Twenty-Two

"So what about that was exactly necessary?" Luar'ka grumbled.

"About what?" S'iirai asked.

"You know what."

"I have no idea what you mean."

"Stop playing innocent; you know full well what you did."

The Illmorein started giggling, much to the chagrin of her Avian companion. Luar'ka ruffled her wings in agitation and S'iirai sighed, "Sorry, but I couldn't really help it. They don't know what the term means so I had to confuse them a little."

"Up until you met Noari, you did not know what it means."

"How did you know about Noari?"

"She was in the file of your contacts on the planet that I had to go through before I came here. Not that the Yautja will speak to her, of course. Her name was mixed in with the Illmorein contacts."

"You have to admit, it was pretty entertaining."

"So, if you will excuse Luar'ka and myself, then?" S'iirai said to Thwei'ja as he and the pack prepared to return to the ship. Thwei'ja cocked his head as S'iirai grabbed Luar'ka and dragged her away from them. He clicked a few times curiously and Luar'ka rolled her eyes, "He wants to know what business you have with me." she translated.

S'iirai shrugged, "It's been an entire year since the two of us have spoken. I believe it's time for some real girl-talk."

Thwei'ja's head remained tilted, for once looking more baffled than angry in regards to the Avian. He turned to Than'ja, who let out a deep rumble. Luar'ka groaned irritably; they had no idea what 'girl-talk' was. While she was on that train of thought, she wasn't too sure what it was either. She had a feeling it was either an Illmorein or human concept and this feeling nagged at her that whatever it was, she was about to find out whether she liked it or not. S'iirai proceeded to drag her smaller friend out of the tent, "I promise to bring her back before sundown!" she called.

Luar'ka heard Kar'kha roar behind them as S'iirai tore out of the tent with her captive.

"Mm, yeah, maybe that was a bit much."

Luar'ka sighed and stretched her wings, humming as she did so and flaring her feathers, "Well, have to say, it does feel good to be out of that ship for a little while. Life aboard the Jag'd'dja' atoll can get a bit stuffy from time to time."

"The what?"

"The Clan ship, basically. It is where most of my life will be spent." Luar'ka explained, following her friend up a steep, grassy knoll. The wind ruffled deliciously through her feathers, carrying a sharp, salty tang from the sea. She breathed in deep, feeling her lungs invigorated with the healthy fresh air.

"I had heard of the enormous ships that carry the Clans of Yautja through space. What were you doing there?" S'iirai asked, her tendrils twisting into a braid to keep out of her face.

"Training, mostly. And earning new scars in the process."

S'iirai frowned, eying her friend's body, covered mostly by the black fur halter and loin cloths. She also took note of the segmented armor miniature in size to the shoulder plates the Yautja commonly wore, beneath which lay a ragged multitude of healed scars and injuries. She frowned, "I see. I did notice the new scarring. You're okay with that?"

"With what?"

"All those scars. Those ones between your wings look pretty bad."

Luar'ka twisted her neck back to try to glance at her newest acquisitions, still somewhat tender to the touch despite having closed by now. She smirked in good humor, "They are my trophies. A hard won fight. They show I survived my struggles." she explained. But she could see the concerned expression on S'iirai's face and she knew her friend was having a hard time wrapping her head around the concept, and not just because she was Illmorein. Luar'ka looked away, "I am fully aware by this point that it is not entirely normal to live like this. My old life is a glimmer of a memory for me, now. I do not recall much else besides exhaustion and gut-wrenching hunger. I was starving to death when they found me. But I am healthy, now. And I grow stronger every fight that I encounter. I am able to eat nutritious food and build my strength to continue to practice and become even stronger, building my honor. This process will continue until I am claimed by Cetanu."

"So in other words, I shouldn't worry?" S'iirai said with a smile.

"If you put it like that, then yes." Luar'ka chuckled.

The two of them spent several hours wandering the grassy fields overlooking the great depression in the hills where the Illmorein settlement was located. Luar'ka felt an itch spreading through her wings whenever a strong gust of wind caressed her face and instinct told her to spread her wings, to catch that gust and ride it into the sky. But she was always stopped by her painful lack of know-how. S'iirai would watch her each time this happened, when the girl's expression would contort into one of despair as her eyes followed the invisible current into the horizon. In an attempt to distract her, S'iirai pointed out the launch platform a good distance away from them and pointed out how the older Illmorein found it annoying that the Yautja refused to use it, preferring to land far away from the settlement and cloaking so they became nearly impossible to find. Luar'ka had to chuckle at that.

As they were making their way back toward the pavilions, from which they would proceed to the ship, S'iirai turned to her, "So, about what you and U'lla spoke about earlier. The Yautjas' reason for keeping you. Do you have any ideas?"

"A few. But I do not know how well they would hold up. I can only theorize for now."

"Like what?"

"Well, the Yautja harvest eggs from the kainde amedha and seed training and trial worlds with them. Plus, while I have never seen her, I have heard there is a Hard Meat queen kept in captivity aboard the Jag'd'dja' atoll from which they obtain eggs. But I do not know how true that is. They may have just been transporting her."

"So what does that have to do with what you've been thinking?" S'iirai asked.

"Well, that made me wonder if perhaps they will try something similar with me when I am older. The way Sechinde spoke of the Avians, the stories written in the archives about Hunts with us; it makes it seem like we were once very important prey to them. It seems like our loss was considered great. Maybe, now that one has been confirmed alive..." she trailed off and glanced away, seemingly gathering her thoughts, "The kainde amedha are important to them and they take careful precautions to regulate their numbers on chosen worlds. Perhaps they would do the same with me and maybe try to find compatible genetic matches, to try to create more Avians from me and then regulate their numbers as they do with the kainde amedha."

S'iirai was appalled, "So you'd become a breeding tool and little else?"

