It had taken more time than she thought it should have, but she was ready. These others had not yet realized how aware she was, or how strong she'd gotten. As if by some unknown inner-sense, she knew it was nightfall despite being several stories underground. Her hive had rejected her, but that did not change her course. She scanned the room. There were still too few of the small beings. The former queen was still housed in the liquid-filled container, but she'd be out very soon. She tested it. With the tip of her tail, she attempted to pierce the container wall, and felt it give. Emboldened, she struck it again, and on the fourth try it shattered and the liquid spilled out, tumbling her out with it. She rolled to her feet, and immediately got on the move. The myriad of tubing connecting her to the chamber, snapped and dragged behind her.

It had been so long, so long since she'd moved. She registered some physical issues, but it wasn't enough to stop her. Before her was a plate glass window, built to withstand many hundreds of pounds of pressure per square inch. The ceiling wasn't tall enough for her to stand up straight, so she crouched and drove herself forward on powerful legs.

Craaaaaack!

"Run protocol eight! There's been a breach on Bouvet Isle!" One of the security guards shouted over the PA.

Craaaaaaaaack!

Within seconds, fifteen guards enter the sectioned off area. The area which housed the queen, Bouvet Isle, was locked behind a series of security doors designed specifically to withstand this type of onslaught. Or, at least that was the intent. She'd never been up and loose within any facility, so there was no empirical evidence to back that up. Of course they tested it with bomb blasts, high-tech battering rams and the like, but they couldn't test it with her. Guards each stood behind three separate blast doors in groups of five. It was such that each group of men and women were to give their lives to save Bouvetoya, or die trying.

"Is she actually breaking through that shield?"

"Who was responsible for sedating that fucking thing?!"

The nervous question asking and shrieks every time the queen hit the glass increased exponentially. Protocol eight was being run, which was a sedative administered through the ventilation system. It was mixed with a coolant to slow her. Liquid nitrogen would have stopped her, but for good, and the company couldn't have that. It would freeze her too quickly and make her strong exoskeleton fragile. The queen shook her head. She charged again.

The shatter of glass was spectacular. The gas was instantly shut off. Unfortunately, Bouvetoya was not shut off. She was angry. One of her lesser arms was missing. Her crown was damaged. She could feel part of it was chipped or gone. They had even done something with her visual sensors, but that wasn't so bad. Clear. She could see more clearly. She could hear them more clearly also. They hummed and vibrated all around her. She could feel them through the floor, and she could feel the beat of their lifeforce, and she could feel their breath on the air. Kill. She'd reached out, and there were no more of children so kill was the only thing left. Kill. Kill to survive. Kill to be free. Kill. Them. All!

The shriek was loud and full of rage. She saw them there but something was in her way. They expected her to charge ahead, but she had not survived this long by blundering into death. No. Unlike her drones, she was much too large to find refuge in the air shafts. She tested her strength against the ceiling. She could have done it, but it would take too much. They could kill her in the meantime. It was unthinkable to be killed here, to be killed at all! Already crouched, she bent down even further facing the blast doors. They watched her long sharp tail wave behind her, and then in a blur, it drove itself into her left flank. She screeched as she impaled herself repeatedly, her acidic blood beginning to pool beneath her, and then proceed to burn effortlessly through the floor.

"She's burning through!"

"What's below us?!"

"The mess hall! She's breaching the mess hall!"

They didn't dare open the blast doors to give her a surefire way to the surface. It might have even been better to allow her a small reprieve to the mess hall. Better the lives lost there, than on the streets of New York. She pierced her own hide several times, enough to let the blood puddle beneath her. In a matter seconds, she was falling through melted metal, insulation, and concrete right on top of a group of civilian workers eating. Without needing time to gather her wits from the fall, Bouvetoya got on the move. There were not many here, so a few quick slashes of her tail killed most, the others were crushed in her giant claws, or pierced by her large inner jaws.

