XXXXDisclaimer: once again, I am not the owner of either fine creatures.
XXXXAuthor's Note- Yet another attempt at trying to figure out how to separate scenes with it not working when uploading, I hope this is a winner this time. Also, once again I really appreciate very helpful reviews that all of you give, the people who like this section are really cool! I'm glad to know there are others out there who are a sick-minded as me ;). I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I used some advice given to me by all of you. Even though this chapter is rushed, and may be confusing in parts. The reason I've done this, is one, the past part is only recollecting, that won't be the main plot of this story, and secondly, I just don't have time to really put in a lot of work in this fic, thus why I've just put in all the action and not really plot development. My appologies.
As far as the 'mating scene' is concerned, I decided to write one version, keep it tasteful enough to have it on her, although it'll kick up this story's rating. I just don't have time, like I said before, to put in the effort.
Cougar66- I tried to email you pics, but for some reason your account would not accept it?
For those who have seen the pics, I sent the most mild of them, and those that would not give anything away. For those who want the graphic ones, let me know!! I'd be more than happy to send them, I keep them well-hidden from the rest of my family, since they all think I'm sick-minded.
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Yan'ya was seated comfortably next to her new clan mate, studying the foreign things Xhara had brought with her from home. Her eyes roamed appreciatively over the box full of jewelry the hybrid had brought with her, specifically face jewelry. Xhara was what Lionasha had dubbed a "pin-cushion", having her ears peirced everywhere they could be, an eyebrow ring in her right brow, nose, lip and tongue ring. Xhara removed a few uniquely designed finger rings and handed them to Yan'ya, who immediately put them on.
"I don't have any more room", Xhara had said with a chuckle, every one of her digits decorated with a ring of some sort. She pulled her 'dreadlocks' up at the back, securing it with a leather strip, revealing the very noticeable tattoo on the left side of her neck.
"What does that represent?" Yan'ya asked curiously. It took Xhara a second to clue in she was being asked something, she smiled.
"It's called an 'eight ball', a game piece in a ooman game called 'billiards'." She had to say the word in English, and Yan'ya regarded her friend with puzzlement, she didn't bother trying to say the word.
Yan'ya admried her new Terranian treasures and continued to watch as Xhara changed her jewelry to suit for their training session for the day. The hybrid picked through more of her belongings until she found a volleyball burried at the bottom of her duffel bag, extracting the ball, she handed it to her friend in order to organize the rest of her things.
"What is this for?" Yan'ya wondered aloud, Xhara had picked out another object of interest and pushed her things to the side of her bunk.
"It's a volleyball", Xhara said, Yan'ya tried for a few moments to say the word, but gave up. "You play with it...we'll have a game", taking the ball back, Xhara handed the Yautja the book she was holding. It was Av'Lea's copy of 'Romeo and Juliet', of whom Xhara's younger sister had written a little message in the front cover and had sneaked the book in her duffel bag. "Not my kind of genre, but if you'd like it, it will help you study up on your English".
"Oh yes", Yan'ya replied with a purr of pleasure, she opened the book and ran her taloned fingers down the pages with a careful caress, then closed the book as the two made their way out of their quarters. Yan'ya's long locks making soft noises as it swayed.
The four young men of the crew were already in the training room, waiting for them and noisily gabbing away like regular teenagers. Yo'Shuk looked up to see Xhara carrying her volleyball and gave a loud whoop of excitement.
Xhara threw the ball at Thian's head as he was looking away at something else at that moment, but he caught it with an expertise acquired from being Xhara's big brother.
"Up for a game?" She questioned out loud, Thian gave her a malicious-looking smirk and rose to the challenge.
"Pick teams", Thian said as Yo'Shuk began to briefly explain volleyball to the Yautja of their group.
"Yan'ya's on my team", Xhara hurriedly said, "she makes up for my height", Thian didn't argue with her point and chose to keep Yo'Shuk and Caltair for his own team to equalize by height. Craftily constructing a net from a store supply of thermal netting, they quickly took positions and started the game. Yan'ya's height proved to take advantage as she lazily reached for the ball with her exceptionally long limbs. Xhara had to work up the most sweat, Thian intentionally spiked the ball in her direction as much as he possibly could as it was common for the two to egg each other on. Missing many of the returns, Xhara's temper was starting to rise speedily, Thian's tactics working like a charm, one of his spikes never touched any part of her body, but it was sent flying back over the net. Thian smirked as Xhara used telekinesis, a talent the hybrids all secretly shared, but could only use when they were mad enough. Thian was now able to control his, but he knew Xhara had the most powerful ability and constantly tested her.
Volleying the ball at Xhara again, she jumped for it and gave it a good smack, sending it flying over her team's opponent's heads, straight for the doorway to the room. The ball never hit the ground, all teenagers stared where it had landed and fell deathly quiet as Sodan examined the ball with slight interest, talons holding the object with ease. He then tossed it to Thian and let out a low growl.
-Get back to training- he sent the mental though loud enough for everyone to hear it clearly and nobody dared to defy the order as Yan'ya quickly removed the 'net'. Sodan turned to leave the room, Xhara worked up a little nerve and followed, ignoring her clan's protests.
The ship's walls were orange in color with black markings of all shapes and sizes decorated it, and if you were to touch the wall, it would pulse in response to your body heat. Sodan was walking towards the control room in silence, the sound deafening in Xhara's ears and while her father was the same height as Thian, Sodan was the more imposing figure.
"Wait a minute, I want to talk to you", Xhara said out loud, but her father continued his steady pace, and did not respond. Coming to what seemed to be a dead end, Sodan ran his fingers over a small panel and part of the wall opened to allow him access into the control room, Xhara hurriedly followed before the door could close on her.
She had to stop and stare in wonderment for a moment, gazing out at the vast blackness of space in her view, Sodan stood in front of the huge view-window, quiet as usual. Xhara moved to stand beside him and only guess at what he could be thinking about.
"With all the stories Mom told us about you", Xhara's voice echoed eerily, "you're different than what I expected", Xhara finished more quietly this time. Sodan continued to study the stars outside.
"And you were expecting this to be nothing more than a game?" Sodan finally spoke in the throaty deep rumble of a voice, Xhara stared at him in surprise.
"Uh...no", she said, feeling like a small child being lectured.
"I have to be hard on you", Sodan continued as if Xhara hadn't spoken, "I told Lo'Sha I would keep you alive on this hunt." He stopped and turned to his daughter for the first time, the color of his eyes the same as hers, "do not disappoint me, Xhara", he said, his voice softer this time. Xhara offered him a small respectful smile and chose that moment to leave her father's presence to head back to the training room where the others were sparring against one another. Feeling slightly better, Xhara moved up behind Thar and punched him roughly in the arm.
"You owe me a rematch", she said in challenge, and Thar wasn't one to turn a challenge down, being Yautja and all. He swung around and threw a punch at her which she blocked with ease, they continued to trade shots one after another as if they were born with the talent.
"What was that trick-" Thar rushed out between gulps of air, "with the 'bahl'?" The word sounded funny, being a human word, but Xhara understood what he meant.
"Oh, we all can do that, can't other Yautja do that?" Thar stopped moving, Xhara stopped and stared at him expectantly.
"No, we can't", Thar said simply, by then the others had stopped and were listening in on the conversation. Xhara simply shrugged her shoulders and continued the sparring match.
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Xenomorphs bred fast, very fast and so it didn't take long for the hunting season to open as a small backwater planet on the outskirts of the Milky Way Galaxy became overridden with the kainde amedha (hard meat). The creatures who normally inhabited this particular planet were low on intelligence and were primitive according to Yautja standards, small furry things that were ideal for chest burster impregnation.
Sodan's clan were busy suiting themselves as warriors, although still aware of the dangers lying ahead. The hybrids of the clan were well pleased with their armor of choice, since it was molded to fit exactly to their bodies and allowed maximum movement. Xhara had a special sling made to strap her mother's twin spears to her back, easily accessible when they needed to be. They were all together near the hatch opening when the ship landed and were discussing, or bragging, about strategies they had come up with themselves. Yan'ya had to constantly correct them.
Thian was the first to finish by clipping on his own mask, he turned for his sister's inspection, but she was too busy staring at him.
"What?" He asked irritably out loud.
"You know, you look completely Yautja", she said admiringly, causing Yo'Shuk to confirm what she had said for himself.
"She's right", Yo'Shuk agreed and offered his trademark smile, then clipped on his mask while Xhara did the same.
Sodan approached the group, already suited up for the hunt and quickly inspected his clan. It was hard for him to discern who was Yautja and who were the hybrids since he couldn't see the color difference in skin, he gave a low growl of approval, then opened the hatch door.
This planet was tropical, the heat washing over them with a thick, hot woosh as they moved out off the ship. Sodan stopped to look around them for a minute, then decided the best route and began his tracking, the others following along.
"You know", Xhara began quietly whispering to Thian, "I have a confession to make. Before we left, I attacked a human." Thian regarded his sister for a moment.
"What do you mean by 'attacked'?" He asked her curiously, Xhara took a gulp of air.
"I bit someone." Thian suppressed a laugh.
"First make-out disaster experience, hm?" He casually asked, Xhara looked at him.
"That's happened to you?" She wondered, trying to ignore the pictures conjuring up in her head.
"Yes, don't worry about it, I've attacked humans before too. One time when I was little, Mom took me and Yo'Shuk to a public park to play with other kids. A couple of them were making fun of how we looked, and I started a fight. They were a bloody mess, that's for sure, and after that, Mom never bothered taking us to parks again...well, unless it was empty, anyways". Thian found his memory to be amusing, but Xhara didn't share the feeling, she was feeling awkward still.
"Caltair has a confession too", Yan'ya teasingly announced, walking beside Xhara, "his real name is Cl'tir, he changed it to make it sound more ooman". While Caltair was clearly embarrassed, the others had to chuckle quietly to themselves.
It wasn't long before Sodan had the group split up to track on their own, and had given them only brief instruction as the Yautja of the group had already learned about this sort of thing. Yan'ya and Xhara had long-since picked where they were to go, since Xhara was the most cocky of the clan and wanted the Queen for herself. Since Yan'ya was highly intelligent, she had already made an educated guess as to the most likely conditions the Queen would have and quickly plotted out their route.
They followed it for a while and seeing a few dead carcasses along the way gave indication there would be xenos nearby. As they came to a fork in their path, Xhara's foot landed on a sticky pile of goo. She made a noise of disgust, causing Yan'ya to turn her attention downward, the Yautja kneeled on the ground and drew her fingers through the substance.
"We're close", Yan'ya confirmed, then motioned towards one of the paths of choice, until they heard noises that made the two young warriors alert of another presence.
-There's two of them- Yan'ya sent to Xhara, who had already drawn out her smart disk. Sure enough two xenomorphs, rather smallish in size, moved slowly along the trees above them, Yan'ya pointed her plasma cannon's sighting at one and fired. It let out a piteous cry of agony as acidic blood poured out of the large wound, the xeno dropped to the ground as the other leaped off the branch, landing on Xhara's shoulders, pushing her down to the ground. It's teeth where aimed for her head, but a slight forceful movement on Xhara's part caused the xenomorph to bite into her plasma cannon instead, the wires breaking and showered sparks. Xhara panicked and wiggled as viciously as she could to detatch herself from her assailant, Yan'ya quickly did that for her, killing the already injured xeno with ease. Xhara stood and quickly removed the damaged weaponry, dropping it to the ground with a longing gaze.
