Chapter 25
Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.
Work, work, work . . . When will it ever end?
It has been a pain in the ass since A'stea returned from the party to complete her duties. For her disappearing act that night, Master S'wqua decided to put her on cleaning duty, not just for his building but also for the social area and even the streets of the market for the next few weeks. She guessed that her master decided to keep a close eye on her, sending a guard to follow her. By luck, it was Nu'kha so it felt a little better to have him around. Still, many eyes were on her. Whispers of her deeds creeping into her mind.
"Ignore them, A'stea." Nu'kha spoke, leaning on the side of the wall close to the markets. "It's just noise. That's all."
"Not if you hear it every moment of the day." She grumbled. She dipped the mop into a bucket of soap and water and began the rough job of scrubbing blood and sweat from the rocky ground. I swear! Why do they have people cleaning this up when it's not even a floor?!
Nu'kha sighed, looking at the crowds of Hish and Amengi that piled the row. "It's been getting busy lately."
A'stea glanced for a moment. "That's because the tournament is coming soon. What did you expect?"
"I know . . . but it seems tension is building up too. Not just excitement." He then whispers. "Do you think they might be figuring out our plans?"
"I don't think so. If they did, the masters would have acted by now. Keep it quiet." She flicked the mop to him, spraying him with dirty water. He growled playfully, holding his hands out. He glared at her as she smiled. "That's what you get."
He huffed. "You're lucky I'm on duty with you. It was another male, it would be different."
She shook her head and went back to her duties. It was the last thing she had to do for the day. Once she finished, Nu'kha and A'stea decided to head back to her home, moving through the markets. It was the end of the day so it was quieter than in the afternoon. They were silent before A'stea spoke. It was a split decision.
"There might be another Hish joining our cause soon."
Nu'kha suddenly stopped. A'stea had to halt in her tracks and turn around. "What Hish?"
She bit her lip. You already started it. Finish it.
"A male from the warrior class. Very strong."
When Nu'kha's mandibles opened steadily, A'stea was in for another interrogation. She wasn't in the mood for one but this was a good time. In the middle of a market with others listening in . . . he couldn't roar or else he risked causing a commotion.
"It's unlike you to choose a Hish warrior. Usually, it's me who looks for them."
"Well, this one was . . . how do you put it . . . persistent."
"Is it that male I've been hearing about?"
A'stea's eyes widened in surprise for a moment until her brain figured it out. She grunted, shaking her head in disbelief. "Fi'ka told you, didn't she?"
She should have known better that word would get out. Keeping anything with Fi'ka in confidence was like sending out a call for everyone to hear. And not to mention that she has had a 'thing' for Nu'kha ever since a long time. A blabbermouth who doesn't know her own good.
Nu'kha growled quietly. "You should know better than to trust them. Their only interest is what their masters want." Another growl escapes him.
A'stea tightened her lips. I should have figured. Her anger started to spark up.
"I think you're not one to judge. I know you're jealous."
"Jealous!?"
Nu'kha spoke too loud. Everyone around turned to see what was the commotion. A'stea glared right at him and he lowered his gaze in submission. She sighed in exhaustion, rubbing her head. "Look. I know we had something between us but that's over. We're friends now and I don't want to jeopardize it. But if you keep up these tendencies, then . . . you know."
Nu'kha's golden eyes looked up to her, full of concern. "I understand."
She grunted, walking away. This is going to be harder than I thought.
"I hope so."
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A'stea stretched, waiting for Kaail to come for another training session. She decided to meet him on the edge of where the desert met the dirt part of the jungle. The prey they were going to hunt was going to be the first, even for herself. But a challenge is what she's looking for.
Right on time, Kaail runs out of the jungle and into the barren part. He slowed his pace as he got up to A'stea. She smiled upon greeting him. "Hi, Kaail. I thought you were going to be late again."
He puffed. "It took a lot of strings to pull."
"Sure it did." She laughed.
Kaail tilted his head and softly chuffed. It's been calmer between them, almost to the point that it was normal to act this way. He watched as A'stea stretched her back, flexing backward. His eyes were caught staring at her for too long. He looked away when she finished and turned to him.
"Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Good. We need to get going then. The prey we're hunting won't be here long."
Before he could ask for more, A'stea was racing into the desert. Kaail had no choice but to follow, running to catch up to her level. She wasn't as fast as he was but he admitted she was faster than others.
