Odite cleaned the plate and then went onto the roof to wait for Remii to return his pet. After several minutes past, he leapt onto the other ship to go check on them. The hatch was locked, and the observation window had been shut on purpose. Remii was trying to keep him away. His anger threatened to spill over, but he decided to wait and see if he smelled any of Remii's musk on the ooman before he did something rash.

When they finally came back, Odite was tense and pacing, "What took so long?"

Remii kept his voice level, trying not to show his irritation, "We were not gone long."

Odite slunk closer to the ooman, obviously sniffing the air. He didn't smell any of Remii's mating musk on her. However, his own musk was fading, and he liked when she smelled of him. He went to grab the ooman's arm to drag her into his bedroom, but his wrist device went off. It vibrated and beeped, indicating that the monster fish he was after was practically right under him.

He whisked himself away and started getting his equipment ready. He wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away from him. He reset the small lines in case he needed more bait. He dumped several buckets of fish guts and blood into the ocean, as well as the foul-smelling liquid lure, chumming the water. Then he shot his line into the ocean.

After a few hours had passed, Odite became desperate. The animal was still in the area, but he didn't know for how long. He swiveled around to look at the ooman. She would be good bait. His brother was near the ooman though, and he knew in a fight against him that he may loose.

While Odite was busy fishing, Remii stood and watched the ooman. She liked to talk to herself. He didn't understand any of the words, but he enjoyed listening to her voice. Several animals circled the vessel. She cocked her head, pointed at them, and then spouted more words.

When Odite began hauling in big, shiny, black and white animals Linna climbed up on top of the thruster like usual. Before any of the animals were fully on board, Odite let them go and immediately dropped his line back in the water. He was greedy for the biggest predator in the ocean. None of them were large enough when he knew there was a monster fish lurking out there, evading him.

Finally, he got what he wanted. A fast and powerful animal latched onto his bait and took off with it. Odite's feet drug across the roof of the ship, fighting for grip. Remii watched, but he wouldn't interfere. Even when yautjas went on a group hunt, there wasn't much teamwork involved.

After long, every one of his muscles began to burn. He lost feeling in his fingers. Even his teeth hurt from gritting them together. Odite refused to let the animal go now that it was finally on the other end of his line. It took him longer then the others, but he eventually reeled it close to the vessel.

Remii watched the ooman crawl towards the front of the thruster so she could get a better look at it. She didn't seem afraid of it, not like she was with the sharks. She stood up on the thruster and leaned out, making Remii nervous. The animal thrashed and spun in the water, splashing water everywhere as Odite hauled it on board.

When Linna took a step back, she suddenly slipped, and fell off the top of the thruster. She landed right in front of the animal. Odite let out a savage growl, not wanting the ooman to touch the cord or trip him. He hauled the animal forward another few feet. His muscles were starting to give out and he wasn't going to wait for the ooman to scramble out of the way first.

As soon as she got to her feet, Remii was there. He quickly snatched up the ooman and carried her over to the safety of his ship. When she began to struggle, he realized how tightly he was clutching her. Remii set her feet down on the metal of the thruster, but kept his arms loosely wrapped around her waist in case she slipped again.

The ooman pointed at it, "Killer whale."

It was another black and white animal, but it was massive. From snout to tail, it was well over 35ft. It had to weight over 10 tonnes. Each of its teeth were about four inches long. It was a good thing they moved to Remii's ship. The animal took up almost all the room on board, and when Odite began to butcher it, blood covered the roof completely.

Odites muscles were so fatigued, he could hardly lift his limbs, and his legs wanted nothing more then to collapse under him. He wouldn't show weakness in front of his brother or the ooman though. He forced his muscles back to work, knowing his body would recoup quickly enough.

He cut his trophy away from the carcass, claiming the animals skull. It was wedged, with tiny eye sockets, and large teeth in perfect rows. It was too big to fit though the escape hatch. He had to carefully lower the skull down into his ship though the observation window. After that, he hacked up the rest of the animal, taking the meat, and dumping the rest into the ocean.