"I was looking forward to using that", she said wistfully as Yan'ya removed her mask and performed her right of passage, marking herself a now-blooded warrior, Xhara grumbled.
"You want to take the Queen", Yan'ya reminded her, re-hooking up her mask and moving to take her route of choice. Xhara went to follow, but a sharp pain in her head made her stop and look at the other direction. Yan'ya noticed her friend and turned around.
"What is it?" She asked, Xhara shook her head and backed up, heading for the other path.
"This way, I'm sure", Xhara said, confusing Yan'ya a bit.
"How can you be sure?" Yan'ya wondered, but followed, regardless.
"I don't know, I just 'know' it's this way", the pain in Xhara's head dulled to a light throbbing, and several emotions were bothering her all at once, sorrow and longing, and while Xhara was still unsure, she was feeling the xenomorph Queen's emotions.
Tell-tale signs of kainde amedha occupation was all over the place on this route, Xhara noticed with smug pride, she and Yan'ya were careful to be alert for xenomorphs. Xhara, driven with a painful empathy for the ailing Queen was unconsciously leading the two into a large nesting of xenomorphs, but Yan'ya had no time to turn them around before they were surrounded by a horde of the creatures. They pounced on them like a cat on a mouse, Yan'ya desperately shooting off her plasma cannon in hopes to drive off as many as possible. Acidic blood was spraying everywhere, a great glob of it hit Xhara's mask, she tore it off as quickly as possible.
It seemed as though they were dead, regardless of their efforts, but before a xeno could latch onto Xhara's unprotected face, it was torn away from her, Yautja battle cries vibrating through the air. The entire clan was there, disposing quickly of the kainde amedha with an ease that put Xhara to shame, before long the area was one large grave site.
Xhara was staring stupidly at Yan'ya's still form on the ground, several wounds gashed open, but the slow steady rise and fall of her chest assured her Yan'ya was still alive. Sodan grabbed Xhara's throat and forced her to her feet, he was probing her mind to see what had happened and she let him, with no resistance.
"Your useless ooman empathy nearly cost both your lives", he spat out with a snarl, pushing Xhara roughly out of the way to assess how badly injured Yan'ya was, Xhara remained silent and stood absolutely still. "That was very stupid", Sodan continued as Thian and Thar lifted Yan'ya to her feet, she only half-conscious, "you are to remain on-board until we are finished here", Sodan ordered, Xhara bowed her head in shame.
She followed as Thian and Thar helped Yan'ya back to the ship, she wiped away the tears of frustration from her face, her mind was jumbled with several thoughts all at once and she could still feel the emotions the xenomorph Queen was still sending. She didn't remember when she actually stopped walking, those leading the way hadn't noticed and she didn't care. Bitterly, she knew she would be leaving the only one of her clan who wasn't blooded, and she cursed her compassion for it. She had hoped Yan'ya would recover and wouldn't hate Xhara for leading her to near-death.
It was a little odd, however, that Xhara had left that scene with little injury, and she had not noticed the drone who had crept up behind her and left her no reaction time as it tackled her to the ground. Green-red blood dribbled out onto the rock in which the back of Xhara's head had landed, her eyes rolled back as she blacked out.
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Yellow-green eyes blinked open as Xhara slowly came back into consciousness, she didn't recognize her surroundings as the dark area made it hard to see. She made a move to leave the cavern, but looking down, she was secured to the wall with a sticky rubbery substance, she wasn't even able to reach for her smart disk. Looking to either side of her, natives of the planet trapped alike her, facehuggers attached to their small heads, turning her own she spotted the egg placed right in front of her, pulsing, ready to hatch. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the dark, she looked up ahead of her, and spotted the xenomorph Queen surrounded by a sea of her eggs. A handful of drones were pacing anxiously around their Queen, suiting her comforts, although her emotions still were strong with longing of her lost offspring.
Xhara emitted a low growl, anger beginning to boil up inside of her at the dishonorable death now to be bestowed up her. Angry at her father for the code of his people, angry at herself for being stupid, angry at humans who created to destroy each other, angry at the sadness that plagued her mother...
The onslaught of rage overwhelmed Xhara with waves pouring out, her mouth opened wide, but no sound came out as her mind took total control, telekinetic power charging, her mind becoming a powerful weapon.
Finally, a roar of fury erupted from the bowls of her diaphragm, the eggs all around lifted effortlessly into the air, and with a fierce whip of her head, they were sent plummeting into the walls of the cavern, exploding into a gooy mess. The Queen cried out in anguish, drones rushing about in confusion, Xhara used her telekinetic power to rip away at her binding and dropped lightly to the floor, she walked slowly forward, careful not to stand in blood as it moved away from her path.
The drones rushed at her from the Queen's command, Xhara simply spread out her arms, sending the drones to the same fate as the eggs to leave the Queen alone. Xhara stopped before her and growled, her eyes wide with mind-numbing anger.
"You bitch!" She screamed, her head shook as she caused the Queen's internal organs to explode inside of her body. The Queen opened her mouth and some of her blood spattered out, a little of it hitting the left side of Xhara's face, but she didn't notice the pain of it.
Taking her smart disk, it took a couple of shots to completely sever the head from body, but finally her trophy fell to the ground. Xhara used some of the blood to mark herself, she was now blooded as the tattoo burned into her right cheek.
Xhara dragged the massive head all the way back to the ship with little effort, her mind still pulsing with energy. The others of the clan were outside of the ship, but all she could hear was jumbled messages, a constant buzzing in her ears. She walked into the clearing, mists thinning out as the others spotted her, she dropped her trophy at her father's feet and looked up at him. He quietly studied her face and ran a talon along the line of her mark of honor.
"What the hell happened to you?" Thian asked out loud, Xhara didn't even blink.
"Shut up Thian", she said.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Past....
Lionasha was summoned early in the day to the unexpected visitation of locals. Since word was now out that natives would not be bothered by Red Bracelett renegades anytime soon, the people developed nerve to leave the comforts of their holdings and reclaim their lives. Children of all ages were overtaken by an infectious excitement that affected everyone around them as many were reunited with family members thought lost, those unable to meet the demands of the money-hungry renegades, but feared them no longer.
The American-born beauty made her way into Mingh's office to be offered a cup of locally grown tea and was introduced to representatives from over-seas.
"We arrived with news there was ah small war goin' on 'ere", the tall thickly man's drawl was unmistakably Texan, Lionasha couldn't help but smile at him. "When we got 'ere, natives were tellin' us tha' wasn' true an' tha's when we 'eard about you, Miss", he continued and held out a hand in greeting. Lionasha took it with a sideways glance at Mingh, who merely shrugged and was smiling herself. The shorter woman increased the strength of her grip and met with resistance as the man tried to pull away.
"How old are you, Miss?" The other occupant of the room was just as tall, but had a darker coloring than his associate.
"Eighteen, last time I checked anyways", Lionasha answered, casually finding herself a seat nearby, putting her feet up on the desk in front of her. She ignored the glare Mingh sent her and continued her rather rude behavior.
"Forgive me, but isn't that a bit young to take on such a job?" The dark-haired one asked, Lionasha studied him intently, amused, she smiled evilly at him, causing him to avert his attention towards Mingh instead.
"Lio was an orphan", Mingh offered, begin twentyish-years Lio's senior, "she started in the Peace Corps around three years ago and had always had a taste for, erm, being in shape so-to-speak". Mingh had half-raised Lionasha when the two had met ten years previous and had stayed together ever since.
"Ah believe tha's what we call a 'tom-boy' back home", the thick one said, eyeing Lionasha in a way that nearly caused the young woman to lunge at him. Mingh decided it was the right time to change the subject.
"The reason for your unexpected visit?" The Cambodian beauty inquired, moving to stand beside Lionasha and remove the young woman's feet from the table, with silent protest from the victim.
"We wanted to see for ourselves if the rumors were true, that this area no longer was controlled by those 'Red Bracelett' fellows", the dark-haired one politely said, Mingh smiled proudly at him.
"They are true, but the exact why still leaves to questioning, although no doubt you have heard Lio, here, has had part in it". Lionasha's dark eyes were still fixed on the thickly Southerner, who stared back, the dark smile still playing on his portly lips.
"Indeed", the dark-haired one didn't seem to notice, "'she who fights with the demon' is what the natives call her, I believe. I am curious as to what exactly they mean by 'the demon'", he added.
"So am I", Mingh admitted half-heartedly and looked down to see Lionasha's eyes still focused on one spot. Lionasha still had not said anything about Sodan and would continue to remain silent of the subject, she and the thick one still having a glaring match, he spoke directly at her, voice low.
"You're lucky ya'll are under ah lawless society, were you back in Texas, Ah'd have you fried so fast-"
"For murder?" Lionasha interrupted, her eyes unblinking, she intended to toy with this one, "I always thought it was self-defense." The thickly one laughed at the comment and removed his identification from a jacket pocket, tossing the leather wallet to the desk in front of Lionasha, she quickly read it.
"When the lot of them git wiped out, Miss Michaels, Ah really don' think it's jus' defendin' yerself". Lionasha was looking at the man's badge, then she rose her eyes to meet his again, she tossed the wallet back at him, "well be stayin' 'ere fer a few days, we'll try an' stay outta' yer workin'", he finished, nodding towards both women.
"Oh, I'm sure you and I will cross paths again, Detective Ferguson...Lyle", Lionasha said with a smile, Ferguson smiled back and tipped his hat at her, while his partner pushed him out of the room.
Ferguson was as good as his word and hovered about during the camp's daily routine. He was extremely stupid, however, Lionasha found it rather easy to make excuses and sneak off whenever Sodan requested her presence. After the two had personally disposed of the remaining Red Braceletts, Sodan had used her as a sparring partner. Even though it was hard to avoid a lot of injury, Lionasha enjoyed the learning opportunity, learning martial arts ancient humans had learned from Sodan's own ancestors.
She had gained along with the martial arts, a history lesson never taught in school, Sodan explaining why exactly he was superior to her.
-You oomans would be nothing more than useless animals had Yautja not taught your ancient lineage to build- he had said in insult at first, but then went on in more detail, recollecting what he could of his teachings. -You treated us as gods- he continued, then lessening the boasting, -I should wonder if any Yautja ever came to know a ooman as I have- he added after a moment, the two paused.
-Wouldn't you have known about it?- Lionasha asked him.
-Some things of the past are forbidden to us, Elders guard ancient records- This thought was laced afterwards with intense curiosity for the both of them. Sodan went on afterwards with more stories that he had been told as a young one, his mother being one of the most respected Elders of his people, and considered the most intelligent.
After they would retire for the day, Lionasha avoided coming across the American visitors as she went back to daily routine, and Mingh would never question her.
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The odor of alcohol was strong, Ferguson's bass laugh vibrating in the air, and no doubt would disturb the children. Lionasha was lying in a hammock watching the rainfall outside from the safety of the porch roof over her. It was late in the evening and Lionasha had chosen to not partake in their American visitor's drinking endeavors, even though she knew she'd easily out-drink any of them. At that particular moment, she found herself restless, swinging in her hammock, Sodan had been avoiding her over the last couple of days with his reasons and Lionasha, for the first time since arriving in Cambodia, had been bored.
