Author's Note (OF DOOM): Hey all! So, here we are. We are nearing the end of this journey. Three chapters left. Yes, we are counting down. Not because we don't love this story, but because we have more exciting ones to come!
So, down to business. We wanted to ask YOU people what you would like for a final contest idea. If we get no responses, we'll just do another seek and find. Only we'll try to make it more difficult.
Second order of business, the Minivan Escapades WILL continue to follow the adventures of Evie, Marie, Dho'mago'te and Tvrtko. Yes, it will go all the way through the Epic Story of Epic Awesomeness. No, that is not the official name.
Third order of business, we are going to be taking a small hiatus from AVP while we organize and get ready to rumble on the next story. Don't worry, there will still be some Minivan updates and we will be working on our HP stuff, which you may or may not care about, but that's okay.
And lastly, we are going to be doing the Evie and Marie back story, which will only be about 5 or so chapters long. THEN we will begin with Juanito! And NO. The one shot was NOT the beginning of the story. As we said, that one shot was just to gauge how people would react to it.
All that being said, let's party!
Disclaimer: Nothing is owned. BLAH.
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Chapter 16: Maximum Awkward Capacity! GO!
Dho'mago'te sighed. Another fruitless day of searching for the Kainde Amedha queen. She was certainly here somewhere. But so far, none of the warriors had had any luck finding her. They'd found several empty nests, and plenty of her children, but not the queen herself.
Tvrtko walked next to him, silent as ever. His partner was deeply frustrated by their inability to track this queen. This had never been a problem before. The dark warrior didn't like being foiled in his endeavors.
Entering the main cavern, Dho'mago'te and Tvrtko were startled by A'no'kur and D'bravko running up to them. D'bravko spoke first.
"Dho'mago'te, Tvrtko. We tried to stick with them. We didn't know they were going to do that!"
Dho'mago'te frowned behind his mask. "Do what? What has happened?"
A'no'kur and D'bravko were silent. Tvrtko startled them all by speaking.
"Where is Faru'qi?"
A'no'kur took the lead. "Faru'qi and Dai'za'te have vanished. We were with them, and then they were gone, vanished into the tunnels."
D'bravko cut in. "We heard screams coming from the tunnels we thought they were in. By the time we had hunted it down, all that was left was a blood trail. And it was Yautja blood. We've yet to find them. And the Elder has vanished."
Tvrtko and Dho'mago'te were still. Silent. In an instant, Dho'mago'te had his hand around D'bravko's throat. Growling, the larger male brought D'bravko close. "If ANYTHING has happened to them… Anything at all. I will take it out of YOUR hide."
Dho'mago'te turned to look for Tvrtko, but the black warrior had already vanished into one of the tunnels, a shadow on blackness. Rumbling, Dho'mago'te threw D'bravko to the side and charged into a different tunnel, hunting.
Recovering quickly, D'bravko and A'no'kur followed, splitting into separate directions. No stone was overturned, no place was left unsearched. Finally, Tvrtko caught a sound and followed it to a narrow crack in the wall.
There, sitting just inside the entrance, was Dai'za'te. She had her blades out, hiding in the darkness, a dangerous rumble low in her chest. Tvrtko held out his hands, a gesture of peace. Faru'qi's voice came from behind Dai'za'te, a strangled whisper.
Activating his tracer, he waited for Dho'mago'te and the others to make their way to him. Dho'mago'te arrived next and tried to get near. Reaching out, he attempted to hold Dai'za'te. The small Ooman snarled and pulled one of her blades, her growling increasing.
Dho'mago'te stepped away, copying Tvrtko's hand gestures. As A'no'kur and D'bravko arrived, Dho'mago'te filled them in. "You two. Do NOT come closer. Dai'za'te has gone into a battle frenzy. She WILL attack anything that gets near. As small and frail as she seems, she CAN injure you severely. And she will."
A'no'kur and D'bravko nodded, taking a few steps back. Dho'mago'te continued. "You two go and try to find the Elder. Inform him of what we have found. We will stay here with the women. Go. Now."
The other two warriors ran off, splitting up again to try and find their leader. Dho'mago'te sat down next to Tvrtko and the two of them waited, watching. What had happened while they were hunting in the tunnels?
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Tvrtko could only remember one or two other times in his life that he had been this infuriated. After awhile, he and Dho'mago'te had managed to get the women out of the small niche in the wall and back to their sleeping cave.
But, the girls wouldn't be separated. The two were sleeping now in one of the beds. Dai'za'te still had her blades out. He and Dho'mago'te sat outside the bed chamber, in the center cave, while A'no'kur and D'bravko waited outside, guarding the entrance from any other Yautja.
