Chapter 13: Preparing

Two days had passed and I was starting to follow a daily routine, even though the time was short. I began to notice that Lar'ja had been craving for elk meat a lot more lately, causing me to hunt for them twice a day. I was about to go nuts but thankfully, I had help with Rory in scouting for elk near the cave. He had a good eye and he could spot elk a mile away, which made me wonder if he was really a 10-year old boy. The guys were beginning to complain more that I was only giving them rabbit meat so I begun to give them a leg or two of elk. It didn't ease their frustration but I did offer them to hunt themselves and they shut their mouths very quickly. Lazy bunch of ungrateful assholes!

I wondered why I was giving them food but then again, I was already hunting for Rory and Lar'ja anyway so I just brushed it off.

In the meantime, I was glad to see Lar'ja and Rory were getting along somewhat. Last time, Lar'ja wouldn't even answer Rory unless it was a 'yes' or 'no' answer but Rory was relentless. He would keep asking more questions until Lar'ja finally gave in for the first time.

"Why do you keep asking me so many questions?"

"Cause I want to learn more about you. You're funny looking."

I was surprised by Lar'ja but chuckled when Rory said he was funny looking. Lar'ja was mad at us for some time that he would limp to his area of the cave, squat down and look at the wall. It was like watching a child pout and that made me chuckle all the more.

Lar'ja's injuries were healing better since he was eating properly and he began to stand and limp around the cave. He claims that it was to stretch out his muscles so he could get a feel for them but he would grunt in pain when he stretches them too far. I knew that he still needed a few more days until he was fully recovered.

Every night, Rory would join us and talk about randoms things like school or playing video games and even looking out into the night sky, pointing out consolations and what they represent. Eventually, they ended with Rory falling asleep in my lap. I didn't mind it but I decided to create a makeshift bed out of blankets from the camp so he would be more comfortable. When I tucked Rory away, I would sit down near Lar'ja and talk about some things since we were trusting each other more.

There would be times where Lar'ja just stared silently at me until I got a little uncomfortable. I stared back at him but then he clicked his mandibles together and just groaned in frustration. I chuckled and that only made him more frustrated but this time, he didn't go into his corner and continued to stare at me.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Cause you're different. You not terrified of me and you chuckle every time I try. You're a strange ooman."

"Thank you and I'll take that as a compliment."

After that, it was dead silence and I was beginning to fidget, trying to find something more productive while we waited for repairs on the trailer. I looked around and saw his gauntlets on the ground, remembering that his wrist blades were broken during the fight with the Bad Blood as Lar'ja calls him. I didn't know if he had any other weapons to use except his shurikens but they wouldn't be useful if we ran into the Bad Blood again. Then, an idea came into my mind.

"Hey, Lar'ja."

"What?"

"Why don't I fix your wrist blades? I know how to do it."

Lar'ja spun his head in my direction relatively fast, shocked at what I was proposing to him. His eyes stared right into mine and I couldn't help but stare down to the ground, fearing that he would reprimand me for asking such a thing. However, it was quite opposite as he just clicked his mandibles again but I could tell that it was out of curiosity than anger.

"Why would you do that?"

"Cause they got broken in your last fight and with Stargazer and the Bad Blood out there, it would be better to get them fixed as soon as possible."

I could tell that he was about to interrupt me but I wanted to say one more thing that I'm sure would convince him to agree with me.

"Plus . . . you saved me in a way, even though it may not have been your intent. I owe you a lot so the least I can do is repair your weapon for future battles. Please . . ."

I tried to make my best puppy eyes on him but I wasn't as good as Rory so I didn't think it would work. I was starting to think that Lar'ja wouldn't let me. He just tilted his head down, contemplating no less but it didn't help to stop me from being more nervous.

But then, he did something that surprised me but at the same time, I was cheering with joy in my mind. He grabbed his wrist gauntlet along with the broken pieces of the blades and handed them to me. At first, I thought it was a trick into making me look like a fool but then he grabbed my hand and brought it over the gauntlet, allowing me to grasp it.

