Lilith felt like she was floating on a soft cloud of pillows. It was an incredible feeling. She was warm, and for once, she felt no pain at all. There was a soft soothing noise that seemed like it was coming from all around her. When she felt someone's hand on the side of her face, it wasn't a sharp painful slap like she would have expected, but instead, a soft gentle caress of the kind that she had once gotten from her mother a long, long time ago.
"Please… I swear I'll be good…" Lilith begged, not ever wanting to be hurt again.
"What is your name?" A far off voice asked her softly.
"Lilith! I'm Lilith… don't you remember? Please… I'll be good… I swear I will!" She answered in a pleading whimper of distress.
"Then why won't you speak to us?"
Lilith's eyes snapped open at that question because even as strange as she felt, she somehow knew that it wasn't her mother's voice she was hearing, and she remembered that she wasn't supposed to speak. A strange hazy tan colored face was hovering over her, and she couldn't focus her eyes well enough to make out any details, but from the color, she knew that it was Thingy, and not her mother! Instantly she recalled where she was, and tried to get some distance from the Predator.
As soon as the pup was even partially awake, she tried to get away, and Yeyinde carefully took hold of arms that were moving sluggishly. "Easy Lilith! Easy. The sleeping draught will wear off soon, but for now, your body will still feel heavy, and clumsy. You may even feel dizzy at times." She said as she lifted the naked pup into her arms and stepped over to a nearby work table.
Yeyinde held the trembling pup in her right arm and she could detect a rising scent of both anger and fear coming off the little female. She reached out with her left hand, hit a button on the wall, and grabbed a pot of heated broth to pour some into a cup before holding it for the pup. "Here, I suggest that you drink some of this. It will help you wake up, and also help you rid your body of the sleeping draught's effects."
Lilith was pissed; even though she was still fairly groggy. If she had known that the stuff she'd liked so much had been a knock out drug, she wouldn't have touched it. So now, when she was being offered another cup of stuff to drink she turned her head away angrily.
When the pup turned her head away out of anger, before shaking it, Yeyinde was almost sure that it was because the pup didn't trust her not to have put some kind of sleeping formula in the broth. She got the pup's attention, and then slowly tipped the cup just enough to obviously pour some of the broth into her own mouth. Spreading her mandibles, she opened her mouth to show the pup that she had indeed swallowed the broth. "Now will you drink it?"
Lilith nodded her head, and reached up for the cup, that was when she saw her right arm. Something about her arm didn't look right. It didn't look like hers at all. Her bleary eyes stared at her arm as she tried to figure out what was different about it.
Yeyinde saw that the pup was focusing on her arm instead of the cup, and figured that the pup had noticed the difference.
In spite of staring intently at her arm, Lilith's mind was still too foggy to able to figure out what was different about it. She shook her head somewhat slowly in a useless effort to think clearly, before clumsy hands grasped the cup.
With the ooman pup resting against her chest, Yeyinde was able to assist with the cup so that the heated broth wasn't spilled everywhere. She was glad that she'd just held on instead of allowing the pup to try on her own, because the poor thing was still very uncoordinated. She set the cup on the table and refilled it before moving to a chair to sit down with the ooman in her lap.
"Just relax Little One… Lilith. You and I will wait here until the draught wears off, then you can get dressed, and rejoin your family." Yeyinde said in a soothing purr while holding onto the cup to ensure there were no spills.
After a few sips of the warm broth, Lilith was feeling a little more alert, so she dropped her right hand to her lap and let out a large yawn. Her right arm made a slight sound as it landed heavily in her lap, and almost instantly, she was looking down to see how badly she was bleeding. It was a habit that came from countless nights of agony, and pain, but suddenly she was staring stupidly at a body that she just knew could not be hers!
Lilith's mouth fell open as she gaped at the creamy smooth and flawless skin of her thighs that were not only free of any burns, but didn't even have a single scar either! Then she noticed her arm that was still resting in her lap, and her eyes widened in stark disbelief.
'There's no scars! …What happened to my scars? …Their all gone! … There's no burns on my legs or cuts on my arms anymore!' Lilith thought in bewildered confusion.
The ooman in her lap was examining her arms and legs so intently, that Yeyinde was certain that the pup never noticed the door slide open. Her two sisters entered quickly with Guan in tow. It was immediately obvious that all three were excited. All three of them stood watching as the ooman pup silently examined the fresh scar free skin that now graced the front of her body.
Guan knelt in front of the little ooman and waited patiently for the pup to look at her. When she did, Guan took hold of the pup's right arm and held it where the flawless skin could be clearly seen by both of them.
"That part of your life is now gone, Little One. I will tell you now, that you will never have to endure such dishonor again." Guan told her in a soft but sincere tone.
"Lill-ith."
"What?" Guan asked confused.
"As she was waking up she spoke to me. I asked her name and she said that it was Lilith." Yeyinde explained quickly. "But now it seems like she doesn't want to speak anymore. It's like she refuses to speak when she's coherent. I just don't understand it." She continued sadly.
"Why won't you speak to us, Lill-ith? It should be obvious by now that we have no intention of hurting you. Have we done something to offend so much that you don't think we are worthy of being spoken too?" Than-guan-thwei asked suddenly.
Lilith shook her head and looked down at her lap sadly while tears of sorrow filled her eyes. These Predators were being so nice to her. They were treating her even better than she could remember her parents ever doing. That was what was making this hurt so much. She knew that in spite of everything, she was still starting to really like these Predators, and that she was really going to hate herself when they stopped treating her so nice and made her suffer because of how worthless she was. She didn't want that to happen. God how she didn't want that to happen… but she knew that it would. She knew that these Predators would eventually find out how worthless she was. Then they would hate her even more than her parents had… and they would make her suffer even more.
