Vadat't …Nemesis

by Dragonfiz

Fate is unpredictable … it can be an angel or it can be a beast. You're always at its mercy no matter who you are. Fate will always bend you… change you when you least expect… When yautja hates ooman, what will fate decide? Nemesis or lover?

Vadat't …Nemesis

Nubian Dragon © 10/2010

~o~o~o~o~ Chapter 1 ~o~o~o~o~

Awakened

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Tha'dệ was bound and shackled. The ŕhá•shűă and the Ċrổm Rẩodãrwalked in front of him; while behind him walked the Arbiter's ẅhăs•ěěm who held his bonds. The imprisoned yautja noticed that the yautjas in the a'suh'sus's apprenticeship holding his bonds were about his age or a few cycles younger than he was. He hadn't known them before they had decided to uphold the Code, but now he had seen them more than he would have liked too. His recent time spent with them as prisoner made him wonder if today would be the end of his detainment. Would it be the end of their awkward relationship that was shrouded in silence and scent; was it possibly the end of him seeing the faces of his oŕa'pĥanő?

He had thought of escape early on in his detainment, plotting in his mind how he could gain his freedom and leave his clan. In truth, he didn't want to leave his family nor his clan and become ve'nde-thwei,but he knew his life has hanging in the balance and all that was needed for it to end was to be named the ooman's attacker. Thinking about his situation and the possible outcomes Tha'dệhad decided he would die before he allowed himself to be put to death because of the words of clusu.

Looking at the ẅhăs•ěěm, Tha'dệ plotted in his head how he would overpower both his oŕa'pĥanő. He had never tested their skill or strength, but he did get a general sense of how he would fare against the two when it came down to jehdin/jehdin. In strength and skill he knew that he was far better than either of them as individuals, but together, he wasn't quite sure if he could take them both; not to mention there were the Ċrổm Rẩodãr and the ŕhá•shűă to contend with. He could possibly overpower the two ẅhăs•ěěm, but he didn't think he stood a chance against the Ċrổm Rẩodãr and the ŕhá•shűă; both were in their prime and they could easily restrain or subdue him with little to no effort, especially the Ċrổm Rẩodãr, the clan leader had proved his prowess in skill and strength against Tha'dệ more times than he cared to remember. With the odds stacked securely against him, Tha'dệ didn't want to think about the older yautja subduing or possibly maiming him. He didn't want to imagine of the possible outcome of having to fight the seasoned warriors, but he did want to escape, especially if the ooman was still alive. If he did have an opportunity to escape at present he was sure there would be no way for him to leave the clan ship, he was sure the Ċrổm Rẩodãr had his personal vessel impounded and he was locked out of the ship's control. His options were looking bleak, especially if he was not going before the Council of Elders for pardon.

His thoughts went to Xĥiñu and they were regretful. Any opportunity or possibility of mating the female was lost. Out of all that was happening to him surrounding the attempt on the ooman's life, the only regret besides not living was not being able to leave his legacy with the female Xĥiñu. She was the one conquest in his life he would not be able to obtain before he met Cetanu.

Now, death was the only option for his release from his current hell.

He hoped the ooman had finally died and there would be no more suspicion as to how she had come to meet her unfortunate accident; the botched attempt that was made on her life. He wanted very much for the pathetic creature to be dead and become a quickly fading memory for his clan. From the beginning the female had been a blemish that he wanted to erase so his clan could regain their former seat of honor. It was most unfortunate that some of the elders in the clan didn't think the ooman was a blot against the Ặrĝhuña Ńařh•thřałłClan, but he knew better. No matter how she had proved herself to be a worthy hunter, she was still inferior and prey; she was not yautja which meant she had no place among them.

Now after ziigl he was being removed from his holding cell and being taken somewhere, probably before the Council to be given pardon for the unspoken charge against him. He hoped he was going before the Council, wanted to go before the Council so he could be done with suspected attack on the ooman.

Initially he was angry with his sire for suspecting him of the ooman's accident. Their blood bond should have been thicker than his relationship with the ooman and his sire should have come to his defense instead of consenting to the unspoken charge making him a prime suspect. He knew that his sire was bound to the ooman in some strange way, but he didn't quite know how. All he knew was that the Ċrổm Rẩodãr had returned several cycles earlier from a private hunt with the ŕhá•shűă and the mǘoš•hẻlum, and the ooman with them. From the relk, the ooman and the body of his mei'hswei•umo was brought back from the ooman world.

The only friend that was as close to him as a brother was dead and there was not definitive explanation as to why. Cica'nễo was the most skilled and proficient hunter he knew, even better than himself. He had more honor and integrity than most of the yautja their age and he was destined for great things in the clan and among the yautja people. Cica'nễo exemplified within himself all that was yautja and he served as a role model for the entire clan and now he was lost to them; lost to them at them very time the ooman had come among them. She was a disgrace to their clan and had the audacity to act as if she had a rightful place among them.

Tha'dệ hated the ooman and her very presence among them. The level of respect he had for his sire diminished once he realized what role he had played in the ooman coming among them. He could not believe, did not want to believe that his sire would ever consent to such a ludicrous notion. Tha'dệ found that his sire had not only consented to the ooman coming among them, he had seconded the notion that the mǘoš•hẻlum had presented to T'ra Nedl'elsh. His sire had protected the ooman and had allowed her to earn a place among them. The ŕhá•shűă seemed to also be protective of the ooman along with the mǘoš•hẻlum who at times acted as if he was her formal guardian or i'asus. There were times when the ooman acted as if she was the mǘoš•hẻlum's pup and she did it so any could see, she had no shame for her actions or respect for the elder yautja. She was blatant and bold with her behavior towards the elder. Truth be told, she didn't know her place among them and he was more than willing to show her where she belonged or just simply put her in it; but he had no authority or support for curbing the ooman. He thought that she was out of control and the mǘoš•hẻlum gave the ooman liberties where she had no right to them. Their relationships were sickening and unnatural; nothing short of abominable. There could be no natural relationship between a hunter and his prey, one was to kill and the other was to be killed; the ooman was prey.

Most of the clan was blind to the truth or chose to ignore it, because they let her walk freely among them as if she was an equal. The ooman was inferior and would always be inferior regardless to how high she rose among their ranks. Others could not see, but he knew she had some kind of sway over the three elder yautjas and they were mysteriously honor bound to her and kept the details of the bond closed mouthed. Not even the mates of the yautjas knew what the true relationship they had with the ooman. Knowing that his elders were bound in some anomalous way to the ooman made him more determined to extinguish the ooman so they could get back to their normal way of living and a respected level of honor.

How I hope the ooman is dead, Tha'dệ thought to himself again as he walked bound in gềh'iům chains to an unknown destiny. He was going to keep his scent neutral so they would not know his thoughts even if he kept a neutral posture and compliant behavior, his scent would give his true feelings and thoughts away. He was sure that his guards' sense of smell was far keener than that of regular yautja because it was a tool that was prized among those who were arbiters. They would immediately know what was in his mind along with the arbiter, long before the Ċrổm Rẩodãr, knew. The Ċrổm Rẩodãr had been a'suh'sus, a second thought came to Tha'dệ and he realized that all the yautja that now surrounded him would know his thoughts and feelings from his scent if he did not mask it tightly.

Tha'dệ also has a keen sense of smell; he had began training to be arbiter before the ooman had come among them and was very successful up until his very life had been changed. His diligent training to be a'suh'sus had taken him to the level where he would have obtained his ķha•ñec'tär status had it not been for the ooman. Having a strong opinion and a deep negative reaction of outrage in public against the ooman was the thing that had ended his budding career as an arbiter. His strong feelings against the ooman was so intense and disconcerting that the ŕhá•shűă, the very yautja that now walked in front of him with the Ċrổm Rẩodãr had declined his candidacy to complete his training to be arbiter, even when all the Ċrổm Rẩodãr had to do was publically announce Tha'dệ as a new ķha•ñec'tär. He had studied for such a long time the ancient documents of the Code, studied and become familiar with documented assignments of other arbiters so he could gain as much knowledge as he could before he was actually apprenticed; he had even come to the end of his ẅhăs•ěěm stage of arbiter training. The ŕhá•shűă said that he was most promising and that himself and Cica'nễo would be significant additions to the a'suh'sus's ranks on the clan ship and maybe even be able to go on to represent the Ặrĝhuña Ńařh•thřałłClan on the Mothership Ģhï'ŕuż.

He had every intention of following his hunt brother, Cica'nễo, into the profession as a'suh'sus. When they were freshly blooded, Cica'nễo knew immediately what he wanted to do with his life, but Tha'dệ had wanted to hunt a little longer before he committed himself to the Code. Now, his hunt brother was dead, gone and he suspected the ooman had something to do with that, but he didn't know what. Feeling that she was connected to the death of his mei'hswei•umo just fueled his anger and hatred towards the ooman even more.

Coming out of his thoughts, Tha'dệ noticed that they were heading towards the infirmary, the scenery began to change from dark to light as they moved closer to the main gĥun•dalẩ on the clan ship. The surroundings changed as they moved closer to the eastern region of the clan ship giving Tha'dệ a sinking feeling. The smell and feel of the environ began to slowly change to a more aseptic atmosphere and the chained yautja knew most assuredly that they were walking toward the gĥun•dalẩ.

What the fuck… why are we going to the infirmary, he thought suddenly.

He was angry and startled; he was beside himself with irritation. Knowing the familiar sound, he heard the Ċrổm Rẩodãr hiss in front of him. It was at that point he realized that his scent had given him away.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

She lives, he thought regretfully.

The only reason for going to the gĥun•dalẩ was that the ooman was still alive. She is stronger than I imagined, he thought to himself and was not happy he was going to have to face the ooman.

As they continued to walk towards the gĥun•dalẩ, Tha'dệ knew that he was going to meet his judgment. If the ooman was still alive after all this time, then she would be strong enough to implicate him. All she had to say was that he was the one who had pushed her to her intended death. He had pushed her, but she had not died. Paya had protected her and allowed her to live when Cetanu should have taken her.

He had wanted her dead many cycles ago; he wanted the small blithe that marred his clan and his family line erased and forgotten. Everyone knew he wanted her dead, he had challenged her many times and each time she had defeated him or escape death. The challenges that he posed to her were not lethal, although he wanted very much a clear opportunity to kill the ooman, especially when he challenged her. Unlike other yautja warriors, the ooman was only to be challenged for her strength and skill. She stayed away from him, but he knew she was not afraid of her, but quite the opposite. Her defeating him had made her brave, but she never flaunted her skill or intentionally insulted him. How he wanted her to openly insult him so he would have an opportunity to defend his honor. He knew that the ooman was not arrogant and stupid like some yautja and she would not make a move against him, even if she had good reason. She was never the aggressor, he was; she was very skilled at defending herself, and to date she had successfully defeated and thwarted his attempts against her.

He had to respect her, but he would not do it openly, she was his vadat't and she would always be that until the day one of them died.

Although he wanted very much to kill her, he couldn't. Her life was protected by the Ċrổm Rẩodãr and T'ra Nedl'elsh. Unless she did something that warranted a challenge to the death or she turned badblood, her life was protected. He hated that she knew the Code almost as well as he did and she had did nothing as of yet while she was among them to go against the Code. He so wanted her to be ve'nde-thwei, but so far she had not given him the satisfaction.

He had challenged her many times and each time she seemed to elude him lethally damaging her, her speed was an asset that made up for her lack of strength and small stature. Technically she had defeated each of his challenges, but she had not injured him too badly. He had to admit that she wasn't as pathetic as the average ooman was, but she still could not rival a full grown blooded yautja. She had cunning and intelligence, but not a thorough knowledge of being a hunter. What she didn't have in strength and size she made up for it in the weapons arsenal she had. Most of the weapons she used were alien and looked inferior, but she did have some yautja made and yautja inspired weapons she proved to be quite skilled with. Whenever he fought her, he always learned something new about her style and form of fighting, something more he could use against her when it came to the next challenge, but now he didn't think there would be another challenge, she was going to implicate him.

