Sixteen
Than'ja was able to get Ikthya'de to tell him what he'd said to Luar'ka to not only calm her down, but also drastically improve her mood. The other healers in the ward had begun to grow a little edgy for a few days when she started acting a little too similarly to the irritable females they were all used to. However, after her talk with Ikthya'de, she changed completely. Mostly for the better.
Just one problem.
Than'ja sighed heavily over his work while he sealed up a deep laceration on another Yautja as a loud bellow erupted from the storeroom. The Yautja he was working on jumped in alarm and Than'ja just shook his head, indicating it wasn't a problem. One of the healers burst out of the storeroom snarling, his mandibles flared widely in aggravation as he stormed off. Than'ja caught a brief glimpse of a tiny shadow flitting about within, followed by a brief trill of amusement.
"I suppose the time has come to secede to her demands." he said drily, ignoring the confused stare from his patient.
Once he was finished and his patient had departed, Than'ja entered the storeroom and found Luar'ka perched on her haunches on the table with her head bowed forward. He was loathe to admit how she eerily resembled the kiande amedha sitting like that, and her tail swishing back and forth did not help that mental image.
"Luar'ka," he grumbled, "I believe we need to talk."
She raised her head and he saw that she had her dark second eyelid down, rendering her eyes as empty, soulless sockets. As he watched, these lids raised and she blinked at him, "G'kaun-yte, Than'ja." she greeted, giving him a mischievous, toothy grin.
"I believe you know what I am here to tell you." he said sternly, eying her seriously. Her feathers sagged and her wings and tail drooped, "Yes...stop tormenting the healers who come in here, right?"
"Yes. However, I also think you should be aware that your recovery time has about ended. You are free to return to training on the next rotation."
The feathers atop her head flared out in all directions, her head raising as she stared at him in disbelief, "Truly? I can resume?" she breathed in amazement.
"Sei-i," he said hesitantly, "However, you must keep this in mind, Luar'ka; I can only protect you for so long. I am only able to lie for you for so long. If you sustain serious injury, there will be nothing left for you but the mercy of the Paya. Do you understand?"
Her feathers drooped, her eyes widening, "You have been...lying for me?" she whispered, "No...Than'ja, no! If the Elders find out you have been lying to protect me, they will punish you!" she cried, jumping down from the table and hurrying over to him. He stopped her, clacking his tusks together loudly, "Take ease, Luar-ke Lar'ja," he said, "They have no need to discover the lies just yet. The secret's durability relies on your abilities. On your own power to defend yourself. Do you understand?"
"No, I do not," she said softy, "I do not understand why you have lied to protect me. Lied about what? What did I do wrong?"
Than'ja reached out and gently grasped her arm, raising it up. He ran his finger firmly along the bone within her skin. She watched him warily as he did this, her forehead crinkling in confusion. He sighed heavily, "You are fast, Luar'ka; far faster than any Yautja. There is a reason for this. You are built for flight, for speed, for agility. You are not built like we are. You do not have the reinforcement that we do. The skies are your domain, young Avian. And you have chosen to pledge your existence to a life of grounded violence and the hunt, forsaking the skies that are your inheritance."
"It was my choice." she spat, her eyes narrowing, "I will never get off the ground. Fighting is all I have left to me."
"You know nothing for certain, young one." Than'ja said sternly, "Keep this in mind. Until you have seen it, you have not experienced it."
He gave her a firm shove toward the door, "Training will begin soon. Off with you."
Luar'ka left the medical bay, her heart hammering in latent, controlled fear. All of her conditioning, her training, her preparations and the meditations she'd learned to wield as effectively as a weapon within her honed mind, all of it bubbled to the surface as she struggled to contain herself. Her hands clenched at her sides, her claws digging into her skin. She started forward, hurrying toward the kehrite. Nighttime hours aboard the ship would soon end. The Yautja would awaken. She had very little time allowed to her.
She entered the pitch black room, opening her eyes wide as she allowed her night vision to take over. It was still weak, but she could make out the entirety of the room. She spread her wings, beating them slowly back and forth several times, taking deep breaths as she did. She felt her wings tingling uncomfortably as circulation was forced through them, the blood warming them, easing their movements. She flexed them in and out experimentally, glancing back at them and studying how they moved behind her. She turned, eying the wall. She approached it and began the familiar sequence of ascending it, digging her claws into the wall and scaling the sloped surface until she got about three-quarters of the way up, tilting her head backwards to peer across the room behind her. Her wings hung limply behind her, rather than folded taut against her back like they normally would have been. Her heart thudded in her chest, her blood roared in her ears and she hugged the wall, her eyes squeezing shut as she struggled to suppress her fear. In the past, she'd have received advice from either R'zha or one of her mentors on the correct course of action.
