Hiii! I liked this chapter so much that I finished writing in record time! I couldn't wait to let you read :) I hope you enjoy and review!
11. Departure
The staircase wasn't very long, but to me it seemed to go on forever; as I approached to that huge door I felt the anxiety growing in me, and in a sense it was understandable: I was about to enter in the "headquarters" of our clan, the residence and the meeting place of all the Elders, the place where all military and political decisions were taken; only the bravest warriors and wiser females had the opportunity to participate in meetings and make their contribution to the community, managing territories, sending expeditions, punishing the traitors...and only an Elder had the power to authorize two Yautja of the same clan to fight each other in a battle that, depending on the rules, could be deadly or not; yet here I was, a simple unblooded that was going to have the honor of crossing the threshold of that magnificent palace, and I didn't know whether to be excited or terribly worried.
The building was huge, a massive metal structure that loomed high into the sky and brightly illuminated by the rays of our sun, vaguely similar to a very high skyscraper; there were no windows and the metal was so dark that it could be compared to a smooth surface of black marble. I arrived with Ate'yo in front of the big door, which was always of metal, and waited for the opening; I tried in every way to have a safe and dignified attitude, but to be honest me I was really starting to tremble for agitation; Ate'yo instead wasn't at all intimidated by the majesty of the structure and waited patiently to be admitted, he had to be used to it.
As I expected, inside the building there wasn't that classic opulence that characterized the residences of our politicians, but it was very sober and empty except for the weapons that occasionally were resting on the metal walls; Ate'yo led me through a series of long corridors very similar to each other, and as time went on and we continued to cross the passages I had the fear of getting lost in the vastness of that environment. The sound of hurried footsteps caught my attention and I was very surprised when from a side corridor Teylar emerged, followed by Alyara; his eyes crossed with that of Ate'yo first, then with mine; and what I saw left me quite surprised: he was furious, he was really pissed off; my master gave me not even a word and walked quickly in the direction opposite to ours; I hadn't time to greet his mate and instinctively I wondered what happened. We turned into the same corridor that Teylar had just crossed and after a few more minutes we came across another large metal door, guarded by two warriors; as soon as they saw us, one of the two opened the door and went in, probably announcing our arrival. The minutes passed and the door was still closed, the anxiety was devouring me
"again the same situation" I said, Ate'yo looked at me without understanding "the first time that you saved my life; you had brought me in front of the Elder and even on that occasion the door didn't open immediately; I started to make you a lot of questions, I was nervous...like now" I smiled amused "probably at that time I was just a stupid and scared human for you"
"Stupid? No; out of your mind? Yes" he smiled "but very brave"
"Don't you regret saving me, right?"
"Not even once" our eyes met, I was happy to have him at my side again. The door opened, revealing a large room with a big table in the center; I swallowed a handful of saliva and went in...Oh fuck; all six male Elders of our clan had gathered there and had their eyes fixed on me, I held my breath with excitement
"Ooman, known as Elise the murderess of queens, come closer" I recognized the Elder who was speaking: Atan'ko, survived to hundreds of battles; I did as he ordered "Some time ago, Elder Set'ni gave you a chance to become a member of our clan and took the responsibility to keep you under his custody; you saved one of our companions who became your guardian and you have been entrusted to a master to learn the art of hunting. And today we can say that you've proved your worth in the rite of passage, facing an enemy far beyond your capabilities with contempt of danger; despite the intervention of Ate'yo in the fight, the council met here is very impressed by your skills"
I didn't reveal any emotion, but my heart was so full of happiness that could burst at any moment; get the attention of the Elders was already a big success for me
"and yet, before accepting you as an integral part of this clan, we decided to give you a new task" Elder approached "just a little while ago, we received a signal from a spacecraft landed on your home planet, Earth; the young hunter who sent us the signal perished in the battle, but from the data available to us, it has been detected the presence of Kainde Amheda on Earth's surface"
I was shocked by the news so unexpected; my body tensed and soon my surprise turned into anger; those creatures...those disgusting creatures! Why they were still on my planet?
"We give you the opportunity to defend your planet and destroy those abominations; return victorious and you will become part of our clan; enemies could be many, so your guardian can accompany you in the mission, if you desire"
"...I thank the council for the trust and the special treatment that I was reserved as human; I gladly accept this mission, with the promise not to disappoint you" I said those words without a second thought; I wasn't satisfied with my rite of passage, and this was a good opportunity to try it again, and then...I wanted to avoid innocent deaths, and not only because of those monsters: if I didn't accept the mission, the Elders would send other warriors that probably wouldn't have scruples to attack even humans; for the Yautja anyone who was armed was a potential opponent, even simple policemen or civilians; I hated my world, but that doesn't meant that someone had to die
"You can go to prepare yourself; as soon as you're ready we'll give you the coordinates" Elder gave me permission to get away from the room and so I did, followed by Ate'yo. As the door closed behind us I began immediately to think about what to do: I had to repair my armor, recover all the weapons, prepare the spacecraft...
