Hey everybody! So glad I was able to get this chapter done, and yeah I know this chapter isn't as meaty as the ones in Asclepheus but hey at least its progressing right? CONSIDER IT MY CHRISTMAS GIFT!
Anyway without further ado
Chapter 2: Learning to live
Human Year: 2185
It had been twelve years since the day that Yui'Tyr and Kal'Dan found and saved a human child from the clutches of the Black Yautja that murdered their eldest son. After taking little Al'Dan to their clanship, they brought the issue up with the ship's resident Elder who was gracious and understanding enough to allow the child to stay with the clan.
The only condition was that he would have to prove his worth to the clan when the time came.
At first Yui and Kal were fearful for the fact that their newly adopted son would not fit in with the rest of the clan, especially their younger son, El'Dan who was barely old enough to walk yet alone understand why his older brother was gone and had a human in his place.
But luckily El'Dan and Al'Dan got on like a house on fire, despite the fact that they were both of a different species. The two boys grew up together and in ten years old grew closer as if they were both birthed from the same womb, the boys played together and even learned to walk and speak together. It wasn't until El'Dan reached the age of 13 and Al'Dan reached the age of 12 that the boys joined the academy where Yautja children would learn everything they would need to shape who they were, whether it be a weapon smith, a ship mechanic, a scholar, a merchant or the most popular profession of their species, a Hunter.
That was of course when Al'Dan's species became a factor.
*TWACK!*
The small form of the human hit the ground, ruby red blood dripping from his nose as he tried to pick himself up off of the ground. This human's long black hair hung around his head like a curtain as he reached up and wiped the blood from his lip. The human's long black hair had been braided in certain areas, not quite Yautja dreadlocks but enough to look like a non-human hairstyle.
The human may have only been twelve years old, but for a boy of his age he had some much defined muscles, not the kind of puppy fat or skinny physique that many human children had at that age. Due to him being raised by the Yautja, he also lived by their ways, meaning that even children needed to be at their strongest. He wore very little in terms of clothes like the Yautja he grew up with, his attire consisted of a leather loincloth over his brown coloured leggings that reached down to his heels, on his feet of course he wore the same sandals that most Yautja would wear when not hunting and finally a silver pendant hanging freely around his neck
"You should stay down Ooman!" a young Yautja around Al'Dan's age threatened as he wiped Al'Dan's blood from his fist.
Three Yautja youths at Al'Dan's age were standing above the injured human as he tried to regain his bearings. From a very early Age Al'Dan actually fit in the Academy and made many friends due to his very carefree and friendly personality, these three Yautja however were the sort that demanded all the attention that could be given and as Al'Dan got popular at the Academy these three took a very strong disliking to him.
Al'Dan looked up, his piercing blue eyes looking at the three young Yautja looking down on him. The one who had punched him was at least a foot taller than Al'Dan and had dark green tiger stripes over his light green skin. The other two Yautja were the same size as Al'Dan, though that didn't matter as they still outnumbered him three to one.
"Now…why don't you stay there and do what you Oomans do best?" the tiger striped Yautja sneered.
Al'Dan spat on the floor before he hauled himself up and brushed his hair out of his face. The look of defiance on his face as he wiped the blood from his mouth, the cut on his lip hurt but he couldn't show weakness in front of cowards like this.
"Why don't you stay down, Ooman?" the Tiger Striped Yautja asked in disgust.
"I'm not like other Oomans, I was raised on this ship….I'm just as much of a Yautja as you are" Al'Dan replied with defiance.
"Oh really?" the tiger striped Yautja asked as his eyes wandered over to Al'Dan's Pendant. The Yautja smirked before his hand dashed out and yanked the pendant from the human's neck.
"Last I check, Yautja don't wear stupid metal trinkets like this" the tiger striped Yautja smirked as he fiddled with Al'Dan's pendant.
"HEY GIVE THAT BACK!" Al'Dan shouted as he lunged at the Tiger Striped Yautja, the other two however grabbed his arms and restrained him.
