Fuzzies

Useful info;



Pronunciations:



Veriea: Verr-ree-a(i)



Ver’ei’a: Veh-e-ah



Forenien: For-en-ee-en



Cartarea: Car-tar-ay



Vocabulary:



Kainde Amedha: hard meat/ xenomorph



Gaun-Thwei: night blood



Chiva: trial/ test



Setg’in kwei: tricky/ quick



Pyode Amedha: soft meat/ human (ooman)



Yeyinde: brave one



Pauk: fuck



Ell-osde c’jit: damn you



C’jit: damn/ shit/ general expletive



Pauk’de: fucking/ fucker



Hulij-bpe: crazy



Mei’hswei: brother (also use between close companions/clan mates)



Kerhite: training ground/training ring



Jehdin-jehdin: hand-to-hand combat (one-on-one)



Zazin: self-centered



Thwei’tek: blood bond (used to fuse strands of hair into dreadlocks)



M-di’h’dlak: no fear



Naxa: a kind of fruit from the Yautja home world



Thwei: blood



Sy’ua: wow/whoa (you get the idea)



Jehdin Jehdin: one on one/ hand to hand combat



Lou-dte kalei: child maker/female (usually a derogatory term)



Kantra: prayer



Ki’ct-pa: wrist blades



Awu’asa: armor



Cn’tlip: alcoholic drink



ki’its-pa: hunting spear



Enjoy the story ; P



= Chapter 9 – Little White Flag =



Veriea slowly woke to the sound of purring in her ear and a weight on her shoulder.



Someone was in the hammock next to her.



The realization hit her and she immediately went rigid but as the fog of sleep disappeared, she remembered last night, that it was only S’ak’e’cha and relaxed again. After having her first decent, dreamless sleep in a week, she was glad she had such good friends; she doubted that most yautja would have done the same thing for her. She tried to stretch her limbs but froze as she noticed something.



There was a hand in her top.



And it was grabbing her breast.



CCCCCCC



Ma’e’ka’cha woke to a pained yelp, a heavy thud and a strange musk in the room. He didn’t understand what was happening but there was one hell of a lot of yelling going on.



Someone, who sounded rather scared, was saying, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! I swear!” over and over again, while another was pretty much just yelling a string of insults, profanities and curses, most of which sounded like they were in several different languages.



Two more yelps occurred in quick succession followed by a lot of banging and clanking, another yelp and he sat up just in time to see a flash of movement as the bathroom door slammed shut.



“What’s going on?” He mumbled sleepily.



Then he saw the room.



Awu’asa, weapons and trophies were strewn around everywhere in disarray, H’ak’e’cha and G’re’e’cha were sitting bolt upright in their bed, looking as confused as he was and in the middle of the mess sat S’ak’e’cha, tangled in a mass of blankets, looking very sorry for himself with a massive black eye starting to form on the left side of his face.



“What the…?” H’ak’e’cha muttered.



“I didn’t mean to!” S’ak’e’cha moaned pitifully. “I didn’t know she was coming into heat, I swear!”



“What? What are you talking about?” His twin asked. “What-“ He sniggered. “What happened to your eye?”



“Wait, where’s Ver’ei’a?” G’re’e’cha asked, getting up.



“In the bathroom.” S’ak’e’cha answered in a small voice. “Probably deciding how to kill me.”



“And why does she want to kill you?” Ma’e’ka’cha asked, his tone dangerous as he too got out of his bed.



The crestfallen yautja wouldn’t look at them.



“What did you do!” G’re’e’cha asked angrily.



“It wasn’t my fault!” He insisted.



“We’ll be the judge of that, now what did you do?” G’re’e’cha repeated.



S’ak’e’cha sighed.



“She’s been having bad dreams all week and waking me up and last night she sounded really upset and when I asked her about it she said something about fear and being alone so I, well, offered to comfort her by sleeping in the hammock with her so we could both get some sleep and when I woke up this morning I was- um…fondling her –I swear on my honor, I didn’t mean to!” He rushed it all out in a single breath.



Silence was held for a moment.



“What did she do?” Ma’e’ka’cha asked, trying to keep his voice calm.



“She was really pissed.” S’ak’e’cha said, his mandibles twitching nervously. “She punched me at first, then she yelled at me…slapped me and then kicked me…yelled at me some more, grabbed all her stuff…kicked me again, yelled some more and then stormed in the bathroom.” He paused, quivering. “I think she’s dulling the blades so it’ll hurt more.”



Another silence.



“Was it worth it?” H’ak’e’cha asked, smirking. S’ak’e’cha hit him.



