Hello again, readers. I really know I should have waited until I got more reviews, but...

Thanks for the reviews I got, anyway! (note to all readers, I will refuse to update this story until I get at least six new reviews, got it? It's pre-written, so don't worry about me being late on it.)

DarkXeno: OMG, your cat died? (offers as much consolation as she can) That poor creature, I hope it didn't suffer too much... If it helps, I'll dedicate this chapter in memory of your latefeline companion, though it may not be the best idea for content purposes...
Apologies for cat maiming in this chapter (please don't hurt me, I only put a cat in since a city has a bunch of them and they don't fly)

Other reviewers: You'll find out who and what was in the space ship in this chap, kay? I am insanely happy that I am getting new reviewers (gestures to Deshwitat'slover and Crista of Herac). Genome Soilder: Wow, what a post you have! I really influenced your opinion that much, huh? (points accusingly at Psycology teacher 'See? I told you it could be done!")

Okay, thanks again, everybody, and get those reviews up quick... unless you hate chapters filled with something rather akin to fluff, becuase the next chap is full of it. XD

Translations:
Okay, if you don't practically know the Yautja language in it's entirety from reading my fic that you're hopeless anyway. It's all simple here, the most complicated word is Ell-osde, and we all know that means 'you' from just about every chapter I've written.
(Can you tell I'm getting tired of translations? XD )

Kwei swung the cow carcass over his shoulder, grunting with the effort. He was glad that he had been able to infiltrate another slaughterhouse, and even gladder that the humans had done all the work for him. The half-frozen hunk of meat that he carried was already skinned and dressed, ready for eating. All he needed to do now was get back to the lair without being seen.

And that would be difficult, seeing as his cloaking device was still in disrepair. He had been trying to fix it while Screetee was unconscious, but the problem had been more complicated than he had first believed. It seemed as if blood mixed with water had seeped into the main components, and they needed to be extensively cleaned before the device would work properly again.

Kwei hissed in annoyance, dragging the large carcass out of the door. The security camera that had been in the corner was still lying, sparking slightly, near the exit. The Yautja gave it a wide berth, not wanting to come anywhere near more electricity in his state. He wished distantly that he would have thought to bring a plasma caster, for the weapon would have been exceedingly useful and might have prevented him from ever getting into such a situation.

But then he would have never discovered Screetee…

Or worse, he might have killed her automatically. Somehow, the thought disturbed him now; Kwei no longer wanted the Kainde Amedha for a trophy. She had proved herself to be as intelligent and as brave as any full-fledged warrior he had ever known. She had proved herself worthy of a warrior's mark…

Kwei stopped suddenly, surprised at the thought that had just crossed his mind. A warrior's mark? Was he actually thinking of giving the mark to a Kainde Amedha?

But humans had proven themselves before. Screetee was no different.

With a sigh, Kwei shook his head and walked out into the snow, closing the door to the slaughterhouse behind him. By the door, the still forms of two dead humans lay, their heads removed from their bodies and their heat signatures rapidly cooling. The Yautja chuckled slightly; glad that he could get back to the hunt. Their skulls were now strung on his belt alongside his weapons, truly brave and worthy trophies that had stood and fought instead of running. He would gain much honor from these.

A deep rumble made him snap his head up, looking into the distance. He switched the setting on his mask from thermal to visible light, frowning as he did so. There was a dark cloud on the horizon, just throwing its shadow over the dormant city. It was moving surprisingly fast for a storm of its size, seeming to gallop over the landscape like a horse would over a grassy plain.

And Kwei could already sense from the charged feeling of the air that it was electrical.

The Yautja whirled, heading back towards the lair at as fast a clip as he could with his burden. Of all things he didn't want to do, getting caught in an electrical snowstorm was at the top of his list. They were the rarest types of storms, and also the most violent, often changing from rain to snow to hail within the span of a few moments and destroying anything standing with almost constant bursts of lightning. Getting caught outside in one could easily be fatal.

And already the biting cold raindrops were starting to descend…

The first raindrops hit my back, and I snarled as I realized that the storm was approaching faster than I had anticipated. The drops were shockingly cold, enough to make me wonder how they hadn't turned to ice already. But that question was answered as the drops turned to ice on my armor, slowing me and covering my wounds so that they pained me all the more before turning suspiciously numb.