"Hahaha, why? Did you find this piece of Cjit in the rubbish? Do you Oomans like garbage like this?" the Tiger Striped Hunter snickered at the Human's attempts to get his Pendant back. Al'Dan snarled at the Yautja, that Pendant was the only thing left of his old Clan, the only thing that belonged to him before the Yautja took him in and he did not like anyone disrespecting his pendant.
"You really want this don't you? Hehe, well in that case I suppose I'll keep it, maybe see what Ooman metal looks like when melted down" the Yautja snickered. The thought of his pendant being melted enraged Al'Dan and he went berserk. He brought his right foot upward in a kick, right between the shortest Yautja's legs.
The universal weak spot of a male.
The Yautja almost squealed at the pain that Al'Dan put him in before he fell to the floor, gripping his gonads. Al'Dan then roughly punched the other Yautja square in the face, stunning him before he kicked him in between the legs also. It could have been seen as a cheap shot, but it was the only advantage Al'Dan had. The other Yautja fell to his knees with his hands cradling his nether regions.
Al'Dan lunged at the Tiger striped Yautja and put all his strength into a punch, the Human's fist collided with the Yautja's face. The hit made the Yautja drop Al'Dan's pendant as green glowing blood leaked from the Yautja's ripped mandible flesh.
"AAGH!" The Yautja grunted as he clasped his face. Al'Dan quickly grabbed his Pendant and held onto it for dear life, he wasn't going to let it go until it was out of harm's way. Al'Dan was caught off guard however when…
*TWACK!*
The Tiger Striped Yautja viciously backhanded him across the face, sending the young human falling back to the floor. The Yautja's claw making a cut in his lip in the process.
"Agh! Ooman swine!" the Yautja growled as he wiped the glowing green blood from his mouth. The other two rising to their feet, standing funny due to the searing pain in their crotches.
"All that for a stupid necklace! You Oomans are even stupider than I thought"
"Stupider? Why not try a better insult next time you halfwit?" Al'Dan groaned as he slowly got to his feet.
"Don't make me put you down again you scum! Next time you'll stay down"
"I'm not afraid of you! You can hit me all you like, but it won't make any difference, and do you know why?" Al'Dan asked.
"Humour me" the Striped Yautja said with venom.
"Because you are a coward who can't fight me yourself, you are just a spoiled little brat" Al'Dan spat at the Yautja whose mandibles flared in rage.
"How dare you! You little…!" the Tiger Striped Yautja growled as he reared his fist back for another attack. Al'Dan closed his eyes and braced himself for the next hit but instead of feeling the Yautja's fist against his cheek he heard the sound of the three gasping in surprise.
Al'Dan opened his eyes and when he saw what stood in front of him he sighed in relief. The Yautja that stood in front of him with the Tiger striped Yautja's fist in his hand, was none other than Al'Dan's older brother, El'Dan.
El'Dan looked just like their father Kal'Dan, he stood a full foot and a half above Al'Dan and had the same green skin pattern that he had. El'Dan was also much larger in build than either of the three Yautja that had been abusing Al'Dan.
"Would you mind explaining to me why you are abusing my brother, Tu'Van?" El'Dan asked with a glare.
"We…we meant nothing by it El'Dan, we were just…" one of the shorter Yautja stuttered before Tu'Van interrupted.
"We don't need to justify ourselves to you! This Thing doesn't deserve to walk on the same ground as us! Their kind killed so many of ours in the war, so why don't you get out of our way and let us…GGHK!" The Tu'Van stopped in his tracks as El'Dan grabbed him around the throat.
"Shut up! If any of you cowards have a problem with my brother, then you have a problem with me!" El'Dan threatened them, baring his fangs and mandibles as he growled at the three smaller Yautja. If the three young boys had the experience or knowledge of a real hunter they would know that they outnumbered the two, but seeing as they were nought but young boys they were easily terrified by El'Dan.
El'Dan the decided to make his message a lot clearer towards Tu'Van and leaned in close and growled before whispering.
"And if you touch my brother again…..I'll Kill you" with this comment, El'Dan swore he smelt urine in the air and let the Tiger striped Yautja go.
