No instruction included
Inspiration: Sing me to sleep By: Alan Walker (Marshmello remix)
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There weren't as many Yautja waiting in the clan ship for us as I'd expected. There was a total of 8 present, including Tarei'hsan. The one beside him wore the same armor, but he had a large red cape draped across his shoulders that touched the floor of the ship. Right away I could tell that he was important. They all had their bio masks off, and it was amazing to compare the differences between each one. They were all obviously the same race, but like humans, they all had their own defining features. Some had bigger brow ridges than the others, while some had larger mandibles.
The Yautja in charge was the most striking of them all. He was slightly taller than the rest, (obviously not taller than the three boys) and he had thicker muscles. His dreads hung down by his biceps, and the tusks on his brow ridge were thicker and long enough that they curved inward toward his head. I wasn't entirely sure, but I assumed the appendages acted to show their age. The older they were, the longer they grew.
"That is the clan leader." Kwei-Bhu'ja said to me, feeling my question bubbling at the surface.
I looked up quickly to acknowledge him, then redirected my vision back to the clan leader as we began moving toward the greeting party. My heart thumped in my chest with anticipation. I wasn't afraid of these Yautja (although I probably should have been), given the fact that Amani had informed me that my 3 were much more aggressive than any normal Yautja. So, I assumed if push came to shove, they'd at least be able to hold off the few in the hangar long enough to get our asses back into the ship if shit was to go south.
We stopped in front of the clan leader, and Kwei-Bhu'ja stayed silent for a moment. As their designated speaker, he was the one to greet the clan leader first. He stepped forward, then extended his arm. Immediately the clan leader grasped his forearm, giving it a heavy shake, before clasping his other hand against Kwei-Bhu'ja's shoulder. This was a more formal greeting, leaving no room for misinterpretation between the two with a simple shoulder cuffing, which I guaranteed would have been taken as aggression.
"Greetings honored guests. Welcome to the clan ship of the Th'syra Sain'ja. My name is Dhi'rauta." He released his hold on Kwei-Bhu'ja, then took a step back to a respectful distance.
Kwei-Bhu'ja stayed silent for a few moments, whether in contemplation or simply because he didn't care to respond. Dhi'rauta took notice, and I watched as his fist began to tighten at his waist. I could feel the energy of the room quickly shifting to one of hostility, and I honestly didn't want to be a part of it. I looked up to my side at Kwei-Bhu'ja, and when he didn't make any move, to speak or to acknowledge the clan leader, I slowly began backing away. My foot lifted off the ground, and Dhi'rauta's gaze snapped to me. I could see from the corner of my eye both boys stand taller, prepared to fight if Kwei-Bhu'ja considered it necessary.
As soon as my foot planted itself behind me, and before I could turn tail and run, Kwei-Bhu'ja decided to speak up.
"We are honored to be here Dhi'rauta, and I hope my Sain'ja mei'hswei are fruitful in their pursuits on your ship."
"Only Sain'ja mei'hswei?" He replied, tilting his head to the side and giving Kwei-Bhu'ja a curious look.
I didn't know what the second word meant, but I assumed he was talking about Kuj'hade and Thwei-Sain'ja, and if that was the case, he just implied that he hoped they both were successful in finding a lady friend to get down and dirty with. I felt like it was a strange thing to just up and say to another person you just met (or Yautja for that matter), regardless of the status of said Yautja. But I was beginning to learn that not only were they all pretty blunt about what they wanted to convey in their words, but also that the three SY I had found as companions didn't downright give a rat's ass about etiquette.
I also remembered what he had implied on the ship just moments before we landed, saying he didn't have a need to find companionship with a female of their species, because I had already pretty much made my 'intentions' clear. I hoped to the heavens above that the clan leader wouldn't say anything to Kwei-Bhu'ja about the obvious implications he'd just dropped, mostly because I didn't want another near altercation to happen just minutes after we'd stepped foot onto uncharted territory. And I assumed it would look bad on Tarei'hsan's judgement, if they were to get into a fight with the clan leader, after he invited them on Amani's behalf.
Kwei-Bhu'ja made a small growling noise as a warning, but not loud enough to be taken aggressively by Dhi'rauta.
