Chapter 8 (Shadow in the Dark)

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

I raced through the forest, hoping to catch up with Xen'ork to the ship after he told me of what was going on. Whatever he said to me about a call from my father and saying that it was urgent, I knew he wasn't trying to play around with me. He would never do something like interrupting me unless it was that bad. But it also made me more concerned since I'm still unaware of the nature that the call brings. I pushed my legs harder, sprinting at blinding speed to reach it. As quick as I took off, I made it back to the ship but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw that Xen'ork was not alone. I could see another ship settled just a few feet behind ours.

Two Yautja hunters were conversing with him, but I couldn't see who it was. But the symbol of the Dark Blade clan etched on the side of their shoulder armor was proof enough that they were from my clan. I composed myself a bit, stretching my muscles that were slightly sore from the run before deciding to walk into the open. As I began to reach them, it was then that I knew who they were by looking at their faces. The first one I knew very well and glad to see but upon turning my sights on the other Yautja, my body tenses as I glared at the one person I least wanted to see. It was no mistake with his small, red lines covering his chest and arms.

When I got close enough, Xen'ork and the rest of them stopped to face me. I tried to calm myself down a bit when I came even closer, blinking my eyes slowly as I reached for my mask and pulled it off, placing it on the hook of my belt while the one Yautja called out.

"There you are, my lord Daugoumand. We were waiting for you."

I bowed my head to him as he did the same. "Hakr'ouh."

Hakr'ouh was one of the best warriors of our clan and has shown great promise to become the next second in command. He's always attentive in his work and missions, but despite all the recognition he gets, somehow he remains to himself and doesn't get close to anyone. The only exception was me, but I wondered if it was because I was the Clan Leader's son or something else. That is what I felt about him in the beginning until he warmed up to me, and we have been as close as brothers since.

"It's been a while since I last saw you. I hope that you are faring well."

Hakr'ouh smiles a bit and bows once more, paying great respect to me and I reciprocated it by coming to his side, pressing my hand on his shoulder and shaking it a bit. But just as I was getting relaxed, the voice of my most annoying rival calls out from behind.

"Well, 'Blood Assassin' . . . it looks like you become more sloppy than usual if the Clan Leader sent us here with you."

He had a hint of arrogance that I could hear in his voice, and all I wanted to do was strangle him so that he can shut up. I growled fiercely in his direction and snarled out his name.

"Thant'oug . . ."

All I got from him was a smirk and a small growl to warn me off. And as usual, I didn't pay much attention to it as I growled once more. Thant'oug was once part of another clan but wasn't worthy enough to stay with them, so he transferred to our clan when my father saw some potential in him. However, I wasn't convinced of it. The accusations against him for not following the Code of Honor spread like wildfire for some time before he came to us, but there was no proof of it. I hated that part since the Council of Ancients need physical evidence to execute a punishment, but there was nothing I could do. My father already accepted him, and I couldn't just go to the Council, accusing Thant'oug with nothing to show for it. Ever since he found out about my attempts to do so, he's been a pauking (fucking) pain to me, trying to test every nerve in my body.

We stood in front of each other, glaring daggers into each other's eyes until Xen'ork interrupted us.

"Can everyone relax for a moment? We've got bigger things to deal with than fighting amongst ourselves."

That got both me and Thant'oug to snap out of our glare contest. Although the tension between us was still in the air, I focused more on the question at hand, and that is why both of them have come here to us along with the message from my father. But I had a feeling that both situations are connected. I cleared my throat a little, flexing my mandibles a bit until I faced Hakr'ouh.

"So what brings you here?"

He huffs a little, expecting me to know the answer already, but I gave the benefit of the doubt. He looks over to Thant'oug, then to Xen'ork until he looks back at me.

"Lord Dau'jein sent us here because of the slow progress you are making with this mission, even though it had only been several weeks on Yautja Prime since last he spoke to you."

"I know . . . He's not one to be patient about anything."

I had dealt with my father's impatience throughout my life with him ever since. Even when I was born, I heard things that my father didn't like that I took so long to come into the world so this was no surprise to me in some way. Who he had sent was the real catch of the day, especially with Thant'oug, but what's done is done. I didn't want to be around Thant'oug for much longer or else another death with occur tonight. I stepped around in my place as Hakr'ouh began to speak.

"Enough of that. Since we are here, what is your status so far?"

I explained as detailed as possible to everyone. "I may have found the source of the oomans that are experimenting in the area, but they are armed and know of our existence. I had encountered them a while ago but were stronger than expected."

