second thought, leaving the lifeless body, and heads out of the room. In her hand though, unknown to her she still grasps Fercas mask, the heavy thing unnoticed after she had taken it off.

“” “” “” “”

“Why does it have to be so hard?” She asks Kh’Cho, the only healer that can really help her in any way. His busy hands have been applying healing gel to her body, looking at scans of her broken bones and the like.

“Has it ever been easy for you my dear?” He asks with a smile. With a small laugh she lets him work in silence, every now and then getting an order for her to move into a different position. When he is nearly finished, Sya walks in with a sullen look on his face. She can’t even look him in the eye. Suddenly she feels incredibly tiny, like a child does when a parent stands in front of them. She hears him sigh heavily and her eyes burn with the sting of tears.

“There is no need for that, little one.” He says and walks to her, sliding an arm around her body to calm her. “You did the right thing.” Nala snaps her head to look into his eyes.

“Are you kidding me?” She nearly screams as she jumps off the table. Pacing in circles, she begins to babble so many words that Sya cannot keep up with her. “How can you say killing a healthy female was the right thing to do?” She finally asks.

“It does not matter that she was healthy. She had done a very dishonorable thing by hurting you after the fight ended. She disgraced herself. You did what every Yautja would do.” His words don’t comfort her. She didn’t allow him to say anything else.

As Nala said, she goes to eat the evening meal with Nder, who is inexplicably quiet. But mercifully so. He didn’t even remark on the fact she had forgotten his skull. He offers her a bit of food here and there, but never engages in conversation. Her stomach though would not take much and no more than an hour after she arrived did she leave. Nder looks at her with all knowing eyes as she stands to go, but they are also filled with a kind of sympathy that she knows he could never voice. The walk to her room is overwhelming, her feet become so heavy that her muscles scream for her to stop. But even leaning against the wall is painful. Nala takes deep controlled breaths, but the ach that is starting from her legs and traveling to her spine is mind numbing. Her half metal hand clenches into a fist, the sharp tips digging into her palm, bringing drips of red. Then suddenly it all stops. Passersby look at her with a mix of worry and alarm, but giving it no other thought Nala makes it back to her room. The door closing behind her gives her a signal to fall to her knees. She doubles over and hides her face in her hands, the only sound to be heard is her heavy breathing. Her temples begin to throb and her whole body heats up, her hands turn a deep red and her vision blurs. Suddenly her stomach begins to heave and quickly getting to her feet and into the bathroom, she lets loose everything she had eaten. Her spine arches painfully and her stomach clenches, sweat beads fall down her forehead. When Nala can finally breath, she falls to the floor and rests, small tears falling out of her eyes. After cleaning herself up, she goes to change into her sleepwear, needing to rest, when she sees Fercas mask in her dressing room with her own, that site making her stomach upset once more. But holding her composure, she grabs the heavy plate and goes to find Elder Dh’Kn, something about having his daughters mask was too unsettling. It takes too long to find him, having to go to Sya to find out where the other Elders’ residence was. The little hairs all over her body stand tall as his door opens and his giant body stands there.

“Elder…” She says, bowing her head a little.

“I was expecting you, but not so soon.” He sighs. Nala looks up to him and silently hands Fercas mask over, his giant hands taking it gently.

“I’m sorry for,”

“Don’t apologize, there is nothing to be sorry for.” It is only now that she notices that he shows no real sorrow for losing a child. “I have many other daughters Nala.”

“But… Ferca was special. She was,”

“There is no such thing as someone being special in this life, Nalani. There are the honorable, and then there are those who are not. My daughter became one with no honor. Do not burden yourself with her misjudgment.” Slowly, the Elder approaches and cups her jaw in his giant hand, lifting her gaze into his eyes. “When you learn this life given to you is filled with death, you learn to see and appreciate that gift of life.”

“How can I cope with the gift of my own life when I am taking it away from others?” She says, tears of frustration rolling down her check.

“Stop crying Siechi!” Elder Dh’Kn roars. “I am mourning for the loose of a daughter, do not make me feel guilty for making you cry as well. And a gift is a gift, accept it no matter what! Besides, no one can say no to a present.” He smiles down at her and laughs a little at seeing her blush. “Come now little one, you should know by now that being a Yautja means living with death. I thank you for the honor of getting Fercas mask. But you should get some rest, you look like a Hard Meats tongue.”