As she watched the ooman's action, and saw the tears that began falling from the pup's eyes, Guan realized that there was something wrong with the whole situation. It was clear that the ooman had the ability to speak, and she somehow knew that the pup even wanted to speak, but at the same time, there was also something that was preventing that from happening. She didn't know what that something was, but it was truly frustrating all the same.
Guan took her hand from the pup's arm and ran it gently down the side of the ooman's face in a soft caress. "You don't have to speak if you don't want to, Lilith. I really hope that you'll eventually choose to do so. Because I am veryglad to finally learn your name, and when the time comes that you do choose to speak… I would be honored to hear your voice."
Everything Gwen said only made Lilith feel worse than she already did. 'Why do they have to do things that make me like them? Why do they have to act like they actually care about me? Why do they have to make me care about them? Why can't I just be left alone by everyone? I wish there was some way that I could stop being so worthless, so they won't start hating me.' Lilith thought as fresh tears welled in her blue eyes.
"It looks as if the procedure worked wonderfully. I can't see a single scar on her arms." Guan said as she looked up at Than-guan.
"The surface treatment was a fairly simple process, even though it was an involved one. That was mostly just a matter of using cloned skin tissue from her own body, to replace what was damaged. The internal damage in her lower arms near the wrist was much more difficult. Whatever blade caused that damage had actually hit the bone in a few places, so there was a lot of tendon and muscle damage that was never correctly treated. She would never have regained proper strength in her hands, had we not made the repairs." Than-guan replied as she looked down at the ooman pup's forearms. "The veins beneath the skin were also damaged as well. Now she'll be able to use her hands correctly without needing to compensate for any weakness in her forearms, wrists, or fingers."
"That's a big relief." Guan said with a glance over her shoulder. "I would hate to see her crippled later in life because of dishonor."
"Exactly! That's why we spent the extra effort to repair that damage now, before age begins to be a factor. Your new pup will have a long life ahead of her, and I'm looking forward to spending some more time with her." Than-guan answered.
"Just relax, Lilith. There's no reason for you to be concerned, or worried anymore. You're in good honorable hands now. Out of all the Yautja in existence, my sisters are the two best healers that can be found anywhere! Guan has made certain that you will be properly cared for now, and my sisters will help make sure of that." Yeyinde said softly without pausing her steady purring.
"What's wrong, Little One? Did you want to keep those scars?" Guan asked cautiously thinking that having removed the scars might have offended the pup in some way.
Lilith shook her head sadly. There was no way that she was going to tell these Predators the truth. They were too nice to her, and even though she didn't want to, she knew that she liked them, because she'd actually had some fun while being around them. She knew that it would all come to an end eventually, and that they'd start hating her and that was why she was crying, because she didn't want that to happen.
"I think the sleeping draught might still be having an effect on her. Let's get her dressed and get her into the lounge where we can all rest more comfortably, and she can have a chance to get the rest of the draught out of her system." Than-guan-thwei suggested.
"Good idea. I don't need her to suffer a fall or some other kind of injury because she tries to walk while that draught is still in her system." Guan replied quickly.
Lilith tried to help as the Predators put her clothes on her, but every time she tried to move, her arms and legs wouldn't quite do what she wanted them to. It was a really weird feeling, and her body was really sluggish; even worse than when she was just waking up. Although she could move with no problem, her arms, and legs just wouldn't move how, or where she wanted them to. Tears of humiliation and anger rolled down her face while Thing-One and Gwen slid her underwear on, and got her dressed. She knew they had to do it for her, because whatever they had put in that drink was really messing up her coordination.
Humiliation quickly turned to outright anger as Lilith kept trying in vain to put her arms in the holes of her shirt, or get her legs in the pants. No matter how careful she was, or how hard she tried, she just couldn't move in the right directions. Once the Predator women had gotten her underwear, breast halter, and shirt on, she waved her left hand in front of her face, and saw a very strange trail… as if her arm was somehow stretched much wider than it was supposed to be. She knew that she was moving her hand slowly, but it looked like she was moving her whole arm just as fast as she could.
Yeyinde was still holding the ooman pup while her two sisters helped Guan get the pup's coverings on. She knew that the pup was trying to help with the process, but the result almost made it seem as if the pup didn't want to be dressed at all. Then she saw the pup trying to examine her arm and understood what the pup was experiencing.
"Relax, Little One. What you are experiencing are the after effects of the sleeping draught. It's a very intense pain blocker and a sleeping formula at the same time. My sisters and I decided to use it on you today, because having large portions of your skin removed would not be a pleasant thing to feel. We couldn't simply remove the dishonorable scars, so we had to completely remove all of the skin on your forearms and upper legs. Without having taken the sleeping draught you would still be screaming in pain for another two days, and we don't want you to suffer like that." Yeyinde said in a soft gentle tone.
Lilith turned in the woman's lap and gaped up at her in disbelief.
'Oh no… No! They… they're going to make me like them! I… I can't like them… if I do…' Lilith couldn't bring herself to finish that thought. The idea was just too horrible to contemplate.
"Everything will seem different for a while, so just be still, and let them put your clothing on for you. You might feel a little dizzy for a while longer, but that's normal. We just need to make sure that everything is out of your system so you won't end up falling over or hurting yourself because of faulty reactions." Than-guan said in a reassuring purr.
Shocked into being still for a moment, Lilith noticed that the two Predator women took full advantage of the time and working together, they got her clothes on quickly. Then, everything turned into a strange dream-like blur, as Than-guan carried her into the first room. She saw a Predator sitting down in the room, but it was a few seconds before everything stopped moving so she could see that it was Scar.
"Well? How did it go?" Setg'in asked eagerly as he stood up.
"Than-guan and her esteemed sisters have managed to remove all of the scarring from the pup's arms and legs. There was also some internal damage to Lilith's arms that was also corrected. Soon, we'll have a perfectly healthy pup living with us." Guan said happily.
