Chapter 9

The Hunt

The planet was vast, humid and as jungle covered as the others Amelia had been taken to. The journey here had taken many cycles of which she spent the majority of the time training with Kaz.

She still hadn't bested him but her confidence in her abilities soared.

Her master had now supplemented the move set that Hil-rak taught her with more difficult ones. He taught her that while knowing the move was important, making it your own was more so.

With Kaz's advice, Amelia become focused on how to make the moves work for her rather than learning them off. And through his teaching, she felt ready to take on the world.

Their sparring matches became far more intense and were far more closely matched than Amelia could scarcely believe.

He was proud of her. She could tell. And Amelia found herself craving his approval. She needed him to keep being proud, keep seeing her as something of value.

Shortly into their trip, Kaz had taken the step of installing translator chips directly into her auditory canals so Amelia could understand his language and those of other species they would come across. "It will be needed on the hunt," he'd reassured the nervous Amelia before the medical equipment sedated her.


Kaz had landed on the world almost immediately upon arrival to the system, finding the signal he wanted among the many and quickly located a spot on the vast world with two other yautja ships already there. As they descended, Amelia could see a number of other yautja already setting up camp on the beach while their ships were set in the shallow waters.

"A-me-lia," Kaz had muttered shortly after their own vessel had finally landed with a solid thud. "I have something to give you. Earned it. Come with me."

He led her to his rooms at the far end of the ship with a brisk pace, ignoring his communicator that beeped and chattered almost ceaselessly with incoming messages which Amelia guessed were the others on the beach.

"Here. For you."

Amelia gazed with wonder at the armor he'd laid out on a side table. It was very similar to Hil'rak's armor that she'd been privileged to view back at the mother-ship. It was made of a thicker fabric with no more than one inch of her body below the neck that would be uncovered.

"It's... great."

Kaz tilted his head quizzically. "Concern?"

Amelia gave him a wry smile. "It looks pretty humid outside. Not sure that I won't collapse from heatstroke."

"Ah. Breathable. Built in thermo-regulatory systems. You will not feel the environmental conditions."

He left her momentarily and stepped out as Amelia was holding the suit to herself. She was practically giddy which only worsened when Kaz returned bearing his last gift.

He offered it to her, watching with amusement as Amelia stared at it with wonder.

"Is... is it really for me?"

"Have earned it. You need a weapon for the hunt. Prepared you for this."

Amelia quickly put down the suit and reached out with shaking hands for the combistick that Kaz offered her.

"You must take care of it. Tend to it. Keep it operational."

"I don't have much experience in that."

Kaz chuckled with mandibles clicking together. "I will teach you once this hunt is over. Once you have proved yourself to the others. Get ready. We meet them shortly."


Amelia glanced at herself in strange shimmering and moving liquid that was a yautja mirror. The suit fit perfectly. She almost didn't recognize herself. Amelia had tied back her hair with a strap of leather before she'd taken a knife and hacked off the excess until what remained was merely reaching her shoulders.

Kaz had wandered in at that very moment and attempted to stop her until Amelia explained that it didn't hurt. That her hair was not the same as his dreads.

With combistick at her side and all the training that had gone into this, Amelia felt ready.


"Kaz'iliat!"

Her master led her down the gangway, waving with one hand at the bigger and red coloured yautja male who met them.

"Gur'kit! This is A-me-lia."

Amelia for her own part was taken aback by the massive yautja who barrelled towards her with fierce looking yellow eyes.

"Welcome, unblooded," Gur barked out with copious clicks and flickering mandibles. "Join the others on the beach. Biomask on."

She glanced at Kaz who nodded at her. Amelia carefully locked the imposing mask over her face, adjusting her eyes to the new view of the world it displayed before she left her master's side reluctantly.

A group of yautja – other unblooded hunters she guessed – were lined up on the sand as other experienced hunters reviewed their armor and weaponry.

One yautja with his own biomask on that left Amelia uneasy reviewed her gear.

"Only a combistick?" he finally muttered at her.

"Only needs it. She's strong. Will best your lot. First kill even."

Amelia and the inspecting yautja both turned to the newly arrived Kaz with Gur at his side.

"Her species don't tend to make first kills. Often are the first kills instead."

"She will best your lot," Kaz replied resolutely.

"Then what? She becomes blooded. You will make her the first in your clan?"

"That is Gur!" Kaz laughed before clapping his friend on the shoulder. "Two clan-leaders. Gur has found many others to come with us. A-me-lia will join once blooded. Are the kiande amedha moving?"

The masked yautja snorted. "Hosts have birthed the first warriors. They are looking for their queen."

"Then we best start," Kaz said with a nod to Amelia. "We go hunt."


Amelia kept up with Kaz's longer stride after Gur said his goodbyes.

"I only know the theory behind tracking!" she said to Kaz once they were clear of the others.

"You will be fine. They will find you."

"But... the kiande amedha... Hil'rak told me about them. They're monsters!"

Kaz stopped and turned to Amelia. "And? We are what they fear. You must be like yautja. If they don't fear already then they learn to fear. You will teach them to."

"I don't know if-"

"You are ready! I will track you through the jungle. Trust your instincts."

Kaz suddenly vanished as he activated his cloak. He disappeared, leaving Amelia alone among the tall trees.

She gripped her combistick close at a distant and menacing screech started.

"Oh god..." she whimpered.