And so she had kept a constant, suspicious eye on Ferguson, deeming his partner harmless, the thickly Texan seemed almost too friendly. Though Lionasha could not be charged with the murder of renegades, Ferguson made an effort to threaten her all the time and if his goal was to get on her nerves, it was working.
The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard clearly enough that Lionasha was alert to the approaching presence of another. She removed herself from her hammock and slowly approached the doorway leading back inside. She was quiet and heard no more footsteps, pressing her ear against the door. Taken completely by surprise, the door swung open with such force it knocked Lionasha to the ground. Ferguson came waddling through the door with a whisky bottle in one hand, he looked down at her with glassy eyes, the stench of him giving Lionasha an upset stomach.
She moved to stand, but the large Texan was upon her quickly, grabbing on of her arms and smacking the side of her face with his whisky bottle, she fell once again to the groun and spat out a glob of blood.
"Come back 'ere, Darlin'", he drawled in a drunken stupor, eyes filled with a sick lust for the woman, he moved to take her up again. Lionasha reacted with a swift sweep-kick, Ferguson fell with a loud thump, landing on the floor.
"Stay away from me", Lionasha warned with a hiss, Ferguson laughed stupidly.
"I figured ye'd be ah dirty player", he drawled, then made an effort to stand, Lionasha watched slowly and readied herself to make another attack, but her plans thwarted when the Texan pulled a gun from his pants, lazily cocking it, pointing it straight at her. "We can make this easy, or hard, Darlin', yer choice", Lionasha's mind was racing with possibilities to choose, she could run for it, but who knew what problems Ferguson could create, heavily drunk and carrying a loaded gun. She'd decided she's have to remove the weapon from him, obviously by force, and avoid his lusty attentions as much as possible.
Concentrating as hard as she could, Lionasha applied what knowledge she had of mind-speech and probed his thoughts, to assess her situation. His thoughts nearly made her wretch, he had no intention to kill her, he wanted to have sex with her. Lionasha quickly crouched up on her legs and lunged for Ferguson's gut, successfully knocking him backwards. She went to reach for the gun, but Ferguson's grip was too strong, he pushed her quite forcefully from him and rolled on top of her, Lionasha went to shriek, but a large clammy hand covered her mouth.
"No offence, Darlin', glad ye want to make it easy", Lionasha bit into Ferguson's hand, hard, and brought her knee up into his groin, Ferguson rolled off her, howling in pain. Lionasha rose to her feet and kicked the gun out of the Texan's hand, picking it up. The split second her eyes had left Ferguson, he recovered from his pain and tackled her back to the ground, the two of them rolling off the floor onto the ground.
Ferguson used his large fist to beat Lionasha as violently as he could, all the while trying to take back his gun. She struggled underneath him with a fierceness acquired early in her childhood, being used to beatings. Lionasha's strong, smaller frame finally moved free of Ferguson's body, he went to grab her again, a gunshot went off and the thickly Texan fell back down to the ground, blood leaking from his head. Lionasha stared, dropping the smoking weapon and backed up against a tree, the rain washing splattered brains from her face.
She sat there, silently, Ferguson's dead body in front of her, then she heard voices coming her way. Suddenly a hand reached down, grabbing the back of her shirt, lifting her effortlessly onto a large branch. Sodan covered her mouth with his own hand, waiting and watching Mingh and Ferguson's partner investigate what the noise had been. Mingh had cried out for Lionasha, but Sodan's hand kept the younger woman from replying.
-I'm going to be in a lot of trouble- Lionasha sent the thought, shock still keeping her from relaxing.
-Why? I watched your battle, he fought dishonorably- was Sodan's reply.
-He didn't want to kill me, he wanted to fuck me- Lionasha let the thought end there, she didn't really feel like conversation anymore. Ferguson's body had been dragged out of the rain, although Ferguson's partner had trouble with his dead companion's body, once covered up, the dark-haired one followed Mingh back inside. Sodan finally removed his hand, and allowed Lionasha to move, she relaxed on the branch, sitting next to Sodan.
-I don't understand what you meant by your last thought- Sodan sent, still looking down towards the dead body, watching the heat slowly leave. Lionasha quickly tried to think of a better word then what she had chosen.
-He wanted to mate with me- She had apparently chosen the appropriate word, for Sodan had made a small noise of knowing.
-Understandable, you have the smell of lou-dte kalei all over you- Sodan commented, shaking his head, a spray of water splashing everything around him.
-The smell of what?- Lionasha asked, dropping herself down onto the ground with a heavy thump under her feet, Sodan was quick to follow.
-You are in heat and it is strong, which is why I have avoided you- Sodan sent the thought with an annoyance evident, Lionasha's eyebrows were raised. -His blood covers most of your scent, but I will not stay long- he added after a moment, -he is completely dead now, I can't understand why you chose to kill the ooman instead of mating?- Lionasha made a very audible sound of disgust.
"I'd rather 'mate' with you", she commented out loud, then heard Mingh's voice once again, Sodan effortlessly left the scene without any evidence he had ever been there. Mingh saw Lionasha right away and rushed towards the younger woman, crying.
"He's dead, Lio", Mingh managed to say between sobs, Lionasha wordlessly guided her back into the building, the dark-haired detective was busy examining Ferguson's grin.
"I knew he'd shoot himself one of these days, I just always figured it'd be his toes", he commented, looking over at Lionasha.
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Detective Josh Anderson wasn't sorry Ferguson was dead, he was just using the Texan, after all. No, his interest was solely on the young Michaels woman, and her association with the creature his organization had been trying to research for years. There had been records of other visitors of the same nature years before, but not one had ever been successfully caught, others had tried and had failed. But Anderson knew there was something about this young woman that he wanted to learn more about, he had seen her with the creature, that night she had shot Ferguson. He had seen it in the trees, and had to stop himself from alerting he knew of it's presence.
From the window of his room, Anderson watched the Michaels girl go about her duties, then she was helping some of the local children gather vegetables from the garden. It had been a day or two since she had last given her excuses to leave off on her own...to see the creature no doubt, and that left to wondering why. But he would wait, he would wait.
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With a sigh of pleasure, Lionasha savored the feeling of this particular river's cool waters. Her clothing discarded by the riverbank, Lionasha had opted to have a pleasant swim by herself that particular evening. Between work at the camp, lying t Mingh and Detective Anderson to sneak off and spend time with Sodan and the actual spending time with Sodan was very tiring for her. She waded back to a more shallow spot to stand and examine her body critically, the light bronzing of her skin paled by the moonlight casting off the rippling water. Her waste-length hair clung heavily to her smooth skin, Lionasha combed her fingers through it to push it all to her back. She rubbed her sore muscles without much complaint, she easily maintained her muscular build during her days in the Cambodian Jungle.
Turning to check no animals had taken off with her clothing, she let out a yelp of alarm and immediately brought up her arms to cover her chest.
-I told you not to scare me!- She sent angrily at Sodan who was perched on a large tree branch, watching her with slight interest.
-I told you, you have no reason to fear- Sodan answered back, scolding her. Lionasha turned around and waded back a little before she heard things dropping to the ground. Looking back towards Sodan, he was stripping down to nothing, ignoring Lionasha.
-What are you doing?- she asked, but he continued to ignore her, she turned back around abruptly once he was completely nude, blushing furiously after seeing more than she needed to. A loud splash announced Sodan's intentions as he swam through the water, his powerful limbs carrying him quickly. He remained underneath the cool water for longer than Lionasha estimated she herself could hold her breath and looking around her, she couldn't see where he had gone.
Suddenly she felt her arms being taken a hold of, and with a shriek she was lifted partially into the air as Sodan re-emerged, holding her against his body. She looked down at him, scowling, her long thick hair draped in front of her body.
-I'm beginning to think you do that on purpose- she sent the thought, still scowling as Sodan made a low, throaty noise. -Stop growling at me- she added, even thought what sounded like a growl, was more like a purr. Supporting her with one arm, he moved his other hand to tug on a piece of her hair, she slapped his hand away.
-You're boring me, Lo'Sha, perhaps I will go find another ooman to occupy my time- he didn't finish the thought, Lionasha was fuming.
"Oh no you don't", she spoke out loud sharply, "I was first, you're mine". Sodan abruptly dropped Lionasha back in the water, swimming slightly away from her and blocked the jumble of thoughts he was suddenly thinking all at once.
-Me? Belong to a ooman?- It was a ridiculous thought, but the scent radiating so strongly off of her had kept him from getting too close until she had decided to go swimming. The thought of actually trying to mate with Lo'Sha had never even crossed his mind. Until now. Whether she knew it or not, she had just made that suggestion clear to him, and slowly the idea seemed almost appealing to him. -Stop trying, Lo'Sha- he sent, when he felt the ooman trying to read his thoughts.
"What did I do wrong?" She asked worriedly. Sodan had by then moved to swim back to the shore.
-Nothing- he answered quickly -If it is I you choose, then I will mate with you-
"Huh?" She thought to herself, he had caught the thought, but ignored it, getting out of the water with Lionasha following behind. She was watching him slightly confused and grabbed her cotton dress shirt, pulling it over her cold bare skin. "Where are we going?" She asked, her voice loud in the quiet of the night. Sodan continued to ignore her, picking up his own discarded things, not bothering to put anything back on and headed towards his cave.
The cave entrance was well-hidden and it was hard to see along the way being very little moonlight illuminating inside the small opening. Lionasha kept a hand feeling along, keeping careful watch she didn't lose her way. It wasn't long before the reached a large opening deep within the belly of the cave.
Soft blue light glowing, Lionasha was following only a few feet behind Sodan as they emerged in the opening.
"Woah", Lionasha's eyes were wide in wonderment, the sight before her was something out of a fantasy painting. Chrysoberyls glittered tantalizingly from the surrounding walls, a small pile of skulls, cleaned and gleaming white, sitting near a slanting ledge. Lionasha's attentions were drawn to the jewels teasing her to take them, she approached one of the walls and ran her fingers over the smooth surface. Fingernails curved around one of the larger gems as she attempted to pull it free.
"Mo!" Sodan's deep rumble of a voice rang out, Lionasha's wrist was taken and she was violently jerked around to face him, obviously angered.
-All oomans are greedy- he confirmed to her with slight irritation, he brought his large body up against hers, pressing her back into the wall and rested his chin momentarily on top of her soaked, dark tresses. His body heat was plenty enough to warm Lionasha's shivering body to the point of lulling her into a trance.
Sodan gave a deep-throated growl. To her disappointment, Sodan removed himself and walked off in the opposite direction, busy trying to determine the difference between mating with a ooman as opposed to a Yautja. She was much, much smaller, thus he would have complete control and he'd have to control his own urges as much as possible, since one wrong move could possibly injure her badly. Sodan turned to look at Lionasha, who was watching him carefully, thinking she had done something terribly wrong.
He rose one hand and curled his fingers, motioning for her to come to him. Lionasha obeyed, slowly moving, her bare feet tender under the rough ground underneath. Sodan took her wrist and pulled her towards the slanting ledge and pushed her against it, he had to make sure their bodies were compatible if this were to happen. Gripping her shoulders he pushed her up slightly, her feet no longer touching the ground, she was easily secured under his frame. Sodan was too busy concentrating on the task at hand to take notice of Lionasha's confusion and before she realized what was happening, she felt immense pressure and a searing pain as her companion entered her. Sodan once again had his chin resting on top of Lionasha's head, she, feeling hot blood well up inside her was writhing underneath the Yautja, trying to free herself from the pain she was experiencing.