"Assuming they even decided to take that path. Again, I am only theorizing for my own sake. I will know soon enough, anyway."

"Well," she said, "You don't know anything for sure, yet. Besides, maybe you'll find you're not the last of your kind anyway."

"I would like to hope that," Luar'ka said, "But I have not been home in over a year. We were already struggling. My Clan may have long since moved on by this point." She told her, flexing her wings, "In any event, I have moved on as well. I care nothing for their thoughts on my life. If I should be fortunate enough to meet them again, I will tell them this."

"You don't need to be so vindictive." S'iirai reprimanded gently.

"I am Yautjan." Luar'ka answered simply, as if that explained everything. S'iirai just rolled her eyes.

Luar'ka paused again as a flock of birds rose up from the thick grasses before them, taking off into the air with powerful beats of their little wings. S'iirai heard the dejected sigh from her friend and this time, she'd had enough. She grabbed her arm, turning away from the settlement, "Come on." she said.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere I think you'll like."

/ooo/

Turns out that somewhere S'iirai believed she'd like was the very forest where they'd met the previous year. It was nestled at the base of a long, steep, grassy hill. From the top, powerful winds whipped up, carried over the expanse of deep, dark green trees bunched closely together. Through their thick tops, Luar'ka thought she could see the glimmering surface of the lake in its center. The wind raked through her feathers, lifting them from her head and cooling her scalp beneath them. It whistled uncomfortably into her ears, which, unlike S'iirai's ears resembling those of a human, were simply small, angled holes on either side of her head just above and behind her jaw. After having watched the lizards darting through the deserts back home, Luar'ka knew she had ears more resembling those animals. The Yautja had a similar setup on the lower sides of their own skulls. Just another bizarre thing she had in common with them naturally.

S'iirai came up the slope of the hill behind her, her silvery mane whipping across her back and over her face. She pushed it back behind her ears and squinted down toward the trees, "We're only a couple of miles from the settlement," she explained, "My people don't like coming through this way too often. It's far too difficult to traverse."

"Why did you bring me here?" Luar'ka asked.

"Why do you think? Feel that wind?" the Illmorein asked, raising her hand to cup the invisible breeze ghosting past them, "You're a creature built for the skies, Luar'ka. You're not going to learn to fly from the Yautja, and not just because they can't. From what I can see, you're built for this."

"Can you teach me?" Luar'ka asked dubiously.

"Of course not; I don't have wings. But look at all the birds around here. Maybe if you watched them, copied what they do...well, it's a long shot, but you might be able to learn to fly that way."

Luar'ka turned her gaze to the beautifully colored alien birds soaring overhead, their high pitched calls and wails meeting her sensitive ears. Her eyes narrowed, "In the Clan, when a youngster was to learn to fly, they were chosen by a seasoned adult to serve as their mentor. I only ever saw it happen once. They are expected to make many, many mistakes."

"So what's holding you back?" S'iirai asked knowingly.

Luar'ka straightened up, staring out toward the trees, "I already know how to glide a little. I practice whenever I get a chance aboard the ship and the Jag'd'dja' atoll."

S'iirai smiled, nodding, "So you already have a little bit of an advantage. Are you going—"

But before she could finish her sentence, Luar'ka bolted forward, opening her wings with a sharp snap and a rush of feathers as she pushed off from the ground with her momentum. S'iirai raced down after her, watching as the Avian successfully achieved a simple gliding motion, careening down the hill much more quickly than she would have thought. However, her excitement at her friend's victory soon died when she realized that Luar'ka had begun to fishtail, her wings crumpling as she pitched forward, tumbling down into the grass with a yelp. S'iirai flew nimbly down the hill and staggered over to the disheveled Avian picking herself up off the ground, "Are you okay?"

Luar'ka grunted, beating her wings once to right herself as she stood up, "Compared to R'zha's brutality...actually, that did sort of hurt."

"Maybe actually think about what you're doing be—"

But she was off again, running swiftly and surely on the uneven ground as she opened her wings, beating them a few times and then leaping up to catch an approaching gust that slammed into her from behind. The wind caught her wings and lifted her a few feet into the air, carrying her further down the hill and then shifting, angling her left toward the ground. S'iirai winced in preparation for another crash, but to her amazement, Luar'ka tilted her body, angling away from the ground and gliding gently away from it. She still crashed, of course, but this time it appeared to be under her own power rather than that of the wind. S'iirai sighed, this time walking over rather than running. Luar'ka stood up again, flapping her wings a few times to work more circulation in there. She only glanced at her friend briefly as she approached. S'iirai saw that Luar'ka's left wing was moving more stiffly than the other one. She grabbed the wing and deftly wrapped three tendrils around the tip to the base of the joint. After a few moments, she released her wing again and nodded to her friend, " I can only heal you so many times before I myself run out of energy. So, you're going to stay at it?"

Luar'ka just watched her in amazement at what she'd done before composing herself and nodding, "Yes. I will not get another chance like this for a while. I will train for as long as I can before I am called back to the pack."

"You realize you're going to get in trouble, right?"

"Possibly."

"Oh dear...what have I started?" S'iirai sighed with a weary smile. Luar'ka flashed her a toothy grin and then turned to the trees, hurrying toward one and digging her claws in. She scurried up the trunk of the tree with surprising agility before pausing at a branch about halfway up, perching atop it nearly perfectly balanced. The young Illmorein sighed and turned away, hoping to be a fair enough distance away so she wouldn't have to hear another crash landing.

By the time she made it back to the settlement, Luar'ka's pack were standing outside of the meeting place, snarling angrily at one another. Obviously, they were having a serious discussion, but heavens forbid S'iirai could understand them. She approached cautiously, noting how any other Illmorein in the area was avoiding them at great length. The tallest individual in the group, his hide a golden reddish color, turned at her approach, causing the other two to cease talking and face her as well. The gold one glanced at the others and then replaced his mask, causing rivulets of bright blue electricity to wash over his body, seemingly through the odd corded netting he wore along his chest, abdomen, arms, and legs. He clicked rapidly a few dozen times as he connected the hosing back to the side of the mask and then looked down at her again.

