T.P.C. Chapter Nine
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The chambers of the conclave aboard the Kjuhte N'ritja were silent except for the soft breathing of the chieftess. She stood alone in the room, her gaze turned down, not bothering to acknowledge the figure projected on the screen. After another minute the grand elder decided it was time to break the silence.
"You . . . have my blessing to continue with your proposal."
Nrak'ytara didn't respond. She didn't even look up at the older Yautja. The elder sighed. As much as he disdained his granddaughter, he still felt for her. She had lost so much in her life and it scarred her, even he could see that. When she didn't respond he moved to close the connection.
"He had always wanted to meet you."
His hand froze before it reached the controls but his face betrayed no emotion.
"Dah'nagara just wanted to stab you," she chuckled. "But Al'nagara . . . he just wanted to meet the greatest warrior." Silence fell over the room until,
"I'm sorry."
Nrak'ytara's eyes widened in surprise but when she looked up the connection was already severed. She stared at the blank screen before raising her wrist device.
"H'dlak, set course for Earth and tell Hul'tah I have a mission for him."
~Yes Nyak'de~
With that she left the room allowing silence to once again swallow the empty space.
-0-
"How's he holding up?"
P'kya'uha looked down at Joshua, neither bothering to hide their worry. She turned her gaze back to the closed door in front of her.
"He still hasn't come out and he won't let anyone enter, not even Shi."
At the sound of her name, the shepherd whined pitifully from her spot next to the door. Next to her sat Doz who made no sound at all. He merely sat there; the only indication of him being alive was the slow movement of his chest. Joshua looked over them in pity.
"Losing Al'nagara has been hard on them hasn't it?"
"It's been hard on all of us. Every day we as Yautja risk our lives for the hunt. Our kind dies all the time. It is a common occurrence. But . . . our clan is different. Our bonds are stronger. So when one of us falls, it hits us hard."
~P'kya'uha~
"Yes Nyak'de?" She said, as she brought up her device.
~We've arrived at Earth, bring Dah'nagara to the main hangar~
"Yes Nyak-"
She was cut off when the door suddenly opened in front of them. Dah'nagara did not acknowledge them as he walked past them and down the hall. Doz and Shi rose to their feet and chased after and after a moment, the other two followed suit. Dah'nagara didn't say a word and neither did they, they simply walked through the many halls until finally walking into the main hangar. Other nodded in respect as they walked past them. They came to a stop where the others were waiting for them. Nrak'ytara placed a hand on her son's shoulder but he didn't respond. He remained stoic, his face hidden behind his helmet. The ship rocked slightly, signaling that they had finally landed. As one, the hull of the Blood Hunter Clan walked stepped onto the sandy soil of Earth. All around them was desert, the moon illuminating the landscape in a pale hue. Scattered across the land before them, bonfires cut into the pale darkness with their own bright light before being swallowed by the shadow once again. An elderly human with wrinkled brown skin and two younger ones beside him waited for the larger Yautja as they exited the Kjuhte N'ritja. Nrak'ytara stopped in front of the elderly man and bowed in respect, the men bowing in return.
Other humans came from behind the elder and greeted the Yautja. Many clasped forearms and shook each other's shoulders in greeting, others embraced old friends. Dah'nagara watched the events around him detached and distant. A hand on his shoulder made him turn to see an old human smiling at him; the human tribe leader. The kind man's smile fell when the hunter didn't respond. Dah'nagara turned to the now parting crowd, revealing Al'nagara's body being carried from the ship. Many gasps and choked sobs escaped from the humans in the crowd. Even the tribe leader was close to tears. The humans walked forward slowly towards the fallen hunter, each one placing their hand on their friend now lost to Cetanu. Each one shedding tears for the warrior.
An hour passed and a massive crowd circled around a single point. Hundreds of humans and Yautja all bowed their heads. In the center of the mass was a large unlit bonfire. Trophies built the base of the bonfire. After that were weapons: spears, knives, casters, and blades of all kinds. On top of that was the body of Al'nagara, his mask donned and his arms at his sides. Standing above him was Dah'nagara, whose hand was placed upon his brother's mask. Everyone watched in respectful silence, the soldiers, his family, his clan, and the human tribe they called allies all watched as he climbed down from the pile. He took a torch from one of the humans and tossed it into the pile. It caught fire in seconds, the flames and sparks climbing high into the night. Not a word was spoken as Al'nagara joined with the gods.
-0-
"Nrak'ytara, what has happened?"
The elder's tent was a large one as it was big enough to allow Nrak'ytara, P'kya'uha, and Samantha to sit inside it comfortably. The chieftess looked to her fellow elder with a solemn face.
"Elder, a war is coming." The old human smirked.
"That is nothing new to us."
"Not like this. Bad bloods, Berserkers, even Kainde Amedha, are being brought together to attack us. There has already been an attack on the summit on Yautja prime. That is where Al'nagara fell," she finished with a downward gaze. The human elder nodded in understanding, his own sadness for the loss showed on his wrinkled features.
"If this is true why have you come here? We are too few to be able to truly help you in your battles." He turned towards Samantha. "Unless it is not us you seek help from."
"We need the aid of the human's governments. Their numbers would greatly help us in the coming battle."
The elder once again nodded in understanding. "What do you plan to do?" It was Samantha who spoke this time.
"We're going to appeal to the League of Nations. They're scheduled to meet a week from now. That is when we we'll make our case."
"Then until then, you may stay here to rest yourselves. You must be tired from your journeys."
"Thank you elder," P'kya'uha said. "We most appreciate it."
With that, the three left the elder's tent, pondering whether their plan would work, and what hell would follow it.