"I don't like all this" said Ate'yo
"Me neither, those monsters must be eliminated immediately"
"I didn't mean this; it's a risky mission, and I don't think you're quite ready for a fight like that; Elders have too much hurry to test your skills"
"They do what they have to do: I am officially still a stranger who is trying to be accepted in their clan, a threat in some sense; if they ensure that they can trust me, that I am really a hunter, then I will be only one less problem to be addressed"
"Obviously it would be very stupid to decide to leave alone" his tone was very serious, it was an implicit declaration to say that he wouldn't leave me alone even if I begged, I found it extremely... cute!
"Probably a couple of months ago I would have done, but I'm quite able to figure out what are my limits" I smiled "so my guardian, my friend, will accompany me in the mission" he didn't say anything but just nodded and put a hand on my shoulder. We didn't lose time and immediately began preparations for departure: my armor wasn't in the best conditions and at the end I was forced to replace it entirely, fortunately Ate'yo had already made some spare parts and it wasn't difficult to remedy another laser gun; the weapons weren't a problem, you could find them practically everywhere; with a little patience, I also convinced him to bring Talion with us, thinking it might be useful to find the Kainde Amheda.
To arrive on Earth we would use his spaceship, the one that generally he used to hunt alone; it was much smaller of those I was used to seeing, and in a way I preferred it. Ate'yo began to do the usual routine checks to make sure not to have any malfunction or trouble at the controls; I sat watching him as he walked around the ship and continued to press buttons on the device he had on his arm; and as I watched him I began to think a little about the mission: I was coming back on Earth, and I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the thing; of course, it was an important mission, but at the same time I felt a little repulsion for the world that I had left; I missed some things: pizza, movies, chats with friends, the sleepless nights spent studying...but here, oh, here I got a lot better; I stared Ate'yo intensely, and the erotic thoughts that came to my mind would have embarrassed anyone
"You're smiling, are you happy for the mission?"
"Ah! W-what?!" when I turned Alyara bowed slightly and sat down next to me, the difference in the constitution between us was huge: compared to her, I was minuscule "how do you know that?"
"I participated with Teylar in the meeting with the Elders" I looked at her questioningly, she began to explain "after report on the events of the rite of passage, Teylar and the Elders discussed regarding your admission to our clan, but during that conversation came a emergency signal from a ship on the planet Earth; discussing among themselves, the Elders decided to assign the mission to you"
"I understand; but why Ate'yo couldn't participate? Besides Teylar seemed particularly angry when I saw him; if I may ask, why?" I couldn't forget the furious expression on his face
"Ate'yo is a good fighter, but hasn't yet reached a sufficient title to take part in meetings of the Elders; regarding Teylar, his reaction is perfectly normal, no male Yautja would be satisfied knowing that he can't protect one of his mates"
"...Eh?" I was pretty confused
"He chose you as his mate, right?"
"! Don't tell me you think I have accepted!"
"...Didn't you?" she looked at me surprised, I snorted in frustration; she spoke again "but during the meeting he acted as if you had accepted"
"...explain yourself better, please"
"Elders were satisfied with your progress but still undecided on your lot; Teylar tried in every way to convince them to accept you as part of the clan, and when they decided to send you on Earth he was very disappointed; he tried to propose himself as your guardian during the mission but was rejected, the Elders believed that with a warrior like him at your side you couldn't show your skills; then he went on a rampage, an unusual behavior, for him"
I stared at her open-mouthed: Teylar was trying to protect me?! Well, maybe Alyara was right, maybe it was just because he had chosen me, maybe...I had to talk to him; there were some things I wanted to clarify before departure, also because there was always the risk that I would die
"Where is he now?" I asked
"You can find him in his home; he remained all the time locked in the trophy room"
"Thanks Alyara" I got up "...Can I ask you something?"
"Feel free to ask"
"One male Yautja can have several partners at the same time, I know that for you it's a perfectly normal thing, but...aren't you...jealous or angry? Even a little?" she looked at me with a puzzled expression, I tried to explain "You know, on my planet if another female tries to get close to a man who already has a partner risks life...well, not literally, but it is dangerous"
"...I think it's unusual, our priority is to conceive children strong and sturdy, worthy of becoming warriors; the number of females that a male has is indifferent; personally, I enjoy your company and I can help you to look after your children"
"Well, thank you; you are a friend, but I'm not going to have children at the moment" I smiled
"...friend?"