The desert was the hottest part of the planet. The sands made it harder to run through it. Every muscle in the legs had to work double-time to get at a small pace. The heat of the twin suns made it worse and A'stea was starting to grow a small coat of sweat. Still, her and Kaail kept going until she stopped at the base of a dune.
She raised her hand to signal a stop. "Do you feel that?"
Kaail listened for a moment. "What are you talking about?"
"Use your feet. Feel the ground."
He watched her demonstrate. A'stea twisted her feet until they were buried in the sand and then closed her eyes. "See. Try it."
Although it seemed nonsense, Kaail compiled. He buried his own and closed his eyes, concentrating on what she had already figured out. Sure enough, he felt vibrations from underneath the sand. A small rumble ran through his toes and up to his knees. "I can feel it now."
"Then we're close. Let's get up that dune for a better look."
She began to climb up on fours, keeping her body close to the side of the dune. Kaail followed behind. It helped that his nails acted like hooks to get to the harder part buried deep. A few minutes later, they were at the top, looking down at a sight that amazed Kaail.
It was a massive herd of Va'duar, red, horse-like creatures with no eyes, nose, or ears but still formidable. They were gigantic even to his size with hooves that could easily shatter a Hish's skull . . . maybe an Amengi. They were herbivores so they didn't eat any meat but scavenge on succulents. There had to be a dozen or more in one herd as Kaail counted.
"Amazing, aren't they?" A'stea's eyes glowed a little to Kaail's attention.
"Yeah. I have never seen them before."
"That's because they only migrate here when food is available. And it's a birthing season for them."
"Birthing season?" He heard such a thing but not sure why A'stea was bringing it up now.
She points to a Va'duar closest to them. One was laying down and had just given birth to a pup recently. The infant Va'duar was already up on its feet, ready to run and play as its mother relaxed to bake under the suns. Kaail watched with intrigue but confused as to the point of all this.
"I thought we were hunting." He asked.
"Not exactly." She answered quickly. "I wanted to bring you out here to teach an important lesson."
"What lesson?"
The questions were starting to bother her. A'stea cleared her throat. A signal to keep quiet since some of the herd was lifting their heads to see what was the commotion. They went back to grazing after A'stea and Kaail remained silent. She grunted in annoyance at him but turned back to the herd.
"You see . . . In a hunt, you have to keep cool and study your environment. But not only to find prey but to make sure you don't accidentally kill a creature not worthy of your time."
Kaail tilted his head, confused.
She shook her head. "You see that mother?" She points back to the Va'duar and her pup. "The pup depends on her to survive. If we kill it, then the pup will die before it fully grows. They are not our targets and we are better than savages."
Still, it made little sense in Kaail's mind but if it was a lesson she thought it was important, then he had to remember it well. "So what do we do?"
A'stea sighed. "In the desert, there's not a lot of covers so we have to be extremely careful when approaching." She inched closer to the edge of the dune but then a thought hit her. She glanced at the herd one more time and then smiled. Come on. It's a good opportunity.
Both turned at each other. "Why don't we have some fun today?"
"What?"
Kaail barely registered her words before she took off and over the top of the dune. By the time he was over, she slid down the side with little problem. The herd saw her coming and took off in a panic, stampeding back to open freedom.
She made it to the bottom and kept going. "Come on, Kaail!" She waved for him to come before chasing the herd.
Is she crazy!?
Kaail didn't have time to argue and slid down the dune. He ran as fast as he could, watching as A'stea made the herd turn when they were blocked by another dune. It gave her enough leeway to get close to one and jump on it. Kaail couldn't believe what he was watching as A'stea saddled the Va'duar.
"Hop on one!" She had to yell to get her voice high enough.
"Are you pauking crazy!? Get off!"
"Don't be such a wuss!"
He blinked his eyes in disbelief. Me? A wuss? She sparked a flame that was bursting to prove her wrong. He wasn't one to back off and not try it. If she can do it, then I can!
Kaail pumped his legs harder as the herd was about to slip away from him. When he wasn't going to make it by foot, he used all of his strength and leaped into the air. He barely straddled the last members of the herd before they escaped him. But he was on and held on anything he could reach.
Now what?
A'stea looked behind and saw Kaail made it. She smiled. "You got it!
The Va'duar he was riding sped up so now Kaail and A'stea was right beside each other. The herd, sensing foreign beings among them, ran faster and harder. A futile attempt to get away.