Once El'Dan let Tu'Van go, they fled like dogs with their tails between their legs. El'Dan huffed before he turned around to face his little brother, he put a hand on the human's shoulder and asked "Are you alright Al?"
"I've…I've seen better days El" Al'Dan replied before he spat out a bit of blood. The red liquid splattered on the floor and before Al'Dan could wipe the blood away from his lips, his brother put a hand underneath his chin and began to inspect him closely.
"You really got a beating didn't you?" El'Dan asked rhetorically as he inspected his brother's face. The cut across Al'Dan's lower lip looked particularly nasty and deep, chances were it would leave a small scar in its place.
"Was that supposed to lift my spirits? I got my butt kicked plain and simple" Al'Dan replied with a frown.
"It was three against one, I doubt anyone without proper training could have done any better" El'Dan replied finished inspecting Al'Dan's face and patted him on the shoulder.
"Come on, let's get home and get you fixed up Bro" El'Dan said as he and Al'Dan began walking side by side. It didn't take long for the brothers to find their way out of the alley that Al'Dan had been forced into and into the streets of the clanship.
Yautja Clanships weren't like human ships, they were like colossal, mobile colonies that were capable of housing thousands upon thousands of Yautja. Unlike humans who found it easier to keep their colonies fixed on planets or moons, Yautja Clanships were designed so that the clan's hunters could easily make their ways across the galaxy to fresh and new hunting grounds without the hassle of travelling millions of miles through space in order to return home.
The interiors of said Clanships were not like one would expect, being ships many would assume that the insides were technology based and suited only for space travel. That couldn't be further from the case with the Clanships, as the interiors looked like actual cities with botanical gardens, market places and a built in artificial ecosystem.
The vibe of the market places were like one would expect to find in ancient Greece or Rome, the architecture of the surroundings structures especially was very tribal in nature yet with the technological vibe that all Yautja technology carried with it. The market place of course was always a buzz with life as Hunters sold meat, pelts and bones from their hunts while jewellers and weapon smiths were always busy gearing up hunters while upgrading and repairing their equipment.
It was truly a sight to behold for any species.
Any human raised by humans would be extremely wary about walking through the middle of a Yautja city, especially one as busy as this. But luckily for Al'Dan, his clan was one of the more accepting clans that didn't majorly judge their clan members based on birth defects or differences in sexuality. Some clans would see Albinos, dwarves or homosexuals as abominations and would either be executed or exiled for life.
Al'Dan's clan however didn't go to quite such extremes when Physical issues came into the subject. Yautja with genetic abnormalities that didn't include gigantism were not treated with such extreme stigma. Though a Human was something else, it took Kal'Dan and Yui'Tyr a huge amount of Promises and oaths in order for the Clan's Elder in order for him to be accepted.
Then again there was one good thing about being adopted into the Clan at such a young age, he grew up learning the Clan's ways and traditions as if he were born a Yautja himself. And the one thing that would eventually happen in his future was the clan's rite of passage, which would test Al'Dan in everything he had learned and would dictate whether or not he would be worthy to become a Hunter of the clan and prove himself a man.
Though that would only become a factor in a mere ten years.
"So, why did Tu'Van think it necessary to start a fight with you?" El'Dan asked his brother as they continued to walk side by side.
"He started it, I was just waiting for you when him and those other two forced me into the alley. They….they…" Al'Dan began.
"They what?" El'Dan asked
"They said that mother was a stupid whore for bringing a weak and filthy Proyde Amehda on the ship" Al'Dan replied.
"….Remind me to rip a dreadlock or two of off Tu'Van's head next time I see him" El'Dan replied. No one insulted their mother and got away with it as long as he, Al'Dan or their father were concerned.
"And…." Al'Dan started again.
"And?...And what? What else did he say?" El'Dan asked, if Tu'Van had said another thing insulting their mother then he would have to bring this up with their father and things probably wouldn't end well if that were the case.
"Oh….uh…I….uuuuh" Al'Dan stuttered, unable to speak suddenly, something was embarrassing him.
"Spit it out Brother" El'Dan asked.