“Thanks.” She scoffs. Before he can stop her, Nala gives him a hug, wrapping her arms as far around his massive waist as she can. Elder Dh’Kn looks around puzzled, and also hoping no one has seen it. Nala backs off and laughs at his face, confusion in his eyes.

“” “” “” “”

Sya sits quietly in his room, lounging on a giant chair reading. This has been his only time alone for weeks, Nala had demanded all of his time to educate her about Yautja females. While he understands her incessant need to know, there comes a time when a break is needed. In his hands the thin panel flips through the bright red letters, the status report on a few hunting ships quite uninteresting. The door rings unexpectedly, but even more unexpected for Sya was finding his father on the other side of it.

“We need to talk.” Ras’Lech lumbers in without looking at his son.

“About what?” Sya asks, leading them both into a sitting room. Once comfortable, it takes Ras’Lech a moment to gain composure.

“You know as well as I that her tenth is coming. I have discussed things with other Elders of your Clan, and with the Matriarch and her advisors. Unfortunately,”

“Don’t tell me they are going to deny Nalani the chance to read the Story of Creation?” Sya bursts in, already angry at just the thought. But with a small glare from his father he calms down, knowing he had stepped out of place by interrupting.

“They are not denying her that, they are denying her the chance to do it alone. Most believe she should be monitored while around the book.” The Patriarch sighs at his sons reaction, but he felt the same bit of frustration.

“Who has been appointed to watch over her while she is reading?” Sya finally gets out, his stomach turning with the disappointment that so many of his own Elders and friends do not trust his little one.

“That was not decided. I have come to you in hopes that you will offer to be her guardian as you’re her caretaker.”

“Of course.” He says without hesitation.

“We had our best mathematicians working out the exact date of her birth, it was a grueling task to match up Ooman calendars to our own.” When Ras’Lech rests his head against a hand, Sya offers a stiff drink but it was not accepted, he didn’t expect it to be. “I have a serious question that needs a serious answer.”

“You can ask anything of me and I will give you nothing but the purest of answers.” There is a long pause that makes Sya quite uncomfortable. But the next few words make him laugh so hard his stomach hurts.


“Do you plan to mate with Siechi?” The roaring laugher deafened the Patriarchs ears for a moment.

“Why is it so hard for others to see I look at Nalani as a daughter?” Sya asks after forcing himself to be calm.

“You and I both understand the importance of daughters, but to say you feel her as one is awkward.” Ras’Lech shakes his head in confusion. “Tell Nalani she leaves in ten days, make sure she knows the customs.” He leaves without any other words, none need be said.

“” “” “” “”

The humid air brings drop of sweat all over her body, twin suns far in the sky burning Nala inside out. And she loves it. She stands with her arms outstretched, letting all the heat into herself. Around her too many Yautja to count walk everywhere on the ground after exiting a transport ship, all looking at her strangely. Her feet, though covered in the heavy metal of her Awu’asa, groan in the delight of being on the ground again after so long. Nala bends down and digs a bare hand into the living ground, the grain of the soil feeling absolutely amazing. Fresh air wafts around her, the slight wind blowing her hair off her shoulders and setting fire to her lungs. While they had landed, not too far off in the jungle Nala can see four structures in the distance. Sitting among the vibrant greens of plants and trees, what she guesses to be stone buildings sit awkwardly, staring at her, begging her to come closer. Dhm’Ni walks to her side and bends down to look at her hand in the ground.

“Why do you…” He pauses, looking at her with utter confusion. “Never mind, I wouldn’t understand.” Nala laughs at him and uses his shoulder to push herself up, letting her fingers linger on his skin for just a moment. They had not slept in the same bed for a few weeks, though no matter the day they would eat a meal together. But it was not enough for her, she needed more. She just doesn’t know how to tell him so.

Hidden behind six massive Yautja, Det-Onda’Ni glares at his bother and seethes at the way that Ooman touches him. How could he possibly enjoy any kind of affection from such a thing? What he did with Ooman females was only to satisfy his masochistic needs, he never saw them as anything more than a toy to throw away when he is done. But Dhm’Ni and Nala, something is not right with that. Det follows her feet, the gentle way they step on sacred ground angers him. Although in that same thought something inside him is urging him to take her like all the rest. She is no better than the filthy little Ooman girls he kills. His groin aches with the thought of being inside her, a knife in her beck killing her as he releases. A deep grumbling purr starts in his chest, startling a few of the others around him.

