Chapter 50

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

It was silent as the dead of night even though it was the middle of the day, hot as the twin suns. But it was better to deal with than the anticipation of what was to come as a dozen masked Hish warriors waited in the thickness of the jungle. Their fingers itched on their weapons, eager to get this going.

"Hold yourselves together." Their Leader spoke soft and yet domineering. He felt them calm a little but he didn't want them to be too much. They still had a job to do . . . a dangerous one.

Everyone stiffened when distant footsteps were heard. Their Leader crouched low, waving his hands in silent command. "Here they come. Stay low."

The Hish nodded and ducked their heads under the bushes. A few that were in the trees remained still, camouflaged by the cloaks provided. The Leader gave a signal for them to prepare. They would be the first to initiate the surprise attack and in the enemy's confusion, they would finish them off. But timing is perfect and the Leader would not have it any less. It wasn't long before they could see their target coming.

A small crew of Amengi guards first appeared, armed and loaded with plasma cannons. They were sharp and focused . . . and for good reason. Behind them was a large, metal cart being carried by a few bulky servants but appeared not to have eaten in days. More Amengi guards made sure they kept the pace, whipping them harshly when one started to slack off. The agonizing shrieks they let out stunned a few Hish warriors and a little bit of the Leader himself. He thought he would be numb to it by now . . . but it seems to hurt him all the more.

He shook his head and his dreadlocks swayed with it. "Wait until I give the signal."

He waited as the enemy moved through the middle of the pathway, getting closer to their party. The males were getting more frustrated, eager to go in and take them out. Their Leader hissed quietly. His eyes kept on the metal cart, waiting for it to get right at the spot. When it finally crossed the invisible line he marked in his mind, he roared.

"Now!"

The Hish warriors in the trees let out a battle cry, lunging from the branches and onto the Amengi and the metal cart. Two of the Amengi with the whips were knocked out instantly with punches to the head, falling to the ground hard. The guards in the front turned in alarm, somewhat panicked, aimed for their ambushers.

"Let's go!" Their Leader cried out, leading the remaining Hish into battle.

One of the Amengi saw the wave of enemies coming. "Watch out!"

But they couldn't retaliate in time. The warriors charged at them like Ri'ghar, fueled by rage and excitement. The Leader attacked first and decapitated one of them without much effort while the other got blades plunged in the soft parts of their exoskeleton, ripping his heart like it was nothing. The whole party of Amengi was destroyed in a matter of minutes and nothing was left behind but mangled flesh and twisted bodies, lying in their pool of blood.

The Leader checked around once more, making sure nothing else survived. When the coast was clear, he roared in victory.

The others followed suit, raising their weapons towards the sky. As much as the celebration was in order, there wasn't much time. The Leader growled to stop the cheers and began to call out commands, more like coordinations than that.

"Get the supplies and materials in the metal cart. Make sure nothing is left behind. Take any weapons the guards have." He glanced at the servants who were cowering on the side, shaking in fear. "Bring them as well. Don't frighten them more than they already are."

Like a beehive or an ant's nest, the Hish warriors followed the commands to a T. They took the servants gently out of the way while the rest dragged the metal cart back to the hideout. It was barely in time when they heard the hurried footsteps in the dirt not too far. The Leader presses on the wrist gauntlet and zooms his vision on the targets. Sure enough, the heat vision detected a dozen Amengi guards coming their way. He didn't need to warn the others as the cries of the Amengi could be heard from a mile away. Idiots.

"I heard shots being fired this way!"

"Not again! We need to get there fast before they disappear!"

The Leader snarled and turned to the few Hish warriors that were still gathering weapons. "Leave them be. We need to get out of here."

When some of the Hish hesitated to move, looking down at the weapons still on the ground, the Leader growled. They got the message quickly and scattered out of there like rats hiding from the big cats. The Leader waited until everyone was out of sight before leaping into the trees, activating his cloaking device. He watched from above as the Amengi found the massacre before them and their cart missing.

"C'jit! That's another one gone this week!"