I slipped as I walked, slamming into the ground with a screech and thrashing upright, my tail hitting several different objects around me and slicing them in two. The top of a barrel rolled to me, and I heard a hissing noise as the powdery stuff inside spilled out onto the snow. Where it touched the white water crystals, the snow melted almost instantly, showing the ground beneath.

I avoided the powder, instead catching Kwei's scent once more and following it. The rain was beginning to wash it away, and though I was certain I was close, I was afraid that I would lose the scent before I found him. Already I had come close to losing it when he had suddenly jumped to a tree or a building, presumably to avoid the humans that walked through this area. I had met some of them accidentally earlier.

They hadn't put up much of a fight.

I shuddered and walked on, the ice coating my limbs both painful and hindering. Now snow had begun falling thickly, covering the scent so that I had to dig in the rapidly deepening white stuff to track. It also fogged my vision, for every snowflake reflected off my sound waves in a confusing mess that showed me almost nothing of my surroundings and often covered dangerous things such as humans or walls. I had already run into three walls, and wasn't looking forward to doing so again. My foreleg was hanging awkwardly once more, needing to be reset from my last encounter.

A deafening roar of sound suddenly assaulted me, making me scream and dive into the snow, vision turning bright white from the wash of sound. It faded slowly, but I refused to move. It was as if another gun had gone off from the slaughterhouse, as if I was blind once more. I shivered in the cold, lost and afraid and coated in ice that was slowly but surely deadening all of my limbs. I could barely feel the end of my tail anymore.

Then, a large object struck me hard in the back of my skull. I snarled viciously, standing and arching my back in a warning, and another hit me in the shoulder. Whipping around, I sent out a loud pulse of sound and was surprised to find that no humans were in the area. As I was looking, I saw the tremors caused by several impacts all around me, and felt another painful jolt as I was hit on the haunch.

With a frightened scream, I jumped forward and ran as best as I could. The things were hitting me without mercy, striking my head, back, tail, and legs hard enough to be felt through the coating of ice and my thick armor. Looking up, I could see the whistle of more as they streamed down from the sky, the size of a cat's head and often jaggedly shaped.

Another deafening explosion erupted from the sky, and I fell into the snow, landing hard and flipping over as I slid uncontrollably. Finally, I stopped and rose shakily, my legs unsteady as I limped over to an overhang made by a half-crumbled building. I heard a hiss, and bared my teeth at the undersized and scrawny kitten that shared the meager shelter with me. It mewled uncertainly and finally dashed off, hiding behind several sheets of wire mesh.

You're too scrawny to eat, anyway, I snorted, painfully settling down in the drifted snow. I was well aware of the fact that I had no idea where I was, and all too aware that my hunger was rising to dangerous levels. Indeed, if I could have gotten to the kitten, I would have eaten it easily, but I was too tired to chase it and my body cried out for rest.

I set my head down heavily on the snow, saliva dribbling and freezing almost instantly on the hard-packed crystals. The temperature was dropping fast, and I knew I needed to get up and move, search again to see if I could track my own trail back or find Kwei's. Somehow, though, I couldn't rouse my lethargic mind to order my limbs to move. Even my tail was still, and as I began faltering in my steady thrumming, a thought occurred to me.

Am I dying? I asked the kitten, who was still backed into its corner and hissing, Why can't I move?

Suddenly, another earsplitting roar sounded, so close this time that I could actually see the shape of the bolt when it struck before my echolocation flashed out of existence. The air around me superheated instantly, the ice and snow covering me melting within the span of a second. I gasped and screamed suddenly with pain as the soothing numbness vanished, replaced with a sharp, all-consuming agony that had almost nothing to do with the lightning bolt and more to do with my muscles suddenly bringing themselves out of a frozen state.

I heard the kitten yowl and dart from its hiding place; fur aflame from the fire that had started in the caved building.

I lashed out instinctually, grabbing the small furry form and cracking its spine before it could do more than gurgle. The body was warm, and I didn't bother with removing the meat from the bones as I cracked the carcass in my maw, swallowing it whole. Its blood dribbled down onto the revealed ground, and I licked it up with relish, my strength slowly returning along with my life.

And the storm outside was worsening. I could tell through my still hazy vision that the hail had not stopped, but had indeed increased in size and power, hitting the ground and walls now with enough force to crack the stones.

A hiss and a searing burn reminded me of my own situation as I pulled my tail back, out of the way of the roaring flames that were licking their way past the interior of the building. The heat was incredible, and I knew that hail alone couldn't stop this fire.