"Fine but make sure you don't play around with it. It's not some toy that you can tinker with. Just fix it and then return it to me."

I was shocked that he would just hand me something important to him but then I noticed the warmth that was coming off of him and I couldn't help but relish it, feeling the heat like it was the sun but I made sure not to make direct contact on his skin. He quickly retracted his hand when I had a grip on his wrist gauntlet. Inside, my mind was pouting about his action but I kept it silent as I nodded to him.

"Thank you."

I got to work as soon as possible so I went out of the cave to grab some metal from the trailer like forks, knives and other stuff I could use, returning back to Lar'ja without disturbing any of the guys from their sleep.

All night, I kept the fire inside the cave going so I could heat up the blades in order to meld them back together. At one point, McKenna came in to check on Rory but made sure to not get close to Lar'ja whom every time would growl low to make sure he wasn't welcomed. It was brief as McKenna pats Rory's head until he stood up, nodding in my direction but glaring at Lar'ja before leaving the cave.

Lar'ja's body relaxed once McKenna was gone and got up to walk towards me but instead of going to rest, he sits down beside me by the fire while I attended to the wrist blades. I saw that he was observing me in how I was melting the metal, taking it out when it was red hot and hitting it down with a sled hammer I found earlier in the trailer. Sparks flew everywhere and I would move back a little so I didn't get burned but Lar'ja just stood still like a statue. How can he be so calm about everything?

"Are you sure you can fix it?"

"You doubt me?"

He didn't say anything but his mandibles twitched a little bit until he turned his head to look at me. I tried to focus on my work but I could still feel his stare on me. My heart began to race in my chest and I knew that he could hear it. I did whatever I could to keep my breathing low and deep but he kept coming closer with his head almost resting on my shoulders. Eventually, the silence between us was broken.

"Do you need help?"

"I'm fine."

My voice was a little weak when I spoke but I hoped that he would get the message that I wanted to do this alone but then his hand began to reach for my hand and the memories from before kicked in. Instinctually, I flinched back from him but then my hand grabbed onto the blades that were still hot from the fire, causing a burning sensation through it. I yelped a little, placing my hand close to my body while I curled my body into a ball. Lar'ja also flinches as well but then I could see his eyes filled with worry.

"You're hurt . . ."

"Yeah. No kidding."

I groaned in pain but it was somewhat familiar to the pain I've experienced before. That thought only made the pain worse when the same feeling started to build onto my back, reminded me of the scars it bore. Lar'ja reached again for my hand.

"No. Don't"

"Why? Are you afraid of me?"

I just shook my head rapidly, trying to zone out the pain in my hand. I wasn't afraid of him. The only thing I was afraid was going through my painful memories all over again. I barely had control of them and touching him again would undo it.

Without another word, Lar'ja stood and walked over to his armor that was nearby. I could hear scrambling until it stopped and then he walked over back to me with some sort of clear liquid in a container. He kneeled down next to me and reached for my hand again.

"I told you I'm fine."

He began clicking rapidly and kept reaching out but I turned my hand away.

"Please. I'm alright."

"No. You are not. You got burned and it needs to be treated."

Before I could react, his hand grabs my wrist and my body froze, anticipating the moment when my memories would come flooding into my mind. But . . . nothing. I looked down to see his hand holding onto my wrist and I stood still in shock. What is going on?

I stood silently as Lar'ja took some of the clear liquid out of its container and smoothed it over my burned skin. I didn't want to admit but it was a good feeling. The warmth from his hand pushed the burning pain away while the texture of his skin felt smooth but tough at the same time. I almost began to fall asleep since he was very comfortable. In my guilty pleasure, I wanted more. And then, a soft purr rumbled in his chest as he looked up to lock eyes with me.

I was mesmerized at him. Those golden eyes of his begun to look like they would shine like the sun. I couldn't explain it but my heart raced even faster than before. His deadlocks shined as well from the light of the fire and I was caught in his trance. Wow . . .

