Pain wrapped around his leg like barbed wire soaked in gasoline and lit on fire. Every exhale was laced with a growl, but he didn't limp, not even with the added weight of a fully-grown yautja in armor on his shoulder. He headed for his ship, but three of his hunt brothers found him first. Yautjas didn't allow prey species to keep their bodies. Uh'luka knelt down and laid the young male in the grass.
They unfolded a sling and got the body onto it. Uh'luka grabbed the fourth pole and helped them march the body into the ship. Death was an inevitable fact of life. Uh'luka didn't dwell on it. He gave a nod to his companions, then left to board his own ship.
Everything from the floor to the walls was brand new. Uh'luka stomped up the ramp, tracking in the first dirt and blood ever to touch the tile. He skirted around the corner to the medical bay and slapped his hand on the cabinet, leaving a smear of blood on it as well. As his adrenaline faded, he became aware of his other injuries. Pain bit deeper into his muscles.
Even so, Uh'luka didn't rush healing. He sat down and unfolded the kit. With a steady hand, he folded a flap of skin back together and secured it in place for natural healing. The tiny shards of metal in his leg had to be picked out one at a time. After setting his dislocated wrist and healing two broken bones, he turned his back to the mirror to see the other injuries .
His eyes went to his face instead. Mah'ku's brand was in his skin, as fresh as the day he'd made it. The edges were red and oozing. Uh'luka's claws jumped to his face. Before he dug into his flesh, his eyes closed and he thought of Asha.
He remembered how her eyes used to light up at the sight of him. It happened every time he came into the room. It didn't matter if he'd just left or was turning a corner. Her eyes had always sought his out.
A new ache started, deep in his chest, that he couldn't fix.
When he opened his eyes and peered back into the mirror, the brand was gone. It had never been there in the first place. Yautjas as a species aren't prone to mental illness. His flashbacks were seldom, but concerning.
Despite his better judgment, Uh'luka went to the market and stood in front of Ain's tent--though a good two rows away. They locked eyes immediately. Ain dropped whatever was in his hand and stomped up to him. Uh'luka chose that spot to stand it because the isle was wider and there weren't any tables in front of the tents. Just as he predicted, Ain shoved his shoulder to initiate a challenge.
"I didn't come to fight."
Ain shoved him again, this time with both hands.
"How is Asha doing?"
"How should I know? I haven't seen her since the day she left you! You took her away from both of us!"
Ain shoved him a third time, forcing Uh'luka to take a step back in order to keep his balance. A long growl rumbled from his chest. His muscles bunched. Ain was ready. As soon as he moved, Ain throttled forward. They grappled to the ground.
Through labored breaths, Ain snarled at him, "What did you do to her? Did you hurt her during mating? Did you break another bone?"
"No!"
Ain slugged him in the jaw three times in quick succession. Uh'luka planned on letting him run out of steam--until Ain planted his knee on the ground and tried to roll Uh'luka under him. He snarled at the thought of a younger rival being able to pin him. Uh'luka changed position and was able to force Ain's back to the ground. The male's hand went to Uh'luka's throat to prevent his tusks from reaching him.
"Whatever you did was worse than a black eye or broken tailbone! So what was it? What did you do?"
"I bred with another female!"
"That's it?"
Ain released his throat so suddenly, Uh'luka's face hit the ground.
"You went to a brothel then?"
"No, the female didn't get pregnant during the mating season, so her body went into a secondary heat. Asha saw me with her."
"There's more you're not saying. Asha knew our mating customs. That wouldn't have upset her."
"Before that she'd asked me to be monogamous and I misinterpreted her meaning. She thinks I broke my word."
"Did you tell her that?"
"I couldn't explain it well enough. It made sense in my head--she's ooman and only wanted one partner, me. But I'm yautja and take multiple partners. That way, we'd both get what we wanted." He pushed to his feet, "I didn't realize how wrong I was until I researched ooman breeding patterns. Most oomans practice serial monogamy. They take multiple partners in their lifetime, but the difference is that the couple only see each other during that length of time."
"If that's the case, she'll forgive you for such a minor error."
"No...Oomans take their mating rituals seriously. What I did was deeply disrespectful."
Uh'luka gazed across the market at a tall, svelte female. His chest ached in longing. Females that were impregnated the previous mating cycle were having their sucklings. He watched her hips sway side to side as she stared down at the small bundle in her arms.
He turned back to Ain, "I could have had that with Asha. No other female would let me raise a pup..."
"Ain?" She blinked, still holding the front door open.
"I can see you're doing well on your own." He patted her stomach as he stepped inside.
"Did you just call me fat?"
His green eyes averted her gaze as he let out a gruff chortle.
She could hear the hounds nails clicking on the floor as it paced. When it paused, there was a long inhale then a snort. The hound could smell the intruder in her house. There was a deep growl, then a bang. The door rattled on its hinges.
"What is that?" Ain exclaimed.
"That's just Thanos."
One of his spiky brows rose.
"Like the comic book villain." Asha quickly realized he had no idea who she was referencing, "It's just a Yaut hound I rescued. He doesn't like...anybody."
"You certainly have an odd attraction towards aggressive beasts."
Her shoulder lifted to her ears with a shrug.
"Speaking of beasts, I ran into Uh'luka. He told me what happened, and that oomans practice serial monagomy."
"You know, I've heard a lot of different types of monagomy lately. On Earth it's just 'monagomy'."
"He wants your forgiveness."
Asha let out a breath, "To be honest, I've already forgiven him."
"Then have you considered going to see him?"
"Every day. Anytime something good happens, I want to tell him about it...but I can't.
"Why?"
"What would I say? After I accused him and Zagros hit him...After I moved out and let him believe I was leaving the planet...What would I say?"
Ain was quiet.
Asha wrung her hands, "I don't want to be a fool and keep believing the same excuse, fall for the same lie. And if was truly a misunderstanding, how can I look at him and not remember what I saw? How do I trust him? How do I know he won't get tired of me? He can't be as rough with me as your species females...Besides, I have the hound now. I don't know how he'd react…"
Ain nodded slowly.
She laid a hand on her stomach, "I just...I can't risk it."
Ain's eyes followed the movement, "Are you ill?"
"No, I'm fine." Asha folded her hands in her lap, "I didn't think you liked Uh'luka anyway? Now you're on his side?"
"I still don't like him, but I may have misjudged him."
Asha's eyes pinched inward with a frown.
"I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's ok...Um, I have a lot to do. It was a really good surprise seeing you again."
"You're not getting rid of me that easy ooman."
"Oh really?"
"I'm not leaving until you agree to hang out with me sometime."
"So you can try to scare me again? I don't know."
"I'm not leaving until you agree."
"All I have to do is let that hound out. You'll leave." There was a playful glint in her eye.
Ain let out a huff of amusement.
Asha slid the front door open and stepped to the side, "I promise to stay in touch this time."
"I'll hold you to it. It wasn't easy getting here now that you live in a gated community. I had to bribe the guard."
Asha grinned, "I'll see you later."
She watched Ain walk down the road, then closed the door and turned her back to it. She stood there for a moment, just breathing. Asha lifted her wrist device and scrolled for Uh'luka's name. She stared down at the foreign letters. A tightness drew in her chest. Her hand hovered over the button for a moment, but then dropped to her side. Asha leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
~Yautja translations:
Sucklings - infants
Pup - child