Sirens went off and lights flashed, but all of that was inconsequential to her. She tore through the large cafeteria straight into the hall. The ceiling was still too short for her to stand to full height, but the hall was long enough for her to go into a dead run, and she did not need her height for that. With her head down, crown like a battering ram, and screeching like a banshee, she ran headlong into a pair of glass doors, leaving them obliterated in her wake. It opened up into a room vaguely reminiscent of a hospital nursery. It was gruesome. Lines upon lines of small jar-like containers were filled with Xenomorph hybrids of all descriptions. Xeno-tigers, xeno-wolves, xeno-humans produced by scientific experimentation rather than the usual process, floated on their containers lifelessly. Bouvetoya crashed through most of them in her mad dash to get out. Bursting through yet another set of doors, she was met by a hail of gunfire.

"Shoot it!"

"We're still under orders to capture her!"

"Fuck that!"

This room was cavernous. It housed the generators that helped provide power to the facility. It was roughly half the size of a large stadium, and the walls were lined with machinery. The far wall at the end housed four extremely large exhaust fans built into it. It was the only option for an exit, but first.

Pain! Now she could take a better reckoning of her physical condition. She had pierced her own left flank, but her right was being assaulted and it hurt! These things usually did not possess the capability to harm one such as herself, but as of right now they were hurting her. Not yet at full strength, she veered violently to her right and charged the group. They had been firing armor piercing rounds, and parts of her exoskeleton had been shorn down to a thin plating, or surgically cut away. She slammed into them like the thirty-foot living freight train she was, knocking them down like bowling pins.

"Flank her!"

"Deploy the nets, now!"

She tore several soldiers in half, blood and guts flying everywhere. She turned and stomped a small group underfoot, silencing them and their weapons. Then with a single stroke of her powerful tail, she skewered at least five or six people in the world's most horrible shish-kabob. Whipping it, the bodies flew into the air hitting the walls and at least one generator. From above, nets were shot down onto her. They tangled in her crown and draped over the top of her face. She shook her large head again in an attempt to remove it, and then felt mounting discomfort. The nets were electrified, and were delivering a consistent current at high voltage, but it did little more than scramble her sense of direction, and make them harder to pinpoint. Bouvetoya shrieked in fury as she reached up to grab the net from her crown. She got it half way off, when something wrapped itself around her right major arm and pulled. It pulled with enough force to topple her, a few unfortunate souls were unable to get out of the way as she crushed them under her weight. The soldiers had deployed a mechanical harpoon, trying to corral her without killing her as they had been directed, but they would die for their effort. Quickly, the queen got her footing and zeroed in on the cables that had her. With a mighty pull, she swung the heavy harpoon making it careen across the floor at surprising speed. The cables acted as a deadly clothesline, cutting anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in its path. Momentum released her from the grip of the cables, as she shook the ineffective nets from her crown. The remaining few soldiers continued to open fire on the beast, as they called in reinforcements.

The trick with the harpoon cable opened a path before her towards the rear of the room. Bouvetoya turned in that direction, but not before whipping her tail at the soldiers still managing to shoot her. Her strength was starting to wane. She could not be captured, tortured, hear her children hatched only to experience their pain, and then for herself to be entered into a seemingly endless sleep. With the memories flashing through her mind and body in little snippets. She could almost feel the pain of electric shocks, could hear the cries of her children ring through her whole body. With renewed rage, she let loose a deafening screech and then began to move towards the small group. They tried to run, but she was able to swat half of them and send them flying towards the generators. The damage didn't cause a spectacular explosion like in the movies. It was closer to a smolder, then a flash and then the powering down of some system within the structure occurred. From the wall she burst through, more soldiers arrived with more ways to kill her.

Nothing but a blind rage which was as natural to her kind as being hatched, coursed through her. It was only tempered by the equally fierce and natural need to survive. To that end, as much as she would have liked to keep killing, Bouvetoya turned from the new group of attackers and ran full steam towards the fan wall. Predictably, they ran behind her in the belief that they now had her running and cornered. The large fans appeared to be spinning slowly, but that was an illusion. The force of the airflow alerted her of this fact. The objects would need to be destroyed so that the exit could be cleared. Only one way to do so. Turning on a dime, the queen crouched and scooped up two men per hand and tossed them in the direction of the fans. She felt the splatter of blood and chunks of gore hit her, as she turned to grab more.

"Don't let her grab you!"