The feeling stopped when he began to wrap my hand with some sort of fabric and released it when he was finished. I blinked my eyes to try and get focus again and that is when I saw he was breathing heavily as well. I wanted to ask but I didn't think it was such a good idea but I had to thank him at least.

"Thank . . . you."

He turned to look at me and then he released another purr before he spoke.

"You're welcome."

Lar'ja walks to his spot and lays down, moving to make himself comfortable. I wired my brain to return to fixing his wrist blades and it took another couple of hours before they were finished. I was proud of my handiwork, seeing that there was no evidence that they were broken in the first place. Well, I made my own weapons for hunting so I shouldn't be surprised.

Remembering how Lar'ja releases his wrist blades, I repeated the action over and over so I made sure they were fixed. It was successful as I could feel a grin coming on my face. When they were done, I placed them down until I saw some metal that wasn't used and that is when I had an idea.

By the time morning had come, I was completely tired. I fell asleep near the fire that burned out a while ago. Slowly, I raised my upper body to look around and I saw Rory was still asleep but when I searched for Lar'ja, he wasn't in his spot. I began to panic until I turned behind me to see him lying down a few inches next to me.

"Hey, Lar'ja."

He just grumbled and turned a little to get comfortable. I never had seen him sleeping so peacefully and I just watched him for a few minutes before I decided to wake him up.

"Lar'ja . . . Lar'ja . . . LAR'JA!"

After a few tries, he managed to open his eyes while he led out a huge yawn, spreading his mandibles to the farthest they could go. He turned to look at me, groaning that he had to get up.

"What?"

"Time to get up."

"Urg . . ."

He got up slowly, stretching his muscles as I heard the popping of bones coming from him. I was about to do the same thing until I remembered something.

"Oh, yeah! I got something for you, Lar'ja."

While he turned his whole body around, I snatched his gauntlet from the ground, rising to my feet and handing it to him. He didn't get what I was doing until I popped the blades out of it, shocking him without any doubt.

"I finished fixing them. Now, you can use them again. I hope they are to your satisfaction."

He grabbed it from my hand and observed them, nodding his head in approval before retracting the blades back into the gauntlet. He put it down by the rest of his stuff and turned fully to glance at me.

"Thank you. You did a nice job."

I smiled at him and I could have sworn that he was smiling as well and it sent heat throughout my body. Then I also remembered that I had something else to give him.

"Oh! I got something else to give you. It's not much but I'm sure it will help you in the future."

I grabbed the item that was covered in a small cloth and brought it between us. He watched intently until I removed the cloth, revealing a huge knife that shined brightly. It took me longer to make since I had to figure out how big it should be to fit Lar'ja's hand but I was proud of it. Its blade was almost as long as my forearm while the hilt was as thick as my wrist. It wasn't as fancy as many others but it was just as strong as any other.

Lar'ja looked with curiosity at the knife and I can only figure how I made something like this for him. I wanted to make sure that I appreciated his help and this was the only way that I could think of to relay that message clearly.

He grabbed its hilt and moved it around to see how it worked. He touched the blade with his finger, flinching when it gave him a little cut on his thumb.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just didn't know how sharp it was."

"I'll help you."

I leaned down to rip a piece of my jacket since it was already torn anyway and wrapped it around his finger, creating a makeshift bandage. I was careful not to touch his skin since I wasn't sure about the whole memory shit and why it only comes at certain times, using the fabric to keep our skins separate. I did notice his green, neon blood that was flowing out of the cut before I covered it. It's the same as mine . . .

Once I was done, I stepped away from his as he observed my healing work on his finger. Then, he faced me again.

"Guess we are even then."

I nodded. "Yes, we are."

Our eyes made contact and I had to fight hard not to feel the heat rising inside me like last time. It only took the groans from Rory to break our stares and I looked to see Rory was waking up from his sleep. I stepped back a bit while Lar'ja placed the knife next to his stuff.

