Cathie awoke slowly with her head pounding. She started to sit up, but had to lie back down with a hiss of pain as her stomach flared up in pure agony.

"Finally," a voice to her right exclaimed.

Cathie's eyes shot open and she jolted upright in shock. Her stomach ached again, but she was able to ignore it as she looked to her right. Ali was in the cage next to her. At first glance, she seemed okay, but a closer look revealed that the wound on her face had been reopened, a large green and yellow bruise covered the lower right side of her face and her left arm was in a splint. Still, she looked better than Cathie felt.

"You're in pretty bad shape," Rick said from his cage, confirming Cathie's suspicions.

"I feel like crap!"

"Just be glad you don't have a mirror," Ali added.

Cathie wasn't sure if she shared in Ali's optimism; she really wanted to know what the Yautja had done to her. She tried remembering the last few moments of the fight, but it had all been a blur when Ali was knocked out.

"So what happened?" Ali asked, "All I remember was my arm being broken and then my face getting smashed in." She worked her jaw back and forth, a sign that she was still in a lot of pain.

"I'm trying to remember," Cathie said, "It was a blur. But what about you, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"But your arm—"

"Is already healing," Ali said, "It should be fine in a week or so. What happened to you?"

It came back to her slowly and in pieces. She remembered that after the Yautja had disappeared with Ali the second Yautja had turned its full attention to her. It had swung its fist and she had managed to duck underneath it, but that meant she was in line of its foot, which arced up and caught her under the chin. Pain blinded her and sent her into a panic. Her fists started flailing, landing several hits before the Yautja sent her flying again. When she blinked her eyes clear she saw that Ali's knife had been abandoned, still glistening with the Yautja's blood. She picked it up and wielded it in front of her. The Yautja paused, then its shoulders started shaking as it let out a gravely laughter.

The Yautja lunged. Cathie started swinging and slashing with the knife, getting lucky only twice. The Yautja seemed to grow impatient and balled its fist. Next thing Cathie knew, its fist was slammed down straight on her head, knocking her out cold.

Ali's eye brows rose higher and higher as Cathie relayed all she remembered. "You got beat up that bad from a fight like that?"

Cathie blushed. "I don't remember everything, okay? Some things are still a blank!"

Ali only laughed and eased herself onto her back. Something scuttled across her and came to rest on her chest. Cathie had almost forgotten about Scorpios.

"If it means anything," Rick added in, "I think you were very brave to face them like that, especially on your first hunt."

"Thanks," Cathie said.

Ali just rolled her eyes, a hand gently caressing Scorpios' back. Scorpios cooed happily.

"I didn't think you'd be able to sneak her in," Cathie said.

"She followed after me when I was knocked out. When I awoke in my cell she was sitting there, waiting." Ali's smile suddenly widened. "And I learned a little something about her."

"What?"

"I was curious to see what kind of venom was in her barb. So I tested it out on that woman in the cell next to me."

"You what?"

"Apparently the stinger initializes total paralysis," Ali ignored Cathie's outburst, "She has to attack from above or behind, but if she strikes right the victim can't move. Well, except to scream in terror for twenty minutes until she was dragged away by a Yautja guard. That's how my lovely scab got opened again; he wasn't very happy when he learned I was responsible for this."

"You were lucky it wasn't anything worse," Rick scolded.

Ali only laughed. "By the way, Rick, why don't you fill in Cathie with what you informed me?"

Cathie turned to Rick.

"Well," Rick started, "I was just saying that the Hunter's Moon is approaching."

"The Hunter's Moon?"

"Well, that's what I've been calling it. You've ever heard of a Hunter's Moon?" Rick asked Cathie.

"It's when the light coming off the moon is so bright you can see clearly by it," Ali explained.

"Right, it comes along once every few years because of the rotation pattern of the planet. To the Yautja, it's a pretty big deal."

"Why?"

"Because they release all able-bodied prey to be hunted for one night when the light of the moon is at its brightest."

"Okay, so what's the big deal?"

"It is also the only hunt that a Yautja is allowed to kill its prey," Rick explained.

"Oh my god," Cathie breathed.

Her chest tightened and her breathing hitched. Ali saw her reaction and started laughing.

"I told you she would react that way," she said with a chuckle.

"But—what—I—" Cathie started blundering.

"Calm down," Rick said, "It'll be okay. I've survived a ton of these hunts."

"But—"

"Trust me, it'll be okay."

"Because," Ali added, sitting up, "there is low security since the guards are going to want to join in on the fun. This will be the perfect opportunity to escape."

"I've offered to lead the two of you to the closest exit," Rick said.

"Wait, you're not coming with us?"

"No."

"But why? Do you want to die here?"

"I've been here for so long, Earth has probably become unrecognizable to me. My friends and family have probably already gotten over my disappearance; I can't just thrust myself back into their lives. No, I have no place in Earth."

Cathie started shaking her head. "You can't stay here! You'll die!"

"I'm normally not one to reach out, but I think Cathie has a point. Come with us."

Rick shook his head again.

"I'm not going to be able to fly a ship; I need someone who has experience in the Yautja language."

"Please, Rick!" Cathie pleaded

"Fine," Rick sighed.

Ali gave a triumphant smirk and lowered herself back to the ground. Cathie, also satisfied with Rick's acceptance, started poking and prodding at her face to see if she could get some inkling as to what her face most likely looked like. Her face wasn't too swollen, but it was tender to the touch and she could feel several cuts all over her face. Her hands moved down to her stomach where the Yautja had punched her several times. She almost yelped when her fingers brushed against the bruising. She most likely had at least two broken ribs.

"You should thank your lucky stars," Rick said when Cathie winced in pain.

"How can this possibly be lucky?"

"You won't be hunted again between now and the Hunter's Moon; they are going to want you at your best for the Hunt so they're going to let you heal from your injuries."

"Oh yes," Ali added in, the sarcasm evident in her voice, "Thank god that bastard broke my arm! I truly am the luckiest girl in the world!"

"Just shut up!" Cathie snapped, tired of Ali treating everyone else as inferior to her, "At least you'll heal quickly! Why do you always have to be such a bitch to other people?"

Ali glared at Cathie for a few minutes before rolling on her side, her back to Cathie, without a retort. Cathie blinked. She had been expecting some kind of verbal lashing or a demand to reveal her secret, she wasn't expecting the silent treatment. Maybe Ali wasn't used to someone standing up to her, or maybe she was in more pain than she let on.

"Ali? Are you alright?"

"Leave her alone," Rick said when Ali didn't reply, "It doesn't matter how strong you are, eventually, this place will swallow you up."