It was too late for that. Picking them up now with her tail as well, impaling them on tail tips and claws before tossing them like ragdolls into the fans. Eventually, one of the fans ground to a halt. The gunfire behind her had lessened but it had not stopped, and she could no longer detect all the damage at this time. She needed to escape quickly before there were even more. With one last swipe of her tail to keep them back, she pulled the fan from the wall. Pieces of metal and concrete fell to the floor. Faster than her size would have led anyone to believe, Bouvetoya climbed through the gaping hole of the huge ventilation shaft, with soldiers in hot pursuit.


Kujhade milled around near the edges of the landing area, his ship only a few yards away. On the flat hard surface, Yeyinde and Mili were running and playing with each other. Mindful of the statements Jasmine made, he'd promptly showered. Maybe if he'd done that before, things would have turned out differently. Sitting on the metal platform watching his children, Kujhade was replaying only Jasmine's end of the conversation. He played it in all speeds, and translated it as well for a better understanding. The thing that stood out to him the most, was her assertion that she'd meant nothing to him, and that this was due to her status as a human. Somehow, she had reasoned out that his desire to mate R'ka automatically placed her in an inferior position in his eyes. Did she really feel this way? He hadn't meant to cause this. He had only meant to take up on the only female of his kind who wanted him. So long had it been a desire, a need, for acceptance that he failed to foresee all outcomes, or even to check with his mate. He'd asked her once if she was sure, but he could have inquired a little more, or held himself until the next rotation just in case. Now, what was done was done, and he could do nothing to change the past, but he could do something to alter the course between him and Jasmine. She requested him to spend time away from her, something he had never even slightly considered doing until she said it, but he couldn't do this. Jasmine had to be told, today, now, that she was not some baby machine who didn't mean anything to him. She needed to be told that he… that he loved her. Yes, he had gone over that in his mind many times. How would it play out if he told her? He had expressed his love to only one female in his life, and was rejected harshly for it. One day he thought he would climb his bearer as other pups usually did. He managed to find her preparing a meal. Happily, he climbed up her back as she was kneeled, crawled over her shoulder and ended up face to face. He purred loudly and brought his forehead to hers. At first, there was no reaction. The next thing he knew, she was growling and had knocked him to the floor. He attempted another show of similar affection only once more to her, and was beaten severely. This was only a few weeks prior to being left in the forest to fend for himself. From that point on, he vowed never to show open affection to any other female ever again. If his actions could not convince her of his dedication, then that would be a personal problem. With Jasmine, he had felt the urge to proclaim his affections to her early on, but always held back. Even though she seemed to require a verbal assurance along with his corresponding actions, Kujhade always denied her this. After a while she seemed content to allow it, but now? Now, she believed that he did not hold these feelings at all.

He barked a sound of approval at his boys. They were playing and roughhousing, but instead of discouraging this as Jasmine often did, he urged it on. They were more than happy to flip and tumble each other on the hard landing surface. Grunting his approval, Kujhade replayed a snippet of something Jasmine said earlier:

"It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I love you so much Kujhade. I don't think you can even really understand how much you mean to me. To do that, it was only because I love you. You had one chance to have a woman of your choice, and not a second place woman like me. I didn't think it was fair to stop you. I wish I could take it back, but I can't. It's blown up in my face in so many ways. I never expected to find out that I didn't mean as much to you as I thought I did,"

He slowed it down, then replayed it.

"…not a second place woman like me…"

"..I love you so much Kujhade…"

Stopped, replayed it.

"…I love you so much Kujhade..."

"…I love you…. Kujhade…"

"… second place woman like me…"

No! She was not a second prize! It had been his idea to life mate her, his! Why? She made him feel things he did not believe he would ever be given another opportunity to feel. She had accepted everything about him, from his looks, to his hunting of humans, to his culture, and his pups. She had thrived even though she had been separated from all that she had ever known. Was this not worthy of affection? Of love? Of respect and honor? Was she not worthy to have it made known? Yes, she was worth this effort. With a new determination, he gathered his boys and set off back home. Yes, he had been made to leave her presence, but surely that would not stand once she heard what he had to say.

"Yeyinde, Mili, come my sons," he called to them. Instantly they ran as fast as their legs could carry them, and jumped into his arms, ready to be carried.

"Dada, we hunt?" Yeyinde asked, waving his toy wrist gauntlet (which was a real wrist gauntlet which was simply inoperable) in Kujhade's face. He couldn't help but smile at his small pup so eager to hunt.