"Looks like it's time for everyone to wake up. Do you want to come outside?"

Lar'ja turned fast and I could see in his eyes that he was shocked at my question. "Why do you want me to? Won't your friends be uncomfortable with a monster like me coming out?"

"Well, yeah. But you've been in this cave for several days and I think a change in scenery is good for you. A little bit of fresh air wouldn't hurt you."

"Yeah! You should come and join us!"

Both Lar'ja and I turned to see Rory was alert and on his feet, running at Lar'ja with no fear while tugging at his arm in the direction of the cave's entrance.

"See? Rory agrees with me. So . . . are you coming?"

At first, I could be Lar'ja hesitating for a minute but then grunted, slumping his shoulders in defeat and I knew that he couldn't resist. I smiled at him and strolled out of the cave with Lar'ja and Rory following behind.

As soon as I came out of the cave, the rest of our group were sitting around the fire, cooking the remaining rabbit meat and elk that I personally provided them, which they didn't thank me for yet. I saw Coyle and Baxley working on breakfast while Lynch was in his small corner, playing with his cards still, which I'm certain that they were his obsession. Nettles was talking with Brackett, which I believed that he had a crush on her but I knew Brackett wasn't enjoying the company. Finally, I saw McKenna and Nebraska discussing intently on the repairs, which I'm guessing it is.

As soon as I made my way to the fire, Coyle turns and smiles when he sees me.

"Look who it is. Come to grace us with your presence or maybe something else."

He chuckled but I rolled my eyes at him. He never stops trying to piss off the wrong people. I swear he will get killed sooner than anyone else.

"Very funny, Coyle. I'm laughing so hard that I cannot breathe."

I said it very sarcastically, trying to ignore his comments while I turned and greeted Baxley who just nods and turns back to cooking the meat. McKenna and Nebraska turn in our direction and was walking over until Rory comes from behind me, running towards his father.

"Hey, Dad!"

"Hey, Rory."

I watched as they embraced each other and I couldn't help but smile at this sweet moment. I'm just glad that Rory has his father with him. That is all that mattered to me.

However, everyone's faces turned from sweet to fear when I remembered that Lar'ja was right behind me. McKenna glared at him while Nebraska stood a few feet behind him. Coyle and Baxley just stared, not moving from their spot by the fire while Nettles and Brackett stopped chatting and turned to look at Lar'ja. Lynch didn't show any expression on his face but looked like he was frozen with the cards in his hands. Now, I needed to figure out how to make peace between Lar'ja and the rest of the crew.

"Okay, guys. I know that you're apprehensive about him but Lar'ja won't hurt anyone. He's just out here to get some fresh air and some exercise."

"Lar'ja? Is that his name?"

To my surprise, Brackett spoke out and was right next to McKenna with wonder in her eyes, looking only at Lar'ja. I decided to scold her for trying to be a scientist all over again.

"Yes. It's his name but he's not here to be interviewed by you so shut it or else I'll make sure you other cheek matches the one I slapped before."

Brackett flinches at the painful reminder. I glanced to see that a bruise had formed on her cheek and I smirked but then again, she's still trying to get as much data as possible on the yautja but if it means that I get to slap her again, then I'll do it without hesitation.

"Anyway, he's here to just hang out so don't mind him."

I motioned Lar'ja to follow me with my hand and he strolled behind me, taking a seat on a rock beside me. Although the tension in the air didn't completely dissipate, I saw that everyone was getting used to his presence. As much as I wanted to talk with Lar'ja, I knew he was still uncomfortable in speaking English in front of everyone so I just watched the camp.

A little bit later, Rory comes towards us, which shocked McKenna and everyone else how Rory just walks up to Lar'ja with no fear but the most shocking part was when Lar'ja didn't growl and allowed Rory to sit by him. I was getting comfortable with just talking with Rory about silly things until Nebraska decides to come up and greet us with the smirk that is still stuck on him.