Sodan gave a low growl, deciding the ooman was compatible enough, he pulled out of her and moved slightly away to allow her feet to lower back down to the ground and support herself. She staggered slightly, still not completely understanding what had just occurred. She obeyed once again as Sodan quietly directed her body to the mossy ground, once again she found herself pinned against his hard, muscular body and once again she felt the same pressure as before, except this time there was no pain, Lionasha felt her head swelling with feelings never experienced before as her body responded to something it was not designed to accommodate.
Sodan was feeling extremely frustrated, and decided right then that mating with Lo'Sha had been a very stupid decision on his part. Her body small, fragile underneath his and he found it very difficult to control his every move. Her thoughts at that moment were uncomprehensible, since the feeling she had felt the most was pain, it was obvious male Yautja were equipped much larger than male oomans if Lo'Sha was having such a bad reaction to him.
Lionasha arched her back when she felt the undeniable release of his seed within her, the feeling similar as if a small explosion were going off in her body. Sodan ended the joining quickly as to rid both of them their equal discomfort, Lionasha curled up for a moment, her body feeling as though she had been beaten, bruises already becoming visible on her tanned flesh.
Sodan chose to leave the cave then and heard no protests as he was obviously angry, although at himself as opposed to her. She remained as she was for a while longer until she made her way back to the camp, collecting her clothing along the way and willing off the tears that threatened to fall. Yes, it had been stupid, her body ached everywhere and no doubt Lionasha would feel the soreness for a few days. She had hoped, as she snuck back inside her own room, that Sodan would not be angry the next day, she had no desire to have him keep her company in a sour mood.
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Sodan's anger had cooled quickly, he went to Lionasha's room early the next morning and sat in the open doorway, waiting for her to waken. It was early enough that others were not awake yet, and Mingh would no-doubt sleep late after getting quite drunk the night before. Lionasha was curled up under her covers, her body throbbing and had caused her much trouble for when she had tried to get to sleep. She stirred and unconsciously knew she had a visitor. Lionasha slowly awoke and pushed herself up, turning to look at Sodan who was quiet and patient that morning. Finally, after a long moment he spoke to her muddled mind.
-I am leaving this day- he sent the thought slowly, to allow it to fully sink in, Lionasha clutched the blanket to her and gulped down the rush of air she would've used in protest.
-I understand- she replied calmly, -will I ever see you again?- Lionasha couldn't help but hope this wasn't one of those 'once-in-a-lifetime' things Mingh had told her about. Even after the previous night, Lionasha felt comfortable in the Yautja's presence.
-I do not 'promise' things, Lo'Sha, my life is always interrupted by circumstance, perhaps we shall meet again in the future- Once again, Lionasha had to stop a protest she was about to start, understanding that Sodan had obligations to his own people.
Sodan rose from his seated position after Lionasha did not make a reply, and moved to stand next to her. He reached down and took a thick clump of her hair, pulling on it to curl around his fingers, she turned her head to look at him and curled her own fingers around his.
-Safe journey- she finally sent the thought, the intimacy they were displaying something any other Yautja would not understand. Sodan left her then and she feared as she watched his retreating form that she would never see him again.
Dressing to head out of her room and get breakfast two hours later, Lionasha met Detective Anderson along the way to the kitchen. They walked in silence for a little while until he stopped her just as they reached their intended destination.
"You have fresh bruises, Miss Michaels", Anderson commented, looking at skin discolored in various places, Lionasha frowned at him.
"Says who?" Anderson gritted his teeth and stared at her.
"Do not play games with me, Miss Michaels, I'm not stupid, I know you're hiding something from me". This time, Lionasha didn't hesitate to read his thoughts and saw for herself the dark intent behind the man's words.
"Indeed", Lionasha replied, making a move to enter the kitchen, Anderson stopped her again.
"That demon of yours, I'd sure like to meet him, I'm surprised that you escaped his attentions with mere bruises, knowing what they are capable of". Lionasha faltered, if necessary, she wouldn't hesitate to dispose of Anderson the same way she dealt with renegades. Deciding not to play stupid anymore, Lionasha glared darkly at the detective.
"Well, unfortunately for you, he's left the planet", she said with satisfaction, Anderson was furious.
"You lie!" He accused, his voice alerting the occupants of the kitchen something was going on. Mingh stumbled through the door and looked towards them with puffy eyes.
"Lionasha, what have you done now?" She asked, both others looked at Mingh.
"Would you like to tell me why Miss Michaels refuses to give up her dirty little secret?" Anderson shot testily, Mingh's eyes widened at the accusation.
"I don't know what you are talking about-" Mingh defended herself, Anderson was feeling flustered.
"It's too late, I already know what manner of demon destroyed those renegades and I was assigned to capture the creature. Unfortunately Miss Michaels here took out my partner." Both women stared at him.
"You honestly think you could've captured Sodan?" Lionasha asked, before realizing her mistake.
"Who?" Mingh asked, confused.
"That thing has a name?" Anderson asked himself out loud, Lionasha shrugged.
"Had is more like it, I told you, he's already left."
"No! I won't believe that!" Anderson denied, fuming at her as she pushed her way into the kitchen, the other two at her heels.
"Believe what you want", Lionasha answered casually, she refused to let the man get to her.
"I'm not letting you off that easy, Miss Michaels, you can be sure of that. We've been waiting too long to learn about these predators".
"Is that what you call them?" Lionasha chuckled at the irony of it.
"Miss Michaels, I'm taking you back-" Anderson moved to take her arm, Lionasha jerked quickly out of his reach and growled at him.
"Don't make me hurt you", she threatened, Anderson backed away from her.
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Detective Anderson discovered quickly that what Lionasha had told him was indeed true, the Yautja warrior had left, taking his trophies with him, including the Chrysoberyls that were once entombed in a cave. Not too long after his argument with Lionasha, the detective had chosen to leave for America and promised to stay in touch, he had personally guaranteed it.
Within the next couple of weeks Lionasha had become violently ill, constantly having to empty her stomach contents and feeling feverish. Thinking it was merely some form of stomach flu, Mingh had merely prescribed rest until it passed, but after two weeks with the same symptoms, the Cambodian physician insisted on discovering the problem. Lionasha patiently allowed blood to be drawn, Mingh's office well equipped with instruments needed for such an experiment. It wasn't until later in the day that Mingh had revealed she had the results as she requested her young charge to sit down.
"Lio...was there something you want to tell me?" The older woman asked, her attention plainly fixed on the one sitting across from her. Lionasha raised an eyebrow. "All of these tests ended up negative...except one". Mingh sighed and rubbed her temples.
"Well? Am I sick?" Lionasha asked, Mingh regarded her for a moment.
"Lio...you tested positive for pregnancy. When on Earth did you ever get pregnant?" Lionasha stared stupidly towards Mingh for a few moments in disbelief. "Who's the father?" Lionasha bit her lower lip, even after the incident with Anderson, she still had kept Sodan, for the most part, a secret.
"Um, Mingh?" Lionasha began, Mingh looked up at her expectantly, "I uh..."
Lionasha felt the weight of burden lifted from her shoulders as she confided in her long-time friend, Mingh had sat and listened carefully, trying her best not to throw a fit.
"So he left?" Mingh asked after Lionasha had finished, "knowing that you could have conceived?" Even if Lionasha had bred with someone of a different species, Mingh still didn't understand why this was so. Lionasha shrugged her shoulders.
"Like I said before, Yautja do things differently than we do".
"I always knew you were strange, Lio, but this takes the cake...the whole bakery in fact", the Cambodian rose to her feet and motioned for them to leave the office.
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It was upon entering the third trimester of her pregnancy that the real problems for Lionasha began. Her human body, regardless of strength and voluptuous shape, was having a terrible time supporting the child growing within her. Besides the pain she experienced on a daily basis, the child was growing large as she already acquired the full-time size at seven months, leaving Mingh to worry for the young woman.
Labor had begun early one night eight weeks before the intended due date as Lionasha took to her bed, tossing and turning, desperately hoping it to end soon. After several hours her water finally broke and the child within her let her know it was time to be born. The son in her womb had kept strong mental presence with his mother, a strong telepath already, before even completely developed. Mingh answered Lionasha's cry of discomfort and sent Anna to fetch her several supplies as she herself attended her ailing friend.
Contractions were now right on top of each other, Lionasha was delirious with the pain of it and had earlier requested the labor to be stopped. Mingh had said it was risky considering the child was too large for her womb as it was. As Anna returned and Lionasha's condition worsened, Mingh knew the birthing methods had to be changed.
"Anna, get me some fabric and tear it into long strips", the physician ordered, Anna rushed off to do her bidding without question as Mingh helped Lionasha to sit up.
"What are you doing?" She asked with a large gust of oxygen. Anna returned shortly, the two women helping Lionasha to the floor, her back against the bed frame. Mingh secured Lionasha's wrists to the bars of the frame, and placed things around, Lionasha was to have the child while kneeling in an upright position. Mingh then ordered Anna to leave and tend to the children, the other women obeyed quickly. Mingh wiped the sweat from Lionasha's face, she smiled at her.
"Ready?" She asked with a smile, Lionasha made an ugly face at her and began cursing, curling her hands around the bars her wrists were secured to. As the first push was performed, Lionasha gave a blood-curdling scream, her body tearing open to allow the child passage into the world. Blood flowed from beneath her, Mingh desperately tried to help as much as possible. Lionasha admitted a more piteous yowl the second push, her skin turning white from blood-loss. Not much later, the child was free from his mother, she sagged, still tied up and fell into a slumber earned from exhaustion and blood-loss. Mingh removed the restraints, checking to confirm Lionasha was still alive and hurried to clean the infant up, wrapping him in warm sheets. Lioinasha's body shuddered as the afterbirth exited her, the exhausted woman collapsed limply to the floor.
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Antarctica...
Three Yautja warriors, heavily armored regarded the dead humans with no sympathy as they readied themselves to enter the tunnel that would lead them to their ultimate hunt. As the more decorated one checked his computer to make sure all was happening as planned one of the others couldn't help but over-hear the pitiful mind cry of an infant, inexperienced in mind-speech. Yo'Shuk figured out within a few moments who the child was yearning for and was surprised to discover his half-brother's pet ooman he called 'Lo'Sha' had given birth. And what a strong mind-presence the hybrid had! Yo'Shuk hurriedly sent a short message to Sodan, a half-brother he had hunted with of whom actually would have been assigned to this one in particular, even though he had already hunted the kainde amedha before, Yo'Shuk stepped in and took his place. While Yautja usually did not have relationships with others, Yo'Shuk and Sodan had been close due to being trained together, both had lived with their mother for an exceptionally long time, Sodan had only told Yo'Shuk of his adventures on the planet 'Earth', even revealing what he had done with the ooman.
The leader became annoyed with Yo'Shuk's interruption, but the younger one already sent the message as the three prepared to descend the 2000 foot drop to the buried pyramid.
