Fourteen
ARC II
Luar'ka snarled viciously as her arm lashed out to block her opponent's attack, using her smaller size and lighter weight to twist beneath his arm and back up against his front, slashing at his exposed neck with her pristinely sharp claws. He bellowed in anger, backing away from her as blood poured from the shallow wound on his neck. Luar'ka bared her teeth in a defiant grin, her eyes narrowing as she grumbled in the back of her throat, highly pleased with herself. In training spars, the idea wasn't to inflict crippling injury, but rather to learn the proper ways to successfully strike critical spots that would lead to victory. Luar'ka had accomplished this goal, having compromised T'ne'sa's vulnerable neck. Her opponent backed off, his lower mandibles jutting out briefly in a show of aggression as he stepped away from her. Luar'ka straightened up, her tail lashing in victory as she spread her wings, baring her teeth.
"Bpi-de! Good match," R'zha announced, stepping into the center of the training hall to prevent any sneak attacks from possible sore losers, "T'ne'sa, you are too slow on the recoil. You should have been able to block her movements."
The Unblood bowed his head submissively to his mentor's admonishment, nodding his understanding and backing up to join his peers on the sidelines. R'zha turned to Luar'ka, "You are still quite slow, yourself," he said to her sternly, "See that you improve on this before the next match."
Luar'ka bowed, "Sei-i, R'zha." she replied.
A break from lessons was initiated from there, as R'zha had been particularly brutal today. Luar'ka wasn't complaining, but wasn't about to waste her time resting when she still had plenty of energy. So she forewent eating the dried fruit in her satchel and decided to climb the walls instead. She dug her claws and talons in and heaved herself up, tucking her wings against her back to avoid unnecessary movement that would interfere with her balance. Because of the ovalular shape of the room, she found herself upside down relatively quickly and chanced a look down at the ground where the others were milling around, conversing quietly, cooling down from their fights, or shutting down temporarily. A few of them glanced up at her passively, but otherwise didn't acknowledge her. Luar'ka didn't really understand why she always had energy to spare during the daytime hours, even during rest periods. She never seemed to run out of breath, even after an excruciating spar with R'zha or with the other students. Sure, her body would ache from time to time and she'd be forced to cool down, especially if she got overheated, but she seemed to be constantly on alert these days.
R'zha gave a loud bark suddenly and Luar'ka looked down. Rest time was over. Back to business. She scrabbled further along the wall so her body hung at an angle and she dropped down once she was closer to the floor. She hurried back into formation. She wondered what today's exercise would be. A few weeks before, R'zha had brought in a load of discarded armor fragments. The students were expected to battle each other for them. Luar'ka didn't even bother participating, not out of fear, but, as she put it to R'zha, because she already knew that literally every piece in there would be useless to her. She couldn't wear any of it; even the smallest pieces were far too large. She'd been nervous about being reprimanded for being seen as cowardly, but to her surprise, R'zha had commended her on her wisdom of knowing when something bore no use. There was no point in carrying or collecting anything that didn't serve a purpose. However, he had mentioned that she would need to find something to use for armor sooner or later, even if she had to fashion it herself.
She watched as R'zha moved to stand before his students in the kehrite, eying each of them in turn.
"All of you have spent much time here, preparing for your chiva. The time is coming soon. Some of you show great promise. Many of you require more discipline. I am able to promise that some of you will not survive your chiva. You go into battle with the expectation of death and prepare to fight it with all you have. The word of the Paya is final, and Cetanu shows no mercy. Within five rotations, the Elders will arrive to select three of you they deem worthy. Prove your mettle, your strength and skill, and your passion, and you will be chosen. Grow arrogant or fearful and you will be cast aside."
Luar'ka's eyes flitted to the other students watching R'zha intently. She could see no fear in their eyes whatsoever. This group showed real promise. They were all strong, confident and fierce. She'd fought against almost all of them in matches. Chivas were held once a season, each time on a different hunting world. The next one was soon to be upon them. Soon, three young warriors would set out for the planet chosen for their test. Hopefully, they would return Blooded. If they failed, they would be forbidden reentry into the clan.
Luar'ka didn't bother getting her hopes up to be chosen. She wasn't part of the clan for one thing, and for another, she was still quite small. If she'd ever have any hope of gaining the privilege to go to chiva, she'd need to grow to her full size first. Until then, she was still training, still waiting for the day when she could prove herself to the Sev'kai, to whom she'd sworn total loyalty over a year ago.
