Chapter 12: Bonding

During the night, my hunt was successful but it took me a while longer than what I was used to. At first, I just wanted to hunt elk that were grazing nearby but I almost forgot that if I didn't get something for the guys and Rory, then they would definitely complain. Lar'ja would certainly eat the whole elk but the problem would be that he would probably kill anyone who gets near him and his meal. I needed to find more prey so as to avoid that situation.

I would have to thank McKenna for the rifle he gave me earlier. It was useful in killing 5 rabbits that were scurrying around but for the elk, it was a different story. I had to wait for an hour until one strayed from the herd and drifted under the branch I was hanging from. I could have used the rifle but I had only a couple of bullets left so I used my knife to pierce into its neck when I dropped on it. It was quick and painless but the hard part was dragging it back to the cave.

Normally, it would have been a major struggle for me but on this night, I pulled on the elk's body like it was nothing. When did I get this strong?

I brushed it aside and focused on delivering my kills. Eventually, I saw the glow from the fire based near the cave. I could hear a commotion that almost sounded like an argument. Out of curiosity, I walked quietly until I could hear Nebraska and McKenna going at each other.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that they would still be looking for us? This is bullshit!"

"You could have blown the cover for us! That was way too close!"

I stayed close but far enough so that I wouldn't get myself involved. Clearly, something was upsetting both of them but I had no clue. McKenna was steaming with aggression but wiped his face to calm himself down. On the other hand, Nebraska was ready for another round. I decided to intervene before anything else goes wrong.

"Hey. What's going on?"

As soon as they heard my voice, they turned to see me coming towards them. McKenna sighed while Nebraska just fixed his clothes and smiled at me. "Hello, gorgeous. You came back at last."

I wanted to throw up. He's too old for me and I can only guess that he must be in his 40's or something while I'm only 20 years old. Can't he just give up already?

Ignoring him, I turned to address McKenna. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

McKenna gave me a look of frustration but I could sense that it had nothing to do with me. "It's Stargazer. They followed us again."

My heart dropped for a minute at the mention of Stargazer. However, I told myself that I didn't have all the facts so I pressed McKenna for more questions.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, both Nebraska and I went out to find some tools to repair the trailer but when we came close to town, soldiers were around and asking people if they have seen us."

"And?"

I could see McKenna getting more frustrated. "Nebraska wanted to sneak in and steal the parts but it almost ended in disaster. One of the soldiers almost recognized him and I got us out before he could put two n' two together."

When I heard that Nebraska tried to pull off a pathetic stunt, I gave him an angry leer into his eyes. For once, he got the message that I wasn't happy as he backed off and sat down on a rock near the fire. Once he was far away, I resumed my conversation with McKenna.

"But no one discovered you?"

"None or else they would have found us by now."

I relaxed momentarily, relieved that we weren't compromised. "That's good. What does that mean for the repairs?"

"It will be another few days before we can go back and gather what we need. That means we need more food."

"Good. I brought a present for all of you."

I unhooked the bag that had the dead rabbits and tossed it into McKenna's hands. He was surprised that I was so generous in handing him a potential meal. It was little but hopefully, they will be grateful about it.

"Should last a couple days if rationed well but I will go hunting again. Just in case."

I started to walk towards the entrance of the cave when McKenna stopped me. "What about the elk you're carrying? Why can't we have that?"

What? I gave you a free meal and you're asking about the elk?

"It's for our alien friend in the cave. He needs to eat too and as far as I can see, some of you can lose the weight."

McKenna's mouth opens wide like a fish out of water at my statement. I just smirked at him and continued on my merry way. While I was walking, I saw Coyle and Baxley sleeping on the other side of the fire while Lynch fumbled with his playing cards that I kept wondering why he needed them. Nettles was also asleep but curled in a ball at the base of a nearby tree, twitching his legs as I assumed he was dreaming.

Then I saw Brackett and the look on her face threatened to make me chuckle. She was holding the cheek that I smacked earlier with an ice pack, trying to get the swelling down. We locked eyes for a moment and I could see the anger spilling out of them but I slit my eyes so that she knew not to mess with me again. You asked for it. Now, suffer the consequences.

Turning away, I made it to the entrance but saw Lar'ja's armor laying outside of the cave. I twisted my head to call for Lynch.

"Hey, Lynch. Why didn't you take the armor into the cave?"

"And get ripped apart by that alien? Not in a million years."

