hello! bringing you an update! i know it's been waaaay too long
but life got very busy all of a sudden and...yeah orz pls forgive me
don't forget to review, bookmark etc. ; u; b i wanna know how many people still like this!

The rest of the journey was spent in silence, with R'ka eventually leaving the main deck in favor of checking the transport, he had said, but it was surely to try his luck with the female on the shuttle, a potential mating for the season; while the ooman huntress only left her spot to hydrate or eat, just to return back at the post as fast as possible. Lar'ja was still absent, after so many hours, she assumed he might have went for a nap, as yautjas often did during longer journeys.

With little time left of their trek, Kali relaxed in the seat and closed her eyes, letting the thrum of the engines hum her into a rare state of calm that she fully took advantage of.

Then there was a powerful resounding thud behind her.

She sat up straight and turned with her chair to look, finding the culprit as being a very angry and tense Lar'ja that punched a hole in the corridor wall on his way to the deck. Speak of the dybbuk and he shall appear.

Whatever him and his sire had discussed, clearly had him on a rampage, so that was not a nap he went for, but a long ass conversation with the big guy -though, she was pretty certain that reports and politics wasn't all. Not really looking forward to being around all that scorching fury, she twisted back around to the controls just as he stepped back on deck, heavy footfalls stopping right behind the chair.

Pretending to focus on the route and map solely, she became hyper-aware of how close he was, almost making the fine hairs on her arms to stand up and her skin to prickle at how thick the tension was and how heavy the atmosphere felt. A second pair of steps followed just as heavily onto the platform and it was becoming unbearable to just be there. Apart from the plan of their transport, next hunt, mating season rituals and sharing a cup of c'nlip, she didn't know what had caused the agitation in both males.

Luckily, she could see the clanship through the ship's lower cockpit windows and by the pulsing dot on the holo map, it was clear that the docking procedure was in order. "Asking permission to dock," she spoke calmly, announcing her intention and sending the transmission to ensure a safe, secure passage. When confirmation arrived, she inhaled softly "Switching to manual. Preparing to dock,"

Telling them to brace was out of the question, unless she wanted to insult their strength to withstand any turbulences.

Far be it for her to look out for her peers.

And the whole process was stiff, what with two angry yautja behind her, just emanating fury through every pore on their bodies. The shuttle shook and trembled when the hooks caught it and...well, it wasn't her best ever docking maneuver, but as soon as she was sure they were safe and sound, Kali twisted around and shot up from her seat, pulling her mask free from her belts, ready to put it on just to avoid looking at anyone directly.

Lar'ja, as if sensing her discomfort, inched closer to her, something his sire didn't appreciate by the snarl that came from his throat a second later. Kali froze in place at the threatening sound, her eyes darting between the two males and feeling as if she did something that she wasn't supposed to do. R'ka and the others probably walked out through the cargo bay already and were waiting for the clan leader to leave the shuttle as well, which left her alone with these two.

And Kali was stuck, mask in hands, waiting and holding her breath, as if even the softest breathing sound she made was going to offend the clan leader, ending in her death or banishment. Usually, when she was on piloting duty, she remained behind on the ship, along with the aseigan, unless the reason was a hunt, in which case, she left as well. The lower in rank was always left behind to tend to the shuttle. Slowly, she lowered herself back into the seat in a very submissive manner to please the older yautja, much like a pup would turn its belly up to an adult or show their neck to stop their bearer's wrath at their antics. Lar'ja remained by her, head angled towards his sire and posture hostile as the two seemed to have some kind of silent battle going on.

Finally, the eldest sharply looked down upon her.

"Come, ooman," that stung more than she would ever admit, especially when it came from the clan leader in the form of a disgusted warble. It felt as if all her achievements had been brushed aside and ignored blatantly in favor of her species. Without question, Kali'adah rose to her feet again and slid the mask over her face, hiding her features and the hurt in her eyes. The ramp had already been lowered and the male turned his back to her in a very disrespectful show of superiority, leaving her to trail behind him in silent obedience.