"I don't get this!" He roared through the stomping. "What's the point of this training?!"
"Training?!" She yelled with a smile on her face. "This is just for fun!"
Kaail tilted his head. Fun?
For a few moments, he watched her laugh and giggled in excitement. The breeze hit her skin just right, cooling the sweat off her. She felt it weave through her hair, bringing excitement and joy all at once. It had been quite some time since she felt this was. So good . . .
Unbeknownst to her, Kaail was feeling the same way. He could see A'stea enjoying herself as they galloped through the desert. He noticed the small things that weren't there before. Her hair shined when the suns hit it just right, almost as if they glowed. Her smile and laughter were infectious. When her eyes looked at him for a split second, they appeared as stars . . . brighter than anything. He smiled at her.
For the first time in his life, he was happy.
He couldn't hold in his excitement and roared into the sky. A'stea followed with her own but more of a woohoo sound. But it didn't matter. They were having the time of their lives as they rode on the herd until the sunset.
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"Phew . . ." A'stea placed her hands on her knees, trying to gain back some breath. "That was awesome."
Kaail chuckled. "Yes, it was."
When it was time to leave, they hopped off and let the herd ride back to where they belong. But it left both of them a little farther from the border of the desert. It was a pain to walk the rest of the way but it was worth it. By the time they reached back to the edge of the jungle, they were exhausted.
"You see?" She stood up when she felt strong enough. "A little fun pushes all the trouble away."
Kaail clicked his mandibles cheerfully. "I suppose you're right."
"At least for now." She added sorrowfully. She wished it wasn't true but then she would take these moments for granted. That's a good thing . . . right?
"Well . . . we need to get back to reality or else we'll get in trouble." She turned back to Kaail but then noticed he was rubbing his hand, bending his wrist. His face showed a bit of pain when he did.
"Is your hand alright?" She commented.
"A little. I must have pulled a muscle during the ride." He moved it again. The tugging sensation was stinging when he pulled his wrist back.
"Let me take a look at it." She raised her hand in offer.
"Go ahead."
Kaail brought his hand to her as she came. Carefully, she turned it around to assess it. "I don't see any breaks. I'm going to put some pressure so let me know if it hurts."
Kaail simply nodded, watching her work.
Using her fingers, she put pressure on one area of his hand. It felt fine and she went to the next area by the base of his thumb. That's when she noticed that it was tender underneath. It wasn't too bad but she figured he must have pulled a muscle as he said. At least it wasn't serious.
"Looks okay. A day of resting and you'll be as good as new."
She was about to pull away when Kaail's hand curled to trap her own. She froze at the gesture, unsure of what to make of it. His warmth was inviting and his skin was surprisingly soft. She glanced up to him, staring into the red color of his eyes that glowed with warmth.
Kaail didn't know why he did that. His body moved of his own accord and wrapped A'stea's hand in his. The warmth she gave was enticing. He wanted to get closer and this was his chance. He held her gently, careful not to scratch her with his claws. Their eyes met and locked on each other. Their hearts beating together. It was a moment together that neither didn't know what to do. But it felt right.
"What the pauk . . ?"
Both pulled away at the sound of another voice, neither of theirs. They turned to the direction of the jungle where they suspected they heard it come from. A'stea took a step forward.
"Who is it? Show yourself."
In an instant, a small figure emerged slowly with eyes widened in horror.
Kaail noticed right away that it was the small Hish female he'd seen before. For A'stea, she was horrified that Fi'ka was right there . . . and witnessed them together. Her chest dropped in a sinking feeling . . . one that she feared would inevitably come.
They were caught.
Hi everyone!
It's getting hotter between them but neither doesn't know what to do.
A little argument with Nu'kha and had some . . . . history? But it does show A'stea's concern of how the others might take when meeting Kaail.
Kaail and A'stea had a fun moment of riding with the Va'duar (horse creature based on a figure from NECA :)) and had fun for once. Both had a really good time and had fun. And a little moment when they were together. It's getting stronger and stronger with each time.
But it had to be ruined by Fi'ka of all things. But that might be bad news for Kaail and A'stea. They were caught and now are in a pickle.
What will Fi'ka do? Fight? Tell someone? Or something else?
What will this mean for both of them?
Find out when Chapter 26 comes tomorrow! ;)
Thank you for the reviews (Anonymous-E, Larita1976, and IanAlphaAxel)! 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! :)))))