“What’s wrong with you?” Hutr sighs, he had noticed his leaders inclination for that female a while ago, even if Det hadn’t know it himself yet.

“Do you think they will miss her?” Det whispers, his whole group looking at him like he had gone crazy. “What if she went to hunt, but never came back?” His eyes widen at just the thought of killing her.

“You are taking your ‘needs’ too close to home Det!” Hutr hisses at him, his mandibles clattering in anxiety. He does not want to be part of anything that involves that Ooman. In pure animosity he crosses his tan colored arms over his chest plate, pushing it against his body hard to cause just enough pain to make him relax.

“I can do whatever I want to!” He answers with a growl, silencing any other protest.

Nala looks around slowly, finding Sya talking with Lord Khupiee, a few Elders in a group, the Patriarch standing alone staring directly at her. She takes a deep breath before walking to his side, bowing her head in greeting.

“I have a question about what I am meant to do.” She says quietly.

“Sya was supposed to tell you everything.” Ras’Lech sighs.

“He did, however I just want to be clear that the prey I kill, the one I must take the skull of to offer in the temple, I can choose whatever it is?” Nala was immersed with all of the different customs she has to go through just to read a book, but it was important to the Yautja so she must do it. And to be true she still doesn’t understand who she is sacrificing the skull too, or why she needs to bathe in white water before reading the book. But if she has to, she will.

“You can offer anything you like to the temple.” He tells quickly. A gust of cool wind tingles both of their backs, rustling the giant leafs behind them.

“May I ask you a favor?” She says slyly.

“Favors for you tend to get Yautja in trouble.” He laughs. “What is it that you want little one?”

“You can see that Sya, and just about every other Yautja, sees me like a pup. I was hoping to do at least a little bit of this on my own.” Nala strategically walks behind the Patriarch just to make him turn towards her, his massive body hiding her own from the rest.

“I do not understand what you are asking of me…” He sounds very baffled.

“I just need you to stand right there, and don’t stop me.” With that Nala slips on her other clawed glove and her heavy mask, clipping it in place with an audible snap. Ras’Lech tilts his head in utter confusion as she begins to back up into the thick bush. As she disappears, he puts it all together to see he had helped her to start her hunt without the others knowing. Slowly, the Patriarch turns to the talking Elders but does not want to be the one to tell them she has gone on the hunt already. So he will wait until someone else notices. It is not like it is his job to inform them.

“” “” “” “”

“Tricky. Tricky. Tricky.” Nala huffs under her breath while sitting on a wide tree branch. She could smell the thing, she could feel it’s breath on her skin, she can hear its heart pounding. But she can’t see it. A twig snaps behind her and she back flips, aiming her shoulder cannon at anything with a heat signature, but nothing is in her sights. Landing on another tree, Nala slams her fist against the trunk in frustration. She has been on this animals trail for too long, but once she starts to hunt it, she can’t stop. If anything it looks like a monkey, long arms and legs with a tail twice as long as it is tall. Its face, however, it nothing like an Earthly creature. Two gigantic eyes at the front of its skull had caught her own through the brush, the deep red tint to them standing out among the greens. But the row of protruding bone along its forehead had intrigued her and she wants that skull. Another sound. Slowly Nala takes out Dhm’Nis small blade, making sure not to make a sound. She switches her sights and looks in all directions, but sees no sign of anything alive. She just can’t work with her mask. Taking it off smoothly and attaching it to her side, her eyes take a moment to adjust to the light, a few tears helping it along. With her natural sight, Nala looks around again and spots something moving in the distance. If this had been a normal hunt, she would have simply flung a blade at it, killing it. But no, she wants this to be special.