Everything she did, she did with the purest of guidance to walk the path set for her in preparation of the hunt. The Yautjas' world was her world, their ways were her ways, and their beliefs, hers as well. Everything she learned, she hoped to one day make use of in her first true hunt, to stalk, attack, and kill her first true prey, claim her first real trophy. It was all she lived for now, so close she could practically taste it. However, over the past several rotations, all that invaded her mind were thoughts of how she could never be Yautja in the true sense. The Paya had looked after her up until this point, but they could never grant her true wish. She was not out of options; she had paths to take, roads to experiment with. She had advantages the Yautja did not.
She ground her teeth together, coiling her legs against the wall beneath her and pushing off, twisting her body in the air as she opened her wings for the first time in her life. She plummeted out of the air, crashing against the ground hard on her chest. She gasped sharply at the pain, her heart thudding in fear. However, the pain quickly faded and she realized to her relief that nothing was broken. Gritting her teeth together, she turned to the wall behind her, opposite of the one she'd started out on. Digging her claws in, her ascended again, this time opting not to try gliding and instead, slowly working her way sideways along the wall. Alternating her movements, she kept one limb attached to the wall at all times, her body aching very quickly from the strain of holding herself upright as she tested her strength. She climbed higher and higher, quickly reaching the ceiling. Pushing back her trepidation, she continued to move steadily along until she hung upside down, her arms and legs burning from the strain. She held on, sweat beading and creeping along her face, dripping down to the floor some twenty feet below. Finally, she reached her breaking point and let go, dropping straight down. She twisted in the air, her legs absorbing the impact as she landed almost soundlessly, crouching as her muscles relaxed from the abrupt landing. As she folded her wings down, her eyes narrowed, glancing around distastefully at the room, realizing now how cramped it truly was. She let out a hissing sigh, straightening up and flexing her claws in and out.
"I need trees."
/ooo/
It was interesting to consider how fast time seemed to fly the older one became. While a young, hotblooded youngster, eagerly awaiting the danger and intrigue of the chiva, time crept by slowly, teasingly, taunting every step of the way just a little closer, almost there. A little bit further, but not there yet. This trepidation, this restless waiting only served to fuel the blood for the hunt. The Unbloods thrived on it. Elder Sechinde knew this, understood it well. He recalled his own restless blood during his time spent as an eager Unblood.
He'd been the only survivor of the trio of youngsters sent down to N'-ithya hundreds of years ago. His chiva had been brutal, more so than normal. He had not only fought the kiande amedha offspring, but also their Matriarch, Cetanu herself. Standing amidst the lifeless bodies of his brethren, he stood alone, staring down the mighty bearer of the hard meat prey he'd already killed so many of. He had looked her in the face, admired her for her beauty and absolute merciless horror, and then, with the Paya favoring him in the brutal following battle, he slew her. He claimed her crown as his trophy. However, his resulting wounds were so great that he had blacked out after the fight. He had almost been considered lost by the clan. A stroke of luck and the Paya being unready for him had saved him. Something had found him lying there in a puddle of his own blood, his body too weak to move but for his eyes, watching the creature's approach. He'd had just enough strength to unleash a snarl of rage before his body gave out and he lost consciousness again. He passed in and out of waking and sleeping, his thoughts jumbled, his mind in disarray. He couldn't summon enough strength to reach to his wrist gauntlet and activate the bomb that would honorably erase his existence. He was dimly aware of being dragged somewhere, away from his discarded weapons, his broken armor, and the trophies he'd worked so hard to claim. He could see nothing but the blackness surrounding his eyes, could feel the blood still seeping from the wounds in his chest. His body was fighting to recover and he wanted to allow it to, but his spirit writhed in fury at the thought of capture. He growled again and the movement stopped. He heard voices. A language he did not recognize. This surprised him. He was very familiar with N'-ithyan languages; how could there be one he did not know?