Lar'ja didn't back down, however, he marched right by her side with a confident posture, much like an eager youngblood trying to prove himself in a very bull-headed and bold way to his superiors. What even happened to garner such a reaction from both of them? Maybe his sire found out about his public challenge in the mess hall regarding her, an ooman, maybe tried to talk some sense into him. She wouldn't complain about that if that was indeed the case. The fact that Lar'ja's been off and away during the entirety of the flight made it impossible for her to have 'the talk' with the firstborn, so she could only hope and assume.

"Honorable leader Za'jo of the Etei clan. N'jauka, mei'hswei,"

They were met with a group of seven hunters, six of which were all elites, standing by the seventh with weapons drawn and held up in a guarding fashion. The one that spoke, was a yautja as black as the space, faded blotches of red and brown being the only colors that stuck out against his large crown. His tendrils were oily black where they connected and faded to a dull grey down their length, which was his waist. He donned the same regal type of clothing as their leader, so Kali'adah clearly presumed he was the leader of this clan. By the way he had addressed Za'jo, they also happened to have been hunt brothers. It made sense why the ties between these two clans, Etei and Tu'jan were so strong and remained that way no matter how many clans battled amongst each other. A bond forged through eons of hunting together and passing a chiva together, it was a bond made to endure.

Both her and Lar'ja remained behind as his sire greeted the welcoming party, Kali choosing to stay a stranger, outside of their animated conversation. That is, until the Tu'jan leader chuffed in her direction and made her raise the visors of her mask towards him, but keeping her eyes to his neck in respectful regard, to show that she was no challenge. "An ooman female!" he trilled in a very amused tone. "Sei-i," came the curt reply of her leader. The other high ranking male approached her without the usual inhibition of her clan mates, lowering his large head to be mandibles to face with her.

"Sain'ja?" was he talking to her or asking Za'jo?

After a few seconds of silence, she squared her shoulders and puffed out her chest. "Sei-i," her tonality was strong and infliction without question, no trace of doubt. His head tilted in mocking cognizance at her adopted posture, a body language that was not her own. "Take mask off, ooman,"

For a moment, she glanced to her clan leader for his permission, only to see that he wasn't even looking, instead making small talk with one of the male yautja present in the welcoming party, probably about their transport. Lar'ja, in contrast to his sire, stood by her, unmoving and observing quietly, his eyes fixed upon the older male's head.

Well then.

Reluctantly, she reached up and carefully unlatched the mask from her face, attaching it to her belts, before raising her head and staring forward without blinking, respectfully, again, not making any eye contact with the leader. In exchange, the male snatched her mask from where it had been placed, brushing her exposed skin with a talon in the process, and lifted it to his face, prodding the sides of it with clumsy claws without placing it over his head -that alone was an impossible feat given the size difference of her head to his and the shape alone. Regardless, Kali tensed and bristled ridiculously at the gesture and Lar'ja took a threatening step forward, his arm brushing her hip with the movement.

The clan leader growled deeply at Lar'ja's daring, which prompted the younger male to square his shoulders and fold his mandibles tight. Resuming what he was doing, the yautja finally found what he was looking for and turned to her with the mask a few inches away from his face, inspecting her from head to toe. Kali was unnerved. "Very rare," he suddenly spoke, reaching a talon to her chin and closing the little distance to lower his head. The visors of her own mask were staring right into her eyes, opaque, taking her colors, her shapes, her features, in. The chattering stopped and Za'jo was now watching the interaction just as intently as his first born.

Kali was frozen, not knowing how she should act as she kept stiff, muscles rippling with the tension under her flesh as she was blatantly studied. Figuring it was enough, the eccentric male shoved the mask into her chest, letting her know he was done with the scrutinizing, before he returned to his old hunt brother.

"Come, Za'jo, come," he had turned his back to her disrespectfully, just like her clan leader, not that she could do anything about it. Lar'ja nudged her side and she was brought out of her thoughts, snarling at the firstborn for how he found it alright to touch her whenever he pleased.