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AN- A quick few notes-
- Have you ever read science fiction books involving elves? They like to say it is difficult for elven women to be impregnated, considering the longevity of their life spans, even though I doubt it's true in Yautja case, I'm just using it for this fic, thus Sodan would not have expected Lo'Sha to get pregnant after just once...(he's not an expert in human reproduction)
-Yes, I've involved the movie AVP in this, and if you recognize the name I gave Sodan's half-brother, I'll have a reason for it later
XXXXAuthor's Note- Yet another attempt at trying to figure out how to separate scenes with it not working when uploading, I hope this is a winner this time. Also, once again I really appreciate very helpful reviews that all of you give, the people who like this section are really cool! I'm glad to know there are others out there who are a sick-minded as me ;). I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I used some advice given to me by all of you. Even though this chapter is rushed, and may be confusing in parts. The reason I've done this, is one, the past part is only recollecting, that won't be the main plot of this story, and secondly, I just don't have time to really put in a lot of work in this fic, thus why I've just put in all the action and not really plot development. My appologies.
As far as the 'mating scene' is concerned, I decided to write one version, keep it tasteful enough to have it on her, although it'll kick up this story's rating. I just don't have time, like I said before, to put in the effort.
Cougar66- I tried to email you pics, but for some reason your account would not accept it?
For those who have seen the pics, I sent the most mild of them, and those that would not give anything away. For those who want the graphic ones, let me know!! I'd be more than happy to send them, I keep them well-hidden from the rest of my family, since they all think I'm sick-minded.
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Yan'ya was seated comfortably next to her new clan mate, studying the foreign things Xhara had brought with her from home. Her eyes roamed appreciatively over the box full of jewelry the hybrid had brought with her, specifically face jewelry. Xhara was what Lionasha had dubbed a "pin-cushion", having her ears peirced everywhere they could be, an eyebrow ring in her right brow, nose, lip and tongue ring. Xhara removed a few uniquely designed finger rings and handed them to Yan'ya, who immediately put them on.
"I don't have any more room", Xhara had said with a chuckle, every one of her digits decorated with a ring of some sort. She pulled her 'dreadlocks' up at the back, securing it with a leather strip, revealing the very noticeable tattoo on the left side of her neck.
"What does that represent?" Yan'ya asked curiously. It took Xhara a second to clue in she was being asked something, she smiled.
"It's called an 'eight ball', a game piece in a ooman game called 'billiards'." She had to say the word in English, and Yan'ya regarded her friend with puzzlement, she didn't bother trying to say the word.
Yan'ya admried her new Terranian treasures and continued to watch as Xhara changed her jewelry to suit for their training session for the day. The hybrid picked through more of her belongings until she found a volleyball burried at the bottom of her duffel bag, extracting the ball, she handed it to her friend in order to organize the rest of her things.
"What is this for?" Yan'ya wondered aloud, Xhara had picked out another object of interest and pushed her things to the side of her bunk.
"It's a volleyball", Xhara said, Yan'ya tried for a few moments to say the word, but gave up. "You play with it...we'll have a game", taking the ball back, Xhara handed the Yautja the book she was holding. It was Av'Lea's copy of 'Romeo and Juliet', of whom Xhara's younger sister had written a little message in the front cover and had sneaked the book in her duffel bag. "Not my kind of genre, but if you'd like it, it will help you study up on your English".
"Oh yes", Yan'ya replied with a purr of pleasure, she opened the book and ran her taloned fingers down the pages with a careful caress, then closed the book as the two made their way out of their quarters. Yan'ya's long locks making soft noises as it swayed.
The four young men of the crew were already in the training room, waiting for them and noisily gabbing away like regular teenagers. Yo'Shuk looked up to see Xhara carrying her volleyball and gave a loud whoop of excitement.
Xhara threw the ball at Thian's head as he was looking away at something else at that moment, but he caught it with an expertise acquired from being Xhara's big brother.
"Up for a game?" She questioned out loud, Thian gave her a malicious-looking smirk and rose to the challenge.
"Pick teams", Thian said as Yo'Shuk began to briefly explain volleyball to the Yautja of their group.
"Yan'ya's on my team", Xhara hurriedly said, "she makes up for my height", Thian didn't argue with her point and chose to keep Yo'Shuk and Caltair for his own team to equalize by height. Craftily constructing a net from a store supply of thermal netting, they quickly took positions and started the game. Yan'ya's height proved to take advantage as she lazily reached for the ball with her exceptionally long limbs. Xhara had to work up the most sweat, Thian intentionally spiked the ball in her direction as much as he possibly could as it was common for the two to egg each other on. Missing many of the returns, Xhara's temper was starting to rise speedily, Thian's tactics working like a charm, one of his spikes never touched any part of her body, but it was sent flying back over the net. Thian smirked as Xhara used telekinesis, a talent the hybrids all secretly shared, but could only use when they were mad enough. Thian was now able to control his, but he knew Xhara had the most powerful ability and constantly tested her.
Volleying the ball at Xhara again, she jumped for it and gave it a good smack, sending it flying over her team's opponent's heads, straight for the doorway to the room. The ball never hit the ground, all teenagers stared where it had landed and fell deathly quiet as Sodan examined the ball with slight interest, talons holding the object with ease. He then tossed it to Thian and let out a low growl.
-Get back to training- he sent the mental though loud enough for everyone to hear it clearly and nobody dared to defy the order as Yan'ya quickly removed the 'net'. Sodan turned to leave the room, Xhara worked up a little nerve and followed, ignoring her clan's protests.
The ship's walls were orange in color with black markings of all shapes and sizes decorated it, and if you were to touch the wall, it would pulse in response to your body heat. Sodan was walking towards the control room in silence, the sound deafening in Xhara's ears and while her father was the same height as Thian, Sodan was the more imposing figure.
"Wait a minute, I want to talk to you", Xhara said out loud, but her father continued his steady pace, and did not respond. Coming to what seemed to be a dead end, Sodan ran his fingers over a small panel and part of the wall opened to allow him access into the control room, Xhara hurriedly followed before the door could close on her.
She had to stop and stare in wonderment for a moment, gazing out at the vast blackness of space in her view, Sodan stood in front of the huge view-window, quiet as usual. Xhara moved to stand beside him and only guess at what he could be thinking about.
"With all the stories Mom told us about you", Xhara's voice echoed eerily, "you're different than what I expected", Xhara finished more quietly this time. Sodan continued to study the stars outside.
"And you were expecting this to be nothing more than a game?" Sodan finally spoke in the throaty deep rumble of a voice, Xhara stared at him in surprise.
"Uh...no", she said, feeling like a small child being lectured.
"I have to be hard on you", Sodan continued as if Xhara hadn't spoken, "I told Lo'Sha I would keep you alive on this hunt." He stopped and turned to his daughter for the first time, the color of his eyes the same as hers, "do not disappoint me, Xhara", he said, his voice softer this time. Xhara offered him a small respectful smile and chose that moment to leave her father's presence to head back to the training room where the others were sparring against one another. Feeling slightly better, Xhara moved up behind Thar and punched him roughly in the arm.
"You owe me a rematch", she said in challenge, and Thar wasn't one to turn a challenge down, being Yautja and all. He swung around and threw a punch at her which she blocked with ease, they continued to trade shots one after another as if they were born with the talent.
"What was that trick-" Thar rushed out between gulps of air, "with the 'bahl'?" The word sounded funny, being a human word, but Xhara understood what he meant.
"Oh, we all can do that, can't other Yautja do that?" Thar stopped moving, Xhara stopped and stared at him expectantly.
"No, we can't", Thar said simply, by then the others had stopped and were listening in on the conversation. Xhara simply shrugged her shoulders and continued the sparring match.
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Xenomorphs bred fast, very fast and so it didn't take long for the hunting season to open as a small backwater planet on the outskirts of the Milky Way Galaxy became overridden with the kainde amedha (hard meat). The creatures who normally inhabited this particular planet were low on intelligence and were primitive according to Yautja standards, small furry things that were ideal for chest burster impregnation.
Sodan's clan were busy suiting themselves as warriors, although still aware of the dangers lying ahead. The hybrids of the clan were well pleased with their armor of choice, since it was molded to fit exactly to their bodies and allowed maximum movement. Xhara had a special sling made to strap her mother's twin spears to her back, easily accessible when they needed to be. They were all together near the hatch opening when the ship landed and were discussing, or bragging, about strategies they had come up with themselves. Yan'ya had to constantly correct them.
Thian was the first to finish by clipping on his own mask, he turned for his sister's inspection, but she was too busy staring at him.
"What?" He asked irritably out loud.
"You know, you look completely Yautja", she said admiringly, causing Yo'Shuk to confirm what she had said for himself.
"She's right", Yo'Shuk agreed and offered his trademark smile, then clipped on his mask while Xhara did the same.
Sodan approached the group, already suited up for the hunt and quickly inspected his clan. It was hard for him to discern who was Yautja and who were the hybrids since he couldn't see the color difference in skin, he gave a low growl of approval, then opened the hatch door.
This planet was tropical, the heat washing over them with a thick, hot woosh as they moved out off the ship. Sodan stopped to look around them for a minute, then decided the best route and began his tracking, the others following along.
"You know", Xhara began quietly whispering to Thian, "I have a confession to make. Before we left, I attacked a human." Thian regarded his sister for a moment.
"What do you mean by 'attacked'?" He asked her curiously, Xhara took a gulp of air.
"I bit someone." Thian suppressed a laugh.
"First make-out disaster experience, hm?" He casually asked, Xhara looked at him.
"That's happened to you?" She wondered, trying to ignore the pictures conjuring up in her head.
"Yes, don't worry about it, I've attacked humans before too. One time when I was little, Mom took me and Yo'Shuk to a public park to play with other kids. A couple of them were making fun of how we looked, and I started a fight. They were a bloody mess, that's for sure, and after that, Mom never bothered taking us to parks again...well, unless it was empty, anyways". Thian found his memory to be amusing, but Xhara didn't share the feeling, she was feeling awkward still.
"Caltair has a confession too", Yan'ya teasingly announced, walking beside Xhara, "his real name is Cl'tir, he changed it to make it sound more ooman". While Caltair was clearly embarrassed, the others had to chuckle quietly to themselves.
It wasn't long before Sodan had the group split up to track on their own, and had given them only brief instruction as the Yautja of the group had already learned about this sort of thing. Yan'ya and Xhara had long-since picked where they were to go, since Xhara was the most cocky of the clan and wanted the Queen for herself. Since Yan'ya was highly intelligent, she had already made an educated guess as to the most likely conditions the Queen would have and quickly plotted out their route.
They followed it for a while and seeing a few dead carcasses along the way gave indication there would be xenos nearby. As they came to a fork in their path, Xhara's foot landed on a sticky pile of goo. She made a noise of disgust, causing Yan'ya to turn her attention downward, the Yautja kneeled on the ground and drew her fingers through the substance.
"We're close", Yan'ya confirmed, then motioned towards one of the paths of choice, until they heard noises that made the two young warriors alert of another presence.
-There's two of them- Yan'ya sent to Xhara, who had already drawn out her smart disk. Sure enough two xenomorphs, rather smallish in size, moved slowly along the trees above them, Yan'ya pointed her plasma cannon's sighting at one and fired. It let out a piteous cry of agony as acidic blood poured out of the large wound, the xeno dropped to the ground as the other leaped off the branch, landing on Xhara's shoulders, pushing her down to the ground. It's teeth where aimed for her head, but a slight forceful movement on Xhara's part caused the xenomorph to bite into her plasma cannon instead, the wires breaking and showered sparks. Xhara panicked and wiggled as viciously as she could to detatch herself from her assailant, Yan'ya quickly did that for her, killing the already injured xeno with ease. Xhara stood and quickly removed the damaged weaponry, dropping it to the ground with a longing gaze.