Lessons finally ended and Luar'ka stretched her wings off to the side of the room, away from the others. She glanced back at her wings curiously, testing their movements and studying the way they flexed. They'd grown quite a bit in recent months. Her wingspan now measured approximately seven feet from wingtip to wingtip. She'd also gained about a foot in height, now standing close to five feet, four inches. At nine years of age, going on ten, this was close to the average height of a juvenile Avian. Having been around adult Avians, she'd been expecting these changes. However, there were other changes she was going through that had confused the Yautja to say the least. For one thing, her soft, fluffy, black baby down had suddenly begun to stiffen up and go limp, growing longer and now hanging slightly past her neck and partially over her face. She knew that it was developing into feathers, but Than'ja had spent a fair amount of time wondering if she'd contracted some foreign disease. The appearance of her tail had also caused a bit of a stir. In Avians, the tail is an extension of the spine at the base of the skull, functioning exactly like a normal tail, but with far more flexibility to allow more balance for the almost perfect upright stance while standing and running. The bones seemed to be denser to act as a sort of counterweight while running, creating even better balance. It didn't usually appear until the onset of feather growth and when it began to grow, the process was painful. Luar'ka had spent its first few days in development in total agony in the medical bay. Than'ja, distressed and confused, had rarely left her side during those few days, occasionally sedating her when the pain began to make her feverish. At her demand, he ceased sadating her, but thereon struggled to bring her fever down during the process. At first, the long, twisting mass of feathers growing from the base of her skull had resembled a natural braid or twist. But as her muscles and nerves in her tail began to develop, enabling her to move it at will, it became obvious that it wasn't simply more feathers. Reaching down to her thighs, her tail had grown quite long and quite suddenly over the span of a year, as it was programmed to do. In fact, everything about Avian growth was programmed to be fast. Live fast, die young. Of course it confused the Yautja, who, according Than'ja, grew slowly, and matured even more so.
Luar'ka's mane of feathers was also beginning to develop, reaching just to her collarbone now and no longer sticking straight up like her down had done. She theorized that her mane would continue to grow throughout her life, as tips of new feathers began to appear further down her back, exactly where the nerve endings lay that forewarned her of danger.
This had caused a bit of an amusing problem though, especially when she found out about a certain ritual in the Yautja world. She remembered seeing those juvenile Yautja who seemed to have more loose tendrils that didn't much resemble those of the adults. They still grew in the form of tendrils, but they weren't as streamlined and appeared more fleshy and textured on the juveniles. She'd discovered why that was the case; the tendrils have to be pleated in order to make them grow as smooth, singular units from the individual's skull. She'd learned that this was a lengthy process that took months and was apparently an excruciatingly painful procedure. It was a very special and intricate method that virtually changed the physical makeup of the appendages to force them into those thin, tube-like shapes. Each flexible, fleshy appendage was still a physical part of the body that contained extremely sensitive nerve-endings and were highly attuned to sensation. During the process of pleating the tendrils, the ritual was a public event and overseen by many other Yautja, and the individual could show no sign of pain or vocalization of discomfort. If he did, the weaving would be immediately undone and they'd have to start from the beginning. It served as a form of conditioning for the individual to become less sensitive to pain, as well as a time-honored ritual. Once Luar'ka's feathers had grown long enough, they'd attempted to try to perform this ritual on her, mostly as a means to test her durability and sensitivity to pain. The problem was that while she could move her feathers, flaring them in and out in accordance to her mood, they were still feathers. Every time the Yautja performing the ritual grabbed hold of her feathers to begin the process, he'd end up ripping a handful out. It didn't really hurt her, per se, but she'd always end up turning and glaring at him for tearing her feathers out of her head. Even when he'd try to be more gentle with how he handled them, they still popped out easily with every twist. Eventually, they were forced to give up, lest she end up losing all of them. Luar'ka just thanked the Paya that her feathers would eventually grow back.
However, Luar'ka had begun to methodically pull her feathers out of her head at certain points, using a knife to shear and shape the others to her liking and using the portals around the ship as a mirror to watch what she was doing. Through daily conditioning of her feathers, she'd begun to slightly mimic the Yautja tresses in appearance, though she couldn't stop some of them from growing up over and around her face. Her feathers were still growing and coming in. She knew it would be awhile before she had them completely under control, if she ever did.
Now, Luar'ka stood in the kehrite on this floor of the ship, enduring yet another day of vicious lessons with the Unbloods. In the year since her fight with Me'vi-te, her strength had doubled and she was faster than ever. She turned at the sound of footsteps behind her, her eyes narrowed. Usually, only R'zha approached her and she was understandably wary of the others. Nary a day went by when she wasn't accosted in some form or another by the Unbloods she spent her time with. The Yautja approaching her was one of the older students, dark brown in color with handsome mottled red stripes running down his shoulders, biceps, back, and thighs. Luar'ka relaxed marginally; this one hadn't given her trouble before. In fact, he'd stood up for her on one occasion back when she'd first begun her tutelage under R'zha, much to her chagrin. His interference had rarely resurfaced, as she'd become more confident in her abilities and her self-defensive skills. However he still found occasional moments to speak with her between lessons.
"G'kaun-yte, Thei'dah." she greeted.
"You fought well, today." he rumbled out, "Do not let R'zha discourage your ferocity."
