4
We found Cuchillo, but it was too late for him I knew. By now the silent Japanese man had joined us. He told me his name was Hanzo. He didn't say much after words. The yautja set up a trap, and wanted us all to walk into it. But that would have been too easy. The group decided to leave him, and Isabella had taken a shot to his heart, but he continued to talk and cry out for help. She pressed on, and I looked above Cuchillo's body upon seeing something move in the tree. I knew what was there. I knew who was cloaked and silent.
"I know you are there." I whispered. There was more silence and I knew the yautja was there. He was looking me over, wondering about my tattoos, why his language was on a human, and how that human could speak their language. Isabelle walked back to me looking in the direction I was looking at.
"What it is?" she asked. I looked at her and shook my head.
"Nothing." I replied and continued to move on. Everyone had agreed that they were going to follow the tracks of the hell hounds. I knew that was not a good idea, but I followed. We kept walking and the tough guy came up to me.
"Since you know so much about what these monsters are capable of, do you know any place that we can bunk down at?" he asked. I shook my head.
"This is their territory. There is no where we can go where they won't find us. But, you may have a chance if you can hide where their hounds can't find you or their technology." I replied. He looked forward and then back at me.
"How do you know so much about these creatures? Surely someone who's had a run in with them have met you." he explained. I shook my head.
"My knowledge will not save us. I need to go so I may have better chances of survival." I replied. He shook his head.
"You're not going anywhere." he said.
"And you're going to stop me?" I asked looking at him sharply. He nodded slowly.
"If you know how to get off this planet then you best believe it." he replied. I smirked at his stubbornness.
"If I am to be a prisoner to the game then I should know your name." I replied. He looked forward, and I could tell he was trying to be distant, not wanting to make allies.
"Royce." he replied. I nodded slowly.
"Nice to meet you Royce, I am Napalla. My… boyfriend calls me Nalla. Feel free to as well." I replied. I knew my name was very different from names on Earth.
"What kind of name is Napalla?" he asked. I looked forward in thought.
"It's the name of my great great great grandmother. She was a great tribal leader in Africa." I replied.
"Napalla pronounced N'pala was seen as the goddess of beauty and victory. She conquered many men and women and took them under her wing and became mother to all. She was a warrior, a mother, a lover, a goddess." Mombasa said. I looked back at him and nodded looking at Royce.
"There you go." I replied and looked forward. Suddenly I stopped upon seeing a tree. My eyes widened and everyone else stopped as they saw the tree. It had a yautja word saying "Claimed." That was one of the numerous symbols around my navel. It seemed we were nearing their camp. Numerous yautja marked spots on reserves which told other yautja that hunting was in place and that they would have to wait their turn to hunt.
"Hey, hey that looks like the tattoo on your body." Stans pointed out. I knew someone would figure it out, but I was not expecting it to be the prisoner. Everyone now began to look at my body, and Royce slowly turned to me.
"What does it say?" he asked seriously. I looked up at the marking and frowned softly.
"I don't know." I replied. He gripped my arm tightly and jerked me forward to look at him.
"No more games, no more 20 questions. No lies." he threatened. I winced and frowned.
"Let go." I replied. Nikolai moved between us.
"Enough. You do not handle an unarmed woman so roughly." he threatened. Royced pointed his gun at Nikolai, and now everyone raised their guns in defense of a fight breaking out. Stans held up a knife.
"How about we all put our guns down." I replied placing my hands over Nikolai's which had gripped his large gun hard. I looked at Royce. "I will tell you everything you need to know."
Nikolai looked at me and then Royce and slowly lowered his weapons.
"We do not have time for our egos to get in the way of the priority." Isabelle said. I nodded.
"Agreed." I replied.
"Um…what is that?" Edwin said, and we looked in his direction. There was fire in the distance. We moved for it slowly and carefully. When we moved from the bushes we noticed where we were. Well I did. There were skinned bodies hanging upside down. Trophies. I looked around at all the dead creatures and knew we had found their camp.
"We should leave." I warned softly, but everyone ignored me.
"What the fuck is all this?" Stans asked.
"Trophies." Mombasa replied. I swallowed hard feeling pain in my stomach again. Nikolai wrapped his arm around me holding me up until the pain stopped. We nodded at each other, and he released me.
"What's that?" Isabelle asked. I looked in the direction of her tone to see a yautja crucified on one of the pikes. I winced pained by the sight. I moved closer to him.
"Napalla." Royce whispered as he tried to stop me from going closer, but I moved from his hold. I looked closer at it. He had a few cuts and bruises on his body. I leaned my head down so I could see his face since it was down. His eyes were closed.
"What the fuck is that?" Edwin asked. Isabelle was staring deeply at is with realization of it. She had knew what it was.
"Brother?" I asked.
"What did you say?" Isabelle asked. I waited for a reply.
"Brother?" I asked once more.
"Shit she's talking it to it." Stans said.
"Hey where's the tough guy?" Edwin. I looked around now and so did everyone else. Royce was indeed gone.
"He left us." I whispered.
Suddenly the yautja lifted its head and roared loudly causing everyone to jump. I looked at him and watched as he struggled. I wanted to cut him down, to help him. Suddenly there was a gunshot almost and Mombasa was still as he looked down at his body. I was frozen as I looked at the man. His body shot high into air and he yelled, his gun going off as he squeezed it. I screamed loudly as I fell to the ground. Now there were more gunshots going off. I covered my years and looked around. Now Royce was there shooting as well as everyone else. I tried to get up, but something gripped my leg and pulled me back. It was the predator who had impaled Mombasa. I turned quickly and kicked as high as I could.
I had a fair idea of where his mask was. Thank you Ra. It released me, and I got up with the help of Hanzo.
"Run." the crucified yautja shouted. I looked back at him as Hanzo had helped me out of there. I felt pain in my heart for leaving him behind. I did not even know the yautja, but I still felt bad. We continued to run, before a hill caught us off guard. We fell down it and soon gravity took its place and we fell into water.
Normal POV
Ra had already left Earth. He already knew where to go. His mate was in the fifth galaxy on the Claw Clan Hunting Preserve owned by some very powerful yautja. If the yautja hunting there were elite, then they should have known better not to take a human with no killing back ground. They wouldn't make for a good hunt. But right now that was not his concern. His concern was how he was going to kill them once he found them.
Suddenly the large face of an elder appeared on his screen.
"You are not authorized to enter this galaxy, for it is the territory of the Claw Clan." the elder replied. Ra looked up at the screen.
"I do not come to hunt or to cause conflict among the Claw Clan, but I have business on one of your hunting grounds." Ra replied. The elder's mandibles clicked.
"You say you do not wish for conflict, but you are going to one of our hunting grounds with intent." he hissed in anger. Ra growled lowly.
"I am Ra, an Elite from the Steal Wing Clan. Your hunting ground is being used for a hunt now… my mate was taken along the chosen humans to be hunted. She is a female who is pregnant with my off spring. She has no background of killing and hunting. Your hunters are breaking the Honor Code for taking a child bearer in her stages of pregnancy to hunt her. Now I will get her back, and I will punish those responsible." Ra stated in a hard tone. The yautja elder tensed at his words, and nodded his head once.
"You are welcome in the Claw Clan territory and on its hunting grounds." he stated. Ra nodded and the screen went blank. The elder knew the Honor Code well and thought those who took the elite's woman were disgrace to their clan. But it did not matter if Ra was going to retrieve her for he was going to take the opportunity to hunt the yautja there and use their skulls as gifts to his newborn child.
"I go where you go." his love's soft voice rang in his head.
"Hold on habibti. I am coming." Ra pledged.