Chapter 25
Yeyinde was surprised to find Raz'ha's door unlocked. More than that, he was surprised to find Sain'ja on Raz'ha's bed with an injured ooman hound in his hands. Both rooms were a mess. Stunned, he deposited their rations on an overturned bin. The idiot warriors who challenged Raz'ha were shuffling in behind him though they weren't invited.
"What have you done?" Yeyinde found himself demanding before thinking better of it.
Sain'ja splayed his mandibles at him at the same moment that Yeyinde noticed the healing ointment in his lap. His hunt brother was tending the pet.
"There was an intruder when I arrived." Sain'ja's suspicious gaze slid to the warriors at his back. "A warrior looking to steal from the ooman, or perhaps harm her."
Of course. They had left no one to protect Raz'ha's quarters while on their "field trip." They had been stupid and foolish to not consider more warriors would come.
"Will it live?" Yeyinde assumed as much if Sain'ja tended it. There was no need to care for a corpse, but who knew what strange things oomans expected to be done with the dead.
Sain'ja nodded. "Where is Raz'ha and the ooman?"
Usually Yeyinde would laugh and prod Sain'ja for still struggling to make her name sounds. Even Guan-Thewi could make the sounds. Yeyinde picked through the debris because he didn't feel the humor now. There was only an old and familiar anger simmering in his gut.
It was an anger he swore he would never experience again. He tore himself away from the feeling to focus on the mess before him.
They would need to send for Mar'cte and Guan-Thewi, despite it being a sleep cycle they intended to share alone, to repair some of the damage before Raz'ha and his ooman returned. Amelia was tidy. She was also nervous whenever warriors entered her sleeping domain even for friendly encounters. She would not like this.
"I think we will see this upset Raz'ha warned of," Yeyinde said.
Frustration bubbled inside his gut as he kicked aside a broken bowl and scooped up some dog food. Nutritional pellets she'd called them as she told the elder she wanted to give them her hound food. For free. Oomans had a word for this. Donate. It sounded as foreign as she looked with her flat face and blunt teeth.
"Where are they?" Sain'ja demanded with rapid clicks. "Who are these warriors?"
Yeyinde turned on the warriors. "They were here for the same purpose." He clicked his burning anger. "Amelia decided to help them instead of allowing us to break their bones. She is in a meeting now with Elder Durnst."
"We did not do this," the tan one said but he inched back into a more defensible stance.
"No, but it was one like you. They came to frighten and steal from the ooman. For this!" Yeyinde pelted them with the pellets. "For what she trades right now for nothing but a promise that you will be permitted to eat it. You could not wait a cycle?"
The pair chirped to placate him. The tan one didn't back down. "We will help with the repairs." He looked over his shoulder. "Hev'ja, will you repair the lock?"
Hev'ja nodded. "I will bring my tools."
"First tell maintenance to bring new panels. I will begin repairs." The tan yautja turned to the other warrior. "You will spread news of the ooman." His gaze slid to Sain'ja and the hounds. "Ensure they understand we want the friendly ooman to remain friendly if we are to eat."
Perhaps they wouldn't need to disturb Mar'cte and Guan-Thewi after all. It did little to ease his anger. The anger he was not supposed to feel anymore.
Both exited and the tan yautja said to Yeyinde, "I do not have the power or ranking as Honored Warrior Raz'ha, but they will be able to convince the right warriors to ensure this does not continue. We wanted to challenge, not dishonor ourselves." His eyes tracked through the debris and then landed on the hounds. "We did not know of the meat."
"Companions," Sain'ja corrected with a chuff. "They are for making the ooman happy and not for eating."
Yeyinde was supposed to reply, but appropriate words didn't come to him. One thought consumed all others. They were all doomed.
It was only a matter of when.
#
As they walked to their quarters, the halls were empty, making the ship seem eerie through her mask's low lighting setting. They had completed their negotiations, including provisions to restore ranks to warriors who were demoted over food payments. Much of their agreement relied on Elder Durnst being able to pass laws and apply leverage to the right yautja. If he failed, all their provisions were moot.
"I did not realize you were a skilled politician." Raz'ha rumbled pleasure. "Is this what your hieroglyphs are for?"
"My hieroglyphs? What do you mean?"
"The strange things you have been marking on your skins instead of painting."
