Chapter 19
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 . . .
He heard the faint voice calling to him, the soothing tone that was trying to alert him but was generating the opposite response, making him fall into a deeper sleep than before. His body ached in every part, even in places he didn't expect would be impacted but in a good way. He was in total bliss and he wasn't about to come out of it anytime soon.
Ethan. A large hand took hold of his shoulder and shook, almost dislocating it despite the gentleness of the touch. He hissed, turning to get away until the hand got him again.
"Leave me alone. I want to sleep."
A chuckle rang in his right ear. I know but as much as you want it, we can't stay here forever.
"I know," He grumbled, "But I don't want to. Five more minutes and I'll get ready for work."
The voice began to clear, "Work? In a cave?"
His mind snapped into a thousand pieces. Wait a minute.
Ethan got up so fast that he felt dizzy for a moment, and added that the blinding light of morning burned into his eyes. He squinted, holding his hand out as he got to his feet only to trip on something next to his right foot, falling flat right into the hard rocks below.
The pain shot right through his nose, trickles of blood ran between his fingers, "Putain de merde!"
A'sao hummed, "Est-ce que tu vas bien?"
Ethan rubbed the bridge of his nose, and groaned before sitting down while holding it, "I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine."
He didn't answer, more bothered with his still bleeding nose although the flow was reduced to a few trickles. It wasn't the end of the world but a hassle as the blood began to run down his throat and leave a scratching sensation that he hated. Such a pain . . .
"Here," A'sao, having seen his frustration, held something at the tip of her fingers, a clear substance that had a shine to it along with a black goo in the center.
"What is that?" He spoke cautiously.
"Tou'kat . . . It'll heal the broken bone," She reached for him.
At first, he pulled back out of instinct, not so much that he didn't trust her but the unknown of what could happen since it was foreign. He was about to say no but with the worried look in her eyes and her body shrinking as if she offended him, guilt rose in his chest. He sighed deeply, letting go of his nose, and leaned closer.
With a gentle touch, A'sao rubbed the cream around the affected skin and then instructed Ethan to also do it inside his nostrils. Although it was strange, he did as he was told and made sure to place the cream in every part he could reach. The smell was foul and bitter, at one point he wanted to cough and vomit but he kept an upper lip and finished the treatment. He waited for some time but nothing happened.
He raised his arms, "I don't think it's working. Maybe it's—"
The bone of his nose cracked out of nowhere and he jolted in utter pain, biting his tongue in the process as the sensation radiated to the back of the skull. He ran over to a nearby wall, pressed his head as hard as he could, and held his breath, waiting for the agony to cease. A'sao came to his side and cautiously patted his shoulder.
"Take a deep breath," She purred, "Relax."
Ethan wanted to snap back but as quick as the pain arrived, it was gone in a blink of an eye and the tension faded. Shocked, he pressed on his nose and got nothing but normal pressure, not even a bump of where the bone cracked . . . as if nothing happened, "How did you do that?"
He faced A'sao and watched her shrug her shoulders, "Many hunters use that in case of grave injury. It's supposed to be for emergencies but you were bleeding."
"And the pain?"
"Normal for the healing process but then again, I don't know much about ooman anatomy and whether it's similar to us. At least . . . until now."
"What do mean by tha—"
Ethan had to blink his eyes more than a few times, hoping it was some trick or even a dream. He looked down and realized that A'sao was just standing there, butt naked and watching him with a curious expression. A small check below his neck solidified everything that happened last night, her breasts poking at him like sticks, closet similar to a human woman and he couldn't look away, embarrassed at how long he did that. He opened his mouth and shut it multiple times, unable to find the right words if there ever were ones.
"Ethan . . ." A'sao clicked, "Are you alright?"
He swallowed, "Umm . . . Why do you ask?"
"Your body is burning up. Your cheek is turning red," She reached for him.
Ethan reacted and took a step away but smashed into the wall, falling on his ass, something poked him right on the cheek and he yelped like a spooked animal. A'sao froze, bewildered at his reaction, the complete opposite of what she imagined, "Ethan!"
He raised his hand before she could get near, "I'm fine . . . Ummmm . . . Do you have something to cover? My clothes?"
"Your . . . clothes?"
He nodded, keeping his face away and his cheeks blushed even more. A'sao remained still and confused until Ethan motioned with his finger. She went back to the sleeping area and grabbed an item that she recalled were 'pants' as oomans referred to it. They look uncomfortable though. She swiped it from the ground and handed it to the shy Ethan.
