Who I am 4

Ne'Tahl stood up from the pool and moved back to the infirmary with the pup in her arms. She waited with the pup facing to her right so that Kre'Gel could treat her injuries with healing gel. No sooner had the other huntress begun rubbing the gel on the pup's wounds, slight though they were, than the pup laid its head against her bare breast. Her mandibles flared in astonished shock at the thought that this strange little pup was about to try to feed from her. A startled glance downward showed her that the pup had closed its eyes, and was trying to fall asleep instead.

"No! No sleep yet!" Gre'Cham snapped firmly. "Dress, eat, then sleep. No sleep yet."

Amanda looked up at the lady tiredly. She couldn't deny that she was hungry, but she was also really sleepy. That was when she saw the clothes that were being handed to her. When the lady holding her, put her down on the giant metal table, she got up and looked at the clothes, thinking that it was a nightie. It wasn't until she shook them out, that she realized that most of them weren't like anything she'd ever seen, and she had no idea how to put them on.

Takhal clicked in amusement. From the obvious confusion in the pup, one would think that it had never seen proper clothing before. She laid the clothing and armor belonging to both her and the other females on the table, and separated her own stuff from the pile. After getting the pup's attention, she took the underwear and stepped back to show the pup the proper way to wear them, before doing the same with the loincloth.

Amanda watched the lady put the funny looking clothes on, and tried to do the same. The undies that she had to put on were like the ones her mommy would sometimes wear when she was going to get really mushy with daddy, but that other thing was something she didn't really know what to do with. It didn't turn out to be as easy as it looked with the one that went on the outside of the undies, and the one who'd carried her helped her out with that. After getting the weird sort of half dress thing straight where it had a flap in front and another in back, she looked at the half shirt thing that she was supposed to wear. She was still trying to figure out which was the front and back when it was taken from her hands.

When the ooman pup couldn't even figure out the shirt, Takhal snorted derisively and took it from the ooman's small hands. She turned it the proper direction and lifted the pups arms straight into the air so she could put the garment on the pup. As soon as it was properly in place, she stepped back to look at the result. As much as she disliked the situation, even she had to admit that proper clothing made the ooman pup look much less... foreign.

Amanda looked down at the clothes she was now wearing because she still felt like she wasn't wearing very much at all. The undies covered her front okay, she guessed, but they weren't much more than a string in the back that went between the cheeks of her bottom. They were a light grey that matched the funny dress that didn't cover the sides of her legs. It didn't even cover all of the front or backs of her legs either and it didn't even go all the way to her knees! The top was the same color as the other things and it was like a tank top that stopped just above her tummy. She looked up at the lady Shimmer Monsters and saw that they were putting on the same things, except that their clothes were big enough to fit them.

Amanda looked up at the lady who was still putting on those weird metal things, and tried to remember the name she'd been told.

"Natel, can I have some dinner now, please?" Amanda asked hopefully.

"Her name... Ne'Tahl! Say right... Ne'Tahl..." Gre'Cham snapped as she corrected the pup.

"Na..."

"Ne..."

"Ne... Tall."

The lady that made her say the name right gave a grunt and a short sharp nod of her head, before pointing at the lady who had put the stuff on her feet to make them stop hurting. "Takhal!"

"Tack... Hall."

"Takhal!"

"Tack... hall."

That was when the lady pointed to the one that helped give her a bath. "Kre'Gel!"

"Kre Gell..."

"Good!" The lady told her approvingly before pointing at herself. "Gre'Cham!"

"Gretch... Cham!" Amanda said carefully.

Gre'Cham nodded her head. The way the pup was pronouncing the names wasn't quite exact, but it was close enough to be acceptable without dishonoring those bearing the names. Then, tilting her head to her right she pointed her right index finger at the ooman pup. "You name?"

"My name is Amanda!" She stated proudly. "Amanda Collins."

Four sets of mandibles flared as the females stared at each other in stark disbelief. What was an ooman pup doing with a Yautja name?

"Ahman'Dha?" Ne'Tahl repeated in surprise.

When the pup excitedly nodded her head while smiling widely, Ne'Tahl knew that it could be no mistake, and that 'Tiny Growl' was indeed the pup's name. This was indeed a strange little ooman pup, but only Lilka, or perhaps Cetanu knew how she had come to have a Yautja name, because the reason was unknown to her.

Takhal huffed in disbelief. That this small, weak, and undeserving little ooman had the name of one who could potentially become a hunter was unthinkable, but yet somehow it was. She didn't pretend to understand why such a thing had come to be, all she knew was that it had, and it was simply one more thing to displease her about this ooman.