"Sei-i, but not now. I make an oath to take you on a hunt, but I have much to do first," he assured them. They were so intelligent for their age. This made him a proud sire, and made him think about Jasmine again. They were the product of her as well as him, and she had produced very strong pups.

As he walked, he gave Mili a piggyback ride, and held Yeyinde on his hip. The little pup laid his head on his father's shoulder, and went to sleep. On the way home, Kujhade contacted the small female pup from his own clan to babysit. He had to promise her a certain amount of credits to visit the marketplace with, but she finally agreed.

He made it there before her, but she came up shortly after. She was scowling at first, but brightened when Yeyinde roused from his brief nap, and flashed her a grin and a purr.

"I do not mean to bother you, but this is important," Kujhade offered by way of apology. Dropping her eyes a little at her clan leader's humble approach, the young pup nodded and took the children into the home.

"It is my pleasure to serve," she said meekly, bowed slightly and went inside.

Kujhade then consulted his wrist gauntlet to pinpoint Jasmine's position.

"The common area? Why would you go there?" He muttered to himself. Then, his eyes rounded in horror. There was nothing to be found there, but a congregation of very horny males. He double-checked all his weapons, and briskly made his way to Jasmine.

[][][][][]

It was crowded. All the long tables were full from end-to-end with raucous males. They were eating, arguing, laughing, and slightly on the verge of a fight every few minutes. Jasmine stood on the outskirts, kicking herself mentally for coming here as if she were headed to the local unpopulated bar back home. She glanced over her shoulder in the general direction of her home. There was no way she could have stayed there, so here she was.

"Here goes nothing Jazz. Just don't look eye-to-eye within anyone, and definitely don't flirt," she chided herself. The old Jasmine defaulted to flirting with other guys, and having one-night-stands when her boyfriends made her mad. This couldn't be like that. Kujhade wasn't just her boyfriend, or her john, he was her husband, and she would behave as such. She walked to what struck her as a buffet area. There was no one serving food. It simply sat available on a first-come-first-served basis. The only time there were servers were for the drinks, and to replace empty platters of food at the buffet. At the end of the buffet line, she was surprised to find there was a sort of bar, however it was also crowded. Not knowing where to go, but not wanting to return home just yet, Jasmine grabbed an empty platter and began to pick out things she was familiar with.

Across the large outdoor lunch area, Thwei Nikhou'te spotted the young human female as she entered. He sat at one end of a long table by himself, the other yautja avoiding his company. They did not want to upset him, or garner his attention. His reputation as a fierce hunter, and as a male you didn't want to deal with during mating season, had always preceded him. Now, the reputation would be proven again, as he set his sights upon her. She had picked out a little food, not enough for anyone to gain nourishment from as far as he was concerned. Her scent was still very sweet and inviting, and it was tinged with just the right amount of anxiety. She was not displaying any outward fear, which was even more attractive. He also noted that she was again without her mate, and now she was without her pups. Nikhou'te rose from his seat, and made his way towards her, a rumble starting in his chest already.

Jasmine had found one little spot at the very end of a bench where she was going to take a seat, until she saw a large male in her periphery. He was headed straight towards her. Turning to face him squarely, she realized it was the elder male from before. He still donned his long flowing cape, and he had on a lot less armor than she thought he did earlier. He was obviously advanced in age if the length of his tusks, and the amount of thorns on his face were any indication, but his body showed no sign of weakness. A part of her liked where this could potentially go. He had shown interest and since it was mating season, it would be quite a simple matter to seduce him, but she had to contain herself and be careful. These were not men, and could not be easily swayed off course once they put their minds to something. The other part of her, was fearful of this same potential. His purring and clicking brought her out of her thoughts, and she snapped her eyes up to his face, while avoiding long eye contact.

Thwei was pleased. Her mate had taught her well their ways. She gave him enough eye contact to acknowledge his presence, but not nearly enough to upset or challenge him. The males on the bench not a couple of yards from where they stood quieted down as they watched this strange encounter. Without saying anything, Thwei Nikhou'te brought up his wrist gauntlet, and pressed a few buttons. From nowhere, a holographic image of her and Kujhade came up, complete with sounds. It was the last time they'd had sex publicly at one of the mating gatherings. Thwei locked eyes with the small human and tilted his head to the side.