Remii's attention switched back to the ooman. She was leaning her back against him while her fingertips traced the mottled yellow spots on his forearms. Now that Odite had his trophy, he worried about her fate. He'd stayed on the backwater planet longer for her sake, but he couldn't help her any more then he already had. Now, it was time for him to leave.

He led the ooman back over to the other ship. He let out a soft trill as he watched her tiptoe barefoot around the blood. Odite was packaging meat and hauling it into his ship. He still had equipment to clean and put away as well. Instead of informing Odite that he was leaving, he decided to delay his departure just a little longer.

Remii lowered the ooman into Odite's ship, then jumped down with her. He stuffed a packaged chunk of meat in her hands, then escorted her to the freezer. He placed it inside, then walked back to get more. He climbed out of the escape hatch, then dropped another hunk of meat into her hands. She caught on immediately, and carried it to the freezer on her own.

He dropped more bags of meat into the ship for her to put away, then he began to gather up the small fishing lines they'd used to catch bait. Odite worked beside him, disinfecting equipment, and then he dissapeared inside the ship to put a few items away. For several minutes, Remii finished cleaning. Then he put the items in the storage unit, and slid it towards the escape hatch. Odite hadn't come back yet.

When he looked down into the ship, he saw a pile of a vacuum sealed bags of meat. It didn't look like the ooman had come back for a single bag. Remii hoped down and grabbed as many bags as he could carry at once, and headed to the freezer. When he didn't run into the ooman on the way there, he didn't worry at first. He assumed she'd just wandered off or gotten lost inside the ship.

Odite shoved the ooman into his room and locked the door behind him. Even though his muscles were still fatigued from hand reeling, he craved to be inside her. He was just tired enough that he wouldn't hurt her with his strength. When he went to remove her clothes, the ooman didn't try to shove him away like usual. Instead, she swept her body to the side, ignoring him. When he continued to reach for her, her body tensed and her hands balled into fists.

When he lifted the hem of her shirt she took a step back and barked, "H'ko!"

Odite immediately backed off, used to yautja females delivering serious blows. A yautja woudn't give a second warning-some females gave no warning at all. However, anger quickly overcame him. His brother had intentionally taught his pet how to tell him "no". She wasn't a yautja female; she an ooman. He wasn't about to let prey boss him around and give him commands.

Once he realized that both the ooman and his brother had been gone too long, he scrambled to find her. He caught her scent in the air, and it led him directly to Odites room. That strong mating musk assaulted him again. The walls muffled much of the noise, but he had excellent hearing. Behind the door, he could hear the ooman whimpering and pleading.

The room was locked so he pounded his fist on the door, "Odite, open up!"

He heard the ooman cry out. Remii didn't wait any longer to see if he was going to open the door. He punched the wall where the locking mechanism was, denting it and making his knuckles bleed. He hit it again and again, before it released and he was able to shove open the door. He stormed inside, but was shocked at what he saw.

She faced the wall, breathing heavily. Her wrists were bound with leather cord, and sloppy knots were tied above her head around empty hooks that once held a weapon or trophy skull. Her ankles were tied as well, so that her legs stayed spread open. Cum dripped from her exposed sex, creating a small puddle on the metal floor. He'd waited too long to go find her; Odite had already fucked her a few times.

A dark growl cascaded from his chest, "Get away from her!"

Odite let out a low rumble, and the length of his cock slid out from the oomans quivering body. Instead of listening to him though, he grabbed onto the leather straps that held her arms up. His muscles bunched as as he thrust back in, and buried his cock deep inside her. He forced her hips flush with the wall as he fed in every inch of his manhood. She ooman let out another sharp cry that turned into pained whining.

Adrenaline injected into his system, making his heart beat faster. His pupils dilated, sharpening his sight. His sense of hearing became more sensitive. At the sign of stress, his blood automatically thickened in his veins, promoting quick clotting in preparation for a physical attack.

