Chapter 43: Aftermath

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

I dragged Hakr'ouh through the entire way back to the wall. He thrashed like a fish out of water, desperate to return to the ocean. It was a futile attempt. Lar'ja stayed by my side while the others lagged. Rory was still weak so Xen'ork was more than obliged to carry him. Their eyes were dead set on Hakr'ouh since I didn't bother to check. I was fueled to get to the battlefield and end all of this nonsense.

The sound of war reverberated in my ears— a mix of blades clashing and roars of battle. The smell of blood was thick. I had no idea what was going on or who was winning. It doesn't matter. You're ending everything now. We went through the crater that was made recently in the war, not bothering to move around the rubble. It hurt Hakr'ouh on the way, which was music to my ears.

Finally, I got a clear view of everything. The ships still shot each other in a dance of the air while my allies clashed with the Bad Bloods. Many were injured or had fallen. I kept my head held high and I took a step forward. Lar'ja stayed behind, watching as I made the call. I stretched my neck and threw my head. A scream, unlike anyone had ever heard, echoed through the noise.

Everyone stopped and the battlefield became very quiet. It was like pausing in an action scene of a movie. No one dared to move as their eyes followed me. I held my chest high and addressed what I had to say.

"This ends now! Lay down your weapons!"

As expected, the Bad Bloods growled in defiance and my allies stood there in shock, not moving. Without hesitation and without saying a word, I threw Hakr'ouh with all my might. He rolls to a stop in front of us, grunting like a kicked puppy. When he tried to get up, I stomped my foot hard, forcing him to slam into his stomach. He growled but I gave a small kick, breaking a mandible in the progress.

"Your Leader has been defeated! Lay your weapons down or suffer a horrible death!"

It didn't take long for them to drop their weapons. One row at a time, the Bad Bloods laid down their arms and lowered to their knees, most had to be forced by Yautja warriors. Even if they didn't follow the Code of Honor, there's no arguing with the rules of war. It's universal, regardless of species or side of the board you're on. With their Leader defeated, they had no other option.

"Victory and honor . . . is ours!"

There was no need for me to proclaim our victory. Everyone did it for me. Weapons raised to the sky and roars mixed with screams echoes throughout the plane. The Bad Bloods could do nothing but lower their heads in submission. All the hard work throughout decades . . . scratching across the universe . . . then end was here. It is done . . . finally.

Lar'ja roared by my side along with the others. Although my chest was filled with elation, a small part deep inside hurt with dread. There was still some finished business to take care of. I turned to Lar'ja and he nodded his head. With that, I screamed again and everyone went silent. All eyes were on me, waiting for what I was going to do next.

"Today . . . We will rebuild our world to its former glory. But to do this, we need to cleanse ourselves of the poison flowing amongst ourselves."

I let the silence dwell for a bit until one male warrior spoke. "What do you command us to do?"

I gave the simplest answer but one with great meaning. "Honor the Code."

In seconds, the warriors didn't hesitate to fulfill that duty. Without mercy, they begin the onslaught of mass executions. The Bad Bloods were decapitated. Their hearts were ripped out and bowels pulled out of them. There was no mercy for Bad Bloods who went against the Code of Honor, even to those who killed many of our own and took Yautja Prime. The ooman soldiers and a few of my friends were initially shocked by the brutality of the Yautja warriors. Only Brackett and Rory were calm or maybe they didn't show it. It could be that they were used to this or understand that the way of the Yautja is brutal. Doesn't matter. Eventually, they understood that it had to be done. They joined in the bloodbath, pumping a few with bullets. It would be a while before things calmed down. All of us watched as the Bad Blood army fell apart.

"You bitch . . ." Hakr'ouh chuckled. "What are you planning?"

I lowered my head and lifted my foot so he could see me. Our eyes met with fire in them. "Nothing's going to change. Keeping me alive will only delay the inevitable."

"Shut up, Bad Blood. Nothing is going to save you."

He chuckled to Xen'ork. "You're nothing but a dog. All of you."

Xen'ork and Daugo reacted with growls. I held my hand before they could grab their weapons and do something stupid. Lar'ja was unusually calm, more mature than the two. I kept calm but I reprimanded him by kicking Hakr'ouh on the face. He spits his blood with another chuckle. "That won't do you any good."

"It'll be more merciful than what I have planned for you."

"What are you going to do? Kill me slowly? Disembowelment? Neuter me? Or maybe . . . a thousand cuts? Sounds the same."

