A knot drew tight in his stomach as he searched the area, scouring the birch forest and nearby dwellings. Hunting oomans had almost become boring for the elder, and so he'd left the young male on his own. That proved to be a grave mistake. There were signs that the young hunter had wandered farther then he had deemed safe. If his mate found out that he'd lost their son, she'd likely tear off his limbs.

The elder himself was concerned for the young male. His son wasn't a pup anymore, but he'd just passed his chiva and wasn't experienced yet. The land was covered in a layer of snow and frost, and if his homeostasis netting was damaged, the male could freeze. Oomans had proven to be worthy prey on numerous occasions, even with such primitive weapons, and Sobek hoped that one didn't get lucky. And worse then being killed by an ooman, was to be captured by them. A snarl ripped from his throat at the mere possibility.

His wrist device vibrated and he clicked the buttons on top to see what was up. It alerted him that his ship had been boarded by a life form that wasn't yautja, confirming his suspicions. He whipped around and hurried back to his ship. If oomans had his youngest son, and had found his ship as well, they were in for a shock. He'd take the oomans head in his hands and slowly twist as he listened to the sickening crack of their neck as it broke. He wouldn't stop until it's head came off its shoulders.

He stepped on board the ship, mandibles tensely splayed as much as they could be inside his mask. His plasma castor was aimed, his wrist blades were drawn, and he had his smartdisc in hand. The young male stood in front of him, his mask and armor gone, and his eyes widened. The elder paused for just a second, but the continued to advance. His son had left the hunting ground, and he could smell the oomans stink clouding the air on his ship.

His son knew he was in trouble and immediately began explaining, "I was looking for a worthy opponent, but I found something else, an ooman pup."

He lifted his bronze smartdisc and pointed it at him,"You deliberately disobeyed me!"

The young hunter didn't back down, "The ooman is wounded and sickly. It needs help."

"The ooman will be euthanized and you will be restricted to hunts on the home planet from now on! Meet me in the kehrite so I can teach you a lesson or two." He retracted his serrated wrist blades and secured the smartdisc on his hip.

"Restrict my hunts from now on, but don't kill the ooman."

Sobek surged forward and slugged the young male in the face, hard enough he staggered back and began to bleed, "My word his final!"

His son bowed his head, and Sobek brushed past him to find the ooman. The strong stink of it led him into the medical bay. As he neared the room, the door slid into a pocket in the wall, and he stepped inside. His eyes locked onto the oomans form, sitting in a corner. He was surprised to see it was so small, and his mask indicated that it was female as well.

The ooman had seen their kind now, and couldn't be placed back outside. She was sickly as his son had said, and likely wouldn't survive anyway. The proper thing was to put her out of her misery. She watched him as he approached, not looking the least bit afraid of him, and he had to admire that. When he let his wrist blades drop though, she suddenly stood and wrapped her arms around his leg.

His jaw tightened as he stared down at her. She was a little under four foot tall, and her head didn't even reach his hip. Her red hair was matted into thick dreds. Her bones were visible under her white, paper-thin skin. She was starving.

In truth, Sobek had never killed a child. There were times where he knew it might be necessary, if a child was in pain, or wounded beyond repair. Though the ooman looked very frail, she still had much life in her. It would be easy to dispatch her, and be done with it. Instead, he took pity on her.

After a moment of quandary, he contacted his sons bearer, knowing her decision would be the final verdict for the ooman child. He was able to talk to her though the speaker in his mask, and told her of the situation he was in. If she wanted to take the child in, then so be it. If not, his plans would remain unchanged and he'd euthanize the ooman. In the end, the yautja female hesitated, but agreed to take the child.

Sobek placed his hand on the oomans head to shove her off him. The child staggered back and craned her neck to try and look up at him. She would need medical attention, a bath, and would need to be fed. He certainly did not want to deal with her. Sobek went and found his son sulking in the kherite, waiting for him.

"The ooman is your responsibility from now on. Don't see this as a reward for your behavior though. I'll let your bearer deal with you when we land." The yautja female would give him a far worse beating then Sobek would.

His son quickly headed into the medical bay to care for the ooman, and Sobek went to his bedroom. He carefully undid his armor, setting it aside to be polished later. He filled up the bath with hot oils, and steam rose from the dark liquid. He needed a relaxing soak after all that had happened. Just when he was about to undress though, he was interrupted.

His son approached him with his eyes lowered, "I need your assistance."

Sobek placed his hand over his face, putting pressure on his temples, "It is an ooman child, what difficulties could you possibly have?"

His son didn't answer.

The elder calmly stepped in front of the young male, and delivered a series of merciless blows. His son did not cower, but did not try to defend himself either, knowing that would only extend his beating. Sobek brought him to his knees and snarled, "Your incompetence is draining away my patience!"

He'd taken him to hunt on earth as a favor to his bearer, and was glad that when they landed back on yaut prime, he likely wouldn't see the male for a few years. Raising offspring was the females endeavor, and the boy had much to learn before he was mature enough for Sobek to tolerate. He led the way back to the medical bay, where the ooman was sitting up on the exam table. She was tiny and frail-looking. He did not think she would put up any sort of fight.