Remii surged forward and grabbed Odite by his shoulders, tearing him off the ooman. He let out a snarl as he beat his fists down on Odites face, not even giving Odite a chance to defend himself. They hadn't tussled since they were both young bloods, but Odite knew he had a weight advantage. He flipped Remii under him, bearing his weight down, trying to keep him pinned.

Linna struggled with the restraints, trying to turn and see what was going on. She managed to pull her feet free, but not her hands. The more she struggled, the more the leather tightened on her wrists. She heard growls and snarls, the pounding sounds of their fists, and their loud, heaving breaths from behind her. Next, it sounded as if the furniture was getting turned over.

Remii's back was suddenly slammed up against the wall next to her, with Odite at his throat. They quickly tumbled to the floor, out of her view, and the noises suddenly ceased. After a moment, she felt a hot breath hit the back of her neck. Clawed hands covered in green blood slid up her arms. She was worried Odite had won. Linna kicked and screamed, until a lulling purr resonated from behind her.

"Remii?"

The clawed hands cut her restraints and she dropped to her feet. She quickly spun around to hug him, but he'd already moved away. His dreds slid off his shoulder as he leaned over Odite's body. Linna shuffled closer, trying to see if he was dead. Odites neck was turned completely to the side, more then it should have been.

He suddenly lifted the body and jogged away with it. Linna stayed at his heals until he climbed out of the escape hatch. She made an attempt to climb up on her own, but it was useless. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a chair instead. Even then, it wasn't easy for her to get out.

Remii did everything he could. He hooked Odites body to every machine, and healed his body perfectly. He coudnt belive what hed done. It was just too late though. In his culture, they weren't allowed to use machines to bring someone back from the dead. Once a heart had stopped, that was the end of it-no CPR, no defibrillators. Yautjas didn't belive in taking a soul back from the clutches of Cetanu.

When he saw the ooman pop her head in the doorway, that same blind rage overtook him. It was the first time he'd felt an ounce of anger towards her. It was all the oomans fault. She was so meek and helpless. If she was strong like a yautja female and could defend herself, he wouldn't have had to intervene. His brother wouldn't have been dead.

That same strange clicking noise hit her ears, and she recognized it immediately. Odite had made the sound when they'd first met and he'd tried to kill her. Remii's body was tense, and his gaze were set on her. Linna's eyes widened, and then she took off running as fast as she possibly could.

She wasn't fast enough. He got a hold of her arm, stopping her, but her body flew forward with the momentum. All four of his mandibles were flared out to the sides in anger. Remii had never shown that same lever of anger with her before, and it scared her. His hand shot to her throat, making her heartbeats become fast and frantic.

As he looked down at the ooman, his anger faltered. She was still naked, and bites and bruises marked her skin. Her honey-brown eyes looked at him, so close to spilling over with tears. Her bottom lip was trembling. She was weak, unarmed, and not aggressive. If he harmed her, then he was no better then Odite. He drew in a deep, steadying breath and released her throat.

A normal reaction would have been for her to run from him-he'd almost lost control and hurt her. Instead, the ooman jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. Remii let out a ragged purr, surprised again that shed turn to him for comfort. Once again, he pried her arms off him.

The ooman followed behind him as he grabbed his mask, and then went back to the medical room. He placed the mask over his face so it would record the evidence. He ran a scan on Odites body. It quickly calculated the exact time of death, and the cause of death...He had attempted to force Odites face to the side to make him submit. In his anger, he'd snapped his brothers neck instead.

Remii turned to the ooman then, letting his bio mask scan her. It picked up on bruises, bite marks, and small tears in the lining of her sex. It would just serve as more evidence to his story. He removed his mask with an exhale, and moved to stand beside Odites body. Remii looked down at him in silence for several moments, and then finally contacted the authorities.

They gave him coordinates of where to land both ships. When they were close, he made sure Linna was dressed, and then set her down in a chair. He positioned her so that her palms were on her legs, and clearly visible. Then, he took off his belt and weapons. He knew what to expect, but the ooman didn't.