His eyes were open, but they were blind. Had they received injury? No...no, sight was returning. Something very warm was placed over his eyes. He couldn't see beyond whatever it was. He felt something brush his arm, something soft. He heard a faint rustling sound, unlike any other sound he'd heard. He felt something touch the wound on his chest and he snarled again, the sound choking in his throat as whoever was touching him pressed a searing something into the wound, causing his snarl to morph into a trill of agony. His mandibles flared in indescribable pain, his conditioning momentarily pushed to the side as the pain overwhelmed his senses. His body convulsed, his breath came in sharp gasps. He felt something trying in vain to hold him down. More of the unknown language. This time, he felt something warm flow over the wound on his chest and to his surprise, the pain began to fade. Tiny pinpricks now dotted across his thick hide over his chest, small, almost miniscule little pains that came every couple of seconds. He still couldn't see, even though his eyes were open. He wanted to move. He wanted to see who or what had captured him. He wanted to make them pay for this humiliation. But his body wouldn't obey him past small, useless movements that failed to help him whatsoever.
He chuffed in alarm when he felt something brush through his thick tendrils and across his crest and forehead. Much to his chagrin and utter horror, his body began to relax under the gentle movement to his sensitive tresses. He snarled again, though there was no real backing thought accompanying it. He continued to huff beneath his breath, his body tense despite trying to relax against his will as the soft caresses through his tendrils continued. He knew now that he'd been found by multiple beings of some kind, as there was still another working on his wounds before him, while the singular one was somewhere behind him, apparently trying to ease him.
Part of him reasoned that they might be trying to heal him, as they certainly hadn't ended him yet. But another part of him argued that he had no idea what sort of creatures had discovered him, nor what they might actually being doing to him. He could very well have already been marked by the Paya, as these creatures could have infiltrated his body with any number of dangerous articles.
He still couldn't see, was still lying somewhere on the ground in the hands of the Paya knew what, and thus far, he hadn't received any further harm. Besides, he still had no strength to move. The wise option now would be to settle and bide his energy for his escape. He knew his comrades would come to find him if they didn't detect an explosion from his gauntlet. He had to find them himself before they did, otherwise they'd end him right then and there. He had survived, he'd just gotten unwillingly sidetracked and needed to get out of there as soon as possible.
Suddenly, he felt a rush of air around him and a strange sound slowly moving away from him. He felt it as something reached across his head. His mandibles twitched as whatever it was grasped something on his face and yanked it away suddenly. Light flooded his eyes and he realized he could see again. He bellowed angrily at the discomfort of light penetrating his sensitive eyes, rolling to his side to avoid it as he grumbled under his breath. He braced an arm beneath his body, slowly hefting himself into a sitting position. Flaring his tusks in irritation, he let out a rattling sigh, shaking his head and looking around. He was in what appeared to be a stone grotto of some kind, the walls and ceiling dripping with precipitation. It had rained recently. The floor was covered in soft soil and littered with rocks and leaves. Dull, grayish light filtered into the grotto, illuminating a steep stack of rocks from a landslide years before off to his right, extending a hundred feet to the ceiling of the grotto. He twisted his body slowly, shifting to a kneeling position. He clicked a few times in exhaustion, his body aching like mad. Nothing to compare to the pain of before, of course. He raised his eyes curiously, reminded suddenly. He appeared to be alone in the grotto. He could neither smell, nor hear any sign of other life forms.
Clank!
He whirled, his mandibles spread as he eyed the new object on the ground where it had landed, the dust beneath it settling slowly. His eyes widened as he recognized his bio-mask. He reached out, grasping it carefully and pulling it closer, examining it for damage. It seemed to be fine.
His spines bristled at the sound of low grumbling close by. He raised his head to the entrance of the grotto, spotting the clear rivets in the dirt where he'd been dragged in. He saw something standing there at the entrance a few meters away. It was swathed in shadows and covered in mud from head to toe, obviously done on purpose for some reason. It stood hunched over and he caught the distinct scent of blood wafting off of it. As he watched, it stepped a few feet into the grotto and lowered its head, snapping upright suddenly. Something flew from its jaws and landed in a shapeless heap on the ground before him. He eyed it curiously, returning his gaze to the newcomer. Shining eyes met his in the darkness, the creature holding perfectly still. Gradually, it turned, tail lashing slowly as it meandered out of the grotto and into the dense forest beyond. He watched it go and then glanced down at the offering it had left. It was a furry mammal of some kind, a N'-ithyan species he'd seen before. He recognized the bizarre long ears and legs it possessed. Its blood flowed along the floor.
