Hey guys! This is a story by Amouthea and me. Hope you like it. First chapter is by Amouthea.
Predator: Ancient World
Chapter 1: New Prey
A faint tremble rolled through the sleek-form dark-metal vessel, red-band symbols illuminating the misty corridors. The other-worldly technology hummed to life as each chamber fell prey to the sharp blare of artificial light from above.
Du'gret awoke, along with the others reclining in slumber about the room. Eyes half open, the five unblooded Yautja rose to begin the long but necessary preparation for arrival on the planet not far off. Each hunter-to-be gathered up their vacant armor, thoughts dwelling on that which lay ahead of them. The urge to hunt livened both veins and minds. No longer sleep-tinged, they began conversing with one another, expressing ambitions and expectancies, most with much pride, although there were some which were more humble in their contentment, though not by much.
Bristling with excited chatter over the hunt-to-come, they left their hibernation alcove and headed to the docking bay where they would receive a quick brief on the approaching planet and its creatures of prey.
Grentou'se turned at the clatter of his approaching hunting party, eyes gleaming behind the silver mask of multiple insignias. He nodded at Ru'shan, the only other blooded warrior aboard the ship, gesturing for his friend to prepare himself for the onslaught of excitement from the inexperienced. Ru'shan too, grinned behind his marred helmet. Lucky group...he thought, facing the students as they entered the room. Very few got to hunt soft meat on their first hunt. He had not been one of them. There were rumors around the home world that as the soft meat, due to their fast increasing intellect, may soon become a forbidden hunting species for the young bloods. As popular as the rumors were, the chances of them becoming true were slim.
Du'gret listened carefully as his leader, who happened to be his father, discussed the planet's temperatures, geographical features and inhabitants. By Yautja standards, this particular prey was held in fairly high esteem; good trophies for impressing the females. Well, most of them...Du'gret looked out of the corner of his visor to eye Kat'rin. She stood straight and alert in the far corner of the room, disregarding all but the words escaping from her leader's mouth. She, unlike her fellows, was already adorned in her armor, all equipment checked, weapons cleaned and sharpened. She, perhaps more than the rest of them, desired to prove herself as an honorable warrior. Du'gret didn't blame her attentive manner or previously strenuous personal training. It was very rare for a female of their species to hunt. Although he had no doubt she was more capable than any of the other students.
"What do these creatures look like, leader?" Du'gret returned his attention to the powerful form before them at the student's question.
"That is something I will let you determine yourselves. I believe that each of you are capable of deciphering what is worthy prey. Am I right?"
An exuberant affirmative rattled off the walls.
"Now, finish with your armor," an approving nod at Ka'trin "We will be landing shortly."
Skipping down the remaining polished steps, Neferti raised a slender arm to steady the vividly painted water jug. It had almost slipped from atop her darkly-twined tresses that time. She was about five feet tall, with golden skin, painted with black designs, marking her as the Queen's personal handmaiden. Black eye makeup lined her amber eyes, making her eyes stand out even more. She smiled, gold-drenched sandals denting the sparkle-warm sand as she padded to the nearby river. The sun fell fresh and bright on her shoulders and back, a pleasant change from the cool, shadowed atmosphere of the palace. These small occasions were her favorite, having, at last, time to dwell on what she wished, mindful only of her own feet and troubles.
Humming lightly to herself, she slowed her pace to a more pleasing one, pondering the haps of the day. .Nothing too grand had occurred, yet she couldn't help feeling slightly anxious. While shaking out the colorfully woven rug that resided in her Mistress' bed-chamber that morning, Neferti had felt the passage of something indecipherable overhead. Looking out the window of the room, she could see nothing, save the jeweled brightness of the sky and the smoldering fire-sphere sun. But the air itself had seemed...disrupted. Like a bowl of water having a finger trailed through it.
Neferti looked up, half expecting something to be residing in the sky, watching her. But there was nothing. Not even a bird or a cloud to make a single ripple in the clear air. Shaking her head against any more unsettling thoughts, she returned her gaze to the pebbles and dust passing beneath her feet.