“Pauk! Don’t even joke about it! I could have-“ He couldn’t voice the dishonorable act. He liked Veriea; the last thing he wanted was for her to be mad at him, especially for something like this. Pauk’de hormones! He thought bitterly. “I’ve seen female really pissed off before but…she was scary. Like starring-into-the-face-of-a-Kainde-Amedha-Queen-with-nothing-but-you-skin scary. She must be in heat.”



“She can’t be, it’s another week until mating season starts.” G’re’e’cha said.



“But she’s not completely yautja. Maybe the furry things breed more often?” Ma’e’ka’cha suggested.



There was a ‘swish’ sound behind them and they all turned to see Veriea standing in the bathroom doorway, fully armored and armed. They could smell the anger rolling off of her and, three of them at least, could tell that the earlier assumptions were correct.



“If any of you follow me,” She flicked out her ki’ct-pa to full length for emphasis and tilted her head to look at them. “You get your testicles relocated.” And then she left.



Yet another silence followed.



“Definitely in heat.” G’re’e’cha sighed.



“I couldn’t tell…” Ma’e’ka’cha murmured, confused.



“You’re her brother, remember? Blood link.”



“Yeah, well, we should probably go after her…”



S’ak’e’cha whimpered at the thought of confronting their enraged friend at this point in time, G’re’e’cha looked the other way, finding a spot on the wall incredibly interesting and H’ak’e’cha sat back down on his bed, flatly refusing.



“No. Way. Me and my reproductive organs aren’t going anywhere near that female. I like my testicles right where they are.”



CCCCCCC



“Why am I coming with you again?” Kainde’a’ke’a asked as an extremely angry and heavily armed Veriea pulled her along to an unknown destination.



“Because males are jerks and I need you to explain some things to me before I go and open a specific male’s arteries. And I don’t want said male, or any other male for that matter, to interrupt us or I might open up some arteries anyway. And I like you. You’re nice and arty, like me. In short, I’m angry, confused and in desperate need of girl-time and I consider you to be my best friend.”



Kainde’a’ke’a was stunned for a moment, surprised but also pleased that Veriea cared so much about her. She also wondered how Veriea had said so many things so quickly without taking a breath.



“I take it you’re mad at a male then?” She asked once she had found her voice.



Veriea growled by way of answer. “I also take it that you were unaware, until now, that you are in heat?”



This brought a sudden pause in the head long dash, almost causing the yautja to crash into the other female and Veriea looked at her, obviously surprised but they were soon moving again. They were approaching the ship yard, where all the privately owned ships were docked.



They paused momentarily at the gates as Veriea asked for a specific ship. She must have had a mess-with-me-and-you-will-so­-regret-it look because the warriors on guard quickly found the dock she was looking for and in under 10 seconds they were off again. They found the ship, a sleek, 6-man hunting vessel, most of the luxuries, with the Guan- Thwei clan symbol painted on the hull in heat reflective paint and which seemed to be named The Cn’tlip. Kainde’a’ke’a found herself hauled aboard and thought she could finally stop and get some answers when Veriea asked how to change the access codes.



“Don’t worry, I’m not planning to steal the ship or anything; I’m not that angry. Or stupid.” Veriea said, seeing her friend’s suspicious look. “Me and my friends all put in for this ship. Besides, I don’t know how to fly it. I just don’t want anyone to get in for a while.”



After changing all the access codes and override codes, Veriea finally seemed to relax some what and lead Kainde’a’ke’a to what she soon claimed as her room. Kainde’a’ke’a watched as, in a confusing display of childishness, Veriea dumped everything on the floor, removing all her armor, and leapt onto the bed, giggling as she bounced a bit and then rolling onto her back, tossing a pillow up into the air and catching it with both hands and feet and then hugging it. “Mmmm...my territory…” She purred happily, like a contented kitten.



Kainde’a’ke’a just shook her head, completely baffled by the other female’s odd behavior.



“You’re acting like a pup.” She chuckled.



“I’m acting like me.” Veriea answered, looking at her and grinning. “It’s been a long time since I could. I had to grow up real fast and I miss being me; I’ve always been a kid at heart, really.” She seemed to consider for a moment. “Just blame it on the hormones.”



“What about this male issue?” The yautja asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. “You said you needed me to explain a few things.”



Veriea’s playfulness evaporated, her expression sobering.



“Is it considered acceptable for a male to, er…fondle a female without permission?”



“No.” Kainde’a’ke’a said firmly, growling a little, wondering who had had the nerve to press themselves on her. She forced herself to remain calm though. Veriea was seeking her advice; perhaps things weren’t as clear-cut as that. “But maybe you should explain the situation?”