"Lil-ith?" What is that?" Setg'in asked tilting his head slightly to his right while cautiously sounding out the unfamiliar word.
"Lilith is Little One's proper name…" Guan began.
"She spoke?" Setg'in interrupted with an elated smile.
"Only briefly, I'm afraid. I'm starting to feel like a mother with a new suckling who's eagerly waiting to hear those first words." Guan answered a little bitterly.
As her son nodded his head in understanding, Guan looked at the ooman who was being held protectively in Than-guan's arms, and silently offered up a fervent prayer to Paya that the pup would begin to speak to them soon. That the little ooman had been made to suffer far more than any pup could ever deserve was born out by the countless scars that still adorned the female's back. It was something that angered her more than anything ever had before. It was a cold deadly rage that boiled just beneath the surface, waiting for the perfect opportunity to explode. The problem was, she needed two things from this ooman pup; first, she needed the pup to begin speaking to her. Then, she needed the pup to tell her who had done such horrible things, so that she could make them suffer before she killed them like the Bad Bloods they truly were.
Guan shook her head sadly before she reached over to gently stroke the pup's hair. 'I wish that you would talk to us Little One, because this isn't right.'
"While I was waiting, I talked to one of my friends, and he spoke to one of his uncles, and they came up with a very good idea. Now, I just need to find out if the pup… Lil-ith… likes it." Setg'in said with a grin as he reached into a pouch and retrieved something.
Lilith frowned when Scar hung something around her neck. Grabbing it in her right hand, she held it so she could see it. Whatever it was, was really warm for some reason, and she was still seeing trails of things, so she had to hold it still for a moment so she could see the details of it. Once she was able to see it clearly, she realized that it was a medallion of some kind that was on a chain, like a necklace. Realizing that it was upside down, she turned it around so she'd be able to get a better look at it. She had to hold is still for a minute after she turned it around, but then she saw that it looked sort of like a solid jet black medal. It had a strange symbol carved all the way through it. It was kind of like a weirdly shaped 'T' except that the bottom was curved a little and the two lines didn't touch. The symbol looked oddly familiar to her for some reason.
Lilith looked up at Scar curiously. She couldn't understand why he'd given this to her, but then the blurry features solidified into the face she recognized, and Lilith's eyes went wide when she realized that the symbol on the medal was the same one he'd made on his forehead. 'Why did he give me this?' She wondered idly.
"Heat-metal?" Guan asked in surprise when she saw how brightly the medallion stood out against the pup's much lower body heat. "How were you able to afford something like that, and where did you get it?"
Guan knew the properties of the material in question. She knew that it was horrendously expensive, because of the way the metal would constantly absorb certain types of ambient radiated energy, and convert that energy into radiant heat. It was that unique feature that made the metal so costly, but also incredibly useful to the Yautja species. She eyed her youngest son expectantly, because she knew that this was not only his first real purchase, but also that it would be his first real debt as well. Guan was certain that she wasn't going to like the price that was attached to the purchase.
"Well, that's a bit of a strange story. See… I talked to my friend, Thwei-de-th'syra, (Bloody Skull) and he sent me to his uncle. I told them the problem, and that I needed a solution, the three of us, came up with an idea, and that was the necklace. The thing is Thwei-de's uncle owes his sibling a favor that he hasn't had time to deal with, so in return for the necklace, I have to go to Thwei-de-Nihkou'te's (Bloody Tusk) shop, and hunt down a lot of Tunnel Runners. I talked with the owner of the shop, and he doesn't expect me to eliminate all of them, because apparently, there's well over a hundred of the vermin, and they've nested somewhere in the vent system. All he wants me to do is try to make a decent dent in their population. In exchange, Thwei-de's uncle gave me the medallion for Little One." Setg'in answered simply.
Than-guan burst out laughing, even as Guan glared at her son sharply. "That boy has got to be one of the luckiest Yautja I've ever met!" She exclaimed with a loud chortle. "I would've had to sell half the equipment in my lab for that disk, and he only has to go on a simple hunt!"
Than-guan couldn't believe her ears. She turned around and stepped over to a stuffed chair and placed the ooman pup in it so she could pay attention to the nowvery interesting conversation. She walked back over to listen avidly to what was being said.
As soon as she was plopped down in the big chair, Lilith looked around and was instantly bored. There were no pictures on the walls, no paintings, and only a few statues that didn't look very interesting at all. Besides, she had to stop moving for a few seconds to get everything else to stop moving too. That made her wonder what it would be like to try to walk. What that in mind, she slid out of the chair, and nearly giggled at how everything kept moving. She didn't even think about it as she made her way over to the door. Stepping into the hallway, she smelled food from one of the rooms across the hall, and she tried to follow that smell.
The whole world tilted crazily each time Lilith took a step, and she had to walk slow just to be able to see what was in front of her. Once she made it into the new room, she giggled loudly when she fell because everything looked really crazy right then. It took her a couple of seconds to realize that she was actually on the floor, and it took her even longer to get up. When she finally managed that feat, she wobbled over to the counter where the top of it was just above her head. Holding onto it, and standing on her tip toes, she could just see a bowl with a bunch of things in it. She would have sworn that she could smell some kind of steak from somewhere, but that was suddenly ignored in favor of what she spied sitting there in the bowl.
There it was; right there on the counter; a big… fat… mango… so red and huge that her mouth started watering just from looking at it. She stretched out her arm as far as she could, and grunted with the effort of straining, but she couldn't even touch the bowl with her fingertips! Lilith dropped back to her feet, and looked around angrily. She had to do that slowly because of how everything kept leaving those weird, but cool trails. Only now, that was a little irritating to her. She closed her eyes and rubbed her face firmly in an effort to get the trails to go away so she could see.
