UPDATED 3/4/19

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The humid air hung heavily; cloying and hot, and despite the adequate oxygen content, it was almost difficult to breathe. This jungle's trees seemed to grow taller and closer together than others, the upper branches knitting together in a tight canopy that allowed few bright beams of light through. It was eerily quiet for such a place, even the air was still. The wildlife was bracing itself, watching and waiting…there were intruders here.

On a thick branch, high above the jungle floor, crouched Dha-viath. She was as comfortable in the trees as she was on flat ground, and she was not the intruder causing alarm for the living things of this place. She was a hunter, she knew how to perfectly merge with her surroundings, to become a welcome part of it.

Sweat beaded on her skin and a drop trickled down between her breasts. The cooling module of her thermal mesh still needed retooling, but she was in no danger of overheating. She switched the vision mode of her mask to infrared, leaning out a little to peer beyond her tree. There was noise in the distance, the telltale rustling and stomping of things unsuccessfully attempting to be stealthy. They may as well have marched in beating war drums for all the good their effort was.

Dha-viath dropped to a slightly lower branch without a sound then moved to another on the opposite side of the tree to get a better look. Below, still far away, the tall undergrowth was moving unnaturally before those responsible began to emerge. Bipedal, sentient, armed, technologically advanced…sort of. She knew what they were, and couldn't stop the scowl that twisted her lips.

It had been a very long time since last she encountered that species, a species she had come to loathe. Humans. There were only four, and as they continued to move in her direction, she could already smell them, a rank odor of sweat and fear…but not terror, not yet. They struggled with the dense vegetation, almost all the terrain of this planet was very unforgiving. They were soldiers of some variety, their purpose unclear, and though Dha-viath supposed they were trained to find their way around unfamiliar territory, they seemed to be struggling. They were breathing heavily as sweat poured down their faces. The temperature measurements in her view screen indicated that at least one of them was at risk for a hyperthermal episode and two were likely approaching dehydration.

Dha-viath ran a remote scan from the ship, analyzing the current surface quadrant and the results appeared on her satcom. Glancing at it, she noted a ship not far off with several more humans in and around it, setting up probably a camp. With the touch of a button a different dataset appeared on screen, measuring all non-organic planetary activity and it gave an intentional, calculated descent path for the human vessel. They'd come here on purpose and were not stranded, which meant it was also likely there was a bigger ship, not unlike her own, waiting in orbit teeming with more of them.

The pack of humans continued along, unaware they were being watched. Dha-viath's concept and perception of time had changed greatly since she had been discovered by the Yautja. Offhand, she didn't know how long it had been since then, and could only guess that many Terran years had passed. There was no love lost between her and the people she had come from; it had been so long that they were strange and unfamiliar. Whatever humanity had survived in her small, broken body back then, had been purged long ago.

Dha-viath defied expectations and limitations as she was trained; defiance was something she excelled at. What had begun as an experiment for Yautja amusement had turned into a lesson on even a frail creature's will to live. She'd come so far and become something so much more than she would have ever imagined for herself. Through blood, she had earned her place amongst the Yautja…amongst the hunters. She was proud and had earned her honor.

A strange, unpleasant feeling rose in the back of her throat like bile. Bitterness. It was a long-dormant emotion, along with resentment, but it felt fresh and raw as she looked at them fumbling through the jungle. Her memories from before were no longer relevant and had been pushed aside; the lens through which she looked at this species was now that of the Yautja. Their perception of the Terrans was not a particularly generous one. While humans periodically produced individuals who possessed the strength, intelligence, and skill to be interesting prey, as a people they were thought of as an infection. They poisoned the worlds they settled on and multiplied, growing like a cancer in the galaxy. They solved problems by creating new, more terrible ones and the majority of intelligent species simply avoided them.

Human skulls had been in several of the collections Dha-viath had been given the privilege of viewing. It gave her an itch that was overwhelmingly tempting to scratch, so she moved closer to do a better analysis.

The pack had four specimens, though more were not far off. There were three males and a female; overall, they were of a similar age and mobility, equipped, in Dha-viath's opinion, to deal only with minor threats. The leader, however, was much bigger than the others and exhibited more advanced features of age, the hair on his head and face was gray, but he seemed biologically and physically better prepared to handle possible enemies. Dha-viath had no doubt that he was the more worthy amongst them considering that warriors did not reach advanced age without being adept when pursuing enemies or prey. If there was a worthy trophy amongst them, it was likely to be the leader.

There was always a marked difference between skill acquired through training and skill acquired through experience. Dha-viath would have never reached the level she had were it not for her many very close brushes with death. The leader of this small group was experienced, his subordinates were only trained, and it showed.

On closer inspection of the humans' gear, she surmised that they were hunting for food and though begrudgingly, she admitted that this area was a good source of meat. The leader had become her prey and she watched him very closely, moving down further, even daring to crouch in undergrowth mere meters away as they passed.