"No doubt because you're incompetent sometimes."

Again, Thant'oug snarls out at me right in the middle of my talking, to piss me off yet again. I growled once more and took a firm step in his direction. The anger in my chest growing like a wildfire.

"If you have something to say, then say it afterward. Or else you will regret it."

Despite my clear warning, Thant'oug growls and waves his hand in dismissal. "I have nothing to say to you other than insults. Our Clan Leader should have sent us first instead of you or else the mission would have been over and done with."

Right then, I couldn't hold it in anymore and walked fast and robust at him, ready for a fight with him. He goes in defensive mode but doesn't back off, extending his wrist blades out in a display. I did the same with my blades and was about to charge at him with all my strength until Hakr'ouh steps in front of me while Xen'ork does the same with Thant'oug.

"Daugo . . . calm down."

He stares into my eyes for a few moments, making sure I keep my gaze on him until I began to calm down. My heart was still pounding hard in my chest as I focused on breathing slowly, but I watched as Xen'ork pulls Thant'oug away from us, making sure to break it up before another fight starts up. The urge to kill him was still with me, but as time went by, it was starting to fade back into the deep crevice of my being. When I was almost relaxed, Hakr'ouh pulls back a bit and looks right at me.

"Are you alright now?"

I glanced down at the ground for a moment before staring back at him. "I'm fine now."

Hoping he was convinced of my words, I kept watching on him until he blinks his eyes slowly and faces back at Thant'oug who had gone back to his ship while Xen'ork keeps his eye on him until he disappeared. I could see the distress and annoyance in Xen'ork with this whole thing, just as unhappy as I was with him around. I shook my head a little and gaze back to Hakr'ouh but only for a moment as I decided to get some fresh air. I turned around and started to walk off.

"Where are you going, Daugo?"

I stopped briefly when he called out but didn't move from there. I just wanted to get out of this tension surrounding the camp, and I knew of a place that I can use to get away. It's unlike for any Yautja to run away rather than stay and deal with it, but I wasn't in the mood. I turned my head to the side but only to say something.

"I'm going to get some fresh air. Might not be back for a while."

"But what about the mission? We need to know the details."

I could hear the uneasiness in Hakr'ouh, and it stuck to me as odd. He usually collected most of the time and only gets agitated when something goes wrong but only for serious reasons. I know my father wants results fast, but it's not a huge concern. But I dismissed it, turning my head and waving my hand behind.

"Xen'ork will give the details of our progress. Right now, you need to rest after the long trip and get something to eat as well."

Without giving him time to answer back, I zipped past the bushes and out of sight, not caring if my mask or cloaking device was on.

. . . . . . . . . .

I was able to reach the lake by the time the sun had risen in the morning. I didn't bother to go hunting for food. The anger inside me was still fresh in my chest and mind. Having Thant'oug around didn't help the situation, and I was starting to question my father's reasons for sending him. It was so unlike him, knowing that I didn't get along with him.

Maybe it was punishment for not getting the mission done.

I shook my head at the nonsense that was growing inside my mind. No . . . It can't be. Something was up with all of this, and it sent chills up the back of my spine to my neck. I had to twist and stretch to rub it off of me. I sat down to view the lake and its surroundings once more, hoping to find some peace from the heated argument with my comrades earlier. I crossed my legs, and placed my hands on my knees and watched the light from the sun sparkle the water below, almost reminding me of the many stars floating in the universe when I go on hunting trips and whatnot. It was the only time I could feel like myself.

But that is until Mia came into my path. I closed my eyes and drifted into the darkness, expecting another replay of the moment I lost Ba'kou. However, things didn't go the way that I thought they would.

Instead, the darkness began to dissipate as a small flame glowed in the middle of it. At first, I was wary of why I was dreaming about this . . . Or if this was a dream at all. But then, the fire grew bigger and bigger until it became frighteningly massive and coming closer to me. I tried to turn around and escape, but my legs planted themselves and didn't dare to budge. I looked down and saw that the darkness that started to disappear wrapped itself up to my knees. I tried to scratch them off of me, but it was like trying to rip apart a cloud. But my attention diverted to the fire that was coming closer and closer until I had no choice but to cover my face with my hands as the fire engulfed me.

However, it didn't burn or even felt hot. I waited a few moments before I dared to drop my hands down. When I did, a scene played before me that shook me to the bones. My vision returned, and I saw fire scattered everywhere with pieces of metal sticking out from the ground. I lifted my head further up, and when I did, my heart stopped at sight before me. I realized that I was standing on Yautja Prime, but unlike the magnificent buildings that I remembered, the whole world was in ruins. The forests were burned in several places . . . The desert reminded me of a graveyard, and many of the buildings were broken with some barely standing.

