It begins.
…
The light thumping of sandal-clad feet gave notice of the new presence in the weapon room, Nan'ku glanced around as he entered. Bowing his head slightly in the gaze of the Elder warrior. Today was the start of a great hunting and bonding trip. The Elder's two sons, Dez'mos and Nan'ku were joining him for minor trophy claiming. It was a very rare event for a trio of males to be together for a hunt like this, so it only pleased Guan-thwei more to be hunting with his grown pups.
This was also very important for Nan'ku, because he'd just completed his first Kainde Amedha and having a few more trophies under his belt would bring the clan great honor.
Plus it would be training for all of them, something to center their body and mind.
Guan-thwei clicked at his son before giving a light shake to his shoulder, "Will Dez'Mos be here soon? We might just have to leave without him." His father rumbled in a joking manner. The mandibles around his large mouth rubbed together, decorated with carvings and metal cuffs which only showed off his rank.
"I believe he's packing some things for the trip." The shorter Hunter chattered lightly in annoyance.
"Good warriors stay open to new information, Nan'ku." His father retorted with a short grunt. "Your brother only wants for us to do well, gathering more information on the area and game will be beneficial. You should remember this and take heed of it like Dez'Mos."
The young blood lowered his gaze, trying to hide a hiss. He hated when he was talked down to like this, especially if it involved being compared to his older sibling Dez'Mos.
Nan'ku might be the younger suckling and in fact small for his age, but he was cunning! Yet everyone looked over that because his brother was much more mature and knowledgeable.
That just made him sick. It made his stomach churn with hate.
If he ever had the chance to kill Dez'Mos, he would. Even in cold blood, even if it dishonored him and his people, just so that others would stop belittling him, he'd kill his own brother.
Dez'Mos entered and bowed to his Elder, "Forgive my lateness, father." He clicked somberly, "I was downloading and packing some extra things." The blooded male then stood to his tall stature of seven foot-two.
"No need to worry, my son." Guan-thwei growled in amusement and shook his boy's shoulder. "It'll do all of us good."
The blooded warrior's mandibles flexed lightly as he nodded. He was proud to be of some use. "I'm glad, do you think we should suit up before we leave?" He cocked his head to one side as he chattered eagerly.
"Now will be good, come." Guan-thwei clicked before heading deeper into the weapons room to dress properly for the trip. The jungle they would be hunting in was supposed to be entering the wet season, so thermal equipment would be needed to keep warm in the unpredictable weather. Along with the weapons, they'd need to take down their large kills and equipment to clean the trophies. Everything was going to be perfect. They'd be dropped after suiting up, the small ship was auto piloted to land while the males set up their camp.
The time for the drop off was counting down quite quickly while they fitted themselves, and the trio hurried to the pods. Giving one another a nod and blessing before they entered the cramped, single-man ships.
Arms crossed over his chest, Dez'Mos' blood was raring for the kill under his skin. While he'd been known as an intelligent and level-headed brother, nothing got him more impatient than a hunting trip. This would only be his second trip to this same place, the last time being over fifty years ago and the oomans he had met were...different.
They still lived in the old way.
Living off the land, taking what the needed and not what they wanted. Praying to many gods that they still believed in. The Yautja being one of them.
One group in particular had really caught his attention; they hid themselves away into the deep wilderness. They didn't just live; they survived unlike the other oomans of this day and age. Those plump and cozy beings were little sport, but these were true hunters.
Prey worthy of his skill.
The pod rattled all around him, filling the mask with amplified sounds of metal rasping against the wind as it broke through the dark clouds. His heart was starting to race, he could feel it beating harder against his chest. It almost dominating the other sounds all around him before everything stopped with a loud thud as the ship came crashing into the earth.
Dez'Mos let out a long breath he was sure he'd been holding for the whole drop as the pod's door opened with a hiss, pulling himself out of the ship. Glancing around the foliage-filled area, everything looked dulled as warm bodies of scattering animals raced away for their lives.
Climbing out of his pod and giving himself a reminder pat down, noting where all the items he had on him were.
Unaware that at the moment that he was being watched by the prey he sought to kill, the slender body clung to the high tree tops. Form coated in mud to cover her scent from other animals, the short but blunt nails dug into the smooth bark while inquisitive eyes peered at them from above. The small ooman female gazed at them from behind and almost completely blocked by leaves, her very temperature would be under cased by the blazing Sun.
The other two joined the middle male, each larger and more frighteningly adorned in battle gear than any man she'd ever seen. She moved as they did but only by cover of trees, easily finding her way through the masses of branches to follow them.
Her curiosity drove her farther than any wise ooman would ever traverse. Trying to work out what they were exactly, obviously not human, at least that she was sure of...
Guan-thwei slowly glanced back behind himself, shifting through his sights before he finally did spot the little creature's heartbeat. The ooman prey, albeit an adult was an unarmed female but she was alone, this made the Elder question if she was truly defenseless. Either way, this was not a time for sporting game. At this moment, the group had to set up a base camp before they even thought of claiming anything and before the rain started.
The ooman only stared back at the most massive of them, feeling a chill run down her spine from unknown emotions. Things she knew no name for, though it lingered on like sweat and fear. She rolled back her shoulders and growled at him. Her wondering thoughts were quenched for the moment as the older being seemed to acknowledge her existence.
Quickly as humanly possible the petite figure disappeared deeper into the dense jungle.
The Elder rumbled before joining his sons, "Do watch yourselves, we were just spotted by an ooman." He clicked at the others in warning.
Nan'ku perked up, "Shouldn't we go after it and make sure it's eliminated? For secrecy."
"And stain our honor by killing a possible Lou-dte Kale? I think not." Guan-thwei hissed as he pushed past the two, "Unless she is armed and proves to be dangerous by actually attacking we are not going to harm her or others like her, it would be wise to remember our codes."
Nan'ku nodded slowly before following after his father in spite of his feelings. Dez'Mos took up the rear, surveying the area around them for a chance to spot the female. The news of an ooman being here was good for the type of hunt he was looking to have; head hunting as it was to be called for obvious reasons.
The trophy he would be claiming from the kill would merely be the skull and spine.
As the trio headed deeper into the undergrowth the female had hurried back to her small abode. A little home away from home, if you will. Still close to the actual tribe in case she was needed by them or vice versa.
This place wasn't anything special, but it belonged to her and that was all that mattered. Iya, as she was called by her people, found her way past the foreboding stakes with trophies from her own kills. Down to the little stream next to an old tree, disrobing to clean off the caked mud, which she'd reapply after a bath. For two reasons mostly, the mud kept the mosquitoes away and it hid her scent while she was on the hunt.
She carefully slipped into the cool waters and submerged herself in hopes to get all the mud off.
The males found themselves a small clearing far from their now assimilated pods, after a week of hunting; they'd just take the ship back to the mother port then go back home. Clear and simple as that.
"All right, this place looks good enough. Our ship is about twenty yards off and cloaked so nothing should trouble it, the two of you should start setting up the sleeping cases, and I'll unpack our supplies." Guan-thwei stated firmly, giving a look of expectation to his offspring. "We need to do all that we can before even thinking about hunting, now set to your tasks."
That was all he said before heading off to his self-assigned job. Dez'Mos stood and began to set up the sleeping area for each of the three males, working himself at a steady pace. While Nan'ku started to establish a basic connection to each wrist communicator and to the ship, just in case anything they didn't plan for happened.
Things were calm for the first night, not much could be said for the next few days.