He clamped his mandibles when I kneeled. I inched my face close enough that my breath might have grazed over his cheek. I let my eyes wander up intentionally so that he would follow. His curiosity got the best of him. He sucked in a gasp when he saw a few Yautja warriors staring down at him. He was like a wounded sheep surrounded by wolves eager to have him for a meal. They were young warriors and driven by instinct to kill. Hakr'ouh tried to claw away just as a Young Blood almost gored him with a spear. He would have been dead if I didn't pull him back. It was a small warning. I grabbed his dreadlocks and yanked him back, holding him in place. He growled while I remained stoic as any Leader would be.

"I'm not going to do any nor will I kill you. It would be way too easy and merciful."

I swallowed, taking a mouthful of air. I pucker my lips together and slowly let it out, forming a hissing sound. His reaction was what I was hoping for. He cowered his face back. His eyes widened in the slightest movement but still noticeable. He was on the brink of breaking down. I brought my face closer, so much that my nose was inches to his mandibles. My voice lowered to a whisper.

"You said that you wanted to make sure the future of the Yautja is secure. Well . . . I'll make sure you live to see it. As you wither away into nothingness, you will see the Yautja species thrive . . . without you in it. You will beg to let me kill you. But it will never come."

Finally, I saw absolute fear in Hakr'ouh. The confidence I once saw in his eyes was gone. His mandibles dropped suddenly. His mouth was wide open like he got shocked and is frozen now . . . and for good reason. In Yautja society, death is the most honorable way to leave this world. To deny Hakr'ouh such an honor, it would be the most humiliating deed that I would ever bestow upon him. And I can't wait to relish it.

"Take him away."

I let go just as two Yautja warriors grabbed Hakr'ouh by the arms. Despite his attempts to fight back, the mutilations he did on his body, on top of his injuries, it was like trying to push a mountain a few inches. There was no hope for him.

"You pauking cunt! You will regret this! You'll reap what you sow! I vow this for the rest of eternity!"

I turned my back on him. He was done and over with . . . and I had to tend to other matters. I watched as he was dragged away like a pup with a tantrum. Some of the warriors watched, even spitting on him. I didn't stop them. The hatred of a thousand warriors was too much for me to handle. Plus, he kind of deserved it. He was gone out of sight and into the bloodbath that was ensuing. I hoped he watched his followers die, knowing that they would blame him for their fate. Even if he didn't, I had an eternity to engrain it in him.

I sighed as soon as he was gone, taking the tension with him. It left my body exhausted and I would have toppled over if Lar'ja didn't catch me as I swayed.

"Are you alright, Anya?"

I nodded. "I'm fine."

I turned away from the battlefield. I felt like the smell of blood was causing me to faint a little. I was used to it but I think with the stress of recent events, it had a great effect on me. "I just need to check on Rory and the others."

"Don't worry, Anya. We have him taken care of."

"I'm fine, Brackett. I just can't move."

"Exactly. You need additional attention. That wasn't something you can walk away from. If it wasn't for Anya's blood, you would have been dead."

She stopped. "Speaking of which, how come your blood didn't heal it all the way? And your injuries no less?"

Here we go again with the same question. I didn't know how long I could avoid answering that. I was going to tell the truth when all do this is somewhat washed over. But I wasn't ready to say anything just yet. "It's a long story. I'm going to see who is alive and calculate the damage."

Brackett and Xen'ork took Rory to the side to get him treated in a somewhat private setting. Thank goodness that he's alive.

"Are you alright, my love?" Lar'ja purred, rubbing his chin on top of my head.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired. I think I pushed myself more than I thought." My stomach felt heavy and I wondered if it had to do with the pup I was carrying. Lar'ja places his palm on me and spread it around the small rump. He stood there for a moment and I wondered if he was checking me out with his mask.

"You seem fine. But you need to take it easy first."

"You know I can't. There's so much work to be done. I have to check with Sa'iye and know what's going on with Za'hir. And then there's An'tar and the Successors. I don't have time to—"

"Time for what?"

Daugo was on our side before I realized he was there. Lar'ja took his hand away a split second before Daugo looked down. It was an awkward silence and Lar'ja seemed distressed of what to answer with. I could tell from his body tensing against me.

Don't tell him anything . . . yet.

I sighed. "I don't need time to rest. We have to check on everyone and see who's alive. It's a big cleanup we have ahead of ourselves."

Daugo raised his chin and hummed. "I suppose so. I'll check with the Leaders while you take care of things." He stopped by Lar'ja's side. "Watch her carefully."

"Of course."

