A/N: Much thanks to whoever read Chapter I and reviewed! Expect this edition of the Beta run to be longer, and PLEASE point out any errors, contradictions, etc., and I would also love to hear about your favorite portions of the chapter! Please enjoy, and review, leave Feedback, and post your ideas for future story Arcs!
PREDATOR
Blood Lust
(BETA RUN ONLY)
CHAPTER II
Thel'tana could not decide which was worst about his current predicament: the fact that he had caused it, or the fact that he and Than'kel were hopelessly lost. He settled for the lesser of two evils. The soft ground underfoot squelched as the two Young Bloods continued their trek deeper into the gorge. The sun had long since disappeared, casting everything into darkness and shadow. Thel'tana's stomach rumbled with hunger. He tried his best to ignore it. He and Than'kel had searched for hours for any hint of life to hunt, but had failed miserably. The gorge was completely devoid of any life, save for him and his friend, who was still giving him the cold shoulder. Thel'tana felt despair weigh heavily on his heart, and he fought the urge to cry out to Paya. He suddenly ran into Than'kel, who, for some reason, had stopped without warning.
"Brother," he said.
"What do you see, Than'kel?" he inquired, peering into the incredibly dense mist. His sensors could not grab hold of anything, as the density of the fog caused them to go haywire.
"Silence, you fool!" hissed Than'kel.
He dropped to one knee, and scooped a handful of the soil into his fist, and brought out a kit. He sprinkled the dirt into the box, and pressed a series of buttons. In an instant, he had a read-out in his grip. Thel'tana heard a sharp intake of breath as Than'kel read the transcript.
"Brother…"
"Hurry, we must flee this area!" Than'kel hissed, and dashed up a boulder. Still not sure why, Thel'tana followed suit, quickly catching up to Than'kel, who was crouched behind a large rock.
"What did you read?" whispered Thel'tana, joining Than'kel in hiding.
"The beast is here… or, at least it was," replied his friend. Thel'tana felt a sharp tingle run down his spinal cord at his words.
"Paya help us…" he breathed.
"Shut your pauking mouth before you get us killed, you incompetent fool!" hissed Than'kel.
It was too late.
Thel'tana heard a deep growl, and his heart nearly stopped. He and Than'kel slowly looked up, and saw the head of the monstrous beast looking down at them. Saliva, mixed with blood, dripped from its mouth, in long gooey strands. It hissed, staring at them in hate.
"Thel'tana."
"What, brother?"
"Do you remember that insane routine we used to do in our childhood?"
"Like my own birthday."
"Get ready."
"I already am."
Instantly, Than'kel leaped into the air, pivoting, and then spiraling down with incredible speed. Thel'tana followed suit, grabbing Than'kel's hands and spinning him around, releasing him to send his friend flying through the air, while he fired his plasma cannon at the ground as he fell. The force produced by the blast sent Thel'tana rocketing into the air after his friend, to light upon a craggy outcropping of rocks on the other side of the beast. Thel'tana slapped his friend on the shoulder in delight.
"Excellent form, my friend!" he said.
Than'kel nodded.
"But we are not out of trouble yet. Look! It has discovered our location!"
It was true: the monster pivoted, and bellowed at them across the gorge. Than'kel took the initiative, firing several rounds from his shoulder cannon, before leaping onto a boulder higher up the rock wall. Thel'tana dashed up the wall with ease. Suddenly, the rock he was gripping split, and he lost his grip. He scrabbled for a hold, failing. His heart rate sped up. The fall was a long one. He dared not look down.
"Brother! Help me!" he pleaded.
Than'kel dashed along the ledge, heart racing. The beast was almost upon Thel'tana. It bellowed again, causing the ground shake. He wasn't going to make it!
No! I refuse to let him die!
With a mighty roar, Than'kel pushed off the ledge with his feet, launching himself at the beast. He unsheathed his combi-spear, and landed on its head, sinking the weapon in deep.
"DIE YOU UGLY ABOMINATION!" he screamed, and shoved his fist into the beast's eye, ripping the organ out of its socket. He wrenched the cannon off of his shoulder, and shoved it into the screaming monster's socket, and fired. The head exploded, launching Than'kel onto the rock wall, and sending pieces of flesh everywhere, painting the landscape yellow with gore. The body staggered, and then fell, crashing into the gorge wall, and sliding down. Than'kel dropped, along with Thel'tana, onto the gushing corpse of the beast. Than'kel got to his feet, hissing in disgust.
"This is going to take weeks to clean! Pauk!"
Thel'tana shook his head.
"At least you live, you crazy fool!" He looked at the headless creature. "But I cannot say the same for him!"
The two hunt brothers laughed, and embraced.
"It is unfortunate, though. His head would have made a grand trophy if it had not been blown to Cetanu," said Than'kel balefully.