I was in the middle of a battlefield with chaos raining down on my home. What the pauk (fuck) is going on?

With curiosity in mind, I decided to try and move my legs, and this time, they obeyed, and I took several steps forward. I walked a bit ways until I saw something mixed in the dirt in front of me. I stopped and inspected it closer, leaning down to get a better view. When I did, it shined with the color of green and red, which made me wonder even more of what it is. I reached forward slowly with my hand and touched it, noting how warm and sticky it was between my fingers. I brought it up to my face and took a whiff of it, opening my mandibles as far as I could. The unbearable smell of metal confirmed that it was blood. The green stuff was Yautja, but strangely, I recognized the red material belonging to oomans.

Why is oomans here on Yautja Prime?

Just as I asked myself, the screams and roars began to ring in my ears, and when I looked up, I saw many Yautja warriors fighting each other, some slashing each other's throats and more green blood spilling down. I looked closer at some and noticed that on one side, some Yautjas were members of different clans mixed, which was unusual. But not as much as the other side when I saw that they wore highly upgraded armor with red X shapes on them. This doesn't make sense.

I wanted to roar at them, to find out why they were doing this until I saw something else. Out of nowhere, several oomans with guns in their hands ran towards the group of Yautjas, ready to fire upon them. I thought that they were going to kill them until they aimed their guns and fired, only hitting the Yautjas with the red colored armor. It became more bizarre when the oomans came to the surviving Yautjas and conversed with them as if they were fighting on the same side. I stood frozen in shock as all of them ran in the same direction together. I tried to follow them, but the fire suddenly engulfed my vision once more.

It was only an instant that the fire dissipated and my vision returned, but a different scene played out. This time, I was standing on top of a building and seeing the entire area of Yautja Prime. The sky seemed to have blackened from all the smoke emitting from below. But soon, my attention is diverted when I heard a roar so loud that the ground beneath my feet trembled.

"Why won't you die!?"

I turned around in the direction of the voice, but the smoke began to fog my vision so I could only make out two shadows on the other side. I debated whether to call out, but somewhere deep inside my heart, I decided to wait it out and see what it was all about. It didn't take long when I heard clashing of metal where the shadows resided, and it took a few seconds to figure out that they were fighting each other. I knew one was Yautja, but a different voice calls out that sounded lighter than a Yautja's.

"Because I have people worth protecting! And I won't let the likes of you destroy everything I love!"

The voice sounded like a female since it wasn't as deep as a male, but I didn't know what the mysterious person is or who they were. All I knew was that two figures . . . One Yautja and someone else . . . was fighting hard against each other so I figured that it must be severe. I mean . . . I'm in the middle of a battlefield.

I looked back, and more blows went back and forth between the figures until I noticed the smoke beginning to dissipate. I hoped that it would become bright enough for me to see, but when it did, my vision went dark. I growled in annoyance. When will this stop?

Again, I was surrounded by darkness, and I wished that I would wake up from this nightmare until another light glowed in the distance. Remembering the last time this happened, I prepared to raise my hands in case I needed to, but it wasn't the case. The light came closer but began to reform itself as I could see a form growing from it. I stayed vigilant, ready for anything until the figure fully formed, and before I knew it, it walked up to me, and I could finally see who it was.

Standing a few feet in front of me was an ooman that I could tell was female due to the large chest resembling a Yautja female. But what was unusual about this one was that she wore stunning Yautja armor that I've never seen before in my lifetime. The material for it was unique, and I barely recognized it as one of the rarest metal in the universe. Her chest armor covered her entire chest but stopped at her shoulders, base of the neck, and above her stomach. Her bottom armor was a simple loincloth made of thin metal sheets that surprisingly bend like they were made of fabric as it was the same for the cloth that wrapped around the back of her waist and opened at the front, exposing her leg braces strapped to her thighs. The wrist gauntlets she wore were the most detailed as they had bright, silver lining patterns all over it with a darkish grey color underside. The designs were unique and reminded of two dragons dancing across it.

This female was extraordinary as I've never seen anything like this before, but for some reason, she seemed familiar. Daring to see her face, I slowly moved my gaze up her body and stopped halfway when I recognized something on her armor. Red straps crossed over her chest and in the center where they connected was a red crown symbol, indicating that she belonged to the Dark Blade Clan . . . The same clan that I resided. How is that possible?