Leave it to the Yautja to avoid pleasantries and get straight to the point. Luar'ka had long since gotten used to their brusque mannerisms. She folded her wings back and faced him, "I never let him discourage me. I rather enjoy his criticism. It gives me something to focus on."
"You do not seem to notice it from what I have observed."
"Not at all. I notice it. I also notice how he seems to favor you, recently." she added with a turn of her head and a knowing smile, "I believe you are in recommendation for the selection, Thei'dah."
He huffed heavily and shook his head, his tendrils swishing erratically, "He pays little attention to me, Luar'ka. There are others more suited this season."
"Your humbleness is going to annoy me." she grumbled, "Trust me, I never bother trying to be noticed because I know I never will be. Instead, I watch the rest of you. This is how I know you are in the running."
"You do not know you will not be chosen someday." he pointed out, moving to stand against the wall as he looked down at her.
"Of course I will never be chosen," she muttered, "Look at me, Thei'dah, I am far too small."
"Da'dtou-di was small as well. This is why she was called by that name."
Luar'ka eyed him skeptically, "Little Knife. I have heard of her." she said, "Even so, it does not matter. I have only been training for a season, and my time is almost up as it is. I cannot say where I will be going from here."
Thei'dah clicked his mandibles together as he raised his head, watching his brethren training on their own. R'zha was off speaking to an older Yautja on the other side of the kehrite. Lessons may have ended, but life continues and training was priority.
"Although," Luar'ka continued, causing him to look back down at her again. He cocked his head curiously, trilling softly. She shrugged up at him, "Maybe I will add another language to my repertoire."
Thei'dah blinked slowly and chuffed, shaking his head again, "I have no patience for words." he grumbled, "There are far too many to deal with. My sanity comes first."
Luar'ka chuckled, "You think the galaxy has too many languages, then wait until you venture to my home planet. There are hundreds spoken, there."
"How do you know of this?"
"My studies have been quite thorough." she said cryptically.
Thei'dah groaned, tucking his mandibles close to his mouth as he pictured the jumble of communication he'd have to pick up if he wished to travel to N'-ithya someday as a Blooded hunter.
"Th'ske hulij-bpe jehdin-di, Luar-ke Lar'ja..." he muttered. Luar'ka snarled softly, "That was uncalled for, Thei'dah. And stop calling me by my full name. It sounds bizarre." she grumbled. The rapid clicking and chuffing from him signaled to her his amusement. She rolled her eyes, "Well, now that you have hopefully had your fill of harassing me, I think I will return to the medical bay."
"I will escort you."
"Pauk. I forgot the rules." Luar'ka grumbled, clapping a hand over her eyes. Thei'dah nudged her, "You forget the stipulations placed on your presence here? Or did it simply conveniently slip your mind?" he admonished, even though he knew he was wasting his breath.
"Where do you think I learned it from, anyway? Ikthya'de is very adamant I learn as many tactics as possible." she snapped playfully, "If you want to blame someone, then blame my brothers." she said in reference to the Yautja males who'd found her and now acted as her guardians.
She exited the kehrite, moving down the corridor toward the medical bay, conveniently located close by in case of impromptu training injuries. On more than one occasion, she'd been sent to fetch healers to come to the kehrite to stitch foolish young students back together again after they'd torn each other to pieces in fights.
As they were leaving, they passed a group of younger Unbloods coming into the kehrite for the next training session. They both eyed Thei'dah darkly, mandibles spreading apart in defiant leers. It was fairly well known among the Unbloods that he was relatively friendly with the Avian, which was okay with most, but didn't sit well with others. To the vast majority, she was a somewhat harmless nuisance that Elder Sechinde had taken a liking to. To some, she was viewed as a true blaspheme to the honor of the clan with her mere presence aboard the ship. Luar'ka got the feeling that this would never change, though to think about it gave her a headache. She hissed darkly at the Unbloods who returned the gesture, but maintained their calm outside of the training hall. However, this didn't stop them from making use of their voices to ridicule her.
"It is a relief to know someone was willing to befriend the pyode amedha so easily." one of them muttered. Luar'ka's feathers ruffled, but aside from that, she said nothing in her own defense. If engaged in verbal taunts with the Yautja, the best defense really was to just ignore them. Physical altercations resulting from misplaced temper often resulted in severe punishments. However, situations occasionally arose when even disciplined silence didn't receive the desired effect as the second youngster decided to chime in his two cents; "Thei'dah, I hope you realize the lou-dte kalei is a bit immature to mate with. I can only assume this is your end goal." he said impishly.
That got Thei'dah's hackles up. His back arched and his mandibles flared as he snarled in rage at his peer, causing the other one to back up on instinct away from the enraged Yautja.
"Stop it!" Luar'ka complained, trying to get Thei'dah's attention. The other Yautja returned the snarl, stepping forward and clenching his fists angrily. The two circled one another dangerously, clearly itching to start a fight over just about anything.
