-1Disclaimer: I don't own Aliens, or Predator, or whatnot.

Chapter 9

The Aftermath

Snarl growled as the two yautja approached. Sonar was behind her, barely able to stay on his shaking feet.

(Any ideas?) Snarl asked.

(No,) Sonar replied, his voice choked with pain.

Snarl released one last growl and then spun around and grabbed Sonar's tail. Before the twins could react, she had swung him around and slammed the drone into them, knocking them off their feet with Sonar landing on top of them. The wounds that they themselves had inflicted, now ironically sprayed acidic blood onto them. Snarl leapt and joined the pile of twisting limbs. Her claws connected with one of the predators' masks, while Sonar managed to bite the other in the arm.

Zeltra managed to get back to his feet. His left arm was bleeding from where Snarl had punctured it with her tongue. He slashed his wrist blades at her as she tried to dart in for another attack. Snarl's tail shot toward him and he blocked it with his wrist blades. The alien advanced now much more confident as Zeltra lost blood from the wound in his arm and her own wounds closed at a fantastic rate.

Sonar was less lucky. Blubak managed to get his feet under him and kicked him through the air. He collided with the ground only narrowly missing falling over the edge of the roof.

The hunter approached him and extended his wrist blades to their full length. Sonar rolled out of the way as he struck, but the blades still took a chunk of flesh off his arm. He growled as Blubak kicked him in the ribs. He raised his wrist blades ready to finish the drone.

A scream of pain distracted them both and they turned to find that Snarl had driven her tail through Zeltra's chest. Blubak's eyes widened behind his mask as Snarl withdrew her tail from Zeltra's body and let it slump to the ground.

(You're next,) Snarl growled as she faced the predator. Blubak howled in rage and charged at her. Snarl was too slow in dodging and he collided with her sending them both over the edge of the building. They slammed onto the roof of a lower building and rolled back to their feet.

Blubak swung his wrist blades, but Snarl stopped his swing by grabbing his arm. She tried to push the blades toward the predator's own body, but she was still weak from the fight and Blubak was still relatively free of wounds and extremely mad.

-----------------------------------------

Weyvin wiped off the blood on the knife on Scar's body and then grabbed Jes-ick's body and swung it over his shoulder. He punched open the door and left the room. Once, outside he climbed up the side of the building, still carrying Jes-ick's body. He couldn't let the oomans get a hold of yautja technology and Jes-ick deserved an honorable burial.

The predator leapt to the next roof and then the other. He was almost to the jungle before the first gunshot whizzed past him. He glanced down at the small group of soft meat. More bullets flew up at him and he jumped away from the edge of the roof, to the center where they couldn't see him. He jumped to the next roof, only two more rooftops and then he would reach the safety of the trees. The oomans fired at him every time he jumped one of the gaps, fortunately they missed. He drew his knife and then jumped for the trees.

Lenny could hear the gunfire as the group of soldiers chased the invisible monster back toward the trees. He nervously gripped his rifle.

The figure jumped through the air above him and they opened fire on it. The creature twisted around in midair and threw something at the marines. The thing it had thrown hit the soldier next to Lenny and he collapsed. The predator crashed through the trees. The squad glanced into the jungle, but they saw no sign of Weyvin and none of them wanted to go in after him.

Lenny glanced down at the corporal that the creature had hit. A dagger handle was sticking out of his head. Lenny grimaced and pulled it. He looked at the black knife blade.

"Man, you're lucky," one of his buddies said.

-------------------------------------

Scar groaned as he regained consciousness. He pulled himself up to a sitting position and looked at the bowling ball that was sitting a few feet away from him. Scar stood up and crushed the ball beneath his foot.

(Damn! I almost had him!) he shouted. He looked down at the wound on his chest and found that the yautja had carved some sort of mark into him. It looked like a line with two other lines branching out at the top to form a "v." He knew right away that the wounds would leave a very visible scar.

He wondered why the predator had decided to spare him, but quickly forgot about it and crawled back up through the skylight. He had a bad feeling that Sonar and especially Snarl needed his help.

--------------------------------

Snarl groaned as Blubak's wrist blades neared her face. The predator was really strong! The only thing he had really fought that had been this powerful was the cyborg xenomorph and right now she wished she were fighting the cyborg.

Blubak growled at the drone's stubborn refusal to die. His plasma caster extended and aimed at Snarl's head. The xenomorph let go of his arm and jumped out of the way seconds before the energy weapon fired.

She jumped back at him and head butted him in the chest. While he was still distracted from the impact she managed to slice a chunk out of his arm. Blubak roared and punched her in the side of the head. The blow sent her flying! Snarl rolled several feet before stopping and climbing back up. Her head was spinning.

Blubak raised his arm and launched a spear at her. Snarl barely managed to stumble out of its path. Blubak growled and quickly loaded another spear into the gun. This time the projectile collided with her leg. She hissed as her blood quickly ate through the spear head and she yanked the shaft out.

Jumping to close the gap between them, Snarl brought her tail down on the predator, but he parried the blow with his wrist blades. She tried another stab with her tail, but that blow was similarly blocked.

It was Blubak's turn to attack next as he lashed out with his wrist blades and slashed two shallow cuts across her chest. He blocked another blow from her tail and punched her stomach. While Snarl was recovering from the blow, he grabbed her and lifted her over his head. Snarl thrashed trying to ram her tail into him. Blubak growled and hurled her toward the edge. Fortunately, she narrowly missed going over the edge.