"Yes, try to learn what this word means, I'd be happy" I greeted her and warned Ate'yo of my temporary absence. I walked toward Teylar's home, I didn't remember exactly where it was but I made an attempt...hoping to avoid mistakes, here the houses looked all the same! After some time finally I recognized the location of his house; I didn't knock (it was useless) and entered, trying to call him a few times; no answer, obviously he didn't want to be found, but I didn't have the patience nor the time to leave him alone; I opened some doors and on the third attempt I found him in front of the wall of trophies while he was cleaning a long spear on the table usually used for the evisceration of preys. I was very impressed, the number of skulls that could be counted was considerable; he turned around and couldn't hide his surprise at seeing me there; but that expression lasted only a moment
"I don't appreciate being disturbed in my home, so I hope you have a good reason to be here" his voice was altered, he wasn't in the mood; I took a deep breath and prepared myself to bear any insult and humiliation
"I came to greet my master before the departure" I approached him slowly
"So you've decided to go...with your guardian?" I nodded "I thought so; you wouldn't last even five minutes alone against Kainde Amheda"
"Teylar..." I started to say, but he turned and began to clean the spear again
"If there's nothing else you can go, I have better things to do than listen to you, Ooman"
I tried to reason with him; I gently called his name a few times, even trying to touch him on the arm; in response Teylar grabbed the metal structure around my wrist and pulled me away, annoyed; ah is that so,eh?! Very good! I always carried a knife with me, so I pulled it out of my belt and hurt him intentionally on the forearm; nothing serious, but I managed to get his attention. Teylar turned abruptly toward me, opening his mandibles and roaring furious
"YOU LITTLE...!"
"NOW LISTEN TO ME, YOU IDIOT!" I was yelling at the top of my lungs "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK OF YOUR DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR! STOP BEING AN ASSHOLE AND ACT LIKE A WARRIOR OF YOUR LEVEL SHOUL DO! AND FOR A FUCKING TIME LISTEN CAREFULLY TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY!"
That was the first time I managed to silence him; the silence filled the room for a moment, when I was sure of his attention took a deep breath and began to speak
"Regarding your proposal to have me as a mate, even if I will return alive from this mission I am not certain to be able to give an answer; and that's because I'm just a weak human being, because I have my own way of thinking and I cannot predict what will happen to me in the near future, if I will accept some of your customs or will ask you to accept my; you probably don't care about what I'm saying but I didn't want to have outstanding accounts, and then I can tell you from the bottom of my human heart that even if you were one of the most Yautja bastards I have ever known..." another deep breath "... I want to thank you Teylar, for what you taught me and for what you made me become" just finished speaking silence returned to the room; Teylar stared at me blankly, making me feel a vague sense of unease
"Have you finished?" he said
"...yes..." I said hesitantly; maybe I had it all wrong
"Well, now it's my turn"
He gripped my arm with such speed that I couldn't dodge it; he lifted me off the ground and forced me to sit on the table of the prey; I tried to free myself but as the last time he blocked my arms with one hand and pressed his body against mine; with the other hand grabbed my face and forced me to look into his eyes; I was about to say something really impolite, but he interrupted me
"This is a direct order from your superior, Elise" he came up so much that I could feel his breath on my face, his fingers caressing my cheek "come back alive, I have no desire or intention to go on your planet to collect what remains of your body" his mandibles opened and touched my face, caressing it; I was wide-eyed and panting, as if I was suffocating, but I didn't know if I was scared or simply astonished by his behavior; I felt his hands loosen the grip and caress my body, but I didn't move, I stood staring at those ice eyes so close to my... his mouth...I- could-not-breathe...
Teylar released me and walked away, giving me the chance to get off the table and breathe again
"pant, pant...pervert" it was the only thing I could say as I took big gulps of air; he laughed amused
"Bring your ass out of here and don't come back until you have fulfilled your mission"
"Yes, master" I said in an ironic tone and walked towards the exit
"Ooman" his tone was serious, he was his old self again "I am a Yautja patient enough, but I don't tolerate any interference; don't forget"
I didn't understand what he meant but it was better not to ask; I limited myself to a slight bow and walked out of his house. Reminder: keep a distance of two meters away from him! I tried to return as soon as possible, I was afraid of losing too much time; Ate'yo was waiting near the ship, I ran towards him
"I'm sorry, am I late? Is it all ready?"
"Elders sent me the coordinates; shall we go?" I nodded and went on board with him and Talion. As the door of the spacecraft closed behind me I thought to check all the necessary equipment
"What did you do on the cheek?" asked Ate'yo; I instinctively touched my right cheek and I felt a little scratch on the cheekbone...Teylar had accidentally scratched me with his mandibles, the thing embarrassed me a little
"Oh, don't worry; a small accident, nothing important" I smiled but I didn't like his puzzled expression. We went together in the control room, Ate'yo sat down at central location and set the coordinates; I was surprised when he swore in his own language
"What's the problem?" I asked, worried; he didn't answer, but he just showed me the coordinates; I learned something about how to set the route of a ship and...wait, but this...I couldn't believe it!