Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.

Ethan grumbled as he stepped through the thick mud from heavy rain that occurred a week ago, not expecting it would have lasted this long by the time he was dropped on this planet to be hunted. The females took the easier route, leaping from one tree to another with precision like they've done this all their life. Only A'sao remained with him, leading him with a collar that connected to her gauntlet via some red, electrical strand. It was embarrassing enough with this, let one act like a pet to these creatures.

He took a glance behind, watching A'sao check the sky and the ground for danger. It could have been worse. He didn't like he was part of her punishment to drag him around, after everything she did to save his life. What more does it have to take? Ethan sighed, looking ahead for a clearing.

Supposedly, the tyrant Nai'stip decided to take action rather than regroup to the heart of the lion's den and strike them before they could attack again. In his experience as a strategist in the military, it was unwise but his opinion would be thrown out before he could speak it. She was the leader and to go against her would mean certain death. She's already got a target on him anyway simply being in her presence. It was him and A'sao alone and it was awkward.

Ethan bit his lip and then spoke with caution, "So . . . your name is A'sao?" She didn't respond or at least not with words. Her mask obscured if she was looking at him or not, "My name is Ethan . . . Nice to meet you."

Again, nothing but silence and Ethan turned around with a thought that he might have taken the temperature of the air a bit different than it actually was.

As much as she wanted to respond, A'sao knew both were being watched. Her biomask read that Nai'stip and Vi'su weren't far in front, mostly likely to get a heads start and wait for them despite it being easier to run with the male oom—. No. It's Ethan. Her Leader would take any opportunity to set an example for more disobedience. Already be spared twice, there soundly be a next time.

Still . . . he holds his ground despite being weaker. She held her mandibles from clicking with curiosity. Curious.

The faint beeping from her wrist gauntlet got Ethan's and A'sao's attention. With a quick combination of presses, the communications opened, "A'sao. We're almost to the campsite. Keep your distance upon reaching the break line."

"Thank you, Vi'su."

A'sao tugged on the leash and Ethan gagged in reaction. He turned around with a small hint of a glare and she sighed in regret. He seemed to calm down but the hidden emotion behind his eyes gave her no comfort. I wished it didn't have to be this way.

It wasn't long before they reached the spot, barely hidden from sight by the thin barrier of leaves and sharp-edged branches with scattered holes to peek out. When Ethan dared to take a glimpse, shock, awe, and terror ran cold through his veins.

Several tents made of leather scattered among the small area along with grand fire pits that could warm an entire family of ten easily and withstand the most brutal of storms . . . but that wasn't what worried him. The same humanoid creatures, Bad Bloods as the females called them, casually walked around as if they were taking a stroll around the park. It's some park alright. The pathways were riddled with spikes that held skulls of unknown aliens, bones hanging by leather threads. This appeared more like a tribe than he'd expected, the opposite to be exact.

"Is this more of their posse?" Ethan asked but A'sao's attention was elsewhere, directed again to the trees above. Really? Shaking his head away, he scanned the area and watched the Bad Bloods do their 'daily routines'. A few were around a fire conversing in a series of clicks and hisses, showing off skulls as if they were prizes to brag about, one in particular caught his attention. Raising it high above, one of the Bad Bloods held a human skull with strips of muscles and tendons still stuck on.

He felt a lump build in his throat, threatening to come out. Oh my God.

"What's wrong?"

Ethan blinked back to reality, turning away from the scene until the human skull was taken away and out of view, "Nothing," He felt her stare from the back of his head, whether out of curiosity or confusion, "I'm fine."

A'sao grumbled, "We need to move for a better look."

"Wha—"

Her arm wrapped around his waist before he was taken into the air as if he weighed a mere feather, rising through the trees within seconds. Ethan's vision blurred, coming back a minute after they landed on a branch with such grace. He leaned onto the trunk, waiting for the dizziness to slip away.

"Are you alright?" A'sao kneeled close to him, wondering if she took it too far. Oomans are fragile, aren't they?

"I'm fine," He waved his hand, taking deep breaths, "Just had the momentum knock my senses out of whack." He noticed her head tilting and a soft rattle underneath her mask, almost compared to a soft chuckle.