While suspicious of the behavior of these creatures, whatever they were, he was not too proud to refuse an offering of a kill from another hunter. He wasn't sure how it was for these new creatures, but for his people, to give one's hard earned sustenance kill to another was a sign of deep respect. He reached out, grasping the warm hide of the creature and tearing open its belly, spilling the warm lifeblood across the soil. He wasted nothing, even consuming the bones of the animal. He held onto the pelt. If given the opportunity, he would clean it later.
He tried to stand, then. However, an intense shot of pain piercing through his leg changed his mind quickly. He replaced his mask to his face and looked down at his leg, switching through the various viewpoints. His mask had a basic examination laser used for identifying internal injuries while out on the hunt. He activated this sensor, scanning his leg carefully. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised it was broken; the Matriarch's tail was as strong as it was deadly. His leg, much like the rest of his body, was comprised of layers of knitted muscle, fat, and reinforced bone that acted almost like living armor itself. He'd always known a female would give him his first broken limb, he'd just never expected it would be the Matriarch of the kiande amedha. His body was too heavy for his broken leg to support right away. Like it or not, he was stuck for the time being. He would need to keep his guard up. Without his weapons, he—
Clank! ka-Clunk!
He whirled, snarling viciously at the newcomer as they stood before him a few feet away, a small pile of his weapons and armor lying discarded at its feet. He could hardly believe it; he'd never even heard them approach! There were two of them this time, both smothered in thick mud, obscuring their features. One of them cowered at his viciousness, hiding behind the other one who stood motionless. What little scent he was able to catch told him that these creatures were female. The first one straightened up, her eyes fierce beneath the drying mud as she tossed another of his weapons toward him carelessly. They said nothing. He watched as they turned, apparently unaffected by his show of aggression, and slowly moved out of the grotto, back into the trees. He blinked in amazement, hardly daring to believe this sort of creature he'd stumbled across that was even stealthier than the Yautja. He eyed his weapons they'd left behind. His instincts screaming mistrust at him. His eyes narrowed, his claws flexing.
Well, at least now he could defend himself.
Elder Sechinde sighed heavily, opening his eyes as he roused himself from rest. It was curious, this strange side effect he'd received from aging. His body was no weaker than it had ever been, nor any stronger. He was still as formidable as the day he'd returned to the Sev'kai an honored, Blooded warrior. However, as he advanced in age, he found that he steadily ceased dreaming. He no longer saw images of the past or the present during rest. Therefore, he used the time he gave himself to recuperate to relive experiences of his past, lest they come to him during mesh'in'ga. This recent memory had a very simple explanation. As he sat up from his sleeping mat and sighed, he realized that it was nearing the time when the young Avian would be evaluated. Had a full season passed already? Sometimes the passage of time was enough to even baffle him.
He dressed himself in his ceremonial armor, his prized bone necklaces and chains adorning his neck and waist and a choice of three hard-earned human skulls across his shoulders and chest. The beads and trinkets strewn thickly throughout his tendrils were fused there, immobile, as permanent symbols of his rank. His ceremonial armor wasn't used for battle; it was too delicate. Consisting of bronze chest and shoulder plates engraved with hundreds of markings along the edges and fault lines, complete with a fine red cloth cloak trailing behind him from the plates adorning his back, it symbolized the truest height of his lengthy honor and rank within his clan. It had been presented to him when he'd achieved status as an Elder of the Sev'kai, a coveted title few Yautja lived to achieve. Only the strongest, most intelligent, and honorable Yautja made it this far. Sechinde was proud to have been one such Yautja. He passed his trophy room, pausing to glance inside of it. It was a spacious circular room, like all the other spaces on the ship. It was filled with the hundreds of impressive skulls Sechinde had acquired over his many centuries hunting. They had served to improve his standing over the centuries, as well as impressing the many strong and worthy females he'd bred in his lifetime. At his rank, he often had first pick during the breeding season since females were unlikely to refuse him. The larger the collection, the higher a Yautja's rank increased. He moved inside, just for a moment as he eyed his particular favorites; a massive sea beast, the skull longer than he was tall. Its teeth were like daggers. His method of killing it had been risky, but highly effective. He'd allowed the monster to swallow him whole, granting him access to the soft innards. He'd had only minutes, empowered only with the air he'd taken down with him in his lungs. He'd slashed his way out of the stomach of the beast and into the inner body cavities, piercing through the lungs and heart of the creature. Just as it began to go into its death throes, he'd worked his way back up into the esophagus, using his blades and claws to slash through the neck of the animal, severing its spinal cord and slicing easily through the thick flesh and muscles of the short neck, tearing himself free through the massive gash he'd created. He'd been able to see light filtering down through the depths of the water and had ascended quickly, breaking the surface and replenishing his air supply with the thin atmosphere of that planet before diving again, this time to retrieve his prize. It was a struggle getting it to shore, but he'd managed to collect his trophy, the massive skull of the watery monster.
