"This will be the first time in a long time going to see a clan," Hannah mused, fixing on her armor as the ship auto-piloted its landing.
"Too soon," Jar-hidda rattled in response, garnering a grin from the human woman, though it was hidden behind her mask.
"It's just for today," Hannah assured, as if consoling a pouting child, "we go, present ourselves, thank them for their aid, then run like hell before anyone demands you breed with them."
Jar-hidda rattled, unamused, giving her a side-ways glance before fitting on his mask. He selected a small predator's skull from his wall, nothing flashy or extraordinary, and Hannah decided to follow suit, picking up the feline/canine hybrid creature's skull and holding it easily under one arm.
They were not here to impress.
They approached the side of the ship and Hannah took a deep steadying breath as the side opened up and the heat from within seemed to rush out. The ramp lowered and they were greeted by the typical sea of spears. While not as big as the ones they were used to, it was still more impressive than whatever Jar-hidda and Hannah could ever accomplish ceremonially.
The two of them walked down the ramp together, side-by-side as equals, heading past the saluting warriors towards the clan leader, a bored looking eldress, and a hu—.
A human! Two humans! And towering above everyone else: a Hish! Hannah almost stopped at the sight of hi,, her steps stumbling before catching back up and keeping pace with Jar-hidda's steady, unfalttering gait. Had he seen him? A His-qu-ten... was that even legal? Shouldn't he be killed on sight? Confused searching eyes landed on and recognized Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'dha standing beside the clan leader, but the shock of seeing two unexpected and one pretty impossible thing, she was not as stunned to see that the old arbiter was present. Instead it gave her a sense of relief; an arbiter in the same presence as a Hish, with neither trying to kill the other, had to mean that the usually criminal yautja was somehow safe.
Or at least as safe as any yautja could be.
Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'da being there also explained why the clan name sounded familiar. This must be his clan; the one he was talking to her about many years ago. She was kind of nervous to see him again. She didn't remember their last talk being comfortable, and she didn't expect any discussions he was going to have with her after the ceremony would be any better.
Her distracted thoughts came to a crashing hault when Jar-hidda's trophy fell to the ground. He was suddenly having some kind of attack. He was frozen in his tracks, hands held aloft at his sides, mask fixed ahead. Hannah immediately forgot about the surrounding yautja, the humans, the Hish and the arbiter and began to panic, looking at her friend. All senses were alert, as if a trap was about to be sprung.
Her free hand reached for her weapon, looking to where Jar-hidda's attention was locked, then she stopped as well, rooted to her place.
Down the way, a female had separated herself from Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'dha's side and was now walking down the path. As she approached, Jar-hidda finally moved, lifting his hands to undo his mask and remove it, staring up at the female as she came to a stop, towering over him. Hannah was confused. He didn't have the same sort of guarded disgust that he usually had with females; there was no aprehension whatsoever as she came to stand before him. Hannah did not relax yet.
The female's hands moved to grab either side of Jar-hidda crest and did something Hannah had never seen a female yautja do to a male: she pressed her crest to his and purred.
"You've taken good care of father's ship."
It was then that the similarities of the male and female dawned on Hannah. The tall figure was basically a female version of Jar-hidda. She had more grey in her skin and tresses but she was the same shade of green, had the same mottled bruise-colored spots, and about as many scars.
Hannah watched Jar-hidda's eyes closed and he also caressed either side of the female's head, purring back.
Hannah was struck dumb.
Off to the side she heard Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'dha murmur to the clan leader who growled and turned to face the yautjan hoard, shortening the ceremonial speech to simply: "welcome honored Jar-hidda and esteemed Numyakuo'ide," and tapped his spear twice.
As the other warriors tapped thier spears in response, the arbiter approached Hannah swiftly and grabbed her by the arm before anyone even fell out of formation.
"Come Numyakuo'ide, I have not see you for some time and would like to catch up with you. And we should let my mate and her brother have some time alone."
Mei-jadhi-kolkio.
Hannah could not help but be tugged by the old yautja. Even if she resisted she would have not had much choice just for the sheer power with which the arbiter was urgently pulling her away. He had put quite a bit of distance between them and the reunited siblings before Hannah snapped out of her daze and looked sharply to the arbiter.
"You knew!"
The arbiter stopped and rattled, looking down at her easily.
"You knew Jar-hidda's sister was alive!"
"Yes," the arbiter said, releasing her arm.