Six yautjas with weapons drawn erupted into the ship like a SWAT team. When the ooman tried to leap out of her seat, Remii placed his hand firmly on her shoulder to keep her still. One yautja guarded him with a plasma castor aimed at his chest, and another yautja grabbed the ooman and secured her arms behind her back. She didn't like to be torn away from Remii, and started to struggle. The others searched the ship and then communicated on their wrist devices that it was all clear.

A yautja female with an amazonian build and long braided hair strutted into the ship, "Take him in for questioning. Positively identify the body, then dispose of it. The ooman comes with me."

The ooman kicked and struggled as they drug her away from him. Remii stayed where he was until their investigation was over, and he was released. Odite was a suspect in a crime, but didn't show up to court. They issued a warrant then for his arrest, and since Odite didn't turn himself in to custody within the allotted time, he was labeled a bad blood. Bad bloods could be legally hunted down and slaughtered. Remii was not a murderer.

He had, however, illegally landed on a protected game preserve-Earth. He had allowed an ooman to see him. He had aided a badblood. They verified the distress signal though. Since he hadn't let the ooman escape back to her society, and he had eradicated a bad blood, they dropped all charges.

They weren't going to let him keep the ooman as a pet though. They deemed that he didn't have enough funds to take proper care of her anyway, and it was true. He rented an apartment. His spaceship was a lease. He was a sanitation worker who took a cab to work and back.

Remii watched the ooman through two-way glass, "You haven't euthanized her yet...What will happen to her?"

A towering yautja female with dull coloring stood beside him, "She is unstable and potentially dangerous-an unsuitable pet."

"I will not let her become a servant or slave!"

She didn't react to his anger whatsoever, "Why are concerned with what happens to the ooman?"

He wouldn't admit an attachment to her, "...It is the honorable thing to do after a badblood of our species mistreated her."

"We have a mate picked out for her. He will arrive shortly to pick her up."

"A mate! After what happened to her, you'd immediately pair her up with another yautja? She doesn't even speak our language! She will only see it as more abuse!"

Now the female was getting irritated. He could hear it in her voice, "Would you prefer that she wear a collar, be confined, monitored, and made to do grunt work? Or would you like to claim her as a mate? We can put restrictions on pets, but not mates-you could take her home."

Before he could respond, an older male came through the door. He walked up to the female and tipped his head down slightly in a polite and formal greeting. Remii knew immediately that he was wrong for the ooman. He was a large male, built like a football player, and that would only scare her. He had small skulls strapped to the harness around his torso, creating an 'X'. Besides that, his face and his body was covered in small spines that would make a delicate mating difficult.

The yautja female gestured towards the door that held the ooman, "She's all yours."

Remii moved to block the door, "I will not let you take the ooman until I'm sure that you are a suitable mate for her!"

The male grabbed the top of Remii's head in his hand and easily thrust him out of the way. Remii staggered back with the force of it, almost going to the ground. That only proved Remii's point. The male was a brute. He would be too rough with the ooman.

The yautja females icy words kept him from interfering again, "You may watch, or you may leave. Don't make me subdue you by force."

Linna thought she was getting used to the yautjas appearances, until a new male appeared. Just the way he looked made her almost piss herself. The doorways were wide, yautja sized-but they weren't big enough for this guy. He stepped though the doorway slightly sideways so that his shoulders would fit. And that wasn't the only thing different about him either.

One of his eyes was discolored white, and his spiky eyebrow on that side was missing. His claws were longer. His tusks looks sharper. His face almost looked like a porcupine, and there were more spines on his shoulders, arms, and chest even. He wore many skulls-all he was missing was hers.

He walked right up to her, without any respect for personal boundaries. Then, with his mandibles inches from her body, he began to sniff her. She gulped, and pressed herself against the wall. If there had been any furniture in the room, she would have grabbed it and smashed it over his head already.

