Hades and Rayne

Chapter 21: Elder Dra'nook

A/N: Read and Review Please!

Rayne walked out of her bathroom fully dressed and brushing her long crimson hair as she looked over at Hades and watched him playing with Azure Eyes before he set him down, "Mind helping me out Hades?"

Hades blinked when Rayne held out a handful of her hair but nodded as he stood before she jumped up onto a counter that was level with Hades's waist before she began to section her hair and braid it with Hades helping as well.

Rayne allowed Hades to place the bands on her hair, sitting still on the counter before he clipped the last band on her hair and carefully wrapped his hands around her waist, easily spanning it with his hands before he set her down on the floor again before he nodded to her and headed back to his quarters.

Rayne watched as Azure Eyes tried to do some of the katas he had seen her do and smiled in pride before she kneeled beside him and corrected his stances carefully before she nodded and noted that he fixed his stances when he went through them again.

Rayne watched Azure Eyes carefully before she began to go through the katas again, slowly so Azure Eyes could see all the steps.

Rayne would occasionally stop and fix one of Azure Eyes's stances but all in all her pup was learning extremely quickly.

Rayne yawned as she finally grew tired and looked over to find her pup already in the bed asleep. Rayne blinked hearing a knock on her door and immediately replied, "Enter."

Rayne's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Elder Dra'nook walk into her quarters but nodded to him respectfully.

Dra'nook sat down in one of the large furred chairs and looked over at the female who was watching him warily, "Come. I wish to speak with you."

Rayne nodded and sat down in the chair close to him but out of arms reach, "What about Elder?" Dra'nook replied, "How did you get those scars?" Rayne unconsciously put a hand over the large scars before she sighed, "I got them when I was attacked by xenomorphs or hard meats as you call them. I killed at least a dozen maybe more. I didn't really bother to count. I killed a praetorian with nothing but this dagger attached to my hip."

Rayne shifted so the Elder could see the dagger on her hip before his eyes widened, "May I hold it?"

Rayne blinked, surprised but carefully slid the dagger out of the side of her loincloth, smirking when she saw the imprint of the dagger dug into her hip and thigh but handed it over to the Elder as he held out his hand eagerly.

Dra'nook looked over the dagger carefully, etching every bit of its fine craftsmanship into detail and the resistance to acidity by the light film over it before he saw the clan mark etched into the hilt and his eyes widened even further, "This…This was my sire's dagger. He was killed a year ago on a hive cleansing. He…he told me once that he helped was helped by an ooman when he needed help and gave her his dagger in thanks."

Rayne nodded, "I was 15 when that happened. He helped keep me safe after I protected him as best I could."

Dra'nook held the dagger back out to the ooman who took it slowly, "Do you not wish to have it back?" Dra'nook shook his head, "No. My father gave it to you for a reason and that reason was to honor you. Keep the dagger."

Rayne nodded in thanks and slid the dagger carefully back into the side of her loincloth, "It has been one of my favorites for quite some time. It is always the dagger I turn to when I have nothing else." Dra'nook nodded, "Then it has given you some luck."

Rayne nodded petting the blade fondly as it rested on her side before Dra'nook suddenly grabbed her arm, surprised Rayne pulled out her fanged dagger and had it pressed against his throat in an instant.

Dra'nook pulled on Rayne's arm and she relented slightly, moving forwards out of her chair before Dra'nook reached up and pushed Rayne's hair back slightly as it hung in front of half of her face to see six large scars that marred the other half of her face.

Rayne moved her fang dagger and set it back in the loop on the other side of her loin cloth and held still as the elder looked over her scars closely.

Rayne sighed softly in annoyance before she felt the Elder's claws carefully move over her back, "These are not hard meat scars." Rayne chuckled, "No. That was when I had gotten in my second fight with Hades." Dra'nook cocked his head to the side, "Hades? The dark skinned Yautja?"

Rayne nodded before she heard Azure Eyes clamber his way up the side of the bed and looked over at him and smiled slightly as she moved away from the Elder and held out her arms to her son.

Azure Eyes walked quickly to his mother's arms as she pulled him to her chest and nuzzled his large head, "You handle the pup well." Rayne smirked, "He is my pup. Even if I did adopt him he is mine. I named him Azure Eyes."

