Chapter 18: Purpose

Two weeks had passed since that fateful night, fighting the Bad Blood in my Yautja form that I didn't know I possessed. I was still restrained by the chains that were put on me but I didn't try to break free from them. There was no point of escaping anyway. I lost the will to do anything at all, staying in a fetal position on the hard, cold floor of the cave and only moving once in a while to switch from one side and then to the other.

The clothes that Brackett had given me before were untouched, soaked by the moisture that collected inside the cave. It didn't bother me when I felt the coldness creep onto my skin through my torn up clothes. I became numb to everything around me like I was barely alive. I might as well be dead.

Over the period of time, Brackett kept coming in and bringing food and water for me but I refused. She would come in to see that I haven't touched a single piece and barely sipped some water from the canteen. It took her a few days until she asked me to eat so I could keep my strength but I didn't listen. Another few days had passed before she resided to beg for me to eat or they will have no choice but to force feed me. I used sound and body language instead of words to emphasize that I wasn't in the mood. I gave a menacing growl and threw the plate of food in her direction, splattering it everywhere in front of her. I didn't look but I could hear a frustrating grunt from her before she stomped out of the cave, leaving me alone again.

Eventually, I believed that the guys were becoming sorry for me or something because each of them came to bring me more food and new clothing when it became apparent that nothing was working. Nettles was the first to deliver and although I didn't eat, I slightly smiled when he tried to apologize for chaining me like this despite having a hard time forming his words. It was okay.

Coyle and Baxley came together one time but kept arguing over who would give me the food and in the end, they dropped the plate during their scuffle. Brackett became angry and kicked them out of the cave, leaving her to clean the aftermath.

Nebraska was the last to come and see me followed closely behind by McKenna. My back was turned to them but they were closer to me since I could hear the plate being put down near me. Nebraska tried to apologize but in a sassy way, explaining that if I would eat just a little piece, he would let me kiss him. Before I could protest, McKenna grabbed him from the back of his collar, dragging him out of the cave. I heard McKenna cursing at him while asking why he's still bothering me with such things. I had a feeling that only death would stop that man from trying any advances on me.

However, none of them had such luck. The depression only grew greater as time passed by. I hadn't seen Rory at all but from listening to Brackett, he was doing well, only having bandages over his head. It was comforting but I missed seeing his big smile and happy nature. Thinking about such things only reminded me of the current situation and my depression returned.

Questions were floating in my head, asking the same things over again like an endless cycle. What am I? Why am I here? Where do I belong? Am I really a monster? I am a monster, aren't I?

But above all, I wondered where Lar'ja might be and how he was doing. There wasn't any news about him as I tried to overhear conversations from Brackett and the others. It was like he disappeared from the face of the planet. From my perspective, he might have done that when he left.

I missed him. Other than Rory, he was the only being that understood me in some ways. Plus, I wanted to ask him so many questions that concerned him and the war that the Bad Blood mentioned early. I was desperate to know the purpose of his visit to Earth. And above all, to know what it's like to be a Yautja. With this new revelation about myself, I needed to know . . . more than ever. But he was gone and tracking him down would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It was no use . . .

Another week had passed but I lost count in the middle of it. I've probably been in this cave for almost a month but I had no idea. It felt longer to me since many sunrises and sunsets have come and gone when I looked out from the cave. It was rare for me to see the stars from where I was inside the cave but I envied them. They were free, bright, and the only things that kept some of my sanity while everything around me crumbled. The only thing I had left now.

Then one night, something was going on outside of the cave. At first, I could only hear chattering, which was the norm of the evening. And then, I heard someone gasp out loud like they were in shock but it stopped as soon as it came. I couldn't hear much after that so I curled into fetal position with my back against the entrance and wrapped my hands to my knees, keeping them close to the inside of my body. However, as soon as I closed my eyes, I heard heavy footsteps followed by lighter ones that reminded me of a child. It was definitely Rory and I was about to turn to see him until a familiar voice rings out.

"She's been in this cave all this time? Not eating and drinking only a little bit?"

