Yeyinde pt. 5
K'han had come to the conclusion that it was best to set matters straight with Mahwa before it got really ugly. To take away someone's student was an insult at best and a challenge to that yautja's pride at worst. K'han had known that the day when Mahwa would start to wonder about Yeyinde's whereabouts was approaching but he had hoped to avoid the confrontation for as long as possible, for Yeyinde's sake if nothing else. He himself wasn't worried about Mahwa. Sure enough, the hunter was skilled but not skilled enough and K'han was several years ahead of him where skill was concerned. This would prove to be a good morning exercise.
He approached the pale-skinned hunter, both of them stood at the ready and K'han could hear how Mahwa growled. Around them the juvenile yautja gave up their stunned hush at the unexpected challenge and roared for blood. It did not matter whose but K'han guessed that their loyalty and hopes lay with their trainer. He clicked his mandibles in amusement; he would show them that their teacher had yet a long way to go before he could measure up to a near-elder.
Mahwa punched at him and K'han slipped the move unthinkingly, surprised by the stupidity of it. To attack someone with K'han's experience head on should really be below Mahwa. But the younger hunter surprised K'han as he delivered another straight punch before K'han had regained his balance. The huge fist graced K'han's cheek and he hissed, not with pain but with rage. He shouldn't underestimate his adversary it seemed.
K'han grabbed Mahwa's hands and pushed them high with his own, twisting the thumbs as he did so. Mahwa screamed into his face, the shrill sound blended with the spectators whose numbers seemed to grow by the minute. K'han did not pause and he jerked his head forward. Their skulls met with a dull crack and K'han felt how one of Mahwa's mandibles made a small slash at his cheek but he didn't even flinch. Mahwa pulled his hands loose and staggered back, arms still held high, but dazed. K'han crouched down, flaring his mandibles and Mahwa did the same. They circled. By now the roaring from the spectators was deafening and K'han wondered briefly how many had arrived since the challenge was uttered.
Mahwa spread his arms wide, back hunched, and screamed. The sound was garbled with fury and K'han had no doubts about that he would try to kill him, if he could. Enough was enough, though. K'han locked his fingers together into two powerful fists and leapt. He landed beside the other hunter and brought his fists down hard into the still screaming Mahwa's back. Mahwa fell to the floor. His lower jaw smacked the mat quite audibly. K'han jumped back quickly as Mahwa regained his feet. Aware of his audience K'han moved with all the grace and skill he could muster. The motion was nearly perfect and any of the watchers who could recall even a bit of training would be impressed by the flow of it; which was the point. K'han wanted to make sure that Mahwa would be so humiliated that he never would dare to challenge him again, or Yeyinde.
Mahwa hissed and wiped away some blood that oozed from his mouth. If he was unlucky he would end up with two deformed mandibles. With a strangled cry the wounded and bleeding yautja sprang into action and rushed K'han with his fist extended. K'han ducked under the blow and delivered one of his own into Mahwa's gut, drawing out a pained cry from his already pissed of opponent. K'han fell away from Mahwa's second blow but was surprised by the kick that the other hunter threw his way. With a pained cry K'han fell away and got away to a safer distance. With a snarl he could establish that Mahwa might have succeeded in breaking a rib. If it was pure luck or skill he didn't know but it was serious enough. He would have to end this before it went bad. He did not want to kill Mahwa but if the other hunter pissed him off enough then he just might.
"C'jit", he grumbled.
With a hiss that sounded a bit too victorious for K'han's taste the other yautja lunged forward, fists extended.
'Give him credit for spirit', thought K'han.
Still it was poor form. K'han fell to his knees before Mahwa reached him and grasped the other hunter's over stretched arm with one hand, his nearer leg with the other. Suppressing a grunt from the pain that rushed through his body from the cracked rib, he strove to make the move appear as effortless as possible. As if the other hunter weighed no more than a suckling K'han stood and thrust Mahwa high over his head. The other hunter wriggled and hammered his free limbs against K'han's body to regain the floor, but to no avail. With a roar of victory K'han threw the other yautja across the room and into the nearest wall. For a short time no one moved. Finally, Mahwa staggered upright and walked slowly toward K'han, head bowed. The outcome was obvious and a further display of aggression would be dishonorable, not to mention stupid. K'han had won the pure win; nain-desintje-de. And Mahwa would just have to accept that Yeyinde no longer was any of his concern.