Thel'tana gazed towards the sky, thoughtful. It was clear, and the stars were indeed dazzling.
"We should make camp. There is no guarantee that we shall find Yan'tekkai tonight."
Than'kel nodded.
"I agree. Let us find an outcropping and take shelter there. I am suddenly weary from the day's events, and I do not feel I can continue much longer in this state. But it shall have to be near a source of water."
Thel'tana nodded, and the two Young Bloods began their search.
It took them almost two hours, but they finally found an outcropping roomy enough for both of them to take shelter in. It was also located not too far from a small river, which pleased Than'kel greatly. Not so fortunately, though, they still had no luck finding any food to eat. Thel'tana had suggested the meat of the monster Than'kel had killed, but after Than'kel had analyzed the DNA of the creature, he found it to laced with toxic poisons. He had also made another interesting discovery.
"It would seem to me that this beast was not yet finished maturing! It was a mere juvenile! Paya knows how big the adults are!"
Thel'tana paled slightly under his mask at his friend's words.
And so passed the first night in the gorge, without a single sighting of their hunt master's presence.
Yan'tekkai darted from tree to tree, closely followed by his six students. They were on a regular training hunt, but that was no guarantee that all of them would return alive. Thel'tana and Than'kel took up the rear. Just three solar cycles ago, they had left the Yautja home world and arrived here on the planet H'yundai-thra. Excitement coursed through Thel'tana's veins as he thought of the coming hunt.
"Brother! What say you to a friendly challenge?" he said, leaping from a branch, and landing with ease on another.
"Ha!" exclaimed Than'kel. "We both know who would win! And it isn't you!"
"We shall see, friend! We shall see!" Thel'tana replied.
Up ahead, Yan'tekkai suddenly stopped, and crouched on a branch, one hand holding onto the tree trunk for support.
"Silence! All of you!" he hissed. He returned his gaze to the ground below, and watched in silence.
A creature was directly below Yan'tekkai. It was rather large, and covered in what looked to be bristles. It was black, and had a very squat face, with fangs that reached below the jaw. The claws were just as bad. It had no tail.
"What in Paya's name is that?" whispered Thel'tana. Yan'tekkai shook his head.
"I have no idea, but do not approach it. You are not yet experienced enough to handle that thing."
"Experience my hide! I'll kill that beast in a minute!" declared a member of the party in the rear. He leaped from the tree, deactivating his camouflage.
"Get back here, you pauking fool!" shouted Yan'tekkai, but he was too late. The arrogant Young Blood unsheathed his blades, and issued a challenge to the creature.
The fool's haste was his undoing, as the creature shot off its bristles, and struck the Young Blood in the chest. The fool was dead in an instant, poison eating his organs alive. Thel'tana watched in horror as the Young Blood exploded, sending his pieces in every direction. Yan'tekkai bounded to another branch.
So was the fate of the arrogant.
The rest of the hunting party did not fare so well, either. Each seemed more arrogant than the other, and as Thel'tana watched, each was felled by their haste and eagerness to kill. Yan'tekkai left them to their fate, the fools. Thel'tana felt numb, leaping from tree to tree, always a step behind Yan'tekkai and Than'kel. He was determined not to fall in the shortcomings of his peers.
Such was the way of things. The thing was…
Honor is subjective. So is common sense.
Thel'tana sat up, his head spinning from the dream-memory. He removed his mask, and placed his head in his hands. Than'kel rolled over, asleep. Thunder rumbled overhead as rain began to pour. He chittered quietly, lost in thought.
Paya, what had he gotten himself into?
He longed for an answer, but did not get one. Lightning flashed, casting Thel'tana into stark contrast. He gazed at the sleeping form of his closest friend, and regret shot through him for putting him through this hell. He mind wandered to his teacher, Yan'tekkai, and he wondered if he was still alive. He growled deeply, causing Than'kel to stir, but not awaken. Thunder rumbled again, and Thel'tana went back to sleep. He dreamed nothing for the rest of the night.
There you have it: Chapter II of PREDATOR: Blood Lust! I really hope you enjoyed it! I put much work into writing this installment of the Beta run. I plan on the search for Yan'tekkai to be an arc in the story. You are two chapters in the Gorge Arc. There will be: The Gorge Arc, The Redemption Arc, The Hunter's Arc, The Revenge Arc, and The Rise to Power Arc. Please leave reviews, Feedback, and ideas for future chapters! Thanks!
JokerKid988: Thanks for your support! Whoever read this should check out Joker's New Interest! It's really gripping!
mau'indi: Much thanks is extended to mau'indi for the ideas presented in this chapter! I couldn't have done it without your help! Thanks a lot! Whoever read this should read Forbidden Alliance!