Veriea told her and she laughed, mostly with relief.



“Ah, I see.” She smirked. “Taking into account that you’re in heat but didn’t realize it until I mentioned it to you, I would say it started quite recently, probably while you were asleep. In our race, males are very strongly affected by the musk of a female in heat, so much so that his body would have reacted on its own. If he was an…experienced…male, the situation would most like have been a familiar one and I believe the oomans have a saying; ‘old habits die hard’. I very much doubt the male in question knew what was going on. I would think that he cared for you quite a bit, though. Males are not usually so affectionate, nor do they normally accept females into their hunting parties; it tends to create too much rivalry and jealousy if a female should favor one male more than the others.”



“I suppose I can forgive him then; I already got him back pretty good.” She giggled, imagining the black eye she must have left. Her ears twitched. “Do you hear something?”



Kainde’a’ke’a listened for a moment.



“It’s coming from outside.”



Quickly they made their way to the bridge and looked out to see several males out side, a few of which were fighting.



“Pauk.” Veriea cursed softly. “How is it people always find you when you don’t want to be found?”



“They probably just followed your scent.” Kainde’a’ke’a looked at the males more closely. “Sy’ua, there are some honored warriors out there; you have a really good selection to pick a mate from.”



“I don’t want a mate…and why are they holding trophies?”



Her friend raised an eyebrow at her.



“You really don’t know how this works, do you?”



“I know it works – gods, I’m not that young – but no one has gone and handed me the ‘Yautja Guild to Mating Rituals’ handbook, no.” Veriea sat down in the captains chair exasperatedly, which was really far to big for her comparatively tiny frame.



The boys had been talking about ‘mating season’ for weeks now but – even in light of Ma’e’ka’cha’s comment, nearly a month ago now – she really hadn’t expected or even thought that she would have to deal with something like this. Especially after all the challenges she’d received.



Or did that make her more desirable?



Gods, her head hurt.



She kneaded her temples for a moment, trying to calm down so she could tackle this rationally. “Please explain to me how this works.” She groaned, rubbing sleep gunk from her eyes.



Kainde’a’ke’a took a seat, getting comfortable.



“Alright.” She said, way too pleased for Veriea’s liking. “Over five weeks every rotation, all the females go into heat. Same time during every rotation and pretty much all the hunters return for it. Mating season doesn’t actually start until next week but I guess things are going to be different for you; probably something to do with your original form.”



“Pauk. If I have to go through this four times a year, I may just kill myself.”



“That often, huh? I envy you.”



The Teki’ke’a smirked at Veriea’s dark look and irritated mumble, which sounded like “Lucky me…”



She smiled at that. “Anyway, the males usually decide who they want to go after before hand – strong females get the most offers – and the males will either bring their best trophies to impress the female or fight other males for her.”



“But what if they aren’t hunters?” Veriea asked, confused. Imposing as they were, she couldn’t imagine one of the healer males going toe to toe with one of the hunters she’d seen and actually come out on top.



“Only hunter males are allowed to mate, to keep the blood lines strong. That’s why you mostly see females or really old yautja in the other professions rather than young males.” Kainde’a’ke’a explained. “If the female isn’t impressed enough by the trophies or fights, they’ll fight the female herself – that doesn’t usually happen – but the final decision is always up to the female.”



“What if the female doesn’t want a mate? Or already has one?”



“If a female already has a mate, she will leave a stick with a piece of material tied to it outside her home; huntresses use their ki’its-pa. Even if a female has a mate, though, another male might challenge him. Only Life Mates can’t be challenged. Pregnant females are forbidden to participate in hunts, by the way.”



Veriea noticed that she hadn’t answered her first question.



“And if a female doesn’t want a mate?” She insisted.



“Why wouldn’t you want a mate?”



For a moment the two females started at each other in silence. Then Veriea spoke.



“I…I just don’t want one.” She said, looking away.



“If you aren’t happy with the males here, I’m sure more will-“



“It’s not the males.” Veriea cut her off. “I’m sure they’re all brilliant hunters and would make



good mates for any female but…I don’t want a mate.”



Kainde’a’ke’a looked at her for a long time, trying to figure her out. She threw up her hands in frustration and was about to tell Veriea what she thought of people who didn’t appreciate what they had when something in her friend’s eyes made her stop.



If someone had told her that Veriea was afraid of males, she would have laughed in their face. Ver’ei’a’ka’cha, the little female warrior who had beaten most of the warriors in the lower ranks bloody? The little female who had killed a kainde amedha with her bare hands? Afraid of males?



