Chapter 5

I have been on my home world for about three months now. I've never been happier. I've learned a lot of info about my kind's past. Goshe'tu'tana has begun to teach me our native tongue; I now know a lot. I can understand a lot and can speak some of the basic words. Goshe'tu'tana says I've learned a lot faster then some of the others.

The sunrise woke me up early this morning. I quickly got ready for my lessons. Today, Goshe'tu'tana said he had some good news for me. I left my home before Coso'tena'puta had even awoken. I ran to the colony vigorously. No longer did my kind stare at me like a freak; they had accepted me as one of their own. "Greetings young one. I did not expect you here so soon." Goshe'tu'tana said.

"I know sir, but the surprise you spoke of to me yesterday excited me. I wish to know what it is," I explained. Goshe'tu'tana smiled.

"In time young one. The surprise isn't even here yet. Come inside so we may begin your studies," Goshe'tu'tana said as he walked inside the elder's building. I followed him, so curious on what the surprise is. It isn't even here yet... Doses that mean it's a gift of some sort? Do Predators even give gifts? All these thoughts and ideas crossed my mind. Inside the building I sat across from Goshe'tu'tana at a table.

"It is time young one, to learn about your family. Your father was one of the best Yatja to ever come from this colony. He killed the most hard meat during his blooded ceremony and moved on to hunting the Oomans. He was a very skilled hunter and I was very proud of him," Goshe'tu'tana explained.

"Excuse sir. If I may ask, what do you me by 'you were very proud of him'?" I asked.

"You see young one, your father was one of my sons. I'm your grandfather," He stated.

I coughed a bit at first. My grandfather. "Why are you telling me this now? Why not when I first arrived?" I asked.

"It wasn't the time to let you know about this. Now then, let's get back to your lesson." Goshe'tu'tana said as he continued. He spoke of his own victories. He said how he helped the leader of his pack in his blooded ceremony kill the Queen of the hard meats, a very difficult task for a blooded warrior, let alone a young Yatja. Once he finished with his story, he moved on to his father and so on.

When Goshe'tu'tana finished my lesson on my history, he started teaching me my native language. A few minutes after my lesson on my language started, it arrived. "Ah, young one. The surprise is here," He stood up and started walking towards the door. "It is time for the young Yatja's blooded ceremony. We had a queen brought to our colony in a ship to get the Yatja. It was my wish for the ship to stay a few minutes so I can teach you a bit about her."

"You really brought a Queen to the colony! This is going to be so cool," I said with enthusiasm. I was so excited. Since coming to my home world, I have become braver. The jungles that surround the colony no longer scare me at night. The roars from the jungle are now like the crickets on earth to me. The more I heard about the hard meat, the more I wanted to see one.

As Goshe'tu'tana lead me up the stairs into the ship, I was so excited about finally seeing a hard meat, let alone a queen. He led me up high in the levels. Soon, he led me to a door. A Yatja opened it, and we walked in. "This is the observation room young one," he said, "Take a look through the window to see the queen." I ran to the window to see the queen. The fear that took months to be rid of, returned in a spit second.

The queen WAS fear. She was roped down tightly but still the Yatja struggled to keep her still. She towered over the Yatja there. The Yatja stood about seven feet in height and she was almost double their height. Here tail had to be locked down into the floor to keep it from slicing the Yatja in half. It also seemed like she had four arms, but then again my could have been messing with me.

Loud screeches and screams could be heard from the queen. I watched as the queen pulled with its might to be free. Even though the queen had put fear back into me, I couldn't stop watching her. I scanned her, studding her movements, trying to predict how she would move next. "Sir, look at this. Is that shackled smoking?" I asked pointing to one of the queen's arms. Goshe'tu'tana hurried to look. The queen's arm broke free from the shackle. She pulled so hard that she had cracked her exoskeleton, her acid blood septet out, melting all it touched.

I watched in horror as the queen soon tore off her other restrains. The Yatja in the pen ran to the doors, but they had been locked to keep the queen in the room. The queen grabbed one of them and tore him in half. The remaining three Yatja tried to attack with their spears but the queen was to smart for them. She allowed the Yatja to attack her while her tail pierced the floor behind her and again behind the Yatja, they didn't even see it coming. Four blooded warriors in no more then five minutes.

The queen started ramming herself against the walls of her pen, trying to break free. Her screams were heard throughout the ship. "Young one, stay here. You should be safe as long as you stay in this room," Goshe'tu'tana said as he hurried out. I turned my attention back to the queen.

More Yatja came in, this time with burners. The queen screeched at them as she sensed their new weapons. They fired but she quickly moved out of the way. The burners blasted a hole high in the pen's roof. The queen took notice in this hole and ran towards the wall. It climbed up the wall and started to tear at the hole, trying to make it bigger. The Yatja continued to fire. One of the fires took of half of her arm. Her acid blood was thrown at the roof.

As it started to give way due to the queen's weight, she hurried away from the area. When the roof collapsed the hole was more then large enough for her escape. She quickly pulled herself to the hole and out of it. I remember seeing her dark exoskeleton run towards an unprepared colony.