Chapter 4: Inquisitive

Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.

It only took me an hour or two to get back to the ship, but it became morning by the time I arrived back. I was hoping that Xen'ork hadn't made it back yet so I could collect my thoughts and be prepared for all of his questions. However, I wasn't fortunate to have that luxury. He was just sitting down by the ship, working on his wrist gauntlet extensively, so I had to wonder what got him hooked on to it. I took a huge breath to calm my nervous heart and hoped that he wasn't going to ask a bunch of questions that I didn't want to answer.

But when I broke out from the bushes, Xen'ork's head rose up like an alarm just went off, and he lost focus on his gauntlet as he got to his feet and walked towards me with determination.

"What the pauk (fuck) happened to you?"

I shrugged my shoulders up, trying to act like ignorant to what he meant by the question as I cleared my throat a bit.

"What are you talking about?"

"About last night! You were on a killing spree and doing well, but then you stopped all of a sudden. On top of that, you let the rest of them go."

I could see the curiosity in Xen'ork's eye but also a hint of disbelief as well. He was expecting a somewhat similar reaction but didn't include Xen'ork asking a billion of questions that only made my headache worse, just as I was getting it settled down. He talked so fast, asking what happened . . . What made me do it . . . was I feeling sick all of a sudden . . . Or did I just simply thought that they weren't worth it? I got so irritated that I just roared right in his face.

"Will you just shut the pauk (fuck) off!?"

I got right into his face with my mask touching his own, but that didn't deter him from asking one more question.

"But what stopped you at that moment? That isn't like you . . ."

That is when I heard the concern in his voice but wasn't sure if it was because he was worried about my inability to complete this mission or was really thinking that something was wrong with me physically. I could only rely on his voice because his mask covered any visual signs of emotions he was showing. But when I thought about his words again, I couldn't help but close my eyes and remember back at that moment between that mysterious female and me as my mandibles twitch roughly against the inside of my mask. The color of her eyes was the first that came back to me, shining brightly even in the dead of night. Even her skin that lacked color like mine glowed as well and made her look like a goddess. But I didn't understand the spark that lit up inside me, causing me to stop and not kill her right then and there. I wanted to know, and it was starting to eat away from me. But I didn't wish to Xen'ork or anyone else to know about this 'infatuation' with the female.

I didn't want him to think of it anymore in fear that when this is all done, he's going to spread the story around like a virus back at Yautja Prime. My reputation is already tainted with my brutality as it is. Imagine if this gets out that the 'Blood Assassin' also has a soft spot for oomans now. I would never hear the end of it. So I tried to say something to get his mind off of the subject, hoping it would get this sour subject off his mind.

"I swear . . . I'm beginning to wonder what my father saw in you that would help me on this mission."

Xen'ork's yellow eyes widened a bit, and I thought that he was majorly insulted by that, something that wasn't expected but hopefully effective in getting his mind out of the current subject. Little did I know that it would lead to something worse that was placed on my shoulders as Xen'ork speaks out the dreaded words.

"That reminds me . . . Lord Dau'jein had just messaged me when I was on the ship and wanted to speak to you about the progress of the mission."

"What?"

That is all that could come out of my mouth at that moment, and Xen'ork just tilted his head to the side in confusion. Dread was running throughout my body at the thought that I have to explain myself about what happened last night because I assumed that Xen'ork might have said something about that. I was hoping that he didn't, but I needed to prepare myself in case. I was already dealing with Xen'ork about all of this but now . . . My father was getting involved. I let out a heavy sigh and shuffled my feet back and forth a bit before looking back at Xen'ork.

"Fine. I'll let him know, so stay out here and watch for anything unusual."

Xen'ork bows his head a little as I walked past him, making my way up the ramp of the ship. However, he started to ask me yet another question, and I grunted in thinking that he wasn't done with his interrogation on me. I was about to turn and growl at him until I stopped halfway upon hearing his words.

"May I have permission to go hunting for more food? Didn't have a lot to eat after last night with everything that went the way it did."

As much as I didn't want him to take off on his own in fear of our presence being known now, he was right that the bear we took from the oomans wasn't enough to fill our bellies and it was necessary to keep our strengths up. I could go on without food for a little longer, but with Xen'ork, he won't stop bothering me about it. Plus, I thought about it for a moment and figured that with him gone for a while, I can relay to my father in some peace and quiet without him interrupting or something. Eventually, I closed my eyes and lowered my head before bringing it back up to him.

"Do as you will but stay concealed."

He smiled a bit before crossing his arm over his chest and lowering his head down in a bow.

"Yes, my lord."

Once he got permission, Xen'ork activated his cloaking device and took off into the forest without letting another moment pass by, hearing the rustling of leaves and creaking of branches above me as I watched him, via heat vision, take off into the forest.