The idea was more than laughable.



But here was the proof, an unexplained deepness in her eyes; something about taking a mate positively terrified Veriea.



Kainde’a’ke’a sighed.



“I don’t know Ver’ei’a. I’ve never known an available female to just go and say they don’t want a mate; it’s an honor to give raise to the next generations, that’s why females are so respected. Pauk, I don’t look it but I’m past my child baring years and even I still accept mates.”



“You can’t be that old!” Veriea exclaimed.



“One hundred and sixty-seven rotations.” Kainde’a’ke’a smirked. “In ooman years that makes me roughly three hundred and eighty; that’s not very old by our standards but old enough.”



There was another silence as Veriea processed this information.



“You said ‘available females’.” She murmured. “What defines a female to be ‘unavailable’?”



“Females with life mates, those who are pregnant or those with sucklings in their care, thought it’s very unlikely that anyone would have a sucklings in their care at this point in the rotation.”



“And how does one signal this?”



“The same way as having a mate but with two strips of material two show that there are two within the home. Why?”



“Mmmm….” Veriea purred, tapping her chin. “A strip off the sheets aught to do…”



“What?” Kainde’a’ke’a was confused. “You don’t have a Life Mate, you don’t have a youngling – let alone a suckling – and you certainly aren’t pregnant.”



“So?” Veriea answered, quickly going into her room. The sound of ripping reached Kainde’a’ke’a’s ears and a moment later Veriea emerged with two strips of white in one hand and her ki’its-pa in the other.



“Don’t you think they’ll realize that you aren’t pregnant, that you don’t have even a normal mate and therefore can’t possibly have a suckling?” The Teki’ke’a asked, ticking off the points on her fingers as Veriea tried the strips to her spear, crossing over to the air lock.



“Probably but what are they going to do about it?” She said over her shoulder, hitting the lock release and punching in the code.



When the outer door opened, Veriea wished she hadn’t taken off all her armor. She could practically smell the testosterone as all eyes focused on her; she grimaced as she realized that actually probably was what the scent on the air was. A few males moved forward and she held up a hand. They stopped. She didn’t waste time lowering the ramp and instead crouched and drove the end of her ki’its-pa into the ground by the ‘doorway’.



She could easily sense the shock and surprise from the warriors as they saw the white marked spear. “Sorry boys.” She shrugged and quickly disappeared back inside as she felt the shock starting to erode and some anger starting to rise.



Kainde’a’ke’a was shaking her head, looking out as Veriea returned to the bridge, watching as some of the males started to leave, thought they were obviously aggravated and not happy about it.



“I can’t believe that actually worked.” She said, smirking.



CCCCCCC



Veriea and Kainde’a’ke’a were laughing, lounging on the bridge floor, having found a very generous secret stash of cn’tlip on board and were exchanging humorous stories when a loud beeping sound interrupted them.



“Yo.” Veriea giggled, hitting the com-link button as she dragged herself up for the camera.



“Ver’ei’a’ka’cha?” Ma’e’ka’cha’s face asked on the screen, looking rather concerned and nervous. “Are you alright? You’ve changed all the access code for the ship…”



She giggled again.



“Oh, yeah. Don’t worry Ma’e, my kill mode is over so you and the boys can move your stuff in. You need not fear for your testicles.” Behind her, Kainde’a’ke’a snorted, squashing a laugh.



She was considerably more inebriated than Veriea as it seemed that although she was larger, she had less tolerance for the strong alcohol.



“You’re acting kind of…strange…and who’s in there with you? Did you get a mate?”



“Nooooo.” She drawled, rolling her eyes. “God only knows why you attribute my happiness to the presence, or lack there of, of a male between my thighs – maybe you didn’t see the little white flags by the door? – but I do know that you’re killing my good mood so get your collective butts up here before I change my mind.”



She punched in the access code. “I happen to have a very good friend up here that could probably show me how to fly this thing, so don’t tempt me to take it for a joy ride –I found the cn’tlip stash, by the way.”



There was a moment of static while Ma’e’ka’cha seemed to be talking to someone out of view.



“S’ak’e’cha says he’s really sorry for what happened and wants to know if you’re still mad at him.”



“No, I’m not. Kainde’a’ke’a explained the whole female-in-heat-musk thing to me and I forgive him. He just better not do it again if he knows what’s good for him. Besides, I want to see that shiner I gave him so get up here already. I’m getting an itch to fly!” She cackled evilly and shut off the com-link.