"Hello, beautiful. You look lovely today as usual."

I rolled my eyes at him but I knew it wouldn't be enough. I did have a glimmer of hope that with Lar'ja near me that Nebraska would be dissuaded from trying anything with me. However, the next thing he did scatter that hope and annoyance was growing inside me.

"I swear that you just ignore me so you can play 'hard to get' but it won't last forever."

Nebraska raised his chest in a superman pose, flexing his biceps so he would impress me but all it did was making me feel sick all over. To make it worse, he swayed his hips back and forth when I moved closer to me. I could have sworn that I heard Lar'ja growl silently in his chest but I kept my focus on Nebraska, worried about what he will do next.

As soon as he was only an arm's length away to me, he raised his hand and glided across the skin on my forearm, lightly stopping a little bit before traveling higher. It was the last straw for me and in an instant, I gripped his wrist and used all my strength to swing his around, releasing him in the air. He flew like a ragdoll and landed hard on the ground near the firepit. I heard many gasps around me and clicking noises from Lar'ja. It became deadly silent until Nebraska scrambled on his feet, glaring at me with all of his anger.

"What the hell was that!?"

I got up on my feet quickly and answered him with all my fury.

"Don't touch me again! Stop flirting with me!"

I kept my fury on Nebraska, worried that if I looked at anyone else then they would get the brunt of my anger. However, my ears still worked when I caught Lar'ja whispering to Rory who somehow managed to move next to him. I could barely hear Lar'ja's words but they were clear enough for me to understand.

"What does 'flirting' mean?"

My mind went completely bonkers when I did a double take with his words. Oh, great! Out of all people to ask, he chooses a 10-year old boy to answer that question!

Unfortunately, I couldn't hear Rory's answer but the next sound I hear was a very loud growl that shook the ground that I was standing on. I could only hope that Rory didn't say too much about what 'flirting' means but then again, I wondered why he would get so angry about that.

Meanwhile, I programmed my brain to refocus on Nebraska who was still looking angry but at the same time, happy that he got my full attention now.

"I can flirt whenever and whomever I want. Besides, you're beautiful and it sucks that you are blind to a man who loves you."

I disagreed with him. "It's not loving. It's an obsession. Now, stop it or else I'll have to teach you a lesson."

That didn't have the desired effect I was hoping for. Instead, Nebraska grinned harder than ever before. "You wanna bet?"

I didn't answer but I glared because I didn't know what he was up to but then his mouth opened.

"Alright. I'll make you a deal. If you can beat me in a fight, only hand-to-hand combat until one of us is pinned down, I will stop flirting with you completely."

I became baffled at his offer but in my limited experience with Nebraska, he has something else up his sleeve and I was worried at what it might be. "Okay, but what is the catch?"

"The catch is that if I win, then I get to kiss you and let me flirt with you until you become completely mine. Do we have a deal?"

What the fuck!?

I could see everyone was shocked to hear Nebraska's proposal. Even Rory and Lar'ja were frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening in front of them. This guy was seriously making me sick to my stomach. Kiss him?! I can barely stand being around him, let alone have the audacity to kiss him.

I wanted to decline at first but I had to think twice. If he lost the bet, then I will never have to hear him ever again and that was total bliss in my mind. I needed to win and I decided to take his challenge.

"Deal."

"Alright! Then let us begin!"

Both Nebraska and I moved to an open area near the camp and faced each other with only an open field between us. The rest of the group stayed a few feet away from us, knowing that it was going to get ugly. Nebraska pumped his muscles in preparation while I did some stretches to get a feel of my muscles. I just wanted to get it done and over with.

"Alright, Anya. Are you ready?"

I nodded. "Ready."

Few moments passed until the words came that signaled us to begin.

"FIGHT!"

Just like that, I was sprinting toward Nebraska as he did the same. He was about to swing a right hook before I bend my back so his fist missed my head by a few inches. Using the momentum of my slide, I spun myself in a circle and gave him a hard kick to his lower back, causing Nebraska to fall down on his knees. My right fist swung to aim at the back of his head but then a sweep of his foot threw me off balance, landing me hard on my back.

