Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.

Kaail woke up around sometime after midnight as he could tell. It was completely dark with only the light from the stars shining through the cracks of the tree. But a moan is what stirred him awake. What is that? It was a terrible noise that he needed to turn off or else he was going to be cranky when morning came.

He found the source coming from behind him. Rolling over, he looked but there was no one but A'stea's sleeping form. He grumbled at her, still pissed about her omittance hours before. The ooman was a pain in the ass. Sometimes, he thought he should leave and go back home, tend to his wounds. The moan he heard sounded again and he was about to make that decision. He growled and sat up, only to realize it was coming from A'stea.

He noticed her body was trembling, tightening into a ball. His plan to leave dashed away.

Is she alright?

"A'stea?" He called but no answer.

Thinking she might still be asleep, he walked over to her side. He loomed over to get a better view of her face. Her eyes were closed but tightly. The muscles in her cheeks twitched, forcing her mouth to show her teeth. The worst was when she began to clatter them. It was an awful sound but one he recognized a lot when he was merely a pup. She was having a nightmare.

"A'stea."

He called again, hoping to snap her out of it. But no success there. Kaail grunted in annoyance with the teeth clattering. What was she dreaming about?

But things began to turn for the worst. The next thing he knew, A'stea began to grip her hands around her arms. Her nails began to dig into her skin. He froze in shock when a red substance began to pool around the edges, coming out like a rear ugly head of a snake from a hole. Red blood . . . something so different and never seen before to him. But then, she began to scratch her arms frantically, leaving trail marks on her arms on top of the older ones.

She's hurting herself!

"A'stea!"

Reacting quickly, he grabbed her hands to stop her. Like a flip of a switch, she stopped. He was surprised for a moment. Her body relaxed, slumping against his own. It puzzled him. His touch stopped her and made her relax. He looked to see if she was still asleep, confirmed with her eyes still closed.

He lets go when it got too uncomfortable for him. Her warmth and soft skin were inviting but fear she would wake up. As soon as he did though, A'stea became tense again. He didn't want her to scratch again so he pressed a hand on her head. She calmed again, sighing as if relieved.

That must be some nightmare. Reminds me of—

He didn't want to go there. The past was crossing a line he didn't want to return. Whatever was going on with her, it was serious and damaging. He saw her arms covered in the same scratches, making him think this wasn't the first time. It sent an unknown pain in him but familiar all the same.

He kneeled next to her but kept enough distance. His focus turned on the feeling underneath his hand. Her hair was so different from his dreadlocks. They were thin and fragile but soft like fur. Curious, he twiddled his fingers through the strands. Silky too . . . He never recalled a creature with the same hair. Even the animals with fur didn't compare to her.

Driven by curiosity, he raised a strand to his mouth and inhaled. The honey smell was all over in the oils coming off of them. It was still sweet and potent. He closed his eyes and wondered absently.

But then, A'stea suddenly rolled to her other side. He lets go of her hair but she had other ideas. Her hand grabs onto his own and squeezes.

Kaail had to freeze, thinking he got caught but she still was asleep. What the pauk? She shifted next to him and then remained still. He relaxed a little, watching her chest rise and fall softly. But now . . . he was stuck by his hand. But surprisingly, it felt good after a while, and noting how small it was compared to his. What an unusual creature . . .

It would be hours before the morning would come so he made his mind. To appease A'stea and get some sleep, he moved his body to lay facing her with their hands entwined in the middle. He felt her fingers squeeze between his scaled ones. He smiled softly and entwined his fingers through hers, squeezing back. At that moment, he had forgotten why he was angry with her. He wished she would trust him . . . tell him what she knew. But he needed to earn it. That's the truth as well. It's her nature.

For now, he watched her for a few moments before sleep came, saying one last thought.

Beautiful . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

By the time the first rays of the morning came, Kaail moved away. He made sure she wasn't stirred awake. He focused on his back to little avail. It was hard to get a good view of what his prognosis was. He'd had to wait until she woke up.

It wouldn't be long until she did. A'stea woke, feeling completely exhausted. The nightmare that came each time she slept would invade her mind. Of the past she wished she didn't remember . . . of the Engineers . . . and what she'd done. But in the end, it was strangely peaceful. An unknown warmth came, pushing it away. A musky smell was all she last remembered. It was familiar . . . but couldn't pin where it came from. It didn't matter. She had other matters to attend. The first was tending to Kaail's injury. It was healing remarkably well. Hish were good at that if they were eating properly. She should have expected it from Kaail. He was good enough to go back home.

