A/N: Wow, I have not updated in God knows how long. I can't tell you how many times I've rewritten this freaking chapter, but here it is. I'll admit, I'm not too excited about it, but I'll let you guys be the judge. The next chapter is in the works. Definitely toss me some ideas cause I'm going through writer's block (*internally screams*). Anyhow, thanks to everyone who reviewed, liked, and/or favorited my story- it means a lot!
Day Eight
Ko'ja awoke in unfamiliar territory. Surrounding her were enclosed walls made up of red clay and straw. There was no door, merely an opening obscured by large leaves and the ceiling was composed of the same. When she tried to move, her feet wouldn't budge- both had been shackled to a short chain bolted to the wall behind her. She fiddled with the metal, and eventually resulted to tugging the chain as hard as she could but it wouldn't budge. She pressed her hands along the wall, wondering how long the clay had stood here hardening until it's strength was no different than stone. She snarled in frustration, what could she do now? The last thing she remembered was running away from Jann'ka and Mir'ka after they had begun fighting. And then Mir'ka had chased her, as if she were but prey to mount.
She sat against the wall, trying to make sense of his actions. She was not a female yautja. She knew females fought males who wanted to mate with them. Males who proved a challenge got what they wanted. She had not been a challenge to Mir'ka at all. He had her underneath him in seconds, and was so at his mercy...it pained her to think about him. He had always been kind to her. He had helped her make her first weapon. Although she did not share his feelings, she had thought of him like a hunter would of his brethren. She had even hoped, when the trials were over, they could remain a team. Ko'ja let out an annoyed huff and put away such thoughts. Instead, her mind recounted her falling in to the river. She was supposed to be dead.
She scented the air and caught no hint of her hunting party. Someone else had rescued her- someone had saved her from shame and dishonor. She scented the air again, trying to decipher the species of her savior. There was a strong, distinct, musk, which most male yautja have though the scent varies for each individual. Usually the scent of their musk was the result of their diet, if one had a poor diet the musk stank terribly- like rotten eggs- but if the male had a healthy condition than they usually smelled rather enticing- like a savory meal to be devoured. The musk she smelt was of a yautja in perfect condition, but the scent was laced with a hint of sweetness, a peculiarity she's never smelt before. She somewhat relaxed, now that she knew who she was dealing with. But, in the end, she wasn't one of them- unless this yautja was of her clan than there was no telling how he'd react. She knew she was partially human, and that humans had not been seen for a long time. She knew when there were humans, some yautja found them worthy prey. She hoped this yautja did not fancy taking her skull as a trophy. She kept pulling on her chains, hoping with constant force the bolts would loosen. But the sound of heavy approaching footsteps stopped her actions instantly. The leaves covering the opening were drawn back, revealing a massive figure, covered from head to toe in dark armor and draping along his shoulders was a large cerulean mad meat fur coat. The yautja stepped into the room, his face was obscured by a mask.
"Let me go," Ko'ja demanded through gritted teeth. The yautja cocked his head to the side, his lengthy locks- reaching well past his shoulders- flowed with the movement.
"I will kill you!" she further hissed, but he stood there motionless- observing her quietly. Ko'ja growled, baring her teeth. The yautja clicked his tusks and slowly shifted himself into a crouch- still observing her. She huffed and gave him her back. If he was not going to respond to any of her antics than he minus well not even be there. She picked at the chains, wishing she had her dagger.
"What are you?" his voice was incredibly low and brass, like the purr of a large engine. It's sound was surprising and somewhat frightening and made her heart quicken in pace.
"You know what I am." he clicked his tusks,
"H'ko. I have never seen anything like you." Ko'ja snorted, what yautja had never heard of humans? But as he remained silent, it dawned on her he was being truthful.
"I am ooman."
"...ooman?"
"Sei-i." the yaujta came closer,
"What planet do you hail from?"
"I don't have to tell you anything." she expected that answer would receive an aggressive response. But he merely stared, and clicked his tusks.
"I have lived on this planet since birth. I don't know much about outside worlds." Ko'ja faced him, her eyes widened.
"What happened to your clan?..who are you?" the yautja regarded her for a moment. He scented the air and grunted,
"There are others, but they don't have the same smell as you. They smell likeā¦" he began to growl,
"You have males accompanying you." Ko'ja tried to keep an indifferent expression, but masking emotions was more so Thwei-ja's specialty. Her blunt nature was not useful for deceit. Just as the yautja was about to speak again her stomach roared so fiercely, it caused her to hunch over in pain. She gasped and held her abdomen,
"How long have I been unconscious? I'm starving!" The yautja snorted and without another word stood and left her alone. By the time he returned she almost succeeded in falling asleep. He carried a big chunk of red meat that dripped blood along the floor as he brought it to her. He placed it in front of her, and positioned himself close but out of her reach. Ko'ja grabbed the meat and devoured it so quickly she almost threw it up. The blood was good enough for rehydrating her, though she'd eventually need water. Once satisfied she licked at her hands, cleansing them.