Luar'ka could see where this was going, having seen it happen enough times during training. She spread her wings and flared her feathers as she let out a piercing shriek that echoed off the corridors. The high pitched tone slammed across the ears of the incensed Yautja who both shrank back at the sheer force of the decibels. It was only a short sound, lasting less than a full second, but it was enough to momentarily stun them as Luar'ka bolted forward and stopped in front of Thei'dah, "Come. Now!" she insisted, glowering at him. Thei'dah shook his head, gathering his senses once again as he turned and headed off down the corridor, piecing together the very nearly shattered dignity he held in high regard.
"Coward! You will not face me?" the aggressor shouted after them. Thei'dah clenched his fists at the hated insult, his mandibles pushed so close to his face they seemed to meld into his skin as he fought to keep his temper in check. Unnecessary anger and unsanctioned fights outside of the kehrite always ended in some form of punishment. If you wanted to fight, you took it to the training room. Besides all that, he knew that Luar'ka was the real target, not him.
"That was too close." Luar'ka grumbled, "Seriously, I am getting very sick of S'kivn-a's antics. He looks for any excuse he can to pick on me."
"You can hardly blame him," Thei'dah said with a shrug, "You are quite different, after all."
"I am not that different," Luar'ka muttered, "But I suppose you are right in a sense; maybe I should just avoid him better."
She looked up at him, quite literally as he stood well over three and a half feet higher than she did, "My thanks for escorting me back to the medical bay." she said, stumbling slightly over her words and making them come out stilted. Thei'dah chucked slightly, the tension on his mandibles easing up a bit.
She still wasn't allowed to roam the ship alone. The few times she'd been forced to, whether by having no one to walk with her back to the medical bay or being accidentally left behind by one of the healers, she'd almost always run into trouble by other Yautja. As Elder Sechinde had predicted, many didn't take too kindly to her presence aboard the ship. She'd only been with the Unbloods for about half a season by the time she'd earned her first scar across her clavicle in a fight against a much larger Yautja who had initially believed her to be an easy target and had learned quickly that she was to be given at least a small degree of respect. This was respect that he had shown ever since. In other words, Thei'dah himself. When he'd first laid eyes on her, he had believed she was perhaps brought in as practice for the Unbloods, simulated prey. The Sev'kai were known for this unusual training tactic, as it provided all the challenge of wild prey without the chance of said prey escaping. This allowed the warrior to build fighting experience without having to worry about tracking initially until both tactics were well-sharpened. However, when he'd attacked Luar'ka, she'd surprised him with incredible speed and agility that allowed her to dodge his attacks. She wasn't incredibly strong; in fact any attacks she made to him were grazing at worst and stung at best, but the true challenge lay in simply hitting her. By the time R'zha had come in and stopped the fight, Thei'dah had already developed a healthy respect for the tiny alien female. Hence forth, he'd begun to look out for her against the less accepting students. He was easily the largest Yautja in the group, and while he tried to remain humble, he was immensely proud of his fighting abilities that had put him well ahead of most of his peers.
She treated him almost as a confidant at times, often muttering about missing her old comrades who had found her. She rarely saw them. The only one she saw on a regular basis was Than'ja, since she spent her night hours in the medical bay. But her season of training was almost up and Thei'dah had heard R'zha talking about her to Elder Sechinde when he came to inspect the students. Her speed was a facet of her skill set that had become well-known in a very short time. It had been proven already that she was going to be as fast as the kiande amedha, if not even faster. For one thing, she was far lighter than they were and more lean in her build. If her training regimen continued indefinitely, it was no stretch to say she would one day be quite the handful for any Yautja hunter to tackle. Especially if she ever mastered her heritage and embraced the power of flight.
Luar'ka was well aware of her minimalistic status in the clan. However, when asked or confronted about it, she also didn't appear to care. During a spar together in the kehrite, Thei'dah had waited until they took a break to ask her about it, being genuinely curious, himself.
"Why do you care so little about your standing with us?"
"What?"
"Where you stand. Your place. Perhaps you could one day elevate your status."
She thought about it briefly, her wings sagging as her arms dropped to her sides. Her eyes fell, narrowing in thought as she considered her answer. To Thei'dah, she appeared to be cycling through memories, perhaps recollecting old images she had buried. She finally replied, her face as stony and expressionless as any Yautja; "I do not care because there is no point. If I attain status, then fine. If not, there is nothing to be done for it. Less talk, now."
She came at him again with renewed fire, ambitious passion that fueled her already swift movements and forced him to up his guard if he wished to keep his eyes.
Thei'dah didn't forget her answer that day and he still pondered her response. He was one of few Yautja who didn't mind her presence, let alone her very existence. He used it as an opportunity to learn more about her kind.
Reaching the medical bay with minimal trouble, Thei'dah watched as she folded her wings down tightly against her back, her mannerisms very closely matching those of the Yautja in regards to body language. She turned to him, "My thanks again for escorting me. It is still forbidden for me to walk alone through the ship."