I shook my head to focus on what I wanted to do. I moved my eyes to keep going upward and slowed down when I saw the bottom of her chin. I paused, taking a deep breath to relax my anticipation until I felt I was ready. Finally, I took a leap of faith, and my eyes met hers for the first time, and when I did, my heart skipped a beat, and my breath caught in my throat.

Her face had a slight tan to her like I've seen in other oomans before on previous hunts, but hers was unique in a way. Her chestnut brown hair was tied to resemble Yautja dreadlocks as they flowed onto her shoulders, each one having several silver bands on them. What stopped me in my tracks was her eyes. They shined a deep, blue color that reminded me of the ocean that resided on a far distant planet a long time ago. I looked at her with much detail and realized that she resembled someone close to me.

"Mia?"

I called out her name, despite that it might not be her. This female seems younger than Mia, but the resemblance is uncanny. When I called out that name, the female didn't respond in words. Instead, she shook her head back and forth in a 'no' gesture. I became even more confused.

If she's not Mia . . . Then who? And why am I seeing her then?

I was about to ask her until I stopped midway when I saw another figure coming to her side, just like she did beforehand. I tense a little at who was this person that was coming since its form was much bigger than hers. The female didn't move and remained poised and calm, not worried in the slightest as who was coming. Soon, it was right at her side, and the shadow revealed itself, shocking me to the core.

"Lar'ja?"

It was my son . . . He is standing right in front of me at the female's side. My mind tried to process why Lar'ja was here in my dream. At first, both stared at me with a blank expression for some time, unsure if they were observing me or vise versa. But then, I watched Lar'ja move a bit closer to the female until he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her body in a warm embrace while leaning his head down on hers. He closes his eyes and then, all of a sudden, he lets out a purr that sounded it was out of affection.

It stunned me as I've never seen him shown that kind of emotion to any female, let alone an ooman one. It was the first time in his life that he loved someone dearly and I could tell from his actions that he loved her. The female does the same and rubs the top of her head on the bottom of his lower mandible. It was awkward, but I couldn't look away. The female opens her eyes and looks back at me, letting a gentle smile form on her lips.

And then . . . I opened my eyes.

I saw that I was back at the lake except the sun was setting, barely showing over the horizon and I realized that the whole day had passed. I stood up fast and turned around in circles to make sure that it was real. I covered my face and rubbed hard, trying to understand what I saw.

Was it even real?

I pulled out of my thoughts when I heard footsteps a few distances away. What's going on? I rushed to a nearby tree and jumped to the nearest branch with ease, making sure to keep quiet as I went to find the source of the noise.

It wasn't long before I heard it once more and stopped when I saw several figures on the ground in a secluded place. I stopped at a safe distance and kneeled on the branch, trying to make out what they were saying. Without my mask, it was difficult to make out, but I could see two figures up ahead. One was an ooman with skin as black as night with several armed soldiers behind him, recognizing them from the night I attacked them. However, the figure on the other side was hard to identify. His dark cloak covered every inch of him but judging by the size; he was a Yautja based on assumption.

What the pauk (fuck)? Why is one of our kind dealing with an ooman?

None of it made sense to me. It was beyond my understanding, but I stopped when their conversation began to turn into something 'interested' as the only word I can put it.

"So the deal is that you'll give us what we need and in return, help you defeat your enemies using the final product? And grant us immunity?"

The dark cloaked figure nodded, and a voice recording played out. "That is the deal . . ."

Soon, I saw the cloaked figure hold up something between each other. A vial of some kind that contained green neon blood. My eyes widened at the realization that the oomans were being given our blood. They were already experimenting with our DNA and to have someone among our kind giving them what they need; I growled loud enough for anyone close to hear I shut myself up but realized too late of what I've done. The oomans shouted in distress as they lifted their guns into the air to try and find who let out that sound while the cloaked figure immediately runs towards the forest and disappears.

Cjit (Shit)! Look at what I've done!

I raced into the direction of the figure, determined to stop and find out who would do this. I wasn't going to let him escape after what I saw. I pushed my legs as hard as I could, focusing my eyes as hard as I could to get a visual on the traitor. I almost gave up hope until I saw movement to the side of me while I jumped from branch to branch. No doubt it was my target since the smooth movement of his cloak was obvious. You're mine.