"Oh, no, well, yes. I can show you, but they're notes. Names. Yautja rules I've heard. Things I try to remember about who is who, and who does what, and what Val'jek likes to usually do. A little speculating about why elders might suddenly take an interest in either of us. I even did a little math. I had trouble with the calculations on the dog food because Val'jek likes to triple everything-I think three might be his favorite number-but the dog food was more than triple. I realized on our way to the meeting that he was counting triple the timespan and tripled that number to account for spoilage, but the part that tripped me up was factoring what I assume is Hult'ah's rapid growth. I can't be sure, but it seems about right when you crunched the numbers for me."
Raz'ha trilled amusement. "You speak too fast."
She shrugged. "It ends up being a lot of extra dog food we don't really need. Which means other supplies he may have provided would have been plentiful as well." She glanced around for listeners though she didn't directly say it. No one was nearby.
Raz'ha let that topic pass without comment. "I am pleased that you are no longer as fearful though I do not understand all that you do."
His hand squeezed hers gently. The green warrior seemed more at ease with the meetings now, but her worries weren't abated.
She let her hand drop from his. "I may have planted the seed of revolution today."
And revolutions were always bloody.
"The elder is discreet," Raz'ha started.
"Young bloods are not." She took a steadying breath and then rambled out what happened in Yeyinde's kehrite. She couldn't look at him as she spoke, too afraid of his reaction. He'd been careful to not draw female ire, to avoid what amounted to revolution. No one said the words, but they all danced around it as they danced around her stolen food. As if avoiding the words would circumvent the truth.
"I am going to challenge Yeyinde." It was a hard and flat response.
"That is all you have to say?" She glanced at his stiff body. "I may have just explained to the biggest gossips on this ship that they live in a world full of corruption that oppresses them. They know it doesn't have to be like this now. They aren't disciplined. They don't think ahead. They're going to say or do something stupid and then who knows what will happen." That was a lie. They all knew what would happen. They would die.
Abruptly, Raz'ha changed to his language and he said, "You will not feel upset." He grabbed her, his big clawed hands lifting her off her feet roughly.
Amelia yelped and steadied herself on his biceps. "What?"
It was like they were having two different conversations and Raz'ha's was turning physical.
"You have not eaten proper meals. You are weakened. You will not feel upset over what has not occurred and may never occur." His upper mandibles flared at her.
It wasn't anger, not exactly. It was a demand. Maybe a reprimand. "Okay, but-"
"No." He jerked her closer to his face. "You need no words beyond your agreement."
With her feet dangling at least a foot above the floor and his wide spread mandibles inches from her masked face, she nodded readily. Raz'ha was being entirely serious. It was better to agree now, since she had no counter argument, and question what had happened later.
It occurred to her that she should be frightened by his confusing display of strength. "Are you trying to intimidate me?" she squeaked out.
"No," he said roughly. "That would only serve to make you suffer upset."
He was still holding her off the ground though and he had dropped english with the exception of the word "upset" which had no clear translation in his language.
"I don't understand what it means when you do this," she waved to them, her hand bumping his chest.
"I do not want you distracted from here. Once the upset begins, you will find many topics to feed your fear before I am able to bring you back to the present."
Her brows rose. "So you're trying to keep me focused on the here and now?"
"It proves effective," he declared with all the confidence of an experienced warrior.
He looked so proud of himself that she wanted to laugh. Except she didn't think he'd see the humor. Maybe it wasn't funny. Maybe it was hysteria creeping in.
She continued to dangle there. A warrior passed them in the hall and chirped an inquiry. Raz'ha clicked a polite reply but offered no explanation for his strange behavior.
This may have been the most bizarre experience in her time with yautja. It was definitely stranger than letting one touch her tongue. "I think it's safe to put me down now."
He waited a few more moments then gently placed her on her feet, but his hands didn't release her. "You will not feel upset."
"I promise I won't be upset tonight." She could easily credit him with preventing it. While her concerns weren't addressed, it did remind her that there was still time. Having another meltdown wouldn't address them, either. She could feel the swell of emotions, but Raz'ha was right. His method had worked to prevent her from being swept away by them. For now. She suspected it would come later.
Raz'ha nodded and his hands dropped. They continued their walk to his quarters as if it hadn't been interrupted.
She kept her voice even and her words slow. "What do you think we should do about what I told the young bloods? Is there anything to do?"
She stopped herself from rambling out the dozen other ideas her mind raced through and waited for Raz'ha to reply.
"If everyone is able to eat their rations, there will be peace." He shrugged a shoulder. "It will not matter during this shortage."
Could she have accidentally resolved the young blood problem by resolving the warrior problem? It seemed too easy.
But there would be future shortages, and there was always a chance their plan would fail. There would always be criminals. There would be a black market if trading was banned. They couldn't stop these activities, but maybe it would be curbed enough to keep the peace. If it didn't- She cut off those thoughts. She promised not to become upset.