But his cheeks burned hotter, "Uhhh . . . Can you also . . ?"
A'sao tilted her head, muscles over her eyes tightened to the middle, "Also what?"
He shook his head and then pointed down. A'sao followed and she understood what she meant. It wasn't much of a bother to her, being as their species tend to be less intimidated by the nudeness of their bodies but it appeared opposite with oomans. She decided that an argument over something petty wasn't worth it and she wasn't one to be disrespectful.
Her mandibles spread, "Oh. I see. I understand."
As she went to get her loincloth, Ethan had gotten his pants up and zipped, although disheveled and the bottom seams were ripped out of the holes. From there, he recalled what happened last night . . . the heat of their bodies mixed. . . the exchange of grows and moans along with A'sao's purrs . . . and the aggressive nature the female Yautja displayed.
And the craziest thing . . . he enjoyed the last part.
His body heated up again and felt pressure in his groin. He closed his eyes and slowly sat down, leaning as to hide the bulge and ignoring his cock pulsing like a rocket about to launch into space.
Quietly, A'sao came to his side and sat as well, being quiet which he appreciated. After all, he was trying to make any logical sense of what he did with an alien, a female who was twice as big as him and more beast than man. I had sex with an alien . . .
Finally, he spoke in a soft tone to break the ice, "So . . . last night, we . . ."
A'sao purred, "Yes . . . I know."
Ethan scratched his head and somehow had the feeling to chuckle, "I guess we both went too far. Right?"
He waited for an answer, a similar response to what his mind produced. This is crazy. We shouldn't have done this. It was merely the heat of the moment. Both of us got caught in something that we didn't intend.
Right?
But nothing came, only the sound of a groan and then a soft purr that caught him off guard. Ethan pulled back, brows tightened, "What?"
A'sao hummed, "I don't think that way."
"You don't?"
"Yes. It's not common but not unheard of for our kind to mate with other beings. And it's close to the mating season as well so—"
A'sao paused, noticing him lower his head as if in shame or another excuse she didn't understand. His reaction was unexpected, given that being blunt about Yautja sexuality was the norm she was raised among her kind, but it must have been different for him. Are oomans this complicated?
"Ethan. If I have offended you, then I must offer my apologies."
Ethan shook his hands, his face full of surprise, "Oh no! You haven't offended me. It's just that . . . you make it sound like it's . . ."
He shut his mouth. Sure. Tell the nine-foot female alien you just fucked that this is more than just casual. Is it?
"It's nothing. Just forget about it."
He lowered his face into his hands, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. Why is this so complicated?
Ethan looked back through his memories, the time he gave into the desire to fuck a female Yautja and try to make sense of why she reacted so casually. Maybe be a little panicked at best and not as if this was common. Makes me feel like a prostitute. God.
He recalled a brief second during the lovemaking when his eyes drifted to the opening of the cave, swearing he saw someone watching them, making the hot sensation rise in intensity, knowing only one person would check them and not make a move or kill them as a Bad Blood would.
Was Vi'su . . . watching?
As he pondered over and over again, A'sao purred nervously, unsure what to do with a depressed ooman in front of her. She reached out, maybe hoping a brief contact would suffice and ease his anxiety since she can't exactly ask what the reason for this display while in this condition.
But as her claws were on the cusp of grazing his shoulder, a sudden smell hit her, drawing her attention to the cave's entrance. She inhaled into her mouth and she knew immediately the connection to the oily, burning smell of ash. Growling, she scampered to her feet and took off toward the outside.
Ethan was left in shock at her sudden departure, "A'sao! Where are you going?"
She didn't even pause and disappeared behind the cave's wall. Despite the need to follow and find out, he waited and listened if there was something wrong or if she needed space from him but given how abrupt she left, the situation leaned toward the first. He hoped it was the second in all honesty. I can't take any more surprises. Of course, he never had much luck to begin, even before landing on this miserable planet.
Sure enough, not even five seconds, he heard ferocious series of clicking before turning into monstrous roars and then metal clashing on metal. Ethan hurried and put on the rest of his clothing, climbing until he reached the entrance.
Barely did he see two bodies flying right at him but had no time to dodge, being lucky that a hand tugged him out of the way at the last minute. Ethan's shoulder took the brunt force, causing his skin to peel and burn so he tried to get up and access it.
