Bonding

Inspiration: Jane XO – I don't wanna, by: Suicide Sheep

The silent treatment.

It works on parents, siblings, best friends and significant others. It however doesn't work on aliens, especially ones who don't talk a whole lot to begin with. I sat on the ground a few feet from the giant bonfire, drawing patterns in the ground with a stick I had broken off from a bush.

My shoulder was pulsating, the joint still swollen from when Anastasia had fallen into a trap, almost forcing me to go down with her. Thwei-Sain'ja had relocated it for me, with little to no shits given for my feelings. I had blacked out for a while, and when I came to I was sitting in the camp, arm cradled against my chest with my face covered in tears and dirt.

Anastasia's fear stricken face flashed before my eyes, and I could hear her screaming to pull her up out of danger. The way her face had paled, eyes wide open, the faint shimmer of tears preparing to force their way down her face. I closed my eyes tightly, shaking my head to get rid of the image.

The sounds were haunting me, from the moment the last 2 survivors had been killed. I can remember opening my eyes, seeing Kuj'hade crouched in front of me, head tilted. I imagined he had a smug smile under that gold mask of his, judging me in his stoic way. It made me wanna break the tusks off his mask and shove them up his-

I sighed loudly, shifting into a cross legged position. I looked up and could see Kwei-Bhu'ja looking in my direction from where he sat. Good. I hope my silent treatment bothers him to hell and back. The past few days I hadn't had any chances to sit and meditate to clear my mind, and with all this anger and hurt bubbling around in my head I figured now was as good a time as any.

I dropped the piece of stick and shifted into a comfortable position, placing my arms on the tops of my thighs with my fingers laced together lightly, palms facing upward. I took a deep breath in, and released through my mouth keeping a constant rhythm. I began breathing through the back of my throat, imagining the waves of the ocean washing in and out with each breath, the sound drawing me deeper and deeper into a meditative state.

I listened to every sounds around me. The crackling of the bonfire was the loudest, I could feel the heat of the flames warming the front of my body. I imagined the heat was my anger bubbling up to the surface, and before it could get too hot and boil over I breathed out slowly, letting my anger crackle away like the embers of a burning log.

There was a faint sound behind me, constant and rhythmic over a smooth surface; Kuj'hade was polishing the skull he kept as a trophy. Before I could get upset over the image my mind conjured up, I began to sync my breathing to the noise. Breath in; one pass. Breath out; another pass. With each swiping noise, I could feel my anxiety and upset being smoothed away from my soul, until all that was left was me: Calm, peaceful and happy. I smiled to myself, basking in the feeling of my aura clearing around me.

I no longer felt heavy and weighed down by the pressures the three had forced upon me. Every time I meditated, I made it a habit to say 5 things I was grateful for the past few days, then say them out loud to put them back into the universe. There weren't many, but I forced myself to think positive, find the silver lining in the whole damn situation. Everything happens for a reason.

"The opportunity to be on another planet." I spoke lowly to myself, not really caring if one of the boys thought I was going mad. It would serve them right for putting my life through the shredder. There was a clicking sound next to me, and my voice caught in my throat as I went to speak again.

When had he moved? I had been listening to the sounds around me. I could hear the passing of a stone, but I couldn't hear the footsteps of a 300-pound alien? I slowly opened my eyes and turned toward Kwei-Bhu'ja.

"Can I help you with something? I'm trying to meditate." He tilted his head slightly, then began chittering in laughter at me, forcing my brow to scrunch.

"Meditation is silent. Inside. You are speaking out loud."

"I'm aware of what I'm doing, thank you. I'm trying to put positive energy into the world by speaking 5 things I'm thankful for these past few days. Now if you don't mind, I'm thinking." There was a snort from Thwei-Sain'ja to my right, and I realized both boys were sitting crossed legged on either side of me. A feeling I couldn't place washed over me, settling in my chest. I tried to distinguish it, but the feeling had gone as quickly as it came. I closed my eyes again as they all fell silent and began thinking of what else I could be thankful for.

"Strong bones." The two warriors on either side of me made a noise of agreement at Kuj'hade's statement, and I had to stifle a quick laugh, forcing it back into my belly. I opened my eyes, peeking at each of them. Kuj'hade had abandoned his trophy for the moment, also taking up a meditative position, and all three sat deadly still with their heads held high.

"Quick reflexes." I watched Thwei-Sain'ja puff out his chest as he spoke, clearly feeling accomplished about contributing. Of course, these guys would turn it into a warrior's competition about thankfulness. I shook my head a little as I turned toward Kwei-Bhu'ja for his answer. He stayed quite for a moment, making a small noise in the back of his throat and I assumed it was out of contemplation. At least they were taking me seriously, that I could be thankful for.