Her eyes lit up when he spoke her language though, "My name is Denock."

"Linna."

But then her heart immediately fell, "Come with me. You will be my new mate."

When he reached for her, she jumped away and bolted for the door. She almost didn't expect it to open, but the big male had left it unlocked behind him. Linna was determined not to let him catch her, but arms closed around her waist in a second. She tried to pull away until she realized that it was Remii.

Denock came out from the room a second later, and his eyes landed on her. Remii's chest pulsed with a low growl. The tall female yautja stepped closer, her eyes set on Remii. Linna's head swiveled back and forth between the two, but she hoped Remii would protect her.

The big male walked forward, ignoring Remii's tense posture and growling. He got right in Remii's face, and Linna had to squeeze out from between them. Remii kept a hand on her shoulder protectively. They started speaking in yautja, and she was lost.

Denock growled low in his throat, "Get your hands off the ooman."

Remii stood his ground, "She does not want a mate."

"I will have to hear that from her then, not you."

"Go ahead, ask her." Remii let go of the ooman, and placed his bio mask over his face to serve as a translator. While Denock seemed to be familiar with her language, Remii wasn't.

The ooman hid behind him like a shy child, still unsure if there was going to be a fight. Deknock softened his voice, "Little female..."

Linna met his eyes.

"I mean you no harm little female. Come here so I may speak to you. A woman should never cower."

Reluctantly, she stepped out from behind Remii.

"They've already informed you of your limited options-You need to find a mate to be able to leave this facility. I offer protection, and guidance...You've already been mated by a yautja, meaning that you do not need to mate with me. I will be considered a potential mate, and if you never find me suitable, then I can accept that. So, little female, will you come with me?"

Linna didn't answer. She stared at the floor, unsure.

Deknock began to purr. It started out as nothing more but a soft hum, but then steadily grew into a rich, thundering vibration. It was a deep, steady noise that made her feel warm and gooey inside. He grabbed her to gently tug her forward. His hands engulfed hers, his huge thumbs settling in the middle of her palms.

She took several steps towards him, but then panicked. When she started to pull away, she felt Remii's hand on her back, nudging her forward. She twisted around to look at him. He tipped his head down some, giving consent. He was actually allowing Deknock to take her away.

As Deknock walked her towards the door, Linna kept twisting around to look back at him. Remii steeled his nerves and forced himself not to react. He'd been wrong about Deknock. Remii could tell already that the male would be good to her. The ooman lingered in the doorway, looking back at him, before she finally turned and left. Remii didn't stop her.

Oomans needed more social interaction and commitment then what he was used to. Yautjas normally didn't form strong, lasting relationships. Their culture dictated a dangerous lifestyle, and deaths were all too frequent. If Remii kept her, she would grow attached to him, and it was likely that he'd perish on a hunt. To a yautja, an attachment meant weakness. You did not rely on another, you did not depend on each other for anything.

Though sappy goodbyes were not a yautja custom, he was compelled to follow her. He engaged his cloaking device, and stepped out into the hall. Denock immediately heard the door, and slowed his pace to glance behind him. His body tensed, as he was able to see the shimmer from Remii's cloaking device. Remii stood still, not wanting to issue a challenge. Denock was already protective over Linna, which was a good sign.

She glanced up at the grizzly male, wondering why he had slowed down. He was looking behind them. Linna suddenly whirled around, her heart skipping a beat, hoping that it was Remii. Her eyes searched the hallway, but there was nothing there. Denock put his arm out, corralling her away.

He followed them outside, where a small two-seated aircraft waited for them. Remii hadn't done a good job of protecting her from Odite, and he didn't have enough income to provide for her. As reluctant as he was to admit it, Denock was better for her. Remii leaned his weight against the building and watched them leave. She was starting a new life, and even though Remii would not be in it, he would never forget about the ooman and how she had thrown her arms around his neck.

~An deireadh~ (Scots Gaelic for "The end")

Yautja translations:
Cetanu - one of their gods.