He thought about his last attempt to end her pathetic life and was angry with himself. He had botched something that was so simple and easy. In the past he had worked within the confines of the Code to legitimately kill the ooman, but had not succeeded, this last time he was sure he would succeed. He had been successful at separating Tokk' Jae from the female by arranging for him to be sent on a bogus scouting assignment where the female could not go and then he had arranged for another scouting assignment for the ooman to go on and he had also been a part of the scouting team. He would set the trap for the ooman, snare her in it and leave her to die. The plan was simple and quite workable, but Paya had protected her. It was his plan to see her dead and no longer with the clan, but Paya had other plans for the ooman. She had lived when she should have been dead and even now she was still hanging on to her miserable wretched inferior life.

Such a disgrace, he thought to himself knowing that the ooman had been with them for far too long. She was prey and she was living among the hunters. The entire idea was absurd; it was like she had conjured some type of ooman magic that held his sire and his huň'dĭĭlắh. He was disgusted with the very idea of his huň'dĭĭlắh. Tokk' Jae had become depraved and perverted; he had mated the ooman, had been mating the ooman and didn't care who knew what he was doing.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

A'daik, Tha'dệ thought to himself. He was indeed a fool for getting caught in such a simple trap.

He remembered how he had stumbled across the ooman the night before Tokk' Jae left on his current assignment and growled in his mind.

He remembered… how he had met the filthy creature wandering the corridors that night drunk on c'ntlip and reeking of his huň'dĭĭlắhalong with the thick musk of mating. He had decided to ignore the pathetic filthy beast and let her wonder aimlessly until she found her way, but she had provoked him to wrath. She had accused him of wanting to mate her. In his fit of anger he grabbed the pathetic female and slammed her against the wall. The idiot didn't have enough sense to scream out in pain or terror; instead she grunted, giggled and smiled at him in the most scandalous way. Tha'dệ hadn't known why she was smiling when he was choking her and had her pinned against the wall until he felt her bare foot inside his loin cloth stroking his ka'mak. Pauk!,Tha'dệ thought as heheard himself purring and then he threw the clusu away from himself realizing that he had responded to her stroking him.

He was breathing hard trying to control himself and his anger because she had violated him. She was crumpled on the ground in front of him still smiling and giggling. He watched her as she moved her ooman tongue out of her mouth and licked the odd flesh outside her mouth that he knew to be liphs. He smelled her mating musk and knew that she wanted to mate with him. "I know you like it," he remembered her saying to him, "because I liked it. You felt really good." She giggled again and did the odd thing with her liphs flesh and made a loud smacking sound at him. He had seen her do that before; she had done it often to Tokk' Jae, his huň'dĭĭlắh.Tokk' Jaesaid she called it a kiss. He said that the ooman had a ui'aisuhis mouth and he really enjoyed it. "You want me," she said to him and then she laughed wickedly at him.

Tha'dệ felt his thwei begin to boil and knew he was going to do something he would regret. He wanted to stomp her in the ground where she was crouched; wanted to kick her with his booted foot until she stopped laughing at him, but he knew if he kicked her and left a mark on her he would have to fight Tokk' Jae. He knew fighting his huň'dĭĭlắh would be no easy act; yes he was taller and larger than his first cousin, but Tokk' Jae had proved himself to be a worthy hunter over and over again. Tha'dệ knew besting and killing Tokk' Jae would be no easy feat; his huň'dĭĭlắh was tied to the ooman now he had mated her and he would not let anyone harm her.

He wanted to hurt the ooman, drive the foolishness out of her and end the tirade of insults she was heaping on him. He wanted to kill her at that very moment; I hate you for coming among us, he thought …and I hate my sire for marking you and letting you stay among us, he continued to think not happy with his current situation.

Tha'dệ was also angry with himself for failing so miserably at a very simple task. The attempt was so simple, yet it had been so difficult and now he was suffering some of the consequences. His efforts against the ooman were repeatedly sabotaged and now he really believed that Paya was preserving her for some unknown reason. She would be preserved and he would be punished. All this is happening but to what end? He thought.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

His time was coming to an end and the ooman would have her opportunity to do to him what he had been trying to do to her for so many cycles; see him dead.

He had heard the ẅhăs•ěěm whispering behind his back when they thought he wasn't listening about the ooman and how she had called his name often when she had those lucid moments of consciousness. They never spoke about what she said, just that she always called his name whenever she was remotely awake. This had made him the prime suspect as her attacker and it also made his detainment that much longer.

Every time he heard them whisper about her calling out his name, he cursed himself for being sloppy and overly confident. He had underestimated the ooman's strength and will to live.

His life was over as he knew it along with any ideas or thoughts of making Xĥiñu his mate to sire an exceptional pup with her; this too was lost to him forever. He felt that in time he would have won the female over; if only for a moment, because he knew that she would not stay with him forever, she would have been his mate. Every male wanted to mate her, both young and old those who stood high in his clan along with mediocre, and honorable yautjas. The powerful, intelligent and vibrant female had the pick of any hunter in the clan; all she had to do was say yes and there would be no hesitation on the male's part; just the danger of the challenge by others who sought to win her through challenge. She was prized among their clan and the pups that she bore were all prime specimens of yautja quality. Soon his life would end and so would his dream of conquering Xĥiñuand making a legacy with her would end also.

I shame myself, Tha'dệ thought trying to keep his scent neutral. He didn't want to implicate himself if the ooman had not done so already. The fact that he was still alive said that she had not named him, her attacker. The last thing he needed was his façade crumbling before he received his final judgment. Even now while she was damaged, the ooman was proving to be a nuisance for him. More than a nuisance, he continued to think still amazed that his efforts had turned against him.

From the time the ooman had regained consciousness, the healers said that she was calling his name. Calling out his name quite clearly and not mentioning Tokk' Jae's name; it was like his huň'dĭĭlắh did not exist in the ooman's mind. Either Tokk' Jae did not existto the ooman or the botched attempt left her mind traumatized to the point she could only think of her attacker, him.

Thinking about what had happened, he wondered if he had been sloppy or was there something that had given him away? He had been cloaked and he was sure she hadn't seen him especially since he had come up to her from behind and he made not a sound. His stealth was impeccable and his skill at stalking was among the best in his clan, but still some way she knew it was him. He had moved quickly against her and he hadn't given her an opportunity to turn and face him. As he followed her he could see that she was not focused on with her scouting, she seemed to be in another place in her mind. The fact that she wasn't alert gave him more opportunity to successful with his attack. Quickly and silently he was able to jump behind her and push her from her perch on the branch in one fluid motion. The push was most successful because he saw the first thick branch she hit cracked her skull open and he saw her thwei stain on the branch and the vivid trail it made as she fell towards the ground. The bỗ'gĥŏn wood from the branches from the ťhëëm•ņaĥ tree were marked by the ooman's thwei. Several times he heard her bones cracking, the sounds were sickening. He knew the fall had caused her great pain and internal trauma even a yautja would not be able to escape the fall unharmed and she was a mere ooman. He was sure she didn't have an opportunity to grab anything to slow her fall or cushion her body from the impacts against the metal like tree branches. The gravity of the planet was thin and it caused her descent to the ground to accelerate faster than it normally would have. He was satisfied when he knew she was finally lying unmoving on the floor of the jungle. The attack was perfect, from the damage she sustained she should be dead and the fact that she made no movement while lying on the ground of the jungle suggested as much. All he wanted to do was stay long enough to see that she was dead and did not move. Once he was satisfied that she was dead he vigorously hurried himself back to the place he was supposed to be scouting which was about ten asa in the opposite direction.

The entire assault was perfect and said she should be dead, but she wasn't; she was very much alive and the last half da'tn, she had been calling his name. He still could not figure out why she lived. She must be touched by Paya, he thought to himself.

Paya is punishing me, the yautja thought as his mind wrapped around the entire scenario and how it played itself out. Maybe Paya is angry with me for being weak or possibly overly confident with myself, he continued to think seeing no good reason why the ooman was still alive.

Not only was Paya was angry, but there were several yautjas who were furious by the attack on the ooman.

Tha'dệ's sire was enraged by the attack on the ooman's person and immediately he was made the prime suspect in the attempted murder. Being unofficially singled out as a suspect was bad, but the fact that his sire had made the unofficial order that he be detained and restricted to the clan ship infuriated him more. It was obvious to Tha'dệ that his sire cared more for the inferior ooman than he had for his own flesh and blood. His sire's protection and concern for the ooman made him want to try and kill her all over again, but he didn't think he'd get a second chance to make his first successful murder of the ooman. When she named him as he attacker his life was forfeit.

If I ever get my hands on you again ooman, I will squeeze your very life from you and I will savor it like a cask fine of c'ntlip, the chained yautja thought working hard to keep his scent neutral. I'll do it before my sire if I have to, it will probably be the last time I see you. In the end we will both die, he continued to think knowing he would not leave the ooman's żah•ŕuñ, sick room, alive.

Any hope of the small entourage not going to the gĥun•dalẩ and to the ooman's żah•ŕuñ was crushed when the group stopped outside the ooman's room. He knew it was the ooman's room, he could smell her thick exotic scent and he knew she was not happy. He could smell she was a bundle of chaos and emotions that couldn't be sorted out. The alien sounds from the ooman came from within the room and Tha'dệ heard the distinct sound of several males purring at the female; they were trying to calm her if not soothe her.

How disgusting, he thought to himself. How could the pathetic creature think herself a hunter when she cannot control the basics of emotions? Yautja do not weep or become emotional, no Ặrĝhuña Ńařh•thřałłClan warrior is weak. To kill her now would be doing a service to the clan and for a brief moment he would take pleasure reveling in the fact that he had rid the clan of such a weak embarrassment and a visible point of ridicule.

Hunters and warriors do not become emotional they do not express themselves in public, yet the pathetic excuse for a hunter representing the Ặrĝhuña Ńařh•thřałłClan was publicly being emotional without shame. This made Tha'dệ ache to kill the ooman even more. Everything she did went against their ways, she wasn't one of them, never was one of them, never could be one of them. She was an abomination as far as he was concerned.

You should have died ooman, Tha'dệ and his scent gave him away. He wasn't aware of it, but he had let out a low growl of spite against the ooman.

Tha'dệ heard his sire return his low growl with one of warning that said he would be silent or he'd be punished right then and there. In front of him, Tha'dệ saw the ŕhá•shűă flex his massive clawed hands. Both waiting fists were ready to extract justice on him along with the waiting hands of his sire. He knew they would show him no mercy and he would not show the ooman any mercy.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The small group came to a halt in front of the door of the ooman's gĥun•dalẩ room. All among them was quiet and he could smell the scents of those around him and he was sure they could smell his scent. He hoped that he would be able to keep his scent neutral, and he knew that is was difficult because the urge inside him was growing to crush the ooman before she had an opportunity to speak.

He was using all his will and strength to maintain himself, he didn't want to prematurely react hostilely; he wanted his hands to be on the ooman taking her life when he met Cetanu. Killing the ooman would be the last honorable thing he would do with his life and he wanted to be successful with it before he met death.

On the other side of the door Tha'dệ heard what was happening in the ooman's gĥun•dalẩ room and so did the other yautja in the small group. Several times they heard the ooman scream out his name and each time she said his name, he cringed. It was a loud piercing sound he'd never heard before, yet it was his name. She was also speaking ooman and she sounded like she was not pleased at all. He heard her say in yautja something about wanting her mate and now, he thought she had remembered Tokk' Jae.

She continued to babble in ooman and he also heard her wretched ooman show of be'ssh. Tokk' Jae called it ķhĩ'rin. It was the ooman's way of expressing their sadness; his huň'dĭĭlắh had told him that the ooman had a wide range for which she used her ķhĩ'rin and he said that the ooman even used her ķhĩ'rin when she was ahl'ǻdĩta. Tha'dệ knew the ooman was not happy, in fact the sound and intensity of her voice said she was most definitely the opposite. For a brief moment, the inside of the room where the ooman was went silent and then she erupted in another round of ķhĩ'rin. Surprised, Tha'dệ heard the yautjas in the room with the ooman start to purr again. Tha'dệ saw that the Ċrổm Rẩodãr was a little hesitant to enter the room, but he quickly recovered himself and began to tap in the entrance code for the room.