Thei'dah nodded, watching as she turned toward the door. She paused, "My time with the Unbloods is almost over. I may not see you for a while. I am sure you are soon to be chosen for the chiva." she told him, turning to face him.
"I am honored you believe so, but I will not dwell on it." he said quietly.
"I know. However, should my prediction come true, please come and tell me immediately."
He nodded, "You have my word." he promised her.
She watched as he turned abruptly and strode down the hallway. She turned back to the door and opened it with the push of a button on the wall. It slid open, revealing the dimly lit medical ward she had spent the last season calling her home. She stepped inside, her clawed feet tapping lightly on the metal. A few healers milled about inside, conversing quietly. They looked up at her approach, but said nothing to her more substantial than a nod. She found Than'ja waiting for her in the back near one of the internal scanners. He nodded to her once as she approached, wordlessly telling her to get started.
It was time for her examinations again. She'd gotten used to the annual physicals he insisted on performing, both as a means to study her biology and to determine her growth and development. He kept extensive notes of everything he'd found on or in her, including a rather surprising discovery made a few months prior; Luar'ka's most recent scans had discovered a series of sacs running through her chest cavity connected to her lungs. Further tests and a little digging around through the archives revealed that these were air sacs and the secret to her extreme stamina. While normal inhalation provided nutrients to the bloodstream and exhalation removed them, Luar'ka's air sacs enabled air and nutrients to be fed to her blood whether she breathed in or out, allowing her to continue running for long periods without tiring. This was a highly efficient system and one distinct advantage she had on the Yautja.
She stripped out of her garments consisting of scraps of fur she'd fashioned into a halter top to accommodate her wings and a loincloth tied about her waist, reaching slightly past her thighs. Both were secured by strips of leather through minute holes on the edges to tie shut. It was a design she'd come up with on her own, since her original clothes were shredded in her battle with Me'vi-te. She wasn't sure what she'd do when it came to scrounging up her own armor.
Setting her garments aside, she hopped up onto the examination table and laid down on her back. Than'ja approached then and shined a small light in her eyes, beginning his rituals of examining her. The first few times she'd had to do this, being completely naked in front of him had indeed bothered her. However, she'd quickly realized that not only did her nudity not seem to bother him, she also learned that modesty wasn't exactly a trait with the Yautja, as they were more concerned with efficiency and practicality rather than functional. There had been occasions during lessons when vicious sparring sessions had resulted in some students' various coverings getting sliced off, along with ragged chunks of broken armor. Luar'ka had learned to let go of her trepidation at such events pretty quickly, as none of the students were bothered and the fighters didn't stop until one of them had thrown the other to the ground and forced him into submission. Eventually, it ceased to bother her entirely and she no longer noticed it. As such, when Than'ja pressed his hand against her ribcage, feeling around for the shape of her developing skeletal system and occasionally pulling away to a side table to jot down notes, she simply closed her eyes and dozed while she waited for him to finish.
"No pain?" he asked her.
"No," she answered, proud of how well she communicated to him as she opened her eyes and eyed him slyly, "Not a one. No injuries received in many rotations."
"Good." he said simply, "You are getting faster."
"When can I return to you and the others?" she asked.
"When Elder Sechinde permits it." he answered, turning her onto her side to measure her wings. She glanced at him over her shoulder, "And when will he come to evaluate me?" she asked.
"When he chooses to do so."
Luar'ka sighed heavily, "Than'ja, I need to know. I have spent a whole season with the Unbloods."
"Most Yautja spend longer than that, young one." he reminded her sternly.
"Most Yautja will undoubtedly receive the blessing to go to chiva." she retorted calmly. Than'ja chuckled slightly, knowing she was right. He allowed her to lay on her back once again as he picked up an instrument off the table, switching it on and revealing a red laser line on the table. He ran this up and across her body, scanning her internal organs for abnormalities or sudden growth of any kind. He did this a few times since her internal structure was different from theirs and there was a higher chance to miss differences.
"I will never go to chiva, Than'ja," she mumbled quietly, "They would never let me go."
"Strange occurrences are normal in the Triad, young one," Than'ja said without looking at her as he studied the readout, "Dah'dtou-di received the Blooding mark even without a chiva."
"She was human, right?" Luar'ka asked, tipping her head back to look at him as he moved out of her direct line of sight. He placed his hands over her head, fanning her feathers out to study them, "Yes, she was." he replied, "She befriended a Yautja in a time before my own."
"How odd," Luar'ka mumbled, "A Yautja to befriend a human."
Than'ja lightly knocked her on the forehead, "Have you already lost sight of your own origin, young one?" he teased sternly. Luar'ka chuckled sheepishly, "No, I have not."