He leaked away but I had a feeling that his eyes were on us, even with his back turned towards us. I wanted until he was far away enough that he wouldn't even hear us with his mask's enhancements. My chest sighed in relief. "I think he knows something."

"Perhaps. It wouldn't be the first time he figured things out."

I chuckled. "Of course."

I looked towards the dead part of the battlefield, hearing the moans and groans from across the plane. This was the most difficult part that I didn't like but had to be done.

"We'll do this together."

With Lar'ja by my side, he entwines his fingers in between mine. He folds them and I follow suit. Despite not able to see his golden eyes that I kind of missed, I can feel he was smiling. Such support I have.

"Together."

With that, we stepped forward, ready to face the mountain of stuff that needed to be done. The work of damage control began.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Everything was going smoothly so far but the costs were great. We did lose many of our forces from the initial attack. Hundreds had fallen and their bodies littered the blood-soaked plane, mixed with ooman soldiers. I swear that it was like Christmas with the red and green blood decorating everything. Our fleet of ships was reduced to half to my surprise. I believed that we lost a lot more than expected. All in all, we were still alive and we won the war. The critically injured were being treated with the best healers while the rest of the clans buried their fallen warriors with all the traditions of honor. The bodies of the Bad Bloods weren't so lucky, dumped into a pile like rotten meat.

After checking everyone, I went to the few tents that were set up to take care of the injured. When word reached to me that the Successors were moved there, I had to go see them, especially An'tar. Here I got a closer look at his body as he slept on a bed. He was a skeleton of himself. I clawed at my knees. It's hard to imagine him like this . . . and what he suffered while I was gone.

"There's nothing you can do for him. He's in the greatest care."

"I know, Lar'ja."

An'tar was barely breathing steadily. He was in good hands but no matter what I did, I would see the flaws that a heart needed to address. He hasn't woken up since I freed him from Hakr'ouh. The others were doing fine but they didn't have it worse. I wished I could have Sa'iye here but that was another matter. I only heard rumors about Za'hir to which I had to wait until they arrived.

I began to fiddle my fingers. Something that Lar'ja noticed and stopped me from continuing. "Please don't stress out. It won't do any good."

I didn't say anything. He sat down on the bench next to me and rubbed my shoulder. "It'll be alright."

I know . . . I know.

"Ta'kasa?"

I jumped when I heard a voice that I haven't listen to in ages. I looked over to the bed and saw that An'tar had his eyes open and his head turned to us. I got up fast and came to his side. "An'tar? Are you alright?"

He grinned weakly. "Better knowing that you're here and well. Is it over?"

I smiled. "Yes. We won."

"Good. I knew you would do it."

We had a small moment together until my throat cleared when Lar'ja growled. I grunted in disapproval. "Come on. Really?"

"Instinct."

I raised a fist and he lowered his head.

"It's alright. It wouldn't be normal if he didn't react. I would think he was sick or something."

"He'll kill you if you ask that directly."

"You don't say . . ."

"Oh. Cut it out." I slapped Lar'ja playfully on the shoulder. "Leave him be."

An'tar laughed but a bit too hard. He screeched, clutching his abdomen. I panicked and pressed my hand on his stomach to see what was wrong. I wasn't the best healer but instinct drove me to find out. Luckily, a healer came into the room and took over. "My apologies, my Lord. I'll take care of this."

"Any news when Sa'iye will return?"

The header shook his head. Of course. I hoped that she would be finished with Za'hir by now. I hoped she could take care of An'tar and the Successors since she was the best healer. But I wasn't going to rush her. She had her mate to take care of so all I could do is provide the best care in my possession. I nodded and stepped back. "Thank you for that."

"You're welcome, my Lord. Also, I bring a message from the Clan Leaders. They want to speak with you about ship preparations when you're done."

"I will be there soon." The healer bowed his head and went back to treating An'tar.

"We should get going too."

I nodded. "Okay, Lar'ja." I turned to An'tar. "Rest now."

"Of course. You too."He smiled again and I could have sworn he purred. I didn't have the time to giggle when a jealous Lar'ja pulled me out of the tent. I didn't bother to reprimand him. There's no point with a brute like him. I swear they'll never get over each other.

"You didn't have to yank me away like that."

"I told you. We have to get going."

"Oh, stop it. Nothing's going on and he wasn't only happy to see me. Remind yourself of what he went through . . . trapped like a chained dog."

He snorted like an angry elephant. His dreadlocks raised like hairs. "He didn't have to get all familiar with you."

"Never mind. If there's nothing else, we have to talk with the Clan Leaders and see how the preparations are going. At least until Sa'iye and Za'hir return and then we can—"

"Anya? Lar'ja?"

