Chapter 11: Advice
Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.
[Raith's POV]
Raith watches as Za'taan takes his mate and heads out of the meeting room. He observes Za'taan's behavior and sees a spark in his brother's red eyes that he'd never seen before. He glances at Ana, causing his heart to beat a little faster. He's glad that the mask covered his face or else anyone could see the same glow. He closes his eyes for a minute and opens them in time for Du'rout to answer everyone in the room.
"As for all the clan members present, I order that the oomans are not to be harmed in any way. If such conduct occurs, there will be no mercy. Dismissed."
Raith watched the other clan members bow their heads and walked out of the room one at a time. He stands still until everyone is out except for Ana, Walter, and Du'rout. He looks up to the Clan Leader and speaks openly.
"I'll be taking the oomans to their rooms."
He walks over slowly towards Ana, seeing her turn her head towards him and smiles a little. Again, his heart skipped a beat and it made him a little fearful of what it means. He's always the Yautja with answers but for this? He's inexperienced in this 'field' of some kind. However, he obeys his orders and grabs onto Ana's wrist tightly but not enough to hurt her. He glances at Walter who gives him a look that he'll behave and follow him. Raith begins to turn towards the door when he hears Du'rout call for him.
"Hold on, Raith, I need to speak to you privately."
Raith turns his head to the side. "What about the oomans?"
"They will wait outside of the room. Don't worry about leaving them alone. I've ordered the guards to watch them until we're done."
A moment of silence passed between them. Raith looks towards Ana who seemed worried about what was going on. He looks back at Du'rout and nods, moving to push Ana and Walter out of the room. He lets go but not before he feels a soft hand placed on his bicep. He sees Ana's worried expression and something inside Raith pulled him towards her. This isn't like him! He doesn't answer as he pushes her out towards the guards that waited for them. He turns to Walter and the ooman goes willingly, stopping at Ana's side. In a way, he's glad that the door closes so that he wasn't attempted to look at her during him and his father's talk but deep inside, a part of him wanted to keep her at his side. Ever since their encounter at Weyland-Yutani, he didn't feel the same. He'll need to talk to Za'taan about this . . . Maybe he knows how to deal with this?
For now, he needed to deal with what his father wanted to talk about. Raith comes back to stand in the middle of the room as Du'rout comes closer until he's only a few feet in front of Raith.
"So . . . what has gotten into you, Raith?"
"What do you mean, my Leader?"
He hears Du'rout grunt in annoyance, rubbing the area between his eyes with his fingers while lowering his gaze. He's never seen Du'rout frustrated like this, not to mention showing signs of it for anyone to see. Raith shifts in his spot and waits patiently as Du'rout looks back up to his eyes.
"What is your connection with the ooman female?"
Not understand the meaning of Du'rout's question or rather . . . not wanting to hear it, Raith remains silent. He could see the frustration in Du'rout's eyes getting stronger to the point that he could feel his breath blowing in Raith's face as Du'rout comes closer to his face. A stare down went on for a few moments until Du'rout breaks the silence.
"I know that you don't have any feelings towards oomans and see them as prey but . . . you chose to be their protector and I saw the look you gave in that female's eyes."
Raith stiffens a bit, feeling exposed to his father about the matter with Ana. Some part of him wanted to roar in his face and tell him it's none of his pauking (fucking) business but he doesn't. He knows the repercussions if he tried to pull a stunt like that. After all, he learned in his early years as a pup not to piss the Leader unless you're asking for it. So he answered in a way that Du'rout would somewhat believe.
"I'm merely watching the oomans to ensure that they won't try to pull something off while they are here. They are not to be trusted and I've proven to be the best at watching. Besides, getting them more relaxed and trusted with me will make things easier."
He waits as Du'rout closes his eyes and crosses his arms, probably contemplating about Raith's words and the decision he made. On the outside, Raith remained calm and collected but on the inside, his blood boiled with a fire that threatened to take over and go crazy. Raith never liked his father . . . and for good reason.
Raith lifts his head a little and opens his eyes. "Alright. I trust you but be careful. I've already got problems as it is with Za'taan and the ooman female he calls Maria. When the right time comes, I need you to be prepared and not distracted by an ooman. Understood?"
"Understood, my Lord."
Du'rout nods firmly at Raith when his head comes back up. "Good. And remember . . . if you disobey my orders, I'll make sure it's as painful as before."
It took all the self-control in Raith to hold in a growl that would have sealed his fate if he let it out. He bows once more to Du'rout and makes a quick exit before anything else happens.
