The male slowly lowered one leg to the ground, then the other, moving like a predator stalking its prey. He straightened in front of her, dwarfing her with his height. Steady yellow eyes with orange just around the irises kept her gaze and held her mesmerized. They didn't wander to her body or even the other yautja females.

Asha shook off her surprise, "That was stupid. You could have caused an accident!"

His voice was deep and husky, "Your scent called me to you."

She felt her cheeks flush with heat.

He took a step forward, "You're the one I've been searching for."

"Right. Like that's not creepy."

Asha sheepishly turned away to continue down the street. When she turned up a set of steps though, out of the corner of her eye she saw the male. She chewed on her lower lip. After another minute, she glanced over her shoulder. He was still following her.

Asha snaked through the streets to lose him. She turned down one street, then another. She backtracked and leaped down a set of steps, trying not to leave a scent to trail. After going through an underground tunnel, she thought she'd lost him. She'd have to hurry if she wanted to catch the next sparring lesson.

She went to turn around at a dead end and faced the male. Asha didn't run. She calmly turned and headed to the ladder. As soon as she touched the first rung, a low growl vibrated through the air. She cringed but started climbing.

There was a swoosh in the air, then a clang above her head. A jagged piece of metal had sliced into the ladder and was embedded into the rock. Her stalker had intentionally thrown it. Asha hugged herself against the rungs, her heart in a panic. The ladder creaked.

She clung to the metal as it peeled away from the wall. Her legs slipped first, and she couldn't hold on with the weight of her armor. Her hands were torn from the ladder. She dropped to the ground and fell back. It was jarring, but the armor kept her from injury.

Asha pushed herself up with a scowl, "What's wrong with you?"

"It's time to stop playing hard to get."

"That is destruction of public property!"

The stern look on her face wavered as the male sauntered forward. She tried to take a step back, but her armor clanked against the wall. Asha drew her dagger and held it in front of her. The male made a delighted hum before he smacked the flat side of the blade, whipping it out of her hand. She reached for her metal cuff then but remembered it had been taken off.

She was on her own.

Asha focused on keeping herself calm and her breaths even. Quick movements weren't a good idea with a species that had a strong predatory drive. She wouldn't strike him. If she touched him first, he had the liberty to put his hands on her. That didn't leave her with many options.

She tried to diffuse the situation, "I'm not taking any mates right now."

"I must have you."

"No."

"Why? Are you unhappy with my appearance?"

She pressed her back into the wall, "No, you look like a very virile male. I'm sure any other female would be honored."

"But you aren't interested?"

She held her breath. She wasn't sure how he'd react to being turned down, "Well, no."

He took a step back, turning away some, "I was expecting a different response."

His mandibles lowered for a moment, before tucking against his mouth. He reached into a pouch on his hip and then extended his fist out to her. He grunted. Asha eyed him but didn't make a move to take whatever he was offering. After a moment, he bent to set it on the ground and walked away.

Asha glowered at the small object before stooping to pick it up. She let it rest in her palm as she stared at it. It was a silver rank ring, a type of Koros band worn in their hair. She rolled it over with her thumb, wondering why he'd given her such a common accessory.

On one side, the symbol for "strength" was etched into it.

Asha swayed in place. She couldn't breathe. The Koros bead was hers. It was one that had been ripped out of her hair when she was a prisoner. But that meant…

Asha jerked her head up, but the male was already gone. She jogged to the end of the alley. With her blood pounding in her ears, her eyes searched the streets for him. She caught a glimpse of red and black mottling over pale green skin. Asha charged after him.

"Hey! Wait!" She bumped into a stranger before she could get out anything else.

The female glowered down at her.

"I'm sorry."

Asha slunk away. When she turned back to the street ahead of her, she no longer saw Uh'luka. She slipped past the crowds and weaved through traffic to catch up to him. At every intersection, she paused. Her eyes bounced from male to male, hoping.

Down an empty side street, she spotted him. Asha hauled in a breath and sprinted forward. With her weighted armor though, she struggled to catch up. She groaned when he began to turn another corner.

"Uh'luka!" It occurred to her she'd never said his name out loud. Even so, it rolled off her tongue like she'd been shouting it her whole life.

The male turned.

Asha bent over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath, then hurried up to him with the Koros band clutched in her hand. A foot from him she surged up onto her tiptoes. She almost threw her arms around him but stopped herself at the last second. It didn't look like the Uh'luka she remembered.

Nothing was the same. He wasn't hunched. He didn't wheeze. He didn't have burn scars or missing fingers. His build was different, more muscular. The male in front of her had yellow eyes instead of milky white. Even the male's voice was different—husky where Uh'luka's had been hoarse.

She studied the male's features, from the shape of his face to placing his spikes and mottling, "Is it really you?"

"It is."

She reached out to touch him, to find some familiarity. Before her fingertips met his skin though, nervousness knotted in her stomach. Asha withdrew her hand and dropped her eyes. He looked too much like a stranger.