The only way to live was to go out into the storm.

But that would be a death sentence in itself…

With a sudden, defiant screech I leapt out into the hail, dodging as many of the large chunks of ice as I could while searching for a place that would be safe from the storm. It was hard to see anything, so jumbled were the images that reflected back to me, but I kept going, hoping that I would somehow find a familiar landmark and be able to continue my task.

If Kwei was out here, I wasn't going to let him face the storm alone. I had come out here for a reason, after all, and I wasn't going to go back without completing my self-imposed mission.

Kwei had his own troubles.

The pelting freezing rain had somehow gotten past his temperature regulating netting, turning to ice on his sensitive limbs and putting the Yautja into a fit of uncontrollable shivering. On top of this, his only defense against the hail was the cow carcass, which he was carrying like an umbrella to keep the baseball-sized ice from hitting his body.

He plowed on through the ever-deepening snow, though, intent on reaching the lair. He wasn't too far from it; it had taken him only a half hour to go from the lair to the slaughterhouse and from what he could see, he was already past the halfway point. By switching his vision from thermal to ultraviolet once more, Kwei had been able to make his way through the frozen wasteland with relative ease, though he was frozen to the core.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt cracked down from the sky, hitting disturbingly close to the Yautja's position. Automatically, Kwei ducked into the snow, wincing as a large piece of hail struck him in the thigh. Less than a second after the flash, the roar of sound washed over him, deafening him with its sheer power. Kwei abruptly heard another noise scream out, however, one that he recognized all too well.

"Screetee!" he cried, the echo of the Kainde Amedha's scream reverberating around him. He looked around wildly, switching mask settings so quickly that he barely had time to see anything in one view before changing to the next, "Screetee, where are ell-osde?"

His words were ripped away by the high wind that howled through the deserted street, fading before they could get more than a few meters away. Kwei roared, finally seeing the dim image of something in his thermal settings. There was a fire nearby, caused by the lightning strike. Somehow, his mind told him that the Queen would be there, near the source of the flaring warmth. The Yautja began jogging, ignoring the icy numbness in his legs that faded to a sharp pain with the exertion.

As he ran, his mind raced. Why was Screetee out in the storm, instead of safe in the lair like she should have been? Why had she gone out with her injuries? How had she made it this far?

Kwei leapt over a drift, finding strength he'd never thought he had to bring both the carcass and him over six feet into the air. He landed hard, cracking one knee down deep into the snow to hit hard concrete with a roar of pain. Ignoring it, he struggled upright and continued on, the distant flare of fire his only destination.

Another screech echoed through the howling wind, and Kwei looked around in an effort to identify where it had come from. He was unable to do so, however, for the wind distorted and warped the voice so much that deciphering the direction was impossible. Even to his keen ears the scream seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, drifting on the cutting air currents like a leaf in a turbulent stream.

"Screetee!" Kwei cried out again, his guttural voice strained as he attempted to push his way through a wide ribbon of deep snow. The wind suddenly changed, and a mix of hail and freezing rain pelted his back, making the Yautja fall with a pained grunt.

The cow carcass draped over him, and Kwei was grateful for the relief from the elements it provided. Though the meat stank of blood and chemicals, it had practically saved his life in this storm. Above him, he heard a sickening crack as one of the ribs on it was broken by a particularly large and fast chunk of falling ice.

"SCREEEE!"

The call was primal, defiant. Kwei looked up, relieved and amazed to see the Kainde Amedha Queen darting her way between the lethal rain, only getting hit by a few of the smaller chunks instead of the larger hail. He winced as he saw her broken leg again hanging at an odd angle from the joint, and winced again when he saw that she was using it sometimes as she ran, though he knew that it must be pure agony for her to do so. The splint was long gone, the mere burnt remnants of the gauze dragging along from the blood-covered leg.

"Screetee!" Kwei called again, his voice loud and clear from his elation at finding the Queen alive. Screetee pulled up, screeching as she was pelted by the hail, and swung her head to look at him, her own body movements signaling great relief and possibly joy at finding the Yautja.

(Kwei!) she sent, ducking as a large piece of hail whipped by her head; it would have crushed her skull had it hit, (I've been searching forever for you!)

"Why?" Kwei had to roar so his words weren't drowned out by the wind and lightning that was constantly obstructing his hearing. He had no idea how hard it must be for the Kainde Amedha.