Gre'Cham shook her head slightly at the pup's mispronunciation of her own name, but then, what could she expect from a pup who couldn't say their names properly either. Language aside, she knew it was time to feed this pup before putting her to bed. "Come. You eat, then sleep."

Amanda nodded her head before she looked down at what she was wearing, and frowned. These funny clothes didn't look anything like a nightie, so she wondered if she was supposed to sleep in them or not. "Is this what I sleep in?"

"No. Sleep in..." Kre'Gel began before she realized that she didn't know the ooman term for the underwear. She pulled the pup's loincloth aside and pointed at the underwear. "Sleep in that."

Amanda blushed deeply in embarrassment. She knew that mommy and daddy didn't like her wetting the bed, because she was supposed to be a big girl now, and big girls didn't do that. Even though it didn't happen often anymore, there were still a few times that she did have an accident. "What if I wet the bed?" She asked quietly.

All four Yautja females stared at each other in shock. Both Gre'Cham and Takhal began to growl threateningly. They hadn't been present to hear the pup state her age, so they weren't aware of just how young the pup really was.

"Older pup not wet bed!" Takhal finally snapped angrily.

"The pup is only six, Takhal. Even our pups aren't house trained at that age..." Kre'Gel began chidingly.

"It only happens sometimes." Amanda protested softly as tears of humiliation formed in her eyes.

"You learn be like us!" Takhal insisted firmly. "Be strong. Not wet bed."

Amanda nodded her head as she started crying a little harder.

"Stand off Takhal! For now, this pup is part of our clan, and she will be taught and trained like one of our clan!" Ne'Tahl growled.

"That pup does not deserve to be one of us! Once I speak to the Clan Matriarch, she will be disposed of!" Takhal interrupted.

"What would you have as a solution, Takhal? Would you have our entire clan be no better than the ooman bad bloods who would have force bred and killed a mere pup?" Ne'Tahl demanded just as angrily. "Where is the honor for our clan, if we only accept those obligations which are pleasant to us? Bad bloods are the scourge of all intelligent races!"

"The bad bloods that killed her bearer are dead! Chakak killed them so our obligation is finished! We should not have to care for an ooman pup!" Takhal interrupted again.

"If we allow the actions of bad bloods to go unanswered then we are no better than they. It is true that they're dead, but there is no one else to care for the pup that was left alive by Chakak's actions! If he had waited and allowed the bad bloods to force breed the pup before they killed her, then his honor would be just as tainted and nonexistent as theirs! I like this no more than you do, but I will not cast aside the honor of our entire clan simply because I must do something that is repulsive to me!" Ne'Tahl lectured angrily. "The Clan Matriarch will decide the pup's fate and place. The Ship's Elder has placed this decision in her worthy claws, or do you doubt her ability to honorably lead us, and our clan?"

Takhal shook her head. She knew that the aged and venerable huntress who led their clan was both experienced and knowledgeable in many things. No matter how she felt about this, she would just have to trust that any decision made by the Matriarch would be the right one. She grunted in resignation, knowing that for now, any further protests or hostility towards the ooman pup would only serve to draw unwanted attention from the Clan Matriarch later. "You have made your point, Ne'Tahl."

"Then we will speak of this no more. For now, we must see to the immediate needs of this pup, by getting her fed and put to nest to sleep." Ne'Tahl said as she reached out and lifted the little ooman into her arms.

"What will you do if it wets in the night?" Takhal asked with a shudder of revulsion.

"There are some old skins that are nearly ready to be discarded, or cut up to be used for cleaning. Those can serve as a small nest for the pup. If she soils them, then it is of no consequence. I'll prepare a place in my room for her. Then, tomorrow, we can begin teaching her what she needs to know in case she does end up as a member of our clan." Ne'Tahl announced as she carried the pup to the feeding hall.

Looking at the tables in the dinning hall Ne'Tahl quickly saw that none of them was built to accommodate anyone as small as the ooman pup in her arms. She set the pup down on a table, and headed straight to the larder. Once in the food storage locker, she looked around and bared her teeth in a grin when she spotted the measured portions of the thick savory stew that her species was quite fond of. Getting bowls and spoons, she took the stuff to the prep area, which had a type of microwave that instantly heated the five bowls of food. Returning to the table, she gave each one there including the pup a bowl of stew along with a cup of water.

Amanda looked at the four Shimmer Monster ladies as they began eating the bowls of thick brown stew. She was more than hungry, and was a little surprised that they didn't even say Grace before they started eating. Remembering how mad her mommy got when she didn't wait, Amanda softly whispered what words she remembered before she picked up her spoon.

"What wrong with food?" Kre'Gel asked after thinking about the words for a moment when she saw the pup hesitate before starting to eat.