"Don't get up."
He looked up to see who it was and realized that it was Vi'su standing in front of him, "What's going on!?"
"I'm sorry Ethan but I can't explain right now. Got a bigger mess to take care of."
"What bigger mess—"
"Look out!"
Vi'su hugged his body and quickly leaped away from the path of destruction the fighting took, barreling into a nearby tree, barks of wood splintered into many pieces that cut into his skin even from a safe distance. He could hear Vi'su hissed above and he glanced to the center, and to his horror saw what the fuss was about.
A'sao was fighting against another Yautja, smaller and thicker than herself but built like the previous ones he saw, ones with the same armor that had attacked him when he landed here, the same, ferocious brutality as the ones that killed Nai'stip and brought nothing but the terror that left him with nightmares. Bad Blood!
Ethan stood and was about to go aid her in finishing off, wanting more than anything to finish off the enemy and vent out the rage inside him.
"A'sao! Stop this!"
He paused, frozen by Vi'su's own words. What? Why would you say that!?
It did nothing but fuel the fighting even more with A'sao roaring as she flung the Bad Blood over and onto the ground but the enemy shifted enough to free a leg and kick her on the underside of her chin, gaining a break to create distance between each other. She regained her footing and the two circled, waiting for the fuse to be lit once more.
Ethan was about to go and help her while Vi'su was distracted until he noticed something about the Bad Blood that gave him pause. He remembered clearly the one who hesitated to kill him, with dark green blotches on his skin, even more with the old scars that tore through it. Even though he was the enemy, that interaction made him wonder about the Bad Blood's intention.
Now, here in front of him, the description matched almost to a T, and the fact that he didn't have a weapon on him and trying to step back in submission, he knew all too well.
When A'sao roared and came at the Bad Blood, Ethan took the chance, weaving past Vi'su and avoiding her grasp. He placed himself in between the Bad Blood and the female, raising his hands in front of her.
A'sao, taken aback by the sudden action, skidded to a stop and almost took out Ethan, giving him a heart attack, "Ethan! What are you doing!?"
"Stop this, A'sao! He doesn't mean any harm!"
"No harm!?" She growled, "He's an Ic'jit! Part of the group that killed Nai'stip!"
"But he spared me! He let me go!"
The air went deadly quiet, both females froze as if they were smacked out of the blue by Ethan's words, not as much with Vi'su compared to A'sao, who appeared as if she'd seen a ghost, "What did you say?"
Ethan swallowed, beads of sweat formed on his forehead but he stayed out. He turned his head to peek at the Bad Blood behind him, also having the same expression as the female but immediately calmed down and in some way, silently thanked him.
He turned back to A'sao, "He doesn't mean any harm. Trust me."
A'sao growled again, "I trust you but I don't trust him."
"What the ooman said is true. I told the other female the same thing before you attacked me."
The Bad Blood spoke, probably not the best idea since A'sao reacted, almost lunging at him if Ethan didn't step in front of her again, "Stop, A'sao. Please . . ."
In a brief moment, he saw the first signs of hesitation in A'sao, taking a step back and her shoulders lowered a bit. She didn't say anything and never took her eyes off of the Bad Blood but she stepped back.
Vi'su finally intervened, "Ethan is right. If he intended to kill us, he wouldn't have shown himself to me. Just hear him out."
A'sao clicked her mandibles, and exchanged looks between her and Vi'su before sighing, checking back with the Bad Blood, "What do you want?"
The Bad Blood kept his head down in submission before softly speaking, "I'm here to help."
He raised his hands, "Here me out."
Well hello, my fellow readers!
Finally got this chapter for Respect all finished and pretty much this one is filled with drama, shock, and maybe other things lol. I hope you enjoy this one and might have questions about this mysterious guest that appeared before our little group. Is he the enemy or 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend?'. You can decide since I'm not going to spoil anything hehehehehe ;)
Thank you all for your support and Good Hunting! :)))))
Normal = Human speaking human language
Bold = Yautja speaking ooman (human) language
Bold and Italics = Yautja speaking Yautja language
Est-ce que tu vas bien? = Are you alright? (French)
Putain de merde! = Fucking shit! (French)
Ic'jit = Bad Blood
Tou'kat = Healing gel (part of kit used by Yautja hunters)