"Yeah. She refuses to do anything other than stay curled up like she is now."

It was Lar'ja's voice that called out. My mind was racing again and my heart began to beat slightly as I was surprised that he'd come back but angry at the same time. Why did he come back? After just leaving like that? Why bother? I'm not worth it.

I heard a couple of more footsteps until it stopped abruptly and then, a huge growl shook the entire cave, even the ground where I laid.

"You chained her like this?! And you wonder why she hasn't eaten or drunk anything these past few weeks!"

"Well . . . we were going to free her once we were sure that she wasn't making any progress. We were all frightened after that night."

It was Brackett who spoke out this time and I could sense the fury growing from Lar'ja but I didn't move a muscle. My eyes were closed tightly and my arms and legs became as stiff as metal bars.

"She won't listen to us but maybe with you. She seems to trust you more than anyone else. Please, help her."

"Yeah! Please help her get better!"

I could hear the pleas in their requests to Lar'ja, which made me realize how concerned they were for my health but it wasn't enough to move me out of my position. The depression inside of me was too great . . .

"Leave me alone with her. Just go."

With no other words to exchange, I could hear both Brackett and Rory leave the cave and then, silence took over.

I didn't know what Lar'ja was thinking about since he can see me in such a pathetic state. I figured that he must think that I was weak and a freak of nature. He saw my transformation as well and it only made me want to disappear altogether at that moment. I was frozen in my current state until Lar'ja called out to me.

"Anya . . . are you awake?"

I shifted a little so he knew that I was aware but I refused to turn and look at him. I couldn't bear to see his expression. Especially after what he had witnessed and the faint reminder that he hated hybrids when I talked to him for the first time. I guessed I was a hybrid since I looked human but can turn into a Yautja at any moment.

"Anya. You need to get up. You can't just stay here for the rest of your life. This isn't you."

When he spoke like he knew who I was, I was surprised that he would think about such a thing. We barely know each other and he thinks that he understands me? I decided to break my silence, whispering very low so that only he can hear me.

"How could you say that this isn't me? You don't know me. I don't even know myself."

"I know that the person I remembered wouldn't crawl into a hole and give up. I look at you right now and it's like you have lost the will to live. Do you really want to die?"

"And what if I wanted to?"

There was only silence after that and I took it as his answer. I stayed on the ground for some time until a pair of arms wrapped around me, pulling me up from the ground. The clanking sounds of the chains soon followed as I tried to protest, hitting him with all my might. But it was like hitting a brick wall since I could feel how weak my body was for the first time.

However, I kept my relentless attacks until I made eye contact with him. His mask was off and hooked on the side of his belt so his face was completely exposed to me. His golden eyes pierced into me like he was trying to find something inside of me. Something to help me get my strength back again. I was hooked by his gaze but I used all the willpower I had left to stare down at the ground.

"What do you want from me? You left us . . . You left me . . . Why bother coming back?"

"Cause you're here . . . and . . . I needed time to gather my thoughts. Especially after seeing you turned into a Yautja . . . like me."

"I thought you were going to finish your mission. You were going to leave anyway before the Bad Blood attacked."

I could sense the hesitation coming off of his body and through his skin under my fingertips. I sighed heavily and kept my gaze down, not wanting to look at him now.

"You are right about that. I was going to do that once you were okay but then, something stopped me. I remembered that you were scared and didn't know what was going on. I feel guilty about leaving you behind."

It was silent for a while and I imagined that Lar'ja was waiting for my answer but nothing came to me. I didn't know what to say. Our whole conversation was becoming strange. First, I was angry at him for leaving me but now, I was the one feeling guilty about doubting him. I was so stupid and a weakling. What a fool I am.

Then, his hand grabbed my chin and gently raised it up so that I could meet his gaze. I didn't fight him and when his eyes looked into mine, I couldn't help but admire the color that was coming off of them. It was still gold but upon closer inspection, I saw slivers of amber stretching across his cornea that made it look like I was staring into the sun. Bright and radiant.