"Nothing. I was telling God 'thank you' like mommy always told me to do." Amanda said quietly before she dipped her spoon in the stew for the first time.

The stew's gravy was almost as thick as syrup, and clung in thick strings when she pulled the spoon out, plus the chunks of food in it were things that she'd never seen before. After giving the spoonful of stew a really dirty look since she was sure that she wasn't going to like it, she tried a small taste.

Slightly tart, but mostly sweet, Amanda's eyes shot wide in delighted surprise at something that was even better than most of the desserts that her mommy would give her after she ate everything in her plate.

Takhal nearly choked when she started laughing at the pup's actions. That first hesitant taste had been followed by the pup rapidly eating the stew almost as fast as she could. "Eat slow. Not choke." She admonished sternly, even though she had to struggle to contain her laughter while saying it.

Made from more than a dozen different kinds of fruit from many different worlds, the fruit stew known to the Yautja as S'pke contained lots of natural sugars and pectin, all of which served to make for a very thick and syrupy gravy. Although it contained no meat, and therefore no proteins, or amino acids, it did have tons of sugars, complex carbohydrates and other nutrients that were vital to the physical needs of any living being. Since they were notoriously carnivorous, it would have thoroughly surprised other sentient beings to learn that the Yautja actually enjoyed such a flavorful and nutritious dish as S'pke.

"The pup seems to like our food." Takhal snickered in spite of herself.

Although none of them commented on it, the Yautja noticed that the pup held the bowl close to her face, and was actually doing very well at not making a mess. To be as young as she was, being able to eat neatly was something in the pup's favor.

Ne'Tahl heard the comment on thanking God, and simply assumed that the pup had thanked the Gods for intervening in some way to spare her life. After all, it couldn't have been a mere coincidence that Chakak had been the one to be there. She knew the Young Blood Hunter to be meticulous about tracking down bad bloods because of what had happened to his own bearer. To have returned from his first training class, and proud of how well he'd done in spite of the injuries he'd received, only to see his bearer's body left skinned and headless by a rogue bad blood had inspired what now seemed to be a personal mission to eliminate all bad bloods from the universe. It was the type of goal that would bring the Hunter great trophies and even greater honor if he succeeded.

Amanda had slown down the speed at which she was eating like she'd been told. She did so, for a couple of reasons, one was that she had been told to, and the other was that the stew was really good. Besides, she didn't want to make anyone mad by messing up the clothes that they'd given her. She remembered all too well how mad her mommy and daddy would get when she got new clothes dirty. So she was now being careful not to spill or drip the thick syrupy stew.

After everyone had finished eating, Gre'Cham put the dishes in the sterilizer, and followed Ne'Tahl to the ship's dispensary where more than a dozen older hides and skins were collected to serve as bedding for the ooman pup. Gre'Cham carried the skins, while Ne'Tahl carried the pup, as the two made their way to the latter's quarters. Once there, Ne'Tahl set the pup down whose eyes were beginning to close with sleep and the two quickly arranged the nearly worn out hides and furs into an acceptable sleeping spot on the floor next to Ne'Tahl's bed. Once Gre'Cham left for her own quarters, Ne'Tahl stripped the pup down to her under cloth, placed the pup in the bed that had been prepared and stripped down to her own under cloth before extinguishing the lights and getting in bed her self.

Darkness. Engulfing, complete, and utter darkness. Darkness that could be filled with strangers, boogiemen, closet monsters, or any number of horrible things that she was terrified of. She wanted so badly for her mommy to come tuck her in, and turn on a nightlight for her, but her mommy didn't come. That was when it finally struck her. Her mommy would never come again. No more bedtime stories, no more hugs or kisses, no more cuddles, no more anything. Her mommy was dead. Her daddy was dead too, and that meant he would never be there for her either. Her heart ached with how much she wanted them both to come tell her that it would be okay, but they weren't coming. They would never come. They were dead, and she would never see them ever again. Tears of pain and grief filled her green eyes while choked and terrified sobs wracked her small body. Within seconds, she was in the midst of the type of all out crying fest that only a small scared and grief stricken little child could manage.

"Mommy..."

Ne'Tahl had heard the sobs and tried to ignore them, but then the pup had softly called out that one word. She didn't know the exact translation of the word, but then, she didn't really need to know it to understand the meaning behind it. Thinking back, she recalled the loving care and protective attention that she had received at that age, and knew what it was that the pup was crying out for. With the exception of the noise that was made, the pup's sobbing didn't really bother the Yautja female. While she did understand why the pup would be crying for the bearer that could never arrive, it was the scent of fresh fear originating from the pup that she didn't understand, nor was it something she could ignore.