Before the Ċrổm Rẩodãr finished tapping in the entrance code for the room the ooman gave an exacerbated scream at the yautjas inside the room and started using a string of yautja expletives to counter the purring yautjas. The sound, intensity and word choice of the ooman made everyone in their small group start clicking a soft chorus of unease. She also said some words and phrases in ooman he could only assume were counterparts of the yautja expletives. The ooman was making a definite show of not wanting to be pacified by the yautjas attending her. He clearly heard her tell the purring yautjas to… shut up and get her mate.

Tha'dệ thought about Tokk' Jae and knew that his huň'dĭĭlắh was far away from the clan ship and he would not be returning for some time. His sire had sent him on a most unusual scouting expedition to explore a new planet that had readings of being plasmoid and possibly fit for mining. There would be no contact with the clan ship for the duration of his scouting. It was Tha'dệ's intent through the bogus report he filed several dă'tnozyl earlier, to have his cousin away while he neatly dispatched of the ooman. The plan of deception to keep Tokk' Jae away from the clan ship for a while and attack the ooman had worked perfectly, the ooman would be dead and their relationship would be over, except she had not died.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

In silence, Tha'dệ listened as his sire taped in the entries of the code to open the door of the gĥun•dalẩ room he wasn't ready for what was going to happen once he was face-to-face with the ooman, but he was going to wait for the right opportunity to strike and finish her off. Psisursu i'ars zi'asuhursu, he thought to himself fighting to keep his scent neutral. He had to bide his time for the right moment. The moment was intense and he didn't want to give himself away along with his intent, prematurely. Then end for them both would be swift and true.

When the door opened there were already four yautjas in the ooman's room including the mǘoš•hẻlum. The room was a normal sized room used for yautja recovery, but it was getting crowded as more entered. After a few moments Tha'dệ's small group was packed into the ooman's room with the two oŕa'pĥanő blocking the door. The ocher and sienna yautja knew that there was no way he was going escape the room with his life, so he thought about how he could quickly take the ooman's life.

In the room he also saw Ǘ'jhổ, the closest bhệ-ru to his huň'dĭĭlắh. Ǘ'jhổ was to Tokk' Jae what Cica'nễo had been to him. A friend that was closer than a brother. He wasn't too surprised to see the hunter in the ooman's room, especially since he was sure Tokk' Jae had asked his bhệ-ru to watch over the ooman while he was away. His thoughts immediately flashed sinister knowing that Ǘ'jhổ had did such a poor job of protecting his bhệ-ru's mate. Along with the other three yautja's Ǘ'jhổ was purring to the female. The gray and henna yautja was trying to calm the female, no doubt feeling guilty because he knew he had failed at protecting his bhệ-ru's mate and letting such a grave travesty happen to her. It suddenly occurred to him that Tokk' Jae had no knowledge of what had happened to the ooman; had he known, his huň'dĭĭlắh would have been on the clan ship; challenged and fought him by now.

Hearing his sire purr at the female, Tha'dệ cocked his head in the direction of the older male and stared incredulously at him in disbelief. He was comforting the ooman. This angered the younger hunter to no end. His own sire was publically showing affection to the clusu. He shames me,she shames me,Tha'dệthought still wanting to end the ooman's life, he didn't know if it was because she was a mar on their clan or because his sire cared more for her than he did him. I will enjoy killing you with my last breath, he continued to think sadistically as he looked towards the only female in the room. He could not see the pathetic creature because his sire blocked his view of the ooman. He knew that his time was up and hers would be also.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"I want him! Where is my mate! She screamed at the yautjas as she looked at them with a crazed expression on her face. Her eyes shouted murder and she didn't want any of them to touch her. She didn't want them purring at her; all she wanted was her mate… The room filled with frantic purring and it was driving her crazy. All she could hear was the rhythmic reverberating bass and baritone sounds in the room; it was like she was being bombarded by several giant vibrators. They weren't listening to her; she didn't want to listen to them. She just wanted them out!

"I WANT MY MATE… I WANT Tha'dệ!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and a pain shot to her head. Quickly, she reached for her throbbing head and tears filled her eyes.

The room went deathly quiet and all eyes were on the female. All the yautjas looked at her as if she had three heads. Although he could not see her, an expression of utter disbelief and shock came on Tha'dệ's face. He thought that for sure the ooman had gone insane and the harm she received from the fall from the ťhëëm•ņaĥ tree was far deeper than he could have imagined; what she was saying was in fact more damaging for him, than for her. Her mind was confused and he was a part of her confusion.

"Hulij-bpe," was the only word the ocher and sienna yautja could think of at the moment to describe the ooman. She simply had lost her mind. The one-hundred and eighty-nine nok drop from theťhëëm•ņaĥ tree must have really damaged her mind, Tha'dệ thought to himself. This will infuriate Tokk' Jae when he finds outand he will want to kill me, but I will already be dead and so will his ooman. Tha'dệ continued to think knowing the ooman was putting him in some sort of macabre bind. Her mind was sick and so were her words.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

It was surreal.

Slowly the yautja that stood in front of him started to move to the side as if there was a parting of the waters. At first they were ambivalent moving hesitantly to acknowledge him. Tha'dệ was also unsure as to him actually being named by the ooman, but the other yautja in the room quickly dispelled any doubts as to what the ooman said because of their reaction to her demand. Unconsciously, he was unaware of himself shrinking away from the ooman until he felt himself bump into one of the ẅhăs•ěěm that stood directly behind him.

Once the path was made clear, Tha'dệ saw the small dẩlc ooman before him. She looked much smaller than she had been before her fall from the ťhëëm•ņaĥ tree. Without her armor she looked even more fragile and pathetic. She wore the standard issue of gĥun•dalẩ garments, but they made for her petite size. Even the proper sized gĥun•dalẩ garments that she wore were ill fitting on her; she was somewhat gaunt. Her head was bandaged and he could see that they had been freshly changed. She had a wild bedraggled look on her face that made her look like a rabid animal that needed to be put down. Back and forth her eyes were searching until they locked on his own eyes. For a moment there seemed to be doubt in her eyes, like she wasn't quite sure if she was seeing who she thought she should see, then the look in her eyes changed to something else, something almost unreadable.

It had been over a dă'tnozyl since he had tried to kill her and her head was still spotting thwei. He had hoped that her head was damage to the point that she could not recognized him, but the look on her face said the she did and she was going to acknowledge that recognition she had of him before everyone. Tha'dệ knew she was confused about him being her mate; he hoped she would not remember what had happened on that fated day. He didn't think she could really tell yautja apart, but his thinking was not that naïve. She had lived among them for many turns and she knew something of who they were as individuals. She could identify him; he just hoped that she couldn't put the events of that day together enough to name him ve'nde-thwei .

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

In silence, Tha'dệ watched as the ooman wiped the water away from her eyes. Every time she ķhĩ'ridd he loathed her even more. She was and would always be pathetic and weak as far as he was concerned. He fought hard to keep his scent neutral as a war raged inside him. He wanted to explode and go into action killing her and being killed in the process. He wanted it all to be over and he wanted the end to come quickly; to continue with the ooman's madness was to delay the inevitable, death. He was ready to meet Cetanu and it was his foremost intent to take the ooman into death with him.

As the female wiped the wetness from her eyes she looked up at Tha'dệ. When their eyes read each other, he knew that she knew exactly who he was. All his hopes of being exonerated from trying to kill her were dashed. In his chest, Tha'dệ's twin hearts began to beat frantically and anxiety began to choke at him. He couldn't believe it, but he felt afraid and unsure. He had never been afraid nor could he remember the last time he was unsure of himself, but at that very moment he was both; the ooman had unnerved him and made him doubt himself. Her eyes, they seemed to know what he was thinking, they saw his soul.

The low growls of the other yautja around him told him that they knew he was afraid. They smelled his fear and waited for the ooman to accuse him. For his end to come quickly, all she had to do was say he had tried to kill her and his life was over.

In silence he waited. He was failing at keeping his scent neutral and he felt naked before the group and at the mercy of the one he despised most, his vadat't. He was bound and chained like prey and he could feel that Paya had turned her back on him.

Tha'dệ watched as the ooman continued wiping her tear stained face with the back of her fragile looking hand. She did look pitiful, even a pup of four cycles looked stronger and better than she did. The weak and wretched creature was holding him hostage. With all his strength, power and might, he could do nothing against her, nothing to break her unseen hold on him. He watched as she visibly tried to compose herself. Slowly she began to move towards him. Her steps were unsteady, but they were sure. She knew she was going to him. Her moving towards him looked long and arduous, like she would continue to walk towards him forever and would never reach him.

In his mind, his inner voice told him to flee, but there was nowhere to run. The ẅhăs•ěěm were a stone wall at his back and the other yautja in the room gave him no confidence to be bold. Panic was starting to rise in his constricting throat. He mused at the strange sound he was hearing and then he realized that it was himself, and his breathing was becoming louder and erratic. Shame was also beginning to consume him. He could feel his honor seeping out of him as if it were a fine mist moist from his pores. Quietness engulfed the room so all that could be heard was his heavy breathing and the strange sounds of the ooman as she gradually took control of her emotions.

In his massive chest, his twin hearts were pounding. If anyone cared to listen close enough, he was sure that they could hear them. Control was escaping him and the internal sound of his hearts pounding seemed like they would swallow him whole in the moment. It felt like a forever, then the ooman and stopped directly in front of Tha'dệ and looked up.

The small dark female had a barrage of confusing scents about her; she smelled of rage, determination, apprehension, loss, betrayal and fear; but most of all her scent was strong with sadness. Both sadness and pain cloaked her heavy; it was like and invisible vise that was squeezing her; taking her life and will from her. Tha'dệ was confused by the females scent. She should be angry with him, infuriated and wanting to see him punished by the arbiter and dead for the thing he did to her on the world of Bǘ•ařf.

But she wasn't, she smelled sad and guilty when she looked at him.

The shackled ocher and sienna yautja was over powered by the small ooman, he could not resist her. In all his obstinate demeanor and steeled resolve, Tha'dệ could not overcome the female, she broke him and he did the only thing he could do, the first thing that came naturally to him, he began to purr at her.

She smelled as if she felt she had betrayed him; displeased him in some way. There was disappointment in her eyes and in her body language that spoke volumes to something he knew nothing of. She held a guilt that was suffocating her and she was looking to him for forgiveness.

Why does she feel she is duty-bound to me when she is my vadat't? He thought to himself and he tried to stop purring at her, but he couldn't. She was very distraught and he hated it when a female was upset. From a pup, he had always removed himself from the presence of the distraught female or tried to comfort her in her time of sorrow. There was no way he would be able to leave the ooman's presence so he found himself naturally responding to her. Tha'dệ chided himself for behaving like he was, the truth was he did not like the ooman, even despised her, but the fact that she was very distressed and overcome with grief touched a rare part of him that was reserved for only the most intimate of relationships. He was feeling her pain and anguish when he didn't want to feel it or care anything about her. Her scent was strong and despite the fact that she outwardly tried to look stoic and strong, he knew that she was a desperate state of turmoil inside. His natural reaction was to reach out for her, but he was shackled and he did not want to feel as if he was losing control of himself and his dignity so he made his body stay still and he just stared at the small female as he forced himself to subside with his purring to her.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Something bizarre inside Tha'dệ touched him and he immediately felt remorse for trying to kill the female. Never in his furthest thoughts would imagine that his mind would ever conceive of compassion for the ooman. The turn of events was confusing and unnerving for him; he was beginning to think that he was also becoming just as hulij-bpe as the ooman was.

Again, he began to neutralize and control his scent. He could not wrap his mind around what was happening because it all made no sense. All the feelings, scents and emotions the ooman was having towards him were all wrong and he had no idea where they were coming from. She meant nothing to him and he meant nothing to her, they were enemies. All he could do was stare at the small wretched creature before him.