Just with his eyes, my heart was beating wildly, which was enough for me to take heavy breaths so I could slow it down. My arms that were holding on to his biceps began to relax but when my legs did the same, I slumped a little and Lar'ja tightened his grip so I would be able to stand.

With the softest voice that I've ever heard from him, Lar'ja spoke out the words that I so desperately wanted to hear.

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"I forgive you . . ."

Both of us stood still with our arms wrapped around each other for a while but then another sound interrupted us from behind. I gasped when I looked behind Lar'ja and saw the alien dog come in, sniffing around before gazing at us. Lar'ja turned around and saw him as well.

"Oh yeah. He kept following me around, trying to drag me back to camp. Guess he wanted to see you as well. It's become annoying."

I chuckled a little and Lar'ja grunted in annoyance. I swear that he just hated the sound and not me but no one else tried it on him. The dog came closer to us until he sniffed my hand when I reached out for him. When he did, the dog barked happily and began wagging his stubby tail. A sign that he was elated to see me.

"Guess you were right about him wanting to see me. I need to give him a name then."

"A name?"

"Yeah. It's easier to call him and from the looks of it, he's going to be sticking around with us for some time. But I don't what name suits him."

"I don't know. You should name him since he likes you more than me."

"Hmm . . ."

I had to think hard on this one. I wanted to name him using the Yautja language since he's part Yautja but my dictionary was limited. I had to rummage through my memories to find words that I knew the meaning of. Then, one of them hits me like a tank.

"How about A'kib?"

"A'kib? Really?"

"Yeah. It means 'playful' since he wants to have fun. Plus, my Yautja language is limited so that is one of the words that I know."

He puffed in annoyance but sighed afterward as if admitting defeat.

"You really have to tell me where you learned my language from. It's pathetic."

I smiled but I didn't want to tell him just yet. It was nice to know some of his languages but it brought painful memories of when I was in the labs. However, I had the feeling that I would have to tell everyone about my past eventually. After everything that has happened, I can't hide it forever.

For now, I just wanted to get some sleep. It was getting late and I gave out a huge yawn, trying to cover my mouth with my hand.

"You're tired. You should get some rest. In the morning, we're going to get you some food and water."

I nodded and began to let go of his arms but when I did, I began to fall rapidly until Lar'ja caught me in my arms again. It was that moment that I fully realized how weak I was. After not eating for several weeks and drinking only a little, I could feel my bones sticking out of me, almost visibly showing through my skin. The chains were hitting them so hard that it sent a wave of pain through my bones, making me gasp.

Then, I saw Lar'ja grabbing one of the chains and then he pulled hard, breaking them into several pieces that fell on the ground.

"You shouldn't do that. The others will get angry if they find out."

"Then they will deal with me and trust me, I will be the winner of that argument. Besides, having them removed will make you feel comfortable."

I gave a faint smile, knowing that he was there to protect me until I got better. It was comforting to know that. When all the chains were removed, Lar'ja picked me up bridal style and carried me back to the blanket that I was laying on before. He sets me down on my side and then proceeded to remove his armor.

I became surprised at his actions and my eyes widened in shock.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm not going to sleep with my armor on. It's too uncomfortable."

Before I could protest, Lar'ja had removed all of his armor with the exception of his netting and leg braces but his chest was left exposed, causing me to look at every muscle on him. Before I didn't pay much attention but now, I could see he was definitely built to being a hunter. As he made his way to me, I just stayed frozen as I saw how his hips moved in such a way that the muscles on his abdomen flexed, showing how strong he was.

It only made my heart pound harder and my breath was caught in my throat.

What the fuck is happening to me?! Why am I thinking like this?! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

"I thought . . . we were just sleeping. Why . . . are you . . . coming over here?"

Lar'ja stopped for a moment, tilting his head in confusion.

"It's pretty cold out and you need to stay warm. The fire is not enough and your clothes are barely dry. I'm just going to sleep next to you."

I opened my mouth to speak out but nothing came to me. Before I could focus, Lar'ja had come to my side and laid down with my back to his chest. I thought that he was done but then his arm wrapped over my waist, bringing me closer to his body.