Raith decides to go and check with Za'taan to ensure that his mate made it to his room and is recovering well. His father's plan needs to stay on track in order to keep the future of the Uhri Clan intact. In his opinion, he rather burns it all down for all its worth. Too much blood had been spilled to keep it going and no one is safe from the torture, including Du'rout's own children. After all, Raith had plenty of that torture for something that was out of his control. The only reason that Du'rout keeps him around as second-in-command because of his great skills as a hunter along with his obedience to the Clan Leader. Other than that, Raith would have either been killed off or sold into slavery. Raith shakes his head and focuses on the task at hand.
After going through the hallway, Raith almost reaches for Za'taan's room, which was at the very end of the hallway when a door to his left opens. Instinctually, Raith reaches for his knife and slightly pulls it out in case someone wanted a jump on him. In Yautja society, any hunter would make sure to watch his back. It's a good thing he held back when Ana comes walking out and bumps her head on his chest, backing off in pain.
"Ouch. I'm sorry about that. Didn't see you there."
Raith watches her rub her head that was starting to turn red from the impact. Again, the urge to soothe her comes back but he stands back as Ana finally lifts her head and eyes widened upon seeing him.
"Oh. Hi . . . Ummm . . . sorry."
When she apologized again, he noticed her cheeks began to blush but whether it was from embarrassment or something else, he couldn't figure out. Unable to speak to her in the ooman language nor she would understand his own tongue, he scrolls through the voice recordings that his mask translated in the years he went on ooman hunts. When he found the right one, he pressed on his gauntlet and it plays.
"It's . . . fine."
Ana's face lifts up in surprise as Raith takes a few steps back when his eyes connect with hers. The chocolate color sparkles from the glow of the lights and his heart beat fast once more. He curses himself for having such a feeling he didn't have the answer to. It made him feel . . . vulnerable. He glances down to the floor as Ana's expression changes to one who was sincere.
"That's good. I'm not used to all of this. A lot has happened since our escape but I wanted to say something to you since I didn't get the chance before."
When he heard her words, Raith slowly lifts his head up but keeps his eyes diverted from looking into hers, especially when he got himself calmed down. He nods his head slowly to give her the chance to say what she wanted to say. Ana shifts in her spot while rubbing her hands together and Raith could see that she was nervous. He hoped it wasn't anything serious. But his doubts were pushed aside when she spoke.
"I wanted to say . . . thank you . . . for saving us from Weyland. I know Maria won't be happy to see you since you knocked her out but I'm sure she would say the same thing. I hope you understand."
With that, Raith's eyes couldn't help but come back to hers and that's when everything almost came to lose inside of him. He had no idea what kind of power this female had but it affected him so much. When she came to his side during their escape and faced him, despite knowing he could kill her without much effort, she didn't show fear but concern instead. She didn't care for her life but for others, including her friend and himself. Without warning, his mandibles tightened into his inner mouth and a rumbling came through his throat and he let out a long purr.
It startled both of them in an instant. Ana's eyes widened in shock as well as his. He felt lucky that his mask was on but it did little to help calm himself down. He tightens his fist and takes another step back from her but doesn't take off, even though he wanted to run. After some moments, Ana's face changes to worry as she reaches for him.
"Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?"
Raith sees her hand come closer and he backs off when it comes to close. She pulls it away and looks at it like she touched something she shouldn't have. Her eyes drop down to the floor and Raith could have sworn that she was going to cry but wasn't sure. His heart suddenly began to drop in his chest and the feeling of dread washed over him. He didn't want her to feel like this. Taking a deep sigh, he takes a few steps forward and reaches slowly to her. Without hesitation, he gently grabs her chin and lifts her head up so their eyes met. He could see the despair coming out of her as he lets go of her. His hand goes back to the gauntlet and presses more codes until he plays another recording.
"I'm . . . sorry."
Ana's eyes lit up like she was shocked by something and Raith wondered if he said something wrong. He was about to walk off, thinking that he'd done enough damage when a smile slowly grows on her lips. That sends a spark off in every fiber of his body, electrifying every nerve.
"Thank you very much. Goodnight."
Before Ana went inside her room, Raith holds his hand up, which got her to stop in her tracks. He puts it down and decides to do something he would never have done in a thousand years for an ooman but thought she deserved it. He stands back and bows his head while crossing his arm over his chest. It was a way that a Yautja showed respect to an equal and if anyone saw him doing this, they would think twice about his sanity. However, he thought it was best as he raised himself up to reciprocate the same thing to her.
