He-vym slumped back against the trunk of the tree she was perched in. She breathed heavily with her heart pounding, combistick in hand and her wristblade still extended. She closed her eyes with an unhappy growl. Her prey had managed to escape this time.
She was overzealous in her excitement, she played too much. The male ooman had managed to run away as she toyed with him, and that angered her. She regretted not taking his skull sooner, but the thrill of the chase proved to be too delicious to not enjoy. She wished she'd just finish him without playing her games.
She had never lost track of prey, in all her years as a hunter. But she had forgotten how bad her stamina had become in the years of staying on the ship. Now she tired too easily, and she was too tired to continue chasing the ooman she had her eyes on.
She was skilled enough to track him down, but she wished she didn't have to. Her pride was damaged by her mistake. She knew she had gone too long without hunting, too long without a proper fight. It was a shame that she waited so long to return to this excitement, but as pleasing as hunting was she was ready to return to the clan.
She pushed herself to her feet and collapsed her combistick. Her wristblades retracted and she jumped down to the ground with a soft thud. He-vym activated her camouflage and took off running with an excited growl. She had wounded the ooman before he escaped, and now she was looking for blood.
The cut on his torso had been small, but she still was quickly able to find traces of blood on the ground. She touched the red liquid with her fingers. Her eyes looked up to the sky, and though she admired the full moon all she cared about was time. He-vym still had enough to find her prey before the sun rose.
He-vym shook her tresses in anticipation of her coming victory. She needed a proper trophy soon, so she could return home. Her clan would make an exception for her if she wanted to give up, but she refused to return without bringing something back. She eagerly took off running again, pacing herself so she did not tire so easily. She felt the thrill of hunting rush through her, and she was motivated by the thought of returning home honorably.
She ran as she followed the traces of blood on the ground. She was fast, light on her feet and with the stamina to outlast an ooman. She hadn't had the need to run for many cycles however, her stamina should have been even better. Even as the adrenaline rush gave her energy, she still paced herself.
He-vym stopped short with a growl when her biomask lit up with a red heat signature. She first thought it was her prey, as it was directly in the path of blood. However, she could quickly distinguish that it was not the large male she had been tracking. She clicked her mandibles, noting that the blood led right into a house.
Her first thought was to investigate the area and continue her hunt. But He-vym could not shake off her suspicious feelings, and she scanned the ooman in front of the house. She moved behind bushes cautiously, tilting her head and moving closer.
She could not make sense of what she was seeing, the ooman was small but it was much too dark for a pup to be away from its bearer. She didn't believe a mother, even an ooman mother, would leave her offspring so exposed. She scanned the ooman again to be sure. She stopped and looked around, surprised when her scans confirmed that what she'd found was indeed an ooman youngling.
He-vym trilled softly, climbing into the nearest tree with her objective all but forgotten. She tilted her head as she watched the child curiously. The pup was so small, He-vym could only imagine how young. She could not understand why an ooman mother would allow her child outside in the dark.
She dropped down to the ground and moved closer, thinking the child might be orphaned. She prayed to Paya that wasn't the case, if so, she would never be able to leave the pup behind.
"Fuck!" She growled, knowing she couldn't ignore her motherly instinct.
The pup was tiny, unthreatening and without protection. While the moon was shining bright, it was still dark with the nearest light source a few yards away. She could hear loud noises and bangs coming from the house that the child stood in front of. He-vym was reminded of her original mission, and she desperately wanted to continue her hunt but she couldn't leave the youngling alone when it seemed so vulnerable.
The pup sat on the ground and dug in the dirt, but she could also hear soft sniffles coming from the young ooman. Yautjas cried differently, but she instinctively knew that the child was upset. She couldn't understand ooman's but it sounded like a fight was happening in the house. She heard what sounded to her like yelling, but even in a fight, she'd never let her own offspring out of sight when so vulnerable. He-vym didn't understand why the youngling would have been sent out. She growled with anger at the bearer of the ooman child.
She stalked away, telling herself that it did not matter to her what happened to an ooman pup. She had her own offspring back on her clan's ship, and they were the only young that concerned her. She hadn't wanted to leave them, and when she did, she at least knew they were safe and cared for. If the bearer of the pup did not care that her youngling was alone in the dark, then she could do nothing. That thought was ultimately what stopped her.
She paused and turned back to stare at the young ooman. She wanted to go back to her own younglings badly, but she wouldn't without finishing what she started. It had been months, and she still hadn't found worthy prey. Still, she wanted to be sure this ooman was safe. While He-vym had never thought positively of the child's species, she pitied their offspring if they were dealt with so carelessly.
He-vym turned with a sigh and walked closer to the ooman youngling. She walked slowly, taking off her biomask before she came to a stop. She tipped her head down, now able to distinguish the scent of distress coming from the ooman pup. Her motherly instincts were strong, and she could not resist them. She uncloaked.
The young ooman looked up, gasped and stared up at her with wide eyes. He-vym tilted her head and purred softly to the pup. She couldn't understand what the youngling was saying, but she listened intently to the soft chattering. She was surprised by its lack of fear, she would never hurt a youngling but she admired the bravery.
She softened at the sight of tears and tried to make sense of what the child was trying to tell her. He-vym sat down in front of it and crossed her legs, clicking her mandibles as she studied the pup. She watched the ooman point to the blood on the nearby pathway and then to the door of the house.
He-vym felt stricken by the sobs of the little ooman and conflicted about what to do. She would not separate a youngling from its mother, but she wanted its safety. She was shocked when the pup jumped up, she tensed as the young ooman hugged her tearfully.
After a moment's hesitation, she gently wrapped her arms around the pup. She felt tears run down her back, but the child quieted as she purred. He-vym felt ashamed to be so sidetracked on her mission, but now her motherly instincts had taken over and all she could think about were her own pups.
~The Archiver
Author's notes:So, I hope I didn't fail to write something wholesome?...Please comment and thank you to everyone who does. Stay safe