He pouted, "Leave me alone, will you?"

Again, he heard the sound and he tightened his lips and changed the subject before things got awkward, "So what is the objective of all this?"

There was a slight hesitation prior to her answering, "We're looking for the Leader. Although all of them should die, they'll fall like maggots if their head is cut down."

"The Leader?"

"Na'tou-Va. The worst of the worst and the greatest prize for any of us."

Ethan squinted his eyes and went unnoticed to A'sao. Scared but curious. She inhaled to let the words run through her throat until a commotion broke out from where the enemy resided. He followed suit and it didn't take much to zone in where the series of growls and roars erupted and broke the soft silence of the camp.

Thanks to the new view from the trees, he saw full well how massive the area was and zoomed into the core where a group of Bad Bloods in a circle, set up in front of a tent twice as massive as the others. Even before he knew, the hairs on his arms raised, instinct kicking him to alert of danger.

"Vi'su. Any sign of him?"A'sao spoke to the gauntlet quietly.

There was a long pause, "He's not here."

"What?"

A'sao almost roared in absolute disbelief, even reflected through the communications by Nai'stip who is certainly not happy either. She feared what would become of Vi'su for such a mistake. Ethan had glanced over, worry filled his eyes like a deep ocean swirling by the incoming storm despite not knowing the severity of the situation.

She swallowed deeply and took a calm breath, "Where has he gone?"

"Still scanning for him. Lost the heat signature right as we arrived. Hold on."

A'sao rolled her eyes before silencing the communications momentarily. She worried that Na'tou-Va found out they were coming and led them here to slow down their pursuit. She thought it would be best to lay low and observe what the clan will do next.

As she began to re-link connection with Vi'su, she paused when her eyes saw Ethan. His expression morphed drastically like he witnessed a murder just as she heard a piercing scream and then saw the reason for his reaction. Oh no.

The drape covering the opening of the tent swooped violently open and a huge Bad Blood emerged dragging something that trashed and screeched like a banshee, pleading while another barely grunted in weak attempts to do the same. At first, the distance made it difficult for Ethan to get a clear confirmation until the Bad Blood threw the howling being roughly to the ground. The blood drained from his face, no mistake of the brown skin and dark, mashed hair that belonged to the woman he'd met first on this planet.

Grace is alive!? He saw the other person was a male and the one who trusted him above everyone else. Price too!?

"Please . . ." Grace whimpered, her hands quivered into a prayer, "Please let us go . . . We won't tell anyone . . . I swear . . ."

The big male that brought them here snickered and the others reflected in unison, "After letting you live, healing your wounds without repayment? I should have expected from an ooman who only thinks for themselves."

One of his followers stepped up, "What do we do with them? The male isn't going to last another round and it isn't fun to torture when they don't scream." He reached for Grace with ill intent, her whimpers heightened.

"Stop," Another Bad Blood intervened, tugging the other's hand away from her, much to Ethan's surprise, "That is enough for today."

"You don't get to decide, weakling!"

The sympathetic Bad Blood fell hard when the first smacked him across the face, tripping a nearby comrade and earning another smack, "Show some respect!"

"Enough," The leading Bad Blood spoke, "I will decide who does or doesn't do. Stay out of this, pauk-de."

Ethan fidgeted as they discussed what to do with them. How they survived, he couldn't fathom but this was bad news and from his experience, the outcome was far from good or even neutral at that. He moved in position to jump off the branch, regardless of the danger from the fall and what's ahead.

"Ethan, don't."

A'sao grabbed his shoulder before momentum took him forward. Her grip was immense with strength but barely held him as if holding back, "Why not? My friends are down there."

"And it would be suicide to fight them without a plan, even for an ooman like yourself."

It was the harsh truth. Na'tou-Va may not be here but Bhuh'kah, his Second-in-Command was just as ruthless and bloodthirsty as their Leader if not more. I have to calm him down. She purred softly, expecting from previous data of Yautja encounters that such sounds soothed oomans. He relaxed somewhat but the tension was still as thick as it was.

"Ki'sei. It would be very interesting to see the ooman show us how . . . abhi'tha he actually is."