As she opened her eyes, Lilith thought her attempt had worked. She could see a table with a few chairs around it. They were chairs that she thought she would be able to move. She grinned in delight at the thought of dragging one over to the counter and getting her hands on the huge mango that was just waiting for her to eat it. As soon as she took a step towards the table, she blinked in surprise. The trails were back. She huffed in irritation, but slowly made her determined way over to the table.
Grabbing one of the chairs, Lilith started to drag it over to the counter, only to find that it barely moved. She tried harder, and discovered that it took every last ounce of strength she had to move that stupid chair. It seemed to take forever as she grunted, groaned, heaved, and strained to move that one chair a few measly feet, so she could get her hands on the mango sitting there on the counter. Then, with one final shove that drained her completely, Lilith had the chair in place. It was a good thing too, because she knew that chair was heavier than it looked, and she didn't think she could move it any further.
Lilith leaned against the chair while she tried to catch her breath. She didn't know it, but she was feeling another effect of her extended and unwanted stay in the basement. Being unable to exercise for the past several years had served to not only reduce her stamina, but her strength had dwindled as well. She didn't realize or even think about such things as she slowly caught her breath. All she could think about was getting her hands on that giant mango.
'I'm drooling almost as bad as Slobber!' She thought with a giggle as she climbed up into the chair. She paused for a moment to let her vision settle so she could see what she was about to reach for. A triumphant squeal of delight echoed through the room when she pulled the giant mango to her chest and sat down in the chair.
Lilith refused to take a single hand off the mango for any reason. She wasn't about to let go of her hard won prize as she struggled her way out of the chair, and onto her feet. It wasn't until she was standing on the floor that she realized she had no way of cutting through the rind so she could peel her giant mango. Her finger nails weren't strong enough to do the job, and she had no idea where her knife was, and there wasn't anything she could see that would do the job.
Lilith was heartbroken as she stopped in the hallway. Here she was with the biggest reddest, and she was sure, juiciest mango in the universe right in her hands… and she had no way to peel it so she could eat it. Tears of frustration welled up in her blue eyes as she looked longingly at the massive fruit that was actually starting to get heavy. She remembered seeing watermelons at the grocery store that she was sure were smaller than this thing.
As he rounded the corner, Thwei-de-guan froze at the sight in front of him. He knew that was an ooman standing there, but he had no idea why it was here on Yaut, much less why it was here in the medical center. Taking a better look at the ooman showed him that there was very little musculature on the thing's body, and that it wasn't very tall in that the ooman might reach the bottom of his ribcage if it stood next to him. Then air being constantly moved by the ventilation system allowed him to catch the scent of the ooman, and he realized that it was a female.
"A female ooman that small? Must be a pup that someone caught, but what's it doing here; why is it just standing there, and who would be dishonorable enough to catch a mere pup to begin with?' He wondered curiously. Stepping closer to find out, he spotted the Naxa fruit in the ooman's arms.
Thwei-de-guan didn't even think about it, or hesitate as he plucked the unpeeled fruit out of the ooman's grasp and began to score the rind with the claw on his right thumb. As soon as he'd grabbed the fruit, the ooman turned around with a startled gasp, and he saw that he had been correct in his guess that the ooman was a pup. He also saw just how skinny the ooman was. He tore away one section of the rind and handed the fruit back to the ooman in front of him.
Lilith stared up at the Predator in surprise. She'd been sure that he would take her prize away from her after everything she'd gone through to get it, but instead he… he had started to peel it for her! Then, before she could take a bite out of her giant mango, the big Predator leaned down to talk to her. Lilith couldn't help but laugh at how funny he looked with the top of his head still stretched out to where he'd been standing up straight.
"Where are you supposed to be little ooman?" Thwei-de-guan asked curiously as he leaned down to face the little thing.
That was when the ooman burst out laughing at him. He flared his mandibles in mounting anger, and was about to growl at the ooman when he caught a strong scent of sleeping draught on the ooman's breath. Standing up in surprise, only made the ooman laugh a little harder while looking up at him. Concerned because he knew the effects of the sleeping draught, he stepped closer to the pup to try getting the scent of any Yautja she'd been close to recently. That was when the ooman went to step back and fell because of the distorted coordination. The fall only made the ooman laugh even harder than before.
When the Predator had stood up, the trails that Lilith kept seeing made his bottom mandibles stretch out so far that it made his mouth look like it was about to fall off, or as if he might take a bite out of the floor. That was really funny, but then he got closer, and she couldn't see him as well, so she tried to back up a step, and fell down. She thought that was funny too. Then she felt something large and heavy in her lap, so she looked down, and saw the partly peeled giant mango sitting there. That, was when she remembered it, and forgot all about the big Predator she'd just been laughing at.
A huff of pure frustration left his mouth as he stared down at the strange little ooman. He knew very well that coordination, judgment, balance, and even reasoning ability were all severely affected by the sleeping draught, and that the mind of this ooman was most likely floating somewhere in orbit, because it certainlywasn't locked in her head where it was supposed to be! Just then the door to his right slid open and two females came rushing out, only to stop as soon as they spotted the ooman sitting in the middle of the hall eating a Naxa fruit.
"There you are Lilith! Why did you wander off, and where did you go? I told you that you shouldn't try to walk until that draught is out of your system." Yeyinde chided as she knelt down next to the little pup. "Where'd you get the fruit?"
Lilith glanced up at Thingy, and pointed at the room to her right, before going right back to eating the tastiest mango she'd ever had. She'd turned it long ways, and was going at it from one end so she could make sure not to waste any of the juice.
"I saw her standing here in the hall when I came around the corner. She already had the fruit with her. I started the peel for her." Thwei-de-guan said quickly before he looked at the healer kneeling next to the ooman. "Now perhaps you can tell me what this ooman pup is doing here, when it's obvious that she should be on her own world with her ooman family." He added sharply.
