Uh'luka was up before Asha. He watched her emerge from her room rubbing her eyes as she yawned. She shuffled forward and stumbled. The fact that her body didn't wake up quickly was something that could get a yautja killed. He had to admit the behavior was somewhat cute though. He cocked his head as she squeezed her eyes shut and stretched with a whine.

"Good morning."

Uh'luka's mandibles twitched, but he didn't know how to reply to her statement.

She went right for the kitchen and started looking through the pantry. When she didn't find what she wanted, Asha moved to the fridge. She picked something out, sniffed it, and made a face. In the end, she grabbed a few fruits and began cutting them up.

Uh'luka got up from the couch and joined her in the kitchen. She was still in nothing but a shirt, and it was short enough the bottom of her ass showed. There were no straps, buttons, or clasps in the way—The cloth could come over her head quickly. He forgot about his hunger and stepped behind her, thickening the air with his musk. When she didn't respond, he was reminded of their conversation last night.

He took a step back, then turned to the cooling unit, "There is no meat."

"The delivery won't come for a few days still."

"Change the shipping speed then. I am hungry."

"You know I have the meat delivered every week so you don't engorge yourself."

He growled.

Asha turned away from the counter to face him, "You can wait."

"You are not my bearer! You are not my trainer! You are not older or wiser or of higher rank! You have no right to withhold food from me!"

"My house, my money, my rules."

"It isn't your money! You are on an allowance!"

"They gave it to me; that makes it mine. You can eat something else besides meat. There are eggs, nuts, oats…plenty of other things high in protein."

Uh'luka took a step forward and noticed how Asha leaned back. The corner of her eye twitched, thinking that he would strike her. That's what he had conditioned her to expect from him: pain. Now she was flinching before he even reached for her.

The rumbling in his chest died out as he stepped away. He went to the storage units still sitting in the middle of the living room and began rummaging through them. Anything store-bought was donated in his absence, so he didn't have many belongings left. Only handmade, imported, or organic objects like trophies were placed in storage. He didn't have the traditional wrist blades, plasma castor, or smartdisc.

What he did have was a double-ended scythe. He'd forged it himself. It extended to full size like a combi stick and the two, long curved blades flipped out. The scythe wasn't as strong or robust, but it was sharp. It could take heads and limbs off most prey with a single swipe.

He ran his fingers over the engravings in the handle, "I will get my own meat."

Asha answered with a mouthful of food, "You're going hunting? That's great!"

His armor was new. There were no straps to buckle or strings to lace. The metal slipped around his limbs and tightened. He fastened the collapsed scythe to his back and headed out. All public transportation was free. It would only take him so far though.

On a natural satellite like Earth's moon, Uh'luka stepped into a tall grass with pastel seedheads. There were still visible dips in the ground where craters had been. Most were filled with water and stocked with fish. There was an abundance of small animals since yautjas kept the big game in check. The grass around him stirred with them.

He stalked towards his first target, but he wasn't quiet enough. An animal like a four-legged bird halted and turned its head to him with a fish in its beak. It had one long tail feather, and ear-like tufts on its head. The animal had good eyesight and was used to being prey. It disappeared into the tall grass.

Uh'luka tracked it down easily enough. It was at another watering hole, hunting for fish. He crouched in the grass and slowly crept forward. He lunged at it too soon. The animal was flightless but could hop and glide with grace. He swung the scythe with a growl but came nowhere near hitting it.

His hands gripped the pole of his weapon, threatening to break it in two. He was more out of practice than he thought. He wouldn't go back to the house empty-handed though. Uh'luka tracked the animal again. It saw him and ran.

This time, Uh'luka charged after it. The animal was light on its feet. Uh'luka wore armor and toted around a weapon. The gap between them grew wider. While his body was healed, his stamina hadn't returned.

He pushed through the exhaustion and all the sudden it felt like the air was let back in his lungs. His muscles worked as they had before. The rush of adrenaline carried him faster. The tall grass whipped across the lenses of his bio mask in a blur of green. Once again he was close enough to see the animal's long white tail feather.

Once it realized how close he was, it hopped into the air and spread its wings. A snarl tore from his throat as he jumped, bringing the scythe up over his head. The blade severed one of its wings and the animal spun to the ground. It flapped it's remaining wing and tried to get its feet under it, but he swung the scythe and sliced off its head.

Uh'luka spread his mandibles inside the mask and let out a bellowing roar to celebrate his first hunt in ten cycles. The animal was the size of a large turkey and would make a decent meal. Uh'luka's heart was still pounding though. He turned away from the bird to hunt again.

The prey became larger. He chased an animal similar to a coyote back to its den and butchered it. He followed a jaguar-like animal up a tree and plunged the blade of the scythe in its chest. He sliced the legs off a horse-like animal with glee and watched it topple. He killed one after another, not bothering to take trophies. There was triumph in all the bloodshed.

His last kill loosely resembled a rhino. It was short, fat—but well armored. Uh'luka dodged its strikes and swung his scythe. Every time he pulled back the blade, blood splattered across his torso but the animal refused to go down. Its limbs were too thick to cut clean off, so the scythe became more like a hatchet.

Finally, its step faltered. The animal fell to its side with one last breath. Uh'luka stared down at the 5,000lb beast covered in its own blood, then he tore off his mask. No one was around to see his savage behavior. Uh'luka peeled back its thick exterior armor and carved his teeth into the animal's shoulder. He tore off chunks of flesh and swallowed them down without pause.

He ate until his stomach was distended and he had to roll himself off the dead animal. He'd never been so full in his entire life. Moving was impossible. He laid on his back in blood-soaked grass and fell asleep.

It was after his nap that a sense of shame dawned on him. He'd taken nothing from his other kills—not trophies, not meat, nothing. His clan would not think highly of his actions. But worse, what would Asha think of his killing spree?

He butchered the big animal for its meat and left the rest of the carcass for the scavengers. A transport vehicle picked up the food to be delivered to Asha's address. After that, Uh'luka tracked down the other bodies. He dressed all his kills, taking anything salvageable.