"I was looking forward to using that", she said wistfully as Yan'ya removed her mask and performed her right of passage, marking herself a now-blooded warrior, Xhara grumbled.
"You want to take the Queen", Yan'ya reminded her, re-hooking up her mask and moving to take her route of choice. Xhara went to follow, but a sharp pain in her head made her stop and look at the other direction. Yan'ya noticed her friend and turned around.
"What is it?" She asked, Xhara shook her head and backed up, heading for the other path.
"This way, I'm sure", Xhara said, confusing Yan'ya a bit.
"How can you be sure?" Yan'ya wondered, but followed, regardless.
"I don't know, I just 'know' it's this way", the pain in Xhara's head dulled to a light throbbing, and several emotions were bothering her all at once, sorrow and longing, and while Xhara was still unsure, she was feeling the xenomorph Queen's emotions.
Tell-tale signs of kainde amedha occupation was all over the place on this route, Xhara noticed with smug pride, she and Yan'ya were careful to be alert for xenomorphs. Xhara, driven with a painful empathy for the ailing Queen was unconsciously leading the two into a large nesting of xenomorphs, but Yan'ya had no time to turn them around before they were surrounded by a horde of the creatures. They pounced on them like a cat on a mouse, Yan'ya desperately shooting off her plasma cannon in hopes to drive off as many as possible. Acidic blood was spraying everywhere, a great glob of it hit Xhara's mask, she tore it off as quickly as possible.
It seemed as though they were dead, regardless of their efforts, but before a xeno could latch onto Xhara's unprotected face, it was torn away from her, Yautja battle cries vibrating through the air. The entire clan was there, disposing quickly of the kainde amedha with an ease that put Xhara to shame, before long the area was one large grave site.
Xhara was staring stupidly at Yan'ya's still form on the ground, several wounds gashed open, but the slow steady rise and fall of her chest assured her Yan'ya was still alive. Sodan grabbed Xhara's throat and forced her to her feet, he was probing her mind to see what had happened and she let him, with no resistance.
"Your useless ooman empathy nearly cost both your lives", he spat out with a snarl, pushing Xhara roughly out of the way to assess how badly injured Yan'ya was, Xhara remained silent and stood absolutely still. "That was very stupid", Sodan continued as Thian and Thar lifted Yan'ya to her feet, she only half-conscious, "you are to remain on-board until we are finished here", Sodan ordered, Xhara bowed her head in shame.
She followed as Thian and Thar helped Yan'ya back to the ship, she wiped away the tears of frustration from her face, her mind was jumbled with several thoughts all at once and she could still feel the emotions the xenomorph Queen was still sending. She didn't remember when she actually stopped walking, those leading the way hadn't noticed and she didn't care. Bitterly, she knew she would be leaving the only one of her clan who wasn't blooded, and she cursed her compassion for it. She had hoped Yan'ya would recover and wouldn't hate Xhara for leading her to near-death.
It was a little odd, however, that Xhara had left that scene with little injury, and she had not noticed the drone who had crept up behind her and left her no reaction time as it tackled her to the ground. Green-red blood dribbled out onto the rock in which the back of Xhara's head had landed, her eyes rolled back as she blacked out.
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Yellow-green eyes blinked open as Xhara slowly came back into consciousness, she didn't recognize her surroundings as the dark area made it hard to see. She made a move to leave the cavern, but looking down, she was secured to the wall with a sticky rubbery substance, she wasn't even able to reach for her smart disk. Looking to either side of her, natives of the planet trapped alike her, facehuggers attached to their small heads, turning her own she spotted the egg placed right in front of her, pulsing, ready to hatch. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the dark, she looked up ahead of her, and spotted the xenomorph Queen surrounded by a sea of her eggs. A handful of drones were pacing anxiously around their Queen, suiting her comforts, although her emotions still were strong with longing of her lost offspring.
Xhara emitted a low growl, anger beginning to boil up inside of her at the dishonorable death now to be bestowed up her. Angry at her father for the code of his people, angry at herself for being stupid, angry at humans who created to destroy each other, angry at the sadness that plagued her mother...
The onslaught of rage overwhelmed Xhara with waves pouring out, her mouth opened wide, but no sound came out as her mind took total control, telekinetic power charging, her mind becoming a powerful weapon.
Finally, a roar of fury erupted from the bowls of her diaphragm, the eggs all around lifted effortlessly into the air, and with a fierce whip of her head, they were sent plummeting into the walls of the cavern, exploding into a gooy mess. The Queen cried out in anguish, drones rushing about in confusion, Xhara used her telekinetic power to rip away at her binding and dropped lightly to the floor, she walked slowly forward, careful not to stand in blood as it moved away from her path.
The drones rushed at her from the Queen's command, Xhara simply spread out her arms, sending the drones to the same fate as the eggs to leave the Queen alone. Xhara stopped before her and growled, her eyes wide with mind-numbing anger.
"You bitch!" She screamed, her head shook as she caused the Queen's internal organs to explode inside of her body. The Queen opened her mouth and some of her blood spattered out, a little of it hitting the left side of Xhara's face, but she didn't notice the pain of it.
Taking her smart disk, it took a couple of shots to completely sever the head from body, but finally her trophy fell to the ground. Xhara used some of the blood to mark herself, she was now blooded as the tattoo burned into her right cheek.
Xhara dragged the massive head all the way back to the ship with little effort, her mind still pulsing with energy. The others of the clan were outside of the ship, but all she could hear was jumbled messages, a constant buzzing in her ears. She walked into the clearing, mists thinning out as the others spotted her, she dropped her trophy at her father's feet and looked up at him. He quietly studied her face and ran a talon along the line of her mark of honor.
"What the hell happened to you?" Thian asked out loud, Xhara didn't even blink.
"Shut up Thian", she said.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Past....
Lionasha was summoned early in the day to the unexpected visitation of locals. Since word was now out that natives would not be bothered by Red Bracelett renegades anytime soon, the people developed nerve to leave the comforts of their holdings and reclaim their lives. Children of all ages were overtaken by an infectious excitement that affected everyone around them as many were reunited with family members thought lost, those unable to meet the demands of the money-hungry renegades, but feared them no longer.
The American-born beauty made her way into Mingh's office to be offered a cup of locally grown tea and was introduced to representatives from over-seas.
"We arrived with news there was ah small war goin' on 'ere", the tall thickly man's drawl was unmistakably Texan, Lionasha couldn't help but smile at him. "When we got 'ere, natives were tellin' us tha' wasn' true an' tha's when we 'eard about you, Miss", he continued and held out a hand in greeting. Lionasha took it with a sideways glance at Mingh, who merely shrugged and was smiling herself. The shorter woman increased the strength of her grip and met with resistance as the man tried to pull away.
"How old are you, Miss?" The other occupant of the room was just as tall, but had a darker coloring than his associate.
"Eighteen, last time I checked anyways", Lionasha answered, casually finding herself a seat nearby, putting her feet up on the desk in front of her. She ignored the glare Mingh sent her and continued her rather rude behavior.
"Forgive me, but isn't that a bit young to take on such a job?" The dark-haired one asked, Lionasha studied him intently, amused, she smiled evilly at him, causing him to avert his attention towards Mingh instead.
"Lio was an orphan", Mingh offered, begin twentyish-years Lio's senior, "she started in the Peace Corps around three years ago and had always had a taste for, erm, being in shape so-to-speak". Mingh had half-raised Lionasha when the two had met ten years previous and had stayed together ever since.
"Ah believe tha's what we call a 'tom-boy' back home", the thick one said, eyeing Lionasha in a way that nearly caused the young woman to lunge at him. Mingh decided it was the right time to change the subject.
"The reason for your unexpected visit?" The Cambodian beauty inquired, moving to stand beside Lionasha and remove the young woman's feet from the table, with silent protest from the victim.
"We wanted to see for ourselves if the rumors were true, that this area no longer was controlled by those 'Red Bracelett' fellows", the dark-haired one politely said, Mingh smiled proudly at him.
"They are true, but the exact why still leaves to questioning, although no doubt you have heard Lio, here, has had part in it". Lionasha's dark eyes were still fixed on the thickly Southerner, who stared back, the dark smile still playing on his portly lips.
"Indeed", the dark-haired one didn't seem to notice, "'she who fights with the demon' is what the natives call her, I believe. I am curious as to what exactly they mean by 'the demon'", he added.
"So am I", Mingh admitted half-heartedly and looked down to see Lionasha's eyes still focused on one spot. Lionasha still had not said anything about Sodan and would continue to remain silent of the subject, she and the thick one still having a glaring match, he spoke directly at her, voice low.
"You're lucky ya'll are under ah lawless society, were you back in Texas, Ah'd have you fried so fast-"
"For murder?" Lionasha interrupted, her eyes unblinking, she intended to toy with this one, "I always thought it was self-defense." The thickly one laughed at the comment and removed his identification from a jacket pocket, tossing the leather wallet to the desk in front of Lionasha, she quickly read it.
"When the lot of them git wiped out, Miss Michaels, Ah really don' think it's jus' defendin' yerself". Lionasha was looking at the man's badge, then she rose her eyes to meet his again, she tossed the wallet back at him, "well be stayin' 'ere fer a few days, we'll try an' stay outta' yer workin'", he finished, nodding towards both women.
"Oh, I'm sure you and I will cross paths again, Detective Ferguson...Lyle", Lionasha said with a smile, Ferguson smiled back and tipped his hat at her, while his partner pushed him out of the room.
Ferguson was as good as his word and hovered about during the camp's daily routine. He was extremely stupid, however, Lionasha found it rather easy to make excuses and sneak off whenever Sodan requested her presence. After the two had personally disposed of the remaining Red Braceletts, Sodan had used her as a sparring partner. Even though it was hard to avoid a lot of injury, Lionasha enjoyed the learning opportunity, learning martial arts ancient humans had learned from Sodan's own ancestors.
She had gained along with the martial arts, a history lesson never taught in school, Sodan explaining why exactly he was superior to her.
-You oomans would be nothing more than useless animals had Yautja not taught your ancient lineage to build- he had said in insult at first, but then went on in more detail, recollecting what he could of his teachings. -You treated us as gods- he continued, then lessening the boasting, -I should wonder if any Yautja ever came to know a ooman as I have- he added after a moment, the two paused.
-Wouldn't you have known about it?- Lionasha asked him.
-Some things of the past are forbidden to us, Elders guard ancient records- This thought was laced afterwards with intense curiosity for the both of them. Sodan went on afterwards with more stories that he had been told as a young one, his mother being one of the most respected Elders of his people, and considered the most intelligent.
After they would retire for the day, Lionasha avoided coming across the American visitors as she went back to daily routine, and Mingh would never question her.
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The odor of alcohol was strong, Ferguson's bass laugh vibrating in the air, and no doubt would disturb the children. Lionasha was lying in a hammock watching the rainfall outside from the safety of the porch roof over her. It was late in the evening and Lionasha had chosen to not partake in their American visitor's drinking endeavors, even though she knew she'd easily out-drink any of them. At that particular moment, she found herself restless, swinging in her hammock, Sodan had been avoiding her over the last couple of days with his reasons and Lionasha, for the first time since arriving in Cambodia, had been bored.