She would consider options like Val'jek did. Make plans. Prepare the way she had done over the last couple days. If something happened, they would deal with it. She hoped.
"Did Elder Val'jek teach you to negotiate?" Raz'ha asked.
She smiled. "Not intentionally."
"You use these tactics on him?" he asked.
"Sometimes, and I've attended many of his meetings. We have meals with the elders frequently when Val'jek is on the clan ship too. They ignore me for the most part and focus on business." She shrugged a shoulder. It felt like a lifetime ago. "I didn't always know what was said, but protocol and their moods were easier to understand than all those clicks. Elders aren't reckless. They have little to prove. Plus they always have agendas they want to negotiate. It seems that's true here as well."
He trilled. "Elder Durnst does not understand your ooman gestures or your posture."
"I know. He's as confused as you used to be." She bumped his arm playfully. "I throw in some random gestures just to slow him down a little. But I'm going to be in trouble when he figures out I smell scared when I go in there."
"Anxious," Raz'ha corrected. "Your fear scent is different, and anxious could mean you are concerned over many different things."
"Good to know," she said. "Did you pick up anything I should worry about from him? Any lies?"
"No. He appears to agree with your intentions." He clicked thoughtfully. "Be cautious, Amelia, he may agree now, but he may not continue to agree in the future. We cannot know who else he negotiates with or for what purpose."
"I will be careful when dealing with him," she said, but Raz'ha wasn't listening.
He picked up the pace, making her jog to keep up. It was a strange thing to do when she wasn't supposed to exercise.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Warriors."
She spotted them then. There was a warrior crouched at their door and one standing beside him as they both fiddled with the access panel.
"At our door?" Good grief, would this never end? She steeled herself to watch another challenge.
Raz'ha motioned for her to stop and she planted her feet as he turned away. He inched behind the warriors. Then in a flurry of movement, he grabbed the standing warrior by his tool belt and threw him into the opposite wall. He didn't look to see the warrior sail through the air. He was too busy kicking the crouched warrior to the ground. Face first.
His silent approach turned to a roar of anger. "Get up and fight me, thieves!"
The warriors stayed on the ground, chirping surrender.
Amelia recognized Hev'ja by the door. Had he come back to rob them knowing they were gone? Why would he do that? She felt a pang in her chest at the betrayal.
"Pardon, Honored Warrior, we make repairs." Hev'ja held up some sort of pen tool as if it would prove his claim.
Their door opened and Yeyinde greeted them, his tone nonchalant. "Raz'ha, they make repairs."
Raz'ha spread his mandibles at them. "Repairs for what purpose?"
Yeyinde's gaze slid to Amelia and her heart stuttered in her chest as she realized why someone would repair a door lock. She asked, "Did someone break in?"
Without waiting for a reply, Amelia and Raz'ha were both trying to fit through the door as Yeyinde shuffled out of the way. Rapid clicks and chirps passed over her head and debris crunched under her feet.
"Are the puppies okay?" she asked, but Raz'ha was demanding answers to his own questions about how someone had accessed his quarters.
She was nearly trampled in their awkward shuffle past several warriors as she scrambled to their bedroom. Sain'ja sat on their bed and he gave no greeting as she approached. Her heart pounded and her hands shook as she reached for the dark lump cradled in his clawed hands.
Hult'ah rumbled at her, and Freya was at his side, both trying to gain her attention.
"Odin," she breathed. "Is he?"
"Minor injuries." Sain'ja passed the puppy to her. "He sleeps."
Tears leaked free as she cradled the limp puppy. She inspected the damage, finding claw marks down his left side. The wounds looked wide and grizzly but they were shallow. "Did you give him something to sleep?"
"H'ko." Sain'ja watched her. "Minor head lump."
She yanked off her mask. She didn't want to hear or see anything but her puppies right now. Hugging Odin close, she moved to the dog bedding. It was the only thing still where it should be on the floor. She sank to the cushion and gathered her stressed pets close. Freya climbed on her for reassurances, her body shaking. Hult'ah nudged at Odin and sniffed at her. Amelia wiped at crusting blood from his mouth. Bright green. Yautja blood.
There was a commotion and conversation around her that was nearly impossible to tune out. Sain'ja had interrupted the intruder and several males were making repairs, though it looked like a big mess right now. Raz'ha had to leave to see to some undisclosed matters, and her stomach somersaulted at hearing that. He couldn't leave her alone with all these warriors in their bedroom.
