Disclaimer: I still have no claims to the predator movies. No money gains so do not sue.
Just have fun reading and reviewing. Enjoy!
Chapter Ten
Tish wakes up only to find that the air is harder to breathe and feels denser. She looks around to find that she is alone for the first time since meeting the guys. This gives her time to look around his quarters. There is nothing much in them just the basics; a bed with furs, table and chairs, no viewpanels to look out of. Then she goes into the other room to find it empty. His weapons must be in a storage compartment where she can not get to them. After another thirty minutes pass, Tish decides to venture out to check out the ship. She walks down the corridor following the sounds of a mock fight.
So they practice training even while traveling from planet to planet. She slowly enters the room so not to disturb them. The room is huge. The sight surprises her. Two of them are in mortal combat match. To look at them you would swear that they are killing each other. They are using small knives and daggers sparring with each other. Lets not forget to mention the kickboxing moves they are doing. Tish goes to where the third one is standing.
"They are only playing, right? Or are they mad at each other?" Tish asks.
"Alpha..learning..how..feel?" Poe answers.
"Learning? What, how to die? The air is different, but in time I should be fine." Tish asks when she sees that Za'Ruc throws Alpha up against the wall.
"No.all.train.this.way.kill.or.be.killed." Poe says as Alpha tries to out maneuver Za'Ruc, but still manages to get slam onto the floor.
"Ouch. Do you think Za'Ruc will let me workout to refresh my techniques. Or do I have to endure that kind of treatment?" Tish says laughing sadly.
"Ask.find.out.only.if.you.want.to.do.the.hunt." Poe says when he notices that they have stop and are approaching them.
As they approach Tish notices that the two of them are sporting cuts nothing to serious. They are in a good mood so she relaxes and she knows that they know that she was watching.
"You are up, good." Alpha says in his language to Tish.
"Pyode Amedha s'yuit-de nan-ku." Tish replies laughing at herself. Soft meat pathetic alive Tish hears clicks and rumbles among the guys. She feels good about what she says knowing that they have a sense of humor.
As Poe and Alpha leave the room you can hear them talking about how well the training is going. And that they are going to get something to eat after Alpha gets clean up.
This leaves Za'Ruc and Tish alone looking at each other. Tish looking to see how injure he is and Za'Ruc looking to see how she is handling the change in atmosphere. She needs to be able to handle it in order to live on his planet. Za'Ruc steps closer to her and tilts her head up to see her face clearly when he asks her these questions.
"How are you feeling? Are you having problems breathing? You are not pathetic." Za'Ruc asks.
"I am well. The air is heavy and thick, but I will be able to adapt some. This is the air you breathe on your planet and you need to see if I can handle it, correct." Tish says.
"Yes. I need to know if I have to make a breather for you." Za'Ruc answers.
"Not necessary. You speak my language very well for such a short time. While it is taking me forever to learn yours. So what are my duties as your servant intell?" Tish asks while she is examining the weapons on the wall.
"You know the language good just not using it. Your duties are to do whatever I say whenever I say. " Za'Ruc says in his language to prove a point.
"Can you be more specific?" Tish asks.
"Simple I want you to clean my shelter, serve my food and tend to me. What else is on your mind?" Za'Ruc says as he watches her stroke his H'sai-de.
"I like your sword, but I was wondering if you will let me practice training." Tish says turning to look at him.
"You want to learn how to use that sword in order to use it against me." Za'Ruc replies with a hint of laughter.
"Oh no. Never. It is just I do not want to get rusty on my techniques. I am your servant and I will have to live on your planet that hates me. I need to be able to at least be able to put up a fight before I will die. I will not just let them beat me to death." Tish answers.
"Then I see no reason why you can not keep up your skills. There is no reason why you have to worry about the clan besides I am here to protect you. They will have to go through me to get to you." Za'Ruc answers.
"You will not always be there. I have no doubt that you will protect me. You are a warrior and you will go on the hunts like the one you did on my planet. There is no way for you to be in two places at the same time." Tish states calmly as she slowly twirls a spear to get the feel of it.
"Do you wish to spar some?" Za'Ruc asks as he grabs a spear himself.
"You really mean it. What about your cuts should we tend to them first?" Tish asks.
"If you look closely, you will see that they are healing fine. By the way, we have been talking in my language for most of this conversation. Did you notice that?" Za'Ruc says showing his cuts that are already fading.
"No way. I am not that good yet. I will love to spar with you." Tish answers assuming the fighting stance.
"You are learning fast as long as you do not think on it, it comes out just fine. Now lets train." Za'Ruc answers with several blows to her.
They continue the training until Tish starts to slow down for she is not use to the atmosphere yet. Za'Ruc takes Tish back to his quarters only to see that Poe has been there. He left them some food and drinks. They sit down at the table to eat. Za'Ruc starts to eat the meat while Tish eats the fruit turning down the meat when he offers it. Tish is not able to eat her meat raw. Za'Ruc reoffers it showing her that it is slightly cooked so apparently they must know and care enough to do that for her.
"You did well today. You are more skilled than I thought you to be. With some more practice you will be able to hold your own against us if needed. Meat is important in the diet. Keeps your strength up. You can cook your meat if you need to. Just because I love mine raw isn't anything wrong with you. I will practice with you everyday if you want to." Za'Ruc says.
"Thank you. I would like to continue since Alpha wishes to challenge me. I have never really like meat. So I am to serve your meat raw then. Well that will make cooking for you easy. Just skin the meat off the animal and put it on the plate. By the way why does he want to challenge me?" Tish asks.