Both hoped that they could leave as soon as twin suns came but got a call from Fi'ka and Nu'kha that the guards were still looking. Kaail found it interesting when A'stea flinched with her friend yelling at her for being an idiot. The male Hish he heard tried to calm both down after a minute. Kaail growled to himself, not liking how he was so familiar with A'stea, especially when she smiled softly once in a while in their little chit chat.

"Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it. When night comes, I'll return."

Fi'ka's voice called from the communicator. "You better be."

A'stea chuckled. "Alright. I gotta go. Talk to you both soon."

Nu'kha chuffed. "See you soon."

She shuts off the communicator and turns to Kaail, noticing the pout on his face. "What are you looking at?"

"Those are your friends you were with last night?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Nothing."

Kaail turned around, wondering why he was asking such questions. Again . . . the ooman isn't going to say anything to you. Not that easy.

A'stea glanced at his back for a second. "Is your back doing okay? Any pain?"

He didn't answer. She puffed in annoyance. What's he cranky about? She turned to the side and began to take off her gauntlet. She had to check if everything was alright. The assaults from the guards did a number on her and this equipment was no easy thing to fix. She barely tested it a few times. With a click, she undoes the straps and takes it off, bringing it up to get a closer look.

The sound of metal being unsheathed grabbed his attention. Kaail slowly twisted his head enough to see her with the gauntlet, noticing the pain of serrated blades coming in and out for testing.

"Where did you get that?" He saw her pause, glancing for a second before turning back to her work. "I'd never seen anything like that."

"It's because I made it myself. And a few others."

"It's impressive. How come I never seen you wear that before?"

A'stea grumbled and put the gauntlet down. Her shoulders raised and arms lowered to her lap. "You seriously need me to explain. If an Amengi caught me with something like this, there'll be more than just punches and whips waiting for me."

Kaail stiffened a growl. He didn't like the tone of her voice but the logic was sound. The masters would never allow a servant to have advanced technology if that is what her gauntlet was. The punishment was severe and even death was not uncommon. She's smarter than she looks.

"I see." His eyes wandered at the details of the blades. "You . . . did a good job." He sounded embarrassed.

A'stea's eyes widened and then softened. Her lips quivered on how uncertain she should respond. "Thanks?"

Kaail grunted. He laid back on the rock wall, not knowing what to do. They couldn't exactly hunt without getting caught by the guards. He'd seen one of two close by in the early morning and they were persistent. But not for long. The night would provide the perfect cover for them.

A'stea kept her focus on the gauntlet but only as a ruse. She finished with it, seeing no damage but the silence was awkward. She wasn't sure if he was still angry with her. Hish didn't take apologies very well, thinking it's a waste of time. Kaail was probably no different.

But of course, her body had to give herself away. Her stomach growled. Hunger was driving her now. With a grumble, she reached underneath the belt of her loincloth and pulled out a few pieces of dried meat. She found that it was effective to prepare meat that would last for weeks if she ever was in a pickle. Her mouth began to water, anticipating the taste of it.

It wasn't lost on Kaail. His mouth caught the scent of meat only a few feet away. Normally, he wouldn't be as affected but he was supposed to eat after the party. Now . . . his stomach was growling. His mandibles twitched in anticipation.

A'stea was about to bite into the meat when she heard the clicking sound. She saw his eyes staring intently at the food in her hands. She debated whether to keep it for herself. It wasn't enough for someone of his size.

Remember what you did last night. And he's injured.

She grumbled.

A'stea pulls out another piece and hands it to him. "Go ahead. Take it."

Kaail paused for a moment, thinking it might be a trap. After a few seconds, she didn't move or indicated she was taking it back. She stared at him with those hazel eyes of hers, drawing him in. Eventually, he took the piece of meat but his fingers grazed hers, sending a shiver in both of them.

She pulls away quickly. "That's all I have to spare." She went back to eat her share.

Kaail watched her intently before eating his own. It wasn't much and he swallowed it without a problem. His stomach still growls but he ignores it. A'stea took a little longer but eventually ate hers. When she licked her lips, Kaail had to turn away. Why did she have to do that? Doesn't she know that I—

"Are you okay?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Okay . . ."

Again, the silence came as they looked away. But only lasted a minute before A'stea broke it.