Raz'ha knelt in front of her then. His clawed hands cupped her face, wiping at her tears she didn't realize she still shed. "You will not feel upset tonight."
She gave a nod because words wouldn't form past the lump in her throat.
He lifted her chin higher and his face inched closer. In fact his whole body invaded her space, making her feel his warmth. "None were seriously harmed."
She nodded again, trying to stay with him, to focus on his claws and face.
"It will not happen again." His mandibles clicked emphasis of a promise, brushing her cheeks in the process.
No one could promise that. She wheezed as it felt like a vice tightened on her chest.
"Today is a victory." He gripped the back of her neck. "You did well. All will eat."
"But," she croaked out.
The claws began to knead and he refused to let her speak her denial. "You have resolved this problem. The warriors will know it tomorrow."
Hult'ah forced his body between them to greet Raz'ha, rubbing his nose under Raz'ha's chin. Raz'ha jerked and chuffed at the hound.
She choked on her surprise. Yautjas did not like anything with sharp teeth to get near vulnerable areas like their neck or face. Hult'ah seemed to think he was a human puppy and tried to nuzzle like one. He didn't seem to understand why Odin and Freya could do it, but Raz'ha didn't like it when he did.
The distraction made her realize the males were all watching them. The workers were more discrete, stealing glances, but Yeyinde and Sain'ja openly watched. When she caught Yeyinde's eye, he rumbled a purr for her. Sain'ja bowed his head and looked down-shame-faced for some reason.
Raz'ha made her face him again, his firm grip on her bringing attention to both his face and his claws. It didn't hurt, but it constantly pulled her awareness back to his touch. He spoke in his own language, "You promised. You will not suffer upset."
She took a deep breath and replied in his language, which took considerable effort to process the words. She said, "I promised."
He nodded and his mandibles flicked out then tapped her cheeks with approval. "Our quarters are being repaired by many warriors. They are safe." His eyes searched her face for a long time. "Do you understand?"
She nodded into his claws.
"Good." He gently raked his claws down her arms until he covered her hands holding Odin. "You will feed and exercise your pets now."
"I can do that," she said, proud that it came out even.
He didn't release her. "You will tell my hunt brother if the upset begins."
She started to voice denial. It was too embarrassing and she wouldn't begin to know how to explain it to them.
He clicked at her, his hands gripping the back of her neck again. "He does not know the signs and you will tell him."
Raz'ha wasn't going to let it go.
"Okay," she said. She opened her mouth to add a "but" then closed it. He wanted agreement and nothing more.
"Good." He watched her face for several more moments. Then he gently released her and settled back on his haunches. "Tend your hounds, Amelia." His voice had gentled from his hard commands.
She nodded and realized Yeyinde was holding a container of food to her. She accepted it with a soft thanks, and didn't ask what had happened to their bowl. Focusing on one task at a time seemed to help so she did that.
Raz'ha moved away and into the next room with Yeyinde. Sain'ja moved closer, standing between her and the warriors replacing wall panels where there had once been shelves.
She busied herself with hand-feeding and cuddling her pets. Odin stirred with whines but didn't wake fully. Exercise was on the agenda, but all she wanted to do was hold them close.
Sain'ja must have noticed she wasn't doing as directed because he settled next to her on the floor. "May I hold the female?"
Amelia nodded, passing Freya. Hult'ah followed with a huff of annoyance when the female was secure in Sain'ja's lap. The hound stood before him, not touching but clearly wanting to remain beside Freya. The warrior made a show of petting the female and bringing her close to his face so his mandibles could ruffle her ear. The dark puppy was pleased, as always, with the attention.
The hound watched with laser focus and grumbles of displeasure that couldn't quite be called a growl.
"Are you teasing Hult'ah?" Amelia asked and put on her mask to hear his reply.
"Sei," Sain'ja said. "He is as protective as Raz'ha and nearly as well trained."
Amelia shook her head. "Don't expect me to reprimand him if he bites you."
"The female is in no danger," Sain'ja said to Hult'ah and held out Freya for his inspection. They shared puppy nuzzling and sniffs before Sain'ja reclaimed the female in his lap. She looked so small in his much larger hands.
Sain'ja always took an interest in Hult'ah, watching the hounds every move over their shared meals. When Raz'ha explained the warrior wanted to trade her hound for his meat, she assumed that was why. She hadn't let him close to the hound again despite an earlier offer to let him feed her pet. But the warrior had been alone with the puppies. He'd defended them when there was no one else to know who did what with them.
"Do you want to hold him?" Amelia asked.
Sain'ja perked up. "Will he allow it?"