Looking over the edge of her bed at the ooman pup, she easily saw the yellows and oranges of the ooman's warm skin that was streaked with shades of blue from the tears that were much cooler due to exposure of the surrounding air. Ne'Tahl's mandibles flared in renewed anger at how a mere pup was in the hands of a clan that was unknown to it. She was certain that the pup would be having this same reaction even if she were among others of her own ooman clan, but then they would most likely know how to deal with the pup's loss as well. Not knowing what else to do, Ne'Tahl got out of her bed and crouched next to the pup.

The large female hunter gently ran a single claw down the pup's cheek to let it know that she was there, and would provide the same protection that the pup's own bearer would have done. She was startled by the pup's reaction though, as the ooman's eyes went wide and stared straight up and not in her direction. The scent of fear emanating from the pup was suddenly very strong even through the skins that should have helped cover the smell. An expression of pure terror graced the pup's features and a choked, almost strangled sound emerged from it. That was when she recalled that oomans had a radically different type of vision than a Yautja did.

Concerned that there was something in the room that the pup was able to see that she couldn't; Ne'Tahl barked a single command to activate the lights, while she instantly snatched her mask and a spear from above her bed and straddled the pup in a combat stance. She donned her mask, before scanning the entire chamber using each of the visual modes in her battle mask. Nothing. There was nothing in the room except to two of them. So why was the pup so terrified? Replacing the spear in its holding rack, she removed her mask and replaced that as well. Turning her attention back to the terrified pup, she saw that the tiny thing was slowly regaining some composure.

As afraid as she was of the dark, Amanda had would have screamed in terror when she felt something touch her face, but she was suddenly too scared to find her voice. Then there was one of those strange growling noises and the lights came back on. She saw the lady Shimmer Monster grab a metal mask and the spear like the first had used to kill those mean and strange boogeymen and stand over her while ready to fight. Her eyes went wide in stunned shock at the sight of the lady who was looking around like she wanted to do a lot more than just kill the boogeyman. A moment later, Ne'Tahl put the spear and mask away, and leaned down to her. Now that she could see that there was no boogeyman or any other mean monsters in the room, she began to calm down a little, but she still wanted her mommy and daddy who couldn't come anymore. Once more tears began rolling down her cheeks, as she sought the only source of comfort available to her. In a flash, she was out of the strange blankets and huddling up next to the huge body of Ne'Tahl as she wrapped her arms as far around the large body as she could.

It took every bit of rationalizing she had not to lash out when the ooman pup had suddenly lunged towards her. Claw tipped fingers tensed and teeth ground before she realized that the pup was simply trying to huddle up against her body as if for warmth in a cold area. Even though the actions of the pup weren't even remotely hostile, Ne'Tahl wasn't pleased with the suddenness of her action. She released a disgusted growl of irritation as she looked down at the crying pup who clung to her as if for life itself. She gave the command to deactivate the lights, while taking the pup in her arms, and sat down on her bed. Within seconds, the scent of fear once again began to emerge from the pup that was still in her arms. Concerned and confused at the same time, she eased the pup back slightly to get a look at it. Once again, she saw the eyes of the ooman staring at nothing. Taking her left hand, she passed it slowly in front of the pup's eyes. No movement. Then curiosity prompted her to move her finger slowly towards the pup's face until she touched the tip of the pup's nose.

'She can't see anything with the lights off!' Ne'Tahl realized suddenly as the pup jumped at the touch, and that the eyes had never moved. With a growl of resignation, she activated the lights once more, and watched as the pup's eyes blinked a few times before regaining focus.

"Come, you may sleep with me for now. But I warn you that if you soil my bed just once; I will put you back on the floor and leave you there with no skins at all!" Ne'Tahl growled threateningly as she got back in her sleeping furs with the pup still in her arms.

It took a few moments for Amanda to realize that she was going to sleep with the Shimmer Monster. She had been laid down in the bed and the furry blanket pulled over both of them before she also realized that the dim lights would be left on as well. She snuggled up closer to Ne'Tahl and didn't care a bit that all she had on was the pair of weird undies. Then, a huge arm draped over her and pulled her right up against the Shimmer Monster, right as she felt the lady's chest start to vibrate from the soft purring noise that she was making. Even without her mommy and daddy there, Amanda began to feel safe. After all, no boogeyman would be stupid enough to go around a lot of Shimmer Monsters, and even if one did get in, she was sleeping with the biggest Shimmer Monster she had seen so far! Even so, it still wasn't enough to make her stop missing her mommy and daddy. Once more, the grief of her loss took hold as she began to cry softly.

Author's Notes: I've had this on my computer for a couple of years now, and someone finally convinced me to start posting it. I am currently working on chapter 12, but remember, reviews are much loved, appreciated, AND inspiration!