And so she had kept a constant, suspicious eye on Ferguson, deeming his partner harmless, the thickly Texan seemed almost too friendly. Though Lionasha could not be charged with the murder of renegades, Ferguson made an effort to threaten her all the time and if his goal was to get on her nerves, it was working.
The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard clearly enough that Lionasha was alert to the approaching presence of another. She removed herself from her hammock and slowly approached the doorway leading back inside. She was quiet and heard no more footsteps, pressing her ear against the door. Taken completely by surprise, the door swung open with such force it knocked Lionasha to the ground. Ferguson came waddling through the door with a whisky bottle in one hand, he looked down at her with glassy eyes, the stench of him giving Lionasha an upset stomach.
She moved to stand, but the large Texan was upon her quickly, grabbing on of her arms and smacking the side of her face with his whisky bottle, she fell once again to the groun and spat out a glob of blood.
"Come back 'ere, Darlin'", he drawled in a drunken stupor, eyes filled with a sick lust for the woman, he moved to take her up again. Lionasha reacted with a swift sweep-kick, Ferguson fell with a loud thump, landing on the floor.
"Stay away from me", Lionasha warned with a hiss, Ferguson laughed stupidly.
"I figured ye'd be ah dirty player", he drawled, then made an effort to stand, Lionasha watched slowly and readied herself to make another attack, but her plans thwarted when the Texan pulled a gun from his pants, lazily cocking it, pointing it straight at her. "We can make this easy, or hard, Darlin', yer choice", Lionasha's mind was racing with possibilities to choose, she could run for it, but who knew what problems Ferguson could create, heavily drunk and carrying a loaded gun. She'd decided she's have to remove the weapon from him, obviously by force, and avoid his lusty attentions as much as possible.
Concentrating as hard as she could, Lionasha applied what knowledge she had of mind-speech and probed his thoughts, to assess her situation. His thoughts nearly made her wretch, he had no intention to kill her, he wanted to have sex with her. Lionasha quickly crouched up on her legs and lunged for Ferguson's gut, successfully knocking him backwards. She went to reach for the gun, but Ferguson's grip was too strong, he pushed her quite forcefully from him and rolled on top of her, Lionasha went to shriek, but a large clammy hand covered her mouth.
"No offence, Darlin', glad ye want to make it easy", Lionasha bit into Ferguson's hand, hard, and brought her knee up into his groin, Ferguson rolled off her, howling in pain. Lionasha rose to her feet and kicked the gun out of the Texan's hand, picking it up. The split second her eyes had left Ferguson, he recovered from his pain and tackled her back to the ground, the two of them rolling off the floor onto the ground.
Ferguson used his large fist to beat Lionasha as violently as he could, all the while trying to take back his gun. She struggled underneath him with a fierceness acquired early in her childhood, being used to beatings. Lionasha's strong, smaller frame finally moved free of Ferguson's body, he went to grab her again, a gunshot went off and the thickly Texan fell back down to the ground, blood leaking from his head. Lionasha stared, dropping the smoking weapon and backed up against a tree, the rain washing splattered brains from her face.
She sat there, silently, Ferguson's dead body in front of her, then she heard voices coming her way. Suddenly a hand reached down, grabbing the back of her shirt, lifting her effortlessly onto a large branch. Sodan covered her mouth with his own hand, waiting and watching Mingh and Ferguson's partner investigate what the noise had been. Mingh had cried out for Lionasha, but Sodan's hand kept the younger woman from replying.
-I'm going to be in a lot of trouble- Lionasha sent the thought, shock still keeping her from relaxing.
-Why? I watched your battle, he fought dishonorably- was Sodan's reply.
-He didn't want to kill me, he wanted to fuck me- Lionasha let the thought end there, she didn't really feel like conversation anymore. Ferguson's body had been dragged out of the rain, although Ferguson's partner had trouble with his dead companion's body, once covered up, the dark-haired one followed Mingh back inside. Sodan finally removed his hand, and allowed Lionasha to move, she relaxed on the branch, sitting next to Sodan.
-I don't understand what you meant by your last thought- Sodan sent, still looking down towards the dead body, watching the heat slowly leave. Lionasha quickly tried to think of a better word then what she had chosen.
-He wanted to mate with me- She had apparently chosen the appropriate word, for Sodan had made a small noise of knowing.
-Understandable, you have the smell of lou-dte kalei all over you- Sodan commented, shaking his head, a spray of water splashing everything around him.
-The smell of what?- Lionasha asked, dropping herself down onto the ground with a heavy thump under her feet, Sodan was quick to follow.
-You are in heat and it is strong, which is why I have avoided you- Sodan sent the thought with an annoyance evident, Lionasha's eyebrows were raised. -His blood covers most of your scent, but I will not stay long- he added after a moment, -he is completely dead now, I can't understand why you chose to kill the ooman instead of mating?- Lionasha made a very audible sound of disgust.
"I'd rather 'mate' with you", she commented out loud, then heard Mingh's voice once again, Sodan effortlessly left the scene without any evidence he had ever been there. Mingh saw Lionasha right away and rushed towards the younger woman, crying.
"He's dead, Lio", Mingh managed to say between sobs, Lionasha wordlessly guided her back into the building, the dark-haired detective was busy examining Ferguson's grin.
"I knew he'd shoot himself one of these days, I just always figured it'd be his toes", he commented, looking over at Lionasha.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Detective Josh Anderson wasn't sorry Ferguson was dead, he was just using the Texan, after all. No, his interest was solely on the young Michaels woman, and her association with the creature his organization had been trying to research for years. There had been records of other visitors of the same nature years before, but not one had ever been successfully caught, others had tried and had failed. But Anderson knew there was something about this young woman that he wanted to learn more about, he had seen her with the creature, that night she had shot Ferguson. He had seen it in the trees, and had to stop himself from alerting he knew of it's presence.
From the window of his room, Anderson watched the Michaels girl go about her duties, then she was helping some of the local children gather vegetables from the garden. It had been a day or two since she had last given her excuses to leave off on her own...to see the creature no doubt, and that left to wondering why. But he would wait, he would wait.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
With a sigh of pleasure, Lionasha savored the feeling of this particular river's cool waters. Her clothing discarded by the riverbank, Lionasha had opted to have a pleasant swim by herself that particular evening. Between work at the camp, lying t Mingh and Detective Anderson to sneak off and spend time with Sodan and the actual spending time with Sodan was very tiring for her. She waded back to a more shallow spot to stand and examine her body critically, the light bronzing of her skin paled by the moonlight casting off the rippling water. Her waste-length hair clung heavily to her smooth skin, Lionasha combed her fingers through it to push it all to her back. She rubbed her sore muscles without much complaint, she easily maintained her muscular build during her days in the Cambodian Jungle.
Turning to check no animals had taken off with her clothing, she let out a yelp of alarm and immediately brought up her arms to cover her chest.
-I told you not to scare me!- She sent angrily at Sodan who was perched on a large tree branch, watching her with slight interest.
-I told you, you have no reason to fear- Sodan answered back, scolding her. Lionasha turned around and waded back a little before she heard things dropping to the ground. Looking back towards Sodan, he was stripping down to nothing, ignoring Lionasha.
-What are you doing?- she asked, but he continued to ignore her, she turned back around abruptly once he was completely nude, blushing furiously after seeing more than she needed to. A loud splash announced Sodan's intentions as he swam through the water, his powerful limbs carrying him quickly. He remained underneath the cool water for longer than Lionasha estimated she herself could hold her breath and looking around her, she couldn't see where he had gone.
Suddenly she felt her arms being taken a hold of, and with a shriek she was lifted partially into the air as Sodan re-emerged, holding her against his body. She looked down at him, scowling, her long thick hair draped in front of her body.
-I'm beginning to think you do that on purpose- she sent the thought, still scowling as Sodan made a low, throaty noise. -Stop growling at me- she added, even thought what sounded like a growl, was more like a purr. Supporting her with one arm, he moved his other hand to tug on a piece of her hair, she slapped his hand away.
-You're boring me, Lo'Sha, perhaps I will go find another ooman to occupy my time- he didn't finish the thought, Lionasha was fuming.
"Oh no you don't", she spoke out loud sharply, "I was first, you're mine". Sodan abruptly dropped Lionasha back in the water, swimming slightly away from her and blocked the jumble of thoughts he was suddenly thinking all at once.
-Me? Belong to a ooman?- It was a ridiculous thought, but the scent radiating so strongly off of her had kept him from getting too close until she had decided to go swimming. The thought of actually trying to mate with Lo'Sha had never even crossed his mind. Until now. Whether she knew it or not, she had just made that suggestion clear to him, and slowly the idea seemed almost appealing to him. -Stop trying, Lo'Sha- he sent, when he felt the ooman trying to read his thoughts.
"What did I do wrong?" She asked worriedly. Sodan had by then moved to swim back to the shore.
-Nothing- he answered quickly -If it is I you choose, then I will mate with you-
"Huh?" She thought to herself, he had caught the thought, but ignored it, getting out of the water with Lionasha following behind. She was watching him slightly confused and grabbed her cotton dress shirt, pulling it over her cold bare skin. "Where are we going?" She asked, her voice loud in the quiet of the night. Sodan continued to ignore her, picking up his own discarded things, not bothering to put anything back on and headed towards his cave.
The cave entrance was well-hidden and it was hard to see along the way being very little moonlight illuminating inside the small opening. Lionasha kept a hand feeling along, keeping careful watch she didn't lose her way. It wasn't long before the reached a large opening deep within the belly of the cave.
Soft blue light glowing, Lionasha was following only a few feet behind Sodan as they emerged in the opening.
"Woah", Lionasha's eyes were wide in wonderment, the sight before her was something out of a fantasy painting. Chrysoberyls glittered tantalizingly from the surrounding walls, a small pile of skulls, cleaned and gleaming white, sitting near a slanting ledge. Lionasha's attentions were drawn to the jewels teasing her to take them, she approached one of the walls and ran her fingers over the smooth surface. Fingernails curved around one of the larger gems as she attempted to pull it free.
"Mo!" Sodan's deep rumble of a voice rang out, Lionasha's wrist was taken and she was violently jerked around to face him, obviously angered.
-All oomans are greedy- he confirmed to her with slight irritation, he brought his large body up against hers, pressing her back into the wall and rested his chin momentarily on top of her soaked, dark tresses. His body heat was plenty enough to warm Lionasha's shivering body to the point of lulling her into a trance.
Sodan gave a deep-throated growl. To her disappointment, Sodan removed himself and walked off in the opposite direction, busy trying to determine the difference between mating with a ooman as opposed to a Yautja. She was much, much smaller, thus he would have complete control and he'd have to control his own urges as much as possible, since one wrong move could possibly injure her badly. Sodan turned to look at Lionasha, who was watching him carefully, thinking she had done something terribly wrong.
He rose one hand and curled his fingers, motioning for her to come to him. Lionasha obeyed, slowly moving, her bare feet tender under the rough ground underneath. Sodan took her wrist and pulled her towards the slanting ledge and pushed her against it, he had to make sure their bodies were compatible if this were to happen. Gripping her shoulders he pushed her up slightly, her feet no longer touching the ground, she was easily secured under his frame. Sodan was too busy concentrating on the task at hand to take notice of Lionasha's confusion and before she realized what was happening, she felt immense pressure and a searing pain as her companion entered her. Sodan once again had his chin resting on top of Lionasha's head, she, feeling hot blood well up inside her was writhing underneath the Yautja, trying to free herself from the pain she was experiencing.
