The Gift Exchange

Authors note: I claim no ownership of the Predator franchise. This is a one-shot for the holiday season. Feedback is welcome and if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes please tell me!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

E.M.

It had been to long since Sha had been down to the Ooman world to hunt, with good reason. But no matter the explanation of why, he has had the urge to hunt one of the deadliest pray species for many seasons. Sha was always one with the reason, never to quick to judge or dismiss. But even he, who is seen as a great hunter in many eyes, was looked at oddly when he asked to go to the Ooman occupied world during the off season. While he would have waited for the colder of that planets cycle to finish, only hunting on the warmest days, nothing could keep him from hunting, not after so long. He had taken a single occupant ship of his own and traveled the empty space to his destination. He had picked the south lands of a smaller continent of this world because everything north of it was covered in frozen water and ones body net only gave little ways in heat. But even after Sha had landed his ship in a forested area he thought it was cool. Every now and then his body would shiver suddenly but not a moment later his wrist computer would activate on its own and turn on the heat. While it was a good thing for now, he knew that he would have to hunt as fast as he can to find the most worthy of pray so he could go back home.

However, as Sha had traveled on foot to a close city of the Oomans, something strange had caught his attention. The was a bizarre and bright glow coming from the city that he had never seen from any other, thinking that perhaps this city was a larger one compared to others and that the pray were of better choosing. Sha on the other hand found no such pray as he traveled the street and roof tops, but what he did find made his lust for the hunt be replaced with curiosity. He had never seen Oomans wearing things like they were now, hats atop their heads that were so large and circled they didn't seem to fit them right. But what made Sha almost laugh as he sat on a random roof were the males shoes. Made out of a local animal that he actually had the pleasure of hunting, it skin strong and patching with tough scale like spot, he never thought of using its hide to make footwear. But not only that, there was something strange that was abundant around the city that made him feel more then confused. Wrapped around every light poll, tired to every spot possible and dangling from every over hang were brightly colored bows and ribbons, green lines of tree leaves and all of it was covered in lights of so many different colors Sha had no chance of counting. The street were busy around the many trade shops he would usually go to find pray, but all he saw now ever females with their pups carrying large bags and boxes covered with oddly colored wrapping and giant bows also. The pups seemed to be over anxious and excited and the mothers were clearly becoming angry with their attitude as they would simply ignore them as their pup would stop at a large window and beg for something that occupied the box behind it. For a moment, Sha wondered what could be so inviting behind the glass before he actually took a risk and jumped down from the rooftop, cloaked of course, and slowly walked towards to open street. Sha was just about to walk out when a female with two pups behind her walked by.

"MOMMY! Mommy look!" 'C'jit' Sha thought, thinking the pup had seen him as he called for his 'mommy'. "Please mommy! I won't ask for anything else!" The pup pleaded to no use as the mother simply grabbed the young one by the hand and dragged him off. What was it that made the pup to adamant to get? Slowly, Sha leaned his cloaked head around the corner of the building to watch the group keep on walking, with that pleading pup still looking back at a display. Taking a chance, Sha jumped from the shadows and into the street lights. While no one was close, he paced over to where the pup was begging but what he saw made his whole body drupe in complete puzzlement. Behind a small pane of glass was a scene never witnessed in his life. Fake trees were standing amongst a bed of white cloth as a miniature of a large Ooman vehicle was moving around the small room. Traveling on small tracks, the strange thing moved around and around the box, the long tail being dragged along by the one in front. However confusing that little thing was, what was in the middle of the traveling vehicle was what he had his eyes on. Standing in the center was a heavy set male figure wearing a bright red suit of armor trimmed with a white fur. Sha wondered for a moment where he could get such an animal with a wonderful color as that, but he soon dismissed it. Sha was soon looking once more at what was surrounding the large figure. Little Oomans with green suites and pointy ears were placed all over the large male, all carrying smaller replicas of the same boxes the people around him were carrying, but these to small to place anything into. Sha was taken from the scene when the sound of a door suddenly chimes.

"How far is it?" A young male pup asked as he and what Sha assumed was be his mother, walked from inside the shop he was just looking into.

"It is just a few blocks." The female informed. "Do you think they will like the gifts?" She asked.

"Oh yeah!" The pup exclaimed. "We have some for the boys and some for the girls. I think they will like them."

"And I am so proud of you." The mother said, running her hand through the pups hair. "Giving gifts to children who probably wouldn't get gifts this Christmas is a very good thing to do." The young pup smiled brightly up to his mother. Sha didn't really know what was going on as he only had a limited knowledge of the Ooman language. But what he did get was that the mother was proud of her son for giving to the unfortunate, something that he understood completely. When the couple began to move off, Sha had a strange idea and began to follow them closely to see where they were going. For a little while he merely ducked behind things to make sure no one would see him, remembering that Oomans were able to see the odd lines his cloaking device would make. But as the couple turned a corner, Sha stupidly walked right behind them and when he looked down he stopped in his tracks. There, just a few feet in front of him, was that pup he was following and he was just staring up at him. Everything on the pup was a deep brown color. His skin, hair and eyes, but those giant brown eyes were drilling into his cloaked form. The child was just staring silently at Sha and he felt a sudden urge to hide, but he didn't.