"Luar'ka." he said, his voice gravelly and uncomfortable to listen to.

"You're looking for her?" S'iirai asked. He nodded. S'iirai cleared her throat, "I left her back toward the lake. She decided to do some flight training."

He jolted slightly, his head turning toward his packmates. He unleashed a complicated series of growls and clicks, all of which sounded aggravated. He faced her again, his fists clenched at his sides, "TtttttttaKe. Ttthhherrre." he ground out.

S'iirai was reluctant to take him back there, especially with the other Illmorein in the settlement so flighty at the moment. She was also reluctant to get Luar'ka into trouble, but she knew that to refuse would most likely lead to even more trouble. She finally conceded and turned, beckoning him to follow her.

She led him by himself back to the forest. The other two had gone back to the ship. The walk was silent and S'iirai found that for a creature as enormous as he was, he could walk amazingly quietly. A few times, she lost track of his footsteps.

" I hope you have better luck than I did in getting her to leave," S'iirai joked, "I guess I got the idea stuck in her head that she could train at the forest and then she refused to go back with me."

His response was a low, clicking rumble. But it didn't sound threatening or irritated. Actually, it sounded ponderous, as if he were considering her words and perhaps even agreeing with her.

Reaching the spot where she'd left Luar'ka, S'iirai was puzzled to see that the Avian was nowhere to be seen. She frowned, "I could have sworn I left her right here."

A shrill, far off shriek met their ears on the breeze drifting in. It was cut off abruptly. S'iirai looked over as the Yautja beside her issued a loud, guttural sound somewhere between a bark and a roar. There was no reply. She watched as he suddenly strode forward toward the trees, moving deftly between them and disappearing into the darkened shade running through them. S'iirai wanted to follow, but something about the way he had moved ahead of her had instructed her to stay put. She remained rooted on the hillside, watching as he disappeared and crossing her arms with a sigh. Eventually, S'iirai glanced up at the sky beginning to turn majestic shades of scarlet and violet and cast one more glance toward the trees. Either he was having a hard time finding her or she was making it difficult to retrieve her., both of which were likely. S'iirai knew she had to return for the time being. She only hoped she'd have the chance to speak with Luar'ka once more before the Yautja returned to space.

/ooo/

Kar'kha easily maneuvered through the dense foliage, keeping his cloak deactivated as he wandered in the midst of the enormous trees that made up the aged forest. So far, there was no sign of his wayward apprentice. The forest was just as eerily quiet as it always was on this planet. Sunlight streamed down, warming the vegetation and filling every exposed surface with warmth. As a result, his vision exploded ten fold. The warmer his surroundings, the better his vision became. Contrasting shadows created a myriad of cooler colors, giving him a good idea of depth and distance as he picked his way nimbly through the thick shrubs. The warmer something was, the brighter it stood out, making all possible temperature variants take on a variety of shades and hues of different colors. This gave his kind a wide range of vision. This made it easier with inorganic materials that gave off no heat, such as metals, which simply appeared black or gray, again, also depending on the temperature of the surroundings.

So Hunting for Luar'ka became a little easier. It had become apparent that her natural body temperature was a fair bit lower than most other creatures the Yautja came across. Like them, she clearly needed heat in order to thrive best and didn't seem too bothered by how hot the ships were kept. Her shades of temperature could be picked up in various tones of dark blues. When she raised her feathers in defiance or anger, they would flash in his vision as a bright, blue orange, the heat signature of the blood she was flushing through them. He peered up through the trees, searching for the telltale blue heat signature.

A sharp shriek, similar to the one he'd heard earlier, echoed through the forest, this one louder and clearer. He turned toward it, replacing his mask to his face to zoom in on the trees. This made his vision less clear, but further reaching. He zoned in on an object that plummeted down through the trees, crashing into the thick foliage below. He approached cautiously, climbing onto an upraised tree root with one hand on the trunk for balance as he peered down at the disturbed vegetation. Without too much surprise, Luar'ka's signature feathered crown popped out of the fronds and she hissed in annoyance as she shook the dirt from her head. He watched as she picked herself up and turned her head upward toward the canopy. He observed curiously as she shook herself off and then turned toward the nearest tree, digging her claws in and shimmying up the trunk with surprising speed. Her movements were much faster than any Yautja could manage while climbing. But she also didn't have as much weight and muscle mass holding her back, to say nothing of the gear and armor they had to carry. Her tail lashed as she reached a branch about halfway up the tree and she perched there a moment, surveying the terrain around her. He saw her wings open, her body crouching low as she apparently prepared to spring. He clicked a few times curiously, wondering if this is what she'd been doing all day since she disappeared. As she launched herself off the branch and sailed through the treetops, he had to admit, he was surprised. Than'ja had theorized that she would never gain an interest in flying, as she'd seemingly said as much over the past season during her time in the healing ward. Even as she lost her balance in the air and flipped over, tumbling to the ground with a short scream, he had to admit, he was oddly impressed that she was even trying to fly to begin with. No wonder she hadn't come back; she wouldn't get another chance to practice among trees like this for a long time to come. He activated the cloak and stood absolutely motionless, lost to sight as she jumped up out of the shrubs and tore past him, scurrying up the same tree and nimbly climbing out onto a higher branch. This time, she sat there a while, just staring out over the horizon. He wondered if she was taking a break, perhaps having worn herself out from crashing so many times. The sound of bird calls met his ears and he glanced up, watching a flock of native birds take to the wing in a taller tree not far from where the Avian sat. Her eyes followed them the entire way as they made their way through the dense canopy and out into the open sky. Kar'kha turned abruptly when he heard the sound of her wings beating furiously all of a sudden. He watched as she once again launched into a smooth glide across the forest. Her heat signature suddenly bloomed to a bright blue orange as she seemingly focused all her attention on keeping her body straight while she glided toward the next tree. Having previously kept her wings outward and stiff, she began to beat them ever so slightly, gaining her several inches in height for a brief period of time with each motion. She was approaching the next tree rapidly and he heard her shriek again as she crashed into an outstretched branch, tumbling over it and snagging it with her foot talons. Now, she hung upside down from the branch and he heard her snarl in irritation as she struggled to right herself, digging her claws into the soft bark and climbing headfirst down the tree a short ways before turning and scaling back up to the same branch she'd collided with. But the second she was once again perched upon it, she opened her mouth and let out a sharp wail, one that traveled through the trees and echoed fiercely through his ears, making him snarl angrily. But it occurred to him that this was her version of a roar of victory at her success.