Slowly, she began to raise her hands and for a moment he thought she was going to strike him, but instead she wrapped her small lithe trembling arms around his waist and pressed her soft wet cheek against his rock hard abdomen that was tensed because of her alien touch. He had never been touched by her in that way, but she was holding him like she had held him that way so many times. She held him like it was a familiar method for her to find comfort with him; she acted as if they had held each other in that familiar way so many times; she acted as if just by holding him, her problems would be solved.

Tha'dệ could feel the stare of his sire and the other yautja in the room on him. He didn't want to make eye contact with them. He didn't know what to think or how to respond to the ooman. What she was doing was so far away from what was real, he wouldn't believe what he was seeing, but he was feeling her touch him, clinging to him.

The ocher and sienna yautja knew that his sire was staring at him and thinking what in the pauk is going on. He didn't have to look at the yautja, whose physique and coloration he inherited, to know he was thinking that, his scent was strong with suspicion and it was obvious that the Ċrổm Rẩodãrdidn't care who smelled it. He knew that something was terribly wrong with what was happening in front of him and he wanted answers.

Everyone in the room knew that the ooman should be openly accusing him and demanding his life and his head for a trophy. She should be demanding that the Code be enforced, that was the sole reason why the ŕhá•shűă and his ẅhăs•ěěm were in the room. The ooman should be calling for his death to restore her honor but she wasn't. Instead, she was holding him, embracing him and looking for comfort and forgiveness from him; the forgiveness that only a lover or mate could give.

All eyes were on him, on them, both Tha'dệ and the ooman. He felt all eight pairs of eyes staring at him, but he refused to acknowledge them, instead he fixed his eyes on spot on the wall of the żah•ŕuñ. Looking past the yautja's before him and not acknowledging their presence was the safest thing he could do for the moment. Even the ẅhăs•ěěm that stood behind him and held his bonds were boring glares of glaives at his back and wanted to know what madness was happening between himself and the ooman. Their scents also spoke to what was transpiring in the room.

Tha'dệ was so unsure of himself and at that moment that he could not bring himself to look down at the small female that was holding him. He didn't know what he would see or how he would respond to what he saw. What was happening wasn't normal and right now, he needed normal and familiar, to give him a better grasp on what was real.

Still tense, Tha'dệ felt the ooman nestle closer into his body. She felt soft, warm and strange, but he did not let it distract him from maintaining his calm demeanor. He used every ounce of his will to be still and not let what the ooman was doing to him affect him. What he wanted to do was push her away, before he did something he would regret later and have to spend the rest of his life trying to live down, but he couldn't, he just stood there. His resolve was stoic and cold towards the ooman; he wanted to maintain the persona so he could deflect any insults or taunts that would later come his way. He also held the rigidity about himself so the ooman would realize she was making a fool of herself and stop with her insane farce.

Tha'dệ felt the female's warm breath against his skin and he felt her liphs graze the rock hard flesh of his abdomen. For a moment he thought she had kissed him, but quickly dismissed the thought because there was no reason for engaging in such an intimate show of emotion in public, they meant nothing to each other and everything she was doing to him was wrong.

From his peripheral vision, Tha'dệ could see that his sire was staring evilly at him and wondering why he was letting the madness occur. The eyes of the Ċrổm Rẩodãr stared at him intently demanding an explanation. Tha'dệ knew he had no explanation to give to his sire so he said nothing.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The delicate soft arms gripped him tighter at his waist and Tha'dệ felt the female press her body yet closer into his. The intimate action made the yautja stiffen even more. Embarrassment flooded through him and he was starting to lose his grip on holding his scent neutral. The female was stifling him and there was nothing he could do to free himself from her desperate clutches. He felt like clusu caught in a trap where the only way to free himself would be to chew his own foot off, but even to free himself in such an extreme manner, his body would not obey his mind. All he could do was stand there like a statue while the ooman held him.

From what seemed like the longest while, the ooman held him and everyone in the room stared at them and Tha'dệ could only stare at his sire. Even more, he was unsure and knew that much would be said and suspected of what was happening. The awkwardness of the moment made Tha'dệ more unsure of himself and more confused. He felt like the world was crashing in on him, spiraling slowly out of control and he could do nothing to reel it in.

Feeling the small body tremble against his own, Tha'dệ looked down. He didn't know why she was shaking against him, but she smelled very sad and sorrowful. Using his will intently, the ocher and sienna yautja steeled himself from any physical or emotional response he would inadvertently give to the ooman.

I wish she would stop this, he thought to himself wanting the public display to be over because he knew that he could not blatantly push her away from his person. He didn't want the alien contact and it was shaming him.

The stoic yautja felt a fresh wave of wetness flow from the female's eyes and onto his skin, then he felt her hold him tighter. He looked down at her wondering why she was being so emotional and so dramatic; even for an ooman, the female was showing far too much emotion. He wanted to tell her to stop, demand that she stop, but he could not bring himself to do it. He was weak to her.

"I'm sorry, Tha'dệ, she said in ooman softly against him. Her words were so light and so faint, he almost imagined he heard them, but he could not deny she had spoken because he felt her lips move against his flesh. He could hear her with his sensitive hearing, but he was sure the others hadn't heard the three words she uttered.

"Mjűk'ếum," she said in yautja.

Why is she saying this? He thought. He had understood her in her own language, why was she now saying it in yautja and why was she saying it to him? What had she done to him that would make her feel remorse towards him and why was the guilt she was bearing so heavy. Her scent was thick with remorse and regret it was making him feel compassion for her. A compassion he didn't think she deserved because she held his life and his future in her hands.

She might be apologizing because she is about to seal my fate, came a thought, but why would she care about how I feel if it is her intent to see me dead, came a second more sobering thought. It all made no sense, was the conclusion Tha'dệ came to. The ooman was hulij-bpe and she was dragging him into her madness.

"I'm sorry, Tha'dệ, she said a third time as she gave him a meaningful squeeze. The ocher and sienna yautja could feel her emotion and sincerity in the gesture and was still confused. "I lost our baby," she said and he knew the last word she had spoken in ooman because he didn't understand it.

Like a light filling a dark room, the yautja who knew what she had said began to chitter and trill around him in displeasure and confusion. Tha'dệdid not know what the ooman had lost that belonged to both him and herself, but it was obvious the elders knew what she had said. Immediately his sire began to growl and hiss precariously at him and the ŕhá•shűă also hissed strongly of disapproval and blame towards him. By the reaction of the older hunters, the younger hunter could tell that whatever the ooman had said in her language made his elders very unhappy.

The scent of his sire was the thickest for discontentment andTha'dệ couldn't think of what could make the Ċrổm Rẩodãr more angry with him than he already was. Looking at his father, Tha'dệ could see that the older male was past unhappy; there was obvious shame in the elder yautja's expression. The scent of the older male was laced with death and Tha'dệ feared that if he made a wrong move his sire would strike him down without taking the Code into consideration. The older yautja stared at Tha'dệ with incredulous eyes as his mandible and tusks began to move in a highly agitated fashion.

Sensing the confusion he was having, the female looked up at Tha'dệ and he looked down at her. This was the first time he had taken a good look at her since she held him close. She looked very small and her eyes were very sorrowful although she tried to look strong and brave.

"Tha'dệ, I lost our lou-dte," the female said little more soberly realizing she had spoken in her native tongue and the yautja for some odd reason had not understood her." He should have known her just as well as she knew him, which meant he could understand and speak to her as well in her language as in his own.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The world went dark for Tha'dệ and it seemed as if a spotlight shone only on him and the diminutive female that stood before him who was still clinging to him. Time seemed to have stopped because he felt frozen in the moment and he could not think to breath nor did his body move, even the slightest.

Mo, was the only word that came to his mind.

In defiance, he could not believe his hearing, wasn't sure he wanted to believe his hearing. Everything was going so very wrong. It was moving from bad to worse and hope was only a vapor for him. There was no clear way for his current situation to be salvaged. This was a moment where he could curse the day of his birth, for it would be far better if he had not been born, than to have to face the day. For the moment his mind as well as his body was paralyzed.

Such pain, Tha'dệ thought as he felt his steeled resolve began to crumble. She was in so much pain and now he knew why. The ooman had been ĺu'chk-muññ. She had been with pup and he had killed her unborn.

Now, Tha'dệ felt the badblood had come to be. He had taken an innocent life. Had he known the ooman was ĺu'chk-muññ he would not have been so adamant to destroy her. Such pain, Tha'dệ thought again and the pain he was feeling was his own. His twin hearts were breaking in many pieces and his shame and dishonor began to eat at his very soul. He felt his body go slack and his legs would no longer support him. His mind was in a fog. The only thing that was keeping him from crashing to the ground was the fact that the ẅhăs•ěěm securely held his bonds and the ooman had wrapped her lithe arms around his thick neck and she was pressing her small frame into his larger one and supporting him. Now he was on his knees before her.

In the fog of his mind he mourned. He wept for her loss and his misdeed as he purred to comfort the ooman and himself. The sorrowful heartbreaking scent of the ooman heightened as he responded to her; and in his fog he realized he was whining as he purred to her, they were both grief-stricken. Tha'dệ wanted to reach out and take it, but comfort was nowhere to be found. He wanted to die. Deserved to die and she should live. Never would he have thought in all his living that something as atrocious as this would happen to him; be committed by him. He loved life and he treasured the future of his kind, believing pups were a precious blessing from Paya that was entrusted to worthy yautja. He himself had tried to sire as many exceptional pups as he could, hoping to aid in strengthening the gene pool of his kind, but never would he take the life of an innocent.

In his blind outrage, he had gone against the very thing he believed in, preserving the innocent and upholding truth. There is no forgiveness for me, he thought.

The world around him had gone cool and the only warmth he felt was radiating from the small ooman that clung to him. She held him like she would never let him go as she buried her face in the crook of his neck and wept. He felt the warm moisture from her eyes saturate his skin, the entire act was foreign to him, but he welcomed it. In shame and dishonor he lowered his head not wanting to meet the eyes of anyone as he pressed his face against the side of the female's head. His mid-length locks cascaded forward serving as a screen that blocked out the rest of the world. The scent that the female gave off was forgiving and Tha'dệ found comfort in that. He sensed that she wanted and needed to be as close to him as he needed to be to her at that moment. She wasn't hating him; just needing him to forgive and comfort her. He needed her to forgive him, but she didn't know it.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The female leaned into him and gripped him tighter and instinctively leaned into her raised his bound hands to hold her close to him. He wanted the warmth and closeness wanting to be loss in her scent and comfort. Those around him were judging and accusing him, while only she was showing mercy and giving him reassurance. Before he could wrap his muscular arms around her petite form the connection between them was abruptly severed and the small world that was created between them was shattered.

As he came out of the fog his mind was in, he heard the ooman screaming and yelling insults to those who had ripped her away from his person. Just that fast her scent had changed and she was full of malice and wrath. Had she been yautja, the two hunters would have met Cetanu that very moment.

"Let me go!" Tha'dệ heard her scream as she struggled against the two yautja that were restraining her.

Immediately Tha'dệ became enraged. He saw Ǘ'jhổ and the younger đu•ñahậda; each holding either side of the ooman. From her vigorous struggling, Tha'dệ could see that she was intent on getting away from them; also the chained yautjacould see that she was going to do damage to herself if she didn't stop struggling or they didn't release her. Instinctively and protectively he growled at the two that restrained the ooman.

"Let me go you bastards!" she screamed at them. The words of the ooman made Tha'dệ anxious and he tried to stand up, but the ẅhăs•ěěm pulled on his bonds and made him fall forward onto his hands and knees.

When the ooman saw Tha'dệ fall forward, she screamed venomously at the ẅhăs•ěěm. "If you hurt him, I will kill you." She spat and Tha'dệ felt the tension on his restraints loosen slightly.

Turning her attention back to the two that were restraining her, the female spoke. "Please mei'hswei," she said looking up at the hazel green and russet yautja to her right. "Please, År'ŧhũlỗ release me, let me go. If you love me mei'hswei please let me go to my mate," the female said pleading to the hazel green and russet yautja. Her words touched him and he started to purr at her to comfort her, but he would not release her.