The blood couldn't rush to her cheeks fast enough. True to everything she'd learned about them, someone had recorded it. They recorded all new experiences, and pretty much everything else that struck their fancy. Now she was some kind of intergalactic porn star, and this male was showing Jasmine her own work as if to confirm that she was the woman in the video. It was starting to draw more attention, as the sounds of her moaning and calling Kujhade's name was starting to fill the newfound quiet in the large outdoor eating area.

"Could you do me a favor and put that away, please?" Jasmine asked, looking around at all the males who had seen it, and were now looking at her with interest. Without any hesitation, he did as she asked.

"The pale hunter your mate?" He asked in pretty good English. He then looked around in exaggerated fashion. "Not here. Not protect you?"

"What makes you think I need protection?" Jasmine asked haughtily. She put her hand on her hip and tossed her hair, which seemed to elicit an amused chuff from the elder.

"Mating season. Desperate males. Sweet female scent. Human needs protecting," he said, and then offered a large hand for her to take. Oh this one was a piece of work, but she felt a tinge of shame that he was absolutely correct in all his assessments so far.

"And what about you? You're not a desperate male that I need to be protected from?" She asked. He clicked and then shook his head.

"Dissssciplined. Not young pup," and stood proud. Now, it was her turn to chuckle, but only a little. She put her poker face back on. Jasmine looked at the outstretched hand, then back up at the elder.

"Are we going somewhere?" She asked, and he chuffed again. "I'm glad you find me so funny."

"Come eat," he offered then, beat his chest twice. "Thwei Nikhou'te. Feared clan leader, elder among hunters," he stated proudly in his own language, then stretched his hand out again.

"Well, nice to meet you Thwei. My name is Jasmine, but I don't need your hand. Walk," she commanded. He gave her a look of appreciation, turned around, and then strode off.

Keeping a good pace behind him, he led her to his seat, an island in a sea of yautja. They sat across from each other in silence. She began to pick at her food, painfully aware that he was not eating at all, but watching her intently, purring all the while.

"You can stop purring at me. It's not going to get you anywhere," Jasmine said, now looking him firmly in the eye. He clicked, both liking and not liking her direct look.

"Do you not like this? Your mate does not purr at you?" He asked, taking a swig of c'nlip from a huge metal mug.

"All the time," Jasmine answered, then took a bite of food.

"Is the pale hunter your life-mate, or only for this season?" Thwei asked, going back to his native language.

"You're all up in my business, but yeah he's my life mate. Why?" She asked suspiciously. Telling your business to strangers was just simply something you didn't do.

"I believe you would outshine every trophy that I have acquired, and I have acquired many," he said matter-of-factly, and followed it up with a low, sensual purr.

Jasmine stopped, fork in mid-air. Her eyes trailed back up to his face. His eyes were a beautiful greyish color, ringed in gold. A slight growl underlined his purring, but otherwise he did not stop, and she did not flinch.

"What is that supposed to mean exactly?" She asked finally, food still hanging in the space between the plate and her mouth. Thwei clicked and cleared his throat. He sat up higher in his seat and gave her a stern look.

"This is the final cycle in which I will seek to sire younglings. After that, I will not sire anymore, but I still desire a mate," he said.

"And you think I'm gonna be your mate?" Jasmine asked incredulously. He tilted his head to the side.

"Perhaps. If you agree," he said, as if that should have been an obvious conclusion.

"You've got some mighty big balls to just walk up and figure I'm supposed to just agree to go off with you and be your woman," she said, snorting a laugh at what had to be a joke. The only issue was that these guys didn't joke.

"My reproductive organs are quite large. Do you want to…?"

"No!" Jasmine said quickly, nearly choking off the small bite of food she was trying to eat. "I do not need to see your… I didn't even mean it literally. Look, I don't know what the hell is going on, but whatever it is, it's over with," Jasmine said, wiping her mouth and getting up from her seat. A large hand stopped her, grabbing her by the wrist.

"Jassssmiiiine," he said, switching back to English to say her name. "Do not leave," and even though he left off 'please' at the end, it was evident that this was not meant as a command.