-0-
P'kya'uha was beyond worried. The moment Al'nagara was cremated; Dah'nagara left for the training hall and hasn't come out yet. That was four days ago. The clanging of metal on metal reverberated through the halls as the huntress entered the training hall. In the center of the hall was a large group of warriors, each one tending to some sort of bruise, cut, or even and even one with a broken hand. Behind the group were two warriors sparring, though it was hard to tell seeing how viciously the smaller one was fighting. Dah'nagara was merciless in his attack. Before, he was known for toying with his opponents, but now he did no such thing. With his short sword in his right hand and Al'nagara's long sword in his left, he lashed out at the other hunter who was having trouble merely blocking the human's assault. The moment the Yautja made a mistake, Dah'nagara was on him like a monster, slashing at any exposed flesh. The Yautja fell to his knees, dropping his weapons in surrender. P'kya'uha was speechless. He forced a Yautja to surrender? That is unheard of even in a spar. The defeated Yautja dragged himself to the group. Dah'nagara didn't seem finished as he approached the group, the warriors flinching at his approach.
"Is that it?!" He shouted at them. "Is that the best you cowards can give me?!"
There were many ways to anger a Yautja to the point where he would gladly kill you. One way was calling him a coward so when none of them answered his taunt P'kya'uha was shocked beyond belief. Were they really that afraid of Dah'nagara? The human hunter did not take their silence well, seeming to become even angrier as impossible as that seemed. Having enough of this, the female approached the group, all of them looking to her when she came closer.
"Leave us."
None of them argued as they scrambled out of the training hall, leaving the two alone. The two remaining warriors didn't say a word. There was no need to; they knew what the other would say. Instead, Dah'nagara raised his swords and P'kya'uha drew her spear.
Dah'nagara lunged forward, not bothering to wait for her like he usually did. Her eyes widened as she blocked his attacks. They were so fast even she was having trouble blocking them! He struck again only for her to dodge and move behind him. She swept the spear at his legs but was stopped by the long sword. She jumped back before he could lash out. She twirled her spear, readying to attack. As she was about to strike her spear stopped! He had hooked it on the long sword! Using his shorter sword to strike the opposite end of the spear, he ripped the spear from her grasp. P'kya'uha was never more surprised than she was right now. That had never happened before. She brought up her leg and kicked Dah'nagara, sending him across the room. The blow made him drop the longsword, the short sword falling from his grasp when he hit the ground. P'kya'uha was on him in an instant, grabbing him by his armor and tossing him again. When he fell again he looked up to see the longsword in front of him. He took it in his hand and charged her. P'kya'uha brought out a second spear and waited for him. When he was close enough she spun and struck his head with the shaft, knocking his helmet off his head. Using the momentum of the blow, Dah'nagara spun and brought his sword around. They froze.
Resting against P'kya'uha's neck was his sword. Had he kept the blade going her head would have gone with it. He did it. For the first time since they met, he had beaten her. But it didn't make him happy. He just felt the same. Hurt and empty. The sword clanged as it hit the ground. He fell to his knees and emptied his stomach on the floor. P'kya'uha looked down on his small form. Never before had she seen him so weak, so helpless. She hated seeing him like this; this wasn't the Dah'nagara she knew. She bent down and wrapped her arms around his small frame.
"Dah'nagara."
"He's gone," he gasped. "He's gone and I couldn't do a thing about it." Tears fell from his eyes only for her to wipe them away.
"Al'nagara would not want your tears Dah'nagara. He would want you to keep fighting, leave the tears for the humans."
"But I am human!" He yelled out. "No matter how hard I fight, how hard I push myself, I'm still human. A human too weak to save his own brother." Her grip tightened around him.
"Does it matter? Countless Yautja have fallen by the hands of humans. No, you couldn't save Al'nagara, but neither could I or Nrak'ytara. No one holds it against you Dah'nagara. You are still clan. You are still family." She cupped his cheek and looked down at his face. "You are still the one I love." She leaned down and pressed their foreheads together. "So please, just stop. I can't stand to see you like this."
His hand reached up and clenched hers tightly.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She didn't say anything else, just letting him release his grief. When he stopped she leaned closer. Her mandibles reached out and gently caressed his soft skin. Her other hand found its way to his hair. She had always wanted to touch his hair and she was glad she finally could. It was soft, as was most of him. She wondered how a creature so soft could fight so hard but she wouldn't complain. Especially with his lips on her neck. She had to suppress a moan as his lips travelled up to her mandibles, each one he kissed softly. His hands roamed across her arms and down her sides, resting on her hips. She shivered when they climbed up her back, reaching for the cloth covering her chest. She stopped his hands before they could go any further.
"Not here." Dah'nagara groaned in annoyance.
"Why did we pick quarters so far away?" She chuckled lightly at him while rising to her feet. They made their way to their rooms, faster than they ever had before. The moment they entered Dah'nagara's room, P'kya'uha tossed him across it. He landed heavily on the bed and looked up to see P'kya'uha towering over him. She reached behind her and, excruciatingly slowly, removed the cloth on her chest. She reached down and removed the cloth on her groin, leaving her bare to him in all her heavenly glory. He wondered how he could possibly be loved by such a goddess. He didn't wonder long as she pounced on him, tearing the armor from his body. He reached up and planted kisses on every bit of flesh he could reach. It didn't matter why she had chosen him.
All that mattered was that she loved him, and he loved her in return.
No, I didn't show the sex. I'm not going to, leave that to another story. Anyway, I must say that I really enjoyed writing the last part of this chapter. Obviously you can tell why. Waiver, if you will.
Waiver: Please review, it makes him write faster.