Tha'dệ could see the ooman was beginning to weep again and his anger was re-kindled. "Release her now!" he roared as he looked up at the two yautja that restrained the female. "Release her or I will by the strength and breath that Paya gives me see that you never touch her again." Tha'dệ said as he growled at the two yautja. From his prone position on the floor, Tha'dệ smelled their unease. Both yautja that restrained the ooman knew Tha'dệ would do what he promise he would do to them. "If you hurt her, you will meet Cetanu," he pledged speaking clear and loud enough for everyone in the room to hear him.

At the sound of his voice, the female stopped struggling and Tha'dệ could smell that she was pleased. She was pleased and proud of him. He had spoken for her and she knew he would protect her. The distraught expression on her face changed and he saw her smile at him. Maintaining his eye contact with the female, Tha'dệ purred at her and then he saw the mǘoš•hẻlum stand directly in front of her blocking his view of her. A growl of protest began to develop in his throat, and then it was cut short when he saw a yautja wall of flesh stand before him. Immediately he knew the markings on the massive calves and thighs and then he looked up into his sire's disapproving face.

Tha'dệ opened his mouth to speak, but was cut short.

"Silence pup!" the Ċrổm Rẩodãrspoke cutting Tha'dệ off so he could not say a word.

There was outrage and irritation in the clan leader's scent and Tha'dệ knew that his sire had lost his patience. Ignoring the prone yautja, the Ċrổm Rẩodãr turned his attention to the mǘoš•hẻlum. "Ậmŀỗt", he growled gruffly the senior healer's name. "What madness is she talking about?" The large sienna and mahogany yautja was very annoyed and he wanted everyone to know even his peers. When the imposing yautja spoke, his eyes and body moved sternly demanding an answer. Before the mǘoš•hẻlum could speak, the Ċrổm Rẩodãr opened his mouth to speak again.

Using his mǘoš•hẻlum's authority that he had over even the Ċrổm Rẩodãr in certain situations, Ậmŀỗt silenced the clan leader with a wave of his hand. "Stay your tongue mei'hswei•umo. What is of the ooman belongs to the ooman and we will not discuss my charge's medical information in front of those who are of no concern," the mǘoš•hẻlum said and he waited for the Ċrổm Rẩodãr to clear the room.

"Leave!" the Ċrổm Rẩodãr barked loudly and the room shifted into a confused frenzy. Those who knew that they were privy to the ooman and her condition made no motion to move from the room, but those who didn't looked confused. Only År'ŧhũlỗ knew that he along with the others were to leave and he released the small woman and made his way to the door. When the junior healer released the female she made motion towards Tha'dệ who was still prone on the floor. Thinking quickly and intercepting her, Ậmŀỗt grabbed the female by her arm and restrained her. The ŕhá•shűă growled at his ẅhăs•ěěm who hesitated at the Ċrổm Rẩodãr's order. The tawny and a burnt sienna yautja made it clear that they remove the restraints from Tha'dệ and take up their position outside the gĥun•dalẩ room door.

Ǘ'jhổ hesitated not wanting to leave the female, but the mǘoš•hẻlum signaled to him to follow År'ŧhũlỗ out of the room. Once Tha'dệ realized he was released from his shackles he moved to walk out of the room with the rest younger yautja but he was halted.

"Stay pup!" the Ċrổm Rẩodãr growled at Tha'dệ which made him stop abruptly in his tracks. He knew he had no dealings with the ooman and whatever was happening with her was of no concern to him. He had never mated her and he had no intentions of mating her. Obediently Tha'dệ waited to see what his sire would say and do.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Now that the sick room was cleared of the non-essential individuals, the Ċrổm Rẩodãr wanted some answers. He was not a happy yautja and his thick musk was filled with agitation and indignation.

The small female squirmed in the mǘoš•hẻlum's grasp, she was twisting and turning trying to get away from him. "Please ŝhiñ•jůń," she started in yautja. "Please poppa, she said in her native tongue. "Please ŝhiñ•jůń," she continued plead in yautja as she continued to twist and turn in hopes of freeing herself from the mǘoš•hẻlum's grasp.

"Ŝhiñ•jůń I need him," Tha'dệ heard the ooman say and stood still with his back to the female and the three elders. "Please let me go ŝhiñ•jůń," she repeated and Tha'dệ heard the female's voice began to crack. "Please poppa," Tha'dệ heard the female say and realized that she was speaking in ooman and she was referring to the mǘoš•hẻlum as her sire. He didn't think that the mǘoš•hẻlum had sired her, it was not physiologically possible, but it could be, came a thought and he remembered that she had been plos'mau'md with a yautja pup. She cannot be his pup, Tha'dệ thought knowing that the mǘoš•hẻlum was a highly honorable yautja and there was no way he would allow himself to sink to such a depravity as to mate with prey.

Hearing the mǘoš•hẻlum purr at the female to comfort her made him sad inside, but he worked to make his scent neutral. He knew that his sire was watching him; he could feel the older yautja's stare at his back and it made him feel naked and exposed.

"Calm down, small one," Ậmŀỗt cooed at the female as if she were a pup trying to calm her. She responded to the mǘoš•hẻlum and Tha'dệ could smell her scent change to something more calm. He heard a strange rustling sound and realized the mǘoš•hẻlum was stoking the female. Soon he heard the ŕhá•shűă join the mǘoš•hẻlum in purring to the female, but his sire said nothing to soothe the female, instead, the impressive yautja just started to click in an irritated fashion which began to unnerve Tha'dệ.

"Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa', there are some who are not what they seem to be," Ậmŀỗt started in a calm and comforting voice, "Tha'dệ is not what you think he is," the mǘoš•hẻlum said bluntly and the younger yautja visibly cringed, quickly recovered and continued to stand with his back to the others.

"Tha'dệ is Tha'dệ," LaKeshia said between sobs. "He is my mate and I am his mate. He loves me and I love him," she continued and then she started to openly cry again as she brought her hands up to her bandaged head. She was in physical pain and it shown on her face. Both the ŕhá•shűă and the mǘoš•hẻlum kicked their purring up a notch to comfort the female. They could see and smell her pain. Tha'dệ and his sire also smelled the female's pain, but did not respond.

"I love him and I need him, ŝhiñ•jůń," LaKeshia said not understanding why her adoptive father wouldn't let her be with the yautja she had chosen to mate for life. He knew that she loved Tha'dệ and had pledged herself to him, yet he was trying to keep them apart.

"He is not what he seems," Ậmŀỗt repeated a little more firmly wanting the small female to get the point, but not wanting to upset her too much. He could see when she heard something negative about Tha'dệ she had an adverse reaction with the wound at her skull. He didn't want to cause her any more trauma than she was already suffering so he reluctantly pulled away from trying to get her to see that Tha'dệ was not her mate, but her enemy.

Everyone in the room knew the truth about him except the ooman and at the moment, what the ooman believed and said was the only thing that was truth to the matter. As long as she believed him her mate, Tha'dệ realized that the elders would not move against him, because they cared for the ooman more than they did for him. If she was protecting him from them, then he was protected, if she ever learned the truth, then he would meet Cetanu.

"I thought you loved me, ŝhiñ•jůń, you said you would be my i'asus and I would be your si'aiphsus and you would love me forever; you would make sure I was happy," the small female continued and she started crying more openly. Tha'dệ smelled sadness and disappointment in her scent. He also smell the mǘoš•hẻlum's scent which was frustration.

"I do want you to have happiness among us Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa', but are you sure it is Tha'dệ you want?" Ậmŀỗt said as he eased his grip on her, but he did not completely release her. He didn't want her to continue with the terrible mistake she was making and but he did not want to damage her any more than she already was. Her mind was telling her that Tha'dệ was her mate and she would believe it until she found the truth for herself.

"I want him ŝhiñ•jůń … I've wanted him for a long time. He makes me happy ŝhiñ•jůń, he loves and honors me," the small brown female said looking up in the olive green eyes of the yautja she called father. "I love him and I will always honor him ŝhiñ•jůń, for me there is no other," she said finally and they all smelled her resolve. The female was adamant about wanting Tha'dệ and no other.

Tha'dệ smelled the scents of the elders and knew that they did not like what the ooman was saying, but they would honor her wishes. She was preserving him, protecting her enemy and she was not aware. She knew nothing of the pain, suffering and loss he had caused her; all she knew was that she loved him, had deep, strong and unnatural emotions towards him and those emotions were the things that were protecting his life.

The current situation for Tha'dệ was bizarre, but he was grateful for it. Paya was using his nemesis, his vadat't as a tool of preservation for him, but why? Why were their lives being bound together when it was all wrong? There was nothing in common for them and the fact that she was prey made everything that much more improbable. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with the opportunity and he didn't know how long it was going to last, but he would seize it and have it work to his advantage. What he needed to do was thread carefully and be alert knowing his situation could change at any time. For now, he was living and breathing on borrowed time, time that belonged to the ooman. He would go with the current situation and see where it took him.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Ậmŀỗt, what madness is Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' talking about?" The Ċrổm Rẩodãr asked turning his attention back to the mǘoš•hẻlum. The time for comforting was over and now it was time to sort out the mess and come to a conclusion on the matter.

The mǘoš•hẻlum did not respond, just continued to purr at the small female as he gently stroked her aching head.

Irritation began to fill the clan leader and he was not taking kindly to being ignored. He didn't like being ignored and now was not the time for his mei'hswei•umo to start. "How can she claim to have been plos'mau'md while yautja and ooman physiology are not compatible." The large yautja said clicking in annoyance.

"I was wrong, Ĥá'cheŧŧe, apparently our little lek'si'aip•rĝa is compatible and she was ĺu'chk-muññ," the mǘoš•hẻlum said without looking at his mei'hswei•umo. He kept his focus on the small female while he continued to monitor and soothe her. She was finding calm which meant she would have less pain. "Had her pup lived, she would have had a si'aiphsus," the mǘoš•hẻlum said and he wiped the silent tears that began to stream down her small brown cheeks. He smelled her sorrow while she silently wept.

At the revelation of the mǘoš•hẻlum, both the Ċrổm Rẩodãr and the ŕhá•shűă looked towards Tha'dệ. They smelled his sorrow and knew that he was saddened by what the senior healer had said. His broad shoulders were slumped and his usual patronizing posture was now dejected and submissive. He made a very soft and strange sound that reminded the Ċrổm Rẩodãr of him whining when Tha'dệ was a pup. Whenever Tha'dệ was deeply troubled and felt completely helpless as a pup, he would make the same sounds he was softly making now.

Is he her mate? Ĥá'cheŧŧe thought to himself not knowing what to believe, or is he playing a game to save his own worthless hide? All the clan leader could do was stare at his son and wonder what was happening inside his twisted head. He was so much like his bearer it was uncanny. Even when Tha'dệ tried to distinguish himself from the intimidating and brash female, he couldn't, there was too much of her genetics in him for the younger hunter to be unique.

Silently in his mind the clan leader cursed himself for ever mating the ocher and blueberry colored female. It had been Lấwđ-đraĥ he had wanted and not Dễ•ath-rậ, luck and fate had been clearly against him. Had he not been intoxicated on c'ntlip he would have been able to tell the difference between the twins.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Ĥá'cheŧŧe needed answers and he needed them now.

Turning his attention back to the mǘoš•hẻlum, Ĥá'cheŧŧe spoke; "how is it that Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' had been with child and I not been informed?" the clan leader said looking pointedly at the mǘoš•hẻlum. "Even I know that oomans and yautja are not physiologically compatible although they are anatomically compatible."

A thoughtful expression came on to Ậmŀỗt's face. Ĥá'cheŧŧe did have a point, and Ậmŀỗt knew that the clan leader had every right to be upset with him for withholding the information about the female until now. He not only had a right to know about the amazing discovery because he was the Ċrổm Rẩodãr, but he had also helped to remake her, along with Mï•śtrǘl. The female had the blood of all three of them running through her veins, and it was their blood that had fortified her and allowed her to be strong enough to stand against the wilds of Cetanu when he came for her three times before they arrived back to the Clan ship. He would allow his mei'hswei•umo to express his disdain for what he did, but he would not lose sight of his role as a healer.