"I was taking my Chiva in a Temple of Passage when I encountered her there Elder. Even though I am not all that familiar with oomans, I still knew at once that she is a pup because she wasn't nearly as tall as the other female ooman who was with her. She survived the Hard Meat where they did not; she also attacked one, and managed to draw blood with a blade not much longer than one of her own fingers. With the other oomans dead, and no way for her to survive in the wasteland of the Temple; there was no choice but to bring her here; especially since she was injured at the time." Setg'in answered quickly.
Thwei-de-guan looked the Youngblood over with a sharp eye for details, and he instantly noticed how fresh the not fully healed Blooding mark was. Curious, Thwei-de-guan reached for the mask on his belt to better examine the ooman.
"Administrator, I must respectfully ask that you do not do that. I have examined the ooman pup in detail, and I must insist that no male do so." Than-guan spoke up quickly.
The Administrator of the medical center looked sharply at the finest healer he knew of, and tried to understand the meaning behind the command. He thought about that insistence as he stared at the healer for a long moment before he suddenly realized the only reason that such a demand would be made. The only reason for the exclusion of any type of male examination would have to be because the female had been forced at some point.
Thwei-de-guan's blood turned to solid ice in his veins before he looked down at the ooman pup still sitting on the floor, and while eating the Naxa fruit in a drug induced stupor. 'But… she's… she's still a pup…' He thought in a daze.
He looked back at the others who were gathered somewhat protectively around the ooman female, and saw an expression of puzzled confusion on the freshly Blooded young male. That was when he understood exactly why it had been said without being actually mentioned. "How badly was she injured?" Thwei-de-guan asked dazedly.
"My sisters and I, have just finished replacing the skin on her lower arms and upper legs. The skin of her back is still in need of replacement. I can't say if her condition causes her pain or not, but it's best to take no chances." Than-guan replied honestly.
The Administrator closed his eyes for a moment. Then he thought of something else and looked at the healer again. "Can you tell me why she's been so heavily drugged?"
"That occurred because of an error in judgment, Administrator. She was offered one small cup of the sleeping draught, and where any Yautja would have sipped at it disgustedly for quite some time, she apparently liked the taste of it enough that she wanted more. She was then provided with a half portion in the same cup, which she immediately drained. The dosage was calculated for her size and metabolism, but it was also calculated at being given over a long interval, not within a mere moment. That is why she is still feeling the effects so strongly." Than-guan answered.
"Get her to a secure environment then, because she may well go to sleep suddenly, and wake quickly for no apparent reason for the next half day or so." Thwei-de-guan instructed quickly as he turned and left.
Than-guan nodded to Yeyinde, who quickly picked up the ooman from her spot on the floor, before they all returned to the lounge which served as a type of waiting room. "The Administrator is right. Little One… Lilith will endure some erratic sleeping habits for the next half day, maybe even a full day. She is in no danger, and the only ill effects are that her physical coordination will be highly disturbed. She may be much more compliant than normal, but that's to be expected. The draught has one effect of making the subject unusually happy for some reason. Although in her case, I'm sure she's in need of a release from her constant stress."
"That's true, Sister. After all, she's on a completely new world now, where nothing is known or familiar, and after what she's endured… she has to be under a large amount of stress from all of this." Yeyinde said quickly. "Think about it. There can't be many oomans who know about our existence if they've forgotten what a Temple of Passage is for. How would one of us feel if we were a tortured pup, who suddenly found ourselves in ooman hands, under their control, and with no choice but to be raised by them?" She added pointedly.
Both Yeyinde's sisters and her friend Guan, along with Setg'in stared at her curiously, before they glanced at the ooman being held in her arms.
"Explain." Setg'in asked as he tilted his head to his right in pure curiosity.
"It's actually simple. She's never even heard of our kind before the encounter in the Temple. Now she's stuck on a strange world where she can barely breathe, and under the control of adults she knows almost nothing about; living among a race that is physically larger, faster, and much stronger than the oomans who tormented her. I would think it possible that she's been lied to by adults, and has no reason to believe anything any of us say. I mean, sure we all know each other's honor, and the depth of it, but look at this from another point of view. How can we prove our honor? We can say that we have it, but how would she know that it's not simply another lie that she's being told? From her perspective, I think she might even believe that we would do such things to her! Can we prove that we wouldn't? If we were to say it; how is she to know that we aren't Bad Bloods who lie to her? What does she truly know about us? I'll tell you… nothing! All she knows right now; is what she's been through. So how can she be experiencing anything but severe stress?" Yeyinde finished softly before looking down at the ooman who was ignoring them in favor of eating the Naxa fruit.
Guan looked at the little ooman in her friend's arms and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes as she did so, and carefully analyzed everything she smelled. That was when she noticed it. The scent of stress from the ooman female was so prevalent that she'd actually thought it was part of the ooman's natural scent, but now that the pup wasn't currently releasing those pheromones, she could tell that there was a difference.
"She has been under a lot of stress. I can smell the difference in her." Guan exclaimed in a shocked whisper.
"I know. I recognized it yesterday, when I first met her. Between everything that's been done to her, and coming here, I'm actually surprised that she's not under far more stress than she's currently demonstrating." Yeyinde answered softly.
Yeyinde looked down at the currently happy female that she held in her arms and sadly shook her head. "I know that most Yautja consider my field of expertise to be a waste of skill and knowledge, and there are a lot of cases where they're right…" She began.
"Those skills are going to be hard pressed in this case, Sister! That pup will need your knowledge of how to heal her mind and spirit, even more than she needs our skills to heal the damage to her body. The Bad Bloods who did such things to her aren't here, but the effects of what they did to her are more than evident. Why else would she choose to remain silent? They did something to her to cause that! I'm sure of it, but I can't begin to guess what it might be, or how to deal with it. The three of us can work together to repair her body, but you are the only one I know outside of a Holy Temple who can help her to recover from the mental damage that's been done." Than-guan interrupted in a firm tone.