"Sei-i. Mei'hswei." He replied, folding his arms over his chest. The clan leader turned his head to survey the other two, then his gaze lazily roamed in my direction. His eyes were a piercing red color, and the deep stare he presented me with had a shiver running down my spine. And not the good kind either. I slowly began inching my way behind Kwei-Bhu'ja, so that half of my body was shielded from his view. I reached my hand up, clasping Kwei-Bhu'ja's side for comfort, and the immediate purr I felt rumble off his back made me jump slightly.
I looked to find him standing taller than before, while Dhi'rauta tilted his head and began clicking his mandibles in another curious sound. I would later find out that not only had I initiated another touch to show that I obviously felt I needed his protection, but I had also basically claimed him by initiating contact with him in the presence of so many other Yautja.
"Your eta is very brave, is it not?" Dhi'rauta stated. The muscles in Kwei-Bhu'ja's body went rigid for the millionth time.
"H'ko. Not eta." He replied, relaxing and flexing his muscles repeatedly.
"Lou-dte kale?" That word put Kwei-Bhu'ja on edge, and I could tell that they were still talking about me. It was bad enough that my translator wasn't deciphering half of the words they were saying, but to be ignored completely in a conversation like I was a child made me beyond irritated.
"I'm right here you know. I'm not deaf." I stepped from behind Kwei-Bhu'ja slightly, squaring my shoulders. Dhi'rauta's head whipped in my direction, and I could practically feel spikes propelling themselves out of his eyes to pierce my very heart. He slowly leveled his gaze back to Kwei-Bhu'ja, grunting in a displeased manner.
"It is also very rude."
Kwei-Bhu'ja began lightly clicking his mandibles together, whether because he didn't want the clan leader to know he was laughing, or because he wanted to mock him even further. He grabbed my shoulder with his large hand, and moved me out beside him where I could no longer hide. I pressed myself against him, refusing to be in such open proximity to the alien that was clearly offended by my boldness.
"Sei-i. She does as she wishes." These words clearly sparked a reaction out of the clan leader. He squared his shoulders and began growling, but before he could take a step forward and initiate a brawl, Tarei'hsan stepped between them.
"Perhaps we should fill our bellies to soothe our aggressions. Our guests have been without provisions for quite some time, honored clan leader." He had his head lowered as he spoke, a universal submission pose to try and diffuse the situation. Dhi'rauta stayed silent for a while, the tension still mounting with the anticipation of a fight, before he swung himself around and began walking away.
"Come." Was all he said, before the other Yautja began filing in behind him.
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As we made it to the dining hall, I could see Amani waiting by the doors for our arrival. She scanned the group, physically relaxing when she noticed that no one seemed to be riled up or hurt. She lowered her head as Dhi'rauta passed her, and gave a longing look to Tarei'hsan before he passed through the oval doors. The moment I approached, she looped her arm with mine, pulling me to the side as the three boys walked in.
"So, how did it go? Please tell me no one tried to fight?" I pretended to slap my hand against my face, sliding it down in an exaggerated motion.
"Oh, my God, don't even get me started. I mean, the boys are pretty much always high strung, but it was like Kwei-Bhu'ja was purposefully trying to ruffle the clan leader's feathers."
"Well, that's a SY for you. Always looking for a reason to throw fists in any given situation. It's bad enough that the clan leader was already irritated that Kuj'hade wants to kill others while vying for females." She shifted her hip, standing in a relaxed position, then leaned in as if she were telling me a secret. "I heard that when asked by females if any males would fight the 'mystery' SY, they all responded no. They tried to make it seem like a zabin wasn't worth their time, but in reality they are all afraid to die doing something that should be fun."
Oh yeah, definitely a big secret. Showing weakness like that probably just made Kuj'hade that much more appealing. They hadn't even met him yet and already they were afraid of the Destroyer.
"Try living with the big guy on a ship for who knows how long. You'd be even more skeptical of him." I replied with a laugh. "But Kwei-Bhu'ja was actually fine until Dhi'rauta said Lou'dte kaly. Or something sounding like that. It seemed to piss him off quite a lot before I stepped in and told them I didn't like being talked about like I wasn't there."