He had not been forthcoming, but he had his reasons. He knew that the time would come when he would have to answer the questions that were being asked. The mǘoš•hẻlum was prepared to answer the Ċrổm Rẩodãr questions, but not now. When he responded to the questions, Ậmŀỗt would keep LaKeshia at the forefront of his mind remembering that she would be hurt most by what was said and revealed about her and her brief pregnancy; he had no intention of hurting her and he would not let anyone else hurt her.

"Please poppa, let me go to him," LaKeshia whispered pleadingly in ooman to Ậmŀỗt, and she shed her tears anew. "Please poppa, let me hold him, I need to hold him poppa", the small brown woman said as she started to shake as she sobbed.

"Are you sure he is the one, Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa'? Is Tha'dệ your mate?" the large muted brown and hazel green yautja whispered to back to the female as he gently brushed the fresh tears away from her saturated cheeks. There was so much kindness and gentleness in his touch, for such a large creature from such a dangerous species. He was kind and gentle to the female because she needed him to be kind and gentle to her, he needed to be kind and gentle to her because he cared deeply for her, and he was a part of her. He knew that she was not in her right mind, and she did not know what truth was, but he had to allow what was to be… to be. To try and convince her otherwise was to put her health in jeopardy and that was the last thing that he wanted.

Ậmŀỗt didn't want to, but he came to the conclusion that he had to let LaKeshia be with Tha'dệ if there was going to be a complete recovery for the female. In her mind, he was her world and Ậmŀỗt didn't want to shatter her or her world. He would wait for the right opportunity to expose the hunter to the female, but for now, he would wait and watch carefully over them both to make sure her physical wounds properly.

Without saying a word, LaKeshia started to slowly and emphatically shake her head yes that Tha'dệ was her mate. Ậmŀỗt could smell her strong desire to go to the younger hunter and there was nothing the mǘoš•hẻlum could do to deny the female.

"Tha'dệ!" the mǘoš•hẻlum barked and the younger hunter turned to face his elder.

Ậmŀỗt released LaKeshia and without a second thought she ran to the surprised Tha'dệ and wrapped her arms around his waist.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Ĥá'cheŧŧe watched as LaKeshia fled to his son once Ậmŀỗt released her. He had heard their whisperings and smelled their scents; his mei'hswei•umo was not pleased with how the female was holding fast to her thoughts and feeling about Tha'dệ. He knew that Tha'dệ was not her mate, at least there had been no intimate behavior between the two and nothing has been whispered or publically said about the two being together, but right now, there was so much display of intimacy and emotion between them until it was sickening and very confusing. He knew that the ooman was confused as to what kind of relationship she was having with Tha'dệ, but Tha'dệknew exactly what his relationship was with the female and right now he was not giving any indication as to whether or not the female was speaking truth about him. His scent was neutral and when he did slip from holding his musk tight, Ĥá'cheŧŧe smelled very confusing odors from the younger hunter that said that he may or may not be LaKeshia's mate.

There was also the question of Tokk' Jae. Where did his toudi'hswei fit into scope of things and what role did he play in the life of the female.

"Is there any truth in this mǘoš•hẻlum?" Ĥá'cheŧŧe asked referring to his hunt brother's formal title as he watched the young pair embrace each other.

Sickening, the clan leader thought, hating the fact that LaKeshia did not know the truth about Tha'dệ.

"There is much truth in what was spoken Ĥá'cheŧŧe," Ậmŀỗt said as he slightly inclined his head to his right, but had not turned to face the Ċrổm Rẩodãr or the ŕhá•shűă. "There are even truths we will wish we did not know, but they will remain truth, mei'hswei•umo."

The sienna and mahogany colored yautja growled at his hunt brother's words as he stared intently at the mis-matched pair that embraced each other before his very eyes.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Ĥá'cheŧŧe watched the display before him in utter disbelief. The ooman was defending his son, and had threatened the lives of others because of his son, clung desperately to his son as if her life and being depended on his embrace. She had openly and boldly confessed that she was the mate of his son. She had been unabashed when she said she was plos'mau'md from his son, and she was in despair when she said she had lost the pup of his son.

It was all madness when he knew that his son hated the ooman and wanted her dead. Tha'dệ had wanted her dead for many cycles and had challenged her whenever he could to make his wants a reality. Paya had always been with the ooman where she constantly seemed to manage to survive all the thwarting that his son had dealt her.

Now, in the current madness, his son had threatened those who had held her, thinking they were harming her or would harm her. He had smelled Tha'dệ's musk which said he was in pain and sorrow and he wanted to be comforted by her as much as she wanted to be comforted by him. The younger hunter acted as if he needed the touch and reassurance of the female to sustain him; Tha'dệ had publicly shown emotion and weakness where he would have never. His pride and his honor were negligible while his concern for the female had preeminence with him. For lack of a better phrase, Tha'dệ had "lost his arrogant dignity and haughty self-respect" because of the ooman and it had happened in public where others could see.

The entire occurrence was out of the ordinary and Ĥá'cheŧŧe knew that there was more to what he was seeing because it was not normal. It was sheer insanity and he was at a loss to get any understanding from it. He had brought Tha'dệ before the female so she would name him as ve'nde-thwei so an end could be put to the younger hunter's tirades. Tha'dệ had embarrassed and disgraced him for too long by allowing his blind hatred towards the ooman to cloud his better judgment. His son was moving closer to being badblood. His own flesh and blood was moving to a dark place and Tha'dệ was forgetting the Code. Ĥá'cheŧŧe loved his son, but he would not have a badblood among them, even if it meant giving his offspring to the a'suh'ssi'asas to be judged by the Code.

Tokk' Jae, he thought. What of his toudi'hswei? What would this do to him? Did Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' even remember the younger hunter? Ĥá'cheŧŧe had thought that Tokk' Jae would have been the hunter Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' chose as her mate, not Tha'dệ. The earlier scene as well as the current display of intimate affection in public by Tha'dệ and Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' was a madness the Ċrổm Rẩodãr could not comprehend; would not believe if he had not seen it with his own eyes. The female had named Tha'dệ as her mate, thus preserving his life; today, his son would not die a badblood.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

As he held her, Tha'dệ could see and smell the pain in the ooman. The small dẩlc female was hurting inside and the loss was very great for. He could smell her and understand just how much the dead pup meant to her. His twin hearts became weak again and he was losing his battle to be strong; sadness was seeping into him and he started to lose hold of his emotions. The fact that he had hurt the female far worse than he could ever buy having jehdin/jehdin with her made his feel less of a male. He had unknowingly killed her pup, killed his huň'dĭĭlắh's pup. Looking at the broken female, he did the only thing he could do for her, he purred to her.

Looking up at him, Tha'dệ saw the concerned expression on the female's face and smelled her worry for him. Without prompting, she started to touch him; was examining him to way a bearer would her pup to see if it had sustained any injuries. Her small hands roved over his body touching him to make sure the ẅhăs•ěěm had not hurt him. Once she was satisfied he had not been injured by the ẅhăs•ěěm she did the oddest thing; she purred to him. At first he wasn't sure he had heard what he thought he heard so he stopped with his own purr and he listened. It was the strangest sound and it was very distinct and undoubtedly purring. The higher pitched alien purr shocked Tha'dệ and he also smelled the shock of the elders. Apparently they didn't know their lek'si'aip•rĝa could purr like yautja. It was apparent that she had learned the yautja behavior from Tokk' Jae because no one else would have spent any time teaching her such a basic and intimate thing.

Allowing himself to embrace her, Tha'dệ brought LaKeshia closer to his own body and he felt her heat and her softness. She felt good in his arms even though she was small. The feel and closeness of her body made him realize that he was not alone and he would be able to face his elders. He didn't know what they were going to do to him, but she made him like he would survive.

Unable to control himself, Tha'dệ did what was natural; he craned his body so he was able to gently rest his mandible on the top of the female's head. Slowly and carefully he stroked her. Tha'dệ knew that he would regret what he was doing and he would find a way to live it down, but felt like he had to make intimate contact with LaKeshia. He was glad his sire had sent the other yautja from the room because he would have still clung to the female given the way he was feeling. For the moment, he was thankful that the others were not there to witness him in his weakness. He hoped that the elders would be discreet and not remind him of what he was doing, had done with LaKeshia. He didn't think they would let him forget, but he knew they would be convoluted with how they used this knowledge against him.

"I love you," LaKeshia said to Tha'dệ in ooman, but he did not understand her.

The younger hunter smelled the disdain of the elders and knew the female had said something to him that they did not agree with. Knowing her current state of mind, Tha'dệ surmised that she must be reaffirming her feelings and devotion to him. He knew that he did not share her feelings, but he would not publicly acknowledge the truth. Instead, he purred to her reassuringly as he weaved his tusks into her hair. This was the most affection he would allow himself to display without having to verbalize how he felt. She smelled pleased with what he was doing to her and he felt her press her small body closer into his larger one.

At the moment his life was void, there was no way he would be able to go back to the life that he knew before he entered the ooman's gĥun•dalẩ room. A vast emptiness was surrounding him separating him from the rest of the world. He felt alone and in need. Tha'dệ knew he needed the time with her so he could connect with another being because he felt detached and alone. She was giving him what he needed, and at the moment, he needed her.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

In silence, the ŕhá•shűă watched as the unimaginable unfolded before him. He had come at the request of the Ċrổm Rẩodãr to extract the Code on his pup. Mï•śtrǘl knew that Ĥá'cheŧŧe was a hard and demanding leader, but he also knew that the yautja was just and fair, respecting and upholding the Code just as earnestly as he did. Today was to be a simple execution of the Code with Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' finally naming Tha'dệ as her attacker because it was most obvious that he had committed the attempt on her life. No one in the clan had despised and challenged her as much as Tha'dệ had and to know that he was determined to see her demise spoke volumes to his guilt.

Boldly, Tha'dệ had waited for the day to arrive. He had spoken nothing in defense and said nothing to incriminate himself. In fact, the younger hunter rarely spoke at all on the matter and he allowed for the treatment that he received without protest. Mï•śtrǘl thought that the Ċrổm Rẩodãr's pup would have asked for intercession from his sire, but there was none and Mï•śtrǘl did not think that his mei'hswei•umo would intercede on behalf of his offspring. The ŕhá•shűă knew that the younger hunter had allowed his emotions and prejudices to consume and they had brought them to this point in his life. Tha'dệ was headed down the road to becoming badblood, but the younger hunter could not see where he was going.

Mï•śtrǘl was ready to close the door on the disgraceful episode in their clan's life; the Ċrổm Rẩodãr was also ready to end the personal dishonor and disgrace he was suffering because Tha'dệ had gone too far. Outright killing the younger hunter would have put them all at odds with the Code, but female was going to legitimized what was suspected of the ocher and sienna yautja. All Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' had to do was say that Tha'dệ was the yautja who had attacked her and that alone would have sealed his fate.

But she did not implicate Tha'dệ, worse she complicated things, or better yet, things had become complicated with what she revealed. She had made that which was private in her life public, and she named Tha'dệ not as her attacker and vadat't, but her mate.

Everyone that heard her was taken aback by what she said even his ẅhăs•ěěm, whom had little contact with Tha'dệ and barely knew him. Tha'dệ had even smelled surprised that she named him her mate, but then he quickly recovered and muted his scent.

Mï•śtrǘl thought about Cica'nễo. He thought about how his la't had suffered needlessly at the hands of the oomans. He thought about the shameful way Cica'nễo had been strapped to a table like clusu unable to fight or defend himself. He wondered if Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' preserved and cared for Cica'nễo in the same way she was defending and protecting Tha'dệ. In the crude recording LaKeshia had made of Cica'nễo in his last moments, he said that the small female had been honorable and worthy. She had fought to protect him from her kind, protected him with the strength and vigor of an nracha-dte but she was not always able to be by his side. She treated him like a mate, Mï•śtrǘl thought as he looked small female that was embracing Tha'dệ.

Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' ĥor'tẫn-đo•sü Cica'nễo, Mï•śtrǘl thought to himself as he remembered when she had attacked him as they traveled back to the clan ship from her world.

The small female had been extremely emotional and very distraught over the needless death of Cica'nễo. The ooman's response to the yautja's death was a highly unnatural behavior for the ooman. Ậmŀỗt had casually suggested that maybe Cica'nễo had mated the female and that was probably why she was reacting so strongly to the yautja's death. He said that oomans were very emotional creatures and could prove to be highly unstable at times. At the mere suggestion of such a notion that his la't had mated the female and tarnished his honor had made Mï•śtrǘl start to challenge his mei'hswei•umo, but Ĥá'cheŧŧe had forbade such a challenge and cautioned the mǘoš•hẻlum to make better theories as not to cause dissension among them. After running a series of tests on the female, Ậmŀỗt found that Cica'nễo had not mated her, but there was something he had found after testing and examining the female that he elected not to share with them saying it had no bearing on what they were trying to discover about the female, and thought it was not worth mentioning.

Clearly, Mï•śtrǘl remember what happened on the trip back to the clan ship and he could see that Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' was behaving with Tha'dệ the same way. Even in Cica'nễo's death, the ooman had been protecting him although the challenge that she had made to the ŕhá•shűă was ludicrous. Her life was nothing and he could have taken it with little effort, but she cared not. Her only concern was to let him and the others know that they weren't the only ones to have cared and loved Cica'nễo, she had loved him too and he had a place in her heart and soul.

Strange species indeed, Mï•śtrǘl thought coming out of his thoughts about what had happened many cycles ago.

As time passed, the normal course of action to judge Tha'dệ became more complicated. The fact that Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' said she had been ĺu'chk-muññ was also another twist that was not only shocking, but incredible. Never had he ever heard that yautja and ooman could mate and produce a hybrid. It was an utter impossibly until now and Ậmŀỗt only confirmed the likelihood of a mixed species paring. The mǘoš•hẻlum seemed to take the news calmly which meant that he had known for some time that producing hybrid pups was possible or there was something about Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' he knew that she hadn't known about herself.

He must have been studying her? Mï•śtrǘl thought to himself, but dismissed the thought. He didn't want to think that his mei'hswei•umo was insensitive to the female, because she was ooman and made an excellent subject to research and study. She was more than a thing to be tested and researched; she was their pup because the thwei of all three of them ran through her veins.

"Ậmŀỗt, how is she recovering?" Mï•śtrǘl inquired wanting to know if LaKeshia would return to her right senses soon and remember how things were before she was damaged. He looked at the muted brown and hazel green yautja waiting for him to respond to his question. Ĥá'cheŧŧe said nothing, but his scent was filled with impatience and annoyance. He was also waiting to hear what Ậmŀỗt had to say about LaKeshia.

The mǘoš•hẻlum turned to face the ŕhá•shűă as he deliberately ignored the embraced mis-matched pair. As he moved towards the ŕhá•shűă he beckoned for the Ċrổm Rẩodãr to join them. He had some things he needed to say, but he didn't want Tha'dệ or LaKeshia to hear. The Ċrổm Rẩodãr moved to the waiting pair and they began to talk in hushed voices

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

As he embraced LaKeshia and found comfort in her small arms, Tha'dệ strained to hear what the three elders were whispering about. LaKeshia was oblivious to what the three yautjas were saying and she only cared about being held by Tha'dệ.

Tha'dệ smelled the contentment in LaKeshia as they held each other and he felt her start to relax in his arms. Her small body began to go slack and he could hear that her breathing was changing to something calmer and more sedate.

The younger ocher and sienna split his attention between the female he was holding in his arms and the three yautja who were whispering to themselves. From the elder's conversation Tha'dệ was only able to pick up bits and pieces of what they were saying. It was obvious that they did not trust him and everything that would happen to him was contingent on the ooman. According to the Code, she was the only one who could convict him and the fact that he had killed her pup made his offense more heinous. No matter how much they wanted to try him by the Code, she had to initiate it.

He heard the đu•ñahậda say that the key to come to a conclusion on the matter was to get LaKeshia to remember. The mǘoš•hẻlum said that she needed to be around the familiar in order for her memory of the past to be triggered. The ŕhá•shűă mentioned Tokk' Jae and the mǘoš•hẻlum said that Tokk' Jae could not be used as a catalyst because she had no memory of him. To introduce him suddenly and deliberately could have adverse affects on her health and the gaining of her memory.

In his mind, Tha'dệ, growled pleased that LaKeshia had no memories of his huň'dĭĭlắh and just knowing the ocher and cobalt blue yautja would be unknown to her. He knew that the three elders would protect her and would not allow Tokk' Jae's presence to injure her. Keeping Tokk' Jae from Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' would aid him in finding a way to preserve his life so he could get himself away from his current dilemma and the clan.

Tha'dệ decided that if he had anything to say or do about the matter, he would keep the past from LaKeshia so his odds of survival were better. If she thought he was her mate and being her mate meant he would live, then he would pretend to be her mate so he could live. Right now his life was most important and she held in the palms on her hands. He would do what he had to do to survive and he would put his pride and honor to the side to do it.

For the moment, outright plotting an escape was out of the question; he heard his sire give the ŕhá•shűă specific instructions to kill him on sight if he tried to leave the clan ship. He would not have permission and if he said that he did, then he was lying and he should be killed for lying.

The mǘoš•hẻlum said that LaKeshia would stay in the gĥun•dalẩ to heal and Tha'dệ would be restricted to his quarters. There was to be no contact between them. Inside Tha'dệ panicked as he strained to mute his scent. He had to have contact with LaKeshia if she was to continue believing he was her mate. If she was left in the care of the mǘoš•hẻlum he would eventually convince her that he was not her mate and his days for living would be over.

Suddenly Tha'dệ heard LaKeshia gasp loudly in pain and she reached for her bandaged head. When he looked in her small round face, Tha'dệ saw her eyes roll back up into her head until only the whites of her eyes showed. Tha'dệ became afraid, he didn't know what was happening to LaKeshia, but he held her so she would not fall to the ground and he began a strained and strangled purring at her.

The younger hunter wasn't the only one to hear the small woman out gasp in pain, the mǘoš•hẻlum and the other two elders heard the small woman. It happened so fast, before Tha'dệ knew anything the mǘoš•hẻlum was pulling LaKeshia out of his arms and she started screaming at him. Instinctively Tha'dệ growled threats against the mǘoš•hẻlum and reached for LaKeshia. Before Tha'dệ could retrieve LaKeshia he felt two pairs of very strong and capable hands restraining him.

Although he stood about the same height as his sire, Tha'dệ knew that his father was stronger and more skilled than himself. He was sure that the a'suh'sus matched or could rival his sire in strength and skill, now they were both restraining him. Without thinking, Tha'dệ began a strange ensemble of growling, purring and whining at LaKeshia. Both his sire and the ŕhá•shűă looked at Tha'dệ wondering what the hell was he doing and was he losing his damned mind. Ĥá'cheŧŧe had never heard his la't make the kinds sounds he was making now and attributed it to the fact that he very much wanted to get LaKeshia back and couldn't. He smelled anger and frustration on his son. Simultaneously Tha'dệ felt both elders clamp down on his arms restricting his movements even more.

"Let me go! LaKeshia demanded. "I need him, let me go to my mate," she screamed at the mǘoš•hẻlum.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Frustrated, the healer put his body between LaKeshia and Tha'dệ; he didn't want the yautja to influence her or upset her in any way. She was ill and needed to get better. The best way he knew for LaKeshia to heal was under his watchful eyes.

"You are ill, Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' and you need to be in the gĥun•dalẩ so you can heal," Ậmŀỗt started as he purred at LaKeshia. He knew that she was erratic with her behavior and thoughts; he knew that it would serve no good purpose in her healing process to be away from him. He needed to calm her and she needed to rest her mind.

"Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa', you need to stay here so I can care for you; you need my care," the mǘoš•hẻlum continued, but the small female cut him off.

"My mate can care for me," she said and she started to squirm out of his grip to go to Tha'dệ.

Again, Tha'dệ smelled LaKeshia's agitation rise and he knew that she was going to hurt herself trying to be free of the mǘoš•hẻlum. He knew if she didn't stop struggling or the mǘoš•hẻlum didn't release her, she would suffer injuries. He growled low and threateningly at both the mǘoš•hẻlum and LaKeshia wanting the struggle between them to stop.

The two that held Tha'dệ heard and smelled him while the mǘoš•hẻlum and LaKeshia ignored him. The small female had only one thing on her mind, getting to Tha'dệ and everything else she was oblivious to.

"Please, ŝhiñ•jůń, let me go to him, he will care for me; he will protect me, he loves me ….please ŝhiñ•jůń," LaKeshia began to plead as a fresh wave of tears fell from her eyes.

Ậmŀỗt became agitated and annoyed because she was crying and pleading again. It was his weak spot that he would not admit to. He loved her and he wanted her happy and he didn't want her to cry, so he would eventually do what she wanted to get her to stop crying no matter how rigid he tried to be with her. He was made yielding and pliable to her will when she cried to him.

"I need him ŝhiñ•jůń, I love him, please ŝhiñ•jůń," she said and she sounded pitiful.

Immediately Tha'dệ began to purr and whine at LaKeshia, then his entire large frame slumped dejected and helpless in the grip of his elders. He looked and smelled powerless. He wanted to help her, hold her, protect her, but there was nothing he could do for her.

Ĥá'cheŧŧe rolled his eyes in disgust at Tha'dệ, he hated the show he was giving them and he wanted to choke and shake Tha'dệ until he stopped pretending. The act was becoming sickening and old. The yautja had no shame and no control over himself. Ĥá'cheŧŧe thought Tha'dệ should have some pride and self-respect within himself and not act as if he really had feelings for LaKeshia and how she felt deeply affected him.

"Please ŝhiñ•jůń let me go to him," LaKeshia continued to beg. "Please poppa," she said in ooman and the mǘoš•hẻlum felt his resolve crumble and he could not refuse her any longer. Reluctantly Ậmŀỗt released the small woman and immediately she went to Tha'dệ.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

When she reached the yautja he wasn't aware she was touching him, he was still in the fog of his mind. Carefully she wrapped her arms around his strong waist thoroughly ignoring the Ċrổm Rẩodãr and the ŕhá•shűă. She pressed her face against his bare abdominal area and kissed him.

"Take me home Tha'dệ," LaKeshia said to the ocher and sienna yautja and it brought him out of his daze. Take me home, mon chéri d'amour," she finished in French and she pressed herself even closer to him.

The clan leader was taken aback by what she called Tha'dệ knowing that she only used the intimate ooman reference with Tokk' Jae. Ĥá'cheŧŧe could smell the confusion on his la't. Tha'dệ was ignorant and confused as to what LaKeshia was saying to him and he didn't know how to respond to her. Ĥá'cheŧŧe wanted to roar at Tha'dệ and tell him to end the charade, but he remembered LaKeshia and held his voice. She wanted his son and there was nothing he could do to deny her even though he knew that they did not belong together. There was a strong and bizarre bond between them that was becoming difficult to sever.

Reluctantly Ĥá'cheŧŧe released Tha'dệ and Mï•śtrǘl did the same. Together both elders moved away from the odd pair and stood on either side of Ậmŀỗt .

Once Tha'dệ realized his arms were free, he reached down and picked up LaKeshia. Instinctively she buried her face in the crook of his neck where she started planting small hissed on his rough skin. Tha'dệ liked LaKeshia's soft lips giving him the strange ooman attention. He had never received such intimate physical contact from any female yautja and he didn't think that he would ever get it from any of them. The personal attention she was giving him made him purr to her.

"Take me home, Tha'dệ," LaKeshia whispered to the yautja that was holding her in his arms.