This shouldn't have happened. They had done everything they could to keep the females safe. And yet, still, Ta'adwa had made advances, TWICE now, and had almost done serious damage to Faru'qi this time.
Tvrko clacked his teeth irritably. He didn't even want to imagine what Ta'adwa had intended towards Faru'qi. He hated thinking of Faru'qi so helpless. At least she and Dai'za'te had managed to defeat Ta'adwa and escape. He was pleased that they hadn't killed the other warrior. He wanted to do so himself.
Dho'mago'te's low, rumbling voice broke through Tvrtko's haze of anger. "My friend. We can't have this happen again."
Tvrtko nodded. He knew THAT.
More silence. Sighing, Dho'mago'te went on. "Perhaps… It is time that we take the Elder's advice. At least, if they are officially ours, then the others must challenge US first. Right now, all they have to do is beat them."
Tvrtko nodded again, stomach roiling. Faru'qi wasn't unpleasant, really. He deeply respected her. But…
"I don't know if I can."
Dho'mago'te quirked his head. "Why not?"
Shifting uneasily, Tvrtko crossed his arms. "They're just… So weak. Fragile. We could break them easily. And they are so unattractive."
Dho'mago'te shrugged. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about potential off spring, according to Dai'za'te. Something about too much difference between us. Too weak or something."
Both of them stopped for a moment, trying to imagine what their children with Faru'qi and Dai'za'te would look like. Both of them gave identical shudders. It was slightly disgusting to think about.
Shaking his head, Dho'mago'te spoke. "I know it will be difficult, but we have to do this. It's the only option left. I know you don't want to, but would you rather Faru'qi harmed that way by another? Who is careless with her? Could hurt her far more, by not knowing how delicate they are?"
Tvrtko didn't want that. He wished only for Faru'qi to be safe. Why did these decisions fall to him? He hadn't wanted this. Stupid Dho'mago'te and his "science."
He turned his head and peered into the darkness, finding Faru'qi's heat signal. She was sleeping relatively peacefully. He sighed. This was not going to be fun.
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Marie sighed. She was sore, tired, and hated having so many cuts. Since she and Evie had beat Camo, the attacks had increased. The other fighters had found out about their victory, and this interested them.
She and Evie were constantly on alert. They were attacked if they were alone. Even if they were together, if one of their defending alien warriors weren't there, they were attacked. Even if one of their friends were there, only one wasn't enough to keep the others away.
Marie sighed. "We're interesting to them now."
Evie rolled over, yawning. "What now?"
Stretching, Marie let her herself relax for once. "Us. By hurting Camo, the others have taken notice. We're interesting now. I know you've noticed all the attacks."
Evie nodded, curling up against Marie's side. "I wish we weren't. I want to go back to how it was before. I was okay driving around, being a herring. And spending the winter with Marv. We were safe then. As safe as we could be with the Xenos around."
Marie nodded. "I know."
Evie sighed. "And even our friends are acting weird. You've noticed how they are now. They're weird. They're always so close. It scares me."
Another sigh in the darkness. Marie shifted. "Well, maybe they're just nervous after that stuff with Camo. It's just cus they care. In their own way."
Evie nodded, and yawned again. Marie smiled and gave her friend a hug. "Come on, let's get some sleep. We need to be at top game. Gotta be ready to take those bastards on."
The girls settled in, calming down. They stayed awake a little longer, thinking, before sleep claimed them.
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The steam billowed in the small area and Marie sighed, stretching her sore muscles. The hot water was doing wonders for her stress levels. Evie was nearby, also sighing in contentment at the steamy water.
Yawning, Marie noticed a hand waving from around the side of the rock formation that kept the pool hidden from sight. Wading over, she recognized the shade of the skin as Martello's. She called out to him. "What is it, Martello?"
A recording played. "Come here!"
Marie blinked. "Why?"
A new recording. "We need to talk."
Groaning, Marie turned to Evie. "Hey. Will you be okay? I need to go talk with Martello. The other three guys will be here. They'll keep you safe while I'm gone."
Evie nodded. "You go ahead. I'll meet you back in our sleeping cave. I'll be done soon."
Marie waved, then clambered out of the water. Shivering, Marie dried off and dressed quickly, wanting to get back in the warm water. Padding around the side, she smiled up at Martello. He nodded his head to her, before walking away.
Marie followed at his side. At the entrance to the bathing cavern, Martello nodded to Tvrtko. Marie quirked her head. What was that head nod all about?
Shrugging it off, she and Martello continued on, back towards the sleeping cave. They neared it and Martello waved her ahead. Slipping into the small, main cavern, she felt Martello behind her.
Turning, she stared up at the behemoth. "What is it?"