"I have no intentions of harming you. I am just curious." the yautja said.
"You give me information, and I'll do the same for you." Ko'ja added and wiped at her mouth, removing excess blood.
"My dame named me Aksel."
"Aksel of what? Don't you belong to a clan?"
"No."
"You don't have a clan?-"
"-Your turn." Ko'ja gritted her teeth, a bit annoyed.
"I am Ko'ja of the Sun clan." Aksel clicked his tusks,
"Ko'ja," the name left his mouth in such a gentle way that she felt her cheeks warm. "I don't know what that means."
Ko'ja picked at her chains, "It's a rare flower, found on the homeworld. I have never seen it though." the yautja was still, not once had Ko'ja seen him make the slightest movement. She wondered if he was holding his breath.
"The homeworld," the yautja said after a brief silence. "What is it like?"
"I have never seen that either. You don't have a clan...Are you a bad blood?" the yautja moved then, standing to his full height which was absurdly tall. Ko'ja calculated he was, at least, nine feet high, a full foot taller than Jann'ka.
"If I were a bad blood, you would not be alive. And I'm sure bad bloods are typically male," Ko'ja cocked her head to the side and squinted her eyes, examining the yautja more closely. His hips were curvier than a male, and his chest were a tad plump. He was a she. Aksel trilled, the sound softer and more musical than a male, and squared her broad shoulders.
"The storm has finally calmed. I'll come back with furs to cover you, then we'll leave."
"Leave?"
"To hunt."
Ko'ja squinted her eyes as she stepped outside the hut. The sky was a shiny neon green with few grey clouds. She could see a few large planets taking up almost half of the background, and a dim star peeking above them. The storm had ended, and the snow covered ground began to glisten like millions of shiny crystals. The hut had a good few of the lake that appeared like a rich scarlet liquor her Elder often drank and smelled just as strong. The scent was bittersweet and laced with minerals. A thin mist hovered over the lake, streaming into the air and fading. Besides the soft waves hitting the shore littered with black pebbles, it was quiet.
"A volcano rest beneath the lake. That's why it smokes," Aksel said as she fixated a small contraption above the hut opening. It looked like metal spider.
"It didn't use to be that way. The lake used to be cold around ten years ago. The volcano may be awakening from its slumber."
"How can you know all of this?" Ko'ja asked. Aksel secured a bow around one shoulder and bouquet of arrows, with sharp stone heads, around the other.
"I've seen it happen. On the other side of this planet. When it came it devoured everything. All that remains there is black rocks. The same will happen here, when the snow ends." Ko'ja pulled on her bottom lip with her teeth; if this was indeed true the others needed to know. She had no idea where she was, or how far the river had taken her. Aksel also made it quite clear that if she were to try anything suspicious she would break her legs. The comment was said nonchalantly, but Ko'ja believed the female yautja would carry out her threat without blinking an eye. Aksel had stuck a tracking device around her ankle, if she went further than a mile from her captor, the device would explode.
"What will you do when it comes?"
"I'll find somewhere else to be. Simple as that. With time life will restore itself."
"Or you could come with us. You could get off of this accursed planet."
Aksel was quiet for awhile, as they continued on along the lake's shore. Ko'ja wasn't sure what they were hunting, but she hoped it was the same thing she had just eaten- whatever animal that came from was delicious. After a certain point, they began into the forest. Ko'ja whiffed the air, the scent she picked up smelled like sulfuric acid.
"What exactly are we looking for?" she tried to ask, but Aksel shushed her immediately. Clearly this operation needed absolute silence. And so Ko'ja followed the female's lead. Eventually they came upon a massive cave opening, appearing like a black gaping void amongst the snow.
"What we are after is very dangerous," Aksel finally spoke, but in a voice barely audible.
"It's a beast large enough to feed the two of us for the rest of the winter, and it's skin is a natural insulator. It would make a fine addition to my hut. Normally, I would have my pack with me, but they seemed to have disappeared."
"Your pack?"
"Their large striped beasts." They moved closer to the cave; Aksel occasionally would pause and sniff the air. Ko'ja would do the same, not sure what the huntress was scenting for.
She watched the female carefully, noting how her tense body gradually relaxed. They stepped into the cave, but their approach was not stealthy. The cave was dark and damp. The granite walls were a deep red and purple, like a swollen bruise. The muddy floor kept clinging to Ko'ja feets, making her steps sluggish. Further inside they found a massive nest of leaves and twigs. Aksel scented the air again and then growled.