Nai'stip hissed in ne'isu, annoying A'sao to an extent. It wasn't lost in her mind that her Leader was attempting to send Ethan to his death sentence by playing with his emotions, the best choice since it would be out of their control of what he does and they wouldn't be held responsible since he isn't of any of their clans and Unblooded . . . unworthy. With a few Bad Bloods on guard and a dozen others walking about, he wouldn't last a minute before he'd be struck down.

She watched him. Don't do anything crazy. Please.

After a stilled moment, they could only watch as Bhuh'kah made his decision with an evil grin, "Feed the male to the Kurn. They haven't eaten fine meat in a while. As for the female . . ."

Bhuh'kah leaned to the female with marks running down her cheeks from dried tears, "I'm going to have my fill with her."

In an instant, Bhuh'kah flipped Grace and seized a handful of tangled hair, forcing her on her hands and knees. She howled in agony, a flow of tears rained from her eyes as he ripped her tattered clothing and his loincloth. Price, barely alive, reached out weakly to her, "Grace . . . Grace."

Dragging him through the mud and dried blood, they led him to an enclosure of thick metal bars and wire, threw him inside and locked the door behind.

"Wait for a moment. I want her to see as well."

Bhuh'kah held her up, walking as close to the enclosure as he was comfortable with before putting her back in position. With a quick nod, the smaller enclosures that led into the main one slowly opened and out came the same beasts Ethan encountered only recently. It made his skin rise in goosebumps at how someone armed like himself had trouble. Price had nothing and no energy left in him, all he could do was wait for the inevitable as the beasts stalked with dripping saliva between their teeth.

"Watch this, ooman. Be grateful you're not in it." He leaned over, positioning himself behind the whimpering Grace, lips quivering uncontrollably.

"Please. No no no no no . . ."

Ethan struggled, the anger boiling his blood that it ran like lava and himself close to eruption, the same can almost be said for A'sao. This was one of the reasons why she hunts down Bad Bloods . . . nothing but pure hatred and evil.

Bhuh'kah hissed in the air and in a mere millisecond, the hounds pounced on Price. As he let out a bloodcurdling scream, Bhuh'kah slammed his shaft into Grace and she was about to do the same when two of Bhuh'kah's fingers plunged deep into her throat, forcing her to gag.

This is insane . . . Hell itself.

Ethan could only watch as Grace was fucked like a dog, pounded even after her hips changed into a dark red from his grip and blood oozing between their legs as the hounds ripped Price apart. His limbs tugged by a few stragglers and his chest caved in, his internal organs pulled out like noodles until his screams died out. Grace lost any will to resist but was still being pounded as Bhuh'kah roared in pleasure as his claws cut deep into her skin and the corners of her mouth.

This was the last straw, "Fuck this. I'm not standing here anymore."

"Ethan. You can't." A'sao almost pleading to him.

"No! Let me go!" He thrashed the branch just to find a loose hold.

"Stop."

"No!"

"Ethan, you'll die!"

"No!"

"A'sao!"

That one second that she turned her attention away to hear Nai'stip call her, Ethan took the chance. He twisted his arm and broke free, taking deep scratches to his forearm from her claws but it was worth the pain. Without any hesitation, he let gravity take him to the ground, grateful that it wasn't too high that his legs won't break but his nerves shot up the moment he touched the ground.

No wasting any time, he ran with his rifle out and stopped a few feet away, aimed for the back of Bhuh'kah's head, "Hey!"

The Bad Bloods stopped and hissed when they saw him, grabbing any weapons they had on them. Ethan stood his ground, "Let her go!"

He waited as Bhuh'kah turned, smirking as his red eyes stared back, "Look what we have here."

Hello my fellow hunters and huntresses!

Took me a little while to get this chapter finished since I blended the dialogues between Ethan and A'sao but it makes this one special and I hope all enjoy this beautiful . . . awesome . . . bloody chapter! Lol!

Enjoy and Good Hunting!

Normal = Human speaking human language

Bold = Yautja speaking ooman (human) language

Bold and Italics = Yautja speaking Yautja language

Abhi'tha = Fearless

Ki'sei = I agree

Kurn = Hell Hound

Ne'ise = Pleasure