"Your sister is right Yeyinde. The first time I spoke to Lilith, I asked who had hurt her, and her immediate reaction was first fear, and then a despair so strong that even my most intense purring didn't seem to be of much help. I know it should have calmed her down, but… her sorrow and fear were so overwhelming that I had almost no effect in soothing her." Guan said with angry dismay. "I think my holding her might have been more effective than my purring." She added disgustedly.
"You see? Your unique skills are needed by a pup. I know you aren't fully trained as a healer, but you're the only one who can help to heal her mind and spirit. A Priest or a Priestess? Yes, they might be able to help some, but even they don't have the skills you do. This is one time, my Sister, when it is your knowledge that can make the difference between success and failure." Than-guan stated.
"I know..." Yeyinde replied as she looked back at her sister before glancing at the ooman again. "It's not a pleasant thing to realize either; I had thought to heal those who'd been wronged by Bad Bloods, but I… I never suspected that my first victim would be so young, and so traumatized that she won't even talk about what happened to her. To be honest… I don't know if I'll be of much help when I don't know what she's been through or what happened."
Suddenly the attention of all four females was attracted by the sound of a menacing and deadly growl coming from Setg'in.
Deep in his soul, Setg'in felt a rage the likes of which he'd never experienced before. It was accompanied by an incredibly intense hatred that burned through him like the blood of a Hard Meat. It was a rage, and hatred for those who had hurt the ooman pup so grievously that she would no longer even speak if she could help it. He remembered how she had teased him during his Chiva in the Temple of Passage. Then, his growl faltered as he recalled how she had turned in the midst of being pulled away from the danger that he represented… and smiled at him.
"What's wrong?" Guan asked her son as he tilted his head in apparent confusion while staring at the ooman pup.
Setg'in shook his head slightly as his eyes narrowed in thought. 'Surely that can't be right! Could she have become so accustomed to facing death that she actually enjoyed being in such a situation?' He didn't know if his suspicion was correct or not, but either way, it was a very disturbing thought.
"What's wrong, is what's been done to her. I'm not sure which oomans are responsible for what's been done to her, but those that are responsible need to payfor their crimes! They should be made to stand before her and apologize for their foul deeds! If they are already dead, then I can only pray that Cetanu himself has turned his back on them, and forever rejected their souls, so they will wander the after life forever as prey for everything! May The Dark Hunter pursue themforever!" Setg'in said in an angry growl as his body shook with rage.
Guan's mouth dropped open as she gaped at her son in disbelief. To wish such a thing on the spirit or soul of anyone was the most dire and severe insult that could ever be uttered. She knew beyond any doubt that he was serious though, and she couldn't blame him in the slightest for feeling that way, because she whole-heartedly agreed with him.
"Well said Setg'in. Well said indeed." Than-guan-thwei approved.
"Guan, you should take the Little One home to rest now. She'll need time to recover from the procedure we performed today, plus I don't want to overload her body with chemicals unless it's absolutely necessary. That's why we'll wait until the day after tomorrow to remove the scars on her back. This way she can have tomorrow to rid her body of the chemicals before we give her more. After that, the rest will be up to you, your family, Lilith, and Yeyinde, because it her spirit will be the only thing left to be healed." Than-guan instructed.
"Wait! What do you mean by removing the scars from her back? What scars does she have there?" Setg'in demanded quickly.
"Setg'in you are not to breathe a word of this to Hulij-bpe! He would go berserk if he even suspected the true extent of her injuries! The fact is; Lilith was whipped horribly. So much so, that even though all of the injuries there are long healed, it might possibly cause her pain to be touched on her back even now. Than-guan still isn't sure how she survived being whipped like that, because her back is a solid mass of scar tissue. Her injuries on her arms were nothing compared to the damage she has on her back." Guan said firmly.
"I want to see it." Setg'in demanded instantly.
"No, you don't. For myself, I wish that I had never seen it. I can also wish that she had never been forced to receive such an abomination. After having seen it, I have to believe that Paya was with the Little One that day, and She must have made certain that Cetanu was occupied elsewhere; it's the only thing that could explain how she survived such horror." Than-guan said carefully.
Setg'in stared at the small ooman being held by his mother's friend as his mind raced in thought. He thought about how he and his brothers had been raised; how his friends had been raised; how everyone he'd ever known had been raised, and then he thought about what kind of upbringing this tiny, fragile little ooman had endured so far. It was the kind of thing that made him wonder if honor even existed outside the Yautja race. But then he shook his head, because he realized that if Lilith had possessed no honor, that there were many things she would have done differently in the Temple of Passage; smashing the plasma cannon she'd been made to carry was only one of those things. He watched with unseeing eyes as his mother took the ooman in her arms and began to walk home. He followed without thinking about his action because he was absorbed in speculative thought about the ooman female he'd discovered in the Temple.
He was so lost in thought, that Setg'in didn't notice they'd entered their home until a shout caught his attention.
"Slobber!"
Guan stared in slack-jawed astonishment as the ooman pup she'd just placed on the floor staggered drunkenly towards the massive Yaut Hound with an excited shout. 'Slobber? Why would she yell 'slobber' at Bakuub?' Guan wondered curiously before she cut off that thought with a sudden realization. 'She spoke. She actually spoke! Thank you Paya! Perhaps there is hope in this after all.' She thought as a burst of relief flooded through her.
Then Guan was staring as she realized exactly why the ooman pup had yelled the word 'slobber'. The massive Yaut Hound was using her tongue to literally bathe the ooman pup's face, while Lilith laughed loudly and happily. Seeing her son stepping forward, she knew that he intended to get in on the fun filled greeting in some way. She put a hand out to stop him, and shook her head when he looked at her. This was the first time that she'd seen Lilith be happy in her home, and it was also the first time she'd heard the Little One speak. She wanted to savor this moment for as long as it would last.