"A sain'ja's spirit." They each made a quick huffing noise, as if prepared to stand up and start yelling and cheering each other on. They were like jocks in a high school, super pumped for their next game. It was quiet for a moment, and I realized they were waiting for me to finish it off with the final reason to be thankful.

I contemplated for a moment, and finally decided to play into their little warrior game. I don't know exactly why I did it, but I remember thinking about how crazy about being on this planet they all were. Practically glowing with excitement before Kwei-Bhu'ja had decided to throw me down into the pit, so I figured why the fuck not. I took a deep breath in, and looked around at each of them making eye contact before slowly speaking.

"I'm thankful for…the hunt."

Kuj'hade, always the aggressor, started the whole fiasco off. He leapt up and immediately began roaring, knees bent, arms open wide with his fingers spread and his chest pushed out, while he threw his head back. Next thing I knew all three of them were doing it, and I had no idea what I'd just set into motion. The combined sound practically shook the ground I sat on, and I stared at each of them in awe, as the same feeling from before washed over me again.

After they had all settled down, they'd each gone to finish their respective projects before packing up to head back to the ship. I was excited for an opportunity to actually see the inside of their ship, and this time I was going to make sure I wasn't unconscious. I stood by as each of them began filling bags with weapons and all sorts of things I couldn't Identify. They were all so concentrated on grabbing things, that It made me feel left out.

I looked around, and spotted an empty mesh bag that they were using to carry things in. I picked it up, and headed straight to the bonfire to start packing up some of the meat we had eaten earlier. When the bag was about half-way full, Kwei-Bhu'ja lifted it out of my hands forcing a protest out of me.

"You don't need to do that. We have food storage on the ship. These scraps would have gone to the hounds." He handed me a small bag with a few skulls in it, but hesitated as if he didn't want to give it to me in the first place. I gave him an odd look, before looking around the camp.

"What do you mean would have? Aren't they on the ship already?" I turned as Kuj'hade brushed past me lightly, 3 heavy looking bags hung over his shoulder.

"They are dead. Our prey was crafty; worthy."

"Oh. O.K." I replied slowly, and began walking toward the ship with the three aliens. "Will you get new ones then?"

"Yes. We will stop at a trading planet. We need to stock up on new supplies for the next hunt. While we are there I will pick out new pups to train."

At the word pup I began to get a excited. They would be little hound puppies!? I started to imagine how cute they would look, with floppy little legs and short tusks all along their bodies. "That should be fun then."

"It will be bothersome." Kuj'hade replied, an angry tone to his voice. "They take too long to train. Most do not do well." He looked down at me, giving me a sideways glance. He hesitated for a moment, then turned away before speaking again.

"You will not get to play with them either. You will make them less aggressive." My shoulders sagged the smallest bit, and I thought about dragging the bag I carried on the ground in defeat, until I remembered there were trophy skulls in it. I didn't feel like getting screamed at, so instead I opted for dragging my feet. Of course, that only lasted until they began yelling for me to hurry or they would leave without me.

We walked for a little while, then arrived in an open field. I slowed my walk as I watched the 3 stop some ways in front of me, then suddenly there was a shimmer of light and the largest ship I'd ever seen began to materialize. It was huge, and easily could have held my entire apartment complex inside of it. It was a dark silver color, shimmering with almost a coppery-green as we moved closer. The main body was oval shaped, and the nose of the ship sloped down into a point.

There were two wings on either side, that were in the same shape as the main body, and the entire ship looked as if It had scales formed into the metal. We walked closer to the front of the ship, and a round sliver of light formed on the side of the ship, before a side panel slid away and a ramp began to extend down onto the ground. I stared in awe for a moment, before the excitement overtook me and I ran to catch up with the three, hoping they weren't serious about leaving me behind.

The moment I stepped in, the door slid shut silently behind me. It wasn't very bright inside the ship, and there were red wall lamps lining the walkway I stood in. I stood still for a moment, trying to allow my eyesight to accommodate the darker atmosphere, when the lights began to glow a little brighter. I was able to make out more shapes around me, noticing that there was a heavy fog covering the floor. I kicked my leg, making the fog swish at my feet, then curl into little wisps around my legs before settling back down. There was movement to my left, and I watched as Thwei-Sain'ja came from around a corner to grab the bag in my hands.

"We've turned up the lights so you can see easier. We do not need bright light to see. You may look around the ship, but do not try to get into any room that is not already open." And with that he began walking away. I stood in place watching his back, before turning in the direction he'd come from.