"The scent is old," the female grumbled, "it moved somewhere else." Ko'ja itched the metal bracelet around her ankle,
"I have a better nose than you," she said, "I bet I could find it." Aksel snorted and crossed her arms.
"This prey is good at hiding its scent." Ko'ja examined the nest, inhaling any area with an especially strong scent. After familiarizing herself with the scent she continued out of the cave, Aksel following after her, as she searched for a scent trail. She inhaled numerous times, sifting through a variety of smells before recognizing a weak scent.
"This way." she said and led the female yautja in the direction of their prey. They followed the scent for hours, before finally finding foot tracks. The beast's paw was three times larger than a mad meats. Ko'ja could see from the tip of each pad an elongated imprint of thick claws.
"Its close." Aksel spoke. It was closer than they anticipated. When Ko'ja saw it she purred in awe and fright. The creature was truly something to behold. White fur, thicker than the trunk of the trees, submerged its entire body. Long and fuzzy pointed ears swished, like satellites, listening for the tiniest hint of sound. A black muzzle, wider and bulkier than Aksel's body, was the only exposed part of the creature. Even its eyes were covered by the fur. It walked on four legs, but as they stalked after it, they watched the beast stand on its hind legs to reach up into the trees and pull down a leaf.
"How are we going to take on that thing?" Even the mad meats Ko'ja killed seemed like kittens compared to this monstrosity.
"The beast's fur is thick and dense. Their easily spooked and are reckless. But they're ridiculously strong. A single swipe of its paw killed one of my pet's. Yet, if I had my pack this ordeal would be less tricky." Aksel turned to Ko'ja, her purr was light. "I think two intelligent females are more than enough to take on this prey." Ko'ja smirked as her pupils thinned to slits.
Yeyinja was leaning against a tree, his arms crossed, as the three yautjas not too far from him argued. They had been searching for the human for five days and had yet to discover a body. Even he had tried looking for her, but wherever her corpse ended up would be her eternal resting place.
"Instead of wandering aimlessly for a corpse we need to figure out how to get off this pauking planet!" Thwei-ja yelled.
"Our trial was supposed to be over when we killed the mad meats. Clearly there's another agenda that we're meant to figure out for ourselves. Maybe there's a cloaked ship somewhere in this horrid jungle." Jann'ka was torn between the two. It was obvious he agreed with Thwei-ja, but knew Mir'ka wouldn't rest unless the human was found. The quills along Mir'ka's arm rose, his aggression blatant. Jann'ka stepped forward before his leader lost his temper.
"Perhaps Thwei-ja is right. There may be another mission."
"I won't leave her..." Mir'ka said in a low voice. Yeyin'ja clicked his tusks; the young blood was uselessly burdening himself with the human's death- he may be clever for his age, but he was still young. He was letting his emotions get the best of him, which was not a favorable trait for a hunter to have.
"If she is alive somewhere, then she is intelligent enough to protect herself. And if she is dead," Jann'ka said carefully,
"then I know for certain she would want us to move on."
"Pauk this!" Thwei-ja threw his arms up in frustration, "You two can look for all eternity for all I care! I will not fail the sacred trials over an ooman!" the smaller yautja stomped off through the snow, not glancing back once. Jann'ka clicked his tusks repeatedly and slow. He wanted to follow after Thwei-ja but Mir'ka was the leader- they were supposed to stick together. Mir'ka made the decision for him,
"You should go after him. He acts tough but he won't survive on his own. And...he is right. The priority is to do whatever necessary to pass the trials. I will look for Ko'ja on my own. The lack of a body must prove that she is still alive." Jann'ka nodded and headed after Thwei-ja but not before asking his leader one last question,
"Why her?"
Yeyin'ja trilled quietly as he also pondered the inquiry. When humans had existed, Yeyin'ja didn't interact with them at all. He never considered them worthy prey, so he never bothered going to Terra. But now he wish he had. Perhaps he would understand how the Elder' pet managed to seduce the clan's strongest young blood. He still couldn't believe the Elder would allow a human to take part in the sacred trials. Everyone questioned it, no one could do anything about it. Al'Nagarra was the clan leader, his decision was final.
"She is different." that was the only response Mir'ka would give as he turned his back to his brethren. Yeyin'ja clicked his tusks as the party split apart. In his youth, when he had been bid to partake in the sacred trials, his hunting party worked well together despite their differences. His group consisted of the hot headed relative of the Elder, M'ndhi, and his own blood brother, Jyn, who Cetanu fetched for in the third trial. Al'Nagarra had hoped the youths' varying personalities would be to their advantage. The human had been a wild card in the fray, but the Elder figured his apprentices were mature enough to deal with her.
"You were wrong Al'Nagarra," Yeyin'ja spoke aloud, knowing the Elder could hear him. "She was not ready. Neither were your chosen."