As soon as she was placed on her feet, Lilith spotted the form of the huge beast heading towards her. She was in a really good mood right now, because during the trip over here everything had looked like she was moving at 'Warp-speed'. Even now, Slobber looked like she was about to go to warp. Everything kept stretching out, and it made almost everything look funny as hell. Then, when Slobber started licking her face, that long weird looking reddish brown tongue seemed to be everywhere at once, and she knew there was no way she could catch it to make Slobber stop slobbering on her.
Spotting the door to the room that she'd been told was hers; she headed for it, but had to hold on to one of Slobber's spikes. The whole world kept tilting at crazy angles when she walked, and she found it hilarious. She sat down next to all the stuffed things in the corner, and idly threw one of them across the room just to watch it stretch. Suddenly, Slobber was off like a shot! She went after the what-ever-that-is and picked it up, only to bring it back to her. Lilith grinned at the idea of watching Slobber stretch all over the room, so she threw the thing again. The impromptu game of fetch went on for quite a while, when Lilith spotted something else on the floor.
She crawled over and picked it up to see what it was. It a sort of wide strap that had a 'D' shaped handle on each end. Messing around with it, she found that the strap would stretch. She had no idea what it was, but she immediately came up with a totally different use for it. She slipped one handle on each foot, grabbed a stuffed thingamajig, and put it in the middle of the strap. Then lying on her back, she pulled the stuffed toy as close to her face as she could before letting go.
Slobber took off like a rocket after the flying toy that bounced off the wall, and almost grabbed the thing before it ricocheted off the wall of the room. Slobber pounced on the wall and never paused in her pursuit of the stuffed toy. Stretched halfway around the room Slobber looked like she was a centipede of something, and Lilith just had to laugh. Crawling back to the corner where the big pile of stuffed things was, Lilith began using them as ammunition for her improvised slingshot, while she laughed until her stomach hurt from watching Slobber chase them all over the room. Lilith was so busy laughing and loading her slingshot as fast as she could, that she never noticed the door slide open.
As the door slid open, Guan saw something headed straight at her with an incredible amount of speed. Instantly she ducked to the side and saw nothing but a blur come flying out the door and over Setg'in's head. That blur was instantly followed by the huge form of Bakuub who knocked Setg'in straight to the floor in pursuit of the object. Guan gaped at her son as loud peals of laughter emerged from the pup's room. Then just as Setg'in sat up shaking some sense back into his head, Bakuub knocked him flat once more as she bounded back into the room. The laughter only got louder, and Guan hesitantly peeked into the room to see what was going on.
She saw Lilith lying on her back with the strength band on her feet, and a stuffed animal being held in the center of it. Lilith was laughing so hard that she could barely stretch the band towards her chest, but when she let go, the stuffed animal went flying through the air to go straight out the door. Guan reacted just as fast as she would have done in a combat situation. She grabbed her son and yanked him out of the way without a single instant to spare as Bakuub tore out of the room to snap her powerful jaws on the stuffed creature before returning to Lilith's side to drop the toy next to her while waiting for the next one to be launched.
"What the pauk hit me?" Setg'in growled irritably as he rubbed the back of his now aching head.
"Bakuub hit you like an out of control deployment pod. Do not stand in the door, because…" Guan began to warn but was cut off when a stuffed toy went whizzing out of the room followed by a swiftly moving Yaut Hound in hot pursuit.
Setg'in shook his head as he realized how lucky he'd been, when he knew that he could have been seriously injured if he'd been trampled by the large Yaut Hound. "That… that's got to be the weirdest thing I've ever seen her do." He muttered in quiet awe as he watched the huge beast move almost as fast as the deadly weapon she was named for.
"That's actually something very close to what she's trained for. Pursuing small prey that's trying to escape is something the Yaut Hound is bred for. That and keeping the Tunnel Runner population under control." Guan answered softly as she peered carefully back into the room.
"Lilith? Would you mind not flinging your toys for a moment? I'd like to see how you're doing by examining your responses to make sure you aren't having any problems from the sleeping draught." Guan called into the room from her position beside the door.
A malicious sounding snicker quickly turned into an almost evil sounding laugh as one of the toys landed right in the doorway. Instantly the bulk known as Bakuub filled the door while retrieving the toy.
Setg'in started snickering as his mother gaped at the departing Yaut Hound. "She can be a sneaky one, can't she?" He asked before bursting out laughing.
"Yes, she can." Guan answered as she popped her head around the corner to look into the room. Her quick glance showed her that the ooman was sitting in the far corner with her arm raised to throw another of the stuffed animals, but was now laughing too hard to throw it accurately.
"Don't… throw that at me, Lilith. Setg'in got very lucky the first time you threw that out of the room. He could have been hurt or even killed when Bakuub ran over him like that." Guan said seriously, as she watched Lilith carefully. She had been told that Lilith might have some difficulty in reasoning things out, so she wasn't going to take any chances with a Yaut Hound that was over twice her weight being controlled by the ooman pup.
Guan watched as the pup dropped the toy with a huff, and gave a quick two-tone whistle to draw Slobber closer to her. "May I come in?" She asked cautiously.
Guan saw the pup signal her assent with a nod, and entered the room to kneel beside the small female. "I need to know how you're doing. Are you feeling okay?"
Lilith snickered and nodded her head. Then she leaned close to Gwen and suddenly thrust one of the weird looking animals right in front of the woman's face. Slobber acted instantly by lunging at the thing but didn't actually bite down on it. Suddenly, Lilith eyes shot wide and her mouth dropped open as she realized that nearly half her arm was in Slobbers mouth.
"Bakuub! Release!" Guan snapped as soon as she saw what had happened. She couldn't help but notice the sharp tang of fear from the pup, as the Yaut Hound let go of both the animal, and the pup's arm. Guan was instantly relieved that she didn't smell a single drop of ooman blood, which was more than a little surprising to her giving the fanged nature of Bakuub's dagger like teeth. She took the toy out of Lilith's hand and placed it on the floor, before gathering the ooman in her arms. "Come Lilith, it's time for evening meal. You're probably hungry by now, aren't you?"
