Chapter 25: 1st move

Heaving a sigh, Cat couldn't help but shake her head wearily. She just finished her first day working with Azira'ah. She never imagined all the different fabrics she made, some natural, some synthetic, and most she'd never even heard of, felt or seen in her life. The work wasn't hard per se, but it wasn't something she was familiar with. Good thing she liked learning new skills. Wincing mentally, she was glad Azira'ah was so understanding of her clumsiness today. That was what had her in a lousy mood. Ruining five rolls of fine and probably expensive fabrics was not something that made her invaluable in their new working arrangement. Everything she touched or came near to got broken, smashed, torn… She flooded the bathroom this morning, tripping and stepping on a button that proved to be the pool filler. She flambéed breakfast and a part of her main room, not completely sure how that happened, something to do with a laser pen and an overturned glass of C'ntlip and then staining the blue and red bolts of fabrics with some kind of corrosive dye. Heaving another sigh, she was starting to think she was jinxed.

Hearing high pitched wails and laughter, made her forget her troubles instantly. Intrigued, she moved toward the sounds, curiosity in every fiber of her being. Rounding the corner she stopped in the archway of a hall similar to the domed hall she'd spent a part of her time relaxing in. Though this place didn't have the dome and it was a little smaller, it had the same greenery and fish pool, with the additions of huge windows, climbing walls, rope bridges crisscrossing at different levels and most importantly, little miniature Yautjas running around shrieking like only children can.

One of the little ones noticed her and stopped in his tracks, the three others that were chasing him didn't notice immediately and plowed right into him, all of them toppling to the ground in a pile. Grinning, Cat moved forward to help them up. She'd seen children around the ship, but never had the chance to really observe them or interact with them. Before she reached them, the one that noticed her scrambled up and gaped at her with handing mandibles. Stopping a few feet away, she observed him as he observed her. He had an interesting coloring. He was spotted and striped, the spots were black, the stripes brownish and his belly was cream. He was quite a Mix. Dropping to her knees Cat gave him a wide smile "Hi. What's your name?" noticing that the others had picked themselves up as well and were standing around her with wide eyes, obviously curios and a little nervous. Keeping her smile she waited patiently for them to make the first move. They were almost complete miniatures of a Yautja, their mandibles were small, their heads seemed a little big for their bodies and since their dreads hadn't grown down yet, they looked like cute porcupines. Looking around she noticed more of them playing and climbing, there were about 15 kids in total. She was a bit surprised not to see any adults supervising them, she would ask about that later.

Mix stepped closer to her puffing out his small chest and opened his mandibles giving her what was supposed to be a roar, but came out a high pitched wail. Squelching the urge to laugh, Cat dropped down on her rear and acted a bit fearfully "Oh please don't hurt me. I'm a good human!" Looking at her for another moment, he came to a decision "I'm a warwior. Zil's" getting a nod from the ooman, satisfied that she understood, he clicked "Where are your man-mandibwes?" Surprised, Cat touched her face "You mean I don't have any?" turning serious he leaned closer to her and whispered "No. Did they faw off? My mother said if I'm too woud my mandibwews wiw faw off" Trying hard to keep serious, Cat whispered back "Well I don't know about that, but since I'm not a Yautja warrior like you, humans don't have mandibles at all! Can you imagine?" giving her a look that pretty much said he couldn't imagine anything that ridicules at all, he took her hand "You going to pway wif me" saying it like it was a royal decree. Allowing to be tugged along she couldn't help but grin widely "Taught from a young age to be a tyrant" she was enchanted by the children in a second.

Though they couldn't range from more than 6 to 11 years old, they had amazing stamina and drive. After 3 hours of playing hide and seek, war, climbing trees and answering millions of questions, Cat was exhausted. The little ones were barely tired at all, they wanted to go swimming, climb up to the bridges and god only knew what else! Taking a seat under a tree, she needed a few minutes to catch her breath, one of the children plopping down next to her. This was turning out to be a very enjoyable day. Looking down at the quiet little girl beside her, Cat leaned closer "Would you like to hear a story?" getting a small nod, she crossed her legs and thought for a second, absently noticing more little ones joining them, one asking "What kind of a story? Is it gonna have hard meats and monsters?" Suppressing her chuckle, she looked at each of them seriously "I'm going to tell you a story of warriors, villains, treasure, caring and mischief…IF you promise not to interrupt, ok?" getting vigorous nods and promises all around, she waited for them to settle down before starting her tale, lowering her voice to almost a whisper "Once there lived a warrior, he was a fearsome knight commanded by no one but his king, rumored to be the most ruthless of opponents in battle, they said he had no mercy, no soul and if you were across from him on the battlefield, you would be forewarned to surrender before the battle had even begun. 'Tis said his ice eyes held the torment of those he slain, the scars he bore the testament to the many victories he achieved, his opponents calling him the Devil Incarnate. Upon return from the Holy wars, by King Henry's decree, his fiercest warrior was to conquer a holding belonging to one of the Saxon barons bordering the land."