He reacted to nothing, but still seemed aware of every noise, every rustle that was not made by him or the others. Dha-viath moved along the ground for some time, undetected, until she watched her prey begin scanning the brush more intently. He knew there was something nearby, his heartrate had increased, and his body tensed for a fight. Perhaps he really was worthy prey.

Foolishly, the group split in half, their paths diverging, which served only to make it easier for her to isolate her prey, to eliminate the possibility of him having outside help when she would finally strike. She wanted to see the human fight on his own, she wanted him to be difficult to kill alone. Otherwise, what was the point?

Their language was familiar, of course, and Dha-viath tried to ignore it, tried to find no meaning in any of the words but still some she knew even after all the time that had passed. It sounded strange nevertheless, garbled and primitive. Though it had taken her a long time, she had mastered the Yautja language, finding ways to make all the right sounds, clicks, and growls with her human mouth. Even in her mind she no longer thought with human language.

The pair without her prey in it seemed far less confident the moment they no longer had their leader. Dha-viath switched to a normal vision mode and the sharp scent of the humans' fear increased as every noise served to unnerve them further. One male crouched, looking at a print in the mud and Dha-viath struck like lightning, pulling the other one silently into the brush, and striking him hard on the head. While unconscious, she wrapped a cord around his feet and hoisted him into a tree…alive, but no longer a threat. His weapons were all piled on the ground beneath him.

The second male stood back up and turned, finding himself alone and she grinned to herself, amused by the confusion on his face. When he turned around again, calling out for the missing individual, she struck again, and he joined his comrade in the tree. Quickly, Dha-viath headed for the final two, the female and her prey.

There was a sudden yelp as she happened upon the female sitting very still in high grass, relieving herself. All she saw was a blur as the cloaking bent the light around Dha-viath who struck the female hard in the face as she stood, pulling up her pants. In a couple moments, she was disarmed and strung up. All that remained was the actual prey, the one she wanted a trophy from. It would have been simple enough to kill the other three, but there was no honor in it, no enjoyment even; they would have been easy, meaningless deaths.

Whether or not Dha-viath's companion, Nracha-dte, was watching any of what she was doing, she did not know and did not particularly care. For as skilled as she was in stealth, he was Yautja and a veteran with more experience than even most other Yautja. If he did not wish to be detected, even she would not be able to find him. Nracha-dte was an elite hunter, warrior, and leader; he was also the one who had pulled her, a nearly-mangled human girl, from a small pressurized compartment in the remains of a terrible transport wreck. His scientific prowess combined with the advanced Yautja medical technology had saved her from the wounds that would have otherwise been fatal.

Dha-viath had him to thank for the life she now lived and and she served him loyally as a statistician and hunting companion. She supposed he might have gone off on his own, she was well beyond being allowed to hunt unaccompanied. She had been blooded many seasons before and was trusted, honorable, and in possession of a trophy collection that rivaled many of her peers.

Her human prey spotted his own quarry and wasn't waiting for his team member to return, it would risk the opportunity if he did. Dha-viath scaled a tree and watched as he did indeed move silently, approaching the creature from behind. It was a meaty quadruped that looked far less dangerous than it was, she knew its mate could not be far off either. He raised his rifle and paused, growing still, waiting as it grazed on the small green twigs and shoots near the ground. Its head lifted and he took the shot, making a clean kill. It was fairly decent marksmanship from as far away as he was from the beast.

The human glanced behind him, still no sign of his group, but didn't pay it much mind in that moment before he moved toward his kill. He pulled out a large knife to give it a quick field dressing and Dha-viath studied him and his attire while he worked. He wore tactical gear, a vest with many pockets, a utility belt that held the sheath for his knife as well as a holder for a pistol, the rifle was on the ground. His arms were bare, he wore somewhat less than the others and wasn't the one nearly overheating.

He looked strong, for a human at least; she was accustomed to her own people, who were the very definition of strength and power. Dha-viath dropped from the tree, landing behind him in a crouch. Hearing both the impact and the movement of the brush, he leapt to his feet and whirled around. She was cloaked, and for a brief moment, in confusion, his eyes darted to every movement.

Slowly, she stood and it was clear he could see her blurred silhouette as the light bent around her. His hand moved to the pistol on his hip and Dha-viath uncloaked. He froze, shock spreading across his features. She saw then his eyes were blue and tilted her head slightly to one side, regarding him, planning her attack, and taking stock of what weapons he had available.

"What the hell are you?" He murmured, half to himself.

The biomask completely obscured her face, there was no way for him to identify her as human or anything else. She said nothing and with a swift, effortless motion, kicked the pistol from his hand, leaving him just the knife. She heard her own blood rushing, the need to hunt rising up inside her like the tide.