"…I….I spoke to Ye'lah" Al'Dan admitted. El'Dan's eyes widened considerably and his jaw dropped, the reason for which being the fact that his younger brother tried to speak with probably THE most attractive female in their academy. The only thing that made this out of character for Al'Dan was the fact that Ye'lah was in her early twenties while Al'Dan was still twelve.
"Oh…so I'm guessing he didn't take kindly to you talking to his older sister?" El'Dan asked.
"No….no he didn't" Al'Dan replied.
"Ok…that…that explains a bit, you….you weren't…you know?" El'Dan asked.
"Weren't what?" Al'Dan asked back, confused at what his brother was getting at.
El'Dan leaned closer to his brother and whispered some words in his ear, as soon as Al'Dan heard said words however his eyes flew wide open and he responded immediately.
"Sweet Paya! Of course not!" Al'Dan responded in shock that his brother would think such a thing.
"She came to me! It's not my fault that girls really want to know what Oomans are like up close" Al'Dan retorted. Unlike many Yautja boys his age, Al'Dan got a lot of attention from female Yautja in the Academy, this was probably due to the fact that after the war, a lot of Yautja would probably never see a human again due to the deal that their species made to never meddle with each other again.
Of course this meant that every female would be closely studying the clanship's resident human, and never let him have a moment's peace. Then again Al'Dan didn't mind the extra attention from the pretty looking girls in his class, even though that meant many of the boys disliked him for taking the girl's attention off of them.
"Well…I can't blame them, you are pretty weird looking" El'Dan smirked. Al'Dan punched his brother's arm for making the comment on his appearance.
"Oh come on, those weird hairs above your eyes, those strange flappy things on the sides of your head, and not to mention these" El'Dan smirked pointing to Al'Dan's lips.
"They're called lips, El. All Oomans have them, besides…I get a lot of compliments from the girls on these things" Al'Dan said proudly.
"Oh really? And why is that?" El asked with his arms crossed.
"Well, they stop drool for one thing, and not to mention they mean you can't see my chewed up food when I'm eating" Al explained.
"You're just jealous that you don't have mandibles" El snickered, his mandibles clicking in response.
"Oh Paya, not this again" Al sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It sounds like you have a speech impediment! You can't click or even purr for that matter" El said in response. It was common among their people to click at random times, and purr when happy or relaxed. In Al'Dan's case that wasn't true, so it was weird for the Yautja around him when he simply sat in silence and smiled instead of giving a Purr or the occasional click.
"Good to know that the guy who enjoys eating his own mucus says that I'm the weird one" Al smirked.
"T-That was five years ago and….and you swore that you wouldn't bring that up" El whispered to his brother.
"Don't worry, my weird looking lips are sealed" Al'Dan chuckled as his brother wrapped an arm around his shoulder and hugged him closer.
"Oh whatever, let's just get you fixed up, you dummy" El'Dan smiled.
It didn't take long for the siblings to find their way home, the layout of the streets and what the twists and turns lead to were as familiar to them as the backs of their hands. Their home was like one who would expect to see in an ancient human city, the large archways and columns gave it a very ancient Rome sort of vibe, especially with the carvings in Yautja above the doors.
El'Dan being the eldest had to be the one to enter first, Yautja culture was very specific about good manner such as this. The Yautja respected age, and so the oldest of a group would always be the first to enter a dwelling.
Once the two stepped inside, it would be clear to anyone that knew architecture that the interior of a Yautja Dwelling like this one was eerily similar to the interior of a Roman Villa. The columns scattered around the interior were numerous and beautifully crafted, that coupled with the open roof that allowed the artificial sunlight to illuminate the insides.
Sitting at a stone table, was their mother Yui'Tyr, working on some crafting for her next Hunt. She was currently tuning her Plasma Caster, maintaining ones' gear was a trait that many hunters needed to be adept at if they didn't want their equipment failing in the middle of a Hunt. Yui'Tyr was wearing pretty much what any Huntress of her age would wear around the household, a leathery short shirt and a midriff top that didn't do a good job of disguising her very well trained yet feminine figure.
"Mother, we're back!" El'Dan called, making their presence known.