Kar'kha stood a silent vigil and just watched her for a bit longer. He was fascinated by the fluctuations made in her heat signature as she took off from the tree branch, gliding through the air once again. Her signature was now quite vividly colorful and patterned from the heat her body generated during this odd exertion. Her wings especially glowed magnificent shades of deep red, every feather outlined so perfectly with this display that he could see them excellently. Every feature was outlined brilliantly as the blood flushed through her body and rushed heat to every cell. For the first time since he found her, he saw her clearly. And he could see what the records spoke of regarding an Avian in flight.

It was mesmerizing.

/ooo/

The sun was dipping below the horizon. On this planet, instead of setting in the west, the sun sank down into the eastern horizon. Luar'ka found it odd. But no more so than she did on the ship where the only light was generated through the same energy that powered the plasma cannons. It was weak light, designed only to give the Yautja a daytime/nighttime sense to allow them to sleep when the lights were turned off. The Yautja for the most part limited their activities to their very long daylight hours, sleeping mostly in the darkness of the nighttime hours as aligned by their home planet, which she still had yet to see. Their eyes didn't need the light like hers used to; their thermal vision was so sensitive that from what she understood, they could pick out the absolute finest details of anything that gave off heat, every contour, every line, every angle, every particle, simply by how the temperature shades created by the heat melded together to form shapes. She had a hard time picturing it, but luckily for her, she didn't need to. Her eyes were attuned to even the faintest light, so she saw just fine in the limited light aboard the ship. And they were getting stronger. In the dim light of the forest, her peripheral vision, something the Yautja didn't appear to have, caught the sight of a fleeing mammal of some kind beneath a fallen log. Her heart raced in her chest as the opportunity to Hunt presented itself. Still perched in her tree after seven more successful gliding attempts, she eyed the log, a new goal etching itself into her mind. Her wings twitched and her thighs braced. Unconsciously, just as R'zha had instructed her to do in the kehrite, her knees bent, lowering her body both as a means to shadow her presence and to brace to bolt. Her tongue flashed out across her lip-less mouth, allowing her newly erupted sharp teeth to peek out for a moment. She had twelve teeth at the moment, but every day, one became looser as her adult teeth forced their way to the surface, seemingly doubling in number. But the pain was minimal and she clicked her teeth in anticipation. Opening her wings, she practiced what she'd been honing all day, releasing the branch and gently floating downward, gliding swiftly across the canopy. Her hips and thighs dipped slightly as her exhaustion began to creep up on her, tempting her to drop her body, which would, as she'd learned far too many times, inevitably drop her glide to the ground as well. But at least now she was getting an inkling on how to land once she finally got to that step. Forcing her body to remain straight, she swooped down to a lower branch, now pulling her legs forward and angling herself back, stretching her talons out to grab the supple bark of the tree branch. She managed to snag a hold, flailing silently a moment as she fought for balance. Teeth grinding in silent panic of falling, she lashed out and snagged the trunk, hugging it and struggling to keep her breathing soft and slow as her heartbeat settled. Her tail waved slowly behind her as she turned, refocusing on her prey. She could just barely see it beneath the log, the outline of its tail visible just inside the dead wood. Repeating the same steps, she glided down again, this time landing near noiselessly on the log. She moved as silently as possible, eyes focused on the other end as her sensitive hearing caught the sounds of the animal scratching the ground beneath her. She could almost feel its vibrations through the pads of her feet, it was so near. Crouching at the edge of the log, she folded her knees back and huddled down, watching silently. She could smell the creature now and her mouth watered. It had been almost two whole days since she'd eaten and though Than'ja hadn't believed her, it was starting to become apparent that she needed to eat a lot and often in order to continue growing. It seemed she had to maintain a lot of energy for her body size. This small animal, whatever it was, would probably only be as good as a snack at the rate she was going.

The scratching sounds grew louder. Luar'ka held perfectly still, eyes glued on the opening to the log as the animal approached. Its little nose poked out tentatively, scenting the air. Before it could get very far, it caught her scent and bolted toward the bushes. Luar'ka snarled and zipped off the log in hot pursuit, her eyes locked on the creature as it ran. However, the Avian female was practiced by this point and more confident in her speed and agility. The creature jinked to the right to dive into a thick patch of ferns, but Luar'ka plunged downward after it, catching its back foot between her teeth. She scrabbled to her feet, raised the shrieking creature up, still in her mouth, and then slammed it viciously back down onto the ground. Its cries cut off abruptly. Luar'ka paused to catch her breath, eying her motionless kill with a combination of amazement and pride; amazed that she'd caught it, and pride that she'd even caught it in the first place. Her first kill of that deer the year before had been pure chance, as she was lucky enough to land on its back when it and its herd ran past her hiding spot. This time, she'd actually stalked and Hunted her first meal. As she eyed its soft pelt, barely stained in any blood, she smiled a little when she realized that the creature's hide was just big enough to make some new garments for her. They had to be softer than the scratchy old furs she'd been given to improvise with. She decided to save eating her kill until she returned to the ship, bending down and picking it up in her jaws as she tugged her wings and arms down and stalked off silently through the trees.