XxX
Yeyinde had watched the fight with both horror and pride. Horror because she feared that her Zah'zai would get hurt for her sake and pride because he clearly was the most skilled of the two. When Mahwa bowed his head in defeat she felt relief wash through her. It was over. She would never have to be humiliated by him again. His honor would hold him back, less he wanted to fight K'han again. She was worried though when she caught a glance of the defeated hunter's eyes. They burned with such humiliation and hate that she almost came to doubt her previous assumptions of victory. He wouldn't dare to touch her behind K'han's back, would he? Her Zah'zai didn't seem to notice Mahwa's facial expression, that or he didn't care. She bit her lip and tried to convince herself that she would deal with Mahwa if he tried anything. She was, after all, the pupil of the hunter that just had bested him so overwhelmingly.
K'han came over to her with his head held high. She noticed the blood on his cheek and even though he tried to conceal it she also noted that he was in some kind of pain.
She rushed to his side. "You're hurt Zah'zai", she exclaimed.
He gave her a warning glare and she bit her lip. "It's nothing", he growled. "I've got things to take care of now Yeyinde. I want you to continue your training like we agreed. From now on we'll train longer and harder than before."
"Yes Zah'zai", she said and bowed her head low.
'How stupid', she thought. 'Of course he doesn't want anyone to see that he's hurt. This was supposed to be an easy win. Mahwa must think that he stood no chance, less he'll try again.'
She watched as K'han left the training hall and noted how Mahwa had gathered his pupils around him to give them orders. He had to look strong in front of them or they'd lose their respect for him. From the corner of her eye she noted how Kwo-hn and Kul'vir stared at her. She decided to leave the hall before it turned ugly. After all, her Zah'zai had bested theirs and if she wasn't mistaken, the look that Kul'vir threw her was that of pure jealousy. He'd probably sacrifice his right mandible to be able to study under someone of K'han's ranking, knowing that Yeyinde set of from the hall with a smile on her lips. She would take advantage of everything K'han taught her and she would become a fighter worthy of praise.
She would show them! All of them!
She felt lighter and happier than she had in a long while she sat of running at high speed through the ship's corridors and stairs. She practiced somersaults and cartwheels as she went and paused only to practice blows and kicks toward imaginary opponents. Her Zah'zai had said that she would be able to go on a hunt soon. She would become a blooded warrior. She would hunt hard meats and return home with a trophy worthy of a hunter. This really was a good day.
When she returned to her cabin after her run she immediately started doing push-ups and sit-ups. She did two hundred of each kind and then did just as many lifts for the back. When she was done she turned to look at her own reflection in the mirror. The person that met her gaze actually brought a smile to her lips. It was a long time ago she had seen that person, at least eight years. That person had vanished the day that she had started training under Mahwa. Staring back at her was a confident young Ooman female with impressive muscles for someone of her size. Her now shoulder length hair was golden brown in color and was a bit curly. Her eyes were bright green and her nose was dusted with brown freckles. She supposed she didn't look too bad for an Ooman.
She laughed and sat down on her bed. It was a long time since she had considered herself to be worthy of any praise. With a bitter smile she remembered that day.
XxX
She had been the first to arrive in the training hall. She had persisted that Vraa'hn wouldn't have to come with her. She wanted to take on the new challenge herself. But when the other younglings arrived in the hall she had felt a cold sting of fear. They were so huge. Even the young yautja was like mountains compared to her.
And then the trainer had arrived. He was mean looking with a crooked mandible and sickly pale green skin. His eyes swept over his pupils and landed on Yeyinde with such impact that she almost could feel it. What she saw in them wasn't comforting. This hunter hated her and that without knowing her. It was as if her mere presence was an insult. She felt how she became smaller under his heavy gaze, all of a sudden she wished that Vraa'hn could be there and stand behind her like a rock of safety.
"Students", the trainer clicked. "I won't be a nice trainer. Those unworthy of being here will be crushed. I won't accept any weaklings."
Yeyinde felt how not only she tensed at that. She licked her lips nervously and wanted to run away when the trainer approached her. He towered above her like a huge mountain and she felt how a tremor passed through her body but she refused to flinch when he lowered his head to look into her eyes. His were like bottomless pits. Merciless.
"I will enjoy breaking you, soft meat", he hissed and Yeyinde could hear how some of the other students snickered around them. "You'd better not disappoint me."
XxX
Yeyinde sneered at the memory. He had broken her alright; not only her bones but also her spirit. He had banished the confident person that now was facing her in the mirror. But no more. K'han had fought Mahwa to make her stronger. One day she would be strong enough to fight for herself. The days of hiding behind others were over. Soft meats were worthy prey and she would become a worthy hunter, a worthy yautja.