"You insult him by shoving him back on the planet. Not to mention when you yelled, and tug on me. You see it is an insult to get into my face like you did and turning your back on us is a great insult for it means ell-osde pauk! A fighting offense. You are below the lowest creature on my planet so you will be treated like a nobody. You have no rights or say in anything. You can not look at any Yautja in the face. Always have your head and eyes lowered and do not speak unless spoken to. I told him that you are not to fight until you are ready for I know how important it is to be able to defend yourself." Za'Ruc tells her.
"Anything else I must know before we arrive? Is the challenge to the death or until I say uncle? Does that means that I must not look at you either? So it means that I am to stay in the shelter." Tish asks.
"Alot. The Yautja will call you all kinds of names and I would not doubt that they will throw things at you. You will not be allow to leave the shelter alone. You will have to see the Elders and answer their questions and they will treat you like shit. That is up to Alpha for he is the one who claim the challenge. Out in public you can not look at anyone, but when at the shelter you will be able to look at me. Anything else you need to know?" Za'Ruc asks.
"Why are you taking me with you then? You should have just killed me. Maybe I...forget it." Tish asks.
"You are a good fighter and we are able to learn from you about oomans. Whatever for. What is on your mind?" Za'Ruc says.
"It is much easier for everyone if I was dead. Your life will be back to normal for I know that Alpha hates me and so will the clan. I will ask Alpha to fight to the death." Tish answers.
"No. I forbid it. You are my servant and that will not change. Get some rest I will be back later." Za'Ruc says as he leaves.
Tish lays down on the bed wondering how she is going to convince Alpha to kill her without getting Za'Ruc angry. I should have just disappeared back on the planet after I help them out of the lab. She tries to sleep, but it is not happening. Too worried about what she is going to do. And wonders what Za'Ruc is going to do to her now.
Za'Ruc meets up with Poe and Alpha and Poe could not help but asks his questions.
"So what did you two do after we left? How is she handling the air? Did you tell her about her duties?" Poe asks.
"We practice with the spears. She is a formitive opponent. She tired early, but she is not having problem breathing too bad. Yes I did and told her some of what is to be expected of her when we get home. She has brought up a good point and I am needing to find some protectors while I am on my hunts." Za'Ruc answers.
"Protectors? You why?" Alpha asks teasingly.
"Not for me. Tish will need protection while I am gone for I know they will try something while I am on the hunts." Za'Ruc says hitting him on the back of his head.
"Now what are you not saying. I will stay and watch her while you are on your hunts. I do not need to prove anything else since I have done this hunt." Poe says.
"Poe you have to fight in the hive. That is the only way you can become a warrior." Alpha says.
"Alpha I will do the hunt after you have so that one of us can be with Tish, okay. I am a healer not a fighter." Poe counters looking at Za'Ruc waiting for him to tell the rest.
"She wishes that she is dead." Za'Ruc plainly states getting their attention.
"WHAT? WHY?" Both Poe and Alpha say together.
"As I was telling her how she is to be treated, she came out and said that she is going to ask Alpha to fight to the death. She feels that everything would be better if she was dead." Za'Ruc answers.
"I hope you told her differently. You will not be the same for you care for some strange reason. I will not kill her for I wish to keep my life a little longer. If I am to die, I would like to die fighting the enemy not my teacher." Alpha states looking straight at Za'Ruc hoping he will believe him.
"It is not up to me whether or not if you decides to fight to the death with her. I will not kill you if you happen to kill her." Za'Ruc counters.
"You say that now but what will you do if it happens. I will not kill your pet no matter how much she begs." Alpha promises.
"Za'Ruc come with me. You need to let off some steam." Poe says as he drags him back to the practice room. They fight until Poe can not fight no more which manages to calm down Za'Ruc some.
"Now that I am bone tired, how do you feel now?" Poe asks.
"I am frustrated. Why would she say those things? We are a better solution to her life problems than where she was before. I just do not understand." Za'Ruc states.
"You need to see it from her point of view. Being drag across space to a place you have never been. Told you are to serve strangers and be treated like the scum of the universe. Never to have any freedom and wonder when you will die and by whom. It is a little scary to face. We are over two feet taller than her and out weigh her by two hundred pounds. We force her to learn a new language." Poe tells him as he ponders over his own wounds inflected by Za'Ruc.
As the two are sparring Alpha goes to see Tish. He sees her curl up on the bed and almost turns around to leave her alone. The need to talk out wieghs the urge to leave.
"Tish we need to talk." Alpha says watching her roll over to see him.
"What do you want to talk about? The challenge for if you do I want you to fight to the death." Tish answers.
"I will challenge you, but to the death I am not sure you want that. Why do you want to die? And I do not want the c'jit you gave Za'Ruc." Alpha says.
"I will cause problems for all of you. You will have to deal with the clan asking you why Za'Ruc has a ooman. You have to fight or how will you live down the insult I did to you on the planet?" Tish pushes.
"You did not know at the time that it is an insult so there is nothing to live down as you say. As for Za'Ruc having a ooman he has never care what the clan says. He is not of my clan so he has nothing to prove to them and can care less what they will think of him. He can leave at any time and not worry for a minute what they will say to him. Most of them are scared of him anyways and would not dare to go against him. You see Za'Ruc has never been afraid to fight anyone not even the Kainde amedha and they are bad news." Alpha tells her and then leaves before she can say anything else.
After her talk with Alpha Tish sits and thinks on everything that has been said tonight. Why did Alpha say the things he did. Za'Ruc is not one of them then who is he. And that is how Za'Ruc found her. He takes off his shoes and crawls into bed pulling her up against him to sleep. It is comforting to sleep this way.