Sechinde purred in satisfaction at the memory of that fight. However, one skull in particular always caught his attention, especially nowadays. He approached the place on the wall where it was mounted, gleaming in the low light. He reached out, brushing his claw tips across the surface of the cranium, studying it quietly. It appeared to be human, but he knew better. He was one of the few Yautja on board the ship who owned such a skull and he treasured it. The one obvious separation between this skull and the hundreds of human skulls he'd collected was the teeth. They were sharp, crisscrossing between each other and growing steadily duller as they descended through the mouth. The front teeth were the sharpest, like knife blades, and Sechinde carried a scar on his shoulder that perfectly matched a bite from such a skull. He rumbled low in his chest, pulling away slowly.
"Nightingale." he rumbled. He looked back at the skull and his tusks flared slightly, hissing at the memory. He clacked his tusks together once and stalked out of the room, leaving his chambers quickly. He needed no distractions today.
After all, the Avian's fate rested on his decision.
/ooo/
S'kivn-a snarled viciously as he spun to try and block the Avian's attack. However, he missed widely as she slashed deeply against the back of his neck before bounding away from him and landing on all fours a few meters away. Her second eyelids were down and her teeth were bared, her feathers raised in defiance. Watching this display, hearing S'kivn-a's increasingly frustrated growls and snarls as he struggled to land a blow, R'zha had to admit his curiosity; N'-ithya was a planet filled with creatures that were a supreme challenge intellectually, but not very physically intimidating for the most part. The majority of natural fauna living on that planet were relatively peaceful creatures. Watching Luar'ka's sudden change in behavior over the last couple of rotations, it was a bit difficult to believe that she was from N'-ithya at all.
Luar'ka scurried along the floor suddenly at a breakneck pace, causing S'kivn-a to temporarily lose sight of her. He whirled, trying to keep her within his line of sight. His tusks flared as he locked on and charged forward, lashing out toward her to grab her tail just within his reach. Luar'ka shifted her upper body away from him and darted down, twisting between his legs and springing up behind him to latch onto his back. S'kivn-a roared in fury, reaching back to try to grab her. This small, diminutive and fragile opponent was quickly proving how much trouble she could be. She sank her teeth into the back of his neck, raking her claws down along his back, spilling large quantities of his blood onto the floor with every slash of her wicked talons. Her teeth were still too small to do much damage against the Yautja's thick hide, but as her adult teeth had begun to painfully make their appearances known within her mouth, she was learning just how damage she would one day be capable of.
R'zha let out a bellow suddenly, alerting the two that it was time to stop. S'kivn-a froze reluctantly, fully aware of the Avian female still perched on his back, her fangs lodged in his neck. She wrenched her head back with a yelp, clapping a hand over her mouth as yet another loose fang popped free and fluttered to the floor. She sprang off S'kivn-a's back, her hand still over her mouth to quell the sudden mild flow of blood. Her opponent stared down at her in bewilderment and anger before focusing his attention on their teacher. The other students all looked up from their various stances and positions as the door opened. A soft murmur went up when they spotted not only Elder Sechinde, but also the clan leader, Ki'vei-ta and several of her guards striding powerfully into the room. Luar'ka straightened up from her position on the floor, ignoring the flow of blood from the newly opened tooth socket where her latest milk tooth had been ripped free. She could only stare in amazement as she held her ground. Luar'ka had never seen a female Yautja before, though she'd heard her brothers talking about them from time to time. She had grown thus far to understand that she should avoid the females at all costs right now.