Dropping to the ground, she picks up a few large stones in her hands and throws on in the ‘monkeys’ direction, causing it to shriek and begin to run away. Keeping an eye on it and an eye on oncoming trees, Nala throws the rocks to keep it on the right trail. She knows a few meters ahead is a clearing with the most beautiful flowers, and if she must she will cover them in the blood of her prey if that means victory. As the pair gets close, Nala takes her last two stones to make sure it doesn’t head around back into the forest and go into the clearing. It jumps high and far, stunning Nala but only for a moment. She hadn’t seen its size until it was in mid-air, its thick body with brown hair matches her own. Perhaps this will be a very well earned offering. It slams into the ground but does not waste a moment before running towards the next line of trees. She charges after him, having to half jump and run to get close enough. Nala pounces onto its back and before it can even react, she slices its throat with the small blade. Slowly dark black blood seeps out and its movements slow until it collapses. To ends it suffering, Nala twists its neck, breaking it and killing it quickly. For a minute she simply breaths deep, her muscles ache but her mind doesn’t feel it, her happiness is overwhelming.

The thick blood begins to cover her arms and hands, but her whole body gets a little messy taking the skull. Nala was instructed to take the prey like it was any other, so she skins it precisely and hangs it by its feel, the sight of its headless body making her chest painful with delight. She back tracks to the forest to make her way to a small river to wash some blood off and clean her trophy as much as possible. The deep green waters turn even darker, bits a pieces of left over brain and skin flow away. Once it is to her standards of clean, Nala decides to take her time to walk back to the group, its heavy skull will be safely cradled in her arms the whole way.

After taking a small drink from the river, she turns to leave when her half metal spine shivers suddenly and she stops. The sound of two thumping hearts, one hers and one not, scares her to her very core. Nala does a slow turn in all directions, looking for something, anything that might explain what she is hearing. But she sees nothing. The sweat on her forehead drips down her face, into her eyes to sting them. Quickly though Nala wipes them, blinking rapidly to get rid of the pain. She starts to walk backwards when her back hits something hard, and metal. Nala pauses, hesitating to turn around, but at hearing a growl she quickly twists around to see a cloaked Yautja. Without a doubt male from his stature, Nala can’t figure out who he might be. Something about his scent is eerily familiar. Her eyes widen in shock as she recognizes just a little bit of Dhm’Nis intoxicating smell, but it’s just off, it’s Det. While her eyes show her confusion, her mouth opens in fear when he shoots out his wrist blades.

“Det, what are you doing?” She asks with a shaky voice.

“I had hoped you wouldn’t figure it out.” He laughs as he de-cloaks, his evil mask staring down at her. “I wanted it to be a surprise right as you die.” Nala drops her trophy is pure shock, her heart and stomach drop too.

“What are you talking about?” Slowly moving back, Nala can’t help but think she has nowhere to go, the group is so far away and her mask is off, she can’t contact them.

“Pathetic little Ooman.” He growls. But he is shocked to hear a growl back.

“Watch your tongue Yautja.” Nala growls back. Without warning Det raises his hand and backhands her so hard she flies to the ground, a split lip letting blood flow. She covers her mouth in awe, not knowing what to think. But through instinct now, she rolls away and unsheathes Dhm’Nis knife, letting it hang rather loosely at her side.

“You have no idea what you are getting yourself into, just give in a die like all the others.” Det gets down into a fighting position, though grabs no weapons himself.

“What others?” She asks, scared at what those words mean.

“You think you will be the first Ooman female I kill? How stupid can you be?” Nala can’t take anymore words, she can’t give him more like to talk. She charges and swipes her weapons across Dets arms, slicing only a little bit into his shoulder piece. He laughs and simply turns to face her, shaking his head to mock her even more. “I have been to your planet too many times to count, and I have raped and killed many, many females like you. You think you can protect yourself. You think you are strong. You think so highly of yourself. But you will end up like all the rest of them.” Nalas fingers shake, her knees weaken and her stomach feels the need to empty itself. “You know what I find so funny?” He asks himself. Det starts to walk back and forth, so bold as to actually take his eyes off Nala to do so. “I find it funny that you have come into the Yautja world, knowing what you are to give up. Did you really think you have a chance to live here? To grow and become something the Goddess would favor? Or perhaps you didn’t even care, since you don’t even know of her yet.” Her mind is running around in circles, she can’t piece together what he is saying. “But do you, an Ooman, think you can have things with the Yautja? Things only other Oomans can give you? Oh and I know how you work. You become lifemates and reproduce, I have killed many families to know the dynamics of them. But do you think you can get it here?”

“No.” Nala answers suddenly, stunning him.