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Evie stretched, splashing about the water. Sighing, Evie sunk lower in the water, sulking. Why had they gone off without her? Thinking she's so delicate and fragile…
Sitting back up, Evie groaned. "I suppose I should actually get out of the water and do something now…"
As she readied herself to get out, she heard footsteps coming around the side of the rocks, coming towards the pool. Shrieking, she crossed her arms over her chest and sunk into the slightly murky water. Who dared to come in here?
But, she relaxed. It was only Ninja. Evie frowned. What did he need? Clearing her throat, Evie called out to her friend. "Hello? Ninja? What's up? Do you think you could go back behind the rocks and let me change?"
Ninja stared at her for a moment, then came closer to the pool, slipping into the water. It was at this point Evie noticed his lack of armor and weapons. And began to panic, just a little bit. The LAST time one of them had come at her without weapons or armor, it hadn't been pleasant…
Ninja came closer and Evie backed away. She had no escape.
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Tvrtko stared down at Faru'qi. She was afraid. HE was afraid. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to touch her. But… He HAD to do this. He had to protect her from the others. She kept stepping away from him, towards the side.
He stepped closer. Maybe he could talk to her. Explain to her what was going on. Why he was there. That he didn't want to harm her. That he didn't even want to be doing this. He knew he shouldn't do this. But it was the only way to keep her safe.
He reached out to her. Dho'mago'te had said that perhaps touching would calm her, as long as he did it right. His hands reached out, stopping just shy of her, then jerking back. He COULDN'T DO THIS. But, he steeled himself. He was a warrior! He couldn't be scared of merely TOUCHING a female. An ugly Ooman female, but still.
He reached out again and barely brushed a hand against Faru'qi's shoulders. She screamed. He pulled his hands back, heart pounding. All right, he couldn't do this. Damn the rest! She was scared, terrified. He was horrified. Enough was enough.
Gulping, he tried to explain. But, in a flash, she had her burner under his chin. He knew that at this range he would die. Even with his helmet on. Faru'qi scrambled away, clothing herself, her weapon still leveled at him. He stayed still. A wrong move would set her off. He didn't want to get shot again.
She backed away, around the corner, and then she was gone from sight.
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D'bravko sighed. This could possibly count as one of the more awkward moments in his life. A'no'kur stood a short distance away, apparently unruffled by the turn of events. Crossing his arms, D'bravko listened for any sign that things were going well.
A'no'kur shifted. "Is it supposed to be this quiet?"
Shaking his head, D'bravko slumped in defeat. "No… It's probably not going well at ALL."
A shriek resounded in the air, startling the two warriors guarding the entrance. D'bravko smiled, chuckling. "Never mind! It's going well."
A'no'kur blinked behind his mask. "Screaming is a good thing?"
Smirking, D'bravko nodded. "A VERY good thing."
Shortly after that, Faru'qi came sprinting past them with a weapon out. Before either warrior could jump to grab her, she was gone. Quirking his head, D'bravko sighed. "Well, perhaps it wasn't going as well as I thought."
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Dho'mago'te stared down at the small face peering up at him. Really, he hadn't wanted it to come to this. He sat down on one of the lounge pillows and waited for Dai'za'te to join him. She did, chattering at him. She wanted to know what he wanted to talk about.
It was now or never. He had to do this. He had to keep her safe. Mustering his courage, he twisted, grabbing Dai'za'te's wrists and pushing her back, until she fell.
Her eyes were huge, wide, staring at him in surprise. Then, she began wriggling under him, yelling at him. She was very displeased.
His free hand reached out and brushed against her face. She turned away, yelling still. She was so soft. Maybe he should try explaining what he was doing?
Wracking his brain, he searched for the proper Ooman phrases he needed. "I try help. Keep you safe."
She stopped fighting quite as much. But, she was still incredibly angry. She wanted to know how this could help. And she called him many things he didn't know. He'd ask about it later. "I do thees. Others have fight me. Then you. Safer."
Dai'za'te gave him one of her funny faces. Really, he didn't know how she made so many. He repressed his desire to poke at her face. Now was not the time. Dai'za'te spoke. She didn't care if it was safer. She didn't want this.
What could he do? He wanted her safe. But, he couldn't force her. Sighing, he pulled away, settling back in his sitting position. He hoped she would forgive him. She lay still for awhile, before sitting up, sighing. She stared at him, and then stood. Before she walked away, she gently punched him in the shoulder. All was still okay.
Then, Dai'za'te stiffened. She asked about Evie. Was Tvrtko doing the same thing to her? Dho'mago'te shifted uneasily, then nodded. Dai'za'te scrambled to the cave entrance and slipped out.
Dho'mago'te groaned, then stood. Could the day possibly get worse?