Unlike Elder Sechinde, who wore elegant bronze armor across his shoulders, chest, upper arms, and thighs, which appeared to be fairly typical for the oldest and most powerful males in ceremony, the Matriarch wore vastly different coverings. Her garments consisted of some type of flowing translucent cloth that didn't appear to have any sort of true seam to it, but draped across her shoulders and around her waist to flow down across her front and hips on either side, covering what appeared to be very simple leather garments beneath. She wore no visible armor and, while visibly taller than Elder Sechinde, her body wasn't as sculpted. Her tendrils were also decorated with many beautiful beads and trinkets like the males, though hers were lined with sparkling jewels as well, perhaps a sign of hierarchy. Her scales were a light, sandy color sporting dark brown spots interlaced with elegant red stripes running down the backs of her arms and sides, offset by her pure white face, chest, and belly.
Luar'ka had to remind herself not to stare in amazement as she forced her head down submissively, tucking her wings back. Than'ja had always warned her to always show submission toward the females, as they were most likely to strike her down for offensive disrespect they could glean from her innocent actions. He said this would continue until she had grown considerably, meaning she would gain the opportunity to claim her rightful place in several years. Hopefully.
Ki'vei-ta stepped forward, eying each of the Unbloods somewhat menacingly. She said nothing, muttered something to R'zha and then moved off to the side, her arms at her sides. Several of her guards, which Luar'ka saw were also female, moved to stand near her. Elder Sechinde approached R'zha and she noticed that he actually spared her a quick, albeit lingering glance as he did.
"R'zha," Sechinde greeted, "I am sure you have been expecting this; this group you have been training shows great promise. Pass or fail, it is time to bid farewell to three of them."
R'zha nodded, keeping his eyes down out of respect, "I understand. They have been preparing for this. I see the Matriarch is here, as well?"
Sechinde nodded, "She is here to evaluate them personally. She has heard great things about these Unbloods. Do not allow her to be disappointed."
Luar'ka kept her head bowed, but her ears open. She knew this was big. There was no chance of her getting chosen to go to chiva, but her heart thudded at the possibility of an opportunity to fight before the eyes of the Matriarch.
R'zha faced his students, his back straight and his eyes fierce, "You know the procedure. Divide yourselves!" he bellowed.
Luar'ka was familiar with the setup. The selection for chiva was the same as their usual sparring sessions in between lesson fragments held by R'zha. The students would be evaluated as a whole to start off with and segregated one by one based on skill. Throughout each 'round', each Unblood would be given the opportunity to show off special skills or traits that could be useful during chiva. Even with the promise of many talented students, there was always the possibility that they would be deemed worthless for that season. It was truly nerve wracking.
Luar'ka watched as the others all gathered into predetermined groups of three to spar against other groups. While teamwork wasn't exactly a common occurrence with the Yautja, especially during chiva, good chemistry between Hunt Brothers was a must. Even if the three chose to work alone during the chiva, they had to show they could tolerate and work with one another. Volatile personalities matched together rarely ended well.
She hung back against the wall, studying the various formations chosen and assembled and noting with interest how some groups had switched up members almost instantaneously. Thei'dah's group was among those numbers. Luar'ka ruffled her wings, her feathers fluffing briefly before settling back down. She'd watched these young Yautja long enough to know many of their traits and attributes intimately. There were only twelve in this group. That meant that nine would be stuck in basic training for another season.
While Luar'ka watched the sparring commence between groups, she failed to realize that she herself was being watched.
The Matriarch turned her attention briefly from the Unblooded males as she eyed the young alien on the opposite end of the room curiously. She turned to Sechinde, "Is that the Avian I have heard about?" she asked quietly.
Sechinde nodded, "Yes. That is Luar'ka. She has spent this past season training with the Unbloods as I have ordered."
Ki'vei-ta growled low, "Why is she attending the selection for chiva?" she asked suspiciously.
"She is not," Sechinde corrected carefully, "She is part of no group. I believe she is simply observing."
Ki'vei-ta huffed heavily, "I am curious to know why she has been kept with the males for all this time." she said testily.
Elder Sechinde did not respond. He honestly had no answer. He knew Ki'vei-ta was testing him; she'd known all along the Avian was aboard the ship. There was no way she couldn't. With nowhere else to go, the ship's grapevine was quite long.
"I am curious as to how she would fare in battle." Ki'vei-ta said somewhat airily, though Sechinde knew better. The Matriarch had ways of seeing things happen the way she wanted them to happen and used this power sparingly. And seeing the Avian fight was one such matter.