“You anticipate not having a family? Not reproducing? Not having offspring?” He asks her point blank. But she doesn’t answer. “No pups? No children? No lifemate? No one to call you mother? No one to call you a lover?”

“ENOUGH!” She shrieks out, tears of anger begging to be let out.

“Don’t worry Ooman, you don’t need to worry any longer.” His shoulder cannon comes to life and if she had stayed a moment longer her legs would have been blown off. But the impact of the shoulder gun throws her to the ground painfully, her skin scraping against the stones and rocks of the river shore. Before she can even blink, Det runs and kicks her in the stomach, sending her flying once more. She screams as her back hits a large rock, and instantly Det knows he must silence her in some fashion. While they are far from the group, he knows how loud an Ooman in pain can scream and he will not take the risk. He quickly walks up to her writhing body and steps on her chest to keep her down, he chooses to take use a leaf from close tree and stuffs it into her mouth, her hands trying so hard to keep his away. Suddenly she twists and connects her foot to the back of his head, but that only causes him to lean forwards, his knee going into her chest. Barely able to breath, Nalas body begins to weaken and Det waits for her to almost lose consciousness before tying her hands together. Det grabs her ringed hair and drags her a little ways away from the water, going to softer ground. But suddenly there is no weight on the hair and he turns to see no Nala at the end of a few tresses. A blade slices into his thigh and he growls in agony as Nala twists it in all distractions. While her hands are bound, his are not and he pushes her away, slamming her into a tree with an audible snap sounds from her body being bend in unnatural ways. She slumps to the ground and tries her hardest to get up, but the familiar pain of a punctured lung keeps her down. Det rips out the blade, sighing at the relief of pressure. In that moment he notices two very important things, one being the weapon in his hands is his brothers and the other that blood is seeping out of her mouth, the green leaf letting it flow out her mouth slowly. In utter disgust, he throws Dhm’Nis’ blade into the nearby river, he doesn’t want to touch it. The burning between his legs though, he wants to touch that. Det makes a quick task of taking off all his Awu’asa below the waist, revealing his eager manhood. He doesn’t know what is more arousing, the fact that he is about to kill her, or that he is going to be the first and only Yautja to be inside her. His fingers tingle in delight as Nala squirms around, he loves it when they do that. Nalas eyes flicker up and then a muffled scream makes him laugh when she sees his sex, that sound alone causing a drip of pre-ejaculate to ooze out. His legs, however, nearly buckle at the sight of her trying to stand up, her body though is to painful to hold up. Slowly Det walks up to her, grabs her hair and drags her into a more useable spot.

Nala uses the moment to take her only other weapon, her long blade. She hadn’t brought any others and if she dies for that fact she will be very angry. She waits for him to drop her to the ground and with all of her strength she twists around, her knife slicing right trough Dets’ left arm, cutting it off at the elbow. As the appendage falls to the ground so does she, her body barely able to stay sitting up from the pain of her ribs. She had expected him to roar in pain, to show some kind of emotion but all she can see is his body shaking, she can hear gurgling from his throat to keep any other noise down and she can smell the blood. Det moves too fast for her to react and with his only other fist, punches her in the face, bone cracking on impact as her face pounds into the ground. Behind her Det gets onto his knees and grabs her by her hip, wasting no time in ripping off her Awu’asa impaling her in his massive girth. Her scream could barely be heard even by him because of the leaf, but he can feel it on every inch. He lets his head fall back in ecstasy, feeling every rip and tare inside her Ooman body. He doesn’t notice the pain of his arm being gone, only the immeasurable pleasure of finally raping this Ooman. His thoughts alone bring him so close to the edge, his body so close to releasing. But he needs just a little more. Slipping out a tiny knife, Det slams it into her back and her mouth opens in a silent scream. But unseen to his eyes, the bit of leaf he had places in her mouth is forced out, a gush of blood covering it up. The blade glides along her back, opening her up as red blood seeps down her sides and muscle rips in two. And when he hits the metal spine Nala lets out all she has, her scream finally allowing Det to let it all go.

“” “” “” “”

“I am surprised it is taking her this long.” An Elder remarks. Most of the other hunters had gone off to be alone and hunt, but all the Elders and the Patriarch stay to wait for Nala. All of those she calls friends however eagerly await her as well, wanting to be there when she comes back with her offering and when she reads. Dhm’Ni and Thr’ik have a bet going about the prey she would bring back, but neither can decide just what she will hunt.