"Oh, I was wondering when the two of you would get back. Have you and Al'Dan been out causing mischi…..AL'DAN!" Yui suddenly sprung out of her seat and dashed over to her Human child and before the human even knew it, his mother's hands were cradling the sides of his face.
"What happened? How did this happen? Who did this to you? Are you alright?" Yui asked in a panicked tone. Being the adopted overprotective mother of a Human didn't exactly fill Yui with confidence that Al'Dan could properly take care of himself. She had confidence that El'Dan could look after himself, he was a strong and large Yautja for his age while Al'Dan was human, and it was well known that Humans were not up to par with Yautja in terms of strength.
"Mother, I'm fine really, it's just a few cuts and bruises" Al'Dan replied, wincing when his mother studied his injuries closely.
"I'll be the judge of that, young man" Yui replied, still intently looking over the young human's injuries. The cut looked deep, but the bruises would heal up fast enough after some treatment. Yautja medicine proved to be extremely effective when healing injuries fast, though the only drawback was the fact that it hurt immensely no matter the species of the user.
The most common of Yautja medicines would work entirely off of the stimulation of Nerve centres. The nerves would be stimulated to such an extent, that the brain would kick start the healing process of tissue to an accelerated rate. This of course was an extremely painful process, and seemed like a bit too excessive for injuries as minor as Al'Dan's.
Though the child wasn't exactly thrilled about the alternative either.
"You'll have a scar after this heals up, now who did this?" Yui asked, concerned for her youngest son's wellbeing.
"Oh come on Mom, do we really?" Al'Dan asked.
"Yes, now come on, a bit of salve will heal that" Yui said, standing up and putting her hand on Al'Dan's hair, ruffling it a bit as she did.
"Aaaaaa but mom" Al'Dan groaned.
"No Buts mister, this is not a discussion" his mother replied sternly.
"And I want to know everything before your father returns" Yui added, Al'Dan groaning at this revelation as he followed his mother into another room to get treated. El'Dan smirked, he was glad that he wasn't the youngest and therefore didn't get babied all the time like his brother did.
*Later that evening
Al'Dan raised a hand to his face, tracing his index finger over the new scar he had gained across the left side of his lip. It didn't mangle his face up like other facial scars he had seen on Veteran Hunters, but by human standards it was noticeable enough that no one would overlook it.
Al'Dan was sat down in the dining quarters of his home. At the table sat him, El'Dan, their mother Yui'Tyr and their father Kal'Dan. Over the past 10 years their father had only managed to become a much more successful Hunter, almost reaching the point where he would be considered for the position of the clan's new Elder.
The table was set out in the way that any human would recognise, aside from the sheer amount of exotic foods laid out. In the centre was a strange looking cross between a porcupine and a Warthog, it had been grilled and skewered like one would skewer a pig. And all around the table were plates filled to burst with alien meats and vegetables, Yautja required a lot more of a protein rich diet due to their metabolisms, while Al'Dan was a human and by that logic didn't need as much protein as his Family, it certainly had an impact upon his figure as finding a Yautja that didn't have discernible abs was near impossible.
"So how was everyone's day?" Kal asked as he sliced a leg off of the grilled creature and placed it onto his plate.
"Your son got into a fight" Yui said nonchalantly, she wasn't going to lie to her Life-Mate about what happened to their adopted son. Kal responded by stopping what he was doing and looking at Al'Dan closely.
"I noticed the scar…" Kal replied, but before he could speak further his son beat him to the chase.
"I'm weak aren't I?" Al'Dan asked.
"What?! Of course not! What makes you think that?" Kal asked with shock that his son would think such a thing.
"I couldn't do a thing until El turned up, Tu'Van was right, I'm just a weak, pathetic Proyde Amehda" Al'Dan replied, planting his face in his arms.
"Hey, don't speak like that. You are not weak Al'Dan, far from it, you are probably the strongest Ooman alive to fight three Yautja your age and only come out with a little scar like that" Kal'Dan replied, trying to cheer his son up.
Al'Dan however didn't feel that cheered up, he had the shame of being beaten up by someone like Tu'Van. He though that to become a Hunter he had to become as strong as he possibly could, and what had happened was eating him up inside.