"Thank . . . you. Goodnight."
With that, Ana turns away but not before he caught a glimpse of her cheeks turning a bright red. He wondered if she had a fever but she looked well. Deciding to ignore it, he waits until Ana walks back into the room and the door shuts behind her. He sighs a relief that it was over but wished it would continue as well. It was a strange mix of feelings inside that was creating a storm in his stone body. He'll have to ask Za'taan about this later.
Sure enough though, he sees Za'taan walking towards him with a furious look on him. Raith rolled his eyes behind the mask, knowing he was going in for a stressful conversation that was not going to end well.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
A few days had passed and Raith got ready for another typical day of guarding the ooman friends of Maria, including Ana. However, he had a task he needed to take care of before heading towards Ana and her friend Walter. To be honest, Raith was suspicious of the male that came with them. He didn't react like any other ooman he'd met. Normally, small intimidation from a Yautja would send shivers down an ooman's spine but during the meeting with Du'rout on the first day, he didn't so much as move a muscle. He would definitely keep an eye out on him but saved it for later.
Raith walks through the hallway, stopping in front of a door and knocking on it with a little bit of urgency for his taste.
"Who is it?"
"It's me. Raith."
Right on cue, the door slowly opens and Za'taan comes out, turning back to slowly shut the door behind him. Raith noticed that Za'taan wore only a loincloth that seemed like he threw it on. It was weird but then Raith took a huge whiff of the air and smelled something on Za'taan that made his face cringe. His mandibles twitched uncomfortably while he squinted his eyes a little from it. He knew right away what had happened.
"Really, Za'taan? You mated with the female, didn't you?"
Za'taan shrugs his shoulders and then stands up straight to face Raith. "And so what? You come unannounced and almost woke Maria up. She needs to sleep."
Raith puffs. "I'm sure she does after your mating."
Za'taan growls ferociously, almost making Raith chuckle in amusement. Usually, it would be worrisome to have Za'taan in a grouchy mood but this . . . it was a whole new level. But Raith didn't have much time to doddle and decided to ask Za'taan bluntly.
"Anyway, I need to ask you for some advice."
"Advice?"
He saw Za'taan's facial expression go to one filled with confusion and Raith knew he was going to have that kind of reaction. After all, he's usually the one who doesn't ask for advice from anyone, given his nature of keeping to himself. Raith waits as the question goes through Za'taan's mind.
"You want advice? This isn't like you."
Raith grunts in frustration. "I know but . . . you're the only one I know who has experience in dealing with oomans and especially the females."
That made Za'taan freeze for a second, holding up a finger to stop Raith. "This is about Ana?"
Raith rolled his eyes from the stupidity of the question but nods as an answer. "Yes."
"I could tell when you asked. You seem to act differently with Ana lately."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not!"
Raith roars into Za'taan's face, not caring about what his brother will do to him despite having the knowledge that he could kick his ass anytime if he wanted to. Both brothers have a stare off between each other until Raith's mind snapped out of it. He needed to be careful if he's to get anything from Za'taan. After a moment or two, Raith sighs and steps back from him, lowering his head to the ground. It wasn't until Za'taan called to him that he got his head back up.
"Alright. What you want to ask?"
With the green light from Za'taan, Raith takes a deep breath and asks. "I want to know how you bonded with Maria."
"Excuse me?"
Raith waves a hand in the air, trying to find the right words to say without making it sound more awkward.
"I mean . . . How did you connect with her? She seems to trust you completely and . . . loves you despite being different species to one another. How did she accept you?"
At first, he saw no reaction from Za'taan other than him rubbing his chin and closing his eyes to think. He wasn't the one to be patient but for this moment, he waited long enough for Za'taan to finally look back into his eyes.
"I can tell you that it wasn't easy. We didn't bond well in the beginning. But . . . over time, as I got to know her little, I realized that she's tougher than she looks. Not to mention that she'll protect everyone else that's important to her. In short, she'll do anything for the ones she loved. I guess that's how I fell in love with her. She's different than anyone I've ever been with. I don't know what I would do if I lost her again. She makes me feel . . . strong."
When he heard Za'taan's words, it struck at his heart and made it beat faster like last time he was with Ana. Is what he's feeling the same thing Za'taan went through when he met Maria. His fists tightened while he lowers his head down once more until he feels Za'taan place a firm hand onto his shoulder. Raith looks back through his mask as Za'taan smiles.