When he was gone, I had to savor this peace and quiet to myself, closing my eyes as I lifted my head to the sky. However, all that I achieved was anxiety as my memories brought up the ooman female once more. I still didn't know what came over me and why I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw her. She had some sort of power that I didn't understand . . . And it was driving me crazy. I growled in frustration, opening my eyes and rubbing the top of my head as another headache coming on. This one was somewhat painful as I tried to cope with it, tightening my mandibles close to my inner mouth to the point that I could feel the sting of pain from them. I shook my head to each side once more before I made my way to the ramp of the ship, climbing it slowly until I reached the top.

Going through the hall once more, I decided to go into my room and use the COM system from there. I wasn't in the mood to get to the front of the ship, and it was less private in case Xen'ork came back sooner than expected. I pressed on the panel, and the door to my room opens, and I go right through, straight to the COM system where a separate panel is connected to a small screen on the wall. Punching in the right code, the screen comes to life, staying dark for some time until it clears up. As soon as it did, the face of my father fills the screen, full of seriousness.

I took off my mask, carefully placing it on a small shelf near me as I glanced up into my father's eyes that didn't seem pleasant at all. I should have expected as much. He never seems to be pleased with anything, even if it's good news to him. The only thing that would make him smile is the death of his enemies by his own hands. That is all . . .

His grey dreadlocks sway a little as he fixes his position so that he was firmly standing in front of the screen with his chest puffed out.

"My son . . . I assume that all is well?"

Knowing that I couldn't flee from this even if I wanted to, I fixed my position as well, looking down at my feet to ensure I was standing firm. When I checked everything else, I looked back up and straight into my father's dull, yellow eyes.

"Yes, Lord Dau'jein. We just arrived on the ooman planet yesterday and had started our search of the targeted oomans."

My father grunted a little and let out a huge sigh, checking back towards me.

"Good. And no problems so far?"

When he asked that question, my mind rattled through itself to try and think what the meaning of my father's words was. His voice was stoic, and so I had nothing to use in figuring out his mood. I had to choose my next words out carefully. If I let even one thing slip, my father could easily detect it and then try to get it out of me . . . And I knew far too well how it goes. So I let out the words from my mouth slowly but clearly for my sake at least.

"None that can't be handled by me. We are tracking the oomans as we speak and may be close to their base. It will be a few days before we make our assault on them."

I sighed a little not to make it too evident that I was a bit nervous. But it worked like a charm as my father clattered his mandible, which in my experience dealing with him that he was satisfied with my answer.

"Well done. I'm sure that you will finish the mission with little to no time at all. Once you are done, make sure to contact me again so we can update your status."

"Yes, Lord Dau'jein."

I bowed my head down as my father did the same before the screen goes dark and the COM system's connections break. I lifted my head back up and disabled the panel so that it would go to sleep for a while. I didn't want to be disturbed when I get some rest for a bit. Somehow, the night drained most of my energy that my muscles cried out with soreness. I turned back around, taking my armor off of me while making my way towards the bed. Not bothering to put them in the cabinet, I let them fall to the floor as I was only left with my loincloth. I kneeled onto the fur-covered bed and allowed my body to flop on top of it as I began to close my eyes. But despite my tired body, my mind kept me somewhat awake, asking a bunch of questions that I tried to ignore but couldn't.

Who is she? That ooman female? Why am I so obsessed with her? What power does she hold and how can it affect me so much like this? Why?

Those questions kept repeating in my mind without relent, and I growled into the pillows that my head rested on. I moved until I was flat on my stomach, now snarling as the image of the female started to invade my mind. It was like seeing a repeat of last night with her standing right in front of me, looking again with those blue eyes.

Why is this happening to me?

I growled again in frustration, not understanding what's happening to me. Pressing my face deeper into the pillows, I closed my eyes tightly, letting the darkness take over as I fell asleep after some time.

. . . . . . . . . . .

It seemed like forever when I woke up, but when I looked out from the small window of my room, the sun was still shining as bright as before, telling me that not much time had passed. I groaned since I couldn't will myself to go back to sleep, so I reluctantly got up, sitting on the edge of my bed while letting my head hang down a little. I put both of my clawed hands on the side of my head, rubbing them back and forth to soothe the headache that wouldn't go away. I was getting tired of it and needed to find a solution to this.

Pauk (fuck)! All if this had started because of that ooman female!

That is when my mind clicked. I shot my head up to look straight in front of me while my hands hung in the air, unmoved from their position. My mandibles clicked together, and I just knew that the female was the cause of all this. I needed to do something before I lose my mind. That is when I made the decision to finish this once and for all.