"What do you want from me?" She asked, becoming annoyed and a bit unnerved. He was being 'sweet' in a yautja way, and she couldn't figure out why he would be acting this way. A desire to have sex with her wouldn't have made him speak and act as he was doing now. He stared at her a long time, long enough to make the question hang in the air, and make the moment awkward. At the same time, he had begun to caress her wrist and arm, as a low purr once again emanated from him. She found herself held by his gaze. His eyes held her own, but he didn't seem angered by it. He appeared to be thinking deeply about something that she could not imagine, and he also seemed to be searching for a way to say what was on his mind.

"The sire of my sire mated a human female. My sire was the product of that coupling. For many cycles, they kept their mating and the youngling a secret from all. He would visit her on Earth, going frequently under the guise of a hunt, until it was found out that he had not only mated a human, but had offspring from her," Thwei said suddenly. Jasmine's attention was immediately captured by his tale. Slowly, she seated herself, forgetting completely that he still had a gentle grasp on her wrist and arm, and had not once stopped caressing it.

"What does any of this have to do with…" she began, but he held his hand up to stop her.

"Once the leader of his clan realized the situation he demanded that my sire's sire… what would a human call this?" He asked suddenly.

"Your grandfather. Your sire's sire, is your grandfather," she offered. He nodded.

"My grandfather was labeled as a bad blood, and to regain his status, he was commanded to kill the female and the pup. He refused. Instead, he pleaded to have her and pup brought among them. He took the chance that since she had been able to birth a pup, and the fact that they bore no human appearance, that they would both prove strong enough to survive. Eventually, this was granted, but it was difficult. The human female was ordered to be separated from her mate for the whole time. My grandfather was held prisoner. If the woman and the pup survived, and proved strong, he could live and his honor restored. If they died, or proved weak, his bad blood status would have been deemed correct and as such he would have been killed," he continued, delighting in the way Jasmine was listening so closely.

"What happened?" She asked in a small voice. It was almost the voice of a child listening to very good bedtime story.

"When the suckling was weaned, the female was trained briefly, given only the most essential weapons, and made to perform a chiva. It wasn't kiande amedha, but the prey was no less fierce. For two days the chiva lasted. On the night of the second day, after all hope of her life had passed, and my grandfather was to be sent to the black hunter, she returned triumphant. They were not killed, but they were cast out for their choosing of one another, and for bringing a hybrid into existence. They thought a hybrid would be weak, but my sire was strong. I took over his clan after defeating him in a duel of his request. It was my honor to do so, and his honor to die at my hand," he said finishing his story, but still looking as if he had more to say.

Jasmine was outwardly calm, but inside she was reeling. This yautja, whom others of his kind seemed to fear, had just told her an intimate story of his lineage. This was something Kujhade had never done. He never regaled her with stories of his growing up, of his many battles, of his struggles, nor his triumphs. Sure, he told her about different hunts, and the trophies he'd gained. Every hunter was proud to talk about those things, but any time it got too personal, too deep, went into too much of his past, he would abruptly stop speaking. The silence was usually followed by him getting up and leaving the room altogether. Kujhade was so private, that in this instant Jasmine realized that she did not know much about the man she'd pledged to spend her life with, the man she'd pledged her heart and love to.

"There must have been something about that human female that made my sire's sire go to great lengths, and endure the title of bad blood for her sake and the sake of his suckling. Either you lack this thing, or the pale hunter is blind to it. He has left you alone at a time when you would be in much danger. If he is your life mate, then why is he not here with you?" Thwei asked, all the while caressing her arm.

His mind was moving a mile a minute. So, this was what a human female felt like when you weren't pushing the unarmed ones aside to get to your kill? This is what they smelled like when they weren't soiling themselves in complete terror of you? He could get used to this. She had not rejected his touch, which was a good sign. Yautja females neither required, nor expected you to caress them. This human seemed to respond to it just fine, so what other course of action to take than the one which was yielding you the results you wanted? Jasmine was truly pyode amedha. She was small, delicate, and he briefly allowed himself to imagine what it must be like to have her underneath him, moaning in pleasure as she had done with her young but neglectful mate. The very thought of her screaming his name as he drove himself into her small frame repeatedly, made him release a powerful purr. Jasmine was at a loss for words. She flinched a bit as his purr got louder, and his grip on her wrist a little tighter. He'd scratched the table with his free hand, and his eyes blazed suddenly. Jasmine was accustomed to them, but sudden flashes of their true predatory nature always startled her. You just never truly got used to that no matter how much time you spent around them. She tried to think of something to say, but a voice boomed from the end of the long bench they were seated at.