As I walked, I started to notice that the walls had small protruding designs all along it, as if there was brail etched into them. The further along I went, the more I noticed that there were just empty hallways and no doors. I began to wonder why Thwei-Sain'ja would tell me not to open any doors, when there really weren't any to begin with. I placed my hand against one wall to feel the designs, when I pulled my hand back in shock.

The walls were warm to the touch, more so in the areas where there was brail. As I walked, I dragged my hand along the wall, when suddenly a red light flashed overhead. I turned quickly away from the wall, and watched as the same oval sliver of light from the entrance of the ship illuminated in front of me, before sliding out of view to reveal a room. I stood staring for a moment, then gingerly walked forward into the space.

It was a decent sized room with plenty of space to walk around if you were an 8 foot tall alien, and it had lard metal crates placed strategically around the floor. The crates had bars along them, and large dishes were in each of them. This was most likely the room where the hounds were kept. I turned around, not needing to look into the room further and exited.

The moment I stepped out of the room, the light above the doorway went out, and the panel slid back into place. I continued down the hallway, sliding my hand against the wall. Each time a light would flash above me, I would step back and wait for the light to reveal the door. Overall I'd discovered what looked like 5 king sized bedrooms, a storage room for food, a giant room that looked like it was used for training, filled with all kinds of weapons, and the cockpit where I found Kwei-Bhu'ja sitting in a giant chair, pressing a million buttons that I couldn't read.

I didn't bother him, too afraid to mess up his concentration, so I simply headed on my way down another hallway. A few times I would run my hand across a wall and a light would blink overhead, but nothing else would happen. I assumed those were the doors that Thwei-Sain'ja had told me not to try and open, so I continued on my way. As I walk, I entered a hallway with a dead end.

I walked up to the wall, assuming that a group of aliens wouldn't place a random hallway in their ship for no reason, slid my hand along the wall until a red light flashed to life above me, then I stepped back, waiting for the door to open. The tell-tale oval light shone in front of me, and as soon as the panel slid out of view my jaw hit the floor.

In front of me was the most beautiful bath house I'd ever seen in my life. It was a giant, square, roman looking pool in the center of the room, surrounded by pillars on all four corners. What surprised me, was the fact that there were also plants and vines growing along the entire room. Strange flowers grew on the vines covering the pillars, and the same fog that hung in every room was swirling around the plants and moss that were covering the ground.

Aside from the walls and the pool, everything was covered in plants. It looked like something out of the garden of Eden, and the dim lights gave the room an ethereal feel to it. The aroma from the plants started to weigh heavy on my mind, and all I wanted to do was strip down, sink myself into the water and stay there forever. At least two of those thoughts I could accomplish. I walked into the room, listening as the door slid into place behind me, and began walking toward the pool, fog swishing around my feet.

I stopped in front of the edge of the water, staring down at my reflection. My hair was a rats' nest, and I was covered from head to toe in dried, caked on blood. I had sunken bags under my eyes, and I looked more tired than I felt. I sat myself on the floor, feeling the moss under my butt. It felt softer than it looked, almost like a plush rug. I removed my boots and socks, then stood up to remove the rest of my clothes.

The moment my foot touched the water I quickly submerged myself. The pool had to be at least 9 feet deep, and I didn't even touch the bottom as I let myself sink. I opened my eyes, and watched as brown and red swirled around me, before swimming my way to the surface. I broke through the water, gasping for air, then leaned back to allow myself to float. The water was warm, and I could see steam rising off my exposed skin, the warm water soothing my swollen shoulder. The atmosphere felt more like a swimming pool than a bath, and it was just another reminder that I was no longer home; or even going to be allowed to go back.

I missed my family, my parents most of all, and it made me wonder if they were concerned that I was gone, or even how long I'd been gone to begin with. I knew that time worked differently in space, and that it can take astronauts up to months just to reach the moon. But what kind of technology do these giant aliens have? Could they move through space at a matter of seconds, opposed to years? Was it like Star Trek, where they put on hyper drive and we'll be shot through space in the blink of an eye?

I didn't even feel the ship lift into space while I was walking around, and I only knew that we were no longer on the reserve planet because I had spotted Kwei-Bhu'ja in the control area. Or at least what I assume would be the control area. I really knew nothing about these aliens, or even what they were called. And not one of them seemed too interested in opening up to me about anything. Unless it had something to do with a hunt, I doubted they'd even be interested in talking.

I sat upright in the water and swam to the ledge, noticing that there seemed to be some kind of stone bench connected to the wall, and it ran the entire circumference of the pool. It was high enough for me to be able to stand on it, the water coming up to my chest, but sitting down would put me under the water. I stood on the ledge and began looking around for anything that I could use to scrub myself off with.