Snarl growled and tried to stand back up, but she was too tired. The fight had finally taken its toll on her. She waited and watched as the predator approached, thinking that its prey was beaten.

Well, she was beaten, but she had one more trick for him. As soon as he was within range she would strike him with her tail. Hopefully, he would be too blinded with rage to see it coming.

Blubak took another step and Snarl saw her chance. She swung her tail up, but Blubak was ready. He raised his wrist blades and let the momentum of Snarl's tail carry it into them. The blades met with the flesh just below the tail's stinger and cut through halfway through the tail. Yellowish blood spilled from the wound, a few flecks even hitting Blubak, but he ignored his burning flesh. Snarl withdrew her ruined tail from the melted wrist blades and saw that only a bit of flesh and some bone was what was holding her tail on.

Snarl looked up and was pretty sure that their was a satisfactory smile behind the yautja's mask. Blubak removed a throwing star from his belt and extended its blades. He raised it and then thrust his arm down, the blades ready to sever Snarl's head.

Scar roared as he pounced at the hunter, seemingly appearing from out of nowhere. Blubak stopped in mid-swing and looked surprised before Scar collided with him and they were sent rolling across the ground. Blubak rolled back to his feet and faced the angry drone. He immediately noticed the symbol cut into the alien's chest and registered it as Weyvin's mark. The mark was cut into the body of a piece of prey that a hunter would want to be able to find later.

Blubak growled. Fine, he'd leave his half-brother's prey alone. He just wanted the head of the beast that killed his twin anyway. He spun around and threw the throwing star at Snarl. He was surprised to see the other drone jump forward and swing the stinger on its tail into the path of the disc. The disc bounced off the hardened chitin and collided with its thrower's chest. Blubak looked down in disbelief at the weapon protruding from his chest.

(You okay?) Scar asked, helping Snarl to her feet. She nodded and leaned her weight on him, breathing in his familiar scent.

The two suddenly had the feeling of eyes watching them and turned to find the predator Scar had fought earlier standing behind them. The yautja rushed past them and helped its wounded comrade get into a sitting position. The hunter looked back at them and clicked something in its native tongue.

The message was pretty clear to both of them. "Leave now, or I'll kill you both."

Scar nodded and helped Snarl limp away. He would have to help Sonar back to the hive as well.

As soon as the aliens were gone, Weyvin turned back to his half-brother. "Where is Zeltra?"

"He is dead," Blubak managed to gasp with a spray of blood from his damaged lungs. He ripped his mask off. "The female killed him…"

Weyvin glanced back and watched as the three aliens stumbled away. The first supporting the other two and throwing them across gaps between roofs.

"Those weren't ordinary hard meat," Blubak gasped, more blood sprayed from his mouth.

"I should not have invited you on this hunt," Weyvin said.

"I don't regret it," Blubak gasped. "It's the most fun I've had in a long time." Blubak closed his eyes and shuddered before dieing.

Weyvin stood up and clenched his fist, his wrist blades extending. "Blubak, Zeltra, I swear that I will finish this hunt!"

-----------------------------------------------

Getting out of the colony had been difficult for the aliens, but they were finally back in the jungle. It was a while before Snarl and Sonar's wounds had healed enough for them to walk on there own, but they finally did. The trip back was spent in silence, Snarl was constantly glancing back at her shredded tail and Scar was wondering why the hunter had spared him, perhaps because it was dishonorable to kill someone who had been knocked out by a bowling ball?

The trio finally arrived back at the hive and split up, going to their separate rooms.

Xena glanced up as Snarl entered their shared chambers. (How'd it-? What the heck happened to you?)

Snarl glanced down at the half-healed wounds that covered her body. (I don't want to talk about it. I'll tell you after I get some sleep.) She curled up in the corner of the room, kicking the sleeping bag she had taken from the Phoenix's wreck to the side. After one night of sleeping in it, her tail stinger had torn a hole in it.

Xena lumbered over to he and glanced down at Snarl's damaged tail. (That's going to have to come off.)

Snarl looked down at her tail and then quickly looked away. (Can't we do something to keep it?)

Xena shook her head sadly. (No, it's got to come off.)

Snarl sighed. (All right, do it.) She gritted her teeth and looked away. Xena raised her tail and then slammed the stinger down on the wound in Snarl's tail, severing it. Snarl screamed in pain.

(You okay?) Xena asked.

Snarl nodded hurriedly. (Yes, just get it out of here.) she whimpered as she raised what remained of her tail.

---------------------------------------

Ariel looked up as Lenny entered the room. He took off his helmet and threw it and his rifle on the counter like he always did.

"I'm glad you're okay," Ariel said, as she scrubbed at a dirty plate. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed the dagger that he was carrying. "What's that?"

"A little memento our attackers left," Lenny replied. "You know we have a dishwasher for that?" he nodded his head at the plate she was scrubbing.

"I like washing dishes," Ariel said.

Simon entered the room at this point and also immediately noticed the dagger. "Whoa, what is that? Can I hold it?"

Lenny looked up at his sister's dark expression and then back at the puppy-eyed boy. "No, I don't think so."