Chapter 8

'You have blood in your… um… hair' Miria stated as she had begun wading out of the pool. Her skin had begun to turn wrinkly. The hunter still sat in his same position, leaning forward over his knees and letting the water swirl about him. His mandibles clicked together in response, but he failed to open his eyes and look up at her where she stood beside him. He seemed in no hurry to move, and Miria realised that the darkness of night would not impair his vision like it would her own.

She didn't think his purpose for being in the water was to bathe, and he seemed to be taking care not to submerge his fresh wound under the water as he leaned forward. But his tentacle like hair had become congealed with the fluorescent green blood that had seeped from his back, and she noted how it caused the dreadlock like strands to cling together. She sighed. She was by no means an expert on the way these Yautja healed and recovered, but she didn't think the dirty and blood flaked hair over his wound would help it any in the healing process.

Miria waded up onto the rocky bank, and collecting the previously discarded scraps of her trouser legs that she had trimmed off earlier. Returning to the water, she washed them as best she could, and cautiously moved up behind the hunter where he sat in the shallows.

'Don't eat me' she mumbled as the hunter still failed to acknowledge her presence. And with yet again no visible response, she carefully lifted a handful of the blood-spattered hair. No sooner had she done so and he let out a snarling warning. Miria paused, and watched his face as he turned his head to the side.

'I just wanna get rid of this mess' She tried to explain, not sure if he understood her or not. But when she failed to move away the hunter let out a much louder growl, which startled her enough to cause her to loose balance and fall backwards in the pool. The shallow water did nothing to aid in breaking her fall, and her backside connected hard with the rocky bottom. She winced in pain as she tried to correct herself, and met the amber gaze of the annoyed hunter. Her cheeks turned crimson, and she averted her eyes. She felt foolish now, but when she heard the softer and more gentle trilling she could almost swear that he seemed sorry. His expression had shifted again when she glanced up at him this time, and he made an odd hand gesture as he returned to his previously relaxed position.

Miria was set with a determination now, foolish or not. But as she moved up behind the hunter again, she was relieved to not be met with reprimanding growls. She carefully started to wipe the blood from his hair, ignoring the soft grumbling emanating from the hunters chest. The task wasn't as easy as she assumed it to be, and she hoped she wasn't tugging too hard on the long black strands. Blood had clung to the intricately carved beads adorning his hair, and it was a tricky job to remove it.

'Where did you go anyway?' Miria asked, not expecting a response. She was surprised when he lifted his right arm, and with two fingers he pointed out across the valley.

'I heard something today. It… it sounded like an explosion?' She pushed on while the hunter was in a seemingly compliant mood. She watched as he rubbed his face, and it appeared as if he was trying to think of a way to explain where he had been and what he had been doing in terms that she would understand. He stood then, and she moved back out of his way as the water drained from his body. Facing her, he pounded his chest with a closed fist. Miria concentrated hard.

'You made the explosion?' she guessed, and he shook his head in response. He pounded his chest again, then lifted his hand, fingers splayed. He touched each of his fingertips slowly, and Miria thought he was counting something out.

'Five? Five what?' she asked in confusion. His response was to pound his own chest again, but this only confused Miria. Instead, the hunter reached out, clamping his hand over her shoulder, squeezing for emphasis. He lifted a single finger this time, pressing her shoulder as he did so.

'Oh, one of me?' She asked, and he nodded at her correct answer, then tapped his own chest again whilst holding up five fingers. 'And five of you?' Miria was confused for a moment, but her eyes widened when the comprehension of his gestures washed over her 'Five other predators?' She squeaked, and the hunter nodded slowly, emitting a soft growl. What alarmed her more so, was his next series of actions. He bought his two forefingers up before him, and made an x like symbol before her. She watched wide eyed as he then raised his hand to his neck, and drew his finger across the length or his shoulders, in a throat slashing motion.

'Five other bad predators?' She gulped as he nodded at her correct interpretation. Shaking herself from her dumbfounded trance, she followed the hunter as he began making his way back up to the cave, wondering what the presence of these apparently 'bad' predators would mean.

Darkness had engulfed the forest, and with it the temperature was dropping substantially. She was not yet uncomfortably cold, but she had noted the change in the weather patterns since her arrival. Fatigue was quickly overcoming Miria and the temperature no longer mattered to her. She slumped down against the cool rocks, and not even the jarring of her aching body as it hit the ground was enough to stir her from slipping into a restless slumber.

That night was the first time her nightmares occurred. She relived those first few days of her arrival on this hell hole of a planet. The spine tingling screams as the other humans met their deaths seemed all to real. She recalled watching the alien spacecraft leave the island once the predators hunt was complete. She relived the moment when the wounded hunter that was left for dead by his own appeared in the clearing by the container of supplies. But then she was running. Running through an alien jungle which left her disorientated and confused. Her baby brothers screams in the distance urged her on and gave her purpose. But she fell along the way, trapped in a void of darkness. She needed to escape. She needed to survive, if only to save her sibling whose cries still echoed in the distance, getting seemingly farther away with each cry. But something was approaching. Something dreadfully evil that would show no mercy. She bit her lip tight in an effort to stop herself from crying out and give away her position. But this evil knew where she was. And the panic welled up inside of her body until it consumed her completely. She couldn't restrain herself anymore, and as the smothering of dread encompassed her, she cried out for her life in a blood curdling scream.

The large hand on her shoulder shaking her gently roused her from her nightmare. Miria, though only half awake, became aware of the illusions her mind had produced. But she couldn't stop the trembling. The fear was all too real, and still clawed at her insides. She rubbed her face and blinked her eyes trying to regain her senses. But in the pitch dark of the cave all she could do was feel. The large pair of hands encircled her waist and pulled her closer. She realized after a moment of struggle that she was being pulled onto the hunters lap, where he held her close as if one would to a small child. With one hand on the back of her head, he pressed her gently to his chest, and Miria was surprised at how comforting the warmth of his embrace was. She heard the low rumblings from within the hunters chest that resembled the purring of a large feline. She didn't fight him. She was still too groggy and fatigued from the lack of much needed sleep. Instead she allowed herself to be comforted by him, and curled up in his lap as his arms tightened around her and his purrs lulled her into a much more restful sleep.

The dim light of dawn was beginning to illuminate the cave when Miria finally awoke again. As she forced her eyes open and her other senses began to adjust she began to recall the events of the night just passed. She watched the Hunters back as he crouched on the opposite side of the cave, arranging an assortment of weapons. She was surprised to discover that she now lay on a rather large pile of dried leaves and litter, as opposed to the previously cold and hard rock of the cave floor. She blushed when she thought about the hunter going out of his way to make her comfortable. A slight glance over his shoulder was his only indication that he was aware she was awake when she stood and stretched her aching limbs. She was glad of his inattention now as she removed herself from the cave, and the close proximity of the creature that confused her so.