She nodded and hefted Hult'ah off the floor with both hands. It took some struggling but she placed him in her lap close to Sain'ja. Soon he would be too big for that as well.
"Be good," she said to Hult'ah in the yautja language. The hound interpreted this command as lay down and he flopped on her legs with a rumble, but his eyes were trained on Freya in Sain'ja's lap.
"Give me your hand." She held out her own to Sain'ja.
The warrior followed her instructions and she drew his calloused hand to Hult'ah for a sniff. "Friend," she said to the hound.
Amelia rubbed his snout with her own fingers then brought Sain'ja's in for a touch. If the hound wanted to bite the warrior, he'd have to bite Amelia's fingers as well. Hult'ah had never bitten anyone before that night. While she was sure he wouldn't hurt her, she wouldn't risk any misunderstanding during the exchange with the warrior. Thus far the hound seemed indifferent to the additional touching, neither acknowledging it or showing displeasure.
It took a few minutes of coaxing and petting with Amelia guiding Sain'ja's hands as she cooed soft words to the hound. But he finally acquiesced to the treatment and nuzzled the warrior's hand in response.
"Good boy," she said, keeping her voice soft and soothing to counter the bustle of construction.
Amelia grabbed a hound treat from the floor and passed it to Sain'ja. Carefully she shifted the hound to the warrior's leg as she cooed at him, "Friend."
Sain'ja repeated it, letting the hound sniff him.
Hult'ah appeared more interested in Freya than the giant warrior and traversed the warrior's larger legs to reach her. The hound gave the puppy a thorough sniff and ear licking inspection. Finding nothing amiss, the hound flopped down beside her as he did when they sat with Raz'ha.
She was impressed with the hound's easy acceptance. "Hold your hand flat and offer the treat. But make him reach for it, don't bring it to him."
Sain'ja followed her instructions.
Hult'ah craned his neck, spying the treat. It was Freya who knew a good thing when she saw it and snatched the treat from his hand with a furious tail wag and quick chomp. Hult'ah sniffed at Freya's mouth, Sain'ja's hand, then wagged his tail and looked expectantly at Sain'ja. Like the best beggar, the hound fluttered his stubby mandibles.
Sain'ja rumbled amusement and retrieved another treat from the floor. He held the female back and offered the treat to Hult'ah who quickly moved forward and took the offering.
"Good boy," Amelia said, rubbing down his side. "He likes to have his back massaged while his tusks grow in." She demonstrated and Sain'ja quickly took over much to the hound's pleasure. He was quickly making his demonic happy sounds which made the warrior rumble a short purr in response.
She could almost forget the day as she watched Sain'ja enthralled with the puppies. The warrior had always used words sparingly compared to Yeyinde or Mar'cte, but looking him over now, she realized he was more physically expressive. His movements were direct and controlled like any experienced warrior, but beneath that there was an open warmth his dexterous fingers kneading the hound's back. His expression wasn't excited like the young bloods, but his mandibles tipped up with a simpler pleasure. He just enjoyed petting Hult'ah.
"Thank you for allowing me to touch your hound," Sain'ja said, probably noticing her watching him.
She nodded. "I can't thank you enough for being here and protecting them." A lump formed in her throat. "I love them very much." And they almost died. Almost she reminded herself. Always just short of a disaster.
How long until their luck ran out completely?
Sain'ja inclined his head to her, accepting her thanks. "The female was hidden in the bins when I arrived. The hound carried the other." He clicked praise. "He will be a good protector when he is grown."
She could think of nothing to say to that so she nodded.
"I contemplated killing the male." The confession was a soft rumble and his head was down again like he was submitting for a punishment. "You could have eaten many meals from the sacrifice."
It took her brain time to process what the warrior was telling her. At first her heart pounded because he admitted to wanting to kill her puppies and he now held two.
But he chose not to hurt them and the reminder settled her fresh anxiety as swiftly as it had risen. Sain'ja chose to protect the puppies and that was the important lesson. Doubts and temptation existed in every situation, but he chose to do the right thing.
She yanked off her mask and dropped a kiss on Odin's nose. "Better to starve than to sacrifice what you love."
Sain'ja nodded and continued to massage Hult'ah's back in silence now that she'd reduced their ability to communicate with words. He often watched her from the corner of his eye.
#
Raz'ha and Yeyinde returned and Amelia caught her breath at the sight of them. They were both bloody from fighting. It struck her that Raz'ha had intended to challenge his friend. Was this the result or had they run into trouble dealing with whoever broke in? She'd assumed they left to handle the latter, but it looked like more of the former.