Meanwhile, still cloaked not twenty feet away, Kar'kha stood stock still, watching her leave. He'd seen the whole thing, watched her stalk and snag the creature from its potential escape, right up until the very moment its red hot body began to bleed blue upon its swift, crushing death against the ground. She clearly followed the rules for Hunting nourishment kills, as well. Prey meant for food must never suffer. It was likely that creature never knew what had hit it. As he stepped out from his hiding place, Kar'kha's eyes narrowed as he made up his mind to introduce Luar'ka to one of the other habits involved with Yautja Hunting for food in the wild. His own brothers had done this to him multiple times. Luar'ka was technically still his apprentice and he hadn't gotten much time with her, yet. It was time to pass on the tradition. Deactivating the cloak, he removed his mask and strapped it to his shoulder. Stepping forward, he arched his back, spread his feet apart and flared his mandibles in a deep, bellowing roar in her direction. Luar'ka jumped high in alarm as she whirled around in midair, her wings opening to balance herself as she dropped her kill. Her mouth opened in a loud snarl on impulse, her body relaxing slightly when she saw Kar'kha. However, this proved to be a mistake as Kar'kha stamped forward, reaching her in just a few strides. Mandibles spread wide, his teeth bared completely, Kar'kha hissed viciously at her, lashing out and grabbing her arm. He swung her around and hurled her away, slamming her against the trunk of the nearest tree where she crumpled to the ground, momentarily stunned. Croaking in pain, she sat up shakily, her vision wobbly from the blow. She looked up and saw him reach down to grab the animal she'd killed. Instantly, her pupils dilated and she stared at him in shock and disbelief that he was pilfering her kill. Never mind what he was doing here in the first place; he was actually stealing her food!

His head turned to look at her and he let out a low, rumbling hiss, eyes narrowed dangerously, full of promises to hurt her if she dared approach him. Luar'ka felt helpless; what was she supposed to do? Why was he doing this? It wasn't as if they were short on food; they'd just had the ship supplied when they left the Jag'd'dja' atoll!

Unsure of what to do, Luar'ka just stood there, staring dumbly at him as he crouched on the ground with her fresh kill in his grasp. He continued to growl deeply at her, the throaty clicks sending waves of unease through her. She'd forgotten just how intimidating he could be when he wanted to, and this was technically the first time she'd seen his angry facial expressions through his aggression, since he'd been masked the first time.

He turned away from her and flipped the creature over in his hands. Luar'ka gasped in horror and dismay when he suddenly ripped open its belly with his sharp claws to get at its soft, nutritious innards. Its dark red blood ran freely in thick rivulets down both sides of its furry body, drenching the soft pelt she'd so desperately wanted to use for more comfortable coverings, to say nothing of the meat she wanted to eat herself. He raised it to his mouth and grasped it with his mandibles to hold the skin and hide open while he buried his teeth in its belly, tearing it apart from the inside.

Luar'ka snarled then, taking a step forward, her tail lashing angrily behind her. Kar'kha raised his head, bellowing angrily at her. She hesitated, and he returned to his ill-gotten meal. But Luar'ka's blood burned, her feathers raising. Her face went pale as she unconsciously flushed blood into her feathers for the first time in her life, the blood shooting all the way down through her tail. This created vivid red patterns to form on the tips of her feathers and she felt that same old tingling sensation shoot up and down her spine as her feathers raised on impulse, exactly as it had done before her feathers even developed.

Kar'kha glanced over again and was surprised to see her normally jet black feathers, exuding no heat, abruptly take on a stunning display of flaming red as they suddenly gained a heat signature. Her entire spine and tail were aglow, her feathers like flames erupting from her head.

Luar'ka shrieked loudly and charged toward him, launching herself onto his back faster than he could react. Gouging her claws deep into his thick hide, she started attacking his face, biting and scratching at his wide crest and opening deep gouges. Kar'kha roared his fury and dropped the creature he'd stolen, jumping to his feet and grabbing at her flailing tail, prying her writhing form off of him and swinging her in a wide arc, hurling her across the forest floor. Luar'ka was ready this time though, twisting in midair and slashing at the ground to slow her momentum, reversing it as she lunged forward and raked his abdomen with her claws, darting away before he could grab her.

The entire close combat system for Yautja encompassed a series of brutal holds and grabs meant to either force an opponent into submission during a spar, or else to expose vulnerable areas such as the face, neck, backs of the legs, or groin. Yautja usually used their own massive weight and impressive muscle mass to overwhelm and overpower opponents, often throwing, slamming, and beating them into submission in any way possible. However, these methods couldn't be used on Luar'ka in a usual fight for one reason; she was just too fast. Lighter than a kainde amedha no doubt and certainly lighter than a Yautja, she was capable of speed and agility that even the quickest Yautja couldn't meet. Kar'kha was forced to watch her movements, enduring strike after strike against him and doing his best to block them until he finally found an opening. As she jumped off a tree behind him and launched herself toward his neck, he turned, shifting his center of gravity and delivering a heavy kick to her abdomen. She went down with a breathless cry, sprawling on the ground in pain. He knew that blow had stunned her. She didn't move, but he could hear her struggling to stifle her whimpers of pain. He suspected he'd probably broken a few bones and perhaps damaged the muscle walls. He returned to his place and finished off the creature, even eating its bones as he worked them into his deeper set of teeth, crunching them down until they were small enough to swallow without scraping the inside of his throat. His long two-pronged tongue slipped out to clean his mandibles and the sides of his mouth of the creature's blood. He tossed the skin aside, knowing she probably wanted to claim it. Like any smaller predator bested by a larger one, he suspected Luar'ka would make do with scavenging scraps. Besides, it was too small for him to do anything useful with.