Du'gret kneeled down to examine the drifts beneath his feet once more. It had been the better part of one of this planet's days since he and his fellow Yautja had begun their individual hunting. He had yet to come across a worthy prey, let alone another living creature in all that time. Letting the handful of dust slip through his taloned fingers, the lone hunter stood up glaring at the tiny mound it made. Nothing...
Was there even anything on this planet? Or did they accidentally land in and uninhabited region? No, that kind of mistake was impossible. Grentou'se must have picked it for some reason or another, although the young hunter could by no means figure out why. He continued walking, the planet's single sun blaring against his scaled back. He silently wished there was a little more moisture in the air. But he had refrained himself from expressing his discomfort to any of his clan for fear of humiliation and presumed weakness.
"I wonder if the others have had any luck?"
He hoped he wasn't the only one who would be coming back empty-handed. Not a single trophy...
Growling in disgust, the aggravated Yautja took a few more steps, before pausing and turning. He opened his wrist computer to detect which way his ship was from his current position. South-west. No more than a couple of hours if he walked quickly.
But there was no trophy, ivory and polished, dangling from his belt. No mark of blood upon his mask...
He trudged further away from his ship and friends. He'd return before dark as planned; just wasn't ready to give up yet.
A soft hissing filtered into his mask suddenly. He spun around hastily to see where it came from. Nothing behind him, or to the left. A rapid rattling sound. Where was it coming from? Once again he swiveled, although his helmet already relayed the vacancy of a three-hundred and sixty degree pangram.
Great. My helmet's as faulty as I am...
The young predator took a step forward, feeling the tips of a tiny brush-plant's fingers claw at his leg. He scanned it once more. There was no heat signature to be seen within its meager, alien mass. He made to take another step past it.
CRISH!
Du'gret heard the burst of movement from the brush not even half a second before he felt the sharp sting of penetration at the outer edge of his lower calf. He cried out in surprise before falling to the ground, wrists painfully buckling beneath his body's weight. Groaning, he freed his aching wrists and raised himself to his elbows. He let his eyes fall to his leg where the stinging had turned to a burning prick of pain.
The creature squirmed wildly against his grasp as he tugged it sharply from his leg. Writhing and hissing, it made to bite the offending hand.
Its head was crushed in the grip of Du'gret's other fist, tiny skull busting under the pressure. Its body hung limp from the hunter's hand for a moment, before he tossed it away, cursing. He examined the puncture wounds slowly. A thin trail of neon trickled down his leg and onto the dirt below.
Foolish!
Du'gret pulled out his simple medicomp. Who knows what effect that creature would have upon his body? At least he wasn't going to bleed to death any time soon. A faint smile played across his masked face as he applied a jelly-like substance to the tiny punctures. It wouldn't take long for the skin to grow over them. Tucking away his medicomp, he stood up and continued walking. No respectable hunter would turn back over such a trivial wound.
The sun was beginning to sink in the sky by the time the young hunter saw the structures in the distance. They were tall and foreboding even from his viewpoint. Du'gret smiled and quickened his pace, ignoring the haziness of his senses, the throbbing at his temple and ankle. Finally! The possibility that some form of prey dwelled in those structures was high. It looked like he wouldn't be an utter disgrace after all...
It didn't take long to reach the outer perimeter of the fortress. There was a large river near by. He could detect heat-signatures beyond the walls.
Grinning and unsheathing his wrist blades, Du'gret took another unsteady step. He could feel his blood screeching in his veins, the thrill of the hunt surging through his body. His muscular frame began to sway more violently.
No! What was happening? His vision wavered for a moment.
So close...
The hunter raised his eyes longingly to the near-tangible fortress as he slumped to the ground. He had only a few moments to consider the possibility of the tiny cold-blooded creature having been poisonous before his eyelids dropped, and his thoughts were lost to darkness.
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