Neither spoke of what happened while they were gone and they made a show of using the medkit. She suspected it was more for her benefit than anything else. The warriors completed repairing their quarters and were thanked, rewarded with some dog food that may or may not have been on the floor, and sent on their way. Then they shared dinner as if the day was like any other with food divided among them and praise given to Sain'ja for securing kali for her.
Amelia couldn't decide if it was reassuring or unnerving to act as if nothing was wrong. Then that too was usurped by embarrassment as her period started in the middle of the meal. The warriors shuffled from the room to allow her to secure some rags in private. There were no comments about the interruption when they returned and resumed eating. They didn't even give a telling sniff as warriors were prone to doing when she bled.
"We can't pretend nothing is happening forever," she murmured.
Raz'ha's hand was rubbing her back in an instant. "No pretend. All that can be done this cycle has been accomplished and dwelling offers only harm."
Don't dwell was quickly becoming Raz'ha's mantra for her. But how did he go from being adamantly against her involvement to accepting and then ignoring the situation? Raz'ha didn't let her contemplate it long. He stayed with her constantly touching, nudging, and engaging her with menial tasks. Raz'ha was keeping her busy and distracted.
Though Odin's "head lump" was deemed minor, Raz'ha even sent for Mah'sic to look him over and talk to her while the warrior was busy reorganizing their belongings. The unblood was not surprised by the attack it seemed, and she worried that Mah'sic would become irreversibly jaded before Val'jek returned. Mah'sic however was more concerned about the fact that her period started when she was malnourished. She could only shrug because there was nothing else to do about it.
Later, they left Sain'ja and Yeyinde in their quarters and bathed. Raz'ha brought a stack of loincloths that Freya had apparently peed on and they washed them together. When they returned, he decided it was important to review the schedule for the next cycle with his hunt brothers.
"I will escort Amelia to her meeting with Elder Durnst." Yeyinde chirped, making it more of a question than a statement. "My students would appreciate more lessons after their oath, if you're agreeable."
"I think I've done enough damage with them already," she said.
Yeyinde tilted his head. "You spoke the truth to them."
"But it was a bad idea." She shook her head. "Do you think you can minimize the things I said to them? Talk them down so they don't do something reckless?"
Yeyinde clicked a denial.
Raz'ha cut in, his voice commanding like when giving instructions to his student, "Yeyinde will help you do this when you speak to them."
Yeyinde scowled at Raz'ha, and Raz'ha chuffed in response. They had a staring match as both warriors scowled and clicked irritation at each other.
It was Yeyinde who relented as his clicks turned into frustration. "I will assist you with this task when you speak to the young bloods."
Sain'ja blocked any more discussion on the topic. "Will you carry the hounds with you, or will you leave a guard?"
Amelia blinked, stunned mute for a second as Raz'ha seemed to consider the options. "Wouldn't bringing them with us make them more of a temptation? Wouldn't warriors challenge to take them?"
They all clicked, but no one provided a definitive answer.
"We will assign student guards," Raz'ha said, then looked at her. "They don't have the skill to defend against a challenge, but they will send word if someone tries to enter."
"Okay," she said. "More like a deterrent."
Raz'ha nodded. "We must pay them with a small portion of your hound food."
She nodded too. "That makes sense."
She had left padding in the supply she kept for the hounds. They still needed extra to make trades and for Raz'ha and his hunt brothers to eat.
#
Curled up in bed and pressed against Raz'ha's chest, sleep didn't come to Amelia. Neither did the tears she was expecting as she laid under the furs feeling wrung out and exhausted. She absently traced a scar on his chest with her fingertips. And strangely thought about how different Val'jek was from Raz'ha.
Her mate still hadn't sent her a message, but no one spoke of that topic. Not even Amelia dared think about what it could even.
Raz'ha didn't sleep either, judging by his claws dragging up and down her spine. Maybe he couldn't sleep, or maybe he waited for her to sleep first. She knew that Val'jek would wait for her to sleep in this instance, but it was hard to tell with Raz'ha.
As quickly as that thought had come, she discarded it. She did know with Raz'ha. He was patiently waiting for her to fall asleep first in case she felt upset.
She broke the dark silence. "You're not like your clan."
He trilled, both amused and confused.
"You're," she hesitated, fingers stilling "honest. You're good, and helpful, and weirdly understanding."
He trilled again and she couldn't see his expression in the blackness. "How many yautja do you know on this ship?"
She didn't know many well, but she had seen many more recently. She was beginning to understand what was being said around her and in turn what was happening. "I've seen and heard enough to know that you're different."