He cast one final glance at her as she slowly began to pick herself up off the ground, eyes downcast in shame and pain. He resisted the urge to chuff; she needn't feel ashamed. After all, he was teaching her, and he planned to do this as many times as it took until she could successfully steal back her food. Leaving her be, he stalked off through the trees.

Luar'ka watched him go, feeling the dull ache where he'd kicked her. He hadn't broken anything, thank the Paya, but the combination of her brief scuffle with him on top of spending the entire day practicing gliding had exhausted her. She could have really used that meal. It confused her briefly for a moment; that creature had been far too small to do his body any good. At first, she wondered what possible reason he could have to steal it from her. Then, it hit her.

He had wanted her to challenge him. He had wanted her to fight for her food back. There was no other explanation. The Yautja had massive, high maintenance bodies that, like hers, required a lot of energy to function. Than'ja had taught her that she and the Yautja all seemed to be cold-blooded, requiring heat to thrive. He said that many reptiles and some creatures like them found throughout the galaxy functioned this way, most notably those on N'-ithya. However, there was a major difference between their two species and those of the common reptiles they shared so much in common with; the Avians and the Yautja were highly active creatures. Once sufficiently warmed, they could be as active as they needed to be. To make up for this tremendous energy output, they were required to consume large amounts of highly nutritious food to replenish their bodies at regular intervals. There was no possible way Kar'kha could have wanted that small animal just for this purpose. Luar'ka used this knowledge to assume what she did, thinking that perhaps this was another bizarre way Kar'kha thought to further her training. He might even instruct the rest of the pack to do the same. Luar'ka would have to toughen up quickly if she wanted to eat again. But now, she was too tired to Hunt and too famished to even think about it. Ignoring the scraping ache of her empty stomach, she sighed and trekked back through the forest toward the settlement, now dearly wishing for knowledge of flight so she could save herself a few thousand steps.

/ooo/

A few more mild repairs were needed on the antiquated engine. Thwei'ja declared they would leave within a very short while. When Luar'ka returned, she was exhausted, starving, and weary. She watched from the hillside, her wings hanging limply behind her as her brothers worked on the ship. Kar'kha was there as well, but he didn't notice her, or if he did, he ignored her. Luar'ka just observed him, calculating. She was wary of him for the moment, the depth of his actions from earlier not entirely lost on her, but not entirely forgiven, either. She'd needed that meal. She'd used a lot of energy during the day struggling to embrace the heritage of her kind she'd almost lost forever. But even though a part of her desired to get back at him for what he'd done, the more rational, Yautjan mindset she'd developed under their tutelage reminded her that he was one of her teachers. What he'd done was simply what he had to do in order to force her to grow the way she needed to while living in their society. And it was probable that he would continue to do this until she learned how to fight back. In many ways, the Yautja were quite peaceable amongst themselves. But in many other ways, they were as brutal with one another as they were with their enemies, particularly where honor was concerned.

A few mechanically minded Illmorein had taken the plunge and stepped up to help with the engines. Luar'ka watched them silently, her sharp eyes picking up the way their faces remained stiff and their eyes flicked occasionally to their visitors, perhaps keeping alert for any problems.

Down below, Thwei'ja descended the ramp, snarling at a couple of male Illmorein who crossed past him. They scuttled out of the way as Thwei'ja moved off to the other side of the ship. As any skilled Hunter would, he sensed he was being watched and quickly located Luar'ka on the ridge. He met her gaze and held it, warning her from afar not to cross his boundaries any further than she already had. Luar'ka kept her eyes locked with his for only a moment or two longer than she probably should have before finally lowering her head in submission, turning away in silent, slow retreat.

"He's quite cantankerous, isn't he?"

Luar'ka froze in a short step, eyes wide in front of her as S'iirai made her way up the grassy knoll to stand with her friend. Her flowing silver mane of opalescent tendrils rippled in the breeze and in the setting sun, her blue-black eyes seemed to sparkle like the night sky. Luar'ka still wasn't sure if there were indeed any whites to their eyes at all, but was too tired to question. S'iirai glanced briefly at her and then returned her gaze to the ship below. She sighed, folding her arms, "I saw you standing up here. How come you're not down there with them?"

"It is too long a tale to go into, now." Luar'ka muttered in reply.

"We have a while, yet."

But Luar'ka couldn't be persuaded. The two remained on the hillside, chatting quietly and watching the Yautja repair their ship.

"We didn't get much time to talk this time, did we?" S'iirai said.

"No, we did not. It is a shame; I had wanted to talk more. But we must leave for N'-ithya immediately." Luar'ka replied, "When I was taken, the kainde amedha were commonplace, but not entirely under control. Elder Sechinde wants to know why."

"How do you feel about going back?"

"I feel nothing. This is a mission. I will get through it, survive, and return to the Jag'dja'd atoll to complete my training."

"And your family?" S'iirai pried, concerned that Luar'ka was so unconcerned.

"What of them?"

"Do you wonder where they are?"

"We are watching them, of course." Luar'ka said, gesturing toward the Yautja below the hill. S'iirai rolled her eyes, "You can convince yourself of it all you like if it helps, Luar'ka. But you're going to have to come to terms with it. You may run into your family when you go back."

Luar'ka stretched her wings, "I will handle that when I get to it," she said, "I have more important things to worry about."

"Like what?"

"My honor, of course."

S'iirai rolled her eyes with a deep sigh.