“I am not.” Sya laughs. “She wants to make a good impression with her offering. Nala will not hunt the first thing she sees.”

“But it should not take her the whole day for her to find a suitable skull.” Ras’Lech adds. Beside him Nder argues with another hunter about a fighting technique Nala had taught them, he too wanting to be there for her biggest day. A sudden pain hits Dhm’Ni, his stomach lurching like he had been hit. He stands straight and looks around in all directions, his heart pounding in worry.

“Something is not right.” Dhm’Ni says loudly, getting the attention of all the remaining Yautja. “Nala should be back by now. I know something is wrong.”

At that very moment an echoing scream causes the bones of every hunter to shake. Sya twists in the direction of the sound, his stomach dropping in pure fear for Nala. Without even thinking the Patriarch begins to pound away at this wrist computer and a bright red projection begins to take form above his out stretched hand. Slowly figures begin to take shape, one on the ground, curled up into a ball and the other leaning against a tree. Lord Khupiee stares at the image of his son and roars so loud that his own ears ache. Without another thought the entire group begins to run, charging into the thick forest, jumping over fallen trees and leaping across ground. Dhm’Ni, running alongside his father, can’t bear to look in his direction knowing that it was his brother that made Nala scream in pain. Ras’Lech, despite his age, is well ahead of the group, his body still agile after so many years. He doesn’t bother to look at where he is stepping, years of living on this world gives him the advantage of knowing every stone and tree, his body moves around everything like the wind does. Then Sya smells it. Through his mask he can smell Nalas blood, the thickness of it making his gag. Dhm’Ni roars as he catches it, Thr’ik and Nder too. The forest ends and all the running Yautja enter a clearing, three rows of Yautja all heading towards the same point. Inside, Sya knows that they must go faster, he knows that if they do not get there in time Det will have killed Nala and hidden her body so they would never be able to punish him. He can’t lose her. At hearing the trickle of the river, the group picks up even more speed and the next moment they see a horrid scene.

Weak from the loss of blood, Det still cannot stand and leans against a tree, his arm letting more and more go. He had taken off his mask to breathe a little better, though it didn’t help much. Sya, though, never doesn’t look at him and goes straight to an unconscious Nala, his mask allowing him to see every injury Det had caused her. Instinct forces the arriving Yautja into a pack mentality and they surround the Det completely, giving him no room to escape. Lord Khupiee and Dhm’Ni stand side by side, both so still and tense their bodies are beginning to hurt.

“She’s alive.” Sya whispers, his heart breaking. “Barely. He’s raped her.” He touches her face gently with the back of a hand, noting her skin is boiling and her eyes are half open. “Tried to cut her spine to kill her.” He places a shaking hand over her gaping wound, the metal of her spine cold compared to the split skin surrounding it. Without warning Lord Khupiee charges up to his son and slams a fist into his face, forcing him onto his knees. He knees Det in the chest for good measure, the only thing holding him back from killing his own son being the laws his own family put forth. Behind Lord Khupiee, Dhm’Ni can’t decide what to do first, go to Nala and help Sya, or kill his brother. His hands are aching to grab a weapon and slice Dets’ throat, to cut off his head, dismember him and feed him to the water beasts. But then he hears her.

“It hurts.” Nala breaths out, Sya petting her forehead.

“We’ll get you home and get you healed.” He says. Dhm’Ni rushes to her side and knees down, looking right into her eyes just before they roll into the back of her head and she stops moving. Without words Sya cover her up the best he can and begins to walk her back to the transport ship alone, one of her bloody hands dangling off to the side. Everyone watches in silence until they are gone but once they are, everyone begins to approach a fallen Det. All but one.

“Step away from the Bad Blood.” The Patriarch hisses and everyone stops dead. Ras’Lech takes off his mask as he walks up to Det, he wants to look him in the eye as he declares him a Bad Blood and serve him his punishment. He grabs Dets shoulders and lifts him up a little off the ground, just enough to be sure he is paying attention. “Det-Onda’Ni, I denounce you as a Bad Blood for the rape of an Ehre Clan member. Your punishment will be decided by your Elders. Until your judgment I give you my protection so no one can kill you. Even if I do not wish to. I must.” The Patriarch simply drops the Bad Blood to his back and walks away, ordering Lord Khupiee to heal him and then place him in a holding cell. The only one that moves though is Nder, both Lord Khupiee and Dhm’Ni to stone to move. He makes a bath of healing gel and uncaringly wipes it on the end of his arm, Det doesn’t even flinch. When he finally stands to be taken away, Nder disarms him completely and everyone takes out a weapon, just in case. It was a long walk for Lord Khupiee and Dhm’Ni, but they hold their heads high because no matter what, justice will be served.