Amani's eyebrows drew together, and she let out a huffing breath or irritation.
"He called you a lou-dte kale. It basically means female child maker. It's a derogatory term that not only insulted you as a human, but also Kwei-Bhu'ja becoming upset at the word confirmed Dhi'rauta's suspicions that he wishes to sleep with you. Or already has, as far as the clan leader knows. This clan isn't too fond on the idea that humans can be mates, or even bred with for simple reproductive purposes. But…since Kwei-Bhu'ja did get upset at the term, it clearly means he's defending your honor, in the even higher hopes that you'll let him into your pants!"
She began hip bumping me, suggestively wiggling her eyebrows. I couldn't help but laugh at her statement, ignoring how my heart rate sped up, and I could feel a heat blooming across my cheekbones. Before I could say anything, she was stepping away from me, propping one arm under her chest, with the other against her chin to take in my appearance. I looked down at myself, then decided to strike a pose, extending one leg out in front of me, allowing the fabric to slip off and expose my thigh tattoo, and placing my hands on my hips.
"You like?" I said, trying to act seductive, before letting a laugh pass my lips.
"Is it another gift from your oh-so-large lover?" She puckered her lips, in a mock Cat Woman face, pretending to swipe her claws at me before standing straight again. "So Kwei-Bhu'ja's the one who bought it first then?"
"Yeah I guess. He said that the vendor was trying to sell it a second time to get more money before he saw that we were with him. Then he got scared and had it sent straight to the ship." We both laughed before whipping toward the dining hall. There was a quick frightened yell from inside, so we both stepped passed the threshold to find the source, silently praying that the boys hadn't gotten themselves into any more trouble.
The scene that presented us was nothing short of amazing. There were small round pits in the floors, with round tables in the center to place food on, while the walkways were between each small crater. Each one was filled with at least 8 Yautja, all talking and laughing with one another. My eyes were drawn immediately to a tall creature walking around with a tray of food. It was taller than me, but I could tell it was still shorter than the Yautja present. It walked on two legs, and it was so skinny I could see the full contour of its body through the wispy white outfit it wore.
Its legs were cocked back like a gazelle, and I could see fleshy colored hooves for its feet. Its skin seemed to be covered in a fine layer of beige hair, and it had the biggest mane of white hair I had ever seen on a creature so far. It flowed beautifully down past it's hips, and when the creature turned my jaw practically hit the floor.
It had a unicorn horn in the center of its forehead.
"They are the Meenrah. They're completely docile, so that's why they're slaves. It's illegal to kill one, because they don't fight back. It would be dishonorable." Before I could retort, she cut me off.
"Not all of them are enslaved, majority still live on their own planet. And they are treated fairly on the ship. It took a while for me to come to terms with them being slaves as well."
As soon as she finished talking, another cry rang out from the far end of the hall. I looked to my left, and could immediately decipher the cause. The boys were out of control. Every unicorn that walked to their table to deliver food or drinks, the tray was snatched out of their hands, frightening the creature. The Yautja around me kept giving the table wary glances before returning to their conversations. I turned my body toward the table and began a purposeful journey.
I reached the table in no time, having to side step a few of the working Meenrah, (they were definitely at least 6 foot tall), and I soon realized the cause of the Yautja's discomfort. They all ate using their mandibles, placing pieces of torn up meats into their mouth, and simultaneously ripping them apart and chewing them with their inner teeth. Their mandibles moved so quickly it was kind of hard to keep up with it, but there was a sort of fluidity and grace about the whole ordeal.
My three companions however, were tearing at their food like they hadn't eaten such readily provided food in years. And likely they really hadn't. They were taking handfuls of the pre-sliced meats, and shoving them straight into their jaws. At one point I was sure Thwei-Sain'ja hadn't even chewed before swallowing the mouthful. And of course, Kuj'hade, the ever-prevailing ass hat he is, was grabbing fistfuls of the boys' food straight from in front of them. As Kwei-Bhu'ja snatched another tray from the hands of the Meenrah beside me, sending it scampering away, Kuj'hade reached his hand over and grabbed the first piece he laid eyes on as soon as the tray touched the table. Immediately Kwei-Bhu'ja slammed his fist down on Kuj'hade's forearm, making him recoil with a roar, and before he could retaliate, he began cramming the food into his mouth.