Rising from her seat, she pretended to hold a conversation, walking around like she was in Henry's palace and acting out what she said "Entering the kings court Devil bowed before his liege "My Lord" Regarding his knight, Henry nodded, waving his arm dismissively at the courtesy "There is a matter I wish you to attend Gerald" Not waiting for a nod or response the king continued "By the southern border there is a holding I have an interest in and I wish to keep it secure, Benwick keep." Giving a swift nod, Devil was familiar with the terrain. Satisfied Henry continued "Since the Baron there died last month, my enemies want the small castle. Its strategic use is Roberts main interest." Pausing for a moment Henry considered his next words carefully, hiding his amusement "If you can conquer it, the holding is yours" dismissing his warrior with the tone of his voice. Observing his back as the knight took his leave, he let his amusement show with a small smile, knowing that the task at hand will be much more difficult than the fierce knight even imagined. What Henry left out was that Benwick keep was the home of Willa, the daughter of the late Baron. Her stubbornness, wildness and trickery were legendary. Perhaps this time the Devil had met his mach…" Looking at all their fascinated faces, Cat sat down again to continue her tale, oblivious of the hunter in the doorway.

For some unfathomable reason the unblood was reluctant to interrupt the story, but glancing down at the message pad in his hands, decided that it took precedence over his fascination. Moving forward, he made sure to make some noise so that the ooman wouldn't spook, he heard they were very skittish beings. Hearing someone approach, Cat looked up at the young one, giving a slight smile and nod as he stopped a few feet away from her "Yes?" Extending the pad to her, he clicked "A message for you." Taking it, she skimmed the contents, catching the unbloods gaze before he turned to leave "Who gave you this?" a bit confused at the question, he gave a slight frown "It was waiting in the dispatch chambers. I have no notion as to who brought it. It was simply marked for you to receive." Murmuring a thank you, she dismissed him absentmindedly, looking down at the pad again "Meet me on level 3, sector 18, 531. Come quickly and come alone, there is something you need to know about your unfortunate accidents." The note was written in English, but the last letter was a Yautja symbol, one that she didn't recognize from her lessons with grandfather. Looking at the children, she gave them an apologetic smile "There is something I need to take care of, but I promise we'll finish this story some other time" trying not to smile at the disappointed groans and pleas not to go, she held firm "I promise, next time."

In the training hall Ke'varde was observing the unbloods weapon preparations and cleaning, pacing behind them and correcting any mistakes "Your weapons are yours alone, no one else is responsible for their maintenance or care. They are your extensions in battle and on the hunt. Inspect them regularly, make sure they are always pristine and ready for your use in any situation." Pausing for a moment, he clicked loudly "What do you want Lo'qe?" wondering why the hunter behind him in the entrance was here, his presence was galling at best of times. Hearing him move slightly into the room he glanced briefly over his shoulder before continuing his observations, waiting for the inevitable answer that came a few moments later "We have something to discuss" saying the last word with a meaning they both understood.

Tensing at that, Ke'varde knew this was long in coming. Was this just about his mate? The ever present rivalry between them? Perhaps something more? The only surprise was that Lo'qe had managed to take this long for a confrontation, it was unusual. Turning his attention back to the unbloods "You are dismissed" waiting for all of them to leave. As soon as that happened Lo'qe closed the double doors to the hall. Walking the perimeter he observed Ke'varde, irked by his nonchalance and calmness. It grated, immensely. Both moving in a circle around each other they kept their eyes focused on every movement the other made, each step as calculated as the look in their eyes, waiting for the first strike, the first opening, the first mistake. Both were evenly matched in strength, though Ke'varde was a bit shorter, but smarter, Lo'qe was more devious and if rumor held true, not averse to fighting dishonorably.