(I couldn't let you get caught in the storm by yourself!) Screetee replied, limping over and helping the Yautja to stand. He did so quickly, and tried to position the carcass so that it could offer some protection to both of them, (Don't bother, I can hear the hail before it hits me. All I have to do is dodge.)

"Ell-osde should have stayed in the lair," Kwei growled angrily, struggling through the ever growing piles of snow and hail that were all over the street, now.

(I was trying to warn you, you idiot!) Screetee snarled, whirling around and baring her teeth at him before shrieking when a chunk of ice struck a tine on her crest, snapping it off with a nauseating cracking sound. Kwei leapt back as her green blood spurted from the wound, sizzling and burning into the snow and ground beyond. He wanted to go and help her, but the danger to himself was too great.

"We need to get back before the storm kills us!" he barked, angry with himself for not being able to keep his mouth shut. It was his fault Screetee was out here… if he had just killed the humans instead of taking their skulls he might have gotten back before this whole thing happened…

(It's not far…) The Queen's words were strained, filled with pain at old and new injuries as she limped and ducked ahead of him, zig-zagging in a strange pattern. The Yautja tried to walk as fast as he could, but his legs were too numb from the ice and cold to move at more than a slow lope. How he wished that his netting was still working!

Just when both creatures were ready to give up, ready to die in the chaotic, snow-covered world that had come so suddenly and unexpectedly from the sky, another bolt of lightning flashed above them. Kwei flinched under the carcass, but swiftly cried out in joy as he saw the familiar shape of the abandoned bakery. Both he and the Kainde Amedha ran the rest of the way to the window that served as the entrance to the lair.

It was broken from the hail, and had swung down to shut itself. Kwei, in his anger, ripped the entire thing out of its frame, growling as the sharp, frozen shards penetrated his hands and drew thick droplets of luminescent blood before tossing both items he held into the room beyond. Looking back, he saw Screetee looking at him curiously, and beckoned for her to enter before him.

After she had leapt into the room, Kwei took one last look at the storm around them. He then roared in defiance, shaking his spear above his head, and ducked quickly into the lair to avoid a large chunk of hail that seemed to be the storm's version of a rebuke.

Far above the storm, beyond the lightning and roiling clouds, beyond even the topmost layer of the cold and lonely nightmare, another trial began…

"Life support systems running at 70 percentand dropping. Reconnect recommended."

The creature snarled and pushed more buttons, already feeling the cold of space slowly seeping into its capsule. It watched as the mere hint of frost on the glass slowly spread over the transparent surface, reaching out like tendrils of icy death. The blue planet was so close, now; it could practically imagine standing on the surface of the new world, finding a way to get home with the annoying yet useful computer of the escape pod.

It had been studying the planet for a long time now, reading the screens about its habitats, atmospheres, and minerals. The world was sparse in its materials, but it would do for the creature's purposes. The air was a strange mix of elements that the creature knew most of as fairly sparse on its own world. Though it would be hard to survive in, it was breathable enough.

As long as it wasn't like Planet R-51, the creature didn't care about the atmosphere.

"Starting landing procedure. Survival percentage at 20… do you wish for last rites?"

The creature snorted indignantly, even though the question was valid enough. It viciously punched a button on the console.

"Very well. Turbulence detected… Storm system reaching through possible landing points A-D. Other landing points inadequate. Electrical interference possible."

The planet seemed to be doing its best to keep the creature off, but it had other ideas. With a gurgle, it typed in something on the computer, and then attached a long, elephantine mask onto its face. The mask matched the shape of its features fairly well, for it had a long, nose like projection that attached to its chest. This was presumably what the creature breathed from.

The computer began beeping loudly, though it was not as urgent as before. The message the creature had typed flashed onto the screen as it fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, one that it knew it may never wake from.

"To any who can read this message, my name is –or was- Grekthee'Isthorpa, last surviving member of the race that your people know only as Space Jockeys, if you know of them at all. I have programmed my computer to download our history into any other computer it comes into contact with, providing it survives, so that even if I am lost, the knowledge of my race will not be."

The message flashed off, and began retyping itself again. Over and over in a never-ending cycle it repeated as the capsule dropped closer to the planet, flaring white-hot in the friction of the atmosphere as it made its way into the eye of the pale storm below.

Hope you liked this chapter better than the last!
Fluff warning in next chap!