My eyes connected with Amani as she rounded the space and sank into the seat next to Tarei'hsan, and I watched as she gave a skeptical look to the boys. I followed her lead, wedging myself between Kwei-Bhu'ja and Kuj'hade, both grunting in protest at having to move over. Moments later, another tray was snatched away, and slammed down in the space in front of me. I didn't know what it was, but it was cooked, and that I was grateful for. I started off taking small pieces and chewing warily, the flavor almost exploding on my taste buds. It tasted like a mixture between chicken and bacon. I started stuffing my face with the same abandon as my three companions, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a black hand placed on the plate to grab a handful. I quickly picked up one of the empty trays beside me, gripped it between my hands and slammed it down on Kuj'hade's hand as hard as I could.
He cried out, tucking his mandibles into his face, then slapped the tray out of my hands. Before he could retaliate further, I felt Kwei-Bhu'ja wrap his hand around my shoulder, tucking me against his side. I could feel and hear his laughter as he mocked Kuj'hade, and I looked to my side to see Thwei-Sain'ja bickering with him to leave his food alone. A giant stone looking goblet was placed in front of me, catching my attention. I picked it up with both hands, smelling the contents. It smelled almost sickly sweet, like a smoothie with too many citrus fruits in it.
"It's c'nlip. Very intoxicating." Kwei-Bhu'ja said, leaning down into me. So, it's alcohol. I didn't know if I really wanted to drink it, I could barely handle three glasses of wine on earth. I wasn't too sure I wanted to wake up with a raging hangover from alien vodka.
"Don't worry. It's been watered down for us. Theres no way we could drink it unless it was diluted. We'd get alcohol poisoning too easily." Amani stated, taking a swig of her own drink. Fuck it. I might as well enjoy myself while I was here. It seemed as if the boys were already, and I wanted to be a part of the, albeit very fucked up, merriment they were exuding.
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About half way into the feast is when the music started. It wasn't music like on earth, with flutes or guitars or even techno beats. It was just simple drums, but with a deep bass that rumbled the floors and made your head pound to the rhythm. I knew the boys were letting loose when they started stomping their feet to the drums. Some Yautja around us started wrestling and fighting, while others were simply falling over with laughter, chittering uncontrollably at some joke I couldn't understand for the life of me. My body felt absolutely wonderful. There was a dull numbness at the base of my skull, and my vision swam in just the right way whenever I moved my head too quickly to say something to Kwei-Bhu'ja.
At one point, I noticed I'd begun leaning farther into his side, practically cuddled against the heat of his skin. But I couldn't find it in me to care that the clan leader kept giving me dirty glances every now and again. He couldn't do shit about it though, given that we weren't part of his clan, or even part of regular Yautja society at that. Kwei-Bhu'ja didn't seem to mind too much either, given that every time Amani said something I found particularly funny, I'd double over, pressing my face into his side, or brace my hand on his thigh.
Kuj'hade had even gotten funnier the moment I started drinking. Either that, or he wasn't talking to me like I was the dirt beneath his feat. He leaned toward me, commenting about how he felt it was sad that he couldn't tell the difference between the male and female Meenrah. I felt bad for laughing, but I couldn't stop the heavy chuckles that escaped me as I elbowed his side. Out of my peripheral, I could see a large figure approaching. I looked over when the figure stopped next to me. It was a rather large Yautja, definitely around Kuj'hade's height, with a thinner waist and, holy shit…those were the biggest alien boobs I'd ever seen my whole time on this ship. I felt incredibly embarrassed for even looking at her. She wasn't wearing a top, and I didn't know if it was just because they were in the comfort of their ship, or if she struts around planet side with her boobs hanging around. At least I wasn't going to ask her.