Lilith nodded her head even as her stomach growled in agreement. The thought of something to eat sounded really good right then. Gwen carried her to the table and wiped her hands and arms down with a damp cloth that smelled funny, before putting her in that stupid booster chair again.
As soon as the food was put in front of her, Lilith began to devour it hungrily, but then she slowed down just a bit so she could watch the Predators carefully.
"So how did things go today? Better than yesterday, I hope." Kwei-vor'mekta asked casually.
"Things were not all that good upon reaching the medical center, because there were far too many males blatantly appraising Little One's skull even though I was carrying her…" Guan began angrily.
"That's true, but I seriously doubt that they were prepared for your response mother." Setg'in chimed in with a snicker. "That growl you were giving off had me ready to run, and I don't think I was even being considered as a target for that rage."
"You weren't." Guan said simply.
"Mother almost gave in to Bearer's Rage?" Hulij-bpe asked in soft disbelief. "And you stuck around for it?" He continued in the same tone. "Even I'm not thatstupid!"
"Brother, if you think I was going to attract her attention by turning to run when she was facing away from me then you underestimate me. I was simply waiting for her to attack those she was facing before running." Setg'in replied seriously to several chuckles from other members of his family.
"So what happened next?" Kwei asked intently.
"Well, I got her into the center, and the surgery went well, although we were all surprised by the fact that Little One seems to actually like the taste of the sleeping draught…"
"That stuff is horrible!" Nihkou'te interrupted in disgust.
"Yes it is, but she enjoyed it enough to drink a second half dose which was calculated for her size and metabolism. Thwei simply didn't figure on it being consumed so quickly, and that's why the effects lasted longer than they should have. Other wise, the procedure went well." Guan finished.
"What exactly did they do to her?" Hulij-bpe asked suddenly.
"Than-guan and her sisters cloned a large amount of Little One's skin and blood, so they could replace the damaged skin on her arms and upper legs." Guan supplied.
"That must have been incredibly expensive!" Nihkou'te exclaimed softly.
"It was; even more expensive than sending the three of you to take your Chiva." Gaun replied frankly.
"So she's perfectly healthy now… right?" Hulij-bpe asked hopefully.
"Not quite. She still has one more procedure to go through before she's given a perfect slate of health. But I did learn something of importance today." Guan finished proudly.
"Really? And what was that?" Kwei asked curiously.
"The Little One's true name is Lilith… and I think she calls Bakuub, 'Slobber'." Guan answered smugly.
Hulij-bpe turned to face the little ooman beside him at the table and didn't notice that she'd literally frozen in place while staring at his mother with wide eyes and an open mouth. "Finally! I can start calling you by your real name. See? I knew you'd like living with us!" He exclaimed happily before turning back to his food.
Lilith stared at Gwen in total shock. 'They… they paid for a surgery on me that was more expensive than sending a spaceship to Earth!' She thought in confusion. 'Why? Why would they do that? Why would they waste money on me like that? They can't! Once they find out how worthless I am… Oh god! They'll… they'll be so mad they'll really make me hurt.' She realized in horror.
Good food, pleasant conversation, and the absence of any bickering had put Guan in a very good mood. That's why she was thoroughly surprised to catch the strong acrid tang of a very intense fear from the ooman pup beside her. I quick glance showed her that Lilith was looking at her instead of eating. That was when she saw that Lilith wasn't eating at all!
"Lilith? What's wrong? Are you choking?" Guan asked immediately as she reached out to comfort the ooman.
Lilith shook her head, and ducked away from the outstretched hand. Then, in a flash, she was sprawled on the floor after jumping out of the booster chair, and running for the room where she'd been told she'd be safe. She didn't stop running until she was sitting in the far corner of the room with a large stuffed creature of some kind pulled into her lap and tears running down her face.
Guan stared in pure shock as Lilith bolted for her room emanating pure fright the whole way. She couldn't begin to guess what had gotten Lilith so scared. She knew that the ooman pup was clearly terrified of something, but the question was… what could it possibly be? She pulled back her left hand, which was still raised towards where the pup had been sitting, and dropped it to her lap. She looked down at the table without seeing what was there, because anger and confusion were clouding her mind.
'What the pauk did those Cetanu cursed Bad Blooded oomans do to you Lilith?' She wondered. Guan knew that Lilith's fear just had to have been caused by them in some way, because there wasn't anything else it could have been.
"Everyone finish your evening meal. I need some time to think. I'll see that Lilith gets something to eat later." Guan said as she left the table and headed to her own room.
Guan-Kv'var-de sat down on her bed as a pure rage coursed through her body like a raging wild fire. Angrily she slammed her fist down on the table beside her bed.
"I have lost the will to be… there's nothing more inside of me…"
"I have lost the will to live… simply nothing more to give…"
"Emptiness is filling me… to the point of agony…"
"Growing darkness taking dawn… I was me, but now me is gone…"
Purest horror froze the blood in Guan's veins when she heard those words being sung in a soft, despondent, and tear filled voice that could have come from no one but Lilith. In bewilderment she glanced down at the table beside her bed, and realized that she'd activated the monitoring system in Lilith's room when she'd hit the table with her fist.
There wasn't a single coherent thought in her mind besides getting to the ooman pup who was now living in her home. She paused outside the door to the room more out of some instinct than anything else and hesitated before she opened the door.
"Lilith? May I enter?" She asked softly.
Guan saw the pup reluctantly nod her head, and somehow knowing that this wasn't a time to be disturbed, she locked the door behind her. Then she walked over, sat down next to the softly crying female pup, and pulled the little ooman into her lap. She sat there purring softly, without saying a word while she stroked Lilith's arms and tried to comfort the pup as best she could.