I guess that I expected Lynch to not go inside with an angry yautja anyway but it became a hassle since I need to bring both the elk and Lar'ja's armor inside. I would need to make two trips back and forth. It was then that Rory came to my side, tugging my sleeve like any child would do to get someone's attention.

"Do you need help?"

I looked down at Rory and was hesitant to give an answer. Especially with McKenna watching us from afar with a concerned look.

"I don't know Rory. It might not be safe for you to come in right now."

"But I want to be useful. Please . . ."

I stared at Rory for a minute, seeing the pleading in his eyes before looking back at McKenna for any signs of disagreement. However, he just crossed his hands and nodded to me. I knew I had his permission to let Rory help me.

"Okay. Can you grab the armor and bring it in with us? Make sure you stay behind me so I can protect you in case something goes wrong."

"Okay."

Without delay, Rory gathered the armor in his hands, struggling a bit before he rearranged it to fit without collapsing. I grabbed the elk by the horns and we both made our way inside the cave. It was hard to see since the fire hadn't been attended while I was gone but there was some fire left. We stopped so that I could throw some pieces of wood that were left inside, allowing more light in the cave.

When we got closer to the far end, I could see Lar'ja lying down on his side by the wall with his back towards us. His skin looked like it was glowing from the light shining on it and I was mesmerized for a moment until I heard grumbling from him. I figured that he was awake from his nap and I made sure that he knew we were close to him.

"Hello."

Upon hearing me, Lar'ja twisted his body so that he was facing us but when he saw Rory next to me, he began to growl. It shook Rory a little bit before I put my hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Rory. He won't hurt us."

He nodded slowly at me but my words gave him little comfort as he watched Lar'ja try to get up but failing. I didn't want him to move but I needed Rory to get back to McKenna so I leaned down to whisper.

"Thank you for the help, Rory. You can go back to your dad."

"But—"

I gripped his shoulder tighter, just enough that he got my message to leave. Reluctantly, he put the armor down, turned around and walked away as I let go of him. He gave me one more glance before heading out with the others.

I didn't remember holding my breath until my chest began to hurt. I could only imagine that the situation would have been worse but thankfully, it wasn't. I dropped the elk behind me and grabbed the armor that Rory placed down on the ground, surprised at how cold it felt to the touch. I walked closer to Lar'ja and that stopped him dead in his tracks. I wasn't quite sure why but from his eyes, I could see the surprise in them.

"How did you—"

I cut him off. "Don't worry. I got your armor as promised so I'm going to set it down next to you. Okay?"

I slipped his armor on the ground next to his head, keeping it close so that he would feel more comfortable at knowing his stuff was back with him. Lar'ja checked his armor and clicked cheerfully that all of it was there. At least, that is what I thought he was feeling at that time since I'm still working on the translation. To be honest, I didn't know if I would ever understand his language completely but I could understand that Bad Blood before. It didn't make sense to me.

"Everything is there, Lar'ja. I made sure of it. I had to fight with Brackett to get them back."

Lar'ja removed his hand from the armor and made himself comfortable so that we were facing each other. It was an uncomfortable silence since I didn't know what he was interested in. When I came up empty handed, I decided to inquire about his injuries.

"How are your injuries? Looks like you're still hurt."

Lar'ja grunted. "It's fine. I should get better in a couple of days and then I need to finish my mission."

I raised an eyebrow, curious about what his 'mission' involved. "What mission?"

"It's none of your concern."

Somehow, I couldn't help but feel offended but at the same time, he didn't really trust humans yet so I just decided to be patient until he was ready. I was lost in my train of thoughts until I remembered something.

"Oh, yeah. I brought food for you."

"What?"

I got up and strolled to where I left the elk and grabbed it by the horns. I dragged it across until I dumped it in front of Lar'ja. To my surprise, he jolted a little and clicked furiously with his mandibles twitching just as bad. I chuckled at his reaction since I was trying to figure out if he was surprised that I got food for him or how large my kill was compared to me. Either way, it was funny until I noticed he was growling again.

"You're doing that noise again."

I chuckled again at his remark. "What noise?"

"The one you are doing right now. It's annoying."

I wanted to chuckle again but for his sake, I fought the urge to do so. I didn't want to make him mad since we were communicating but he sounded like a child, asking simple questions about everything I was doing.

"Well, I got some meat that you can eat. I'm not sure if you like this stuff but it will help get your strength back and heal faster."