"You want my advice?"
Raith pauses a moment, thinking about his decision until he nods his head up and down. Za'taan smiles more. "I suggest you get to know Ana better. You might find something interesting that you'd never seen before."
Za'taan pats Raith's shoulder and let's go, turning around back to his room. "I need to get back to Maria and see if she's alright. Be yourself, brother."
And with that, Za'taan enters his room and closes the door behind, leaving Raith alone to contemplate on how he'll follow the advice he's given.
. . . . . . . . . . .
After a few hours, Raith paces back and forth in his room, trying to figure out how to pull off the crazy suggestion Za'taan told him to do when he met with Ana. He was supposed to be there by now but his mind and heart were in chaos. How can he pull this off? How is he supposed to know if they can't communicate with each other? That was another problem Raith had to deal with as well. Ana still doesn't know how to talk to him and vise versa with himself so how was he supposed to break through to her? Not coming up with any answers, Raith growls in frustration and decides to go for it. He walked towards the door and was about to reach for his mask that he placed on the desk nearby earlier when he stopped abruptly. He glances at it and tries to find a reason for wearing it on his visits. Without hesitation, he pulls his hand back and takes off from the room and toward Ana's.
When he reached for the door, Raith paused for a moment with his fist hovered in the air near it. His mind tries to play out what should happen but every time he tried, it would end badly and would frustrate him more. He shakes his head, letting his dreadlocks flap around his head and moves to knock on her door when it opens suddenly.
Raith freezes as Ana peeks out from the slit of the door. She gasps a little before smiling at him.
"Hi. Nice to see you again. I got a little worried when you didn't show up in the morning. Something wrong?"
He pauses for a moment before shaking his head. Ana smiles more and motions him to come inside. He follows her until he passes the door, making sure it closes shut so no one would disturb them. Once that was done, he turns to her as she sits down on the side of the bed, crossing her legs at the same time. The beauty of her strikes Raith as surprising and he's unable to look away. It was made worse when her eyes met his and locked on each other. What is it about her that attracts him to her so much?
"How's everything?"
At first, Raith opens his inner mouth and mandibles to say something but remembers the language barrier between each other. He reaches for the wrist gauntlet when he realized he left his mask back in his room. He curses himself for not bringing it but he makes the most of the situation for now. He moves closer to Ana and decides to try his luck in speaking the ooman language. He doesn't know a lot but he hopes Ana will get his message. He clears his throat and tries.
"Goouudd . . ."
He sounded like someone was choking him to death and he thought he looked like an idiot. Still, he watches Ana carefully as she tilts her head to the side and tightens her eyebrows in confusion.
"You mean . . . good?"
His eyes widened a little in surprise, wondering how she was able to understand what he was trying to say. He quickly nods his head and the smile returns on Ana's lips.
"Okay. So you can speak a little human language. Can you do more?"
He shakes his head quickly and closes his eyes in disappointment. He never bothered to learn how to speak the ooman language given that he only thought of them as a sport to hunt for valuable trophies. He didn't think he would be in a situation where he would try to speak to one that wasn't intended to be saved in the first place. Something inside told him to save her and he did that but trying to find a reason why it was becoming difficult. How is he to deal with this?
His mind took him away from reality until he felt a soft, warm hand on his arm. He snapped out of his mind and looked down to see Ana right next to him, rubbing her palm softly over his skin. He could feel every detail of her fingers pressing on him along with the texture of her skin that felt like the softest fur he hunted. It was . . . different.
"Are you okay? Why don't you take a seat and rest for a bit?"
Raith struggled to decide if he should follow her and sit down or leave and forget everything that had happened. His mind was battling against his heart, which was fighting a lost battle. His heart beats so fast that the heat began to burn through his skin and he would have sworn that even Ana could feel it. But she didn't seem to notice when she began to tug on his arm to follow her. He wanted to fight but his body gave him, letting her tiny form pull on his massive one towards the bed until she sat down. She lets go one hand and pats on the empty spot and Raith slowly lowers himself until he's sitting next to her. The bed creaks a little and slumps down from the weight of him but none of them didn't mind it.
Now . . . here he was . . . sitting next to an ooman female that is spinning him in circles without putting much effort into it. None of the Yautja females he's been with had the same effect as Ana. They would try to seduce him into getting him into their bed but to no avail. Raith thought it was a waste of time and pushes them out before anything else could happen. But with Ana, it was the opposite. It was like he wanted to seduce her instead but he was treading into unknown territory and had little to go by. He twitches his mandibles erratically and couldn't help but stare into Ana's eyes. They were somewhat beautiful and he couldn't understand how she's affecting him like this. It was so confusing!