Luar'ka stepped further back to avoid getting in the way of the students. Already, three Unbloods had been forced into submission by stronger peers and they sat off against the wall, nursing their wounds and dented pride. Luar'ka regarded them briefly, her mind quickly settling back on the business at hand. Periodically, R'zha would bellow, stopping the sparring and removing students from the groups. There were six Unbloods left now. This was enough for them to begin squaring off individually. Luar'ka was inwardly thrilled to see Thei'dah among them. She'd known he'd at least make it this far. Now he needed to make it all the way.
T'ne'sa and Thei'dah faced each other, slowly circling the other one and watching for openings. Luar'ka waited for T'ne'sa to make the first move and he eventually did. Thei'dah had much patience and control, traits he was quickly learning to wield as effectively as weapons. He caught T'ne'sa around the chest and shoulders as the smaller Yautja lunged at him, pinning him to the ground with massive force. T'ne'sa shifted his center of gravity and thrust himself backward, knocking Thei'dah off balance and unlocking his grip around him. But the larger Yautja was ready and blocked the strike before it connected, shifting the momentum into his other fist as he slammed it against T'ne'sa's chest. Thei'dah took advantage of this opportunity and tackled T'ne'sa to the floor, pinning him down and bashing his fist against the smaller Yautja's skull. One show of strength such as this was all that was needed in this case to declare dominance and victory. Had this been a real fight or a challenge, it would have continued until one Yautja either submitted or succumbed to injury or death. Winded and in pain, T'ne'sa slunk off to the edge of the room.
Luar'ka tuned out the rest of the fight as the remaining four Yautja battled to prove their worthiness. She watched unseeing as the Matriarch spoke with each of the Unbloods before saying something to R'zha. The ones who were not chosen for chiva would continue to train. Luar'ka sighed inwardly when she realized she may very well be among those.
She looked up as Sechinde and one of the female guards approached her. She straightened up from her casual position against the wall, staring straight ahead as they paused before her. Luar'ka said nothing, but waited to be addressed.
Suddenly, her feathers along her neck raised and that old tingling sensation shot down her spine yet again as she eyed the two of them carefully. Something was off.
The female Yautja let out a shriek as she lunged forward, jabbing her spear hard into the metal wall of the room where Luar'ka had been standing microseconds before. The Avian scrambled up the side of the wall easily, her claws digging into the grooves as she quickly moved to the ceiling. She tilted her head back to watch her opponent glaring up at her. The female spread her mandibles aggressively, snarling at the Avian twenty feet above her. Luar'ka faced forward again, easily shimmying along the ceiling, her tail stiffening for balance as she alternated one arm over one leg. She let out a sharp hiss and spread her wings, letting go of the ceiling once she was in the center of the room. She twisted in midair and glided downward to land on her feet, jinking to the side just in time to miss losing an eye to the female's blade. She swiveled out of the way as the female Yautja adjusted her grip on the handle, changing its angle to slash at her in a wide circle even from a stance facing away from her. Luar'ka spun out of the way, her tail lashing behind her as she counter-balanced her momentum on one leg before slowly dropping back down to two, eying her opponent warily. The female Yautja, now fully aware of the fact that Luar'ka wasn't a simple target, studied her for a moment. Luar'ka stared her down, unblinking. She curled her mouth back into a snarl, baring her few newly developed sharp teeth. Her feathers flared behind her for a moment before settling down against her neck. She could see from the female Yautja's stance that she'd already figured she wasn't fast enough to attack her head on. She was now waiting for Luar'ka's first move. Knowing her element of secondary action was lost, Luar'ka knew she had to start first if she wanted to finish last. Moving sideways, she flexed her claws, standing slightly hunched with her legs coiled beneath her, ready to spring. Just as she had stalked the rabbits of N'-ithya what felt like ages ago, she focused on this strange new Yautja, slowly copying her circling motion, never once taking her eyes off of her. Every flash of her throat as she took a breath, every ripple of muscle in her body as she tensed for attack, even every beat of her heart pushing valuable blood through her veins, Luar'ka became aware of all of it.
