Elder Par'ko-ti stared in disbelief at the Ooman and kainde amedha. In all his years of hunting the creatures, he had never seen a kainde amedha show affection like this, not even for it's queen. When Kar'ja reported that the Ooman and kainde amedha had formed a bond, he just assumed it was the bond between fellow hunters, as the Ooman seemed to hunt for her own food. Kar'ja strode past them to offer his hand to the fallen Sal'rk.
Jovem pulled away from Selva and turned, growling, to the creatures.
'It's okay, Jovem, I don't think they're going to hurt us. Why would they have healed you if they were going to kill us?' Selva said soothingly, lightly touching the three small scars on Jovem's chest. 'Um, where are we?' she asked, turning her attention to the creatures. 'And, what are you?'
The one she had met in the city made a noise that sounded a little like a chuckle. 'You on our ship. We Yaut'ja. Hunters,' he replied, speaking slowly.
'Ya-oot-chah,' Selva repeated. 'Hunters of what?'
'Worthy prey,' he replied after a moment's thought to find the right words.
'Like Jovem?' she asked, gesturing at him.
The Yaut'ja thought for a bit. 'We hunt kainde amedha, this one different.'
'Kainde amedha...that's the name for Jovem's species?' The Yaut'ja nodded in confirmation. 'Do you have a name?'
'I am Kar'ja. This Sal'rk and Elder Par'ko-ti,' he replied, gesturing at the other two Yaut'ja in turn.
Selva gave them a nervous smile. 'I'm Selva. Um, can Jovem and I go home now, please? Your ship is very nice, and we're grateful for you healing Jovem, but..,' she trailed off as Kar'ja shook his head.
'You not leave,' he said, the tone of his voice making it clear that he wouldn't reconsider.
'Why not?' Selva asked, her temper starting to fire up. She had never been told she couldn't go where she wanted to. Even as a child she had been encouraged to explore on her own and follow her instincts. As interesting as this ship was, her instincts told her she had to go home, to repair the used traps protecting the city, and get Jovem away from these creatures that apparently hunted his kind. Kar'ja didn't answer. Instead, he and the other two Yaut'ja walked past them and left the room. 'Hey! Answer my question! I wanna go home!' she cried, chasing after them and grabbing his arm. He whipped around to face her, growling. She withdrew her hand quickly as Jovem pushed himself in between them, returning Kar'ja's growl. 'You can't keep us here!' she told him defiantly, placing her hands on her hips and glaring up at him. The other two Yaut'ja, who had been watching with interest, continued on their way down the passage.
Kar'ja looked at Jovem, still tense and growling, then back at Selva. 'You not leave,' he repeated.
'And you're going to stop us?' Selva asked, baring her teeth in a snarl of her own. Kar'ja remained still, staring at her. 'Come on, Jovem, we're going home,' Selva said, striding past the Yaut'ja, her head high. Her heart was pounding. This creature could certainly rip her to pieces if it so chose and here she was defying it. Jovem walked beside her, she could see him looking over his shoulder out the corner of her eye. They had made it to the end of the passageway when the ship began to vibrate.
Selva looked around at the walls as the ship began to hum. 'Shit. Run!' she cried, taking off down the left fork of the passage, hoping it was the right way. Jovem ran easily beside her. They came to another fork and Jovem took the lead, heading to the right. The passage opened up into a large room with big double doors in the far wall. It had to be the exit! Smiling inside, Selva put on an extra burst of speed. Jovem reached them before she did, and threw himself against them. Selva studied the frame of the doors, looking for a button or something that would open them. Nothing. The walls were bare apart from the carvings that decorated every wall she'd passed so far. She stopped beside Jovem, panting and staring up at the doors. Frustrated, she slammed her fists against the unyielding material. Swearing to herself, she turned to find Kar'ja standing in front of the passageway. Jovem hissed, then started growling as Kar'ja started walking towards them.
'Open the doors!' Selva demanded, glaring.
Kar'ja stopped just in front of her. 'You come.'
'No! Open the doors!'
Kar'ja moved suddenly, faster than she'd expected. In an instant he had an arm around her, pinning her own arms to her sides as he lifted her to carry her over his shoulder. He turned to leave with her and she saw Jovem snapping at the other two Yaut'ja.
'Tell him stop, or he get hurt,' Kar'ja said.
Shaking with fury, Selva took a couple of breaths to calm herself. 'Jovem, stop. Follow me.' Jovem complied quickly. Are you okay, sister? Selva nodded. We will escape. Bide our time? Again, she nodded and Jovem's body language told her he would be obedient for as long as necessary.
Author's note: Hope you all like it, took me a bit to come up with the Elder's name lol. Enjoy. To Guest who asked if they'd missed a chapter, why do you think that, does something not make sense?