Hannah frowned, dropped her trophy, and smacked her hand against his arm. Hard.
The yautja flinched, likely not because it hurt but because the assault was sudden, and likely confusing, but Hannah was pissed. If someone had known that, somehow, her mother had actually been alive this whole time and never told her until now, she would kill that person. But that person at the moment was an arbiter. And she was on his home planet.
So she settled with hitting him hard enough that her hand went numb temporarily.
She glowered at him while she rubbed feeling back into her fingers and the old yautja rattled slowly.
"I was not in a position to reveal Daund'ka to her brother," he stated, Hannah growled in warning and he held his hand up, finishing, "she forbade me."
Hannah stopped growling. She stared at Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'dha.
"Inviting you here as repayment for the replacement part you needed was the way I devised to... get around her direct orders."
Hannah clicked, shifting her weight and backing away from the arbiter, folding her arms and sighing. The old yautja remained silent as she diliberated. After another sigh, Hannah looked up at him, then turned to look in the direction where they had left her friend behind.
"Well, so much for only being here a day."
Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'dha clicked in amusement and swiped his hand to his side, offering her to walk beside him, "I was not lying, however, when I said I wished to learn of your travels since our last parting."
Hannah hesitated, but unfolded her arms, bent to grab her trophy and stepped up to the arbiter's side, walking with him. She noticed now he was in a ceremonial cloak, different from the one she had seen him in back on Chul-yaun's atoll. Was it normal for arbiters to be present at such events?
"So, Neijin-thei-de informed me that you and Jar-hidda had been stranded on Ch'ot."
Hannah nodded, "it's a place neither of us want to visit again soon."
Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'dha laughed, "most only go there for their Final Hunt. It is the least hospitible planet we know of, that at least allows some life."
"So Jar-hidda told me."
The arbiter nodded, "I see, also, you have been on some succesful hunts before that, how many seasons are you now?"
"Nine," Hannah said, knowing it wasn't any kind of number to be proud of especially at her biological age.
"Very good."
Hannah wasn't ready for the compliment, and frowned deeply behind her mask.
She was still upset with the arbiter, but she had questions of her own, it felt only fair she get to ask them, too.
"You have humans here."
Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'dha turned his mask to look at her and she glanced at him, then looked around at the buildings they were now passing, "I saw two humans in your rank."
"Yes," the arbiter said with a slow nod, "they are members of our clan. You recall how I explained that we were a bit unorthodox and most are more than happy to let us be on our little planet, more or less giving us the sain'ja and females no one wants, but can't kill without dishonoring themselves?"
Hannah rattled, "I think last time you explained it in fewer words, but yes."
Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'dha nodded, "Thwei-Lar'ja came to us after she was picked up by Ba'garv. He had been sent to erradicate her and discovered she was a follower of the Path already. But his eldress forebade another human yautja among them. I had been at the time present to give my own report, and offered to take her into my clan. They were more than happy to allow this."
Garv. That made sense.
"And the male?"
Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'dha laughed, "our eldress fancied Med-kainde and brought him back with her after a hunt. Of all females that one cannot say 'no' too, Dekna-tuja is one you especially keep your peace with."
Hannah rattled, looking again around before stopping and turning to the arbiter, "what about the Hish?"
Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'dha stopped also and did not look immediately to Hannah as he rattled low, "he is a bit more difficult to explain," he admitted, looking, finally, at the human, "he is Hish-qu-ten, and by all right he should be dead, but he had saved the life of our clan leader, renounced his ties to his bad-blood clan, and was offered a place among us to follow the true Path. Many eldresses would see him dead still, for being as he is, modified unnaturally according to the Hish's tenets. Their ideal of what it means to be a 'perfect hunter.'"
Hannah frowned, recalling the skulls of the Hish that Jar-hidda had in his trophy room, the large rippling crests, unusually long mandibles.
"Setg'in is not a danger, on my honor."
Hannah frowned, tipping her head down, showing she trusted his word, at least.
"Jar-hidda's sister, two humans, a Hish, an eldress that hunts... what other surprises does your clan hold?"
Bhu'ja-zhu-ju'dha rattled in amusement, though Hannah was not being funny with her comment, then laughed.
"Walk with me a bit longer, Numyakuo'ide, and I will teach you the most surprising thing about us."
Hannah was sceptical that the old yautja held any pleasant surprises ahead, but she had asked the question. She gritted her teeth, then set her jaw, bracing against whatever lay in store, and reluctantly followed.