She needed to put her foot down.

Her surrogate mother would have ripped his head off with only her mandibles if he would have tried this with her -or any other yautja female. He comically lurched back from her as if he weren't expecting the reaction and then chittered his annoyance with various warbled clicks. "H'ulij-bpe," this was beginning to grate on her nerves, him calling her crazy every damn time he did something stupid and she bit back. One deathly glare later, Kali had placed her mask back on and followed after the two clan leaders and the many guards trailing behind, Lar'ja still hot on her tail.

What exactly made him want to try courting her? One could only wonder. Did he exhaust the worthy females in the clan? She knew for a fact he rutted some outside the Etei clan too, so did the galaxy run out of strong yautja females?

Paya, this was the most inappropriate time to let her mind wander.

Huffing, she marched forth, with a bit more speed than previously, as to leave the irritating male behind. However, when the guards began giving her funny looks, she lost some of the pep in her walk, falling back in line with the elite.

...

Apparently, the Tu'jan clan leader prepared them a feast, in a very...odd mess hall, in Kali's eyes that was. By odd, she meant the many human female occupants, lounging on luxurious cushions covered in pelts and pillows made of silk and feathers, adorned in jewelry and fine furs, half-naked and all. There were various depressions into the floor all around the massive room, in which many yautja males and females indulged in the company of...human servants, slaves, pets. Whatever they were.

What struck her as odd was how well looked-after they were, how clean, how well nourished and clothed they were, looked. Many of the females were a little overweight even, clearly enjoying the lifestyle on the ship, dressed scantily and caressed by their...lovers? Even Za'jo was clearly disgruntled by what he was seeing, which meant that he was not expecting this kind of depravity either. "Ci'tde, what is the meaning of this?" their clan leader finally spoke, observing some exchanges as they walked deeper inside, passing by small duos or trios.

Ci'tde, the Tu'jan leader simply snorted and shook his big head, tresses slapping his back in the process "New era," he replied easily. This clan was known for their eccentricities, but never to this degree, they practically co-habited with humans now. That's how many they were. Kali was wondering, however, why she was walking with them still, why she was not left behind on the ship like she was supposed to.

The two leaders finally settled into one of the largest depressions, smack in the middle of the room, the guards retreating behind at the surrounding walls -Kali assumed this particular crater belonged to the leader, given the much more groomed belongings within it, many pillows, cushions and pelts spread around a very short, round table with exotic foods on it. Lar'ja sat down with ease, cross-legged, by his sire, while Kali remained standing, sure that she wasn't supposed to settle within the -"Sit, sain'ja."

Again, she looked at her leader for permission, but the male ignored her completely, so she assumed she could do as told by another. Quietly, she stepped inside and settled down, keeping her distance from both Ci'tde and Lar'ja on each side. The three began chattering amongst themselves, fast and relentless, beginning with the whole transport plan and branching into remembering tales of their old adventures. Nothing that was important enough for her to listen in, so she let her gaze wander.

From her position, she could see a few human females pouring drinks for other warriors, a group of them braiding their hair while keeping their eyes on her, and some male humans taking her in discretely, or what they thought was discrete. The yautja in the room barely spared them a glance, with the exception of two female yautja that eyed the three males she was sitting with, probably having half a mind to challenge them, what with so many pheromones in the air. They weren't warriors, by the flawless hides and unadorned tresses, so Kali felt safe. She fought large yautja females before, with and without training and she fared quite well, therefore, one trying to stir something with her could be dealt with swiftly.

Her gaze then settled on a male yautja, quite carefully tending to a female human that looked positively with suckling. Kali's attention remained on the duo for quite a while, her expression baffled at how naturally they behaved with each other and more importantly, wondering if that pup could possibly be the result of a relation with her companion. That was impossible, wasn't it though? It was crazy to even think that such a thing was -

Suddenly, Lar'ja roared and made to lurch forward, but was shoved back by his sire's strong arm. "Not for breeding," Za'jo grumbled, keeping his firstborn from trying anything reckless that could plunge the clans into war. What? Breeding? Did they want to have him breed with some yautja female in this clan? She wasn't complaining.