With that, I got up fast from the bed and collected each piece of my armor from the floor, putting them back into place on my body until I only had my mask remaining. I walked back to the side shelf and grabbed it firmly, inspecting it a bit before placing it over my face. I checked over to make sure all of its functions were working well, pressing codes on my wrist gauntlet until I was satisfied. When all that was done, I made my way from my room, through the ship and walking down the ramp until I was back outside.

As expected, it was the afternoon on the ooman planet, but I glanced around, noticing that Xen'ork hadn't come back yet. I was sure that, despite the short time, he would be back with some sort of meal at this time. Getting concerned that something might have happened while I was out, I lifted my wrist gauntlet and activated the small COM system that wasn't as strong as the one on the ship but enough to signal to nearby ones that are found in wrist gauntlets of other hunters.

After some time waiting for the COM communications to connect, it signaled, and the voice of Xen'ork came through.

"You were calling, my lord?"

Somehow, I could hear the smirk that must have been on his face, and I snorted in disgust, growling afterward so he would know that I wasn't in the mood.

"I just want an update on your location and activities at the moment."

"Right . . . Still hunting for food but only found small prey that couldn't even feed a small Yautja pup. It might be a little longer until I come back to the ship with a proper meal."

While he spoke, the wheels in my mind were reeling like gears grinding together. Since Xen'ork would be gone from the ship a little longer, it might give me some time to go out and find the female before he notices my disappearance. I was brought back to the conversation when Xen'ork's voice called out with a little concern.

"Is everything alright?"

I cleared my voice. "Yes. Just was thinking a little about the next step in our mission."

Xen'ork started to chuckle, and I was beginning to lose my nerve with him. It was like he could get under my skin without earning a beating for it. As much as I wanted to do it, he was my backup in case something happened, so I just puffed out.

"Just get it over with. Make sure no oomans see you since they are more alert now."

"Yes, my lord."

The communication between us went dead afterward and was glad to be done with it. I shut my COM system down, and when I listened to the quiet noise of the animals around me for some time, I decided that there was no going back. I looked back to the forest, and with a great leap into the air, I got onto a branch of a tree and made my way back to the area where I met the ooman female last night. It was the only lead I had . . .

. . . . . . . . . .

As I arrived at the scene of the crime from last night, it was changed completely. The bodies that were laid out during the battle had been removed. There weren't even traces of blood left on the ground, and it puzzled me a bit. I tried using my heat vision to see if I could find any trail of them, but it had been too long, giving the heat signatures enough time to dissipate completely. I growled in frustration as I had nothing left to track them. I jumped down to the ground, hoping to find any signs even if they were tiny but nothing. I was suspecting that the oomans might have come back to clean their tracks and ensure that they wouldn't be followed. I had to grudgingly admit that they were right, if not excellent on covering their tracks. All Yautja at a young age would be taught this extensively, and if the oomans were Yautja pups, it would make any parent proud of them.

I regretted thinking about such a thing as the memory of Ba'kou's death came back once more. I tightened my mandibles hard into my inner mouth, trying to get rid of that particular memory but failing miserably. With luck though, a soft sound to my right caught my attention as I turned my head fast in that direction. I turned my head from side to side to see if I could see anything from where I was. When I got nothing, I turned on my heat vision once more, and a small movement passed through the trees.

As quick as I could, I rushed to a nearby tree and climbed up fast to get a better look, leaping from one to another as I was trying to catch up with the figure. Sure enough, I stopped on a branch as I found the source and it was a lone male ooman like the ones before with a weapon firmly in his grip. Right then, I wanted to take him down with one slash of my wrist blades until I heard another voice calling out from somewhere else. I watched as several oomans came through, with two being more of the same ones but then my eyes caught sight of two more oomans that were in white coats. Upon looking at one, my breath caught in my throat.

It was the same ooman female from before. Just my luck on this day to find her here. But this time, I needed to get just close enough to hear their conversation. I activated my invisible cloak while disabling my heat vision and leaped to a nearby tree that has a closer view of the oomans. As I settled down, I watched as the ooman with the strange armor and weapon began their conversation.

"Is everything in place?"

The other ooman nods in response. "Yes. We made sure to stay more alert of our surroundings and secure the scientists better."

The first one grunts in disapproval. "You better. We don't want a repeat of last night's incident. We had to get a cleanup crew to take care of the bodies. Those things know we are out here, so we need to stay focused."

"But . . . if so, then why is there only the three of us guarding the scientists?"

The other ooman grunted a bit. "Because the less of us here, the better concealed we are so we don't send out a huge heat signature for them to find. Haven't you learned from your training?"

The ooman stays silent, putting his head down in shame as the other one spits on the ground by his feet. After a few seconds, the lead ooman walks up to the scientists, stopping just in front of them.

"I'm sorry about last night, and Stargazer is glad that you have returned. Your work is invaluable to us, so we are here to ensure your safety."

