NVP

Chapter Three

Flashback

Tor'mac barked a warning to the rest of his pack as another wave of black death poured from the hellish mound before them. Had the disgraceful pack that had preceded them followed the code, they wouldn't need to be here. They had broken the laws of the blooding ritual. They had left a single drone of the 'Kainde Amedha' alive and left the planet. That single drone had apparently become a queen and had spawned an entire nest. The dishonored ones had been sent back to correct their mistake but had obviously failed miserably.

Tor'mac drew his spear and cut down the first of the nightmare creatures, catching it in its open jaws and neatly slicing off the top of its head. Others of the pack took their own kills, either slicing with a surgeon's precision or simply burning them with their shoulder cannons. The stream of darkness emerging from the nest seemed endless. The more He danced with his spear, the more their numbers seemed to grow. Gor'lan and the others had formed a defensive and lethal circle to keep from being attacked from behind. A mere five paces separated Tor'mac from the group, but it seemed like a thousand.

The 'Kainde Amedha' were stupid, but even they could realize that he was in the most vulnerable position and they, ever the opportunists, were focusing more on him than the other six of his clanmates.

Despite his skill, he knew his only hope was to rejoin the group. Tor'mac gripped his spear by the blunted end and spun in a circle, killing or injuring any of the hard meat unfortunate enough to get too close. Then he turned and stabbed one through the midsection between himself and the others. It screamed into his face, still trying to reach him from the end of his blade. He paid it no mind and ran straight ahead, using the skewered drone to bulldoze a path through its brethren. Those that weren't paying attention were trampled as he pushed his way through. He half expected to feel one latch onto his back. It never happened.

Tor'mac pushed between two of his packmates and pinned the still squirming drone to the ground and finished it off swiftly. No time to rest now though. He took his place next to Gor'lan and was greeted by a barely audible laugh from his brother above the sounds and screams of battle. As they continued to deal death to any foolish drones that came within reach, all became aware of the quick glances the two brothers were giving one another. As one made a kill, he would look quickly to the other to see their progress, each obviously trying to outdo the other. Neither one could honestly tell in the midst of so many though.

As the masses of clawed and fanged darkness thinned out, the deadly circle of 'Yautja' warriors moved ever closer to the entrance of the nest. By the time they reached it, the wave had stopped and nothing more could be heard inside. Each warrior knew, however, that this was far from over. They had eliminated the bulk of the queen's forces but at least a few guards and of course the queen herself would remain hidden deep inside.

Their leader, Tom'ki'van shouted a command to one of the others to go in as a scout. Moments later, the others followed, leaving behind only the mangled bodies and pools of acidic 'thwei' that still burned into the ground.

What seemed like a lifetime later, they finally found what they had come for. The long trek had offered only minimal resistance and their experienced leader had been able to steer them almost directly to the queen's chamber, not falling for the primitive tricks and false, winding tunnels of the hard meat. As one who had done this many times before, he expected nothing less of himself.

So now here they stood. The gigantic queen sat on her hellish throne, supported by thick bands of the secreted material that wound around her body, floor, and ceiling of the chamber. Several dozen fleshy eggs lined the floor around her. Thick saliva dripped from her jaws which remained hidden under her long, antler like crown.

A long, low hiss filled the large chamber as she became aware of their presence, adding to the terrifying scene as the sound echoed off of the secretion-covered walls of dead or dying hosts. As the queen stirred, several drones sprang from the shadows behind her.

Tom'ki'van screamed a battle cry and charged forward to meet them. The rest of the pack followed suit. As the two sides clashed the chamber was filled with screams of victory and pain, blood and death.

As Tor'mac cut down his final opponent, yet another loud scream sounded behind him. He spun around, spear at the ready, ready to face the foolish drone that thought it could defeat the mighty Tor'mac.

But it was not a drone. At some point during the battle the queen had realized what the outcome of this fight would be and had disconnected herself from her huge ovipositor. The moment he had turned, he was met with her clawed hand racing towards his head with the intent of taking it off. He had a split second to comprehend how none of the pack had noticed her movements before the claw struck his mask.

It hit its mark with enough force to tear through the viewing lens over his eye. On reflex, he pulled away just enough that the blow slid over his eye and as she pulled back, the entire mask was ripped off of his face with a metallic screech.

Tor'mac fell onto all fours, breathing heavily. The sudden release of pressure that held his mask on felt like it had pulled his face off. A drop of greenish yellow liquid that he recognized as his own blood fell to the ground. He reached up to his eye and wiped his hand across the wound and looked at it. Had the blow come any closer he would either be blind or dead. The Black Warrior must have wanted to get his attention.

Again the queen snarled. Tor'mac looked up to see the source of her rage. His mask, now nothing more than a piece of twisted metal, still clung to her fingers. With a sickening 'crack' she yanked off the mask… along with several of her own fingers.

If the queen was in pain, she gave no signs of caring. Now she turned back to Tor'mac to finish what she'd started.

Tor'mac was on his feet in an instant, spear held ready. If this truly was his final hunt, he would meet his end like the warrior he was, with no regrets.

The queen reared up to charge. Tor'mac raised his spear to throw, but a sudden movement behind her made him hesitate.

Gor'lan leapt high into the air and onto the queen's back, his spear leading the way. As he landed between the wing-like spines the heavy blade drove deep into her back. She howled and reached back to find the source of her sudden backache but found only more pain. Gor'lan quickly freed his spear and extended his wristblades. When she reached for him he met the claw with a swift backhand, severing it completely.

She screeched yet again and reached back with her remaining left hand but Gor'lan leapt off of her to the right and in one swift cut of his spear, cut completely through her neck, dropping her great skull to the ground in a waterfall of acidic blood that Gor'lan had to roll as he landed to avoid. The queen's body hung in the air for a moment then joined her head on the floor with a crash that shook the ground.

After a few short moments of stunned silence, the hellish tunnels of the hive came alive with cries of victory. Several even began chanting Gor'lan's name. Tor'mac merely stood in silence, holding a hand over his eye. For a moment he almost became angry, but when he looked at his brother, surrounded by other members of the pack and lifting the severed head high over his own, he couldn't help but be proud of his little brother. However, he also made a silent vow never to let his brother show him up again.

End flashback

Tor'mac stepped out into the now empty battlefield and looked at the small warrior's handiwork. Even if he had not witnessed the battle himself, the sheer destruction left behind by it would have been enough to convince him of its worthiness. Deep gouges had been carved by the dragon, much like its brief battle with Gor'lan. Trees had been splintered. The spot where it had gone after Kagome was now a trench. What the small warrior lacked in size, he obviously made up for in speed and skill.

Tor'mac moved to the edge of the clearing where Inuyasha had gone-back in the direction the dragon had come from-and leapt up into a tree. Through the enhanced vision of his mask he could see that they were following the trail left by the dragon and hadn't gotten very far away.

A thought occurred to Tor'mac and he turned back to the clearing. How would he fare in the same situation? To take on such a beast with no armor and only one hand weapon and without the element of surprise as well.

He shook off the thought. Surely he could have done just as good. The Yautja had no equals.

'No, not just as good.' He thought. 'Better.'

With that, Tor'mac began a series of quiet, calculated leaps through the trees that would put him closer to his soon-to-be trophy.

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