"Sain'ja? Want strong pups?" why was Ci'tde asking her about Lar'ja's strong pups, or the probability of them? She tilted her head to the side, not understanding what was happening and feeling as if she missed something from their conversation.

"Sei-i?"

Lar'ja snarled at her, mandibles outstretched and eyes wide, pupils dilated. Ci'tde leaned back into the furs and pillows, watching her bemusedly. Her clan leader's eyes bored over her as well, unfazed. What was happening? "Why ask about Lar'ja's pups?" she finally worked up the courage to ask, earning a trill from the clan leader.

"Not Lar'ja pups, Sain'ja pups." he explained, mandibles clicking rapidly to show his amusement. She couldn't understand. "I can't have pups," the female retorted, puzzled by the whole fiasco, brows furrowing together behind her mask.

"Not yautja pups, ooman pups," he supplied again, sitting up, leaning his elbows on his knees and tilting his head in her direction mirthfully. Pieces fell into place and she understood what was going on. She had been brought up into the conversation, offered to be mounted by a human male, as they were plenty on this clan ship, which also made her realize why she was sitting here right now. Was this why Lar'ja got so angry back on the ship? Well, now the cat was out of the bag and she said it out loud for Lar'ja to hear it as well, she couldn't have pups with a yautja, as the healer had said when she hit her prime, so now she was waiting for him to take back his courting mojo and let her be bred by some human male this clan leader was offering.

How could she back away from this? "H'ko." the word slipped her mouth before she could stop herself. Was she part of this exchange? Za'jo said not for breeding, but perhaps the plan was for her to meet the human male before making a decision. No human male was worthy of her, however. Ci'tde bristled, but didn't say anything, simply watched her closely, thoughtfully. Lar'ja seemed to have calmed down just a bit -no wonder he got so riled up, she straight-up insulted him by saying yes, brushing off the acceptance she had given him.

"Not for breeding. Meeting, yes, but ooman decides. Honored warrior has mating rights," her clan leader made it all clear now and she felt almost nauseous. Mentally, she cussed herself for not having paid attention. Ci'tde glanced at his hunt brother and then back at her, before huffing his agreement to the terms. "Aseigan!" the old leader roared after a moment of silence. Scampering towards them was a chubby female human, who bowed as soon as she reached them, far enough to be respectful. "Bring Warkha."

Who was Warkha?

Well, Warkha was a male human, an elite human male, actually, born on this clan ship to a slave and raised among them, as Ci'tde told them, specifically her, probably trying to make her understand that his genes were strong. And oh boy, was he right. Warkha was as big as a yautja, full of muscles, with a tanned complexion, strong jaw and fearless blue eyes. Not like her ice blues, but a blue that reminded her of oceans. His hair was in thick dreads, adorned with rings that spoke of his prowess and hunts, that and the many scars that littered his body, dressed in elite attire, made her swallow hard. Needless to say, the moment he fixed his gaze on her, Kali felt a shiver run down her spine.

Oh, Paya, what was with this perfect male specimen? Thankfully, she had her mask on, so he couldn't see her gawking, but Lar'ja bristled terribly at her body language and her heat signature going haywire. Kali didn't even realize she had shifted uncomfortably and brushed her own tresses aside as if to make herself more presentable,more appealing, until she noticed the intense gazes of the males stuck on her. Ci'tde was having a field day with this as one of his best warriors, a human male, sat by him and watched his hunt brother's own human warrior become flustered, if the heat coursing through her body was anything to go by. The firstborn was getting aggressive, chuffing and making himself seem bigger in the face of a possible threat.