Both of us stopped when Daugo came from the side in a power walk. What's getting him? He's in a hurry. He slowed down when he got closer but the urgency in his posture was still clear as day.

"What is it, Father?"

"Do you both have a moment to spare?"

Both of us looked at each other and then to Daugo, equally confused as the next. However, Daugo remained stoic but also serious. His golden eyes pierced into us. I didn't sense he was angry. But then again, he tends to hide his true intentions sometimes. "I wanted to wait until things calm down but I felt it was right to do it now."

"Do what?"

"I want to show you something. Follow me."

"But what about the Leaders?"

"They can wait."

Before we could protest, Daugo was already walking away in the direction of the forest. I took a glance at Lar'ja and he shrugged his shoulders in an 'I don't know' posture. I mirrored the same things. Beats me Lar'ja. I have no idea.

"Are you coming?" Daugo had stopped, turning halfway to watch us.

"We're coming!"

With that, I pulled Lar'ja with me, almost dragging him behind as we followed Daugo towards the jungle part of Yautja Prime. Whatever he wanted to show us, I was a bit worried about the unknown. But at the same time, something inside told me that it was very important.

The walk wasn't too far as expected. We headed in the direction of the jungle and entered. The thick bush was hard to push through. It could be that I was used to climbing the trees and going that route. It's the quickest way to wherever he's taking us. But Daugo insisted on staying on the ground. Regardless of my higher rank, I was used to following him as a teacher and father so I didn't argue.

But I wished he could tell us where we were going. Maybe Lar'ja knows . . .

When I turned my eyes to him, he shrugged his shoulders. He doesn't know either. Figures.

However, it wasn't long before Daugo pushed through a clearing and then stopped. Before we emerged, I could hear water running. Sounds like a stream or a river. In the middle of the jungle? Lar'ja and I broke through the barrier of branches and leaves until we found the source. A beautiful waterfall stood in the center of the jungle, morphing into a river that ran through the trees. I had to admit that it was such a sight and very private. If we weren't on such a 'business' trip as I called it, I would spend some time here.

"Daugo?" I called as he stood there, staring at the waterfall. He must have been in deep thinking because he tensed as soon as he heard me. What are we doing here?"

"I like to ask the same thing."

Lar'ja and I waited with strained patience until Daugo turned around. I raised my chin in attention as his eyes softened but I could sense a deeper meaning behind the golden shades around his pupils.

"You're about to find out."

He walks around the waterfall and behind it. He and Lar'ja had to lower their heads to avoid getting wet, which I thought myself lucky that I was short enough that I didn't need to. We were met with a stone as I expected but Daugo stopped inches in front of it. He raised his hand and pressed on a small dent. What is the . . ?

Out of nowhere, a slab of the wall collapses inward. The rocks rubbed on each other until the slab slowly slides to the side, revealing a door leading somewhere dark. At first, I wasn't too sure and neither was Lar'ja. His grip tightened on my hand and it was shaking. I stroked it to ease his anxiety and he relaxes. The slab stops and Daugo turns around to watch us for a moment.

"Where does that lead?" I asked.

He grunted. "To the past."

Hello Everyone!

A short chapter since it's more of a filler but it leads to something we've been all waiting for. I debated on how many more chapters left so I had to split this into its own chapter. I hope you like it.

Finally, Anya and her allies have ended the war but much more is to be done. After war comes tragedy and recovery and it's never easy for anyone to go through. But the fate of everyone will be revealed in the next chapter. But it was funny that Lar'ja was trying to protect his lifemate even from An'tar who is too injured to fight back. Nothing changes, does it? Lol.

But what does Daugo want to show them? It must be important to take both of them away. I wonder if all of them can connect the dots to where this is going. I would love to hear them ;)

Find out what happens when Chapter 44 is posted next week (Friday or Saturday at the latest) unless changes are posted on Instagram.

ALMOST DONE! TWO MORE CHAPTER LEFT UNTIL THIS GREAT STORY COMES TO AN END! :DDD

Thank you to Anonymous-E, Mariah, Guest, NeverNeverLady, and IanAlphaAxel for the reviews on Chapter 42. Your opinions matter to me. And I hope I hear from more readers.

Thank you and Good Hunting! Stay safe and healthy! :)))

Reading notes:

Normal = Anya (human form) or any human speaking English (ooman language)

Italic = Anya (human form) or any human speaking Yautja

Bold = Any Yautja speaking English (ooman language)

Bold and Italic = Any Yautja speaking Yautja language