Being a Human surrounded by Yautja was not an easy way to grow up as a lot was expected of him in terms of Physical growth. Yautja who were physically larger or stronger were always respected much more than Yautja who weren't, Al'Dan's brother was a prime example of that, chances were that by the time he reached his early adult years he would be taller than the majority of the Yautja on board the Clanship. So being a Human, a member of a species that was naturally physically inferior didn't exactly help him fit in.
"Al'Dan, my son. You are as much a Yautja as any of the boys in the Academy, Paya maybe even more so. I know Tu'Van's family well, his father was a Bigot and so was his father and his father before him, Tu'Van's entire family has been nothing but bullies who turned out to unexceptional in every way" Kal'Dan told his son.
"In fact his Uncle died on a Hunt because he accidently tripped over a cliff and into a nest of flesh eating Kran Beetles" Kal continued, trying his best to cheer up his son. The last bit of the sentence made El'Dan snicker and Kal swore he heard Al'Dan chuckle a bit, even with his arms muffling his response a bit.
"Besides, that scar is quite fetching. All of the best Hunters have scars, I mean take a gander here" Kal smiled as he showed his bicep to his sons who looked closer to see the long scar running down his right arm.
"You see this? I got this from a Kainde Amehda. Sliced my bicep open with his tail, but I got my own back when I but a plasma bolt into his head" Kal smiled, El'Dan was staring intently at the scar, trying to visualize his father fighting the creature. Al'Dan looked up and saw the scar on his father's arm, it was something that Yautja children really admired, and scars were trophies in their own right.
Al'Dan reached up and traced his fingers over the scar on his lip while looking at his Father's scar, he felt a bit better about the mark adorning his face as it made him even the slightest bit more like a Yautja.
"Not to mention, the girls love scars. They'll be swarming after you with a little number like that" Kal chuckled with a smirk. Yui rolled her eyes as her Mate continued to play around with the boys, telling them how he got his numerous scars, though Al'Dan still had that look on his face.
"Still, even so I'm still just an Ooman" Al'Dan replied, still saddened by the events of today.
"You aren't weak Al'Dan, you are special to us" Yui stated.
"Special? How can you say that when…" Al'Dan started before he stopped mid-sentence.
"When what?" Yui asked. Al'Dan gave them a sad look before he replied, concluding his sentence.
"…When you aren't my real mother and father?" Al'Dan said, Kal and Yui's eyes widened and El'Dan went completely silent before looking back and forth from his Brother, Mother and Father. Al'Dan had problems fitting in with the rest of the clan of course…but he never said anything like that before, especially in front of his mother and father.
Kal and Yui didn't know what to say, but they could see the tears welling up in Al'Dan's eyes as clear as day. The human child may have been raised by them, but he was different in a way that could never be disguised. Since the day he could speak he knew he wasn't the same as his family, it was a difficult Bourdon for anyone, but for a child?
Al'Dan got out of his seat and began to walk away from the table, El'Dan went to try and stop his brother to maybe try and speak some sense to him but Yui held her arm out and stopped the older sibling from leaving his seat.
"It's alright son, your brother…needs time to himself" Yui spoke softly. The Young Yautja obeyed his mother and sat back down as Al'Dan left the room. Kal couldn't bear to see his son in such a mood and so he decided to take the initiative and make sure his son was alright. The Hunter stood up, but when his Mate held up her arm as if gesturing 'don't' he simply held her hand and whispered.
"Its fine, let me handle this" the Hunter said with confidence that he could solve the problem.
Kal'Dan walked through the halls of his home and up the stairs with speed enough to catch up to his son. The layout of a Yautja dwelling were not complicated as such, but where certainly different than a humans as the stairs and halls were much larger in order to accommodate the Yautja's size. Once the Hunter came to his son's room, he slowly and gently pushed the door open, being as slow and steady as he could be. He had found that young Humans were much more emotionally fragile than Yautja young, so he would have to be as careful as he could when calming Al'Dan down.
Once Kal'Dan opened the door he peeked inside to see that his son was not sitting on his bed, but was balanced on the window ledge with his legs hanging over the edge. This didn't worry the older Yautja as he had trained his sons to keep their balance since they could learn to stand, not to mention that the ledge wasn't that far from the ground so a fall would be next to nothing.