By the way the young one reacted at the suggestion of a breeding between the two human warriors, Ci'tde understood that the female was being courted by him, intentions made clearer with how he was behaving. "Warkha very honorable, strong, worthy mate. Has mating rights as well, rutted some of our females. No pups, however, not compatible, as healers say."

Made sense why they wanted to mate him with her.

Perhaps this was an opportunity, a way to continue her legacy after all, have pups of her own. Was it what she wanted, though? No. She was not ready for something like this. No matter how worthy this warrior was, no matter how good it sounded, a suckling was not what she needed or wanted now.

"H'ko. I reject this proposal."

Lar'ja calmed down considerably, his eyes burning into her masked face. Warkha, however, bristled in exchange, jaw set and muscles tensing. Like a lioness, Kali's frame also became steely in response to the hostility the warrior presented, ready to pounce.

He wasn't going to do anything, was he? -suddenly, the human male shot up on one knee and reached across, shoving her shoulder back hard enough to make her bare her teeth behind the mask and anchor herself as to not be budge. He just issued a challenge because he felt insulted by her rejection. Granted, she didn't even give him a chance to prove himself, but that was her decision to make and his obligation to respect it.

Like a chain of consequences, Lar'ja bolted up in the same manner, roaring at the bold human male, but Za'jo was there to shove him down with a vicious snarl. Yautja in the hall turned their attention to the commotion, while Ci'tde grunted in displeasure. Technically, Warkha was not a rival, therefore, the female was going to handle this confrontation alone, as the code dictated, and they were chirping and chattering in unbridled curiosity.

As if not even acknowledging the yautja firstborn's warning, Warkha reached out this time with the intent to grab and bruise, but Kali wasn't having it. Swiftly, she caught his wrist, pulled him forward with unexpected strength and slammed her elbow down on his arm, breaking the bone with a sickening crack. Warkha bellowed in surprise and jerked back, standing up this time. Kali'adah followed suit, bending her knees and growling menacingly at the audacity from the male of her own species.

How dare he issue a challenge so blatantly just because she rejected him? A female's wishes should be respected and a male should have more honor.

Was this his way of showing her what she was losing? Because he stopped being appealing as soon as he clashed against her own desires. They circled each other, both stepping out of the crater and taking space outside it, servants and yautja alike making way.

And then he lunged at her.

Wasn't it ironic how two humans were fighting like the wild yautja? With that thought in mind, she slammed her foot right into his stomach, in a roundhouse kick, rising up to his dare just as fiercely. His broken arm was limp by his side, so he could only grab her with one, of which she took advantage and lunged after him when he doubled over, not having expected or seen her hit coming. Her back slid by his unusable arm and her elbow smacked into his chest, her armor acting as an enhancer to an already powerful blow, effectively knocking his breath out. One step back, spine against his chest, her arms encircled his neck without giving him any time to recover and using all her muscles, bending her knees to remain stable, she flipped his whole weight over her head, one arm shifting with the momentum as he crashed into the ground, another crack from his back as the testament of the force used to bring him down.

Quickly, she placed her knee on his throat, pressing hard, one hand in his tresses yanking his head to the side, the other twisting his good arm at an angle that was sure to break bones into fragments.

"Concede!" she roared down at him, pressing her knee harder into his neck and slowly making the bones of his arm creak, threatening to dislocate it from his shoulder. As a female, she was trained to handle males in a frenzy, no matter how big they were. Her surrogate mother made sure to teach her techniques such as these that would put a mindless imbecile that let his ragecloud his mind, on his ass in two seconds flat. Elite or young blood, Kali was honorable and refused to be treated with so much disrespect.

In fact, she didn't know how much she was human and how much she was yautja when anger took root, but right now, she was a very pissed off yautja female and males should know better than to challenge a scorned one.

h'ko = no
aseigan = servant
sain'ja = warrior
sei-i = yes
H'ulij-bpe = crazy
N'jauka, mei'hswei = welcome, hunt brother
c'nlip = alcoholic beverage liked by yautja

dybbuk = demon/devil