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Marie glanced around desperately. The stupid aliens! Of COURSE they'd think this was the only option left! Marie sighed. "He better not have gotten too far with Evie… Otherwise-"
Suddenly, a blur sped by Marie. It was Evie. Marie whirled about and began to follow, calling out to her friend. "EVIE! EVIE! STOP RUNNING! GET BACK HERE!"
But, there was no response. Evie was in full panic mode. Marie charged after her. Evie made it to the main cavern entrance and was gone into the tunnels. Cursing, Marie sped up, trying to catch up. As she passed through the entrance, Marie wondered where all the guards were. There were usually five. Now, there weren't any.
Shrugging it off, Marie continued on, struggling to keep Evie in sight. The two vanished into the tunnels, beginning a long trek up to the surface.
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Dho'mago'te ran out of the sleeping cavern, searching for Dai'za'te. She was nowhere to be found. Tvrtko ran up, turning his head from side to side in an attempt to look in all directions. "Dho'mago'te, have you seen Faru'qi? She ran off…"
Dho'mago'te sighed. "It didn't work well for you either?"
Tvrtko grunted. "Have you seen her or not?"
Shaking his head, Dho'mago'te began jogging towards the main cavern entrance. "Perhaps they have tried to make their way to the surface. Come, we can still catch them."
Tvrtko followed, but just as the two got close, the Elder Zulfaqar caught up to them. He growled low in his throat. "WHERE are you two going?"
The two younger warriors faced their leader. Dho'mago'te spoke, knowing Tvrtko's temper was getting short. "We were going after our Oomans. They've vanished. We think they've gone to the surface. We should be back soon."
The Elder shook his head. "No. I need you here. We have found sign of the Queen. We need you for the hunt. I will send D'bravko and that other one up after them. That will be their punishment for losing them the last time."
"But-"
"NO." The Elder glared at them as he turned. "We hunt soon. Prepare."
The two warriors stood by the entrance, shoulders slumped. What if D'bravko and A'no'kur didn't find the women in time?
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Evie curled around herself, staring at the fire in front of her. It had been about a day since she and Marie had made it to the surface. It took them quite some time to readjust to the sun light and being outside. But, they managed.
Marie walked up, holding more firewood. She was grumpy that they hadn't had time to grab supplies. It was getting cold. The leaves were changing, so they'd been in the caves all summer. They were out of ammo, Marie had been losing knives from having to fight Xenos with them. No blankets. No food. Things were not looking good.
Sighing, Evie ignored the growling in her stomach, trying to find a more comfortable way to sit. She missed the pillows. And the hot springs. It was nice to bathe every day.
A rustling within the bushes surrounding their campsite sent both women into their battle stances. Marie crouched, knives drawn, including her special one from Martello. Out of the bushes came two figures.
Marie and Evie gaped. "YOU GUYS!"
There before them, were Jedi and Sketchers, with identical looks of shock and amazement on their faces. Jedi stepped forward and so did Marie.
"How did you guys make it?"
"Where have you been?"
"You wouldn't BELIEVE what's happened to us!"
"I bet our stories are better!"
After a bit, they all calmed down. Marie smiled and waved the two fellow humans forward. "Welcome, welcome! This is our camp."
Jedi and Sketchers looked around skeptically. Clearing his throat, Jedi smiled. "You have a lovely fire, darlin'."
Marie smiled sheepishly. "We kinda had to leave quick. Forgot to pack some stuff."
Laughing, Jedi and Sketchers sat. Sketchers slung his pack off and dug around, pulling out a huge can of ravioli. "Here, we can share! And we've got some more clothes if you guys want."
Evie nodded. "Sweaters! Please! It's gotten cold."
After everyone was clothed warmly enough and had had something to eat, Jedi looked at the girls seriously. "You know, Sketch and I are heading out to catch up to a caravan. Defense job. We'd appreciate you two tagging along. We know you're good and could use the extra fire power."
The girls sat and thought. Sighing, Marie spoke. "I don't know if that's a great idea… Not that we don't want to, mind. It's just… We might have some less than savory people following us. We don't want to get you guys wrapped up in it."
Jedi smiled. "Hey, don't worry about us. We're all friends, right? We'll help you, no matter who's following you or the trouble you're in."
A voice cut through the chill air. "What a great sentiment."
Out of the shadows came Dingo. Smiling, he waved his men forward, surrounding the camp. Stepping closer, Dingo winked at Evie and Marie. "Long time, no see ladies. How about we go get reacquainted?"
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End Author's Note: We are terribly, awful, mean, evil people. Poor Tvrtko. We don't feel sorry for Evie, Marie, Dho'mago'te, or anyone else. But Tvrtko doesn't deserve the things we put him through. Look at him! Curled up in the fetal position in the corner over there. We broke his brain a bit. The poor squishy snuggle bucket. Send him hugs. We'll make sure he gets them. Ta!