A guard kicked the dirt in frustration. "Pauk! What will we tell the masters now?"

"That we got jilted again by a few rebels because we were too slow? We might as well ask for our funerals!"

The Leader watched for a few moments, making sure they didn't leave any evidence behind that would lead them to their hideout. When it was clear that they wouldn't find anything, he left through the branches of the trees. He smirked underneath his mask, proud of his and his party's achievements today. One less for them . . . one more for us.

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

He felt relieved when everyone made it back to the hideout and with more than what they expected to gain. Ever since the start of the sacking of the Amengi's supply chain and the word reaching out to the Hish a few weeks ago, the hideout was bustling with new life but with great hurry. The politics within the leaders drove him nuts sometimes, wishing it was much simpler than it is now. For now, he had supplies to deliver and someone to meet up with.

The Leader led the Hish through the congested tents, weaving in and out to avoid hitting anyone until he caught sight of the main tent that was set up to mark new material coming in. The line was backed up a few feet but he didn't have the patience to wait. He motions his party behind him.

"The two of you will wait here since it's your turn." He stopped when the young males groaned in frustration. He snapped his mandibles underneath his mask, making the sound audible enough for even the deafest being to hear. They lowered their heads in submission and he backed off. "The rest of you . . . go get some food and rest. You did well today."

The Leader walked away and headed to the front of the line, squeezing through until he got through the tent's opening. Inside, it was like some sort of sorting office with bickering and other things. It was quiet in the beginning but it was chaos now and a place he'd rather avoid . . . unless he had to like this moment.

His eyes searched through the crowd until he saw A'stea, talking with a few pups that were eager to help, especially Dakha. The small thing giggled in response to whatever she said, getting her to laugh as well. The warm feeling he got from her smile never ceased, invigorating him each time and he smiled at the thought. He walked towards them, proceeding to take off his mask.

A'stea patted Dakha on the head. "I appreciate it but you always get in trouble when you try to do errands for me."

"But I can help!" Dakha puffed his mandibles.

"I know but you need to go back to your mother. Go on now." She turned him around and pushed him enough to get him going.

He puffed his cheeks. "You'll see when I get big and strong. Just you wait and then you'll be my mate."

She shook her head in utter disbelief, smiling. "Until then . . . go."

Another shove and the pups went on their way but Dakha sensed him coming and gave a dirty look when he caught sight of him before leaving. Jealous pup. A'stea squinted her eyes and looked to where the pup glanced, jumping to her feet with a smile. "You're finally back . . . Kaail."

He chuckled as he got his mask off and placed it on the table. He raised his hands and embraced her as she came to him, purring into her smooth hair. Her soft skin brushing against him. "Are you okay?"

She took a sniff of his musk before smiling up to him. The sensation left an imprint of warmth on his skin, spreading like wildfire and fueled by her honey scent. "I should be asking you that."

Kaail grumbled a bit as they pulled away and headed out of the tent . . . but he kept close contact with her, holding her hand in his. It wasn't much of a secret in the hideout that they were together in some way but A'stea seemed nervous each time. He did it gently to make sure she was alright. "Everything went smoothie. Brought more supplies back than we expected. More to add to the meat reserves."

The metal cart they brought back was full of meat resources that could feed several masters to a banquet along with few metal parts to be used for the development of a new secret weapon. He didn't ask much about it, knowing in time that she'll tell him. For now, they discussed how they had more stuff and allies than ever.

"I swear, if we keep this up, then we'll become overweight like pigs."

A'stea giggled. "True but we have more allies now. So much that Bu'at and Fi'ka are working double-time to find more supply trails for us. Not to mention that taking out the supply chains to the Amengi will give us an advantage when it's time to strike."

"When will that be?"

He watched as she lowered her gaze in disappointment. "We don't know yet. I have to go to another meeting about it."

He grunted in annoyance. "Do you really have to? Those morons only delay because they're scared and want to take the easy way out."

"I know but they deserve some respect. Right now, they are only interested in using the stolen ship to get the females with pups out of here if things go south . . . and it won't be long until it does."