"Her life mate his here, and you need to remove your hands from her, now!" Kujhade's deep baritone voice sounded in the vast eating place, shushing all other talk and merriment.

As though he had been expecting such an outburst, Thwei Nikhou'te rose to his feet, shook his dreads and stepped towards Kujhade. All eyes were on them, and the tension of a pending battle crackled through the air like electricity.

"Jasmine!" Kujhade barked, and her feet moved of their own free will, as she scrambled to him.

"Kujhade, it's okay," she said, but he took an arm, and pushed her behind him protectively.

"The pale hunter. Your reputation is well known among the clans. You are an elite hunter, an arbitrator, and shunned by all females of our kind. Tell me, young pup, do you really want your mate, or would you rather be rid of her? I can relieve you of her if you like," Thwei said, and then casually took out his combi-stick and lengthened it.

At that, Kujhade started growling loudly. He took out his own staff and made it at the ready. He'd heard of this particular elder. Thwei Nikhou'te was known for many things, one of which was the ability to woo a female away from her mate, sometimes during the act itself, whenever he made his presence known. Many females flocked to him, willingly ending a mating session with another male, to offer themselves to him. Supposedly, he'd sired somewhere upwards of two hundred pups, with the vast majority not only surviving their chiva, but dominating it.

Kujhade had been all set to express himself to Jasmine, but he had also been ready to grab her from the clutches of any male attempting to coerce her into mating. It was a little bit of a surprise to find the one and only Thwei Nikhou'te in the act of purring to and petting his mate. The worst part, the part Kujhade decided he couldn't concentrate on, was the way she seemed to respond to Thwei. She was sitting there letting him rub her, listening to whatever he was saying; the same way she did with him whenever he told her of some hunt he'd been on, or some duel he'd won. This thought angered him. How dare this elder believe he could come and take his mate from him?!

"She belongs to me! We are life-mated, and it is best for you to stand down," Kujhade said in his one attempt to stave off this battle. Thwei Nikhou'te was more than formidable, and although he wasn't afraid of the elder, Kujhade knew that it would be no easy victory. Meanwhile, Jasmine took a look around and realized her children were nowhere to be seen.

"Where're the boys?" She asked, then remembered she could track them on her own wrist gauntlet, which she did immediately. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw they were at home, and that the young female was also there. With that mini-crisis averted, she turned her attention to the impending fight. It was a fight over her, even though she had made no mention of wanting to have any sex with anybody. Sure, the elder was almost romantic in his approach. He was sexy, very sexy, and she struggled not to let her imagination roam free. For all intents and purposes, he was not only speaking about mating her temporarily, but taking her as his own on a more permanent basis. She didn't know how she had managed to capture his attention in such grand fashion, but she did know that no matter what the outcome, she wasn't going to leave Kujhade on the back of a fight, to go hurtling through space with some other male. If this had happened at the beginning, at the start of her and Kujhade it would've worked, but not now. They had just begun to circle one another, when Jasmine once again inserted herself between two males about to fight. It had never gone well for her, but the millionth time might be the charm.

"Wait, wait, wait! Stop!" She said jumping between them with her arms out like a referee trying to stop a fight. Both of them growled fiercely at her, as a collective click went up from the gathered crowd like a gasp.

"How many times must you do this before you realize you will be killed Jasmine?!" Kujhade bellowed, as he reached to grab her. She nimbly dodged, and shook her head.

"Listen to me. If this fight is about who I'm going to mate, then you might as well stop," she said, happy that they seemed to be halfway listening, although the tension hadn't really died down.

"Thwei, you are very sweet. I appreciate how you wanted to talk to me, and that you would try to challenge for my attention. The truth is, that even if you win I will not mate you. I won't have sex with you, and I'm not going away with you either. I am Kujhade's mate, and I will always be Kujhade's mate," she said. All was quiet as the two males seemed to be digesting those words. Thwei spoke up first.

"If I beat him, you must at least consider it, since I will have proved the stronger male," he said, trying to get her to listen to reason. Astonishingly, Kujhade nodded.

"Jasmine, you know the terms. If he defeats me, then, he will be a better mate," he said, the anguish evident in his voice, and the anxious clicks that followed his words.