They didn’t disappoint her. They came through the air lock, loaded with all their things, obviously having come prepared, and even thought they were wearing their masks, she knew they were eyeing her warily. “Second door on the right is mine.” She warned them.



Once things were sorted out Veriea made her wishes clear; she was not going to be taking a mate and if at any time she discovered any of them fighting over her in anyway about anything, she would neuter the offender.



Then she zeroed in on S’ak’e’cha, who had left his mask on. “Take it off.” Veriea grinned.



“Do I have to?” S’ak’e’cha groaned.



“I won’t heal it if you don’t show me and I won’t help you if you get hurt next week either.”



Sighing, he took off the mask, revealing the swollen, multi-coloured left half of his face.



Fluorescent green blood really did make for interesting bruises.



“Oh, I got you good!” She beamed. “That must have been my best punch ever.”



CCCCCCC



Veriea sat in the captains chair putting the last finishing touches on her hunting mask and armor. She’d borrowed the etching tools from Kainde’a’ke’a 5 weeks ago, just before mating season had started, so that she would have something to do while she bravely hid from the male population en masse.



The boys were currently off ‘having fun’ and she been determined not to have them worry about her being alone, so it was as good an excuse as any to get her armor decorated.



She smiled as she looked over her work.



She’d brightened up the mask by etching the same red stripes on it that marked her face. She had finished all of her arm and leg pieces with swirls and stripes in red and gold but was still working on the chest plate. The lower part of the piece was decorated with a few blue tiger stripes and the right half was a mix of red and blue but the left half, the part that would go over her heart, needed something different, something significant.



A loud beep interrupted her thoughts and she sighed; one of the guys had forgotten the access code. Again.



She punched in the code and went back to inspecting the chest plate thoughtfully. The air lock hissed and she turned, still looking at the plate.



“You know, if you lot didn’t send absolutely all you time chasing females, you might be able to remember one measly…” Her voice trailed off as she realized that it wasn’t one of the boys; it was Elder Ka’e’aka.



She jumped up, the chest plate clattering to the floor. “Apologies Elder, I thought you were one of my crew mate.”



“Understandable.” He chuckled. He picked up the plate and examined it closely before handing it back to her. “This is very good, very detailed. If you were a Teki’ke’a, you could make quite a lot for that kind of work. The left half still needs something though.”



“I was thinking the same thing myself, Elder.” She said as she set the plate aside, inwardly glowing from the praise.



“I’ve heard that you haven’t taken a mate and was wondering why.” He said, surprising her. “Mating season is very nearly over and it is a right of passage for a warrior. You can not be a Blooded warrior until you have taken at least one mate; that is the law.”



Veriea looked up at him, trying to think of a satisfactory answer, a way to explain her reasons. She knew he was only concerned for her, just as any father would be.



“I’m just not...ready…for mates yet, Elder.” She said truthfully. “I’m still so new to this world; I still need some more adjustment time.”



He quirked his mandibles in a gentle smile, seeming content with that answer.



“I also came to return this; I haven’t had time before now and thought you would probably be leaving as soon as mating season finishes.” He held out a spiraling, bracelet-like object. He did not notice her flinch as she took it.



“Thank you, Elder. I was wondering what had happened to it.” She said smoothly. “Thank you also for my equipment; Teki’ke’a Kainde’a’ke’a told me that you paid for everything.”



“Is that what she said?” The Elder smirked for a moment to himself. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to see you after your victory but I did see the fight. I am honored that you fought so valiantly in my name. A shame about the un-blood.” He started to leave.



“I heard he died dishonorably.”



“Yes, Arbitrator Thwei’a’aka had to finish him. He was raving, cursing you as a black-eyed demon and wouldn’t touch the knife. But you’ve had many honorable challengers since then, I believe. I am proud to call you my daughter.”



With a hiss of the air lock her was gone.



Veriea placed the bracelet on the floor and calmly brought her foot down on it, smashing it, then dumped the pieces in the incinerator chute.



She sat back down in her chair and picked up the chest plate, the tools and began etching again. She had the inspiration she needed and began the motif of a black dragon and a red fox, back to back, on the left half of the plate.



CCCCCCC



“Sir, we lost the signal but we have a lock on its last location.”



“We’ll leave her for a while. She’s been there more than a month and Cartarea said she’s still alive so whatever transportation she used must have given out without a replacement. There are more important things right now and she’ll keep; she always does. We’ll pick up what’s left of her some other time”



“Yes sir.



End Ch 9



A/N: Well! That was fun! I must say, this is my favorite chapter. Somewhat ominous ending don’t you think? He,he, only I know what’s coming…Please review and remember; anonymous reviews will now be accepted as well.