Luar'ka flared her feathers and wings, emitting a sharp, reptilian shriek that reverberated off the walls of the kehrite. The female returned this battle cry with a roar of her own as Luar'ka charged forward, heading straight for her, causing her weapon to raise in preparation. At the last second, Luar'ka jinked to the right and then back left again, entangling herself around the legs of the female Yautja. It was a tactic she'd used multiple times before and with her opponent startled at the unfamiliar attack, Luar'ka sank her teeth into her opponent's ankle, right above the tendons. She didn't want to render her opponent completely immobile, but she wrenched her head backward, ripping out a chunk of thick hide, scales, and muscle. The female Yautja roared in fury and pain as she brought her spear around and jabbed it downward toward the Avian. Luar'ka hurled her body out of the way, rolling to the side and catching herself quickly on her talons, bounding away with a strong push of her legs. All of this had happened in the span of just under a minute. Several rotations had passed since her talk with Ikthya'de. It had been hard, rewiring her brain to once again think like an Avian, and yes, her 'slash n' dash' technique had earned her some ridicule from the other students, but there was no denying that it worked. Luar'ka could see that as she lingered just out of the female Yautja's range as she turned sharply toward her, clearly favoring her right leg which bled heavily.
Unwilling to wait, Luar'ka snarled again, the sound more high pitched and birdlike than the deep roars of the Yautja. She charged again, whipping around behind the female who shifted the spear in her grasp and jabbed it at an angle behind her to catch Luar'ka on the shoulder. The Avian was so pumped up on adrenaline at this point that she barely noticed as she launched into her signature move, leaping onto the female's back and digging her fangs into her neck. She felt the searing sting as the female Yautja latched her claws into her feathers and yanked hard to throw her off, but she dug her talons into her thick hide and held on, her fangs digging deeper and deeper into her thick skin.
Finally, a deep bellow sounded out through the kehrite and both fighters stopped moving. Luar'ka carefully dislodged her fangs, lest she lose anymore baby teeth too close together and jumped down, landing soundlessly on coiled legs. The female Yautja, though bleeding heavily from her leg and rivulets of blood dribbling from her neck and back, seemed unconcerned with her injuries as she moved back to stand with the other guard and the Matriarch.
Sechinde stood close by, huffing once, deeply. His call had ended the fight. He strode forward, eying Luar'ka the entire time. R'zha stepped back away from him as he moved past and stared at the Avian before him. Though she'd grown considerably since her arrival, she still barely reached his waist.
"Avian," he addressed her in gravelly English, "You have spent a season with the Unbloods. How do you believe you have fared?"
"Not well enough, Elder Sechinde." Luar'ka answered without hesitation, "I have done well, but I have not met my potential."
Sechinde regarded her sternly, his eyes narrowing. His clicked his tusks together thoughtfully, a pondering rumble echoing from deep within his chest as he turned and faced the remaining Unbloods. Luar'ka could see the female Yautja she'd fought watching her. Her feathers flared briefly, but the female didn't seem to be staring at her with maliciousness. She just appeared to be watching her calmly. Luar'ka settled, her feathers falling flat.
Ki'vei-ta strode forward, addressing the younger Yautja. Her stance was powerful, commanding respect. Each of the remaining Unbloods kept their eyes down as she examined them. She hissed softly, nodding once, "All of you have performed well," she said, "The four of you are granted your chiva. Only three of you may go. Therefore, one of you must wait until next season. I will leave you to decide that amongst yourselves." she said firmly.
"I will wait." Thei'dah said almost immediately, catching Ki'vei-ta's attention. She turned, eying him curiously. He lowered his gaze, "I am cleared to participate in my chiva; that is good enough for me. I will use the time I must wait to further hone my skills in preparation for the event."
Ki'vei-ta was silent for a long while, considering him carefully. She cast her gaze to each of his three comrades, all of whom watched him warily, as if he might change his mind. He was the largest of the four of them and clearly the strongest; if he did change his mind and decide to go this season, there wouldn't be much they could do to stop him. However, he remained steadfast in his decision, his fists clenched and his head bowed. Finally, the Matriarch nodded her assent, "I approve. Continue your training."
Luar'ka watched as Thei'dah's three peers spoke quietly with him as Ki'vei-ta departed. She smiled softly; she'd known he'd make the roster. Now all he had to do was continue to train and fight until he could take his own turn. Meanwhile, it seemed, she was to spend yet another season with the Unbloods, never getting the chance to return to her old comrades and continue to hone her own skills. Well, if she had to wait until she reached adulthood, she supposed she was fine with that.
She huffed, beating her wings once as she bowed her head in despair.
She wasn't even fooling herself.
A/N: This is a special treat for werewolfbleu since she's been having writer's block. But she's also been a huge help for me and I wanted to give her a present. Plus, I didn't update for over a month due to issues, so here's the latest edition. Hope you like! See you soon, my lovelies!
~Luna