/ooo/

The intense light of the burning sun of Illmianyar dipped down beyond the horizon, leaving a soft orange and yellow glow caressing the hilltops. The rise and sets of planetary stars were hardly anything to notice as one became older. Even on the homeworld, which possessed more than one energy-suffusing star locked in an orbit with a larger, neighboring star, while one was setting below the planet's orbit, another was rising. The homeworld knew no true night time and Warkha understood his species' planet as one which would be considered unwelcoming by many other species' standards. However, his kind had evolved to thrive on it, their energy and activity soaring on such high levels of intense heat and the tropical humidity found at lower altitudes.

He stood on the outskirts of the Illmorein encampment, awaiting a return transmission from the other Yautja group in the area. It had taken longer to repair the damage to his ship than he'd been expecting. Keeping it in functional working shape was critical since the majority of his life was currently spent in it by his lonesome. He didn't care about that too much, but he knew he couldn't leave until he was sure it was space-worthy.

So here he stood, stock still and watching the star's descent across the eastern horizon. He had to admit, it was oddly peaceful and his highly sensitive eyes kept track of the hot, burning reds fading to cool, soft blues, illuminating the landscape in a translucent sea of colder colors. He could pick out every detail, from those strange deer running across the plains to the expanse of rocky outcropping on the edge of the cliffs across the valley. He glanced down at his own ethereally white skin, which, due to his condition, was a bit thinner than most of his brethren and as a result, caused his heat output to skyrocket and his luminescent blood to glow through his hide. Hence, his entire body appeared as a single glowing white form in the heat sensors, or so he'd been told. This effect doubled during the night hours. He'd been told he took on a rather surreal effect during these times. Hence, why many referred to him as Bhu'ja, or specter.

He turned sharply, eying the settlement with distaste. His striking eyes, the same color as the Yautjan blood from lack of pigmentation, narrowed as he let out a deep huff of impatience and irritation. He hated dealing with the Illmorein. They were far too skittish, far too strange, and far too cowardly. They maintained an honor system of their own, but their world was so backwards compared to the life he'd known that he couldn't even comprehend their thinking, let alone their actions and ways of life. Whenever he approached them, though he meant them no harm and came to them with calm intentions, they always fled from him. It angered him, knowing how much effort he put into being as peaceful as possible around them and it still wasn't enough. However, he knew better than to voice his concerns. After all, the Illmorein were a different race and the diametric opposite of the Yautja in almost every conceivable way. They couldn't be expected to act the same or even condone the same practices the Yautja exhibited. Warkha had long since gotten used to it and learned to put aside his own irritations in favor of the Clan's best interests. For many, many decades, this was the lifestyle he'd grown accustomed to. Until just a season ago, this was the life he expected to lead until the Paya called him to join them.

Of course, that was before she appeared.

Warkha clacked his tusks together, tossing his head with a grunt.

The Avian. That tiny, feathered female whose life he'd inadvertently saved the season before. Only a youngster, barely reaching his hip at the time of their meeting, he'd been astounded to learn that the injuries inflicted on the Bad Blood Yautja had been caused by her blunt little claws and talons. He couldn't take his eyes off her, the sight of the blood on her hands and her garments proof enough that she'd fought for her life and survived. And then the stories he'd heard of when she was found by Thwei'ja's pack on N'-ithya, how she'd single-handedly driven off one of the kainde amedha and held her own against a Yautja, albeit a young male, freshly Blooded.

Warkha rumbled deep in his throat at the memory. He recalled one of the reasons he'd accepted the position as Arbitrator; normal common Hunting no longer presented the same challenge it once had. His successful killing and retrieval of that great sea beast had cemented his rank and honor as a highly powerful Yautja among the Triad. However, he couldn't seem to find the same fresh enjoyment he once had of great Hunts of cunning prey. Even humans no longer issued forth a thrill for him. Of course he, like most Hunters, had heard the legends of the great beasts of myth, some possibly having been real, others more likely simply stories. However, one creature had managed to maintain a hold on the Yautjan historical records as one of the most challenging and thrilling prey they have ever faced. Second only to the kainde amedha, who were simply more aggressive and openly hostile, the Avians had once held the human race's spot as powerful and cunning prey. Believed extinct, they fell into legend over the generations, their information and data banished to the depths of the archives, no longer available to common Hunters.

After meeting Luar'ka, Warkha had found himself unable to stop from thinking about her, thinking about whether or not she was truly one such creature from that long forgotten race. It had taken a lot of work on his part, but he'd finally managed to uncover their ancient name from the archives. To the Yautja, the Avians were known as gyun'r'te amedha, a name he thought fit rather well. And all available statistics fit perfectly. There was no denying it.

The Avians weren't extinct and for the first time in many, many seasons, Warkha felt the stirring of adrenaline pump through his body at the thought of a Hunt. His pulse quickened and he found he was unable to stand still. A deep, pleased rumble reverberated through his chest and he felt it morph into a purr at the thought.

He moved away from his ship, now too restless to continue waiting. He had meant to arrive much earlier, had the repairs not gotten in the way. He had a good idea of where Thwei'ja's group was. He vaguely hoped that the female Avian would be among them as she'd been on the supply station in orbit.

He crossed over the hill on the east side of the settlement. He didn't bother cloaking. The Illmorein didn't bother him and so long as they stayed out of his way, he wouldn't bother them, either. He passed a couple of Illmorein walking along the hillside. They immediately noticed him coming and froze up in terror, slowly retreating down the hill as he moved past. He spared them only a single, passive glance, rumbling softly. This croon was meant to be calming, but he'd noticed over the course of his life that other lifeforms seemed to find it more or less horrifying. Predictably, the Illmorein scurried as far from him as quickly as they could, back toward the tents. Warkha sighed heavily in irritation and bafflement; he'd never fully understand those creatures and he harbored no desire to do so.

As he approached the next crest, he caught sight of the other ship, touched down on the plains. He could see the pack preparing it for its return to space. He approached unguarded, but with caution. He saw the same Yautja he'd met on board the supply ship, as well as a taller individual working beside him as they apparently began to pack their gear up in preparation to leave. The one nearest him growled suddenly, standing up and facing him. Warkha remained undeterred, nodding in greeting as he drew nearer, "There is no need for hostilities. I am here on peaceful terms."