Lar'ja looked at me before setting his sights on the elk and placed his hands on it. He moved across its fur, which made me wonder what the hell we was doing until he thrust his hand into its belly, ripping its abdomen like it was butter. I was used to this type of gore since I ate elk before but I would use a knife instead of my bare hands and he made it look easy.

Once he got to the desired meat, he took a part of it off and then placed it between his mandibles and uses them to shove the meat down his throat. The sickening sound of his teeth tearing it apart forced me to turn my gaze away but I didn't move. He repeated the process several times until the noise stopped suddenly.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Aren't you hungry?"

To be honest, I was but I didn't want to be greedy and try to take someone's meal, even though I did kill it myself. I tried to convince myself that I would get something else later.

"I'm fine. You need it more since you're injured and I'm not."

Lar'ja tilted his head slightly as if curious about something. "You were injured too. As I recall, you got stabbed when the Bad Blood threw you in the air. Plus, you got a deep cut on your arm as well."

My eyes widened in surprise. I didn't think he would remember anything about how I got injured. Soon, I began to worry inside myself, believing that he might have seen the blood flowing out of me and recognized that it was similar to his. Instinctively, I rubbed the bandage on my arm as I began to wonder if it's still bleeding underneath. It had only been a day so it was possible. My thoughts were interrupted by Lar'ja.

"Are you still hurt? Let me see."

His giant hand was reaching for the bandage but I pulled my hand away, afraid of what he might find. I gripped my arm tighter in defense.

"I said I was fine."

I said it more forcefully than I wanted to and I feared that he might retaliate but when I looked back at him, his eyes showed concern but also confliction. He probably didn't know that I would react like that so he pulls his hand back. The awkward silence returned but it didn't last long as Lar'ja ripped a piece of meat from the carcass and slowly raised it up, pushing it towards me.

"Anya."

It was the first time I heard him say my name and I whipped around to look at him.

"Here. You need to eat as well so take it."

I didn't know what to say or do. He was actually offering to share his meal with me. At that time, I wouldn't have believed it was possible but I couldn't help but smile a bit and grab it from him, being careful of not touching his skin. I was still afraid that my painful memories would return and I wasn't ready to deal with it.

"Thank you very much, Lar'ja."

Although Lar'ja ate his meat raw, I cooked mine in the fire until it was medium rare so it would still have some juice. Once it was done, I moved back near Lar'ja and ate mine with gusto. He was astonished by my appetite but I just wanted to finish my meal. My belly was completely full and my appetite was satisfied along with Lar'ja since he fell back asleep.

I watched his chest go up and down to match his breathing and I could tell he was having a peaceful sleep. Looking back, I had a pleasant time with him as I could recall that I never had something quite like this in a long time. But with that thought, the unpleasant memories returned and I closed my eyes tightly to stop it. It didn't work as they came stronger than ever.

Please! Let me go!

The soldiers surrounded me and began their barrage of kicks into my body. The pain was pulsing through my body and I was helpless to stop it. I raised my hands in defense but it was in vain. A hand grabbed them and swung me around until I hit the wall and dropped to the ground, whimpering like a dog.

"This is no use. We will get nothing for her. Why are we keeping her alive anyway?"

I couldn't tell whose voice it was. The ringing in my ears preventing me from hearing clearly but I didn't miss their words.

"She's valuable and may be the next step in our evolutionary chain. Besides, we got bigger problems that are beyond this planet. We need progress!"

Their words didn't make sense. What did I have that they needed? Why do they keep doing this?

Then, I could feel fingers wrapping around my neck and before I knew it, I was shoved on my stomach and onto the floor. I didn't have any time to recover as more hands pinned my legs and arms down, immobilizing me. I could only get a glimpse of the soldiers as they were on each side of me.

"We will have progress and if we need to go the extreme . . ."

I could hear the faint sound of a whip hitting the ground. The fear of the unknown grew inside me and I tried to scramble out of their hold but they were too strong. I was helpless . . .

". . . then so be it."

Then, the whip made contact with the skin of my back but the worst pain was when I felt a burning sensation going across it and I knew that they were burning me alive.

And then, I screamed . . .

I opened my eyes and I was back in the cave. I could still feel the searing pain on my back as if I was being tortured again. I reached over my shoulder and touched the edge of one of my burns, which I have forgotten for so long. It has become a habit of mine to bottle up my memories inside but ever since my encounter with Lar'ja, it had become difficult to do.

Speaking of which, I turned to see that Lar'ja was awake and staring at me. I jolted in surprise for a moment but the expression on his face had me more than a little confused. His mandibles were spread out a little, revealing his inner jaws that were slightly opened. His golden eyes were wide and filled with unsettlement. He spoke before I could get in a word.