He tried to take off the oomans worn out foot coverings, but she squirmed. When he got one off and set it beside her, she quickly grabbed it and held it to her chest. The little ooman likely didn't have any possessions besides the clothes she wore, and he could understand her possessiveness over them. To keep her compliant, he took the other shoe off and handed it to her. When he grabbed her foot though, she yelped.

There was an infected wound on the bottom of her foot. He applied a healing cream to it as she tried to wriggle away. Sobek checked her for other wounds then, but grabbed her jaw too roughly. Even though she was so small, when she punched his face it made his teeth clang together. He grunted and restrained her as he pried open her mouth. She whined and fought him, but he caught a glimpse of an abscessed tooth.

The ooman had to be in some pain, yet she didn't show it. He healed the inside of her mouth, then proceeded to disinfect her of earthly bacteria, parasites, and anything else she might have. He gave her an injection at the front of the throat that expanded into a filter for her lungs, making their planets air breathable. Now all that was left was to get her skin scrubbed free of dirt, and get her into proper clothes. As soon as he reached for her pants though, she panicked and jumped off the table.

His son grunted, "Removing her clothes was the first thing I tried, yet she wouldn't allow it."

He snatched her up and set her back up on the table. Sobek grabbed the fabric around her legs and started to tear it away. The ooman began pounding her fists into him and shouting. He could understand the worry she had for her clothes, but he was going to provide her new ones. He tried to pull the mess of fabric away from her, yet she crossed her legs and curled into a ball.

He was starting to think her panic was more then just a concern for her clothes. She was just a child, and he doubted she even knew the meaning of mating. If someone had her, all she'd know is that it hurt. He held back a growl, worried it would frighten her. Oomans were more like animals; they couldn't control their actions or emotions very well. Sobek was disgusted with oomans.

He was still on edge from his sons disobedience, and worrying about him. When he had disappeared, he'd thought he might be dead or captured, and that took a toll on any parent. The elder took a breath to calm himself. He would try to deal with the ooman a bit more delicately from now on. Sobek gently grabbed the girl around the middle, and handed her to his son.

He held her up as he started to slide down her pants. When she started to fuss, the young male began to purr. The child immediately went slack in his arms. The elder was glad his son finally had one useful thought. After her clothes were removed, his son carried her to the bathroom.

He went to set her in the bath, but the elder spoke up, "Maybe it's better she take a shower instead. We don't know if she can swim just yet."

The young male set the ooman down in the shower and started the water for her. Her skin was so dry and her lips were cracked. Sobek went and retrieved a bar of lotion. He thought he'd have to show her what to do with it, but she grabbed it from his hands and began rubbing it over her skin. They waited for her to finish, listening to her drop the slippery bar of lotion over and over again.

Then, he moved her to a different cubicle and had her dried. As soon as the warm air rushed over her, she lifted her shoulders and began to giggle. His son perked up at the sound and tilted his head with interest. Sobek had heard oomans laugh before, but he'd never been the cause of it. After that, he fitted a loincloth around her. And after some indecision, he tore a different leather garment and tied it around her torso to cover her nipples.

She examined her new clothes with a smile, but then started to bring her knees together and bounce up and down. Sobek didn't spend much time around young pups, but he understood her anxious movements. She had to use the bathroom. He grunted and nudged her shoulder to prompt her to follow him.

Sobek glanced back at his son, "Go make a bed for her in the second guest room."

He led her to the toilet, but she literally had to climb up onto it. His ship was not designed for pups. Then when she almost slipped, he yelled at her, "If you fall in the chemical water, it will burn like acid!"

She looked up at him, and he knew she didn't understand a word he was saying. She looked so unstable on the seat, as the hole was way too big for her. Rather then have her touch the chemical water and start bawling, he stepped forward and held her middle. She didn't have a problem going in front of him. When she was finished, he lifted her off the toilet, then helped her tie the loincloth.

Without any prompting from him, she found the sink. She could barely reach the bowl. Their sinks weren't soap and water, it was a condensed sanitizer gel and sanitizing water. You cleaned your hands with sanitizer, or you could rinse off your hands with sanitizing water, but you didn't use both. The ooman pup didn't know any better, and used both.

Though she didn't speak his language, he scolded her, "Do not waste resources!"

She dried her hands then he led her out of the bathroom, but his room was right beside it. As soon as the ooman caught sight of his bed, she ran and jumped on it. When he tried to remove her, she rolled around, trying to evade him. He was gentle, but grabbed her by the ankle and hauled her up. She giggled, enjoying it.

The elder carried her out of his room like that, with her upside-down, swinging by her ankle. His son met them in the hallway. He quickly scooped the little ooman into his arms, coddling her as though the elder was mistreating her. She reached up to curiously place her hands on his forehead, and son trilled at the attention.

"Feed her, and try to comb out her hair-its not supposed to look like ours. Then, see if she'll go to sleep."

The elder went back into the bathroom, crouched down and swept his claws through the tub water. He'd allowed his bath oils to get cold. He turned on the heater, and while he waited for the water to warm, he logged into the ships controls. He would be glad to be rid of the needy child once they reached the home planet.