But then, he sees Ana shifts a little bit away from him, looking uncomfortable in the way he was staring at her. "Ummm . . ."
She looks down at her hands and twiddles her thumbs between her knees. Raith sees this and grunts in annoyance, trying to think of something to say to her with the limited ooman language he had on him. Silence grows between them until Raith sighs deeply, turning back to Ana as she did the same. He was going to go for it.
"Ana . . ."
He was glad that he said her name almost as well as Za'taan but he loses track of his thoughts when he saw her reaction. Her eyes widened so much that he thought her eyeballs would pop out of their sockets. He didn't know if he caused her pain or didn't like what he said but he relaxed when she smiled a little.
"Yes, that's right. What is your name by the way? Never got the chance to ask."
Raith hesitates for a moment if he should let her know since telling a Yautja name to a prey meant that they saw them as equals. It was hard to break such a habit that he's been used to for so long but he wanted her to know. He takes a deep breath and looks into Ana's eyes, determined to push forward.
"Raith."
Ana's head tilts to the side. "Raith?"
He nods and the smile returns on her lips. "Raith . . . It's a nice, strong name for yourself."
When he heard that, his heart skipped a beat. The warm feeling returned with a vengeance and burned throughout his body. His mandibles and inner mouth slump open in awe while his fist tightened on his sides. Her legs had the urge to get up and move but at the same time, frozen in their places.
I suggest you get to know Ana better. You might find something interesting that you'd never seen before.
Za'taan's advice rings in his head and Raith decides to do just that, hoping to understand what it meant. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Raith decides to ask her something that might help to communicate with each other better.
"Can . . . you . . . teeache . . . meee . . . how to . . . taulk?"
At first, he didn't feel confident that Ana understood her since her face showed deep confusion. He grunts and thinks best to get out of here before he embarrassed himself more. He was about to get up until Ana stops him.
"You want to learn how to speak as I do? Did I get that right?"
He felt surprised that she understood him again. With eagerness, he nods his head and Ana smiles in delight and almost looking just as eager as himself.
"Alright! I'll teach you but I'll also warn you that I'm not the best out there. So can you be patient with me?"
Raith looks deep into her eyes and speaks. "Of . . . course . . . Ana."
When he said her name, her facial expression changes dramatically like before except this time, her cheeks begin to glow bright red and he could hear her breathing become harsh but only for a moment. Ana smiles and turns to sit criss cross next to him, ready to teach him what she knows.
Raith listens to her closely as she tries something like the alphabet with him. It was starting to get bored but for some reason, Raith wanted to stay with her as much as possible, hoping to get to know her better as Za'taan said.
His heart rises in delight but then slumps down when the memory of the news from the healers comes back abruptly. Knowing that the chip in Ana's head can't be removed, he fears for the worst and can't help but feel a painful sting go across his chest. Still, he's determined more than ever find out how to help Ana in any way that he can. He wanted to make sure that Ana is safe and an idea comes into his head.
He'll have to talk to a certain someone when the time is right. He's going to save her life . . . no matter what.
Hi Readers!
I'm sorry for the late update and short chapter. I had a busy weekend with a graduation party and everything else on top of it. It's been a struggle but I finally managed to finish the chapter that Anonymous-E requested. I hope you all like it and if there's any mistakes or the chapter seems unorthodox, I apologize in advance for it.
Anyhow, Raith seems to like Ana more than what other people believe but he's struggling a lot to accept that they are there at least. But with Ana's good nature, she's sure to help him out with speaking ooman but does she feel the same?
Will they come together like Za'taan and Maria? Will he be able to keep the promise of saving Ana from the pain she's enduring with the chip inside of her? And who is this certain person he needs to speak to?
Find out when Chapter 13 comes next week (Saturday as scheduled).
P.S. Appreciation to Anonymous-E, Maria, Paul Lenzen, and Guest for the wonderful reviews. Really helps me a lot and I hope you all continue to enjoy my stories. As for Anonymous-E, I'll definitely put in the request for Lar'ja's POV when the stories are finished since there will be a sequel for Metamorphosis but might be delayed because I do have other stories to write as well. However, it will definitely be in it. :)
Thank you and enjoy! :)))))