Keta-ki couldn't sleep. He'd always been a light sleeper-waking up at every little noise, but then always able to fall back asleep quickly. Now, even with the house quiet most nights, he could hardly shut his eyes. He laid on his back in bed night after night, numbly staring at the ceiling. He couldn't stop thinking about what Zuri had said, about what she wanted him to do.
He had agreed. He was proud to think that every word he ever spoke, especially to her, was a promise. So, when the lights in the house brightened in time with the rising sun, he got out of bed. His eyelids felt heavy and his muscles protested the lack of sleep. Keta-ki looked over to the other bed, where Zuri was sound asleep.
She was buried under a pile of furs with the hound in bed with her. The puppy had gotten used to sleeping at her feet, but was now too big for that. Still, Zuri wouldn't make him sleep on the floor, so the hound laid right on top of her legs. She didn't seem to mind it, seeing as his bony protrusions were only just starting to come in. At first, Keta-ki had been revolted by the idea of her sleeping next to an animal, but the hound was protective over her.
Hounds were raised to obey yautja and see everything else as prey, but the puppy had latched onto Zuri as its master anyway. When Keta-ki moved in bed, the hound lifted its head. When Keta-ki entered the house or the bedroom, he was always greeted with growls and bared teeth. The hound still obeyed Keta-ki, but its loyalty was with Zuri. It was a shame that she couldn't take the hound with her to Earth as a guard dog.
He put on a loincloth, adorned various pieces of jewelry, then went into the nursery. Meketre was bigger, but still plump like a baby. He was weened off breastmilk and eating soft foods now. The pup was growing and learning quickly. Keta-ki had simple puzzles for him to play with and the child was starting to speak.
Zuri had broken down in tears when Meketre first said 'momma'. It had been a heart-touching revelation for her, but yet she was still set on leaving her pup behind. Keta-ki tried not to shame for that, tried not to feel that yautja females were superior. A yautja female would die for her sucklings to keep them safe, while oomans were known to give their babies up for adoption. It was not Zuri's fault if her instincts were not as strong-the pup would be well cared for anyway.
That was Keta-ki's mission for the day, to ensure that Meketre would always have a good home. Zuri would soon be out of the picture, and if the plan went ary, he needed to know that Meketre would be taken care of in his absence. He had friends who he thought might agree to take the child in. It was a good backup, and was necessary anyway in case Keta-ki was mortally wounded on a job, or during a hunt. However, in order to get a family to agree, Keta-ki had to lie.
Yautjas were not accustomed to lying like oomans were. Superficial comments, half-truths, and lies were welcomed in ooman culture, only being shunned if the truth came out later. Hiding information and lying was considered treason to his kind. Lying diminishes trust, and would damage his pride and honor, even if no one ever saw through the lie. To keep his friends safely away from aiding a crime though, it was necessary.
When Keta-ki arrived at his fifth destination though, he was starting to think it was a lost cause. There were about eight pups of various heights running about the dwelling. The female invited him in and they sat down in the livingroom. Keta-ki watched two male pups wrestling on the ground while a different pup ran circles around them. Another pup was tripped by a sneeky young female pup hiding under a table, then they began to fight as well.
Keta-ki looked to the bearer sitting in front of him, which had a suckling attached to her breast, and had his doubts that she could handle Meketre. Still, he would not underestimate a female, "I've come to ask a favor. I'd like to write you into my will, to inherent all monetary sums and belongings-if you agree to take in a hybrid pup as well."
"My mates are all on hunts, and I don't expect them to return for many months."
"Still, I'd like to discuss the matter. When they return, you can convey the information and reach a decision."
"What kind of hybrid?" She asked curiously.
"Ooman and yautja."
"Yours?"
"It is the suckling of a badblood." He admitted reluctantly. This was usually where he was rejected. "It is not of my blood, but I wish for the pup to be well looked after."
"Badblood has never entered my lineage. The pup cannot tarnish my family's reputation. And what of the ooman mother?"
"The ooman remains in my care for now, however," his mandibles were stiff as he forced the lie, "she is unstable lately. She threatens to commit unhonorable suicide. I fear that she will not be in the child's life for much longer. I care for the child already, so if she dies, I will keep him."
The female made a disgusted noise, "Suicide, oomans are such a finicky bunch. Will you raise the pup yourself then?"
"I will be in the child's life as much as necessary, but he will be trained by the best master I can afford."
"Why invest so much time and money into a badblood's hybrid pup? Ooman blood will make it weak. It's unlikely it will live past its chiva."
Saying that he was in love with the mother would not get him far, "The child is part yautja. Hybrid or not, all pups should be raised to be warriors. Growing up knowing that its sire was a badblood will give the child motivation to prove himself otherwise."
The female clicked her tusks in thought, then said, "I will mention it to my mates. In the meantime, I'd like to see the pup. I will decide if he is warror material or not."
Keta-ki stood and crossed his arm over his chest with a slight bow in thanks, then maneuvered to the door without tripping over any of her rowdy pups.
The next order of business involved a hunt. If they were going to stage her death away from the city, he still needed something to bring back as further evidence. The high tech security cameras in his house and in the city would detect a heartbeat. Yautjas had a keen sense of smell, and would be able to tell if a body was dead if they got close enough. He couldn't carry Zuri back, even if she was drugged and appeared dead.
He needed an ooman body, and so he needed to go on a hunt. Keta-ki headed to Earth, picking a place remotely near the place he'd found Zuri. He mechanically strapped his armor on, and set out in search if an ooman that looked relatively similar to Zuri. Cloaked in the darkness, he systematically went from dwelling to dwelling searching for a target. Hunts always made him feel charged, capable, and full of purpose.
As he quickly dispatched two oomans, he did not feel the same powerful energy as on other hunts. Keta-ki drug the bodies outside under the stars, one of a female, one a male. He ripped the ceremonial dagger from its sheath and began to butcher the male for sacrifice to Paya. The skin was removed, and he strung the bloodied corpse high in a tree. He knelt down below, right in front of the pool of blood that was collecting under the body.
He reached out and dipped one claw into the red substance, then drew a line of blood down his forehead to his chin. Before asking for forgiveness from the god Paya, he removed his mask and set it beside him. It was not unusual for a yautja to say prayers in secrecy within the bio mask recording them, so no one would suspect that Kata-ki was doing anything unusual. He stored the females body in his ship, but made a second puddle of blood beside the other one to make it appear like the body had been hung in the tree like the male's.
He knelt in front of the second puddle of blood, then put back on his bio mask. He made sure not to look up in the tree as he cleaned his dagger and left. If anyone audited his mask recordings, they would see him kill two oomans, would see two puddles of blood, and think nothing of it. Keta-ki slumped in the ships main control chair, his claws manipulating the holograms. He still needed motivation for Zuri's fictitious suicide, and a convincing hologram.