Over and over again Mir'ka's brain would persistently scold him for abandoning his hunting party. He hoped his brothers were right and there was a second part to this test. But the test would have to wait. He was determined to find Ko'ja, no matter how long it took. At first, when they couldn't even pick up a proper scent he became so discouraged he almost gave up. When he finally put aside his frustration and used his brain, his logic kicked in. A corpse can't hide its tracks. They followed the river as far as it could go, and found that it merged into a lake that stretched as far as the eye could see. With his mask he scanned for any signs of a decomposing body- certainly that would leave a strong scent. But they were left empty handed. As his brothers ventured into the snow jungle, he continued searching the lake. Here there was an abundance of food and water and the heat the lake provided kept away the cold. If Ko'ja were alive, she would set up camp somewhere nearby. Often, as he continued alone, his thoughts went to Jann'ka's question. "Why her?"...Was she truly worth the trouble? He liked to believe so.
He wanted her in a way a male was meant to want a female. And he knew she would birth and raise strong pups. Sometimes he would imagine her with a swollen belly, caressing her abdomen with instinctual love. Whenever he had doubts of his affections his conscious would bring forth a memory, years prior to his candidacy for the trials- when he was still an apprentice hunter of Al'Nagarra. He couldn't even remember what he had said to upset the Sun leader to the point of blind rage. All he remembered was unbearable pain as he lye on the floor, bleeding out and suffering a concussion. No one had lifted a finger to help him- the other trainees knew better. He would have to bring himself to the healing bay, but he could barely twitch his limbs. Just as he had given up on the prospect of moving, a gentle hand touched his cheek. She leaned over him- he remembered how her eyes, despite their cool color, was filled with warmth. She was a tiny thing with long black hair curling along her fat cheeks and down her brown shoulders. She was so young then, a mere pup. Yet she had been the difference between life and death.
"You told me yourself, you want to lead a clan," she said, her voice teasing, You can't do that if Cetanu takes you." with constant prodding she forced him on his feet and he used pure willpower to make his legs move. He wholeheartedly believed if Ko'ja had not been there, he would have resigned himself to death. Originally he had been ashamed. He had accepted the help of a human, weaker life forms that could not even save themselves from extinction. But with time she grew on him. And as the years made her older and morphed her, his feelings of camaraderie shifted. Whenever she was around warmth consumed him, and when watching her move with feline precision and grace his double hearts would thunder against his chest with excitement. And when should would touch him, even in the briefest moments, the feel of her smooth fingers on his skin was enough to make him shudder with pleasure. When she wasn't present he yearned for her. When she was present he wished he could act on his libidinous thoughts. But he wouldn't dare touch the Elder's ward- not without proving he was worthy of her. Mir'ka shook his head and ended his musings. He had to concentrate. Somewhere, on this planet, his female awaited. He could only pray to Paya that she would forgive him.
Al' Nagarra paced back and forth in his quarters, he hadn't slept in three days. Perhaps M'ndhi was right, he was growing soft. His brother had warned him of allowing the human to participate in the trials. She may have the blood of another. But she is still human. She is not us. She will never be us. He disregarded is brother's caution and did as he pleased. Now he realized how wrong he was. He didn't know what sorcery had possessed him to make such a stupid choice. Maybe he thought she could be a proper huntress if he trained her himself. But even her training was nothing like his students'.
She had it easy compared to the agony he made the trainees endure. He had so much faith in her; he could admit to himself that she had become more to him than just a pet to parade around. He had raised her himself and taught her the arts of the hunter. He always kept an emotional boundary between him and his students, but she was not his student. He wondered if this was what females felt when forcing away their male pups to walk the path of the Hunter God. He felt as if a piece of his soul had parted from his very being. This was worse than any pain he had suffered in the toughtests hunts. He didn't even know what to call what he felt- it was such a foreign feeling. He had lived for hundreds of cycles, he had watched members of his clan come and go; the clanship had its own crypt where they kept their dead, some of his blood brothers resided there as well. Of course he had mourned, but it was a great honor to join Cetanu in the afterlife- his lost brothers would hunt with the Black Warrior God and their ancestors. But Ko'ja was not yautja.
He didn't know if she would be welcomed into the eternal hunt. He remembered learning of countless human religions that told of life after death- perhaps her own kind would take her. Al'Nagarra purred, the sound weak and dismal. When the first trial was over he would scour the entire planet, burning and killing everything in his path if that's what it would take to find her. He clenched his fists and growled lowly- if he found her dead, the one who had caused her demise would have his skull and spine ripped out of his body and hung above the training hall for all to see his dishonor. Mir'ka would not share in the pleasures of the afterlife. Al'Nagarra would make sure of it.