Than'ja's upper mandibles spread apart in an amused grin as he moved to her other side, reaching for a syringe on the table beside him. He injected it carefully into Luar'ka's arm to take some of her blood for testing. She watched him calmly, her eyes somewhat glazed over. The assured, confidant way he worked was soothing. Unlike the other healers, Than'ja never seemed to lose his grip on his calm, allowing a naturally skittish creature like Luar'ka to stay calm herself while being examined.
Finally, Than'ja grunted softly and turned away, allowing her to sit up. She stretched generously, flexing her wings behind her. One of them smacked Than'ja in the shoulder, making him snarl at her in annoyance. She bared her teeth at him in response and jumped down off the table, reaching for her garments, "How is Ikthya'de faring?" she asked.
"Roughly the same as ever. He has asked about you recently."
"He has?" Luar'ka said hopefully.
"Yes. He would like to see your progress."
Luar'ka grinned, her wings extending as she turned, "Excellent. He can find me anytime in the kehrite," she said proudly, "Soon, I hope to be rid of the place as an Unblood."
Than'ja sighed, a deep, rattling sound within his chest, "Do not allow hastiness to cloud your sanity, young one." he warned, "Your time will come. Of this, I am certain."
Luar'ka sighed, "Yes, Than'ja."
She watched as he gathered his supplies and put them away, paying careful attention to every detail. He was supremely efficient in the medical bay as a healer. Luar'ka had asked him once a while back why he didn't join his Hunt Brothers more frequently. Than'ja had answered that not all Yautja could hunt full time. In some cases, there were occasionally Yautja who weren't built strongly enough to hunt and therefore, weren't worth the effort. If they didn't wish to become servant class Yautja, or eta, they must hone skills in other vital areas. Now of course, the skill of the hunt and the acquired trophies were the goal of all Yautja without question, and all were required to one day pass their chiva in order to advance in rank of any kind. Than'ja and Ikthya'de both held high skill in hunting, but their interests lay elsewhere and the necessity of a healer was invaluable, as their injuries did require medical attention out in the field. The same for female Yautja, who hunted until the onset of maturity when they laid down their weapons and armor as they prepared for the important duty of motherhood. All Yautja hunted without question, but not all had the skill or rank with which to gain the privilege of hunting full time.
Luar'ka sighed, remembering the deer she'd brought down as her first kill. She still wore the skull, her eyes moving to glance at it briefly still sitting with her top covering she had yet to put on.
"I will expect you for another examination within the coming season." Than'ja said.
"What? So soon? I thought this was the last." Luar'ka protested, tying her top covering around her body, struggling a bit with the straps beneath her wings. Than'ja came over and grabbed the straps from her, securing them beneath her wings quickly and easily as he moved to the notes he'd taken, "Yes. I worry about what happens when you mature. I wish to be certain of when this time arrives and what will happen."
"But you said yourself to Elder Sechinde; you did not believe I would ever mature."
Than'ja gave her a stern look, his mandibles stretching, "That was a lie, Luar'ka," he snarled softly, "I had thought you would have seen it by this point. We did not want to take the chance of placing you with the females. I must keep up appearances or Elder Sechinde will see through my charade. You must continue to be seen for regular examinations in order to maintain his cooperation for your care."
Luar'ka looked highly uncomfortable, her wings twitching behind her in much the same way the Yautja moved their tusks when disconcerted.
"Do not give in to fear, Luar-ke Lar'ja." he said warningly, addressing her by her full name, "Fear is the fuel toward the hunt, but it is never the pilot. It must never be allowed to take full control. Remember this and you will live."
He thumped her on the back for good measure, his upper tusks spreading in a grin. Luar'ka returned the gesture, not revealing her teeth as she stared up at him, "Thank you, Than'ja." she said. Her gratitude was spoken in her own language, as since it turned out the Yautja didn't have a word to express gratitude. Not really, anyway. If there was such a word, Luar'ka figured she'd find it eventually during her studies. She moved past her mentor and into the side room she still occupied in the medical bay, intent on relaxing after a rough lesson with R'zha and the Unbloods. She scooped up her comm screen and bundled up in her little pile of thin hide in the corner, turning it on and manipulating the hologram until she came across the databank she wanted. Her eyes flew through the various words and translations in the language databanks, muttering to herself as she noted various meanings and translations. She'd discovered she had an enormous appetite for languages and learning them came surprisingly easy to her. She'd already all but mastered Yautjan, now speaking it as her dominant language. She'd also discovered sets of other languages, surprisingly diverse and informative. Many were human languages from Earth. There were also dialects from different parts of the universe. She'd started working on learning one that she came across frequently in other databanks she had access to within the system. Upon inquiring Than'ja, she learned this dialect came from the amphibious reptilian species, the Hssinkish. From the sounds of it, the Yautja dealt with them frequently. Luar'ka decided one day to try to learn their language, especially since she spoke English and Yautjan so fluently.
"Hss'thma sekmet saan-nnaa meli-vna vinksho." she muttered to herself, cycling through the hologram as she practiced basic grammar.
"You are becoming quite skilled at that."