On a small shelf area to my left, I noticed what looked to be sea sponges. I waded over to the shelf, but the moment I grabbed one I realized it would be too rough for my skin. It was a hard stone, blunt now from being used so many times, but still sharp enough that it would fillet my skin if I even tried to use it. I placed the stone back on the shelf and instead opted to scrub my body as well as I could with just the water and my hands.

The water had a very light, sweet smell to it, like a mix between lavender and cherry blossom, and it smelled amazing, like there were essential oils in the water. I dunked my head in and scrubbed at my hair, loosening up all the dirt and grime that had been sitting there for however long. Immediately I wished I had a bottle of shampoo and conditioner with me, but doubted the three even needed to wash their dreads. They didn't look like they had hair, simply something that just grew out of their heads. Maybe I'd be able to find something to substitute while we were on the trading planet.

When I was finished, I looked around for something to dry myself off with. There were no towels that I could see, and I began wishing I had looked earlier before jumping into the water. I resigned myself to just shaking off and putting my clothes back on, and pulled myself out of the pool. As soon as I turned toward my clothes, I screamed at the close proximity of Kuj'hade. I immediately turned away, covering myself with my hands as best as I could.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

"I came to give you new clothing. I have burned your old set, they were beyond repair." He replied. I looked over my shoulder, and could see he was tilting his head in my direction, making a quick clicking sound. I immediately realized he was staring at the tattoos he could see.

"Well can you give them to me already? I'd like to get dressed." I turned away from him more as he tried to move closer to get a better look at my thigh tattoo.

"Dry off first. On the wall to your right." He pointed in the direction, and I didn't immediately see anything to dry myself with. As I walked, I hoped he wouldn't just tell me something was there to make fun of me. I stepped closer to the wall, still conscious of the fact that he was watching me, and noticed there were small holes lining the expanse of the wall at about 4 feet wide, and taller than me. There was a 4x4 patch on the ground that wasn't covered by light vegetation, so I gingerly stepped into the space.

Immediately I could feel warm air rushing against my body, but the holes in the wall made little to no noise. It was more quiet than the hand dryers in public bathrooms. Suck it Dyson. I laughed quietly to myself as I could feel the water evaporating off my body. When I was completely dry, I looked over my shoulder and found the clothes Kuj'hade had laid on the ground for me. I walked over, picked up the clothes and examined them. The outfit was plain brown, and was made out of lightweight leather. It was shaped like a normal tunic, but when I put it on, it seemed to fit perfectly at my waist, but stayed loose at my thighs.

I smoothed the material down my stomach, and when I turned to leave I was immediately greeted with a full on view of Kuj'hade's bare ass. I slapped my hands over my eyes, feeling my face heat up as I listened to him sink into the water. I turned around, peaking to make sure I was headed toward the door and began speed walking to get out of there. There was a quick hissing sound behind me, as if pressure was being released from something, and my brain clicked, realizing he had removed his mask for the first time since I'd known them.

My curiosity overwhelmed me, and I figured it couldn't hurt to just get a peek at his face, nakedness be damned. I stepped in front of the door, and as I slid open I slowly looked over my shoulder. Instantly I wished I hadn't; My heart dropped into my stomach and a cold sweat covered my body. I could feel my hands begin to shake just staring at his face, and he held my stare. He had bright amber colored eyes, and they were sunken into his face. His brow ridge and entire crest was lined by small spines, acting as if it was hair.

My eyes roamed further, and I watched in slow motion as the mandibles around his mouth moved, and began clicking quickly together. I at least knew now how they made such rapid noises. Everything around me snapped back into real time, and I threw myself out of the room, slamming my back against the closest wall. As the door slid closed, I hear Kuj'hade whisper:

"Humans surely are strange."

I slid my way down the wall and leaned forward, knocking my head against my knees. Why?

Why the hell did they have to look like spiders!?

Thanks guys for sticking with me! I've noticed lots more people are favoriting and following my story. I love it! If you could go ahead and leave me a review, even a quick one, to let me know what you think that'd be great. It took me a lot longer than usual to get this chapter out because of the holidays. I had to work more than I normally do, and that burns you out super quick. As always, love to all the people who have reviewed without an account, and I will try to post more often for you guys once my classes start up again. If you have any ideas for what you wanna see happen in this story, don't be afraid to message me and let me know. I love new ideas. Until next time!

Crystalga: Glad you liked it. It'll most likely just get raunchier from here on out.

Tenfangirl: He is isn't he? He is my own special Yautja, one that isn't quiet so well mannered.

I Wright Reviews Not Fanfics: Your question will be answered in my next chapter. I'm working on it right now, so it should be up shortly after this one.

Kuj'hade: Destroyer

Kwei-Bhu'ja: Sly-Ghost

Sain'ja: Warrior

Thwei-Sain'ja: Blood-Warrior