"Justin. Justin come on." The female called from an open door.

"Coming." The pup yelled behind him before looking back to Sha. "Hi." He said and then before that could even register in his mind, the pup was off and into the building. Shaking his head for a moment, Sha didn't know what to do. Did the pup see him? He must have as there is no one else to say a greeting to. Taking one of the only hesitant steps in his life, Sha moves closer to the door the pup had just gone in and watches through the glass. The female had taken the smaller packages the young pup had been holding and was giving the small wrapped things to a male. But the young pup unexpectedly takes a rectangular box from his mother's hands. She looked down to him with question but all the pup did was point out the door, making Sha jerk, and then the pup began to walk back out. Sha instantly moved away from the see through door and quickly made his way to the closest ally way he could find, intent on climbing it up and away.

"Wait." A small voice makes Sha stop just as his clawed hands enter the wall. He didn't know why he stopped, but he did. "Wait." It was the pup. Sha slowly turned to the pup with no idea of what to do. But he thought that perhaps scaring the child away would work, or perhaps simply doing his original plan to climb away so he could resume hunting. But as Sha looked down at the small pup, the small rectangular box in his hands, he knew that he couldn't just scare the child and there was a strange thought about what the pup was doing running after him. While a courageous thing to do, very dumb sometimes. "Here." The pup said as he extended his hand with the wrapped package. "Take it." He said. Bending his knees so he was at least a little closer to the pup, Sha didn't move closer to the thing he was being handed. He didn't know whether to take it or not. What was it? It must be harmless as it was intended to be given to the less fortunate but why would the pup want to give him something? Was it a gift perhaps? Gifts weren't such odd things in his life as they were given at different occasions out of a season. It was only then that Sha had realized that this-what ever was happening around here- was something the Oomans did during their season. A celebration of some sort and this little pup was extending that to him. With no other thoughts, Sha slowly takes the small gift in his hands and when he did the small pup smiled widely. Even though he knew the pup couldn't really see it, Sha bows his head in thanks for the gift.

Without warning the pup began to turn around, but Sha wouldn't let him give something and have him not reciprocate. Quickly but gently grabbing the pup by the shoulder, Sha turned him around to face him. The pup was more then stunned at the sudden touch and Sha could since just how tense he had become. So to calm him, if any, Sha purred for a moment or two. The pup actually laughed at the sound so Sha knew he did a sufficient job in relaxing him, knowing that the same sound worked for him own pups back home. Sighing with a happy thought, Sha grasps one of the many necklaces around his neck and tugged it off. While on his body not even he could see it as he was cloaked but he knew where everything was on his body so had no trouble finding it. But once it was ripped from his neck, the small trinket was visible to the pup. Lifting, actually dropping it in fact, to the pups eye line, Sha let the small trophy of a tooth from a large beast dangle from its hold on the end of a long string. The pup was clearly confused as he didn't move, so to make it easier, Sha took the pups small hand in his and placed the large tooth onto his palm. The pup gasped at a loud tenor, making Sha hold back a small chuckle at the thought the up didn't know he was also giving a gift.

"Cool." The small pup said, poking the tooth rightly. "Thank you."

"Justin?" The female called. "Justin where are you?" She sounded almost frantic.

"Bye." The pup said fast and before Sha could also say a goodbye the pup was gone from the ally, leaving Sha with the rectangular thing in is hand and not knowing what to do it with.

Sha had decided that the days events were enough and went back to his ship to wait until the next sun to continue the hunt. After placing the small gift, the large ribbon on top upwards so not to crush it, Sha took off all of his Awu'asa armor before going back to it. For a while he just sat there, scratching his face every now and then, just staring at the thing. Only when he took it into his hands did Sha see that the top of the box had been pasted down by a strip of something. So using his sharp claws, he ripped the thing off but what he didn't expect was the small strip to stay on his hand! It took a few tries, a few flinging of the hand and even growling, but Sha got the now apparent sticky strip from his fingers. When he looked back to his gift the top had opened a little and with the cue, he started to pull it down. When the paper started to rip, Sha paused for a moment thinking that he was doing it wrong. But when his eyes say the top to something he let his thought go and ripped the rest off, leaving it on the top of the table. The rectangular box was made of some kind of plastic but it was not that which made him smile funnily. In side the box was what had to be the perfect specimen of the best Ooman pray to hunt. He could tell that it was just a figure, a statue of a male Ooman but he had seen many like this. The male was standing straight and was wearing cloths to match the many jungles and forests around the planet. Around the figure were very small Ooman weapons that Sha knew would be no danger to him, but thought it comical how small they were. Despite the fact Sha could not understand the Ooman tongue or read the written language, the picture he saw that accompanied the shape was most likely the name of the figure. But he could not understand it. Deciding then not to open it any further to bring home to show his fellow hunters, Sha placed his gift into a safe place for the time being so he could rest to continue his hunt another day.

It would be many seasons for him to know, but the writing on the box read "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero."

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Authors note: I just wanted this to be a one-shot for Christmas or what ever seasons holiday you personally celebrate. If it was a little confusing I am sorry but the Predator was in Texas and he was given the action figure G.I. Joe, the army doll guy. I hope you liked it!

Pronunciations

Sha Shaw