She felt him shrug a shoulder.
He said, "Perhaps it is you."
She shook her head. "You were like this before we met. My over sensitive human sensibilities may have given you a nudge, but you were ready for it. So I'm wondering who taught you to be like this? Who raised you and made you who you are? Where are they now?"
Raz'ha didn't just accidentally turn out this way. It could have been a form of rebellion when raised in systemic corruption, but he seemed almost unaware of the corruption. You can't rebel against what you're ignorant to.
His good humor faded and his mandibles clicked a slow staccato.
"What?" she asked, her humor fading as well. "Did I say something inappropriate?"
He clicked an affirmative, but his mouth said, "No."
She raised a brow. "You said you haven't met your father and you don't get along with your mother."
"Yautja males are molded by instructors." He clicked. "We learn how to be warriors, how to behave, how to follow the honor code from higher ranked warriors."
"I forgot," she murmured into his chest. And it begged the question as to why Raz'ha had turned out so well and the others were satisfied with preying on their own clan mates.
Raz'ha seemed to be giving her comment some thought. Then he said, "If oomans are raised by the bearer and sire, how were you taught to be honorable? You were a pup when yours met Cetanu."
"We have a government system for orphans. It's a place where they put all the children without parents and paid adults make sure living conditions are acceptable. It's probably a little like your nursery, but I haven't actually seen one." She forced herself to stay away from those memories and give only a brief explanation that Raz'ha might understand. "It was rough, but Mason and I stuck together."
He rumbled and didn't seem to understand after all. "Is this not better to be raised by many?"
"They weren't raising us so much as making sure there weren't any emergencies. We didn't form connections with them. We didn't learn honor from them." She shook her head. "We were a chore that they had to do in order to eat. Make sense?"
He rumbled displeasure and emphasized it with clicks. "It is strange to not teach pups honor and conduct."
"Yeah, it is," she said. "So who taught you?"
"His name is no longer spoken," he said.
That sounded ominous and secretive. "What does that mean?"
"He was a Bad Blood," Raz'ha said heavily.
Amelia was stunned. Someone who was labeled a criminal had taught Raz'ha to be ridiculously honorable. It made no sense. "What happened? Was he an instructor?"
Raz'ha rumbled and nodded against her head. "He was the most skilled Saracen warrior, when I was an unblood, and there was a fierce competition to join his class. He had trophies from creatures I've not yet seen even now, and all females selected him for mating. Rumor said he was being considered for a position as elder. I was desperate to join his class so I selected Yeyinde for my sparring opponent. I thought if I beat his offspring, he would admit me to his class."
It was Yeyinde's father she realized. "Did it work?"
"Not in the way I had hoped. I was very young and full of arrogance and thought strength and fighting skills were all that made a warrior." He shook his head making his dreads brush her shoulder. "Yeyinde was not skilled yet and was easily bested. I had no opportunity to show my own skill and the warrior did not look pleased with either of us. He intended to deny us both."
"So what did you two do?" It sounded like this was how they became friends.
"At first I was angry and insulted Yeyinde for being weak, but Yeyinde stood and wanted to challenge me again. And again. Over and over." He trilled his amusement. "We came to an understanding. I showed him how to improve his sparring and we insisted the instructor let us spar for him again."
"And he let you?"
Raz'ha chirped. "No."
"Really? So what happened?"
"He accepted us both because we were willing to work together and improve." He clicked his mandibles softly, not quite tapping. "He had never stopped assessing us while we stood in his kehrite. Instead of judging our skill level, he judged our potential."
"Oh," she said. "Well, that was better then."
He nodded. "Yeyinde and I both learned to excel under his instruction and trained together since."
"It sounds like this instructor earned your respect," she murmured, not sure how to reconcile her understanding of bad blood and the picture Raz'ha painted of his teacher.
"I learned much from his wisdom which led me to instruct the younger males after he-"
She resumed tracing his chest scars as she waited, but he didn't seem inclined to tell her more about this unnamed instructor. Somehow she drifted to sleep while contemplating how Raz'ha's respected instructor, Yeyinde's father, turned out to be a yautja criminal.
It was better than dwelling on what almost happened to Odin or what might happen to the young bloods.
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Author's Notes: Apologies for the delay on this one. I had some work things come up, but I hope it was worth the wait.
Question for the Reviewers: We got some Raz'ha and Yeyinde backstory finally, but not all the pieces yet. What do you guys think about this mysterious instructor that Raz'ha simultaneously respects and calls a bad blood?