The Yautja scratched the back of his head and walked over to his son, without saying a word he took a seat right next to his son on the ledge. The two didn't say anything or even make eye contact as they watched the artificial sun of the clanship set. The city within the Clan ship was immense in both size and beauty, the temples and clan halls were huge and stood out easily in the artificially created landscape with spires and towers that could rival the largest of human structures.
"Beautiful isn't it?" Kal asked Al'Dan who kept looking at the city with the saddened look still on his face.
"Of all the families that have lived on this ship in ten thousand years, our family is the one of the original groups to have lived here since the beginning for ten long generations. Ten Generations, can you believe that?" Kal'Dan spoke softly with a smile on his mandibles before he looked at Al'Dan, tears welling in the young Human's eyes.
"Yes, you may be an Ooman, Al'Dan. Nothing can change that, it's in your blood…" Kal'Dan spoke as the tears began to run. But then to Al'Dan's surprise, his father put a clawed finger to his chin and raised his head up to face him, Kal'Dan's emerald green eyes meeting Al'Dan's sapphire blues.
"…But you are family, Al'Dan. Being a member of this clan has naught to do with your species or blood…you are a Yautja…in here…" Kal said laying a hand on Al'Dan's head then to his chest "…and in here" Al'Dan raised an eye brow, confused at what his father meant.
"When your mother and I found you, you were so small and fragile. But ever since we brought you back…you have become more than just family, you are a part of us, Al'Dan. And we would not be the same without you…" Kal continued, Al'Dan's frown slowly turning to a smile, the tears still falling down his face.
"And when you become a famous Hunter, and are travelling the universe, slaying all number of beasts and bringing honour to our clan….don't forget your mother, don't forget your brother or how you came to us and…do not forget me" Kal spoke gently.
The old Hunter put his hand back to the young boy's chest, over his heart and spoke softly with all the love he could muster "…I am here…my son" the young boy threw his arms around the Hunter and hugged him tightly. Al'Dan loved his father, and his father loved him just as much, species didn't matter to Al'Dan when it came to his family. He had been with them since he could first speak, walk or even so much as remember.
Kal'Dan could only smile as he hugged his son back. But then he noticed something in his peripheral vision and turned his head to the right and sighed at what he saw. Al'Dan looked to where his father was looking and saw something in the distance that was very unusual to see on the clanship.
Three figures, humanoid, Yautja height wearing cloaks. The middle one was at least 9 and a half foot with a black cloak, the one on the left substantially shorter with a white cloak and the one of the right with a brown cloak. This was very strange as Yautja didn't usually wear cloaks, especially on board their own clanships unless they were Elders or Ancients, and even then it was only red cloaks.
The three could have been another alien race as Al'Dan's clan didn't have anything against merchants of other species visiting their clanship, only the three didn't exactly look like merchants.
"Son, go back down to your mother and brother, tell them that…I had to go at a moment's notice" Kal told his son.
"But father, who are those three?" the young Human asked.
"They're….friends of mine" Kal'Dan said with a smile that looked forced before he ruffled his son's hair.
"Now go Al'Dan" Kal asked, waiting until his son obeyed him and left the room. He looked back towards the three Figures who looked like they were waiting in the middle of a road. He sighed and dropped off the ledge, off to meet the three cloaked figures.
It was a shame that even a family as loving as Al'Dan's, still had its own secrets.
Well everybody I hope you enjoyed this chapter, now those of you who have been paying attention to all my teasing of who will be in this story and have been really paying attention to 'The Asclepheus' might know who two of those cloaked figures were. I will say no more on that subject.
Also I plan on making the next chapter a lot Meatier with a lot more stuff happening. Like Al'Dan getting a bit of attention from the ladies (Bow chicka wow wow) I KID I KID!
Next chapter will see a much deeper look at Yautja culture, including the clan festivals, manhood rituals and how the Blood Feud with the Black Yautja is affecting them.
Anyways I'll see you guys next chapter.
AND A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!