The moment Kuj'hade noticed her hovering, I was in the back of his mind. He sat at attention, practically throwing himself out of his seat in eagerness. I had to hold back a laugh as I felt Kwei-Bhu'ja rumble beside me. Kuj'hade shot him a dirty look before leveling his gaze back onto the female. I imagined if he were a human, he would be slicking his hair back and blowing his breath into his hand.
"I'm not interrupting you and your ooman companion, am I?" She said, leveling me with a hard stare. Why did every being on this ship want to give me death stares? And it wasn't like I was leaning all over Kuj'hade to begin with either. I wasn't going to admit that I was interested in Kwei-Bhu'ja out loud to anyone any time soon, other than Amani of course, but I thought it was pretty obvious who I came to this 'party' with. As if he could read my thoughts, Kwei-Bhu'ja tightened his grip on me, pulling me in closer to his side. The small movement caught Kuj'hade's eye, and the moment his gaze broke off from the female, she let loose a low growl.
"Am I?" Kuj'hade held my gaze for what felt like an eternity, and I couldn't tell if it was just the c'nlip running through my veins or if something more profound was happening that I wasn't even aware of. I could hear Amani trying to talk to me, but the noise was muffled like someone had placed ear muffs over my head. Words just swam around in my head, barely recognized before the next word filed in, replacing the last with little meaning. Kwei-Bhu'ja shifted in his seat, drawing me out of my gaze, so I looked up at him from my seated position.
I smiled stupidly up at him, leaning closer into his warmth, returning to my conversation with Amani. She gave me a concerned look, for what reason I couldn't tell, as I heard Kuj'hade snap a quick "No." before walking away with the large female. I looked over my shoulder as best I could at his retreating form, until Thwei-Sain'ja shifted in his seat, scooting closer.
"I would leave it alone if I were you." He said, looking at me from the corner of his eye, before pushing another filled goblet of drink in front of me.
"Leave what alone?" I replied, taking a large gulp from the offered cup.
"They have always been naturally at odds with one another, but if you let this continue, they will be at each other's throats." That was all he left me with, before a female walking past caught his eye, and he was away from the table at her heels before I could even respond. I shrugged off the words, deciding to dwell on it more when I woke up in the morning, given that I even remember the night after this last cup of c'nlip. I laughed throatily to myself, feeling Kwei-Bhu'ja lean over my body, winding his mandibles into my hair. My natural instinct was to tell him not to touch my hair, afraid that he would tangle in the curls. The last thing I needed was a fight with an 8 foot tall alien to detangle his mouth from my unruly hair. That was the last thought to file through my brain as I tipped my head back to gulp the last of my most recent cup, before my vision became black.
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Thank you to every new person who has favorited my story. It makes me feel amazing to know that people are still interested and finding my story, even after I've been gone for some time. And thank you to everyone who has commented recently. Hopefully this chapter is long enough to sate your desires for an update. Unfortunately, my muse is a fleeting feeling sometimes haha. A certain song played on loop for 2 hours sometimes just makes me wanna type 4000 words into a document. It's all very tiresome really. As always! If you notice any spelling errors, or even have any ideas about what you want to happen in this story for the future, please let me know either in your comment or in a PM. My box is always open, and so is my mind. Also, a very special thank you to my roommate for her ever wonderful character Amani, and her constant ideas for my story.
Puffgirl1952 the 2nd: Thank you so much, and hopefully this one was worth the wait as well.
Sousie: Not sure if you picked up the hint from this chapter, but there may always be more than just one in the making
Belladu57: Thank you, I'm glad you like my story
Guest: Thank you so much, and sometimes it does feel as if writer's block is pure evil haha I felt for this chapter, that the females fighting for Kwei-Bhu'ja would make it a little too complicated. Grace is a runner, not a fighter haha so for this purpose, a female trying to fight her would only make her distance herself from him. Besides, Kwei-Bhu'ja is a no-nonsense kind of male. He's more likely to knock a female off her pedestal, than let her change his plans.
HubrisBrutus: Here is the next chapter for you! Hope you enjoy.
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Dhi'rauta: Cunning
Eta: Slave
H'ko: No
Lou-dte kale: Child-maker
Mei'hswei: Brother
Sain'ja: Warrior
Sei-i: Yes
Th'syra: Skull