"Just out of curiosity. Why is your name Kaail?"

"Excuse me?" He didn't expect such a question. It was so random in his mind. He saw her shrug her shoulders. He rolled his eyes but answered anyway. "It's a name given when I was only a pup. The Amengi had a hard time dealing with me. My anger is what got their interest in the end."

He didn't want to think about his past. There were parts of it that he wished he never remembered. But he figured this would be a small step to earning her trust. Only vague details and hoping it was enough to sate her curiosity. Her eyes scanned him for a second and he could see that they grew in curiosity. He was ready to push aside any other questions regarding the subject until she began to chuckle.

"Yeah. I can see why they call you that." Her smile grew bigger.

When he saw that, it lit up his body like fire. It was a weird sound but soothing and happy. There was no concealing it. Her lips pulled back softly and her eyes narrowed into slits to hold the chuckle in. He was caught off guard when a purring sound came from his throat with no warning.

A'stea stopped, opening her eyes in shock. "The Hell was that?"

He looked away. "Nothing."

A'stea had to blink her eyes for a moment. The purr was unexpected. She'd heard it enough times that it was meant that a Hish was relaxed or happy. I wondered which one he was thinking of.

"Anyway . . . why are you called A'stea?" Kaail turned the subject around. "I don't get the meaning of 'crimson' on you. I don't see anything on you that resembles it."

He somewhat regretted it when A'stea's expression changed. It went from calm to sorrow in a split second. She lowered her gaze to the ground and Kaail didn't know what to make of it. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No . . . you didn't."

She looked to him for a moment and then reached for her knife stored on her hip. She opened her palm and tipped the blade on it.

"What are you doing?" Kaai's eyes widened, realizing what she was going to do. He reached instinctually to stop her.

"It's okay." She spoke softly. "It's easier to show you."

No one moved a second until A'stea slowly brought the blade across her skin. It opened and out came a streak of red blood. It slowly dripped into a ripple effect until drops began to rain down on the ground below.

Kaail just stared at it. The red color, unique in his eyes, spilled to the ground. For one reason or another, it was eerie. It didn't take a genius to get the connection between that and her name.

"This is why I'm called that. When the Engineers created me, I guess they didn't expect me to have such color." She brings her hand close to her face. She stared at her blood, almost seeing her reflection in it.

"They believed it's some kind of bad omen. Hence why they call me 'ooman' . . . after it. My master gave me the name 'A'stea' to make it nicer for appearances."

She tightens her hand into a fist. More red blood seeped out of the cracks, smearing into her skin as she opened it again. Her voice grew quiet. "They may be right. All I do is bring trouble wherever I go. Maybe that's all I'm good for."

Her eyes closed, feeling the sorrow of the truth seeping in. It's true . . .

Kaail's eyes softened. The pain was obvious in her body. He looked down at the pool of red blood that began to dry up. I guess you're not the only one who's had it rough. There was still so much that the ooman— A'stea— wasn't telling him but it was a breakthrough. She was starting to open up but he didn't want to go too far. She was already on the verge of pulling away.

"Then they don't know the true you."

He saw A'stea lift her head slowly. Her gaze fixated on him.

"Besides . . . you're not alone. You have some friends at least. And maybe . . ."

He hesitated for a moment, swallowing hard. "You have me to count on."

A'stea didn't move a muscle for a second. Her expression went blank as she held her hand to stop the bleeding with a cloth. "You don't mean that."

And then . . . she smiled. "But thank you."

He smiled in return. A warm feeling spread into the cave. A strand of trust between them grew and finally became solid.

Hi everyone!

A breakthrough between Kaail and A'stea. And a sweet moment too. :)))

A little heart-to-heart talk with each other got them even closer but there are still some obstacles in their way. Will they be able to do it together? It seems distant and unsure but a good relationship is what will move them forward.

But we got to know the origin of the 'ooman' term. It sucks though to know it's associated with a bad thing but the Engineers and the Amengi aren't exactly friendly creatures.

Will Kaail and A'stea be able to stay together? Will their bond keep growing in such dark times? Become a light that will shine brighter than anything?

Find out when Chapter 24 comes tomorrow! ;)

Thank you for the reviews (Anonymous-E, Mariah, and NeverNeverLady)! They are very important for me and I hope I see more readers posting as well. All opinions are welcomed. I hope you keep on reading! ;)

Happy Hunting to all! :)))))