In his mind, A'stea made a good point. With the weeks of rebellion and warriors leaving to their side, the masters aren't too happy. It got so bad that they delayed the tournament to 'take care' of the Rebellion, only succeeded in getting only a few Hish in prison. The masters' patience was growing thin and Kaail had seen how close it was from exploding.

He lowers his head. "I know that."

Unaware, A'stea grabbed his cheeks and lifted his gaze towards her. "It's a good start at least. And once this is all over, it won't matter what the members do."

She smiles, knocking on his forehead. "Don't think so hard with that small brain of yours."

In an instant, Kaail pulls them around the corner of a tent and away from the public eye. Before she could ask what he was doing, he trapped her against the tent, She gasped until Kaail pressed his mouth on hers, relishing the taste of a banquet he couldn't get enough of. She complied back quickly, giving all she had in this sweet moment and almost moans when he presses his hips on her. He pulls away after a minute to get some air, smirking as he pressed his forehead on her.

"Don't tease me."

She giggled. "I didn't think I was."

Kaail shook his head in disbelief, pulling away. As much as he wanted to stay with her, he backed off. "You're unbelievable."

"I know I am." She tapped a finger on his mandible and motioned him to follow when she walked around him. Defeated, Kaail followed her through the tents.

"Still, I was thinking that . . . we should go hunt again."

Kaail tilted his head, hearing a slight hesitation in her voice. "What do you mean by that?"

A'stea shrugged her shoulders. "I think you're ready for the final test of the Hunt. And I need to collect one more thing to add to the tooth you gave me a while back."

He never forgot that. When he returned from the mountain and showed A'stea the tooth of the beast, she asked it for safekeeping so that she could forge something for him. It was a surprise she explained to him and it chewed on his mind for some time. But it seemed important to her so he pushed it aside for now.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Okay. When can we do it? Because if I still recollect, you have to pay your end of the bargain . . . telling me about your secret technique."

"You will soon. We have to wait until the Ri'ghar return. And as I recall, I didn't give a specific time when I would give it."

Kaail growled playfully. "You don't play fair."

A'stea smirked quickening into a power walk. It didn't take much for him to keep up and it wasn't a long walk they had left, stopping at the entrance to the hideout. There was a long pause between them . . . until A'stea broke it.

"Do you really have to go back?"

With a deep sigh, he nodded. "I have to." He grabs her hands in his, holding them in the middle. "The masters are reopening the tournament and I need to keep up appearances. Besides, someone has to keep the other males in check."

"You can have Bu'at do that." She lowered his gaze, mumbling a little. "And it's dangerous, knowing—"

"Shhh."

His voice rang into her ears like a lullaby, calming herself from the anxiety in her. His red eyes searched her hazel ones before he lowered his forehead on hers once more . . . a move that he found that helped soothe her. Strange ooman . . . in a good way.

"Everything will be okay." He pulls away with a smile.

A'stea smiles back and nods. "You're right."

Kaail pulls away and purrs before heading towards the entrance. He stops at the last second, turning around to see her one more time.

"Stay safe." She spoke.

He grunted in approval, letting out a loud purr for her. "I will."

With that, he leaves to head back to the top of the planet. It was hard to keep returning to his former life, knowing what he knows now and his involvement with the Rebellion. The cruelty was still a reality out there . . . and he feared that this was only the tip of the iceberg.

One that is destined to fall with devastating consequences.

Hi everyone!

Things are getting into gear now . . . for this story and myself. It's been a difficult weekend and with the writer's block, I had to delay a little. My apologies but I hope you keep continuing to read this story. :)

But now, Kaail is getting more involved with the Rebellion as they begin to weaken the Amengi but there's still a long road ahead . . . and more obstacles that will test the strength of the Rebellion . . . and the bond between Kaail and A'stea?

What terrible things will come? Will they make it through as the tension between both sides grows?

Find out when Chapter 51 comes tomorrow!

Thank you for the reviews (Anonymous-E, Mariah, NeverNeverLady, 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! ;)

And thank you for your support. :)

Happy Hunting! :))))