"Is your back hurting?"

I answered back immediately. "It's nothing. Just a little bit."

"You sure? You were screaming in pain a minute ago and I thought you were injured a lot worse than I expected."

I tightened my brows closer to each other. Did I really scream in front of him? Did it happen again?

I opened my mouth but then Lar'ja's face turned from concern to anger as he began to growl. I tried to see if he was angry with me but I could tell that his eyes were directed behind me and that is when I turned to see Rory at the entrance, looking at us with a shocked expression. I'm not sure why he was like that until his words confirmed something that I wanted to avoid.

"Did he just talk? Like us?"

Lar'ja growls louder than ever and I had to become the pacifier in this situation.

"Lar'ja. It's okay. I'll take care of this."

It did ease him as his shoulders drooped down a little but his expression didn't change much. Now, I needed to explain to Rory about this.

"Rory . . . Listen to me. I know it's a bit shocking but I can explain."

"Explain? He can talk but didn't say anything to us. Why?"

"I know he can talk but he's not comfortable to speak out yet. He barely talks to me so please calm down and I'll tell you everything."

To be honest, I wanted to avoid having this conversation with anyone since it would bring up more questions than answers about Lar'ja but it was too late. Rory heard everything and I needed to make it clear that it needs to be kept secret.

"Okay."

Rory comes walking at a slow pace, keeping his sights on Lar'ja just in case if he gets ready to charge, which I'm hoping that it doesn't happen. I motioned him to sit down by my side and when he does, I put both hands on his shoulders.

"Okay . . . He can talk and his name is Lar'ja. He does speak our language but doesn't show it to anyone because he still doesn't trust everyone. I just found out a couple of days ago but I promised I would keep it a secret until he's ready. So I'm asking you to do the same."

Rory just stares at me but I needed to make sure that he understood me. "I trust you. Do you trust me?"

He nods slowly and looks back into my eyes. "Then don't say anything about this, even to your dad. Okay?"

"Okay."

My whole body relaxes and I slumped a little bit, taking a huge breath of relief. I couldn't hear Lar'ja growling and I looked to see that he began to relax as well but I knew he was still unsure about Rory.

"How many times do I have to say it? It's alright. We can trust him."

To my surprise, Lar'ja speaks out in front of Rory. "I don't know. He's just a pup and will say something. Even if it's an accident."

"I won't tell. I promise."

Another surprise as Rory called out to Lar'ja like it was a normal conversation. I glanced at Lar'ja to see what his reaction would be but I was glad that it wasn't something threatening but still had a tone that showed he was annoyed.

"Fine. Do as you like."

I was relieved. Lar'ja had accepted Rory into the fold but I knew that it would be more difficult to convince the others about this secret since I had a gut feeling that it was going to happen so I had to think of something to prepare for it. For now, we had made progress and I smiled at Lar'ja to know that I was grateful for what he did.

"Thank you."

He just grunted and laid back down but had his face towards us, which I didn't think he would do but it didn't matter. While Rory was here, I had to ask him some questions regarding the 'incident' earlier.

"Why did you come in here?"

Rory looked confused for just a moment. "Cause I heard screaming and I thought you were in danger and that's when I heard Lar'ja speak to you."

"Did anyone else hear me?"

"No. They were all asleep but I couldn't. It's creepy out there but are you alright?"

I gripped my shoulder to remind me of what I did but I let go and place my hand back on the ground. "Yes, I am. Just had a little injury. That's all."

I patted his head and smiled while he did the same as well after I stopped. Then, I noticed the huge yawn coming from Rory, indicating that he was getting tired.

"Looks like you need some rest. Let's get you to bed."

Before I could lift him up, he clung on my shirt tightly and looked up at me. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Why?"

"Cause I feel safer in her than out there. There are things out there and I don't feel safe. I feel better if you're here with me. Please?"

I don't how Rory can make the best puppy eyes but it worked. I tried to fight it off but it was no use. I was sure that McKenna might yell at me for letting his son sleep with an alien close by but I didn't want to disturb anyone so I stood up and sat down with my back on the wall of the cave. Rory followed suit except that he laid down on his side, laying his head on my lab. I stood frozen, unsure about what he was doing until Rory yawned again and whispered.

"Goodnight."