"See, this is where we're different. I don't need to watch my man get beaten bloody, or watch him beat somebody else to figure out who I want. Your females are swayed by that kind of shit, but not me. I love Kujhade, and there's no mating squabble he can get into that's gonna change my mind about it. So, both of you back off, put your weapons up, and Kujhade, we can go home," Jasmine said, still refereeing. She looked pensively from one to the other, hoping like hell they would just chill out.

Thwei stared hard for a few moments. Eventually, he collapsed his spear, and stood back. Unexpectantly, he graced her with a wonderful smile, and then followed that up with a slow once over. He then addressed Kujhade.

"You are a young pup, and the story of your survival and your status as outcast is well-known. There is a certain quality that your human mate holds, that I desire to possess and know for myself before I meet the black hunter. If you remain heedless of this, you will meet many more challenges and she will not be there to stop them. Be mindful of your mate, pale hunter, or she may not be your mate much longer," Thwei admonished. Kujhade growled again loudly, but seemed to be somewhat chastened by what the elder had to say. Jasmine thought it was very kind, and sought to speak another word.

"Thwei, even though I can't be with you, I know at least a few women back home, who would love to have a handsome elder as their mate. I hope you find one, one day," she said to him.

"I am honored by your words Jasmine. At the moment, I am searching for only one female. If you happen to find her, tell her that she owes me a suckling. Her name is R'ka," he said looking directly at Kujhade now. "Let her know that I spared her life after taking her clan for one reason, and one reason only. If she does not deliver, I have no choice but to kill her to complete my victory. You are the arbitrator, so I expect this will not be difficult for you," Thwei said to Kujhade, then turned on his heels, and walked away.

Dumbfounded by everything that had been said by both Thwei and Jasmine, Kujhade collapsed his weapon, and looked down at his mate. Jasmine had walked up to him tentatively, hoping that he wasn't too agitated to allow her to touch him. He purred a little, just to let her know it was alright. He reveled in the feel of her soft hand on his arm, trying to gently pull him with her. Wordlessly, they both struck out towards home.

[][][][][]

R'ka watched as Kujhade strode off, leaving his pups behind. As usual, he was always leaving something important behind. From a nearby rooftop, a cloaked R'ka jumped onto Kujhade's roof and slipped down. Without knowing how long he was going to be gone, she knew she had to make this quick. She stood before the door just a brief moment before politely knocking on it. A few moments later, it opened to reveal a female youngling watching over the pups.

"Who are you?" The young female growled, popping her wrist blades and taking a stance.

"No one you should be concerned about," R'ka said, and then quickly punched the young female in the face, knocking her out. She stepped over her and closed the door. The pups were asleep in their pit, but woke up at the commotion. They both watched her as she slowly approached, and then squatted down on her haunches. She reached out to Mili, who graced her with an uncertain smile, and petted his crest.

"Hello, little one," she said, and grabbed him in her arms.


A/N: I love Elder Thwei Nikhou'te! He's got moves, and Kujhade should've had a pen and pad handy, lol. Also, R'ka seems a bit desperate. She's also playing with fire. Jealous heffa + messing with people's kids = premiered on Worldstar!

Our dear queen has mounted her own escape as well. This is my last prewritten chapter, so I now have no idea of exactly where she's going, or what happens to her after this, but I think I sort of like her too. She doesn't have a lot of coherent thought, but that doesn't stop her from acting on her impulses. I hope I wrote her escape scene believably. I think she's a lot to handle, and her age has made her tougher than most. In truth, she is so old that she might be an empress rather than a queen. I hadn't thought about that until now :(

Anyway, thanks so much to all my readers, followers, favoriters, reviewers, and pm'ers. You guys provide more help and feedback than I think you realize. Since you don't know where I'm going with the story, you give me extremely 100% genuine responses as they strike you. I use it as a litmus test for what I want to write, vs what you want to see written. Believe it or not, at least one of you will always nail the direction. (That may or may not be a good thing. Either great minds think alike, or I'm extremely predictable) Conversely, I sometimes have a course in my head, and receive negative feedback on it, before I've even presented it in the story. So, you guide me in a way. I think most writers would kill to have such direct feedback on what they write as it gets written, so I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity and for all of your responses! :D