Tha'dệ did want to leave the gĥun•dalẩ, but he wasn't sure if he was allowed to take LaKeshia with him and he wasn't sure if his sire was going to allow him to return to his ċhe•nầb. He didn't answer LaKeshia's request all he did was hold firmly on to the small woman and stroked her small back. He didn't want anyone to take her from him again and he looked directly at Ậmŀỗt because he knew that the mǘoš•hẻlum was making the decisions as to what would happen to LaKeshia and ultimately to him.

For the longest moment Tha'dệ just looked at his elder and quietly stroked LaKeshia. He could feel and smell that she was relaxing again. He was waiting for the mǘoš•hẻlum to give or deny permission for him to take LaKeshia with him.

Finally, Ậmŀỗt spoke.

"You must take total care of her," Ậmŀỗt began as he scrutinized Tha'dệ with his eyes. Tha'dệ could smell mistrust and deep skepticism radiating from the mǘoš•hẻlum.

In silence Ậmŀỗtwatched Tha'dệ holding LaKeshia as if she actually meant something to him, but the mǘoš•hẻlum knew that the ooman meant nothing to Tha'dệ. As he stared at the younger yautja he remembered the countless times he had to mend the female's many broken bones that were compliment of the male that was currently holding her. He also knew that if she didn't have yautja blood flowing through her veins she would have been dead many cycles ago. Tha'dệ had been brutal and relentless with her, but she always survived and in some cases, she had damaged him.

Ậmŀỗt cringed inside at the decision he was making and he hoped to Paya that it was not a fatal mistake. He hoped that he was not giving LaKeshia to Tha'dệ for the yautja to finish her off. The mǘoš•hẻlum waited for some type of indication from the young hunter that he would be responsible to LaKeshia, but Tha'dệ said nothing, he just continued gently rubbing LaKeshia's back and softly purring to her as he continued to look intently at the mǘoš•hẻlum not wanting to miss anything he would say to him.

When Tha'dệ said nothing, Ậmŀỗt continued to speak giving the younger hunter instructions on LaKeshia's care and what should be done for her. The mǘoš•hẻlum reiterated that Tha'dệ should bring LaKeshia back to the gĥun•dalẩ every two da'tn so he could examine her and check her healing progress.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

After Ậmŀỗt was finished with instructing Tha'dệ, Ĥá'cheŧŧe spoke.

"Tha'dệ Waük•hïm, you will care for Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' as if your life depended on it; because your life does depend on it," the Ċrổm Rẩodãr growled quietly at his son. He wanted the yautja to hear his threat, but he did not want the female to hear.

Tha'dệ said nothing to his sire, just looked intently at him while he continued to purr softly to the small female he was holding as he continued to caress her back.

"You will take her to your ċhe•nầb and you will care for her; while she is with the mǘoš•hẻlum, you will come to me and we will speak of this madness" the sienna and mahogany yautja said with finality in his tone.

Tha'dệ said nothing, just inclined his broad head to his sire acknowledging the elder yautja letting him know that he heard and understood what he was told.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Both Ậmŀỗt and Mï•śtrǘl watched the younger yautja. None of them trusted him, but they did not want to dishonor the LaKeshia. Like them, LaKeshia was a hunter and she has earned her place among them; to dishonor her wishes was to go with Tha'dệ was to dishonor themselves. No yautja in his right mind would ever willingly shame himself and dishonor his clan and family.

In silence the trio watched Tha'dệ, then the ŕhá•shűă left the room to speak to his ẅhăs•ěěm.

Watching as the a'suh'sus went outside to exchange words with his ẅhăs•ěěm, Tha'dệ knew that they would be discussing him. He would have his continued escort, his double shadow. The younger hunter knew if he tried to do anything out of order, the ẅhăs•ěěm would kill him on the spot without hesitation. He would be a prize to kill because he was the pup of the Ċrổm Rẩodãr.

Tha'dệ took his thoughts of the ŕhá•shűă and what he was doing and let them drift back to the female he was holding in his arms. LaKeshia was very soft and supple. He hadn't known what oomans felt like because the only thing he knew to do with them was kill them and take their skulls as trophies. Actually touching and intimately interacting with an ooman was new and strange to Tha'dệ; he liked the new interaction although he would not openly admit to it. Carefully he adjusted her body to a more comfortable position and she reacted as if he was going to put her down, clinging to him tighter. He purred to her realizing her apprehension and she relaxed once more.

When the ŕhá•shűă returned, Tha'dệ knew what he was going to say, everything was obvious to him so he just looked in silence at the older yautja.

"The ẅhăs•ěěm will escort you to you ċhe•nầb. They will remain with you. Where you go, they will go." Was all the tawny and burnt sienna yautja said and then he turned his attention back to the other two elders as he thoroughly dismissed Tha'dệ.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Realizing that there was nothing more for him to do, Tha'dệ left the gĥun•dalẩ carrying LaKeshia. By the time they reached his ċhe•nầb the small female was asleep. As he walked he ignored the incredulous stares and ogling he was receiving. He did not dignify any of those he passed with a response of any kind; he just looked forward and walked in silence to his destination.

He didn't think he would see his ċhe•nầb again, but now he was standing in his personal space and it was all because of his vadat't. LaKeshia had inadvertently saved his life. Everything in his room was exactly as he had left it. The only thing that was different was the smell. His ċhe•nầb smelled as if it was not used in some time and he knew that after a da'tn or so the odor would be gone.

Realizing he still carried the sleeping female, as gently as he could, Tha'dệ took LaKeshia to the only place he could to lay her down, his bed. He really didn't know what else to do with her so he put her in a small corner of his massive bed and covered her with a fur. The small woman did not stir; just lay quietly feeling at home among his bedding. For a while he sat in his bed beside her and listened to her breath. She was calming herself and he was glad for that.

Looking at the sleeping alien form in his bed, Tha'dệ thought to himself wondering what he had gotten himself into knowing Paya was indeed punishing him. His life had been traded for the ooman; he had lost his freedom because of her. He had lost freedom, but he had kept his life.

What am I going to do with you, ooman? He thought to himself. In a matter of moments his life had been turned up-side-down. He didn't belong to himself anymore, but he belonged to the ooman and for some strange reason she belonged to him.

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Vocabulary/translation

(Have fun with these words and translations… I did… feel free to use them)

(Words…)

a'daik fool, idiot

ahl'ǻdĩta in a happy and nice mood

Ặrĝhuña Ńařh•thřałłClan a southern region yautja clan from the yautja home world of Ĝĥełmp̃;

asa a length unit of measurement that is similar to a mile

a'suh'sus arbiter

a'suh'ssi'asas arbitrator

bearer mother; birth mother

be'ssh sadness

bhệ-ru a friend like brother

bỗ'gĥŏn hard and stiff

Cetanu God of Death

ċhe•nầb an apartment-like dwelling for yautjas; these dwellings are found on both the Mothership and the clan ship

clusu cattle for slaughter; prey

c'ntlip type of drink, effects like that of alcohol, intoxicating drink

Ċrổm Rẩodãr clan leader

dẩlc dark

da'tn day

dă'tnozyl months

đu•ñahậda healer

gềh'iům a type of metal that is mined on one of the yautja worlds; it is known for its strength and durability; the metal is very malleable and can be made into different objects; it is stronger than normal metals, but not as strong as -;

Ģhï'ŕuż The Mothership that the Ặrĝhuña Ńařh•thřałłClan is a part of

gĥun•dalẩ infirmary; hospital

glaive the Glaive is very similar to the Naginata - and may even be the same weapon, but adopted by a particular clan and personalized to each bearer - and is a very effective long-reach pole arm

ĥor'tẫn-đo•süloved

hulij-bpe crazy

huň'dĭĭlắh two male cousins whose mothers are sisters sharing both parents ( they have the same grandparents)

i'asus father;

jehdin/jehdin hand – to – hand combat; one-on-one

ka'mak penis

ķha•ñec'tär the beginning active stage of being an arbiter; this is when you get your first assignments to pursue and retrieve(only) badbloods

ķhĩ'riddcried

ķhĩ'rincrying; the yautja spelling and pronunciation of the ooman word

kh'uade shame

la't son

lek'si'aip•rĝa a beloved daughter

liphslips; the yautja spelling and translation for the ooman word

lou-dte child

ĺu'chk-muññ with child

lus'hĭms saddened

mei'hswei brother

mei'hswei•umo hunt brother; a male that one shares their chiva with; usually these relationships are long lasting if the yautja like each other

mjűk'ếumforgive me

mo no

m'tkaeuu'aeso miscarriage

mǘoš•hẻlum senior healer; chief medical physician

nracha-dte relentless; an alien creature from the planet Ktr'ne; they have pug-like faces which remind you of n animal running race first into a wall and then the face staying that way; their bodies are big, long and sleek with six powerful legs all ending in paws which look like four-fingered hands tipped with claws; they have no visible tail;

oŕa'pĥanő jailers, bonds keepers; one who watches over prisoners

pauk! fuck!

plos'mau'md pregnant;

relk hunt

ŕhá•shűă senior arbiter; chief of the policing department of the clan

ŝhiñ•jůń father; adoptive father

si'aiphsus daughter

sire father

ťhëëm•ņaĥ tree a gentle giant in the world of flora that is closely similar to the redwood tree on the ooman world, except the ťhëëm•ņaĥ tree's trunk and bark has a coloration that is a swirl of cobalt blue and umber gold; the tree dwarfs the redwoods and they have the strength and weight of hard metal; the tree is found on the yautja world of Bǘ•ařf

thwei blood

toudi'hswei nephew

ui'aisuhis beautiful

vadat't nemesis

ve'nde-thwei badblood

ẅhăs•ěěm apprentices to the ŕhá•shűă; they are in training to be arbiters, but have not received any assignments

żah•ŕuñsick room; hospital room

ziigl weeks

(Characters…)

Ậmŀỗt the mǘoš•hẻlum or senior healer of the Ặrĝhuña Ńařh•thřałłClan; the hunt brother of bothMï•śtrǘl and Ĥá'cheŧŧe;

År'ŧhũlỗ the son of Ậmŀỗt who is also a healer and he's like a big brother to female ooman

Cica'nễo welcomed with honor; the deceased son of the ŕhá•shűă or senior arbiter of the Ặrĝhuña Ńařh•thřałłClan

Dễ•ath-rậ a female super badass; twin sister to Lấwđ-đraĥ; the mother of Tha'dệ

Ĥá'cheŧŧe the clan leader of the Ặrĝhuña Ńařh•thřałłClan and the sire of Tha'dệ; the hunt brother of bothẬmŀỗt and Mï•śtrǘl; he has sienna and mahogany coloring, the mahogany is from his female parent; (Mï•śtrǘl and Ĥá'cheŧŧe are related on a great grandparent level)

Łaǔ-kẽẽ•Śhǔa' LaKeshia; the yautja spell and pronunciation of the female human name

Lấwđ-đraĥ calm and sensible; twin to the female Dễ•ath-rậ; the mother of Tokk' Jae

Mï•śtrǘl the senior arbiter, ŕhá•shűă, of the Ặrĝhuña Ńařh•thřałłClan; the hunt brother of bothẬmŀỗt and Ĥá'cheŧŧe;the sire of Cica'nễo; he has tawny and a burnt sienna coloring, with blotches of earthy mauve spots, the burnt sienna is from his female parent; (Mï•śtrǘl and Ĥá'cheŧŧe are related on a great grandparent level)

Tha'dệ bad ass; son of the clan leader Ĥá'cheŧŧe; he has ocher and a sienna coloring, the sienna is from his male parent);

Tokk' Jaestrong protector; the first cousin of Tha'dệ; he has ocher and a deep cobalt blue coloring, the ocher is from his female parent

T'ra Nedl'elsh The Matriarch

Ǘ'jhổ a trusted friend; the best friend and hunt brother of Tokk' Jae

Xĥiñutried and exceedingly worthy,a highly sought after female huntress;

(Phrases…)

fa'ak –ki lu'neirr

"bees to honey"

mon chéri d'amour French translation

"my darling love"

psisursu i'ars zi'asuhursu

"prudence and patience"

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Please review this chapter. I would love to get your feedback. I look forward to hearing from you!

From The Author