Remember that the question is optional to get you started if you aren't sure what to say. Feel free to talk about anything you'd like!
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Review Replies
Thank you again to everyone who reviewed since last time. Especially thanks to those who reached out when the chapter was up late. I appreciate the concern and everyone sticking around through the delays.
Big thank you to Tenjp x2, Michele magnolia, Cityhunterluv, SleepWriting x2, Angle1, Lunarburst23, and EmilyEverlasting. I sent you guys PM replies.
butters101: Thank you for the review! As you can see the puppies survive again! A little dinged up but all right all the same. Sain'ja was even nice enough to admit he considered it. You're probably right about Raz'ha's reaction too. Hope you like the new chapter and thanks again!
jrmf: I'm happy I decided to continue this story too because I really enjoy writing it and getting the opportunity to talk about it with all of you guys. So thank you a ton for continuing to read and reply! I hope you end up enjoying all the twists and turns that develop with the clan, Amelia and Raz'ha's relationship, what happens with Val'jek. Thank you again. :)
ForsakenStar22: You're in luck, the puppies survived! Unfortunately for us, there was no one for Amelia to cut down to size with a few choice words about her puppies. Maybe next time. ;) Thank you for reviewing.
Guest Sep 20 (first): Awesome! Glad you liked ch 24 and hope you like ch 25 as well. Thank you for reviewing. :D
Firestar10590: All the questions! You're definitely going to get some of those answers in future chapters, especially with the sick pups. To give an opinion on Durnst, I think it's a lot from both suggestions. He definitely talks to her in order to figure out how to ensure the treaty remains in tact and no one knows they stole her food. He also really wants his clan to thrive and do better so his thinking is in line with hers on a lot of things, which is probably a significant convenience for both Durnst and Amelia.
Guest Sep 20 "M": Sorry for the delay on chapter 25, please forgive me! Thank you for the review and I'm glad you're digging Amelia, and hope you like the end result with the puppies. :D
Mezzieb1: Your wish is my command (this once)! :D The puppies survived, mostly intact, yay! Thanks for the review and hope you like ch 25.
Lindsey: Thank you very much! Appreciate the kind words and review.
Forestvamp231: You know you have talent, when you can turn, "You should be a politician." Into an awesome compliment. :D That's awesome, you wrote a great review with some really nice comments. Thank you very much! I'm glad you like the writing and hope you continue to enjoy the story.
1WhoLoves2ReadAlot: Apologies for the delay on chapter 25, but I hope it was worth the wait. Thank you for another awesome review! :D
KaityCameleon: Yeah, you can't blame a yautja for looking at a piece of meat like a piece of meat. Both wanting to butcher the animal, and hesitating to do so, does say quite a bit about Raz'ha's hunt brother and their relationships. Even if he isn't super close to Amelia like Raz'ha, being in Raz'ha's inner circle is enough to make him consider Amelia's feelings and wellbeing. Though Amelia hasn't examined this revelation, in essence, Raz'ha's hunt brother really have taken up the challenge to care for Amelia as if it was their own duty (when it comes to the food).
That's a good theory you have going about females and how they might be getting screwed on their rations too. They're all just theories for now, even for our poor characters, so we'll have to wait and see if it's true. But could you imagine that females who stole Amelia's food so recklessly aren't also oppressing other females?
Ah, Yeyinde, our pot stirring trouble maker. Maybe he has a crush, or maybe he's riling up Raz'ha. We'll have to wait and see how that plays out. But I can say it is true that he gives her more credit and has developed a healthy respect for her.
Cov'o is Val'jek's son's name, and yes Val'jek was in the middle of talking to Cov'o when his communication equipment was destroyed. No one knows for sure if that part of the message made it through or not yet. We'll all cross our fingers that he swoops in to save the day! Anyway, sorry for rambling. Thank you for the review and hope you like the new chapter!
CheebieBeebi: Definitely poor terrorized puppies! So you do bring up a curious point about it maybe being an engineer because the door was unlocked and not simply broken. It probably wouldn't be just anyone who could get that done. As for Mah'sic and Amelia bonding: I wanted to fit it into this chapter but couldn't with the length. We'll get a few more moments worked in there soon though. :D
Calwitch: Aww, you're such a sweet softie. They're definitely trying to feed everyone and crossing their fingers that it works out in the end. Thank you for the review, and I hope you enjoy chapter 25. :)
Lily: Sorry for the delay and leaving you hanging about Odin's fate! I hope you're pleased with the outcome and enjoyed ch 25. And thank you for the review! :D
Sleepwriting: You're awesome.