Although my mind was jumping all over inside my skull, I had to admit that he was very warm like an oven. The heat radiated off of him and it had such an effect on me. So much that I was strangely becoming calmer. Eventually, my heart returned to a steady rhythm and I could finally take a decent breath. I could feel his tusks gently grazing my cheek and it was very comforting, knowing that he was nearby.

A'kib stayed a few feet away but laid down nearby, placing his head on the ground and began to drift asleep. He whined a little bit before he closed his eyes and started to snore quietly. It was causing me to drift to sleep a little until Lar'ja's voice made me jump a little.

"Do you still want to know my purpose for being here? Why I came to Earth?"

I wasn't expecting him to ask such a question since he was the only who was trying to avoid answering it. But it was my opportunity to get the answer I was waiting for.

"Yes."

I could feel the air being sucked into Lar'ja's mouth as he inhaled and let out a deep sigh like he was ready to relieve a huge burden off of his chest. Then, he began to talk.

"I was sent here by my clan leader, secretly to deliver a weapon to the ooman race that will help them. A war is coming that will engulf this planet if the Bad Bloods succeed."

His words coincided with the Bad Blood from before. He did talk about a war that was coming and that they want to conquer Earth as their own. It was a confirmation that Lar'ja wasn't lying to me. But I wanted to learn more.

"You mean, there is more of those Bad Bloods out there that want to destroy us?"

"Yes. A clan of them that have gone against the Code of Honor that all Yautja follow to maintain order. They have done unspeakable things that would put them to death if the Order of Ancients found out."

"So, they are like outlaws? But what have they done to deserve being called Bad Bloods? And who are the Ancients?"

He paused for a moment and I feared that I might have stepped out of my boundaries so I quickly regretted asking him such questions.

"I'm sorry if I—"

"It's alright. You deserve to know."

I wasn't able to see his face but I could sense the delay in his voice. I could only assume that it was sensitive information that he was about to tell me so I let him keep talking but I didn't want to push him. I stayed silent.

"Yes. They are outlaws because they have begun experimenting on other Yautja using gene splicing. It makes them stronger and smarter but it goes against everything we believe in. But no one knows that they exist except for some like me and my leader of the Dark Blade Clan. My clan. No one else knows. Not even the Ancients that rule over all Yautja."

His words began to make more sense. The Bad Blood that I fought before was bigger and stronger than Lar'ja and it made me feel weird about him. So he must be from the same clan as the rest of them.

"So, why haven't you told them about this? Why keep it a secret?"

"Cause we don't know who the Bad Blood clan is. They are good at hiding their identities and we don't have evidence to take to the Order of Ancients that would convince them of this. However, it was by chance that I found out about their plans sometime later."

"What do you mean?"

"I was investigating in some remote area until I spotted some of them, talking about their plans to take over the ooman planet so they can grow stronger. I didn't get a chance to catch all of it but I saved it on the device in my gauntlet. The one you saw earlier."

I understood what he meant. Earlier on, Rory showed me a small device that came out of the wrist gauntlet. It was unusual but it was important to Lar'ja and it explains why he was fighting so hard to get it back.

"So, the device had information that can expose them to the Order along with their plans. If anyone found out, they would be in trouble."

"Yes. But we knew it might not be enough to stop them so my clan and I decided to build a weapon so that if all else fails, the ooman race might have a chance to fight back."

"What weapon?"

"A weapon that will even the playing field if a war breaks out and I have a feeling that it will."

"But it doesn't explain why they want to take over our world. If there are more planets out there, can't they just choose something else?"

There was another pause between us and I was becoming a little frustrated with him delaying like this but I kept reminding myself that he's telling me all this of his own accord so I didn't push it.

"Cause they believe that the oomans are becoming too strong for the Yautja and fear that one day, they will be too powerful for us. It scares them so they want to destroy the oomans before it gets to that point. That is all I know about their reason."

Are Oomans becoming too powerful?