“” “” “” “”

“Calm down!” Kh’Cho tries to get Nala to let him treat her, to let him repair what was damaged. Sya had brought her in speechless, unwilling to even say a word. All it took though was a simple scan of her body and the healer knew what happened and went right to work. As customs say, no male can be in the presents of a healing female, so Sya was sent away even though Kh’Cho knows how much he wanted to stay. Hours of work didn’t save her life, her half metal spine was the only thing that stopped Dets knife from slicing it in half. Except once that was done he needed to wake her to be able to properly care for her, but she refuses to let him touch her now.

“NO!” She slaps his hand away, wrapping a comforting white sheet around her naked and bleeding body. Nalas broken ribs are black and blue on the outside, her lung still filled with blood and it is dripping from her mouth. Not to mention Kh’Cho hadn’t even started on the areas injured by the rape. He had never seen anything so horrid in all his lifetime.

“Please, Nalani I need to heal you.” He tries again.

“Get away from me.” Nala growls, actually scaring the healer so much that he backs off. Not knowing what else to do, he retreats to a COM and calls for Sya, but is unable to reach him.

“What do you mean he cannot be contacted? Interrupt the meeting and get him down to Nala!” But at hearing another reason for why he cannot talk to him, Kh’Cho tries for the only other person he can think of. “Dhm’Ni, Nala needs you.” That was all it took. The healer stands away to give his patient room, and to observe her. He had never seen Nala in such a state, her eyes are looking off into nowhere, she keeps rocking back and forth and her whole body is shaking. He doesn’t even try to understand why she is doing such things, it is not his place. He can’t even imagine in the pain she is going through, or why she is allowing herself to continue in such a state. He can help her, why isn’t she letting him?

“Nala…” Dhm’Ni comes in stunned at the sight of her. With one look he sends the healer away to be alone with her. Nala opens her mouth to speak but no words come out, tears fall down her red colored cheeks as she tries to look for the right words. Unable to though, she sticks out a shaking hand, needing to have Dhm’Ni close. Both his clawed hands grab hers and he begins to purr, the calming sound only making her cry harder.

“I’m sorry.” She says, shocking him to stop all his soothing sounds.

“Why do you say that?” He whispers.

“I tried so hard. I couldn’t stop him. I should have stopped him. I’m so sorry!“ Not allowing her to utter another stupid word, Dhm’Ni grabs her in his arms and cradles her to his chest.

“No more. Don’t even think those things.” He purrs into her hair. Dhm’Ni rubs up and down her back very gently, even massaging her cheek with his marble like mandible.

But the thoughts keep coming. Nala keeps remembering his words, ‘You anticipate not having a family? Not reproducing? Not having offspring? No pups? No children? No lifemate? No one to call you mother? No one to call you a lover?’ Her frustration breaks and she begins to wail, grabbing onto Dhm’Nis arms in need of him, she needs him to be closer. He lifts her up like she is but a baby and walks to a corner of the giant healers deck and sits down so her back is to the wall. He knows she needs to have the feeling of being completely held, to be covered and safe from everything. Dhm’Ni crosses his legs and forms his body around Nalas, covering her entirely. His purrs resonate through all of her and to be honest it hurts. Nala can feel it in her lungs but the pain is welcome. She lets her head rest against his chest and takes a deep breath of his vanilla and rain scent, causing her to moan at how wonderful it makes her feel. Slowly Nala tilts her head up to look into his eyes, but they are closed tightly. She wants to see those amazing blue eyes.

“Dhm’Ni?” She whispers and he looks down at her. “Tell me everything is going to be ok…”

“Everything is going to be ok.” He says without hesitation and leans down to rub his bottom set of mandibles across her forehead.

“Never let me go.” Nala breaths out.

“Never.” She lets her head back down on his chest and gratefully falls asleep.

“” “” “” “”