With that, he was fast asleep. It took me a minute until I smiled down on him and stroked his head, which was very soft to the touch. I kept doing that for a couple of minutes until my hand started to cramp up. I couldn't move from my spot so I turned my head to Lar'ja who was looking at us in astonishment.

"What?"

"You just met each other and he trusts you already. Why is that?"

I shrugged at him.

"I can't say for sure but when you begin to trust someone, it creates a bond that is stronger than anything else. I think that when Rory saw that I was there to protect him, he knew that I would do so."

Lar'ja began the clicking noise again but I still don't understand it. I wonder if he will ever tell me what he's saying in that tongue.

"Do you trust me?"

His clicking stopped and it became deadly silent in the cave. I saw the same expression as before when I asked him why he would talk to me. His mandibles were twitching again and his eyes showed the same uncertainty. I was patient and waited for his answer.

"I trust you."

I answered quickly. "Why do you trust me?"

I could tell that he was thinking of an answer, clicking faster than before and grunting loudly. He looked like he was having difficulty with it.

"It's alright if you—"

"Wait."

My mouth stopped moving and I stared into his eyes that were shining more brightly than ever before. I was confused at where this conversation was going to go but then Lar'ja spoke with a voice so full of uncertainty that he was having a hard time getting his words out.

"Cause you . . . are . . . different. You seem . . . strong but . . . at the same time . . . you can be gentle and . . . kind. You are trustworthy and . . . I never had . . . someone like that before. You're . . . unique."

I gawked my mouth wide open with astonishment. Was I hearing this right?

I didn't think in a million years that he would say something like that. In fact, I've never had anyone say that to me. No human or Yautja for that matter. My heart began to race as if I was running a marathon while my breathing gets heavier. Soon, I began to feel weak in my muscles but I had enough strength to keep myself from slumping over. My cheeks began to burn as I could imagine that I was blushing for him to see. Embarrassment had settled into me.

What is going on? What's happening to me?

It didn't take long for Lar'ja to say something about my condition. "Your heartbeat is racing wildly. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

I spoke out fast but in a squeaky voice that was too obvious for someone to notice but Lar'ja doesn't mention it. I quickly ended the conversation.

"We need to get some sleep. Goodnight."

I turned my head around so it's facing away from Lar'ja, hoping he would get the message and I was glad he did since I heard him shuffle around. I took a risky look at him and thankfully he turned around so his back was towards me but he had one more thing to say before he fell asleep but with a tone filled with gentleness.

"Goodnight, Anya."

That just made things worse for me. My heart was beating faster than before and it took me a couple of small, quiet breaths for it to slow down enough that I could think. However, it would take longer for my mind to catch up as well.

This isn't right! I shouldn't be feeling like this! I can't! I mustn't!

I have to tell myself to slow down and collect my thoughts. I repeated it over and over again until it felt like hours had passed before everything was quiet to me.

I looked down at Rory who was still fast asleep and began to stroke his hair again, earning a moan from him. I smiled a bit before it faded at the sight of my bandaged arm. I haven't checked on it since I was attacked so I decided to take a glimpse of it while I was stuck with Rory on my lap.

Slowly, I unwrapped the bandage and I couldn't help but worry about what I will find. I didn't know if my green blood will be there but I convinced myself that I needed to make sure it wasn't getting infected. When I removed the bandage from my arm, I was in complete shock.

The wound that I had was completely gone as if it never existed. It didn't even leave a scar behind. There were remnants of the green, neon blood on the bandage but none could be found on my arm. I touched it with my other hand to make sure I wasn't hallucinating but my touch confirmed that it was real. I wrapped it back up quickly so no one can see it.

This isn't possible! I just got this a day ago. It shouldn't have healed this quickly!

My life was getting more strange at the moment. First, it was having visions of my past that were suddenly coming on. Second, I find out that my blood is the same as the yautja and now my wounds were healing faster than any human wound.

I was losing control of my life and all I can do was watch it crumble to the ground, shattering everything I knew as the long night went on until morning.

Hi Readers!

Thank you very much for your patience on this story. I wanted to write more of Anya and Lar'ja's growing a bond and how they are coming to understand each other but there will be more of this but even better, especially with Rory in the mix now and might see something going on between them (kids love to tell things lol). Also, I wanted to clarify some things that may have gone unnoticed like Anya's age and such. I hope I didn't confuse anyone but if I had, I apologize greatly for this.

Hope that everyone is having a great time and stick around cause there will be more secrets to reveal and some that could change the course of this story. You never know :).

Thank you, everyone, for the support!