I didn't have time to breathe as he lunged to sit on top of me, grabbing my throat so he could pin me down but not enough to choke me. His victory smile was planted on his face and I just wanted to smack his pretty, little face.

"What's wrong? I thought you were stronger than that? No matter . . . I'm going to enjoy that kiss."

"I don't think so."

Once I knew he was off guard, I smacked my head on his, forcing him to let go of my throat and grip his head in pain. With that, I bent my knees until my feet were on his chest and used all my strength to kick his off but to my surprise, Nebraska flew high into the air until he hit a tree that was several feet away. I got up quickly and wondering how much strength I had now. I wasn't this strong before. What is going on?

That thought disappeared when I saw Nebraska struggling to get up but I wanted to make sure that I was the victor and without another notice, I sprinted at him, grabbing his neck and raising him high into the air while pressing on the trunk. Now, I wanted to hear from his own mouth.

"Say that I win. Say it!"

It was a struggle for Nebraska but I finally got him. "Alright . . . you win."

I gave him my best version of his victory grin. "Thank you."

I released him and he crumbled to the ground like a coward. I didn't care. I won and I didn't have to hear his attempts of flirting. My body filled with happiness when I said it in my mind. I turned around and headed towards the camp where I could see the guys giving me a huge cheer while McKenna and Brackett looked shocked at what I did. I turned to see Rory smiling at me but when I faced Lar'ja, his mandibles were spread out in either shock or surprised but it felt good anyway.

Then, I saw the demeanor of the group change from elation to pure horror. I was confused at what made them change until I hear the clicking sound of a gun behind me. My eyes widened as I turned to see Nebraska holding an SMG in his hands, pointing it at me.

"You dare to win this one? I'm better than you and you don't get to walk away from me!"

I knew that Nebraska didn't have a stable mind since I was told before that he had PTSD or something but this was going beyond it. I couldn't do anything but watch and Nebraska's finger flexed on the trigger, ready to fire at any time. I thought he was going to kill me.

Then, something happened so fast that it took me a second to realize what had occurred.

Nebraska was flung in the opposite direction until he hit the ground with a huge thud. I could hear him groan in agony but when he got up on his feet, the SMG was gone from his hands. Where did it go?

I got my answer when I saw Lar'ja who was a few feet away from me, holding on to it while examining it as I just watched in surprise. He clicked his mandibles with curiosity until turning towards Nebraska and then he spoke for the first time in front of everyone.

"You really shouldn't have done that."

Everyone gasped when they heard Lar'ja speak in English, especially Nebraska.

"You spoke?!"

"Of course I can. I have since before I met all of you. You have the audacity to attack your opponent from behind after they have won. You're just a worm."

No one didn't speak as Lar'ja turned around until he looked at the SMG and then back at Nebraska.

"I'll take this weapon as my own. I like it."

After that, Lar'ja walked until he stopped in front of me, looking down into my eyes. I composed myself long enough to bow my head in respect. He saved me again.

Then, he bowed his head back and purred, making my whole body warm up again. He walked passed me, heading towards the cave and I soon followed him. Rory wasn't far behind as he kept up the pace with Lar'ja and me. Although I was shocked at what happened, I couldn't help but grin as the three of us went into the cave without another word.

However, a strange feeling crept into me that sent chills down my spine. I could feel that something was watching us, waiting in the darkness as I heard a faint clicking sound echo in the trees.

Hi Readers!

Thank you for following my stories and your reviews. They mean a lot to me. With his wrist blades fixed (thanks to Anya) and a new SMG to use, Lar'ja is ready for battle and the whole group should be cause their opponents are not far behind as they will soon make their appearances.

What will happen now that Anya is realizing that something is happening to her? Will she be forced to reveal her past?

Find out when the next chapter comes and you will not be disappointed! :)