Without pause, I braced myself on a branch as I stomped my feet on it and with all the strength in my calves, I pushed outward as hard as I could, launching myself to cross paths with the figure. It worked like a charm as I slammed into the figure with brute force, ignoring the blinding pain that radiated from my shoulder and down the side of my body. Both of us fell to the ground while scuffling against each other, clawing into each of our skin enough to draw blood. We hit the ground hard, which forced me to topple off the figure and roll until my back hits the base of a tree, causing me to roar in agony.

However, my fighting instincts kicked it, and I scrambled to get back on my feet when I saw the cloaked figure charge at me. I rolled out of the way and brought my leg across his path, causing him to trip over it and fall facedown into the dirt. Without pause, I turned fast and lunged onto him, grabbing hold of his wrists to pin them down. The figure roars in my face, but I growled in return, determined to find out who he was and what his purpose was with interacting with the oomans.

"Who are you?! And why are you conversing with oomans?!"

The figure remained quiet, refusing to answer my question for a few moments. I was losing my patience and was about to roar in his face for an answer until the figure said something that chilled me to the bone.

"I should be asking you the same thing concerning you and the ooman female you've been interacting with."

My eyes widened in shock and disbelief. How . . . Does he know?

My moment of weakness got the best of me as the figure took the advantage and punched me hard in the guts. I doubled over, and the figure kicks me off, throwing me across the ground until I skid to a stop. I groaned in pain as the feeling of wanting to throw up almost got to me. Whoever this person is, he's strong. . .

I lifted my head when I saw the figure charging once more, ready with a knife in their hand. My eyes widened for a split second as he got close enough and began to plunge the blade down to hit me in the neck. I moved my head barely to dodge it, and the knife hits the ground. With this moment, I reached for the figure and grabbed onto a piece of the cloak. The figure saw this and pulled away right as he punched me in the face, causing me to fall on my back with my vision going blurry. It wasn't in vain as the cloak ripped a bit from the figure's waist when I held onto it as I fell. It wasn't enough for me to see the figure's face, but I noticed something about them. The figure had dark, black armor that made almost impossible to see but the red X symbol got my attention and strangely . . . It reminded me of something I saw once before.

But before I could recover, the figure looks down on me one last time before darting off in the opposite direction, disappearing from my sights. I cursed myself for letting them get the best of me but right now, I mainly focused on trying to stabilize myself and get back on my feet. It took a while since my vision still didn't fully clear up but taking a little break by leaning on a tree helped a lot.

I shook my head, disappointed at my ability to stop whoever it was that was dealing with the same oomans that were part of my mission. I wanted to rip something apart, to get rid of the anger slowly boiling me from the inside. But then, I recalled the direction of where the figure took off too and looked that way, realizing what I've done. The way that the figure headed in would make them reach the lake. And if the figure did go the way I thought he would, no doubt that they would cross paths with Mia who was expecting me to meet her tonight. I looked up into the sky and saw the sun is almost set with only a fragment of its lights shining over the horizon. It was almost dark, and the worry and fear inside forced me into a panic.

Pauk (Fuck)! I need to get to Mia!

Ignoring the pain from the recent fight, I pushed myself to run after the figure. My heart pounded hard with fear and panic, almost reminding me of the time I lost Ba'kou and my mate. I clenched my chest painful enough to make it bleed a little, but I dismissed it. All I could think about is Mia and how I needed to protect her.

All I could do is pray that nothing happened to her as I raced through the darkness as my life depended on it.

Hi Readers!

I hope everyone is enjoying this day since it's the beginning of the week and we all know how rough it is to get up. LOL :D

So Daugo had a pretty exciting dream that might be important in the future. But what do they represent? Destruction? Extinction? Or something else? Not to mention that the last bit of his dream showed two people with one being Lar'ja and someone else he's never met before . . . Or does he? I know many of you have great guesses on who it is, but it's also a preview of what is to come. Time for those brains to get rolling!

Especially with the mysterious cloaked figure that is involved with Daugo's mission and much more. So many mysteries that need to be resolved and don't worry . . . They will be soon. For now, let up hope he makes it to Mia in time or else something might go wrong. Will he make it?

Find out when Chapter 9 comes in two weeks!

P.S. Thank you Anonymous-E, Maria, and Paul for the reviews on Endurance in the last chapter. I loved them all, and I'm sure you all have questions for me to answer but all in due time.

And capiche to you Anonymous-E ;)

Thank you and enjoy! :)))

Reading notes:

Normal = Human speaking English (ooman language)

Bold = Any Yautja speaking English (ooman language)

Bold and Italic = Any Yautja speaking Yautja language