Tauntingly, the larger hunter growled "Do you think…after your death, the ooman will choose another quickly?" Growling back Ke'varde wasn't fazed "She is too smart to choose you." giving him a knowing look "She values honor." Resisting the almost uncontrollable urge to roar in fury and charge at him for that, Lo'qe instead turned and charged for the weapons wall, grabbing a spiked club, his favorite and most used weapon. Being too far from the wall, Ke'varde knew he wouldn't make it if he too charged for it at the same time, the other hunter being much closer. Extending his wrist blades he took his stance, making sure to keep his focus. Both roared at the same time, the challenge set, the outcome unknown as both were confident in their victory. Moving swiftly Lo'qe jumped high, intending to bring the club down over Ke'varde's head in a crushing blow. Throwing himself away in time, Ke'varde rolled on his side, swinging his arm and connecting with his opponents lower limbs, but only just.

The diagonal cuts weren't enough to do any real damage to the larger hunter, only managing to irritate him further "You have no chance. My victory will be swift and your death slow" Growling and keeping calm, the answer came in a controlled growling monotone "Your success is based on your lacking abilities. Your victory is a delusion, as is your belief you will leave this hall alive" Glaring and growling dangerously, Lo'qe swung the club from his side, like a baseball bat, aiming for the soft tissue beneath the ribs. Reacting, Ke'varde swung at the same time in the direction of the oncoming blow, angling his body toward it and thrusting the wrist blade into the club, the impact jarring both of them. Intending to use his other blade swiftly to impale Lo'qe, he was stopped repeatedly from all angles by the hunter's metal wristbands. Sparks flew as they connected repeatedly, while Ke'varde dislodged the pierced club from his blade. As he succeeded a pounding on the doors distracted him long enough for Lo'qe to slam his shoulder into his abdomen, lifting and slamming him into the wall behind them. Feeling the immense pain of breaking ribs and almost throwing up at the sensation, he noticed the satisfied grunt and gleam of triumph in Lo'qes eyes.

The wind literally knock out of him, he barely heard Ek'tan yelling something at the other side of the doors, before he was pulled away and thrust into the wall again. Planting his feet on the panels at his back, Ke'varde intercepted his opponents arm as Lo'qe was swinging a wrist blade into his jaw. Pushing his body from the wall, he used his weight to unbalance the larger hunter for the moment necessary to brake his wrist, hearing a snap of bones and a pained whine. Taking advantage of the opportunity he created, Ke'varde swung from the ground upwards with one arm, pulling Lo'qe to him by his damaged wrist with the other hand.

The shock in Lo'qes eyes was genuine. He never expected to lose. Then again, neither of them did. Thrilling with laughter Lo'qe rasped "This is not finished yet. You will still lose" Pulling his blade from the hunters heart, Ke'varde let him drop to the floor "No. I won't" looking at his lifeless face with narrowed eyes as the echo of that thrill raised his worry for some reason.

Glancing up as the doors opened and Ek'tan rushed in with two guards, Ke'vardes injuries made themselves known by making him stagger for a moment. Grabbing his friend's arm to steady him, Ek'tan clicked with obvious dislike, while looking at Lo'qes body on the floor "One of the unbloods told me he was here. What happened?" Ignoring the question, Ke'varde clicked "Where is she?" the need to know she was safe foremost in his mind. "Don't worry I checked on her an hour or so ago. She is in the west nursery, telling one of her stories to the pups." Hearing that eased his mind, but not fully "I have to see her" noticing the underlined edge in his voice, Ek'tan gave him a frown "I am sure she is fine. You on the other hand need to see a healer" trying to move him in that direction as soon as they stepped out of the training hall, but failing as Ke'varde turned to a different corridor. Knowing there would be no changing his superiors mind, he followed while shaking his head "What is that word the oomans use? Oh, yes. Whipped"

Sorry for my absence the last couple of months guys and gals. Trust me, it wasn't by choice. There were some things I needed to take care of and my attention to that had to be absolute. Now that I'm free to focus on the story, things will move smoothly again. The next chapter will be up in a few days :D

Thanks for sticking with it!

Love Dijana.