The younger individual backed down, refusing to remove him from his line of sight. Warkha approached closer, keeping his guard up, "I wish to speak with Thwei'ja. Is he here?"

"Aboard the ship." was the disgruntled reply.

Warkha didn't need to proceed further, though. As he turned to approach the ship, he caught something in his vision, piquing his curiosity. He angled back, staring out toward the hills as he caught sight of the Avian he'd been searching for, approaching the ship with one of the Illmorein. Warkha's eyes narrowed and he ticked his tusks together as he turned, facing them as they approached. He watched as Luar'ka seemed to catch sight of him, pausing where she stood. He felt a rise of anticipation in his chest as he watched her feathers furl in suspicion, though her procession toward them didn't halt. He could see abnormally colored patches of warmth blooming across her normally placid body; obvious signs of bruising and injury. He wondered what she could have done to herself in the relatively short time they'd been apart.

((Avian,)) he greeted cordially as she approached, ((I am pleased to see you arrived in good condition.))

She didn't answer this time, just staring him down coldly. Warkha drew nearer to her, his eyes narrowing. Luar'ka matched his steps with two backward ones of her own while S'iirai watched in apprehension, unconsciously moving to shield her friend from the perceived threat. Warkha leered at this display, torquing his upper tusks in amusement. Perhaps this time, she would run, giving him the ample opportunity he needed in which to pursue her.

((You are injured,)) he remarked, ((But not gravely, so. This is good...))

He unsheathed his wrist blades as he approached her. To his surprise, Luar'ka moved out from behind the Illmorein and flared her wings and feathers, snarling her displeasure at his nearness to them. Warkha felt his spines stiffen in annoyance when this was returned with an answering growl from inside the ship. Thwei'ja emerged down the ramp and his two pack-mates stood up, eying him. Thwei'ja took in the situation, his eyes narrowed dangerously, ((Warkha, I had warned you. You are to wait to challenge the Endling. What is the meaning of this?))

Warkha could see he was caught breaking his word. He knew better than to reason his motives in front of Thwei'ja, who wouldn't believe anything he had to say. He cast a quick glance toward the Avian and then sheathed his blades, averting his eyes from the elder Yautja standing before him, ((You are correct, Thwei'ja. I stepped out of line. It would seem my interest got the better of me.))

((What do you want?))

((I came to inform you that I shall handle discussion of the destroyed Sert'truuc vessel and its Illmorein captive. I was the one who brought it down, so the responsibility rests on me.))

Thwei'ja regarded him quietly as he considered the offer. Truth be told, he'd had enough of dealing with the Illmorein for one day. He let out a rattling sigh, nodding his head in affirmation, ((Very well. I will leave it to you, then.))

Warkha chuffed softly and turned, stalking away from the ship. He glanced back once as the Avian cautiously picked her way closer to the shuttle. His eyes narrowed and he pressed his tusks tightly against his face, working to contain his building frustration. Soon enough, he told himself. Soon enough he would be able to test her, discover her true talents in battle. He was certain she was too unskilled to match the records he'd seen, but he was too anxious to wait for her to mature. He had to know now.

But now, he could continue to wait, just as he'd been doing.

Thwei'ja turned to face the two young females approaching. He was surprised with the willing appearance of the young Illmorein. Normally, they kept to themselves, especially where the Yautja were concerned. He tossed his head, irritated that he'd been called outside from preparations for such a petty squabble. Honestly, he hadn't expected Warkha to be that forward in regards to the female Avian. As he watched the white Yautja make his way toward the settlement, his eyes narrowed and he pulled his tusks close to his mouth. He wasn't sure he liked this shift in attitude. Annoyance or not, the Avian was still a part of the pack he led. She was still officially in training. He made note of this as she stood before him, head bowed in submission, as was proper.

((We depart shortly.)) he growled to her.

((Yes, Thwei'ja.)) she replied.

He repeated the announcement to the other males and then returned to the ship to finish his work before takeoff.

Luar'ka watched her brothers board the ship before facing S'iirai, "I am sorry about that." she said, "Warkha is a bit...uh...he is...um..."

S'iirai eyed her in confusion, "Eccentric?" she ventured. Luar'ka let out a deep, huffing sigh not too dissimilar from those made by the Yautja, "Yes, that word works."

S'iirai chuckled, "There is no concern. It seems your leader had his feathers ruffled by the whole incident, Luar'ka. Best not keep him waiting."

The Avian mustered up a grin of amusement as she remembered Thwei'ja's short temper, "Yes, I have seen him angry and that is enough. I hope to see you again soon, S'iirai."

She clapped her friend on the shoulder, shaking her quickly. Tucking her wings back, she turned and hurried up the ramp of the ship. S'iirai bolted away from the ship as the ramp was raised up to fuse with the open side of the vessel as it began to lift off the ground. Standing on the grassy hillsides, the Illmorein watched as the ship turned gracefully in the air and its engines roared to life, pushing it swiftly into the heavens and vanishing from sight in minutes.

A/N: So, crazy busy, painting, working, writing, and sleeping. That last one is an elusive bugger. This book has been divided into two and work on the third one has slowed down considerably until I know more about what's going on with it. In the meantime, werewolfbleu has a few new stories out that could use some attention, Dances with Werewolves, a surprisingly entrancing story featuring a creature who is anything but a normal werewolf, and Not Your Average Fairytale, telling the story of quite possibly the weirdest idea ever captured for the Alien Vs. Predator universe done so exquisitely well and so gut-wrenchingly funny that I dare someone to keep a straight face while reading it. It is truly a work of art and a masterpiece of creative writing. Do yourselves a favor and check it out.