Dra'nook blinked in surprise at the bright blue eyes of the pup but purred softly before he smiled, "Hullo." Dra'nook blinked in surprise before he nodded, "Hello, Azure Eyes." Rayne smiled in pride before she bowed to the Elder, "If you'll excuse me. I must get him something to eat."

Dra'nook nodded and walked out of the room with Rayne following before they both went separate ways.

Rayne growled softly when some of the Dragon Nebula Yautja barred her way before she carefully set her son down and hissed softly in irritation at the males before she heard one snort and reach for Azure Eyes.

In an instant Rayne had moved forwards with a roar and slashed all four of the Yautja with the fanged daggers.

Rayne smirked when the males froze before she held up the fangs, "Ice spider venom you idiots." Rayne stepped back as the males collapsed before she lifted Azure Eyes up and placed him on her hip being careful with the fang daggers that she had placed back in the loops.

Rayne stepped over the motionless males and stopped by the med bay to tell Tar'rak of the poisoned males before she headed back to the mess hall only to bump into Hades.

Hades greeted Rayne before he placed Azure Eyes on his shoulder and Rayne sighed, "You know if you keep hanging around me and keep being seen with my son the Yautja will start to think that you like me or are my mate or something." Hades shrugged, "They can think what they wish I care not. I am fond of the pup."

Rayne sighed again and shook her head but followed after Hades, "So when is your punishment kicking back in?" Hades replied, "When the Dragon Nebula clan leaves." Rayne walked up beside Hades and looked up at him, "Which will be…" Hades sighed, "In the next two days." Rayne nodded and mumbled softly, "And good riddance."

Hades chuckled before he handed Azure Eyes back to Rayne and walked into the mess hall with Rayne following holding Azure Eyes on her shoulders.

Azure Eyes squealed in delight when his grandfather lifted her up off of his mother's shoulders and onto his own.

Rayne turned only to relax when she saw that her adoptive father had pulled Azure Eyes onto his shoulders and she greeted him warmly. Bloody Talon chuckled as he looked down at Rayne, "I heard that you sent four of the Dragon Nebula clan Yautja to the med bay."

Rayne nodded, "Yes, they were reaching for my pup and I reacted."

Bloody Talon nodded before he spotted the fang daggers at Rayne's hips and kneeled down to inspect the daggers before Rayne chuckled and handed him a dagger and sat down at the blooded table as a male stood to get her and her pup food.

Bloody Talon sat down next to Rayne as he inspected the handiwork of the fang daggers, "It still holds the ice spider's venom. I've learned that it injects just enough venom to paralyze but not kill unless I had to attack more than once."

Bloody Talon nodded, studying the iridescent blue fang as well as the handle before he handed the blade back to Rayne, "That is a fine blade."

Rayne nodded and placed the blade in the loop again as she began to devour the meat on her tray and handed Azure Eyes some food as well before he stood on the bench and began to grab the food on his own.

Rayne chuckled but ate her own food as Azure Eyes munched on his much softer meat set to the side of the tray so he could reach it.

Rayne sighed softly when she finally got full before she pushed the empty tray away and shook her head at the inquisitive glances she got so the males continued to eat, "What I wouldn't give for some fruit or something other than meat."

Bloody Talon chuckled softly, "We have fruit Rayne." Rayne blinked in surprise, "Really?!"

Bloody Talon nodded and walked back to the kitchen and came back with a large blue fruit, "It's got a pretty tough skin but its good once you get to the flesh of the fruit."

Rayne nodded before Bloody Talon sliced through the thick skin of the fruit and peeled it away before he handed Rayne the large light purple flesh of the fruit that she tentatively took a nibble of.

Rayne's eyes widened at the extremely sweet taste but immediately dug into the fruit for it tasted like strawberries and peaches but had the texture of an orange.

Rayne devoured most of the fruit and what she could not finish Elder Bloody Talon finished for her. Rayne sighed in relief at the taste of the fruit that still clung to her mouth before she looked over at Bloody Talon, "Elder Dra'nook visited me in my quarters this morning."

Bloody Talon immediately snapped his attention back to Rayne as he looked her over for signs of injury, "We just talked Elder."

Bloody Talon relaxed slightly before Rayne unconsciously pet the dagger at her hip, "He said that the Elder's dagger that I always carry was his father's and that he was killed a year ago on a hive cleansing."