Luar'ka jumped as Than'ja appeared in the room, setting some supplies back into their appropriate storage containers. She settled, sighing, "I think my accent may be a bit off target. And I am fairly certain that I may have mispronounced Saan-nnaa meli-vna."
"How so?" Than'ja asked, tilting his head at her. She sat up, eying him irritably, "Their language appears to focus on influctuation in their speech patterns to determine meaning. Different pitches of sounds produce different definitions. Pronounced correctly, I am praising the owner of his fine weapon collection. Pronounced incorrectly, I may very well have just insinuated his sister is a spiny eel."
Than'ja chuckled bemusedly at her reply, standing up, "You have come quite far in so short a time, young one. I have no doubt you will figure it out, soon."
"Well, maybe. It is not as if it will do me much good anyway, but it keeps me occupied outside of the kehrite."
"We shall go and join the others in the hall soon, young one." he said abruptly. Luar'ka eyed him and sighed heavily. It was time to feed. Yet again, she would be left alone in the medical bay to await whatever they could bring back for her. Her allotted rations were small and insubstantial, but they were enough to keep her nourished and energized for training.
"Very well. I will see you soon, then." she said, flipping to another section of the databank and watching as the bright red hologram suddenly turned dull orange in the air.
"You misunderstand, young one. You are joining us."
She froze, her hand suspended just inches from the hologram as her eyes widened, staring up to gaze at him in disbelief, "What did you say?"
"It is time you joined us. Your time with the Unbloods dwindles to a close, young one. You must begin to acclimate further. You will receive your own food this time."
"Am I even allowed to do that?" Luar'ka protested in amazement.
"If not now, then when?" he asked simply.
That was enough of an answer for her. She jumped up, hurrying after him as he moved out into the main ward, heading for the door. This was the first time she'd been allowed to enter the main hall. It was a congregation center for the Yautja of the Sev'kai. It was easily one of the largest spaces in the clan ship. Food could be obtained there and Yautja warriors could meet up with friends and comrades to chat or swap stories of the hunt. Luar'ka had been allowed to look over the railing from the second landing to the hall below. In the very center of the room, she'd seen an enormous fire burning in a deep, but shallow hole in the floor, providing both light and stimulating warmth for the heat-loving Yautja. She'd found the sight amazing even then, but now she was going to get to see it firsthand! It took all her discipline acquired thus far to hide her excitement.
Her heart hammered as she followed Than'ja down the darkened corridors, her eyes long since adjusted to the low light. She could hear the roar of voices in the hall growing closer and she started to feel a little bit apprehensive; she'd never been around that many of the Yautja before. She wasn't entirely sure how to react to this. But she followed Than'ja loyally, knowing he wouldn't take her there if he didn't think she was ready to handle it. It was the reason she'd never gone before.
They descended in the lift to the lower level, proceeding through the archways holding the second level aloft and into the spacious hall. Luar'ka struggled to keep her expression neutral as she took in the display before her. There were large tables set up around the room where groups of Yautja sat conversing, eating, or simply cooling down after strenuous training. Luar'ka counted about ten tables that she could see from her limited perspective. The fire in the enormous depression in the floor crackled and roared in the center of the room, the flames reaching high into the air. The voices of the many Yautja inhabiting the room were a thunderous echo and Luar'ka had a hard time distinguishing one voice over another. She continued to follow Than'ja through the wide space, avoiding other individuals whenever she could. She noticed that almost all of the Yautja present were Blooded warriors, most likely trading stories of great hunts and conquests. She noticed R'zha several meters away speaking with several other warriors he was acquainted with, all of whom bore grievous scars across their bodies. But every one of them sported dozens of beautiful rings and beads throughout their tendrils, signifying advanced rank and ability. Luar'ka had learned that even scars held honorable value to these creatures. As such, she now viewed the scar on her ankle from the kiande amedha's second jaws as a sort of trophy rather than a blemish on her person.
So far, few Yautja had noticed her, and the ones who did saw she was following Than'ja. Even so, she could hear voices fall silent as she passed, eyes now boring into her in amazement, surprise and, of course, disdain and anger. Even after a full season, while most everyone had known she was on the ship, the majority had never seen her before due to her restricted territory in the medical bay. She wasn't sure how long she'd be able to go without being challenged in some way. She kept her eyes forward, doing her best not to make eye contact with anyone. She held her head high and walked proudly, keeping her nerves well hidden. Than'ja led her across the room to the other side of the wall. The way the hall was set up situated it close to cold storage where meat and other various foods were kept frozen for long periods in between clan hunts. In the last season since her arrival, the clan ship had stopped in orbit around two different planets and twenty warriors were sent down for a long time. When they returned, they brought with them an assortment of very large creatures, all very dead. Luar'ka had managed to catch a glimpse of this during one of her walks with Than'ja on a rare occasion he allowed her to wander about with him. Unlike normal hunts, clan hunts were orchestrated by many members at once and no trophies were taken. The sole purpose of these hunts was to take down substantial prey to serve as food for the clan. One of the essential lessons she'd learned under R'zha was that creatures meant for food must never be allowed to suffer. Their deaths served an even greater purpose than those of trophy kills; the meat they provided allowed the hunters to continue to live and continue to hunt, and therefore they were to receive the utmost respect and care during a hunt. Stalk silently, aim truly, kill swiftly.