And then, the ooman female walks to meet the lead ooman face to face.

"We personally thank you for the escort. My husband and I appreciate it."

That is when I saw a small smile come from her that did a number on me. An electrifying feeling tingles every nerve in my body, making my skin overreact at even the slightest of breeze. I had to scratch the sides of my arms to stop it, digging my claws almost through. I closed my eyes and shook my head for a minute to get my focus back, and when I looked back, the oomans nodded to each other and began walking into a direction.

Wanting to keep up, I kept jumping from one tree to another but remained behind a bit so that they didn't suspect something was following them. Once in a while, the oomans would stop for a minute to take a break, and I had to halt suddenly, making a bit of noise that caught one of their attention. I had to remain still for a minute of two before they decided it was nothing and continued their walk. All the while, I look back to the ooman female who just seemed to glide through like there was nothing wrong at all. I was confused when she looks back at the white-coated male, smiling a bit as the male did the same. For some reason, I growled without warning, and I had to snap myself out of it, wondering why the pauk (fuck) I was doing that.

And then, in just a short time, I could see a break between the forest trees just in the directions of where the oomans were going. I could only describe it as some building that was way smaller than the ones back on Yautja Prime but made with some sort of solid rock. I puffed at the pathetic structure it had, and I assessed that one blast from my shoulder cannon would make a massive hole with no effort. However, the problem was that more of the armed oomans were guarding the entrance of the building along with more on the roof as well. I tapped my mandibles together, frustrated that there's more of them to deal with, but the good thing is that I found their location. Now, I could prepare for the mission when I got back to the ship.

But just then, I lost my focus for a second and slipped a little from the branch, causing a loose branch to fall and hit the ground with a thud. That got some attention from the group of oomans as they all looked back at it. I silently cursed myself for being careless . . . This isn't like a Blooded warrior to make a mistake like this. I growled quietly at myself for this.

I was glad when the oomans turned back around and was walking to the front of the building, but then I noticed the ooman female did not follow them. Instead, she was staring at the branch until she moved her head slowly up the tree and that is when my body froze as her eyes made contact with me. I had to do a double check to make sure my invisible cloak was one, but it was still on and running. I looked back to her as her eyes pierced into mine as if she could see right through me and it sent shivers down my back.

I watched as she tilts her head to the side, squinting her eyes a bit and trying to see what was there. I could tell that she knows that it was me but was trying to get a better view. I tilted my head in the same way as her, mimicking her movements as we both moved our heads back and forth. We stopped and our eyes locked once more. Her blue eyes shined with the sun's rays, and I had to admire the beauty that came from there, wanting to stare into them a little longer.

But then, the other white-coated male ooman calls to her, unlocking from our gaze and focusing back to the group.

"Sweetheart. Are you coming?"

"Yes. I'll be right there."

Her voice echoes out throughout the forest, making my skin tingle all over and much stronger than before. I watched as she turns around and makes her way back to her group as they followed the armed oomans to the front of the building. The door opens to them, and I watched the ooman female one more time before she disappears into the building and the door closes behind them.

My fists clenched tightly on the sides of my body, frustrated that I didn't get to see more of her. I still didn't have the answers to what was going on with me, but one thing was for sure. I wanted to get to know her more and find out what she's doing to hook me to her. I just have to figure out how to see her again without the oomans noticing me, not to mention that I have to find a way with Xen'ork about this. I will never hear the end of it from him, but I couldn't think of any other solutions but to explain plainly. After all, I was in charge of this mission so he would have no choice but to obey my commands. I just hope that it works out.

With nothing else to do, I turned around to head back to the ship. I turned my head around one last time, remembering the female and her amazing blue eyes as I looked forward and raced back to the ship.

I just hope that nothing worse comes with this. I hope. . .

Hello everyone! :D

Sorry for the late updates on my stories. It has been very hectic during this week at school, so I didn't have much time to get my stories worked on. But don't worry . . . The next chapters for Metamorphosis and Endurance will be posted before or by the end of this week. Got to get my mind back on track and all (lol).

As for Nexus, it looks like our Yautja can't get his mind off the ooman female he had met before. So much that he's keeping it a secret from his own clan and father. Will there be consequences to his actions? What will become of this? Will a relationship bloom between them?

Find out when Chapter 5 comes soon (maybe in another two weeks).

Stay tuned and enjoy! :)))

P.S. For Anonymous-E, I really appreciate your reviews on my stories along with others. It helps me to write more of my stories as well. Sorry if I haven't replied to you but just want to let you know that I read your reviews and take feedback from them. That includes others as well.

Thank you again for all the support! :)

Reading notes:

Normal = Human speaking English (ooman language)

Bold = Any Yautja speaking English (ooman language)

Bold and Italic = Any Yautja speaking Yautja language