It does make some sense since, throughout history, our technology and intelligence have evolved tremendously but I didn't think that we would become too much for the Yautja to handle. But then again, Stargazer is an example that we are becoming aware of the Yautja and making weapons that can equal them as well. And me . . .

"Okay. Go on."

"But then I was ambushed. The Bad Blood that you saw before finding out that I was snooping around and I had no choice but to make a run for it. I took the weapon and the device with me and stole one of their ships. I was chased across the universe until my ship became too damaged in the fight so I decided to land on Earth. And the rest you know."

It was a lot to take in. There were so many things that my brain was going to explode. A war? The Bad Blood? Order of Ancients? Taking over our planet? Are Oomans becoming too strong? A weapon to help us? What the fuck is going on?

"What about the weapon you mentioned?"

"When I was about to crash land on Earth, I sent it away so that it would be safe should the Bad Blood find my ship. However, I've lost track of it and have no way of finding it until I fix my gauntlet that had the wrist blades."

I remembered that I fixed the blades on the gauntlet but that is all I've done but I didn't know that there was more damage done to it than I thought. Now I knew why he was so adamant to get his stuff back. He needed to find the weapon and the device that had the potential to protect Earth from the Bad Bloods. At least we got one of them but the weapon was another story.

I was glad that he told me everything. About why he was here and what were are up against. I didn't even have to force it out of him but I knew that it was difficult for him to tell me. I really appreciated him for what he has done.

"Thank you, Lar'ja. For everything."

He didn't answer me but he pulled me in closer to his chest and I sighed when I felt contact on my back and I could feel his pectoral muscles moving around. It felt amazing and I inhaled deeply so I could smell his scent that still reminded me of spring rain. Then, he purred suddenly and it vibrated from him and then through my body. It was an incredible feeling.

"Why do you purr like that?"

"Uhhh . . . it's just an instinct to. . . comfort someone who needs it."

I could tell that he was struggling to come up with an answer and I had my suspicions as to why he purred but I just chuckled again.

"And stop doing that."

For his sake, I suppressed another one that was coming but it was a huge struggle for me. Just listening to him acting like a child, it was hilarious. Before I could tease him even more, a sudden yawn came to me and Lar'ja knew that I was getting sleepy.

"We should go to sleep, Anya."

"Yes."

I adjusted my body a bit, moving closer to Lar'ja and feeling the warmth coming off of him. But I had one more thing to say before I tucked in for the night.

"I know this is asking too much but we need to tell the others of what you told me. They need to know as well."

I was prepared for an argument on the subject and that he would protest about telling McKenna and everyone else about his purpose for being here. But then, he surprised me when he answered back.

"Alright. As long as you get some sleep tonight and then get some food in the morning. Deal?"

"Deal."

And just like that, I laid my head down on the ground but then Lar'ja moved his other arm underneath so that I could use it as a pillow. It was firm but in some way, very soft. I smiled and placed my head on his arm so I could get comfortable.

Before sleep caught up with me, I looked to see his hand was out in front of me and I decided to move my hand over his, folding my fingers between his. In a surprising gesture, he curled his fingers the same way I did, feeling his claws press on my skin but it felt good.

"Goodnight, Lar'ja."

Lar'ja spoke out before I drifted into an abyss.

"Goodnight, Anya."

Hi Readers!

This chapter has gotten me so hyped up, making it very difficult for me to write but I loved every single moment of this.

I wanted to use references from the Predator comics, especially on the Dark Blade clan that inspired me so much. I've read that this clan is Bad Bloods too but when I learned about the Predator (Concrete Jungle) game, it just looks like one Yautja made a huge mistake but I'm not going into details about it. I don't think that they are Bad Bloods so for the sake of the story, I made them honorable warriors. Sorry if anyone gets offended by this.

Now that Anya knows the reason Lar'ja is here on Earth, she needs to find a way to stop the war from consuming her home planet but what about the others? Will they feel the same? Plus, will Anya finally open her past to everyone? Will she find the answers she is looking for along with Lar'ja's secret weapon?

Find out next week when Chapter 19 comes along! Happy New Years! :))))