Sodan gave a low growl, deciding the ooman was compatible enough, he pulled out of her and moved slightly away to allow her feet to lower back down to the ground and support herself. She staggered slightly, still not completely understanding what had just occurred. She obeyed once again as Sodan quietly directed her body to the mossy ground, once again she found herself pinned against his hard, muscular body and once again she felt the same pressure as before, except this time there was no pain, Lionasha felt her head swelling with feelings never experienced before as her body responded to something it was not designed to accommodate.
Sodan was feeling extremely frustrated, and decided right then that mating with Lo'Sha had been a very stupid decision on his part. Her body small, fragile underneath his and he found it very difficult to control his every move. Her thoughts at that moment were uncomprehensible, since the feeling she had felt the most was pain, it was obvious male Yautja were equipped much larger than male oomans if Lo'Sha was having such a bad reaction to him.
Lionasha arched her back when she felt the undeniable release of his seed within her, the feeling similar as if a small explosion were going off in her body. Sodan ended the joining quickly as to rid both of them their equal discomfort, Lionasha curled up for a moment, her body feeling as though she had been beaten, bruises already becoming visible on her tanned flesh.
Sodan chose to leave the cave then and heard no protests as he was obviously angry, although at himself as opposed to her. She remained as she was for a while longer until she made her way back to the camp, collecting her clothing along the way and willing off the tears that threatened to fall. Yes, it had been stupid, her body ached everywhere and no doubt Lionasha would feel the soreness for a few days. She had hoped, as she snuck back inside her own room, that Sodan would not be angry the next day, she had no desire to have him keep her company in a sour mood.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sodan's anger had cooled quickly, he went to Lionasha's room early the next morning and sat in the open doorway, waiting for her to waken. It was early enough that others were not awake yet, and Mingh would no-doubt sleep late after getting quite drunk the night before. Lionasha was curled up under her covers, her body throbbing and had caused her much trouble for when she had tried to get to sleep. She stirred and unconsciously knew she had a visitor. Lionasha slowly awoke and pushed herself up, turning to look at Sodan who was quiet and patient that morning. Finally, after a long moment he spoke to her muddled mind.
-I am leaving this day- he sent the thought slowly, to allow it to fully sink in, Lionasha clutched the blanket to her and gulped down the rush of air she would've used in protest.
-I understand- she replied calmly, -will I ever see you again?- Lionasha couldn't help but hope this wasn't one of those 'once-in-a-lifetime' things Mingh had told her about. Even after the previous night, Lionasha felt comfortable in the Yautja's presence.
-I do not 'promise' things, Lo'Sha, my life is always interrupted by circumstance, perhaps we shall meet again in the future- Once again, Lionasha had to stop a protest she was about to start, understanding that Sodan had obligations to his own people.
Sodan rose from his seated position after Lionasha did not make a reply, and moved to stand next to her. He reached down and took a thick clump of her hair, pulling on it to curl around his fingers, she turned her head to look at him and curled her own fingers around his.
-Safe journey- she finally sent the thought, the intimacy they were displaying something any other Yautja would not understand. Sodan left her then and she feared as she watched his retreating form that she would never see him again.
Dressing to head out of her room and get breakfast two hours later, Lionasha met Detective Anderson along the way to the kitchen. They walked in silence for a little while until he stopped her just as they reached their intended destination.
"You have fresh bruises, Miss Michaels", Anderson commented, looking at skin discolored in various places, Lionasha frowned at him.
"Says who?" Anderson gritted his teeth and stared at her.
"Do not play games with me, Miss Michaels, I'm not stupid, I know you're hiding something from me". This time, Lionasha didn't hesitate to read his thoughts and saw for herself the dark intent behind the man's words.
"Indeed", Lionasha replied, making a move to enter the kitchen, Anderson stopped her again.
"That demon of yours, I'd sure like to meet him, I'm surprised that you escaped his attentions with mere bruises, knowing what they are capable of". Lionasha faltered, if necessary, she wouldn't hesitate to dispose of Anderson the same way she dealt with renegades. Deciding not to play stupid anymore, Lionasha glared darkly at the detective.
"Well, unfortunately for you, he's left the planet", she said with satisfaction, Anderson was furious.
"You lie!" He accused, his voice alerting the occupants of the kitchen something was going on. Mingh stumbled through the door and looked towards them with puffy eyes.
"Lionasha, what have you done now?" She asked, both others looked at Mingh.
"Would you like to tell me why Miss Michaels refuses to give up her dirty little secret?" Anderson shot testily, Mingh's eyes widened at the accusation.
"I don't know what you are talking about-" Mingh defended herself, Anderson was feeling flustered.
"It's too late, I already know what manner of demon destroyed those renegades and I was assigned to capture the creature. Unfortunately Miss Michaels here took out my partner." Both women stared at him.
"You honestly think you could've captured Sodan?" Lionasha asked, before realizing her mistake.
"Who?" Mingh asked, confused.
"That thing has a name?" Anderson asked himself out loud, Lionasha shrugged.
"Had is more like it, I told you, he's already left."
"No! I won't believe that!" Anderson denied, fuming at her as she pushed her way into the kitchen, the other two at her heels.
"Believe what you want", Lionasha answered casually, she refused to let the man get to her.
"I'm not letting you off that easy, Miss Michaels, you can be sure of that. We've been waiting too long to learn about these predators".
"Is that what you call them?" Lionasha chuckled at the irony of it.
"Miss Michaels, I'm taking you back-" Anderson moved to take her arm, Lionasha jerked quickly out of his reach and growled at him.
"Don't make me hurt you", she threatened, Anderson backed away from her.
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Detective Anderson discovered quickly that what Lionasha had told him was indeed true, the Yautja warrior had left, taking his trophies with him, including the Chrysoberyls that were once entombed in a cave. Not too long after his argument with Lionasha, the detective had chosen to leave for America and promised to stay in touch, he had personally guaranteed it.
Within the next couple of weeks Lionasha had become violently ill, constantly having to empty her stomach contents and feeling feverish. Thinking it was merely some form of stomach flu, Mingh had merely prescribed rest until it passed, but after two weeks with the same symptoms, the Cambodian physician insisted on discovering the problem. Lionasha patiently allowed blood to be drawn, Mingh's office well equipped with instruments needed for such an experiment. It wasn't until later in the day that Mingh had revealed she had the results as she requested her young charge to sit down.
"Lio...was there something you want to tell me?" The older woman asked, her attention plainly fixed on the one sitting across from her. Lionasha raised an eyebrow. "All of these tests ended up negative...except one". Mingh sighed and rubbed her temples.
"Well? Am I sick?" Lionasha asked, Mingh regarded her for a moment.
"Lio...you tested positive for pregnancy. When on Earth did you ever get pregnant?" Lionasha stared stupidly towards Mingh for a few moments in disbelief. "Who's the father?" Lionasha bit her lower lip, even after the incident with Anderson, she still had kept Sodan, for the most part, a secret.
"Um, Mingh?" Lionasha began, Mingh looked up at her expectantly, "I uh..."
Lionasha felt the weight of burden lifted from her shoulders as she confided in her long-time friend, Mingh had sat and listened carefully, trying her best not to throw a fit.
"So he left?" Mingh asked after Lionasha had finished, "knowing that you could have conceived?" Even if Lionasha had bred with someone of a different species, Mingh still didn't understand why this was so. Lionasha shrugged her shoulders.
"Like I said before, Yautja do things differently than we do".
"I always knew you were strange, Lio, but this takes the cake...the whole bakery in fact", the Cambodian rose to her feet and motioned for them to leave the office.
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It was upon entering the third trimester of her pregnancy that the real problems for Lionasha began. Her human body, regardless of strength and voluptuous shape, was having a terrible time supporting the child growing within her. Besides the pain she experienced on a daily basis, the child was growing large as she already acquired the full-time size at seven months, leaving Mingh to worry for the young woman.
Labor had begun early one night eight weeks before the intended due date as Lionasha took to her bed, tossing and turning, desperately hoping it to end soon. After several hours her water finally broke and the child within her let her know it was time to be born. The son in her womb had kept strong mental presence with his mother, a strong telepath already, before even completely developed. Mingh answered Lionasha's cry of discomfort and sent Anna to fetch her several supplies as she herself attended her ailing friend.
Contractions were now right on top of each other, Lionasha was delirious with the pain of it and had earlier requested the labor to be stopped. Mingh had said it was risky considering the child was too large for her womb as it was. As Anna returned and Lionasha's condition worsened, Mingh knew the birthing methods had to be changed.
"Anna, get me some fabric and tear it into long strips", the physician ordered, Anna rushed off to do her bidding without question as Mingh helped Lionasha to sit up.
"What are you doing?" She asked with a large gust of oxygen. Anna returned shortly, the two women helping Lionasha to the floor, her back against the bed frame. Mingh secured Lionasha's wrists to the bars of the frame, and placed things around, Lionasha was to have the child while kneeling in an upright position. Mingh then ordered Anna to leave and tend to the children, the other women obeyed quickly. Mingh wiped the sweat from Lionasha's face, she smiled at her.
"Ready?" She asked with a smile, Lionasha made an ugly face at her and began cursing, curling her hands around the bars her wrists were secured to. As the first push was performed, Lionasha gave a blood-curdling scream, her body tearing open to allow the child passage into the world. Blood flowed from beneath her, Mingh desperately tried to help as much as possible. Lionasha admitted a more piteous yowl the second push, her skin turning white from blood-loss. Not much later, the child was free from his mother, she sagged, still tied up and fell into a slumber earned from exhaustion and blood-loss. Mingh removed the restraints, checking to confirm Lionasha was still alive and hurried to clean the infant up, wrapping him in warm sheets. Lioinasha's body shuddered as the afterbirth exited her, the exhausted woman collapsed limply to the floor.
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Antarctica...
Three Yautja warriors, heavily armored regarded the dead humans with no sympathy as they readied themselves to enter the tunnel that would lead them to their ultimate hunt. As the more decorated one checked his computer to make sure all was happening as planned one of the others couldn't help but over-hear the pitiful mind cry of an infant, inexperienced in mind-speech. Yo'Shuk figured out within a few moments who the child was yearning for and was surprised to discover his half-brother's pet ooman he called 'Lo'Sha' had given birth. And what a strong mind-presence the hybrid had! Yo'Shuk hurriedly sent a short message to Sodan, a half-brother he had hunted with of whom actually would have been assigned to this one in particular, even though he had already hunted the kainde amedha before, Yo'Shuk stepped in and took his place. While Yautja usually did not have relationships with others, Yo'Shuk and Sodan had been close due to being trained together, both had lived with their mother for an exceptionally long time, Sodan had only told Yo'Shuk of his adventures on the planet 'Earth', even revealing what he had done with the ooman.
The leader became annoyed with Yo'Shuk's interruption, but the younger one already sent the message as the three prepared to descend the 2000 foot drop to the buried pyramid.
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AN- A quick few notes-
- Have you ever read science fiction books involving elves? They like to say it is difficult for elven women to be impregnated, considering the longevity of their life spans, even though I doubt it's true in Yautja case, I'm just using it for this fic, thus Sodan would not have expected Lo'Sha to get pregnant after just once...(he's not an expert in human reproduction)
-Yes, I've involved the movie AVP in this, and if you recognize the name I gave Sodan's half-brother, I'll have a reason for it later