The meat was either butchered right then and there and stored in the freezer units, or it was cured with various salts and minerals and hung up to dry. Consumption of raw meat was hardly a problem for the Yautja; in fact, they positively thrived on it. However, curing the meat made it last much longer and enabled hunters to carry it with them on extended hunts. Thus, more than half the meat would be salted and dried. Luar'ka felt her mouth water when her mind conjured up images of this particular method. The salted meat was by far her very favorite. And of course Ikthya'de had gotten her addicted to the various fruits the Yautja gathered and stored aboard the ship, such as Naxa, or a tough and spiny fruit with a hearty and soft inner core called M'igha. It slightly resembled a sea urchin in shape and the spines it was covered in were brutally sharp. Getting into it was a challenge, even for tough Yautja, but the rewards were well worth the effort. The single core of the fruit not only held a taste Luar'ka could barely describe well, something akin to honey and blueberries, but it also contained a plethora of valuable nutrients and vitamins. The inner rind of the fruit could also be eaten and was also highly nutritious.
Luar'ka paused behind Than'ja as he stopped at the edge of the room. The rations for the day were laid out on another enormous table at the edge of the room, heaped haphazardly with no real organization. It was a mixture of the frozen meat that was quickly thawing as well as the cured meat. Each Yautja was allowed a predetermined share of the meat and was expected to take exactly what he was ordained to have. With over hundreds, sometimes thousands of Yautja aboard the ship and with distance between worlds changing every rotation, the ration amounts varied. The further from a hunting ground they were, the lighter the rations. This was to prevent food shortages from starting up. Right now, they were still within range of a hunting world, so ration portions were a bit more generous at the moment.
Than'ja moved forward and claimed his share of the meat, as well as Luar'ka's share which he handed off to her quickly lest anyone come to the conclusion that he wasn't obeying the rules. She waited to eat it while Than'ja assessed the rowdiness around him on whether or not it was safe to stay in the hall. He wasn't concerned for himself of course. It was Luar'ka he was iffy about. He preferred to stay with Yautja he was well acquainted with, who would either be familiar with the Avian or else leave her be out of respect for him.
A familiar bellow caught his attention and he followed it immediately, finding Ikthya'de and Kar'kha sitting a short ways away at a table beside the wall. Luar'ka's eyes widened in delight at the sight of her old shipmates and she barely managed to stop herself from running over to greet them. Instead, she forced back her happiness as they approached the other two brothers, arranging her face into a neutral expression and extended her wings halfway in greeting to them, "G'kaun-yte." she greeted with her eyes downward in submission. Kar'kha stood up, his expression blank as he approached her. Even though she'd grown almost a foot since he'd last laid eyes on her, he still towered over her by at least two and a half feet. He reached out and grasped her shoulder, giving her a rough shake. She exhaled in relief at the friendly greeting and looked up at him then, seeing his upper mandibles spread apart in a wide smile.
"It is good to see you are well, Luar'ka." he said.
Terminology:
G'kaun-yte – Hi, hello, etc.
Naxa – A type of fruit the Yautja are acquainted with
Mi'gha- Another fruit (my own inspiration however)
Bpi-de – End
Chiva – Trial
Paya – Appears to refer to a pantheon of either deities or honored warriors that have passed on.
Dah'dtou-di – Feminine for "Small Knife". Reference to Steve Perry's Machiko Noguchi "The Human Predator". She would've appeared in the story as a cameo, but I couldn't find a concrete timeline for her appearance and didn't want to risk screwing up the continuity. Hence, this takes place after her time. Also, since she is mentioned a few times, I will point this out now, she was NOT connected to the Sev'kai. This is not the same clan.
A/N: So, this was the start of the second and final arc of this particular book. I'm almost done writing it. I'm glad I got this much taken care of now since I've been with writer's block as a result of tension headaches and two weeks until opening night for the show I'm costuming. This chapter is long and ends at a weird spot because I stopped writing and realized it was dragging out too much. So it picks up in the next chapter where it left off. Anyway, shout out again to Werewolfbleu for her encouragement, as this story has changed dramatically since meeting her and all the changes have been for the better. Please check out her story again, 'Can I Keep Him', which I stress as being one of the most on point character portrayals of the Yautja I have ever seen, as well as some of the absolute funniest writing I've ever come across, usually as a result of those portrayals clashing violently with the bass-ackwardness that is our world. Show her a little love for it and show me a little love by leaving me a review to keep me focused. Till next time my lovelies!
~Luna